annsepstein@att.net

A Writer’s Dream: The Nailed Phrase

Every writer strives to “nail the phrase” that captures an idea or clinches a scene. The writer-as-reader both applauds and envies when another author does. So kudos to Ian Frazier (“Rereading ‘Lolita,’” The New Yorker, December 14, 2020), describing driving down Old Route 66 as an adult: “I’ll see something I remember from my childhood, and the tiny neural address that held the memory in my brain will still be there.” I hope Frazier did a jig when the phrase “tiny neural address” danced into his mind. For more of my thoughts on writing, see REFLECTIONS.

A “tiny neural address” stored in the memory of childhood road trips

Why writers write: “Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” – Carl Sagan

New Year, New “To Read” List

Looking to expand your reading list for 2021? Look at these books, and check out the libraries of the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Something we take on as an obligation can become an act of love.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “She was much wider than when they’d stood under the wedding canopy twenty years ago, proof he’d become a good provider in America.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Workers gather at the window on the ninth floor. No one was able to warn them.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

2021 Resolution: Read More Fiction

If reading more fiction is on your list of new year’s resolutions, resolve to visit safely but closely with these:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Eighteen, ‘chai’ in Hebrew, meant ‘life.’ He wanted to prove he was ready to give his.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Firemen bang with crowbars outside the locked doors.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “He saw a colorful board game and stepped closer to see the title: Juden Raus, Jews Out! It was like a sinister version of Monopoly.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

What I’m Reading: This is How We Leave by Joanne Nelson

My Amazon and Goodreads review of This is How We Leave by Joanne Nelson (Rating 5) – Learning When, and Why, to Stay. Joanne Nelson’s memoir This is How We Leave, is about saying goodbye to a past that was far from good and accepting that the present doesn’t have to be perfect to be good enough. Nelson reveals the ghosts of her childhood with refreshing, and sometimes uncomfortable, honesty. As a writer (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), I appreciated the authenticity of her prose as she invites readers to accompany her on this searching journey. Generations of people in Nelson’s family left: the men physically; the women, including the author, emotionally; and her mother absenting herself in alcoholism. Although her home was plagued by physical abuse and drinking, readers from a variety of dysfunctional families will recognize elements of theirs in Nelson’s childhood struggle to understand why hers differed from that of her peers, and her adult need to belong. Without sugar coating or sentimentality, Nelson’s journey arrives at a satisfying place that doesn’t entail denial, withdrawal, or running away.

A journey undertaken with authentic and skillful prose

Why writers read: “When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature.” – Maya Angelou

Belated Gifts for Bibliophiles

Missed major holiday dates? No problem. Books make great gifts anytime. Consider these and give a major boost to the independent presses that publish them:

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Your mother never backed away from a fight, but ultimately she desired peace.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Maybe tall people were at a disadvantage after all. When they fell, they had farther to go.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Animal tails and human hands flicked away swarms of flies as numerous and agitated as the bustling throngs.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Celebrate Every Day with Books

Books for the holiday, books for the new year, books for every day thereafter. Looking for lasting literary finds? Consider these and the independent presses that publish them will find a reason to celebrate too:

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “He didn’t know if he believed the words, but for the sake of those he comforted, he spoke with conviction.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Children don’t judge the way adults do.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “A lifetime of small wounds could leave a mark deeper and more permanent than a single big assault.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Books Brighten Any Day

Looking for a last-minute holiday gift or winter warmer? Shine a light on one of these novels, and brighten the day for the independent presses that publish them:

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Friends are like balloons. Once you let them go, you rarely get them back.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “I lifted the lid of the trash bin, eager to throw my bundle inside and flee back upstairs.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “The deeper the faith, the more probing the questions.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

Tis the Season to be Reading

Holidays come and go. Books endure. Enjoy one of these novels and help the independent presses that publish them endure too.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “He could help Jewish boys live in a world more complex than the shtetl where their parents had grown up.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Love is more enduring than fame, and you don’t have to dress up for it.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Just like the Mafia; it pays to keep your mouth shut.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.

What I’m Reading: Actress: A Novel by Anne Enright

My Amazon and Goodreads review of Actress by Anne Enright (Rating 3) – The Stage Curtain Stays Down. Anne Enright’s novel Actress is three fictional biographies in one. First is the life story of Katherine O’Dell, the title character. Second is Norah, her daughter and the memoir’s “author.” The third, and Norah’s motivation in writing the book, recounts their mother-daughter relationship. Norah undertakes this task upon reaching the age at which Katherine died. She excavates the verifiable details of her mother’s life from an early and fast rise to stardom to the too-early decline imposed by a youth-hungry public. In Katherine’s case, public humiliation was accompanied by private descent into madness. Norah’s overriding question is “Where did reality end and performance begin?” Applied to her and her mother, were they as close as she imagined or was it an act and, if so, by whom? Norah reaches a satisfactory conclusion about her own life as a wife, mother, and novelist. But to my mind, she never answers that question in regard to her mother and their relationship. As a writer who has often tried to unravel the complex dynamics between mothers and daughters (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), I know that pat answers are neither possible nor rewarding. Yet allowing for, and even welcoming, ambiguity, Actress never raises the stage curtain more than a few inches. In dramatizing this story, I wish Enright had lifted the curtain higher and better filled the stage.

Muted applause for this literary performance

Why writers read: “When the Day of Judgment dawns, the Almighty will gaze upon the mere bookworms and say to Peter, “Look, these need no reward. They have loved reading.” – Virginia Woolf

Book (Noun): A Great Year-Round Gift

At holiday time, and throughout the year, a book is a thoughtful gift. As you ponder your gift list, take a look at these novels of love and resilience. The independent presses that publish them will thank you year-round too.

From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “The priests never taught her that hell could precede death.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.

From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Tomasio ripped off the mask. ‘Can I buy you a hot toddy after your shift is done?’” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.

From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “He both welcomed and resented going unnoticed.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.

Read more about each book in NOVELS.