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Articles by Paula Martinac
Review of Cirque du Slay
Rob Osler Crooked Lane Books (Mar 5, 2024) Hardcover $29.99 (304pp) 978-1-63910-647-9 A gentle introduction to trans issues, Rob Osler’s humorous cozy mystery novel Cirque du Slay is the follow-up to Devil’s Chew Toy in the Hayden & Friends series. Hayden, a middle school teacher and gay dating blogger, and Hollister, a lesbian and a furniture designer who’s Hayden’s best friend, accept an invitation to a flashy circus fundraiser for a nonprofit organization run by their frenemy, Sarah Lee.
Review of The Manor House Governess
C. A. Castle Alcove Press (Nov 7, 2023) Hardcover $28.99 (336pp) 978-1-63910-560-1 In C. A. Castle’s engaging novel The Manor House Governess, a queer tutor is enmeshed in the intrigues of the family that employs him. To survive bullying at school for his perceived effeminacy, Bron, who has been abandoned by the boy he loves, loses himself in romantic Gothic novels. But when the University of Cambridge rejects his application, it shatters his dream of securing an elite education.
Review of Red Clay Suzie
A Novel Inspired by True Events Jeffrey Dale Lofton Post Hill Press (Nov 29, 2022) Hardcover $26.99 (288pp) 978-1-63758-576-4 2022 INDIES Winner Silver, LGBTQ+ (Adult Fiction) Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5 In the evocative historical novel Red Clay Suzie, a teenager’s growing awareness of his sexual orientation clashes with his conservative surroundings and makes him a timeless and empathetic hero.
Review of Darcy
A Pride and Prejudice Variation Alice McVeigh Warleigh Hall Press (Jun 30, 2023) (280pp) 978-1-916882-36-2 Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5 Darcy is a delightful take on Pride and Prejudice that shows respect for Jane Austen’s work while also peeking into her characters’ true thoughts. Alice McVeigh’s Regency-era romance Darcy pays homage to Pride and Prejudice with its imaginative scenes and vivacious journal entries. The novel doesn’t stray far from Jane Austen’s basic plot: in it, Mr. and Mrs.
Review of Here in the Night
Rebecca Turkewitz Black Lawrence Press (Jul 21, 2023) Softcover $21.95 (201pp) 978-1-62557-057-4 Rebecca Turkewitz limns the haunting nature of everyday occurrences in her rich literary collection Here in the Night. These thirteen short stories survey the impact of ghost stories, disquieting relationships, marginalized identities, and spooky places on ordinary people. Their heroes range from adolescent girls to women who carry childhood experiences into adulthood.
Review of A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality
A Saffron Everleigh Mystery Kate Khavari Crooked Lane Books (Jun 6, 2023) Hardcover $27.99 (352pp) 978-1-63910-278-5 A botanist hurries to find a murderer who uses poisonous bouquets as their calling card in Kate Khavari’s charming series mystery novel A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality. At University College London in the early 1920s, men reign over the field of medical research.
Review of American Ending
Mary Kay Zuravleff Blair Publishing (Jun 6, 2023) Hardcover $28.95 (350pp) 978-1-949467-99-4 A girl raised by Russian immigrants in an Appalachian mining community encounters hardships and love in Mary Kay Zuravleff’s evocative historical novel American Ending. In a western Pennsylvania coal mining town in the early 1900s, precocious Yelena negotiates her dual identity.
Review of What We Leave Behind
Christine Gallagher Kearney She Writes Press (Jul 25, 2023) Softcover $17.95 (256pp) 978-1-64742-493-0 Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5 Triumphant and affecting, the historical novel What We Leave Behind follows an immigrant as she faces polio and the distrust of others. In Christine Gallagher Kearney’s tender historical novel What We Leave Behind, a war bride follows her husband to the US and finds that her new country is not the land she imagined.
Review of Mastering the Art of French Murder
An American in Paris Mystery Colleen Cambridge Kensington Books (Apr 25, 2023) Hardcover $26.00 (273pp) 978-1-4967-3959-9 A young American and her friend Julia Child are implicated in a murder in Colleen Cambridge’s vibrant cozy mystery novel Mastering the Art of French Murder. It’s 1949, and Tabitha misses her former life as a riveter in a Detroit bomber plant. Bored and unsettled, she escapes to Paris, which is still recovering from its German occupation.
Introducing mystery lovers' favorite crime-fighting duo
Reviewer Paula Martinac Interviews Erica Obey, Author of The Brooklyn North Murder One part murder, a handful of credible culprits, and a dash of vengeance—does such a boilerplate formula exist for writing a great mystery novel? Based on the number of uninspired mysteries written every year, all too many writers seem to think so. But discerning readers won’t be fooled.
Review of The Brooklyn North Murder
Erica Obey Walrus Publishing (Jan 17, 2023) Softcover $17.95 (298pp) 978-1-940442-45-7 In Erica Obey’s clever cozy mystery novel The Brooklyn North Murder, a librarian teams up with her AI invention to solve a murder in a sleepy college town. Mary Watson is a reference librarian in the rural Hudson Valley, where she uses her computer smarts to generate an AI bot, Doyle. She programs Doyle to write detective novels by analyzing the plots of classic crime stories.
Review of Double the Lies
An Annalee Spain Mystery Patricia Raybon Tyndale (Feb 7, 2023) Hardcover $26.99 (384pp) 978-1-4964-5842-1 In Patricia Raybon’s stirring mystery novel Double the Lies, a Black theologian-turned-private detective becomes embroiled in the murder of a white stunt pilot. Annalee Spain left university teaching behind to become a private detective. It’s a dangerous job for a Black woman in Denver in the 1920s, given that the KKK runs the local police department, waiting for any chance to frame Annalee.
Review of The Socialite's Guide to Murder
A Pinnacle Hotel Mystery S. K. Golden Crooked Lane Books (Oct 11, 2022) Hardcover $28.99 (320pp) 978-1-63910-176-4 A savvy heiress solves two crimes at a Manhattan hotel in S. K. Golden’s satisfying cozy mystery novel The Socialite’s Guide to Murder. In 1958, Evelyn, pampered and in her twenties, lives in the luxurious Pinnacle Hotel, which is owned by her tycoon father. An Agatha Christie fan, she displays a talent for “finding things,” from misplaced purses to children gone astray.
21 books written by Charlotte-area authors in 2021 that you should read in 2022
By Mark I. West January 3, 2022 For Charlotte’s community of readers and writers, 2021 was a year for the books (pun intended). So many good books by local authors came out this year and a top-ten list just wasn’t enough. With fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s and young adult categories, we’ve compiled a guide to our favorite books written by Charlotte-area authors.
Testimony~A Review
Testimony by Paula Martinac is a historical fiction novel inspired by the true story of Martha Deane, a professor at UCLA. In 1952, Deane was suspended without pay because a neighbor had seen her kissing a woman through a window in Deane’s own house and reported it to the school. That was all it took back then to ruin a person’s career. She was lucky in the sense that her fellow female teachers banded together to help her through the hearings which took months.
5 books by Charlotte authors to check out while you’re staying home during COVID-19
Patrice Gopo shares personal experiences in her latest essay collection, “All the Colors We Will See.” Courtesy of Charlotte Readers Podcast CharlotteFive Now that you’re at home for a while, this is a great time to crack open a great novel and take a break from all the COVID-19 craziness. Consider checking out a book written by a local author as you’re scouring online bookstores for your next read.
Current Submissions 2019
Current Submissions 2019 Submissions for 2019 are now closed. Last updated: November 15th, 5:00 pm The following books have been submitted for consideration for the 31st Annual Lambda Literary Awards. This list is updated weekly. Contact [email protected] with questions or corrections.
Full List of 2017 Foreword INDIES Finalists
Foreword INDIES Announced Years Attention Winners! Capitalize on your achievement by reaching the largest community of book buyers in the world. Feature your title under the Foreword Reviews Finalist/Winner Banner at Beijing and Frankfurt. Read More Foil Seals Finalists and Winners can purchase foil seals and license digital imprints from us to place on their books to publicize their status as an award winner.
What to Read: ‘The Ada Decades’ | Books | A&E | SFGN Articles
Your grandmother used to warn you not to wish your life away. The years pass quickly enough, she said, so hold each minute. Savor what you have. Enjoy your days, months, years, and “The Ada Decades” by Paula Martinac. Ada’s daddy needed help around the house.
'The Ada Decades' Gently Spans 70 Years of History, Forbidden Love
“The Ada Decades” by Paula Martinac c.2017, Bywater Books $15.95 / higher in Canada 165 pages Tick. Tick. Tick. Your grandmother used to warn you not to wish your life away. The years pass quickly enough, she said, so hold each minute. Savor what you have. Enjoy your days, months, years, and “The Ada Decades” by Paula Martinac. Ada’s daddy needed help around the house.
'The Ada Decades' is engaging, queer-themed coming-of-age novel
Your grandmother used to warn you not to wish your life away. The years pass quickly enough, she said, so hold each minute. Savor what you have. Enjoy your days, months, years, and “The Ada Decades” by Paula Martinac. Ada’s daddy needed help around the house. Once, that was Clay, Jr.’s job but he was busy with high school things, so 12-year-old Ada fetched Daddy’s tools, which was what she was doing when she found an envelope with naked-lady pictures and a postcard of black men hanging from a tree.
Which Hot Peppers Speed Up Your Metabolism Best?
Hot peppers Image Credit: Adam Gault/OJO Images/Getty Images Hot peppers, or chilis, get their heat from an oily chemical compound called capsaicin, found primarily in the membrane surrounding the seeds. Capsaicin boosts thermogenesis -- the process by which the body turns calories into heat to use for fuel -- in studies on humans and animals. The effect is slight, however, and you won't speed up your metabolism to lose weight just by eating hot peppers.
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