Novel News: An Inklings Update

The Inklings
Kelly Bristow, Karen Cooper, Dee Dee Chumley, Brandi Barnett, Martha Bryant
Shel Harrington, Sonia Gensler, Me (with the big flower!)

My writing journey is a long story with many chapters.  The key characters are my mentors, the Inklings.  We are nine women who write, encourage, edit, challenge, and celebrate like nobody's business! This past friday we had our first ever NOVEL IDEA.  It was an evening dedicated to the book launch of one of our own, Sonia Gensler.  If you haven't heard of her yet--you will.  Her debut novel The Revenant is a stunning read.

The Novel Idea was not an original one, but we put our own Inkling spin on things.  With Brandi and Martha attending to the historical and literary accuracies of invitations and swag, I focused in on food. Everyone read the final draft of the book and prepared questions for our celebrated author.   My favorite part of the evening was the intense discussion of Sonia's book and seeing the ease at which she answered questions and responded to our comments.

Review:
Willie is a "liar and a thief" by her own admission.  She adventures to a female seminary and poses as a teacher to avoid returning home to her family following her father's death.  In Willie's struggle we are treated to love, life lessons, grief, danger, and self discovery.

The Revenant is a mystery, a ghost story, and more.  I would recommend it for an eighth grade reader through adult.

A summer read with substance. 
(Shameless plug coming up)
Available at many bookstores beginning June 14th.  
***** 5 stars out of 5