Author Edition Archives - Dear Mr. Hemingway, LLC

All Things Bianca Marais

August 23, 2022 by Kelly Fredericks

“The strongest alliances you will ever have in your life will be with the women you choose as your family.”

August 23, 2022

Dear Book Family,

One of my favorite authors of all time has a new book out in the world today. Bianca Marais is back, and this time, she brilliantly meshes present-day themes of race, gender, women’s rights, and sexual identity with a spellbinding flair in her brand new magical tale, The Witches of Moonshyne Manor. It is time to hop on a souped-up Harley Davidsonstick and fly on over to Moonshyne Manor & Distillery to meet some of my new favorite characters who are not only fierce friends but WITCHES too. Being described as The Golden Girls meets Practical Magical, Queenie, Ursula, Jezebel, Tabitha, Ivy, and Ruby are a force to be reckoned with. Let’s not forget about Widget and Persephone too. These characters are MY PEOPLE!

So here is what’s brewing in the cauldron. The witches are trying to save Moonshyne Manor & Distillery from a reckoning ball that threatens to end its existence. As they devise a plan to save their home, we get an inside look into what their lives are really like living as modern-day witches. Now here is the fun stuff. There are potions, rituals, and cocktails to keep things mystical. But more importantly, there is FIGHTING THE PATRIARCH. The witches are some badass feminists, so If you are hoping for some form of high-stakes heist or perhaps a magical wand or two all in the hands of some powerful women, you will be a delighted reader.

To say I am obsessed with this book and these colorful characters is an understatement. Marais writes friendship and aging with grace and humor that had me cackling like a witch. I was utterly blown away by the exquisite details of enchantresses at their finest and sorcery galore. The action-packed scenes that fill the pages are wild and sparkly and will have you on the edge of your broomstick, while the deep-rooted friendships will tug on your tender heartstrings.

The Witches of Moonshyne Mannor is everything I dreamed it would be. I genuinely want to be a witch and hang with this crew! Please make this book happen!

Be sure to check out ALL THINGS BIANCA MARAIS down below.

Happy Reading, Everyone!

xoxo,

Kelly

P.S. Be sure to check out ALL THINGS BIANCA MARAIS down below.

Having been born and raised in South Africa, Marais writes about her home country with clarity and ease. She skillfully sets the scene for her historical drama by cleverly intertwining her two main characters in a fashion that highlights the diverse languages and rich cultures of South Africa. Marais’ book highlights the racial issues and injustices during the Apartheid era. She also looks deeper at Robin’s significant loss and what grieving and coping skills look like for her living under these circumstances. Marais paints a picture of a young girl fearful of losing the people around her and desperately seeking love and security during uncertain times. What I truly love about this book is how authentic these main characters are. There is no doubt that their point of view significantly contributes to the depth of this story. Where Robin’s interpretations and narratives have a flare of childish innocence, and at times even humor, Beauty’s account is overflowing with cutthroat determination and motherly love. Together they bring readers into a world where equality isn’t in fashion, but family love always holds true. I feel confident that readers will devour this glorious novel with great passion and love………….just as I did.

Marais’ story is set in South Africa post-Apartheid during the 1990s. With Nelson Mandela about to be elected and the AIDS epidemic rising, the backdrop of Marais’ novel is intense. Her book follows three different characters in alternating chapters. Zodwa is a seventeen-year-old black girl living in poverty. Not only is she eight months pregnant and caring for her dying mother, but she also is carrying a very unsettling secret. Ruth and Delilah are two estranged middle-aged sisters who reunite unexpectedly at their family’s old home. Delilah is a former nun whose past continues to haunt her. Ruth, in the process of a divorce, is trying to figure out her new life. While the sisters are sorting out the details of their family home and individual baggage, they are surprised one evening when a newborn black baby is left on their doorstep. The story gradually unfolds with Marais delicately revealing how these three women’s lives are connected and eventually come together. She tackles many sensitive subjects, including corruption in the church, racism, AIDS, and homophobia, while shining light on the political atmosphere of South Africa at that time. Be prepared to have your heart strings pulled in all different directions while reading this book. The characters will melt your heart and water your eyes. For a bonus, fans of Marais’ Hum If You Don’t Know The Words will be surprised at the cameo appearances in her story. I hope you enjoy this read. It is truly a beautiful story.

Talk about FRESH! This time, Marais is not writing about South Africa, the Apartheid, or the Soweto Uprising. Instead, she wowed me with a short story offered as an Audible Original. The Prynne Viper is a futuristic tale (yes, you heard me correctly) that left me thinking long and hard about the fate of humanity if left in the hands of some crazy predictive software. I was transfixed by this terrifying world, and the idea that mankind could be predetermined by a courtroom jury haunted me for days. Don’t let the length of this story fool you, though. Marais’ magnificent storytelling, the entire cast of narrators, and an immensely satisfying ending all neatly fit into a unique two-hour listen. Marais’ ability to switch writing gears by seamlessly transitioning to a completely different genre was wicked impressive, and she will forever be an auto-buy author for me.

Click on the pic to check out this podcast!

Did you know Marais co-hosts an incredible podcast with literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra from P.S. Literary Agency called The Shit No One Tells You About Writing? I listen to this weekly and look forward to all the writing topics explored. Character development, moving the plot forward, creating suspense, writing solid dialogue, and query letter critiques fill my ears with greatness. Marais’ guests are top-notch authors and professionals in the literary field, and I consider this podcast an excellent resource for new and experienced writers alike. I guarantee your writing will not only improve from listening to this but that you will learn a gazillion things along the way.

Click on the pic to read Bianc Marais’ letter to Mr. Hemingwy!

Did you know Bianca Marais was one of the first guest writers on Dear Mr. Hemingway? Be sure to read her letter above to the big guy. Not only does she share an incredible and diverse book, but she also has a few things to say to Hemingway that couldn’t be more on point. Can you say BADASS WOMAN??? Just like her witches!!!!

*Book links provided in today’s post are affiliate links. Dear Mr. Hemingway makes a tiny commission through books purchased in our storefront. Even better, 20% of purchases made through the Dear Mr. Hemingway storefront go towards an independent bookstore. Thank you so much for all of your support

*I received an advance copy of The Witches of Moonshyne Manor from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are 100% my own. If I don’t like it…I don’t share it!

Guest Writer

January 8, 2021October 28, 2020 by Kelly Fredericks

Amanda Benwell
Bookstagram Bonanza Edition

October 28, 2020

Dear Book Worms,

Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled to share with you that Amanda Benwell is on the blog today writing to Mr. Hemingway about one of her favorite books of all time. Amanda is the creator of the wonderful Bookstagram account, @lilacsandliterature where she highlights her love of reading and all the books you can possibly imagine. If you need a book recommendation, Amanda will steer you in the right direction. If you don’t believe me, ask one of the 9,000+ followers she has. Amanda is the real deal!

Amanda is a born and raised Mainer, and shares a home with her husband of twelve years and their three sons (see why I like her)! When she is not spending time with all of the men in her life or quietly reading, she enjoys anything and everything true crime: podcasts, documentaries, etc. as well as bad reality TV and cooking! She lives for the nostalgia of growing up a 90s kid and is a huge fan of 70s soft rock, country music and CHRISTMAS! Amanda shared with me that she could never live without caffeine, comfy blankets, sarcasm and pasta! This my friends… is someone I can trust!

Though Amanda and I both live in Maine, we have never met in person (unless you count ZOOM). Did I mention that Maine is a really big state with slow moving “highways” and country roads? The minimum time it takes to get anywhere feels like 25 minutes, and Amanda and I live miles away from one another. I look forward to enjoying a cup of coffee or fabulous cocktail with this Bookstagram Treasure one of these days. I hope you enjoy her letter to the big guy and check out all of her bookish love over on instagram.

❤️❤️❤️

Kelly

P.S. The book Amanda eagerly chose to share today started from one small article in the New York Times in 1959 and resulted in an Edgar Award in1966 for best fact-crime novel and a Pulitzer Prize nomination that same year, not to mention multiple film adaptations as well (hmmm…have you guessed yet?)

___________________________

Dear Mr. H.,

Fall is here in Maine and as a lifelong resident I can easily say this is my favorite time of year. The leaves are changing, the weather is much cooler, the sky turns darker earlier, and there is nothing that says “reading time” to me more than a blanket and a cup of tea. In case you were wondering, decaf chai spice is my go to right now. And as I contemplated what book I would want to chat with you about, it really wasn’t very difficult to choose. When I was a high school student (I won’t date myself but it was roughly two decades ago – keep this between us?) I read a book that would forever change me. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood shocked me and instantly made me a fanatic of all things true crime – documentaries, books, tv specials – you name it and I devoured it. And even now, in the age of podcasts and Netflix where true crime is a thriving brand, I’m still taken back to years ago when I first read the story of the Clutter family from Holcomb, Kansas.

I am by definition, not a re-reader. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have read a book more than once. I’m not sure exactly why that is. Part of it is because there are so many good books out there that I hesitate to choose something I’ve already read over the adventure of a new story. I am also a staunch anti-synopsis/spoiler reader which means I do not read the synopsis of a book before I dive in, as I do not even want the generic plot revealed. This is for a few reasons – I read many thrillers where there is often a “twist” in the book and even reading a synopsis has me guessing it all the way through and can easily ruin the excitement for myself. But there are a few books I’ve read over the course of my life as a reader – and one could argue I’ve been a reader since birth as books have always been my escape – that have been so powerful that I would read all over again. And this brings me to this amazing book.

A note to readers: In Cold Blood is not for the faint of heart and deals with four savage murders so please continue reading with caution.

In 1959 in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas lived four members of the Clutter Family – Herb, the patriarch, Bonnie, the timid “afflicted” mother, Kenyon, the high school son, and the teenage sweetheart Nancy, who was the town’s pride and joy. One Sunday morning, Nancy’s friend arrives at the Clutter’s house and finds it silent which is highly unusual. What follows is the discovery that the entire family has been murdered – and worst of all there is no apparent motive or any suspects to name. The Clutter family was widely known, very well liked, and not an overly wealthy family, although they did just fine on their sprawling ranch. But it doesn’t appear much was stolen from the house, and everyone knew Mr. Clutter never carried cash, choosing to pay for everything by check. So what happened here? Why did this horrific crime – shotgun blasts in close range to the entire family – happen? Was it personal? But why?

Capote’s writing is unlike anything that came before or after, and broke the true crime genre wide open. He interviewed absolutely everyone he could – from friends and family of the Clutters to people who knew the eventual suspects – and who of course turned out to be the perpetrators. But the most important aspect of the novel is not how much time and research was spent on the information, but how it was presented. In Cold Blood reads like a titillating crime novel, fictional in its appearance, but every word of it true. Capote was able to put you inside the Clutter home on the night of November 15, 1959 with the wind whistling across the plains and the silence of the country roads. You can taste the fear of the family, the shock and terror as they realize this isn’t your run of the mill robbery and that evilhad entered their home.

As the entire town scrambles to understand this horrific crime, Capote not only takes us through the journey of law enforcement, but also takes us along for a ride with the two men who committed the crime. We learn everything about them, including their childhoods, what they ate after the brutal murders, and everything in between. It is an unprecedented look at both the victims and perpetrators that was unheard of at the time. No one writes with such amazing detail as Capote. He captured the emotions of all those around, not only the family, but the murderers as well.

I cannot recommend this book enough, even for those who would not consider themselves interested in the true crime genre. This was written well before “click-bait” and the obsession with serial killers and every sensationalized detail. Capote wrote the truth, and it was more chilling than any horror movie or fictional verse. He also takes an approach to the death penalty that has much validity in the conversation even now.

So here we are, Mr. H. I hope you take my suggestion into consideration and pour yourself a cup of chai, wrap up in a nice cozy blanket and meet the Clutter family with me. Herb, Bonnie, Kenyon, and Nancy will stay with you. And you might just meet your new obsession: true crime and the desire to understand the darkest parts of humanity. It’s been 20 years and I’m still in deep.

Your true crime bookworm friend,

Amanda

P.S. Click on the book pic below to purchase!

Book cover of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

Guest Writer ~ Bianca Marais

January 8, 2021March 11, 2020 by Kelly Fredericks

Author Edition

March 11, 2020

Dear Book Lovers,

I am ecstatic today! One of my favorite authors is on the blog. Bianca Marais, author of Hum if You Don’t Know the Words and If You Want to Make God Laugh (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) is talking about a book she loves. I am not going to lie, her letter is stellar and truly holds Mr. H. accountable WITH A CAPITAL A!!! Bianca is originally from South Africa and now lives in Canada. Before Bianca got into writing, she started a corporate training company and volunteered with Cotlands, where she assisted care workers in Soweto with providing aid for HIV/AIDS orphans. She currently runs the Eunice Ngogodo Own Voices Initiative to empower young black women in Africa to write and publish their own stories. How wonderful is that?

I have nothing but kind words to say about Bianca. When I started Dear Mr. Hemingway a year and a half ago, I was a social media newbie. My Instagram/FB photos were lame, I had no idea what a hashtag was, and Instagram stories were not in my wheelhouse. I loved working on this website but made constant errors, had difficulty linking things, and had no clue how important SEOs were. With that said, Bianca was one of my first followers and has stuck around ever since (I think I have improved 😂😂). She is kind, approachable, and a fabulous resource for book recommendations. Bianca has been faithful to this guest writing series, sharing everyone’s post and cheering her fellow authors on. She is a wealth of knowledge and an absolute doll to work with. I look forward to meeting her in person one of these days 🥰🥰. I want to thank her to the moon and back for contributing to this series. If you haven’t read her books…make it happen. they DO NOT disappoint.

Happy Reading Friends,

Kelly

P.S. Bianca was actually bit by a Giraffe 😯😯 and has a scar to prove it 🦒🦒🦒!! Scary, but kind of cool!

Dear Mr. Hemingway,

In researching your history in order to see what might possibly connect you to the incredible South African short story collection, “If You Keep Digging”, that I’d like to discuss with you today, I discovered that you traveled to Kenya, Tanzania, the Congo and Rwanda between the 30s and 50s.

I must be honest, I balked at the pictures of you standing proudly with your trophy kills, especially the lion and the leopard whose heads you mounted on your walls. I try to tell myself that it was a different time then and I shouldn’t judge you too harshly for all that big game hunting. Even if I did, I know that you wouldn’t give a sh*t what I thought of you, because that’s the kind of person you were.

Which does tie me into the author whose work I’d like to tell you about. Keletso Mopai, too, is a badass. And she, too, doesn’t much give a damn what others think about her. You also both have very similar writing styles in that Ms. Mopai appears to subscribe to the iceberg theory writing technique. She writes in a very minimalistic way, allowing the deeper meaning of each story to shine through implicitly.

That is, however, where your similarities end.

While many of your stories deal with your idea of masculinity – specifically the belief that real men keep doubts and insecurities to themselves while having to constantly prove their manhood – Ms. Mopai explores toxic masculinity, and the effect it has on families. In your short story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, you show the title character as someone who transitions from emasculation to full manhood just by shooting buffalo. In Ms. Mopai’s “Monkeys”, we see the fallout of that kind of mindset, and how toxic masculinity often manifests in domestic violence when a man who suppresses his emotions uses his fists to express them.

Her brilliant collection, published by BlackBird Books, includes twelve incredibly diverse stories told from a wide range of perspectives. It explores South Africa’s fledgling democracy in the years after the end of apartheid, and the themes Ms. Mopai touches on include social class issues, racism, colorism, mental illness, sexuality, abandonment, identity, the push and pull of family dynamics, the oppression of women as well as unfulfilled potential.

Anyone who wants to read more about marginalized identities, or who is interested in diverse reads, needs to get this collection immediately. Look out especially for “Monkeys”, “Skinned”, “Madness”, “Becoming a God” and “Fourteen” which I particularly enjoyed.

Yours in the eternal quest to expand one’s horizons,

Bianca Marais

P.S. Since you never got to South Africa in your travels, you might want to read my two novels which are based there: Hum If You Don’t Know the Words and If You Want to Make God Laugh. I know you’ll agree with me when it comes to my abhorrence of the canned lion hunting industry as touched upon in LAUGH. I’m not sure what you’ll make of my badass women.

Click On The Book Pictures Below To Purchase

Click here to see what I had to say about Hum if You Don’t Know the Words.

Click here to see what I had to say about If You Want To Make God Laugh.

Guest Writer ~ Hester Fox

January 8, 2021March 4, 2020 by Kelly Fredericks

Author Edition

March 4, 2020

Dear Book Lovers! Happy Guest Writer Wednesday! I am so excited to have author Hester Fox on the blog today. Hester is the author of The Witch of Willow Hall and The Widow of Pale Harbor (Graydon House). She is the queen of spooky ghost tales set in New England. Think castles set on a hill surrounded by blankets of fog and ocean mist with a ghost or two lingering in the background. If this sounds like your cup of tea, you will LOVE Hester’s books.

Hester is a full time writer with a background in museum work and historical archaeology. I personally find her Pinterest page amazing. It is filled with pictures of clothing, castles, settings, etc. that inspired her books, settings and characters. When Hester isn’t writing, she is spending time with her husband and son exploring historic cemeteries and hitting up her local bookstores. Her new book, The Orphan of Cemetery Hill comes out September 2020. It is a Gothic story set in 19th century New England. She told me that there is love story, seances, murder and ghosts, ghosts, ghosts. Sign me up please!

I hope you enjoy Hester’s letter to Mr. H. The book she chose couldn’t be more perfect!

Happy Reading everyone!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Kelly

P.S. Hester wrote her new book while pregnant with her son and while he was just a newborn. Talk about a challenge!!! To keep her energy up while writing, she is always on the quest for the perfect seasonal latte!

Dear Mr. Hemingway,

This might sound silly, but do you know what I dread? I dread that perfectly innocent question that everyone seems to love to ask authors: what’s your favorite book?

It pops up on Twitter, at book signings, and in casual conversations. I have to admit, I’m even guilty of asking it of others as well. It’s really an impossible question to answer. Even whittling down to a top three is a Herculean task. I have a favorite comfort read when I want something familiar and cozy, a world I can easily slip back into (Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn). I have a favorite book from my childhood (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott). I even have a favorite ghost story (The Haunting Of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James).

But there is one book that I can come back to time after time and always find something new. If I could only take one book with me to a desert island, it would probably be this one: Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders.

I love historical fiction, and the premise drew me in immediately. In the early days of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln’s beloved son Willie dies. Devastated, Lincoln retreats to the mausoleum where Willie is interred to grieve. The entire book takes place over the course of a single night. And get this, other than Lincoln, almost the entire cast of characters is comprised of ghosts. Be still my Gothic heart.

The spirits in the cemetery observe Lincoln in his grief, and through their narration, we learn of their lives and deaths in a divided America. But more than that, we are faced with brilliant and uncomfortable truths about life, death, and the love that transcends both.

After reading the physical book, I listened to the audiobook which was an equally amazing experience. With 166 narrators lending their voices, it was like listening to a movie.

There are parts that made me laugh out loud, and passages that are so heart-achingly sad and beautiful that I had to reach for the tissue-box. The prose is deceptively simple and elegant (like yours), and at times it feels like walking through a dream. I think you would love it, Mr. H.

Yours truly,

Hester

p.s.—if you enjoy Gothic fiction (set in a cemetery, no less!), you might want to check out my upcoming book The Orphan of Cemetery Hill

Click on the books below to purchase!

Click here to see what I had to say about The Widow of Pale Harbor.

Guest Writer ~ Anna Crowley Redding

January 8, 2021February 26, 2020 by Kelly Fredericks

Author Edition

Guest Writer, Author Anna Crowley Redding

Dear Mr. Hemingway,

Happy Wednesday Book Friends! Not only are we halfway to the weekend, but it is Dear Mr. Hemingway Guest Writer day. Today, Author Anna Crowley Redding is on the blog and her letter to Mr. H. is quite magical. In case you didn’t know, Anna is the author of the YA book, Google It: A History in Google (Feiwel & Friends) and YA book, Elon Musk: A Mission to Save The World (Feiwel & Friends), which was named BEST STEM BOOK by the National Science Teacher Association for 2020. Her upcoming children’s book, Rescuing The Declaration of Independence (Harper Collins) has already received a glowing Kirkus Review. Before Anna began writing for children, she was an Emmy-Award winning (Yes, I said EMMY-AWARD 😯) investigative television reporter, anchor and journalist. Not only has she been recognized by the Associated Press for her reporting, but she was the recipient of multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. Impressive, right?

Though Anna loves her job as a children’s book author, her most beloved job in the whole world is being a mama to her two young boys and following in Jessica Fletcher’s footsteps (ie: Murder She Wrote) in her coastal Maine town. Only Anna has a lovely boyfriend us “marrieds” love to hear about (😂😂😂).

I know that you are going to enjoy getting to know Anna. And when it comes to her books, the proof is in the pudding!! I hope you adore Anna’s letter to Mr. H. I want to thank Anna from the bottom of my heart for contributing to this series. I am truly blessed to have her in my life (ummmm……forgot to mention that she is one of my close friends ❤️❤️).

Lots of Love,

Kelly

For more information, take a peek at her website!

P.S. Check out Anna accepting her Emmy-Award.

Dear Mr. Hemingway,

Write one true thing. That’s what you said. That’s how you said to start. And so if I’m being honest, I suffered through your books in junior high and high school. I craved independence and regularly slipped the ties to classics, to what was expected. It wasn’t until years and some trouble later, that I found myself living in Florence, Italy. Completely and absolutely in love with a place, a time, and all the magic it could hold.

And I would recount my tales to my stepdad on regular phone calls. And all of these conversations reminded him of something you’d written, during your own time in Europe, your own self-discovery in Paris and nearby, snowy mountains. It reminded him of your book, A Moveable Feast. When I opened the cover of my copy, I found your truth and mine. And just as you, through your words, your writing, your thoughts, your presence in a Parisian cafe, just as you decided that you owned Paris and everything in it… well, in the same way, I owned Italy and everything in it. I owned every morsel of food, every sip of dark, creamy cappuccino, every rolled ‘’r’, even a kiss or two in the pouring rain in Piazza Signoria. Those tendrils, a deep love with a place and time, grew and wrapped themselves around my writing like a present, forever entwined.

And today… that moveable feast does not include a view of the Arno or a stroll across Ponte Vecchio. It’s more carpools, deadlines, little league sidelines, wild laughter with friends when we find time to sneak away from our responsibilities, and there was that kiss by the lighthouse hidden only by a blanket of fog! Things are more grown-up now (mostly) but all of it is still delicious–to be savored, and anchored with words.

It’s knowing that you are starring in your own story. It’s writing it down. It’s absorbing every bit of information about this world and your ever so slight, blink-and-it’s-gone life that you can muster. And it’s reading, reading to gather that moveable feast close. No, I cannot visit Gertrude Stein’s apartment as you did or hang out with James Joyce. But when I pick up a book…that’s how I gather a couple of female WWI spies around me. As the flames flicker behind me, they divulge every secret. It’s the sound of me saying “Yes, Girl, Yes!” As Bernadette descended into mid-life invisibility only to reinvent herself. It’s how I know the truth of fear, bravery, love, failure, loss, success, and boredom. Because these truths, whether written, lived, or read allow us to conduct our own moveable feast filled with just the perfect tales, toasts, and company for an afternoon by the fire.

Write one true thing.

I’ve got you, Mr. Hemingway. I’ve got you.

Anna

P.S. If you’d like to check out the tales of other risk-takers, and rule breakers, I’ve got two books out and more on the way.

Google It: A History of Google (Honestly, Mr. H. there is some lock picking, some almost naming the company Backrub, and other hijinks) and Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World (You’ll relate to Elon’s unshakeable curiosity and drive) and then coming this April, a forgotten tale of a man who saved the words that built America. I’m talking about The Declaration of Independence, the original Constitution, and more. And then there’s the one about the man who fought to keep tomatoes out of his clam chowder! Chowder Rules! is hitting bookstores in October 2020.

Click here to purchase Google It: A History of Google by Anna Crowley Redding

Click here to purchase Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World by Anna Crowley Redding

Click here to pre-order Rescuing The Declaration of Independence by Anna Crowley Redding

Click here to pre-order Chowder Rules! The True Story of an Epic Food Fight by Anna Crowley Redding

Click here to purchase A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Click here to read what I had to say to Mr. Hemingway about Google It: A History in Google

Click here to read what I had to say to Mr. Hemingway about Elon Musk: A Mission to Save The World

GUEST WRITER ~ Claire Lombardo

January 8, 2021January 15, 2020 by Kelly Fredericks

Author Edition

January 15, 2020

Dear Book Lovers,

I am beyond excited to introduce you to today’s guest writer…Claire Lombardo. If you do not know who this gorgeous writer is, let me fill you in. Claire’s debut novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had (Doubleday), was released in June 2019 (you know, the thick book with all of the ginkgo leaves on the cover). This family drama was an instant New York Times bestseller. Not only did it win the heart of book lovers everywhere, but it was one of my favorite books of 2019 ❤️❤️❤️. In addition to her stunning first novel, Claire’s writing has been published in numerous publications including Barrelhouse Magazine, Little Fiction and Playboy. Currently, Claire lives in Philadelphia and is working on her second novel (Hurry Claire, Hurry!!!).

Claire’s letter to Mr. H. delighted me. Her first paragraph was an unexpected treat. You would think I choreographed it myself……… (nope, pleasantly surprised). Before I go, I want to thank Claire for taking part in this project. As a book lover and avid reader myself, it is an absolute pleasure to connect with authors as writers, but most importantly, as fellow readers.

Happy Reading Everyone!

All the Best,

Kelly

P.S. Rumor has it that The Most Fun We Ever Had is currently be adapted for television. When I say television, I mean a series on HBO with Laura Dern and Amy Adams co-producing and Claire writing 😮😮😮. I wasn’t kidding when I said her book was good!!!!

——————————-

January 15, 2020

Dear Mr. Hemingway,

Apologies in advance for my longwindedness. Our lives started out quite similarly, as it were–I, too, was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and grew up about 2 blocks from where you did; I, too, spent many summers in Michigan; I, too, attended Oak Park and River Forest High School and wrote for the newspaper, Trapeze. But somewhere along the way, I discovered adverbs, and from there our paths diverged. Such as it goes!

The book I can’t stop thinking about, though, isn’t especially adverb-laden: it’s spare and corporeal, with emotional substance that sneaks up to punch you in the gut. I think you might’ve enjoyed it. Last week, on New Year’s Day, I took a break from my own writing and committed to full-on idle coziness: I would do nothing, I decided, but read under a blanket with my dog. My text of choice? The Innocents by Michael Crummey.

Within the first few pages of this book, young siblings Ada and Everett lose their parents and their baby sister and are left utterly alone on a remote and atmospherically inclement cove off the coast of Newfoundland. Thenceforth we sit back and watch as they figure out how to survive literally and otherwise, navigating the sparse landscape of their home for sustenance while also figuring out, with only each other as points of reference, how to understand the world emotionally.

What to say about this book? It’s dark and exhilarating and endearing and, in moments, surprisingly sexy. It’s my favorite thing I’ve read all year. It’s the most unique exploration of siblings I’ve ever encountered. It gutted me, repeatedly. I spent moments on the edge of my seat (scaring the dog–sorry, Renee!), but also burrowing deeply and vicariously in the unique pains of young adulthood. Go and get your hands on it immediately–you won’t regret it.

With flowery admiration of your contributions to canons both literary and feline,

Claire

ps–Lest I’ve left you wanting more, my own book, set in Oak Park, arrived this summer, covered in ginkgo leaves. Order The Most Fun We Ever Had today from your favorite indie bookstore! I’d suggest snagging a hardcover from my beloved Prairie Lights Books in Iowa City and/or grabbing a paperback on April 28th from the soon-to-open and sure-to-please Madison Street Books in Chicago.

pps–Seeking instant adverb gratification? I have a new story out in Playboy this month–go check out “Francophile”!

Click here to Purchase The Innocents by Michael Crummey

Claire’s pup likes to snuggle with her books❤️❤️❤️!!!

Guest Writer ~ Kate Quinn

January 8, 2021January 8, 2020 by Kelly Fredericks

Author Edition

January 8, 2020

Dear Fellow Book Lovers,
Today is a great day. Kicking off the GUEST WRITER~AUTHOR EDITION is none other than the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Historical Fiction, KATE QUINN. Yes, you heard me correctly, Kate Quinn has written a letter to Mr. Hemingway. Of course, you already know that Kate Quinn is the author of The Alice Network (A Reese’s Book Club pic for July 2017) and most recently, The Huntress. Did you also know that she has written four books in the Empress of Rome series, two books in the Italian Renaissance series, and a host of other publications? With more books in the works, this author is on fire. I hope you enjoy her post today! I thank Kate from the bottom of my heart for participating in this project.

Happy Reading!

Kelly

P.S. Rumor has it that Kate Quinn is a ROCKIN good singer! Check out all of Kate’s fabulousness over on her Website…
http://www.katequinnauthor.com
—————————–
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
You never forget your first, do you? The book that hooks you forever.
I was ten. My librarian mother put a hefty tome into my hands: “Jubilee Trail,” by Gwen Bristow. “Historical fiction set in early California,” she said. Being a California girl, I was intrigued enough to curl up on the sofa and start reading. I fell through the pages into a new world: this was my first adult historical novel, the book that converted me into a passionate, lifelong lover of stories set in the past.

Everything in it spoke to me. I loved learning about pre-Gold Rush California’s three-tiered society, where proud Spanish rancheros existed side by side with Yankee traders and Mexican citizens, and US statehood was just a glimmer on the horizon. My guide to this new world is Bristow’s heroine Garnet, an adventurous New York society girl who dreams of more than dull, polite city life. She marries Oliver, a handsome trader who sweeps her on a headlong journey to California, and I loved the idea that a book could start with a marriage rather than ending with one—that a girl’s life didn’t end once she became a wife. I loved the best friend Garnet picks up along her journey: Florinda, a beautiful blunt-spoken showgirl fleeing murder charges and perhaps something even more sinister, stealing every scene she appears in. Their friendship is the rock that sustains Garnet when she reaches California and realizes the dreadful secrets her husband has been hiding from her, and I learned something I’d carry into adulthood: that female friendships are every bit as important as romantic relationships, and deserved to be showcased.

Moreover, a woman’s journey to independence is every bit as important as the simpler question of “Who does she fall in love with?” Garnet grows from an adventurous girl to steel-spined heroine as she battles through motherhood and widowhood, poverty and luxury, frontier shoot-outs, and deadly family feuds. It’s a journey that had my ten-year-old self cheering, and still does whenever I reread “Jubilee Trail.” Something about the combination of flawed and interesting women, meticulously researched history, and a writing style as clear as a pane of glass have stuck with me over the years. It wasn’t long after reading “Jubilee Trail” that I began writing my own books…and to this day, I think my own heroines have something of Bristow’s Garnet in them. Nina in “The Huntress” has her ferocity when backed into a corner, Eve in “The Alice Network” has her flinty endurance—and all my heroines have her capacity for friendship.

Talk to you again soon, Mr. H!

Your Biggest Fan,

Kate

P.S. Click on the books below to purchase!
Jubilee Trail
The Alice Network
The Huntress

New Series Coming January 2020

October 11, 2020December 9, 2019 by Kelly Fredericks

Guest Writer Series, Author Edition, Premiere Graphic

December 9, 2020

Dear Readers,

I am excited to announce a new series coming to the blog this January. Dear Mr. Hemingway is proud to present a GUEST WRITER SERIES. Series one is titled ~AUTHOR EDITION~ and is premiering January 8, 2020. This edition will run 10 consecutive weeks on Wednesdays. Ten fabulous authors you know and love have committed to this project and are writing their own letter to the famous Mr. Hemingway (or Mr. H.) about one of their favorite books. How incredibly cool is that? The letters have already started coming in, and let me tell you this…They are wonderful!

Happy reading my friends,

❤️❤️❤️Kelly

P.S. Just in case you are wondering… Series 2 & 3 are already in the works. I wonder who will be writing then AND what they will be writing about????????

Author Edition

Click On The Book Pictures Below To Purchase

Author Edition

Click on the books below to purchase!

Author Edition

Author Edition

Author Edition

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