Yvonne
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week.
Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Your host for April 2013 is: Mari over at ‘MariReads’
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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I only met Nancy Klann-Moren recently and that following an introduction by Tracy, over at ‘Pen And Paper’, who had recently read and reviewed her latest book, ‘The Clock Of Life’. Chatting to Nancy, Tracy, a fellow British blogger, discovered that the author was actively trying to garner more reviews from overseas bloggers, to raise the profile of the book outside of the US. Luckily for me, my name came to Tracy’s mind and she linked the two of us up. The rest, as they say, is history and I am now in possession of a copy of ‘The Clock Of Life’ and looking forward very much to reading it.
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In the near future, I shall also be handing over the ‘Meet The Author’ page to Nancy for the day, as she posts a guest blog… I’ve put together a post for you that includes some of the snapshots I took while traveling through the south in search of the town that would fit the criteria for my novel, and a few quotes they inspired. … so watch this space!
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‘THE CLOCK OF LIFE‘
In the small town of Hadlee, Mississippi, during the 1980s, Jason Lee Rainey struggles to find his way amongst the old, steadfast Southern attitudes about race, while his friendship with a black boy, Samson Johnson, deepens. By way of stories from others, Jason Lee learns about his larger-than-life father, who was killed in Vietnam. He longs to become that sort of man, but doesn’t believe he has it in him.
In The Clock Of Life he learns lessons from the past, and the realities of inequality. He flourishes with the bond of friendship; endures the pain of senseless death; finds the courage to stand up for what he believes is right; and comes to realize he is his father’s son.
This story explores how two unsettling chapters in American history, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, affect the fate of a family, a town, and two boyhood friends.
‘The Clock of Life’ is a book club’s dream. A well-written novel rich with characters and subject matter that spark conversation and debate.
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NANCY KLANN-MOREN
Nancy tried her hand at writing short fiction while traveling for work in advertising and marketing, as a creative outlet on long plane rides. That led to signing up for writing classes, writer’s conferences and local workshops. Her goal―to create unique stories told in a distinctive voice. Her short stories are eclectic and poignant, and have garnered awards and publication in anthologies.
Short stories were her primary genre until one morning while in a workshop at The Santa Barbara Writers Conference, she read an excerpt. When finished, the instructor, Sid Stebel, asked what she was doing for the next couple years, because, “What you have written isn’t a short story, it’s a novel.” After a good deal of foot dragging she realized the subject matter was so important she took up the challenge and penned the novel, “The Clock of Life.”
Her collection of short stories is titled “Like The Flies On The Patio.”
Nancy is now working on a new novel loosely based on the time she and a friend found an old diary in an antique shop and took a road trip to find the lady who wrote in the book. The novel will take the girls cross country and into all sorts of trouble.
Favorite Authors: Pat Conroy, T.C. Boyle, Ray Bradbury, Flannery O’Connor, Susan Cisneros, Barbara Kingsolver
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A small Mailbox this week, but one which I am more than pleased with ….
What’s new on your shelves this week?
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As this was an author invitation to read and review, a Kindle download and PDF of ‘The Clock Of Life’ was sent to me free of charge, by its author, Nancy Klann-Moren.
This will in no way influence any comments I may express about the book, in any blog article I may post. Any thoughts or comments are my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other article.
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Looking forward to reading your thoughts on Nancy’s book Thanks for the mention.
Hi Tracy,
No problem and thank you for passing on my details to Nancy. She has written a great, spontaneous guest post, which I shall be publishing soon and I am looking forward to reading the book in due course.
Have a great week.
A book set in the South sounds good to me! I hope you love it!
Hi Kathy,
I have a few books on my wish list which are set in the South and deal with the issues of racial and social inequalities, but I have actually yet to read such a story. ‘The Clock Of Life’ sounds like an excellent debut novel in this genre and I just love the title.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate the comments.
The Clock Of Life sounds good Yvonne, happy reading. I look forward to your meet the authors guest post too 🙂
Hi Naida,
Nancy has created an excellent guest post, with great pictures to help tell the story of her journey of discovery, in the writing of this powerful novel. She sounds like a real fun person to know and it has been great working alongside her to date.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it.
Sounds really good.
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2013/04/mailbox-monday_29.html
Hi Mary Ann,
It does sound like a strong, powerful and ultimately emotional read, doesn’t it?
Thanks for the visit and for leaving a comment, always appreciated.
Looking forward to hearing more about The Clock of Life. It is an interesting title. Enjoy!
Hi Pat,
Thank you for deciding to stop by Fiction Books today, it is good to ‘meet’ you. I love to receive comments and to enter into discussion about anything at anytime, so your visits will always be welcome here.
I have to admit that I was more taken by the title for this book, than the cover art. The storyline is strong and powerful and the author a delight to work with, so I am looking forward to reading ‘The Clock Of Life’.
Have a good week.
I have The Clock of Life as well. It really looks good.
ENJOY!!!
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
Hi Elizabeth,
I know that you will probably get to read the book before I do, so I shall be avoiding your review, just in case of spoilers!
My author review pile is getting larger by the day, I’m sure some of these poor authors are thinking that I have forgotten them, but I haven’t … honestly!
Have a good week and enjoy all of your books, the Chevy Stevens is going on my list.
Slow book weeks are often a good thing. Enjoy!
2 Kids and Tired Books MM
Hi Holly,
Slow book weeks are fine by me, as my reading output has taken a decidedly slow downturn, over the last few weeks. I am still really enjoying the books I do read, however, a few pages at a time is just about all I am managing.
The only consolation, is that I am talking to some great authors and I have some excellent sounding stories to look forward to.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate the visit.