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Authors of Books & Cocktails:
Meet the Minds Behind the Stories
Meet the Minds Behind the Stories
A Northern Light in Provence
by Elizabeth Birkelund lse Erlund is a translator who lives in a house on stilts along the west coast of Greenland. Isolated and restless in her world by the sea, she convinces her publisher to pay for a trip to the country she has never visited but whose language she speaks fluently: France. Her mission is to translate the verses of Geoffrey “Po” Labaye, a charismatic poet known as “the last living troubadour of Provence.” Upon arrival in the medieval hilltop village of Belle Rivière, Ilse falls under the spell of the Provençal way of life, captivated by the air, the sun, the vibrant spring colors, and the dulcet sounds of the dialect. Soon enough, Ilse is captivated by the poet, too, and she and Po develop a daily rhythm and warm camaraderie—which is disrupted by the arrival of the poet’s son, Frey. Though he has a fiancée back in Paris, Frey turns his attentions to Ilse, and suddenly she is forced to learn another language, one her translation skills have not prepared her to decode. Where—and with whom—does her future lie? With an eye and ear attuned to the sensibilities of French life, Elizabeth Birkelund has created a love story about a woman forced to choose between the security of her quiet northern home and the possibility of the life of her dreams. |
About the author
Elizabeth graduated from the Hewitt School in New York City, from Brown University with honors in Comparative literature, and from the Radcliffe Publishing Program. After college, she worked for a literary agent and was a member of the editorial staff for a start-up magazine, European Travel and Life. She began her fifteen-year freelance writing career as a monthly personal finance columnist for Cosmopolitan magazine, and has written for over fifteen publications, including Glamour, Self, Working Woman, Victoria. Her first novel, The Dressmaker, was published by Henry Holt & Co. in 2006, with a paperback Picador publication in 2007. It has been published in England in two versions, in Germany and in Russia. Her novel, The Runaway Wife, will be published by Harper Collins in July. She lives in New York City. |
Scapeghost
by Nanci LaGarenne In the early summer of 1962 in San Francisco, three inmates escaped Alcatraz. Presumed dead, they became the most famous escapees of that inescapable island. What if they survived? On that night there was an unusual heat wave and a calm tide. Perhaps even a stroke of luck. Cincinnatus Jones, the former Frank Lee Morris, is a man reborn. He finds shelter in a deserted cabin in the Oakland Hills. Among the Redwoods in a primordial forest, Cincinnatus finds an unfamiliar yet soothing solace while remaining alert, as he is still a fugitive. He starts painting the nature that surrounds him, imagining he will spend his days as a hermit in the Hills. And then she shows up. Patsy Billie Vaughan, a schoolteacher for the Warden's and Officer's children on Alcatraz Island, is the owner of the cabin. Does she recognize her unlikely guest? Will she turn him in? Should he run? Cincinnatus makes his decision and then they come. Ghosts of California's railway days, pioneers of the environment, jazz and blues musicians of Oakland's Bottom. But when the four Birmingham Angels appear and later the Kent and Jackson State College students, Cincinnatus is broken open. Why him? He is a man who only wants his freedom. What are the dead trying to teach him and why should he care? Take this risky journey to freedom with Cincinnatus, a man who has never learned to trust or forgive, especially himself. Scape Ghost is the perfect escape. |
About the author
Nanci E. LaGarenne was born in Brooklyn and lives on the East End of Long Island. She is a former teaching assistant in the Autistic Unit at P. S.236 in Brooklyn, a child care coordinator at The Retreat, a domestic violence shelter on Long Island, and freelance journalist for Dan's Papers and contributing writer to The Montauk Sun. Her novel, Cheap Fish is a local tribute to commercial fishermen in Montauk. LaGarenne was a karaoke host for twelve years in a local dive bar, Liars Saloon, which features in her book. Refuge, her second book, is an inspirational story of female friendship among domestic abuse survivors, set in Brooklyn and Ireland. The bitter end, a sequel to Cheap Fish, returns to Montauk with another murder mystery. Her new novel is Scape Ghost, set in California in the 60's & 70's, it is a famous cold case fictionally solved. It is available now on Amazon.com |
What We Sacrifice for Magic
by Andrea Jo DeWerd Perfect for fans of Practical Magic and The Lager Queen of Minnesota: a coming-of-age novel following three generations of witches in the 1960s, this enchanting and heartwarming debut explores the importance of family and the delight and heartbreak of discovering who you truly are. It’s 1968, and the Watry-Ridder family is feared and respected in equal measure. The local farmers seek out their water charms, and the teenagers, their love spells. The family’s charms and spells, passed down through generations of witches descending from the Black Forest, have long served the small town of Friedrich, Minnesota. Eldest daughter Elisabeth has just graduated high school—she is expected to hone her supernatural abilities to take over for her grandmother, the indomitable Magda. She’s also expected to marry her high school sweetheart and live the rest of her life in Friedrich. But all she can ask is, why her? Why is her path set in stone, and what else might be out there for her? She soon discovers that magic isn’t the only thing inherited in her family. That magic also comes with a great price—and a big family secret. The more she digs, the more questions she has, and the less she trusts the grandmother she thought she knew. Who is Elisabeth without her family? She must ultimately decide what she’s willing to sacrifice for her family, for their secrets and their magic, or risk it all to pave her own way. Navigating the bittersweet tension between self-discovery and living up to familial expectations, What We Sacrifice for Magic is a touching look at coming into one’s own. |
About the author
ANDREA JO DEWERD is a writer, a speaker, and the founder of the future of agency LLC, a book marketing and publishing consulting agency. As a book marketer, Andrea has led the marketing campaigns for 105+ New York Times bestsellers. Andrea received her MS in publishing from New York University and BA in English from George Washington University. Born and raised in Minnesota, Andrea now lives and writes in Brooklyn, NY. WHAT WE SACRIFICE FOR MAGIC is her first novel. Find Andrea online @ajdewerd. |
The Water Door
by Aggie L Jae Imagine this: Your parents have been kidnapped! To rescue them, you must dissolve yourself into the water of a secret hydro-portal called the Water Door, flow through a wormhole in space to another planet, and bring back your family's legendary heirloom-a giant blue diamond. Are you ready to go? Jeremy and Joshua, ages 11 and 12, are staying at their grandparents' farm when they discover The Water Door-a hydro-portal that transports them to the distant planet, Tetherae. Once there, the brothers embark on an exciting adventure through the Wilds of Tetherae that includes a fabulous treehouse, fierce dinosaurs, enormous giants, underground caverns, and mystical castles. Using their new Tetherae abilities, they must find a legendary heirloom diamond to rescue their parents from their evil uncle who has kidnapped them before time runs out. |
About the author
Aggie L. Jae wrote her first story in third grade. She began writing THE WATER DOOR in high school. Recently, she rewrote the story for eight to twelve-year-olds but readily admits it's a great story for anyone who loves a fun treasure hunt filled with adventure. ;-) Aggie has been married to her husband for 30 years and has two sons, two grandsons, two cute-as-can-be Shih Tzu dogs, twelve fluffy chickens, and one old independent cat. She enjoys boating, birdwatching, listening to all kinds of music, and meeting new friends. Besides being a writer, she has been an actress, model, successful restauranteur, licensed massage therapist, and certified nutritionist. |
Drawn from Life
by Sarah P. Blanchard A life-changing tragedy. Conflicting memories. Is she a killer or a victim? Emma Gillen is haunted by guilt. Almost a decade after surviving a deadly car crash on a remote Appalachian mountain, she’s held hostage by long-term damage to her body and no recollection of that tragic event. Then her volatile cousin Lucy—the only other witness to the crash—returns, needing money and bringing chaos. Emma must decide if she should bargain with the beautiful, untrustworthy Lucy to uncover their shared past. All bargains carry risk. As Lucy grows more desperate and greedy, Emma suspects there’s more at stake than just money. Struggling with shame, night terrors, and her own unreliable memory, Emma accepts help from a compassionate detective. But the choice remains hers alone. Can Emma find the strength to free herself from her cousin’s destructive power, or will Lucy bring everything crashing down? With vivid characters, dark themes, and a high-stakes mystery, Drawn from Life is a riveting psychological thriller and a compelling tale of a young woman’s resilience, redemption, and courage. |
About the author
In her fiction, Sarah P. Blanchard writes about conflicted people making difficult decisions in impossible situations, sometimes with good outcomes. She's especially drawn to flawed, compassionate characters who believe they must battle their demons alone, and complex antagonists who feel they have nothing to lose. New England-born and raised, Sarah earned her B.A. in English literature from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from Nichols College in Massachusetts. After moving to Hawaii in 2003, she taught English, writing, and business at the University of Hawaii-Hilo and Hawaii Community College. A move back to the mainland in 2010 brought her to Raleigh, NC, and then the western North Carolina mountains where she taught two semesters of fiction writing in UNC-Asheville's OLLI Program (College for Seniors). Her poems and short stories have appeared in several publications, and she was a finalist for the 2021 Doris Betts Fiction Prize. Her short story collection PLAYING CHESS WITH BULLS was published in December 2023 and her debut novel DRAWN FROM LIFE was released in Spring 2024. She is also the author/co-author of three books on horse training. She and her husband Rich split their time between North Carolina and Connecticut, where she enjoys gardening and riding the trails with her horse, Cody. |
13 Poems from Long Island
Edited by national award-winning journalist and author John A. Valenti 3rd and former Nassau County Poet Laureate Evelyn Kandel, this collection includes their work and the work of inspiring amateur poets Hattie Abbey, Hank Bjorklund, Victoria Bjorklund, Lila Edelkind, John Lange, George Pafitis, Gladys Thompson Roth, Sheila Saferstein, George Strausman, Susan Aster Wallman and Judith Zilberstein. This amazing collection of poets -- including two centenarians; an award-winning reporter who was an applicant for the NASA Journalist in Space Project; an NFL running back on New York Jets teams with Joe Namath; a world traveler who’s been to the Arctic and Antarctica; a Hungarian refugee whose family escaped the Holocaust and, later, Soviet rule; a philosopher who got a ventriloquism lesson from future Tonight Show legend Johnny Carson; a poet who met President Bill Clinton, acted with Love Boat captain Gavin MacLeod and slept on a resort mattress once graced by Marilyn Monroe and Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio; and, a co-founder of Doctors Without Borders U.S.A. -- met in a class taught by Kandel, a former U.S. Marine who appeared on a 1952 U.S. Postage Stamp featuring "Women in Our Armed Services." Their work inspires, covering a wide array of subjects -- love, life, death, age, homelessness, gun violence, philosophical debate and a range of off-the-cuff fun and amusement. |