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Harriet Klausner is Amazon’s #1 Reviewer

NASCAR driver Jake Henson takes refuge near the White River in Arkansas Ozarks National Forest; he is physically recovering from a boating accident that left him injured and his best friend dead.

Next door to the cabin he borrowed is Stacy Carter, and her Yorkie Oscar; she borrowed her brother’s cabin to escape the media who have made her, daughter of a notorious politician, into an amazon because she disarmed a thief. Continue reading »

Well-known psychologist, author and speaker Anne Newton Walther’s passion for history led to the writing of her first book A Time for Treason: An Novel of the American Revolution. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Anne grew up in Virginia and now lives in San Francisco with her husband.

She has been on national talk shows, local television and radio and is head of a psychological counseling firm. Now she has written Loss of Innocence: A Novel of the French Revolution

Ms. Walther has taken her very colorful character the French Countess Eugenie Devereux (that she introduced in A Time for Treason: An Novel of the American Revolution) on another adventure through history. This time, however, the beautiful Madam Devereux is back in France and is in the midst of the French Revolution. Continue reading »

In part one of this interview, Gerrie Hugo explained a lot about his life in South Africa, and the reasons for writing Africa Will Always Break Your Heart. In part 2 we talk about his life after South Africa, and the problems of bringing a book to fruition.

This is quite the international group, you are in Sweden, your publisher is in South Africa , your promotion is being handled out of Southern California, and I am interviewing you from Canada , even a few years ago this would have been an impossible situation! How important is the internet to you in your endeavours?

The impact of our global village still does not fail to astound me. I am a techno-peasant and have yet to grasp the full extent of what the worldwide web can do for one. I am however slowly getting to grips with it and would not have made one sale had it not been for this capability. Continue reading »

This is part 1 of a two-part interview by Simon Barrett for BloggingAuthors.com

I read many books, and most end up on the ‘Done Pile’ and forgotten, a few though go on my ‘must keep and revisit’ list. Africa Will Always Break Your Heart by Gerrie Hugo is on the ‘must keep’ list. I was just an obnoxious English grammar school kid when the apartheid ‘war of public opinion’ in South Africa was raging. Although I was young and outspoken, I most certainly thought that apartheid was just a glamorous way of dressing up the word slavery.

I think I was mostly right, I did not understand all of the factors at the time, and I certainly did not know the facts. Black versus White, was how it was portrayed to me.

Gerrie has written a tour de force in Africa Will Always Break Your Heart. You might even recognize his name. He was featured in the 1997 Emmy winning documentary Gerrie and Louise (although it is best to only mention this when you are outside the range of his fist). A great disservice was heaped on Gerrie through this production. In classic TV tradition, facts were taken out of context and used to present a case that was blatantly false.

I had the opportunity to chat with this very entertaining guy, he had much to say, and all of it important, for that reason I decided to make this a two part interview.  

Can you tell our readers a little about who Gerrie Hugo is?

I’ll try to steer away from my standard flippant response which will always be a façade to hide away my grave concerns about the country of my birth and the pitfalls of life.

I was born at home on the 1st of April 1956 in Cape Town. When my mother laid eyes on me she was immediately taken to the hospital. (See I can’t help myself) As the middle son of a military non-commissioned officer I tried without success to get my father’s love and attention and later decided to break all ties with him. His double standards became the main reason for me loosing all faith in any form of Deity to date. He is still alive but in my mind I’ve buried him a few years ago for the sake of my sanity.
 
I have always been a maverick and a fierce protector of what I believed to be the underdog. Mostly these beliefs were misplaced but that did not stop me from expressing my opinions in the most colourful language to all within earshot. I was therefore not well loved by my seniors and have always been much too outspoken to my detriment. The fact that I normally call a spade a shovel did not enhance my chances of ever making it to the General Staff of the Defence Force. Tact is not my forté and I do not suffer fools lightly. (Unfortunately there is too many of them around) Continue reading »

Harriet Klausner is Amazon’s #1 Reviewer

Not long after Peal Harbor, many Americans from all parts of the country enlisted. In Southern Illinois, Robert Worthem, his best friend Will Hammond, two of the latter’s brothers, and other townsfolk join the army.

By the third week in January, just over a month since the sneak attack, the new soldiers are off to war. Robert’s parents and the Hammond’s widowed dad are proud of their respective offspring but worry and pray for their safe return.

As if he knows his mom Julia needs solace Robert sends a letter home that includes a special prayer from his girlfriend Rachel. She shares the prayer with her spouse Samuel, her daughter Sarah and Willy’s family especially his dad George and brother Frank. Each turns to God for comfort and pray that their loved ones will come home alive.

Four years have passed since Rachels Prayer with a new test of faith being WWII and its impact on the young males of the Worthem and Hammond families that are of an age to fight. Readers actually see the effect on those left behind praying for the safe return of their loved ones as perspective is rotated between Rachel, Sarah, and Frank.

Americana historical readers will appreciate the inspiration and hope found in the message that belief and prayer enables those left behind are able to cope with their fears.

Harriet Klausner is Amazon’s #1 Reviewer 

In the late nineteenth century, everyone in the highest circles of DC social life knows that Abigail Cabot, though a senator’s daughter, is a weirdo. Unlike debutantes her age including her sister, Abigail prefers astronomy to balls. However, her feelings change when she meets Lieutenant Boyd Butler III. She wants him with all her heart, but he has no interest in her.

DC’s most eligible bachelor, Senator Jamie Calhoun, needing her father’s help, promises to assist Abigail in getting her man. Something weird happens to Abigail and Jamie. They fall in love, but he refuses to believe in such a wasted emotion and she is confused over her former infatuation for the lieutenant and her sudden desire to only be with Jamie.

Readers will think they journeyed to nineteenth century upper class Washington society with the depth inside Susan Wiggs’ strong historical romance. The story line is fascinating mostly because the cast brings alive an engaging period of America’s past. The lead couple is a charming duet who struggle with his and her respective growing awareness of love for one another.

Halfway To Heaven takes the audience all the way to readers heaven with another winning novel from Ms. Wiggs.

When I visited India some ten years ago, I encountered a world so different from what I was used to that I needed quite some time to sort out my feelings about it. There were sights so gruesome that I still have nightmares about them, and others so sublime that I still feel absolutely in awe that I was fortunate enough to witness them. Seeing Taj Mahal was definitely in the latter category.

There really are no words fluid and shimmering enough to describe the wonder of Taj, and no words large enough to describe the impact it had on me. While there I learned about the great love between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal and I promised myself that upon my return home I would delve deeper into that fascinating story.

Well, life has a funny way of interfering with even the best of plans. I returned home and although I often thought of Taj Mahal, I never managed to look deeper into the story of the two people so essential to the creation of the incomparable Taj Mahal.

When Sandra Wilson’s book “Taj The Woman and the Wonder” landed on my desk, I looked at the deceptively slim volume and said to myself that there was no way anybody could write about Taj in a mere 300 pages. Well, I was utterly and absolutely wrong. This is a monumental book. Yes, it looks quite slim, but in its own way it is larger than life, just like Taj Mahal itself. And just like Taj Mahal there are many sides to it. Continue reading »

Eating Up Italy
by Matthew Fort

What a great concept! Let’s take a slightly overweight, definitely middle-aged and slightly balding Brit. Put him on a 50cc Vesper scooter and let him amble from the very southern tip to the northernmost parts of Italy, while he enjoys the food, drinks, sights and smells.

I think his publicist summed it up well in an email she sent to me: ‘I thought you would like this book, and to be honest I am slightly envious of Matthew’. Well, I am more than slightly envious - I am green with envy. I want to know how I can get a job like this!

Matthew Fort has produced a fascinating book, part travelogue, part cookery book, and part discussion about the state of the human culture. This is all done using the wonderfully dry humor that only the English have. Being a ‘Displaced Brit’ myself, I was hooked on this book from the very first page.

Matthew starts his travels in the very southern tip of Italy, an area known as Calabria, and finishes his sojourn in Turin. He splits his journey into three stages, each one taking about a month. Although there is no description as to the why, I did notice that the 50cc Vesper he named Ginger was replaced by a more robust 150cc Vesper in Naples. I can only assume that the pasta was taking a toll on the 50cc engine! Continue reading »

Anne Walther has another hit in Loss of Innocence: A Novel of the French Revolution.

In spite of her noble heritage, French countess Eugénie Devereux avidly embraces the stirrings of social change and revolution in France. A beautiful woman in her prime, with a sharp mind and an adventurous spirit, Eugénie adroitly manages her tranquil Bordeaux valley estate and vineyards while maintaining a network of agents to keep her informed of events beyond château’s walls.

Already disturbed by news of the monarchy under seige at Versailles, and the growing anarchy in the streets of Paris and throughout France, she receives a surprising and cryptic invitation from Queen Marie Antoinette. Eugénie suspects that the royal family is in danger and hurries to Versailles just as a lavish banquet for the Royal Guard incites the women of Paris to march on the palace in a rage.

As one disatrous event follows another, Eugénie risks her reputation and her life to undertake a bold secret mission. Joining her is American shipper Bridger Goodrich, who won her heart when she visited Virginia at the onset of the American Revolution.

Their passion for one another deepens as they plunge into a little-known historical plot by French nobles and courageous Americans to rescue the queen from her prison in France and spirit her across the Atlantic to the banks of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. Will Eugénie carry out the plan in time? Continue reading »

Part love story, part history lesson, and part introduction to the culture of India in the 1600s during the Great Mughal Empire, Sandra Wilson has done a fine job of weaving all of these elements into Taj - The Woman and the Wonder. While the novel is rooted in historical fact, Sandra adds her own layer fleshing out the personalities and frictions that are well documented historically, but obviously are without the actual dialog.

As you might have guessed from the title, this book at least in part concerns one of the great wonders of the world , the Taj Mahal, and the lady that inspired it’s construction.

Taj - The Woman And The Wonder follows the fortunes of Shah Jahan and his very beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal from their not so humble beginnings. It is told through the thoughts of Shah Jahan on his deathbed. As first son of Emperor Jahangir, Prince Khurram’s future seemed assured, he is almost guaranteed to eventually wear the ‘Royal Turban’ and be the next Grand Mughal. Unfortunately the current Empress has different ideas. Although the power of the empire eminates from the Emperor, the real power comes from the woman behind the scenes, Nur Jahan, and she is unwilling to relinquish her control over India. Continue reading »