2024 in Books

I fell a bit short of my reading goal of 25 books for the year. Instead, I read 20. Not too shabby. I’ve never been able to motivate myself with a number goal and that’s probably a good thing. Here’s a list with teeny tiny reviews. Let me know if we read the same books this year and if our opinions match.

I went over my first six months in books here, but here’s a brief overview:

• WHAT HAPPENED TO ANNA K.

  • I really liked this one. It’s an immigrant take on Anna Karenina, set within the Bukharian Jewish community of Queens, NY. It’s a bit akin to an art movie.

• THE CLOISTERS

  • All I found were a ton of cliches and literary tropes. Maybe you’ll like it better.

• THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB

  • This isn’t something I usually read but it was heartwarming. An easy read with likable, relatable characters.

• THE FURY

  • I liked it a lot. It was engaging and I did not see see the grand reveal coming.

• PANIC IN A SUITCASE

  • I am partial to immigrant lit so I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, while it had a ton of fun and relatable anecdotes, it was so exhaustingly verbose, it was upsetting.

• TOMB SWEEPING

  • This was a collection of short stories. It took me a while to get through it but there were quite a few exquisite short stories in there.

• CLAP WHEN YOU LAND

  • I LOVED this book. Beautifully written, and beautifully narrated. Highly, highly recommend!

• DIRTY LAUNDRY

  • Entertaining but there were a few lost opportunities to develop some potentially interesting themes in there. Easy read.

• THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE

  • I am obsessed with the Thursday Night Murder Club series!

• THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE

  • This was engaging but more than that—it was educational. I love immigrant history and this taught me a lot.

    Now on to July through December of 2024:

• THE VANISHING HALF

  • An incredibly thought provoking novel. So many expertly crafted parallels. Highly recommend.

• WHAT’S EATING JACKIE OH?

  • For someone who claims not to read YA, I seem to like a lot of it. Wonderful story in the coming of age/immigrant lit realm. Highly recommend.

• HOW TO LOVE YOUR DAUGHTER

  • Much like The Lost Daughter, this is a painfully important read for mothers of daughters. Not an easy read.

• MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

  • Riley Sager is officially back! Loved it. Great thriller.

• MIDNIGHT LIBRARY

  • I’m fascinated by the concept of parallel universes and all things related. A bit long, and I hoped to be more engaged, but a wonderful read.

• HERE ONE MOMENT

  • I’m yet to meet a Liane Moriarty’s book I don’t like. Brilliant! Very engaging.

• THE GHOST CAT

  • I would’ve found this book brilliant in high school. In college, too. As a middle-aged adult, I found it mildly entertaining. A light, easy read.

• FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN

  • I’m still thinking about this book and it’s been months since I read it. It’s particularly impactful as an audio book. Brilliantly produced. I think it changed me. Highly recommend if you like memoirs.

• WE SOLVE MURDERS

  • I love that it’s a new series from Richard Osmond. I don’t know if it was me or the story, however, but I wasn’t as engaged as I would’ve liked. I kept getting lost in all the character names. It was probably my own state of mind. I still recommend it to fans of the Thursday Murder Club.

• THE MOST

  • A quirky little book with fabulous character exploration. Not my favorite this year but a worthy read.

How Michael Jackson Saved My Life

How Michael Jackson’s Music Saved My Life During My First Year in America

By Marina Raydun

Growing up with Michael Jackson's music looked different for me than it might have been for others. I didn’t experience Thriller or Bad as cultural phenomena when they first came out. I was alive for those iconic moments but on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain. Our access to Western pop music was rare, tantalizingly limited, and oh-so delayed. The closest we came to international exposure were German bands like Modern Talking or Italian singers like Al Bano and Toto Cutugno. But Michael Jackson transcended those boundaries. Even behind the Iron Curtain, his music seeped through cracks in the walls, and it became my lifeline.

Michael Jackson and My Introduction to Music as Art

My first encounter with Michael Jackson's music came through his music video for Remember the Time. It must have been 1991 or 1992, and I was lying on my sister’s sofa bed, flipping through the sparse programming on our small TV. We literally had two and a half channels to choose from (and I do mean half because it was only on for a few hours a day). Then it happened—images of a mythical Egypt appeared, a man dissolved into golden sand, and his voice filled the room. I was mesmerized.

“Who is that?” I asked my older sister, who always seemed to know more about the wider world than I did.
“That’s Michael Jackson,” she said, as if it were obvious. She explained the video was for a song called Remember the Time. I had no idea how she knew this. Maybe a smuggled magazine or a bootleg VHS tape gave her that insight, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the spell that video cast over me. It unlocked something in my mind—a new ability to perceive color, possibility, and art.

I was never the same again.

The Dangerous Tape That Changed My World

A year or so later, a schoolmate lent me a copy of Michael Jackson's Dangerous album that he had brought back from a humanitarian trip to Italy. It was my first time hearing the album in its entirety, and it felt like a miracle. My sister’s boyfriend made a copy for me, and I listened to it obsessively. I didn’t have a personal stereo (or a room to call my own), but our living room held a stereo my father had built, and every morning when the space was mine, I would press play and escape into Michael Jackson’s world.

The music wasn’t just background noise. It was a lifeline. Songs like Jam, Black or White, and Will You Be There spoke to my soul in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. Michael Jackson’s influence on fans, especially young ones like me, is well-documented, but the personal impact his music had on my life was profound.

Coming to America: The Beginning of a New Life

In 1994, when I was 11 years old, my family left our homeland for Brooklyn, New York. This was the beginning of a new chapter I eagerly awaited, but it was also a tumultuous one. My parents had only $3,000 to their name, making every penny stretch. While we were fortunate to have donated furniture (as well as pieces curated from the curbside) and food stamps, the emotional strain of starting over was immense. My mom was deeply depressed, my dad was busy working long hours, and I was thrown into a completely unfamiliar environment.

School was the most daunting challenge of all. I didn’t speak English, and the expectation was that I would absorb it effortlessly because of my age. When that didn’t happen, I felt broken. The laughter of my classmates and the isolation I felt daily crushed me.

Michael Jackson’s Music as My Sanctuary

In the chaos of that first year, our one indulgence—a used stereo purchased for $100—became my salvation. Every day after school, I would retreat into Michael Jackson’s music. I’d play Dangerous from start to finish, imagining concerts where I performed alongside him.

Songs like Heal the World and Gone Too Soon became anthems of hope and comfort. When the loneliness felt unbearable, Michael Jackson's music reminded me that art could transport me to another world. It gave me something to look forward to and a sense of belonging that I couldn’t find elsewhere.

Michael Jackson's Legacy in My Life

I don’t mean it lightly when I say Michael Jackson's songs changed my life. His music became the bridge between my old world and my new one. It gave me the strength to navigate the complexities of being a preteen immigrant, struggling to fit in while holding on to the pieces of myself that made me unique.

Michael Jackson’s influence on fans often lies in his ability to make them feel seen and heard. For me, his music was the voice of reassurance I needed during my most challenging year. Even as I struggled to adjust to a new culture and language, I felt connected to a larger, global community of fans who loved and revered his artistry. That image became my best (imaginary) friend when I had none.

Reflecting on Childhood Memories with Michael Jackson’s Music

Looking back, it’s clear that Michael Jackson’s music shaped my childhood in ways I couldn’t have predicted. It wasn’t just the catchy melodies or the groundbreaking visuals; it was the sense of empowerment and creativity his music inspired in me.

As I’ve grown older, the role of Michael Jackson’s music in my upbringing has taken on even greater significance. His legacy reminds me of the resilience and imagination that got me through those lonely days. The stereo, the tape, and those unforgettable songs became symbols of hope and transformation at a time when I desperately needed both. I still have my little gray tape. It is one of my most prized possessions.

The Impact of Michael Jackson’s Songs on My Life

Michael Jackson's greatest hits weren’t just songs—they were lifelines. They carried me through a year of uncertainty and fear, offering solace when little else could. His music didn’t just shape my childhood; it saved it.

Today, when I hear Remember the Time, I’m transported back to that small living room where an 11-year-old girl found courage in the melodies of an artist who seemed to understand her struggles.

Michael Jackson’s music and personal stories remain intertwined with my own, a testament to the enduring power of art to heal, inspire, and connect us across time and space.

For a deeper dive into this transformative period of my life and how Michael Jackson’s music intertwined with my journey, you can explore my fictionalized memoir, Year One. It offers more context about my transition to America, the struggles of adapting to a new world, and music’s profound role in shaping my identity. Through its pages, you'll find a richer exploration of the memories and emotions that defined that pivotal first year and the enduring impact of Michael Jackson’s songs on my personal story.

Author Interview Series-Rumki Chowdhury

Rumki Chowdhury

Photo Credit: New York Book Festival

Rumki Chowdhury was born in Bangladesh and grew up in the USA. She has also lived in the UK and Sweden. With an MA in English Literature from The Queen Mary University of London and a BA in English Writing from The William Paterson University of New Jersey, her literary experiences expand from journalism to publishing companies like Simon and Schuster Inc., Pearson Higher Education Publishing, The Herald Newspaper and The Record Newspaper. 

Rumki’s previous book publications include So Complicated: A “he vs. she,” a romantic comedy/women’s fiction that won Honorable Mention at The New York Book Festival, Second Place at UK’s The Wishing Shelf Award and Finalist for Humor at The Pacific Writer’s Award. She has also authored Her Feet Chime, the first and only Bangladeshi version of a Cinderella story written in English. Moreover, 100% of profits from her poetry book, Unveiled, go to helping the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh via Restless Beings. Another poem was published in Hijri, a collection of stories by various authors. Her memoir was also published in Your Story with Musart, a collection of inspirational stories by various authors. Secrets in the Wind is her first work of fiction/thriller in the YA department.

Marina Raydun: You've lived here, there, and everywhere! How do you think this affects your writing style?

Rumki Chowdhury: I have lived in the USA, UK and Sweden. Not to mention, I was born in Bangladesh! I consider myself so fortunate to have experienced numerous cultures and learned how to live within those societies, all of which inspires my writing, especially the settings and characters in my stories. I have had the opportunity to have book signings in London, Stockholm as well as New York City. It's a blessing.

MR: On a similar note, you're multilingual! Do you remember the moment when, as a child, you first realized the power of language?

RC: Having grown up in a Bangladeshi household, my primary language was Bengali. I took ESL up until the age of seven when my ESL teacher felt I was fluent enough to stop.The moment I realized the power of language was not when I stopped ESL though; rather, it was when my second-grade teacher granted me a medal for being the best reader in the class! It showed me that learning a new language and advancing in literacy could open up so many doors. It was from then on that I dared to take the stage by storm and participate in speech competitions, and became editor of the newspapers at the schools I attended throughout my childhood and into college. When I moved to Sweden, I had one goal: learn the language well enough to write an entire book in Swedish. I did have an article published in a Swedish newspaper, but the next step is to translate my books to Swedish and promote them to Swedish publishing companies.

MR: Your formal education is in writing and literature. Did you always know you wanted to be an author?

RC: I always wanted to write a book, but the concept of becoming an author came to me when I saw my journalism teacher's book in the university library. I picked it up and realized that I wanted to write a book too, a story that would mean something and a story that would represent where I came from. I did research and realized that there were numerous cultural versions of the Cinderella story, but because Bangladesh was founded in 1971, it was fairly new and did not have that. I created one and now, it is not only a novella, but it is going to be a childrens' book to-be-published in 2025, with the publisher-Global Bookshelves.

MR: Why do you think you write?

RC: I write to impact in a positive light; words can move and I want my words to move and raise awareness about issues that we normally would not talk about. "Secrets in the Wind," for example, is fiction, but it is based on the real life stories of stalker victims and victims of child marriage in Bangladesh. 

MR: What is your writing process? How long does it take you to produce a book-beginning to end?

RC: I edit, edit, edit, and edit. A writer is a perfectionist, but eventually, we have to settle. My writing process involves starting with a general concept and surprising myself along the way. Most of the time, I have no idea how the story will end. I also have my fellow author friends, family and relatives give me constructive feedback. It helps to have a literary support system. Each book took me a couple of years to complete. This is also due to the fact that I am a full-time teacher and I am a mother of three, but very soon, I will be taking a break from teaching to focus on writing full-time, and spending more time with my children.

MR: What inspired Her Feet Chime--the only Bangladeshi version of Cinderella in English?

RC: I was always intrigued by the rags-to-riches story of Cinderella so I researched at my college library to see which cultures had their own variation of the story. I felt it was sad that we, Bangladeshis, did not have our own. Thus, I focused my honors thesis on creating "Her Feet Chime."

MR: Secrets in the Wind is getting plenty of accolades! Congratulations! Can you tell us a little bit about it?

RC: Thank you so much! I feel truly blessed and am so happy that the topic, itself, has been brought to light. Bangladesh is a beautiful country, but like all beautiful countries, there are those dark alleyways that need to be lit. Unfortunately, older males stalking younger females is a common issue in Bangladesh and there aren't many resources available to help resolve the circumstances. Many females find themselves fighting the battle in silence due to social pressures, due to fear and due to the fact that the legal system needs work. Asha is the American-Bangladeshi protagonist who realizes that her cousin, Kushi, in Bangladesh, is being stalked by an older male, and she has a difficult time understanding why her cousin is so silent about it. Asha decides that she is going to save her cousin. 

MR: What are the best and worst reviews you've ever gotten?

RC: The two best reviews I often get that really warms my heart: firstly, when the reader can relate to my work and secondly, when the reader has learned something new. The worst review I received from one reader was that my symbolism was repetitive, at which point I reminded myself that this person took the time to read my work and that in itself, is a tremendous honor.

MR: What do you think about when you're alone, driving in your car?

RC: My mind is always racing. It's like a non-stop marathon; either I am brainstorming, planning or trying to organize a mental calendar on writing events and deadlines.

MR: What are you currently reading?

RC: I am currently reading your book, "Year One." I am looking forward to reviewing it. 

In addition to writing, Rumki provides her own editing services to authors and various media. She is an active blogger on writing advice via www.rumki.com and social media:

X: Rumkichowdhury

Facebook: Rumkitheauthor

Instagram: Rumkitheauthor

TikTok: Rumkitheauthor

LinkedIn: Rumki Chowdhury

About the Book:

★ 2024 “Bronze” in the Multicultural YA Fiction Category of 

The Independent Publisher’s Award (IPPY).

★ 2023 “Runner-Up” in the YA Fiction Category of  The New York Book Festival.

★ 2023 “Distinguished Favorite” in the Multicultural YA Fiction Category at  The New York Big Book Awards.

★ 2023 “Honorable Mention” in the YA Fiction Category of The London Book Festival.

★2023 “Finalist”in UK’s “The Wishing Shelf Book Awards”

Author Interview Series-Danielle M. Bryan

Danielle M. Bryan

By day, Danielle is a non-profit executive leader and a mentor. Her pronouns are she/her/hers, she is a proud Jamaican-American, a wife, a mother, a daughter and an avid lover of international travel. So far, Danielle’s international travel destinations have included the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Indonesia , Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa, Turkey, Italy, Belize, Canada, England, Belgium, Germany and Austria! Similar to her passion for traveling, Danielle developed a love for expressing herself through written words and through story-telling. She describes her debut memoir as the story that found her after life threw her a few curve balls and she decided to use her journey and the lessons she learned along the way to inspire others.

Marina Raydun: You hold an executive position in a non-profit. Do you think your day job lends a hand to your writing?

Danielle M. Bryan: Perhaps it does. My role as a Chief Human Resources Officer requires an exceptional amount of reading, interpreting and writing. It requires organizational skills and the keen attention to details. All of these are characteristics that, when I consider it, proved helpful in structuring my written work. I think the creative aspect of writing is more a function of my personality and my non-work life experiences, however. For example, I am an avid traveler and I am inspired to relive my experiences with new environments, cultures and people by telling my story through writing.

MR: How about being from an immigrant family? In what way do you think this shaped not only your lifepath but your writing style? 

DMB: I enjoy invoking my family's cultural nuances and experiences in many aspects of my life. Sometimes this has caused me to incorporate examples from the native dialect (i.e. Jamaican patois) I grew hearing, and even speaking, in my writing. In other instances, humor and proverbs that remind me of lessons from my family members or others who share my cultural and ethnic identity have found their way into my conversations and my story-telling. When I write, "Chicken merry hawk deh near" which translates from Jamaican patois to, "If a chicken is merry (happy), a hawk is nearby," the meaning is: even in the happiest of times, one must be watchful. I like to think that growing and learning in the context of a family that is from a different country has expanded my perspective and has helped me to genuinely value the beauty of differences.

MR: Was there a particular point in your life that truly set your memoir into motion?

DMB: Yes. When I was 36 years old I was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis which was a devastating part of my reality for reasons including the uncertainty I had about what would lie ahead. Less than a year after that my divorce from my first husband was finalized, leaving me a new single parent and I was sure my life was spiraling out of control. I forced myself to regain control. And I did. My memoir is the story of how I did just that. My hope is it is the book someone needs in order to be inspired to get to the other side of their own challenges. 

MR: What was the hardest part about writing Unparalyzed?

DMB: Ironically while I studied Psychology and Mental Health in college and graduate school, working through my own emotions is not always one of my greatest strengths. The process of writing this book was also a process of reliving. It was a process of facing and unpacking difficult experiences and emotions. It was an exercise in dealing with being deeply uncomfortable at times.

MR: What is your writing routine like? Do you have a set schedule? Do you outline?

DMB: No. I do not have a set schedule or even an outline when I work on personal narratives. I write as I process mentally and emotionally. I schedule dedicated writing sessions but give myself grae by not holding myself to a fixed timeline for "finishing." I work on the structure and organization of the story afterwards and with help from great editors! The story tells me when it is finished. I may, perhaps, use a diffrent process with a different genre.

MR: Do you plan to continue writing your story?

DMB: I do.I published this book using a pseudonym which was an incredibly difficult thing to do. It is challenging to be proud to share your personal story for the purpose of inspiring others but not have that story be associated with your real name, the real you.  This is something I have been thinking about a lot of late and I have been taking decisive, small steps to erase the lines between the "author" and "real" me in my story-telling. I think a big reveal and/or a next book featuring the real me as the author is in my future! 

MR: What does writing success mean to you?

DMB: For me success in writing is getting words on a page even if they initially suck! Editing can always help to clean up what is written but the words have to be there first! It can be hard to get started. Starting and continuing even when it is hard is success!

MR: Would you ever dabble in fiction?

DMB: I have no plans as of now to dabble in fiction but it is not completely off the table. I will avoid saying, "never."

MR: Any fun travel stories?

DMB: I got lost in the Greek city of Athens one night. I had just left the taverna where I enjoyed my first traditional Greek folklore show. The experience involved lots of unlabeled wine, singing yours truly, the introvert, joining in on the dancing - up to and on the stage and around the perimeter of the restaurant! Thankfully, I was a solo traveler on an entirely different continent so there was little risk of bumping into anyone I knew or who would recognize me. Once the fun was over, I stepped into the darkness of the night. To my surprise, nothing about the street, the neighborhood or even the now moonlit sky resembled the surroundings I remembered from hours earlier -- before the sun had set and before the wine had taken effect. I walked left. I walked right. I walked in circles, past unsavory sights and questionable beings in a city where I did not even have a basic command of the local language until I decided to get help from the concierge at a random hotel. I had not used or had to decipher a paper map since I was in gradeschool but a paper map with handrawn arrows and circles courtesy of the concierge is how I found my way back to where I belonged. 

MR: What are you currently reading?

DMB: Radical Respect by Kim Scott! Next up is Year One! 

For more information about Danielle, please follow these links:

Unparalyzed on Amazon

Unparalyzed on Barnes and Noble.com

IG: @authordbry

Author Interview Series-Angela van Breemen

Angela van Breemen

Angela van Breemen is an avid writer of poetry and belongs to the Wordsmiths Writer’s Group. She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and the South Simcoe Arts Council. Angela is also a Soprano Soloist. A firm believer in giving back to the community, she often sings for different charitable organizations. Music and poetry have been an integral part of her life and, in early 2024, she launched her debut album, In The Breeze. Celtic in nature, it includes three original pieces of music, based on her poetry.

Angela volunteers for Procyon Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre, a group dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and safe release of orphaned and injured Ontario wildlife.

Angela van Breemen is delighted to have completed her first novel, Past Life’s Revenge, a crime thriller with a twist of spiritualism.

Marina Raydun: You’re a poet and a singer. How did you make the transition to prose writing?

Angela van Breemen: Deciding to write a novel to begin with was a huge step for me as I have always considered myself a poet. I had started writing Past Life’s Revenge in my mid twenties, but due to time constraints and the necessity of working full time, I had abandoned it roughly a third of the way through. In my younger years, poetry came easily to me, so that I had the unrealistic expectation that writing prose would come just as easily. Maturity gave me the patience to listen to the rhythm and cadence of life. Once I started to do that, I began to recognize the patterns in nature, from rain falling on the roof, the ocean tides sighing in and out and to the regular singsong of birds. All patterns. Once I understood the regular patterns were everywhere in our natural environment, I began to appreciate that these rhythms of life were the very essence of creativity, whether it be visual art, dance, music, poetry or prose. From there, it was a comfortable transition to move from music and poetry to prose and it was not really a conscious decision. It was more of a natural evolution that occurred throughout my lifetime.

MR: Do you find similarities between writing poetry and crafting a novel?

AVB: Yes, I find there is an interconnectivity between poetry, music and writing prose. For me, poetry is like painting with the written word, as one can portray so much succinctly. The idea of writing a full book was at first daunting, but as I began to write, the words flowed in much the same way as when I was composing my poems, or writing a song, with a rhythm and cadence. I soon found a tempo to writing prose, which I believe encourages the reader to want to keep reading.  The musicality and cadence I mentioned earlier is crucial. It’s what keeps me writing, and I believe that if in the “zone” the finished product will be pleasing to the reader and will make them want to turn page after page. I also believe in structuring and plotting out my stories, whether for poems or prose. I need to have a goal, a roadmap, a clear idea of where I want the story to go.

MR: I am very intrigued by the concept of your novel--it’s part crime novel and part exploration of past-life regressions. What inspired this for you?

AVB: The concept for Past Life’s Revenge came naturally to me as I was introduced to psychics, mediums and empaths at a very early age. Topics with guests around my parents’ dinner table often focused on the subject of reincarnation. One idea that I toyed with for years was, what if someone was murdered, and what if they reincarnated soon enough after death, that they would encounter their killer again in their current life? How would they react? What would they do? It’s these questions with which David Harris, the protagonist, struggles. Writing crime fiction thrillers that explore the use of the paranormal to solve cold cases is an area that has always fascinated me. So often one hears on the news about a person who has gone missing and there are times that the police have actually engaged psychics to find missing people. The use of empaths to help solve crimes is not unheard of. Obviously just because an empath may say, he or she or they are the killer, concrete evidence still needs to be collected, but wouldn’t it be great if there was someone helping on a paranormal level, pointing investigators and the police in the right direction? Real life can be just as strange as fiction; in 1961 Dutch parapsychologist, Gerard Croiset was asked to help find a missing girl, Edith Kiecorius. Croiset described “a grey building with five floors." This detail led police to a boarding house at 307 West Twentieth Street, where her body was found, evidence there led to her murderer being brought to justice.

MR: Is Past Life’s Revenge slated to be a series? Will the reader need to read the books in order or would one be able to pick up book two without reading book one, for example?

AVB: Yes, I am working on the second in the series, Revenge is Not Enough. After having successfully apprehended the killer of David’s previous self, Emma and David have launched an investigative firm specializing in solving cold cases using the paranormal. I am sure, readers, myself included, will want to see what cases David and Emma will solve, and also how their personal relationship will develop over time. I am about a third of the way through the book and hope to have my first draft completed by the end of the year. I expect to write at least five books in this fictional series exploring how the use of the paranormal and psychic abilities can help solve cold cases, providing closure to the families who have lost loved ones, and also to help lost souls who cannot move on after death to find solace and peace and make that final step to the next world. Some of my favourite authors, like Louise Penny, James Paterson and Daniel Silva, write wonderful series. They cleverly thread enough clues in the books so that even if you pick them upand read them out of order, you can still appreciate the story individually, but also have a sense of the larger theme that extends throughout the series. Of course, whenever I can, I prefer to read the books in order, but a good writer should strive for providing enough information about the protagonist and the supporting characters for the reader to be able to enjoy the books out of sequence. This is something I would like to emulate.

MR: Talk to us about your writing routine.

AVB: Summer disrupts my writing routine. However, when the fall and winter months arrive, I find it easier to adopt a regular writing pattern. During the fall and winter months I tend to write in the mornings for a few hours, but if inspiration is flowing and I have no other commitments for the day, I will do marathon writing sessions.

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?

AVB: I love all genres, but I particularly enjoy murder mysteries with a good plot and character development.

MR: What are you reading right now?

AVB: Currently, I am reading, A Great Deliverance, by Elizabeth George, next on my reading list is Linwood Barclay’s latest book, I Will Ruin You.

MR: You recently released an album. Tell us a little bit about it.

AVB: In the Breeze was released in April of 2024. Celtic inspired, it was very thrilling to put three of my poems to music. The first piece is called Do You Hear the Drums? It was cowritten with Casey Cole, a good family friend, excellent house painter and musician. Two years ago, he came over one day to do some work on our house, and while the first coat of paint was drying, he said, “Angela, you’ve got to hear this instrument!” It was a handpan drum. As Casey began to play, the words and melody to a song just popped in my head, and I started singing. Mars Giammarco, from Red Egg Studio, produced my album for me, and the way he mastered this song and the other ten on the album is just amazing. Though the Seas Were Rough is another original piece I wrote based on a challenge given by a writing group to which I belong called the Wordsmiths. The challenge had been to write about the sea. Peter and I had just seen the movie Fisherman’s Friends and I was so inspired, I decided I would write a sea shanty! As I wrote the poem, the music was there too. That’s the cadence of writing at work! My third original song is contemporary and is called I Will Be in the Breeze. I wrote the poem in remembrance of my mother. Rina Valcourt, a dear friend, and music teacher loved the poem so much, she wrote music for it.

MR: Do you listen to music when you write?

AVB: Never. If I listened to music, while I was writing, I would be singing along, or even dancing, I certainly wouldn’t be writing. I would find it too entrancing, and it would distract me from the cadence and rhythm of my own writing. It would simply be too chaotic for me.

MR: What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?

AVB: I don’t do much thinking in the car. I prefer to keep my attention on driving and not be distracted. I do listen to the radio, either smooth jazz, or else talk radio. My time for quiet reflection and thinking is when I am surrounded by nature. Many of my ideas for poetry, books or music come best to me when I feel peaceful and tranquil, immersed in the sanctity of the forest.

To learn more Angela van Breemen, visit https://angelavanbreemen.ca (Book) and

https://wildsongbird.ca

Author Interview Series-Stacy Rogers

Stacy Rogers

Stacy is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University where she earned a Master of Education and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. A world traveler, Stacy has spent time in the Himalayas, the Andes, the High Atlas Mountains, and Southeast Asia. Behind Jagged Edges of Silhouette Trees is her debut novel.

Marina Raydun: What inspired your debut novel--Behind Jagged Edges of Silhouette Trees?

Stacy Rogers: Life experiences that have shaped my perceptions of the world and my sense of connection to it inspired me to write Behind Jagged Edges of Silhouette Trees. Through my two protagonists, A’isha and Tsewang, I put voice to these experiences and to the ways in which they have also impacted my identity.

MR: The title itself is very evocative. How did you come up with it?

SR: “Behind jagged edges of silhouette trees” is part of a narrative line one-third of the way into A’isha’s story. It spilled from me one morning as I wrote, and in that moment I thought, “Ah, this is the title of my novel!”

MR: You’re a real world traveler. What is it about travel that attracts you the most?

SR: I am fascinated by the common threads that bind the global quilt of cultural similarities but are often eclipsed by difference and dismissed as insignificant and unnecessary for human survival.

MR: Your background is in psychology and education. How does this background lend itself to creative writing?

SR: For 36 years, I taught high school English and conducted psychotherapeutic groups for at-risk youth. Whenever time allowed, I delved into my passion for storytelling and wrote about the life-changing encounters I stumbled upon as I traveled the world. Eight years ago, I sought to weave these components of my life so that I may lend voice to the universal quest for authenticity, by way of the spiritually- oriented, thematic lessons I offer in Behind Jagged Edges of Silhouette Trees.

MR: Do you remember a particular event growing up when you first learned to appreciate the value of language?

SR: My mother was a Cuban immigrant. One of my most vivid childhood memories is of her reading the New York Daily Newspaper with a knitted brow, and circling words she did not understand. She would say the words aloud, look them up in the Webster’s Dictionary, and try to memorize the meaning. Her unwavering determination to learn the English language impressed upon me the importance of language and the power it yields.

MR: Tell us more about your writing routine?

SR: I am most creative at daybreak. Not sunrise, but daybreak. There is something magical…spiritual…about the dawning of a new day. I am inspired by the promise and potential of new beginnings; they fuel my imagination, wonder, and creative process.

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?

SR: I appreciate memoir and respect authors who boldly share their life’s journey. Still, I most enjoy the boundless imagination and creativity of fictional work. The ability to craft an imaginary world into which a reader is transported, losing sense of time, requires a skillset that commands my attention and applause.

MR: What are you currently reading?

SR: I tend to re-read the literary masterpieces that have been most influential to my love for fiction. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, and the novel that was seminal to my love for literature, Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel Cervantes (which I am currently re-reading), are among my favorite works and are always within my reach.

MR: Any fun travels on the horizon for you?  What’s next for you writing-wise?

SR: Next summer, I will return to Asia to spend time in India. It is where Behind Jagged Edges of Silhouette Trees ends, and will be the initial setting for its sequel.

For more information, please visit https://stacyelenarogers.com/

Author Interview Series-Bjorn Leesson

Bjorn Leesson

Bjorn was born in the Lowcountry of South Carolina a long, long time ago. He has worked in manufacturing all his working life to feed himself but has nourished his mind with the study of many topics; history of all eras, the paranormal, astronomy, writing of different types, photography, archeology, genealogy, vexillology, some other -ologies, even stock car racing for a couple of years, and on and on. Bjorn finds just about everything fascinating in some way and has been accused of being too easily entertained. A blend of a few of his interests led to the creation of the Thalsparr Universe. The first installment of the series will be “Runes of the Dokkrsdottir,” with a release date to be determined. He currently lives in the Midlands of South Carolina with his wife of 25 years on their hobby farm.

Marina Raydun: You're very upfront about writing being a passion, not a career. Why do you feel it's important to make this fact public?

Bjorn Leesson: Often times, I think writers begin to let the financial aspect of writing subdue or overtake their creative spark.  A great story on paper will often be subjected to changes based on the probability of generating profit.  It makes me wonder how many "mainstream" stories, either as film or print, would have been so much better if the creator simply went with the story as it developed in their mind without a drive to form it around what they think will sell.  Don't get me wrong about this, however - I have every hope and dream that my writing will generate an income to live on, but that isn't my motivation.  I just love the series I am writing, and I feel sure that even when the Outside the Thalsparr series ends, I will continue writing other stories.

MR: Your books are set in Scandinavia. What's your background?

BL: The series does indeed begin in Scandinavia, but as the story progresses, it branches out into other places and times as well.  As for me, I am your average working class South Carolinian, but I have dozens of interests, many of which culminated into the Outside the Thalsparr series.  Genetically, I am mostly Norwegian and British with some other western European thrown in.

MR: I love that the series revolves around a strong female character. What was she inspired by?

BL: Myrgjol was born from several of my fields of study, with the focus on the history of the Norse Era.  There was always some folklore evidence that the Norse did indeed have female warriors and that females had much more freedom and opportunities than in other parts of the world at the time.  It wasn't until recent years that archaeological evidence was discovered proving "Viking female warriors."  I found that fascinating.  It always makes me smile when science finally proves something that folklore always suggested to be true.  But more so for me, I have always really liked strong female characters in stories.  I guess in our minds before maybe this century, the idea of a warrior with phenomenal skill has always been reserved for males, and especially so for "Vikings".  Myrgjol smashes all those traditional expectations:  she is not your stereotypical "blonde haired blue eyed" Viking, she is exceptional at battle, she proves herself to be a great leader of men and women, and let's face it, she saves the living world in the end.

MR: How many installments do you anticipate in the series?

BL: With certainty, there will be seven.  But, I have story outlines for possibly more after that.  Time will tell.

MR: Walk us through your writing process: do you outline everything or do you let your characters do the talking?

BL: It is kind of a mix of both for me.  In the beginning, I wrote story plans for each book and was able to mostly stick to it through completion.  I still do write story outlines now (as I write Book 6), but I find myself letting the characters and the story take over.  My adherence to the plan is much looser now, but honestly, the Thalsparr has taken on a life of its own and I am very happy with that.

MR: What are the best and the worst reviews you've ever received?

BL: I haven't had many reviews yet, so I am still waiting for my "best review" (as well as my "worst review").  Of the feedback I have gotten so far, the story is very well received.  The readers so far seem to really love the characters, which makes me very happy as I spent the greatest amount of time writing believable, relatable, layered, and uniquely different characters.  It validates my work to know that readers recognize the richness and depth of the characters in the Thalsparr Universe.

MR: What genres do you like to read?

BL: As odd as it may sound for a writer aspiring to success in the "Fiction Fantasy" genre himself, I love researching and learning more through nonfiction sources, and that is where most of my own reading time is spent.  I do not get a lot of time for pleasure reading and hopefully one day I will be able to do some more of it.

MR: Do you have any favorite authors?

BL: I do love Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", and Geroge R R Martin's "Game of Thrones", of course.  I also enjoy Clive Cussler ("Sahara" specifically) and a few others that are lesser known.

MR: When not writing, what are your preferred pastimes, and how do you think they influence your writing?

BL: The vast majority of my life is my real world job, writing, and hobby farming - at this time.  Who knows what I will be doing in five years.  Especially in Books 1 and 5, farming is mentioned often, so I would have to believe my own amateur farming played a role in that.

MR: What do you think about when you're alone, driving in your car?

BL: I wouldn't even try to list them here.  Hundreds of different topics.  I "talk through things" with myself on drives - all manner of things.

To request an interview with Bjorn Leesson, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.

Author Interview Series-Rox Burkey & Charles Breakfield

Rox Burkey & Charles Breakfield

Breakfield & Burkey, professional technology experts, have series and standalone stories available, with more planned. Find sample chapters, author interviews, scheduled events, reviews, Q&A, and book trailers at https://www.EnigmaSeries.com. Using their knowledge of technology, they weave compelling, relevant contemporary stories filled with TechnoThriller suspense, romance, humor, travel, and intrigue. They also ventured into writing cozy mysteries with the Underground Authors in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles.

Marina Raydun: What is it like writing together? What’s your process like? Do you write live together or do you alternate chapters etc?

Rox Burkey & Charles Breakfield: Our unique storytelling journey begins with an idea sparked by our work or in the news that we discuss taking to a story concept, blending plotter and panster attributes. We meet to plan who does what, to whom, where, and when; the rest is just nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. We map out a storyline as a synopsis, propose the initial 15-20 chapters in a spreadsheet, and then begin writing. The manuscript is batted back and forth electronically between us—our form of literary ping-pong. This dynamic process helps us smooth out the story, polish characters, and deliver a finished story that reads as though there is only one voice. We do research during the entire process, ensuring we can successfully argue our premise of the story. We meet in person or via Zoom weekly until we feel comfortable submitting it to an editor for review. Then, we complete modifications.

MR: How did the concept for the Enigma series emerge?

RBCB: The Enigma series emerged from our early days as technical manual writers. We grew tired of it, and one day, Burkey came up with a brilliant idea. She asked why we don’t turn to fiction but keep the technical facts to ground the stories in the real world. This unique approach allows us to scan the technical horizon, looking for the next element to explore or learn how it can make people vulnerable to power or greed. It isn’t challenging to find new material for cyber thugs to use to their advantage. The cyberheroes must try to stop them. The locations and situations the characters find themselves in are realistic, which makes the stories relatable to contemporary readers and listeners in today’s connected digital world.

MR: 3. How many Enigma installments do you anticipate? Are they all outlined?

RBCB: We have an exciting future planned for the Enigma Series. We have 12 novels in the Enigma Series and 2 in the next generation of the Technothriller trilogy of the Enigma Heirs. We also write mysteries as part of the Underground Authors in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles. These cozy mysteries allow us to learn to write in this genre. We offer novellas and short stories that capture the back story of many of the series’ characters. Stay tuned for more thrilling installments!

MR: You both work in technology. How did the shift to fiction writing come about?

RBCB: We began as technical manual writers but quickly grew tired of it due to the constant change of technology. The publisher asked for an updated version as soon as the non-fiction was delivered. Ugh! One day, Burkey asked why we don’t write fiction but keep the technical facts to ground the stories in the real world. She gave Breakfield the first few chapters of our book, The Enigma Factor. She called a few days later to convince Breakfield to form a writing partnership by pointing out that we could kill people in the stories and NOT go to jail.

MR: What does literary success mean to you?

RBCB: Literary success is meeting people face-to-face and talking about our stories and the series we have produced. We love book clubs, to which we offer bulk discounts if they request them via email, and we enjoy coming to speak with them about the story. It goes without saying that it is also about having gobs of reviews from enthusiastic readers who hound us for the next book or film producers begging for the right to put a story on the big screen. Hey, Netflix, Amazon, etcetera, we’re right here.

MR: What is the best review you’ve ever received?

RBCB: The best review that comes to mind was one that said, “I didn’t want to feel sorry for Mathias but I couldn’t help myself…”

MR: What is the worst?

RBCB: We’ve had a review that personally attacked us, not the story, which still bothers Burkey, so we won’t say the specifics. It was extremely hurtful because the reviewer could remain anonymous. We write what we know and have researched; thus, the technology aspects are real at the time of release. Being cruel to an author is very different from saying that the story is not genre or too scary. Anonymity can make even the meekest individual feel powerful. We appreciate honest reviews.

MR: When not writing, what are your favorite pastimes and how do you feel they affect your writing?

RBCB: Charles loves wine tastings, cooking, woodworking, and Harley riding. Some of these elements are found throughout the tales. He continues to try to teach Burkey humor. Rox enjoys family, learning, people-watching, travel, and cooking. Elements of our life experiences have been distilled and inserted into the stories.

MR: What genres do you like to read?

RBCB: Breakfield prefers WWII history and science fiction. Burkey enjoys many different genres as a book reviewer but is partial to spicy romance.

MR: What are you currently reading?

RBCB: For Breakfield, it is The Iron Coffin, a WWII U-boat memoir. Burkey is reading a couple of different mysteries, including the latest in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles by Cindy Davis, Courtin’ Disaster, and listening to The Challenger Sale.

For more, please reach out directly to Authors@EnigmaSeries.com.

Six Months in Books, circa 2024

I’m in a bit of a reading slump right now. Ideally, I like to listen to a book on Audible and read a physical book simultaneously, as well. I’m listening to The Vanishing Half (which is aaaamazing), but I can’t settle on a physical book. I’ll update once I’m out of this crisis.

Summer reading lists are a thing, I hear, though for me, nothing really changes depending on the month when it comes to how much I can read. Well, that’s not true. Sometimes I can’t read as much, but it’s not that there is a month I can suddenly read more. Still, I look forward to summer recommendations. Many authors aim to publish in the summer. I guess some people read by the pool? Anyway, this list of mine is not made up of new books but rather books I read in the past six months. Maybe you’ll find something on here that you’d like to give a shot. Let me know if you do!

1. WHAT HAPPENED TO ANNA K.

   • I really liked this one. It’s an immigrant take on Anna Karenina, set within the Bukharian Jewish community of Queens, NY. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea (and the narrator of the audio book did bug me with some accent choices), but it’s akin to an art movie—worth it.

2. THE CLOISTERS

   • I had high hopes for this one. Mysticism and all. At least, that’s what I expected. But all I found were a ton of cliches and literary tropes. So perhaps this was the problem: it was marketed as a different genre. Maybe you’ll like it better.

3. THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB

   • This isn’t something I usually read but it was heartwarming. An easy read with likable, relatable characters. I read it with a book club so it made it even better.

4. THE FURY

   • I liked it a lot. I did expect more, given that I loved the author’s previous novel—The Silent Patient, but it was engaging and I did not see see the grand reveal coming.

5. PANIC IN A SUITCASE

   • I am partial to immigrant lit so I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, while it had a ton of fun and relatable anecdotes, it was so exhaustingly verbose, it was upsetting.

6. TOMB SWEEPING

   • This was a collection of short stories. It took me a while to get through it but there were quite a few exquisite short stories in there. Highly recommend.

7. CLAP WHEN YOU LAND

   • I LOVED this book. Beautifully written, and beautifully narrated. Highly, highly recommend! It’s marketed as a YA novel but I’m most definitely an adult and enjoyed it thoroughly.

8. DIRTY LAUNDRY

   • Entertaining but there were a few lost opportunities to develop some potentially interesting themes in there. Easy read.

9. THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE

   • I am obsessed with the Thursday Night Murder Club series! Obsessed, I tell you! This latest installment did not disappoint! What a poignant look at these magnificent characters.

10. THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE

    • This was engaging but more than that—it was educational. I love immigrant history and this taught me a lot. Highly recommend.

Author Interview Series-Alina Adams

Alina Adams

Alina Adams is the NYT best-selling author of soap-opera tie-ins, figure skating mysteries, and romance novels. She was born in Odessa, USSR and immigrated to the US with her family in 1977. Her historical fiction, "The Nesting Dolls" is set in Odessa and in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, while "My Mother's Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region" shines a light on a little known aspect of Jewish history. Her Regency romance, "The Fictitious Marquis" was named the first #OwnVoices Jewish Historical by The Romance Writers of America. Alina and her daughter review post-Soviet literature on their YouTube channel, "Explaining the USSR To My Kid - Through Books." Visit her at alinaadams.com.

Marina Raydun: Your love of soap operas runs deep. And, what’s more amazing is that you turned a childhood love into a career. What is it about soap operas that brings about such inspiration?

Alina Adams: You're in luck! To answer that question, I am giving you an exclusive sneak peek at my next historical fiction novel, currently entitled "Go On Pretending" and tentatively set for a May 1, 2025 release from History Through Fiction. In this excerpt, Rose is interviewing for a job with Irna Phillips, the woman who nearly singlehandedly invented the soap-opera genre:

“Why serials?” Irna asked her questions the same way she wrote her scripts, a stream of consciousness that she expected the listener to make sense of on their own time. “Why not Baby Snooks or Ozzie and Harriet or Life Of Riley? Why not films?” The obvious answer was that they weren’t hiring. Irna was. But Rose suspected she knew what answer the doyenne of daytime was looking for. Luckily, it was even true. “Films end. Situation comedies are once a week. If you make a bad decision in a film and don’t rectify it by the conclusion, that’s how it stays forever. If you make a mistake in a primetime comedy, you have to wait seven days to fix it. Serials offer chance after chance to get life right daily. You can keep trying, over and over.”

MR: You came to America as a seven-year-old. Do you remember when English became comfortable for you?

AA: I don't remember the exact moment when everything clicked into place, but I do know that we arrived in January of 1977, and I spoke no English at all, sitting in class - this was pre-ESL, it was learn English or else - and writing stories in Russian on the paper I'd been given, but, by the time my brother was born in June of 1977, I was standing in front of the class, announcing that he was so pink that he looked like a little pig. So I assume English kicked in at some point between those two dates. See, total immersion works!

MR: How do you find bilingualism affects your creativity?

AA: I always said that if I were to study linguistics, my interests lie not in what words a language has, but in what words a language doesn't have. What is left out is more interesting for me than what is left in. There are some words that exist in Russian that just don't exist in English. But, because I have them, I am able to know that there can be such a feeling and look for appropriate English words to describe them.

MR: Was learning how to figure skate a prerequisite for all the work you’ve done in that world?

AA: Absolutely not! I do not enjoy being cold or falling down. My brother - the one who looked like a little pig at birth - was the competitive ice dancer, a national and collegiate champion. In the tradition of all good, immigrant children, I was in charge of him, which meant driving him to the rink, sitting through his practices, taking him to competitions, etc... That's where I got enough skating knowledge to get a job as a researcher at ABC Sports in their figure skating department. I also worked for TNT, ESPN, Lifetime and NBC. I've covered the national championships, the world championships, and the Olympics. That experience is what led to the writing of my figure skating murder mystery series.

MR: What was the transition to writing romance novels like? And what inspired the said transition?

AA: Romance novels were where I started. You know how they say write what you know? Well, in the early 1990s, I wrote about what I knew. I wrote family sagas set in the Soviet Union. In the 1990s, nobody cared. An editor at Avon told me that she usually bought new writers in the genre of Regency romance. So I wrote a Regency romance. (I basically call myself a whore, I will write anything for money.) But, I am proud to say that I snuck some Jews into my first ever Regency romance, "The Fictitious Marquis." Much to my surprise, years later, I found out that it was the first Regency to incorporate Jewish characters written by a Jewish writer. Who knew?

MR: It wasn’t until later in your career that you wrote Nesting Dolls and My Mother’s Secret. What inspired you to explore topics more intimately related to your background?

AA: Unlike the 1990s, in 2018 I was advised that, "Russia is really hot right now." I can't imagine why! When told that Russia was really hot right now, I wrote a book... kind of set in Russia. Odessa, USSR wasn't Russia, but it fit the bill. And then the characters in "The Nesting Dolls" get deported to Siberia. So there you have it - Russia! "My Mother's Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region" is actually set in Russia. About as far East in Russia as you can go, right on the border with China. There, twenty years before the establishment of the State of Israel, that great friend of the Jews, Josef Stalin, granted them a homeland. Find out how that went in the book!

MR: What is your writing routine like? Do you outline everything ahead of time or do your characters take the lead?

AA: I am definitely a plotter. But with a quirk. The first three chapters, I free write, letting the characters tell me who they are, what they want, and what their story will be. I then outline the rest of the book, chapter by chapter, scene by scene. This completely eliminates writers block. If you know what the next thing to happen is, just write it down as if you're watching a movie. You can go back and fix it later. My favorite quote, which has been attributed to so many writers that I don't know who said it originally is, "It's easier to fix a bad page than a blank page."

MR: Does your family read your work? What has that been like?

AA: Every one of my books that my husband has read he assumes is about him - even the ones I wrote before I met him. Sure, why not? Let's call it manifesting, as the young people say. My teen daughter read my figure skating mysteries and liked those well enough. She thinks my historical fiction is "too sad." I am trying to get her to read my romances, but she says that would be icky. My parents read my books. They like to point out the mistakes in the Soviet set ones. So everybody enjoys them! (I also have two sons. They... presumably have better things to do.)

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?

AA: Domestic thrillers. I love twisted family dynamics and am a sucker for long-buried secrets. I also read a lot of non-fiction. Mary Roach is an author whose books I always pick up, even if I'm not interested in the subject, because she is that great of a writer. Otherwise, I read a lot about happiness research, education policy, and movie and television analysis. My husband teases that I "turned TV watching into reading!"

MR: What’s next? 

AA: A couple of projects are in the pipeline. It looks like I will be expanding a soap-opera book I wrote about daytime's greatest moments with more up to date scenes and as a paperback, this time. I just finished the editor's notes on "Go On Pretending" and am waiting for his feedback, and my agent is shopping around "Admit None: An NYC Schools Mystery." In my non-TV, non-novelist life, I write about education in NYC and in the United States. I have many, many stories that I can't share in non-fiction... but I can in fiction. So stay tuned!