Allen Mendenhall Interviews Barbara Davis, Author of “The Wishing Tide”

APM:  Through my fault.             Through my fault.             Through my most grievous fault. So opens your novel The Wishing Tide. This refrain is repeated elsewhere in the novel in chapters attributed to the character Mary. It’s a rhythmic reminder, I think, of the crashing and retreating tides of love and life. What about this […]

“It Comes in Waves,” by Erika Marks

Reviewed by Jenny Huston Crowley Many readers think of a “beach read” as having a shallow storyline and underdeveloped characters. It Comes in Waves, Erika Marks’s fourth novel, fits the beach material category, except that Marks has written an engaging story with skill and insight. According to the author, “There’s no question that for me, […]

Jenny Huston Crowley

Jenny Huston Crowley, retired nurse and medical practice administrator, lives in Tallahassee, Florida. A graduate of Emory University with degrees in English and Nursing, she is currently writing her memoir. Her award winning creative nonfiction stories have appeared in the Seven Hills Review and Life Lessons: Writings from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at FSU. […]

April Read of the Month: “Wet Work,” by Donna Meredith

Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro “This isn’t what Isaac Harewood hoped to buy with his money.” Not at all. Rather, in Wet Work, the latest novel by Tallahassee’s award-wining author Donna Meredith, Harewood expects to purchase a falsehood and restore his wealth at the expense of the well-being of the unsuspecting public. By donating millions […]

Claire Matturro

Claire Hamner Matturro was raised on tales of errant kith and kin, whiskey making, and ghosts. Inspired by such stories, she wanted to be a novelist, but pursued more gainful and steady employment first. She’s been a newspaper reporter, a lawyer, and taught at Florida State University College of Law and as a visiting professor of […]

“Down and Out in Bugtussle, The Mad Fat Road to Happiness,” by Stephanie McAfee

Reviewed by Amy Susan Wilson Down and Out in Bugtussle, The Mad Fat Road to Happiness, by Stephanie McAfee, is hilarious. It is not merely a “chick-lit” exploration of female issues—it resonates not only because of its superbly crafted world of women who create a sense of community for themselves, but also because it explores […]