The opening poem, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” sets the soul-baring tone for Elizabeth C. Garcia’s stunning collection, Resurrected Body (Cider Press Review 2024). No wonder this book won Cider Press Review’s 2023 Editor’s Prize! The phrasing of Garcia’s first poem will cause most mothers to recall those scary, cringeworthy moments in the delivery […]
“What’s Yours Is Mine” by Jennifer Jabaley
August 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Most readers have heard of tiger moms and “daddyballs”—those hyper-competitive parents who live vicariously through their children’s achievements. In What’s Yours Is Mine (Lake Union, 2025), Jennifer Jabaley dives into the intense world of Atlanta’s pre-professional ballet, where one mother takes that rivalry to a chilling—and dangerous—extreme. Fans of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere and […]
Donna Meredith interviews Elizabeth C. Garcia, author of “Resurrected Body”
August 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Introduction: So, how long have I known Elizabeth Cranford Garcia? Many years. Don’t ask how many. Let’s just say I stopped expecting the face of the person I was then to look back at me in the mirror. Or to use Liz’s metaphor, perhaps at some point I have been resurrected into a stranger’s body. […]
“The Game” by Brandon Keller
July 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
In his gripping debut novel The Game: A High-Stakes Conspiracy of Power, Poker, and Profit (Black Rose Writing, 2025), Brandon Keller explores the ruthless race to control artificial intelligence—an innovation powerful enough to reshape the future. With its fast-paced plot and financial intrigue, The Game will appeal to fans of Stephen Frey’s financial thrillers and […]
“The Wars Between Us and Them” by P. V. LeForge
July 14, 2025 by Leave a Comment
The setting for The Wars Between Us and Them (Back Bay Books, 2025) by P. V. LeForge is Detroit, Michigan—his birthplace. So why is a Southern publication reviewing a novel set so far north? Because LeForge’s parents moved to Florida when he was just an infant and he remained there most of his life. He […]
“The Medici Curse” by Daco S. Auffenorde
July 1, 2025 by Leave a Comment
A novel set in a Tuscan villa might seem like an odd choice for Southern Literary Review. Obviously, the setting completely misses our locale. Yet The Medici Curse (Scarlet Books 2025) hits the mark because it was penned by a talented Huntsville, Alabama, author Daco S. Auffenorde. The story contains a heavy dose of gothic horror and supernatural […]