Reviewed by Donna Meredith Confession could just as easily have been titled Obsession, although that name has been snapped up by numerous other books and a popular perfume. This debut novel by Richard Freis is the first person tale of 55-year-old George Burden’s fixation on a woman much younger than his wife—even younger than his […]
“Keep No Secrets,” by Julie Compton
July 17, 2013 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith Keep No Secrets, Julie Compton’s powerful sequel to Tell No Lies, is guaranteed to keep readers turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. Both of Compton’s courtroom thrillers are set in St. Louis, Missouri, where she grew up. Like Jodi Picoult’s best works, Compton’s novels sizzle with all the […]
“The Day is a White Tablet,” by Jill Fletcher Pelaez
May 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith Jill Fletcher Pelaez creates a compelling fictional world steeped in lesser-known details of the last days of the Civil War in her novel The Day is a White Tablet. The story is told through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Tench Traymore, a black youth charged with the task of caring for his […]
Seven Hills and Penumbra Writing Contests Accepting Submissions
April 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Seven Hills Literary and Penumbra Poetry and Haiku contests are now accepting online manuscript submissions. Aug. 30 is the upload deadline. The contests, sponsored by the Tallahassee Writers Association, are in their 19th and 27th years, respectively, and are open to all. Short stories, creative nonfiction, flash fiction, and children’s picture books (text only) […]
Donna Meredith Interviews George Weinstein
January 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
DM: I read this novel right after finishing The Whistling Season, by Ivan Doig. A struggling rural family and community stand at the center of Doig’s novel and yours. Yet they couldn’t be more different. The adults in Hardscrabble Road have a severe deficiency of parenting skills. Many types of abuse occur in this novel, from […]
“Sea Change,” by Karen White
September 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Review by Donna Meredith Though the back of the book hails Karen White as “the ultimate voice of women’s fiction,” Sea Change is more of a paranormal romance than women’s fiction. What’s the difference? While women’s fiction may have romantic elements, other issues of women’s lives take precedence, such as female empowerment or relationships […]