Introduction: I have known Mary Martha Greene for years and have consumed more of her famous cheese biscuits than I care to admit. If there is a cocktail party in the lowcountry of South Carolina that doesn’t have a plate of her cheese biscuits—well, I won’t cast aspersions. Mary Martha’s newest book, The Cheese Biscuit […]
“Good Eye, Bad Eye” by Jeanne Malmgren
May 14, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Readers of Jeanne Malmgren’s engaging memoir, Good Eye, Bad Eye, will find the universal themes and the clarity of her writing style appealing. From her personal story of trauma following a childhood eye injury, life truths emerge as Jeanne struggles to find her way in the world. This is not another poor-pitiful-me memoir. Instead, it […]
BettyJoyce Nash interviews Carla Damron, author of “Justice Be Done”
February 24, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Introduction: A social worker, Carla Damron is also an award-winning fiction writer. Her latest book is Justice Be Done (Bella Rosa Press 2023). Her titles also include The Orchid Tattoo (National Indie Excellence Award) and The Stone Necklace (Women Fiction Writers Award, also chosen as One Community Read for Columbia, S.C.) BettyJoyce Nash writes fiction in Charlottesville, […]
“Her Best Self” by Mindy Friddle
December 31, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Her Best Self (Regal House 2024) by Mindy Friddle is a fascinating look inside a dysfunctional family in a well-crafted, evocative story with a psychological thriller quality to it. Throughout the novel, pervasive cunningness by several characters heightens tensions and casts a riveting net sure to pull readers deeper into the tale. A darkly comedic […]
“When Cicadas Cry” by Caroline Cleveland
December 30, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Written by an attorney, When Cicadas Cry (Union Square & Co. 2024) is an interesting legal thriller with enough lawyering to satisfy fans of the genre plus plenty of mystery to engage “whodunit” fans. Author Caroline Cleveland closely tracks the legal thriller formula in the early pages, but then she dashes headfirst into a suspenseful cold-case […]
“Dreams of Falling,” by Karen White
July 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith Dreams of Falling showcases Karen White’s considerable talents in a moving multi-generational story of complicated friendships, closely-held secrets, a mysterious fire, and suspicious death. A New York Times best-selling author, White has penned over twenty novels beloved by her fans. Set in Georgetown, South Carolina, Dreams of Falling focuses on two […]