Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace has gotten another great review - this time from the Book Club Queen. Unlike most review sites, Book Club Queen also provides author interviews, discussion questions, book recommendations, and of course, information on how you can start your own book club.

What’s also unique about Book Club Queen is the focus on family and that sometimes rocky relationship with those we love in both the author interview questions and discussion questions. At the center of the novel is the relationship of the Pierson family and the deep bonds that bind us as family, and how far one is willing to go to protect those we love.

Last week I received an invitation to speak at the annual Champions of Literacy luncheon hosted by the Literary Instruction For Texas (LIFT) organization. While I won’t be able to attend, as an author literacy is extremely important to me.

For most Americans, it’s hard to fathom there are people born and raised in the U.S. who either can’t read very well, or at all. Illiteracy impacts everything they do. Some statistics:

The average age of a LIFT student is 37.

Between 2004 and 2007, the number of adult learners participating in LIFT programs increased by 292%, from 2,103 to 6,141.

Texas holds the distinction of being the number one state in the nation with the highest number of high school dropouts.

But Texas is far from alone. Across the U.S. 42 million Americans cannot read at all, and another 50 million recognize so few printed words they are limited to a fourth grade reading level.
43% of those whose literacy skills are the lowest live in poverty. And the numbers are growing at an alarming rate.

Over the next several months I intend to do as much as I can to promote the problem of illiteracy in the U.S. while providing resources targeted towards helping people learn to read. There used to be an ad slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” It still is.  

In listing his favorite books of 2008, Stephen King pointed out that books “are still the best bang for your entertainment buck, and 2008 was a great year for reading”. King estimated the average cost of a movie for two (babysitter not included) averaged $24. I can attest to this. I saw Juno in the theater, and a single ticket, bag of popcorn, plus a Coke was $15. For a matinee.

King is onto something. In these tough economic times, we want every dollar to go further and that includes those carefully spent entertainment dollars. Taking King’s lead, here are my top choices for books to give this holiday season. However, unlike Uncle Stevie, my picks aren’t the best of 2008, only books read (and in one case written) this year.

Nonfiction
Shadow Divers, Robert Kurson
The true story of two American weekend scuba divers who discovered a World War II German U-boat 60 miles off the New Jersey coast. All the records agreed there simply could not be a sunken U-boat at that location. Heart-pounding suspense and an amazing journey of self-discovery.  

Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand
One of the best sports biographies ever written. The book spins its marvelous narrative of nonfiction and history into one that reads like a beautifully written novel.

Fiction
Moo, Jane Smiley
The brilliant satire of university life on a Midwestern campus. Rich, memorable characters populate the campus of Moo University.

No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy
There’s a reason No Country took best picture honors for 2007. A spare crime novel that encompasses themes as ancient as the Bible and as bloody as any news headlines. It will haunt long after the last page is turned.

A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
Smiley’s modern re-telling of King Lear. A classic story of contemporary life among the American plains, of the human cost and heartbreak accrued over lifetimes spent trying to subdue the vast land.

Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace, Catherine Johnson
Inspired by a true story, and encompassing the universal themes of love, family, loyalty, betrayal, and moral responsibility. The Pierson’s could be could be anyone’s family, ordinary lives upended by the darkest of malice.

Books really are a great value. They cost less than a night at the movies, and you can pass them on to family and friends or read them again. Books even lend themselves to a unique recycling opportunity - books you’re done with can be donated to organizations such as the National Institute for Literacy, a win-win situation for everyone involved.  

I’m part a of number of social networking sites, most notable Author Nation dedicated to authors and the art of writing. This fall Author Nation sponsored an anthology contest. The rules were simple - any member of AN could enter the contest by posting a story which would be read and judged by other AN members. The top 25 stories would be part of the Anthology.

I posted a piece, Snap Judgment, a short story on judging people based on their appearances and how those ‘snap judgments’ can often be so very wrong. There were close to 65 entries and during the Anthology Contest I read as many posted stories as I could, finding the caliber of writing to be superb. In early December the results were posted on the Author Nation site.

I was surprised and thrilled to discover that Snap Judgment finished in 10^th place. What is particularly exciting is being critiqued by one’s peers and writing a work those peers found worthy enough to vote for. It’s truly gratifying to obtain positive reviews for my first novel and have a winning entry in a contest all in the same year.   

In this season of goodwill, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the reviewers who have read Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace and given the novel such outstanding reviews. Many of those same reviewers have conducted interviews with me, for which I am very grateful. Some of them are:

Simon Barrett of the Blogger News Network

Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures

Front Street Reviews

Midwest Reviews

Joyce Collins at Nothing Binding Reviews

Rebecca’s Reads

Sabrina Sumsion of Sabrina’s Reviews

Lauren Smith of Virtual Book Review Network

Some of the reviews can be linked to here. The process has been both gratifying and surprising. Excellent reviews have obviously been gratifying. The aspect that has been so surprising is the number of male reviewers who completely understood Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace, and easily related to the book’s honest portrayal of a family torn by divorce, and a child at the center of a custody battle. Women have loved the story too, but the male perspective has been particularly striking.

Thanks to all who have worked so diligently spreading the word about this first writing endeavor. Promoting the book has and continues to be a joy. 

I have created a new Squidoo Lens for Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace. The page offers some components not found on the web site. These include:

New book reviews
Author interviews
Discussion questions for book groups or classes reading the book
A Duel - Take sides on a question dealing with justice and morality

I’ll update the page with new interviews, reviews, duel options, and other features. I’m also open to features/discussion questions readers of the book would like to see included. Check out the Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace Squidoo Lens.

Simon Barrett of Blogger News Network wrote a terrific review of the book, and positive feedback is always nice. Mr. Barrett really understood the crux of the story noting, ” . . . it explores an all too common theme - marriage, family, divorce, and the fallout that results”.

That fallout is certainly a key element of the story, especially where the custody battle over Paul and Pamela’s daughter is concerned. In writing this book, I’ve been amazed and touched by the number of people who have related similar, but no less heartbreaking stories of what happens to families when one of the parties in a divorce views children as bargaining chips.

Too often children are the greatest victims of divorce, but there are services and resources that can help. One such site with a strong emphasis towards the needs of children is Children of Divorce, a resource site for kids, parents, and professionals that are dealing with divorce-related issues.

There’s an old baby rhyme, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes (baby’s name) in a baby carriage.” Things aren’t that simple, of course, and as Mr. Barrett notes, when things go sour in marriage, there is often a great deal of fallout for all involved.