The Month of May started off with a bang: three new book reviews of
my latest novel,
TRILLIUM, and two new print inclusions in on-line news-and-views
sources. Plus, two on-line art exhibits.
BOOK REVIEWS: It is so gratifying when another author writing
#historicalfiction acknowledges, reviews and promotes
your title on their website.
It’s a vote of confidence.
Malve Von Hassell is no slouch. Her bio follows: –
Malve von Hassell was born in Italy and spent part of her
childhood in Belgium and Germany before moving to the United States. She is a
freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology
from the New School for Social Research. Working as an independent scholar, she
published The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin
& Garvey 2002) and Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993: The Divided
Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996). She has also edited her
grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis
schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994). She
has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk
County Community College, while continuing her work as a translator and writer.
She has self-published a children’s picture book, Letters from the Tooth Fairy
(Mill City Press, 2012) and her translation and annotation of a German
children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay, Rennefarre: Dott’s Wonderful Travels and
Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012). The Falconer’s Apprentice (namelos, 2015)
was her first historical fiction novel for young adults. Her most recent
releases are Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem
in the time of the crusades, and The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2020), set in
Germany in 1645 and 1945.
An up-and-coming book-blogger and author from the U.K,
Melissa Hawkes, gave a shout-out
to TRILLIUM, my 3rd novel, in her
‘May Book Recommendations’ post. Her first novel is coming out next year. She's gong-ho and jumping in!
ENVIE, a new
on-line literary journal that engages directly
with the Twitter
#writingcommunity, also included
TRILLIUM in their useful &
informative May edition. -- No review, but a serious four-colour ‘plug’. -
I’ll
take it!
WRITING:
--- In the writing department, I have been invited to write
a column on how the art world is faring during the
#COVID19 pandemic. A rather
broad topic, but I took a swing at it. It’s coming out shortly in the local news
blog,
The Burlington Gazette. The publisher and I have a long and somewhat cantankerous
relationship, but we struggle on together to inform and delight
local readers.
 |
| Sample of graphic & poetic design ... |
Finally, an older poem of mine,
Pond Life, was recently
included in an on-line Eco-Arts zine entitled, ‘The Materialist – In Honour of
the 50
th Anniversary of
Earth Day’. It was compiled and designed by Lauren
Frick,
an undergraduate at Indiana University Northwest pursuing a BA
in both English and Spanish. She is also a 2020 Sierra Club Climate Justice
League student fellow and a contributor with EcoLit Books. -- It is always so
much fun to see how other readers ‘get’ what I’ve written. In this instance,
Lauren ‘played’ with the syntax to create a unique graphic visual that amplifies the words. It's an interesting choice that focuses the mind.
VISUAL WORK:
In the visual department, my art work is in two on-line exhibits with the
Women’s
Art Association of Hamilton. The first is dedicated to
SPRING 2020, (shown here) and the second is related to
#COVID19 and Social Distancing' ...
 |
| 'Spring Thaw' by MLHolton - NFS/SOLD - NB: Naive-Surreal-FOLK-abstracts ... |
... In sum, I’d say Spring has officially begun …
May the Fourth Be With You!
... Now back to work. - mlh :)
