Giveaway Time

I'm doing another giveaway for the House of Transformation! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/180014-house-of-transformation 

I'll run another international giveaway soon. Stay tuned to be kept in the loop. 

In the meantime, I'm writing on two novels and the non-fiction fire dancing book. You could say I'm pretty busy lately. Thanks for the support, everyone. It means the world to me. 

It is with great joy that I announce my next book: 

Trust Us, We're Fire Dancers!

I've been fire dancing since 2002, and accumulated many stories about my experiences. Some of the stories are funny, some triumphant, and some sentimental. One thing is for sure: Kristl Mapes and I have a lot to say about the subject! She is my co-author for the book, my best friend, and my partner in crime. Err... I mean, uh, stories. 

I'm hoping to have our collected stories and photos published early 2017. In the meantime, I listed the book on Goodreads. You can follow it for invitations to read an advance copy. 

I'm very excited about this new project. I can't wait to see where it leads. If it's anything like my fire dancing career, there's no telling what could happen next! But it will certainly be a fun journey. 

Lots of love! 

Book review for the Dayton Daily News and the Springfield Sun

I was so honored when my book was chosen for a review in the local papers. Here's the article.

Daytonian pens novel about the pitfalls of celebrity

The history of modern music is littered with the tragic tales of performers who died young after abusing alcohol and/or drugs. Some were at the height of fame when they died. Others became known only after they were gone, their music discovered by a wider audience following their untimely demises.

The names are iconic. Here’s a quick dozen names that come to mind: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Hank Williams, Bon Scott, Elvis Presley, Nick Drake, Gram Parsons, Whitney Houston, Tommy Bolin, Michael Jackson and Brian Jones. Nobody could save them.

Astrea Taylor’s new novel “House of Transformation” is the story of a recording artist named Ananda Dawn. Ananda has come out of nowhere to become one of the biggest recording stars around. Her first album brought her instant fame. After that rapid ascent her career has fallen into turmoil because she is a drug addict.

The story is being narrated by Margaret (Mag) Woods, a psychotherapist who knew Ananda before she became famous. Ananda’s origins are shrouded in mystery. When Mag met her Ananda claimed that she was a fashion model. The two women began living together in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ananda is beautiful and charismatic and Mag feels a powerful connection to her.

The two women tried to make a living as artists. They made collages from photographs clipped from magazines. Mag narrates the story from two different perspectives which shift back and forth. The first viewpoint is the one of their younger selves as starving artists. The second viewpoint takes place seven years later as Ananda, now a famous singer, suddenly resurfaces in Mag’s life.

The author, a resident of Dayton, does a superb job of revealing how the friendship between these two women develops, decays, then is slowly restored. When Ananda appears on Mag’s doorstep after years of ignoring Mag it is because she has nowhere else to turn.

The book opens as the out of control celebrity Ananda is about to crash her car into the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The resulting media frenzy forces Ananda to flee and go into hiding. She heads to St. Paul where Mag now has a job counseling troubled young women.

Ananda shows up at Mag’s place tailed by hordes of reporters and photographers. Mag is stunned to see her old friend. She is also troubled. Mag has been trying to process her feelings of rejection by Ananda. She has published a book exposing Ananda as a person who uses people then discards them. When Ananda seeks refuge with Mag she doesn’t realize yet what Mag has written about her.

Mag knows better, too. Later she reflects “I wasn’t sure what I’d expected when Ananda hijacked my life, but I didn’t expect to feel this abandoned. In hindsight, I should’ve seen it coming. She was selfish, rude, and deeply disturbed.” Will Mag be able to rescue Ananda from herself?

“The House of Transformation” of the title is the house where these two women once lived. I’ll leave it to readers to discover the intrigues that took place there. Suffice it to say that there are some paranormal aspects to this structure. Astrea Taylor’s literary debut is an auspicious one.

Thanks to Vick Mackunis for the review. Here's the link in case you'd like to read it from the source.

Amy Winehouse Documentary

I just finished watching the documentary Amy, about the legendary Amy Winehouse, and I felt terribly sad again for her passing so early. In a lot of ways, the House of Transformation is a story for her, a reaching out across the ethers and giving her the story she should have had, in my mind. Has anyone else seen this documentary? I'm torn up. I knew this would be devastating but it still hurts.

The Traveling House of Transformation

Every year, I feel like winter lasts forever. I hate feeling cold, and even though I bought snow boots and a down coat, I still feel chilled to the core. I peek out the window and watch the beautiful snow flurries, but I can't wait for the croci to pop up and for spring to burst forth.

But when my friend sent me a picture of her at the sunny beach, drinking a beer and reading my novel, I felt warm all over. 

 

I've been writing on the Carnal Valle book lately. The characters are coming alive! I love it when they surprise me by doing something unexpected. It is still developing, but I'm excited by the process. 

I'll be doing another novel giveaway on Goodreads soon, since the last one was so much fun. This time, I'll open the opportunity to the whole world. I hope someone in Tanzania or Barbados gets the novel, and my little book will get to travel far and wide. 

In the meantime, I hope you have a good book and a nice kitty or puppy to cuddle up with. Stay warm!

Goodreads reviews for The House of Transformation

Reviews from Goodreads.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

I mailed five giveaway copies of the House of Transformation earlier this week. I included a handwritten card wishing each recipient Happy Valentine's Day. I hope the books going to England and Canada got there in time. This was my first giveaway, and I'm thrilled to have so many new followers and people interested in the House of Transformation. I'm sure I'll do another giveaway soon.

It's pretty cool to be a writer and to write on certain holidays if they have meaning to the scene you're working on. This morning, I wrote Chapter 6 of the Carnal Valle, where Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, tries to convince Prometheus to relinquish his influence over a mortal. She's arguing for true love, and he's arguing on the side of creative genius. I'm 17,000 words into writing this book so far, and I can't wait to see how it all comes together. I have a link to the book on my goodreads page if you'd like to read the opening chapters when they're available.

In the meantime, I hope you're staying warm during this blustery weather.
Until next time!

Paperbacks in EPIC BOOKS!

I'm thrilled to announce that Epic Books in Yellow Springs is the first bookstore to carry my books! It's especially exciting because it's such a cozy nook, tucked just off the beaten path of the main drag. There is natural sunlight, murals on the walls, and bookshelves that go to the ceiling, and they're bulging with the best books.