A Book and a Chat with Kristina McMorris

Talented author Kristina McMorris how she had been host of weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program.  While interviewing her grandmother for a cookery book she learned of her grandparent’s war time romance, this was the basis for her best selling multi award winning debut novel “Letters From Home”.

An account of a family friend - one who had fought for America and his brother for Japan which while researching lad her to brief mention of approximately two hundred non-Japanese spouses who had chosen to live voluntarily in the U.S. internment camps. Stunned and fascinated by the discovery, she instantly knew it was a story that needed to be told.  The result was another smash hit for Kristina with her novel “Bridge of Scarlet Leaves.”

Now Kristina is back on the show with what promises from the already rave reviews such as “Gripped me from the first page and didn't let go."  to be another “must read” this talented author, in the form of her latest novel “The Pieces We Keep”.

About “The Pieces That we Keep”:  (Taken from http://www.lybrary.com)

In this richly emotional novel, Kristina McMorris evokes the depth of a mother's bond with her child, and the power of personal histories to echo through generations...

Two years have done little to ease veterinarian Audra Hughes's grief over her husband's untimely death. Eager for a fresh start, Audra plans to leave Portland for a new job in Philadelphia. Her seven-year-old son, Jack, seems apprehensive about flying-but it's just the beginning of an anxiety that grows to consume him.

As Jack's fears continue to surface in recurring and violent nightmares, Audra hardly recognizes the introverted boy he has become. Desperate, she traces snippets of information unearthed in Jack's dreams, leading her to Sean Malloy, a struggling US Army veteran wounded in Afghanistan. Together they unravel a mystery dating back to World War II, and uncover old family secrets that still have the strength to wound-and perhaps, at last, to heal.

Intricate and beautifully written, The Pieces We Keep illuminates those moments when life asks us to reach beyond what we know and embrace what was once unthinkable. Deftly weaving together past and present, herein lies a story that is at once poignant and thought-provoking, and as unpredictable as the human heart.

Kristina McMorris always brings to the show not only her sparkling personality, but a fresh novel that to me is always a “must read”.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Kristina McMorris


Barry
Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Kristina McMorris

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Kristina McMorris"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Kristina McMorris - The Pieces We Keep"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

Author of "Across the Pond" and "The Bathroom Book of Romance"
A Book and a Chat Blog
A Book and a Chat Radio Show
Across The Pond LLC- Links to everything including song parodies

A Book and a Chat with Kristina McMorris

The last time today’s guest Kristina McMorris was on the show we found out much about this talented author, how she had been host of weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program. We also learned the facts behind her debut novel “Letters from Home” which has since become a huge hit for her, bringing well deserved rave reviews.

We learned, how while interviewing her grandmother for a cookery book she was writing, she learned of her grandparents war time romance, sharing within “Letters From Home” not only some of what was in her Grandparents letters but also some of the recipes from war time America. The book was critically praised and was declared a must-read by Woman's Day magazine and achieved additional acclaim as a Reader's Digest Select Editions feature, a Doubleday/Literary Guild selection, and a 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Historical Fiction.

Kristina’s new "Bridge of Scarlet Leaves" (March 2012) has already received glowing reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, among many others.

About “Bridge of Scarlet Leaves” (Taken from Celticlady’s blog)

Los Angeles, 1941. Violinist Maddie Kern's life seemed destined to unfold with the predictable elegance of a Bach concerto. Then she fell in love with Lane Moritomo. Her brother's best friend, Lane is the handsome, ambitious son of Japanese immigrants. Maddie was prepared for disapproval from their families, but when Pearl Harbor is bombed the day after she and Lane elope, the full force of their decision becomes apparent. In the eyes of a fearful nation, Lane is no longer just an outsider, but an enemy.

When her husband is interned at a war relocation camp, Maddie follows, sacrificing her Juilliard ambitions. Behind barbed wire, tension simmers and the line between patriot and traitor blurs. As Maddie strives for the hard-won acceptance of her new family, Lane risks everything to prove his allegiance to America, at tremendous cost.

During the show Krisitna shared how her research for the book included visiting Manzanar relocation camp, talking to several Japanese American WWII vets who bravely served in a secret branch of the U.S. Army and a flight on a B-17 bomber. Also that the book included some more culinary details this time about Asian Fusion cooking. Mix this together and you get a book I highly recommend.

With comments such as those listed below already received, I am sure that with “Bridge of Scarlet Leaves” Kristina has another huge hit on her hands.

"This gripping story...hits all the right chords."
-- Publishers Weekly
.
"A sweeping yet intimate novel that will please both romantics and lovers of American history."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"An unputdownable love story...[McMorris'] attention to detail is meticulous, the East meets West clash between cultures--revelatory."
-- Lesley Kagen, New York Times bestselling author of Good Graces

"Readers of World War II fiction will devour [this] poignant, authentic story..."
-- Jenna Blum, international bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
.
"Impeccably researched and beautifully written...I highly recommend this book!"
-- Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of The Beach Trees

"Fascinating and moving...an absolute pleasure to read."
-- Whitney Otto, author of How to Make an American Quilt

"A beautiful, timeless love story...McMorris' words reach right of the page and grab at your heart."
-- Sarah Jio, author of The Violets of March

"An epic romance...I followed Maddie and Lane's fast-paced journey to unexpected places with my breath held and fingers crossed."
-- Margaret Dilloway, author of How to Be an American Housewife

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining thirty minutes with my guest Kristina McMorris.

If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower?

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Kristina McMorris

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Kristina McMorris"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"Kristina McMorris - Bridge of Scarlet Leaves"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Kristina McMorris

Some people are just creative, no matter what they do with their lives and my guest on today’s show is just one of those people. As on today’s show award winning actress, TV host and now author, Kristina McMorris drops by for a chat.

Kristina is creativity personified. She’s an actress, TV show host, entrepreneur, and public relations whiz, as well as an author. She hosted a children’s TV show for five years beginning at age nine, had a stint on Days of Our Lives and was in a comedy sketch with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show during college, and was the weekly host of the WB’s show Weddings Portland Style from 2001-2008. After earning a Marketing degree in three years at Pepperdine University, she founded her own company, Best Kept Secret, a full-service wedding and event planning business. She’s served as Director of Public Relations and Special Events for her family’s 18-company conglomerate, the Yoshida Group (perhaps most recognized for its line of Mr. Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauces) for over a decade.

Her trip into the world of being an author began in the fall of 2006 as a result of interviewing her grandmother for the biographical section of a self-published cookbook intended as a holiday gift for the family. During this time her Grandmother shared with Kristina her own war time romance and the large pile of letters between herself and her late husband.

From this acorn of an idea, the mighty oak that is now a numerous award winning novel “Letters from Home”.

About Letters from Home:

Inspired by a true account, LETTERS FROM HOME is a story of hope and connection, of sacrifices made in love and war – and the chance encounters that change us forever. n the midst of World War II, a Midwestern infantryman falls deeply in love through a yearlong letter exchange, unaware that the girl he’s writing to is not the one replying. Woven around this tenuous thread are three female friends whose journeys toward independence take unexpected turns as a result of romance, tragedy, and deception, their repercussions heightened by an era of the unknown.

Having spent a year in Florence during college, she dreams of living in Italy in a villa purchased with her millions of royalty dollars, but for now her family is content to dine at Olive Garden. However with a second book “Bridge over Scarlet Leaves” due out early next year, it looks like this creative lady has another successful string to her bow, this time as a bestselling author, perhaps that dream might happen.

So sit back and listen to today's interesting and entertaining show as I host today's "A Book and a Chat with Kistina McMorris".

If you enjoy these radio shows why not become a follower of the prgram at a A Book and a Chat

Barry

Direct link to the show

"A Book and a Chat with Kistina McMorris".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Kistina McMorris"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Kistina McMorris - Letters from Home"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry