A Book and a Chat with Germaine Shames

Germaine Shames has been there, done it, and as they say, “got the tee shirt”. She has visited and written in six continents and has plans to make it seven. She has, for as long as she can remember had the inner narrator whispering in her ear, and while other children were reading The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, she was grappling with the erotic undercurrents of Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary.

Germaine abandoned a successful corporate career and devoted myself to writing full-time, first as a journalist and correspondent, and later as a fiction writer, focusing on novels and screenplays. Her novel “Between Two Deserts” launched her on the path of a successful author, receiving much praise as well as several awards.

About “Between Two Deserts” (taken from Amazon)

Jerusalem lies at the end of an old Roman road, a city swathed in light and sorrow.
Coming to Jerusalem to fulfill her grandfather's dying wish, Eve Cavell finds herself poised on the fault line of three worlds—Muslim, Christian, and Jewish. Inspired rather than frightened by the ghosts and warring children that surround her, Eve emerges from mourning to a life larger for its dangers. The lost and alone—an Australian street preacher, an apathetic Palestinian, an alienated Israeli investigator, and others—find a way to her door. Soon she attracts the attention of Mozes Koenig, an elderly Hungarian author in search of a heroine. Eve, with her lodestar eyes and solitary dance, captivates the old man's imagination, and together they create an opus to humanity in a city made of stone.

Now after many years of research and investigation, Germaine has followed up with what I would call a blockbuster of a novel. “You, Fascinating You”.

About “You, Fascinating You”:

In the final weeks of 1938, in the shadow of Kristallnacht and imminent war, a heartsick Italian maestro wrote a love song called "Tu Solamente Tu."

Its lyrics lamented his forced separation from his wife, the Hungarian ballerina Margit Wolf, in the wake of Mussolini's edict banishing foreign Jews from Italy. The song, first recorded by Vittorio de Sica in 1939, catapulted to the top of the Hit Parade and earned the composer the moniker the "Italian Cole Porter." The German version, "Du Immer Wieder Du," would be performed by Zarah Leander, the foremost film star of the German Reich, and its English counterpart, "You, Fascinating You," by the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band.

Twenty-two years would pass before the maestro and his ballerina again met face-to-face.
You, Fascinating You begins as a backstage romance and ends as an epic triumph of the human spirit.

This book covers so many different topics, from romance to ballet, from the holocaust to music, as we heard during the show many have already stated what a great film it would make and I add my voice to that group. It is a book for all, a cross between “The Red Shoes” and “Europa, Europa” that will touch your heartstrings.

As one reviewer put it…

“The epic drama expected on the ballet stage is dwarfed by the tragic real life events of her ballerina heroine, Margit Wolf. Penetrating descriptions of political brutality and the prepossession of romantic love, an ever present theme in classical ballet, make for a page-turning, impelling read.”

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining show as I chat to today's guest Germaine Shames

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

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Germaine Shames

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Germaine Shames"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"Germaine Shames - You, Fascinating You"

My new E-Book is available to download, for all of 99 cents at
"The Bathroom Book of Romance - Book 1"

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 Karen Simpson

Karen Simpson is a quilting, CSI watching, foodie, in fact you can even find a wonderful recipe for George Washington Carver’s sweet black-eyed pea pie on her web page. Along with that, she is a fascinating lady and the author of a great debut book “Act of Grace”.

As we learned during the show Karen was destined to become a writer, her father even gave her a typewriter when she was around five years old. However it was many years later that Karen has now produced this great book.

Act of Grace is loosely based on an incident that happened several years ago in her hometown during a Klan rally. When what was supposed to be a nonviolent protest became violent, a young black woman saved a white man, who was simply wearing a confederate flag T-shirt, from being beaten by throwing her body over him. She got involved because she believed he had the right to his beliefs even if she and others felt he was wrong.

For weeks after the event people argued about whether she was a guardian angel or just crazy. I Karen’s opinion was that she was a compassionate and brave person, worthy of admiration and respect for living up to her values.

Five years after this rally as Karen shared with us, she had a very vivid dream about a young woman named Grace and during the dream she yelled out what is more or less the first line of the novel.

About “Act of Grace”

Act of Grace is the story of Grace Johnson a bright, perceptive African American high school senior who saves the life of a Klansman named Jonathan Gilmore. Everyone in her hometown of Vigilant, Michigan wants to know why. Few people, black or white, understand her act of sacrifice especially since rumor holds that years ago a member of the Gilmore family murdered several African -Americans including Grace’s father. Grace wants to remain silent on the matter but Ancestors spirits emerge in visions and insist she fulfill her shamanic duties by bearing witness to her town’s violent racial history so that all involved might transcend it.

Grace begins a journal, but she warns readers upfront that if they are looking for a simple or rational explanation for her actions then they need to look elsewhere. She knows that her accounts of her ability to speak to the dead, along with her connections to a trickster spirit name Oba, will be hard for most people to believe. With insight shaped by the wisdom found in African American mythology and the book, The Velveteen Rabbit, Grace recounts a story of eye-for-an-eye vengeance that has blinded entire generations in her hometown.

As one reviewer put it…

“This is Simpson’s first novel. It is a must read. Her poetic style of writing soothes you into the harsh realities of racism, violence, and absolute hate based horror. The hero, Grace, puts an end to historical and current race based violence by her own sacrifice–after learning much from her ancestors…Music and food are the backdrops of Simpson’s work: “better than sex” chocolate cake, red velvet cake, Nina Simone and John Coltrane. Simpson’s work is screaming to be a book club pick. That is why it is my book club selection for June. My theme? Tunes and food inspired by the novel.”

Yes even Karen’s food finds it ‘s way into her novel, this is her first novel but certainly not her last, so keep a look out along book shelves for more books by Karen Simpson.

So listen now and share an interesting and entertaining show as I spend thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with Karen Simpson

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Karen Simpson

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Karen Simpson"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Karen Simpson - Act of Grace"

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