James Patterson is the best-selling author of thrillers, children’s books, non-fiction books and romance novels as well as many stand-alone novels. He is best known for the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club and Middle School series. As a generous supporter of universities, teachers, colleges, independent bookstores, school libraries and college students, he has donated millions of dollars in grants and scholarships to encourage Americans of all ages to read more books. Some of his books have been adapted to movies and television, including ‘Along Came a Spider,’ ‘Kiss the Girls’ and ‘Zoo.’ The most recent is ‘Instinct,’ previously published as ‘Murder Games’ and co-written with Howard Roughan. It has been adapted into the television series Instinct for CBS starring Alan Cumming and premiered on March 11.
According to Amazon, ‘Instinct’ centers around Dr. Dylan Reinhart, a renowned bestselling Ivy League expert on criminal behavior who has written the book on the subject. When a copy turns up at a gruesome crime scene along with a threatening message from the killer, he is recruited by Elizabeth Needham, the headstrong and brilliant NYPD Detective in charge of the case. She needs his help to investigate a souvenir left at the crime scene which turns out to be a playing card. When another card turns out at the next murder scene, Dylan suspects that the cards are not a signature but a hint pointing at the next target. To stop him, Dylan must get inside the mind of a criminal and convince him to lay down his cards before it is too late.
Rebecca Kightlinger, author of ‘Megge of Bury Down.’ Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Megge of Bury Down’ and how did the story come about?
A: It took roughly seven years from concept to publication. Like many of my narrators, Megge just appeared in my mind’s eye one day when I was ready to write and started showing me around her home and telling me the story of her family and her life.
When she described a river that ran alongside a circular castle and emptied into an estuary along a southern coast, somewhere west of Holland, I got out a globe and opened Google Earth, and realized that the river was the Fowey. Megge’s story was set in Cornwall.
I then had to research medieval Cornwall, medieval medicine and midwifery, and ancient grimoires and herbcraft. Then I had to turn this story into a novel. Never having written one before, I knew I would have to seriously study writing craft. That was when I learned about low-residency MFA programs.
I looked at all of them from Pennsylvania to the east coast and felt most strongly attracted to the University of Southern Maine. It was there, at Stonecoast, among the talented students and faculty, that I learned how to take Megge’s story from mostly summary narrative to a scene-driven novel.
Q: Fans of which authors/books do you think would enjoy this title and why?
A: I think fans of novels featuring strong female characters will enjoy this book. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon comes to mind: iconic mystical and mythical fiction set in Dark-Age Cornwall. Bradley’s characters are depicted as real people in a world in which the mystical plays an integral part and the protagonist is often at odds with her family: wanting to belong but often rejecting the core tenets of her family’s beliefs. The Mists of Avalon features strong women who are outside the bounds of traditional society, and I think this resonates with readers of all ages.
Q: What do you want readers to remember about your story or characters long after they have finished reading?
A: I hope they will hold on to the feeling of togetherness and protectiveness that exists in Megge’s family through generations, even after family members have passed. In this family, there is such a strong bond that they are willing to return to the living world after death, and even die horrific deaths, rather than allow wisdom and knowledge to be lost. There is an abiding sense of love, trust, and dedication that transcends death.
Q: Is the book based on events in your life or related to your background or expertise/experiences?
A: Not consciously. But since Megge’s mother and aunt were healers in a rural setting where there were no physicians handy, I might have drawn on some of my experiences in Guyana, where non-physician clinicians provide medical care very skillfully. The birth scenes did come naturally given my work as an OB/GYN, and I enjoyed writing them.
Q: What is your favorite genre to write?
A: Historical fiction. Most of my stories are from a distinct time in the past. My first novel, which I haven’t published, was set in the 1930s and involved the struggle to organize the Steelworker’s union.
Megge’s story is set in the thirteenth century, but I’ve already written drafts of some of the future installments in this series, and they are set in every century from the fourth century to the present day. Researching each era and location is fascinating and a great pleasure.
‘Megge of Bury Down’ is the new release by Rebecca Kightlinger. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Rebecca Kightlinger is a novelist, book critic for Historical Novels Review, fiction- submissions reader for New England Review and Stonecoast Review and a copy editor for Stonecoast Review. Earning an MFA from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program and a copyediting certificate from UCSD, she turned her Masters thesis into her debut novel. Kightlinger and her husband reside in northwestern Pennsylvania. (Smith Publicity, 2018)
Confused, unsure, and trying to avoid a twist of fate, a vow that she fears will lead to murder, a young woman makes a decision that places her family in unimaginable danger. A story intertwining destiny with reckoning, and tradition with dreams, the debut coming-of-age novel ‘Megge of Bury Down: Book One of the Bury Down Chronicles’, by Rebecca Kightlinger, radiates feelings of togetherness and protectiveness as seen through the eyes of a young girl embroiled in a mystical struggle that threatens to tear her family apart.
Set in thirteenth-century Cornwall, on a sheep farm in the shadow of Bury Down, known for a thousand years as the land of the second sight, a healer has vowed to face flames rather than fail in her one task in this life: to bring her young daughter to vow to protect The Book of Seasons, an ancient grimoire whose power sustains the spirits of all their ancestors.
On the night of her vow-taking, wanting only to become a woman of Bury Down like her mother and aunts and drawn by an inexplicable yearning to possess her mother’s book, Megge reaches for it. But when she touches its cover, it burns her fingers and she hears it whisper, “Murderer.” Fearing that the book will make her harm those she loves, she rejects it and renounces her birthright.
To what lengths will Megge’s mother go to help the child find the courage to take that vow? And how far will Megge go to elude a terrifying destiny?
This newly released title, ‘Megge of Bury Down’, addresses family issues prevalent in today’s world in a tender yet cryptic setting, creating a story readers of all ages will want to visit again and again.
In this magical and suspenseful chronicle, ‘Megge of Bury Down’ depicts:
An unimaginable bond of family. Through generations, even after family members have passed, togetherness and protectiveness are ever-present in Megge’s family.
Powerful female characters and how their strength, wisdom, and compassion allow them to defy all odds.
The intense conflict between the yearning to belong and the need to find your own path.
Tolerance—understanding that the life you must lead to hone your skills may make you an outsider, even to those you serve.
A real-life setting—Bury Down is an ancient hill fort whose ruins can still be seen on a hilltop just outside of Lanreath, Cornwall.
‘Megge of Bury Down: Book One of the Bury Down Chronicles’ is available for purchase in paperback and e-book via Amazon and all major booksellers.
“Creating powerful female characters, combining magic and medicine, Rebecca Kightlinger tells a compelling tale of what it takes to walk the ‘path of the protector.’ In a timeless yet also timely story, Kightlinger’s heroine rallies supernatural strength and all matter of healing arts to find her path toward protecting books, the land, and most of all her fellow women. Readers will not forget the women of Bury Down.” —Elizabeth Searle, author We Got Him and librettist for Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera
The movie adaptation of ‘Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda’ by Becky Albertalli is now in theaters.
Becky Albertalli is the author of young adult novels including ‘The Upside of Unrequited,’ ‘Leah on the Offbeat,’ ‘Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda’ and co-author of ‘What If It’s Us.’ ‘Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda’ tells the story of Simon Spier, a closeted gay teenager who is trying to balance school, his friends and family while dealing with the blackmailer who is threatening to out him to the entire school and trying to discover the identity of the anonymous classmate he has fallen in love with. The movie adaptation, Love, Simon, starring Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner is now in theaters.
According to Amazon, ‘Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda’ is the award-winning novel about Simon, a sixteen-year-old high school student who is still in the closet and prefers to save his drama for the school musical. Everything is going fine until an email falls into the wrong hands and his secret is at risk of being revealed. He is being blackmailed and if he does not play wingman for the class clown, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. The privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he has been emailing with, is also in jeopardy. Now Simon must find a way out of his comfort zone, before he is pushed out, without alienating his friends, compromising himself or ruining his chances with the best guy he has ever met.
The movie adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ is now in theaters.
Madeleine L’Engle was an American writer best known for her young adult novels including ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ ‘A Wind in the Door,’ ‘A Swiftly Tilting Planet,’ ‘Many Waters’ and ‘An Acceptable Time.’ She received the 1963 Newbery Medal for ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ and together with the two sequels, these books are known as The Time Trilogy. It tells the story of a young girl who, after her father disappears after discovering a new planet, sets off on a quest to find him with the help of three astral travelers. The Disney movie adaptation was released this week and stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Chris Pine.
According to Wikipedia, in ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ the protagonist is thirteen-year-old Meg Murry, who is considered by her classmates as a troublesome and stubborn student. After a visit by their eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Whatsit, she and her younger brother Charles, along with Meg’s classmate Calvin, go visit the local old haunted house where they encounter two companions of Mrs. Whatsit, the equally strange Mrs. Who and the unseen voice of Mrs. Which. She promises Meg that they can help her find and rescue her missing father. They turn out to be supernatural beings who transport Meg, Charles and Calvin through the universe through a folding of the fabric of time and space.
‘The Escape Artist’ is the new thriller by bestselling author Brad Meltzer.
Brad Meltzer is The New York Times’ bestselling author of thrillers including ‘The Inner Circle’ and ‘The Book of Fate.’ He is also the host of Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel and Brad Meltzer’s Lost History on H2. ‘The Escape Artist’ is his latest novel and it tells the story of Nola Brown, a woman whose body is found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness.
According to Amazon, in ‘The Escape Artist,’ Jim “Zig” Zigarowski works at Dover Air Force Base helping to put to rest the bodies of those who die on top-secret missions. He has just discovered the truth about Nola Brown. Even though her commanding officer verifies that she is dead, and the US government confirms it, Jim knows she is still alive and on the run. She was a childhood friend of Zig’s daughter and once saved her life, so he is determined to find her no matter what. As he digs into Nola’s past, he discovers that trouble follows her everywhere she goes. On her last mission she saw something she was not supposed to see. Together, she and Zig try to uncover the US Army’s most mysterious secret, a conspiracy that goes back to Harry Houdini, the greatest escape artist of all time.
Caleb Carr is an American novelist and military historian who has worked at the Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs Quarterly and MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History and has taught military history, including World Military History. As an author, he has written ten books, most of which were international bestsellers and prize-winners and have been translated into over two dozen languages. He is mostly known for the historical thriller ‘The Alienist’ which was adapted into a ten-episode television series on TNT. It premieres on Monday January 22 and stars Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning.
According to Amazon, ‘The Alienist’ is set in New York in 1896. Newspaper reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned by his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or “alienist” as they were known then, to document the mutilated body of a young boy abandoned on the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge. This leads them to create a psychological profile of the perpetrator based on the details of his crimes and takes them on a tortured and twisted journey into the mind of a killer who will strike again unless he is stopped.
The movie adaptation of Heidi McLaughlin’s ‘Forever My Girl’ is now in theaters.
Heidi McLaughlin is the American best-selling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer and The Archers. Her first novel from The Beaumont Series, ‘Forever My Girl,’ is about a young rock star who goes back to his home town years after abandoning his first love. The movie adaptation is now in theaters and stars Alex Roe as Liam Page and Jessica Rothe as Josie.
According to Amazon, ‘Forever My Girl’ tells the story of Liam and Josie who are high school sweethearts. Liam thinks he has his life all planned: play football in college, marry his girlfriend and live happily ever after. Instead, he breaks her heart and decides to leave town and follow his dream of making music. Years later he is a successful rock star but returns to his hometown to attend his best friend’s funeral and while there runs into Josie. Faced with an unresolved relationship, he must face his past and the consequences of all he left behind by choosing fame over love.
The movie adaptation of ’12 Strong’ by Doug Stanton will open in theaters on Friday January 19, 2018.
Doug Stanton is a journalist, lecturer, screenwriter and author. He has appeared on numerous television and radio outlets including CNN, Discovery and NBC’s Nightly News. Using his experience working in the United States, overseas and with military and government contacts, he lectures nationally to corporate and civic groups. He has written The New York Times’ best-sellers ‘In Harm’s Way’ and ‘Horse Soldiers’ which was published in 2017 as ’12 Strong.’ The movie adaptation of ’12 Strong’ will open in theaters on Friday January 19 and stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon and Michael Peña. It is the true story of a United States Special Forces team deployed to the war-ravaged Afghanistan mountains in the weeks immediately after the September 11 attacks.
According to Amazon, in ’12 Strong,’ in the weeks after 9/11, a small band of Special Forces soldiers secretly entered Afghanistan. Riding on horseback, they pursued the Taliban over the harsh mountainous terrain and after a series of intense battles they captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. At first, they were welcomed as liberators by the Afghans who were overjoyed that the Taliban had fallen but during the surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, they were ambushed. They bravely fought for their lives while dangerously overpowered knowing that at risk were they military gains of the campaign that if lost, would prove detrimental to the entire operation.
The movie adaptation of ‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio is now in theaters.
R.J. Palacio is an American author, art director and book jacket designer. Her previous works include “Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories” and “365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Book of Precepts.” She is best known for “Wonder,” her first novel and The New York Times best-seller about Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. The feature film adaptation is now in theaters everywhere and stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay.
According to Amazon, “Wonder” tells the story of August Pullman who was born with a facial difference that has always prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Now he is starting the fifth grade at Beecher Prep and he wants nothing more than to be treated like an ordinary kid, but his classmates can not get past his looks. The narration begins from Auggie’s point of view and then switches to his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend and others. This serves to highlight one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion and acceptance. Friendship is the central theme with Auggie as the hero many will root for as he proves that people can not blend in when they were born to stand out. This book inspired the Choose Kind movement.
James Patterson is the best-selling author of thrillers, children’s books, non-fiction books and romance novels as well as many stand-alone novels. He is best known for the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club and Middle School series. As a generous supporter of universities, teachers, colleges, independent bookstores, school libraries and college students, he has donated millions of dollars in grants and scholarships to encourage Americans of all ages to read more books. Some of his books have been adapted to movies and television, including ‘Along Came a Spider,’ ‘Kiss the Girls’ and ‘Zoo.’ The most recent is ‘Instinct,’ previously published as ‘Murder Games’ and co-written with Howard Roughan. It has been adapted into the television series Instinct for CBS starring Alan Cumming and premiered on March 11.
SA Examiner 