All posts tagged: magic

Debut author Martine Fournier-Watson talks about how our lives are magical, how it comes from within, her hopes and worries; how to query agents and so much more in THE DREAM PEDDLER

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By Leslie Lindsay  Gorgeously and lyrically told debut from Martine Fournier Watson about desires and hopes, grief and love set against the backdrop of a small town in the early 1900s. How could I *not* pick up a book entitled, THE DREAM PEDDLER (Penguin, April 2019)? I love small towns and dreams…so this was exactly my kind of read. The premise here is that a traveling salesman comes to town with the promise of being able whip up a potion for you to have a very delightful dream, money back guarantee if you don’t. So would you purchase a dream potion? Maybe you’d like the chance to reconnect with a lost loved one, have some superpower, a passionate fantasy, or some other personal triumph. Robert Owens comes into a small farming town pulling a buggy of potions behind him on the very day a young boy, Ben, goes missing. Parents and townspeople search for the boy and Robert quietly sets up shop. Before long, townsfolk begin seeking out Mr. Owens to request a dream for …

Write On, Wednesday: David Jaher on THE WITCH OF LIME STREET, Ectoplasm, Prescient Dreams, & the Cubbies

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By Leslie Lindsay  Maybe it’s the time of the year, maybe it’s just me, but I have a thing with witches, ghosts, psychics, and haunted houses. Throw in the roaring 20s, the Jazz Age, circus freaks, and I’m all ears. Is there life after death? That question has been posed for all of human history, but not until the 1920s rolled around and folks were desperate to connect with departed loved ones, those who had sacrificed their lives to the torrents of WWI, or passed on from the devastating Spanish flu epidemic, the search for an answer was at an all-time high. The bereaved fell out of the shadows, seeking spirit guides and mediums to help them connect to their loved ones. And then the Scientific American magazine got wind and launched an ambitious study into the paranormal, resulting in a contest to find an authentic medium. A cast of five judges were assembled to judge the psychic phenomena. Today, I am honored to have author David Jaher chat with us about his meticulously researched …

Write On, Wednesday: Greer Macallister on THE MAGICIAN’S LIE, illusions, her obsession with toast, and how to pronounce Mackinac

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By Leslie Lindsay  You’ll find yourself immediately immersed in a mesmerizing web of illusions, secrets, and lies, as did I as you read this beautiful story, THE MAGICIAN’S LIE, just out in paperback this month. I particularly loved how the stage acts were designed and implemented (with a lot of fervor and practice!), and the dark, Victorian world painted by debut author Greer Macallister. It’s historical fiction with a toe in the murky world of a literary psychological thriller. The Amazing Arden is accused of killing her husband in a grisly magic act that is neither what you may think. The entire story plays out in the form of a confession at a police station in the form of a frame story (or as the French call it, Mise en abyme) quite reminiscent of THE THIRTEENTH TALE. I am honored to have Greer with us today. Leslie Lindsay: Wow. I finished THE MAGICIAN’S LIE yesterday and I’m still puzzling out some pieces of the story. That, in my opinion is what makes fabulous storytelling!  How did …

Write On, Wednesday: The Fabulous Erika Swyler of the Amazing BOOK OF SPECULATION

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By Leslie Lindsay  They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I did. And I’m in love. With both. THE BOOK OF SPECULATION is gorgeous, inside and out. A woman clad in a deep teal dress clutches a stack of antique books at her hips. The pages are yellowed and ragged, and indented with finger grooves reminiscent of old-fashioned dictionaries. Seriously, the cover art is so spectacularly striking; I just may leave it on my coffee table as a work of art. Today, I’m honored to have debut novelist Erika Swyler with us. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and come along for the journey. L.L.: Erika, thanks so much for joining us today! I’m always so intrigued by what sparks a story for a writer. What three elements would you say collided in your writing world that propelled you to write THE BOOK OF SPECULATION? Erika Swyler: Thanks very much for inviting me! It’s hard to put a finger on the exact moment that birthed this particular book, but …