For those of us concerned about the overreach or incompetence of the current federal government, this year feels like COVID-19 all over again. Stocking the pantry before tariffs shoot the prices higher, donating to charities to help the poor with food and medications, and
avoiding doom scrolling by reading novels and streaming on Netflix.

Which brings me to two reviews: the debut novel Tilt by Emma Pattee and the Netflix revival of the 2015-19 BBC series, Poldark, based on the 1970s historical novels by Winston Graham, who passed away in 2003.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001HOMBNW/about

Tilt is told from the first-person perspective of a young pregnant woman speaking to her baby during a catastrophic earthquake in Portland, Oregon. She is trying to reunite with her husband, without transportation or a cell phone. A parallel dual timeline flashes back, marching forward month by month during the year, while her present plays out hour by hour. Character- driven and literary, yet suspenseful. Well-written. Made me laugh and cry.

If you haven’t seen Poldark, do so—historical fiction at its best. Ross Poldark is a British soldier who returns from fighting against the colonists in America to find his father dead, his home in ruins, and his beloved Elisabeth married to his cousin. It is filmed on location in gorgeous Cornwall, England, has raw emotion and ballrooms, miners and gentry, authentic costumes, excellent acting, a plausible storyline, class conflict, family feuds, and long-suffering
wives and girlfriends. Best of all, it has lovely male and female leads, especially Aidan Turner in the titular role. Think Bridgerton but with closed-door vs. staircase escapades and people who actually ride horses well, roll up their sleeves, and sweat.

I suppose every author dreams of someday having their novel be an Amazon Editors’ Pick with starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers’ Weekly, as Tilt has done, or transformed and released as a movie or series like Poldark, either during their lifetime or posthumously. I know I do. I would cast Jack Lowden as Benjamin Waite and Danielle Campbell as Martha Waite. Martin Sensmeier as Ashpelon. I’d film it in Deerfield, MA, which hasn’t changed much in 300 years, the Green Mountains of Vermont, Lake George and Lake Champlain, and Quebec.

In other news, I’ve dropped the prices online for Hatfield 1677, and I’m also offering it for free on Kindle Unlimited from today through January 31. Why? Because in the end, I want readers more than I want income. I want to feel that buzz again. Please tell everyone you know that if they want the e-book, it’s free on Kindle Unlimited and only $7.95 to buy. If you want the pretty cover, the paperback is $16.95, and soon the price for the hardcover will drop to $26. It’s a
book club/holiday gift sort of book, wink-wink. Read here.

I am currently revising one novel, The Lark, a biographical historical fiction inspired by the true story of Paul Tietjens, a young pianist who composed the score for the sold-out but now almost forgotten 1902 Broadway musical of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I’m working with the History Quill coaching program, which I highly recommend to historical fiction authors everywhere. I am also writing the first draft of Lady Libertié, a biographical historical romance inspired by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, and his muse, model, mistress, and eventually wife, Jeanne-Emélie Bahuex. Each of them, I hope, will be as affecting as Tilt or Poldark, or at the very least, strong follow-ups to my award-winning debut, Hatfield
1677.

Check back here and on my Facebook Page for updates.
https://www.facebook.com/LCRWriter/

Happy reading and streaming! Laura