DRAWN is a “Top Picks” Novel!

Happy spring, everyone!  Flowers are bursting out everywhere (and weeds too), and nothing beats being able to take a walk AFTER dinner and have it still be light out.  Love this.

SO busy here, what with all the writing, and visiting conferences, plus doing literary agent stuff like reading queries, pitching books to editors, etc.  All is SO exciting, but most exciting are some of the recent reviews I’ve been getting for my novels.  Before too much time sweeps by too quickly, I wanted to take a moment to share them with you all…

I’m seriously thrilled that my new paranormal novel DRAWN has been selected as a Night Owl Top Pick!  The reviewer said such amazing things, things I only thought my parents would say (if you know what I mean).  The review raved, “This is a thoroughly enchanting novel. The characters are beautifully written, and the story is witty, charming, and an utter delight to read. I could not put it down. This is a fantastic romantic and tender story that will continue to enchant readers for years to come.”  Okay, I admit I’m blushing a little… For the complete review, you can go here.

Nearly all reviews for DRAWN have been positive, which is so gratifying.  When you spend over 2 years writing a book, hearing readers say it was all worth it means more than I can say.  I was pretty disappointed to receive an only 3 star review, therefore, from Romantic Times Magazine this past week.  Blah. Why am I sharing this with you? Because I think it’s important for folks to know that writer’s lives have ups and downs and that it’s okay. We understand that one book isn’t for everyone.  Still, it does sting a little when it feels like you’ve gotten the reviewer who doesn’t “get” what you’re doing.  And when you’ve paid big bucks (well, big bucks for me) to have an ad in that magazine when the review pops up. Double blah.  Still (I note with a raise of an eyebrow), that review site also allows for readers to post their own review of DRAWN right there on the page.  So if you could add your own perspective on that site by visiting here, it would mean a ton.

For that matter, if you enjoyed DRAWN, you can really make a huge difference in supporting this title by simply posting your review of it on its Goodreads page here, or adding your review on its Amazon page here (did you know that DRAWN is currently ranked #87 in its category? Huzzah!) or on its Barnes and Noble page here.  Even clicking “like” on the Amazon page and agreeing with the book’s tags helps other possible book buyers to see it. (Don’t ask me how it does…it’s all very mysterious.)  You can do this sort of thing for any book you fall in love with, and truly help that author.  (Why do I feel like saying “Clap if you believe in fairies”?  Not sure!) My heartfelt thanks to anyone who goes the extra mile.  You are an author’s rock star!

Okay, back to the positive stuff now…  Also just a few days ago, I got this phenomenal review for DRAWN from Clean Romance Reviews: “The characters are all wonderful, filling in two worlds with real people and making you feel like you’re there. The main romance is heartrendingly sweet and will curl your toes.”  

There.  I’m feeling better now.

By mentioning this review, I’m jumping the gun a little here, since the review won’t officially post until 3/28, but consider this a heads up, and check out this great romance review site in the meantime!  After the site reviewer contacted me with the contents of the review, she wanted to know if I’d run a giveaway on her site…my response? HECK YEAH!  There will be a DRAWN giveaway on Clean Romance Reviews which will run April 19-27th, so check back there for a chance to win.

And to wrap this up on another cheery note… My other novel, the contemporary YA Over My Head, has some great news of its own.  This book recently cracked the top 10 in its category on Amazon twice in the past few weeks!  I’m over the moon about this (or, perhaps, over my head?).  And it may have something to do with a really insightful review posted by highly respected book blogger Stephanie Su.  On her site StephSuReads, she says: “The YA world very clearly needs more books like OVER MY HEAD, where the main character is of mixed race, culture is an important part of the story, but the story itself is not about accepting one’s culture or battling people’s ignorance of your culturally different family…Marie Lamba gets numerous kudos for portraying the Jumnal family in such an empathic and rich way…younger readers will most likely find a bit of themselves, their frustrations and their desires, in Sang, and cheer this promising young lady on.”  She’s a discerning reader and a serious critic, and I appreciate her thoughtful comments and perspective about Over My Head.  To see the full review, and add your own thoughts to the conversation, you can go here.

That’s it for now on the book front.  Now get outside everyone and enjoy the flowers, deeply inhale that springtime air, and get some sunshine on your face!

Happy reads,

Marie

Book Review: The Bird House by Kelly Simmons

What is true? What is real? What is forgotten and what can never be erased?  In a lifetime of good intentions we all have our share of secrets, regrets, and undiscovered passions.  And digging through old letters, connecting the importance of a ring with something said long ago, really looking at what is around you, well, it can change your entire view of your world.

The Bird House by Kelly Simmons (Washington Square Press) takes the reader on a mesmerizing journey into one woman’s past and beyond in this sparkling and engrossing novel you’ll want to recommend to everyone you know.  The characters are real, the situations at once startling yet believable.  I found myself glad that I couldn’t sleep last night, because that meant I could get back to this novel and read it through to the end. How many novels are good enough for that? After finishing the last page I had that “I just read something truly amazing” feeling. The lingering of images and emotions. The sadness, as if parting from a very dear friend….

Simmons writes of a granddaughter who is brutally honest, and who needs to do a family heritage project with her grandmother.  She takes us into the head of Ann, a seventy-something woman of high intelligence and so-so memory, who skips us back and forth through time. Her past is a life full of promise, then terrible loss and guilt.  In her present, Ann finds her heart being won over by her granddaughter, a child who asks all the wrong questions in just the right way. And Ann finds answers she hadn’t even known she was seeking.

The story is at once heart-wrenching and hilarious.  Ann has a tart tongue and a sharp eye, making her the ideal narrator casting a witty eye on everything from egocentric architects, Main Line Philadelphia elite, the claustrophobic existence of a new mother, the horrors of those tacky birthday party activity joints, and the temptations of a forbidden lover.

The author quickly envelops you with sharp imagery, true tension, mystery, passion and deeply-felt love. Her writing reminds me of Anne Tyler’s: amazingly brilliant, yet so accessible.

So read The Bird House, love it, share it.  Your friends will be glad you did!  Very highly recommended.

Book Review: The Dust of 100 Dogs, by A.S. King

Pirates — scurvy foul creatures with a greed for gold and a thirst for blood.  An innocent girl born into war-torn Ireland, who views the world with caution, who finally finds love, and who then has everything violently ripped away.  A teen in Pennsylvania, biding her time, and hiding her secret.  And a curse.  Oh, and some dog care tips.  If this all sounds like an unusual combination, you are dead on, and this is what makes the young adult novel The Dust of 100 Dogs (Flux) by A.S. King a fresh and original hit.

King’s main character Saffron, is a brilliant teen born into a needy family that see’s Saffron’s brilliance as the ticket to a bright future.  But what they don’t know is that Saffron is actually the soul of Emer, an Irish girl who had turned to pirating many centuries ago, and who was cursed to embody the souls of 100 dogs before she finally found herself human again.  Along with teen angst, Saffron must tamp down the savage instincts of her pirating past, and wait just a bit longer until she is 18 and has the money and the freedom to pursue the treasure buried on a Caribbean isle long ago.

The author does an amazing job of grabbing the reader by the throat, and pulling you through this epic adventure.  As we travel with Emer’s soul through her past lives, there is heartbreak and triumph, blood and gore, history and humor.  Because of some disturbing scenes, I would restrict this read to older teens and adults.  It’s a fantastic novel, but there is a rape and one seriously disturbed villain, so be advised.

That said, I now say grab this book and read it.  Share it with others. Channel your inner pirate. Yo-ho!

Doylestown is Real!

Folks hanging out near Coffee & Cream in Doylestown

Every once in a while someone emails me wondering if there really is a place like Doylestown.  See, Doylestown is the setting of my young adult novel WHAT I MEANT… And when you read about this town, you realize how unusual it is outside of a city to have a cute village-like place filled with cool shops and restaurants and museums, oh, and two castles!

But, I assure you, Doylestown is all that.  So, since I have a few book signings coming up around town in the next few weeks, I thought that this would be an ideal time to post some images to go with some scenes from my novel.

BTW, you can catch me at the Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, PA on Sunday, Dec. 6 from noon-3 p.m….at Canterbury Tales Forever in Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA on Saturday, Dec. 12 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m….and at Farley’s in New Hope, PA also on Saturday, Dec. 12 from 3-5 p.m.  So if you are looking for a signed book for a holiday gift, and if you have a reader who would love to read a novel set in a town they know, well… I’m just saying!

Anyways, here are some images from town, along with some quotes from WHAT I MEANT… (text copyright 2007 Marie Lamba)

Enjoy!

Sang Jumnal, the 15-year old heroine of the novel, kind of has a thing for Orlando Bloom:

Fonthill Castle, Doylestown, PA

I zoom past Fonthill.  That’s a castle built in Doylestown in 1912 by this rich guy, Henry Mercer. It’s a museum now, but seeing it all set back on its massive lawn, with morning dew sparkling in the grass and a bit of fog lingering in the hollows beside it, I can imagine someone still lives there. And not some rich crusty geezer either. I can imagine Orlando inside, throwing open the top windows and gazing across the grass and seeing, well, me.

In this scene, Sang and her best friend Gina do their weekly walk/ride at the Doylestown Cemetery, only at this point in the story, they aren’t too friendly anymore:

Doylestown Cemetery

“I bike up to the Elmer mausoleum. No sign of Gina. I rub my icy hands together and wait. The wind shakes the branches of the old maples around the graveyard. Brown brittle leaves scuttle around the grass till they are pressed against the tombstones. A golden banner spelling out MOTHER, loosened from its memorial wreath, tumbles past me.  I’m about to give up on this entire bike/run thing when over the hill I catch sight of a pink hat bouncing along.
I try not to smile and it’s a good thing, because she marches right past me.  She tucks a strand of her sandy-blond hair back into her hat and starts her stretch beside the mausoleum. So I’m a ghost after all.

Planet Smoothie in Doylestown

Sang also has a thing for a guy in her school – Jason.  Things quickly get complicated, especially since she’s not technically allowed to date. Plus, Sang recently saw Jason hanging out with “seedy Sarah.” In the following scenes, a simple walk home from school becomes anything but:

By the time we reach Planet Smoothie, it’s jammed with students. Megan, holding a giant smoothie in her hand, spots us through the window and waves for us to come in. Frankly, I’m tempted.

Sang then remembers that she has a dreaded doctor’s appointment for something she doesn’t even have…and starts rushing home:

Nat's Pizza, Doylestown

I’m by Nat’s Pizzeria just as the door bursts open and out leaps none other than Jason, a slice in his hand. He races down the street, and I half expect a cop to be chasing him.
Great. I have to hurry home in the same direction. He’ll probably think I’m following him. He probably saw me by Nat’s and thought, Gah! It’s that crazy stalker chick, just like in Swimfan.

Jason disappears, and Sang figures the coast is clear and she can get home without running into him for real, but…:

County Theater, Doylestown

“Can I interest you in a matinee?”
I pause. The metallic voice came from the County Theater. I turn, and there’s Jason inside the tiny glass ticket booth, wiping pizza sauce from his chin with a paper napkin.
I’m totally caught by surprise, and it takes a moment for me to respond. “No thanks,” I finally say. I turn away, ready to move on.
“There’s a great art film opening. Very funny, very different.”
His metallic voice coming through the tiny speaker, the way he’s stuffed in the little glass booth like an arcade gypsy…I imagine depositing a quarter, and his mechanical mouth telling me my fortune. I step closer. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

As you can imagine, nothing goes very smoothly for Sang, and she encounters lots of trials and tribulations throughout the novel. Hey, she’s got an evil aunt living with her, who is stealing food and money, and setting up poor Sang to take the blame! She and Jason have their share of problems, too. Yeah, like I said, things aren’t too easy for her.  But every once in a while, something does go right. Like in this scene on what we townies call the “D” bench:

There he is on the cement bench at the corner, sipping his coffee.
I stop, then I hurry to the bench before I have a chance to think or plan or anything. I sit beside him and he looks at me, all confused. I set down my bag by my feet. We look at each other and both take a sip of our drinks. My throat feels scorched. It takes me a moment to talk, but when I do, all I can think to say is, “It’s cold out. You should have stayed in the shop.”
“Didn’t think you’d want to be seen with me.” He tightens his mouth and stares at a passing car.
We both take another sip.
I sigh. “Don’t you wish sometimes you could start all over? Take everything back?”
This brings a half smile to his face that makes my heart flutter. It’s just like in those romance paperbacks Mrs. Baldarasi is always reading.
I don’t know what comes over me. I don’t know why I do what I do next, or what I expect to happen ten minutes or even ten seconds from now.  All I know is that I set down my cappuccino, lean toward Jason, and kiss him. My first real kiss ever. It’s long and lingering, and all warm and steamy and coffee-flavored.

So, Doylestown is real. As real as a first kiss… Come tour Fonthill, take in a movie at the vintage County Theater, grab some excellent hot-wings at Nat’s and a smoothie at Planet Smoothie.  Also, check out the other great places in WHAT I MEANT… including the Doylestown Bookshop, Coffee & Cream and Poor Richards. And you’ll fall in love with this town!

Book Review: Sleeping Freshman Never Lie, by David Lubar

There are certain times in your life when you know that everything is going to change. You feel disoriented, exhausted, anxious, but also excited. In Sleeping Freshman Never Lie, author David Lubar captures this feeling perfectly.

When Scott enters his freshman year of high school, he knows things are going to be different, but still it’s a shock. He goes from being average sized in middle school to feeling like a dwarf among the high school upperclassmen. His friends go off in different directions. And the girl he was friends with in elementary school has suddenly become hot…and has forgotten him completely. This is a fantastic book with real heart and laugh out loud humor. I loved navigating the halls with Scott, and going along for the ride as he tried to figure out who his friends really were, what truly mattered to him, and if he would EVER get enough sleep ever again.

Readers of My Most Excellent Year will enjoy this book, because Lubar also creates a touching story and reminds us of just how adventurous and magical a life in constant flux truly is.

Don’t miss this one!