It’s hard to believe nearly a year has passed since we pressed publish on the last Communiqué. So much has happened since then. It would seem we’ve been remiss—from Latin remissus "relaxed, languid; negligent,"—and yet, though at times we’ve been all three of those things, during the past eleven months we’ve also been active, energetic, and conscientious. We just haven’t written about it, and for that, we humbly ask your forgiveness.
To toss a bit more Latin into the mix: mea culpa.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can’t wait to tell you about all the exciting things we’ve been up to since last May
But first, a few pictures of spring, which, after numerous false starts, seems finally on this first day of April to have found its footing.
In the past, we’ve organized the Communiqué into five sections: What we’re working on | What we’re looking for | What we’re reading | What we’re listening to | What we’re cooking up. One section—What we’ve published—was noticeably absent, since last year most of our books were in process. With two titles out last month, another three coming soon, and still more in the making, we’ll be starting off each issue with news on our new and soon-to-be-published books.
What we’ve published
Sidanela—A Story of Family by David Long — March 4 2023
First-time author David Long grew up in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, near a Native American archaeological site, the Town Creek Indian Mound. David always wanted to know more, as did the archaeologists, about the Pee Dee Tribe that inhabited the site.
His debut novel, Sidanela—A Story of Family, blends his extensive research of Pee Dee history and culture with the compelling tale of how seventeen-year-old Red Willow, a courageous and spirited young woman, navigates an agonizing choice. Featuring spellbinding ceremonies, tender moments of love and loss, and prophetic dreams, set against a tribe’s struggles to survive hostile neighbors, famine, and a sociopathic leader, Sidanela is a book that both educates and entertains.
Sidanela, by David Long, is available on Amazon. Bookstores can order from Ingram.
“I was excited to read this book because I’m from the area it’s set in. I was not disappointed by this great story. I love how it blends history and Native culture with the story of family and perseverance. It’s a wonderful read and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.”
Becoming Visible to Myself: An Unexpected Memoir by Kathryn L Kaplan, PhD — March 19 2023
Kathry Kaplan’s remarkable memoir has garnered praise from all corners: an esteemed management professor, a documentary filmmaker, a grief counselor, a leadership and development coach. The book is brimming with her hard-won knowledge gained through extensive reading and intensive introspection, rich with experiences that will resonate with readers, and illustrated throughout with entries from the journals she’s kept—her “Wise and Wonderful Black Book Series”—that guided her on her unique and illuminating path of self-discovery. The first line of the jacket copy says it all: Told with aliveness and honesty, Becoming Visible to Myself is an invaluable guide for anyone, and especially women, looking to step into their full power.
For Tom, working on Becoming Visible to Myself with Kathryn was a joy, as they formed a creative partnership and achieved a synchronicity in the workflow that energized them both. And starting next week, they’ll begin work on Kathryn’s second book, Dying With His Eyes Wide Open: A Memoir of Love and Grief.
Kathryn L Kaplan holding her copy of Becoming Visible to Myself: An Unexpected Memoir
Journal entries from Becoming Visible to Myself: An Unexpected Memoir
Becoming Visible to Myself, by Kathryn L Kaplan, PhD is available on Amazon.
“This book comes at a time when all people, especially women, need to find wholeness within themselves. Kathryn’s search for her own acceptance of her many talents—intellectual, emotional, creative—serves as a model. Her approach is well organized, practical, and poetic.”
“This multi-talented author skillfully weaves together accounts of how she came to grow from, rather than resist, her own vulnerabilities. Any professional who has labored to better understand herself will find confirmation and consolation here. Kathryn’s memoir will inspire you—with its examples of courage, healing, and grace.”
We’re nearly ready to release Joyce Rickards Newcomb’s charming, probing, and enlightening historical novel, Sophia’s Journey, after putting the finishing touches on the cover (featuring an illustration by her sister, Carol Mazzocco) today.
Young Sophia is a marvel—innocent, ingenious, intense, and indefatigable as she confronts one crisis after another at Great House, her family’s homestead on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with her strong internal compass serving as her guide. Set in the early 1800s, the novel explores a time when slavery was already drawing dividing lines across a fledgling nation.
“Reminiscent of Mark Twain’s tales, Sophia’s Journey is an impressive debut—a heartwarming early American coming-of-age story sprinkled with delicious bits of the Southern Gothic.”
“A work of art . . . rich with all the elements of story that entice young readers.”
The next two books to hit the market will be Where the Light Is Brighter, by C. C. Griffin and Thomas G. Fiffer, and Last of the Famous International Playboys by Adam Lenain. We’ve written about both in previous editions, but these books are now much farther along after many months of collaborative work, thorough copyediting, and preparation for successful launches.
A third book in process is the second novel by Greg Lawrence, author of With You. Greg has moved from the arena of artificial intelligence to the underside of the art world. The Damsel and the Knight is an action-packed, globe-spanning thriller with a sizzling romance thrown in for good measure.
Instead of summarizing Greg’s book, we’ll share a particularly compelling early passage, narrated by his heroine, Francesca Ambrosino.
We waited outside the Church of San Domenico for my father every Sunday at the same spot. I was never sure if it was because he so wanted to be with us, or he thought there was a need to protect us. But each Sunday was the same. My mother, my sister, and I would attend Sunday morning Mass without my father. Upon his arrival to the church, he would kiss my mother on the mouth, pick up my sister, hug her, and kiss her on each cheek. Still holding her, he would then bend over and kiss me on the top of my head. At one time it was me, not my sister, that he would pick up, squeeze, and carry home in his arms. Two things changed that: the arrival of my now four-year-old sister, and the change in my body brought on by puberty. I knew that it was no longer appropriate to have my father hold me as he now did my little sister. But that did not change my desire for the contact with this man.
My father’s name was Vincent Ambrosino. He was what was referred to as a capo, a third tier down from what is known as a godfather. In our case the godfather was Salvatore “Toto” Riina. My father’s father was also a capo. Though I am uncertain as to my great-grandfather’s position, I know he, too, was involved in the same “family business” commonly known as the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian enterprise dating back to the 1500s. The local landlords originally created, then used this group to keep their tenants in line and collect the requisite rents. By 1993, it was a vast multinational web in every line of both legal and illegal transactions spanning three continents.
My father was always surrounded by a retinue of various soldiers and associates. He was both feared and respected in our community. I could see this in everything we did and in every place we went. We had a fine home, new cars, and new clothes. My father always carried a thick roll of bills in his pocket, unafraid anyone would dare threaten his safety.
But now, there was a change in the air. The Italian government, which had historically worked with the family business, now sought to destroy it. I could feel the shift in how people treated us in our daily routines, and in the tension in our household. Every day, heated conversations amongst my father’s associates erupted in our living room. Of course, I was not allowed to be a part of these discussions but chose to insert myself by sitting unseen at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping on the meetings below. It turned out there was a cause for all the consternation.
Farther down the road, we’ll be publishing a spare and touching novel about a young man’s coming of age encounter in the American west involving a kidnapper, a medicine woman, and wolves you’ll fall in love with—Barbara Hetler’s Once in Ordinary Time.
Illustration by Kim Nyland
And we’re about to begin work with local author Lauren Barnett on her first novel, Don’t Tell My Mom That I Love Her—a hilarious, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching story told through the eyes of Maggie, a precocious twelve-year-old writing in her diary.
Here I am trying to be so cool and grown up and independent, and the truth is, I need my parents to kiss me goodnight. I like my own bed, and I like my dolls. I swear I feel like I am straddling two universes—one where I fully imagine myself as this sophisticated, glamorous supergirl and the other where I can’t even manage to brush my own hair. It’s gonna be a long night.
What we’re looking for . . .
We continue to seek out groundbreaking, genre-breaking, barrier-breaking, and of course heartbreaking fiction and moving memoir.
What we’re reading . . .
Given all the publishing activity, there hasn’t been much time for other author’s books. But a recent trip to Atticus in New Haven had Julia and Tom pulling books off the shelves to check out first lines between sips of black bean soup.
What we’re listening to . . .
Right now, we’re mostly hearing the sound of Amazon boxes thudding onto the doorstep with author copies inside. In addition, Julia is listening to An Exaltation of Larks by Suanne Laqueur and Tom just finished Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner.
What we’re cooking up . . .
After spending the better of a glorious day putting this issue together, tonight’s meal will be ordered from Joe’s Pizza just down the road. They don’t do Chicago-style deep dish, but they do make a wicked crust.
And of course, we’re cooking up more books!
As always, we are grateful to our authors, clients, friends, and supporters. Onward and upward in 2023 and beyond!