A CARAVAN OF BRIDES Cover Reveal

The cover for A CARAVAN OF BRIDES is here!  Cover designer Louis Roe worked hard to create the perfect cover for the book. My request was to make it warm and inviting, the antithesis of covers for books about Arabia..the usual veiled women, swords, Arabian steeds, and desert dunes. I wanted an illustrated cover, and Louis is an expert in that style at his day job designing covers for Beacon Press.  Here is a wonderful blog post Louis wrote for the blog of Beacon Press about his process: Each Cover Design a Collection of Small Stories

For A CARAVAN OF BRIDES, Louis suggested we incorporate the concept of paper collage, which is a current trend in covers, as it adds a warm, three dimensional feeling. The human figures are hand-painted pieces of paper. The border is hand-drawn. The background is also hand-painted.  One of the themes of the book is the pre-modern way of life in Saudi Arabia, in which women wove and sewed their own clothing. The collage and hand-illustrated cover echoes this element.

The process that Louis went through with the cover was really interesting. First, he read the book. Then he sketched out several ideas for the cover, some really interesting elements of the plot, some just fleeting moments. We focused in on one, and Louis was off and running.

There was a stretch there where neither of us was working on it. When we returned to finish it, he came up with some new ideas. He finalized it and voila. Now, he's working on the map!

 I am so pleased with the result and hope it will be enticing to readers interested in Saudi Arabia.

Publication Party for Kate Whouley's "Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words"

Yesterday, Kate Whouley held a publication party for her latest book at Titcomb's Bookstore in East Sandwich on Cape Cod. Kate's book, Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words, is a heart-warming memoir about how she, as a single woman, dealt with her mother's final years in a struggle with Alzheimer's. While the story might sound grim, it reads like a frank conversation over a soothing cup of tea. Treating the reader as a trusted friend, Whouley shares her decisions and dilemmas, as well as moments of grace and humor, and the deep compassion that ultimately saw her and her mother through.

The book launched on September 6, 2011 to much fanfare, including a glowing review in USA Today (read it here), and a great review on Shelf Awareness (read it here). In addition, an excerpt appeared in Salon.com, and an essay about her mom's birthday (which is 9/11) appeared in Obit Magazine. So...the only way Kate could top all this was to throw a bang-up pub party. Which she did.

Kate having a word with the 'Titcombs Man' - a statue outside the bookstore. He has good taste in books too!

The day was perfect - sunny, and slightly cool. Titcomb's Bookshop is located on a picturesque stretch of Route 6A on the Cape. The traditional Cape-style cedar shingle building was swathed in lush plantings, offering plenty of room for Kate's readers and fans to gather both inside and out. Throughout the event, readers waited in line to get their books signed. In addition to a delicious cake, guests sipped wine and nibbled cheese and crackers. Kate read from the book, admitting this was her first time reading it aloud, except when she read to herself or her cat in the editing process. Attendees wore buttons indicating whether they were a character in the book, from Beacon Press, or a member of the Cape Cod Conservatory Band, which also plays a big role in the book. The buttons were great conversation starters. Helene Atwan, the book's editor and Director of Beacon Press, as well as Beacon's Associate Publisher Tom Hallock, and Senior Publicist Caitlin Meyer were also on hand to cheer Kate on.

Photographer Anne Sweeney, known to television audiences as a friendly WGBH-TV fundraiser, took photos. Check out Kate Whouley's author page on facebook if you want to see them. Above, some of the book's characters, including Anne, joined Kate around the Titcomb's Man.

You can order a hard copy or e-book on-line from Titcomb's (link here). If you'd like a signed copy, call them at: 508-888-2331. If you are lucky enough to be on Cape Cod, stop by Titcomb's. In addition to a captivating collection of new and used books, they have a wonderful selection of greeting cards.

Congratulations, Kate! Obviously, I highly recommend Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words.

Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words

The blurb and cover for Kate Whouley's forthcoming memoir, Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words, are out! Beacon Press will publish the book this fall. Visit Kate's website to keep up with the latest news. Congratulations, Kate!

When her mother began to exhibit the symptoms of dementia, Kate Whouley did what her English-teacher mom would want her to do: read up on the subject. She found lots of tips for preventing mental decline-too late for that-and a fair amount of practical advice for caregivers-moderately helpful, uniformly grim. Kate craved a compassionate companion with an appreciation for irony-and that's what she gives us in Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words. With honesty and good humor, Kate shares the tough, the tender, the heart wrenching and the laugh-or-you'll-cry experiences of an Alzheimer's caregiver. 

As her mother falls into forgetting, Kate remembers for us. In her mother, we meet a strong-minded, accidental feminist with a weakness for unreliable men. We meet a daughter who learned early to fend for herself. We encounter their shared passions: books, words, and music. When the books are forgotten, and the words begin to fade, it is the music that matters most to Kate's mother. Holding hands after a concert, a flute-case slung over Kate's shoulder, and a shared joke between them, their relationship is healed-even in the face of a dreaded, and deadly diagnosis.

Remembering the Music is the story of two women, mother and daughter, who journey to a place where they are free from their not-uncomplicated past. Here, they meet each other in the present, sharing the only moment the mother knows, and one of many moments the daughter-and her readers-will remember.

Literary Lunch with Cape Cod Author Kate Whouley

Yesterday I had lunch with Kate Whouley, author of the much-loved memoir COTTAGE FOR SALE: MUST BE MOVED, which was a Book Sense Book-of-the-Year nominee and a popular selection with book clubs. Kate lives on Cape Cod, and I live south of Boston. So we met for lunch about half way, in Plymouth. We dined at the Indian restaurant, the Guru Grille,  known not only for its cuisine, but for the hard rock club in back. When we arrived, the rockers were apparently still sleeping in after a late night, so it was quiet. We had the place to ourselves and Kate brought me up to speed on her new book.

Kate's forthcoming memoir, written in her unique style and voice, is to be published by Beacon Press in 2011. The working title is REMEMBERING THE MUSIC. It focuses on her relationship with her mother, who passed away a few years ago. If you read COTTAGE FOR SALE, you'll remember Kate's mom as a collector of Santa figurines. But there is much more to her, as we will discover in the new book. Kate and her mom managed to get through one of life's most difficult journeys with more than a touch of ironic humor.

In case you don't know, Kate is an accomplished flute player. She is the principal flute in the Cape Cod Conservatory Concert Band. She also jams on jazz and American songbook with Harry (yes, one of the "Bog Boys" from COTTAGE - here is  Harry's blog), and even plays Middle Eastern music with Harry and me. Kate really can manage quarter tones on her flute. Not surprisingly, music plays a big part in the new book. 

So, COTTAGE fans, stay tuned for updates on Kate's book. Help spread the word too, that Kate's back with another fantastic story! 

Kate's website:  http://www.katewhouley.com/