Gail Schimmel: The Park | Blog Tour | Pregnant musings from a swollen belly...Reading about Rebecca
Early in Rebecca's pregnancy, she finds herself enjoying a routine of procrastinating, drinking tea and stroking her belly. That pretty much sum's up my existence over the past few months.
Just like our protagonist, I'm expecting a bundle of (grief? angst? hysteria?) joy in the next few months and as I read about her exploits from the comforts of my highly pillowed bed, I found myself frowning through her anxieties, admiring her never-ending maternal juice and practically sighing in exhaustion on account of her overall busyness. She may then, have provided a book-realm crash course in what can be expected in the next few months. The unyielding defense for her (adopted) daughter; the desire to connect with similar situation moms and a potential for a supernatural compassion so powerful that it may attract curious types people with needs that are too big to voice out loud.
Like Rebecca, I too have a 'Sean' who colours my days with husbandly charm that will soon extend into the realm of fatherhood. And like Rebecca, I appreciate him and cannot imagine the struggles that the Lilith's of the world have to go through in terms of enduring abuse in a pregnancy and then raising a child alone. I've known incredible women who have been abandoned with their swollen bellies either through fate or someone's choice and I cannot sing the praises of these unsung heroes enough. You never quite realise the sacrifice and sense of overwhelming that goes into bringing life into the world until you have to see it through your own eyes. So as a reader you cannot help but develop a macabre compassion for the choices that Lilith has made.
So here's to the Amazon's that we walk amongst everyday, the ones who scuttle about with swollen bellies to make the lives of those around (and inside of) them work. And, especially to those who don't have the support to get up and say "Ok, lets do this" for yet another day.
Dear Mumina,
ReplyDeleteI hope it's okay to request a book review this way! If you're interested, please contact me at maria_corley@hotmail.com.
Here’s the blurb:
Even though she lives hundreds of miles away, when Langston, who dreams of being a chef, meets Cecile, a Juilliard-trained pianist, he is sure that his history of being a sidekick, instead of a love interest, is finally over. Their connection is real and full of potential for a deeper bond, but the obstacles between them turn out to be greater than distance. Can these busy, complicated people be ready for each other at the same time? Does it even matter? Before they can answer these questions, each must do battle with the ultimate demon—fear.
Told in a witty combination of standard prose, letters, emails, and diary entries, LETTING GO, in the tradition of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's AMERICANAH, is a long-distance love story that also examines race, religion, and the difficult choices we make following our passions. From the Great White North to the streets of New York City to the beaches of Bermuda, LETTING GO is a journey of longing, betrayal, self-discovery and hope you will never forget.
If you think you might be interested, I can send a pdf, mobi, or epub file.
Links to Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble are below. I have also included samples from the companion CD, which consists of my performances of pieces mentioned in the book, along with readings of passages that refer to them. My novel was published on Createspace, July 4, 2016.
Here's my bio:
Maria Thompson Corley is a Canadian pianist (MM, DMA, The Juilliard School) of Jamaican and Bermudian descent, with experience as a college professor, private piano instructor, composer, arranger and voice actor. She has contributed to Broad Street Review since 2008, and also blogs for Huffington Post. Her first novel, Choices, was published by Kensington.
Thanks!
Maria
https://youtu.be/F7X42fibmEQ
Chopin Fourth Ballade in F Minor, Op. 54
youtu.be
Maria Thompson Corley, piano From the CD "Music from the Novel Letting Go" available on iTunes; Dec. 15, 2016 on Amazon and Createspace. "Letting Go: A Novel...
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F7X42fibmEQ/hqdefault.jpg
Chopin Fourth Ballade in F Minor, Op. 54
youtu.be
Maria Thompson Corley, piano From the CD "Music from the Novel Letting Go" available on iTunes; Dec. 15, 2016 on Amazon and Createspace. "Letting Go: A Novel...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze-xJz4qcmQ
https://www.bing.com/th?id=OVP.-6DZGMEOUHrjqww-M_FJfAHgFo&pid=Api
An excerpt from the Novel "Letting Go"
www.youtube.com
Read by the author. Letting Go by Maria Thompson Corley is available on Createspace, Smashwords, and Amazon. Music from Letting Go, featuring readings and piano ...
https://www.amazon.com/Letting-Go-Maria-Thompson-Corley/dp/1535044373/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470877840&sr=8-1&keywords=maria+thompson+corley+letting+go
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/maria+corley+letting+go?_requestid=201988
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31081165-letting-go?ac=1&from_search=true