Continuing their 'Tales'
2011 Update
With a roster of nine previous authors there hasn’t been a long
wait to find a new book from the “A Tale for Three Counties”
authors.
This past year was no different: six past Tale authors release new books.
Julia Spencer-Fleming’s mystery series about Clare Fergusson and
the fictional Adirondack community of Miller’s Kill continued
with her long-awaited seventh book, “One Was a Soldier,”
while Jennifer Donnelly ended her “Rose Trilogy” with “The
Wild Rose.” New books also came out from Thomas Mullen, P.L. Gaus
and Garth Stein. The 2011 Tale author, Hillary Jordan, even had a new
novel out.
And 2012? Howard Frank Mosher has a memoir coming in March. The end
of the year could also see new books from Spencer-Fleming and Stein,
though those titles could be pushed into early 2013.
Here’s a capsule look at some of the milestones former Tale authors
achieved in 2011 and what they have planned for 2012:
Leif Enger, 2003
TALE TITLE: “Peace Like a River.”
LATEST BOOK: “So Brave, Young and Handsome,” 2008.
NOTABLE: More than a decade since Enger’s best-selling debut novel,
“Peace Like a River” (2001), was published, the novel remains
a hot property.
Talk of a movie adaptation has resurfaced. Tate Taylor, writer-director
of the acclaimed adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-seller
“The Help,” is the latest to circle the novel. Taylor, when
interviewed in mid-December by The Envelope, an entertainment awards
blog of the Los Angeles Times, after Golden Globes nominations were
announced said he was holedup up in a cabin in Martha’s Vineyard
writing an adaptation of “Peace Like a River” for DreamWorks.
The mystical novel, the story of turbulent few months in the life of
a father and his three children after one of their children shoots two
neighborhood bullies, was also included on a list of 30 books that will
be given away across America in April as part of the U.S.’s first
celebration of World Book Night. The project’s goal is to get
books in the hands of people who are underserved because of income,
location of other reasons. Find details atwww.us.worldbooknight.org
.
And “Peace Like a River” is getting a reissue. Look for
it in September.
Howard Frank Mosher, 2004.
TALE TITLE: “Northern Borders.”
LATEST BOOK: “Walking to Gatlinburg,” 2010.
NOTABLE: Jay Craven, the independent Vermont filmmaker, who has adapted
three of Mosher’s novels, recently started production on a fourth.
And this one is one particular interest to readers in Genesee, Orleans
and Wyoming counties. Craven’s film is adapted from “Northern
Borders,” Mosher’s coming-of-age story of young Austen Kittredge
who is sent to live on his grandparents farm. Shooting is expected to
begin in March. Follow the project’s progress at www.kingdomcounty.org
.
In October, Mosher received a lifetime achievement award from the New
England Independent Booksellers Association. In March he has ha memoir
coming out. “The Great Northern Express” will recount the
author’s epic book tours.
Julia Spencer-Fleming, 2005
TALE TITLE: “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
LATEST BOOK: The New York Times best-seller “One Was a Soldier.”
NOTABLE: The mystery series featuring trouble-finding Episcopal priest
Clare Fergusson and small-town police chief Russ Van Alstyne was once
planned to end after six books has no end in sight.
Spencer-Fleming reports that she is working on the next book in the
series. Tentatively titled “Seven Whole Days” the novel
will open about two months after the end of “One Was a Soldier.”
In a novel twist, Spencer-Fleming says the story will take place over
a single week. The book could be out by the end of 2012, or the beginning
of 2013.
Meanwhile, those looking for a Russ-Clare fix should check out Spencer-Fleming’s
website, www.juliaspencerfleming.com, and especially her “Reader’s
Space” page where she has been posting works in progress and short
stories.
Jennifer Donnelly, 2006.
TALE TITLE: “A Northern Light.”
LATEST BOOK: “The Wild Rose,” 2011, which concluded her
Rose Trilogy; and “Revolution,” 2010, a time-shifting young
adult novel.
NOTABLE: “Revolution,” a best-seller when it was released
in fall 2010, but it really took off in 2011. The story of Andi and
Alex, two teen girls centuries apart, made a number of year-end best
lists and continued to garner awards and acclaim in 2011. The biggest
honor came in November when “Revolution” was named to the
long-list of finalists for the Carnegie Medal, one of the most prestigious
awards in children’s literature.
In August, Donnelly’s “The Wild Rose” was released,
concluding an epic trilogy that began a decade ago with her debut novel,
“The Tea Rose.”
“Revolution” was released in the U.K. in October, where
Donnelly says she “had the most wonderful book tour.”
Donnelly has also been busy advocating for young readers. She’s
begun a campaign to get Fox TV to add a books category to its popular
Teen Choice Awards. It’s also part of a longer-term goal to get
more media to support the cause of teen reading, Donnelly says. Find
out more atwww.justaddbooks.org .
Donnelly also has a new young adult novel underway. “Can’t
talk about the details just yet,” she teases, “but I love
the story and am so excited to be back at my desk writing again.”
Mark Spragg, 2007.
TALE TITLE: “An Unfinished Life.”
LATEST BOOK: “Bone Fire,” 2010.
NOTABLE: Spragg spent much of 2011 making appearances to help promote
“Bone Fire,” which featured a number of characters –
including Einar Gilkyson and his granddaughter Griff.
Thomas Mullen, 2008.
TALE TITLE: “The Last Town on Earth.”
LATEST BOOK: “The Revisionists,” 2011.
NOTABLE: It took Mullen seven years to publish his first book. He’s
released two in the past three years, beginning with 2009’s pulpy
“The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers” and last fall’s
“The Revisionists,” one of the most anticipated books of
the year.
“The Revisionists,” Mullen says, “was a bit of a departure
in that it was my first novel not to be historical.” The novel
is set in contemporary Washington, D.C., where Mullen lived for seven
years. The book dabbles in espionage and sci-fi.
“It was exciting to try something news, and I’m glad it
received strong reviews,” Mullen says.
Mullen returns to historical fiction for his fourth book, expected in
early 2013. The author is almost finished with the first draft. “And
I’m very excited,” he says.
P.L. Gaus, 2009.
TALE TITLE: “Separate From the World.”
LATEST BOOK: “Harmless as Doves,” 2011.
NOTABLE: The seventh novel in Gaus’ ongoing series of Amish mysteries
earned strong reviews from The New York Times, Booklist and Publishers
Weekly. The latter said “Multidimensional characters on both sides
of the cultural divided give depth to the narrative” and “it’s
the complex interactions of these two very different cultures that make
this such an enjoyable and enlightening read.”
“Harmless as Doves” will be released as a trade paperback
in June and audio books of the first six Amish-Country Mysteries will
soon be available from Random House Audio.
Gaus’ first book, "Blood of the Prodigal," was the 2011
selection for Choose to Read Ohio, a state-wide reading program that
highlights Ohio authors.
Garth Stein, 2010.
TALE TITLE: “The Art of Racing in the Rain.”
LATEST BOOK: “Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog,” 2011.
NOTABLE: An anticipated novel didn’t arrive in 2011, but Stein
still provided readers with a new look at an old friend. “Racing
in the Rain: My Life as a Dog” is a young reader version of the
perennially popular “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” The
story’s the same, but strong language and allegations of sexual
molestation have been removed to make the book more appropriate for
8 to 12 year old readers.
Stein’s next adult novel is back on track. He says he recently
finished a draft of his next book, “A Sudden Light.” He’s
working on rewrites now, he tells us, with an eye towards a fall or
spring 2013 release.
Stein says 2011 also “marked another successful year with our
non-profit, Seattle7Writers, an organization comprised of 49 Northwest
authors poised to do good deeds in the literary community.”
“The Art of Racing in the Rain” remains a top-10 staple
on best-seller lists three years after its original release.
Hilllary Jordan, 2011.
TALE TITLE: “Mudbound.”
LATEST BOOK: “When She Woke,” 2011.
NOTABLE: Jordan’s second novel, “When She Woke,” was
released in October 2011. The novel was among autumn’s most acclaimed.
Jordan followed the book’s release with a 2 1/2-month book took
that took her to 38 events, including one in Buffalo.
For 2012, she says, “I plan to take some serious R&R and then
start my third novel.”
2010 Update
Continuing tales of The Tale for Three Counties authors and what they
have been doing since their books were featured in the Tale community
reading program:
Chapter 1: March 27-29, 2003
THE AUTHOR: Leif Enger of Atkin, Minn.
THE BOOK: Peace Like a River.
THE STORY: An adult Ruben Land recalls a turbulent few months in his
family's life that began when his older brother, Davy, is accused of
murder for shooting two neighborhood bullies.
SECOND NOVEL: Enger's follow-up to Peace, "So Brave,
Young and Handsome" (Atlantic Monthly Press), was published
in May 2008. "I'm glad to finally get another book out," Enger
says, acknowledging a couple of false starts before "finally settling
on this character that appeared to me sort of out of the mist."
"So Brave ..." is a story of redemption, love and
a chase, as an old train robber is confronted by his conscience and
tries to reconcile with the wife he left decades ago. But when he comes
out of hiding, his old nemesis - a character based on a real-life Pinkerton
detective - is in pursuit. The book kept Enger on tour for a large part
of the year. By year's end it had made numerous best book of the year
lists, including those of the Christian Science Monitor and the Washington
Post and was finalist for the Christinity Tody Book award for fiction.
So Brave... was also a 2008 Midwest Booksellers' Choice Award Honor
Book for fiction.
GONE HOLLYWOOD: A film adaptation of Peace Like a River remains in production.
Chapter 2: March 26-28, 2004
THE AUTHOR: Howard Frank Mosher of Irasburg, Vt.
THE BOOK: Northern Borders.
THE STORY: A coming-of-age tale set in rural Vermont in the 1940s finds
an adult Austen Kittredge taking a nostalgic look back at a childhood
spent on his grandparents farm in fictional Kingdom County.
RETURN TO KINGDOM COUNTY: Mosher went back to Kingdom County for his
most recent novel, "On Kingdom Mountain," which was published
in July
2007. It introduces readers to Miss Jane Hubbell Kinneson, the last
remaining resident of a wild mountain on the U.S.-Canadian border. She's
trying to stop a proposed highway and finds another adventure when a
mysterious aviator crashes on the frozen lake at the foot of her mountain,
bringing with him a riddle containing clues to the whereabouts of stolen
Civil War-era gold.
RETURN TO GENESEE COUNTY: In October,2008 the author returned to Richmond
Memorial Library, Batavia, to talk about his latest book and introduce
the 2008 Tale selection. Earlier in the summer, Mosher was in Buffalo
and Brockport as part of a summer book tour that made more than 100
stops in 100 days.
NEW PROJECTS: Mosher is at work on a non-fiction book about last summer’s
marathon book tour.The non-fiction travel memoir, “The Great American
Book Tour,” chronicles Mosher’s 100-city book tour to promote
his latest novel, "On
Kingdom Mountain." It will also include some Northeast Kingdom
memoir material from his life in northern Vermont interspersed throughout
the book.
UP NEXT: "Walking to Gatlinburg" focuses on Morgan
Kinneson, Miss Jane Kinneson's father. It is the story of Morgan's trip
from Vermont to the Civil War ravaged South to track down and eliminate
six psychopaths who have been killing conductors of the Underground
Railroad, including his parents. The novel includes scenes
along the Erie Canal from near Albany to Utica and at the Union prison
camp in Elmira. Walking to Gatlinburg was released March 2,
2010. It debuted at no. 23 on the Indie list and was a notable pick
for March 2010 by the American Booksellers Association. This year also
finds Mosher with a new publisher, Random House, that reunites him with
Shaye Areheart, editor to A Stranger in the Kingdom.
Chapter 3: March 10-12, 2005
THE AUTHOR: Julia Spencer-Fleming of Buxton, Maine.
THE BOOK: In the Bleak Midwinter.
THE STORY: Spencer-Fleming's debut novel introduces readers to Clare
Fergusson, a well-intentioned Episcopal priest and former Army helicopter
pilot, who moves to the fictional Adirondack town of Millers
Kill. When a baby is discovered abandoned in a church stairwell, mother
and later investigate a murder. As events unfold, Fergusson must navigate
the silence and secrets of a small town and her own delicate relationship
with the police chief.
A BIG YEAR: The fifth book in the series, "All Mortal Flesh,"
was released in October 2006 but it was 2007 that proved to be a big
year for the author. The novel, which put Russ as the chief suspect
in a murder investigation, was nominated for best mystery in many major
awards categories. She won a Gumshore Award from Mystery Ink, a popular
online destination for mystery fans, and capped the year by winning
the Nero Award for best mystery from The Wolfe Pack, a society of admirers
of mystery writer Nero Wolfe.
THE STORY CONTINUES: "I Shall Not Want" (St. Martin's Minotaur,
June 2008), the sixth book in the series, finds Russ and Clare dealing
with their relationship as they investigate the deaths of several Hispanic
immigrants. Spencer-Fleming has completed the seventhk in the series,
One was a Soldier. One was a Soldier is scheduled
for release in April 2011. Specer-Fleming is now planning an eigth book
in this popular series and promises that she is "determined to
finish this one in less than a year!" Spencer is also planning
a new novel set around the closing of Maine State Prison in Thomaston,
Maine. It will be her first story set in Maine.
Chapter 4: March 23-25, 2006
THE AUTHOR: Jennifer Donnelly of Brooklyn
THE BOOK: A Northern Light.
THE STORY: Historical fiction story blends a real-life 1906 murder
with the coming of age story of 16-year-old Mattie Gokey working her
summer job at a resort on Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks.
'LIGHT' STILL BRIGHT: Known as "A Gathering Light" in the
United Kingdom, where it won a Carnegie Medal in 2003 for best children's
novel, Donnelly's book was among 10 finalists for 2007's Carnegie of
Carnegie. The award celebrated the 70-year history of the Carnegie Medal
(the winner was Philip Pullman's "Northern Lights," the novel
that prompted the title change of Donnelly's book.).
NEXT OUT: "The Winter Rose" (Hyperion), the second book in
a planned
trilogy, reunites readers with the Finnegan family. Beginning where
"The
Tea Rose" left off on the river Thames, the new novel follows the
story
of Charlie Finnegan - now notorious East London crime loard Sid Malone
-
and a new character, the crusading woman doctor Indian Selwyn Jones
who
saves Malone's life.
WHAT'S NEXT: Donnelly is working on a new young adult novel and "The
Wild Rose," the last book of her Rose trilogy."I can't be
away from the Finnegans for too long," Donnelly says. "I miss
them and want to catch up with them, and most of all, I want to find
out what happens next."
Chapter 5: March 8 to 10, 2007
THE AUTHOR: Mark Spragg of Cody, Wyo.
THE BOOK: An Unfinished Life.
THE STORY: A woman, running with her young daughter from an abusive
relationship, tries to make amends with a bitter Wyoming rancher after
causing a car accident that killed his son and her husband.
HIGHS AND LOWS: In 2007, Spragg did a number of one-book reading
programs, including several days in Fort Collins, Colo.
One place he didn't go was Salt Lake City, Utah, where a program run
by the Salt Lake County Library System rescinded its invitation when
the system's director said a staffer "jumped the gun" by inviting
Spragg before an ad hoc committee could make the selection. The panel
decided against choosing the author because the library system promoted
his book the previous year under a reader's choice program, the director
said.
WHAT'S NEXT: Bone Fire: A Novel was published on March 9, 2010.
Bonefire takes place many years after An Unfinished Life
and is once again set in Ishawoa, Wyoming. It continues the story of
Einar Gilkyon, now 80 and taking stock of his life.
Chapter 6: March 13 to 15, 2008
THE AUTHOR: Thomas Mullen of Washington, D.C.
THE BOOK: The Last Town on Earth
THE STORY: An uninfected town votes to quarantine itself against a deadly
epidemic and two young friends are asked to guard the entrance and keep
strangers out.
SECOND NOVEL: The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers was published
in January 2010. Set against the bleak backdrop of Depression-era America,
this is the story of Jason and Whit Fireson, a fictionl pair of bank-robbing
siblings and their flirtation with immortaility.
Chapter 7: March 12 to 14, 2009
THE AUTHOR:P.L. Gaus of Wooster, Ohio
THE BOOK:Separate from the World
THE STORY:The story of a rift between two Amish factions, one that favors
the use of medicine and that participates in a college study of genetic
traits particulr to the Amish Community and the other that rejects any
outside influence.
Updated January 12, 2011