AuthorFest of the Rockies

On Friday, October 2nd, I'll be speaking at AuthorFest of the Rockies. Below is an interview I did with TalkingBooks TV to help promote AuthorFest. I think I'm going to talk about "the writer's journey." About how the concept of "the hero's journey" informs my writing and maybe even my life.


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They like me!

I'd like to thank my agent.... Just kidding. I'm not going to go all Oscar-speech on you, but I learned yesterday that I am 5280 Magazine's Editor's Choice for best author in their "Top of the Town" July issue. I am quite honored! And I do want to thank editor Julie Dugdale and her crew for including me. (I also thank my agent because she rocks!)

Going back to Cali

People of Los Angeles, I'll be in your fair city June 12 reading & signing Children of the Waters at the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival. The festival was founded and is run (in part) by my good friend Heidi Durrow, author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. If you can make it, come out and say hi!

Interview coming up on Saturday Mornings with Joy Keys

Colorado Authors

Meet me and dozens of other local authors at the Englewood Public Library Sunday, April 11. We'll be signing books, answering questions and generally schmoozing. Come join us. Details here.

Costco Book Signing

I'll be signing copies of Children of the Waters and Orange Mint and Honey on Saturday, Feb. 6th at the Costco in Aurora, CO. If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by and say hey!

Saturday, February 6, Noon-2 p.m.
Costco
1471 South Havana
Aurora, Colorado 80012

Here are some links to some recent reviews and news:

Waiting for Bambino, a blog about adoption, reviews Children of the Waters. And the folks at Color Online will be hosting an online discussion of it on Friday, Feb. 6th.

Jill Scott recently appeared on Chelsea Lately discussing "Sins of the Mother"

Book Talk, Creativity and Family Matters

I'll be on Anjuelle Floyd's Blog Talk Radio show "Book Talk, Creativity and Family Matters" this Saturday, January 23rd.  Noon PT, 1 pm MT, 2 pm CT and 3 pm ET. The call in number is 347-215-7740. Call in and ask us some questions and contribute to the conversation! As the title of her show suggests, we'll be talking books, writing and all kinds of things. You can also listen in online by clicking the above link.

Hello Highlands Ranch!

I'll be at your library tonight (Thursday, Jan. 14) at 7 p.m.  I'll discuss and sign copies of Children of the Waters, which will be sold by Tattered Cover. Please come out and join us. The snow held off (thank God!) and I promise we'll have fun!

iPhone users check this ap

Children of the Waters is an iPhone ap! (it and Orange Mint and Honey are also both available via Kindle and Kindle for iPhone, fyi)

Facebook peeps, we're doing a 32-day writing challenge to write every day for the first 32 days of the year. Happened spontaneously based on this essay by Ann Patchett. It's not too late to join us and share in the encouragement!

Events!

2010 is going to be busy! I've got lots of events in the Denver area this spring, including a signing at the Highlands Ranch Library on January 14th and a signing at Costco in Aurora on February 6th. If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by and say hi! Please check my website for more details.

Also, if you're in Denver, you should know that Heidi Durrow and Donna Grant and Virginia DeBerry are coming to the Tattered Cover Colfax. Heidi will be here March 11 with her debut novel The Girl Who Fell From the Sky and the Dynamic Duo Donna & Virginia will be here March 12 to promote their latest, Uptown. Mark your calendars!

I'm a two-hit wonder!

From AALBC (where there's lots of good info and reviews on books!):

"Carleen Brice has returned to the literary scene with her second novel, Children of the Waters and she's making another huge splash in literary fiction. Her clear and compassionate writing voice has given way to a novel full of love, loss and family connections. It's the story of two sisters who were separated for many years due to deception and circumstance....


This story examines several themes; adoption and racial identity, family and reconnecting, opening up to change, accepting who you are and the importance of love between mothers, daughters and sisters. Brice was able to pull it all together in a novel where plot and characterization were fully developed to create a perfect pitch. Believable characters that the reader could empathize with and a very believable storyline made Children of the Waters a very enjoyable read. Carleen Brice proved with this novel that she is no "one hit wonder"."


Go here for the whole review (warning: lots of spoilers).

Book club chat Tuesday

I'll be chatting about Children of the Waters over at the Rawsistaz site on Tuesday. If you have any questions, feel free to pop in.

Win a copy of Children of the Waters!

Free Book Friday is a site that gives away...you guessed it...free books! This Friday, they'll be giving away 3 copies of Children of the Waters. Go to the site, leave a comment and you're entered to win! Good luck!

On the radio

oh, oh, oh, oh on the radio. (With apologies to Donna Summer) Just wanted to let y'all know I was on the Tavis Smiley Show over the weekend. And the Tattered Cover podcast of my reading of Children of the Waters is now online.

West Side Books

This Sunday, August 16th at 6 p.m. I'll be reading and signing Children of the Waters at West Side Books, 3434 W 32nd Avenue. Would love to see you there!

P.S.

Check out my other blog's online store: t-shirts for sell!

Idaho Springs

A repeat post from October 2007 when I went on a research trip to Idaho Springs. Think I gotta plan another trip up there soon.

Girlfriends Cyber Circuit, Novel Spaces and Writer Unboxed

My gal pals with the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit are touring me. Please check out the many interesting questions they threw at me.

I'm guest blogging on Novel Spaces today about writing and knowing when to listen to your critique group and when to listen to yourself.

Writer Unboxed ran Part I of an interview with me last Friday. Part II is up tomorrow.

Sangria from leftovers

After the book party, I had some leftover red wine and ginger ale. Today I made sangria. Here's the recipe:

1/2 large bottle of red wine (mine were dry wines, but a sweeter one would do)

1 can ginger ale

1/2 cup of lemonade

slices of 1/2 lime, 1/2 orange and 1/2 a green apple

a few bing cherries

It's good, but not very sweet*. You could also add a shot of brandy and/or a shot of triple sec and/or some orange juice and/or a little sugar, depending on your tastes.

Pour over ice and enjoy!

*Actually as the fruit mellowed in the liquid it got pretty sweet. If you're not going to drink it right away (say let it stand in the fridge a few hours), I'd recommend tasting it before adding sugar.

Origin of a title

Children of the Waters is the title of my latest. It's the English definition of a Japanese word mizuko. And relates to the idea that life is a continuum; mizuko are beings that die in the womb either to abortion or miscarriage. For many in Japan, the idea is that fetuses aren't babies yet but they're also more than simply "a clump of cells." Jizo is the protector of mizuko, sort of their patron saint. Some Japanese make memorials to their lost children at Jizo shrines.

I learned about this tradition in an article in the New York Times by Peggy Orenstein years ago. It comforted me after I had a miscarriage (I've had two.).

While I was writing the book, I did more research on mizuko and Jizo and found this dealer who sells hand-carved Jizo statues. I had to have one. So now I have Jizo in my office.

I believe we're all on a continuum. None of us is ever done and we're always in a state of becoming. So it fit my story since Billie, Trish and Will are all struggling with the questions Who am I? We all ask ourselves that question from time to time and the answer changes throughout our lives.

The first question the Mixed Chicks ask on their chats is "What are you?" You can listen to my answer here. How would you answer either question-Who are you? Or what are you?

My book party for CHILDREN OF THE WATERS