Nadine Feldman, Author

celebrating strong female characters and whatever else strikes my fancy

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Feeding Time

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Pear Tree in Bloom
Pear Tree in Bloom

This is the time of year when garden tasks are more of the geeky variety. I’m testing soils and making up batches of fertilizer for each of my garden beds. Some need a lot, some just a little. It’s feeding time. It’s a time of listening…to what the garden needs, to Mother Nature’s whims of rain or sun, and to my own energy levels as I reconnect with “spring muscles.”

I didn’t always understand the importance of this time. A relatively new gardener, I wanted the showy plants but didn’t like taking the time to feed the ground.

Yet when the ground is properly fed and composted, the plants grow better, it’s easier for the beds to retain moisture in the dry season, and the food I harvest is healthier. By taking time to test the soil and give each bed the foundation it needs, I will have greater abundance in the end.

Beds waiting for food!
Beds waiting for food!

I’m taking the same approach to my writing. Today is the official release date for What She Knew (though I had to make it live sooner to do a Goodreads giveaway). For months I have worked behind the scenes, getting industry reviews, setting up advertising, etc. Soon the blog tour will begin. I didn’t do this with the last novel. Hopefully with this one I will find a way above the noise and find some readers…but in any event, I have fed the soil, and the results are starting to bear fruit.

Hyacinths: blink and you miss the flowers.
Hyacinths: blink and you miss the flowers.

Here’s to spring and to feeding time!

The Goodreads giveaway for What She Knew goes on until April 1, so it’s not too late to sign up! Also, to celebrate the paperback release of What She Knew, I’m offering the Kindle version FREE through April 1!

Why I Write Romance — by Special Guest Toi Thomas #itslikethefullmoon #IndieBooksBeSeen

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Today I welcome Toi Thomas to my blog! I “met” Toi through the Insecure Writers Support Group, and she has just finished a blog tour to promote It’s Like the Full Moon (written under the name Glorie Townson). Today she joins us on a special post-tour stop.

If you want to visit the other tour stops to learn more about Toi, click here for a complete list. The giveaway is over, but the fun continues!

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 Greetings Nadine and readers. I’m so happy to be here today talking about why I write romance. The desire to pen tales of romance stemmed from my misunderstanding of the genre. I was baffled by the overwhelming appeal of this genre and figured the best way to understand it, would be to conquer it.

It’s Like the Full Moon is my first foray into contemporary romance as a writer, and even my readership of the genre is fairly young. For as long as I could remember, romance as a genre seemed to be overly simplified into either erotic, dramatic, and or naïve subplots mashed together to bring “the boy and the girl” into each other’s arms at the end. While this is true for some stories, I soon realized just how wrong I was in my narrow-minded assumptions.

Romance is more than the stuff that happens to bring upon a happy ending; it’s the journey of love and the discovery of all the different paths people can take to find it. To be able to tell the story of how people overcome the obstacles of life in order to share themselves with someone else is no easy task and is in many ways a great responsibility. Writing romance is a platform for relationship therapy and self-discovery.

While the entertainment value of these stories is unquestionable, the deeper meaning and the ability to connect to reader’s baser instincts is an empowering experience. Some people never develop a passion for politics, never comprehend the appeal of superpowers, never feel invested enough to track clues in hopes of solving the crime, and so much more, but everyone on some level identifies with love and the pursuit of it. Romances take these pursuits and focuses them on uniting soulmates, kindred spirits, convenient companions, bold lovers, and more.

I write romance because it gives me a chance to tell the world that making love is worth ending all other pursuits and battles; and for those fortunate enough to freely pursue happiness, hopefully romance is part of the package.

Rebecca has just turned thirty. She’s happy living a perfectly comfortable and predictable life. She’s even ready to marry her long-time boyfriend whenever he finally gets around to asking her. But all that changes when her best friend whisks her away to Italy for a much-needed vacation.
In the midst of site seeing and finally letting loose, Rebecca manages to catch the eye of a young English tourist; but doesn’t let it go to her head. By the time she’s back in the States and back in the arms of her long-time beau, Rebecca has already forgotten about Peter, Paten, Paul…whatever his name was, that is until he shows up at her brother’s cabin in the woods.
A life of normalcy, routine, and stability gets turned upside down as Rebecca decides whether or not she’s truly ready to get married. And if so, who is the one she’s really meant to be with?

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This book is currently available for Pre-order as an ebook through Amazon.com and as a paperback direct from the author. Be sure to pre-order your copy at its reduced introductory rate and save your receipt number to earn extra entries into Glorie’s cool giveaway.
Pre-order Kindle | Pre-order Paperback | add to Goodreads
 Glorie Townson is more than just a pen name for the author, Toi Thomas; she’s an entirely different personality. Glorie is the softer side of Toi, who puts down her comic books and picks up a volume of Robert Frost poems. Like Toi, Glorie is happily married to her wonderfully supportive husband, and together they share a home with their pet turtle, Betty. This is Glorie’s first publication, but she’s already feeling the inspiration to pen another tale, to which she’ll gladly share with the world.
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Book Review — Jesse: A Mother’s Story #bookreview

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I will review a book only if I like it…and I’ve been through some clunkers lately! I am pleased to find one worth praising and sharing with you today.

I’m thinking of adding a second blog post starting Fridays to cover my NYC adventure. I have several weeks of Wednesday posts lined up, so it appears if I want to tell all these great stories, I need to blog more!

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Jesse Book CoverMarianne Leone is a force of nature. If she wasn’t born with the fierceness of a lion, she found that fierceness when her son, Jesse, was born ten weeks early. A cerebral hemorrhage just a few days into his new life caused a host of physical problems, including cerebral palsy and seizures. Yet despite quadriplegia and an inability to speak, Jesse managed to flourish. With the help of his tenacious parents, he lived a full, rich life. His loving mother tells his story in her book, Jesse: A Mother’s Story.

I met Ms. Leone briefly at the recent Port Townsend Film Festival, where she hosted a screening of My Left Foot and discussed her life with Jesse, who died in his sleep in 2006. She talked passionately about her efforts, often rebuffed, to integrate Jesse into mainstream education. She wanted us all to know that their story, though sad, is not tragic. She also wanted to make clear that she is no saint, that she is human and flawed, a woman who did the best she could with a situation that redefines “difficult.”

Jesse is beautifully written, with wonderful imagery. Ms. Leone has also included several photographs and poems Jesse wrote. Her book is a powerful education to people of how to relate to people with disabilities. Often people misjudged Jesse’s intellectual capacities, which were substantial, because of his physical challenges.

Both of us turned to writing a book as a way to bear witness to our children. Mine, When a Grandchild Dies: What to Do, What to Say, How to Cope, addresses the unique grief of grandparents, which is too often underrepresented in bereavement literature. I wrote it to honor my daughter Reba, who was stillborn.

Jesse: A Mother’s Story will join other brilliant books, such as My Left Foot, as testament to what is possible when someone believes in our potential, regardless of what appears on the outside.