'And Just Imagine If I'd Never Thought To Ask...'

Madapple, by Christina Meldrum

Book clubs can be wonderful. Wine in hand, you’ll get to say “I quite liked that” or “couldn’t get through it”. Sometimes, and sadly, that’s all you’ll have to say about the club’s latest selection. If we submit this as true, and as a shame, then may I suggest, Madapple, by Christina Meldrum. It is, very simply, a fantastic book. 

So far, in exploring truth in fiction for PsychJourney, I’ve had an in-your-face contemporary piece exploring how we deal with infidelity in the here and now. And there was much truth to be found in it.

This time, although also set in present day, we get to look at something more fundamental. It’s less about how we react to certain stimuli and more about how we come to believe – in anything at all. Madapple is from the inside out. It explores identity, heritage, religion, isolation, herbology, mythology, justice, and miracles. If that sounds like a tall order, it won’t feel like it.

Christina Meldrum draws you through your paces and you’ll never resent the lessons examined, or the introspection it demands. The narrative makes it all go down smoothly, but I won’t call it a spoonful of sugar. It’s too complex for that. It’s the twining story of a girl on trial for multiple murder and her reminiscences of her cloistered upbringing.

I had the very distinct pleasure of speaking with Christina Meldrum about Madapple, her fantastic array of credentials, and how things are not always what they seem.

Madapple is definitely a recommended read and you can also learn more about Ms. Meldrum her work ar www.christinameldrum.com.  Click below to listen to our interview.

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Length-20 minutes, 3 seconds

The Fidelity Files

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Length-19 minutes, 54 seconds

Ms. Jessica Brody

Being me and loving novels the way I do, I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to explore truth in fiction for PsychJourney and The Northstar Guardians. I even wrote a piece on it for AuthorScoop.com while I was preparing my latest interview. Fiction can be an emotional and psychological workout and fiction writers, our very own personal trainers.

Last week I talked to Jessica Brody about her new novel, The Fidelity Files, which explores the all too real minefield of marital infidelity. Ms. Brody’s done her homework and exorcised her conscience while we exercise our reactions to, “what if it were me?”

Her protagonist, Jennifer Hunter is a ‘fidelity inspector’, a woman who goes undercover to the very brink of under-the-covers, to see if the man she’s been hired to evaluate will cheat.

Check out our interview below and Jessica Brody's website at www.thefidelityfiles.com for a video preview of The Fidelity Files and lots of nifty extras.

Mommy I'm Still In Here by Kate McLaughlin

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Length-32 minutes, 10 seconds

I had the pleasure of discovering Kate McLaughlin’s, Mommy I’m Still In Here, a memoir of a mother’s efforts to hold her family together during the crisis of having two of her three children diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The book was moving and frightening, but ultimately hopeful and eminently practical. There is no adult demographic that I can think of that wouldn’t benefit from this easy and fascinating read. If you never need the information on bipolar disorder for the management of your own circumstances, you can only come away enlightened, more compassionate, weighed with important questions and, most importantly, buoyed with hope. 

Ms. McLaughlin’s eldest daughter, Chloe, suffers from the most difficult to treat cascade of symptoms, and her brother, Michael, wrestles with substance abuse issues in his low times, and yet, with their strength of family and perseverance, they’ve achieved satisfaction and competence in their lives. Ms. McLaughlin is a shining example of someone able to map the big picture and offers a way to develop perspective. She soars high. 

All I can do is recommend Mommy I’m Still In Here.
 

For more information and guidance to resources about bipolar disorder and other mental health issues, please visit her website at www.katemclaughlin.net.

 

Interview With Author Darcey Steinke

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Length-30 minutes, 33 seconds

Easter Everywhere: A Memoir by Darcey Steinke

 

Ms. Darcey Steinke

Rare is the person who gets through life without a theological hurdle. Whether you clear it or crawl under it or smash into it while knocking it over and landing on your face, most all of us take the finish tape with at least a little sweat on the brow. We all struggle at some point.

It can be kind of lucky for the rest of us when writers do it.

Easter Everywhere is bestselling author, Darcey Steinke’s, memoir on how the story of her life (so far) has played out, often spindled on her quest for connection with the Divine. Ms. Steinke’s observations and honesty could certainly make many a pilgrim feel less alone.

As a Lutheran minister’s daughter, her grounding in Christian tenets contrasted against a home life of privation and some discord. Rebellion and self-discovery drew her out into the world, but Easter Everywhere keeps the spotlight on the tether that reeled her back, sometimes gently, sometimes with a yank, to her certainty of a Higher Power.

Ms. Steinke’s lyricism has me looking forward to her novels.  Lucky for me, there’s a bookstore down the street and amazon.com if I can’t be bothered to comb my hair and put on some shoes.

I had a chance to speak with Darcey Steinke about Easter Everywhere and her thoughts on writing. Click below to hear the audio, and visit www.darceysteinke.org for more information on her books and upcoming projects.