Katiaesque

  • Best Contemporary Historical Fiction for Adult Readers

    In bookstores and on amazon.com we have so many categories. Romance, mystery, historical titles, contemporary ones, etc. But as of right now, there is no separate category for recent historical fiction. So I am creating one, right here on this little blog. After half a year of searching, sorting, reading and interviewing, I have put together a list of 17…

    Katia Raina

  • “The Sky Unwashed” by Irene Zabytko

    Algonquin Books, 2000   This didn’t have the fast-paced feel of today’s traditional novel. I realize the characters, their lives and their stories had to have been invented, at least partly, still, I thought of this narrative more like a non-fictional account of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and its harrowing surreal aftermath for the people who worked and…

    Katia Raina

  • “No Country Is Safe From Totalitarianism:” An Interview With Author Gloria Whelan

    The most amazing thing to me about Gloria Whelan is her incredible versatility and productivity. She has written dozens of books set in times and places as varied as Vietnam, Communist Russia, 19th century Michigan and ancient China. Through all that, her writing is never bogged down in research. Her stories are first of all that — stories. And she tells them…

    Katia Raina

  • Deborah Wiles: Documenting the Decade of “What?” and “Wow!”

    As promised earlier this summer . . . It is such an honor to introduce to you Deborah Wiles, the author of picture books and middle-grade novels, including my favorite “Each Little Bird that Sings” and now, the brand new “Countdown,” a documentary novel with a great spunky heroine! https://katiaraina.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/countdown-by-deborah-wiles/   How was the experience…

    Katia Raina

  • “Rhythm in My Head:” an interview with Ann E. Burg

    Since she was about four years old, Ann E. Burg, a middle child of four siblings, was walking around, “writing poems in [her] head.”                Michael fights, fights, fights                                                                         He fights for his rights               When he wins, he grins . . . Ann’s mother  and  father always had classical music playing on the radio,…

    Katia Raina

  • Independence Day USA (with a dash of global perspective)

     Back from Philadelphia this week, “the birthplace of our nation,” with a little Independence Day   report.  My favorite part of the celebration? The late morning parade in historic district. It started with the expected police cruisers and motorcycles showing off their red-white-and blue lights’ blinking and sirens’ friendly wailing. The typical 1770s ladies and gents waved…

    Katia Raina

  • Jonathan Evison: “What More Can You Ask of Anybody?”

    I am so pleased and excited to give you Jonathan Evison, another fabulous author. His novel for   adults “All About Lulu” (Soft Skull Press, 2008) spans the 1970s-1990s, delves into dreams, love, obsession, growing up and family. The  book is impossible to put down, and once you reluctantly close its covers, the characters will keep haunting you.        (Also,…

    Katia Raina

  • A Question and a Giveaway: How Old Are You?

    No. I am not asking how many years ago you made your appearance on this planet. I want to know, how old is your soul?  When I sat down for an amazing chat with author Nan Marino last week, we talked about what audiences we like to write for. Her favorite readers are “MG” or middle-graders. She relates to 11-year-olds…

    Katia Raina

  • Dreaming Big in 1969: Interview with author Nan Marino

    It is always a thrill to find out you live practically next town over to an interesting, creative person. But imagine reading a book you love, then discovering its author is (a) basically your neighbor, and (b) is a writing maniac and a dreamer just like you. Imagine then, getting together with the said author, to…

    Katia Raina

  • Contemporary History . . .

    Contemporary – what? Isn’t it like saying, “a thirty-something teenager?” 🙂 History is supposed to be historical. Not oxymoronic. But there are many kinds of yesterday. To me, “contemporary history,” is the still young times, the thirty-something times. The  cars, the television, the language that includes terms like, “speaking like a robot,” or “pushing one’s buttons.” If you’re…

    Katia Raina