Em Shotwell offers advice on writing about settings, her new 'Blackbird Falling' novel comes out today

Our guest blogger today is Em Shotwell, the author of "Blackbird Summer," "The Chans" (short story, part of the Blackbird series) and the "Enchanted" series. Her latest book, "Blackbird Falling" comes out today. She will discuss and sign her books Nov. 9 at Conundrum Books in St. Francisville and speak about the writing process Dec. 12 at the Zachary branch of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library.

Know Your Place: Place and setting another character in our stories and our lives.

By Em Shotwell

When I was a girl, I was a bit of a wildling. My parents’ house was in rural Mississippi, next door to my grandma’s, but I may as well have lived in the woods. 

I spent my time outdoors, weaving through the trees, catching turtles and crawdads and frogs with my sisters and cousins. The rocks and leaves crunched under my feet, the tiny creek babbled as it lapped around my ankles, and the trees seemed to inhale as they swayed, so tall and thick that the sunlight filtered through their branches in muted tones. The woods were magic. They were alive—humming with the static of my little girl anticipation, mirroring my belief that anything could (and would) happen. 

Places (like the woods of my childhood) have power—they can comfort you better than any spoken word, wrapping you in their cozy warmth, telling you that everything will be okay. They can excite you—feeding into your craving for adventure. Places can feel malicious, pressing against you their depressing aura until you feel you may snap. 

I consider the places I create in my books, which have been called things like “atmospheric,” as characters. Brooklyn, Mississippi, with its ghostly live oaks and preening magnolias—with its crumbling antebellum homes, sitting on clean, but overgrown yards, next to cheaply constructed strip malls, reflects the people who live in its city limits. The town itself sets the reader’s expectations of things to come. 

Just like the town, the other characters in the story are mixtures of good and bad, ugly and beautiful—and also like the fictional town, sometimes they are more (or less) than they first appear to be. The Caibre family farm—bright and thriving, until tragedy causes flowers to wilt and trees to die—could be considered one of the main characters of Blackbird Summer.  It is so tightly woven through the Caibre’s family story, that it isn’t simply where they live—it is a part of their identity. The Caibre’s relationship with their family land is symbiotic, as both the people and the land thrive and grow, or wilt and die, together as one. 

In Blackbird Falling, Delia, Tully, and the gang take a trip to rural Tennessee, to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. They are on a rescue mission, as well as to suss out a problem that they believe another Gifted family is facing. It is evident from the moment they step foot on the other family’s land, that wickedness has taken a strong hold of the area. The grass is dying, and homes and barns are decaying, but it is more than that. There is an evil taste to the air that burns your lungs if you breathe too deeply. Soon the Caibre clan discovers that their suspicions are correct, and let’s just say that there is nothing good left except for the person they came to bring home.

The places we live and grow are characters in the story of our daily lives. The college campus that, to one student, is a daunting obstacle to overcome, is to another student a playground ready to be explored. Homes are peaceful retreats. Homes are haunted nightmares. Small towns are cozy. Small towns are suffocating. Cities are bustling and alive—the place to make your fortune. Cities eat people and spit them out—gorging on the dreams of the gullible. Places shape our lives. They shape who we are and who we become. In your life’s story, is the character of place a hero or antagonist? Do you thrive in your surroundings, or feel the need to flee? 

Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.

Review of 'Perennials' by Julie Cantrell

I’ve been intrigued by this book set in Oxford, Miss., ever since I wrote about Cantrell’s book being selected by the Francis Ford Coppola Winery for the book pairing of the week back in January. Cantrell grew up in Louisiana and set her third novel, “The Feathered Bone,” in Livingston Parish, her childhood stomping grounds. When I recently visited Oxford and stopped in at one of my favorite bookstores, Square Books, I picked up a signed copy.

Character Eva “Lovey” Sutherland grows up in a loving Oxford family and is enamored with both her mother’s elaborate garden and her older sister, Bitsy. An incident involving a fire in the family shed changes everything, and Lovey becomes the scapegoat to Bitsy’s constant accusations and blame. Frustrated by her sister’s lies, Lovey leaves home, and behind a young love, and finds success in advertising in Arizona.

Years later, while Lovey is rebounding from a destructive relationship with a man who also lies, her father calls and insists she come home. It’s their 50^th anniversary and he’s not taking no for an answer. He wants Lovey to help him create a memory garden for her mom. Despite work demands, Lovey heads to Mississippi and discovers there’s more to resolve in Oxford than she ever imagined.

“Perrenials” deals with the heartache and joy we sometimes leave behind when we escape our childhood homes. It examines those difficult familial relationships that sometimes seem impossible to repair. Bitsy’s a piece of work, but there’s a story there as well, one that comes out slowly.

I enjoyed the tale of returning home, the parents desire to revisit the places and retrieve plants that they would incorporate into the memory garden. Wanting to know why Bitsy lied like she did and why she believed that Lovey was the cause of her problems became frustrating, however. I couldn’t help but wonder why the parents didn’t see through her lies or if she was mentally unstable; I kept waiting for some reason why she acted in such extreme ways. At one point, for instance, Bitsy cuts Lovey off from her children, but we’re never told why.

Overall, the book’s a lovely story about the draw the South has for many of us. I know I’m one who left several times and always returned home.

Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.

Ward returns with powerful generational novel

The National Book Foundation released its longlist for fiction last week for the 2017 National Book Awards and “Sing, Unburied, Sing” by Jesmyn Ward, along with Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s “A Kind of Freedom” (reviewed in this column Aug. 20) made the cut. Not surprising, of course, since Ward is a past National Book Award winner for “Salvage the Bones,” a novel about a family facing a hurricane on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which is a gross simplification of the premise, but we’re limited for space.

“Sing, Unburied, Sing” also revolves around a Mississippi Coast family, told in multiple narratives: Jojo, a young boy coming of age; Leonie, his mother battling drug addiction and hallucinations of her dead brother when she is high; and Richie, the ghost of a young boy once imprisoned at Parchman Mississippi State Penitentiary. Jojo, his toddler sister, Leonie and a friend head up to Parchman to retrieve Jojo’s father, a white man who’s been serving time. Jojo’s grandfather, Pop, objects to the trip, which turns into a harrowing experience for the boy, a journey that transcends past and present when Ritchie arrives.  

The book examines this fractured family with stalwart Pop as its unifying center, exposing the ugly truths that sometimes make up an American family, but also the strengths beneath. It’s an intimate portrayal of a family grappling with both hope and despair in many aspects of their lives. Ward’s beautiful, expressive language resonates throughout the book, drawing us into her reality, allowing us to feel and witness. Reading her story is akin to listening to music, lilting and powerful at the same time.

“When we pull off the highway and onto a back road, the sky is dark blue, turning its back to us, pulling a black sheet over its shoulder,” Jojo says as they make their way through Mississippi.

The audio version of the book is available with Chris Chalk, Rutina Wesley from “Queen Sugar” and “True Blood” fame and Kelvin Harrison Jr., a New Orleans native, reading passages. The book is also a finalist for the 2017 Kirkus Prize — and I’m sure more to come.

Ward grew up in DeLisle, Miss., and received her MFA from the University of Michigan, where she won five Hopwood awards for essays, drama, and fiction. A Stegner Fellow at Stanford, from 2008-2010, she has been named the 2010-11 Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi. Her debut novel, “Where the Line Bleeds,” was an Essence Magazine Book Club selection, a Black Caucus of the ALA Honor Award recipient, and a finalist for both the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. She is currently associate professor of creative writing at Tulane.

Ward will be signing her novel Oct. 10 at Octavia Books in New Orleans.

New releases

Two Louisiana authors – Patty Friedmann and M.A. Harper – will discuss and sign copies of their new books at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the East Bank Regional Library in Metairie. The event is free and open to the public.

Friedman is the author of “Organized Panic,” where sister is set against brother, born secular humanist against later-in-life evangelical Christian. In the end, Cesca and Ronald will have to face each other down, and each will have to try to prove the other is not above board. The manuscript took second place in the Faulkner-Wisdom competition. Friedman is the author of several novels, and she has served as writer-in-residence at Tulane University.

Harper is the author of “Things That Can Fall,” the latest novel in what she calls “Supernatural Lite.” Her character, Neil Overcash, wants Broadway stardom and stage manager Libby Papalekas wants Neil Overcash. Ramon wants to be a girl. Mickey and A.P. have no idea what they want, except each other. Welcome to Lower Manhattan, where it’s 1975 with disco barely born, AIDS yet unknown and violent crime rampant. Harper’s novels have been spotlighted via Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers program, the BookSense ‘76 List, TIME magazine and the 2015 Digital Book Awards where she was named as one of five finalists for Adult Fiction.

Also at the library is two New Orleans authors: Deborah Burst, author of “The Mystical Life of Trees” and Ronnie Virgets, author of “Saints and Lesser Souls.” They will talk about their latest works and sign copies at 7 p.m. Thursday at the East Bank Regional Library. Burst, a self-professed ambassador of trees, will share the beauty of trees from New Orleans to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and offer anecdotes of the healing power of nature. Virgets has written for several publications and been a radio and TV personality. He’s won an Emmy, an Edward R. Murrow award, two Eclipse honors and the 2001 Press Club of New Orleans Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Lafayette Library

Matt de la Pena stops in Lafayette Thursday to talk about his children’s book, “Last Stop on Market Street.” The program will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Main Library Meeting Room, but come early for a special tour of a city bus. For information on the author, visit http://mattdelapena.com/.

The Digital Bookmobile National Tour is also making a stop in Lafayette, from noon to 6 p.m. Monday at the South Regional Library. Traveling coast to coast, the newly updated 42-foot-long Toterhome mobile exhibit will provide an interactive experience for readers of all ages to explore eBooks and audiobooks available at the library. A high-tech update to the traditional bookmobile, visitors can learn how to borrow digital books, stop at the Gadget Gallery to explore a variety of devices, talk with eReading experts and so much more. Tours are free and open to the community. Readers can borrow eBooks and audiobooks anytime, anywhere by visiting http://bayouland.overdrive.com.

Book news

Margaret Simon of Iberia Parish Gifted Program will be speaking at the 2017 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) annual convention in St. Louis. Simon will present as a member of the panel, “Don't Give Up on Boys! How to Nurture Boy Readers and Writers.” The NCTE is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.

Banned Books Week begins today and runs through Sept. 30, an annual celebration of the freedom to read. For this year’s celebration, the coalition of organizations that sponsor Banned Books Week — everyone from the American Library Association to the Center of the Book at the Library of Congress — will emphasize the importance of the First Amendment, which guarantees our inherent right to read.

Book events the week of Sept. 24-30

Dr. Jeff Foret, professor of history and distinguished faculty research fellow at Lamar University, will discuss his research for his nonfiction book project from 12 to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Nichol’s State University. His book follows the story of Washington, D.C. slave trader, William H. Williams, as he moved two dozen slaves from Virginia to Louisiana. The talk is part of the school’s Ellender Memorial Library’s traveling exhibit from the Historic New Orleans Collection, “Purchased Lives: The American Slave Trade from 1808 to 1865.”

William Barnwell signs “Angels in the Wilderness: Young and Black in New Orleans and Beyond,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Octavia Books in New Orleans.

Former U.S. representative and Louisiana Gov. Charles “Buddy” Roemer signs copies of his new book, “Scopena: A Memoir of Home,” at 6 p.m. Thursday at Barnes and Noble Baton Rouge-Citi Place and at 1 p.m. Saturday at Barnes and Noble Baton Rouge-Perkins Rowe.

Errol Laborde, Peggy Laborde and contributors to “New Orleans: The First 300 Years” will be on hand to discuss and sign the book at 6 p.m. Thursday at Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans.

Cheré Coen is the author of “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country.” She writes Louisiana romances and a paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.