As promised, Friday has come around again and this is another peak at A HOOK IN THE SKY - and again, I urge you, once you're finished here to take a look at the snippets posted by other Boomer authors on their blog: you'll find the links to their blogs listed on the Boomer Lit Friday blog. And I bet you'll be amazed at the variety of writing. This should come as no surprise: Boomer lit, being an audience-centric genre like YA lit, spans across most theme-related genres like romance and thrillers.
My book, A HOOK IN THE SKY, could be termed a "slice of life" novel about a retiree-turned-artist. It tells the story of a dashing Frenchman named Robert, who upon retiring from his top level job at the UN, decides to renew with his childhood dream of becoming an artist. He has learned painting from his mother, a School of Paris artist who had her moment of fame back in the 1930s, and his paintings tend to the figural and academic, much to the dismay of his wife Kay who loves contemporary art (she runs an art gallery in Chelsea).
His mother, now widowed and an old lady in her 80s, lives in Paris but upon hearing that he has taken up painting, comes to visit her son in New York, excited at the idea that he is following in her footsteps. She's amazed to discover that Kay, his wife, has shown no desire to see Robert's work. Here's this Friday's peak:
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| One of Robert's paintings, titled Spillover |
His mother, now widowed and an old lady in her 80s, lives in Paris but upon hearing that he has taken up painting, comes to visit her son in New York, excited at the idea that he is following in her footsteps. She's amazed to discover that Kay, his wife, has shown no desire to see Robert's work. Here's this Friday's peak:
When his mother was fixated on
something, she wouldn’t give up. “Kay could be of great use to you and point
the way to what sells here in America” she said. “You know, in art as in
everything else, it’s a question of marketing. Knowing what people want.”
The next morning she cornered Kay
before breakfast. She forced her to ‘come and view’ his latest paintings. Kay
arched an eyebrow and followed her into his studio. Robert remained in the
kitchen nursing his coffee, in no mood to see Kay’s reaction.
Within minutes they were both back,
looking somber. Kay was silent and aloof through breakfast, his mother got
progressively angrier.
“Well, why don’t you tell him
something!” she exploded.
Robert tried to defuse the
situation. “Kay has no wish to say anything, and it’s much better like this!”
His mother glowered and marched out,
her white hair bobbing. She slammed the door of the kitchen, an unexpected
gesture for such a minute, prim lady.
This is the book cover for the paperback (by Create Space) - based on my own art work. Do you like it?
Both e-book and paperback available on Amazon, click here.
PS: Just as I was posting this I realized today is March 8, Women's Day . What could be a better way to celebrate women than to publish this snippet which clearly shows the power of the two most formidable women in Robert's life, his mother and his wife?
PS: Just as I was posting this I realized today is March 8, Women's Day . What could be a better way to celebrate women than to publish this snippet which clearly shows the power of the two most formidable women in Robert's life, his mother and his wife?
Comments
Of course, this is fiction...starting with the fact that the protagonist is a man, I'm a woman, and his marriage has gone to pieces, and mine (touch wood!) is still doing fine after 35 years!
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1131637-reading-and-commenting-a-hook-in-the-sky-our-selected-monthly-read-from
Indeed, once a book has been read, the discussion thread stays OPEN for ALL the books that have been selected. And the selection, as you may know, is done through a poll - be sure to participate in the next one and weigh in on our next read! The polls are set up around the first of every month. This month, starting March 15, I will set up the discussion thread for our next read, Marsha Roberts' Confessions of a Mutinous Baby Boomer - we are currently reading Michael Murphy's Goodbye Emily which turned out to be a perfect example of Boomer lit. Our previous monthly read, surprisingly, turned out not to be Boomer lit at all!
If you're curious, check it out!
The reason all the threads dedicated to our monthly read discussion stay up in that special dedicated folder is that it's our best, most practical, hands-on way to explore the confines of this new genre.