Giveaway of THE FADED TAPESTRY & interview with author Christy Burkley

This week's giveaway is Christy Burkley's THE FADED TAPESTY: A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES. 

  

From a mysterious, fading, historical tapestry to a fish that speaks to a confused, grief-stricken boy, author Christy Burkley offers eight wickedly comical tales of eccentrics and delightfully dysfunctional individuals that collide with the limits of reality.

HOW DO YOU WIN A FREE COPY OF THE FADED TAPESTRY?  To enter the contest, simply leave a comment or question on the Writers' Lens blog between now (June 25) and midnight June 30, 2012. Please include your email so we can reach you if you win. The more comments you leave, the greater your chance of winning the contest. If you refer others to The Writer's Lens who mention your name in their comments, I'll enter your name again in our random number generator along with theirs, also increasing your chances at winning! The winner will be chosen after midnight on Saturday, June 30. Good luck and comment often!

Where to buy books: www.amazon.com, www.christyburkley.com, Parnassus book store in Nashville, Tenn., and Wood and Strings in Townsend, Tenn.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting CHRISTY BURKLEY in April at Christina Katz's master class during the Missouri Writers' Guild conference. Christy graduated from East Tennessee State University with a bachelors degree in business administration. She continued to St. Louis Community College where she got her degree in Applied Science. She is now a dental hygienist and mother of two. She is an award-winning author of The Faded Tapestry: A Collection of Short Stories.

The Writers’ Lens is about "Bringing fiction into focus." What brings your writing into focus-- the characters, the stories, the love of words?  All: characters, stories, the love of words, but if I had to choose one, I would say the characters drive my short stories.

 

What inspired your latest book?  My grandmother’s death. She was instrumental in influencing me to follow my dreams. Also, I am an avid reader and have been inspired by many, many writers (both dead and alive).

What do you think readers will like about your book? I think they will like the characters.

•  Mary Rose Davis, the protagonist in "The Faded Tapestry," is a ninety-year-old recluse. Her grandfather was the Civil War hero, Sam Davis. Mary Rose is obsessed with the past and her large family that, strangely enough, all died unnatural, untimely deaths. Parts of the story are nonfictional (the accounts of Sam Davis, his role in the Civil War, his capture, and bizarre accidents that killed her closest relatives). Mary Rose finds herself forced to deal with the present when she discovers that her ancestral family home will be demolished for a state highway. She calls her self-absorbed son, a lawyer in California, for help. Her son refuses to help, even after there are discoveries that could prevent or delay the project. When Mary Rose goes missing, her son discovers she has done the unthinkable in order to preserve her family's history. The cast of characters include a woman Mary Rose nicknames The Dazzler, a young, confident, beautiful woman determined to become an actress. There is young Samantha Smith, a pastor's daughter who steals her heart, and a psychic who accurately predicts Mary Rose's future. Also, in the townhouses behind her home, there are two homosexuals who befriend her despite her hardened anti-gay prejudices.
• Other stories in THE FADED TAPESTRY include "The Escape," a story about a 47-year-old St. Louis woman who tries to do the "right" thing by taking care of her mother at her home instead of admitting her to a nursing home, a decision that leads to disaster. 
• In "The Talking Fish," a grief-ridden boy turns to science instead of religion when his father dies. 
• In "The Jackpot," a cynical retired military woman finds love. 
• In "The Poem," a woman learns to deal with the death of her saint-like mother.

Would you share a bit about your next project? I have written a suspense novel, CARLOTTA'S WEB. I am working on a young adult novel. I am very excited about both projects. In the meantime, I continue to write short stories.

What is the highest compliment someone could make about your writing? I heard someone say, “I couldn’t put it down.” I think that’s the highest compliment that I could receive.

What is your favorite writing snack? Dark chocolate-covered almonds

Is there a different type of genre you’d love to try to write? I am trying to write a young adult novel. It has been both challenging and exciting.

What’s your most ill-conceived story idea? The first book I wrote was a short, middle grade-young adult novel. It was about a young girl that discovered enchanted colored pencils in her grandmother’s basement.

What are your top three reasons for writing? I will tell you outright it is not money. It is a genuine love for words and a desire to be a storyteller.

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Thanks for joining us, Christy. This is T.W. Fendley. You can find me at www.twfendley.com and on Twitter @twfendley.