Monday, May 6, 2013

UNEXPECTED GIFTS BY SARAH MALLERY


Unexpected Gifts

by

S. R. Mallery

 

 

The concept of this book developed from a single seed that had germinated many years before.  It was a time back when I was visiting my parents, while I was in bed with my daughter, then three, curled up fast asleep next to me.  My father had given me a short story my mother had gotten published years before that and as I lay reading in bed, I suddenly stopped and looked down at my peaceful, sleeping child.  It was then that the idea crossed my mind and gave me a thrill––there were three generations in our bed that night. 

 

Being an avid American history fan, I started wondering how I could write a story that involved various time frames in the U.S and still have one connective thread.  Slowly, I incorporated the dovetailing of my modern day psychology student heroine (Sonia), lost and misguided, with her learning how to cope with her own life just from reading her family’s ancestors’ diaries and journals.

 

Not a typical love story, the book journeys back and forth between Sonia’s life and the past, as the reader sees her gathering wisdom from her forbearers.  And like Sonia, we, too, are privy to American history: first, the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; next, the 1950’s and early 60’s, along with Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power.  Going back even further, we are exposed to the 1930’s Great Depression, when hobos hopped trains, high-steel workers scaled tremendous heights, crazed dance marathons were all the rage, and Eleanor Roosevelt fought for the rights of all mankind.

 

As Sonia continues discovering more and more about her own life and the people in it, she finds out how hard it was in 1915 for immigrants like her great-great grandfather, even with a good job at the Ford’s Factory, and how, at the same time, the Suffragists’ fight for the vote literally salvaged her great-great aunt.  Finally, with the clarity she has gained from these family memoirs, she begins to turn her life around:

 

Chapter I: Discoveries

            “….there was an old steamer trunk at the far end of the room, rusty, somewhat threadbare, and artistically draped with a cobweb or two over its corner edges.  Yet opened, it looked cheerful, with…cardboard boxes, all labeled and color-coded….

            …when Sam’s [Sonia’s father] box was exposed,  Sonia gasped.  A corucopia of the Vietnam experience flooded her senses and at the same time, left a slight dread....”

 

Chapter 2: Sam––Living With Fear

            [from Sonia’s father’s letters] “…crack-crack-crack!  Everyone froze. “Get the fuck down!” yelled our squad leader, Sgt. Carbini.

            We dropped like stones, trying to listen for snipers over our pounding chests…”

            “….Nearing the village, we passed women in their beige tunics, black pants, and Sampan hats, shouldering thick bamboo rods weighted down by buckets of water.  Most kept their heads lowered…but the few who didn’t stared up at us with dead, black-brown eyes and pressed lips….”

            “….Carbini was first.  He marched over to a hooch, flipped on his Zippo, and carefully lit the underbelly of its thatched roof.  It smoldered for a few seconds, a thin, rising wisp of smoke twisting in the tropical air.  From that, a flame grew, nibbling at the straw with a low, blue heat before suddenly bursting into a torch, arcing up towards the sky in a yellow-hot blaze….”

 

Chapter 12: Daria––Living With Proverbs

            [written in Sonia’s great great-grandmother Daria’s bible]

            “…they say I was born at an inconvenient time.  The year was 1902, and the moment, the wee hours of a rain-soaked morn in County Kerry.  A terrible storm it was, with lightning that crackled the sky and hoarse winds that rattled the trees…”

            [from Daria’s dance marathon experience] “….the siren came...Bang! went the Big Bertha canon, and we be on the run. Round and round we hustled, like people fleeing the English…May all the goats in Gorey chase you to hell…”

 

website:  www.srmallery.com



AmazonPage:http://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Gifts-S-R-Mallery/dp/0988954206/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367266861&sr=1-1&keywords=Unexpected+Gifts+s.r.mallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28 comments:

  1. What an interesting way to present a novel! I quite enjoyed it. In fact, I found myself wishing the excerpts were a bit longer. I guess you have me hooked.

    Alternatively, the author should look up the correct use of the ellipsis.

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

      Thanks for your supportive words and advice on ellipsis usage. I appreciate both! S. R. Mallery

      Delete
  2. Wonderful - thank you for sharing this intriguing novel with us, Sarah - it is indeed quite fascinating how these works begin, planted within our minds, imbued with possibility - and quite another to see it realized in hardcopy manuscript. Congratulations on a most impressive literary achievement!

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  3. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

    Thank you for your very kind, supportive words....they are lovely and much appreciated. S. R. Mallery

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  4. Thank you for sharing in this way. I am convinced that there is good reason that the one word "history" appears to be drawn from 2 words "his story", the story of real people. As you have written you have drawn from the people of the past, 3 generations together as it were, in your introduction. Thank you for introducing us to the book as you have. Congratulations on your presentation, and I wish you all the best in the future.

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

      Thanks, Jon for the kind words. I really like your pointing out that history = his story. Perhaps I did that by osmosis?? Anyway, I appreciate your comment...
      S. R. Mallery

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  5. Now this sounds like a book I want to read. Thanks for sharing with us Sarah. I'm a fan of The Great Depression era stories as well.

    Good luck with your writing.

    Blessings, Pat

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.
      Dear Patricia,
      Thanks for your enthusiasm! I had SO MUCH FUN researching the 1930's era--with Eleanor Roosevelt, the high-steelers working on the Empire State, the process of hobos train-hopping, the lynching laws down south, and the crazy dance marathons...you'll see all of that when you read the book.

      Take care and thanks again,
      S. R. Mallery

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  6. Yes, true to the title, full of surprises!!! You just automatically think back and know that yes those were very hard times. Aditionally, I so liked the way you led into it by recognizing the three generations there and then proceeding on as you did.
    Thank You for the provocatin of thought.

    Louise

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

      Thanks for making your comment, Louise! Yes, that night in bed with my daughter was a very, very powerful moment for me. Also the scene in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" when the three generations of women look into the mirror at the same time. Gets to me, somehow....

      Take care,
      S. R. Mallery

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  7. Sounds like a great story. I am a huge History fan and this sounds like a most interesting way of presenting it, not to mention the story sounds very intriguing. Thanks for sharing this book with us.

    Paul R. Hewlett

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

      Thanks for the comment, Paul. I have always loved films/books where the characters are put into real historic situations, so I suppose this was just a continuation of that...

      Take care,
      S.R. Mallery

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  8. Very intriguing. Thank you for sharing. Sara Mallery's story reads interesting.

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  9. Hi,

    I enjoyed reading about your book and its setup. I personally believe that if we would all look back at history we would learn not only a lot about ourselves but also learn how to settle problems that appear in our lives with different methods.

    Best wishes for successful sales and my hope is that your book will make significant advancement in the reader world as well as among critics. The book sounds like a read that will have positive effects upon a reader's life.

    Shalom,
    Patricia

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  10. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

    What a wonderful comment, Pat! Thank you so much. And I agree that if we spent more time looking back in history it would benefit us enormously. Meantime, I do truly appreciate your supportive, uplifting words. Best to you, S. R. Mallery

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  11. Very interesting and the excerpts are excellent! Thank you for sharing Sarah's work and do give her my best!

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

      Thank you for your nice, supportive comment and for taking the time to read my 'sharing'...
      Take care,
      S.R. Mallery

      Delete
  12. Three generations! That's awesome. I like your writing. I just tweeted the post. I hope a lot of people check it out. It was an interesting read.

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

      Thanks for the nice thought and doubly thanks for the tweet! Yes, generations have always interested me...
      Thanks again,
      S.R. Mallery

      Delete
  13. What a unique, brilliant way to present a memoir. This is a book I will be checking out . . . from what I've read here, it has all the elements of a wonderful human interest story.

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

      I enjoyed your very intelligent article on Marta's site, so your lovely, supportive words mean a lot! Yes, although I do fit in quite a bit of history, it is all through the eyes of one family's members....

      Thanks again!
      Best,
      Sarah Mallery (S.R.)

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  14. Way to draw us in, Sarah! I am an author of historical fiction too, and naturally I love reading it. You have a nice conversational style. I look forward to checking out your book just as soon as I get my Kindle PaperWhite (Mother's Day, maybe?) Best of luck to you!

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    1. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

      Thanks for the compliment about my style--I've been told I'm 'easy to read'....hopefully you'll find that to be true! I am hoping the book will be out on Kindle, Apple, Nook, ebook etc etc in the not too distant future, and by the way, I have a Kindle Paper White and I L O V E it!! I'm always reaching for it in the darkness so as not to disturb my husband...it's great!

      Thanks again,
      Sarah Mallery (S.R.)

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  15. Very refreshing story line and book trailer, Sarah. Well done. I particularly like your story of how you got the idea for the book in the first place and your telling of realizing you had three generations in the bed.
    Isn't the human brain an exciting train for where it takes all of us, especially writers?

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  16. Thank you for complimenting me on not only my story line but also my trailer. That was done by Jamie Johnson, a very talented person at my publishers, Mockingbird Lane Press. She read my book and after a very quick discussion, came up with the music and images. She really captured the book, I thought.
    Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

    I have thought about family generations at various points of my life and have always loved pouring over family albums and finding out about relatives--scrutinizing them, seeing what they wore, how happy or sad or just peaceful they looked in photos.

    Again, thanks for taking the time to comment,
    S.R.Mallery

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  17. Marta, what a delight to read about Sarah and her unique style of writing. As you know, but Sarah would not, I am a true history buff! When I first started reading, I was amazed at some correlations and terminology prevalent in Awakenings, which is not a novel but true American history.

    Thank you for sharing!

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  18. Sarah Mallery cannot enter her comments because of an incompatibility between her Mac and this system, so I'll be posting for her.

    Sharla, so glad you liked my 'unique style of writing' and so glad you're a history buff! A kindred spirit...

    And thank you for stopping by and making a comment.
    S.R. Mallery (Sarah)

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  19. Hi Marta, if you scroll up you'll see I did comment on this outstanding book a few days ago--just got lost in the shuffle. This sounds like a fascinating read and one I'll be checking out.

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