11 Comments

I very much enjoyed this conversation with my fellow novelist, and my most appreciated editor at Chrism Press, Karen Ullo--and not least for the kind mention of my novel, The Good Death of Kate Montclair. Thanks, Ladies!

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I so enjoyed this conversation!! Historical fiction will forever be a genre I love. I also want to shout out the Molly Chase series by Rhonda Ortiz. It has romance, history, mystery - I absolutely could not put it down and I'm trying to wait patiently for the next book, but it's hard! I will definitely read To Crown With Liberty while I wait!

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Oh that is great to know! I definitely want to try those as well! I currently have The City Mother by Maya Sinha sitting on my shelf calling my name (on Karen’s recommendation)!

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Thank you so much, Catherine! I hope you enjoy it! And Rhonda is hard at work on MC3.

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I heard you had a hand in her adding a new POV to Book 3! I'm dying to know who it is and discover how it helps the story unfold! ☺️

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I may have made a rather unorthodox suggestion…😁 I actually can’t wait to see how it works because I haven’t read anything in that POV yet either.

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Some readers of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies may interpret the story as a bleak, hopeless commentary on humanity. I see it differently.

I admire Golding’s unflinching portrayal of human evil. To me, the purpose of Lord of the Flies is to hold up a mirror to humanity, compelling readers to confront uncomfortable truths and inspiring them to seek change through introspection.

When readers look into this mirror, they may be horrified to recognize themselves in Jack—the schemer, ready to prey on the weak. While some might recoil from this realization in fear, Golding challenges us to face Jack’s terrifying reflection and, through hope, take meaningful action to rise above it.

-Karen Ullo's husband

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That's a great point! I haven't read it since high school...perhaps this is one of those that the "high school curriculum" doesn't typically quite do justice to since many adolescents will tend to focus only on the sensational/disturbing elements of the story, miss the nuance you're describing, and remember just enough to never want to pick it back up again (guilty of this!).

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Hello Karen's husband! We so enjoyed talking to Karen and I love that you came to defend your view. You have made a compelling argument for me to read this book!

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What a fun conversation! It made me excited to get writing again, and hopeful that there are publishers like Chrism press where I can find quality literature :)

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I think Chrism Press will start helping us pick a modern book each year! I was so inspired after talking to Karen. And also, her book was such a treat to read this Fall!

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