As part of Innovative Online Book Tours, today I am interviewing CD Harper, whose first book, Covenant, debuted January 2011. Here’s a brief synopsis:
Author, CD Harper is pleased to announce his book, Covenant. This work is a historical fiction novel set during slavery and the Civil War and looks at the relationship of the slave master and his slave love. The story also delves into the impact of slavery, the war and the human impulse to love on lives of everyone on Covenant Plantation. Covenant is told from the perspective of a slave.
The Civil War provides a smoky background for this debut novel that delves into the uncomfortable friction that exists between the waning power of the Southern plantation culture and the emerging identities that lie beneath. The naive Seth Hunter Jr., whose existence has been mapped out for him by domineering patriarchs, finds himself forced to confront his life as pressures from the past and future force him from his pedestal. The divine nature of the American ideal of Manifest Destiny led earlier generations of Hunters from humble Northern beginnings to a precipice of Southern power embodied in Covenant Plantation, Seth Jr.’s inheritance. As the Civil War unseats the stability of the South, Seth’s own life unravels. The estate, the lifestyle and the woman he was given all become harder to hang on to as he struggles to fulfill his destiny.
About the Author:
Dr. Clifford D. Harper is a respected theatrical executive producer and playwright. His written works include Curse and Neva’s Tale. Neva’s Tale was produced by Theresa Larkin, directed by Ted Lange, and earned actor Larry Gammell Jr. an NAACP Award and another from L.A. Weekly in 1993 for his supporting role.
A retired Professor of Theatre Arts and Dance at California State University, Los Angeles, Clif served as the Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts where he established the “Theatre of the Twenty-First Century” and revived the Dance Kaleidoscope program in the LA community. During his tenure, he became the founding Executive Director of the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex, where he developed the world-renowned Luckman Jazz Orchestra. Dr. Harper’s commitment to the arts was instrumental in facilitating the art retrospective: “African American Artists in Los Angeles, A Survey, Exhibition, 1945-2003.”
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Clif taught for a year at Sangamon State University before moving on to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he served as Chair of the Black Studies Program and Dean of General Academic Programs. Dr. Harper received an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, a Master’s in Theatre and Speech and became one of the first African Americans to earn a PhD. in English from St. Louis University
Born and raised in a segregated neighborhood of East St. Louis, Illinois, Dr. Harper graduated and later returned to teach at his high school alma mater, Lincoln High. Dr. Harper found this experience to be significant and rewarding. During this time, he discovered his passion for theater and found inspiration in his students, many of whom went on to have gratifying careers.
Dr. Harper’s many accomplishments have included: working with the renowned Katherine Dunham, receiving a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship Award, earning one of the earliest Certificates in Black Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and starting a “Forgivable Loan” program for female PhD’s at CSULA.
Clif and his lovely wife, Linda, have migrated north to the Oregon Coast, settling in the charming town of Gleneden Beach. Clif continues to write and is working on his next novel.
Interview with the Author:
TM: Please tell me about the path to publication for Covenant.
CDH: I have always wanted to be a novelist. Now that I am retired I can
give my full attention to creating a world that reflects my thinking
through characters and stories. There nothing more exciting and fun! The
creative process is a full body, mind, soul activity. I can not think of
of anything so fulfilling. So Covenant is number one! Frankly I had not
thought much about the publication of my work. My wife, Linda,
encouraged me to to take that step!
TM: What prompted you to make the switch from writing plays to writing books?
CDH: Most of my work life, I have written parts of novels between
the writing of plays. It was fun!!! Now the table is switched! I write
plays between the novels. I just completed the “working draft of a
play,” while I’m waiting to hear from a publisher about my second novel.
TM: What inspired you to write from the point of view of the plantation
owner’s son?
CDH: I think the slavery experience in this country offers a
wealth of opportunities for exploration of the American character. The
literature of this country is lacking in this area. Was it censorship,
self-induced? The fear of really looking at the entire history of the
American character from a variety of points of view? Think about it!
What do we know about who we were during this time? And what impact did
or does that have on who we are today!!! Perhaps nothing at all!
You can read more about CD Harper and Covenant at http://www.cdharperbooks.com.
Follow CD Harper on Facebook and Goodreads.
Last week we had some very nice, warm weather in the valley. Monday it chilled down considerably and I got to thinking about warming up with some beans-n-ham-n-cornbread. That’s how we say it in our house, like it’s all one word. We even have a little song I used to sing when Boo and Bud were younger (you’ll have to set your own tune because I’m not singing it, LOL) Beans -n- ham -n- cornbread, doo, doo. Beans – n- ham -n- cornbread, doo, doo.
Anyway, it’s an easy recipe, but yummy and tummy-filling and very inexpensive.
Ingredients:
1 lb. dried beans (I use Great Northern beans, but you can use Navy beans or pintos also)
8 cups water
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 lb. smoked hamhocks
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a 5 qt. or larger slow cooker. Cook 8 hours on high setting.
When they’re done, they should look something like this.
Remove the ham hocks and let then cool slightly. Cut the meat off the bone and stir into the beans. Cook on high another 15 minutes.
Serve with warm cornbread.
Enjoy!!
Last week, Art surprised me by “kidnapping” me away to South Lake Tahoe for two days. We had not gone on a trip away just the two of us in almost a year and it was so relaxing!
We stayed at the 3 Peaks Resort and Beach Club, just three blocks from the casinos at Stateline. The rate for a King Deluxe room was $34 per night for Sunday and Monday nights, which is a great deal for the area. The rooms looked pretty basic, from the website, with a King bed, table with two chairs, dresser with TV, and a bathroom with tub and shower. The decor was cabinlike and homey.
When we arrived at the hotel, we were immediately greeted by Hank, the resident Boston terrier. Upon check-in, the desk clerk let us know that we were being upgraded for free to one of the Poolside Suites. We weren’t sure what that meant until we saw our room.
The Poolside Suites are amazing!! Our room was spacious, with a king-sized bed, sofa, built-in dresser and desk, flat-screen TV and jacuzzi tub. The bathroom was covered in beautiful mosaic tile and there was a walk-in shower with a bench seat!! The main entrance to our room was from the parking lot, but through a sliding glass door on the other side of the room, we could enter our own private gated patio, which led to the pool area.
The pool was closed for the season, but the hot tub was open. Pool towels are available at the front desk. The hot tub was two-tiered with a waterfall spilling over from the top tier into the second. The jet controls on the outside of the poolhouse control both tiers. We spent so much time in the hot tub that we never got to try the jacuzzi tub in our room. We’ll have to save that for next time.
The pool area is open until 11 p.m. Although we had no problems with noise, I think that during the summer months the poolside suites might get a little loud.
The lobby of the hotel has a pool table and TV. Coffee and tea are served all day. The southern building has a refreshment center with ice machine, vending machines and coupons and flyers for various nearby attractions. We found a little coupon book in the lobby that had lots of discounts on touristy items, as well as local restaurants. Monday night we ate at a Chinese buffet off the Y which had decent food for only $10 a person.
The lake is only about a 10 minute walk from the hotel and hotel guests get private beach access. Casinos, Heavenly Valley gondola, movie theaters and restaurants ranging from Burger King and Subway to the new 19 Kitchen Bar and Lounge at Harvey’s and Friday’s Steakhouse at Harrah’s with dramatic views of the mountains and lake from the top of the casinos. Sunday night Art and I iwalked to Harrah’s and had dinner at the Forest Buffet, also at the the top of the hotel.
The uber-comfy bed, convenient HVAC unit (disguised by a photo of the lake), plus all the other amenities already described and the friendliness of the staff, combined with the phenomenal rate (off-peak rate for the Poolside Suite is still on $70 per night) makes 3 Peaks Resort and Beach Club a no-brainer pick for a fun and relaxing South Lake Tahoe vacation!! 5 Boston terriers for this resort!! Arf! Arf! Arf! Arf! Arf!
You can make reservations for 3 Peaks by visiting 3PeaksHotel.com or calling 530-544-1480.
I did not receive any compensation for this review. I purchased my own room and all opinions are my own.
I am poor (in money). That does not make me less of a person.
I am soon to be homeless. That does not mean I don’t have hopes and dreams and feelings just like you.
If I walk into your office to ask for help, please know that it took me hours of crying and praying and discussion before I could finally get the courage to set up the appointment, let alone walk in. Please don’t treat me like just another number, or worse, like I am a criminal just because I am asking for your help.
If you see me in line at the food bank, don’t assume that I’m lazy. I am currently working three jobs, while still trying to hold together a marriage and co-parent two children, both of whom have emotional problems.
If you run into me at the movies or a restaurant, don’t assume I am wasting money and no wonder I’m poor. I have become the queen of coupons, special deals and promoting. I could be mystery shopping or doing a review for a sponsor.
Believe it or not, I have a life, a very satisfying one, that has nothing to do with being poor, or nearly homeless. I have friends and family whom I love and enjoy spending time with. I have a career I am proud of and sometimes I want to pinch myself for how lucky I am. Being poor is just one small part of me. It does not make me less of a person.
Choices (Book Two of the Guardian Trilogy)
Liz Schulte
ASIN: B007OOVC8E
Genre:Fantasy
Publication Date: March 2012
247 pages
About the Book:
From Amazon.com: Hearts break. Loved ones are lost. Life keeps moving.
Olivia Martin’s afterlife was more dangerous and confusing than her life ever was. She thought she was ready to come back, to forget about Holden and to let go of the rage consuming her. Fulfilling her destiny as a guardian was all that mattered—the past could stay hidden in the crevices of her mind. However, when guardians are murdered and the evidence points towards jinn, she has to do something. To save anyone’s future, Olivia will have to confront the one person from her past she is terrified to see.
Holden waited for Olivia with the hope he would see her one more time. But when she didn’t return, he found salvation in darkness. The black and twisted road made it easier to forget what he lost than to live with the memory of what he had. An unexpected promotion shoves him into a world of intoxicating power and influence. Holden will have to choose between his new life and the woman he thought was gone forever.
From the ashes of Secrets, Choices are born that will change everything.
Review:
I had already read Secrets, Book 1 of Liz Schulte’s Guardian Trilogy, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was very excited for the sequel. Choices definitely did not disappoint. The part I enjoyed the most was learning what it takes to be a guardian, right along with Olivia, and to watch her clumsy attempts at manipulating light and her heartfelt insights into the lives of those she is charged to help.
Not everyone in Olivia’s life is as admirable as she sees them. Look for at least one shocking reveal of someone from her past.
But the underlying thread of the whole book is the unresolved relationship between Olivia and Holden. Holden’s promotion has entrenched him firmly on the dark side, while Olivia’s choice has planted her firmly on the side of light. Now that she has made her decision, will they ever find each other? Will they even be allowed the relationship they both desired and do they both still want it? All the uncertainty makes for an awesome story line. I’d like to tell you it’s completely resolved by the end of the book. All I can tell you is you will get some answers, but for the rest, you’ll have to wait for Book 3, Consequences, coming in the fall of 2012.
My rating: 4 out of 5 angel kisses.
About the Author:
Many authors claim to have known their calling from a young age. Liz Schulte, however, didn’t always want to be an author. In fact, she had no clue. Liz wanted to be a veterinarian, then she wanted to be a lawyer, then she wanted to be a criminal profiler. In a valiant effort to keep from becoming Walter Mitty, Liz put pen to paper and began writing her first novel. It was at that moment she realized this is what she was meant to do. As a scribe she could be all of those things and so much more.
TM: What is your inspiration?
So I went a little overboard this year and made ten New Year’s resolutions. I stuck them to my wall heater and promptly forgot about most of them. Well, it’s been more than four months since then, so I decided I’d better review my resolutions and see how I’ve done so far:
- Run/walk at least 30 minutes 3 days/week. – Had to curtail this one due to a bad cold and the severity of my asthma this time of year. Hoping to get back to it in late summer/early fall.
- Complete a 5k (may be virtual) – still planning on doing this one
- Walk with hubby or do cardio video 3 days/week – got away from this one for a little while, but started up again in April.
- Strength training 5-6 days/week – had to curtail this for a little while too, but back to doing squats every day and planning to add back in more exercises over the next few weeks.
- 5 or more servings of freggies (fruits and/or veggies) daily – most days, yes
- Increase my blog posts to 3 days/week by February 1st, 4 days/week by June 1st and 5 days/week by October 1st.- I am ahead of the game on this one since I had 4 posts last week and will have 5 this week.
- Yoga/meditation 1 day/week – For some reason I am having a hard time committing to this one – just need to make the time and do it.
- Commit to 4 online Bible studies throughout the year – I have already participated in two and signed up for one more.
- Attend church at least once a month – so far so good
- Night out with friends at least once a month – some months are better than others.
Warner Bros. has released a fun new quiz that will help you decide how well you are doing on your New Year’s resolutions, give you a “do-over” and some tips on how to keep those resolutions going for the rest of the year:
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Warner Bros.’ movie New Year’s Eve, just released on DVD and Blu-Ray May 1, stars Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Katherine Heigl, Sofia Vergara, Hilary Swank, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zac Efron, Jon Bon Jovi, and Josh Duhamel! And we one of my blog readers can win a copy of this romantic DVD!!
Enter on the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends May 22nd, 2012 and is open to US residents age 18 and older.
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After about half an hour, the southeast sector of Peace and Quiet had been thoroughly investigated, but no missing child had been found. And still the bell rang on.
Shelley, Old Man Diffy’s daughter, turned to her father and wondered, “How long can Sonny keep that up?” Diffy shrugged. “As long as he needs to, I guess. He’s a professional, you know.”
Back at the steeple, Angela stood right outside the belfry door, waiting patiently for any news from the search parties. At ten minute intervals, she would run into the belfry, wipe Sonny’s brow with a towel and hold a drink of water for him to sip through a straw. Then she would quickly run back out and return to standing her watch.
At the one hour mark, half the town had been swept and there was still no sign of the little girl. Dr. Mizrahi, the town acupuncturist, was the only one in town with a fully charged electric car. He and his sister, Vena, the town librarian, took off to the north in the hopes of getting some help from a nearby village.
Shelly Diffy carried a pair of gloves up the steps to the steeple, hoping to help Sonny swap out the ones he was wearing before the bellpull rope wore them through. She was shocked to see Angela, still standing outside the belfry door, tears streaming down her face. Shelly ran into the belfry, helped Sonny swap out his gloves, then grabbed Angela’s hand and pulled her down the steps and into one of the soundproof confessionals, slamming the door behind them.
“Madam Mayor,” Shelly panted, ‘are you alright? What are you doing hanging outside the belfry with no ear protection? You’ll make yourself deaf!!”
Angela continued to sob. “It would serve me right,” she cried. “Do you know how much I hate noise? Forcing myself to listen to that bell is my punishment for forcing my way on all of you for so long. If it would bring hone Amy and everyone could hear the sound of children playing in our town again, I would gladly go deaf.”
Shelley handed Angela the box of tissue Father James kept in the confessional. “Listen, sweetheart, can I call you Angela,” she paused. Angela nodded, sniffling. “Listen, Angela, we all moved here for similar reasons, whether it was to get away from the noise of the city or whatever. But absolute quiet does not necessarily bring absolute peace. I think we can all agree that noise has its place too.”
Angela sighed, and nodded. “After this,” she promised softly, “things will be different around here. It’s not just my town – it belongs to all of us.”
“That’s the spirit, sister,” Shelley shouted and immediately blushed. “Sorry,” she apologized quietly, “I guess I got a little carried away.”
Angela laughed, a sweet tinkly laugh that was so charming, Shelley wondered why no one in town had ever heard it before. As the two women walked out of the confessional, Joe Bogart, the owner of the bakery/diner came running up. “Vena and the doctor found Amy,” he announced. She was walking down the side of the road going up to the village.”
“Oh, thank God,” Angela and Shelley cried at once, and hugged each other. “Joe, please go tell Sonny to stop ringing,” Angela asked, “and take him over to your place so he can ice his arms.”
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
It turned out that Amy hadn’t been kidnapped after all. She had taken Sonny’s campfire story to heart, and after her parents had put her to bed she had packed her little pink ballet bag with two changes of clothes, shimmied down the drainpipe outside her bedroom window, and taken off to explore the world. Once she got about a mile outside of town she had started getting very scared, and once she heard the bell ringing she turned around to head back home, but being only six, she had worn herself out. Vena and the doctor had passed the child in their first drive by, but on their way back from the village Vena had spotted her, lying on the side of the road with her head resting on her ballet bag. They had quickly bundled her in the car and headed back to town
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
After that night, the little town of Peace and Quiet was never quite the same. Angela immediately scheduled an election for the following month. Old Man Diffy was elected mayor in a landslide. His first act as mayor was to appoint a committee to rewrite the noise ordinance. His second was to give the keys of the city to Sonny Lightfoot, who once he had accepted that honor and recovered the feeling in his arms, took off again for the next town that needed his bellringing skills.
Angela Barrett, the former mayor, took over the day to day operations of Diffy’s Dry Goods and was able to put her business administration degree to good use to open an online store which cleaned up in internet sales of rare and unusual hardware fasteners, such as odd sizes of screws, nuts and bolts.
The new noise ordinance was still stricter than most, but allowed for celebrations and general merriment on a regular basis. The town of Peace and Quiet changed its name to Peaceful – and it was – very.
And every Sunday the bell rang on…
It’s time to give back to DAD! Sponsored by:
Route 249 Mom Does Reviews Jackie’s Reviews, Mom Blog Society
It is open to both US & Canada
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&
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