Charlene Carr - Writing Life

An elegantly written novel that questions the stories we tell about the past, the people left out of it, and the long reaching affects of war that we so often turn our faces from. Despite not shying away from the gory details of life at the front and life in prisoner of war camps, Belliveau manages to do it in a way that is somehow softened and lyrical, allowing us to see and focus on the emotion, the people, the cost, over the gritty atrocity.

In a world where war seems constant, it's stories like this that I hope will remind us there's no glory in it, and the majority of people, whether across 'enemy lines' or not, are not inherently evil or different from us, just people trying to live their lives and do their best to survive.

Today’s the day!

Where are you going to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day?

If you’re in the Dartmouth/Cole Harbour area, come on over to where I’ll be signing books, chatting it up with readers, and answering questions from 1pm-2:30pm!

Buy some books, show your local bookseller some love, and get reading!

“A small wave undulates in the depths of my abdomen as I sink to the edge of the tub.”- We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr - Writing Life
Charlene will be at the store tomorrow at 1pm to sign and discuss her books.

Just finished my first round of editorial revisions (probably the 4thish round total, because I did my own first, of course) on my next book.

And it was during this round that I started to feel like the whole manuscript was really coming together, rather than just the latter half (which I always loved), though that’s been improved too . . . I think!

So, now for the read-through, to see if those changes that I thought were starting to make this book shine are actually pulling their weight.

Wish me luck!

(because revision is writing, too)

In many ways this novel was not what I thought it was going to be . . . I'm not sure where I got the idea of what I thought it was (some bit of marketing, probably, which made me think 'I want to read this' without even bothering to look at the back cover description), and initially I held it against the book a bit, but it skillfully lured me into thoroughly enjoying it for what it is.

I've seen Kerry Clare talk about another of her books (Asking For A Friend - SO GOOD!) as a 'quiet novel' and I'm pretty sure that's what this would fall under, too, and like the best quiet novels (and author's of quiet novels) has the ability to make seemingly mundane moments and circumstances as important and life-altering as a grisly death or the first rocket launching into space - a look, a touch on the shoulder, people showing up at a church jumble to show they care, to show they're someone's people (I'm misting up as I write this.) And the ink drawings, oh! the ink drawings!

You'll have to read it to know what I mean.

It's not often a book makes me laugh out loud, but this one did on multiple occasions. The cast of secondary characters felt so real, and I'm sure they'll be walking around in my head for a while. The lead exasperated me, and annoyed me at times, and I found myself shaking my head at a number of her choices and ways of thinking - but I exasperate and annoy and shake my head at some of my choices and ways of thinking, too, and so her dislikability was also endearing, and I think probably part of the point.

One of the endorsers of the book (Marissa Stapley) called this story timeless, and I imagine she'll be right.

A delightful book, so tender and sweet and calming. One of my two year old's current favourites. My eight year old likes coming over to listen when we're reading, too.

Head on over to Dartmouth Book Exchange on Independent Bookstore Day to say hi! And if you already have books of mine and want them signed, bring them over! 😊

About - Charlene Carr I don’t just love any old story (also referenced above). A good plot is key, a page turner is great, words weaved together in ways that make me stop and marvel are wonderful, but I need more.

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