Goodbye, 2013; Hello, Reviews

There are only 13 days left in 2013, and the end of the year has been a flurry of good reviews.

In Front Porch, the online journal of the Texas State University MFA program, Chelsea Campbell writes of Kim Henderson's The Kind of Girl that, "Henderson’s prose is crisp and precise, as is requisite of short-short fiction. This collection, with its lovely limited-edition letterpress cover, is another fine addition to Rose Metal’s growing catalogue of short shorts. Pick one up." You can read the whole thing here. Thanks, Chelsea.

And over in The Small Press Book Review, Christy Crutchfield writes of Kelcey Parker's Liliane's Balcony that, "Sometimes historical fiction feels like reporting, like biography with flowery description.  But Parker seeks to answer questions that can’t be answered with research.  She pulls out the brightest elements from the real story—some so heart wrenching I wished she’d made them up—and then considers, just as Frank Lloyd Wright did, the interior alongside the exterior." You can read the whole thing here. Thanks, Christy.

At Gapers Block, Ines Bellina writes of Liliane's Balcony, that "Because Liliane's Balcony alternates from one narrative to the other, I felt myself forced to go back to certain flashes in order to piece together each character's story. (Is "flashes" the correct term? I'm using it anyway.) This is not necessarily a strike against the novella; in fact, I believe it encourages it. After all, there are certain streams of consciousness that drop off one page only to be retaken a chapter later. It requires an active reader and, as such, a reader that will also be the architect of all the narratives that are scattered between the pages." You can read the whole thing here. Thanks, Ines.

At Sundog Lit, Robyn Ryle writes of Liliane's Balcony that, "In short passages switching between multiple points of view, including that of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ahi Opilhele–the spirit of the river itself, the characters come to full and vivid life. This is the accomplishment that holds the novella together and keeps it from teetering over the edge into just an interesting exercise in craft. The people and their stories lift the precarious structure of the narrative up. Like Liliane’s balcony, you find yourself wondering how it manages to float so beautifully in space." You can read the whole thing here. Thanks, Robyn.

Last but not least, Ryan Sanford Smith has a very brief positive review of Liliane's Balcony on his blog here. Thanks, Ryan.

Also, the end of the year means 'tis the season of our annual support and subscription drive. Join us in our mission by subscribing at any level here.

Ellen Prentiss Campbell and Kelcey Parker...

...have done a review and a self-interview, respectively, about Liliane's Balcony, and both of them are wonderful.

Campbell's review appears in Fiction Writers Review, and in it, she writes: "These spare pages please and engage the eye, heart, and mind, like leaves in a chapbook. Liliane’s Balcony is a small elegant book in every way. Readers will be inspired to visit Fallingwater and listen for Liliane’s voice above the falls." You can read the whole thing here. Thanks, Ellen! 

And Kelcey asks herself the hard-hitting questions over at the Nervous Breakdown as part of their self-interview series. "People often ask if you write poetry," she asks. See how she answers here.