I want to open my account today by apologizing for the lack of posts this past week. The proverbial tank has been somewhat empty and I haven't had much drive. But enough about me.
I want to you take note of the following author and book because, having just finished it, I have some serious creative juices flowing.
I predicted a little while ago that Anne Riley's debut novel "The Clearing" would not fail to delight so it will come as no surprise to you, as I turn the final page of her remarkable novel, that I will hold true to that prediction. Anne Riley's "The Clearing" is without a doubt, one of the must read books of 2011 for anyone - not just young adults with a passion for the mystical and the fantastical.
"The Clearing" starts with an eye towards action and there is a visceral energy to the tome right from the start. Riley's backgrounding in the distant past is a deftly managed plot device and it adds so much to the contemporary events, weighting them with a significance and an atmosphere that is engaging and just damned interesting.
The characters too, are so well drawn and vivid. From her two central characters in the young, earnest and recently bereaved Natalie and the mysterious and intense Liam to all of her cast, none of Riley's characters are wasted in this story. They feed into cracking plot so effectively that your appetite for such sumptuous story craft will most certainly be rewarded.
"The Clearing's" themes are weaved so well into its overall tapestry. From grief and loss in the case of Natalie's parents, to the examination of contemporary social interactions (ie. fitting into a new place), to the suspense of the paranormal elements). All of them fit! It's just so well done!
Anne Riley is an author of considerable skill. She knows her genre so well. Her characterizations are well drawn and grounded and her exploration of light and dark - both in setting, mood and emotion - has all the qualities of a fine artist.
I've said previously that "The Clearing" would be a novel to watch out for in 2011. I make no change to that assessment.
This is one seriously fine novel.
DFA.
I'm really excited to be posting today. My friend and fellow author Anne Riley, who has been a wonderful support to me since my first novel was published last year, has just announced the release of her own first published novel "The Clearing" and already, it is garnering a significant buzz in the indie community.
Anne Riley's journey has been a joy to observe over the past couple of years. She is living a blissful life in Birmingham, Alabama. Anne has just welcomed her first child into the world with her husband wonderful husband Rob and is quite the Spanish teacher to boot. In fact Anne herself describes herself "as an author of young adult fiction disguised as a high school Spanish teacher".
As a kind of longish side note, I was really quite taken by Birmingham whilst watching Stephen Fry's wonderful journey through the United States in "Stephen Fry In America". Birmingham was also home to the late Glenn Shadix, who some of you may remember from Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" in which he played Otho. Shadix had a beautiful home in Birmingham, whose architecture was just sublime - a typically southern style which I just adore.
So onto "The Clearing" and what it's all about.
From the synopsis we find a young girl struggling at a crossroads in her life. Natalie Watson doesn’t believe the reports about the way her parents died. In fact, she’s not sure she believes in much of anything these days. But after moving from her home in Georgia to her aunt’s boarding school in Maine, solving the mystery of her parents’ deaths is just one of several things on her mind. When she’s not fending off attacks from the popular kids or taking refuge in the pages of a novel, she ponders the rumors circulating about a certain boy in her math class… a boy with fiery red hair who never speaks to anyone.
Despite suspicions that he may have murdered his sister a year earlier, Natalie finds it impossible to stay away from Liam Abernathy – especially when he confesses to knowing something about her parents. Soon she’s following him into the forest, where things happen she doesn’t understand… things that shouldn’t be possible….
As Liam’s story unfolds, Natalie realizes she’s more connected to him than she ever thought – and not everyone she counts as a friend can be trusted.
"The Clearing" promises to be an immediately engaging work, suspenseful and driven by strong chracterization and plot that is clearly evident in Anne's short story work I've had the pleasure to read.
Anne's genius in her writing style is that she doesn't take her target audience - young adults - for granted, nor does her writing speak down to them. Anne has an almost balleretic skill in crafting intelligent tome, engaging and absorbing plot and fully formed characterizations that give the reader a sense of clarity in the protagonists and antagonists whilst at the same time encouraging the reader to peel back the layers for themselves as they read. Anne also encourages the reader to become almost interactive in the story, rather than just be a passive observer of it. This, I think, is one of those essential ingredients in a really great book and, despite what Anne might say about her cooking prowess - that does not extend to her ability to cook up a storm on the page.
I truly believe that "The Clearing" promises to be one of the books to look out for in 2011 and I strongly recommend that you add it to your must read list.
With an official release date of March 1st, "The Clearing" can be purchased from Amazon's Kindle Store, SmashWords and Anne's own CreateSpace portal. Keep up with all of Anne's goings on at her site Anne Riley Books.
DFA.
