Since I started blogging a little over two years ago, I’ve become acquainted with lots of wonderful people, one of whom is Evelyne Holingue, an author who writes for both children and adults.
Today Evelyne has gathered together six authors who write stories set in foreign lands. I think you’ll like to meet them.
With only twenty-six days left until Christmas and eight days until Hanukkah, you may find something here for someone on your list.
Now I’ll turn it over to Evelyne.
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Long before I left my native France for the United States I already loved novels set in different countries. They allowed me to escape my familiar for the unknown.
Living abroad, in my experience, is discovering the unknown, day after day, not only for the time of a book. Although I am now at home in the US, I will always keep a special fondness for stories set in foreign lands.
Today I invite you to meet six authors who write from the United States, Canada and Australia and chose a foreign setting for their books. I asked them to share the inspiration for the location.
Since I write for both adults and children these authors, all women, represent a large spectrum from children’s picture books to adults’ novels. Stella and Jennifer’s books don’t exactly fit the requirement, but you’ll see why I still wanted to have them here.
Joan’s Picture Book Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth
Love and determination are driving components in Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth, a story of a ten-year-old girl. Ji-su’s mother has been chosen by the Korean King to be a seamstress at the palace. It is an honor to be chosen, but for Ji-su it means saying goodbye to her mother. Ji-su knows her mother was chosen because of her creativity in design and her fine stitching. Ji-su takes it upon herself to learn to sew bojagi as fine as her mother’s so she can be chosen to sew at the palace and be reunited with her mother
My stories come to me from my world, like gifts left at my door. Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth was inspired by an exhibit of bojagi, Korean wrapping cloths, at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Bojagi of various colors, sizes, and designs beaconed me from a distance. Korean women had stitched the beautiful wrapping cloths. Their work became the seed for my story. Little did they know their wrapping cloths would be preserved as family heirlooms, displayed in museums worldwide, and be an inspiration for Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth.
You can visit Joan on her website and her publisher’s website. Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth is available for sale on Amazon and on order from any bookstore.
Stella’s Early Reader Novel Mike the Spike
Mike the Spike is an early reader illustrated novel set in Australia. Mike is a cool little boy who is very vain about his orange spiky hair. To his horror, he discovers he has head lice. He can’t bear the thought of anyone finding out, and tries to get rid of them himself. His attempts are imaginative, to say the least!
The author excels at creating a realistic situation with a highly likeable main character. The illustrations, modern and dynamic, help the young readers to follow the clever plot.
The inspiration for the Australian setting was easy since Stella writes and lives in Sydney, Australia. Many details through the entire story hint at the location, such as English spelling and vocabulary choice.
You can visit Stella on her website and blog.
Mike the Spike is available from the publisher’s website.
http://stellatarakson.com/books/books-for-young-people/
http://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/mike-the-spike/803.html
Jennifer’s Young Adult Novel Dragonfly Dreams
Dragonfly Dreams is a Young Adult paranormal novel, which is not exactly set in a foreign land. However, Fresno, located in Central California, a region sometimes called the Forgotten California, can feel quite foreign to anyone used to the northern and southern parts of the state. And yet with its rich immigration history and three outstanding National Parks this is the real California, a unique blend of human diversity and raw natural beauty.
It’s 1880 in Fresno, California when 17-year-old Topaz Woo dies after giving birth. She can get an extension in a non-physical body—if she uses The Ten Commandments to influence her newborn. Over the course of ten years, she finds herself stymied in parenting by intergenerational drama and spiritual battle. Will she adjust to an otherworldly existence and give her daughter a solid foundation? Or will she become mired in family disputes and forfeit her soul to evil?
Dragonfly Dreams explores the battle between good and evil, both visibly around us and through unseen forces. It’s also a love letter to where I grew up, with its fascinating history of both immigrant opportunities and struggles.
You can visit Jennifer on her website and blog. www.jenniferjchow.com
Dragonfly Dreams is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iBooks and on order from any bookstore.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragonfly-dreams-jennifer-j-chow/1122874261
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dragonfly-dreams/id1055355424
Judith’s novel City of Illusions
City of Illusions is set in the glories of Rome where a naive young woman, Laura, believes she will be able to reset her stale marriage while enjoying a year abroad. But life as an expat is far different than she imagined when she and her husband are swept into a world where the temptations of the Old World abound.
My inspiration for the novel’s setting, Rome, comes from my ten years living in the city and from working for the United Nations. Some expats don’t manage to adjust to the change in culture, some non-working spouses feel cast adrift when left alone and some fall into activities they regret later. But others find true happiness and fall in love with Italy. My two main characters experience the attractions and challenges of Rome in different ways and both change as a result, one succeeding and the other learning a hard lesson.
You can visit Judith on her website and read her blog.
Website:www.judithworks.net
Blog: http://ALittleLightExercise.blogspot.com
City of Illusions is available from Amazon in both paperback and electronic formats, and on order from your local bookstore.
http://www.amazon.com/City-Illusions-Judith-Works/dp/1620155796
Patricia’s Novel The Promise of Provence
Fifty, suddenly divorced and alone, can be an opportunity to begin something better than you ever dreamed. A mid-life coming of age unfolds in the charming countryside of Provence, sophisticated boulevards of Paris and sun-kissed Côte d’Azur.
I’ve had a love affair with France all my life. My husband and I rented an apartment in Antibes on the Côte d’Azur for 5 months in 2011. Shortly after we arrived, I was standing in line in the daily Provençal market waiting to place my cheese order. I watched the fromager speaking with a customer about a particular piece of blue cheese and was amazed at the passion on his face and in his voice. I knew I wanted to write about a woman who would fall in love with him!
The Promise of Provence, the first novel in the Series Love in Provence, received numerous awards. Due to its success Amazon offered a contract to Patricia who is now working with them on the third novel.
You can visit Patricia on her website and blog.
http://patriciasandsauthor.com/
The Promise of Provence is available on Amazon in every country.
Nicki’s Historical Novel Tiger Tail Soup
A Chinese woman left behind when her husband goes to war soon finds herself in the middle of that same war. She will need all the courage and tenacity she can summon to survive and protect her family during seven long years of Japanese occupation.
My inspiration for Tiger Tail Soup was my late husband’s stories about his early childhood in his hometown in China during that portion of World War II also known as the Sino-Japanese War.
You can visit Nicki on her website and blog.
Tiger Tail Soup is available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and on order from your local bookstore.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tiger-tail-soup-nicki-chen/1119559982?ean=9781457526756
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And for the Middle Grade kid in your thoughts, you can always pick my novel Chronicles From Château Moines set in a small town in Normandy, France, my home region, in the turbulent early 1970s.
Chronicles From Château Moines is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and IndieBound and on order from any bookstore.
http://www.indiebound.org/search/book?searchfor=chronicles+from+chateau+moines
I hope that you will pay a visit to my fellow writers and perhaps pick a book for this holiday gift list that grows and grows and grows…
See you soon, either on your blog or mine.
Thank you, Evelyne.
I like what Joan said: My stories come to me from my world, like gifts left at my door.
I enjoyed reading the stories behind the stories like how an impassioned fromager inspired a novel and how your husband’s war-time recollections inspired you. The brief synopses show promise of interesting tales.
Kudos to Evelyne and all the other authors. I’ll keep the list in mind.
Evelyne did a good job organizing this group post. I’m glad she asked us to say something about the inspiration for our books. And thank you, Timi, for coming by.
Wow, what a list and what a great idea. Cheers.
Cheers, Lani. Thanks for taking a look.
Thanks for listing these books, Nicki. I, too, like to read about different cultures and countries. It’s also fun to read books set in a foreign place that I’ve been to.
I hope you find something you like, Geralyn.
I like to read stories set in a foreign place before I travel there to prepare, and even more after I come home.
What a great collection of tales and tails!
Thanks, Nancy.
Thanks Evelyne for sharing, and thank you Nicki. Though Mike the Spike book is for younger readers, I feel compelled to read it. I don’t know too many people with that kind of hair, so should be an interesting read.
His spiky red hair is intriguing, and a lice problem always stirs up interest. Mothers hate to admit their children have lice, and yet they’re keen to find out how the children contracted it and to treat it.
This is terrific, Nicki! Thank you for introducing us to new authors. I always enjoy a story set in a foreign land.
Evelyne did a good job of gathering together a good mix of authors and books. It’s especially nice to have some children’s books at this time of year.
They all sounds like great reads!! Thank you!
You’re most welcome, Carol.
Great stuff! Thanks, Nicky.
I think the above books may be too tricky for a lot of Turk children. Most of them don’t have the understanding and self-confidence is a biggie even with young adults, at least where I live. There are various reasons including the lack of language.
My Turk friend told me that until 20 years ago, village girls as young as 8 did not attend school nor received home education but had to support the family by making carpets with intricate designs.
Very few Turks celebrate Christmas. My English friend and his Turk wife will be working till 7pm (I didn’t ask). I’m heading for Athens for Christmas; I booked my air ticket at the travel agent. I was there at 6pm and I left at 7.45pm despite my Turk colleague spoke Turkish to the travel agent. The latter spoke some English. I also gave him a flight printout (in Turkish) from another travel agent (he looked at my passport 6x).Bless the travel agent!
How I count my blessings, on numerous levels! My life could have been so, so different.
I can spot some grammar mistakes Tired eyes and tired mind.
Don’t worry. Have a good sleep.
I hope you have a wonderful time in Athens this Christmas.
We take for granted our right to be educated and to vote. But not everyone is as lucky as we are. You mentioned Turkish girls who until recently were denied an education. Last night I saw a movie, Suffragette, about women in London fighting for the right to vote. In the United States, women weren’t allowed to vote until 1920, less than one hundred years ago. It’s hard to believe. We have a lot to be thankful for.
Thanks Nicki. I hope you have a lovely Christmas.
My trip to Athens is a little holiday and the opportunity to get a few nice presents for a couple of locals, to thank them for their generosity, support and kindness. Yes, I have had been ripped off by taxi drivers (the metre was on) and one or two others but there’re lots one has to be thankful for. It’s easy to take things for granted.
Have a wonderful week, Nicki.
Wow! Thanks, Nicki, for introducing us to these great authors. I also love books set in other lands. These sound great!
Reading books set in other countries is an easy way to travel. You probably learn as much as an armchair traveler as you do visiting a country in person. A little of both is best, of course. Since I’ve never been to Normandy or Provence, maybe one of these books is a good place to start.
Thanks, Nicki! I know a few kids who might like the lice book. I’ll have to check out the others.
The “lice” book is cute and lovely! My friend Stella wrote it and I like the story a lot.
Thank you, Nicki, for participating and also for your kind words of intro (photo of the wrapped gift included!) and conclusion. I hope that the books will provide good gift ideas to your readers and mine. Happy holiday season to you and your readers!
Happy holidays, Evelyne. And thank for putting this post together.
It’s fun to choose books for kids. I’m in the middle of finding books for my seven-year-old grandson whose reading ability has really taken off during the first few months of second grade.