Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature hosted by Tinasbookreviews and highlights Indie, self published and debut authors. This week I have the pleasure of introducing readers to:
~AUGUSTA BLYTHE~
Nothing Personal by Augusta Blythe
By now we've all read about the recent revelation regarding Arnold Schwarzenegger's indiscretions and secret romp child. As a result of the Arnie backlash, he has put his planned movie comeback on hold. His (and his agent's and publicist's) assumption that his movies may not fare well at the box office because of his personal life reminded me of some of our more unpleasant literary figures. Despite some less-than-glowing biographies, many writers continue to enjoy great literary success. Do the personal lives of authors matter to readers and should they? Is it the 'colorful' personality that makes a good writer? Do/can we separate the actions of the human being from the words of the writer?
Roald Dahl springs to mind mainly because my six-year-old son loves his books and I wonder whether he'll ever be interested in the man behind the stories. Dahl was, by many accounts, a serial womanizer and incredibly difficult man. He eventually left his wife of thirty years for one of his 'conquests. 'Ted Hughes' books also rest on dual bookshelves in our house (grown up shelf and son's shelf). An adulterer and alleged abusive partner of two of his wives, Hughes is still widely regarded as one of the great British writers. Drunken exploits are a dime a dozen for F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Bukowski, although Fitzgerald reportedly never wrote while inebriated. I know someone who won't read Alice in Wonderland because of the allegation that Lewis Carroll was a pedophile. I have no idea whether it's true, but I enjoyed Alice in Wonderland long before I ever encountered that allegation and, more recently, have enjoyed it with my children.
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| Mommy Dearest-Movie |
Not to let the women off the hook, Dorothy Parker was a rather foul personality, although I do tend to think that her type of wit goes hand in hand with an acerbic personality. I guess they can't all be as witty and lovely as Jane Austen. Ayn Rand's difficult personality didn't stop legions of fans from following her objectivism philosophy and copying her style. Enid Blyton was apparently a horrible mother who wrote lovely children's stories that have delighted generations of readers. Does the idea that she was an unstable and rotten mother detract from her stories? Apparently not for the many fans who continue to read her works today.
The popular theory is that happy, healthy children do not grow up to be writers so it's inevitable that many authors gain notoriety for their bad behavior. Based on our continued love affair with writers behaving badly, I have two words for Charlie Sheen - book deal.
Find out more about Augusta- http://augustablythe.blogspot.com and buy Augusta's YA novel Winterborne at Amazon.
~Thanks Augusta for stopping by today, I love your brand of snarky...based on Charlie Sheen's last interview where he said he had tigers blood and lived on mars, Im sure the book will make for bizarre reading!! Best of luck to you and continued success of your YA novel Winterborne.
And because Charlie cracks me up ....here is a video for your viewing pleasure!! WINNING!!
GIVEAWAY
Today Augusta is giving away one ebook copy of Winterborne. To enter please just leave a comment. Winner will be drawn July 23, 2011. Thanks and Happy reading....
Winterborne
Sixteen-year old Mia Winterborne is destined to be special. Details are sketchy, though, as her dad disappeared with all the answers when she was five. Mia only knows that she'll inherit her kickass superpowers on her seventeenth birthday. Helping Mia prepare for her anticipated ascendancy is Loie Bryce, her best friend and eternal sidekick extraordinaire. The girls' intense friendship has never wavered until now, when Andreas arrives in Salcey Ridge. They both fall hard for the British hottie, who quickly becomes a fixture in their lives. When they discover that Andreas is not who he appears to be, the frightening reality of Mia's powers finally hits home. The nearer Mia's birthday draws, the more the danger escalates and long-buried lies are exposed, putting the girls on a path that they never expected.
This is a great blog! The book sounds wonderful and I ADORE the cover. Simple, elegant, and a bit of strange/artsy. Hope I win! I've also retweeted the contest :)
ReplyDeletePS--LOVE the banner on this blog. Very cool!
@InkMuse
www.rebecca-hamilton-books.com
REALLY thought-provoking guest post. I'm one of those people who try to avoid celebrity gossip and rumor rags because I'm definitely influenced by the person behind the book/music/movie/etc. For example, I'll never be able to enjoy a Mel Gibson movie ever again after his recent showings of his true colors.
ReplyDeleteThough, I do have to disagree with the comment: "The popular theory is that happy, healthy children do not grow up to be writers so it's inevitable that many authors gain notoriety for their bad behavior." I luckily had a great childhood with supportive, loving parents, and I'm doing fairly well with my own writing. While I get that a difficult childhood is a minefield of emotions and ideas for a writer to tap into, I don't think having a happy childhood is a disadvantage either.
But definitely a great post. Thank you!
Smiles!
Lori
blahahahaha that video kills me. What a fabulous guest post though - truly - such insightful thoughts! :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. And I really like the presented question: Do/can we separate the actions of the human being from the words of the writer?
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly a challenge to answer that. For the most part, I have no clue what is going on in an author's personal life, and that has always been fine by me. Sure there are some authors I fangirl over and would like to meet, but I don't feel a need to be involved in their personal affairs.
That said, I know there are those that do involve themselves, especially when an author's behavior causes a stir.
I remember reading a review which pointed out that despite an author's "repulsive personal views concerning homosexuality" the reviewer couldn't unfairly judge their work, which they actually enjoyed. I remember thinking, well then why even mention anything 'personal' about the author. I honestly didn't know about the author's personal views, but since that book review pointed it out, I've noticed I haven't had any interest in read his work. Would I have preferred to remain happily ignorant? I'm not sure. But it makes me wonder.
Thanks for the great guest post.
please enter me.
missie at theunreadreader.com