Mary Ellen Bramwell

Check out Dandelion Summer, a novel about the relationship between a daughter and her mother. Order it using the link below and use PREORDER2019 to get 15% off. (It will ship earlier than the release date so you can have it in time for Mother’s Day.)
Two early reviews:
“A compelling story that captures the nuances and emotions of relationships between the young and old, the parent and the child.”
“A remarkable coming of age novel with a fascinating and intriguing mystery.”

http://www.blackrosewriting.com/mysterydetective/dandelionsummer?rq=dandelion+summer&fbclid=IwAR02W8mYSKl9d2KkWLuQDH4YYsJ3E2SJCdIEUMXACXqkIuxdmclk4C6NTHM

My latest book is available for pre-order (use the code PREORDER2019 at checkout for a 15% discount):

http://www.blackrosewriting.com/mysterydetective/dandelionsummer

I haven’t posted in awhile … because I’ve been hard at work on the next book! Dandelion Summer will be coming out in May 2019! Watch here for updates and snippets. In the meantime, pick up a book or two for Christmas for your friends (and one or two for yourself).

I was recently challenged to list seven of my favorite books, and that got me thinking. What makes a book a favorite? Here are some of my thoughts (in no particular order) about what makes something my favorite fiction.

• A book that struck me in a particular way at a particular time in my life. One of my favorite books is Watership Down. I read it as a teen and it was so unusual and captivating that it stayed with me. It’s most fictional aspects (talking rabbits, one with strong premonitions) resonated with me in ways I can’t explain. I returned to this book on a regular basis to read it again. Later, as a mother, one of my children’s favorite books was basically a copy of Watership Down, which I found interesting.
• A book that makes me think – during and after. Sometimes this thoughtfulness that a book provokes is in the form of a mystery that I can’t quite solve – but almost, sometimes it’s the ideas put forth, and sometimes it’s the sheer creativity of the author in what he or she created. For this reason, I love The Book Thief. Who would have thought of having Death be your narrator? Also, in this category would fit anything by Agatha Christie.
• A book that makes me smile. In this category I would list books with lovable characters who find a way to succeed and overcome. Some of my favorites for this reason are A Man Named Ove and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. This is probably my favorite category, but it certainly overlaps with books that make me think.
• A book I can’t wait to recommend to a friend. There are those books we read that disappoint us when they end simply because we’re not ready to leave them behind. I became so invested in the Harry Potter books (I read the last several out loud to my kids), that I didn’t want them to end. I loved how the series ended and found myself rereading the last few chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, just to savor that wonderful conclusion. And when a book does this to you, one way for it to continue is for you to tell a friend about it. When she finishes reading, you can talk about it and savor it together, making it all that much more satisfying.  I’ve done this with Secret Keeper (Kate Morton) and Sister (Rosamund Lupton). These books just have to be talked about and shared.

As a note: I purposely left non-fiction books out of this list. My favorite, oft-read books, are non-fiction – the scriptures. They fit in my life for an entirely different reason – giving me hope and a lift in my life.

So what makes a book a favorite of yours? I’d love to know – along with what some of those books are.

Today When I Was Seven is on sale for $.99!

For people I grew up with, it’s probably not surprising that I ended up writing books. I started writing short stories when I was 10 and wrote one I was particularly proud of, called The Violet, when I was 14. I shared it with my friends, who loved it. Jumping from short story writing to novel writing is a big leap – one I didn’t take for a few decades – but it still isn’t a complete shock.

What cracks me up is people I know now. When they find out I’ve published novels, they’re surprised. But what surprises them more is that my books are actually good. I think when we know someone, we don’t expect them to have hidden talents. So, I’ve come to accept that people I know read one of my books as a favor to me. They don’t expect much from it. Then I get phone calls, “I just read your book, and I loved it,” said in a very incredulous tone. “Wow, I didn’t know you were such a good writer.”

I decided not to take offense at the preconceived ideas people have, especially because they didn’t let those ideas stop them from actually reading the book. Now, if I could just get the others to read the book they bought …

Come join me at the Bay Area Book Festival https://www.baybookfest.org/.

I’ll be signing and selling books all day Saturday, June 3rd on Allston Way in Berkeley at the festival. Walking around is free. I’d love to see you!