“My guest today is Vanessa Lillie whose debut thriller Little Voices is out this week from Thomas and Mercer.
We talk about dealing with reviews and being read, and how Vanessa transformed from a free-writer to an outliner.”
Vanessa Lillie, author of Little Voices, was interviewed by author Sarah Painter on her podcast The Worried Writer! Follow the link above to listen!
“Vanessa Lillie is wasting no time in making a name for herself in the crime fiction community. She is active on the social media aspects of the business, attends events for and with our tribe, and her debut novel, Little Voices, from Thomas & Mercer was chosen for a coveted spot on Amazon’s First Reads program. All of this to say, if Vanessa Lillie is not on your radar yet, she certainly should be.”
Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie received a glowing review from BOLO Books. Follow the link above to read the full review!
“My mother said to expect a burst of energy before going into labor. With me, she’d been throwing a baby shower for a friend. With my brother, she was picking pecans when her water broke. The burst of energy before I went into labor with my son is not something I remember (it’s been four years!). But, I have Gmail, so there’s a record of how I spent this surge. I sent 10 query emails (after over 100 rejections) to agents for my soon-to-be-shoved-under-the-bed book.
There are things I remember like getting an agent’s pass in the hospital about ten hours after my son was born. I also remember, after pushing him for three hours without an epidural, holding this wiggly newborn on my chest, and in my exhausted euphoria thinking, This is what it’ll feel like to get a book deal.”
Debut author of Little Voices Vanessa Lillie meditates on a key question for writing mothers: “How long before I can write again?” Follow the link above to read Vanessa Lillie’s guest post on Women Writers, Women’s Books!
“Looking for the best books to read? Although having the time to sink your teeth into a great novel and escape the real world might feel like a fantasy, it doesn't have to be. Set aside ten minutes a day and grab one of these new good books with a cup of tea. You're welcome.
When Devon Burges finds out about one of her closest friend's murders, she doesn't believe it - let alone when she hears their other friend is chief suspect. Haunted by postpartum problems, Devon digs into the evidence, unsure as to which voices in her head to believe.”
Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie was included in Cosmopolitan’s list of 10 of the best new books to read! Follow the link above to view the entire list.
“Vanessa Lillie’s wholly original debut is for people who have already read every thriller on the market. Devon Burges is seven months pregnant and rushing to the hospital when she hears her friend, Belina, was murdered. In the haze of post-traumatic depression, Devon becomes obsessed with finding Belina’s killer.”
Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie was included in Refinery29’s roundup of their favorite books of October 2019! Follow the link above to see the entire list.
“New mothers are scared, uncertain if they have what it takes. The voices inside their heads undermine their confidence in the most important role they’ll ever have. But what if you were already damaged by your ‘life before’? The voices in your head are amplified.
In Little Voices, Vanessa Lillie pits the desire to be a good mother against paralyzing internal doubt.”
The Big Thrill published an amazing and insightful feature of debut author Vanessa Lillie and her newly published book Little Voices. Follow the link above to learn more about Lillie’s new book. her writing process, and “how being a new mother inspired the novel”!
“With her debut novel Little Voices, Vanessa Lillie has arrived on the American literary scene with a flash of brilliance. Aficionados of mystery, thriller, and horror will savor this intricately plotted page-turner that builds to a stunning denouement.
No word of a lie: I literally jumped when I reached the reveal. This was no cheesy deus ex machina, but rather a breathtaking and logical, if unanticipated, close to this treasure of a book.”
Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie received a rave review in Providence Journal. Follow the link above to read the full article!
“Cantoras begins in 1977 in Uruguay, when five queer female friends begin a vacation away at an isolated little cape called Cabo Polonio, where they feel free to live authentically (i.e. romance and fuck other women and each other) despite a government regime that considers homosexuality a punishable offense. The novel covers thirty-five years of trips to Cabo Polonio, which allows De Robertis to show off her mastery with the expansion and compression of time, allowing certain moments to stretch out languidly and then with equal skill, skipping over years in a word or two.”
Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis was included in Cinnamon Mag’s must-read list for September 2019. Follow the link above to view the entire list!
As Good As True by Cheryl Reid has received the 2019 Arab American Book Award in the fiction category! These awards are presented by the Arab American National Museum, which is “the first and only museum in the United States devoted to Arab American history and culture.” The awards honor “stories written by and about Arab Americans.” Follow the link above to view the entire list of winners!
“Cantoras is at its most powerful when dissecting consequences of desire. Several of the central characters are subjected to horrific violence at the hands of the military dictatorship, but they are also sometimes subjected to violence at the hands of their relatives, people who cannot accept them as they are, who want desperately to ‘fix’ them. In this atmosphere of repression, Romina, one of the five women, thinks, ‘the path into the forbidden was in fact wide open right in front of you...stepping onto it could be a kind of rightness, a vitality more powerful than fear.’
The bond the five women form—the way they orbit, attract and repel, take solace and find strength in one another—is the most moving part of Cantoras. By the end of the novel, there is a sense that the reader has done more than simply peer in on the lives of strangers, that instead they have experienced something organic and deeply human—a dangerous, powerful kind of freedom.”
Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis received a starred review on BookPage! Follow the link above to read the full review.
"A stunning novel about queer love, womanhood, and personal and political revolution."
The 2019 fiction finalists for the Kirkus Prize have been announced and Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis has made the cut! The winners will be announced on October 24. Follow the link above for the full list of finalists!
“It’s 1977 in Uruguay, and the country is under a military dictatorship. Groups of five or more people can’t gather in private spaces without a permit; while homosexuality isn’t outlawed outright, it doesn’t need to be — being openly gay is an automatic prison sentence. Under these dire straits, five women — ringleader Flaca, activist Romina, housewife Anita, the mysterious Malena, and the teenage Paz — go on an excursion to an isolated beach where they can just be themselves — ‘cantoras,’ or women who sing, a code name for lesbians. Over the course of 35 years, De Robertis charts the fortunes of these women as they fall in and out of love and navigate the country’s tumultuous politics.”
Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis was included in Buzzfeed’s roundup of must-read books written by Latinx authors. Follow the link above to view the entire list!
“NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Carolina De Robertis about her new novel, Cantoras, which traces the lives of five queer Uruguayan women whose lives are threatened by a brutal dictatorship.”
Carolina De Robertis was interviewed by NPR about her new novel Cantoras. Follow the link above to listen to the interview!
“There is much to love about autumn, not least that it’s the season when readers get to curl up with some of the biggest, most anticipated books of the year. We gathered this bounty of must-reads—a literary harvest to savor.”
Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis was featured in this fantastic round-up by O Magazine! Follow the link above for more!
“Devon Burges has her hands full. She’s had a tough pregnancy, and the birth turns out to be more challenging than anticipated. After having her baby, complications linger, and she doesn’t feel like herself. In the midst of all of this, she learns that a close friend of hers, Belina, has been murdered. She has a strong conviction that the man the police have identified as the lead suspect in the case–also a friend of hers–did not actually commit the crime. Devon becomes increasingly preoccupied with finding the truth about who killed her friend, but the demands of recovering from a C-section, dealing with postpartum depression, and taking care of a newborn are overwhelming on their own. We bet readers will find Vanessa Lillie’s first novel completely engrossing.”
Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie, forthcoming October 1 from Thomas & Mercer, was included in Bookish’s roundup of Fall 2019’s must-read mysteries and thrillers! Follow the link above to read the entire list.
“Fall has arrived, and the days are getting shorter. This means that twilight comes earlier each day, creating the perfect setting to pick up a spooky mystery or thriller. This season, readers have lots of great options to choose from, whether you’re interested in a buzzy tale involving dolls and a serial killer, or you’re more excited about the latest installment in a long-running series. Read on and check out fall 2019’s must-read mysteries and thrillers!”
Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis and Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie were both included in this lovely round-up! Follow the link above to see the full list.
“Best known for the YA novels Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell also wrote the recent resurrection of Marvel’s popular Runaways franchise, illustrated by Kris Anka. Now she debuts at #7 in children’s frontlist fiction with the original graphic novel Pumpkinheads, illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks. ‘The pacing is assured, driving along in short bursts that leave room for key scenes to stretch, but it’s the primary characters’ authentic friendship,’ our starred review said, ‘and the variously inclusive cast that really bring this funny last-day story home.’”
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks has landed on Publishers Weekly’s bestseller list for children’s frontlist fiction! Follow the link above for more!
“After the Flood, the first novel by Kassandra Montag, is the atmospheric post-apocalyptic story of a mother's quest. Myra, who lived in Nebraska before the deluge came, has spent the last seven years in search of her elder daughter, Row. Row's father snatched her away just before Nebraska flooded, leaving behind a pregnant Myra. Myra gave birth to another daughter aboard the small boat her grandfather built in the attic of their home. Pearl has spent her entire life on this ship, roaming with Myra from island to island, at the tips of former mountain ranges.
This new, watery world is a terrifying place, full of bands of roving pirates and very little food besides fish. Myra and Pearl are floating in what used to be British Columbia when they hear of a girl matching Row's description at a colony on the edge of Greenland. Setting off on an epic journey down the Rockies to the Caribbean, and back up north to Greenland, Myra will battle pirates, the elements and her own fears all the way.
Beautiful, violent and horrifying, After the Flood is the poignant tale of a mother's desperation. When Myra and Pearl join the crew of another ship, the relationships among crew members become a microcosm of humanity in the wake of disaster. Myra's story will resonate with fans of The Road or Station Eleven, and make readers wonder just how well they would handle the end of the world.”
After the Flood by Kassandra Montag received a starred review from Shelf Awareness! Follow the link above to read the full review.