THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE | OCTOBER 28, 2019

“The story of the CIA laboring to get Doctor Zhivago published in the late Fifties and the story of a group of queer Uruguayan women creating a sanctuary where they can escape persecution in the late Seventies—you’d be forgiven for thinking they’re not an obvious pairing.

But the number one takeaway from Saturday’s Finding Their Power: Novels of Female Community and Autonomy panel was that Carolina De Robertis’ Cantoras and Lara Prescott’s The Secrets We Kept are sisters of the best kind—they share a set of values and ambitions and they are instantly in conversation with each other, placed in the same room.”

Carolina De Robertis, author of Cantoras, participated in the “Novels of Female Community and Autonomy” panel at the 2019 Texas Book Festival. Read a full recap of the panel at the link above!

---

Diablo Magazine | October 25, 2019

“Make the most of your holiday travels by getting lost in these recent page-turners by local authors.”

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis was included in this fantastic round-up! Diablo Magazine says that “through her lyrical prose, De Robertis—who lives in Oakland—captures the essence of revolution by giving it a human face.” Follow the link above to see the full list.

---

MOMS DON’T HAVE TIME TO READ BOOKS | OCTOBER 23, 2019

“Vanessa Lillie is the debut author of thriller Little Voices, a story of an investigation by a woman who is both struggling as a new mom and whose friend was murdered on the night she went into labor. It's not just a riveting murder mystery. It's also a story about new motherhood, the doubts we all have, and the pressure to be perfect parents. Vanessa's astute ability to craft characters with relatable experiences adds a world of depth to the novel and intrigue around her writing process.”

Vanessa Lillie, author of Little Voices, was interviewed on Zibby Owens’ podcast “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books”! Follow the link above to listen to the interview!  

---

KIRKUS | OCTOBER 15, 2019

“Recast by the creators of Primates (2013) from NASA oral-history interviews with ex-astronaut Mary Cleave and other eyewitnesses, this likewise lightly fictionalized memoir takes its narrator from childhood interests in science and piloting aircraft to two space shuttle missions and then on to later educational and administrative roles. The core of the tale is a frank and funny account of how women shouldered their way into NASA’s masculine culture and as astronaut trainees broke it down by demonstrating that they too had both the competencies and the toughness that added up to the right stuff. Highlighted by a vivid series of scenes showing Cleave with a monkey on her chest, then a chimpanzee, an orangutan, a gorilla, and finally a larger gorilla to symbolize the G-forces of liftoff, Wicks offers cleanly drawn depictions of technical gear, actual training exercises, eye-rolling encounters with sexist reporters and clueless NASA engineers, iconic figures (such as a group portrait of the watershed astronaut class of 1978: ‘Twenty-six white guys and nine…well…people who were not. Pretty diverse for NASA’), and astronauts at work on the ground and in space. They capture both the heady thrill of space travel and the achievements of those who led the way there.

Exhilarating—as well as hilarious, enraging, or both at once depending on the reader.”

Astronauts, illustrated by Maris Wicks, received a starred review in Kirkus. Follow the link above!

---

LIBRARY JOURNAL | OCTOBER 11, 2019

“The day Devon nearly dies in childbirth, her friend Belina is murdered, the crime shocking the residents of Providence. Lawyer Devon promises her husband that she won’t practice after the baby is born. However, while in the fog of postpartum depression, Devon discovers more details of Belina’s murder and starts to work on the case, putting her family, home, and emotional stability on the line. Devon met with Belina the day she was killed, and unknowingly to Devon, Belina had slipped her day planner in Devon’s purse. With a baby strapped to her chest, and the voices of postpartum psychosis running through her thoughts, Devon retraces Belina’s last days. When Devon’s friend Alec emerges as the prime suspect, Devon, contradicting the cruel voices in her head, doesn’t believe that Alec is Belina’s killer. She pieces together evidence indicating that the true killer is still at large—though Alec might not be completely innocent.

VERDICT Fast paced and psychologically complex, this debut mystery has plenty of twists and turns that will appeal to fans of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, and Megan Abbott.”

Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie received a starred review in Library Journal. Follow the link above!

---

THE NEW YORK TIMES | OCTOBER 8, 2019

Pumpkinheads, illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks, is #8 on The New York Times bestseller list for Graphic Books and Manga! Follow the link above to see the entire list!

---

THE NEW YORK TIMES | OCTOBER 7, 2019

“Watch panel discussions with cooking experts and Times journalists as they tackle the biggest food issues of today.”

Chef Alexander Smalls, author of Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day, participated in The New York Times Food Festival this past weekend. Chef Smalls was a panelist in a discussion on “The Fine Art of Hospitality.” Follow the link above to watch his panel discussion!

---

NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION | OCTOBER 3, 2019

“The Literature for Justice Committee is honored to select five books that explore the criminal justice system and aim to help advance public understanding of mass incarceration in the United States. In the second year of this initiative, the selection committee deemed it crucial to focus on those often neglected in public conversations on mass incarceration: women and families. The list centers first-person narratives from formerly incarcerated authors, partners of those behind bars, and leaders of prison reform and abolishment movements since the 1980s. Similarly to the inaugural year, the committee hoped to provide multiple access points, including research-based nonfiction, memoir, and fiction.”

The Prisoner’s Wife by asha bandele has been named by the National Book Foundation as one of five titles to be featured on their 2019 - 2020 reading list for their immensely important Literature for Justice (LFJ) campaign. The LFJ committee chooses books that “contextualize and humanize experiences of incarcerated people in the United States.” Follow the link above to view the entire reading list!

---

BOOKISH | OCTOBER 2, 2019

“Writing is a unique and challenging pursuit, and writers have many different ways of describing it. For Vanessa Lillie, it’s like playing poker. Lillie is the author of Little Voices, a psychological thriller that Bookish named one of the season’s must-reads. She’s also an accomplished poker player. Here, Lillie breaks down the similarities between playing poker and writing.”

Author of Little Voices Vanessa Lillie shares with Bookish her take on the similarities between poker and publishing. Follow the link above to read her article!

---

THE WORRIED WRITER | OCTOBER 1, 2019

“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!

---

BOLO BOOKS | OCTOBER 1, 2019

“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!

---

WOMEN WRITERS, WOMEN’S BOOKS | OCTOBER 1, 2019

“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!

---

COSMOPOLITAN | OCTOBER 1, 2019

“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.

---

REFINERY29 | OCTOBER 1, 2019

“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.

---

THE BIG THRILL | SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

“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”!

---

PROVIDENCE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

“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!

---

CINNAMON MAG | SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

“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!

---

ARAB AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM | SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

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!

---