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Book Club Girl Baker's Dozen Spotlight: Kate Kerrigan and Nicole Galland

Right now but only until 4/16, you can nab some great reads for $1.99 from 13 book club favorite authors like Kate Kerrigan and Nicole Galland:

“A standout novel….A rare combination of historical enlightenment and sheer enjoyment.”
—Peter Quinn, author of The Man Who Never Returned

Sweethearts since childhood, Ellie Hogan and her husband, John, are content on their farm in Ireland—until John, a soldier for the Irish Republican Army, receives an injury that leaves him unable to work. Forced to take drastic measures in order to survive, Ellie does what so many Irish women in the 1920s have done and sails across a vast ocean to New York City to work as a maid for a wealthy socialite.

Once there, Ellie is introduced to a world of opulence and sophistication, tempted by the allure of grand parties and fine clothes, money and mansions . . . and by the attentions of a charming suitor who can give her everything. Yet her heart remains with her husband back home. And now she faces the most difficult choice she will ever have to make: a new life in a new country full of hope and promise, or return to a life of cruel poverty . . . and love.

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“An entertaining saga adeptly weaving together political intrigue and deceit, love that both unifies and divides, loyalty that teeters on treason, and the desire for freedom” -- Booklist

Wales, 1198. A time of treachery, passion, and uncertainty. King Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, known as Noble, struggles to protect his small kingdom from foes outside and inside his borders. Pressured into a marriage of political convenience, he takes as his bride the young, headstrong Isabel Mortimer, niece of his powerful English nemesis.

Through strength of character, Isabel wins her husband's grudging respect, but finds the Welsh court backward and barbaric, and is soon engaged in a battle of wills against Gwirion, the king's oldest, oddest, and most trusted friend. Before long, however, Gwirion and Isabel's mutual animosity is abruptly transformed, and the king finds himself as threatened by loved ones as by the enemies who menace his crown.

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Writing and Motherhood - Guest Post from Kate Kerrigan, Author of Ellis Island

Today’s guest post comes from Kate Kerrigan, author of Ellis Island, a novel set in the 1920s about a young Irish woman torn between her home and first love in Ireland and her new life and career in New York City.  Ellis Island was one of three books chosen for the UK’s Channel 4 TV Book Club in 2010, along with The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Legacy by Katherine Webb (on sale in the US August 30, 2011).  Ellis Island went on sale here in the US this week; here Kate shares about her own experience juggling work and family.

Work has taken me over. Between Ellis Island being launched in the US, putting the finishing touches to my memoir, honoring newspaper and blog commitments – I seem to be on the computer or phone more 24/7.

“Mu-huum!” my nine year old son Leo sobs, as he stands in front of me stamping his feet, “I’ve already asked you – A THOUSAND TIMES!”

“I’m on the PHONE!” I roar at him in a stage whisper – ashamed to sound like an angry parent to the editor on the line.

Writing was supposed to be a family-friendly career choice.  Except it’s not a choice – or even a career – writing novels is a vocation. Some call it an addiction – it’s certainly a slight sign of madness.

But then, so is motherhood – and sometimes, often, the two roles compete and collide.
My husband Niall looks permanently irritated as what remains of our already meager family time is interrupted by yet another phone call. Because we both work from home, I fool myself into thinking that we have more quality family time than most families because we are always together in the house. But I have come to realize of late that the opposite is true. While all four of us are physically present in the same place, it’s probably for that very reason that we give each other scant attention.

I actually found myself boasting to a friend of mine that Tom (ten months) already considers the talking pig Olivia who comes on Baby TV every morning at half nine, his favorite program.

She was suitably horrified and I thought it’s time for some family time out.

So I booked a hotel for a weekend away.

One of the reasons we never go on holiday is that we live in such a beautiful place. Honestly, we have a   sea view – and there is no hotel I have ever been to that has as impressive a vista or is as well equipped with what we need than our own house. I always scan the web for some beautifully placed, family hotel that won’t cost the price of three weeks in the Caribbean, but while I see myself as a Historic Country retreat or quirky Boutique Hotel type person, we always end up in a Radisson.  Radisson hotels have a peculiarly suburban atmosphere. The décor is always beige with a splash of something predictable, the furniture functional and solid – they are clean but there are no surprises, no artwork collections or outstanding cuisine to challenge you. They aren’t cheap, but they aren’t prohibitively expensive – which is a good thing for a person like me who hates spending money on somebody else’s roof over my head when I have a perfectly good roof of my own. I always have to curb the constant temptation to insist that everybody smiles all weekend because “Mummy is spending a lot of money” on this. As mother of a small baby I figure it’s worth paying good money for the baby to get sick on somebody else’s carpet and dribble on somebody else’s upholstery for a change.

Tom is crawling now and we’ve have done nothing to prepare for the carnage of a toddler. Our main living area is still strewn with cables, and piles of important papers stacked on the floor, and drifts of dog hair and all sorts of small, sharp non-edibles that a small child might – and does - want to shove in their mouths. The Executive Suite at the Radisson had no such complications. Tommo leapt out of his buggy, wriggled out of his trousers and crawled around at high speed, developing carpet burn on his knees within an hour. I unpacked our “emergency” snacks and put them in the mini-bar issuing the usual warning that nobody was to touch the overpriced minerals or be tempted into packet of chilled chocolates under any circumstance. Then I surveyed my 48-hour domain. Huge bed, widescreen, tea and coffee making facilities and a Nespresso machine (impressive.) Leo, who loves hotels – precisely because he gets to stay in them so seldom - excitedly pointed out we had our own “special slippers! In a packet!”

Once I had decanted the contents of the bathroom into my case and unpacked the two enormous bags of blankets and bottles and baby accoutrements – my fingers started twitching to get the laptop out and check my e-mails. I wasn’t going to bring the computer with me but well? I did.

“Let’s go for a swim Mum,” Leo cried, “when can we go for a swim? Can we go for a swim now – plee-ease?”

“In a minute babe, I’ll just check my….”

One weekend of my life - what was I thinking?

We went for a swim, and Leo complained because I used the Jacuzzi, ignoring a big sign he pointed out that said; “All children under 16 must be accompanied by adults at all times.” “I nearly DROWNED,” he said tearfully as we padded back up to our room, tripping over our special slippers.

We ate in the bar and, too frugal to pay for pudding, I made Niall drive to the village to get us ice creams to eat in our room.

I was in bed by ten and slept for ten hours straight for the first time in over a year.

You can read an excerpt of Ellis Island here, and check out the reading group guide. You can also become a fan of Kate Kerrigan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, read her blog, and visit her website.