"Business Deal" by Nathaniel West

This short story by novelist and screenwriter, Nathaniel West, is too, too funny.  It's about a financial tug of war between a screenplay writer and a film producer. I'm going to look for more works by West!

 http://storyoftheweek.loa.org/2010/05/business-deal.html

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, wrote this powerful collection of stories and the screenplay, Smoke Signals, based on the book. When the movie first came out, I watched it with some Navajo friends and, at one level, we laughed heartily at such scenes as the reservation weather and traffic report; at the deeper level we were silent. Ideas can send one into quiet zones.

Tenderfoot by Mary E. Trimble

Tenderfoot is a finely written strong-woman story, although I think it would also appeal to male readers because it portrays strong (and good) men as well. It is a suspenseful romance with plenty of action, the primary focus being on the actual and terrifying 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Lots of humor sprinkled through the story as well.

I'm not really a romance reader (although in my early teen years I devoured Zane Gray books), but Tenderfoot held my attention from start to finish. It's a modern-day western, set in the Northwest ranch country. Trimble's extensive research on Mt. St. Helens and ranch life added layers of credibility to her characters' story and appealed to my own taste for nonfiction. I really liked how she presented the volcanic eruption process as news reports at the beginning of each chapter. When I reached the chapter without the news blurb, a chill went down my spine! The tension builds and by the time I finished the book, I was definitely glad to be "off the mountain"! I was also glad to have read the story and heartily recommend it to adult and younger readers.

No Castles on Main Street by Stephanie Kraft

Subtitle: American Authors and Their Homes. I was inspired by this book because I realized how much my own environment influenced Stronghold. In one sense, that goes without saying. My writing teachers all said, "Write what you know about." But it's more than objects, setting, people and other living beings in our lives--it's how we absorb them. Both Rawlings and Hemingway, contemporaries, lived and wrote in Florida, had marital conflicts, worked for newspapers, were activists for causes they believed in. Their literary responses to their environment were different because they were different people, of course. In my opinion (and not being a scholar of either writer), I see Rawlings as writing from inside the life of plants, animals and people whereas Hemingway's writing, to me, is more observational. Their two homes appear to support this conclusion; Rawlings happily described her home with its "weather-worn shabbiness," adding, "I suppose that a millionaire. . .might stand off the elements and maintain a trim tidiness. . . ." A trim tidiness seems appropriate for Hemingway's Key West Spanish colonial mansion. And his writing.

High Tide in Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver

I had read The Poisonwood Bible by Kingsolver and knew that I'd want to read more by her. Poisonwood is a novel; High Tide is a collection of essays and is my favorite of the two books, perhaps because it's more personal. She writes across many topics, from writing to family to science, travel and history, all written with insight, passion and humor. My favorite story is about her "Rock Bottom" band she and fellow writers with music background threw together for a book promotional tour. It was hilarious and I could tell that experience made up for the tedious and demanding elements of touring--little sleep, constantly traveling, talking, signing books, missing meals (and I would add a personal anxiety of wondering where the nearest bathroom is). I deeply appreciated her concern for elderly writers whose publishers expect to maintain similar marathons. As a self-publisher, I'm my own boss. If I choose to hobble across a stage with my walker, I can. Or not. Granted, I'll probably never see Stronghold on a best-seller list either. So be it. I'm happy that someone in Burnham's Trading Post walks up to me and asks to buy a book.

The next book I want to read by Barbara Kingsolver is Small Wonder.