Twelve Houses by Olga Soaje #ReviewShare #Contemporary #Women

Twelve Houses by Olga Soaje
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twelve Houses follows the spiritual self-discovery of a woman named Amelia who has recently become widowed. In some ways she appears to have the perfect life, but with her husband gone she is confronted with the reality that she’s distant from her daughter, Chloe, and not as self-sufficient as she may have once thought. Nathan helped to take care of Amelia in many ways, and was always closer to their daughter than she had been. She also has a son, David, who she is closer with and he helps to provide some support for both women during this grieving process. There was some surprising drama from a named Barbara, and you’ll understand why as you begin to read. I wouldn’t call her or any other character “bad” people, but you like all humans they have faults and don’t handle each situation perfectly. The main story does focus on Amelia’s difficulty filling in the gaps in her life and working through her loss. It’s inspiring to see how she finds ways to mend her life and relationships.

Olga’s writing style is simple, succinct and the topic she writes about may be appealing to a large variety of readers. I appreciate that she did not provide unnecessary details about scenery or side stories, or try wow the reader with pretentious language. The story seemed genuine and heartfelt, and many readers will be able to see themselves in some of the characters at one point in their own lives. This book is definitely an emotional journey, and Olga really helps the reader to understand Amelia’s experiences as if they were their own. Personally, I felt really moved and I could relate to Amelia quite a bit. I enjoyed some of the flashback scenes of her relationship with Nathan, but overall I liked the development with her daughter best.

Interestingly, there is astrological theme that relates to the title of the book that the average reader may not have heard of before. The concept of the twelve houses in astrology perfectly melds with the overall theme of the book of dealing with relationships, grief, and love. For those interested, a person’s houses are determined by their birth month and date, and relate to their life experiences, relationships, ability to succeed and more. Keep in mind, a reader doesn’t need to know about this to enjoy the book, but an experienced astrologist may enjoy analyzing this theme more closely.


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Frances M Thompson on the One #Book Everybody Should Read @BushBirdie #amreading

What book should everybody read at least once?

The Bride Stripped Bare by Nikki Gemmell, though she wrote it as “Anonymous” when it was first published. She is one of my favourite authors and it was the first novels I read that had a second person narrator. It was a fascinating reading experience and the story challenged many norms facing women in their twenties and thirties. Interestingly, I didn’t really like the main character but I cared deeply about the story - that’s quite an accomplishment by the author!

What do you hope your obituary will day about you?

I would love it if it read something like this… “Frances M. Thompson was a successful author of many books and short stories. Her books made people smile, laugh and love life a little more”.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

The things I see, the people I meet and the stories I’m told. In fact many of the stories in Shy Feet are based on things I saw or heard myself. For example, The Road is Long was based around a story my friend in Australia told me about how she found a wallaby that had been hit by a car. And in See the Amalfi Coast (which is free on Kindle or Kobo) there is a scene where the two protagonist have an impromptu hotel that is actually closed for the season, and that happened to my family and I on a trip to the Amalfi Coast when I was seventeen - the taste of that delicious spaghetti has stayed with me for the longest time!

What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

Without a doubt marketing. As it happens, I’ve not pitched my stories to an agent or publisher yet, so I can’t really comment on “getting published” but in the whole self-publishing process I went through I really struggled to understand how best to market and sell my book. I still do, to be honest!

What marketing works for you?

I’ve been quite surprised that direct marketing on my blog has worked quite well; two big sales peaks came when I published blog posts about my book. I find marketing easier when I’m doing something I enjoy, i.e. writing a blog post, sharing some beautiful photos that relate to one of my stories and I try to be more creative, for example, I’ve created playlists for people to listen to while they read my book. I also found selling signed copies of my book on my blog was more successful than I had thought. In fact, getting my book in print was so crucial to my sales; I’ve sold nearly as many print books as I have ebooks!

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick?

I’d love to study the history of fashion. There’s no link here to writing or publishing, it’s just something I’m very, very interested in. I’ve read a few books on it and I love learning how fashions over the decades have reflected social change and historical events.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?

I have to thank my partner for really being my back bone from the beginning of this journey into writing and publishing. He’s a man of science and really has little time for the arts - he doesn’t even read that often! - but he’s been my biggest source of support. From creating code to transform my manuscripts into ebooks to telling me to “keep the faith!” when I’m full of self-doubt, this journey would have been much harder without him. It looks like I’m going to have to write that robot post-apocalyptic science fiction story he wants just to say thank you!

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you? 

Right now, I’m not sure. It felt like enough of a success to get a book ready for publishing but six months after that, I realise that a career in writing is best seen as a series of successes and so it’s time for me to work towards the next one. I certainly have some goals or ideas of success in mind for the future, I’d love for one of my books to break the Amazon Top 100 one day.

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?

I love reading, of course, and I try to do at least ten minutes in the morning of each day, normally while eating breakfast. We don’t have a television but we do have Netflix so my boyfriend and I like to slowly work our way through a TV series or two during our free evenings. I also like to crochet and I’m teaching myself to knit – I find both so therapeutic to take my mind off everything!

Do you have any tips on how writers can relax?

It’s not immediately obvious as a relaxing activity, but I really believe in the power of exercise to help you stay focused and to also help you relax. When I’ve done at least twenty minutes of exercise a day, I feel like I deserve to relax so automatically I can slow down and not feel guilty for taking time for me. I also recommend switching notifications off your phone or leaving your phone in another room when you want to relax; it’s not healthy how much Smartphones make us instantly contactable.

What’s your favorite place in the entire world?

As a regular traveller and travel writer, I have too many to mention so I’ll go with something safe like Amsterdam, where we currently live. Aside from all the beautiful canals and architecture, I love this city for being a place where people can be themselves – whatever that may be – and I love how safe it is for children. Every summer you see kids drawing chalk on the pavements outside their houses, often unaccompanied. Sadly that doesn’t happen so much in London (where I’m from).

"This collection of stories is like a blanket woven from 100% wanderlust under which you can hide as Frances M. Thompson tucks you in with her words and keeps you warm with her descriptions of characters you'll love and places you can tell she knows by heart." Gesa Neitzel, www.bedouinwriter.com

Shy Feet: Short Stories Inspired by Travel is a collection of twelve quirky, charismatic and touching tales of travel.

The inquisitive Ruth tells the story of The Lost Children of Gatwick Airport and in Max's Holiday we learn what a seven-year-old boy considers a "proper holiday" to be. In The Flowers Sleep Tonight, we meet Thomas and Carly, two solo travellers whose paths keep crossing... because that's exactly what Thomas wants. A spontaneous plan to elope is revealed in The Runaways and Homes from Homes is about the lessons Patricia learns from the hotel bellboy she has a fling with. Oh, Henry is the story of how a dream holiday can mean two different things to two lovers and Katie's Maps is an offbeat love letter to a vast collection of maps. Extracts from a travel journal tell one woman's life story in All the Beaches are Made of Pebbles and find out what Australia and underpants have to do with Claudia wanting to leave her husband of forty years in The Road is Long.

From the unforgiving Australian Outback to the jagged beauty of the Amalfi Coast, along the pebbled beaches of Brighton & Hove and down the busy streets of late night Barcelona, this collection of short stories highlights how travel intersects and enriches all of our lives, often without us realising it...

"Shy Feet: Short Stories Inspired by Travel transports you to exotic locales without leaving your armchair and leaves you wanting more... Frances M. Thompson has a novel in her and I can't wait to read it." Nathalie Harris, www.acooknotmad.com

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Short Stories, Contemporary Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with Frances M Thompson on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.asthebirdfliesblog.com

Since You've Been Gone from TWELVE HOUSES by Olga Soaje #Literary #Women

Since You’ve Been Gone

Stay with me.

Don’t fall asleep too soon.

The angels can wait for a moment.

—Westlife, “Written in the Stars”

You promised you would never leave me. Thirty-five years ago, I looked you directly in the eye and heard, “I will never leave you,” as we stood next to the ocean. And now, like a thief in the night, you go. No last words, no promises, no tears.

As I look back at that moment, I can still feel your hand intertwined with mine, each finger between mine, like an oyster shut tight against the sea, protecting the treasure it carries inside. But the treasure was in my belly, full of love and expectations.

We walked like tourists along Pier 59, a place we came to think of as home. Wind in our faces and a carefree spirit in our hearts. Gently you stopped and pulled my hand so I would follow suit as you turned; I could see your eyes full of love and complete devotion. I felt I could stay in that moment forever. It was this feeling, this sublime happiness, that I did not want changed or challenged. That’s when I turned to you and looked into those blue eyes as I said aloud, “I don’t want this to change.”

Your face distorted into a concerned expression as you tried to reassure me. “It will be different when the baby arrives; it will be even better.”

“It’s not that. I’m excited about meeting the baby and having it with us.”

So you poked at the subject with concern on your face, as you asked, “Then what is it? What don’t you want to change?”

“Us,” I answered blithely, taking in a large whiff of air through my nose as a source of strength for what I was about to request of you. As I looked out to the sea right in front of us, I said, “I don’t want to forget this feeling. I want to always feel this love and peace between us.”

You gave me that dimply smile. “We will always have it. And when we don’t, we will have the direction in which we want to go.”

As a sea gull passed close to us, landing in the water with a tiny splash, I looked at you and finally said what had been on my mind, the deep seed of this conversation. “I don’t want to lose you.” Once again, your easy laugh, followed by an enveloping hug, while you gave me the grin I’d come to realize meant, You’re hormonal. “I’m serious. Just promise me…”

Can anything good follow the best thing that ever happened to you?

Amelia Weiss loved her husband of thirty-five years very much, but now he’s left her a widow. Without him, she is unable to work in her sculpture studio without crying. She no longer has a bridge to her estranged daughter. And she can’t seem to keep her mind in the present.

But when her daughter reaches out asking for her help and her agent threatens a lawsuit if Amelia doesn’t deliver for an upcoming exhibit, she’s forced to make a choice. Will she reengage with her life and the people in it—allowing room for things to be different than they were before? Or, will she remain stuck in the past, choosing her memories over real-life relationships?

Thrust fully into the present, Amelia stumbles into a surprising journey of self-discovery.

Buy @ Amazon

Genre – Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author

Connect with Olga Soaje on Facebook