1.
Blurb for Shades of Persephone
Shades
of Persephone is a literary mystery that will entertain those who delight
in exotic settings, foreign intrigue, and the unmasking of mysterious characters.
Crete in 1980-81, more specifically the old Venetian harbour of Chania,
provides the background against which expat Canadian Steven Spire labours in
pursuit of David Montgomery, his enigmatic and elusive mentor, who stands
accused in absentia of treachery and betrayal. The plot has many seams through
which characters slide, another of them being the poet Emma Leigh, widow of
Montgomery’s imposing Cold War adversary, Heinrich Trüger. In that the setting
is Crete, the source of light is manifold, but significant inspiration for
Steven Spire comes from Magalee De Bellefeuille, his vision of Aphrodite and
his muse. “Find Persephone,” she directs him, “and you’ll find David
Montgomery.” Her prompts motivate much
of the narrative, including that of the Cretan underground during the Nazi
occupation, 1941- 45.
Shades of Persephone presents a story of
love and sensuality, deception and war, spiritual quest and creative endeavour.
The resolution takes an unanticipated turn but comes as no surprise to the
discerning reader. Like Hamlet who must deal with his own character in
following the injunctions of his ghostly father, Steven Spire discovers much
about the city to which he has returned, but much more about himself and his
capacity for love.”
Genres: literary mystery, espionage, romance
2.
Blurb for Lighting The Lamp
Lighting
The Lamp dramatizes the efforts of Terry Burke, a
sympathetic, at times caustic and critical, but ordinary old guy, to come to
grips with who he is and what his life has been. His struggle to accept retirement and to
interpret the iterations of the voice in his head spreads to concern over the
mysterious death of a wanderer. Terry’s
obsession to solve the mystery fuses directly with his personal history and
leads him in and out of fascinating, half-remembered mythological landscapes.
A restive Terry is enjoined to revisit the haunts of his youth. Family
dynamics of the present, mirrored in Irish heritage of the past, come into play
as do contrarian opinions encountered among cronies, distant friends, and lost
loves. Motivated by his muse to tell
all, what he seeks in addition to understanding is truthful voice and the
purest possible point of view. Aware that remembrance of
things past in not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were, this quixotic Everyman eventually reaches beyond self, beyond
mystery, and beyond theodicy to a philosophical embrace of cosmic apotheosis. In Lighting The Lamp, Montreal provides more than a background for
potential jihad-sponsored terrorism, or ghosts out of the past, or a romantic
trip down memory lane; the many-layered city takes on the function of a defined
and demanding character and declares in a voice Terry hears clearly: “Know me
and know yourself!”
Genres: fictional memoir, metaphysical odyssey, literary noir,
mythological mystery, social satire
Brendan Young, a
Calgary based businessman who travels more than he’d like, admits to having
absolutely no patience for the intransigence
of his teenage son, Elliot. Ongoing domestic disputes have
intensified over the years: antipathy now verges on hostile rejection. Elinore,
an equally conflicted wife and mother, is threatening separation, a source of
great anxiety for Brendan who turns to alcohol for the understanding that
eludes him on the home front. His sojourn in Montreal, a city not unfamiliar to
him, leads him incident by surreal incident, towards greater understanding
through familiarity with the tragic story of Émile Nelligan, who, as a nineteen
year-old, enjoyed a successful entry into the artistic community of Montreal in
the last decade of the 19th century, and then fell victim to
madness. Reconnecting with Emery St
James Montesquieu, among old antagonists he encounters at a Yamaska College
reunion, proves not only enlightening for Young in its mirroring effect — the
troubles in his family are reflected dramatically in those of the young
afflicted poet — but also redemptive.
Elliot, the musician, will have his apotheosis.
Genres: literary noir, surreal, historical, social satire
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