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A LITERARY
BLOG ABOUT BOOKS How they affect us. How they shape our lives.
Note: Postings
made when muses strike. Watch for blog alert notices via email, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. "We read to know we are not alone." C.S. Lewis Copyright 2011-2018
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12 Reading Recommendations Please click a book image to purchase it on Amazon.
Novels, books, and musicals June has written and published: Click a book image to purchase it on www.amazon.com
"Meditations
for New Members is a beautifully written little book...a gem. The thoughts are striking and orginal--a
few are quite profound." --Fiona Hodgkin, author of The Tennis Player from Bermuda
Sponsored in part by Dani's Pantry Fine authentic Italian food. Cucina con Amore! https://amzn.to/2HdlA
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Services Proofreading, Editing, Rewites, Assistance with Self-publishing. "It's the write thing to do."
"I like what you've done with my
book. Makes me fall in love with it all over again." --Olajuwon Dare, author of Eleven Eleven
Contact
June at JuneJ@JuneJMcInerney.com on Facebook.com, or at www.BSetiPupPublising.com
Please support this Literary Blog by buying on Amazon. Thank you.
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Monday, March 28, 2016
The Forty Watt Flowers In its overnight
journey from Philadelphia to Atlanta, the Silver Crescent pauses on a long siding just outside Athens, GA to allow two freight
trains to rumble pass by on the main line. I think it quaint that a southern community named itself after a major city in
Greece and while a passenger many times on the train myself, I wondered what life would be like in what seemed to be, at least
from my roomette’s window, a sleepy, dusky town. Little did I know Athens was – and still is –
not only the home of the University of Georgia, but a hubbub of rock n’ roll, blues, jazz, and all alternative music
in-between. It is the birthplace of such famed groups as R.E.M and the B-52’s. But not much has been written about the
electrifying culture and broiling atmosphere until two years ago when C. M. Subasic, a talented Canadian playwright, wrote
the definitive novel about starting a band and making it big on the music scene. The Forty Watt Flowers is a refreshingly frank exposé of Athen’s musical sub-culture, delving into the complexities of what it
takes for a band to make it big. A transplant from the north, young Trisha is relatively new in the community.
Struggling with deep hurt, guilt, and misunderstanding, she searches for importance in her life beset by family and boyfriend
issues. In her quest to create “something meaningful,” she decides to start an altrock band, bringing together
four other young women; each one a unique individual with her own set of divergent issues, quirks, talents, and problems:
a black Canadian bass player; a hard-nosed Latino drummer; a spoiled, selfish “southern belle”; and a shy, withdrawn,
wealthy recluse who breaks out of her shell to become their lead singer. Together they form the Forty Watt Flowers in the
hopes of lighting up the music world with their talents. The band becomes a mini-cosmos of creativity mixed
with complex relationships that threaten to tear it apart.-Trisha is their leader who, mired in her own insecurities, is the
most mature of its members. As the well-constructed plot progresses from the band’s first rehearsal in a beer-soaked
seedy garage to their dreamed-of gig at the prestigious 40 Watt Club, she becomes their leader, mentor, band-promoter, and
problem solver. This is a well-tuned debut novel from a very talented, seasoned writer. A noted editor and publishing
consultant in her own right, Subasic couples her easy-read writing style with a vast knowledge of music, empathetically probing
in-depth the finer points of inter-personal relationships. Writing with a light touch and often a jaundiced tongue-in-cheek,
she uniquely twists common phrases into fresh, new usages. Her style, not quite hip-hop jivey, is pert and to the point. Through
her characters, she often waxes eloquent philosophies, and slams home poignant observations like a musician playing finely-tuned
instruments. There are only two flaws in this otherwise exceptional story: some of the lyrics are hard-to-grasp and somewhat
arcane, and some of the songs lack basic structure. However, taken as a whole, The Forty Watt Flowers is, in totality, a literary song unto itself and well worth reading.
2:07 pm edt
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June
J. McInerney, the host of this Literary Blog, is
an author, poet, and librettist. Her currently published works include a novel, a book of spiritual inspirations,
two
volumes of poetry, stories
for children (of all ages) and
a variety of children's musicals. Her titles include: Miss Elmira's Secret Treasure:
A Novel of Phoenixville during the Early 1900s Colonial Theatre: A Novel of Phoenixville
during the Roarin' 20s Phoenix Hose, Hook & Ladder: A Novel of Phoenixville during
World War I Columbia Hotel: A Novel of Phoenixville during the Early 1900s the Schuylkill Monster: A Novel of Phoenixville in 1978
The Prisoner's
Portrait: A Novel of Phoenxville during World War II
Forty-Thirty Rainbow in the Sky Meditations for New Members
Adventures
of Oreigh Ogglefont The Basset Chronicles. Cats of Nine Tales Spinach
Water: A Collection of Poems Exodus Ending: A
Collection of More Spiritual Poems
We Three Kings Beauty and the Beast Bethlehem Noah's
Rainbow Peter, Wolf, and Red Riding
Hood
Originally from the New York metropolitan area, June currently lives near Valley Forge Park in Pennsylvania with her constant and loving companions, FrankieBernard and Sebastian Cat. She
is currently working on her sixth novel.
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