Guest Blog Post by Reviewer Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson of Historical Novels Review will be stopping over by literary publicist Stephanie Barko's blog on Monday, October 4 to do a guest blog post addressing how she selects titles for review. Stephanie says, "The post will be especially useful for writers who are trying to figure out what it takes to get reviewed and for historical fiction writers and readers."

Sarah will be inviting visitors to comment on what they look for in historical fiction, and a winning commenter will be randomly selected from those who respond to her question by midnight PDT, and will win a signed copy of John Pipkin's award-winning historical Woodsburner (Random House).

Set against the backdrop of a devastating forest fire that Henry David Thoreau accidentally set in 1844, John Pipkin's novel brilliantly illuminates the mind of the young philosopher at a formative moment in his life and in the life of the young nation.

The Thoreau of Woodsburner is a lost soul, resigned to a career designing pencils for his father's factory while dreaming of better things. On the day of the fire, his path crosses those of three very different people, each of whom also harbors a secret dream. Oddmund Hus, a shy Norwegian farmhand, pines for the wife of his brutal employer. Eliot Calvert, a prosperous bookseller, is also a hilariously inept aspiring playwright. Caleb Dowdy preaches fire and brimstone to his followers through an opium haze. Each of their lives, like Thoreau's, will be changed forever by the fire.

 I think I need to add that book to my Wish List! I hope to see you over at Stephanie's place on Monday!