From New York Times bestselling author
Kristina McMorris comes an ambitious and heartrending story of immigrants,
deception, and second chances.
On a cold night in October 1937, searchlights cut
through the darkness around Alcatraz. A prison guard’s only daughter—one of the
youngest civilians who lives on the island—has gone missing. Tending the warden’s
greenhouse, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello waits anxiously. Only he knows
the truth about the little girl’s whereabouts, and that both of their lives
depend on the search’s outcome.
Almost two decades earlier and thousands of miles
away, a young boy named Shanley Keagan ekes out a living as an aspiring
vaudevillian in Dublin pubs. Talented and shrewd, Shan dreams of shedding his
dingy existence and finding his real father in America. The chance finally
comes to cross the Atlantic, but when tragedy strikes, Shan must summon all his
ingenuity to forge a new life in a volatile and foreign world.
Skillfully weaving these two stories, Kristina
McMorris delivers a compelling novel that moves from Ireland to New York to San
Francisco Bay. As her finely crafted characters discover the true nature of
loyalty, sacrifice, and betrayal, they are forced to confront the lies we
tell—and believe—in order to survive.
Kristina’s
behind-the-book summary:
I
was searching online one day when I happened across an intriguing documentary
titled Children of Alcatraz. The
compilation of interviews featured people who had grown up on Alcatraz Island
as children of the prison staff, some even claiming to have secretly befriended
notorious inmates despite rules to prevent any contact. By the end of the
video, I knew I had a story to tell, one of a hardened prisoner whose
acquaintance with the young daughter of a guard would lead to irreversible
consequences.
When
I researched Alcatraz further, I was just as surprised to learn about an inmate
named Elliot Michener. As an entrusted passman, he had been assigned to work in
the warden’s mansion, where he later built and tended a greenhouse, and was
even granted special permission to work outdoors seven days a week under limited
supervision. The paradoxical setting fascinated me: one of a colorful, peaceful
haven meant for nurturing and growth, set next to a bleak concrete prison where
lives often withered.
During
a night tour on Alcatraz, surrounded by the steel bars and cold gray walls of a
cell, I gained a sense of appreciation for the cherished respite found in that
greenhouse. And when I boarded the boat to leave, I took with me a notepad full
of astounding facts about the infamous prison, the inmates who once lived there,
and escape attempts that often ended in tragedy.
Kristina McMorris is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and
the recipient of more than twenty national literary awards, as well as a
nomination for the IMPAC Dublin Literary
Award, RWA’s RITA® Award, and a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical
Fiction. Inspired by true personal and
historical accounts, her works of fiction have been published by Kensington
Books, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins.
The Edge of Lost is Kristina’s fourth novel, following the widely praised Letters
from Home, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, and
The Pieces We Keep, in addition to her novellas in the
anthologies A Winter Wonderland and Grand Central. Prior to her writing career, she hosted weekly TV shows
since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, and has
been named one of Portland's "40 Under 40" by The Business
Journal.
Author
links:
Website: www.KristinaMcMorris.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KristinaMcMorrisAuthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KrisMcmorris
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/KristinaMcMorris
Advance praise:
“Kristina McMorris evokes such a strong
sense of place that to open her books feels less like reading and more like
traveling. Her absorbing new novel…[is an] epic, deeply felt tale of struggle
and second chances… a transporting piece of historical fiction.”
— BookPage
“Will grab your heart on page one
and won’t let go until the end—and if you’re like me, not even
then. I absolutely love this book, and so will you.”
— Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants
“McMorris’
gripping immigrant saga sweeps from Dublin to New York, through Prohibition and
vaudeville, from New York to San Francisco and Alcatraz. It is a young man’s
battle with hardship and tragedy, but it is also a portrait of America during a
turbulent time and a quest that ends in triumph. Readers will be caught up in
this well-told story.”
— RT Book Reviews, 4
Stars
“Compelling,
resonant and deeply moving, The Edge of
Lost is an absorbing tale of deceit and self-deception, survival and second
chances, the ties that bind and the lure of the unknown.”
— Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
Publisher info:
Kensington Books
Release date: November 24, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-8118-0
ISBN-10: 0-7582-8118-8
Fiction, Original Trade Paperback, 340 pages
Price: $15 U.S./$16.95 Can.
Special features: Author Note, Discussion Guide, and Author Q&A
Some Q & A with Kristina:
1.
Tell
us a little bit about yourself.
Well...
I'm a married mom of two boys, ages 9 and 12, both of whom I’ve successfully
brainwashed into loving nostalgic tunes (spanning from Motown to the Rat Pack)
and classic movies like, yes, The Sound
of Music. As a native of Portland, Oregon, I don’t mind the rain a bit and
am not even sure I own an umbrella. As for my heritage, I’m of Irish and
Japanese descent, a confusing mix that should explain a lot about me.
2.
How did
you start writing fiction?
Just a
handful of years ago, I was actually interviewing my grandmother for the
biographical section of a homemade cookbook, intended simply as a Christmas
gift for the family. That’s when she shared how she and my late grandfather had
only dated twice during WWII, before an exchange of letters led to a marriage
that lasted until he passed away fifty years later. She then shocked me by
puling from her closet every courtship letter he’d ever sent to her. We spent
the rest of the afternoon poring over those gorgeous, yellowed, wrinkled pages,
all sent from an eighteen-year-old sailor who didn’t know if he’d ever be
coming home.
When I
left her house, I started to wonder how well two people could truly know each
other through letters alone. What if the words on those pages weren’t entirely
truthful? It was this idea that led me to sit down and try my hand at a novel,
which ultimately became my first book, Letters
from Home.
3.
Where
do you get your ideas?
So far, I’ve been fortunate enough to
stumble upon lesser-known nuggets from history
that are so fascinating I couldn’t wait to share them with others: everything
from women on the frontlines in the Pacific Theater and non-Japanese spouses
who lived voluntarily in internment camps to Nazi saboteurs who were dropped
off by U-boat on the east coast of America and, most recently, children who
grew up on Alcatraz Island, supposedly even befriending some of the country’s
most notorious criminals.
4.
Is there
a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or
decision to write?
My first publishing contract was for a
total of two books. Given all the months I’d spent researching WWII, and
feeling the pressure of getting the facts right, I was very tempted to write a
contemporary story for my second novel. But then I read Water for Elephants. I was completely swept into another era, all
while learning about an incredible slice of history that I’d had no idea
existed. I realized then how much I wanted to offer readers a similar
experience, so I’ve continued to write historical fiction ever since.
5. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
I'm embarassed to admit that I wasn’t much of a reader before I started writing my first novel. (Believe me, I’ve since seen the error of my ways!) Instead, I was a long-time movie buff, so I’ve always loved the art of storytelling, just in a different form. So, my first challenge was crash coursing everything I possibly could about the writing process.
The other great challenge I faced when I first finished writing Letters from Home was the era I’d chosen. I tell you, if I had a dime for every time someone told me “Oh, World War Two will NEVER sell”…. Needless to say, I’m thrilled the appeal of WWII novels soon took a turn and continues to be so popular among readers.
6.
Is
anything in your latest book, The Edge of
Lost, based on real-life experiences?
In addition to the experiences of children
who grew up on Alcatraz, I loved weaving in true stories from inmates on the
Rock, ranging from dark and shocking to humorous and touching. I was especially
surprised to learn about entrusted inmates known as “passmen,” who were given
special assignments to work at the warden’s mansion, as well as outdoors seven
days a week under limited supervision.
A good portion of the novel also involves
Prohibition, mobsters, Italian and Irish immigrants, and even the vaudeville
and burlesque circuits. As you can imagine, researching these subjects provided
plenty of other interesting tidbits that found their way into my story.
7.
Do you
have any advice for aspiring writers?
When it
comes to constructive criticism, try your best to lower your defenses and
listen with open ears, but treat feedback like a cafeteria line: pick and
choose what works for you. Don't let anyone edit out the voice that is
uniquely yours.
Above
all, remember there’s no finish line in this crazy business. So, regardless of
what people say will or won’t sell, write a story you’re passionate about.
Thank you so much, Kristina, for taking the time to share some of your writing life with us! Jill
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