Cathy Marie Buchanan's Blog, page 3
September 3, 2009
Catch the Conversation
Cathy visits the I Write in Books blog to discuss a variety of ideas, including the mystique of the Falls, environmentalism, as well as heroic rescues and daring stunts. And on the almost spiritual relationship with the river that her character Tom seems to have, Cathy says:
In The Day the Falls Stood Still Tom describes the Niagara River as “something that would cause a man walking by to stop, and maybe fill with wonder for a bit and be lifted up from the drudgery of his day.” While I cannot claim that my appreciation for the river runs quite as deep as Tom’s, I have absolutely felt the wonder he describes. I think it is the reason I wrote The Day the Falls Stood Still.
Catch more of the conversation at the blog here.
In The Day the Falls Stood Still Tom describes the Niagara River as “something that would cause a man walking by to stop, and maybe fill with wonder for a bit and be lifted up from the drudgery of his day.” While I cannot claim that my appreciation for the river runs quite as deep as Tom’s, I have absolutely felt the wonder he describes. I think it is the reason I wrote The Day the Falls Stood Still.
Catch more of the conversation at the blog here.
September 1, 2009
Inspired by William "Red" Hill
The current stop at The Day the Falls Stood Still tour is at The Burton Review blog. Cathy discusses the inspiration for her novel’s riverman: William “Red” Hill:
Born and bred in Niagara Falls, Red Hill’s rescues are stories I grew up with, bits of lore I imagined time and again as I gazed out at the old scow, as I passed by the plaque commemorating the ice bridge tragedy. With their retelling in The Day the Falls Stood Still, perhaps the rescues will captivate readers as they have me…
Read more here about Red Hill’s rescue and uncanny sixth sense about the river. The Burton Review also features a review of The Day the Falls Stood Still: “…this makes for a compelling read and I recommend it for the main character's fortitude and strength. I look forward to future works by Cathy Marie Buchanan.” You can read more of the review here.
Born and bred in Niagara Falls, Red Hill’s rescues are stories I grew up with, bits of lore I imagined time and again as I gazed out at the old scow, as I passed by the plaque commemorating the ice bridge tragedy. With their retelling in The Day the Falls Stood Still, perhaps the rescues will captivate readers as they have me…
Read more here about Red Hill’s rescue and uncanny sixth sense about the river. The Burton Review also features a review of The Day the Falls Stood Still: “…this makes for a compelling read and I recommend it for the main character's fortitude and strength. I look forward to future works by Cathy Marie Buchanan.” You can read more of the review here.
August 27, 2009
Fabulous Photos of Niagara Falls
Darlene of the Peeking Between the Pages blog shares a wonderful guest post today, written by Cathy. Read excerpts from The Day the Falls Stood Still, illustrated by dramatic photos of the Ice Bridge, the Scow Rescue, and more. And Darlene's review will be posted on Friday, August 28th.
August 26, 2009
Researching the Falls
Writing historical fiction involves developing close relationships with libraries and librarians. Cathy visits The Indextrious Reader blog to talk about historical research:
Still, history books were just the beginning. I was handed file upon file bursting with old newspaper and magazine articles, essays, pamphlets, and images all sorted according to topic, and I came upon gem after gem. Where else in the world would I have unearthed a pamphlet, self published by “Red” Hill to commemorate his heroics and sold to tourists for 50 cents? Where else would I have come across an essay detailing the history of Glenview, the mansion where the book’s heroine lived?
Read more about researching the Falls here. And you won’t want to miss the Indextrious Reader’s review: “These three strands, romance, history, and the power of nature, entwine to create a richly layered novel that was hard to put down once begun.”
Still, history books were just the beginning. I was handed file upon file bursting with old newspaper and magazine articles, essays, pamphlets, and images all sorted according to topic, and I came upon gem after gem. Where else in the world would I have unearthed a pamphlet, self published by “Red” Hill to commemorate his heroics and sold to tourists for 50 cents? Where else would I have come across an essay detailing the history of Glenview, the mansion where the book’s heroine lived?
Read more about researching the Falls here. And you won’t want to miss the Indextrious Reader’s review: “These three strands, romance, history, and the power of nature, entwine to create a richly layered novel that was hard to put down once begun.”
August 25, 2009
Interview at Historical Novels
Continuing on the blog tour, Cathy visits the Historical Novels site once more -- this time to sit down for some Q&A. Issues of loss and faith play a big role in The Day the Falls Stood Still, and Cathy describes having her own questions about faith after suffering a loss:
The depth of my grief was astounding to me, as was my inability to grasp the concept of mortality. My bewilderment found a home in Bess, and to make her real, I read books about faith, the loss of faith, and its emergence. And as read and wrote and pondered, I glimpsed something that could be called an acceptance of the mysterious as a possibility for me.
Read more in the interview here. And don't forget to read the review here!
The depth of my grief was astounding to me, as was my inability to grasp the concept of mortality. My bewilderment found a home in Bess, and to make her real, I read books about faith, the loss of faith, and its emergence. And as read and wrote and pondered, I glimpsed something that could be called an acceptance of the mysterious as a possibility for me.
Read more in the interview here. And don't forget to read the review here!
August 24, 2009
The Day the Falls Stood Still: View Trailer!
Have you seen the trailer for The Day the Falls Stood Still ? Click here to view it now.
August 21, 2009
Tales of Niagara Falls
Cathy has just started her blog tour, with the first stop at Historical Novels. In her guest post there, she writes:
Though I was born and bred in Niagara Falls and grew up knowing plenty of the local lore, I wouldn’t fully grasp the quirkiness of the place until I was researching The Day the Falls Stood Still set there in 1915. Much of the peculiarity I discovered made its way into the novel...
Read more about the wild stunts and daring rescues in her guest post here.
Though I was born and bred in Niagara Falls and grew up knowing plenty of the local lore, I wouldn’t fully grasp the quirkiness of the place until I was researching The Day the Falls Stood Still set there in 1915. Much of the peculiarity I discovered made its way into the novel...
Read more about the wild stunts and daring rescues in her guest post here.
