Favorite Daughter,
Part One
by Paula Margulies
ISBN
13: 978-0-9913545-2-8
ISBN
10: 0991354524
One People
Press: July 21, 2014
$15.99
www.paulamargulies.com
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
Q & A with Paula
Margulies
1)
Where and when do you write? In my home office mostly, although I try to
sneak away to artist residencies whenever my teaching and client work schedule
will allow. I usually write on Sundays, but that all depends on how much life
intrudes (and it does that often, believe me!).
2) Why did you write your book? I’ve always
been fascinated with the story of Pocahontas, and since so much of her history
has been told to us by English explorers like John Smith, I decided that
retelling her story, from her perspective, might make for an interesting read.
3) There have been
many books written about Pocahontas. How is this book different? There are
a number of differing versions of the history of that time, and much of what we
know about Pocahontas comes from the writing of John Smith and the other
colonists, who reported on what they found in the new land when they returned
to England. Favorite Daughter, Part One
is based on my research on works about her by Native Americans, many of whom
tell a darker tale than the English history. Also, there aren’t many fictional
works about that time from a Native American perspective, and the majority of those
that do exist are written for young adults. Favorite
Daughter, Part One is written for adults and focuses on Pocahontas’s coming
of age into womanhood and becoming a wife and mother, in addition to her work
as a representative of her tribe and, eventually, as a celebrity in England
(that part of her story will be covered in Part Two).
4) Are you of Native
American heritage? No, both of my parents are of Italian descent. But my
father, Douglas Roccaforte, loved Native American history and was a collector
of American Indian artifacts, so I grew up with a deep appreciation of Native
American culture and history.
5)
Whose work inspires you? So many authors inspire me that it’s hard to
choose! I’ve always been a huge fan of the Southern gothic – William Faulkner
and Flannery O’Connor are my all-time favorite writers. As a graduate student
in English Literature, I studied Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Bellow, Doctorow,
Didion, Heller, and Pynchon. Recent authors whose stories have haunted me,
stunned me, or made me weep: Sherman Alexie, Ha Jin, Vikram Seth, David
Mitchell, Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, Jane Smiley, Jane Hamilton, Sena
Jeter Naslund, Anna Quindlen, and Elizabeth Berg.
6) What do you like to do in your spare
time? When I’m not working on my publicity business or teaching classes, I
enjoy yoga, meditation, reading, and writing. In the summer, I try to go to as
many local Native American pow wows as I can (there are quite a few here in the
San Diego area), and I’ve been known to enjoy an Indian taco (or two) on
occasion.
7)
What are the words you live by? Less is more (except when we’re talking
about Indian tacos). ☺
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2014
San Diego Publicist Paula Margulies
Provides New Spin on Pocahontas Story
in Favorite
Daughter, Part One
San Diego,
CA – Book publicist Paula Margulies announces the release of her historical
novel, Favorite Daughter, Part One (ISBN 978-0-9913545-2-8), a first-person
retelling of the life story of the famous Native American legend, Pocahontas. Prior to publication, Favorite Daughter, Part One received an Editor’s Choice Award at
the 24th Annual San Diego State University Writers’ Conference.
Set in the time of the Jamestown
settlement and the English explorer John Smith, Favorite Daughter, Part One recounts the story of Chief Powhatan's
daughter, Pocahontas, as she prepares to take her place as one of our nation's
earliest leading women. Pocahontas invites readers to experience her native
world when strangers appear on the shores near her village. From forging a relationship with the charismatic Smith, to
experiencing love for the first time and creating a role for herself in her
father’s plans for peace, this young princess takes us on a poignant and
harrowing journey through the turbulent events of her life. Eventually betrayed
by all of the men she loves, Pocahontas matures into a heroine of tremendous
nobility, courage, and heart.
Told in first person, in a
voice brimming with compassion and wisdom, Favorite
Daughter, Part One provides a compelling and personal look at the early
days of one of the most remarkable legends in American history.
“I wrote
this novel because I’ve always been fascinated by the Pocahontas story and have
often wondered what it was like for her to witness the arrival of the strangers
in her tribal village. When the colonists arrived she was a young girl, who
experienced first love, marriage, childbirth, and many other life events that
most women face, yet her voice seems to have been lost in history.” said
Margulies. “After doing some research, I learned that many Native Americans
believe her story was much different than what was reported by John Smith and
the other colonists. I decided it would be intriguing to tell the tale from her
perspective, in her own voice, so that we could experience the story from a new
point of view.”
The novel has
received early praise from the historical fiction community, including
historical fiction author, Mary Volmer, and former HarperCollins editor and
historical fiction author, Kelly McNees, who writes, "The lyrical prose and
complex characters of Favorite Daughter,
Part One breathe vivid life into the remote place and time of Pocahontas's
story. In Margulies's hands, this fabled girl becomes a flesh-and-blood woman,
who seeks not just to be a dutiful daughter but to explore, fearlessly, the
world beyond her village. I loved every page."
Paula Margulies is the owner
of Paula Margulies Communications, a public relations firm for authors and
artists. She has received numerous awards for her essays and works of fiction,
including her historical novel, Favorite
Daughter, Part One, her first novel, Coyote
Heart, and her short story collection, Face
Value: Collected Stories. She has been awarded artist residencies at
Caldera, Red Cinder Artist Colony, the Vermont Studio Center, and Centrum.
Margulies resides in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit
www.paulamargulies.com.
For more information on
the author or Favorite Daughter,
Part One, please visit www.paulamargulies.com or www.amazon.com.
WIN a copy (your choice of ebook or print) of Paula Margulies novel Favorite Daughter, Part I!
Thanks for hosting me and Favorite Daughter, Part One on your blog, Kimberly!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds awesome!
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