This is the first post in a series of interviews with members of the Catholic Writers Guild. Get a glimpse into the life and work of author Michelle Buckman. Michelle Buckman is the author of seven novels, a longtime writer and freelance editor. She is a Christy Award Finalist and the recipient of the Catholic Arts & Letters Award. She is an international conference speaker renowned for her dynamic discussions on writing and faith, and has been a featured author at many trade shows, but loves participating in the great discussions of small book club groups as well. She was born in New York, raised in Canada, and has lived in the Carolinas for over thirty years. Walking on the beach is both h

I have just had the pleasure to interview Michelle Buckman, author of Turning in Circles, a suspenseful coming of age story rich with the life of a small coastal town in South Carolina. This extraordinary teen novel somewhat redeemed my negative view of Southern fiction. It looks at life through the lens of love. Darkness is exposed but it cannot overcome the Light. Savannah and Charleston are teen sisters born within a year of each other. They feel like twins, but they are very different in character. The girls live on a farm with loving parents. There is a lack of closeness between parents and children at the time the story begins which has much bearing on the ensuing tragic events. The h

Fisher of Men by Terry Cross is not a young adult novel per se. It is a California-surfing, deep-sea-diving suspense thriller evoking elements of the movie Jaws. As in a Hollywood movie, the two protagonists become romantically involved. The similarity ends there, however. The complete absence of sex, the faith-filled and healthy family backgrounds of the protagonists and the conversion process of the rational scientist male hero make this book perfect for Catholic young adult reading. There are no teens among the main characters in this book, but I highly recommend it as a clean suspense adventure with protagonists who exemplify high moral standards. Fisher of Men is set on the California c

Here's my 2020 offering of Easter Books for Catholic Kids. They are quite a diversified lot, but they all talk about more than Easter eggs and bunnies - which doesn't mean that these are traditional Easter symbols are excluded. The books in this post, in their different ways, talk about the events underlying our great Feast of feasts, the life-giving Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They also talk about how we sinners participate in this event in different ways as we struggle to emerge from the tomb of our sins into the light of resurrection. Into The Sea, Out Of the Tomb: Jonah and Jesus by Maura Roan McKeegan, illustrated by T. Schluenderfritz, teaches children

Adrastea is quite unlike popular teen fantasy. It is traditional, heroic, medieval, Tolkien-inspired stuff which operates on the principles of old-fashioned virtue. But don’t worry, the virtue part will not get in the way. The book is a thrilling, utterly enjoyable read of the page-turning kind. You will experience heart wrenching tragedy, comedy, suspense, mystery and some unexpected plot twists. The characters are 'types' imbued with color, the members of the Shefro race literally glow. They are pleasingly familiar in their traditional roles and functions. The characters feel like they have stepped out of an old black and white movie where stalwart heroes battle evil villains. No anti-h