ISBN 978-0-9770866-8-9 is an e-book by Roland Hughes, published by Logical Solutions in 465 pages.

{mosimage} The story begins with a secret international team of al-Qaida fighters following and apprehending an offshore web master who is part of an al-Qaida cell, which, in turn, is part of a far-ranging network. From here, the scene shifts to the financial districts of the United States, and their never ending search for ways to save money. The CEO of a huge American bank, with large branches in France and Germany, is approached by a marketing company to offshore their operations. Such a move will save millions of dollars and, in the thoughts of the executive, produce a lucrative advancement. He is more concerned with this personal gain, and does not think through the proposition, even when given hints by his second in command, who is most knowledgeable. A software company becomes involved and contributes further to the maneuvers, and the story progresses to a horrendous financial debacle, and many associated reactions. A third element enters the picture – a group of traders who deal with insider information, have ties to Account Executives in Russia, with the Russian Mafia, with China, and with the coordinator of the occult al-Qaida fighters.

To provide more details would spoil, for the reader, a most interesting and thought-provoking proposal of a possible future American agenda.

With respect to the writing, Roland Hughes quite masterfully juggles the various elements, as they shift from one to the next. His characters are interesting, and the story’s progression is at a fine pace. I read an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book which contained spelling and grammar problems.  However, I understand the author has since had the manuscript fully edited and corrected. With removal of this jarring note, I should like to say that Roland Hughes has provided added enjoyment to a highly recommended read that presents some very serious thoughts to ponder, as well.

Purchase this exciting new book!

Roland Hughes is the president of Logikal Solutions, a business applications consulting firm specializing in VMS platforms. Hughes serves as a lead consultant with over two decades of experience using computers and operating systems originally created by Digital Equipment Corporation (now owned by Hewlett-Packard).

With a degree in Computer Information Systems, the author's experience is focused on OpenVMS systems across a variety of diverse industries including heavy equipment manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, stock exchanges, tax accounting, and hardware value-added resellers, to name a few. Working throughout these industries has strengthened the author's unique skill set and given him a broad perspective on the role and value of OpenVMS in industry.

To read more:  http://www.infiniteexposure.net

another exclusive interview with the Virtual Book Review Network 

{mosimage}Lauren Smith: What inspired you to create a work of fiction? 

Erik Quisling:  I initially came up with the idea for Fables from the Mud shortly after I graduated college.  In the course of my soul searching and trying to figure out my place in the world, I was struck with the idea of a clam who was trying to do the exact same thing. For some reason it struck me as extremely amusing.  This is how The Angry Clam, the first fable in my book, was born. 

Lauren Smith: Do you see Fables From the Mud as a satire, cultural commentary or something more? 

Erik Quisling:  Fables From The Mud is about three little creatures – a clam, an ant, and a worm – all of whom are struggling with very human problems.  The stories are satirical but in many ways are simply a cultural commentary on the human obsession with finding meaning in the world.  All in all, they are designed to be amusing and to get you to see somewhat the absurdity of taking life too seriously. 

Lauren Smith: How did you develop each of the fables? 

Erik Quisling:  Each fable was born from its own separate bout of inspiration. In each case, it was a single line of text that came to me that was like lighting a fuse that set the story on its course.  Once the fuse was lit, the stories pretty much wrote themselves – I simply had to go back and edit them a little bit. 

Lauren Smith: Are any of the characters based on anyone – or any type of person – you know? 

Erik Quisling:  I can say that the more I read the stories, the more I learn about myself.  But I truly think each character is a reflection of some deeply common human experience – not of any human in particular.

Lauren Smith: Which is your favorite character in Fables? And why? 

Erik Quisling:  Well, I have to say I love each one of them – after all, these are perhaps the greatest ant, worm, and clam to have ever walked the face of the earth.  But my favorite is probably the worm in the third fable Grant’s Tomb.  Living inside of Grant’s Tomb, feasting on the bones of the former president, is General Julius Gunther Weems, a celebrated war hero who led the worm army to victory in the last of the great cemetery wars.  However, after achieving glory and fame and just about everything else he ever wanted in life, he realized he still wasn’t happy – still not satisfied.  So, figuring he could never truly be happy, he sets off on one last mission to drown himself in the nearby Hudson River. It is on this journey, though, that Julius discovers the answer to why true happiness had always eluded him.

Lauren Smith: What did you learn about writing and publishing a book during this process? 

Erik Quisling:  I wrote a short story about what I learned that I will share with you now – I call it “A Secret to Getting Published.”

A Secret to Getting Published

When Warner Books, one of the world's largest publishing companies, published my first book, The Angry Clam, back in 1998, the most common question I was asked was, "What were you smoking when you wrote this book?"  This was quickly followed by the second most common question, "How in the world did a 40-page, hand-written book with bad drawings of a clam get published?" 

The answer to the first question was easy – pure Turkish Hashish – just kidding.  (Actually, I awoke in the middle of the night with the idea of a ticked off clam running through my head, then feverishly spent the wee hours putting a frantic pencil to paper.)  The answer to the second question takes a little bit more explaining but I believe it contains one of the essential keys (and secrets) to getting published. 

The story of how I got The Angry Clam published is a brief one so I will share it with you now: 

(To read the rest of this story, visit my Squidoo lens.)
 

Lauren Smith: You also co-authored Straight Whisky: A Living History of Sex, Drugs, and Rock'n'Roll; which type of writing do you prefer? 

Erik Quisling:  Both fiction and non-fiction are a great deal of fun to write.  With non-fiction you get to interview a lot of interesting people and explore a particular subject very deeply.  But with fiction, you have a great deal more freedom to take license with the material and it can be an extremely pure form of self-expression.  I would have to say I prefer fiction. 

Lauren Smith: What tips would you offer to anyone writing fiction for the first time? 

Erik Quisling:  Write as much and as often as you can because you will just keep getting better.  Writers don’t talk about writing, they write.  Also, you have to play the game of marketing yourself full out like your hair is on fire.  Do not rely on anyone else to get the word out about your work.  If someone else (a publisher or publicist) helps you that’s great, but do not rely on anyone else.  It is your vision and passion for what you write that is going to make it reach the most people.

Lauren Smith: What can we look forward to in your next book? 

Erik Quisling:  My next book will be unchartered territory for me – a fiction/non-fiction hybrid that is semi-autobiographical – probably ready for print by 2030.  Currently, Fables from the Mud was just optioned by an animation company in Los Angeles to bring the stories to life. 

Lauren Smith: Is there anything we haven’t covered that you would like to include? 

Erik Quisling:  No, Lauren, thank you for the questions and I greatly appreciate your interest in  Fables From The Mud.

Lauren Smith: Thank you for taking the time to be part of this interview!

{mosimage}Carolyn Howard-Johnson: This Is the Place is a fictionalized account of my life.  I was born to a Mormon father and a Protestant mother in a state that was almost exclusively Mormon and is a culture colored by the dominant religion (Every state legislator, as an example, are Mormon even in this year of 2007.) As a young journalist I considered marrying a Mormon man, much as five generations of Nonmormon women before me had done–my mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother.  Each handled her situation in a different way depending on her personality and the time she lived in. The result is a saga of the West, based on authentic pioneer history; a love story, based on my own; and the story of a woman reaching for a career in journalism against all odds. 

Lauren Smith: Why did you write this book? 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson: I thought about this book as a young journalist in the early sixties. It didn't get written until four decades later when I got cancer and realized that, if not now, possibly never.

Lauren Smith: Why do you think authors need this book? 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson: Many authors write about their own lives in their first book. With varying degrees of success. This is one that succeeded; it received eight awards including one from my publisher for sales in the year before the Salt Lake Winter Olympics when interest in Utah was high.

Lauren Smith: What are the top three mistakes authors make?

Carolyn Howard-Johnson: Many of us move, as I did from a career in some other kind of writing (journalism, copywriting, freelance writing) and so assume that we have all the skill we need to write books. At least that's what I did. Wrong. Even with a degree in English Literature, training and experience as a journalist–both for a daily newspaper (The Salt Lake Tribune) and a magazine (Good Housekeeping Magazine in New York), I needed a whole lot more to write a novel. Writing good dialogue alone requires a learning curve.  An author must write well to have a saleable product. The next is that many authors still assume that their publishers will promote for them. I fell into so many promotion potholes the part of me that was once a publicist was severely bruised.  That's the reason that I wrote my first nonfiction book, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T.  It's won two awards. And, yes, that editing thing you mentioned to me. We should all know how to edit for that makes us better writers. We need an editor, though, because our own material is too familiar to us. Having said that, it is also best not to fully trust an editor assigned to us by a publisher. As authors we need to know enough about the process to know when the editor is wrong and when she isn't doing a very good job!

Lauren Smith: I always hear people say: Never self edit – do you agree with this statement?

Carolyn Howard-Johnson: Hey, my book that will be released Oct. 1 is THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS.  The saying that only a fool edits his or her own material is right on. Having said that, we know that many will do it anyway. We also know that the more an author knows about editing, the better partner she will make for her publisher and her editor. And we all send out dozens of documents every day (including query letters!) that we may need to self-edit because of time constraints (or financial ones). So, the answer is yes–and no!  

Lauren Smith: You've self-published your books and your first one did extremely well. What advice can you give other authors looking to take this route?

Carolyn Howard-Johnson: Actually my novel, book of short stories and chapbook of poetry were traditionally published, if by traditionally one means that the author gets an advance and does not pay for any of the publishing process herself. The FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER is self-published though and has done well. I believe there is no one right way to publish. The right way depends on the title, the personality of the author and many other considerations. In fact, I teach a course at UCLA Writers' Program on the subject.

{mosimage}Cutter Hays: The trilogy is about mice getting a chance for equality with humans, all started by a single mouse who is born knowing how to read.

Lauren Smith: Why did you write it?

Cutter Hays: To help out mice and the RMCA (Rat and Mouse Club ofAmerica, who first hosted it). And mostly because I was inspired to do so.

Lauren Smith: What do you hope your reader will learn from your book?

Cutter Hays: That mice, and indeed, all animals, deserve to be treated well and with kindness.

auren Smith: Your illustrations are incredible, did you do them yourself?

utter Hays: I did.  Squibble's Story has over 250.  I also painted the covers (the mouse under the spotlight with the bottle cap and sword in front of him is an oil painting.

auren Smith: Where did you get the inspiration for this story?

utter Hays: Read the epilogue of the first book.  But in a nutshell, I rescued some mice, and they stole my heart.  As mice are wont to do.

Lauren Smith: What's next for you?

Cutter Hays: Squibble's Story, book 2, which I wrote third, is almost finished.  One painting left.  Once that's done, I am going to begin a web-based comedy called"Snerm Stories".  And to find out what a Snerm is, well, you know…gotta read it.  

NOTE:  After visiting the author's website, we want to point out that this was NOT as a children's book, but it appears that the story will be enjoyed by people of all ages!

 About the book: After several millennia spent in retirement, taking it easy, Jupiter, the superstar Roman God, decides the timing is right for his comeback as a business leader with an MBA from Harvard. His intention is to acquire a global corporation and to set up a new worldly empire. But Jupiter has been out of circulation for a while and he and his friends are a little rusty at the game of corporate takeovers. The high jinks and intrigue that ensure are all part of David Dent’s new science fiction novel, Alex Webster and the Gods. 

This interview is exclusive to the Virtual Book Review Network 

VBRN: What inspired you to create a work of science fiction? 

{mosimage}David Dent: Science fiction and fantasy have always been obsessed with the nature of godhood. The idea came to me in 2002 after reading an article in the Atlantic Monthly on the explosion of new religious movements. The article noted that there were about 10,000 religions competing for our souls and that some sociologists use the idea of a religious economy or spiritual marketplace to explain what helps a religion succeed in gaining followers. One could say that Darwinism had its start in the heavens. Because the capitalist marketplace is the dominant metaphor, if not mythology, of our age, I thought it would be interesting to examine a world where gods are the producers of religious services, competing to meet the demands of humans.

VBRN: How did you arrive at the idea of Yahweh as the first capitalist? 

David Dent: About the same time that I was considering ideas for my book, I was also taking a course in world religions. During one class the professor asked about the nature of god as presented in the Old Testament. Rather than responding from a theological perspective, I considered it from a modern reading of the Bible, asking, What kind of business leader was Yahweh? This was not by chance because my career at that point dealt with issues of corporate governance and management.  Interestingly, I found that one can argue Yahweh’s management style evolves from an entrepreneurial, hands-on deity to a maturing manager who, overtime, introduces more sophisticated management and control methods to achieve his goals. The cause for these changes is that Yahweh, like any good manager, learns from experience. His evolution is similar to that of many entrepreneurs who create new ventures and navigate them to successful organizations. In Yahweh’s case, his brand dominates the religion market, with Christianity taking about a 32 percent share worldwide. In other words, Yahweh’s story is not unlike that of Bill Gates or Henry Ford, evolving from a temperamental, even eccentric, entrepreneur to the avuncular, but distant, Chairman of the Board. And the idea tied in beautifully with the notion of a religious market. Arguably, Yahweh is the world’s first and oldest capitalist and, to this point, most successful. 

VBRN: How did you decide on Jupiter as the old god looking for a comeback?

David Dent: Jupiter was the obvious counterpoint to Yahweh. Two thousand years ago, Jupiter was the supreme god of the Roman Empire, worshipped as Mr. Optimus Maximus. In other words Jupiter was where Yahweh is today, the ceremonial divinity of the world’s greatest empire. So if Yahweh is the grand winner of the religious marketplace, Jupiter was the corresponding loser. In the end, the Roman people humiliated him. Emperor Theodosius I, who was a supporter of orthodox Christianity, officially banned the practice of the old Roman pagan religion in about 389CE.  In a full meeting of the Roman Senate he posed the question of whether the worship of Jupiter or that of Christ should be the religion of the Romans. The outcome was decisive.  Most of the Roman Senate condemned and degraded Jupiter. It was an impeachment of Divine  proportions. So Jupiter slipped away, banished by the people who had once worshipped him. He has nursed his wounds and tried to forget for almost two thousand years. Until now. 

VBRN: What are some of the issues in the religious marketplace? 

David Dent: Religion can be usefully examined  using the  marketplace as a model.  And conversely so. For example, when Victoria asks Jupiter what he will stand for in making his comeback, he replies, Whatever  works. Jupiter doesn’t need help with what gods think, he says; he needs help with what humans think. His approach, while practical, also seems cynical. But is his reply unusual, given that religions, for thousands of years, have evolved and adapted to best meet peoples’ wants and needs? The capitalist model of creative destruction gives us a new way of looking at how we got to where we are with religion. Conversely, applying religion to markets, we find Jupiter claiming that CEOs of large global corporations think and act like gods. And if this is so, are management consultants the modern version of prophets of old, at least in the way that they are received by people? Is Alex Webster a modern Jeremiah, the reluctant prophet?

At the same time, metaphors and myths can lead us in unexpected directions in both religion and the marketplace if taken literally, because they are not intended to provide literal truth. For example, assuming the capitalist market knows all and will make the right decision ,as a literal truth, is as misleading as assuming that Yahweh strode through the Garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve. But, it does create rich resource for satire.  And that is the underlying theme of the book, satirizing the literal interpretation of myths.  

VBRN: What did you do to prepare for writing your book? 

David Dent: I read widely in the subject areas of the book, both fiction and nonfiction, including  religion, mythology, and corporate governance. To complement the often eclectic nature of my reading, I took courses in areas like world religions, classical mythology and cult formation.  Being trained as an economist allowed me to get up to speed on the idea of a religious economy. My experiences in the consulting and corporate world provided a rich base of personalities, power plays, and the endless amusements that people pursue. 

VBRN: How did you develop the plot? 

David Dent: As an exercise in problem solving. The most critical step was coming up with the conceit, namely the Roman god, Jupiter, wanting to make a comeback by taking over a global company. The second step involved a weekend of brainstorming possible story lines, characters, motives, situations, challenges, and resolutions. What problems would Jupiter face? Would he need help from humans? Which gods should join him? How would the old gods interact with humans and so on. Being an avid movie watcher, I pictured scenes, adding and subtracting until I had something that held together. The challenge here was to pare down various scenarios and characters into a workable story arc for which a plot line could be framed.  As often happens with problem-solving, I slept on the various choices, woke up with a solution and wrote a five-page outline and summary of key characters, which became my road map for writing the book.  While I twigged and tweaked the outline from time to time, adding some scenes and deleting others, the final book follows the original outline reasonably closely.

VBRN: Are any of your characters based on anyone or any type of person you know? 

David Dent: None of the characters is based on anyone. They all come out of my imagination, so to some extent they may all reflect some different element of me. That said,  the gods such as Jupiter, Morrigan, and Cupid come with some history, so that history provided a base to play with as counterpoint to their new circumstances.  The challenge was to give each god some human dimension in their incarnation. So the ever smiling Richard Branson, the British entrepreneur, for example, was a useful model for Jupiter as J.J. Jones. The corporate and consulting worlds attract certain types of personality and behaviors, and my experiences in those worlds helped shape characters like Alex and Victoria as consultants, and Gerry Schilling and James Waite as business executives.  Several secondary characters, like Professor Laydback and Marcus MacQuillan were likenesses of people that I have known. 

VBRN: Is there a particular message you are trying to impart to your readers? 

David Dent: Beware of mythical figures you meet on street corners, or anywhere else for that matter. My primary aim was to provide my readers with a book that they would find both entertaining and stimulating. 

VBRN: One reviewer wondered if the book is a comedy or a biting critique of modern Judeo-Christian values and the commercialism of present-day religiosity.

David Dent: It was my intent to take a satiric look at elements of the religious marketplace and hopefully encourage some critical thinking.  While the Christian-Judeo model may be prominent in some chapters, the issues being satirized are common to most, if not all, religious practices. When you have 10,000 religions competing for the soul of humanity, it is nearly impossible to comment on one, without offending another.  To use an old cliché, just because someone says the bathwater is dirty, doesn’t mean they are suggesting you toss out the baby.

VBRN: How long did it take you to write the book?

David Dent: If I include writing, revisions, and editing, then about four years. One of my early advisers suggested it would take me that long, and I thought I would be able to do it in a shorter time frame. While I did have a workable draft within two years, the revising and editing took longer than I expected.  The added time gave me new eyes with which to review my writing.  It is humbling to discover that what once looked like gold, turns out to have no glitter at all.  However, the constant revising improved the final product. 

VBRN: Did you seek the support of a writer’s group or class? 

David Dent: While writing the first draft I enrolled at the Humber School for Writers. The main benefit of Humber is that I was linked to an established writer, Susan Swan, author of What Casanova Taught Me and the Wives of Bath, who acted as my writing mentor over the academic year. I also belonged to a writers’ group.  These groups are not for everyone, and they may not be suitable for a writer all the time. For me, it reinforced writing discipline by meeting twice a month with fresh material and  having a great sounding board for testing the story. Also, it provided an opportunity to share experiences and problem solve in a collegial setting with peers. In my experience, such groups are not the place for hard-core critiquing, which is important, but not here.

VBRN: What surprised you the most about this process? 

David Dent: True to one of the themes of the book, it’s never too early to start thinking about your marketplace and marketing. 

VBRN: What tips would you offer to anyone writing fiction for the first time?  

David Dent: Different methods work for different people. That said, the most important factor is to pursue your passion for writing, using what works best for you. And be practical; don’t quit your day job. If you value living above the poverty line, be sure you have a secure source of income to support your writing passion at the beginning. And perhaps always.

VBRN: What’s your next project? 

David Dent: I have two projects underway. One is a sequel to Alex Webster and the Gods titled, The Greta Garbo Goddess. Alex Webster discovers that blood may not be thicker than water for the family of Roman Gods, as New Age followers of Jupiter’s grandmother, Gaia, threaten his new base of operations. The second is a nonfiction work that builds on a significant theme in Alex Webster and the Gods, titled,  Yahweh, The Father of Capitalism. While the tone is light, it will provide a modern reading of Yahweh in the Bible within the context of modern management theory and practice. 

{mosimage}VBRN: Thank you for taking the time to be part of this interview! 

David Dent: It has been my pleasure.

 {mosimage} 

Lauren Smith:  As an Arkansas historical author, what inspired you to write Fly With The Mourning Dove, a book about living in New Mexico?

 
Velda Brotherton:  My Dad was a great storyteller, and all my life I'd heard him talk about some relatives of my grandparents who had homesteaded on the high desert in New Mexico. He'd talk about a woman who lived alone for an entire winter in order to prove up the homestead. About the snow being higher than the roof, and how she'd managed her day to day chores. The stories fascinated me and I never forgot them. Then, I went to a writer's conference in Albuquerque, remembered that the daughter of this woman lived near Taos and called her. I ended up spending a week with her. She took me all over that breathtaking country, so different from Arkansas. I especially enjoyed an overnight visit to one of the ranches, which she still owned. There were no modern facilities. At night the stars rested so close to the ground they could almost be touched. The desert and its monochromatic vistas mesmerized me; I couldn't get enough of it or her stories about growing up there. I continued to visit with her every year, and one day, as she was talking about having read one of my historical romances, she said casually, "When you write a book about me, I hope you don't write it as a romance." So there it was, the challenge no writer can turn down.

 
Lauren Smith:  What was it like to write about someone who is still living? 

Velda Brotherton:  Scary and difficult. I didn't want to present her personality in a way that would offend her, yet I had a definite perception that she probably wasn't aware of. Are any of us really aware of how we come across to other people? Sometimes I would get too carried away telling some of her deepest thoughts and emotions and she would ask me to leave out something, but for the most part, we got along well in that respect. I was still very nervous when I sent her the completed manuscript after more than a year of working long-distance on it. When it came back with a post-it note on top saying only, "I'm satisfied," I breathed a sigh of relief. 

Lauren Smith:  What surprised you most about this process? 

Velda Brotherton:  That she could be so honest with me about the way some of the difficulties of her life affected her. I'm sure she held back a few things, wouldn't any of us? Yet she revealed things about herself that were very private. I think they come across well in the book and present her as she really is.

Lauren Smith:  What were you fascinated to learn about Edna's life?

Velda Brotherton:  How strong she was, and still is. She had her 93rd birthday this July, and is still very active physically and mentally. She keeps up with current events and has strong opinions that are well thought out. Her understanding of the political and emotional situations while she was growing up is amazing.

Lauren Smith:  What do you hope readers learn from Edna's journey?

Velda Brotherton:  That no matter the trials and tribulations in life, we can make our way safely through them and remain who we always wanted to be. She's the epitome of the western woman who stands up to adversity with a serene strength that is admirable.

The Final Chapter
It's official! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's magical Harry Potter series, will be released on July 21, 2007. In the February 1 announcement from the book's publisher, Lisa Holton, President of Scholastic Children's Books, said, "We are thrilled to announce the publication date of the seventh installment in this remarkable series. We join J.K. Rowling's millions of readers–young and old, veterans and newcomers–in anticipating what lies ahead." Save the date, and let the countdown begin!

{mosimage}Let's celebrate J.K.Rowling's talent once again!

This is Ms Gaylord’s third novel, and as a writer her style has matured greatly. This maturity shows in her use of plot and character development in Julia Fairchild. This is a very well crafted piece of work.
Set in New Mexico we are thrust into a world that I found reminiscent of the 1980’s TV series Dallas.
 
Instead of revolving around the Oil industry, the backdrop for Julia Fairchild is Pecan Nuts and Chile Pepper farming in Las Cruces. This seemingly sedate and serene sounding lifestyle is portrayed as anything but sedate and serene by Louise Gaylord!
From the opening page where our heroine is struck by lightning, an occurrence that starts a downward spiral of events, the reader is swept up in a web of intrigue, lust, and bitter family feuds. The characters are sketchy in the beginning but take on richness as the book continues, each interaction reveals a new facet of the protagonists.
Ms. Gaylord uses her main character (after who the book is titled) in an interesting and from a book reviewer’s viewpoint, novel way. Julia is not so much heroine but more the conduit and catalyst through which the story can unfold.
The two families involved are the Brantley’s and the Pierce’s. Early on we discover that there is a long standing animosity between these two high profile families. Page by page we learn little dark secrets about all of the main players. Little jigsaw puzzle sized clues which the author uses to tantalize the reader.
All of the leading characters have skeletons in the closet, some very old, from 30 years ago, some very new, and all of them are disturbing.
Not wishing to reveal too much and spoil the plot I will instead tease you with a couple of the dark secrets contained within the pages, there are untimely deaths, there is adultery, there is even incest, although at the time the participants were not aware of their shared parent.
Slowly and surely the jigsaw puzzle starts to come together. The interplay between the two families, and the outsiders like Julia starts to take on a shape. There are no winners; there are only losers in this rather jaded view of high society in New Mexico. 
To say that this is a page turner of a book does not do it justice, you have to be careful that you do not get paper cuts from turning those pages too fast! If you are looking for a light and entertaining read, one that has a little bit of sex, a little bit of violence, a hint or two of true love, and a huge amount of bitterness between characters, I recommend that you go down to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Julia Fairchild.