Disorganized Crime by Karen K. Brees

Strong characters are the hallmark of good fiction; sometimes, if a writer is lucky, a character emerges and takes the lead. The writer then becomes the biographer and lets that character take the reins. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s magic. In Disorganized Crime, the sequel to The Esposito Caper, that character is Carla Catalano, and I’m glad we met. She’s larger than life, complex, conflicted, and determined to live on her terms.

As with the other characters in this dramedy, Carla has a past she’s trying to put behind her once and for all. The problem is, the Mafia has a long memory, and they haven’t forgotten about the $100K she took with her when she left her employment as a dancer at New Haven’s notorious Pussycat Club and moved to San Francisco to open a ballet studio.

So, while not exactly a role model, Carla and the rest of the Esposito clan are determined to live on their terms, right whatever wrongs they come across, and dish out some vigilante justice when necessary. And in Disorganized Crime, they’re determined to bring down the Puglisi crime family once and for all. It all comes down to family, and Italian families are unique. You need support? No problem. You’ve screwed up? You’ll hear about it. Forever. But love? Oh, yes. You’ll never be alone.

About the Author:
Growing up in New Haven in the 1950s provided a lifetime of experience to draw on when Karen K. Brees began to write. It was a different time, and children were free to explore.

“Where Did You Go?”

“Out.”

“What Did You Do?”

“Nothing.”

That was the title of a book that explained our lives. We could explore, learn, become independent, and trust our abilities.

Karen has been a bookmobile librarian in rural Ohio, a cattle rancher and goat herder in rural Idaho, and an English teacher in San Jose, California. San Jose…That’s where the local mafioso paid an emergency visit to our veterinary clinic. His dog had been hit by a car, and he was desperate for help, but that’s a story for another time. She figures there are enough stories for the next hundred years and hopes you enjoy Disorganized Crime.

Pleasant Valley Lost by Joseph J. Swope

Set in the turbulent late 1960s, Pleasant Valley Lost chronicles the last days of a historic farm before it is destroyed to make way for a federal dam project. As the family searches for a new home to build their future, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moves into Pleasant Valley, displacing hundreds of homes and seizing more than sixty farms.

Pleasant Valley Lost is based on the true story surrounding the author’s childhood farm. Originally built by a prestigious and politically influential Hiester family member, the farm had been in the Swope family since 1939. It was located in one of the most fertile areas in the region.

Told first person through the eyes of a young boy, Pleasant Valley Lost follows the day-to-day life of living on a dairy farm, the constant wariness of the region’s residents as the federal government slowly evolved its plans, and the family’s long-suffering devotion to baseball and the many losing seasons of the Philadelphia Phillies in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

After losing their historic property, the Swope family initially purchased another farm several miles outside the scope of the dam project to make their home. But adding additional uncertainty to their lives, the Pennsylvania state game commission decided to dedicate a game land next to the dam project, condemning several thousand additional acres and shattering the Swope family’s plan by including their planned future home in that project.

Pleasant Valley Lost ultimately focuses on the author’s family and the rollercoaster of emotions they experience. In addition to the author’s parents, brother, young sister, and extended family, the farm would never be the same without their colorful hired man, Adam. Slight of frame with a hearty appetite for food and beer, Adam’s profanity-laced tirades and herculean strength punctuate many moments with a loud exclamation.

About the Author:
In addition to his work as an award-winning author, Joseph J. Swope has served as a public relations professional, photographer, and university adjunct faculty member. Recently retired, he has lived and worked in Pennsylvania his entire career, which spanned more than 40 years in both corporate and non-profit settings.

Swope lives in Reading, Pennsylvania, with seven children and one grandchild. He has published five other books and continues to write and play in a senior softball league, in addition to Pleasant Valley Lost.

You’ll See: A Story of Narcissistic Abuse, Survival, and My Journey to Understand by Suzanne Groves

In her memoir, You’ll See: A Story of Narcissistic Abuse, Survival, and My Journey to Understand, author Suzanne Groves writes unflinchingly yet poignantly about her five-plus decades striving unsuccessfully to earn and retain unconditional love and approval from her narcissistic father. Each chapter recounts a painful vignette of her father’s overt and covert cruelty towards her, heartbreaking not only because of the pleasure he seemed to derive from keeping his daughter off balance but also because she persisted, desperate to be “Daddy’s Girl.” Her mother continually defended him instead of protecting her, which only intensified Groves’s feelings of inadequacy, which she sought to overcome through significant academic and professional achievements…none of which ever garnered praise from her father. While her story is often gut-wrenching, it is not without hope, and that was her reason for writing it: to illustrate that the permanent scars resulting from narcissistic abuse are every bit as devastating as those born from physical and sexual abuse, but they need not be kept hidden. She shows that victims of narcissistic abuse can find their voice, set boundaries, and liberate themselves from the prison of seeking love from someone emotionally incapable of giving it. Groves’s book has touched many lives, as evidenced by its heartfelt reviews. As one reader wrote, “This memoir isn’t just a book. It’s a companion. A mirror. A map. A lifeline. For anyone who’s endured the silent devastation of narcissistic abuse, You’ll See doesn’t just say ‘I understand.’ It says, ‘You’re not alone.’”

About the Author:
As the daughter of an Air Force officer, Suzanne Groves grew up relying upon her imagination, creativity, and innate curiosity to weather several early-life relocations and life challenges. Suzanne was an avid reader from a young age and earned her B.A. in English from The University of Texas at Austin. She parlayed her degree into a successful 36-year marketing communications career, during which she received numerous national and international awards for creative excellence. The author of two books, Groves now writes women’s contemporary fiction.

This post is a sponsored collaboration with Black Rose Writing.