Today I’m posting a review of Jane Kirkpatrick’s novel, Barcelona Calling, on my faith blog, Sowing Seeds of Grace. Although this book is not in keeping with other topics I review or post here, the subject matter directly relates to the experiences of most, if not all, writers at some time in their writing life.Because I respect Jane Kirkpatrick as a friend, mentor and fellow writer, I wanted to share this light-hearted, witty, tiny bit of romance novel with you as the writing references Jane makes are true to her teaching methods and skills. To get a taste of Barcelona Calling follow this link to read my full review or I’ve offered a short blurb below.
Synopsis
How far will Annie go to become famous?
Annie Shaw’s dreams are far from simple: become a famous author and fall in love. But she’s in trouble after quitting her day job to write full-time. While her first novel was successful, her second novel tanked; and her new editor wants her to rewrite the ending of her latest work to ensure this one is more successful. In order to pursue love, fame, and the elusive “bestseller,” Annie relocates to Chicago, acquires a rambunctious dog, and participates in antics better suited to a television reality show than real life.
Can Annie’s best friends help her achieve her dreams of fame without destroying her future? And what about the love she gave up in Barcelona who wants her to return to him?
My Thoughts:
I have long been a Jane Kirkpatrick fan. When I picked up Barcelona Calling at a writers’ conference I was attending and Jane was co-leading, the synopsis surprised me.
Jane’s underlying themes are usually strength, courage and compassion with a lovely sprinkling of faith and humanity. Almost everything Jane has written to date has been written from the historical perspective of the Native Americans living in the Pacific Northwest, those people exploring and settling in the same region, strong women making strides in the world, events of a few decades ago in Oregon when a cult took over some land and what happened later, plus her own story of homesteading in Oregon. What was she doing writing a novel about romance and a young woman writer, I questioned to myself?
Obviously she was stepping outside the box and my curiosity got the better of me. I purchased the book, Jane autographed it for me, and I put in my bag. Until recently I had actually continued placing it behind other books I wanted to read. Then, looking for a change of reading pace, I picked it up. I’m so glad I did!
The things I learned from a writer’s perspective and about Jane were worth the price of the book and more. Jane lays out beautifully the life of the emerging writer. She takes the ups, downs, rejections, tears, joys and successes and tosses them lightly like a grand summer salad full of freshly picked fixings from the garden.
If you want to read more, here’s the link again.
