Wednesday, June 23, 2010

What is Heather Sharfeddin reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Heather Sharfeddin, author of Blackbelly, Mineral Spirits, and the newly released Sweetwater Burning.

Her entry begins:
I just finished Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. It's a fabulous book about family connections, which is a topic I find particularly interesting. Allison's ability to peel back the covers and show us how even the most dysfunctional families have their own endearing traditions and perspectives makes her work so appealing. She illustrates how children grow into and emulate their own people. The fierce loyalties in this book are at times so clear and understandable, and at times troubling and even...[read on]
Heather Sharfeddin grew up in Idaho and Montana, the daughter of a forester-turned-cattle rancher. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and son.

Among the early praise for Sweetwater Burning:
“[Heather] Sharfeddin has ... captured the family-like entanglements in a small community—by showing us what happens when those relationships begin to come apart.”
Philadelphia Inquirer

“Superbly crafted ... Characters are wonderfully drawn.... This is a story about the miracle of love blossoming in unlikely places.”
Library Journal, starred review

“Emotional storytelling ... as gritty as they come.”
Chicago Tribune
Visit Heather Sharfeddin's website.

Writers Read: Heather Sharfeddin.

--Marshal Zeringue