Check out this very special conversation Virginia had with debut novelist Bill Gaythwaite whose book, Underburn, was just published.
From Virginia:
I loved this book. Hooked me from page one. A story about generations, struggles, strength, love, falling down and getting back up.
After devastating wildfires force Frank and his young boyfriend, Logan, from their rental home in the California hills. Frank’s mother, Iris, a former B-list actress, offers them temporary shelter.
The relationship between Frank and his mother was always tense. Frank is beleaguered with sadness. Iris is sharp-tongued (she can also be wickedly funny). Logan is a handsome extra on a teen soap opera who tries to match wits with Iris. They’re all trying to play nice in the sandbox. When Iris gets a letter from her estranged sister in Maine, Iris is compelled to return to the family farm she left 50 years ago—and she convinces Frank and Logan to go with her. The story takes a whole new turn with another terrific cast of characters. It’s a funny and poignant family saga about secrets and forgiveness.
I love the backstory each character gets in these pages. It never feels forced. It’s all worked seamlessly into the storyline. The reader understands each person a little more as layers are peeled back.
There’s humor and heartache amongst the suits of armor these characters have had to wear to make it through each day.
I love them all—once I understood them.
It’s a busy time of year. Stop, grab a chair, and escape into this gem of a book!
Praise for Underburn:
“A wonderfully engaging tale of both family and the underside of fame, Bill Gaythwaite’s debut novel Underburn mirrors the deceptive richness of the very generational ties it so charmingly explores: the long memories, conflicts big and small, surprisingly pivotal moments, and rediscovered bonds. One rarely encounters characters drawn with such candor, warmth, and humanity: you will gladly cheer and care for everyone as they seek to make peace with the past, while risking it all for a brand-new future.”
—Natalie Jenner, author of the international bestseller The Jane Austen Society
"A quirky family story told with wit and wisdom, with shades of Anne Tyler or Elizabeth Strout.... a fine debut."
—Kirkus Reviews
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