The River by Starlight
A Novel
Format:Paperback
Publisher:She Writes Press
Published:8th May '18
Currently unavailable, our supplier has not provided us a restock date
• Media and marketing tie-in to World Maternal Health Day on May 3, 2018. Aiming for reviews but also features/interviews around the subjects of post-partum psychosis, women’s medical history, women’s rights, and the fact that the novel is based on a true story. These subjects are key hooks for media and marketing, in general. • Publishers Weekly and other trade publications • Women’s magazines, websites—O magazine, Elle, Vogue, other • Media in Oregon—The Oregonian, Willamette Week, Portland Mercury, Portland Monthly, Pamplin Media, etc. • Podcasts/radio—NPR, NPR West, KBOO, KOPB, etc. • Regional media—NW Book Lovers, Seattle Times, Eugene Register-Guard, KUOW, etc. • Book bloggers—historical fiction, general fiction, literary fiction • Literary media, including Rain Taxi, The Rumpus, The Nervous Breakdown, etc. • Alumni media • Historical Novels Review • Psychology Today • Writing blogs and websites • Media around events / event promotion • Press release at publication to media, booksellers, and to Hedgebrook, Soapstone, etc. • Content placement with essays, articles, and/or guest posts, considering places such as VELA, VIDA, etc. • Features on author website, www.ellennotbohm.com, and e-mail blasts to author’s subscribers • Book club outreach and marketing • Downloadable reading group guide • Marketing collateral • Possible collaboration with PSI—Post-Partum International, located in Portland, OR • Collaboration with Willamette Writers and Oregon Literary Arts • Collaboration with Hedgebrook artist-in-residency and Soapstone.org (author is alumna of both residency programs) • Social media to author’s 9000+ followers, especially Goodreads giveaway • Events: bookstores such as Powell’s, Elliot Bay, book festivals such as Wordstock and Montana Festival of Books, Multnomah County Library and other libraries, PNBA annual trade show, Oregon Historical Society Annual Celebration of Oregon Authors, women’s groups/women’s studies classes, other • Outreach to libraries and organizations where the book was researched on site, including Montana Historical Society Research Library and bookstore, Hearst Free Library of Anaconda MT, Montana State Hospital, Pioneer Museum of Glasgow MT, Oregon Historical Society Research Library, Edmonton Public Library, City Archives and Historical Society, Provincial Archives of Alberta, Byrnes-Quanbeck Library of Mayville State (ND) University, Carnegie Regional Library of Grafton ND, Grand Forks ND Public Library.
Annie and Adam Fielding’s dreams of home and family on the Montana frontier shatter when malevolent post-partum depression plagues Annie’s pregnancies. As their happiness and livelihood unravel, the only path ahead leads to injustice and unthinkable loss. Based on a true story, this eloquent tale of heartbreak and redemption will resonate powerfully with women today.For fans of Paulette Jiles and Marisa de los Santos Winner of the Sarton Women's Book Award and the Western Writers of America Spur Award Annie Rushton leaves behind an unsettling past to join her brother on his Montana homestead and make a determined fresh start. There, sparks fly when she tangles with Adam Fielding, a visionary businessman-farmer determined to make his own way and answer to no one. Neither is looking for a partner, but they give in to their undeniable chemistry. Annie and Adam's marriage brims with astounding success and unanticipated passion, but their dream of having a child eludes them as a mysterious illness of mind and body plagues Annie's pregnancies. Amidst deepening economic adversity, natural disaster, and the onset of world war, their personal struggles collide with the societal mores of the day. Annie's shattering periods of black depression and violent outbursts exact a terrible price. The life the Fieldings have forged begins to unravel, and the only path ahead leads to unthinkable loss. Based on true events, this sweeping novel weaves a century-old story, timeless in its telling of love, heartbreak, healing, and redemption embodied in one woman's tenacious quest for control over her own destiny in the face of devastating misfortune and social injustice.
IPPY Gold Medal Winner, Regional Fiction (2018)
Winner, Western Writers of America Spur Award, Best First Novel (2019)
Winner, Sarton Women's Book Awards Historical Fiction (2018)
Grand Prize Short List, Eric Hoffer Book Awards (2019)
Winner, American Book Fest Best Book Award, Legacy Fiction (2022)
First Runner-up in Historical Fiction, Eric Hoffer Book Awards (2019)
First Place-Best in Category, Goethe Award for Historical Fiction, Chanticleer International Book Awards (2018)
Finalist, Western Writers of America Spur Award, Traditional Novel (2019)
Finalist, Fiction, High Plains Book Award (2019)
Finalist, Nancy Pearl Book Award, Pacific Northwest Writers Association (2019)
Finalist, Chatelaine Award for Women’s and Romantic Fiction, Chanticleer International Book Award (2019)
Finalist, 14th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards
Finalist, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Regional Fiction (2018)
Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Awards, da Vinci Eye Award (2019)
Semifinalist, Somerset Award for Literary Fiction, Chanticleer International Book Awards (2018)
Powell's City of Books Staff Pick
“Graceful and unflinching . . . a complex journey of grief, fulfillment, betrayal, and forgiveness.”
—Kirkus Reviews
"Captivating . . . the writing is exquisite . . . weaves heartache and redemption together to illuminate the power of love in life’s darkest moments."
—Foreword Reviews
“Magical storytelling . . . With intimate and poetic language reminiscent of Paulette Jiles and Marisa de los Santos, Notbohm demonstrates that loss and fragility often exist alongside strength and bliss.”
—Booklist
“Weaves a mesmerizing story with beautiful prose.”
—Historical Novel Society
“Ellen Notbohm’s thought-provoking and beautifully written debut novel . . . dives into the depths of family life and individual psychosis and uncovers a cast of complex and compelling characters that will keep you entranced to the last page.”
—C. P. Lesley, New Books Network
"There is nothing I didn’t love about this book. The language is exquisite, a mixture of steel and silk―the narrative voice uncannily powerful and sure, yet tender. The story will grow tendrils around your heart, squeezing it until you can barely breathe. It’s the story of one woman’s tragic and puzzling mental frailty, but more, it is a love story, and a heart-rending study of the forced redefining of family. Trenchant dialogue and lyrical prose reveal the very soul of the unforgettable characters in this book. Recommended to any reader with a heart."
—Laurel Davis Huber, award-winning author of The Velveteen Daughter
"Heart-wrenching yet hopeful, The River by Starlight is a compelling and beautifully written debut novel."
—Ashley E. Sweeney, award-winning author of Eliza Waite
“Filled with vivid characters and descriptions, heartache, loss and the healing power of love, The River by Starlight is a tribute to so many women who were treated unjustly and who managed to find their way and survive. Bravo, Ellen Notbohm!”
—Kris Radish, bestselling author of A Dangerous Woman from Nowhere
“The River by Starlight masterfully weaves the story of Annie and Adam Fielding, two star-crossed people who come together in an attempt to bring forth life on an early 20th-century farm in Montana. Rich with beautiful prose stitched together with authentic, shimmering dialogue and a love story that leaves you aching, Ellen Notbohm’s debut novel is sure to stun.”
—Michelle Cox, award-winning author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series
“The River by Starlight superbly captures the landscape of early 20th century American West, and the hearts and minds of those who lived there. Notbohm courageously explores life's challenges and mysteries, proving we know not what Mother Nature will deliver nor what secrets our loved ones hold. She deftly depicts vivid settings, expertly portrays memorable characters who are simultaneously fierce and fragile, and artfully develops complex relationships. The prose is beautiful; the dialogue is spot-on; the research is thorough; and the story told so well pages turn themselves. Ultimately, she knits a powerful story with contemporary questions that resonate long after the book is closed.”
—Romalyn Tilghman, award-winning author of To the Stars Through Difficulties
“A ten for voice and originality. Some of the best dialogue I’ve read, a voice that held me spellbound and a story that kept me turning the page. I surprised myself by shedding tears of joy and sorrow as I read; the story is like a symphony in the nuanced way it’s handled.”
—Elizabeth Lyon, author of Manuscript Makeover and six other writing books
“Engages at the cellular level . . . a story that meets the criteria of what William Faulkner said when he accepted the Pulitzer Prize in 1954: ‘The only stories worth a writer’s blood and sweat and tears are stories of the human heart in conflict with itself.’ Thoughtful, tragic, beautifully composed, it’s a book that once begun will not be put down.”
—Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning and best-selling author of All She Left Behind
“As rich in theme and detail as the Montana sky is in stars. Historical frontier fiction, romance, women’s rights, mental health—all these pieces make for a quilt of impressive design.”
—Brian Juenemann, Eugene Register-Guard
ISBN: 9781631523359
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
360 pages