I’m always searching for a book that will help me escape my day-to-day world (even if it's a quick escape for a few hours). In choosing my next read, I attempt to decipher the title, stare at the cover and then read the back blurb to see what sounds intriguing. Depending on my particular mood, sometimes I’m interested in discovering a tiny piece of unknown history, traveling to a destination I have never visited or being swept up into an unlikely love affair.
Marilyn Baron’s romantic suspense, Stumble Stones: A Novel, satisfies all of the above.
The first question in looking at the cover: why the title? I’m curious when it comes to names of books and names of movies; determined to figure out what the writer is trying to convey with a handful of words. What the title referenced astonished me and that alone made me want to read the book.
Stumble Stones are real memorials to victims of the Holocaust. Gunter Demnig, a Berlin-born artist, is helping to remember families by creating cobblestone cubes with the names of individuals who were victims of Nazi’s. There are over 50,000 of these throughout Germany and other European countries. It is a historical marker, typically placed in the street in front of the homes where they were taken, or once lived. A way to help the future population never forget what happened not so long ago.
Marilyn Baron has taken a slice of history and woven it into a romantic suspense with a lovable character called Hallejujah and a flavor of romance and adventure similar to the film, “Romancing the Stone.” I love books that make you think, while you laugh, and take you away on extraordinary adventures.
Stumble Stones: A Novel, is Baron’s 11th title with The Wild Rose Press and her 19th published work. I asked the award-winning writer three questions, during a recent interview.
What sets “Stumble Stones” apart from your other novels? All of my novels are humorous – even the ones about serial killers – and most feature romance and suspense. But “Stumble Stones,” set in contemporary and WWII Europe, deals with serious themes. In addition to the contemporary love story, it tells the tale of two women in the Holocaust. The light content balances the dark, and it has a hopeful, surprise ending.
If stranded on a desert island, what three books would you take with you? ( I couldn’t help myself, I’m always making a list of what to take in case of armageddon )
That’s a tough question. If the island had a power source and I could bring my Kindle, then no problem. I am such an avid reader, it would be difficult to narrow it down to just three, but I guess I’d take Fall of Giants, the first book in Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy; All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr; and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Then I’d wish I could take all the books in the Outlander series and some Nora Roberts books.
Any advice to new authors( for all you aspiring writers) ? Yes, “finish the book.” That’s the number one piece of advice I’ve been given by every well-known author I’ve ever interviewed from Daniel Silva to Janet Evanovich. The rationale is, you can always revise and improve the pages you’ve written but you can’t fix a blank page. Also, write what you want, don’t follow the trends. You may be starting a new trend. And, although this advice goes against conventional wisdom, don’t be afraid to switch genres. Don’t limit yourself.
Stumble Stones: A Novel, as well as other published works of Baron’s, can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, Kobo, Bookstrand, and ibookstore. Readers can find out more about Marilyn Baron’s books and humorous supernatural short stories on her website at www.marilynbaron.com or Facebook . Watch the book trailer here.
