In need of a new summer read? We’ve got you covered!
Until August 31st, get the ebook versions of these series for $2.99 or LESS —
North of the Tension Line series by J.F. Riordan
The Red Hotel series by Ed Fuller and Gary Grossman
Jack Patterson series by Webb Hubbell
The Adventures of Bubba Jones by Jeff Alt
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A new book of essays from award-winning author J.F. Riordan records a natural world minutely observed.
From a bathtub spider to a tree-borne cluster of cold raccoons, the collection captures the peculiar isolation and intensity of pandemic lockdown. Deeply insightful and personal, by turns soulful and humorous, these meditations on life and grief belong at the bedside of anyone in search of the comfort and companionship of a humane voice.
Author: J.F. Riordan
Paperback: $14.95 (ISBN: 9780825310331)
Ebook: $9.99 (ISBN: 9780825309113)
NATURE / Essays
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A discovery on Washington Island brings new controversy among the locals, and Emily Martin has plans that will annoy all concerned. Meanwhile, Nancy is in love, Nelsen’s is for sale, and Fiona’s resignation from local government creates an opening that reopens old grievances. Even among the bickering, though, when bad news reaches the island, the shocked community forgets its animosities and rallies to offer support.
About: J.F. Riordan
Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825309816)
E-book: $12.99 (ISBN: 9780825308604)
Literary Fiction
384 pages
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NORTH OF THE TENSION LINE: AN INTERVIEW WITH J. F. RIORDAN
We’ll hazard a guess that, at least once in your life, you’ve fantasized about packing up your life and moving to (what feels like) a different world—an idyllic small town, a bustling metropolis, a remote windswept isle… In J. F. Riordan’s sparkling North of the Tension line series, a writer does just that, moving from Chicago to a sparsely populated island in Door County, Wisconsin. Her ensuing small-town adventures are presented with enormous heart throughout this delightful series. Today in the Bluestocking Salon, Bas Bleu sat down (virtually, no masks required!) with novelist J. F. Riordan to learn more about why she chose Door County as her setting, how opera helped shape her novelist’s voice, and what effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on her writing.
Bas Bleu: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to becoming a writer.
J. F. Riordan: In one way or another I have always been a writer. I can remember at the age of seven or so, walking home on a summer evening, keeping myself company by making up a story. But my writing self has always been entwined with a musical self, and it confused me for quite a while. I spent my young life studying music, and had a career as an opera singer. It was an unhappy time, but it seems to have resolved itself: rhythm, the sound and feeling of words, and the movement of phrases are a very big part of my writing.
I didn’t start writing seriously for myself until quite late. I had a stressful day job, and writing was something that was personal and private, and helped me preserve a sense of purpose—not to mention a little sanity. The first novel took about seven years to write, partly because of the job, and partly because there was no pressure to finish. I had no idea whether anyone would want it. Since North of the Tension Line came out in 2014, I have published five books: four novels, and a book of essays, Reflections on a Life in Exile. It has all come as a bit of a surprise.
BB: Door County, and especially Washington Island, makes such an interesting and atmospheric setting for your series. What is your relationship to the area, and why did you decide to set the books there?
JFR: I have been going to Door County for decades, and it was probably thirty years ago when I decided to take the ferry to Washington Island just to see what was there. From the first moment I set foot on the ferry it was if a spell was cast on me. I can remember standing at the railing, looking out at the water and thinking what it would be like to come there every summer, with all the days spread out before you like a blank sheet of paper. There’s a magic in the island: as if you have fallen off the edge of the earth, and all that’s left is the essence of what matters. In my books I try to capture that mystical, almost magical reality.
I have always wanted to live there, in that sense of deep authenticity, but it wasn’t practical, so writing about being on the island was the next best thing.
Click here to read the rest of the interview.
Click here to learn more about North of the Tension Line.
Click here to read more about J.F. Riordan.
Great news for North of the Tension Line fans; we spoke with author J.F. Riordan to discuss her latest installment in the North of the Tension Line Series, A Small Earnest Question. Join us as we go behind the book with Riordan to learn more about Washington Island, its iconic cast of characters, and her future plans for the series.
BB: A Small Earnest Question is Book Four in your North of the Tension Line Series. What do you enjoy most about diving back into the vivid world of Washington Island when you start a new novel?
JFR: I really miss the characters when I’m not writing about them. I look forward to checking in and seeing what they’re up to. A friend recently commented to me how funny it is that I refer to them as if they were real people, but to me, they are real. They have their own worlds, and their own lives. Even when I’m not thinking about them, they are busily spinning their stories, and I have to catch up when I start to write again.
BB: When you began writing North of the Tension Line years ago, did you imagine it would result in a 4+ book series? What about the process of writing a series, if anything, surprised you?
JFR: I always envisioned this as a series. As I wrote the first book, I was setting the background for an on-going story. What I didn’t expect was how different the process for each book would be. My approach to building the story-lines has varied each time, and to my surprise, this last book was the most difficult, in part because I wasn’t sure how it would end. At one point I realized that I was actually writing two books, and it took quite a while for me to sort it all out. It wasn’t until the last week or two of writing that I saw which of the two endings I needed to use.
BB: In A Small Earnest Question, as well as in previous books in the series, goats play a big role in everyday life on Washington Island. What inspired the inclusion of these eccentric characters?
JFR: The goat came about because I wanted Roger’s housewarming gift to be as eccentric as he is. I asked myself: What kind of thing would Roger bring to a party? And the rest just kind of evolved from there.
BB: Many have said that the book’s setting–a small island in Door County, Wisconsin–becomes a character in its own right. From your perspective, why do readers from all around the world connect with life on Washington Island?
JFR: The setting is local, but there is a universality about life in small towns; I’ve had readers from all over the world tell me that the Island is just like the village or town they came from. Human nature doesn’t change much, and when you’re living in a place where everyone knows you, you are very conscious of what you say and do. I think the accountability that comes from being known is an essential part of good behavior. It’s in an anonymous setting that we tend to see the worst of human beings.
Still, the gossip and backstabbing of small-town life isn’t much fun. I learned about that from backstage at the opera house. Ironically, I left opera, in part, because I thought I could escape all that, but I’ve finally figured out that these are the fundamentals of human interaction. And that’s why the books resonate, I think.
BB: What is one question you would like to be asked about the book, and what is your answer?
JFR: People often ask me what Elisabeth sees in Roger. My response is usually that we all know a couple whose relationship is unfathomable to outside observers. How often have you had the conversation: “What does she see in him?” And I like that sort of reality in my books. If you pay attention, though, Roger is actually a very kind person, he just doesn’t know how to express it. He watches everyone around him very carefully, and tries to pick up cues from his watching, and he can be quite insightful. And eventually he comes around to the right conclusion, however awkwardly. There’s a reason Rocco and Roger love each other. Rocco, too, is in a world he doesn’t fully understand, and he, too, expresses his love by watching. There’s a definite parallel between the two characters, and they express their love for Elisabeth in the same way.
BB: Can you give us a hint as to what might be next for Fiona Campbell and the rest of the beloved Washington Island residents?
JFR: There’s going to be more of Ben. We’re going to see him grow up. That’s all I can say for the moment because that’s all I know.
A Small Earnest Question hits bookstore shelves on August 3rd. Pre-order your copy now from Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, or Bookshop.org.
Hello, readers!
The first month of summer has officially come to a close, which means we’re that much closer to getting our hands on Book Four in the North of the Tension Line series by J.F. Riordan. A Small Earnest Question–which hits shelves on August 3rd–follows Washington Island’s beloved cast of characters as they prepare for another busy season on the island. Not without its share of small-town politics, unsolved mysteries, and, of course, goat yoga, A Small Earnest Question is another delightful addition to J.F. Riordan’s award-winning series.
Continue reading to learn more about A Small Earnest Question, read an excerpt from Chapter One, and pre-order your copy to start reading on August 3rd.
More About the Book:
It’s spring on Washington Island. Despite her concerns about Roger’s desire to bartend, Elisabeth is eager to plan a grand opening for their newly remodeled hotel, but she quickly realizes that she may also need to make accommodations for Roger’s proposed goat yoga classes.
Bored and lonely, Oliver Robert joins bartender Eddie in forming a great books club at Nelsen’s, and Emily Martin, determined to make her mark on the community, forms a new Committee of the Concerned. When Emily decides that the Island needs a literary festival, complete with a famous author, she imprudently seeks out a notorious celebrity, hoping, as always, to enhance her own prestige.
Real estate agent Marcie Landmeier confides that an unknown someone is buying up the Island’s shoreline, newly-appointed Fire Chief Jim Freeberg contends with a string of suspicious fires, and Pali and Ben have a spiritual encounter that will change them both. Meanwhile, drawn once more into local controversy, and awash in suspicion herself, Fiona Campbell must determine the answers to questions that will affect her future, and the future of the entire Island.
A Small Earnest Question is Book Four in the award-winning North of the Tension Line series, set on a remote island in the Great Lakes. Called a modern-day Jane Austen, author J.F. Riordan creates wry, engaging tales and vivid characters that celebrate the beauty and mysteries of everyday life.
An Excerpt from Chapter One of A Small Earnest Question:
It was early spring on Washington Island, which, as any Islander could attest, is frequently an exercise in disappointment. The grass had turned a vivid green, but there were still piles of snow in the parking lots, mountainous ice shoves along the shoreline, and the lake still resonated with the clunking sounds of breaking ice on the waves. The trees were tinged with the lavender of their buds, and the air had an extra sharpness from the melting snow. But the sun shone, and the warming fields gave off a rising mist that carried the scent of earth and moss and leaves.
Fiona Campbell was sitting with her friend, Elisabeth, on the hotel porch, drinking coffee and watching a noisy group of gulls fighting over something on the pier across the road. Elisabeth’s big dog, Rocco, lay nearby, mostly dozing, but with one eye open to keep watch on things. Fiona wrapped her sweater more tightly around herself in the chilly spring air and held her mug in both hands for warmth.
Elisabeth’s and Roger’s plans to re-open the hotel had not gone precisely as intended. News of the long vacant property’s purchase and subsequent renovations were quickly the buzz of the Island. Even after the construction and decorating work had been completed, Elisabeth had wanted to wait for the right moment—just in time for the beginning of the new tourist season—to celebrate with a grand opening.
But news spread quickly beyond the Island, and months before the building was ready, the calls had begun, asking to reserve the space for a wedding, an anniversary, or a reunion of a group of friends. Before long, Elisabeth had had to concede to demand. Without advertising of any kind, the hotel already had bookings far in advance, and rather than the fanfare of a grand occasion, it had opened with Elisabeth quietly unlocking the front door to admit a group of well-heeled car enthusiasts.
“It doesn’t feel right,” she said to Fiona, as one of the bigger gulls attempted to fly off with the object of the flock’s attentions. “A place like this needs a celebration, and an invitation to the Islanders, and…a party.”
Fiona smiled into her coffee. They had had this conversation before.
“So, have a party. It’s your hotel. Do what you like.”
“I’m afraid it will be disruptive to the guests.”
“The guests will love it. It will be part of their experience.” Elisabeth played with a strand of wavy hair as she stared at the screaming birds. After a long silence she spoke. “Roger wants to bartend.”
Fiona, whose thoughts had already drifted elsewhere, shifted her gaze to Elisabeth. Suddenly the obstacle was clear.
“Ah,” she said.
Click here to read the rest of the excerpt.
Click here to pre-order A Small Earnest Question.
Click here to check out the rest of the North of the Tension Line series.
Authors Answer: A Conversation with J.F. Riordan
J.F. Riordan has worked in opera, in the classroom, and in philanthropy, but her first love is writing.
Ms. Riordan has been called “a latter-day Jane Austen”. Her mesmerizing literary fiction makes the Great Lakes region one of the characters in this continuing series. The North of the Tension Line books (North of the Tension Line; The Audacity of Goats; Robert’s Rules; and A Small Earnest Question-due out in Summer 2020) represent a sensibility that is distinctively Midwestern, even though the small-town politics and gossip will be universally familiar. Riordan celebrates the well-lived life of the ordinary man and woman with meticulously drawn characters and intriguing plots that magnify the beauty and mystery lingering near the surface of everyday life.
She is also the author of a book of essays, Reflections on a Life in Exile.
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
I have a highly curated collection of dogs, which I have been working on for many years. As is so often true for connoisseurs, it is only finite resources that prevent me from adding to it regularly. The nature of the collection has evolved to suit the place we live: it’s a large wooded property, and there are quite aggressive coyotes, so little dogs are out of the question. We currently have two German Shepherds—one still a puppy—and a fifteen-year-old Indiana Spotted Dog named Pete. He is the heart of the collection for the moment, but I know that will not be for much longer. Sadly, the content of the collection can change suddenly, and tragically, as happened this past December when we lost our beloved Moses. Despite their heartbreaking inevitabilities, however, they are a particularly rewarding collection, since, unlike fine china or figurines, they never need dusting. They keep me company when I write, and amuse, pester, and distract me the rest of the time. They are also highly useful aids to procrastination, which is essential to the writing process.
Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
There are too many great books to bother reading something you don’t enjoy, and not everything is for everybody, so I’m a big believer in tossing a book aside and moving on. There are some books which are an insult to your intelligence, and you can usually tell those immediately. For everything else, I will try for a chapter or so, but if the style is too violent, disgusting, or at all sadistic, I’m out. I can’t pretend that I’m a patient reader.
My dogs can also be highly critical, and, in their youthful enthusiasms, will occasionally shred an author.
I recently read Frances Burney’s Evelina, and found the beginning rather rough going—probably because of the eighteenth-century mannered writing style— but I stuck it out and became engrossed in it, while cheerfully—and with no compunction whatever—skipping certain annoying dialogues. There is only one book—years ago—that I can remember literally throwing across the room because it was so badly written, but I can’t remember what it was or why I threw it. I’m pretty sure it was written by a friend, so perhaps that’s for the best.
To read the rest of the interview, click here.
To learn more about A Small Earnest Question, click here.
To learn more about J.F. Riordan, click here.
INTERVIEW WITH REFLECTIONS ON A LIFE IN EXILE AUTHOR J.F. RIORDAN
Lake Effect essayist J.F. Riordan stops by WUWM 89.7 to discuss her newest book and make a plea for peace in public.
To listen to the full episode, click here.
To learn more about J.F. Riordan, click here.
To learn more about Riordan’s newest book, Reflections on a Life in Exile, click here.
We are extremely proud to announce that Robert’s Rules, book three in author J.F. Riordan’s award-winning series, North of the Tension Line, has been nominated for a RONE Award for Inspirational/Women’s Fiction.
Each year InD’tale Magazine honors the very best books in the Indie and Small publishing industry by awarding the prestigious RONE (Reward of Novel Excellence) Award. To achieve this award, a book must go through the most comprehensive process in the industry today, with three distinct areas of focus.
For more information about the RONE Awards, click here.
The voting period for this book will be open from April 22nd – April 28th. To vote for Robert’s Rules, please sign up and register at www.indtale.com.
You MUST be registered to vote, so please take minute to sign up.
Congratulations, J.F. Riordan, and best of luck!!!
Fiona Campbell is a newcomer to tiny Ephraim, Wisconsin. Populated with artists and summer tourists, Ephraim has just enough going on to satisfy her city tastes. But she is fascinated and repelled by the furthest tip of Door County peninsula, Washington Island, utterly removed from the hubbub of modern life. Fiona’s visits there leave her refreshed in spirit, but convinced that only lunatics and hermits could survive a winter in its frigid isolation.
In a moment of weakness, Fiona is goaded into accepting a dare that she cannot survive the winter on the island in a decrepit, old house. Armed with some very fine single malt scotch and a copy of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Fiona sets out to win the dare, and discovers that small town life is not nearly as dull as she had foreseen. Abandoning the things she has always thought important, she encounters the vicious politics of small town life, a ruthless neighbor, persistent animals, a haunted ferry captain, and the peculiar spiritual renewal of life “north of the tension line.”
About: J. F. Riordan
Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825307348)
Paperback: $16.95 (ISBN: 9780825308291)
E-book: $4.99 (ISBN:9780825306679)
Contemporary Fiction
478 pages
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