A tale of resiliency: Loving Artemis in review–#amreading #bookreview #LGBTHistory

BookView Review: Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love and marriage by Janet Mason

Mason spins a stunning tale of resiliency, compassion, revolution, and courage in her latest novel that takes readers on two women’s journey of love and contentment. The daring and fiercely strong-minded Artemis have always known her preference for girls. When Linda comes into her life, a passionate relationship begins. But Linda soon disappears from Artemis’s life, leaving her heartbroken. The latter starts dealing drugs and has a brief relationship with Grace. Eventually, Artemis and Grace also separate, choosing different paths in life. Now decades later, both women have their new lives. But when Grace spots Artemis in a pride parade, she realizes she still has feelings for Artemis. LGBTQ intrigue and self-discovery create a vivid backdrop to a narrative that carefully details the toll of intolerance and bigotry. Mason’s flair for characterization and attention to detail provide Grace and Artemis’s individual stories authenticity. Mason elegantly weaves together the LGBTQ issues, adolescent and young adult angst, and romance threads, and an intriguing cast—including the fierce Artemis, the sensitive Grace, the vulnerable Linda—will keep readers invested in the story. The story is as much the history of the nation as it’s a tale of love, perseverance, and self-discovery. Wholesome, authentic, and beautiful, this page-turning LGBTQ romance satisfies.

To order my most recently published novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love, and marriage, click here:

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Gratitude — #govegan #ThanksLiving #PattiSmith

Every day is gratitude day at my house. A couple of months ago, my partner and I started saying three or more things we are grateful for at the end of each day. The list seems to grow longer and longer. I later learned that this an important way to rewire your brain. A retired therapist friend mentioned that this is a good way to avoid depression.

That makes sense. I have been feeling extraordinarily good lately. Not that I am not saddened by the slaughter of humans and other animals. One of the things that I am constantly grateful for is for going vegan several years ago. My partner and I both feel terrific and are still amazed at the transformation in our bodies.

As to advice on going vegan, there is no time like the present.

I wanted to share this photo that I found online.

Another thing that I’m grateful for is seeing Patti Smith last night at the Free Library of Philadelphia where she talked about gratitude being the underlying them of her newly released “Book of Days.” She sang several songs as well as talking about the photographs in her book. Thank you, Patti, for your inspiring words.

I am also grateful for the books that I have written, for the characters that have come to me, and for the fact that so many of you have read them and are reading them.

For more information on my most recent novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love, and marriage, click here:

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“Always remember the power of love” — author interview #amreading #LGBTQ #novels

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love and marriage ?

In many ways I “lesbianized” my youth, with the result that the character that I identified with (Grace) was much more empowered. But the emotional reality of having to flee from her past were and are very real for me. The bulk of Loving Artemis is set in 1977—when the two main characters are in their final year in high school–against the historic backdrop of events that shaped the U.S. Supreme Court’s long overdue decision to legalize same sex marriage.

As one reader wrote, “Loving Artemis captures perfectly the days when teen lesbians felt they were the only ones in the world. More than a coming-of-age story, more than the love story of Artemis and Grace, the novel is also a thoroughly enjoyable journey through the decades.”

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love and marriage, what would they be?

Artemis’s theme song would be “Born to be Wild” And Grace’s theme song would be “Dark Side of the Moon.”

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I read various genres, mostly literary fiction. Right now, I’m most interested in the form of hybrid fiction and essay.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I review books for BookTube so I’m always reading something. Right now, I’m reading a nonfiction book called “The Undercurrents” by Kristy Bell from Other Press (which is known for its international books). The book is about the history of Berlin which I wouldn’t know about otherwise. I usually always love what Other Press puts out!

Also on my list is “Funny, You Don’t Look Like a Rabbi, a memoir of unorthodox transformation” by Rabbi Linda Targan. I’m looking forward to reading it!

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

There were so many. I would have to say my most favorite was the opening pages where I talk about the Pride march in New York City and what it means to the main character (this is in print and video on my author blog).

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I don’t know that it’s quirky but after a health scare a few years ago I am committed to staying healthy and I do count this to be crucial to my writing practice. I walk every day, practice qigong, and the biggest change was that I went to a healthy plant-based diet.

I feel great and am not done writing (and publishing) yet! In the past, I have always had a cat on my lap and hope to have one again.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them. – HH The Dalai Lama

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Always remember the power of love.

Janet Mason is the author of the new book Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love and marriage (from Thorned Heart Press)

Connect with Janet Mason

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Interview originally appeared on the New In Books website.

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A poignant love story and important history–Loving Artemis in review–#amreading #LGBTQ #novel

A stunning novel about queer love, independence, self-realization, and personal and political revolution… 

Set against the historic backdrop of events that shaped the U.S. Supreme Court’s long overdue decision to legalize same sex marriage that is under attack today, award-winning novelist Mason vividly recounts a saga of revolution through love, resilience, and faith in her latest novel. 1970. Struggling with her sexual identity and her mother’s impossible expectation, eighteen-year-old Grace finds herself falling for the strong-willed and free-spirited Artemis after the latter saves her from a drug party. But Art lands herself on the other side of the law, and Grace’s aspirations come in her way of her relationship. She leaves Art and moves to another city. Now decades later, Grace is successful in her career and has a live-in-partner Thalia. When Grace spots Art in a pride parade, the old feelings come to surface, forcing Grace to question her relationship with Thalia. And Art has her own life, and she’s raising a daughter with Linda, her school-time flame. Mason’s skillfully crafted plot pulls the reader right from the beginning, and she expertly weaves historical events into the narrative to create a feeling of authenticity. Utilizing an extraordinary sense of place, a poignant love story, and the power of endurance, Mason beautifully weaves her two distinct story lines. The crisp prose pulls together past and present and the authentically rendered events humanize the horrors the LGBTQ community faces on a regular basis. The struggles here are real and wrenching: Mason skillfully delves into her protagonists’ yearning for freedom and acceptance while illustrating the trauma and stigma that followed the members of LGBTQ community during the era. The alternating first-person narration voices are relatable and sincere, and the vividly sketched characters are realistically flawed. Mason beautifully emphasizes the enduring qualities of her protagonists, allowing them the space to shine. With an intriguing supporting cast of friends, family, and a nemesis or two, the women experience heartbreak, loss, hope, and triumph. Readers are sure to be taken with the fortitude of Grace, and Art, who manage to find fulfillment and happiness amid all the bigotry and resistance of their time. With a focus on love and self-realization, this well-researched tale serves as a solid history lesson on the legalization of same sex marriage in America. Highly recommended.

–The Prairies Review

Loving Artemis

an endearing tale of revolution, love and marriage

from Thorned Heart Press

Janet Mason

Buy now

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Pride’s Dykes on Bikes leads Loving Artemis — #areading #amreading #YouTube

It is my pleasure to bring you this opening of my novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love and marriage (published by Thorned Heart Press) that I read recently at an online reading. The excerpt is on YouTube and below that is the text. The novel starts out when one of the narrators is in midlife and attends the New York Pride march in 2012. This narrator sees a woman who reminds her of an old flame in her youth in the late 1970s and she wonders what made Art (short for Artemis) Art.

Enjoy!

Grace stood on the crowded sidewalk and watched the Dykes on Bikes contingent kick off the parade. The skyscrapers on
both sides of Fifth Avenue echoed the roar: rage turned celebratory.
Today was their day.
Pride.
Motorcycles, full of motion, crawled at parade speed. Hands gripped controls at the ends of shiny handlebars. Engines revved.
Rainbow flags rippled red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. Horizontal stripes danced. The colors represented the many nationalities and ethnic groups — all of them — in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community. Like a telephoto lens, Grace focused in on a woman in the center of the crowd, and mirrored sunglasses stared back. The woman’s
short, mahogany hair looked like it had been carved by the air, like wings. A thrill shimmied up Grace’s spine. The woman was riding slowly. but in Grace’s imagination, she zoomed. She reminded Grace of a girl from her adolescence, her lover (even though they didn’t call it that then), a girl named Art. Maybe Art had blazed through time — from high school to the present nearly three decades and a world of difference later.
Art had been short for something, but Grace couldn’t remember what. Grace had known Art so long ago that it felt like a previous
life; one that Grace never talked about. No one knew about her past except Thalia, Grace’s partner of twenty-four years. Thalia was a compassionate person. She almost always saw the best in everyone. Her voice lilted. Her hair fell to her shoulders in a cascade of loose curls of silver and shades of blond and brown. Beyond salt and pepper, her hair resembled shades of light. When Thalia looked up at Grace, her hair framed her face. Her crown caught the light and a halo appeared.
When Thalia listened intensely, her deep-set blue eyes enveloped Grace. One time, when Grace mentioned that “No one believes me when I talk about my past.”
Thalia responded by saying somberly, “I believe you.”
In that moment, Grace relaxed into herself. Thalia made her feel understood. She was safe with Thalia.
Grace never mentioned her past, even to her friends. She made sure never to tell her students. What kind of example would that set?
Grace hadn’t used drugs for years and dealing them was in her past. She had come to understand that life was too precious to risk.
She had seen firsthand that actions had consequences. Even Thalia had her limits. Before becoming involved with Grace, she had been involved with a woman who had a drinking problem and who got involved in messy situations. Thalia made it clear that the relationship hadn’t lasted long.
Grace knew she was lucky

To order my most recently published novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love, and marriage, click here:

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