How the world has turned in the last week! We hope that all of our readers—you!—are doing everything you can to stay healthy, calm, and focused on what’s meaningful to you.

This Friday Paper Lantern Writer Linda asks “Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?“

“It’s amazing how much my writing life dictates my reading life,” says Ana.

Writing historical crime fiction takes a lot of time and focus, and my reading-for-pleasure definitely suffers. When I do read fiction, it’s usually in my genre; my days of reading a lot of literary or upmarket fiction are on hold for now. Although…I found Regina Porter last year. Her short story Saturday Night Special knocked my socks off and I definitely want more from her. I’ve got her debut novel THE TRAVELERS on my TBR list.”

Katie “feels like I have an advantage, because I review for the Historical Novel Society.

I put my hat in the ring for a selection of books, and then, out of a list of about ten, I get sent two. Sometimes I get the book I was really hoping for, and sometimes it’s one that I was only tepid about. But, now that I’ve been doing this for a few years, I’ve come to realize I’m not a good judge of what I’ll like by the blurb alone. One of my favorites that I’ve read is Jordy Rosenberg’s CONFESSIONS OF THE FOX Since then, it’s also been praised by The New Yorker, so it isn’t like I can claim any discovery, other than I got to review it when they did. But I would read the next thing Jordy Rosenberg does, hands down. And same thing for Tommy Orange, whose debut was THERE, THERE.”

C.V. says “Currently I have been discovering older writers like Susan Howatch and Philippa Carr. 

In looking at biographical information about Philippa Carr, I discovered that this was one of many pen names and I had read some of her books under the pseudonym of Victoria Holt when I was a teenager.”

Kathryn adds “I just finished Women Talking by Canadian author Miriam Toews.

She does a masterful job of capturing the anguish of women in an isolated Mennonite community in Bolivia who have been violated by their own menfolk.”

And finally, Linda shares that “I discovered Sara Ackerman when I was researching similar books to The Aloha Spirit.

Sara lives in Hawaii and writes books set in Hawaii in World War II. Her first book, ISLAND OF SWEET PIE AND SOLDIERS, came out in 2018, so she isn’t completely a new author, but new to me! I also loved the baking in the book–a woman’s husband disappears and she has to open a pie stand to make money. Sara’s second book was published last year. THE LIEUTENANT’S NURSE is about finding love despite the chaos of the Pearl Harbor attack. Sara’s next book, RED SKY OVER HAWAII, comes out in June. I’m hoping to meet Sara on one of my trips to Hawaii, and maybe do a book signing event with her when my book comes out in August!”