An Authors Kiss with Sara Troy and her guest Karen Michalson, on air from August 29th
Masterful Psychological Thriller Explores Murder, Art, Mythology, Romance, Spirituality & Rebellion
Karen Michalson talks about:
- Why readers love a literary thriller that draws from magical realism, 1990s rock ‘n’ roll, myth, and romantic suspense
- Why her book centers around a spiritual war that’s been fought for thousands of years
- How the research she did to create her musician characters led her to study music, form a band, and tour around the USA
- Why the book is set in the early 1990s – before the Internet, cell phones, or 24/7 streaming
- Whether practicing criminal defense law later influenced her decision to release the book, which explores themes surrounding the law
- Why she chose to leave a hard-won tenure-track position teaching British literature to write fiction
The Maenad’s God explores a variety of thorny topics:
- Alienation. Why some people are cynical and ‘done with society’
- The nature of divinity; creativity as a way into some kind of higher reality; imagination as a sacred space
- How creativity is an art of rebellion – and a healing force
- The degree to which reality and fantasy inform each other
- Whether creating a private world is a subversive act against a toxic culture
“Michalson’s prose, as narrated by the loquacious Pete, is by turns wisecracking and obsessive. . .. Even so, Pete’s quest takes him in unexpected occult directions, opening up an intricate world of ecstasy and paranoia. … the novel’s angst and atmosphere-both authentically ’90s-make for a strangely alluring reading experience. An engaging, snaking, and spirit-tinged murder tale about obsession and control.” —Kirkus Reviews“
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TheMaenad’s God receives 5 stars and the ‘Highly Recommended’ award of excellence.” —The Historical Fiction Company Chosen by Independent Book Review as one of the best books of 2022, Karen Michalson’s fourth novel, The Maenad’s God, is the story of a war that’s been fought for thousands of years, the war between the ancient arts of music, poetry, and love; and the equally ancient forces of artistic envy, oppressive law, and authoritarian religion. Boston 1992. Alienated FBI agent Pete Morrow discovers a murder and becomes obsessed with Jade McClellan, a mysterious mafia-backed rock musician. Tough-guy Morrow has never been in love before—but Jade is almost magical, creating a private imaginary world from his songs and stories that rapidly become the only thing Morrow values in his otherwise empty life. Unfortunately, Morrow is investigating the mafia family that is investing in Jade’s musical career. Being open about their relationship could get both of them killed.
Michalson, who has taught nineteenth-century British literature, performed across the USA with her rock band, Point of Ares, and runs a criminal defense practice, is uniquely suited to write this book. “If you like hard boiled gritty realism with an edge of surrealism – you will like this book,” promises the author. “If you like rock band fiction, stories about the mafia and the music business, or ever engaged in any kind of creative pursuit, you will like this book. If you like romantic suspense, particularly if it involves complex multi-dimensional characters whose conflicts with society extend beyond their relationship, you will like this book.” “The Maenad’s God is never the same book twice: flowing from intrigue to mysticism, romance to mythology, Karen Michalson weaves an epic and constantly surprising narrative.” —IndieReader “The Maenad’s God deserves attention. . . . it also deserves the highest rating, for it seems to me a work of substance and original thinking.” —Reedsy “ . . . gripping, satisfying, and impossible to put down even after you’ve finished it.” —Readers’ Favorite
Karen Michalson has assumed many identities – criminal defense attorney, scholar and teacher of nineteenth-century British literature, and progressive rock band performer. All her experiences find a home in her writings as an award-winning, critically acclaimed author. She has written four novels, including The Maenad’s God, which was selected by Independent Book Review as one of the best novels 2022 and by IndieReader as one of the Best Reviewed Books of March 2023. It also received a 5-Star Highly Recommended Award of Excellence from The Historical Fiction Company and a Literary Titan Gold Book Award (2022). Her earlier novels form the Enemy Glory Trilogy: Enemy Glory, Hecate’s Glory, and The King’s Glory. Enemy Glory, the first book of the trilogy, was one of the books that received the most votes for the Locus Award for Best First Novel. It was chosen for Locus’s Recommended Reading List of Best First Novels. Michalson’s first book, a non-fiction work, Victorian Fantasy Literature’s Literary Battles with Church and Empire, examines the non-literary and non-aesthetic reasons underlying the bias in favor of realism in forming the traditional literary canon of nineteenth-century British fiction. Her books have been favorably reviewed by Clarion Foreword, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Independent Book Review, Literary Titan, Blue Ink Review, and numerous others. Michalson practiced criminal law for a decade. She left the law profession a little over four years ago to return to her full-time novel-writiPh.D.full-timeBefore. Prior to what she calls her “detour into law,” she wrote novels, formed a progressive rock band, Point of Ares (she plays bass guitar), and ran a small record label-distributor (Arula Records). Point of Ares released four CDs, two of which are concept albums based on her Enemy Glory books. The band received airplay in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Brazil, and Italy and what she calls “embarrassingly kind reviews.” Before rocking out on music and fiction writing, she began her literary career as an assistant professor of English at the University of Connecticut. She holds a PhD in English (British literature) from the University of Massachusetts and a JD from Western New England University School of Law.
She lives in New England.
Karens New Show
https://karenmichalson.com/blog
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goodreads.com/author/show/688820.Karen_Michalson
linkedin.com/in/karen-michalson
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I work with people. Meeting them where they are and guiding them to exactly where they want to be. We make big changes and small ones. Whatever is needed. I do so while working with my own chronic condition of Eheler’s – Danlos Syndrome, hypermobile type. I believe my own experience with pain enables me to understand others on a level that you only ‘get’ if you experience it yourself.
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