CHILDREN OF THE WATERS By Carleen Brice

I'm so excited to be blogging about Carleen Brice's new novel, CHILDREN OF THE WATERS, because it's exactly the kind of book I love. Read the press release summary and you'll see why:

Brice’s compelling, eagerly anticipated new novel CHILDREN OF THE WATERS strikes deep emotional chords and poses the intriguing question: Can two strangers become sisters?

Trish Taylor’s white ancestry never got in the way of her love for her black ex-husband, or their mixed race son, Will. But when Trish’s marriage ends, she returns to her family’s Denver, Colorado home to find a sense of identity and connect to her past.

What she finds there shocks her to the very core: her mother and newborn sister were not killed in a car crash as she was told. In fact, her baby sister, Billie Cousins, is now a grown woman; her grandparents had put her up for adoption, unwilling to raise the child of a black man. Billie, who had no idea she was adopted, wants nothing to do with Trish until a tragedy in Billie’s own family forces her to lean on her surprisingly supportive and sympathetic sister. Together they unravel the age-old layers of secrets and resentments and navigate a path toward love, healing, and true reconciliation.




This book has everything that appeals to me ... and I can't wait to read it. Meanwhile, Carleen was good enough to answer some of my interview questions, so here goes ...

How would you describe the genre of CHILDREN OF THE WATERS, and what pulled you toward it?

Upmarket women’s fiction--on the cusp between literary and commercial. I write it cause I like to read it.

Me, too, Carleen.

Do you have a favorite character in this book? If so, why?

I have a couple: 1 is Fletcher who’s a senior citizen pop dealer and sells to other seniors—for obvious reasons! Another is Zenobia Bailey-Cousins, who’s the mother of one of my protagonists. She’s really together and accomplished and I sort of wish she was my mother.

What do you love most about CHILDREN OF THE WATERS?

I love that it covers so many different subjects (race, family, identity) and gets in things like ancestor reverence too. I like when books introduce you to new worlds and new ways of being. I also love that readers are laughing at parts and crying at other parts.

Is there a story behind the title?

There is a story. It’s based on “mizuko kuyo” ceremonies in Japan, which honor children who don’t make it out of the womb either because of abortion or miscarriage. The concept is that life is on a continuum and I like the idea that even after we are born, we are always somewhere on that continuum—always in a state of becoming.

The cover is beautiful. Did you have any input on it, and are you happy with the finished product?

I had some input. I sent pictures that I liked and talked with my editor about what we hoped to show. And I suggested making the galoshes on the cover yellow for a little pop of color. I’m quite happy with the cover.

Thanks, Carleen! I hope it flies off the shelves for you.

To buy CHILDREN OF THE WATERS, visit your local chain or independent bookstore. To buy online, visit amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, borders.com or any cyber bookseller. For more information, visit Carleen's website at carleenbrice.com.