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Welcome to the Helen Bonner Web site!
Hello, Friends and
Friends of Friends.
The reviews are
in for The Dolphin Papers, which came out last fall.
You can read the one from US Review of Books on my published works
page. That review compares me to Mary Shelly, who wrote
Frankenstein, but my favorite so far is the one that just came in
from Susan Hauser, award winning Minnesota writer. Here it is:
"The Dolphin Papers is the fourth book by Helen Bonner that I’ve read. (The others are The Laid Daughter, Cry Dance and First Love Last.) Her writing does not always make me feel comfortable. In order to get to her stated goal of writing about what brings us together, she also has to write about what keeps us apart. She does this unflinchingly. With eyes wide open, she describes how we humans are with each other. In
The Dolphin Papers, she extends the story into the natural world, specifically the marine world. Here she dares to imagine our return to the sea in the form of a girl-child raised from birth in a pool with a dolphin. Frankly, the story creeps me out a bit but, as with all good art, the means and matter of the telling carry me along: Bonner is a poetic storyteller with a sense of the sound and shape of language. “White trunks of eucalyptus, stripped like bones, threw barred shadows in scattered patterns across the slope.” It is said that good art makes the new sound familiar and the familiar sound new. Bonner does that with this story. If you like strong characters deftly drawn, if you like to steal a glimpse behind the barricade of everyday reason, if you like to lose yourself in a good book, then I think you will like this novel. Bonner is a trustworthy guide: you will be in strange territory but will never be adrift. She takes your hand, walks you through the story, returns you to the sea, from whence we all came."
I'm also
delighted to be visiting the AAUW
Book Lovers and Page turners in February. Each member of this group
has read at least one of my books. No visitors, but I will be
reporting on the discussion that follows, sure to be fascinating, on
this web site.
A nice surprise. A recent call from the Mountain Democrat,
California's oldest newspaper. My book, First Love Last, finally made it's way to the hands of one of their reporters, Wendy
Schultz. I came from Placerville and was once a reporter for that
same newspaper, so I was delighted to get a request for an
interview, and afterward Wendy Schultz wrote a fine insightful
review for their book column. The review begins: What if you
could go back in time and heal old wounds -- eliminate pain from
the past from limiting your life in the present? Helen Bonner had
that opportunity when her ex-husband showed up at their 57th El
Dorado High School reunion, an almost miraculous appearance from a
man how had never attended any previous reunion....
Recently the Mountain Ranch Book club chose Cry
Dance as its Book of the Month, and this month’s hostess, Sheri
Boesch, invited me to their annual dinner. I love hearing readers
talk about my work. What I’ve noticed over time is their responses
are a weaving together of who they are and what I have written.
Young women, for example, will focus in on Lorinda’s love life,
young men are sometimes angry for how Richard behaved. Older
women might be concerned about what happened in L.A. “How could she
do that?” One Native American felt the whole book ended when
Bonnie, a Paiute, died. Almost no one pays much attention to
the sub title - What if there was no death? One woman’s
comment was “I don’t like books that make me think.” I noticed
she thought about it anyway. These book clubs are great
feedback for me. Thanks to all of you.
Our 7th Annual
Goldrush Writers Retreat in historic Mokelumne Hill will be on May
4, 5, & 6 this year, and as always, will bring in outstanding
writers and poets to inspire and delight us. The final choices for
dynamic speakers and workshops will be made soon. Follow the link
to Goldrush Writers and sign up early! I hope to see you there.
A few months ago I had the opportunity of a lifetime - My idol from the
70's, Gloria Steinem, visited 3 Stages in Folsom. We got to talk
before her lecture, she signed my copy of her book and took a
signed copy of Cry Dance home with her. This dynamic woman
is definitely not "stuck in the past" -- her lecture was all about
where we need to go from here to continue the work begun back then.
I was lucky enough to get a picture of the two of us, which I will
use on the back cover of MSdemeanors, a book about the
seventies, which I hope to revise soon.  
Both my novel,
Cry Dance, and my memoir, First Love Last, competed with thousands for
the Writer’s Digest International Small Publisher Book Awards and
received “close but no cigar” certificates. Judge 48 wrote of
Cry
Dance: “Intriguing plot. Helen Bonner has woven an interesting premise
with a fascinating plot. The concept is compelling and includes enough
suspense to keep the reader turning pages. The situation has a unique
twist that sets the story apart. The author’s voice rings through
without being intrusive. Bonner’s superior writing skills are showcased
in Cry Dance. The cover, however, does not do it justice.” I’m happy
with that. A cover can be changed.
For First Love Last Judge 37 wrote: “Beautiful writing,
a story well told. I was impressed by the love affair AND by her
husband’s comments near the end. I was especially moved by the
pillow talk; that part of their relationship was perhaps more intimate
than sex. And the sex was delightful. I wonder how
much effort it cost introvert Tom to open up with someone? His
slip of the tongue about Betty revealed a good deal. Other than
two mistakes regarding names, the book is WONDERFUL.” Happy
with that too! ...but not happy with the errors. I fixed them and
had it republished.
I'm excited and delighted to report that my breakthrough Novel,
Cry Dance, is getting great reviews.
Reviewed
by Jenny Luper, The US Review of Books
"She smells of alcohol and perfume. She leans over and gives me a
kiss, somehow vague, as if it were blown to me."
Blending aspects of romance, new age, and chick lit, Cry Dance
follows the journey of a young woman through love, loss, and a
return to self. Lorinda has grown up with only the memory of her
mother and the belief that there is no death. Though she tries to
keep her faith in love, circumstances put her faith to the test. She
is heartbroken when she finds her lover believes she has betrayed
him, and a possible charge of murder pending against her doesn't
help matters. Three name changes, burgeoning fame, and the loss of a
loved one later, Lorinda decides on what shall be her true self and
her true name.
This new take on a romance provides many surprises. In a story
interspersed with tones of new age fiction and self-help books, an
unexpectedly quick pace pushes through an action-filled plot. While
not giving away any spoilers, the ending is satisfying in a unique
way, taking care to avoid clichés. Bonner is also adept at bringing
in the senses when creating a landscape for her characters. Whether
a scene is set in a bedroom, the desert, or a run-down nightclub,
the surroundings are shown by a clear sense of texture, sight, and
sound. This technique provides a firm sense of setting, allowing the
reader to more fully delve into the novel's themes of betrayal and
redemption. Bonner's skill in peppering her novel with these sweet,
yet melancholy details give a refreshing depth of tone to Cry Dance.
The US Review of Books
And another review: Just finished Cry Dance last
evening. I was so captivated that I stayed up til midnight just to
finish it. It's a great read. It really captures the ambiance of
the Bishop area, and LA, and the difficulties of growing up between
cultures, Native American vs. Anglo and rural vs. city. I'll look
forward to reading your other books.
-- Kathe Hughes, Cameron Park, CA.
On my recent visit to El Paso
Community College, (where the book was taught along with Barbara
Kingsolver and Orson Scott Card!) Professor David Henry said, "the
novel is deep, profound, and spiritual." His students clearly like
the book, like Richard and Lorinda, and find the issues pertinent,
since some have served in the Middle East or have relatives there,
and others are bi-cultural.
Professor David Henry wrote:
Bonner's Cry Dance is a very good book. Her central character is a young woman
who is blessed with advanced intuitive abilities and an
understanding of human-ness that can only be inborn, not learned.
The young woman has the inate ability to caste light on any person
or any environment she touches.
But this young woman draws some extremely challenging life experiences, and she
struggles mightily to find the light within those situations. In the
process, she inadvertently brings some very difficult circumstances
to those she loves. Working through her challenges and learning to
forgive herself are the primary focuses of this fine novel. I highly
recommend it.
-- David
Henry, Lit Professor, EPCC
 
Geri Cartier reports of her book club, Mountain Ranch Booklovers,
"We fell in love with Cry Dance. It is exciting as well as
informative. A page-turner."
And LLee of Mountain Ranch wrote:
I loved Cry
Dance. This is quite a departure for you to be writing fiction and I
think it's going to be very well recieved. It's got it all: love
stories, exotic locations, deeper meanings, wow!
Love you,
L.Lee
My recent Memoir, First Love Last, continues to do well. When I do book groups, some take home
Cry Dance and some take home the memoir. Here's what I wrote about
First Love Last when it first came out:
If you believe, as I
do, there are far too few books that portray the retired as intelligent,
dynamic, loving and even sexual, you should check out my short memoir,
First Love Last, which just came out and is now available on
Amazon.com, Lulu.com, or your book store can order it for
you.
When my estranged husband
of fifty years showed up at a class reunion, I did not know him or want
to know him. He had nothing to do with our two sons for years, and my
memories of our early marriage were not pleasant. Yet, when I looked
into his eyes, my arms went around him. “Tommy!” I did not understand
my spontaneous reaction, nor the chaotic relationship that followed, but
I felt then, and still feel that our story was somehow miraculous, and
should be shared with others of my generation, especially those bitterly
divorced when a divorce required that someone be bad or wrong. I wanted
to tell it as honestly as I could, even when the truth didn’t make me
look all that good, often quoting e-mails and journal entries exactly as
they were written. As a student of A Course in Miracles, I felt
guided all the way. I included wisdom quotes from sages reminding me
that whether we know it or not, “we are all connected.”
Here's all, or most, of the women who meet on TSPN TV's
Just Between Us show on Wednesday and Friday mornings. The station
thanked us with a big luncheon at Jose's this week. A wonderful
bunch of women, representing everything from a Boston Marathon runner to
business owner, writer, artist, actress, master gardener, spiritual
adviser , whatever -- we have it all.
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Appearances & Events
AAUW - Association of
University Women of Amador County - Book Lovers & Page
Turners. Monday, February 27th, 2 pm. Members only.
7th Annual Goldrush Writers
Retreat - May 4, 5, & 6, Mokelumne Hill. Check out Gold
Rush Writers website.
Read with other writers at Clarks Corners, Ione, at their annual Open
Mike. Writers from San Francisco, Sacramento, and Stockton, as well as the Mother Lode.
Announced the Publication of The Dolphin Papers on TSPNTV Early News on Sept. 16th.
Interviewed by Suzy Underwood.
Appeared on TSPN’s Just Between Us with Suzie Underwood the same day, and will be on again soon.
Scheduled to be interviewed on Linda Fields Radio Show, Manzanita
Voices, 9:00 a.m. Sundays on KVG Radio, 1340 AM on
the dial.
kvgradio.com
Will appear as
one of four writers at the Shakespeare Club in
Placerville, CA. on April 22nd, 2012, for their 4th
annual Author’s Day, along with Historical writer
Renee Thompson, Biographer Jim Hendricks, and
mystery writer Cindy Sample. 1:00 o’clock.Gold Rush Writers
Retreat - First weekend in May, 2012. Speaking &
facilitating a writers workshop. (TBA)
April 29, 30, and May 1, she was a speaker at Gold Rush Writers retreat in Mokelumne Hill, CA. For more info, check out
Gold Rush Writers.
Helen met with
Lynette Monroe's Book Club in Sacramento on March 22nd, and the
Mountain Ranch book club on June 2nd.
December 1st, 2010 - Dr. Bonner spoke
with students at El Paso Community College about writing and the
themes in her novel, Cry Dance.
December 9th, 2010 - she met with Mountain Ranch
Booklovers.
January 8th & 15th, 2011 - TSPN: Just Between Us. (TSPNTV.COM)
A Course in Miracles Study GroupHelen Bonner facilitates a weekly study of A Course In Miracles,
every Tuesday, 7:00 pm at Motherlode Holistic Connection,
Jackson, CA.(www.sophiaswell.org)
November 17, 2010, TSPN: Just Between Us. (TSPNTV.COM)
November 13, 2010,she served on the panel of writers and
publishers at Murphys, CA annual "Harvest the Word"
October 16, 2010, 2:00pm Helen Bonner spoke and
signed books at the Amador County
Library.
On Feb. l9, 2010, Helen Bonner's First
Love Last was featured on
TSPNTV's
Morning Show. She was also featured on Suzy Underwood's
"Just Between Us" show, later that day. Check back for new listings!
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