Please join us in congratulating our dear friend Christa Conklin.
She officially became a published author yesterday with the release of her debut novel Tranquility, for which she received the 2016 Cascade Award for Unpublished Speculative Fiction.
Christa dedicated the novel to her late father, John, who fed her fantasy books from the early days of her life until the end of his, and her “nieceling,” Marisa, “who proves family is deeper than blood and longer than mortality.”
Most important, of course, is Christa’s own family, her supportive husband, Joe, their beautiful children, Ethan and Alexandra, and her loving mother, Sandy, who the author eloquently acknowledges (see below).
In our mind’s eye, we can picture Marisa curled up on the sofa with Christa’s young fantasy novel, alongside her trusty beagle Dunkin, taking an occasional seconds-long break to stroke her puppy’s fur while savoring every word.
In the mail today, we received our official copy of Tranquility. Chapter One begins: “Iridescence trickled down the stone wall, hit a jagged edge, and cascaded into his cupped hand.”
We can’t wait to read on!
Part of the proceeds from Christa’s novel will benefit our nonprofit. Readers can purchase Christa’s book at Amazon and can learn more about the award-winning author on her website.
Christa is the author of several articles, and two short stories: Moontail and Kat, the Jailer, and Jack.
“This story has lived inside me for so long. As it takes off, I hope it finds dream homes in new hearts and minds” – Christa Conklin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christa Conklin studied dance (from ballet to flamenco), music (from classical saxophone to electric bass), and foreign language from grade school through and beyond university. Providing private and small group instrumental music and foreign language instruction while in college led to her to prefer teaching outside of a classroom, and was part of the inspiration to homeschool her own children.
Between university and motherhood, she worked for the New York Philharmonic and Young Audiences New Jersey to bring professional artists together with students and teachers, often joining them in theaters and studios to experience the arts as creators and audience members. She believes learning and artistic creativity must never be separated if both are to flourish. Others may say she’s living in a fantasy world, which brings us to a more recent endeavor.
Christa grew up reading and re-reading Tolkien, L’Engle, and Lewis. She was an avid reader even in grade school, and remembers returning from the library with multiple books, lining them up on the couch, reading a chapter from each, and repeating the sequence until she’d reached the conclusion of each novel.
As for those fantasy series, after losing count of how many times she’d read them, she took out the typewriter, opened The Hobbit, and began typing, allowing her to experience the words in a whole new way.
This seems like the perfect time to mention she is an only child.
Christa now types her own fantastical imaginings on a laptop.
She received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Performance (majoring in saxophone) and Communication from Rutgers College and her Master’s Degree from Monmouth University. She studied in France, and once took first place in a solo women’s kayak river race.
TRANQUILITY
She must prove there’s more to life than peace and more to death than dying.
The One People find guidance to peace and unity in the pages of TRANQUILITY. Drethene views the methods prescribed in the book as hurtful attempts to escape their diverse ancestry. Such pain is personal, as her parents aim to conceal how different she looks from the rest of their people.
Even her job keeps Drethene quiet and secluded. While working in the Academy library, she secretly reads histories used only to teach future leaders to loathe the past. Drethene is inspired by these books filled with cultural variety. When she discovers another world as part of her people’s heritage, a well established enemy is revealed, and she rises to meet the truth and save both worlds.
Now Drethene must convince the One People that their lives are not as tranquil as they seem. They are being hunted and must reunite with a sister-world that has been erased from their past. If they choose to remain in the comfort of their rewritten history and false sense of peace, they will be dragged into the maelstrom they have forgotten to fear.
