Melissa Weiner (straydogmedia at BXing) read my blog about my trip to New Mexico and asked if I'd like to read a book she's representing. Like I could say no to a free book.....

I offered to pass it along here as well. Here's the email she sent me. email her and I'm sure she'll send a copy, and I'll send mine along too if anyone wants to read it.


Dear Janet and Book Loving Friends,

I am writing to introduce you to Sheila Ortego, Ph.D. Known for her rich poetry, Ortego has written her debut novel, The Road From La Cueva.

Although Ortego was born in New Orleans, her family moved to New Mexico when she was five. Today she recognizes her roots but describes herself as a New Mexican at heart. With an upbringing in a fundamentalist religion and a radical turn early in life to a more liberal philosophy, she was destined to live a tumultuous but adventurous life. Although Ortego and her main character Ana are not one and the same, there are similarities. Like Ana, Ortego has succeeded in re-defining her world. She began teaching English at Santa Fe Community College in 1983, and today she is the first female President of the college. She has taught Southwestern Literature, Women's Literature, and Women's Studies at several colleges and universities. Her poetry has been published by the Santa Fe Literary Review, and she was recently invited to join the Live Poets Society in Santa Fe.

Like her favorite writers, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, she hopes her characters will inspire people who need to make a change in their lives in order to thrive.

Ortego's next novel will explore her Acadian ancestry.

To arrange an interview, excerpt the book, or to review, please contact Melissa Weiner, straydogmedia@gmail.com , 505-920-4006.

In advance, thank you for your consideration.

Kindest regards,



Melissa

The Road From La Cueva

By Sheila Ortego

(Santa Fe, NM) Meandering down La Cueva Road with author Sheila Ortego will jar your heart and sharpen your vision. This writer has you smelling the pine and juniper and getting into all the emotional processes you work to avoid in your daily life.

In The Road From La Cueva (April 2008), Ana Howland is a young but weary mother and hospital worker who lives in submission to a domineering, emotionally abusive husband. Although her husband loves their child, he resents Ana's self confidence in the world at large.

Ortego describes through the eyes of Ana, how fear and control can choke one's soul so thoroughly, that all that is left to do is gasp for the breath that will break the bonds of incarceration.

As Ana sheds the layers of guilt and self doubt that are the boundary lines for her marriage, the reader will delight in the love that aligns with her changing orbit. Michael, a male nurse, where she works, is the catalyst for a change that will help her learn to embrace her existence without reservation. Margaret, a neighbor teaches her that life is short and that love is the only thing that really matters.

To follow Ana's journey towards wholeness and independence the reader must be willing to face their own struggle with a will to thrive and the insecurities that give us reason not to.

In the end, the process works for Ana, she draws new breath and inspiration from a world of freedom and self determination. If the reader can resonate with Ortegos' story, freedom will have a stronger meaning.

"Ortego gives us lyrical imagery that lasts long after the book is finished. She writes about women, both weak and strong, about men, both overbearing and tender, and about the innocence of a child who has nothing but pure love. Ana Howland, the character we identify with, finally finds her inner strength to survive, and discovers true love along the way. It is a book that one should read."

Glenys Carl is author of Hold My Hand, a memoir published by Macmillan and winner of the Best Memoir by the New Mexico Book Awards.



About the Author

Sheila Ortego received her doctorate in America Studies at the University of New Mexico. She has taught Southwestern Literature, Women's Literature and Women's Studies at several colleges and universities. Her poetry has been published by the Santa Fe Literary Review, and she was recently invited to join the Live Poets Society in Santa Fe. In her "other life" as a college administrator, she is known as a strong advocate for women and students who find their way to college through many different paths. Dr. Ortego currently serves as President of Santa Fe Community College. Her next book will be about her Acadian ancestry.

Notes to the Editor:

The Road From La Cueva by Sheila Ortego,Ph.D.

April 23, 2008 Sunstone Press $26.95 Hardcover 6x9 140 pages

ISBN: 978-0-86534-588-1 Available from Ingram & Baker & Taylor







--
Melissa Weiner
Stray Dog Media
905 Don Miguel Place
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505-920-4006
straydogmedia@gmail.com

I'm sure she's expecting a review for this book, though, not just a free book.

I got the same thing... to my personal email tho

I told her I could reveiw it, but not until summer. She was fine with that.