Her entry begins:
One of the best things about having a novel come out is that, for various professional reasons, you wind up reading books you might not have picked up—whether it's for a blurb or for an author interview. I'm lucky enough to be doing an event with Michael Connelly, so I'm brushing up on my Bosch. I'd read a few before, but this immersion is a blast. I just finished Angels Flight which I love, not least of all because it's set in my stomping grounds of downtown LA. I'm smack-dab in the middle of The Wrong Side of Goodbye which is another masterful look at Los Angeles. Between...[read on]About Wonder Valley, from the publisher:
When a teen runs away from his father’s mysterious commune, he sets in motion a domino effect that will connect six characters desperate for hope and love, set across the sun-bleached canvas of Los Angeles.Learn more about the book and author at Ivy Pochoda's website.
From the acclaimed author of Visitation Street, a visionary portrait of contemporary Los Angeles in all its facets, from the Mojave Desert to the Pacific, from the 110 to Skid Row.
During a typically crowded morning commute, a naked runner is dodging between the stalled cars. The strange sight makes the local news and captures the imaginations of a stunning cast of misfits and lost souls.
There's Ren, just out of juvie, who travels to LA in search of his mother. There's Owen and James, teenage twins who live in a desert commune, where their father, a self-proclaimed healer, holds a powerful sway over his disciples. There's Britt, who shows up at the commune harboring a dark secret. There's Tony, a bored and unhappy lawyer who is inspired by the runner. And there's Blake, a drifter hiding in the desert, doing his best to fight off his most violent instincts. Their lives will all intertwine and come crashing together in a shocking way, one that could only happen in this enchanting, dangerous city.
Wonder Valley is a swirling mix of angst, violence, heartache, and yearning—a masterpiece by a writer on the rise.
The Page 69 Test: The Art of Disappearing.
Writers Read: Ivy Pochoda.
--Marshal Zeringue
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