The Disharmony of Silence by Linda Rosen: Blog Tour and Giveaway

In her desperate quest for family, Carolyn Lee is determined, against all advice, to reveal the shocking eighty-four-year-old secret she uncovered…until she realizes that "family" means more than blood.

In 1915, jealous, bitter Rebecca Roth cuts all ties with her life-long friends, the Pearls. Eight years later, Rebecca’s son and young Lena Pearl begin keeping company in secret. Rebecca agrees to a truce when the couple marries. But the truce is fragile. Rebecca’s resentments run deep.

In 2010, Carolyn Lee, fitness instructor and amateur photographer, must come to grips with the fact that her mother’s imminent death will leave her alone in the world. While preparing her childhood home for sale, she realizes for the first time that her mother’s antique brooch is identical to the one pinned to the lady's dress in the painting hanging above the fireplace. Coincidence or connection? Carolyn is determined to find out. What she discovers has the potential to tear lives apart or to bring her the closeness and comfort she longs for. It all depends on how she handles her newfound knowledge.

Print Length: 296 pages
Genre: Women's Upmarket Fiction
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ISBN-10: 1684334306
ISBN-13: 9781684334308

The Disharmony of Silence is now available to purchase at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and IndieBound.

Book Giveaway Contest
To win a copy of the book The Disharmony of Silence by Linda Rosen, please enter via Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post. Giveaway ends on March 9th at 12 AM EST. We will announce the randomly pick a winner and email them the same day. Good luck!

Praise for The Disharmony of Silence

“Linda Rosen spins an intriguing tale of long-held family secrets, an emotional search for identity, and a painting that may just be the key to untangling the complicated past. The bittersweet mystery kept me reading rapidly until the last page!” —Kristin Harmel, bestselling author of The Winemaker’s Wife

Rosen paints a vivid picture of a family torn apart then shows us what true family means. – Pamela Taylor, author of the Second Son Chronicles

A wonderful novelist . . . Ms. Rosen's writing is both tender and inspiring. The Disharmony of Silence unfolds with emotional and wise insights. – Bunny Shulman, author of After Aida

"A family torn apart by jealousy and reunited by love is devastated again when tragedy strikes. A poignant and moving debut novel about the fragility of life, the power of love, and the cost of keeping a secret." Gina Sorell author of Mothers and Other Strangers

About the Author, Linda Rosen

Linda Rosen, fitness professional turned writer, lives with her husband splitting their time between New Jersey and Florida. She was a contributor to Women in the Literary Landscape: A WNBA Centennial Publication for the Women's National Book Association and has had stories published in Foliate Oak and Crack the Spine, both in their online magazine and print anthology. Follow her at www.linda-rosen.com.

Connect with her online:
Twitter @lrosenauthor
Facebook: @lindarosenauthor
Insta: @lindarosenauthor

---- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: First of all, congratulations on your book The Disharmony of Silence! Can you tell me a bit about what inspired this book?

Linda: Thank you, Nicole, for the congrats and for the opportunity of participating in a WOW! blog tour. I love talking about the inspiration for this novel. It brings back wonderful memories. I was sitting on a beach in Hilton Head Island, about eight years ago, with my sister-in-law and another friend. Roni, my sister-in-law, whose middle name is Carolyn (hence my protagonist’s name) was relating the story of what happened when she was preparing to sell her mother’s home, the home where Roni had grown up. There was a painting that had hung on the living room wall practically her entire life and though Roni didn’t have an empty spot to hang it in her own home, and no one else in the family wanted it, tossing the portrait or selling it in an estate sale was not an option. Roni came up with an idea and Googled the artist, found her living in San Francisco and decided to return the painting to her. Hearing that, I turned to my friend, Ingrid, who was relaxing on a sand chair next to me. We locked eyes. Mine were wide-open. Ingrid said, “What a great idea for a story.” I nodded and my mind took off in all sorts of directions. And, Disharmony was born!

WOW: What an incredible moment! I love hearing about how ideas are born. You wrote dual timelines with this book. What was your approach when writing this book to stay in the mind of the character according to their time period?

Linda: First, I must say, I didn’t set off to write this story in a dual time-line. Originally, I had it all in the twenty-first century alternating chapters between my protagonist, Carolyn, and who some might call my antagonist, Kate, though using flashbacks to tell the story of the family secret wasn’t working. Lena and Rebecca, characters in the early twentieth century setting, had too much to say, especially jealous, bitter Rebecca. I then re-wrote, keeping Carolyn’s chapters in first person and creating Lena’s story in third person.

To keep myself grounded in 1915 and in the early 1920s when most of Lena’s story takes place, I used Google. I researched the clothing of the times to be sure Lena was in style. I looked up Abraham and Strauss, the department store in Brooklyn where Lena and Jack worked, and kept a picture of it in my mind when I wrote, even to the plush velvet bedroom slippers on Lena’s counter and the collar pins and leather buttoned suspenders on Jack’s in the Men’s Furnishing Department. My own parents met while working in A&S, though that was several years after my characters met, yet I kept them in mind when setting Jack and Lena in the store. And, I kept my mother in my head specifically when creating Lena who was only eight years older than my mom. I made Lena a “modern” woman with “modern” ideas, as my mother was in the '20s. To clarify, Lena’s story is not my mother’s except for the New Years Eve party in Chapter 8 and the story of Lena’s previous boyfriend. I don’t think my mother would mind.

As far as the characters in the twenty-first century, that was easy since we’re living in this time period. Many are conglomerates of people I know and some are purely imagined, especially Kate who I would love to know for real.

WOW: I love how you used your family and people you know to develop your story! You do a lot of work with book clubs. What have you learned about writing by working with book clubs?

Linda: This is an interesting question. I never quite thought about book clubs this way; yet having been in a book club for over thirty-five years and for the past seven being co-coordinator of Great Group Reads, a committee of the Women’s National Book Association which, yearly, curates a list of twenty novels and memoirs perfect for book clubs (out of over 200 submissions), I do know that clubs want stories with meat. They want multi-layered characters to pull-apart and themes to delve in to. Learning something new is always a plus, as is a vivid setting, especially somewhere the reader has never been. And all must be in a well written book, even better when some of the prose makes you stop and re-read the words simply for their beauty.

As I was writing The Disharmony of Silence, I kept book clubs in mind. They are my readers. I wanted my novel to be one to stimulate conversation and, when I finished my final edits, I had a great time creating questions for those discussions. They are at the back of the book. I have given myself a One Hundred Book Club Challenge. I would love to visit WOW readers’ book clubs and dig into Disharmony with its secrets, conflicts and desires. They can contact me via my website www.linda-rosen.com.

WOW: I think that's incredible you wrote with that specific audience in mind. The cover design is beautiful! Did you have any say about how the cover would look?

Linda: Thank you, and yes, I am so glad I did. My publisher, Black Rose Writing, creates beautiful book covers though the first one they sent for my approval was not at all what I wanted. My vision was to have a cameo, in some form, on the cover and I was able to send them a picture of my own antique cameo. I asked the cover designer to add a silver flower in the woman’s hair since that is how the brooch is described in the novel. The cameo is an integral part of the story and I’m very happy with the cover design.

WOW: I feel the same way! How did your fitness background help you when writing this book?

Linda: I’m smiling as I consider this question. The Disharmony of Silence is far from an exercise book, though readers can learn some very beneficial exercises from Caroly as she leads her morning aerobics class. I suppose it goes with the saying, “write what you know.” The theme of maintaining independence as you age is important to me, as it is to Carolyn. It is one I have focused on when teaching my own fitness classes for the past thirty-five years. I, also, wanted to honor the phenomenal older women that I have taught. I hadn’t planned on my character being a fitness professional, yet as I was writing, it fit. Plus, I had a wonderful time writing those scenes and when I meet with book clubs, I’ll teach them the “dirty toilet exercise” that Carolyn uses in Chapter Three.

WOW: Ha, that would be great! What are you working on now? What can we expect next from you?

Linda: I am doing a complete rewrite of a novel that I started before writing The Disharmony of Silence. It is about the first woman winemaker in the Hudson River Valley and set on a hillside vineyard, with rows and rows of plump luscious grapes, overlooking the river. The story deals with marriage, feminism and women’s consciousness-raising in the '60s, family, guilt, and probably more that I’m not even aware of at the moment.

WOW: That sounds incredible and we can't wait to read it. Best of luck to you and your book!

--- Blog Tour Dates

March 2nd @ The Muffin
What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Grab your coffee and join us as we celebrate the launch of Linda's blog tour The Disharmony of Silence. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book too!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com

March 4th @ A Writer's Life
How much does setting matter in a novel? Author Linda Rosen talks about this very subject over at Caroline's blog today. You can also enter to win a copy of her book The Disharmony of Silence.
http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/

March 6th @ 12 Books
Make sure you visit Louise's blog and read her review of Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence. You can also enter to win a copy of the book as well!
http://www.12books.co.uk/

March 7th @ Lori Duff Writes
Be sure to stop by Lori's blog today and you can read her review of Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence.
https://www.loriduffwrites.com/blog/

March 8th @ Bring on Lemons
Visit Crystal's blog today and you can read a review written by her daughter Carmen about Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence. Don't miss it!
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/

March 10th @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog
Make sure you visit Anthony's blog today where you can read his interview with author Linda Rosen.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

March 11th @ A Storybook World
Blogger Deirdra Eden spotlights Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence.
http://www.astorybookworld.com/

March 13th @ The World of My Imagination
Stop by Nicole's blog today and you can read a fitness inspiring post by author Linda Rosen! She shares some tips about strength training while reading audiobooks. You can also enter to win a copy of Linda's book The Disharmony of Silence.
http://theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com

March 14th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Stop by Linda's blog today and you can read her interview with author Linda Rosen. Don't miss it!
http://bootsshoesandfashion.com/

March 15th @ Choices
Make sure you stop by Madeline Sharples' blog today and read Linda Rosen's blog post about inspiring your creative self by getting outdoors. Don't miss it!
http://madelinesharples.com/

March 16th @ Reviews and Interviews
Visit Lisa's blog where she interviews author Linda Rosen about her book The Disharmony of Silence.
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/

March 17th @ Coffee with Lacey
Grab some coffee and join Lacey over at her blog today. She reviews Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence.
https://coffeewithlacey.com/

March 18th @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog
Visit Anthony's blog again today and read his review of Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence. Don't miss it!
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

March 19th @ AJ Sefton's Blog
Make sure you visit author AJ Sefton's blog today and read a review of Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence.
https://www.ajsefton.com/book-reviews

March 20th @ Beverley A. Baird's Blog
Looking for a new book to add to your reading list? Make sure you visit Bev's blog today and read her review of The Disharmony of Silence. You'll want to add it to your list!
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/

March 21st @ Bookworm Blog
Visit Anjanette's blog today and you can read her review of Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence.
https://bookworm66.wordpress.com/

March 22nd @ 12 Books
Are you part of a book club? Author Linda Rosen shares fun activities you can do for your book club. Don't miss this fun, inspiring post!
http://www.12books.co.uk/

March 23rd @ Cassandra's Writing World
Make sure you visit Cassandra's blog today and read her review of Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence.
https://cassandra-mywritingworld.blogspot.com/

March 25th @ Beverley A. Baird's Blog
What do you do if you are writing about a made-up setting? Make sure you visit Bev's blog today and you can read Linda Rosen's guest post where she shares her advice.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/

March 26th @ Lady in Read Writes
Stop by Vidya's blog today and you can read her review of Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence.
https://ladyinreadwrites.com/

March 27th @ Jessica Belmont's Blog
Over at Jessica's blog today, you won't want to miss her review of Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence. You can also enter to win a copy of the book as well!
https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/

March 28th @ Bookworm Blog
Stop by Anjanette's blog again today and you can read her interview with author Linda Rosen.
https://bookworm66.wordpress.com/

March 30th @ It's Alanna Jean
What does your writing space look like? Author Linda Rosen shares her tips for setting up your writing space over at Alanna Jean's blog.
http://itsalannajean.com/

April 3rd @ Joyful Antidotes
Make sure you stop by Joy's blog today where she reviews Linda Rosen's book The Disharmony of Silence.
https://joyfulantidotes.com/

April 5th @ Teatime and Books
How much do you love revising? Does it spark joy? Linda Rosen shares her thoughts on the joy of revising over at the blog Tea Time and Books.
http://teatimeandbooks76.blogspot.com/

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****

To win a copy of the book The Disharmony of Silence by Linda Rosen, please enter via Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends on March 9th at 12 AM EST. We will announce the randomly pick a winner and email them the same day. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway