Author
I've been busy offline, writing a new book and caring for two tiny people, but I do have a short story in the latest issue of Subtropics. It's called "Said T.E. Lawrence Picking Up his Fork." (If you're from Pasadena you already know what I'm talking about.) Thanks to David Leavitt for his exacting editorial eye, and to my family for laughing at the jokes.
U.S. release: May 17, 2016
First of all, thank you to all the incredible booksellers, librarians, readers and writers I met over the last ten months. You made 2015 - by far - the most adventurous, surprising, and inspiring year of my life.
And thank you:
To the superb editors at American Short Fiction, for publishing my short-short story "The Night Bus" as their December web exclusive. (Plus accompanying interview here.)
To the National Endowment for the Arts, for the incredible gift of allowing me to finish my next book in the coming year.
To the Chicago Public Library, Kansas City Star, and Indigo for including Church of Marvels on their year-end lists.
To the Chicago Tribune, for including my musings among these lovely mini-essays on the art of giving books.
And to my family, who put up with all my travelings, ramblings, odd obsessions, and wacko pregnancy cravings. Klondike bars for everyone.
"Leslie Parry on Church of Marvels," Chicago Tribune
"The Burden and the Beauty of Loneliness," Los Angeles Review of Books
"An Indies Introduce Q&A," American Booksellers Association
"Disappearing into a colorful world," BookPage
"6 Questions with Leslie Parry," Vroman's Bookstore
"The Parry List," HarperCollins
"Author Interview: Leslie Parry," Maximum Shelf
"Q&A with Leslie Parry," Deborah Kalb Books
"The boy I used to be," Salon
"[A] stunning debut novel... From the first sentence to the last, this novel is rich with mystery and atmosphere... a mesmerizing journey." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Parry has constructed a heartbreaking, compelling tale that almost incredibly ends with a modicum of hope for those in the fin de siècle lower class of the Gilded Age." - New York Journal of Books
"Parry has woven an inventive and ingenious plot that carries the story along and builds to a fine level of suspense." - Washington Independent Review of Books
"[A] throat-grabber... an incredible first novel by a gifted writer who doesn’t leave a single narrative thread dangling." - The Missourian
"Church Of Marvels doesn’t ever solve all of the mysteries it presents, but it does provide a satisfying conclusion. In the end, what its intersecting stories show is that to find your place in a chaotic and changing world, you have to accept the things that make you stand out. Grade: A-." - The A.V. Club
"Parry... illuminates each enigma at the perfect moment and to devastating effect. Her debut novel is, in fact, a marvel." - The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)
"This is an unvarnished vision of the 19th century, the Gilded Age by way of Quentin Tarantino... the writing is often exquisite and Parry’s imagery is breathtaking." - New York Times
Oprah Magazine includes Church of Marvels on its list of "10 Titles to Pick Up Now." And next to Willie Nelson! *faints* (June 2015)
My Book Notes playlist is up at Largehearted Boy. You can read about (and listen to) the music that inspired me while I was writing the novel. (Streamable on Spotify.)
Paste Magazine calls the book "a creation of striking visceral impact from a novelist of unmistakable storytelling gifts."
The Kansas City Star says it's an "utterly captivating first novel."
And BookPage describes it as "utterly electrifying." As a first-time novelist who had no idea what to expect on pub day, I'm grateful for such intelligent, inquisitive, engaging reviews.
And finally: Book Cake!
I'm really excited about this one: Kiddo, a story dear to my heart, has been selected as the grand prize winner in Heavy Feather Review's chapbook contest. It will appear this summer, in issue 4.2. Thanks to the good folks at HFR and the judge, Jac Jemc. (If you haven't yet, please go read her stunner of a collection, A Different Bed Every Time.)