Fiction: Coyote Heart by Paula Margulies
Coyote Heart, by Paula Margulies, tells the story of Carolyn Weedman, a forty-year-old librarian trapped in a troubled marriage with a disabled husband. After a chance encounter with a widowed Pala Indian professor, Carolyn finds herself drawn into an unexpected love affair. Torn by conflicting feelings, she discovers a secret about her husband‚s past that forces her to confront her divided emotions and choose between the two men that she loves."A graceful story of love and redemption, Coyote Heart is a gift for all of us who grapple to understand the complexities of relationships.“ -Patricia Santana, author of Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility and Ghosts of El Grullo
Set against the simmering backdrop of local politics on the Pala Indian Reservation, Coyote Heart explores the intricacies of illicit love and marriage, the strength that comes from sacrifice, and the courage to forgive the injuries of the past. The novel calls on several San Diego landscapes, including the Rancho Penasquitos preserve and the Pala Indian Reservation, to give the story a unique local flavor. Written with haunting natural imagery and lyrical prose, Coyote Heart tells a compelling tale of love and modern Native American culture.
“With Coyote Heart, Paula Margulies uses lyrical, yet restrained prose to take us into a world where the usual definitions will not fit˜where the personal and the political, even the human and the animal, become increasingly difficult to differentiate. This novel bravely explores the difference between a relationship that bends and one that breaks; it even suggests that a healed fracture is stronger than what was originally whole.” - Peter Rock, author of My Abandonment, The Bewildered, and The Unsettling
"Redemption is a destination we all hope to reach. Coyote Heart takes us on a wonderful journey, crossing cultural boundaries, toward that great human place." - Mark Trahant, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Pictures of Our Nobler Selves, a history of Native Americans in media.
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Dear Friends:
As many of you already know, my first novel, Coyote Heart, was picked up at the end of last year by Kirk House Publishers, a small press in Minneapolis, and is coming out this month (publication date is April 17). The book is now available for pre-order via Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. Here's the Amazon link:
For those of you who know me well, this has been a long time coming -- I started writing the book in 2003, signed with an agent in 2005, and after it stayed for consideration with some houses for a very long time (some for over a year!), Coyote Heart finally found a home at Kirk House. I'm honored that this press is willing to take a chance on an unknown writer like me, and hope you'll order a copy to show your support for my kind editor and publisher.
Above is a brief description of the story and some endorsement reviews. I'm grateful to all my writing friends, reviewers, and, especially, my patient family, for their ongoing encouragement and support.
If you're able to buy the book, pass along this information to readers who might enjoy a San Diego love story, or even write a review on Amazon, I'll be eternally grateful!
All best and happy reading, Paula
