In Those Dazzling Days of Elvis by Josephine Rascoe Keenan

I’m so pleased to welcome back Josephine Rascoe Keenan. I am totally obsessed with the theme of her books. How could I not be? It’s Elvis!! 🙂 She received an excellent review from Kirkus. Check out Book 2 in her series…

Pen-L Publishing announced the release on June 12, 2017, of In Those Dazzling Days of Elvis, the second novel in the Days of Elvis series by Josephine Rascoe Keenan. The book tells a story of human anguish and betrayal, love and loss, recrimination and regret, and shows how choices, once made, can change one’s life forever. Ms. Keenan meticulously recreates the “golden days” of drive-in movies, screen wire petticoats, and flashy American cars, when the world seemed brighter and more innocent than today.

A secret rules the life of the main character.

In the days when Elvis Presley dazzled the nation, his “good luck charm,” Julie Morgan, a small town girl bound by the social code of the 1950s, makes a serious mistake in attempting to cope with her broken home. A seemingly innocent decision to attend a concert proves to be a misstep leading from one bad decision to another, another, and yet another, ultimately catapulting her into a terrible dilemma with no apparent way out. In desperation, Julie agrees to a scheme that Carmen, her lookalike, insists will save Julie from disaster. Their plan is risky, and Julie’s resolve wavers, but Elvis’s long-distance friendship and support give her strength. On the precipice of success, fate intervenes in this “perfect plan” to turn back time and restore her innocence, leaving Julie alone in the heap of rubble that was once her life, and struggling to escape from the tragic consequences of her choices.

Prestigious Kirkus Reviews writes that Keenan “~does an admirable job portraying the often inconceivable repercussions of now commonplace experiences in a small, Southern town in the ’50s. Carmen and Julie take turns narrating, and the dialogue toggles smoothly between their two distinct voices.” ~ “A convincing glimpse into the challenges of navigating small-town gossip, social pressure, and the inevitable difficulty of becoming an adult.”~ Kirkus Reviews

Of Keenan’s debut novel, In Those First Bright Days of Elvis, published in May of 2016, Kirkus Reviews wrote that it “~animates the social scene of small-town, 1950s Arkansas.”~ “As Julie navigates love, family, and friendships, she faces difficult decisions still applicable to teens today. While slang terms anchor the text firmly in the ’50s, the in crowd’s conversations about sex prove some things never change. Julie’s friendship with Elvis is a useful window into a broader national narrative. His letters and appearances provide a glimpse of the changing tastes in music and the impact of cultural touchstones such as The Ed Sullivan Show. Elvis’s letters also provide lighter moments that counter the somber themes of infidelity and unwanted pregnancy. The King of Rock and Roll presides over this tale of youthful loss and longing.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Josephine Rascoe Keenan was born and raised in El Dorado, Arkansas’s oil patch. She earned a B.A. Degree from the University Arkansas, where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, and an M.A. Degree from the University of Colorado. After working many years in theatre and film as a director and an actress, with membership in the professional unions, SAG-AFTRA, and Actors’ Equity Association, she expanded her writing efforts from diaries and journals, kept from age eleven, to novels and short stories for young people. Two of her stories were published in the teen magazine, Cricket, and her poem, A Ride on Grandpa’s Foot appeared in Modern Maturity magazine. Her plays have toured with Artreach Touring Theatre; and one was chosen as a winner of Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati’s New Play Contest.

Recently, Josephine participated in the Ohioana Library’s 2017 Book Festival, as well as Tongue and Groove, Sunset, and Authors Words and Wine, three literary salons in Cincinnati. She has had book signings at Blue Marble Bookstore in Ft. Thomas, KY, and at Village Lights Bookstore in Madison, IN. She expresses thanks to Alicia for posting an interview on her blog, as well as this new information.

Josephine wrote the books to tell today’s kids what life was like in the 50s, as well as to give older folks a time travel experience back to their youth. Although the books are not about Elvis Presley’s life, they are set during the time when his star was low on the horizon, before he became “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and changed our world forever.

When not writing, Josephine enjoys oil painting (The cover art for her books is her own work), square dancing, and cooking Southern dishes, such as hot water cornbread, little lady peas, and grandma’s peach cobbler for her husband Frank and their friends at the couple’s restored 1845 log house. Visit Josephine at www.keenannovels.com, and follow her on  Facebook @ Josephine.Keenan1, and onTwitter@JRKeenan01

Her books can be ordered online from http://www.pen-.com/InThoseDazzlingDays.html, or from Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Those-Dazzling-Days-Elvis/dp/1683130774