Media Mentions
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
Lorinda Hayes of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Ms. Shoop then researched the lives of the wealthy, the divorced, the evangelist, the farmer and the orphan to build a family saga that is fresh and insightful.” Read the full, fantastic review here: https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/books/2015/07/05/Book-review-Local-author-pens-a-satisfying-sequel-to-The-Last-letter/stories/201506280223
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
Tony Norman of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette falls in love (reluctantly so!) with Shoop’s Women’s Fiction novel, LOVE AND OTHER SUBJECTS:
https://www.post-gazette.com/hp_mobile/2013/07/14/Briefing-Books-A-new-tack-for-assessing-Pittsburgh-book-glut/stories/201307140226
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
“… a powerful story that’s Book Two of The Letter Series in a saga which stands powerfully and firmly on its own for newcomers, yet creates and cements a powerful account of change for those who want further details on the evolving story of uncertain family connections and ultimate healing.”
–D. Donovan, senior reviewer, https://www.midwestbookreview.com/calbw/jul_15.htm#IndependentPublishers
WRITER’S DIGEST
Kathleen Shoop’s article on using setting to develop characters over the course of a novel is found at Writer’s Digest here:
https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-use-setting-to-challenge-your-characters-make-a-better-story
WOMAN’S WORLD MAGAZINE: The trouble with letting go…
https://www.womansworldmag.com/posts/4-funny-touching-and-totally-honest-first-day-of-school-stories-from-mom-authors-67470
WORKINGMOTHER.COM
The Road Home is named one of the 15 Hot Summer Beach Reads!
https://www.workingmother.com/content/15-hot-new-summer-beach-reads
BUZZFEED.COM
The Road Home is one of the Best Books of June 2015!
https://www.buzzfeed.com/andreakennedy/best-books-of-june-2015-nq4o#.njyKV7W9MJ
SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW
The Road Home is one of 17 Summer Reads for every genre!
https://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/2015/06/17-summer-reads-for-every-genre/
CULTURALIST
The Road Home is listed as one of the best lighthearted reads!
httpss://www.culturalist.com/l/best-lighthearted-summer-reads-of-2015-103534
First For Women Facebook Article:
https://www.firstforwomen.com/posts/4-touching-first-day-of-school-stories-from-author-moms-67463
https://www.womansworldmag.com/posts/4-funny-touching-and-totally-honest-first-day-of-school-stories-from-mom-authors-67470
httpss://www.facebook.com/WomansWorldMag/posts/10153488222710575
USATODAY—HAPPY EVER AFTER—BLISS
An anthology of fabulous love stories centering on one stately home on the water gets noticed: https://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2013/07/23/historical-romance-new-releases-july-2013/2576061/
BUSTLE.COM
The Last Letter is in GREAT company here! https://www.bustle.com/articles/30459-13-books-with-totally-misleading-covers
USATODAY
Kathleen Shoop discusses how the art of writing doesn’t end with a book’s publication—Marketing and public relations matter, too: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/edmunds/2013/04/09/gladys-edmunds/2069173/
WRITER’S GUIDE TO 2013
Shoop is interviewed regarding how to create secondary characters that are dynamic and full of life—See: Not All Grandmothers Have White Hair—Making Minor Characters Fresh,” by Chris Eboch: https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Guide-2013-Susan-Tierney/dp/1889715689/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1443880538&sr=8-4&keywords=writers+guide+to+2013
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Rex Rutkoski of the Valley News Dispatch stops in for the launch of AFTER THE FOG.
https://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourallekiskivalley/1829623-87/says-shoop-smog-family-fog-oakmont-readers-writing-changed-everything#axzz3DZmtydf0
PLUM-OAKMONT PATCH
Shoop discusses the historic 1948 Killing Smog that changed the world and was the inspiration for her novel, AFTER THE FOG:
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/plum-oakmont/donora-death-smog-lives-in-novel-after-the-fog
SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW
Kathleen Shoop discusses “resuscitating the past,” in her novel, AFTER THE FOG:
https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/tag/kathleen-shoop/
PEEKING BETWEEN THE PAGES
Kathleen Shoop discussing history, research, family and how they influenced the writing of THE LAST LETTER and AFTER THE FOG
https://www.peekingbetweenthepages.com/2012/05/guest-post-with-kathleen-shoop-author-of-after-the-fog-giveaway-us-only.html
Book Jacket—Video Style: AFTER THE FOG
httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnNw2nC1GnE
Book Jacket—Video Style: LOVE AND OTHER SUBJECTS
httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9xBInqQ-fM
Shoop discusses work and love in AFTER THE FOG
https://www.hf-connection.com/2012/07/after-fog-by-kathleen-shoop.html
FOR PITTSBURGH’S HEINZ HISTORY DAY AND THE COMMORATION OF DONORA DEATH SMOG—student project
Fact meets Fiction—This student-generated project looks at the facts of the 1948 event that spurred the formation of the EPA and includes AFTER THE FOG in the video! Awesome opportunities for high school students to explore the past and the area near them that saw so much death and illness.
https://prezi.com/b2sxsowddiic/donora-coal-fog-of-1948/
The Road Home: The Letter Series (Book 2)
The Road Home: Gold Medal Winner—Readers’ Favorite 2015—Fiction-Historical-Personage httpss://readersfavorite.com/2015-award-contest-winners.htm#book45849
Lorinda Hayes of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Ms. Shoop then researched the lives of the wealthy, the divorced, the evangelist, the farmer and the orphan to build a family saga that is fresh and insightful.” Read the full, fantastic review here: https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/books/2015/07/05/Book-review-Local-author-pens-a-satisfying-sequel-to-The-Last-letter/stories/201506280223
“I loved this riveting tale of hope and redemption. The Road Home comes to life with gorgeous imagery and a setting that eased me seamlessly and beautifully back and forth in time. Each character stood out, coaxing me into her story, making me want more. With the turn of every page there’s a revelation, something hidden or something wonderful and unexpected. The Road Home is a must-read for any book lover and a perfect follow-up to The Last Letter.”
–New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical novel, HAVE NO SHAME, Melissa Foster https://www.amazon.com/Shame-civil-rights-forbidden-collide-ebook/dp/B00CC34O1E/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Broken family connections, miracles, hopes, and redefined pasts: all these form the foundation of a powerful story that’s Book Two of The Letter Series in a saga which stands powerfully and firmly on its own for newcomers, yet creates and cements a powerful account of change for those who want further details on the evolving story of uncertain family connections and ultimate healing.
—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review https://www.midwestbookreview.com/calbw/jul_15.htm#IndependentPublishers
Shoop can paint vivid pictures with her words. I got the feeling of being immersed in the culture, the times, and the characters’ lives. Emotionally, this book hooked me.
–John Thornton for Readers’ Favorite–5 stars
Kathleen Shoop is a master of emotional depth and creativity… I especially enjoyed the dedication Shoop puts into making her dialogue sound authentic…An excellent read.
–K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite 5 Stars!
Endless Love Series:
Home Again (Book 1—a novella)
Return to Love (Book 2—a novel)
Tending Her Heart (Book 3—a novel)
Home Again
**Silver Medal—Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2015—Fiction—Short Story
httpss://readersfavorite.com/2015-award-contest-winners.htm#book34445
**Finalist—2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards—Novella https://www.indiebookawards.com/2014_winners_and_finalists.php
“… Home Again ticks every box for the ingredients you need to make even the most stony-hearted of readers root for the main characters… The heat level of their intimacy is appropriate to the serious undertones of the sacrifices of war and Kathleen Shoop’s beautifully crafted words only enhance the reading experience… Overall, this was an extremely satisfying read with heart, depth and masterful storytelling.” K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite– 5 Stars
“Kathleen Shoop has painted a masterpiece of emotions and turmoil intertwined with the longing for simplicity in Home Again… Profound, emotional and heart-warming, Home Again will draw you back to your own comfortable place and your own simpler time.” Bil Howard for Readers’ Favorite– 5 stars
Return to Love
**Gold Medal—Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2015—Romance-General
httpss://readersfavorite.com/2015-award-contest-winners.htm#book34442
“So. Good. Sad crying. Happy crying. This one has it all!”
—Becky on Books… And Quilts–4.5 stars https://beckymmoe.com/new-release-review-return-to-love-by-kathleen-shoop/
“A sweet Romance…I enjoyed every page of this book and following the story with Hale and April. This book is truly a love story and a love story that isn’t perfect. It is like real life; we have triumphs and we have falls and we must learn to hold each other’s hands and find our way back to hope and love again.”
–Kathryn Bennett for Readers’ Favorite–5 Stars
“The author has tackled this love theme beautifully on many levels. The emotions are palpable and relatable and this story of tears and love will strike a chord within readers. A romantic story of love, hope and healing, the author’s style of writing also contributes to the rhythm and cadence of the plot.”
–Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite–5 Stars
Tending Her Heart
Kathleen Shoop knows exactly how to tug at you and your heart and take you away from reality into another, PERFECTLY. The first two books in the “Endless Love Series”—“Home Again” and “ Return to Love”, are a must read and then go ahead with this one. Just a word of caution: Kathleen’s books are addicting. You have been five star reviewer warned!
–Becca Wilson—Beck Valley Book Tours
This author is very good at depicting the attitudes of male doctors during this era of time and highlighting women and men who fought for change. A strong story that proves men can and do support women and their dreams and love them all the more their determination and strength. I loved Michael and Julie and their HEA!
–Julie Whiteley, Amazon
Love and Other Subjects
**Silver Medal—2012 Independent Publisher Awards (IPPY)—Best Regional Fiction—Mid-Atlantic https://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1656
**Honorable Mention—2013 San Francisco Book Festival https://www.sanfranciscobookfestival.com/winners_2013.htm
Tony Norman of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette falls in love (reluctantly so!) with Shoop’s Women’s Fiction novel, LOVE AND OTHER SUBJECTS:
https://www.post-gazette.com/hp_mobile/2013/07/14/Briefing-Books-A-new-tack-for-assessing-Pittsburgh-book-glut/stories/201307140226
Dramatic adventure, and the daring will survive at all costs! If you are a reader who enjoys love stories, who likes tales where courage and spirit might just conquer all, then Love and Other Subjects is the book for you.”
–Regis Schilken for Midwest Book Review and BlogCritics. https://blogcritics.org/book-review-love-and-other-subjects/
“I highly recommend Love and Other Subjects. It is easy, fun, witty, and eye opening to some of the everyday problems teachers have to deal with. The ending was the best. LOVED IT!”
—Charlotte Lynn Reviews httpss://www.goodreads.com/review/show/479690821
After the Fog
**Eric Hoffer—2013 Category Finalist https://www.hofferaward.com/HAcategoryfinalists.html#.VhBI7enI76Y
**Silver Medal—2012 Independent Publisher Awards (IPPY)—Best Regional Fiction—Mid-Atlantic
https://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1534
**Winner—2012 IndieExcellence Awards—Literary Fiction https://www.indieexcellence.com/indie-results-2012-winners.htm#65
**First Place—2014 Beck Valley Books—Reviewers Top Ten Favorite Reads 2014 https://beckvalleybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/book-reviewers-top-ten-favorite-reads.html
“WOW! What a truly amazing story! I was amazed how Ms. Shoop managed to wrap a totally believable storyline around this tragic [true] incident. By following the daily life of nurse Rose as she navigates her personal and professional landmines, we see the impact the tragedy has not only on the innocent town people, but the not-so-innocent family and friends of Rose, and the secrets that are uncovered. I thought the writing was flawless…”
–Book Princess Sophia
“This is a well-written story set authentically in a historic place and time, around an intricate plot which includes most of the elements that provide for a good “soap opera,” or a book that would be accepted by Oprah Winfrey.” https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/after-the-fog/
“…its gritty realism and flawed, believable characters make it a recommended read for lovers of historical fiction.”
Jill MacKenzie for https://indtale.com/reviews/historical/after-fog
“…[Shoop] portrays a family who is broken but it is these very things that makes this such a good book – it is raw and real but at the same time you will find hope and forgiveness within it’s pages.”
–Darlene at https://www.peekingbetweenthepages.com/2012/05/book-review-after-the-fog-by-kathleen-shoop.html
“I have great admiration for an author who will write her main character so real. Rose, although admirable and almost heroic in the face of such a horrible situation, was not always likable but she behaved as many of us would given her circumstances. As a reader, I think it would be easy for an author, having created the main character, to write her as perfect. It takes talent to imbue that main character with real qualities… not all good but relatable and pertinent to the situations she finds herself in.
I was very impressed with how Ms. Shoop wrote the “disaster.” The foreboding feeling was tangible and I felt myself almost reading between the lines to pick up clues as to the oncoming tragedy. But when the “killing smog” threatens to suffocate Rose and the citizens of Donora, it highlighted the family drama the more. I felt it was almost a metaphor for the conflict that swirled around Rose and her family as well as others in the community.”
—Bags Books and Bonjovi
The Last Letter: The Letter Series (Book 1)
**Gold Medal—2011 Independent Publisher Awards (IPPY)—Best Regional Fiction—Mid-West https://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1442
**Finalist—2011 IndieExcellence Book Awards—Historical Fiction https://www.indieexcellence.com/indie-results-2012-winners.htm#65
**Finalist—Beck Valley Books—Reviewers Top Ten Favorite Reads 2014 https://beckvalleybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/book-reviewers-top-ten-favorite-reads.html
“I was absolutely mesmerized by this moving novel. Told through the voices of Katherine, the daughter, and Jeanie, the mother – the women weave the tale of their family’s hardships and travails on the untamed plains of the Dakota Territory in the late 1800s. Through sheer courage and immense bravery, they withstood unimaginable tragedy and seemingly insurmountable obstacles to survive. But secrets held close in order to protect would later come back to nearly tear the family apart. But the discovery of a long lost letter would bring clarity and resolution to the pain and heartache the women had endured for years.”
–New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical novel, HAVE NO SHAME, Melissa Foster https://www.amazon.com/Shame-civil-rights-forbidden-collide-ebook/dp/B00CC34O1E/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
“Kathleen Shoop, in her debut novel, has crafted a beautifully written novel that will captivate readers. Evoking the strong emotions that are often found in mother/daughter relationships, Shoop mixes the heartwarming closeness of family with the heart-wrenching pain of betrayal to present a story that will resonate fans of exquisite literature. I look forward to seeing more work from this talented author. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction with a western flair.”
–Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews https://www.garden-of-books.com/search?q=the+last+letter
“This story is AWESOME. The story itself has excellent flow and the words are woven so that I would at times forget I was reading and just see the story move through me.
It is a sad tale, although still beautiful. I also enjoyed all the detail of what a hard life it was to be a pioneer in the Dakotas. How people made a success of it was in part just pure dumb luck, because the land doesn’t seem to help at all.
So, go pick up this book – I am giving it 5 stars and permanently adding it to my library to enjoy again and again.”
–Lilac Wolf and Stuff Reviews https://lilacwolfandstuff.blogspot.com/2011/05/book-review-last-letter.html
“Kathleen Shoop hypnotises readers with her words bringing the story to life in such an enthralling way that it is so hard to put the book down. The Last Letter, the first book in The Letter Series, had me completely hooked. It took hold of me and transported me into the story and into the unforgiving prairie life. I felt all the emotions within it, sadness, joy, loss, grief, anger, frustration, my heart felt as if it was actually about to break as I became completely overwhelmed.
The author’s writing is superb and the reason I think I felt so emotional was the pure connection she makes happen between the reader and characters. I find myself now desperately awaiting the next book in the series from this amazing author.”
–Sharon Martin, Beck Valley Books–reviews, blog tours and bookshop https://beckvalleybooks.blogspot.co.uk
“This is a beautiful story revolving around Jeanie and her daughter Katherine. As you begin to read, you think that it is going to be told from Katherine’s point of view, and it is, to an extent. The main story though, is through Jeanie’s eyes. She tells of their unexpected life in the year 1888, whereas Katherine is telling of the resulting consequences in the year 1905. The story is told back and forth, so you basically know the ending, but the way it is written, you have to read the entire story to find out how it got to that ending, and this author knows how to make you want to know every circumstance that got Katherine and Jeanie to that point in their relationship.
Kathleen Shoop has a way of drawing you into the story. I wasn’t just reading the story, I was living it alongside Jeanie. I felt every betrayal and horror that she felt. Ms. Shoop gave such vivid descriptions that you couldn’t help but feel you were seeing it all pass like watching a movie, and I really did see the movie in my mind as I read. Once started, I could not put the book down until I finished it.
I connected with this story more than I care to admit. I give very few ratings of 5, but this one earned it because there wasn’t anything about this book that I didn’t like. I will definitely be reading more from this author.”
—Julie Baswell— https://icreatepurtythangs.blogspot.com
“… The research Shoop did to make this story real must be praised… You never had to try to imagine characters or what items or places looked like because the author gave such vivid descriptions of everything down to the clodhoppers, to the beautiful Lutie, to the flowers on the prairie, to the storms that rolled in. I could see it all play out in my mind.
With this story being the second I had read with a “loser” for a husband, it really got my blood boiling. I loved the lectures Jeanie both gave and wanted to give to her husband Frank but she got it right on when she said to him, “You are a man who acts as a ten-year-old.” I cheered out loud for Jeanie and cried for her at many other points in the story.
Jeanie went from living a plush, fancy life to a sad, hopeless life in a sod dugout with a husband who disappointed her day in and day out. I may not have agreed with all of Jeanie’s choices in the story, but I ended the book with a great respect for her and for her now grown daughter, Katherine. The book reminded me of the great importance of forgiveness and lifting that burden and anger from your soul.”
–Sincerely Stacie Reviews https://www.sincerelystacie.com