Response to a stunning book review …

… after being speechless for a few days

_{Photo by Nong on Unsplash}

Authors and book reviews … we try to tell ourselves to take bad reviews with a grain of salt because not everyone is going to resonate with our work … but if bad reviews are taken that way, then it’s only fair that good ones are as well. Right?

Wrong. It’s easy to be a hater. It doesn’t take much creativity or effort to spew mean things. But for a stranger to be moved enough to take time out of their life to craft glowing paragraphs about your work, they must mean it.

I just read a review of my latest book, Castle Gate, that took my breath away. This review—written by someone I don’t know and didn’t pay to say nice things—was beyond anything I ever expected but was everything I ever hoped for.

Here it is:

Reviewed by Laura R. Brush for Readers’ Favorite
(click the line above to visit the review page and/or purchase Castle Gate)

Castle Gate by Lisa Bonnice masterfully weaves together historical events across continents in a rich tapestry that illustrates the profound impact of the past on succeeding generations and the marks that historical occurrences leave on our collective consciousness. The author’s ability to evoke emotion resonates. The deeply human and relatable characters explore themes of trauma, healing, transformation, and the search for purpose and meaning while deftly navigating human complexities. The town of Castle Gate in Utah no longer exists but the story does magical justice to this historical happening in 1924. Bonnice’s storytelling is engaging and thought-provoking. Her vivid imagery and metaphor bring the story to life and prompt reflection on deeper themes and implications.

The narrative arc is expertly crafted. The conflicts and challenges faced by the characters illuminate broader truths about human experiences and our place in the world. Overall, the author’s writing is nothing short of brilliant. Lisa Bonnice has crafted a masterpiece that not only entertains and engages but also provokes profound introspection. While scholarly rigor is evident in the meticulous attention to detail, Bonnice’s tale invites the reader into a realm where history and mystery intertwine in a brilliant blend of fact and fiction. Her writing is evocative and immersive, transporting readers to the harsh realities of early 20th-century coal mining in Utah. Bonnice’s research shines through in vivid detail, bringing her ancestors’ stories to life with unflinching honesty. The plot is expertly developed, filled with compelling conflicts and unexpected twists that keep readers riveted from beginning to end. Castle Gate is a testament to Bonnice’s deep love for her family’s history. This book will leave you captivated and wanting more.

Ahem … if I may …

_{Photo by Senjuti Kundu on Unsplash}

Overall, the author’s writing is nothing short of brilliant. Lisa Bonnice has crafted a masterpiece that not only entertains and engages but also provokes profound introspection.

There are no words for how this makes me feel (a rarity for a writer) so please allow me to express myself with this stock photo of a shiny little girl joyfully covered with colorful evidence of her artistic effort.

My century-old copy of NYT on display in museum

_{In my office, in front of a framed print of the New York Times from March 9, 1924, with the headline Explosion Entombs 173 Miners in Utah; Gas Blocks Rescue.}

In commemoration of the one-hundred-year anniversary of the Castle Gate Mine Disaster, the Western Mining and Railroad Museum in Helper, Utah will display a copy of the New York Times’ March 9, 1924, front-page reporting on the mine disaster, which I donated to the museum in 2021.

On March 8, 1924, over 170 men were killed in Castle Gate, Utah in one of the most devastating coalmine disasters in American history. Three of those men killed were my ancestors from one branch of my family tree. Another branch included the men who ran the mine.

The story was so big that it was covered by international news outlets. The antique newspaper on display this March was purchased by me in 2021 during the writing of Castle Gate, as part of my genealogy research. I soon donated it to the museum due to the fragile state of the relic. I didn’t have the expertise to preserve something like this … it would have ended up in a drawer or box instead of receiving the care it deserved.

Castle Gate is now a ghost town—the only things remaining are the cemetery where many of the miners are buried and the barred entrance to Mine #2, where the explosion occurred. (See images in The Gallery)

The Helper Museum will be displaying the newspaper during their centenary commemoration of the Castle Gate Mine Disaster on March 8, 2024. That same day, next door at the Rio Theater (owned by Historic Helper City), a short documentary called Remembering Castle Gate will premiere.

I was interviewed at my home here in Phoenix last January to be featured in the documentary and be will present at the premiere, signing copies of Castle Gate. Additionally, and more importantly, I’ll be visiting and honoring the site where this horrific event occurred 100 years ago, changing the lives of so many people … including my family.

---

_{Based on years of exhaustive genealogical research, Castle Gate tells the story of a coal mining town shattered on that fateful day in 1924, and the Littlejohn and Garroch families who ran the mine and worked underground. Lisa Bonnice is a descendant of both families.}

_{Castle Gate is filled with stories of those who lived and died that day, some of whom stayed home due to premonitions, and many more who ignored those warnings. It explores life in a rugged mining town during Prohibition, which was largely ignored … especially in nearby towns which were filled with saloons and brothels.}

_{Lisa Bonnice is the author of Fear of Our Father, a best-selling true-crime novel which has been featured in television and radio programs in the US and the UK. She also authored a metaphysical comedy novel entitled The Poppet Master. A former associate producer for MSNBC.com, she is a popular program host with The Shift Network, hosting their annual Ancestral Healing Summit and Beyond the Veil Summit.}

_{For more information, visit lisabonnice.com}

Look inside the book

Here’s a sneak peek into Castle Gate, including the front material and a few free chapters.

Castle Gate is finally in print!

I’m excited to announce that the book I’ve been working on for so many years is finally available with a publication date of November 30, 2023.

Castle Gate is the true and tragic saga of a Scottish family whose dreams of finding their fortunes in the bountiful coal mines of Castle Gate, Utah, during the Prohibition era explode in one of the most devastating mine disasters in American history. Is their presence there just bad luck, or is it due to a generational curse dating back to their ancestors’ involvement in a grisly witchcraft trial in the 1600s?

Based on extensive genealogical research, Castle Gate tells the story of one family destroyed by a documented curse which has been wreaking havoc in countless lives, all over the world, for centuries.

Celebrations of birth and death, all in one day

_{Helen Cochrane Littlejohn Garroch, circa 1899}

Today is August 30, 2023.

On August 30, 1923, 100 years ago today, Helen Garroch was laid to rest in the Castle Gate Cemetery. She was only 38. (In this photo she was approximately 14 years old.)

Also 100 years ago today, it was Helen’s only son’s 18th birthday. In the coal mining town of Castle Gate, Utah there was a rite-of-passage tradition on a young man’s 18th birthday. His task was to go to the nearby town of Helper and start drinking at the first saloon on Main Street. He was challenged to make it to the end of the row of saloons still sober enough to hire some female companionship at one of the many brothels there in town.

Helen’s son Willie, who eventually became my grandfather — instead of celebrating his adulthood with his pals — attended his young mother’s funeral. The family had only emigrated from Scotland a couple years ago and Willie’s heart still ached for his homeland. Now he had lost one of his ties to home, his beloved mom.

Willie didn’t know that, less than a year later, he would also lose his father in one of the biggest coal mine disasters in American history.

You can read the rest of their story in the book Castle Gate, which will be available on November 30, 2023 (the author’s birthday). Sign up here on this page to be notified when it’s available for pre-order.

Castle Gate — the book … in print on November 30, 2023

Available now.

Castle Gate, by Lisa Bonnice, is Book 1 in the Maxwell Curse Trilogy. It’s the true and tragic saga of the Garroch and Littlejohn families, related by marriage. The Littlejohn family is descended from a lineage that was cursed during a witch trial in 1600s Scotland, but they are unaware of it. The Garrochs are just unfortunate enough to have married into this nightmare.

The curse assures that the descendants of the accusers — who caused five souls to be arrested, tried and executed — suffer as the accused suffered. That includes having their families torn apart, watching helplessly as their loved ones struggle, or even horrific death by fire.

Book 1, Castle Gate, uses robust and extensive genealogical research to tell the tale of the families who emigrate to the United States from Scotland during the WWI and Prohibition eras, only to have the curse follow them there. The Littlejohns and Garrochs, and over a hundred others, are devastated by one of the biggest mine explosions in American history — the Castle Gate Mine Disaster of 1924 — where families are torn apart and almost two hundred men die by fire in a mine that the Littlejohns run.

Book 2, A Curse by Fire ,will tell the story of the witch trial and the origin of the curse. Book 3, Kind Miss, will wrap it up in modern-day America where the curse is discovered and dismantled by descendants of the original accusers.