Konkle, Marsena

PERSONAL:

Married. Education: Vermont College, M.F.A., 2001.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chicago, IL. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Paraclete Press, P.O. Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653.

CAREER:

Former textbook editor; writer.

WRITINGS:

A Dark Oval Stone (novel), Paraclete Press (Brewster, MA), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Marsena Konkle's debut novel, A Dark Oval Stone, is a story of loss and renewal set in Chicago. Miriam Kovatch is the daughter of a woman who never recovered from the loss of her two sons. Miriam is faced with the same kind of depression that has clouded her mother's life when her thirty-nine-year-old husband, Paul, dies of a heart attack while shoveling snow for a neighbor. Miriam, who is pregnant, is urged by her mother to pray, but prayer does not seem to be the answer. Miriam's best friend, Esther, who herself badly wants a child, withdraws from the expectant mother, and Miriam learns that her loving gay brother is ill.

A Publishers Weekly contributor felt that although so much information about grief slows the pacing, "Konkle's smooth writing and eye for detail result in a lyrical, emotionally candid novel of faith." Library Journalreviewer Tamara Butler enjoyed the "absorbing plot and a protagonist whom readers will root for," while Booklist contributor John Mort felt that A Dark Oval Stone is "likely to appeal to any woman who has suffered a loss."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2006, John Mort, review of A Dark Oval Stone, p. 28.

Library Journal, February 1, 2006, Tamara Butler, review of A Dark Oval Stone, p. 60.

Publishers Weekly, November 28, 2005, review of A Dark Oval Stone, p. 23.

ONLINE

Marsena Konkle Blog,http://www.marsenakonkle.blogspot.com (July 4, 2006).

Marsena Konkle Home Page,http://www.marsenakonkle.com (July 4, 2006).

Paraclete Press Web site,http://www.paracletepress.com/(July 4, 2006), biographical information on Konkle.