Book Title: Knee Deep
Author: Karol Hoeffner
Release Date: September 25, 2020
Publisher: Regal House Publishing
ISBN: 9781646030095 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9781646030361(Epub)
Price: $15.95 - $25.95
Paperback: 219 Pages
Distributors: Independent Publishers Group and Canadian Manda Group
Genres: Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Suspense, Paranormal
PRE ORDER: https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/product/knee-deep/
A Mardi Gras love story sprinkled with voodoo magic, Knee Deep is a coming-of-age memoir about the power of love to transcend death and disaster
Named after a hurricane, Camille is the rebellious sixteen-year-old daughter of a New Orleans bar-owner who grows up in the shadow of Bourbon Street, raised on stories of hauntings, lusty encounters and voodoo magic. And even though her family loses their home in a hurricane, she counts herself among the lucky until she discovers that her eighteen-year-old neighbor whom she secretly loves goes missing in the storm.
In Camille’s own words:
This is the story of what happened to me on Fat Tuesday, how I ended up on the steps of St. Mary’s, the hem of my pirate’s petticoat soaked in somebody’s else’s blood. Although I know the story to be true, I don’t totally believe it myself. Like all good tales born out of the bayou, mine involves the dead, the living and the one trapped in the brackish waters between heaven and hell. It is the story of true love and true disaster, and at the end of it, I’ll leave it up to you to decide which is the harder to survive.
Camille’s story unfolds as a Mardi Gras memoir, one girl’s journey through the parties and the parades as her community comes together and rises up from the chaos following the devastating storm.
Review: Knee Deep by Karol Hoeffner
Set in New Orleans in 2005, this book is about a Mardi Gras baby name Camille Darveau whose parents got together on a Twelfth Night party in the Garden District and conceive her.
Camille is aptly named after a hurricane, and as one might expect, and this book is widely about her life prior to and after Hurricane Katrina.
We learn a lot about Camille in a little bit of time. She lives in an average house and her best friend Gina lives in a mansion. Camille's other bestie is Beano Benoit, a high school quarterback.
Camille spends time at Salon Baptiste as it's often an all-day affair for her to get her hair done. We learn that her hair is a touchy subject as is Camille's neighbor and biggest crush Antwone Despre. Unfortunately, Antwone has a girlfriend M (Emily).
When the winds started picking up across the Gulf a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans is issued but some people refused to evacuate while others had no financial means to leave.
After the hurricane hit, we learned that there are difficulties in search-and-rescue efforts as levees began breaking and flooding occurred.
As the novel progresses, we're aware of fragility and devastation. After the hurricane, Camille's interracial romance is halted as Antwone is lost. Camille takes comfort in having Mr. Oliver near and connects with spirits to learn more.
We find Camille is knee-deep in contending with the differences in her life which eventually includes acceptance and hope for a brighter future.
I received a copy of this book from Arden Izzo, Public Relations Manager, Farrow Communications.
Karol Hoeffner is the Chair of Screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She has penned several novels including the upcoming release of Knee Deep. One of the most anticipated titles of 2020, Knee Deep is a coming-of-age, Hurricane Katrina love story that blends romance, suspense, and Mardi Gras magic from the shadows of Bourbon Street.
Hoeffner also has fourteen film credits including Mary Kate and Ashley's Winning London, MTV's All You've Got, several Danielle Steel adaptations, a television mini-series Harem, movies-of-the-week based on true stories – The Making of a Hollywood Madam and Miss America: Behind the Crown.
Among her other credits are the original movies, Voices from Within and Burning Rage.