Now Face to Face

Posted on February 28, 2008 | 5 Comments

Now Face to Face available at Amazon.com

This entry was posted in book covers, Now Face to Face and tagged karleen, Karleen Koen, koen. Bookmark the permalink.

5 responses to “Now Face to Face”

Anita Barnes | June 27, 2008 at 3:35 pm | Reply

Hello,

I have just finished “Now Face to Face” and I am a little confused about the epilogue. What is dream and what is reality? Did Barbara ever find her Hyacinthe? Did she really remarry?

Another book is needed to follow up this last book. I am looking forward to reading Dark Angels, but I hope you do write another book and continue the story of Barbara.

Sincerely
Anita Barnes
Karleen Koen | June 30, 2008 at 9:33 am | Reply

I’m so sorry you were confused. In the plot, everything is real, up until the last scene with the Duchess, in which she dreams that she sees Jane again.

As for whether Barbara remarries, well, I left her near the altar, and I don’t know.

I do plan to write another book, but not right away. I’m working backward in time, working with the Duchess and her time period as a young woman.

Thanks so much for your interest.

Karleen
Michele | July 2, 2008 at 2:51 am | Reply

Dear Karleen,

I have just finished Now Face to Face after reading Though a glass darkly, and then Dark Angels.

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed all three.

I wasn’t confused at the end, except for the part around Jane’s death. I’ve been churning over in my mind how far along in her pregnancy she was – as I imagined when she rescued Gussy from the Tower she was a few weeks pregnant. I thought at first that she died in America, but then realised it must have been just before they set sail.

Anyway, I enjoy your work so much and think I must have lived in that era for everything is so familiar and alive…..but then maybe thats your special gift!

From the sunny shores of South Africa – thank you, and I look forward to the next couple of books.

Kindest Regards
Michele Waters
Karleen Koen | July 7, 2008 at 9:28 am | Reply

It must be the added scene AFTER the ending that is causing confusion. Think of them as something that got edited out.

I reworked the timing of Jane’s pregnancy because I dropped the added scene. It’s only there now–like an extra– because I liked the writing and to give the reader more context.

The added scene doesn’t work with the pregnancy Jane experiences in the novel. It was what I was going to do, but didn’t….so the timing is off…..I hope this clears up confusion…..and thank you for your comments…..Karleen Koen
Samantha H. | July 9, 2008 at 9:53 am | Reply

“Now Face to Face” was a very good book and I enjoyed it so much. The last few lines of the book actually creep into my mind often, especially when I watch true crime TV shows such as “48 Hours Mystery” or “Dateline: Hard Evidence”. I know that sounds strange but I’ve caught myself thinking about the African lore collected by Diop:

“The dead are not dead.
Those who are dead are never gone:
they are in the breast of the woman,
they are in the child who is wailing,
and in the firebrand that flames.
The dead are not under the earth:
they are in the fire that is dying,
they are in the grasses that weep,
they are in the whimpering rocks,
they are in the forest, they are in the house,
the dead are not dead.”

A strange comfort lives in these words for me, like finding unexpected shelter in a storm. They really helped re-shape my view of death especially after my Grams passed away. And I never would have had this gift if it were not for “Now Face to Face”.