FEATURED AUTHOR: R.w. Meek

Welcome R.w. Meek as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held January 8th – 12th, 2024. He is the author of the Literary Historical Fiction, The Dream Collector (Book 1: Sabrine & Sigmund Freud), released by Historium Books on December 19th, 2023 (723 pages).

Below are highlights of The Dream Collector (Book 1: Sabrine & Sigmund Freud), R.w. Meek’s author bio, and an excerpt from his book.

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/12/blog-tour-the-dream-collector-by-rw-meek.html

HIGHLIGHTS: THE DREAM COLLECTOR

 

The Dream Collector 

(Book 1: Sabrine & Sigmund Freud)

By R.w. Meek

Blurb:

The Dream Collector immerses the reader into the exciting milieu of late 19th Century Paris when art and medicine were in the throes of revolution, art turning to Impressionism, medicine turning to psychology. In 1885, Julie Forette, a self-educated woman from Marseilles, finds employment at the infamous Salpêtrière, hospital and asylum to over five thousand disabled, demented and abandoned women, a walled city ruled by the famed neurologist and arrogant director, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot. 

Julie Forette forms a friendship with the young, visiting intern Sigmund Freud who introduces her to the altering-conscious power of cocaine. Together they pursue the hidden potential of hypnotism and dream interpretation. After Freud receives the baffling case of the star hysteric, Sabrine Weiss, he is encouraged by Julie to experiment with different modes of treatment, including “talking sessions.” Their urgent quest is to find a cure for Sabrine, Princess of the Hysterics, before Dr. Charcot resorts to the radical removal of her ovaries. 

In Paris, Julie finds a passion for the new art emerging, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and forms friendships with the major artists of the period, including Pissarro, Monet, and Degas. Julie becomes intimately involved with the reclusive Cezanne only to be seduced by the “Peruvian Savage” Paul Gauguin.  Julie is the eponymous ‘Dream Collector’ collecting the one unforgettable, soul-defining dream of the major historical figures of the period.

Praise for The Dream Collector:

"Meek never fails to stun and impress with his evocation of scenes and events, of sights and dialogue, and of peoples' reactions to them." ~ HFC Reviews

"Tribute must be paid to the obvious and clear literary skills of the author R.w. Meek and to his ability to invoke historic personages and the Belle Époque he so evidently adores."~ Julian de la Motte, award-winning author of Senlac

Buy Link:

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jE52j

AUTHOR BIO: R.w. Meek

 

R.w. Meek has a Master’s degree in Art History from the American University in Washington, D.C., his areas of expertise are Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, with a particular interest in Vincent van Gogh.  He has interned and conducted tours at the National Museum of American and the National Gallery of Art. In 2022 and 2023 five of his chapter excerpts from his soon to be published novel, The Dream Collector, were either finalists or published in various literary journals. The author has also won the Palm Beach Book Festival Competition for “Best Writer in Palm Beach," his manuscript judged by a panel of NYT Best Selling authors. The Dream Collector also received gold and silver medals in the Historical Fiction Company literary contest and earned runner-up for the “Best Historical Fiction Novel’ of 2022.

The author was born in Baltimore, adventured in Europe for many years, and recently moved from Delray Beach, Florida to Santa Clarita, California. His wife is a psychologist, sculptress, playwright, and stand-up storyteller. His daughter Nora is a storyboard artist in the animation world and resides in Hollywood, California. His favorite writers are Dostoevsky, John Fowles, and Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.ronmeekauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010220437381

EXCERPT: THE DREAM COLLECTOR

 

 

Book 1: Sabrine & Sigmund

“Alone with Sabrine”

“Do you have a special fear?” Sigmund decided to ask her.

            “I have no fears, so it’s my duty to take them away from others.”

            She stepped out of his rim of light, skipping away. He could not shake the thought that she was behaving like a mischievous schoolgirl. As best he could, he followed her with the one trembling, tallow candle.

            “I want to dance!” she announced loudly. 

            And so she did, making gentle turns and playful leaps, delighting in being the center of attention. Sigmund had never found the temerity to engage in dancing, but he easily guessed its pleasure as he followed her with the candlelight. Keeping her mask in place, she performed pirouettes and self-assured spins before concluding with a charming bow.  

            She dropped the mask—Sabrine and no other! The candle’s flame flickered in the green of her eyes. “On special occasions the young doctors allow us to have costumed balls,” she said. “The hypnotized are not supposed to remember them, but we do.”

             Pounding at the library door prompted her to quickly whisper: “Shall we meet again to share more secrets?” 

            The commotion outside grew louder: “Someone has locked it from the inside! Find another key, another key!”  

            As the door flew open, Sigmund eagerly conceded to her, “We can meet again, Mademoiselle, if you like.”

 

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