Germaine Shames has written from six continents--soon to add the seventh--on topics ranging from the Middle East crisis to Aboriginal land rights, from the struggle to save the Amazon to the plight of street children.
Shames is author of the critically-acclaimed novel Between Two Deserts (Macadam/Cage Publishing), two earlier nonfiction books, five musical stage plays, an opera, and three feature screenplays.
Her new biographical novel, YOU, FASCINATING YOU, the hidden epic behind a timeless love song, has been named Editor's Choice by the Historical Novel Society. The eponymous musical is slated to premiere this year. The audiobook will debut on Audible, November 1, 2016.
Writing under the pen name Casper Silk (Hotel Noir, Echo Year) she has been called "cagey and poetic" and compared to such luminaries as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Graham Greene and P.D. James "on steroids."
Her articles have appeared in such publications as National Geographic Traveler, More, Success, Hemispheres, Byline and many others. Her essays and short fiction have been widely anthologized.
Shames holds a masters degree in Intercultural Studies. As a global executive, and later as a foreign correspondent, she has lived and worked in such diverse locations as the Australian outback, Swiss Alps, interior of Bulgaria, coast of Colombia, Fiji Islands, and Gaza Strip. She brings a tender acuity to her journalism and has made a mission of covering under-reported stories of grassroots activism and everyday heroism. Her fiction writing reflects the breadth of her worldview and fascination with the interplay of cultures, often drawing on events and settings from her sojourns abroad.
Praise for YOU, FASCINATING YOU:
"A love story reminiscent of that of my grandparents. I could not put it down." Kinga Nijinsky Gaspers
"Faultless." Historical Novel Society
"Germaine Shames' beautiful depiction of the life of Margit Wolf and Pasquale Frustaci is told with such vivid and haunting detail, it's as if the reader is propelled back in time to witness a devastating journey of shattered dreams, juxtaposed with the strength and courage of the human heart. A tragic story, beautifully written."
Susan Jaffe, "America's quintessential ballerina"
"Shames captures the essence of a ballerina with such expertise in her riveting story. Dancers succeed by creating beauty from effort; this book, too, shows that exquisite art can be made from history's hardships." Elana Altman, soloist dancer, San Francisco Ballet
"Germaine paints a vivid and accurate portrait of the world of ballet in pre and post war Europe. The epic drama expected on the ballet stage is dwarfed by the tragic real life events of her ballerina heroine, Margit Wolf. Penetrating descriptions of political brutality and the prepossession of romantic love, an ever present theme in classical ballet, make for a page-turning, impelling read."
Janet Panetta, ballet master Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
"In this heartbreaking and original novel based on the life of Hungarian ballerina Margit Wolf, Germaine Shames has crafted a story that will absorb readers fascinated not only by history and art, but romantic obsession. From Wolf's touching point of view, we see a valiant Jewish artist swept along by a combination of political horrors and her unfailing passion for her husband, famed Italian composer Pasquale Frustaci, who refuses to help her and her son escape from brutal life under the Nazis occupying Hungary. Shames' faithful, carefully researched portrayal of Wolf's blindness and history's cruelty makes this a compelling read." Elizabeth Evans, author of The Blue Hour
"Compelling, heart-wrenching, and heroic!" Jim Bencivenga
"A gripping story and beautifully constructed. The book is a novel but based on true events and characters, and Shames' assiduous research over five years is evident on every page. This is a story of great loss and a life lived without choices or freedom but with tremendous heart." Amanda Jennings, Dance Europe
Reviews for BETWEEN TWO DESERTS:
"Shames, a former Middle East correspondent, handles the complexities of Eve's visit to war-torn Jerusalem with a subtlety seldom seen in this genre. She is careful not to pass judgment on either side of the political equation as she skillfully intertwines the lives of this diverse cast of characters to produce a tightly executed, emotion-filled work." Publisher's Weekly
"(The novelist) creates the intense atmosphere of an unstable world with grace and a sort of lyric power." National Public Radio
"One might expect the journalist and novelist to approach this story quite differently, but in Between Two Deserts, foreign correspondent Germaine Shames has realized a combination of these crafts, lucidly capturing those immutable qualities that speak to our souls." Rain Taxi
"In Jerusalem where rhetoric and revenge rule, Shames shows us humanity and insight." Bloomsbury Review
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