Karen Pullen

“A gritty post-Katrina New Orleans is the fascinating setting of Vicki Salloum’s colorful and lively novel, Candyland, about a brave young woman who wants to climb her way out of the dangerous life she was given at birth: drugs, guns, family violence and police brutality. The characters are complex and the action non-stop as Lázara pursues her hopes and dreams in a morally gray world. Salloum’s writing sparkles and her story is compelling.”

–Karen Pullen, Author of Cold Feet and Brea’s Tale and Other Stories

Thomas Davidson

“There is no saccharine in Candyland, a poignant coming-of-age tale – a gritty snapshot in the life of a young woman who quotes Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and scrambles to survive in post-Katrina New Orleans. Lázara Soto, 17, is stranded in a land of no role models, no money and hard choices. She’s caught in a high-pressure system of a homicidal brother, phantom parents, an alcoholic attourney/employer, and a dwindling dream of college and escape. Next stop: shitstorm . . . swim or sink. Pristine prose and vivid characters abound. Highly recommended.”

–Thomas Davidson, Author of The Museum of Sudden Disappearances and Past is Present

Ruth Latta

“Salloum has excelled in evoking the Katrina disaster and in depicting a criminal sub-culture. The action keeps readers alert, and the New Orleans landmarks will interest those who lived or have visited that city.”

Link to entire review on The Compulsive Reader:

http://www.compulsivereader.com/2016/02/19/a-review-of-candyland-by-vicki-salloum/

FAULKNER & FRIENDS:

Casey Porter

“. . . The imagery of ‘Faulkner & Friends’ is raw and vivid, which, combined with the complexity of each character, embodies the too-often hidden pulsating heart of New Orleans. A heart that is full of lively, unique characters not often seen in common, touristy settings . . . “

–Special to The Sun-Herald
covering Biloxi-Gulfport and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
September 28, 2014