Reviews

Check out the recent blurb on Waiting for Today in the most recent edition of the Colgate Scene:

colgate pr 5

 

 

 

 

 

By D. Chris Castagna on March 2, 2015

“Waiting for Today” is a wonderful novel. It is a quiet and intimate story in many respects. The first part of the novel deals with the courtship and marriage of Jacob and Faith. Jacob is a teacher in D.C. and an avid Red Sox fan. Faith owns a flower shop and has a secret passion for the piano. The author seems to court both sexes in the early chapters. The male population is served with some excellent baseball scenes. Although I am not a fan of the Red Sox, the novel brought me back to the vivid experiences of watching those particular games. The female population is served by some outstanding prose about relationships and emotions. This is the area where Craig’s writing really excels. The rooftop in Georgetown and the sledding scene were fabulous examples of truly excellent writing.

Events become tragic as the birth of their first child, Aurora, nears. Jacob is forced to deal with loss on all levels. I won’t spoil the plot, but much of the novel’s literary merit comes as events spiral down into the territory inhabited by Job. The writing is terrific. It has a regional taste and flavor to it, exploring New England, DC and Spain. Some passages are just beautiful. I would stop and just appreciate a wonderful sentence or paragraph. The story is heart-breaking and heart-building. Faith is tested and Jacob definitely explores the dark territory of the soul.
“Waiting for Today” is an excellent first novel by Steven A. Craig. He is a talented writer not afraid to explore the emotional landscape caused by love and loss. As I let the pages slip through my fingers, I kept thinking that this is a really good novel in its understated way and truly admired a job well done.

D. Chris Castagna, author
“Shine in Kashmir”

By Heather E. Gallien on February 9, 2015

Format: Paperback

This book takes you on a long journey through one man’s stuggle to accept that life is full of risks, and that if we refuse to take any, we will always be “waiting for today.” At first, I found it hard to sympathize with the main character. I mean, why can’t he just get over his losses and move on? But he really symbolizes the hidden wounded parts in all of us: the tragedies and harsh words that leave deep scars – and leave us more cynical, jaded and wary about life and love. He slowly unravels his doubt and learns to receive what life has to offer, but he’s given some serious trials along the way. There are some really great scenes that stay with you. One of my favorites is when Faith just happens to see Jacob committing a random act of kindness on the jumbotron at a baseball game…and that kickstarts their love affair. In the end, I got that life can be messy. And sometimes it can hurt a lot. But it’s a beautiful gift that is so worth the effort…so worth all the risk. It’s better to jump into life and swim like crazy than to stand on the edge just waiting.