Love Target by Heidi Loeb Hegerich - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

I have always been a strange mix of shyness and boldness. Perhaps there’s a split personality in most of us; as for me, I am reticent and even bashful in the presence of strangers. I freak out and must settle my nerves before a public appearance such as a book signing or interview with media — even a phone interview, which would seem to be hardly nervewracking compared to a live appearance on a television show.

But as a first-time published author promoting my book — the novel LOVE TARGET — I force myself to control my timid inner child and take a seat at the author’s table or on the couch next to the TV host, or to pick up the phone and respond as articulately as I can to the interviewer’s voice coming through the speaker. I remind myself that they are doing me the favor: helping me let the world know about my book. What helps is that most of the interviewers seem genuinely interested in my story! This is both flattering and reassuring that LOVE TARGET is a good novel, well worth a reader’s time.

It was the bold side of me that spurred me to write LOVE TARGET in the first place. I always have craved new adventures; it’s why — at age 16 — I told my parents I’d had enough of America, and wanted to return to our native Munich, Germany, and I was intent on doing so whether they liked it or not, and I was heading from our Los Angeles apartment to Las Vegas, wherever Las Vegas was, to be a casino showgirl, whatever a showgirl was, because it paid $200 a week and I would earn enough money to get back to Munich alone.

In subsequent years, my adventures were of the type that would have seemed frightening to my 16-year-old self, had I known what lay in store! Not to give away the plot of LOVE TARGET, but these adventures — or misadventures — involved world-famous entertainers, New York mobsters, drug smugglers, crime-ridden ghettos, and more. Like so many first novels, LOVE TARGET is largely autobiographical; in fact, I term LOVE TARGET a memoir novel. Since my mid-20s, friends and family urged me to write my life story. But I resisted and resisted. When I finally took a stab at it, the result was 70 pages so unsatisfying to my eyes that I burned the sheets in my kitchen sink! But I knew deep inside I couldn’t give up just like that; and so I found an editor to help me shape the novel, get started on it again — and then rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, for nearly two years, until the manuscript was finished and polished for publication.

I just needed a bit of a push. In fact, I always have. When I was too struck with stage fright to step out from behind the curtain at the Dunes in the Las Vegas Strip, as a 16-year-old showgirl, I was literally shoved into show businesses (stumbling forward onto the stage) by the showgirl standing behind me. Once the spotlight hit me, I automatically stuck my arms out and smiled brightly as I’d been trained to do in rehearsal, and began my patterned walk — leading the long line of showgirls snaking around the stage, to the audience’s applause.

In the section of my life story that is the basis for the sequel to LOVE TARGET that I am writing, my boldness has prompted me to undertake skydiving and sand railing, fire assault weapons and train with mixed martial artists, and travel to such exotic locales as Teheran, Iran, and Kabul, Afghanistan. (I overcome the jitters thanks to coaches, trainers, and travel agents who supply the necessary “push.”) And yet, I still cringe at the calendar in my smart phone showing a TV, magazine or webzine interview coming up. The butterflies flap fiercely in my belly — just as they did when I was a teenage showgirl. Therein lies a hidden reward of authorship: Not only does it allow you to create something for the world — it forces you out of your comfort cocoon to experience something both frightening and thrilling. It trumps timidy and rewards temerity.

It takes you, the author, on a brave quest just as the book you’ve created takes the reader on a vicarious odyssey.

Teenager Ingrid Liebschreiber is devastated when her parents move the family from their native Munich to Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Homesick, she accepts a neighbor's offer to get her a job as a showgirl in Las Vegas.

Intent on earning enough money to return to Germany, she must grow up quickly in the neon jungle - where she is pursued by high rollers and headliners, including a vacationing Elvis.

Life's twists and turns land Ingrid in New York in the Swinging 1960s - where she is romanced by Armand: a strong, quiet, handsome businessman in "construction." Most girls dream of Mr. Right, and Ingrid's hard-won independence is challenged when she falls in love.

Will she find true romance - a man who can love her as much as she loves him? Or is "happily ever after" just a crazy fairytale?

Enjoy an excerpt:

“Rascal, you sit yourself right down there.” Elvis motioned at the bed.

He picked up a shiny guitar. It was honey yellow, and the face had a rust-red design below the sound hole, decorated with golden orbs and stems like dandelions.

“Oh, it is beautiful, Elvis!”

He held it up proudly. “This is my Gibson. Ain’t she sweet?”

He sat on a chair cradling the expensive guitar. He delicately plucked the top string with his thumb and gently strummed the other strings with his fingers.

Soft strains filled the room.

“This little number is from my first movie.”

As he began singing, I recognized the melody.

“Love me tender . . .”

Elvis gazed at me as he serenaded, his eyes big, brilliantly blue, dreamy. His song sang straight into my heart. I tingled like I’d been caught in a breeze. Could he see my skin quivering? He could definitely see my cheeks reddening.

Elvis finished with a slow downward strum, thumbing each string individually, a sweet arpeggio. He let the last note ring and fade away.

He looked up and smiled.

“Don’t I sound like Bing Crosby?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. He leaned the guitar against the dresser and in the next instant was on the bed, an arm slung around my shoulder. His other hand grasped and turned my chin.

Elvis’ mouth was warm and gentle. Our tongues met. Just as quickly, his retreated.

Our mouths puckered again. Elvis’ lips worked softly against mine. They moved away and began pecking my face with slow, small kisses. My lower lip burned. Elvis had sunk his teeth in with a hard nip.

He released it just as quickly and turned away with a bashful look. It was like he was a nervous teenager. Was this all an act? Or was he just a giant flirt?

Heidi Loeb Hegerich has lived in places as varied as Munich, Las Vegas, Miami Beach, New York, Los Angeles, Squaw Valley and Reno. She has worked variously as a showgirl, business executive, entrepreneur, interior designer and real estate developer. She has traveled to six of the seven continents, and vacationed in spots as different as the French Riviera, the Andes and Afghanistan. She counts among her hobbies weight training, shooting assault rifles, and racing sand rails; she found skydiving entertaining but not as much of a rush as other pursuits. A philanthropist for the arts, among other causes, Hegerich is now embarking on her own artistic quest as an author. The novel Love Target is her first book.

Buy links:

www.lovetarget.com

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Target-Heidi-Loeb-Hegerich-ebook/dp/B00KCS0OCY/

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4E9UULoZNU

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LoveTargetNovel

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoveTargetBook

Robin Leach book review in Las Vegas Sun newspaper: http://www.lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2015/jan/13/love-target-showgirl-reveals-elvis-pregnancy-swing/

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Adding Lib by Kathryn Elliott - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome, Kathryn! Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

A fan of all things dark and criminally-minded, women’s fiction was not my first genre choice – I wanted to murder and plot political espionage. Sadly, it turns out I’ve got the killer instincts of a butterfly with Pope-like ethics. Damn Catholic school!

In all honesty, there are two schools of thought in writing. First, write outside your comfort zone, second write what you know; Adding Lib is a combination of both.

What research is required?

A key element of Adding Lib’s storyline stems from Libby’s mother, Mae McGinn’s early vascular dementia diagnosis. An advocate for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients for several years, I began researching the intricacies of the disease and interviewing families directly impacted by the often heart-wrenchingly slow process and discovered something surprising.

Laughter; a lot of laughter. It heals, soothes and even lessens the fears of both the patient and their family. I saw the niche for a humor and heartstrings based approach to a difficult subject matter – and Adding Lib was born.

Name one thing you learned from your heroine.

Tolerance.

Libby has a short fuse. Mae carries a big match. Engulfed in the never-ending life-juggling of suburbia, Libby fails to notice Mae's emerging dementia symptoms until a kitchen fire puts the problem on the front burner. It takes a razor wit and an iron stomach to handle Mae's diagnosis. Thankfully, just like her mother Libby has both.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

Confession: I lock the door to write love scenes. Don’t misunderstand, I’m a good ole’ smut loving gal, I just prefer privacy to craft the thrusts, grunts and afterglow. Sometimes I invite my friend Kendall Jackson to join me.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

Pantser - down to the Spanx.

Unlike a lot of my writer pals, I tend to develop characters and dialogue before a firm plot. I have a workable outline to begin, but the voices in my head need to talk it out before their story hits the page.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

Cold cup of coffee. That I will, without fail, re-heat in the microwave and forget about until tomorrow when the cream curdle bubbles up to make cottage cheese. Yum.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

The second book in the McGinn Series, Finding Caroline is almost through the first dreaded draft. Sean and Caroline’s story is up next, and yes, there’s quite a bit of door-locking-smut-crafting. And it’s about time!

Additionally, I’m doing a big of ghost writing and publicity work (where my roots lie) for local non-profits including the American Cancer Society and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Do you have a question for our readers?

If you could be any fictional character for one day, who would you be?

Thanks for inviting me for a visit! I hope Adding Lib brings love and laughter.

Libby O'Rourke has a short fuse. Her mother, Mae, carries a big match. Engulfed in the never-ending life-juggling of suburbia, Libby fails to notice Mae's emerging dementia symptoms until a kitchen fire puts the problem on the front burner.

Proficient in the art of denial, Mae brushes the shattering diagnosis aside and sets her sights on a matchmaking crusade for her eldest son. After all, if her lucid days are numbered, Mae’s going to make damned sure he makes it down the aisle while she still recognizes the groom.

It’s going to take a razor wit and an iron stomach to handle Mae's diagnosis. Thankfully, just like her mother Libby has both.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Libby felt the weight of the coming conversation bear down on her shoulders like a lead blanket and struggled to find the right words.

“It’s all right, Libby,” Mae said, interrupting her thoughts. “Say what you need to. We’re here for a reason. We both know it.”

Shocked by her mother’s perception, Libby stared at Mae.

The older woman’s eyes were moist but holding back. She continued. “Spit it out, honey. I won’t have a public tantrum. It’s obvious you have something important to talk to me about, and I think you’ve delayed long enough.”

Libby’s shoulders slumped. “How’d you know?”

“Well, let’s examine the facts...” Mae grinned despite the gravity of the moment. “You took me to church, plied me with brunch, and now you’re standing there biting your bottom lip raw. Daddy used to call that your tell. We always knew something was wrong if your bottom lip looked like it had a run-in with a cheese grater.”

“Huh?” Libby ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “I never noticed.”

“In your teens, we were pretty sure you were going to bite clean through it,” Mae joked. “At least your nervous habit isn’t offensive; whenever Kevin lies, he grabs his testicles. Since the day he was born that boy treated his penis like an accessory. It’s terribly inappropriate, especially at parties.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kathryn Elliott is a lifetime journalist with awards in political satire, human interest, and commentary. A Connecticut native, she is a happily married mother of two sons with high hopes one of them will pay for a delightful rest home.

A true believer in laughter's healing power, Kathryn writes characters whose flaws resonate with readers long after "The End."

ADDING LIB is her debut novel, and the first in The McGinn Series.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KathrynElliottAuthor
TWITTER: @CandidKathryn
BLOG LINK: http://candidkathryn.com/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5961246-kathryn-elliott

BUY LINKS: The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=6006

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Adding-Lib-Kathryn-Elliott/dp/1628306408/

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/adding-lib-kathryn-elliott/1120959745

iBook: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/adding-lib/id946791906?mt=11

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The Chapels on the Hill by Virginia McCullough - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Virginia will award one randomly drawn winner a digital copy of one of her fiction books via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

When tragedy struck, Sonia and Aaron’s reason to be together seemed to slip away, along with the love they once shared. Both believe they’ll find closure at an event dedicating a music pavilion to their son, allowing them to say a final goodbye and freeing them to commit to new relationships. But instead of finding peace, memories of the life they shared with their son, Matt, stir up unexpected feelings, prompting them to relive both sweet and painful times of their shared memories of the life they shared…

And they can’t forget Matt’s special gift…

By age five, Matt’s cello teacher declared him a child prodigy. But life with a prodigy can become complicated and even strains Aaron and Sonia’s marriage. Sonia is forced to balance her commitment to Matt and his music with running Chapel’s Botanical Garden, a business she created to save Aaron’s family’s land. Aaron’s law practice leads him to high-profile cases all over the country. Aaron is concerned about music dominating Matt’s childhood, but he eventually understands his son’s gift is already leading him to a life far away from their home in Lady’s River, Wisconsin.

When Matt is taken from them unexpectedly, Aaron and Sonia turn in different directions, eventually going their separate ways. It seems to be working…or is it? For Sonia and Aaron, only a trip through the past will allow them to redeem the future—perhaps even find a shared future again.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Sonia switched back and forth between two cable news stations and an old made-for TV movie she’d seen a couple of times, determined to stay upright and awake. When sleepiness overtook her, she’d head to bed. No more dozing off in the den. This catch-as-catch-can lifestyle she’d sunk into after coming back from Pearson Pond had begun to embarrass her.

First, she’d call the painter in the morning. Even if she reconnected with Ben—maybe even began planning a future with him—she’d still need to fix up the house before she could sell it. And the den was as good a place to start as any.

She picked at the fraying fabric on the arm of the couch. No wonder she felt off balance. She spent most of her time at home in a room she last painted a sophisticated pale gray. But time had darkened the walls, and now they looked drab and sad, begging for new life, like the whole house had the day she first stood in the living room imagining herself living there.

She and Aaron had poured their new-found passion into the house, discovering each other and reveling in the miracle that they’d fallen in love.

No more ancient history. Move on. Maybe selling the place was the only way to make a fresh start. What was she hanging on to it for, anyway? She wouldn’t want to live in it with Ben. No, the house belonged to her old life.

Studying the walls in the den, she settled on replacing the gray with a brighter ivory, with the far wall painted in a butterscotch yellow for contrast. Then she’d hang the paintings she’d bought at various art exhibits at the garden over the last few years. Too distracted to decide where to hang them, she’d stashed them in the attic for safekeeping.

Sonia left the couch and knelt on the rug in front of the shelves. Before she could change her mind, she scooped up a row of paperbacks and spread them out in front of her. She needed two piles, one for the keepers and one for the giveaways.

No lingering allowed. If she let the memories grab hold of her, she’d hear echoes of Aaron teasing her about her gritty murder mysteries. But even as she sorted, little snippets popped into her mind and she couldn’t order them back into their hiding places.

She sat back on her heels and recalled the day, only a week or two before Matt was born, when she’d flopped into the easy chair to read. She’d ended up resting the open book across her swollen belly and dozed, opening her eyes when she’d felt Aaron’s lips on her forehead. “Having sweet dreams?” he’d asked, holding up the book and pointing to the bloody knife on the cover.

She smiled at the memory of his amused eyes.

“Enough of that,” she said out loud. Distracting herself by gathering up a second armful of books, she quickly tossed them into one pile or the other.

Bestselling author Virginia McCullough’s fiction titles include Amber Light, Greta's Grace, Island Healing, Book 1 of her St. Anne's Island Series, and The Chapels on the Hill. The Jacks of Her Heart, which releases in May 2015, offers a lighter take on romance in middle-age. Her novels offer hope, healing, and plenty of second chances—and her characters always share some fun and laughter along the way, too. A lifelong writer, Virginia has written over 100 books as a ghostwriter or coauthor. Her clients include well-known doctors, lawyers, professional speakers, and individuals with a story to tell. She’s come to see that her nonfiction work also offers readers hope and healing. Virginia coauthored (w/Lynda McDaniel) Write Your Book Now and Storytelling Toolkit, both available on amazon.com. She currently lives in Wisconsin. Visit Virginia online:

Website: http://www.virginiamccullough.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virginia.mccullough.7

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VEMcCullough

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/virginia-mccullough/12/835/84

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468913.Virginia_McCullough

Buy the book:

Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-chapels-on-the-hill-virginia-mccullough/1118731987

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Virginia-McCullough/e/B001JRXBNQ

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Fall Semester by Stephanie Fournet - Review and Giveaway

This review is in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post during the tour. Click the banner above for other stops on the tour.

A depressed English professor finds love in the most unlikely place in Stephanie Fournet's emotional debut novel, Fall Semester.

Despite his stunning good looks, Dr. Malcolm Vashal is perhaps the most detested professor on campus. A floundering career and the aftershocks of a painful divorce have left the thirty-four-year-old with more than a little self-loathing, which only grows when he meets Maren Gardner. The graduate student with the loyal heart and searching eyes is much too good for him. She is off-limits for more reasons than one, but Malcolm can’t seem to resist her.

Maren is facing the greatest loss of her life, and her family needs her now more than ever. Between caring for them and building her future, Maren doesn’t have time for a social life, much less a relationship, but she can’t push a certain green-eyed professor from her mind. She sees in him a goodness that others don’t, but that might not be enough.

As the two discover each other, their blossoming friendship soon turns into something more, but self-doubts, family tragedy, and personal demons stand in their way.

Can they overcome these odds and share a love that each desperately needs? Or will the end of the semester find them heartbroken?

MY REVIEW:

This is a powerful debut novel. Ms. Fournet has given us two unforgettable characters in Maren and Malcolm.  They are well-drawn, rounded characters--especially that of Malcolm. There was such a growth in this character over the course of the novel. I really enjoyed seeing him able to show his gentle side and his caring, because in the first chapter of the book, I didn't really like him at all.

The book started off a little slow, but it took on a pacing that worked for the story. There were several moments that I thought I knew what was going to happen next, but the author managed to avoid the obvious and take the story in another direction. Possibly the author missed a chance at adding another element of excitement to the story in avoiding these, but then it would have been a different story.

It was more a journey of self-discovery on Malcolm's part than it was an effort of the author to write a dark tortured student/professor relationship tome.  I was a little surprised about her family's reaction, but given the situation her family was dealing with (and their knowledge of Maren), maybe I shouldn't have been. 

Ms. Fournet's writing was almost lyrical in parts. It was a pleasure just to read her prose. All in all, this was a very enjoyable story and I look forward to her next book.  4 flowers.


Now enjoy an excerpt:

He had gotten through his second tomato—while The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “She Looks to Me” played— when the knock at his kitchen door stilled him.

It wasn’t that it never happened. Of course, the mailman came to the door occasionally. Or the UPS carrier. Chinese takeout. But Malcolm was expecting none of these. A wave of chills spilled down his neck because it could only be one person.

Impossible. It’s a Jehovah’s Witness or a Girl Scout.

In the two seconds that it took to cross to the door, Malcolm was aware of a sickening hope that coursed through him. He opened the door, and there she was.

Dressed for a run, Maren stood on his doorstep, biting her thumb, hesitant and unsure. Perspiration dotted her nose and upper lip, and her cheeks were flushed with exertion and, perhaps, bashfulness. Malcolm took in the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

She had come looking for him.

Before either of them said a word, Malcolm knew that he was a lost cause. He might be able to feign mere friendship, but he was a goner. Whatever she wanted from him was already hers. He didn’t stand a chance.

“Well,...this is a pleasant surprise.”

Stephanie Fournet lives in Lafayette, Louisiana—not far from the Saint Streets where her novels are set. She shares her home with her husband John and her daughter Hannah, their needy dogs Gladys and Mabel, and an immortal blue finch named Baby Blue. When she isn’t writing romance novels, she is usually helping students get into college, teaching AP English, or running. She loves hearing from fans, so you can follow her on Facebook, message her on Goodreads, or email her at stephaniefournet@icloud.com.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/FallSemesterNovel

http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Semester-Stephanie-Fournet-ebook/dp/B00FO5WDDS

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7351172.Stephanie_Fournet

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The Cottage on Juniper Ridge by Sheila Roberts _ Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Leave a comment or ask the author a question for a chance to win a $25 B & N gift card and an eCopy of The Cottage on Juniper Ridge, awarded to one lucky commenter at the end of the tour. Click the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A special welcome to Sheila Roberts, who is sharing five fun and interesting things about herself.

It’s always fun to know a little bit about the author of the book you’re reading, isn’t it? Here are five factoids about little old me.

1.) I’m a ham!

Some authors are shy, private people. I’m afraid I don’t fit in that category. I’m such a hambone. If there’s a spotlight somewhere you’ll probably find me trying to poke my face in it. I love book release parties, partly because I like parties, period. But also because I have a captive audience. Heehee. I can orchestrate the fun and games and yak with readers and expound on whatever and my poor friends are stuck there listening to me. Heehee again.

2.) I’m an airhead.

I recently put my phone number out on the Twitter stream, thinking I was sending a direct message to my friend. It would have sat out there forever if she hadn’t sent me a message with urgent instructions to DELETE!

3.) My toes are going crooked.

The third toe on each foot. I call them my bow-legged cowboy toes and keep trying various ways to straighten them. So far nothing has worked. This is my punishment for all those hot high heels I wore in the eighties.

4.) I used to sing in a band.

Wearing those hot shoes. By the end of the night I was usually playing barefoot. (Well, barefoot in pantyhose – anybody remember those?)

5.) I’ve been happily married forever.

I have a great husband. We’ve certainly seen our share of ups and downs over the years but those hard times have made us closer. Maybe those hard times are why I like to write books with happy endings. Life is tough enough as it is. Who wants to read something depressing? Not me!

Can a book change your life? Yes, when it's Simplicity, Muriel Sterling's guide to plain living. In fact, it inspires Jen Heath to leave her stressful, overcommitted life in Seattle and move to Icicle Falls, where she rents a lovely little cottage on Juniper Ridge. And where she can enjoy simple pleasures—like joining the local book club—and complicated ones, like falling in love with her sexy landlord, Garrett Armstrong.

Her sister Toni is ready for a change, too. She has a teenage daughter who's constantly texting her friends, a husband who's more involved with his computer than he is with her, and a son who's consumed by video games. Toni wants her family to grow closer—to return to a simpler way of life.

Other women in town, like Stacy Thomas, are also inspired to unload their excess stuff and some of the extra responsibilities they've taken on.

But as they all discover, sometimes life simply happens. It doesn't always happen simply!

Enjoy an exerpt:

She’d just finished cleaning up after dinner when Dean came into the kitchen. “Hey, babe, have you seen my old army jacket?”

The one he hadn’t worn in ages? The one she’d taken to The Kindness Cupboard?

“I can’t find it anywhere.”

Uh-oh. This was not going to be a good conversation. Like a lawyer she started with a strong opening argument. “You haven’t worn that coat in forever.”

“Well, I want to wear it tonight to the basketball game. It’s not in the coat closet. Did you move it?”

She’d moved it all right. What to do now? She could feign ignorance, say she had no idea what had happened to his old army jacket, but Dean wasn’t stupid. He’d search all the closets and find it in none, and then he’d be right back here in the kitchen, demanding to know what she’d done with it.

She switched tactics. She closed the distance between them and put her arms around his neck. “Deano.”

His expression turned wary. “Oh, no. Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to want to hear what you’re about to say?”

“You know how I’ve been getting rid of things, lightening our load?”

She didn’t have to say any more. He looked at her as if she’d just told him that the Seattle Seahawks had been sold. “No.”

“I was only doing what Muriel Sterling said to do in her book. If you haven’t used something in three years you should get rid of it.”

This was met with incredulity. “You got rid of my jacket?”

“You were glad to hear I was getting rid of stuff. Remember?”

“Your stuff, Stace, not mine. Where does Muriel Sterling say you get rid of your husband’s things without even asking him? And I don’t have that much.”

“Well, look at it this way. Now you have even less,” she said, trying to lighten the moment. Okay, maybe it was more a case of trying to avoid admitting she was wrong.

Her attempt failed. Dean grumbled once in awhile, but he rarely got angry. Right now, he was angry. He stood stiffly in front of her, hands on his hips (instead of hers), looking like a thundercloud with legs.

“I don’t want less. I want my army jacket back,” he growled. “Or maybe I should go through your closet and start getting rid of your clothes without asking. Or better yet, how about I get rid of that box of Santas? I bet they didn’t go.”

“I use them,” she protested. And she couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn that jacket. Why did he want it now, all of a sudden? Because she’d gotten rid of it, of course.

“Well, I use my jacket,” he insisted, “and I want it back.”

“But I took it to The Kindness Cupboard.”

The thundercloud looked ready to zap her with lightning. “I guess you’re going to have to go there tomorrow and get it back.”

Take back a donation? That would be tacky. “Right. What do you expect me to say to Janice Lind?”

“Say you made a mistake. Say you gave away something that wasn’t yours to donate.”

He was looking at her steely-eyed, like a man betrayed. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll get it back.”

“Thank you,” he said stiffly.

She kept her hold on him. “Deano, I’m sorry. Am I forgiven?”

The thundercloud vanished, blown away by a long suffering sigh. “Yes.” Now his arms moved around her waist. “And I do appreciate you getting rid of household stuff that we don’t use. But in the future, can you do me a favor and ask me before you decide to dump my personal items?”

She could do that. She nodded and they kissed. Dean wore a different jacket to the Icicle Falls basketball game. Problem solved.

Except the next morning when she went to retrieve the army jacket she found that her problem hadn’t been solved at all. In fact, it had grown.

“Not here?” she repeated weakly.

“We send our clothing donations over to Goodwill in Seattle to get sold in one of their stores,” Janice said. “That way no one in town has to be embarrassed being seen in something someone else donated. “Your things, along with all the others we received over the last few days got taken to Seattle.”

Oh, boy. How was she going to tell Dean about this?

She wasn’t. She was going to have to go over the mountains and scour every Goodwill in Seattle. She grabbed her cell phone and started making calls to her posse.

Sheila Roberts is married and has three children. She lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have appeared in Readers Digest Condensed books and have been published in several languages. Her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network and her her novel The Nine Lives of Christmas has been optioned for film. When she’s not writing songs, hanging out with her girlfriends or trying to beat her husband at tennis, she can be found writing about those things dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.

Readers can find me on:

http://www.sheilasplace.com

Facebook: Author Sheila Roberts

Twitter:_Sheila_Roberts

Buy link for Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Cottage-Juniper-Ridge-Icicle-Falls/dp/0778314545/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388790773&sr=8-1&keywords=The+cottage+on+juniper+ridge

Buy link for B & N:

14545/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388790773&sr=8-1&keywords=The+cottage+on+juniper+ridge

An Unlikely Goddess by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Mohanalakshmi will be awarding a free ecopy of An Unlikely Goddess to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and a Grand Prize of a $50 Amazon GC will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I’ve written everything from academic books about hip hop dance to memoirs about being a first time mother or living in the Middle East and of course, fiction, short stories and novels. I write what I’m interested about and in the age of the indie author I have that flexibility. Readers can choose which of my work interests them: the fiction, the non-fiction, or the academic. I was drawn to writing commercial work because I spent years on academic work that never saw the light of everyday conversation; it’s important and part of my life but I had stories to tell outside of analyzing literature.

What research is required?

All of my books have cultural backgrounds that attract readers who want to read about those places/people or want to make sure their realities are accurately captured. This is why for each book I have a cultural reader; for An Unlikely Goddess it was several people of South Asian background who helped me make sure I got all the details - words, spellings, practices – true to life.

Name one thing you learned from your heroine.

I learned from Sita to be fearless and not worry about what people will think if they find out you like learning. We have stereotypes for women in almost every culture; you’re either pretty or smart. You can’t be both. Well this is a book about going your own way.

Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I write all the time: either researching, editing, revising, or creating. I’ve had quite a long pipeline for these 8 books. So I’ve promised myself a break for 2014! {sequel in progress for my Qatar novels}

Plotter or pantser?

Plotter. I’m a Virgo. We love order. Nothing like an outline to give you something to go on when you get stuck.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

A king size bed in a suite in Vegas. Yup, on vacation from the kids for 4 days. And I’m writing this interview while hubs is playing. Will take a break later.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

Paperback editions! After almost two years for digital books, I’ve had my first paperback released and planning for the rest, one every 6 months.

Do you have a question for our readers?

Which of my books would like you like to see in print next? Memoir or a novel?

Sita is the firstborn but since she is a female, her birth makes life difficult for her mother who is expected to produce a son. From the start, Sita finds herself in a culture hostile to her, but her irrepressible personality won’t be subdued. Born in India, she immigrants as a toddler to the U.S. with her parents after the birth of her much anticipated younger brother. Her father’s academic ambitions take the family all over the United States, as he chases grant funding at universities in several states. His financial challenges make life at home stressful for Sita, her mother, and younger brother – but the women of the family bear the brunt of his frustrations – both physically and emotionally. Hers is a South Indian family, from Tamil Nadu, one of the most conservative states in the subcontinent.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

The Hindu goddess, Sita, is said to have been born from the Earth.

King Janaka discovers the beautiful infant and in her beauty, believes in her divinity. He raises her as his own daughter……

Prologue

Unlike her namesake, Sita's first mistake was being born.

A girl, her mother thought, eyes dark in abject terror. What if he leaves me? She swallowed, increasing the dryness in her post-delivery mouth, the stiches across her abdomen itching. No water. Only ice chips until her bowels passed the tests. Mythili pressed back against the pillows. She closed her eyes, pushing her fingers into the sockets until the darkness was punctuated by bone-white stars. She wished she could as easily tune out the gurgles of the baby in the bassinet beside her.

Yet, even premature and unwanted, Sita was obliviously happy to enter the world, beaming her infant smile at anyone or anything she saw: the nurse, her aunt, her mother's back, the noxiously-pink cement walls of the Madras hospital in which she found herself. Several pounds underweight, she was otherwise fine—a petite, brown-skinned baby with tufts of black hair crowning a smooth scalp. How could she be expected to know that from her first breath she was, and always would be, a living reminder of her mother's failure to produce a first-born male heir?

Though swaddled and placed in the bassinet immediately after delivery, her eyes were alive with motion. She blinked up at the faces of passersby, but they were admittedly few, so instead, she followed the blinking lights, the creeping shadows and the occasional appearance of a nurse. Everything about the world kept her busy with delight until sleep washed over her little body.

“Look at that smile,” the young nurse said, cradling Sita against her flat bosom.

“Aamam,” Priya, the childless aunt, agreed, rubbing a forefinger across the baby’s somewhat wrinkly face.

Instead of replying, Mythili, Sita’s mother, pulled a see-through blue sheet up to her chin and turned her face away.

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian Desert was fortuitous in many ways since this is where she met her husband, had a baby, and made the transition from writing as a hobby to a full time passion. She has since published seven e-books including a mom-ior for first time mothers, Mommy But Still Me, a guide for aspiring writers, So You Want to Sell a Million Copies, a short story collection, Coloured and Other Stories, and a novel about women’s friendships, Saving Peace.

Her recent books have focused on various aspects of life in Qatar. From Dunes to Dior, named as a Best Indie book in 2013, is a collection of essays related to her experiences as a female South Asian American living in the Arabian Gulf. Love Comes Later was the winner of the Best Indie Book Award for Romance in 2013 and is a literary romance set in Qatar and London. The Dohmestics is an inside look into compound life, the day to day dynamics between housemaids and their employers.

After she joined the e-book revolution, Mohana dreams in plotlines. Learn more about her work on her website at www.mohanalakshmi.com or follow her latest on Twitter: @moha_doha.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dohmestics-ebook/dp/B00AREGO36

Twitter: www.twitter.com/moha_doha

Facebook: www.facebook.com/themohadoha

Pintrest: www.pintrest.com/mohadoha

YouTube: www.youtube.com/themohadoha

website: www.mohanalakshmi.com

Review: Once and Forever anthology

Once and Forever - An anthology

By Mary Blayney, Elaine Fox, Emelle Gamble, Lavinia Kent and introducing Evie Owens From five compelling authors, five original novellas which will make you laugh and cry, and believe in a love that once found will last forever. Meet a duke, a psychic, a bodyguard and a professor…and one "guardian fairy" in absorbing stories ranging from regency and contemporary romance to paranormal and women's fiction.

Playing for Keeps by Mary Blayney

Actress Kendall Marshall is determined to get an autograph for her sick sister from famous TV personality Mike O’Hara, the Oprah Winfrey of sports. In the process she meets his brother, security consultant Steve Marshall, lands a job on O’Hara’s show and gets in the way of a man set on causing big trouble. As the stalkers attacks escalate, Steve and Kendall are thrown together and find it impossible to ignore the chemistry between them.

The Princess & the Pinot by Elaine Fox

When a beautiful woman shows up at the Vineyard Inn, wine manager Kim is certain she’s been sent by fate for the inn’s owner, Cooper. Self-effacing to a fault, Kim knows she can’t hold a candle to Principessa Bella, who also seems to know even more about wine than Kim herself, but her heart has belonged to Cooper since they shared one kiss as teenagers.

While Prin sweeps easily into the job of sommelier at the renowned inn, Kim is afraid Prin will sweep just as surely into Cooper’s arms if she doesn’t do something about it. Can she tell Cooper how she feels without losing even his friendship?

Kim is willing to try except for one problem: she’s almost certainly losing her mind. Or is that belching, swearing, smoking, farting fairy – who claims to be trying to help her – real?

Duets by Emelle Gamble

Duets offers alternating looks into the lives of two women who would seem to have little or nothing in common.

Screen star Molly Harper is on the verge of marrying a man who has swept her off her feet, thought perhaps hasn’t swept all her feelings for her first love away. Anne Sullivan, happily married for twenty-five years, is fighting to hold onto the man she loves, and hold off a confrontation that could shatter her family’s image of what they are.

Duets confronts a past secret that ties these two women’s lives together, just as chance events turn Molly and Anne’s worlds upside down.

Never and Forever by Lavinia Kent

Never and Forever is the beginning of the love story of two people who shouldn’t belong together. Molly, Miss Wilkes, runs an employment agency helping women of quality find positions perfected suited to their characters. Although her father held the title of Earl for just over a week before his death, Molly has never wanted to be a lady. She knows her place in this world – and it is not at the center of society.

The Duke of Radford also knows his place in this world – and it’s above everybody else’s. He cannot imagine a world without all the privilege and power that comes from being Radford. He’s had foreign princesses and heiresses dangled before him for years. Why would he ever have interest in a simple woman who doesn’t even understand that she should want to be a duchess?

Can these two overcome the obstacles of their own beliefs and realize that love can make all things possible?

Never and forever are both a very long time. Where will their love fit?

The Psychic Detective by Evie Owens

Psychic Martin Sterling doesn't trust cops--and the feeling is mutual. Detective Erin Healy needs more than a ghost story to save her job and reputation. Her partner is dead, a million dollars in drugs and money is missing, and all the evidence points to her.

Can a sexy psychic and a by the book cop, trapped between the living and the dead, unearth the truth? Or will a cold-blooded killer get away with it all...

My review:  Overall I had considerable mixed feelings about this anthology.  Some stories I loved, some I wasn't as enamoured with, but overall it was certainly a worthwhile read and a great way to find out about some new authors (whose books I'll be buying for sure!).

I enjoyed Playing For Keeps quite a lot.  I loved the author's voice and style, and the characters were fun and interesting. I do wish the story had been long enough to really get to know both sets of siblings better ... we only get a taste of the two who aren't the primary H/H, but it looks as if they may have their own story and I'm going to hunt that sucker down.  The story itself was cute, if a bit predictable and the heroine, Kendall, was a hoot. She certainly kept Steve on his toes.  This rates as one of the my favorite selections of the book.

I had a love/hate relationship with The Princess & the Pinot.  I loved the hero and heroine and most of the storyline, but I did not love the fairy.  I think the author was touching on the Princess and the Pea with Prin as well, and I honestly wish the time spent with the fairy had been spent on more character development.  I could see so much potential, and I think the conflict and premise of the story would have stood on its own without the addition of that element and would have given her more space to create a stronger story.  I wonder, too, if Prin is going to have her own story someday.

Duets was an anomaly in this anthology.  The other stories were clearly romances, but Duets was not.  It is womens fiction pure and simple, so was a bit of a disappointment to this romance reader.  That said, however, the author is clearly talented.  Her writing is well done, concise and interesting and her characters well developed.  If she wrote in a genre I enjoyed more, I'd be a steadfast fan. If you're a fan of womens fiction, you could do worse than reading Emelle Gamble.

Never and Forever was both annoying and frustrating, but also did its job well -- I'm sold on Lavinia Kent.  She made her characters so real, and the story incredibly interesting. What was annoying? That it was more a "moment in time" story with no real ending, than an actual complete story. When I came to the end, I sat in shock when I realized there was no more to the story and had to restrain myself from tossing my ereader at the wall.  I was so angry!  I wanted a resolution, I wanted satisfaction ... I wanted more. Kudos to the author for making this a story and characters I cared about so much.  This couple had BETTER show up again and finish their story, or I will find the author and shake her.

My favorite story of the anthology was The Psychic Detective.  Complete (and after Never and Forever, this was a HUGE plus), fun and unique, it made me want to start over and read it again as soon as I was done.  It had adorable, interesting characters that mattered to me and a plot that was intriguing and fun.  I've never read this author before, but I'm definitely adding her to the list of ones to watch.  If she can entertain me this much again, she'll have a hardcore fan.

Again, overall this was a neat set of stories in a plethora of genres which allowed me to get a taste of authors I'd never read before.  None were wall-bangers and I'd say that I enjoyed the writing style and voice of every author in the collection.  If you're looking for a sampler, and to add some new authors to your list of ones to buy, I'd recommend this as a good place to start.

3.5 Flowers -  It was a good book. I liked it!

Secret Sister by Emelle Gamble - Review tour and giveaway

 

(Full length women's fiction with romantic elements)

 

 

This review is posted in conjunction with the author's virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $100 Amazon gift certificate to a randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter (see the end of this post). Click the tour banner above to see the other stops on the tour.



To their friends, Nick and Cathy Chance have the perfect marriage. High school sweethearts who’ve been together for ten years, they’ve weathered challenges and are as committed as they were when they first fell in love. Cathy trusts Nick, Nick’s world revolves around his wife, and the future looks golden.

To everyone who knows them, Cathy Chance and Roxanne Ruiz have a perfect friendship. They connected in grade school and since then have been each other’s confident and trusted advisor. Cathy loves the gorgeous Roxanne like a sister, Roxanne has fun-loving Cathy’s back in every situation, though lately there’s been tension between these two best friends…

And then, on a sunny summer morning, the unthinkable occurs, throwing into doubt the truth of what each of these people really know about themselves and one another.

Will Roxanne’s sacrifice be too little, and too late? Should Nick’s love for his wife be strong enough to risk trusting his heart more than logic? Can Cathy’s devotion to Nick give her enough strength to convince him to see her for who she really is?

Secret Sister proves how strong, how stubborn, and how trustworthy love can be as Nick and Cathy and Roxanne are challenged to overcome the secrets, the lies … and one extraordinary twist of fate that turns their lives upside down.


This is a book that will put you through the wringer emotionally.  The characters are unique and three dimensional and full of both admirable traits and flaws.  With a paranormal twist I didn't see coming, I was involved with this story from the start.

The author has a strong, clear voice and helps the reader really see the scene as it unfolds.  Sometimes what happens isn't good or happy, and sometimes the characters make me want to slap them silly (Roxanne at the beginning and Nick for much of the book about drove me batty).  That I got so involved in them speaks volumes, though, to Ms. Gamble's skill with her writing.

There were some parts of the book I didn't like ... but not because of the writing. Because I didn't like the route the story took in places.  Some decisions that were made rubbed me wrong, even when I could understand why the character made them.  And certainly the author doesn't give her characters and easy time of things... it's just heart-breaking so much of the time, right up to the end.

This is a good book for readers who appreciate character driven, intensely emotional stories.

4.5 Flowers - This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

“May I sit down, Nick?”

I nodded. Roxanne sat at the table in the kitchen. Despite her appearance, she seemed in control. I felt her eyes on me as I poured myself a glass of water.

The kitchen was a mess. For a second I was embarrassed by the dirty dishes, the soured milk on the counter. Then I got a grip. This wasn’t a social call and Roxanne wasn’t someone I was trying to impress. Every time she walked into the room, she did so with an agenda.

I turned around. “Do you want something to drink?”

She shook her head.

I sat across from her. She was pinching the back of her hand, like Cathy used to do.

“What’s going on? What do you want from me?” I sounded angrier than I thought I was.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re fooling around with your hands exactly like Cathy always did. You never had that habit. Why are you doing stuff like that?”

“What else am I doing?”

“You’re wearing your hair pulled back in a ribbon, and clothes like my wife wore.” I pointed at her blouse. “And you’re acting weird with the cat, like she’s your cat, among other things. It’s freaking my sister out.”

Roxanne fidgeted. “That’s ridiculous,” she said, but her face revealed I’d hit a nerve...

Emelle Gamble was a writer at an early age, bursting with the requisite childhood stories of introspection which evolved into bad teen poetry and took her first stab at full length fiction in an adult education writing class when her kids were in bed. As M.L. Gamble, she published several romantic suspense novels with Harlequin. She has contracted with Soul Mate Publishing for Secret Sister, summer of 2013, and Dating Cary Grant, an early 2014 release.

Always intrigued by the words ‘what if’, Emelle’s books feature an ordinary woman confronted with an extraordinary situation. She most enjoys reading stories that surprise and amaze her, and hopes her readers will enjoy the challenging and exciting journeys her characters take.

Emelle lives in suburban Washington D.C. with her husband, Phil, her hero of thirty years, and two orange cats, Lucy and Bella. These girls, like all good villains, have their reasons for misbehaving. Her daughter, Olivia, and son, Allen, are happily launched on their own and contributing great things to society, their mother’s fondest wish.

Email: emellegamble@aol.com

Website: www.EmelleGamble.com – Please note: "Win Cathy Chance's earrings" Emelle is having a giveaway on her website for a pair of custom made turquoise earrings.

FaceBook: Author Emelle Gamble

Twitter: @EmelleGamble

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Complete Lily Lansing by Bastian Caldwell - Review and Giveaway

(Women's Contemporary Fiction)

This review is posted in conjunction with the author's virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $10 Wild Child gift certificate to a randomly drawn commenter. Click the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.




Lilike Avrill Lansing is damaged. She is also unemployed, barely surviving a loveless marriage, and hiding a secret so painful that it’s eating her alive.

The damage began when, as a student, Lily, inhabited a unique and dangerous world: Whitman College. Located in a small city with big murder and crime rates, it is nothing like the suburb she was raised in. But the harsh city is not nearly as dangerous as the predators that roam the Whitman campus, preying on innocence and leaving a trail of ravaged souls in their wake.

The damage culminates ten years later at a dinner party where in the span of an evening Lily destroys her marriage and alienates her friends. She finally realizes that she must tell everyone the truth about what really happened during her years at Whitman. But can her marriage, her friendships, survive the truth?

The Complete Lily Lansing takes you on an emotional and often humorous journey as Lily struggles to make peace with the past and embrace the present. Along for the ride are Erica, Lily’s movie buff best friend, and Petra, the girl in college who was known more for her bad reputation then her grade point average.

The novel touches lightly on contemporary issues like feminism, anorexia, relationships and sex, while conveying the positive message that honesty, laughter, friends, and watching the movie Gone With The Wind can fix anything.



Though a very well written book, The Complete Lily Lansing is not an easy read.

The heroine is difficult to empathize with.  I suppose she's a typical young adult... more than a little thoughtless and selfish, but more than once I wanted to smack her upside her head.  She keeps returning to a destructive relationship that's only about sex (at least on the boy's end -- and, honestly, I couldn't understand what Lily saw in Seth other than the fact he was cute and, I assume, good in bed), and is frequently blind to the good things right in front of her.

Admittedly, she goes through difficult times, and didn't have the most loving of parents. Bad things happen to her, more than once, and she internalizes most of it, figuring it's all her fault which leads to other problems. Granted, her poor decisions lead to some of those things, but she still doesn't deserve to have them happen.

Before you think she's not a nice person, she really is. She's a good friend, and eventually tries to be a good wife, but she has so much baggage, she's unable to really just let go and love.  And ultimately, that's what this book is about: letting go of the past and moving forward.  And this is what makes the read worthwhile and the ending of the book a sigh of relief after her exhausting and emotionally draining journey.

I loved her friends, Erica and Petra. They're unique and well drawn.  They have their own issues, but loyalty isn't one of them.  Her husband and other secondary characters contribute nicely to the book as well.  It's interesting to watch them all move past their college selves and into real lives where they're nice, good, responsible people (but not boring in the least!).

The biggest recommendation for this book for me was the artistry of the writing and the top quality editing.  The author has a strong voice and her writing is descriptive and clear.  It's this talent that will keep people reading this, and other books she write.

If you love a book which puts the leading lady through a pressure cooker, but she comes out a diamond in the end then I can recommend The Complete Lily Lansing.

3.5 Flowers - This was a good book. I liked it.

Enjoy this excerpt:

Lily was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Petra enter her room, even though Petra’s stilettos cracked like hammers on the bare wood floor. A tight black miniskirt stretched to cover Petra’s ample derrière, worn with a shiny pink blouse and enormous gold hoop earrings.

“I can’t believe you’re not ready!” Petra said with a toss of her thick auburn hair.

Lily rose from the bed and went to look at herself in the mirror. “I’m ready. I just need to brush my teeth.”

“Didn’t you wear that outfit to school today?” Petra sized up Lily’s jeans, blouse, and loafers.

“So? It’s still clean.”

“I thought you might want to wear something a little more sexy. We’re going to a frat party, not the library.”

Lily took in Petra’s outfit, which seemed more appropriate for a street corner.

“I’m not trying to impress anyone,” Lily said.

“Not even Seth?”

Lily frowned, drawing her brows together as if she were in sudden pain; she had been hoping to see Seth at the party, but would never admit it to Petra. “I don’t have anything like what you’re wearing,” Lily said, and suddenly wished that she did.

“Well I don’t feel like waiting around for you to fix your face, and there’s not much we can do with your hair. What other shoes do you have?”

“I have black sneakers and tan cowboy boots.”

Petra touched three red-tipped fingers to her forehead as if it were all too much to bear.

“And sandals,” Lily added in an apologetic voice.

“That’ll work. Here, give me your brush.”

Petra wet the brush with hairspray and made a deep side part in Lily’s flaxen hair, coaxing each strand into place. “Keep this side tucked behind your ear, and let the rest fall into your eyes. That’s sexy.”

Bastian is living her dream life at the beach with her family and her poodles.

The Complete Lily Lansing is her first novel.

Website: http://bastiancaldwell.weebly.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BastianCaldwell
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/bastian.caldwell
Facebook Novel Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Complete-Lily-Lansing/196192900514986

Stardust Summer by Lauren Clark - Virtual Review tour and giveaway

(Full Length Women's Fiction with strong romantic elements)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Lauren will be awarding winner's choice of either Dancing Naked in Dixie or Stay Tuned (in .mobi .pdf or .epub) to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop. Also, a $20 gift card to Amazon or BN.com (winner's choice) will be awarded to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour and a signed paperback copy of Dancing Naked in Dixie and Swag will be awarded to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour (USA ONLY)., so comment here and follow her tour for more chances to win -- just click the banner for a list of stops.



Single mom Grace Mason doesn’t believe in miracles, magic, or love at first sight. She likes the quiet life, complete with her eight-year-old son, their tiny house, and her teaching job. For Grace, happiness means that nothing much ever changes in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Then, one thousand miles away, tragedy strikes. A massive heart attack leaves Grace’s estranged father comatose in an Upstate New York hospital. While a team of doctors fight to keep Henry Mason alive, Grace and Evan rush to his bedside to say their final goodbyes.

Henry’s passing brings little closure for Grace, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to her new surroundings. What begins as a short trip results in an entire summer spent with Henry’s second wife, Kathleen, and her next-door neighbor, Ryan Gordon, the town doctor. When a series of unlikely events lead to Evan’s disappearance, Grace must face her worst fears to find her son and bring him back home.

Stardust Summer explores the complexities of forgiveness, what it means to be a family, and the fabulous possibility of falling in love—again.



Stardust Summer is a book that is packed with emotion. 

Grace is estranged from her father and hasn't seen him in years, despite his efforts to bridge the gap between them.  I have to admit that Grace was tough for me to like at first.  I wasn't completely sold on the reason for their estrangement, and when she goes to New York for the funeral and then stays for a while, there were times I felt she was being selfish and occasionally deliberately cruel.  This is definitely a book where the main character does some growing and changing before the end, in order to be a person you can admire and enjoy.

Her stepmother, Kathleen, was a great lady. She's struggling horribly with her husband's death.  One moment they were planning their retirement and then next she's having to face her later years alone, without the man she loved.  And even though Henry has passed, his memory touches every page of this book in some way.  I loved the man he seemed to be and, while he certainly wasn't perfect, I think that's one of the reasons Grace's behavior was so frustrating for me.

Ryan, Grace's romantic interest and Kathleen and Henry's neighbor and doctor, is also a good guy.  He has baggage from his failed first marriage to be sure, and some doubts about whether it was his fault (did he overlook something? Misdiagnose? Ignore symptoms?) that Henry died.  But he has a heart of gold, and the patience of Job.

Author Lauren Clark has created some incredibly real characters. Each person in the book from main to walk-on is separate, different and well-defined.  Her skill with description is amazing, and the dialogue is easy and realistic.  Truly her wonderful writing ability made the journey through Stardust Summer a joy.  If I'd have sympathized with Grace more, this book would have rated a solid 5 flowers.  I'll absolutely look for more from her and recommend her books to anyone looking for an enjoyable way to spends several hours. 

4 Flowers -- This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.



Enjoy an excerpt:

Grace woke to the sound of the lake lapping against the pebbly shore, as comfortable and familiar as a pair of old shoes. Morning light streamed in through the edges of the blinds covering the windows.

She noticed the dark tufts of Evan’s hair peeking out of the covers and smiled. He was breathing deeply, one arm slung over his head. Despite being eight and more grown-up, he still took every opportunity to climb into bed with her.

Carefully, she lifted her side of the sheets and pulled them back slowly. It was a new day and Grace was glad. It had been a long and weird afternoon yesterday, topped off with her stepmother’s performance at the funeral.

Grace sighed long and deep. She slipped on her robe and shut the bedroom door behind her carefully, so as not to wake Evan. If she had to guess, her stepmother was probably awake an hour ago. She peeked around the corner into the living room, expecting her to be standing there.

It was empty, and the door to Kathleen’s bedroom was open just a crack.

"Hello?" Grace said in a loud whisper.

No answer.

Grace let her shoulders relax. Kathleen was probably outside walking or gardening, maybe talking to one of the neighbors. Her father always said that her stepmother could never stand still.

Grateful for the reprieve, Grace decided to make coffee. As expected, everything inside the kitchen cabinets was stacked neatly and labeled. Grace inhaled the nutty aroma as she measured out a few scoops of dark brown granules, added the water, and flicked the switch.

As the coffee pot began to gurgle, Grace inspected the living room. It looked completely different without a crowd of people. The space was clean and white, with a sofa and loveseat in the corner, both set an equal distance apart from the coffee table. The floor, wide-planked and wooden, was aged to mellow golden color.

Framed pictures hung on the walls. There were lovely panoramic shots of Keuka Lake, two of her father and his Sailfish, and several snapshots of Evan.

The majority of photographs, however, were of Henry and Kathleen. Grace moved closer, studying the details, and found herself mesmerized by the similarities. In each one—location aside—her father and stepmother were smiling. In Italy, in China, and France. On the campus of the college where her father worked, on the shore of the lake, and inside the house where Grace was standing.

Every time the shutter clicked open, Henry and Kathleen had their heads bent together and arms entwined. They glowed with happiness and love.

Grace stepped back and turned away, feeling her throat choke with emotion.

It hurt to look too long at her father's face.

Grace slid open the heavy glass doors to the outside porch and stepped out onto the sturdy wooden planks, wishing the coffee would finish.

She shivered when the cool breeze hit her face and tugged the robe around her tighter. A tiny ant ran across the top of the wood, clinging for dear life in the breeze.

The chairs on the porch were empty. She looked further, down along the shoreline, for signs of life. The deck and pebbly beach were empty too.

Out of the corner of her eye, familiar blue and white stripes came into view across the aquamarine of the water. It looked hauntingly like her father’s sailboat. The trees near the deck bent in their branches, leaves rustling noisily.

The Sailfish was her father's prized possession, the boat he’d bought in college for only three hundred dollars. Henry had lovingly taken care of it over the years, sanded carefully and painted the brightest white at least a dozen times.

Grace kept her eyes focused on the tall mast, bobbing slightly as it made its way across the water. She could make out a single figure in an orange life vest. One person on board. It could be Kathleen, but she wasn't sure.

Then, the wind slowed, gusted once again, and sputtered. As the sun rose about the hilltops, the air became absolutely still.

Grace waited for the breeze to pick up, anticipating the brush of air against her bare skin. Her heart began to beat faster. She glanced around for other boats in the area—a fishing boat, a rowboat, anything.

The lake was empty. The sail hadn’t moved.

Shading her eyes, Grace held the boat in view, starting to walk toward the dock.

Another agonizing minute passed.

The boat’s mast teetered, causing the sail to shake from side to side. Grace blinked to make sure what she was seeing was real.

It was Kathleen.

Lauren Clark writes contemporary novels sprinkled with sunshine, suspense, and secrets. A former TV news anchor, Lauren adores flavored coffee, local book stores, and anywhere she can stick her toes in the sand. Her big loves are her family, paying it forward, and true-blue friends.

Lauren is a member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association, the Mobile Writers Guild, and a regular contributor to Parents & Kids Magazine's Mississippi Gulf Coast Edition. Check out her website at www.laurenclarkbooks.com.

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