In My Mailbox: Week of May 23, 2010 Title: Hook, Line and Sink Him Author: Jackie Pilossoph Received: From Jackie Pilossoph for Review & Giveaway Synopsis: Anna wants to get married. Her boyfriend Chris wants to wait. But now, help may be on the way. Meet Jeff and Dave, two commitment phobic guys who overhear the couple arguing at a popular Chicago bar, and guarantee Anna they can con Chris into springing for a ring and walking down the aisle. When she takes them up on their offer, and the plan actually works, the three decide they’re going into business to help other bride wannabees. Come along for the ride with Anna and these two loveable, very funny guys while they take on clients, manipulate boyfriends, and turn frustrated girls into blushing brides, all while raking in the cash. But the marriage business gets messy when Jeff discovers he’s got a little problem. He never counted on falling madly in love with Anna, his new business partner and the girl who is now planning her wedding, thanks to him. Title: A Job to Kill For Author: Janice Kaplan Received: From Public Library Synopsis: At the start of Kaplan's fun, breezy second mystery to feature ditzy L.A.A interior designer Lacy Fields (after 2007's Looks to Die For), Lacy's latest chic client, Cassie Crawford, drops dead whileA inspecting the decor ofA the poshA penthouse Cassie and her new husband, billionaire Roger Crawford, were planning to buy. Cassie, it turns out, made a fatal mistake by drinking a bottle of arsenic-laced Japanese tea from the penthouse's Sub-Zero refrigerator. To Lacy's dismay, the fingerprints of her casting agent pal, Molly Archer,A who's been schmoozingA with Roger, are found on the fridge, making Molly a top suspect. But when Billy Mann,A Cassie'sA biker friend, isA murdered after confiding in Lacy that Cassie fearedA for her life,A LAPD Det. Brian Wilson decidesA Lacy makes a betterA suspect. While Lacy's Dolce & Gabbana shoes andA her linen Calvin Klein shirt suffer damage near story's end in a tight fix Edgar Allan Poe might have devised, Lacy's blithe, la-di-dahA spirit remains unscathed Title: Handbags and Homicide Author: Dorothy Howell Received: From Public Library Synopsis: Haley Randolph is always ready to go to any lengths to get the latest Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately for Haley, her life goes from glam to grim when her passion for fashion outlasts her credit cards, and she's forced to work at Holt's--a mid-market department store. Looking for a bit of shopping inspiration, Haley sneaks into the stock room to get a first glimpse of Holt's one-of-a-kind selection of handbag styles. But instead of the newest Vuitton, Haley discovers her boss is the ultimate fashion victim. According to the security tapes, Haley was the only person in the stockroom before, during, and after the murder. With everyone in the store eyeing her like last season's Marc Jacobs, Haley turns to the hunky Ty Cameron, who heads up the store's loss prevention unit, to help her investigate the murder. Now her knowledge of hot trends will take her from the sales floor to the boardroom to the gritty streets of L.A.'s Garment District as she searches for a killer with impeccable fashion taste. . .
Bec and Hailey are best friends that grew up together in the teensy town of Farewell Creek. After Bec returned to the town after trying to make it in the big city, she was hoping that high school sweetheart and childhood friend Nick would still have feelings for her, but it seems those feelings are no longer. What Bec doesn’t know is that Nick is struggling financially after his farm was taken over, and even though he still loves Bec, he doesn’t feel he can adequately provide for her. Hailey is dealing with the death of her parents, and is trying to keep up the store they ran before the car accident a year prior. Hailey has given up her dreams of being a singer and finding love to continue the memory of her parents. The three friends are brought closer together when a bush fire destroys part of the town, prompting Bec to spur the locals into putting together a fire brigade. In order to raise the proper amount of money, the town holds a Bachelor and Spinster Ball, bringing in people from surrounding cities to enjoy the weekend festivities. When an accident nearly takes Bec’s life, a dark secret her mother has been hiding finally comes to light, and Nick also reveals his feelings to Bec. Meanwhile, Hailey is struggling to put down her guard when it comes to love, finding the man who just could be Mr. Right. But being with him would mean leaving Farewell Creek- and the memories of her parents. The Bachelor and Spinster Ball by Janet Gover is set in the Australian outback, and each of the three main characters are immediately likeable. Each journey that is being played out is different, yet the three tie together so well. With the sub-plots also at work: the mother’s secret, a budding town romance, and a teacher’s inability to fit in with the rest of Farewell Creek, the entire novel will keep readers wondering what will happen next. A romantic story that also focuses on the meaning of friendship and the importance of family will delight chick lit fans.
I recently “met” (virtually) author Catherine McKenzie, and she informed me about a great Facebook group she created. The name of the group is ‘I bet we can make these books best sellers’ or the AUTHOR EFFECT. How it works is every three months, McKenzie will choose a book that she (or suggestions from the people) think should be a best seller but isn’t. The hope is that more people will get out and buy the book, spreading the good word and making that book...a best seller! The current project is two books from author Shawn Klomparens, Jessica Z. and Two Years, No Rain. Click the link below to join the Facebook group or the Amazon links to get Klomparens titles.
Q: I read on your website that your passion was always writing. How were you finally able to break into the industry? A: I sent the manuscript of my first novel, Parting Company, to Pooolbeg Press in Ireland, more in hope than expectation. I didn’t hear back from them for a while so I was bracing myself for rejection when Poolbeg director, Paula Campbell, rang to offer me a three book contract. That is a moment I will always treasure. Of course it takes hard work and many, many hours of writing and re-writing to produce a manuscript that will interest a publisher but I also believe that good old-fashioned luck plays a part too. I certainly feel very lucky to have had my stories published. Q: Where do the ideas for your stories come from? A: I always start with a subject or situation that interests me and I ask the question ‘what if?’ For instance in my first novel, Parting Company – what if someone discovered the cure for cancer? In As Easy As That the question was, what if you suspected your boss of being involved in criminal activity? I have covered topics in my books such as post traumatic stress disorder, the possibility that ghosts exist and religious cults. But no matter what the background to a story, the characters and how they deal with the situations are the most important and satisfying element in writing a book. Q: What is the best part about being a full time writer? A: It has to be the freedom to write whenever you like. I spent many years working full-time as a lab technician, always with story ideas in my head but no time to develop them. Now if I feel like writing into the small hours, I can do so without being worried about getting up early to go to my job. I currently work harder and put in longer hours than I have ever done but every minute of it is a pleasure. Q: You have 5 published novels. Do you have one in particular that you really loved either writing or doing research for? A: This is a hard question to answer as each of my novels is important to me in its own way. The first, of course, will always hold a special place in my heart. Both my parents died from cancer and writing a fictional cure for the disease in Parting Company was very helpful as part of the grieving process. Under The Rainbow, my latest book, is also very special as it is the only novel I’ve written in the first person. Telling the story in the main character’s voice rather than third person allowed me to get to know everything about Adele Burke, even things she probably wouldn’t want me to know! The most interesting research I’ve done is for my next novel Time And Tide (Apr 2011). For this book I read up on Climate Change and studied both sides of the Global Warming argument. In my reading I came across the curious fact that the Maya calendar ends on December 31st 2012. Many believe this means the world will end on that date though what the Maya predicted was a change rather than an ending. Q: What do you find most difficult about the writing process? A: Probably letting go. It takes at least a year for me to write a novel. In that time I live with the characters and their story day in, day out. I love them all, even the baddies as they are fun to write. Then comes the day when you type THE END. Silly as it seems, I always feel lonely when I finish a book. The only cure is to start another one. Q: Do you have a certain area that you get all your writing done? A:I have a small office into which I have squashed all my favourite things – two book cases, family photos, my collection of stones from special places I have been, Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream ‘poster and a large wall map of the world. A stack of CD’s sits on my desk as I always play music when I write- each book has its own individual soundtrack. It’s a cosy little room and conveniently close to the kitchen for the endless cups of coffee. Q: Have you ever had an idea for a plot or character at a strange place or time? A:I got the idea for Under The Rainbow as I was sitting in a seaside café having coffee (again!) with a group of friends. I wondered if childhood friends who had gone their separate ways could meet up as adults and resume their friendship with the same intensity. This thought raised many more questions in my mind and the end result of mulling over the answers was Under The Rainbow. Q: Who are some of your favorite authors? A: John Irving – The World According To Garp is one of my all-time favourite novels ; Jodi Picoult ; John Connolly ; Sebastian Barry; Val McDermid; MandaSue Heller; Mary Malone ; Walter Macken and many ,many more authors who have given me hours of pleasure reading their wonderful work. Q: Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Any fun celebration stories? A: I certainly celebrate St Patrick’s Day. It’s a great day to be Irish. I remember a year when the shamrock did not grow very well. My mother went searching for some and arrived home with lovely sprays which we proudly wore on St Patrick’s Day. It was much later before she admitted that the sprays we had worn on March 17th had actually been clover and not shamrock at all. At least it didn’t affect our celebrations and I’m sure St Patrick forgave us! Q: What would be your best advice for aspiring writers? A: My advice would be to never give up and to take hope from my history. I had been writing since I was a child but being occupied in full-time work and rearing a family I believed my chance to be a published author had passed me by. I eventually got my lucky break and I would advise anyone with the passion to write to keep working hard on your manuscript and your opportunity will come too. Q: Is there any place in the world that you would love to travel to? A: Reading Stephen King and John Connolly piqued my interest in Maine, USA. I based part of my fourth novel, Inside Out there. I researched the state thoroughly, read books on it, got maps and visited on-line Maine sites. The more I learned about the scenery, the history, the uniqueness of Maine, the more I wanted to visit there. A trip to beautiful Maine is definitely on my wish list.
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? About nine years ago, I had a great idea for a romantic comedy. I used to go jogging on the lake front in Chicago and write the story in my head. Shortly after, I began writing my ideas down on my computer. One story lead to another, and another, and another, and nine years later, I’ve finished seven screenplays and four novels. Q: In addition to novels, you have also written screenplays. How different and or/alike are writing novels and screenplays? VERY different. Novels are a lot more fun for me to write, because I get to live inside the minds of my characters, and I get to tell readers what my characters are thinking and feeling. I enjoy creating funny and lovable people, or if someone’s a villain, it’s fun to make him or her really unlikeable. When it comes to movies, the actors and director both have so much more control over character personalities. Writing novels and screenplays are similar in regards to dialogue. In both, I truly enjoy delivering great dialogue to make my characters’ conversations witty and funny and hip and dramatic. Then again, in movies, an actor can be flexible with his or her lines. Q: Your fist novel, Hook, Line, and Sink Him! Is based on some of your dating experiences. What is the worst first date you have been on? I actually have a name for my worst first date, worst date ever, in fact. Let’s call him, “Root Canal Rick.” Several years ago, I met this guy at a diner while visiting friends in Boston. He lived in Minnesota, I lived in Chicago. After no more than a twelve minute conversation, we decided to exchange numbers. Neither of us knew if we’d ever see each other again, but we’d really hit it off, so we figured it was the right thing to do. As fate would have it, about a year later, I got a TV reporting job in none other than Minnesota. So, one of the first things I did when I moved there was call the guy, who was pretty much a stranger to me, but who I’d thought about so many times during the past year. Maybe this was fate! It was really exciting! We ended up going out to a bar/restaurant where we had dinner and where he consumed at least seven beers. ‘Maybe he’s just really nervous’ I rationalized to myself, as I watched him chug and chug and chug. After dinner, we decided to play a couple games of pool in the next room. A very nice guy (who was also kind of cute) said “Nice shot,” to me, after I sank the 7 ball into the side pocket. Staggering up to the guy, my date said, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing, jerk?” “What?” asked the other guy. “Is something wrong?” I asked my heavily buzzed date, who had just ordered another beer. “Yes!” he practically shouted, “I just bought you dinner and you’re hitting on another guy!” I was dumbfounded. “I’m not hitting on anyone,” I defended. He then called me a few names that I’d rather not mention in this interview. All I can say is THANK GOD I drove separately that night. I put my pool stick down on a nearby rack, and then told my date I was leaving and that he should consider calling a cab versus driving home. As I exited the place, I could hear him shouting obscenities. I was practically running out of there, which is why it shouldn’t have surprised me when I bumped into some guy on the way out, and his beer spilled and splashed all over me. Driving home, drenched, cold, disappointed and hurt, I actually felt really happy, too. The guy I thought could be my soul mate had turned out to be a drunken, abusive idiot. It was sad, but I no longer had to wonder. Plus, I NEVER had to see the guy, EVER again! If someone gave me a choice between experiencing this date and having a root canal, I’d choose the root canal, hands down! Q: Are you currently working on a book # 2? Yes, and it’s awesome! Just wait! I am so excited to share it! Q: If you hadn’t started writing, what do you think would be your career? I’ve had a bunch of different careers in my life. I’ve been a sales representative for a few different companies, I’ve been a financial advisor, I’ve been in sales management, I’ve been a TV news reporter, I’ve been a college professor, and now, I’m an author. I can’t imagine being anything else anymore. But one job I think would be really, really fun would be a barista at Starbucks. Stress free, talking to people all day, and free coffee! What could be better than that?! Q: What is your biggest personal accomplishment? Becoming a mother to my two beautiful, wonderful children and raising them. Q: Who are some of your favorite authors? Jonathan Tropper, Emily Giffen, Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Terry McMillan Q: What is the perfect ‘girl’s night out’ for you? I LOVE girl’s nights! It’s so much fun to get together with a bunch of chicks, all who dress up for each other. We wear our favorite designer jeans, cute little tops, big hoop earrings, heels, little hand bags and lots of lip gloss. I think it’s really sweet that girls dress to the hilt for other girls. I enjoy drinking wine or sangria or martinis, and eating sushi or sharing a bunch of appetizers, while all the girls tell and listen to stories, and laugh and joke around. It’s entertaining and relaxing, but there are emotional moments, as well. One minute someone’s telling you her eye shadow’s Bobbi Brown, the next, someone starts crying about her impending divorce. The nights almost always include funny encounters with strange men sitting at the bar, or someone running into a random acquaintance, such as the cousin of a friend of her ex-boyfriend from college. Funny memories are always created when girls get together! At the end of the night, two things are guaranteed; girls hug like they’re never going to see each other again, and everyone vows to do it again real soon. Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers? DON’T GIVE UP! It would be impossible for me to count the hundreds of rejections I received when submitting my work to agents and publishers. If you keep sending out your writing, people will give you advice and tips and they’ll help you become a better writer. And then, one day, someone will give you a contract! But remember, that’s only if you DON’T GIVE UP! Q: What would be your dream vacation? I’ve always wanted to go to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It looks amazing! I would go there with my entire family, my kids, my parents, my brothers and sisters, and their families. We all love each other very much, but we drive each other crazy. That’s why I’d make sure we got separate villas!
Fiona Cassidy is better known as Fionnuala McGoldrick (her first name is pronounced fin-ooh-la and is Irish for fair shouldered!) She is from Galbally, Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland. She lives with her partner Philip and between them they have five children (and a very messy house!) Fiona has always been an avid reader but five years ago decided that she would like to become a writer as well and in April 2009 all her dreams came true when she was finally offered a three book publishing deal by Poolbeg Press in Dublin. Her first romantic comedy novel Anyone for Seconds? was launched in November 2009 and reached no. 6 in the Irish paperback fiction charts. She has just completed her second novel, Anyone for Me? which is due for publication in August 2010.
While I was browsing skin care items a few weeks ago, my eyes landed on a ‘spot treatment’ from Neutrogena. This tiny white and orange bottle boasted that it would instantly clear breakouts and even help prevent breakouts from happening. What could be better? I quickly bought the .5 fluid ounce tube of Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel and have been faithfully using it for almost a month now. And the results are terrible. Each night, I put a tab of the spot treatment on any breakouts, and it seems that the gel just makes things worse. Instead of ‘eliminating’ anything, it makes them redder and bigger-not exactly the look I was going for. I was hoping my skin would eventually begin to improve with continued use, but I am starting to face the facts that it will just not be. Now, I would rather not use the gel, because I feel I look even worse in the mornings than if I skip it. Bottom line: not worth your time or money.
Cindy is a pretty ordinary girl- ordinary looks, ordinary job, ordinary friends. But one day, she crosses path with a witch, gets cursed, and turns into a pumpkin each night at midnight. This is a real damper for Cindy, as she is trying to give her love life a shot with a handsome police officer. Luckily, he works the overnight shift, so he has yet to see Cindy turn orange in bed. But when his schedule changes, Cindy knows she either needs to tell him the truth and hope he can handle it, or say good-bye to the man she is starting to fall in love with. With supportive parents and a best friend who helps get her through her pumpkin nights, Cindy tries with all her might to reverse the curse, even seeking out local witch covens for help. But only a fairy tale ending will be the answer for this puzzle. The Cinderella Curse by JL Penn is a hilarious short story, and readers will enjoy all the trip-ups Cindy encounters as a pumpkin. Though the ending may be a bit predictable, it is still a fun story to dive into from one of my favorite authors. Rating: 4.5/5
As of lately, I have been watching my workout routines begin to slip. Between my jobs, the nice spring weather, and preparing to move, I have just become too busy to work out after I get off work at 5 pm. So I decided to try waking up early and getting a work out done. Doesn’t that sounds like a nice idea? Only problem- I hate mornings! I highly dislike getting up at 730 to get ready for work, but now I was setting my alarm for 630 for what? To go do some lunges and sun salutations? To my surprise….I actually enjoyed working out in the am! Sure, it was a little hard to stop myself from hitting the snooze button, but once I was up and able to shake the sleep from my eyes, I found myself having more energy than I thought I could possess that early. I watched Saved by the Bell and went through my yoga poses, or walked on the treadmill in the gym. I kept my workouts to about 30-45 minutes each morning, and even had enough time leftover to make myself a decent breakfast. On most days, I will just throw some cereal in a bowl and call it a day, but now I make myself eggs and toast and really enjoy my morning meal. The combination of eating a full breakfast and getting my workouts done in the morning gives me more energy throughout the day. I don’t feel hungry midmorning now either, I can actually wait until the noon hour before I eat lunch. I don’t want you all thinking I wake up every morning and work out- I can’t make myself do that quite yet! But on days where I know I will be busy after work (Friday in particular) I can handle losing that extra hour of sleep and put it towards something that’s better for me. If you are able to wake up early to get a morning jog or Pilates class in, I suggest trying it out! You may learn to love it.
