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Book Review: Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee by Carolyn Brown
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee by Carolyn Brown

I received a copy of BLUE-RIBBON JALAPENO SOCIETY JUBILEE by Carolyn Brown in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Miss Clawdy’s Café has won the Jubilee blue ribbon every year since the dawn of time. This year, town matron Violet Prescott is going after that ribbon with an iron-clad determination only thinly disguised by her perfect coiffure and flawless manners, bless her heart.

It’s time for café owners Cathy and Marty and their best friend Trixie to pull out their secret weapon. And this is where a lifetime of friendship, combined with just the right recipe at just the right time, might carry the day—or blow everything to smithereens.

Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the jalapeños are hot, the gossip is hotter, and at the end of the day, it’s the priceless friendships that are left standing…

Review:

I was instantly smitten with the title, description and cover for this book and knew I would love it from the get go. Author Carolyn Brown pleases from the get go with trademark southern char, twang and hilarious wit. The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee is a fun southern tale that delivers a very fun and authentic tale that could and would definitely take place in a small southern town. I loved the adventures of the women and I loved all of the gossip that went on. Friendship and family are key themes in this book and you can easily see how important they are to the main characters. I don’t really have any complaints because I enjoyed it so much. Full of sass and southern comfort, this book is a winner.

Rating: 4.5 stars

April 11, 2013
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In My Mailbox: Week of April 7
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of April 7

In Samantha’s Mailbox:

Aggravated Circumstances by Michele ShriverTitle: Aggravated Circumstances

Author: Michele Shriver

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: A family can be torn apart in an instant. Putting it back together is a harder task.

A relapsed addict opens the door to find a cop with a search warrant, setting off a chain of events that will cause four lives to intersect.

Devin Lenox has already lost one child to the system and this time she vows it will be different. If she’s going to make it, though, she’ll need something she’s never had before- someone on her side.

Her battle with depression behind her, Elisa Cahill looks forward to resuming her legal career. Devin’s case seems like the perfect opportunity to do that, and bury her own past demons in the process, at least if old grudges don’t prove to be her undoing.

Child protection worker Taylor Ross struggles to balance a social life with her demanding job and has little sympathy for people like Devin, at least at first. When Taylor starts to see Devin in a new light, she finds herself at odds with her superiors. Will she be willing to go to bat for Devin, and what price will she pay if she does?

Sarah Canfield is a compassionate judge who is not afraid to make difficult decisions, but will her past link to Devin undermine her objectivity and cause her to put her own family at risk?

A look inside the child welfare system, the people who work in it and the lives it impacts, Aggravated Circumstances is a story of despair, hope and recovery.

Meltdown by Tara ThompsonTitle: Meltdown

Author: Tara Thompson

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: NYSSA, internationally renown supermodel, is accustomed to turning heads. As a young girl, her flawless face attracted the wrong kind of attention. She escaped an abusive father and successfully navigated life’s seedy underbelly to become a runway renegade, although not without leaving her share of enemies behind. Lately she’s caught the eye of….

STEVE, handsome hometown hero and soon-to-be Governor of Texas. Unfortunately he’s already married. As Steve publicly dumps his perfect, former Miss Texas wife for Hollywood’s latest ‘It’ girl, his state faces the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Will he be able to turn things around, or is he too embroiled in his political sex scandal? His good friend and business partner….

DEMETRI, sexy hedge fund manager, is at the top of his professional game and tries to save his friend from near financial ruin. Yet he’s distracted by Steve’s new girlfriend, who just happens to be Demetri’s old flame. Years ago, Nyssa ran from him and he’s never forgotten her. But why is he still interested? Demetri’s dating….

AISLINN, a woman as brilliant as she is beautiful. Enjoying all the perks of having a billionaire boyfriend, she’s falling fast for Demetri and has no idea that she might be the one getting played. Although she bets big on Wall Street, the largest casino in the world, nothing is more risky than giving her heart away.

In this fun, juicy, glamorous novel, no one is exactly who they appear to be…
And all of them are heading for a MELTDOWN.

Who will rise from the ashes?

Crime and Passion by Chantel RhondeauTitle: Crime and Passion

Author: Chantel Rhondeau

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: A decorated police officer, more intent on justice than following the letter of the law, lands in trouble when a gorgeous schoolteacher finds a dead body on the beach. Officer Donovan Andrews knows how to have a good time—ask any woman in town. But when it comes to men abusing their wives or children, Donovan takes it upon himself to make them regret it. Madeline Scott is unlucky in love. All she wants is a quiet place to heal, away from cheating, womanizing men. However, her life is far from peaceful once she stumbles across the body and witnesses someone fleeing the scene. Terror spreads in Pleasant View when the small community hears a killer is on the loose. All evidence points to Donovan, and he realizes someone is trying to frame him. When troubling suspicions from his past surface, even fellow officers believe he’s guilty. Madeline might be the only person who can clear his name, but first he has to win her trust. The body count rises and no one is safe. The murderer makes it clear Madeline is next. Soon, Donovan’s whole world is focused on protecting her and keeping himself out of prison. The more time he spends with her, the harder it is to fight his growing attraction. However, she’s been burned by love, and convincing Madeline he’s interested in something more than hot sex may prove harder than keeping her alive.

Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny ColganTitle: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe

Author: Jenny Colgan

Received: SourceBooks

Synopsis: Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Cafe. Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that – Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe’s bakery, she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. When she’s made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment. Armed with recipes from Grampa, and with her best friends and local bank manager fighting her corner, The Cupcake Cafe opens its doors. But Issy has absolutely no idea what she’s let herself in for. It will take all her courage – and confectionery – to avert disaster …

The With of Little Italy by Suzanne PalmieriTitle: The Witch of Little Italy

Author: Suzanne Palmieri

Received: St. Martins

Synopsis: In Suzanne Palmieri’s charming debut, The Witch of Little Italy, you will be bewitched by the Amore women. When young Eleanor Amore finds herself pregnant, she returns home to her estranged family in the Bronx, called by “The Sight” they share now growing strong within her. She has only been back once before when she was ten years old during a wonder-filled summer of sun-drenched beaches, laughter and cartwheels. But everyone remembers that summer except her. Eleanor can’t remember anything from before she left the house on her last day there. With her past now coming back to her in flashes, she becomes obsessed with recapturing those memories. Aided by her childhood sweetheart, she learns the secrets still haunting her magical family, secrets buried so deep they no longer know how they began. And, in the process, unlocks a mystery over fifty years old—The Day the Amores Died—and reveals, once and for all, a truth that will either heal or shatter the Amore clan.

Changing LanesTitle: Changing Lanes

Author: Kathleen Long

Received: Finn Partners

Synopsis: Abby Halladay has the perfect life. Or, rather, she will…as long as everything goes exactly according to plan. Abby never leaves anything to chance—not her job as a syndicated columnist, not her engagement to her fiancé, Fred, and certainly not her impending wedding in Paris (New Jersey, that is).

Unfortunately for Abby, even the best-laid plans often go awry—like when Fred runs away to Paris (France, that is), her column is canned, and her dream home is diagnosed with termites. Forced to move back in with her parents and drive her dad’s cab, Abby’s perfect life has now officially become the perfect disaster.

Then a funny thing happens. Slowly but surely, Abby begins letting go of her dreams of perfection. As she does, the messy, imperfect life she thought she never wanted starts to feel exactly like the one she needs.

Poignant and heartfelt, Changing Lanes celebrates the unexpected joys of everyday life—and the enduring promise of second chances.

April 7, 2013
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Book Review: The Boy Next Door by Annabelle Costa
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Boy Next Door by Annabelle Costa

I received a copy of The Boy Next Door by Annabelle Costa in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

Through middle school, high school, bad dates, and an ill-advised punk phase, Tasha has always been able to count on Jason. Since the day he moved in next door, he’s gone from the weird kid in a wheelchair to Tasha’s most trusted friend. But lives change and the friends are going in different directions. When Jason and Tasha rekindle their friendship, sparks fly. After years of being a wild soul, now the ex-lead of a band turned music teacher is just looking for a relationship to last.

When none other than Jason introduces her to a man who can give her what she wants, Tasha is on the verge of throwing passion and love away just so she can forget her troubled past and settle down. But Jason isn’t ready to give her up just yet.
Review:

I had so much fun reading The Boy Next Door and thought that Annabelle did such a fantastic job crafting such fun characters that are honest, flawed and easy to relate to . I loved the romance and thought it was very light and sweet. I also really, really liked the flashback scenes and thought that Annabelle did such a great job at going back and forth between time, which isn’t easily done and many authors struggle with. Overall, this book is really good and full of details. I was very impressed with this book and will definitely check out this author in the future.
Rating: 4 stars

April 5, 2013
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Interview with Evonne Wareham
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Evonne Wareham

When did you know writing was for you?

I’ve been writing stories ever since I was in school. It took a long while for me to realize that not everyone did it!

How would you describe your book?

The genre is paranormal romantic suspense – or paranormal romantic thriller. In the UK it tends to be called a thriller. It’s paranormal because of humans with special powers – mind reading – not because of creatures like vampires. It’s about two people who are caught up in a plot that centres around their special skills, and an attempt by a shadowy organisation to take advantage of them. In the course of overcoming the threat, they find each other – but it is not a smooth process.

What was the hardest part of the writing process for you?

I enjoy writing, but even so it is not always easy to keep going. 90,000 words is a long journey! You do sometimes get tired along the way. I tend to invent complex plots, so sometimes keeping track of who is where, and what they are doing, gets a bit complicated.

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you as an author?

I’m often told that people are surprised by my books, as romantic suspense is not such a well known genre in the UK – so I’d like people to know that if they pick up one of my books they are going to get a love story mixed with crime and scary stuff.

What does your daily schedule look like?

All over the place! I don’t write on a regular basis with a daily word target. I spend a lot of time planning and researching and then I like to write in blocks and keep going until the end.

What would be your advice to aspiring writers?

Keep at it! Determination to keep improving as a writer and to keep submitting to agents and editors is vital. A few authors have success in their careers without ever having a rejection, but for the rest of us the ability to bounce back is part of the tool kit.

What is your favorite book?

I don’t really have one – there are so many authors I admire, in so may different styles, I could never chose. If I had to pick an author who has enthralled me for a long time, it would probably be Shakespeare, and then it would have to be the collected works.

Favorite movie?

Possession – the film made from A S Byatt’s novel. I love the way the stories of the Victorian writers and the present day researchers who are investigating them are intertwined, and it also has a number of my favourite actors in it.

Who is your favorite literary character?

Again it’s difficult to chose – but I do have a weakness for the villains in Elizabethan and Jacobean plays – there are some wonderful portraits of evil and corruption. I blame them, in part, for the darker side of my writing. I love the theatre, and it gets into the fabric of my work.

Who is your writing inspiration?

All the great American romantic suspense authors – Nora Roberts, Karen Rose, Tami Hoag, Linda Howard – I could go on. I just love the genre.

What is your must have beauty product?

Moisturizer. I’m a sucker for all the promises on the jar and I adore ones that have a nice smell.

What advice would you give yourself ten years ago? Any words of wisdom?

I’d tell myself to keep trying and keep learning. It took me a long time to become a published author, but I amassed a lot of experience on the way that is in

April 3, 2013
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Book Review: Cut and Run by Traci Hohenstein
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Cut and Run by Traci Hohenstein

I received a copy of Cut and Run by Traci Hohenstein in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:

When Matt O’Malley turns up at a truck stop with a nasty concussion and no recollection of what happened to him or his family, investigator Rachel Scott knows she and the Florida Omni Search team have to act fast. Whoever attacked him still has his wife and children, and a gruesome piece of evidence points to deadly possibilities.

While Matt sweats under the scrutiny of the FBI, his shattered memory slowly pieces together disturbing details. Afraid to trust even his brother with this new information, he turns to Rachel, who scours southern Louisiana for clues. Along with retired police detective Red Cooper, Rachel searches everywhere from a voodoo parlor to an eerie Houma swamp, unearthing troubling secrets about the O’Malleys…and a shocking truth behind the disappearance of Rachel’s own daughter.

Traci Hohenstein picks up her suspenseful Rachel Scott series with its third entry, Cut and Run—a gripping thriller that captures the haunting spirit and intoxicating mystery of New Orleans.
Review:

This is the third installment in the Rachel Scott adventure series and although I haven’t read the first two books in the series, I feel confident in saying that you can pick up this book solo and enjoy it without the other two. You find out pretty early on that the underlying subject of the novels is the search for Rachel’s daughter, Mallory, who has been missing for over five years. Ironically, her life revolves around searching for missing people – and when she isn’t occupied in the pursuit of a stranger, she spends every moment looking for her daughter. I really admired her go-get-them attitude and thought that Rachel was fairly determined in her pursuit. I often times put myself in her shoes as a mother and thought about what I would do if I were in the same situation. I thought she handled the situation well and to be honest, I was really rooting for her to find Mallory. This book is filled with tons of secrets and hidden clues and that made me enjoy the story even more. Cut and Run was really well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a suspenseful read.
Rating: 4.5 stars

April 2, 2013
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In My Mailbox: Week of March 31
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of March 31

Title: Eleusis

Author: Genevieve Fairbrother

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: Macy needs a break. Her parents are dead and now a moody trespasser has set up camp on the property she has inherited. When the stranger confesses himself to be an ageless sea-god and tells Macy she has been guarding a secret she never knew existed, her once simple life takes a drastic turn. Just when she thinks it can’t get any stranger, a back door to the Underworld opens up and it’s time to run like hell.

Mythology and contemporary life collide as this fast-paced novel explodes and dark forces tracking Macy surface to capture her. In the transatlantic chase that follows, she learns of her forgotten past and a centuries-old connection to the sea-god who helps her escape. A tragic miscalculation derails Macy and in a moment of self-sacrifice she ends up where it all began, trapped in the Underworld.

Has she learned enough about her past to forge a meaningful future? Utterly alone, she realizes that to gain real freedom, she must reject her assigned place in history and in doing so risk everything.

Events challenge her whilst she comes to grips with her legacy and decides what she wants in life. Family betrayal, sinister plot twists, and unlikely friends fill this exhilarating story of one woman’s journey to shape her future as she learns her true identity and strives to become a force in her own right.

Eleusis by Genevieve Fairbrother is one-of-a-kind contemporary paranormal adventure novel that narrates a unique perspective on women and relationships using the life of one immortal woman moving through time.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker KlineTitle: Orphan Train

Author: Christina Baker Kline

Received: SheReads

Synopsis: Orphan Train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from Christina Baker Kline, author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be.

Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community-service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse….

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance. Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

Shake Down the Stars by Renee SwindleTitle: Shake Down the Stars

Author: Renee Swindle

Received: Penguin

Synopsis: Piper Nelson is stuck. She can’t quite stay away from the husband she divorced. She isn’t always attentive to the high school students she teaches. And even she admits that she’s been drinking too much and seeking out unsuitable men. Piper’s mother, married to a celebrity evangelist, and her sister, immersed in plans to wed a professional football player and star in a reality TV show, are both too self-absorbed to sympathize with Piper’s angst. They tell her to get a grip. But how can Piper ever really recover from the blow she suffered five years ago, when a car accident took the life of her young daughter?

When Piper’s ex-husband announces his new girlfriend is pregnant, Piper is forced to take stock. Realizing that it’s time for a change is one step, but actually making it happen is quite another. And despite what she thinks, Piper can’t do it alone Lucky for her, a couple of crazy, funny new friends are ready to step in when she needs them most…and show her how to live and laugh again.

Double Click by Lisa BeckerTitle: Double Click

Author: Lisa Becker

Received: Lisa Becker

Synopsis: Fans of the romantic hit Click: An Online Love Story will enjoy another voyeuristic dive into the lives of Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Ethan, as Double Click picks up with their lives six months later. Are Renee and Ethan soul mates? Does Mark ever go on a date? Has Shelley run out of sexual conquests in Los Angeles? Will Ashley’s judgmental nature sabotage her budding relationship? Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click answers these questions and more. Readers will continue to cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends.

Marriage Matters by Cynthia EllingsenTitle: Marriage Matters

Author: Cynthia Ellingsen

Received: Penguin

Synopsis: She barely has time to attend a wedding, let alone plan one, but Chloe has just caught the bouquet. So has her married mother… and her widowed grandmother. With three generations set to walk down the aisle, each “I do” sounds more improbable than the last.

On top of grad school, clinical hours, and part-time work, Chloe is surprised to find a ring on her finger. Sharing the news about the engagement is easy, except with her best friend. Their relationship has always been platonic…so why is Chloe so afraid he is going to object?

Kristine is successful at running her travel bookstore, but her twenty-five year marriage is on the rocks. When her husband suggests a vow renewal ceremony, she agrees to say I Do…until a tempting employee makes her wonder whether or not she wants to be married at all.

June knows what’s best for her and everyone around her. Given a second chance at love, she’s delighted to plan the family wedding of her dreams. But when June gets a little carried away in her enthusiasm, she risks losing more than the love of her life… she risks losing her family.

In Cynthia Ellingsen’s heartwarming and hilarious novel of first loves, second chances, and unexpected twists, three generations of brides-to-be discover that love is always better as a family affair.

Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch HummerTitle: Girl Unmoored

Author: Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Received: SheKnows

Synopsis: Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike, who’s suddenly everywhere, until she’s stuck in church with him one day. Then something happens—Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift.Mike and his boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store, and Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, stormy seas return. Apron starts to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means, and who is paying too much for it.Apron has come unmoored, but now she’ll need to take the helm if she’s to get herself and those she loves to safe harbor.

Losing It by Cora CarmackTitle: Losing It

Author: Cora Carmack

Received: eBury Publishing

Synopsis: Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible—a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half a brain would ever believe.

And as if that weren’t embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theater professor.

She’d left him naked in her bed about eight hours earlier. . . .

In Sara’s Mailbox:

By Design by Jayne DenkerTitle: By Design

Author: Jayne Denker

Received: Jayne Denker

Synopsis: She’s got loads of talent, a massive crush–and no confidence. Now she just needs a plan…

Interior designer Emmie Brewster is having one of those…decades. Her overbearing boss believes she’s only qualified to make coffee. Her boyfriend treats her like a booty call. And her widowed father is dating again–more successfully than she is. Then Emmie lands a client who happens to be the hottest man she’s ever encountered. Too bad Graham Cooper is already involved with the kind of woman Emmie longs to be. If only she had the courage…

Emmie’s always been content to dream–about having her own business, her own Mr. Right–but something about Graham makes her want to take action. Maybe it’s time she used her talent for creating beauty and order on herself. She has Graham’s admiration–does she dare go for more? With a little encouragement from her friends, and a lot of newfound motivation, Emmie’s ready to try…

I’ll Take What She Has by Samantha WildeTitle: I’ll Take What She Has

Author: Samantha Wilde

Received: Felicia @ Random House

Synopsis: Samantha Wilde’s heartfelt second novel that dissects the age old question: is the grass always greener on the other side? The novel follows Nora Harriet Helpsom Fulch Galusha as she is in the midst of a serious case of baby fever. Nora’s insecurities are brought to the forefront when the glamorous new history teacher Cynthia Cypress arrives on campus married to Nora’s ex boyfriend and with a baby on the way. I’LL TAKE WHAT SHE HAS is a touching story of female friendship, family, and wanting what you don’t have.

March 31, 2013
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Book Review: Six Years by Harlan Coben
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Six Years by Harlan Coben

I received a copy of SIX YEARS by Harlan Coben in exchange for an honest review.

Six Years have passed since Jake Fisher was left by the love of his life, Natalie. He sat and watched as she married another man and then left it all behind. He threw himself into a career as a college professor and attempts to move on. But, after so much time, there is still a love that burns deep down inside of him and he can’t help that he still loves Natalie. But, one fateful day brings an obituary into his view and it happens to be for Todd, who was the man who stole her away. He can’t help himself so he attends the funeral and optimistically hopes for a rare glimpse of her, but when he sees a mourning widow that claims to have been married to Todd for almost two decades, he begins to wonder what the heck really happened. He begins to question everything that he has ever none as so many things around him become a mystery. What has happened to the picture perfect memories that he has hung onto so tightly?

I am actually slightly embarrassed to admit that I’ve never read anything written by Harlan Coben before … but that is all changing now. To say the least, I am obsessed. He is such a talented writer and does an amazing job at crafting such detailed experiences that will literally blow you away. When I began reading this book, I assumed that poor Jake Fisher was just hurting from a broken heart when Natalie married another man, but this book kicked that ideal to the curb and definitely knocked me on my butt. This book is very fast paced and reads like a mystery/suspense novel – which I guess it might technically be classified as. Either way, SIX YEARS is amazing and you should definitely go out and grab yourself a copy. Plus, I just read that Hugh Jackman has signed on to star in the film adaptation. Um, yum!!

http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/hugh-jackman-set-to-star-in-adaptation-of-harlan-cobens-six-years

Rating: 5/5 stars

March 27, 2013
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Q&A with Rory Samantha Green
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Q&A with Rory Samantha Green

When did you know writing was for you?

I have always written for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl I collected stickers, which I used to put in special books and then invent elaborate stories based on the stickers! I can’t say when I knew writing was ‘for me’, but I always knew I was a writer.

How would you describe your book?

Playing Along is a quirky, funny, love story. It’s about harboring a fantasy, but the characters are very real and I hope I made them dimensional and relatable to. If you’ve ever had a band crush – this is the book for you! I wrote the book with the intention of making people smile. Life is hard – we all need stories to lift our spirits.

What was the inspiration for your book?

My sister went to a Keane concert and thought the lead singer had made eye contact with her repeatedly! After the show, her friend insisted that Tom had actually been making eye contact with her! I thought it would be funny and sweet to explore what the story would be if that fantasy was in fact true, and George and Lexi were born soon after! What woman hasn’t been to a concert and ‘imagined’ a few things about a lead singer?!

What was the hardest part of the writing process for you?

Discipline and self-belief. Fitting in the writing while I was also taking a masters degree in psychotherapy was challenging. Believing that my vision would translate and be embraced was sometimes a big leap of faith. I just kept going though, because I loved the characters I was creating and I had a feeling that other people would too.

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you as an author?

I am an avid reader, so writing a book that kept other readers gripped and interested and amused was of utmost importance to me. Also, as an author, my aim is to write accessible, popular books that are still written with some depth and lyricism. I don’t believe I need to trade one for the other.

What does your daily schedule look like?

It really depends. I run reflective writing workshops from my home, and I have two kids and a dog! In between work and family. I fit in writing hours when I can. My writing schedule varies, but my characters are not unlike my kids – when they’re not getting enough attention – they let me know!

What would be your advice to aspiring writers?

My advice would be to just keep writing and really immerse yourself in the creative process before becoming too fixated on the final product. This is the main ethos of the workshops that I run. Find your own authentic writing voice and don’t try to emulate others. Write everyday, even for short periods of time, and see where your words lead you. Stay curious.

What is your favorite book? Favorite movie?

So hard to pick just one book! When I was a kid I loved reading Judy Blume. I read a passage from her book ‘Superfudge’ for a school competition when I was 11 and I won the trophy, so I would have to say I still love that book! Her characters are extremely likeable and believable. ‘The Bean Trees’ by Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite adult books – she initiated me into the world of wonderful storytelling.

My favorite film of all time is Merchant Ivory’s ‘A Room with a View’ which was made in the 80’s. It is just as compelling as Downton Abbey – romantic, beautifully adapted from the novel by E.M. Forster and so uplifting. After writing Playing Along, I realized I must have unconsciously chosen the name ‘George’ because that was the name of the lead in ‘A Room with a View’!

Who is your favorite literary character?

JD Salinger wrote a short story called ‘For Esme – With Love and Squalor’. Esme is one of my favorite literary characters of all time – a young girl who is feisty, honest and extremely insightful. I could read that story over and over again.

Who is your writing inspiration?

My writing inspiration is my mum, writer, Jackie Collins. Our writing styles are very different but I grew up watching her totally committed to her craft. She taught me the importance of dedication, and by example, she showed me what joy it was to love your work and be impassioned about providing readers with entertaining stories.

What is your must have beauty product?

Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment. I’m not a big make-up wearer, but this is lovely and natural and tastes delicious! Think couture Chapstick!

What advice would you give yourself ten years ago? Any words of wisdom?

Ten years ago my kids were small and I was finding it hard to write. The advice I would give now would be to linger in the moments of my children’s childhood – the ones I rushed by. They are little people for such a short period of time. Creatively, I would have turned down the volume on my inner critic and been more playful and less precious with my approach.

March 27, 2013
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In My Mailbox: Week of March 24
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of March 24

Samantha’s Mailbox:

breatheTitle: Breathe

Author: Kate Bishop

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: Alex thought she had married the man of her dreams: successful, gorgeous, and delighted by her small-town charm. When he walks out six months later, proclaiming to have ‘found himself’ (with the help of a stunning yoga teacher), she ‘finds herself’ alone in an unfamiliar city, vengefully drinking through his prized wine collection, living on takeout, and refusing to answer the door. When this fails to cure her broken heart and bruised ego, she reluctantly allows her new friends to intervene. Slowly, Alex learns to define success on her own terms; she discovers the secret to love in all its forms, and the perfect flying crow pose, one breath at a time.

Title: Meeting Miss Mollie

Author: Di Jones

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: She’s the Agony Aunt who has it all. Except for one small problem – her life is a disaster.

Annabelle is a hard nosed writer with a good marriage, a nice flat, a thriving career at Adorn magazine and a busy social life. She has only one ambition – to be the best known Agony Aunt in the UK.

When her world is turned upside down by her husband’s infidelity she strikes out on her own and goes flatting with a jet setting businessman. But things in her new house aren’t quite what they seem and her problems mount.

Through her ups and downs, Annabelle forges a relationship with the strangest of friends and discovers the best things in life are those she always avoided.

Meeting Miss Mollie is a story about lies, loss, loyalty, love and laughter, and will appeal to anyone who loves chicklit or romantic comedy. You’ll laugh as you read this book, and perhaps even shed a tear.

This is the second novel by author Di Jones, whose first novel Transplanting Holly Oakwood has been in the Top Ten in romantic comedy. If you enjoy Jill Mansell or Sophie Kinsella, Di is a new author you must read.

life listTitle: The Life List

Author: Chrissy Anderson

Received: From Chrissy Anderson

Synopsis: The Life List is the ultimate chick lit novel and most of the story is true. Chrissy Anderson, a twenty-eight year old fashion executive, created a seven-point life list at the age of sixteen and she’s been steadily checking off the boxes and mocking the style and life choices of everyone around her ever since.Her life begins to run amuck when she unexpectedly meets a much younger, Leo, who makes her question her “perfect life”.

Chrissy’s lifelong friendships and her marriage are put to the test as she tries to sort out her feelings for Leo. With the help of her brassy, no-nonsense therapist, Dr. Maria, Chrissy learns more about herself than she anticipates. But, it isn’t until the untimely death of her best friend that Chrissy is catapulted into long overdue authenticity and scrambles to correct the mistakes of her past….trying to figure out if it’s Kurt, Leo or both that she has to get rid of to make everything right.

Women of all kinds-twenty-somethings, housewives and superwomen wanna-bes- will all be able to relate to the pressure of constructing the ideal life, only to fall short. Not everyone will agree with Chrissy Anderson’s decisions, but all will pause as they follow along on her journey to ask, “What would I do if I were her?”

crooked branchTitle: The Crooked Branch

Author: Jeanine Cummins

Received: From Penguin

Synopsis: From the national bestselling and highly acclaimed author of The Outside Boy comes the deeply moving story of two mothers—witty, self-deprecating Majella, who is shocked by her entry into motherhood in modern-day New York, and her ancestor, tough and terrified Ginny Doyle, whose battles are more fundamental: she must keep her young family alive during Ireland’s Great Famine.

After the birth of her daughter Emma, the usually resilient Majella finds herself feeling isolated and exhausted. Then, at her childhood home in Queens, Majella discovers the diary of her maternal ancestor Ginny—and is shocked to read a story of murder in her family history.

With the famine upon her, Ginny Doyle fled from Ireland to America, but not all of her family made it. What happened during those harrowing years, and why does Ginny call herself a killer? Is Majella genetically fated to be a bad mother, despite the fierce tenderness she feels for her baby? Determined to uncover the truth of her heritage and her own identity, Majella sets out to explore Ginny’s past—and discovers surprising truths about her family and ultimately, herself.

jane austenTitle: Jane Austen’s Guide to Thrift

Author: Kathleen Anderson & Susan Jones

Received: From Penguin

Synopsis: Embrace your inner Jane and find a new way of life in thrift! Jane Austen knew that wealth and grandeur had little to do with happiness, and that fashionable new dresses and reticules to impress Mr. Darcy simply were not the path to fulfillment—especially when one accrues debt in the process. It’s as true today as it was then . . .

Whether you have a fortune or not, you’re well advised to make the most of your income—and save for your future. Now, using the timeless wisdom and example of Jane Austen’s memorable heroines, this book offers everything the modern lady needs to know about:

*Clever investing

*Keeping up appearances on a budget

*Giving and receiving graciously

*Finding treasures at flea markets and church rummage sales

*Planning a party that only looks extravagant

*And more

Jane Austen’s Guide to Thrift shows how to make your circumstances significantly less reduced, and how to live a life of elegent economy and joyful generosity—whether you’ve as much as Emma Woodhouse or as little as Miss Bates.

pretendTitle: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

Author: Jenny Lawson

Received: From Penguin

Synopsis: Includes a new chapter!

When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father and a morbidly eccentric childhood. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame-spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it.

In the irreverent Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson’s long-suffering husband and sweet daughter help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments—the ones we want to pretend never happened—are the very same moments that make us the people we are today. For every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the dark, disturbing, yet wonderful moments of our lives.

Title: The Blasphemy Box

Author: Mandy Behbehani

Received: From Mandy Behbehani

Synopsis: “You know that nightmare you’ve always had? The one where you wake up one day to find yourself fat, frumpy, fifty and alone? I’m living it.”

Maddy Nelson has an idyllic existence: a handsome husband, great kids, a comfortable, affluent lifestyle. One morning soon after she turns fifty, however, she wakes up in her San Francisco home to find her husband Steven announcing that he’s leaving her for a woman half her age. And a third of her size.

Ouch!

Feeling totally unmoored and grieving for her married life and husband, Maddy finds herself thrust into an unfamiliar and uncomfortable world of middle-aged singledom. There, she must come to terms with her situation and embark on her new life: divorce proceedings, single parenting, internet dating, and trying to earn a living. It’s enough to drive her over the brink. To help her cope, she shares her struggles in a smart, wry blog named The Blasphemy Box, after her ex-husband’s obnoxious habit of having her drop a quarter into a wooden box every time she said something off color. Her madcap middle-aged adventures find her devoted readers who identify with her challenges.

In time, Maddy recreates herself and finds happiness in the arms of a good man, and a fulfilling new career as a novelist.
In Sara’s Mailbox:

the last telegramTitle: The Last Telegram

Author: Liz Trenow

Received: Nicole @ Source Books

Synopsis: We all make mistakes. Some we can fix.
But what happens when we can’t?

Decades ago, as Nazi planes dominated the sky, Lily Verner made a terrible choice. She’s tried to forget, but now an unexpected event pulls her back to the 1940s British countryside. She finds herself remembering the brilliant colors of the silk she helped to weave at her family’s mill, the relentless pressure of the worsening war, and the kind of heartbreaking loss that stops time.

In this evocative novel of love and consequences, Lily finally confronts the disastrous decision that has haunted her all these years. The Last Telegram uncovers the surprising truth about how the stories we weave about our lives are threaded with truth, guilt, and forgiveness.

March 24, 2013
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