Blog Tour Sign Up: Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh by Timothe …
Timothe will be on tour in February with his adult contemporary novel Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh. I am looking for book bloggers to post reviews, guest posts,…
On Tour: Miss Kane’s Christmas by Caroline Mickelson
Caroline will be on tour November 18-December 9 with her novel Miss Kane’s Christmas With Christmas only three days away, Carol Claus agrees to her father’s…
Book Review: The Theory of Opposites by Allison Winn Scotch
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
What happens when you think you have it all, and then suddenly it’s taken away?
Willa Chandler-Golden’s father changed the world with his self-help bestseller, Is It Really Your Choice? Why Your Entire Life May Be Out of Your Control. Millions of devoted fans now find solace in his notion that everything happens for a reason. Though Willa isn’t entirely convinced of her father’s theories, she readily admits that the universe has delivered her a solid life: a reliable husband, a fast-paced career. Sure there are hiccups – negative pregnancy tests, embattled siblings – but this is what the universe has brought, and life, if she doesn’t think about it too much, is wonderful.
Then her (evidently not-so-reliable) husband proposes this: a two-month break. Two months to see if they can’t live their lives without each other. And before Willa can sort out destiny and fate and what it all means, she’s axed from her job, her 12 year-old nephew Nicky moves in, her ex-boyfriend finds her on Facebook, and her best friend Vanessa lands a gig writing for Dare You!, the hottest new reality TV show. And then Vanessa lures Willa into dares of her own – dares that run counter to her father’s theories of fate, dares that might change everything…but only if Willa is brave enough to stop listening to the universe and instead aim for the stars.
Review:
I am a big fan of Allison Winn Scotch, and I was crazy curious to read her latest title. Allison recently made the decision to go from traditionally published to self-published, so of course my interest was even higher for her new offering. I was pleased that the same writing and same inspiration from her characters is there. She does a great job at giving readers a meaty story and forcing us to ask ourselves some of the same questions she is asking her characters. I connected with Willa immediately, though I have to say I never really liked her husband Shawn. Her story was interesting and pretty intense, thanks in part to her “break” from marriage, meeting back up with an ex, going on a reality show, and her insane family – seriously, they are crazy! I highly recommend you check this author out if you haven’t yet!
4 stars
Author Interview: Rebekah Ruth
When did you know writing was for you?
I’ve always been a lover of stories. One of my favorite childhood memories is when my mom would tuck me in at night and make up a story on the spot. Sometimes, she asked me to fill in the details and we always ended up with a grand adventure. That love of story stayed with me and caused me to be a voracious fiction reader. But I love fiction so much that I was actually afraid to try my hand at it, in case I bombed. It took pushing past that fear to write my first book. I honestly wasn’t sure if writing was for me until I finished that first book. Now, I’m hooked!
How would you describe your books?
Currently, my favorite thing to write is a love story with chops. A story that speaks to people in some way, that helps us understand ourselves, those around us or God a little better. But it’s tied up in a really pretty package (the love story) that keeps us interested. That’s what my first book, Where the Pink Houses, is. And the second in that series is the same kind of story but with different themes and characters. In this one, they travel to Africa, which is a place that’s very close to my heart. I’m excited to tell some of the story of the people there.
Why was Where the Pink Houses Are, a book you wanted to write?
I wanted to tell a story about people who are flawed and make mistakes (because we all are and do) but who learn to be more real about who they are. Shame thrives in secrecy and I think so many people are walking around wounded because they are afraid to open up to anyone about what their struggles are. Where the Pink Houses Are is a story about taking the messiness of life and turning it into something beautiful.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Finding time! I’m convinced if I could lock myself into a cabin somewhere I could write a book start to finish. I don’t usually struggle with writers block. It’s more like a struggle with life getting in the way of writing. “Really? You want dinner again? I just fed you yesterday!”
I have four kids and a husband who works from 1pm-12am. So, I am the sole getter-upper, lunch-maker, taxi-driver, sports-attender, dinner-maker, most of the time. But as my kids are a little older now (the youngest is 9) I’m finding it easier to schedule solid blocks of time for writing each week. But they still insist on being fed several times a day. The nerve.
What are your favorite genres to read?
I love Fantasy (Tolkien, CS Lewis, etc.). Getting lost in a different world is a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon. I also love Historical Fiction/Romance and Modern Romance/ChickLit. What can I say…I’m a sucker for a good romance.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
I want people to know that no one has made too many mistakes or is too far gone that they can’t find forgiveness, healing and a new way of life. So much of our personal stories are unwritten yet and regardless of what the written chapters look like, we can decide what each chapter holds from this day forward.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
I think social media is not only important but I think it’s a wonderful asset to authors. Have you ever finished a book and thought, “I wonder why the author wrote it that way.” Or, “I wish I could ask the author about ____.”
Well, years ago, there was no real way for readers and authors to connect. But with social media, the world is a much smaller place and connections happen every day. Technology, in general, has made my job better. I attend a number of book clubs every year as a guest author, but I can only travel so far and still be mom and wife. So, I have been able to Skype book clubs around the world. I would never have had the opportunity to chat with readers in Great Britain or Nebraska or anywhere else outside my area, without the advances in technology.
Most importantly, I love it that my readers can contact me on Facebook or on my blog and I can answer their questions or even get their feedback for future stories.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
It probably sounds cliché, but write, write, write! The more you do it the better you will become. And don’t just write in your journal. Join a writer’s group and get other people reading and critiquing your work. It’s scary, and sometimes painful, to have someone else edit what you’ve labored over, but there is extreme value in collaboration…seeing things through someone else’s eyes.
Also, read, read, read. I do not have a degree in literature. I am not a trained writer. But I have been reading fiction for so long that I believe that was my most important writing teacher. I know what works and what doesn’t because I’ve been immersed in fiction for as long as I can remember.
So the fact that I could write a novel that ended up being listed on Kirkus Indie’s Best of 2012 List as one of the top five in the Romance/Chick Lit category, without having any official training as a writer…I can only attribute to some good instincts and lots of reading.
(A couple other questions that you can use if you wish…)
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
By far, my favorite thing and the thing that surprised me most, is when the characters take on a life of their own. I am not an outline kind of girl. I just don’t think that way. I liken my writing process to getting driving directions online. I can put in my destination and a couple stops along the way, but I still have multiple options of which routes to take. When I write a story, I know some of the points I want to stop at along the way. And I hopefully have a good idea of the end point. But so many times, I’ve sat down to write a scene one way and the characters say or do things that I don’t expect and I end up adjusting my “course” as a result. I love that.
What is the best advice you’ve received on writing fiction?
I had the idea for my story for years but never knew how to start. Then I heard a successful writer say that she always writes her favorite scene first. That unlocked it for me. I started with a scene where my two lead characters meet and went backward and forward from there…finishing the first draft in just a few months.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve heard from readers?
Truly, all feedback is appreciated. But my favorite thing to hear is, “I couldn’t put it down.” My favorite stories are ones that keep me saying, “Just one more chapter…” so to hear that my book has that effect on someone is the ultimate compliment. (And when they say that in an Amazon review, it’s that much sweeter!)
A few links that I’d love to have available to your readers:
My blog- Rebekah Ruth Rambles www.rebekahruthbooks.com
Kirkus’ Starred Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rebekah-ruth/where-pink-houses-are/
Amazon Kindle Edition of Where the Pink Houses Are (many reviews are available there): http://www.amazon.com/Where-Pink-Houses-Are-ebook/dp/B006K8XPYO/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
New Releases: November 2013
November New Releases
To me November marks the end of the harvest season and the approach of winter. In other words, it’s starting to get very chilly! So, I’m grateful that there are some wonderful (and in some cases long) books coming out this month that I can curl up with and savor after a big Thanksgiving dinner.
The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan – November 5, 2013. This novel is the latest sweeping epic by the NYT bestselling author, Amy Tam. It’s the story of a mother and daughter. In 1897 Lucia is a young American who falls for a Chinese painter and abandons her home for the intriguing and mysterious world of old Shanghai. At sixteen she makes some disastrous choices, which lead her to the life of a Madam. Fifteen years later, during the fall of the Ching dynasty, she loses her daughter Violet in a cruel act of clever manipulation. Violet is forced to become a “virgin courtesan.” Both woman experience betrayal and heartbreak, but refuse to submit to society’s expectations. Tan is expert at writing about the intricacies of the mother daughter relationship and this story, which spans forty years and two continents, will take the reader on an amazing journey.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Marie Landry – November 5, 2013. Christmas isn’t always a wonderful time of year, especially for those who’ve lost a loved one. In the first few years after her grandmother’s death, Ginny Bailey bravely went through the holiday motions. When she finds out she’ll be alone this Christmas, she gives up the cheerful pretense. To add to her bah humbug spirit, everything in her life starts to go wrong – until Dean comes back into her life. Maybe Christmas can be wonderful again?
Wish Upon a Star by Trisha Ashley – November 7, 2013. The theme of this holiday story is the miracle that Christmas can bring. Cally is a young single mom, who doesn’t have time for love. When her young daughter Stella gets sick, she must move in with her mother to save money for surgery. All Cally wants for Christmas is a healthy child. Then the charming Jago shows up offering her hope of a different kind. Can Cally also look forward to the gift of love under her Christmas tree this year?
The Theory of Opposites by Allison Winn Scotch – November 12, 2013. Allison Winn Scotch is one of my favorite authors, so I’m very excited about her new book, a story about fate and destiny. Willa Chandler-Golden has what most would consider a good life – a great job, loving husband and a father who changed the world. Her dad wrote a best-selling self-help book that sold the notion that everything happens for a reason. Willa isn’t so sure about her dad’s theory, especially with her ever present negative pregnancy tests. When things begin to really fall apart for Willa, she finds herself on a totally different path. Can Willa tempt fate and be brave enough to change her life?
The Runaway Wife by Rowan Coleman – November 12, 2013. This is the story of a Rose, a woman who escapes her abusive husband by running away to the Lake District in England, where she seeks shelter at a small bed & breakfast. What led her there was the kindness of a stranger, whom she met long ago. Will this connection, which has sustained her, still be there? The beautiful surroundings, a nosy innkeeper and her charming son give Rose the hope to reach out to her estranged father. Can she continue to chase a dream or will she decide to face the reality in her heart?
Merry & Bright – Chick Lit Holiday Anthology – November 15, 2013. Sip your eggnog, linger under the mistletoe, and make a Christmas wish. Merry & Bright brings you six tales of Christmas cheer, featuring stories of budding romances, Southern charm, lost loves, heaps of humor, and lots of pie by authors Isabella Louise Anderson, Cindy Arora, Laura Chapman, Lauren Clark, Libby Mercer, and Nancy Scrofano. From sunny Los Angeles to the Rocky Mountains to the Deep South, Merry & Bright will take you on a heartwarming adventure you’ll love to visit again and again. Wrap yourself in holiday mirth and prepare to be swept off your feet.
The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani – November 26, 2013. We wrap up the month with another family saga that spans continents. This is the third novel in Trigiani’s Valentine trilogy. Designer shoemaker Valentine is about to marry her tanner, Giancarlo, a handsome Italian who is twenty years her senior. He’s also the grandson of her grandmother’s new husband, which is complicated and probably a bit dysfunctional. Valentine tries to balance her work and private life, all the while opening a shoe factory in Brooklyn, and preparing to give birth to her first child. Giancarlo on the other hand, has very different ideas about their future – he envisions a quiet life in Tuscany. Choices, choices!
Future Tour: The Champagne Diet by Cara Alwill Leyba
Cara will be on tour December 3o-January 6 with her novel The Champagne Diet This book is for the woman who wants to feel good about…
On Tour: Zoey & The Moment of Zen by Cat Lavoie
Cat will be on tour November 18-December 9 with her novel Zoey & The Moment of Zen When coffee shop owner Zoey Everwood takes her obsession…
Book Review: Dollface by Renee Rosen
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
America in the 1920s was a country alive with the wild fun of jazz, speakeasies, and a new kind of woman—the flapper.
Vera Abramowitz is determined to leave her gritty childhood behind and live a more exciting life, one that her mother never dreamed of. Bobbing her hair and showing her knees, the lipsticked beauty dazzles, doing the Charleston in nightclubs and earning the nickname “Dollface.”
As the ultimate flapper, Vera captures the attention of two high rollers, a handsome nightclub owner and a sexy gambler. On their arms, she gains entrée into a world filled with bootleg bourbon, wailing jazz, and money to burn. She thinks her biggest problem is choosing between them until the truth comes out. Her two lovers are really mobsters from rival gangs during Chicago’s infamous Beer Wars, a battle Al Capone refuses to lose.
The heady life she’s living is an illusion resting on a bedrock of crime and violence unlike anything the country has ever seen before. When the good times come to an end, Vera becomes entangled in everything from bootlegging to murder. And as men from both gangs fall around her, Vera must put together the pieces of her shattered life, as Chicago hurtles toward one of the most infamous days in its history, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
Review:
How I do love me a good ‘20’s era read! Dollface was one I was impatiently waiting for, eager to get this read, and I loved it! 1920’s, flappers, gangsters, speakeasies…all of some of my favorite things. I loved that the writing was able to transport me back in time, and feel as though I was seeing Capone from across the bar and that my husband was a dangerous gangster. Following Vera was breathtaking and felt so authentic. The characters and descriptions were researched and getting a history lesson while reading is a favorite of mine. If you like historical fiction or are a fan of this era like me, read this one!
4.5 stars
Book Review: A Medical Affair by Anne McCarthy Strauss
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
While under the care of her pulmonologist after a life-threatening asthma attack, Heather Morrison enters into an affair with her doctor. This affair violates the state’s code of conduct and his medical treatment violates the Hippocratic oath. Heather’s life is shattered as a result. After the doctor terminates the relationship, Heather begins research for her own healing, and armed with this information, she initiates a civil lawsuit. Although it is a work of fiction, A Medical Affair was extensively researched. A Medical Affair is a critical book for women who want to make educated decisions regarding their relationships with their doctors.
Review:
When I first started reading this one, I’ll be honest – I wasn’t quite sure I would like it very much. I didn’t understand Heather’s attraction to Jeff. It just seemed too fast to me – she goes to the hospital and two visits later she’s having sex with her doctor on the exam table even though she knows he’s married. It seemed too rushed to me and I struggled to connect with the story at that point. I will say when we moved past that part and into the meat of the story, I highly enjoyed it. It seemed fast-paced, it was complex, and it was interesting. I was holding my breath when it came to parts of the lawsuit and especially during the parts about her pending adoption. But then…the ending I didn’t love. It was fast and almost rushed again and I felt a little cheated out of a resolution. I actually had to go back and re-read parts to help me understand what happened. I can appreciate that the author tried to show how patients can rely on their doctors so quickly and start unhealthy relationships, but I think it came too late for me. If I skipped over how fast the affair started and how little care Heather seemed to have about sleeping with a married man, I think I would have enjoyed this story a lot more, and maybe not have minded the fast ending. One last point – I wasn’t sure I understood why certain POV’s came in at the end, with Heather’s lawyer and a reporter. They didn’t quite fit with the story. Other than my critiques, it’s an interesting book that touched on a subject I didn’t know a lot about and I hope more people will become informed on this topic!
3 stars
