Chick Lit Goddess

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Books

Zanna Mackenzie

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About author, Zanna Mackenzie:  Zanna Mackenzie lives in the East Midlands in the UK with her husband, 4 dogs, a vegetable patch that’s home to far too many weeds and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read.

Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is her ‘day job’ but, at every opportunity, she can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel she’s working on. She loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot!

Formerly a travel agent and therapist (she has qualifications in clinical aromatherapy, crystal healing, naturopathic nutrition and herbalism) she loves walking the dogs and gardening – that’s when she’s not writing or reading!

INTERVIEW

How would you describe your writing style?  Mostly light hearted; comedy and romance in a modern style.

People would be surprised to know that you…:  Ooohhh… I don’t know! Erm, let me think. How about, that I’m a meteorology geek! I’ve always been fascinated by weather and weather forecasting. When I was about ten I had a proper Stevenson screen (a white box to house equipment and keep direct sun off it) and took detailed temperature, humidity, rainfall, barometric readings every day. These days I have an electronic mini weather station in the garden which automatically transmits temperature (current, plus max and min) humidity, air pressure etc to a small display device in the kitchen. It’s brill!

Writing makes you feel…:  Complete. I feel that it’s what I’m meant to do. If my day job keeps me away from writing for too long I get fidgety and desperate to get back to my current writing project.

What is your most prized possession?  Books. Lots of them! Oh, and a very tatty teddy bear that I was given when I was born by my parents. He’s very much worse for wear these days but then he is getting on a bit in bear years!!

Walk us through your writing process?  An idea out of nowhere, develop the plot outline, create characters with detailed bios, work more on the plot, filling in the details, ensuring that there is always something happening in the story, lots of plot points. Type up scene outlines in correct order, then start filling in the gaps. Ideas for scenes and dialogue pop into my head at all times of the day and night so I always have a notebook to hand, jot the details down, then type them up when I get chance. I would say most of my ‘creative’ writing goes on in my head all the time, rather than saying it is when I sit in front of a computer and do that side of things. If I’m on the computer then mostly I’m typing up stuff from my notebook rather than actually ‘writing’. After the first full draft of the book, the editing begins and goes on and on and on!

Hard/paperbacks or eBooks?  I would say paperbacks. I do have Kindle on my PC but I don’t have a proper portable Kindle, I’m still resisting that at the moment. I’m a bit of a traditionalist I guess and still prefer a ‘proper real’ book where possible rather than a virtual one.

Are any of your characters based upon people you know?  No. They just evolve in my head. I have an idea of the type of person I want for my book, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and this shapes them the most. Then I choose a zodiac/star sign which suits them (for this I always use a great book written specially for writers creating characters and wanting personality info for star signs) and this shapes them a bit more. Then I ‘interview’ the characters about their car, home, clothes, family, education etc and eventually end up with a full bio for each character – it’s great fun!

What are you reading right now?  Two books. An old book by Christina Jones called Stealing The Show, and Salmon Fishing In The Yemen by Paul Torday. I recently saw the film of this book and loved it so I thought I’d now read the book.

Who or what inspires you?  I don’t know! Ideas just hit me out of everywhere and nowhere!

How has the social media helped your career?  I confess I’m not a big social media person so I only got into all that side of things for my writing. Since I got my two publishing deals though I have found Facebook to be invaluable. I’m in several closed author groups and everyone helps each other out with promotions on blogs, advice, plot feedback, support and encouragement. It’s been great.

If you could say something to your favorite author what would it be?  I love your books!

Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects?  I number my books as it is then easier for me to keep track, so my current works in progress (WIP) are books 4 and 5. Book 4 is written and is now at editing stage. It’s a contemporary romance set in Derbyshire’s Peak District and centres on the inhabitants of a village which is a mecca for extreme sports enthusiasts. The main characters are Faith who owns and runs a coffee shop in the village, and Zane who co-owns an outdoor sports centre with business partner Matt. It’s about the complex and developing relationships for each of them. Book 5 has a scene outline of about 40,000 words in place and I now need to go back through it and ‘fill in the gaps’ adding in the detail. It is set in Scotland and London and is about the negative side of fame and how it impacts on relationships.

BOOK FEATURE

HowDoYouSpellLoveCoverPic**Blurb of “How Do You Spell Love”:

Make A Wish…

Kat can’t help wishing there was more to life than this. What happened to her dream job? What happened with Nathan?

Summer is wondering where her life is going too… battling the developers of a controversial housing estate and working out why boyfriend Rob is increasingly distant.

When the developers win the battle and move into town everyone’s life is turned upside down.

Kat meets building site project manager Alex. She enjoys his company far too much, even though he’s on the town’s most hated list.

Summer meets Tom who has plenty of relationship troubles of his own, so things could get really complicated.

Soon everyone is keeping secrets, lives change and hearts are broken. Is everything falling apart, or does life just work in mysterious ways…

CHAPTER 1

Kat pushed the last of the cottage cheese and shrimp sandwiches into the cool box and slammed the van door shut. As if her life wasn’t enough of a disaster zone as it was – no money, lousy job, losing Nathan, having to move back home to live with her parents – now this had to go and happen.

Cringing as a van full of builders stopped at the nearby traffic lights, Kat braced herself for the inevitable. After the standard-issue wolf whistles had drifted across from their van, next came the leered, “Wouldn’t argue with that, love!” as one of them nodded towards her sparkling clean van, parked neatly at the curb. The words “A Bit of Crumpet on the Road” emblazoned down the side in deep purple, glittery lettering. Not for the first time Kat cursed her boss Janice for calling her bakery-cum-deli that name.

Kat sighed, well it certainly drew comments from the public and from their customers, not always welcome ones, but as Janice was always keen to point out, any kind of publicity and attention was, in her eyes, good publicity and attention.

Pulling her navy and white striped apron more tightly around her T-shirt and shorts, Kat ignored the builders and climbed into her van to begin that morning’s deliveries. As she indicated to pull out into the busy street in Luisborough, she mulled over the bad news – that she was to add the controversial Netherton Meadows housing development to her daily sandwich round.

Netherton Meadows. Yippee. If Summer found out, she’d surely be ostracised for fraternising with the environmental enemy. This was a development that pretty much everyone in Luisborough had fought against for getting on towards a year. It had been the focus of STW campaigns. It went against everything that Kat believed in environmental-wise. Everyone hated the Netherton Meadows developers. Except, it seemed, Janice, who was perfectly happy to, in her words, ‘supply yummy builders with yummy sandwiches.’

Lost in thought, Kat just managed to spot the approaching traffic lights had turned to red and hastily slammed a foot on the brake. The van lurched to a halt and several boxes of crisps and one of the cool boxes in the back tipped over. It was shaping up to be one of those days.

Two hours later Kat had visited all her usual drops, was extremely hot and bothered, and could put off going to Netherton Meadows no longer.

Driving through the assorted vans, machinery and portacabins Kat parked next to a building marked as being the Site Office and hit the button on the dashboard. Tinkling chimes filled the air as Kat climbed from the driver’s seat and made to open the back doors of the vehicle. It was embarrassing enough that the van had the company name in large lettering along its side but, just to make sure that it received maximum exposure – and achieved maximum embarrassment – Janice had had some irritating chimes fitted to the vehicle too. Kat was under strict instructions to sound the chimes when she called at all of the sites where people came out to the van; such as they were about to at Netherton Meadows.

A man came down the steps of the office with a grin on his face and walked towards her. “Hi, you must be Kat.” He wedged a clipboard under his left arm and offered a hand to shake. “I’m Alex. Project manager for the site.”

“Hi,” mumbled Kat, spotting a group of hard-hat-clad builders advancing towards her with hungry expressions on their faces.

“Right, lads,” Alex turned towards the men. “This is Kat and she’s very kindly agreed to venture onto this site to bring you all your lunch. Don’t give her any hassle, OK?”

The men laughed and then nodded. “Sure, Alex. You’re the boss.”

Fifteen minutes later it seemed that all of the team at the development had made their sandwich, crisp and drink selections and sloped off to devour them in the sunshine. Only one of the builders, a portly man who must have been twenty years Kat’s senior, had pushed the boundaries a little, despite Alex’s earlier warning. As he’d selected a smoked salmon and cream cheese roll – a choice that had surprised Kat somewhat, having pegged him as a ham and cheese kind of guy – he’d asked Kat if she’d fancy joining him for a drink sometime. She’d politely declined his offer, saying that she had a boyfriend. No need to tell him that, technically, she and Nathan were no longer an item. No need to tell him why either.

**Contact Zanna!:  Zanna Mackenzie   Zanna Mackenzie – Blogspot   Facebook   Goodreads   Twitter

Tall, Dark and Kilted

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Book Blurb of “Tall, Dark and Kilted”

Fliss Bagshawe longs for a passport out of Pimlico where she works as a holistic therapist. After attending a party in Notting Hill she loses her job and with it the dream of being her own boss. She’s offered the chance to take over a failing therapy centre, but there’s a catch. The centre lies five hundred miles north in Wester Ross, Scotland.

Fliss’s romantic view of the highlands populated by Men in Kilts is shattered when she has an upclose and personal encounter with the Laird of Kinloch Mara, Ruairi Urquhart. He’s determined to pull the plug on the business, bring his eccentric family to heel and eject undesirables from his estate – starting with Fliss. Facing the dole queue once more Fliss resolves to make sexy, infuriating Ruairi revise his unflattering opinion of her, turn the therapy centre around and sort out his dysfunctional family.

Can Fliss tame the Monarch of the Glen and find the happiness she deserves? Read Tall, Dark and Kilted and find out !

Chapter One

The music hit Fliss as she rounded the corner of Elgin Crescent, Notting Hill. The sugared almond pink and yellow houses were almost vibrating in the late May evening as I Predict a Riot blasted out from an open window half way down the street. Her stomach flipped over with a mixture of excitement and nerves as she acknowledged the Kaiser Chiefs were bang on message.

It was going to be that kind of night. That kind of party.

She gazed wide-eyed at the grand houses and the expensive cars parked in front of them. It wasn’t every day she was invited to this exclusive postcode. In fact, she was more likely to be found passively inhaling her friends’ cigarette smoke over shared laughter, gossip and Mojitos outside her favourite pub in Pimlico than hanging with the Notting Hill set.

But, tonight was different. If she read Isla Urquhart’s invitation correctly, she was about to be made an offer she couldn’t refuse. One which would whisk her away from her poorly paid job at Pimlico Pamperers therapy centre and propel her towards . . . well, if not stardom exactly, then something more promising than the long hours and low wages which were currently her lot.

She drew near the Urquharts’ house where Isla was holding court at the top of the stone steps. Ranged below her on the pavement were two Police Community Support Officers and a group of angry neighbours. The butterflies, which had been performing loop the loops in her stomach all the way up from the station, slipped on black opaque tights and hard shoes and broke into Riverdance.

‘We won’t ask you again Miss, turn that music down.’

Isla insolently flicked cigarette ash in the PCSO’s direction, but in spite of her defiant stance she looked openly relieved to see Fliss coming along the street. ‘You tell them Fliss. They won’t listen to me.’

‘Tell them what exactly?’ Sensing a Mexican standoff developing, Fliss readied herself to push through the cordon of police and neighbours, bundle Isla indoors and get down to the serious matter of discussing the proposal Isla had mentioned a couple of days earlier.

‘About Mumma – Being – In – India.’ Isla enunciated slowly, putting an exaggerated stress on each word.

Quickly realising what was required of her, Fliss said smoothly, ‘She’s at an ashram in India, officer – Jaipur to be precise – having her chakras freed. Won’t be home for weeks. Would you like the number?’ With all the aplomb of an Oscar winning actress she slipped easily into role, scrolling through her mobile phone and then pausing. ‘But, with the time difference and various treatments I really can’t see her coming to the phone.’

Clearly, she’d said the right thing because she was summoned to stand on the top step. And for a moment she felt chosen, special and it didn’t seem to matter that she was a poorly paid holistic therapist and Isla a Notting Hill trustafarian with money to burn. They were friends, in this together and that’s all that mattered.

‘She’s probably posted a notice on Facebook. The Crescent will be swamped with rioters and the gardens trashed by hoodies,’ one neighbour persisted, clearly underwhelmed by the PCSO’s performance.

At that moment, the Ministry of Sound medley blaring through the open window ended and a blissful silence descended on Elgin Crescent. Everyone drew breath, the policemen and neighbours made as if to walk away – then the music resumed and Johnny Rotten informed everyone he was an anarchist.

This, apparently, was a groove too far for Isla’s neighbour.

‘That’s it; I’m calling your brother . . .’

For a moment, Isla’s poise wavered and the colour drained from her cheeks. Fliss wondered what kind of man had the power to dent the thick armour of her self-belief where a visit from the police had no effect. But she wasn’t allowed time for further reflection because Isla was back with a vengeance.

‘Ruairi’s too busy to bother himself with the likes of you. Anyway, chillax – we’re moving into the communal gardens.’ She waved a queenly hand at them.

‘Those gardens are for residents!’ a second neighbour spluttered.

‘And the Urquharts have lived here longer than any of you,’ she said, looking down her aristocratic nose at them. The police officers exchanged a let’s-get-this-over-with look and moved in.

‘Right. That’s enough! You,’ the elder officer addressed Fliss, ‘take her indoors. Close the window and turn down the music. Or this party will be over quicker than you can say: injunction.’

Seizing the Get Out of Jail Free card, Fliss dragged Isla over the threshold and slammed the front door behind her. She stood with her back pressed against its reassuring solidity as Isla, predictably without a word of thanks, sauntered off towards the back of the house where – judging by the noise, the party was in full swing.

At that moment, Fliss remembered her best friend and fellow therapist at Pimlico Pamperers had nicknamed Isla and her sister Cat: The Spawn of Satan, and resolved to proceed with caution. Longing for a quiet place to marshal her thoughts and make some sense of why she’d been invited here tonight, Fliss made her way towards the cloakroom.

As she did so, the motto on a t-shirt she’d seen at Camden Locks Market flashed into mind: If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch. Maybe that was the point of her being here – to determine if she was poodle or Rottweiler; worthy of inclusion in Isla’s posse, or not. She knew Isla collected friends irrespective of class or upbringing, provided they were amusing – or, as she suspected was more likely in her case – could be of use to her.

Although just what service she could render the honourable Miss Isla Urquhart wasn’t immediately obvious.

She tried to shake off the feeling of disquiet, of being out of her comfort zone that accompanied her along the shadowy hallway. How could she fit into Cat and Isla’s world? They had a trust fund to smooth their path and make life pleasant, whereas all she had to look forward to for the next forty years was work, work, and more work.

The very thought made her head ache.

But just for tonight, she was going to allow herself to imagine what might happen if Fate – maybe in the unlikely form of Isla Urquhart – intervened and sent some good karma her way. She pulled a face and took a reality check – there was little hope of that happening. Hard work would get her out of her rented flat in Pimlico; not Fate, karma or a knight in shining Armani. And, for the record, knights in armour – designer or otherwise – had been thin on the ground of late.

She headed towards a door screened by a thick curtain embroidered with appliquéd elephants and tiny, tarnished silver mirrors. She tried the door, but it was locked. One of Isla’s friends was probably in there snorting illegal substances, she thought annoyed, while she was standing cross-legged, desperate to use the loo. She gave the door a kick and rapped on it with her knuckles in an attempt to hurry up the occupant.

‘Give us a minute, will ya?’ came back a voice that was more Chelmsford than Chelsea.

This was followed by a thump, the sound of breaking glass and hyena-like laughter. The key turned, the curtain was pulled back and peering round the door with a broken mirror in her hand and looking guilty as hell, was her best friend Becky Casterton.

LizzieLamb2**Contact Lizzie:  Website   Blog   Facebook – Lizzie Lamb   Facebook – New Romantics   Twitter – Lizzie Lamb   Twitter – The New Romantics 4

**Click HERE to buy “Tall, Dark and Kilted”!

**Additional comments by Lizzie:  After an inspiring talk by a well published author I decided to form my own publishing group The New Romantics 4 with three other writers and we self published our books autumn 2012. It’s been hard work but we’ve never looked back. Read more about us and our route to publication on our blog (above).

BongoManinKiltHere’s a picture of Lizzy’s husband wearing a kilt and holding her book!

Field of Schemes

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Book review of “Field of Schemes”

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“Field of Schemes” by Jennifer Coburn

Book Description:

Let the games begin! Newly widowed Claire Emmett leaves Los Angeles so she and her eleven-year-old daughter, Rachel, can have a fresh start in the picture-perfect suburb of Santa Bella, California. But the simple, quiet life she seeks is nowhere to be found in the town where soccer is king and parents are far, far too involved in children’s sports. When Rachel is scouted for an elite travel team, Claire is sucked into a world of high drama, backstabbing and deceit. The team manager plots a Wall Street-style hostile takeover. Parents sabotage players, serve as sports agents, and trade sexual favors for playtime. Off the field, Claire must navigate the brave new world of the suburbs and build a life that doesn’t revolve around kids’ sports. Nothing is simple in Santa Bella, though. Claire’s neighbor is an outrageous flirt. She stumbles upon some dark secrets and unwittingly becomes the target of a very powerful enemy. As Rachel’s team moves to the State Cup championship, Claire must develop a game plan of her own. It’s time for her to fight back and show her daughter what it means to be a soccer mom who plays to win when it matters most.

My Review:

I was excited to receive a copy of “Field of Schemes” because I’m a huge fan of Jennifer Coburn.  She has the ability to create wonderful and funny characters who you won’t forget, and Claire in “Field of Schemes” was no different.  Being a recent widow and single mother, I felt sorry for her and was curious as to see how she handled her daughter playing soccer.

While I never played sports, my brother played soccer as a kid, and I remember seeing how parents can be when it comes to wanting to be the best team.  The actions of a few soccer parents was very well written, especially the soccer dads.  Without giving any spoilers, Claire’s attraction for her next-door neighbor intrigued me, and liked who she ended up with, though thought the ending came on a little too fast for them .  I wondered also what Rachel thought of her mom’s new relationship.  I would have liked to have seen a little more interaction between Claire and her daughter, but thought that she was doing the best she could.  My favorite parts were the conversations between Claire and her mother-in-law.

Some parts in this book I felt lagged “Field of Schemes” was a good book.  I’m not a mom, but if you’re looking for a cute mom-lit you would enjoy “Field of Schemes.”

I give this book 3 1/2 stars.

Sarka-Jonae Miller

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About author Saraka-Jonae Miller:  Sárka-Jonae is a novelist and a health and fitness writer. She has more than 4,000 articles published online and in print, and is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Before writing full-time, Sárka-Jonae was a personal fitness trainer and massage therapist. In her free time, Sárka-Jonae likes to do flash mobs and find her way into music video shoots. She has appeared in the Michael Jackson videos “Hold My Hand” with Akon and “Hollywood Tonight.” She also practices kung fu and yoga.

Sárka-Jonae is an avid traveler. She has visited Costa Rica, Canada, England, Mexico, and Paradise Island. She has also been to France and Thailand researching her next books.

She lives in San Diego with two cats and two dogs, all rescues. She is a huge animal lover and has been vegan for 14 years, ever since she learned of the horrific torture that factory farms inflict on defenseless farm animals.

GUEST INTERVIEW

Describe your writing style in one word:  Hilarious

Who or what inspires you?  Reading good books, books that make me laugh or learn a universal truth, inspires me the most.

How did you come up with the title of your book, “Between Boyfriends?”  I always thought the expression “between jobs” was funny. When I was thinking about the relationship status of my character, I realized that “single” didn’t quite fit. She lived her life attached to someone or between boyfriends.

What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?  S

What is a typical day like for you?  Write almost all day, eat a little while writing more, and if I’m lucky have some free time to read.

Hard/paperback or eBooks?  I love eBooks. I always said I preferred hard books until I got an ereader.

What about writing do you love the most?  Writing something that I know will entertain people.

You’ve traveled for research of you book, what was the experience like?  I traveled to research my next book, the sequel to Between Boyfriends. I went to Thailand for a month and loved it. Then, I went back for another month and loved it even more.

What is your favorite quote?  “Write drunk. Edit sober.”

If you weren’t a writer what would you be?  An editor. I do love editing.

What, so far, has been the most memorable achievement in your career?  Getting to #3 on Amazon’s humor best seller lists for humor books and humor ebooks was pretty exciting. Getting asked to submit my manuscript for publication with a small press was pretty exciting too. I’m still waiting to hear back from them.

Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects?  Absolutely! I’m hard at work on the Between Boyfriends sequel. Jan, my main character, visits Thailand to learn Thai massage at the world famous Wat Pho in Bangko, the birthplace of Thai massage. She gets a chance to experience being truly alone, which is difficult but also an incredible opportunity to continue growing as a person.

***

BetweenBoyfriendsCoverPic**Blurb about “Between Boyfriends”:

At first glance, twenty-one-year-old Jan Weston has it all: a gorgeous boyfriend, fun friends, and wealthy parents who take care of all those pesky credit card bills.

Then her boyfriend dumps her, her friendships fall apart, and her parents cut her off. Suddenly without money, without a man, and without a plan, it’s time for Jan to grow up. Determined to get her life back on track, Jan decides it’s time to make it on her own. Can she find her way as a single lady in San Diego?

Can she fix her friendships, her job prospects, and her hair? And can she keep her vow that she’ll never date again, even after she meets a guy who just might be perfect for her?

BETWEEN BOYFRIENDS is a sexy, hilarious story of living life, finding love, and growing up… but not necessarily in that order.

**Contact Sarka:  Blog   Website   Facebook   Twitter

Double Click

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Book review of “Double Click”

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“Double Click” by Lisa Becker

Book Description:

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.

My Review:

I was very excited to receive a copy of “Double Click.”  I missed these characters, so it was nice to get reacquainted with them.  One thing I love most about this book is the format.  When I read “Click: An Online Love Story” (read my review HERE) it was different to read a book of emails, but I found it to be a quick read, and “Double Click” was no different.  Lisa Becker’s characters are so well written that I found myself skipping over the “to” and “from” parts to read the emails, immediately knowing who they were to and who they were from.  The characters are funny and witty, and it’s easy to see that they, even some don’t get along, are a tight-knitted group of friends.

I really don’t want to give anything away, but here are just a few quick comments about how I feel what happens to the characters in “Double Click”:

  • Renee: Love her!  I love how she’s always there for her friends.  As for her relationship with Ethan, I thought it was sweet, but there was something about Ethan’s character that made me think he wasn’t working all the time, but in the end…nope, I can’t spoil it for you, I was happy with how her part of the story ended.  (You’ll know that I mean when you read the book.  😉
  • Mark:  LOL!  Oh, Mark!  He’s seems to be the calm one in the group, but when he begins dating a certain someone who loves cats, chaos erupts, but he handles it very well.  With Mark’s ending, I was kind of surprised, but wish him the best for his future.
  • Shelly!  She’s so awesome, and in many ways, she’s a lot like me.  I was shocked that she changed a lot in this book, but for the better.  While she’s still the friend who’s sarcastic and doesn’t hold anything back, she did this time…Way to go, Shelly!
  • Ashley: Wow!  She experiences a lot of changes in her life and at times I felt sorry for her, but she’s still true to her heart and her family and friends.

Lisa Becker has done it again!  “Double Click” was a fast and wonderful read with unforgettable characters, and it answers lingering questions.

If you’re looking for a funny Chick Lit to read while at the beach this summer, I highly recommend this book!

I give “Double Click” 4 stars!

Lilian Roberts

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About author, Lilian Roberts:  Lilian was born the second of two daughters in Athens, Greece. She came to the U.S. to study during the amazing years of the late 1960s and early 70s. This was a time without personal computers, Internet, e-mail, iPads, and iPhones. The U.S. was deeply involved in the Vietnam War, and the anti-war student protests turned bloody and violent spreading across colleges and university campuses. It was a time of patched and embroidered blue jeans, tie-dyed fabrics, wet t-shirt contests, Woodstock, mood rings, pot, and hot pants.

College, marriage, the corporate world, and a beloved daughter kept Lilian’s writing on the back burner for many years. It wasn’t until later on in life that she decided to sit in front of the computer and finally put her thoughts on paper.

Lilian lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is blessed with a wonderful and supportive family, and circle of friends who have encouraged her along the way and have tremendous faith in her journey.

INTERVIEW

You knew you were a writer when…:  I knew I wanted to be a writer from a very young age. I kept a diary and noted everything that happened in my life and in the world around me. This was not just keeping a diary, this was a real obsession on my part. The crazy thing is that I wrote every day, and now I have drawers of diaries that have been dormant for years. I loved reading, and I bought books, a lot of books and worried that I will never find the time to read them all, so I took speed reading and I was pleased to find out that most of the time I could get through a book in one day.

What was the writing/editing/publishing process like for you?  The writing was easy. I knew what I wanted to write about and how I wanted to say it. The editing however was an eye opener. I found out that the manuscript was too familiar to me and no matter how many times I looked at it, I skipped over a lot of errors. I found a good editor that looked at the ms with a fresh eye and made significant revisions to the content. Self publishing was quite easy.

Sweet or salty?  Sweet

Who or what inspires your writing?  My mother knew how much I loved to write. I preferred to stay home and write or read even as a young girl. I set writing as one of my life’s goals, but other priorities climbed to the top of the list. My mother kept reminding me not to give up and to keep after my dream because nobody was going to make it come true, but me.

How has the social media helped your career?  Social media helped me find several people that have become quite important in my life. I have received great advise from  successful authors. I have found great proofreaders and editors that make it easy to get a clean manuscript and get it published. Social media has given me a way to advertise my book to many people that might want to read it, and has provided me with useful feedback.

How did you celebrate your first book being published?  My first book was published on my husband’s birthday and our daughter was visiting from out of town with her husband. When the book arrived from Amazon I cried. I was happy but I was also sad. I had just lost my mother and she never got to see my dream come true. It was an inexplicable mixture of emotions.

What are you reading right now?  I am reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson.

Where would be your ideal writing location?  In the south of France by the ocean.

How do you come up with the title of your books?  I write the book first, and then I pick the title to fit the emotion related to content.

What must a writer have with them at all times?  Paper and pencil, or anything that would work as a note pad.

If you could meet any other author who would it be?  Jane Austen

Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects?  I am working on the Immortal Rapture series. I have written 9 books but I have only published 3. I am working on cleaning up the other books and have them published later this year and next year. I have also started working on a historical romance novel. from Amazon I cried. I was happy but I was also sad. I had just lost my mother and she never got to see my dream come true. It was an inexplicable mixture of emotions.

**Contact Lilian!:  Website   Facebook   Twitter

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Tear Stained Beaches

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Tear Stained Beaches by Courtney Giardina

Book blurb:  Haylie Julian wants nothing more than to put her crumbling marriage back together. Chase used to be a fun-loving, light hearted husband who had lately become an overworked attorney obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder.  It isn’t long before Haylie starts waking up next to a man she barely knows. His secretive phone calls and late nights at the office leave her feeling alone and afraid of what he might be hiding.  Ignoring his continuous pleas to just leave well enough alone, she continues to dig for answers and discovers a heartbreaking truth.

Struggling with what she has just learned, Haylie sets off to a quaint little North Carolina beach town to decide if her marriage can survive. It isn’t long after she arrives that her world is once again turned upside down as Chase’s secret stares her right in the face.

Tear Stained Beaches explores what happens when a marriage isn’t the happily-ever-after you thought it was. Can trust be rebuilt? Can a wife forgive the ultimate betrayal?

*****

Preface

I’m not sure what it was that night. Lying in bed tossing and turning, I wasn’t able to sleep. My head was spinning with all sorts of thoughts, and my heart raced at the very fact any one of them could be true. He had been texting often lately; much more than ever before. His phone never seemed to leave his side and you could see the panic on his face every time it was within my grasp. His business trips became more frequent. Yes, work was busy, but how often does a lawyer need to travel when they’re only licensed to practice in one state?

I kept telling myself that I was being paranoid, that he wasn’t like my exes. After all, he wasn’t the high school boyfriend who shattered my heart into pieces; he was my husband of five years. The most trusting man I had ever met. There’s no way the man who proposed in a quaint little bed and breakfast, after drawing me a bath and ordering in room service, would do anything to intentionally hurt me. I must have been crazy to think that.

I tried my best to smile and drew the covers up to my chin, telling myself to relax. He was just a dedicated working-man. A man who worked hard for the house we had, the life we lived and the luxury cars that sat in the driveway.

I closed my eyes, and our Jamaican honeymoon came to life. What an amazing time we had that week. It rained for most of it, but those were the best parts. No one was hogging the Jacuzzi when it was pouring, so we saw our chance and took it. Hell, we were wet anyway, so the rain didn’t bother us. I actually found it romantic. Every evening, at sunset, we headed down to the deserted end of the beach and took pictures of the starfish that hung close to shore. The last memory before falling asleep was of myself: bright orange starfish in hand, turning my head toward the camera, smiling and in love.

It was almost two in the morning when I woke to the door squeaking open. I kept my eyes closed, listening to him move around in the darkness. After a few moments, he lifted the covers to crawl in. He nudged closer to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. I took a deep breath and paused. My eyes shot open as a tear slowly rolled down my cheek. I stared straight ahead, careful not to move and betray that I was awake. A shiver ran up my arm where his hand rested. I lay there, staring into space, my gaze lingering, almost as intense as the smell of her perfume.

Chapter 1

I let the tear fall onto my pillow. He’d never come home with the smell of perfume before. Nor had he ever been out past midnight. Where could he have possibly been until two in the morning? I refused to move, I couldn’t let him see me like this. There was no way I could explain myself, and throwing around accusations when I had nothing to back it up seemed useless. I listened to the clock tick for what seemed like hours. Actually I’m pretty sure it was. I was making myself sick just thinking about what he would say in the morning. Was he really out with just a friend? Or was there another woman? What did she look like and did she know about me? Was she taller than me, skinnier than me, prettier than me? My head was spinning. This was not happening. There’s no way that my husband was having an affair. He knew how strongly I felt about adultery. The mere thought of it made my skin crawl.

I told myself I was being ridiculous, that I was overreacting. But now, now I didn’t know anything anymore. Never before had I woken in the middle of the night to roll over and find my husband not there, only to have him stumble in the early morning hours.  The second hand seemed to move slower and slower. Every time I thought I’d actually been able to sleep, I’d look at the clock and not even five minutes would have passed. I lay there, wide-awake, in his arms, praying quietly that my intuition was just out of whack. It was every wife’s worst nightmare. The one thing they all fear, and it was possible I was living in the middle of it.

I’m not sure what time it was when I finally fell asleep, but I jumped up at the sound of the alarm clock at 7am. He slowly unwrapped his arm from me and reached over to turn it off. Even with his lack of a full-night’s sleep, Chase had no problem waking up. I, on the other hand, was completely exhausted. My eyes were so heavy; I kept them closed as long as I could. Begging for just a few extra seconds back of the sleep I’d lost.

“Good morning beautiful,” he said.

I rolled over onto my back and smiled. When I finally opened my eyes, his were looking back at me. I wanted to cry. Thinking of those eyes looking at any one else the way they looked at me broke my heart. He kissed my forehead and rolled out of bed, grabbing his cell phone from the night stand before heading into the bathroom to get ready.

“Late night huh?” I asked.

“Very late, sorry about that. Alex called me when I was finished with my meeting. Said he needed to talk. I guess he’s having some trouble at home. So we went out to Happy Jack’s for a couple drinks and just got carried away. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“I think I heard your car pull in, but must have fallen asleep before you even came in,” I lied.

I tried to push all the awful thoughts to the back of my mind. After all, it is possible there was a simple answer to the perfume, and he really could have gotten caught up in an innocent conversation with a friend. I know it’s happened to me when I’ve gone out with my girlfriends. Time just gets away from you. At least that’s what I kept telling myself as I watched him button up his blue striped shirt and khaki shorts.

“Going golfing I presume?”

“You know me so well.” He laughed as he walked over, leaned in and kissed me goodbye. I watched him walk out the door.

There was no way I was going back to bed, so I headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast. I pulled the frying pan out of the cupboard under the island and lit up the gas cook top to make an omelet. Once the eggs started to cook, my mind wandered. I could see her vividly; a ghost made real by my insecurity. She was blond, tall, with hazel eyes. Then, my height, about  5’3” with the same short brown curly hair I had. It wasn’t that I thought I wasn’t attractive enough for Chase, but if he was really having an affair, there must be something I was lacking. Maybe she liked to talk about football or cars. Maybe she could make him laugh more than I did. Was she better in bed? I probably could’ve driven myself crazy thinking of scenarios. My poor omelet received the brunt of my frustration as these thoughts pummeled my mind. I used the spatula to poke it to death. It didn’t really matter anyway; at that point I had lost my appetite. I banged the frying pan on the side of the trash can and let the eggs fall in.

There was only one thing in life that could calm me down in moments like this: running. I used the alone time on the open road to clear my head. Now seemed like a good time to find some tranquility, so I dressed in my workout gear and headed out the door. The music on my iPhone was turned up, but I couldn’t drown out the horrible thoughts that screamed in my head. I ran fast, pushed hard. Not because I was running towards anything; I was running away. Away from a life that had become so intertwined with doubt that I didn’t know what truth I could hold onto anymore. I felt the sun graze my face as I sped further and further from it all. The only negative part about running was that at some point I knew I’d have to stop. I’d have to turn around and go back. And whatever troubles had haunted me when I left, would be waiting upon my return.

*****

CourtneyGiardinaPic**About author, Courtney Giardina:  Courtney Giardina has always had a creative streak and a wild imagination. She has been fascinated by writing and the entertainment industry since she was a kid. Courtney grew up dancing, cheerleading and playing piano before she turned to writing as her creative outlet.  She won an award for her writing in elementary school and wrote countless poems, songs and short stories.

Courtney was born and raised just outside of Rochester, NY. In 2012, she moved to Charlotte, NC and has been focusing on finally doing all the things she said she would do “someday.”  After making a New Year’s Resolution in 2012 to write her first novel, Courtney completed Tear Stained Beaches after 9 months of long nights and wearing out the delete button on her keyboard. It was published by Take Two Publishing in February 2013. She has also started acting and has appeared in 3 short films in the Charlotte, NC area. She has a passion for health and fitness and enjoys living a very healthy lifestyle.

**Contact Courtney:

Website   Facebook   Twitter

  • **Buy “Teared Stained Beaches” on Amazon!

Mary Elizabeth Coen

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About author, Mary Elizabeth Coen:  First of all I’m Irish born and bred, apart from spending the greater part of my first two years living in London, of which I remember little.

Though I always dreamed of being a writer, I took a rather circuitous route to getting here. You could say I have had several incarnations in this lifetime from Home Economics teacher to Fashion Editor of a magazine, along with being mother to my three wonderful children, Mark, Janet and Emily. Due to demand from clients I opened my own pr consultancy firm specializing in fashion; – the dream job for a fashionista, availing of great discounts on wonderful shoes and vintage clothing!

Sadly it was not meant to last, as my health deteriorated in 2004 and as a result, work had to take a back seat. I became interested in holistic medicine, personal development and writing in an attempt to cope with my diagnosis of fibromyalgia. In the process, I developed a passion for mythology, philosophy and the study of ancient spiritual traditions. As a spiritual seeker, I’ve travelled to Mayan sites in Mexico, visited a famous healer’s ashram in Brazil and undertook a shamanic journey through Peru. I am also a trained bio-energy therapist and have my Grandfather’s ability to channel healing for others.  I love to dance, walk in nature and cook for family and friends.

Mary runs a website called Goddess MECA which stands for Mary Elizabeth Coen Assists the Goddess in everywoman through sharing her love of cookery fashion and mythology.

GUEST INTERVIEW

Describe your writing style in five words:  Descriptive, chatty, informal, informative and fast paced

Coffee or tea?  Tea – herbal when I’m health conscious!

What inspired the idea for your book, “Love and the Goddesses”?  The idea for my novel from a few different sources; – firstly I wished to write an inspirational novel, easy to read and with wisdom woven through.

My personal obsession with the Greek myth of the triple goddess was a driving force along with healing journeys I had undertaken through Brazil and Peru. Listening to friends gossiping about dating gave me the idea of employing the names of the three goddesses as online usernames for my protagonist Kate’s dating exploits.

People would be surprised to know that you…:  I am an energy healer. My grandfather was a very powerful healer and when I got sick I explored alternative therapies, finding to my surprise I had inherited his gift.

What was the most difficult part of the writing/editing/publishing process and how did you overcome it?  A structural edit requires endless concentration and is less creative. I had to stay up late several nights in a row in order to keep my train of thought.

Who would you have play the characters in your book if it were turned into a movie?  Jennifer Garner would be great as Kate. Simon Baker as Geoff and Deborah Messing as Ella.

Walk us through what it’s like in a day of your life:  On a typical day, I get up around 7.45 and call my daughter, get breakfast and drive her to school around 8.50.

Afterwards I drive to Coole Park, former homeland of Lady Gregory and now open to the public. Weather permitting, I will walk for 40 minutes and spend at least 20 minutes in meditation by the lake.

On the way home I will pick up the daily groceries.

11a.m. I sit down with a cup of tea to check my emails and make phone calls.

12.30 I have a light lunch.

1.30 to 3.30; This is my time for writing.

4.00: – I collect my daughter from school.

After that the day is quiet broken and varies quiet a bit depending on what I have scheduled in.

Some days I may have to go to the nearest city or visit Dublin.

On other days, I will do healing sessions for clients in the morning and write in the afternoon.

What is your favorite quote?  “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Where is your favorite place to write?  In the Summer time I love to write in the gardens of Coole Park, a nearby beauty spot, frequented by Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Synge and Douglas Hyde.

How has social media helped you in your career?  Social media certainly helps promote books to an international audience.

Hard/paperback or eBooks?  Paperback and eBook

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?  My next novel is set in the fashion world – one I am familiar with from my time as a fashion Editor and public relations consultant.

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Contact Mary!:

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**Buy “Love & the Goddesses” on Amazon!

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Jenn Flynn-Shon

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GUEST POST by JENN FLYNN-SHON

Creating Romantic Suspense: How to Bring Romance and Suspense Together

Think about the last romantic comedy (RomCom) you watched or read. Funny, light, uplifting and despite the very bad thing that happens between them, the girl usually always gets the boy in the end. Now, consider a favorite thriller be it in print or on the screen. Dark, tense and fraught with danger the main character sometimes dodges death several times before the end. What could these seemingly different genres have in common?

While some might scoff and say there’s nothing similar about a RomCom and a Thriller I beg to differ. Both of these genres use drama and tension to capture the essence of the heart of the main characters. As a writer of Romantic Suspense – a genre that blends Romance and Suspense seamlessly – I had to find an effective way to incorporate both. So how did I achieve it? I used the drama within the storyline of the main characters to turn the genres into ideal bedfellows. Pun intended.

Let’s first look at RomCom but remove Comedy from the equation so all that’s left is the Romance. In Romance there is always a grand and sweeping love story and something over the top occurs which pushes characters worlds apart yet forces them together. This is done as a device so they can discover what they really wanted all along was to be together. Most of the time Romance has a happily ever after (HEA) ending with the lead characters riding off into the sunset. But HEA sunset rides are a stark difference to how a thriller might end.

Because of this I had to remove the scariest parts of thriller but keep a healthy dose of tension while my main characters were on the run in my novella Reckless Abandon. By taking out the chilling edge of a thriller, but maintaining its frenetic pace, you’ll come away with Suspense. This was the exact feeling I was going for – chase scenes, tracking clues to solve a mystery and dangerous moments which thrust my main characters Shaw and JJ closer together.

Did I mention that JJ was Shaw’s first love? Someone she was engaged to over twenty years ago but hasn’t seen since she left him behind in Phoenix to pursue a Writing career in New York City?

A pair like this with bitter feelings for the past but who have grown in leaps and bounds over two decades are suddenly tossed into close quarters on a potentially life-threatening manhunt across the country. This story is ripe for a little residual romance to bubble up to the emotionally heightened surface.

The trick is how to balance the propulsion of the plot – the suspense – with the obvious attraction without them ending up making out in every other scene. Because that wouldn’t be real enough to be believable. Oh, did I also mention that Shaw is married and that the manhunt is to find her missing husband, Danny?

Right there is where tension comes into play in Reckless Abandon. When morality and ethics meet the place where the heart and head are divided is exactly how to keep Shaw and JJ together yet apart. He’s spiteful over her leaving so long ago but it isn’t a feeling he’s held onto over the years, it’s only something that hits him upon seeing her again. She’s nervous to call him but after witnessing a murder in her home – of a cop no less! – she suspects dirty police involvement in her husband’s disappearance and JJ is a Private Investigator who can help her in her desperate time of need. He’s the only one she can really trust.

I think it helped the believability of the growing fondness between Shaw and JJ that they had history. They were already intimately familiar with each other from years prior and that established the attraction no matter how hard they tried to deny it to each other or themselves. And being forced into life-threatening danger heightens emotions. In this case, all of their feelings are intensified.

So the real question is – do Shaw and JJ give in to the mounting sense of urgency to consummate the attraction that’s increasing between them or do they find Danny before they have the chance?

JennFlynn-ShonPicAbout author, Jenn Flynn-Shon

Hi, my name is Jenn Flynn-Shon and I’m the Author of two books (Ripple the Twine, Reckless Abandon), a Chapbook (Trying for the Moon), multiple Zines, and Randomness and Lunacy (a digital-journal blog).

I’ve been writing since age eleven and began penning fiction by age thirteen. My first publication was a poem published under a pen name in Bop Magazine in 1989. Since then I’ve had articles and interviews published online and in print.

I’m a two-time winning participant in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) (2009, 2010), an active member of the Scottsdale Society of Women Writers and Arizona Authors Association.

When I make time to relax I love to hang out with my husband at our home in Phoenix, AZ, explore the country on road trips, watch my Boston sports teams, share laughs with friends and family, and read everything from blogs to novels. I make a point to write daily, and I’m a shameless self-promoter.

**Buy “Reckless Abandon” on Amazon!

**Contact Jenn!:  Blog   Jenn Flynn-Shon on Amazon   Ripple the Twine   Writesy   Facebook   Goodreads   Twitter

**Click HERE to check out other stops on Jenn’s Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours!