December 20, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Book Tour Hark: A Christmas Collection (short stories) by Justin Bog

Title: Hark: A Christmas Collection

Author: Justin Bog

Genre: Fiction, Short Stories, Festive

Release date: November 14th, 2014

Publisher: Booktrope

Length: 134 pages

Book Description: A beautifully written collection of short stories from critically acclaimed Pacific Northwest writer Justin Bog, Hark explores the range of emotions surrounding the holidays. From melancholy to madness, loss and despair to hope and forgiveness, these six tales shimmer with feelings, some we’d rather stuff away, that Christmas can evoke.

Set in colorful locations around the United States, from Anacortes, Washington, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Sun Valley, Idaho, each tale focuses on people who struggle to make good choices, learn lessons, and maybe even find peace during the holiday season.

A bonus story, Poseidon Eyes, from Booktrope’s upcoming reissue of Sandcastle and Other Stories—The Complete Edition, is included.

Author Bio

Justin Bog lives in the Pacific Northwest on Fidalgo Island. Justin Bog was Pop Culture Correspondent and Editor for In Classic Style. He enjoys cooking, lawn mowing not so much, and spends time walking and handing out treats to two long coat German shepherds, Zippy and Kipling, and two barn cats, Ajax The Gray and Eartha Kitt’n.

Follow Justin Online:

Justin Bog A Writer’s Life Blog: www.justinbog.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JustinBog1

Twitter: @JustinBog

Purchase links

Amazon US

Amazon UK

December 17, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Review Round Up December ’14

Hi readers, we hope that you’re Christmas preparations are going well and that you are not too stressed with all of the arrangements, shopping and wrapping to do! Here is the last Review Round Up of 2014! As usual, there are quite a few genres with the fourteen books that we have reviewed, and we do hope that they pique your interest. (For the full review please click on the titles.)

You may be pleased to hear that we will both be doing our Top Reads of 2014 over the holidays. We have had the pleasure of reading many great reads and look forward to sharing them!

Enjoy!

Caroline & Tina ❤

Invasion Earth (Delroi Connection #1) by Loribelle Hunt, erotic/sci-fi romance (reviewed by Tina)

In the distant future, Earth has been ravaged by war and famine, and after generations of bloodshed settles into peace only to be invaded by the alien Delroi. General Alrik Torfa needs a mate and his seers promise mates for many of his people on the distant planet Earth. He doesn’t expect her to come easily, but is more than a little surprised to find her leading an enemy army. Outmanned and outgunned, there is no way the Earth forces can win.Sergeant Major Laney Bradford has always played her part and served her people well, but the demands of the Delroi’s surrender are a bit extreme. Marriage? To one of them? Not likely. But she’s fought for peace her entire life and when surrender talks are threatened by a conspiracy led by her people, Laney must choose. Will she submit to the alien invader or lead the fight against him?

Entropy by Robert Raker, dark crime drama, thriller suspense (reviewed by Caroline)

When a series of child abductions and murders disrupt the life of an economically blighted community, the consequences have far-reaching implications. The brutal crimes take a different toll on a disparate group of individuals; the scuba diver who retrieves the children’s bodies; the disfigured cellist who thinks he knows who’s responsible; the undercover federal agent; and the mother of one of the victim’s.
United in a situation not of their choosing, they are forced to take a deep, introspective look into their intersected, yet isolated lives.

To Avenge Her Highland Warrior (Highland Fae Chronicles #3) by Samantha Holt, historical romance, fantasy (reviewed by Tina)

Lorna lost everything to war. Her home, her wealth… her lover. And now she wants revenge. When her hasty plan throws her at the mercy of her enemy’s men, she holds little hope of returning to her kin and fears death is around the corner. But could her salvation lie in the arms of her dark captor? Logan has little time to be dealing with a stubborn noble woman. His orders are to prepare for war. His laird—the man he owes his life to—intends to join forces with the Norse and bring a battle to Scotland that will see the fate of the country forever changed. Scarred, and with no memory of his past, Logan is determined to forge a new future for himself as well as prove his loyalty to the laird. But the beautiful lass has him questioning his previous life and his goals. When she starts claiming he once loved her, he knows he’s being manipulated and she’s taking advantage of his memory loss. So why is it so hard to resist the idea of having once been her lover? With the threat of impending war—a battle that promises to bring slaughter to her family—can Lorna persuade Logan to believe her, and is the bitter man he’s become even worth saving? Whatever the outcome of the battle, a certain interfering faery is resolved to see fate back on its correct path. And that means forcing Lorna and Logan together—no matter their differences.

Cold Call by Colin Llewelyn Chapman, dark crime drama, thriller (reviewed by Caroline)

Wealthy entrepreneur Robin Bradford had it all – the house, the cars, the fine dining – and he lost it all. All except Lizzie, his perfect, loving girlfriend. Down on his luck and with no immediate prospects in business, Robin’s energies found another outlet, Just a little something spicy to bide his time until his financial world recovered, leading him down a very seedy path, onto a very rocky road. Time however was all he had, and all he was going to get.

Due to violence, drug references and sexual content, readers are recommended to be of 18yrs+.

Bend, Don’t Break (Irrevocable #2) by Skye Callahan, dark erotic romance (reviewed by Tina)

I thought I was done.
my End
I couldn’t take my eyes off her as the bullet tore through me, leaving me with nothing but the hope that I had done enough to save her. The darkness tried to engulf me—to brand me as its own and drag me to my fate.
my Darkness
Waking to see her tear-stained face above me was enough to make my heart stutter. I was alive and free from that place—but not from the toll it had taken on my mind and body.
my Strength
My story should have ended, but one woman kept standing in the way of that. The only way I could have her was to find a way to put the darkness to rest.

Boots Beneath My Bed (Miranda’s Story) (Duty & Desire #4) by C.J. Pinard, contemporary military romance, romantic comedy, chick-lit (reviewed by Caroline)

Miranda Cates finally graduates from college and is excited to begin her dream career in law enforcement. After the final betrayal and heartbreak of her college boyfriend, Chris, she moves back home with a firm plan in place for her life.

However, the life she has carefully mapped out for herself takes a serious left turn. Miranda finds she not only has to be strong for herself, but for the daughter who hadn’t been part of her plan.

Determined to still believe in true love, life throws Miranda one more wicked curveball. She meets Jace Lawless, a hot minor league baseball player, whose warm aqua eyes and big dimple have her unraveling her carefully laid plans. A man who may be just be too good to be true.

Boots Beneath My Bed (Miranda’s Story) is book 3 in the Duty & Desire series, and while it is recommended to read the books in order, it’s not necessary.

An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson, contemporary romantic comedy (reviewed by Caroline)

In the heart of the windy season, four friends are about to get swept off their feet…

Newly single after a bruising divorce, Juliet Miller moves into a place of her own and advertises for a flatmate, little believing that, in her mid-thirties, she’ll find anyone suitable. Then, just as she’s about to give up hope, along comes self-employed copywriter Floz, and the two women hit it off straight away.

When Juliet’s gentle giant of a twin brother, Guy, meets Floz, he falls head over heels. But, as hard as he tries to charm her, his foot seems to be permanently in his mouth. Meanwhile, Guy’s best friend Steve has always had a secret crush on Juliet – one which could not be more unrequited if it tried…

As Floz and Juliet’s friendship deepens, and Floz becomes a part of the Miller family, can Guy turn her affection for them into something more – into love for him? And what will happen to Steve’s heart when Juliet eventually catches the eye of Piers – the man of her dreams?

Apartment 2B by K. Webster, Adult contemporary paranormal romance (reviewed by Tina)

Sidney has a rough life. Her mom is incredibly abusive both mentally and physically. One day, she’s awarded the escape she’s always wanted and thrust into a world she barely understands. Each day is a struggle to feel human and not terrified of everything around her.

Sidney has rules. Routines. Structure. It’s the only way she can cope

When a handsome, yet mysterious stranger inserts himself into her life, Sidney begins to come apart at the seams. She’s having trouble sticking to her habits and it’s threatening to shred any hope of a normal life to pieces. Will this stranger help her in ways no other person can, or will things get worse for her?

He comes with his own set of problems and secrets he’s unwilling to share. Will they work together through the mess of their pasts or will they get caught up enabling each other? Will their toxic relationship ultimately be destined for demise?

Mist Unveiled (Elemental Desire #1) by Nancy Corrigan, erotic paranormal romance (reviewed by Tina)

Cat has one love in her life—science. Facts rule her, not passion. At least it doesn’t until an unknown deadly virus claims her sister’s life. Cat’s quest for answers takes her to Greenland and drops her into the arms of the one man who sways her devotion from logic to passion. Rune stirs her lusts, ignites her desires and fuels her carnal cravings, but he isn’t simply a lover, nor is he human. He’s a weapon, one that has the potential to save or destroy her.

Rune, a child of the mist, awakens into a world hovering on the verge of destruction. Rising temperatures have released his enemies from their frozen prison without his knowledge. He searches for them but finds Cat, a human with the power to save him and the world. He hungers for her—blood, body and soul. Every moment of shared passion convinces him of the truth—she’s his greatest treasure, one he’ll die to keep.

Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives (Virginia #1, Lana #2 & Nella #3) by Rhian Cahill, Cate Ellink & Cathleen Ross, erotica (reviewed by Tina)

Cool, collected, confident – those who know Virginia in her personal and professional life would never expect to find her in Boyd’s, a bar across town from her circle of friends and socialite world. But Boyd’s offers her something she can’t get among her rarefied acquaintances: sex. Rough, hard, mind-blowing, anonymous sex. In her casual clothes, she’s no one important. Incognito, unnoticed by everyone except one: the bartender who knows her drink order – and would like to know a whole lot more.

Lana by Cate Ellink: Lana lives her life by her own rules – and she has very few. What she wants, she goes for, and she very rarely fails. So when a young, handsome waiter at her favourite restaurant catches her eye, she has no hesitation in asking him to escort her home. But one night of passion opens up exciting new possibilities, and a chance for Lana to enact one of her deepest, most illicit fantasies.

Nella by Cathleen Ross: Nella is one hundred percent in control of her life – all aspects of her life. She excels at knowing what everyone needs, and in meeting those needs. So when it comes to her husband, Michael, and his deepest desires and most fundamental requirements, she is committed, creative, and unswerving in her responsibilities. A strong man needs a strong woman, and Nella’s love is as strong as steel.

Cursed (Cursed trilogy #1) & Obsession (Cursed trilogy #2) by Georgina Hannan, young adult paranormal horror (reviewed by Caroline)

Cursed: Reality and Myths collide.
A young adult story about a group of four friends who embark on a holiday together to the gorgeous countryside of Dartmoor, Devon. Each of them hoping for an adventure, something they will always remember. However it isn’t long before they get what they want.

The group are plagued by noises after hearing the myths and legends of the area. Is it just their overactive imaginations or is there a visitor in the spare room who is trying to get their attention?

Join the group on a spectacular journey as they discover what Dartmoor has to offer.

Obsession: There’s a fine line between Obsession and Madness.

After a strange and exciting holiday, Daisy is looking forward to the new start University life will bring.

A life changing assignment makes her question the fine line between Obsession and Madness.

Can she tell the difference?
Can you?

Candy Cain (festive short story) by C.L. Scholey, hot, contemporary romance, festive (reviewed by Caroline)

Candy is on top of the world. She’s a high priced corporate lawyer with expensive cars, time on her hands, and money to burn. Although, she has no one to burn it on, except for a yearly ritual of buying toys and treats for the needy at Christmas time.

Cain is an egotistical enigma. A very deprived and hurting enigma, who feels wishes are for fools. A car accident leaves them stranded together, and the two have no choice but to warm each other’s cold bodies, lest they freeze to death.

As the temperature dips outside, the heat begins to sizzle inside. Candy and Cain, though worlds apart in society, begin to feel perhaps they have more in common than either could ever wish for.

Will they both discover the miracle of Christmas wishes isn’t just for the very young?

A Way From Heart to Heart by Helena Fairfax, contemporary romance (reviewed by Caroline)

After the death of her husband in Afghanistan, Kate Hemingway’s world collapses around her. Kate’s free time is spent with a charity for teenage girls, helping them mend their broken lives – which is ironic, since her own life is fractured beyond repair.

Reserved, ex-public school journalist Paul Farrell is everything Kate and her teenage charges aren’t. But when Paul agrees to help Kate with her charity, he makes a stunning revelation that changes everything.

But can Kate take a risk with her son’s happiness as well as her own?

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen, historical romance, religious (reviewed by Tina)

Believing herself guilty of a crime, Olivia Keene flees her home, eventually stumbling upon a grand estate where an elaborate celebration is in progress. But all is not as joyous as it seems. Lord Bradley has just learned a terrible secret, which, if exposed, will change his life forever. When he glimpses a figure on the grounds, he fears a spy or thief has overheard his devastating news. He is stunned to discover the intruder is a scrap of a woman with her throat badly injured. Fearing she will spread his secret, he gives the girl a post and confines her to his estate. As Olivia and Lord Bradley’s secrets catch up with them, will their hidden pasts ruin their hope of finding love?

December 16, 2014 by Tina Williams

RELEASE BLITZ ~ Christmas in the Cotswolds, by Jenny Kane

Super Seasonal Read

A seasonal easy read romance, Christmas in the Cotswolds is Jenny Kane’s festive sequel to Another Cup of Christmas. (It can also be read as a stand alone story.) (@JennyKaneAuthor)

Blurb

Izzie Spencer-Harris, owner of the Cotswold Art and Crafts Centre, is due to host the prestigious Cotswold Choir’s annual Christmas carol concert in her beautiful converted church. Or at least she was, until a storm smashed a hole right through the chancel roof.

Days from Christmas, Izzie suddenly finds herself up to her neck in DIY, with her last dodgy workman having walked off the job. She does the only thing she can … calls in her best friend Megan to help.

Leaving Peggy and Scott to run Pickwicks Café in her absence, Megan heads to the Cotswolds for Christmas. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself hunting down anyone willing to take on extra work so close to Christmas. It seems the only person available to help is Joseph Parker – a carpenter who, while admittedly gorgeous, seems to have ulterior motives for everything he does …

With Izzie’s bossy mother, Lady Spencer-Harris, causing her problems at every turn, an accident at work causing yet more delays, and the date for the concert drawing ever nearer, it’s going to take a lot more than Mrs Vickers’ powerful mulled wine to make sure everything is all right on the night …

Extract

Izzie closed her eyes and counted to ten as the door of the Cotswold Arts Centre slammed shut.

There was no point in panicking. She simply didn’t have time for such luxuries if her converted church was going to be ready to host a Christmas carol concert by the renowned Cotswold Choir in nine days’ time.

Bored of being propositioned by men who weren’t remotely interested in her until they discovered she was a daughter of the gentry, Izzie had ejected the carpenter through her front door before he’d quite had time to work out just how insulting her rejection of his latest lurid suggestion was.

Now, her hasty tongue having deprived her of a desperately needed pair of tradesman’s hands, Izzie sat with a heavy thump onto the nearest pew. She knew she had to find fresh help, and fast. A task that wouldn’t be easy so close to Christmas.

‘Although,’ Izzie addressed the image of Noah, who smiled benevolently at her from his stained-glass window, as if grateful he hadn’t been smashed to pieces by the tree branch that had come through the top of the chancel and caused so much seasonal inconvenience, ‘I’m damn sure I’m not asking my mother to help out ever again!’

Reaching for the offending package of invitations that had arrived by courier first thing that morning, Izzie emptied it onto the table. The invitations were supposed to have been posted by now. As soon as she’d seen them, Izzie understood why her mother had left them to the last minute.

Unfussy, cost-effective, and with a medieval Christmas flavour in keeping with the spirit of the converted fourteenth-century church where the concert was to be held. That’s what she’d asked for.

What she’d got was decadent Victorian-style gold-edged invitations which weighed so much, Izzie was sure that posting them alone would break the bank. And if that wasn’t bad enough, her mother had done the one thing that she had expressively forbidden. She’d put Izzie’s full name on the invitations.

Lady Perdita Spencer-Harris had been unable to comprehend why her daughter didn’t want to use the family name to help sales. She simply didn’t understand that Izzie wanted people to come to hear the choir for its own sake, or because they wanted to see what she’d done in her art centre; not because she was a young and single female member of the landed gentry.

Miss Isadora Spencer-Harris

cordially invites you to a magical festive evening at

The Cotswold Arts Centre, Chipping Swinton

to hear the renowned Cotswold Choir’s

Christmas Carol Concert

Saturday 21st December

7 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. start

£25 per ticket

Refreshments provided

RSVP by 18th December to Harris Park

Wrapping her stripy woollen scarf more tightly around her neck, Izzie breathed warm air over her cold fingers. Deciding it wasn’t cost effective to heat the church this late at night just for her, she gathered up the invitations, and with one last check that the polythene sheeting would keep the rest of her chancel roof in place overnight, Izzie headed home.

Izzie scooped up three Christmas cards from her doormat. A smile replaced her frown as she opened the first envelope to see a cartoon robin wishing her a Merry Christmas. Inside, beneath the seasonal greeting, her friend Megan had written Must meet up SOON! I’d love to see your new art centre.

‘Should I?’ Izzie was sure her dearest friend from college would help. Megan always helped. Izzie addressed the picture of the robin, ‘But won’t she be hugely busy at Pickwicks café this close to Christmas?’

Switching on her laptop, Izzie started to hunt for a replacement tradesman to help repair her church roof. Half an hour of searching later, and her quest was looking increasingly hopeless by the minute.

It was no good, if she wasn’t going to be forced to ask her parents to bail her out – which was an ‘over her dead body’ situation as far as Izzie was concerned – she needed alternative assistance. Izzie picked up her mobile before guilt at disturbing her friend’s life at Christmas overtook her.

‘Megan, thank goodness you’re there! How can I put this … help!’

Buy links

Amazon UK Amazon US

Bio

With a background in history and archaeology, Jenny Kane should really be sat in a dusty university library translating Medieval Latin criminal records, before writing research documents that hardly anyone would want to read. Instead, tucked away in the South West of England, Jenny Kane writes stories with one hand, while working for a Distance Learning Company with the other.

Jenny spends a large part of her time in the local coffee shops, where she creates her stories, including the novels Romancing Robin Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the best selling contemporary romance Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and the novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013) and Christmas in the Cotswolds, (Accent Press, 2014)

Jenny’s next full length novel, Abi’s House, will be published by Accent Press in 2015.

Jenny Kane is also the author of quirky children’s picture books There’s a Cow in the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Joe’s Letter (Coming soon from Hushpuppy)

Keep your eye on Jenny’s blog at www.jennykane.co.uk for more details.

Twitter – @JennyKaneAuthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JennyKaneRomance

Jenny Kane also writes erotica as Kay Jaybee. (www.kayjaybee.me.uk)

December 4, 2014 by Tina Williams

REVIEW Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives (Virginia #1, by Rhian Cahill, Lana #2, by Cate Ellink & Nella #3, by Cathleen Ross)

Indulge your Fantasies with the Sydney Elite!

Erotica – 18+/Adult Read

Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives, a series of short reads, each one giving us a snapshot of the adventures of a different member of a group of women from the City’s elite, is HOT stuff! The series is penned by some of Australia’s finest writers of erotic romance and erotica and each tale delves into the psyche of each female character, giving a no holds barred account of their sexual predilections and fantasies. Each scorching instalment can be read as a stand alone, but we also get a chance to meet the other characters throughout. I had the pleasure of receiving the first three reads in the series to review: Virginia, Lana and Nella. Read on for my thoughts… Tina ❤

Series Blurb

From the hottest writers in Australia comes a scintillating new series. Enter the world of Sydney’s elite, and find out what goes on behind the doors of the most exclusive addresses in the country…

Meet the Housewives of Sydney. They are wealthy, elegant, poised, and constantly in the public eye. But what goes on behind closed doors, in the private homes and parties where the cameras and paparazzi aren’t welcome? Delve into the most personal details of their relationships, their friendships and their lives. The only question is: can you handle the heat?

Virginia #1, by Rhian Cahill

Blurb

But Boyd’s offers her something she can’t get among her rarefied acquaintances: sex. Rough, hard, mind-blowing, anonymous sex.

In her casual clothes, she’s no one important. Incognito, unnoticed by everyone except one: the bartender who knows her drink order – and would like to know a whole lot more.

Escape Publishing Amazon US Amazon UK

My Review *****

Oh my oh my! This tale of the ice queen Virginia certainly gets this series off to a great start and introduces some of the other women who will each have a book of their own. I was frantically fanning myself as I read this as I loved the hero Carter. Carter has known Virginia for a couple of years and, as the bartender in her favourite bar, she has confided in him more than most. I ADORED the chemistry between then and also the fact that he does not judge her. He is determined to get her to open up and let him in, not just in a physical sense but in every way. He has his work cut out though as Virginia likes to keep her more intimate playmates at a distance and her secrets (of which she has a major one) close to her chest. Seeing who will prevail while the couple involve themselves in some mind blowing sex made this a fun and entertaining read for me and I am looking forward to reading more about them in future instalments..

Lana #2, by Cate Ellink

Blurb

Lana lives her life by her own rules – and she has very few. What she wants, she goes for, and she very rarely fails. So when a young, handsome waiter at her favourite restaurant catches her eye, she has no hesitation in asking him to escort her home.

But one night of passion opens up exciting new possibilities, and a chance for Lana to enact one of her deepest, most illicit fantasies.

Escape Publishing Amazon US Amazon UK

My Review *****

This is a fun and oh so sexy read: Lana is a cougar who knows exactly what she wants and is not afraid to pursue it and the younger men who can meet her desires. I loved the confidence that she has and the fact that she is keen to ensure that the men she enlists to give her pleasure go away as satisfied as she is. However, when she meets Tom, a waiter, she finds that he is willing to go to great lengths to indulge one of her fantasies, and Lana finds a new level of fulfilment in a mind blowing erotic scene – a scene that I for one have fantasised about!

Nella #3, by Cathleen Ross

Blurb

Nella is one hundred percent in control of her life – all aspects of her life. She excels at knowing what everyone needs, and in meeting those needs.

So when it comes to her husband, Michael, and his deepest desires and most fundamental requirements, she is committed, creative, and unswerving in her responsibilities. A strong man needs a strong woman, and Nella’s love is as strong as steel.

Escape Publishing Amazon US Amazon UK

My Review ****

Nella likes to control and this control extends to being in charge of meeting the needs of Michael, her husband. This read explores in delicious detail how Michael gains relief from his stressful career as a top executive through Nella’s loving dominance, as described in a wickedly sexy role play scene between them. As someone whose reads often explore the male as the dominant and the woman as the submissive this was a refreshing and somewhat challenging read for me, as it turns what I am used to reading on its head. What came across strongly in the read for me was how well it worked for this couple and how much Nella’s dominance freed him from his executive responsibilities.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

A copy of each of these short stories/novellas was given to me for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

November 13, 2014 by Caroline Barker

PROMO POST with Author Bio & Excerpt The Seventeen Commandments of Jimmy September by S. R. Wilsher

CRIME SUSPENSE THRILLER (Adult 18yrs+)

For those readers who love a contemporary crime suspense thriller adventure, we are excited to introduce you to THE SEVENTEEN COMMANDMENTS OF JIMMY SEPTEMBER by S.R. Wilsher. The reader’s discretion is advised and an 18yr+ reader is strongly recommended.

Title: The Seventeen Commandments of Jimmy September

Author: S.R. Wilsher

Release Date: December 2013

Genre: Thriller suspense/crime, contemporary, adventure

Length: 264 pages

Blurb:

Warlord, ‘General’ Jimmy September believes he is a great soldier and teacher, destined to lead his people to a better future. In order to fund an upcoming war, he kidnaps five multi-national aid workers from a refugee camp in West Africa.

When the governments of the nationals involved refuse to pay a ransom, Mark Samuel, finance director and father to one of the hostages, misappropriates three million sterling of company funds to secure his son’s release.

As he battles his way through a hostile environment and unhelpful officialdom, struggling to hold on to the money long enough to save his son, Mark Samuel discovers a reason to succeed more important than securing his own future.

Excerpt:

He noticed them the moment they stepped into the carriage. It wasn’t the clothes they wore, nor their age or skin colour, or even that they were noisy that drew his eye and kept it on them. It was the way they moved and the places where their hungry, agitated eyes settled.

It was early in the morning for the commuters clinging to the roof rails pretending not to notice the young men pushing past, late in the night for the edgy and chemically restless lads. Their voices were raised, their language coarse and threatening as they barged and glared. The uneven switching between laughter and abuse, unpredictable and irrational, created a palpable fear in the carriage.

The lead one was lean and rangy, stood in a way that made his teenage frame appear bigger, and with it was the sardonic half grin of a boy who thought of himself as more hunter than prey.

The first one was tugged back on his sleeve by the second youth, then the slightest of nods. The other two youths hung back by the doors. They were unsettled and twitchy, brought mildly to heel by the knowledge that they were still vulnerable to the rule of law.

The first two regarded their victim for the smallest of moments before stopping and separating. They positioned themselves either side of someone out of sight of the watching man.

Across the aisle of the bucketing carriage was a free length of rail, so he stepped across to see more clearly.

She was a young girl, no more than twenty with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Her clothes were clean, smart and new and on her lap was a large soft leather bag. She wore earphones connected to a mobile phone that preoccupied her.

He recognised their intention because he had nearly been like them; could pinpoint the day it had changed for him. The grazed knuckles and the terror he had put into someone else’s eyes had hollowed out his stomach and dumped from him the anger he had been toting for years.

That had been twenty-eight years ago and Mark Samuel was now forty-five. The boy he had once been had faded in his memory. Ruth always liked to claim she had saved him, but he’d already changed paths by the time he met her. She wouldn’t even have looked at his old self.

He wondered when it might happen and what he could do about it if it did: whether he was prepared to do anything when it did.

He did not consider himself a brave man, not in the same way that he had felt indestructible when he was their age. Yet he would have choked on the label of coward. If he’d been forced to choose one word to describe himself, and through his life he had tried many for size, he had reluctantly come to realise that there was only one that fitted properly now. He had become a careful man.

He had a careful job in a careful part of the world and had enjoyed a careful marriage that he had always imagined would take him through to a careful old age. Or he had at least until nine months ago when he and Ruth had agreed, with very little heat from his side, that they had gone as far as they were likely to ever go in their marriage and they had arranged their own careful divorce. He hadn’t wanted it, but neither had he worked very hard to avoid it.

The girl had put her mobile back into her bag and was looking at the underground map pasted to the curved roof. Was she preparing to get off? She didn’t seem aware she was being watched. Or she was behaving like everyone else in the carriage and pretending the young men didn’t exist.

The next stop came and the iconic roundels flashed by the windows as the train slowed rapidly. She looked at the signs, the youths looked at her and he looked at all of them.

Mark considered what he could do. He regretted the loss of youth, the certainty and the recklessness with which he would have once intervened. Now they wore the shield of invincibility, while experience had given him the frayed cloak of self-doubt. His middle-aged self was unlikely to come off best in a fight with four fit young men.

Now, he feared, he would most likely only have been able to prevent something happening to the girl if it had required an explanation of managing change in large organisations, or accounting in multi-nationals.

Yet it wasn’t enough for him to stand there and pretend he hadn’t seen. Too much to perhaps challenge them, enough maybe to lodge misgiving. They would act not think, and he too needed to do the same, to behave without too much thought because he could easily persuade himself to do nothing.

The girl didn’t stir as the train stopped. The restless youths swung between disinterest in her and over acknowledgment of each other. The woman who had been sat next to the girl rose from her seat. Mark knew that if he was going to do anything, it had to be before the girl got off the train, before the youths could get hold of her.

He stepped along the aisle, feeling self-conscious as he pushed himself into the centre of an event he had only been a spectator to moments before. He sat beside the girl. She did not look at him.

He had no words in his head to use. Each sentence he thought of would only scare her. The moment he told her what was happening she would react. She would look at the men, she would flee the train, or she would not believe him. He had no way of knowing how that might change things. There were too many variables for him to control, too many ways in which the situation might deteriorate.

She sensed his gaze and glanced at him. He tried his best fatherly expression and smiled at her. The look she threw back at him was short and unforgiving. She didn’t want him to invade her bubble.

Mark smiled again and pointed at her bag. He leaned away unthreateningly. The gesture made her reluctantly reach up and pull out one of her earphones.

“It’s my daughter’s birthday soon, I thought I might get her a bag, I wondered where you got yours.”

“Covent Garden,” she said unhelpfully. She had taken him from one pigeonhole and put him into another equally as unflattering, and her reply was terse as she looked away quickly.

“Thanks.”

He sat back in his seat and looked directly at the lead youth. He knew he had some advantages. As a careful man he was also unexcitable, rarely betraying his emotions. He knew how to convince someone he was more than he was. In more than one negotiation his ability to look someone in the eye and not cave in had worked in his favour.

He might be middle aged, and his joints might ache every morning and the man who could once run a hundred metres in well under eleven seconds may have perished but he knew that, despite his heightened awareness of his own vulnerability, on the outside he looked something else.

He thought of his daughter, the girl who had so valiantly claimed on his behalf that the running to fat was still muscle and had announced that the implacable version of his face that frightened her friends made her feel safe. She had only been half-joking and he had only been half-offended. He knew he looked stern even when he did not feel it.

So he stared back long enough to create uncertainty in the young men. He could see that they were wondering how this affected things. He looked at each in turn, for too long. In a bar it might have begun a fight, but he wanted them to know he had connected them, that he had recognised the reason for their sudden downturn in activity.

The first youth flexed his arms and shook his legs. It was a loosening, threatening gesture meant to convince Mark that he was in trouble.

Instead, Mark smiled and he saw the consternation on the opposing face. It was brinkmanship, no more no less. He hoped it was enough.

The train slowed for the next station. The girl stood and moved to the doors without looking anywhere but ahead, turned her back innocently on the scene. Mark stood with her. It was not his stop but he followed her anyway.

He passed within inches of the first youth. He was taller and wider than the youngster but he had dropped the smile, now was not the time for goading.

He saw the question on the face of one of the others waiting to be answered by the lead youth. They were unsure where this was going to go.

He watched for any sign of movement and, as he passed, he switched his gaze to their reflections in the blackened windows.

The youths watched him go and stayed on the train.

Mark sat on the platform and waited to resume his ride to work. He knew that what he had done was futile. He would not be there for the next victim they chose. Still, he felt he had been the best white knight a careful man could be.

Author bio:

The Seventeen Commandments of Jimmy September is my third book and was intended as a departure from what had gone before as I still searched for my own style and voice. After years of struggling with my two earlier stories, with rewrite after rewrite as I tried to interest agents, self-publishing allowed me to get them out of my system and move on.

With that departure I found that I actually liked trying different genres. So much so that book four, finished and resting, is different again. Not necessarily a good idea as it makes marketing problematic and confusing for buyers. But then, the beauty of self-publishing is the first person you can please is yourself. Also, I’ve never been very good at working out who I’m writing for anyway, vaguely imagining a reader not unlike myself, which is probably a very small demographic.

Jimmy September was intended as a pure adventure story, very much like the kind of tales that started me writing in the first place, and written in a much shorter space of time than the first two. This has allowed me to be more productive and, apart from those mentioned above, I am also working on a series of books for teens.

On a personal note, I am married with two children and live a few minutes’ walk from the beach in Dorset, England. The bulk of my career was in Sales Management, but this was cut short by the recession and compounded by the need for a kidney transplant. I now work as a Data Manager in Clinical Research. I’ve been writing all my adult life with my career and my writing each suffering as a result of the other. It’s only recently that I’ve stopped pretending about a salaried career.

http://www.srwilsher.com/

https://twitter.com/SrWilsher

e.mail: info@srwilsher.com

Purchase Links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

November 6, 2014 by Tina Williams

Release Blitz ~ Heart Ties by Em Petrova (includes giveaway)

We are DELIGHTED to be sharing the news about the release of Em Petrova’s new release, *Heart Ties.* Read on for the blurb, an excerpt and more, including a chance to enter the rafflecopter where, WAIT FOR IT – a photo of Jax from Sons of Anarchy signed by Charlie Hunnam is up for grabs! ❤

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Heart Ties
SERIES – Club Ties
AUTHOR – Em Petrova
GENRE – contemporary biker romance, romantic suspense
PUBLICATION DATE – Nov 6
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – Novel 65k words
PUBLISHER – Hartwood Publishing

BOOK SYNOPSIS

The only thing keeping Ex-Marine Drake from drinking himself into an early grave is his love of leather, horsepower, and his motorcycle club. Battling to adapt to a world where he isn’t blowing everything up, he roams the highways to keep his mind off his past. But after a mission to kidnap the curvy, tattooed goddess, Delta, he finds avoiding the bottle a little easier. Especially since he can only dream of finding solace against her silky body.

Delta would do anything to escape a life where pain and fear control her. She’s lived as a slave and outsider since she could walk. When a scary biker clan storms into her life and introduces her to her long-lost sister, she’s shocked to find warmth and comfort. While Delta knows better than to hope for a life she can’t have, Drake refuses to let her slip back into the hell she knows.

Plunged into a world of gambling, guns, and drugs isn’t her idea of paradise, but hunky Drake makes her pulse pound. Is it too much to believe that Drake can save her from her torment? And what can she do about extinguishing that burning, haunted look in his eyes?

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – GOODREADS

EXCERPT

Jamison brought his fist down on the table. “You couldn’t have mentioned that you stormed into the Raiders club and took Delta?”

Drake stared at his vice prez. He liked Jamison—trusted him. Only Jamison knew how deep Drake had sunk after his tours of duty or how much alcohol he’d consumed. The few who knew about Drake’s leg thought he’d lost it in war, but the truth was, he’d lost it to idiocy.

Jamison was a fool if he believed they hadn’t used force to get Delta. “Did you think we’d just parley with the enemy and they’d gladly hand over their woman?”

Jamison raked his fingers through his hair, leaving tracks. His face was tense. “The MC rules are full disclosure. You fucking tell me everything that happens out there.” He pointed at the door and the world beyond. “I don’t care if it’s a drug run or you shoot up a club to get back Ever’s sister.”

“No one fired a shot,” Pax said.

“Then how the fuck did you take Delta by force?” Jamison looked at each of them, probably looking for split lips or knuckles, evidence of a fistfight.

“Drake had a bomb.”

Jamison met Drake’s gaze. He knew what Drake had done in the Marines. What he’d done for his country. He blew shit up, but he’d lost his leg from driving drunk.

“Okay.” Jamison’s eyelid twitched. “From now on, the club needs to know this shit. Got it?”

“Yeah.” Drake wasn’t concerned with the club at this moment. When the asshole Raiders’ prez had moved, Delta had folded up. An abused woman if Drake had ever seen one.

He clenched his teeth. “If this is club business, what the fuck are we going to do to get her back?”

Jamison rested his hands on the table. Strother might be president, but they’d all followed Jamison while Strother took care of his own shit. First he’d lost his son to drugs then his wife had gone crazy with grief.

“She wasn’t trying to escape the Raiders in the first place,” Jamison said.

Drake didn’t agree, but he remained silent.

“She has a right to return with them.”

Silent—until now. “Do you think for a minute they’ll let her come visit her sister?” He had opinions about how free Delta was to come and go anyway. Now they’d lock the fortress around her.

Jamison shook his head. “No, they won’t. But do we start another war?”

The Hell’s Sons had just battled the local charter of the Raiders in order to get Ever back. Just days ago some of their men had fallen. They’d barely gotten them buried, and now they were talking about another war.

“I’ll go alone.”

Everyone stilled. In the other room, Ever’s sobs sounded, followed by Ace’s comforting tone. Jamison clenched his fists. They were all protective of Ever, and that had extended to Delta for the time she was here. Both women had something that reached into a man’s chest and tugged at his heart.

BOOK SOUNDTRACK

Family—Noah Gundersen
Crash This Train – Joshua James
Come Away to the Water—Maroon 5
Lay Low—Shovels and Rope
Boathouse—Noah Gundersen
That Sea, the Gamler—Gregory Alan Isakov
A Tendency to Start Fires—Bush

AUTHOR BIO

Em Petrova lives in Backwoods, Pennsylvania, where she raises 4 kids and a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff. Her heroes are hardworking heroes—in bed and out—and she is known for panty-scorching erotic romance.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

WEBSITE – GOODREADS – AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – BLOG –
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE – TWITTER

GIVEAWAY

Up for grabs is a photo of Jax from Sons of Anarchy signed by Charlie Hunnam

AUTHORS GIVEAWAY – CLICK HERE

Tour Organized & Hosted By:

November 2, 2014 by Caroline Barker

REVIEW The Love of Marisol by Christos Toulouras

The Love of Marisol is a beautiful short story that publishers, Wattle Publishing, brought to our attention. It is a short story of love, loss and the possibility of a new love, that will truly eat away at you.

Synopsis: When Leo’s marriage ends, he falls into the depths of depression. He decides to escape the loss and the heartbreak with a trip to the other side of the world – Lima, Peru. In some ways, his journey becomes an unexpected salvation as his passions are reignited by the local food and people, the climate and the beautiful and alluring Marisol. The Love of Marisol is a poignant and passionate journey of heartbreak, loss but most of all self-discovery… it reminds us that at the end of one love story, there is always the possibility of a new one…

REVIEW

The Love of Marisol is a profoundly emotive read, exploring the effects of romance, love and divorce on the main character, Leo. Initially, Leo is in great pain and has a deep sense of loss that leaves him feeling empty and lonely, and even small, in this big wide world.

Leo is hurt so much that he feels he will never love again or experience love again. And, another factor for Leo is his 3yr old son. This has a detrimental effect on his thoughts even more, as he knows that his ex-wife will one day meet a new love and over time this new love may also be living with her and his son. His son will have a new father figure and where will that leave Leo?

The beautiful description, from the author of these emotions and reactions that Leo has, really pulls the reader in. It is a story many can relate to and it is written very much in a realistic tone, almost biographical, where the main character opens his mind, questions his thoughts and others’ actions of love and their views.

Not only this, but The Love of Marisol is also an adventurous, travelling story. Leo questions why he is travelling but knows no matter where he goes the heavy feeling and slow, short breathing will follow him. He is taking a trip to Lima to meet with his cousin. Although the reader senses how lost he is, he knows he needs to get up and do something, go somewhere, and this might be just what he needs.

During his stay in Peru, Leo speaks with his cousin, Dom, meets Dom’s friends and beautiful women. He hears Dom’s, and his friend’s, stories of their love experiences. All of the opinions and experiences make him ponder over his situation. But it is the beautiful, Marisol, that helps him to open his mind and begin contemplating other possibilities for his future, than the dark, lonely path he believed he would take a few days ago.

The reader is left contemplating many of the views expressed by Leo and the people he encounters. Who is right? Is it different for everyone? Reading this narrative certainly made me dig deep to seek my true feelings and beliefs on love, as well as the long-lasting relationships we have.

The Love of Marisol is extremely touching, beautifully written, and realistic. It will reach out to your soul and make you explore your thoughts, remind you of past loves and experiences. It may even open your heart!

A copy of The Love of Marisol was provided by Wattle Publishing for the purpose of an honest and fair review.

The Love of Marisol by Christos Toulouras is available at Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

October 23, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Sue’s Seduction by Saylor Storm BLOG TOUR with Author Interview & GIVEAWAY

Sue’s Seduction

By Saylor Storm

Genre: Mystery/Romance Contemporary

Middle aged, overweight, depressed and lonely, Susan Kent, becomes part of an anti-aging clinical trial and is offered a lease on life. She swiftly transforms into a budding beauty. Her new found tender age brings opportunities, lovers and tragedy. Sue’s youthful path takes her on a journey that she never could have imagined and catastrophe brings sobering consequences. Sophisticated attorney, Roger Grayson, enters her life and saves the day. In the end does Susan choose youth or the promise of love?

INTERVIEW

Hi Saylor,

Welcome to A Reader’s Review Blog!

I love the synopsis for Sue’s Seduction. What were your main influences for the story/character?

My first thought was to take a real life anti-aging product that I had heard about and researched and combine it with who I saw as the average, depressed, middle-aged woman who blames everyone else for her misery. I wanted my character, Sue, to evolve into a better, more likable person as the story unfolds.

Have you based any characters or scenes from your own or your friend’s experiences?

Most of the time I do base my characters and scenes from real life experiences, but not so in the case of Sue’s Seduction. The only reality-based part of the story is the anti-aging product.

Who is your favourite character, and why?

Even though we don’t care for Susan Kent much in the beginning, we can’t help but grow to love her as she learns what is truly important in life.

Were there any particular scenes that you found either more difficult or easier to write?

It was fun and challenging to write about lesbian love scenes as a straight woman. In the end I interviewed men about their first time with a woman; what were their first thoughts and impressions, what was it like for them and used that as Sue’s point of reference for the book.

What inspired you to write Sue’s Seduction?

I was inspired to write Sue’s Seduction when I learned about a real life anti-aging product that is currently on the market. I took this piece of reality and turned it into a reverse aging product that my character, Susan Kent, consumes during as a participant in a clinical trial. I imagined all the positive changes that might occur from reverse aging 35 years as well as the negative ones. In my mind, there would be plenty of both!

Do you have a favourite author/book? If so, who/what and why?

I grew up reading John D. MacDonald’s books and loved the fact that they were quick reads offering a temporary escape from reality.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

I love to hike in the Sierras near my home in Lake Tahoe.

For those who have not read your work, how would you describe your writing style?

My writing is style is clean, straightforward, and imaginative.

What’s next for Saylor Storm?

We have a book of love trivia and fun facts coming out next month, a compilation of my daily posts on Facebook for the past couple of years. My first romance thriller called, Basking in the Light, will be coming out in March.

Thank you for your time! We will look forward to hosting you as part of the blog tour! All the best for Sue’s Seduction and in the future!

About Saylor Storm

Saylor Storm takes something from real life and turns it into something fun, and perhaps a bit twisted. Reality becomes fantasy, or is that imagination turns into real life experience? Her stories include places where she has lived or visited from the beaches of Malibu to Islands of Fiji and destinations in between. Love and passion are at the root of her novels; after all isn’t that what life is all about? Storm is a long-time resident of beautiful Lake Tahoe. Saylor is currently working on several new books and loves to hear from her readers! Visit her at http://saylorstorm.com and see her interview me, Caroline, on her site in regard to book blogging!

Saylor Storm trailer – http://youtu.be/HlbwporBScE

Twitter: @SaylorStorm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saylor.storm

Sue’s Seduction is available at Amazon US and Amazon UK OR Enter below for your chance to WIN a copy of Sue’s Seduction!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8c7fd74d1/

October 15, 2014 by Caroline Barker

For November: A Crime Thriller or an Emotional Adventurous Romance Novel?

Hi readers, we are already thinking ahead into November, and once we have all been zombied out, witched out and spooked out over Halloween we are thinking maybe you would like to relax a little with either a crime thriller or an adventurous and emotional romantic journey!

We have two reviews scheduled for next month that just may be what you are looking for. Two great reads from Wattle Publishing: crime thriller, Entropy, by Robert Raker and contemporary romance, The Love of Marisol by Christos Toulouras! Please scroll down for blurbs and author bios.

Happy reading!

Caroline & Tina 🙂

Book title: Entropy
Author: Robert Raker

RRP: PB: £8.99 | Kindle & eBook: £5.99

Synopsis:

Author biography:
Robert Raker graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Pittsburgh. He currently resides in Philadelphia where he enjoys art, music, literature and live theater. He is currently working on his next novel.

Link to retailers: http://wattlepublishing.com/catalogue/entropy/

Twitter: @RobertRaker1
Facebook: Entropy by Robert Raker

Book title: The Love of Marisol
Author: Christos Toulouras

RRP: PB: £6.99 | Kindle & eBook: £5.99

Synopsis:

When Leo’s marriage ends, he falls into the depths of depression. He decides to escape the loss and the heartbreak with a trip to the other side of the world – Lima, Peru. In some ways, his journey becomes an unexpected salvation as his passions are reignited by the local food and people, the climate and the beautiful and alluring Marisol. The Love of Marisol is a poignant and passionate journey of heartbreak, loss but most of all self-discovery… it reminds us that at the end of one love story, there is always the possibility of a new one…

Author bio:
Christos Toulouras was born in Cyprus. He has lived in South Africa and Cyprus. He studied Tourist administration in Thessaloniki. He continued his studies in the UK at Leicester University where he received his MBA. He currently lives in Cyprus.

Link to retailers: http://wattlepublishing.com/catalogue/love-marisol/

Twitter: @wattlepub
Facebook: Wattle Publishing

September 14, 2014 by Caroline Barker

To Hear the Rest More Clearly by Anne V. Pyterek SPOTLIGHT

Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism

Synopsis: Calliope Braintree has a lot working against her, but the forces of Nature and Love conspire to make her an instrument in the liberation of her fellow humans and the Wildness they have suppressed and perverted.

Aided by the Muse of Epic Poetry, an urban coyote, and the Chicago River, Calliope saves herself from the ravages of abuse, self-loathing and sexual humiliation. It’s not easy for her to remember the plan she and Muse had made for this life, but memories do come, in confusing fits and starts. A homeless orphan, sure of nothing but her urge to write, she ignores the mind-numbing conventions of civilized society, preferring to listen to her Muse. She follows Coyote, who leads her away from the degrading and harsh brutality of her life, into a haven of safety. Calliope goes to live in a hidden pocket of Wildness alive in the city. Still in the world, she is no longer of it, and she’s glad.

River is a powerful entity, her world a parallel reality existing in the cracks of civilization’s façade. And, polluted and tormented as she is, River is still able to transform the toxins polluting Calliope’s mind, absorbing what is hideous and making it holy. This process climaxes in a Trickster-ized version of Revelations, after which Calliope’s life will never be the same again. (ADULT CONTENT)

Author Bio

Anne Victoria Pyterek is as much the product of her protagonist, Calliope Braintree, as she is her producer. For in the ten year process of bringing Calliope into being, she ended up completely re-writing the story of her own life.

Very much a daughter of Daniel Burnham, Anne left the City of Big Shoulders—at Calliope’s request—driving off into the sunset in a big blue bus with her then 11 year old son, a managerie of animals and no income. She did this for the adventure, the learning and to find out about Calliope’s childhood. She and her son live in Colorado now, still in the bus, on 120 acres with a pack of semi-feral dogs, surrounded by coyotes.

Author Post:

Why I Write

What I Write

You know how seemingly unrelated things can come together and create something new and unexpected? Well, that’s the story of my life. There were a lot of disparate seeming (at the time) elements that came together for me in the long process of finding my voice. Luckily, I didn’t realize how much I was taking on when I started writing To Hear The Rest More Clearly. All I knew was how high my skirt was blown up over the idea of writing a book about a young woman who finds her voice. The thought never occurred that writing it would be how I found my own. I thought I already had a voice!

Ha ha! That’s pretty funny, considering how stifled I felt. Which maybe explains why it took ten whole years…? But it’s really not funny at all. Silencing women has been the status quo for some 6,000 years now. I felt strongly compelled to push through that, both for myself and for my readers. We need real heroines—super heroines who know how to save themselves. Helpless females obsessed with submitting to a man make me sick. They say we write the books we most want to read. Well, I wanted a heroine who learns how to see through all the artificial conditioning of male dominated society; a heroine who follows her own path, no matter how weird it may seem.

I’ve always preferred the company of other animals and wanted, somehow, to give them a voice, too. That’s a lot easier said than done. Ultimately, it was a combination of being an avid reader of Thoreau and my magnificent home births that got me tuned so completely in to the sense of Wildness and the Wisdom of The Body. Wildness is not a place, it is a state of mine. Another word for it might be authenticity. It’s a state of mind that does not allow for anything fake. And I experienced this authenticity more and more over the time I spent writing this book.

It was better than therapy. It brought my life into focus for me. It made me have these odd resolution experiences. Over and over I would have these realizations, “Oh! That’s why I had to do that thing back then. I needed it for this!” This happened a lot. It was pretty gratifying to realize my strange learning process actually was single-minded, after all. I had spent so many years beating myself up for being “too flighty” and having no direction. I did have a direction! It just didn’t follow any well-worn paths! So the more I applied myself to the process of becoming who I felt I was meant to be, by writing the story I most needed to read, the more I became who I already was. This is one of the things my protagonist Calliope learns as well. (She gets it from me. Obviously.)

I’ve learned a lot about myself by writing the first three books in this series. Now that I’m working on the fourth, my realizations are more along the lines of “This is who I’ve always been. Why did I allow so much to get in the way of this? I worked so hard to strip away all the lies, and I’m glad. But they were never part of me in the first place. How did they get there? And why did I have to make it so hard for myself?” I feel embarrassed for having been so easily distracted, for having wasted so much time. I struggled enormously over stuff that was never true. But it’s a Zen thing: you have to fill yourself up with information in order to be able to let it all go. Which would be great if I were a Buddhist. But I’m not. These days, I’m quite good at not beating myself up. I’m proud of un-learning that. And I know, it is because of my writing that I’ve been able to recover to this degree. It’s the most perfect therapy anybody could ever devise. I plan on writing for the rest of my life.

Author Blog: Anne of Blue Bus Books (http://blue-bus-books.com/)

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1qrqkRr

PURCHASE LINK: Smashwords