Scared Scriptless - Review

Review by Darcie Czajkowski

Maddy Carson has never been a risk taker. Post-college, her parents pushed her out of the nest when their family friend, Hogan Chenny, head of Hogan Chenny Productions, offered her a job as a production assistant in Hollywood. After fighting through years of dreary grunt work, she is now script supervisor for the hit show, The Wrong Doctor, produced by HCP. Though she loves her job and is well-respected among her peers, Maddy quietly aspires for more, maybe producing or directing. But her fear of pushing the limits, venturing outside of her carefully drawn comfort zone, inhibits Maddy from zealously pursuing her dreams and fully reaching her potential.

But things begin to change when Craig, the executive in charge on The Wrong Doctor whom Maddy has recently started dating, suggests that they team up to pitch a reality show to Hogan, a proposal that Maddy thinks is destined to fail, given Hogan’s dislike of reality television.

Though Maddy is uncertain if Craig is the best romantic match for her anti-Hollywood personality, she agrees to work with him to develop the reality show concept after an idea sideswipes her: her hometown of Wolf, a small town in northern California, would be perfect for the show. Not only could the publicity from a reality show bring more tourists to dying town and act as the saving grace for her parents’ ski resort, but it could also mean heightened professional success for Maddy, a chance for her to break out of her current position and achieve something greater.

But can she really trust Craig with her beloved town? Does he have Wolf’s best intentions at heart, or is he only after furthering his own career? And what about the new actor on The Wrong Doctor, the gorgeous Adam Devin, who repeatedly asks her out? He knows he’s dating someone else, but that doesn’t stop his flirting. Is Maddy’s interest in flirting back, if only a little, a sign that she isn’t all that interested in Craig, or is she just like every other woman on the planet who is dazzled by Adam’s stunning looks and undeniable charm? Could Adam actually be someone worth breaking her strict “no actors” dating rule?

Scared Scriptless by Alison Sweeney was one of my favorite books of 2014. It was the last book I read last year and I have to say that I went out with a bang. I found Maddy’s character to be flawed but likeable, and I wanted her to flourish both romantically and professionally. I loved all of the characters in the story, something I can rarely say about a book. I enjoyed getting to know each one of them and found their actions and motivations to be believable. Sweeney’s writing style is smooth, easy to follow, and the story naturally progressed at a steady pace. Start 2015 out with a winner and pick up this great new book by Sweeney.

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About the Author:

Alison Sweeney is an American dramatic actress, reality show host, director and author. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Brady on NBC's long running Days of Our Lives, a role she has played under contract with the show since January 6, 1993. In this role, she has earned four Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Fan Voted Daytime Emmy Award.  In 2007, she became the host of The Biggest Loser.

She is the only daughter, and has two brothers, Sten and Ryan. Sweeney attended UCLA, but left due to the commitment at the time. On July 8, 2000, Sweeney married David Sanov, after dating for nearly three years. The couple have two children: Benjamin, born in February 2005 and Megan, born in January 2009. The family currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Sweeney's first novel, The Star Attraction, was released in May 2013. Her second book, Scared Scriptless: A Novel, waa released in June 2014.

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House Broken - Review & Giveaway

Review by Darcie Czajkowski

Geneva Novak lives her life according to a non-negotiable list of rules, is dedicated to maintaining order around her, and insists on solving problems methodically. According to these philosophies, Geneva cares for animals as a veterinarian and runs her household of two temperamental teenagers. As long as she doesn’t deviate, she feels in control, but what troubles her is that some things – right now, too many things – are out of her control.

Ella Novak hates her mother. Well, what teenager doesn’t? But Ella hates hers more than the average teenager. Her mother sticks her nose where it doesn’t belong, ascribes to a long list of rules that’s become a nuisance, and doesn’t understand Ella in the slightest. Being a teenager is hard enough when your younger brother, Charlie, is up to no good, you’re trying to catch the attention of a boy at school, and pursue your dream of writing poetry, all while trying to keep up appearances that you’re studying for the SAT exam and completing homework assignments on time. She certainly doesn’t need her mother adding to her already-complicated life.

Helen Riley lives with secrets. Darn good ones. Ones she’d prefer to forget, if only as a result of her perma-companion, vodka. Her relationships with her four children are icy, except her only son, Dublin, who tolerates her in small doses. But at least she’s living in warm in L.A. and no one at her little condo complex sniffs the odor on her breath or judges her for her past. Here, her secrets are totally shrouded, locked in the past, where they will remain forever. She can live with herself, just so long as her children don’t come lookin’ for answers.

Then Helen makes a mistake. A big one. She drinks, then drives. Her car crashes and her injuries include a fractured knee and leg, a broken nose, and a dislocated shoulder. Despite her insistence that she can stay in her condo, Geneva and Dublin agree that someone must care for her. But with Helen’s finances in disarray, the duty falls on Geneva, whose husband, Tom, piously insists that taking in Geneva’s mother is the right thing to do.

But will Tom feel as committed to the cause once Helen moves in and aligns her nefarious interests with Geneva’s son, Charlie’s? Will Helen find a way to keep drinking, precluding any hope of a relationship with Geneva? Will Geneva pursue answers to long-held questions from her childhood, including but not limited to why her mother started drinking after her father’s death when Geneva was only eleven?

Told from the viewpoints of Geneva, Ella, and Helen, this moving, complex story of family engaged me from the first page until the very last. Sonja’s debut was impressively woven together to accurately portray the layered dynamics of a family which started dysfunctionally and only grew worse from there. Sonja poses various questions: Can a family survive the damning effects of alcoholism and long-kept secrets that created deep valleys between relationships? Are there just some revelations that a family simply cannot surmount? For anyone who has ever had a complicated relationship with one or more family members, this book will speak to you. I highly recommend it.

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About the Author:

I'm a first-generation American, raised in Stowe, Vermont--a wonderful place to be a child. My father taught skiing and tennis. My mother had been a school teacher and encouraged my sister, my brother and me to read and read and read. It stuck.

As a teenager, I waitressed at the Trapp Family Lodge to earn my college tuition. Maria Von Trapp gave me a cuckoo clock for my sixteenth birthday!

I earned my B.S. in Psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and my Ph.D. in Biological Psychology at the University of California at Berkeley.

I started writing full-time when my daughters were heading to college. My husband and I recently moved from the San Francisco Bay Area (the setting for my debut novel) to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

                            

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A Second Bite At The Apple - Review & Giveaway

Review by Darcie Czajkowski

Sydney Strauss is stuck in a rut. She works as a morning show producer, which is as close to a job in journalism as she could come after college. Though she longs to write about food, everything from cooking techniques to food trends, that world is tough to break in to and Sydney has bills to pay. But when network restructuring removes Sydney’s position, she gets a second chance to pursue her dream.

In the wake of her lay-off, Sydney starts working for a chauvinistic baker, known as “Rick the Prick,” at farmers’ markets around Washington D.C. While the gig doesn’t pay much, something is better than nothing when you’re unemployed and there’s no else to pay your rent. Before long, Sydney feels a part of the market, happily ensconced in the food world again. Her prospects improve even more when she is asked to write a weekly newsletter for the consortium of DC farmers’ markets, discussing what’s fresh at the markets, sharing a few recipes, and profiling market vendors.

While her professional life is on a slow upswing, her personal life remains questionable. Five years ago, her eight-year-long relationship ended when she found out that her boyfriend, Zach, cheated on her. Sydney hasn’t been able to move on and the break-up still feels like a fresh wound. Given that their friendship started in early adolescence, Sydney shared so many experiences with Zach that it’s hard to reconcile those memories with how the relationship ended: abruptly and without an apology for his dalliance.

So when Sydney encounters a man who shows interest in her, her insecurities bubble up to the surface and she is hesitant. But he persists and Sydney agrees to go out with him. To her surprise, she enjoys this man’s company until she goes home, Googles “Jeremy Brauer,” and learns exactly who he is: a former food writer for the Washington Chronicle, best known for his involvement in a “cash for comment” scandal.

But as her feelings heat up for Jeremy, so also does a story that could make Sydney’s career. She is on the verge of having everything she’s ever wanted: a new man in her life and a career as a food journalist. But when the two become inextricably linked, Sydney is headed for almost-certain disaster. Will she stop before it’s too late? Will her world explode? Or will she end up with everything she’s ever dreamed of?

Dana Bate’s A Second Bite at the Apple is all about second chances: at love, at work, in life. Dotted with Dana’s knack for spot-on dialogue and witty one-liners, this book is a smooth read from start to finish, punched with a satisfying conclusion. Though I found Sydney’s low self-esteem and pervasive self-deprecating comments to be a bit tiresome, I loved the storyline that kept me guessing. There were twists and turns around every corner, which I found to constantly propel the story forward. I didn’t feel like I was waiting for the story to start; it began at the very first page. Dana excels at vivid descriptions and adeptly draws real-life visuals of the settings, putting the reader in the same place as the characters. There is also an element of family drama built into this story, which I enjoyed. Growing up, we often have notions of our role in our family, and it’s not always an accurate view of reality. The story is a good reminder to never give up on those relationships; they are always worth fighting for. I’d highly recommend adding this book to your Christmas list.

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About the Author:

Dana Bate is the author of A SECOND BITE AT THE APPLE and THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO LOVE AND SUPPER CLUBS, which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and has been translated into five languages. Before writing fiction full time, she was a Washington producer and reporter for PBS's Nightly Business Report, where she won the Gerald Loeb Award for a series she produced on the Indian economy. She studied molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University and received her master's degree from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where she won the Harrington Award for outstanding promise in the field of journalism. She lives outside Philadelphia with her family.

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Twin Piques - Release Week Blitz & Blurb

Blurb

Forensic accountant Sloane Tobin and kooky pet psychic Willa may have the same face, but that’s the only thing these identical twins have in common.

How she can read the hearts and minds of animals has always been a mystery to Willa, and her rotten luck with men is equally baffling. Although she’s been looking for “The One” for what feels like forever (A teenage marriage to a French mime and dating a guy named Spider seemed like good ideas at the time!), optimistic Willa refuses to give up on love. When she meets Brody, the handsome rose expert hired to save her grandmother’s garden, she’s instantly smitten, but why does he keep sending her mixed signals? Does he return her feelings, or is their attraction all in her fanciful head?

Unlike her twin, Sloane has zero interest in romance. Her passion is her job, where she uses her gift for numbers to take down slimy embezzlers and asset-hiding spouses. When she’s assigned two high profile cases, Sloane feels confident the promotion she’s been angling for is within her grasp. But will her plan to climb the corporate ladder be thwarted by difficult clients, her co-worker-with-benefits, or – most surprisingly of all – her own sister? And how’s she supposed to stay focused on the drama at work when her childhood friend, Gav, moves in next door and the spark between them becomes impossible to ignore?

To get what they both want, can Willa and Sloane band together and rely on each other’s strengths? Or will their differences drive them apart once and for all?

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Amazon Global 

About the Author:

An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O'Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play that she penned. (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she also starred in and tried to direct the production.)

Tracie’s dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, she decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. Twin Piques is her third Chick Lit release. The pet psychic character in this novel was inspired by Tracie’s rascally rescue dogs. She’d love to know what goes on in their heads!

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A Pinch of Ooh La La - Review & Giveaway

Review by Darcie Czajkowski

From the outside, Abbey Ross appears to live a great life. Her bakery in Oakland, California is thriving, and she adores creating wedding cake masterpieces for her clients. Her large, boisterous family is loving and, even when they drive her crazy, she believes she has the best family in the world, thanks to her famous jazz musician father who makes it a priority to keep his family close.

But no one, except her best friend, Bendrix, knows how lonely Abbey is. Not even Abbey herself. Despite Bendrix’s insistence that Abbey needs to inject time and effort into her love life, Abbey refuses. Years ago, she learned that her fiancé, Avery Brooks, had cheated on her when a documentary on his life as a gifted artist – and art forger – revealed two affairs. Abbey was humiliated and never recovered from the betrayal.

Abbey doesn’t want to be alone forever, though, and eventually consents to Bendrix’s suggestion of online dating. The first man she communicates with and meets is Samuel, who is nearly perfect. They date for about a year before Samuel proposes. Abbey accepts because there is no doubt that Samuel loves her, despite her reservations.

But as the wedding approaches, Abbey begins to wonder if they can integrate into each other’s families. Samuel grew up in a household in which his parents were controlling, judgmental, and believed that locking him in a closet when he misbehaved was the best method to keeping him on the straight and narrow. Even now that Samuel is grown, his parents still have a hold on him, passing along their particular set of beliefs to Samuel, which in turn affects how he expects Abbey to behave as his future wife.

Moreover, while Samuel is willing to interact with Abbey’s family, it is clear that he will never truly fit in and understand the environment in which she grew up. Her loud, free-thinking, musically-inclined family, which includes Abbey’s father’s four ex-wives and one current one, four ex-girlfriends, and Abbey’s twelve siblings and all of their kids, is outside of his comfort zone.

Ultimately, Abbey and Samuel decide that their love for each overshadows their issues and they marry in a small, low-key ceremony. But a year into their marriage, when Abbey still isn’t pregnant and Samuel refuses to talk about adoption, Abbey begins to wonder if the love they have for each is enough to sustain them through these hard times. And if it’s not, whether or not she will be able to survive another break-up after the devastating end to her relationship with Avery.

Renee Swindle teaches lessons in life and love in A Pinch of Ooh La La. Imbued with laugh-out-loud humor and with a knack for smooth-flowing story-telling, Renee reminds us that finding a long-lasting, until-death-do-us-part romance isn’t easy and that happily-ever-afters are found in fairytales for a reason. In real life, people experience trials and tribulations, and sometimes there is no magic in the search for love. But along that bumpy road, we need to learn to be content with what we have and appreciate the wonderful things we do have in our lives. Even when some areas of our lives face struggles, there are always things in our lives to be thankful for, and remembering those things can give us the strength to fight for the rest.

So if you’re looking for a reminder that everything happens for a reason and to never give up when searching for what you want out of life, then check out Renee Swindle’s latest book. It’s a lyrical delight, whether or not you’re a jazz lover.

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About the Author:

Writing A PINCH OF OOH LA LA  gave Renee an opportunity to write about two of her favorite things: baking and jazz.  Since she’s an only child, she had a blast writing about Abbey’s large multi-racial family made up of musicians and artists. A PINCH OF OOH LA LA takes place in her beloved city of Oakland, CA.

Renee would rather hoard books than shoes and goes to movies for the popcorn as much as the film. She owns three rescue dogs that force her to walk every day, rain or shine.  Along with world peace, she dreams of one day having her novels adapted to the big or small screen.

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How Do You Know - Review

Review by Marlene Engel

For many women, turning the big 4-0 is not a birthday that is greatly anticipated.  In Maggie’s case, it’s on her 39^th birthday that she starts questioning choices she’s made and wonders if she’s missing out on life.  Although she has great friends, a loving family, and an amazing boyfriend, doubts and fears begin to surface.  She starts to rethink what she wants out of life while not allowing her age to define her.  She even goes as far as proposing a “break” with her live-in boyfriend, Doug.  Citing that it will give her time to figure out what she wants in the future years, but her decision backfires when Doug, obviously offended, calls off the relationship altogether.  Now single, Maggie is forced to sort out how she wants her life to be while not following what society maps out appropriate for a woman of her age.

I just turned 40 this year and I wasn’t sure how I would feel.  Unlike Maggie, I’m not single and I do have kids but turning 40 did have me thinking about how I want the next 40 years of my life to be.  I have to say, it wasn’t the traumatic event that I hear other women talking about.  I may be a rarity in this, but I am excited to start a new decade and am not ashamed or embarrassed to tell people my real age!

No matter what your age, you are sure to enjoy this book.  With a cast of fun characters, a great story and relatable situations you can’t go wrong with this novel.  What better way to ring in the New Year than with this amazing book?

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Amazon

About the Author:

A born and bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails way more than she was probably supposed to. After trying her hand penning children’s stories and blogging her personal experiences, Meredith found her calling writing chick lit and contemporary women’s fiction. She secures much inspiration from her day job as a hard-working trademark paralegal and her still single (but looking) status. Meredith is also the co-founder of BookBuzz, a live author/reader event held annually. She is a loyal New York Yankees fan and an avid runner. How Do You Know? is her fourth novel. To learn more, visit her at www.meredithschorr.com.

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The Life Intended - Review, Interview & Giveaway

Review by Marlene Engel

Kate’s world quickly gets turned upside down when her husband’s life is taken by a drunk driver.  Now, over ten years later, Kate has started a new life with her fiancé, Dan.  Although he’s a great guy, there’s something missing.  And, the dreams she’s having, involving her late husband Patrick and their non-existent, deaf daughter, has her wondering if Patrick is trying to tell her something from beyond the grave. 

The recurring dreams have effected Kate so much that she enrolls in a sign language class in the hope of communicating better with her “dream daughter”.  As the classes progress, so does her friendship with the teacher.  And, when he learns that she is a music therapist, he wonders if her profession, along with her new-found signing ability, can be used to help some of the hard of hearing foster children that he works with open up and better express their feelings.  The more Kate works with them, the more she begins to think that her dreams were meant to lead her to this life.  A life where she can make a difference for others and a life where everyone just wants to find happiness. 

As a book blogger, I’m fortunate to be asked to read and review books.  But there are certain books that have such a huge impact on me.  Books that I know I’ll be thinking about well after I’ve finished reading the last page.  This book is definitely one of them.  Not only does it hit close to home with me knowing what it’s like to lose a family member, but I also was a foster parent who only took in special needs children.  As I read this book, I swear it could’ve been based on my life. 

The author writes with such passion and detail that you forget that you’re reading a book and not watching the scenes unfold before you.  The characters feel so real, their emotions so raw and the story was pure gold.  It’s books like this one that reminds me why I fell in love with reading in the first place.  I couldn’t think of a better book to close out 2014 and ring in 2015 with than The Life Intended.  

Purchase the book at:

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Interview by Marlene Engel

I would like to welcome the incredibly talented Kristin Harmel to our blog!  Thank you for taking the time to come and chat with us!

You touched on some sensitive subjects such as death, infertility and special needs children in your new book. What made you choose these particular topics? 

It sounds crazy – I mean, it seriously sounds like I’ve flipped my lid – but I honestly

woke up one morning with about 85% of the plot of this novel in my head. That sounds particularly nutty, considering that the book is partially about dreams (the vivid dreams the main character, Kate, has of her deceased husband, Patrick), but it’s true! The elements of death (namely Patrick’s) and special needs children were already there when I woke up, and as I began to plot the novel in earnest, Kate’s infertility just seemed to fit. But experts say you dream about the things weighing on your mind, right? So for me, I suppose the dream I had was probably sparked by a few things: 1) My good friend Melixa works for Easter Seals, and through volunteering with her organization, I’ve had a lot of exposure to special needs kids (although not hard of hearing children specifically). 2) I’m 35, and I just got married in March, so one of my own fears is that I’ll have trouble getting pregnant when we’re ready to try, simply because fertility declines as we get older. 3) Also along the lines of having just gotten married, one of the worst things in the world I can imagine right now is losing my husband. That’s what happens to Kate very soon after her wedding, and frankly, that’s a thought that terrifies me. So perhaps all three of those elements went into making me dream as I did! 

As a former foster parent, who only took in special needs children, this book hit home. Why did you choose to incorporate not only foster children, but foster children with special needs into this story?

Thanks for saying that, Marlene! As I mentioned, at 35, I’ve just begun thinking about motherhood. I don’t think I was ready before, but now –especially now that I’ve found the absolute right person for me – it’s like everything in my brain has just shifted. And I’m scared. I’ve never tried to get pregnant before, and I have several friends who have struggled with fertility. So even before we’ve really begun to try, I’ve done a lot of thinking about the different ways to become a mother. An old friend of mine also recently adopted four children from Haiti, and I think he has an absolutely gorgeous, wonderful family. Fostering and adoption are such beautiful ways to build families, I think, and children with special needs are often the ones who have the most trouble finding homes. That’s something that matters to Andrew – Kate’s ASL instructor in the book – and it’s something that matters to me.

With the holiday season upon us, what are you most looking forward to?

I love the holidays. I’m really looking forward to taking a few days off and spending time with my family and friends. Of course my husband is right here with me, and my mom lives nearby, but I don’t get to see my other family members often enough. I’m excited about the opportunity to spend more quality time than usual with the people I love. Oh, and I’m also looking forward to even more hot chocolate! I live in Florida where it’s been in the 60s and 70s most of December, so it’s not exactly hot chocolate weather. But the holidays provide the perfect excuse! I’ve been drinking it all month like it’s my job! (Also, I’m looking forward to the release of THE LIFE INTENDED… We’re having a party at a local indie bookstore on the actual launch date, Dec. 30. Come by if you’re in the Orlando area! Writer’s Block Bookstore on Welbourne Ave. in Winter Park from 6-8 p.m.!)

If you could get any gift for the holidays, no matter how extravagant, what would it be?

If anyone has figured out how to give the gift of more hours in the day, I will take that, please! I’m telling you, the older I’ve gotten, the more quickly the days seem to fly by. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done! Barring that, I’d love an around-the-world trip…. Or at least a trip to Paris, Munich and Milan, to visit some of my dear friends! Also, some Seda France Japanese Quince candles. They’re expensive, but they’re my favorite candles to burn while writing. Oh, and world peace. I would also like world peace. Can you make that happen?

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If so, do you know what 2015’s will be?

I generally intend to make New Year’s resolutions, and then I don’t get around to making them until February. Yeah, I procrastinate. But this year, I think I have a good one in mind. One of the messages of THE LIFE INTENDED is that we should all strive to choose happiness. We have the right – and the responsibility – to make choices to make our own lives happy. So in 2015, my biggest resolution will be to do my best to choose happiness – meaning I’ll try to make choices that come from a good, decent place and that involve following my heart.

What are you most looking forward to in the New Year?My first full year of marriage; settling into my new house (we closed on our new home the day before Thanksgiving!); trips to visit my sister and friends in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Paris and more; finishing my next novel; and hearing what people think of THE LIFE INTENDED!

Kristin, I had so much fun chatting with you.  Thank you for spending time with us.  I hope you have a wonderful New Year.  I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us with your next book!

About the Author:

Kristin Harmel is an internationally bestselling novelist whose books have been translated into numerous languages and are sold all over the world. After spending many years as a freelance writer (with a steady reporting gig for Peoplemagazine for more than a decade) Kristin now freelances only occasionally, focusing on book tours, book club visits and, of course, writing her next books!

Kristin graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. She has lived in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Boston and Miami and now resides in Orlando, Fla., with her husband, Jason.

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