Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay

About the Author:

Linwood Barclay is a former columnist for the Toronto Star. He is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Too Close to Home and No Time for Goodbye, a #1 bestseller in Britain. He lives near Toronto with his wife and has two grown children.

Visit Linwood's website at http://www.linwoodbarclay.com/

About the Book:

Your daughter doesn’t come home one night from her summer job.
You go there looking for her. No one’s seen here. But it’s worse than that.

No one’s ever seen her. So where has she been going every day? And where is she now?

In Linwood Barclay’s riveting new thriller, an ordinary man’s desperate search for his daughter leads him into a dark world of corruption, exploitation, and murder. Tim Blake is about to learn that the people you think you know best are the ones harboring the biggest secrets.

Tim is an average guy. He sells cars. He has an ex-wife. She’s moved in with a man whose moody son spends more time online than he should. His girlfriend is turning out to be a bit of a flake. It’s not a life without hassles, but nothing will prepare Tim for the nightmare that’s about to begin.

Sydney vanishes into thin air. At the hotel where she supposedly worked, no one has ever heard of her. Even her closest friends seem to be at a loss. Now, as the days pass without word, Tim must face the fact that not only is Sydney missing, but that the daughter he’s loved and thought he knew is a virtual stranger.

As he retraces Sydney’s steps, Tim discovers that the suburban Connecticut town he always thought of as idyllic is anything but. What he doesn’t know is that his every move is being watched. There are others who want to find Syd as much as Tim does.

But they’re not planning a Welcome Home party.

The closer Tim comes to the truth, the closer he comes to every parent’s worst nightmare—and the kind of evil only a parent’s love has a chance in hell of stopping.

I was lucky enough to get an interview with this very talented author. Here's what he had to say:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Fear the Worst is about a father whose 17-year-old daughter comes to live with him for the summer while she works at a one-star hotel. One night, she doesn’t come home and the father goes to the hotel, for the first time, to find out what’s happened to her. The hotel workers have not only not seen her, they’ve NEVER seen her. So where has she been going these last few weeks? Where is she now? And why are some very bad people looking for her?

Who is your biggest supporter?

My wife Neetha.

Your biggest critic?

Me.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

I’m getting better and better at Nintendo Wii tennis. When I need a break away from the computer, I play a few sets, then get back to work.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

I make my desk really, really tidy.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

The one author who’s had the most impact on me, certainly when I was a teenager and in my early twenties, was Ross Macdonald, who wrote the Lew Archer series of detective novels.

What are you currently working on?

I’m doing the final revisions and page-proofing for my next book, Never Look Away.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?

My novel No Time for Goodbye was the single bestselling novel in the UK in 2008.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

I deliver on time.

Biggest weakness?

I deliver too early. Gives everyone, including myself, too much time to revise.

What is your favorite past-time?

Watching Lost.

Shadow of Betrayal by Brett Battles

About the Author:

Brett Battles lives in Los Angeles and is the author of two acclaimed novels in the Jonathan Quinn series: The Cleaner, which was nominated for a Barry Award for Best Thriller and a Shamus Award for Best First Novel, and The Deceived, which was nominated for a Barry Award for Best Thriller. He is at work on the fourth book in the series.

You can visit Brett Battles online at http://brettbattles.com/

About the Book:

The meeting place was carefully chosen: an abandoned church in rural Ireland just after dark. For Jonathan Quinn—a freelance operative and professional “cleaner”—the job was only to observe. If his cleanup skills were needed, it would mean things had gone horribly wrong. But an assassin hidden in a tree assured just that. And suddenly Quinn had four dead bodies to dispose of and one astounding clue—to a mystery that is about to spin wildly out of control.

Three jobs, no questions. That was the deal Quinn had struck with his client at the Office. Unfortunately for him, Ireland was just the first. Now Quinn, along with his colleague and girlfriend—the lethal Orlando—has a new assignment touched off by the killings in Ireland. Their quarry is a U.N. aide worker named Marion Dupuis who has suddenly disappeared from her assignment in war-torn Africa. When Quinn finally catches a glimpse of her, she quickly flees, frantic and scared. And not alone.

For Quinn the assignment has now changed. Find Marion Dupuis, and the child she is protecting, and keep them from harm. If it were only that easy.

Soon Quinn and Orlando find themselves in a bunker in the California hills, where Quinn will unearth a horrifying plot that is about to reach stage critical for a gathering of world leaders—and an act of terror more cunning, and more insidious, than anyone can guess.

Fast, smart, sleek, and stunning, Shadow of Betrayal is vintage Brett Battles: a gritty, gripping masterpiece of suspense, a thriller that makes the pulse pound—and stirs the heart as well.

I was lucky enough to get the author to agree to an interview. This is what he answered:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Quinn had previously promised his primary client that he would do three jobs without any questions to pay them back for help they gave him when he was working on a private matter. In Shadow of Betrayal, those jobs markers are called in. Quinn finds himself looking for a woman who is traveling with a child not her own, and not knowing why until a larger conspiracy begins to be revealed. It’s a conspiracy that reaches into many levels of the U.S. government, and threatens the stability of not only the United States, but also of several of its closest allies.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

Two causes are very dear to my heart. One would be the treatment of people with special needs, specifically Down Syndrome, as my own son was born with Downs. And the advocacy of adoption. Adoption has played a large role in my family, both extended and immediate. It’s a wonderful thing for all involved.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

I hope so. I hope that I’m constantly doing that. That each book ends up being better than the last because of my desire to always get better.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

There have been so many, of course. Our best teachers as writers are the books we read, and, therefore, the authors who have written them. For me it’s been authors like Graham Greene, Robert Ludlum, Alistair MacLean, John le Carre, Stephen King, Robert Heinlein, and so many others. I was also very influenced by the late author William Relling, Jr. Not so much for what he wrote, but because he was my mentor and my friend, and helped me to constantly work at improving my craft.

What are you currently working on?

I’m actually working on several projects at once, each at a different stage. I’m finishing up the revisions on the next Quinn adventure. I’m in the planning stages on the Quinn adventure I’ll start writing in the fall, and I’m working on a story outside the series, though not quite sure when that one will be done.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

Okay, the smart move would be to take something like The Ultimate Survival Guide, but who needs to know how to stay alive? You want to be entertained! Me, I’d probably take something like Stephen King’s The Stand. It’s an excellent, lengthy read, and when you’re done it would probably make a handy hammer.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

That what keeps us alive is the desire to keep learning.

What is your favorite past-time?

I love to travel. I love going to places I’ve never been and returning to places I’ve spent a lot of time at. Probably my favorite thing is to go someplace that is truly different from where I grew up. Everything becomes fascinating there, even down to how they cross the street or package their gum. Put me on a plane heading almost anywhere and I’m happy. Put me on a plane as it’s pulling up to the arrival gate so I don’t have to experience the multiple hours in the air, I’m even happier!

Journal According to John by Sheryl Keen

About the Author:

Sheryl A. Keen has a bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in English Literature from the University of the West Indies. She lives in Canada where she works in Administration.

In addition to prose, Sheryl also writes poetry. When she is not writing, one of her other loves is painting.

You can visit Sheryl A. Keen’s website at http://www.sherylkeen.com/


About the Book:

Following a nasty bar brawl, John, a twenty-eight-year-old man, follows a close friend’s advice and begins keeping a journal. He’s recently divorced from his wife, Debbie, and he hopes the journal will provide a tool with which to make sense of his brief, failed marriage and to determine why he is so emotionally challenged.

As a therapist specializing in behavioral issues, he knows he has to pull his own life together. If he tells people to clean up their own lives, modify their thoughts, and learn new, more appropriate behaviors, he knows that he’s got to step up and follow his own advice. Early on, he realizes that his mother, the curator of a gallery that specializes in steel art and other nontraditional works, has largely shaped his thoughts and actions. But just how much can he blame her for his current state of affairs?

Soon the words in the journal are flowing easily and quickly. When painful thoughts are no longer avoided and dreams provide fuel for his writing, the journal takes on a life of its own. Will John discover the reasons for his dysfunctional situation? Can keeping a journal help him improve his life?

I was lucky enough to get the author to sit down and answer a few questions. Here's what she had to say:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

My book is “Journal According to John.” It tells the story of John, a twenty-eight year old man who is recently divorced. When he finds himself miserable and uncharacteristically engaging in bar fights, John finally takes a friend’s advice and begins keeping a journal. He hopes the journal will provide a tool with which to make sense of his brief failed marriage and to determine why he is so emotionally challenged.

Early on he realizes that his mother, the curator of a gallery that specializes in steel art and other nontraditional works, has largely shaped his thoughts and actions. He continually blames her for his current state of affairs. As he continues to write, he begins to take a closer look at his own actions and decisions and soon he starts to make interesting discoveries about himself.

The questions are many. How much can he blame his mother for his problems? Will John discover the reasons for his dysfunctional situation? Can keeping the journal help him improve his life?

The novel really looks at the complex relationship between a son and his mother.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

There was nothing specific that happened. I just thought it might be interesting to tell an emotional story from a male’s perspective and to tell it in a way that is not very male. I am not sure how many men write in their personal journals. Not too many I suppose. The story is told through John’s actual journal entries and this is ironic because it is a direct antithesis of the manhood that he is trying to find. It would be interesting to find out if John does come to terms with his masculinity while writing in this way.

The good thing about the story is that it lends itself to intimacy between the readers and the main character because they get to look directly into John’s journal.

Your biggest critic?

My biggest critic is me. I know myself, my work and story that I want to tell better than anyone else. The work that I put out there is representative of me so I am always trying to find areas to improve so that when people see my name they can associate it with good work.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

I don’t have any rituals but I usually have two or three ways in which the story could end. When this happens, I always spend a lot of time obsessing over the ideal ending. As a rule, I try to use a realistic ending even if it’s not a happy one.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

I have been influenced by the great Literature teachers that I have had in high school. They made books fun and they made them relatable to everyday life. The way in which they have been able to impart lessons and ideas from great books further cemented my enthusiasm to be a writer. They also taught me to think in a critical way. Although those teachers are not in my life right now, I can still hear their voices in my head.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

My advice for writers is to write even when you are not motivated. The act of writing can serve as motivation. It’s sometimes difficult to come up with a single line but once you start other lines will come.

Also, never give up on the dreams and goals that you have set for yourself as a writer. Rejection of any sort is simply a setback. Belief in your work and take yourself seriously and others will follow suit.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

I am detail oriented. Sometimes when you go to an interview you are asked: are you a details person or a big picture person. It’s a funny question because you cannot have a big picture without details. It’s because I can see the big picture why I would know which details to put in and why I would know how important the details are.

The details are important in writing to give readers a sense of place, time and emotions. Moreover, life is made up of just that - details.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

I would take “To The Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf. This is one of my favourite books because it explores the nature of human consciousness. If I am stuck on an island, I might be there for a while and this is not a novel that one hurries to read. It’s also a novel that has the lighthouse as a strong image and a lighthouse can represent enlightenment. Hopefully, I might find illumination about something in my life while stuck on an island with only myself and Virginia Woolf.

There is a theme of light and dark when it comes to a lighthouse. It’s possible that I would have some anxiety about being stuck on an island and this would be reflective of life’s frequently altering situations which can be stable at one moment and uncertain in the next. Obviously I would have a lot of time to think and I would want to gain some insight while I am there.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

We have to take risks to obtain the things that we want. Nobody ever achieve greatness by playing it safe. When we go out on a limb, most times the limb will bend to accommodate us. It basically comes down to fear or faith.

What is your favorite past-time?

My favourite pastime is painting. I tend to think about it as a complement to my writing because the process is similar in that there are a lot of details used to create a big picture. In painting I use color and composition and in writing I choose words and a certain way of putting them together. They both end up giving the reader or the viewer a certain point of view.

I carry a camera everywhere because I never know what I’ll see. So I take pictures and then create paintings from them.

Gracious Living on Social Security by Valerie Kent

About the Author:

At eighty-eight, Valerie Kent is the survivor of a long lifetime spent adjusting to dramatically evolving worlds. She moved from Britain to the United States in 1933. Valerie began at the age of forty-six the drawn-out process of education - seven universities - that would generate, initially, a career as a drug and alcohol counselor for troubled women, then a decade as a celebrated college teacher and - ultimately - a final, exultant marriage. This is her story.

To learn more about Valerie and her book, visit http://www.treefarmbooks.com/.

About the Book:

Gracious Living is an easy-to-read decade-long journey that offers tips and suggestions on how senior citizens can stretch their dollar and get the most for their money. Eleven chapters cover every important aspect of living together, from the wedding preparations to where to live. Key considerations follow each chapter for quick reference: considerations like where and when to buy clothing, choosing a place to live and juggling your finances. Artist Jeff Nitzberg adds his unique touch with original drawings introducing each chapter.

Excerpt:

We all aspire to the many extras which supposedly make our lives more enjoyable. For some, the list is headed up by second cars, designer clothing, even dining out regularly in expensive restaurants. Where cash is scarce, it demands real discipline to examine spending patterns and determine just what we truly need, then prioritize whatever we merely want. Because money is one of the central issues in any marriage, retiring on a fixed income is likely to increase rather than reduce unavoidable tension over it. Careful planning and thoughtful shopping can help. This can reduce costs (even if our economy worsens) and thereby free up funds for luxuries further down everybody’s wish list. The discipline to follow through with a mutually-agreed-on plan, once made, is tough, but rewarding.

All this requires an investment of time: time, our most available resource. It is hard to change old habits, and an exertion of will is sometimes required to pay attention to details you never bothered about before. Joint planning, joint responsibility and joint action are vital now that you will be spending much more time together. Having that “we” approach is more important than ever to insure graceful living.

Our working years could certainly have benefited from this prescription for a happy life together, but the pressures and urgencies of raising a family and establishing a career often leave couples living quite separate lives. Each partner has had his or her own areas of responsibility, and in practice true collaboration is often lacking. Being forced to strengthen the bond of “we” during a financial squeeze may significantly improve living together in retirement by forcing the reconsideration of older, sloppier patterns.

One of the most difficult tasks is settling on those more urgent, less avoidable priorities. Dealing with the money forces decisions as to whose preference will prevail and facilitates true compromise. Inevitably somebody’s preference gets bumped off the budget. Thos fulfilled golden years are impossible without new level of mutual respect and open communication.

The author was gracious enough to do an interview with me. This is what she had to say:


Could you please tell us a little about your book?

This book came out of an awareness that two middle-class people, who later in life found themselves largely dependent on Social Security income, could build a gracious, productive life. The essence of the book is a series of strategies to accomplish this.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

Yes. Close friends kept remarking about our wide-ranging and gratifying lifestyle and wondering how we brought it off in a modest income.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

Ultimately, a very happy remarriage late in life made everything else possible.

Who is your biggest supporter?

Each of us would certainly identify the other.

Your biggest critic?

See answer 4.

What cause are you most passionate about?

It has always seemed important, especially after a bitter mid-life divorce, that women be well qualified and well recognized for what they do.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

Certainly writing this book was very useful. This was a chance to apply the principles of English and Journal Writing taught over the years to adult students at Eckerd College.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

It’s always wonderful to celebrate with a bottle of good wine and a gourmet meal.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

A course taken soon after arriving in St. Petersburg, Florida, with the well-known poet and essayist Peter Meinke, has exerted an influence to the present moment.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

A recent medical setback makes getting well soon primary.

What are you currently working on?

A course to be taught at the adult center, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Eckerd College, with Rick is scheduled to begin in October. The lesson plan is under development.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

It is important to keep journals and notebooks and train yourself to focus on details.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

An important early influence was Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.

What are some of your long term goals?

It would be wonderful to recover complete vigor and return soon to teaching and writing.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?

It was very important to epitomize the way in which the lessons of a lifetime can help through good times and bad. Gracious Living on Social Security bristles with our secrets.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

Vitality, sensuality, and an open and curious mind.

Biggest weakness?

Sometimes headstrong.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

It is very conversational and at the same time very specific, so that the reader can easily pick up hundreds of valuable clues useful for upgrading his or her life.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

Recently impressed greatly by Jane Fonda’s My Life So Far, which is richly textured with a mature understanding of life’s ups and downs.

If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be?

Go to college sooner – not at 48, I was lucky to enroll as a non-traditional student at Ohio State.

Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago? In what ways?

In general, since remarrying over a decade ago, life has stabilized and become a lot more productive.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

Stick with your principles and be prepared to work hard professionally and personally to build a life.

Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?

A difficult early marriage prevented important self-realization until later than it should have.

What is your favorite pastime?

Reading about and talking about politics.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

“To thine own self be true….”
Discover your dream and follow it.

For a fuller treatment of Gracious Living on Social Security as well as the life of Valerie Kent, check out the Tree Farm Books website, www.treefarmbooks.com.

Living Like You Mean It by Ronald J. Frederick, Ph.D.

About the Author:

Ronald J. Frederick, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and life coach, with over 15 years of experience helping people get the life they really want.

A long-time proponent of the transforming power of emotion, he co-founded the Center for Courageous Living, which offers innovative therapy, coaching and consulting. Noted for his warmth, humor, and engaging presentation style, he lectures and facilitates workshops nationally.

Frederick is a senior faculty member of the Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) Institute, as well as the Clinical Supervisor of Park House, an outpatient program at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

About the Book:

So many of us long to feel more alive, connected, and secure in our lives, particularly now, in these challenging and difficult times. Why is it so hard? Part of the problem, says Dr. Ronald J. Frederick, has to do with a fear of our feelings—a feelings‐phobia—and the consequences of expressing our feelings to others. It's this fear that keeps us stuck, detached from the wisdom inside us and distanced from the people around us.

And yet positive emotional experiences can actually “rewire” our brain and free us up to experience ourselves and our lives more fully. LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want by Ronald J. Frederick, shows how we can overcome our feelings phobia in order to enjoy more satisfying lives.

Drawing on cutting edge science, many years as a psychotherapist and his own personal experiences, Dr. Frederick advocates that we understand and express the broad range of our emotions so that our feelings actually become allies in our search for fulfillment. His proven four-step process for tapping into the hidden power of our emotions includes:

*Recognizing the signs of fears in ourselves, and the defenses we unknowingly use to cut ourselves off from our potential power.
*Understanding how to tame our fear and exercise control.
*Learning how to experience our true emotions and make use of their many resources.
*Developing effective, measured ways to express and share our feelings.

A master story‐teller, Frederick interlaces therapeutic techniques with stories from people who have learned to recognize and deal constructively with the emotions that have kept them from living their best lives. The trick, Dr. Frederick shows, is in being able to navigate and diminish the fear that is so entangled with our feelings, so we can progress in a healthier, less encumbered direction, and get the life we really want.

I was fortunate enough to get the author to agree to an interview. This is what he had to say:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want is a self-help book published by Jossey-Bass, a division of Wiley. Based on cutting-edge science, it shares my proven four-step approach to overcoming fear and becoming more emotionally present in one's life and relationships.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

I was inspired to write Living Like You Mean It by my own life-changing experience. I was in my early thirties, had just finished my doctoral studies, and despite having everything going for me, I hit a wall. I was in relationship I frequently questioned and found myself filled with trepidation and fear about moving forward. I ended up in therapy and discovered, rather surprisingly, that the anxiety I was experiencing at the time had so much to do with being uncomfortable with what I really felt deep down inside. I had become so afraid of my emotions, of listening to and trusting my true feelings, that I couldn’t hear the voice of my deepest self buried somewhere inside me—the voice that knew what I wanted, knew what I longed for, knew what felt right to me and what felt wrong. I might have gone on doubting myself forever had I not gotten the help I needed to recognize what, in fact, I really was afraid of and to learn how to overcome my fears, accept and embrace my emotional self, and really connect with others. The experience changed my life. My anxiety decreased, I stopped doubting myself and felt much more confident and in touch with my personal truth. I found it much easier to be emotionally present and felt closer to the people in my life. Ultimately, I found the courage to listen to and trust my heart and move forward, to leave the relationship I was in, and to realize the kind of relationship and life I had dreamed of having.

When you have an experience like that, when your life is changed in such a dramatic way, you want to spread the good stuff around. The more people I’ve been able to help, and the more I witness the dramatic changes that can take place when we develop the ability to be with and share our feelings, the more I have felt compelled to spread the word. I guess you can say that it’s become a mission for me: to help people to wake up to their feelings and get the lives they really want. I wrote this book to help people do just that.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My biggest supporter is my life partner Tim. As I say in the acknowledgements section of my book, “a better partner I couldn’t have imagined if I tried.”

Your biggest critic?

My biggest critic is probably myself. I have pretty high standards which I challenge myself to meet. It’s probably why I ever give up!

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

I’m most passionate about helping people be more accepting of their feelings and more emotionally present in their lives. Why? It’s our feelings that make us feel alive and vital, that bridge the gap between ourselves and others and help us to feel close. We get only once chance at this life; shouldn’t we give it our best shot?

What are you currently working on?

Currently, I’m working on promoting Living Like You Mean It which is pretty much a full-time job. I’m also beginning to develop an audio series based on concepts in the book that will help people experience more joy in their lives.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

The approach I share in Living Like You Mean It is solidly based on cutting-edge findings from the fields of affective neuroscience, brain development, and attachment studies. Consequently, the program I offer, while easy to understand and implement, is not the kind of anecdotal, “quick fix” found in so many self-help books. Instead, it offers tools that have the potential to fundamentally change the way our brain works and truly transform our lives.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

What I share in my book: To not be afraid to take risks and try to connect more deeply with others.

What is your favorite past-time?

My favorite past-time is being with my partner Tim (even though sometimes he drives me a little crazy!). Add in our two dogs and I’m pretty much good to go.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Getting a book published has so much to do with being tenacious. For me, it was four years from start to finish, with many road blocks along the way. I’m so glad that I persevered despite all the rejection, all the hurdles, all the down times. That I reached out to others for help and that I stuck with it as long as I did. I can hardly believe it sometimes when I’m holding the book in my hands that it’s actually come to fruition. It’s been quite a ride. So, don’t despair. Hang in there and keep at it!

And, to learn more about me and Living Like You Mean It, please visit: http://www.livinglikeyoumeanit.com/index.html

Lizzie's Rake by Hazel Statham

About the Author:


Hazel Statham lives in Staffordshire, England. She started writing at fifteen and has written on and off ever since. She has always been fascinated by history and writes mainly in the Regency and Georgian eras, although she has had a short medieval story published. When she was a child, she often told herself stories and this just progressed to committing them to paper to entertain family and friends. There have however, been gaps in her writing years where marriage and employment intervened, but now that she no longer works, she is able to return to her first love and devote her time to writing. She had her first two novels published in 2005.

She has been married to her husband Terry since 1969 and they have a grown daughter and beautiful grandson. Apart from reading and writing historical novels, her other ruling passion is animals and until recently, she was treasurer for an organization that raised money for animal charities. She currently shares her home with two lovely yellow Labradors named Lucy and Mollie, who are her constant companions. They are real sweeties, but it’s not always easy working at the computer with a large Labrador trying to get on your knee!

You can visit Hazel online at http://www.hazel-statham.co.uk/.

About the Book:

Can a rake reform his ways and truly love?

Lizzie's head tells her one thing, her heart another.Infamous rake and Corinthian, Maxim Beaufort, Earl of St. Ive, finding himself in possession of a property in Yorkshire, is unprepared for the changes it will bring into his life.

Irresistibly drawn to Elizabeth Granger, the former owner’s daughter, he attempts to help the family, finding himself filling the role of benefactor.

When the house is razed to the ground, he arranges for temporary accommodation for Elizabeth and her siblings on his estate and when Elizabeth rejects his proposal of marriage, he is nonetheless determined to win her over.

However, events and his reputation conspire to thwart his efforts and his course is one fraught with dangers.

Trust does not come easily and determined to protect her heart, Elizabeth struggles to resist her own longings. At times, their difficulties appear insurmountable but the earl is widely known as ‘The Indomitable’ and the name was not lightly earned.

I was lucky enough to get the author to agree to an interview. This is what she had to say:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Can a rake reform his ways and truly love? Elizabeth's head tells her one thing, her heart another.

When infamous rake and Corinthian, Maxim Beaufort, Earl of St. Ive, finds himself in possession of a property in Yorkshire, he is irresistibly drawn to Elizabeth Granger, the former owner’s daughter. Whilst attempting to help the family, he ends up filling the role as benefactor. When the house is razed, he arranges temporary accommodations for Elizabeth and her siblings on his estate but when he proposes to Elizabeth he is rejected.

Trust doesn’t come easily for Elizabeth and determined to protect her heart, she struggles to resist her longings, especially considering the earl’s reputation. At times, their difficulties appear insurmountable but the earl is widely known as ‘The Indomitable’ and the name was not lightly earned.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My family is very supportive and is always delighted when I sign a new contract.

Your biggest critic?

I have to say that I’m my own severest critic. I’m never completely satisfied with my work and even after publication feel the need to ‘tweak’ what I have written.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

I hate cruelty and injustice in any shape or form, be it against humans or animals. I used to work as treasurer for an organization that raised money for animal charities.

What are you currently working on?



















My current work-in-progress is another Regency romance and I have finally settled on the title ‘For Love of Sarah’. It has been very much a start – stop process over the past few months but, hopefully, I will now be able to settle to it and finally see it completed.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

I have to admit that, like many other writers of Traditional Regencies, I initially derived my inspiration from Georgette Heyer. When I read her books they opened up a whole new world to me, one I longed to recreate in my work.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?

My greatest achievement is in becoming a published author. It never ceases to amaze me that people enjoy my writing. So far, I have been lucky enough to find a home for all my manuscripts and I am very grateful to the publishers who have given me the opportunity to share my work with others.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

Writing is a compulsion I can’t ignore and I would continue to write regardless of whether it was published or not.

Biggest weakness?

Lack of self-confidence.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte. I love the enigmatic Rochester and I think you will find a little of him in all my heroes.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I hope everyone enjoys reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. I love to hear from my readers and promise to answer all my mail.

Making Light of Being Heavy by Kandy Siahaya

About the Book:

These days everyone has a society-driven mindset and totally forget to laugh, especially at themselves. This may be cliche but I truly believe that laughter is the best medicine and I think everybody should laugh every day. Period. Over the years as a person blessed with the fat gene, I have been in many situations where if I could not find humor I probably would end up on the couch in the psychiatrist's office. This book is about as politically incorrect as it gets for such a subject but it is also based on reality. This is a reality that many women have just like me, but do not think they can (or should) at times just laugh about it.

My intention when I started writing this book was to hopefully give insight to many who could never relate but at the same time perhaps provide a different perspective to women just like me. It is a point of view that has given me the strength to live my life happily and project these feelings onto everyone I come in contact with. I have a great sense of humor and a quick with and guarantee you will be laughing (and thinking) with each chapter of Making Light of Being Heavy.

About the Author:

Kandy Siahaya was raised in a small town in Maine where she graduated from high school in 1984. She worked her way up from her first job as CSW to Manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken and ended up in Brunswick, Maine. When she decided to leave the fried chicken business at age 22, she packed up her little Chevy Chevette and moved to Fort Myers, Florida where she worked as a waitress and had a great time as a single girl in her 20's. Reality hit when she was 25 years old and went back to Maine and received her Associate's Degree at Beal College and promptly moved back to Florida and started a career in medical transcription. In 1995 at age 29, she met her future husband and moved to North Miami Beach, Florida, and continued with transcritpion starting her own business.

In 2002, Kandy left North Miami Beach and moved back to Maine with her five-year-old son and eventually divorced in 2005. Kandy still does medical transcription but had an unexpected decline in work which left her with a lot of time on her hands. This is when she decided to write a book. this is something she had been thinking about for a few years but never had the time because she was always so busy with her business. It was meant to be a quick and funny read, something to brighten the outlook of many that really do not see the light through their own tunnel vision. It was also intended to be insightful for those that could never possibly relate to this specific subject. Kandy has succeeded in doing just that with Light of Being Heavy.

For more information please visit http://www.makinglightofbeingheavy.com/

I was lucky enough to be able to interview this fantastic lady. Here's what she had to say:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Making Light of Being Heavy is short comical rant from the perspective of a fat chick with a sense of humor in today's society.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

About five years ago a friend and I were walking with our kids along the sidewalks of Old Orchard Beach in the summer when a cute guy driving a pedicab stopped beside us waiting for the light. Joking around with him I asked him if there was a weight limit on that ride. My friend and I both were over 300 pounds and he was looking at us I think trying to come up with a "safe" number and he said "500 pounds" smiling. My friend and I started laughing and I jokingly said that we would have to have individual rides. While walking away we started talking about all kinds of instances like that one that we could laugh off and my friend said we should write a book.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

My own personal experiences and having been fat ever since I was a kid.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My son and my friends.

Your biggest critic?

Anyone without a sense of humor.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

No specific cause I am passionate about but I am a strong believer in the more you give the more you will receive and I love to help people and encourage my son that in life it is better to give than to receive.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

My 23-year-old stepdaughter and young granddaughter who turns 3 in April moved in last June so I think I will say my ability to have more patience has improved.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

I am not sure if just being true to myself and being real would be considered rituals but that was how I based Making Light of Being Heavy in the hopes that the book would not only be entertaining but insightful as well.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

Making Light of Being Heavy is my first book but I would say that society in general influenced part of the book and then my own personal goal to make people laugh with a different perspective on such a touchy subject.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

Raising my son.

What are you currently working on?

Actually, my son and I are working on a children's book in which he uses is great artistic ability and illustrates it.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

Always be positive. Remember...it takes more muscles to frown than to smile!

What are some of your long term goals?

I am not really good with long-term goals but for the short term I would say actually sticking to a diet and also helping my son in his achievements as he gets older.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?

Getting my point across and having the effect on the reader that was intended.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

I always finish what I start and do what I say I am going to do.

Biggest weakness?

Good food :)

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

There are not too many that I could find in the same genre but a couple that I did look at seemed to be more "fat and proud" or more bitter towards people and their thoughts on weight. At this point in my life I have no reason to be bitter at a boy in the fifth grade that did not pick me for the kickball team and I am not proud of being fat but I am proud of myself and who I am.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

I am hopeless romantic and believe in happy endings so I would say it would be something in the historical romance department like Judith McNaught or Lisa Kleypas, two of my favorites.

If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?

None. The decisions (good and bad) I have made throughout my life have made me who I am and I have no regrets.

Are you a different person now than you were 5 years ago? In what way/s?

I was going through a divorce five years ago which was very stressful because I really do believe in happy endings but also believe in being emotionally healthy which I am now.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

Always treat others as you would want to be treated yourself. Always.

Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?

Not yet...maybe a further down the road something will come to mind...

What is your favorite past-time?

I love yard sales and thrift store shopping.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Thank you for the interview. I hope everybody enjoys reading Making Light of Being Heavy.

MAKING LIGHT OF BEING HEAVY VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR '09 will officially begin on May 1 and end on May 29. You can visit Kandy's blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May to find out more about this great book and talented author!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.

Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton

About the Book:

Jamie McClintock, an artist who already has a precarious life caring for her asthmatic little son and struggling to pay the bills, doesn’t have time for love or romance. She and her son live in an old farmhouse with an elderly widower who is raising his grandson—but when her beloved elderly landlord dies of a sudden heart attack, her life is thrown into chaos.

When the late landlord’s estranged son Nate arrives in town to settle his father’s affairs and claim his son, Jamie discovers that the spirited old gentleman devoted to raising his young grandson was actually a philandering, deadbeat dad in his day. At least, according to Nate, a widower whose late wife’s accident left him bereft and entirely incapable of caring for the boy.

Jamie and Nate can’t stand each other from the beginning. He’s a self-absorbed, charismatic, world-traveling salesman who thinks being a dad means just letting his five-year-old son come along with him on his many business trips until he can convince his business partner girlfriend to marry him. He’s sure Jamie is just the latest of his dad’s girlfriends, and he’s only too happy to kick her and her son out of the house so he can sell it and get back to his life.

But then he discovers that being an instant dad isn’t so easy after all, especially when he’s blindsided by feelings of grief over the death of his father whose transgressions he never forgave. And even while he and Jamie are fighting over everything from children’s nicknames to Jamie’s odd-ball fashion choices to Nate’s home renovation methods, they discover that they have two little boys looking to them to ease their grief and loss. It’s not long before Jamie’s defensive self-preservation and Nate’s blustery bravado crumble under the laws of attraction.

In a story that is as much a humorous, poignant contemporary romance as it is the tale of a man coming to terms with his father’s desertion, readers will discover new twists to the modern-day mating dance. Sometimes, Jamie and Nate discover, the person you can’t stand is also person you also can’t stand to live without.

About the Author:

Sandi Kahn Shelton is the author of three novels, all contemporary novels about relationships and family, including What Comes After Crazy, A Piece of Normal, and the latest, Kissing Games of the World. She’s also the author of three nonfiction humor books about parenting, and is a feature reporter for the New Haven Register. For years she wrote the “Wit’s End” column for Working Mother magazine, and she has been a contributor to Redbook, Salon, Reader’s Digest, and Woman’s Day.

She’s been a writer for longer than she can actually remember—but she does remember her first sale. When she was 6 years old, her mother wouldn’t give her money for the ice cream truck, so she ran home and wrote a story and sold it to the neighbors for 20 cents. It was called “The King Who Slept For Three Hours and Forty-five Seconds” and she saw this as the beginning of a promising career path that would keep her in frozen desserts for the rest of her life.

You can visit her website at http://www.sandishelton.com/,and her blog at www.sandishelton.com/blog.

I was fortunate enough to be able to ask the author a few questions. Here's what she had to say:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

I’d be delighted! Kissing Games of the World is a love story between two unlikely people who find themselves thrown together at the heart of a family tragedy, and who can’t STAND each other.

When Jamie McClintock’s elderly roommate, Harris Goddard, suddenly dies of a heart attack, she is left not only to grieve the loss of her dear friend, but to figure out how she can bear to part with the child she has been helping to raise, Harris’ grandson Christopher – and how she can explain to her own son, Arley, that they have to leave their home and send Christopher off to live with his father.

To make the situation worse, once Christopher’s father Nate rolls into town in the middle of the night, Jamie is overwhelmed with her dislike for him and her fears for Christopher’s fate. Jamie was warned by Harris about Nate’s irresponsibility – Nate did, in fact, leave his son to be raised by his grandfather after the untimely death of his young wife, and now leads the freewheeling life of a world-traveling salesman.

But this isn’t Jamie’s only point of contention. Nate thinks parenthood is going to be a breeze and that Christopher can just tag along on plane rides and hang out in conference room meetings. Jamie, of course, knows this will never work with a five year old, and in the few days she and Nate spend together packing up and planning the funeral, they fight passionately about that point and nearly everything else.

But once they've gone their separate ways, they come to see just how much they need what the other has to offer. Nate, stunned by loneliness and the sometimes hilarious difficulties of being a single parent, sees what he's thrown away by leaving his old home town, while Jamie learns to put aside her dismal romantic history and let herself trust again.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

My books tend to come to me from the characters who inhabit them rather than from specific events. I was a single mother for a while after my divorce, and so often the women who come to me as protagonists are single moms who are trying to fashion a life for themselves but are uncertain how to accomplish that and often think they’d just be better off sticking it out by themselves.

Jamie came to me first; she arrived one morning while I was taking a bath, and she just started telling me about this little boy of hers, and the old man she lived with and about his little grandson whom she loved so much. I suddenly just knew the old man was going to die, and that Jamie would lose her home and that her struggle was going to be to come to terms with that loss and learn to trust in love again.

Then I got fascinated by Nate, the young man who has run away from his home town and now must return to deal with the past and his family homestead, and to mourn his relationship with his estranged (and now deceased) father. Everyone in this book is suffering from grief and loss and lack of strength—and yet through each other, they come to recognize their own courage.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

Our human need for love and connection—and our fears of exposing that to other people. I’ve always been struck by the many ways we humans have of disguising our true feelings and trying to pretend that we don’t need each other, and the ways in which we finally can come around to discovering our true selves. I also love stories about people finding families.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

People imagine that finishing a book is probably the most glorious moment on earth—that writers must experience a kind of "ta-daaa!" in their hearts as they’re writing THE END at the bottom of the last page. Instead, it’s kind of like the end stages of childbirth; you’re pleased to be done, but you’re also sweaty and exhausted and almost shaking with the effort. Tying up those last few details and escorting those characters to the finish line is NOT an easy thing to do.
Lately, my books have reached completion in the middle of the night, when I’ve found myself unable to sleep. I think when I actually get there, I am a bit stunned. I sit there blinking at my desk, and wait for either the soaring feeling that tells me that it really, really is done…or else the nagging feeling that the characters just haven’t quite gone away, they have one or two little things more they’d like me to type for them.

But when it’s really, really done—well, I stand up and do my Novel-Ending Happy Dance. (Luckily for me, nobody’s filmed that yet.)

What are you currently working on?

I am writing a new novel, The Year You Think of Nothing Else, and it’s a love story about a middle-aged marriage with a secret at the heart of it that threatens its survival.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

To writers I would say DON’T GIVE UP! My first novel (What Comes After Crazy) took me 17 years to write. It was the thing I worked on only when everything else was done in my life (and how often does that happen?) Really, it lived in the drawer and occasionally I’d hear it calling out to me, or hear the characters begging me to come back and do their typing for them. I must have written and rewritten that thing five times in trying to get the story down just right…but once it was done, it sold in two weeks!

What are some of your long term goals?

Really, writing novels is the greatest experience I can ever imagine. I feel as though I’ve been given a chance to have more than one life. I go and live in another character’s head and experience life through someone else, and it’s the most wonderful thing in the whole world. I am never happier than when I have created a little world of my novel and can go around and play there and write to see what happens next. If I can just keep doing this—and getting better at it—I will be so happy!

WIN PRIZES:

KISSING GAMES OF THE WORLD VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '09 will officially begin on January 1 and end on January 30. You can visit Linda's blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in January to find out more about this talented lady!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.

And the winner is

Penelope of Sassy Mama Bear Reads! You have won my copy of The Diary of Anne Frank. I have your address so will just ship this out to you.

To everyone else, thanks for commenting and taking the time to visit my blog. Please make sure to come back as I will have many more contests in the VERY near future. Take care!

Win The Diary of Anne Frank

It has become obvious that I need to keep better track of what books I own. I have quite a few duplicate books, and with moving recently I have been able to go through them somewhat, and have pulled the duplicates out for raffle. This is another one of those books.

I think that most of us are familiar with Anne Frank's diary, but if you aren't this is truly a must read book. It is in hardover and in very good condition.

Want to win?! It couldn't be easier:) All you need to do to win is:

Leave a comment for 1 entry - don't forget to leave an email address so I know how to contact you.

Blog about it with a link back to me for 5 additional entries, that's right 5! Again, please tell me you are doing this so I can check the link.

That's it, it's just that simple. A name will be drawn on Sunday, August 31st and the winner announced on Monday. Good luck!

Want to a chance to win some other books? Please visit Amateur de Livre and Scribe Vibe!