Sara Reyes | Out of Order, It's a Mess!

Look, I'm not usually cranky about reading books out of order, but thanks to a reading friend, I've discovered Christine Warren's world of The Others, and OMG, HELP me figure this out!

It's not that the books are bad...actually they are quite entertaining, but I've been spending SO much time trying to figure out the timeline and how all the stories fit together that it's absolutely pulling me out of the stories. As I said before this usually doesn't bug me, but this series is doing a real trip on me.

Back story is...apparently the books were first issued as shorter ebooks and now that Christine has hit the best sellers lists, St. Martin's Press is having her re-work the shorter ebooks into longer novels. But since I never read her ebooks, the tantalizing snippets of people such as Luc and Corrine, Danice and Mac confuse me. Then I've got to know whatever happened to Logan? He shows up in BIG BAD WOLF as such a great secondary character and then just disappears. But they keep mentioning he moved to Connecticut. Huh? It's really annoying! And what's with the demons and Fae, are they sticking around or not? And whatever happened to the witches? And who's on the Council and who's the guy in charge? The cast of characters in the books keeps changing and so does the timeline. Don't give me a book as the Others #9 when it's really the beginning of the timeline. It just kind of messes with my brain too much.

So, anyone else have an opinion on books reworked from earlier versions and then published out of the timeline? Or am I the only crazy reader here?

Until next time...


Get out there and READ a book...

Sara Reyes

DFW Tea Readers Group

Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas November 12-14, 2010! with Sherrilyn Kenyon and more guests


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PS comment and you could win signed books in this weekend's blog contest. Two WINNERS!!!

Fresh Pick | BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE by Wendy Holden

April 2010
On Sale: April 1, 2010
432 pages
ISBN: 1402237154
EAN: 9781402237157
Trade Size
$14.99

Women's Fiction, Romance Contemporary
Buy at Amazon.com

Beautiful People
by Wendy Holden



Wendy Holden's ninth novel blissfully returns to the witty, unputdownable style of her best-loved early bestsellers, featuring the trademark Holden wit that prompted the Daily Mail to say: "Thank God for Wendy Holden."

A fabulous romantic romp revolving around the adventures of a struggling actress, a fame-crazed former film star, and a down-to-earth nanny, Beautiful People jets to London, Hollywood, and Italy at a frenzied pace. Holden crafts a tale wicked in its observations yet buoyant at its heart: a masterful return to the swashbuckling verve her adoring fans devour. A confection that's made for summer reading.

Fame, love and happiness.

Can anyone have it all? Darcy’s a struggling English-rose actress when The Call comes from LA. An Oscar-tastic director. A movie to make her famous. The hunkiest co-star in Hollywood. So why doesn’t she want to go?

Belle’s a size-zero film star but she’s in big, fat trouble. Hotter than the earth’s core a year ago, she’s now Tinseltown toast after her last film bombed. Can she get back to the big time?

When the two women lock horns over men, movies and megadiets, there’s more drama than even Hollywood can handle. And after a celebrity nanny, reluctant supermodel and passionate star chef enter the mix, things get seriously hot and spicy...

Excerpt

Belle’s entire body surged with excitement as Niall’s large, long, strong, jeaned thigh brushed hers. She swallowed and forcibly resisted the urge to run her long, manicured fingernails along it.

Her nostrils filled with an unfamiliar scent. It was, she realised, the unadulterated essence of man. Christian and most of her lovers before him had doused themselves with so much cologne you could smell them coming as their car turned the corner of the street. They had had more facial products in the bathroom than she had. But this – this was natural allure. Musky, sweaty, salty, darkly intimate. She was almost shuddering with desire now. This was what she had been waiting for. One hundred per cent solid, muscled, masculine, red-headed, mouth-watering, nipple-stiffening, gasp-making, rootin’ tootin’ prime beefcake.

Meanwhile, with a paparazzi flash of memory, Niall had recognized her. This
Read More...

Previous Picks

Avoid the April rains...try a cozy mystery in April

I love Spring! The air is finally warmer, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the swing in the garden is calling my name to come on out, bring a book, and sit a while!

I know that “cozy mysteries” invoke the mental image of curling up by the fire on a winter day, being cozy with a good book and a cup of cocoa. But you can grab a lively story and plop into a swing or front porch chair with a glass of raspberry lemonade and enjoy the same “cozy” feeling during the spring and summer!

April finds us with a wide variety of mysteries to choose from by some new authors, and some favorite authors. So take a few minutes this beautiful spring to savor the finer things in life – a cool drink, a comfy chair, and a delightful mystery – what could be better?

Three top authors in the mystery genre have new books out this month.

One of my favorite authors, Susan Wittig Albert continues her tales of herbalist/amateur sleuth China Bayles with her new book, HOLLY BLUES.

It’s a battle of the current wife vs. the ex-wife when China’s husband, Mike McQuaid’s first wife Sally shows up right before Christmas with nowhere else to turn. And since China is a goodhearted lady, and Sally is the mother of McQuaid’s son, Brian, she has no option but to invite Sally to stay for the holidays.

But it seems Sally has a few secrets of her own, and when menacing phone calls begin, it’s up to China to figure out who is threatening to turn Sally into the Ghost of Christmas Present, not to mention ruining Christmas for everyone.

This is Albert’s eighteenth book in the China Bayles series, and it is as intriguing and thrill-filled as the other books. Although it is set during the Christmas season, think of it as a headstart on the holidays to come!

Author Carolyn Hart’s new book, LAUGHED ‘TIL HE DIED, the 20th book in her “Death On Demand” series, takes her readers back to her beloved Low Country of South Carolina to visit with favorite sleuths/bookstore owners Max and Annie Darling.

In this story, Max and Annie are asked to help their friend, youth center director Jean Hughes who has been accused of killing her former lover, wealthy businessman Booth Wagner. It’s up to the Darlings to discover which of Wagner’s many enemies snuffed out the obnoxious fellow.

Hart’s stories in the “Death On Demand” series can be considered stand-alones in that each story is unique and fresh, but always feature the loving couple of Max and Annie.

Mary Higgins Clark is the grand dame of mysteries, and while her books can’t really be considered cozy, it would be thoughtless of me to not mention her new book, THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE. Clark has influenced so many writers during her amazing career, and this new book is sure to be among the top mysteries of the year.

In THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE, intrigue swirls around family secrets, medical miracles, and the beatification of a beloved nun, and if she is true to form, Clark will give her dedicated readers the thrilling suspense they love her for.

Now, on to the cozies!

I don’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but most of the covers of our beloved cozy mysteries this month feature colors of green and blue, just right for inspiring spring time thoughts. (Just had to point that out!)

Lobsters, knitting and murder can be found among the pages of MOON SPINNERS: A Seaside Knitting Mystery by Sally Goldenbaum. The gals of the Seaside Knitters are taking a break from their stitching to help their friend Gracie open her new restaurant, The Lazy Lobster and Soup Café. But when Gracie’s rich aunt Sophie is killed in a freak car accident, and Gracie’s mother Julianne is arrested for her sister’s death, well you know the knitters are going to get involved in solving the mystery of who killed Sophie.

The third book in the Seaside Knitting Mystery series, MOON SPINNERS is as quirky and delightful as its characters. Goldenbaum includes a cute pattern for a knitted Fish Hat with her story.

I’ve never played Bunco, but I have heard that it is a lot of fun. In her book, TIL DICE DO US PART: A Bunco Babes Mystery, author Gail Oust gives readers a look into a group of feisty, lively retirees with a passion for Bunco and for mystery solving as well.

In the 2nd book of the hilarious series, Bunco Babe Claudia has returned from Vegas with new husband and the other babes wonder if she hit the jackpot or not. And when the new hubby turns up dead, and all clues lead to Claudia being the prime suspect, it’s up to her pals to find the real killer. Maybe what happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas, including new husbands!

It’s Bridezillas and murder in Denise Swanson’s 12th installment of the Scrumble River Mystery series, MURDER OF A WEDDING BELLE.

Skye Denison is talked into to not only being a maid of honor, but also helping her cousin Riley with her extravagant wedding plans, which means running interference with her controlling and obnoxious wedding planner, Belle Canfield. But when Belle is found dead just days before the wedding, it’s up to Skye to solve the murder and get the bride to the church on time.

My mother read this mystery, and said it was one of the most enjoyable she had read in a long time, and if Momma likes it, well, you know it’s got to be good.

Hobbies are a popular subject among cozy mysteries, and this month finds decoupage and miniatures the focus of two new books.

CUT TO THE CORPSE: A Decoupage Mystery by Lucy Lawrence features Brenna Miller, the co-owner of Vintage Papers and expert decoupage teacher.

Brenna has been talked into helping with Tara Montgomery’s wedding favors, but has vowed to keep her nose out of the wedding gossip. But when she finds Tara in bed with her fiance’s best friend, his recently deceased best friend, and Tara is holding the murder weapon, it’s up to Brenna to find out who is putting the brakes on the wedding with murder on their mind.

Lawrence includes directions for making a darling decoupaged votive holder and a cute block puzzle for her readers.

Little bitty stuff is the focus of Margaret Grace’s Miniature Mystery series, and her latest book, MONSTER IN MINIATURE, finds Geraldine Porter and her ten year old granddaughter Maddie excited about the upcoming Halloween holidays. But when a decorative scarecrow turns out to be a dead body, Geraldine and Maddy once again find themselves searching for clues to the murder that somehow reconnects to Geraldine’s late husband.

This is a delightful, multi-generational mystery that has plenty of twists and turns, albeit in miniature size! There are even a few crafty miniature tips included.

Food mystery lovers haven’t been left out this month! A mystery for wine lovers and lovers of good food are on bookstore shelves just waiting to be devoured. (ok, bad pun!)

A TOAST TO MURDER: A Wine Lovers Mystery by Michele Scott finds Nikki Sands and her fiancé, winery owner Derek Malveaux finally tying the knot. But when Nikki’s best friend Simon is shot as he walks her down the aisle, Nikki has to uncork a murderer before she can complete her “I dos.”

Scott’s lively characters, fascinating locale, and thrilling story pairing suggestions and recipes to boot.

I love a good Farmer’s Market, and was thrilled to find FARM FRESH MURDER: A Farmer’s Market Mystery by Paige Shelton. The first in Shelton’s series, readers will be introduced to Becca Robins, a young gal who is a whiz at making jellies and jams to sell at the Bailey Farmer’s Market. When Matt Simonsen, a fellow vendor who sold peaches, is killed, and the clues point to Abner Justen as the prime suspect, Becca jumps in to find out who killed the peach farmer, and why her buddy was being framed for his murder.

Set in South Carolina, FARM FRESH MURDER is a breath of summer freshness that is an absolute delight to read and savor. Add in the recipes for Strawberry Jam and Lemon Meringue Pie, to name a couple, and you have a feast of a mystery to enjoy.

Unusual jobs are also great topics for mysteries, and Christy Evan’s character Georgiana Neverall, the murder solving plumber’s apprentice, has one of the most unique jobs and set of sleuthing skills in the cozy mystery market today. In her latest book, “LEAD- PIPE CINCH: A Georginana Neverall Mystery, Evans has Georgiana building a moat for a castle in the middle of Oregon. When her nemesis Blake Weston, the man who stole her security company from her, is found dead in the moat, Georgiana finds herself knee deep in mucking herself out of a murder charge.

Always lively, Evans once again delivers a fun mystery full of puzzling secrets, and stimulating clues along with a plethora of plumbing tips.

And if you like your mysteries tied up in knots, check out Diana Killian’s MURDER ON THE EIGHTFOLD PATH: A Mantra For Murder Mystery which features A.J. Alexander, owner of the Sacred Balance Yoga Studio.

A.J. has a talent for stumbling upon murders, and this time, she literally trips over the body of her mother’s boyfriend in the garden. When her mom becomes the prime suspect, A.J. is determined to find out who had poor Dicky in the last downward dog position of his life.

Killian’s yoga-inspired mystery is sassy and smart, with organic recipes and yoga facts to inspire the reader as they puzzle out A.J.’s unusual life.

Well, there you have a lively lineup of mysteries to keep you occupied for the beautiful lazy days of spring. Come back by on April 15th when I’ll be interviewing Elizabeth Lynn Casey about her upcoming release, DEATH THREADS, that comes out next month!

Until then, cozy reading ya’ll!

---

Sharon Chance has been a freelance entertainment journalist for the past fourteen years. As a regular contributor to the Wichita Falls Times Record News, she has written well over 1,600 articles covering everything from concert and movie reviews to museum openings to interviewing some of the top musicians performing today, including members of Bon Jovi and Guns and Roses.

But her true love lies in the world of books. A voracious reader from a young age, Sharon began reviewing books at the urging of her sister-in-law, who was a big fan of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club. What began as a simple fun attempt at sharing her views of books she enjoyed has developed into a work of passion for Sharon. In addition to being a senior book reviewer for the Times Record News, Sharon is also a regular guest contributor for the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Book Nook, as well as having written for several other publications.

A distant relative of the great Edgar Allan Poe, Sharon has a fondness for mysteries, especially those of the cozy kind. In her new column, Sharon’s Cozy Corner, Sharon hopes to bring news of the latest in the cozy mystery genre, as well as insightful interviews with the authors who write them.

04/20 SUSAN MEIER

LACONNIE TAYLOR | The Topic Is A Little Too Touchy

One day, I got this funky, crazy idea. The timing was right, so I decided to give this romance writing thing a shot. The analytical side of me took over and I spent three months researching the industry. Terms like ‘unique voice’, ‘interesting story premise’, and ‘strong characterization’ kept popping up. Did I know what any of this meant? Uuh...didn’t have a clue.


Well of course the first question that popped in my head was what would be the premise of my story. That’s when I sat down and thought back over my experience as a community public health educator for the past twenty-five years. Every day, I interact with individuals who struggle with chronic diseases and wage war to find quality treatment within a fractured healthcare system. Despite their failures and the socio-economic deterrents woven around their lives, many have fought to overcome issues we couldn’t wrap two thoughts around. Why? Someone came along and dared to love them during the most hideous time in their lives. Interesting story premise, huh? Hmmm...let’s see. What if I took a real-life issue from my experience as a health educator and put a romantic spin to it?


I used domestic violence as the premise for my debut novel, When I’m With You "Nice writing, but touchy topic" or "the premise is a little too outside the box" rejection letters landed in my mailbox faster than a cold slot machine sucks in coins. Rejection letter number...heck I can’t even remember the number now, from agent what’s-his-face came along. That did it! The rebel side of me, the side my late mother and I fought over for years, surfaced. Ever had a conviction pound into your gut to the point you couldn’t let it go? Touchy topic or not, a person knows, what they know, when they know. I knew I had a good story. Forget what’s-his-face and all of the other agents before him. If I couldn’t get through the front door with an agent, I’ll try the back by myself. Hey, what did I have to lose? Sometimes in life gambling pays off and it did for me.


Four years, the "touchy topic" story was published, followed six months later by my sophomore release, When A Man Loves A Woman. In this story, after eight years, the heroine still battles the pain and humiliation of finding her ex-husband in bed with another man. My latest release, If I Were Your Woman deals with cancer. Soon after the leading male character meets the love of his life, he’s diagnosed with testicular cancer. Needless to say, this news prompts a series of challenges and conflicts for the couple.


Will I ever write a story with a traditional premise? Maybe. But you can bet the bank I won’t stop writing stories with the "touchy topic" premises.


To comment on The Topic Is A Little Too Touchy please click here.

Fresh Pick | SECOND TIME AROUND by Beth Kendrick

April 2010
On Sale: March 30, 2010
336 pages
ISBN: 0385342241
EAN: 9780385342247
Trade Size
$15.00

Romance Contemporary
Buy at Amazon.com

Second Time Around
by Beth Kendrick

From the author of "The Pre-Nup" comes this novel that focuses on four college friends who learn that the grass may not always be greener on the other side of the fence.

Every summer, four college friends hold a mini-reunion. They laugh, reminisce, and commiserate about their soul-sucking jobs. Maybe they should have listened to everyone who warned them to study something “practical.”

Then an unexpected windfall arrives—one million dollars, to be exact—with the stipulation that they use it to jump-start their new careers. Almost overnight, a professor, a bartender, a copywriter, and an administrative assistant reinvent themselves as a novelist, an event planner, a pastry chef, and a bed-and-breakfast owner. But the changes in their professional roles create unexpected turbulence in their personal lives, and soon the secrets and scandals from their past start to resurface.

For anyone who has ever wondered “What if?,” this engaging novel provides a sweet, funny look at friendship, romance, and second chances.

Excerpt

Chapter One

“The only way not to think about money is to have a great deal of it.”

– Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth

“We all should have gone to law school.” Jamie Burton plopped down on a white rattan rocking chair, kicked off her flip-flops, and gazed out at the lake. “I’m telling you. Everyone who warned me about majoring in English was right. If I’d gone to law school, I wouldn’t be flashing my décolletage for tips. If I’d gone to law school, all my student loans would be paid off and I’d be swanning around in the trinity of Christians: Dior, Lacroix, and Louboutin. If I’d gone to law school, I’d be—”

“Careening down the slippery slope of insanity,” said Arden Henley, who had a framed Read More...

Previous Picks

Fresh Pick | MAGNOLIA WEDNESDAYS by Wendy Wax

March 2010
On Sale: March 2, 2010
Featuring: Vivian Armstrong Gray
448 pages
ISBN: 0425232352
EAN: 9780425232354
Trade Size
$15.00

Contemporary Chick Lit, Women's Fiction Contemporary
Buy at Amazon.com

Magnolia Wednesdays
by Wendy Wax

From the author of The Accidental Bestseller comes a wonderfully entertaining book about what to do when life comes at you full swing.

At forty-one, Vivian Armstrong Gray's life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Humiliated after taking a bullet in her backside during an exposé, Vivi learns that she's pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal. This explains why she says 'yes' to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she must write incognito.

Down South, it's her sister's ballroom dance studio that becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life-and where unexpected friendships develop. As she digs up her long buried roots, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence is really so bad after all.

Excerpt

Well bred girls from good Southern families are not supposed to get shot.

Vivien Armstrong Gray’s mother had never come out and actually told her this, but Vivi had no doubt it belonged on the long list of unwritten, yet critically important rules of conduct, on which she’d been raised. Dictates like, ‘always address older women and men as Ma’am and Sir’, ‘never ask directly for what you want if you can get it with charm, manners or your family name.’ And one of Vivien’s personal favorites, ‘although it’s perfectly fine to visit New York City on occasion in order to shop, see shows and ballet, or visit a museum, there’s really no good reason to live there.’

Vivien had managed to break all of those rules and quite a few others over the last forty-one years, the last Read More...

Previous Picks

LINDSEY MCKENNA | Warriors For The Light

This six book series began with a bang in October, 2006. UNFORGIVEN was the launch book for Silhouette Nocturne. It was exciting to create the first book for this paranormal series. As I huddled with Tara Gavin, Senior Editor of the line, I wanted to create more than one book. I wanted to create my own universe of sorts. Warriors for the Light was born!

I was able to write book #2 and #3, DARK TRUTH (July, 2007) and THE QUEST (Feb. 2008). And then as I had plans for the other three books, real Life took over. My mother’s health declined and for the next year, I put writing aside. It was only in 2009 that I was able to pen the last three books of the series. A writing marathon, to say the least. Now, the good news is REUNION, April, 2010, THE ADVERSARY, May, 2010 and GUARDIAN, June 2010, will roll out, one after another.

The WARRIORS FOR THE LIGHT series is about the Emerald Key necklace that was created by the Incan Emperor, Pachacuti, In the 1500’s before the Spanish invaded Peru and disassembled the vast Incan Empire, he was their last, great emperor. I’ve spent six weeks down in Peru around Mach Picchu, where he lived. There’s a very special and mystical energy to this incredible mountain retreat. If I could go there and live, I would.

When I went to Lima and visited the Museum of Gold, I saw many incredible Incan burial items. Among them, an emerald necklace, each sphere the size of a golf ball and utterly clear without inclusions. And emeralds almost always have lots of them. I remember staring through the glass and gawking at this huge necklace that contained these golf-ball sized emerald spheres on it. I was just stunned by their size and beauty. I’ll send along a photo of it so everyone can see it. From that "meeting" with this necklace, the Warriors for the Light were born.

UNFORGIVEN, the launch book, takes the readers back to when the Emerald Key necklace is rediscovered….and the legend behind it. The emerald spheres were disassembled from the necklace and Incan priests and priestesses went around the world and hid them in sacred, powerful places. The legend was that whoever could find all the spheres and reassemble it and wear it, would change the energy of the Earth forever...for bad or good. And so, the series is about good versus evil. And who will find the spheres first? The bad guy, Victor Carrancho Guerra? Or, the good guys, the Vesica Pisces Foundation in Quito, Ecuador? You have to read the books to find out.

I’m including a photo of this incredible emerald necklace with gold spacers. Each Emerald is hand hewn, hand rubbed and nearly clear. Anyone who knows emeralds, know they usually have a ‘garden’ of inclusions (lines/fractures) through them and that there are very, very few in the world that are this translucent. And just looking at this necklace catalyzed my idea for this series. An amazing event in itself!

Warmly, Lindsay McKenna

Books out in 2010:

HIS WOMAN IN COMMAND, Sil. Suspense, March, 2010, Black Jaguar Squadron/Morgan’s Mercenaries, book 1 of 3) Nike’s tale.



REUNION, Warriors for the Light, Book 4, April, 2010, Silhouette Nocturne, Lindsay McKenna (Great Serpent Mound, USA)

THE ADVERSARY, Warriors for the Light, Book 5, May, 2010, Silhouette Nocturne, Lindsay McKenna (Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada)

GUARDIAN, Warriors for the Light, Book 6--final one to wrap up the series, June, 2010, Silhouette Nocturne, Lindsay McKenna (Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland)

DANGEROUS IDENTITY, HQN, December 2010, Lindsay McKenna. Beginning of Jackson Hole, Wyoming ongoing series in HQN. Book #1. Deputy Sheriff Cade Garner and Rachel Carson’s story.

To comment on Warriors For The Light and for a chance to win please click here.

Interview with Alafair Burke

The Internet can be a valuable resource. Whether researching a topic for school or keeping abreast of the latest political news, we always seem to be connected in one way or another. It’s hard to remember what our lives were like before its conception! Nowadays, we even have Face Book and Twitter. The advances in technology are truly amazing.

Just as we have embraced this new movement comes the alarming reality of the dangers associated with these networking sites, especially for our youth. The number of predators lurking in cyberspace is disheartening. From prostitution rings to drug trafficking, the Internet has become a very nefarious place.

This month’s Jen’s Jewels Alafair Burke tackles this very controversial topic in her latest release, 212. The third installment of her highly popular The Ellie Hatchet Series, Alafair takes us through the streets of New York in search of a cyber killer. Fast-paced and brutally honest, she exposes the secret lives of women caught up in the Internet sex industry.

As part of this interview, Harper, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, has generously donated five copies for you, my favorite readers, to try to win. So, don’t forget to look for the trivia question at the end. And as always, thanks for making Jen’s Jewels a part of your reading adventure.

Jen: Without a doubt, the headlines are the spark that ignites your suspenseful stories that keep your readers on the edge of their seats. So that we may have a better understanding of the woman behind the words, please share with us your educational and professional background.

Alafair: I’m a law professor at Hofstra Law School outside of New York City, where I teach criminal law and procedure. Prior to that, I was a prosecutor in Portland, Oregon and a law clerk to a federal appellate court judge. I graduated from Reed College and Stanford Law School.

Jen: I think it would be fair to say that your legal career gives you a leg up for writing in this genre since your experience lends credibility to your plot. At what juncture in your life did you decide that writing needed to be part of the equation? And, how do you manage to balance a law career with writing full-time?

Alafair: I came to writing as a reader. I’d always been an avid reader of the genre. After five years of working at the District Attorney's Office in Portland, I felt like I was ready to contribute. By then, I could imagine the kinds of settings, characters, and dialogue that would color a series set in the Portland prosecutor's office. I also had a plot, inspired by two actual cases that arose while I was in the office. That idea became my first novel, Judgment Calls.

As for the balance, I have to be diligent. I’m always working on something whether a book, or a law review article that no one will ever read, or teaching. It pretty much means I work a lot, but it’s all stuff I love. I know I’m lucky.

Jen: Your latest release is the third book in your highly acclaimed The Ellie Hatcher Series. 212 is a riveting novel that delves into the clandestine world of the sex industry. For those readers unfamiliar with your books, please give us a brief overview of the series and its main characters.

Alafair: Ellie Hatcher is a detective in the NYPD, relatively new to homicide cases. Her father was a cop whose mysterious death plays a big part of her back story, but because she was raised in that atmosphere, she has good instincts about human motivations. She and her partner, JJ Rogan, are still finding their way, but they’re a good team.

Ellie was raised in Wichita, but she’s been in New York for over ten years after initially following her big brother, Jess, there. Jess is a terrific character, a struggling musician who crashes on her couch during frequent bouts of unemployment.

Jen: Ellie Hatcher is not your typical detective. Hard-nosed but sensitive, she runs the gamut with her emotions. Yet, with every step she takes, she inches closer to the killer. What is the driving force behind her desire to succeed?

Alafair: There’s no question that Ellie is always looking for approval from her dead father. She also has an overriding desire for justice. She wants to do what’s right, even when it puts her in peril.

Jen: Ellie’s partner J.J. is a rough and tough kind of guy who definitely has a soft-spot for her. Like a protective older brother, he’s got her back. What makes these two such formidable partners? And, are they truly equals in each other’s eyes? Why or why not?

Alafair: JJ’s got the experience, but he’s careful not to use that against her. He started out partnering with her when other detectives were skeptical after Ellie’s rapid movement in the department. I love the comfort they’ve managed to find in each other after a pretty short relationship. I’ve also been careful to steer clear of the usual romantic sparks. Their relationship is absolutely platonic.

Jen: The suspect in 212 is Sam Sparks. A Donald Trumpish kind of character who believes himself to be above the law, he irks Ellie from the get-go. If this character were Samantha Sparks, would Ellie have reacted in the same way? Why or why not?

Alafair: What a terrific question. It recognizes that women are often their harshest critics. In this case, however, I think Ellie would have reacted the same. Sparks gets under her skin not because he’s a man, but because he’s part of an extremely elite class that she knows does not accept her kind and that she’ll never be a part of. I don’t want to say too much, but Sparks turns out to be more than he appears.

Jen: Without giving too much away, the essence of the plot centers on some girls getting caught up in a prostitution ring via the Internet. I was shocked by my own sense of naiveté when it came to this topic. How are social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Craig’s List a crucial part of the mainstreaming of the sex industry?

Alafair: What the book explores (in an entertaining way, I hope) is the mainstreaming of today’s sex industry. Walking on corners has been replaced by ads in Craig’s List, and ads on Craig’s List don’t seem so different to some young women from social networking sites. At the same time, the dating world has become courser, as many girls routinely “hook up” with free-spending guys on the assumption that there’s no future, just an expensive night. As Eliot Spitzer’s escort has since explained, she didn’t see a big difference between hooking and what she and her friends had already been doing.

Jen: In terms of the storyline how does the role of technology help as well as hinder Ellie’s investigation? With prepaid, disposable phones and unidentifiable IP addresses, how can today’s law enforcement effectively protect our citizens? In your opinion, are they able to remain one step ahead of the criminals? Or, are they constantly just trying to keep up?

Alafair: Technology has become a part of the cat and mouse game between police and criminals. Johns no longer have to circle a high vice area in their car to pick up a prostitute; they can go online, making it much less likely they’ll be stopped in advance. On the other hand, internet use leaves more of a fingerprint than people realize. If the trick goes wrong and police are looking for the person who hired the victim for the night, chances are they’ll be able to track the person down through technology. That, in turn, causes more sophisticated criminals to hide their tracks, using public cyber cafes and downloading programs that block their identifying information. I find it all fascinating. So much has changed even since I was a prosecutor.

Jen: In 212, the character Katie Battle is a real estate agent who turns tricks at night to make ends meet. Nowadays, celebrity news magazines seem to glorify these types of women making their pursuits a desirable profession. How do you think this will affect future generations of young women? And, what can we do to stop it?

Alafair: Oh, if only I knew. As a writer, it’s much easier to point out and fictionalize social ills than to fix them. I do think we have created a culture in which young women think it’s normal to see Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears dance on stripper poles, for women to engage in girl-on-girl flirtations not because they want to but to titillate men, and even for them to sell their bodies for money if the price is right.

Jen: Of course, every leading lady must have a strong, sexy man to share her bed. Max Donovan is definitely hooked by Ellie’s charms. Why then is she so reluctant to just let herself go and fall deep in love with this super guy?

Alafair: I try to leave that for the reader to figure out. It could be that Max just isn’t the right guy. More likely, she’s so used to being the one who has to take care of everyone that she’s just not able to need another person. She’s getting better, though. It’s part of her journey.

Jen: What’s next for Ellie now that she has closed this case? And, when can we expect to see it in bookstores? (I will be the first in line!)

Alafair: I’m working on a standalone right now, also set in New York City, but a little different for me. The main character’s not in law enforcement. Then it’s back to Ellie. I’m pretty much on a book-a-year schedule.

Jen: Let’s switch gears and talk about your promotional plans. Will you be going on a book tour?

Alafair: I’m already on the road! I launched in NYC last week, then went to Pittsburgh over the weekend and Houston today. This week I’ll be doing a joint event with Harlan Coben in Phoenix, and then I’m off to Seattle and Portland. The full schedule is at www.alafairburke.com/events

Jen: Please take us on a brief tour of your website. Do you e-mail notification of upcoming releases? Do you give away signed bookplates?

Alafair: I have a newsletter than people can subscribe to on the website. I also have a blog that I update regularly with videos, interviews, announcements, and, yes, giveaways.

Jen: Do you participate in author phone chats? And if so, how would my readers go about scheduling one?

Alafair: I have been experimenting with Ustream, which allows me to do live video chats. The first one was a great success. Sign up for my newsletter for notice of future chats.

Jen: Thank you so much for taking time out of your very busy schedule to stop by and chat with my readers. I absolutely loved 212. I look forward to seeing it at the top of the bestsellers lists! Best of luck!

Alafair: Thank you so much for including me in your interview series. I’m proud of 212, so really hope your readers will enjoy it.

I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Alafair. Please stop by your favorite bookstore or local library branch and pick up a copy today. Better yet, would you like to win one instead?

Click here and answer the following triva question and you could be one of five winners.

Name the lead character in 212.

Later this month, I will be bringing to you my interview with debut novelist Holly LeCraw. You won’t want to miss it.

Until next time…

Jen

Candace Havens | Exciting April Finds...

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Rosemary Clement-Moore’s books, you should. Yes, they are young adult novels, but they are fun for all ages. Highway to Hell, the third book in her Maggie Quinn: Girl versus Evil series. “Maggie and Lisa are away from parental supervisions when they head for Spring Break on the Texas Coast,” says Clement Moore. “Oh, the college freshman days, when you think you know everything. They never make it to the beach. They wreck the Jeep when they hit a cow in the middle of the road, and get stranded in a one-horse town, where folks are convinced El Chupacabra is killing their livestock. After facing demons at the prom and sorcerous sorority sisters (say that three times fast!), Maggie and Lisa think they can take on this Mexican version of Bigfoot. But it’s bigger and badder than they realize. “

Clement Moore says this book is personal. “It takes place where I was raised,” she says. “I get to incorporate South Texas culture and legends, and I’ve thrown in a hot cowboy or two. Come on, and an El Chupacabra. What’s not to love?”

Highway to Hell was named one of the 2010 Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association.”

Theresa Meyers went a long way to research her novel A Vampire’s Mistress, “I scoured the Capuchin catacombs underneath Palermo, Sicily, where four centuries of mummies and skeletons still reside in their burial finest on display for the public,” she says. “While the practice of laying loved ones to rest in the catacombs was outlawed in 1881, the catacombs are still a huge tourist attraction today. One of the scenes in the story involves the characters racing through the catacombs to escape vampire hunters.”

Claudia Dain says she’s a pantser, which is a writer who sits down and writes by the seat of their pants. “But I’m an organized panster,” she says. I know the characters and I know how they behave before I write one word. So imagine my shock – make that horror when the heroine for The Courtesan’s Wager started paying attention to the wrong guy. This guy was not the hero! He was a disposable (sorry, Cranleigh) secondary character. Amelia starts fizzing every time he’s in the room. He snarls. They spark. She totally ignores the hero. I try to ignore it. I mean, I’m an experienced author; I can ignore misbehaving characters, knowing I can pull them into line in the rewrites. And they kiss. And kiss. And start talking about their long back-story that I knew nothing about. I stopped writing for three weeks, afraid to go anywhere near my computer, now that I knew it was the portal to an alternate universe and all. Three weeks and one day after the Revolution, I opened up the file and continued writing, letting the characters have their way. Turns out he really was the right guy for her. Who knew?”

Barbara Freethy has two books out this month On Shadow Beach and In Shelter Cove. “I’ve set my fictional town along the California central coast,” says Freethy. “Along with a new story involving an old murder, readers will get to learn more about the town, which was born from a Gold Rush shipwreck in the 1850s. For readers enjoy quilting themes, there’s also a story quilt with twenty-four blocks, each telling the story of one of the survivors of the wreck and each square tied to the current day characters as well.”

Susan Fox says most of the action on her new book Love, Unexpectedly, takes place on a cross-Canadian train journey. “On that train ride I wanted to give Nav and Kat something special to do that would increase intimacy and help them get to know each other, so I created a bored game called Nice ‘n Naughty. One player rolls the die, lands on a square that’s labeled with a heart, diamond, club or space, then draws a card from the corresponding deck and has to answer the question on it, or do what it says. I had fun making up what the cards say. …And had even more fun thinking up Nav and Kat’s answers.”

Vickie McDonough has her first trade paperback, The Anonymous Bride, out this month. It’s the tale of a Texas town marshal who suddenly has three mail order brides arrive, each expecting to marry him. But he didn’t order a bride. “People ask me how I got this idea,” McDonough says. “It started with a ‘what if’ question. What if a mail-order bride arrived in a town to marry a man, but he never ordered a bride. Then I wondered what if the town hosted a contest to see which bride would make him the best wife? And what if instead of three entries, there were four and the last one was anonymous.” Sounds like fun to me.

Vivi Andrews says her new book The Sexorcist is filled with demons and a smokin’ hot exorcist, but the heroine really made the story sing for her. “Brittany sees silver linings everywhere, but it's more of an ingrained coping mechanism than blind Pollyanna optimism,” says Andrews. “Born with a heart defect, her life was always limited by the constant risks to her health -but now, post-transplant, she is able to live, rather than just survive. In writing Brittany's happy, healthy ever after, I was influenced a lot by my memories of the way my aunt's life changed for the better following her heart surgery.”

---

Candace Havens is a columnist for FYI Television, an online news and media service, where she writes five weekly columns for an overall audience of 44 million readers. She is also an entertainment reporter for 96.3 KSCS in Fort Worth. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of the Charmed & Dangerous series including CHARMED & READY, CHARMED & DANGEROUS, CHARMED & DEADLY, and LIKE A CHARM as well as the Caruthers sisters: DRAGONS PREFER BLONDES and THE DEMON KING AND I. Her latest book, TAKE ME IF YOU DARE is in stores in February 2010.

Her non-fiction prose includes JOSS WHEDON: THE GENIUS BEHIND BUFFY, and essays in ALIAS ASSUMED: SEX, LIES AND SD-6, and FIVE SEASONS OF ANGEL.

You can visit Candy daily at her blog or her website

Fresh Thrills | Thrills and spine-tingling adventures in April

Hi and welcome to Fresh Thrills, a column for new releases in romantic suspense. Nail biting suspense, new romance, hot sex, great stories--- what thrills you?

STRONG, SLEEK AND SINFUL
By Lorie O’Clare
St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $7.99
The third book in O’Clare FBI series features Kylie Donovan who is a pro at catching online predators. When someone starts targeting teenage girls on the internet, she goes undercover as a college student. When she befriends the niece of Lieutenant Perry Flynn she must not only try to keep her cover a secret but also her lust for the sexy Lieutenant.

THE KILLING EDGE
by Heather Graham
Mira, $24.95
Chloe Marin was lucky. She was just a teenager when a party at a Florida beachside mansion turned into a savage killing spree, and she was one of the few to survive. Ten years later Chloe works as a psychologist specializing in art therapy to help traumatized victims, and on the side she finds release in her passion for the martial arts. Police who hire her as a consultant know she's a literal kick-ass advocate for victims who can't always speak for themselves. When a young swimsuit model disappears, Chloe suspects a killer is using the modeling agency to stalk his prey. So does Luke Cane, a British ex- cop-turned-P.I. investigating the disappearance of the model on behalf of her father. Chloe and Luke have trouble trusting each other, but they can't help their strong attraction for one another.

THE MEMORIST
by M. J. Rose
Mira, $7.99
Reprint
As a child, Meer Logan was haunted by memories of another time and place always accompanied by the faint strains of elusive music. Now the dreads are back. The past has reached out again in the form of a strange letter that sets her on a search to unlock the mystery of who she once was. With each step she comes closer to remembering the connections between a clandestine reincarnationist society, a lost flute linked to Ludwig van Beethoven and David Yalom, a journalist who understands all too well how the past affects the future. David knows loss firsthand – terrorism is a reality that cost him his family. He's seen every solution promised by security experts around the world – and he's seen every solution fail. Now in a concert hall in Vienna, he plans to force the word to understand the cost of those failures in a single violent act. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

THE MIST
FBI
by Carla Neggers
Mira, $7.99
Reprint
Things looked bad when Lizzie Rush finally found hard evidence that her boss, thrill-seeking billionaire Norman Estabrook, heads an international criminal network. But when he escapes police custody after a deadly Boston bombing, the worst is yet to come. From nowhere arrives the mysterious Brit, Will Davenport. Lizzie isn't sure which side he’s on, but his mercenary talents may help end the violence. Now, emerging from a year of secrets and lies as a double-agent straddling two worlds, Lizzie has little choice but to trust a man answering to no one. When the mist clears--and the frightening truth is revealed--who knows which side she herself will end up on.

KINDRED IN DEATH
By: J. D. Robb
PRICE: $7.99
Reprint
In 2060, Lieutenant Eve Dallas searches the backstreets of New York City for a dastardly and despicable criminal. When the captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they find their daughter brutally murdered in her bedroom. Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas. When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

A KISS TO KILL
By Nina Bruhns
Berkley Sensation, $7.99
Eight months ago, Dr. Gina Cappozi and CIA black ops commando Captain Gregg van Halen were lovers…until Gregg committed the ultimate betrayal. When her need for vengeance leads Gina back into Gregg’s bed, she discovers that the power of betrayal and revenge is nothing compared to the power of love.

DARK DECEPTIONS
A-TAC
By Dee Davis
Forever, $6.99
Former CIA operative Annie Gallagher dropped off the grid several years ago without a word. Presumed dead, she’s been hiding in the San Juan mountains and wanting nothing more than a quiet life for herself and her son. But when terrorists kidnap the boy, Annie has no choice but to carry out their demand....Led by long-time covert operative Nash Brennon, A-Tac members go undercover to try to thwart an assassination. But they are stopped in their tracks when they realize the assassin is an old ally—Nash’s onetime lover Annie. Conflicted on more levels than he cares to admit, Nash and the team force Annie to admit the truth. Left with no choice, Annie must accept Nash’s help and keep their passions at bay or risk losing her son.

RUDE AWAKENING
By Veronica Chadwick
Samhain Publishing, $15.00
His training didn't cover how to win back a woman’s trust…Jaimee Turner spent most of her life trying to be an unassuming pillar of virtue and submissive wife to a man who demanded nothing of her—especially physically. A year after his unexpected death, she’s finally finding her own footing, only to find herself thrown completely off balance by Lucas, a man who awakens desires she never knew she had. FBI agent Lucas Grayson is relentless in his quest to bring down those who prey on the innocent. The Turner case is unlike anything he’s dealt with before, and so is the widow Turner. Warning: Some mild violence, a very sarcastic best friend, sneaky massages, inappropriate use of caramel and some occasional back door lovin’.  

Silent Truth Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, In the sizzling new adventure from New York Times bestselling authors Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love, a red-hot BAD boy teams up with a sexy television reporter on an explosive quest for revenge.

Tough-as-nails Bureau of American Defense agent Hunter Thornton-Payne is no stranger to uncomfortable top-secret missions, but tonight takes the cake. He just needs to stick out a stuffy charity fund-raiser long enough to find the ruthless assassin he’s hunted for four years. It’s a rogue operation, but Hunter’s got nothing to lose—until a beautiful brunette unexpectedly pulls him into her own dangerous agenda. Abbie Blanton will do anything to cure her mother’s mysterious illness. When a high-profile heiress is murdered as Abbie tries to blackmail her for clues, Abbie realizes she’s stumbled into an unforgiving conspiracy—and she’s the next target. Soon, she and Hunter discover an alarming connection and begin a treacherous battle against an evil enterprise that someone will go to terrifying lengths to keep hidden.

Multi-published author Sherrilyn Kenyon, AKA Kinley MacGregor, knows men. She lives outside Nashville, TN, with her husband, three sons, and assorted pets. Raised in the middle of eight boys, and currently outnumbered by the Y chromosome in her home, she realizes the most valuable asset a woman has for coping with men is a sense of humor (not to mention a large trash bag and a pair of tongs). An award-winning Web/Flash Developer by trade, Sherrilyn is often found online when not writing.

DIANNA LOVE is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of Phantom in the Night and Whispered Lies. She’s a national speaker who started writing while working over a hundred feet in the air creating marketing projects for Fortune 500 companies. When not plotting out her latest romantic thriller, she travels the country on a motorcycle to research new locations. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her wonderful husband and a tank of unruly saltwater fish named after celebrities.

Until next month... Maria Muñoz

Libby Malin |Tips on How to Write a Comedic Novel

The Deconstruction Of Humorous Fiction In A Reactionary Postmodern World, Or From Chaos To Conformity: How To Write The Comedic Novel

When I was a graduate student at the University of Gussberry-on-Hornsplat reading for my doctorate in “Humor and Humorlessness in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Proto-European Monographs,” my professors often referred to a theory they loosely called “The Banana Peel Slide.” 

This meme postulated that a humorous trope—such as the man-falling-on-banana-peel— loses its ability to trigger amusement after it becomes part of the greater eco-social-spiritual consciousness, leading to a revolt by sophisticated elites against populist humor grounded in laughing at another’s misfortune, and eventually coming round to popularity again throughout the entire societal continuum when the joke takes on a wry postmodern irony encapsulating the laughing-at-the-laughter-of-those-who-laugh at such simplistic slapstick (See I.M. Gully-Bull, “They’re Laughing With Me, Not At Me, an essay on the struggles of a stand-up comic in the world of spelunking,” Psychiatric Journal of the Criminal Mind, Jan. 09, 43-57).

In other words, slipping on a banana peel was HIGH-LAIR-EE-YUS when first viewed by Cro-Magnon Man until his momma rapped him on the knuckles for laughing at another Cro-Mag hurting himself, and then became funny again when Momma started giggling about it herself.

But humorous tropes grow stale, so the banana peel gag loses its luster (or “lustre” as we were instructed to write at UGH) when viewed too often.

Humor, of course, varies from place to place and generation to generation (see Habe R. Dashery, “A Most Dreadful Hat: Materialism and Comedy in the Works of Jane Austen,” Oxford Community College Press, 1998, 90), but one thing remains constant—laughter usually accompanies surprise. One expects the man walking down the street in his fine new suit and boater hat to find his path smooth and journey uneventful. Then—surprise!—banana peel, meet foot. What’s not to love?

Nonetheless, humor writing is more than the mere description of slapstick moments which are, in reality, difficult to capture succinctly while retaining the laughter-inspiring elements. Written humor, in fact, depends a great deal on the effect of the words themselves, their groupings, their compilation, if you will, into a contextual image that ignites some inner Jungian childhood-pleasure-memory within the reader (see Diep Krappe, “Syntastic—Grammar, Puns, and Humor from Iambic Pentameter to ‘Yo Momma’,”  Journal of Polska Witticisms, Aug. 01, pp. 3-87).

This is not to say one can’t describe slapstick effectively on the written page. As the great humorist J.P. Sartre (not to be confused with her more well-known and morose second cousin Jean-Paul), once wrote: Je vais cherchez du bon vin a la cave, which, loosely translated, means: “It is possible for anything to be funny as long as the writer knows how to effectively communicate the core elements of the humorous situation, whether they be a physical action, a tres amusent observation a la ‘but other than that, how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln,’ or even, perhaps, the acting out of despair in a completely unexpected way. It is not the full bottle of wine in the wine cellar that makes one smile. It is the empty bottle of wine in the . . .” (the rest was lost to posterity, but the major components of Sartre’s take on humor appear in the brilliant essay by Dom. Pear I. Gnon, “The Banana Peel and the Descriptive Verb: Physical Comedy in a Linguistic Setting,” Wine, Laughter, and More Wine, Lots More Wine, More Wine . . . Please, June 02).

So, what, aspiring authors ask, is the secret to writing a successful humorous novel? Good spelling and grammar help (see Strunk N. White, “Spats, Spoofs and Spelling: The Dialectics of Inter-Class Dialogue in the Works of George Bernard Shaw,” Auckland  Council Kanberry, ACK Journal of Pedants and Proofreaders, Sept 1910). But beyond that, a funny story is really any one that makes people laugh or smile. If it does so for you, the author, you might be on the right path toward igniting the same reaction in others.

Humorous fiction comes in all varieties, from the zany (L. Malin, My Own Personal Soap Opera, Looking for Reality in All the Wrong Places, Sourcebooks 2010) to the zanier (L. Malin, Fire Me, a Tale of Dreaming, Scheming and Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places, Sourcebooks 2009).

There’s no telling what will tickle any one particular person’s funny bone at any one particular moment. There is no formula for success, in other words, just a keen power of observation—keep your eye on that banana peel, sweetie—and the ability to write characters readers care about even as they face unrealistic situations that could make them laugh or cry (see Gloria Steinmart, “That’s Not At All Funny,” Feminism Yesterday, April 1971).

If you’d like a peek at my latest oeuvre, MY OWN PERSONAL SOAP OPERA, go to my website to read a first chapter. It tells the story of soap head writer Frankie McNally, who has to deal with failing ratings, staff members who all want to be doing something else, a leading man who broke his leg on Dancing with the Stars, a jewel thief imitating a similar story on the show, and oh yeah, two men who both want to win her heart.

Hope you like it—or that degree from UGH was a total waste of time!

***

Libby Malin did not attend (nor go anywhere near) the University of Gussberry-on-Hornsplat. In fact, she holds a bachelor’s and master’s from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. When she finally turned to her first love, writing, she began penning women’s fiction and young adult mysteries (which she writes as Libby Sternberg). Her first YA mystery, in fact, was an Edgar nominee. Her three humorous women’s fiction books (LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT, FIRE ME!, and MY OWN PERSONAL SOAP OPERA) have garnered critical praise.

MY OWN PERSONAL SOAP OPERA BY LIBBY MALIN—IN STORES APRIL 2010

Is life stranger than fiction, or vice versa?

Frankie McNally has found the perfect solution for life’s perplexing problems: as head writer for the daytime soap Lust for Life, she works them out on the air!

Meanwhile, Frankie’s being courted simultaneously by the dashing older man sent in to save the show’s sagging ratings and by the soap’s totally hot leading man. And just when Frankie thinks the plot couldn’t get more complicated, a jewel thief starts copying the show’s storyline-a development that could send the show’s ratings soaring, if it doesn’t get Frankie arrested first...

In her signature blending of the hilarious with the poignant, Libby Malin’s latest light-hearted novel combines the best of life and of fiction into an entertaining and incredibly satisfying read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Libby Malin is published in women’s fiction, including FIRE ME, and is an Edgar nominated YA mystery writer. She’s worked in public relations, as an education reform advocate, and was a member of the Vermont Commission on Women. She lives with her husband and three children in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For more information please visit www.LibbysBooks.com.

To comment on How To Write The Comedic Novel and for a chance to win please click here.

Fresh Pick | LIFE AS I KNOW IT by Melanie Rose

February 2010

On Sale: February 2, 2010

Featuring: Jessica Taylor

368 pages
ISBN: 038534399X
EAN: 9780385343992
Trade Size
$15.00


Romance Contemporary

Buy at Amazon.com

Life As I Know It

by Melanie Rose

Jessica Taylor wakes up in a hospital room only to find that everyone around her thinks she is somebody else. Not only that, she seems to have a husband and four children she doesn't remember anything about. What she does remember is her quiet single life with her dog Frankie, going to work at her comfortable job, and meeting the man of her dreams in the park just before she was hit by lightning.

Soon she discovers that when she goes to sleep she alternates between her two lives, that of Jessica and that of Lauren Richardson. Jessica has no idea what's happened to her or whether she can get back to life s she knows it.

Meanwhile, she has her hands full being a mother to Laurens' four heartbroken children and a wife to her demanding husband. But as she digs deeper int Lauren's life, Jessica unearths some secrets, secrets which may tea the family apart.

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