Reading, Reviewing, Guest Authors, Giveaways and more.
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Genre: Murder Mystery
Published by: Athol Dickson
Publication Date: 11/30/2012
Number of Pages: 307
ISBN: 978-0-9854302-9-0 // 978-0-9854302-8-3
ONE OF THE STRANGEST THINGS ABOUT THE CITY was the sudden way it disappeared around the edges. One minute you were down on Sunset Boulevard surrounded by glass and concrete, and the next thing you knew you were up on Mulholland Drive, alone in the rough country. From a high window or a rooftop almost anywhere in Los Angeles you could see the mountains, and there was always something ravenous up there looking down.
I was up among the hungry creatures, standing at the edge of a cliff, with Hollywood and Santa Monica far below me in the distance. One step forward and I would be in midair. I was looking down and wondering if Haley had considered how suddenly you could go from city to wilderness. Then I wondered if it was a distinction without a difference, if the city might be the wilderness and the wilderness the city, and maybe Los Angeles’s edges seemed to disappear so suddenly because there really was no separation between sidewalks and mountain paths, buildings and boulders. Up in the mountains or down in the city, either way the carnivores were in control.
I imagined Haley, out of her mind, running full speed off the cliff. I wondered what it had been like, that final second or two before she hit. Had she realized what was happening? Did she recognize the city lights below for what they were, or did she really think she was flying toward the stars? And did she think of me?
Stepping closer to the edge, I slid the toes of my shoes into the air. I looked down two hundred feet, toward the spot where she had broken on the rocks. I stood one inch from eternity and tried to imagine life without her. I could not summon up a single reason why I shouldn’t take that final step, except for one. I thought about the kind of animal who would drive someone to do what my wife had done. Predators like that were everywhere. I should know. I had trained for half my life to be one of them. I was hungry, looking down on the city. If I was going to live, the hunger would have to be enough, for now. But I would sink my teeth into him, sooner or later. I would do that for Haley, and for myself, and then maybe it would be my turn to see if I could fly.
I stepped back from the edge.
A master of profound suspense.
Athol Dickson’s mystery, suspense, and literary novels have won three Christy Awards and an Audie Award. Suspense fans who enjoyed Athol’s They Shall See God will love his latest novel, January Justice, the first installment in a new mystery series called The Malcolm Cutter Memoirs. The second and third novels in the series, Free Fall in February, and A March Murder, are coming in 2013.
Critics have favorably compared Athol’s work to such diverse authors as Octavia Butler (Publisher’s Weekly), Hermann Hesse (The New York Journal of Books) and Flannery O’Connor (The New York Times). Athol lives with his wife in southern California. Please visit his website at www.AtholDickson.com, and like his Facebook fan page.
Praise for Athol Dickson’s novels:
“Atmospheric, well-paced and powerfully imagined . . . a highly entertaining nail-biter.” (Publishers Weekly)
“. . . richly imagined . . . lyrically written . . . artfully constructed.” (Bookwire)
“. . . well-written . . . intelligent . . . suspenseful . . . engrossing.” (Library Journal)
“. . . elegant prose . . . very well written.” (The New York Review of Books )
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You are in for a treat!!! Tanisha, from Forever/Grand Central Publishing, is stopping by today with bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen. I ask, for your help, in giving them a warm welcome to CMash Reads.
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives with her husband and three kids in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.
Connect with Jessica at her website, on FB and Twitter.
A rule-breaker with a fiery attitude, Ella always wore her heart on her sleeve. Then she left everything behind to go to college, where she transformed into someone who follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. Now it’s summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home. But once there, Ella fears that everything she’s worked so hard to bury might resurface—especially with Micha living right next door.
Smart, sexy, and confident, Micha can get under Ella’s skin like no one else. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. If he tries to tempt the old Ella to return, he will be impossible to resist. But what Ella doesn’t realize is that when she left, she took a piece of Micha’s heart with her. Now he’s determined to win back the girl he lost, no matter what it takes.
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I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
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I have the honor and privilege to introduce you to today’s guest, as she kicks off her virtual tour with Providence Book Promotions at the request of Doubleday Publishing. I ask that you help me in welcoming Ms. Brenda Ashford to CMash Reads.
Brenda Ashford is a graduate of Norland College, a world-famous institute for British nannies. For sixty-two years, she cared for more than one hundred children, making her Britain’s longest-serving nanny. She lives outside London.
Connect with Ms. Ashford via Doubleday at 
“I had puzzled many times over the ingredients for a perfect recipe for a happy home. Throw in some stability, a dash of routine and respect. Sprinkle some fun and imaginative games and stir well. But the most vital ingredient is the mother. The mother is truly the heart and soul of a family.”
“As for fussy eaters? I don’t stand for it. I have taken a hard line on this topic. This is a home, not a restaurant and you will jolly well try it before you turn your nose up at it.”
“If a child has sufficient breakfast, lunch and dinner they shouldn’t need a snack. I don’t really like it today when I see children being wheeling along in a pram stuffing things in their mouth. ”
“Children cannot get up to your level, so you have to get down to theirs; try and understand how the world looks through their eyes.”
“If we respect little people then they in turn will grow up to respect others.”
“Put a book in a child’s hands or plant them in an empty field or park, and suddenly the world opens up and becomes a fantastical place of make believe and adventure.”
“Never let a house define you. You can make a home anywhere from an air raid shelter to a shed, if you have to. Riches and wealth don’t matter a jot.”
“I was always honest with my charges. In fact in every area of my life I have been most careful to never tell a lie. Why can’t everyone be more careful to tell the truth? At least we would all know where we stand in life.”
“Little folk deserve a childhood that’s full of fun. It’s the single most valuable lesson in my eyes. I have always encouraged children to have a giggle wherever and whenever they can.”
PEARLS OF WISDOM FROM A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny’s Story by Brenda Ashford * 9780385536417 *On Sale April 2, 2013Strung Together During 60 Years of Devoted Service as a Nanny
Brenda Ashford is the quintessential British nanny. Prim and proper, gentle and kind, she seems to have stepped straight out of Mary Poppins. For more than six decades Nanny Brenda swaddled, diapered, dressed, played with, sang to, cooked for, and looked after more than one hundred children. From the pampered sons and daughters of lords ensconced in their grand estates to the children of tough war evacuees in London’s East End, Brenda has taught countless little ones to be happy, healthy, and thoroughly well bred. In this delightful memoir, Brenda shares her endearing, amusing, and sometimes downright bizarre experiences turning generations of children into successful adults.
From the moment Brenda first held her baby brother David she was hooked. She became a second mother to him, changing his nappies, reading him stories, and giving him all the love her warm heart contained. Knowing a career caring for children was her calling in life, Brenda attended London’s prestigious Norland College, famous for producing top-notch nannies. It was a sign of privilege and good taste for the children of the well-to-do to be seen being pushed in their Silver Cross prams by Norland nannies, who were recognizable by their crisp, starched black uniforms with white bib collars, and their flowing black capes lined with red silk. And what skills were these trainees tested on daily? Lullaby singing, storytelling, pram shining, bed making, all forms of sewing, cooking simple meals, and dispensing first aid—including knowing the best way to help the medicine go down.
In A Spoonful of Sugar, Brenda recalls her years at Norland and her experiences during the war (after all, even if bombs are dropping, there’s no reason to let standards slip), and recounts in lovely detail a life devoted to the care of other people’s children.
Sprinkled throughout with pearls of wisdom (you can never give children too much love, and you should learn how to sew a button, for goodness’ sake), this delightful memoir from Britain’s oldest living nanny is practically perfect in every way.
Genre: Memoir
Published by: Doubleday Publication
ISBN: 978-0385536417
Number of Pages: 320
Publish Date: April 2, 2013
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DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
March is being hosted by Caitlin @ chaotic compendiums
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on
Wednesday: Friendship makes the heart grow fonder by Lisa Verge Higgins from GCP/ The Hachette Book Group
It has been a very busy week here at CMash Reads. And last, but not least, I have the privilege to introduce you to today’s guest author, Mr. Wix Simon! Welcome!!
Wix Simon worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for many years and is now a consultant. His scientific training provides him the basis for understanding modern police work, which is heavily rooted in science and technology. Wix learned about police work from Mickey Lloyd, the lead investigator for the APD in the Atlanta Child Murders that occurred between 1979 and 1981. He is the author of the novel A Toxic Assault; he also plays the fiddle and enjoys black-and-white photography.
Visit Mr. Simon at his website here.
Writing and Reading:
-Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
I use personal experiences to shape character and motivation. I think some about current events for plot, but usually I start the plot with an idea I’ve had for several years.
-Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
I never know where the book is going. How boring would that be! Instead, I start the plot and then as I get to know the characters, they act out the plot through their motivations and desires. Every character I create, even Rusty Nails in “A Lost Gun”, has some aspect that engages me.
-Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
When I’m writing a novel, I either think about the book or write for about 45 minutes while I sit in my kitchen drinking coffee. I use a small computer to write novels and it’s easy to fire it up in the morning.
-Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
I work as a consulting scientist. I have a solo practice as a consulting toxicologist. As a toxicologist, I’m writing a text book on environmental risk assessment. It’ll end up about 110,000 words. I write it when I can. Much more time consuming than writing a novel–after all, I can’t just make it up for the text book. I can talk further about my work if you wish.
-Who are some of your favorite authors?
for thriller/suspense: James Lee Burke, Oliver Potzch, Gillian Flynn, Lee Child, James Elroy for literature; Thomas Pynchon, William Gaddis, Joseph Heller, William Faulkner for philosophy: Karl Popper, Friedrich Neitzche, Soren Kirkegaard, David Hume, Robert Pursig
-What are you reading now?
The Beggar King by Oliver Potzch and a biography of the photographer Edward S. Curtis.
-Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
I completed about 80 pages before starting on the text book. In that story, Detective Bud Prior goes after a serial killer. This is the story in which he meets his first wife Sandi. Sandi drove a friend to an abortion clinic and was waiting for her. She was reading Flaubert’s novel Madame Bovary. Bud is a reader and was intrigued by her choice of books. That was how they met.
Fun questions:
-Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
In “A Lost Gun,” I’d cast Rooney Mara as Jessie, Jude Law as Bud Prior, and Keith Couture as Ron Niles.”
-Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
I like both books and movies–the choice is driven by content. The last movie I saw out was “Django Unchained.” It was great. I’d read another Jack Reacher book by Lee Child, but I think he’s likely burned out. I read “Dark Places” by Gillian Flynn recently. I’d read another by her in a NY minute.
-Favorite food?
I have food allergies and am gluten free. I eat to live rather than vice versa. I like good sushi.
-Favorite beverage?
Coffee, what else?
Other interests:
I do traditional black-and-white film photography and play the violin.
YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
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USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM
DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
