It’s that time of year when we need to plan what our summer reads will be. Kristin, from Simon & Schuster is stopping by to introduce us to today’s gust who has written the perfect beach read.  Please help me in welcoming Ms. Patricia Beard!

PATRICIA BEARD

Patricia Beard is the author of nine nonfiction books and hundreds of nationally published magazine articles. She is a former features and contributing editor at Town & Country, ELLE, and Mirabella magazines. She lives upstate New York with her husband and three dogs.

Connect with Ms. Beard at Simon & Schuster:

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Nothing ever changes at Wauregan.” That mystique is the tradition of the idyllic island colony off the shore of Long Island, the comforting tradition that its summer dwellers have lived by for over half a century. But in the summer of 1948, after a world war has claimed countless men—even those who came home—the time has come to deal with history’s indelible scars.

Helen Wadsworth’s husband, Arthur, was declared missing in action during an OSS operation in France, but the official explanation was mysteriously nebulous. Now raising a teenage son who longs to know the truth about his father, Helen turns to Frank Hartman—her husband’s best friend and his partner on the mission when he disappeared. Frank, however, seems more intent on filling the void in Helen’s life that Arthur’s absence has left. As Helen’s affection for Frank grows, so does her guilt, especially when Peter Gavin, a handsome Marine who was brutally tortured by the Japanese and has returned with a faithful war dog, unexpectedly stirs new desires. With her heart pulled in multiple directions, Helen doesn’t know whom to trust—especially when a shocking discovery forever alters her perception of both love and war.

Part mystery, part love story, and part insider’s view of a very private world, A Certain Summer resonates in the heart long after the last page is turned.

BOOK DETAILS:

Contempary Women’s Fiction /Gallery
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (May 21, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1476710260
ISBN-13: 978-1476710266

PURCHASE LINKS:

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….of Bare It All by Lori Foster

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Today’s economy has affected us all in one way or another.  And for those that are looking for employment,  in a job market that has few openings but many applicants, this time can be very stressful.  I remember when my sons were in that position, not that long ago, and can  remember the anxiety of and waiting for the phone call after their interviews.  Thankfully, they both found employment with good companies and in their field, but many haven’t been so lucky.  So when Rebecca, from The Cadence Group,  contacted me about today’s guest, I jumped at the opportunity, in hopes this may help someone you know.  Please help me welcome Mr. Paul Freiberger!

PAUL FREIBERGER

Paul Freiberger is the author of When Can You Start? How to Ace the Interview and Win the Job (Career Upshift Productions, 2013). He is also the President of Shimmering Resumes, a career counseling and professional resume writing company in Northern California.

Connect with Paul at these sites:

GUEST POST

Never Underestimate the Power of Body Language

Your words, whether they are the words that make up your professional resume or the words that make up your side of the job-interview conversation, certainly speak volumes. They are not, however, the only way that you communicate, especially in that interview, and they may not even be the most important part of your interview presentation. Some experts maintain that nonverbal cues account for 93 percent of human communication. Others dispute this, arguing that body language is worth “as little” as 60 percent.

Even if the lower estimate is more accurate, it’s no exaggeration at all to say that an applicant’s body language can sabotage a presentation that would otherwise have been a resounding success.

The problem for applicants is that body language is, above all, an unconscious means of communication in ordinary interactions. We do not tend to be aware of the signals we are giving out. When we receive those signals, we may not be able to articulate what gave us a negative impression of another person, but, even though we can’t put the problem into words, we know there was definitely something that turned us off. The interviewee’s job is to become conscious of the unconscious gestures and mannerisms that have a profound effect on the other person in the room.

Given the unconscious nature of all this nonverbal communication, what can an applicant do?

One option is to record your performance in a practice interview. The camera’s eye is, if nothing else, objective, and video evidence can give you all the clues you need to observe that your body language is not hurting your cause. If that’s not an option, there are a number of general rules that should be part of your very conscious approach to effective interviewing.

Do:

• Be aware that your interview performance begins before you even open your mouth. If your tie needs adjustment or a shoelace is untied, pull everything together before you reach the interview location.
• Avoid excessive makeup or fragrance. They may not count as body language per se, but they do make an impression.
• Stand up when greeting people and offer a smile, along with a handshake that strikes a middle ground between the extremes of dead fish and crusher of bones.
• Sit up straight or lean forward slightly.
• Look alert and interested. Nod when appropriate, but try to avoid constant head-bobbing.
• If given the option, avoid sitting or standing too close to the interviewer. As a general rule, anything closer than 20 inches starts to feel like an invasion of personal space.
• Keep the position of your body in line with that of the interviewer. If your position is facing away from the interviewer, it gives the sense that you are not engaged with the process.
• Say your good-byes with the same confidence and positivity that you displayed when you arrived, even if you are convinced that this was the worst of all possible interviews.

Don’t:

• Slouch in your chair or lean toward the door. Neither posture makes you look like you’re interested in the proceedings.
• Touch your face and hair. Some mannerisms can make you look distracted or unforthcoming.
• Fold your arms across your chest, another posture that gives the impression that you’re disengaged or that you’re not open to what’s happening in front of you. It’s a very defensive position.
• Respond with complete neutrality. A blank stare is not just a failure to show interest. It can actually come across as a means of distancing yourself, actually adding a touch of hostility to the conversation.

Of course it’s easier to come across as a positive, interested and engaged candidate when those feelings are genuine. Sometimes, though, our unconscious habits betray us in ways we would not have imagined. Be aware, then, that body language can speak louder than words, and make sure that your nonverbal communication is doing all it can to get you on the payroll.

ABOUT THE BOOK

From Amazon:
In a tough job market, only a select few succeed at the interview process. How can you do it? The interview is a key step in the job search process. It is a make-or-break moment that can change your life. In this book, Los Angeles Times award-winning author, Paul Freiberger offers a clear, entertaining guide through interview preparation and proven tools to ace the interview and win the job.

You will learn about:
• The Only Question You Must Be Able to Answer
• Not Telling the Interviewer About Your Weaknesses
• Answering Trick and Oddball Questions
• Devising the Best Questions
• Gaining Confidence in Job Interviews
• Avoiding Interview Mistakes
• Negotiate the Salary You Deserve

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Career Upshift Productions (January 25, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0988702800
ISBN-13: 978-0988702806

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO REBECCA AT THE CADENCE GROUP,
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When I rad the synopsis of today’s featured book, I knew I wanted to share it with all of you.  So Brianne, from Media Connect/Finn Partners is stopping by to introduce us to the author, Ms. Kathleen Long.  Welcome to CMash Reads!

Kathleen Jones

Connect with Kathleen at these sites:

GUEST POST

Writing and Reading:  
Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
Yes and yes. Much of the emotion in my writing and (in the case of Changing Lanes) a few scenes are borrowed directly from my life. I’d imagine that many authors operate in the same way. For character emotions to work, they have to be real and relatable. What better way to achieve that than to mine my own experiences and memories. As far as current events go, I am forever jotting down story ideas based on a new article or an overheard conversation. If only I could unlock the secret to getting every story idea written! I suppose that boils down to more butt in the chair time, quite simply.

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
Every book is different. Back when I wrote suspense exclusively, I rarely envisioned the ending of my books. I would start with the premise, then build the characters and go from there. I used a very linear process and frequently broke down the entire book on a color-coded plotting board. For my two women’s fiction titles, Changing Lanes and Chasing Rainbows, I wrote the last scene—or at least a very detailed idea of the last scene—before I wrote the book. That being said, I wrote the rest of the story basically in order—start to finish. If I got stuck, sure, I’d skip to another plot thread and write a scene or two to kick my brain back into gear, but I find the emotions and turning points of a story resonate more strongly if I write them in order. That way, I feel the conflict and growth just as my characters do.

Your routine when writing?  Any idiosyncrasies?
My only routine is the lack of routine. I have good intentions of writing faithfully each morning, but I confess to being easily distracted. Between the Internet, the house, and my family, my brain is constantly hopping from what it should be writing to what it should be doing. As a matter of fact, my best writing is done when I leave the house—preferably for the comfort of our local library. That brings me to my biggest idiosyncrasy. I cannot sit at the computer and write. My creative brain is happiest anywhere BUT in front of the computer, preferably the library, a sunny spot outside, or on the beach. That’s my idea of the perfect writing location.

Is writing your full time job?  If not, may I ask what you do by day?
Yes, writing is absolutely my full time job. How lucky am I?!

Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favorite authors are Claire Cook, Kristan Higgins, and Elizabeth Berg on the women’s fiction side. They are Lisa Gardner, Lisa Unger, and Harlan Coben on the suspense side. Actually, there are countless other writers I’d like to include on both lists. Narrowing down favorites is a tough job!

What are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg. The beauty and emotion of her writing never ceases to leave me humbled and in awe.

Are you working on your next novel?  Can you tell us a little about it?
Yes! I am actually working on two projects. The first is a new women’s fiction novel which follows a group of four women on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Are We There Yet? deals with relatable crises that face women of a variety of ages—late teens, thirties, forties, and fifties. My second new project, Vanished, is a romantic thriller that will revitalize The Body Hunters, a team of cold case investigators who were at the center of a reader-favorite trilogy I wrote a few years back.

Fun Questions
Your novel will be a movie.  Who would you cast?
That is a fun question! It’s also an easy question for me to answer. One thing about my writing process that I neglected to mention in my earlier answer is that I make a collage for every work in progress. For Changing Lanes, the background of the collage was a map of the fictional town. The foreground included photos of buildings, small town streets, bridges, and my imaginary cast. I always pictured someone like Rachel McAdams playing the lead character, Abby. The second-chance romantic interest, Mick, definitely deserves to be played by someone like Gerard Butler. I can picture his personality in this part. Abby’s two best friends, Jessica and Destiny, would be perfectly played by Jessica Capshaw and Sara Ramirez (both of Grey’s Anatomy fame). A movie…wouldn’t that be a dream come true?!

Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
I am not a huge TV watcher at all. I do love to curl up with a good movie now and then, but honestly, I’m a book lover through and through. I don’t read as much as I used to, and I miss it. The time I used to carve out for reading, I now carve out for writing. I hereby resolve to do a better job of managing both! Great question.

Favorite food?
That’s a tough question! The answer varies by time of year, actually. Right now, I’m shamelessly hooked on shrimp and pasta. Don’t ask me why. Maybe it’s because it’s an easy meal, and my husband and I are both on the same kick. In the summer time, my favorite meal is a slice of Mack and Manco’s pizza from the boardwalk. There’s just something about the boardwalk, the salt air, the sound of the ocean, and that pizza. Yum!

Favorite beverage?
My favorite beverage is coffee. Boring, I know! I recently gave it up completely and was successful for about five weeks. Then, I started sneaking one cup each day…then two…now three. Perhaps that’s part of my writing process. Actually, that’s not a bad excuse for drinking even more!

Thanks for the great questions, Cheryl, and for including me in your Author Spotlight!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Abby Halladay has the perfect life. Or, rather, she will…as long as everything goes exactly according to plan. Abby never leaves anything to chance—not her job as a syndicated columnist, not her engagement to her fiancé, Fred, and certainly not her impending wedding in Paris (New Jersey, that is).

Unfortunately for Abby, even the best-laid plans often go awry—like when Fred runs away to Paris (France, that is), her column is canned, and her dream home is diagnosed with termites. Forced to move back in with her parents and drive her dad’s cab, Abby’s perfect life has now officially become the perfect disaster.

Then a funny thing happens. Slowly but surely, Abby begins letting go of her dreams of perfection. As she does, the messy, imperfect life she thought she never wanted starts to feel exactly like the one she needs.

Poignant and heartfelt, Changing Lanes celebrates the unexpected joys of everyday life—and the enduring promise of second chances.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Amazon Publishing; (May 14, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1611099455
ISBN-13: 978-1611099454

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO BRIANNE AT FINN PARTNERS
I HAVE TWO (2) COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS

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As most of you know, my favorite genre is mystery/suspense.  When Linda, from GCP/The Hatchette Book Club emailed me about today’s book, I wanted to know more and share with you also.   So without further ado, Mr. Chris Culver!!  Welcome to our group!

CHRIS CULVER

Chris Culver is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Rashid series of mysteries. After graduate school, Chris taught courses in ethics and comparative religion at a small liberal arts university in southern Arkansas. Between classes, he wrote The Abbey, which spent sixteen weeks on the New York Times ebook bestseller list. He, his wife, and their Labrador retriever currently live near St. Louis, Missouri, where Chris is working on his next novel.

Connect with Chris at these sites:

GUEST POST

Hi Chris.  Thank you for visiting CMash Reads!

I don’t know if you guys are like me, but if you are, you probably watch an unhealthy amount of television. The news, documentaries, home and garden shows – you name it, and I probably watch it. More than anything else, though, I like watching crime shows. Some are better than others, obviously, but most are exciting and, at the very least, entertaining. Most of them have fairly good characters, they have a sense of mystery, and even a hint of sudden violence that could erupt at any moment.

Since I write crime fiction for a living, I do a lot of research about crime and law enforcement. I talk to a lot of real-life detectives, forensic scientists, attorneys, journalists, and even a judge on occasion. Maybe because of this background, I’m always a little perplexed when television detectives bring a suspect back to their station for an interrogation. If you’ve ever seen a Law & Order rerun, you know what I’m talking about. Two gruff detectives – one of whom will likely have a snappy sense of humor and the other will have unspoken “issues” – lead a smarmy suspect into a small room constructed of cinderblocks and held together by fifty layers of institutional-green paint. Our hero detectives will sit that suspect down at a steel table and start talking. It seems like a reasonable thing to do. But can you spot the problem with that scenario?

If you said, “The detectives can’t see the suspect’s legs” you’re right.

One thing I’ve learned while researching my books is that your feet and legs don’t lie. It sounds strange, but think back to the last time you had an uncomfortable conversation  – maybe it was with your boss or a subordinate or even a stranger. If you were sitting down, what were you doing? Were you massaging your thighs? Tapping your foot? Pointing your feet toward the exit? All of those indicate nervousness. If you were a police officer and a suspect started doing any of those things in an interrogation, I bet you’d want to see them. They might indicate merely that your suspect is nervous about talking to the police [who wouldn’t be?], but it also might indicate that he’s lying and is afraid you’ll notice. It’s another piece of information a good investigator could use in an interrogation.

Or suppose your suspect shifted his balance backward while crossing his legs. If so, that might indicate that he felt very comfortable and very much in control of the situation.

But wait, what if your suspect crossed his legs and turned his hips away from you? That’s a blocking behavior, which might indicate hostility or that he’s no longer interested in the conversation. If you were a police officer, that behavior would tell you that your current line of questioning won’t get anywhere and that you should try a new tact.

Suppose, though, that your suspect crossed his legs, turned his hips so he could face you and leaned forward. If your suspect does that, you know you’re doing something right because he’s indicating comfort and openness to the conversation.

A good liar – or a good criminal – can probably control the messages he’s conveying with his face and his hands pretty well. It’s a little tougher with the legs. People don’t always think about what their legs do during a conversation. A good observer – a good detective – notices these things and uses them where appropriate. So the next time you see the police interrogating a suspect on your favorite crime show, think about all the information they’re missing by having that table in the interrogation room.

Or maybe you shouldn’t do that at all. Maybe a TV show is just a TV show.

Thanks, Cheryl.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ash Rashid is a former homicide detective who can’t stand the thought of handling another death investigation. In another year, he’ll be out of the department completely. That’s the plan, at least, until his niece’s body is found in the guest home of one of his city’s most wealthy citizens. The coroner calls it an overdose, but the case doesn’t add up. Against orders, Ash launches an investigation to find his niece’s murderer, but the longer he searches, the more entangled he becomes in a case that hits increasingly close to home. If he doesn’t solve it fast, his niece won’t be the only family member he has to bury.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 7, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1455527416
ISBN-13: 978-1455527410

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO LINDA AT GCP/THE HATCHETTE BOOK GROUP,
I HAVE 3 (3) SETS (SIGNED) OF THE ABBEY & THE OUTSIDER TO GIVE AWAY.

     
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