I think you are really going to enjoy today’s guest. Rebecca, from The Cadence Group is stopping by with the esteemed cardiac surgeon and author, Dr. Ismael Nuño!!  Let’s give him a very warm welcome to our group!

Dr. Ismael Nuño

Dr. Nuño was born in Mexico.  He received his MD in 1976.  He received training in General Surgery and subsequently in Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.  Dr. Nuño was in the Army for a period of ten Years.  He was Deputy commander for 5^th Mash during the Gulf War.  The last 15 years of his career were as Chief of Cardiac Surgery at LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.  He is now retired and lives in Marina del Rey, California.
Connect with Dr. Nuño at his website here.

GUEST POST

What I learned from writing a book

The process of writing a book is not only dynamic but very insightful as well.  The opinion of the author is changed multiple times as his or her opinion changes depending on what he wants the perception of his reader to be.  I chose multiple short stories for the reader to be quickly moved by the topic that I was developing for them.  The introduction deals with my giving CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) to my older sister at 35 thousand feet while flying from Los Angeles to Paris.  In the chapter Catharine, I describe how my 18 year old daughter succumbs to Anorexia Nervosa after four years, and because of changes in her heart from the anorexia, I found her one morning, lifeless, no breaths, no pulses and I had to give her CPR.  I remember that terrible morning when I found her how I did not know what to do first,  Begin CPR or call the paramedics.  Each had a sequence and each had an implication.  If I call first the paramedics on 911 I will get help but it will keep me from beginning the resuscitation.  If I give her CPR, I delay help from getting to her.  Now it is a simple sequence that I would choose, at that moment, it was an eternity and the implication was that no matter what I did, would carry consequences from that point on.

My opinions about my chapters are now different in how I perceive them.  As I lived moments when I saved someone’s life or lost it, I had a quick opinion about them.  I did not stop to ponder all of the implications about each accomplishment or loss.  Now I do.  I find in retrospect, honor, and respect about each life that I was able to keep.  I celebrate life now.  I remember and honor death.  I am able to mix all of those emotions with the honor and respect I have for my family as well.  Of all of the times I missed my children’s birthday parties, I can now stop and honor each one of them.  Perhaps not to my children’s satisfaction but I can justify what I did and why I did it.

My thoughts are dynamic.  My emotions are varied and my respect is solid.  I matured and developed sophistication as I wrote each chapter.  Each chapter was written with a purpose.  Each chapter was given a legacy, and a place in time.  History will chronologically put it in its proper place.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Borrowed from Amazon:
As one of America’s former leading cardiac surgeons, Dr. Nuño healed patients’ hearts. Fixing “broken” hearts gave him a unique and intimate view into the power of the heart. Even coming face to face with death and losing patients, there is a beauty that can exist even in loss. The Spirit of the Heart is a collection of heart-warming stories that resonate at the core of our humanness. He graciously offers the insights he has gained from occupying a front-row seat at some of life’s most real and raw moments. These tender stories teach us about what it means to be human, to be connected to others, to love, to live, to forgive.

BOOK DETAILS:

Hardcover: 202 pages
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing (October 12, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0985906103
ISBN-13: 978-0985906108

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO REBECCA AT THE CADENCE GROUP,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
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Our friend Marissa, from Grand Central Publishing/Forever, has another treat for us today.  She is stopping by to introduce us to another amazing bestselling author, Ms. Courtney Cole.   Welcome to CMash Reads.

COURTNEY COLE

 Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives near Lake Michigan with her family. She’s always working on her next project…or staring dreamily out her office window.

Connect with Courtney at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Twenty-four-year-old Pax Tate is an asshole. Seriously. He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad boy with a tough attitude to match. His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with an intense guilt that he doesn’t understand. What he does know is that he and his dad were left alone, and they have never been close. Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the black void in his soul. He pretends that the emptiness isn’t there and this has always worked . . . until he meets Mila.

Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air that Pax has never known in his life. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her¿but he quickly realizes that he’d better figure it out because he needs her to breathe. When the memories of his mother’s death resurface to haunt Pax, Mila is there to save him from his overwhelming guilt. Mila restores his broken heart, even as she evokes his powerful, sexual desires. Now for Pax to keep Mila, he needs to work on his issuesand stop being an asshole. But is that enough to make her stay?

BOOK DETAILS:

ISBN: 9781455578283
Published by: None
Genre: FICTION
Published on: April 30, 2013

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO MARISSA AT FOREVER/GCP,
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I was thrilled when I received today’s guest’s latest book from Jennifer and Jihan from The Hachette Book Group, especially since I had reviewed her previous book, The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship.  And even more exciting, she is stopping by to visit today.  Welcome Lisa Verge Higgins!!!!!

LISA VERGE HIGGINS

Lisa Verge Higgins is a RITA-nominated author of fourteen novels that have been published worldwide and translated into fifteen languages – twelve of which were penned while studying for her PhD in chemistry. Lisa made her first foray into mainstream women’s fiction with The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship (2011). The novel went on to win the 2011 Golden Leaf Award for Best Single Title. It was also selected as the first Best Read of 2011 by Barnes & Noble’s General Fiction Book Club and landed on their Top 20 list. Lisa Verge Higgins currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three daughters.
Connect with Lisa at:

Q&A with Lisa Verge Higgins

Welcome to CMash Reads

-Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
What a great question!  I draw a lot of inspiration from personal experiences.  For example, I once took a three-and-a-half-month backpacking trip through Europe, from Scotland to Rome.  In my latest book, FRIENDSHIP MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER, the three characters—Monique, Becky and Judy—decide to put their lives (and troubles) aside to take a trip to Europe together. Travel can be a wonderfully transformative experience and I knew that’s what my girls needed to do, in order to deal with the difficult issues in their lives.  One of the lessons I learned during my travels actually forms the theme of the book:  Sometimes getting lost is the only way to find what you’re looking for.

[To peruse Monique, Becky & Judy’s snapshots, visit me at pinterest at http://pinterest.com/lisavergehiggin/friendship-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder)

-Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
As a former science geek (I used to be a chemist) I guess I can’t help but be methodical about the creative process.   What starts out as just a spark of an idea—a theme, perhaps, or a character who has grabbed hold of me—grows as I start to do research.  Eventually I write character charts and then a scene-by-scene plot outline.  It’s only when I start writing the first draft that I cut myself loose and see where the story takes me, which is often far off the original mark.  That’s okay—that’s the magic!

-Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
In the research-and-plotting-stage I’m a completely normal individual.  During the first-draft process, however, I’m an absentminded mess!  I’ll put a cup of hot coffee in the cabinet and stick the peanut butter in the refrigerator.  I have to put an alarm on my phone so I don’t forget to pick up the kids from school.

What I’ve started to do after my workday is to play word games like Boggle or do a crossword puzzle to try to shake myself out of the “zone” in order to have a conscious conversation with my husband and kids.  Fortunately, they’re used to it!

-Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
I am a full-time writer but like so many others, I’m also a full-time mother. On my Facebook page, my most popular posts start “Under the Category of ‘Life With Two Teenage Daughters and One of Marriageable Age.’”  It used to be “Life With Three Teenage Daughters,” but my oldest is now of legal drinking age so she insisted I come up with a new title.  Since I get some of my funniest posts from their antics, I figured I should oblige.  😉  Those kids and my deadlines keep my life wonderfully full.

I invite you all to join me at www.facebook.com/lisavergehiggins

-Who are some of your favorite authors?
So many books, so little time!   In terms of women’s fiction, I’m a huge fan of Kristin Hannah, Kristin Higgins, Jodi Picoult, Luanne Rice, Nancy Thayer and Emily Giffin.   But I also read across a lot of genres.  I love Stefanie Pintoff’s turn-of-the-twentieth-century mystery series set in New York. I spent last summer working through George R. R. Martin’s EPIC series, Game of Thrones.  I’m also a fan of big juicy historical novels, like Michelle Moran’s MADAME TUSSAUD.

-What are you reading now?
I’m reading Emily Giffin’s HEART OF THE MATTER and loving it!

-Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
Right now I’m working on RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS which will come out in April 2014.  It’s a road-trip book, a combination of the movies “Thelma & Louise” and “Pay it Forward.”   It’s about a woman, Jenna Elliot, who offers a friend a random act of kindness.  That act later returns to her in ways that she never could have expected.

I encourage your readers to sign up for Book Alerts! to receive an email when it comes out: http://www.lisavergehiggins.com/

Fun questions:
 
-Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
Judy would definitely be Diane Lane—in fact, that’s who I posted as her doppelganger on my pinterest page.  She’s strong and comfortable in her own skin.    Monique would be Halle Berry, hands down (heck, if I got to pick….)  Becky is a little harder to cast.  I guess she’d be a younger, more vulnerable Cameron Diaz.

-Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
I read all day, for pleasure and for work, so when I’m kicking back it’s often to watch TV or a movie.

-Favorite food?
If I’m in a restaurant, I’ll order anything that has goat cheese.  At home . . . sausage and peppers over pasta.   Colorful, healthy, filling . . . my favorite comfort food.

-Favorite beverage?
Lately?  Frangelico on the rocks.  Heck, I’m under deadline!  😉

ABOUT THE BOOK

What is the appropriate amount of time to grieve the loss of a spouse? Four years, two weeks, and three days after losing her husband to cancer, Monique Franke-Reed isn’t ready to let go. She still speaks to him when things get rough; summoning him in the bedroom they once shared, awaiting that familiar whisper.

In the days before his passing, Lenny created a bucket list of things they should do once he recovers – which includes rappelling down an alpine ledge, visiting the catacombs of Paris, and taking in the magnificence of The Last Supper – but, sadly, he loses his battle. An ever-reluctant Monique can’t bring herself to keep her promise because completing the list means that she is ready to move on; however, she contemplates the list with a new perspective when she notices changes in her best friends.

Judy – once a backpacking free spirit – is coping with the onset of empty nest syndrome as the last of her five children heads off to college. Meanwhile, Becky continues to laugh it off whenever she trips over smooth surfaces or bumps into people clearly within view. However, she is dealt a shocking blow when she seeks out an explanation for her diminishing night vision and learns that, over time, she will lose her sight.

Realizing that Becky is slipping into a world filled with anxiety, Monique sees the bucket list as the perfect opportunity to whisk her friends away for a European adventure and allow Becky to take in the sights for the first and last time. Together, the threesome embark upon a transformative journey that offers each woman new insight to help cope with the fears and loss they are facing.

PURCHASE LINKS

THANKS TO JIHAN AT GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING,
I HAVE TWO (2) COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
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…of The Sixth Station by Linda Stassi

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Crystal, from WOW!, sent me the information on today’s featured book and after reading the synopsis, I wanted to share it with you because I thought it would be something we would all enjoy reading.  And who better to tell of us about the book, but the author herself.  So I ask that you help me in giving a warm welcome to Ms. Judy Mandel !!

JUDY MANDEL

Judy Mandel was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but her family moved to the more suburban Cranford when she was three. The town she lives in now in Connecticut is nearly a duplicate of her childhood hometown.

In college, she tried several different majors over the course of finding her way. Finally, she settled on English and Journalism. She worked her way through those last college years singing and playing guitar in coffee shops and clubs.  Judy’s writing life began as a reporter. She later worked in public relations and advertising and somehow found herself in corporate communications at various insurance companies, where she earned a living for 20 years. Judy now balances her business writing for clients with writing fiction, nonfiction and articles.
Connect with Ms. Mandel at these sites:

GUEST POST

The Evolution of Replacement Child

When my parents died, within seven months of one another, I knew it was time to write the book they had always told me I should write. I found myself digging out an old file folder of news clips, notes and letters they had left me about the plane crash that killed their older daughter, Donna, and gravely injured their two year old, Linda. My mother had saved the news stories from the accident and wrote me longhand notes on many sheets of yellow legal paper. My dad added his letters explaining what had happened that day from his perspective. Linda, my sister who was badly burned in the resulting fire, wrote to me about her experiences in and out of hospitals, and gave me a window into her inner turmoil.

The accident happened two years before I was born, so the story of the plane crash took on a mythic quality for me as I was growing up. It was the aftermath of a tragedy, in this case, my own family’s tragedy, that intrigued me enough to keep me writing for the four years it took to wade through it.

I know that the writing was also part of my grieving process, to keep my family with me. And, I clearly heard their voices while I wrote the book. Not in an eerie way; it was comforting to have them around a while longer. Somehow I felt they would help me fulfill the responsibility to tell the truth of their journey. The hard part for me was finding my own place in the story—which didn’t start to happen until about two years into the project.

When I started writing, I thought this was a book about my parents. How they managed to pick up the pieces of their lives after losing their daughter. How they rallied for my sister Linda, giving her the courage to go through countless surgeries as a child, and to face the world with significant scars from her burns; then, how they had the hope to bring another child into the world—me.

Then, I thought it was my sister Linda’s story. I didn’t really see her scars. She was just my sister. I wasn’t aware she was different until I saw others react to her, and, I wanted to protect her from further hurt. Her bravery was an inspiration to me, and to everyone who knew her. Not only for her ability to endure a great deal of physical pain from many operations, but to confront a not always accepting world with humor and a smile.  I hoped her story would be an inspiration to others who read about it.

But, ultimately it turned out to my own story. When I discovered there was a psychological term for a child born after the death of a sibling—“replacement child”—it changed the focus of my book and my personal journey. As I learned more, I identified with the term and the characteristics associated with the replacement child. It explained so much to me about my life’s trajectory.

The writing of such a personal memoir is a journey with twists and turns no one can predict. My path led to healing, understanding and forgiveness.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Replacement Child tells the true story of a horrifying accident: A plane crashes into a family’s home, leaving one daughter severely burned and another dead. The death of the child leaves a hole in the family that threatens to tear it apart. In an attempt to fill the painful gap, the parents give birth to a “replacement child.” But what is life like for a child that was born only be replacement and how does that unique position in the family affect them into their adulthood?

In this powerful story of love and lies, family and hope, Judy L. Mandel tells the story of being the child brought into the world to provide “a salve for the burns.” As a child, she unwittingly rides the deep and hidden currents of her family’s grief—until her discovery of this family secret, years later, changes her life forever, forcing her to confront the complex layers of her relationships with her father, mother, and sister.

This powerful memoir switches between the history of the family before the accident, the day of the accident and Judy’s memories of her own life in a fascinating way of connecting the “before” and “after” families.

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Replacement Child
Author: Judy Mandel
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Seal Press
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Paperback: 320 pages

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO CRYSTAL AT WOW!,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
PRINT–OPEN TO U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS
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…… of The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorenson

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I am so excited to be hosting today’s guest, especially since it is also publication day of her latest book.  I have read 2 of  her previous novels, Little Girl Gone and The Good Sister, and enjoyed both.  When Tanisha, from The Hachette Book Group emailed me, I jumped at the chance to have Ms. Drusilla Campbell visit with us again.  Welcome back!!!!

DRUSILLA CAMPBELL

Drusilla Campbell is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels including The Good Sister, Little Girl Gone, The Edge of Sky, and Blood Orange.  Before she started school she had crossed the Pacific Ocean three times.  She’s lived in Europe and Central America and has a MA in Broadcast Journalism from American University.  Drusilla happily lives in San Diego with her husband, the attorney and poet Art Campbell, two rescued dogs, and three horses.
Connect with Ms. Campbell at the following sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bestselling author Drusilla Campbell masterfully weaves a story of a mother’s need to serve her country, win the respect of her father and learn to love her family in WHEN SHE CAME HOME.

Frankie Byrne has returned from the war in Iraq to a war in her San Diego home. Her daughter, Glory, is having problems with bullies at school, and Frankie and her husband, Rick, can’t agree on the best way to deal with it. In fact Glory is just one of many things Frankie and Rick can’t agree on any more. It seems like everything Frankie does–from buying groceries to socializing with friends–is wrong. Her father, Brigadier General Harlan Byrne, USMC retired, thinks that Frankie’s problems are her own fault. A woman, especially a mother, should not go off to war.

But Frankie’s problem is not that she wasn’t prepared to be a soldier. It’s that she can’t stop being one. Her time in Iraq, specifically a controversial moment the government doesn’t want to acknowledge, has left her with severe PTSD. She can’t forget the horrors she saw, and can’t forgive herself for not being able to do more. Frankie desperately wants to regain the closeness her family once shared, she knows the time has come to be honest about her PTSD and find a way to heal. It’s a battle that won’t be easy, but one she must face in order to save her daughter, her marriage, and herself.

Campbell’s story offers an intimate portrait and a strong narrative about a story that is becoming more and more a part of our social fabric—a mother’s return home from war.

BOOK DETAILS:

ISBN: 978-1-4555-1035-1
Price: $14.99/Trade Paperback Original
Release: April 9, 2013

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO TANISHA AT THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP,
I HAVE FIVE (5) COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS

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DISCLAIMER
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.