WELCOME BACK B.J. DANIELS

B.J. DANIELS

B.J. DANIELS, a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author, wrote her first book after a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist and author of 37 published short stories. That first book, ODD MAN OUT, received a 4 ½ star review from Romantic Times magazine and went on to be nominated for Best Intrigue for that year. Since then she has won numerous awards including a career achievement award for romantic suspense and numerous nominations and awards for best book. Daniels lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and two Springer Spaniels, Spot and Jem. When she isn’t writing, she snowboards, camps, boats and plays tennis. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Thriller Writers, Kiss of Death and Romance Writers of America.
Connect with B.J. at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Just how far are people willing to go to keep their secrets?

Protecting the citizens of Beartooth, Montana, is never an easy job. It’s been one year, and Sheriff Dillon Lawson still feels guilty that he couldn’t save his twin brother, Ethan. But the biggest test of his bravery comes when Tessa Winters arrives, claiming to be pregnant…with Ethan’s baby. At first, Dillon can’t decide if this beautiful woman is a con artist or a victim. If Ethan didn’t die in that car crash, then where is he—and why is he hiding?

Now, Dillon is prepared to do anything to uncover the truth—anything except admit his growing feelings for Tessa. But with violence threatening, Tessa and Dillon must trust in each other to save not only themselves…but also Tessa’s unborn child.

BOOK DETAILS:

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
ISBN-10: 0373778465
ISBN-13: 978-0373778461

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WELCOME BACK CARLA NEGGERS

CARLA NEGGERS

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 novels, with translations in 24 languages. Born and raised on the western edge of the beautiful Quabbin Reservoir in rural Massachusetts, Carla grew up with tales of her father’s life as a Dutch sailor and her mother’s childhood in northwest Florida.

At a young age, Carla began penning her own stories on a branch high up in her favorite sugar maple. Now she enjoys spending time at the family homestead (now a tree farm) with her six brothers and sisters and their families.

When she’s not writing, Carla loves to travel, hike, kayak, garden, and, of course, dive into a good book. She lives with her family in Vermont, near Quechee Gorge.
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Q&A with Carla Neggers

In your new book Cider Brook, your main character Samantha Bennett aims to solve a 300-year-old pirate mystery. What inspired you to throw pirates into the mix?
Pirates are endlessly fascinating! Samantha is a treasure hunter on a personal mission to prove a pirate buried treasure in quiet, little Knights Bridge. It’s a theory that’s gotten her into a bit of trouble. It also stirs up long-buried secrets in the out-of-the-way small town and gets the attention of Justin Sloan, a volunteer firefighter and Knights Bridge native who just might know more about buried pirate’s treasure than he’s willing to admit.

Have you ever discovered a “treasure” of your own that someone left behind?
When I was seven, my family moved into an 18^th-century carriage house in a small town much like Knights Bridge. An old man had lived there on his own for twenty-five years. It was quite the fixer-upper! We unearthed all sorts of “treasure” he left behind: musty books, a brass bed frame, an antique coffee-grinder, Depression glass bowls. It was great fun. It’s a gem of a house now. Our family homestead. My husband and I have lived in a number of old houses. I always find something left behind by previous residents that fires up my imagination.

How did growing up in a family of nine with a storytelling father impact your desire to become a writer?
My three brothers and three sisters and I loved to listen to my father’s stories of his childhood in Holland and his years at sea as a Dutch merchant marine and my mother’s childhood in a remote part of the Florida Panhandle. Their lives before we came along were so different from what we knew growing up in small-town New England! Their stories brought to life things I’d never seen or experienced. I pictured Dutch canals and cathedrals, war-torn Holland, cramped ship’s quarters, Florida swamps and beautiful camellias. There’s no question their true stories inspired me to create my own fictional stories.

When you first climbed up a tree with a pad and pen at age 11, did you know one day you’d become a famous writer?
I dreamed of becoming a published writer but it was because I loved to write! I had little idea of what that meant. After sixty-plus books, I love to write as much now as I did as a kid up in my favorite sugar maple. I’m happiest as a writer when I put aside the “business of publishing” and dive into the story at hand.

What do you love about the Swift River Valley series that sets the books apart from your others?
The Swift River Valley series returns me to my contemporary romance roots. It’s been great fun creating a small town and populating it with compelling, interesting people—and secrets! Secrets of the Lost Summer, the first book in the series, came to me in a whoosh. I could see Olivia Frost in Boston, picking up the pieces of her self-esteem after a friend’s betrayal and making the decision to take the bull by the horns and return to her hometown and open an inn. I could see Dylan McCaffrey, a wealthy ex-hockey player, getting Olivia’s letter to come clean up his eyesore of yard…at a house he didn’t know he owned in a town he’s never heard of. And Grace Webster, a starchy former teacher now in her 90s, with a fateful secret that affects Olivia and Dylan and surprises everyone in Knights Bridge. I knew I had to write this story! And as I wrote Secrets of the Lost Summer, I knew this out-of-the-way little New England town would yield more stories.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Being rescued by a good-looking, bad-boy firefighter isn’t how Samantha Bennett expected to start her stay in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. Now she has everyone’s attention—especially that of Justin Sloan, her rescuer, who wants to know why she was camped out in an abandoned old New England cider mill.

Samantha is a treasure hunter who has returned to Knights Bridge to solve a 300-year-old mystery and salvage her good name. Justin remembers her well. He’s the one who alerted her late mentor to her iffy past and got her fired. But just because he doesn’t trust her doesn’t mean he can resist her. Samantha is daring, determined, seized by wanderlust—everything that strong, stoic Justin never knew he wanted. Until now…

BOOK DETAILS:

Series: A Swift River Valley Novel (Book 3)
Number of Pages: 384 pages
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
ISBN-10: 0778315886
ISBN-13: 978-0778315889

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Read an excerpt

WELCOME BACK JILL SHALVIS

JILL SHALVIS

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling,  award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
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Q&A with Jill Shalvis

Ben’s a bit lost at the beginning of the book, unsure of what he wants to do with his life.  Did you always have his story—and how it would end—in mind?
I did.  Every once in awhile, I really enjoy torturing a hero to the end.

Your main character Aubrey is remodeling her aunt’s bookstore so it can be a haven for other booklovers as it was for her when she was younger. Did you have a special place growing up (or do you have one now?) where you love to read?
I always had a soft spot for bookstores.  And libraries.  They were my special hideaway haven.  I really went back and forth on using a bookstore in today’s day and age, but in the end, I wanted to pay homage to one of my favorite places on earth.

What scene did you have the most fun writing?
Oh I have quite a few from this book!  When Aubrey throws her drink in Ben’s face, when she runs and hides out in an AA meeting and makes friends with the pastor, when Ben figures out she’s writing a list of people she’s wronged and he wonders that it’s not a lot longer than it is, when Aubrey gets a little tipsy and throws rocks at Ben’s window like a scene right out of the Say Anything movie …

What’s the most interesting way you got around a plot problem?
I wrote myself into a corner in Once In A Lifetime, twice.  I wrote XX happens here and it will be brilliant and funny.  And then I accidentally left that in when I sent it to my editor.  I’m sure she wasn’t as amused as I was.

What can your fans look forward to next in the Lucky Harbor series?
Next up is a Lucky Harbor trilogy for this coming summer and fall, It’s In His Kiss, He’s So Fine, and Once In A Million, the stories of the three sexy hot guys who run Lucky Harbor Charters.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SOMETIMES WRONG IS OH-SO-RIGHT
After a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniel tried to escape his grief by working in dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he’s back in his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she’s not the one to ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the future.

Determined to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben – even though he has absolutely no idea what she’s done . . .

Can this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky Harbor?

Read an excerpt

BOOK DETAILS:

Series: Lucky Harbor (Book 10)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: February 18, 2014
ISBN-10: 1455521132
ISBN-13: 978-1455521135

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WELCOME JACK GINESI

JACK GINESI

Jack Ginesi is a collection of atoms roughly configured into human form. In accordance with Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, it is not possible to know, with any degree of accuracy, where he is and what he is doing at any given time (which is a constant source of irritation to his friends and family).

From a more conventional perspective, he lives near Tunbridge Wells in Kent – in fact, he has lived in the South-East of England all his life. He has not travelled extensively, he doesn’t participate in extreme sports (or even moderate ones) and he has never held a high powered job in the corporate world or the foreign office. He has never been a spy, an international gunrunner or a member of a boy band. He does, however, like to write, create artwork (usually depicting wolves or crystal skulls – occasionally both), play the guitar badly and think about things (pictured left) – interestingly he often turns monochrome when thinking hard.

At just 18-years-old Jack started writing about a fictional village in Southern Europe, building up a whole cast of gloriously oddball characters. At the same time he started to record his own experiences and observations on life. Finally, after many years, he drew the two together, transforming what started off as endless anecdotes into his debut novel, the Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka.

He claims, somewhat predictably, that the Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka is merely the first in a planned trilogy of books; although, given the amount of time he has spent arsing around on the first one, I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for the second.

Jack is a proponent of the ‘Infinite Monkey’* school of writing.
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Q&A with Jack Ginesi

Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
For the most part, I draw on my own experiences and observations. The book is set in a small European village, which is entirely fictitious.  As the story is primarily allegorical in nature, I wanted to create an insular little world, cut off from external influences – a kind of laboratory where I could explore the psychology and motivations of the inhabitants. This tends to give the story a somewhat surreal edge; although it was nice to hear my father, who grew up in a provincial Italian town, remarking on how reading the book brought back memories of his childhood.

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 general rule, I start at the beginning because I tend to see the story unfolding like a movie in my head – I just follow it wherever it takes me. In the case of The Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka, the book actually started out as several short stories that, over time, merged together. These became the history of the Ramdinkka family and helped to shape the character of the young Joshua.

Your routine when writing?  Any idiosyncrasies?
Generally, I prefer to write in the evening or at night. The basic routine would be; start at around 7:30pm and then aim to write for about 3 or 4 hours. For me, there is definitely something about the night that seems conducive to writing, things just seem more intense and focused – I’m pretty sure that all the deepest philosophical conversations I’ve ever had, have taken place either late at night or in the wee small hours of the morning (and that had nothing to do with alcohol).

I have many idiosyncrasies, but I’m not sure that any of them relate specifically to my writing. I do have a ‘lucky’ green gnome that I got out of a cracker when I was a kid, it sits on the edge of my desk and watches me while I work – but I don’t know if that helps or hinders me.

Is writing your full time job?  If not, may I ask what you do by day?
By day I am a mild mannered reporter for the Daily Plan… no, hang on a second, that’s somebody else, isn’t it? I do have something of a dual life though, I split my time between consultancy work in the corporate world and running a publishing company that creates spiritual and personal development products. I’m very fortunate in that my work is quite flexible, so I can always create more time to write if I want. The problem is, like many authors, I have a love/hate relationship with my books – so the amount of time I actually spend writing tends to depend of whether the book and I are on speaking terms at that particular moment or not.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favourite author would have to be the late, great Douglas Adams. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books just fascinated me when I was younger. I loved the wonderfully wry observations – they were often deceptively simple, but incredibly insightful. And the passion for technology was also something that resonated with me. I am also a fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books – I am in awe of anyone who can conjure up such a vast and vibrant, living universe, in such exquisite detail.

What are you reading now?
At the moment, I am actually re-reading Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. In general, I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction. I have a fascination with anything spiritual, psychological and philosophical and these topics are always at the core of anything I write.

Are you working on your next novel?  Can you tell us a little about it?
The next novel is in the planning stage. I like to think of it as a “parra-equel” to The Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka. That is to say, it runs in parallel with the events of the first book (there probably is a proper word for that). The story follows Meloko’s life as told through his journal… but with a twist! And for the first time we’ll discover the unseen forces that played a part in Joshua’s downfall. I also have an idea for a third book that will bring things full circle and will reinstate Joshua to his rightful place in the family history. 

 Your novel will be a movie.  Who would you cast?
That is an interesting question. As I said before, I always visualise the story when I’m writing and the characters are now so clearly defined in my mind that they feel like real people, so it’s strange to think of substituting them with actors. I think the role of Joshua would be particularly tricky to cast (as you will appreciate if you’ve read the book) but I think someone like Edward Norton might be a good choice. In terms of the villagers, I can think of plenty of great actors and actresses who could easily grace the streets of Potokini: Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Brian Blessed… Wow, can we just go ahead and make this thing?

Manuscript/Notes: hand written or keyboard?
The manuscript is always typed. I really couldn’t work without a word processor; I’m constantly changing, tweaking and generally tampering with things. I often make handwritten notes, there is always a pad and pen next to the bed and I have a little 3 inch by 3 inch spiral bound notepad that I usually carry with me. It’s proved invaluable as I often find inspiration strikes when I’m out walking.

Favorite leisure activity/hobby?
I spend around an hour a day meditating…although technically, I guess, that would be classed as an inactivity. Apart from that I love anything where I can be creative: writing, photography, artwork, music, web design – I can easily lose myself for days in a project.

Favorite meal?
Tuna Bolognese with Penne Rigate topped with melted mozzarella made to my own recipe… bellissimo!

ABOUT THE BOOK

“For though we share one planet, we inhabit many worlds.” – Barisko Volloti
Joshua Ramdinkka is having a bad day…that makes 14,768 and counting. It’s not like he asked to take over the running of the celebrated Ramdinkka vineyard but, as the last of his distinguished line, what choice did he have?

The suspicion that great grandfather’s ghost is trying to muscle his way back into the family business isn’t helping matters. Nor is the fact that his alter ego has accidentally killed the village mime. Now it seems the council is just itching to bulldoze his beloved family home. But is Joshua a victim or the architect of his own misfortune? The answer is staring him in the face but, with the Grim Reaper dogging his every step, can he really cheat death and reclaim his life or is he destined to fall foul of a classic cinematic cliché? Set in a bygone world of vineyards and village life, this is a novel about the choices we make and how they make us. It’s about living in the shadow of greatness, the perils of discovering you are God and the realisation that no one else will ever see the world quite the way you do.

The Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka explores how we create our own reality. It is an intriguing and provocative tale of one man’s history, played out against the backdrop of a small, southern European village – filled with gloriously eccentric characters – and told with a wry, offbeat sense of humour. The book examines the relationship between life and death and raises numerous metaphysical questions, whilst touching on a number of spiritual themes. Whilst fiction, this thought-provoking book invites the reader to examine patterns in their own life. The idea that human experience is a matter of perception, and that all truth is subjective, is a powerful theme.

BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 346
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
Publication Date: January 29, 2014
ISBN-10: 1910162205
ISBN-13: 978-1910162200

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WELCOME ALINE TEMPLETON

ALINE TEMPLETON

Aline Templeton grew up in the fishing village of Anstruther, in the East Neuk of Fife. She has worked in education and broadcasting and was a Justice of the Peace for ten years. Married, with two grown-up children and three grandchildren, she now lives in a house with a view of Edinburgh Castle. When not writing, she enjoys cooking, choral singing, and traveling the back roads of France.
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Q&A with Aline Templeton

 
Writing and Reading:
Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
Both, I suppose, though only in a general way. I never put people I know in my books, though I might see someone who suggests a character. For instance, I once passed a very old lady standing hunched over, smoking, her face wrinkled as a walnut, very shabby, wearing what looked a man’s old tweed jacket and trousers. But she was wearing a bright purple crocheted hat with a bunch of pink, white and purple flowers on it. I didn’t know anything about her but she made a great character in Lamb to the Slaughter.

I don’t write directly about current events but sometimes a news story prompts an idea. The case of Louise Woodward, the nanny convicted of killing her charge, prompted a ‘what-if’ story that was the starting point for Cradle to Grave.

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the
beginning and see where the story line brings you?
Somewhere between the two. When I start I usually think I know what the ending will be and I set off towards it. But I could well be wrong – I’m a great believer in letting the story develop. I write because I’m telling myself a story and I want to see what happens. If I knew it all too definitely, I would get bored. In fact, in one of my early books, Past Praying For, I reached the second last chapter and realized I’d got the murderer wrong! I thought, ‘Of course! That’s who did it,’ and went back to change the story to fit – then found that it was all there. It’s amazing what the subconscious can do without you noticing.

Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
Very boring, I’m afraid. I go to my desk at 9.30 and write until just after 1.00. No coffee break – I just make a mug and take it back to my study. In the afternoon I revise and do all the housekeeping related to emails and posts – and a bit of housework as well!

Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
Yes, it has been for many years.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
In crime, Louise Penny, PD James, Andrea Camilleri. In the classics Jane Austen, of course, and Henry James and Emily Bronte; poets Browning, Kipling, TS Eliot, Robert Frost – and dozens of others. Modern fiction; Tracy Chevalier, Elizabeth Jane Howard, Barbara Kingsolver, Jane Smiley

What are you reading now?
Sashenka by Simon Sebag-Montefiori. It’s a compelling, moving and impressively-researched story about Russia under Stalin.

Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
It’s the next in the DI Marjory Fleming series. It begins with a group of hedonistic young people whose excesses end in tragedy when one dies of a drugs overdose and one leaves a suicide note at the edge of a cliff. But two years later a car is found stranded on a mudflat in the Solway Firth after a high tide and the murdered body found in it is that of the man believed to be dead.

Fun questions:
Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
DI Fleming would have to be an actress with a Scottish accent – there’s nothing I hate more than a fake attempt at one – so that rather limits the field. Emma Thomson is English but she spends a lot of time in Scotland so she would probably do it quite well and she’d make a good Big Marge.

Manuscript/Notes: hand written or keyboard?
Notes hand-written every time. If I’m starting a book, or if I hit a sticky patch, I always seize one of my trusty Bic fine-point pens and write in longhand – I feel it gets me closer to my characters sometimes.

Favorite leisure activity/hobby?
I love to cook – mainly French influenced, I suppose. Cookery books are my favorite indulgent reading.

Favorite meal?
A light, elegant cappuccino soup like artichoke, roasted roe deer venison, a dessert of three or four minute ‘themed’ puddings – like lemon tart, lemon mousse, lemon sorbet and limoncello jelly. You can tell I take a lot of holidays in France!

ABOUT THE BOOK

This moody and arresting thriller is perfect for fans of Tana French.

On a beautiful, eerily quiet May morning, a girl is found brutally bludgeoned to death. When Detective Marjory Fleming arrives, the silence of the scene is broken only by the ringing of the girl’s cell phone. The nearby community is small and close-knit, but the veneer of contented prosperity conceals nasty secrets and deep betrayals. When another corpse is discovered, Fleming quickly realizes she must watch her own back while she searches for the link between the murders. As she uncovers layer upon layer of intrigue and deceit, it becomes apparent that, while the dead can’t tell lies, the living most certainly can.

READ AN EXCERPT

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Crime Fiction
Published by: Witness Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins
Publication Date: 2/11/2014
Number of Pages: 513
ISBN: 9780062301758

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WELCOME ROB WHITE

ROB WHITE

Rob White is a philosopher, storyteller, author, and inspirational speaker. He’s also a pretty funny guy to listen to. Rob inspires folks to look at their lives through the lens of transformational opportunities which leads them back home to their naturally curious and ambitious nature.

From an early age Rob was dissatisfied with his life, and became an imaginist, dreaming of living a grander life than what his environment was offering.  Rob calls it “inspirational dissatisfaction” that took him from a mill town kid destined to work in a local factory, to a teaching career in a major city, to careers as a highly successful real estate developer and restaurateur with holdings in Massachusetts and California. Most recently, he became an essayist and book author. He is the author of 180: A Guide to Achieving “Inner Strength and Outer Freedom” and A Second Chance at Success: Remarkably Simple Ways to Open Your Life to Opportunities and Turn Past Mistakes Into Lasting Confidence, Happiness and Success.

Rob is regularly featured in the Huffington Post and his unique articles are published in dozens of print and online publications. Most recently, Rob has become a National Spokesperson for Hilton Garden Inn and is an adjunct professor at Northeastern University.
Connect with Rob at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

From humble beginnings, Rob White went on to become very successful in the real estate and restaurant business. At the same time that he began enjoying material wealth, he experienced a deepening feeling of inner emptiness. So he sought out world-class gurus to help him understand better how to live a full, rich life. However, he eventually discovered that the most helpful gurus aren’t necessarily bestselling self-help authors, world-famous keynote speakers, or famous workshop leaders — they’re unassuming gurus that everyone encounters on their journey through life. These “everyday” teachers awakened Rob to powerful insights and life lessons that are superb starting points for a new life.

This book recaps twenty one of Rob’s awakening moments in inspirational, warm, and entertaining stories. You’ll read about a grade school student who, with one simple question, helped Rob gain a deeper understanding of the true meaning of life. You’ll meet a Maasai mother who demonstrated that we’re much more than we dare to imagine. And you’ll meet a former peanut vendor who turned medical wisdom on its head by simply deciding that he wasn’t going to die.

And Then I Met Margaret demonstrates that life is always supporting you by sending the right and perfect person to help you learn what you next need to know in order to grow. Rob wrote this book to alert you to the many unexpected teachers who can help shatter the myths that keep you from you experiencing life to the fullest and achieving your dreams and goals.

After reading And Then I Met Margaret, you’ll never see the world the same way. You may even recognize an unexpected guru or two as you travel the journey of your life

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Non-Fiction
Published by: Mind Adventure Press
Publication Date: Jan 14th, 2014
Number of Pages: 2296
ISBN:978-0980229967

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WELCOME FLORENCE STRANG & SUSAN GONZALEZ

Florence Strang, B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., is a Registered Psychologist with more than twenty years of experience in the fields of Education and Psychology.   Through her counseling practice, she has taught people to use the power of positive thinking to heal their troubled minds.   After being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, Florence began to blog “The Perks of Having Cancer”, as a way to help her stay positive through difficult cancer treatments.  Little did she know when she began this blog, that she would be helping thousands of others to find hope and inspiration.  Florence’s story of battling cancer with an unwavering faith and an unbeatable positive attitude is told in Woman’s World Magazine (April, 2012), and Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Positive (©2012.)

Florence lives in scenic Lewin’s Cove, Newfoundland, with her daughter, Kaitlyn, and sons, Donovan and Ben.

Susan Gonzalez, R.N., BSN, earned her nursing degree in New York in 1986 and has been helping people “get well” ever since.  But no matter where her nursing career path led her, it was empowering patients with knowledge that she loved the most.

Diagnosed with cancer in 2005, Susan had a unique perspective on the disease, being a nurse in the patient’s role.  (something nurses are terrible at, by the way) She took that knowledge and her passion for finding natural cures to fight disease and started writing a blog for those who wanted to make simple changes for healthy living with an emphasis on avoiding cancer.   With 100 Perks of Having Cancer plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It, Susan hopes to reach many more people with the message that making small lifestyle changes can lead to achieving optimum health and happiness.

Susan currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and two daughters

Connect with Florence and Susan at these sites:

On January 20th, Susan and Florence were interviewed on “Because Hope Matters Radio”.  To listen to the broadcast, click HERE.

ABOUT THE BOOK

How often do you hear the words “healthy”, “happy” and “cancer” mentioned in the same sentence? That is precisely what gives 100 Perks of Having Cancer (Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It) its unique character. Its authors not only “talk the talk” of living a healthy lifestyle with a positive attitude on the cancer journey, they also continue to “walk the walk”.

Florence’s perks, which are a combination of inspirational and humorous anecdotes, have made her audiences laugh and cry. Susan’s tips are sought after because of their educational content with a witty twist. Together they provide a valuable resource which will inspire and motivate their readers, while keeping them smiling.

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BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 500 pages
Publisher: Basic Health Publications; 1st edition
Publication Date: August 2, 2013
ISBN-10: 1591203562
ISBN-13: 978-1591203568

PURCHASE LINKS:

          

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WELCOME TILIA KLEBENOV JACOBS

TILIA KLEBENOV JACOBS

Tilia Klebenov Jacobs holds a BA from Oberlin College, where she double-majored in Religion and English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Following an interregnum as an outdoor educator with the Fairfax County Park Authority in Virginia, she earned a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Secondary School Teaching Certification from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tilia has taught middle school, high school, and college, and has won numerous awards for her fiction and nonfiction writing. She is a judge in the Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition, and she teaches writing in two prisons in Massachusetts. Tilia lives near Boston with her husband, two children, and two standard poodles.
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Guest Post

Without Burt Lancaster, Wrong Place, Wrong Time would not exist.

Let’s start with the basics.  I am mad for Burt Lancaster, whether I am drooling over him in his early roles (so manly and heroic!) or sighing at the depth and grace of his later performances (Field of Dreams, anyone?).  So perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised when he helped me write my first novel.

It all started with The Flame and the Arrow, a jolly, Robin Hood-esque movie starring Burt Lancaster as Dardo, a hunky guy in tights who kidnaps a woman in order to rescue his son, who is being held by Count Ulrich, the evil Hessian overlord.  (Film buffs will not be surprised to know that the hostage is played by Virginia Mayo, a lovely blond who is reliably in peril by the second reel of any movie she appears in.)

Part of what makes this movie so much fun is that Mayo’s character, Anne of Hesse, is never afraid of Dardo.  He is unquestionably bigger and stronger than she; but she stands up to him at every encounter, and during the course of her durance vile she never stops trying to get away.  Reluctantly, Dardo finds himself respecting her, and the film ends on a kiss and a fade-out.

Alas, however, the movie is very much a product of its times, and although Anne refuses to be cowed by Dardo, she also never effectively fights back.  The kidnapping scene is particularly egregious in this regard:  removing her from her bedroom presents all the mechanical and logistical challenges of hoisting a sack of potatoes.  Watching the movie (repeatedly), I wanted her to hit him!  Hard!  Even if she  lost, I wanted her to fight.

Which got me thinking.

What if she did fight back?  And actually knew how to?

What if she didn’t fall in love with him?

What if instead she were married, and loved her husband very deeply?

What if she had a couple of kids?  And were fortysomething instead of twentyish?

What if she were Jewish?  Popular culture only knows two kinds of Jews:  Woody Allen-style neurotics and Holocaust victims.  Neither of these lives in my neighborhood.

What if this happened in real life?  I’d have a thriller with a happily married fortyish Jewish mother of two young children at its heart, that’s what. I know a lot of women like that  in real life, but I don’t see them in fiction.

So I named my heroine Tsara, and set to work.

The next piece of business was Burt’s character, Dardo the mountain man, an antihero morally superior to Count Ulrich, the ostensible keeper of law and order in the wilds of Lombardy.  In Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Dardo morphed into Mike, a former Marine with a criminal record.  Mike is a bruised soul, a man’s man who will risk all to do what’s right.

Mike is a good guy.  But he’s not always a nice guy.

Mike and Tsara have a lot in common, much more than their movie counterparts.  Both are fighters.  Both are parents of young children who are about the same age.  Most important, they share an unwavering moral compass.  These are not people who take ethical shortcuts.

And yet, they are on opposite sides of the law.  That creates a tension between them that fuels the book even as Mike and Tsara bond through joining forces against a mortal enemy.  This tension is the rocket fuel for the book—any scene with Tsara and Mike in it is my favorite, because even when they’re on the same side, they are enemies with a common goal.

And that was the font of my inspiration.  I started with The Flame and the Arrow with its jolly, irreverent tone, and ended up with a high-stakes thriller.

Thank you, thank you, Burt.  I owe you so much.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Tsara Adelman leaves her husband and two young children for a weekend to visit her estranged uncle, she little dreams he is holding several local children captive on his lavish estate. Mike Westbrook, father of one of the boys, kidnaps her to trade her life for the children’s. Soon Tsara and Mike are fleeing through New Hampshire’s mountain wilderness pursued by two rogue cops with murder on their minds.

BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 406 pages
Publisher: Linden Tree Press; 2 edition
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
ISBN-10: 0989860116
ISBN-13: 978-0989860116

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