I just love when authors come back and visit.  To me, this means that they have been very busy writing books that we enjoy reading and that they truly like the followers of CMash Reads.  I ask that you help me give a warm welcome back to Allan Leverone.

ALLAN LEVERONE

Allan Leverone is the author of the Amazon bestselling thriller, THE LONELY MILE, as well as the thriller, FINAL VECTOR and the horror novellas, DARKNESS FALLS and HEARTLESS. He is a four-time Derringer Award finalist for excellence in short mystery fiction and a 2011 Pushcart Prize nominee. Allan lives in Londonderry, NH, with his wife of nearly thirty years, three children and one beautiful granddaughter.
Learn more about Allan on Facebook, Twitter or at www.allanleverone.com.

GUEST POST

Guest Post: Inspiration for Novels
By Allan Leverone

If a writer is paying attention, a plot idea can come from almost anywhere. It’s not an exaggeration to say I’ve written stories, novellas or novels based on: a line from a song, an item I saw on the news or on a television news magazine, a dream, a suggestion from my wife, an experience I had as a child, an incident I made up out of whole cloth in my mind, and any of dozens of other sources.

The one thing all of the above examples have in common, though, is that each idea was followed up with one simple question: “What if?” In most cases, the “what if” was then followed up with, “Well, if that happens, then what?” “And if that happens, then what?”

My most successful book to this point is an Amazon bestselling thriller titled THE LONELY MILE, which spent three days in the Top 25 in the paid store at Amazon back in February, peaking at #21 and selling over twelve thousand copies. It was based on a simple premise, one which can’t help but strike a chord with every parent: a man’s daughter is kidnapped by a remorseless sociopath, and he is forced into a desperate attempt to rescue her, racing against time to get her back before it is too late.

Is he successful? You’ll have to read the book if you want to find out, but this post is about inspiration, and the point is this: the idea for THE LONELY MILE came to me three decades before the book was written, when I was in college, driving nearly a thousand miles one-way several times a year between my home in central Massachusetts and my school, the University of Notre Dame, located in South Bend, Indiana.

The trip was a relatively straight shot. I would drive to Interstate 90, roughly twenty miles from my home, and then stay on that highway until I arrived in northern Michigan, where my exit would put me almost right on top Notre Dame’s golden dome. To save time, I would drive straight through, nineteen hours in one shot. It was a questionable tactic, one I would never allow my own kids to try, and one which almost cost me my life any number of times. It’s not something I would recommend to anyone.

But dotting the highway on those 950-mile sojourns from New England to Indiana and back were small Interstate rest stops, little plazas where weary drivers could pull in, gas up, get some fast food and coffee, and continue on toward their destination. Everyone’s seen them; you’ve probably used them dozens of times without thinking anything of it, right?

Well, try pulling into an isolated highway rest stop at three o’clock in the morning, tired and strung out. The places are never totally empty, but they are spooky and creepy, often populated in the middle of the night with questionable-looking characters, and I remember thinking—many times—how easy would it be for some psycho to pull in here, wreak havoc, and then take off? He would be miles away before anyone could even respond.

That was in the days before cell phones were anything more than a twinkle in some engineer’s eye, but even in this era of instant electronic communication, a highway rest stop located within a couple of miles of one or more exits still presents what seems like a pretty attractive staging point for an evil person intent on doing evil things, don’t you think?

Anyway, that one image, of an amoral sociopath using an isolated highway rest stop as an area to commit horrible atrocities, remained embedded in my mind for thirty years. When I began writing fiction, the idea crystallized into the modus operandi for the antagonist in THE LONELY MILE, a serial kidnapper/murderer named Martin Krall.

The important thing for the writer is not so much the inspiration, but the followup to the idea. Inspiration is everywhere. What makes or breaks the writer of genre fiction is the ability to take that inspiration to the next level, and develop a gripping, exciting storyline. I’d like to think I’m pretty good at that. I invite you to check out one of my books and see if you agree.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Mike McMahon moves to the remote village of Paskagankee, Maine, to take over as chief of police following a tragic shooting, he’s hoping for nothing more than to get a new start on life. Instead, he encounters a series of brutal murders, beginning almost immediately upon his arrival.

Together with a beautiful rookie cop and a disgraced college professor, McMahon races against time and a mounting body count in a desperate attempt to stop a seemingly unstoppable killer…

Book Details:
Genre:Adult, Horror,Suspense,Thriller
Publisher: Rock Bottom Books; First Edition
Publication Date: June 29, 2012
Pages: 224
Purchase:  Amazon

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 affliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

It’s been 2 1/2 years that I have been part of this incredible book blogging club and still enjoy every minute of it.  It never gets old or boring, there is always something exciting happening, just like today.  I have the honor and privilege to introduce you to another amazing author.  I am especially thrilled with today’s guest because not only is she an author but one of our tour hosts at Partners In Crime Tours.  Please help me give a very warm welcome to Jo Linsdell as she tells us about her new book.

JO LINSDELL

Jo Linsdell is a freelance writer, author and illustrator. Originally from the UK, she now lives in Rome, Italy with her husband and their two young sons.
Visit Jo at her website here.

GUEST POST

Checklist for hosting Tweetchats
By Jo Linsdell

Jo Linsdell is the author and illustrator of the rhyming children’s picture book OUT AND ABOUT AT THE ZOO. Find out more about her at www.JoLinsdell.com

A Tweetchat is a public conversation on Twitter using a unique hashtag and is a great way to interact with your Twitter followers and get new followers quickly. This hashtag allows people to follow the discussion and participate in it.

One of the easiest ways to do a Tweetchat is using www.tweetchat.com. Once you’ve logged in using your twitter account you just need to insert your hashtag in the designated area at the top of the screen and you’re set.

Here’s a few ideas for how to run your Tweetchat:

1.  Start with a welcome and introduction.
2.  Announce the topic of your Tweetchat.
3.  To encourage group discussion label your questions Q1, Q2, etc… to make it easy for participants to answer.
4.  Retweet and summarise the best answers
5.  Announce when the end of the chat is approaching and thank everyone for participating.
6.  Tweet any conclusions from the chat.
7.  Announce the date and time for future chats and their topics.

If others are helping promote when the chat is and what it’s about, send them a quick @ or DM thanking them. If someone does a recap of one of your chats, retweet it. Let your chat participants know that they are an important part of the success that your chat is having. This gives them the incentive to promote and grow the chat even more.

The networking and promotional potential of a Tweetchat is huge so whether you plan to host a one-off event or make it a regular gig it’s well worth looking into.

If you have any tips of your own for hosting a Tweetchat please share them in the comments section. I’d love to hear them.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rhyming text and colourful pictures accompany this fun day out discovering different animals at the zoo.

Reviews:
5 Stars
“Out and About at the Zoo by Jo Linsdell is a delightful story set in rhyme about a boy and his mum. The two spend the day at the zoo and meet many animals along the way. Your child will enjoy reading this book time and time again. The colorful illustrations make this book a joy to read. Pick up a copy of this book and share a day at the zoo memory with your little one”.
By Kate Mueller, Author of Bella’s Birthday Surprise

5 Stars
“Out And About At The Zoo is a cute book that describes a child’s memory filled trip to the zoo. Are you heading to the zoo and you would like to tell your kids what animals they will see there and what they might be doing? Then Out And About At The Zoo would be a great choice. Easy to understand and easy for children to read along with. It is filled with simple yet colorful pictures that even held my one year old’s attention!
Would also make a good gift for young readers who are just beginning to read!”
By Virginia L. Jennings, Author

Book Details:
Release Date: 1st June 2012
ISBN/EAN13: 1477446591 / 9781477446591
Page Count: 32
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 6″ x 9″
Language: English
Colour: Full Colour with Bleed
Related Categories: Juvenile Fiction / Stories in Verse

Purchase Links:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.it
CreateSpace.com

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,
Barnes & Noble and/or any other retail/wholesale
outlets either online and/or elsewhere.
I am providing this link solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
I do not receive any monetary compensation from any parties

Today I have the pleasure to introduce you to 2 people.  Kate, one of our book blogging peers from Read 2 Review, is starting a new venture with Page Turner Book Tours.  I met Kate through Partners In Crime Tours.  She has been a great asset as one of our tour hosts so when she asked if I would host one of her clients, author Mysti Parker, it was an automatic yes!!  I now present to you, Kate and author, Mysti Parker!

MYSTI PARKER (pseudonym) 

Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya’s Song, was published in April 2012. She reviews speculative fiction for SQ Magazine and is the proud writer of Unwritten, a blog recently voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.
You can find Mysti at the following places: Blog, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter and by Email.

ABOUT THE BOOK

 Serenya’s Song (Tallenmere, #2)

In the fantasy world of Tallenmere, no one ever said love was easy…

Serenya Crowe may be a half-elf commoner, but she’s no ordinary woman. With the ability to interpret dreams, and a birth defect that forces her to wear gloves, she’s endured small-town gossip and the cruelty of her husband, Sebastian, The Earl of Summerwind. All she’s ever wanted is to live a quiet life and raise a family. When she meets the new stranger in town, her world and her heart, are turned upside down.

Wood-elf Jayden Ravenwing is an ex-secret agent who wants nothing more than to forget matters of the heart. He left the bustle of Leogard and his failed marriage to make a fresh start in Summerwind. He never planned to fall in love again, especially with the enchanting Serenya Crowe.

When a strange portal opens on the Crowe property at the edge of town, Jayden is thrown into an investigation, knowing that if he fails, Serenya and everyone in Summerwind may die.

Together, he and Serenya must overcome an ancient evil, and their own inner demons, to save Summerwind and find the love they’ve always dreamed of.

Book Details:
Available now at Melange Books and Amazon
Goodreads Rating: 4.88 ~ 7 reviews
Paperback: 286 pages
ISBN13: 9781612353807
Published April 2012 by Melange Books

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF AUTHOR, MYSTI PARKER, I
HAVE FIVE (5) EBOOK EDITIONS TO GIVE AWAY. OPEN TO ALL.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

Page Turner Book Tours are hosting an exclusive competition where you can win one of two stunning handmade bracelets that have been created with aspects of Serenya’s Song in mind. To find out more about the competition and to enter please click HERE

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 affliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

I am a very happy camper today because I have the opportunity to introduce and share with you an awesome author who is visiting.  Erin, from Meryl L. Moss Media/The Book Trib, contacted me to read and review today’s showcased book and let me tell you, it was a page turner!!  So without further ado, please meet and greet Ms. Andrea Kane!

ANDREA KANE

Andrea Kane’s psychological thriller, THE GIRL WHO DISAPPEARED TWICE, became an instant New York Times bestseller, continuing her long string of smash hits.

It debuted Forensic Instincts, an eclectic team of maverick investigators, each with different talents and personalities, all with one common bond—a blatant disregard for authority. THE LINE BETWEEN HERE and GONE is the encore novel in the Forensic Instincts series. Armed with skills and talents honed by years in the FBI, Special Forces, and training in behavioral and forensic psychology, the Forensic Instincts team solves seemingly impossible cases while walking a fine line between assisting and enraging law enforcement.

With a worldwide following and novels translated into more than twenty languages, Kane is also the author of eight additional psychological thrillers and fourteen historical romances. She lives in New Jersey with her family, where she is conspiring with Forensic Instincts on new ways to disrupt the status quo.
Visit Ms. Kane at her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Q & A WITH AUTHOR, ANDREA KANE

1. 1.      Q: Describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer.

A: A mother is desperately searching for the father of her newborn baby – hoping that he’s alive and is a donor match to save her critically ill son.

1. What inspired you to write THE LINE BETWEEN HERE AND GONE?

A: As with all my books, THE LINE, started out as flashes of the characters’ lives playing out in my head. I saw a flash of an important male character who vanished without a trace and a critically ill infant whose life was integrally tied to his.  But I didn’t know why or how that would factor into FI’s caseload.  Those answers came later, after the baby’s mother crystallized in my mind.

1. Q: What sort of attachment do you have to your characters?

A: They become part of me, like family.  The ending of a book is bittersweet.  My characters are fully formed, have achieved some resolution in battling the trials and tribulations of life.  Just when I’m ready to enjoy their creation, it’s time to say goodbye.  Fortunately with Forensic Instincts, I get the chance to stay attached and further the FI team’s characters and stories in their next book.

1. Q: Where do you do most of your writing?

A: Wherever my Pomeranian lets me.  It’s amazing where he can place his snout, his paws, his tail and his body on my laptop to prevent me from writingJ

1. Q: Do you have an inspiration board for each book? Maybe a scrapbook? What inspires you when you’re writing?

A: No boards, no scrapbooks.  I’m a pretty cerebral person.  For me, the inspiration comes from within – characters with a story they’re excited to tell!

Want more?  Follow Andrea Kane on her tour here.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Each day is a struggle for Amanda Gleason’s newborn son as he battles a rare immune deficiency. Justin’s best chance for a cure lies with his father, who was brutally murdered before Amanda even realized she carried his child.

Or was he?

One emailed photo changes everything, planting a seed of doubt that Amanda latches onto for dear life: a recent photo of a man who looks exactly like Paul. Could Justin’s father be alive? The mother in her is desperate to find out. But tracking down a ghost when every second counts is not for amateurs.

Forensic Instincts is the one team up for the challenge.

A behaviorist. A former Navy SEAL. A techno-wizard. An intuitive. A retired FBI agent. A human scent evidence dog. Together, they achieve the impossible, pushing ethical and legal boundaries whenever the ends justify the means.

The manhunt is on for the elusive father. Yet the further the team digs into Paul’s past, the more questions are raised about whether the man Amanda fell in love with ever really existed at all.

Dark secrets. Carefully crafted lies. From the Congressional halls of Washington D.C. to exclusive Hamptons manors, there are ruthless people who would stop at nothing to make Forensic Instincts forget about the man Amanda desperately needs to find.

Little do they realize that once Forensic Instincts takes the case, nothing will stop them from uncovering the shocking truth that transcends The Line Between Here and Gone.

Excerpt:
She didn’t really care if she had any messages. But she had to check – even if it was just to seek out some pie-in-the-sky miracle that would answer her prayers.
No miracle.

Read my review here.
Purchase links: Amazon, B&N, IndieBound.

THANKS TO ERIN, FROM MEDIA MUSCLE, I HAVE ONE (1) COPY
OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.  U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

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 affliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

This is the first time in my life that we haven’t had a dog as part of our family.  And if you do have pets, you know, that they do become a family member.  Plus having been in the medical field, I have seen the amazing effect dogs have with patients.  So when Nicole from Tribute Books contacted me, it was an instant yes for me to host the author of this book.  So please help me welcome Barbara Lampert and Charlie to our group.

BARBARA LAMPERT and CHARLIE

Barbara Lampert is a Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in relationships. She’s been in private practice in Brentwood, California for over twenty years. She considers her work a calling and loves what she does. She has a doctorate in medical sociology and two master’s degrees – one in psychology and one in sociology.

Barbara has adored dogs her whole life. They’re her passion! She considers them the magic on the planet. Barbara has had dogs most of her life and hopes to have at least one by her side always. She notes that for a lot of people, their dogs are their best friends. She loves helping people know that’s ok – that a soul-satisfying relationship may be found with any being and needs to be treasured.

Besides her love of dogs, Barbara is an avid gardener and finds herself gardening in much of her spare time. She sees her garden as a work of art. She loves being in nature – the miracle of growth, the ever-changing landscape, its beauty.

Today Barbara lives happily in Malibu, California with her husband David (married twenty-eight years!) and their six-year-old Golden Retriever, Harry.
The blog tour site is:
Barbara hopes that Charlie: A Love Story will be a tribute not only to a magnificent dog but to all dogs everywhere.
The blog tour site is:   http://charlie-a-love-story.blogspot.com/

GUEST POST

CMash:  I have seen where dogs are brought to nursing homes. So a post either about and/or the premise of “How, why, and what animals can provide and what the effects are when used in that type of setting.”

Thank you so much for having me on your site and giving me an opportunity to discuss bringing dogs into nursing homes and the benefit of dogs in that setting. Nursing homes were the first to make use of therapy dogs. To the best of my knowledge, that practice began about thirty years ago.

Have you ever visited a nursing home? For the most part, they are not happy places, so anything that can be done to bring joy and love into them and to the people who inhabit them is wonderful. To bring dogs into this setting is extraordinarily intelligent. But it has to be the right kind of dog – not every dog will be able to handle this type of setting.

Commonly known as therapy dogs, dogs who visit nursing homes must first have passed the Canine Good Citizen test, which means that they have to be well-mannered and comfortable in a variety of situations and with a variety of people.

The most essential attribute of a therapy dog is a good temperament – being friendly, patient, confident, gentle, and at ease in all situations. When a dog lacking a good temperament is put under stress, poor behavior will surface. Most people believe that a therapy dog is born and not made, though it is not impossible to teach some better behaviors. But I tend to agree with the “born and not made” theory. I am a psychotherapist, licensed twenty-two years, and have been curious about people all my life. As near as I can tell, temperament doesn’t change. Behaviors can, but temperament no.

Having had dogs most of my life, I can think of only two of them who would have made good therapy dogs. Their temperaments were perfect for the role. Both were Golden Retrievers, were calm in the face of chaos, loved all kinds of people, were fine in and actually looked forward to new situations, had a calming effect on people, and made people feel better just by their presence. The effect that both of these dogs had on people was a sight to behold. People they encountered would within a few seconds of meeting them have big smiles on their faces. These two would have been perfect therapy dogs in nursing homes.

Another characteristic of good therapy dogs, I’ve heard, is that they should not be too attached to their owners but instead should be more interested in exploring the world and the people in it. Again thinking of those two dogs of mine, that makes sense to me.

While in one respect Charlie, my Golden Retriever who is the subject of my book Charlie: A Love Story, would have made a good therapy dog, because he was so emotionally wise and intuitive and loved to make people laugh, he was much too attached to me. Far more interested in being with me than being out in the world meeting people and exploring new situations. Lucky me! How blessed I was to have had this magnificent being bonded with me! My very own therapy dog!

A good therapy dog offers comfort and companionship, soothes the agitated and fearful, engages with the isolated, and may even bring laughter to the sad and lonely. A good therapy dog does not discriminate against someone in a wheelchair, or the really old or disheveled but rather gives abundant, unconditional love and acceptance to such people, which in turn can not only calm but heal. It can be very soul-satisfying for a disabled or elderly person to pet the fur of one of these dogs and experience at least a connection, to express affection to some living being who in turn gives this person unconditional love. For a brief moment, this individual may be transported to a happier place, the day-to-day sadness and loneliness temporarily interrupted. Healing? I’d say so.

Again, thank you! It’s been a pleasure discussing this very good topic about man’s (and woman’s) truly best friend.

CMash:  First, Thank you for visiting.  Very interesting post, which I enjoyed and hope my readers do as well.  Being a former RN and my last job was working in geriatrics, I did see, on many occasions, the Big Smile that you mentioned.  The Nursing Home where I worked did utilize Pet Therapy on a routine basis.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Charlie: A Love Story tells of the beautiful love between Charlie, a Golden Retriever, and the author, Barbara Lampert. It takes place in Malibu, California. When Charlie turned eleven years old and started having some health problems, a journal Barbara was keeping about her garden quickly became mostly about Charlie. Charlie: A Love Story is an intimate look at an incredible connection between a canine and a human. And as a psychotherapist who specializes in relationships, Barbara brings that sensibility and understanding to Charlie’s story as well. Charlie was Barbara’s loyal confidante and best friend. He was indomitable, had a zest for life and an uncanny emotional intelligence. Charlie: A Love Story is about devotion, joy, loss, and renewal, about never giving up or giving in. But mostly it’s about an extraordinary dog and an extraordinary relationship.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, BARBARA LAMPERT, AND
TRIBUTE BOOKS, I HAVE ONE (1) COPY OF THIS
BOOK TO GIVEAWAY. U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

If you are a frequent visitor here at the CMash blog, then you know that Jodi from WOW, always stops by and introduces us to amazing and talented female authors.  And today is no exception.  So I ask, to help me welcome, Ms. Caryn Miriam-Goldberg!

CARYN MIRIAM-GOLDBERG

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is the Poet Laureate of Kansas, and the author of 14 books, including a forthcoming non-fiction book, Needle in the Bone: How a Holocaust Survivor and Polish Resistance Fighter Beat the Odds and Found Each Other (Potomac Books); The Sky Begins At Your Feet: A Memoir on Cancer, Community & Coming Home to the Body (Ice Cube Books); the anthologies An Endless Skyway: Poetry from the State Poets Laureate (co-editor, Ice Cube Books) and Begin Again: 150 Kansas Poems (editor, Woodley Press); and four collections of poetry. Founder of Transformative Language Arts – a master’s program in social and personal transformation through the written, spoken and sung word – at Goddard College where she teaches, Mirriam-Goldberg also leads writing workshops widely. With singer Kelley Hunt, she co-writes songs, offers collaborative performances, and leads writing and singing Brave Voice retreats.
Connect with the author at her website.

GUEST POST

The Long Way Home: Writing As a Way of Healing

            Growing up as someone who had to make something to feel right in the world, I used to draw incessantly, but when I was 14, I switched on a dime to writing. The reason? My parents’ outlandish, long-winded and terrifying divorce pointed me toward words to make sense out of a reality that included my father kidnapping my mother’s Hummel figurines and neither of them moving out of the house during a year of court battles.

            There’s an old Yiddish saying that everything is bearable is it’s part of a story, and I know that was true for me. By narrating what I was living as a teenager caught in the middle of a domestic war, I could see some kind of crazy coherence to what was happening, a narrative thread that helped me track the symbolic moments that I knew I would need to bring to therapy sessions for years ahead as well as gain enough distance to see sign posts of hope and courage along the way. From the year of the divorce through the next year of living as my father’s wife-daughter through the final year of our family merging with a very different kind of family, I wrote. I knew that once day I would write a novel about all of this.

So it was no surprise that within weeks of turning in my PhD dissertation, I started writing The Divorce Girl. Having been through a lot of good therapy and, even more so, the passage of time, and now being a mother myself, I had arrived at the place where I had the perspective I needed to start this novel.

That starting place was 17 years ago, which I know is an outrageously long time to write a book, but the process itself has been right on time. I wrote the first draft during a long, hot summer, sitting at my husband’s grandfather’s giant desk in my basement. Having composted in me for decades, the novel came out in a rush, and I often wrote 10 to 20 pages each day. Then, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly depressed and too exhausted to even walk upstairs to the couch or my bed, I curled up on the carpet under the desk and took a nap. Strangely enough, I woke 15 minutes later, refreshed, and within an hour or so I was positively elated.

This went on until autumn when I had a solid draft. Then I let it air itself out for a year until I was ready and had time to start revising it with giant rewrites and re-configurations of characters or new threading or a core theme through the novel.

The writing time was herded into small spaces by the happenings in my life: I had full-time work teaching and leading writing workshops, three kids (my youngest was a newborn when I started the book), a house in the country with too much weeding to ever finish, cars that needed work, dishes that were never done, and lot of other writing projects. During this time, I’ve had 12 books published (poetry, a memoir, anthologies, a writing guide), which also took center stage, one at a time, for long periods. But I also took so long on the book because it took many years of working with agents and editors to find the right press for it.

Yet sometimes when we can’t find the right door to open for something we care about, it can be blessing to wait. Taking so much time helped me come to cleaner terms with the most impossible time and people in my life, writing my way through old hurts and aging anger. That spaciousness also allowed me to get very clear about what this book was and wasn’t truly about beyond my longing to see it published. That process entailed editing out what didn’t serve the book (“killing my darlings” as the saying goes) and searching out what this book is truly about after peeling away my own feelings about its healing role in my life.

What I realized was that I wanted to share with readers a story of someone who found her way through making things — in my main character’s case, photographs — that helped her discover herself and her calling. I wanted to lift of a story of how we can find our way through soul-battering life experiences and learn, even in the hardest moments, to trust our innate voices and take creative risks to land us where we need to be.

Writing The Divorce Girl has been healing for me, and now I hope it’s healing for readers too.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Meet Deborah Shapiro, a New Jersey teenage photographer whose parents’ outrageous divorce lands her in the biggest flea market in the free world, a Greek diner with immigration issues, a New York City taxi company, a radical suburban synagogue, a hippie-owned boutique, and bowling alleys, beaches and bagel shops. As her home explodes apart, a first love, a series of almost-mothers, and a comical collection of eccentric mentors show Deborah how to make art out of life, and life from the wreckage of a broken home. This debut novel of Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg travels through wild loss, untended grief and bad behavior with humor and imagination. Reminiscent of the works of Wally Lamb, Stephanie Kallos, and Kaye Gibbons, this coming of age story illuminates how a daring heart can turn a broken girl into a woman strong enough to craft a life of art, soul and beauty.
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Young Adult
Just Thought You Should Know (from WOW):
We feel The Divorce Girl will appeal to a YA audience but, because there is some violence and sexual scenes, we’d like to appeal to YA bloggers followed by older teens (15 and up) not the tween market.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, CARYN MIRIAM-GOLDBERG, I HAVE
ONE (1) BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.  U.S and CANADA RESIDENTS.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

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.

I love doing tours with the ladies from WOW!   I have hosted and reviewed books by very talented women authors because of Robyn and Jodi.  And today is no exception.  Robyn is stopping by to introduce us to another amazing writer.  However, today is going to be packed with a lot of fun stuff.  So get comfortable and enjoy!!  I present Ms. Barbara Conelli!  Welcome!!

BARBARA CONELLI

Barbara Conelli is an internationally published bestselling author, seasoned travel writer specializing inItaly, and Chiquenist on the mission to bring Fantastic Fearless Feminine Fun into women’s lives. In her charming, delightful and humorous Chique Books filled with Italian passion, Barb invites women to exploreItalyfrom the comfort of their home with elegance, grace and style, encouraging them to live their own Dolce Vita no matter where they are in the world.

Barb learned to read and write at the age of four, and a year later, she wrote her first bestselling book that became a big hit in local kindergartens. She turned into an overnight success that lasted for twelve exciting hours. Since then, she has never separated from her writing endeavors. Barb writes even in her sleep and she can often be seen sitting on her bed atthree a.m.with a flashlight frantically processing her somnambulant ideas. A born nomad and adventurer, she’s been there, she’s done it, and she’s not afraid to write about it.

An entertaining storyteller, Barb has a unique ability to capture the magical atmosphere of the places she writes about. Through the pages of her books, Barb takes your hand and guides you through the irresistible beauty, captivating secrets, unrepeatable spell and fugitive moments ofItaly. She makes them come alive easily and spontaneously, and her writing is like a magic carpet that carries you toItalyand back in the blink of an eye. She introduces you to fascinating women who have created the face ofItaly, lifts the shroud of their mysteries, and reveals adorable places off the beaten track where the authentic Italian heart hasn’t stopped beating.

As a naturally curious person who loves traveling, meeting new people and discovering their life stories, Barbara founded Chique Show, an entertaining radio show for women and about women. On Chique Show, Barbara shares her Dolce Vita adventures and interviews inspiring women authors and experts who show listeners how to live their sweet life with gusto.

Barb lives betweenNew York and Milan, and as a real globetrotter, she’s always on the move, accompanied by her adorable and very spoiled beagle. To her, writing is like breathing, and she’s currently working on her new book.
Visit Barbara at her websites here and here. 

Barbara is running two (2) contests on her blog:

An Italian Phrase contest

Learn Italian (and win a prize!)
Every Tuesday & Thursday from now through August 23, 2012 Barbara will be posting a new Italian word (+ audio)

Visit Barbara’s blog (http://barbaraconelliblog.com/category/writers-life/find-the-phrase-contest/) every Tuesday & Thursday to see and hear a new Italian word. At the end of the tour put all the words together into a phrase and enter it at Barbara’s blog site (http://www.barbaraconelli.com/findthephrase.htm). One winner will be drawn from those with the correct phrase. Prize is a chique leather wallet!

Contest is open internationally. Words will be posted along with audio link. Winner will be announced Thursday, August 23, 2012.

Essay Contest
If I Lived in Italy I Would…

What would you do if you lived in Italy? Dream big and start writing!

Your essay should be as long as you need it to be to express yourself! Submit your essays at the Essay Contest page at Barbara’s blog (http://www.barbaraconelli.com/essaycontest.htm). One winner will be chosen to receive a Chique Kindle Sleeve!

Barbara will be hosting her own Q & A on her radio show; here are the links to pages where readers can submit their questions.

Questions on writing and publishing on July 20
http://www.barbaraconelli.com/writingandpublishing.htm

Questions about Italy and travel on August 17:
http://www.barbaraconelli.com/italyandtravel.htm

Then tune in to the Chique Show on July 20^th and August 17^th for the pre-recorded sessions. http://www.barbaraconelli.com/radio.htm

ABOUT THE BOOK

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF AUTHOR, BARBARA CONELLI,
I HAVE ONE (1) TOTE BAG TO GIVE AWAY. OPEN TO ALL.

IN ADDITION, EVERY PERSON WHO LEAVES A
COMMENT ON THIS PAGE (YOU MUST LEAVE AN
EMAIL ADDRESS) WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR
A DOWNLOADABLE GIFTBAG CONSISTING OF:
Chique Virtual Tour: The Secret Gems of Italy Every Woman Must Know
1st five chapters of Chique Secrets of Dolce Vita
1st five chapters of Chique Secrets of Dolce Amore
Chique Blog Tour Special Gift (Only for the tour!): E-Book: The Most Romantic Chique Places to Fall in Love in (and with) Milan

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE CMash GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

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.

Hi everyone!!  Do I have a treat for you!!  Nicole from Tribute Books is taking time out of her busy schedule to stop by and introduce us to today’s guest author.  And if I know my followers, I am sure a lot of you will be very interested in her book.  So please help me welcome Nicole and Kathy Leonard Czepiel.

Kathy Leonard Czepiel

Kathy Leonard Czepiel is the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and teaches writing at Quinnipiac University. Her short fiction has been published in numerous journals including Cimarron Review, Indiana Review, Calyx, Confrontation, and The Pinch. A native of New York State’s mid-Hudson Valley, she now lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.
You can visit Kathy at her website, Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and Tribute Books Blog Tours.

GUEST POST

            Like many twentysomethings today, I moved back to my home town shortly after college graduation. I had spent my whole life in this little Hudson River Valley town, a farming community with two traffic lights and three schools. But when I began working as a reporter for the local weekly newspaper, I met people and learned things I had never known before. One was that the area had once been known as The Violet Capital of the World.  How could I have spent my entire childhood there and never heard this? Though I didn’t know it then, my first novel had been born with that question. However, it was fifteen years before I was ready to write it. Writing a novel is a big commitment, and I knew its subject would have to hold my interest for a long time. The violets were the perfect starting place.

I began my research for A Violet Season at a local history museum with a file of newspaper clippings and photocopied pages from old books, but eventually I had to leave the library and get out in the “field”—in my case, a greenhouse. It’s one thing to read about something; it’s quite another to experience it firsthand. Leaving the library marked a turning point in my research—the point at which I had to proclaim myself a writer and ask someone else to take my research seriously. That someone was a local farmer named Fred Battenfeld, who graciously showed me around his greenhouses one cold March day. Earlier generations of Battenfelds had been violet growers, and though the family switched to growing hybrid anemones and Christmas trees decades ago, Fred still grows one small bed of violets, the only one in the Northeast as far as I know. He showed me around his greenhouses, even down into the “stokehouse” or furnace room. He demonstrated how to pick and bunch the flowers. He answered all of my questions.

Most of my writing days are pretty dull. I sit at my desk, next to my study window which looks out on my neighbors’ houses, and I plug away at my desktop computer. Sometimes I get up to make a cup of coffee or switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer. But research days are something else entirely—exciting not only because I’m away from my desk but because I never know what new information I’ll discover. On a trip to the New York Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I got the feel for the tenement apartment in my own novel and borrowed a few particular details, including the “short clothesline of socks hung over the stove.” Sometimes the “research” is closer to home—a neighborhood walk, for example, on which I was struck by a squirrel with “afternoon sunlight casting a halo at the edges of its tail.” I love getting lost in the written world at my desk, but perhaps my favorite writing days aren’t about writing at all. They’re about the real-world discovery of these little details that bring my story to life.

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ABOUT THE BOOK
A mother’s choices in a time of crisis threaten the one person she means to protect—her only daughter—and force her to make the boldest move of her life.

The violet industry is booming in 1898, and a Hudson Valley farm owned by the Fletcher family is turning a generous profit for its two oldest brothers. But Ida Fletcher, married to the black sheep youngest brother, has taken up wet nursing to help pay the bills, and her daughter, Alice, has left school to work. As they risk losing their share of the farm, the two women make increasingly great sacrifices for their family’s survival, sacrifices that will set them against one another in a lifelong struggle for honesty and forgiveness. Vivid and compelling, A Violet Season is the story of an unforgettable mother-daughter journey in a time when women were just waking to their own power and independence.
Book Details:
Price: $15.00 paperback, $9.99 ebook
Pages: 272
ISBN: 9781451655063
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release: July 10, 2012
Purchase links: Amazon, B&N, Simon & Schuster, iBookstore.

THANKS TO THE KINDNESS OF AUTHOR, KATHY LEONARD CZEPIEL,
I HAVE ONE (1) PB COPY TO GIVE AWAY. U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE