May is being hosted by Martha  from Martha’s Bookshelf 

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

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by Laurel-Rain Snow

(author and one of our own special bloggers)

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Sunday Salon is on vacation today.

How is everyone today?    I know I am thrilled because of who my guest is today.    Grab your coffee and get comfortable because it is truly a special day for me and I want to share with all of you!!    If you follow my blog and know me, you know I get very excited about certain things and it usually comes through in my posts whereas I get very chatty and animated (you should see me in person, being Italian, I also talk with my hands lol).    OK……enough about me but please indulge me with my fervent introduction.

Today’s guest is a very busy, multi talented, brilliant, a true gentleman, a person that I  highly respect and have the honor to call him “friend”.    Mr. Lou Aronica,  publisher of The Story Plant, contacted me when I first came on the scene of this neighborhood of book blogging and reviewing, asking if I would read and review a book he was publishing by author Michael Baron, Crossing The Bridge.    That was in December 2009.  Since that time, I have read and reviewed many titles by the same author and  other writers he publishes through The Story Plant- Spread The Word Initiative .    And every single one of those authors have been added and gone on my “favorite authors TBR” list, except one that I haven’t read yet, and that is Lou Aronica himself.  But I plan to rectify that problem.    I plan on reading the book he is going to talk about today.    So along with you, I now get to meet author, Lou Aronica.    Please help me give him a warm welcome to the CMash blog!!

ABOUT LOU ARONICA

Lou Aronica is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Element(written with Ken Robinson), as well as the national bestsellers The Culture Code (with Clotaire Rapaille) and Blue along with several other works of fiction and nonfiction. Prior to focusing on writing, Aronica spent twenty years as a book publishing executive, serving as Deputy Publisher of Bantam Books, and Publisher of Berkley and Avon Books, as well as founding the Bantam Spectra imprint. He is currently President and Publisher of The Fiction Studio and Publisher of The Story Plant.

Lou Aronica lives with his wife and four children in Southern Connecticut.

You can visit Lou at The Story Plant, Fiction Studio Books and Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT THE BOOK

I’d like to thank everyone who read, responded to, and recommended my novel Blue. The success of Blue has been a rewarding and encouraging experience for me and has spurred me to move in even more ambitious directions with my fiction in the future.

That future begins with Differential Equations, a novel I collaborated on with Julian Iragorri. Julian is a true Renaissance man. He’s a financial wizard, a film producer, and a visionary, among other things. He also has remarkable storytelling gifts, and those gifts are on strong display in this novel.

Differential Equations is the story of Alex Soberano, a contemporary man in crisis. A tremendously successful New York businessman, Alex finds it difficult to embrace joy and accept love. When his life threatens to boil over, he escapes for a brief respite on the West Coast. What waits for him there is something he never could have imagined.

Intertwined with Alex’s story are the stories of three people from different times and places whose lives affect him in surprising ways:

• A woman from the South American city of Anhelo in 1928 that everyone knows as “Vidente.” For decades, Vidente, has been one of Anhelo’s most celebrated citizens because she has the ability to read colors that speak of a person’s fate. However, during one such reading, she sees her own future – a future that includes her imminent death.

• A man named Khaled who left his home in Bethlehem in 1920 to seek fortune in the South American town of Joya de la Costa. He has barely begun to gain a foothold when he learns that the wife and three children he left behind have been murdered. When a magical woman enters his life, he believes that destiny has smiled on him. However, destiny has only just begun to deal with Khaled.

• A nineteen-year-old student named Dro who flies from the South American country of Legado to Boston in 1985 and immediately walks onto the campus of MIT expecting instant admission. Dro’s skills at mastering complex, ever-changing differential equations intrigues the associate admissions director. However, the person he intrigues the most is the celebrated US ambassador from his country, and his relationship with her will define his life.

How the stories of these four people merge is the central mystery of Differential Equations.

If you’ve read Blue, I think you’ll find many similar motifs here, including the intersection of reality and imagination, and the transformative power of the spirit. You’ll also find a strong concentration on characters and their relationships (frankly, I don’t think I could ever be involved with a novel that didn’t concentrate on these). One note: while Blue was a novel for readers of all ages, Differential Equations is definitely an adult novel. Some of the situations in it are decidely not for teens.

You can find out more about Differential Equations here. I hope you get a chance to read it, and I’m looking forward to your thoughts.

Purchase links:
Order from Amazon here;  Barnes and Noble here;  Apple here; and  Chapters here.

Books by Lou Aronica:

Fiction:
The Forever Year (as Ronald Anthony)
Flash and Dazzle (as Ronald Anthony)
Blue
Until Again

Nonfiction:
A Million Thanks (as L.A. Stamford; with Shauna Fleming)
The Discipline Miracle (as L.A. Stamford; with Linda Pearson)
The Culture Code (with Clotaire Rapaille)
Riding the Blue Train (with Bart Sayle and Surinder Kumar)
The Secret Psychology of How We Fall in Love (as L.A. Stamford; with Paul Dobransky)
Miraculous Health (with Rick Levy)
The Power of Female Friendship (as L.A. Stamford; with Paul Dobransky)
The Element (with Ken Robinson)
Conscientious Equity (with Neal Asbury)

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

Hosted by An Island Life

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My Question:
Free plane ticket…where are you going?

Traces of Kara by Melissa Foster
Published by: World Literary Press
Publication Date: Feburary 21, 2013
ISBN-10: 0989050807
ISBN-13: 978-0989050807
Pages: 306
Review Copy from: Author
Edition: ARC Kindle
My Rating: 5

Synopsis (from book): Twenty-nine year old Kara Knight has her sights set on leaving the small town of Williamsport, Maryland, which holds bad memories of a recent separation and no chance for a future. Her hopes are shattered one evening when she’s mistaken for Roland Greer’s long-lost fraternal twin, and thrown into her obsessive captor’s delusional world. Kara struggles to make sense in the darkness that envelops her and plan her escape. The hours tick away as Roland Greer plays out his–to take them both into death at the exact moment of their birth, never to be separated again.
Kara’s mother, Mimi Stone, races against time to save the daughter she fears she will lose when her long-held secret, and sordid past, is revealed.
Traces of Kara is a psychological thriller that will make you question every memory.

My Thoughts and Opinion: I, first, want to thank author, Melissa Foster for her generous gift and honor of giving me the opportunity of reading the galley of her soon to be published novel. Melissa has been a frequent visitor on my blog and since her first visit we have kept in touch. She is a kind, sweet, caring, genuine person with a huge heart besides being a fantastic author. After reading her books, Megan’s Way and Come Back To Me, she was put on my “authors to read” list. In the latter part of 2011, when I was dealing with some difficult and emotional personal issues, Melissa would offer words of encouragement. I emailed her not to long ago, telling her that my husband and I were going on a much needed and well deserved vacation and asked if her next novel would be published prior to us leaving as I would love to read her next novel while we were away. She responded that her next book was still in the hands of her editor but sent me the galley version for me to enjoy. And enjoy, I did! Thank you Melissa!! And now, my thoughts and opinion of Traces of Kara.

Gripping!! Within the first few pages, I was pulled and transported into the story. I knew that this was going to be a white knuckle read!! The main plot takes place during a 24 hour time period, with glimpses and hints of the past. Ingenious!! The characters brought to life with her amazing writing style, so much so, that I actually felt the emotions that the characters experienced. The suspense heart pounding, whereas I found myself having to read faster as if I was watching a time bomb ticking away. Masterful!! The chapters alternated between characters and the tension increased with every turn of the page. The story line progresses with inklings and teasers of how and what the connections are between the characters until it all unfolds of the thrilling interwoven plot. Brilliant!! A definite can’t put down read!! Not only do I recommend this read, but her other works as well.

Unspent Time Launch Party

Get free books and win a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch

Warning: reading this novel may make you more attractive and elevate your random luck by about 9.332%*
(* These statements have not been evaluated by any person of consequence!)

• An exclusive spin-off novelette (not available for purchase anywhere!)
• Making of Gomez: behind the scenes eBook
• Signature for their paperback or kindle edition
• Chance to win a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch

(Prizes can be traded for Amazon gift certificates if you already own them.)
Just email your receipt to nohopeforgomez@gmail.com to enter.
Each purchase counts, so stock up on birthday presents (for people you don’t like that much, for instance) The discount ends today, but be sure to send the receipts no later than June 1st.

(Or order the books from any bookstore.)
Coupon code for today: ZB77D

And then get by tweeting about your purchase:Tweet

Sound bites from Unspent Time:

“I’m looking into my past lives. I’m convinced some of them still owe me money.”

“I’m very polite by nature, even the voices in my head let each other finish their sentences.”

“I didn’t actually want to do it,” Kiala told the boy. “The universe just kind of conspired to force me to make a fool of myself. It does that quite a lot, actually.”

“Sadly, my socks are like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike.”

Here’s what reviewers had to say:

“A veritable page turner of nonstop laughs!” — Reader Views
“An unputdownable read. a Coens Brothers’ film in book form.” — BookReview.com
“Extremely witty and clever writing.” — California Chronicle
“A Party for your Brain!” — Warren Baxter

Bio:

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

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

(galley)

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

He had to bide his time, or his plan would fall apart.  It had taken him eight years to track down Marissa, and eight months to develop his plan-a plan to keep them from ever being separated again.

Kindle 1%  (galley)