Today I would like to introduce you to, the very busy Julie Hyzy. She is the author of the White House Chef series, coauthor of Dead Ringer, and team member of the blog, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. Today she is stopping by to tell us a bit about her new series, the Manor House Mystery series. So please help me welcome Ms. Hyzy to my blog.

   Julie Hyzy’s first experience with food included flipping burgers and chopping onions at a neighborhood hot dog stand. She traded that experience for a job as a singing waitress at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour — but gave that up when she started college (and because she couldn’t carry a tune).
   Over the years, she’s acted in community theater productions, appeared in television commercials, and crashed a previously all-male fraternity to become one of the first female brothers in Loyola University’s Chapter of Delta Sigma Pi. Julie had dreams of becoming a writer, but family, friends, and frat brothers convinced her otherwise. Having held positions as junior officer at a downtown bank, office manager at an architectural firm, and financial advisor at a prestigious wealth management company, she realizes that the business degree was probably a good choice — but fiction is truly her passion. Now, with some well-earned life experience behind her, she’s delighted to finally be able to make writing a priority in her life.

   Everyone wants a piece of millionaire Bennett Marshfield, owner of Marshfield Manor, but now it’s up to a new curator Grace Wheaton and handsome groundskeeper Jack Embers to protect dear old Marshfield. But to do this, they’ll have to investigate a botched Ponzi scheme, some torrid Wheaton family secrets-and sour grapes out for revenge.
Watch for my review of Grace Under Pressure in the coming weeks.

A big ooops on my part.  And an apology.  I usually add books to my “TBR Reading Schedule” (located on right sidebar) as soon as I receive them.  I also put a post-it on the book with the number in sequence, date I received,  and who requested the review.   As I was going through my pile this morning to check on a different matter, I noticed that I had omitted posting Sidney Sheldon’t Mistress Of The Game by Tilly Bagshawe.  It is the next book that I need to read according to my “Review Policy”.  I apology to publishers, authors and/or agents  for this mistake if you are following my progress in my reading schedule in relation to when your book will be read.

**What are you currently reading?
          Damaged by Pamela Callow
**What did you recently finish reading?
          Living In The Hope Of My Imagination by William D. Simpson 
**What do you think you’ll read next?
          Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy
          Revenge Served Cold by Jackie Fullerton

Today I would like to introduce you to, the very busy Julie Hyzy. She is the author of the White House Chef series, coauthor of Dead Ringer, and team member of the blog, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. Today she is stopping by to tell us a bit about her new series, the Manor House Mystery series. So please help me welcome Ms. Hyzy to my blog.

   Julie Hyzy’s first experience with food included flipping burgers and chopping onions at a neighborhood hot dog stand. She traded that experience for a job as a singing waitress at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour — but gave that up when she started college (and because she couldn’t carry a tune).
   Over the years, she’s acted in community theater productions, appeared in television commercials, and crashed a previously all-male fraternity to become one of the first female brothers in Loyola University’s Chapter of Delta Sigma Pi. Julie had dreams of becoming a writer, but family, friends, and frat brothers convinced her otherwise. Having held positions as junior officer at a downtown bank, office manager at an architectural firm, and financial advisor at a prestigious wealth management company, she realizes that the business degree was probably a good choice — but fiction is truly her passion. Now, with some well-earned life experience behind her, she’s delighted to finally be able to make writing a priority in her life.

   Everyone wants a piece of millionaire Bennett Marshfield, owner of Marshfield Manor, but now it’s up to a new curator Grace Wheaton and handsome groundskeeper Jack Embers to protect dear old Marshfield. But to do this, they’ll have to investigate a botched Ponzi scheme, some torrid Wheaton family secrets-and sour grapes out for revenge.
Watch for my review of Grace Under Pressure in the coming weeks.

A big ooops on my part.  And an apology.  I usually add books to my “TBR Reading Schedule” (located on right sidebar) as soon as I receive them.  I also put a post-it on the book with the number in sequence, date I received,  and who requested the review.   As I was going through my pile this morning to check on a different matter, I noticed that I had omitted posting Sidney Sheldon’t Mistress Of The Game by Tilly Bagshawe.  It is the next book that I need to read according to my “Review Policy”.  I apology to publishers, authors and/or agents  for this mistake if you are following my progress in my reading schedule in relation to when your book will be read.

**What are you currently reading?
          Damaged by Pamela Callow
**What did you recently finish reading?
          Living In The Hope Of My Imagination by William D. Simpson 
**What do you think you’ll read next?
          Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy
          Revenge Served Cold by Jackie Fullerton

Through Hazel Eyes by Heather Hummel
Published by PathBinder Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 0-9776232-8-9
At the request of the author, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from back of book): Through Hazel Eyes is a journey of life as seen through the eyes of Madison Ragnar, a high school English teacher who is struggling to recover from an emotionally abusive relationship. Madison’s speckled view of the world is seen through her troubled students, a fellow teacher, an intriguing man who enters her life, and a haunting past. Yet everything comes into focus when she learns to trust in herself for the first time in thirty years.
Madison discovers that the most commanding role played throughout out lives is fate. There are times when we embrace it, times when we curse it, and always times when we are blinded by it. As a result of blinding fate, Madison’s past catches up to her, and with the help of her students, she learns what a mockingbird is worthier than a diamond ring.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: One of my criteria as to if I think a book is good is when I can be transported into the story line and vividly imagine the characters, sense their emotions and can picture the setting through the descriptive words written by the author. And that happened when reading this book. I could sense Madison’s fear as she escaped from her boyfriend to start a job many states away. Her anxiety when she was always thinking he would find her. Her trepidation of starting a new relationship. Picturing her in her classroom teaching her students who she so much cared about. And the lessons she learned from her students as their young minds interpreted the classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. However, and this is my opinion only, I was a little disappointed that some parts of the storyline were not more extensive and detailed than it was. Some that I will not state, due to spoilers, but one example is her relationship with Michael, someone, who at one time, she thought was a stalker. Overall it was a likeable read.

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.

TUESDAY

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
   My Teaser:
Each strike of her heel on the pavement maatched the pounding of her heart.  The knowledge that she’d have to sit through Lisa’s funeral had left her edgy. Nauseated.  Terrified

Five of Today’s Most Celebrated Thriller Writers to Embark on Week-Long USO Tour
to Combat Zone in Fall 2010
WHAT: USO Tour Featuring Bestselling Authors from International Thriller Writers (ITW), the nation’s first and only professional organization devoted solely to thriller authors:
· Steve Berry (The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit and The Venetian Betrayal, among others)
· David Morrell (First Blood, in which Rambo was created, and The Brotherhood of the Rose)
· Doug Preston (The Monster of Florence and Relic, which later became a number one box office hit)
· James Rollins (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and the Sigma Force series including The Devil Colony)
· Andy Harp (A Northern Thunder)
WHEN: Fall 2010
WHERE: Washington, D.C. and Persian Gulf
WHY: In Fall 2010, some of the nation’s New York Times best-selling thriller authors will deploy to the Persian Gulf on a week-long USO tour to visit and uplift troops. The tour, fittingly entitled Operation Thriller, will kick off with a special visit to Washington, D.C., where the group will visit with troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center. The group will then fly to the Persian Gulf to talk fiction, inspire, spread cheer and, most importantly, show their heartfelt gratitude.
Participating in what will be their first USO tour, the authors will visit multiple posts, sign autographs, pose for photos and distribute advance copies of their upcoming novels.
From July 7-10, 2010, the authors attended ThrillerFest V, a four-day celebration of thriller books organized by the International Thriller Writers, where they announced their upcoming USO tour.

Through Hazel Eyes by Heather Hummel
Published by PathBinder Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 0-9776232-8-9
At the request of the author, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from back of book): Through Hazel Eyes is a journey of life as seen through the eyes of Madison Ragnar, a high school English teacher who is struggling to recover from an emotionally abusive relationship. Madison’s speckled view of the world is seen through her troubled students, a fellow teacher, an intriguing man who enters her life, and a haunting past. Yet everything comes into focus when she learns to trust in herself for the first time in thirty years.
Madison discovers that the most commanding role played throughout out lives is fate. There are times when we embrace it, times when we curse it, and always times when we are blinded by it. As a result of blinding fate, Madison’s past catches up to her, and with the help of her students, she learns what a mockingbird is worthier than a diamond ring.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: One of my criteria as to if I think a book is good is when I can be transported into the story line and vividly imagine the characters, sense their emotions and can picture the setting through the descriptive words written by the author. And that happened when reading this book. I could sense Madison’s fear as she escaped from her boyfriend to start a job many states away. Her anxiety when she was always thinking he would find her. Her trepidation of starting a new relationship. Picturing her in her classroom teaching her students who she so much cared about. And the lessons she learned from her students as their young minds interpreted the classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. However, and this is my opinion only, I was a little disappointed that some parts of the storyline were not more extensive and detailed than it was. Some that I will not state, due to spoilers, but one example is her relationship with Michael, someone, who at one time, she thought was a stalker. Overall it was a likeable read.

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.