Monday, January 11, 2010

Author Interview and Giveaway with Sharon Lathan (My Dearest Mr. Darcy)



 

I would like to welcome Sharon Lathan, Author of My Dearest Mr. Darcy for an author interview here at My Reading Room.

Sharon is touring around the blogosphere at the moment promoting the third book in her Darcy Family Saga, My Dearest Mr. Darcy.  Please welcome her today and check the end of the post for a wonderful giveaway of the three Darcy Saga books offered by Sourcebooks. 



  1. How did it feel to see all of your hard work come to fruition with of the first book in the series, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One?

You know, I am not sure there are words to adequately convey how it feels. Surreal is a great way to describe it, for sure. It is an incredible amount of work getting to that point. There are struggles amid the fun and one becomes so focused on the details, on the “project” aspect of it all. So when the book finally arrives and you hold it in your hands there is this almost out-of-body experience when the reality of it crashes upon you. The joy, pride, relief, and probably three-dozen other emotions overwhelm and you stand there not quite knowing what you are feeling! I remember when I first saw my novel sitting on the shelf at Target, alone and with a dead-battery camera, that I was absolutely giddy and surely grinning stupidly. I was then a bit disappointed because there was no one to shout for joy with and no angelic Hallelujah chorus singing as I felt was appropriate! LOL! Yeah, surreal.


  1. Has the thrill been the same with the release of the two other books in the series, including the newest one, My Dearest Mr. Darcy?

It really has. Perhaps not as intensely as with my first, since I now know what to expect. Yet, in another way it is a deeper emotion as I now can look at all three books sitting together on my shelf, or in a store, and the full impact of what an accomplishment that is has settled into my brain. The feeling of pride is profoundly stronger. Still somewhat surreal and no less thrilling, but most of the anxiety and self-doubt is gone. I am much more confident and serene about it all, and that is really wonderful. 


  1. Without giving anything away - what is My Dearest Mr. Darcy about?

My Dearest Mr. Darcy is the third book in my Darcy Saga sequel series to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” The series is written to be read in sequence, so this novel follows smoothly after Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Loving Mr. Darcy, the three books covering the first year of marriage between Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy. This novel spans approximately four months with the Darcys taking a vacation at the seacoast, visiting friends, and then settling back into Pemberley as they await the birth of their first child. A number of adventures occur with rich historical details I love strewn throughout. Like all my novels, the focus, the theme, is one of deep abiding love and marital happiness between the two main characters. There is lots of fun, some excitement, humor, and a wealth of secondary characters adding to the mix. However, the main point of my Saga is to live life with the Darcys in a very realistic and positive way.


  1. Do you get time to read? What are your favorite types of books to read?

I make time to read, and it is not always easy! But I have to. Books have been my constant companion, solace, and main form of entertainment for as long as I can remember. My favorite genre has always been fantasy, oddly enough, although I am eclectic in my taste and will read just about anything. Now I am also a huge fan of romance. But I still kind of like that paranormal twist, so I have been devouring everything by Karen Marie Moning and Sherrilyn Kenyon. I have read most of the novels by my fellow Sourcebooks authors and they are all terrific. I still dip into my favorites, for instance I just finished rereading a couple of Dean Koontz that I hadn’t read in years and I next plan to read an Anne McCaffrey Pern book that I somehow missed. My hubby bought me a Kindle for Christmas, so I am excited to search for some older books to replenish ones I have lost.

  1. What is your favorite room in your house?

When I am in a serious writing mood I retreat to my study/office, which is a beautiful room all my own. Well, I do share it with the cat, but he doesn’t bother me too much! Yet, I love my living room best of all. It is huge, has a very comfortable leather recliner that is mine all mine, enormous windows, the kitchen right there with espresso machine in easy reach, and the TV if I am in the mood. Plus it is where my family hangs out and I like having them around me.

  1. What is your favorite spot to read in?

That wonderfully cushy leather recliner with my legs propped up and covered by the gorgeous throw blanket my daughter got me for Christmas. I can read anywhere, totally zoning out the rest of the world while I lose myself in the story, but the chair is the best.

  1. What is your favorite snack food?

Oh man! Did you have to ask that when my New Year’s resolution is to finally succeed at that diet I have been putting off for *cough - years?! Geez! Well, the better question is what snack foods don’t I like, as that list would be way shorter. Honestly, I don’t think I have a single favorite, which is part of my problem. Ha! Crackers with peanut butter, BBQ potato chips, Cheez-Its, or puffy Cheetoes when I am in a salty mood. For a sweet tooth is love sweetarts, chocolate mint chip ice cream, apples dipped in caramel, chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie, cherry pie… I’ll be right back. Gotta check the cupboards….

Crystal: Sorry about the question - I have diet plans too - but keep getting sidetracked by Pez, I know, but the stuff is addicting :)

  1. Do you have a schedule for writing each day or do you just do it when you can?

Sadly I can’t put myself on a schedule. My life and work hours do not allow for any kind of consistency. So I squeeze it in as best I can, but it does go in spurts. There is still the dream of someday having more time to write, just write, but so far I can’t quite see the light at the end of that tunnel.

  1. When you first watched the 2005 version of P&P movie did you fall in love with Mr. Darcy from the beginning or did it take awhile for you? I must confess I haven't seen this version of the movie, just the BBC version, so I'm not sure how different they are. I will be viewing the newer movie after reading your website though :)

Oh, I do hope you love it! Indeed it was my first initiation into the richer world of Austen, and I still adore that version best of all even though I have seen the others.

For me it wasn’t Mr. Darcy, and it never has been just or even primarily him. It was everything about the story and how Joe Wright brought the vision to life. I still feel that the movie is brilliant. Learning of how Wright altered the original text in places, taking liberties as all folks who adapt do, has never changed my opinion of how amazing the movie is. It stands on its own as a masterpiece of cinema. I am totally honest in admitting that the movie is a huge part of my inspiration.

However, my love for this story was greatly enhanced by reading the book. No doubt. Reading the parts that Wright left out due to the constraints of a two-hour movie, reading Austen’s beautiful prose, and delving deeper into the world took my passion to a higher level.

Again, it was not an infatuation with Mr. Darcy per se, however he looks or is portrayed by the actors, but an infatuation with the entire story and all the characters. I love everything about it! I will say, though, that I prefer how Matthew Macfadyen was directed to play Mr. Darcy. The interpretation of his character is more appealing to me than how Colin Firth was directed. The softer, shyer, more vulnerable Mr. Darcy strikes a chord within my heart. Same with Keira’s Elizabeth. I simply love them.

  1. I also read the book after viewing the movie.  Do you think doing it this way enhanced your reading of the book (because the characters were already defined in your mind) or do you think you would have gotten more out of it if you read the book first?

That is a very good question! And one I do not think I can answer as I just don’t know. In one respect I suppose my reading after seeing the movie was enhanced since I saw the actor’s faces and gestures. Dialogue and descriptions are naturally seen in a certain light having watched how the actors spoke and moved. Scenes, locations, costumes, etc. were in my mind so undoubtedly I fit the text into what I was visualizing.

At the same time, I have been reading since I was able to walk so I am very good at interpreting and creating visuals of my own. It is easy for me to sync the two. For instance, I have been a Tolkien fan since I was 12, reading all his novels once a year at least. When Peter Jackson’s astounding movies came out it was both wonderful and weird to see these characters and places brought to life, some precisely as I imagined and others not. Now when I read the book I see Elijah Wood’s face as Frodo, (not what I ever imagined before but so incredibly right that the previous idea is long gone) and that visual greatly enhances the reading pleasure. Then there are other parts that I prefer the way I always saw it and they were not affected negatively by how Jackson did it.

Furthermore, one of the reasons I love books and why I read my favs over and over, is because every time I read it I learn something new or am touched in a different way. A good book is almost alive. There isn’t usually any one absolute about a character or the story or a scene as we each interpret it based on our emotions or experiences, and as those change so do our perceptions of the text. Every time I watch P&P I notice something new. Every time I read the book I notice something new. And that is a wonderful thing.  

Crystal:  Too funny that you used the Tolkien books as an example - they were what I was thinking of when I did this question - I know seeing the movies helped me with those books, but I wasn't much of a fantasy reader until recently.

  1. Any book signings/conferences/public/blog appearances in the near future?

This interview marks the beginning of my second week of virtual book touring! I am all over the place with guest blogs and interviews, having an absolute blast. All the dates are listed on my website and Sourcebooks is graciously giving away whole sets of my books, so I encourage anyone interested in my Saga to follow me around – after checking out the wealth of information and fun stuff at my terrific website: www.darcysaga.net

My first solo book signing was yesterday, but since I am actually answering these questions before that event takes place, I have no idea if I sold and signed a hundred copies or sat there like a lump with a forced smile hurting my jaws! LOL! I am sure I will blog of my adventure once it is over, for good or ill. Ha!

I have a few speaking engagements this month, one with my Romance Writer’s group and another with a Women’s Networking group. I am kind of excited about those, but also extremely nervous as public speaking is not my forte. After this month I will be back to the real life of quietly writing, editing the next book, and adding fun stuff to my own blog. My celebrity moment in the sun will be over, and that is just fine with me!

  1. Any last words on Elizabeth or Mr. Darcy, your new book or anything else that you would like to share?

Thank you, Crystal, for sharing your blog with me today and for asking great questions. Interviews are so much fun!


Darcy and Elizabeth are two of the most beloved characters in literature. Jane Austen gave a wonderful gift to the world with her books, and I am honored to be able to carry on their love story with my own twists and vision. The Saga of the Darcys and their friends will continue in Romancing Mr. Darcy, scheduled for release in October, and in an untitled fifth installment in the spring of 2011. I also have a novella titled “Reflections of Christmas at Pemberley” hitting shelves in November 2010 as part of a Darcy Christmas-themed anthology with Amanda Grange. I aspire to always write of the Darcys with respect and devotion, showing how it is possible for a married couple to find joy and contentment. It is how I know it can be and how I believe Miss Austen would have wanted it.

 

 MY DEAREST MR. DARCY—IN STORES JANUARY 2010
Married life is bringing out the best in the Darcys. Their mutual attentiveness brings readers into a magical world of love and wedded bliss.

Elizabeth is growing into her role as Mistress of Pemberley, and Darcy has mellowed under her gentle teasing and light-heartedness. Pemberley becomes a true home and a welcoming environment for loving family and friends. The Darcys travel to the seaside, welcome their firstborn, celebrate their anniversary and second Christmas, and at every moment embrace the love gifted to them.

“I love you, my Elizabeth. You are my soul, my blood and bone, my very life.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharon Lathan is the author of the bestselling Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, and Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley. In addition to her writing, she works as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. She resides in Hanford, California in the sunny San Joaquin Valley. For more information on Sharon and her saga, come to her website at: www.darcysaga.net.



 Giveaway:

For my lovely readers, Danielle Jackson from Sourcebooks, Inc. is offering a wonderful giveaway of all three books in Sharon Latham's Darcy Saga: Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, Loving Mr. Darcy and My Dearest Mr. Darcy.

Giveaway open to addresses in the US and Canada.  Enter by leaving a comment and your email address if not available through blogger. Extra entries for following me on blogger or twitter (or through rss feed) and also for tweeting about the giveaway.

Giveaway ends 1/18/2009. 

Thanks to Danielle for the giveaway and to Sharon for taking time for the interview. 


FIRST Wild Card Tour, Review and Contest: The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth by Shelly Adina (All About Us #6)

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Today's Wild Card author is:


and the book:

FaithWords; 1 edition (January 7, 2010)

***Special thanks to Miriam Parker of the Hachette Book Group for sending me a review copy.***

CONTEST! For a chance to win one of two prizes: a Tiffany's Bracelet OR an All About Us T-shirt, go to Camy Tang's Blog and leave a comment on her FIRST Wild Card Tour for The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth, and you will be placed into a drawing for a bracelet or T-shirt that look similar to the pictures below.









My Review:

Rating: 4.75/5.0



I can't even begin to say how much I loved this book.  It's a fun Young Adult novel that's positive and realistic at the same time.  I have not read any other books in the All About Us series, but I did not feel lost at all while reading it.  I think it works best when read with the rest of the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone just as easily.  I will go back and read the rest of the series after reading this installment.

The book centers around 5 girls who are the best of friends at a private school in San Francisco.  They are different in many ways but share a lot together.  One of those things is their faith in God.  They also seem to share all of their experiences and are really close.  I enjoyed learning about each of them, especially Lissa, which this book seems to focus on.  In this book Lissa is still exploring her faith and also learning about her friends along with having to figure out what to do with her life and also seeing a romance that has been right in front of her the whole time.


The book takes on typical teenage issues is a positive and Christian way, without being too preachy.  The book flows well and conversations seem real, never forced.  Ms. Adina does a beautiful job with the characters and the plot and make this novel a true joy to read.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Shelley Adina is a world traveler and pop culture junkie with an incurable addiction to designer handbags. She knows the value of a relationship with a gracious God and loving Christian friends, and she's inviting today's teenage girls to join her in these refreshingly honest books about real life as a Christian teen--with a little extra glitz thrown in for fun! In between books, Adina loves traveling, listening to and making music, and watching all kinds of movies.


Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: FaithWords; 1 edition (January 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446179647
ISBN-13: 978-0446179645

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:



THE CHIC SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH

© 2010 by Shelley Adina


Chapter 1


LET ME PUT it right out there: I’m no sports fan—unless you count surfing, which is more of an attitude to life than a sport. I used to think that there were some things you just knew. But if God were a major league pitcher, He’d be the kind of guy who threw curveballs just to keep you on your toes. To catch you off guard. To prove you wrong about everything you thought.

Which is essentially what happened to us all during the last term of our senior year at Spencer Academy.

My name is Lissa Evelyn Mansfield—yes, I’m back again. Did you miss me? Because, seriously, this last term of high school before my friends and I graduated was so crazed, so unpredictable, that I had to write it all down to try and make sense of it.

But, hey, let’s take a moment here. The words last term of senior year need some respect, not to mention celebration. They need to be paused over and savored. Excuse me.

Okay, I’m back.

The term began in April, and by the time our first set of midterms (or thirdterms, as my roommate Gillian Chang calls them, since we get three sets of exams every term) rolled around at the beginning of May, it was just beginning to sink in that there were only seven weeks of high school left. Seven weeks until freedom. Adulthood. Summer vacation. Adulthood. Home.

Adulthood.

Eek.

“Sarah Lawrence is stalking me,” Gillian moaned from where she sat on her bed in our dorm room. “Here’s another letter.” She fished an envelope out of the pile of mail in her lap and waved it.

I looked up from my MacBook Air, where I was checking e-mail. “Don’t let Emily Overton hear you. She got turned down and her roommate has had to keep her away from open windows for the last month.”

“But I already told them no twice. What’s it going to take?”

“You could fail some exams.” I’m always willing to offer a helpful suggestion. “They can’t help it if they covet your fearsome brain.”

“So does Harvard. And Princeton. Not to mention Stanford and Columbia and Juilliard.” She threw her hands in the air so that the letter flew over her shoulder and bounced off the headboard. “How am I supposed to pick just one? Can I spend a year at each school? I could be a career transfer student.”

“I’m glad I don’t have your decisions to make,” I told her with absolute honesty. “If all those schools were after me, I’d run away and hide.”

“I’ve got to figure out what I’m doing with my life.” She glanced at me. “Or maybe I should say, what God wants me to do with my life.”

“There’s the kicker.” I nodded sagely. “I understand about waiting on the Lord, but . . . He knows about registration deadlines, doesn’t He?”

“Oh, yeah. He knows. I keep asking Him, and He keeps thinking about it. Maybe He wants me to figure out what I want, first. But that’s the impossible part.”

Poor Gillian. She has the kind of brain schools fight over for their research programs. But she’s also a music prodigy—hence the acceptance from Juilliard. Then, to complicate things even more, she also has quite the talent for drawing, and ever since she met my friend Kaz Griffin, her dream has been to create a graphic novel starring a kick-butt Asian girl with a secret identity. Kaz, in case you haven’t met him, is my best friend from my old high school in Santa Barbara. He’s been trying to get his graphic novel published for, like, years, with no success. But I have to hand it to him. He never gives up.

Anyway. Gillian.

“You could always do pre-med at Harvard and minor in art or music,” I suggested. “You know you’re going to need a release valve from all that scientific pressure. It would be good to have the right-brain kind of classes to turn to.”

Gillian pushed the stack of mail off her lap and leaned back against the mound of colorful silk pillows. The letter from Sarah Lawrence crumpled somewhere underneath. “But then how will I know if I’m any good?”

“Um, your grades? Not to mention, if you got an acceptance from Juilliard, you’re good. Full stop, as Mac would say.”

Lady Lindsay MacPhail, aka Mac, was a student here at Spencer for two terms, and she’s one of our little group of friends. She’s gone back to live in London until the end of term, when she’ll return to her family’s castle in Scotland, and she has none of these questions about her life. She knows exactly what degree she’s going to get, when she’ll get it, and what she’ll be doing after that: making the Strathcairn Hotel and Corporate Retreat Center the go-to place for world-class events in the UK.

I envy people who have their future in a laser sight. I’m still trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow.

“What do teachers know?” Gillian asked. I don’t think she was looking for the answer to that one. “If I’m going to find out whether I’m really any good, I have to try to get into an art program and give it everything I’ve got. Try to get an exhibition. Or a publisher. Live in a garret and try to make it as an artist.”

“That sounds scary.”

“I know.” She sighed. “Medical school is the easy path, grasshopper.”

Only Gillian Chang would say something like that.

I turned back to my notebook and saw that while we’d been talking, a message from Kaz had popped up in my inbox.




*

To: lmansfield@spenceracad.edu

From: kazg@hotmail.com

Date: May 4, 2010

Re: Ow



I am so regretting pushing off physics until senior year. My brain hurts. What was I thinking? Instead of grabbing my board and heading for the beach, I’m stuck down here in my room writing equations I don’t know the answers to.

Does the Jumping Loon tutor over the phone? Can you ask her? I’ll give her anything she wants, including full use of my studly body, if she’ll just say the magic words that will unveil the meaning of x and y, not to mention z.

Life, I’ve got a handle on. X is a mystery.

Kaz




I looked over my shoulder. “Kaz wants to know if you do physics tutoring over the phone. He says you can do what you want with his body if you help him.” I paused when she didn’t look up from a Neiman Marcus catalog. “I didn’t know you were interested in his body. Does Jeremy know about this?”

“That sounds like a jealous remark.” She flipped a page. “Ooh, nice dress. ChloĆ© does summer so well. Which reminds me, if we’re going on a Senior Cotillion dress safari, we’d better start soon.”

I was not to be sidetracked, no matter how tempting the bait. “Is something going on with you and Kaz?”

She put the catalog down and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Yes. Yes, there is.”

I sat there as stunned as if someone had upended a bucket of seawater over me.

Kaz and Gillian? What? How is that possible? When did—

What is the matter with you? Kaz is your friend. You aren’t . . . like that. If he’s interested in Gillian, it’s none of your business.

Poor Jeremy.

“Lissa. Lissa, come back to me.” I blinked at her. My face felt frozen. “For crying out loud, get a grip.” She was trying not to laugh and not succeeding very well. “He’s teasing you. He’s helping me with a plaster mold of his hand for my art project, okay? That’s all.”

“A mold. Of his hand. And you don’t have guys’ hands any closer than Santa Barbara?”

“He has interesting hands, which you’d know if you ever paid any attention.”

Of course he did. And of course I did. Pay attention to him, I mean. He was my best friend. We e-mailed each other, like, twenty times a week.

“And Jeremy’s hands aren’t interesting?”

She picked up the catalog and flipped another page. “Write him back and tell him of course I’ll tutor him. We can start tonight if he’s desperate.”

Hm. Poor Jeremy, indeed. What was going on here? “He wants to know the meaning of x.”

“Don’t we all. Some of us wait for the universe to reveal it to us. And some of us wouldn’t know it if the universe dropped it on our heads.”

“What’s your point?”

But my friend, who usually has all the answers, didn’t reply.





Mailbox Monday - January 11


Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. To see this weeks list of participants go here.

ARC/Review Copies of:




A Black Tie Affair
A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine  - received from Hachette books for a tour date later this month

SUITED FOR SEDUCTION

Fashion curator Athena Smith will do anything to get her perfectly manicured hands on the Clayworth family's celebrated couture collection for her exhibit. So when she's called in to make sure the gowns are the real deal, she's ecstatic...until a dress she's examining turns out to be loaded with toxins (talk about killer threads!) and Athena faints, only to wake up face-to-face with the One That Got Away, notorious Chicago bachelor Drew Clayworth.

Drew still believes Athena betrayed him all those years ago, and he's sure he can't trust her. But when the priceless gowns go missing, she offers to help track them down. Reluctantly allied in the quest, Drew and Athena are soon stunned by the barely restrained passion still sizzling between them...and memories both bitter and sweet. Is their new partnership just a business arrangement? Or is this something more than...
A BLACK TIE AFFAIR
All About Us #6: The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth: An All About Us Novel

The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth by Shelley Adina (All About Us #6) - received from Hachette Books for a tour date today

Lissa Mansfield has come a long way since transferring to SpencerAcademy two years ago. She's made a great group of friends in Gillian, Carly, Mac, and Shani. She's strengthened and grown her relationship with God. She's even gotten over the Callum McCloud "incident" from her first semester. Now, she's ready to graduate and take on college life!

Or is she? With her parents' relationship still on the rocks and the girls about to separate as they head to different colleges, Lissa is faced with some of her biggest challenges yet in her last term at Spencer. Will Lissa put her faith in God to carry her through these difficult times?

The Mayo Clinic Diet JournalThe Mayo Clinic Diet: Eat Well, Enjoy Life, Lose Weight
 
The Mayo Clinic Diet and Journal - received from FSB Associates for review later this month


Get a quick and gratifying start with Lose It!, the phase of the diet designed to help you lose up to six to ten pounds in just two weeks. Eat the foods you love - in moderation - in the Live It! phase, which is designed to help you continue to lose one to two pounds a week (and keep them off!).

Finally, here's the diet that helps you accomplish real and lasting weight-loss. This diet is no fad, but a solid, common sense approach brought to you by an organization that is an award-winning health information resource. Nor does The Mayo Clinic Diet require expensive ingredients (which can make a diet difficult to maintain in the long run.)

Through simple, healthy adjustments to your lifestyle, The Mayo Clinic Diet gives you the tools you need to achieve the success you want.

In two easy phases, The Mayo Clinic Diet helps you lose weight and keep it off for life.

In two simple phases, you'll be on the road to a healthy weight for the rest of your life. Packed with lots of extra encouragement - meal planners, recipes, tips for overcoming challenges, starting an exercise plan, and much more - The Mayo Clinic Diet gives you everything you need in one book.

Toss out the scales and calculators and pick up the foods you love. This is the diet you've been waiting for!

Fireworks over Toccoa
Fireworks Over Toccoa - from the publisher - Thomas Dunne Books for review - this one releases April 13, 2010

Every so often that story comes along that reminds us of what it’s like to experience love for the first time—against the odds, when you least expect it, and with such passion that it completely changes you forever.

An unexpected discovery takes eighty-four-year-old Lily Davis Woodward to 1945, and the five days that forever changed her life.  Married for only a week before her husband was sent to fight in WWII, Lily is anxious for his return, and the chance to begin their life together.  In honor of the soldiers' homecoming, the small Georgia town of Toccoa plans a big celebration.  And Jake Russo, a handsome Italian immigrant, also back from war, is responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned.   But after a chance encounter in a star-lit field, he steals Lily's heart and soul--and fulfills her in ways her socially-minded, upper-class family cannot.  Now, torn by duty to society and her husband--and the poor, passionate man who might be her only true love--Lily must choose between a commitment she's already made and a love she’s never known before.

Fireworks Over Toccoa takes us to a moment in time that will resonate with readers long after the book’s unforgettable conclusion.  A devastating and poignant story, this debut novel will resonate with anyone who believes in love


Searching for Tina Turner

Searching For Tina Turner by Jaqueline E. Luckett - received from Hachette Books for a tour in early February
On the surface, Lena Spencer appears to have it all. She and her wealthy husband Randall have two wonderful children, and they live a life of luxury. In reality, however, Lena finds that happiness is elusive. Randall is emotionally distant, her son has developed a drug habit, and her daughter is disgusted by her mother's "overbearing behavior." When Randall decides that he's had enough of marriage counseling, he offers his wife an ultimatum: "Be grateful for all I've done for you or leave." Lena, realizing that money can't solve her problems and that her husband is no longer the man she married, decides to choose the latter. Drawing strength from Tina Turner's life story, SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER is Lena's struggle to find herself after 25 years of being a wife and mother.

Shadow
Shadow by Jenny Moss - received through Around the World Tours - Release Date - April 1, 2010
In a time of kings, queens, and conspiracy, it's impossible to know whom one can trust. . . .

In a kingdom far away and long ago, it was prophesied at her birth that the queen would die before her sixteenth birthday. So Shadow, an orphan girl the same age as the young queen, was given the duty to watch her every move. And as prophesies do tend to come true, the queen is poisoned days before her birthday. When the castle is thrown into chaos, Shadow escapes with a young knight, whom she believes was betrothed to the queen.
Unsure of why she is following Sir Kenway, but determined to escape as far as possible from the castle, her long-time prison, Shadow sets off on an adventure with the handsome knight who has been charged with protecting her. As mystery builds, and romantic tension does, too, Shadow begins to wonder what her role in the kingdom truly is. Soon, she learns, it is up to her to save her land.
Anything but Normal: A Novel
 
Anything but Normal by Melody Carlson - received from Revell Books for a tour in February

She thought she'd left the summer behind . . . This year should be the best of Sophie Ramsay's life. She's friends with all the right people, she's a shoo-in for editor of the school newspaper, and she's managed to turn the head of one of the hottest guys in school. But something's not quite right. Sophie has a secret--one she won't be able to keep under wraps for much longer. Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than two hundred books, including Just Another Girl, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Visit Melody's website at www.melodycarlson.com.
 
Dreams That Won't Let Go: A Novel (Jubilant Soul)
Dreams That Won't Let Go by Stacy Hawkins Adams - from Revell for a tour date in February 
Can family ties bind deep-seated wounds? Indigo Burns is excited. Her wedding preparations to the man of her dreams are under way, her photography career is a success, and her family seems to be doing better than ever--all except her brother Reuben, who nobody has seen in years. But that's about to change. When Reuben decides to move back home to Jubilant, Texas, he hopes to find healing with his sisters. But Indigo isn't so sure their relationship can be mended. And when younger sister Yasmin makes a life-altering choice, it seems like only a miracle can put the Burns family back together. Will they ever be able love unconditionally and release each other to live their dreams? "Adams writes with verve, humor, and poignancy."--Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author Stacy Hawkins Adams is a bestselling author whose books illuminate the themes of faith, forgiveness, and women's friendships. She is the author of several books, including Speak to My Heart, the Essence bestseller The Someday List, and Worth a Thousand Words. She and her family live in Virginia. Stacy welcomes readers to visit her at www.stacyhawkinsadams.com.





What are you Reading Monday - January 11


Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see J.Kaye's Book Blog and join in!

Books Completed Last Week:
Reading Now

  • Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough (review - ebook)
  • Smash Cut by Sandra Brown (library - audiobook)
  • Gringa in a Strange Land by Linda Dahl (review)
  • Shadow by Jenny Moss (review)
Next:

  • Becoming Lucy by Martha Rogers
  • Conflicts With Interest by

Reviews to do:
  • L is for Loser by Lisi Harrison
  • It's Not Easy Being Mean by Lisi Harrison
  • Sealed with a Diss by Lisi Harrison
  • Don't You Forget About Me by Cecily von Ziegesar 

Summary
A great reading week - my time spent at the gym has been reading time and that works well.  I'm on light exercise and the exercise cycle fits the bill and is perfect to read on.  So that accounts for about one hour of reading that I am definitely getting a day.  Obviously this week has allowed more. Unfortunately my limitless reading time will be coming to an end later this week as I attempt to go back to work.  Yes it's magically been six weeks since surgery so it's time to return.  I have my check-up on Thursday and then work Friday and then a 3-day weekend so I'll take it easy.


Lots of great books this week with a focus on YA - it's just been what I have been enjoying lately and luckily I am a little ahead on my review  books so it's allowed some catch-up time for my library books.