I won both these books through IReadBookTours. From warm and fuzzy to cold and dangerous, I loved both the books and want to thank IReadBookTours, Sunny Weber and Elizabeth McKenna for my beautiful copies. They look wonderful on the shelf.
Told from Kaya’s point of view, From Wild to Mild by Sunny Weber is a wonderfully sweet and easy reading adventure story of a kidnapped puppy and how he makes hard decisions in order to find his place in the world.
An isolated lodge in the woods, a blizzard, and I’m sure nothing can go wrong (LOL) as family and friends, along with one stranger, unite to put the past where it belongs in this novella that quickly turns into a mystery filled with suspense and a killer that goes on a rampage.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a Dean Koontz novel, so I joined the Library Challenge to encourage myself to catch up on some authors I have been missing. I am so glad I did and have already downloaded Book II, The Whispering Room.
I checked out The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz from the library and I am so glad I did. I love characters like Jane Hawk, who do what must be done when others are unable to stand for themselves.
Call her a vigilante? Maybe. Call her a savior? Well, she can’t save them all and she pays a huge price. It was the suicide of her husband that sets her on the hunt. She doesn’t believe it. She must find out for herself…WHY.
The hunter becomes the hunted, when those who want to keep the suicides secret find out she is on the hunt. She finds some unlikely allies as she struggles to stay one step ahead of those who want her dead.
I thoroughly enjoyed joining Jane Hawk on her wild adventure. It made me think…could this happen today? Nanobots…are they good or bad, or both? Someone always finds a way to take something good and make it bad and ‘they’ do it in a frightening way in The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz.
The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz is part of the Jane Hawk series and does not stand alone. Read in order of release.
I immediately downloaded The Whispering Room, Book II in the Jane Hawk series.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Meet Jane Hawk—a remarkable new heroine certain to become an icon of suspense, propelled by the singular narrative genius of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.
“I very much need to be dead.”
These
are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live
for—but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, does
what all her grief, fear, and fury demand: find the truth, no matter
what.
People of talent and accomplishment, people admired and
happy and sound of mind, have been committing suicide in surprising
numbers. When Jane seeks to learn why, she becomes the
most-wanted fugitive in America. Her powerful enemies are protecting a
secret so important—so terrifying—that they will exterminate anyone in
their way.
But all their power and viciousness may not be enough
to stop a woman as clever as they are cold-blooded, as relentless as
they are ruthless—and who is driven by a righteous rage they can never
comprehend. Because it is born of love.
ABOUT DEAN KOONTZ
Acknowledged as “America’s most popular suspense novelist” (Rolling Stone) and as one of today’s most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.
Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
The closer she gets to the truth, the more she finds herself drowning in trouble.
It’s an exciting time in Sweet River, Texas, and the whole town’s talking. Maybe, a little too much. Former English professor Ainsley McGregor has gambled everything on her new business: Bless Your Art, an artisan market where local artists sell their wares and teach classes.
The bright, white space is filled to the brim with colorful art, yarn, jewelry, pet treats, antiques and even a few medieval weapons. Oh, and there are wine tastings. Everything’s better with wine. Ainsley is surprised by how well things are going–right up until the moment her Great Dane finds a dead body. With her friend accused of the murder, it’s up to Ainsley to find the real killer.
As the suspect list grows longer, Ainsley has her work cut out for her. The task is made more difficult by the fact her brother, the sheriff, doesn’t seem to want her help. If she doesn’t wrap up the case soon, she might be the next wine, um, one to die.
Everyone at Bless Your Art in Sweet River, Texas, is excited about the Yarn Goddess (yes, that’s her real name) coming to town. Ainsley McGregor has set up a special event at the local community center, but when old Mrs. Whedon doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the Goddess about using quality yarn, a fight breaks out. Who knew the octogenarian had ninja moves like that?
It’s all fun and games until George Clooney, Ainsley’s Great Dane, finds Ms. Yarn’s dead body in a booth at Bless Your Art. Now the prime suspect is Mrs. Whedon, and while she’s not the easiest woman to get along with, there’s no way she’s the killer. At least, Ainsley doesn’t think so. As this yarn unravels, Ainsley and her quirky friends learn some interesting things about the case and the Goddess’s checkered past. But there’s a killer on the loose.
Bestselling author Candace Havens has published more than 25 books. Her novels have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion, Write Touch Reader Awards and National Readers Choice Awards. She is a Barbara Wilson Award winner. She is the author of the biography “Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy” and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. Candace also runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers, and teaches comprehensive writing classes. She does film reviews with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.
It’s wonderful to be back with another Willow Rose mystery. I devour her books.
Harry is on the hunt…for drug dealers. He had been removed from the narcotics police squad because he was always beating them up and getting beaten in the process. His wife was a vegetable after a drug overdose, so that explains his motivation. He takes care of her with the help of his neighbor and his wife’s best friend, Jean. He is always in trouble at work, being late and disobeying orders.
After the fifth death of a group of students, he is assigned to protect a possible future victim. The more he learns about him, the less he cares about him. I love to hate villains, but there is so much more to the guy than I anticipated. He is arrogant, a bully…reveling in the torture he heaps on his victims. Is he a sociopath? A psychopath? Does it matter? Evil is evil.
But, is he the killer? We have plenty of suspects. I kept bouncing back and forth, trying to figure it out for myself, but Willow Rose doesn’t make it easy. Some seem too obvious, and knowing Willow, I am sure she is going to twist and turn me round and round until the end.
The turn Willow took with this mystery was a surprise, and I love book surprises. Secrets don’t stay secret. And they can be used against you. In this instance, it is taken to such an extreme no one is safe from his manipulation. How far would you go to keep a devastating, life destroying secret? How far would someone else go to use it against you?
All The Good Girls by Willow Rose is one wild rollercoaster ride. She has an ability to surprise me with the unexpected.
All The Good Girls, and the future Harry Hunter novels, are shorter stories, with a pace so fast it’s hard to keep up and the suspects so numerous I couldn’t put it together. Love it!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of All The Good Girls by Willow Rose.
4 Stars
This novel is the first book in Willow Rose’s electrifying new Harry Hunter series.
Detective Harry Hunter of Miami PD’s homicide squad throws himself into a case no one asked him to solve.
Four teenagers from one of Miami’s affluent neighborhoods are murdered on a boat. Another is found in a dumpster. All five of them go to the same school and are on a list of witnesses to another crime.
Because he’s in bad standing with his boss, Harry is given the task of protecting a possible future victim, but Harry isn’t always known to follow his boss’s orders.
Soon, he’ll risk everything while racing to stop a killer who has left everyone else in the homicide squad shaking in terror.
ALL THE GOOD GIRLS is the first book in the Harry Hunter Mystery Series and can be read as a standalone.
The Queen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 60 novels.
She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.
Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won’t see coming. Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 10 of ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than three million books.
Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Due to mature content, this book is best suited for a Mature YA/New-Adult or Adult reader.
John looked at the sign, Lucius D Harwell.
He approached the doctor’s door and knew he had to go in…now. Before anyone saw him,
“So”, the doctor said, “Are you ready?”
When he saw the bucket full of the slithering slime he remembered the woman he had brought in a while back. It hadn’t ended so well for her.
What would become of him? There had to be another way. He couldn’t bring himself to let the doctor begin. He had heard stories whispers, quickly hushed when someone approached. The doctor tried to talk him into beginning but he thought it couldn’t hurt to hypothetically discuss other options. The doctor tried to explain that it wasn’t like an elixir or ointment, couldn’t be found in a battle or jar – more like a potion, it was witchcraft. It went against church and state, but John couldn’t help himself.
Three conditions would let the doctor begin his recommended treatment, after he told him he would have to “cast away his good name and denounce all things holey and pure”. He would never speak of the books or what was contained in the pages. He agreed. The doctor retrieved the book and John watched him place it on the desk.
He saw only one word, KURE. The doctor gave him one more chance to change his mind, but he placed his hand on the cover of the book and felt an evil. As the book turned its pages on its own volition the doctor began reading.
How did Jaye Frances go there? It makes me wonder how her mind works.
Jaye France’s books have taken me on some wild journeys I never could have imagined, and I always breathe a sigh of relief, for leaving with my sanity, when the story is told.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“In vain thou shall use
many medicines, but thou shalt not be kured. And even though you search
for a virgin to lay upon her balm, there is no healing for you. You
multiply your remedies in vain as your cries fill the earth, and you
will stumble, one over the other, and both will fall down together.” –
The Book of Eternal Regret
John Tyler, a young man in his early
twenties, awakens to find a ghastly affliction taking over his body.
When the village doctor offers the conventional, and potentially
disfiguring, treatment as the only cure, John tenaciously convinces the
doctor to reveal an alternative remedy—a forbidden ritual contained
within an ancient manuscript called the Kure.
Although initially
rejecting the vile and sinister rite, John realizes, too late, that the
ritual is more than a faded promise scrawled on a page of crumbling
paper. And as cure quickly becomes curse, the demonic text unleashes a
dark power that drives him to consider the unthinkable—a depraved and
wicked act requiring the corruption of an innocent soul.
Ultimately,
John must choose between his desperate need to arrest the plague that
is destroying his body, and the virtue of the woman he loves, knowing
the wrong decision could cost him his life.
ABOUT JAYE FRANCES
Jaye
Frances is the author of “World Without Love,” a suspense thriller
series with an erotic edge, including “Betrayed,” “Reunion,” and
“Redemption.” Her other books include “The Beach,” a sci-fi supernatural
tale about the possibilities—and horror—of wishful thinking, “The
Kure,” a paranormal-occult romance novel, “The Possibilities of Amy,” a
coming-of-age story of first love, and “Love Travels Forever,” a
collection of poignant short stories. When not absorbed with her
writing, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and taking pictures-lots of
them. Jaye lives on the gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one
husband, six computers, and several hundred pairs of shoes.
Carolyn Arnold does a fantastic job of writing cozies and police procedurals. Past Deeds is due for release on the 18th, so I am glad to give you a sneak peek.
Carolyn Arnold writes in multiple genres and her police procedurals are my favorites. She puts her characters in impossible situations and I always look forward to following the process to capture. Her stories remind me of Criminal Minds, and that is a very good thing. It makes it easy for me, along with Carolyn’s writing, to follow the process they go through to catch the criminal.
A sniper. A death. Is the sniper a hired gun? A vigilante? I am very curious. I love when I can relate to the villain, finding out their motivations for their actions, what drives them to do the evil that they do. It’s always the why for me.
Jack Harper and the rest of the BAU team are on the case. Each character has a unique personality and a history that drives them.
Brandon and Paige have a tenuous working relationship and Jack throws them together, time and time again. Brandon has problems with looking past the personal and dealing with the case. It strikes a little too close to home and the guilt that he carries. It’s his own fault. I want to slap him upside the heads. Can’t undo your Past Deeds, and they play a part in who you are now. May have you asking some questions of yourself. I love a thought provoking novel.
Kelly is new to the team, but not to Jack. Jack keeps the newbies close to him, working side by side. She questions herself and every word that comes out of her mouth, second guessing herself. I loved watching her grow confidence and learn what it means to be a member of the team. Her past gives her the ability to empathize with the unknown subject, which is a valuable tool.
I agree with Kelly’s thoughts about men in service. They deserve more than they get, once they come home. They are the forgotten heroes and the government doesn’t do enough for them when they are in need.
I love how Carolyn Arnold weaves reality with fiction, her ability to make me want to know the characters, want to watch them grow and struggle with their personal issues, along with the cases they work on.
As the search for the unknown subject continues, Carolyn Arnold creates a twist I didn’t see coming, a sickening twist, as the suspense builds and I read quicker. It saddens me. It can’t end good, but….the desire for the lost to be saved is still there for me.
The unknown subject is a soldier, on a mission. What happens when the mission is complete?
Past Deeds is a thought provoking story and my mind feeds on it. All our past experiences create the person we are today, but what if….
I voluntarily read an ARC of Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Some consequences can’t be predicted…
A sniping takes place in Arlington, Virginia, less than fifteen minutes from Washington, D.C., and nets several minor injuries but only one casualty. FBI Agent Brandon Fisher and his team with the Behavioral Analysis Unit are called in to determine if the threat is still active and whether they’re looking at an act of terrorism, an isolated incident, or the first in a planned series of shootings. All that seems clear from the ground is they’re looking for a skilled sniper who is former military.
As the FBI investigates, one possible motive has Brandon battling his own demons as the consequences of past choices resurface with a vengeance. He will come to discover how one decision can not only haunt us for the rest of our lives, but spread out and have long- and far-reaching repercussions we couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Past Deeds will have you joining the FBI in following clues and unraveling the psyche of a killer. This book will make you think and reflect—and you just might wonder if any past decisions you’ve made are stalking you, ready to strike.
ABOUT CAROLYN ARNOLD
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI
profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being
accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE
PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and
enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big
city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive
imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch
the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and
empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto
with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada
and Sisters in Crime.
Snake Oil is Book II in the Patrick Flint series. I am ready for another adventure, knowing trouble will always find him and his wife will come to his rescue. A man is only as strong as the woman behind him. LOL
A blizzard…oh yeah. I love a book that starts out with some natural disaster. And with Patrick Flint, I know there is trouble on the way
Patrick Flint is a doctor that goes above and beyond his duty. Today he is on his way to the Wind River Indian Reservation, while Susanne is having the family in for Christmas and dealing with her teenage daughter’s love life… Brandon plays a part in the first book of the series, Switchback, so I won’t tell you his story. Pamela Fagan Hutchins does highlight the events, so you miss nothing, except another wonderful love story with some mystery thrown in. Each book can stand alone.
I do love when an author includes some native mysticism.
A life is taken, a life is born.
Due to the blizzard, Susanne is unable to contact Patrick. He is trapped in town with no phone, no internet, no way to let her know he arrived and is okay. That’s all right, though. Susanne is coming to the rescue…along with the family, mom, dad, son, daughter, and a stowaway.
I love this feisty, courageous wife and mother.
I am loving this series that is loosely based on Pamela Fagan Hutchins personal life. I guess that’s why the characters come through as authentic and real.
There are so many suspects, I can’t find the guilty party. I love when an author keeps me guessing.
Pamela Fagan Hutchins’ writing is easy to read and engrossing, with a mystery that grows on every page and true to life characters that mature and develop throughout each book. I look forward to finding out what will happen next, seeing Patrick Flint’s middle name should be Trouble, with a capital T. LOL
A man is only as strong as the woman behind him. LOL
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Snake Oil by Pamela Fagan Hutchins.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From USA Today bestselling author Pamela Fagan Hutchins, the second in a series of thrilling Western mystery novels.
A doctor on a quest to make a difference. A flirty widow with a suspiciously dead husband. Stranded on the Wind River Indian Reservation in a deadly blizzard, Patrick Flint is about to figure out just how much of an outsider he really is.
ABOUT PAMELA FAGA HUTCHINS
I like big butts and I cannot lie: horse butts that is. As in draft cross horses, which I ride with my hunky husband way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, WY and deep in the heart of Nowheresville, TX. I am a wannabe barrel racer afraid of going fast, an eater of ribeye, and the author of the USA Today bestselling What Doesn’t Kill You world of romantic mysteries.
{By the way, to get free exclusives, first looks, and special deals with my newsletter, go to https://bit.ly/pamelaNL.}
When I’m not writing or riding, I’m passionate about hiking, always
with a couple of rescue dogs (and an occasional goat and donkey), bear
spray, a mountain lion knife, and my Judge. NO ANIMALS HAVE BEEN HARMED
IN THE MAKING OF THIS LIFE ADVENTURE (but don’t sneak up on me).
I like big butts and I cannot lie: horse butts that is. As in draft
cross horses, which I ride with my hunky husband way up in the frozen
north of Snowheresville, WY and deep in the heart of Nowheresville, TX. I
am a wannabe barrel racer afraid of going fast, an eater of ribeye, and
the author of the USA Today bestselling What Doesn’t Kill You world of
romantic mysteries.
I’ve made some lists and won some awards, yada yada. 2018 USA Today
Bestseller. 2018 #1 Amazon Bestseller. 2018 Top 50 Amazon Author
(Romantic Mystery, Romantic Suspense). The 2017 Silver Falchion for Best
Adult Mystery WINNER (Fighting for Anna), the 2016 and 2015 WINNERS for
USA Best Books Fiction: Cross Genre (Hell to Pay, Heaven to Betsy), and
others. With downloads of nearly 2,000,000 for the What Doesn’t Kill
You world, readers seem to enjoy my smart, sassy female sleuths—I think
they have exceptionally good taste. {insert silly grin here} Lots of
them follow my podcast, too, where I fangirl my favorite authors and
interview them for your listening pleasure.
If after all that you still want to learn more about my books, my
podcast, or me, then God Bless Ya, and do drop in on my website, http://pamelafaganhutchins.com.
The title for My Dead Blue Caterpillar by R D Murray was the first thing to hook me, then I saw the great cover and read the blurb. I got it on an Amazon free day on 1.19.18, and I am really glad I added it to my reading list.
For a debut novel, R D Murray rocks with My Dead Blue Caterpillar.
I feel we all have two sides to our personalities, sometimes more, but Karen? She got my attention quickly and I have a felling she won’t be letting me go. She scares the hell out of me, but I am looking forward to finding out what she will do.
Harold has her isolated and so in love she sees no faults…until…
Hell hath no fury like Karen when she is scorned and someone’s going to pay.
Psychological thriller fits My Dead Blue Caterpillar to a T. These characters are so twisted, I’m not sure if they are crazy or just plain evil.
Sex slaves, whether as a totally controlled wife or a kidnapped, raped and tortured underage girl, there is plenty to fill me with rage and disgust.
Oh man, the ending….I believe there will be more to come and I can hardly wait to read it.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Nothing is what it seems! No one is who they claim to be!
Everyone
has secrets but no one has secrets as big as Harold’s. When Karen Pine
finds out her husband is sleeping with a multitude of women, and has a
book full of their names and addresses, she has to decide if she: A.)
wants to kill him. B.) wants to punish his women or C.) all of the
above.
As she struggles with the discovery of a secret book, the
reality of what it all means, and searches for answers, more and more
secrets start to come to life about her husband.
Karen is soon sucked into a mind-bending, mysterious, and devious revenge story. But it isn’t until Harold suddenly disappears, that things take a turn for the worse. Leaving Karen to fight a battle she could never imagine, even in her wildest dreams.
I actually picked up Itsy Bitsy Spider by Willow Rose on an Amazon free day on 11.22.14. I didn’t read it until 6.8.19, but that’s not the books fault. LOL
I am thoroughly creeped out by spiders, so I do love this cover.
Oh Astrid. My heart is breaking and I’ve only read the Prologue. I am one of those people that love Prologues and Epilogues.
Emma Frost is new to the island due to an inheritance, a house from her grandmother. let’s see what kind of trouble will come her way, seeing I know Willow Rose from other stories of hers I have read and she tends to blow my mind.
There’s a murder next door. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
Willow has a way of grabbing me by the throat, gaining my full attention as I struggle like the characters to survive the evil.
WTF! Sure led me down a twisted, horrifying path to the killer.
Willow Rose draws me in slowly…I know it’s hard to come up with something new..and BAM, in your face, but Willow seems able to do that many times over!
From past to present an evil secret in Emma’s family is expose.
Blew me away. Saying OMG, Omg, omg…
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Emma Frost inherits a
house on Fanoe Island when her grandmother dies. She decides to move
there with her family, much to her teenage-daughter’s regret. One
morning a wealthy old woman in her street is found murdered and soon
Emma finds herself wrapped in a mystery uncovering the island’s dark
secrets that not only runs deep within the history of the island but
also within her own family.
From the author of the International
Bestselling books, the Rebekka Franck-series comes a new Scandinavian
Mystery destined to keep you up all night. This is the first book in the
Emma Frost-series and is followed by Miss Polly had a dolly.
ABOUT WILLOW ROSE
TheQueen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author
and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 60 novels.
She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror,
Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.
Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won’t
see coming. Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 10 of
ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than three
million books.
Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and two daughters.
When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and
watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Welcome to my stop for Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald. Which fork would you take? I love book covers and often grab a book for that reason alone. Sometimes it works against me. LOL Let’s send out a big welcome to Sigrid Macdonald.
TOPIC: MY BOOK COVER
Dear Sherry:
Thank you for having me on your blog and
for asking about my book cover. It took me a long time to choose this cover
because I wanted it to represent so many things.
Tara, my protagonist, has a dilemma.
Everything is going wrong in her life, with her marriage, on the job, and with
her moody teenage son. And, to top it off, she’s about to turn 40, and the
thought terrifies her. The only thing right in her life is her best friend,
Lisa. One night the two women have a typical night out on the town watching a
flick at the foreign film theater and going for a snack at the deli afterward.
It’s status quo. They do this all the time. But this night is different. This
night Lisa tells Tara that she is pregnant, and her partner, Ryan, may not be
the father. Tara is worried because Ryan has a history of domestic violence and
was incarcerated for assaulting his first wife. Tara doesn’t think Ryan will
handle this news well. But there is no time to find out because right after
that night at the movies, Lisa goes missing. Tara has no idea what to do.
The cover illustrates Tara’s
indecisiveness. A woman is standing, looking out into an empty field. She is at
a crossroads where she could go left, or she could go right, or she could walk
straight across the grass without a path at all. But Tara has no idea what to
do. She’s never been in this situation. It’s possible that Lisa could have
broken her sobriety and gone on a drinking binge. If that’s the case, Tara
doesn’t want to embarrass her by attracting publicity. Or maybe Lisa was too
afraid to tell Ryan about a baby that might not be his. But deep down, Tara
knows that Lisa would never take off without contacting her boss, her parents,
or Tara. She might not tell Ryan where she’s going, but she would let the
others know so they wouldn’t worry. So, now Tara is worried!
Eventually, Tara will make several
decisions, for good or for bad. It’s up to the reader to decide whether Tara
does the right thing in her search for her friend, along with her own shaky
sense of self-identity. As Charles Dickens said in the first line of David Copperfield, “Whether I shall
turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by
anybody else, these pages must show.” The same can be said for Tara.
Thanks so much.
Best,
Sigrid
PS I had a midlife crisis and pretended to
be 39 for several years! It was so much easier for me to turn 60 than 40, so I
wanted to give this particular issue to my character because we live in such a
youth-oriented culture that I think this magic number of 40 affects a lot of
people, especially women who are told that they need to stay young to be
relevant.
Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald
GENRE: Mystery/women’s fiction
BLURB
Finding
Lisa is a character driven story about a quirky Canadian woman named Tara who
is about to turn 40. She dreads the thought. Everything is going wrong in her
life from her stale marriage to her boring job to her hopeless crush on a
24-year-old guy. The only thing right in Tara’s life is her best friend Lisa
who has just confided that she is pregnant and the baby does not belong to her
partner Ryan, who has a history of domestic violence. Then Lisa disappears and
the search is on to find her.
EXCERPT
All the carts were taken at the supermarket on Tuesday. I
found one off to the side of the vegetable aisle. It had a defective wheel,
which resulted in me almost overturning a display of cantaloupes. The cart was
also enormous. No doubt this was a deliberate ploy on the part of the
supermarket to encourage excess shopping.
“I feel as though I’m driving a school bus,” I
announced to the frail, pale orange-haired woman to my left, who was squeezing
the small, unappetizing looking cantaloupes.
She smiled faintly and nodded. I wondered how she had the
strength to push the heavy cart through the long aisles of the grocery store at
her age.
“Mum, I’ll go with you to one of those Women against
Rape meetings if you want?” Devon
said to my astonishment, his voice rising at the end of his sentence.
“There’s only one condition. You have to watch 8 Mile with me.”
“8 Mile? Isn’t that the movie based on the book by
Stephen King?”
“Nah, you’re thinking about The Green Mile,” Devon
replied. “8 Mile is the story of a rapper in Detroit. It’s based on the
life of Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers. Eminem even stars in
it,” he said with increasing enthusiasm.
“I think it’ll give you a better idea of where he’s
coming from. You know, you’re always talking about these girls who’ve been,
like, abused and what horrible lives they’ve had. You even feel bad about boys
who were taken advantage of by priests or their hockey coaches. So why don’t
you have any sympathy for Marshall? His mother was abusive. She was mean to
him, and she did drugs! Also, she, like, gave him something called Munchkins
syndrome,” Devon added uncertainly.
“Munchausen syndrome?” I asked, trying to picture the
tough guy with the tattoos and bad attitude as a small child with a
manipulative and controlling mother.
“Yeah, that sounds right. She made him feel sick when
he was totally healthy. And, Mum, I know you would respect the way Em felt
about his little brother, Nathan. He, like, didn’t wanna leave him alone in the
house with his mother when he finally split from Detroit. He’s also really keen
about his daughter, Hailie Jade. He talks about her all the time in his songs
and on TV.”
I pushed the buttons on the radio. The Steve Miller band was
singing, “Time keeps on slipping, slipping into the future.” I had a
sense of motion. The car was moving forward, and with every traffic light I
passed, I was moving farther away from Lisa and our routine evenings at the
ByTowne Theatre. The rest of us were going ahead, and Lisa had been left
behind. I wanted to go back, not just to last Thursday night, but to my university
days, so I could live my life all over again.
I wanted to be sixteen or twenty-six again, making decisions
based on what I knew now. So many lost opportunities. How had I managed to
completely screw up my life? I’d done everything wrong except that I hadn’t
become a street prostitute or a serial murderer. Too late for the former—who
would want me? But there was still time for the latter.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Originally from New Jersey, Sigrid Macdonald lived for almost thirty years in Ottawa, Ontario, and currently resides in Weston, Florida. She has been a freelance writer for years. Her works have appeared in TheGlobe and Mail newspaper; the Women’s Freedom NetworkNewsletter; the American magazine Justice Denied; The Toastmaster; and the Anxiety DisordersAssociation of Ontario Newsletter. Her first book, Getting Hip: Recovery from a Total Hip Replacement, was published in 2004. Her second book, Be Your OwnEditor, followed in 2010. Although Finding Lisa is written in first person, Macdonald only resembles her character in the sense that she once had a neurotic fixation on her hair, and she has always been called by the wrong name; instead of being called Sigrid, people have called her Susan, Sharon, Astrid, Ingrid and, her personal favorite, Siri.
Macdonald
is a social activist who has spent decades working on the seemingly disparate
issues of women’s rights and wrongful convictions; she has worked at the
Women’s Center at Ramapo College of New Jersey and Carleton University in
Ottawa, Ontario, and was a member of AIDWYC, The Association in Defense of the
Wrongly Convicted. She owns an editing company called Book Magic. Sigrid is a
public speaker and a member of Mothers against Drunk Driving, Ottawa
Independent Writers, the American Association of University Women, and the
Editors’ Association of Canada. Visit her website at http://bookmagic.ca/ or friend her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sigridmac.
Sigrid Macdonald will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Follow the tour and comment, the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.
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