Showing posts with label Laurel-Rain Snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laurel-Rain Snow. Show all posts

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Interior Designs - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

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Some novels tell the story of a physical journey from one place to another. In INTERIOR DESIGNS the protagonist's journey is internal. Author Laurel-Rain Snow's background in psychology and social work is evident in this insightful story of a woman who slowly uncovers her true self after her divorce.  

Book Beginnings on Friday:
When I woke up, my thoughts sifted through my mind slowly, like pieces of a dream. I could feel the sun through the spaces in the blinds, and I gradually saw my surroundings - my pink and white floral Laura Ashley spread, the matching shams, and other assorted pillows - and that normally blissful feeling started to descend. And then something jarred me fully awake. I sat up slowly, and the heavy cloak of despair fell down around my shoulders. My now-familiar life began to take shape.


The Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
My thoughts kept veering away from the movie, though, as I wondered what we would discover in the days ahead. Would we meet interesting men? We could pretend we were just two single gals; we wouldn't have to tell any of our deep, dark secrets. We would be mysterious. I smiled at the thought.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 292 Pages
Amazon Link: Interior Designs
Other Books by This Author: Laurel-Rain Snow's Books

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Meet Martha Scott Cummings: an interior designer, an abandoned wife, and a newly single mother to her daughter Meadow. Now, she must begin an interior journey to reexamine the life she had, the choices she made, and find the strength to begin again. She could wallow in self-pity amongst the detritus that is her life, or she could explore her feelings, study her behavior, and figure out how to redesign her life by changing the way she reacts to disappointments, betrayal, and insecurity. Along the way to rediscovering who she was and who she can be, Martha reconnects with her best friend Maeve, who has been there for her in the past, but was somehow missing from her life during her darkest hour. Martha now realizes that she built walls around herself, shutting out those who could have sustained her. There is strength in numbers, and her old BFF can help Martha retrieve the lightheartedness of her earlier life and even learn to laugh at and love herself again, flaws and all. Lots of girl talk, a girlfriend getaway, and new relationships characterize the days and nights of the newly redesigned Martha. But will she find a new love? And if she does, how can she prevent herself from destroying it all? Taking risks, learning to trust her judgment, and finding out that mistakes are part of the learning process, Martha takes a leap of faith and finds unexpected treasures.
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Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. 

   Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts  
   (sponsored by Rose City Reader)

   Find other Friday 56 bloggers here 
   (sponsored by Freda's Voice) 
                           

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Web of Tyranny - Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday 56

Web of Tyranny
From the very first pages of WEB OF TYRANNY by Laurel-Rain Snow, I felt empathy for the main character, Meg. The story takes us through the decades of the 1960s and early 1970s--turbulent times. Growing up, her family is ruled by an abusive, religious fanatic father who dictates every aspect of her life--her choice of clothes, hairstyle, friends, and all her activities. The mildest transgression from Meg results in punishment. When I was growing up, the most rebellious teens and young adults were the ones who had been severely repressed as children. It's not surprising that Meg's strictly controlled childhood affects her life choices later in the story.

FYI: Laurel-Rain Snow is a frequent participant in The Friday56 and Book Beginnings on Friday and is an excellent writer. Watch for her upcoming book INTERIOR DESIGNS.

Book Beginning:
For the first few seconds of every day, before reality hit, she felt her body floating in a cloudy tangle as she came up from her dreams. Beautiful dreams of sunny days filled with music, ice cream and lots of laughter. She could still remember a time when her days had been like that; she'd been much younger then, granted the indulgences of early childhood.

Friday 56 (at 56% on my Kindle):
All too familiar with the effects of a hangover from her partnership with booze, she was still a novice when it came to other substances. What exactly had she done last night? That niggling feeling of panic hovered hear the edges of her awareness.
[Yes, the main character is definitely rebelling against her upbringing!]

Genre: Fiction
Length: 610 Pages
Amazon Link: Web of Tyranny
More Books by Laurel-Rain Snow: Amazon Author Page
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Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. 

   Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts  
   (sponsored by Rose City Reader)

   Find other Friday 56 bloggers here 
   (sponsored by Freda's Voice)