Interior Designs - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

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.

*********

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) 
                           

Here's what J. Glasser, Patricia Gordon, and Nan had to say about Bluebonnets for Elly in their recent 5-star reviews on Amazon. 

J. Glasser: "Sandy does a great job of setting the scene and creating characters. It is most engaging to read. I loved this book and highly recommend it."

Patricia: "I really enjoyed Elly and Derek's story. Both had wounds from previous relationships, and as the two of them started to trust each other, their pasts returned to complicate things. I enjoyed Granny - she sounds like the kind of woman I want to be. I got lots of enjoyable reading time with this book!"

Nan: "In addition to the romance, a major element that weaves through the story is the loving relationship between Elly and her grandmother. Their bond, along with Granny’s zest for life and bawdy sense of humor, add depth to the story. I loved that extra ingredient in the plot—grandmother/granddaughter relationships are always special to me since I missed having a grandmother of my own." 

I'm delighted that these readers enjoyed my book. Reviews are gifts from readers that keep on giving. To authors, they're priceless! 

THANK YOU!

USA Today Features Bluebonnets for Elly

I'm delighted to announce that USA TODAY is featuring BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY in its "Happily Ever After - New Releases" column today. 

Here's the link: New Releases

Scroll down the page to see the brief synopsis.

I'm thrilled beyond belief!

Peace by Piece - Teaser Tuesday

Rather than post two random sentences for Teaser Tuesday, I like to select an excerpt that tells about the book's plot or characters or that showcases the author's writing. With Peace by Piece this was hard to do because there were too many good passages to choose from! Carol Fragale Brill did a marvelous job of getting inside the head of a woman suffering from anorexia/bulimia. She has crafted a touching and meaningful story that gripped me from Page 1.

Here are two sentences from 
3% on my Kindle:
From time to time, Lilly asks me about him: about why I never talk about him, about how she can count on one hand the times she has heard me speak his name in the last five years. Her question always seems to hit me out of nowhere, as if I ran smack into a sliding glass door, and I am numb and achy at the same time.

Genre: Women's Fiction/Romance
Number of Pages: 369
Amazon Link: Peace by Piece

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
     Peace by Piece deals with unshakable first love, family, relationships, the difficulties of being a stepparent—all shadowed by the curse of anorexia/bulimia. 
     Six years after fleeing college and Thomas’s betrayal, Maggie has nearly given up on love. 
     Enter Izzie, a motherless eight year old, and every maternal instinct kicks-in. With Donald, Izzie’s dad, Maggie waits for the thrill—for anything magic: a spark, a quickening, a quiver racing up her spine. The magic never comes, but it is precisely the ordinariness of his kisses and subsequent proposal that make her feel safe. She imagines that loving Izzie is enough to finally lock Thomas out of her heart. 

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!

Here's the link to join in: Teaser Tuesday

Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday 56 - MY LAST ROMANCE

The synopsis of My Last Romance found on Amazon says it all:
Eight stories with a common theme - the wonder of finding love - sweep the reader into sensuous worlds where ordinary people discover, or rediscover, love. Foolish love, forbidden love, married love - even murderous love, each story is a seductive jewel populated with characters that seem like someone we could know - or someone we could be. Each of the stories in this collection is an exquisitely rendered portrait of people from a broad range of ages each proving that passion and love are eternal, regardless of life's far-ranging challenges. 

I've read about half the short stories in the book, and I've enjoyed each one. 

Here's my Book Beginnings on Friday post from "My Last Romance", the opening to the title story of the book:

8:53 am... 93 degrees.

The bank sign over the neon blue seagulls blinks. The day has scarcely started and already it's past ninety. A thin, watery haze rises from the pavement making me feel like I am driving into a dream. Whose idea was it for us to live in this insufferable climate anyway? Why in God's name did we think once we got old we would want to sweat? It boggles my mind.

And here's my Friday 56 from "The Haven" (56% on my Kindle):

We talk about the work I should be doing as I sit across the table from him watching as he pushes the air from the once-risen dough, divides and shapes it into loaves. He places them neatly on a wooden cutting board, patting them into the shape he wants and covering them with a clean towel. I look at the thick veins that stand out on the insides of his flour dusted forearms and squirm inside. My clothes seem too close to my skin. 

*********

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). 

                           

Book Beginnings and Friday 56: Fly or Fall

FLY OR FALL is the third book I've read by author and artist Gilli Allan (the others are TORN and LIFE CLASS). I've enjoyed them all. They take place in England and feature real adult women. A blurb on Amazon says: Gilli Allan writes unconventional romantic fiction for grown-ups.


Here are excerpts from FLY OR FALL:



Book Beginnings on Friday (hosted by Rose City Reader): 
     The cartoon rabbit ran straight off the edge of the cliff. He hung, oblivious to his predicament, feet pedalling the empty air. There was a snigger, halfway between laughter and derision, from the twins.
     Perhaps belief is everything, I thought. If you believe you're still on the same level, that life hasn't changed, you won't see the void which has opened beneath your feet.

Friday 56 (hosted by Freda's Voice):
A rush of red suffused my vision. Legs, suddenly made of water, folded beneath me. I sat down heavily. My world had just fallen apart and Trevor was calmly watching cricket.
(at 56% on my Kindle)

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction / Romance
Number of Pages: 413
Amazon Link: FLY OR FALL
   

êêêê

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).