Interview with Elly

This month's Cravings Magazine features an interview with the title character from BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY. I hope you'll stop by and meet Elly. She's on Page 6.
Here's the link: ELLY

                                        

Saving Shelby Summers - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros

Saving Shelby Summers is a contemporary romance set in Australia, but Margaret Sutherland’s sweet story of family, friendship, and love is so much more than boy-meets-girl.

The first chapter propels you right into the story when Nathan Monroe saves Shelby and her horse from a sinkhole. Their paths cross again, but both have past traumas they must deal with before they can move forward.  As Shelby becomes involved in the lives of Nathan and his daughter, her healing begins. But is Nathan ready to get on with life?

Margaret Sutherland takes readers through all the doubts and emotions experienced by Shelby, Nathan, and Nathan’s daughter as they come to terms with past tragedies.  The story is touching without being maudlin, realistic without being overly dramatic, and totally believable (and it features dogs). I gave this book a five-star rating.

Book Beginning:
Nathan Monroe parked his mid-splattered Nissan Patrol on the cliff top overlooking the beach and sat, looking down at the turmoil of whitecaps and hissing surf. The wild, lonely vista matched his mood. The past came with you, no matter how far you traveled.

Teaser (from 21% on my Kindle):
The fading sky of an Australian winter reminded her of walking with Nathan yesterday. Such an ordinary thing to do. Just a man, a woman, and a dog. Not a lot to say, yet enough to make her feel complete, somehow.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 159 Pages
Secret Cravings Publishing Link
Amazon Link
More Books by Margaret Sutherland: Amazon Author Page

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Cinque Terre, Italy - Saturday Snapshots

     Lately, my husband and I have been talking about doing some traveling, and that led us to reminisce about places we've been. One of our favorites was the Cinque Terre ("Five Lands") area of Italy, which we visited in 2001. Hard to believe it was that long ago! 
     Then several days ago my daughter-in-law loaned me a book - Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - and much of the story is set in the Cinque Terre! So I pulled out my photo album from our Italy trip, scanned the film-camera photos, and decided to feature a few of them on today's Saturday Snapshots. I'm focusing on the town of Manarola today, since that's where we stayed. Here's a map to get you oriented. 
(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Manarola

Boats are hoisted up to the town from the sea

Manarola's "Main Street"

We walked from Manarola to Corniglia
along a hiking path overlooking the sea, but
we didn't take this stairway down to the water

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.

To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, 

click HERE or on the box below. 

House Rules - The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Friday

The main character in HOUSE RULES in an 18-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome, and if you read this book, you'll learn just about everything you ever wanted to know about this disorder (it's a form of autism). In the process you'll also get caught up in a well-written story. Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and although I'll admit that House Rules isn't my favorite book of hers, I definitely enjoyed reading it and recommend it highly.

The author cites case studies of serial killers at intervals throughout the book (between some of the chapters) and the book starts with "Case 1: Sleep Tight." Here are the opening paragraphs from the story itself. 

Book Beginning:
Chapter 1 - Emma     
     Everywhere I look, there are signs of a struggle. The mail has been scattered all over the kitchen floor; the stools are overturned. The phone has been knocked off its pedestal, its battery pack hanging loose from an umbilicus of wires. There's one single faint footprint at the threshold of the living room, pointing toward the dead body of my son, Jacob.
     He is sprawled like a starfish in front of the fireplace. Blood covers his temple and his hands. For a moment, I can't move, can't breathe.
     Suddenly, he sits up. "Mom," Jacob says, "you're not even trying."

The Friday 56 (from Page 156 of my hardcover edition):
     When I was little, I remember wandering the cereal aisle (which surely is as American a phenomenon as fireworks on the Fourth of July) and picking my breakfast food based on what the reward was: a Frisbee with the Trix rabbit's face emblazoned on the front. Holographic stickers with the Lucky Charms leprechaun. A mystery decoder wheel. I could suffer through raisin bran for a month if it meant I got a magic ring at the end.

Genre: Literary Fiction / Women's Fiction
Length: 532 Pages (hardcover)
Amazon Link: House Rules
Other Books by this Author: Jodi Picoult's Website

Blurb:
     House Rules is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger's Syndrome. He's  hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject--in his case, forensic analysis.
     He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's - not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect - can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way - but lousy for those who don't.

                           

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