Somebody Throw Me a Lifeline...

I'm bored.
Totally, completely, utterly bored with my book review site. Am I still reading? Yes! Did I finish "People of the Mist"? Yes! Was it good? You betcha!
So, what's the problem?
Good question. I'm not entirely sure I have the answer. In part, I think I'm over connected. Too many social sites (Twitter, FB, Google+, Blogger, Linked In, Book Blogs...the list goes on) to keep up on. I'm also missing some of the 'Blogger Love" from days past. Do I go out and seek new Blogger fans? Eh...kinda. It takes quite a bit of work; and while I'm not opposed to hard work, the returns as of late have been *dismal*.
Am I giving up reviewing? Nope. I actually have the sequel to "A Scottish Ferry Tale" (SCOTLAND BY STARLIGHT) to review in early January; and I've heard it is far more engaging than the first book. I just think I need to take a break from reviewing and  until that day--and have a little fun.
Here goes nothing:
I'm reading VANITY FAIR. My favorite line thus far?
"The other boys would fag out and give him balls at Cricket."
I'm completely juvenile in every possible way.
What else? Well, I wrote two short stories. Both are available for download (FREE, Peeps. What have you got to lose?) from Lulu press. Here's the linky-links: MISSING and RED VELVET
One is dark; the other is sweet; both are short (600 words) and free. Maybe I'll find some love there?
Lastly, I've promised my poor publisher a very large chunk of work (the brave man wants to publish chunks of my personal blog as an e-book) by the end of the weekend--and let's just say my work ethic has suffered along with my ego as of late. Can you say, "Crunch Time!" ???
Yipes.
What about you all? Anybody else out there in the blogger slump of 2011?
Keep me posted. After all, misery loves company.
Cheers!
 

We Interrupt This Sea-Side Vacation To Bring You Some Much Needed Beatrice Munson...

Beatrice Munson by Lorena Bathey
In Vista Heights, the women of the neighborhood have started to look like their homes, varying shades of beige.

Lost in this world of suburbia, Marissa Lyons learns her high school nemesis has bought the house right across the street from her. Afraid that her arch enemy, Beatrice Munson, will arrive with Marissa’s high school crush as her husband and cause Marissa to relive the insecurity of high school in her forties she decides to face the music and heads to Beatrice’s house with warm cupcakes. But what Marissa finds is something she never expected.
How will Marissa and the rest of the women of San Martino deal with someone like Beatrice Munson, whose defining moment in her life was to get a boob job or go on a trip to Egypt.

This story is about friendship, love, learning to look at things differently, and great parties.

Step into the world of Vista Heights where you might recognize the women, or you might be one of them.

 I bring this book review from Sandy Eggo--who has so thoughtfully provided much needed recuperation this week via a summer vacation at the Harbor Island Hilton. Forgive me if my formatting lacks the usual style...I lost my inhibitions somewhere at the bottom of a margarita glass.


Cover: A+
The color, the style, the simplicity--all of it works. The perfect meld. Love, love, love it. Kudos, Terry Whitington for such masterful work

Story: A
Beatrice Munson is Mary Poppins for every woman over forty. She is the person you wish you were, the person you wish was your BFF, and the person you will strive to be forevermore.
This book is enjoyable. Not what you expect, considering Marissa spent her years post high school building her up as her arch nemesis. Beatrice rides into town, her carpet bag full of tricks & tips to shake up the neighborhood in a good way. She is a Good Witch, a fortune teller, & the female equivalent to Buddha. 
Marissa and her besties fall prey to Beatrice's intoxicating ways and before you know it...*poof*they find the courage and dreams they lost between diaper changes.


Overall:A
This is a great summer read. If you've ever felt like an outcast for not drinking the "motherhood is the end all be all" Kool-Aid, this is the book for you. Do yourself a favor, get a little Beatrice Munson'd. You'll be glad you did!
Right now you can find a copy of "Beatrice Munson" on Amazon.com for your Kindle. At under five bucks, it's more affordable than months of therapy and just as effective! It is also available in paperback for $12.95.
That's all I have for now. After I fully digest my Dungeness Crab I'll be back.
Cheers!

Even the big dogs makes mistakes

I'm back! Photobucket heeded my warnings of having a total nuclear meltdown over site maintenance & got my blog back up to snuff. Good thing too. Nobody wants to see a woman in perimenopause freaking out on their doorstep. It just ain't pretty people.

I've decided to break my cardinal rule of not reading while I'm in the heat of yammering away at the keyboard for a new book. How do writers read & write at the same time? Very carefully. I believe that each book has it's own unique voice & as a writer I don't want any voice to influence my book unless it comes from the stage in my head. Because of this I read, then I write, then I read, then I....

You get the idea.

This plan worked. It kept the number of books I consumed to a bare bones minimum, which made having a book blog a bit of a challenge. And with my wonderful little Kindle calling to me, I decided to bend a little & see what happens. So far so good. This brings me to number one in this post:

1. Bridge to Happiness, Jill Barnett

Ms. Barnett is a well seasoned author. With 13 novels & seven short stories in print, I was surprised to find her book, Bridge to Happiness, as a kindle freebie. But, on my search for something new, there it was. I downloaded and dove in.

Before I post my opinion of the story, I want to take a minute and talk about the quality of the piece. As a writer I am acutely aware that mistakes slip out. It is a fate worse than death (as a newbie) to get a copy of your baby & find glaring misprints: commas in the wrong place, quotations that are missing, misspellings, etc. As a nobody, you know that 99.9% of the people that read your material know you personally & are going to (with the attitude that they are doing you a favor) point each & every one out in triplicate. What they might not realize, is that you have already lost a week's sleep--per mistake.

Do you think the same holds true for a seasoned Walden Book Award winner? I only ask because this book had a whopping handful of them. The biggest issue was quotes that didn't quite get around the person speaking in the correct format. It was enough that I assumed that Ms. Barnett was just like the rest of us lower level mopes running around looking for our big break. I checked out her bio & publisher at the end and thought, Hmmmm, now that is interesting. Perhaps the book was free that week while Bell Bridge Books made corrections? Or maybe they are a lower level publishing house & the book I chose to read represents her earlier work? I really don't know. But it sure did make me feel better about me! On to the review...

It was a nice well written story. I really enjoyed it. Mostly romance, it is the story of March Cantrell, a wild lioness of a woman. It chronicles her life from her twenties through her sixties.

Part one of the book is written in third person. Very beautifully done. The language flowed and descriptions were so vivid--I loved it immediately. But hold on a sec, in part two the book switches to the first person view of March. Her children are grown, her husband just passed away in an untimely manner, and she is unraveling. Can you do that? I guess Jill Barnett can. 

It threw me for a bit. I didn't like the switch. I felt that the conversations between her & her children were a tad forced. Just when I was ready to throw it down & give up...March really loses it & the book becomes very engaging once again. I guess I'm just the kind of gal that can relate to a woman on the edge, drinking margaritas with her cackling hens until she passes out. LOL

Overall this was a nice little read. I give it four stars. I did find chunks of the work to be quite predictable, but it's a love story, that tends to happen. There were other parts that were a complete surprise. They made up for any cliches. (Why doesn't the little accent show up here?) 

The book is up to full price now. A whopping $8.99 (less than three fancy coffees at Caribou & easier on the hips). If anybody pays for it, would you please send me a note & let me know if the quotes were fixed? It's been driving me crazy...

  2. Let's celebrate!

I have two reasons to celebrate today. First, I now have twenty (yep I set the bar high) followers of my review blog! This might not sound like much, but I'll tell ya' blogger fans are tough to come by. Every single follower I earned through blood, sweat, & typing. Thanks you guys. I always say, when I'm rich & famous I'll have you all over for a sleep over at my beach house. So, if you have any friends you'd like to bring along, you best get them signed up as followers now. After fame comes, it too late!

Second, and last, I have reached a big milestone in my next book, Sixty Pounds of Sh*t & Counting. Late yesterday I hit the 60 page mark. That's a page for every pound! I think that deserves a little toast, don't you? Before you know it I'll be blogging about my recommitted search for an agent (and we all know how fun that bitch-fest is).

I love you guys. Each & every blood sucking, in it for your own promotion, one of you. Without my fans...I'm nothing.

Cheers!