Just Finished: Eye of the Storm

Happy Halloween! I read the suspenseful and slightly spooky short story (how’s that for alliteration?) Eye of the Storm by Denise Moncrief a little while ago and I thought posting my review on Halloween was a good fit!

Here’s the synopsis:

Kieran Talbot’s problems as a resident at a Tallahassee hospital force her to take a leave of absence and escape to the beach. One stormy night, a bruised and bloodied man collapses in the front doorway of her borrowed house.

A storm blows in off the warm Gulf waters, promising to drench the coast with the first downpour of a very hot summer. Kieran retreats to the beach house as the deluge begins. Just as she gets comfortable, the door bursts open. Rain soaked and bloody, Davis Jackson falls through the doorway. He needs a hospital, but he doesn’t want the cops involved. Danger follows Davis wherever he goes. Kieran won’t tell him her story and Davis won’t tell her his. Together they must fight for their lives during a Class Three Hurricane on Florida’s Gulf coast.

I have to admit that I wasn’t super into this story. I think part of it had to do with the fact that I had no idea how long it was. I started reading it at the gym one day and then decided to finish it the next. It turns out I had read almost the whole story while at the gym so I barely had time to get back into it before it was over. For this annoyance, I blame the ereader. However, I’ve also realized that suspense isn’t really my thing. At least, not with reading. I think I require the actual visual of a good looking male instead of the one in my head… :)

Putting aside the fact that suspense stories aren't my favourite, I think Eye of the Storm provided a good little mystery. Who is Davis? What did he do? What’s Kieran's story? Why is she hiding? These are all questions that eventually get answered – but not before some craziness ensues. And I'm not talking about the hurricane!

Overall, I liked Eye of the Storm by Denise Moncrief but I think others would like it more. It’s got a bit of a crazy twist mixed in with some romance and was an enjoyable, quick read.

I received a copy of Eye of the Storm in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Still Moments Publishing!

Happy reading :)

Winner of Living In Glass Houses!

Thanks to the generosity of author Zoe McKnight, I had a copy of her novel Living in Glass Houses to give away as part of the recent CLP Blog Tour. You can read my review here.

To choose the winner, I assigned each entry a number and went to random.org to choose the winning number. It picked 1.

And the winner is...Kelsey!

Thank you all for entering this giveaway! I loved hearing everyone's favourite thing about fall. It's nice to think about the good things about the season - the colours, the food - instead of the fact that cold weather is coming!

Thanks again for entering and following. I hope you stick around!

Guest Post: Laurel Osterkamp

Welcome to a stop on the November Surprise CLP Blog Tour! Since I have oodles of things happening right now, I didn't quite have the time to read the novel by Laurel Osterkamp but I wanted to spread some awareness of this book so today I have a guest post from Laurel for you all to read. Most of you reading this will know that I'm Canadian so since the upcoming election will not directly affect me I haven't been immersed in political thoughts or conversations at all. Confession: I'm also not really into politics anyway. I've voted but I don't really have a super strong feeling for any of our parties. All of these thoughts kind of made me curious about what made Laurel want to write a book that has a side story that's all about politics. Thank you to Laurel for writing this great post! And make sure you check out the main page for this tour to read some reviews so you can see if you'd want to read this novel yourself.

November Surprise – a Political Romance

I've gotten some wonderful and much appreciated feedback on my latest novel, November Surprise. However, the premise seems to confuse a lot of readers. It’s political, and a romance? A political romance? What is that?

I think of it as a romance first, and as political second. My goal in writing it was not to influence anyone, or to put forth some sort of agenda. The main characters in all my novels always resemble me in some way, and Lucy resembles me in that she’s a political junkie. It’s how she relates to the world. It would be unrealistic to have someone so obsessed with politics to not have firm opinions and ideologies, so I gave her mine. However, I specifically stayed away from some of the more subversive issues (abortion, for example) and I made sure to create at least one likeable Republican character.

What I wanted to do was to revisit the last six presidential elections, and use them as a symbol of the times. The goal was to chart Lucy’s growth through these times, and to illustrate her progress as she discovers things about herself, and the world. At the base of it all, there’s a love story. Two people connect and feel a mutual attraction, but time and circumstance keep them apart. Can they wade through the hubbub and find each other? Can they find themselves? These are the questions I aimed to answer in November Surprise. The politics were more about setting and character development than anything.

I'm really glad I wrote it, because I had a lot of fun, and I learned things through my research that I didn't already know. Plus, it was a challenge, and I love challenges. Still, I'm worried that the politics may scare off potential readers, even though I've had positive reviews from both conservatives and apolitical people. But in the end, I feel the only books I can finish are the ones that are bursting to come out. November Surprise is what was bursting at the time.

Just Finished: One Pink Line

You know those books that you read that completely grab you and will not let you go until the last page? And sometimes not even then? One Pink Line by Dina Silver was one of those books for me. I loved it. I adored it. I didn't want it to end. Yes, it was that good!

Here's the synopsis:

Can the love of a lifetime be forever changed by one pink line? Dina Silver's tender, absorbing novel, One Pink Line, is the warmhearted, wry story of love, loss and family, as seen through the prism of one singular, spirited young couple who find themselves in a predicament that changes the course of their lives, and those closest to them. With heart, humor and compassion, this debut work of women’s fiction is certain to stir anyone who relishes a good laugh, can stand a good cry, and, above all believes in the redemptive power of love. 

This unique, contemporary story gives readers a dual perspective. Sydney Shephard, a sweet-tempered, strong-natured college senior is young, in love with an exceptional man, and unexpectedly pregnant. Faced with a child she never planned for, she is forced to relay this news to her neurotic mother, relinquish her youth, and risk losing the love of her life. Then there's Grace, a daughter, who believed she was a product of this great love, grows to realize her existence is not what she assumed, and is left with profound and puzzling questions about who she really is. 

Spanning generations and every imaginable emotion, One Pink Line reveals how two points of view can be dramatically at odds, and perhaps ultimately reconciled. Simultaneously deeply felt and lighthearted, One Pink Line deftly mines how the choices we make are able to alter so many lives, and how doing the right thing and living honestly can bring unexpected, hard-won happiness. It's a must-read for anyone who relishes a great love story, absorbing characters, and plenty of laughs along the way.

I was immediately sucked into this story. I felt like I was feeling every one of Sydney's emotions right along with her. I was panicked with her, happy, sad, angry, everything. I love when I am that involved with a character and that's probably a huge contributing factor to the five star rating I gave this novel.

I love how she had Grace handle everything. All these emotions and revelations would be a lot for a young girl (hell, it'd be a lot for anyone, even a grown adult) and Grace showed maturity beyond her years. That made things so much better. I didn't want to see her mother suffer because she had to keep something from her. I could understand where she was coming from because I'm sure it would be incredibly difficult to pick the "right" time to tell your daughter this huge secret. I'm glad Grace didn't shut her out completely and that their relationship was never destroyed.

There are little twists and turns that Dina threw in that made the story a little more fun. Now, these weren't major mysteries but they kept me on my toes and kept me guessing. I liked that I didn't know exactly how everything was going to turn out. Though, I do admit, if the ending had been anything different I probably would have wanted to throw the book across the room (but I wouldn't have since it was on my ereader and throwing an ereader is never recommended). I was actually panicked that I wouldn't get the resolution I wanted! I didn't need to worry since Dina wrapped up this story in a fabulous way.

One of the reasons I wanted to review Dina's book in October (it's been sitting on my kobo for awhile...patiently waiting for me to get to it) is because she's doing a fundraiser this month - Read for the Cure. $1 from every sale of One Pink Line will be donated to the Noreen Fraser Foundation in honour of breast cancer awareness month. Now, I don't know anything about the Foundation but if you've been waiting to buy this book, now's as good a time as any! And if you weren't thinking about it before, you should now because it is awesome. Or, if you're feeling particularly philanthropic, buy the novel and donate some money to your breast cancer awareness charity of choice! :) You can buy the book on Amazon here.

Dina just recently announced that she's now going to be published with an Amazon publishing label. I think that's super exciting for her! (One request: don't change the cover! I love it!) The reason I'm mentioning this (other than the fact that it's fabulous for Dina) is that in the same post she mentions that she's working on a spin off to One Pink Line that will feature Grace as a grown up. I'm so excited! I loved reading about Grace as she grew up and I want to know where she ended up.

I loved One Pink Line. LOVED it. I will definitely be adding Dina Silver's other novel, Kat Fight, to my (massive) to be read pile, along with anything else she writes. I strongly recommend this book. I think any chick lit lover would adore this book as well. So what are you waiting for? Go buy it and let me know what you think!

Happy reading :)

Winner of Forgotten!

Thanks to the generosity of author Catherine McKenzie, I had a copy of her novel Forgotten to give away in honour of the US release.

To choose the winner, I assigned each entry a number (thanks Excel!) and went to random.org to choose the winning number. It picked 3.

*drumroll*

The winner is Bonnie! I've emailed her and she's responded so the book will be sent off to her. Congrats!

Thank you all for entering this giveaway! I appreciate you all sharing your dream vacations with me. Just for interests sake, I took a look at all the locations to see if any were mentioned multiple times. Italy was the clear winner with two people picking the whole country and two others mentioning Venice in particular. Some people were very specific (tea plantations in India, Japan, and China - very cool!) and some couldn't pick just one place to visit. As for me? My first big trip would be to Great Britain - specifically Scotland. I'm a Stewart so of course I need to visit Scotland once in my life!

If you didn't win, don't despair. I've seen quite a few giveaways around the blogosphere so poke around and you might be able to find another copy to win! I also have another giveaway going on for Living in Glass Houses if you haven't entered that one yet.

Thanks again for entering and following. I hope you stick around!

Author Interview: Zoe McKnight

Final stop (for me) on the Living in Glass Houses tour! I reviewed the book last Saturday and you can read the review here – I really liked the book! I got the chance to interview author Zoe McKnight for this stop. Thank you to Zoe for answering my questions! And don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy of this book - details are at the end of the post!

Let’s start the interview with some fast and furious favourites:

Favourite movie? The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley
Favourite author/book? The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory 
Favourite (or dream) travel destination? London. Would love to live there at some point. 
Favourite indulgence (food to eat, store to shop in, etc.)? Banana Republic and Eggnog lattes. 

What was your experience like writing and publishing Living in Glass Houses, your first novel?
It was exhilarating. It was the first time in a long time I embarked on a project that I cared so much about. I pulled many an all-nighter, spent hours on end brainstorming on ways to make it better, often vacillating between pride and self-doubt. That’s how I knew I was meant to be an author because this process breathed new life into me. The book was a definite burden of love, but I have to say I enjoyed almost every moment of it. 

Are you an outliner or a write by the seat of your pants author?
Definitely from the seat of my pants. Before I start writing, I set up the characters and their conflicts, but the details and subplots come to me along the way. Typically, I’ll have the beginning and the end in mind, then I just fill in the blanks. 

What made you decide to try your hand at writing a novel?
I'm fascinated with psychology. I love to figure out what makes people tick and I've learned that if there’s one thing that brings out the best and worst in people, it’s relationships. Some of the most rational, level-headed people I know have made some of the most shocking decisions when it came to affairs of the heart (myself included). I thought it would be interesting (and educational) to chronicle spin-offs of these stories in a novel. Blair, Jonathan and Elle are composite characters based on people I know. 

Do you have a particular writing routine? A favourite place to write or time of day to get work done?
I'm trying to develop a routine, but so far it’s been a bit of a random process. My mind is the freshest early in the morning or after midnight, so I try and stick to those time frames when I'm under a deadline. Otherwise, I try to write a little bit each day. Some days that results in several chapters, other days, just a few lines, but I think it’s important to maintain the momentum. 
As for venue, it all depends on where I am in my writing process. Early on, while I'm still brainstorming and basically throwing ideas against the wall, I can write at my local Starbuck's. But once I'm in the final stretch or editing, I need quiet. I’ll lock myself in my bedroom with no music, no TV and no cellphone so that I can focus. 

What kinds of things do you like to do when you're not writing?
When I'm not hanging out with my dogs, I'm watching a LOT of reality TV or 80's movies. I'm a huge on-line browser. I get a kick out of surfing my favorite websites and creating wish lists, although I rarely go back and purchase any of it. 

What can we expect from you in the future?
The sequel to Living in Glass Houses is in the works. It should be out by November 1. It follows the story of Blair and Vaughn from the first book. So much of the feedback I received was about the two of them and what happens next, so I decided to continue their story in my next novel. 

Now, for that giveaway! Zoe is kindly offering a copy of her novel to one of you lucky readers. You can choose a print copy or an ebook. All I ask is that you leave a comment on this post, or any of the previous posts, with your email address so I can contact you (use AT and DOT if you wish), and let me know what your favourite thing about fall is. I tried to come up with something that was related to the book but I decided to do something fun and random with this one! Bonus point if you follow the blog and/or the Facebook page. The contest will be open until midnight on Monday October 29 - the last day of Zoe's tour. If you've already commented on either of the previous posts, there's no need to comment again to enter (but I welcome responses to this interview!).

Happy reading :)

Guest Post: Zoe McKnight

It's another Living in Glass Houses tour stop! Today, author Zoe McKnight has generously written a guest post for Books Etc. I reviewed the book on Saturday and you can read the review here but the short version is that I enjoyed reading it! I was curious to find out what it was like writing from multiple perspectives and if it was difficult to make sure each character got the right amount of attention. Thank you for this great post, Zoe! And don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy of this book - details are at the end of the post!


When I started writing Living in Glass Houses, it was my plan to tell the story from only one character's point of view—Elle. But I found her too level-headed and logical to make for an intriguing story on her own. So, I introduced more characters and felt their stories needed to be told as well. 

In order to balance out Elle's pragmatism, I developed a second character. One with a riveting story-line, to which I believed readers would respond strongly. And, they did. The most impassioned feedback has been about Blair. Readers either sympathize with or hate her. 

And because chick-lit (by definition) focuses solely on women, I thought it would be cool to show things from a man’s perspective. Having several close male friends I've learned that they go through a lot of the same relationship woes we do. Only, they rarely talk about it. That was the genesis of my third character,  Jonathan.

I had a lot of fun dipping in and out of the three character’s heads, but my challenge was in telling enough of their personal stories so that readers could connect with them each. Believe me, there was a lot more I wanted to write, but for the sake of brevity I had to limit their back stories. In order to find their individual voices, I created a bio for them each. A detailed story about who they were and not just the surface things like their occupations and hobbies, but also details like their personality quirks, fears, and bad habits. The small things that make people who they are. For instance, I knew Jonathan had a touch of ADD and Blair was perpetually late. Once I felt like I really knew them in my mind, I had a better sense of how they would react under certain circumstances and what drove their decision-making. It also helped as a reference when I came to points where I wasn't sure which direction to take. 

I must admit, I was a bit biased in that I had my favorite characters. And the plot I was most fascinated with, did get the most attention. But, overall, I think I balanced them out well and towards the end, the stories began to overlap so I was able to feature more than one character in each chapter. 

In my next novel, the sequel to Living in Glass Houses, I'm only telling the story of one character, Blair. This will answer a lot of questions readers had after completing the first book. It gives a deeper look into her past, who she is and why she's such a controversial character.

Now, for that giveaway! Zoe is kindly offering a copy of her novel to one of you lucky readers. You can choose a print copy or an ebook. All I ask is that you leave a comment on this post, or any of the upcoming posts, with your email address so I can contact you (use AT and DOT if you wish), and let me know what your favourite thing about fall is. I tried to come up with something that was related to the book but I decided to do something fun and random with this one! Bonus point if you follow the blog and/or the Facebook page. The contest will be open until midnight on Monday October 29 - the last day of Zoe's tour. If you've already commented on either of the previous posts, there's no need to comment again to enter (but I welcome responses to this guest post!).

Happy reading :)