Birthdays: Charles Williams (1886), Donald Hall (1928), Arthur Geisert (1941), Jude Deveraux (1947), George R.R. Martin (1948), A.A. Attanasio (1951), Upton Sinclair (1968), Chris Mooney (1977),

Quote: “There are no new stories. It all depends on how you handle them. In romances the characters are going to fall in love with each other; you know that when you see the syrupy cover. It’s how you get there that’s the fun.” – Jude Devereau

“My advice to young poets is pretty standard—read the old people. Read the 17th century. Don’t just read 20th century. Sometimes you get the impression that people think that poetry began in 1984 or something. And read the old boys and revise. Revise endlessly.” – Donald Hall

Tip: When creating a title, keep it short, use common words…and check online to make sure there aren’t thousands of other books out there with your title.

Jumpstart: You’re playing an online game that gets successively harder, but you stick with it…and win. The next thing you know, the FBI knocks on your door and say you have to come with them…

READING, WRITING, AND MURDER by Joyce Proell & Brenda Whiteside

#2 in Chocolate Martini Sisters Mysteries

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, 273 pages

4****

Blurb: At the writers’ conference, murder tops the program. Aspiring mystery author Emma Banefield and travel writer Nicole Earp are excited to attend a writers’ conference during their latest sisters’ getaway. Nic’s birthday should be all about relaxation, writing, and a chocolate martini to toast another trip around the sun, but the climate at the gathering rumbles like a sudden desert thunderstorm. When sparks fly between the keynote speaker and her timid assistant over a handsome mystery author, the subtitle on this anticipated tranquil weekend spells drama. If a heated love triangle, bruised egos, and betrayal aren’t enough to upset the atmosphere, the conference banquet erupts into a drunken brawl and sends the place spinning. After a body is discovered, Nic and Em do what they do best—snoop—and become embroiled in a mystery that jumps off the pages of a true-crime bestseller. With more than enough suspects and little time, the amateur sleuths have their hands full finding the killer. But can the competitive Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime before the prickly chief detective does, or will a murderer outwit them all?

Thoughts: This is a different type of cozy than I am used to. First, there are two sleuths – older sisters. Which is really nice. Second, usually in cozies, the sleuth gets into a really tough situation at the end when they face the killer. That doesn’t happen here. Yes, the sisters are instrumental in catching the perp, but they don’t actually face the killer. An interesting difference. The authors depict the sisters really well. They are individuals, not mirror images of each other. Nic and Em are fun and interesting — and known as the Chocolate Martini Sisters because of their love of that drink. 

In this story, they are at a writer’s conference in their town. They are staying at a hotel they stay at for their “birthday weekends” – one of which just also happens to be this weekend. The keynote speaker is a well-known romance writer who manages to alienate everyone with her attitude. And yet, fans swarm around her even when she gets drunk. Along with her, there is her “best friend”, her assistant, her ex-husband, ex-lover, ex-agent—all of whom are trying to get in her good graces. Because of the conference, there are plenty of suspects for the police—and the sisters—to check out. I had to question though, I’ve been to writing conferences and there isn’t a lot of down time (except in the evening) because of classes, pitches, panels, etc. That didn’t seem to be the case so much here. There didn’t seem to be a lot going on for the sisters. One pitch, one class, one dinner… Not a biggie, it just didn’t ring quite right for me. And the one sister’s daughter’s issues seemed to be thrown in as an aside because it didn’t really add anything to the story. 

Still, I enjoyed the story and the ending satisfied in that the killer was caught. I’ll be looking for more about the sisters.

Recommendation: recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Birthdays: Samuel Johnson (1709), William March (1893), Christopher Ricks (1933), Richard Kluger (1934), Drew Gilpin Faust (1947), Lynn Abbey (1948), Anna Deavere Smith (1950), Steven Pinker (1954), Chris Hedges (1956)

Richard Kluger won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for “Ashes to Ashes”

Drew Faust was the first female president of Harvard. Her books have been finalists for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer.

Quote: “Thanks to the redundancy of language, yxx cxn xndxrstxnd whxt x xm wrxtxng xvxn xf x rxplxcx xll thx vxwxls wxth xn “x” (t gts lttl hrdr f y dn’t vn kn whr th vwls r)” ― Steven Pinker

“There are always people willing to commit unspeakable human atrocity in exchange for a little power and privilege.” ― Chris Hedges, War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning

“Ideas aren’t magical; the only tricky part is holding on to one long enough to get it written down.” ― Lynn Abbey

Tip: When you get a contract (yay!), if you don’t have an agent, be sure you go over every clause carefully and ask about the ones you are unsure about. If nothing else, take it to a knowledgeable attorney and have them go over it for you.

Jumpstart: You’re remodeling your home, a place you’ve lived for at least a few years. While tearing out a wall, you find a skeleton…

Birthdays: William Carlos Williams (1883), John Creasey (1908), Elizabeth Enright (1909), Mary Stewart (1916), Bjorn Berg (1923), Robert B. Parker (1932), Ken Kesey (1935), Deena Metzger (1936), Carl Dennis (1939), Paul Goble (1945), Gail Carson Levine (1947), Jennifer Crusie (1949), Brian Andreas (1956), Cheryl Strayed (1968),

John Creasey was a prolific English crime and science fiction writer with over 600 books and at least 28 different pseudonyms.

William C. Williams actually wrote a book called “The Great American Novel”

Elizabeth Enright won a Newbery Medal for her book “Thimble Summer”

Mary Stewart is best known for her Merlin series including “The Crystal Cave”

Ken Kesey is best known for his novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

Carl Dennis won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “Practical Gods”

Gail Levine received a Newbery Honor for her book “Ella Enchanted”

Quote: “But I have noticed this about ambitious men, or men in power, that they fear even the slightest and least likely threat to it.” ― Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave

“Writing is part intuition and part trial and error, but mostly it’s very hard work.” – Cheryl Strayed

Tip: Finish the manuscript you’re working on, put it away for a week or more, then edit it, send it out…and then start on the next one!

Jumpstart: If you had one month to live, what would you do? What if it was a week? A day?

Birthdays: Alfred Noyes (1880), Frans Eemil Sillanpaa (1888), H.A. Rey (1898), John Knowles (1926), Jules Bass (1935), Breyten Breytenbach (1939), James Alan McPherson (1943),  Julia Donaldson (1948), William McKeen (1954), Wil McCarthy (1966), Elizabeth McCracken (1966), Walt Becker (1968), Justin Haythe (1973)

Frans Sillanpaa won the 1939 Nobel Prize for Literature – the first Finnish author to do so.

H.A. Rey is best known for his “Curious George” books (along with his wife)

James McPherson was the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1978 for his short story collection “Elbow Room”

Alfred Noyes is best known for his poem “The Highwayman”

Quote: “There was no harm in taking aim, even if the target was a dream.” ― John Knowles, A Separate Peace

“Even ivory towers need central heating.” ― Breyten Breytenbach

 “I get ideas anywhere and everywhere: things that happen to my children; memories of my own childhood; things people say; places I go to; old folk tales and fairy stories. The hard part for me is not getting the idea, it is turning it into a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end.” – Julia Donaldson

Tip: Write to your own strengths. You may love comedy or funny cozy mysteries, but not everyone can write funny. Or horror. Or romance. Figure out what you’re good at and go from there.

Jumpstart: As I got closer to the ramshackle house at the end of the road, I noticed…

Birthdays: Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1680), James Fenimore Cooper (1789), Agatha Christie (1890), Jean Renoir (1894), Merle Curti (1897), Betty Neels (1909), Robert McCloskey (1914), Alfred D. Chandler, Jr. (1918), Richard Gordon (1921), Tomie dePaola (1934), Normal Spinrad (1940), Jesse Andrews (1982)

Merle Curti won the 1944 Pulitzer Prize in History for “The Growth of American Thought”

Quote: “An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her.” – Agatha Christie

“No persons are more frequently wrong than those who will not admit they are wrong.” – Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“There was a moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional. I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don’t want to, don’t much like what you’re writing, and aren’t writing particularly well.” – Agatha Christie

Tip: Beware of anyone who says “this is the only way to get published.” There are many ways, including self-publishing. No one way works for everyone. In fact, many authors use multiple ways. The thing to stay away from is “vanity publishing” – those places that make you pay thousands of dollars to “publish” your book and then don’t produce anything or it’s of such poor quality that it can’t be used. Do your homework. Check out who to work with.

Jumpstart: You have to evacuate your home. What do you take? Would it make a difference if you had an hour or two vs. a few minutes?

Birthdays: Hamlin Garland (1860), William H. Armstrong (1914), Eric Bentley (1916), Larry Collins (1929), Anne Bernays (1930), Bernard MacLaverty (1942), Marc Reisner (1948), Elizabeth Winthrop (1948), Diane Goode (1949), John Steptoe (1950), Geraldine Brooks (1955), Henrietta Rose-Innes (1971),

William Armstrong is best known for his Newbery Medal winner “Sounder”

Geraldine Brooks on the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel “March”

Quote: “Book burnings. Always the forerunners. Heralds of the stake, the ovens, the mass graves.” ― Geraldine Brooks, People of the Book

“No writer was ever born published.” – J. Martin

“Provoke the reader. Astonish the reader. Writing that has no surprises is as bland as oatmeal. Surprise the reader with the unexpected verb or adjective. Use one startling adjective per page.” – Anne Bernays

Tip: Things to include on your author website: A books page (including buy links, reviews, etc.), a page for series; a bio page (about you), contact page, links.

Jumpstart: Write about a vacation you took where everything that could go wrong, did. What happened? What did you do?

 

FIRE AND ERMINE by Andrew Grey

Fiction, Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ, Level 5 heat

4****

Blurb: When Prince Reynard escapes his gilded cage, he runs as fast as he can in search of a taste of freedom. Predictably, he gets pulled over. State Trooper Fisher Bronson doesn’t know the handsome stranger in the rental car, but he does know the guy was driving way too fast. Still, Fisher takes to protect and serveseriously, so he helps Reynard find a hotel for the night. Then the hotel catches fire. Apparently, Reynard hasn’t covered his tracks as well as he thought. But is it paparazzi on his tail, or someone much more deadly? Either way, when Fisher offers him a room for the night, he’s grateful for the refuge. Reynard is generous and kind, but Fisher knows he’s hiding something. Finally, Reynard confesses the truth: as prince of Veronia, his life is structured and ordered for him, but as Reynard, in Carlisle with Fisher, he has the freedom to become a person he actually likes. To Reynard’s surprise, Fisher likes him back—not for his title, but for the man he is. But duty, family expectations, and whoever is after Reynard could spell the end of their relationship before they get past once upon a traffic stop.

Thoughts: Prince Reynard is not having a good day. Though he manages to escape the confines of being a prince with the help of a friend, he gets stopped by a cop for speeding. Then his car breaks down. Then, when he gets to a hotel, there’s a fire. Then there are no other rooms in town. Fisher doesn’t know what to think of the handsome man who’s had more than his share of bad luck that day, so on the spur of the moment, he invites him to his home. And thus begins the romance between the prince and the cop. They know their whirlwind romance can’t last, but the feelings are so strong between them that they can’t deny them either, even when they are half a world apart.

What I liked: Reynard trying to understand life without valets, maids, and all the other stuff that goes with being rich and famous. And Fisher trying to understand life with all that stuff. The two are definitely from two different worlds, but they can’t let each other go. Reynard’s mother was great, as was Fisher’s grandmother. Loved them. And the conflict as the two men try to figure out where and how to fit into each other’s lives.

What I didn’t like: very little. This was a nicely done story, typical of an Andrew Grey romance.

Recommendation: Recommended.Disclaimer: all thoughts and opinions are my on with no influence from anyone or anything and I was not required to give a review of this book.

Hannah Clein will always remember the day she went to a department store with her mother to buy her first bra as her last best day, “B.C.” before the cancer. She considered herself an ordinary child who loved challah bread, reading, and her family – often in that order.

With a normal life in the rear-view mirror, we follow Hannah over three decades, as she navigates the tricky transition from girlhood to womanhood. All her life, she just wants to belong. Be normal.

In a tale that explores a women’s complicated relationships with her body, and the love of her life, we learn the psyche is a funny thing. What are the perfect breasts? And how does the loss of a loved one affect those left behind?

The Perfect Breasts mixes family lore with imagination in a compelling tale of loss, longing, and love.

I have published it on Amazon Kindle for breast cancer awareness month, and all the profits will be donated to cancer research. If you are a member of Kindle Unlimited set your calendar for Sept. 29^th – when it will be available for reading.

Buy link for The Perfect Breasts: Amazon Hyperlink and link

The Perfect Breasts Amazon

Editorial Reviews of The Perfect Breasts:

Brilliantly written, The Perfect Breasts is a riveting tale that chronicles the lifelong impact that breast cancer has on every aspect of the lives of each member of the Clein family. Author Cara Bertoia has penned a tautly emotional plot driven by love, loss, trust, family ties, and the inner strength one must summon to face adversity created by both human fallibility and fate rather than turning away.

The story moves at a comfortable pace with flawed, but believable characters who drive the plot. Readers find themselves rooting for the protagonists from the beginning to the end of the story. The characters evoke strong emotions in readers right from page one. This reader found herself wanting to hug Hannah on one page and throttle her on the next.

The Perfect Breasts is a book that should be required reading for every woman because it does not soft-soap the emotional effect of a life-threatening disease and forces readers to face a hard truth: The ultimate symbol of femininity and womanhood can either be a source of great strength and pride or when lost, a weapon to destroy one’s faith in life and one’s self. — Susie Black author of The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series

The Perfect Breasts is a heartfelt story about breast cancer and how it affects all of our lives. Because, yes, almost everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. 

In this story we follow, Hannah, a Jewish girl through three decades, from the death of her beloved mother from breast cancer to becoming a self-sufficient woman. Cancer itself becomes a character burrowing into Hannah’s psyche. Knowing oneself is difficult enough, but with this added fear, Hannah struggles to find happiness.    

Cara Bertoia handles the issue with sensitivity and compassion. She takes us on Hannah’s journey. leaving us with hope and a promise for a good future.  This is a story which should be read by everyone. — Janie Emaus author of Latkes for Santa Claus

From the Author:

When I was a child, I grew up in a very crowded house. I have three sisters. The way I would escape all the mayhem was by reading. From the time I could read I became a voracious reader. By the age of eight I was reading my parents’ novels, whatever books I could find. At night instead of counting sheep I would tell myself Cinderella type stories where I got to be the heroine. But my first real writing class was when I worked in high-tech in Boston. I took a class at Harvard Extension, and the professor read my story aloud to the group. He asked me to read it, but I was too self-conscious, because it was the first story I had ever written. From that day on I was hooked.

Author Bio:

Cara Bertoia grew up in a strait-laced Southern family, but she was always fascinated with casinos. In her twenties on a summer hiatus from teaching in North Carolina, she drove to California and became a dealer at Caesars in Lake Tahoe. She discovered that after teaching high school, handling an unruly gambler was a piece of cake. Her mother highly disapproved of her working in a casino, “a place so bad it has ‘sin’ in the middle.”

Eventually, she succumbed to pressure from the family and returned east to take a hi-tech job in Boston. She also began working on her MFA in writing at Emerson. Her goal was to write the first realistic novel about casino life from the perspective of an experienced table games dealer. She is always amazed that normal and sometimes quite intelligent players become absolutely clueless in the casino. They repeat superstitious nonsense and no amount of logic can change their position, maybe her novel will.

While in Boston she was offered the opportunity to join Princess Cruises as a croupier. Jumping at the chance, she spent the next five years circling the globe. Sometimes life exceeds your dreams. She was awed by the wonders of Venice, the fjords of Norway, and the Northern Lights in St. Petersburg.

Cara returned from ships with a very special souvenir, her Scottish husband Ray. They went to work at the Spa Casino in Palm Springs, and now live in Hollywood, Florida, where she writes about her casino years while wistfully gazing out at the ocean.

She loves to connect with her readers. Please send her a picture with any or her work. She will post those pictures to social media.

mailto:carabertoia@yahoo.com

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