Lucy H. Delaney
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Sea Breeze by:

5/27/2015

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ABOUT SEA BREEZE: Jordan has never been in love, or been anywhere. Trapped in Vegas, she schleps drinks and dodges losers, while suffering under a burden only she can shoulder. Her life is an endless stretch of blah with no escape.


Until now.

Instead of looking back, she’s sailing forward.

Eric has left his family and friends in San Francisco to travel the world, tending bar on a cruise ship to fund his adventures. He can charm any coed who comes aboard, but Jordan sees right through him.

On the blue cobblestone streets of San Juan, everything changes. Food. Music. Exotic locations. Possibilities. Setting out to discover the world, will Jordan discover herself?

Sometimes, adventure can set you free…

EXCERPT
We make a little picnic on the grass, finding a place under the shade of a tree, and Eric


takes his button-down off for us to sit on, leaving him in only his undershirt. My, oh my, the man

has some nice shoulders.

He hands me a can of Medalla Light, this one a lot colder than the one I had earlier today,

and we dig in.

“Oh my Lord, what are these called again?”

He holds up a finger and finishes his mouthful before answering. “Alcapurria.”

“So good.” I take another bite of the fried fritter meaty goodness as Eric takes a sip of his

“What about the tostones? Do you like those? They’re pretty much a staple here. They

use plantains in a lot of cooking. The most famous dish is mofongo.”

I swallow a big bite of my savory pastry and respond. “Did we get any of that…mofongo

stuff?” I snag a couple of tostones, expecting sweet, given that they’re fried plantains, but they’re

“No. We didn’t get any mofongo because it’s more of a sit-down meal, in my opinion.”

“We are sitting down.”

“You know what I mean.” Eric takes another swig of his beer and rolls his shoulders.

“Yes, I like everything. At first, I thought the tostones were a little bland, but now I can’t

stop eating them.” I pop another in my mouth to make my point. “I guess I’ll try the mofongo

next time.”

Eric frowns as I take a sip of beer. “You keep saying next time, but we aren’t going to

dock here again on this trip. You know that, right?”

“Yes. But I also know that I’ll come back to Puerto Rico. There’s too much to see and do,

not to come back.” I finish the last bite of my meat fritter, and survey the food we still have left.

Eric quiets, staring at his skewer. I pick up the last pincho and start biting off deliciously

grilled pieces of chicken.

“Do you have—” The sound of drums right behind us interrupts Eric and almost makes

me drop my chicken.

Three different drummers tap out a hypnotizing rhythm, and the man in the middle starts

to sing. At the sound of his voice I turn back toward Eric and smile. He grins, and nods in the

direction of the musicians. “Bomba.”

We both stand at the same time and gather our trash, placing it in the can a few feet away.

I fold the rest of the fried plantains up in a napkin and place them in my bag. We take our beers

around to the other side of the grass to watch and listen.

The call and answer of the drums and the man’s voice causes me to sway as I stand there

listening. A crowd gathers, and I’m completely captivated.

“We’re going to have to start heading back soon.” Eric’s voice in my ear gives rise to a

shudder that runs through me. Maybe it’s the heat and the beer, although I’ve only had two. Or

maybe it’s this music, almost spiritual, yet extremely sensual. Whatever it is, the sound of his

masculine voice in my ear makes my stomach flip.

I look up at him as the drummers continue their intoxicating rhythm. He stands so close

to me, his shirt slung over one shoulder. His focus is on the musicians, but when he takes a sip of

his beer, he catches me staring, and his hand lowers to his side.

Our gazes lock for exactly sixteen seconds, the drum beats keeping count. Sixteen

seconds of blood pumping through my veins. Sixteen seconds of his gaze scrutinizing mine and

then shifting down to my lips. Sixteen seconds of wondering what his chest would feel like

against my bare breasts.

“It’s getting late, Jordan.” It’s only a murmur, and there’s no way I should’ve heard him,

so I must be reading his lips. He has nice lips.

He breaks eye contact and looks out over my head. We’re surrounded by people. He

wraps his fingers around my forearm and gently tugs me behind him and through the crowd. My

other hand easily finds his back, and I use it as a guide to follow him out.

As we make our way down the crowded street, Eric pulls his cell out of his pocket to read

a text. “Shit. We need to hurry.”

I quicken my pace to keep up with him. “Why? We still have an hour before we have to

be on board.”

“Actually, I need to be back and ready for work in forty-five minutes. My boss wants me

to fill in at Allure tonight, and I still need to get back, shower, and change. Come on.” Eric holds

out his hand, and we push through the crowd.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/jennifersenhaji

AUTHOR BIO:

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and have a husband and two children. Music is an addiction. I can often be found in the car, singing along at the top of my lungs to whatever is playing. I work full time, and I split my spare time between family, reading, blogging, and writing. I’m a habitual quoter. Lines from films and TV shows constantly pop into my head—my kids are the only ones that really get it. I’m an only child, and so of course I married a man who is one of ten children. Other than English, I speak Spanish, Moroccan, and a little French. I love to travel, but don’t do enough of it. Reading has been a passion for most of my life and I now love writing. I’m klutz, and in my own mind, I’m hilarious.


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Dangerous Reflections by: Shay West

5/24/2015

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Shay Wes't book Dangerous Reflections is by far one of the most unique looks at time travel that I have read. Not only has she incorporated a new mechanism for time travel, she kept the story true to its YA genre, with believable early high-school aged characters I could sympathize with and cheer on or boo at.

Alex, the main character comes across her new found time traveling powers at a pivotal point in her own personal life. She's in a new place, making new friends and dealing with family drama that tangles her up inside. Unlike so many YA novel's heroins, she's neither apathetic or vindictive but she may be a little on the whiny and victimized side of things. For the most part, she behaves as one would expect a typical straight A teen to behave in a similar situation. Her main circle of friends, too, were believable, though I feel they lacked enough physical description for me to fully embrace what they looked like. I especially liked the dynamic between Alex and Beau and, as a former nerd, completely understood Alex's motive in continuing to help him with his studies.

One of my personal favorite bits of this book was Alex's relationship with her mom. Unlike the emotionally unavailable mother that is prevalent in many YA novels, Alex and her mom, Patricia, do not have a perfect relationship but they have a functional one. Their relationship was plausible and Patricia had good healthy boundaries for her daughter to abide by. It was refreshing.

Onto the time travel. Wow! What an interesting concept. I absolutely love the fresh approach to time travel the author incorporates! It is intriguing and I'm eager to read more about Alex's amazing gift in the follow-up books, Twisted Reflections and Desperate Reflections. Being a tiny bit of a history buff, I appreciated the depth the author went to in describing the past times and places Alex was traveling to. Again I wish there were more colors, smells and physical descriptions to draw me into the places Alex traveled, but still I was thoroughly entertained.

The only thing I wish I could know more about were Drifter and Master, the villains. The two main malevolent characters lacked the development of the other characters. I feel like they are more a means to an end, they provided a crucial mission for Alex to embark on but, I felt, in and of themselves they lacked depth. I would have liked to know more about them both, but perhaps I will learn what I want to know in the final two books of the series.

Find all of Shay West's books on Amazon or visit her on line at: http://shay-west.com/


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Downcast by: Cait Reynolds

5/15/2015

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Buy Downcast Now on amazon!
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Downcast by Cait Reynolds is one of the best YA novels I've read in a long time, I can't wait for more from Cait and the Olympus Falling series.

Stephanie Star is an awkward high school senior with an overprotective mom and penchant for going unnoticed rather than stirring up the ire of the Gaggle and Goons, the “popular” cliques at Darby Field High. It has worked rather well her entire high school career until the new guys… the new, hot guys show up the first day of her senior year. Haley Smith, tall, dark, brooding and mysterious has eyes for no one but Stephanie. His equally attractive, albeit very different brother, Zach has taken a liking to her scientifically inclined friend, Helen.

The romantic tones and notions of the story are hot and steamy and made me want to reach through the pages and kiss Haley myself! As the story progresses Stephanie, with the help of her friends, unravel the mystery of her life, her mother and the new players in town. I felt a little like I had finally found a girl version of the Percy Jackson series, peppered with hot guys and amazing flirting that made me smile scandalously as I read.

I believe this is Cait's debut novel and I am totally impressed with her skills. It was well written, flowed nicely and the dialogue was completely believable. I loved it and look forward to more of Stephanie and Haley.



Cait Reynolds lives in Boston area with her husband and 4-legged fur child. She discovered her passion for writing early and has bugged her family and friends with it ever since. When she isn’t cooking delicious meals, running around the city, rock climbing like a boss, or enjoying the rooftop deck that brings her closer to the stars, she writes. Reynolds is able to pull from real life experiences such as her kidney transplant, and her writing reflects her passion for life from having to face the darkest  places and find the will to laugh. Find more about Cait online at:
http://caitreynolds.com/

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Roses are Red... Violet is Dead by Monica-Marie Vincent

5/8/2015

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Roses are Red … Violet is Dead by Monica-Marie Vincent reads like a typical teenaged horror story should. First there's the girl who unwittingly becomes the object of obsession. Then there's the family drama that keeps it interesting and gives the lead character, Violet, also known as Six, depth and reader sympathy. Next is the tight-knit but troubled clique of friends, because what teenaged horror story would be complete without a clique? And of course, it wouldn't be scary without a crazed psycho-killer on the loose.

The book's fast pace and quick tempo kept my head in the story from the very first ominous text Violet received. That was a good thing because had it read any slower the dysfunction within the central clique would have really gotten to me. Luckily the action moved me from one scene to the next quickly and fluidly so I didn't have too much time to over analyze the dynamics of the friendships all that much. The dialogue was much more difficult for me to wade through. I feel like all of the character conversations were riddled with overused cliches and puns that got old after only a few chapters. Again if it hadn't been for the pace of the story it would have driven me crazy but I was unable to roll my eyes and give up because I wanted to know what would happen next.

Despite my frustrations, and to be fair to the story, I have to say, the book is filled with little jewels I truly appreciated. While it would have been easy for the author to keep it totally cliched, she spoke to some real and relevant issues teenaged kids face these days. The story shed light on the dangers of texting and driving and gave readers a feel and understanding for what it's like to be a victim on the other end of the accident. More than that the story was sprinkled with alternatives to texting while driving. I applaud the author for speaking up on a difficult but relevant issue.

All in all it was exactly what I'd expect from a story in this genre and then some because of the author's boldness in speaking out against a real-world problem in the lives of teenagers these days. I openly admit this genre isn't my cup of tea and so my review should be taken with a grain of salt.



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Monica-Marie Vincent writes Young Adult novels about troubled teens and even more troubled parents. She currently lives in Sacramento, CA although she would rather be in her home town of San Francisco. Thanks to her very put upon husband Monica-Marie is always well stocked with coffee, Diet Coke, and Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos, so she wouldn't have to move away from her writerly lair to do mundane things like shopping.
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Under the Squatting Eagle by: Dennis Fishel - Author Interview

4/17/2015

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 Tell us about your book 
 Under the Squatting Eagle is a tale based on the travails of working in the blue collar world.  Anyone who's ever been trapped in a blue-collar job, particularly one involving public service, probably has had enough in the way of similar tribulations to fill a book of their own.  My experiences covered thirty-six years with the U.S. Postal Service which provided plenty of fertile ground for a book of 3,000 pages if I'd had the energy to write it.  

What inspired you to write the story? 
Inspiration for "Squatting..." came from my wife, Arleen, who'd listened to my frequent bellowings over a great many workplace incidents and thought I should write about them.  I balked at the idea at first; there had been so many negative events during my career, which spanned the era of post office shootings, that I simply wanted to erase my work life from the map of a day's events and ease into a lazy after-hours mindset.  We were all looking over our shoulders back then, waiting for the day the pressures of the place--which were many--might drive one of our workmates over the edge.  But Arleen convinced me that I should try to look at the smaller frustrations of the unique USPS environment through the squinted eyes of raucous laughter rather than the reddened eyes of rage.  She was right, of course, as was her message that the important aspects of life are found not on the smoky battlefields of our professional lives, but within the fortresses of our private realms where those we hold most dear reside. 

Is this your first work of fiction? If not, please tell us a little about your first book/series.
Under the Squatting Eagle
is my second published book.  The first, a young adult novel titled Russell's Revenge, was released by Dragonon in 2005.  Dragonon was a start-up conventional publisher who, unfortunately, didn't last long.  Rights to the book were returned to me in 2008.  I took another look at it, didn't like what I saw, and it will soon reappear under Booktrope's banner, much revised and re-titled The Bully and Emily Dickinson.  A sequel to TB & ED exists in outline form which I hope to have ready within a year or so, no later than summer 2016 if all goes well.

Who is your primary audience for series?  
Under the Squatting Eagle
is a one-time effort targeting adults looking for a laugh.  While my YA effort, The Bully and Emily Dickinson, will hopefully have the sequel I've outlined, I'm not really a series writer--at least not yet.  But then I do have to consider the experience of crime novel author Jack Kerley, who once told me he didn't want to do anymore books based on the two detective protagonists his publisher, Dutton, had insisted he use in his first three-book contract.  To date, he's written eleven novels with those same characters, Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus.  The message in Jack's journey appears to be that an ongoing series can be a venue for creating a loyal following, and you've got to go with what works; Carson and Harry have become two of Jack's best friends, even if they only exist in Jack's fertile mind and on the printed page.

Please tell us about yourself.
Well, let's see--I'm a native Northwesterner, a very lucky situation for me as I've always been in love with this region not simply because it's home, but because of its diversity of climate, terrain, and people.  I even like the rain.  During the Vietnam War I decided the best way to dodge the Draft was to enlist.  That tactic worked to perfection and I wound up serving four years with the Air Force prior to returning to the Postal Service.  My wife Arleen and I were married far too young, but she managed somehow to put up with me for forty-two years.  I treasure her memory.  We had one son, who is currently a businessman living in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and my three grandchildren.  

Have you been writing for a long time?
 I've been hacking away at this dream of gaining literary relevance far too long, but I can't seem to help it.  It all started in the mid-1970's with a particularly awful novel a friend lent me which later became a made-for-television movie--also awful but probably lucrative for the author.  I figured if that writer could do it, there was no reason I couldn't.  There were initially many reasons I couldn't, of course, the first being a complete lack of knowledge as to how to put a story together.  But several creative writing classes resulted in a few successful magazine articles, which were enough of a dangled carrot to keep me pounding away at it.  I imagine I'll continue writing as long as I'm vertical.  It's just too much fun to consider quitting.

 How much time per week do you spend writing/editing your work?
I don't really follow a writing schedule, although most successful authors recommend that practice.  A shaky guess would be that I'm involved in the composition segment of the process at least twenty hours per week, but I'm quick to back away if my mood isn't right and what I'm turning out is enough to make me gag.  Editing is another story.  Once I reach "The End" the first time around, I carry the manuscript everywhere I go and plod through it every free moment, looking for better ways to write each sentence but still somehow managing to miss typos--which means I must do it again--and again...  It may be a mania of some type, but I know I'll still find things I'd like to change in "Squatting..." next time I shuffle through it.  So maybe I should just leave it on the shelf and be glad someone liked it well enough to publish it.

What are you working on at the moment?
I've spread my efforts over three genres, adult humor, young adult fiction, and now mainstream mystery.  I began the novel I'm working on now several years ago with only a locale in which I wished to stage the story and a character type I wanted for my protagonist in mind.  Four hundred pages later, I'm still wrestling with plot issues and the intricate details of just how a small town police force approaches dealing with a serial killer, given their smaller budget, skeletal workforce, etc.  Accuracy and detail are important factors, so I've interviewed one detective already and plan to do so again when I think I have all my questions listed.  After this book is finished, it will be back to YA--maybe.  We'll see.  Whatever the project, though, writing it will be an absolute hoot.

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