Showing posts with label Chick Lit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chick Lit. Show all posts

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Cover Crush: Summer at the Garden Cafe by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Historical Fiction Reader
, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....




Isn't this a great cover to sort of wrap up the summer months? It has so many components I find eye-catching: an old, musty book, a beautifully decorated china cup and saucer, and a fuzzy yet bright and GORGEOUS landscape of what I can only guess is somewhere in Britain. It's just bright and full of promise!

Keep reading to find out what readers have in store when they turn this cover over and start reading the story behind it....


A heart-warming story about secrets between four generations of women and the healing power of books, love and friendship.

The Garden Café, in the town of Lissbeg on Ireland's Finfarran Peninsula, is a place where plans are formed and secrets shared ...
But Jazz - still reeling from her father's disclosures about the truth of his marriage to her mother, Hanna - has more on her mind than the comings and goings at the café. Now isolated from friends and family and fixating on her new job at a local guesthouse, she's started to develop feelings for a man who is strictly off limits . . .
Meanwhile Hanna, Lissbeg's librarian, is unaware of the turmoil in her daughter's life - until her ex-husband Malcolm makes an appearance and she begins to wonder if the secrets she's carried for him might have harmed Jazz more than she'd realised.

As things heat up in Lissbeg, can the old book Hanna finds buried in her own clifftop garden help Jazz?



Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede



Thursday, June 28, 2018

Cover Crush (Summertime Edition): Secrets in Summer by Nancy Thayer

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at
Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

For the month of June I've decided to gear my Cover Crushes towards all things Summer. I just can't think of much else right now and each of the covers I'll share this month will make you long to dip your toes in the water as much as I do!

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....
 
 
 
 
Can't you just feel the wind whipping through your hair?? This is such a pretty picture, with the lovely-dressed woman on her pink bike with her basket full of brightly-colored flowers! And that blue sky...not a cloud to taint the day. This looks like my ideal vacation spot and I very much wish I could just climb right in!
 
Let's see what summer secrets this story is hiding....
 
 
The queen of beach books (The Star-Ledger) returns to the shores of Nantucket in a novel about one memorable summer when flirtations flourish, family dramas play out, and scandalous secrets surface.

Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It s also Darcy s chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow.

Darcy must also navigate the highs and lows of a new romantic relationship with local carpenter Nash Forester even as she becomes smitten with handsome vacationer Clive Rush, a musicologist in town to write a book and visit family. And she finds herself pulled into the concerns of Boyz, Autumn, a charming elderly neighbor, and an at-risk teen.

As the season nears its end, Darcy must decide her next move: retreating to the comforts of her steady and secure island life, or risking it all for a chance at true happiness. 


Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired




Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Cover Crush (Summertime Edition): The House on Mermaid Point by Wendy Wax

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at
Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

For the month of June I've decided to gear my Cover Crushes towards all things Summer. I just can't think of much else right now and each of the covers I'll share this month will make you long to dip your toes in the water as much as I do!

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....
 
 
 
 
There isn't anything that I DON'T love about this cover! The view from that porch is obviously breathtaking and I can so picture myself sitting right there with a book and a glass of wine. I love the pop of color in the pin shirt/scarf (not sure what it is) and the overlapping palm tree in the corner. This cover just screams "Florida Beach Vacation!" and I'm all for it!
 
You might ask "What's going on at Mermaid Point", so.... 
 
 
Maddie, Avery, and Nikki first got to know one another—perhaps all too well—while desperately restoring a beachfront mansion to its former grandeur. Now they’re putting that experience to professional use. But their latest project has presented some challenges they couldn’t have dreamed up in their wildest fantasies—although the house does belong to a man who actually was Maddie’s wildest fantasy once. . . .

Rock-and-roll legend “William the Wild” Hightower may be past his prime, estranged from his family, and creatively blocked, but he’s still worshiped by fans—which is why he guards his privacy on his own island in the Florida Keys. He’s not thrilled about letting this crew turn his piece of paradise into a bed-and-breakfast for a reality show . . . though he is intrigued by Maddie. Hard as that is for her to believe as a newly single woman who can barely manage a dog paddle in the dating pool.

But whether it’s an unexpected flirtation with a bona fide rock star, a strained mother-daughter relationship, or a sudden tragedy, these women are in it together. The only thing that might drive them apart is being trapped on a houseboat with one bathroom. . . .
 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired




Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Cover Crush (Summertime Edition): The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at
Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.
 
For the month of June I've decided to gear my Cover Crushes towards all things Summer. I just can't think of  much else right now and each of the covers I'll share this  month will make you long to dip your toes in the water as much as I do!

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....
 
 
 
 
In edition to the lovely sand and sea this cover adds a little bit of drama, with these two beach beauties gossiping close together. What could they be whispering about with such a pristine view? I'm not sure but I'd love to be on that beach with them hearing for myself!
 
What rumor could they be spreading, hmm....
 

Madeline King and Grace Pancik are best friends and the envy of Nantucket for their perfect marriages, their beautiful kids, their Sunday night double dates with their devoted husbands. But this summer, something's changed, and if there's anything Nantucket likes better than cocktails on the beach at sunset, it's a good rumor.

And rumor has it...

...that Madeline, a novelist, is battling writer's block, with a deadline looming, bills piling up, and blank pages driving her to desperation--and a desperately bad decision;

...that Grace, hard at work to transform her backyard into a garden paradise, has been collaborating a bit more closely than necessary with her ruggedly handsome landscape architect;

...that Grace's husband, successful island real estate developer "Fast Eddie" Pancik, has embarked on quite an unusual side project;

...that the storybook romance between Madeline's son, Brick, and Grace's daughter Allegra is on the rocks, heading for disaster.

As the gossip escalates, and they face the possible loss of the happy lives they've worked so hard to create, Grace and Madeline try mightily to set the record straight--but the truth might be even worse than rumor has it.


Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired




Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Cover Crush (Summertime Edition): The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at
Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

For the month of June I've decided to gear my Cover Crushes towards all things Summer. I just can't think of  much else right now and each of the covers I'll share this  month will make you long to dip your toes in the water as much as I do!

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....
 
 
 
 
I'm pretty sure I have a tote bag (or five!) that look very similar to this one and I know for sure I've got sunglasses that I'd like to hang off the end of any of them! This cover just screams warmth and wind and sea gulls calling to you from above, doesn't it?! I love the little crab at the bottom as well. All in all a very inviting picture!
 
Let's read the synopsis to see what beach-side fun readers can expect from this read....
 
 
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Weekenders comes a delightful new novel about new love, old secrets, and the kind of friendship that transcends generations.

When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.

The High Tide Club is Mary Kay Andrews at her Queen of the Beach Reads best, a compelling and witty tale of romance thwarted, friendships renewed, justice delivered, and true love found.
 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired




Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede
 
 

Friday, May 25, 2018

The Tip of My Wish List: Summer Lovin'

If you're anything like me you've got a book wish list so long there is no way you will ever be able to read through it all. And, on top of that, it's never ending because you just can't stop adding more books to it! To try and organize myself I'm sharing 5 books from my wish list that I'm most excited to get to, usually with a common theme, on the last Friday of each month. I know a number of excellent bloggers who will be doing similar posts and I'll be sure to link to their posts as well so you can see all the goodies we're excited about and, hopefully, add a few new books to your own wish list. I'll also link the titles to Goodreads where you can read reviews and find the various ways to purchase a copy of the books if they sound like your style. I really hope you enjoy and let me know if you've read any of these or have others you would add to the list.
 
Now that May is almost over and I live in Florida I'm really feeling like it's officially Summer Season for me. Whenever it starts getting hot like this my mind starts wandering to "beach reads" - whether that means a page-turning thriller, fun chick lit, or a book with actual beach feels - and so I've decided to share 5 "beach reads" I'm now wanting to grab up and take to the shore this month. Does anyone else have these on their summer reading lists?
 
 
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One woman is about to discover everything she believes-knows-to be true about her life...isn't.


After hitting her head, Lucy Sparks awakens in the hospital to a shocking revelation: the man she's known and loved for years-the man she recently married-is not actually her husband. In fact, they haven't even spoken since their breakup four years earlier. The happily-ever-after she remembers in vivid detail-right down to the dress she wore to their wedding-is only one example of what her doctors call a false memory: recollections Lucy's mind made up to fill in the blanks from the coma.

Her psychologist explains the condition as honest lying, because while Lucy's memories are false, they still feel incredibly real. Now she has no idea which memories she can trust-a devastating experience not only for Lucy, but also for her family, friends and especially her devoted boyfriend, Matt, whom Lucy remembers merely as a work colleague.

When the life Lucy believes she had slams against the reality she's been living for the past four years, she must make a difficult choice about which life she wants to lead, and who she really is.



The Stranger


In the hushed hours of the night a woman is taken by the sea.


Was it a tragic accident? Or should the residents of Penhallow have been more careful about whom they invited in?

In the midst of war three women arrive seeking safety at Penhallow Hall.

Each is looking to escape her past.

But one of them is not there by choice.

As the threat of invasion mounts and the nightly blackouts feel longer and longer, tensions between the close-knit residents rise until dark secrets start to surface.

And no one can predict what their neighbour is capable of . . .

In a house full of strangers, who do you trust?



The Baby Plan


In The Lizzie Bennet Diaries creator Kate Rorick’s first adult fiction novel, we enter the wild, bewildering world of modern pregnancies. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll shake your head as you wonder where everyone’s sanity went...


Meet the mothers…

Nathalie Kneller: Nathalie’s plan: to announce her pregnancy now that she’s finally made it past twelve weeks! But just as she’s about to deliver (so to speak) the big news to her family, her scene-stealing sister barfs all over the Thanksgiving centerpiece. Yup, Lyndi’s pregnant too, swiping the spotlight once more…

Lyndi Kneller: Lyndi’s plan: finally get her life together! She’s got a new apartment, new promotion, new boyfriend. What she didn’t count on—a new baby! She can barely afford her rent, much less a state-of-the-art stroller…

Sophia Nunez: Sophia’s plan: Once she gets her daughter Maisey off to college, she’ll finally be able to enjoy life as make-up artist to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and girlfriend to one of rock’s hottest musicians. But after 18 years she discovers the stork is once again on its way…

Now these women are about to jump headlong into the world of modern day pregnancy. It’s a world of over the top gender reveal parties (with tacky cakes and fireworks); where every morsel you eat is scrutinized and discussed; where baby names are crowd-sourced and sonograms are Facebook-shared. And where nothing goes as planned...



Something in the Water


A shocking discovery on a honeymoon in paradise changes the lives of a picture-perfect couple in this taut psychological thriller debut--for readers of Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Shari Lapena.


If you could make one simple choice that would change your life forever, would you?

Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water. . . .

Could the life of your dreams be the stuff of nightmares?

Suddenly the newlyweds must make a dangerous choice: to speak out or to protect their secret. After all, if no one else knows, who would be hurt? Their decision will trigger a devastating chain of events. . . .

Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?

Wonder no longer. Catherine Steadman's enthralling voice shines throughout this spellbinding debut novel. With piercing insight and fascinating twists, Something in the Water challenges the reader to confront the hopes we desperately cling to, the ideals we're tempted to abandon, and the perfect lies we tell ourselves.



 A Noise Downstairs


The New York Times bestselling author of No Time for Goodbye returns with a haunting psychological thriller that blends the twists and turns of Gillian Flynn with the driving suspense of Harlan Coben, in which a man is troubled by odd sounds for which there is no rational explanation.


College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That’s when Paul’s "normal" existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriter—complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keys—to encourage him to get started on that novel he’s always intended to write.

However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it’s possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn’t hear a thing. And she worries he’s going off the rails.

Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killer—could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself.

But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. . . .


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 Check out these lovely blogs for more books to add to your wish list(updated as they become available):



Holly at 2 Kids and Tired
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Magdalena at A Bookish Swede
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Spotlight on Intomesee: In Pursuit of a Passionate Life by Maha Erwin


Publisher: Maha Erwin
Pub. Date: June 29th, 2016
Pages: 257

Genre: Women's Fiction / Chick Lit


What if you brought bad karma into the bedroom? To turn your awful luck into awesome, everything must change, including you, your lover and your habits.


Aimée Fitzgerald is naturally blessed with the unique combination of beauty and brains but, much to her chagrin, she’s cursed with being single and unlucky in love. Experiencing many failed relationships, her New Year’s resolution is to rejoice in her singlehood. She pushes well past her comfort zone in the heart of San Francisco, the birthplace of free love.

When she lures a supremely narcissistic colleague to her Victorian “pink lady” home, expecting no more than a few hours of guiltless fun, their binge-crazed one-nighter takes a turn for the worse. Haunted by the bleak aftermath, she drowns her sorrows in a lethal cocktail of quick fixes.

On a mission to lift her spirits, her lifelong friend, Kasey Moore, escorts Aimée to an extravagant launch party promoting the libido-enhancing drug Intomesee. She falls madly in lust with the gutsy and charming host, Salvatore Rossi, whom goes by the name Matador. He isn’t exactly the poster boy of fidelity, but his zest for la dolce vita offsets his blatant disregard for the unspoken rules of dating. No stranger to the pleasure principle, Matador introduces Aimée to alternative expressions of intimacy, all the while painting her gloomy life passionately red.

Will Matador break down Aimée’s guard, curing her fears of rejection and betrayal? Or will she tumble deeper into her existential crisis? If she snubs his advances, she might follow in her mother’s footsteps, trapped in a sex-starved marriage, feeling underappreciated and overwhelmed. Did she overlook any other options to reclaim her autonomy and dignity? The answers lie within a liberating journey, which demands all her imagination, resourcefulness, and trickery.


Praise for Intomesee



"Intomesee is true to the old-time raunchy spirit of San Francisco, neither predictable nor puritanical. The humor is totally one-of-a-kind Maha-Erwin – quirky, offbeat, and satirical. You will be hooked! And you will be laughing… hard! The characters are so real and likable, reading it I kept feeling as if I could find them sitting around my local café. Aimee is not your mother’s strong female protagonist. ; ) She’s real, flawed, colorful, and has a heart of gold. I think this book teaches perseverance, sassiness, and above all, to be true to your heart. And it will no doubt jump-start more than a few marriages! Every young woman has a bit of Aimee in her, and many navigate their romance path along a zigzag past one or two Matadors. You find yourself rooting for Aimee all the way through. And frequently doubled over crying from laughing." – Amazon Reviewer




"If you’re looking for a different kind of chick lit, look no further. Aimee has a unique balance of emotional grit, common sense, and foolishness uncommon among the main characters of the genre. The layered storylines are unpredictable but keep you thinking about your own life, the mistakes you’ve made along the way, and how you pushed through to change the circumstances you willfully created." – Goodreads Reviewer

Buy the Book



About the Authors



Maha Erwin are wife and husband writers. Born travelers possessed by wanderlust, they met during a two-month safari from Cape Town to Nairobi in 2010. Friends and strangers alike encouraged them to write the story of how they fell in love, but only years later did they dream up a somewhat romanticized version of their coming together, immersing themselves into the magical world of
fiction. Producers and directors at the 2013 American Film Market were raving about their indie film script but expressed serious words of warning: without attaching a bestselling novel, financing it would be impossible. Maha Erwin accepted the challenge and morphed into aspiring novelists. While gallivanting around the globe, the seeds of creative stories continued to grow, blossoming into deliciously funny flowers. By 2016, the page count of their chick lit series exploded sevenfold from the original 120-page screenplay. Much of their inspiration is derived from the quirky and unforgettable moments they experienced during their extended stays in wild Amsterdam, exotic Bangkok, civilized Belgrade, beautiful Cape Town, tropical Miami, bustling New York City, luxurious Punta del Este, cultural Rome, stylish San Francisco, jungle-covered Siam Reap, culinary Sicily, beachy Split, and spiritual Ubud. Next year, they will host intensive writers’ retreats in the Czech Republic - to pluck aspiring writers out of their world full of distractions, and to immerse them into a little bubble, floating around forested trails, tranquil lake shores, and sunny terraces.

Learn more about Maha Erwin on their website, and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can also get a taste of their travels in the video below:






Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Review: The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen


Publisher: Washington Square Press
Pub. Date: July 5th, 2016
Pages: 352


How well do you ever really know the family next door?


Bucolic Newport Cove, where spontaneous block parties occur on balmy nights and all of the streets are named for flowers, is proud of its distinction of being named one the top twenty safest neighborhoods in the US. It’s also one of the most secret-filled.

Kellie Scott has just returned to work after a decade of being a stay-at-home mom. She’s adjusting to high heels, scrambling to cook dinner for her family after a day at the office—and soaking in the dangerous attention of a very handsome, very married male colleague. Kellie’s neighbor Susan Barrett begins every day with fresh resolutions: she won’t eat any carbs, she’ll go to bed at a reasonable hour, and she’ll stop stalking her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Gigi Kennedy seems to have it all together—except her teenage daughter has turned into a hostile stranger and her husband is running for Congress, which means her old skeletons are in danger of being brought into the light.

Then a new family moves to this quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac. Tessa Campbell seems friendly enough to the other mothers, if a bit reserved. Then the neighbors notice that no one is ever invited to Tessa’s house. And soon, it becomes clear that Tessa is hiding the biggest secret of all.


What Did I Think About the Story?



I became a lifelong fan of Sarah Pekkanen after reading her first novel, The Opposite of Me, and have since gotten every book she's written when it comes out (you can read my reviews of most of them here: The Best of Us, These Girls, All is Bright, Love, Accidentally, Beginning Again). Any fan will tell you that Sarah has an astounding ability to really make you feel for her characters, and to present stories filled with both humor and heartache in a style all her own. I haven't read a story by her yet that I didn't love, including her newest The Perfect Neighbors.

The overriding feeling I kept going back to as I read The Perfect Neighbors was the fact that these women and their neighbors felt more real than a lot of my own neighbors do! I could completely picture myself grabbing a drink with Kellie, Susan, Gigi, and Tessa as we talked about what was going on in our lives (or most of it) and laughed at the curmudgeonly old neighbor to one side and the gossipy busybody to the other. It got to the point that I found myself wanting to reach in and shake them when I saw them going down a dangerous path or hug them when they hurt. I absolutely loved these women and was able to find something of myself, even if just a little, in each one and the struggles they individually tried to work through.   

I'm still not sure how Sarah Pekkanen does it, but she took me once again on an emotional rollercoaster that had me laughing one minute and  sniffling the next. Not only do these women make you laugh at times (especially Kelly and Gigi), but most chapters begin with these quick Listserv email strands from various neighbors that I found so funny...and so like something I would be reading if we had that service in my neighborhood! But interspersed with the comical parts of this story are some pretty heavy subject matters, all dealt with in very real and tender ways. Across the story we see these women grapple with insecurities, infidelities, and a wide range of concerns for their children, from the normal issues that come as children grow to possible abuse. Any parent will get a little hitch in their heart as these women and their husbands try to do everything they can for their families, sometimes with unexpected consequences, both good and very, very bad.

It's probably time for me to stop fangirling over this novel and its wonderful author, but I know I won't be able to forget about these women for a while (maybe we can see them show back up in a short story? Huh? Please?!). If you haven't already, pick up Sarah Pekkanen's novels. I cherish each one I've read.


What Did I Think About the Cover?



I really like it. First off, pink happens to be my favorite color, so that combined with the vibrant green makes it eye-catching to me. Secondly, since the story is about what is really going on behind these neighbors' closed doors, the idea of someone peeking into that secrecy is fitting (although that doesn't actually happen in the story and I can't imagine our women being that sneaky). Finally (and something that means a lot to my whacky sometimes-OCD brain), the fact that all the covers of Sarah's books compliment each other and look good together on my shelves is a plus.


My Rating: 5.0/5.0



I won a paperback copy of The Perfect Neighbors (thank you Kathy Nolan and Sarah Pekkanen!) All opinions expressed in my review are my honest and unbiased opinions.
 
 
You can find more information and reviews of the book, as well as information regarding where to purchase a copy, on Goodreads.
 
 


Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Guest Post by Jason Pomerance, Author of Women Like Us


Doing guest posts and interviews with authors has quickly become one of my favorite kinds of posts to do here at A Literary Vacation (following closely behind reviews, which will always be my favorite!). Mr. Pomerance's post, however, includes a first for me: a recipe associated with the book (and might I add it sounds DELICIOUS)! Please enjoy the guest post below and continue on after for more information about Women Like Us and it's author. 
 
 
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In my novel Women Like Us, Susan Jones is a chef who has logged many years on the line in hot, chaotic restaurant kitchens. Her former mother-in-law Edith Vale, another major character in the book, is not the world's best cook. Edie, an old-school Pasadena Matron, has usually either had someone cook for her or she dines out. However, there was one dish Edie was famous for, and although she was famous for it nearly forty years earlier there comes a time in the book when she's called on to make it again. What is this dish? It's Hobo Steak, which was a popular entree at Chasen's restaurant in Los Angeles.

Here's a little history on Chasen's, which sat at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Doheny Drive. In its heyday, Chasen's, founded by Dave Chasen and run with his wife Maude, was a busy celebrity haunt, popular with the likes of, among many others, Elizabeth Taylor and Ronald Reagan. In fact Taylor famously had Chasen's chili flown in to her on the Italian set of Cleopatra! Sadly, the restaurant, which had been in business for decades, finally folded in 1995. I was lucky enough to have dined at Chasen's once just before the closure -- it was a birthday dinner and there was a pretty big group, and while we had a reservation, the place was so packed once they announced the closure that we had to wait in the bar for a good long time before we got to the table. Naturally, copious amounts of cocktails were enjoyed, and so I barely even remember the food. But I do know that I ordered Hobo Steak!

So what is Hobo Steak? It's basically a New York Strip that's broiled in a salt crust, which seals in the juices. The steak is then sliced thinly, swirled in hot butter and served on toast. But the best part of Hobo Steak is the second part of the recipe, because it's traditionally done table-side in a chafing dish! This kind of table-side service is very rare these days (I know it still exists at Melvyn's, a great old-school haunt in Palm Springs, California, so if you're ever in Palm Springs, definitely hit up Melvyn's). Luckily you can make Hobo Steak at home. Here's how.
 
 
Hobo Steak
(recipe inspired by the late-Chasen's)
Serves 2



1 New York strip steak, about 1/1/2 inches thick and about 3/4 pound
3 slices good bacon (At Chasen's they'd use beef fat, but bacon's easier to find)
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup water (more if needed)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 or more thick slices sourdough bread, toasted


1) Preheat broiler. Set oven rack so it's about 4-5 inches below broiler. Wrap steak with slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Combine kosher salt and water to make a thick paste (add a little water of smaller amount if not enough).

2) Place steak on broiling pan. Mound salt paste over steak to cover it completely. Broil about 10 minutes. Remove from oven -- the salt topping will now be browned and crusty. Carefully lift it off, turn the steak and place the crust back on top. Return the steak to the oven. Broil another 10 minutes.

3) If you're using a chafing dish, light the flame underneath it. (You can also do the next steps in a skillet on the stove). Remove and discard salt crust. Remove and discard bacon and toothpicks. Cut steaks into thin slices.

4) In hot chafing dish or skillet melt butter. When sizzling, add steak slices. Swirl them in the hot butter. Toss in parsley. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place steak slices on toast, drizzle with hot butter and serve!
 
 
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Publisher: Quill
Pub. Date: July 26th, 2016
Pages: 310
 
Genre: Women's Fiction/Chicklit/Contemporary Fiction


Susan Jones, a brash and ballsy chef who hopscotches from one demanding restaurant job to the next, was barely in her twenties when she married and had a son, Henry. But after her marriage to Andrew fell apart, she ceded most of the raising of the baby to her mother-in-law, the very opinionated Edith Vale, a woman as formidable and steely as her stiff blond bouffant, the veritable helmet that helps her soldier through life. Now, after letting Henry drift away, Susan is determined to make things right. But just as mother and son seem to make headway after embarking on a cross-country road trip, things take a dark turn. When the family reconvenes in California, everybody must fight to find courage and humor in the face of a situation that threatens to change them all forever.
 
 

About the Author

 

Jason Pomerance was born in New York City, raised in Westchester County and graduated from
Middlebury College. He lives in Los Angeles with his partner and their beagles. He has written film and television projects for numerous studios and production companies, including Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures, Fremantle Media and Gold Circle Films. Women Like Us is his first novel.
 

 

 

Buy the Book

 
 



Thursday, November 12, 2015

Spotlight on A Story of Like: A Decidedly Unromantic Romance Novel by Courtney Clark



He's every woman's idea of the perfect man: a middle income job, a receding hair line that only Mr. Clean would envy, and a body fit for the beer Olympics.

Who could resist?

Meet Addison Anderson. Although Addy is happy with her life—she has a job she loves, family and friends who support her, and her very own sidekicks in her neurotic Superdog named Lola and a nefarious looking cat named Moustachio—she’s missing the one thing that every girl wants, a plus one to couple's game night. Enter Charlie. Not exactly the man of her romantic fantasies, Addy is quick to put him in the friend zone, but as he rapidly becomes an invaluable part of her life, Addy must make a big decision: which is more important, that elusive spark or someone to share her life with? Join Addy on her comic voyage as she discovers that not every story is a story of love, sometimes it's a story of like.


5 Star Reviews of A Story of Like


Comfy Reading
Hello...Chick Lit
Readers' Favorite
HeySaidRenee

 

Buy the Book


Amazon
Barnes and Noble

 

About the Author



Besides aspiring to use wit and, yes, sometimes sarcastic comments to write comedy gold, Courtney
Clark is a proud pet parent to two awesomely neurotic dogs, a book nerd, a tattoo enthusiast, and her parents' favorite child (just don't tell her brother that).


You can learn more about Courtney Clark and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.












 

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Guest Post and Sneak Peek of Fifth Avenue Fidos by Holly Schindler

 
 
 
Publication Date: March 20th, 2015
354 pages
 
 

Ever feel like a dog? I mean a real mutt. Mable did…until she realized she was the princess starring in her own fairy tale.
 
 
Mable Barker, a frizzy-haired mongrel from Queens with no real life direction, is never going to snag a man like Jason Mead, a purebred Upper East Side veterinarian. Besides, the shy but adorable Dr. Mead’s awkward ways around women have him dreaming not of finding love for himself but of playing canine matchmaker—breeding blue ribbon champions.

Jason’s first breeding attempt yields Innis, Fifth Avenue’s snarliest Pekingese. A dog whose temperament, it appears, will never fit show-dog standards…until he meets Mable, whom Jason hires as a dog walker.

Could Mable actually have what it takes to handle Innis and Jason? Can three imperfect beings ever come together to create utter perfection at the Westminster Dog Show—and beyond? Will Mable and Jason ever trust their feelings, allow love to be unleashed?

Fifth Avenue Fidos offers a deceptively simple tale that is both a sweet romantic comedy and a satirical look at modern relationships. A smart exploration of the fairy tale promise of a one-size-fits-all happily ever after—and a heartwarming story of love and dreams in dog-eat-dog NYC.
 
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FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS does focus primarily on Mable and Jason—and Innis. On their journey toward realizing that what makes us all beautiful are our deviations from the norm—the things that don’t quite fit “conformation show” standards—those quirks that make us unique.
 
But FIDOS is actually two books in one. Running side-by-side with Mable and Jason’s story, the reader is treated to a modern-day fairy tale. Each time we hit a new major section or turning point in Mable and Jason’s story, we pause for a moment to catch up with Princess Rosy, who functions as Mable’s fairy tale alter ego. These short Princess Rosy sections offer running commentary on Mable’s own story as it unfolds, and push FIDOS beyond the ordinary sweet, simple romantic comedy, giving the book its satirical slant.
 
Rosy’s sections use the conventions of the fairy tale to address changing social values. Right now, more Americans than ever are staying single; more Americans are supportive of same-sex marriages. We’re in the midst of revising what happily ever after means. Right now, happily ever after is in no way one-size-fits-all. And the Rosy sections allowed me to address that—to ask the reader to think about what happily ever after means for them. Sure, sometimes a happy ending involves a traditional love match. Other times, it involves (as we see in Rosy’s sections) a brachycephalic dragon.
 
In all honesty, the Princess Rosy sections were great fun for me to write. I really just let it fly—let myself have an absolute blast with them. Most times, when you’re enjoying a project that much, it becomes something your readers enjoy right along with you. Hopefully, that will be the case with FIDOS.
 
The following is from the first “Princess Rosy” section in FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS:
 
Once Upon a Time.....
 
Once upon a time, in a magical metropolitan kingdom, Princess Rosalind lived on the top floor of a high-rise tower in the Frog District. Oh, but don’t start pitying the not-so-fair (in truth, her complexion was more medium-beige) young maiden; she wasn’t being held captive. She hadn’t been banished to the tower by an evil queen who was jealous of her beauty (again, in truth, “beauty” was not a word often associated with Princess Rosy). Nor had she been betrothed to a prince who’d rejected her with the swift and unrelenting judgment of a Twitter troll.
No, Rosy had not befallen some grim fate. It just so happened that towers were part of life for all the princesses in this magical metropolitan kingdom. In this land, every father was a king, every wife a queen, every child a prince or princess. And upon her sixteenth birthday, each princess was placed in the safety of a glass-topped tower, where she was also on display (either like a new pair of Louboutin shoes or baked goods about to expire, depending on your point of view).
Princes, by contrast, were allowed to move freely on the streets below. They were living their lives, exploring their interests and passions, driving too fast and drinking too much—until they grew tired of the constantly-dizzy feeling of thrill seeking, and happened to glance up, at the myriad of princesses they could call their very own.
 
A few boys waved at our princess; she did, after all, have the friendliest face of any of the princesses in their glass towers. But in reality, Ronald McDonald was blessed with a friendly face, too, and did you ever hear of anyone scaling the side of a high-rise tower to proclaim their undying love for him?
"Right.”
…As time passes, Rosy watches princes call other princesses down from their towers. Unchosen, growing discouraged, Rosy becomes infatuated with the bridges of the magical kingdom. She fantasizes about where they might lead. Slowly, her ideas of what is expected of a princess begin to evolve. Instead of waiting on a prince to free her from the glass top of her tower, she looks at her own feet—which happen to work just fine, thank you very much. And glances once more at the bridges, which appear to have no stipulation about who may cross them. And she asks herself, “What the freak am I waiting for?”
 
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Take the journey! Find out what happens when Mable crosses the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan in pursuit of her dreams—and what happens to Princess Rosy as she also begins to explore the bridges in her magical metropolitan kingdom.

 

Praise for Fifth Avenue Fidos

 
“A fun and funny read with adorable, quirky characters of both the human and four-legged variety. Readers who love dogs, romance, and fairytale endings will be charmed by this book.” – Author Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
 

About the Author

 
Holly Schindler is the author of four traditionally published books; her work has received starred reviews in Booklist and Publishers Weekly, has won silver and gold medals in ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year and the IPPY Awards, respectively, has been featured on Booklist’s Best First Novels for Youth and School Library Journal’s What’s Hot in YA, and has been a PW Pick of the Week. Fifth Avenue Fidos is her first independently published book. She is owned by a Pekingese named Jake and can be found working on her next book in her hometown of Springfield, Missouri.
You can find out more about Holly on her website, or connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. And don't forget to sign up for her newsletter for sneak peaks, writing tips, giveaways and more!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 


 

 
 

 
 
 


Thursday, June 25, 2015

Q & A with Pamela Ferderbar, Author of Feng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale

I'm so happy to welcome Pam Ferderbar, witty author of Feng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale, to A Literary Vacation today! She's stopped by to tell us a little about herself and her book. So enjoy and continue after the Q & A to learn more about Fng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale.



Hello Pam! Feng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale sounds hilarious! I love the idea of deciding whether our lives are ruled by luck or something else. Where did you come up with the idea?
 
 
 
Watching the news one night in L.A. I was taken by a story about Feng Shui and how these giant corporations like Sony and Disneyland were hiring Feng Shui practitioners to work with their architects, landscapers and interior designers to make the spaces more conducive to positive energy. I thought, really? Then I started reading about Feng Shui and I was hooked. About a week later I woke up super early, like 3:30 in the morning, and the character of Charlotte Nightingale just came to life. It was like she sat on my shoulder and told me her story. I wrote the novella in six days. Of course there were months of editing, but the story—the thing was instantaneous. It’s the only time in my life that has ever happened.
 
 
What does a typical day in your life look like? When do you fit in time to write?
 
 
 
Right now I get up around 4 and start working on the promo and marketing of the book, and I’m still at it at midnight. Once all this book launch stuff has passed I expect things will go back to normal-ish, and I’ll be writing writing again. Since moving back to Wisconsin I haven’t actually done any real writing—it has all been book promo and marketing. I am absolutely itching to get back to writing. How do I see it panning out once all this launch stuff has passed? Ah…in a perfect world I’ll have a couple of photo assignments each week, which will take 20-30 hours between shooting and editing the images. That’ll leave me with 3 solid days to write and maybe even an afternoon off. I’ll try to make it count!
 
 
 
A lot of authors have become huge on social media, not only promoting their work, but interacting with their readers and offering up giveaways, book recommendations, etc. Are you a big proponent of using social media in this way? How do you prefer to interact with your fans?
 
 
 
I LOVE social media. I don’t know how people got close to their readers before. With social media you can be fully present and have an actual dialog with someone on another continent. And that person’s opinion matters, because if you’re writing about a basic human issue, like insecurity, grief, fear—that’s global, right? Americans haven’t cornered the market on feeling bad about themselves. Plus readers give me great ideas. Questions are the best thing ever. The more I question what I’m writing, the better I become at the craft of storytelling. Storytelling hinges on the people listening to your stories. If it’s not important or authentic to them, forget about it.
 
 
 
I’ve noticed that a lot of authors are also big readers. When you have time for leisure reading what sorts of books do you gravitate towards? Have you read anything good lately?
 
 
 
I am all over the place. People give me “dog books” all the time. I love dogs. My heart breaks over animal abuse, so I am easily sucked in to anything dog. I never thought I was a biography buff until I read The Kennedy Women by Laurence Leamer. Holy smokes, it read like the most lush, gorgeous prose ever. Could not put it down. Patti Smith’s Just Kids is one of the finest pieces of writing I've ever had the pleasure to read. Talk about perfection. Pure. Perfect. Writing. I loved Keith Richards’s bio Life. I found myself saying “aw” a lot. From Keith Richards yet. Who knew he was such a sweetie, right? I recently read Tina Fey’s Bossy Pants, which was funny, as expected. I also just read John Cleese’s biography So Anyway, and I was blown away by its poignancy. I love it when you learn what it is about a person’s past that forms them as the person we know. I couldn’t put Cleese’s book down. It was bittersweet. Not at all what I expected. I loved Gone Girl, found The Girl on the Train tedious until the last 20 pages or so, then it all seemed worth it---ish. You’ll have to check Amazon and Goodreads for more of my reviews. I read a lot.
 
 
 
Are you working on any future books at this time? If so, can you tell us a little about it?
 
 
 
 
Oh, yeah! It’s funny, people seem to have the idea that if you’re not at a computer or pen in hand, you’re not writing. But I’m “writing” when I’m in the tub, the car, staring into space, or reading. It’s those quiet little spaces in between “doing stuff” where the real work gets done. The inspiration, the epiphanies all take place in those cubbyholes of time. So while I’m going nuts trying to get Feng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale off the ground I’m also thinking about the next phase in her life. Plus I am working on a companion book to the Charlotte series. Yes –she’s going to be a series! The companion book is a compilation of the best (worst?) #CharlotteMoment submissions embellished by illustrations and my photography. I’m also a couple hundred pages into a novel called Mo’s Indian.  It’s funny, but more “literary” than Charlotte, if that makes any sense. That could take years to complete. Or not. You never know what happens in my cubbyholes!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Publication Date: June 21st, 2015
Publisher:  Three Towers Press (an imprint of HenschelHAUS Publishing)
Pages: 240 (Hardcover)
 
 
 
Feng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale is an uplifting and hilarious fable about empowerment and perception, and the magical things that happen when we begin to see the glass as half full.


Charlotte Nightingale has the worst luck in the world. Her cluttered apartment is the poster child for shar chi—poison luck in the realm of Feng Shui. Her boyfriend’s a jerk, her job sucks, she’s broke and her own family seems to hate her. Every day is a bad hair day. Kwan, a handsome Chinese food deliveryman and aspiring Feng Shui practitioner, takes pity on Charlotte. While Charlotte searches for the money to pay for the Emperor’s cashew chicken Kwan has delivered, he surreptitiously begins to move things around in Charlotte’s apartment in accordance with the ancient art of placement—hoping to improve her life. Charlotte’s luck subsequently appears to change in a big way. It goes from bad to worse—or so it seems.

Charlotte finds a photo of her boyfriend with another woman, her car dies, she is fired from her job, the plumbing in her apartment explodes, and making matters worse, Charlotte’s perfect perky designer-obsessed blonde sister is about to marry a square-jawed, richer-than-god, insanely handsome plastic surgeon from Beverly Hills and the entire family loves nothing more than to rub Charlotte’s nose in it.

Is it bad luck that sends Charlotte careening through calamity after calamity, or is it merely a matter of perspective? Without a loser boyfriend, beater car and crappy job, Charlotte is free to embark on a great adventure that will awaken in her a world of possibility where nothing is as simple as it seems. Until, in the end, Charlotte realizes that everything she ever wanted was right under her nose the whole time.
 
 

#CharlotteMoment

 
 
Everyone has had one of those days. For women, our go-to therapy is usually telling a best friend, mom, sister or cousin about the incredibly awful/embarrassing/annoying thing that has happened to us, and then they tell us they have never heard of such an atrocity! It makes us feel better to be heard and understood.
 
For Charlotte Nightingale, every day is one of those days. It’s not that she’s necessarily doing anything wrong; inauspicious things just seem to happen to Charlotte pretty much end-to-end from the time she wakes up until she goes to sleep at night.
 
Charlotte is like a lot of us—working a job we hate because we can’t afford not to. She drives a piece of junk car, has massive student loan debt, wears thrift shop clothes and never does anything nice for herself. Under the weight of life, just life, Charlotte is not fully present in her own existence. She phones it in. She is not really living.
 
Readers tell me that they relate to Charlotte. “That is so me.” “I am Charlotte.” “You won’t believe what happened to me.” “I just had a total Charlotte moment!” This is the genesis of the #CharlotteMoment.
 
Each time a reader posts #CharlotteMoment to social media it will, a) prove cathartic and make her feel better, and b) it will appear on my website. Once a month I’ll feature the best (worst? funniest? Charlotte-est?) #CharlotteMoment and the person who submitted it will win a prize. Every woman ought to be rewarded for surviving Charlotte moments, but we will have to begin with one per month!
 
Posting the Charlotte moments is a way of saying ‘you are not alone.’ There’s safety in numbers. Laughter is the best medicine. I think women really like this book because by laughing at Charlotte’s misadventures, we are really letting go of some of the junk we carry with us. Charlotte feels inadequate, overwhelmed, powerless. But we see that she’s a good person, and perhaps all she needs to thrive is a little kindness. A touch of good luck. Some grace. Feng Shui.
 
Enter Kwan, the gentle soul, the only soul who reaches out to Charlotte for no other reason than he is kind. His small acts of kindness, good fortune and Feng Shui may seem to go unnoticed by Charlotte, but these gestures make all the difference in the world. For reasons she doesn’t comprehend, Charlotte begins to walk with her shoulders back and her chin up.
 
Is it Feng Shui, magic, or grace that puts Charlotte’s life in order, or is it something she’s always had inside of her, and all that was needed to wake it up was a little kindness? What do I think? Well, I think maybe it’s a combination of all these things. Then again, Feng Shui is powerful stuff. The question is, what do you think?
 
 
 

Buy the Book

 
 
 
 

Book Trailer

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

About the Author

 
 
 
Pam Ferderbar was born and raised in Wisconsin, the only child of two loving but quirky parents who fostered her creativity by setting a place at the table for Pam’s imaginary friend Dokka, and preparing his favorite invisible food, muggar. After graduating Marquette University with a B.S. in Journalism, Pam worked at Ferderbar Studios, the family advertising photography business where she honed her skills as a TV commercials director and was paid to play with imaginary friends called actors.
 
In 1994, Ferderbar moved to Los Angeles where she directed commercials for Microsoft, Wells Fargo Bank, Bally’s, ITT and others, and in her spare time wrote screenplays such as Bob Dylan Stole My Wife, for which she is currently seeking financing for a Wisconsin-based production. In 1998 she wrote the novella Feng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale, sparking a bidding war for the movie rights. New Line Cinema purchased the rights in a record-breaking $800,000 deal, and a few months later all the executives on the project were fired and Pam’s movie was shelved. Classic #CharlotteMoment. As Charlotte would say, “It wasn’t my fault!”
 
After completing a novel based on the novella Feng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale, Pam returned to Wisconsin in 2013. Pam’s father Tom Ferderbar, a student of the great Ansel Adams and a master photographer himself, tutors Pam in the art of photography. Pam is working on a second Charlotte Nightingale novel and a companion book with reader’s “Charlotte moments” complimented with illustrations and Pam’s own photographs. Pam and her friend Dokka continue to play and eat mugger.
 
Pam is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America, and the Coalition for Photographic Arts/Milwaukee.
 
Learn more about Pam on her website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+