Beach Bag Reads…

I’ve got the beach on my mind- playing in the sand and water, soaking up the sun, wearing the baseball cap, swimming, beachy hair, smell of coconut lotion in the air, and just the relaxed feeling of summer.

So that lead to the thought process of what books I’d put in my beach bag. I made a list! Will I read all this summer? Probably not. I like to save some of the magic of summer for the cold, dreary winter months 🙂

Traveling With T’s Beach Bag Book List:

1. Time Flies by Claire Cook- June 11

2. While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax- April 2

3. All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue- May 21

4. Finding Colin Firth by Mia March- July 9

5. The Guest House by Erika Marks- June 4

6. The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank- June 11

7. Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger- June 4

8. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella- April 23

9. Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison- July 9

10. Island Girls by Nancy Thayer- June 18

11. Ladies’ Night by Mary Kay Andrews- June 4

12. The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or Why I’m Never Getting All the Glitter Off the Dog by Jen Lancaster-June 4

13. Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand- June 25

What will be in your beach bag for summer reads?

Weekday Read-a-Thon!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, Love at First Book and The Book Wheel will be hosting a weekday read-a-thon!

Always wanted to participate in one on weekends, but life gets in the way? Yep, me too!

Here are the details on the read-a-thon so you can join in! The Book Wheel explains it, tells about giveaways, and more!

So you say you work, you can’t sit around all day and read like you want- hey, I HEAR you. I work. I can’t read during the week like I want. My lunch break is non-existent some days. I get it, I get it.

My plan for tomorrow:

1. Read for about 30 minutes while I enjoy a cup of coffee and breakfast.

2. Take 15 minutes of my lunch break and read while I’m finishing my lunch.

3. Instead of cutting the TV on when I get home, I’m going to take 30 minutes and read while sipping a bottle of cold water.

4. After dinner, dishes, and the daily things have been done- kick back in my easy chair for 30 mins to 1 hour of reading before I call it a night and go to dreamland.

5. And that’s how I’m going to make 1 hour and 45 minutes or 2 hours and 15 minutes of reading time during the week.

Even if you just squeeze in 5-15 minutes reading time- do it. Enjoy it. SAVOR it.

Books:

I hope to finish DEADLY POLICY by Mitzi Kelly and begin DADDY’S GONE A-HUNTING by Mary Higgins Clark.

Good luck- and may the odds be ever in your favor……

Honey Pie by Donna Kauffman

Honey Pie, Donna Kauffman’s latest, is an interesting read. Life changes, romance, fun, and memorable characters are a big part of this book. While this is part of a “series”, the reader does not have to read in order.

Honey loads her life, her most important things into the VW Beetle, and makes the cross-country trip from Oregon to Sugarberry, GA- where her Aunt Bea had lived a good life until her death. Honey, while nervous about leaving her life behind in Oregon, is so hungry for a new life, a life where she has friends, a life where she is involved- thinks that Sugarberry might be ok. As she’s getting into town, her car breaks down and she meets Dylan, the town’s mechanic.

While Dylan’s looking at her car, Honey spies ladies in the building that her Aunt Bea had left her- and she’s nervous about making waves with the cupcake ladies; but also wants what her Aunt Bea rightfully left her. With all those thoughts, plus the thoughts of lust that Dylan inspires in Honey- she’s unsure if she should stay in Sugarberry or hightail it back to Oregon.

Dylan, being the subject of town gossip for far too long, takes one look at Honey and knows she’s trouble. She’ll complicate his simple life in a heartbeat. So he intends to get VW Bettle back on te road as soon as possible; but his intentions and fate don’t quite align. And Dylan finds himself immersed in Honey’s life than he ever wanted to be. To Dylan’s surprise- he enjoys it- he wants to be in her life.

Honey is not your ordinary woman- she has senses about her, ways to see things that will happen. Honey considers it a curse, but finds in Sugarberry, odd and crazy are things the residents accept. Honey also learns that if she wants to have friends, love, be active in her life- she’s going to have to let her guard down and let people in. It might be scary to let people in, to let her guard down, to chance the risk of seeing something with her powers- but that a life filled with regrets and what-if’s is not the life that Honey wants.

Interview with Kimberly Freeman author of Lighthouse Bay

Recently, a copy of LIGHTHOUSE BAY was sent to me so I could read and review. Not being familiar with Kimberly Freeman’s other book, WILDFLOWER HILL, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I recieved LIGHTHOUSE BAY. Within a few pages, I learned to expect a nice story, characters that are interesting- flawed, but well-meaning; with their own hidden stories just waiting to be revealed. The more I read, the more I wanted to know the backstory, how Kimberly Freeman created these characters, this setting. Luckily for me, an opportunity presented itself and I was able to ask Kimberly Freeman a few questions about writing process, the characters of LIGHTHOUSE BAY, and more.

Interview with Kimberly Freeman:

1. The characters in Lighthouse Bay- were any based on people you know in real life? Or were they just characters you created?

They were all characters I created except one. Lady Berenice is based on a friend of mine. She has such a big heart, and she doesn’t suffer fools gladly, that I thought she’d make an excellent character in a book. I sometimes think that Matthew, the lighthouse keeper, is a little bit based on my boyfriend though they’ve nothing much in common than a lovely steady maleness (and beards! they both have beards!). Isabella is like nobody I know, and she was quite difficult to spend time with, as she had such a wildness about her.

2. How long did it take you to write Lighthouse Bay -from the beginning of the idea to publication date?

About eighteen months. I wrote Lighthouse Bay during one of the worst years of my life. My marriage had broken down, I was recalibrating my duties towards my two young children, and I had to take on extra work because divorce is so expensive. So I was terribly distracted while writing it. But at the same time, it was also one of the best years of my life. I met a lovely new man and I spent a lot of time at the Sunshine Coast, looking at the sea, and writing down ideas for the story. So there was a lot of emotional ups and downs writing it. I’m a lot calmer now, and can write a lot quicker.

3. When I read author interviews, most speak of having a routine to their writing. Do you, Kimberly, have a writing routine that you would care to share?

I used to, but my life is very full and busy and I have a 10 year old and a 6 year old, so my routine is write whenever I find the time. If I waited around for long stretches of free time, I wouldn’t write another thing.

4. If Lighthouse Bay was to be made into a movie, do you have any ideas about the cast? Would you prefer to have famous actors or unknown ones?

I never picture actors as my characters because actors are all so perfect and beautiful, and I always think of my characters as being more real, with flaws, imperfections, texture. Having said that, if a big Hollywood studio wanted to give me money to make a movie, I would happily take the money and buy a lot of great shoes.

5. Have we, the readers, heard the last from Juliet and Libby? Or might they be featured in another book one day?

No, I’m done with them. We had a great time, but now they are going to get on with life and I have new imaginary friends to play with.

6. What is next on the agenda as far as writing? Do you have any ideas for another book?

I have just finished the first draft of a novel called “Ember Island”, about a young woman who becomes the governess to a prison superintendent’s daughter in the 1890s. There is intrigue, crumbling manor houses, a feisty little girl with a big imagination, and a wooden cat named Pangur Ban.

A special thanks to Kimberly Freeman for answering the questions and to Saraciea for presenting the opportunity to interview.

Meeting Rita Leganski- The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow

Rita Leganski, author of The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, came to Lemuria Books last Friday, the 12th to sign books and read/talk about The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow. As I watched her sign books that people had ordered and for the store- we talked about her book tour trip of the South. On her tour, Rita has been in New Orleans, Fairhope, AL, Oxford, MS and Jackson, MS. She talked of how she enjoyed each stop- meeting people, hearing about what “Bonaventure” meant to them. When Rita was in Oxford, she was a part of the Thacker Mountain Radio show- which is a pretty cool thing!

As I listened to Rita talk, I thought of how interesting a person she was. She was in her 40’s when she went to college, she’s now written a wonderfully imaginative book- my first “magical realism” type book to read- and it was a treat! Rita’s personality is open, nice, and she’s got a way with words that I just adored.

One person had asked her to inscribe the book with her favorite quote when she ordered it from Lemuria- and she laughed and put it aside for a few minutes since she said she’d have to think about what her favorite quote was. As she signed other books, a smile came to her face, and she picked the book up to write her favorite quote- and here it is: “Lord knows, nobody understand where love come from if not from inside a mystery- Trinidad” (page 293 of The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow). As she signed, I asked about next book plans. Rita let me know that she had ideas, thoughts for another book- but as far as a definite plan- it was still in the early stages.

Rita also gave me an insider look into the publishing world- while I knew there were editors, and other people to read the work- what I did not know was how specific it is. With her writing about the Catholic church, there was a copy-editor who read the book and made suggestions such as- at this time frame/era, this would not have been the particular wording or this could not have happened like this- and when she wrote of the Baptist church and had a quote from the Bible- another copy-editor let her know that in the Bible she needed to be quoting from, the wording would be slightly different. Which I just found this all fascinating- I knew it took many people to get the book from idea to print- but it’s really like a village of people. Now as I think about a book, I’m reminded of the statement “It takes a village to raise a child”, and that’s how I feel about a book now- “It takes a village to publish a book.”

We spoke of different things about The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, how some characters were not in the book originally, how she had changed things in her revision process. Listening to her, after reading the book- I’m glad she made the changes- because while I think The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow would have been great either way- I liked the changes Rita made from her original manuscript.

Me and Rita

Me and Rita with The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow

Thanks to Rita Leganski for the fun time and to Lemuria Books for hosting a great event.

My review of The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow: Traveling With T’s review of The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow

Wednesday Mashup…

Got A LOT to catch up on! Read on for articles you need to be reading, giveaways you should be entering, and more!

Articles You Should Be Reading:

1.Dana Bate, author of The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs, has this to say about writing: Find Your Voice. It’s an article that asipring writers should read!

2. Randy Susan Meyers poses the question: Are Writers Badgering Readers? It’s an interesting question, because in the land of social media- a person can promote their book till the cows come home- and it costs little to nothing. And does that help or hurt the writer? While Randy’s article takes a lot of other things in consideration- my thoughts on the social media aspect is this: I LIKE to see the author interact with fans, bloggers, and more on social media. It makes for a pleasant experience. I know that the bottom line of being an author is selling books. I get it. I don’t dislike you for wanting to make a living. In fact, as I’ve said before- authors are some of my favorite types of people. There are some things I don’t like about social media for authors- but for the most part, it’s a good fit. But remember- social media is not your personal platform for selling- if you think that, you’ve missed out on the “social” part of social media. And just like your mama taught you- if you see someone that has bought a book, or is talking positive about the book- a simple “thank you” goes a long way.

3. Wendy Francis writes about A Letter to the Author You’re About to Become– advice and more for people in the process of becoming an author.

4. The Affair by Colette Freedman was April’s #gr8books online book club discussion. And Colette was fun- letting the online book club know some future work she has planned, and talking extensively of the plot of The Affair. After the Twiiter chat, she wrote this blog post about it. Colin Firth, Brad Pitt and why I love book clubs is funny and a great summary of the amazing people who participate in the #gr8book chat. As I read the article, I was touched to see that 2 of my comments that I made in the post was listed in the “Some of my favorite tweets from the discussion” section- I’ll let you guess which 2 sound like me 🙂

Giveaways:

1. Great New Books is giving away Priscille Sibley’s book, The Promise of Stardust.

2. Lilmommareader’s blog, Read Baby Read is giving away The Good Woman by Jane Porter.

3. Bookmagnet is giving away The Paradise Guest House by Ellen Sussman.

She Reads:

As you know, I’m a She Reads blogger, Twitter chat hoster, and online book club leader- so I like to make sure other readers are aware of what’s going on at She Reads. April’s book club pick is AND THEN I FOUND YOU by Patti Callahan Henry- it’s fiction; but based on the real life experience of her sister. Beautifully written, heart-tugging and so much more- it’s a book that begs to be read.

I’ll be hosting the Twitter chat with Patti Callahan Henry on April 29th from 2-3pmEST. Use #srchat to join in. There will be a giveaway- and you’ll need to be particpating in the chat to be considered for the giveaway. Hope to see you there!

But, wait, there’s more! Can’t make it to the Twitter chat? No problem! April 29th- May 6th will be the online book club discussion at shereads.org/forum. Come, talk, tell me what you loved about the book. Or what you didn’t like. The discussion will last all week- and I love to hear from readers!

1. Dear Reader: A Note from Patti Callahan Henry

2. Featured Recipe for AND THEN I FOUND YOU

3. Release Day and launch party for AND THEN I FOUND YOU

Looking for Spring Thrillers? She Reads has a list! Spring Thriller Round-up

Meeting Jill McCorkle- Life After Life book signing

Jill McCorkle reading from Life After Life

Can I just say how much I adored meeting Jill McCorkle? I totally enjoyed it! Now from that statement, I’m sure most would think that I’ve been a Jill McCorkle fan for years- but surprise- Life After Life was my first book to read by her. I had an opportunity to review Life After Life several weeks ago through Netgalley, and during this time frame, Life After Life made Deep South Magazine’s 10 Reads for Spring. I trust Deep South Mag’s opinion- and if they say it’s a good read; well then, I’m going to give it a try. And lastly, during this time, I checked Turnrow Books in Greenwood, MS events and guess who was coming to town? Jill McCorkle! So like the Magic 8 ball says “all signs point to yes”- it was decided that I needed to read this book. So I did- and I really enjoyed it. Funny, heartwarming, sad at times- great characters. All are dealing with a heartache, a situation, and some are trying to make the last years of their lives count.

But what made meeting Jill McCorkle the best was how funny and nice she is- she could go from talking about some of the most heartfelt things to making the room crack up with loud giggles and laughs.

At the signing/reading- Jill read from “Sadie” a bit, then read from “Joanna’s Notes” about her dad, then read “Joanna’s dad’s” section. Each section had it’s own voice, it’s own thoughts- and was beautifull written- and even humours at times. Jill told the audience that she likes to think there is a lot of humor in Life After Life, even though there is sadness.

Jill also told the audience that it’s a popular misconception that “life will yield when something happens, but that rarely happens”. This was the case during her creation of Life After Life– her dad was dying, her children still needed her for dinner and other motherly duties, and work was still happening (grading papers and teaching). As she told us this, I began thinking that while we may wish life would slow down and let us deal with things as they happen- life has other plans for us. Life keeps spinning- until your final breath.

When questioned if any characters were based on people she knew in life or not- it was revealed that Toby is based on Jill’s work of teaching Introduction to Fiction. Toby, in the book, tells of how tired she was of reading essays about vampires, werewolves and the like- and that is how Jill felt at one point in her Intro to Fiction class. Jill wanted something with emotion, something with human emotion. So she tried to teach her students that emotion is like a primary box of crayons- but that as they got older, the emotions are more like a 64 pack of crayons- so you might feel periwinkle sometimes. But, at the base of that emotion is the original primary color emotion you felt as a child or teenager.

About Jill’s writing process- she likes to write in same place- but after having children- she realized she had to be more flexible. So she sometimes goes to the grocery store and sits in her car in the parking lot and writes- then later goes grocery shopping! She also takes lots of notes- and just reads them in the morning and evening- then she stores them for a time till she can write for an extended period. In this way, Jill speaks of that she’s always working on something; but it just takes time- and that’s a good thing because it gives her thoughts time to “perk”. Some of Jill’s characters will have memories or thoughts of her friends (after she’s asked!) Lastly Jill spoke of that sometimes when gathering her thoughts about writing, something will cross her mind that seems like it does not fit, like it’s not a logical next step in the process. When this happens, instead of ignoring that thought, she knows it’s meant to be in the thoughts, in her writing process.

Before she began signing books, she told this piece of advice for writers: The first draft of the book is like falling in love; but the revision of the book is the real deal in love.

Jill signing a book

Jill and Traveling With T

Thanks Tunrow Books for hosting a great event- and thanks to Jill McCorkle for being so gracious- signing my book and posing for pictures.

My review of Life After Life: Life After Life by Jill McCorkle- review by Traveling With T

Three Good Things by Wendy Francis

At the end of every day, you can always think of three good things that happened.

Ellen McClarety is recently divorced from Max- a man she loves; but with his quick get rich schemes- life was hard. And it took a toll on their marriage- with her being the responsible one. After divorcing Max, Ellen finds herself the owner of the Singular Kringle. Ellen has put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making the Singular Kringle a place to come to, a place to find friendly faces, sweet treats and a tip for the day. Her hard work is paying off- and she’s beginning to feel really good about everything- until an email arrives.

Lanie, Ellen’s sister, is married, a lawyer, and has an adorable baby boy. Lanie is fighting the working vs mother issue- she’s feeling stressed about the hours at work and knowing that she’s missing out on important things at home with the baby. Between work and being a mother- Lanie’s missing out on husband/wife time- and begins to wonder about the state of her marriage.

With Ellen trying to balance a business and have a personal life; and Lanie trying to work, be a good mother and a wife- they rely on their mother’s advice about looking for 3 good things in the day. Between the advice and the sisterly bond- even the things that appear to be daunting or worrisome, can be overcome.

Three Good Things reminds readers that there should be a balance to life, that there will be sorrow, there will be happiness- but that life is like a kringle- no one ingredient should outweigh the others.

Recommended for beach bound readers, for people wanting a quick and easy read, and people who want to read something fun and lighthearted. Grab a glass of sweet tea and enjoy!

Literary Friday ya’ll….

Friday- oh Friday. And sunny!

1. Deep South Mag and their #literaryfriday- Joshilyn Jackson cover reveal, Jill McCorkle, 2 giveaways, and more (even some The Great Gastsby news!) Grab a glass of sweet tea- and soak up some #literaryfriday!

2. Speaking of Jill McCorkle, I had the pleasure of meeting her at Turnrow Books last night. She is adorable, funny, charming and so much more. Look for my blog post next week with pictures and tidbits of information she revealed as she read from her latest book, Life After Life.

Traveling With T’s review of Life After Life by Jill McCorkle.

3. Tonight, in a fit of luck, I will be at Rita Leganski’s book signing at Lemuria Books. You may remember that The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow was She Reads March Book Club Selection. I’ll be taking notes and pictures- so look for my blog post next week!

4. What is your #fridayreads? Mine is Three Good Things by Wendy Francis!

5. For those curious about when the Patti Callahan Henry Twitter chat will happen- it appears April 29th will be the day. As details are finalized, I’ll keep my readers in the know. If you’ve read And Then I Found You– or want to read- do consider joining us for the chat- it’s kept as spoiler free as possible!

Happy Reading and have a great weekend!

PS: Thanks to the new followers and commenters- you’ve been noticed and I appreicate you stopping by!

I’m a fan of short chapters- are you?

Short chapters- some people dislike them- but I’m a fan. Let me explain:

First, a chapter that just goes on and on gets to be a bit tedious- even if the writing is good. And my mind begins to wander. Which is not a good thing- because that means the author has lost my attention.

Second: I read. A lot. I like to read while I’m eating breakfast. I like to read a quick chapter at lunch. And before I got to bed- I love reading before I go to bed. Long chapters make this hard. Because I don’t want to quit in the middle of the chapter, I want to finish the chapter.

Third: While I get that sometimes the first chapter needs to be on the longer side- especially if you, the author, are establishing certain “key points”- and so I deal with it. But, do consider making the rest of the chapters shorter!

So new authors, as you begin the journey to get published and become a NYT Best-Seller- while contemplating your cover choices and dreaming about swimming around in your newly aquired wealth like Scrooge McDuck (right? Isn’t that what all NYT Best-Sellers do?) Give the length of chapters for the book a thought as well!