September 2015 edition of The Book Breeze by The Book Breeze

Reviews, Interviews, New Releases

Vol 5 Issue 9

September 2015

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in this issue Articles

September 2015

On The Cover ...

Blair McDowell author of WHERE LEMONS BLOOM

Halloween and Horror by Barefoot Writing Academy ... Page 15 Author Interviews

Romance Author Shirley Martin . . . Page 8

Interview on Page 4

Review Columns

Young Adult Shannon’s Space . . . Page 9 Romance Jackie’s Jargon . . . Page 12 Erotica The Playroom . . . Page 18

Variety The Eclectic Express . . . page 19 Mystery Barefoot Reviews . . . Page 6

Women’s Fiction Author Olivia deBelle Byrd . . . Page 11

GLBT Ace Katzenbooks . . . Page 14

ÂŠ 2015 The Book Breeze Page 3

Thank you fro joining us at The Book Breeze. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

a cliff side overlooking the sea, and the pervasive danger threatening their lives—they just all seemed to flow from the location.

In my earlier days, my work took me to some fascinating places; the Torres Strait islands, off the north coast of Australia, the Caribbean before it became a tourist haven, Hungary when the Russian soldiers were still patrolling the streets. I spent time in Australia, Austria, and Germany. And later in Italy and Greece. These locales became the settings for my books, Greece, The Memory of Roses, Italy, Where Lemons Bloom, Germany, Austria and Hungary, Romantic Road.

Do you have a favorite writing place or writing rituals? I need to be able to look up from my laptop to a vista when I’m writing. I could never write in an office facing a blank wall. I run a B&B with a friend in a small fishing village on the west coast of Canada. During the summer, after we’ve finished serving breakfast, I write where I can look up and see deer grazing their way across our lawn, and beyond them a seascape busy with fishing boats, log booms and ferries.

The two things I enjoy most in life are traveling and writing. I think I’ve been writing stories since the day I was first given a pencil and paper. I had a vivid imagination as a child…a characteristic that has gotten me into trouble more than once, and that has only increased with age. I’ve never been able to recount any event without embellishing it. So it was natural that I should turn to writing fiction. And even more natural to choose to write romantic suspense, where I could let my imagination run wild.

I built a house on a small still un-touristic island in the Caribbean –on a plot of land with no electricity or running water. Friends there told me stories and legends about their island and Delighting In Your Company was born. In a word, I have lived a rather unorthodox life…And loved every minute of it.

Today I am more settled. I operate a Bed & Breakfast with a friend on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast in the spring and summer. When fall comes we head for Europe. This summer we’ll be traveling to Paris and Brittany, researching the locale for my next book Fatal Charm. It involves a theft from the Louvre. I hope I don’t end up in a Paris jail in the process.

A recent reviewer referred to my “vivid and clear descriptions of places” that that made her feel “as if she were there.” She queried whether I had used Google or had actually been to all those places. My answer to all such questions is: Been there, done that!

Tell us about your new release. – Where Lemons Bloom – coming fall 2015. What led you to write this book? I love Italy, and I particularly love the Amalfi Coast and I wanted to place a story in this spectacular setting. The rest just followed naturally. The dark mysterious Italian hero, the heroine just released from years as a caregiver, the inn on

Did you have an interesting experience in the research of this book? Just driving on the Amalfi Coast was an interesting, not to say terrorizing, experience. It’s an unbelievably narrow, winding road, with steep cliffs on one side dropping to the Mediterranean Sea far below, and high coastal mountains rising sharply on the other side. The buses that travel this route can only go one way – south -- because there isn’t room for them to pass each other. It’s considered to be one of the most challenging drives in Italy. But the vistas are unbelievable, and the little towns that cling to the cliffs are charming. They seem to invite mystery and romance.

In October, we close for the season and head out for a month in Europe (to spend all the money we’ve made over the summer). Greece and Italy are my favorite destinations. There, I write in outdoor cafes, hotel bars, trattorias, wherever I can sit outside and look up at something beautiful or interesting.

In the winter we head for my little house perched on a hillside in the Caribbean. There, my writing space is the veranda, with a panoramic view of the sea and other islands.

What is the one question you wish an interviewer would ask you? Why do you write? My answer, God only knows. Certainly it isn’t for the money. I think writing for me is a compulsion. I just have to write. There are stories brimming over in my brain. Characters just waiting to be brought to life. I write because I must. What’s next for you? In three weeks we close the B&B for the season. Then we head to France, the setting of my work in progress, Fatal Charm. The settings for this romantic suspense are Paris and Brittany, and while I’ve been there before, I need to check them out again now that my story, involving murder and a theft at the Louvre, is well under way. I find I look at Continued on next page

Blair McDowell Interview continued

places differently when I’m in the middle of setting a story in them. Excerpt from Where Lemons Bloom:

It was six-thirty on a bright sunny morning. Ruffio was placing still warm rolls and cornetti into bags for the albergo. Adamo took a deep breath, inhaling the mouthwatering aroma of fresh baked bread. He munched on a sweet roll right out of the oven as the baker put together his order. It was a side benefit to being the one who picked up the breads. It made being up at six o’clock every morning almost worthwhile. “Two dozen of each,” Ruffio said handing the bags to Adamo. “That will be twenty-four euros.”

Adamo counted out the bills. “Thanks, Ruff. See you tomorrow morning. Ciao.”

He placed the bags in the box on the back of the Vespa, climbed on, and headed back up the hill, not hurrying. The sun was still low in the sky, but it bathed the houses and shops in a warm amber light. It promised to be a hot day. He had a sudden vision of Eve as she looked when he got up, her hair sleep tousled, her face buried in her pillow. A surge of sheer happiness shot through him. A year ago he would not have believed how drastically his life could change. He was content. More than content. He was approaching the top of the hill when a car coming from the other direction roared around a steep curve at high speed and, tires squealing, headed straight for him. “What the hell…?”

Adrenalin pumped into his veins. No place to go. A drop off to the sea on his left, the steep mountainside on his right. Instinctively he headed his bike sharply to the right. It skidded on gravel and hit a concrete abutment. He flew instantly air-borne over the handlebars onto a bed of rocks, and heard, as from a great distance, the crumple of steel against rock as the car smashed into his Vespa. Heart pounding, he unconsciously brushed blood away from his left eye with a shaking hand. His head was throbbing, his shoulder hurt and blood seemed to be running down his left leg and into his shoe, but he was alive.

He tried to push himself up. His vision clouded for a moment as a sharp pain shot through his head. What was the car doing? Backing up to try again? Adamo stared in disbelief. He shook his head. He must move quickly. The only escape from the murderous car was by climbing the cliff face. Safety lay in climbing up. He knew how to do that. He stood, weaving, uncertain on his feet. No time to lose. Hands in the crevices. Good. Now get a foothold. Climb! His toes slipped and lost their grip. He collapsed once again on the side of the road. He raised his head to watch the car that would be the instrument of his death.

With a squealing of tires a second car rounded the bend. Black and white. The police. Thank God. His world went black. For more on Blair McDowell visit:

Website: http://www.blairmcdowell.com/ Blog: http://blairmcdowellauthor.blogspot.ca/ Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807790.Blair_Mc Dowell

THE CHOCOLATE KISS-OFF By Heather Haven Mystery Released Sept 1

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and vats of delicious chocolate are being cooked up to win fair lady’s heart. But at Carlotta’s Chocolates, Carlotta is found cooking in her own vat of chocolate, and not so deliciously. Arrested for her murder is chocolatier Howie Goldberg, good friend to Persephone ‘Percy’ Cole. As one of Manhattan’s first female private detectives, Percy is determined to hunt down the real killer. But the sleuth, herself, is being stalked by the murderer, who not only keeps a diary of the latest kills, but records who is next. Percy Cole tops the list. When the lady shamus finds the illusive killer, will Death be her Valentine?

Barefoot Book Reviews CHOOSING CARTER cj petterson Crimson Romance Action Thriller

mysteries were a great love of Christie and an excellent way to get away whether by train, boat, or a comfortable chair by the fire.

Choosing Carter is another winner for cj petterson. Bryn McKay, the protagonist, is frequently thrown into the role of savior for her rabblerousing brother who finds it impossible to make a good decision. When they get into an argument while the drunken Robbie is driving, they crash into a ravine. The crash sends Robbie to prison and Bryn to the hospital. Twelve months later, Bryn is visited by an FBI agent that tells her Robbie has converted to radical Islam while in prison. Making matters worse, he has escaped with an Islamic prisoner considered armed and dangerous. Robbie calls Bryn to let her know that he has escaped and is seeking revenge on the people who sent him to jail, including her.

For the past year, Bryn has enjoyed life in her isolated cabin in the Colorado hills. She manages her freelance writing business from the adjoining bunkhouse. Interacting with the FBI, police, and terrorists do not appear anywhere on her list of things to desire. She has created a peaceful existence in her mountain earie and now wants to develop a more personal relationship with the elusive Carter Danielson, a muscular, tall hunk of gorgeous, not deal with her out-of-control brother. Bryn continues to drop hints in Carter’s direction about taking their relationship further; hints which Carter adroitly ignores. But she notices that he doesn’t stay away for long between visits. A birthday canoe trip sends Carter and Bryn into a nest of vipers; terrorists that seek to destroy Americans.

Petterson’s brings to life a believable story of potential middle-America terrorism. Filled with thrills from the fearwashed first page truck ride of Bryn and Robbie through the betrayals of friends, Choosing Carter demands the reader turn the next page.

RESORTING TO MURDER Martin Edwards (editor) Poisoned Pen Press British Library Crime Classics

by Mahala Church

What a fun book! Fourteen stories focused on the Golden Age of British crime writing, the series includes works by both recognized authors such as Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle and G. K. Chesterton. Many of the stories are quite rare, seldom reprinted, including those by Phyllis Bentley and Helen Simpson. Holidays seem to call for new mystery books, whether it’s a trip to the beach in the summer or a trip to grandparents for Christmas. Holiday

The settings for these stories reveal the unexpected ways in which crime writers use holidays as a theme. Markedly different from each other, the stories range from a golf course in the English seaside, a pension (budget friendly accommodation) in Paris, and a Swiss mountain resort, to the cliffs of Normandy.

This special book follows on the footsteps of two others in the Crime Classics series published by Poisoned Pen Press: MURDER IN PICCADILLY by Charles Kingston and THE SUSSEX DOWNS MURDER by John Bude. Eleven additional titles are set for release in late 2015. And if that isn’t exciting enough, beginning in 2016, one title is slated to be released each month! ANATOMY OF A KIDNAPPING Steven L. Berk, M.D. Texas Tech University Press Creative Non-Fiction (Memoir)

A captivating read, Anatomy of a Kidnapping is principally the story of a man—his successes, failures, fears, joys, parenting, and marriage. Steven Berk endured the horrors of a violent crime and participated in the subsequent trial of his kidnapper. Without his background experiences, understanding the choices Berk makes over the course of the kidnapping would be impossible. Interspersed with stories from Berk’s life that move the book beyond the events of the kidnapping, Berk shares insights into the life of a young man becoming a doctor and the ordeals that people who aspire to help others through medicine face on a daily basis.

No book about the medical field is complete without the courage and hopelessness that doctors and nurses face through their interactions with patients. They work at the crossroads of life every day. Readers enjoy looking over the shoulder of a doctor to live in that experience, and Berk gives them quite a ride. When Dr. Berk finds himself faced with a meth addict who threatens to kill him in his own home—his son in the house—Berk’s calm in the eye of the storm is phenomenal. He draws on his medical training and patient interactions to live through the trauma while protecting his family. The story is alternately the harrowing and heartwarming, unsettling and uplifting, terrifying and touching account of Berk’s life. The book may be a difficult read for those without a background or working knowledge of the medical field as continued on next page

Barefoot Book Reviews continued

it, at times, is rather complex. To give Berk credit, he takes the time to give seamless explanations of the terminology that clarify the points being made without being intrusive. He is methodical in elucidating his thought processes while caring for a patient and while fighting his way to sanity in the presence of the harried and dangerous man who kidnapped him. He brings the tension and fear during the kidnapping to the page, creating deep pathos. His logic of thought in the middle of the situation is extraordinary, logic that ultimately saved his life and protected others. I was particularly intrigued by his bravery and frankness in sharing his emotional experiences over the course of his career and during his kidnapping in particular. THE END OF HEALING Jim Bailey The Healthy City Literary Fiction

The End of Healing is a disturbing look at a healthcare system that is still deified in the U. S. The matrix of insurance companies, political agendas, technical advances, research, hospital and clinic administration, and caregivers has become mammoth, complex system covered in the barnacles of greed according to Bailey.

More creative non-fiction than fiction, the book’s narrative is at times tedious, brimming with facts and figures, quotes, and references. This is not a book to be scanned or read lightly. It is a book to be studied. Bailey certainly gets his point across, and this should be required reading for everyone running for national office, all elected officials, all medical and surgical interns, all nursing and physician assistant students, and all MBA aspirants.

Written Word

works with an international group of clients, providing writing and editing services. Specialties: • Editing manuscripts (line, copy, substantive) • Ghostwriting • Developmental coaching for fiction and non-fiction • Business writing and editing, blogging, and web articles • Press releases and marketing tools For more information on specific services, see Written Word pages at www.lyricalpens.com. www.lyricalpens.com www.twitter.com/mahalachurch www.facebook.com/mahalachurch

WHERE LEMONS BLOOM By Blair McDowell

Bailey brings emotion to the pages of the book, revealing the psychological and physical trauma suffered by patients, families, and certainly Dr. Newman, his protagonist. His secondary characters work, and Bailey uses their dialogue to move the book forward and strengthen his points. For those who have worked or do work in the healthcare system of America or those who have experienced it at its best and suffered it at its worst, this novel has a persuasive ring of truth.

Spicy Romantic Suspense

Released Fall 2015 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

Mahala Church is a freelance editor and writer and teaches creative writing for teens and adults through her Barefoot Writing Academy. An accomplished workshop leader and award winning author, Pushcart Prize nominee, and published editor, she enjoys all aspects of writing.

An avid reader of both literary and commercial fiction as well as biographies and memoirs, she particularly likes books set in Britain, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and the Deep South of the United States. You can follow her at www.lyricalpens.com.

READ, PONDER, REPEAT

Romance Author Shirley Martin

Born near Pittsburgh, Shirley Martin attended the University of Pittsburgh. After graduating from “Pitt”, she taught school for one year, then obtained a position as a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines. Based in Miami, she met her future husband there. After raising three sons, she devoted her time to writing, something she had always wanted to do.

With a vivid imagination and a love of storytelling, Shirley has always enjoyed writing. Her first published novel, “Destined to Love” reflects her familiarity with western Pennsylvania, where she hails from, and her love of romance writing. From this historical romance, she blossomed out to other romance genres. “One More Tomorrow” is a vampire romance, one her publisher dubbed “a sizzling seller”. With several fantasy novels and novellas, her writing should appeal to just about every reader of romance. Her books have been sold at Amazon and most major book stores and have garnered great reviews. A widow, Shirley lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her two cats.

Tell us about your new release. First, thank you for having me. I have a new book I hope to be released soon, MAGIC MOUNTAIN. It’s about a hidden treasure of gold that both the hero and heroine search for, in a land of magic, far away.

What led you to write this book? I read a book, “Lost Treasures” that tells about treasures that have been lost throughout the centuries.

What do you do when you are not writing? I love to read, mostly fantasy and paranormal. I also read a lot of non-fiction.

Which book impacted you as a teenager? “Captain from Castile” by Shellabarger, a historical novel. At 16, I stayed up to 3 a.m. to finish it. What is #1 on your bucket list? I’d love to see Paris.

Book Excerpt:

“Now, madam, please tell me your real name.” Dawn was breaking over the meadow, sunlight glimmering on the lake, its waters sparkling like diamonds. Bird song trilled from the trees, a sound that had awakened her. She stood before Garth, ready to continue her journey.

Olwen’s face heated. “Wh-what do you mean?” Just how much had he seen last night? She’d thought he was asleep when she went swimming.

“I mean this.” Garth reached over and grabbed her cap off, and spiked hair jutted out from her head. “So I’ll ask you again, what is your real name?” Her heart sank, her stomach churning. Smoothing her fingers over her tousled locks, she turned away for a moment, then faced him again. “Olwen,” she murmured. What would he do now? Leave her to travel the rest of the journey alone? But that had been her original plan, so why should she care? He nodded. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So tell me the reason for your journey. And I must say it’s surprising indeed to see such a well-bred lady as you traveling by herself.” “Which is why I posed as a man.” “And not doing a very convincing job of it.” Despite his apparent displeasure with her, she saw how his gaze roamed over her, his eyes alight with interest; dare she call it passion? She looked up at his blond hair, tousled in the breeze, his straight nose and firm mouth. He stood tall and well-built, as if no man could ever get the best of him. What would it be like to be enclosed in his arms, his lips on hers? A rush of warmth captured her body. But it was not to be. He fixed a stern look on her. “And your reason for traveling to Misty Mountain?” ‘None of your business. If you recall,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm, “I started on this sojourn alone. It was you who asked to accompany me.” She shook her head. “I’m not beholden to you. And I’m perfectly capable of continuing this trip by myself.”

Shannon’s Space

YA Reviews by Shannon Kennedy DON OF THE DEAD by Casey Daniels Avon Books - June 2006 ~ 4.5 Stars

In this debut novel that came out before the New Adult genre took off, Pepper Martin needs to grow up fast and hopefully pass her first course in the School of Hard Knocks. Her life plan originally meant dressing beautifully and hanging off her fiancé’s arm after she graduated from college. Then, her father is convicted of fraud and her mother runs off to Florida. Suddenly, Pepper is on her own and trying to survive her first job as a tour guide in a Cleveland cemetery. After she hits her head on Gus Scarpetti’s mausoleum, she discovers that she can see and hear the murdered Mafia don. He wants justice and supposedly she’s the only one around who can provide it.

Pepper is to put it kindly, a ditz. She’s hung up on high fashion – so, not my thing, but I do understand why she wants a better job, preferably one where she can share her knowledge of high-end clothes and shoes. She focuses a bit too much on her appearance in the first book, but after reading the whole series – no spoiler intended, she does grow up. She’s a tall redhead with a 38C chest that she uses to her best advantage and yes that includes manipulating guys who don’t make eye contact when they talk to her, like Quinn Harrison, the detective who tries picking her up at the Cleveland Police Historical Museum when she’s investigating the murder. Pepper also may annoy some readers when she plays the “dumb” card until one realizes she really can’t help being that naïve and she does trust the wrong people.

However she does recognize the fact that Gus Scarpetti isn’t a nice guy. The snappy dialogue between the two enlivens the book and keeps the action moving. The paranormal aspect was very well-handled. Ms. Daniels writes believable ghosts and creates reasonable rules for them in a terrific example of world-building. Still, more description would have helped this story as would keeping Quinn around for a bit longer. Another problem was that Pepper doesn’t consider the ramifications of her actions. Even being naïve can’t rescue you after interrogating a hitman – she finds herself enmeshed in confrontations and needs a rescuer instead of saving herself. Despite the bumpy pacing at times, this was a good introduction to the Pepper Martin series which is available on-line.

THE SHADOW OF SETH by Tom Llewellyn The Poisoned Pencil Press ~ August 2015 ~ 4 Stars

At sixteen, Seth Anomundy is well-equipped to raise himself. He’s been doing it for years. He works around his neighborhood on the rough side of Tacoma, doing errands for the owner of the clock repair shop and filling in at a local restaurant as well as hanging out at the boxing gym. He takes himself to school and finds himself providing more advice for his mother than she does for him. When he picks up a broken antique clock to take it to be repaired, Seth meets Azura, a rich girl who thinks he’s “hot” – at first he figures she’s just looking for a walk on the wild side. Then again, she might be sincere. Before he can decide what to do or not do with Azura, Seth’s mother is murdered. He feels that the police aren’t interested in finding who did the deed and he’ll investigate himself. This decision in turn leads him into danger which continues to escalate putting not only Seth in jeopardy but also Azura when she tries to help him.

Mr. Llewellyn has a gift for realistic dialogue and creates fairly believable teen characters. Told from Seth’s point of view, this was a straight-forward young adult mystery with few proverbial red herrings. It became fairly obvious early on who was the killer, although it took until the end of the book to learn the killer’s motivation. With more development, the ensemble cast of characters could have been more interesting – as it was, it became difficult to tell them apart. In addition, more sensory description such as the smells and sounds of Tacoma would have enhanced the story as well as Seth’s character. Occasionally, Azura didn’t seem to have a real purpose – she just acted as a place-holder – then as the action progressed, her role changed. Despite these flaws, this was an interesting read and it will be entertaining to see what adventures Seth has in the future.

I always enjoy my own adventures in “Garage-Sale” land and I stumbled across SCAT by Carl Hiaasen, another oldie and goodie. If you know someone who likes ecological mysteries have them check out this one. It’s about a teacher who disappears during a school field trip to the Florida Everglades.

Shannon lives on the family farm, a riding stable in the Cascade foothills, where she organizes most of the riding programs and teaches horsemanship around her day-job as a substitute teacher. She writes books in her spare time, mainstream western romance as Josie Malone for SirenBookStrand and young adult novels for Black Opal Books and Fire & Ice YA. She’s a member of RWA, YARWA, the Greater Seattle RWA and Evergreen RWA chapters.

New Releases

TO LOVE A HELLION By Nicola Davidson Sizzling Regency Historical suspense Released Aug 17 in ebook

BENEATH THE LAKE By Casi McLean Historical Romance Released Aug 5 by The Wild Rose Press

CASABLANCA: APPOINTMENT AT DAWN By Linda Bennett Pennell Mild Historical Suspense w/ Romantic Elements Released Aug 28 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook SOLACE: FAE WARRIORS BOOK 1 By Gini Rifkin Spicy SciFi/Fantasy Released Aug 8 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook DEADLY ALPHA By Brenda Sparks Spicy Paranormal Romance Released Sept 11 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook BONE OF MY BONES By Debra Doggett Spicy Urban Fantasy Released Aug 19 by The Wild Rose Press

A DEMON’S WITCH By Tena Stetler Spicy Paranormal Romance Released Sept 25 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

THE OTHER SIDE: MELINDA’S STORY By Starr Gardinier Mild Young Adult Paranormal Released Sept 18 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

GRANDMA MUST DIE By Maureen L. Bonatch Spicy Paranormal Romance, Humor Released Oct 7 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook SHE’S A SINNER #2 A Sinner’s Legacy series By Lynn Shurr Spicy Sports Romance Released Sept 9 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

COWBOY PAYBACK By Donna Michaels Contemporary Romance Released Sept 9 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook STAKING A CLAIM By Devon McKay Sizzling Contemporary Romance Released Sept 30 in print and ebook

POST-WAR DREAMS By Brenda Whiteside Mild Vintage Romance Released Oct 17 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook THE ART OF LOVE AND MURDER By Brenda Whiteside Spicy Romantic Suspense Released Sept 15 by Amazon Encore in print and ebook LANDLOCKED By Marilyn Baron Spicy Romantic Suspense Released Sept 2 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

d r y B e l l e B e d ia v Oli w with ... An intervie

Tell us a little about yourself. I was born and bred in Panama City, Florida, on the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. My grandfather, Wyatt Oates Byrd, moved to Panama City in 1930 to open a Nehi Bottling Company. I graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, am a former elementary school teacher and was a stay-at-home mom for my children, Tommy Jr and Elizabeth. My husband, Tommy, and I still reside in Panama City.

What was your favorite part of the writing process? Being raised by a Southern father and grandmother of uncommon wit, humor flowed as freely as water from a faucet in our household. When I finally put pen to paper, the stories poured forth as though an age-old tap had been discovered and turned on. I loved the gush of warm and euphoric remembrances and seeing these memories transposed into the written word.

What are you currently reading? The End of Innocence by Allegra Jordan. It is a wonderful love story of two Harvard students who fall in love on the eve of World War I and face a world at war on opposing sides. At a recent trade show, I was on a war panel with Allegra. She is a delight and the book is brilliant. Now, why a Southern humorist and self-proclaimed Southern belle like myself was on a WAR panel is another story!

How many books do you normally read at a time? I only read one book at a time from beginning to end and I read for details. I want it all! Once I start a good book, I am lost to the world. When my children were young, I did not dare start a book until they went to bed or they might end up playing in traffic!

Your new book, SAVE MY PLACE, is so very different from your first book, MISS HILDRETH WORE BROWN. How did this story begin to germinate? My first book was what I like to call ‘real life’ fiction—things that really happened—but I embellished them with anecdotes. With this first novel, Save My Place, I started with the main character, who actually began talking to me and telling me about her life. Eventually, I had to get her story on paper, and that’s when I got up in the middle of the night and wrote about her first, with a lot of character development.

I don’t believe writers are ever sure as to how things actually come about in a story. The college and teaching experiences contain some true stories, but with the introduction of Kincaid, it definitely becomes completely fiction.

In SAVE MY PLACE you wrote, very convincingly, about “Old Panama City Beach”, which is where you

are from, and the Vietnam era. Did you write from personal experience? Panama City Beach is definitely part of my history. We used to have house parties here, and my descriptions of the motels were spot on, because those experiences were really true.

Vietnam was very pivotal for me when I was in college. The draft was unsettling for everyone, but men were able to get deferments in some cases. Even though I lived through the war, I did a great deal of research, because the timeline was very important. I researched battles and interviewed someone who served, twice, in Vietnam. I also talked to a West Point graduate, because it’s the little details that made the story more true to life.

Along those same lines, in SAVE MY PLACE the experience of losing a child to leukemia was very sad, but eventually brought your characters to a deeper faith. What was your motivation with this part of the story line? A friend had a portrait of her daughter, who had died, and she talked so beautifully, and handled it with such grace, I never forget her, her story, and how she handled it. Before I included this part in the book, I found my friend on the Internet; we renewed our friendship; and, she gave me permission to use her experience. I also interviewed a physician from M.D. Anderson who was able to share the appropriate protocols, and walked me through what would have been done in the 70s.

And, yes, the experience was what turned Kincaid to God. I wanted to impart that it was a child who brought him to seek God and an understanding of faith.

There was also an extremely poignant chapter about a teacher. Is that part of your history as well, or did you pick it out of the headlines? Having the character shave her head was complete fiction. However, I did teach school for seven years, and actually made the dress I mentioned and had the kids decorate it. We did make the newspaper! Why the nom de plume? I didn’t make it up, because it’s my actual maiden name, and was too good to waste! I really liked what Melinda Rainey Thompson, author of SWAG: SOUTHERN WOMEN AGING GRACEFULLY said about the name: ‘The first thing I liked about SAVE MY PLACE was the author’s name: Olivia deBelle Byrd. If you can’t make it as a writer in the South with a name like that, well, you’re not really trying, are you?’ Learn more about Olivia at www.oliviadebellebyrd.com

Jackie’s Jargon

ROMANCE REVIEWS BY JACKIE MCMURRAY

COWBOY, CONVINCE ME: A Bellham Romance Danita Cahill Publisher: Ridge Publishing (June 17, 2015) Genre: Christian western romance

ROME IN LOVE Anita Hughes Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Genre: Women’s Fiction

Convince Me Cowboy starts with all the reasons Shay Monahan will not fall for a cowboy again—especially not a rodeo cowboy. Her heart was already broken when she discovered the rodeo cowboy she married was sowing his oats across the rodeo circuit. Now that she is divorced, she dismisses the notion of ever dating a cowboy again. Shay has her own successful career training horses with a real knack for matching buyers with suitable horses. If only she was as good at matching herself with a man.

When it’s rodeo time in her hometown of Pine Creek, Montana, she’s determined to keep her distance from the cowboys—especially the one called Denver. One look at him and she feels stirrings she doesn’t want to deal with.

Denver Campbell has no intention of getting sidetracked with a woman. He’s in town to win some cash in the rodeo circuit. So why does he get all twisted up every time he’s around Shay Monahan? He’s already been in a serious relationship with a cowgirl who managed to make him feel like a fool. His goal is to stay clear of romance and win the rodeo championship before he retires. So why does Shay make him feel so uncertain about his goals? He is solid on his plans, isn’t he? Cahill does a fine job of giving the reader both points of view of the main characters. Both Shay and Denver do a great deal of trying to talk themselves out of falling for the other while being thrown together into some intimate moments.

This book also follows the budding romance between Shay’s friend and Denver’s friend which gives the reader a chance to see how easy it could be for Shay and Denver if they’d only let go of past hurts.

I loved the setting. I could feel the grit on my teeth at the rodeo grounds and visualize the horses and the ranches.

Cowboy, Convince Me is a clean romance that kept my attention while I waited for the heroine to sort through her trepidation. There’s just something about cowboys, isn’t there?

Rome in Love is the tale of Amelia Tate, a rising star, who is cast as the lead in the remake of the Audrey Hepburn movie, Roman Holiday. Amelia arrives in Rome where she is booked in the same hotel room where Hepburn stayed while filming the original movie. Amelia is delighted to discover several unsent letters, penned by Hepburn, that detail her days in Rome. Additionally, Amelia meets Sophie, a real life princess, who is experiencing Rome incognito. Hughes did a fine job of weaving the stories of the three women together.

Early on in the book, Amelia’s long time boyfriend comes to Rome to visit her. He’s under the impression that after this movie she will follow him to San Francisco and give up acting. Amelia wants to live in Hollywood and continue her career. They can’t come to an agreement and decide to break up.

In the meantime, Amelia feels the need to walk the streets of Rome without all the media attention, so she dons a maid’s uniform and slips out the hotel’s service door. While dressed as a maid, she meets Philip, a journalist, and admits to herself after seeing him a few more times that she’s attracted to him. Amelia wants to tell him the truth but can’t find the right time to tell him who she really is. Philip needs a big story. He’s flat broke and has an agreement with his father that if he doesn’t pay back a loan soon, Philip will join the family business back in the states. He knows Amelia is an actress pretending to be a maid. While his loan deadline approaches, he’s torn between selling Amelia’s story for the money he needs or protecting her because he’s falling for her.

While the detailed descriptions of the setting helped to anchor me in Rome, the on-going descriptions of what people wore and ate distracted and took me out of the story. I wanted to know more about the character’s personalities rather than their wardrobes. Overall, Rome in Love is a story worth reading. The references to Hepburn add a dimension of nostalgia that made this reviewer want to curl up and watch Roman Holiday.

Jackie McMurray and her husband live on a macadamia nut farm on the island of Hawai'i where they feed a clowder of cats and a flock of hodgepodge chickens. In a past life, she was an elementary school teacher; currently, she writes contemporary romance from the Hawaiian Islands and beyond under her pen name, Jackie Marilla.

The adventures of Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) and Arthur Conan Doyle in late 19th-century. Victorian mysteries with nostalgic fun and spunky characters by speculative fiction author Roberta Rogow

Unleashed Love by Jackie Marilla

Glenda Weber is tired of roaming around her big empty house alone. Her volunteer work at the local animal shelter in Cedar Grove, Iowa is satisfying, but she’d give anything to have a companion and a few pets. Too bad her loyalty to her deceased husband prohibits bringing pets into the house and her insecurities about finding new love complicates matters. When Glenda meets Loman Cejka at the animal shelter and he invites her for supper two times in one week, she starts to gain confidence that she can build a relationship and maybe even fall in love.

Loman is sure his grown kids will love Glenda. She’s friendly and smart and loves animals, including Bert, the family parrot. When his daughter hatches a plan to reunite her divorced parents, Loman has to make a difficult choice—alienate his daughter or give up on his relationship with Glenda.

Ace Katzenbooks Reviews A SHOOTING STAR By Joe Cosentino Dreamspinner Press (Sept 2015) GLBT Romance

PRIDE OF POPPIES: Modern GLBTQI fictions of the Great War Authors: Julie Bozza, Barry Brennessel, Charlie Cochrane, SamEvans, Lou Faulkner, Adam Fitzroy, Wendy C. Fries, Z. McAspurren, Eleanor Musgrove, Jay Lewis Taylor

Warning: spoilers

Manifold Press (April 2015)

This is anthology of WWI-related stories about LGBT people coping with war. Some of the characters are in the military, some are civilians, but none are unscathed. And— realistically—some of them don't survive.

These stories are all good, although one had a confusing juxtaposition of flashbacks that broke concentration. A minor issue, but one that did pull me out of the story. My favorites? Per Ardua Ad Astra, because of the incredible research Lou Faulkner did. Follow the Wikipedia link in his afterword. You will not believe the design of that airplane. The Men Left Behind—a transgender boy who can't fight because he's living in a girl's body. And perhaps my very favorite, Ành Sàng, set in what was known as French Indochina – Vietnam. I like stories that teach me something, and this explained a lot about the roots of the Vietnam war. Did you know Vietnamese men were drafted to fight for the French in WWI? Neither did I.

Some of the profits from this book go to the Royal British Legion, a support group for the British armed forces. The change in the world shows even here—50 years ago, that organization would probably not have wanted funds raised by a queer book. Today, they were happy to accept.

If I have one small criticism, it's in the layout. When a collection has more than one story by the same author, it's hardly necessary to put the author's bio after each story. A page or two at the end would have kept the focus on the stories. Also, a summary of each story was put at the end – where no one would look for it until after the stories were read. This would have made more sense at the beginning… A good collection of stories, and an excellent reminder that even when things are tough, we can remember that for LGBT people a hundred years ago, they were much more dangerous.

This story has me scratching my head—I wish I knew what the author had in mind. Read in one way, it's painfully predictable, with a long narrative of emotional 'tell' and very little 'show.' We have the first-person narrator Johnny Fallabella entering a small college in Colorado as a drama major in 1983 (an audition for the Cosby show places the date). Johnny's a virgin, he has recently come out as gay, and his family has accepted it quite easily then sent him off to train for Hollywood. Johnny is so conflict-free he seems too good to be true.

The basic storyline is much like a college version of "A Star is Born." John finds his new roommate is not another freshman, but a senior, who has been given most of the starring roles his entire time in school – which to this reader seems to mean a professor playing favorites and not letting any of the other students into the limelight, or letting the favorite learn how to deal with not getting what he wants.

Johnny is immediately smitten with his handsome, dashing, larger-than life roommate, who calls himself David Star. Since this is a fictitious memoir and a short one, the story's focus on David Star as the center of John's universe is understandable, but it doesn't take long for John's panting hero-worship of David to wear thin. David renames him "Jonathan Bello" and he accepts it without question. David dresses him in his own clothes. David takes him off on hitchhiking expeditions, using his "thick thumb" to catch rides. (Every time they hitch, it is the 'thick thumb.' Jonathan tends to repeat himself.) David, who is apparently an amateur life coach and psychotherapist, advises every person the two young men meet on how to improve their lives, and everyone is so enchanted by David's "handsome face" (yes, that is also repeated) and winning manner that they happily accept the intrusion and their lives are magically changed. We know this because the story revisits the beneficiaries of David's advice; the ticket-seller at the theater is suddenly perky, well-groomed, and motivated. The weary housewife becomes energized, the college employee with romantic problems woos and wins his lady… David also keeps telling John to "remember how this feels," but even the feelings are mostly tell, rather than show. By about halfway through the story, I was pretty tired of the handsome David Star. And I was equally annoyed with Continued on page

Barefoot Writing Academy Presents:

Halloween & Horror by Mahala Church

Halloween is on its way! Watch your online sources for new books and short stories that make the rounds this time of the year. There are plenty of books on the shelf that will keep you shivering into the dark night. Try a few of these tried and true “ghoulies.” THE SHINING by Stephen King Put a family in an isolated hotel empty in the offseason and surrounded by deep. Turn the husband into a psychotic madman. Add a five-year-old son who has psychic ability, who senses the growing threat of horrors. Incorporate an easily cowed wife and blood dripping from the walls. Plan to stay awake for several days after reading about them.

THE SEEKER: A MYSTERY AT WALDEN POND by R. B. Chesterton Send a graduate student to an isolated cabin to write. Sprinkle in strange sites and sounds that aren’t of this world. Send tragedy to strike in the nearby town. Discover sinister legacies of savage intent. Create a setting that vibrates with secrets and palpable tension. Incorporate locals who are anything but what they seem.Have the writer question her own sanity. Sleep with the lights on.

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson The opening: "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more.” Considered by purists of the horror genre to be the greatest haunted house novel ever written, this book was the premise that most of the B or even C rated slash/scream movies are based on. But this book is anything but B or C.

It is Absolute Anarchy.

What puts a book into the horror genre rather than thriller or mystery? As with most things, both the definition of horror fiction and the quality and quantity of the books has evolved with the movie industry playing a large part in that evolution and, no surprise, Stephen King’s famous books. Beginning with CARRIE, King’s books made horror synonymous with weird and terrifying, including one of my favorites, DOLORES CLAIBORNE, which is based on a true story and has as its driving force emotion and yes, cruelty.

Once, THE TALE TALE HEART by Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, of R. L. Stevenson’s DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE struck fear. Today, they are considered more thrilling than horrifying. Let’s start with Webster’s definition: horror is a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay. Given this definition and your proclivity to be scared, anything from THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold to EXORCIST by W. P. Blatty could set you on tenterhooks.

Robert McCammon, one of the founders of the Horror Writers Association is quoted on their website: "Horror fiction upsets apple carts, burns old buildings, and stampedes the horses; it questions and yearns for answers, and it takes nothing for granted. It's not safe, and it probably rots your teeth, too. Horror fiction can be a guide through a nightmare world, entered freely and by the reader's own will. And since horror can be many, many things and go in many, many directions, that guided nightmare ride can shock, educate, illuminate, threaten, shriek, and whisper before it lets the readers loose." (Twilight Zone Magazine, Oct 1986) More books that once were labeled horror often delve inside the characters to explore who they truly are and in doing so, it makes reader do the same. “What would I do in that situation?” So the definition is in evolution once again.

My challenge to you this month is to stroll through a brick and mortar bookstore and look at the labels for the genres. See how many have shelves labeled as horror. I’ll bet few and maybe none. Then stroll through Amazon or another online bookstore. Type in some of your favorite horror books or books that you believe fit the horror genre definition* and see where they fall in the genre game. Scroll down to the product details to see where they are classified. Poe’s books are now Classics. Check out Sharon Bolton’s BLOOD HARVEST which scared the bejeezus out of me and see what it is listed under. * The Horror Genre is generally defined as fiction that provokes an emotional, physical, or psychological response within readers and makes then feel fear. We all know the fight or flight response and that is what fear is. It’s that feeling you get when you read or see on the screen the lovely, albeit stupid, person who goes into the dark room, when you know full well that they should turn and run. Let me hear what you find on your search.

Mahala

Forced out of the DEA after twenty years, Hardin Steel, Stainless to his close friends, has managed to get himself elected Sheriff of Cameron County, Texas. Twice divorced, with a bit of a drinking problem, he’s now dating Rory Roughton, a fiery sixth-generation Texan who’s as rich as she is beautiful—and hell-bent on keeping Steel on the straight and narrow. But then ...

"An effervescent ride chock-full of memorable action and characters." - Kirkus Reviews

RANDALL RENEAU is the award-winning author of Deadly Lode, Diamond Fields, and Ruby Silver. A one-time international geologist and Vietnam veteran, he lives with his wife, Lynne, in Austin, Texas.

http://www.randall-reneau.com

Ace Katzenbooks Reviews continued

Jonathan (Oy. I think it would be good if authors consider using some other name combination) and his obsession. Neither of the main characters has much depth – even David's Dark Secret turns out to be another admirable facet of his personality as he deals with his troubled past. But a murky past is an inevitable part of the romantic formula. Mr. Rochester had his mad wife, David Star has his family issues. He would seem a little more human if he had been just a bit less noble and self-sacrificing or kvetched once in awhile. Other characters are even less dimensional, and so is the setting. There seems to be a town nearby that is big enough to have a gay bar, but we never learn anything about the area. Almost no effort is made to set any scene—the bar, for instance, has stools and at least one table, and that is the stage-setting we get. The drama teacher, Professor Katzer (we are never introduced to any other professors or hear about any other classes) is an elderly, nervous soul, a hypochondriac who seems unable to even keep his class material in order without David's superior paper-handling skills. The only snake in the garden of Eden is David's former roommate and occasional lover, Terrence Falcon, and his function in the story seems to mostly be as a minor villain and apparent romantic rival. The only person whose humanity shows clearly is Barry Goldman, who is often Jonathan's class partner and is genuinely his friend. He calls David a "matzoh ball" and my guess is he's probably right. So, of the 90 or so pages of Shooting Star, all but the last handful are David Star worship. The only surprising thing about the whole story is that the two never actually have sex. It's not so much a romance as a serious case of infatuation. If the reader falls for David, then it's a real romantic tragedy. If not, it's like listening to a die-hard fan rave about someone you don't much like. However… if, instead of reading this flat out as a tragic love story, we read this as the tale of a master manipulator, possibly a sociopath who unwittingly engineers his own downfall, we have a more interesting tale.

Looking at this as a psychological drama, we see the manipulative David Star set John up from the start. "I asked for a freshman roommate," he announces when John asks how they were paired up. He disparages the classes and texts and informs John that he, David, is going to teach him how to audition, supervise his gym work, and essentially mentor him as a professional actor. (This, of course, with no professional experience of his own.) Why? "Because you're my roommate." A roommate he has never met – unless he specifically requested Johnny Fallabella. And how did he have the power to make this happen? We aren't told. In very little time, the newly christened "Jonathan" is wholly enthralled, in its literal sense. Since David has some interests of his own he does not require full-time attention, so Jonathan does make other acquaintances and one good friend, Barry, who warns him that David is going to break

his heart. Of course this warning goes unheeded; Jonathan is convinced that he can overcome David's issues, whatever they are. He's never been in a relationship, so he has no idea that this is the wishful but impossible expectation of every codependent partner in every unequal relationship.

Jonathan perceives David's manipulation of other people as helping them – whether it's the drama teacher being told who to cast in which roles, the drivers who pick them up while they're hitching into town, or anyone else they run across. "David likes to help people," Jonathan explains to someone who asks where he got his knowledge about relationships.

But that does not really seem to be the case, if we look at this as in terms of David's actions instead of assuming his kindly intent. David likes to manipulate people. David likes to have people do what he tells them to do—and while he can arouse emotions and passion, he says that he is unable to feel love. He will use sex to get things he wants; he does not appear to have an emotional involvement with his sexual partners. And finally, David seems to need an innocent, wet-behind-the-ears roommate who can be dazzled and trained, and whom he can control by being sexually seductive but never actually having sex with his "little Jonathan." It is fortunate that he's content with manipulating those around him into what he considers positive outcomes, but it's his insistence on pushing others in the direction he wants them to go that finally brings about his down fall – in a literal and permanent way.

Because it is David's insistence on trying to make a panicky homophobe do something that he is not ready to attempt that pushes the man into pulling a gun—and firing it. Just before he dies, David tells Jonathan that he's the only person he ever loved. But I had to wonder… was that the truth? Or just the perfect exit line? As a melancholy romance, I'd say 3 paws up. As a psychodrama, 4. That's for the reader to decide, I think. maybe

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The Play Room

ANAIS NIN: FEMALE EROTICA PIONEER

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful that the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin 1903-1977

Anais Nin was a fascinating woman, even if she had never been a published author. She is best known for her diaries which covered several decades, beginning when she was eleven years old. It is the publication of her diaries that allow us to know this interesting life and her varied experiences. Her heritage is best described as Cuban American, living the majority of her life in the United States. She travelled and spent some years living a Bohemian lifestyle in Paris, where she was Henry Miller’s lover. Although both were married at the time, it never seemed to be an issue for any of the wives/husbands. In fact, later in life Anais was married to two men…one in New York and one in Los Angeles. She actually kept index cards to keep her two lives organized separately. Eventually one of the marriages was annulled to avoid prosecution for bigamy, but they remained together. Needless to say, she was a free thinker. So it is understandable that she was responsible for some of the first, and best, erotic writings by a woman.

Erotica Reviews by Susanna W olf

As a teen, her family lived in Paris for a time and rented an apartment from an American who was away for the summer. Anais discovered the owner had a cache of French paperbacks, which she proceeded to read voraciously. She had never read erotic literature in America. She says in her diary, “They overwhelmed me. I was innocent before I read them, but by the time I had read them all, there was nothing I did not know about sexual exploits…I had my degree in erotic lore.” She tapped into this gained knowledge in the 1940’s when she, Henry Miller and some other friends were desperate for money. They began to write erotic and pornographic narratives for an anonymous collector. They were paid a dollar a page, and took it somewhat as a joke. Nin never intended for any of these stories to be published, but in 1977 changed her mind and allowed them to be published as Delta of Venus and Little Birds. She was known to scorn her erotica, and likely feared what their impact would be on her literary reputation and legacy. However, many feminists saw it as pioneering work.

Delta of Venus is a collection of fifteen short stories, which were originally the pages of erotica Anais Nin wrote in the 1940’s for a private collector. They are erotic scenes or snapshots, many born out of common sexual fantasies. Nin is able

to turn them into stories with a little flourish, taking the images beyond the pornographic.

Some of the stories are simply titled with a name, such a Mathilde, Lilith or Marianne. I enjoyed the more intriguing titles of The Hungarian Adventurer, The Boarding School, Artists and Models and The Veiled Woman.

The Veiled Woman is a good example of a common fantasy come to life on the pages. George is in a bar and notices a man with a very beautiful woman, who is wearing a veil. George begins a conversation with the man, but the beautiful woman leaves. As George continues to talk to the man, he is given a proposal. This man looks after this woman who can have any man she wants, but specifically is only interested in being with a stranger; someone she has never known or been with before. These first pages of the story are intriguing to the reader, who becomes invested in not only the sex, but how the story will end. The erotic passages are written with smooth style, and keep pace with the building of passion. There is emotion and feeling, even for such short stories. Anais Nin provocatively wrote about female sexuality, but always with respect. REVIEW

THE GENTLEWOMAN by Lisa Durkin Ellora’s Cave (Aug 2015) Erotica

I recently had the pleasure of reading this novel by Lisa Durkin. It is classified as “adult contemporary romantic suspense.” It is from Ellora’s Cave and there is a reader advisory, “This story has graphic sexual language and scenes no closed bedroom doors!”

Rory Morgan is the newest U.S. congresswoman, appointed to finish out a term from her district. She is a sensation for the press, but in her mind not for the right reasons. Three years earlier, Rory had been tortured and almost killed by her husband, who turned out to be a terrorist. It was big news, but Rory just wanted to be the gentlewoman from Ohio, working for her constituents that would make a difference to them. Almost immediately, she is thrown into the path of other-side-of-the-aisle Congressman Jackson Dorn. He is known as much for his rich, playboy antics as much as his legislative prowess. He pursues her, and this is Washington D.C., so there is an ulterior motive. This book has it all…suspense, political intrigue, great sex scenes and even a dangerous stalker. It is a page turner, anxious to see how it all comes together. As other readers of this book, I am hoping for a sequel.

Eclectic Express Reviews

Eclectic

Mystery

Urban Fantasy

MISS FORTUNE MYSTERIES

LETHAL BAYOU BEAUTY #2 SWAMP SNIPER #3

by Jana DeLeon Create Space (June 2012) Mystery/Humor

From the first paragraph I fell in love with this series. A C.I.A. assassin named Fortune angers some very powerful bad guys who put out a contract on her. Her boss comes up with the idea of hiding her in Sinful, LA where she pretends to be his niece, the beauty queen. Fortune, who would rather kill with stilletos than walk in them, finds herself completely out of place in this small bayou community. She finds it difficult to stay out of trouble when she is befriended by Gertie and Ida Belle, the Geritol Mafia, who have a knack for landing on the wrong side of the local law and heart throb - Deputy Carter.

Murder, banana pudding and plenty of laugh-out-loud antics fill the pages of this delightful series. I’ve only read the first three books but have plans to grab the next three before I get into DeLeon’s other series. Delightfully imaginative!

BEWARE OF GEEKS BEARING GIFTS by Charlie Cochet GLBT Romance Dreamspinner Press

Opposites find attraction in this sweet and funny novella.

Paranormal

Sci-Fi

Young Adult

COMING BACK (The Belladonna Arms #3) by John Inman GLBT Romance Dreamspinner Press

LOUISIANA LONGSHOT #1

Miami SWAT officer, Julian “Quinn” Quintero is trying to recover from an on-the-job injury but he finds it challenging with his large Cuban family and his smitten brownie baking neighbor Spencer.

LGBT

Barney Teegarden knows what it’s like to be alone. He knows what it’s like to have a romantic heart, yet no love in his life to unleash the romance on. With the help of a friend, he acquires a lease in a seedy apartment building perched high on a hill in downtown San Diego. The Belladonna Arms is not only filled with the quirkiest cast of characters imaginable, it is also famous for sprinkling love dust on even the loneliest of the lovelorn. At the Arms, Barney finds friendship, acceptance, and an adopted family that lightens his lonely life. Hell, he even finds a cat. But still true love eludes him.

When his drag queen landlord, Arthur, takes it into his head to rescue a homeless former tenant, he enlists Barney’s help. It is Barney who shows this lost soul how to trust again—and in return Barney discovers love for the first time in his life. I requested a review copy of this book because Barney Teegarden just seemed like the kind of guy whose company I would enjoy. I was right. I loved this book and the residents of The Belladonna Arms. Inman tells this tale of people who look out for each other with tenderness and humor. I look forward to grabbing the first two books in this series.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Book Breeze. Contents of this emag are repeated on our blog throughout the month.