#MMBBR @TLCBookTours #FirstLine The Things We Wish Were True by @marybethwhalen

Hosted By: TLC Book Tours

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (September 1, 2016)

In an idyllic small-town neighborhood, a near tragedy triggers a series of dark revelations.

From the outside, Sycamore Glen, North Carolina, might look like the perfect all-American neighborhood. But behind the white picket fences lies a web of secrets that reach from house to house.

Up and down the streets, neighbors quietly bear the weight of their own pasts—until an accident at the community pool upsets the delicate equilibrium. And when tragic circumstances compel a woman to return to Sycamore Glen after years of self-imposed banishment, the tangle of the neighbors’ intertwined lives begins to unravel.

During the course of a sweltering summer, long-buried secrets are revealed, and the neighbors learn that it’s impossible to really know those closest to us. But is it impossible to love and forgive them?

#FirstLine ~ Cutter and I were there when they opened the Sycamore Glen pool for the summer. 

This book was one that I blew through.  I was taken inside a quiet town and into the lives of the characters.  Characters that had their own personal struggles and secrets that mixed with dynamics of neighborhood life.  There were many twists and turns.  I could not help but be pulled into the compelling drama and wonder how it all fit together and how it would all resolve.  It is a fascinating story and one that would make a fantastic book club pick.  

MORE REVIEWS:

“With skill and compassion, Marybeth Whalen digs beneath the surface of a quiet suburban neighborhood to reveal its darker secret side. Full of unexpected twists and sympathetic, relatable characters, The Things We Wish Were True is both surprising and heartwarming and it’s sure to have you examining your own peaceful neighborhood with new eyes.” —Diane Chamberlain, USA Today bestselling author of Pretending to Dance

“The Things We Wish Were True masterfully blends dark, twisted secrets with a redemptive story about the power of community. As the families of Sycamore Glen, North Carolina, kick off summer at their neighborhood pool, Marybeth Mayhew Whalen peels back the layers of their past and present lives to reveal the underbelly of suburbia. A fabulous page-turner with the ending you want.” —Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of The Perfect Son

“In The Things We Wish Were True, Marybeth Whalen has pulled off an impressive feat, an ever-shifting narrative through a neighborhood full of secrets. Each of these characters is compelling and fully realized, and the final twists and reveals left me breathless and, ultimately, at peace. An impressive achievement that you’ll want to put at the top of your to-read list.” —Catherine McKenzie, bestselling author of Hidden and Fractured

“This novel had me hooked at its premise—a near tragedy unites a group of relative strangers at their community pool—and kept me gripped in its aftermath. Marybeth Mayhew Whalen digs deeply and expertly into the rich and fascinating subject of how well do we really know our neighbors—and the far-reaching impact of a split-second decision on an otherwise predictable day. Suspenseful and emotionally charged, and perfectly steeped in the combustible heat of a North Carolina summer, The Things We Wish Were True is a must-read for any season.” —Erika Marks, author of The Last Treasure

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books a Million | Barnes & Noble

About Marybeth Mayhem Whalen

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is the author of five previous novels and speaks to women’s groups around the United States. She is the cofounder of the popular women’s fiction site She Reads and is active in a local writers’ group. Marybeth and her husband, Curt, have been married for twenty-four years and are the parents of six children, ranging from young adult to elementary age. The family lives in North Carolina. Marybeth spends most of her time in the grocery store but occasionally escapes long enough to scribble some words. She is always at work on her next novel.

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Connect with Marybeth

Website | She Reads | Facebook | Twitter

#MMBBR #Review #PictureBooks #MarilynSinger @abramskids @ABRAMSbooks

What can you do with a banana? You can grip it, unzip it, squeeze it, freeze it— you can even play it like a flute! With a little imagination and a sense of humor, you can transform it into anything! Turn the ordinary into the extraordinary with these charming picture books that encourage readers to look at the world in a new—more magical—way.

MY REVIEW:

An adorable rhyming story that illustrates to the young reader all the delights that bananas can offer.  This is a sweet story that is sure to be a hit with young readers, as the story has a sing song quality and pictures that capture the silliest and most clever ways to enjoy delicious bananas and to create healthy eating habits.

What can you do with an apple? You can pick it, kick it, wash it, squash it—but don’t forget to eat it. This charming new series will show readers how to find magic and joy in the beauty of everyday life.

MY REVIEW:

An adorable rhyming story that illustrates to the young reader all the delights that apples can offer.  This is a sweet story that is sure to be a hit with young readers, as the story has a sing song quality and pictures that capture the silliest and most clever ways to enjoy delicious apples and to create healthy eating habits.






Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University.

In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.

Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children's Choice and Parents' Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist's Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can't Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children's Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book.

Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.

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#MMBBR #MrMommyBooknerd Tier One by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson

In a world violated by terror, the old lines have blurred. Meet the next generation of covert ops.

John Dempsey’s life—as an elite Tier One Navy SEAL named Jack Kemper—is over. A devastating terrorist action catapults him from a world of moral certainty and decisive orders into the shadowy realm of espionage, where ambiguity is the only rule. His new mission: hunt down those responsible for the greatest tragedy in the history of the US Special Ops and bring them to justice.

But how does a man torn between duty and revenge walk the line and preserve his soul?

As Dempsey struggles with the games of spies, the case propels him across the globe in a desperate effort to prevent a new, horrifying attack on American soil.

Once, John Dempsey followed orders blindly. Now he sees behind the curtain, and the security of the civilized world rests on one question: Can a Tier One Navy SEAL adapt and become the world’s most lethal spy?

Midwest born and raised, Brian is a US Navy Veteran who served as an officer aboard a 688 class nuclear submarine in the Pacific. He graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a degree in psychology. He is a Park Leadership Fellow and holds a Masters degree from Cornell University.

Brian writes three different thriller series:

- TIER ONE military thriller series for Thomas & Mercer with his co-author Jeffrey Wilson as: Andrews & Wilson

- NICK & DASH international espionage series for Crooked Lane Books with Jeffrey Wilson under the pseudonym: Alex Ryan

- THE THINK TANK suspense and intrigue series as himself.


You can visit him online at: 

www.facebook.com/brianandrewsauthor
www.facebook.com/andrewsandwilson

www.andrews-wilson.com
www.brianandrewsauthor.com

Tier One is synonymous with elite.  We perceive the elite as indestructible, invincible, and unable to be defeated.  When America has a crisis our Tier One military elite teams are called upon to right the wrongs of the world.  But what happens when they are defeated?

Andrews and Wilson introduces us to the sole survivor of the greatest massacre and ambush of our elite Tier One teams.  Jack Kemper barely survived the multi facet attack that killed his closest friends, co workers, and his way of life.  A meeting with a former SEAL commander presents Kemper with the opportunity to avenge the deaths of his friends and reinvent his life as John Dempsey.

As a member of a secret and elite counter terrorism group, Jack Kemper's long held beliefs are challenged, forced into a new team, and chasing an enemy that is intent on killing everyone who does not submit to their beliefs.  For mission success Kemper must embrace his new opportunity at life as John Dempsey.  Dempsey and his new team will crisscross the world chasing an evil intent on killing the West.

Tier One has laid the foundation to embrace a new literary hero who will hide in the shadows and ensure the American way of life is preserved.

#Hello? #WashingtonIsland #DoorCountyWI @LizaWiemer

We spent the day exploring Washington Island, Wisconsin and visiting many of the spots that were discussed in the book Hello? by the very talented Liza Weimer.....I hope you enjoy our journey through pictures.

Tricia: A girl struggling to find her way after her beloved grandma's death.
Emerson: A guy who lives his life to fulfill promises, real and hypothetical.
Angie: A girl with secrets she can only express through poetry.
Brenda: An actress and screenplay writer afraid to confront her past.
Brian: A potter who sets aside his life for Tricia, to the detriment of both.
Linked and transformed by one phone call, Hello? weaves together these five Wisconsin teens' stories into a compelling narrative of friendship and family, loss and love, heartbreak and healing, serendipity, and ultimately hope.

Told from all five viewpoints: narration (Tricia), narration (Emerson), free verse poetry (Angie), screenplay format (Brenda), narration and drawings (Brian).

My debut YA novel, HELLO?, was published by Spencer Hill on November 10, 2015. I am also the author of two non-fiction adult books, short stories, and newspaper and magazine articles. A pre-school to high school educator now writing YA fiction full time, which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! And I'm a diehard Green Bay Packers fan.

My author website is http://www.LizaWiemer.com and I have a blog for bookshttp://www.whorublog.com

Unique "job" experiences: I spent a summer selling popcorn in a Koepsell's popcorn wagon while listening to awesome music on the Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee. I also know my way around a fender and a quarter panel and under the hood of a car. I spent a few years driving to accident scenes, scrapyards, hospitals, auto repair shops as a claims adjuster for an insurance company. 

I started WhoRuBlog to address YA issues and share my passion for reading. http://www.whoRuBlog.com 
Besides articles that address tough issues facing young adults, I have author interviews and book giveaways. Check them out. :D

Happy reading, Liza

The sheer level of brilliance of writing in this novel is off the charts. Written in poem and script, as well as paragraphed chapters this book shows the range, depth and diversity that @lizamwiemer processes. An exceptional book that tackles tough topics that both adults and young adults can relate to and be moved by. HELLO? captures how traumatic events shape us and how friendships and love can help us form a new personal narrative. Set in beautiful and picturesque Washington Island and Door County Wisconsin this novel takes us into small town America, while capturing universal topics and experiences. 5 huge stars!!! 

#FirstLine ~ Sometimes I wish I were a robot.

#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay by Kelly Harms @HarmsBooks

“Delightful, and sure to captivate readers and gain new fans for author Kelly Wimmer Harms. Sparkling dialogue and a winning heroine, who finds her big-girl panties amid the disaster zone her life has become and head in a new direction, finding love along the way, it had me turning the pages into the night.”―Eileen Goudge, New York Times bestselling author of Garden of Lies

Lily Stewart has reached a crossroads in her life. Her painting career hasn't taken off, her best friend has changed beyond recognition, her relationship is a constant disappointment, and now she can't keep up with the rising cost of living in the city. With no one to turn to, Lily is forced to move from her beloved apartment, but while packing she comes across a piece of mail that had slipped to the back of her junk drawer: a letter detailing further action needed to finalize the annulment of a quickie Vegas wedding. From ten years ago!

Lily decides it's time to gather up the pieces of her life, and the first item on her list of things to fix is that annulment... but you can't just send a text ten years later reading, "Hey BTW we are still married." This is something that must be addressed in person, so Lily decides to track down her husband - the charming, enigmatic man she connected with all those years ago.

Ben Hutchinson left a high-profile dot-com lifestyle behind to return home to his family and the small lake town he loves, Minnow Bay. He's been living off the grid with the express purpose of making it hard to be found―so the last thing he expects is a wife he didn't know he had making her presence known.

By chance, Lily finds her way to the magical Minnow Bay Inn. There she will discover not just a place to lay her head, but new friends, new inspiration, and maybe even a new chance to fall in love.

Kelly Harms lights up the page in this story of the surprising beauty of past mistakes and the unexpected pleasures of correcting them.

Kelly Harms is the author of The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane and The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay. She has also worked with New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, Edgar, RITA, and Agatha award winners, and Indie Next List Picks in her time as an editor at a division of HarperCollins and later as an agent at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her son Griffin and puppy Scout.

I adore Wisconsin authors and books set in Wisconsin.  I am proud of my state and the talented writers that call this state their home.  The Matchmaker's of Minnow Bay is such a wonderful story about small town living, about finding out who we are, about facing mistakes and trying to find a new way in the world.  The characters are flawed, funny and endearing.  You can really relate to the struggles Lily faces.  She struggles to get a handle on being an adult because, let's be honest, adulting is very hard.  I laughed and was moved many times.  This is a book that has a lot of heart.  I really enjoyed being on the journey with Lily.  4 stars

#FirstLine ~ "I think I've looked at this one too much," my best friend Renee says to me as we come around the corner and find what I suspect is Magritte's most annoying piece.

#MMBBR #Showcase The Scorpion by John A. Autero's

Watch the trailer here:  https://youtu.be/Y41TrmT45-Q

You watch the TV news every night and think you know what’s going on… think again. Three friends stumble upon information that describes an underwater excavation site and refinery that processes a newly discovered source of energy. Who built the site? What is the fuel used for? What happened on December 26, 2004? The friends are determined to reveal the truth about their findings to the public and realize that just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s right. “The Scorpion is a Techno-Thriller on steroids!”

John A. Autero is an indie author of techno-thriller adventure novels. An engineer by education, John employs a technical style of writing that combines existing technologies with those that are yet to be developed. John enjoys anything sci-fi, automotive, heavy metal and ballistic. Always a fan of government conspiracies and black-ops, stories like "The Terminator" and "The X-Files" are always on his list of favorites. John was born in the United States and has spent his entire life there, where he happily lives with his wife and pets.

Q.  What inspires your writing?

I just love to read books (and watch movies) with twisty story lines, and I thought that I could write books with the same kind of excitement. I think it’s great when readers tell me “Wow… I didn’t see that coming!” And once I heard that, I was hooked and I wanted to write more of them.

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

I really like the quiet, creative time. I thoroughly enjoy sitting in my den in the morning and tapping on the keys. I hear birds outside the window and sip a cup of coffee. The hours just fly by.

Q.  What is the toughest part of being a writer?

I have a traditional 40-hour job, so my writing time is limited. I normally put in four or five hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I wish I could spend more time writing but it’s just not possible. But on the bright side, writing a book over an extended period of time gives you a chance to process the story line to make sure it’s realistic and allows you to come up with ideas to make it more enjoyable.

Q.  If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?

I’m employed as the manager of an engineering training department and have a degree in Industrial Engineering. I have always loved to show people nifty technical things and training people helps me to express that. I really like my job and have been doing it for close to 25 years.

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

It would probably be something like ‘All is Well’ or ‘It’s all Good’. I always felt that life is sort of like a roller coaster, sometimes going up, sometimes going down. But you have to put your hope in God and realize that all things happen for good. I guess no one’s life is perfect and you have to realize that when you come to the end of the ride, you always pull back into the station with a slow and smooth stop. Check out the story about Mr. Davidson in chapter seventeen of the ‘The Scorpion’. You’ll see what I’m getting at.

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

This seems to change as the years go by. I received a copy of a rock-and-roll tell-all novel as a Christmas gift a few years ago and I thought it was incredibly interesting. I’ve kind of followed that band wagon for the last five or six books I have read. While they aren’t necessarily epic novels of exceptional writing, they do draw me in, reminding me of past times and places and I find them hard to put down. And isn’t that what a good book is supposed to do?

Q.  What character from all of your book are you most like?

When I create characters, I don’t normally make them 100% of anyone I know, but I frequently take small snippets of people’s personalities and mix them all together. For example, in my book ‘The Scorpion’, the character ‘Bruce’ brings dill pickles in his lunch every day. This trait comes from a very good friend of mine and I felt it would add some color to the character. In ‘Footprints’ the main character ‘Scott’ has a few personality traits similar to my own, but still only a few. So I guess to answer this question, I would have to go with ‘Scott Hrdinski’ from “Footprints’.

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

I think it would be great to get inside ‘The Scorpion’ and visit Harrison, Nebraska and experience the wide open spaces and smell the fresh air. I’m not a city person and find it more comfortable to drive down a gravel road between two corn fields. Even though I would like to visit Harrison, I wouldn’t want to find myself inside the harrowing situation that occurs in ‘The Scorpion’. But sipping lemonade on Gommy’s front porch… I’m all in.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

I like the fall. The temperature is comfortable. My wife and I like to pick apples and sit in the back yard next to a campfire in the evenings. Fishing in the fall is much more fun too, since you don’t constantly sweat like you do during the summer months. And who doesn’t love Thanksgiving?

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

I think the cover of ‘The Scorpion’ came out great. I don’t like when a book has a cover picture that really doesn’t have anything to do with the story. In this case, I tried to directly copy one of the scenes from the book for the cover picture. I think it gives folks a feel of the book and the clandestine nature of the story.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

The ‘person’ depicted on the cover of ‘Footprints’ is actually a picture of me in my basement. When I asked my wife to help me, she was just about ready to reach for the telephone and dial the looney bin. Check out the cover of ‘Footprints’ and you’ll see what I mean.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

I’m about 75% finished with a dark, sci-fi, who-done-it. It’s more dark and grungy than “Footprints’ or ‘The Scorpion’. It takes place on a hydrogen condensing depot in the middle of space. The place is smelly, dirty, loud and sweaty. Some of the characters are pretty crude, while others appear to be boy scouts. It’ll be something good to read on a rainy night around Halloween if you’re interested in a good ‘scare’. But it ends up being about a PG-13 with some bad language, some mid-grade violence, some creepy situations, but no sex.

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

Thank you to Mrs. Mommy Book Nerd for allowing me to be a part of her blog and I hope the information I have provided will peak your interest about my current book, ‘The Scorpion’. 

#MMBBR #Review #BlogTour #FirstLine THE REGULARS by @georgialouclark @GoSparkPoint

About Georgia: Georgia Clark is

widely published in women’s and lifestyle magazines, has written for TV, and performs improv. She’s the author of fiction novel The Regulars, and the YA novels She’s With The Band and Parched. A native Australian, Georgia lives in Brooklyn with her girlfriend and a fridge full of cheese. Connect with her on Twitter and Instagram at @georgialouclark.

About The Regulars: Best friends Evie, Krista, and Willow are just trying to make it through their mid-twenties in New York. They’re regular girls, with average looks and typical quarter-life crises: making it up the corporate ladder, making sense of online dating, and making rent.

Until they come across Pretty, a magic tincture that makes them, well…gorgeous. Like, supermodel gorgeous. And it’s certainly not their fault if the sudden gift of beauty causes unexpected doors to open for them.

But there’s a dark side to Pretty, too, and as the gloss fades for these modern-day Cinderellas, there’s just one question left:What would you sacrifice to be Pretty?

#FirstLine of the Regulars by Georgia Clark~ Despite her mother's impassioned insistence to the contrary, Evie Selby had never thought of herself as beautiful.  

What a delight this book is.  It takes us regulars and puts us in the place of the stunning and beautiful.  I laughed and I loved being taken away in the story.  The story has a touch of magic and loads of fun.  It was such a honest and interesting story about what we think we want, the costs and what really makes us happy!  4 stars

FIND GEORGIA ONLINE:

Website: www.GeorgiaClark.com

Twitter: @georgialouclark

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgiaclarkauthorpage

Instagram: @georgialouclark

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