Q&A with Douglas Wickard author of A PERFECT HUSBAND

Q. What inspires your writing?

A. WOW! Right off the bat a powerful question.  VOICE!  I’ve always been a reticent person. Writing allowed me the ability to SCREAM!  I think I’ve accomplished ‘that’ quite successfully.

Q. What is your favorite thing about being an author?

A. Solitude. I love the cool loneliness of my writing habitat! At one time, I was of the world, now I only observe and write about it. It’s a much more comfortable place for me to reside.

Q. What is the toughest part of being an author?

A. Oh, procrastination. I’ve mentioned that phenomenon in many interviews.  It is something I think I will always fight with…  

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

A. Nothing. It took me until middle age to finally find my passion after years of doing soulless, executive, financially appealing, all the perks…blah, blah, blah…and all of ‘that’ left me empty. Drained. And, unhappy. I would rather have nothing than go back to corporate America.

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

A.  Mr. Golden. (there’s a HUGE metaphor here.) It will be written soon. And, it’s not all sunshine!

Q. What is your favorite book of all time?

A. Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Q. Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. Sami Saxton, the heroine in A PERFECT HUSBAND.

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

A. Sami Saxton. Again. My alter-female ego.

Q. What is your favorite season?

A. Fall.

Q. What inspired your book cover?

A. My publisher.

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

A. The huge amount of female interest. I have become so used to being invisible in my Life at my age and stage, that the onslaught of female attention has been…sweet and appreciated. 

Q. Are you working on something new?

A. Yes. I finished a novel in December of 2011 entitled ENCOUNTER, a psychosexual thriller with San Francisco as the backdrop. But, with the amazing reviews and interest in Sami, I have decided to do a sequel to A PERFECT HUSBAND called A PERFECT SETUP and after... A PERFECT WIFE.  (THE PERFECT SERIES) It is very bizarre when something unexpectedly takes off…you just never know!

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

A. I have so much gratitude for my readers, followers, supporters and fans. It even feels weird writing that…fans…but, I have so many from across the continent…so, simply…thank you…thank you…thank you…

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Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 2012

An abandoned cabin… a diabolical killer…a hidden cemetery… a deadly secret is about to be uncovered.

Far from the neon blur of Manhattan – the dizzy buzz of restaurants, theater openings and one too many cocktails – located seventy-two miles outside the City in the sleepy, rural township of Montague, New Jersey, Sami Saxton is looking to rebuild her life. A rebirth, one might call it. And, she intends to do this spiritual resurrection in a small, abandoned fishing cabin, built over forty years ago by her deceased father.

Not quite abandoned…

A lethal serial killer has taken up residence in the basement of Sami’s remote cottage, using her father’s carpenter table for a hobby much more sinister than woodcutting.

Sequestered deep within forty-two acres of tall pine trees, bristling brooks and fresh water lakes, Sami Saxton is about to fight for her life.

The hard truth… nobody will ever hear her scream!

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CONTACT DOUGLAS:

Email Douglas

  

Big News & Review: The Selkie Spell by Sophie Moss

Mrs Mommy Booknerd has welcomed a new reviewer in order to keep up with the review requests coming in. 

Meet Mandy AKA "Mrs Jonsey Book Queen" 

I am a mother of three wonderful children who give me a run for my money on daily basis, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I am hitting the big 40 this year and can't wait to see what is store for me in the next decade.  I love to read.  I am the person who will stay up to read a book until the wee hours of the morning.  Reading books gives me a way to unwind and loose myself for a little while.  

I like to read lots of different types of books: mystery, thrillers, paranormal, fantasy, and romance. I really like the romance genre (even the stuff that is really "in depth and revealing").   I belong to a wonderful book club (She is a proud member of the TIARAS) and we meet once a month.  The only thing is they won't let me pick out the books because of my fetish for "really good" romance novels.  Oh well :)  Here is my first review.  I hope you enjoy it and the others forth coming!

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Get swept away in the legends of Ireland and romance.  I really loved this book and the story that was weaved within the legend of the Selkies.  Tara Moore is on the run from a terrible life back in the United States and ends up on Seal Island in Ireland.  The story told says that Tara is a descendant of the Selkie that was captured on the island many years ago and is there to fulfill the legend and set the Selkie free.  Tara and Dominic O'Sullivan fall in love, conquer the terrible life that followed Tara from the states and set the Selkie free.  

Sophie Moss does a wonderful job of making you believe in legends, the magic of Ireland, of good over coming evil, and most of all believing in love.  The book held me captivated and rooting for Tara to stand up for herself and fight back.  I couldn't put it down.  I can't wait to see what else Sophie Moss has in store for us to read.  I would highly recommend this book, even those of you who are not romance fans - this is an excellent book.

REVIEW: KEEPSAKE by Kristina Riggle

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MY REVIEW:

This is the first novel I have read by Riggle and all I can say is WOW.  Riggle captured the true psychology of the mind and environment of a hoarder and the dynamic within the family and extended family.  Trauma affects people differently and Riggle takes the story down uncharted territory into the minds and lives of two very different sisters who grew up in the same dysfunctional home.  Both sisters have their share of issues from growing up in the environment in which they did, both dealing with it in quite different ways.  Through the pages of the novel both the sisters deal with loss, disappointment, fear and the fight to move forward despite how hard it may be.  Can the sisters really move past their trauma or will the past continue to repeat itself?  Grab a copy of this 4.5 star novel to find out for yourself!   RELEASED TODAY!!!  

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

From the critically acclaimed author of Real Life & Liars and Things We Didn't Say comes a timely and provocative novel that asks: What happens when the things we own become more important than the people we love?
Trish isn't perfect. She's divorced and raising two kids—so of course her house isn't pristine. But she's got all the important things right and she's convinced herself that she has it all under control. That is, until the day her youngest son gets hurt and Child Protective Services comes calling. It's at that moment when Trish is forced to consider the one thing she's always hoped wasn't true: that she's living out her mother's life as a compulsive hoarder.
The last person Trish ever wanted to turn to for help is her sister, Mary—meticulous, perfect Mary, whose house is always spotless . . . and who moved away from their mother to live somewhere else, just like Trish's oldest child has. But now, working together to get Trish's disaster of a home into livable shape, two very different sisters are about to uncover more than just piles of junk, as years of secrets, resentments, obsessions, and pain are finally brought into the light.

REVIEW: Pretty Little Liars #11: Stunning by Sara Shepard

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MY REVIEW:

Another fun installment of Sara Shepard's series of Pretty Little Liars.  Just when I thought I would have some more answers as to who A is, Shepard leaves me guessing some more.  I really enjoy these novels and cannot wait to keep reading!  4 stars.

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2012 | Series: Pretty Little Liars (Book 11)

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four stunningly beautiful girls are haunted by a very ugly past. Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily want nothing more than to forget Alison DiLaurentis, their former best friend who tried to ruin their lives. But someone refuses to let her memory die. A is still out there, lurking in the shadows and digging up the pretty little liars' newest secrets.
Emily's reconnecting with an old flame, one baby step at a time. But is she headed toward true love or another bundle of heartache? Spencer's learning about the highs and lows of campus life on a trip to Princeton. Aria's seeing a whole new side to Noel's dad—and it could drive a wedge between her and Noel. And, for better or worse, Hanna's getting in touch with her inner A.

Secret by secret, lie by lie, the girls get tangled in A's dangerous web. A knows about everything, from their tiniest transgressions to the awful incident in Jamaica. Soon A will have enough ammunition to pull the trigger and end the pretty little liars, once and for all. . . .

About.com: New Book Releases - July 2012

By Erin Collazo Miller, About.com Guide

'Gold' by Chris Cleave - July 3, 2012

Simon & Schuster

Just in time for the Summer Olympics, Gold by Chris Cleave is the story of two athletes who are competing in their last Olympics. Their friendship and personal lives are on the line as they give everything to go for gold.

'The Next Best Thing' by Jennifer Weiner - July 3, 2012

Atria

Jennifer Weiner's annual summer beach read is here. The Next Best Thing is about a 23-year-old who moves to Hollywood hoping to be a TV writer.

'Shadow of Night' by Deborah Harkness - July 10, 2012

Penguin

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness is the second book in Harkness' All Souls Trilogy. The first book, A Discovery of Witches, was one of ourTop 10 Books of 2011, so we're excited to see where the story goes in the next installment.

'The Sandcastle Girls' by Chris Bohjalian - July 17, 2012

Doubleday

Chris Bohjalian returns with a novel that takes place in Syria in 1915 and present-day New York. It is both a love story in the aftermath of the Armenian genocide, and a story of one woman's search into her family's past.

'Broken Harbor' by Tana French - July 24, 2012

Viking

Broken Harbor by Tana French is the fourth book in the Dublin Murder Squad Series. In this psychological suspense novel, Scorcher Kennedy investigates a murder-suicide.

Turtle in Paradise

Overview

A 2011 Newbery Honor Book

Inspired by family stories, two-time Newbery Honor winner and New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Holm beautifully blends family lore with America's past in this charming gem of a novel, rich in historical detail, humor, and the unique flavors of Key West.

Life isn't like the movies, and eleven-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935, and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to stay with relatives she's never met.

Florida's like nothing Turtle has ever seen. It's hot and strange, full of wild green peeping out between houses, ragtag boy cousins, and secret treasure. Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she has spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways.

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READING NOW:

"Having a baby is . . . complicated. "

Dimple knows. She's a successful actress who is turning forty--though her agent and her resume insist she's only thirty-six--and she figures it's now or never. Certainly it's not a good time for an intriguing director to show up at her door with a great script.

Eva, fabulous agent to the stars, doesn't want kids--and "never" wanted kids. Why is her decision so damned hard for everyone else to accept?

When Maryn was undergoing treatment for cancer, she and her husband both agreed to have embryos frozen. But that was way before their divorce and her remission--and now she's single and childless, and caught in the middle of a controversy she never saw coming.

The traditional and nontraditional couples desperate for a baby . . . the adoptive parents . . . the single mom . . . the two who want "nothing" to do with parenthood. . . . This is a thoroughly modern story of the pursuit of family in all its forms--and of five very different ways of getting there.

Publication date: 7/3/2012