Showcase: SCENT OF TRIUMPH by Jan Moran

SCENT OF TRIUMPH by Jan Moran (St. Martin’s Griffin; March 31):  In this debut novel by recognized beauty expert Jan Moran, an aristocratic French perfumer is caught in the perils of WWII. Her family torn apart by the impending German invasion of France and Poland, Danielle Bretancourt must decide whether to stay in Europe to find her missing son or flee to the United States to save whose remaining. Though heartbreaking at times, this story is inspiring as Danielle uses her passion of perfume to lift herself and her family out of the distress from the war. Jan is an expert in vintage perfumes and the creator of Scentsa, a touch-screen fragrance program in Sephora stores in the US, Canada, and elsewhere. Her knowledge brings a tangibility to the world ofScent of Triumph, as each chapter opens with a lyrical quote from Danielle’s journal.

JAN MORAN is the author of Fabulous Fragrances I and II, which earned spots on the Rizzoli Bookstore bestseller list. A fragrance and beauty expert, she has been featured in numerous publications and on television and radio, including CNN, Instyle, and O Magazine, and has spoken before prestigious organizations, including The American Society of Perfumers. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business school and attended the University of California at Los Angeles Extension Writers' Program.

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

 A. Just one? Oh, the pressure! It’s a tie between A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. No, really.

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

 A. Definitely Emma Harte from A Woman of Substance. She’s determined and never takes no for an answer. She makes mistakes, but perseveres and triumph.

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

 A. My characters are fictional, but those who know me certainly see a few of my traits in Danielle Bretancourt, the main character in SCENT OF TRIUMPH. We both love a good Bordeaux, Mitsouko, and beautiful clothes. (If that’s not a Taurus woman, I don’t know what is.) Danielle loves her children, and is incredibly resourceful and determined — like so many women I know and admire.

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

 A. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. Paris of the 1920s -- what’s not to love?

 Q.  What do you want to be remembered for 100 years from now?

 A. SCENT OF TRIUMPH, a beloved award-winning film and book!

Actually, that I loved my family and managed to write a little.

 Q.  What is your favorite season?

A. Ah, spring -- I adore the fresh scents that perfume the air — jasmine, rose, gardenia, orange blossoms. Just breathe….

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

A. The stunning lavender and coral roses on SCENT OF TRIUMPH are lush and evocative – the colors are brilliant, and I can just imagine the scent of roses rising from the cover. There’s also a magnificent sepia photo of Paris on the cover.

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

A. At one event we had four authors on a panel, but only a handful of people in the audience. As the night wore on we joked around, a faux fight broke out, photos were snapped, and it caused quite a ruckus when it hit social media! Honestly, we were kidding…

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. Always! I’m finishing my next historical novel for St. Martin’s Press. All I can say is, if you like wine, you’ll definitely want to read this one. I also write a series of contemporary novels set in the beauty industry and Beverly Hills, so I’m always busy.

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

A.  Find a little something to savor in each and every day. Books, shared laughter, a sunrise or sunset.

Showcase: THE THUNDER OF GIANTS by Joel Fishbane

THE THUNDER OF GIANTS by Joel Fishbane (St. Martin’s Press; April 14): From Canadian novelist and playwright JoelFishbane, comes the extraordinary, out-of-this-world tale of The Thunder of Giants. Nearly 8-feet tall and hoping to build a better life for her children, Andorra Kelsey escapes to Hollywood to star in a film about Anna Swan, the giantess who toured the world as part of P.T. Barnum’s American Museum decades earlier. Their stories parallel each other as both women struggle to find tranquility in a world that sees them as anything but human. Anna and Andorra long for normalcy, but first must tackle the society that is too small to contain them. Will Anna and Andorra find love and peace? Will society see them as more than the mere sum of their measurements? This story, with its underlying themes of the ever-present issues of body image in society, captivated my heart and blew me away.

JOEL FISHBANE is a novelist, playwright, sous-chef, actor, trivia host, amateur boxer, occasional clarinet player and general man about town. His various plays, short stories, articles, critiques and literary musings have been published, performed, honored, and otherwise applauded in Canada, the United States and Europe. He lives in Toronto and almost always wears a hat. For more information, visit www.joelfishbane.com

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A.   Usually reading non-fiction. It exposes me to worlds, events, and ideas which I don’t encounter in my day to day life. On the other hand, reading really good fiction writers inspires me to. I suppose the first inspires me by telling me what to write while the second provides suggestions on how to go about doing it.

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

A.    The fact that my work will go into the world and have a life of its own that has nothing to do with me. I love that I never know who’s reading my work – or how my work might inspire them just as the work of others has inspired me.

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

A.     That no one is asking you to be one. Seriously. You always hear about how we need more doctors. But no one says “What we really need is more novelists.” In the beginning, the only person who really wants you to be a writer is you, which is why it’s good to get people reading your stuff ASAP. The sooner people support you, the easier it’ll be, especially if those people are you parents – paper and ink are expensive.

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

A. Musical theatre superstar. Unless I’m limited by my current talents / abilities, in which case I’d just be a regular theatre superstar. My dancing needs a lot of work.

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

A.  The title isn’t important, but if it’s not a musical, then someone really hasn’t done their research.

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A.   The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving.

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

 A.    Rob Fleming from “High Fidelity.”

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

 A.     Well, there’s a little of me in all my characters, but I’d say Nicholas (Andorra’s husband) is a not-so-disguised version of me. Except I’m a Mets fan and when I was in Henry V, I did not get a bad review. (I didn’t get a good review either. The exact quote was “Joel Fishbane makes a strong impression as the wily Pistol” – which sort of left things open to interpretation.)

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

 A.     The answer I want you to print:      One Hundred Years of Solitude

The answer I want to say:     The Hotel New Hampshire

          The real answer:     The Cat in the Hat. 

Q.  What do you want to be remembered for 100 years from now?

A. As the author of several books, one of which students are forced to read and so initially loathe it because they have to write essays about it but eventually, later in life, they go back to it and realize it was a pretty good book after all.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A. Autumn. I look really good in a sweater.

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

A.                                                   While I love the cover design for my book, I actually prefer book covers that have no picture – just the title and the author’s name. That being said, I love this cover for “Love in the Time of Cholera” because it’s very arresting and enigmatic – as you read the book, you can keep going back to the cover and find you interpret it in different ways.  

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

A.  Just started promoting the book, so nothing funny has happened yet. But I’m sure at some point I’ll get hit in the face with a pie. It’s really just a matter of time.  

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A.  Always. I’m finishing my next book and researching my third. Naturally, I can’t tell you anything about it, other than the story is brilliant and the spelling is pretty good.

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

A.  "I am completely indifferent to what is written about me. I only get upset when they don't write" - Sergei Dovlatov

Review: The Silver Cord (The Lily Lockwood Series: BOOK TWO) by Alison Caiola

The Silver Cord: The Lily Lockwood Series: Book Two 

While going through heartbreak, we often say: “I would risk everything in life to have him back again.” What happens when one woman is asked to do just that? Two years after her mother is killed in a car crash, Lily Lockwood, award-winning actress of stage and screen and single mother to toddler, Daisy Rose, is starring on Broadway and has been nominated for a Tony Award. Her loving and often outrageously funny gal pals are relieved because she appears to have finally found a new “normal.” One night Lily, tipsy after a long night of celebrating, finds herself back in the arms of her cheating ex-boyfriend, Jamie Fleming. He seizes the opportunity to turn what should have been a one-night stand into a second-chance. There is only one thing standing in the way of their happily ever after: Lily is in love with another man.

After her Mother’s accident, Lily had fallen in love with Robbie Rosen, a physician who was scheduled to leave for a medical mission in Africa. Unfortunately, two years have passed since their last night together and Lily is heartbroken that she has not heard from him. But one day, out of the blue, Robbie’s family contacts Lily and informs her that while working in Somalia, Robbie was abducted by Al-Shabaab, a faction of the terrorist group, Al Qaeda. A proof-of-life photo, showing the doctor blindfolded and bloody, with an AK-47 pressed against his temple, is evidence that Robbie is still alive…at least for now. Since our government is slow to help, Robbie’s family implores Lily to use her celebrity to publicize Robbie’s kidnapping.

A retired C.I.A. Operative emerges and influences Lily to join and finance a rescue initiative. He gathers together a group of Ex-Navy SEALs who, with Lily in tow, embark on the mission. When the team uncovers a deadly plot against the United States, they are forced into a heart-stopping race against time while Lily must accept the possibility that they may be too late to save Robbie’s life. 

MY REVIEW:

I was so excited to receive the second book in The Lily Lockwood Series, as I loved the first book Seeds of a Daisy so very much (review)!!!  This book took me on a wild ride.  It takes place after Lily has lost her mother and is now a mother herself.  When she gets word that her true love has been taken by a terrorist group out of Somalia while he was there for a medical mission things really begin to heat up.  There is everything I love in this book....suspense, love, friendship, heartbreak, second chances and the novel is filled with such heart and emotion.  I think this series is one that all will love!  Go out and grab this series...you will not be disappointed!  5 stars  

The Seeds Of A Daisy: The Lily Lockwood Series Book 1 - Women's Fiction (Volume 1)

Sarah Jessica Parker has said about this book: "What a great story!"

From the outside looking in, Lily Lockwood--popular star of the hit TV show "St. Joes"--seems to have it all. She has recently been nominated for an Emmy and her star is on the rise. Lily shares her beachfront Malibu home with her gorgeous actor-boyfriend Jamie. Perfect? Not so fast. Within a microcosmically short period of time, the whole thing falls apart when she learns that this boyfriend, on location shooting a Western, is riding horses all day and his curvy co-star all night. Then, before Lily can catch her breath, she gets words that her beloved mother, bestselling author Daisy Lockwood, has had a near-fatal car crash and is in intensive care in New York. 
Lily flies from Los Angeles to be with Daisy. Once there, she must make critical life-and-death decisions. While sorting through her mother's papers, Lily makes a shocking discovery about her mother that threatens to shake Lily's very foundation. This sets Lily on a journey as she seeks to unlock the riddle of her mother's past.

www.theseedsofadaisy.com

MY REVIEW:

Sometimes I wish a book I enjoyed could instantly be made into a movie because I want to see it play out on the big screen. Seeds of a Daisy is one of those reads. There is so much that the reader can relate to in this story....love, loss, courage, heartbreak... An amazing read and one I wish could be up on the big screen in the future!!! This would be a great book club pick! 4.5 stars

Alison Caiola's many years in Hollywood, first as a PR Executive and then as a writer, make her qualified to write about the entertainment industry and the behind-the-scenes craziness that it often spawns.

Like Daisy, the mother in The Seeds of a Daisy, her son JD Daniels is a successful and award-winning actor. Alison recently wrote, directed, and produced the television series The Tyme Chronicles. She currently resides on the beautiful North Fork of Long Island with her Malti-Poo daughter-dog Emma, surrounded by vineyards, farms, and wonderful friends.

twitter: AlisonMCaiola

Blog Tour: Mary McNear, author of Moonlight on Butternut Lake

Follow the tour HERE

About Moonlight on Butternut Lake

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (May 12, 2015) From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Up at Butternut Lake comes the third novel in the Butternut Lake series?a dazzling story of two wounded souls seizing a second chance at life and love. On the run from her abusive husband, Mila Jones flees Minneapolis for the safety and serenity of Butternut Lake. Ready to forge a new life, Mila's position as home health aide to Reid Ford is more than a job. It?s a chance at a fresh start. Though her sullen patient seems determined to make her quit, she refuses to give up on him. Haunted by the car accident that nearly killed him, Reid retreats to his brother?s cabin on Butternut Lake and lashes out at anyone who tries to help. Reid wishes Mila would just go away. . .until he notices the strength, and the secrets, behind her sad, brown eyes. Against all odds, Mila slowly draws Reid out. Soon they form a tentative, yet increasingly deeper, bond as Mila lowers her guard and begins to trust again, and Reid learns how to let this woman who has managed to crack through his protective shell into his life. While the seemingly endless days of summer unfold, Reid and Mila take the first steps to healing as they discover love can be more than just a dream.

Purchase Links

 IndieBound  Barnes & Noble

About: Mary McNear

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary McNear is a writer living in San Francisco with her husband, two teenage children, and a high-strung, minuscule white dog named Macaroon. She writes her novels in a local donut shop where she sips Diet Pepsi, observes the hubbub of neighborhood life, and tries to resist the constant temptation of freshly made donuts. She bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northern Midwest. Connect with Mary on Facebook.

Moonlight on Butternut Lake, which the third book in Mary McNear’s Butternut Lake Trilogy, was just as wonderful as the first two novels.  I so loved getting to know another group of wonderfully compelling and well fleshed out and very human characters.  This book is about the power of love, facing the past in order to obtain the future deserved and the power of getting a second chance.  There is love, drama and of course the beautiful; and magical setting of Butternut Lake.  

Another wonderful story that blends romance and women's fiction beautifully 4.5 stars

#SRC2015 The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek

Week of May 11: The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek

Destination: Escape to the Northeast

For a few secret months, 15-year-old Sam enjoys the unexpected attention of Suzie. However, at the end of the summer, Sam’s world unexpectedly shatters when Suzie moves away. Watching her parents’ marital troubles escalate, Suzie takes on the responsibility of raising her two younger brothers and plans an early escape to college. Suzie misses Sam and her closest friend, Bella. It is not until years later that a chance meeting with Sam’s older brother reunites the trio, causing Suzie to confront her past, as well as her friends.

I really LOVED this book. I loved that it followed a group of friends through the good, bad and ugly times. There is so much heart, honesty and truth in the pages of this novel. This is a coming a age story that focuses on a group of friends as time ebbs and flows. I love that there are no loose ends upon finishing the novel and that the novel highlights the ups and downs of family, love, friendship. The story made me both ache for the times of high school and college while simultaneously making me happy those times are long gone. I laughed, cried and felt connected to the characters. I felt a deep sense of wanting things to work out while watching them all make mistakes...both little and big. In the end I felt satisfied that they were all going to be ok...that things would work out. My heart is both a little broken and happy at the same time...but isn't that life?

     About Robin

She is the author of The Summer We Fell Apart (HarperCollins 2010) which was chosen as a Target Breakout Book. The Summer We Fell Apart was also published in Turkey by Artemis Yayinlari. Her non-fiction work has been published at The Weeklings, The Nervous Breakdown and collected in The Beautiful Anthology, Writing off Script: Writers on the Influence of Cinema, and The Weeklings: Revolution #1 Selected Essays 2012-1013. Her short fiction has appeared in 52 Stories, Five Chapters, Sun Dog, The Southeast Review and Literary Mama among others.  Robin has received three honorable mentions in Glimmer Train's Family Matters and New Fiction Writer's contests as well as an honorable mention for the Tobias Wolf Fiction Award.

Connect with Robin

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