Spring 2024~~Hooked on Books

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• Finding Fran: A Midlife Moxie Novel (2)
• By Nancy Christie
• ISBN #; 979-8350942248
• Book Baby (May 24, 2024)

Never Too Late

Do you like stories of mid-life messes and applied coping skills? Do you prefer stories about women of a certain age? Are/were you a fan of Murder She Wrote? Are you facing a crossroads or planning to reinvent yourself? These are just some of the issues that come up in Nancy Christie’s interview below where she shares the ins and outs of her personal publishing journey.

BLG: Tell us about yourself. When did you start writing and when did you know that you were a author?

NC: I don’t know that I consciously thought of myself as an author, or more precisely a writer, at any particular age. I started making up stories in second grade and just never stopped. (My late mother had saved the first “book” I wrote—really just a story but I stapled sheets together and made a cover—and I found it after she died.) Writing fiction is just a natural form of expression for me. A piece of dialogue will come into my mind, and I follow it like Theseus followed the thread. I’m never sure where it will take me but I’m willing to make the journey.

I started writing for magazines and newspapers in 1985, but as for being an author, which I define as someone who writes books rather than individual pieces, that didn’t happen until 2004 when Beyond Words published my first book, The Gifts of Change.

BLG: I love books about older women who fall into a career slump and pull themselves out. What is Fran Carter like, and does she have any traits in common with you?

NC: Fran and I share a passion for chocolate candy and a love for writing—although she is burned out from the type of romance novels she is writing to fulfill her contract. We both started our writing career later in life—like Fran, I was 50 when my first book was published.

And we’ve both gone through some bad relationships and have hit the wall when it comes to writing. Also, I have had more than one “Diana” in my life—a friend who gives me advice and when needed, a kick in the pants, figuratively speaking.

BLG: Tell us about the Midlife Moxie Series. Where did the original idea for the series come from?

NC: I had already completed Finding Fran and Reinventing Rita (although Fran was written first, Rita was published first) and had ideas for more books featuring female protagonists 50 and older. So I just needed a name for the brand so that each novel, while a standalone, could be under that umbrella. Being fond of alliteration, I came up with Midlife Moxie Novel Series. It’s catchy and descriptive.

BLG: Did Finding Fran change much from your first draft to your finished product, and what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

NC: I had started the book back in 2010, so there were a lot of time-specific changes I had to make, since I moved the time frame to 2022. Because it was also the first novel I had written (I was a confirmed short story writer) and being a pantser by nature, I had to figure out a way to keep track of details and then fix details that had changed. I relied on beta readers for input, and Mary Bisbee-Beek was a big help when it came to specific locations in California. And of course, I had a wonderful editor, Ann Henry, who gave me lot of recommendations and corrections. (I do so love commas and em-dashes…)

 As for what I hope they will take away from the story, it’s just to have faith in yourself and make the choice that is right for you, regardless of the risk it might present personally or professionally. Pursue your passion, not follow the herd.

BLG: How long have you been doing the “Living the Writing Life Podcast,” what do you like your speakers to talk about, and are you looking for people to interview? If so, how should writers contact you?

NC: I started my podcast in 2020 when Covid shut down in-person events. I had a new short story collection coming out that May, and like so many other authors who were launching books that year, had to pivot from in-person events and find a way to promote my book. Since I was already doing author interviews on my blog, I decided to shift into doing it via podcast, figuring that those who followed the authors I was interviewing would also learn about me and my books!

Each episode is theme-based, since I didn’t want it to be a 45-minute “here’s my latest book” type advertisement. I recommend that potential guests listen to a few episodes to get a sense of how it works and then reach out to me via emailwith information about themselves and their book. (A press packet is perfect.) Also, they must have a website and be on at least one social media platform.

BLG: How did you pick your publishers and how have they helped you in your journey?

NC: I am a hybrid author, which means some of my books are through traditional publishers (they foot the publishing costs) and some are through BookBaby (a self-publishing service provider that I pay).

 My first book, The Gifts of Change, was originally released by Beyond Words and is now through Atria, a Simon & Schuster imprint; my three published short story collections and the one coming out in 2025 are through Unsolicited Press (a small publisher) and my writing books and novels are through BookBaby. 

The traditional publishing world has changed quite a bit since my first one came out in 2004, and I was so new to it anyway, it’s hard to say how the traditional publishers helped except simply by taking a chance on me. And Beyond Words also connected my book with foreign publishers which resulted in three foreign rights sales, which was pretty cool!

But I suspect my future novels will remain indie-published, since I like being in control.

BLG: How have organizations like the American Society of Authors and Journalists and WOW: Women on Writing helped your career?

NC: I learn a lot from members and enjoy the connection, even though it’s virtual. I haven’t attended any in-person conferences or meetings since Covid. I also belong to the Florida Writers Association and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. I hope at some point to be able to make meetings and conferences again.

BLG: What’s the best advice you’ve ever had from an agent or publisher?

NC: Although I don’t have an agent, the best, maybe not advice but comments I did get when I was pitching both my first book and my first short story collection, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories, were that they really liked the idea and concept. So I took that as incentive to keep going and just decided to pitch the books to publishers looking for unagented writers.

BLG: What else would you like readers to know and where can we learn more about you?

NC: I always tell people who start writing later in life that it’s never too late. Actually, many of the stories I wrote I couldn’t have written when I was younger because they came out of my life experiences. Do I wish I could have started sooner? Maybe. But life is what it is. Events and circumstances happen that we can’t always control. The important thing is that I am writing now.

The best place to learn more about me is on my website www.nancychristie.com, which has links to my podcast, interviews and social media profiles. And if they read my work, they will learn a bit more about me since every book or story or essay I write has some element of me or my life in it.

BLG: Thanks so much for sharing these insights with us. You sound like a writer carving her own path.

Do you want to share your stories? Nancy Christie just offered you a blueprint for how to do it. Take advantage of what she has to offer.

• The Pumpkin Spice Café
• Written by Laurie Gilmore and Reviewed by Karin Cooper
• ISBN: 978-008610678
• Publisher: One More Chapter  (August 2023)

 

A Perfect Balance of Sweetness and Spice

“Well, you’re here now and I’m awake. How about a cup of coffee?” Laurie Gilmore

Jeanie starts a new life away from the city, bad relationships, and a dull job when her retiring aunt gifts her the Pumpkin Spice Café in the idyllic town of Dream Harbor. However, someone wants Jeanie out of the café and town. A local farmer, Logan avoids gossip and limits his Dream Harbor social interactions. Logan can’t let his guard down for another woman who will humiliate and hurt him again. The paths of the new vibrant and pretty Café owner and the quiet farmer hunk keep crossing.

During the first week in her apartment above the café, strange nightly noises keep Jeanie awake and afraid. Jeanie, armed with a baseball bat and ready to do battle with whatever or whoever just before dawn, is about to slug a large, handsome man holding a basket of gourds. Not a murderer. A weekly produce delivery from Logan’s farm. Invited in for a makeup coffee, Logan, not one for small talk, is patient and amused as Jeanie bursts with anxiety about her lack of sleep and the noises. Logan agrees to an evening stakeout to catch the mystery perpetrator with the excuse that the town needs its caffeine and the Café to reopen under the new ownership. They don’t catch a perpetrator, but they do catch a love fever from each other.

The Pumpkin Spice Café re-opens, and Jeanie begins to meet Dream Harbor locals. Happy to welcome the exuberant Jeanie into the community there’s a protective group of women who have always known Logan and want lasting love and happiness for their dear friend but are not ready to accept that Jeanie might be the one. Still, there are strange and deliberate mishaps disturbing the Café. As Logan is ready to trust and allow love into his life again with Jeanie, he discovers real estate brochures in Jeanie’s apartment. Jeanie’s aunt returns and the café’s mischief maker is uncovered. Logan is ready and wants Jeanie in his life. Jeanie has found the life and love she’s always dreamed of.

The Pumpkin Spice Café is Book 1 in Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor Series. A writer who “loves finding books with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice,” translates her reading pleasures into her writing.

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is a delightful introduction to the charming town of Dream Harbor. The author introduces an interesting cast of characters that will continue to appear in subsequent books in the series. The next story revolves around a bookstore owner and the quirky book club. On the All About Romance sensuality scale, which ranges from Kisses to Hot (1 -5), this book is rated #4 as “Hot -explicit sensuality.”

Karin Cooper often reviews for www.writeradvice.com. Her book choices brings variety, to our list and we like what she has to say. We might like your reviews too. Want to give us a try? Pitch us through our Contact Box on the home page. BTW, Ms. Cooper is also one of the winners in our Flash Memoir Contest. 

 

• The Lilies
• By Quinn Diacon-Furtado
• ISBN: 978-0063318199
• HarperTeen (April 30, 2024)

Seeking Acceptance

Have you ever wondered if all families are dysfunctional or its just yours? Have you looked in the mirror and seen a parent or grandparent looking back? Have you acted just like someone who raised you? Ever felt like you had to keep your feelings and fears in the closet? If so, you should read Quinn Diacon-Furtado’s The Lilies.

Archwell Academy is the place to put your daughter if you want to keep her safe. Or is it? What’s changed since it came into existence 70 years ago, what endures, and has gender fluidity finally come out of the closet?

When an alarm sounds, locking the school down after a student goes missing, four girls are trapped in a loop until they get to the truth of what happened to the recently missing young woman as well as a generation of women, now grandmothers, who were the original Lilies. Drew, Blythe, Vero, and Rory are exploring all kinds of normal teen experiences, including their sexuality. They have hidden issues beneath their normal teenage desires. The story is a blend of worst moments, shame, magical realism, and the craving to be free of the restrictions that others put on us. It makes for a powerful combination of elements.

Does history always repeat itself? Can you correct the past? I know I’m asking a lot of questions, and you will too, as you go through the twists in two worlds and become acquainted with an improbable group of four young women destined to fix the past…if they can.

In the hands of debut author Quinn Diacon-Furtado, this story gives readers a glimpse into the dark side of private prep schools and shows us how things can go wrong. It’s also a journey to acceptance. The author is a writer and creator who explores gender, magic, intuition, and memory across multiple genres and well worth reading.

 

• It Could Be Worse
• Written by Dara Levan
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎979-8888454190
• Regalo Press (March 12, 2024)

How Do You Handle a Manipulative Narcissist?

Have you ever felt the need to push one or both of your parents out of your life?

Have you ever accepted demeaning statements intended to help you live up to your family’s expectations? If so, what did you do to gain perspective on their behavior? In Dara Levin’s It Could Be Worse, Allegra wants desperately to please her parents, but as her own children grow, she realizes that her dad, the doctor, is manipulating her grandkids in the same way he mistreated her for years. Convinced he was trying to help her overcome her flaws, she never rebelled, but she cannot stand to see her children put down and pretend it’s not a problem.

Growing up she never considered her father a narcissist even though every compliment came with a correction attached. She believed he was helping her become the best she could be. She listened to both parents nag her about her weight, let her father, the doctor, make her medical decisions, and watched her mother turn up the TV remote rather than listen to her. After all, they both loved her and wanted the best for her. Just ask them. Because behavior speaks louder than words, her friends saw through both parents and her husband did too.

When she discovers a secret letter hidden in the bench of the piano she learned to play on, Allegra realizes that despite her academic training as a therapist, she needs someone to talk to. The discovery devastates Allegra, who shares it with her brother, Jack, the rebel, and her bestie, the smart and sassy Ruby. Do her parents have any kind of a social compass? And how is she going to keep them from infecting her children?

In her debut novel Dara Levan has created a complex web of lies, expectations, and disturbing prevarications.  She combines her narrator’s wonderfully sarcastic humor with serious attacks on physical and mental health resulting in a beautifully rendered look at how loving parents can harm their children without even being aware of it. She’s an author who shows deep truths in a refreshing way and I highly recommend It Could Be Worse.

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• The Last Verse
• Written by Caroline Frost
• ISBN: 9780063265486
• Publisher: William Morrow

Talented Singer in an Unfair Town

What makes a blue grass or country western song stand out? In Caroline Frost’s new novel, The Last Verse, it’s singing from the heart. Singing your truth. Singing the song that is yours to share with the world. Twyla Higgins learned this from her father, a musician who taught her well until he disappeared from the family and her life. Twyla has his guitar named Pearl, fond memories of her life when he was around, and a growing resentment towards her mother whose life has been simplified by her unflinching belief in God.

Sometimes, though, the world can be unforgiving. When Twyla leaves her unhappy home for Nashville her mother’s nagging about her appearance, her size, and her never being good enough goes with her. So does her dad’s guitar and Twyla’s determination. There she finds bars, sequins, and a singer named Chet Wilton who recognizes both her talent and her craving for approval. When Chet takes her out on a small boat the second time, Twyla resists, then defends herself and what happens next changes her world. Hoping to process that fateful night, she creates a haunting ballad that she performs only once in an empty bar. But weeks later, when she turns on the radio, she hears another woman singing her song.

How could it happen? With no one to talk to she must decide whether to  fight the attractive singer who stole her song and secure the fame she’s always wanted or stay quiet to avoid implicating herself in a terrible crime that never should have happened.

As the story progresses, one shocking revelation follows another. Why should it matter to you? If you’re someone looking for the truth, or a music lover, or anyone who’s ever rebelled, you’ll appreciate the complexities of this story.

Author Caroline Frost has a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California. She is the author of Shadows of Pecan Hollow, which won the Crook’s Corner Prize, was a finalist for the Golden Poppy Award, and was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. She currently resides in Pasadena, California, with her husband and three small children, but her roots in Texas run deep.

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