Tag Archives: laughter

Home Wrecker II: The Brooklyn Chronicles by Brenda Perlin – Release and Event

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Home Wrecker II: The Brooklyn Chronicles by Brenda Perlin is being released on Amazon.com on October 11, 2013.

Please join the online Facebook party October 11 1:00 pm (PST) where there will be #fun #games and #prizes. There will be random #Ebook giveaways leading up to the event! https://www.facebook.com/events/207641289413064/

Synopsis: Brooklyn Rosen had high moral principles and was raised properly. Married for over fifteen years, those standards went out the window along with her fidelity when she met Bo. After becoming a self-proclaimed “Home Wrecker” Brooklyn left behind her marital home, along with the damage caused by her emotional wrecking ball. But the whispered remarks followed.

In “Home Wrecker: The Brooklyn Chronicles” we learn what shaped Brooklyn, the trials of an unhappy marriage and a deep abiding love that would not be denied. We meet a troubled, spiteful wife, who does not want to become an “ex”.

Will Brooklyn and Bo survive, or will all be lost to a bitter woman?

Blurb: In the past, I mean before the infidelity, I had always been someone who could be trusted. I believed if you didn’t trust someone, the results would come out in negative ways. Even though I never gave Gerard reason not to trust me, he always had fears and doubts. He saw me as a naïve “female” and thought every guy I came in contact with had an ulterior motive to move in. I always had to reassure him of my loyalty. Now that I had been caught doing exactly what he suspected, I gained a reputation as a cheater.

If you haven’t read Home Wrecker I it is a great time to pick up a copy!!! http://amzn.com/B00CKBWWIU

“Brooklyn and Bo, each unhappily married to others, must decide whether to stay with their spouses or give up everything for their love.”

HOME WRECKER IS BACK!

Home Wrecker II

A Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Struggle to Keep New-found Happiness

October 11, 2013. Ladera Ranch, California: Brenda Perlin is back with Home Wrecker II: The Brooklyn Chronicles, published by Master Koda Select Publishing. This Contemporary Romance is set to continue the story of Home Wrecker I: Home Wrecker Chronicles in September of 2013. The reader will experience an emotional roller-coaster ride as the writer divulges the sad and dark times of Brooklyn, all the while provoking deep thought while re-living her memories through the reading experience.

Home Wrecker: The Brooklyn Chronicles provides a look into the heart and mind of a woman who cheated on her marriage and the reasons why it happened. It is honest. It is real. It is the story of what made Brooklyn the woman she is today, the decisions made that put her on the path she walks today, and it does it with an openness and honesty not found in many such stories. The book is well written and grabbed me from the beginning and held my attention until the very end.” – Crystal Schall, The Book Rack

Home Wrecker II: The Brooklyn Chronicles puts the reader on a journey through the eyes of the main character, Brooklyn Rosen. Her story, at times, is excruciatingly honest and evokes one’s own self-reflection throughout the reading experience. However, through the devastation and tribulations, the reader will also gain an insight to the inspiring strength of the heroine as she struggles toward personal happiness.

Master Koda Select Publishing is a small, but high quality, publisher of ebooks and paperbacks. The company takes pride in its authors by implementing aggressive marketing initiatives. Master Koda Select Publishing selects only a few authors per year to ensure they are receiving the attention they deserve.

For further inquiries and additional information, please contact: Kim Mutch Emerson http://masterkodaselectpublishing.com
homewreckerthebook@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/HomeWreckertheBook
https://twitter.com/HomeWreckerbook
Website http://www.homewreckerthebook.com/
Blog http://www.homewreckertheblog.com

Flash by Barbara Morgenroth – REVIEW and GIVEAWAY- Around the Universe Book Tour

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flashbooktourbanner2

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
She’s been pretending to be 18 for so long, it feels like the truth.
When the only way for 15 year old photographer, Kip Chanin, to earn a living is as paparazzi, she can’t say no. Kip’s first photo is of Alex Milne, the handsome and volatile young actor. That one photo changes both their lives. Kip finds herself challenged to be a better photographer, a better daughter and to be a better friend. For someone used to getting by on her own, this could be Kip’s biggest lesson. The second biggest–You do what you have to in Hollywood to survive
Book Link:

REVIEW:

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book when I received it, but then again, this is why I love doing reviews.  There are a lot of books I would never think of reading, but then they are handed to me and I have to read them to do a review.  This is one of those books that makes be grateful to be able to do this.  The characters are multi-dimensional, smart, funny, sharp, damaged, flawed and believable.  The book takes place in my home town, Los Angeles, and Barbara Morgenroth knows her geography.  She also knows her industry.

I was so engaged by the relationships in this story, I read it in one sitting, then immediately bought the second book… which I read last night.  And I hope there’s a third book coming out, because Barbara does like cliff hangers.  Having said that, I don’t mind cliff hangers and I LOVED this book!!  Kip is an independent, smart, talented girl and although at times she seems much older than she is, we understand why, but then the author shows us this glimpse of a  young girl and we are reminded, she’s not a gown up yet.  The agents are all totally accurate, the actors as well.  The book is like an onion that has layers and layers of story.  I guess i could go on, but this story is truly phenomenal and it is an unbelievable ride.  Hurry with Book 3 please!!

5 pink stars

AUTHOR BIO:
Barbara was born in New York City and but now lives somewhere else.  Starting her career by writing tweens and YA books, she wound up in television writing soap operas for some years.  Barbara then wrote a couple cookbooks and a nonfiction book on knitting.  She returned to fiction and wrote romantic comedies.
barbaramorgenrothpr
When digital publishing became a possibility, Barbara leaped at the opportunity and has never looked back.  In addition to the 15 traditionally published books she wrote, in digital format Barbara has something to appeal to almost every reader from Mature YAs like the Bad Apple series and the Flash series, to contemporary romances like Love in the Air published by Amazon/Montlake, and Unspeakably Desirable, Nothing Serious and Almost Breathing.
flash121312Flash will be available for $.99 for Kindle during the duration of the tour.  Go grab a copy you won’t be disappointed!!!
There is also a GIVEAWAY.  Enter for the chance to win an
eBook of Flash or a camera charm (shown below).  camerapendant
To enter the GIVEAWAY, please click on the link below:
Please follow the links below to follow the entire tour:

TWIST Reviews – One Story at a Time – All I Want For Christmas by Jason Brant

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Disclaimer: These reviews pertain to stories in the anthology – Paranormal Anthology with a TWIST.  I have a story in this book (Bloodlines – I won’t be reviewing my story ;), so many feel that I cannot objectively review other stories in the same book I am also featured in… that being said, to each their own, I know my own level of integrity.  Thus, people can choose to believe me or not.  I want to review them and give my opinion… so I am.

Paranormal Anthology with a TWIST

 

Synopsis:  A glimpse into the diary of a 13 year old girl.  The drama, the anguish and the joy… as we see exactly what she wants for Christmas.

Review: Jason Brant expertly takes us into the world of a teenage girl.  I felt as if this could be any thirteen-year-old’s diary.  All of the angst and drama, as well as the humor.  I was surprised by the TWIST in this story, which is great! After all, I am the TWIST detective.  It’s an easy read and extremely enjoyable.  Well done, Mr. Brant!!

5 pink stars

 

Jason Brant grew up in the mountains of western Pennsylvania where he eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  After spending more than half a decade working as a Digital Forensics Analyst contractor for the Department of Defense, Jason prefers to spend his time writing and watching movies.  As a Steelers fan living outside of Baltimore, Jason and his wife Erin spend most of their days dodging flying cans of National Bohemian Beer being thrown at them by Ravens fans.

Jason Brant has several other novels available at online retailers.

3 Supernatural Thrillers Aces High Echoes Gehenna Holiday Wishes Sheol Tartarus The Dark The Gate West Hell of the Omnibus

 

Apocalypse cover

They call me… SPAZ!

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So, I’ve been spending the evening with my dear friend, Claudia.  She is, without a doubt, the best person in the world at pushing my buttons.  And yes, her nickname is  SPAZ.

We met in 1998 at LACC (LA City College – TV Program).  She was a taurus, just like me (I’m May 8, she’s May 15).  Strong-willed, hard-headed, stubborn, mouthy and argumentative, loyal and fun… we got along like gangbusters.  We spent the next three years hanging out, making films and having fun.  It was during this time she earned (yes, earned) the nickname, SPAZ.  How you ask?  Well, it was a series of events.  First, her absolute love of NKOTB… no, I wasn’t a fan, but she spent HOURS trying to get glimpses of them and chat with them and then she would talk about them incessantly – causing the boys to mock her endlessly, and the boys claimed it was NSync, which made her crazy.  Ultimately, she would laugh that fabulous, dusky, throaty laugh (same laugh today).  The famous Bear interviews (inside mockumentary based on the life of deceased producer – another story for another time) when she fell off a stool and off a flat, she survived, the rest of us weren’t so sure we would.  It took 15 minutes to stop laughing.  When she miscalculated her gas range on a road trip and didn’t have the cash to continue and had to sleep in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Texas (she’s fine, she got money from a friend), when she showed up to a casual Christmas party in a prom dress, when she passed out on Sunset Blvd and ended up on TMZ, then called me to tell she was passed out on Sunset Blvd. and ended up on TMZ.  Anyway, these stories go on and on and on.

During this time, she moved to Florida, then back to California, then Alabama, and then she was gone for a long time.  Recently she came back to Southern California and I have missed her.  Whenever she comes to LA, we try to hang out or get dinner.  I just learned she may be moving back into the city and I’m jazzed.  Tonight we had dinner with Dave and then she came back here to hang out and drive back to the Inland Empire tomorrow.  She’s been here for 4 hours and we have spent 3 of those hours arguing.  I don’t know why we do it, but we do, and it’s never mad, just a lot of yelling and then laughing.  We disagree and she pushes my buttons and sometimes I push hers.  But I realized, I really don’t argue with anyone else the way I do with her.  I don’t know why… Maybe we work out our aggression on each other.  That’s a good thing.

Our “fighting” has never changed in the last 15 years, it’s exactly the same.  Has our relationship grown, yes, in many ways it has, but we are still each other’s best argument waiting to happen.  And she is still SPAZ… just when I think she may have outgrown the name, she will do something spectacular that warrants the moniker.  I’m trying to get her to write a book about her life… because she has had an amazing, full life.  She has never been afraid of taking chances.  She is the one taking it by the horns, doing what she wants and seeing the joy and beauty in everything, having a great time.   We may fight and she may push those buttons, but my life has been enriched just by knowing her.  She is definitely an inspiration… she’s my nemesis… she’s my friend…. and her name is… SPAZ.

You can follow SPAZ at the links below:

Twitter: @NikonAddict75

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/COakenfull

You should all know… she’s on the list… no really, whatever the list, wherever the list, she’s on it… ask her. 😉  I love you, Claudia!!

Paranormal Anthology with a TWIST – It’s LIVE!!!

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Paranormal Anthology with a TWISTThe second book brought to us by Editor and Book Reviewer, Cynthia Shepp, is now available.  This time she has partnered with author and designer, Rene Folsom, to bring us a collection of multi-genred tales, all containing a unique and unexpected TWIST.  This isn’t a review, just a notice of release .

What began as an idea soon set into motion a chain of events that would lead to heart-stopping action, amazing suspense, and stories that will stick with you way after you are done.

Unique, unexpected, beyond imagining…shocking TWISTS that will have you frantically turning back the pages to see what clues you overlooked to have missed what was coming.

Paranormal stories that span across the genre and will wow you, shock you, and leave you gasping for more.

11 different authors, one main idea, and worlds that will TWIST your imagination…

Featured Stories:

“Voices of the Soul” by Rene Folsom
“Number 18” by Michael Loring
“Sweet Lenora” by Bart Hopkins
“Truth or Dare” by Jon Messenger
“Suburban Zombie” by Anthony Lance
“All I Want for Christmas” by Jason Brant
“In the Eyes of the Beholder” by Penelope Bartotto
“Little Tchotchkes” by Nicki Scalise
“I am Serna” by Magen McMinimy
“Bloodlines” by S. L. Dearing
“Metronome” by Eaton Thomas Palmer

Edited and Compiled by Cynthia Shepp & Rene Folsom

Head on over to Amazon and grab a copy… you won’t regret it!!

Next Big Thing Blog Hop!!

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Well, I did this a while back, but was asked to participate again and Lo and Behold, I do have a new work about to come out… So, Thank you, Penelope Anne Bartottp at The Library at the End of the Universe (http://libraryendofuniverse.blogspot.com/).  She and I will each have stories featured in a new anthology by Cynthia Shepp (http://cynthiashepp.wordpress.com/ ).  Paranormal Anthology with a Twist will be available VERY soon!! You can read about my story Bloodlines below!!

XOXOXOXOXO

Q. What is the working title of your book?  The Book about to be released is Paranormal Anthology with a Twist, edited by Cynthia Shepp and Rene Folsom
Q. Where did the idea come from for the book? Cynthia started a contest in September, 2011 where her readers, and several authors she knows, submitted short stories based on a specific set of prompts, there were winners chosen and 11 stories were chosen to be in an anthology (Apocalypse: An Anthology by Readers and Authors).  She opted to continue the contest, which has become one of my greatest inspirations.
Q. What genre does your book fall under? This book would fall under Paranormal – thrillers maybe… I haven’t read all the stories yet!!
Q. Which actors would you chose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Oh, wow… Hmmm, Mueller, maybe… I don’t know… Ooo, James Spader… Or Ron Perlman… Patrice, no idea…
Q. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?When two children escape the clutches of the Gestapo, they learn more about themselves then they ever thought possible.
eQ. Will your book be Indie published or represented by an agency? It will be published independently.
Q. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Hmmm, not sure I’ve read anything like my story, but the compilation will more than likely be a representation of several books.
Q. Who or what inspired you to write this story? Cynthia and my fascination with WW2.

Dreams…

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Dreams… the magic of sleep… the visions of a future endeavor… the things we want to do… so many different kinds of dreams.  I personally love them all.  One of my fave bands and fave songs of all time is Dream On by Aerosmith.   Just in case you don’t know the song, the poetic lyrics are all about life and growing old and doing what makes you laugh and cry… give it a listen.

The day dreams of being something you currently are not… those are good.  To be a rock star, or an actor or an artist, or a wife or a mother,  or a deep sea diver, or a doctor… the list goes on.  We all have dreams like these, some are what others would call fantastical (basically a fantasy) while others are more steeped in reality.  Or so you might think… the reality is, anything is possible, and although it would seem to be easy, it won’t be.  It would be easier for some women to be a famous musician then to be a mother.  It might be more simple to walk on the moon than to swim the deep sea.  I can’t deep sea dive… I can swim, probably better than most, I’m not afraid of the ocean.  I have too much pressure in my head.  Going down 12 feet makes my ears HURT!!  Oh well, I can do other things and it doesn’t stop me from swimming… my true love.  But there are women who can’t get pregnant and haven’t been able to adopt, so a dream of motherhood may not happen form them.  But that doesn’t mean we stop dreaming… or trying for that matter.  I think that until we have exhausted all efforts, we can make it happen if we truly want it.

Sleeping and dreaming… the dreaming we can’t control.  Or can we?  Some of us wake up… I can’t do that.  Never have been able to.  What I do… I change my dream as I’m having it.  It normally doesnt’ stay away, but I can change what I’m dreaming. If I’m having a nightmare, I change it to something else.  as stated above, it does come back, but it goes away for a little while.  I dream in color… some people dream in Black and White… I wonder if anyone dreams in Sepia?  Most of my sleeping dreams contain real people… although a lot of the time I dont’ know them.  Like, I don’t know them, but my dream self knows them.  And although I’m in the dream, I mostly feel like I’m watching myself go through the dream, but I don’t listen to myself.  It’s all very frustrating.

As I understand it, some people can’t or don’t dream.  I think that’s kind of sad.  I’ve always enjoyed dreaming… both Day and Night.  Personal movies in my head, and although they’re not always well made and are sometimes REALLY weird, they’re mine and I love them.

Whatever the dream you have, be it awake or asleep, make it count.  Use it later to create art or prose or follow it till the ends of time trying to make it happen.  Dreams are the visions of our lives and it is only we who can make them real.  So in the immortal words of Aerosmith…Dream On!!

 

Limbo…

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Limbo, a place where we wait, waiting for life, change, stability… there are so many different limbos.  I’m in one right now, in the middle of a life transition, changing a very important relationship.  During the hottest time of the year, we are moving and reorganizing.  This change is not only physically taxing, but emotionally taxing.  The physical aspect of it is hard, exhausting at times and I’m tired and sore, but the emotional aspect of limbo is equally exhausting.  The physical clutter and instability leads to emotional clutter, and we as writers know, clutter can affect us.  Currently, this has put my writing on hold.  I’m sure that many of you can relate.

Lately, it seems like whenever I’m ready to stand up and dust myself off, I get hit again and knocked off balance and then I fall down.  Funny thing is, I’m still ok.  I’m tired, God knows I’m tired, but some days I have energy, only then it’s about direction.  Where do I focus this energy?  Do I want to focus it?  Do I just want to sit and play Sudoku for hours on end (it’s been the later for the last few months… don’t judge me ; )

However, in the last few weeks I’ve started a new writing partnership with a friend (I’m sure I’ll introduce him later), but we both have an issue channeling that energy lately.  He’s been through some rough times, especially in the last year with physical ailments and he’s tired too, but now, we are inspiring each other with our new project.  No, I haven’t put aside my other projects, I’m working on all of them (well, in my head at the moment).  The one thing we are doing… keeping each other accountable.  Sometimes that’s what we need.  If you can’t live up to your own guidelines, then live up to someone else’s.  I personally can’t stand to disappoint people who are depending on me; therefore, I can be held accountable.  Sometimes we need the push or the steady direction until we can find our way out of that limbo.  That disorganized, cluttered space we can end up in, be it in our homes or in our heads.

I would suggest we all look to our friends, family, mentors and peers when we need a hand up and out of the hole.  Stop digging and look for a way out.  More than likely when you reach up, someone will take your hand, funny enough, it may be the person you least expected…  and that could be a wonderful surprise.

Falling Down…

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So, Saturday I head off to Hollywood to meet my girls for lunch as it is a dear friends birthday weekend and her request was lunch at Canter’s (for those who do not know, an amazing deli on Fairfax that has been there for like 70 years plus… my dad used to go there when he was a kid… still DELISH!!!, but I digress…) so we meet there and have a wonderful time.  On our way back to the valley, I ask my Bud (one of my Besties) want to stop for Fro Yo (Frozen yogurt for those not in the know), she says YES!! so we do.  All is going swimmingly. we get our Fro Yo to go have a lovely conversation with the Fro Yo girls) and we are off, happily chatting about our frozen treats, when I realize I have stepped wrong or my ankle has given out and … I am falling… and I do.  Bam!  I’m down.

My Bud comes over and see is I’m ok and begins to gather up the belongings I tossed on my way down (the yogurt was superbly packed and sustained no harm – Kudos to you, Fro Yo Girl), I managed to avoid serious harm, but didn’t twist quickly enough and land on my leg just below my knee, little rash and some numbness, but over all, I’m ok.  But wait, because now is when the real excitement begins… as I was falling, an elderly couple were quietly eating their Fro Yo, and as I began my descent, the woman SCREAMED… not yelled, screamed.  I was actually quite calm, a simple “Oh, shit…” and I was on my way.  So I, and everyone else, hear the scream and as I rolled over, the little old man, quite earnestly concerned hovered over me, trying to assess the situation.  The little old woman ran into the Fro Yo Store and got the Fro Yo girls.  I’m sitting up gathering my self together, explaining to the little old man that I’m fine, when out pops the Fro Yo Girls with phone in hand.  “Should I call 911?” she asks.  I respond.” Nooooooo, please dont’ call 911… really… I’m fine… I just fell down.  I do it a lot… I’m good.”  After several minutes, I convince all of them that I actually am fine and they disperse and my Bud looks down at me smiling.  I congratulate her for gathering all the spilled items from her “Bud Down” and we laugh, when around the corner comes these two guys… “Oh My God!! What happened are you all right?”  I explain I am fine and they take off… all the while I’m thinking… day late, dollar short, Dudes, but thanks for stopping.  My Bud helps me up and we are off.

Why tell this story?  Well, I was telling some friends a few days ago and although it is humorous, I realized that I have fallen quite a bit in my life.  Granted I’ve been around for a while, but I have probably fallen more than most.  So much so that I’m unusually good at it. I occasionally get bruised, but mostly I don’t.  Then I realized how often we fall in other ways.  Setbacks and procrastination and disappointment and losing and missing and all the ways we fall down.  We all do.  But, the most important thing is we get back up.  Just like falling down physically, we need to get back up and try again.  Move forward and get on with things.

For those of us who write, we may spend time away from the page.  We get distracted or the words won’t come or the characters are silent or the stress of life interferes, but we eventually sit down and get back to work.  We all need to do this with all aspects of our lives.  Getting back on track and pursuing what makes up happy, what makes us fulfilled, despite the “pain” or whatever else we are feeling.  Just make sure you get back up and walk it off and get back to business.  You’ll feel better once you do… and of course, if you encounter the lovely ladies we had, your Fro Yo will be intact to enjoy later that day!!

Back in Baja…One Year Later…

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Dad 1Well, here I am back in Baja, just south of Ensenada in the beautiful country of Mexico.  I’m sitting in the same room and thinking about how it seems like only a moment ago I wrote a post called ” My Hero… My Dad…”  But it was a year ago… and many things have changed, as we would expect them too.  The obvious changes… although I miss my father every minute of every day, it doesn’t hurt as much as it used to… I do smile and laugh.  I wish he was here to talk to and laugh with, but I know he’s around.  I’m looking to the future and what it might hold… there’s my writing, not just here, but my novel (well, novels) and screenplays and stage plays.  I’m learning to write music too… so let’s add that to the mix.

Some friendships have changed, some stronger, some not so much.  I’ve made some new friends and they are pretty terrific.  Some friendships have just changed, but they are as strong as ever if not stronger.  My family relationships have all gotten so much stronger.  There really is nothing like a tragedy to bring people closer together.

I have a multitude of blessings.  People and memories to be thankful for… times that will be etched in my mind forever (knock on wood).  I’m healthier, happier and stronger, but the hole is still there.  I don’t think it will ever be filled, but I’m ok with that.  It belongs to my daddy… no one else.  He’s still my hero… still my best friend… so I smile as I pack up more of his stuff, cry when I hear music that reminds me how much I miss him and laugh as I remember all the wonderful times.

Baja will always be his place.  The place he loved and shared that love with anyone he could.  It’s the place I will one day share with my children, just like he shared it with me.  Ensenada, Estero and Cantu… the people, the culture, the food, the music.  There is no where like it on earth.  So, I’m here a year later.  It’s still beautiful, and I wish he were still here to share it with, but its still beautiful.