Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 86
January 3, 2024
Blog Tour: THE LOCATION SHOOT by Patricia Leavy
The Location Shoot
by Patricia Leavy
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GENRE: Romance
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BLURB: Controversialfilmmaker Jean Mercier is shooting a film on location in Sweden. While spendingthe summer creating his latest work of cinematic art, he lives in a nearby innwith his lead actors: Albie Hughes, British veteran of stage and screen;Charlotte Reed, British indie film queen; Michael Hennesey, American TVheartthrob; Willow Barnes, fallen former teen star looking to make a comeback;and Finn Forrester, legendary Hollywood movie star. Mercier invites his friendElla Sinclair—a beautiful, bohemian-spirited American philosopher known for herprovocative writing—to stay with them for the summer. When Ella arrives, Finnis instantly enchanted by her, and soon they fall madly in love. Finn wants toplan a life together, but Ella harbors fears and convinces him to wait untilthe film wraps to decide their future. In a case of life imitating art, thefilm they are creating explores “the big questions” and prompts the stars toreflect on the crossroads they face in their own lives. How will theirexperiences on location affect them when they return home? The answers won’tcome until months later, when the cast and crew reconvene on the red carpet atthe Cannes Film Festival—but their revelation will make for one unforgettablenight.
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Excerpt One:
Soon they weresoaking in the tub, surrounded by the soft glow of candlelight. Ella leanedagainst Finn and sighed contentedly as he wrapped his strong arms around her.
“I thoughtabout you all day today,” he said.
“You did?”
“I couldn’t getthe image of you with those kids out of my head. You were such a natural withthem.”
“I’m crazy fortiny humans, always have been. I love their curiosity, big imaginations, bigemotions. When a toddler is overjoyed, it’s infectious. They can’t contain itand it just oozes out of them. They feel everything so fully, so honestly, withtheir whole selves.”
“Do you want tohave children of your own?”
“Finn…”
He squeezed herwaist and said, “Have you ever thought about it?”
“Have you?” sheasked, turning to face him.
“Ella, I wouldlove to have a family with you someday, when we’re ready. Do you want to have afamily with me?”
“Well, yes,but…”
“But what,baby?”
“I would wantto have children with you, but I wouldn’t want to have them without you.”
“What do youmean?”
“The way I grewup, it just made me not want to do it on my own.”
“You wouldn’tbe. We’d be together. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Finn, there’smore than one way to be alone. You spend your life flying around the world toshoot movies and attend film festivals. Where would that leave me? Alone.”
“Sweetheart, ifwe choose to have a family someday, some things would obviously change. I’vebeen thinking about this since we met, but I didn’t want to bring it up andscare you away by asking too much too soon. But after I saw you today, Ithought we could at least talk about it. It’s just a conversation.”
“You’ve beenthinking about it all this time?”
“Yes,” he said,gently running his fingers down her arm.
“What have youbeen thinking about?”
“Well, we couldtake some time to be alone together, to travel. If we had a child, you wouldboth travel with me to film sets. I can get the studio to rent us a house. We’dhire a nanny and any other kind of help we want so you could write, I could work,and we could all be together. When our oldest is school aged, I would only takejobs in LA, except maybe in the summers when we could all still travel as afamily. We could show them the world. Being a husband and father would be mypriority. You wouldn’t go to so much as a single doctor’s appointment aloneunless you wanted to. If I had to give up acting and be a stay-at-home dad,that’s fine too.”
“Wow. You’vereally thought about this.”
“Well, yeah. Ican’t help it. Our future spilled out before me when you told me you love me.But it’s just a fantasy. Sweetheart, there’s no pressure. Until today, I didn’teven know if children were a possibility. If we live our lives together, justthe two of us, I’d be perfectly happy.” He planted a soft kiss in her hair.
“Just afantasy?” she asked.
“Yeah, for now.Do you ever fantasize about our future?”
She nodded.
“Tell me.”
“Well, I alwaysimagined that I’d keep working, but less than I do now. I’d want to spend timewith my babies.”
“Babies?” heasked. “How many?”
“Three. Twogirls and then a boy. I don’t care about gender, it’s just what I imagine.”
He rubbed hershoulder. “Tell me more.”
“They’d alllook like you,” she said.
“Oh, see, in mymind each one of them looks just like you.”
She smiled andhe kissed the tip of her nose.
“Keep going,”he said.
“Well, I likeyour idea of traveling together. I imagined that…”
“What, baby?”
“It’s silly.”
“Tell meanyway.”
“Well, it’sjust a fantasy, but I can picture us buying a little house in the Frenchcountryside for summers and holidays. You know, one of those old stone houseswith wooden beams on the ceilings and a wood-burning stove, with plenty of roomoutside for the kids to roll around in the grass and a space for me to write.”She crinkled her nose and shook her head. “I told you, it’s silly.”
“Not to me. Ithink it sounds perfect,” he said, kissing her. “So, two girls and a boy, huh?I should warn you, I’ve always liked traditional names, like Emily and Sarah.I’m guessing you gravitate toward more free-spirited names like Lula Belle orBlue Moon. I’m prepared to fight you on this.” He playfully put up his dukes,but she grabbed one of his hands and kissed it.
She laughed.“Actually, I was thinking if we had a girl, maybe we’d call her Betty. It’scompletely traditional, but modern too. I don’t know. It’s just a thought.”
“Betty, huh? Ilove it. And you know what else? I love you.” He stopped to stroke the side ofher face. “I love you so much, Ella. There’s no fantasy we can’t make a realityif we choose to. Come on, sweetheart. Let’s dry off and slip into bed. I wantto show you exactly how I feel about you.”
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What was the hardest part about writing this book and howdid you overcome it?
I wrote this book during the lockdown.Like so many others, I was bored at home, binge watching movies, double fistingpotato chips, and filled with existential doom. I wanted to escape to someplacejoyful, romantic, and creative. Due to the pandemic, I was thinking about thebig questions of life, and so I decided to write a novel about a group making afilm about the meaning of life and living together in seclusion. Given thetopic of the film, my heroine became a philosopher, Ella Sinclair, and theheart of the novel is a romance between Ella and Hollywood movie star FinnForrester. Because of the pandemic, I was literally immersed in the story-worldseven days a week. I was doing nothing else during that time except writing thenovel. It was my escape from the reality we were all living in and really, itwas my whole life while I was working on it. The hardest part of writing it waswhen it was done. I always feel emotional when I finish a novel. It’s hard toleave the story-world and characters you’ve spent day in and day out with. Ialways feel a bit blue letting them go. This time it was much worse. Not onlydid I absolutely love writing this book and I had fallen completely in lovewith the characters, but it had been my whole life. Writing the book was myreason to get up each day. It was all I had during that time. Finishing it feltlike a massive loss. Suddenly, my reason to get up and race to my office eachday was gone. To deal with it, I dragged out my rounds of revisions for as longas I could, rereading, tweaking, adding, editing. Finally, I found inspirationfor the next novel. Once I started writing it, I was fine. That’s what italways takes to leave one story behind, starting the next.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning,best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology,Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of GenderStudies at Stonehill College. She has published more than forty books; her workhas been translated into many languages, and she has received more than fortybook honors. Her last novel, Hollyland, was featured on She Reads in “The MostAnticipated Romances of Spring 2023” and was the 2023 Firebird Book Awards 1stPlace Winner in Pop Culture Fiction and 1st Place Winner in Summer/Beach Read.Patricia has also received career awards from the New England SociologicalAssociation, the American Creativity Association, the American EducationalResearch Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, andthe National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by theNational Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “PatriciaLeavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Patricia lives in Maine. In additionto writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.
https://www.amazon.com/Location-Shoot-Novel-Patricia-Leavy/dp/1647425670
https://www.amazon.com/Hollyland-Novel-Patricia-Leavy/dp/1647422965
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GIVEAWAY
Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GCto a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
January 2, 2024
Blog Tour: HUDSON AT THE TRACK by Alexis Levesque
Hudson at the Track
by Alexis Levesque
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GENRE: JUVENILE NONFICTION /Sports & Recreation / General
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BLURB: Discoverthe importance of safety gear, perseverance, and bike maintenance in thisthrilling motocross adventure. Let the story be the starting point of yourchild`s imagination. Encourage them to step outside of the book into the worldof motocross where they set the limits and make anything possible.
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EXCERPT
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Review: Hudson loves to ride his dirtbike. But before he does, he makes sure that he practices proper safety andincludes a list of items. When he has all his gear in check, Hudson is off onthe track. It is important to never give up. Just because you fall off is noreason to stop trying.
A cute story about fun and safety!
Rating:4 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Alexis Levesque is from Québec, Canada, and alwayshad an interest in motocross. Fueled by this passion, he embarked on a creativejourney to craft a children's book centered around motocross, featuring his sonHudson as the main character. Today, Alexis, along with his family of four,resides in New Brunswick, Canada.
Social media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mx_kids_book/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biobuzzco
https://www.amazon.com/Hudson-at-Track-Alexis-Levesque/dp/0228868173
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GIVEAWAY
Alexis Levesque will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawnwinner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveawayDecember 30, 2023
Review: SEX CRIMINALS Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction
Having sex to stop time. Well,that was…different.
Some of the text was hard to readso I couldn’t get the full story, but the pictures paint it rather well. Agirl’s sexual awakening slowly brings about her special “gift.” Story relaysher experience with sex and time. The guy frozen in mid-hump was kind of funny.Wow, the whole world freezes, eh? The little doodles of the sex positions werea little weird. Is that really possible?
The graphics were colorful, butthey were chaotic and weird. There was some crude humor in it, which was kindof nice but also a little weird at times. This story was all about the “how” ofher sex power. Then she meets someone just like her and the two go on a sexualcrime spree. Cool!
An okay read. Not enough for me tocontinue the series.
Rating:3 stars
Review: 10 DIRTY EROTIC FANTASIES by Lacey Harper
Stories are a little slow to beginwith, but they do get down and dirty in the end. There’s a lot of time spent onoral, which you can only take so much of before becoming dull and redundant.Stories pretty much sounded the same to me, even though the author tried toinclude a variety of sex from one-on-one to group. Eh, these were okay reads.
Rating:3 stars
Review: THE NEW HIRE by Ellis O’ Day
“Her looks and her body were afleeting gift that time would soon destroy.” And that was why Desiree—theproduct of desire and so appropriately named—was trying to get a job at a sexclub, Le Petite Mort Club, to secure her financial future.
It was kind of slow to kickstartthings with the card and pool game in the beginning. She doesn’t want to havesex on her first night at the club, but will a handsome and powerful man changethat? Instead, the man offers her a deal.
“I can help you avoid the cheap,the violent, and the poor, and those that are just not that good at givingpleasure.” He could help her make more money and get out of there faster.
It does take a while to get to herfirst, who was a sexy cowboy. Not bad for a first. There’s too muchexplanation. By the time you get to the actual sex, you’re not that into itanymore.
A pretty decent read, but thiswill surely be it for me and I won’t be continuing the series.
Rating:3 stars
Review: THE DIARY OBSESSION by S.M. Pratt
One man and two women…and theirdiaries detailing the explicit sexual adventures. The diary entries here weremuch slower and seemed to blather on needlessly. And we get these diary entriesfrom both women, women that often pine for one another. I didn’t get to any sexstuff because I was so bored out of my mind. Was there even any sex? I don’tknow. This was nothing like the previous book series, The Stewardess Diaries,which were quicker and way hotter. This one was just a big, FAT FLOP. What awaste!
Rating:1 star
December 23, 2023
Review: SILENCED IN LITTLE LEAF CREEK by Cindy Bell
Christmas snow was just theperfect condition for a car crash and a dead driver. But was it the treacherousdriving conditions? No, someone had cut the brakes. Dynamic duo Cassie andTessa were on the case.
One twin down, then the other getswhacked, too. Did this have anything to do with their criminal past? Or wasthere a possible hit list on a group of volunteer carolers?
A good mystery!
Rating:4 stars
Review: DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark
A lottery jackpot worth $180million dollars. Two winning tickets. One bunch of thieves.
The Holiday Festival of Joy bringsabout greed, bitterness, resentment, and betrayal among the sleepy town in NewHampshire. One thing I always knew is that you never trust people in smalltowns, even if they are a sweet, old lady with a kind face. This all leads to akidnapping, ransom, and a possible murder. How far will people go for thatlottery ticket? You just have to find out in this gripping and suspensefulholiday read! Another fantastic read by a team of fantastic authors.
Rating:5 stars
Review: THE CHRISTMAS THIEF by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark
A Christmas tree that was hidingvaluable diamonds. One thief that was eager to steal it back. What the formerinmate may not count on was Alvirah, Willy, Nora, and Regan. Another thing thecrook wasn’t counting on was that the tree was being transported to RockefellerCenter for the holiday lighting. So there was a ticking time clock on thisheist.
The thieves successfully cut andtake the tree, but the diamonds were mysteriously snatched beforehand. An 80-fttree was stolen, the diamonds were missing, and a friend was kidnapped. Can thetwo clever detectives stop a conniving scammer and thief?
This holiday story was just fullof suspense. Kept me reading all the way.
Rating:4 stars
Review: ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT by Mary Higgins Clark
It’s Christmas time! A chalice wasstolen from a church. A home base for a children’s program may closepermanently. A phony will may have been drafted. And an abandoned little girlin danger of being part of her daddy’s illegal schemes.
Lottery winners, Alvirah and WillyMeehan, with their cunning wit and clever curiosity, were on the case. OnlyMary Higgins Clark can craft an intriguing and complex angles and bring it alltogether in one suspenseful story.
A quick and riveting holidaymystery!
Rating:5 stars
