Sandra Nachlinger's Blog, page 38

Dear Sugar - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

Dear Sugar, a novelette in Irma Fritz's Angel of Death Series, is told in letters between Cayenne and Sugar. The author takes us to Italy through beautiful descriptions in Cayenne's correspondence while also showing Sugar's despair through her letters. Little by little the relationship between the two letter writers is revealed--just enough to make you keep reading to find out more! Ms. Fritz ramps up the tension as the story nears its end, making you wonder if Cayenne survived, and holding out the answer until the conclusion.

Book Beginning:
Villa Isabella, L'Aquila, Italia, December 10, 2008
Dear Sugar:
Never buy a house sight unseen, especially if the price is too good to be true.

The Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
And what about the hermit, you ask? He became Pope Celestine V. It seems to be a common practice for Italian males to have female sounding names.

Genre: Women's Fiction
Length: 48 PagesAmazon Link: Dear SugarOther Books by Irma Fritz: Amazon Author Page
Synopsis on Goodreads:
One love ends; another begins. One has embarked on a new life. The other is left behind and can’t let go. Across the miles, memories and longing interposed with an exuberant joy of life keep the two bound to each other. 
Dear Sugar - an intimate exchange of love letters.
                                                                                               
Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reader)
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The Blessing Way - Teaser Tuesday and First Paragraph / First Chapter / Tuesday Intros

Last week, my Teaser and First Paragraph selections were from The Bearwalker's Daughter, and that reminded me of the excellent mysteries written by Tony Hillerman. So this week I reread and again enjoyed The Blessing Way. Hillerman's books provide a fascinating glimpse into Navajo beliefs, superstitions, and way of life, all of which play a part in his stories. They take place in the Four Corners area of the American West (where the borders of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet), and the weather and rough terrain of that region are significant elements in his stories. The Blessing Way is Book #1 in the Navajo Mysteries Series.

First Paragraph:
Luis Horseman leaned the flat stone very carefully against the piñon twig, adjusted its balance exactly, and then cautiously withdrew his hand. The twig bent, but held. Horseman rocked back on his heels and surveyed the deadfall. He should have put a little more blood on the twig, he thought, but it might be enough. He had placed this one just right, with the twig at the edge of the kangaroo rat's trail. The least nibble and the stone would fall. He reached into his shirt front, pulled out a leather pouch, extracted an odd-shaped lump of turquoise, and placed it on the ground in front of him.

Teaser (from Page 43 in my book of three complete Hillerman novels):
Here the cliffs closed in, rising in sheer, almost smooth walls nearly four hundred feet to a narrow slit of sky above. Here in this slot of eroded stone darkness came early.

Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Book Length: 304 Pages (mass market paperback)
                       171 pages (in my 3-book volume)
Amazon Link: The Blessing Way

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Auburn Market - Saturday Snapshots

Every Sunday during the summer, my little town of Auburn, Washington, hosts a farmers' market. It's a small set-up--only a couple dozen vendors--but my husband and I have bought some good produce, beautiful flowers, and delicious balsamic vinegar there. Here are a few photos I took in August. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Peaches, nectarines, and other delicious fruits
from Martin Family Orchards, Orondo, WA Handmade jewelry

A large variety of vinegars and oils from
A Taste of Eden, Chehalis, WA
Frou-frou fashion
The market is set up at the commuter train terminal.
I thought it was strange that the band's name was "Trainwreck."
Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 

Half Price!

All Romance eBooks is having a 50%-off sale, and that means Bluebonnets for Elly is just $3.00. This is a great opportunity to fill your Kindle, Nook, iPad or other reader for those rainy autumn and winter evenings. 

Here's the link:
BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY (ebook)

The Bearwalker's Daughter - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros

I rarely read stories with a paranormal slant because of my skepticism of anything magical. 
But my attitude changed when I devoured The Bearwalker's Daughter. Maybe it was the Native American connection or the author's beautiful descriptions of the setting, or maybe it was the compelling story and characters, but this book captured my imagination and held my attention until the very end. I'm looking forward to reading Through the Fire, Book 2 in the Native American Warrior Series. 

First Paragraph:
Autumn, 1784, the Allegheny Mountains of Western Virginia, the Scots-Irish Gathering
     A change was coming as surely as the shifting seasons. Karin McNeal heard the urgent whispers in the wind. She stood on the porch oblivious to the vibrant music pouring from the room behind her and the rain-spattered bluster whipping her long skirts.

Teaser (from 9% on my Kindle):
     Howling wind gusted around the eaves of the house and through the tiniest chinks in the walls. Did Karin detect warning or invitation in the murmurs threaded through the gale? Both, she thought, shivering under the covers.

Read more on Beth Trissel's website:  Longer Excerpt Here

Genre: Historical / Romance / Paranormal
Length: 224 Pages
Amazon Link: The Bearwalker's Daughter (Native American Warrior Book 1)
Beth Trissel's Website/Blog: One Writer's Way

Synopsis from Goodreads:
      A Handsome Frontiersman, Mysterious Scots-Irish Woman, Shapeshifting Warrior, Dark Secret, Pulsing Romance...The Bearwalker's Daughter
      Karin McNeal hasn't grasped who she really is or her fierce birthright. A tragic secret from the past haunts the young Scots-Irish woman who longs to learn more of her mother's death and the mysterious father no one will name. The elusive voices she hears in the wind hint at the dramatic changes soon to unfold in the mist-shrouded Alleghenies in Autumn, 1784.
      Jack McCray, the wounded stranger who staggers through the door on the eve of her twentieth birthday and anniversary of her mother's death, holds the key to unlock the past. Will Karin let this handsome frontiersman lead her to the truth and into his arms, or seek the shelter of her fiercely possessive kinsmen? Is it only her imagination or does someone, or something, wait beyond the brooding ridges--for her?
      (The Bearwalker's Daughter is a revised version of romance novel Daughter of the Wind)
Publisher's Weekly BHB Reader's Choice Best Books of 2009

Share the first paragraph (or
a few) from a book you are
reading. Link up here:
Bibliophile By The Sea
  
Post two sentences from
somewhere in a book you're
reading. No spoilers, please!
Link up here:
Should Be Reading

Saturday Snapshots - Color Versus Black & White

Recently, a group of fellow authors created a photo-sharing Facebook page. Participants post photos that they're willing to share with other writers for use in promotions, book cover creation, blog posts, etc. Here are two versions of a picture I contributed.

It's amazing how the mood of the photo changed when I converted it from color to black and white. What had been an inviting path through a grove of trees turned into a forbidding forest. Now I'm going to try removing the color from more photos to see what I get. Should be fun! 
(FYI: I took this picture several years ago on a visit to Cumberland Island, Georgia.) 






Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind - The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Friday

      Miss Julia is a straight-laced Southern lady (in her 60s?) with a strong sense of what's proper and what isn't, a pillar of her small town's First Presbyterian Church, and a recent widow. But it isn't long before her late husband's mistress and illegitimate son show up on her front porch. Told with humor and a Southern voice, this book is the story of how Miss Julia copes with this situation, as well as deals with a hypocritical minister, crooked televangelist, kidnapping, and other surprises that surface.   
     Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind is the first book in a series of fifteen. I've read six or seven of them and although each book stands alone, they're more enjoyable if read in sequence.


Book Beginning:
I'd just caught my breath after the shock of my husband's sudden passing when his last legacy showed up on my front porch. We'd buried Wesley Lloyd Springer some few months before that hot, still morning in August, and I hoped I was through signing forms and meeting with lawyers and shuffling through various and sundry legal papers. I declare, this business of dying has more legal aspects to it than you would think. The deceased never knows what you have to go through to get his affairs in order, and Wesley Lloyd's were in as much order as they could get. I thought.

The Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
[Miss Julia is describing Pastor Ledbetter's secretary.]
She liked to make out like she was so professional, but she was the biggest gossip I knew. That's why she liked her job, since every Presbyterian in trouble sooner or later ended up talking to the preacher. I'd warned Pastor Ledbetter about her talkative tendencies, but he'd just patted my shoulder and told me he'd take care of it. Ever since then she'd flounced herself around anytime I was in her office, not that anybody with all that weight ought to do any flouncing.

Genre: Women's Fiction / Humor
Length: 273 Pages (Trade Paperback)
Amazon Link: Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind
Author's Website: Ann B. Ross

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
      Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly bemused when one Hazel Marie Puckett appears at her door with a youngster in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the bastard son of Miss Julia's late husband. Suddenly, this longtime church member and pillar of her small Southern community finds herself in the center of an unseemly scandal - and the guardian of a wan nine-year-old whose mere presence turns her life upside down.
      With razor-sharp wit and perfect "Steel Magnolia" poise, Miss Julia speaks her mind indeed - about a robbery, a kidnapping, and the other disgraceful events precipitated by her husband's death. Fast-paced and charming, with a sure sense of comic drama, a cast of crazy characters, and a strong Southern cadence, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind will delight readers from first page to last.
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Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reader)
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)

The Littlest Cowboy - Teaser Tuesday & First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros

For once I actually read the first book in a series first! The Littlest Cowboy is Book #1 in the nine-book Texas Brands Series by Maggie Shayne. The story begins when a baby is left at the doorstep on Sheriff Garrett Brand's ranch. The plot develops to include an abusive father, a cattle stampede, and a mobster. Plenty of action and romance.

Right now the ebook is FREE on Amazon.

Book Beginning:
Garrett Brand awoke in a cold sweat, some foreign kind of dread gnawing at his stomach. Heart pounding, he sat up fast and wide-eyed, his fists clenching defensively before he got hold of himself. Blinking the sleep haze from his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, he let his tense muscles relax and unclenched his fists. There was nothing wrong. There was no reason for that panicky feeling that had slipped through him like a ghost slipping through a wall. No reason at all.

Teaser (from 43% on my Kindle):
Somebody wanted Chelsea Brennan dead. The voice on the phone had identified that somebody as Vincent de Lorean, a man as evil as Satan himself.

Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
Book Length:  190 Pages
Amazon Link: The Littlest Cowboy
Author Website: Maggie Shayne
Author Blog: Maggie's Bliss Blog

  
Share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you are reading. Here's the link:  Bibliophile By The Sea





Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please! Here's the link:  Should Be Reading

Cinque Terre, Italy - Saturday Snapshot

Here are the last few photos from the Cinque Terre, Italy (2001). Today I'm featuring pictures from Riomaggiori, the easternmost town of the group. 
Click on photos to enlarge.

Riomaggiori, as viewed from the water taxi. Online sources say the town dates from the 13th century. A closer view. Instead of rows of parked cars, the main thoroughfare
in Riomaggiori is lined with fishing boats. I included this photo to show the terraced grapevines above the Cinque Terre towns.
They're accessed by foot paths and tiny cable cars just big enough to hold one person. Thank you for allowing me to revisit the Cinque Terre over the past few weeks.  Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below. 

Not Yet - Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Friday

NOT YET by Laura Ward is a touching coming-of-age romance in the New Adult genre. However, I believe the book will appeal to readers of all ages. (Warning: It does have steamy sex scenes and profanity.) The author's thoughtful portrayal of characters with Down Syndrome and other physical and emotional challenges sets this story apart from other romances. Each chapter includes a "Life Lesson" or "Lesson Learned"--some of them positive, some of them negative. Chapters are labeled "Lesson 1," etc., instead of "Chapter 1." 


First Paragraph:
Lesson 1
     Tightening the thin rubber strap that reached around the back of my head, I adjusted my goggles and stretched my arms, palms up and fingers interlocked, to the sky. I rolled my neck and shook my legs, one at a time, releasing the tension. Stepping to the edge of the pool, I curled my toes over the header and jumped, entering the water in a practiced, smooth glide.
     I was in my happy place.

Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
     Many times during adolescent tiffs with friends, my mom would ask me, 'What would Evie say?' which always reminded me to get to the heart of the matter--what really is important. My big sister knew a lot. 

Genre: New Adult Romance
Length: 254 Pages
Amazon Link: Not Yet

Synopsis: 

Emma Harris is learning that life is just a series of lessons. 

Lesson #1: Nothing goes the way you plan. 
Lesson #2: You can’t trust men. Especially not the pretty ones. 
Lesson #3: Turns out, appearances are almost always deceiving. 

      Emma thinks she has life all figured out, and what she knows isn't good. For years, she’s put her big sister, who was born with Down syndrome, first. Now Emma’s ready to start her own life, but fate has other plans. To do the right thing for the sister she loves, Emma’s dreams will just have to wait. 
      She doesn't plan on meeting Landon — a rich, flirtatious jock, who never has to wait for anything. Not for attention, not for money, and certainly not for girls. Meeting Emma marks the first time in his life that he’s had to fight for something. And Landon doesn't know how to lose. 
      Emma has no interest in wasting her summer with a superficial guy like Landon. But very soon she realizes she is wrong about him. The question is, can she trust him? Or will he let her down like every other guy in her life? But most importantly, can Emma trust herself enough to live the life she's always dreamed of? 
      Life has a way of sneaking in the most important lessons when you aren't looking. And once the heart gets involved, that's when the real learning begins. 

*** This book is intended for mature audiences. 18 and over!


                                                        *********                            
Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reader)
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)