Sandra Nachlinger's Blog, page 48

Teaser Tuesday - Snow Fence Road

I'm only partway into SNOW FENCE ROAD, and I'm loving it. The descriptions of the small town in Maine are beautiful, the characters are intriguing, and the plot and subplots have captured me. I've also found the book to be free of typographical and grammatical errors, which is always appreciated.  

Teaser (from 1% on my Kindle):
As he nosed the car into the Inn's lot, Evan saw Claire coming out the side door from the kitchen, hurrying away from the sprawling old wooden structure at her brisk pace, auburn curls tossing in the March breeze. He'd once teased her that she had "two speeds--here and gone." 

Isn't that a great description of a character?

Genre: Women's Fiction/Romance
Length: 169 Pages
Amazon Link: Snow Fence Road

Synopsis from Goodreads:
A village on the coast of Maine holds painful secrets- the kind only the miracle of new love can heal. Tormented by her fiance's death, Tess Johansen escapes to the only place that can still comfort her-the Spinnaker Inn in coastal Maine. Here in this place by the sea she feels close enough to the man she lost to numb the pain, if not the guilt. For local craftsman, Evan Marston, the ramshackle inn serves only as a grim reminder of the accident that shattered his life and killed the woman he once loved. But while the Spinnaker's walls may hold guilt and grief and suspicion, they might also house a bright new spark. Drawn together by a love they never expected, Tess and Evan begin to unravel the mysteries of their pasts and question the miracle at work in their wounded hearts-until one fateful evening along a snow fence road.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasersLeave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Weekend Writing Warriors #4- Granny

Granny Macauley wins my prize for character that was the most fun to write in BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY. She's up for just about anything and has a zest for life. In this 8-sentence excerpt, Granny and her granddaughter Elly are celebrating at a local restaurant. Granny speaks first and places her order.

     “I'd like the rib eye—well done—and a baked potato with all the fixin’s. First, please, bring me a Cosmopolitan.”
     Elly stared across the table at her grandmother's sparkling eyes, placed her own order, and then asked, “A Cosmopolitan?”
     “Yep. Ever since I saw those girls on Sex and the City drinking Cosmopolitans, I've wanted to try one.” She chuckled and whispered. “I have no notion what it is.”

***
Writers hanging out with writers -- a good time with a great group of people. Check out excerpts from other Weekend Writing Warriors HERE. 

Photo Attribution:
By Rick A. (rick) (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)], via Wikimedia Commons

Snapshot Saturday - Coffee+Pacific Northwest

Seattle and Coffee. 
It's true. There's a coffee kiosk on just about every corner in my part of the world. Even with a population of only 70,000 people, the small Washington town where I live has dozens of drive-thru coffee shops. Here are photos of a few that thrive just a few miles from my home.



Link to West Metro Mommy Reads, the host of Saturday Snapshot, for connections to more beautiful photos:  West Metro Mommy Reads


BigFoot Java - a local coffee chain This structure ("Cowgirls Coffee") is actually shaped like a tea kettle (see the handle on the right?)
I couldn't get a photo of the whole thing, including the spout, without risking my life in traffic! In case you can't decipher it, that says "Bikini Baristas."
Looks homey, doesn't it? The drive-thru is around back.

Without a Trace - Teaser Tuesday

Author Laurie White's mystery/romance opens with these words: Something wasn't right. What follows is the story of a missing sister, embezzled cash, and romance between a cop and a journalist. As LAPD Detective Matt Romero and Southland Life magazine writer Rachel Bennett search for Rachel's missing sister, their attraction for each other grows. But can they overcome traumas from their pasts? 

TEASER : 
Slowly, she stepped into the bedroom, toward the telephone. She needed to call for help.
2% on my Kindle.

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Mystery
Length: 213 Pages
Amazon Link: Without a Trace
Other Books by this Author: Laurie White Author Page

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Magazine journalist Rachel Bennett has a reputation for getting to the heart of a story. However, when her sister disappears and is suspected of embezzling from her employer, the story has suddenly become personal. The last thing Rachel wants right now is the distraction of Matt Romero, the detective assigned to the case. She wants a “safe” man…and Matt is anything but that.

Matt accepts the risk that goes with his job. Two years ago, his wife was murdered, a tragedy he blames himself for. He's vowed to protect his family and friends because he doesn't want to go through the pain of loss again. However, the lovely journalist soon begins breaking through the icy wall around his heart.

As Rachel and Matt search for answers in order to find her sister, they uncover a corruption that puts them both in danger – and a passion that puts both their hearts at risk.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasersLeave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Weekend Writing Warriors #3 - Rick

Another excerpt from BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY. Elly has just received a phone call from her ex-fiance, Rick, who dumped her for another woman. She refused to listen to what he had to say, but now memories intrude. 
He’d been her first love—only love, really—and it seemed as if she’d known him forever. What a dork he was in middle school, and then he’d turned into a handsome teenager. They’d dated exclusively since her seventeenth birthday. He’d been a part of all her high school experiences—homecoming celebrations, football games, Saturdays at the lake. Photos of them both filled her mom’s albums and the pages of her diary, both records of an idyllic time. The memory of the first time they’d made love intruded—nestled together on his crumpled bedspread, surrounded by walls of tennis trophies, while his parents were out for the evening. They’d both been virgins, nervous and unsure, but she’d been so certain of his love that she’d made the first move. Her soul mate…or so she’d thought.

***
Writers hanging out with writers -- a good time with a great group of people. Check out excerpts from other Weekend Writing Warriors HERE. 

Seven Little Words - Teaser Tuesday

I'm enjoying SEVEN LITTLE WORDS, a romance by Margaret Sutherland. With its Australian setting, slightly different (to me!) Australian way of talking, likable characters, and two delightful dogs, I'm already charmed. A yellow lab and chihuahua add so much sweetness and character to the book!  

Teaser (from 11% on my Kindle):
This was ridiculous. He couldn't abandon her here. The place was deserted.

Genre: Sweet Romance
Length: 164 Pages
Amazon Link: Seven Little Words
Other Books by Margaret Sutherland

Synopsis from Amazon:     After a painful break-up, budding romance writer Cathy Carruthers is avoiding men. So what happens when she meets successful Australian literary novelist, David Hillier, at his country writing workshop?
     Good-looking David’s a bachelor with problems. His writing’s blocked, his blind father’s in respite care and David has to care for his retired guide dog, Banquo. He has absolutely no time for a relationship.
     Meanwhile Cathy’s past partner hunts her down, her grandmother’s ill and Cathy is landed with Pixel, a tiny dog with the heart of a lion.
     David and Cathy can’t resist the powerful desire that at first overrides their problems. But pressures build and lead to conflict and friction. It felt like love. Was it just a passionate affair? Cathy’s a stronger woman now. Eventually she faces a choice. Must she send the man of her dreams away? Fortunately there’s a solution from a most unexpected quarter…
FYI: In case you haven't noticed, I like to feature small press, indie, and midlist authors on my blog. There are some wonderful writers out there who don't get the exposure afforded New York Times best-sellers, but their stories are equally as enjoyable.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasersLeave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Saturday Snapshot - Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Seeing last week's photos posted by  West Metro Mommy Reads reminded me of our trip to Germany in 2007. In fact, one of her pictures looked very familiar. It turns out that we took a photo on the very same street! So I've posted it along with a few others.

Our visit to Germany was in autumn. I'm ready to go back to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Here's the link to West Metro Mommy Reads, the host of Saturday Snapshot, for connections to more beautiful photos: West Metro Mommy Reads

We had a great time exploring the cobblestone streets of this small town. The surrounding countryside.
Great views from the wall that surrounds the town. Autumn colors were glorious.

Walking along the perimeter of the town wall.

Interception - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

Football hero and cheerleader fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after? NOT this time! Told in the point of view of "Big J" Jackson, this is the story of a guy who never quite outgrows his super-jock persona, until a skinny girl named Betty brings him down.

INTERCEPTION is the fifth short story in The Angel of Death series by Irma Fritz and the second one I've read. Now I'm looking forward to all the others. 

Book Beginning:
I always tell women I'm not the marrying kind, even though I was married once. Otherwise, it would only encourage them to think I might try again.

Friday 56:
I had planned to ask Skip nicely to clear out so my college chum and I could talk over old times, but as he stood there looking so smug, something in me snapped. When I hit him, I caught him square on the jaw. Not too hard, but he went down. [from 56% on my Kindle]


INTERCEPTION is FREE on AmazonFriday, March 21, through Sunday, March 23 HERE
Genre: Short Story
Length: 18 Pages
Amazon Link: Interception (The Angel of Death)
More Books and Short Stories by Irma Fritz: Amazon Author Page

********* Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. 

   Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts     (sponsored by Rose City Reader)

   Find other Friday 56 bloggers here 
   (sponsored by Freda's Voice) 
                           

Millstone - Teaser Tuesday

"I hope you find this bastard. I mean, who'd kill a kid?" That's dialogue from the fisherman who found six-year-old Emily Chatburn's body on the shores of Lake Union. His heart-breaking discovery starts an investigation by Seattle Police Detectives Nick Winston and Pat Strom in this second Winston/Strom novel.

No, the murder of a child is not a pleasant subject, but author Kelly Marshall handles the story with compassion. Although some parts of the book are gritty, she balances that with sexy scenes and flashes of wry humor. Marshall  kept me guessing "whodunit" until the very end. 

In today's TEASER, Emily Chatburn's father makes a startling accusation: "She's killed another one. And I'm not letting her get away with it." (At 14% on my Kindle.)

Genre: Murder Mystery
Length: 289 Pages
Amazon Link: Millstone
Website: Kelly Marshall Books

Blurb from Amazon:
Seattle homicide detectives Nick Winston and his female partner Pat Strom have seen it all, but there’s one call every cop hates to get—a child’s murder. When the child’s father bursts into the sanctuary and accuses his estranged wife Elizabeth of killing their daughter, the man is arrested by the detectives. But the case against Cole Chatburn is stymied when a babysitter offers him an alibi for the night.

Disclaimer: Kelly Marshall is a member of my writing group, and I helped edit MILLSTONE.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasersLeave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Smile Somebody Loves You

Thank you, Beverly Ovalle and Tamara Hoffa at "Smile Somebody Loves You" for featuring BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY in today's blog post. Love your blog!

Here's the link.