Rebecca Talley's Blog, page 14
February 17, 2013
Happy Birthday to My Little Man
Seven years ago I had my youngest son. I went into the birth expecting it to be much like the previous nine. I expected to bring my healthy baby home the day after the birth for that very important family bonding time.
The doctor had decided to induce me since we live 30 miles from town and I have quick deliveries. I thought the induction date was early but it worked well with my other kids' schedules and it was convenient. Besides, I was old and tired of being pregnant.
The induction took much longer than others had taken and I knew the baby wasn't ready, but once you start an induction you're committed to it. Finally, it was time and I only had to push once and he came flying out. I was both elated and relieved.
While I was holding my baby, my doctor came in the room and pulled him out of my arms, examined him and said, "He has some characteristics of Down syndrome You should have him checked." And then he was gone. Just like that.
I was still stunned when the nurses came to get him to take him to the nursery and clean him up. Not long after, I was stunned again when the nurse returned to tell us his lips were blue and he needed oxygen. Not long after that, we were told that since he probably had Down syndrome he was going to be be life-flighted to another hospital. I was so stunned I could hardly talk or even catch my breath. The flight team arrived with what looked like a glass coffin and the nurse told us he probably had the heart defect and/or lung defect and he may not even live through the flight. Talk about conflicting emotions in the matter of just a couple of hours.
Long story short, he ended up in the NICU in another hospital for basically no reason. They could never tell us why he was there. His heart was perfectly normal. His lungs were fine. His other organs were all normal. He didn't have newborn pneumonia or any other illness. I'm sure it happened for a reason and I learned a lot from it, but it was an emotional roller coaster. We did have the karyotype test done and although the geneticist thought he might have Mosaic Down syndrome, he was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome.
And thus we started on a journey that has both been painful and joyful. It is painful to realize that many people will never see my son for who he really is. They will judge him because of the way he looks, the way he speaks, the way he acts. They will make assumptions about him that aren't true. They will think they know more about him than they do. And they will treat him accordingly.
But it has also been filled with joy and wonderment. It is amazing to me that even with the extra genetic material in his chromosomes he can still grow, learn, laugh, love. He has likes and dislikes. He can program the DVD player, find any site he likes on the internet, use features on my phone I didn't know existed. He is his own person with his own definite personality. He loves to watch SpongeBob, eat corn dogs, and play in the iPad. He is such a light to me. And he has taught me to be patient, to trust that all will be well, and that life isn't a race to rush through to the end. It's meant to be enjoyed.
Sometimes he makes me crazy. But he also he makes me laugh. He makes me smile. Most of all, he makes me grateful. He is exactly who he is and I am honored to be his mother.
The doctor had decided to induce me since we live 30 miles from town and I have quick deliveries. I thought the induction date was early but it worked well with my other kids' schedules and it was convenient. Besides, I was old and tired of being pregnant.
The induction took much longer than others had taken and I knew the baby wasn't ready, but once you start an induction you're committed to it. Finally, it was time and I only had to push once and he came flying out. I was both elated and relieved.
While I was holding my baby, my doctor came in the room and pulled him out of my arms, examined him and said, "He has some characteristics of Down syndrome You should have him checked." And then he was gone. Just like that.
I was still stunned when the nurses came to get him to take him to the nursery and clean him up. Not long after, I was stunned again when the nurse returned to tell us his lips were blue and he needed oxygen. Not long after that, we were told that since he probably had Down syndrome he was going to be be life-flighted to another hospital. I was so stunned I could hardly talk or even catch my breath. The flight team arrived with what looked like a glass coffin and the nurse told us he probably had the heart defect and/or lung defect and he may not even live through the flight. Talk about conflicting emotions in the matter of just a couple of hours.
Long story short, he ended up in the NICU in another hospital for basically no reason. They could never tell us why he was there. His heart was perfectly normal. His lungs were fine. His other organs were all normal. He didn't have newborn pneumonia or any other illness. I'm sure it happened for a reason and I learned a lot from it, but it was an emotional roller coaster. We did have the karyotype test done and although the geneticist thought he might have Mosaic Down syndrome, he was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome.
And thus we started on a journey that has both been painful and joyful. It is painful to realize that many people will never see my son for who he really is. They will judge him because of the way he looks, the way he speaks, the way he acts. They will make assumptions about him that aren't true. They will think they know more about him than they do. And they will treat him accordingly.
But it has also been filled with joy and wonderment. It is amazing to me that even with the extra genetic material in his chromosomes he can still grow, learn, laugh, love. He has likes and dislikes. He can program the DVD player, find any site he likes on the internet, use features on my phone I didn't know existed. He is his own person with his own definite personality. He loves to watch SpongeBob, eat corn dogs, and play in the iPad. He is such a light to me. And he has taught me to be patient, to trust that all will be well, and that life isn't a race to rush through to the end. It's meant to be enjoyed.
Sometimes he makes me crazy. But he also he makes me laugh. He makes me smile. Most of all, he makes me grateful. He is exactly who he is and I am honored to be his mother.
February 14, 2013
Happy Valentine's Day
From my adorable granddaughter because everyone needs a heart butt.
And from my cute little SpongeBob with his special treat bag.
February 6, 2013
Are We Any Better Than Hitler?
For the book club reading this month, I was reading, Sarah's Key. It is an absorbing novel about July 1942 when French citizens, who happened to be Jews, were rounded up and sent to their deaths. 13,000 French Jews, mostly women and children, were exterminated by order of Adolf Hitler.
The author alternates between the story of a young Jewish girl living in Paris in 1942 and the story of a middle-aged woman in modern times who is assigned to write a story about this event in French history. An event the French prefer to forget.
While the story is well-written, I admit that I stopped reading it. I'm not a fan of profanity and when I began a passage with the F-word I stopped reading the book.
Up to that point, I was riveted by the story and thought about the cruelty extended to a group of people simply because they were Jews. Hitler decided that they did not deserve to live simply because he thought Jews were inferior. Who gave him that right? And why on earth did so many people follow him? Why were so many willing to kill people--children especially? How could anyone do something like this? Why did so many turn their backs on the Jews and refuse to stop the insanity surrounding the Holocaust?
Then I have to ask myself, how are we, in our society, any different than Hitler? We have laws that protect the practice of killing innocent children every day. Over 3000 babies are aborted in this country every day. Yes, every day. Why? The majority are aborted because they are an inconvenience, because their mothers have decided they don't have the right to live. And we have groups like Planned PArenthood that applaud this so-called right.
For anyone who's read my blog before, you know that I have a son with Down syndrome. 9 out of 10 women whose pregnancies are diagnosed with Down syndrome choose to terminate the pregnancy. They choose to kill that growing baby simply because it has too many chromosomes. So I ask you, how is that any different than what Hitler did? We are outraged that he thought Jews were inferior. We say he was the devil himself to have killed so many innocent people, so many innocent children who didn't deserve to die. Yet, we consistently protect the right of women to do the same thing. Over and over and over again.
We like to see ourselves as advanced and pretend that our society is nothing like Hitler's. And yet, we are no different. Our politicians fight to protect a woman's right to kill her baby, as if that baby has no rights. Why? Because it is inside its mother's womb? Because it can't care for itself? If we were to apply that reasoning across the board then we'd have to say that all children fall into that category.
I cannot understand why any human being would do what Hitler did. I cannot see how he could justify any of his actions. I do not understand killing others because they seem to be inferior. I also do not understand how women's hearts can fail them and they can justify killing their own babies. In our country, women use abortion as birth control and our government wants to force businesses to allow women to do so through the healthcare they provide to employees, even if that business has strongly held religious beliefs (which is a violation of the business owner's rights). We are on the same road as Hitler once was. We are deciding who has the right to live and who does not. We pretend that we are better than Hitler, but we are not. Today we decide unborn babies can die at the whim of their mothers. What will tomorrow bring? When we disrespect the life of anyone, we disrespect the lives of everyone. How can we ever hope to teach people to stop killing innocent people in theaters and schools when we allow, and even advocate, the killing of our most innocent?
I think Mother Theresa said it best, "But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even his life to love us. So the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love - that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts. By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion. "
And, "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
If we want society to respect life, if we want to stop the violence, we must first protect all human life.
The author alternates between the story of a young Jewish girl living in Paris in 1942 and the story of a middle-aged woman in modern times who is assigned to write a story about this event in French history. An event the French prefer to forget.
While the story is well-written, I admit that I stopped reading it. I'm not a fan of profanity and when I began a passage with the F-word I stopped reading the book.
Up to that point, I was riveted by the story and thought about the cruelty extended to a group of people simply because they were Jews. Hitler decided that they did not deserve to live simply because he thought Jews were inferior. Who gave him that right? And why on earth did so many people follow him? Why were so many willing to kill people--children especially? How could anyone do something like this? Why did so many turn their backs on the Jews and refuse to stop the insanity surrounding the Holocaust?
Then I have to ask myself, how are we, in our society, any different than Hitler? We have laws that protect the practice of killing innocent children every day. Over 3000 babies are aborted in this country every day. Yes, every day. Why? The majority are aborted because they are an inconvenience, because their mothers have decided they don't have the right to live. And we have groups like Planned PArenthood that applaud this so-called right.
For anyone who's read my blog before, you know that I have a son with Down syndrome. 9 out of 10 women whose pregnancies are diagnosed with Down syndrome choose to terminate the pregnancy. They choose to kill that growing baby simply because it has too many chromosomes. So I ask you, how is that any different than what Hitler did? We are outraged that he thought Jews were inferior. We say he was the devil himself to have killed so many innocent people, so many innocent children who didn't deserve to die. Yet, we consistently protect the right of women to do the same thing. Over and over and over again.
We like to see ourselves as advanced and pretend that our society is nothing like Hitler's. And yet, we are no different. Our politicians fight to protect a woman's right to kill her baby, as if that baby has no rights. Why? Because it is inside its mother's womb? Because it can't care for itself? If we were to apply that reasoning across the board then we'd have to say that all children fall into that category.
I cannot understand why any human being would do what Hitler did. I cannot see how he could justify any of his actions. I do not understand killing others because they seem to be inferior. I also do not understand how women's hearts can fail them and they can justify killing their own babies. In our country, women use abortion as birth control and our government wants to force businesses to allow women to do so through the healthcare they provide to employees, even if that business has strongly held religious beliefs (which is a violation of the business owner's rights). We are on the same road as Hitler once was. We are deciding who has the right to live and who does not. We pretend that we are better than Hitler, but we are not. Today we decide unborn babies can die at the whim of their mothers. What will tomorrow bring? When we disrespect the life of anyone, we disrespect the lives of everyone. How can we ever hope to teach people to stop killing innocent people in theaters and schools when we allow, and even advocate, the killing of our most innocent?
I think Mother Theresa said it best, "But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even his life to love us. So the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love - that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts. By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion. "
And, "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
If we want society to respect life, if we want to stop the violence, we must first protect all human life.
February 5, 2013
Aura Winner
Thank you to all of you who participated in the YA Giveaway Hop. Thanks for supporting me and my book, Aura.
I used www.random.org to choose a winner. And the winner is . . . . Jenny Newton. Congratulations!! I'll contact you to see if you prefer a print copy or an ebook copy of Aura.
I love contests! I'll be doing some more hops in the next month, so please check back.
I will also have a blog tour for Aura beginning on March 4th.
I used www.random.org to choose a winner. And the winner is . . . . Jenny Newton. Congratulations!! I'll contact you to see if you prefer a print copy or an ebook copy of Aura.
I love contests! I'll be doing some more hops in the next month, so please check back.
I will also have a blog tour for Aura beginning on March 4th.
January 28, 2013
YA Giveaway Blog Hop
Young Adult Giveaway Hop by I Am a Reader Not A Writer.
January 29th - February 4th
Co-hosted by BookLove101
Welcome to the Young Adult Giveaway Blog Hop. I will be giving away a copy of my YA urban fantasy, Aura. The winner may choose a print copy or the ebook
.
"I half-turned to her and shrugged, still processing what I'd seen, or at least what I thought I'd seen, in Ms. Neal's eyes—like they weren't hers. Obviously, they were her eyes, but it looked like she'd plucked them from someone else's head. A dead someone else's head."In the fight between good and evil, Light is your only weapon.
Crystal Scott finally feels like a normal teenager. She has a lead in the high school play, a best friend, and a gorgeous boyfriend. With prom only a few days away, Crystal’s ordinary life seems perfect.
Endowed with great Light because of her virtuous choices and her inherent gifts, Crystal’s aura has become visible to those with the ability to see auras. Unfortunately, her power has also attracted the attention of demons intent on destroying all Light.
When Vincent Crandall, the human host for a powerful demon, discovers that Crystal’s Light is strong enough to disrupt the connection between demons and their hosts, he realizes she may be able to sever the connection altogether. Determined to stop her from interfering with his plans to rule the world, he sends operatives to neutralize her Light.
After the operatives fail to disable Crystal, Vincent decides he must harness her power for himself. He kidnaps her parents, and Crystal is thrust into battle against a demon army she didn’t even know existed. With the help of a mysterious young man and his mother, Crystal must learn to use the power within her before Vincent kills her parents and exploits her Light.
To enter the giveaway you can:
1. Follow this blog
2. Like my Facebook page
3. Follow me on Twitter: rebeccatalley
4. Join my newsletter
5. Add Aura on Goodreads.
Each one is worth one entry. If you do all five, you have five entries :).
Please leave a comment and let me know what you've done or email me: rebecca(AT)rebeccatalley(DOT)com.
Good luck and thanks for hopping with us. Please hop on over to the following blogs for a chance to win some fantastic prizes!
January 24, 2013
Les Miserables: We Can Choose Good
We went to see Les Miserables last weekend. It's definitely a sweeping saga filled with so much sadness and despair, but also a message of redemption. I loved the message that you can choose to change your life. You can do things differently. I think too many people believe they are powerless to change their lives. but I don;t think that's true. We may not be able to control things around us, but we can control our reactions and our thoughts.And we can make choices that affect people in positive ways.
Spoiler Alert:
Jean Valjean was thrown into prison for stealing some bread to feed a hungry child. He spent 20 years in prison and he was mistreated. (When the movie started, I didn't even recognize Hugh Jackman). After he is released he tries to find some work and a place to live but is constantly rejected. Finally, a priest invites him in and gives him food and a place to sleep. Valjean repays this kindness by stealing form the priest. When Valjean is caught and returned to the priest and accused of stealing, the priest has a choice. He chooses to forgive and give Valjean another chance. Because of the priest's mercy, Valjean decides to change his life and he spends the rest of the story trying to do the right thing and extend mercy himself.
Valjean's story is poetic and haunting but at the end he finds redemption because he has turned his life over to God. Jackman was amazing in this role. He was Valjean in every sense of the word. His performance was moving and authentic.
Fantine's story is so sad and full of despair. Every time that Anne Hathaway was on screen I was crying. I had no idea she had such a beautiful voice and she was superb in this role. Her emotions felt so real. But still such a tragic story.
Javert was driven by duty. He hunted Valjean all of his life because he felt it was the right thing to do. He was a very tragic character as well because at the end of the story he felt like a failure. Russel Crowe did an excellent job of portraying Javert. He was raw and full of emotion.
Cosette's story was both tragic and happy, while Eponine's story was tragic but also redemptive. Despite her horrendous parents, Eponine was selfless and truly wanted Marius's happiness. She could see beyond her own needs.
The Thenardiers--totally disgusting. Gross, crass, and every time they appeared on screen I wanted to scream. I found nothing redeeming about them at all. And I strongly disliked the whole "Master of the House" scene. There were raunchy parts that didn't need to be there. It definitely could've been cut down by 2/3. I understand they provided the contrast to the main story, but I could've gotten the gist of that in much less time. The actors portrayed their parts well, I just didn't like their parts at all.
I found the boys who wanted a revolution heroic, yet tragic. It was sad to see their demise, but they died for what they believed in.
The film was epic. The live singing was amazing. I thin it was aptly named Les Miserables because, well, most of the characters were miserable. They lived tragic, dark lives. I loved that because of the priest's mercy, Valjean made the choice to change his life and I think we can all learn something form that. Whether we are the ones who extend that mercy to someone else or we are the ones who need that mercy, we can make our lives better. We do not have to let situations dictate our choices. We can be whomever we choose to be. It is within our power to choose good.
Spoiler Alert:
Jean Valjean was thrown into prison for stealing some bread to feed a hungry child. He spent 20 years in prison and he was mistreated. (When the movie started, I didn't even recognize Hugh Jackman). After he is released he tries to find some work and a place to live but is constantly rejected. Finally, a priest invites him in and gives him food and a place to sleep. Valjean repays this kindness by stealing form the priest. When Valjean is caught and returned to the priest and accused of stealing, the priest has a choice. He chooses to forgive and give Valjean another chance. Because of the priest's mercy, Valjean decides to change his life and he spends the rest of the story trying to do the right thing and extend mercy himself.
Valjean's story is poetic and haunting but at the end he finds redemption because he has turned his life over to God. Jackman was amazing in this role. He was Valjean in every sense of the word. His performance was moving and authentic.
Fantine's story is so sad and full of despair. Every time that Anne Hathaway was on screen I was crying. I had no idea she had such a beautiful voice and she was superb in this role. Her emotions felt so real. But still such a tragic story.
Javert was driven by duty. He hunted Valjean all of his life because he felt it was the right thing to do. He was a very tragic character as well because at the end of the story he felt like a failure. Russel Crowe did an excellent job of portraying Javert. He was raw and full of emotion.
Cosette's story was both tragic and happy, while Eponine's story was tragic but also redemptive. Despite her horrendous parents, Eponine was selfless and truly wanted Marius's happiness. She could see beyond her own needs.
The Thenardiers--totally disgusting. Gross, crass, and every time they appeared on screen I wanted to scream. I found nothing redeeming about them at all. And I strongly disliked the whole "Master of the House" scene. There were raunchy parts that didn't need to be there. It definitely could've been cut down by 2/3. I understand they provided the contrast to the main story, but I could've gotten the gist of that in much less time. The actors portrayed their parts well, I just didn't like their parts at all.
I found the boys who wanted a revolution heroic, yet tragic. It was sad to see their demise, but they died for what they believed in.
The film was epic. The live singing was amazing. I thin it was aptly named Les Miserables because, well, most of the characters were miserable. They lived tragic, dark lives. I loved that because of the priest's mercy, Valjean made the choice to change his life and I think we can all learn something form that. Whether we are the ones who extend that mercy to someone else or we are the ones who need that mercy, we can make our lives better. We do not have to let situations dictate our choices. We can be whomever we choose to be. It is within our power to choose good.
January 14, 2013
Don't Go to Home Depot for a Sink
A few years ago, we remodeled our kitchen. We've had to remodel our house a few times because when we built it, we had four kids. As more babies came and kids got bigger and needed more space, we had to change rooms around and remodel.
Since I'm OCD, I don't like grout lines unless they can be perfectly clean all the time. I know, I'm weird like that (when I had carpet, I had to vacuum it all at the same angle so the lines all matched). When we remodeled, we decided to put in granite countertops (no grout lines). And, since it was new and exciting, and seemed to make cleaning the counter easier by sweeping crumbs straight into the sink, we had an under-mount sink installed.
We bought the granite from Home Depot and hired them to install it. Of course, they hired an outside contractor to do the job. Apparently, an installer who was not well-trained on how to install a sink.
Just before Christmas (of course, because we had company coming) while finishing breakfast, we heard a strange sound and then water started pouring out of the sink area. Why? Well, the super-awesome-everyone-is-getting-the-new-under-mount-sink fell out of the countertop. That's right--fell out.
We rushed to try to hold the sink up as best we could while we unloaded it. (I'd like to say that it was all clean and sparkly at 6:00 am and didn't have a full sink of water with dishes soaking from the night before because whoever was supposed to load dishes hadn't done so, but that'd be lying.)
To make a long story short, I called Home Depot to see if they'd fix it. Of course, they hid behind the "we only warranty it for a year" excuse. They offered to call someone to charge me to fix it. Probably the same someone who'd installed it improperly in the first place--are under-mount sinks supposed to fall off after only a few years? Ever? As we examined the sink and researched the proper way to install it, we found that our installer had only glued the sink and had not taken the other steps necessary to secure it.
So we originally paid for a sink installation and we ended up with a sink that fell off and subsequent water damage to the basement below. And Home Depot avoided having to pay for it.
Will I ever shop at Home Depot again? I think not. No, I know not. They should have made good on this installation since they didn't ensure it was done properly in the first place. But they didn't. And, thankfully, I married Amazing-Computer-Man-who-also-is-Amazing-Handyman (among other things). So the sink is fixed. All is well. Except for the water damage we have to fix in the basement.
But I would never recommend Home Depot--especially if you expect something like a sink to last longer than a few years.
Since I'm OCD, I don't like grout lines unless they can be perfectly clean all the time. I know, I'm weird like that (when I had carpet, I had to vacuum it all at the same angle so the lines all matched). When we remodeled, we decided to put in granite countertops (no grout lines). And, since it was new and exciting, and seemed to make cleaning the counter easier by sweeping crumbs straight into the sink, we had an under-mount sink installed.
We bought the granite from Home Depot and hired them to install it. Of course, they hired an outside contractor to do the job. Apparently, an installer who was not well-trained on how to install a sink.
Just before Christmas (of course, because we had company coming) while finishing breakfast, we heard a strange sound and then water started pouring out of the sink area. Why? Well, the super-awesome-everyone-is-getting-the-new-under-mount-sink fell out of the countertop. That's right--fell out.
We rushed to try to hold the sink up as best we could while we unloaded it. (I'd like to say that it was all clean and sparkly at 6:00 am and didn't have a full sink of water with dishes soaking from the night before because whoever was supposed to load dishes hadn't done so, but that'd be lying.)
To make a long story short, I called Home Depot to see if they'd fix it. Of course, they hid behind the "we only warranty it for a year" excuse. They offered to call someone to charge me to fix it. Probably the same someone who'd installed it improperly in the first place--are under-mount sinks supposed to fall off after only a few years? Ever? As we examined the sink and researched the proper way to install it, we found that our installer had only glued the sink and had not taken the other steps necessary to secure it.
So we originally paid for a sink installation and we ended up with a sink that fell off and subsequent water damage to the basement below. And Home Depot avoided having to pay for it.
Will I ever shop at Home Depot again? I think not. No, I know not. They should have made good on this installation since they didn't ensure it was done properly in the first place. But they didn't. And, thankfully, I married Amazing-Computer-Man-who-also-is-Amazing-Handyman (among other things). So the sink is fixed. All is well. Except for the water damage we have to fix in the basement.
But I would never recommend Home Depot--especially if you expect something like a sink to last longer than a few years.
January 10, 2013
Aura is FREE Today, Friday, and Saturday
Aura is Free on Kindle January 10-12. If you haven't downloaded it yet, I hope you will. And, please tell your friends. Here's the link to download it for free until Saturday night. If you don't have a Kindle, there are free apps so you can read it on your computer or other electronic devices.
If you've read Aura, I'd sincerely appreciate it if you'd post a review on Goodreads and/or Amazon. I'd love to have some help spreading the word about Aura.
Thanks for your help and support!
If you've read Aura, I'd sincerely appreciate it if you'd post a review on Goodreads and/or Amazon. I'd love to have some help spreading the word about Aura.
Thanks for your help and support!
January 9, 2013
Dead Running by Cami Checketts
From the Back Cover:
Cassidy Christensen is running.
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.
With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she'll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.
A light-hearted and clean romantic suspense, Dead Running will have you lacing up your running shoes and impatiently waiting for the sequel.
My Review:
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the voice of Cassidy, the main character. She was so honest. She said embarrassing things and things I wouldn't have expected, which made her seem so realistic. She didn't feel contrived at all. I loved her.
Checketts kept me guessing until the end. I had no idea who'd turn out the be the bad guy. Throughout the story, Cassidy is confused about her feelings for two men. I found myself rooting for one and then rooting for the other. I felt as confused as she did! Checketts did a great job making me feel like Cassidy.
I also enjoyed the action and found myself clicking and clicking and clicking through my Kindle to get to the end and finally see how it would be resolved.
I also liked the secondary characters and felt they were developed well. And I thought Cassidy's pet names for the characters like "Hot Redhead," "Muscle Man," and "Greasy Beanpole" were funny, especially because I've found myself giving similar nicknames to people whose real names I don't know. I think that added a dimension of realism as well.
And I loved, loved, loved that it was clean.
Dead Running is exciting, action-packed, well-written, and has plenty of romance. I highly recommend it.
You can purchase Dead Running here.
You can learn more about Cami Checketts here.
January 3, 2013
Goodreads Giveaway for Aura
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Aura by Rebecca Talley Giveaway ends January 10, 2013. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
