Take set designer Carly Foster, artist Asher Day and degenerate police officer Wheeler Barstow and the results are a contemporary romance filled with intrigue.
Carly admits that closing her eyes and pointing to a map wasn’t the wisest way to choose a summer job, but Ruby Spring, N.M. offered her the opportunity to flee Chicago’s sweltering heat. When Daniel Day hired her to do set design and restore Ruby Spring Theater for an old play he wanted to produce, she accepted the challenge and looked forward to an exciting summer——with one exception. No romance.
Summer romances ended in heartbreak, and Carly had enough of them. No more! Until she met Daniel’s brother, Asher Day. “…his hands moved up her thighs and caressed her hips….Struggling for a good reason to stop him was pointless…” Carly thrills readers by wavering, getting involved with the wrong man and finally finding the man of her dreams.
Unfortunate situations and mysterious happenings follow Carly throughout the summer and she questions her rationale for ditching the city for the mountains. By the end of the story, readers approve of her decision. They also like Carly for her independent, adventurous spirit. She understands that life throws curves, but she adjusts to them and forges ahead with a positive attitude.
Simcox describes Albuquerque and its environs with expertise, which entices the uninitiated to mark that area of the U.S. a must-see destination. Her cast of characters are people in real life: homosexual Ross; young, happily married Daniel and Sophie Day with newborn baby Daniel; the incomparable, aging actress Marilyn Masters with her outrageous antics and her young lover, Nicky. Throughout the book there is the hope that another antagonist will appear, which heightens the intrigue.
The overall theme affirms the principle that good prevails and evil fails, and, of course, that people can find their true love.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
"Instructing an Heiress" by Judy Teel
Reviewing books has become my interest of late, and a clever series that author Judy Teel has developed is the Cinderella Heiresses romance series. The second book, "Instructing an Heiress," introduces charming, intelligent and business-minded CK Kazner. What a treat to read about a young, modern woman.
CK has to account to her grandfather, the patriarch of the family, who gives her an unfathomable dictum: marry within a month and produce an heir in a year. The consequence of not abiding by his demand? She is disinherited and the Kazner empire goes outside the family. As the only heir, CK is appalled but realizes she has blocked out romance in her life.
Her grandfather has made it clear that he will win any litigation, so CK calls on Ryan Anderson, her long-time friend, employee and well-known playboy to help her find a husband. Ryan doesn't want to spoil CK's naivete, but because of her insistence, he agrees. What a ride it becomes! Readers will see CK emerge as a sensual woman and credit Ryan with his efforts.
In the first book of the series, “Seducing an Heiress,” Dakota Jamison is also a strong, determined protagonist. Glad that Teel puts women in an authoritative position and remain a sensual person..
CK has to account to her grandfather, the patriarch of the family, who gives her an unfathomable dictum: marry within a month and produce an heir in a year. The consequence of not abiding by his demand? She is disinherited and the Kazner empire goes outside the family. As the only heir, CK is appalled but realizes she has blocked out romance in her life.
Her grandfather has made it clear that he will win any litigation, so CK calls on Ryan Anderson, her long-time friend, employee and well-known playboy to help her find a husband. Ryan doesn't want to spoil CK's naivete, but because of her insistence, he agrees. What a ride it becomes! Readers will see CK emerge as a sensual woman and credit Ryan with his efforts.
In the first book of the series, “Seducing an Heiress,” Dakota Jamison is also a strong, determined protagonist. Glad that Teel puts women in an authoritative position and remain a sensual person..
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Dancing in South Carolina
Coming from the Chicago area, I had never heard of the shag. Once we relocated to North Carolina, only seven miles from the South Carolina border, I learned that the shag is a dance. Not only a dance, but the official dance of South Carolina. Some say it is also the official dance of North Carolina but that state splits the honor between clogging and the shag.
Anyone interested in learning about this dance can pick up "Save the Last Dance for Me" by Phil Sawyer and Tom Poland. The book is basically a history of this specific dance. It even tells how the name, a slang term, as those who saw Austin Powers movies know, came to be.
The authors admit that specific times, dates and places are sketchy, but traces of the shag began around the mid 1940s, possibly in Virginia Beach, Va., and traveled down the coast to Carolina Beach, N.C. What is known is that Ocean Drive, OD or O.D. to the shagging crowd, in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. has become the ultimate destination for shaggers.
Today nearly 100 shag clubs exist, dance competitions thrive and thousands of people lose themselves in the sound of beach music and steps of the shag. No wonder the subtitle to the book is “The Love Story of the Shag and the Society of Stranders.”
Anyone interested in learning about this dance can pick up "Save the Last Dance for Me" by Phil Sawyer and Tom Poland. The book is basically a history of this specific dance. It even tells how the name, a slang term, as those who saw Austin Powers movies know, came to be.
The authors admit that specific times, dates and places are sketchy, but traces of the shag began around the mid 1940s, possibly in Virginia Beach, Va., and traveled down the coast to Carolina Beach, N.C. What is known is that Ocean Drive, OD or O.D. to the shagging crowd, in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. has become the ultimate destination for shaggers.
Today nearly 100 shag clubs exist, dance competitions thrive and thousands of people lose themselves in the sound of beach music and steps of the shag. No wonder the subtitle to the book is “The Love Story of the Shag and the Society of Stranders.”
Friday, August 10, 2012
"Hitless Wonder, A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll"
I've been reviewing a lot of books lately, and I want to mention some of them that might be overlooked in the mainstream media. One of them is "Hitless Wonder, A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll" by Joe Oestreich.
The book is basically a metaphor about succeeding in life. It doesn't matter which field a person wants to pursue, whether it's business, medicine, motherhood or like Oestreich, music, all people want to succeed no matter what fate befalls them.
There are hills and valleys. Few people ever sail smoothly from birth to heaven, but it's the fight in each person that determines success. Oestreich tells of the treks through blizzards to reach a club on time. He relates the mechanical problems with the aging Econoline packed with the band and their equipment. He recounts the dashed hopes and promises that were never fulfilled, and the months in Manhattan when they “almost made it big” with Epic records.
All people have setbacks and difficulties they have to overcome, or at least try to overcome. It's the personal satisfaction that determines success.
The book is basically a metaphor about succeeding in life. It doesn't matter which field a person wants to pursue, whether it's business, medicine, motherhood or like Oestreich, music, all people want to succeed no matter what fate befalls them.
There are hills and valleys. Few people ever sail smoothly from birth to heaven, but it's the fight in each person that determines success. Oestreich tells of the treks through blizzards to reach a club on time. He relates the mechanical problems with the aging Econoline packed with the band and their equipment. He recounts the dashed hopes and promises that were never fulfilled, and the months in Manhattan when they “almost made it big” with Epic records.
All people have setbacks and difficulties they have to overcome, or at least try to overcome. It's the personal satisfaction that determines success.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
"Seducing an Heiress" by Judy Teel
“Seducing an Heiress,” the first in Judy Teel’s ebook Cinderella Heiresses romance series, introduces Dakota Jamison as an independent woman who wants to achieve success on her own merits. Her domineering father needs her to promote the family business, but Dakota defies him and flees New York without leaving a trace.
She reappears in Harts Creek, Ohio as Dakota Johnson where she opens a small restaurant. The people embrace her and her recipes, but eight months into her new role, her father’s trusted employee, Trey Peters, tracks her down and intends to reunite her with her father. The dynamic, physical attraction between the two is in conflict with their individual goals. Despite their urge to fight this attraction, they cannot ignore it. Both are likable characters because they help other people as shown in their various encounters, yet they must make decisions that either cement or sever their relationship.
Teel has hit on a niche that has large appeal. Do wealthy heiresses want to develop a persona of their own? Teel takes the spoiled, rich girl image out of Dakota and shows that wanting to achieve success through your own efforts can be a universal truth. At the same time, Trey’s humanitarian goal shows that money doesn’t always solve a problem.
The clever twists in the story and careful weaving of subplots show that Teel is a creative novelist. Anyone with apprehensions about graphic sex scenes can skim those to get to the meat of the story. Cheers to Teel for creating memorable characters who are role models in romantic fiction.
She reappears in Harts Creek, Ohio as Dakota Johnson where she opens a small restaurant. The people embrace her and her recipes, but eight months into her new role, her father’s trusted employee, Trey Peters, tracks her down and intends to reunite her with her father. The dynamic, physical attraction between the two is in conflict with their individual goals. Despite their urge to fight this attraction, they cannot ignore it. Both are likable characters because they help other people as shown in their various encounters, yet they must make decisions that either cement or sever their relationship.
Teel has hit on a niche that has large appeal. Do wealthy heiresses want to develop a persona of their own? Teel takes the spoiled, rich girl image out of Dakota and shows that wanting to achieve success through your own efforts can be a universal truth. At the same time, Trey’s humanitarian goal shows that money doesn’t always solve a problem.
The clever twists in the story and careful weaving of subplots show that Teel is a creative novelist. Anyone with apprehensions about graphic sex scenes can skim those to get to the meat of the story. Cheers to Teel for creating memorable characters who are role models in romantic fiction.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Free online writing courses available
With college courses costing as much as a person’s lifetime number of automobiles, consider taking free online courses. It’s an advantage, especially if you’re not aiming toward accumulating college credits or working toward a degree. Bob Rankin at askbobrankin.com has a three-part series covering free online courses.
My search of “free online writing courses 2012” showed a list of 10 universities offering courses. Actually, it’s the same list in Bob Rankin’s first post about free college and university courses. I scanned the list and saw that UCLA has an offering. Best-selling writer Steven Barnes has a 9-week writing class available at his Website, www.lifewrite.com. Others schools on this “10” list include MIT, Utah State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts and Stanford.
Another way to find courses you want to take is to choose a school you’ve dreamed of going to or a school that sounds intriguing. Don’t disqualify any college or university because dozens, including Yale, Notre Dame, and University of California at Berkeley, have available free online courses. Once you make that decision, see if the school you want to take a course from offers one you want to take.
Free courses are available in all writing genres: essays, short stories, novels, poetry, screenwriting. Want to learn to do research or academic writing? Want to learn to edit? It’s possible without spending a dime. It just takes time and energy.
My search of “free online writing courses 2012” showed a list of 10 universities offering courses. Actually, it’s the same list in Bob Rankin’s first post about free college and university courses. I scanned the list and saw that UCLA has an offering. Best-selling writer Steven Barnes has a 9-week writing class available at his Website, www.lifewrite.com. Others schools on this “10” list include MIT, Utah State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts and Stanford.
Another way to find courses you want to take is to choose a school you’ve dreamed of going to or a school that sounds intriguing. Don’t disqualify any college or university because dozens, including Yale, Notre Dame, and University of California at Berkeley, have available free online courses. Once you make that decision, see if the school you want to take a course from offers one you want to take.
Free courses are available in all writing genres: essays, short stories, novels, poetry, screenwriting. Want to learn to do research or academic writing? Want to learn to edit? It’s possible without spending a dime. It just takes time and energy.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
"The Season" in Brunswick County, N.C.
Coming from the Chicago area, I never knew about "the season" in coastal beach areas. We vacationed in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. for several years, but our purpose was to be with family. The beach was an added benefit. We moved to Ocean Isle Beach a dozen years ago and then I learned about "the season."
Here in Brunswick County, N.C., Memorial Day ushers in "the season" with services honoring the military who fought for our freedom, black bike week across the border in South Carolina, primarily in Carolina Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach, and a host of activities to occupy the hundreds of thousands of vacationers who come and go throughout the summer until Labor Day.
A big hit is live entertainment. Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Shallotte, Southport and Leland have popular bands perform. Shallotte, Southport and Leland also have a movie schedule geared toward children. Schedules are posted throughout the area, and local town halls and real estate offices have the information.
Museum of Coastal Carolina and the Ingram Planetarium offer programs for children, teens and adults throughout the summer. A big hit at the museum is the fish feeding tank where docents explain what the variety of fish in the tank eat and other details about them. The planetarium offers free programs for children but charges for the SciDome shows.
As writers we can find nuggets of stories in these activities. What was important where you grew up? What would attract the attention of visitors? What is different about your hometown?
Write from the heart.
Clear. Sincere. Superb.
Here in Brunswick County, N.C., Memorial Day ushers in "the season" with services honoring the military who fought for our freedom, black bike week across the border in South Carolina, primarily in Carolina Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach, and a host of activities to occupy the hundreds of thousands of vacationers who come and go throughout the summer until Labor Day.
A big hit is live entertainment. Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Shallotte, Southport and Leland have popular bands perform. Shallotte, Southport and Leland also have a movie schedule geared toward children. Schedules are posted throughout the area, and local town halls and real estate offices have the information.
Museum of Coastal Carolina and the Ingram Planetarium offer programs for children, teens and adults throughout the summer. A big hit at the museum is the fish feeding tank where docents explain what the variety of fish in the tank eat and other details about them. The planetarium offers free programs for children but charges for the SciDome shows.
As writers we can find nuggets of stories in these activities. What was important where you grew up? What would attract the attention of visitors? What is different about your hometown?
Write from the heart.
Clear. Sincere. Superb.
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