Monday, January 16, 2017

Holly Brown's fresh outlook...plus a book giveaway

We welcome Holly Brown back to CLC today (after two-and-a-half years) to talk about some new things in her life, as well as feature her domestic suspense novel, This is Not Over, which comes out tomorrow. Thanks to Get Red PR, we have FIVE copies to give away!

Holly Brown lives with her husband and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she’s a practicing marriage and family therapist. Her blog, “Bonding Time,” is featured on Psychcentral.com, a mental health website with 1.5 million visitors per month. For more about Holly, visit her website and follow her on Facebook.


Synopsis:
You’ll have your deposit within seven business days, just like it says on Getaway.com. I’ve put through a refund to your credit card for the full amount, minus $200 to replace the stained sheets...

Miranda

When 30-year-old Dawn reads Miranda’s email, she sees red. People have always told Dawn she’s beautiful, and she just hopes they don’t see beneath—to how she grew up, to what she’s always tried to outrun. She revels in her getaways with her perfect (maybe too perfect) husband, the occasional long weekend in luxurious homes, temporarily inhabiting other people’s privileged lives. Miranda’s email strikes a nerve, with its lying intimation that Dawn is so dirty you need to throw out her sheets.

Beware of your “host”

I wouldn’t have left a review at all, if I didn’t feel it was my civic duty to warn others…

57-year-old Miranda thought she’d seen it all, but she can’t believe her eyes when she reads Dawn’s review. She’s a doctor’s wife but she needs that rental money, desperately. People might think her life is privileged, but they don’t know what’s really going on. They don’t know about her son. She won’t take this threat to her livelihood—to her very life—lying down.

Two very different women with this in common: Each harbors her own secret, her own reason why she can’t just let this go. Neither can yield, not before they’ve dredged up all that’s hidden, even if it has the power to shatter all they’ve built.

This is not over.

This is so not over. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)


Something new I did in 2016:
I started my own therapy practice. I've always worked for agencies before, so this felt like a big leap off a high bridge. But lots of people have been so kind to me that it's like having a parachute. And I've got my other amazing day job--writing!

Something new I want to try in 2017:
Stand-up paddle boarding. People look so serene, gliding along. I'm horribly uncoordinated but I've never seen anyone topple over so that could be for me. And the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live, has lots of spots where I could give it a try.

A new food I tried recently:
Pan-seared Spanish octopus, from the restaurant Moshulu in Philadelphia. I'm going to have to take trips to the East Coast more often if they keep that up.

A new book I started reading:
Euphoria by Lily King. The cover alone is worth the price of admission, all those miasmic colors, and the story of 1930s anthropologists is completely immersive.

The newest thing I bought:
I've been a bit frugal lately, what with starting my business. So it was fun to shop for my daughter over the holidays. She's turning five, and her favorite gift was this schoolhouse kit where she gets to play teacher and her dad and I are the students, practicing our letters. She's a taskmaster, that one, but my handwriting is improving.

Someplace new I plan (or want) to visit:
I've always wanted to go to Croatia. Years ago, someone mentioned to me that it's the country of waterfalls, and that the coastline is as beautiful as Greece's. Don't know if this is my year to get there, but a girl can dream!

Thanks to Holly for visiting with us and to Get Red PR for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway ends January 22nd at midnight EST.

26 comments:

Aire para respirar said...

Kaki, or persimmon; fruit

Janine said...

I haven't tried any new foods. I'm one of those people who doesn't really like to experiment with food. But this could change this weekend when we go to my brother-in-law's birthday dinner. He picked a place to go out to eat and I looked at the menu online and don't see a thing that looks good to me.

Burma Turner said...

The last new food I tried was frog legs. I was surprised how good they were! :)

TinaB said...

Tried escargot. Not a big fan of it!

Unknown said...

It wasn't a food, but a new spice. I have no idea what it was, but it was super hot and I didn't even like the taste.

tarafarah7 said...

I teach Spanish and English Lit and Composition, and my students always bring me food from their parents (authentic yummmmy Mexican or Puerto Rican goodies and sometimes even a full meal for lunch of something they ate the night before!!). So, I'm always trying something new! I lovvvve it! It's kind of like we learn amd grow together...I help them with their reading and writing of both languages and they add some authentic culture and foods to my life! Nice exchange! ❤ Your book sounds fantastic! I'd love to read it and then pass it on to one of the moms! :-)

traveler said...

I enjoy trying out new foods. Recently I ate a meal which was delicious. The major new food was a unique and tasty fish.

rubynreba said...

I tried sushi for the first time and didn't like it!

Jessica said...

I tried couscous lately. It was interesting.

Bonnie K. said...

I subscribe to Try The World where I can try something from different parts of the world. One thing I had never seen was a hunk of guava paste. While it's fruity, I've decided that it wouldn't be something that I would buy in the future because of the high sugar content.

Jennifer said...

I recently made a quinoa salad that was super yummy!

susieqlaw said...

I recently tried Brazilian food. It was delicious!

diannekc said...

I recently tried risotto and I really liked it. Kind of a creamy rice. Would make it again.

diannekc said...

I recently tried risotto and I really liked it. Kind of a creamy rice. Would make it again.

diannekc said...

I recently tried risotto and I really liked it. Kind of a creamy rice. Would make it again.

Rita Wray said...

I recently made Beef Wellington for the first time. It was great.

Linda Kish said...

My son just bought some new sausage with mushrooms in them. I had never heard of them before. They were very tasty.

Mary Preston said...

I don't try new foods. I prefer food I know I will enjoy.

Anita Yancey said...

I tried sweet potatoes, but I don't like them.

Lisamarie said...

Our son's girlfriend mother took us out to a real Chinese restaurant, not what we are use too.
I told her we would try whatever she ordered. We had wet noodles, salted fish fried rice and a sweet mayo shrimp. It was all very good but a bit scary to give up that much control .

Unknown said...

Some goose at Christmas

Grandma Cootie said...

Nothing too new lately, but trying to get used to quinoa and kale.

Priscilla S. said...

I tried a chai tea latte for the first time recently. I thought it was pretty good.

Melanie Backus said...

I tried a pablano pepper! Great flavor!

bn100 said...

new kind of meat

Tatum Rangel said...

I don't remember. Looks like I'll have to try a new dish soon. :)