Abby Fabiaschi's new lease on life...plus a book giveaway

We're thrilled to celebrate the pub day of Abby Fabiaschi's debut novel, I Liked My Life, by having her at CLC today to finish up our "Something New" theme month. We've had our eye on her novel ever since we first heard about it, and Melissa A. was excited to recently receive a copy. (It's currently in her five book pile, which means it will be devoured in the near future.) Thanks to Goldberg McDuffie, we have TWO copies to give away!

After graduating from The Taft School in 1998 and Babson College in 2002, Abby climbed the corporate ladder in high technology. When her children turned three and four in what felt like one season, she resigned to pursue writing. Last March, Abby signed a two-book, hardcover deal with St. Martin’s Press. 

Abby is a human rights advocate interested in economic solutions to social/cultural problems. She is Director of the Board for Made By Survivors, an international nonprofit organization with a unique prosperity model that uplifts victims from sex trafficking and extreme abuse. You can learn more about her practice of systematic giving here.

She and her family divide their time between West Hartford, Connecticut and Park City, Utah. When not writing or watching the comedy show that is her children, she enjoys reading across genres, skiing, hiking, and yoga. Oh, and travel. Who doesn’t love vacation? (Bio from Abby's website.)

Find Abby online:
Website 
Twitter
Facebook 
Instagram 

Synopsis:
Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch...until she commits suicide, leaving her husband Brady and teenage daughter Eve heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives? How they can possibly continue without her? As they sift through details of her last days, trying to understand the woman they thought they knew, Brady and Eve are forced to come to terms with unsettling truths.

Maddy, however, isn’t ready to leave her family forever. Watching from beyond, she tries to find the perfect replacement for herself. Along comes Rory: pretty, caring, and spontaneous, with just the right bit of edge...but who also harbors a tragedy of her own. Will the mystery of Maddy ever come to rest? And can her family make peace with their history and begin to heal? (Courtesy of Amazon.)


Something new I did in 2016:
I’m a born optimist, but 2016 was filled with new experiences I’m not in a hurry to repeat: it was the first time since I was twelve I didn’t earn a single dollar, I moved cross country with two kids in tow a week after surviving emergency surgery (admittedly better than the alternative), and I gained ten pounds that really like where they’ve landed and have decided to stay. Oh, there was also that horror show of an election day. New Year’s Eve my toast was, “Good riddance!"

Something new I want to try in 2017:
Being a real-life, bona fide published author! When someone asks what I do for a living, I can’t wait to answer without having to admit that the only person who reads what I write is my sister.

Someplace new I plan (or want) to visit:
I’ve declared this the year of food! My kids are old enough to eat at restaurants that don’t offer chicken fingers and hot dogs, and I plan to take full advantage. I will seek out new culinary experiences everywhere I go.

A new TV series I started watching:
I recently started Good Girls Revolt on Amazon Prime. It’s about women writers tapping at the glass ceiling in the early seventies. I’m totally hooked! I just learned they didn’t renew the contract. If there’s a TV executive reading this, please buy the option to this amazing show ….

A new book I started reading:
I just finished R.J. Palacio’s WONDER with my 7 and 8 year old. It was an incredible experience that initiated necessary, complicated, beautiful dialogue. The impact it had on my children can not be understated, but it was executed with such humor— they were wholly entertained the entire time.

I made a new friend recently....
We just moved to West Hartford, CT. I realized quickly that it’s harder to make friends later in life when your “peers” are more settled, so I invited everyone I met to join a book club. When I got a weary response, I pitched it as a wine and cheese club where a third of the people happened to have recently finished the same book. One woman asked if cocktails were acceptable midweek, as she doesn't care for wine. She quickly moved up the list to must-be-good-friends status.

Thanks to Abby for visiting with us and to Goldberg McDuffie 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. 

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Giveaway ends February 5th at midnight EST.

Go-to-Gay: New and improved?

We're pleased to have our Go-to-Gay, Keith Stewart, here to kick off the new year. We hope his post will be inspiring to you, whether you are the resolution-making type or not!

Keith now has the floor....





Desperately Seeking Something New

A new year!
A fresh start.
A clean slate.
I know, I know. It’s annoying. I’ll stop.

For years, I looked forward to seeing the calendar turn from December to January. I convinced myself all the mistakes I’d made the previous twelve months magically washed away with the drop of the ball in Time’s Square. By writing out and stating what kind of person I would be in the coming year (skinnier, kinder, organized), I would manifest myself into some Deepak Chopra-ish being by February, March at the latest.

Of course, it actually never seemed to go that way in real life. Around January 10th, I began to understand all this “new me” business would require a lot more work than I was willing to give in order to change. Deepak Chopra-ish did not happen on its own (unless, of course, you ARE Deepak Chopra, then it’s just natural, you lucky bastard). Slowly, but surely, I would stop exercising, start eating pizza again, shovel off just enough room on my desk to reach my keyboard, and continue to be the same old me for the remainder of the year.

I am not sure when my “New Year Epiphany” hit me, probably around the age of 40. Middle age. Maybe that is when I began letting little bits of the grumpy old man I am inevitably to become out in public. Whatever the reason, I was freed. I told myself if I wanted to lose weight or get organized, I could do it any time I wanted. I could start in, dare I say it, May or September. I didn’t need to put the pressure of the world on myself during the dreariest time of the year. I didn’t have to try to break all of bad habits all at once. To every resolution, a season!

I wish I could tell you I began then and there to correct myself and amend my ways, but I didn’t. You see, one of my worst attributes is procrastination. When I decided I could make my New Year’s resolutions any time of the year, I just kept putting it off. Without the binds and structure of a particular date, I was dead in the water. As a result, there was no “new me.” I wasn’t Deepak Chopra-ish. I wasn’t even close.

So this year, I decided I would try a few resolutions again. A new start. Just test the waters of change. See if there are still a few tricks for me to learn. What were they, you ask? I’ll tell you. You have the added benefit of reading this late in the month, so I can also give you an update on how it is going.

1. Stop procrastinating.
Update: This post was my first deadline of the year. It was due on January 9th. I turned it in on January 19th.
2. Lose Weight.
Update: I joined Weight Watchers. I don’t trust the program now that Oprah owns it. She is trying to make me a better person on the inside as well as the outside. I just want to be skinny, Oprah. I just want to be skinny. As of today, I have gained 4 pounds.
3. Dress better.
Update: I have purchased some new shirts, and I got some new clothes for Christmas. However, I am currently wearing the same pair of jeans I have worn all week and an old t-shirt left over from my college days (20 years ago).

This year’s epiphany, however, came to me this morning. If I didn’t make these resolutions or set these goals for myself, at least once a year, I would completely stop trying to improve myself. At least there is a tiny nugget of determination left inside my middle-aged brain that is telling me to keep trying. To keep on keeping on. Hope springs eternal and all that jazz.

So I’ll keep plugging along trying to make myself better this year, and I hope you will, too. I may or may not give you an update in March on how the resolutions are going. It depends on if I am still participating. As long as I can get to my keyboard, order a pizza, and fit in these jeans, I’ll be OK.

Keith Stewart is the author of Bernadette Peters Hates Me – True Tales of a Delusional Man. A native of Appalachia, he splits his time between his hometown of Hyden and nearby Lexington, Kentucky. His blog is www.astrongmanscupoftea.com . You can find him on Twitter at @Shiglyogly and Facebook at @AMSCOT (A Strong Man’s Cup of Tea). He is a regular contributor to HumorOutcasts.com and the GoodMenProject.com. He lives with his husband, Andy, and their two dogs, Duke and Dudley.

Susan Schild's newsworthy year...plus a book giveaway

We welcome Susan Schild to CLC today, as part of BookSparks' Wintervention. BookSparks even has a copy of her latest novel, Sweet Southern Hearts, to give away!

Susan Schild has an undergraduate degree from James Madison University and a master’s degree (MSW) from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has used her professional background as a psychotherapist and corporate trainer to add authenticity to her characters.

Susan is a wife, a stepmother, and a dog lover. She and her family live near Raleigh, North Carolina where she is busy finishing up the third novel in the Willow Hill Series.

Visit Susan at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Synopsis:
When it comes to marriage, third time’s the charm for Linny Taylor. She’s thrilled to be on her honeymoon with Jack Avery, Willow Hill’s handsome veterinarian. But just like the hair-raising white water rafting trip Jack persuades her to take, newlywed life has plenty of dips and bumps.

Jack’s twelve-year-old son is resisting all Linny’s efforts to be the perfect stepmother, while her own mother, Dottie, begs her to tag along on the first week of a free-wheeling RV adventure. Who knew women “of a certain age” could drum up so much trouble? No sooner is Linny sighing with relief at being back home than she’s helping her frazzled sister with a new baby…and dealing with an unexpected legacy from her late ex. Life is fuller—and richer—than she ever imagined, but if there’s one thing Linny’s learned by now, it’s that there’s always room for another sweet surprise… (Courtesy of Amazon.)

Something new I did in 2016:
I started taking Pilates and can’t believe how exercises that look so graceful and non-strenuous can cause me to gimp around the whole next day.

Something new I want to try in 2017: 
I want to plan my writing better so deadlines aren’t so hectic. It’s simple math: decide how long your book will be, and dividing the number of pages by days will give you how many pages you need to write per day. That’s been too sensible for me up until now, but that’s my 2017 plan.

A new restaurant I ate at recently: 
Chapman's Food and Spirits in Southern Pines, NC . Excellent mac and cheese and fish tacos in a friendly setting. We took a one night family holiday/mini-getaway and enjoyed exploring the small Sandhills town of Southern Pines. Chapman’s was an unexpected treat.

A new TV series I started watching: 
My latest favorites: Life in Pieces, American Pickers, Hotel Impossible, and the tiny house shows.

The newest thing I bought: 
A small, quiet room humidifier that eases my allergy symptoms in winter.

A new place I want (or plan) to visit soon: 
I want to take a train adventure. The Rocky Mountaineer? The Trans-Canadian Railway? Am picturing sitting on a red velvet seat, gazing out the train window at the coastline or soaring mountains….

Thanks to Susan for visiting with us and to BookSparks 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. 

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Giveaway ends January 24th at midnight EST.

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. 


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Giveaway ends January 22nd at midnight EST.

Stacey Wiedower's "new" year...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Stacey Wiedower here to kick off our "Something New" theme at CLC! Given that her debut, 30 First Dates (reviewed here), was about a bucket list, this is a perfect topic for her! Her follow-up novel, This is 35, published last week and features her charming main character Erin, who is back with another bucket list! (We're not sharing a synopsis as to avoid spoilers for the first book. All you need to know is that "everything that can go wrong definitely does.") Stacey has TWO e-book sets of both novels for some lucky readers.

Stacey Wiedower started her career as a reporter at a daily newspaper before following her passion to interior design school. She spent three years at a firm with bizarre similarities to Designing Women, and now she funnels all of those experiences into her work as a full-time writer. Along with magazine articles, website copy and a weekly feature called "My New Home," she writes romantic comedies, and the zany characters she's met poke their heads into her stories from time to time. Stacey lives in Tennessee with her husband, also a writer, and a son who's inherited their overactive imaginations. (Bio courtesy of Amazon.)

Visit Stacey at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Something new I did in 2016:
I hiked in Arches National Park and Zion National Park in southern Utah. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life, and both places were beautiful and breathtaking in very different ways. Arches is an alien planet – like hiking on the surface of Mars, but with oxygen. Zion feels a like a place time forgot, with incredible, colorful cliffs and peaks … and a waterfall in the middle of the desert. My favorite part of the experience was hiking The Narrows, a trail in Zion that’s actually a shallow river, with a pebbled riverbed and canyon walls rising on both sides of the water. It was absolutely unforgettable.

Something new I want to try in 2017:
I really, really want to go to the Greek Isles and I’m hoping this is the year we make it happen. Otherwise, I’d like to try being on time for once. I’m always late because I’m always trying to cram in “one more thing” before I get out the door. I want to work on that this year!

A new food I tried recently:
We started using Blue Apron on occasion last year, and so not only did I try several new foods, but I learned to cook several new foods and new cuisines. Some memorable dishes that I never would have attempted on my own were Green Shakshuka with Eight Ball Squash (a Middle Eastern dish), Empanadas de Picadillo with Lime Crema, and a Chilled Chicken Ramen that was fantastic. I liked not having to plan the meals or do the grocery shopping, but most of all I liked how using a meal service caused me to branch out and try new things.

A new TV series I started watching:
I didn’t start any new series, believe it or not, but my husband and I did return to Mad Men after a long hiatus. I love/hate me some Don Draper.

The newest thing I bought:
I bought two paintings in 2016, a gorgeous pastel abstract by Memphis artist Hillary Butler that hangs in my foyer, and an intriguing portrait of a woman with no facial features (I know that sounds strange, but trust me when I say it’s a cool painting) that I bought at a gallery in Oklahoma City’s Paseo Arts District. It’s titled “Who Is She Now?” It makes me think of a blank page or blank screen at the start of a new writing project. One day I want to write her story.

I made a new friend recently and her name is Kelly. I met her through my son’s basketball team and it turns out we have tons in common. We’re both career journalists, we love to read and we like home design and fashion. (Don’t get me wrong – we’re suburban moms, not exactly Instagram-worthy fashionistas. But we both like turning up at our book club meetings in a cute pair of shoes. :) ) We also took a fun turn through IKEA together recently.

Thanks to Stacey for chatting with us and sharing her books 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. 

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Giveaway ends January 16th at midnight EST.