Sara and Melissa talk about...Vacations

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. This month, we're talking about vacations! 

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.

Sara Steven: 

So much of what I’ve wanted to do this year in terms of vacation plans has been completely eroded. We planned a family vacation to Oregon this summer, yet we had to cancel due to Covid. I wanted to attend a friend’s wedding this month, but I had to cancel due to Covid. There are talks of a possible vacation later this year to make up for the missed trip to Oregon, provided it’s safe. But I know there are no guarantees and we really can’t plan ahead right now. Nothing is concrete.

In order to find some way to escape the humdrum of the same stucco walls we’ve been encased in since March, a plan was put into place for a staycation, of sorts. A decision was made to head up north to Sedona, Arizona, a town known for its beautiful red-rock buttes and nicknamed “the most beautiful place on Earth.”

The drive there felt like a much safer option than taking a plane with my two sons. I’d checked in with the owner of the rental I’d reserved through Vrbo.com, confirming that additional measures had been taken to ensure the home was clean and safe, but I still stepped it up when we arrived by airing out the house, wiping down hot spots with disinfectant wipes and airing out the blankets on the beds in the warm Arizona sunshine. It sounds like a lot, but it really didn’t take much time, and with my younger son’s asthma, it at least provided me with peace of mind.

Other than the trip to the local Bashas’, masks included, we spent the rest of our time outdoors. We brought our bikes and went for an amazing bike ride through the Sunrise trail by Posse Grounds Park, hiked the Sugar Loaf trailhead and went swimming in Oak Creek. We went for a run and made sure our end point would be the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, a quiet and peaceful experience. We went sightseeing through town, driving through one end of Sedona to the other, and spent time at Crescent Moon next to Red Rock State Park. Along the way we found wildlife that we never get to see out by our Phoenix suburb, like baby toads and crawdads, javelina that resided behind our rental home, and the fastest lizards that my sons tried desperately hard to catch.

For the most part, we steered clear of large groups of people. When a lot of people showed up to the swimming hole we’d found, we moved on to another spot. That was the only time we had to do that. If we met up with someone on the trail or on the road, it was met with friendly smiles and hellos, providing one another a wide berth in order to respect social distancing.

I fell in love with Sedona this summer. I want to move there someday. Its nature, the views, the outdoor activities, even the smell of the cypress trees- this will definitely be a welcome respite for my family from here on out!

Melissa Amster:

We haven't been on a family vacation since last August, thanks to Covid and a few other situations that occurred in the past year. So I would like to talk about our trip to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, from August 2019. I never blogged about this at my personal blog, so it seems fitting for this column.

We arrived in Rehoboth on a Sunday afternoon, hoping to have a pleasant picnic on the beach. That wasn't meant to be, as it was so windy out that the sand was whipping all over the place and the ocean was spraying foam near where we were sitting. My husband and younger son were more tolerant of these conditions than the rest of us were and they were having all sorts of fun trying to build a sandcastle. We eventually gave up on the beach and went swimming in the hotel pool. Later, we played mini golf, even though it was still a bit windy and chilly out.

The next day, we planned around not going to the beach at all. Instead, we first went Go-Karting. It was fun overall, except my daughter almost lost one of her cochlear implants. Thankfully, my husband was able to grab it before someone ran over it. She was a speed demon too!

After a wild morning on the race tracks, we then went to this science place called The Great STEMporium. It looks like a restaurant, but you order science activities off a menu instead. The server brings them to your table and you can play with them for as long as you want. This definitely was up my younger son's alley, as he loves all things science.

When we finished at the STEMporium, we went to the boardwalk area of Rehoboth, where they have shops, ice cream parlors, candy stores, and arcades. The best thing there was Funland! It's set up like a carnival, but the tickets are super cheap compared to a traveling carnival or state fair. We went on rides and played games for a while and had a blast! My daughter wouldn't stop playing Skee-Ball until she won a stuffed animal. Afterward, we went to Kilwin's for ice cream because we love it there. It's so hard to choose from so many great flavors though! We also walked around some of the souvenir shops. 

The rest of the day was just resting and dinner. The following day, before heading back, we went back to the boardwalk to look at more shops, play at the arcade, and stop at Kilwin's again. They had a Zoltar machine on the boardwalk, so we just had to take a picture of it, being fans of Big and all.

Overall, it was a short and sweet trip. Aside from the beach issue, we had a great time together as a family. I look forward to the next time we can travel again. Maybe we'll do a day trip someplace in the meantime...

Please share your vacation stories with us!

Spotlight: Shooting Stars

Tess Lee is a novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find personal happiness. Jack Miller is a federal agent. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself. The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” 

The two embark on an epic love story that asks the questions: What happens when people truly see each other? Can unconditional love change the way we see ourselves? Their friends are along for the ride: Omar, Tess’s sarcastic best friend who mysteriously calls her Butterfly; Joe, Jack’s friend from the Bureau who understands the sacrifices he’s made; and Bobby, Jack’s younger friend who never fails to lighten the mood. Shooting Stars is a novel about walking through our past traumas, moving from darkness to light, and the ways in which love – from lovers, friends, or the art we experience – heals us. Written as unfolding action, Shooting Stars is a poignant novel that moves fluidly between melancholy, humor, and joy.

Patricia Leavy, PhD is an independent scholar, novelist, and public speaker (formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Founding Director of Gender Studies and Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology at Stonehill College). She holds a PhD in sociology from Boston College (2002). A champion of arts-based research and public scholarship, she has published more than 30 books including the best-seller Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice (first, second, and third editions), Essentials of Transdisciplinary Research: Using Problem-Centered Methodologies and Fiction as Research Practice: Short Stories, Novellas and Novels and the best-selling novels Spark, Film, Blue, Low-Fat Love, and American Circumstance.

She is the editor for ten book series with Oxford University Press, Guilford Press, and Brill/Sense. Frequently called on by the media, she has appeared on national television, radio, is regularly quoted by the news media, publishes op-eds and is a blogger. She makes presentations and keynote addresses at universities as well as national and international conferences. She has received numerous national and international book awards. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2016 Mogul, a global women's empowerment network, named her an "Influencer." In 2018, she was honored by the National Women's Hall of Fame and the State University of New York at New Paltz established the "Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice." (Bio courtesy of Amazon.)

Visit Patricia online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Phoebe Fox is full of grace...plus a book giveaway

Today we're thrilled to have Phoebe Fox here to celebrate the publication of her latest novel, A Little Bit of Grace. Melissa loved it and gave it a five-star review earlier this summer. Being Schitt's Creek fans, Phoebe enjoyed Melissa's casting suggestion for Grace. We've been waiting all summer to share this novel with you and are so glad that we finally can. Phoebe has THREE copies for some lucky readers!

Author Phoebe Fox has been a contributor and regular columnist for a number of national, regional, and local publications, including the Huffington Post, Elite Daily, and She Knows. A former actor on stage and screen, Phoebe has been suspended from wires as a mall fairy; was accidentally concussed by a blank gun; and hosted a short-lived game show. She has been a relationship columnist; a movie, theater, and book reviewer; and a radio personality, and is a close observer of relationships in the wild. She currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two excellent dogs. (Bio courtesy of Phoebe's website.)

Visit Phoebe online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest

Synopsis:
Family is everything—Grace Adams McHale's mom must have said it to her a thousand times before she died. Before Grace's dad ran off with an aspiring actress half his age. Before only-child Grace found out she was unable to have children of her own. Before Brian—her childhood best friend, business partner, and finally her husband—dropped a "bombshell" on her in the form of her stunning new replacement.

Which means Grace now has...nothing.

Until she receives a letter from a woman claiming to be a relative Grace never knew she had, sending her on a journey from the childhood home she had to move back into, to a Florida island to meet a total stranger who embraces her as family. There, Grace starts to uncover answers about the eccentric woman her family never mentioned: a larger-than-life octogenarian who is the keeper of a secret held for more than fifty years, and the ultimate inspiration to always be true to yourself. As Grace gets to know this woman and picks up the pieces of her own shattered life, she is forced to question whether she can find forgiveness for the unforgivable. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
A woman once told me that my Breakup Doctor series got her through chemo. I don’t think I’m ever going to top that—it made me teary. There’s no higher calling for art than to have an impact in someone’s life—to help them or comfort them or offer insight or a new perspective. A creation—any art form—is only half-alive until it reaches an audience and takes on full life; this astonishing symbiosis is the magic and wonder of creating, to me.

How is Grace similar to or different from you?
Grace feels a strong call to duty and responsibility, which I do as well, but I think she struggles much harder with balancing that against pursuing her own passions than I do these days—I’ve learned to give myself permission to honor my own goals. And she finds a wellspring of rage in her she never would have imagined she had—and that resonates with me a lot. For years I told people, “I just don’t really get angry.” Which was ridiculous, of course—I was battening it all down, compartmentalizing those emotions because in my mind they weren’t “okay.” And like Grace, I’ve learned to allow those feelings and coexist with them. It’s infinitely more authentic—and so much more peaceful, counterintuitively.

If A Little Bit of Grace were made into a movie, what are some songs would you include on the soundtrack?
Jack Johnson “Sitting Waiting Wishing” (or anything by Jack Johnson, who always captures the feel of the wonderful centered relaxation I find near the ocean). This song to me encapsulates such a key part of Grace’s journey, that feeling of finally realizing you’ve been longing for someone who isn’t longing for you (with a catchy beat!) and letting go of that.

For similar reasons Hoobastank’s “The Reason”—I love the way it peacefully reflects on recognizing in hindsight how a failed love has led you to become a better person. How every person who comes into our lives teaches us something and gets us where we’re going, even if they aren’t “the one” for us, even if it’s not a healthy relationship.

Donna the Buffalo—again, anything by them, but when I wrote the beach-bonfire party scene I was hearing “Funky Side” and “Conscious Evolution” on a marvelously joyful loop in my head. I dare you not to dance with abandon.

“This Is Me,” Keala Settle and cast’s tour de force from The Greatest Showman soundtrack. This is a rockin’ good song, period—but also the kind of “hell, yeah!” anthem that makes you just rise up and claim your own fierce fabulousness, and damn what anyone else thinks of you. That’s everything Millie is in this story, everything Grace learns to be. “I make no apologies—this is me.” Damn skippy, y’all.

What is something you've learned about yourself during the pandemic quarantine?
There’s so much that’s hard and awful about this pandemic that’s hurting so many of our most vulnerable. But despite that, I’ve found that it has also connected me to people in ways I’m not sure would have happened otherwise. I am much more mindful of how tangibly dependent on one another we all are—I have the profound privilege of staying home and being safe because of those who are out there risking their health and well-being so I have food and necessities—from the very root of the food supply, for instance, with those planting and harvesting and processing it, all the way to my grocery store and those shopping and bringing it to my car. I think we’re all realizing that people doing these infrastructure jobs are the absolute engine of society, and how dependent we are on them—and I hope we learn from that and start taking better care of one another.

I’ve also been grateful for the unexpected side effect of this isolation from one another expanding and deepening my more intimate connections. While I miss seeing my loved ones in person, I “see” them much more often via video now, in a format where I’m not multitasking like I would on the phone, or having my attention split at a restaurant or an event, but just sitting and really deeply connecting with these folks—and even making some wonderful new friends this way, from all over the world, with a depth I’m not sure would have happened otherwise.

Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
We are churning through them in quarantine. Recent favorites have been the British shows Lovesick and Sex Education, Amazon Prime’s Upload and Netflix's Never Have I Ever, I Am Not Okay with This, Ozark, and Schitt’s Creek, of course. And we’re currently loving Canada’s Workin’ Moms and Kim’s Convenience, and a Spanish show called Money Heist that’s really great.

What is something that made you laugh a lot recently?
This (for fellow Schitt’s Creek fans):

The horrific and scary things going on in the world can easily subsume our spirit right now, but humor—including dark humor—is saving me. I think this time is stripping us all down to who we are at the core, and I’m heartened to see how many people are connecting and reassuring and comforting one another through sharing the absurdities and hilarity of the situation we’re in. That’s the spirit and resilience that will get us through this dark time in our history.

Thanks to Phoebe for visiting with us and 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 August 16th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Shadow Garden

By Jami Deise

"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?" Queen’s Freddie Mercury isn’t the only one to have asked this question. It’s a game that I think most people—or at least most writers—entertain themselves with at some time or another: Am I making all this up in my head, while I’m really in a hospital or mental institution somewhere? And for the past few years, it’s been an interesting subgenre in mystery fiction. The unreliable narrator doesn’t know how she (and it’s almost always a she) got to where she is. She can’t remember. She was drunk. She was in an accident. She’s bi-polar.

Alexandra Burt’s Shadow Garden is not the writer’s first foray into this sub-genre; her Remember Mia is not as well known as A.J Finn’s The Woman in the Window or Alex Michaelides’s The Silent Patient, but all four books have a similar feel. The “Shadow Garden” in Shadow Garden is the upscale condo development where Donna Pryor is waited on hand and foot. She wants for nothing, except for a phone call from her adult daughter, Penelope, or her ex-husband, Edward. But not everything is as it seems at Shadow Garden, and as mementoes of her previous life as the lady of the manor start popping up, Donna tries to remember what happened to bring her to this place.

Burt’s voice is extremely gothic, and the deliberate pacing and small plot points add to the old-fashioned feel of the book. Even when Burt writes in Penelope or Edward’s point of view (she uses third person for them, while first person for Donna), the dreamy, almost underwater feeling remains.

In truth, it took me a while to get into Shadow Garden. It’s much more mystery than suspense, and without the urgent need to know what was going to happen next, the voice wasn’t enough to keep me completely engaged. There’s a broad rule among fiction writers that if the central conflict of the story can be cleared up in a conversation, the conflict isn’t enough to carry the book, and for much of the first part of Shadow Garden, that rule seemed to be in effect. But I was intrigued enough to want to find out what happened, and that kept me going to finish the book.

My yardstick for this subgenre is the question of whether the ultimate reveal is so substantial, it doesn’t matter whether the story was told by an unreliable narrator or not. In the case of Shadow Garden, I honestly think the book might have been better had it been told in a linear fashion. It happens early enough in the book that it’s not a spoiler to reveal that Penelope was troubled from a very young age (she stabs another child with a fork at a birthday party), and the reader figures out very quickly that Donna’s memory lapse has something to do with Penelope’s fate. Rather than choosing the trendy unreliable narrator to ask the question of what happened, I wonder about the book that would have resulted if Burt had decided to ask the question of how far is too far for parents to go to protect their child. That’s a conundrum that can resonate so much further than the trendy “What did I do” crisis.

Thanks to Berkley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Alexandra Burt:

What's in the mail

Melissa:
Never Say No by Elizabeth Neep from Bookouture (e-book via NetGalley)
The Cookbook Club by Beth Harbison from William Morrow (e-book via NetGalley)
The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke from Ballantine (e-book via NetGalley)
A Palm Beach Scandal by Susannah Marren from St. Martin's Press (e-book via NetGalley)
Dictatorship of the Dress by/from Jessica Topper (won from Write On Cindy)
Good Will by Tiffany W. Killoren from Amphorae Publishing (e-book via NetGalley)
Pretending by Holly Bourne from Harlequin  (e-book via NetGalley)
The Flipside of Perfect by Liz Reinhardt from Inkyard Press  (e-book via NetGalley)
Set My Heart to Five by Simon Stephenson from Harlequin (e-book via NetGalley)

Jami:
Summer at My Sister's by Emily Harvale from Rachel's Random Resources (e-book)
The Twins by J.S. Lark from Rachel's Random Resources (e-book via NetGalley)
The Heatwave by Kate Riordan from Grand Central Publishing  (e-book via NetGalley)
The Nesting by C.J. Cooke from Berkley (e-book via NetGalley)
Shiver by Allie Reynolds from Putnam (e-book via NetGalley)

Sara:
Stuck on You by Portia MacIntosh from Rachel's Random Resources (e-book via NetGalley)
Dating Mr. Darcy by/from Kate O'Keeffe (e-book)
The Contest by/from Nora Katzir (e-book)

Book Review: The Plan

By Sara Steven

Bead shop owner Amelia Frothingham has been keeping a secret from everyone she knows.

She pretends to be the ultimate care-free bohemian chick, but the truth is, she’s the world’s biggest control freak. Much to the delight of her Southern family, Amelia’s life appears to be smooth sailing. That is, until bad boy rockstar Huck Wiley mysteriously blows into town like a spring tornado.

Like every other woman under eighty with a pulse, Amelia’s intrigued. So when Huck starts showing up in her shop with flirtation in mind, she finds herself getting sucked into the rock god vortex. But her previous attempts at long-distance love have always ended on a sour note, so Amelia has vowed never to repeat the experience.

What Amelia doesn’t know is that Huck has a secret of his own, and he has no intention of returning to Los Angeles before he’s good and ready.

Will Huck stay in town, scattering the beads Amelia has finally gotten sorted? Or will he head back to his glamorous life and take her last chance at spontaneity and love along with him? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

Creek Water has welcomed me back with open arms!

I feel like the further I delve into this series, the more in depth the characters become. Amelia is the perfect example of that. On the surface she appears to be a control freak, yet there is so much more the reader discovers about her page by page, only endearing me to her and her experiences. In many ways, she’s relatable. We’ve all found ourselves in situations where we feel a loss of control and it creates chaos and insecurities. Nothing brings that up more than when Huck Wiley shows up.

I really enjoyed the dynamics between Huck and his famous rock star persona, with Amelia and her small town shop owner personality. It really worked well, creating a way for Amelia to assist in bringing out more of who Huck really is behind the visage everyone else seems to know him by, while Huck helps to bring Amelia out of her shell. It helped that Huck has a family of his own, too, with secondary characters who only add to Amelia’s need to prove herself as more than what her own family has known her to be. Little by little, we get to see this duo unearth secrets and hidden truths behind why Amelia and Huck behave the way they do, and all of it with a well-felt attraction that is classic Dineen.

While The Plan can certainly be read as a standalone, there are plenty of former characters from the other Creek Water series books that are in this one, and I love that! It always feels like I’m going back and visiting old friends. I got to discover what is going on behind the scenes for Amelia and Huck, and I felt there was a potential side plot for one of Huck’s best friends and a resident of Creek Water. A future series book, I’m hoping! Mrs. P is a new character we get to meet, a woman filled with sass and love and another great addition to the Creek Water family. Really, all of the characters add their own special flavor to the backdrop, with all of it focused around love.

Given it’s dynamic subject matter with memorable characters centered around a town I’d love to visit someday, it’s another five-star read for this Creek Water series fan!

Thanks to Whitney Dineen for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Whitney Dineen:

MaryJanice Davidson gets the job done

Photo by Mac McGoon Studio

Today we're pleased to have MaryJanice Davidson here to talk about her latest novel, The Love Scam, which published this week.

MaryJanice is the NYT and USA Today best-selling author of several novels and is published across multiple genres, including the UNDEAD series and the Tropes Trilogy. Her books have been published in over a dozen languages and have been on best-seller lists all over the world. She has published books, novellas, articles, short stories, recipes, reviews, and rants, and writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today.

A former model and medical test subject, she has been sentenced to live in St. Paul, MN, with her husband, children, and dogs.

Visit MaryJanice online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
Rake Tarbell is in trouble. When the fabulously wealthy and carefree bachelor wakes up horribly hungover in Venice, it’s not something that would normally be a problem...except he has no idea how he got there from California. Or who stole his wallet. Or who emptied his bank account of millions. Or who in the world is Lillith, the charming little girl claiming to be his long lost daughter. For the first time in his life, Rake is on his own and throwing Benjamins around aren’t going to solve his problem. Now if only the gorgeous, fun, and free-spirited woman who brought Lillith into his life was willing to help the situation…

Claire Delaney finds Rake’s problems hilarious and is not in the least bit sorry of adding to them by bringing Lillith into the mix. A pretty Midwestern girl with a streak for mischief, Claire isn't the type to hang around with a guy like Rake. Even if he is drop-dead handsome and charming as all get-out. Even if he needs help and she has all the answers. But if this helps Lillith, she will go out of her way. And with a guy like Rake, she’s willing to bend her rules a bit for some fun.

But when adventure-filled days turn to romantic nights as they search for answers, and someone starts following them through the streets of Venice, Claire realizes she's playing more than just a game. And maybe, just maybe, she isn't willing to let go of Rake or Lillith just yet. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

Which of your characters are you more similar to: Claire or Lilith?
Ah, that would be the character who is *not* a genius. So Claire. I mean, it's not even close. "Genius" and "MaryJanice" are never in the same sentence. Well, they're in the sentence I just wrote, but not because of any genius on my part. So.

What is something you learned from writing your previous novels that you applied to The Love Scam?
That writing is the best job in the world, but it can be hard to keep your butt in the seat (or on the couch, in my case--I do a disgraceful amount of writing in front of the TV) when you've been working on the same project for five months. Plowing through to the end when you can't stand the sight of your manuscript is the difference between an aspiring author and a published author. By now, I've figured out that it's worth it to see it through to the end.

If The Love Scam were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Oooh, I love questions like these. Margot Robbie or Zendaya for Claire, any one of the STRANGER THINGS kids for Lilith (well, maybe not Steve Harrington), Helen Mirren for The Nuclear Option, and Chris Evans, Timothée Chalamet, or Anthony Ramos for Rake. (Because c'mon...who wouldn't want to see a soaking wet Timothée Chalamet rise dripping and swearing from the Venice Canal?)

What is the last movie you saw that you would recommend?
Hamilton! Great story, great actors, great music--and I am not a fan of musicals. I admit I was nervous, which was unnecessary. Hamilton lived up to every bit of the hype and then some. Possibly because immigrants get the job done. :-)

What is your biggest pet peeve?
When one of my kids eats the last of something and doesn't tell me. I can literally be standing right in front of them, holding my keys and loudly going over my grocery list, and they won't mention we're out of paper towels/eggs/ammunition/blow darts until I need to use paper towels/eggs/ammunition/blow darts. Makes me nuts.

If we were to visit you where you currently live, what are some must-see places we would have to check out?
Well, I currently live 35 minutes from the Mall of America, so that one's a given. But we also have a pretty terrific zoo, wonderful independent book stores, beautiful college campuses...or would that be campii? Ironically, I didn't go to college, so I'm vague on the plural for campus...

And this might strike a more sober note than I usually go for in interviews, but the memorial to George Floyd is striking, and worth a visit.

Thanks to MaryJanice for visiting with us and St. Martin's Press for coordinating the interview.