Music Monday 12/9/13

Yay! I'm so excited to start doing this again!

This week, I've been obsessed with a song many other people have been obsessed with recently. Check it out below, and see which song I've been belting out to for the past week.



You know what my favorite part of the song is (besides the lyrics and video and empowerment)? "My power flurries through the air into the ground/My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around/My thought crystallizes like an icy blast/I'm never going back. The past is in the past." I just think that this part really highlights how amazing Idina Menzel's singing is (I mean, it's all really amazing but especially the bridge).

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Release Date: March 30th, 2012/August 7th, 2012

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. 

Where do I even begin? Before I started the book, I had kept hearing about how great this book was. Everyone seemed to just absolutely LOVE it. And rightly so! I'm just one more blogger that agrees.

I guess I'll start with the characters. They're all phenomenally written, and what I think Maas did best was that she made sure that all of the characters had flaws. Celaena, who is one of my favorite heroines of all time, was so well-written and so real, partially due to the fact that she wasn't perfect. She had her own moments of weakness, and getting to see both sides of her was great. (I also found it interesting to see how girly Celaena could be despite her, ah, profession.) And of course it wasn't just Celaena. There was also Chaol, Dorian, Nehemia, the King, and everyone! Maas builds up her characters extremely well, and they're all very well-rounded characters.

Next is the plot itself. I've always been a fan of epic/high fantasy, and Throne of Glass made me fall in love with the sub-genre all over again. The world building was beyond phenomenal. Of course, there's also a map at the front of the book. Awesome, right? Anyway, back to the plot. It felt perfectly paced, and it was suspenseful and intriguing enough to keep me interested and invested in the story through the entire book. I never wanted to put it down! If it were up to me, I would have spent the entire day reading it. Seriously, why didn't I read this book before??? I'm also really glad that although there was some light romance, it didn't overshadow the main plot. If anything, it enhanced it. And I personally thought there was enough in it for you to at one moment want her to be with Dorian and the other to be with Chaol (I was originally a Dorian fan, but I think I'm siding more towards Chaol now; thinking back on it now, especially having started Crown of Midnight, it's obvious she was never meant to be with Dorian, and they didn't seem to really come together naturally). It's interesting to see how the different relationships, all of which are very different (as in not just romantic relationships), affect the plot. I don't really know how else to describe everything I loved about this book. It was just everything!

What else do I talk about? (It's been too long since I've written a review, clearly.) Basically...intriguing, complex characters with compelling relationships, great character and world building, perfect pacing, extremely invested in the story, enjoyable style (at least personally), and a really well executed plot and story in general.

I kind of just love everything about the book, so I highly recommend it.

You can find Sarah J Maas on: Facebook | Twitter | Official Website | Blog | Goodreads

You can find Throne of Glass on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound

Review: My Yellow Umbrella by Chris Robertson

My Yellow Umbrella by Chris Robertson
Publisher: Xist Publishing
Release Date: October 15th, 2013

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author. This did not affect my review in any way.
Reviewer's Note: Chris, I am so incredibly sorry that this is so late, but I've been so swamped. I hope you understand!
To everyone else, this is the first time I've reviewed a picture book, and I have no idea how to do this well, so this will be very short.

The Yellow Umbrella is short, cute, and imaginative. The illustrations are very well done and go right along with the words. It's a truly inspirational read, and I think everyone can get something out of it, no matter how old one is. I definitely recommend this to parents to read to their children.

I'm Back!!!

Hello everyone! I'm back!

So the past few weeks have been really busy for me, but then again, what week isn't? So I'm not going to do a post to wrap up November because I've barely posted anything. But I did participate in NaNoWriMo! It was awesome, albeit stressful, and I finished with a word count of 50,800. The most exciting part of it was not actually winning though! It was the fact that I actually wrote it all the way to the end (okay, I skipped a part and just added an epilogue, but I'll revise all of that later). IT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER FINISHED A NOVEL (even though it's a WIP)!

As you can tell, I'm incredibly proud of this accomplishment, and I plan to somewhat revise and edit this story for once. It's tough because it's not really a priority right now and just because I think it sucks so much, but you know, whatever. I figured out where I really wanted my story to go, and I realized that I wasn't going to write in a romance and that that's okay. But I am continuing on with this, both for myself and for school.

The bad thing is that after reading a couple of books (not much, but still a lot considering how much work I've had), I'm now in a slight reading slump. I just finished Prodigy, and I have an ARC of Champion. I tried to start it and just couldn't get into it, no matter how much I wanted to. So I picked up Crown of Midnight again, which I started a while back. I also could not get into the reading, even though I really enjoy the book so far. I also have a couple of books I have to review this month, and I can't get into them either. I feel so stuck, and it's such a horrible feeling because it's not like I don't want to read the books because I do! Who knows...hopefully this will go away soon!

Anyway, I hope you've all been well! I want to remind you of the What's In the Snow? event that's coming up. You can find info on that if you click the picture in my sidebar. I still have to send out emails and fix everything, but I'm really excited! It's been a lot of work, but it's also been really fun, and Cal is an awesome co-host!

Lastly, here's just a quick list of what will likely be up on the blog sometime soon (you know, if life doesn't get in the way again, especially since I'm prepping for an MUN conference again):

Reviews: Throne of Glass, Altered, Shadow and Bone, Legend, Prodigy, Catching Fire movie, My Yellow Umbrella (Children's book; request), possibly NCIS/NCIS:LA/Elementary (not sure! I might just make a post about my general thoughts of recent episodes), Almost Human (may not be a formal review but rather a thoughts post)
Other: Event Recap of Fierce Reads signing at Books of Wonder, discussion post about the 50th Anniversary Ep for Doctor Who, Liebster Award, return of features (HUGE STS/SS post if I remember what books I have/have not already made a vid for; Music Monday, etc)

Also! Many changes will be coming in 2014, including the fact that I'll be moving over to a different URL. Almost all my pages are the same, but I was never that fond of this URL, and it was meant to be temporary, so I found one that I like a lot better. I will probably start posting there on New Year's, but all the event posts will still be on here for convenience.

And lastly, I just want to thank everyone that slowly comes back on here. I know I had a long hiatus, and I'm so sorry about that! I know you all understand, so thank you for that! I appreciate all of your help and encouragement, especially those of you on Twitter. I know that since I was on Twitter, it almost didn't seem like I had stopped posting though I did. You all rock, and I'll try to put up a giveaway once I move over to the new blog. :)

EDIT: I'm also aware that there's an issue with the comments thing for my posts and that you can't seem to see the comment link. If you'd like to comment, please just click on the title of the post, so that it'll bring you to the post page. I'm not going to bother to fix the comment issue because I'm focusing on my new blog. HOWEVER, it may factor into the giveaways for the WITS? event, so!

Tour: The Child of Denys by Nicole Gillette

***I am still on hiatus.***

Title: The Child of Denys by Nicole Gillete
Publication Date: 10/31/2012
When Katie finds a cat hiding in her mother's garden, she has no idea the kinds of adventure that await her.A new kid appears in school at the same time Katie's friends and family begin having nightmares, and she begins to have amazingly vivid dreams. In her dreams this new cat speaks to her, telling of darkness that has invaded the Dream Realm and encouraging her to begin a journey to help save not only the Dream Realm but the real world as well.
Max, the new kid in school, has a dog that seemed to adopt him. Just as the cat had claimed Katie. Max's mom recently died in a car accident and his father had a very difficult time dealing with her death. That left Max alone and without any friends other than his new dog.
Katie, her family and her friends learn that a simple, caring gesture is sometimes all it takes to change the course of the world. Join Katie and Max as they learn the true power of our dreams and the importance of our friendships.

Amazon (Paperback) | Kindle | Nook | Google Books | iBook

About the Author:

Nicole Gillette (or Nikki to her friends and family) describes herself as a wife, mother, crafter, gardener, chef and whatever else is needed. She stays busy following her two children around to sporting events, creating amazing art pieces, writing, and running her online business "Creating Amidst Chaos."
Growing up in Northern Michigan Nikki learned to appreciate spending time outdoors. She enjoys camping, hiking and fishing and collects memories and mementos on her trips to use in scrapbooks, crafts, art projects and writing. Nothing is off limits to use!
As she began to explore different art techniques her friends and family encouraged her to teach lessons on scrapbooking and mixed media art. As a result she developed a series of written tutorials that are now available in e-book format.
In addition to the crafting tutorials she has written children's books that are engaging and entertaining for children and adults as well. Most of the inspiration for her writing come from the wonder she sees in the eyes of her children as they explore our world.
Nikki ensures us that as a 'Jack-of-all-Trades' you can be sure of only one thing. As time goes by she will develop and change so you can expect her projects and writings to do the same.

Author Links:

Giveaway:

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Book Blitz: Dark Musicals Trilogy by Laura DeLuca

Phantom (Dark Musicals #1)by Laura DeLuca
Summary from Goodreads:
The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.

Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.
Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be revealed.

EXCERPT

The orchestra tuned for its virtuoso, and Justyn stood ready. But no one else was ready for the magical performance he began. Beside her, Carmen was rambling on about something mundane. Rebecca elbowed her to silence so she could listen to the perfectly thrilling tenor. As she listened to the song unfold, the world around her started to slip away. Gone was the high school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy teenagers. The Gothic stranger on the stage had become the embodiment of Erik, and Rebecca watched him in all his dark glory, belting out his tormented love through the words of his song. And she was as breathless with wonder as Christine herself must have been when the masked stranger serenaded her in the candlelit labyrinth of the opera house. In that moment, Justyn wasn’t just portraying the phantom. Justyn was the phantom.

                                               “Let the music touch your soul.

                                                 Let the darkness make you whole.

                                                 Do not fear what is unknown.

                                                 Your true path has now been shown.

                                                 Listen to the words I sing.

                                                 Embrace the peace that night will bring.”

     As he continued to sing in his deep but somehow angelic voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. With every line, her heart began to beat faster.  She truly felt the arms of night wrapping her in a warm embrace. She could almost feel the hands of the phantom glide along her body as the words poured forth. The music caressed her. It possessed her—mind, body and soul. Each word left her longing, yearning for more.

     She was gawking so obviously, it was hardly surprising when Justyn felt her eyes on him and steadily met her gaze. She realized her mouth was hanging open in stunned awe, and she quickly snapped it shut. His lips moved into just a small hint of a smile. He never took his eyes off her while he sang the final verse, making her cheeks flush to the point that she felt almost feverish. But it wasn’t embarrassment but excitement, arousal even, which was sending her mind spinning in so many directions.

      When the song was over, and Rebecca had recovered just a hint of her composure, she couldn’t help but burst into a healthy round of applause. A few scattered people joined in, including Debbie and Carmen after she nudged them in the ribs. But only Miss King seemed to truly appreciate the brilliance of his talent as much as Rebecca did.

      “That was amazing, Justyn!” the teacher gushed.

      “Lord Justyn,” he corrected as he stepped down from the stage.

      A few others complimented him as well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious expression never faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost bored, like it was all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the smiles and words of encouragement.

     But not everyone in the crowd was pleased as Justyn glided down the aisle, so ethereal in his dark garments that he still resonated the spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss King might have been excited about the newest male addition to her cast after being limited for many years, but Tom and his group of boisterous companions glared at him as he passed them by.  Jay sneered and tossed a balled up piece of paper in Justyn’s direction, but the Goth was quick, and caught it in his hand without missing a beat.

    “I think you dropped something,” he said.

    His speaking voice was no less melodic than his singing voice, but something about his tone made Rebecca shiver. He tossed the paper back at Jay, who was nowhere near as coordinated as Justyn. He practically fell off his seat in his efforts to catch it.

     “Hey vampire,” Tom called when Justyn went to walk away. “Are you sure you can handle the competition?”

     Justyn smiled, a cool, sarcastic half-smile, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you?”

     Miss King didn’t notice the short confrontation, and Justyn vanished from the auditorium as quickly and mysteriously as he had appeared. Only Rebecca had noticed the very real tension between the two boys. She wondered if it was a bad omen for them to start off the production with hard feelings and envy. That could only lead to trouble. The kind of trouble that could end with someone getting hurt.  The kind of trouble that Rebecca would do whatever it took to avoid.

Demon (Dark Musicals #2)by Laura DeLuca
Summary from Goodreads:
When Justyn and Rebecca set off to attend the New York School of Performing Arts, they think their dreams are about to come true. To their dismay, they aren’t in high school anymore, and the competition is steep. Rebecca must compete against accomplished singers for a role in the production of Demon Barber, including a stunning Gothic diva with her sights set on Justyn.

It doesn't help that things keep disappearing from their apartment or that Rebecca's father refuses to accept that Justyn is an essential part of her life. Yet, all this seems minimal in comparison to the serial rapist terrorizing the campus.
Consumed by fear and obsessed with revenge, Rebecca and Justyn start living the story of Sweeney Todd—both on and off the stage.

Hyde (Dark Musicals #3)by Laura DeLuca
Summary from Goodreads:Rebecca Hope has looked death in the face twice and lived to tell her tale.

She and the love of her life, Justyn Patko, land a summer internship at a local dinner theater, performing the musical Hyde. While they are excited about their first paid acting gig, they soon find themselves surrounded by more experienced cast mates, jealous of their success. As if the tension isn’t bad enough, they soon discover that the business might be a front for something much more sinister.
When Justyn is accused of a crime that she knows he would never commit, Rebecca must decide if she wants to follow her head or her heart. While trying to prove his innocence, she makes a shocking discovery of her own.
Everyone has something to conceal in the grand finale of the Dark Musicals Trilogy. Rebecca has to look beyond the façade to discover the true Hyde or face her final curtain call.

About the Author

Laura "Luna" DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and three children. She has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Old high school friends would tell you she was always scratching in her notebook instead of paying attention in class and the children she used to babysit for always loved to hear her scary stories at bedtime. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.

Author Links:

   

***GIVEAWAY***

Geode, incense, gothic bracelet, gothic keychain, sterling silver pentacle charm, mini Buddha figurine, lavender purification bath salts, natural stone pendant and two rough crystal points. Open to US only.

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Tour: Fearsome by S. A. Wolfe (Review)

New Adult / Romance
Date Published: 10/1/2013
Jessica Channing’s big city life should be more exciting than sixty-hour work weeks and popcorn nights with her girlfriends, but it’s not. She has worked hard fulfilling her role as a child prodigy and graduating college years before her peers. She’s the good girl, the brilliant girl.
Unfortunately, she’s also the dateless young woman.
That all changes with one phone call. Jess’s rigid, predictable life upends when she must visit a small, obscure town to deal with a relative’s death. This isn’t just any little speck of a town, though. Long lost memories come crashing down on Jess’s world when two men, the Blackard brothers, seem to lure her in.

Dylan is cover model handsome, and pursues Jess the minute she comes to town. Then there is tall, dark and gorgeous Carson, who hides his own secrets behind his hardened reserve.

For someone who has been governed by her own obsessive behaviors and fears, Jess lets her guard down and jumps at the opportunity to have an affair with a man she actually finds attractive for a change.\
There’s just one problem. Jess discovers that she can’t have a simple romantic fling because true passion does indeed come with some very big strings attached to it. She will have to own up to her own truths about love and face the two extraordinary men; both troubled in their own ways and both determined to have her.
This novel contains graphic sexual content and strong language. It is intended for mature readers.

Now available for $0.99

Smashwords | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

S. A. Wolfe lives with her wonderfully loud, opinionated children and husband. She is a voracious reader and passionate about writing, and when those two activities don’t keep her locked away in her room, she loves hiking mountains as much as she adores all the thrills New York City has to offer.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway!

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Review

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for the tour, and it did not affect my review or rating of the book whatsoever.

Let me start off by stating the obvious. I don't normally read NA, and I'm probably still a bit young to be reading NA, but the book did intrigue me, so.

In it's most basic form, the story isn't bad. A little predictable in some ways, perhaps, but in other ways, also very surprising. There were some revelations about characters that I was not expecting, and there was enough tension at the very least to keep me reading. The tension between Carson and Dylan was particularly interesting to read, and I liked seeing their relationship evolve. (And personally, I don't like sibling love triangle plots, so that was a bit of a turn off for me.)

But I did have a problem with Jess. I just could get myself to like her. I couldn't connect to her, and while I could sometimes understand where she was coming from, she wasn't someone that I liked very much. She was bearable enough to read the book, but there was something unsettling to me about her and the way she treats people. Her reactions seemed extreme most of the time and they didn't seem to fit who I thought she was at the beginning.

There were other characters, however, that I did like. I'm still a little hesitant on Carson, but I absolutely loved Lauren and Imogene. They were hilarious and fun. Perhaps they weren't as complex as I would have liked them to be, but I think that it balanced out Dylan, Jess, and Carson, who were all so complex that it almost overpowered everything else. Thankfully there was always Lauren and Imogene.

All in all, this was a decent read. I didn't particularly enjoy the apparent telling over showing, but it was more along a fine line than completely being too much. There were a few characters that I really enjoyed and some others that were decent and interesting enough to get me to finish the book. I don't know if I'd recommend it, but I definitely think it's a bit too erm...steamy for younger readers, even if they're my age.

Book Blast: Sisters In White by Melissa Foster

Danica and Kaylie Snow are about to celebrate the biggest day of their lives—their double wedding—on an island in the Bahamas. But no wedding is complete without a little family drama. The two sisters aren’t ready to face the father they haven’t seen since he divorced their mother and moved away to marry his mistress, and live with Lacy, the half sister they’ve never met.
While Danica has exchanged letters and phone calls with Lacy, Kaylie has fervently tried to pretend she doesn’t exist. Lacy is sweet, fun, and nearly a mirror image of Kaylie. To make matters worse, not only is Lacy looking forward to meeting her sisters, but she idolizes them, too. As the countdown to the wedding date ticks on, their parents are playing a devious game of revenge, and there’s a storm brewing over the island, threatening to cancel their perfect wedding. The sisters are about to find out if the bond of sisterhood really trumps all.

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ B&N

About the Author Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of four International bestselling novels. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, the World Literary Café. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa is also a community builder for the Alliance for Independent Authors. She has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on The Women’s Nest, Fostering Success, or World Lit Cafe. Join Melissa and the YaYa Writer Girls at their annual in-person event. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Website

GIVEAWAY

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Announcement: What's In the Snow? Scavenger Hunt!

Hey everyone! So I am STILL on hiatus--I know, I'm sorry--but I wanted to make a long overdue announcement.

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably already know that I'm hosting a scavenger hunt (similar to YASH) event along with Cal @ Read Books and Live Green. She actually posted about this event, but there's some updated information.

So here's the basic breakdown:

• Month of December (Mid) and January
• Winter themed but not exclusive
• Will have mini giveaways on individual blogs (some), as well as a bigger giveaway every 2 weeks or so (this depends on the number of donations we receive)
• We have some authors on board, and they are willing to post, guest post, be interviewed, etc.
• You can basically pick any topic you'd like, preferably winter-related in SOME way
• First come, first serve
• Just email either Cal or I to get it approved
• Official name is now: What's In the Snow? Scavenger Hunt (or something like that)
• There will be a clue in each post (one per blogger since some will have multiple posts), which will be included in random places in the post at the discretion of the blogger
• There will be a crossword puzzle at the end (hopefully) and each clue from each blog will correspond to a different word. The answers become part of your entry into our grand prize rafflecopter

If you're a blogger and you're interested in signing up, we still have room! 

If you'd be willing to donate some prizes (swag, books, gift cards, or otherwise--does not have to relate to your post or to the theme, though that's encouraged), PLEASE do!

If you're an author and you're interested in participating in some way (we could discuss this further), we still have lots of room.

We would prefer if people that are donating or have swag or books to give away could send it to the winner directly rather than through either Cal and I. If that's an issue, just let one of us know.

And please, continue to spread the word! Although sign-ups for bloggers close within the next day or two, we'd be willing to allow bloggers to join later on (especially if you already have a set idea) as long as we're given enough notice in advance.

If you have any more questions or would like to sign up or contact us, my email is reviewsabound(at)yahoo(dot)com. Cal's email is readbooksandlivegreen(at)gmail(dot)com.

And if you think I've left out any info, please just give me a head's up! I'm tired, and this is way overdue.

Tour: Dead Dreams by Emma Right

(Tour)

Dead Dreams by Emma RightEighteen-year-old Brie O’Mara has so much going for her: a loving family in the sidelines, an heiress for a roommate, and dreams that might just come true. Big dreams--of going to acting school, finishing college and making a name for herself.
She is about to be the envy of everyone she knew. What more could she hope for? Except her dreams are about to lead her down the road to nightmares. Nightmares that could turn into a deadly reality.

Dead Dreams, Book 1, a young adult psychological thriller and
contemporary mystery.

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

About the Author

Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific

West Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after their five
pets, which includes two cats, two bunnies and a Long-haired dachshund, she also
writes stories for her children. When she doesn't have her nose in a book, she is
telling her kids to get theirs in one.
Right worked as a copywriter for two major advertising agencies and won several

awards, including the prestigious Clio Award for her ads, before she settled down to
have children.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Google + | Pinterest |

EXCERPT

Chapter Four

That evening, Sarah came home with a patch on her arm. I thought she looked pale.
“What happened?” I asked, pointing at the tape on the inside of her arm.
“Had to get to the doctor’s again. Just a blood test.”
“You’re not super sick, are you?” Thoughts of cancer ran through my mind. My dad was a doctor and always brought home horror stories. “Have you been having hot flashes?”
“Do I look menopausal?”
“Hot flashes—that’s one of the symptoms of cancer. I saw you shivering the first day you came here. At the interview.”
Sarah barked out a laugh. “Don’t be silly. I’m healthy as a horse. What did the cops want?”
“The ones I met downstairs earlier?”
“Did you speak with any others?”
“No. Mrs. Mott thought she saw prowlers. They just want to see if I saw anything out of the ordinary.”
“Just keep me out of it, whatever it is.” She slunk to her bedroom, but before she slammed the door, I hollered after her.
“Don’t worry, the US government isn’t after you.” Paranoia runs in her veins, I mumbled to myself. But still, I was worried for her. If she was ill, with some blood disease or something horrible, would she tell me?
Sarah glared at me as she turned and closed the door.

Later that evening, as we wolfed down some sushi takeout, I persisted with the same meet-my-friends theme. “You should hang out with some of my friends.” Not that I had too many chums to boast of, or had I the luxury to socialize much with time being my enemy. “If you’re going to make the Bay Area your home, it can’t hurt to meet new people around here.”
“I have enough friends.” Really? Who? I was going to ask, but didn’t.
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