Wishing Wednesday

Wishing Wednesday is a day that I love to share books that are on my wish list.  Understand, my wish list is the the size of Mount Everest, as I am sure that many of yours is as well, lol.  Anyone who wants to join me in Wishing Wednesday, please feel free to do so!  I would love to hear what you are wishing for!! 

*I am hoping to make this a featured weekly meme and have started including a Mr. Linky at the bottom of the post.  This is my first time doing a meme/Mr. Linky of my own, so hopefully it works!  So please join in and help spread the word!  Thanks so much!
 

Scumble by Ingrid Law

Nine years after Mibs's Savvy journey, her cousin Ledge has just turned thirteen . . . But Ledger Kale's savvy is a total dud--all he does is make little things fall apart. So his parents decide it's safe to head to Wyoming, where it's soon revealed that Ledge's savvy is much more powerful than anyone thought. Worse, his savvy disaster has an outside witness: Sarah Jane Cabot, reporter wannabe and daughter of the local banker. Just like that, Ledge's beloved normal life is over. Now he has to keep Sarah from turning family secrets into headlines, stop her father from foreclosing on Uncle Autry's ranch, and scumble his savvy into control so that, someday, he can go home.

Starring a cast both fresh and familiar, Scumble brilliantly melds Ingrid Law's signature heart and humor with the legendary Wild West.

* I read Savvy a while back and absolutely love it!!!  I can't wait to get my hands on this one!!

 
Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker by Syrie James

Many have read and loved Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But questions remain. What is the true story of Dracula’s origin? What if Mina could not bring herself to record the true story of their scandalous affair—until now?

In Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker, Syrie James explores these questions and more. A vibrant dramatization, told from Mina’s point of view, brings to life the crucial parts of Stoker’s story while showcasing Mina’s sexual awakening and evolution as a woman, and revealing a secret that could destroy her life. Torn between two men—a loving husband and a dangerous lover—Mina struggles to hang on to the deep love she’s found within her marriage, even as she is inexorably drawn to Dracula himself—the vampire that everyone she knows is determined to destroy.

 
Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton

The series that's "a breath of fresh air for fans of paranormal cozy mysteries" (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Law school hasn't prepared Bree to appeal cases for the dead. After inheriting her great-uncle's haunted law firm, she must now represent ex-banker O'Rourke, who supposedly killed himself after losing a fortune. But with a merry widow and evidence mounting, it's beginning to look like murder. So Bree and her team of angels begin to investigate. But Bree soon discovers that someone would rather see her deceased than debriefed.

 
The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand, author of the enchanting "Summer People" and "The Beach Club," invites you to experience the perfect getaway with her sparkling new novel.
Adrienne Dealey has spent the past six years working for hotels in exotic resort towns. This summer she has decided to make Nantucket home. Left flat broke by her ex-boyfriend, she is desperate to earn some fast money. When the desirable Thatcher Smith, owner of Nantucket's hottest restaurant, is the only one to offer her a job, she wonders if she can get by with no restaurant experience. Thatcher gives Adrienne a crash course in the business...and they share an instant attraction. But there is a mystery about their situation: what is it about Fiona, the Blue Bistro's chef, that captures Thatcher's attention again and again? And why does such a successful restaurant seem to be in its final season before closing its doors for good? Despite her uncertainty, Adrienne must decide whether to open her heart for the first time, or move on, as she always does. 

Infused with intimate Nantucket detail and filled with the warmth of passion and the breeze of doubt, "The Blue Bistro" is perfect summer reading.

 
Dark and Disorderly by Bernita Harris 


"I was standing there naked when my dead husband walked into my bathroom..."

Lillie St. Claire is a Talent, one of the rare few who can permanently dispatch the spirits of the dead that walk the earth. Her skills are in demand in a haunted country, where a plague of ghosts is becoming a civic nuisance.

Those skills bring her into conflict with frightened citizens who view Talents as near-demons. Her husband comes to see her as a Freak; so when Nathan dies after a car crash, she is relieved to be free of his increasingly vicious presence. Lillie expects to be haunted by Nathan's ghost, but not to become Suspect #1 for her husband's murder and reanimation.

But what's most surprising of all is the growing attraction between her and psi-crime detective John Thresher. He thinks that Lillie killed Nathan--and Nathan must agree, because his zombie is seeking revenge. Now she and Thresher must work together to solve her husband's murder--before his corpse kills her...

(56) Lingering Spirit by Marilyn Meredith

 
Lingering Spirit
By: Marilyn Meredith

Paperback: 192 pages 
Publisher: Timeless Love (May 17, 2010)

*copy provided by the author for review on the Pump Up Your Book! Tour

Lingering Spirit is an amazing story that will touch the soul as well as the heart.  In the tradition of such great authors as Richard Paul Evans, Marilyn Meredith delivers a story that is both real and poignant.  The emotionally packed story of Nicole Ainsworth and the torment that her life takes on after the sudden murder of her husband, Deputy Sheriff Steven Ainsworth, is one that is about real life, real loss and the reality of putting one's life back together.

There are so many elements pulled together within Lingering Spirit, making this a story that will remain within the reader's heart and memory for a very long time.  There are elements of faith, paranormal, love, healing and the power to go on and finding strength.  Many people have experienced the loss of someone loved and dear to them.  Lingering Spirit addresses that pain, anger and anguish that goes hand in hand with that loss.  In addition, this is a story that also addresses the all-powerful aid of faith and healing.

After Steve's death, Nicole experiences many strange incidences such as drawers and doors opening and closing on their own, the visions of Steve and the gift of his whisper-soft kisses.  She knows that Steve is trying to communicate something to her, however she is finding it difficult to discover what it is.

The visuals that Ms. Meredith delivers to the reader are beyond amazing, describing Steve's appearance as the gathering of glinting crystals was something that pulled me in, as well as tugged at my heart.  The realism that the author uses in expressing both the torment of Nicole and the feelings and emotions that her young daughters go through, at the loss of their Daddy, felt incredibly true to life.  In addition to the death of Steve, Lingering Spirit spans the time of just beyond one year.  Though a shorter book, in the aspect of page length, the style in which Marilyn Meredith delivers the story and this stretch of time, are done in an excellent way and in a way that does not feel as though the reader has lost anything during that time.

Lingering Spirit is truly a story for everyone.  It is a story that will tug at your heart, bring forth memories, bring tears, as well as bringing the gift of hope and leave the reader with a smile upon their face.  The only negative that I have for the story is the presence of a few editing typos.  I know this is something that occurs more than not, however, other than that, I would give it a perfect rating of 5.  I do have to say that this is a must read and I truly look forward to more work by Marilyn Meredith.  She is a true talent and one of my absolute favorite authors.

*overall rating 4.5/5

About Lingering Spirit:

Nicole Ainsworth’s husband, Steve, has a premonition of his death and moves his family to a mountain community where he serves as a deputy sheriff. He is killed in the line of duty and his wife, Nicole, is left behind to struggle with the changes forced upon her life. While trying to cope with her grief, raise her two little girls, her husband’s spirit visits her on numerous occasions. She soon learns that someone else is watching over her too.

Excerpt:

Chapter 1
“You’re going to have to talk to her, Steve,” Nicole said as soon as Steve entered the house. He looked handsome in his crisp khaki Goldfield County deputy’s uniform, but she still liked the navy blue uniform he’d worn as a police officer better. Though she was truly trying, she still considered everything in Southern California far superior, but she tried not to complain too much.
“Who do you want me to talk to?” Steve asked, as he settled his large frame into his place at the dining room table.
Nicole brushed his tan cheek with her lips and patted the top of his golden head. “Sarah, who else? She won’t do anything I tell her. Her room’s a mess. I told her to pick it up, but she won’t do it.”
“She’s only four, after all.”
Nicole put a steaming bowl of stew in front of him. Butter and a partial loaf of sour dough were already on the table.
“Smells wonderful. It’s cold outside. Might get some snow tonight.” He began eating.
With one hand on her hip, Nicole said, “Steve, listen to me. What are you going to do about Sarah?”
“I’ll have a talk with her before I leave. Why don’t you sit down and visit with me while I’m eating?”
Nicole smiled. Moving had made a difference in Steve, he wasn’t so agitated. “What’s going on out there?”
His grin was huge. “Not much. It’s downright boring. Only had one call. Had to get a cow out of the road. Cited a speeder. Talked to Marsh Wilder, he and his wife want us to come to dinner on my day off.”
Wilder was a senior deputy. His wife had been very helpful to Nicole. In the four months since they’d lived in Quail Meadow, one of many small towns in the county, Page had taken her to the best stores, introduced her to the other wives, and organized picnics and various outings for both the families. Their son, though older, attended the same grammar school where Kimberly was enrolled.
“I know. Page called me today. I pointed out it was really their turn to come to dinner here, but she’s having some other people over she wants us to meet.”
Steve buttered another slice of bread. “You’ve told me about Sarah, what’s Kimberly up to? She usually greets me at the door with a hug.”
“Don’t you remember? She’s spending the night with the little girl down the street. That’s part of Sarah’s prob¬lem. She thought she ought to go too, threw a fit when I told her she couldn’t because she wasn’t invited. Haven’t been able to get her to do anything since.”
“Got to admit it, we spoiled the kid.”
“What do you mean ‘we’? You’re the one that always lets her get away with everything.”
Steve lifted his blond eyebrows and shrugged his broad shoulders. “That’s because she looks so much like you, she’s got me wrapped around her little finger, just like you do.”
Nicole couldn’t think of a response. Her husband’s flirtatious teasing had been one of many benefits from the move. Even though they’d taken a drastic cut in pay, the pluses far outweighed the minuses. She smiled and asked, “Do you want some more stew?”
“Love some, but I really don’t have time. I’ll eat what’s left for lunch tomorrow. Bring that little darling on out here while I’m finishing.”
It didn’t look like Sarah had moved since the last time Nicole peeked in her room. Clothes and toys were still scattered everywhere. The tiny girl sat in the middle of one of the twin beds, arms and legs crossed, her lower lip protrud¬ing. Head down, dark curls fell across her eyes.
“Daddy’s home. He wants to talk to you.”
“Don’t wanna talk.”
“Come on, Sarah. Let’s go.”
“No.”
Stepping carefully to avoid the litter on the multi-colored rug, Nicole snatched her daughter into her arms.
“Put me down!” Legs kicked in the air.
Nicole ignored the kicking and screaming as she carried her daughter into the kitchen. She plopped her into the chair.
“Hey. What’s all the noise about?” Steve asked, lean¬ing toward Sarah.
“I’m mad.”
“What’re you mad about?”
“Kimberly’s spending the night and Mommy won’t let me go.”
“You weren’t invited.”
“I coulda just gone. They wouldn’t care.”
“No, sweetie. That’s not how we do things. Mommy tells me you won’t pick up your toys.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“Your room is going to be nice and neat when I get home, isn’t it?”
Sarah brushed the curls out of her eyes and stared directly at her father. “No.”
Steve’s cheeks brightened. “If you don’t pick up your toys, Sarah, you’ll have to stay in your room until you do.”
“Don’t care.”
Steve stood. “Yes, you will care. I mean what I say. You’ll be staying in your room tomorrow until you’ve made it nice and neat. I’ve got to go back to work now, how about giving me a hug and kiss.”
“No.” Sarah slid down from the chair. “Go away and never come back.”
As she ran from the room, Steve called after her, “I love you no matter what. I just don’t like it when you won’t mind your mother and me.”
“Sarah.” Nicole started after her.
Grabbing her arm, Steve stopped her. “Let her go. She’ll get over it. Since I didn’t get a hug and kiss from her, how about you?”
Standing on tiptoe, Nicole reached up to kiss him. His arms pulled her close, and he squeezed her so tightly it almost took her breath away.
He parted her lips with his tongue and kissed her passionately. They clung together for several moments making Nicole wish he didn’t have to go back to work.
“I love you,” he said. “Can hardly wait until I get back home tonight. Hope you won’t mind if I wake you.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.” She winked at him saucily, “Have I ever minded?” Some of their best love making had been when he’d crawled into bed at the end of his shift, waking her with tender caresses.
“That’s my sexy Nicky.” Steve opened the front door, tucking in his rear to avoid the whack Nicole aimed at him.
“You know I don’t like anyone to call me that!”
“You never seem to mind me calling you Nicky when we’re making love,” he teased as he quickly slipped through the door and closed it.
Grinning, Nicole peeked through the front drapes and waved as her husband climbed into the white official sedan he’d parked beside the curb. It was too dark to see much, just the shadowy shapes of the fir and cedar trees around the house. From across the street, came the yellow glow from the neighbor’s windows and smoke curling from their chimney.
That reminded her, it was time to put another log in the wood stove, something she’d certainly never had to do when she lived in Channel Harbor. She waved one last time as Steve drove away.
Letting the drapes fall together, Nicole turned toward the brick hearth that ran the length of the wall. Steve had brought in the evening’s supply of wood before leaving for work. Nicole tended to the fire, still amazed how the small stove heated the entire three bedroom, A-frame house.
Smaller than their home in southern California, their furniture comfortably filled the space. Every window looked out onto a tree filled vista. From their redwood deck outside their kitchen they’d seen raccoons, possums, a skunk, and deer. Even Nicole enjoyed the scenery. It had snowed a few times since they’d lived there, entrancing the children.
Deciding to leave Sarah alone for awhile, Nicole began picking up after her husband’s meal. When the kitchen was spotless, she sat down in her favorite chair near the wood stove.
Thoroughly enjoying her contentment, she realized how much had changed since they’d moved to Quail Meadow. Of course she missed her family and friends. But everyone had traveled the nearly four-hundred miles to visit at least once, and they called regularly. And she’d been warmly welcomed by the other deputies’ wives and the few neighbors.
The cost of living was cheaper, and everything moved at a slower pace in the mountain community. It was almost like they’d stepped a few years back in time. Crime was almost nonexistent. Steve complained good-naturedly about being bored while on duty, but she knew by his drastic change in attitude that the overwhelming dread that had driven him from Channel Harbor had completely disappeared.
The big difference for Nicole was that she was no longer afraid when he worked late hours. The beach communi¬ty they’d come from had all the problems of a big city. Drugs and gang activities had infected the entire area.
The biggest problem she had right now was her youngest daughter. Sighing, she left her comfortable place. “Sarah,” she called, as she headed toward her child’s room.
Nicole was pleasantly surprised when she entered. Nearly all the toys had been put away. Sarah busily shoved books into the bookcase. She smiled brightly at her mother when she entered.
“I did it. Won’t Daddy be happy?”
“Oh, yes. You’ve done a wonderful job.” Nicole held her arms out to. “Come give me a hug.”
Sarah scampered across the floor and threw herself into her mother’s arms. She squeezed tightly, reminding Nicole of Steve’s breathtaking hugs. Though she didn’t like to admit it, Sarah resembled Nicole in more than just looks. She remembered spankings she could have avoided as a child, if she hadn’t been so stubborn and always done what her mother or father asked of her.
“Oh, sweetie, why didn’t you just do this in the first place instead of making all of us angry?”
Sarah pulled away from her mother. “‘Cause I didn’t wanna.”
“I know sweetie, but life would be so much easier if you’d do what you’re told.”
The lower lip came out. “I cleaned my room. Don’t you like it?”
“Yes, I do.” She knew it wasn’t worth the effort to try and explain any further. “Why don’t we make some pop¬corn and see if there’s anything good on TV?”
* * *
Was that the doorbell? Nicole raised herself on her elbow and squinted at the illuminated numerals on the clock. It was after three. She must have been dreaming.
She was about to snuggle under the covers, when she heard it again. It was the doorbell, followed by the sound of knocking.
Leaping from the bed, Nicole yanked a housecoat from the closet and ran down the stairs, her heart beating wildly.

About Marilyn Meredith:

Marilyn Meredith is the author of nearly thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Dispel the Mist from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, An Axe to Grind is the latest from Oak Tree Press.
She is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Internet chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

(55) Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

 
Labor Day
By: Joyce Maynard

Paperback: 272 pages 
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (August 3, 2010)

*copy provided by publisher for review on the TLC book tour

Labor Day is an enthralling and quick read that reads from thirteen-year-old Henry's point of view.  Henry is a young boy on the verge of adolescence who is lonely, friendless and more or less isolated, living with his mother who does well to leave the house every six weeks to get groceries.  Henry does visit his father and his new family, however the bond of closeness is missing.

It is during one of those rare ventures into town, during summer vacation, that Henry meets a man bleeding and in need of a ride.  It is without hesitation that Henry and his mother, Adele, take Frank home with them.  They soon learn that Frank has escaped from prison where he was being held for murder.  Henry knows that life is about to change, yet feels no fear or trepidation.  However, this is just a tip of the what the story entails.  Full of emotion, reality and life, Labor Day is a story that will long remain with the reader after is has been read.

One unique aspect to this story, for me, was the fact that there is no true dialog in the traditional sense.  This was a bit awkward for me, however did not take too terribly much away from the story itself.  I loved the flow and prose with which Joyce Maynard crafted this story and her ability to draw the reader into these characters.  This is my first peek into Ms. Maynard delightful work and I eagerly await reading more by this talented and inspiring author.

*overall rating 4/4

About Labor Day:

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.

But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.

In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy—and the man he later becomes—looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend.

About Joyce Maynard:

Joyce Maynard first came to national attention with the publication of her New York Times cover story “An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back on Life” in 1973, when she was a freshman at Yale. Since then, she has been a reporter and columnist for The New York Times, a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Domestic Affairs” column appeared in more than fifty papers nationwide, a regular contributor to NPR. Her writing has also been published in national magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine; Newsweek; The New York Times Magazine; Forbes; Salon; San Francisco Magazine, USA Weekly; and many more. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Charlie Rose, and on Fresh Air. Essays of hers appear in numerous collections. She has been a fellow at Yaddo, UCross, and The MacDowell Colony, where she wrote her most recently published novel, Labor Day.

The author of nine books of fiction and nonfiction, including the novel To Die For (in which she also plays the role of Nicole Kidman’s attorney) and the bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, Maynard makes her home in Mill Valley, California. Her novel, The Usual Rules—a story about surviving loss—has been a favorite of book club audiences of all ages, and was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the ten best books for young readers for 2003.

Joyce Maynard also runs the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in Guatemala, founded in 2002.

You can visit Joyce Maynard at her website

Other wonderful blogs also on tour with Joyce Maynard and TLC are:

Thursday, July 22nd: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Monday, July 26th: Café of Dreams
Wednesday, July 28th: Rundpinne
Monday, August 2nd: Book Chatter
Tuesday, August 3rd: Jo-Jo Loves to Read!
Wednesday, August 4th: excess baggage
Thursday, August 5th: Peetswea
Friday, August 6th: Stiletto Storytime
Monday, August 9th: Alison’s Book Marks
Tuesday, August 10th: Lisa’s Yarns
Wednesday, August 11th: Bookstack
Thursday, August 12th: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness

Terry M. Drake - Author Guest Post

I am thrilled to welcome Terry M. Drake, author of Live Happily, Ever After...Now! to Cafe of Dreams.  Mr. Drake has written a wonderful and insightful guest post that I sincerely hope you all enjoy and take the time to think about.  If you have not yet checked his book out, please be sure to do so!

How to be happy and successful in everything you do!

What do all successful and happy people have in common?

They believe in themselves and their ability to accomplish whatever they want.  Not everyone shares this belief about themselves and the world they live in.  Several people actually believe the exact opposite about themselves, even though they experience success and happiness, they are unable to fully enjoy it, because they don’t believe they deserve it or that it won’t last or that they got lucky.  Your beliefs can prevent you from doing the things that you want and enjoying the things you want, yet even though they are this powerful, they are completely under your control.

Yes, you are in full control of what you believe about yourself and the world you live in!  The problem is you don’t fully understand this or how your beliefs were developed, so you don’t challenge or replace them and live as if they were true.  In order to be happy and successful in everything you do, you have to first believe it’s possible and to do that you need to understand more about your belief system.

Your Belief System

The most interesting fact about your belief systems are that they developed during your childhood.  Before you even entered adolescence and adulthood, your fears, concerns, and thoughts about yourself and others were already formed.  You developed these by your interactions with the adults and peers who were involved in your life. 

An example of how an un-useful belief is formed is as follows:  A three-year-old child wants attention from his father, so the child jumps on his father’s lap and interrupts him.  The father’s response is, “Hey, what are you doing?” followed by “Not now I am busy.  Go bother your mom!”  The child of three then internalizes this experience and tells himself that he is not good enough for dad.  Then between the ages of 3 and 6 this message is reinforced by the father and other adults.  The message then becomes, I am not good enough and should keep quiet.  The boy begins to believe this and live as if it were true, maybe forever, or until he learns differently.  This, most likely, wasn’t the message that the father wanted to pass onto his son.  However, you must remember it was a young child who was processing the information.  The messages you received throughout childhood affected who you are today.  These messages were interpreted by you to mean something and that meaning was solely based on the self, because early in life it was all about you; how you felt about a message, then how it related to you, and finally how you fit into the world because of the message.  Whether the message had a positive intention or was an act by an unhealthy adult taking advantage of a child, the child’s perception was internalized, processed, and the message shaped how the child thought about himself and others. 

Once you have your beliefs, they will shape the choices you make
and the chances you take.  These beliefs become quick messages that automatically play in your mind when you think about making changes or trying new things.  When the messages are un-useful they result in your being unsuccessful and unhappy.  So to summarize it up, you are currently limiting yourself, based on thinking that was developed as a child and reinforced by the same thinking, resulting in your current attitude about yourself and the world you live in.

The ease in changing this

Your beliefs and the way you approach life has become habitual.  Think about it, most likely you approach your various day-to-day activities with an already pre-programmed belief and attitude.  Take Monday’s for example, how many of you dread Monday’s?  Why?  Have you ever thought about it?  What has Monday ever done to you?  Nothing, it is just a word that is used to label a day of the week and is most often recognized as the start to a new work week, the same as Friday, except Friday is the label for the last day of the traditional work week and most of you view Friday’s in a much different manner. 

You have full control over how you think and feel about Mondays, but you first have to realize this and once you do you can pay attention to the reason you feel that way.  Once you understand the reason, then you can challenge and replace it, finally practicing your new found belief about Mondays and this will lead to a new attitude about Mondays.  In order to break a habit, you have to become consciously aware of it, understand it and then replace the behavior and practice the changes until it becomes permanent.  Healthy and positive beliefs plugged into any scenario will result in different results.   Beliefs will affect your thinking, attitude, and actions determining how feedback is perceived.  Most importantly is the simple fact that you have control over all of these aspects, especially your beliefs, once you understand them.

Live Happily, Ever After… Now! Helps you understand how much control you have over your beliefs and gives you simple, yet concrete methods to change them.  The reason you can do this with ease, is that you already use the same methods to get your current results, you just don’t fully understand how the process works.  Once you understand the whole process and how much control you have over it, then it is just a matter of implementing the changes and practicing them, which the book also teaches you how to do.

About Terry M. Drake:

Terry M. Drake is a Licensed Social Worker, National Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Certified Trainer of Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP.  He has spent the last 15 years learning about himself and others, through his academic studies resulting in his MSW and his professional studies, as a family therapist, clinical supervisor and vast training and research into hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming, the law of attraction and positive psychology.  Terry is currently a Director of mental and behavioral health programs and a Life Coach, Hypnotherapist in private practice.  He is also ready to put his skills to use as an author, speaker, consultant and coach. Terry lives in Wellsboro, Pa with his wife and children.  You can learn more about the power of your mind and how to be happy and successful in everything you do, by visiting www.livehappilyeverafter-now.com and buying his new book, Live Happily, Ever After… Now! 9 Simple Steps to create the life YOU want!

About Life Happily, Ever After...Now!:

Live Happily, Ever After… Now! uses age old, time tested secrets (found in NLP, Law of Attraction, Positive Psychology, and Hypnosis) to teach you how to create the life you want! Ask yourself: Are you in control of what you think, act and feel? Are you living the life you want? Would you like to be happy and successful in everything you do? The key is learning how much control you have over your life, your beliefs and attitudes about yourself, others and the world you live in.  Once you understand that you are in control (and you will), then you can use the 9 simple steps to begin living the life you want.

Excerpt:

The formula for Happiness

What is the formula for happiness? As if there is a secret formula, which you could mix up a batch of in the lab. Well, actually it isn’t even that complicated. You don’t need the lab, you don’t need to mix any solutions, and that wouldn’t result in real happiness. As funny as this notion seems, our society has jumped on board with this idea. You are told a medication will help with all your problems. You are bombarded with advertisements about how much better life would be with a cold beer or how you will be happy once you buy that new car.

I can confidently tell you that without a change in your beliefs you will not find true happiness. Medications, relaxing moments, alcohol, and material things can help you enjoy your life, but alone they will never bring you true happiness. Permanent success and happiness will only come from within and only by making changes to the way you think about yourself and others.

Now, there is a simple formula for happiness and the best part about it is that it is already within you. Not only is it within you, it is under your control. It is also much easier than you think to lead a happy and successful lifestyle. Most of you don’t realize or fully understand this and that is okay. The most interesting fact is that you already use the formula, you just don’t understand it yet and that results in your continued unhappiness.

Please be sure to also check out these other amazing blogs also on tour with Terry M. Drake and Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

Tuesday, June 1
Book spotlighted at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, June 2
Interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz
Thursday, June 3
Book spotlighted at Examiner
Monday, June 7
Interviewed at Beyond the Books
Tuesday, June 8
Guest blogging and book giveaway at Night Owl Reviews
Wednesday, June 9
Book spotlighted at The Writer’s Life
Thursday, June 10
Review/guest blogging/book giveaway at Literary Lolita (rescheduled due to blogger issues)
Friday, June 11
Interviewed at Broowaha
Review/guest blogging/book giveaway at Literary Lolita (rescheduled due to blogger issues)
Monday, June 14
Book reviewed at Rundpinne
Wednesday, June 16
Guest blogging at The Book Boost
Thursday, June 17
Interviewed at Review From Here
Monday, June 21
Interviewed at Let’s Talk Virtual Book Tours
Wednesday, June 23
Book spotlighted at Marta’s Meanderings
Thursday, June 24
Guest blogging at Blogging Authors
Friday, June 25
Guest blogging at The Book Connection
Tuesday, July 6
Interviewed at The Hot Author Report
Wednesday, July 7
Interviewed at Blogcritics
Friday, July 9
Book reviewed at The Scattered Mind Fragments of a Musical Mommy
Monday, July 12
Interviewed at Working Writers
Tuesday, July 13
Interviewed at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, July 14
Book reviewed at Books 4 Moms
Thursday, July 15
Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book
Friday, July 16
Book spotlighted at Book Tours and More
Monday, July 19
Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Tuesday, July 20
Interviewed on Blog Talk Radio’s A Book and a Chat
Wednesday, July 21
Guest blogging at The Writer’s Life
Friday, July 23
Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Monday, July 26
Guest blogging at As the Pages Turn
Interviewed at American Chronicle
Tuesday, July 27
Interviewed at Examiner
Wednesday, July 28
Guest blogging at Cafe of Dreams
Thursday, July 29
Guest blogging at Writing Daze
Friday, July 30
Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book

Interview: Get to Know Lauren Carr!

Welcome to another edition of "Get to Know..." I don't know about you, but I am having a blast with these interviews, getting to know people better and reading everyone's delightful answers!  This week's special guest is Lauren Carr, author of the new release, It's Murder, My Son!  I have not yet read Lauren's work, however she was amazingly kind enough to send me a copy of her latest, so be on the look out for my review of that soon!  For right now, please settle back and help me in welcoming the kind, generous and lovely Lauren Carr!

Please share with us a favorite memory.

When I was very young, at night I would crawl into bed with my mother. She reads at night before going to sleep, something she still does today. Mom is an ardent mystery fan. That is where I get it. So from the time I was very little, before I could even read, I remember her reading Perry Mason to me. That was when I fell in love with mysteries. Later on, after I learned how to read, I would climb into bed with her at night and we would read together. She would read Perry Mason, Agatha Christie, any mystery she could get her hands on, while I read Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Ah, such wonderful memories.

Please describe a perfect meal - including menu and those present?

Lobster or crab legs, baked potato, Caesar salad, chocolate mousse pie, and raspberry iced tea. I pick this menu because it is what my family and I enjoyed for my fiftieth birthday this year. I don’t cook shellfish at home because it does smell up the house. So going out to eat it is a treat. My son and I ordered the lobster and crab legs while my husband ate a steak. He likes the taste of lobster and crab legs, but doesn’t’ like the work. For Tristan and me, breaking apart lobster or crab legs is an experience. Who would be present? I would have to say my husband, son, and a few close friends.

What are some of your favorite ways to relax?  

Fire in the fireplace on a snowy afternoon with my laptop and a free afternoon to write away with no one to disturb me.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? 

Right here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have been fortunate enough to have been many other places and have seen how others live. Yet, I have to confess that I sometimes yearn to be at the beach on the ocean. That usually happens when I want a change of scenery. Living on a mountain, what could be a bigger change than the ocean?

If you could only read books by one author, who would it be? *I know, this is an inconceivable thought, lol: 

Oh, gosh! That is such a hard question. There are so many that I like and each for different reasons. Of course, Earl Stanley Gardner was my first favorite author since before I could read. But I would have to say Elizabeth George would be the author that I would chose if I could only chose one. I have been following Thomas Lynley for so long.

Share with us a few of your dreams. Also whether they have been fulfilled or are still a work in progress. 

When I first dreamed of being a writer, my dream had me living in a New York penthouse with quirky characters coming in and out of my life while I sat at my typewriter writing best sellers. (Notice I said typewriter. That’s how long I’ve been at this.) Well, thinking about it, the important parts of that dream have been fulfilled. I am a writer. I am surrounded by quirky friends and family. (That’s another interview.) I may not be on any best sellers list or living in a penthouse, but the core of my dream was my writing, having friends, and being happy. That’s what I got. I guess getting onto a best sellers list is the dream that is still in progress.

What are some of your guilty pleasures? 

A whole bag of chocolate kisses that I hide in my underwear drawer under my panties. Nothing makes them taste as good as knowing that they’re all mine because no one knows about them…I guess that’s not the case anymore

    

If you could leave the world with one piece of advice, what would it be?  

It took me years to realize this, but I have found it to be true: The Rolling Stone’s song said it best in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need

About Lauren Carr:

Lauren Carr fell in love with mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. From murderous bedtime tales, she grew up to write mysteries for television and the stage. She wrote her first book after giving up her writing career to be a stay-at-home mom.

The first installment in the Joshua Thornton mysteries, A Small Case of Murder was named a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award 2005. Her second full-length book, A Reunion to Die For was released nationally in hardback in June 2007 by Five Star First Edition Mysteries. Both A Small Case of Murder and A Reunion to Die For are now available in audio, Kindle, and print.

Her new series, The Mac Faraday Mysteries, set in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, where she and her family often vacation. The first book in this series, It’s Murder, My Son, will be released Summer 2010 in audio, Kindle, and print.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made speaking appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She is also an active member of Sisters in Crime. She lives with her husband and son on a mountaintop in West Virginia.

Visit Lauren at her blog: http://writerlaurencarr.blogspot.com/, or her website: http://laurencarr.webs.com/
You can also find Lauren on Facebook!

About It's Murder, My Son:

What started out as the worst day of Mac Faraday’s life would end up being a new beginning.  After a messy divorce hearing, the last person that Mac wanted to see was another lawyer. Yet, this lawyer wore the expression of a child bursting to tell his secret. This covert would reveal Mac as heir to undreamed of fortunes, and lead him to the birthplace of America’s Queen of Mystery and an investigation that will unfold like one of her famous mystery novels.
 

Soon after she moves to her new lakefront home in Spencer, Maryland, multi-millionaire Katrina Singleton learns that life in an exclusive community is not all good. For some unknown reason, a strange man calling himself “Pay Back” begins stalking her.  When Katrina is found strangled all evidence points to her terrorist, who is nowhere to be found. 

Three months later the file on her murder is still open with only vague speculations from the local police department when Mac Faraday, sole heir to his unknown birth mother’s home and fortune, moves into the estate next door. Little does he know as he drives up to Spencer Manor that he is driving into a closed gate community that is hiding more suspicious deaths than his DC workload as a homicide detective. With the help of his late mother’s journal, this retired cop puts all his detective skills to work to pick up where the local investigators have left off to follow the clues to Katrina’s killer.




A Small Case of Murder:

A Small Case of Murder is a Grand Case of Murder!Chester is a quaint, small town in West Virginia where everyone knows everyone, and there is never a secret that someone doesn’t know. In such an intimate town, how many disappearances can be left unquestioned?

Following the death of his wife, Joshua Thornton leaves a promising career in the United States Navy’s JAG division to move across country with his five children into his ancestral home. While clearing out the attic the children find a thirty year old letter written to their grandmother.

In the letter Lulu Jefferson wrote “…Remember that dead body we found in the Bosley barn?...I saw him today…I went to talk to the reverend and there was his picture on the wall.” What dead body? His interest piqued, Joshua asks about Lulu and finds that in 1970 she died of a drug overdose on the same day that she wrote the letter to his parents.

Today, a double homicide has the whole town under a microscope. The granddaughter of the reverend Lulu implicates in her letter is one of the victims. The state attorney general appoints Joshua special prosecutor to solve the crimes.

In a small town where gossip flies as swiftly as a spring breeze, it is impossible to know who to trust. After his children dig up the body lost decades earlier, Joshua is then able to unravel the truth behind the series of murders to reveal a web of deception spun half a century ago on the other side of the globe. 

A Reunion to Die For:

Returning Home For A High School Reunion Could Prove Deadly!

In A Reunion to Die For, author Lauren Carr continues to follow Joshua Thornton while he brings justice to the small West Virginia town of his youth that he returned to with his five children after the death of his wife. Chester is a quaint, but far from quiet, town.  Here, everyone knows everyone and nearly everyone has a secret.  Some are dying, while others are killing to keep their secrets undercover.  

As a naïve teenager, Joshua Thornton had no reason to question the authorities who had concluded that his dear friend Tricia Wheeler, after breaking up with her boyfriend, had committed suicide.  However, 21 years later, as Hancock County’s Prosecuting Attorney, Joshua is forced to examine the closed case when former schoolmate and current adversary, Gail Reynolds, returns to town to pen an investigative book on Tricia’s “murder”.  Joshua reluctantly agrees that the pieces of Tricia’s suicide don’t add up, and an investigation is warranted.

When Grace Henderson, another seemingly innocent teenage girl, is murdered by a close gun shot to the chest, it is impossible for Joshua to ignore the similarities the girls and their deaths share. Surely the murders of two teenage cheerleaders 21 years apart couldn’t be any more than coincidental… could they? As the investigations into the two deaths unfold, Joshua finds more questions than answers, more enemies than friends, and more victims than clues. Thornton must use every ounce of his integrity, ingenuity, and tight circle of close friends while he scrambles to solve the two murders that has nearly everyone around him becoming either suspect or victim… including himself! 

*If you would like to participate in this series, please send an email to me at cafeofdreamsbookreviews@yahoo.com and I will send the questions to you. This is open for authors and bloggers! I'm hoping to make this an extended event and have several great responses so far!! I hope everyone enjoys, has fun and if you have a question for the person being interviewed, please feel free to ask away!

*Please note: if you have sent a request and have not heard back from me, please resend. My email likes to eat mail before I get a chance to read it. Or I just received the request at an insane time and it got buried in the email jungle. Either way, I apologize and would love to hear from you!

Book Blogger Hop!

It's time to do some hoppin, boppin and discoverin!  Crazy for Books hosts a delightful weekly meme, which is a marvelous way to meet new bloggers who share our love/obsession for books!  Here is what she has to say on her site:

It's Friday!  Time for another Book Blogger HOP!!

This is for ALL BOOK BLOGGERS (NEW AND OLD) and READERS!  Let's make some new friends and have fun!  It's FRIDAY!!! 

 

ABOUT THE HOP:

 

In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all book bloggers and readers a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  So, I created this weekly BOOK PARTY where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start PARTYING!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

So, what are you waiting for?!  Get those fingers dancing across the keyboard and join in the fun!!

This Week's Hop Question:

TELL US ABOUT THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING!

 

Right now I am reading Lingering Spirit by Marilyn Meredith.  I am about three quarters of the way through and love it.  It is a very emotional journey for a young woman who is the mother of two young daughters and has just lost her husband in the line of duty (he was a police officer).

I am also about half way through Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City.  Love it!  Such a fun and unique way to present a story!