Author Interview: Lauren Clark

Tomorrow I am reviewing a great book - Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark, but today Lauren Clark is visiting Kritters Ramblings and answering some questions.

1.  What do you find yourself rambling about?

I love talking about books - all books!!  Fiction, non-fiction, thriller, chicklit, anything that's really popular (including 50 Shades of Gray). I am in several book clubs and love having the "homework" of discovering new authors and new books!

2.  When becoming an author, did you have any speedbumps along the way?  If so, how did you overcome them?

Absolutely! I wrote Stay Tuned back in 2006-2007 and submitted the manuscript to a TON of agents. I had several request the full story, but, in the end, no one decided they absolutely loved it. I put it aside for several years and got in back out in 2010 and totally reworked it!  Sometimes, things work out for a reason! It's a better novel, and then, after releasing it, Dancing Naked in Dixie was much more fun to write and polish up!

3.  If you could put your book in anyone hands, who would it be?

Oprah

4.  You have written books that are in the "women's fiction or chick lit" genre, would you ever consider writing in another genre?

I do have two dramatic novels written.  Not sure what I am going to do with them!!!  

5.  What is next on your plate?

More writing! I am researching for my next novel, Pie Girls, which is a real restaurant in small-town Alabama. This story will follow a girl who’s gone off to a big city (like Atlanta or New York) and vows NEVER to come home. She’s forced to return to home, though, when her romantic relationship falls apart. Since she’s burned a lot of bridges, it will be interesting to see how she makes amends.

Review: Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock

Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock

Publisher: Mira Books 

Pages: 296 

Format: ebook 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  The title characters in Me & Emma are very nearly photographic opposites--8-year-old Carrie, the raven-haired narrator, is timid and introverted, while her little sister Emma is a tow-headed powerhouse with no sense of fear. The girls live in a terrible situation: they depend on an unstable mother that has never recovered from her husband's murder, their stepfather beats them regularly, and they must forage on their own for food.

Stop here and you have a story told many times before, as fiction and nonfiction in tales like Ellen Foster, or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings--stories in which a young girl reveals the horrors of her childhood. Me & Emma differentiates itself with a spectacular finish, shocking the reader and turning the entire story on its head. Through several twists and turns the reader learns that things are not quite the way our narrator led us to believe and everything crescendos in a way that (like all good thrillers) immediately makes you want to go back and read the whole book again from the start.

Kritters Thoughts:  The first of two books, which kept me confused to the bitter end.  Caroline Parker is growing up in a rough home with both parents creating a hostile environment and from the start I cringed reading about the abuse that she had to endure at such a young age.  Throughout the book she has her sister by her side, Emma and without her she would be utterly alone in this sad situation.

Before I started reading this book, I started reading the second book - What Happened to My Sister by accident not knowing that there was some story that I needed to read first.  It is said that these are stand alone, but I wouldn't read the second without reading this one, it sets the stage so the reader isn't completely clueless going into it.  

Because I read the synopsis of the second one and knew the big reveal, I read this book with different lenses on than your average reader.  This I am upset about.  It actually confused me, knowing what I knew and it made me rush through just to get to the end to have my thoughts confirmed.

Maybe I will like the second book better because it will be more of a surprise and I won't be anticipating anything, I will review What Happened to My Sister here on Kritters Ramblings on September 25th.

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more


Ebook 2012 Challenge: 48 out of 25

Wordless Wednesday - sisterly love

A wonderful picture of my sister and I right before the ceremony.

Review: Missing Rebecca by John Worley Simpson

Missing Rebecca by John Worley Simpson

Publisher: CreateSpace 

Pages: 208 

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Amazon:  Death and deception. After a whirlwind romance, Liam and Rebecca marry, knowing almost nothing of each other's backgrounds. Only months later, on an afternoon shopping trip to a mall in the Buffalo, New York, suburb of Cheektowaga, Rebecca vanishes, seemingly abducted. Or did she make herself disappear? Was the marriage a sham? Was Liam a dupe? This is a novel of high crimes and dark shadows, involving the immensely profitable drug industry in which exclusive access to the market for a medication can mean billions of dollars, and holding on to that exclusivity might lead to lies, deceit, corruption, payoffs, and even murder.


Kritters Thoughts:  A who dun it without a murder, but with just as many twists and turns.  Liam quickly marries a woman he meets at a medical conference by the name of Rebecca.  For awhile the reader is a little lost as Rebecca is "kidnapped" and we are along for the ride with Liam trying to find his new wife.  

As I am not a spoiler, this book took some great turns that made it more than I thought it would be about half way through it all.  Because of these turns, I would recommend this book to readers of the who dun it genre, even though there isn't quite a murder to investigate, just a missing or so we think missing woman.  I thought the author was quite imaginative where he took the story, thumbs up for the creative twists.

Reading this book in the first week of being married on my honeymoon was ironically funny because Liam and Rebecca had only been married for a bit before she went missing, although my hubby knows a lot more about me than Liam knew of Rebecca.   


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 46 out of 25

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from A Cozy Reader's Corner.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Candidate by Paul Harris

The Candidate by Paul Harris

Publisher: Vantage Point 

Pages: 320 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  On a freezing winter's night a little-known U.S. presidential candidate, Jack Hodges, speaks at a sparsely-attended town hall meeting in Iowa. It is a few weeks before the Iowa caucus, the first contest in the nomination process to be a candidate for President. But that single night in Iowa transforms the race. A female assassin waits for Hodges to take the stage. As he speaks a shot rings out. She misses but the incident finally propels Hodges on to the front pages. Police arrest a mysterious dark-haired woman but she refuses to say a single word. Her name, age, even her nationality, is a mystery. Guided by his outspoken and outrageous campaign manager, Dee Babineaux, Hodges’ campaign soon electrifies American politics. It is vital to discover the identity of the mysterious woman who tried to kill him. Babineaux gives the task to Mike Sweeney, a true believer in Hodges' cause. He must find out the woman's name and past before anyone from a rival campaign or the media does. Sweeney's journey uncovers more and more disturbing information, but at the same time Hodges' campaign, guided by the ruthless, dark genius of Babineaux, goes from strength to strength. By the time Sweeney finds out the true identity of the would-be assassin, he faces a choice that could effectively determine who could be the next President of America. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Have you ever wanted to go fictionally behind the scenes of an election?  This book, The Candidate takes you into the heart of primaries and into both the minds of the candidates and their staff.  With a little political thriller thrown in, the reader is taken into the world of Guatemala from the beginning without knowing how it will weave into a Presidential election.  

I loved that you didn't know their party affiliation and you didn't hear a ton about their policy, this was more about the going ons behind the scenes then on the stage of the campaign.  The author did a fine job of unfolding the candidate's past and matching it with campaigning for the White House and how a decision made 20 years ago can affect you now.  

The perfect election read - a must buy to read while we are in the midst of electing a President.  I am recommending this to my friends who aren't overwhelmed by the political feeling in the air and need a fun read to compliment the drama seen on television in this election.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Other tour stops:

Tuesday, September 4th:  West Metro Mommy 

Wednesday, September 5th:  Broken Teepee 

Thursday, September 6th:  Fiction Addict

Monday, September 10th:  Peppermint Ph.D. 

Wednesday, September 12th:  Mockingbird Hill Cottage 

Thursday, September 13th:  Crazy for Books 

Monday, September 17th:  Kritter’s Ramblings

Tuesday, September 18th:  Staircase Wit

Wednesday, September 19th:  Seaside Book Nook

Thursday, September 20th:  No More Grumpy Bookseller

Friday, September 21st:  It’s a Crazy, Beautiful Life

Monday, September 24th:  Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books, and Brainstorms

Thursday, September 27th: Proud Book Nerd

Monday, October 1st:  Book Addict Katie

Wednesday, Oct. 3rd:  The Blog of Litwits

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

What a good week in books!  I spent the weekend curled up in true fall fashion with my nook and some books.  I am not a fan of this cold weather, but don't mind it if I can use it as an excuse to curl up and read!  

What is your favorite thing about the fall season?

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:
Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock
What Happened to My Sister by Elizabeth Flock
Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark
The Salt God's Daughter by Ilie Ruby

Currently Reading:
Better Than Chocolate by Sheila Roberts
Next on the TBR pile:

A Wedding Great Neck by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Guest Post: Fleur Philips

Yesterday, I reviewed I am Lucky Bird by Fleur Philips and today I was given the opportunity to share a guest post by the author - enjoy!

Inspirational Moments

The other day, I had a conversation with a writer friend of mine about those inspirational moments when a memory or a thought or an event suddenly causes us to want to find the nearest coffee shop to set up camp and start writing. In one of my creative writing classes at the University of Montana, the professor assigned us the task of keeping a daily journal of these inspirational moments. We were to write down the event or thought or memory, but not find the coffee shop.

“Just keep a record,” he’d said. “That way, when you think you have nothing to write about, you’ll always have a list of ideas to turn to.”

I’ve been keeping that journal ever since. Many of the moments will never go further than the ink splotch in my journal, but a few of them have transformed into prose—a short story or poem, my first full-length novel (now collecting dust on my shelf). And one of them plays a significant role in my debut novel, I Am Lucky Bird.

On May 25, 2003 one of my oldest brother’s best friends, Travis Dolphin, died at the age of 34 from complications of a brain tumor. Mike and Travis became friends in 1983 as freshmen at Polson High School in Polson, Montana. After graduation, Mike went to UC Boulder and Travis ventured off to Eastern Oregon. But the distance didn’t interfere with their friendship. When they returned to Polson for holidays and summers, it was like they’d never been separated. Travis was not just my brother’s friend—he was a friend to our entire family. To me, he was a fourth brother.
Travis returned to Polson and eventually married and had two sons. My brother moved to Seattle to attend law school. He also married and has three children of his own. Again, the time and distance did not interfere with their friendship. They didn’t see each other as much, nor did they speak regularly, but Travis was, and always will be, one of Mike’s best friends. In 1996, it was discovered that Travis had a brain tumor. It was removed, and Travis was required bi-yearly and then yearly check-ups. It appeared he would be just fine. But seven years later, he was hanging onto his life.

And here comes my inspiration moment. Mike called me on a Thursday afternoon to ask me for my advice. Travis was dying. Mike hadn’t seen him in quite some time, and he was scared of going back to say goodbye. By the end of our conversation, I wasn’t sure what Mike was going to do. He knew he needed to see his friend, but he wasn’t sure he had the courage to do it. Early the following morning, Mike was awakened by the sound of a bird clumsily banging itself against the kitchen window. He went downstairs and watched this crazy robin fly back and forth against the glass, as though it was convinced if it kept doing it, the window might eventually magically open and let the bird in. This continued all day and into the night, and by Saturday morning, Mike couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to get out of the house. He jumped in his car and drove to Polson—an 8-hour drive to the east. When he arrived at Travis’s house, another best friend—Matt Moderai—greeted him at the door. In high school, Matt, Travis and Mike were inseparable. Travis lay in his bed, paralyzed, his breathing labored. Mike later told me that when Travis saw him, his eyes widened. He couldn’t physically smile, but Mike knew he was. Travis’s family was there—his parents and brother, his wife and kids. Mike said goodbye. The following morning, Travis passed away.

Within a few hours of Travis’s passing, Katy (Mike’s wife) called to tell him that the robin had finally stopped banging itself against the window. The bird had just…disappeared.

“When?” Mike asked.

“This morning,” Katy replied. “It just stopped, but when I went outside to see if it was still on the ground, it was gone.”

To this day, my brother is convinced that Travis sent that bird to bug the crap out of him until he’d have no choice but to get his butt into his car and drive the 8 hours to say goodbye to his friend. Forget courage.

I Am Lucky Bird is not about Travis or my brother. It’s not about a crazy robin banging itself against a kitchen window. But there is a bird, and this bird plays a significant role in Lucky’s turbulent life. Before her mother disappears, she tells Lucky that birds are responsible for bringing the souls of the dead to heaven to become angels.

Thanks, Travis, for this inspirational moment.

Review: I Am Lucky Bird by Fleur Phillips

I Am Lucky Bird by Fleur Phillips 

Publisher: New Dawn Publishers 

Pages: 266 

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  When her mother mysteriously vanishes from the small town of Plains, Montana, 12-year-old Lucky Bird’s childhood comes to an abrupt end. Left to defend herself against her suddenly abusive grandmother, Marian, and forced to endure the twisted predatory games played out by Marian’s lover, Lucky soon finds herself trapped in a nightmare.

Even when she manages to escape, the outside world can’t take away the brutal images of her past. Still haunted by her mother’s disappearance and the trauma that followed, Lucky is easily led down a path of self-destruction—a path that only the intervention of a young stranger and his family can guide her away from. But first, Lucky will have to confront her demons, and the dark truths kept hidden.


Kritters Thoughts:   Lucky Bird was a character that you wanted to see come out from under a bad situation, but the negative events just kept happening to her.  From an early age, she had to fend for herself surrounded by inadequate adults who were unable to even take care of themselves.  Thankfully there are a few people along the way who help her find herself and find a better situation.

Although this was quite a debbie downer book, the author did provide a light at the end of a tunnel.  A diary left by her grandmother Marian revealed a lot of the mystery and answered a lot of questions, but didn't leave the reader feeling any positive feelings about the character.   

Although this book could have been such a downer, the sunshine at the end of the book brought enough hope to rescue the negativity from the rest of the book.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 47 out of 25

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Smith Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.