SEE NEW WEBSITE: www.janetlynnauthor.com

SEE NEW WEBSITE:

www.janetlynnauthor.com

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Books I have read


TRUST NO ONE
by
Jayne Ann Krentz

Summary
It's no coincidence when Grace Elland finds a vodka bottle next to the lifeless body of her boss, motivational speaker Sprague Witherspoon. The bottle is a terrifying—and deliberate—reminder of the horrors of her past.

Grace retreats to her hometown to regroup and tries to put everything she's learned about positive thinking into practice—a process that is seriously challenged on the world's worst blind date.

Awkward doesn't begin to describe her evening with venture-capitalist Julius Arkwright. She has nothing in common with a man who lives to make money, but the intense ex-Marine does have some skills that Grace can use—and he's the perfect man to help her when it becomes clear she is being stalked.
Buy link  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22459697-trust-no-one?ac=1



Bio

The author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print. ,She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Books I have read


The Liar
by
Nora Roberts
Summary
The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn’t just dead. He never really existed.
 
Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning.
buy link   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23281906-the-liar?ac=1



Bio

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. 

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Friday's Featured Author


Hailey's Chance:
Will baby make 3?
by
Morgan Mandel

Summary
Bursting with anticipation, Hailey awaits the arrival of her first child. Then, one morning, the unthinkable happens, turning her joy to grief.

When her neighbor offers a startling suggestion, Hailey’s torn. Should she take a chance? The offer is tempting, yet if something goes wrong, she’d be wide open for more heartbreak.

Find Hailey’s Chance at: http://amzn.com/B013D2FB78


Excerpt
Will this day ever end?
Hailey Burke shifted her weight behind the checkout counter at Deerview Foods and turned to the next customer. At sight of the tight tank top, short shorts, and tats running up and down the arms of her former classmate, Lynn Manning, Hailey flashed a welcoming smile.
Sure, the dishwater blonde’s coal black eyeliner and matching lips seemed extreme, but appearances were deceptive. Inside lurked a sweet and loyal soul. Too bad Lynn had chosen troublemaker, Billy Wallace, as the object of her affections.
Thinking back to their high school senior year, when Billy had tripped the fire alarm to get out of taking a math test, Hailey resisted a chuckle. He sure was a character. It’s a wonder he’d graduated with the rest of them.
Five years had passed since then, yet nothing much had changed. Enough tourists drifted into town to keep businesses going, but not enough to make anyone rich. Jobs might be scarce, but Deerview was where Hailey was born and would stay, alongside her hubby, Ryan.
“How’s it going, Lynn?” Hailey pretended not to notice the home pregnancy test sliding past her on the conveyor belt between the frozen pizza and the cold cereal.
“Same old, same old,” Lynn said, her eyes lingering on Hailey’s belly. “Say, aren’t you about due? How much longer?”
“A month, give or take a few weeks.” At the thought of finally seeing and touching her baby, Hailey’s heart soared and her smile widened.
“Looks like you can hardly wait.”
“You’ve got that right. It’s no fun carrying this extra load, but it will all be worth it.”
“Your child will be so lucky.”
“No, we’re the lucky ones.”
At Lynn’s wistful look, Hailey felt a pang of pity. If Lynn’s test proved positive, life would not be easy for her.

Morgan Mandel’s Amazon Author Page:
Excerpts blog:
Twitter: @MorganMandel



Bio
Morgan Mandel lives in a Chicago suburb with her college sweetheart/husband and their dog, who owns her own Facebook Page, at Our Little Rascal. After freelancing for the Daily Herald newspaper, she joined Chicago-North RWA and Midwest MWA and began writing novels. Enjoying diversity, she’s written romances, mysteries, thrillers, and her latest, a Christian Women’s Fiction book.

Morgan’s Websites:


Thursday, August 6, 2015

Friday's Featured Author


Something's Cooking at Dove Acres
by
Will Zeilinger

Summary
When her Great Aunt Helen dies in a tragic barbeque explosion, young Maddie Van der Wald inherits the huge house and estate on an isolated part of Catalina Island. She reluctantly moves in amid rumors of ghosts and buried treasure
If she doesn’t follow the terms of the will, which forces her to live on the island and give up her life back in L.A., her greedy cousin stands to inherit it all.  
She meets eco-activist Luke Garrett and tells him of her plans to turn the mansion into a Bed and Breakfast inn. Her ideas go nowhere when she is plagued by debts and legal problems. To pay her bills, she agrees to allow a cell phone tower on her property. Everyone turns against her, including her best friend Jojo.
Maddie’s life has become a total mess. She wonders if her boat trip to this island was a trip to Hell. Whatever the outcome, she’s ready to fight for what is rightfully hers.

Buy link: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com

To see what inspired this Young Adult Mystery and recipes in the story see http://janetsrambling.blogspot.com/

Excerpt:
First thing in the morning I picked up a message from Jojo.  Just hearing her say she'd been on the mainland and was coming back today made me yearn for the freeways and the fast pace I left behind for Catalina, but the sweet aroma of buttery croissants distracted me.  Veronica had baked a batch for breakfast.
Jojo showed up just as they were cooling on the kitchen counter.  Veronica wrapped up a couple for her kids and took them to day camp. While Jojo downed two more croissants with her coffee, I told her about the financial issues.
"I have to do something soon or we might lose this place.  Right now, renting a spot for a cell phone tower seems the fastest way to generate income."  Jojo listened intently and sipped her third cup of coffee. "I'm telling you this because half of this property belongs to you and I'd like your input before I make a decision.  Whether you were in the will or not, you're a partner in this.”
“Stop right there.” she held up her hand and looked me straight in the eye.  “First of all, I'm not your blood relative.”
“How could you say that?  Mom and Dad adopted you. Legally you're my sister and entitled to half this inheritance. ”
She waited a long time to speak, “They never adopted me - legally.”
My throat tightened, "But they raised us as sisters and I always thought it was legal."
“They were my legal guardians, but I learned just before they died that they never adopted me.  I brought this to their attention and YOUR father said to me, “You're not a real Van der Wald, and I’m not going to cheat my flesh and blood daughter out of half her inheritance.”
The deep hurt and betrayal brought tears to her eyes.  “I'd always thought they loved me as much as they loved you, but when your father said that, I knew it wasn't true.  He never considered me part of the family.  I was just a charity case to him.”
“That makes no sense Jojo.  They showed us the same love and affection.  We got the same education.  We were in scouts and basketball together.  They even gave us the exact dresses for prom night, different colors, but they were the same.”
Jojo put her face in her hands and sobbed, “They never gave me their name, never made me a real member of the family.  When your father said that to me, I felt like he slammed a door in my face.  I was nothing, nobody."
I reached for her hand but she pulled back.
"After I moved away I researched my roots and found out I’m part Tongva, but that’s all. My ancestors inhabited this island centuries ago.  That's why I live here now.  It’s my ancestral home - my land.  Your father took away my family and I didn’t fit in to your world. My true history had been hidden from me.  I was nobody until I found my people.”
“But Jojo, Mother loved you like her own, she doted over both of us at school and...everywhere.  How could you say that?”
“I know,  I owe them a lot… my health, education, the stuff they bought me and the love they showed.  But when I learned I was never accepted into what I thought was my own family, I felt like I had only been looking through a window at a family gathered around a warm fireplace and I was outside in a storm."
 “Is that why you left after the funeral and never returned my calls?”
“I thought that was the way they wanted it.  I did my job by acting the part of your sister.  Once we grew up, I knew my presence was not needed or wanted.”
“They said that?”
"Not in so many words, but that's how it made me feel."
“I can’t believe that.  Our parents weren't like that. Jojo, you are my family, my only family.  Whatever happened between my parents and you is in past.  It’s us now, you and me.  It will always be that way. You're my sister and I love you.”
  She shook her head.  “If you mean what you say, then don’t put the cell phone tower on this land.  This is Tongva land, holy and sacred mother earth.  You can’t desecrate it with commercial structures."
“…and my bed and breakfast idea, are you against that too?”
“The land was here since before man came.  The white man built on top of it and covered over much of my people's history, but none of that matters now.




BIO:
    Will lives in Signal Hill, California and visits Catalina frequently.  Most recently Will and wife, Janet Elizabeth Lynn (also an accomplished author), co-wrote Slivers of Glass, a noir murder mystery set in 1955.  At the time of this writing, Will has published three other novels (Ebooks.) The Naked Groom, Something’s Cooking at Dove Acres, and The Final Checkpoint (also in print).
Contact info:
Twitter:  @Will_Zeilinger
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wzeilinger
blog: http://www.booksbywilzeilinger.blogspot.com



 These tea sandwiches were served and made by Dimple at her first family gathering.
TEA SANDWICHES

Makes 20 small sandwiches, they should be varied in shape—round, square, triangu­lar, or diamond. Remove the crusts and cut in quarters or use a large cookie cutter to make unusual shapes. Any kind of bread will do: white, rye, nut, or raisin. Serve them open faced or closed. Serve right away or cover with foil, and store in the refrigerator. Estimate 3 or 4 for each guest.

Here are sample of fillings for the sandwiches
Fillings
     Cream cheese, minced cooked mushrooms, garnish with ground nutmeg.
     Chopped watercress, softened butter, garnish with grated onion.
     Strawberry marmalade, chopped pe­cans, and cream cheese.
     Minced crabmeat, mayonnaise, and ground turmeric.
     Mashed avocado, fresh lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce.
     Minced chicken, almonds, curry powder, and dairy sour cream.
     Creamed Roquefort cheese, cream cheese, and sherry.
     Spread with smoked cheese and top with sliced.
     Minced cucumbers, dairy sour cream, garnish with capers.
•   Ginger marmalade, topped with chopped walnuts.