A Great Read–for many reasons

I’ve posted before about books I’ve ‘read’ [aka listened to in the audio version]; this is another to add to the Do Not Miss This One list: Sandra Brown’s “Low Pressure”.

I started reading formula romance, silhouette in all their lines, in the early 1980’s. I found a great author named Rachel Ryan who turned out to be a pseudonym for Sandra Brown. Her ‘straight’ romances were well written if perhaps clichéd by today’s standards, but that’s another blog topic.

She’s written another romantic suspense–heavy on the suspense–in the form of a first time author who hits the best seller lists with a fictional who done-it based on a true crime. As a twelve year-old child she witnessed the murder of her older sister; as an adult she wrote the story in an effort to exorcise old ghosts and perhaps to stir long-buried memories.

Problem is someone, and maybe more than one, doesn’t care to have the story brought to light again. Ms. Brown skillfully weaves a cast of red herrings into the story from page one and keeps those pages turning. In my case, it keeps me driving in order to slip in the next CD.

This is a great read, excellent pacing, and a host of chapter ending hooks guaranteed to keep you reading long after the lights should be out.

Do not pass on this one.

As ever,

Veronica Lynch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characters to Learn From

I was introduced to two incredibly interesting men this summer, both from the cable TV networks, Nico from “Necessary Roughness” and Walt Longmire from “Longmire”.

Oh my. I’d like to spend a week [or more] with the writers on these fine shows. They know how to draw enignatic men, self-contained, assertive in their own way, a background of secrets, and [to attract the female perspective] suffering from some long ago heart break.

Makes me want to bring them home and take real good care of them. Not at the same time of course. and I’d need to boost my vitamin intake to prepare. Hormones wouldn’t hurt either.

Check them out on reruns–or like I plan to do when my next royalty check rolls in, order DVD’s of the previous season. That way I can get my fixes till the next seasons roll in.

enjoy

Veronica

see? It can be done

This is a test.

This is a test.

Kat Doran

Surprise!!!

Surprise!!!.

via Surprise!!!.

Two great ‘new’ books

I’ve recently ‘read’ [listened to actually] to two great books I’d love to recommend to all fans of thrillers and suspense fiction:

Breaking the Silence by Linda Castillo and The Witness by Nora Roberts.

Linda Castillo has crafted three [to date] stories set in a fictional Ohio town where the ‘English” coexist peacefully with the Amish. Kate Burkholder, the chief of police and former member of the Amish community finds herself walking both sides of a very rickety fence when a serial killer reappears after a 16 year absence. She thought she’d shot the killer to death after he raped her; but now it appears he’s back and doing it all over again, this time ramping it up a couple notches.

This is not for the squeamish but it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat-literally and figuratively.

Now for Nora’s book. In my opinion she’s not been on her mark the last few years, but with The Witness she’s hit it out of the park. This is a story that could happen to any of us, is very timely [computer hacking, identity theft, Russian mobs, a heroine with an IQ in the genius range and zero social skills and a quick-witted, sharp as a tack hero].

I loved them both and can’t wait to read Castillo’s sequel to Breaking the Silence.

Kat and Veronica

Supporting Fellow Authors

I admit, I am likely the biggest offender of what I am about to rally the flag around, but will step into the ring and take my licks.

Lately, as Kat Henry Doran I’ve participated in a number of blogs, promoting my newest release, Mad Dog and the Archangel. With each blog, I notified LCRW members via the email loop, inviting all to stop by and say hey, maybe get in the running to win a prize. The response was cool at best. That’s okay; I’m not the coolest nor kindest of people and I’ll never win Miss Congeniality [though I do want world peace].

More important to me however is First Timers Presents. This is my recurring blog which features first time authors.

I decided to launch it after an LCRW meeting last fall where I happened to sit beside a newly published author in our group who exhibited signs of loss, helplessness and all around needing a hand to guide her when it came to promoting her new book. I suggested she start with the writers loops she belongs to. To which she responded, “Good luck with that, I can’t get support face to face support from LCRW members at a meeting, how can I hope to find it anywhere else?”

As we used to say back in the day . . . color me embarrassed.

After I was lucky enough to be first published in 2004, I received a great deal of support from Kathryn Shay, and members of my two other writers groups [Maine Romance Writers and Liberty States Fiction Writers]. They offered great suggestions on promotions, what to consider, what traps to avoid. Listening to this new author, I thought, ‘you jerk, why aren’t you doing more for her and other new authors?’

First Timers Presents first saw the light of day in September 2011. Since that date, we’ve promoted 15–20 new authors, two of whom are members of LCRW. The usual notifications went out to the loop.

How many LCRW members commented on the blog, wished many sales, said ‘hi, great cover, terrific premise, super blurb or excerpt?

I shall go back for the exact count but I’m willing to guess the number is TWO.

I’m doing my part to promote our authors. What are you doing? Even if you don’t care for erotica or historical romance, you can wish them good luck. Maybe money is tight these days so you are embarrassed you cannot buy her book. So what? In this day an age of anonymous purchases on Amazon, the authors won’t know. They will remember you wishing them luck. These women are part of us. They’ve worked just as we all have.

Give them a round of applause, a hug, a pat on the back, a comment on the blog that says, ‘you go, girl’.

Veronica Lynch