Seniors Sleuth by Jennifer Chow

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney

seniors-sleuth-2

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote of my love of my on-line writing group called Wordsmith Studios. One of the wonderful things that has happened is that I have been able to talk to author Jennifer Chow.

She is lovely! She is also ready to help with any questions. And I always have questions.

She has just published her second book. It is enough to make me fall down in awe that she published one book but now a second!

The first book, The 228 Legacy weaves together the story of three generations of women in one family and the secrets that keep them together yet apart. The title refers to a pivotal event in the Grandmother’s life and in the history of Taiwan. The book was a finalist in the 2013 Foreword Reviews’ Book of the Year Award!.

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(I think I know a celebrity!)

I enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to Jennifer’s new book.  I am so glad to be able to say that it is finally available.

In her latest book, Jennifer has changed genres.  Seniors Sleuth is a cozy mystery. This book was a runner-up at the 2015 Beach Book Festival!   I talked about cozy mysteries in the past.   I am a fan of the genre.  The genre in my life goes back to all the Agatha Christie mysteries. I could not get enough of them!

Winston Wong has had some failures in life.  He has decided that he needs to start again and this time he is going to pursue the passion of his childhood idol, Encyclopedia Brown.  He places an ad in the local Pennysaver but there is a mistake in his ad – instead of Senior Sleuth, it reads Seniors Sleuth.  Things just don’t quite go right for Winston.

It looked like his luck had changed when the beautiful Carmen walked into his office to hire him to check out the death of her Grandmother’s beau from the care facility.  Carmen’s Grandmother thinks that there was foul play in the gentleman’s death.

With that Winston takes on his first case.  No one at the facility thinks that there was any question in Joe Sawyer’s death but Winston decides that he should take the case seriously and really check into it.  It might have something to do with the pretty nurse but you will have to read it to find out.

Seniors Sleuth is available on Kindle from Amazon.

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Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks for reading!

‘

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The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney
relaxing reading

Reading by the water, can it get any better?

Hello Fellow Readers!

If you recall, a few weeks back I talked about how I was having trouble sitting down and reading. I did finally break through that draught and have been reading since. There seem to be a lot of good books coming out this summer.

The Canterbury sisters image

 

The Canterbury Sisters will be released on May 19th. When I first saw the title, I must admit that in my reading slump, a story about some sisters in England did nothing for me. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT IT IS ABOUT.

You can’t judge a book by its cover. I have heard that somewhere…

 

 

Synopsis

The Canterbury Sisters is the story about Che Milan. Che has hit a slump. Her erratic mother has died and while trying to accept her death she receives a letter from her boyfriend.  He has decided to split up with her.  (In a letter!)  Now they have to split up the vacation home that they bought and it is all just a bit much. Then her mother’s ashes arrive with a note from her mother. Her mother can’t leave her alone even after she is dead! The note reminds Che that since they didn’t make the promised trip to Canterbury together that Che will have to do it with the ashes.

There are two ways to get to Canterbury from London. The way that her mother wanted to go was to walk. This involves getting a guide (the trail is not well marked and it is 60 miles) The second way is to take the train there in a couple of hours.

Che finds a private guide who will take her on the waking tour and gets ready to go to London. Right before she leaves, she finds out that the guide is sick.  The guide offers tells her she can join a group of women that are leaving at the same time she was going to leave. She is not really interested in joining a group but decides to go to the bar where they are meeting to check them out before she makes her final decision.

Does she take the train or join the group? The rest of the story is for you to discover.

Opinion

I enjoyed the book. I thought that the background of the places and events were interesting. The characters were well drawn. I could identify with Che – not sure if she wanted to go, not sure if she wanted to join a group, and wondering how she let herself get into this situation to begin with.

As much as I liked the book as a whole, I will say that I was not crazy about the very end. My disagreement with the end does not affect the book overall and it is a very small part of the story.

I would say that you should read it as one of your summer reads. It has a touch more history than you will find in most summer reads but it is a good thing.

Thanks for reading!
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Wordsmith Studios–How I love ya, How I love ya

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney

 


Please substitute in the words  “Wordsmith Studio” for “Swanee”

The truth of the matter is that I seem to stumble around a bit. Not from drink but from not knowing what I am doing. Don’t get me wrong, there are things that I am very capable of doing but then there are those other things that I just feel my way through.

When I decided to write a blog, I gathered information and then started working on it. I had a business background and really knew little about writing or the writing world. But fate must have decided to take me by the hand and give me a bit of guidance. Somehow I was led to a blog with the unlikely name of “My Name is Not Bob.” I read it several times and liked what the writer had to say so I kept reading.

(This was the most amazing thing – writers were more than willing to share anything they had learned. They were so free with information and I needed so much help. I was a lot like a thirsty man reaching a stream.  I drank and drank.)

Who (1)

 

Robert Brewer of “My Name is not Bob” fame started a 30 day program to improve your writer’s platform. So first I had to figure out what a platform was and why I needed one and why I needed to improve it. But once past that, Robert shared incredible information.  I learned so much. Okay, in some instances, I learned about social media outlets that I had never heard of and may not have exactly understood. But the exposure was a great start.

A group was formed of the people who were also following all the tips in the 30 day program. I went over to see about the group. The great thing about the group was that we could use some of the things that Robert talked about in his posts. We could have a twitter chat. We could learn how to use Hootsuite to plan a twitter chat.

It was the exposure to the concepts followed by the application that hooked me. And then I got to know the people. And there was the best part of the whole program. We made connections. We had a group that we could depend on for help, support, and camaraderie.  I have met people through the organization that I communicate with almost every day now.

(This is where that debate about making friends on the internet could be played out. Yes, you can make great friends on the internet without ever seeing them in person. This group is how I know this to be true.)

To be honest, that first year (or two) I had so much to learn that I was almost numb.  There was just so much to learn. It was overwhelming but wonderful. Okay, I am still a bit that way but it is better. I have learned to slow down and really try and understand one thing at a time.

wsshomecoming

Wordsmith Studio is now three years old.  This group has been a wonderful part of my life. I have learned so much through the members of the group and have been able to learn from actually participating with the members. I have run a Tuesday twitter chat, led book twitter chats, somehow get to be cheerleader for the Goals Group, and been to meetings via Google Hangout. If I don’t know how to do something, I can ask everyone on the Facebook group page and get answers.  There are weekly twitter chats, there are weekly prompts, there are Friday night bar napkin poetry sessions and there is company when you decide to take up challenges. One of the things that really helped me with completing my project for NaNoWriMo 2013 (National Novel Writing Month) was doing “word sprints” with other members of the group. Heck, I heard about NaNoWriMo from being in the group!

So much support. Such a free exchange. A warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day. That is what Wordsmith Studio means to me.

If you are a writer and you are looking for this type of group, I urge you to go over to www.wordsmithstudio.org and check it out. We would love to have you join us! Don’t hold back because you are just starting and don’t think you know enough. There are people here that will help you.

So there we have my annual love letter about Wordsmith Studio. I am so appreciative that I have been able to be a part of the group. It has been a great experience.

Thanks for reading!

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The Summer’s End by Mary Alice Monroe

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney

The Summer Girls_Final Cover

Hello Fellow Reader!

Do you ever find that you have read a trilogy without really knowing that was what you were doing?

That is what happened to me with the latest book from Mary Alice Monroe. I had read the other two books and found that The Summer’s End was the last in the series. The other two books are The Summer Girls and The Summer Wind . 

The Summer’s End will be published on May 19th.

the Summer wind

The three books tell the story of a grandmother who wants her three granddaughters to come back to the family home in South Carolina for what might be the last summer. The Grandmother is thinking of selling the house and she wants not only time with the women but also one more chance for the women to have a relationship with each other.

Marietta Muir had one son. His dream of being a writer haunted his life and his three marriages. Each marriage produced one daughter, who he named after famous women writers. The three girls were united each summer when they were young at Marietta’s house. Years have passed and each woman had gone her own way and they seldom communicate. Eudora, the oldest is in the process of getting a divorce and has an autistic son. Her story is the focus of The Summer Girls.  Carson, the middle daughter  has recently hit a low and needs to find herself. She is the focus of The Summer Wind. The Summer’s End gives us more information about Harper, the youngest.

The Summers_EndWhile the women share the same father, their lives have been very different. Harper’s mother is very wealthy and achievement centered.  She runs a publishing house and Harper works as her assistant. Harper is not happy in this position. The summer at her Grandmother’s house gives Harper not only the chance to be with her sisters but also gives her the chance to examine and grow without the presence of her mother.

I enjoyed the trilogy. I particularly like the last book. In each of the books, while one character is the focus, all the characters have parts to play and you learn about all of them and the relationships they have with each other. The story gives each of the sisters a chance to re-group over the summer and find a direction for their life. Summer’s coming and this trilogy would be a good beach read!

Thanks for reading!

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The Sound of Glass by Karen White

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Carol Early Cooney
You can find readers all over.

You can find readers all over.

Hello Fellow Readers!

Sorry for the little break last week.  It was a crazy around here. I have been reading despite the craziness and have plenty of books to share with you.

Do you compare books to food?

Do you compare books to food?

I have been having an inner debate about what I call “popcorn” books. This is not a derogatory term. I find that sometimes I just need a quick read to take my mind somewhere else and let it rest for awhile. I am all in favor of “popcorn” books, after all, that is a huge market and can be all that some people read.  Good for them – they are at least reading. I would say that a “popcorn” book is generally summed up with the plot line as follows:  girl has some obstacle, she meets guy who appears to be wrong for her, they battle, and then eventually find themselves in love. There can be lots of variation in the obstacles and the reason for the antagonism between the main characters. It is fine with me. You know that they will end up together at the end and it is predictable but satisfying.

“Popcorn” books make great beach reads. They are light and simple and can hold your attention.  It is not hard to follow the plot so they can be put down and picked up easily.

There is another level of book that is a bit above “popcorn” but not quite on the level with Jane Eyre. These books probably show more personal growth for the characters and the characters in general have more depth. This category is still a good beach read but more of one that you hate to put down because you want to see what happens.

With that lead in, I want to tell you about The Sound of Glass by Karen White. I received an advance copy of this book from the web site www.firsttoread.com . This is a site for readers to be able to sign up for advance copies of books.  I suggest that you take a minute and go to the site and check it out. I have some pros and cons about the site but I will address those some other time.

The Sound of Glass will be available on May 12 but you can pre-order your copy on Amazon now.
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The story is told from the vantage point of three women.  One of the women is dead, one of the women is recovering from several losses and one is on a mission.  While the weaving of stories and different times can be a hard technique to master and really annoying to a reader, this was one of the best examples of doing it right that I have ever read.

Merritt is trying to put her life together.  She lost her mother in a car accident at the age of 12. While she was in college, her father remarried and she was hurt by his marriage and broke off her connection with him. Her husband of seven years died two years ago.  She is informed that her husband inherited a house in South Carolina and that as his heir, she inherited the house.  She has decided that she needs to leave Maine and go to the house and see if she can rebound from the relationships that haunt her.  She wants to be somewhere where she doesn’t know anyone and can just be alone.

She no sooner gets to the house when her step-mother, Loralee,  and her 10 year old half brother arrive intent on living with her. Loralee is the second woman in the book.

The third woman is Merritt’s husband’s grandmother, the woman that left the house to Merritt’s husband.  It is through finding out more about her that Merritt finds out more about the things that haunt her.

Person_reading_a_book

Do you read a physical book or electronic books more?

 

I had a hard time putting the book down.  While it became obvious what Loralee’s intentions were, she plays a pivotal role in the story.

This is not a “popcorn” book.  There is a lot of depth of character and the end is not completely clear from the beginning.

I think you will find this a good book to read this summer.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

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