Free ebook! Unfaithfully Yours,by Joanne Clancy

Unfaithfully Yours is now free to download at Smashwords!


Synopsis:
Four scorned women, one adulterous man and the price he has to pay for their revenge. "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned/ Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned." By William Congreve in The Mourning Bride of 1697.
Shona Morgan is in love with a married man. She finally realises that her married lover, Mark McNamara, is never going to leave his wife for her. Heartbroken, she resolves to break up with him and try to move on with her life.

Jackie Fitzpatrick seems to have it all; a loving husband and two beautiful children. However, she can't escape the sneaking feeling that there's more to life and embarks on an illicit affair, but at what cost?

Penelope Garrett has had enough of being treated badly by the men in her life and is determined to seek revenge when her latest boyfriend lets her down.

Rebecca McNamara thinks she has the perfect marriage but when she discovers her husband's dark secrets her idyllic life comes crashing down around her.

Revenge, the second book in the trilogy, and Web of Deceit are also available now at Amazon.



Reviews for Unfaithfully Yours:
If you like your novels steamy, this is a great little find. Definitely a lot of bedroom action, considering that the main male character has four women on the go at once! Obviously there's a lot of cheating going on and that means that most of the characters you'll find yourself hating at some point. That's pretty obvious! But the story really got me emotionally involved - I'd find myself saying to my husband, "You'll never guess what this total scumbag's up to now!" while he was trying to read his own book, like it was someone we both knew! ~ Lacey Dearie, Amazon

I loved this book, I can't say it enough! The whole book is well written and has you entwined from the beginning. The lives of all these women are so different, but one man brings them together. Then they get sweet revenge, and Mark never saw it coming! While Rebecca, Shona, and Penelope form a bond through the rough times. The one question I'm left with is does Colm ever find out about the affair? Another book maybe??
The perfect ratio of love, sex and storyline, I highly recommend this book.
~ Katy, Amazon

Liebster Award

Many thanks to Belinda Nicholl for awarding me with a Liebster. Belinda works as a freelance writer and creativity coach. She is an active blogger and author of a memoir titled Out of Sync—a story about her expatriation from South Africa to the U.S. in 2001, arriving at JFK International Airport on the morning of 9/11, and how all that change impacted her life, career, and relationships.


The Liebster Award is an award for up and coming bloggers with less than two hundred followers so I was delighted when Belinda nominated me.

Instructions for Nominees:
1.) List 11 facts about yourself.
2.) Answer the 11 questions given to you.
3.) Ask 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.
4.) Choose up to 11 up-and-coming blogs to nominate
5.) Go to each blogger’s page and let them know about the award.
6.) Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.


Here are 11 random facts about me:

1. When I was about eight years old I went through a phase of wanting to be a nun and used to pray that Jesus would appear to me! I got quite annoyed when he never showed up.

2. I voluntarily read the entire bible (I think it was the children's bible).

3. I snore loudly.

4. I'm addicted to mince pies.

5. I love writing lists and answering questionnaires, so I'm really enjoying this blog post.

6. I hate housework.

7. I love grocery shopping.

8. I'm a secret millionaire.

9. I'm a shopaholic; specifically shoes. My boyfriend is convinced I'm part centipede.

10. I killed my sister's goldfish, not in a serial killer kind of way; I accidentally fed it some breadcrumbs that were too big. I was six at the time and she was five. I've never admitted it until now...sshhh...

11. I'm not a secret millionaire (just trying to keep your attention!)


Here are Belinda's questions for me:
1.) Where would you live if you could choose?
I would love to live near Niagara Falls, because I am obsessed with waterfalls!

2.) How would you live if money was no object?
I would continue to live the same way I live now. As long as I have books, coffee, and wine, I'm happy. Oh, and I'd buy a villa in La Rochelle, France. It's one of my favourite places, and I love French food!



3.) What hobbies would you pursue in this situation?
If money was no object I would buy even more books; drink expensive coffee, but not the new cat poop coffee that everyone is raving about; and I'd probably look into buying my own vineyard!



4.) What new skills would you like to acquire in this situation?
I'd take some French classes to brush up on my French.


5.) What do you value most in life?
My family and friends are most important to me.



6.) What does this thing that you value most in life really mean to you?
My family and friends mean mutual respect, love, care, and kindness.


7.) What is your best quality?
My best quality is my ability to forgive.


8.) What is your worst quality?
I'm very grumpy first thing in the morning!


9.) How do you see yourself?
I see myself as a woman, a writer, a friend, a daughter, a sister, and an aunt.


10.)What do you think of the general state of the world?
I think it's outrageous that there is so much hunger, poverty, and suffering in the world. Some people have so much, while others have so little. Let's wipe out the suffering here on earth before we spend money on the space programme, and too many other egotistical projects.


11.)If you could change one thing about your current circumstances what would it be?
I would like to have a bigger writing space!



My questions for my nominees:
1. What's your favourite book and why?
2. Do you have any recurring dreams or nightmares?
3. Do you believe in life after death?
4. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
5. Why do you blog?
6. What inspires you?
7. What is your top health tip?
8. What is your top beauty tip?
9. What's the best book you've ever read, and why?
10. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?
11. What's your guilty pleasure?


Here are my nominees:
1.) Laura Marcella
2.) Colleen Chen
3.) Zainab
4.) Castle Pines North
5.) Deanna
6.) Jessica Topper
7.) Chick Lit Love
8.) Silvia
9.) Effervescenia
10.) Kate Scott
11.) A.K. Marshall

The Many Reviews of the Many Books: Giveaway!!!

To celebrate reaching two hundred likes on her new blog, The Many Reviews of the Many Books, the wonderful Crystal Marie is having a mega giveaway. Go to her blog to take part!

The Many Reviews of the Many Books: Giveaway!!!: The Likes Giveaway has started!!! Thank you so much for spreading the news about my page!!! I can't believe that I got to 200 alre...

The Next Big Thing

A big "thank you" to author Emma Kaufmann for tagging me to take part in The Next Big Thing; where authors tag other authors to share a little about themselves and their books.

Emma Kaufmann was born in London, England. She has an Austrian mother and a British father, making her an Austrish! A chance meeting with Mr Right had her hopping the pond Stateside, where she spawned two kids and started her blog, Mommy Has A Headache.


Emma is the author of three books: Her Ten Year Itch; Seductive Viennese Whirl. Her latest release, the side-splitting guide for rookie mums: Cocktails at Naptime - A Woefully Inadequate Guide to Early Motherhood, which she wrote with Gillian Martin in cyberspace. The two authors have never met so that's quite a feat!

Now, on to my interview!

What is the working title of your book?
My latest book is "Shattered". It's a thriller.





Where did the idea come from for the book?
I wanted to explore a murder from the point of view of the effect it had on those left behind, and how they struggled to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.



What genre does your book fall under?
Mystery and thriller.




Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Shattered is a story about a woman, Shannon Clarke, who is murdered by her husband, Graham. The story is mainly told from the point of view of her mother, Joyce Kelly.
I could see Meryl Streep playing Joyce Kelly; Kate Winslet would be a perfect Shannon Clarke; and Bradley Cooper would play Graham. Of course, as part of the fantasy of having my book made into a movie, Bradley Cooper would fall madly in love with me.



What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Two screams rang out on the still morning air, shattering the middle class complacency.


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
All my books are self-published, but I'd be thrilled if a publisher showed an interest in publishing my paperbacks. My books are available as paperbacks and ebooks at Amazon.


How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The first draft took about a month, spurred on by too much coffee and not enough red wine.



What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
Shattered was at number nine yesterday in the Kindle store under Police Procedurals, six places behind my idol, P.D. James!


Now to continue this series of author-self-interviews, I would like to tag:
Belinda Nicoll a freelance writer and creativity coach. Belinda is the author of a memoir titled Out of Sync —- a story about her expatriation from South Africa to the U.S. in 2001, arriving at JFK International Airport on the morning of 9/11, and how all that change impacted her life, career, and relationships.

Liz Grace Davis grew up in Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Germany. She now lives with her husband in Vienna, Austria.
Growing up, Liz spent most her days in libraries, diving into the world of books. In her spare time she reads a lot, travels, creates jewellery and designs digital scrapbooks. That's of course when she's not weaving stories. She's in her element whenever she is doing anything that requires creativity.
Liz is the author of a young adult fantasy novel, Tangi's Teardrops, and a romantic women's fiction novel, Chocolate Aftertaste.


Melanie Robertson-King is a romance writer with a strong affiliation to her Scottish heritage. Her debut novel, A Shadow in the Past, is available now.
The daughter of a Scottish national, who came to Canada as a ‘Home Child’ through the auspices of The Orphan Homes of Scotland, she’s written an article on her father and until recently only shared it with her local writers’ group. Since then she’s sent it on to Leopard Magazine in Scotland where it appeared in their March 2010 issue. She wrote a similar piece for The Scotsman’s My Story, entitled Memories of a Home Child.
A native of eastern Ontario, she spent her pre-school years in a winterized cottage on the shore of the St Lawrence River. Her family moved to town where Melanie received her education. She returned to post-secondary education a number of years later where she received a degree in Computer Programming.
The second book in her YA Crossover series - Shadows from her Past - is still very much a work in progress but she hopes to have it off to her critique partner in the coming months.

Z (#AtoZchallenge) On Beauty, by Zadie Smith

Synopsis:
Howard Belsey is an Englishman abroad, an academic teaching in Wellington, a college town in New England. Married young, thirty years later he is struggling to revive his love for his African American wife Kiki. Meanwhile, his three teenage children— Jerome, Zora and Levi—are each seeking the passions, ideals and commitments that will guide them through their own lives.

After Howard has a disastrous affair with a colleague, his sensitive older son, Jerome, escapes to England for the holidays. In London he defies everything the Belseys represent when he goes to work for Trinidadian right-wing academic and pundit, Monty Kipps. Taken in by the Kipps family for the summer, Jerome falls for Monty's beautiful, capricious daughter, Victoria." But this short-lived romance has long-lasting consequences, drawing these very different families into each other's lives. As Kiki develops a friendship with Mrs. Kipps, and Howard and Monty do battle on different sides of the culture war, hot-headed Zora brings a handsome young man from the Boston streets into their midst whom she is determined to draw into the fold of the black middle class - but at what price?

My review:
"On Beauty" is a brilliantly written, multi-layered book. The characters are far from perfect, and easy to relate to. It's a fascinating story, but down to earth, as the writer takes us on each character's journey. The dialogue is witty and entertaining, with some interesting insight on art, writing, and literature. Many themes are covered throughout the story, including: race, class, and gender as well as relationships, love and getting older. It's an outstanding novel of contradictions and observations, which I would highly recommend.

Y (#AtoZchallenge)Gold Boy, Emerald Girl, by Yiyun Li

Publisher: 4th Estate
Page count: 200 pages
Source: Purchased

Publisher's Synopsis
The second collection of stories from Yiyun Li, author of the Guardian First Book Award-winning A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and The Vagrants.

The stories in this collection, like the stories in A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, are mostly set in China. The country portrayed here is the China of the 21st century, where economic development has led to new situations unknown to previous decades: residents in a shabby apartment building witnessing in awe the real estate boom; a local entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist sheltering women in trouble in her mansion; a group of retired women discovering fame late in their lives as private investigators specialising in extramarital affairs; a young woman setting up a blog to publicise the alleged affair of her father.

Underneath the veneer of prosperity and opportunity, however, lie the struggles of characters trying to reorient themselves in the unfamiliar landscapes of modern China: a widower, reminiscing about his wife, confronts a young unmarried woman purchasing condoms in a pharmacy; a new wife makes a plea to have a baby with her husband who was to be executed only to discover that she has become an instant celebrity; a middle-aged couple in America, who, upon losing their only daughter, return to their hometown in China to hire a young woman as a surrogate mother. These characters' fates are affected as much by the historical moments in which they reside as by the choices they make.

Yiyun Li's new collection of stories is a report from the front-line of a changing world, and confirms Li to be a writer not to be missed.



I was absolutely mesmerised by Yiyun Li's Gold Boy, Emerald Girl. This collection of short stories offers an intriguing insight into contemporary China. The characters are diverse and distinctive, ranging from the deceptive simplicity of Moyan, the narrator of the short story "Kindness" to the self-doubting Yilan in "Prison" and the self-important Mrs. Jin in "The Proprietress."

What makes the book so fascinating is the seeds of doubt that the characters plant in the mind of the reader. Can we really trust Moyan's claim of indifference to her fellow man, when she claims on the other hand to have never forgotten any person who has come into her life? Is it really possible that teacher, Fei, in "A Man like Him" is guilty of the crime he was accused of all those years ago?

Gold Boy, Emerald Girl offers a captivating insight into contemporary China, whereby the lives of the characters follow the snakes and ladders of an authoritarian regime on the threshold of an economic boom. Each story is a gem told with emotion and humour, made all the more powerful for its subtlety of tone. Yiyun Li writes compassionately of the loneliness, desperation and power games of ordinary people.

X (#AtoZchallenge2013)

Here is a list of unusual words, beginning with the letter "x". It might be useful for any Scrabble enthusiasts.

1.) xanthareel yellow eel formerly used in medicinal foods
2.) xanthic yellow; yellowish
3.) xanthippe ill-tempered woman
4.) xanthocarpous having yellow fruit
5.) xanthochroia yellowness of the skin
6.) xanthochroic having yellow skin
7.) xanthocomic yellow-haired
8.) xanthocyanopsy form of colour-blindness in which only blue and yellow can be distinguished
9.) xanthoderm yellow-skinned person
10.) xanthodont one with yellow teeth
11.) xanthoma disease characterized by yellow patches on the skin
12.) xanthometer instrument for measuring colour of sea or lake water
13.) xanthophyll substance causing yellow colour of autumn leaves
14.) xanthopsia a visual condition where things appear yellow
15.) xanthospermous having yellow seeds
16.) xanthous yellow or red-haired
17.) xebec small three-masted pirate ship
18.) xeme fork-tailed gull
19.) xenagogue guide; someone who conducts strangers
20.) xenial of or concerning hospitality towards guests