THE PENNY PINCHER'S CLUB

by Sarah Strohmeyer

Kat Griffiths is a shopaholic. She loves shopping and buying. Her husband, Griff, does not love her shopping and buying. Hence, she tries to hide things, he finds out and they fight about it.

One day she accidentally discovers two Mint Tingle Trojan condom wrappers in her husbands pants pocket. She also finds his secret bank account and questionable e-mails he is exchanging with his attractive research assistant. Kat has seen these signs before in one of her friends marriages and it can only mean one thing, Griffs is going to divorce her.

Shaken, head-over-heels in debt and without a clue how to save money, Kat finds herself in full panic mode. She joins an eclectic group of savers called the Penny Pinchers Club who meet at the local library. Soon, she finds herself obsessed with saving and doing crazy things she can't believe she is doing, like pumping gas at dawn, dumpster diving for food, and clipping coupons. Just as she is at her craziest, an old flame reappears who is so handsome and so rich, it almost makes divorce seem appealing. Can Kat's marriage be saved? Will she run away with her old flame? Has Griff made a terrible mistake?

I really enjoyed the novel because it's funny and I can identify with Kat. No, I don't think my husband is having an affair. I am a shopaholic too. It's truly "retain therapy." The book is funny but there are also some serious messages about consumerism. Pages 289-290 are tips from the Penny Pinchers Club. What fun. What do you think?

To hear my interview with author Sarah Strohmeyer on my internet radio show INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE on webtalkradio.net, click on the link below. All shows are available as free downloads on I-Tunes.

http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

HOW TO BUY A LOVE OF READING

by Tanya Egan Gibson

Carley Wells is an oddball, overweight teenager who believes words, the SAT, and her English teacher, Mr. Nagel, are her worst enemies. Nagel reports to Carley's parents that she has answered the question "What is your favorite book?" with "Never met one I liked." Her parents make a decision to "fix" what Nagel calls her "intellectual impoverishment" by commissioning a book to be written just for her--one she will love. They decide to, quite literally, to buy her a love of reading.

Impossible as it is for Carley to imagine loving books, she is in love with a young man who cares about books and writing more than anything, except maybe a good bottle of scotch. Hunter Cay is Fox Glen's resident golden boy and oddly enough, Carley Wells best friend. He has been acting strangely distant lately and seems to be set on drowning himself in booze and Vicodin.

To the outsider, Carley's world is one of wealth and privilege, but the sordid underbelly of the fictional Fox Glen is quite another matter. Hunter and Carley's relationship may be the centerpiece of the novel, but the blatant, sometimes viscious actions of the other characters in the novel, resonate loudly with each character's rise and fall.

This is a complex, well-written novel. Quotes from various works of F. Scott Fitzgerald are used at the beginning of each chapter. I couldn't escape the feeling I was watching Gatsby in Hunter Cay. This novel will leave the reader thinking. What do you think?

To hear my interview with author Tanya Egan Gibson on my internet radio show INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE on webtalkradio.net, click on the link below. All shows are available as free downloads on I-Tunes.

http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

MANAGE YOUR TIME TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS: A Handbook For The Overworked, Overscheduled, and Overwhelmed

by Rita Emmett

This book has eight chapters of no-nonsense advice, strategies and goal setting. I like it because it is simple to read and practical to use.

Stress is in the mind of each one of us. It is not a single event or situation, but how we interpret the event or the situation. An event that is stress producing for you, may be enjoyable for me. It's all a matter of how you look at it.

Emmett includes the following three questions we should ask ourselves regularly, just to take our stress temperature:

1. Do I work long hours because I'm passionate about my work or because I am afraid not to?

2. Right now, is my work exhausting or exhilarating?

3. Do I have some source of joy in my life?

"Burnout often happens when your stress, work, or frustration is greater than the reward, success, or appreciation you receive." Emmett says.

This book is filled with ideas that work, that's why I like it. What do you think?

Hear my interview with Rita Emmett on INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE, broadcast by webtalkradio.net, click on this link. Also all shows are available as a free download from I-Tunes.

DIVE RIGHT IN THE SHARKS WON'T BITE: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide To Success

by Jane Wesman

This is a wonderful business book for anyone, but it is especially useful for those who are considering changing careers or who has recently lost their job.

If you have always dreamed of being your own boss, this book offers you a blueprint for turning your ideas and aspirations into powerful, profitable business success. The step-by-step approach makes sense and it works. Look at the author herself who started her own Public Relations firm in New York in 1980.

The book contains tips on locating financing for your business, hiring the "right" people to make your business grow and networking. The 18 Sharkproof Strategies for Entrepreneurial Success are right on target for everyone, whether you own your own business or work in someone else's. The chapter titled WORKAHOLISM DOESN'T WORK, discusses the importance of balance in our lives.

I really like this book and think the advice is right on target in today''s uncertain times. What do you think?

Hear my interview with entrepreneur, Jane Wesman, on Inside the Writer's Cafe, broadcast by webtalkradio.net, click on this link. Also all shows are available as a free download from I-Tunes.

ROADSIDE CROSSES

By Jeffery Deaver

A posting on a blog, The Chilton Report, about a fatal car accident involving a troubled teenage boy, Travis Brigham, inspires vicious attacks. He disappears shortly after being questioned by California Bureau of Investigations foremost body language expert, Kathryn Dance. Fingers point to him as a killer when roadside crosses begin to appear, not as memorials, but as predictions of deaths to come. All of the victims have some connection to the blog and the lynch mob mentality that has arisen.

Travis is able to avoid capture by using techniques he learned as a brilliant participant in MMORPGs, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. He easily eludes his pursuers and continues to track his victims, some of whom Kathryn is able to save and some not.

Meanwhile, Kathryn has her own set of problems. Her mother, a nurse, is arrested and accused of the mercy killing of a young police officer horribly injured in a fire. The young officer was part of a team working with Kathryn Dance and Deputy Michael O'Neil on a previous case.

Among the obstacles Kathryn must hurdle are politicians from Sacramento, paranoid parents, threats to her own life and the blogger himself, James Chilton.

Deaver is a consummate story teller. This novel is filled with his signature plot twists, cliff-hangers and heartrending personal subplots. It is a contemporary novel with website addresses that will enhance the readers experience. He has created a politically themed blog, The Chilton Report, and a real body of work for the fictional blogger, James Chilton. I think Deaver has reached out to a new audience with this High Tech thriller. What do you think?

To hear my interview with Jeffery Deaver on my internet radio show, INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE, click on this link,

http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

The show is currently available. You can also get a free download of any of the shows on INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE from I-Tunes.

IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM

by Stefanie Pintoff

The novel begins on a winter day in 1905 in a small town just outside New York. The bloody, mutilated body of Sarah Wingate is found in her own bedroom. No one heard anything. No one saw anything. No one knows anything.

Detective Simon Ziele is put on the case. After just one day of investigation, Ziele is contacted by Columbia University's noted criminologist, Alistair Sinclair. Sinclair comes to Ziele with the shocking claim that he knows who the murder is. Michael Fromley, a violent man and the subject of Sinclair's research, has previously described the murder in detail. Ziele is drawn into a spider web of intrigue and betrayal.

-What could have led Formley to single out Sarah, a brilliant mathematician and student who is involved in the women's right-to-vote movement?

-Is Fromley really the murder?

-Could it really be this easy to solve this brutal crime?

-Can Ziele really trust Alistair Sinclair?

The answers to these questions and many others face Simon Ziele in this taut thriller.

I love this book. The voice of the novel is just right. Pintoff certainly did her homework. I felt as if I had boarded a time machine and been transported back to the early 1900's, a time when manners and etiquette were much more a part of daily life. The plot twists and turns keep the reader guessing. What do you think?

Hear my interview with Stefanie Pintoff on INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE You can also get a free download of any of the shows on INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE from I-Tunes.

SEA CHANGES

By Gail Graham

Sarah Andrews feel lost and abandoned since the death of her husband. Her daughter wants her to "move on," her psychiatrist wants her to "heal her wounds," and everybody else wants her to get over the fact that her husband is dead.

Sarah makes the decision to "end it all," so she heads for the beach with the intention of never coming back. But the sea has other plans and instead of drowning, Sarah discovers a civilization under the sea, she believes she has actually met people from another dimension. Suddenly, she finds herself alive and back on the beach. Did the incident really happen or has the whole thing been the product of an over-active imagination?

Sarah's life takes another unexpected turn when she finds herself in trouble with the law as the main suspect in the disappearance of a young heiress. Her family and psychiatrist are withdrawing their support and turning against her. Her world is becoming an uninhabitable place. Sarah is faced with a decision.

This is an intriguing novel. Graham is not just a story of loss, grief, and dealing with the death of a spouse. She also mixes in the unusual elements of fantasy and suspense to create an interesting novel. Graham has lost her own husband and brings that experience to bear in the story, but this is not a depressing novel of death. It is rather one of hope and inspiration for women who are suffering from loss. What do you think?

To hear my interview with Gail Graham on my internet radio show, INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE, click on this link. All of the shows are available on-demand and you can download any show free on I-Tunes:

http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

KILLER HAIR: A LIFETIME Movie and Novel

By Ellen Byerrum

In KILLER HAIR, a beautiful dead hairstylist, a straight razor and a horrendously bad haircut all make Lacey Smithsonian's spidey style senses tingle and say it's murder.

Lacey Smithsonian is the Crimes of Fashion beat reporter for a newspaper. She wears vintage clothes and trips over fashion clues in killer heels while accidentally finding the occasional dead body. She’s always in trouble and in the wrong place at the wrong time. With the aid of her partners in crime fighting and detection, attorney Brooke Barton and hairstylist Stella Lake, they take on the world of crime.

The novels are clever and fun to read. Ellen Byerrum has a terrific, intelligent sense of humor and a nose for a good story. She has done a wonderful job creating a unique character.

Two of the Crime Of Fashion Mystery novel series written by Ellen Byerrum have been turned into movies and will be seen on the LIFETIME network June 21 and June 28. To learn more about the Crime of Fashion novel series novels and to hear my interview with Ellen Byerrum, click on http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

TAMED BY A LAIRD
By Amanda Scott


Scottish Baroness Jenny Easdale is not quite of-age when her widowed father dies. She is made a ward of a kinswoman, Lady Phaeline, and her husband Lord Dunwythie. Feeling duty bound to get Jenny married and keep as much of her fortune in the family as possible, Jenny finds herself betrothed to Phaeline's spoiled, irresponsible younger brother, Reid.


A betrothal feast is held featuring a troupe of hired minstrel's. Impulsively, Jenny sneaks off to join the troupe for a little adventure prior to her unwanted marriage. A hue and cry arises when she is discovered missing. Lord Dunwythie enlists the aid of Sir Hugh Douglas, Phaeline's older brother, to secretly go after Jenny and bring her back in time for the wedding. Sir Hugh is a knight and baron in his own right. He lost the love of his life in childbirth, vowing to never to remarry, he has no time or patience for the whims of a young woman.


Sir Hugh catches up with Jenny and the minstrels only to find that she has accidentally learned of a plot to attack the most powerful lord in all of Scotland, Sir Archibald Douglas. The unlikely duo become united not only as an act in the minstrel's show, but sparks of a very different kind begin to fly as they try to warn Archibald Douglas and prevent war.


I love historical romances and Amanda Scott is one of the best. Her well-researched and historically accurate Scottish novels are not only fun to read, but educational as well. Scott takes great pains to get the history "just right." This is the first novel in her new Scottish trilogy and is based on a real incident in Scottish history. Put this novel in your carry-on luggage or take it to the beach. What do you think?


To hear my interview with Amanda Scott on my internet radio show, INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE, anywhere in the world on WebTalkRadio.net click on:

http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

BORDERLINE*

By Nevada Barr

Anna Pigeon is in a very dark place and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She finds herself placed on administrative leave to recover.

Anna's new husband, Paul, suggests a trip to Big Bend National Park and a leisurely, relaxing rafting trip down the Rio Grande. His hope is that the warmth and adventure of southwest Texas will help Anna heal. The power of the river and the rugged beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert begin to work their magic, but when murder, betrayal and loss are added to the itinerary, Anna finds herself and her companions in a fight for their lives.

This is the latest novel in the Anna Pigeon series. I always enjoy Nevada Barr's writing. I enjoy the combination of mystery and nature. The Rio Grande and the rugged landscape are as much of a character in this novel as any of the human characters. This is an adrenaline-pumping adventure story with lots of unexpected plot twists and turns, wonderful escape whether in your beach bag or in your carry-on luggage. What do you think?

To hear my interview with Nevada Barr on my internet radio show, INSIDE THE WRITER'S CAFE, anywhere in the world on WebTalkRadio.net click on:

http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-hosts/3213-inside-the-writers-cafe-hosted-by-cheryl-nason

*Already a New York Times Best Seller