Today my book club was lucky enough to have author Julie Kibler visit and talk about her book, Calling Me Home.  Overall everyone in our group loved the book and was bawling at the end.  There are so many issues discussed her and it is hard to believe how citizens acted just 70 years ago towards people of other races.   Julie told us about how she came to write this book (loosely based on a true story) and what she went through to research the things she needed to authenticate the story.  I think one of the most interesting things I learned was about “Sundown” town – where African Americans could not be within the city limits after sundown.  James W. Loewen wrote a book about it and you can also find information on this website.

Julie kindly posed for a photo with our group too!

Synopsis

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s Kentucky with an unlikely modern-day friendship

Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser Dorrie Curtis. It’s a big one. Isabelle wants Dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas, to a funeral in Cincinnati. With no clear explanation why. Tomorrow.

Dorrie, fleeing problems of her own and curious whether she can unlock the secrets of Isabelle’s guarded past, scarcely hesitates before agreeing, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives.

Over the years, Dorrie and Isabelle have developed more than just a business relationship. They are friends. But Dorrie, fretting over the new man in her life and her teenage son’s irresponsible choices, still wonders why Isabelle chose her.

Isabelle confesses that, as a willful teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell deeply in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family’s housekeeper—in a town where blacks weren’t allowed after dark. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle’s first and greatest love just might help Dorrie find her own way.

My Review

Oh my….this book definitely tugged at my heartstrings especially at the end. The book is very powerful with the subject matter – interracial relationships – that were forbidden in the early 1900’s, mostly because of the small mindedness of people that didn’t want to accept something that they did not consider normal. But two people did not let that rule their lives despite what their family wanted.

Dorrie is a strong character but needs to learn to trust again. Isabelle has gone through a lot in her 90 years and I couldn’t believe the things she found out near the end of her life. Dorrie learned a lot from Isabelle on that journey and I think Isabelle found peace.

Definitely have tissues handy near the end of the book, the things that are revealed will touch your heart and soul. Love, Relationships, Trust and Faith – you will find it all here

Whip Smart: The Bodice-Ripper for the Literary Mind

Audacious Historical Figure Cracks Victorian Molds

Synopsis

The much-anticipated sequel to Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards, Kit Brennan’s Whip Smart: Lola Montez and the Poisoned Nom de Plume is finally released by Astor + Blue Editions.

Brennan’s Whip Smart series is a wild and sexy romp through 19^th Century Europe, based on the real-life adventures of the audacious Lola Montez (aka: Eliza Gilbert) as she shreds The Continent, dancing her way into the hearts and bedrooms of brutes and barons. With the brilliance, romance, wit, and humor that Brennan displays in Spaniards, this frothy second in the series picks up again, and the dangerous mystery continues apace.

Whip Smart: Lola Montez and the Poisoned Nom de Plume opens in 1844 with the unstoppable, unquenchable, gorgeous, ever-headstrong Lola Montez on the run from haunting memories of Spain and the wild adventure that nearly stole her life.

The excitement heats up near Dresden, where Lola encounters celebrated composer Franz Liszt at his concert, and the attraction is instant as he tickles the ivories. However, when their passionate affair must end, Liszt encourages Lola to set her sights on Paris and establish her dancing career. Assisted by famed writer George Sand, Lola does so with a vengeance.  The very night the alluring Lola performs her racy Spider Dance at the Paris Opera, she meets the man of her dreams: the co-owner of La Presse newspaper, and best friend of novelist and playwright Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo).

Lola seems on the verge of breaking Victorian tradition and actually having it all, but forces are at work to suppress the dangerous female upstart.  Deadly threats turn into reality, as shadowy figures stop at nothing to sabotage Lola’s new endeavor — to pen an adventure novel about a smoldering hot female character, cloaked behind a nom de plume.

Incandescent Paris nights abound with frenemies in the shape of writers, artists, and courtesans – the risky backdrop to Lola’squest for true love. Can the career of her dreams survive or is Lola simply too whip smart for her own good?   With Victorian sparkle and witty repartee, whip-crackingLola and her newest adventure will surely bringextra excitement to Whip Smart readers, and new fans.

 

The first book in the series,Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards, is also available on all devices and e-book store platforms and the third installment, Whip Smart: Lola Montez Starts a Revolution will be published October, 2014.

 

PRAISE FOR KIT BRENNAN AND WHIP SMART

What the Critics are saying about Whip Smart and Lola Montez:

“…a sharp, tight plot that rarely stops surprising, this little novel rises above its category of ‘historical romance’ by dint of masterful writing and a sympathetic, many layered cast.”

 ForeWord Reviews

 “Brennan’s novel shows a woman’s transformation from the lost and regretful Eliza Rosana Gilbert to the courageous and reckless Lola Montez. This page-turner, full of mysterious attacks and assassinations, will keep you guessing until the very end.”

Nathalie Laflamme, The Concordian, Montreal

“Okay, I’m addicted to this series. Like its predecessor, The Poisoned Nom de Plume delivers the same kind of headlong narrative rush I remember from stories I loved as a kid, but with a distinctly adult sensibility and humor. And what a relief to find a modern novel that presents sex as something enjoyable, even affectionate!

After causing scandals all over Europe, our heroine arrives in Paris to conquer the capital and ends up settling into domestic bliss instead – for a time. But for Lola, ‘settling down’ still involves intrigue, chases on horseback, assassination attempts, literary jealousies, a duel at sunrise and some unforgettable sex. Lola is an engaging and endearingly flawed young heroine, full of bluster and vulnerability; as a Spanish noblewoman she’s a fraud, but she’s worked so hard to make the identity her own that I found I was rooting for her all the way. Lola can shoot, duel with swords, and by the end of the book is also a card sharp and high stakes gambler – the literary salons of Paris seem too small to hold her. With supporting roles for figures like George Sand, Franz Liszt and Alexandre Dumas, this is a historical novel that reads like a serial adventure and romance. Normally when I read historical fiction part of me is restless, wondering how close it is to the truth. But I think I’d prefer this version over the straight facts any day.”

Janet Cameron, Author of Cinnamon Toast and the End of the World

“…smart dialogue and superb action sequences.”

John MacLachlan Gray, Author of The Fiend in Human and Billy Bishop Goes to War

Excerpt

“Why don’t the two of you have a contest?” one of the wags said, proud of himself for such an audacious suggestion, and looking around at his chums like a large water spaniel that’s just dropped a duck at its master’s feet.

Oh, my, this wasn’t what I’d expected — I’d simply wanted to come, be alone, and blast several dozen bullets at something inert that, in my mind’s eye, had acquired an unnecessary monocle and a high, giggly laugh. The other sportsmen, however, were very excited by this new idea and clapped Beauvallon (whose dark face began looking decidedly stormy) on the back several times.

“I will not fight a woman,” he said finally, “and that’s an end to it.”

“I will fight you, if you like,” I rejoined, before I even knew that the words were forming. The others hurrahed, and one of them dashed off to find a fresh target.

“This is absurd, gentlemen,” growled Beauvallon, before turning to me. “Forgive them their crassness, mademoiselle. I am the best shot in Paris, everyone knows this. They are simply setting you up for laughter later.”

“Is that so?” I wondered whether this might be true — and perhaps they’d all been there the night before, at the Opéra? Perhaps, too, they’d all read and snickered at the reviews that cut me to ribbons, that insulted my very soul. I tossed my hair away from my shoulders, then straightened them. “Let us put it to the test.”

“I can’t advise it,” said another man, stepping up. “Do you remember me, Mademoiselle Lola? At the Jockey Club that night? We spoke for a little bit — you were with Eugène Sue.”

“Of course,” I said, recalling that the red lips and the mustache belonged to the Italian, Pier-Angelo.

“Fiorentino,” he nodded, with a shy smile. “I enjoyed your performance last night. Never mind what they say, it’s just to sell papers.”

My brain fizzed suddenly. He meant well, I’m sure, but I could feel it coming, that rising surge that occasionally overtakes me. I never know when it will happen. It’s been the same ever since I was a little girl. A surfeit of restlessness? — a lack of familial care or reprimand when young? I have no idea. I fight against it, but most often to no avail. It is an uncontrollable phenomenon borne out of a concatenation of conflicting emotions: a volcanic eruption of molten fire, and I must follow where it leads me or I will burst. I bent my head and reloaded, swiftly. To my left, I could feel Beauvallon’s indignation mounting. Bueno.

Ready, I raised my head and my arm. “I like a challenge. Do you?”

And I fired into the target, just as the weedy sportsman who’d retrieved the new one was setting it in place. The bullet went true, straight to a bull’s-eye; the man leaped to safety, tumbling as he went.

“Parbleu,” Beauvallon muttered under his breath. I looked over in time to see him reload at speed, aim and fire again. The weedy fellow stood up, dusting off his knees, and raised his hands in the air.

“Shall I check, Beauvallon? For God’s sake, don’t either of you shoot me.” He loped across to the target, peered at the centre, then turned and cried, “Yours followed hers! No second hole!”

Incredulous whistles and murmurs from all the others, who raced over to examine the thing for themselves. Beauvallon gave me a smile from his very brown face; his teeth sparkled white, his tongue very red, where I could see the tip of it sticking out between those teeth. “Satisfied?”

“Not quite,” I answered, then called, “A fresh one, if you please.” The weedy chap and another dashed around, searching. I could see someone else joining us at this point; it was Grisier, the master marksman and instructor, the one who’d given the nod to my membership.

“What’s this then, Beauvallon? Is the lady giving you a run for the money?” And then there were new hoots and hollers, as everyone else realized they could be betting on this, and the wagers began flying around the room at top speed.

“A change of pistols, I think,” Beauvallon said.

“Do you agree?” Grisier asked me.

“Very well.”

“I shall bring two,” Grisier promised, “and they shall be fine ones. Duelling pistols.”

This gave me pause. I hadn’t often handled large ones such as those the duelists used, and didn’t think this fresh test was terribly fair. I hadn’t counted on the gentlemanly nature of Master Grisier, however. He did indeed bring duelling pistols, but they were smaller and lighter than I’d expected. “Choose the one you want, Mademoiselle Montez,” as he held them out for me, in their case. I indicated the one on the left. “I shall load the two, and you shall see me do so,” Grisier told us. “Of course,” he added with a twinkle in his eye and a glance at us both, “you are firing at the target, not at each other.”

During the loading, Beauvallon and I regarded one another. Beneath the dark colour of his skin, I could sense that he was blushing — with anger, I assumed. No matter. I squared my shoulders again; everyone was watching me with great attention, and I drank that in. They didn’t believe I could do this and were wishing me well — but I believed I could, and then they’d see. Grisier handed me the pistol I’d chosen, and gave the second one to my opponent.

Then I said, “Monsieur Beauvallon goes first, if you please.”

Absolute silence, absolute shock!

Fast as a striking snake, his arm shot out and the target was despoiled.

“Bull’s-eye!” the weedy one chirped with glee.

I raised my arm, took aim. Beside me, Beauvallon cleared his throat loudly. I dropped my arm, glared at him coldly. “Do you mind?”

“Yes, I do.” Very softly, under his breath.

I took aim swiftly then, and shot. Weedy one dashed forth and peered, searching in and around the centre, then — unbelievably! The cheek of him! — his head dipped and darted, checking the outer rings, and finally the sawdust-covered floor and paneled walls. Some of the others began to titter and mutter behind their hands. Fiorentino called, “What are you doing, man?”

“I’m just making absolutely certain,” El Weedo reported, then turned to face us with face ablaze. “That shot followed Beauvallon’s, as well. The lady aced Beauvallon’s bull’s-eye, if you can credit it!”

Men rushed in from all directions, and I found myself lifted into the air and galloped around the shooting gallery upon their shoulders, Fiorentino following and yelling at me, “Never fear, all of Paris shall soon hear of this! I’ll sell the story to the highest bidder, and make us all happy!”

By the time the jolly sportsmen had set me down, apologizing and patting my crumpled skirts, my chestnut-haired opponent had vanished.

About the Author

Kit Brennan is the author of Whip Smart: The Lola Montez Series — adventure novels based on the real-life story of Lola Montez, a top-notch, notorious bad girl of the Victorian world. Kit’s keen interest in history (especially Victorian) drew her to Lola, one of the most widely-traveled women of her time: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards (book one) is set in England and Spain, Lola Montez and the Poisoned Nom de Plume (book two) in France, the upcoming Lola Montez Starts a Revolution (book three) in Germany and Switzerland and Lola Montez Seduces America (book four) in New York, Nicaragua and California.

Brennan is an award-winning playwright, and teaches writing and storytelling at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. She divides her time between that vibrant city and the quiet lake wilderness of Ontario, alongside her husband, Andrew.

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Synopsis

A teenager returns home from school to find a gruesome scene: the apartment he shares with his mother, Shao Mei, in Boston’s Chinatown has been ransacked and she is dead. There is a bottle of Moutai—the most exotic and expensive Chinese liquor—left at the scene and traces of rat poison in one of the two shot glasses on the kitchen counter. This was evidently a homicide, but who could possibly be the killer?

Ann Lee and Fang Chen, close friends of the victim, team up with the Boston police to solve this mystifying crime: why would anyone want to murder a harmless middle-aged woman, one who worked as an unassuming mailroom clerk, with no money, no connections, and presumably, no enemies?

Realizing that important clues behind the motive may be buried deep in the victim’s past, they travel to Beijing, where Shao Mei spent more than fifty years of her life. While there, surrounded by the antiquities of China’s rich and complex history, they stumble unwittingly into a cobweb of mystery and danger. Fearing for their lives but determined to press on, they end up unearthing a scandal more deceptive and far-reaching than either could have imagined.

Disclosure: The three main characters and the victim also appeared in The Mystery of Revenge by G.X. Chen.

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

In the spring of 1994, John Chan, an athletic teenager, vaulted up the stairs of an old apartment building on the edge of Chinatown in the city of Boston, taking two steps at a time while carrying a hockey stick and a duffel bag full of shoulder pads, helmets, gloves, and skates. He was tired but very excited because he had just played an important hockey game at his school—the winner would go on to the division finals—and he could hardly wait to tell his mother that he had a winning goal in the second period and was congratulated by all of his teammates and his coach. John was starving. Looking forward to a hug; a hot shower; and a hearty, homemade meal, he was rushing toward his apartment, which was located on the third floor of the five-story brick building.

After the door swung open by a touch of the end of his hockey stick, John stopped in alarm. Even if she was expecting a guest, his mother always locked the apartment door—she was afraid of burglars ever since their next-door neighbor had a break-in several months ago. John dropped the duffel bag, placed the hockey stick against the wall and peeked inside the apartment apprehensively. It was late in the afternoon, but the west-facing apartment was still well lit by the sun, which was sinking slowly on the horizon.

His jaw dropped when he saw what had become of his home, which was always neat and clean no matter how hectic the occupants’ lives were. The living room was in total disarray, the floor covered with bits and pieces of books and magazines, and all the drawers and cabinet doors in the kitchen were pulled open—his home had been turned upside down, ransacked.

His voice echoed as he called out, “Mom, I’m home! Where are you?”

No response; the apartment was eerily quiet. Hesitantly, John opened the door wider and entered, trying not to step on the fallen books because he knew his mother, Shao Mei, loved them. A former physics professor at Beijing University, Shao Mei kept all the books she had brought with her from China, even though most of them were getting flimsy and falling apart.

Among all the messes, a shiny object drew John’s attention almost immediately. Sitting on the coffee table in the living room was a slick and colorful porcelain bottle of Moutai, the most famous liquor in China. His mother had been working as a mailroom clerk for an insurance company in Boston and could never have afforded an authentic bottle of Moutai, which would have fetched more than a hundred dollars on the black market in her native country.

He walked over and stood in front of the battered coffee table, looking down at the exquisitely designed liquor bottle, which seemed empty. Then, he noticed something bulky stuck between the sofa and the coffee table. It was his mother, face-down on the floor. On her partially hidden, painfully distorted face, blood trickled from her nose and her mouth. His legs started trembling violently. John screamed, but no sound came from his mouth. It was seemingly a long time before he was able to control his limbs. He ran to the kitchen, picked up the phone, and dialed 911.

The rest of the day was a blur. Police officers and detectives came and went, along with a team of forensic specialists and an ambulance. Everything in the apartment and around the body was checked, including a fancy gift box in the trash can, two shot glasses on the kitchen counter, and the empty bottle of Moutai. The forensic officers used protective gloves, putting all the items, one at a time, carefully into separate evidence bags.

After the body was taken away, a tall and sturdy man in his early fifties came into the bedroom where John was sitting and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Paul Winder-man,” he said in a soft voice, “detective sergeant from the Boston Police Department. And your name please?”

“John Chan,” John murmured without looking up at the police officer.

“John,” Paul said, kneeling down to face the kid at the same level. “Do you have any relatives in town?”

“No,” John said and shook his head, looking into Paul’s deep and pale blue eyes in despair. What’ll happen to me now? He thought in panic. Where will I go? His mother was the only family he had in the US. He dropped his head and started weeping.

Paul kept his large hand on John’s shoulder. What a pity. The poor lad might have to be sent to social services, he thought sympathetically. “Do you know anyone in the city—your mother’s friends, for example?” he asked hopefully.

John lifted his head and nodded. “My mom was friendly with Auntie Ann Lee and Uncle Fang Chen,” he told the detective between sobs. According to Chinese tradition, he addressed all of his parents’ friends as “uncles” and “aunties” even though they weren’t blood relations. As far as John knew, Auntie Lee and Uncle Chen visited his mother often when she was alive—sometimes they’d take him along to have dim sum in Chinatown, an area he and his mother lived on the edge of, where the rent was cheaper than most places in downtown Boston.

Paul Winderman’s eyes lit up when he heard the names. He had dealt with both of them in a previous murder case a few years ago. He liked Ann a lot, a very capable young woman and a straight arrow, but he didn’t trust Fang Chen because the professor had played hocus-pocus with the police rather than cooperating the last time they met.

Paul processed the facts in his head for less than a minute before placing a few calls. Due to the fact that Ann didn’t own a car, he dispatched a police cruiser to pick her up. Half an hour later, a sober and red-eyed Ann Lee showed up at Shao Mei’s apartment to take John away.

“I’ll pack up everything you need and deliver to you as soon as I can,” Paul told the kid, who had rested his head on Auntie Lee’s shoulder and was crying.

Lifting his head, the kid said nothing but nodded with tears in his eyes. With Ann’s help, he stuffed a few sets of clothes into his duffel bag, picked up his backpack and the hockey stick, and left his home in the US for the last time.

***

Friday, April 24

Another warm night; the breeze coming from the open windows makes me feel it’s an early summer rather than spring day.

It has been a thrill to know that I will soon meet my old friend who suffered much at the hands of the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution. I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to renew our friendship. I don’t have many old friends anymore, having lost all the contacts when I moved. I particularly crave the comrade-ship we forged during the formidable years when we were both young.

It’s fascinating for me to think what this friend of mine will say or what her reaction will be when I show up at her door. I probably should call her first or send her an e-mail, but I’m not sure if she has an e-mail account, or even a computer—still a luxury item for most people. I heard she has fallen on hard times since she left China. The poor thing!

I’m sure I can cheer her up with my visit and my unique gift. It’s only fitting that I should bring her the best.

About the Author

G.X. Chen is a freelancer who lives in Boston ( both of her mystery novels are based in Boston); permanently moved from China to the US after Tienanmen Massacre in 1989. Previously published books include The Mystery of Revenge (a mystery novel) and Forget Me Not: A Love Story of the East (a historic fiction/romance) and several other novels in Chinese.

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Synopsis

A comatose man is given a fatal dose of insulin in the emergency room, even though he isn’t diabetic.  An ulcer patient dies of shock after receiving a transfusion of the wrong blood type.  A recovering heart patient receives a double dose of medication and suffers a fatal heart attack.

Brain surgeon Dr. Tyler Matthews suspects that something is seriously wrong with the hospital’s new “Med-InDx” computerized medical record system. But he doesn’t suspect that there’s something murderously wrong with it.

As Matthews begins to peel back the layers of deception that cover the deadly errors, he crosses powerful corporate interests who aren’t about to let their multi-billion dollar medical record profits evaporate. Now a target, Matthews finds himself trapped in a maze of deadly conspiracy, with his career, his marriage, and his very life on the line.

Once again, Wyler blends his unparalleled expertise as a world class surgeon with his uncanny knack for suspense to create a true “best-of-breed” medical thriller. Deadly Errors is a lightning-quick action procedural that is destined to win new fans to the medical thriller genre.

Excerpt

November, three months later, Seattle, Washington

Trauma Room Three, Maynard Medical Center Emergency Department

“Is this how you found him?” Robin Beck, the doctor on call, asked the paramedic as she quickly ran the back of her fingers over Tyrell Washington’s skin. Warm, dry. No fever, no clamminess. Black male. Age estimated in the mid-sixties. Half open eyes going no where. Findings that immediately funneled the diagnosis into the neurologic bin.

“Exactly as is. Unresponsive, pupils mid position and roving, normal sinus rhythm. Vital signs within normal limits. They’re charted on the intake sheet.” Breathing hard, the paramedic pulled the white plastic fracture board from under the patient, unofficially consummating the transfer of medical responsibility from Medic One to Maynard Medical Center’s Emergency Department.

“History?” Beck glanced at the heart monitor as that the nurse pasted the last pad to the man’s chest. Heart rate a bit too fast. Was his coma cardiac in origin?

A respiratory therapist poked his head through the door. “You call for respiratory therapy?”

She held up a “hold-on” palm to the paramedic, told the RT, “We’re going to have to intubate this man. Hang in here with me ‘til anesthesia gets here.”

The tech nodded. “You called them yet?”

“Haven’t had time. It’s your job now.” Without waiting for an answer she rose up on tip toes and called over the paramedic’s head to a second nurse plugging a fresh line into a plastic IV bag, “Glenda, get on the horn to imaging and tell them we need a STAT CT scan.” Better order it now. The scan’s status would be the first question out of the neurologist’s mouth when asked to see the patient. Nervously fingering the bell of her stethoscope, she turned to the paramedic. “I need some history. What have you got?”

“Nada.” He shook his head. “Zilch. Wife’s hysterical, can’t give us much more than she found him like this.” He nodded at the patient. “And, yeah, he’s been a patient here before.”

A phlebotomist jogged into the room, gripping the handle of a square metal basket filled with glass tube Vacutainers with different colored rubber stopper, sheathed needles, and alcohol sponges. “You call for some labs?”

“Affirmative. I want a standard admission draw including a tox screen.” A screen blood test for coma producing drugs. Then to the paramedic, “Did the wife call 911 immediately?”

He shrugged, pushed their van stretcher over so his partner standing just outside the door could remove it from the cramped room. “Far as I know.” He paused a beat. “You need me for anything else?”

“That’s it? Can’t you give me something else to work with?” She figured that under these circumstances a hysterical wife was of little help in giving her the information needed to start formulating a list of possible diagnoses.

His eyes flashed irritation. “This was a scoop and scoot. Alright? Now, if you don’t need me for anything else…”

She waved him off. “Yeah, yeah, thanks.” She wasn’t going to get anything more from him now. At least knowing the patient had been treated here before was some help.

She turned to monitor. Blood pressure and pulse stable. For the moment.

She called over to the lead nurse. “We got to get some history on him. I’m going to take a look at his medical records.

At the work station, Beck typed Tyrell Washington’s social security number into the computerized electronic medical record. A moment later the “front page” appeared on the screen. Quickly, she scanned it for any illness he might have that could cause his present coma. And found it. Tyrell must be diabetic. His medication list showed daily injections of a combination of regular and long-lasting insulin. Odds were he was now suffering a ketogenic crisis caused by lack of insulin.

Armed with this information, Robin Beck hurried to the admitting desk where Mrs. Washington was updating insurance information with a clerk.

“Mrs. Washington, I’m doctor Beck… has your husband received any insulin today?”

Brow wrinkled, the wife’s questioning eyes met her. “No. Why?”

Suspicions confirmed, Beck said, “Thank you, Mrs. Washington. I’ll be right back to talk to you further.” Already calculating Tyrell’s insulin dose, Beck hurried back to Trauma Room 3.

“I want 15 units of NPH insulin and I want it now.” She figured, Let him start metabolizing glucose for an hour before titrating his blood sugar into an ideal level. For now she’d hold off calling for a neurology consult until assessing Washington’s response to treatment.

“Mama, what’s happened to Papa?”

Erma Washington stopped wringing her hands and rocking back and forth on the threadbare waiting room chair. Serena, her oldest daughter crouched directly in front of her. She’d called Serena – the most responsible of her three children – immediately after hanging up the phone with 911.

“I don’t know, baby… I just don’t know.” Her mind seemed blank, wiped out by the horror of what life would be like without Tyrell.

Her daughter reached out and took hold of both her hands. “Have the doctors told you anything yet?”

“No baby, nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“No, wait…” Amazed that she’d completely forgotten. “A lady doctor came, asked had Papa been given insulin today.”

“Insulin? Why’d she ask such a thing, Mama? Papa doesn’t take insulin!”

In November 1999, the Institute of Medicine concluded a study entitled, To Err Is Human: Building A Safer Health System. It focused attention on the issue of medical errors and patient safety by reporting that as many as 44,000 to 98,000 people die in hospitals each year from preventable medical errors. This makes medical errors this country’s eighth leading cause of death — higher than motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS. About 7,000 people per year were estimated (at that time) to die from medication errors alone. In spite of efforts by health care providers to decrease the rate of these preventable errors, they are still a cause of morbidity and mortality.

How can you, as a consumer, limit your risk of becoming the victim of an error? Numerous studies have shown errors to be lower when using computerized medical records. Does your doctor use a computerized system? Also, errors occur more commonly during “hand offs,” when care is passed between providers. Examples are: a change of shift for hospitalized patients, or when doctors refer a patient to a specialist. Always make sure your personal health information is passed accurately between providers. You might consider keeping a copy of vital information such as your prescription drugs and thier dosages. Always be sure to check prescriptions when accepting medications from pharmacies, especially if receiving generic drugs. If a pill doesn’t look familiar, verify with the pharmacist the does and drug. Although errors are unlikely to be reduced to zero, consumer vigilance by lower the rate to more acceptable levels.

 

 About the Author

Allen Wyler is a renowned neurosurgeon who earned an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity.  He has served on the faculties of both the University of Washington and the University of Tennessee, and in 1992 was recruited by the prestigious Swedish Medical Center to develop a neuroscience institute.

In 2002, he left active practice to become Medical Director for a startup med-tech company (that went public in 2006) and he now chairs the Institutional Review Board of a major medical center in the Pacific Northwest.

Leveraging a love for thrillers since the early 70’s, Wyler devoted himself to fiction writing in earnest, eventually serving as Vice President of the International Thriller Writers organization for several years. After publishing his first two medical thrillers Deadly Errors (2005) and Dead Head (2007), he officially retired from medicine to devote himself to writing full time.

He and his wife, Lily, divide their time between Seattle and the San Juan Islands.

Website

 

The Tesla Gate

When a cosmic storm enters Earth’s atmosphere, scientists are baffled by its composition and origins, but not nearly as much as they are by the storm’s side effect – anyone who has died and chosen not to cross over is suddenly stranded here, visible, and can interact with the living.

With the world thrown into chaos, Thomas Pendleton is eager to make up for many broken promises to his six-year-old son, Seth. Soon after the storm, they set out on a road trip to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, completely unaware of the social and political maelstrom they’re heading into that will change their lives forever.

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Excerpt (The prologue)

The day the storm hit, the world was changed forever.

Its severity would not be measured in property damage or loss of life, although the latter could be argued. This storm’s impact turned man’s beliefs completely upside down; the social upheaval would be worse than the aftermath of any storm in history.

Though this storm did not bring hurricane force winds, driving rain, cyclones or even floods, its effects would be far more subtle … but the impact every bit as palpable. This storm had unique origins and, unlike most weather events, it was not relegated to one geographic area. Indeed it covered the entire planet; no one was left unaffected.

Living or dead.

 

Author John D. Mimms

John D. Mimms is a business owner, paranormal researcher, and author. John served as the Technical Director for the Arkansas Paranormal and Anomalous Studies Team (ARPAST). During his four-year tenure with the organization, he helped supervise over 100 investigations and wrote more than sixteen technical articles. One of John’s articles, titled “A Christmas Carol Debunked,” was read live on Parazona Radio by Paul Bradford of Ghost Hunters International fame. John also wrote the ARPAST technical/training manual which is a comprehensive guide on equipment usage, investigation protocol, and scientific theory for paranormal research.

In 2009 John decided to couple his knowledge of paranormal phenomena with his lifelong love of literary fiction. Among his titles are The Great Keep, Death Theory, and The Lemonade Girl. John is currently working on book two of The Tesla Gate trilogy.

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Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 8/7/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Author’s Name: Susan McBride

Book Title: To Helen Back

Publication Date May 27, 2014

Genre & Age Group: Adult Mystery & Detective

Organized: Literati Author Services, Inc.

Synopsis

When Milton Grone turns up dead in tiny River Bend, Illinois, nearly all the would-be suspects have the perfect alibi: attending Thursday night’s town meeting. And as Milton was hardly beloved, plenty of folks had a reason to do him in…

Grone’s next-door neighbor was furious about a fence that encroached on her property among other wicked deeds. A pair of zealous tree-huggers wanted Grone’s hide for selling a parcel of pristine land to a water park. Grone’s current and ex-wife both wanted a cut of the profits, which Grone seemed unwilling to share. Even the town preacher knew Grone’s soul was beyond saving.

Though most of River Bend would rather reward the killer than hang him, Sheriff Biddle’s not about to let this one go…and neither is Helen Evans. With a penchant for puzzles and an ear for innuendo, Helen quickly pins down the culprit
before Biddle puts the wrong suspect in jail.

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes

 

 

About The Author

Susan McBride is the USA TODAY bestselling author of Blue Blood, the first of the Debutante Dropout Mysteries.
The award-winning series also includes The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club, Night of
the Living Deb, and Too Pretty to Die. She’s also the author of The Truth about Love & Lightning, Little Black Dress, and
The Cougar Club, all Target Recommended Reads. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and daughter.

 

Connect With the Author

Website | Facebook Author Site | Facebook Personal Site

Giveaway

5 individual promo codes for a free download of the book for an entire tour. Winner must have access to

Bluefire Reader and have an Adobe account to receive free download.

 

Synopsis

Manroot is the evocative and stirring story of a lonely town in Missouri, and a young woman named Katherine who discovers a mystical side to herself that she’d never known existed. Anne Steinberg weaves together fantasy, romance, and a young girl’s coming of age into a darkly magical story.

In the spring of 1939, Katherine Sheahan and her father, Jesse, are looking for work in the isolated tourist town of Castlewood. Jesse gets a job as handyman and Katherine as a maid at a small hotel. Jesse drinks and neglects his work and eventually disappears, abandoning his daughter. Frieda Broom, the hotel Manager, takes Katherine under her wing, and teaches her about ginseng, the manroot, and other secrets of the foothills. Katherine discovers that she is a natural healer and has the ability to communicate with spirits, a gift she inherited from her Navajo Indian mother.

Among the hotels regular clientele is Judge William Reardon. Escaping his sterile marriage, he becomes captivated by Katherine. As the pair bond over astrology and gardening, Katherine becomes convinced they belong together, despite him being much older than her and married. As they begin to fall in love, the violence of dark magic threatens to annihilate all Katherine knows and holds dear. Can their love survive?

 

The White Magic Five & Dime (A Tarot Mystery)
A Brand New Series
Cozy Mystery
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK (July 8, 2014)

Alanis McLachlan isn’t surprised to learn that her estranged mother, Barbra, has been murdered. Her mom was a con woman who raised her daughter to be one, too. But what does surprise Alanis — who’s been trying to forge an honest, normal life for herself — is that Barbra left her an inheritance: a new-age shop called the White Magic Five & Dime. After traveling to tiny Berdache, Arizona, to claim her new property, Alanis decides to pick up her mother’s tarot-reading business…because she suspects that one of Barbra’s clients is the killer. With help from a hunky cop and her mom’s live-in teenage apprentice, Alanis begins faking her way through bogus tarot readings in order to win the confidence of her suspects. But the more she uses the tarot deck, the more Alanis begins to find real meaning in the cards. There’s one thing they can’t tell her, though: Will she solve the mystery before the murderer comes for her?

 

Review

Do you believe in White Magic?  After reading this book you might…or might not.  Alanis is notified that her mother has died and she has been left everything.  Yet when she arrives in Berdache AZ, she finds things maybe aren’t as cut and dried as it seems.

For some reason, I thought this book was going to be a cozy mystery.  I don’t think I would put it in that genre.  Mystery?  yes!  Cozy?  hmmm, borderline.  However, that doesn’t matter because this is still a GREAT book!  I have always been fascinated with things like psychics and tarot card readers (and maybe one day I will visit one for a reading!).  This book explained more about tarot cards and what each card means (or could mean) when chosen.

The characters were very real and there were flashbacks to Alanis’ life growing up that filled in the gaps as to why she hadn’t seen her mother in 20 years and what it was like being a part of a con artist’s life as a child.  There are twists and turns that I definitely didn’t expect and the book had an ending that could lead to another book, or could just as easily end here as a stand-alone book.

Worth the read and we give it 5 paws up!

 

About the Author

 

Steve Hockensmith is the author of the New York Times bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. He also writes the Holmes on the Range mystery series and (with Science Bob Pflugfelder) a series of science-based middle-grade adventures. The White Magic Five & Dime is his 11^th novel.

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The Giveaway

Enter to win a print copy of The White Magic Five & Dime – open to US residents only

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Tour Participants

July 8 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – Review

July 9 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – Review, Book Giveaway

July 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review, Guest Post, Book Giveaway

July 11 – Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – Review, Tarot Reading Giveaway

July 12 – Michelle’s Romantic Tangle – Review, Guest Post

July 13 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Interview, Book Giveaway

July 14 –Chloe Gets A Chloe – Guest Post

Today I would like to welcome author Steve Hockensmith to StoreyBook Reviews.  I just finished his book The White Magic Five & Dime and was very intrigued and enthralled with the book (review to follow!), so I was excited to be chosen for a guest post so that he could give us a little insight into how his mind works and if he believe in magic.

 

In the Cards

 

I’m not a very woo woo kind of guy. I like science. I like proof. I like facts. As for mysticism…hey, I know! Let’s ask our old friend the Magic 8 Ball.

Yo, M 8 B! Do I think “the paranormal” is mostly a bunch of hooey?

Shake shake shake.

Signs point to yes.

Yet here’s something even as gifted a seer and prognosticator as the Magic 8 Ball couldn’t have predicted: My newest novel just came out, and it’s about a woman who uses tarot readings to catch a murderer.

Does this make me (A) a huge hypocrite, (B) a savvy but scruple-free self-promoter who thinks he’s found a marketable new angle for a cozy mystery or (C) both?

Trick question, friends! The answer is (D) neither. (Well, I might actually be a huge hypocrite, but it wouldn’t be because of the tarot book. It would be because I love animals but can’t make myself give up hamburgers, pepperoni pizza and sausage gravy.)

Despite my skepticism about all things mystical or magical, I don’t throw tarot cards out with the supernatural bath water for a simple reason. I’ve seen the things in action. Not once, not twice, not thrice but…well, a bunch of times (I’ve lost count) I’ve received mind-blowingly insightful, accurate and even prophetic readings. And they were always from the same reader: my friend Lisa Falco – who also just happens to be my coauthor for the tarot book, The White Magic Five & Dime.

My cynical side is demanding to speak up here for some equal time, so here goes. On several occasions, I’ve paid for tarot readings as a lark, and the readers ran the gamut from sincere-but-clueless to creepy-and-devious. So by no means am I saying, “This tarot stuff is the real deal, so if you’ve got problems take your checkbook to Madame Horsehockey’s House of Cards and let her sort it all out.”

But I have learned to respect tarot cards (in the right hands!) as legitimate tools for self reflection and illumination. They’re like Rorschach tests, only with more color and a lot less likelihood that you’ll keep saying “Uhh…another butterfly?” every time you look at one. Spread them out, give them some thought, and you might just learn something about yourself or somebody else. Could you even use them to solve a mystery?

As the Magic 8 Ball also likes to say: As I see it, yes.

 

Steve Hockensmith is the author of the New York Times bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. He also writes the Holmes on the Range mystery series and (with Science Bob Pflugfelder) a series of science-based middle-grade adventures. The White Magic Five & Dime is his 11^th novel.

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Matt Archer: Redemption

“There’s more to me than you know…”

When Matt Archer’s sister, Mamie, said those words to him three years ago, he had no idea how prophetic they were, or what this would mean for his family.

Now, he knows. And it changes everything, bringing the war right to Matt’s doorstep.

In the epic conclusion to the Matt Archer series, the endgame is near. Betrayed by an enemy, the wielders have been called off the hunt by their own government, despite increasing reports of paranormal activity—and deaths—worldwide.

Matt is forced to sit on the sidelines, knowing that proving monsters exist means revealing who—and what—he is. Soon the world will know his name…which will only make his job harder.

Matt’s only hope resides with a man he barely knows—his father. If Erik Archer can put together the final puzzle before the monsters do, maybe they’ll have a chance. Maybe.

Mystery, tragedy and the power of family combine as Matt races to win the war and save the people he loves. There’s just one thing he’s afraid of…

It might already be too late.

 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Smashwords

Author Kendra C. Highley

Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most important job. She believes chocolate is a basic human right, running a 10k is harder than it sounds, and that everyone should learn to drive a stick-shift. She loves monsters, vacations, baking and listening to bad electronica.

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Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 8/6/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway