Writing is like being able to put life into a snow globe. It takes the things that are too big and scary and reduces them into a form that I can put away when I want and look at from a distance. It also takes all that’s good in life and captures it into something I can take out when I want and look at close up and keep forever. It makes the bad things into something I can hold…and the good things into something I can hold onto. Both help so much that I need that little souvenir of life.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Book Love



So sorry about my recent and unexpected blogcation. Every now and then I just get completely overwhelmed.

One thing that helped me get through the chaos, it turns out, was sitting down with LisaRicard Claro’s first book in the Fireflies Series, Love Built to Last. When the going gets tough, I often reward myself in ways that would make Pavlov himself proud, and this book felt like therapy (along with a little mall-medicating). In this case I did in fact salivate…over the story’s main character, Caleb Walker. Ooh, Caleb! How I wish he had a real-life, gracefully aging uncle!

Every now and then I read a book that draws me in like a hug from an old friend. I think about it when I’m not reading and plan how soon I’ll be able to relax and sink into the story. That was exactly how I felt about Love Built to Last.

Part of the magic of this story was that it explored not just the relationship between Maddie Kincaid and Caleb Walker, but a number of other relationships as well. Because this book was much more than a romance for me. It had quirky characters who were all connected. It had warmth, light, and nostalgia. It had a touch of Southern charm that brought back my two years living in Savannah, Georgia—yet it never felt regionally distinctive. It even had a story line about something else that's near and dear to my heart: rescue animals. It had a sense of humor, relatable scenes, authentic dialogue, and just enough heat to make the relationship between the main characters sizzle.

And it was just a whole lot of fun.

I’ve always admired Lisa’s clever and thought-provoking writing, but turns out she is also a master at crafting characters and their relationships. She captured small gestures and nuance so well that I was right there in the scene…and with no intention of leaving.

So how long before the next book in the Fireflies Series is out again?

Also, I am excited to report that my piece, “Powwow at CampSmooshabosom” is over at Sasee along with Linda O’Connell’s “Halloween Cats on the Prowl.” Be sure and stop by for a real Halloween treat!  
Writing is seduction.  ~Stephen King, On Writing





12 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Glad you found succour and, hopefully, are finding a place of control again. It is so long since I read a 'book' that I can't actually tell you when it was... am planning to amend that on my upcoming trip to OZ. Look out Kindle!!! YAM xx

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  2. I'm not sure I'll ever find that place of complete control, but a few days of frantic "vacation" help. Sounds like you have a few reasons to enjoy that trip!

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  3. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for this. What a wonderful surprise first thing in the morning, and believe me when I tell you that I really needed this boost today! And the review on Amazon amazing and also greatly appreciated. I'm so happy that you enjoyed the book!

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    1. Glad you liked it, but of course I wouldn't have said any of this if it weren't true. I am a big fan of your writing and appreciate your visits on my blog!

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  4. You did a great job on this review, Tammy, and really captured the way I felt about Lisa's book, too. A very enjoyable read.

    Pat
    Critter Alley

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  5. Tammy--I second everything you said. Lisa's book WAS a great read, and sssh--don't tell anyone, but I too (an avowed non-romance book reader) am eager to read her second book.

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    1. I used to think I didn't care for romance, either, but then I realized - like every genre - it all depends on the book. I was forced to read Return of the Native in high school, and all I remember is some guy wandering the moors with the firs faggots and swooning over some girl after twenty years. Or something like that. I so desperately wanted to slap him upside the head and scream, "JUST GET OVER IT ALREADY!!!" Ack. Awful. And I actually had to TEACH Ethan Frome once. I wanted to apologize to the class on a daily basis. I'm sure they both pretended to be classics, but they were really romances - and kind of bad ones in my opinion. But I'm a HUGE Jane Austen fan. To me romance is like horror in that in the wrong hands it can be tiresome, tacky, and sensationalistic...but in the right ones, it can be a frolicking good time for the mind and the soul.

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  6. I'm always amazed at how people (you being one) can do a review on a book and nail it. I felt the same way but there's no way I could say it like that.... so I don't do reviews because I'm always afraid I'll make the story sound unworthy.

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  7. You have such an elevated consciousness and a generous heart, I can't imagine you'd make anything around you seem unworthy.

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  8. Tammy, this is a beautiful review for a beautiful book. I loved LOVE BUILT TO LAST as well and thought Lisa did an outstanding job. And I confess, I also fell in love with Caleb, but I did love Jack too.

    Congratulations to both you and Linda on your wonderful stories at Sasee. I enjoyed each of them immensely.

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  9. Talk about a triple play! Lisa's book was great, as were the essays in SASEE by you and Linda.

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