4-star review for The Bridge Between

I don’t regularly check for reviews, so this one surprised me when I came across it by accident on Amazon.

Joy H of Readers Favorite BookReviews and Award Contest rated my mainstream, The Bridge Between, four stars,and called it “a good romance.” One of the pitfalls of writing across genres, I guess, is that some readers may assume a work is another genre. It falls between mainstream and women's fiction, but my view is that labels are for publishers, not readers.

In any case, it was a very nice surprise, and I’m grateful to Joy for this review!

Reviewed by Joy H. for Readers Favorite:

The Bridge Between starts when Jessie Moore makes a trip to her hometown in New Jersey to attend the funeral of a longtime friend who died of AIDS. While at the funeral, she met up with several old friends, including her old boyfriend, Billy Black. Billy was her first love, and Jessie was glad to be spending time with him again. Unlike Jessie, Billy seemed to cover his worries and fears with excessive drinking, which only got worse by the time Jessie returned to her job as a newspaper photographer in Philadelphia. Jessie had left her hometown and moved to Philadelphia to follow her dream of being a photographer, but she wasn't really happy at her job now that she and co-worker Matt had split up. She was happy that she and Billy were keeping in touch after her return home.

As I read about Jessie and Billy, I was reminded of several relationships gone bad because of drinking. I appreciate the author approaching this issue in the book; however, to have Billy find help or even encouraged more to seek help for his problem would have made this a more enjoyable book to read. Instead, his drinking only made Jessie drink more. The characters and the plot were believable, but I wasn't expecting the turn of events near the ending of the story. However, I did want to see Jessie and Matt back together because Matt seemed more settled and mature, just as Jessie was.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good romance. Even though it's over 400 pages long, it is a pretty fast and easy read. one you will enjoy!

Thanks again Joy! I’m so glad you enjoyed The Bridge Between.

Re-release of Picture This

Finally, after spending months revising the previously published version, I've finished Picture This. It's now available on Smashwords and Amazon Kindle.

I was so proud that Picture This had been a 2011 EPIC finalist! It received some great reviews too, although some said it would have been better with both the hero and heroine's POV.

I heard you. The new release now shows Ben's point of view. When I began rewrites, Ben was more than ready to step out of the shadows and tell his side of the story. And it's a rather compelling story too. 

I hope you'll check it out! :)

Of the previous version, reviewers have said: “The author grabs you from the first chapter and takes you on a great ride” and “It mixes a little humor and romance together into a snappy and readable package that will leave the reader with a smile as well as a renewed belief in happily ever after” and “The heroine is intelligent and resilient. The hero is sexy and charming. And the political background made for an exciting source of external conflict.”

Here's the revised trailer:

Tomorrow, I'll show you the Casting Call for Picture This too. Can't believe I didn't already! Ben especially embodies the mannerisms of the person who occupied my head while I wrote it.

You can find more about Picture This here.

The Bridge Between

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Thanks so much for visiting every week! I really enjoy reading everyone else's snippets. Hope you enjoy reading mine. I'm grateful for your comments!

This snippet's from The Bridge Between, due for release soon -- I think -- from Whiskey Creek Press.

This scene takes place after Jessie shares a very good weekend with Billy. He's struggling with alcoholism, so Jessie's struggling with it as well. Time with Billy can be wonderful, or awful. Jessie doesn't know how if she can strike a balance between the two:

His eyes searched hers. “Jessie…”

An odd tension came over her, the sensation that he might be about to say something they both would later regret. She pressed her lips to his, silencing him. Whatever he’d been about to say came out in a moan. His arms tightened around her like a python, nearly too tight, so she had to fight to breathe. If that’s what it took to keep Billy on the surface, up from the depths, she surrendered herself to it, gave herself over, held him just as tightly so he would know she needed him to keep her afloat every bit as much.

Yes, I finally have a cover! Yay. You can see it below. I think this will be my last six from  this novel.

Be sure to check out the other Six Sentence Sunday authors - they never disappoint!  And thanks again for stopping by.

The Bridge Between

Today, my contemporary women's fiction novel is scheduled to release from Whiskey Creek Press. I'm rather nervously awaiting the cover yet, but here's the blurb and excerpt:

Blurb:

Once, Jessie Moore had inexhaustible energy for her art, but after this past year, her art – like her life – feels out of focus. Working at the fledgling Philly Times newspaper with reporter Matt Cleary proves draining after their breakup. When a longtime friend dies of AIDS, Jessie travels to her hometown of Lambertville, NJ. At the funeral, she reconnects with her first love, Billy Black, who becomes a bridge back to the safety of her old life, and also to the origins of her inspiration. But Billy’s more lost than Jessie. Too often, he drowns his worries in beer, threatening to drag her down too. After she rekindles their affair, Matt’s jealousy confuses her. Before she can truly give herself to anyone, Jessie must learn to be true to herself.

Excerpt

She set her plate on the table, regretting she hadn’t turned her car around, that she’d ignored her basest of instincts.

“Goddammit,” he said. “Now I’ve ruined dinner.”

“No…”

“If not dinner, it would have been something else.” He tilted his glass into his mouth until it was empty.

This time, she didn’t argue, but paid closer attention to his voice, his face, his movements. They were all the same as the boy she’d known, yet somehow different, too. More complicated. The nuance in his gestures made for a level of intricacy, like a maze that had to be traversed before she could find the prize at the end – the real Billy, the Billy she’d loved. He was different, more complicated with life experience, but the same in his attitude, the easy way he’d always had. She wondered what did happen to him that made him so hesitant, especially of her – she who had held nothing back from him. Yet here he was, holding everything back from her.

“Would you like me to leave?” She posed the question honestly, not as a challenge, not to intimidate him into a choice.

“No.” He leaned forward, reached for her hand. “Please.”

She waited. She had the feeling he wanted to say more.

“Unless…” He slid his hand away. “You know, unless you want to.”

So close to breaking through to the old Billy. But he withdrew, leaving her to guess why. Laying new roadblocks within the maze, to throw her off, or maybe to decipher how badly she wanted to reach the real Billy.

“No,” she said. “I don’t want to.”

His eyes brimmed with doubt.

“Unless you want me to.” She couldn’t help smiling. It seemed a ridiculous game, one she normally loathed, but this time the prize was different. One that might be worthwhile.

“No.” His body went fluid, and he gave a short laugh. “No. I definitely do not want you to go.” He rose and put a CD on the boom box on the back doorstep. A mellow guitar tune melted the tension from the air. He held out his hand. “Let’s dance.”

With her hand in his, she was out of her chair and in his arms as if she’d swam to him.

I also had fun putting together the Casting Call for this novel, set in my hometown of Lambertville, NJ. 

If I get the cover later today, I'll plug it into this post. Fingers crossed!

Oh, and I'll provide a buy link too, once the novel appears on the site. :)

The Bridge Between releases tomorrow!

I love Six Sentence Sundays! Thanks so much to everyone who visits, and especially for your comments. I'm very grateful.

And I'm very excited that tomorrow, Whiskey Creek Press should release The Bridge Between. The cover's still a mystery, so here's another image of my own from my hometown.

Here are six more from The Bridge Between:

Leaving today would be more difficult because last night had been perfect, magical. But maybe that was best, to leave the memory untainted. To leave Billy so he could miss her, want her to come back. She’d see him again in two days, though she worried it might be relationship overload, too much of her too soon.
She imagined it, coming home to him every day, being with him every night. What would they talk about when the other already knew everything?

Check out the other fantastic offerings by participating Six Sentence Sunday authors! And thanks again for your comments!

More of The Bridge Between

Yay, another Six Sentence Sunday! I'm so grateful for your comments.

I was really hoping to have a cover by now, but I'll have to be patient awhile longer.

Here's another six from my latest release, The Bridge Between, out with Whiskey Creek Press this month! And another pic from my hometown. Makes me a little homesick. (sigh)

When she walked up his front steps later, he held the door open for her. He pulled her into his arms, and they danced to their own music. Billy’s hands played her body to a crescendo. Even during the lulls, his fingers stroked and slid, plucked and held, never letting go. Their harmony bound them like a musical chord. At the end of the weekend, again standing at Billy’s front door, the music had slowed to a hum that she knew would resonate within her, wrap her thoughts around him until she could again stand here in his arms.

Check out all the wonderfully talented Six Sentence Sunday participants! And thanks again for your comments and encouragement!

Another great review for Picture This!

It's been a week of wonderful reviews!

Rita's Reviews gave Picture This 4 out of 5, and had this to say, in part:
This story was extremely easy to get into but not so easy to put down. I think I strained my eyes from sitting too long at the computer. You can relate to the characters and I easily become involved in their story. Sydney is like the friend you cheer on even though you secretly aren't sure about the guy.

Thanks so much for the wonderful review, Rita!

You can read the full review here.

Here's a different excerpt from the usual:

The pine tree’s sweeping branches presented an obstacle, but he pushed them out of the way and was soon out of sight. For the benefit of a middle-aged couple walking toward the door, she pulled out her cell phone and pretended to answer a call. When they were out of earshot, she asked, “See anything?”
Branches crackled.
“Ben?” she whispered.
The shutter clicked several times, and branches swayed.
“What’s going on?” She whispered louder.
“Shh. Hold on.” Another succession of clicks. After a moment, the branches opened out as he made his way through.
He brushed the front of his shirt. “I got a few…”
A stocky man in a white overshirt walked from the back of the restaurant carrying a garbage bag. “Hey – what’re you doing?”
Ben pulled Sydney to him. His warm, soft lips on hers sent an explosion of light through her brain, and its rumblings reverberated through her. A whimper escaped as she slid her arms tight around his waist and held on. With a moan, his hands slid low on her back, and his hips ground against hers. Her breaths came hard as she met his thrusting
tongue with her own.
“Get a room,” the man muttered. The back door slammed shut.
The urgency left them, but neither let go. She relaxed into him, relishing the touch she’d missed for more than a year. She wanted to remember this, since it might not happen again.
She opened her eyes. He held his closed. He looked so relaxed, so content.
All the tension had left her body, as if she’d had a long massage coupled with electroshock therapy. Kissing someone her own height had distinct advantages. This kiss was especially nice.
Her lips slid from his. “That was close.”
His face inches from hers; he moved his hands higher on her back.
“Very.”
She held back a smile. “I think he’s gone.”
He let out a long breath. “Sydney…” His words trailed as he appeared to struggle with what he wanted to say.
Still holding her, his eyes widened as two figures stepped from the walkway into the parking lot. His muscles tightened. “There goes the mayor.”

The Bridge Between, contemporary women's fiction

Contemporary women's fiction/mainstream

Available in ebook from Whiskey Creek Press

Blurb

Once, Jessie Moore had inexhaustible energy for her art, but after this past year, her art – like her life – feels out of focus. Working at the fledgling Philly Times newspaper with reporter Matt Cleary proves draining after their breakup. When a longtime friend dies of AIDS, Jessie travels to her hometown of Lambertville, NJ. At the funeral, she reconnects with her first love, Billy Black, who becomes a bridge back to the safety of her old life, and also to the origins of her inspiration. But Billy’s more lost than Jessie. Too often, he drowns his worries in beer, threatening to drag her down too. After she rekindles their affair, Matt’s jealousy confuses her. Before she can truly give herself to anyone, Jessie must learn to be true to herself.

Reviews 

Readers Favorite: 4 stars

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good romance. Even though it's over 400 pages long, it is a pretty fast and easy read. one you will enjoy!

Long and Short Reviews: 3 books
The time period covered in the book is full of turmoil, both professionally and personally, and that comes through beautifully in the writing. Each choice Jessie makes has an effect on some other aspect of her life. Jealousy, love, embarrassment, pride . . . they all make an appearance and all affect her and her relationships.
There are flashbacks that highlight choices and relationships that have a bearing on Jessie’s present day life. They do not detract from the story, but rather add another layer of understanding to the characters and the plot.

Jessie’s profession of photographer lends to beautifully descriptive passages, both of the beautiful and the “unsavory”. The writing could have glossed over this device, but instead, Ms. Masters chose to use it to it’s fullest, describing the environment, using the visual descriptions to evoke emotions, to portray what her characters are feeling. Definitely the best part of the book.
The Bridge Between is not what I expected. However, it was certainly worth reading. Not “fluff” reading in any way so be sure you have some time to devote to the story, and to enjoy the writing.

Who would Cate cast in these roles? Find out here.

Excerpt

She set her plate on the table, regretting she hadn’t turned her car around, that she’d ignored her basest of instincts.

“Goddammit,” he said. “Now I’ve ruined dinner.”

“No…”

“If not dinner, it would have been something else.” He tilted his glass into his mouth until it was empty.

This time, she didn’t argue, but paid closer attention to his voice, his face, his movements. They were all the same as the boy she’d known, yet somehow different, too. More complicated. The nuance in his gestures made for a level of intricacy, like a maze that had to be traversed before she could find the prize at the end – the real Billy, the Billy she’d loved. He was different, more complicated with life experience, but the same in his attitude, the easy way he’d always had. She wondered what did happen to him that made him so hesitant, especially of her – she who had held nothing back from him. Yet here he was, holding everything back from her.

“Would you like me to leave?” She posed the question honestly, not as a challenge, not to intimidate him into a choice.

“No.” He leaned forward, reached for her hand. “Please.”

She waited. She had the feeling he wanted to say more.

“Unless…” He slid his hand away. “You know, unless you want to.”

So close to breaking through to the old Billy. But he withdrew, leaving her to guess why. Laying new roadblocks within the maze, to throw her off, or maybe to decipher how badly she wanted to reach the real Billy.

“No,” she said. “I don’t want to.”

His eyes brimmed with doubt.

“Unless you want me to.” She couldn’t help smiling. It seemed a ridiculous game, one she normally loathed, but this time the prize was different. One that might be worthwhile.

“No.” His body went fluid, and he gave a short laugh. “No. I definitely do not want you to go.” He rose and put a CD on the boom box on the back doorstep. A mellow guitar tune melted the tension from the air. He held out his hand. “Let’s dance.”

With her hand in his, she was out of her chair and in his arms as if she’d swam to him.