SUMMER LOVIN’…DID YOU GET VERY FAR?
                               ♥ ♥ ♥

Do the words summer lovin' bring back memories of your teenage years? We sure remember the good ol' days of summer … and so do the three main characters in our book, I.O.U. SEX. After all, their goal was to find their former high school steadies and give them the sex they’d missed out on so many years before.

So let your mind travel back in time and think ... going steady, necking at the drive-in, and summer lovin’ as we revisit Dallas with our character June. She’s at the drive-in theater with her one-and-only, but they’re not watching the show.

Photo Source: Coltera's Photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/christianspenceranderson/

    “Mmmm, Junie. You drive me wild.” Denny reached across the vinyl-covered seat and pulled June closer.

    She snuggled against him and stretched up to whisper in his ear. “Wild, huh?” She inhaled his unique scent—Brut aftershave mixed with the faint aroma of Lava soap and motor oil from his dad’s garage.

    Denny’s laugh sounded nervous. When he shivered, June giggled and stroked his wavy hair, then tickled his earlobe with her tongue, making him gasp.

    “Whoa, baby. You better slow down or you’ll get more than you bargained for.” He turned and grasped her shoulders, staring into her blue eyes. “Or have you changed your mind?”
    June scooted away, her warm feelings cooled by Denny’s question. She pushed her long blonde hair off her face and anchored it behind her ears. “You know how I feel about going all the way. Why can’t we just have some fun?”

    Denny groaned. “Junie, baby, you really don’t understand, do you? Have you ever heard of blue balls?”

    June stammered. “B-blue what?”

    Denny ran his fingers through his hair, making the short strands stand on end. He sighed. “Never mind. Come back here, June Bug. Let’s figure out what we can do without actually doing it.” He pulled her closer and slid the spaghetti straps off her shoulders, gently kissing the spots where the fabric had been only moments before.

    They’d done some heavy petting in the past, so June didn’t object. She loved it when Denny caressed her breasts and his kisses warmed her inside and out. Once she’d let him touch her down there. It felt go good—until she got scared and made him stop. She could only imagine the thrill of real sex.

    Of course, good girls didn’t go all the way. She’d had long discussions with Kiki and Peggy on the subject of how far to go without getting a bad reputation. Peggy said once you did something, boys seemed to expect it every time. And Kiki sure had a lot of information for someone who claimed virginity.
    June smiled and unbuttoned Denny’s shirt.

♥ ♥ ♥

Perhaps you once met a boy who was cute as could be, and you remember your summer days drifting away. We hope this blast from the past reminds you of hot summer nights at the drive-in movies with your first love.

Boomer Lit Friday

A weekly blog hop event for Boomer Lit writers

Thank you for stopping by for another Boomer Lit Friday post. To read excerpts from more Boomer Lit authors, click HERE.

Boomer Lit Friday

A weekly blog hop event for Boomer Lit writers

Thanks for joining us for another Boomer Lit Friday. We're featuring an excerpt from I.O.U. SEX, the story of three women who search for their high school boyfriends, decades after graduation. 

At this point in the story, people often wonder who Peg will choose as her private investigator and ask us, "Will Peggy fall for the P.I.?" Not a chance! Here's an excerpt from I.O.U. SEX giving you Peg's viewpoint when she first sees James Hornby. We hope this gives you a clear picture of why Hornby isn't exactly hero material.

He didn't look at all like what she expected. Instead of resembling the PIs she'd seen on television shows, he looked more like McGruff the Crime-Fighting Dog. You'd think he'd have the courtesy to rise to greet a prospective client, she thought. She straightened her shoulders and reminded herself that she would be the one paying for his services.

Not only did Peggy compare "Hornyberry" to McGruff, she also had a few more gems to say about him.

Not that this Bozo was such a prize. With his bald pate, jowls, and round belly, nobody would call him the pick of the litter.

That about says it all. Go, Peggy!

To connect with other Boomer Lit authors and read excerpts from a variety of terrific books, click HERE.

Teaser Tuesday - Confessions of an Instinctively Mutinous Baby Boomer

I've just started reading this memoir by Marsha Roberts, and so far I'm enjoying it a lot. She has a great sense of humor, and her recollections are like something you'd read in a letter from a friend. Look at the face in that photo. Doesn't Marsha look like a rascal? Each chapter contains an inspirational message at the end. 

Today's excerpt is from the book's introduction. (I fudged and included three sentences, just this once.)

TEASER:
      You know how when your jeans start getting tight, you tell yourself you had the dryer set too hot and they shrunk? Deep down you know you're gaining weight, but you just can't bring yourself to admit it.
      That's how I was dealing with what was going on in the lives of me and my family.

Genre: Memoir
Number of Pages: 205
Amazon Link: HERE
Synopsis and Reviews: HERE

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)
• Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers
• Leave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Teaser Tuesday - The Fortune Quilt

 

I love to quilt, so it's no surprise that a book titled THE FORTUNE QUILT caught my eye. But this novel really isn't about quilting. The quilt connection is with a psychic who envisions an idea for a quilt, creates it, and then waits until the person it "belongs to" shows up. Then she gives a psychic reading, reflected in the quilt's design. The plot is about Carly McKay, a woman who is the recipient of one of the psychic's quilts.

I love Lani Diane Rich's voice - her characters are quirky but believable- and I had a great time reading this funny book.

TEASER: Hiking is not walking. Walking is something you do on a nice, level surface--like a sidewalk, or a path, or a floor--to get from Point A to Point B. If Point A and Point B are too far apart, you get in a car and drive, the way God intended. 
(at 49% on my Kindle)


262 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction / Contemporary Romance
Amazon Link: THE FORTUNE QUILT

Goodreads Synopsis: 
When Tucson Today segment producer Carly McKay visits the quirky artist’s community of Bilby, Arizona, to do a story on a psychic quiltmaker, she receives an odd reading... and her life falls apart in eerie harmony with what the quilt foretold. Her best friend professes his undying love; her show gets canceled; and the mother who disappeared seventeen years ago appears on their doorstep, getting instant forgiveness from the entire family... except Carly.

Carly rushes off to Bilby to return the cursed quilt, and then surprises herself; she stays. She rents a cabin, gets a job, and meets an artist who shows her new ways to look at life, and love. Can she run away and start a new life, or should she go back and stitch her old one back together? 

And why is it so hard to get a straight answer from a psychic, anyway?

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)
• Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers
• Leave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Boomer Lit Friday - March 23

Thank you for stopping by to participate in Boomer Lit Friday, the meme where authors of books featuring Baby Boomers get together and post excerpts from their works. 

Our snippet today is from I.O.U. SEX. Reading June's high school diary inspired three friends to search for their old boyfriends to make amends for vetoing sex when they were teenagers. Divorced from Stan for about a year, in this scene June is getting dressed for her first meeting with Denny, her high school steady, when thoughts of her ex-husband intervene.

She added silver hoops to her ears and straightened her shoulders for a last look in the mirror. She turned sideways, patting her not-so-flat stomach, frowning at her not-so-perky breasts.
     Stan's criticisms nagged: Is that cellulite on the back of your thighs?

      Now she answered him in words she'd never spoken aloud. "Shut up, Shithead, and get out of my mind. I may not be perfect, but for a woman my age, I look pretty damned good."

Boomer Lit Friday

A weekly blog hop event for Boomer Lit writers

To read excerpts posted by other Boomer Lit authors, click HERE.

To connect to the Amazon link for I.O.U. SEX, click HERE. For more info about I.O.U. SEX, click on the tabs above this post. 

Teaser Tuesday - The Monday Night Needlework & Murder Guild

Teaser Tuesday again and that means more introductions to good books for my Kindle. What a treat! 

I've just started reading 
THE MONDAY NIGHT NEEDLEWORK & MURDER GUILD by Kathleen Valentine, and I'm loving the author's voice. I think you'll see what I mean in today's excerpt. Retired school teacher Miss Cecelia McGill is narrating.


TEASER:
Eulalia was the sort of woman who needed a man, that was obvious. Poor Edgar barely had time to cool off properly before she flew to Sweden and spent a chunk of his fortune having all her body parts put back where they were when she nailed him.
(From 20% on my Kindle)

Title: The Monday Night Needlework & Murder Guild
Author: Kathleen Valentine
Novella Length: 99 Pages
Amazon Link: HERE

Goodreads Synopsis:
Over fifty years ago Miss Serena Pitts founded The Monday Night Needlework and Murder Guild in the town of Pitts Crossing, Massachusetts. Members got together every week to share cookies and gossip while they did their needlework and discussed the latest murder mysteries. But when an unscrupulous lothario starts seducing and fleecing some of its members, the guild begins falling apart. That is until retired teacher, Miss Cecelia McGill, decides this cannot go on. With a blend of small town charm, dark comedy, and psychological suspense, Kathleen Valentine has created a "whydunnit" featuring a heroine readers will find hard to forget.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)
• Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers
• Leave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Boomer Lit Friday - March 15

Thanks for dropping by to read our latest Boomer Lit Friday excerpt from I.O.U. SEX. June, Kiki, and Peggy have recently made a pact to track down their high school boyfriends, and now they're meeting for lunch. In case you can't tell from Peggy's lunch order, I.O.U. SEX is set in the South. The excerpt is from Page 54 (14% on Kindle). 

The next day, Peggy sat across from her two friends, studying the restaurant's menu and having a hard time deciding which entree to order. Finally, she told the waitress to bring her favorite meal--chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, and a large Coke. A look passed between June and Kiki, but they said nothing, other than to ask for grilled tilapia with steamed veggies and iced tea. Peggy sighed, wishing she had their willpower, wondering if she could change her order, but the waitress had already taken their menus and left.

Kiki took a sip of water and smiled at the others before speaking. "So, how goes the great search? What's the latest?"

"Search? Wa...wait a minute," Peggy stammered. "Are you talking about your wild idea to find our old boyfriends? I thought that was just a joke. June, you're not searching for Denny, are you?"

June's cheeks reddened. 

                       

To connect with other Boomer Lit Friday authors and read excerpts from some terrific books, click HERE.

To connect to the Amazon link for I.O.U. SEX, click HERE. For more info about I.O.U. SEX, click on the tabs above this post. 

Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CountryFriedSteak.jpg

Are You a Baby Boomer?

To learn the warning signs, visit my post on the Boomers & Books blog (here.) The post may make you laugh, and your thoughts on the subject are welcome!

Boomer Lit Friday - March 8

We're pleased to participate in Boomer Lit Friday for the first time today. 

Our snippet is taken from Chapter 1 of I.O.U. SEX.  In this scene, lifelong friends June, Kiki, and Peggy read June's high school diary, reflect on their teenage years, and come up with the idea of searching for their old boyfriends. [WARNING: This post contains one bad word and a bunch of innuendo.]

      Kiki rolled her eyes. "Shit, if I'd known then what I know now, things would have been very different. When I think of the staying power of those eighteen-year-old guys ...." She sighed. "Too bad we wasted it."
      Peggy put her hand over her mouth to keep her drink from spewing out with her laughter. She shook her head as if to dislodge Kiki's words from her ears. "Please, I'm serious. Those boys must have felt as sad as a fiddle with one string. So disappointed. So...unfulfilled. It must have been hard on them."
     "Unfulfilled?" June grinned. "That's priceless."
     Kiki arched an eyebrow. "That's also an understatement if I ever heard one, but you're sure right about the hard part."
            
Here's the criteria for Boomer Lit Friday posts:

The excerpt must be from a work that fits in the Boomer lit genre, which means it must focus on Boomer characters or issues faced by Boomers today, not nostalgia or coming of age set in the 50s and 60s.

For links to more Boomer Lit Friday posts and excerpts from some great books, click HERE. 

To link to I.O.U. SEX on Amazon, click on the book's cover to the left of this post.

Enjoy Boomer Lit Every Friday

Quote: Lucille Ball

"I would rather regret the things that I have done than the

 things that I have not."

 - Lucille Ball

Book Beginnings and Friday 56 - Love and Sleepless Nights

                              

Today I'm featuring LOVE AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS for my Book Beginnings on Fridays and Friday 56 post.

Author: Nick Spalding
Genre: Women's Fiction / Humor / Romance
Number of Pages: 170
Amazon Link and Synopsis: Love and Sleepless Nights

                                        

BOOK BEGINNING:
Laura's Diary - Monday, April 1st
Dear Mum,
     Well, it's finally happened. I've achieved my lifelong ambition. 
     It's been many years in the making, but I can now honestly say that I, Laura Newman, have successfully thrown my guts up in front of a group of men at an important job interview.

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. To play, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires and then add your name to the Linky list HERE.
                                                   
THE FRIDAY 56 (Laura is holding her newborn daughter):
      A sudden up-swell of tears rises from the depths of my being and now I start to cry with a combination of relief, awe - and not a little pride, if I'm being honest.
      I take the very small package into my arms, feeling the undeniable weight of new existence through every fibre of my being.

To participate in The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice, post a few sentences from Page 56 of your current book (or from 56% on your eReader) and then add your name to the Linky list HERE.

MY THOUGHTS: Anyone who has ever had a baby (especially first-time parents) will relate to the emotions, experiences, doubts, and joys portrayed in this book. Presented as a series of diary entries (Laura's) and blog posts (her husband Jamie's), I enjoyed every single word.

Teaser Tuesday: Confessions of a Predatory Lender

 

Today's Teaser Tuesday sentences come from CONFESSIONS OF A PREDATORY LENDER, a novel by Irma Fritz, author of IRRETREVIABLY BROKEN and an indie author like me. I like to read indie books, as well as books by well-known authors, and I especially like to learn a little something while I'm enjoying a story's plot. That's definitely the case with this book. I'm about halfway through and engrossed in this enjoyable story, while learning a little about the home mortgage crisis.

Here are two sentences from 17% on my Kindle.

TEASER:
Megan has one hand in her hair, returning her painstakingly gelled and coiffed hairdo to its naturally messy state. "Um, it's my impression that we won't be verifying ... you know, the customer's ability to repay the loan?"


Author: Irma Fritz
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 420
Amazon Link: Confessions of a Predatory Lender

Goodreads Synopsis:
       The year is 2006 and everyone knows you can make a killing in mortgage lending. Christy and Megan, two small-town girls from the Palouse region of Eastern Washington, arrive in Seattle with newly minted finance degrees and dollar signs in their eyes. Both are eager to grab their chance at becoming mortgage loan officers. If only they can pass the training class!
       "Good girl" Christy is our guide through the maze of predatory lending with BFF Megan her ever-present and irreverent sidekick. Together they’re an irresistible combination as they love, shop, and lend their way through this hilarious novel toward an ending we’re all too familiar with.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)
• Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.
• Be sure to add a comment to Miz B's Teaser Tuesday post, leaving a link to the post on your blog.

Five-Stars for I.O.U. SEX

Many thanks to Laurel-Rain Snow of "Rainy Days and Mondays" for her 5-Star Review of I.O.U. SEX. She writes, in part:

I thoroughly related to the characters as they shared their thoughts and feelings. The dialogue was fun, humorous, and took me right into the hearts and minds of each of them. 

What clicked for me most was the friendship that had sustained the passage of time. Kudos to the authors, who earned 5 stars for this one. 

Read her complete review here: Laurel-Rain Snow's Review

Book Beginnings and Friday 56 - Goodnight Nobody

BOOK BEGINNINGS

      "Hello?" I tapped on Kitty Cavanaugh's red front door, then lifted the brass knocker and gave it a few thumps for good measure. "Hello?"
      "Mommy, can I ring the doorbell?" Sophie asked. She stood on her tiptoes and waved her fist in the air.

FRIDAY 56

      "I ... uh ..." I fumbled through the slurry of broken crayons and juice-stiffened napkins at the bottom of my WGBH totebag and pulled out a notebook with a pink, glittery cover featuring Hello Kitty. It was Sophie's--the only thing I'd been able to find on short notice.

AUTHOR: Jennifer Weiner
NUMBER OF PAGES: 400
Written in 2005

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

      New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner's newest novel tells the story of a young mother's move to a postcard-perfect Connecticut town and the secrets she uncovers there.

      For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia's been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

      When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is one of the most interesting things to happen in Upchurch since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though Kate's husband and the police chief warn her that crime-fighting's a job best left to professionals, she can't let it go.

      So Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school -- with the help of her hilarious best friend, carpet heiress Janie Segal, and Evan McKenna, a former flame she thought she'd left behind in New York City.

      As the search for the killer progresses, Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's double life. She discovers the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's placid picket-fence facade -- and the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between independence and obligation, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own.

      Engrossing, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny, Goodnight Nobody is another unputdownable, timely tale; an insightful mystery with a great heart and a narrator you'll never forget.

MY THOUGHTS
I've enjoyed other books by this author (IN HER SHOES, GOOD IN BED, etc.) but this one was not my favorite. However, there was lots of humor and anyone living in suburbia with young children would find plenty to relate to.  

Anyone can participate in 

Book Beginnings and Friday 56. 

Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (hosted by Rose City Reader.)

Find other Friday 56 bloggers here (hosted by Freda's Voice). 

                

Come Fly With Me

Remember how air travel used to be? Then you'll enjoy my post on the Boomers & Books blog. Here's the link: Come Fly With Me

Teaser Tuesday: Slightly Cracked

After reading a very good but very dark book (A RELIABLE WIFE by Robert Goolrick), I needed something lighter. So, I've just barely started SLIGHTLY CRACKED by Susan Whitfield. I'm enjoying it so far. 

TEASER:
They'd grown up climbing trees, shooting B-B guns with the boys in the neighborhood, and pillow fighting when they had sleep overs. "I double-dog dare you" could be heard on a daily basis when one challenged the other.
[at 2% on my Kindle]


Genre: Women's Fiction
No. of Pages: 308
Amazon Link: Slightly Cracked


Goodreads Synopsis:
Lifelong friends Sugar Babe Beanblossom and Daisy Marie Hazelhurst are in the throes of menopause. If that's not enough, they suspect their husbands of cheating, they're gaining weight in spite of walking and working out at the gym, and life is just not a bed of roses.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)
• Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Teaser Tuesday - Confessions of a Corporate Slut

CONFESSIONS OF A CORPORATE SLUT by Jacqueline Gum is one of the best books I've read lately. No, it isn't about a woman who sleeps her way to success. It's about a wife who gives up her career and uses her intelligence, drive, and chutzpah to further her husband's business, but whose contribution isn't appreciated -- an unpaid woman who gives her talents away. The story has a delightful wry humor, and it's also sad, eye-opening, and thought-provoking.



TEASER:
Love doesn't die suddenly; it chips away in small pieces like paint on a windowsill. Every once in a while, the windowsill gets a fresh coat of paint and it takes a while for the chipping to start again.
(at 52% on my Kindle)

GENRE: Women's Fiction

LENGTH: 300 Pages

AMAZON LINK: Paperback and eBook

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)
• Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

- Sandy Nachlinger

PINTEREST-ing

Cleavage Caddy? 
Gun Alarm Clock? 
Bridesmaid Flasks?

You'll get a laugh out of my latest Boomers & Books post on these seemingly unrelated subjects.

Here's the link: 
Boomers & Books

Thank you, Jacqueline Gum, for your FIVE-STAR review of I.O.U. SEX on Amazon. 
Here's the link: Truly a Fun Read!

Jacquie is the author of CONFESSIONS OF A CORPORATE SLUT. You'll enjoy her blog too.

Link to Jacquie's Blog

Link to Jacquie's Book

Teaser Tuesday - Hollywood Beginnings

Want a quick, funny read? Then you'll enjoy Hollywood Beginnings by Kathy Dunnehoff.

Here's my Teaser Tuesday choice, at 15% on my Kindle: 
As I turned from the spectacular view of the ocean to the little metal cafe table right on the sand, Brian Keller rose from his chair to six feet two of muscled gorgeousness. Well, hell, Malibu had all kinds of natural beauty to admire.

Author: Kathy Dunnehoff
Length: 78 Pages
Genre: Romance
Amazon Link: Hollywood Beginnings

To read more Teaser Tuesday posts, click here.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)
• Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

- Sandy Nachlinger