I'm happy to report the first review of Coincidence is in and its a great one! Thanks to fellow author, Suzanne Hurley, for her rave review of my book! Coincidence will be released on November 1, 2010. Published by Wings ePress.
Imagine meeting a guy and having an instant connection. You feel that you’ve known him forever! Your lips touch in a kiss that promises to be the best ever but chaos intervenes and you are yanked apart without ever finding out each other’s last name!
Such is the case in ‘Coincidence’, Lesley Hager’s exciting, new debut novel.
Samantha Montgomery sets off with her best friend Kate Mason, on their annual summer holiday at Blake’s Beach, South Carolina. There, Sam meets her possible soul mate, Sean, who is flying back to Ireland the next day. Due to a mess Kate is in, they are torn apart without exchanging vital stats - like names and addresses. They know nothing about each other except the magnetic pull, to be in each other’s arms.
‘Coincidence’ is about experiencing the possibility of everlasting love and taking risks to make that love come true. It is about being so taken with someone that you will search the world to find him. It is about two souls coming together as one, forever.
Ms. Hager pens a book that will satisfy your heart’s romantic inclinations. It is exciting as well as spell-bounding. This novel will have you rooting for Samantha as she sets out to find her love as well as search out information about her ancestors. Her descriptions of Ireland and the unique way the Irish speak, will sweep you up until you feel you actually are in this great country, living among the people there. This is a beautiful heartwarming story about love, family, ancestry and forgiveness.
So brew up some tea and settle down for some good reading. ‘Coincidence’ will have you racing to the end to find out if Sam finds Sean. Ms. Hager is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading more of her books.
Reviewed by Suzanne M. Hurley
www.suzannemhurley.com
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Zumba-thon to benefit Diabetes Research
Zumbathon
Saturday, September 4, 2010 - 11am to 2pm
Charleston, WV
On the Boulevard in front of Magic Island
All proceeds to benefit the
Diabetes Action: Research and Education Foundation
Register in advance or at the entrance, no set price for registration.
Any Donation is Appreciated.
I have the registration form. Please email me if you would like to register!
For other information please contact Corey and Rachel:
For other information please contact Corey and Rachel:
zumbawithcoreyandrachel@gmail.com or 304-2-4-ZUMBA
ZUMBA® and the Zumba Fitness logos are trademarks of Zumba Fitness, LLC, used under license
Monday, July 26, 2010
Viola, A Woeful Tale of Marriage a good read
As a new Wings-ePress author, I was recently given access to the Wings Yahoo groups and connected with another fellow author, Katherine Pym. Katherine's book, Viola, A Woeful Tale of Marriage was just released this month. Katherine asked me to read her historical novel and provide a few comments she could include in her reviews and marketing which I was happy to do. I'll have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! Pym, much like myself, is an old soul--her soul being much older than mine...several centuries older to be exact. I'm drawn to the early 1900's where Pym is drawn to the 1600's. Anyway, on to the book.
Viola is set in 17th century London and Pym does a wonderful job of bringing this century back to life and giving us a peek into that time period where religious strife and plague were the main concerns. Even though we nowadays tend to associate that time period with puritanical values and actions, Pym provides us a world that is anything but. Take a look--Viola is available in paperback and eBook, of course.
Viola is set in 17th century London and Pym does a wonderful job of bringing this century back to life and giving us a peek into that time period where religious strife and plague were the main concerns. Even though we nowadays tend to associate that time period with puritanical values and actions, Pym provides us a world that is anything but. Take a look--Viola is available in paperback and eBook, of course.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Passage from The Alchemist
One of my favorite books of all time is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, so I couldn't help but want to have a part of it read at my upcoming wedding. How could I not? The story of a young shepherd looking for his meaning in life only to discover that his meaning was to find love...I mean, come on...how perfect for a wedding? Here is the passage I've decided to include in our ceremony:
“When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke -- the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs here at the well. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen -- the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life. The omen he had sought to find with his sheep and in his books, in the crystals and in the silence of the desert. It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain of it than of anything in the world. He had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall in love and really know a person before becoming committed. But maybe people who felt that way had never learned the universal language. Because, when you know that language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning."
e-Books continue to grow
I came across this article today from The Tech Herald, which excited me considering Coincidence will be an e-Book as well as available in paperback.
Amazon: Kindle eBooks outselling traditional hardcovers
by Steven Mostyn
The digital eBook format is continuing to draw customers away from traditional print publications, according to online retailer Amazon, which has a vested interest in the market’s growth via its Kindle electronic book reader.
Although not prepared to divulge actual sales figures regarding the emergent popularity of eBooks, Amazon has revealed that it is currently selling around 80 percent more digital books than hardback books through its online store.
“The Kindle format has now overtaken the hardcover format,” enthused Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in an official statement outlining that for every 100 hardcover books sold during the last month, the online store sold 180 eBook versions.
Clearly pleased with the Kindle’s “astonishing” progress, Bezos was keen to point out that Amazon has been selling hardcover books for 15 years, while the availability of Kindle content has yet to reach the three-year marker.
Amazon’s chest beating comes after the Internet retail titan recently hacked down the price of its 3G-equipped Kindle device, which dropped from $259 USD to a more pocket-friendly $189 USD – a factor that likely played into the increase in eBook sales.
The Kindle price drop was brought into play after rival eReader manufacturer Barnes & Noble dropped its dual-screen Nook from $259 USD to $199 USD.
Amazon: Kindle eBooks outselling traditional hardcovers
by Steven Mostyn
The digital eBook format is continuing to draw customers away from traditional print publications, according to online retailer Amazon, which has a vested interest in the market’s growth via its Kindle electronic book reader.
Although not prepared to divulge actual sales figures regarding the emergent popularity of eBooks, Amazon has revealed that it is currently selling around 80 percent more digital books than hardback books through its online store.
“The Kindle format has now overtaken the hardcover format,” enthused Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in an official statement outlining that for every 100 hardcover books sold during the last month, the online store sold 180 eBook versions.
Clearly pleased with the Kindle’s “astonishing” progress, Bezos was keen to point out that Amazon has been selling hardcover books for 15 years, while the availability of Kindle content has yet to reach the three-year marker.
Amazon’s chest beating comes after the Internet retail titan recently hacked down the price of its 3G-equipped Kindle device, which dropped from $259 USD to a more pocket-friendly $189 USD – a factor that likely played into the increase in eBook sales.
The Kindle price drop was brought into play after rival eReader manufacturer Barnes & Noble dropped its dual-screen Nook from $259 USD to $199 USD.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Coincidence, my first novel will be published soon!
I was just offered a contract by Wings e-Press, Inc. to publish my first novel Coincidence. Publication date is set for November 2010. It will be released as an e-book and in trade paperback. Here is a sneakpeak:
Lifford, Ireland—1918
Wiping the tears from her face, Eileen gently placed the letter she had hastily written beside the paraffin lamp on the narrow table that hugged the wall of her family home’s foyer. She looked around recalling all the happy memories she had shared with her family here.
It was dark now—the only light flickered from the small lamp. The tiny blue flowers on the wallpaper danced happily in the light. As ridiculous at it sounded, Eileen felt a sudden, slight urge of jealousy rush over her—jealous that these blue flowers were dancing in such a free-spirited, care-free manner while she seemed to be carrying the burden of the world on her shoulders. She wondered if she would ever dance again. Or, if she would ever be care-free again.
The sun would be coming up over the small Irish town she had lived in all her eighteen years in just about an hour and her parents would be reading the goodbye letter she had just written to them; although Eileen wasn’t sure how upset they would be about what she had written. She thought they would actually be relieved to know that she was gone, that she would no longer be around to cause them any more pain and embarrassment.
Eileen took a last look around her home. She gazed into the sitting room at the old oak fireplace that she and her parents had sat in front of every evening after dinner. She peered into the corner of the sitting room where her father had put up the Christmas tree every year. Overwhelmed with sadness, knowing she would never again enjoy the warmth of the fire with her parents or laugh with them on Christmas morning by the tree, Eileen burst into tears so loudly she was sure she had woken everyone up.
After waiting a few minutes to make sure her parents were still asleep, Eileen pulled herself together and took a final look around. Everything looked ghostly in the flickering light of the lamp, which seemed appropriate—she would soon be just a ghost in this house.
She couldn’t believe she was leaving, that this would likely be the last time she would see her home and her family again, but there was no other choice now—not only did the town think badly of her, so did her parents. She shuddered to think of the pain she had brought upon her family—so much pain that they had in fact basically disowned her. Her heart broke and tears welled up in her eyes again.
She never thought her family would shun her—they had always been so close. As much as she was hurt however, she was just as angry—angry with her parents for turning their backs on her. She was their daughter after all. She couldn’t imagine ever turning her back on her own child.
She picked up her suitcase and slowly opened the old, creaky front door.
“Goodbye,” she said quietly to the house and her sleeping parents, as she stepped out into the cool, damp night. As she shut the door, even though she knew it was only the wind, she thought she heard the house whisper goodbye back to her.
James Montgomery was waiting on the gravel road in front of her house, still dressed in the only clothes he had—his dirty, worn soldier’s uniform. His wavy brown hair, gently tousled from the wind, looked oddly pristine against the dinginess of his uniform, which was stained from months of fighting in the war. As filthy as his uniform was however, James was still the most handsome and caring man Eileen had ever met. They had met just months before, and her heart fluttered every time she saw him. She imagined it always would.
“Come on, its going to be light soon, we need to go,” he said taking her bag from her hand. He leaned in to kiss her tear-stained cheeks. His strong, face was filled with worry as he looked at Eileen’s beautiful, sad face.
“Are you sure you want to come with me?” he asked, wiping the tears from her innocent face and pushing her long, blond hair behind her ears. Her big green eyes were not able to disguise the pain her face was so bravely trying to do. He would die if she didn’t come with him, but he hated to see her in so much pain. He just wanted to take it all away. If he could fix everything, he would. He would do anything for her.
“Aye, I’m sure. We couldn’t make a life fir ourselves here. No one wants us here anyway,” Eileen said, choking back the knot that had been in her throat for what seemed like weeks now.
The early morning fog was so thick she could actually feel it going in her body with each breath she took. Between the now constant lump in her throat from weeks of fighting back tears and the fog she was now inhaling, she felt as if she may suffocate all together. Then, James leaned down to kiss her and she suddenly felt as if she could breathe again. He had a way of bringing her back to life.
She was torn between leaving her home, her family, her country and letting the love of her life, James, slip away. However, with the circumstances now, there was no other choice but to go with James. He was everything to her and she knew that he would make everything okay. They were going to his home—to America to start a new life together.
James would be her family now.
Lifford, Ireland—1918
Wiping the tears from her face, Eileen gently placed the letter she had hastily written beside the paraffin lamp on the narrow table that hugged the wall of her family home’s foyer. She looked around recalling all the happy memories she had shared with her family here.
It was dark now—the only light flickered from the small lamp. The tiny blue flowers on the wallpaper danced happily in the light. As ridiculous at it sounded, Eileen felt a sudden, slight urge of jealousy rush over her—jealous that these blue flowers were dancing in such a free-spirited, care-free manner while she seemed to be carrying the burden of the world on her shoulders. She wondered if she would ever dance again. Or, if she would ever be care-free again.
The sun would be coming up over the small Irish town she had lived in all her eighteen years in just about an hour and her parents would be reading the goodbye letter she had just written to them; although Eileen wasn’t sure how upset they would be about what she had written. She thought they would actually be relieved to know that she was gone, that she would no longer be around to cause them any more pain and embarrassment.
Eileen took a last look around her home. She gazed into the sitting room at the old oak fireplace that she and her parents had sat in front of every evening after dinner. She peered into the corner of the sitting room where her father had put up the Christmas tree every year. Overwhelmed with sadness, knowing she would never again enjoy the warmth of the fire with her parents or laugh with them on Christmas morning by the tree, Eileen burst into tears so loudly she was sure she had woken everyone up.
After waiting a few minutes to make sure her parents were still asleep, Eileen pulled herself together and took a final look around. Everything looked ghostly in the flickering light of the lamp, which seemed appropriate—she would soon be just a ghost in this house.
She couldn’t believe she was leaving, that this would likely be the last time she would see her home and her family again, but there was no other choice now—not only did the town think badly of her, so did her parents. She shuddered to think of the pain she had brought upon her family—so much pain that they had in fact basically disowned her. Her heart broke and tears welled up in her eyes again.
She never thought her family would shun her—they had always been so close. As much as she was hurt however, she was just as angry—angry with her parents for turning their backs on her. She was their daughter after all. She couldn’t imagine ever turning her back on her own child.
She picked up her suitcase and slowly opened the old, creaky front door.
“Goodbye,” she said quietly to the house and her sleeping parents, as she stepped out into the cool, damp night. As she shut the door, even though she knew it was only the wind, she thought she heard the house whisper goodbye back to her.
James Montgomery was waiting on the gravel road in front of her house, still dressed in the only clothes he had—his dirty, worn soldier’s uniform. His wavy brown hair, gently tousled from the wind, looked oddly pristine against the dinginess of his uniform, which was stained from months of fighting in the war. As filthy as his uniform was however, James was still the most handsome and caring man Eileen had ever met. They had met just months before, and her heart fluttered every time she saw him. She imagined it always would.
“Come on, its going to be light soon, we need to go,” he said taking her bag from her hand. He leaned in to kiss her tear-stained cheeks. His strong, face was filled with worry as he looked at Eileen’s beautiful, sad face.
“Are you sure you want to come with me?” he asked, wiping the tears from her innocent face and pushing her long, blond hair behind her ears. Her big green eyes were not able to disguise the pain her face was so bravely trying to do. He would die if she didn’t come with him, but he hated to see her in so much pain. He just wanted to take it all away. If he could fix everything, he would. He would do anything for her.
“Aye, I’m sure. We couldn’t make a life fir ourselves here. No one wants us here anyway,” Eileen said, choking back the knot that had been in her throat for what seemed like weeks now.
The early morning fog was so thick she could actually feel it going in her body with each breath she took. Between the now constant lump in her throat from weeks of fighting back tears and the fog she was now inhaling, she felt as if she may suffocate all together. Then, James leaned down to kiss her and she suddenly felt as if she could breathe again. He had a way of bringing her back to life.
She was torn between leaving her home, her family, her country and letting the love of her life, James, slip away. However, with the circumstances now, there was no other choice but to go with James. He was everything to her and she knew that he would make everything okay. They were going to his home—to America to start a new life together.
James would be her family now.
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