Category: Book Brief

Book Brief: Drawing Breath

Drawing Breath
by Laurie Boris
Genre: Contemporary fiction, coming-of-age story
49,000 words

Students often fall in love with their teachers. Despite warnings from her mother, that’s exactly what 16-year-old Caitlin Kelly does. But Daniel Benedetto isn’t just any art teacher. Not only is he more than twice Caitlin’s age, he rents the Kellys’ upstairs apartment and suffers from cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening disease. Caitlin watches in torment as other people, especially women, treat Daniel like a freak because of his condition. To Caitlin, Daniel is not a disease, not someone to pity or take care of but someone to care for, a friend, her first love. He, however, seems oblivious to her adoration. In a well-meaning yet naive gesture, Caitlin crosses the line and interferes with his private life, sparking a chain of events with devastating consequences. Neither of them will ever be the same again.

This title is available from Amazon US and Amazon UK. Continue reading “Book Brief: Drawing Breath”

Book Brief: Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines

Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines
by Carol E Wyer
Genre: Humorous Women’s Fiction
120,000 words (approximately)

Amanda Wilson can’t decide between murder, insanity and another glass of red wine. Facing 50 and all that it entails is problematic enough. What’s the point in minking your eyes, when your husband would rather watch ‘Russia Today’ than admire you, strutting in front of the television in only thigh boots and a thong?
Her son has managed to perform yet another magical disappearing act. Could he actually be buried under the mountain of festering washing which is strewn on his bedroom floor? He’ll certainly be buried somewhere when she next gets her hands on him.
At least her mother knows how to enjoy herself. She’s partying her twilight years away in Cyprus. Queen of the Twister mat, she now has a toy boy in tow. She really shouldn’t have pressed that send button. The past always catches up with you sooner or later. Still, her colourful past is a welcome relief to her monochrome present; especially when it comes in the shape of provocative Todd Bradshaw, her first true love.
Soon Mandy has a difficult decision to make; one that will require more than a few glasses of Chianti.

This title is available from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines”

Book Brief – Dissolute Kinship: A 9/11 Road Trip

Dissolute KinshipDissolute Kinship: A 9/11 Road Trip
by  David Antrobus
Genre: Nonfiction
6,000 words

When David Antrobus set out on a personal, reflective solo road trip from the Pacific Coast of Canada to New York City, he picked a random date: Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

This coincidence, despite the horrors of that day, proved oddly serendipitous in the sense of the author’s struggle for understanding of his own relatively small trauma, which he was then only beginning to face.

Evocations of the quiet melancholy of the landscape alongside poignant descriptions of grain elevators, motels, convenience stores and gas stations as he heads eastward across the Canadian Prairies are complemented by the dawning reality of New York City’s wounded presence looming ever nearer. Upon arrival, the author is at first haunted by the visceral horrors that remain just days after the attacks on the World Trade Centre, yet finds unexpected comfort in the people of the city as they relate their own personal trauma stories.

This title is available from Amazon US and Amazon UK, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief – Dissolute Kinship: A 9/11 Road Trip”