Geralyn Corcillo: November Featured Author
November 1, 2018 by A Slice of Orange in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as chick lit, Geralyn Corcillo, Miss Adventure, romantic comedy
Featuring: Geralyn Corcillo
When she was a kid in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Geralyn Vivian Ruane Corcillo dreamed of one day becoming the superhero Dyna Girl. So, she did her best and grew up to constantly pick up litter and rescue animals. At home, she loves watching B&W movies, British mysteries, and the NY Giants. Corcillo lives in a drafty old house in Hollywood with her husband Ron, a guy who’s even cooler than Kip Dynamite.
Geralyn is not only an author of romantic comedy and women’s fiction novels, novellas, and short stories, she is also an avid and eclectic reader. You can read her book reviews here on A Slice of Orange, in her monthly column Things That Make Me Go Mmmrrh . She loves to connect with readers on Facebook and Twitter—drop her a line or leave a comment here.
Miss Adventure has hit the top of the Amazon Kindle charts and has won awards for both humor and romance. Keep scrolling to read an excerpt …
MISS ADVENTURE
Can a daydreaming city girl find her backbone by going on daring adventures with an adrenaline junkie?
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CHAPTER 7
“Yes, Lisa. Naked.”
“Naked, naked?” I swallow, then take a deep breath. He can’t be serious. “You want my naked skin touching this thing?” I look at the long, black wetsuit in my hands. We drove all the way back to his house up in the hills of Glendale just to get this stupid suit that’s not going to fit me, no matter how naked I get.
“It’s the best way.”
“So there are other ways.”
Jack sets the duffle on his kitchen table. “Yes,” he says, unzipping the bag. “Some people wear a swimsuit underneath, or Under Armour.”
“Armor?” It’s for the sharks, I know it!
“Under Armour. It’s like a spandex body suit.”
“Let me do that, then. You must have one lying around here somewhere.” I look around Jack’s house. Nothing.
Just beyond the big wooden table in the kitchen, the room morphs into a family room. But the kitchen looks like a normal kitchen with a fridge and stove and all, and the family room just looks like a regular family room. Couch, TV, coffee table. No spandex lying around anywhere.
I wander into the living room at the front of the house and hit pay dirt. At least, potential pay dirt. The spacious room, which I think is supposed to be part dining room—the demarcation is unclear because of the mountain bike and the saddle—is messy with gear, junk, and working-type stuff, just like his office at Into the Wild.
Jack follows me.
“Lisa, do you know the point of a wetsuit?”
I don’t answer. As far as I’m concerned, a wetsuit is for wearing if you’re on a show like The Man from Atlantis or if you work at Sea World.
He gets in front of me, right in my face. “It keeps frigid water away from your skin.”
“But you were in shorts this morning!”
“I had to test the suit, and I didn’t want to wait until July. Anyway, I’m a little more used to it than you are.”
“Then the body armor stuff will keep me a lot warmer than wearing a wetsuit with nothing on underneath.”
“Wrong.”
In that one word I hear the thumping finality of a guillotine.
“Anything you wear underneath,” he explains, facing me squarely, “even a bathing suit or a pair of underwear, allows air between the suit and your skin.”
“Letting your skin breathe is good. I saw that James Bond movie where—”
“Air in a wetsuit is bad,” he says, cutting me off as he heads back to the kitchen.
I have no choice but to follow him. Back to the kitchen. Back to the duffle of doom. He starts unloading the bag. A small yellow box, flippers.
“It increases the chances that ice-cold water can seep in,” he continues. “And guess what, Lisa?” He turns to meet my eyes. “It won’t seep back out again. You’ll just freeze your ass off until you become a medical risk. Then I’ll bring you back.”
He turns his attention back to unloading the duffle. Is that a bulletproof vest? What kind of adventure is this going to be? Beginners have to deal with bullets? He must be purposely trying to scare me to see if I’ll back down.
I look back at the wetsuit I’m holding. It looks so much slimmer than I feel.
“So, I just get naked and squeeze in?”
Jack hands me the little yellow box. “This should help.”
I look down at it. “It’s cornstarch.”
He taps his nose. “Full marks for being able to read your native language.”
I look at him. I’m guessing he doesn’t want me to bake a cake with it. “Thanks?”
“Use it like talcum powder.”
I am so totally screwed. “Where do I suit up?”
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Featuring Marianne H. Donley
October 14, 2018 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as October Featured Author of the Month
Marianne H. Donley makes her home in Tennessee with her husband, son and a very active puppy. She is a member of Bethlehem Writers Group, The Charmed Connection, Romance Writers of America, and Music City Romance Writers. When Marianne isn’t working on A Slice of Orange, she might be writing short stories, funny romances, or quirky murder mysteries, but this could be a rumor.
About A READABLE FEAST
Whatever your taste, this collection of food-related stories from the multiple award-winning Bethlehem Writers Group has all the ingredients to satisfy your reading palate. Our menu includes twenty-seven appetizing stories, from light-fare and sides of fantasy to sweet romance and savory bites of mystery. Jeff Baird’s “The Pickle Promenade” provides an amuse bouche. Try a spicy entree prepared by Diane Sismour in “Bump and Run.” Prefer a yarn with zing? Enjoy “Rightful Prey” by A. E. Decker. Jerry McFadden’s tart “Hard Times,” should tickle your taste buds. On the sweeter side, there’s Sally Paradysz’s “Our Town is Different” or the bittersweet “Breakfast for One” by Geoffrey Mehl.
Enjoy these and other delectable tales from our talented authors including: Courtney Annicchiarico, Terrie Daugherty, Bernadette De Courcey, Marianne H. Donley, Headley Hauser, Ralph Hieb, Judith Mehl, Emily P. W. Murphy, E. L. Ryan, Paul Weidknecht, and Carol L. Wright. To complete today’s specials, we offer tasty tales from Tracy Falenwolfe and C. A. Rowland, winners of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable’s Short Story Awards in 2014 and 2015 respectively. All honed their recipes to write sweet, funny, and strange stories to remember.
Bon Appetit
Marianne’s story “The Widow Next Door” features a tired chef in search of sleep, the noisy kids of the food critic who could kill his new cookbook , and an evil twin brother.
0 0 Read moreMarianne H. Donley: October Featured Author
October 7, 2018 by marianne h donley in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as anthology, Bethlehem Writers Group, Children's stories, Marianne H. Donley, October Featured Author of the Month
Marianne H. Donley taught mathematics to a variety of students from middle school to university level. She now writes fiction from short stories and quirky murder mysteries to humorous romances fueled by her life as a mom and a teacher. Marianne makes her home in Tennessee with her husband, son and a new puppy with very sharp teeth. She is a member of Bethlehem Writers Group, Romance Writers of America, and Music City Romance Writers. Her story in ONCE UPON A TIME, “The Ghosts in Grandma’s Closet,” was written for pre-school age children.
ONCE UPON A TIME
Step through our castle doors into a world of imagination!
At long last, the Bethlehem Writers Group, known for its award-winning anthologies, has published a book especially for children. ONCE UPON A TIME is a collection of twenty-one sweet, funny, and yes, strange stories for kids from preschool through middle school.
This anthology is designed to grow with your child.
First, stories such as “GG and Teddy and the Dream Willow” by Will Wright, “The Princess of Booray” by Emily P. W. Murphy, and “A Nutty Adventure” by Judith Mehl, will enchant those who enjoy being read to while sitting on a grown-up’s lap. Others, including “A Harmonious Secret” by Josie Myers, “Bird Boy” by Russell Uhler, and “Bring-Your-Monster-to-School Day” by Kidd Wadsworth, allow young readers to immerse themselves in the fantasy and adventure of reading on their own. Finally, for older kids, such stories as “Book Worm” by Christopher D. Ochs and “Coot” by Anne Hamilton complete the collection with the tween or early teen in mind.
Enjoy these and other entertaining stories from our award-winning authors including: Jeff Baird, Marianne H. Donley, Ralph Hieb, Diane Sismour, Paul Weidknecht, and Carol L. Wright. In addition, we are happy to present “Stick to the Bypathings,” an imaginative fantasy from Eleanor Ingbretson, the winner of the 2016 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award. And charming illustrations from Agy Wilson enhance each story.
All together, this collection will captivate and delight children of all ages–even if they’re grownups!
“Once Upon a Time is a readable treat . . . the perfect book to snuggle up with before bedtime or share over milk and cookies. . . . [S]ure to delight both youngsters and the young at heart.” A. E. Decker, author of Moonfall Mayhem, the highly praised young adult fantasy series.
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Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month
October 1, 2018 by marianne h donley in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured Author of the Month, Marianne H. Donley, Untethered
Featruing Marianne H. Donley
Marianne H. Donley writes fiction from short stories to funny romances and quirky murder mysteries. She makes her home in Tennessee with her husband and son. Marianne is a member of Bethlehem Writers Group, Romance Writers of America, and Music City Romance Writers. She is pleased to annound that Untethered: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of the Paranormal is available today! In addition to her story, “The Roman Coin” there are twenty-six other stories from the members of Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC included are the winning stories from the 2017 and 2018 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award by Suzanne Purvis and Christine Eskilson respectively. We’re sure you will enjoy this volumn of paranormal stories.
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Featuring Rebecca Forster September Author of the Month
September 29, 2018 by Rebecca Forster in category Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Finn O'Brien Thrillers, Josie Bates Thrillers, Rebecca Forster, September Featured Author
Featuring Rebecca Forster. September Author of the Month
Rebecca Forster started writing novels on a crazy dare.
Now she is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of 29 books which the CBS Legal Correspondent calls, “Perfect. . .impossible to put down.”
After earning her MBA, Forster spent 14 years as a marketing executive before taking the leap from a corporate to a creative career. A fulltime author, speaker and teacher, Rebecca focuses on legal and political thrillers, but is known for bringing an uncommon sense of character and compassion to her work. Her Witness Series, featuring attorney Josie Bates, has resided on the Amazon bestseller lists for over three years in both the U.S. and U.K. and is a featured series at Audible.com. Before Her Eyes, a cross genre thriller, captured the winning votes for Reviewers Choice for Best Mystery.
Rebecca teaches the craft of writing and the cultivation of creativity at programs that have included the acclaimed UCLA Writers Program and as a guest speaker at legal associations, writer’s conferences, women’s symposiums and philanthropic groups across the U.S. She has made repeat appearances at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and volunteers at Southern California middle schools to bring the excitement of writing into the classroom. Appointed to the Patient/Family Advisory Board at Torrance Memorial Hospital, Rebecca advocates for closer relations between patients, families and medical staff to improve care.
Rebecca lives in Southern California. She is married to a prominent Los Angeles Superior Court judge and is the mother of two grown sons. Travel is a passion and when she is not writing you can find her on a tennis court, in front of a sewing machine or on the couch with a book in her hand.
I don’t think the adventure is over yet – and I know that there are still a zillion books to be written – so I hope you’ll check back for updates. Better yet, drop me note. I would love to hear from you.
Below are just some of her books in print.
Featured Books
THE FLING
Every woman is beautiful. Sometimes it just takes the right man to show you just how beautiful you are.
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GRAVESIDE REUNION
A chance encounter with a wealthy congressman leads to an unusual proposition…
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