BOOK REVIEW: THE DAY BAILEY DEVLIN’S HOROSCOPE CAME TRUE BY REBECCA FORSTER – A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
December 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as book review, The Day Bailey Devlin's Horoscope Came True by Rebecca Forster, Veronica JorgeThe Day Bailey Devlin’s Horoscope Came True (Book 1 of the Bailey Devlin Series) by Rebecca Forster
Amazon Digital Services 2015 ASIN: B013XGNI06
Some people don’t celebrate Christmas. Others have overdosed on holiday movies. But EVERYONE loves a good story especially if, like a great meal, it satisfies and nourishes. And we all have hopes, dreams and wishes for the upcoming year.
So before you pick that next book off the shelf or make your New Year resolutions, you need to read Rebecca Forster’s, The Day Bailey Devlin’s Horoscope Came True. You’ll be glad you did!
Bailey Devlin, a lawyer in the making, wants a better life. Don’t we all! She’s sick and tired of living on the low-end as a sandwich maker, coupon-cutting to make ends meet, (they never do), and stifling her gourmet appetite. If she can just pass the upcoming bar exam she’ll have everything she always wanted. So she thinks.
Guided by the stars, Bailey follows her daily horoscope predictions. The latest one tells her that someone will knock on her door and she must let him in. Him? Has to be the love of her life to complete her dream.
Not.
It’s the 92 year-young Grandpa she never knew she had and she’s the designated next-of-kin to care for him. Bailey likens him to a hunk of kryptonite that lands in her living room sapping her strength.
Her life gets turned upside down: bar exam study partners that meet in her apartment ditch her, Ethan, her musician neighbor, and Jeffery, her lawyer friend help her with Grandpa but compete with each other for her affection.
And yes, things get worse.
Bailey shows up in the wrong court room one day to protest a ticket and is berated by the judge. Grandpa rises to her defense by stomping his walker on a guard’s foot, and challenging the judge to remove his sissy dress and “let’s take it out back.” She and Grandpa wind up in a jail cell!
Way past fed-up, unable and unwilling to care for Grandpa, and convinced it will be best for all concerned, Bailey commits Grandpa into the Rainbow Rest Retreat nursing home.
The day of the bar exam arrives and Bailey’s life is back on track… until Jeffery arrives to alert her that Grandpa has suffered a heart attack. Bailey is forced to choose between this stranger called Grandpa and her dream life.
Tende
r and hilarious, The Day Bailey Devlin’s Horoscope Came True will leave you wanting more. It might even make you hug that relative who drives you nuts.
And like Bailey, you may discover that life doesn’t always give you what you expect, but gives you exactly what you need.
See you next year on January 22, 2019. Until then, Happy New Year and Happy Reading!
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BOOK REVIEW: SEVERED RELATIONS BY REBECCA FORSTER – A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
November 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as book review, Rebecca Forster, Severed Relations, Veronica Jorge, Write from the heartSevered Relations (The Finn O’Brien Thriller Series Book 1) by Rebecca Forster
Create Space 2016 ISBN 9781533275516
It’s Thanksgiving. You know what to do: eat, get stuffed like the Turkey, zone out. If you want 
to get the adrenaline pumping and the juices flowing again, yours not the birds’, our own Rebecca Forster has the tryptophan antidote: Severed Relations, Book 1 of her Finn O’Brien Thriller Series.
Every day is great, until it’s not. And one often boasts of their nice neighbors and safe neighborhood…until something happens.
The Barnetts, a well-to-do family on upscale Fremont Place are living the dream: great house, successful husband, stay-at-home mom, two lovely daughters, and a live-in nanny. One happy family of five.
Enter Detective Finn O’Brien to investigate the triple murder that turns their dream into a nightmare. As one of the characters in the story says, “this falls on the far of side of hell.”
Ostracized by his fellow officers for violating the blue code when he killed one of their own: a bad cop, Finn is forced to track down the killer, or killers, on his own. And he can’t count on back-up if things get rough.
Detective Cori Anderson, with ‘feelings’ of her own toward Finn, agrees to partner with him on the case. Together, they attempt to unravel the hideous mystery. Nothing stolen. No apparent enemies. Unlikely targets. It wasn’t the butler, they don’t even have one.
In Severed Relations, Rebecca Forster leads us on a page-turning, suspense-filled, unnerving journey into the h
eart of darkness that reflects real life. Feelings can sometimes blind and mislead you, and events and people are not always what they seem.
See you next time on December 22nd.
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TO WRITE OR NOT TO WRITE BY VERONICA JORGE
September 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as To Write or Not To Write, Veronica Jorge
Some things, I find, are too precious to be shared. Like a priceless jewel, they are best kept secreted away; handled and admired in private.
A vivid memory surfaces. September: first week of school. The teacher’s voice, like chalk streaking across a blackboard, screeching the assignment, Write an essay titled, My Summer Vacation.
I picture myself staple-gunned to the board. My whole self, exposed.
Ignoring the homework was not an option. Okay, it was, but the consequence was an ‘F.’ Not a good way to start the school year. So I used my imagination and wrote about a make-believe trip. In other words…I lied. Shhhh!
My summer vacation included friendships, family outings, shared moments and experiences; some too happy, or too sad to put into words. But it was mostly about all of the places I went within myself that made me grow and go back to school just a little bit older and wiser.
I cannot express how I felt sitting out on the fire-escape staring up at the night sky and dreaming of worlds beyond the stars, in spite of the car hor
ns and fire engines whizzing by. Sometimes my elder brother would join me and point out various constellations; he knew all of their names. Or he’d tell me tales from Greek mythology, like The Wings of Icarus. I knew there was a lesson in that one; follow your parent’s advice.
And why would I want to tell anyone what it was like to go to the Hayden Planetarium with my brother, or share a secret and a hero sandwich with a new friend, or quietly walk shoulder to shoulder with my best friend while eating a Mister Softy ice-cream cone?
Reveal my treasures in an essay?
To a stranger?
For a grade?
I don’t think so!
Which brings me back to the topic of writing, or not. That is the question; though the fact that I ask it seems to provide the answer, “Not.”
I am most content when writing just for myself, or for a small circle of intimate friends. The coffee, sweets, and conversations we share last a life-time and deepen our relationships.
That is the reader and the audience I cherish most.
See you next time on October 22nd.
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FIND YOURSELF…IN THE PAST BY VERONICA JORGE
August 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as book review, The Reluctant Groom and Other Historical Stories By Faith L. Justice, Veronica Jorge, Write from the heart
If you’ve ever thought of history as boring, you don’t know what you’re missing!
The Reluctant Groom and Other Historical Stories by Faith L. Justice s a collection of four intriguing tales that will move you to tears, renew your faith in true love, inspire bravery in you, and make you think twice about parting with an old antique.
The Reluctant Groom, the first story, portrays a sad, lonely and confirmed bachelor brought back to life by the power of love.
The Bitter Winter reminds us of the heart-breaking events that force peoples to migrate; the sacrifices they make for their families, and the risks they take to ensure their future.
In the third story, The Jar, Justice draws attention to the varied and important roles that women have played since the dawn of time, yet are often relegated to a footnote in history.
The final story in the collection, The Angel of the Marshes, highlights the contributions that children have made, frequently shouldering responsibilities like adults and demonstrating creativity and bravery.
The Reluctant Groom and Other Historical Stories will transform you in
to a historical fiction reader, and a Faith L. Justice fan.
Take the plunge and find your own self in the past!
See you next time on September 22nd.
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WRITE LIKE YOU COOK BY VERONICA JORGE
July 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Cook, Veronica Jorge, Write, Write from the heart
Stir the pot; in this case the plot, and you’ll see how alike writing and cooking can be.
Whether you’re writing a novella, (fast food), a novel, (a five-course dinner), or a short story, (preparing a snack), the success of your preparation depends upon mastering the tools of the trade.
Need to perfect a paragraph? Slice and dice to shorten sentences and speed the action.
Introduce suspense? Use a rolling boil.
Brown and simmer to smooth and lengthen a passage and to bring your reader’s heart rate back in rhythm.
Determine your pacing by flash-freezing, nuking in a microwave, or constantly stirring with a long wooden spoon.
Remember that your protagonist has to suffer, so turn up the heat and roast them or slow cook them.
Dealing with your villain offers the most options. Fry them, stew them in their own juice, lay them out with a rolling-pin, grill them or mash them. Alternately, you can prolong their just desserts in an all-day crock pot.
Bake or fricassee, it’s your choice. Just make sure you serve up a delectable morsel each time that will keep your guests coming back for more.
So next time you sit down to write, think about what your readers like and ask, “Can I take your order?”
See you next time on August 22nd.
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