The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. We post our thoughts, talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered, and our struggles and triumphs. Hopefully we offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling.
The awesome co-hosts for the March 2 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, Pat Garcia, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence! Thanks, ladies. Much appreciated.
This month’s question: March 2 question - Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?
I’m passing on this one. Anyone else had a conflict on writing a story or scene?
February/March reviews in no particular order.
*Disclaimer. If I run into an occasional typo, I ignore it and don’t factor it into my review.
POUR IT ON (Keystone Couples) By Staci Troilo
What a fun novella.
Romy Chandler desperately needs a sommelier. Her restaurant is hosting a meet and greet in a few hours and she needs someone who knows their way around a good wine.
Rick Santucci is looking for outlets to sell wines from his vineyard.
When he walks into Romy’s restaurant, he’s immediately mistaken for an applicant applying for the sommelier job. The mix up that ensues leads to hilarious moments, confusion…and love.
Troilo fans will definitely enjoy this sparkling read.
Available at Amazon.
THE REBEL’S REDEMPTION by Jacquie Biggar
As a hot-tempered youth, Jared Martin left home, hurting the people who loved him best. Now he’s back, only to discover he has an eight-year-old son he knew nothing about. Unfortunately, trouble comes with him, putting everyone he cares about in danger. To save them, he turns to someone he knows he can rely on, a brother SEAL.
Ms. Biggar does a masterful job of entwining suspense and love in another heart-pounding story in the Wounded Hearts series.
Available at Amazon.
JUST AN ODD JOB GIRL by Sally Cronin
This was a delightful read about Imogen, a woman in her fifties, who is traded in for a younger model. It’s been years since she worked and has no training to speak of. When she goes to a temp agency and starts reminiscing about past odd jobs, she discovers that she has more to offer than she realized.
Ms. Cronin always breathes life into her characters, making them feel real enough to tumble off the page and say hello😊.
Available at Amazon.
DIRTY AIR by Joe Congel
Congel has another keeper.
The third book in the Razzman Mystery Crime Files series is every bit as good as the first two. In Dirty Air, Rozzito—a baseball man—finds himself emersed in NASCAR where a favorite driver has been murdered. Just when he and his partner think they’ve got it figured out, the case takes another unexpected twist and keeps the partners—as well as the readers—guessing.
I like Razzman’s partner Scott and his girlfriend Karen, but my favorite character is Scott’s and Tony’s trusty sidekick Vinnie. He steals the show.
For Razzman devotees, you won’t be disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and look forward to the next in the series. Keep them coming, Mr. Congel.😊
Available at Amazon.
66 comments:
I love writing, it gives me a great escape, and would love to write a book of my own, but at times when I try to proofread what I have written, it doesn't flow the way I think it should.
I love a good mystery and Dirty Air sounds fun to me.
As for the question, I am NOT a writer, but as a blogger, I have been conflicted about writing a story on my blog because it is probably something very personal that probably should have remained private.
Hi Sandra - some interesting sounding reads - we need escapes at the moment. Good luck to all authors and bloggers writing posts ... cheers Hilary
Loved to see what you're reading. I like mysteries and will try to check out Dirty Air.
I love mysteries too! I don't really run into that kind of conflict in my writing.
I tend to avoid the conflict.
I had issues with that when people in the family were contributing memories to the family history book. I did my best to incorporate most but was also careful that it didn't become a vengeance fest! You can reveal those feelings without the whole story.
Last one sounds cool.
Thanks so much for sharing your review here too Sandra... Lovely to see Imogen get some love..♥
Some fun books on the programme again! Hugs, Valerie
Thanks for sharing your reviews! These books sound like fun reads.
Writing is a great escape, isn't it, Lon?
And the flow thing...we all experience it. Go for it;)
Indeed. You have to walk a fine line on family history, don't you, Jeanie?
And I'm left pondering NASCAR and Dirty Air. Hmmm... Very intriguing.
That's a lot of reading in a lot of genres. You're prolific AND open-minded!
DIRTY AIR is definitely a fun read:)
I hear ya on how much to disclose on a blog. Another fine line.
Good movies, series and books. My go-to escapes.
Cheers, Hils.
Good on you, Natalie:) I really enjoy this series. Joe's created a great character. I'm sure you made his day:)
I just got some new reads. Thank you.
Mysteries are great reads, aren't they, Jennifer?
That works;)
Thanks for the reviews!
It is, for sure:)
My pleasure, Sally. Imogen was all kinds of fun:)
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read them, Christine.
No conflicts here. Sounds like some winners there indeed.
Thanks for your reviews. Some good books there.
It's always interesting to see what someone is reading. Thanks for the book list, Sandra.
I don't know if I've been conflicted, but definitely frustrated! Great reviews :) I loved Pour it On and The Rebel's Redemption. I have Just an Odd Job Girl and the first PI story on my TBR list.
Entirely my pleasure, Lee. Thanks for stopping by.
For sure:)
Good to see you (in a cyber sense:)
Intriguing, indeed:)
It's a good series.
Nice selection of reviews, Sandra.
Yes, Sandra, writing truly does allow me to escape!
Have a lovely night!
super reviews, Sandra
Wonderful reviews, Sandra. I've read the first three books and enjoyed each one very much. Thank you for sharing.
Happy Wednesday
I don't know if I've been conflicted, but definitely frustrated!--I love that.
All good choices:)
xo
Glad you think so, Val:)
Hugs received and returned.
Gracias por la reseña y si me ha pasado que no me revisor hacer una escena muy erótica. Te mando un beso.
They are for sure, Janet.
Thanks for co-hosting this month.
Thanks, C.D. They were all well-told tales. AND Thanks for stopping by.
Yay:)
You bet, Nas:) All enjoyable reads.
Thanks, Joan. I enjoyed all four stories. AND thanks for stopping by:)
Thanks, John. AND thanks for stopping by.
They were great, weren't they, Gwen?
And to you, Adam.
Thanks, J.P.
Some people like erotic romance others not so much.
Sending you a hug,
Some interesting new releases, thanks for sharing.
I'm always conflicted when I write. When I was writing Grace & Serenity, I worried if I was throwing too much horror Grace's way, but found I couldn't stop myself in the end.
Fantastic reviews, Sandra!! Thank you for sharing. I've read "Pour It On," and loved it. Jacquie's book is on my Kindle waiting. I know I am going to love reading about Jared. A great selection of books!
That question must have stirred up emotions. I can see that for sure when I think of my conflict in just writing my music post. Considering what’s going on in Ukraine because of Omni -impotent Puddin’, I decided not to use the song , “Springtime for Hitler”. It’s very funny and Mel Brooks is Jewish who finds it best to condemn The Nazi regime by making fun of it. Anyway, that is so nice of you to discuss all these books. I enjoyed the synopsis and like the humorous romance one and a good mystery.
Wonderful reviews, Sandra. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks, Annalisa. Good stories one and all.
That would be a tough decision, but I'm guessing Grace is strong enough to deal with the extra horror.
Thanks, Jan:) Pour It On was a fun read.
I'm hearing all good things about your latest....:)
Thanks, Birgit. Good on you for putting such thought into your post, and taking into consideration the current situation.
Have a great one.
You are most welcome. Thanks so much for stopping by;)
Hi Sandra! Thank you for including my book, Dirty Air. I’m going to take a crack at your question - I was extremely conflicted when writing a couple of the scenes in my first book, Dead is Forever. I have two different scenes where my MC finds himself involved sexually with a woman. I think overall I handled the scenes well but I still agonize over them to this day. Because of that, it’s the only book in the series that I included a bit more detail as to what was happening. In the other books I simply imply any lovemaking. However, I’ve come to believe that the way I wrote those scenes in the first book was necessary based on the turmoil that the MC was going through. And now I feel it’s more tasteful writing it as implied based on the evolution the MC has gone through in the books that followed. Thanks again for including Dirty Air this month! :)
You did a fine job on Dead is Forever. No worries there.
Dirty Air is another winner:)
I tried repeatedly to comment yesterday, but my phone just WOULD NOT let me. Hopefully this goes through today.
Jacquie and I have been reviewed at the same time on different sites recently, and it's always an honor to be included with her. Bonus to me on this post, as I was listed among so many talented authors. Thank you so much for this lovely review, Sandra. It made my day. (Twice now, actually. �� ) Hugs.
Thanks for introducing us to what sounds like entertaining reads.
I loved Staci and Sally and of course, YOUR books! I have trouble with intimate scenes, but in romance novels they're sometimes necessary :)
Thanks so much for the awesome review!
Hi Staci,
Blogger is just so very temperamental.
All four of you did a wonderful job of storytelling. Kudos. Looking forward to my next Troilo read:)
My pleasure, Cuz. Glad you stopped by.
Right there with you on intimate scenes.
Thanks for the awesome read:)
You're good for my ego, Sandra. Thank you.
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