Homecoming Chaos by D.W. Brooks

 

 

Can Jamie survive the chaos and protect her family’s business, deal with her family, and handle the dance with the hot detective without managing to get herself killed?

Homecoming Chaos

A Model MD Novel

by D.W. Brooks

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Fiction

A dead body in the parking lot of her family’s business, a killer on the loose, and a handsome detective asking a lot of questions…

Jamie Scott’s life fell apart four years ago when she broke off her engagement, turned down a dream job, and went overseas to run away from her life. Now she’s back, but the reunion is not without problems. She arrives home just in time to attend the soiree her mother planned, but she’s not prepared for what she finds—a dead employee in the parking lot.

Detective Nick Marshall is assigned to the murder case at the forensics lab owned by Jamie’s family. He meets the headstrong Jamie, but he has a job to do. And his attraction to her… well, he’s a professional.

Jamie knows the stakes are high. She has to face the past and save her parents’ business while dealing with her family drama and an uncertain future. She also has to deal with Nick, who wants her out of the way of his investigation. But fate keeps throwing them in one another’s paths… and into chaos that they both want to avoid, but neither can seem to escape.

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Jamie entered the simply appointed room decorated in blue, white, and seafoam green. The attached bathroom incorporated blue and white colors. Jamie sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room. Since she never lived here, the room didn’t hold many personal touches, as did Jon’s and Jillian’s rooms. There were plenty of pillows, a complete set of cherry wood bedroom furniture, and a mid- sized flat-screen TV above the chest of drawers. It represented a fitting guest room since she was now a guest—a nervous guest at that. What if her mother verbally eviscerated her again? Could she deal? Jamie realized she was delaying her meeting with her mom for as long as possible. What else could she do to kill time? 

She peeked in the closet to see if she had left any clothes behind from four years ago. Unfortunately, she found nothing that would be appropriate for what would be a formal event on Sunday night. 

She went into the bathroom and removed her baseball cap to inspect the state of her hair in the mirror. I was fine for a quiet home visit, but not for a dressy affair. Jamie had let her relaxer grow out while she was out of the country. She typically flat-twisted her natural hair to emphasize the wave pattern. Before this trip, she had only washed, conditioned, and air-dried her hair, thinking that she would have some time after her arrival to moisturize and comb it. Now, it was just squashed down by her hat. Ugh. Since she wouldn’t be able to prep before talking to her mother, she would have to atone by looking her best for the party. For such a formal affair, she would have to visit a salon for a trim and style. 

There was a knock on the bedroom door. “Come in!” Jamie yelled as she tucked her cap back onto her head and came out of the bathroom. Jon placed her bags inside her door. “Mother is waiting for you downstairs. I’m going to my room to avoid the tearful reunion.” He didn’t live there anymore but still called his childhood room “his room”. 

Jamie sighed. Time to woman up. “OK. Let me wash my face, and I’ll be down. Where is she, exactly?” she inquired. 

    “Still in the study. Good luck.” 

 The author is a doctor and editor who lives in Texas with her husband and children. She enjoys trying to stay in shape, sporadically cooking, reading (still), writing, and working on her blog. She is eternally grateful to the woman who donated a kidney to her over 5 years ago and continues to advocate for organ donation as much as she can.

To learn more about D. W. Brooks and future publications and events, visit https://authordwbrooks.com.

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The Brighter the Light by Mary Ellen Taylor

 

by Mary Ellen Taylor

Southern Fiction

Amazon Kindle Buy Link

Book Blurb:

When a shipwreck surfaces, old secrets are sure to follow.

Or so goes the lore in Ivy Neale’s hometown of Nags Head, North Carolina. When Ivy inherits her family’s beachfront cottage upon her grandmother’s death, she knows returning to Nags Head means facing the best friend and the boyfriend who betrayed her years ago.

But then a winter gale uncovers the shipwreck of local legend—and Ivy soon begins to stumble across more skeletons in the closet than just her own. Amid the cottage’s clutter are clues from her grandmother’s past at the enchanting seaside resort her family once owned. One fateful summer in 1950, the arrival of a dazzling singer shook the staff and guests alike—and not everyone made it to fall.

As Ivy contends with broken relationships and a burgeoning romance in the present, the past threatens to sweep her away. But as she uncovers the strength of her grandmother and the women who came before her, she realizes she is like the legendary shipwreck: the sands may shift around her, but she has found her home here by the sea.

Review by Stephanie Suesan Smith:

Coming home to a fraught world of relationships and betrayals, Ivy tries to find her feet.  I enjoyed this novel.  It was well written and I read it all in one sitting.  Everyone has skeletons in their closet, and I could empathize with this heroine as she finds hers.  I would recommend this novel.

Caroline will be back soon.  She is finishing her novel Gentry, which will be out soon.

STARLA'S CHRISTMAS CONUNDRUM

The author has a Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post!

Starla's Christmas Conundrum

by
Carol E. Keen

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Clean Romance

In the greatest conflict of her life, can she figure out who to trust?

Starla Devaroux is at the peak of her music career. Life as a popular
Christian music artist is good. This Christmas she finds herself at
the crossroads of several life-altering choices. It's quite a
conundrum; the path she takes this time will not only define her
future but alter the lives of others as well.

Readers' Reviews

"The main characters were very likable, I could really put myself in
Starla's shoes."

"It was charming and romantic, and I want to marry Mason, lol."

Enjoy an excerpt:

“My name is Mason. I’m sorry to stare, but you’re interesting to watch, and for some reason, you seem so very familiar. That sounded horribly cheesy, but it’s the truth.”

“I appreciate your honesty and candor. I fear I have a familiar face for certain reasons that shall remain nameless for now. I will share my first name, though. It’s Starla.”

The blonde haired, dark-eyed man stood up and came over to her table. He reached out to shake her hand, and then, to her shock, kissed the top of her hand.

“The pleasure is definitely mine in getting to meet you. Do you mind if I sit here?” He was already sinking into the seat, so there was no time to object. Mason placed his iced tea and newspaper on the table and settled in.

Well, I’d go back to reading, but I can’t concentrate with him sitting here. Starla sipped her tea and glanced at Mason again. He was reading his paper without an obvious care in the world, other than his foot tapping to the various seasonal songs that were playing. What should I do now? Right about then, he peaked at her over his paper. Great, now I’ve really done it.

His eyes sparkled and dropping the paper, he smiled. “It’s nice to have someone to sit with. I’m sure you’ve noticed.” Mason inclined his head towards the rest of the cafe and out the windows beyond. It was teeming with couples. Couples holding hands, couples sitting close with their heads together giggling and smiling, walking and holding hands, laughing, and overall, appearing happily in love.

“Um, I see what you mean. I think I’ve been so involved in my work for so long that I hadn’t fully realized…” Starla left her sentence unfinished.

“Quite right. I know that feeling well. My work has kept me very occupied and then there seems to have been somewhat of a timing issue in my life. I hope you don’t mind if we look like we aren’t alone for a little while?” Mason had a questioning look on his face.

“No, it’s actually, well, a bit nice.” Starla smiled a shy smile, her dimples showing just a little. Just then, one of her Christmas songs came over the radio. One of the classical ones, not one she’d written.

Mason listened briefly, then his eyes widened. “Ah. You’re that Starla. That’s your voice on this song, isn’t it?”

“Oh my, guilty as charged. Yes, that’s me.” Starla held her breath. What would his next reaction bring?

“Then, we have more in common than I’d anticipated. It might help if I shared my last name, now that I have discovered yours. Mason Dixxon.” Mason winked.

“Ah! Are you the Mason Dixxon that I think you are? Are you the lead singer with the British accent I so adore, from the Christian rock band, ‘The Edge’?”

“Yep, hopefully, the one and only.” Mason chuckled.

**Only .99 cents!!**

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Carol E. Keen enjoys fresh coffee, hot tea, and a good book. She was
published for several years in FAMA magazine (Freshwater And Marine
Aquarium) as a contributing editor. She published her first book on
CD, called Simply Seahorses.

She is the author of The Beauty Series and The Corandira Station, to name
a few of her works. She currently resides in the South with her
husband and family and spends her time writing, reading, working in
photography, and being with her much loved critters.

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[

STORY OF COURAGE AND INTEGRITY

Mr. Harvey has a Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of the post.

GAP-TOOTHED GIRL
By Ray Harvey

Contemporary Fiction

Date Published: August 2018

Publisher: Pearl Button Press

“Tournament night in a sweltering Las Vegas stadium, and the girl with the gap-toothed smile stood bleeding in her ballet slippers.”

Thus begins Gap-Toothed Girl, the story of Dusty May, a Lakota orphan with an iron will, who runs away from the horrific circumstances of her foster home and her foster father — a man of beast-like brilliance and power — to pursue her dream of lightness and ballet, even as her foster father unleashes an army to bring her down.

Part literary fiction, part thriller, part dance story, Gap-Toothed Girl is at its core a tale of human joy and freedom of will — a “relentlessly paced novel” combining “the surreal imagery of Nabokov with the psychological complexity of Dostoevsky” (Fort Collins Forum) to investigate the depths of the human psyche and the indomitable will to succeed, ultimately plumbing the very nature of human happiness and the human soul.

GAP-TOOTHED GIRL Excerpt

Chapter 1

Tournament night in a sweltering Las Vegas stadium, and the girl with the gap-toothed smile stood bleeding in her ballet slippers. The sodium lights of the arena lay upcast on the low-hanging sky above. An electrical charge hummed through the air: a crackling undercurrent that came neither from the lights nor from the distant heat lightning, but from the galvanized excitement of the crowd.
Before her, some twenty feet away and elevated four feet off the ground, there stretched a long green balance beam, atop which, at the southernmost end, stood eight empty whiskey bottles. The bottles were perfectly upright and in single file. A small springboard crouched in front.

High above her floated a long banner which said, in shimmering red letters:

A CONTEST OF MOTION

She closed her eyes and inhaled. The air was dry. She stood alone upon the stage. She was dusky-limbed, Lakota. She held her breath a moment and then she released it.

When she opened her eyes, her gaze settled on the objects before her: the springboard, the balance beam, the whiskey bottles. The heat hung heavy. A rill of sweat slid between her breasts. She didn’t see the tiny camera-flash explosions igniting everywhere around her from within the darkness of the stadium. She forgot that there were thousands of eyes fixed upon her. She forgot also the pain in her toes and was unaware of the bleed-through and the blood leaking like ink across the entire top part of her slipper.

Offstage in the shadows, a lanky youth in a baseball cap gave a thumbs-up, but it wasn’t directed toward her.

A man with a microphone emerged on stage. He was thin and well-dressed and darkly complexioned.
A hush came over the crowd. The man held the microphone to his mouth. His voice came booming through the speakers with great clarity.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “ladies and gentleman. May I have your attention, please? Thank you. We are finally at the end of the night, and — my Lord — what a night it’s been. What a competition.”

The crowd erupted.

“We have seen — excuse me, please — we have seen tonight some of the very best dancers in the world, and I’m sure you know this is not an exaggeration. We have only one more to go. Did we save the best for last? Need I remind you that there’s fifty thousand dollars at stake here?”

He paused.

“Now,” he said, “now, then. Do you see this young woman up on the stage with me? I’m told she’s about to do something that only one other person in human history is known to have done, and that was Ms. Bianca Passarge, of Hamburg, Germany, in 1958 — except Ms. Passarge, I am told, was not mounting a balance beam when she did her routine. Can this little girl — all 115 pounds of her — I  say, can she do it? Can she steal the money from these big city boys and girls, the Bronx break dancers and West Coast B-Boys and all the others who have astounded us here tonight with their strength and agility and their grace of motion? Folks, we are about to find out.”

The crowd erupted again. The MC turned and looked at the girl on stage behind him.

He winked.

He lowered the microphone and said in an unamplified voice that sounded peculiar to her:
“Are you ready?”

He smiled kindly.

She nodded.

He gave her the A-OK sign with his fingers and nodded back. Then her lips broke open in return, disclosing, very slightly, her endearing gap-toothed smile.

He brought the microphone back to his mouth and turned again to the audience.
“Here we go!” he said.

The crowd went dead-silent in anticipation.

“Okay, okay!” she thought. All ten of her fingers wiggled unconsciously and in unison.
Abruptly, then, the lights above her darkened while simultaneously the lights behind her brightened, and then the music began: fast-paced and throbbing and happy.

She bolted forward.

She sprinted toward the balance beam and with astonishing speed executed a back handspring onto the springboard, vaulting into a full fluid backflip on one foot upon the beam — which in the very same motion turned into another back handspring, and then another, all to within inches of the bottles at the far end of the beam. This entire process took no more than five seconds. Here she paused for a fraction and then performed a half turn. From there she leapt lightly onto the first upright whiskey bottle, which wobbled only slightly under her weight. She placed her other toe catlike upon the next whiskey bottle, and then she raised herself en point to great heights….

About the Author

Ray A. Harvey, novelist, essayist, published poet, athlete, and editor, son of Firman Charles Harvey (RIP) and his wife Cecilia, youngest of thirteen half brothers and half sisters, was born and raised in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. He’s worked as a short-order cook, copyeditor, construction laborer, crab fisherman, janitor, pedi-cab driver, bartender, and more. He’s also written and ghostwritten a number of published books, poems, and essays, but no matter where he’s gone or what he’s done to earn a living, literature and learning have always existed at the core of his life.

Contact Links

Website

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

www.journalpulp.com

Purchase Link

Amazon

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THE ACCIDENTAL ART THIEF AND A LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER!

Lazy Days of Summer $250 Giveaway
July 6th to 26th

Thanks to this fabulous group on bloggers and authors for joining me to bring you this awesome giveaway. Enter for your chance to win $250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon Gift Card.

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The Accidental Art Thief

by
Joan Scheighardt

Genre:
Contemporary Fiction

For
a quarter of a century forty-five-year-old Zinc has worked as a
caretaker for a wealthy old man, living in a small casita on his
ranch in New Mexico. She doesn't make much money, but she has the old
man, her dogs, and gorgeous views of the mountains. She is basically
a very content recluse who doesn't invest much time thinking about
what she might do if her circumstances change. So when the old man
dies suddenly, and his daughter all but throws her off the property,
Zinc is forced to reinvent herself—and quickly. With a touch of
magical realism and a collection of offbeat characters, The
Accidental Art Thief explores the thin line between life and death
and the universal forces that connect all things. 

"Zinc
is an engaging, quirky, and utterly unique heroine, instantly
likeable, with a hefty mixture of strong intelligence and
overwhelming naivety…. While the novel is realistic, there is
subtle magic woven in nearly every line, as coincidence and confusion
come together into what might be termed the wisdom of time, spirit,
and love." ~ Magdelena Ball, CompulsiveReader.com, author of
Sublime Planet, Black Cow, and other titles.

"Schweighardt
populates her modern-day odyssey through the southwest with
fascinating, quirky characters thrust into a complex (and hilarious)
web of emotional turmoil, poignant misperceptions, and downright
lies. As laugh-out-loud funny as it is thought provoking." ~
Julie Mars, author of the memoir A Month of Sundays: Searching for
the Spirit and My Sister, and the novels Rust, Anybody Any Minute,
and The Secret Keepers.

"A
sensitive, gripping, artfully rendered novel that kept me reading
from the first page to the last." ~ Faye Rapoport DesPres,
author of the memoir-in-essays Message from a Blue Jay.

Goodreads
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Interview with the Author
Joan Schweighardt

Describe your book

The Accidental Art Thief is about a forty-five-year-old woman, Zinc, who has worked for many years as a caretaker for a wealthy old man, living in a small casita on his ranch in New Mexico. She doesn't make much money, but she has the old man, her dogs, and gorgeous views of the mountains. She is basically a very content recluse who doesn't invest much time thinking about what she might do if circumstances change. So when the old man dies suddenly, and his daughter all but throws her off the property, Zinc is forced to reinvent herself—and quickly.

What inspired you to write this book?

A number of years ago I sent an email to a friend of mine, but because I misspelled her email address, it actually landed in a stranger’s inbox. The stranger and I discovered we had a lot in common and we became great friends for a while. My protagonist has the same thing happen; an email she intends for one person winds up in someone else’s possession. That’s the end of the similarity. But my reinterpretation of the experience became the nucleus for the novel, with all kinds of other events clustering around it.

What are some of your pet peeves?

We have lots of wonderful bike/walking paths in the city of Albuquerque where I live. Walkers, runners and bike riders can get almost anywhere without ever having to go out on the roads. I myself use the paths for both walking my dog and riding my bike. One of my pet peeves is that a lot of people who bypass me on their bikes don’t bother to shout out, On your left, or On your right, and if you are a daydreamer like me, it can scare the hell out of you when someone goes whizzing by on such a narrow path without any warning… not to mention it puts my lovely dog in jeopardy. I’ve tried hard not to let any of my characters take on any of my pet peeves, but I admit the character Sonie in The Accidental Art Thief has a serious problem with people who fly by her on their bikes.

What do you hope readers will get from your book?

I will be thrilled if readers walk away feeling highly entertained. The book deals with the plight of the protagonist, Zinc, who gets thrown out of the only home she has known for the last 25 years in the first chapter, and the plight of Marge, the woman responsible for throwing her out. Their trajectories crisscross throughout the book, and ultimately impact one another. The plot line is humorous, maybe even a little zany. On the more subtle level the book touches on themes of betrayal, forgiveness, isolation, self reliance, how we think about money in today’s day and age, and the thin line between life and death. So there’s a lot going on, but it doesn’t feel “heavy.”

Joan Schweighardt 
is the author of five novels, and more on the way. In
addition to her own writing projects, she writes, ghostwrites, and
edits for individuals and corporations. 

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40 SOMETHING BY SHANNON PEEL FOLLOWS FIVE WOMEN

40 SOMETHING
by

Shannon Peel

Genre:
Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction

Five
women navigate life while juggling careers, children, family, and the
men in their lives.

Charlie

is bored with the family tradition of Sunday Dinner so she brings a
friend her family won't approve of to spice things up a bit. Will
this friend go too far and cause too much damage?

Rose
only wants to do what is right and keep her family safe. How can she
do that when the world is so dangerous and her teenagers so willful.
Will helping a friend invite trouble into her perfect world?

Lindsay
loves to have fun and enjoys the company of men. She is a modern
playgirl who will stop at nothing to get a man's attention. Will she
find what she's looking for or something unexpected?

Sophie
wants to keep the peace and keep everyone happy, especially her
ex-husband, so her children will live with her full time. Will she
lose the children if she can't afford to take care of them?

Justine

wants to escape her perfect life, she just doesn't realize it. Will
she find the passion that is missing or will she continue to hide
behind her computer screen?  

Goodreads * Buy Link

Shannon Peel, Author

Shannon
Peel grew up in Enderby, BC where her family's roots run deep. Growing
up where television was either non existent or very limited she
relied on books and imagination to escape into the world
beyond. 

She
went to UBC to study and earn a general studies BA with a
concentration in Political Science and Economics. Macro analysis of
world events, social justice and human motivations became a passion
of hers. This passion is a driving force in all her stories, which
have political, economic, and social justice undercurrents. 

After
a career in the financial field she decided to stay home and raise
her two children until school age. In 2007 she return to the
workforce as a sales / marketing / advertising professional. She
currently resides in BC's Lower Mainland with her two teenage
children. 

Shannon
Peel is a creative, intelligent professional with a 20 year proven
track record in sales, marketing, customer relations, project
management, presentations, and communication. 

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BEHIND PICKET FENCES FOLLOWS FOUR FAMILIES

Behind Picket Fences

by Hend Hegazi

GENRE:    Fiction - contemporary

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION AT THE END OF THE POST!

BEHIND PICKET FENCES Blurb:

Behind Picket Fences exposes four families from behind their comfortable lifestyles and smiling faces. Sharing the same neighborhood, even spending time together, no family knows the truth about the difficulties the others face. 

On the outside, Sidra and Farris have the biggest house and the most expensive cars. What no one sees is their struggle to accept an unfulfilled dream. If they do not adapt to the blows of fate, their malcontent may give birth to deception.  

Mariam and Morgan’s modest home exudes the rich scent of family. With children playing in the yard, they seem picture perfect. But financial struggle is their continuous battle, and their only solution may produce an envy which is more destructive than hunger.

Summer and Porter enjoy youth and the freedom of self-employment. But discontentment and mental instability linger between them. If they are not able to bridge the gap, their search for happiness may have a fatal end.

May and Hasan enjoy peace and true happiness. Illness cares not, however, of letting them relish in their blessings. Only patience and time will prove if this unwelcome visitor is simply passing by, or if it will tear their world apart.

An honest portrayal of love and family, Behind Picket Fences opens our eyes to the difficult truths hidden behind each happy facade.

BEHIND PICKET FENCES Excerpt:

At half past six she began to get worried, but told herself to give him fifteen more minutes. “His will be the next car around the turn,” she assured herself. But the passing of more than a few cars and fifteen minutes made her unable to wait any longer. She dialed his number once, with no answer. She hung up and dialed again immediately. The second time, there was an answer.

“Hello?” the woman’s voice said.

The words Summer had been ready to speak got lodged in her throat and she stood there, barely breathing.

“Hello?” the voice repeated, a little louder this time.

Summer’s hand began to shake and a moment later she let the phone drop from her weak fingers. Her breathing became labored and she raised her hand to her chest to soothe the jabbing, but the pain would not cease. Rather, it spread from her heart and ran all through her body. Her legs suddenly became too weak to hold her and she fell seated to the floor.

What a cruel way to tell me, Porter, she thought as the tears streamed down her face. So cruel.

The guilt in her told her she deserved it. She had deceived him in the worst way possible and broken his heart; why wouldn’t he seek comfort in the arms of someone else?

But then why had he agreed to dinner? Simply to get revenge? To make me feel the pain that I had put him through? Really? Why did I let myself get my hopes up? Why did I think he could forgive me? Why did I not expect him to turn to another woman? All the questions ran through her mind as her heavy breathing turned to sobs and she cradled herself, rocking back and forth. Porter had just shattered the last bit of hope she had been clinging to, and broken any remaining pieces of her heart.

The tears flowed for what felt like hours. When they finally stopped, she stood up feeling drained and jaded. Summer cleaned up the kitchen, her body unable to move at its usual pace. She threw the food directly into the garbage instead of putting it away in the fridge; she wanted no reminders of the evening she had expected to have. Carefully, she walked to her bedroom and stepped out of her dress and into a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. Pulling her hair into a tight pony tail, she turned off all the lights in the house, and paused just outside the bathroom. The medicine cabinet seemed to whisper her name.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Hend Hegazi was born and raised in Southeastern Massachusetts. Despite her desire to pursue writing as a profession, she graduated from Smith College with a degree in biology and a minor in religion. Shortly thereafter, the winds of life and love blew her to Egypt where she has been living for the past 14 years. She is a full time mother of four as well as a freelance writer and editor. Some of her work has been featured in SISTERS Magazine. Her fiction and poetry focus on the human condition, often shedding light on the Muslim American experience. Hend strives to be God-conscious and aims to raise that awareness in her readers. As a common theme in her pieces, the intimate relationship between God-consciousness and love is often explored. Hend’s debut novel, NORMAL CALM, was published in January 2014.

You can read her poetry and blog posts on her website, www.hendhegazi.com, and follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorHendHegazi. For updates on giveaways and special offers, kindly opt-in to her free newsletter at this link http://eepurl.com/bZa7fH.

Both of her novels are available through most major book distributors, or click here to purchase through Amazon: Normal Calm, Behind Picket Fences.

INTERVIEW

Where did you grow up? Siblings? Locale? Were you considered a “bookworm” or a jock? Married, single? Children? 

I was born and raised in Attleboro, Massachusetts. I grew up the middle child between two brothers. I enjoyed swimming (still do) but after the first season of swim in high school, I began to wear hijab, so I opted out of the swim team in subsequent years. (The burkini had not yet found its fame.) I was never fast enough to compete anyway, although I had ‘good form.’) I enjoyed being on the tennis team, but didn’t pursue it after high school. I attended Smith College, hated it my first couple of years then loved it. I graduated in 2000 with a degree in biology and a minor in religion (because a minor in chem was simply too much lab time!). I was enrolled in optometry school in Boston when my plans changed due to a sudden death in the family. I dropped out during the first week, then worked for a year as a chemist (go figure!) in a pharmaceutical lab on the outskirts of Boston. I worked for about a year, then I moved to Egypt (against my parent’s better judgment) to be with my now husband. We’ve been married for just shy of 15 years, and we have four kids ranging in age from 6 to 14. I’m the kind of person who acclimates easily to her environment, so moving here wasn’t too difficult, especially since the culture is the same that my parents raised us in. Nevertheless, there are some things I simply can’t adjust to (the crazy traffic is the first thing that comes to mind, followed closely by the atrocious educational system, just to name a couple).

Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres? 

My favorite author is Khaled Hosseini. And while I enjoy many different genres (from paranormal to crime fiction to the classics), my favorite is probably contemporary fiction. I relate easily to the issues contemporary fiction explores as well as the emotions it challenges us with.

Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

I don’t have a favorite quote, but I used to. It was ‘A baby’s being born,’ meaning that despite all the hurt or ugliness going on, right at this moment, a beautiful, innocent, pure soul is being brought into the world. That used to ease my heart, even temporarily. But now, that exact same quote increases my anxiety; the world is getting uglier by the day, and the children will be the ones who will (are already??) suffer the most. Unfortunately, I have become a bit of a cynic.

Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop? 

I definitely need quiet to write. Usually I sit at the dining room table in the morning, while the kids are at school. I prefer to handwrite into my notebook; yes, it takes much longer (because eventually everything must be transcribed onto the laptop), but I like the feel of the pen in my hand, I like not being tied down to the computer.

Are you a plotter or a panzer? 

I am a pantser, but I have sticky notes all over my notebook and comments all over my documents that guide me. I find outlines stifle the creative process. I am planning on writing a memoir in the near future, and for that, I will probably prefer the organization of an outline.

Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories? 

My characters are never replicas of real people, but they almost always have adopted characteristics from real people that I’ve met. For example, Morgan, one of the men in Behind Picket Fences, was modeled after someone I know and don’t particularly care for. With his inferiority complex and depreciating tendencies, you’ll find that readers won’t like him too much. Hassan, on the other hand, also adopted characteristics from real people. Despite his faults, readers will probably have increased compassion for him.

Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?

My writing goal is to write for about two hours per day. Somedays that means quite a few pages, other days, it means staring at a blank page for an hour and a half and writing only one page.

What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

I hope that my books teach people a bit about forgiveness and love. I hope that my characters—the ones who seem at first glance to be irredeemable—will, thorough their humanity, arouse a sense of compassion from my readers. I also hope that my books will teach people that, despite our different colors and religions, we all yearn for the same things: love and compassion. I hope that my readers will learn a bit about what it means to be Arab American, and begin to feel that reading about Muslim characters is just as normal as reading about characters who are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist, or anything else.

What long-term plans do you have for your career?

I’m currently finishing up the first draft of my third novel. It’s about a topic I have limited knowledge of (high functioning autism), so I still have much research and then re-writing to do. Once that book is complete, I hope to start on my memoir.

What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

OWN it! I don’t mean the pieces of writing that you produce, but your craft. Once you start calling yourself a writer, you start taking your writing career seriously; that is the first step in succeeding.

Share a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you.

I hate my handwriting. Weird, right? I mean, you’d think a writer, and one who tends to write with pen and paper rather than on a computer, would have developed handwriting that she’s proud of. But no. I hate it.

Share something about you that would surprise or shock readers.

I tend to be a quiet person, preferring to listen than to talk. I’m not really a trouble maker, never was. But…when I was a senior at Smith, one of my friends and I TP-ed our hallway! My friend was even quieter, more soft-spoken, and even less likely to start trouble than myself! We zigzagged the toilet paper, using tape to secure it all through the hallway. Our other housemates were surprised by the masterpiece that awaited them the following morning when they got up. We cleaned it all up, of course, but it was such fun creating it.

Where did you grow up? Siblings? Locale? Were you considered a “bookworm” or a jock? Married, single? Children? 

I was born and raised in Attleboro, Massachusetts. I grew up the middle child between two brothers. I enjoyed swimming (still do) but after the first season of swim in high school, I began to wear hijab, so I opted out of the swim team in subsequent years. (The burkini had not yet found its fame.) I was never fast enough to compete anyway, although I had ‘good form.’) I enjoyed being on the tennis team, but didn’t pursue it after high school. I attended Smith College, hated it my first couple of years then loved it. I graduated in 2000 with a degree in biology and a minor in religion (because a minor in chem was simply too much lab time!). I was enrolled in optometry school in Boston when my plans changed due to a sudden death in the family. I dropped out during the first week, then worked for a year as a chemist (go figure!) in a pharmaceutical lab on the outskirts of Boston. I worked for about a year, then I moved to Egypt (against my parent’s better judgment) to be with my now husband. We’ve been married for just shy of 15 years, and we have four kids ranging in age from 6 to 14. I’m the kind of person who acclimates easily to her environment, so moving here wasn’t too difficult, especially since the culture is the same that my parents raised us in. Nevertheless, there are some things I simply can’t adjust to (the crazy traffic is the first thing that comes to mind, followed closely by the atrocious educational system, just to name a couple).

Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres? 

My favorite author is Khaled Hosseini. And while I enjoy many different genres (from paranormal to crime fiction to the classics), my favorite is probably contemporary fiction. I relate easily to the issues contemporary fiction explores as well as the emotions it challenges us with.

Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

I don’t have a favorite quote, but I used to. It was ‘A baby’s being born,’ meaning that despite all the hurt or ugliness going on, right at this moment, a beautiful, innocent, pure soul is being brought into the world. That used to ease my heart, even temporarily. But now, that exact same quote increases my anxiety; the world is getting uglier by the day, and the children will be the ones who will (are already??) suffer the most. Unfortunately, I have become a bit of a cynic.

Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop? 

I definitely need quiet to write. Usually I sit at the dining room table in the morning, while the kids are at school. I prefer to handwrite into my notebook; yes, it takes much longer (because eventually everything must be transcribed onto the laptop), but I like the feel of the pen in my hand, I like not being tied down to the computer.

Are you a plotter or a panzer?

 

I am a pantser, but I have sticky notes all over my notebook and comments all over my documents that guide me. I find outlines stifle the creative process. I am planning on writing a memoir in the near future, and for that, I will probably prefer the organization of an outline.

Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories? 

My characters are never replicas of real people, but they almost always have adopted characteristics from real people that I’ve met. For example, Morgan, one of the men in Behind Picket Fences, was modeled after someone I know and don’t particularly care for. With his inferiority complex and depreciating tendencies, you’ll find that readers won’t like him too much. Hassan, on the other hand, also adopted characteristics from real people. Despite his faults, readers will probably have increased compassion for him.

Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?

My writing goal is to write for about two hours per day. Somedays that means quite a few pages, other days, it means staring at a blank page for an hour and a half and writing only one page.

What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

I hope that my books teach people a bit about forgiveness and love. I hope that my characters—the ones who seem at first glance to be irredeemable—will, thorough their humanity, arouse a sense of compassion from my readers. I also hope that my books will teach people that, despite our different colors and religions, we all yearn for the same things: love and compassion. I hope that my readers will learn a bit about what it means to be Arab American, and begin to feel that reading about Muslim characters is just as normal as reading about characters who are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist, or anything else.

What long-term plans do you have for your career?

I’m currently finishing up the first draft of my third novel. It’s about a topic I have limited knowledge of (high functioning autism), so I still have much research and then re-writing to do. Once that book is complete, I hope to start on my memoir.

What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

OWN it! I don’t mean the pieces of writing that you produce, but your craft. Once you start calling yourself a writer, you start taking your writing career seriously; that is the first step in succeeding.

Share a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you.

I hate my handwriting. Weird, right? I mean, you’d think a writer, and one who tends to write with pen and paper rather than on a computer, would have developed handwriting that she’s proud of. But no. I hate it.

Share something about you that would surprise or shock readers.

I tend to be a quiet person, preferring to listen than to talk. I’m not really a trouble maker, never was. But…when I was a senior at Smith, one of my friends and I TP-ed our hallway! My friend was even quieter, more soft-spoken, and even less likely to start trouble than myself! We zigzagged the toilet paper, using tape to secure it all through the hallway. Our other housemates were surprised by the masterpiece that awaited them the following morning when they got up. We cleaned it all up, of course, but it was such fun creating it.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Hend Hegazi will be awarding one copy of NORMAL CALM and a copy of BEHIND PICKET FENCES (U.S. and International) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway