Pieces of Tracy by J. Daniel Parra

A few weeks ago I was asked to participate in a book tour for J. Daniel Parra and his new book Pieces of Tracy.  I didn't know what I was getting into but I said yes.  I thought we were talking about a simple review as I have done before.  That, however, I have discovered was not the case and I have let Daniel down in a big way.  I can only apologize to him and his publisher as well as to each of you.  The book is fabulous and it deserves much more than I can give it here.  You really need to read this one!  I wish I could go back and do it over.  I actually had the chance to interview Daniel but didn't realize it.  What did I miss?

ABOUT THE BOOK (from the media kit)

Meet Teresa Felicia Santana León. In New York, she’s Tracy León, a would-be artist and telemarketer who falls for an older tycoon, Bruce Babich. When Bruce’s mother sends her to Rome to find a stolen painting, Tracy assumes an alter ego, the zesty Felicia Santana. In Rome, she meets a younger artist named Mario Giordani who helps her on her quest.

Before long, she is juggling two romances and two distinct identities: Tracy, demure trophy wife wannabe in New York’s high society, and wanton, thrill-seeking Felicia in sultry Rome. Against the backdrop of these exciting cities, she follows her divided heart, even if it leads her in the wrong direction.

The secrets behind the stolen painting send her on an unforgettable journey that prompts her to re-examine her own talents and inspirations. As the pieces come together, Tracy faces a life-changing choice, one that will lead to surprising discoveries about love and her own identity.
 http://www.diversionbooks.com/ebooks/pieces-tracy


My Thoughts:
Dual personalities...boy, do I understand those!  Tracy/Felicia has two personalities, two love interest, and two wonderful cities to live in and explore. Although I didn't always understand Tracy's actions, I could relate to her dual personage.  I do disagree with some of her choices.  The characters are well developed and Daniel does a wonderful job expressing the contrasts between the two identities and how they affect the other.  Although we see that Tracy will never really change we also see her begin to take risks and explore the art she loves so much.  So maybe this is a change after all.    This is a very complex situation with humorous moments and it shows insights into the world of art and psyche.  The locations are breath-taking and well described.  I felt the heartbeat of of the cities  and I want to visit them but must do so vicariously. I give this one a thumbs up for a wonderful and pleasurable read.

For a more comprehensive review (as it should have been here)  and an interview with Daniel please check out   http://girlof1000wonders.wordpress.com.   I promise the next time I have an opportunity like this one I will recognize it and take advantage of it.

Where has the time gone?

I have been very busy for the last couple of months...Where did the time go?  I have been stitching for one thing.  I just finished up four models for one of my designers but I cannot show them to you at the moment.  They should be released shortly, however.

I have also been working on my own designs for release in September and February.   I am hoping to release 4 in September and 2 or 3 at Market in Nashville.  But we will see if I make it.

I haven't really felt like doing any deep thinking, complex reading so I have been reading my cozy mysteries.  I find that whenever I just want some light easy enjoyable reading a good cozy mystery is what fits the bill.  So over the last two months I have read all 19 of the Hannah Swenson Bakery Mysteries by Joanne Fluke.  

My review is simple.  These are quick and enjoyable and simple to read.  I love mysteries and these are easy to solve but with enough twists and turns to make it interesting.  My only question is...Will Hannah ever choose which guy she wants!?

 I suggest reading them in order to get the background information as it was given. 
 If you want to do the same then the correct order to read them is as follows:

1: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder 2: Strawberry Shortcake Murder 3: Blueberry Muffin Murder 4: Lemon Meringue Pie Murder 5: Fudge Cupcake Murder 6: Sugar Cookie Murder 7: Peach Cobbler Murder 8: Cherry Cheesecake Murder 9: Key Lime Pie Murder 10: Carrot Cake Murder 11: Cream Puff Murder 12: Candy Cane Murder 13: Plum Pudding Murder 14: Apple Turnover Murder 15: Devil's Food Cake Murder 16: Cinnamon Roll Murder 17: Red Velvet Cupcake Murder 18. Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook 19. Gingerbread Cookie Murder (co-author)
Til next time...

 

Back again....and book review

Things are beginning to quiet down a bit after the Nashville Market rush.  I have been working on some new designs and have been reading a bit also.  Nashville was good this year.  Thanks to all of you who have purchased my latest design--Celtic Charm.  I hope you enjoy stitching it.

Recently I was sent a pre-release copy of a book for me to review.  It is by Sarah Graves and the title is A Bat in the Belfry.   I really enjoyed this one and encourage you to get it as soon as it is released.  You can pre-order it from Amazon  (No affiliation just a good read)

Review:  A Bat in the Belfry: A Home Repair is Homicide Mystery by Sarah Graves

Who killed 14 year old Karen Hansen?  This is the question facing the police department of Eastport, Maine.   Karen was a teenager raised by a drunken father who was trying to find her way out of Eastport.  She wanted to go to NY and become a model but she needed some money.  Her plans were all made but something went terribly wrong.

Sam Tiptree was a recovering alcoholic and drug abuser.  Still in his mid-twenties he is struggling with his personal relationships.  Maggie, his steadfast true love and Carol, the young daring thing out to get her man. 

Chip Hahn had been friends with Sam Tiptree since they were kids in Manhattan.  Facing problems with his girlfriend Carolyn, he decides to go to Maine to visit with Sam and get his head together.  But what is he hiding?

Lizzie Snow quit her job in Boston and heads to Maine trying to find more information about her still missing niece.  Her sister Sissy was killed eight years ago and her 1 year old daughter was never found.  But now Lizzie has reason to believe she may be in Eastport.  So she turns in her badge and gun and is determined to find her.

When her houseguest is accused of the murder, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree begins her own investigation along with her best friend Ellie White and Lizzie Snow, the retired police detective.  While a raging storm rains down on Eastport, they work relentlessly to prove Chip's innocence and discover the truth.

More characters include the frustrated police chief-Bob, the local drug dealer-Harvey, his sidekick, Bogie, Dylan the state police officer, Karen Hansen's father and many more.



My thoughts:

The plot of this book tends to ramble a bit, but Ms. Graves writes in the first person which makes this book easier to follow.  There are some ambiguous scenes which I really feel distracted from the overall plot but they did help develop the characters.  The storyline was very interesting and kept me reading chapter after chapter.  This is my first time reading Ms Graves but I am now going to locate her other books and read them.

Until next time....

A Little Bit of Madness--book review

I am feeling much better-finally and wanted to share what I have been up to.  I just finished my new release for the Nashville Market and started on my new designs for an early summer release.  In the meantime I have been reading.  The most recent finish is a Little Bit of Madness from Sheryl Browne.

Celia Summers, intrepid mother of two, is too cuddly for sweatpants, she suspects. But then, her class at The Harbour Rest Home are similarly clad. Celia loves her work as an art therapist. She's proud that she gives her elderly independents something to look forward to, even if her partner, Martin, disapproves of her efforts. He also has other things on his mind - telling complicated lies to Celia so he can sell Charlton Hall, his mum's house, to pay off his debts. Meanwhile, Celia fights to secure gallery space for her geriatric charges' artwork, and to keep The Harbour from being closed. She's even ready to abseil from a church steeple to bring attention to the plight of her old people, no matter that she might fall and end up splattered all over the flagstones. When she does fall, however, it's much more painful - in love with PC Alex Burrows coming to her rescue.

My thoughts:

A Little Bit of Madness centers around the elderly and eccentric residents of The Harbour Rest Home and Celia Summers the art therapist who befriends them. While this is definitely a romance novel it is so much more than that. The love seen in the caring of these elderly residents is what brought me to the enjoyment of this book. The elderly are so often treated as forgotten citizens and this book illustrates just how memorable and productive these citizens are. I especially loved the dialog between the characters. The interactions between the Colonel, Eleanor, Rosemary and the loving and doddy May is so humorous and spellbinding that you can't stop reading. Ms. Browne did a great job painting these characters.

Other reviewers have stated there are "gaps" and areas that could be improved in the literary sense (and this is true) but I found this book to be totally enjoyable and worth the read. I highly recommend it.

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So sorry...

I am so sorry I have been away for so long.  I got sick right after Christmas and have spent weeks trying to recover my strength.  But never fear I will get back to my story--even though the holidays have passed.  And I have been reading a lot so will also restart my book reviews.  I do hope you enjoy them.  For now I will just catch you up on what I've been doing.

My step-daughter and her family came to visit the Sunday before Christmas and it was a lot of fun.  The grand kids are growing so rapidly.  Kaitlyn is truly a little lady and Jeb has really filled out and matured I can see the young man inside.  He was just getting over the flu, and I guess he was still contagious.  But it was worth it to get to spend time with my "babies."

Christmas Day was spent very quietly with only Jason and me. We had a nice dinner and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" which is Jason's favorite Christmas movie.  We just cannot have Christmas without watching it.  I got to do a little stitching and a little reading -- all in all a very satisfying day.

The following weekend was the Stitching Sisters Christmas Party and Kiki, Angel, Angela and I had a wonderful time visiting, stitching, eating, laughing, eating, stitching, eating talking and then sleeping very little.  It is so much fun when the girls come down and we can spend some quality time together.  I get really lonely here by myself all the time so it is truly a treat for me.  I was also gifted with stash, candy and a gift certificate to Amazon which I am using for my Kindle books.

After the weekend I came down with this nasty version of the flu and while it ran it's course fairly quickly it left me so lethargic and weak that I really didn't feel like doing anything  for much longer than I expected.  However, I am feeling better now so hopefully I can get caught up with everything quickly.  I have managed to finish one large design for the Nashville show and I am trying to get the model stitched for a second design.  If I don't get it finished for Nashville then it will be released in April.  For info about my new releases check out my designing blog Lady K Needlearts .  I try to keep updates there.

I am so blessed.  I often complain about so much but when I count my blessings they certainly outnumber the problems.  Thank you Lord.  Until next time...



.

The ongoing story...

“It can’t be happening!”  The Mad Stitcher almost ran to the sofa to investigate that spot of light blue peeking out from behind the cushion.  “No, No!”  She cried.  Her beautiful Nativity Stocking was a mass of crushed and wrinkled Aida.  Now these were not the ordinary little wrinkles.  These were the kinds of wrinkles that happen when someone sleeps on them and wallows on them and totally mangles them!  And everyone knows you cannot get these kinds of wrinkles out.  That’s what she gets for laying the freshly washed and pressed piece on the back of her sofa to admire.   She never noticed when it had fallen behind Jason as he slept.  What would she do now?  Stitching it again was the only thing she could think of, but only the good Lord knows if she was going to get everything done once—much less doing something twice!  Well, she couldn’t worry about it now.  So after her cry, she got back to “Magnolia.”

The stitching was going well.  And soon she was once again lost in this beautiful design.  MS stitched for the rest of the evening and into the wee hours of the morning.  Bo was restless and kept waking up so she knew she wouldn’t get any sleep.  She finally went to bed at about 3:30 am and was able to sleep until 7:00.  As much as she wanted to get back to her stitching, MS had to go check on Mom.  So after breakfast she got Bo ready and away they went.  Mom wasn’t feeling well and had several things that she needed MS to do.  Mom also had senile dementia and was almost as forgetful as Bo.  (But not quite!)  Her checkbook was a mess and it took MS almost an hour to straighten it out.  When the bills were paid and the notes written and Mom was positive that everything was done to her satisfaction, MS took her leave with the promise to call her later.  She decided to run a few errands while she was out.

She was finally able to get back to her stitching after Bo was in bed.  He was exhausted after the day of running here and there, and hopefully he would sleep better tonight.  They had only  one scavenger hunt all day, so all told it had been a fair day.

The days passed with pretty much the same routine.  “Magnolia” was coming along nicely, Bo was keeping life interesting, and MS was trying to keep what little was left of her sanity!  On the morning of the 13^th the final stitch was placed in “Magnolia” and MS could have cried with relief.  As much as she loved to stitch and as much as she loved this design, she really HATED deadlines!—especially one of such importance.  She placed a call to Karen to find out what to do next.  Should she mail it back or would Karen prefer to meet her somewhere to get the completed piece?  Because of time constraints with the photographer, printers, etc., it was decided that they would meet at The Stitch & Frame Shop the next day.  This suited the Mad Stitcher, as she needed to restock some Krieniks and beads.

.

The story continues..

On Saturday morning MS put Bo in the car and headed for the new needlework shop she had recently found.  It was much closer to home although it was still 45 minutes away.  Her loyalty to Nancy and Carol was great, but Karen Weaver of Black Swan Designs, was going to be there doing a trunk show and signing autographs.  MS was a great fan of hers so she couldn’t miss this.

Upon arrival the first thing that she saw was the latest in the Flower Angel series that Karen was still designing.  “Magnolia” was perfect.  She loved magnolias and used them in her home décor.  She talked with Karen and Cherie for what seemed like hours—admiring all the designs that she had never seen in person.  When she and Bo finally left (with several new designs in her possession) she was still pleading for Karen’s working copy of “Magnolia”!

A few days later Cherie called and asked if MS would be interested in stitching “Magnolia” for the front cover of the leaflet.  The photos would be taken and the model taken to market in Charlotte in August—then it would be hers, all HERS!  And, of course, she would be paid!  An emphatic “yes” and Cherie told her that Karen would get the supplies together and FedEx them to her as they needed it back by July 15^th.

This seemed very doable to the Mad Stitcher.  She could finish the stocking by Thursday and work on Melissa’s afghan until she got the design from Karen.  She stitched on the stocking and Thursday afternoon began the personalization.  It wasn’t until she began to stitch the name that it suddenly stuck her how appropriate the Nativity was for her niece #5—Mary!  The supplies arrived on Friday afternoon and MS couldn’t wait to get started.  Her biggest mistake was looking at the calendar—three weeks till the 15^th.  “Oh, no!  I thought it was longer than that!”

She worked on the afghan that evening and finished it up at 2:43 am.  She looked at it with admiring eyes and realized how beautiful it actually was.  Melissa was going to love it.  She folded it and placed it on the back of the sofa with the Nativity stocking front.  She would wash and press them tomorrow.

On Saturday morning she arose early to the sounds of soft rain failing against the windowpanes.  Perfect stitching weather, she thought.  So after breakfast she prepared the fabric for “Magnolia” and while the Fray Block was drying she washed and pressed the stocking front and soaked the afghan.  How on earth am I going to squeeze the water out of this thing?  Finally she decided to spin it in the washer for just few seconds.  Then she covered her kitchen table with beach towels and began to press the afghan till it was almost dry.  She changed the towels and left the afghan to air dry.

It was nearly 11:00 am when MS was finally able to sit down and stitch.  She looked over the chart carefully, measured and counted and then counted and measured, until she was certain she had it centered properly.  As she placed the first stitch she was lost in another world—completely alone and at peace.  Jason had come over and was helping Bo do something in his workshop, so no worries there!  It was Heaven!  She was able to stitch without interruption for hours.

When Bo and Jason finally came inside, Jason suggested ordering out for dinner.  He volunteered to pick it up before he had to leave (He had a date!  Hee!Hee!Hee!)  So MS took him up on his offer.  It felt good not having to cook; plus, she could get back to her stitching!

On Sunday afternoon, Jason came by and promptly fell asleep on the sofa.  MS wondered what time he had gotten to bed the night before, but knew better than to ask.  It was late when he awoke and he had to rush to get to an *appointment*.  So it wasn’t later that MS noticed something.  “Oh my God!!!..........”

The story continues...

When the Mad Stitcher picked up the ringing telephone she found that Bo had answered the extension and Wilma was telling him that she and Pam were coming up to visit on Thursday and they were going to bring the baby for them to see.  Also, Bo’s two sisters would be joining us.  He immediately said that it was wonderful and that she would get a chance to see the “blanket” that MS was making Pam.  Before MS could correct the information Wilma was ringing off with “See you Thursday.”

 Normally this would not bother her, but today it did for three reasons.  Firstly:  Wilma had informed them that they were coming without bothering to ask if it were convenient.  She had just assumed that MS and Bo would drop everything else.  Secondly:  Since her accident, MS had a lot of trouble doing certain jobs around the house and now that Bo couldn’t help her there were just too many things that had been left undone.  Now in the thirteen years that MS and Bo had been married, Wilma had never seen her house in a mess and she wasn’t going to start now.  This meant that somehow, some way, she had to clean the house.  Thirdly:  This would cut into her stitching time!  Darn it!

 On Wednesday morning the Mad Stitcher arose early and began her chores, starting with the bathrooms.  She knew that she would be able to do everything but the floors.  So she did something—then rested, did something else—then rested.  Repeat.   Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  This went on until lunchtime.  She had managed to get the two primary baths cleaned, but by this time she was in terrible pain.  She took a short respite then began in the kitchen.  Just then Bo came in with that mystified look on his face.  It was time for another scavenger hunt.  “What are we looking for today.” She asked?  “Have you seen my glasses?” he asked innocently.  Gently MS reached over and took the glasses from his shirt pocket and handed them to him.  “Thank you so much,” he replied.  “I love you.”  Then went back to the family room.  At least this one was easy she thought.

 As she loaded the dishwasher and wiped down the counter tops, tears began to stream down her face.  She hurt so badly and didn’t know how much more she could stand.  She finished up in the kitchen and went to sit down in her chair.  She had to take a break—just a short one.  She had decided she would close off the bedrooms and dare anyone to go near them!  She was sitting there dreading to get up again when the doorbell rang.  “Oh, God, she thought as Bo went to answer the door.  “What now”?

 Her darling son came in and immediately went to the refrigerator and fixed himself a sandwich.  They talked for a few minutes and Bo mentioned that Wilma was bring Jeb to visit  the next day.  Then the most amazing thing happened.  “Can I do anything to help.” asked Jason.  She could have cried.  “You can clean the kitchen and bathroom floors, if you have the time.  I just can’t do that.”  “No problem.”  Just like that her prayers were answered.  He cleaned the floors, then began dusting and cleaning the family room.  Each time MS began to get up, he would tell her to sit (as if she were a child!)  Then he pulled out the vacuum and finished up for her.  When Jason got up to leave she hugged him tightly and thanked him.  He kissed her lightly on the cheek and said, “Take it easy, Mom.  You don’t have to do everything!  I’m here for you.”  As the door closed behind him, Bo asked, “Who was that’?....Well, back to the real world.

 The Mad Stitcher didn’t get any stitching done that night.  After dinner she got Bo settled in for the night and suddenly realized just how tired she was.  She laid down and promptly fell asleep.  She dreamed for the first time in months.  Sweet, Sweet dreams.  If only….

MS sat down in her chair and noticed she had about an hour to stitch before the “guests” would arrive.  She had hidden away the afghan so that no one would see it.  Instead she picked up “Angel of the Sea” and worked on it for a while.  It was looking really beautiful.  She would be glad when she could get back to it full time. 



Everyone began arriving and each one had to look at “Angel”.  They commented on the lovely star sapphire linen and the gold braid.  MS realized that she had done more than she had remembered.  It would only take a couple of days more to finish except for the beading. 

Wilma waited for Pam to leave the room before asking to see the afghan.  She was talking about how wonderful it was that MS could stitch this for her and she knew that she would just be thrilled.  So apparently she would be stitching a second afghan in time for Christmas!  How did she find herself in these situations?  To disclaim now would be out of the question.  Oh, Bo, how could you do this to me? 

The day went by very pleasantly and soon the guests took their leave.  MS had found a private moment to discuss Bo’s condition with Wilma, but she wasn’t sure if Wilma really understood just how bad he was getting.  She gave lip-service, but….well.  MS continued to stitch on “Angel.”  She decided to work on it the next day while she was deciding on the next stocking design.
     

She finally chose the Nativity scene for Mary.  It was model stitched on a piece of light blue Aida and she knew she had a piece of this fabric in her stash.  The Mad Stitcher really didn’t like using Aida anymore, but she still had quite a bit of it and needed to use it up.  This stocking would be perfect on the piece she had.  She pulled all the floss and metallics and began to stitch.  She didn’t take time to do a working copy and found it very frustrating to work from the hard back book in which the chart was found.  She would stitch a few stitches, pick the book up off the floor, find the page, look at the chart, stitch a few stitches, pick the book up off the floor, find the page, look at the chart, and repeat…., and repeat…, and repeat!  She must remember to get a copy made tomorrow!!  And while she was at it, she had better decide on the others so she could copy them as well!

So back to the hunt.  She found a lovely Victorian design that she thought would work for her Mom and a neat Santa with animals that she thought Michelle might like.  So the next day, she went to the copy center where copies were made for all of these and then to the LNS.

The Victorian design needed black.  So she chose a beautiful black Lugana.  Bo helped her choose the right *star* charm for the Nativity scene and then wanted to go to the car.  So MS gave him her keys and told him she would be there in a few minutes.  She was still looking for a Dragon design and the LNS owner was helping her look through catalogues.  She decided on one that Nancy was going to have to order for her.  So she made her purchase and went to the car.  Bo was sitting there almost asleep with the doors open and as she got in, she asked him for the keys.  He didn’t have them.  “Oh, no!” she thought.  She began to look everywhere.  Even Nancy and Carol came out to help look.  They looked in the car.  They searched the area around the car.  Carol even walked all around the outside of the shop to see if he had walked around and dropped them somewhere.  They were nowhere to be found.  What was she going to do?  She didn’t have a spare with her and there was no one to call to bring her one.  She sat down behind the wheel and was about to give up and call the locksmith.  Bo was sitting there contritely—upset that he had done something wrong yet again, but not really knowing what it was.  She decided to take one more look around the inside of the car.  She glanced in Bo’s direction and noticed something red on his ankle.  She reached over and found her red key case hanging out of his sock!!  She couldn’t help but laugh even as tears ran down her face.  As she pulled out of the drive she glanced at Bo and whispered, “I love you.”

“Did you get that Lagoon cloth,” Bo asked innocently?  MS laughed and suddenly all was well again.  How could you be upset with someone so sweet?  She patted his hand.  “Yes,” she answered.  “I got everything.”

The design began to develop beautifully, but MS wished she had done it on that lovely evening blue Murano that she had in her stash.  It would have been ideal for this.  She stitched madly and the more she stitched the more she questioned.  Maybe I should….

The Mad Stitcher worked furiously.  The faster she stitched the more she began to wonder what she had gotten herself into.  Also, that Evening Blue Murano was calling her by name.  Maybe she should start over and do this Nativity on it.  But no, she had it more than half finished.  She couldn’t start over.  But, you know, this scene would be lovely stitched on the Murano as a framed piece—for herself.  Maybe, when these stockings were done.  But no.  She still had the afghan to finish.  And of course, this would mean she would have to do something for her grandson and his wife.  “Oh, Lord, please help me,” she prayed silently.

To be continued...