Vocal Expressions

The title of this book piqued my interest because I wanted to know how fixed the characters were on each other. Laurelin Paige didn’t disappoint as she weaved a story about lust, love, and complicated emotions brought about by an indecent proposal.  So, let’s dive into the storyline. Alayna Withers is a bartender at The Sky Launch, a nightclub in New York. She just recently earned her MBA and wants to get a promotion as a manager at the club. On one of her shifts, she meets a ruggedly handsome and rich stranger who immediately sets her insides on fire. Unbeknownst to her, this stranger – Hudson Pierce was the new owner of the club.  Things get complicated when Hudson proposes an arrangement that would blur the lines between Alayna being his fake girlfriend in public and his lover behind his bedroom doors. These two characters had enough flaws and secrets that made for a very complicated relationship. Alayna – easily fixated and obsessed in the past on the wrong men that ga...

Author’s Bio: Vailes Shepperd is a founding member of the Washington Independent Review of Books (WIRoB), which began when The Washington Post ceased publishing “Book World.” While she served as the Senior Features Editor, she interviewed authors and wrote regular articles about writing. Shepperd has been writing almost from the moment that she learned to read. In first grade, she collaborated with her oldest brother, the Spoken Word Poet, D. Dallas Vailes, to produce a prize-winning play that was performed for elementary school audiences.  Vailes attended Tulane University and the University of Paris, Sorbonne. She has edited books, including P.J. Fetner’s The African Safari , and Take Me with You , by Scott Jackson, President and CEO of Global Impact.  Her short story, “Monroe,” was published in the anthology, Women Writing About Men .  A Good Ending for Bad Memories is the first but not last of Shepperd’s novels. For more information, visit www.vailesshepperdbooks.co...

Author’s Bio: Much of Helen Chapman (Anne Arrandale)’s fiction was written at work, and began 'Comes now the Plaintiff, by and through counsel...' When not at work, her writing may be children's stories, young adult novels, or wicked gruesome police procedurals. Some stories are true, with names changed to protect the stupid.  Several of her short stories and essays are in assorted print and online periodicals. She had a column in I Love Cats magazine, and has had work in The Muscadine Lines literary journal, An Honest Lie: volume 3 anthology, and several of her stories have appeared in Catnip Chronicles , Civil Rights Chronicle , and Horizons . Every so often, one of her stories shows up at RomanticShorts.com   She is also the Official Crazy Cat Lady [her byline in I Love Cats is proof].  You can connect with her at  https://www.facebook.com/Helen-Chapman-is-Anne-Arrandale-and-They-Write-Books-102822944839280 Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to wri...

This is the first time I’m reading anything by Teralyn Mitchell. The title of this book piqued my interest because I wanted to find out what the other complications to love were in this story.   So let’s dive into the storyline. Sophia has always wanted to be noticed by Jax, her big brother’s (Zane) best friend for as long as she can remember. But Jax was off limits and Zane wouldn’t have him mess around with his little sister. Anyway, both Jax and Zane were chasing Wren (Sophia’s friend) until Wren decided to pick Zane and marry him. Now in the midst of planning the wedding, Sophia confesses her feelings about Jax to Wren. As luck would have it, Jax overhears the conversation and then decides to pursue Sophia.  Sophia is enjoying this new found attention but in the back of her mind she kept wondering whether Jax was with her to get over Wren. Yes, this was complicated. But surprisingly, Jax who has never had a serious relationship before was now all into Sophia until...

Author’s Bio: Vaughn is a writer of speculative fiction, and is the author of the kaiju thriller Up from the Deep , and the upcoming horror novel Touched by Shadows, coming out December 10, 2021. He is also a member of the Horror Writers Association, because everything he writes ends up at least a little scary. He cites his love of everything geeky as inspiration for his writing style and subject matter. He hopes that his stories unfold like movies in his readers' minds. The word cinematic gets used a lot when he talks about his writing.   Vaughn lives near Baltimore with his girlfriend, two gremlins disguised as the cutest kittens in the world, and a kaiju of a dog, named Constantine.   Deliah Lawrence: How do you handle writer’s block? Vaughn A. Jackson: Writer’s block for me often comes more in the form of lacking motivation to get around to writing. Ideas are constantly flitting around in my head, and there is no shortage of them. That in itself can be a problem ...

Author’s Bio: Diane Papalia Zappa grew up in Fort Lee, NJ, a suburb of New York City. She graduated from Vassar College in 1968 with a degree in psychology. She received her MS from West Virginia University in child development and family relations in 1970 and, in 1971, earned her PhD from WVU in life-span developmental psychology.  In 1971, she joined the faculty of University of Wisconsin-Madison, attaining the rank of full Professor at the age of 30. While there, she, and co-author Sally Wendkos Olds, wrote A Child’s World (now in its 13th edition) and Human Development (in its 14th edition).   In 1986, while still a professor in Madison, she met Frank Zappa’s younger brother, Bob, who was the marketing manager for one of her books. They married in 2015. She was 68 and Bob was 72.  Sadly , Diane was widowed in 2018.  The Married Widow , describes how their relationship endured for the more than three decades since they met and continued after his passing. I...

This is my first time reading a Christian suspense novel and anything by Alana Terry. The book cover drew me in along with the storyline. So, let’s meet Blessing, a struggling mother of a 5-year-old son with a baby on the way. She is trying to get herself together after surviving a life of prostitution, physical and mental abuse, and drug addiction all of which she suffered at the hands of her psychotic ex-boyfriend, Jarrod.  This is my first time reading a Christian suspense novel and anything by Alana Terry. The book cover drew me in along with the storyline. So, let’s meet Blessing, a struggling mother of a 5-year-old son with a baby on the way. She is trying to get herself together after surviving a life of prostitution, physical and mental abuse, and drug addiction all of which she suffered at the hands of her psychotic ex-boyfriend, Jarrod.  She was adopted out of the foster care system by a pastor and his wife who supported her through everything. Now in her thirties,...