The Hole in the Middle by Kate Hilton

The Hole in the Middle by Kate Hilton

ebook, 352 pages

Published November 12th 2013 (first published April 23rd 2013)

Published by HarperCollins Canada

I Don’t Know How She Does It for the This Is 40 generation.

Sophie Whelan is the epitome of the modern super woman. When she operates at peak performance, she can cajole balky employees, soothe her cranky children, trouble-shoot career disasters, throw a dinner party for 10, and draft an upbeat Christmas letter—all in the same day.

But as Sophie’s 40th birthday looms, her seamless life reveals disturbing web-like fractures. Conflict with her boss, blossoming jealousy of her husband’s femme fatale business partner, and her feelings of hopeless inadequacy as a mother and daughter, are cracking the edifice of her life.

Rescue may be at hand when Lillian Parker, a wealthy widow who befriended Sophie during her university days, makes Sophie an irresistible offer. Why, then, does Sophie hesitate? The answer is the reappearance of Lillian’s nephew, Will Shannon, the great unresolved love of Sophie’s life. As she remembers the vivid drama of their college romance, Sophie confronts the choices she has made in life and in love and looks for the one answer that has always eluded her: what does she really want?

The Hole in the Middle is a heartbreaking love story, a laugh-out-loud portrayal of the twin demands of work and family, and a fresh take on the hot debate about having it all. It is not to be missed.

My thoughts about The Hole in the Middle ~~

I loved my look at the corporate world, from the viewpoint of a woman who is trying to do it all. She's an executive in a large hospital as well as being a wife, mother, and friend. She is struggling to be it all for all those people in her life who are counting on her.

More alarming, I can feel an aching weariness in my chest. I've noticed it with some regularity lately, and it makes me nervous. Some days it's just a knot of anxiety, but today it feels like the hole in the middle of a donut: empty but for the wind whistling through it.

I love it when I find that little tidbit that ties the title to the story.

Sophie is having a difficult time in her marriage, her family life (kiddos and mother issues), her job, (her boss and her assistants are both an issue). She muddles through it but eventually has to stop and figure out what is really important.

Part of the story is told in flashbacks to the time when she was a student at university. The people she knew then are still a big part of her life now. I really liked that part of the story. The flashbacks give the reader a sense of how Sophie got to be where she is now and to understand how important all of these people are to her.

I absolutely loved Lillian, the elderly widow who knew Sophie way back when and is still involved in her life. She does whatever she wants to and has fun doing it. She also shares her thoughts about the 'hole in the middle' - that stage of life called 'the donut years'. I want to have a Lillian in my life!

One of my favorite passages is this one. Such wisdom.

'With love, it's not the why the matters. It's the how. It's the million of ways we reach out and connect with the people we love and try to make them happy and protect them from harm.'

I love Kate's writing and really enjoyed reading The Hole in the Middle. I look forward to reading whatever she writes next.

The cover on the left is the original cover.
The one on the left is the new cover.
Which one do you like best?

About the author

Kate Hilton has worked in law, higher education, public relations, fundraising and publishing. She has an English degree from McGill University and a law degree from the University of Toronto. She holds down a day job, volunteers for community organizations, raises two boys, cooks, collects art, reads voraciously and likes her husband. In her free time, she writes.

On good days, she thinks she might have it all. On bad days, she wants a nap. The Hole in the Middle is her first book. It was originally self-published, but has been acquired by HarperCollins Canada. It will be re-released in December 2013.

Connect with Kate

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

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Book Trailer for Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs comes out January 14, 2014. I absolutely LOVE book #1 in this series, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and have been anxiously waiting for this one! I just saw the trailer for Hollow City and it is A-MAZING! 

Take a peek.

Hollow City (book 2)

In 1940 after the first book ends, Jacob and his new Welsh island friends flee to London, the Peculiar capital of the world. Caul, a dangerous madman, is Miss Peregrine’s brother, and can steal Peculiar abilities for himself. The Peculiars must fight for survival, again.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (book 1)

A horrific family tragedy sends Jacob to a remote island off Wales, to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where he finds unusual old photographs. The children, one his grandfather, were more than peculiar, perhaps dangerous, quarantined for good reason - and maybe still alive.

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Book Spotlight and a Giveaway! A Can of Peas by Traci DePree

A Can of Peas

A Can of Peas by Traci DePree
Series: Lake Emily #1
Paperback, 320 pages
Published July 16th 2002 by WaterBrook Press

Weaving together the strong threads of family and friends in a pattern of grace, forgiveness, and kindness, A Can of Peas invites readers into a place where every day brings a new story and neighbors are more than just people who live down the road. Sometimes funny and often poignant, these vignettes will draw both men and women into the reassuring rhythms of life as it ought to be–and as it still is in the heart of America.

After the death of his grandfather, Peter Morgan and his new bride, Mae, face a life-changing decision: should they embrace the career-chasing ambitions of their family and friends in St. Paul or accept the absurd challenge of saving the family farm in the Minnesota countryside?

Enticed by the romance of a simple, quiet life, the Morgans set out to follow in the footsteps of Peter’s grandparents. Soon, Peter is farming around the clock, barely one step ahead of failure as Mae struggles to find her place in Peter’s life and in the community. Will the strain of saving the farm tear their marriage apart? Was it a mistake to dream?

My thoughts about A Can of Peas ~~

This was a book club selection and I am never sure when starting a book picked out by someone else if I am going to like it or not. Everyone's tastes are so different, aren't they? Well, this is one that I enjoyed. And I found out at our meeting that this is the first book in the series. Which means I can continue to follow the lives of the people I meet in Lake Emily.

I grew up in the Midwest and now live in South Dakota. The setting of this story is in Minnesota so I am familiar with a lot of the places mentioned. And reading about Peter and Mae as they learned about farming took me back to my growing up years, living in a farming community. Ahhh, the memories!

This is a wonderful, gentle story filled with great characters living in a warm, friendly community. I am ready to go back and will be checking out the other books in the series!

About the author

Traci DePree is the author of nine books. She loves creating new worlds where readers can escape the demands of everyday life and discover a deeper place of faith where true hope resides. She makes her home in a rural town in Minnesota where she fills her days with books, volunteering, gathering with friends and loved ones, playing a little tennis, riding dirt bike, as well as sewing and knitting! She and her husband of almost 26 years have five kids, ranging in age from twenty-two to six.

Connect with Traci 

 Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Release Day Blitz: Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn, an Excerpt and a Giveaway!

Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn 
(The Dharian Affairs Trilogy #1) 
Publication date: December 13th 2013 
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Steampunk

The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she’ll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince’s proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince’s proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.

Third Daughter is the first book in The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance takes place in an east-indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.

Purchase Third Daughter

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Excerpt

Chapter One, Third Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #1) – steampunk fantasy romance 

The cloudless night whispered sweet promises to Aniri. 

Below her stone rooftop, the shadows of the forested grounds danced in the summer’s breeze, their small rustlings calling to her like a lover. The sound was the perfect cover for escape into the darkness and the warm arms she hoped to find there. No one should notice her absence. Of all the guards, handmaidens, and many silent keepers of the royal household, none would venture up to her private observatory this late in the eve. But she still had to be careful. Even this close to her birthday, the Queen would not be forgiving if she was caught. 

Aniri scanned the palace grounds to make sure it was clear of any witnesses. The manicured lawns were empty: the only sign of life came from the distant embassy windows where gas lamps flickered and soft music trilled from late-reveling partygoers. Aniri pressed the leather eyecup of her aetherscope to her face, slowly turning the brass knobs to bring the party into focus. The instrument was meant for watching the rise of the twin full moons, but it worked well enough for spying on the Samirian ambassador and her assemblage of guests. 

Their shiny new automaton was thick-legged and awkward, but the Samirian tinker’s design was still clever: the steam-driven mechanical wonder actually danced, albeit just one clumsy pirouette after another. When it came to a graceless stop, the guests snapped their fingers in appreciation. The faint sound of their applause drifted over the lawn, but the party continued on. With the grounds still empty, Aniri swung her aetherscope to the forest. The broken edges of the river snaked through the darkened trees, slipped under a stone bridge, and then flowed past the red sandstone walls of the Queen’s estate. A black shape darted out from under the bridge, then disappeared into the shadows between the trees. 

Time to go. 

She peered over the edge of the balcony. No sense in being caught by someone who snuck out for a dalliance in the dark. With the way clear, she opened the leather satchel at her feet and uncoiled the sheet she had twisted into a rope. Always check your knots, Aniri. Her father’s voice accompanied her on every climb, but she had to wonder what he would have made of this particular one. She rechecked the knots. It would cause quite a stir if she plummeted to her death while climbing down the palace wall. 

The massive stone lion that guarded the parapet served as an excellent anchor. She looped the rope around it, then stood on the edge of the wall and leaned out over the blackness. Loop the rope under and between your feet, Aniri. It will carry your weight. Practical advice, but knots would impede her progress, and speed was of the essence. She lowered herself, hand over hand, bracing her feet against the wall. A mossy spot, hidden by the dark and slick with dew, sent her silk slippers pawing rapid-fire several times before she found purchase between the giant stone blocks. 

Always use the proper equipment. She took a deep breath. Her father would probably disapprove of her attire. Silk nightclothes were hardly climbing wear, and she couldn’t find any plausible excuse to wear her climbing shoes to bed. Her handmaiden, Priya, was far too clever for that—and already suspicious when Aniri wanted to retire to her observatory alone. At least she had her fingerless climbing gloves, and on every climb she wore the thin, braided bracelet her father gave her. For luck. She thought he would approve. 

Hand over hand, Aniri continued her descent. Halfway down, a sudden clacking broke the quiet and rose above the scrapings of her slippers on the treacherous walls. She held still against the cool stone, hands gripped tight on her rope of sheets. A lone two-wheeled surrey ambled out of the shadows of the Samirian embassy and headed toward her dark corner of the Queen’s estate. Aniri held her breath and silently cursed the full two-moon night. If the carriage came much closer, the occupants would surely see her clinging to the side of the palace like a spider on her thread. 

The six-hooved beast pulling the surrey slowed as it neared the giant stone statue of Devkasera. The mother goddess of ancient Dharia loomed larger-than-life, threatening the carriage with a sword and a scroll—the powers of destruction and creation—clasped in two of her six hands. The Queen loved the ancient traditions, so the goddess held a place of respect in the middle of the palace lawns. Aniri preferred the clean streets and steam-driven inventions of modern Dharia to the unwashed feet and mystic religion of her country’s past, but that didn’t stop her from sending a silent prayer to Devkasera—for invisibility for herself or perhaps a sudden loss of sight by the persons in the carriage. 

The surrey paused at the statue, then veered right and headed for the far wall that enclosed the estate. Aniri repressed a laugh—perhaps she should pray to Devkasera to bring her birthday sooner as well. Her arms ached from holding her position, but she waited until the carriage had passed through the palace gate. Beyond it, the lights of Kartavya, Dharia’s capital city, winked through the coal-smoke haze as if giving her an all-clear signal. 

Her muscles rejoiced when she moved again, working her way down the last half of the wall and dropping the final two feet. From there, she scampered over the surrounding manicured hedgerows as if she had fled the palace a hundred times before. Her unbound dark hair flapped behind her, and the cool night breeze fluttered her black silk nightclothes against her skin like a thousand butterfly wings. It was the feeling of freedom breathing against her, and she had to clamp her teeth against the giggle that threatened to ruin her escape. 

She slowed and picked her way through the darkened brambles of the forest grabbing at her legs. The first time, she slipped away from dinner in her normal evening attire—a midnight-black corset latched with brass clasps, a starched skirt of blood-red silk, and a sweep of silk over her shoulder for the traditional touch the Queen required. Aniri thought the dark colors would ease her escape, but she had stuck to the needled branches like a royal pincushion. The second time, she cast aside the bodice and most of the silk, keeping only her short bloomers and camisole—essentially running through the forest in her unmentionables. That had been deliciously decadent, but also very chilly. This time, her nightclothes were proving the most suitable costume yet for midnight escapades. 

She smiled and slipped through the forest like a phantom, black on black, silent and stealthy. The faint trace of coal smoke gave way to the fresh scent of leaves mixed with river mist. She breathed it deep: the lushness of it always captivated her. The Queen had imported trees and beasts from the barbarians in the north to recreate the Dharian forests long ago swept away by agriculture. Fortunately, her majesty favored the gentle animals sacred to the gods. Aniri was careful not to disturb a long-tailed bandir hanging from a branch, eyes closed and peaceful. She didn’t believe the superstitions about waking one, but she couldn’t afford the screech it would let loose. 

Aniri broke out of the forest and onto the wet rocks bordering the river. The footbridge ahead was a silent sentinel over the constant chatter of the river. There was no sign of movement. Was she too late? But then Devesh stepped from the shadows, showing his face to the moons as if he had nothing to hide. 

She skittered over the slippery rocks and flew into his arms. 

“Aniri,” he said, but she was uninterested in wasting precious moments with words. She shut him up with her lips pressed fiercely to his. He closed his dark, humor-filled eyes, and wrapped his arms around her. Being a courtesan, he was well-trained in courtly conversation, but the artistry of his lips moving slow yet urgent against hers made her forget her own name.

About the author 

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. Her teachers pretended not to notice and only confiscated her stories a couple times.

Susan left writing behind to pursue a bunch of engineering degrees, but she was drawn back to writing by an irresistible urge to share her stories with her niece, her kids, and all the wonderful friends she’s met along the way.

She doesn’t have to sneak her notes anymore, which is too bad.

Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as a much as she can handle.

Connect with Susan 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Giveaway Time!! 

Here's what's up for grabs.

20x “Third Daughter” mini M&M packs (US only)

A steampunk key necklace (INTL)

"Third Daughter" East-Indian style bridal jewelry (INT)

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On Tour: The Intangibles by Monte Dutton ~ Book Spotlight, Guest Post, and a Giveaway!

Visit other stops on the tour
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The Intangibles by Monte Dutton

Paperback, 282 pages
Published by: Neverland Publishing Company, LLC
Published October 26th 2013

It's 1968. The winds of change are descending on Fairmont and engulfing the small South Carolina town in a tornadic frenzy. The public schools are finally being completely integrated. Mossy Springs High School is closing and its black students are now attending formerly all-white Fairmont High; the town is rife with racial tension. Several black youths have been arrested for tossing firebombs at a handful of stores. White citizens form a private academy for the purpose of keeping their kids out of the integrated school system. The Ku Klux Klan is growing.

Reese Knighton arrives on the scene at precisely the right time. The principal of Fairmont High School, Claude Lowell, becomes superintendent of the school district. Lowell chooses Preston Shipley, currently the football coach, to replace him as principal and hires Knighton to coach the team, thus forcing Knighton to find common ground with Willie Spurgeon, the successful Mossy Springs coach who has been passed over for a job he richly deserves.

At The Intangibles center is the Hoskins family, their relationships to those living within the town of Fairmont giving rise to a memorable cast of characters. Tommy Hoskins is a local businessman and farmer who is a supporter of the team, on which his older son, Frankie, plays. Frankie s best friend is Raymond Simpson, who lives in a shanty on the Hoskins farm. Another of Frankie s friends, Ned Whitesides, is a spoiled bigot. Clarence Click Clowney is the talented, rebellious quarterback from Mossy Springs. Al Martin is the staunch black tackle who becomes the glue that keeps the integrated team together. Twins James and Joey Leverette are the sons of professors at local Oconee College. Curly Mayhew coaches rival Lexington Central. Laura Hedison is a white cheerleader. Jorge Heredia is a tennis player at the college who sells drugs on the side. Aubrey Roper is a college girl who exerts a corruptive influence on Frankie Hoskins. The county sheriff, a turncoat within the team, Ned Whitesides father, the loyal assistants, militants both black and white, a doctor, a lawyer, local businessmen, and others all add fuel to the fires of prejudice and fear of the unknown that are raging in the town of Fairmont.

This is a story of a high school football team that puts aside its differences, never realizing that, outside its bounds, the world is unraveling. It's a story about the cultural changes, good and bad, that take place when two societies shift and finally come together.

Ultimately, The Intangibles is a story of triumph achieved at considerable cost.

MY DEMISE WAS GREATLY EXAGGERATED 

Monte Dutton

One of the surprises surrounding my first novel, The Audacity of Dope, was that most everyone who read it seems to have liked it. I expected it to be more controversial. When it was released, I prepared myself for criticism.

My first novel was intentionally a bit outrageous. I was anxious to earn the interest of a publisher. I wanted to write something unique.

I made my protagonist a pot-smoking musician who, by happenstance, suddenly found himself a national hero, which he didn't at all like. Riley Mansfield is a really good dude, but he’s tarnished by imperfection.

Some people wrote that they personally didn't approve of Riley’s drug use, but most quickly added that he was likable, and most seemed to like the story because they found it unpredictable and entertaining.

I’m sure many didn't buy it because the subject matter tuned them off. When it was released, at the end of 2011, I thought it possible I might be, oh, shunned a little in this old-fashioned hometown where I still love.

The local newspaper publisher, Larry Franklin, supported it from the first. We had a conversation one day in which I expressed my surprise that the novel had been so well-received. I concluded by saying, “Well, this next one (The Intangibles) is about a town a lot like Clinton. Maybe I can piss ‘em off with this one.”

About the author

Monte Dutton lives in Clinton, South Carolina. In high school, he played football for a state championship team, then attended Furman University, Greenville, S.C., graduating in 1980, B.A., cum laude, political science/history.

He spent 20 years (1993-2012) writing about NASCAR for several publications. He was named Writer of the Year by the Eastern Motorsports Press Association (Frank Blunk Award) in 2003 and Writer of the Year by the National Motorsports Press Association (George Cunningham Award) in 2008. His NASCAR writing was syndicated by King Feature Syndicate in the form of a weekly page, "NASCAR This Week" for 17 years.

Monte Dutton is also the author of Pride of Clinton, a history of high school football in his hometown, 1986; At Speed, 2000 (Potomac Books); Rebel with a Cause: A Season with NASCAR's Tony Stewart, 2001 (Potomac Books); Jeff Gordon: The Racer, 2001 (Thomas Nelson); Postcards from Pit Road, 2003 (Potomac Books); Haul A** and Turn Left, 2005 (Warner Books), True to the Roots: Americana Music Revealed, 2006. (Bison Books); and is an Editor/Contributor of Taking Stock: Life in NASCAR's Fast Lane, 2004 (Potomac Books).

The Audacity of Dope, 2011 (Neverland Publishing) was his first novel, and Neverland recently published his second, The Intangibles. Another, Crazy by Natural Causes, is in the works.

Connect with Monte

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