Thanks to Anneliese Grosfeld of Simon & Schuster Canada, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Long Hello’ by Cathie Borrie.
Book Description:
A stirring memoir of a daughter caring for a mother with dementia that is sure to become a touchstone for many others.
The Long Hello explores the emotional rewards and challenges that Cathie Borrie experienced in caring for her mother, who was living with Alzheimer’s disease, for seven years. Between the two, a wondrously poetic dialogue develops, which Ms. Borrie further illuminates with childhood memories of her family, and her struggle to maintain a life outside her caregiving responsibilities.
The Long Hello demonstrates how caregiving creates an opportunity to experience the change in a relationship that illness necessitates, one in which joy, innocence, and profound intimacy can flourish.
Written in spare, beautiful prose, largely in the form of a dialogue, The Long Hello exquisitely captures the intricacies and nuances of a daughter’s relationship with her mother.
About Cathie Borrie:
Born in Vancouver, Cathie has had an extensive and diverse working life, which includes careers in health, law and business. Beginning as a nurse, she went on to attain a Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and graduated from Law School at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2005, she obtained a Certificate in Creative Writing from The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University under the expert tutelage of then Director, Betsy Warland.
A creative spirit, Cathie is also an accomplished ballroom dancer, and has dabbled in clowning and theater. Her education and career experience did not, however, prepare her for the seven years she spent caring for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Many of the Alzheimer’s books that she read during her care-giving years did not address the totality of the journey, neglecting as they did to reveal the unfolding poetry and beauty of her mother’s walk with dementia.
In choosing to write a lyrical memoir of her experiences, Cathie elected not only to explore the spiritual insight made possible by the caregiving journey, but also mined her past to weave the loss of a sibling, the impact of divorce on children, the effects of alcoholism on relationships, and the healing power of dance, into a rich narrative. Although the centre of this work is the mother-daughter relationship during the caregiving years, the many other stories (with universal appeal), set this relationship within a moving and insightful context.
Cathie has presented at international conferences on Alzheimer’s and is dedicated to galvanizing a positive, enlightened change in society’s perception of dementia and works tirelessly as an advocate for both people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
Currently Cathie is working with award wining director and playwright James Fagan Tait to adapt The Long Hello for the stage.
This giveaway is open to Canada only and ends on January 22, 2015. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
Publisher: MLR Press (October 1, 2012) Category: GLBT Romance, Hollywood ISBN: 978-1608207749 Tour Date: January, 2014 Available in: Print & ebook, 332 Pages
His world-view shaped by retro movies and TV series, small-town boy, Grant Jackson, moves to Hollywood, in pursuit of television stardom.
Grant Jackson is a small-town guy, with the world-class, big city dream of becoming a network television star. But how do you make the dream come true when your resources are scant, and your frames of reference are retro motion pictures and the television series?
Determined to find out, Grant moves to Hollywood. But can he remain focused on his big dream, or will Grant be swept away in the anything goes world of gay West Hollywood – including its adult film and male prostitution scenes?
View the Trailor:
Praise for ‘Frame of Reference’:
“Christopher Stone, a new name on the GLBT romance scene, makes a memorable debut with FRAME OF REFERENCE. In this case, the titular frame of reference happens to be American television and the prologue takes us through the main character’s life in vignettes showing how the medium shapes his past, present, and future. The book is a good example of how to create an extremely sympathetic character and how to tell a story with simple, unadorned prose that rises above the page to create true imagery where it belongs: in the readers’ mind.
I was enchanted with the book and read it from cover to cover in just a few hours, happily coming along on the main character’s journey toward self-actualization and, ultimately, love. I’m sure that a romance reader seeking the elusive “happily ever after” will be quite enchanted with this work by an important new author.”-Rick R. Reed, AmazonVine Voice
“This book is definitely not in a genre I ordinarily read, so when a friend recommended it to me, I was admittedly a little skeptical. Skepticism, however, soon turned into genuine delight. Using an almost Christopher Isherwood, I-am-a-camera-like precision, Stone expertly evokes the world of a young gay man from a small town who struggles to establish himself as an actor in Hollywood.
Written vividly and wryly, the book is by turns touching, exciting, erotic and dark, and is always compelling. The characters were full-bodied (in more ways than one!) the dialogue was realistic, the situations off-beat and interesting. When I finished the book, my first thought was, “Bring on the sequel!” I can give “Frame of Reference” no higher praise than that!”-Robert J. Van Dusen, Amazon Reviewer
“This book was recommended by one of my gay friends and I must admit, as a straight lady, I wasn’t sure it was something I would be interested in reading. Glad I took the plunge. Interesting characters, in an interesting Hollywood setting that the writer is very familiar with.
I loved the references, by the main character, to all the TV. and movies. Clearly, Mr. Stone has done his homework. The sex scenes, (while a bit too much information for me!) will be much appreciated by the appropriate audience – in other words, quite hot!
Still, no romance novel is worth its salt without a good story line. Again, Mr. Stone has shown his mettle. The characters are well developed and the story interesting as a young man fights his way to the top of the heap. Bring on the next book, sequel!”-Sharyn St.Clair, Amazon Reviewer
“I stumbled on Frame of Reference at the nail salon. A lady was reading it and would read passages to the entire shop. So, I bought the book. What an eye opener into the world of gay young men. Being raised in Hollywood as a non-gay, I had no idea about this vibrant subculture. Being mature and growing up in a movie family, I understood all the references to movie stars, TV shows, and cinema. Do read it, you won’t be able to put it down!”-Dee Lewis, Amazon Reviewer
“Stone is at home in this world and he is an excellent writer with a touch of sardonic wit and his erotic scenes are very hot. I was totally amazed at the way he pulled me into his story especially since this is his first novel. His prose is simple but just right and Stone tells us a tale that allows us to draw mental pictures of what we read.”–Reviews by Amos Lassen
My Thoughts:
Grant Jackson grew up in a small town in California but always believed he was destined to become a TV star. He watched a lot of television with his mother even though his father disapproved.
He has finally made the big move to Hollywood and is on his way to making his big dream a reality. He soon finds out that it is not as easy as he thought it would be. Trying to get in to see one of the big talent agents is impossible. Just what will it take to get on television? Will his dream become a reality or will he have to settle for something else?
This was my first LGBT book. I no longer need to imagine what m/m sex is like. This book is erotica with a great story behind it. For those who don’t read erotica, especially LGBT erotica, you probably wouldn’t be able to look past it, for the story but I am glad it worked for me. It is really a coming of age story about a boy who grows up but never looses his dream to be a television star. Grant followed his dream and met many interesting people along the way.
In Hollywood, the first person he encountered was Rosemary. She lived in the same apartment building and they became fast friends. I loved following their relationship. There were many other fun quirky characters like her.
There was only one thing I was disappointed in and I can’t tell you much about it without giving away a big spoiler. All I can say was that there was a crime committed and we never find out if the person committed it was brought to justice. I would have like to seen that followed all the way through. Hopefully it is followed up in the sequel, ‘The Dark Side of Stardom’. Besides that, I truly loved the story!
Christopher Stone weaves an incredible story with a Hollywood backdrop and well written, quirky characters. As all my readers know, I love quirky characters! I highly recommend ‘Frame of Reference’!
4.5/5
I received the ebook for my honest review.
About Christopher Stone:
Born in Bronx, New York, and raised in Fresno, California, Christopher Stone’s early years were dominated by school, watching television and motion pictures, bicycling, skating, and reading avidly. Summers were spent swimming, and doing whatever it took to survive the oppressive San Joaquin Valley heat. But he also remembers fondly the yearly summer trips to New York, to visit family and friends – and to see Broadway shows.
Christopher left Fresno, for Hollywood, California, during his college years after being accepted into the Writers Guild of America’s Open Door Program, a two-year, scholarship, training ground for aspiring screen and television writers. As it happened, rather than a teleplay or screenwriting gig, his first professional writing job was in journalism – as the Los Angeles Editor for Stage Door, at that time, Canada’s equivalent of the U.S. entertainment trade weekly, Variety.
Christopher would later use his Writers Guild of America training to co-author and sell the original screenplay, The Living Legend, with Jon Mercedes III, to the Erin Organization, and later, and also with Mercedes, to write two seasons of The Party Game, a Canadian TV game show.
As a young freelance entertainment journalist, he contributed to many Los Angeles-based publications, among them The Advocate, for which he wrote a breezy film column, “Reeling ‘Round,” and the Los Angeles Free Press. During this time, he became a member of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle.
Christopher dipped his toes into the world of motion picture advertising and publicity, as assistant to the West Coast Director of Advertising and Publicity for Cinerama Releasing Corporation, in Beverly Hills. At the same time, he also did special advertising and publicity projects for 20th Century-Fox. Christopher went on to become an Account Executive for David Wallace & Company, a public relations firm specializing in entertainment accounts – and located on West Hollywood’s legendary Sunset Strip.
Returning to his first love, writing, Christopher became a full time freelance contributor to national consumer publications including Us, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, McCall’s, In Cinema, and The National Enquirer, among others. Many of his stories were syndicated worldwide by the New York Times Syndication Corp.
Another important area of endeavor for Christopher Stone was Re-Creating Your Self. A Blueprint for Personal Change that he first developed for himself, the journalist went on to teach the principles and processes of Re-Creating Your Self to others – first, in private sessions, later, in workshops and seminars, and, finally, for California State University Extended Education. Eventually, one of his students suggested he write a book version.
Re-Creating Your Self was first published in hardcover by Metamorphous Press, and subsequently published in a trade paperback edition by Hay House. It has since been published in Spanish, Swedish and Hebrew language editions.
He went on to co-author, with Mary Sheldon, four novellas for a Japanese educational publisher, and then, also with Mary Sheldon, the highly successful The Meditation Journal trilogy of hardcover books.
In his private life, Christopher Stone met David M. Stoebner on May 17, 1994, and they have been together ever since. In 2008, they were married in Los Angeles. They share a home with their three pets in Coastal Los Angeles County.
This giveaway is open internationally however, print is only open to the U.S. and Canada Only. This giveaway closes on February 14, 2015. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
Publisher: RidgeRoute Press (November 17, 2014) Category: International Suspense, Mystery/Thriller ISBN: 9780991401734 Tour Date: January/February, 2015 Available in: Print & ebook, 314 Pages
A friend’s deception. A family’s dilemma.
While cataloguing looted antiquities in Brussels, archaeologist Grace Madison discovers that her daughter has vanished in France, and her son’s bride has been attacked in Switzerland. After the Madisons unearth a relic whose taproot pierces the Ancient Near East, they realize that before they can save themselves, they must rescue an old friend. If he’ll let them.
They sacrifice hearts and lives in a race against eternity on a four-thousand-year-old trail crossing three continents.
Because choosing what’s right is all that’s left.
Praise for When Camels Fly (Parched Series Book I):
“Page-turning international suspense–this writer is on her way up.”-DiAnn Mills, Christie Award winning author
“An exciting novel of suspense, intrigue, and mystery. Very nicely done.“-Paul Johnson, Readers’ Favorites
“It’s obvious from the writing that the author has spent time here.”-Ellis Shuman, Times of Israel
“The book was fantastic, and nearly impossible to set down. Highly recommended.“-Kathryn Bennett, Readers’ Favorites
“A unique, totally out in left field, never been told story. I love that.”-Every Free Chance Blog
Advance Praise for My Brothers Keepers:
“The Brothers’ Keepers, book 2 in theParchedseries, delivers masterful international suspense driven by contemporary family dynamics. Light the late-night oil because you won’t want to put this book down.”-DiAnn Mills, Christy Award Winner
“I thought Horton peaked with her first novel, When Camels Fly. I’ll admit, I was wrong. The Brothers’ Keepers is magnificent! The main characters from her first novel are beautifully developed in this sequel.
This is a more accessible novel than When Camels Fly mainly because of the location — Europe. She incorporates the history of the places her characters visit, and she weaves an incredibly feasible story around these events. The story is as complex as When Camels Fly, a good thing that requires close reading, but it is well worth the effort.
I highly recommend reading When Camels Fly before this one and continuing journeying with the Madison family!-Leigh Bennett, Reader
“I am once again became enthralled by the exploits of an intelligent, older woman and her family whom I first got to meet in When Camels Fly. It’s so rare to find a heroine that the more mature amongst us can relate to on some level. I look forward to learning more about Grace, Mark, Maggie, Jeff and Becca as they become embroiled in yet another adventure after Maggie goes missing and an attempt is apparently made on Becca’s life whilst she and Jeff are honeymooning in Switzerland.“-Anne Rogers, Reader
About NLB Horton:
Winner of ‘A People’s Chioce Award’ in fiction, NLB Horton returned to writing fiction after an award-winning career in journalism and marketing as well as earning her Masters of Biblical Studies degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. She has surveyed Israeli and Jordanian archaeological digs, tossed a tarantula from her skiff into the Amazon after training with an Incan shaman, driven uneventfully through Rome, and consumed gallons of afternoon tea while traveling across five continents.
Horton is a member of the venerable Explorers Club, based in New York City and founded in 1904 as an international multidisciplinary professional society of explorers and scientists. From her home in the Rocky Mountains, she writes, cross-country skis, gardens and researches ideas for her next novel. Horton’s first novel in the Parched series, When Camels Fly, was released in May 2014. The Brothers’ Keepers is the second, with the third installment available in fall 2015.
This giveaway is open internationally however, pint is only availble to the U.S. and Canada. This giveaway ends on February 28, 2015. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
Thanks to Anneliese Grosfeld of Simon & Schuster Canada, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Long Hello’ by Cathie Borrie.
