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Other People's Houses by Abbi WaxmanOther People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman


Thanks to R. Ryanne Probst of |Berkley Publishing Group,  I am giving away one print copy of ‘Other People’s Houses’ by Abbi Waxman.

Description Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman


The author of The Garden of Small Beginnings returns with a hilarious and poignant new novel about four families, their neighborhood carpool, and the affair that changes everything.

At any given moment in other people’s houses, you can find…repressed hopes and dreams…moments of unexpected joy…someone making love on the floor to a man who is most definitely not her husband…

As the longtime local carpool mom, Frances Bloom is sometimes an unwilling witness to her neighbors’ private lives. She knows her cousin is hiding her desire for another baby from her spouse, Bill Horton’s wife is mysteriously missing, and now this…

After the shock of seeing Anne Porter in all her extramarital glory, Frances vows to stay in her own lane. But that’s a notion easier said than done when Anne’s husband throws her out a couple of days later. The repercussions of the affair reverberate through the four carpool families–and Frances finds herself navigating a moral minefield that could make or break a marriage.

Praise Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman


“Charming yet provocative. . . . This is a voyeuristic (in a nice way) and humorous trip through what is usually hidden behind closed doors. Waxman is a master at purveying the wry humor that rides just below the surface of even the tough times. An immensely enjoyable read.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A smart, thoughtful look at marriage and suburbia.”—PopSugar

“Once again, [Waxman] manages to take a far-reaching topic and sprinkle it with spicy dialogue, adorable kids, and characters who feel like best friends. . . Recommend to those who like to turn pages quickly without sacrificing complex characters.”—Booklist

“We absolutely adored [The Garden of Small Beginnings]. And if it’s possible, we’re even more in love with her much-anticipated follow-up, Other People’s Houses.”—Hello Giggles

Excerpt Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman

Frances pulled into the elementary school lot and Ava got out, sighing as if she were a fourteen-year-old Victorian child disembarking for her day down the mine. She pulled open the door and swung her arm wide.

“Medium-size children may now escape. Mind the gap, and watch out for speeding moms on cell phones.”

The children had already unbuckled and piled out, high-fiving Ava as they passed her. Kate stopped, and Frances turned to see what was up. The little girl’s face was a study in conflict.

“What’s wrong, honey?”

Kate looked at Frances, and her chin wobbled.

“I left my toilet roll tubes at home.”

“Oh.” Frances looked at her eldest child. Ava shrugged, looking back inside the open minivan.

“They aren’t in the car.”

“Oh, OK.” Frances smiled at Kate. “I’m sure the teacher will have lots of extras.” She herself had, over time, sent in three thousand toilet roll tubes. For all she knew they were building a particle collider out of them, or an accurate re-creation of the New York subway system. Let’s hope they didn’t use the obvious choice for subway trains.

“No, I have to have my own ones.” Kate’s eyes were filling with tears, her shit-fit indicator was dropping to DEFCON 3. “It’s for the class project. Everyone else will have them.”

Frances weighed her options. On the one hand Kate was only six, and would not only survive but would forget the trauma of not having had toilet roll tubes. But on the other hand, she was a member of the Yakuza-esque organization known as Miss Lollio’s First Grade Class, whose members fell on the weakest like wolves on a lamb. Forgetting to bring toilet roll tubes and having to borrow some was a Noticeable Event to be avoided at all costs. It wasn’t on the level of peeing oneself, of course, it wasn’t going to give rise to a nickname you couldn’t shake until college, but it wasn’t great.

“My mommy put them in a bag, but she forgot to give them to me.” A note of accusatory steel had entered her voice. Frances gazed at the little angel, whose mother had been heard calling her Butterblossom. Kate’s eyes had gone flat like a shark’s. She knew she would get what she wanted, the only question was when. I am younger than you, old lady, her eyes said, and I will stand here until age makes you infirm, at which time I will push you down, crunch over your brittle bones, and get the toilet roll tubes I need.

“Alright, Kate. I’ll go back and get them after I drop Ava, OK, and bring them back to school for you.” Frances knew she was being played, but it was OK. She was softhearted, and she could live with that.

“Suckah . . .” Ava headed back to her seat, shaking her head over her mother’s weakness, a weakness she loved to take advantage of herself.

“Thanks, Frances!” Kate beamed an enormous smile, turned, and ran off—the transformation from tremulous waif to bouncy cherub instantaneous. Behind her in the line of cars, someone tapped their horn. OK, the brief honk said, we waited while you dealt with whatever mini crisis was caused by your piss-poor parenting, because we’re nice like that, but now you can get a move on because we, like everyone else in this line, have Shit to Do. Amazing how much a second of blaring horn can communicate.

Frances waved an apologetic hand out of the car window, and pulled out of the gate.

She dropped the other kids and was back at Anne’s house in a half hour. Having carpool duty wasn’t the onerous task the other parents thought it was: All three schools were close to home, and all four families lived on the same block. As Frances ran up to Anne’s door she looked over and saw her own cat, Carlton, watching her. She waved. He blinked and looked away, embarrassed for both of them.

She knocked softly on the door, but no one answered. Maybe Anne had gone back to sleep. She turned the handle and pushed open the door, peering around. Yup, there was the bag of toilet roll tubes. She grabbed it and was about to shut the door again when she saw Anne lying on the floor, her face turned away, her long hair spilling across the rug.

“Anne! Holy crap, are you OK?” But as she said it her brain started processing what she was really seeing. Anne, on the floor, check. But now she’d turned her head and Frances realized she was fine. In fact, she was better than fine. Frances had instinctively stepped over the sill and now she saw that Anne was naked, her face flushed, a man between her legs, his head below her waist.

“Shit . . .” Frances dropped her eyes, began to back out, “Sorry, Anne, Kate forgot her toilet roll tubes . . .” Stupidly she raised her hand with the Whole Foods bag in it because, of course, that would make it better, that she’d interrupted Anne and Charlie having a quickie on the living room floor. It was OK, because she was just here for the toilet roll tubes. Nothing to see here, move along.

The man realized something was wrong, finally, and raised his head, looking first at Anne and then turning to see what she was looking at, why her face was so pale when seconds before it had been so warmly flushed.

Frances was nearly through the door, it was closing fast, but not before she saw that it wasn’t Charlie at all. It was someone else entirely.

Frances closed the door and heard it click shut.


About Abbi WaxmanOther People's Houses by Abbi Waxman


Abbi Waxman is a chocolate-loving, dog-loving woman who lives in Los Angeles and lies down as much as possible. She worked in advertising for many years, which is how she learned to write fiction. She has three daughters, three dogs, three cats, and one very patient husband. She is the recipient of most helpful parent award from her daughter’s preschool. That was many years ago. But still…

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amplecat

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Giveaway Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman


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Parrot Talk by David B. SeaburnParrot Talk by David B. Seaburn


Publisher: Black Rose Writing (May 11, 2017)
Category: Literary Fiction, Humor, Family
Tour dates: Aug-Oct, 2017
ISBN: 978-1612968551
Available in Print & ebook, 193 pages
Parrot Talk

At the age of 14 and 11, brothers, Lucas and Grinder’s mother has left them and their alcoholic father. They never hear from her again.

Out of the blue a friend of their mother, Janice, contacts Lucas with the news that their mother has died. She asks them to come to Pittsburgh to take care of her effects, chief among them being Paul. Reluctantly, Lucas and Grinder head for Pittsburgh where they meet Janice and learn that Paul is their mother’s African grey parrot. Turns out that Paul has things to say that turn the brothers’ worlds upside down, especially regarding their mother.

This is a humorous look at matters of consequence—abandonment, alcoholism, grief and loss of a mother, living without clear answers, the relationship between brothers, separation and reconciliation and hope. It is also about a father who carries a piece of Jesus with him in a Ziploc baggie, a parrot who likes to get stoned, and a brother who cleans dead animals off the streets for a living.

My Thoughts Parrot Talk by David B. Seaburn


Brothers, Lucas and Grinder find out that their mother, Millie has passed away in Pittsburgh.   They have been estranged from her for a very long time but have to drive cross country to get there and take care of their mother’s estate and her African Grey bird, Paul.  They do not find out that Paul is a bird until they get there.

During their long drive we find out about their childhood and how they were abandoned by Millie 30 years ago.  The road trip had some great tidbits and worth the reading just for that.  It is humorous and sad throughout but the humor really cranks up one they get to Pittsburgh and find out that Paul is not the human they speculated him to be but a bird.  He’s not only a bird but a grieving bird.  It becomes evident to Grinder and Lucas that Millie cared more for Paul than she did for her sons.  They find that spending time with Paul is a lot like being with their mother due to all his snarky remarks.

I really enjoyed ‘Parrot Talk’ and all of its parts.  I laughed and cried in equal measures.  It is an excellent character study with complex and quirky characters.  With life experience, I have come to learn that all families are dysfunctional and with this one, it becomes apparent fast. It is a great examination of a family that must come to terms with the past and move on. David Seaburn’s poetic prose and the story kept me glued to the book until its conclusion.  There are so many memorable moments and I highly recommend ‘Parrot Talk’.

5/5

I received the ebook for my honest review.

 

About David B. SeaburnParrot Talk by David B. Seaburn


David B. Seaburn has been a Presbyterian pastor of a small country church, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at a leading university medical center, a pioneer in the field of Medical Family Therapy, and a prolific author.

Since 2005, Seaburn has published six novels. His newest, ‘Parrot Talk’, was released in May 2017 by Black Rose Writing. He also writes a blog for Psychology Today magazine, “Going Out Not Knowing.” Seaburn was a Finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards in fiction for his novel, ‘Charlie No Face’ (2011). He is currently an instructor at Writers and Books in Rochester NY. Seaburn is married with two married daughters and two wonderful granddaughters. A third grandchild is on the way.

Website: www.davidbseaburn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.seaburn
Twitter: twitter.com/dseaburn

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This giveaway is for the ebook and is open worldwide.  It ends on October 31, 2017.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Parrot Talk by David B. Seaburn

Mad by Chloe EspositoMad by Chloe Esposito


Thanks to Becky Odell of Dutton, I am giving away one print copy of Mad by Chloe Esposito.

Description of Mad by Chloe Esposito


In this compulsively readable debut, set between London and Sicily over one blood-drenched week in the dead of summer, an identical twin reveals the crazy lies and twists she’ll go through to not only steal her sister’s perfect life, but to keep on living it.

Alvie Knightly is a trainwreck: aimless, haphazard, and pretty much constantly drunk. Alvie’s existence is made even more futile in contrast to that of her identical and perfect twin sister, Beth. Alvie lives on social media, eats kebabs for breakfast, and gets stopped at security when the sex toy in her carry-on starts buzzing. Beth is married to a hot, rich Italian, dotes on her beautiful baby boy, and has always been their mother’s favorite. The twins’ days of having anything in common besides their looks are long gone. 

When Beth sends Alvie a first-class plane ticket to visit her in Italy, Alvie is reluctant to go. But when she gets fired from the job she hates and her flatmates kick her out on the streets, a luxury villa in glitzy Taormina suddenly sounds more appealing. Beth asks Alvie to swap places with her for just a few hours so she can go out unnoticed by her husband. Alvie jumps at the chance to take over her sister’s life–if only temporarily. But when the night ends with Beth dead at the bottom of the pool, Alvie realizes that this is her chance to change her life. 

Alvie quickly discovers that living Beth’s life is harder than she thought. What was her sister hiding from her husband? And why did Beth invite her to Italy at all? As Alvie digs deeper, she uncovers Mafia connections, secret lovers, attractive hitmen, and one extremely corrupt priest, all of whom are starting to catch on to her charade. Now Alvie has to rely on all the skills that made her unemployable–a turned-to-11 sex drive, a love of guns, lying to her mother–if she wants to keep her million-dollar prize. She is uncensored, unhinged, and unforgettable.

Praise for Mad by Chloe Esposito


“Esposito comes on the scene at breakneck speed in this debut, combining sex, drugs, and a bloodlust that is never satisfied. Alvina is a character that readers won’t soon forget—funny, fierce, and fabulous… readers will clamor for the next two books faster than you can pull the trigger on a gun.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Mad is deliciously over-the-top, with a protagonist you’ll never forget and an ending that promises more chaos to come.”—Bookpage

“Using Sicily as a backdrop with its gorgeous architecture, villas, and sexy men, Esposito pens an unforgettable summer debut headed by a no-holds-barred protagonist.”—Library Journal

About Chloe Esposito


Mad by Chloe Esposito

(c) Charlie Hopkinson, 2017

Chloé J. Esposito grew up in Cheltenham, England, and now lives in London with her husband and daughter. She has a BA and MA in English from Oxford University and has been a senior management consultant, an English teacher at some of the UK’s top private schools, and a fashion stylist at Condé Nast. A graduate of the Faber Academy, this is her first novel.

Giveaway of Mad by Chloe Esposito


This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on June 30, 2017 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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