The Girl From Long Guyland

Welcome to Lara Reznik's Book Blast. Enjoy this post, and then scroll down to Fashionista Friday and my Book Release Party for Blue 52. You have until Sunday night to win some nice prizes so be sure to sign up and read the first chapter. 

The Girl from Long Guyland

by Lara Reznik

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NOTE: THE GIRL FROM LONG GUYLAND WILL BE ON SALE AT AMAZON FOR 99 CENTS ON DECEMBER 7.

BLURB:

Laila Levin enjoys a successful marriage and a thriving career as an I.T. executive in Austin, Texas, but she can't quite shake her lifelong sense of not truly belonging anywhere.

When her company announces a major layoff, Laila finds herself caught between an unscrupulous CEO and her promiscuous boss. Then news of her college roommate's suicide stirs up a dark secret involving three devious friends from her past. One has betrayed a vow, another wants to rekindle their romance, and the third is out for revenge.

Suddenly for Laila, it's 1969 again. She's only seventeen, and she's left her sheltered home in Long Island for college in Connecticut. Amid protests of the Vietnam War, she's tempted by the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll that rule her generation. Laila gets swept up in a deceptive love triangle with two older locals and initiated into their unethical hippie family. Too late she realizes her search to belong has led to tragedy.

Laila must now juggle the demands of her perplexed husband and her baby boomer past forcing her to make choices that endanger her survival and challenge her conscience.

She learns that the lines between right and wrong are often blurred, and sometimes you have to risk everything to be true to yourself.



EXCERPT

Austin, TX 2012

We both rise and hug. The cigarettes and beer on his breath jet me back in time to Bridgeport. I want to scream at him but suppress my anger. I remind myself it’s important I stay calm and collected.

        

“Ben was right. You look awesome,” he says.

        

He’s definitely changed a lot. The cute blonde guy I remember has vanished. His face has the bloated look of an alcoholic with his veiny red nose and blanched skin. In comparison, Ben looks much better for the wear.

        

He gestures to the waitress who drops off menus and a Budweiser for him. I order a glass of Chardonnay.

       

 “So, tell me about yourself, Laila,” he says.

        

Should I commence with what a creep I think he was for deserting Katie and me thousands of miles away from home? Or how furious I am that he broke the pact and deflected Juanita Bonita’s investigation from him to me?

        

No, best to let the past go and mine as much information as I can about his conversations with Juanita. If it means acting friendly, then so be it. I’m a lot older and wiser now and can play his game. While I don’t like it one bit, I’ll do what it takes to survive.

I provide a brief synopsis about Ed, the boys, and my I.T. career, ending with the recent visit from our new board member. The part about Ivy is a test to see how he responds.

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lara Reznik grew up on Long Island but escaped to New Mexico in 1970 in a Karmann Ghia that she and her boyfriend jump-started cross-country. As an English major at the University of New Mexico, Lara studied under esteemed authors Rudolfo Anaya and the late Tony Hillerman. She also attended a summer program at the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop.

           

Ambidextrous from birth, Lara preferred her right-brained creative side, but discovered she could make a better living with her left-brain skills, so entered the I.T. field in 1985.

          

Lara published her first novel, The Girl From Long Guyland in November 2012. The novel ranked #1 during its recent Amazon Kindle promotion and has over 115,000 Kindle downloads. In addition to her novels, Lara has written and optioned three screenplays that have garnered semifinalist and finalist wins in the Austin Heart of Film, Southwest Writers, TV Writer, Chesterfield and Writer's Digest contests. Currently, Lara is working on a new novel based on her screenplay, The M&M Boys.

LINKS

AMAZON LINK:

http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Long-Guyland-ebook/dp/B00A45OYD0/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1369930673&sr=8-1&keywords=THE+GIRL+FROM+LONG+GUYLAND

FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/LARAREZNIK23?ref=hl&bookmark_t=page

WEBSITE

https://www.larareznik.COM

Readers, please follow Lara's tour and comment often for your chance to win a $50 Amazon gift certificate. You can find her schedule at  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/11/virtual-super-book-blast-girl-from-long.html

Just Out of Reach

Just Out of Reach

by Belinda Stevens

 

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BLURB:

 

When high school freshman Katherine Boyd meets David, her life is forever altered. Their romance experiences the turmoil of Mississippi in the sixties, family relationships that keep them apart, and political differences that threaten to destroy them. Through the death of JFK and James Meredith’s admission to Ole Miss, Katherine’s growth means being progressive in a traditional Southern family, accepting the loss of those closest to her, and learning to cope with her family’s darkest secrets. Just Out of Reach is the story of a young woman forged in desperate times and a love that changes her life forever.

 

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Excerpt

There are certain events in life that leave a line of demarcation, the beginning of things, the ending of something else.  For me, meeting David was that line.

 

It all began my freshman year at Lancaster High.  What amazed me about the year 1961 was that my feelings for David emerged at the exact moment I became isolated from the soul of my town, my birthplace. I was apart from all that I knew or understood.  It all happened so fast that I felt split, like some multiple personality separating into many different identities.

 

The day we met, it was very cold. The student body had congregated in and around the arcade during morning break to get a glimpse of the falling snow, hoping that the ground would be cold enough for it to stick.  Lancaster High was nestled between the canal that separated my town from the residential area and its business district to the north.  LHS was made of red brick, with a newly erected concrete arcade leading directly to its front entrance.

 

As thoughts of a snow holiday raced through my head, Betsy and I noticed a couple at the far end of the arcade.  We automatically moved in that direction.  I nudged my best friend and whispered, “Who’s the guy with Linda?”

 

“Don’t know, let’s find out,” responded Betsy.  My friend continued to talk but I didn’t hear a word.  My eyes were fixed on the boy at the end of the arcade.  My heart was pounding so hard, it was all I heard. My reaction was a mystery, even to me.  It still is.

 

 

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Belinda J. Stevens was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the gateway to the Mississippi Delta, in 1948. She grew up in the turbulent sixties, and has a true appreciation for the difficulties experienced by Katherine in Just Out of Reach, which is Belinda’s first novel. She is an attorney who currently practices law in Yazoo City and resides in Brandon, Mississippi with her dog, Humprey B.

 

Facebook: facebook.com/belinda.stevens.733

 

Twitter: @BelindaSteven20

 

Blog: belindastevens.blogspot.com

 

Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Out-Reach-Belinda-Stevens/dp/0615760384/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372900298&sr=1-1

 

 

Readers, Belinda is giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate so follow her tour and comment often for a chance to win.  Find her schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/09/virtual-blurb-blitz-tour-just-out-of.html