Big Sky Lake will be released in one week. In this video I give you a little preview of the story and what to expect.
Book review: Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy
Goodnight Beautiful is a superb domestic thriller that will smack you in the face if you’re not paying close enough attention. And you’ll deserve it, too.
There were more “what the heck?” moments in Aimee Molloy’s Goodnight Beautiful that I can possibly recall. More than once I found myself stopping and re-reading a section to make sure that the twist Molloy just nailed me with was deserved or just a shady sleight of hand. It turns out each time was well deserved.
I’ve said it before—I love to be fooled and Molloy got me with this one. No spoilers here because you should experience it too.
Psychotherapist Sam Statler goes missing after recently returning to his hometown of Chestnut Hill, New York. Sam is recently married, something he and his wife of 13 or so weeks celebrate every single week. Newlyweds, right?
Sam is back in town to help care for his ailing mother and sets up a practice in town in the basement of a beautiful old home with some special quirks.
The journey to find Sam and who we as the reader are trusting, are the driving elements of this exceptionally crafted work of art. There are moments where some of the narration may seem needlessly tedious, but it’s certainly all done for effect and often with a sarcastic wit. One of our unreliable narrators is a real gem.
Some reviewers have (wrongly) compared this novel to one of Stephen King’s most famous works. Again, no spoilers, so figure it out yourself. I will say, King doesn’t own this idea any more than Molloy, who has definitely staked a claim for queen of this genre.
4/5 stars, recommended
Playing with gender norms
Release day is around the corner; I'm pumped
I’m super excited to introduce you to my buddy, James Bell, next week in my new novel An Agreement We Made. James is a stay-at-home dad just trying to keep his three kids on the straight and narrow. Life isn’t so bad, if you don’t count his workaholic wife Tina, who earns a bundle, but physically and emotionally absent. When Tina suddenly dies, my guy’s life is turned upside down. Money – gone. Security – gone. But why? James sets off to figure out why his wife left him and the kids with nothing. The more he digs about his wife, the further he gets from answers.
This is a story about a modern marriage, the lies we tell ourselves to get through the day and the secrets we keep from everyone.
Book Review: Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown
I’m definitely late to the game in reading Janelle Brown’s Watch Me Disappear, and shamefully late to my complete adoration of Brown’s other works entirely. Her latest Pretty Things was my favorite book of 2020, so I couldn’t help but start on the backlist. Watch Me Disappear is a can’t miss, even if it’s been out since 2017 and I’m painfully behind a million other people having read this book first. Add it to your list if you haven’t already.
Read the first two chapters of An Agreement We Made
New novel coming June 2, 2021
I’m very excited to announce that on June 2, 2021, I will release my fifth novel, An Agreement We Made. This family life fiction novel has been in the works for nearly three years, and I’m overjoyed to release it on paperback and ebook this summer. Kindle pre-orders are up now on Amazon.
An Agreement We Made
James is a stay-at-home dad, with a comfortable life of dance recitals and school volunteer work, despite his complicated marriage to workaholic Tina. When Tina suddenly dies, James struggles as a single parent to his three children, without the safety net and sizable income his wife once provided. For the sake of his family, he’s forced to return to a past he’d much rather leave alone.
As James’ world crumbles, he begins to question if he ever really knew his wife. Why did she want him to be the primary parent, while she stayed on the fringe of their marriage? And now that she’s gone, will he ever learn why she drained their bank accounts before her death?
An Agreement We Made is an examination of a modern marriage, the lies we tell ourselves to get through the day, and the secrets we keep from everyone.
What I’m Reading in 2020 - updated
I was recently asked about the books I've read during the pandemic. I typically read on my Kindle or the Libby app from my local library. When the weather is nice, I'll grab an audiobook to listen to when I exercise. I don't read as much when I'm writing, so my list is a bit thin, but here's what I've read and enjoyed in 2020.
Reply to this post and share your list!
The Loop, Jeremy Robert Johnson
All Our Wrong Todays, Elan Mastai
Leave The World Behind, Rumaan Alam :(
-This one is not recommended, sorry-
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, Hank Green
The Last Flight, Julie Clark
Trust, Pete Buttigieg (non-fiction)
Oona Out of Order, Margarita Montimore
The Hunting Party, Lucy Foley
The Reckoning, John Grisham
Pretty Things, Janelle Brown
Camino Winds, John Grisham
Summer of '69, Elin Hilderbrand
Chronicles of The One (1-3), Nora Roberts
The River, Peter Heller
Fractured State, Steven Konkoly
Shelter in Place, Nora Roberts
The Dog Stars, Peter Heller
The Wall, John Lanchester
Replay, Ken Grimwood (re-read)
