Spotlight: My Year of Casual Acquaintances by Ruth F. Stevens

When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures - as long as she can keep things casual.

With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant, a kindly older gentleman . . . and Charlie, a handsome best-selling novelist who wants more from Mar than she's able to give. She learns something new from each encounter. But can she change enough to open herself up to happiness and true connection?

Surrounded by an ensemble of quirky, endearing characters, Mar follows a tortuous and unpredictable path as she navigates the first year of her reinvented life. My Year of Casual Acquaintances is packed with laugh-out-loud moments mingled with scenes of loneliness and self-doubt that will put a lump in your throat.

Excerpt

(In My Year of Casual Acquaintances, narrator Mar is trying to reinvent herself after the breakup of her long marriage. She joins a new gym where she’s determined to meet people and enjoy fun, commitment-free relationships. She assigns nicknames to fellow gym members rather than learn their names. This excerpt describes an encounter in a yoga class with an attractive man she has dubbed “Sexy Eyes.”) 

Marlene instructs the class to start in a cross-legged seated pose and tells us to place our hands in a position that sounds something like Angelina Jolie. Then she repeats the phrase and I now understand it to be anjali mudra, which describes the simple gesture of pressing your palms together in front of the heart. What follows is a succession of poses that Marlene calls out in rapid-fire Sanskrit. We engage our mula bandha, drop down in Chaturanga, perform a swooping vinyasa, invert ourselves into a V-shaped Adho Mukha Svanasana, find our drishti as we balance one-legged in Vrksasana to resemble a tree, squat down into an imaginary chair in Utkatasana, salute the sun with Surya Namaskar, and so much more. 

My comprehension of Sanskrit is about on par with my fluency in Mandarin, but I stumble along, trying to keep up. I find it helpful to watch Sexy Eyes and follow his lead. His long body is agile and lithe, flowing from one pose to another with effortless skill. He has a light winter suntan that suggests an affinity for outdoor activities. His hair is dark on top but graying around the edges, straight and thick, in a boyish cut that tumbles across his face whenever he lowers his head or turns sideways in the twisty poses. His biceps and triceps, thigh muscles, and calves all tauten as he moves from pose to pose. His limbs are well-sculpted, but his is not the bulging physique of a bodybuilder – which is fine by me, since I regard the muscleman look as a major turnoff. 

The truth is, I’m not watching Sexy Eyes to guide me through the poses as much as I’m ogling him. And why not? I haven’t been with a man in a long time, and without question, this man is highly ogleable. I reflect with catty pleasure that there’s no way Alice can derive this kind of pleasure from observing Henry, whose pale limbs and long bloated torso have gone soft and fleshy from years of inactivity – though in the bedroom, I guess, he hasn’t exactly been inactive. Stop thinking about Henry, I command myself. I steal another glance at Sexy Eyes for distraction. 

Near the end of class, as we execute a recumbent spinal twist, Marlene sits in a serene lotus pose, organizing small towels into a neat pile. I’m all in favor of multi-tasking, but is it appropriate for her to be folding her laundry? It isn’t until we assume our final corpse pose, or savasana, and she tiptoes around the room to distribute a warm towel to each of us, that I understand the lavender-scented cloths are to enhance our final relaxation with aromatherapy. 

I nearly burst out laughing at my own cluelessness, but Sexy Eyes turns his head toward me as he adjusts his pose, and our brief eye contact stifles my impulse to laugh. As I take in the soothing scent of the lavender, my eyelids grow heavy. The next thing I know, Marlene is summoning the group back to consciousness with a gentle voice to lead us through the final om. I’m so drowsy it takes a massive effort to pry open my eyes. 

On our way out of the studio, Sexy Eyes asks me, “Did you enjoy the class?”

I smile up at him. “I did. But all those yoga terms go way over my head. I need a cheat sheet with translations and drawings.”

“You might try Marlene’s Introduction to Yoga class. Only English is spoken there.” He must see my smile fade because he adds, “Kidding. Keep coming back and you’ll catch on in no time.”

Is he being polite, or is that an invitation? I’ve no idea, but I float downstairs to the lobby, my body humming with an unexpected frisson of excitement. I can hardly wait to get back to hatha yoga to work on all those unpronounceable poses. 

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About the Author

Ruth F. Stevens likes to create stories that will make readers laugh and cry. A former public relations executive in New York and Los Angeles, she is a produced playwright and author of a previous novel, Stage Seven, which was a featured selection of national online book club and Alzheimer’s awareness organizations. Ruth is a proud member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Dramatists Guild of America and serves as a volunteer and acquisitions editor for AlzAuthors.

Ruth lives in Torrance, California with her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, hiking, hip-hop and fitness classes, yoga, Broadway musicals, wine tasting, leading a book club, and visiting her grandsons in NYC. Visit Ruth at https://ruthfstevens.com and consider signing up for her monthly newsletter to receive publishing updates, book reviews, and special offers.

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Spotlight: A Wolff in the Family by Francine Falk-Allen

Based on a true story, A Wolff in the Family is a riveting saga of prejudice, passion, and revenge, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds. What mysterious scandals led a father to abandon the youngest of his children—and for the elder siblings to keep their shame secret for eighty years?

Frank and Naomi Wolff were happily married in 1908. She was a Kansas farmgirl; he was a railroad engineer. She was excited to embark upon her role as wife and mother with a hardworking man, and in their early years together they made a life in thriving Ogden, Utah. Despite Frank’s almost-constant absence for his job riding the rails, which left pretty Naomi to raise their children virtually alone, their romantic relationship begat fourteen offspring in eighteen years. Like other lower-middle-class women, Naomi’s life was consumed with caring for her brood, who became helpers as soon as they could fold a diaper—and who, by and by, were required to attend the school of hard knocks as much as public schools. Affection and struggle endured within the family, crowded into a humble house. Despite the respite of occasional family train trips across the plains, the marriage ultimately faced exceptional challenges, just before the Depression era began.

What scandals led Frank Wolff to abandon his younger children at an orphanage far from home? And why did his elder children keep this a secret for eighty years?

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About the Author

FRANCINE FALK-ALLEN: was born in Los Angeles and has lived nearly all of her life in northern California. She had polio in 1951, and has lived her life as a disabled person making an effort to be a “normie.” 

Falk-Allen was originally an art major and later completed her BA in Managerial Accounting, running her own business for over thirty years. She has always sought creative outlets, such as painting, singing, and writing. She began doing extensive family genealogy research in 1999, and has traced both her maternal and paternal ancestors back to the 1600s.

Her first book, “Not a Poster Child: Living Well with a Disability,” won gold and silver awards and was on several best books lists in 2018 and 2019, including Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2018, PopSugar and BuzzFeed, and was nominated to 25 Women Making a Difference in 2019 by Conversations Magazine.

Her second book, “No Spring Chicken: Stories and Advice from a Wild Handicapper,” received a Kirkus star, given to “books of exceptional merit” by Kirkus Reviews, and was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of August 2021. “No Spring Chicken” was also a finalist in Foreword Reviews’ Indie Awards in 2021.

Her third book, “A Wolff in the Family” is a riveting early twentieth century saga set in the western United States and based on scandalous family history.

Francine spends a significant amount of time managing the effects of post-polio. She facilitates a polio survivors’ group as well as a writing group, and volunteers on her town’s Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Committee. She loves the outdoors, swimming, gardening, movies, well-written literature, being with friends and sharing British tea and a little champagne now and then. She resides in San Rafael, California, with her husband. Learn more at: https://francinefalk-allen.com 

Spotlight: Blindspot in America by Elom K. Akoto

Blindspot in America gives a provocative depiction of some of the realities immigrants face in the United States—racism and discrimination—but also their hopes and faith in a country that promises freedom and opportunity to all.

Kamao is the son of a prominent Ghanaian academic and incumbent minister of health and is devoted to all that America symbolizes. After immigrating to the United States in pursuit of higher education and the American Dream, he becomes unwittingly entangled with American politics when he meets Lindsey McAdams, the daughter of an influential, anti-immigration senator. As the couple’s feelings grow, so too does the senator’s animosity toward Kamao. Despite support from fellow immigrants Lazo, Ayefumi, and Dania—who follow American Dreams of their own—Kamao soon finds himself drawn into intrigues hidden from the American public that make him question himself and his adopted country. When Kamao is implicated in a murder, Lindsey’s loyalties are tested, Dania must decide if she is willing to risk her own future and security for the sake of justice, and Kamao discovers how far he’ll go to fulfill his American Dream.

Excerpt

Kamao had been waiting for his trial in Virginia’s maximum-security prison Red Onion State for months now. The thick wall, the tiny window secured by four iron bars that let sunlight into his cell were all real. The bruises on his knuckles were a brutal reminder of the reality that surrounded him. At 4:00 p.m., two armed guards accompanied him to the small yard outside his cell, where he enjoyed the fading daylight of late February. He glanced into the void, attempting to hear the voice of his parents and friends telling him to be brave and not to lose hope. He thought about his parents; how were they handling his situation? They were denied a visa to the United States to be present at his trial. His father’s status as a government official didn’t help.

“This is a national security matter. We cannot allow a foreign country to meddle in a case that concerns the safety and the integrity of the United States,” a spokesperson from Homeland Security told reporters, answering the question about their visa denial.

At 5:30 p.m., a female kitchen helper brought his dinner to the secluded area of the facility. All his food and personal items were inspected by the guards on duty before they delivered them to him.

“All clear! I will take it from here.” The guard took the tray, opened the small window in the door, and placed the plate on the hard wood under the window. “Time to eat.”

“I am not hungry,” a voice replied from the back of the room. Kamao was sitting on the floor, his back to the wall, his knees bent, and his arms crossed. 

“Look, man,” the guard said, “you need to eat. None of us knows what is going to happen to you in a few months, but we all know what will happen if you don’t eat.” He waited for a few minutes and continued, “Come on, man, just try to eat something, all right?”

The prisoner got up, walked to the window, and took the plate.

“Thank you, Sam,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Sam replied. He looked at the poor guy from the window. Kamao looked pale. He had lost a lot of weight. His sadness was muting into despair. Would he ever be found innocent?

“Your lawyers will be here on Monday; you don’t want them to see you like this, do you?” Sam asked. “It would look like you’re giving up the fight. And if you’re giving up on yourself, how can you expect them to fight for you?” Every time Sam saw Kamao like this, he tried to cheer him up without exposing himself as showing compassion to the prisoner, which could result in his losing his job.

Sam was born in Louisiana to a Haitian father that immigrated to the Unit- ed States. His mother was from New Orleans. He was the only guard who never tried to give the prisoner a hard time. The others were usually rude to him, throwing his food on the floor for him to pick up the pieces and eat “like the pig that you are.” One of the guards, Mitch Garvin, from Alabama, lost his job after he made that comment and was heard by one of the supervisors.

Kamao sat on his bed and ate his food: some mashed potatoes and gravy, with two pieces of fried chicken thigh. Within a few months, he had be- come the most covered individual in the news across the country. CBS, CNN, ABC, even newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post all had a story to tell about the case. For several weeks following his arrest, there had been demonstrations in many cities, some in support of his innocence and others calling for the application of the most severe sentence against the most infamous prisoner in the nation.

“It is time for your visit,” Sam said outside Kamao’s cell. The prisoner got up, put his hands together, and stretched them out to be handcuffed. The guard opened the door and led Kamao to the visitation area where he usually met his attorneys.

“You don’t look too well. Are you sick, Kamao?” Mr. Vivaldi asked.

“I am OK,” Kamao replied in a desperate voice. “I just can’t sleep well.”

“I understand that,” Mr. Vivaldi said, “but you need to eat and get as much sleep as you can. If you keep losing weight like this, you will get sick, and that can’t happen; you need to be strong for the trial.”

Mr. Vivaldi was accompanied by two other attorneys who were also rep- resenting the suspect. Many civil rights activists and the suspect’s supporters were delighted when the prominent attorney who had won the nation’s admiration by successfully defending some high-profile suspects agreed to represent Kamao. One of the cases he won involved the internationally renowned heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Johnson. Tommy Johnson was accused of raping and murdering Nathalie Stevens, a nineteen-year-old prostitute, in a hotel room in Las Vegas. Clark Vivaldi won the case, to the surprise of many.

Money was not an issue in Kamao’s case; he could afford the services of the most expensive lawyers in the country. After his arrest, nationwide fundraising for his defense went on for months. Besides Mr. Vivaldi, a dozen other criminal defense attorneys came forward to represent the suspect, each with different expertise.

“The jury has been selected, and the trial is set to open on April 11, which is a month and a half from today. Do you have any questions for me?”

“No, sir,” Kamao replied.

“OK then! Try to get some sleep, and please eat as much as you can; you need the strength,” Mr. Vivaldi added. He pushed his chair back, gathered his folders, and said, “I will let you know if there is anything new, and remember: don’t talk to anyone about your case when I am not around.”

“Understood, sir,” Kamao replied.

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About the Author

Elom K. Akoto immigrated to the United States from Togo (West Africa). He earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in TESOL (Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages). He is the founder of Learn and Care, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote Literacy and Adult Education, not only among immigrants but also among Native Americans who missed the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. The program offers ESL, literacy, GED preparation classes, and more. He self-published two ESL workbooks: Ideal Companion, ESL level 1 and Ideal Companion, ESL level 2. He teaches French in a high school and ESL at a community college in Omaha, Nebraska, where he lives with his family.

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Spotlight: Tender Temptation by Kaylene Winter

Tender Temptation is a scorching tale of age-gap, insta-forbidden-love, hidden identities, coming of age, and second chances.

I’m a master at rebuilding structures, yet my own life is a constant work in progress. As the middle brother in a family of superstars, I've battled alcohol addiction and shoulder the hefty challenge of taking over the family business.

My world makes a seismic shift when I fall hard for Ivy Bright, a vibrant, enigmatic firecracker whose captivating energy makes me feel invincible.

Ivy is more than just a spark in my shadowed world—she’s a blaze. Her luminous presence ignites a clandestine desire in me that I can't resist. But Ivy harbors deep secrets and a tragic past that keeps her trapped in a life she never chose. Despite our undeniable chemistry, her decision to conceal her age and identity backfires spectacularly, threatening to unravel both our hearts.

Years later, will our rekindled passion withstand buried secrets that come to light, or will the truths of our past push us apart forever?

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Meet Kaylene Winter

Kaylene Winter is an Amazon best-selling author of steamy, contemporary romance.

Each character-driven novel is filled with snappy dialogue, pop-culture references and enough steam to make you fan yourself. Kaylene weaves authenticity, emotion and angst into a turbulent rollercoaster ride of love, passion and soul-searing romance always ending with a delicious HEA.

Kaylene lives in Seattle with her amazing Irish husband and gorgeous Siberian Husky. She loves creating art of all kinds.

Keep up with Kaylene and subscribe to her newsletter: https://kaylenewinter.com/newsletter/

To learn more about Kaylene Winter & her books, visit here!

Connect with Kaylene Winter: https://kaylenewinter.com/contact

Spotlight: A Trip Down Memory Lane by E.D. Hackett

Publication date: October 1st 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

A wedding, a snowstorm, and a road trip with your ex…what could possibly go wrong?

Cassidy McCarthy, a single woman from Tampa, is on her way back to Boston for the first time in years to attend her best friend’s wedding. While guilt has kept her away from her home and family, she simply can’t turn her best friend down.

At the airport, Cassidy becomes stranded by a freak snowstorm and is unexpectedly thrust into the path of her ex, Dusty. Forced to share the last rental car and a journey up the Eastern seaboard together, they are confronted with the shared past and buried emotions they both presumed long gone.

Cassidy can’t help but wonder if their story isn’t over yet…

When Dusty arrives at the wedding with another woman on his arm, Cassidy is thrown for a loop and reminded yet again of the destructive behaviors of her past. Will she find the strength to fix her mistakes and preserve the relationships she holds closest to her heart, or will she return to Florida alone?

If you enjoy closed-door romance, personal growth, and second chances, you’ll love E.D. Hackett’s A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE.

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About the Author

E.D Hackett is a Speech-language pathologist by day and a writer by night. She writes novels that investigate layers of self-expectations, family dynamics, self-love and self-acceptance. She hopes that her novels create a safe and cozy environment for her readers to fall into and explore. 

She writes women’s fiction with one foot in romance. 

She lives in New England but in her heart, she feels that she belongs in Ireland. She reads women's fiction and romantic comedies, prefers books to movies, loves ice cream over cake, and thrives in fall and spring. 

Connect:

https://edhackettauthor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/edhackettwrites/

https://www.instagram.com/e.d_hackettwrites/

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Spotlight: Love at First Skate by Ellie Hall

(Love on Thin Ice)
Publication date: October 3rd 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

They say love is messy. Turns out friendship is too, especially when you’re stranded in a cabin with your best friend and hearts are on thin ice.

Teddy
I’ve heard that men and women can’t be friends without it becoming something more. Harlow and I put that theory in the penalty box, thank you very much.

She laughs at my jokes, secretly admires my hockey butt, trusts me with her biggest fear (it’s safe with me). In turn, she knows everything about me. Well, almost.

There’s been a recent development. I’m gone for her. Down bad. Solid Crush. She lives rent free in my mind. I’ve caught feelings. This wouldn’t be a problem except, you know, the whole shattering our friendship thing.

Harlow
You know those days you want to erase? It went like this: my boyfriend broke up with me (it was overdue), and then I broke up with my job while at a work conference (it was mind-numbing).

In an ironic twist, I won the raffle for a romantic getaway trip for two. Who else to bring other than my best friend who’ll gladly commiserate with me? He has a hockey event nearby, so it works out perfectly.

Until we’re stranded in the cozy cabin together. There’s a blaze of attraction. A friendship-changing kiss.
What now? Do we hit the reset button? Salvage what we had? Pretend it never happened? These are things I’d talk to my bestie about, but I can’t because I’m head over heels for him.

Love at First Skate is part of the Love on Thin Ice sweet small town hockey romcom series. It’s a best friends to lovers, forced proximity, no third act breakup romantic comedy with all the sizzle and chemistry, but none of the spice.

Excerpt

“You still have this, too.” I rub my thumb over the mood ring on her finger. I got it for her when we were in a beach town during spring break our junior year of college.

The omnipresent zing inside when I’m with Harlow gets stronger, louder, warmer.

She twists the ring, revealing the purple stone.

“Let’s see, what did purple mean?” I ask.

“I can’t remember,” Harlow says vaguely.

I use her phone to look it up. I still haven’t turned on mine, mostly because I don’t want to deal with my brother, especially not right now.

“You don’t have to. I’ve had it so long, I don’t think it works anymore.”

I swipe to the search results. “Purple means excited.”

“Who doesn’t get excited about pizza?” She takes a nibble. Where is Harlow’s appetite? She can’t be nervous. The mood ring says she’s happy.

Reading the mood ring decoder for purple, I add, “Happy.”

“It’s been a nice night.” Her voice is floaty.

“Also, passion, love, and romance,” I add in one breath.

“It’s silly—probably just reacting to my body temperature.”

Taking Harlow’s hand in mine, I slide the ring off her finger. “Let’s test it out.”

She clears her throat. “It won’t fit you.”

If I didn’t know better, I’d think she doesn’t want me to find out my mood. I slip it onto the top of my pinkie, which is as far as it’ll go. While I watch to see if the stone turns color, Harlow cleans up our paper pizza plates.

“It’s yellow. No, it changed to blue. Wait. It’s yellow again,” I report.

Harlow puts the leftovers in the fridge.

“Hold up. It’s still changing.” I watch mesmerized as the stone slowly morphs.

She sits down in front of the fire. I shimmy closer, eager to prove the ring still works. Then it turns purple, the same as when she had it on.

Clapping my hand on her knee, I say, “I guess we’re both purple.”

She goes still. Time hangs suspended between us. Our gazes meet. The fire stops crackling. Her eyes shine. Words retreat from my lips because there’s something I want that doesn’t require talking.

Then, remembering we’re just friends, I realize the placement of my hand and shift it to her shoulder, giving an awkward squeeze. That’s not much better because the zings are in full swing, racing through me.

When I give Harlow her ring back, our fingers brush. Her cheeks are pink, but it’s probably because she’s now warm from the fire.

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About the Author

Ellie Hall is a USA Today bestselling author. If only that meant she could wear a tiara and get away with it. ;) She loves puppies, books, and the ocean. Writing sweet romance with lots of firsts and fizzy feels gives her joy. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies are her fave. Ellie believes in dreaming big, working hard, and lazy Sunday afternoons spent with her family and dog in gratitude for God’s grace.

Connect:

https://www.subscribepage.com/w4z2y0

https://www.facebook.com/elliehallauthor/

https://www.instagram.com/elliehallauthor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18639184.Ellie_Hall

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