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Everything happens for a reason. At least that’s what co-authors Leigh Brown and Victoria Corliss believe; so much so that they have made it the basis of their recently released novel, The Pendulum’s Truth.

The Pendulum’s Truth is the story of Ava Dell, a protagonist with a twist. Like many people, Ava firmly believes that everything happens for a reason; but unlike her friends and family, she also believes she knows why they happen. She happily shares her intuitive insights with the people she loves providing them guidance and affirmations until the day her awareness fails her. When tragedy results, Ava suddenly finds herself in a moral and emotional dilemma.

The Pendulum’s Truth is the third addition to the growing Brown Corliss Books library of Women’s Fiction. Each book is a story about women, written by women, primarily for women. Studies show that people who read fiction are more empathetic than their non-fiction counterparts, often imagining themselves into the stories and the lives of the characters they read about. Brown and Corliss create “real life” fiction that entertains and engages by touching on topics that resonate with female readers.

Second Chances, their first novel explores the wisdom and consequences of the choices we make in life. All that is good and trying about sisterhood and family comes to life in The Pie Sisters. And now, the popular premise of The Pendulum’s Truth is also striking an emotional chord with women everywhere.

All three Brown Corliss Books titles are available on Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, Smashwords, and select stores in Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut.

Writers Leigh Brown and Victoria (Vikki) Corliss are friends who became co-authors in 2009. Soon after, they published their first novel, Second Chances, followed by The Pie Sisters in 2015, and The Pendulum’s Truth in 2018. Creators of women’s fiction, they are often asked: 1) Are they sisters, and 2) How do they write novels together? In fact, they are sisters in spirit only.

To learn more about how their collaboration works, visit their website at www.Browncorlissbooks.com, or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/browncorlissbooks.

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 at the Rhode Island Author Expo!Rhode Island Author Expo!

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April in Galway is a story about second chances. A couple of years ago, I watched the British comedy-drama series “Last Tango in Halifax,” which begins with former childhood sweethearts, now in their seventies. They reunite via social media, and learn that through a terribly misintentioned event, they were separated. This set-up was the inspiration for April in Galway, though my characters are in their late forties. And while my characters aren’t based on real people, I do know of one very happy couple who were classmates of mine in high school (they weren’t sweethearts then), but found each other later in life and are deliriously happy together! Another character was inspired by a young woman I spent only a few hours with, but who had a profound effect.

As I write, I try to envision who might play the role of a character (so that when the Lifetime Channel comes calling, I’ll be ready – haha). Here are April Tweed, Bill Flanagan, and Connor Whelan as I pictured them:

Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly, and Chef Marcus Wareing

April in Galway ends with a definite feel for a sequel, and I’ve already begun mapping it out. My self-imposed goal of releasing a book a year is on track, and the sequel to this one, which will tie in to one of my previous books (surprise!), will be ready by next December.

I’m the author of eight novels, including the Amazon bestsellers Chocolate forBreakfast and Bits of Broken Glass. My seventh novel, Villa del Sol, received the 2018 Book Award in Literary Fiction by the Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE). I’ve written for Magnificat magazine and my very short poem was read by journalist Connie Schultz during National Public Radio’s “Tell Me More” poetry challenge.

Find my books online and locally at Stillwater Books.

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 at the RI Author Expo!

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Even experienced daters are often left with questions on the process and the games that are played. Over the span of 30 years I have been on well over 100 horrendous dates– and lived to tell about it!! I’ve learned much and impart that wisdom throughout the hilarious pages of Stupid Cupid as only a SWF comedian can! This is an easy read, written in snippets, each one immediately followed by a moral so others don’t have to suffer as I did! It took two years to complete and I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished, especially since people seem to LOVE it! The book currently has a 4.9-star score on Amazon.com!

Stupid Cupid ~ A Survivor’s Guide to Online Dating is a hilarious self-help relationship book offering practical advice for both men and women. A fun read for any adult, it chronicles 100 really awful dates I’ve been on, 100% true! Each snippet (easy reading!) is immediately followed by practical advice. Married folks tell me it gives them a new appreciation for their spouse (It’s a jungle out here!!). Online dating is the modern way for singles to meet– very topical!– but it can be daunting if you don’t know the ropes!

Alison O’Donnell was accidentally born in Connecticut, but is a lifelong native Rhode Islander. A self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, Alison has been skydiving, bungee jumping, hot air ballooning, scuba diving with sharks, zip lining, exceeding the speed limit halfway around the world, and is the mother of one teenage daughter. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Rhode Island College, a Secondary English teacher certification from Providence College, and a Master’s from the School of Hard Knocks. A creature of the stage, she has performed comedy in the Southern New England area for more than half her life, and played with various local bands as a singer/musician. In her spare time, Alison enjoys hiking with her two bichons, Rhett and Scarlett. She has taught high school English for the past 17 years, and doesn’t really know what she wants to be when she grows up. Here is her website

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 for the RI Author Expo!

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The Assistants meets The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. in this exuberant comedy of manners set in the world of Internet media, a brilliantly irreverent novel about what it means to be young, broke, dumped, and scarily good at creating viral content.

When Elinor Tomlinson moved to New York with a degree in journalism she had visions of writing witty opinion pieces, marrying her journalist boyfriend, and attending glamorous parties with famously perverted writers. Instead, Elinor finds herself nannying for two small children who speak in short, high screams, sleeping on a foam pad in a weird apartment, and attending terrible parties with Harper’s interns wearing shapeless smocks. So when Elinor is offered a job at Journalism.ly, the digital media brainchild of a Silicon Valley celebrity, she jumps at the chance. Sure, her boyfriend is writing long think pieces about the electoral college for a real website while Elinor writes lists about sneakers and people at parties give her pitying glances when she reveals her employer, but at Journalism.ly Elinor discovers her true gift: She has a preternatural ability for writing sharable content. She is an overnight viral sensation! But Elinor’s success is not without cost. Elinor’s boyfriend dumps her, two male colleagues insist on “mentoring” her, and a piece she writes about her personal life lands her on local television. Broke, single, and consigned to move to a fifth-floor walkup, Elinor must ask herself: Is this the creative life she dreamed of? Can new love be found on Coffee Meets Bagel? And should she start wearing a smock? With wry humor and sharp intelligence, Sociable is a hilarious tale of one young woman’s search for happiness–and an inside look at life in the wild world of Internet media.

Rebecca Harrington is the author of the novel Penelope and I’ll Have What She’s Having. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, The New York Times, Elle, NPR.com, and other publications. She lives in New York City.

Visit rebeccaharringtonauthor.com to learn more.

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 at the RI Author Expo!

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Like millions of Americans, do you suffer from sleeplessness? Do you struggle to understand why you can’t sleep? What if everything you know about sleep is wrong?
Chasing Sleep is an exploration of the issues and challenges surrounding sleep deprivation and how to overcome them by changing attitudes and behaviors. Written in an inviting, conversational style, the book focuses on how to find peace of mind, the real
secret to overcoming sleeplessness. Through research on the history and science of sleep, interviews with ordinary people on their struggles with lack of sleep, and the author’s training as a holistic psychotherapist, Chasing Sleepaims to change the
conversation from the ‘pop a pill’ mentality to finding balance and clarity, key elements for living the best life possible.

Waking up one night for the eight hundred billionth time inspired my writing about sleep. I learned a lot. Perhaps you will benefit from my unique look, where sleeplessness becomes not a disease to be fixed by traditional pharmaceutical methods, but something to identify, manage and work to resolve the stressors that take us out of balance. My first book, ClaimingSpace, delves further into how to do so.

Pat Hinkley holds a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts and a Master’s degree in Holistic Studies and Psychology from Lesley University. She lives near the ocean in southern Rhode Island with her doodle dog and fluffy gray cat.

Visit https://www.PatriciaHinkley.com to learn more.

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 at the RI Author Expo!

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World War II certainly had its share of deserving heroes and heroines, many of whom have received their due recognition.  But how many civilian women can say they saved the lives of at least 250 downed airmen in just over two years?

Code Name Lily takes you on an unforgettable journey from Belgium, into France, and over the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain.  An extremely clever and persuasive young Belgian nurse outsmarts the Nazis time and again, risking her life if she is caught, but protecting every airman she successfully aids to evade the Germans.

Code Name Lily is based on the true story of Micheline “Michou” Dumon-Ugeux, a legend in the Comet Line escape network from 1940-1944 who went only by the name of Lily.  You too will fall in love with Lily.  She may have stood only five feet tall, but she was a giant of a woman.

Julien Ayotte is the author of five novels, including the award-winning Flower of Heaven and Dangerous Bloodlines.  Code Name Lily is his first historical fiction based on a true story.  His mother emigrated as a child to the United States from Belgium just after World War I, so the themes and places in this book hold special meaning for the author.

Julien’s other novels include A Life Before and  Disappearance, all Amazon best-sellers and award-winners with hundreds of 5-star reviews.  To learn more about Julien and his books, visit his website, www.julienayotte.com.

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 at the RI Author Expo!

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Public art is everywhere, but, nowhere in Rhode Island is there a greater concentration of the sculptures, statues, monuments and memorials that constitute public art, than in its capital city of Providence. We see them dotting the landscape as we drive to work, walk to the store, or enjoy a day at the park. They are all around us. Yet, some of these artistic masterpieces seem to hide in plain view with thousands of otherwise unsuspecting and pre-occupied passerby walking or riding past each day without even as much as a notice. Rhode Island School of Design Assistant Professor of Sculpture, Richard Jarden, noted the irony when he, in 1980, so profoundly wrote “…Public sculpture is very difficult to see.  On the immediate level, what is going on around it, behind it and sometimes on it can be as engaging as, or often more engaging than, the sculpture itself.  We pass by sculptures every day without noticing them because they are mute, frozen helplessly in time, while we have the ability to move, even to move away.”

Sometimes, however, we do notice the art. We look at it, study it, get up close to it, and walk away from it scratching our heads wondering what in the world we have just seen. It happens frequently, and, in fact, it was just that scenario that prompted us to write Monumental Providence: Legends of History in Sculpture, Statuary, Monuments and Memorials. The book chronicles all 94 permanent pieces of public art on display in the city and while some may be self-explanatory, others might need some interpretation before the true beauty of the work can be appreciated.

Take for example those three impressionistic figures standing upon a pond frond that is a prominent feature in Frazier Park, a small two-tiered park located just off Benefit St. on the campus of the Rhode Island School of Design. You’ve probably seen it, you may have admired it, but you very likely have no idea what it represents.

This 1963 treasure of Sculptor Gilbert Franklin was a gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth, Chairwoman of RI School of Design’s Division of Fine Arts and descendant of one of the institution’s founders. The bronze work of art brings to life a piece of Greek Mythology. According to legend, the musician Orpheus had the ability to charm anyone with his music. Overcome with grief upon discovering that his wife Eurydice had died of a viper bite he descends to the depths of hell to plead for his wife’s return. So strong is the power of his music that it overcomes death itself and the devil agrees to allow Eurydice to return to earth on the condition that Orpheus walk in front of her and not look back until both he and his wife have reached the upper world. As he enters the world of the living, an anxious Orpheus looks back at Eurydice forgetting that she too must have entered the upper world before he could look back. She immediately vanishes from his site, forever cast back into Hades. The sculpture depicts Orpheus watching the guide Hermes lead Eurydice back into death.

The sculpture entitled “Orpheus Ascending” depicts an anxious and horrified Orpheus looking back as his wife Eurydice is led back into hell by the devil

The myth is a beautiful love story and the sculpture so adeptly freezes in time that horrific moment when enraptured happiness is forever stolen from Orpheus. It is a magnificent example of public art which has far greater meaning once the subject of the art is better understood.

Perhaps Paul Campbell, former Archivist for the City of Providence, and Richard Jarden summed it up best when they observed, “Public art is everywhere and has served as an artistic form of cultural memory since the dawn of civilization.”  “It is all around us. Yet, some of these artistic masterpieces seem to hide in plain view with thousands of otherwise unsuspecting and pre-occupied passerby walking or riding past each day without even as much as a notice.”

Hopefully, going forward, you will take more time to notice and appreciate the great examples of public art that you pass by every day. Monumental Providence: Legends of History in Sculpture, Statuary, Monuments and Memorials will help with a greater understanding of each of the City’s magnificent examples of public art. The book may be purchased at Amazon.

Paul F. Caranci has been a student of history for many years. He is the author of eight books, including The Hanging & Redemption of John Gordon, a true story of Rhode Island’s last execution, and Wired, Caranci’s personal story of how he gambled his thirty-year political career, his reputation, and his family’s safety in his quest to restore good, honest government to a community that needed it most.

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Holidays Amaze

Do holidays amaze, or are holidays a maze? They are both, as the book Holidays Amaze illustrates with its maze poems, prayer poems, shaped poems, sonnets, and narratives. The poems that look like mazes, in addition to the ones that use maze symbolism, make Holidays Amaze an amazing collection of poems to enjoy.

Dr. Karen Petit‘s inspiration for this book was two items: a chapter about Thanksgiving in Mayflower Dreams and a poem that she wrote in 2014:

A May Flower in November 1620

The flowers of May were blooming away

in summer’s great warmth and fall’s wintry air.

A petal broke off, went sailing astray,

into the wind, with a Separatist’s prayer.

It paused in the sky with the blue turning gray;

then continued its trip ’til wooden beams were near.

When one of them cracked, the petal did say:

“I fear for my life! This storm’s so unfair!”

“But I know, in this world, many are things unfixed.”

“’cause I trust in my Lord, to Him I’ll pray.”

With prayers and repairs, the beam was soon fixed.

“I thank thee, Lord, for strengthening my ‘May.’”

The voyage moved on; many problems eclipsed.

In November within a New World’s bay,

the flower became Mayflower in-mixed.

This poem first was posted on Petit’s Mayflower Dreams blog and is now one of the poems in Holidays Amaze. Thinking a lot about Thanksgiving as an amazing holiday helped the author to also think about other holidays as amazing. These connections resulted in her creation of Holidays Amaze and maze poems.

Dr. Karen Petit is the author of four novels: Banking on Dreams, Mayflower Dreams, Roger Williams in an Elevator, and Unhidden Pilgrims. She loves to write and loves helping others to write.at the Community College of Rhode Island.

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 at the RI Author Expo!

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Romance: Such a simple word that is often misunderstood and misused. Yes, misused.

The Phantom of the Opera is not a romance. Casablanca is not a romance. And goodness, Romeo and Juliet is most definitely not a romance. Believe it or not, those are dramas with romantic elements. In a romance, the struggle between individuals ends with unconditional love. A true romance has a happy ending—always. Surprise: that’s not attainable if the main characters are dead.

Well…actually, that’s not true. Because the story doesn’t need to end simply because people die. Welcome to the paranormal subgenre. It’s one of many. There are historical romances, which can be quite educational. Religious/spiritual romances focus on the spiritual journey of the individuals while they fall in love. Romantic comedies are my favorite. Laughter makes my soul sing, and though my stories fall under the contemporary romance umbrella, they do have some comedic moments.

Romantic suspense, which involves solving some mystery, is one of the more popular genres, and is commonly read by men. Yes, it’s true. Some men read romance. Though most wouldn’t dare to admit it (be sure to add some disgust and eye roll when you read the word romance, ugh!), those that do can defend their reading choice by stating that they’re reading for the mystery portion. Obviously, they just skim over the lovey-dovey areas. And the sexy scenes. Riiiiight.

Though the majority of romance books have some graphic descriptions of sex, not all do. Some only have hints of physical love, while leaving the rest to the reader’s imagination. That is not the case for my stories. My first story, Colonial Offer, is a very sensual book, with a lot of descriptive sex. It’s not erotica, though. That is a genre in itself, with the majority of the story revolving around the physical pleasures.

My stories are intended to give the reader an escape from reality. They’re the kind that would fall under the category of chick-flick, with some push and pull between the characters, while always ending with the happily-ever-after every true romance has. That’s what I love. And if you’re like me, you’ll enjoy my stories.

Happy reading!

Lena has been writing since high school–though that first story will remain in the dark corners of her closet to protect everyone. After all, she writes romance, not horror. Just kidding! It’s not really that bad, but her idea of romance and love has certainly changed through time, not to mention her writing skills.

Find out more by visiting her website.

Hope to see you on Saturday, December 1 at the Rhode Island Author Expo!

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