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Saturday 25 March 2017

Book Review of International Business Language

My review:

“Although our global village speaks a uniform business language, still there are many cultures that practice dissimilar habits and customs.”

Yeah! The world has become a global village and the ease of doing business had enhanced a lot in the last decade. To do business with the people of the other part of the world, you have to learn the tricks of the trade and most essentially the culture of that country.

Tami has explained in detail about the IBL and the pros and cons of doing business with the people on the other part of the world.

The moment I read the book blurb, I was pretty confident about the fact that this is the kind of book that will both be interesting and informative at the same time, and the book lived up to its expectations.

The book describes in detail about the cultural shock one gets when moving to another country and how to represent yourself, abiding with the local customs and culture. And how a person feels once he comes back to his home country, the rejection he faces and how to overcome it.

Tami has explained how women have taken the top executive positions in the world in the last few decades and how the thought process of a woman differs from that of a man.

To give a clear idea about what happens in a man’s and woman’s life in the latter stages of life she had beautifully described the initial stages of growth of boys and girls. I found myself accepting what she wrote and was laughing at the truth she put light on boy’s growing stages.  Though not completely oblivious of girls growing stages, but the information that I received from the book about girls, gave an idea about the decisions they take and how small and little game playing lessons can impact a lot on a person’s life, at a later stage.

One of the best books of its kind and genre! A must read for anyone who is willing to learn the basics of International Business Language.

About the book

IBL Code is a premier guide for executives, businesspeople, politicians, celebrities, diplomats, and more seeking to brand a personal image across the globe. Let yourself be understood and appreciated with the help of the IBL Code. In your effort to get to know the cultural traditions of foreign countries, you can systematically learn the International Business Language Code of success: • First impressions, external appearance, female executives, relocating your family • Personal networking, self-branding, online networking • Tools for verbal and non-verbal interpersonal communication, including intensity of voice, facial expressions, and eye contact • International dress protocol, personal wardrobe, accessories • Hosting skills, who sits next to whom and why, the party invitation, menu • Protocol for business meetings, conferences, conventions, management meetings, and conflict resolution • Effective media communication, creating a charismatic public performance, developing your company's online image This is a must-have book for entrepreneurs, investors, executives, and fundraisers, as well as politicians, diplomats, celebrities, and anyone who wants to understand the inner workings of foreign countries. About the Author Tami Lancut Leibovitz founded the International Institute for Image, Communication, and Etiquette in Business, Society, and Politics. As an advisor to public figures, senior executives, and diplomats, with thirty years of experience, Tami's books have become mandatory reading for people in business, media, and the public arena. IBL Code is a product of life-long, international expertise in the management of personal image branding.


Thursday 23 March 2017

Book Review of A Way Back Into Love

Title: A Way Back into Love
Author: Veronica Thatcher
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Notion Press


Book Blurb:

Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes, uncertain. People, irrational. But love... Well, that complicates everything. When you are caught in a tangled web of secrets, lies, and complex affairs, someone is bound to get burned! 

Emily Stevens is a spunky, spirited college girl whose life is turned upside-down when she realizes she's in love with her best friend of fifteen years, Derek Thorpe. As Emily prepares to confess her feelings to Derek, something happens one night which changes her life forever. Five years later, Emily finds herself in Boston, alone and heartbroken. Will she ever be able to forget the past? What will she find when she returns home... to the man she left behind?

My Review:

Wow! What a great book! You will make an instant connection with the book as you read.

The best part about the book was the way the author played with emotions. The emotional aspect of the book is what will connect the reader to the book. The heart breaks, separation and again the reconnection make the story lively.

Emily, the protagonist of the story falls in love or feels that she is in love, even she is confused about the feelings she harbours for Derek, her childhood friend. But some misunderstanding gets in their way and she pulls out of her hometown and moves to Boston for her higher studies and in the mean time Derek falls in love with Emily’s half-sister Emma and proposes her and they are engaged.

As I read through the pages and I felt like the Emily life is like a Phoenix, and she has taken a rebirth in the latter half of the book.

What does happen when Emily moves back to her hometown and how does it affect Derek?

Will life be the same or will life play its cards in the most unexpected way that it can?

The story line was simple and it did become predictive at a certain point of time as to what would happen next. What I loved about the story was the conversation Emily has with Derek and the emotional aspect of it. It took me to a wonderland where everything happens as you want it to be. I just wished that my life was the same as of Derek and Emily, going on numerous numbers of dates and still fall in love all over again like the first day.

And this story does teach a lesson as you reach the last part of the story, a life lesson that everyone should learn and implement in one’s life.

Overall it is a great book that will fall in love all over again.

A perfect romantic novel for the young generation!

Author Bio:

Veronica Thatcher is an exciting new contemporary romance author. Ever since she was very young, she’s dreamed of becoming a doctor when she grew up. While still forging ahead with that, majoring in pre-med in college, she unwittingly stumbled upon a new dream—becoming a published author. Some may call her an introvert or a wallflower, but she has always found she could express herself better in written, rather than spoken, words. However, never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned she would pursue writing as a prospective career, not just a hobby. Her love for writing goes hand-in-hand with her love for a good romance novel—whether it be a feel-good, sweet romance or a dark, suspenseful one. When she’s not studying, reading, or writing, she is usually found blasting her favourite songs, sometimes singing and dancing along to them.  She dabbles in a number of activities, including painting, karate, singing and dancing. She is a huge chocoholic – probably the biggest – and she is an ice-cream junkie too. She considers herself technologically handicapped forever and has no shame in admitting that. She also deems chocolates her boyfriend, Patrick Dempsey the love of her life, and Friends her life!

Her first book, A Way Back Into Love, is slated for release in February 2017, and she hopes readers will enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it. You can reach Veronica through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad and Gmail.

Author Links:




Buy links: Paperback - http://www.amazon.in/Way-Back-Into-Love/dp/1946641170                                             https://www.amazon.com/dp/1946641170/
                https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WRR5FN3/









Wednesday 15 March 2017

Book Review of the Granny Stories

About the book

Here is a life story to be gleaned from tales of adventure, remarkable journeys, and interesting people. The author's intention is to inform and inspire her granddaughters, and to leave them with an image of her as something more than the old woman they knew and loved.

Some internet research into the lists at the end of some of the sections will provide an historical and geographical backdrop to many of the lively anecdotes

My review

When I first saw the cover page of the book, it felt as if there will be stories told by granny for kids and I will fall asleep reading to the stories. It was fun thinking of the book as a story book for kids. It would have been good to read the kids stories to move out from the hustle bustle of life and to take a short break from life.

Now when I started reading the book, I found out that it was an autobiography of the author Margaret Henderson, who actually isn’t famous but her life is full of events and describes her life as it is; the people she met and the travel experiences she had and the teachers who taught her and a lot about her family.

What I noticed in the book was that some characters came into existence in various chapters and the author has described about them in one chapter and how they had influenced her life along with another person in her life in a different chapter. That was great to see a different perspective and approach of a person when he/she is with another person and how it influences the author life. It is a completely different approach of writing which isn’t a conventional one. This is what I liked a lot about the book.

Life is full of experiences and this book is a living testament of the author’s life. It’s always not necessary for you to live a great life; you can live a normal life and share your experiences in a great way.


Read more about the book at Online Book ClubThis book was an "OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day"

In conversation with Veronica Thatcher

Title: A Way Back into Love
Author: Veronica Thatcher
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Notion Press



Blurb:

Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes, uncertain. People, irrational. But love…well, that makes everything complicated. And when you are caught in a tangled web of secrets, lies, and complex affairs, someone is bound to get burned.

Emily Stevens is a spunky, spirited college girl whose life gets turned upside-down when she realizes she's in love with her best friend of fifteen years, Derek Thorpe. As Emily prepares to confess her feelings to Derek, something happens one night which changes her life forever. Five years later, Emily finds herself in Boston, alone and heartbroken. Will she ever be able to forget the past? And what will she find when she returns home...to the man she left behind?




                                                https://www.amazon.com/dp/1946641170/

                             eBooks - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B06WRR5FN3

                                                https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WRR5FN3/


Author Bio:

Veronica Thatcher is an exciting new contemporary romance author. Ever since she was very young, she’s dreamed of becoming a doctor when she grew up. While still forging ahead with that, majoring in pre-med in college, she unwittingly stumbled upon a new dream—becoming a published author. Some may call her an introvert or a wallflower, but she has always found she could express herself better in written, rather than spoken, words. However, never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned she would pursue writing as a prospective career, not just a hobby. Her love for writing goes hand-in-hand with her love for a good romance novel—whether it be a feel-good, sweet romance or a dark, suspenseful one. When she’s not studying, reading, or writing, she is usually found blasting her favourite songs, sometimes singing and dancing along to them.  She dabbles in a number of activities, including painting, karate, singing and dancing. She is a huge chocoholic – probably the biggest – and she is an ice-cream junkie too. She considers herself technologically handicapped forever and has no shame in admitting that. She also deems chocolates her boyfriend, Patrick Dempsey the love of her life, and Friends her life!

Her first book, A Way Back Into Love, is slated for release in February 2017, and she hopes readers will enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it. You can reach Veronica through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad and Gmail.

Author Links:



Excerpt:

Emily stepped back from him and shook her head. “Oh, you know damn well what I mean. You know what, Derek? I’m done having this conversation with you. I’m so done with this conversation and I’m so done with you,” Emily spat out angrily before brushing past him.

“Emily, wait,” Derek said, catching her by her arm. “Where are you going?”

Emily spun around and gave him a bitter look before looking down at his hand gripping her arm. “Leave my arm,” she said in a low yet threatening voice, “And why do you care where I’m going? It’s none of your business.”

Derek didn’t leave her arm in spite of her warning and said, “Em, you’ve had too many drinks. You can’t drive in this condition. I’ll drop you home.”

Emily jerked her arm free from his grasp and replied in a bitter voice, “Thank you, but no. I’m perfectly capable of getting myself home on my own. I don’t need you to drop me home. Do you get it, Derek Thorpe? I DON’T NEED YOU!” Emily yelled the last words, causing a few people to look their way.




Author Interview:
1.What inspired you to write the book?

Ans – I know it’s kind of cliché and stupid, but a TV show did. Not the entire TV show, but a minor storyline of it.

2. When did you realise that you want to write a book?

Ans – When I started writing my debut, I didn’t even think I was writing a book. I didn’t know anything about writing or publishing and had no plans to publish it or become a writer. It started out as a project for an online fanfiction site. It wasn’t until after I had finished writing that I realized that it would make a good novel.

3. Who helped you in writing the book and please say about their contributions?

Ans – I posted this story on a fanfiction site before publishing it, and my reviewers helped me immensely in writing it. They constantly encouraged me, helped me through writer’s blocks, pointed out my mistakes and helped me grow as a writer. Without their constant support and motivation, I don’t think I’d have ever finished writing this.

4. How is your book going to inspire the readers?

Ans – The book is a second chance romance, as the name suggests. It’s gonna make my readers believe once again that true love always finds a way.

5. If you are given the chance to change one thing in your book what would it be?

Ans – Nothing! I’m proud of this book, even the horrendous mistakes. If I hadn’t made these mistakes, I’d have never improved. This book started out as an experiment, and you don’t change experiments. That’s why they are called experiments.

6. How do you find time to write and which part of the day is best for writing for you?

Ans – Well, I often have to sacrifice a lot of my study time to write as I’m horrible at time management. But, I love to write and wouldn’t give it up for the world. Though, I do need to start balancing out my studies and my writing.

I believe that my creative juices flow best at night, when everyone’s asleep and I have peace and quiet. It’s when I’m most productive.

7. Which books have inspired you the most, in the journey of writing this book?

Ans – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Love Story by Erich Segal, Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat.

8. What is the best advice, you would give for writers who are trying to write a book?

Ans – There will be a lot of times when it would seem easier to just give up, but don’t give in to that temptation. Keep at it. A lousy first draft is better than an unfinished manuscript.

9. What is the source of your positivity and ‘tips for life’?

Ans – My mum is the source of my positivity. She’s the strongest person I’ve seen in my life, and her strength inspires me too.

Tips for life? Well, I’m still figuring that out myself, but...The most important thing is to chase what you love. Never stop chasing what you love. And never give up. And the last one, do it with passion, or not at all.

10. What can we expect from you in the future?

Ans – Rollercoaster romances, with a lot of ups and downs, sweetness, heartbreaks and of course, a happily ever after. I never write stories that don’t have a happily ever after. I delight in writing a romance filled with love, friendship, some bumps along the way and a well-rounded ending.








Tuesday 14 March 2017

Book review of the compulsive move


About the book

The inner struggle of a teen doing his own thing, as opposed to doing what is right. He hides his true intentions, from his friends and family, to uproot his entire life and move from St. Louis to Chicago. This novel undergoes a profile of his personal and work life, along with a step by step analysis of how he executed such a difficult task. Emotionally speaking, he thoroughly under thinks a lot of situations that leads to a series of bad decisions

My Review

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on!” ~William Shakespeare.

The compulsive move by Phillip is all about dreams and how a guy named Kevin struggles to make his dreams come true. He isn’t happy in his hometown and wants to move to Chicago to make a life for himself.

But life has its own plans for the young Kevin. He carves out a business plan to make it in a big city like Chicago. Initially he and his friends were successful in the venture but in the course of time that business went in a loss and that had a impact on the school he was trying to get into.
Now this isn’t something new for the people who start a business and fail. This happens almost in every part of the world and the story has showcased the struggle and success everyone tastes in business or a startup. Kevin isn’t the only guy who faces this. Life is full of ups and down, one who rises to the top is the one who bounced back hard and made it to the big arena of life.
A simple story about a person’s struggle and how a person’s family supports him at times when he not aware what one should do next and how to propel yourself to the one single dream you have dreamt of.
What I loved about the book was the very last paragraph after a lot of ups and downs in Kevin’s life,
“Life isn’t supposed to be easy. It is something that has to be lived and experienced,

He told himself over and over again.”

Read more about the book at Online Book Club

Wednesday 8 March 2017

Book review of “ALL THAT GLITTERS”



               
Synopsis:

Alexandria Moreno—clever, sexy, ambitious and, at times, self-destructive. She blazes a path from Texas to Los Angeles at the dawn of the 1980s to make her dreams of becoming an A-list Hollywood film director come true. She and her best friend arrive in Los Angeles with little more than hope and the determination to make it big. Alex, a beauty as dark and mysterious as her scarred heart, stands at the bottom of the Hollywood mountain looking up, fighting for her chance to climb to the top. Will her quest to live fast and take no prisoners on her way to success destroy her in the end? All That Glitters is a women’s fiction Jackie Collins-type saga that introduces a strong, driven Latina heroine at the center of a rags-to- riches story spanning a decade of action. Along the way, Alexandria walks the fine line separating ambition and self-destruction, and discovers that some sacrifices will cost her everything.

My Review

Life is a roller coaster ride, with bumps, highs and lows. Youth is once such ride where you discover the new world and the amazing places and people you meet along the way. The adrenalin rush to do the impossible, to be known and get rich is a world of its own.
One quote that sets the tune of the story is
“Elly, if your friend Alexendria has asked for your help, you should give it. She’s not one who asks lightly.”
All eyes at the table, including Elly’s fixed on Mr. Carmichael.
Alex the protagonist of the story plans to move to LA to work in movies and convinces her friend Elly who wants to be a model to join her in her endeavour.
One more quote that I loved about the attitude of our protagonist when they arrive to LA and the owner of a hotel asks them as to how long the plan on staying there.
“Well” Alex replied simply, “I guess that depends on how ever long it takes for us to buy one of those beach houses down the road”
The best part of the story was that it has showcased how is the world of dreams is like. It won’t be a roller coaster ride. You have to face the failures of life and cherish the small achievements that you get.
But to make it big into Hollywood, there has to be days where to make a living you have to work as a waitress as our protagonist does. And at the same moment you need to continuously grow your network to make it to the movies.
Will it so easy to just grow your contacts and make it big into the movies. There will be times where your body craves for love and you find it more pleasurable than the destination.
There will be drugs to reel your head and to loosen you a bit. People will be there to make you a super model and then there will be some to bring you down.
But these are just theories, but who knows what happens in a real life
The novel will take you deep into the Hollywood dream world and will make you come face to face with the sex, drugs, men, late night parties. How our protagonist makes it big in life along with her friend Elly.
The emotional aspect of the story is what I like a lot; the author has a different taste of her own to describe the emotions and it can be because she is a girl and knows how one feels had she been in the particular scenario. I was unable to differentiate between the real world and the one in the novel. It was as if I was living their life.

I don’t want to be a spoiler and I can assure you, it is a book like no other, written on the life in Hollywood.
Incredible piece of work and it showcases Liza’s master over her craft.

About the author
               
Liza Treviño hails from Texas, spending many of her formative years on the I-35 corridor of San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. In pursuit of adventure and a Ph.D., Liza moved to Los Angeles where she compiled a collection of short-term, low-level Hollywood jobs like script girl, producer assistant and production assistant. Her time as a Hollywood Jane-of- all-trades gave her an insider’s view to a world most only see from the outside, providing the inspiration for creating a new breed of Latina heroine.

All That Glitters Book Tour

~ All That Glitters by Liza Treviño ~

Book Tour - 1st to 10th March



Book Details:


Title: All That Glitters - A
Tale of Sex, Drugs and Hollywood Dreams


Author: Liza Treviño

Genre: Women’s Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Koehler Books 

Published Date: March 1, 2017

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1633933083

ISBN-13: 978-1633933088





Book Links:






Synopsis:

Alexandria Moreno—clever, sexy, ambitious and, at times, self-destructive. She blazes a path from Texas to Los Angeles at the dawn of the 1980s to make her dreams of becoming an A-list Hollywood film director come true. She and her best friend arrive in Los Angeles with little more than hope and the determination to make it big. Alex, a beauty as dark and mysterious as her scarred heart, stands at the bottom of the Hollywood mountain looking up, fighting for her chance to climb to the top. Will her quest to live fast and take no prisoners on her way to success destroy her in the end?


All That Glitters is a women’s fiction Jackie Collins-type saga that introduces a strong, driven Latina heroine at the center of a rags-to-riches story spanning a decade of action. Along the way, Alexandria walks the fine line separating ambition and self-destruction, and discovers that some sacrifices will cost her everything.


What early readers are saying:


"Treviño tells her story with wit, intelligence, and an undercurrent of sadness at the plight women face to make a name for themselves as human beings instead of strictly as women. Treviño may have cloaked her ideas in entertaining vignettes and snappy dialogue, but underneath is a bite that stays with you."

— Jonathan Marcantoni, author and publisher of La Casita Grande Press.



"Liza has a way of taking you with her as she tells this very compelling story. She draws readers in with her as she describes scenes and characters with colorful detail and vivid imagination. This story is a testament to it's title: it really glitters!"

—Reesha Goral, author, The Servant Boy



"With distant echoes of Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls in the background, Alexandria Moreno, the protagonist of All that Glitters, chases after the allure of Hollywood, all the time substituting pills, booze and sex for genuine happiness. It is only after she reaches success that she has an awakening leading her to realize the emptiness of her aspiration, and finally accepting true love. Kudos to Liza Treviño for giving us this unique image of the New Latina! I urge reading All that Glitters. You won’t regret it."



—Graciela Limón, author


Read an Excerpt:


Los Angeles

Oscar Night, 1990





When did things start going wrong?

Alexandria Moreno gulped another swig of champagne from the bottle. She picked at its broken gold foil. It was the same stuff she used to buy back in the days when spending more than ten dollars on bubbly was an extravagance. Now she sat in the best limo money could buy, inching along the craggy hillside road waiting for her turn to put in an appearance at the first of many scheduled post-Oscar parties. She was obligated to dole out heartfelt hugs and kisses to any of the beautiful people who might want one. Tonight, everyone was going to want a piece of her. She was the girl of the hour.

Until recently, Moreno had been an unknown writer-producer. She rocked Hollywood, winning Academy Awards for Best Director and Original Screenplay for the lushly violent, low-budget film, Win or Lose. Moreno, widely considered a dark horse contestant in the Oscar race, was the first Hispanic woman to be nominated, and win.

Two golden statues for writing and directing lay on the limo’s floor and the vehicle glided to the top of Hollywood’s heights. Beyond the winding canyon road, the Los Angeles electrified grid shimmered like Moreno’s own personal cauldron of gold. She understood that more than just a movie had won tonight.

She had won.

So why doesn’t it feel better?

Why don’t I feel better?

Despite everything she’d done to reach this moment of glory, Alex understood that none of it mattered. Not one bit. No matter what happened to her, she was still alone and drinking the same convenience-store champagne.

“Want some of this blow, babe?” Nick sniffed and dropped his head back with a slight shake, giving the chemicals a little jumpstart in the brain he liked to say.

“No thanks,” she said, “I don’t want to mix tonight.” Alex turned her attention from the scrubby hillside to handsome Nick Sirianni sitting across from her, casually relaxed in his Armani tuxedo. Though he favored stiff Wall Street suits, Nick was always casually relaxed due to the fact that he was worth millions from a Hollywood Midas touch.

Alex heard Leonard Cohen’s gravel-rubbed, breathless voice floating faintly through the air, crooning his patented melancholy love proclamations, and she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander along Nick’s impeccably tailored suit. Her hands absently grazed the familiar bluish-purple marks on her wrists currently hidden under make-up.

Nick’s thin lips curled into a slow, understanding grin. “Fine, but I have some X for later, and I don’t care what you’ve taken already,” he said in a tone Alex had learned not to question. “I’ve got plans for you, babe.”

“I guess it’s gonna be a long night.”

“The longest ever.”

Alex could tell he had taken off. She absently twirled a lock of her black, shoulder-length hair.

“Hey,” Nick nudged her leg with his polished leather dress shoe, “let me see.”

“Not right now.”

“I’m not asking, Alley Cat. Let me see. And do it right.”

Alex locked eyes with him, but she relented.

She found the fold of her straight wraparound skirt of crepe and beading that draped to the floor. She peeled it back and uncrossed her legs beneath the gown, giving Nick a peek-a-boo of her

narrow ankle and high-heeled foot. She loosened her knees, proving to Nick she’d followed his instructions.

Nick looked her over and loosened his collar.

“Good girl,” Nick said and shifted toward her, the leather seat creaking beneath him. He knelt between her legs and softly traced the length of her pale grey stocking from her shoe, along her leg, up to the matching garter, and over her supple brown thigh exposed between the garter and its straps. Nick kissed her just above where the stockings ended. He breathed in deeply and peered up to her.

“I gotta have a taste, baby,” he said and dipped his handsome face between her thighs.

Alex sighed and sank back into her seat.

How did things get so out of control? Isn’t tonight supposed to be everything I’ve worked for? Everything I’ve sacrificed for? Or, what I’ve sacrificed everyone for?

Alex knew she had purposely cut off anyone who had the misfortune of ever giving a damn about her. And there were such people.

It certainly wasn’t Nick. She’d made her deal with this particular devil nearly a year ago. Things between them were comfortably tawdry. Nick owned her. She knew it. He knew it. They had an understanding.

A flicker nudged her: so many things that could have been. She took another swig of champagne, letting the alcohol’s fizz and burn push everything back into the darkness.

Alex registered Nick’s velvet tongue expertly stroking her crevices, and she couldn’t help but give him all the access he wanted. She felt him smile when she dropped her head back and settled deeper into the limo’s bench. The car halted forward and the lazy, swaying sax turned up the tension in Cohen’s sonic plea for love.

Alex peered beyond the cracked sunroof, searching the starless LA sky for some answers. A corner of the tinted sunroof caught her faint reflection and she saw a vacant-eyed, thirty two-year-old wasted stranger. She’d never known herself less than at this moment. Her passion for work was burned out and, even tonight, she couldn’t muster excitement. Now, everything was just a game requiring too much effort.

She shut her eyes tight and sucked in air sharply, breathing in the car’s mixture of broken-in leather and artificial lemon scents. She clasped at Nick’s broad shoulder, wringing the expensive jacket sleeve as if it were nothing more than a cheap cocktail napkin. After a moment, she relaxed.

Nick brushed a sweet kiss on her inner thigh before he returned the thin black crepe material of her skirt to its full length. He slid back to his seat across from her and smoothed his hair back.

“Damn, you taste good, honey.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“We’re next in line, ma’am,” the chauffeur’s voice crackled through the intercom. The limo moved into place with a definite stop.

Nick grinned. “It’s show time, Alley Cat.”

The cool night air took Alex by surprise as she waded into the sea of people and flashing cameras. She staggered, unsure she could move.

“One foot in front of the other,” Nick said in his soft voice through her hair. “I’ll get you a drink once we get inside.”

Alex smiled serenely and nodded. She focused on the live band somewhere in the distance belting out a Sinatra standard. Her eyes found the majestic Griffith Observatory looming in the distance, hovering above the white party tents.

Inside, the camera flashes kept coming.

“And here we are,” Nick offered as he swiped a couple of champagne flutes from a roving waiter’s tray. “This should get ya right, babe.”

Alex took the glass automatically. Another bulb flashed near her and she saw blue sprinkles. She regained focus quickly, but then her stomach dropped. Across the room was the last person she wanted to see.



◊◊◊


Jamie Douglas stood out in any crowd. Angular looks punctuated by oceanic blue eyes, a naturally lean athleticism, and down-to-earth boyishness had made him a reigning movie star around the world for almost twenty years. And right now, Alex saw Jamie’s eyes find hers through the crowd. When they caught each other, a flash sparked between them like one of those popping camera bulbs. Jamie’s surprised look gave way to a lopsided grin; it was a look so familiar to her.

Alex registered Nick snake his arm around her thin waist and she broke her gaze from Jamie.

“Okay, Alley Cat, time for our victory lap.”

“Perfect timing,” she said.

Timing—everything always came down to timing. It seemed to her that her timing had always been off. Not crazy off, just that extra millisecond that pushed everything either too early or too late. And now, she understood that it was too late.

Suddenly, she couldn’t bear to go through with the whole charade of tonight. Maybe, she couldn’t even bear to go through with the whole charade of her life any longer. Just leave, a soft voice whispered inside her head. There’s nothing written you have to stick around. It’s practically programmed into your DNA that you’ll be checking out of this world early.

All at once, Alex understood that simple fact. She, Alex Moreno, would leave Los Angeles tonight as anonymously as she had arrived nearly a decade earlier. She knew that wasn’t an entirely accurate account of how she’d started.

Now I’m alone, and that’s just how I knew things would always turn out.





Author Bio:



Liza Treviño hails from Texas, spending many of her formative years on the I-35 corridor of San Antonio, Austin and Dallas.  In pursuit of adventure and a Ph.D., Liza moved to Los Angeles where she compiled a collection of short-term, low-level Hollywood jobs like script girl, producer assistant and production assistant.  Her time as a Hollywood Jane-of-all-trades gave her an insider's view to a world most only see from the outside, providing the inspiration for creating a new breed of Latina heroine.





Catch Up with Liza Treviño on her Website






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