Posts Tagged ‘Author Laura McNeill’

I have so much to share with ya’ll today, so lets get to it.

First, please welcome Author Laura McNeill. She has an awesome play list to tell you about.

Great tunes.

And then I’ll be sharing some things about Sister Dear along with my review.

Also, there’s a great giveaway, so don’t forget to enter.

Take it away Laura!

Guest Post / Play List

Music can fill your soul with so many emotions. Beautiful words, melodic notes, and just the right harmony can emit happiness, longing, and feelings of nostalgia.

For my most recent novel, Sister Dear, I spent some time on Spotify listening for just the right songs to represent Allie’s journey in Alto and Brunswick, Georgia. She has strong ties to her small community in the Coastal South, so I wanted the music to embody that.

Here’s my playlist for Sister Dear. Hope you love it!

  1. Home, Michael Buble – I love his voice and the passion with which he delivers this gorgeous song. I think of Allie and Caroline’s relationship with this one – the strain that Allie feels with not being able to see and hold her daughter. “I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you. Each one a line or two…I would send them but I know it’s just not enough.”
  1. Georgia On My Mind, Ray Charles – This is such a classic song that conjures up the gorgeous green Georgia landscape, especially that by the ocean and the forests throughout the state. “Comes as sweet and clear as moonlight through the pines.”
  1. Walk On the Ocean, Toad the Wet Sprocket – Unless you are a child of the ‘80’s, you might not immediately recognize this song. It’s perfect for this story and Allie’s journey. She loves the ocean so much and that adoration is represented so well in the lyrics. “Walk on the ocean, step on the stones. Flesh becomes water.”
  1. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), Kelly Clarkson – This song by Clarkson epitomizes Allie’s strength. I love Clarkson’s voice. She seems to channel Allie’s tenacity with her words. “Stand a little taller. Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone.”
  1. Sister, Lenny Kravitz – This is a surprisingly soulful song about a sister who falls in love with the wrong man. It’s so much Emma’s story, especially after Allie discovers the truth of the affair. “Sister. Did you have to go away? You left your home and the things you had to say.”
  1. Home, Phillip PhillipsI really adore this song. It’s impossible not to sing along to the lyrics. “Hold on to me as we go. As we roll down this unfamiliar road. And although this wave is stringing us along, just know you’re not alone. I’m going to make this place your home. Settle down, it’ll all be clear. Don’t pay no mind to the demons they fill you fill you with fear.”
  1. Come Home, One RepublicThis seems like Caroline’s song. A pleading to the world to listen to her perspective – she’s simply trying to figure out this new life with her mother, her aunt, and her friends. “Hello world, hope you’re listening. Forgive me if I’m young and speaking out of turn.”
  1. SunriseNora JonesJones has such an amazing voice. This song seems to represent Allie’s hope for a brighter future and brighter tomorrow. Near the end of the story, she rediscovers her feelings for her ex-fiancé Ben. “Surprise, Surprise. Couldn’t find it in your eyes, but I’m sure it’s written all over my eyes.”
  1. Come on Get HigherMatt Nathanson – One of my favorite performers gives life to this song. It definitely represents the longing between Allie and Ben at the end of the story. “I miss the sound of your voice. And I miss the rush of your skin. And I miss the still of the silence as you breath out and I breathe in. If I could walk on water, if I could tell you what’s next, make you believe, make you forget.”
  1. SistersThomas Newman – This brief instrumental song seems a fitting ending to Allie and Emma’s journey. The song is from The Shawshank Redemption soundtrack, and echoes the pain and loss Allie feels as she loses Emma but gains her freedom.

Here’s the Spotify playlist link if you’d like to listen along. Just click on the widget below.

Sister Dear - Laura McNeill

Hope you love it!

Xo,

Laura

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Sister Dear

by Laura McNeill

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Genre: Suspense / Mystery

My Review

I’m sure all of you word lovers know how it feels when you try a new author, crack open that book, and get swept up right from the get go. I have a list of must read authors. They’re the ones I follow closely, watching for their next new release. Laura McNeill easily added herself to that list.

From the opening, the author put me in Allie’s shoes. As she took me back into the past and forward to the present, I could only feel badly for Allie. All she was trying to do was protect the innocent and expose the one doing selfish, terrible things. Instead, someone winds up dead and she’s lost ten years, locked up for a murder she didn’t commit.

Released from prison, she has much to adjust to. Her parents handle her with kid gloves and make themselves scarce. Her sister, Emma, looks at her like she’s come back to ruin her life. To take away what she holds most dear. That being Caroline, Allie’s daughter. Emma took her in when Allie was sent to prison. Raised her. Loved her. And now she may be asked to let her go.

And poor Caroline. Scared of what will happen to her life now. Will her friends stand by her after learning her mother’s returned? It’s one thing to have a parent locked up, far away. It’s another thing altogether when that person reenters your life. How many teens are tough enough to stand up to peer pressure, to ignore the petty prejudices, to be the friend Caroline needs?

This author sure knows how to build up the suspense and excitement. As she maneuvers her characters, brings them together, you’ll get a taste of that talent.

Her characters are large as life, no cardboard figures here. You’ll feel some sympathy for all of them, good and bad. Told in multiple points of view and different time periods, the author makes the transitions smooth and easy to comprehend. It works great for this plot.

I’ve never cheated and skipped ahead in a book to get answers. What’s the fun in that? I would rather deal with the anticipation and crow when I finally get to the finish. But, boy, I was sorely temped to read ahead with this book. Even the mundane becomes suspenseful. You know it won’t be calm for long.

The suspense at 25% into the book had me on edge, especially trying to figure out who had hidden agendas.

50% in, the manipulations were fascinating and disturbing. There were shining moments followed by dips into ugliness.

At 75%, it was a free for all. I was rooting for some characters, a few were still questionable, and some I wanted to drop kick.

At 100%, the end finally let my mind stop whirring with questions. I got plenty of surprising answers. Couldn’t have asked for a better finale.

If you like some psychological suspense along with your mystery and a not as obvious as you think plot, you’ll love Sister Dear.

Oh, I almost forgot! There’s some fun discussion questions at the end. I enjoyed answering them and thinking more about the characters. One question had me thinking for quite some time. I surprised myself by how I answered it.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start.  But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever?

Convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish – time that can never be recovered. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name, rebuild her life, and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows.

But Allie’s return home shatters the quaint, coastal community of Brunswick, Georgia. Even her own daughter Caroline, now a teenager, bristles at Allie’s claims of innocence. Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a battle for the truth, digging deeply into the past even if it threatens her parole status, personal safety, and the already-fragile bond with family.

As her commitment to finding the truth intensifies, what Allie ultimately uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret—one that holds the key to Allie’s freedom.

BUY LINKS:

Twitter | Amazon | BN.com | BAM

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Author Laura McNeill

After six years behind the anchor desk at two CBS affiliates, Laura McNeill moved to the Alabama Gulf Coast to raise her family. Her accolades in broadcasting include awards from the Associated Press, including Best News Anchor and Best Specialized Reporter.

She holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and a master’s in Interactive Technology.​ Laura works at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as the school’s Instructional Design Manager.

Under the pen name Lauren Clark, Laura has published four novels, Pie Girls, Stay Tuned, Stardust Summer, and Dancing Naked in Dixie. She recently began writing suspense with HarperCollins/Thomas Nelson. Her debut novel in that genre, Center of Gravity, was released in July of 2015.

Visit Laura’s website at www.lauramcneill.com.

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Laura McNeill is giving away one signed copy of Center Of Gravity!

US ONLY. Sorry to my International friends.

To enter, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and show the author some love. Leave her a comment about the book or ask her a question!

Giveaway ends June 25th.

The Prize:

23647122

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Synopsis

The truth could cost her everything.

Her whole life, Ava Carson has been sure of one thing: she doesn’t measure up to her mother’s expectations. So when Mitchell Carson sweeps into her life with his adorable son, the ready-made family seems like a dream come true. In the blink of an eye, she’s married, has a new baby, and life is wonderful.

Or is it?

When her picture-perfect marriage begins unraveling at the seams, Ava convinces herself she can fix it. It’s temporary. It’s the stress. It’s Mitchell’s tragic history of loss.

If only Ava could believe her own excuses.


Mitchell is no longer the charming, thoughtful man she married. He grows more controlling by the day, revealing a violent jealous streak. His behavior is recklessly erratic, and the unanswered questions about his past now hint at something far more sinister than Ava can stomach. Before she can fit the pieces together, Mitchell files for divorce and demands full custody of their boys.

Fueled by fierce love for her children and aided by Graham Thomas, a new attorney in town, Ava takes matters into her own hands, digging deep into the past. But will finding the truth be enough to beat Mitchell at his own game?

Center of Gravity weaves a chilling tale, revealing the unfailing and dangerous truth that things—and people—are not always what they seem.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Books And A Beat.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

.

My Teaser for this week is from

Sister Dear

by Laura McNeill

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Genre: Mystery / Suspense

My teaser from page 91 in the paperback.

If time travel existed, she would go back. In half a second, she’d climb in the contraption, however rickety, plug in the year, the month, the day. Allie would send the machine back to the precise place and moment everything changed. She’d memorize the time, the smell of the air, the sound of her dog, Molly, panting in the backseat.

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Read on if you want to know more.

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Synopsis

All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start.  But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever?

Convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish – time that can never be recovered. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name, rebuild her life, and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows.

But Allie’s return home shatters the quaint, coastal community of Brunswick, Georgia. Even her own daughter Caroline, now a teenager, bristles at Allie’s claims of innocence. Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a battle for the truth, digging deeply into the past even if it threatens her parole status, personal safety, and the already-fragile bond with family.

As her commitment to finding the truth intensifies, what Allie ultimately uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret—one that holds the key to Allie’s freedom.

AMAZON

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I just received this book over the weekend. I got up Sunday morning and started reading it. I didn’t stop until the end. I’ll be sharing my review soon!

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Sister Dear banner

A Domestic Suspense To Die For! Well, if that doesn’t grab you, I’m sure the excerpt will.

Come on in and check out Sister Dear by Laura McNeill.

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Title: Sister Dear
Author: Laura McNeill
Publisher: HarperCollins/Thomas Nelson
Pages: 336
Genre: Domestic Suspense

Sister Dear cover

Synopsis

All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start. But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever?

Convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows.

But Allie’s return to Brunswick, Georgia, sends earthquakes through the small, coastal community. Even her daughter Caroline, now a teenager, challenges Allie’s claims of innocence.

Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a campaign for the truth, digging deep into the past. Her investigation threatens her parole status, her own safety, and the already-fragile bond with her family. What Allie uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret—one that holds the key to Allie’s freedom.

For More Information

Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads

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Book Excerpt:

In her final minutes as an inmate at Arrendale State Prison, Allie Marshall’s body pulsed with tension. Eyes averted, managing any movements with robotic precision, she remained on guard.

Only moments to go.

A sliver of time. Not even a quarter hour. An unremarkable measurement, when held up against the billion other moments in any person’s natural life. But after a decade inside, those last twelve minutes seemed the longest span in all of eternity.

To her right, rows of monitors blinked and recorded everything across the sprawling campus in Habersham County. Though the angles differed, the subject never changed: women in identical tan-collared shirts and shapeless pants. Inmates on work detail, in the cafeteria, in dormitories.

A corrections officer sat nearby, her pale-blue eyes scanning the screens. To this worker, to all of them, Allie was GDC ID, followed by ten numbers. Nothing more. Inside the thick metal bars, Allie’s life was suspended, a delicate fossil in amber.

Until now. Ten more minutes.

Her reflection stared back, unblinking, in the shatterproof glass window near the door. Green eyes flecked with gold, dark-blonde hair tucked in a loose ponytail, barely visible brackets at the corners of her lips.

Maybe, Allie thought, she’d forgotten how to smile and laugh. Happiness seemed unreachable, as if the feeling itself existed on the summit of an ice-tipped mountain shrouded by storm clouds. Indeed, the rush of pure, unadulterated joy belonged only to those with freedom. Allie’s memories of it—her daughter’s birth, Caroline’s first smile, first steps—were fleeting and distant.

Instead, the perpetual motion of prison, the waking, sleeping, and sameness, all blended together, like a silent black-and-white movie on a continuous loop.

Until the news of her parole.

At first, the concept of liberty seemed impossible—a hand trying to catch and hold vapor. The judge had sentenced Allie to sixteen years, and she fully anticipated serving each and every one of them. She didn’t believe she’d be granted an early release—she couldn’t—until she stepped beyond the walls and barbed wire and chain-link fence, barriers that kept her from everyone and everything she’d ever loved.

Allie focused on breathing, stretching her lungs, exhaling to slow her pulse. Her own belongings, a decade old, lay nearby. Keys that wouldn’t open doors. A watch with a dead battery. A light khaki jacket with a photo of then five-year-old Caroline tucked in the pocket, one pair of broken-in Levis, and a white cotton shirt. Gingerly, with her fingertips, she reached for the clothing, then gripped the bundle tight to her chest.

A second guard motioned for Allie to change quickly in a holding room. With the door shut, she pulled the shapeless prison garb over her head and picked up the shirt. The material, cool and light, brushed against her skin like gauze. Allie shivered.

For ten years, all she’d known was the rasp of her standard-issue navy jacket, the scrape of her worn white tennis shoes along the sidewalk.

Back in Brunswick, Allie had filled her closet with easy summer shifts and crisp linen pants. Now her body was different too—the soft curves had dissolved, leaving lean muscle behind. The jeans hung loosely around her waist and hips. The top billowed out in waves from her shoulders.

Nothing would fit, she reminded herself. Not much in her past life would.

And that was all right.

When she walked out of Lee Arrendale State Prison, home to thousands of female inmates, Allie didn’t want reminders. No indigo tattoo inked down her back or neck. No numbers or symbols etched into her arms or fingers. The only external validation of time served was a faint scar that traced her eyebrow.

The real proof of her internment lay underneath it all. Below the seashell white of Allie’s skin, hidden in blood, tendons, and muscle, the experience indelibly marked on her soul. An imprint made by incident, mistake, and tragedy.

Evidence, and lack of it.

“I’m innocent,” she’d insisted to everyone who would listen. Her lawyers fought hard, rallied a few times, but in the end, the jury convicted her. Voluntary manslaughter.

A year later, Allie’s appeal failed. Then money ran out. Her father turned his attention back to his veterinary practice after his cardiologist warned the stress of another trial might kill him. Her mother did her best to minimize worry while Emma, her tempestuous and fun-loving sister, assumed the role of doting aunt and guardian to Caroline.

And there was Ben. Sweet, thoughtful Ben. The man who’d wanted to marry her, who said he would love her always. Even after her arrest, he’d promised to wait for her if the worst happened. Allie couldn’t live with herself if he’d sacrificed everything—his rising political career, his reputation, and his life for a decade or more. She’d broken it off, knowing it would wound him terribly. When he’d finally left, when she saw him for the last time, it was as if the very core of her being had been torn away, leaving a vast, gaping emptiness she couldn’t fill, despite how hard she tried. Allie closed her eyes. She’s convinced herself it was the logical thing, what made sense. She had done her best to forget him. It hadn’t worked in the least.

The days and months blurred. Entire seasons dissolved, shapeless and gray, like the ink of fine calligraphy smeared by the rain.

The squawk of the prison intercom barely registered in Allie’s brain. Sharp insults and threats were routine, eruptions of violence expected. Even along the brown scrub grass and wooden benches of the prison yard, there was no escape. Allie always tried to disappear—pressing her body close to the concrete walls, becoming a chameleon against the barren landscape.

The women in Arrendale weren’t afraid of punishment; most had nothing left. Some bonded with other inmates for favors; others paid for protection with cigarettes, food, and stamps. For those prisoners who had lost everything; inmates with little hope of parole, life was almost unthinkable.

Clutching her hands in her lap to keep from shaking, Allie watched as a woman collapsed in the cafeteria, stabbed in the jugular with a plastic fork. The next week, a fellow inmate in her dormitory was choked to death, purple fingerprints visible on the woman’s throat when the guards discovered her body. Allie was haunted with grief for weeks after a young girl, only four years older than Caroline, tried to hang herself with a scrap of fabric.

Despite it all, despite the desperation that seemed to permeate the very air she breathed, Allie had survived.

In another few minutes, her younger sister, Emma, would arrive, as bus service didn’t run from Alto to Brunswick. Tomorrow she’d meet her parole officer at noon. And like every parolee, she would receive a check, courtesy of the Georgia Department of Corrections, enough to buy shampoo, a bar of soap, and a comb for her hair.

Allie blinked up at the clock, almost afraid the time might start going backward. She forced her eyes away, squeezed them shut. If she tried hard enough, her mind formed a picture of her grown daughter’s face. In her daydreams, she’d imagined their reunion a million times, rehearsed every possible scenario. She worried about the right words to say, how to act, and whether it was all right to cry. The enormity of it was impossible to contain, like holding back the ocean with a single fingertip.

All that mattered now was seeing Caroline.

The buzzer sounded long and loud; its vibration shook the floor. The burly guard sighed and lumbered to her boot-clad feet. She stood inches from Allie’s shoulder, her breath hot and rank from a half-eaten roast beef sandwich.

Locks clicked and keys rattled. The barrier, with its heavy bars, groaned under its own weight. An inch at a time, the metal gate heaved open. Soon, there would be nothing but empty space standing between Allie and the rest of the world.

She felt a nudge.

In that moment, Allie heard four words, precious and sweet.

“You’re free to go.”

~~~~~

Author Laura McNeil

Laura McNeil

Laura McNeil is a writer, mom, travel enthusiast, and coffee drinker. In her former life, she was a television news anchor for CBS News affiliates in New York and Alabama. Laura holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and is completing a Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership at the University of Alabama. When she’s not writing and doing homework, she enjoys running, yoga, and spending time at the beach. She lives in Northern Alabama with her family.

Her latest book is the domestic suspense, Sister Dear.

For More Information

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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