Heather's Review of SHANNON'S HOPE

It might sound strange, but I hadn't read SHANNON'S HOPE by Josi S. Kilpack straight through until it was released last month. The character I was writing at the time (Ruby) has a lot of interaction with Shannon, so Josi and I were continually hammering out scenes together. But I didn't know "the end" of Shannon's journey, or some of the steps along the way.

Before I met Josi, I was a fan of hers. And when she told me she read one of my books and enjoyed it, I was pretty excited since I thought she was a fabulous author. Over the years, I read everything she put out and became an avid Sadie Hoffmiller fan as well, often buying the book the first few days it hit the store, then neglecting other duties for a weekend while I read the latest Sadie adventure.

So, even though I'd read portions of SHANNON'S HOPE (heck, I even wrote a few scenes that Josi then transposed into Shannon's point of view), I went all "fan girl" when the book came out. And... I love it. Josi has a way of endearing the reader to her characters, and her characters are completely flawed, sometimes broken, but always relatable.

I hope you'll love the book as much as I did! Here's my official review:

"SHANNON'S HOPE kicks off the 2nd set in the Newport Ladies Book Club series. You can start with this one, or read the 1st set (Daisy, Olivia, Paige, Athena). Shannon is a pharmacist, married, with a 12 year old son. She's also Ruby Crenshaw's niece and gets roped into attending the book club by her aunt. Just before one of the meetings, her step-daughter comes back into her life after a failed stint in rehab. Determined to help Keisha in anyway she can, Shannon brings her step-daughter to book club.

What follows it a gripping, heart-wrenching story of a woman who only wants to help her step-daughter overcome her addictions and get her life back on track. In the author's introduction to the novel, she says, 'In my years of writing there are few books I've written that have explored things that are a part of my personal experience. SHANNON was one of those books for me . . . I have been a participant in the 'dance' of addiction and codependency and boundaries and letting go and forgiving . . . There is a fine line between hope and hopelessness sometimes; between love and self-preservation; between kindness and enabling . . . If you are a dancer, on any side of the issue, of which there are many sides, I wish you peace and perspective as you figure out your own steps.'

Thank you, Josi. I hope my journey will be stronger from learning about Shannon's hope..."



SHANNON'S HOPE is available on Amazon and Deseret Book and Barnes and Noble in both paperback and e-book!

Finished Olivia

Today I finished going over Julie's OLIVIA. It's the last of the four for me to read, and can I say it was so much fun to see how the very same scenes I'd been over in three other books came across fresh and new, and with new new meaning yet again.

While reading OLIVIA, I laughed and teared up, and I finished the last page with a happy, contented sigh.

At one point I came to a detail that appears in all four books, and I couldn't for the life of me remember who had the idea for it originally.

I think this is how true collaboration should be. I count myself so lucky to be part of this project. This could only work with close writer friends who know one another well and think in similar ways.

Now I'm getting eager to hear back from our editors!

Finished reading OLIVIA

by Heather Moore

I started reading/editing OLIVIA (by Julie Wright) this morning. And I just finished it about 7:00 p.m. I only took a break to go to a lunch meeting and to make sure my kids were where they were supposed to be. It is a fabulous read, full of emotional punch, and Livvy is a character who I wish I could go and help her spray paint "dragon lady" on her mother-in-law's house.

Now that I've read all four book in the series, I can't wait to hear the readers' response. But first, we have to get the official acceptance from our publisher/s, then minor details like editing/cover design/press deadlines . . . and THEN . . . it will be like one big book club.

Get ready . . . get set . . .!

ATHENA Edits

Just sent Heather back her manuscript with my notes.

Gotta say, readers are going to LOVE the last line.

(How's that for torture? Teehee.)

Edits: Daisy Done, Starting Athena

Yesterday I finished my edits on Josi's DAISY. I laughed and cried and came to totally love her character. It was extra fun to see how our joint scenes (the ones where both Daisy and Paige interact) fit into the whole of her book, since they serve different purposes in Paige's story.

Now I'm beginning edits on Heather's ATHENA. One chapter in, and already, it's a fresh, new character with an entirely different story. Can't wait to finish this one and then dive into Julie's OLIVIA!

Oh, and then go through the edits the others have done on PAIGE. It's hard to explain how cool it is to see how something that began as an idea become real!