Thursday, December 31, 2015

More reviews for 2016?: Yes... By Authors For Authors

Gold Star by www.psdgraphics.com
Dear writers, authors, and creative people out there,

I hope "2015" has been a fulfilling year for you and that you were able to achieve all your writing goals.

Some of you might not have set any goals, but still accomplished something; some might have set goals and went beyond them; while others might have set goals but didn't accomplish all or any of them. But don't worry, 2016 is just around the corner to complete all that is left and focus on new goals.

I honestly didn't set any writing goals for 2015, but I was able to complete two novels; two novellas, and about five or more short stories, but I only got to publish one novel, one novella, and two short stories... not bad, right? That's only because I said I want to publish a novel a year. The novellas and short stories are just pleasant additions for me.

For my 2016, I want to write two novels, one novella, and two short stories by Q2/Q3, then I can use the rest of the year for publishing, marketing, researching, exploring, learning, etc.

Also, I want to READ a lot in 2016 and share with authors the best way we can get reviews, and more reviews this new year...

Sunday, December 13, 2015

NYSC Writing Contest - 2nd Edition

Hello everyone,

After the success of the first short story contest, we decided to organise the next one, as planned, only that the timing was sort of bad.

The NYSC has always had three batches each year A, B and C, but of recent, it has been 6 batches, each batch having 2 streams.

This has caused the orientation camp period to follow each other closely, sometimes leaving little or no time for proper planning. The batches in November and December 2015 were done back to back, so we had to modify the contest and make it a "Poetry" contest with limited number of lines, so that it would make it easier for them to send in their stories on time. That being said, the amount of time given wasn't sufficient enough for everyone, and we ended up getting only four entries. Most of the other poems came in long after the contest, and therefore they couldn't be considered.

In order not to waste the effort of those who submitted their poems on time, I have decided to publish the poems here and also give out the four prizes as promised- four copies of a collection of poems titled "The Clarion Call" by author Albert Seraphin. So please as you read and enjoy them, vote for your 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. Thank you :)

Here goes:

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

When Fiction Becomes Reality

My third novel titled “Dim Noo Abroad,” which literally means “My husband is abroad” in Igbo (Nigerian) language, was born out of a one-sentence reply to a simple question “why?”

I was at a Café close to Paris-Gare de Lyon in 2011 with two friends discussing life, work, and what the future held when one of them announced that she was moving back to Nigeria for good.

“Why?” was the natural response-cum-question to follow, and it did, from both my other friend and myself.

The friend who had thrown the bomb replied, “Because I want to get married, and I don’t want to be like those girls in the east (Eastern Nigeria) who keep saying “Dim noo abroad,” “Dim noo abroad.”

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Book Description:

The book, which spans a period of over 40 years, from the 1960s to 2003, focuses on the tumultuous lives and relationship of Mariam and Laila, two Afghan women. Mariam, an illegitimate child, suffers from the stigma surrounding her birth and the abuse she faces throughout her marriage. Laila, born a generation later, is comparatively privileged during her youth until their lives intersect and she is also forced to accept a marriage proposal from Rasheed, Mariam's husband.

Friday, November 20, 2015

NYSC Writing Contest: 1st Prize

Hello everyone,

As mentioned in my last post on my visit to the NYSC camp, I organised a writing contest for Corps members to test their creative juices, get recognition, and also get some little change to spend in mami market :).

If you don't know what mami market is or what the NYSC and the camp are, then you should probably get a copy of my book "Twenty-One Days" and experience it.

Anyway, Corps members were invited to send in their short stories of not more than 300 words, within four days. There was no theme, so they needed to be creative... and their stories needed to be a complete story, and not a prelude or an introduction to another story.

We received tons of entries for the contest, and our judges went through them thoroughly. Although the judges noted that ALL the stories were not really up to par, were not creative, lacked imagination, and needed a lot of improvement, they were still able to pick the top four... they had to so that the prizes would be awarded.

So here goes:

Thursday, November 19, 2015

NYSC Writing Contest: 2nd Prize

Hello everyone,

As mentioned in my last post on my visit to the NYSC camp, I organised a writing contest for Corps members to test their creative juices, get recognition, and also get some little change to spend in mami market :).

If you don't know what mami market is or what the NYSC and the camp are, then you should probably get a copy of my book "Twenty-One Days" and experience it.

Anyway, Corps members were invited to send in their short stories of not more than 300 words, within four days. There was no theme, so they needed to be creative... and their stories needed to be a complete story, and not a prelude or an introduction to another story.

We received tons of entries for the contest, and our judges went through them thoroughly. Although the judges noted that ALL the stories were not really up to par, were not creative, lacked imagination, and needed a lot of improvement, they were still able to pick the top four... they had to, so that the prizes would be awarded.

So here goes:

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

NYSC Writing Contest: 3rd Prize

Hello everyone,

As mentioned in my last post on my visit to the NYSC camp, I organised a writing contest for Corps members to test their creative juices, get recognition, and also get some little change to spend in mami market :).

If you don't know what mami market is or what the NYSC and the camp are, then you should probably get a copy of my book "Twenty-One Days" and experience it.

Anyway, Corps members were invited to send in their short stories of not more than 300 words, within four days. There was no theme, so they needed to be creative... and their stories needed to be a complete story, and not a prelude or an introduction to another story.

We received tons of entries for the contest, and our judges went through them thoroughly. Although the judges noted that ALL the stories were not really up to par, were not creative, lacked imagination, and needed a lot of improvement, they were still able to pick the top four... they had to so that the prizes would be awarded.

So here goes:

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

NYSC Writing Contest: 4th Prize

Hello everyone,

As mentioned in my last post on my visit to the NYSC camp, I organised a writing contest for Corps members to test their creative juices, get recognition, and also get some little change to spend in mami market :).

If you don't know what mami market is or what the NYSC and the camp are, then you should probably get a copy of my book "Twenty-One Days" and experience it.

Anyway, Corps members were invited to send in their short stories of not more than 300 words, within four days. There was no theme, so they needed to be creative... and their stories needed to be a complete story, and not a prelude or an introduction to another story.

We received tons of entries for the contest, and our judges went through them thoroughly. Although the judges noted that ALL the stories were not really up to par, were not creative, lacked imagination, and needed a lot of improvement, they were still able to pick the top four... they had to, so that the prizes would be awarded.

So here goes:

Monday, November 16, 2015

EKO AKETE Experience

Checking out the location before the event started
Hello all, so the Lagos Creative Industry Fair has come and gone, and my verdict is "It could have been better... way better."

But let me point out that there were two events in one; the Creative Industry Fair and the Book and Art Festival.

At the same time, this was the 17th edition of the Book Festival, and if it has come this far and some exhibitors came around, hopeful, then perhaps the issue was with this specific edition, because it was lacking... in people.

It felt like there were only 30 people in the fair for the entire 7 days.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

My NYSC Lagos State Camp visit

Hello everyone,

I had a visit today to the Lagos State NYSC Orientation camp (where "Twenty-One Days" all started) and I had the opportunity to address Corps members and talk to them about making the best of their service year and also developing/improving their skills while at it, by joining a SAED -Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Development- group.

Winner of the "Twenty-One Days" Giveaway
It actually felt good going back, as many people recognised and remembered me, from soldiers, to booksellers, to photographers, to some mami market sellers- as the girl who always smiled and who also participated/contributed in almost all the social, sports and intellectual activities.

Once they saw a copy of "Twenty-One Days," as bulky as it was, the first question was always: "You mean you wrote this while in camp?" and "I hope you wrote nice things about us?"

My response, with a smile, was always "It's all fiction" :).

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Book Trailer: Thirteen Suspects

Hi everyone,

It's finally here... the book trailer for my erotic/suspense novel titled "Thirteen Suspects." I'm so excited. And it came this month of creativity. This is the fastest it has taken me to put a trailer together. One day for creating it and another day for editing, and making sure all looks good.

Well, it looks perfect to me... I hope it does to you too, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. #PG18 please :).

Please #watch, #enjoy and #SHARE. Click HERE to watch it.

It is also available on Goodreads.

Thanks a lot

Literarily Yours,
CMO.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Book Travel: Twenty-One Days

Everything about my book "Twenty-One Days" is a first of its kind, and the same can be said for the world tour that five copies of the book are about to embark on this November... Oh November... the month of creativity and literary events.

That being said, I'm happy to announce and share my latest idea with all of you.

As part of a marketing campaign to put my book in many hands around the world, and to promote reading culture and reading for FUN, I'm organising a tour for my book and I'll be very happy if YOU could be a part of it.

I believe it's going to be fun, so the more (participants) the merrier. To join in on the fun, all you have to do is READ the book when you receive it.

After reading it, kindly take a photo with it and post it on social media with your favorite character and why.

Also, tag #TwentyOneDays #BookTravel and #Country (where you read the book).

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Lagos Book And Art Festival

Hello all,

Prepare yourselves for an exciting and creative November, filled with a lot of cultural and literary events.

The LCCI (Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry), CORA (Committee for Relevant Art), and Freedom Park brings to you its first-ever Lagos Creative Industry Fair, which will be holding from the 6th to 15th November 2015, during the 2015 Lagos International Trade Fair... starting 9.00am daily

Event: Association of Nigerian Authors -ANA- Convention

The Association of Nigerian Authors has released official posters after postponing its upcoming 2015 International Convention by two weeks. The convention will now hold from 12th - 15th November at Arewa House in Kaduna (Nigeria).

I told you that November will be packed with a lot of creative and literary events... :)

The shift was done for two reasons: to accommodate the Lagos International Poetry Festival that started on the 28th of October 2015 to end on the 1st of November 2015, and for the PAWA -Pan African Writers’ Association's International Conference celebrating Chinua Achebe on the International African Writers’ Day at Accra, Ghana. The PAWA Conference will hold from the 5th to the 8th of November, 2015. However, the shift coincides with the Lagos Book and Art Festival, holding from the 13th to 15th November 2015 in Lagos.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Event: The ArtHub - 24 Oct. 2015

The ARTHUB is a collaboration of different literary related groups. They converge bi-monthly on the HUB in Surulere, Lagos, and their next meeting is coming up on Saturday 24th October 2015, featuring "AJ DAGGAR TOLAR."


It's open for all... Don't miss it.

For more information, click here.

Literarily Yours,
CMO.

Contest: The 2016 Brunel University African Poetry Prize

To all the poets out there, emerging voices, who have not yet published a full-length poetry book, and those who are still shy to share their work to the world, this is your opportunity to be recognised for what you do.

The 2016 Brunel University African Poetry Prize is open for submission!!! But until 30th November 2016, so hurry up and put your poems together.... 10 poems. And totally worth it. The winner gets GBP 3,000.

The prize is only open to poets who were born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African, and aim of the prize is to develop, celebrate and promote poetry from Africa.



For more information on the terms and conditions, and how to submit your entries, click here.

Good luck and let the creative juices flow.

:)

Literarily Yours,
CMO.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Book Review: Americanah

Book Description:

Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time.

Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Book Review: The Clarion Call

Book Description:

A collection of poems based on the experience of the author during his one-year service in the NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) scheme to his beloved country Nigeria.

***

"The Clarion Call" is a poetry collection by author Albert Seraphin.

This is a collection of fifty-seven poems, but not your regular "romantic" collection, as the tone fluctuates between humour, happiness, and sadness, feelings a normal human being would have. This is also due to the theme, which is a rather serious one, as it is based on the NYSC (National Youth Service Corps - Nigeria) service year.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Short Story: Black Box

Happy ‪#‎IndependenceDay‬ Nigeria. Enjoy my new ‪#‎ShortStory‬ as you rest in your homes :). ‪#‎BlackBox ‪#‎Mystery‬ ‪#‎Suspense‬

I wrote this short story after an All Staff Session where I work. The story was inspired by the session and all my colleagues who were present at that time, therefore I dedicate it to all of them.

You can read the story below.

Description:

An Ideas Box is proposed during a Market Knowledge session in a company. But the box goes missing because it is believed to contain much more than ideas. Who has the Ideas Box and why? But the main question is: What is really in the box?

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Book Review: No Time For Goodbye

Book Description:

Fourteen-year-old Cynthia Bigge woke one morning to discover that her entire family, mother, father, brother had vanished. No note, no trace, no return. Ever. Now, twenty-five years later, she'll learn the devastating truth

Sometimes better not to know. . . 

Cynthia is happily married with a young daughter, a new family. But the story of her old family isn't over. A strange car in the neighborhood, untraceable phone calls, ominous gifts, someone has returned to her hometown to finish what was started twenty-five years ago. And no one's innocence is guaranteed, not even her own. By the time Cynthia discovers her killer's shocking identity, it will again be too late . . . even for goodbye.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Author Interview: In case you missed it

Hello,

Just in case you missed my TV author interview with Channels Book Club, you can watch it here:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

#Watch #Enjoy #Share

Thanks.

Literarily Yours,
CMO.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Book Review: BREAKING THE BONDAGE OF EMPLOYMENT: A Biblical Perspective on Wealth Creation

Book Description:

In this book, author Nath McAbraham-Inajoh posits that entrepreneurship is the path to true wealth creation. He explains, according to the Bible, that this is God’s original blueprint for humanity, a blueprint later distorted by sin and its consequences. Redemption, however, is possible as individuals can still go back to this original plan, thus liberating them from a lifelong bondage to paid employment.

***

"BREAKING THE BONDAGE OF EMPLOYMENT: A Biblical Perspective on Wealth Creation" is a non-fiction / motivational short book by author Nath McAbraham-Inajoh.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Introducing the #21Minutes Reading Challenge

When I was writing “Twenty-One Days,” the audience I had in mind was Nigerian youths, not just in Nigeria, but also in diaspora.
However, today, the audience has gone beyond what I imagined, because even the older generation —those who got exempted from the NYSC program, those who have forgotten what it is all about, those who need a refresher memory course on the scheme, those who want to feel young again, those who want to know what the current generation is up to, those who want to compare the past with the present, and those who never knew the NYSC even existed— have shown interest in the book. Well, the interest is more on the fictional aspect of the book and all the scandals ;).

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Book Review: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Book Description:

Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives.

In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential.

***

"Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead" is a non-fiction / inspirational short book by author Sheryl Sandberg.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Preview: Twenty-One Days Post #9

CHAPTER EIGHT: Day four

Friday, 8th August 2014

The day after the Swearing-in Ceremony wasn’t like the other days. The youths in the camp had passed from prospective Corps members to full Corps members. The Camp Director preferred the appropriate term, which was ‘Corps member,’ and not ‘corper.’ But it seemed like she was the only one in the whole of Nigeria who used the former. Corps members had sworn the Oath of Allegiance and vowed to abide by all NYSC rules, which included discipline at the highest level. Any form of insubordination or disobedience was punishable by being decamped and probably missing out on the whole NYSC programme and returning a year later if allowed.

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Preview: Twenty-One Days Post #8

CHAPTER SEVEN: Day three

Thursday, 7th August 2014

Oluomachukwu woke up before the Wake-Up call as her alarm sounded in her ear. She turned it off immediately and headed straight for the bathroom. There was a mirror along the corridor that led to the baths, and she stopped to look at herself. She was looking different. Camp activities from the past two days had been overly tedious and so time consuming that she didn’t have the time to look presentable, to relax and to have a few drinks. Not that she was an excessive drinker, but once in a while she liked to sit back and have a few glasses of wine or anything that had alcohol in it. When the whole stress was over and she was finally settled in, she was going to get into the fun of the camp and enjoy her stay.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Preview: Twenty-One Day Post #7

CHAPTER SIX: Day two

Wednesday, 6th August 2014

Oluomachukwu had hardly even slept when her alarm went off. She had set it for 3:30am instead of 4:30am, as she wanted to have an early bath, then lay on her bed until 4:30am when it would be time for the Wake-Up call and Corps members would be expected to report to the parade ground for their morning exercise and drills.

Events from the night before were still blurry, as she had been drained from all the hassle. She remembered hearing some of her roommates talk about their eventful day — some had not yet completed their registration, like Oluomachukwu, and some had also complained about not eating anything the whole day. Oluomachukwu related to that, because after her stop at a restaurant the morning before, she hadn’t tasted anything all through the day and she didn’t know how she managed, given that she loved to eat a lot — an almost self-acclaimed foodie.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Preview: Twenty-One Days Post #6

CHAPTER FIVE: The rush

Registration was a total disaster, so poorly organised that Oluomachukwu wondered why it wasn’t done online and why she had even bothered going all the way to Abuja for verification of documents. It looked as if she was going to redo the whole verification of documents there as well, because everyone came with folders packed with documents. Some even had pencil cases, staplers and every other thing a recent graduate would have.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Preview: Twenty-One Days #5

CHAPTER FOUR: Day one

Tuesday, 5th August 2014

Oluomachukwu arrived at the NYSC Orientation camp quite late, even though she started off her journey early. While Okechukwu slept after their late-night drinking session, which she regretted at that moment, she had to pack her box. She had contemplated taking a hand luggage or even a regular box, but camping without having to worry about heavy boxes sounded like a better plan.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Short Story: Finding Love

Happy ‪#‎DemocracyDay‬ Nigeria. Enjoy my new ‪#‎ShortStory‬ as you rest in your homes :). ‪#‎FindingLove‬ ‪#‎Romance‬ ‪#‎Suspense‬

I wrote this short story on a sleepless night in May 2015, although I already had the plot in 2014, and when I started writing it, I couldn't stop until I finished it. I was trying to explore the romance/suspense genre, then throw in some detective feature, all happening in Nigeria. I hope you enjoy it.

You can read the story below.

Description:

Finding love wasn't easy for Samantha, but when love finally came to her, it suddenly vanished... so she teamed up with a Private Investigator and went to find it back.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Book Trailer: Twenty-One Days

Hi everyone,

I couldn't resist the urge to make a book trailer for my newest project... It's for "Twenty-One Days."

I hope you love it as much as I do :)

Please #watch, #enjoy and #SHARE. Click HERE to watch it.

It is also available on Goodreads.

Literarily Yours,
CMO..

Preview: Twenty-One Days Post #4

CHAPTER THREE: Call up

Two weeks went very fast for Oluomachukwu. She spent the time touring Lagos, trying her best to forget her moments of weakness in Abuja and ignoring all her phone calls. She hadn’t spoken to her parents yet, she only sent messages, but she wasn’t worried. She had told her parents not to worry about her. The only time they were going to receive a call was if something didn’t go as planned, and she wasn’t expecting anything to go wrong.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Preview: Twenty-One Days Post #3

CHAPTER TWO: Remember me

Oluomachukwu and Kayode sat at the lounge in Rockview Hotel, having drinks. They had opted for soft drinks, because they felt they had drunk enough alcohol at her hotel room. Oluomachukwu’s head was aching, between her legs was still sensitive and her phone hadn’t stopped ringing all the while that she was with Kayode back in her hotel room. She wasn’t sure how many times Akunna or even Okechukwu had called. She hadn’t saved either of their phone numbers, so she couldn’t tell which number belonged to whom at that instant. She then divided the over forty missed calls between both of them.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Preview: Twenty-One Days Post #2

CHAPTER ONE: Special treatment

The next day, Oluomachukwu got to the local wing of the airport at about 5:00am. She was sleepy and tired, and wondered why she had left home so early. She probably felt that she would be caught up in traffic and miss the first flight. The alcohol she had with Okechukwu the night before still lingered in her system and it made her weak, so weak that she wished she was still in bed. At the same time, she wanted to relive the fun moment in her head and smile, but she was too exhausted to even think. She hoped that she would get stronger before she got to Abuja and that everything would go well for her.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Preview: Twenty-One Days Post #1

Copyright © 2015 C. M. Okonkwo

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

DISCLAIMER

Although inspired by real locations, activities, programmes, and schedules, all events and characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living, dead, undead, in the before-life or in the after-life, will be deemed a compliment of the author’s genius.

***   

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Twenty-One Days... a novel

After several months of writing, sleepless weekends of "writathons," and a visit to the hospital for severe backache, my latest work is done!!!

"Twenty-One Days" is a realistic fiction novel about life in an NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) orientation camp in Lagos, Nigeria. It talks about a young Nigerian girl who returns to Nigeria from the UK after many years to sign up for the programme and serve her country.

Experiences in Nigeria as a whole leave her doubting her decision to come back for the programme and even come back to Nigeria at all, but after spending barely two weeks in camp, she realised that the NYSC programme had more to offer her than she thought.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

Book description:

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Book Review: Purple Hibiscus

Book Description:

Fifteen-year-old Kambili’s world is circumscribed by the high walls and frangipani trees of her family compound. Her wealthy Catholic father, under whose shadow Kambili lives, while generous and politically active in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home.

When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili’s father sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt, a University professor, whose house is noisy and full of laughter. There, Kambili and her brother discover a life and love beyond the confines of their father’s authority. The visit will lift the silence from their world and, in time, give rise to devotion and defiance that reveal themselves in profound and unexpected ways. This is a book about the promise of freedom; about the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood; between love and hatred, between the old gods and the new.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Preview: Locked Door

Dear readers,

I'm happy to announce, AGAIN, that the third volume in the Angela Hunter series, titled "Locked Door" has just been published. It gets even more mysterious and suspenseful than the last one, "Jammed Door." I can't really get enough of Angela Hunter, so I'm not done with her yet :). You can read my post about Jammed Door HERE.

Book description:

The detectives believe that someone is out for those involved in the closed-door mystery, so they try to stay ahead of the game. But after another body is found behind a locked door, it changes the whole game entirely.

***

I have also added a free preview below. Enjoy! Share! Comment! :)

Monday, March 2, 2015

Book Review: Heller's Revenge

Book description:

Tilly Chalmers’ sexy boss, Heller, has a talent for making enemies. Not a forgive-and-forget kind of man, he has a few scores to settle - including one with Tilly’s brother. Tilly is kept busy juggling that constant worry with managing three new assignments as a rookie security officer - crowd control at a lingerie parade, babysitting an immature, sex-starved IT billionaire, and an unusual and emotional job with a famous environmental activist. But as usual, Tilly’s assignments don’t go quite to plan. All this, as well as trying to keep her vow not to sleep with her beautiful and enigmatic boss, no matter how much of a temptation he proves.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Book Review: Death by Meeting

Book Description:

This book is centered around a cure for the most painful yet underestimated problem of modern business: bad meetings.

Casey McDaniel, the founder and CEO of Yip Software, is in the midst of a problem he created, but one he doesn't know how to solve. And he doesn't know where or who to turn to for advice. His staff can't help him; they're as dumbfounded as he is by their tortuous meetings.

Then an unlikely advisor, Will Peterson, enters Casey's world. When he proposes an unconventional, even radical, approach to solving the meeting problem, Casey is just desperate enough to listen.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Book Review: The Birth Order Connection: Finding and Keeping the Love of Your Life

Book Description:

Most people expect to get married, have their marriage last a lifetime, and enjoy a marital relationship that fulfills their deepest emotional needs. Yet few people experience this type of relationship. Statistics show that approximately 20 million divorced people live in our country, and the median duration of any given marriage is just 7.2 years. Few people consider the role that their birth order has played in developing their own personality, how it has affected their prospective spouse\u2019s personality, or how the two personalities might make it living under one roof. As a result, after the initial intoxicating infatuation ends, most married couples are left to work their way through the agonizing hangover of conflicting birth orders. In The Birth Order Connection, Dr. Kevin Leman helps readers avoid such conflicts before they arise. He shows how to find and recognize the best and wisest choice fora life partner, provides tools to succeed in marriage, and teaches how an understanding of birth order can do wonders not only for future marriages but for those that have already begun.