SUCH a Good Book!

To me, the hallmark of a good book is that it does not let me go: I keep thinking about the lives of the characters long after I've read the final page and closed the book. 

And The BestMan by Annabelle Costa definitely fits the bill for a good book! 

For days I have been daydreaming about the lives of Kirby and John - their hopes, their dreams, their careers, their future. The book begins like many chick lit books ... 

Kirby is tired of being single. So when Kirby’s long distance boyfriend Ted pops the question, her answer is an eager “YES.”

Then Kirby meets Ted’s best man, John.

But then Costa throws in a twist:
John is obnoxious, he’s opinionated, and he uses his disability as an excuse to keep everyone at arm’s length. 

Then Costa's brilliance takes off as she weaves a love story with humor, wit, and boundless depth.

But as the wedding planning proceeds, Kirby gets to know John better and realizes she’s never met any guy she’s connected with more—not in her entire life.

What do you do about your wedding when you’re falling in love with the best man?

Here are 8 things that I absolutelt ADORE about this book:

1. I love that the chapters jog between the heroine and hero's perspectives. After the first meeting, John comes off as SUCH A JERK, but then we get his perspective which is so humorous and eye-opening.

2. This is a love story in its truest form - like a flower blossoming, this story unfurls the deepening friendship and romance petal by gorgeous, sometimes thorny, petal.

3. This book is so funny! I laughed and guffawed out loud at some points at Costa's way of turning a phrase!

4. The view into John's life as a paraplegic - a young man injured in a car accident at 25 - is soulful, enlightening, and sometimes, heart-breakingly shocking. And I read in Costa's bio that she is a physical therapist so I know she knows what she is talking about.

5. I love the way John loves Kirby. He adores her fuller figure, he totally supports her in her career, he loves her quirky take on life.

6. I love the way the story unfolds through point and counterpoint in the different perspectives. Ex: Kirby keeps thinking about how much weight she has to lose before the wedding, but John thinks she is so gorgeous exactly as she is. John knows he will never have a snowball's chance in hell with someone as amazing as Kirby, but Kirby just keeps thinking about John more and more.

7. So sexy and romantic! The friendship develops with such a brilliantly paced slow burn that the culminating moments are just so good!

8. I love stories that show the difference between picture-perfect romance and, well, love.

If you indulge in The Best Man, I hope you enjoy it!

* The text in red is taken from the book's description on Amazon.

Pure YA Delight!

Mmmrrh... I love sharing the joy when I have read a wonderful book! Senior Week Crush by Maggie Dallen is a story I know I will read again and again, as my go-to when I need a feel-good story that delights with every word, every plot point, every snippet of dialogue.   


Layla James has been waiting her entire life for a chance to get close to her crush, Dylan. Now that moment has arrived. Dylan is finally single and he's started to notice her existance. He even asked if she was going to Senior Week, the last hoorah at the beach before graduation day. Of course she's going, this was destiny calling. The only problem? She doesn't have a ride. Enter her arch-nemesis Jack...


Here is my Amazon Review of this book: I Loved Every Word - Ten Stars!!!!!!!! This book is romantic, empowering, funny, clever, charming and totally satisfying! I looked forward to every event in the story, every next snippet of dialogue-- and the prose is so delightful! Reading this book is just sheer pleasure. This is a wonderful story where everything pays off. Sure, some call it a typical YA romance, but it is done VERY WELL -- superior relationship development. This is totally the kind of book I will re-read when I am in the mood for an comfy favorite that delivers pure joy!

https://www.amazon.com/Senior-Week-Crush-Summer-Love-ebook/dp/B078HHB7ZB

Enjoy a Valentine's Day story for FREE on Kindle!

Everything I write is romantic comedy, but one particular story, "Miss Understanding in the Ballroom with the Wrench," actually takes place mostly on Valentine's night.

Jesse and Peter meet at a Valentine's Day party, and they hit it off. But each is hiding the one thing that they think makes them undateable. Will the secrets and misunderstanding put out the spark before it gets a chance to ignite?

You can find out for free until February 16  on Kindle. getBook.at/4intheAfternoon 

"A unique premise with unique characters!"

"One of my favorites because the chemistry between the two leads in undeniable."

18 and 1 : Remembering an Iconic Super Bowl

Ten years ago, I wrote this piece on Super Bowl 42: the scrappy wild-card New York Giants vs. the undefeated New England Patriots who were one game away from a never-before-acheived 19-0 season. As a New York Giants fan, I cannot think of this past season without steam coming out of my ears. But this Super Bowl weekend, I will indulge in thinking about one of the greatest upsets in sports history. This is the post I wrote 10 years ago...

The Perfect Climax

by Geralyn Corcillo

Every few years or so I dust off Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart and reread it, just so I can get to page 227, when Bryony runs out into the moonlit orchard and well, I won't tell you – but it's the best part of the story.

And I'll bet that everyone knows the feeling I'm talking about: reading a dog-eared book or watching a favorite movie just to get to that scene that makes you go mmmrrh! We don't skip ahead to the incandescent chapter, or fast forward to the culminating scene, because without the build up, the climax is a let down. Captain Wentworth’s striding in and asking for Anne in front of everyone wouldn’t grab you by the guts and never let go without that preceding heartbreak, betrayal, belittling and loneliness.

Build-up, climax, bliss -- it's the pulse of romance . . . and sports.

I watch sports to feel the thrill when that 3-point shot at the buzzer wins the game, when that amazing catch in the end zone defies physics, when that guy nobody ever heard of knocks out an invincible champion, when that bunch of college kids ices a communist powerhouse.

A romance writing friend once commented, "Geralyn, that's why there are highlights."

But come on! Highlight reels provide no more than superficial thrills. But when you know what's at stake in the contest, and when you sweat as you watch the fight, the pay-off is visceral.  Mmmrrh . . . 

Why else was this past Sunday's Super Bowl XLII the most watched thing ever on TV, second only to the final episode of M*A*S*H? Are there so many Patriots and Giants fans out there? Maybe, but I suspect the game’s popularity was due to not just the foreplay, but more significantly, the guarantee of an explosive climax.

As Sports Illustrated so succinctly said of Sunday's game, “The Super Bowl would be either a CORONATION or a COLOSSAL UPSET.” In one corner is a smug, undefeated, championship team who wants to make history by becoming the only NFL franchise to go 19-0 in a season. In the other corner is a scrappy wild card team who had unexpectedly beaten redoubtable play-offs rivals to become the second-worse franchise ever to make it to the Super Bowl. New York's Plaxico Burress predicts a 23-17 Giants win. Tom Brady laughs at a press conference at the notion of his Patriots scoring a mere 17 points. Can the New York defense stop the locomotion of the New England offense? Tom Brady looms infallible – can Eli Manning, league leader in interceptions thrown during the regular season, step up?

As it turns out, Plaxico is wrong. The Giants hold the Patriots to 14 points, not 17, thanks to a defense that sacks Tom Brady 5 times and breaks up the Hail Mary. And in the last 2 minutes of the game, Patriots on top by 4, young Eli steps up. Courtesy of an offensive line that wouldn’t quit, he breaks out of a near-sack to throw to third-string receiver David Tyree who makes one of the most amazing catches in NFL history. Seriously, who catches a football with his head? A final pass to Plaxico in the end zone, and the Patriots end an 18-1 season. Those scrappy Giants won the Super Bowl.

It was the perfect climax.

Arlen Black - the hero voted Best Book Boyfriend of 2017 - wants to be your Valentine...

This month, for 99 CENTS, you can spend Valentine Season with Queen of the Universe hero 

ARLEN BLACK:

Best Book Boyfriend 2017 WINNER!

And what makes him so delightfully swoon-worthy? Well...

From the "I'm Trying to Stay Sane" journal of Arlen Black

Why does he need to stay sane, you ask?

From Arlen's journal: Ray said I should do this, keep a journal. That it helps take off the pressure. The show, the media, my crazy-as-a-duck co-star. But the thing is, nothing about playing this part stresses me out. Are you kidding? After everything I've lost ... the kids ...  saying a few lines on camera isn't about to faze me.

Lola is the one driving me nuts, plain and simple. I said I'd be on her show - and I don't regret it. She all but tricked me into it, but to say no would have been to crush her dreams. And I couldn't do it. I WOULDN'T. I wasn't about to let someone else feel  that kind of screeching pain - not when I could stop it. 

So no, I don't regret it. But why did she let me get so close to her?

And why did she get so close to me? She says she thought it was all her and she had no idea I was feeling the attraction, too. Seriously? After that kiss on the very first day ... and on her patio? Man, it's a good thing I walked out - well, stormed out - when I did.

But I came back. Just to do the show. Nothing else. Because now I know that Lola is a liar and a manipulator and ... God, why can't I stop thinking about her? And why does it keep happening? Every time I'm near her, she makes me feel ... God! Even knowing what I know about her - even after everything I lost ... Damn it!

She makes me feel alive again.

💗💋😍

When she was a kid in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Geralyn Vivian Ruane Corcillo dreamed of one day becoming the superhero Dyna Girl. So she did her best and grew up to constantly pick up litter and rescue animals. She lives in a drafty old house in Hollywood with her TV writer husband Ron, a guy who's even cooler than Kip Dynamite.
Corcillo LOVES connecting with readers, so feel free to get in touch with her on facebook and twittter.

Amazon

Author Heather McCoubrey in the House!

Hot on the heels of her debut novel To Love Twice, author of stirring romance Heather McCoubrey will release her next novel Back to December this June!

And just to whet your appetite...

Can Anna escape the claws of her soul-crushing past so she can claim her life as her own and seize the happiness that could be hers?

Heather McCoubrey first caught my interest with her debut novel To Love Twice. In this poignant and mesmerising tale, Kate goes to London and takes a chance on love with the dashing Edward Kent. But can her whirlwind romance sweep away the echoes of a tragic past? And will she allow herself to fall, daring to love again...

Reviews of To Love Twice:

“First book I've ever read completely through! It was awesome. I laughed, I cried, I found some really good points. I loved the romance. Just might read it again!” –Jillian Hucks

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Readers who just want a steamy romance will be disappointed... No smut here...but plenty of romance and great character development. I laughed, I cried, I was genuinely surprised a few times and skipped sleep to finish reading and get to the happy ending. I wish it were longer! I am not ready to say goodbye to Kate and Edward.” –Kindle Customer “CharmedGirl”

“I'd recommend this book to anyone. I'm not one for romances but this book had me hooked. And the crazy twist at the end, I couldn't put it down.” –Tiffany Clark

“I'm not normally a fan of romances but this was good and kept my interest… the ending was Awesome. Great snowy day read!!” –Bonnie G

“This story was very unexpected. The plot was great, the characters were real, and the ending was surprising. I never saw it coming. Kate is so strong to have gone through all she did to find love again. Heather, I look forward to your next novel. You have a new fan!” –Ann

After enjoying To Love Twice, I got in touch with Heather, and we soon became author buddies, celebrating each other's triumphs, commiserating over disappointments, venting our frustrations, and giggling over shared delight. And I so enjoy Heather's blog - she helps me relax with her musings on life and inspires me to find balance and time to write in my hectic life as an indie author!

And yes, I'll admit it, Heather is a Patriots fan - - - a Patriots fan!!! I, as you know, am a die hard fan of The New York Giants, but still, we like each other :) A lot more than Tom Brady likes Eli Manning, that's for sure! And guess what? Heather and I both have Pennsylvania in common! I grew up there, and Heather lives there now her husband, two children, Rex the chihuahua, and Fatty the goldfish.

But you don't have to go all the way to Pennsylvania!

You can find Heather McCoubrey on:

Facebook  Twitter  Google+

I cannot wait for Heather's next novel, Back to December! After surviving an abusive childhood, Anna Blackhurst is finally ready to tentatively step into life, and into the world of Cooper Reed. But when her mother is in a terrible accident, Anna feels herself getting sucked back into the nightmare relationship that defined her childhood. Cooper is there for her, but is Anna strong enough to feel worthy of his love? Will she ever break free from the chains of torment that have been holding her down her whole life? Anna has to find the courage to love herself if she and Cooper are to have any chance of loving each other. 

Put Back to December on your To-Read Shelf on Goodreads

And let the anticipation begin! 

And the Oscar for Best Butt Lift Goes to...

Last Sunday night I quickly grew depressed then resigned as I squinted through the glitz to see teeming rows upon rows of plastic expressions, over-processed hair, and inflated lips. It's as though stars no longer grow old, but instead grow ludicrously comical and ridiculously fake. Fifty on screen no longer looks like Perry Mason or Edith Bunker, but like a cartoon duck. Why fight aging just to end up with a booby prize? Why fight aging at all? Are wrinkles really so much worse than bubble lips and sucked in cheeks?

Is it so bad to live life and show the evidence?

But wait.

Damn it, I kind of stepped in a puddle here. I uh, em, dye my hair. Ever since the age of 28, I've been having the gray highlighted out of the blonde. I'll never forget the first time I asked my hair guy extraordinaire Jordy if he could touch things up a bit.

Me: Could you maybe highlight it a little? I've got few strands of gray here in front.

Jordy: Honey! You've got gray all over!

So, I, too, fight aging in my own way. By keeping my fly-away split ends as sunny golden as they were when I was a kid. And you know what? You might not like the way my hair looks. You might think I should condition it, perm it, heck, on some days brush it.

But that's okay. Because I like the way I look. And today's stars – or at least the agents of today's stars and LOTS of fans - like the way they look. I'm okay, you're okay. Or even if you're not, it's not my business. And vice versa, I'm sure, to quote Sherri Ann Cabot. I think it's cool to be cool with one another. Sound good? Truth is, lots of people thrill to this idea of acceptance.

How do I know? Because it's the essence of romance and lots of people read romance. Romance reveals the journey of two people becoming more tolerant, more understanding of one another. The Walls of Jericho come down, bit by bit, (not necessarily with the fanfare of a toy bugle) so that two people can recognize and feel that pulsing core of some truth, some frequency, some rhythm that they share. And it is this simpatico that will keep them happily together.

The story starts out, and the two people clash, as do Elizabeth and Darcy, Mindy and Danny. But it's there, early on - a vibe like the hum from a refrigerator that tells you these two would be so good together. For Elizabeth and Darcy, their manners are quite different, yet neither one performs to anyone. Each lives according to exacting truth. But they have to overcome the barrier of disparate manners in order to realize the values they share. And Mindy and Danny? In the first episode, it becomes clear that they know each other on a deep level because each knows exactly how to cut the other to quick. Danny tells Mindy she needs to lose 15 pounds, and Mindy derides Danny for having gotten divorced. But at this point in their relationship, their feelings find expression only through insults and one-upsmanship. As the series progresses, they break down each others' walls and move in closer.

And that's the kind of romance I like. Not one that begins with a mutually immediate sexual spark, but one that begins with something...else. Some subtle hint that lets you know that these two are skating along the same wavelength, that they've got what it takes to be amazing together. It can be just one word, just one action, just one brief exchange. Like Ron's awed amazement - “Hermione!” - when she slaps Draco.

I planted my first clue that Lisa and Jack hear the same distant bongo beat in Chapter Two of my novel She Likes It Rough. It's there for anyone to see by browsing through the beginning of the book online.

Think you can find it?

And by the way, in case you love pop culture references and trivia as much as I do...

1. When Sherri Ann Cabot says, "Vice versa, I'm sure," what is she doing?

2. Who buys the toy bugle?

3. What provokes Hermione to slap Draco?

4. Who is Larry's Lizzy?