Olivia Linden author of Jaded Hearts and Only Her Heart

Synopsis

At 24 years old, Jade Spencer’s life has hit a brick wall. Haunted by the mysterious abandonment of her mother, she found it was easier to live in the shadows of someone elses expectations.  From the strict authority of her  grandmother, the unwillingly guardian to Jade and her brother, to a controlling fiance who she can’t seem to please, denying her feelings has been a necessary coping mechanism. Reality has suddenly come crashing in under the strain of denying her own dreams for so long, and for once, Jade is ready to live life by her own rules.

It’s time for a fresh start. Turning away from the disappointment of her past, Jade ditches her shady fiance and packs her bags for New York City. With help from her aunt, she looks forward to her new future, her fabulous apartment in the city, a new job, and new experiences. Two fated encounters complicate her world when they both lead to unexpected and powerful emotions. She struggles with her desire to embrace these new feelings, and her habit of denying what she truly wants. In this not so classic love triangle, with a hint of mystery, Jade learns the hard way that sometimes intentions can mean everything and nothing at all, and no matter how far you run from the past, it’s never too far behind.

Will she find love or will she leave a trail of jaded hearts? Love, secrets, and lies are all on the menu.

Excerpt From Jaded Hearts

Central Park was streaming with people clamoring to enjoy an unseasonably cool Sunday in July and it was just like I imagined. There were people sunbathing; playing with their pets; jogging; rollerblading, and just strolling along like I was at the moment as I headed to meet John. I was in awe of how green and lush the landscape was compared to the cement and brick metropolis that surrounded it.

Once John found out that I hadn’t checked it off my ‘things to do in NY list’, he insisted that we come here this weekend. I spotted him walking towards me looking like a college student, down to the backpack he sported. His golden hued hair was longer than usual, and was lightly wind tousled and he sported his signature sleeveless tee this time in white with red shorts and a pair of throwback Jordan’s.

Jordan’s?

He smiled at me and I could only imagine I didn’t look much different with my hair pulled back into a high bun, a snug white wife beater and coral colored shorts that stopped mid thigh and all white old school Adidas. We walked into an easy hug having spent so much time together lately that we were more than familiar. I pointed to his sneakers

“Nice kicks!” I joked.

He glanced down quizzically at his choice in footwear. “What? Are you kidding? These are classic!”

I just shook my head as we linked arms and set off to stake our claim to a blanket sized plot on the big lawn. We settled on a spot that was relatively less crowded and I watched as he set up the blanket, two pillows, a large thermos, hummus, crackers and chips with onion dip.

“Wow, you are really prepared! I’m impressed. What’s in the thermos?”

He shot me a sly grin and handed it over for my inspection, watching as I opened it sniffed and tasted the mystery drink.

“Yum, is this Riesling?” I took another sip.

“Very good Ms. Spencer. You’re a lush after my own heart.”He teased.

I threw the top of the canister at him.

We spent the afternoon relaxing together. Sunbathing with a good book is a very much underrated experience. Well, partial sun because it had grown considerably overcast as we enjoyed our picnic, which was probably what contributed to the cooler weather.  I reclined back on a pillow slightly perpendicular to John while using his torso as a foot rest. My oversized Channel shades concealed the fact that I had stopped reading the hilarious Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter, and was watching him instead. He was intently covering each page of an old National Geographic edition.

Nerd!

A very handsome nerd though, and I could watch him all day. It was so cute the way his eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed slightly as he read. I found myself wondering how his lips tasted. Just then he looked at me and I pretended to be just looking up from my book and he shot me a wink.

Could he tell I was staring at him?

I flashed him a smile.

So what if I was looking?

Especially since I caught him studying me when he thought I wasn’t looking. Often.

After a while he closed and pulled his aviators down.

“So how’s your book?” He asked as he grabbed one of my bare feet and began to knead and rub.

Ah that feels good!

“It’s really not bad. I was skeptical when Donna told me that she was reading it, but it is funny and holds your interest.” I raved.  

He continued to massage my thankfully pedicured foot.

“I don’t know, but I’m having a hard time picturing our sixteenth president hunting and killing vampires in his spare time. Vampires?” He shook his head with speculation.

I laughed in agreement.

“I know! I did too, but I’m telling you it’s crazy because it’s mostly a true story so it almost makes you want to believe the parts that are farfetched.”

He didn’t seem swayed.

“Well, how about I just take your word for it because I don’t plan to read it.” I pulled my foot away and waved my other foot at him for attention.

“Or, how about I read it to you?” I suggested.

John cocked his head to the side as he tugged my foot lightly pulling me of my pillow.

“I think I like that. That’s a creative compromise Ms. Spencer.”

I giggled as I repositioned myself on my pillow and began reading to him about Abe Lincoln meeting Edgar Allen Poe in New Orleans.

Just as I finished the chapter I was reading a splatter of water hit my book.

I knew it smelled like rain.

I looked at John who was wiping a drop from his nose and then we both scrambled to pack up our garden party.

The downpour hit just as we were scurrying out of the park. John grabbed my hand and I followed him as he ran a few blocks west of the park to his building.

“You can wait it out with me until it clears up.” He offered.

I nodded in silent agreement at his suggestion. I was soaked and my bun came loose somewhere between the pouring rain and the running. His building was older but it was very well maintained. We took the large ornate wooden stairs up to his second floor apartment and I leaned up against him involuntarily for warmth at the air conditioned hallway. He opened his door and pulled me into the apartment with him. I wrapped my arms around myself as he put down his back pack.

“Let’s get you warmed up. OK?” He rubbed my arms before he disappeared down a hallway, I assumed to his bedroom.

I loved his place. It had a totally dark wood, Sherlock Holmes without the clutter feel to it. There was a large bay window in the living room that was surrounded by floor to ceiling bookcases on either side. His sectional was light brown micro suede that went perfectly with the tone of his wooden floors. I walked over to one of the bookcases to marvel at his book collection but a glass door at the bottom caught my attention. It housed a record player accompanied by a rather large record collection. Elton John, The Beatles, Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwick and Burt Baccarat, Led Zeppelin, Motown Greats, The Big Chill Soundtrack. There had to have been well over 100 records. I kept flipping through and stopped when I spotted the Isley Brothers.

Yes!

I turned on the sound system and gently dropped the needle on the groove for the first track.  

“You find something you like?”  I heard John shuffle back into the room while I was loading the album, and turned around to face him with glee as the soulful ballad filled the room.

He stood there shirtless, his wet hair disheveled and holding a big T-shirt and towel for me. I was captivated by the definition of his body. He wasn’t bulky, but chiseled. Every muscle was defined, even the hard lines that led to his hips stood out. He didn’t have a six pack, he had a ten pack.

The look in his hazel eyes was unmistakable as he looked me up and down and I realized what I must look like. My hair hanging in wet spirals around my T-shirt that was soaked, and plastered to my body revealing my black lace bra, and all of my curves.  I flushed red hot even more aware that I was now aroused. I stood wordlessly as he walked over to me holding up the accessories to get me dry.

“You must be freezing,” he observed. ‘

Every step he took closer to me made my heart beat faster and faster. He thought I was cold.

Not quite.

The Sequel to Jaded Hearts, Only Her Heart, will be released August 19th!  Check out the trailer for a sneak peek.

Only Her Heart trailer

Olivia Linden Bio:

Olivia Linden, a native New Yorker, was raised between Queens and San Antonio, TX. Currently living in Florida with her 10 year-old son, she decided it was time to follow her dreams of becoming a full time author. Her creative itch began when her elementary school principal posted one of her stories in the halls of her school. She was only seven at the time, but old enough to understand how integral writing would be to her future. From that moment on, reading and writing became her two greatest passions.

Olivia is a newbie to the industry, but she hasn’t stopped writing since she found her literary voice all those years ago. Jaded Hearts, her first published novel, mixes her big personality, with a sexy yet humorous tone. It is her philosophy that laughter is essential to making it through even the toughest situations.

Find your passion with Jaded Hearts by Olivia Linden.

Contact

email: olivialinden234@gmail.com

Website: http://olivialinden.com/

Amazon: http://ow.ly/mSyVj

Book website: http://jadedhearts.wix.com/tjhc#!bio/c1ktj

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6937959.Olivia_Linden

Only Her Heart: http://youtu.be/eRB7fD11GRk

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Guest Author Daniel Alexander blogs about traditional discipline

Does the traditional discipline model work?

In the current model, when a child is naughty, parents scream and shout, and often give hidings. We find a similar situation in the work place. When an employee makes a mistake, often bosses don’t allow them to apologize or share their side of the story; instead, they reprimand, warn, and then dismiss. Does this change the behavior?

I was watching some of Eddie Murphy’s early comedy. He does this bit where he’s talking about his mom: she would throw a shoe at him at the drop of a dime. She was bad with a shoe. She carried it around like a gun. By the time Eddie was 10 or 11, she was like Clint Eastwood with a shoe. If he messed up, his mother would walk into the room and… BAM! Shoe to the face!

Growing up, it seems Eddie’s house was very strict. Yet, for all those beatings, for all that violence, he made a living standing on stage saying, “F this; suck my that; stick my this up your that…” So did it change the behavior?

Originally, I wrote this article as one of my talks for Toastmasters. (For this who don’t know, Toastmasters is an international organization, with the goal of helping people learn to be better public speakers and leaders.) This article is adapted from one of my talks, which was inspired by a talk from another member the month before. We were rolling on the floor, as he regaled us with tales of his childhood and the various misdemeanors he and his siblings would commit. After each one, they received their scolding and beating. And guess what: they did it again… and again! So did it change the behavior? Who doesn’t have a childhood story similar to that…

The current model teaches children the very violent manor in which our society communicates. Often, people demand instead of asking. Some take, when they don’t get what they want. It teaches children that, “if you hit me, I must hit you harder.”

It is a very oppressive way of disciplining. We oppress children’s ability:

• to make mistakes,
• to grow and learn,
• to allow them to say sorry for things that often, many of us do or have done;
• most importantly, we oppress people’s ability to express themselves.

However, when society oppresses groups of people, eventually those groups rise up, and take back what is theirs. In doing so, much blood, and many tears are shed, countless lives are destroyed, and suffering is felt on an immeasurable scale.

Isn’t this similar to what happens in homes all over the world… A child makes a mistake, which ends up with parents and child screaming at one another:

• the violence burns through fists,
• hatred dissolves into each other’s minds, where it festers like cancer,
• grudges are held,
• resentments are built,
• and as we often are seeing, the family bond is withering away;
• and most importantly, the behavior rarely changes…

This is the result of the current model … and society calls it discipline.

I wrote a book about my experiences growing up called Through the Crimson Mirror. While writing, I interviewed a range of people: from teachers to physiologists, children to speech therapists, and reformed alcoholics. What I found is that alcoholics and others, who have what society perceives as anti-social disorders, act the way they do because of something deeper. Usually, it’s extreme-pain or a feeling of being alone or unloved.

So what do we often do, when we interact with these people? We tell them:

• you aren’t good enough,
• you aren’t worthy,
• you’re a bad person,
• you’re nothing more than an alcoholic…

To fix them, to make them feel less lonely, we cast them out… So what’s really causing them to continue drinking? I’m not saying there wasn’t an initial problem that was the catalyst for their behavior. Nor am I condoning the way they act. However, we validate what they do by perpetuating their ridicule.

Recently in South Africa, Para Olympian superstar Oscar Pistorious, shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The investigation is still pending, so we don’t know conclusively what happen on that night. Nevertheless, many people have mocked and vilified him. The media have slandered him. People throughout the world hate him now, with a burning passion! He’s pretty much been made a prisoner in his family’s home.

Following that, a few weeks ago, I heard on radio that he was spotted out drinking and partying. Really, people are surprised that now, our fallen hero, who we’ve turned out back on, has sought refuge in drinking to stop the demons in his mind…

So, what is the answer: in my opinion, its communication. Communication leads to understanding, and understanding leads to change. When someone acts out or does something that we perceive as naughty, there is usually a reason why. If no one communicates with them and attempts to dig deeper about why they did what they did, there is little chance for change. There is a reason for everything, and everything for a reason…

For human beings, there is something magical about expressing yourself. I’ll use the example of joining Toastmasters and learning to become a public speaker. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world spend time writing speeches and preparing. We fight the nerves, the potential for embarrassment, for what? What do we get out of standing in front of a crowd and talking? We have the opportunity to have others listen to us. Behavior changes, when people feel heard.

Oppressive, torturous discipline has proved itself ineffective; let’s rather give people an opportunity to communicate and express themselves…

Furthermore, how we treat people such as Oscar and those with anti-social disorders continues to demonstrate how sometimes, it’s our solutions, which are causing so-called problems.

So, in the same vein, do we have to discipline children because they do naughty things; or do children do things that society perceives as naughty, because as a society, we are willing to psychologically and physically torture them, for making mistakes, experiencing life, and not doing things the way we expect them to…?

Through the Crimson Mirror on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00904HFTQ

Beginners Success in Public Speaking on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A4UF06A

Beginners Success in Public Speaking in print https://www.createspace.com/4326431 (will be available on Amazon in a week)

Web: http://daniel-alexander-book.blogspot.com/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/danielalex_book

Blog: http://daniel-alexander-book.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

Guest Author Daniel Alexander blogs about Through the Crimson Mirror

Tired of Your Children’s Bad Attitude:

Back Chatting, Fighting, Whining…?

Would you like to:

   gain the respect you deserve?

   reclaim your relationships with your children?

   build a happy, harmonious home, free from fighting?

   give your children the best start to life?

   protect your child?

 

About the Book

Communication and relationship experts say that communication should be a two-way street. For many years however, society adopted the attitude of “children are to be seen, not heard.” This has had a profound effect on our ability to build relationships today, often resulting in children who backchat, fight and whine. Sound familiar…?

To help you better understand your children you need to turn things around and look at life from their point of view. This helps you improve your understanding of their feelings, attitudes and thoughts, so you can give them the best start to life and create the happy, harmonious home you’ve always dreamed of.

Much research and professional input went into writing the latest breakthrough-parenting book Through the Crimson Mirror. Many interviews were conducted including those with psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers, children, parents, reformed drug addicts and alcoholics, people who work with children who have learning challenges such as ADHD and dyslexia, and many more.

Through the Crimson Mirror is unique. It shares all the lessons the author wishes he’d learned while growing up, wrapped in a story. This makes it easy to read and interesting for parents, young adults and book readers.

 

About the Author

Daniel Alexander was born in Durban, South Africa, in 1983. After a largely uninspired, uncreative and lonely youth, he graduated from college with a diploma in computer science and worked as a programmer. Programming left him un-stimulated, so after many years he left. The next few years turned out to be tempestuous. Traumatic events followed and inspired this book, which fulfills one of his goals and desires.

Life has changed now, and the author studies the mind and gives talks on parenting and related subjects. He has a deep passion for those in need and has formed relationships with wellness and addiction centers, family crisis mediators and other similar organizations. His passion now lies in helping people understand how their beliefs affect their lives and how often those beliefs start when they are young. His mission is to educate parents and make them aware of the impact they have on their children, so we can build a better tomorrow for all children.

What others are saying

“Daniel interviewed many educators, parents and medical professionals to get a balanced insight.” Pat Pughe-Parry of Living ADDventure.

“Whether you’re a parent or not, you’ll enjoy it and start thinking critically about the world around you. That’s something very few authors can achieve, so I have to congratulate Daniel Alexander on that. I give this book 4.5/5 stars.” Internet book reviewer, Carrie Slager.

More reviews: http://daniel-alexander-book.blogspot.com/p/reviews.html.

Computers have very quickly integrated themselves into our lives. We have to regularly update the software to make sure they run at their best.

Isn’t it time you learned something new about what’s most precious to you: your children?

Through the Crimson Mirror

Half price on Kindle for the Blogger Book Fair: only $2.99 – your children are worth it!

Kindle www.amazon.com/dp/B00904HFTQ

Join me on:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/daniel.alexander.book

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/danielalex_book

 

 

High Moor by Graeme Reynolds

Has anything other than vampires had more books written about a subject? I have to admit to start out with kids in a werewolf tale reminded me of Silver Bullet. The writing was good so I stuck in there. Then the fireworks and I was wavering. I understand kids don’t pack heat but a kid shooting fireworks at a werewolf is kind of iconic. For me that was the wow moment in Silver Bullet. Once Stephen King does something it is hard to do over. I kept reading and the kids grew up. I can’t say more without ruining it. I don’t like to be a spoiler. I read one review that said they stopped reading because they figured out the ending. Well, they must be psychic. Because, I found twists and turns in the ending. The author brought it all back together. The writing was just great. His descriptions were spot on. This was a very enjoyable book. At the end the author has a link to High Moor 2. I want to read it but I have to get thorough some other titles on my Kindle. I have it on my wish list.      

Joe Bunting- Let’s Write a Short Story

The book is a starter for new writers of short stories. The beginning of the book is helpful to all writers and the focus narrows to short stories. This is practical advice for getting short stories published. It is not an overwhelming book as far as details. It is more of a reference book. Which is great. Formatting the manuscript is included and a list of places to submit by genre is in the appendix. Very helpful book. So glad I found it.

 

Free Kindle books and promotion of Kindle books for authors by Author Marketing Club. 

Irene Tomkinson- Not Like My Mother

From the bold title of Not Like My Mother, I thought the book was going to be more about her relationship with her own mother. Chapter one is all about her relationship with her daughters. Then Chapter 2 was the back story for her mother’s life. There did not seem to be much interaction between herself and her mother. The mother married six times. There was more about the stepfathers than the mother. The rest of the book was her life and then her daughters’ lives. Then at the end of the chapter there were some think it over questions. A few chapters were a hodge podge of life advice. The best thing about the book was the Forrest Gump travel through the decades. She has a significant life event three weeks prior to JKF assignation. Then she moves through the sixties to present day. That was very interesting. The writing is good. I should have read the subtitle better. But for what it is, it is not bad.

Nathan Thompson- The Gallows Men (short story)

The descriptive writing on this piece is remarkable. The rhythm and flow of the piece is on point. As a reader, I was all in. The story of the woman going to the gallows was enough and the back story of the reason was given in little pieces. I loved it as is. My conflict was the vision of the zombies before she goes. It is a twist on the story I did not see coming. I am on the fence as if it added to or distracted from this story.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/296655

Jason Perry- Peek-A-Boo

The actual writing is good. Dialogue for the most part is done very well. The word behemoth is overused. This author has writing technique down.
The beginning of the story has a Friday the 13th feel because the setting is a cabin. Later in the story there is an investigator named Donald in a trench coat who is able to produce a picture of Metalhead the killer. There are pictures of Metalhead as a boy wearing a mask. He was horribly abused as a child and was in an insane asylum.   He also happens to be related to the people he is killing. There is even a photo with Happy Halloween written on it. This section of the story works as Michael Myers Halloween fan fiction. 
There were questions in the story that may have served to point things out to the reader. The story did that. The author told it well enough that the questions were already in the readers mind. I would recommend this to fans of the Halloween movies.

This ebook is available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/259502 for free.