ACCIDENTAL PARADISE
by Eric Grandy
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GENRE: Coming of Age
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BLURB:
Natural talent, hard work, and a childhood friend help LaVern Whitaker find her calling as an actress. When her life becomes overwhelming, they discover a small town where her true identity can remain unknown and she can stay out of the spotlight. The more she visits her secret getaway, the more deeply she feels connected to the history, the lifestyle, and the people. Could this place be her home away from home, or become the home she has dreamed of? Or will sinister forces rip it all away?
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EXCERPT
Oh, this is our second time here and we love Louiston.”
LaVern removed her shades and looked down at the little girl.
“Oh, pardon me. This is my daughter Brittany. Brittany, this is Miss James.”
“Hello Miss James. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Brittany. You look so cute in your bathing suit and crocs.”
“Thank you.”
There was an awkward moment of silence before Brittany spoke up.
“Daddy, can we get my ice cream cone?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said a slightly chagrined LaVern, “don’t let me interfere. I just wanted to say hello.”
“That’s alright Miss James. No need to apologize.” Wilson looked down at his restless daughter. “I think I should be on my way though. It was a pleasure meeting both of you again.”
“Likewise.”
From underneath the umbrella came a final salutation. “It was nice meeting you again too.”
Wilson and Brittany resumed their journey to the ice cream stand. LaVern returned to her shaded chair and replaced her sunglasses. She turned and looked at Shaundra.
“See, that didn’t hurt, did it? I removed my shades and he still didn’t recognize me.”
“Like I said before,” reminded Shaundra, “nobody would expect to find a movie star in a place like this.”
That’s exactly why LaVern, again, reserved her space a year in advance. Louiston was part of them now. As indispensable and as life-giving as a pulse. And Mary Scales was a member of their family.
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Guest Post:
Topic: Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
The tone of “Accidental Paradise” runs from quiet and contemplative to humorous and light-hearted to riotous and confrontational, emotions everyone can relate to. Even though my book is a work of fiction, the theme, my characters and their issues, are based on real life experiences. My protagonist, LaVern Whitaker, and her best friend, Shaundra Jackson, are seemingly polar opposites. LaVern is intelligent but quiet and easily intimidated. You root for her. Shaundra is a street hardened, in-your-face, no-nonsense survivor. You admire her. But their relationship works. Readers can despise, sympathize or admire, but they’ll always relate to my characters because they know someone just like them.
I like to use dialogue to make my characters memorable. In life, it’s the verbal exchanges that command the most attention. Readers relate to the dynamics of a verbal back and forth. I try to transfer that impact from my pages to my readers.
My plot is intriguing but not complicated. The conflict arises innocently, and the solution seems simple, but problem solving, and the underlying issues accompanying them, can be difficult and messy.
I’m a keen observer of human behavior. I look for unique tendencies and traits in people, then incorporating that uniqueness into my characters. In my book there is a politician who, when shaking hands with his male constituents, likes to touch their forearm or bicep to emphasize a point. I stole that from a long-time friend. Another acquaintance referred to someone as being “twenty-four carat crazy”. That’s in my book too. I like to think these, and other peculiar traits make my book and my characters memorable, and a must read.
Accidental Paradise flows easily from one character and one chapter to the next. I’ve been told that my story engages and motivates readers to continue to find out what happens next. There’s only one way to find out.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Eric Grandy was born and raised in Baltimore City and graduated from City College. After he graduated from Essex Community College, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and played six years for that team. He went on to a variety of jobs: photographer, lab manager, driver for DHL and warehouse manager. After retirement, he decided to devote himself to writing, producing several short stories and Accidental Paradise, his debut novel.
Grandy still lives in Baltimore with his wife Rhonda and his daughter Marti.
https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Paradise-Eric-Grandy/dp/B0FKPYYH8S
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GIVEAWAY
Eric Grandy will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
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