Please welcome our guest reviewer today! Let’s see what she has to say. Take it away, Ginny… Thank you! ♥ Raising Kane by Susan Lynn Solomon We start our story with reporter Libby Bridgeman going to interview a one-time star Alicia Kane, who has been in seclusion for many years. Her boss wants her to fly out to do an interview in person. However, Libby does not want to go. She would rather do the interview over the phone and get it over with. She gets ahold of a friend who does some digging into Alicia’s background and finds out that she was arrested during a student riot during the 60s. So, she thought that she had enough information, and she could just fill in the gaps with a phone call. When she arrived at the house, she was greeted by a very happy to see her older woman whom she was not expecting, but she was ready to get the interview over with so she could be on her way. Alicia wasn’t interested in talking about the one topic that Libby was ready to start with and it made her feel uneasy. She was there to do a job and Alicia was not making it easy on her. She got her interview back on track and they continued. After she had returned home, she was sitting on her bed getting all her interview notes in order when she got a message to call the Niagara Falls Police Department. She was not prepared for what she was about to hear on the other end of the phone conversation. The detective that she spoke with gave the news of Mrs. Alicia Lawrence’s death and how they did not expect foul play. Though Libby was warned by several people – including her family – to let this investigation go, she kept researching it and was set back by what she had learned of this mysterious woman, whom she had met once. I was able to finish this book in one day, it was a great, easy read that held my attention the entire time. I recommend this book without a doubt. Book Blurb: Libby Bridgeman, a stringer for the Village Voice, balks when Max Howard, her editor, insists she interview Alicia Kane. Though, campus rebel, a rock superstar and an icon in the 1970s, Kane hasn’t been heard of in forty years. A Brooklyn court case involving a Black Lives Matter protest seems far more relevant. But you don’t say no to Max Howard. While writing the article about the interview after meeting Kane, Libby receives a call from a detective—Alicia Kane is dead. Accident or suicide, the detective tells her, but Libby believes she was murdered. When Max insists that she drop the story, she’s certain he knows more than he’ll tell her. In Greenwich Village, Chicago, Niagara Falls, a Manhattan recording studio, Libby interviews people who’d known Kane. Like Max, each seems to hide something. A connection to her family? Then, one tumultuous night she learns Alicia Kane’s complete story, and this flips her world. Universal Reader link: https://books2read.com/u/bPLJNz Here’s an excerpt from the book… “A lioness of the 60s and 70s,” I said with a sardonic laugh as I sat before my make-up mirror. I have a habit of thinking out loud. In fact, some- times words fall from my mouth before I realize they’re in my brain. This can be embarrassing—not lady-like, my mother often told me. While in my mind, I listened to my mother chastise me for this untoward trait, I had another idea. “Ira!” I picked up my phone and punched in the number of a friend who worked at a collection agency. Phone, gas, electric bills, charge accounts, speeding tickets, arrests, even most birth records—every bit of a person’s life seemed to be logged in some computer’s database. My friend had access to those. After a few minutes on hold, listening to Latin music, he came on the line. “Ira?” I said. “What do you want now?” “Do I have to want something to call an old high school pal?” “You always want something,” he said. “I give, you take, and I don’t hear from you again until you want something else.” I sighed. This was definitely not one of my better days handling men. No surprise. I’ve never handled them very well. I tried again. “I just thought maybe you could find me a little background on―” “Giving you a little background could get me fired.” “Ira, don’t be this way,” I said in the most helpless voice I could muster. “I don’t need anything as deep as last time. No bank records. I’m really stuck for a place to start on my new assignment. You’re the only one I can turn to.” BOOK INFO: AUTHOR: Susan L Solomon TITLE: Raising Kane GENRE: Mystery/Suspense RELEASE DATE: January 18, 2022 PUBLISHER: Solstice Publishing ISBN/ASIN: ISBN: 979-8404780031/ AISN: B09QQ9YCJK OUR RATING: 5 Big Amazing Stars REVIEWED BY: Virginia (Ginny) Frick Guest Blogger/Reviewer Bio: ![]() I am a military wife, a mom, and a Gigi. All of which I would never change. I have a deep love for reading, and if I was given the opportunity, I truly believe I could do it all day. I decided to start reviewing books one day while I was reading some posts and thought, I can do that. So I commented on a few posts and next thing I know, I am reading some pretty amazing books. My cousin and I started a review blog (www.cuzweread.wordpress.com) and a bookstagram (@cuz.weread.books). Awesome. Thanks for this, Ginny, and for stopping by the blog! :)
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As the new year approaches, it's hard not to look back on what occurred in 2013. At least with regards to my own writing career and the Writing in the Modern Age blog, a lot has happened. Reflection is my topic for today.
My writing journey really began years ago, but the turning point was in August of 2012 when Solstice Publishing accepted the manuscript for Upon Your Return, a historical romance. The book is available now, and I recently signed a contract for a paranormal romance with them as well. I am very lucky to still be with such a talented group of professionals and authors at Solstice. I have also done quite a bit of self-publishing in my career. I have published 17 books total. This year, I went back and redid all of the covers on my books. I also released a new book, Leather and Lace, a romantic suspense, in November. Some of my books are shown on the right side of the blog here, but you can see a whole list along with the covers on my website. Let's move on to the blog! Though Writing in the Modern Age had its roots in 2010, the true idea for the blog didn't really take shape until after Upon Your Return was published in February. I always knew I should have a blog. I actually had two, Writing the Modern Age, of course, and Marie Lavender's Books. I didn't use them too often, just blogged whenever the idea struck me, whenever I had a message to impart about writing or publishing. I think I always had a clear plan for Writing in the Modern Age, however. The goal was to have a place to talk about writing, to encourage would-be authors to keep at it. With Writing in the Modern Age, I wanted to create a haven for authors and even writers who hadn't been published to come for advice. But, let's broaden that a bit, shall we? A blog should target a bigger audience. When my publisher suggested I start a blog, I only had to choose which one to focus on since they were already launched. When I read about the idea of guest blogs and author interviews, I realized it could be for the readers of books too. I wanted readers of any genre to come to the blog. The project became really exciting. I put the word out, hoping I would get a bite. In the meantime, I started writing ablog post or two of my own. Then suddenly, I had a stroke of luck. People wanted to be heard. And why not? Everyone wants to feel like they have something useful to tell the world. In any case, my blog schedule began to fill up pretty quick. I am so grateful to Stefan Vucak for being the first guest author on the blog. Since then, I have found his articles and interviews both on the blog and elsewhere to be very helpful. As I started gathering more writers for the blog, the advice they offered became exponential. From the first guest author this year, Stefan Vucak, to the last one we just had, Murray Alfredson, we have had writers from all walks of life and writers from numerous genres. I don't know how many times people approached me and said, "I want to do something on the blog, but I don't write romance." So? We're all writers! Let's band together. I want to go back to that word "community" again. In running the blog, I have met so many fellow authors and writers, many I have created friendships with. I guess that is the nice thing about social networking. You meet people you wouldn't have met otherwise. I have always respected my fellow writers. There is room for all of us in the marketplace. We all have different journeys and backgrounds, but we want the same thing - to be published, of course, but also to gain some kind of community with other writers and readers. I think we need support in any profession. Why not with writing as well? Before I digress any further, I want to say that Writing in the Modern Age has come a long way since its inception. We offer author interviews, articles about writing, book promotions and poetry spotlights. As the blog took shape since the first guest author post in March of 2013, I have truly enjoyed reading all of the articles, responses to interview questions and poetry appearing on the blog. Writing in the Modern Age would not have been the success it is without its authors and contributors. So, thank you all for making this a wonderful venture. It has been such a lovely ride. All of your advice to fellow writers has been just as useful to me, and I have discovered some new favorite authors in the process. I really have to thank you all again. Each time I post a new interview, article or set of poems, I get a little thrill of excitement. The experience of being an administrator for Writing in the Modern Age has been truly rewarding for me. I think the whole purpose of the blog for me has been to give back to readers and fellow writers in some way. What better way is there to do that than to give everyone a moment of their own? This is also one of the reasons I only do interviews on Mondays and guest posts on Fridays. It gives readers a chance to see each post if they missed it the day it posted, and time to comment. That is one more thing I have enjoyed. I love to see readers commenting on authors' posts. It tells me I have done my job trying to promote the author. I can't say enough how rewarding this experience has been. It has also helped me keep up on my alternate blog, Marie Lavender's Books. I have met so many fascinating people through the process of maintaining the Writing in the Modern Age blog. My close writer friends know who they are. I'm sure we might have met somewhere down the line, but to meet through this kind of venture was so fun. There are so many talented people appearing on the blog. As the year comes to a close, I want to draw attention to some wonderful, gifted writers. You have all made the blog a complete success. People are joining and looking at the blog all the time. Writing in the Modern Age is your creation too! Readers, feel free to subscribe for future posts and look back through the archives for all the posts from our fascinating writers. For a faster search, look up the hashtag #WritModAge on Twitter for past posts. Here is a list of our spotlighted writers this year as well as links to find them and their books: Our Posts from this Year
https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/the-benefits-of-social-networking-by-marie-lavender
https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/practical-advice-for-beginning-fiction-writers-by-stefan-vucak https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-stefan-vucak https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/the-teething-problems-of-becoming-a-writer-by-laura-graham https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-kc-sprayberry https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/how-to-write-a-book-by-dj-swykert https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-friday-abumere https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/social-networking-part-2-beware-by-marie-lavender https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-gail-picado https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/a-review-by-olga-sonia-davila https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-laura-graham https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/when-does-reality-affect-your-writing-by-marie-lavender https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-katemarie-collins https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/writing-is-a-choice-by-cj-heck https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-nancy-wood https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/why-do-we-write-fiction-by-andy-ruffett https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-tj-banks https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/changing-genres-by-robin-leigh-morgan https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-sarah-baethge https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/the-power-of-names-by-rebecca-l-frencl https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-penny-estelle https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/what-does-it-take-to-be-a-writer-by-katemarie-collins https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-branka-cubrilo https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/poetry-spotlight-pam-handa-on-hope-and-optimism https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-sally-carpenter https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/a-review-by-kathryn-elizabeth-jones https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-jessica-tornese https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/reflections-on-shameless-ambition-by-robert-fanshaw https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-rebecca-l-frencl https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/book-review-etiquette-by-paula-hrbacek https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-susan-mac-nicol https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/poetry-spotlight-pam-handa-on-love https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-steve-christie https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/poetry-spotlight-cj-heck-on-gentle-sensuality https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-dj-swykert https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/how-to-make-your-characters-believable-by-stefan-vucak https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/interview-with-author-elaine-c-pereira marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-dyspraxic-writer-by-rosemary.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/interview-with-author-cj-heck.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-spotlight-pallavi-pissay-on-love.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/interview-with-author-aubrey-brown.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/white-magic-results-from-speaking-your.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/interview-with-author-lois-w-stern.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/developing-believable-characters-by.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/interview-with-author-michele-harvey.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/08/poetry-spotlight-jeffrey-gonell-on-love.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/interview-with-author-mira-prabhu.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/descriptions-by-catherine-y.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/interview-with-author-ann-morris_6447.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/writing-without-worry-by-kathryn.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/interview-with-author-edie-hart.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/poetry-spotlight-lance-sheridan-on.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/interview-with-author-kristal.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-to-avoid-slush-pile-by-stefan-vucak.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/09/interview-with-author-linda-lee-williams.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/10/book-review-for-mira-prabhu.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/10/interview-with-author-nina-soden.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/10/book-review-for-rita-plushs-alterations.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/10/interview-with-author-shannon-macleod.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/10/learning-to-let-go-of-our-characters-by.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/10/interview-with-author-stefan-vucak.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/10/poetry-spotlight-michele-harvey-on.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/10/interview-with-author-adra-young.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/reality-and-fiction-by-dj-swykert.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/interview-with-author-marianne-petit.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/poetry-spotlight-michele-harvey.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/interview-with-author-katemarie-collins.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/poetry-spotlight-pam-handa-on-dreams.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/interview-with-author-rita-plush.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/five-tips-on-creating-believable.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/interview-with-author-dj-swykert.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/11/point-of-view-by-catherine-y.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/12/interview-with-author-lannah-sawers.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/12/secrets-inside-and-outside-mystery-box.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/12/poetry-spotlight-jeffrey-gonell-on-love_13.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/12/interview-with-author-maxine-flam.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/12/poetry-spotlight-murray-alfredson-on.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/12/interview-with-author-l-anne-carrington.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/12/poetry-spotlight-mark-randolph-conte.html marielavender.blogspot.com/2013/12/interview-with-author-murray-alfredson.html
Once again, thank you all for making this year on Writing in the Modern Age amazing! :)
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The fact is…our policy has changed considerably, at least for a while. Check out our 'Blog Policy' for more information about the types of features offered, how you can purchase a guest spot, my policy on review requests, and rules for guest writers. Starting from 2021, I was charging for some types of posts. Of course, there is never a fee for a guest article, as long as you adhere to the blog's theme. I also will not charge for big multi-author events which I host (these are giveaways or participation questions, and it's obvious what materials you're providing). If you'd like to submit a guest book review (no, I don't write book reviews, please don't ask me), I will always accept those and not charge you a fee at all. Starting in 2022, I WILL NO LONGER BE posting new release features, cover reveals, Author's Bookshelf features, author interviews, character interviews, and poetry spotlights. I am far too overwhelmed with other work to do constant blog posts. I'll still be writing my own articles sometimes and hosting multi-author special features. For companies that can afford a sponsored post, I'm willing to discuss a reasonable quote for a specialized article which fits within the blog's theme (No blatant promotions). Email me atmarieannlavender@gmail.comif you wish to participate in a unique post. Feel free to approach me with your creative ideas about a blog post. Slots at Writing in the Modern Age are always first come, first served. Contact us and reserve a spot! Refer to the 'guest schedule' at the top of the screen for further clarification about availability. Thanks for understanding.Disclaimer
Thoughts and opinions by guest authors do not necessarily represent any thoughts and opinions by this website's administrator, nor are they directly endorsed. All writings on the blog are subject to review and editing. Please visit our blog policy to understand the site's theme a little better.Use our hashtag #WritModAge when you mention us!Should you edit your own work? Definitely! - The Ultimate Guide to Editing a BookAre you a technical writer? Look no further for some tools of the trade!Love physical books like me? Check out this cool DIY link!Sign up for Marie's author newsletter! Get on her mailing list @Blog Categories
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