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Measure, Mix & Marinate: Embracing the Key Ingredients to a More Fulfilling Life by Cheryl Schuberth (Book Spotlight / Author Interview)

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Every inch of kitchen counter space was in use. All five of us were busy measuring, stirring, rolling, sautéing, and baking. There was flour and oil everywhere. And most of us were wearing some of it. No one was thinking about clean-up, as we were simply trying to get the meal done so we could finally sit down and eat.
 
​​As a wife, mom and former corporate go-getter, Cheryl knows firsthand the frustration of trying to do it all and feeling that none of it is good enough. As the world slowed down for a global pandemic, Cheryl inspected her own life and who she wanted to become—who she needed to become—to serve at her highest level. Much of this discovery occurred in the kitchen during playful evenings side-by-side with her sons, husband, and mother. Their time together led Cheryl to realize that how you measure your priorities, mix them in with your life experiences, and marinate on and adjust to the results determines the direction of your life.
 
 
 
 
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Meet the Author:
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Cheryl Schuberth is a graduate of the University of California San Diego and a respected corporate leader.

As a wife, mom, and former corporate go-getter, Cheryl knows firsthand the frustration of trying to do it all and feeling that none of it is good enough. After twenty-five years leading and coaching teams in the male-dominated technology space, she stepped away from that world and embarked on a mission to enhance her relationships with her teenage sons and, at the same time, empower other working women to become more curious about their options and reevaluate their priorities.

She now coaches women to help them feel their best, increase their confidence, and put themselves at the top of the list. Cheryl lives outside Boulder, CO, where she enjoys hiking, skiing, and all things outdoors.
 

 

1.. How do you balance out time spent focused on writing?

(Cheryl)  I love the outdoors and picked up hiking again about a year before I started writing my book.  Hiking is not only great exercise, but there’s something about being in nature that calms me and brings perspective to everything else going on in my life. It’s definitely a great change of scenery from the four walls in my office and increases my focus while I am writing.

 

2. What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

(Cheryl)  I’ve moved to a new city across the country or world three times without having a job when I got there. The last and most significant was when my husband and I quit perfectly good jobs in Chicago and moved to Colorado without income lined up. This time was different because we had our two month old son on our adventure with us. It took a few weeks for my husband to find a sales position and then I chimed in with some consulting opportunities that led to a full time job.

 

3. What’s your favorite meal to make?

(Cheryl)  I love tackling the big meals – Thanksgiving, Christmas and other gatherings. I enjoy the planning aspect of it and ensuring that everything works together. If you’ve read my book, you’ll understand why that’s important in my house.

 

4.) What’s your favorite meal to eat?

(Cheryl)  I could eat Mexican food everyday. Especially tacos. Growing up in San Diego, good Mexican food was always around so I never got sick of it.

 

5.) What’s your favorite holiday or other celebration?

(Cheryl)  I love Thanksgiving. Not only because there’s no judgment for how much you eat, but because it’s just about being together. There’s no scrambling to find the perfect gift or stressing about how much you should spend. No one in particular is at the center of the day. You’re just there to be together and celebrate your relationships. We should do more of that throughout the year.

 

6.) If you could cure any disease, what would it be?

(Cheryl)  My dad was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease so I would definitely focus on that. It’s horrible to watch the people you love lose their memories and themselves, and be aware that they can’t do anything about it. It’s horrible for the person with the disease and incredibly painful for those who love them.

 

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Disclaimer: All questions and answers were constructed by the author and/or their representative. 

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Awake with the Songbirds – Poems from the Pandemic by Kyrian Lyndon (Book Spotlight)

Content Rating:  PG + M. The book does allude to suicide in one poem and discusses grief and depression in some of the others. There may one or two words of profanity

 
 

 
“She has the ability to convey to the reader some of the most complex thoughts into words that truly reach our hearts.” — Love Books

“Her lyric voice speaks with careful observation and passion. In the narrative mode, she is masterful in reading life around her. Kyrian possesses the sensitivity, insight, and soul of the true poet. Her writing provides a primer on how to compose meaningful poetry.” — Lou Jones

 

 
 
Book Description:
 
This collection consists primarily of poems written during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of loneliness and rumination.

Lyndon’s poetry stems from intense emotions that swing from one end of the pendulum to the other as she captures the agony of love and loss, along with innocent joy and lighthearted fun.

Each poem is an earnest response to life, love, and everything in between.

 
 
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Meet the Author:

Author Kyrian Lyndon

 

Kyrian Lyndon is the author of Shattering Truths, the first book in her Deadly Veils series. She has also published three poetry collections, A Dark Rose Blooms, Remnants of Severed Chains, and Awake with the Songbirds – Poems from the Pandemic. Kyrian began writing short stories and fairy tales when she was just eight years old. In her adolescence, she moved on to poetry. At sixteen, while working as an editor for her high school newspaper, she wrote her first novel, and then completed two more novels at the ages of nineteen and twenty-five.

She is forthcoming about being a person with many years of recovery, as well as a trauma survivor. Throughout her journeys, she expressed her thoughts through poetry, embracing every challenge to triumph over adversity. In her conviction that learning, growing, healing, and evolving is a never-ending process, she remains as grateful for the dark days as she is for every flicker of hope and light. She considers herself a cheerleader for those trudging on against all odds in the hopes of living their dreams.

Born and raised in Woodside, Queens, New York, Kyrian was the middle of three daughters born to immigrants –her father from Campochiaro, Italy; her mother from Havana, Cuba. She has worked primarily in executive-level administrative positions with major New York publishing companies.

Kyrian loves nineteenth-century British literature, parallel universe fiction, and dark romanticism. She also enjoys music, art, history, fitness, and cooking.

 

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The Keepers by Joy Lynn Goddard with Daniel Pike (Book Spotlight)

 

Author’s Note: Children’s mental health is a growing concern in today’s schools. Often kids suffer in silence because of the stigma attached to their mental health needs. Mental health organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association work hard to change this mindset. It can’t come soon enough. As a teacher, I worked with troubled teens and saw firsthand the devastating effects of their silence. With this in mind, I began writing The Keepers, for if I could help just one “Alexandre” find his voice, my efforts would be well worth it.There are a few mature scenes and some bad language here and there, reflective of a character coming-of-age.  

 
 
 
Book Description:

Despite struggling to raise a troubled teenage son on her own, Beth Marshall has no intention of selling her beloved vineyard and moving to the city where her ex-boyfriend awaits with open arms. She has strong ties to the land, where she is happy living with her granddad and aunt in the old farmhouse, so when she gets an offer to sell her property, she turns it down. Meanwhile, a writer recovering from a shattering past moves into the guest house, tugging at her heart. She’s not going anywhere.

But after her granddad discovers a dead body in their shed, Beth fights jail time. She can’t imagine a worse nightmare until she gets a call in the middle of the night with shocking news about her son!

 
 
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Meet the Authors:
AUTHOR JOY LYNN GODDARD

 
Joy Lynn Goddard teamed up with husband Daniel Pike to write contemporary adult fiction. Their first and second novels, Moonshadow and The Keepers, have global appeal and won Canada Book Awards. Besides novels, they wrote Buyers, Liars, Sellers and Yellers, a collection of humorous short stories about the real estate industry. Although she is well known for her young adult and junior fiction—starting with the award-winning Daredevils and including Hello, my name is Emily, Charlie’s Song, Jazz, When Pigs Fly, and Mrs. Maloney’s Garden—her adult novels are quickly attracting attention. Each book involves romance, mystery, and suspense genres.

Joy and Dan divide their time between Guelph and Belleville, Ontario, where they spend time with family when not working on their next book.

 
 

connect with the authors: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ goodreads

 
 

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Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott (Book Spotlight)

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Get ready to escape with the page-turning new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Cornish Summer
‘Leaves you with a smile on your face and hope in your heart’ MILLY JOHNSON

‘Catherine Alliott at her very best’ 5***** READER REVIEW

‘Packed with fantastic characters, uncomfortable truths, and flashes of pure comedy. Who could ask for more?’ JILL MANSELL

 
 

 
Book Description:

From the outside, anyone would think that Lucy Palmer has it all: loving children, a dashing husband and a gorgeous home.

But when her marriage to Michael comes to an abrupt and unexpected end, her life is turned upside down in a flash.

As the truth of her marriage threatens to surface, Lucy seizes the opportunity to swap her house in London – and the stories it hides – for a rural escape to her parents’ farmhouse in the Chilterns.

But Lucy gets more than she bargained for when she moves back to her childhood home, especially when it throws her into the path of an old flame.

Coming face-to-face with her mistakes, Lucy is forced to confront the secrets she’s been keeping from herself and those she loves.

​Is she ready to let someone in? Or will she leave the door to her past firmly closed . . .

 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
 
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Catherine has sold over 3 million bestselling novels worldwide.

The first of these novels Catherine started under the desk when she worked as an advertising copywriter. She was duly fired. With time on her hands, she persevered with the novels, which happily flourished.

In the early days she produced a baby with each book – but after three – stuck to the writing as it was less painful.

She writes with her favorite pen in notebooks, either in the garden or on a sofa.

Home is a rural spot on the Hertfordshire border, which she shares with her family and a menagerie of horses, cows, chickens, and dogs, which at the last count totaled eighty-seven beating hearts, including her husband. Some of her household have walk-on parts in her novels, but only the chickens would probably recognize themselves.

​All her novels are published by Penguin Random House internationally, and by No Shooz Publishing in America.

 

Connect with the Author website ~ facebook

 
 

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Blood Like Rain by Tracy A. Ball (Book Review)

 

Dylan would do anything for his brother. Even if it means riding his motorcycle into hell… Or Rain, a town with a terrible past and a dark secret. They say the trouble is in the water, and that’s partially true. There’s poison in the ecosystem. But, the trouble is in their blood.

Nile could solve his problem. She could save them all. But, she doesn’t want to.

When mercy’s a sin, falling in love is not an option. 

…Not that it matters.

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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

 

Blood Like Rain by Tracy Ball was a book, unlike anything I have ever read before. Its plot was twisted but plausible. For the most part, Tracy had me scratching my head, wondering who the actual good guys were and what the heck was going on in the town of Rain! 

When bits and pieces of the mystery were revealed, the story became even more twisted. Blood Like Rain showed what greed can make a person do, what desperate people will do to survive, and the depths a person will go to protect those they love. 

Blood Like Rain speaks of horrendous crimes against humanity. The crimes are so outrageous I hope they stay in the world of fiction forever. 

In summation, the plot was unique and a perfect read for any science enthusiast. For those who adore love/romance books, Tracy has you covered there as well. 

BUY THE BOOK!

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤

 

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Meet the author – Tracy A. Ball

Made entirely of rum and snacks—International Bestselling Author, Tracy A. Ball is a native Baltimorean and veteran West Virginian, whose family is a mashup of cultures. She writes real and raw interracial romance with an intensity that burns because she has been busting stereotypes while teaching interracial/generational healing for more than a quarter of a century.

Tracy engages with folks from every twist of fate and all manner of experience. She has hung out with murderers and dined with people who have dined with the Pope, which is why she needs the rum…and a nap.

Her published works include: Blood Like Rain, Welcome to BBs, The Other Shore, “Mercury Chain Thomson” Death’s Desire, Big Guns & Bullsh@t, “Imogene’s Flowers,” “Thorns,” “Black’s Magic” “Truly, Madly, Kiss Me,” “Cumberland Christmas,” Civil Warriors, Dragonfly Dreams, “An Angel with Dirty Wings,” “Tsarina,” KAYOS: The Bad & The Worse, The Tiger & The Snake, The Right Way to Be Wrong, “Left on Marriottsville,” “The Train Ride,”  Mail Duty, White Russian Lies.

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