CoffeeTattoos

I love being friends with an author. Well, technically I’m friends with three authors – Sarah Fader, Allie Burke, and JC Hannigan. JC has a group on Facebook where those of us who have read her books where we can talk about pretty much whatever we want. So the other night I made my first post In the group. Yea, I’ve commented on other posts, but this is different. Joining in a discussion someone else started isn’t scary, whereas starting your own and hoping people say something is scary. I got lucky – people started talking. Yea, only like 3-4 of them, but that’s better than no one.

I asked if anyone else had read anything by Jodi Picoult. Her books walk the line about touchy subjects, but they’re written beautifully. One of my favorites was “House Rules.” Another favorite is the one she co-wrote with her daughter, “Between the Lines.” I tries to read “Plain Truth,” but I couldn’t make myself finish it because of the topic. It just made me really uncomfortable.

Currently I’m reading the 10th book in the CoffeeHouse Mystery series, written by Cleo Coyle. They’re set in New York in Greenwich Village where Clare Cosi, the main character, manages a coffee shop called the Village Blend. There’s a slew of other characters throughout the series, but the main ones who stick around are Matt (her ex-husband), Madame Blanche Dreyfus Allegro Dubois (Matt’s mother, and owner of the Village Blend), Mike Quinn (her boyfriend), Joy (her daughter), and her baristas (Tuck, Esther, and Dante stick around longest). The books are a little difficult for me to explain since I’ve read over half the series now, so watch this trailer created by the author briefly explaining what they’re about.

I’m also reading a beta copy of a book, that’s due to come out soon, by JC Hannigan. It’s so awesome to have author friends who will let you read copies of their books before they’re released. Even if it is just because they know you’re having a shitty day and they’re sending it to you to try and cheer you up. (Just for the record, it worked JC.)

It’s also really cool being able to help with having a more authentic perspective in a book. I know it seems like something small, but I’m excited about it. I honestly just love the idea that I’m helping someone with making a character in their book more believable. Maybe I’ll get mentioned in the acknowledgements lol.