BLURB:
Laila
Levin enjoys a successful marriage and a thriving career as an I.T. executive
in Austin, Texas, but she can't quite shake her lifelong sense of not truly
belonging anywhere.
When
her company announces a major layoff, Laila finds herself caught between an
unscrupulous CEO and her promiscuous boss. Then news of her college roommate's
suicide stirs up a dark secret involving three devious friends from her past.
One has betrayed a vow, another wants to rekindle their romance, and the third
is out for revenge.
Suddenly
for Laila, it's 1969 again. She's only seventeen, and she's left her sheltered
home in Long Island for college in Connecticut. Amid protests of the Vietnam
War, she's tempted by the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll that rule her
generation. Laila gets swept up in a deceptive love triangle with two older
locals and initiated into their unethical hippie family. Too late she realizes
her search to belong has led to tragedy.
Laila
must now juggle the demands of her perplexed husband and her baby boomer past
forcing her to make choices that endanger her survival and challenge her
conscience.
She
learns that the lines between right and wrong are often blurred, and sometimes
you have to risk everything to be true to yourself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
Austin, TX 2012
We both rise and hug. The cigarettes and beer on his breath
jet me back in time to Bridgeport. I want to scream at him but suppress my
anger. I remind myself it’s important I stay calm and collected.
“Ben was right. You look awesome,” he says.
He’s definitely changed a lot. The cute blonde guy I
remember has vanished. His face has the bloated look of an alcoholic with his
veiny red nose and blanched skin. In comparison, Ben looks much better for the
wear.
He gestures to the waitress who drops off menus and a
Budweiser for him. I order a glass of Chardonnay.
“So, tell me about
yourself, Laila,” he says.
Should I commence with what a creep I think he was for
deserting Katie and me thousands of miles away from home? Or how furious I am
that he broke the pact and deflected Juanita Bonita’s investigation from him to
me?
No, best to let the past go and mine as much information as
I can about his conversations with Juanita. If it means acting friendly, then
so be it. I’m a lot older and wiser now and can play his game. While I don’t
like it one bit, I’ll do what it takes to survive.
I provide a brief synopsis about Ed, the boys, and my I.T.
career, ending with the recent visit from our new board member. The part about
Ivy is a test to see how he responds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lara Reznik
grew up on Long Island but escaped to New Mexico in 1970 in a Karmann Ghia that
she and her boyfriend jump-started cross-country. As an English major at the
University of New Mexico, Lara studied under esteemed authors Rudolfo Anaya and
the late Tony Hillerman. She also attended a summer program at the prestigious
Iowa Writers Workshop.
Ambidextrous
from birth, Lara preferred her right-brained creative side, but discovered she
could make a better living with her left-brain skills, so entered the I.T.
field in 1985.
Lara
published her first novel, The Girl From Long Guyland in November 2012. The
novel ranked #1 during its recent Amazon Kindle promotion and has over 115,000
Kindle downloads. In addition to her novels, Lara has written and optioned
three screenplays that have garnered semifinalist and finalist wins in the
Austin Heart of Film, Southwest Writers, TV Writer, Chesterfield and Writer's
Digest contests. Currently, Lara is working on a new novel based on her
screenplay, The M&M Boys.
FACEBOOK
WEBSITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting the giveaway :) I´d really love to read the book!
ReplyDeletemmyheartishere@gmail.com
Sounds like the kind of story I will enjoy.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Sounds like a really good read!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
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