Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Book Spotlight Girls' Weekend by Cara Sue Achterberg




Girls' Weekend

Girls' Weekend

by  
Dani, Meg, and Charlotte have bonded over babies, barbeques, and backyards, but when they escape for a girls weekend away, they can t bring themselves to return to lives that don t seem to fit anymore.Harried Dani can t explain why she feels so discontented until she meets a young gallery owner who inspires her to rediscover the art that once made her happy.Dependable Meg faces up to a grief that threatens to swallow her whole and confronts a marriage built on expectations.Flamboyant Charlotte, frustrated with her stagnated life and marriage, pursues a playboy Irish singer and beachside business opportunities.All three of these women thought they would be different. None of them thought they d be facing down forty and still wondering when life starts. What they do when they realize where they re headed is both inspiring and wildly entertaining. GIRLS' WEEKEND is a fun, yet poignant romp through the universal search of who we are, why we love, and what makes us happy by an author who is quickly emerging as one of our most incisive storytellers. 
PRAISE FOR CARA SUE ACHTERBERG'S FIRST NOVEL, I'M NOT HER: Well written, sometimes light, sometimes frightening, but always intriguing, this bird s eye view of two lives intertwined among millions is certainly food for thought, especially when one walks a mile in another's shoes. Tome Tender What an intriguing storyline! Teena in Toronto I loved this novel . . . This book had me laughing at some points, and it had me wiping away tears at others. Comfy Reading After about two pages I was hooked. Glitter and Cookies An awesome read! The theme of living the life of another no matter the situation and not judging without truly knowing is a lesson we should all take to heart. Literarily Illumined"

Author Bio:

Cara Sue Achterberg 

Cara Sue Achterberg

Goodreads Author


Born in Wilmington, Delaware, The United States
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Cara Sue Achterberg is a blogger and novelist who lives on a hillside farm in South Central, Pennsylvania.

Her novel, I'm Not Her, was published in August 2015 by The Story Plant and was a national bestseller. Her second novel, Girls' Weekend, will be published May 3, 2016. Both are works of women's fiction.

She is also the author of Live Intentionally, a nonfiction book based on ten years of trying to shop, cook, eat, and live intentionally with kids haranguing her. It's a guidebook for the organic life.

Cara is a prolific blogger and currently posts on four (count 'em!) sites which can all be accessed through her website, www.carawrites.com.

Cara's essays and articles have been published in numerous anthologies, national magazines, websites, and blogs, in addition to local media.

Cara grew up in Hockessin, Delaware (and still considers Delaware the best state of all).

Cara is passionate about organic food, clean air, productive gardens, uncluttered lives, and real relationships. She is also passionate about adopting rescue dogs and currently fosters dogs and puppies for the all-breed rescue, Operation Paws for Homes.

Cara's next projects include writing another novel for The Story Plant, finding a publishing home for her young adult novel which explores the aftermath of a teen's life after a texting and driving accident, and a memoir about her experience breaking a difficult horse while raising her (not-quite-as-difficult-but-certainly-not-easy) children.

When not writing or weeding (which can sometimes be one and the same), Cara enjoys running, hiking, reading, visiting Virginia wineries, and trying not to fall off her favorite horse, True.

You can keep up with Cara on facebook (Cara Sue Achterberg, writer) or twitter (@CaraAchterberg). You can find links to her blogs and inspiration for teen writers on her website CaraWrites.com.


My Review:

 Girls' Weekend by Cara Sue Achterberg
Book description sounded interesting enough for me to request this title for review.
Starts out with three woman in the same town who are friends with one another due to spouses or children and they decide to have a girls weekend.
As each gets their own alternating chapter we understand why they are questioning their happiness as time goes on and wonder what it would be like to start all over again.
What I like about this book is that they actually go for the girls weekend and are able to discuss openly about their feelings and how others see them. Each thinks the other couples are fine with one another and there are no problems.
It's going to be hard to go back to their homes come Sunday...
We learn otherwise. What I also liked is that each has a different problem and I can relate to many of them over the years past. What is really interesting is how they tackle their problems.
Never had such a weekend but sounds like a fun idea.  Really good read and can't wait to read more from this author.
I received this book from Net Galley via the publisher The Story Plant in exchange for my honest review.

Author Interview: Q & A

1.       Are you on a strict writing schedule daily?
Well, that depends on what you consider ‘strict’….I write every day, but being a mom to two teenagers still at home (and one in college), plus random foster dogs, my days vary wildly. On a good day and in my dream world, I spend my morning on ‘nonfiction’ – marketing, blogging, researching, connecting with readers/reviewers/writers through social media, planning workshops (I teach creative writing and also healthy cooking) and then I save my afternoons for fiction. I try to put in 6 hours a day, but they are sometimes scattered. For instance, this morning our current foster puppy woke at 4:30am, so I walked her and then worked from 4:45-6:45am before the rest of the crew emerged from their dens.

2.       How do you obtain the scenes for the locales that are in the book? Just pure imagination or you drive to go find them?
The locales in this book are taken from my life. The hometown is a collage of places I have lived in PA and MD, but the beaches are taken from my childhood. I grew up in Delaware and spent summers in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Sweet Beach is modeled after the Rehoboth of my youth. It’s much different now – way bigger and worldlier. Oceanside is a blatant copy of Ocean City, MD, the party beach that my parents never wanted us to visit.

3.       What do you do to relax: Cooking, Knitting, Reading, Hiking, etc?
I have way too many hobbies. I actually do write to relax, blogging mostly about my foster dogs, organic life, writing, parenting, etc. But if there is no laptop available, I love to run (currently sidelined with a foot injury), ride horses, hike, garden, and visit wineries. I also enjoy cooking, especially if I can use ingredients that I have grown myself. I even bake all our breads and make our ice cream. It’s gotten to the point where I’d rather eat at home than go out. More fun and better food!

4.       Kind of left the ending open for a series, is that in the plans? Please say yes:}
Sorry. I’m not a series writer. I have too many stories I want to tell. That said, I wouldn’t mind revisiting a few of these characters. I’m so curious what will happen to Charlotte.

5.       What is your favorite food?
Tough question! I have to pick one? Maybe olive oil. Or chocolate. Oh, no – cheese. Has to be cheese. I love all kinds of cheese (with wine!).
 

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