Summer Beach Bag of Books Promotion

M.J. Rose is the international bestselling author of nine novels, including LIP SERVICE and three titles in the Butterfield Institute series: THE HALO EFFECT, THE DELILAH COMPLEX and THE VENUS FIX. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Joe Hartlaub, Rose describes the personal experiences that prompted her to write her newest book, THE REINCARNATIONIST, and explains her inspiration behind some of the fictional elements present in the novel. She also discusses the idea of reincarnation and its effect on both the individual and on traditional organized religion, shares her thoughts on the difficulties most authors --- and readers --- face as a result of marketing, and reveals how audiobooks have helped her rediscover her love for reading.

THE REINCARNATIONIST by M.J. Rose (Thriller)
M.J. Rose's latest novel is a spellbinding, psychologically riveting epic thriller of secrets, history and murder that will challenge the way we think about who we are and who we were. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read a review of THE REINCARNATIONIST.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE REINCARNATIONIST.
-Visit M.J. Rose's official website, www.MJRose.com.

Gail Tsukiyama is the award-winning and bestselling author of WOMEN OF THE SILK, THE SAMURAI'S GARDEN, THE LANGUAGE OF THREADS, DREAMING WATER and the newly-released THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Alexis Burling, Tsukiyama delves into the relationships and the developments of her main characters, and explains how her curiosity to explore her Japanese heritage prompted her to write this book. She also describes how she was able to blend historical fact with the emotional plot, addresses the parallels between the post-World War II mindset and today's political climate, and shares what she hopes her readers will take away from this novel.

THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS by Gail Tsukiyama (Fiction)
Gail Tsukiyama’s latest novel is a gorgeously rendered work, steeped in politics and ancient Japanese tradition. Spanning three decades during World War II and beyond, this engrossing tale captures the lives of two ripped-apart Tokyo families as they struggle to make ends meet after losing nearly everything during the war. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

-Click here to read a review of THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS.
-Click here to read a third excerpt from THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOSSOMS.

Sarah Addison Allen recently published her debut work of fiction, GARDEN SPELLS --- a fantastical novel about two rather peculiar sisters and their extraordinary, at times prophetic, garden. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Kate Ayers, Allen categorizes her book as "Southern-fried magical realism" and describes which of her characters' special gifts she would like to possess. She also discusses how her father's writing career has influenced her own, shares a favorite "go-to" recipe for when she has company and reveals details about her upcoming novel, THE SUGAR QUEEN.

GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen (Fiction)
In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree and the extraordinary people who tend it. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

-Click here to read a review of GARDEN SPELLS.
-Click here to read an excerpt from GARDEN SPELLS.

Robert Goddard's NEVER GO BACK is the third book in his mystery series featuring unlikely hero Harry Barnett. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Roz Shea, Goddard discusses the Victorian influence in his writing, the effect of unexpected success on his career and the possibility of future installments in this series.

NEVER GO BACK by Robert Goddard (Mystery)
In this spellbinding new mystery by Robert Goddard --- the master of “the clever twist” --- a group of ex-RAF comrades journey to a Scottish castle for a reunion. But by the time they reach their destination, two of them are dead. Reviewed by Roz Shea.

-Click here to read a review of NEVER GO BACK.
-Click here to read an excerpt from NEVER GO BACK.

One of our newest featured One to Watch authors is Joshua Henkin, whose second novel, MATRIMONY (following SWIMMING ACROSS THE HUDSON), releases on October 2nd. Here, Henkin presents a beautifully detailed portrait of what it means to share a life with someone --- to do so when you're young, and to try again, afresh, on the brink of middle age.

We have 10 copies of MATRIMONY to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, September 14th.

-Click here to read Joshua Henkin’s bio.
-Click here to see Joshua Henkin's backlist.
-Visit the author’s website, www.JoshuaHenkin.com.

More about MATRIMONY:
From the moment he was born, Julian Wainwright has lived a life of Waspy privilege. The son of a Yale-educated investment banker, he grew up in a huge apartment on Sutton Place, high above the East River, and attended a tony Manhattan private school. Yet, more than anything, he wants to get out --- out from under his parents’ influence, off to Graymont College, in western Massachusetts, where he hopes to become a writer.

When he arrives, in the fall of 1986, Julian meets Carter Heinz, a scholarship student from California with whom he develops a strong but ambivalent friendship. Carter’s mother, desperate to save money for his college education, used to buy him reversible clothing, figuring she was getting two items for the price of one. Now, spending time with Julian, Carter seethes with resentment. He swears he will grow up to be wealthy --- wealthier, even, than Julian himself.

Then, one day, flipping through the college facebook, Julian and Carter see a photo of Mia Mendelsohn. Mia from Montreal, they call her. Beautiful, Jewish, the daughter of a physics professor at McGill, Mia is --- Julian and Carter agree --- dreamy, urbane, stylish, refined.

But Julian gets to Mia first, meeting her by chance in the college laundry room. Soon they begin a love affair that --- spurred on by family tragedy --- will carry them to graduation and beyond, taking them through several college towns, over the next ten years. Then Carter reappears, working for an Internet company in California, and he throws everyone’s life into turmoil: Julian’s, Mia’s, his own.

Starting at the height of the Reagan era and ending in the new millennium, MATRIMONY is about love and friendship, about money and ambition, desire and tensions of faith. It asks what happens to a marriage when it is confronted by betrayal and the specter of mortality. What happens when people marry younger than they’d expected? Can love endure the passing of time?

Our second newest featured One to Watch author is Shobhan Bantwal, whose debut novel, THE DOWRY BRIDE, is now available in stores. In this moving work, Bantwal introduces Megha, a woman forced to flee her home after overhearing a plot for her murder --- by her own husband and mother-in-law! With nowhere to go, Megha seeks refuge with Kiran. The relationship that develops will challenge her views on love and tradition.

We have 20 copies of THE DOWRY BRIDE to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, September 14th.

-Click here to read Shobhan Bantwal’s bio.
-Visit the author’s website, www.ShobhanBantwal.com.

More about THE DOWRY BRIDE:
One sultry night, a young bride overhears an extraordinary conversation. The voices speak of a plot to murder a wife who has failed to produce a child and whose family has failed to produce the promised dowry.

Megha is sick with horror when she realizes she is the intended victim. Her husband --- the very man who tied the sacred necklace of marriage around her neck --- and his mother are plotting to kill her! In the moment of panic, she runs for her life. Frantically racing through Palgaum’s deserted streets, her way lit only by the lights strung up for the Diwali festival, her single goal is to escape death by fire. But fleeing from her would-be killers seems impossible --- unless she can find someone to help her.

To approach her best friend would bring scandal to an innocent woman's doorstep, and turning to her own strict, conservative family is out of the question. Instead, with nothing but the sari she wears and a memory of kindness, Megha finds her way to Kiran, the one man who has shown her friendship and respect. Hiding her in his apartment, Kiran becomes her protector. But the forbidden attraction that grows between them can only bring more danger.

Caught between tradition and the truths buried in her heart, a dowry bride will discover the real cost of the only things worth having in life.