Review of The Accidental Text by Becky Monson

 

Wrong number. Right guy?

Once upon a time, Maggie Cooper lived for adventure. Jumping out of planes was child’s play. Now she can’t even work up the nerve to ask out her coworker. For a bit of self-therapy, she begins to text her recently deceased mother’s phone—the only problem is that the number has been reassigned and for weeks she’s been unknowingly texting a stranger her deepest thoughts and feelings. There have also been some not-so-deep texts, like the ones about her appreciation for her coworker’s butt.

Review of I Can Still Hear You by Nicole Black

 

Welcome to the Name Before the Masses Tour for I Can Still Hear You by Nicole Black. Today I have an excerpt for you, as well as my thoughts on the book. You can also get to know the author better in this brief interview. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for even more. Best of luck in the giveaway!

I Can Still Hear You is a powerful and deeply moving story which grapples with the universal pain of grief and the loss of a loved one. When Scarlett O’Connor loses her father at the age of 30, she’s forced to face the shambles that her life has become. With no money and no savings, the only thing that waits for her is a cryptic map and a mysterious letter. With nothing left to lose, she embarks on a trip to Maui for her father’s final adventure, to begin a treasure hunt which will force her to look deep inside herself and come to terms with her pain and grief.

Accompanied by her less-than-supportive fiancé, a close childhood friend, and an enigmatic man who was her father’s old acquaintance, Scarlett must decode the mystery and find the hidden treasure. But she knows she must face her fears alone, and calling upon the spirit of her father for guidance, she struggles to reconcile her emotions and uncover the treasure before her time in Maui comes to an end.

Perfect for fans of contemporary and women’s fiction, I Can Still Hear You is a gripping tale which will resonate with anybody who has struggled with the death of someone close. This book is a testament to the fact that even though we may have lost them, our loved ones stay with us no matter what challenges we face.

Read an excerpt:

I gazed up at the ceiling in quiet disbelief, as if I’d see my father looking down on me. Carefully, I removed the map from the box. It was yellowing and old, and the paper was as thin as tissue, so I took care in opening it. The map had some faint lines on it, some solid, some dotted, but no place names, no markings at all to tell what exactly it belonged to.

“Great, Dad,” I muttered aloud. “This is super helpful.”

But the second I said it, as had happened a dozen times in my life when I’d been presented with a puzzle, my father’s voice said, I’m not going to give you all the answers. Where’s the fun in that?

“This is one big party,” I muttered again. I had no idea where to even start. The only thing that made sense was to contact my dad’s friend living in Hawaii.

Hawaii.

He couldn’t possibly mean that he wanted me to go to . . .

No. That was impossible.

I read the letter, again and again. The more I did, the more it seemed as if, yes . . . that’s exactly what my father wanted.

Peering in the box again, I hoped that wad of cash would present itself. Or at least the stopwatch. But neither did. The box was empty.

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**My thoughts**

The description of this book really spoke to me, as I am just a few weeks away from my father's 10th anniversary. Even though it has been 10 years since he's been gone, at times it still feels like yesterday. And while the details are not exactly the same, I could completely empathize with a lot of Scarlett's thoughts and emotions as she goes on her journey.

My father didn't leave me a scavenger hunt in Hawaii that I needed to follow. But I feel like he still left me clues to help guide me along a path, and I also feel like I get regular messages from him. I can still hear his wisdom as well. Scarlett often notices a red bird. I have cardinals that moved into my yard the summer that he passed. They were also my father's favorite bird, and I know that they represent messages from the afterlife. 

I even had my own Kevin and Mark to contend with as I was going through the process of clearing things up after my father died, only my "Kevin" wasn't as slap-worthy as this guy is.

If you've ever experienced a great loss, I think you may find some of yourself in this story as well. Just like comparing my story to Scarlett's, the details are not going to be the same, but you may relate to a lot of other aspects of her story.

I was very moved by this story. It was just beautiful. And I'm hoping that the sense of peace I got from it stays with me over these next few weeks as the anniversary of my own father's passing approaches.

Thank you to the author and Goddess Fish for providing me a requested copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

I have never had an imaginary friend. I did wonder what it would be like at one point.

Do you have any phobias?

Thankfully, I have no phobias.

Do you listen to music when you're writing?

I listen to classical music when I am writing. Once when I was in the Portland airport, I heard a man named Adam Hurst playing and his music inspired me. I bought three of his CD’s but the one I listen to every day is called Obscura. 

Do you ever read your stories out loud?

I always read my stories out loud. It helps me to catch small inconsistencies and be able to hear what the book sounds like.

Tell us about your main character and who inspired him/her.

Scarlett O’Connor started showing up everywhere. I knew that she was going to be a younger, stronger version of the person I believe I am. However, Scarlett takes more risks than I ever did and she certainly beats to her own drummer. She has a lot of qualities that I always wanted, she stays strong in the face of adversity, she can read people easily, and she has no trouble being alone.

Nicole Black is an author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur with a passion for sharing unique stories and helping people grow. For over 20 years, she’s worked in the business world as a corporate trainer in employee productivity and effective growth, where she’s helped some of the biggest brands in hospitality and entertainment grow sustainably through inspiring their employees. She’s been featured on platforms including TEDxWilmington, Jack Canfield Show, Santa Barbara News Press, The George DiGianni show and the Tom Barnard Show.

Through her writing, Nicole hopes to empower her readers and impart valuable lessons about grief, loss, and emotional growth. In her free time, Nicole enjoys traveling, yoga, and spending time with her wonderful daughter in their home of Santa Barbara, California.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicoleblack25

Instagram: @WriterNicoleB and @nicoleblackauthor

Twitter: @nicolebwriter

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card during the tour.

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'Believe' by Shelly Hickman

Blurb:

Believe. A message that still taunts her years after the passing of her daughter. In the days of her daughter's illness, she considered herself a seeker, open to the possibilities of prayer and faith. Now cynical and guarded, she is forced to reexamine her beliefs and relive her past when an old love resurfaces, with a sick child of his own. Believe is a story that examines fractures to our foundations in the face of tragedy. It is a story that asks if prayers are always answered, but often in ways we do not see.

NOTE: Despite the spiritual tone of this work, please be aware it contains strong language.

Read an excerpt:

Silent you left
With no goodbye
Don’t understand
Won’t even try
I cannot move
I cannot breathe
I cannot find
The will to grieve
A void of light
Is what you leave
I now know not
What I believe

Six years later, the words to that song still made her think of the morning she woke to find Sarah lying next to her, her spirit gone. She turned down the radio and remembered how determined she was to save the world at that time. It was simply unacceptable that children die, that parents sit by and helplessly watch their child suffer, and she was going to travel the world until she learned the secret to healing.

What a joke. Now her big contribution was taking her miniature Yorkie to the cancer clinic as pet therapy. Woo, hoo! You're really making a difference, Rachel.

It now seemed strange that she ever felt that connected to whatever it is out there, so watched over. It made her question if we're only allowed to feel that way during crisis, simply as a blind impulse. Or maybe it was all in her mind. Now all that remained was a somewhat detached confusion with occasional spurts of understanding—that is, until they fell away again. She sometimes felt guilty that she no longer made the effort to cultivate that relationship, that understanding.

She recalled the day in the coffee house with Cooper. How ridiculous the need for closure, even under the most ill-timed circumstances. What an idiot. The memory prompted her to reflect upon some of her other bizarre behavior in the days immediately following Sarah’s death. After the people came to collect Sarah the morning it happened, Rachel went apartment hunting. Not seeking comfort in friends and family, but apartment hunting. A pleasant elderly lady drove her around on one of those little golf carts, showing her the grounds of one of the complexes she visited. “You’ll find that we have a very nice workout facility, clubhouse, and over here is one of our two swimming pools.”

Rachel nodded politely as she surveyed the women in their bikinis lounging by the pool. How can they just lie there like that, worrying about their stupid ass tans? I hate them! She continued to pretend like everything was perfectly normal as she journeyed on this little cart, when what she really wanted to do was scream to everyone within a five-mile radius, “I died this morning!”

A few days later, she found herself eating lunch alone at Sweet Tomatoes. It hadn’t even occurred to her, until she sat down with her food, that it was Mother’s Day. The place was busting at the seams with husbands, wives, children, grandparents. Everyone so happy, enjoying a family meal, again, as if nothing existed in this world that was evil or tragic. They never noticed the unaffected android mechanically spooning food into her mouth, failing to taste a thing.

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Bio:

Living in Las Vegas since she was two, Shelly Hickman has witnessed many changes in the city over the years. She graduated from UNLV with a Bachelor of Art in 1990, and in her early twenties worked as an illustrator for a contractor for the Nevada Test Site. In the mid-90s, she returned to school to earn her Masters degree in Elementary Education. She now teaches computer applications and multimedia at a middle school in Las Vegas. She loves to write about people, examining their flaws, their humor, spirituality, and personal growth. Shelly lives with her husband, two children, and their dog, Frankie.

Links:

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