Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Guest Blogger - Lisa Dale

Happy New Year to all, and please welcome Lisa Dale to the Playground. While she's a newcomer to the swing set, she's not a newcomer to writing. She has a few under her belt including one just released yesterday. Happy New Year to her!!!




What Do You Collect?

First, thanks to all the Playground writers for having me on today! It’s so nice to be visiting at such a friendly blog of fellow writer-ladies. I’m a lucky girl!
Here’s what I have planned for today. I’m going to tell you a little bit about my new release (so you can decide if it’s the kind of thing you would be into).

Then, if you think my writing sounds interesting, you can enter to win your own copy of my previous release, SLOW DANCING ON PRICE’S PIER, which was a Top Pick at Barnes & Noble was well as BookPage magazine.

Ready? Break!

Let me start by sharing the summary of A PROMISE OF SAFEKEEPING, which just came out!

Nine years ago, Lauren Matthews prosecuted the case of a lifetime. But her error in judgment sent an innocent man to prison. Now Arlen Fieldstone’s finally been released, and Lauren has only one thing on her mind: asking forgiveness. But how can she make up for nine years of his life?

To get to Arlen, Lauren must first get through Arlen’s best friend, Will Farris. Will hasn’t forgotten Lauren from those days, and hasn’t forgiven her for destroying his best friend’s life. He is Arlen’s keeper — protecting him from suspicious neighbors as well as from Lauren.

In the steaming summer streets of Richmond, Virginia, three people’s lives collide. Lauren needs forgiveness. Arlen needs hope. And Will? He needs something too, something that no one can know—especially not Lauren…


The kernel of inspiration that A PROMISE OF SAFEKEEPING was born from stemmed from a fateful trip to a bookstore in New Jersey—one of those second-hand bookstores where a portion of the profits go to charity.

I stumbled across a book about reading body language, and I thought — Wow. What kind of person would you become if you could read body language? If you always could hear the story beneath the story?

In a courtroom, the stakes are high. Lives are on the line. So of course, my body language expert found herself in a courtroom…so blinded by youthful ambition that she ended up prosecuting an innocent man.

Yeah—it’s a little heavy. I like books that tug the heartstrings. Books that make you think, but that also have a happily ever after and a love story at the center.
In the book, Will — who may be my favorite hero ever — collects keys (there’s lots of themes of keeping — people, secrets, etc.). So here’s my question if you’d like to win a copy of SLOW DANCING ON PRICE’S PIER:

What do you collect?



Wishing you all good things,

Lisa Dale
http://www.LisaDaleBooks.com



P.S. Today, Smarty Pants is blogging about resolutions on the Desire blog. You can find it here. After you've told Lisa what you collect, pop over and talk with SP about what you're resolving to do in 2012.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Great excerpt, sounds like a wonderful read.

I collect thimbles and books.

Caroline said...

Wow what a great premise for a book. I bet you had fun writing it! I collect money boxes - love them - all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately most of them are empty. Love Caroline x

BW said...

Wow, what a great excerpt!

I collect books of all kinds, teddy bears, and westies.

petite said...

Wonderful excerpt. many thanks. I collect tiny glass figurines.

traveler said...

Great excerpt. What a great book. I collect watches.

Playground Monitor said...

Hi Lisa, and thanks again for visiting with us today. I don't that you'd call it a collection, but I have about 6 different tea pots. I do love a good cup of hot tea and will make it by the pot with a cozy to keep it warm.

Angel said...

What a cool idea!!!! I collect stockings (as in Christmas, not fishnet), and books. Lots and lots of books.

Thanks for visiting the Playground, Lisa!!!

Summer said...

Books that tug at the heartstrings are right up my alley, I'll have to give yours a try.

I collect Vogue magazines, their photographs are works of art.

Lisa Dale said...

Thanks again for having me today! And thanks to everyone for your kind comments! You all collect such interesting things!

It's funny--some people I know who collect things never intended to...it was just accidental. They save a specific kind of thing here and there because they liked them, and next thing you know--a collection!

A have an aunt to will swear to this day that she does not collect penguins, but she does in fact have a collection of them (in part because we family members keep sending them as a joke). :-)

All good wishes!

Lisa Dale

Mickey said...

the book sounds very interesting can't wait to read. I collect books, Mickey Mouse and Material I quilt.

barbara said...

I collect any type of santa claus.
Congrats on the new book. I think you must've shopping at the Beehive. I live in Newton.

Kellee Fabre said...

I'm so excited to start reading A Promise of Safekeeping!! I collect stuffed animals, I have an addiction, and I don't say that lightly. My husband and my mother think I'll never grow out of it, and I've been told my future children will have to hide all of theirs just to be able to even have any. But I think once I have children that I'll just find an outlet to my addiction and I will be buying all the adorable stuffies for them instead :] haha!! I'm also addicted to books, totes to put my books in, art which I don't have any room in my house to hang, photos of my husband and I, adorable throw pillows, anything Ben Affleck or Ryan Reynolds, movies, and last but not least, my most consuming addiction, anything to do with pandas. I'll explain the last one and then let you all get back to your day haha!! My husband is half Haitian and half French Canadian, which makes him half black and half white, and he's so big and cuddly just like a teddy bear that I started calling him my panda bear and since that very day everyone I know has been buying me anything panda they find. I'm starting on a polar bear obsession now as well since I'm fully white like a polar bear haha!! And so, to tie my two biggest collections together, I have a panda and a polar bear stuffie sitting side by side on my bed :]

Tracy said...

I collect little boxes of all sorts. I have read all of Lisa's other books and I love them!! I can't wait to read this one.

Laurie G said...

I collect salt and pepper shakers. I've been doing this since I was 10. It was a shared treat. I searched for them with my favorite greataunt Anna. I miss her but whenever I look at my collection it brings back wonderful memories of the fun we had.