All About the Donuts – Future Donuts – Seize the Donut

Friday June 2nd, 2017 I plan to publish For the Love of Donuts Book 2 – Seize the Donut! This book will feature the stories of both Nichole and Vanessa as they start their lives beyond high school! This book will be a New Adult Contemporary Fiction book with POV from both Nichole and Vanessa and so much drama!

Here’s a little tease into book 2!

Their friendship has been the one unbreakable thing, the one certainty in their lives, but Nichole Adams and Vanessa Smith are developing into their own personas. The glimpse into who they are in Donuts in an Empty Field becomes glaringly obvious as they figure out what they want out of life during the college years.

Vanessa has never had many friends in her life, but Nichole is too preoccupied, and Nessa has to find her own way through through the whirlwind that is her college life. She has a job, she has school, she has social activities, but she can’t seem to find the right boyfriend.

Nichole is jealous of Vanessa’s ease of everything in the real world. Nessa has no trouble with jobs, money, school, or getting and going places. Nichole, on the other hand, was preemptively kicked out of her mom’s house after graduating high school and has been floundering ever since. The only thing she has easy in her life is flirting and finding a boyfriend, or at least a guy that will let her crash at his house.

I’m almost finished with this round of editing/plot restructuring and will be looking for beta readers soon so message me if you’re interested in reading Seize the Donut!

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Weekend Writing Warriors – Donuts in an Empty Field 13#WeWriWa

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Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts!

Donuts in an Empty Field is a contemporary, realistic fiction, and Young Adult novel about two best friends, the local food challenge, and letting go of anger.

This excerpt is from chapter one.

When Vanessa’s mom comes back into the room Vanessa hides the slip of paper with the bucket list on it.

I retrieve the list from under the files and walk up to take down the photograph from the corkboard. I want to move on. Nichole ushers me out of the room, clutching the unopened bag of carrots, Bluster following behind us. I clutch both the bucket list and the ripped photograph in my hands as she shuts the door firmly behind us.

Chapter One ends here! So many questions that are as yet unanswered! See where chapter two will take us in this story…

Purchase the book HERE.

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Local young adult writer, Rachel Barnard, will release the first novel in her young adult For the Love of Donuts series titled Donuts in an Empty Field with Life’s a Book Publishing, June 3rd, 2016 (AKA National Donut Day). Order your copy HERE.

Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s son from a burning building. Nessa blames the boy, but her best friend Nichole thinks it’s time to let go of the past. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge will bust her out of her shell. A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

donugts

Subscribe to Rachel’s newsletter to receive important updates and promotions, if you haven’t already. Signup HERE

Add the book to your Goodreads shelf HERE

Book Review: Never Forgotten Love: A Story of Second Chances (Second Chances Series Book 1) by SM Stryker

Never Forgotten Love: A Story of Second Chances (Second Chances Series Book 1) by SM Stryker

A Chick Lit/Romance Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (12/26/14)

Summary:

Becket hasn’t had his growth spurt yet. At home and at school he’s bullied and belittled. Then he meets Harlow, who stands up for him at school and gives him a place of solace after school. When Beckett’s mother moves them away and takes away his computer and cell phone, Beckett loses touch with Harlow and misses her for years. Finally able to move out of his mother’s house when he graduates from high school, Beckett gets his college degree while he works for a tech company. His life is going well, but it’s still missing Harlow. He can’t get her out of his mind. When he decides to search for her he ends up finding her through a chance encounter at a local deli/bakery.

Keywords:

Bothell, West Seattle, Bakery, Cupcakes, Child Abuse, Neglect, Friendship, Love, Romance, Sex, Child Narrator, Confidence, Self-Esteem, Krav Maga, Growth Spurt, Technology, Entrepreneur, Best Friends, Lost Love, Off the Grid

My Review:

A novel wins over readers in the details of the story. This novel was lacking in the details. The child abuse of Becket did contain a lot of description and action, but not enough of in the moment action and thoughts to show the vulnerability of Beckett. His abuse did not seem to infiltrate his life beyond this abuse. As soon as it was over, he got out and he wasn’t very much affected at all. The setting lacked details. The action lacked details. Even the backstory lacked details. The story was told to the reader and it rushed through the life of Becket from age 4 to 6 to 10 to 12 to 16 to 17 with a lot of tone and telling and feeding of descriptions. There were a lot of written out contractions that broke the flow of the narration, especially for a young kid and a good portion of the beginning was told by Beckett as a child before the real plot began.

I didn’t believe in Becket and Harlow’s love. They were separated as pre-teens and then pined for years for each other without moving on? I don’t really get it.

The story was predictable. Usually there’s some satisfaction with the happy ending with all ends tied up nicely, but I never felt truly invested in the main characters or their love and their story to care that everything ended happily ever after.

I did enjoy Becket’s transformation from small self-conscious young boy to confident man, even though I wasn’t shown this transformation fully.

I thought it was super cool to include the cupcake recipe referenced in the book at the end of the print book. I love the integration of extra bonus content into novels.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on December 26th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

SM Stryker’s Website

Book Review: Falling From Grace (The Gift of Grace Book 3) by Esther Jones and Frog Jones

Falling From Grace (The Gift of Grace Book 3) by Esther Jones and Frog Jones

A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Novel published by Sky Warrior Book Publishing, LLC. (02/12/16)

Summary:

“We’d been re-branded from “summoners” to “reality terrorists” overnight in order to give the politicians a bigger gavel.” (Page 8).

Robert and Grace freed Andrea from her centuries’ long slavery to Cythumau in Book 2, Coup de Grace, but is she really free? Though it has only been several decades in this weave, she has been away so long and in captivity so long that being human is now something foreign. But when someone takes a bullet for her, she will have to step up to protect him, right? Meanwhile, Robert is trying to live a normal college life, but summoning keeps getting in the way of his plans. At least, that’s what he tells himself. Robert is still the cause of his own undoing, but with Grace gone, he will have to lead the Spokane Grove out of trouble all by himself. Unless, that is, Andrea is willing to help.

Keywords:

Summoning, Magic, Danger, Big Beasts, Escape, Fighting, Police, Damage, Power, Runes, Blood, Hunting, Organization, Politics, Hiding

My Review:

The main focus of this book was on Andrea. The way she processed and thought about everything going on around her was fascinating. Her thoughts were thorough and interesting and quite logical. She is a character with quite the background story to overcome, but she doesn’t always make the sympathetic choice, sometimes her past overwhelms her. Andrea’s perspective was super cool and though I miss Grace, I fell in love with Andrea quickly.

Robert continues to get himself and others into trouble and then has to get them out of trouble. This time, however, the trouble has built up beyond what he’s capable of handling. Or has it? Calling on all resources, Robert will stop at nothing to keep those he loves safe.

Rick the Cornuprocyon continues to amuse in this book and has a decent role to play. The mind link between him and Robert is explored a bit more and is fascinating as an aspect of world building. Summoners and their abilities are also so very, very interesting as world building goes. The rules! The possibilities! Such a cool concept to watch unfold in a world where not everyone is a Summoner and not everyone wants to be.

This novel was published by Sky Warrior Book Publishing, LLC. on February 12th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Frog and Esther Jones’ Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Donut Goals and the Future of Donuts

Hi readers! I hope you’re all enjoying Donuts in an Empty Field. I wrote the sequel during NaNoWriMo 2015 and have been working on editing it into shape this year! My plan is to release the second book in the For the Love of Donuts Books on National Donut Day 2017, June 2nd.

If you haven’t snagged a copy of Book 1, you can get your copy HERE.

Here’s a snippet from chapter one:

Nichole sighed and sagged into her twin bed, leaning against the pallid gray walls that probably used to be a cheery off-white decades ago. The hinges on the bed creaked under her. Nichole set her bulky laptop on her lap and powered it up, drumming her fingers on the side as she waited. She sighed again when the blinking light came on indicating her Wi-Fi was not connected again. She wiped perspiration off her forehead. When would summer finally end?

Thumping the laptop with a fist, Nichole growled in frustration. Nothing ever worked and everything that did was always breaking. She pulled out her phone. In a world of smartphones, her downgrade to a flip was more than embarrassing. It had a poor connection to the internet at best and right now was not connected at all.

Sighing again, Nichole threw her laptop to the side, letting it settle onto her ruffled Power Ranger’s blankets and hopped off the bed and onto the dingy carpet. She grabbed the laptop and walked out of her small room, hardly larger than a walk-in closet.

Nichole stepped into the living room to check the Wi-Fi router, but all three of her roommates were sitting on the couches and they stared at her as she entered the spacious living area. Nichole’s arms sagged. Oh shit, what day was it?

All three roommates simultaneously crossed their arms over their chests and sat up straighter.

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Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s son from a burning building. Nessa blames the boy, but her best friend Nichole thinks it’s time to let go of the past. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge will bust her out of her shell. A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

donugts

Subscribe to Rachel’s newsletter to receive important updates and promotions, if you haven’t already. Signup HERE

Add the book to your Goodreads shelf HERE

Weekend Writing Warriors – Donuts in an Empty Field 12#WeWriWa

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Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts!

Donuts in an Empty Field is a contemporary, realistic fiction, and Young Adult novel about two best friends, the local food challenge, and letting go of anger.

This excerpt is from chapter one.

Vanessa has just shared her last fond memory of her late father with best friend Nichole. When Vanessa’s mom comes back into the room Vanessa hides the slip of paper with the bucket list on it.

“Are you going to tell her about the list?” Nichole asks.
I consider it. “No. I don’t think so.” I don’t want to share this piece of Dad with anyone else. Mom would make me share it with my therapist. She would minimize it and then disappear on a date.

Is Vanessa being selfish here or does her mother really not get it? How will Vanessa get over her grief if she can’t talk to her mother or her therapist about things like this bucket list?

Purchase the book HERE.

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Local young adult writer, Rachel Barnard, released the first novel in her young adult For the Love of Donuts series titled Donuts in an Empty Field with Life’s a Book Publishing, June 3rd, 2016 (AKA National Donut Day). Get your copy HERE.

Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s son from a burning building. Nessa blames the boy, but her best friend Nichole thinks it’s time to let go of the past. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge will bust her out of her shell. A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

donugts

Subscribe to Rachel’s newsletter to receive important updates and promotions, if you haven’t already. Signup HERE

Add the book to your Goodreads shelf HERE

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Evergreen Donuts – Lynnwood, WA

Evergreen Donuts

lynnwood, WA

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20101 44th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036

(425) 673-5331

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Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: “All of them”
Signature shop donut: NA
Most popular US donut: glazed
2nd most popular US donut: Boston crème
Donut Hole: Glazed

 

What I tried:

Glazed, Cake Donut, Boston Creme

$3.25 total

 

What to expect:

This little shop is small and clean with normal-sized donuts. There is nothing amazing or spectacular about this shop. If you want a donut that’s fresh and decent, then this is a great place to get a donut. Don’t expect overly large or intricate or specialty donuts here, just the usual.

 

My favorite:

I liked how the Boston Creme had a full serving of cream inside that was spread out throughout the inside of the donut so every bite was creamy and delicious. The chocolate glaze on top was not overly sweet. It was the perfect blend of sweet chocolate on top and cream in the middle with the right amount of dough.

Book Review: How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love With You by T.M. Franklin

How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love With You by T.M. Franklin

A YA Humor Novel published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop (6/10/14)

Summary:

High Schooler Oliver is a nerd. He’s a list-maker and a straight-A student. And he wants to win over the lovely Ainsley. Using advice from his family and friends as well as his sure-to-succeed list, Oliver attempts to win Ainsley over. The only problem is that she already has a boyfriend!

Keywords:

Lists, Boys, Goals, Awkward, Play, Screenplay Writing, Drama Club, Nerd, Determined, Friendship, Advice, Family, Socially Awkward, Younger Brother

My Review:

Boys will be boys… Wrong! Oliver broke that mold completely. He is sensitive and thoughtful and adorably awkward. Girls won’t always be girls either because Ainsley appears to be shallow at first, but as Oliver gets to know her so do we and everyone can see why Oliver has a crush to end all crushes on her. This novel featured realistic characters, even the ‘bad’ boyfriend. Ainsley isn’t an airhead, she has substance to her, even if she is dating the ‘bad’ boyfriend.

The dialogue is absolutely clever and Oliver’s awkwardness and inner thoughts are hilarious. This book shows such a great, and what I think of as accurate, insight into young men and women in high school.

I love how Oliver received a lot of good dating advice… from mothers and fathers and friends and siblings. Make her feel important. Listen to her. Find what’s meaningful to her. All good advice! And Oliver actually puts it to use!

This novel was published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop on June 10th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Twitter

T.M. Franklin’s Website

Book Review: Outbid by the Boss by Stephanie Browning

Outbid by the Boss by Stephanie Browning

A Contemporary Romance Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (7/13/14)

Summary:

Sam Redfern takes a risk when she changes her business plane flight in order to bid on a historical silver candlestick and has to pay for it with company funds. It just so happens her boss is also there to bid on the candlestick. Both Sam and her boss, Chas, have a personal connection to the candlestick. Will this piece of silver get in the way of Sam and Chas developing a romantic relationship?

Keywords:

Candlestick, Family, History, Silver, Senior Appraiser, Auction, London, England, Horses, Riding, Estate, Boss, Countryside

My Review:

From the very first page I was hooked to this story. The first scene held an amazing amount of tension and emotion and intrigue with just a hint of suspense. The two main characters were rapidly introduced and I felt an immediate connection to both Sam and Chas.

This romance had both a plotline and a story. The mystery element was well integrated into the plot and carried the story well without becoming the story. It was all about Sam and Chas and their histories!

I loved Sam and Chas as characters. Chas was just the right amount of “Chas Bloody Porter” and never once went too far. I liked him, even when he said the wrong thing or acted cold at times. Sometimes, he had to be cold to save face, just like a real person. The tension between Sam and Chas was amazing, not only because they were boss and employee, but the sexual tension was alive.

This book delivered a great and satisfying ending. Worth the read.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on July 13th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Stephanie Browning’s Website

Weekend Writing Warriors – Donuts in an Empty Field 11#WeWriWa

www_tiny

Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts!

Donuts in an Empty Field is a contemporary, realistic fiction, and Young Adult novel about two best friends, the local food challenge, and letting go of anger.

This excerpt is from chapter one.

Vanessa has just shared her last fond memory of her late father with best friend Nichole.

“You should do it,” Nichole declares.
“What?”
“You should do his bucket list.”
“What? No way.”
Mom appears in the doorway and I slide the paper under a stack of folders on the desk.
“Everything alright?” she asks.
Nichole looks at me and I shrug.
“Here, I’ll take the boxes out to the car,” she offers.

Why did Vanessa hide her dad’s bucket list from her mother? Will she actually try to do the things her father couldn’t from the list?

All feedback is welcome 🙂

Purchase the book HERE.

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Local young adult writer, Rachel Barnard, released the first novel in her young adult For the Love of Donuts series titled Donuts in an Empty Field with Life’s a Book Publishing, June 3rd, 2016 (AKA National Donut Day). Order your copy HERE.

Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s son from a burning building. Nessa blames the boy, but her best friend Nichole thinks it’s time to let go of the past. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge will bust her out of her shell. A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

donugts

Subscribe to Rachel’s newsletter to receive important updates and promotions, if you haven’t already. Signup HERE

Add the book to your Goodreads shelf HERE