Carries Book Reviews

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Title: The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West

Author: Sara Ackerman

Publisher: MIRA 

Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Page Count: 384

About the book:

1927. Olivia ‘Livy’ Jones is a young and determined pilot with a love of adventure. She’s been bit by the flying bug and yearns to cross oceans and see the world, pioneering the way for other women pilots. When she learns of the Dole Air Race–organized immediately after Charles Lindbergh’s famous flight–a race to be the first to make the 2,400 mile Pacific crossing from the West coast to Hawaii, with a huge grand prize of $25,000–she sets her sights on qualifying. But it soon becomes clear that only men will make the cut. In a last ditch effort to take part, Livy manages to be picked as a navigator for one of the pilots, before setting out on a harrowing journey that will change her life forever.

1987. Nothing is going right for Emma Summers. When she learns that she has inherited a piece of land from a great uncle, she hopes it might hold something valuable, but instead she finds nothing but an old barn full of junk, including a small plane is in disrepair, with faded paint and a broken propeller. Then she discovers her great uncle’s journal. He was a pilot in the Dole Air Race, but in the journal, he reveals that he fell ill over the Pacific, and that it was his navigator who piloted his plane. As she uncovers Livy’s story, Emma finds new purpose, restoring the old plane and fighting to secure Livy’s place n the aviation hall of fame.

Find this book online:

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Excerpt:

Olivia San Diego, 1920 

Livy had been coming to the airfield for months now but still had yet to go up in an airplane. On weekends, when Pa was out fishing, she would offer to wash the planes or do whatever odd jobs she could for a penny, while watching planes go up. Always hoping to get a ride, but so far out of luck. Though not for a lack of trying. She had been pestering Mr. Ryan for months now. “Paying customers only,” was his standard response. “Or students.” But so far, all students were men. A sixteen-year-old girl had no business in a cockpit. 

Ryan Flying Company and School of Aviation was on the edge of the Dutch Flats alongside the San Diego Bay and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, a long Spanish-style building with a tall bell tower in the middle. Palm trees neatly lined up in front like green soldiers at attention. When the tide pulled out, you could smell salty brine and decaying sea life. The hangar was modern and clean, but it was plopped on a brown expanse of hard-packed mud that kicked up dust when dry. Of late, the place had become a magnet for all things aviation.

Mr. Ryan had begun letting other people park their planes here free of charge, and customers flocked for the sightseeing tours.

On a warm Sunday in March, after surviving a long sermon at church with her mother, Livy beelined it to the airfield. A new pilot had been hired for the tours and she was hoping he might be a softy, and maybe, just maybe, she could persuade him to take her up. Such a gloomy and gusty day, with dark clouds threatening rain, meant less people taking a tour. It also happened that Mr. Ryan was in Los Angeles for the week, and what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.

Livy was hunched over, wiping down the wheels of Mr. Hall’s biplane, when she heard the incoming engine. She stood up to watch the wobbly machine approach. A storm was brewing to the south, you could taste it in the air, and that always made the pilots nervous. She watched the plane make a precarious drop before leveling off, and then come in for a hard landing. As soon as he came to a stop, the new pilot hopped out of the plane, waiting for his customer and holding a hand out when she finally disembarked. A red-haired woman in heels, face white as chalk.

Livy walked over, wiping her hands on her overalls. “How was it up there today?”

The woman staggered past Livy without even a glance. “Never again.”

The pilot trailed behind his passenger and shrugged. “What can I say? Usually, they’re begging for more.”

Once the woman left, zooming off in a shiny Model T, Livy moseyed over to the hangar and stood in the doorway. The pilot was at the counter drinking a Coke and studying a clipboard. With his goggles pulled up on his head, his thick blond hair stood out in all directions, as though he’d stuck his hand in an electric socket.

Livy cleared her throat.

He looked up. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“I’m Olivia West. I work here.”

More like volunteer and hope that people would pay her, but she could dream.

“Oh, right. Mr. Ryan said you might be here. I’m Heath Hazeltine, new pilot.” He was staring oddly at her, and for a second she wondered if she might have grease on her face, like she often did while working here, but then he said with a shake of his head, “I was expecting something different.”

“I come in on the weekends, wipe down planes and other odd jobs,” she said, for some reason feeling like she had to explain, then added, “I’m learning to fly.”

That was a stretch, too, but she did always listen to the pilots talk, watch how they got the propellers spinning and closely observe the takeoffs and landings. She knew which part of the runway was more rutted with potholes, and which angle was best for approach.

He cocked his head slightly. “That so?”

“It is.”

One side of his mouth turned up, just a hint. “I didn’t know women could fly airplanes, let alone teenage girls.”

Livy felt her whole face go red. “I’ll be seventeen in four months. And I’ll bet I know more about airplanes and weather than you do, especially down here in San Diego.”

All she really knew about him was that he’d come from Los Angeles and had flown in Hollywood some, doing stunts. No one had mentioned anything about him being so young. She had been picturing some old guy with a sun-beaten face and graying hair.

“Feisty. I like it,” he said.

She stood on her tippy toes and straightened up, all five feet three inches. Though her thick curls tucked under the hat added some extra height. “Take me up, and I’ll teach you a thing or two.”

He laughed. “What can you teach me?”

When he smiled, his whole face changed, making him seem even younger and a little less arrogant—and painfully handsome. Livy felt a swoosh in her stomach and her cheeks tingled. He couldn’t have been much older than twenty, and yet there was a certain worldliness about him. She found herself wanting to impress him.

“Like I said, I know everything there is to know about this area. What have you got to lose?” she said.

He looked at his watch. “My new job, for one. And I have another tour in twenty minutes, so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Want to help me patch that big pothole in the runway?”

None of the other pilots ever offered to fill the potholes, they always figured someone else would do it. The mud stuck to everything and gave off a rank odor, and a lot of them saw it as beneath them.

“How about I go fill those holes for you, and you take me up after your tour,” she said.

She thought he was going to refuse her, like Mr. Ryan always did, but instead he nodded and said, “You’re on.”

Disbelief flooded through her. “Really?”

“Really. Now get out there before my next customer arrives.”

But the passengers never showed up, most likely on account of the weather, and the books were empty after that. Heath helped Livy up onto the wing with a big, rough hand and a rock-solid arm. He moved like a man who was extremely comfortable in his own skin, as though the world rotated on his time. Livy decided that he was the perfect man for the job. You wanted your first time up to be memorable, but also to be survivable. Confidence was an asset.

“Sure you want to do this? Those clouds look formidable,” he said.

Livy had noticed the band of charcoal clouds at sea, heralding the foul weather moving up from Mexico. A sudden chill came over her, and she tried to blot out the memory that always accompanied storms blowing in. The dark thing that would always be with her, always haunt the recesses of her mind. Blinding salt spray, cold waves smashing over the bow and washing everything from the deck, the sound of her name being stolen by the whipping wind. Olivia! The last moments of his chafed hand holding on to hers. Her heart began to squeeze in on itself, but she willed the thoughts away.

This storm was likely to be a bad one, but hell if she was going to blow her only chance to fly. Timed right, they’d be able to outrun it.

“Positive. From the looks of it, we have about thirty-seven minutes before that front hits here. Just head north along the coast and we should be back in time.”

She climbed into her seat, and he leaned in and tightened the belt on her waist. “Thirty-seven, huh? Not thirty-six?” he said, close enough that she caught a whiff of mint and salt water.

When he pulled away, their eyes met. Chocolate brown with flecks of fire. Her first instinct was to look away, but instead, she held his gaze.

“Nope, thirty-seven. Let’s go, we’re wasting time,” she said. “Oh, and you’ll probably want to come in from the east on your approach. The wind will swing around coming in off the ocean when it moves in.”

When he stepped back, he almost fell off the wing, catching himself on the wire. They both laughed, breaking whatever strange thing it was that had just passed between them. Without another word, he hopped in and started up the engine. After a few sputters, it chugged to life. Livy slid her goggles on, and made sure her cap was strapped tight. The whole plane buzzed, sending vibrations from the tips of her toes to the crown of her head. As they bounced down the runway, gathering speed, she could hardly believe her luck.

One, two, three. Liftoff.

The shift from clunky and earthbound to weightlessness was unmistakable. Everything went light and buoyant and yet Livy was pinned to her seat as the plane went up. It was a steep climb and all she could see was sky in front of her. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes, imagining herself as an albatross soaring. The hum from the wires that held the wings together grew louder the faster they went. Heath let out a holler and Livy found herself half laughing, half crying. It was even more wonderful than she’d imagined.

When they banked to the right and leveled out some, she saw that she had a bird’s eye view of San Diego Bay, Coronado Island and the city itself—white buildings, red roofs and palm trees. The wind from earlier had died down, leaving an eerie stillness in its wake. They flew toward the cliffs of Point Loma and beyond that, the blue Pacific. There were none of the usual bumps and drops that everyone talked about. It was smooth sailing and she was in awe.

About six minutes out, the nose of the plane suddenly pointed skyward and they began climbing sharply. Pretty soon, they were nearly vertical. Livy knew all her specs of the Curtiss JN 4 “Jenny”—top speed was about eighty miles an hour, she dove well, but when climbing fast, she had a tendency to stall. So, what the heck was Heath doing?
Excerpted from The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West by Sara Ackerman. Copyright © 2024 by Sara Ackerman. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A., a division of HarperCollins

About the Author:

Sara Ackerman is a USA TODAY bestselling author who writes books about love and life, and all of their messy and beautiful imperfections. She believes that the light is just as important as the dark, and that the world is in need of uplifting stories. Born and raised in Hawaii, she studied journalism and later earned graduate degrees in psychology and Chinese medicine. She blames Hawaii for her addiction to writing, and sees no end to its untapped stories. Find out more about Sara and her books at http://www.ackermanbooks.com and follow her on Instagram @saraackermanbooks and on FB @ackermanbooks.

Author Website / Facebook / Instagram / Goodreads

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Title: Nightwatching

Author: Tracy Sierra

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Page Count:  360

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

A mother is forced to the breaking point when her life and the lives of her children are threatened by an intruder

Home alone with her young children during a blizzard, a mother tucks her son back into bed in the middle of the night. She hears a noise—old houses are always making some kind of noise. But this sound is disturbingly familiar: it’s the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs.

She sees the figure of a man appear down the hallway, shrouded in the shadows. Terrified, she quietly wakes her children and hustles them into the oldest part of the house, a tiny, secret room concealed behind a wall. There they hide as the man searches for them, trying to tempt the children out with promises and scare the mother into surrender.

In the suffocating darkness, the mother struggles to remain calm, to plan. Should she search for a weapon or attempt escape? But then she catches another glimpse of him. That face. That voice. And at once she knows her situation is even more dire than she’d feared, because she knows exactly who he is—and what he wants.

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra is a debut thriller novel. The story in Nightwatching is one that is told by switching between a present and past timeline. This novel also has a unique twist of not giving the characters names during the narrative.

A mother of two young children finds herself home alone in a somewhat remote setting when she hears a sound in the house. Just up to check on her youngest she hears a man walking up the front steps and quickly gathers her children from their beds hushing them as they rush to hide.

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra was a debut that I almost passed up reading but boy am I glad I changed my mind and went ahead and picked this one up. The story kicks off into high gear revving up the tension right away with the break in keeping the pages turning. After the high octane start I still found myself unable to put this one down as it slowed a bit giving the back story of the main character but before I had a chance to worry it would fizzle the tension ratcheted right back into play and brought this one to conclusion with my only thought being boy I’d like to see this as a movie!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Tracy Sierra was born and raised in the Colorado mountains. She currently lives in New England in an antique colonial-era home complete with its own secret room. When not writing, she works as an attorney and spends time with her husband, two children, and flock of chickens. Nightwatching is her debut novel.

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Title: Check & Mate

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 7, 2023

Page Count:  362

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist….

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood is a young adult contemporary romance novel. I was familiar with the author’s adult romance so I had to check out this new young adult and was happy to find I also enjoyed it too.

Mallory Greenleaf has not had anything to do with playing chess since everything in her world fell apart several years ago. Mallory’s father had taught her to play and to play well so when things tear them apart Mallory put the game into the past with her father.

When a friend convinces Mallory to play chess again for charity Mallory never expected to be seated across from the number one player. Mallory certainly also didn’t expect to manage to beat “Kingkiller” Nolan either but before she knows it she’s being swept back into the world of chess tournaments and getting to know Nolan more than she ever expected.

First, let me start off by clarifying that I know very little about the game of chess so if anyone is looking to see if that side of the book is accurate I can’t help with that. The author certainly sounded like she knew a good bit about competitive chess and she convinced me I was spending time in the chess world getting to know these characters though. Along with the romance there was also a lot of character growth which I also appreciate so I was definitely hooked into the story and glad I returned to this author despite the younger characters.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Ali Hazelwood is a multi-published author—alas, of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, crocheting, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

In the Shadow of a Dream
Maci Aurora
(Fareview Fairytales, #3)
Publication date: January 30th 2024
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

With the promise of finally learning her mother’s secrets, Brinna Fareview and her family gather together. Only somewhere between the truth and lies, Brinna wakes to find she’s trapped in a space in between the world awake and the nightmares of her family. All of them are asleep. Learning she has the ability to move from dream to dream, Brinna tries to find a way out of the dream world, but she’s stuck, unable to fix what’s ailing her family. But then an unexpected thing happens, Lucian Uraiahs, god of day and light, walks into her dream.

While Lucian decided a long time ago that Brinna Fareview was a blight on his peace, he can’t seem to avoid her. She pops up at every turn, all because his brother is god-yoked to her sister. All Lucian wants is to disappear into the oblivion of the cosmos amidst his shame and guilt, but the unbidden feelings he has for Brinna can’t be contained. When Lucian is stripped of his powers for refusing to bend to his father’s will, he is imprisoned with only his guilt to keep him company. Except when he falls asleep, he dreams of Brinna and somehow becomes the only link to saving her, her family, and his brother from a spell that could destroy them all.

Brinna and Lucian must work together to uncover the secrets they need to break the sleeping spell, but the longer they share their dreams, the more they realize time is against them.

Join the Fareviews in book three of the Fareview Fairytales series, In the Shadow of a Dream, to discover the truth that has them trapped behind the hedge.

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EXCERPT:

Luc grumbled and turned back to look at the hedge once more, walking its length when he heard women’s voices—sweet and lilting—coming from inside. He stepped back, searching for the elusive entrance.

“Remember when we were talking to Tarley the other day? About the man in the woods?” Aurielle—he knew her voice—replied.

“So romantic…” the other said, her voice soft and whimsical. Which left only two possibilities: Luc’s woodland fairy or the other sister, the one with the dark, soulful eyes. “Why are we doing this again?” she asked.

He wondered which one was with Aurielle and suppressed any hope it might be his singer.

“Well, I’ve met someone.” Aurielle snapped the words, because the other one seemed to be antagonistic about being dragged out into the woods.

He grinned at their bickering. Relatable.

“I have so many questions! You’ve been behind the hedge since–” The sister’s voice cut off abruptly, then she shouted, “The Great Nap Escapade?”

“So,” Aurielle said, drawing out the word, “you’re doing this for true love. And I promise, Brin, you won’t have to wait long.”

[…]There were words spoken Luc couldn’t discern, followed by Aurielle bursting from the hedge. She called out for Nix and disappeared across the road through the bramble.

“What if someone comes?” Brinna called, then groaned. “Annoying.”

He was going to talk to her! He swallowed as he thought about what to say. “Couldn’t agree more.” Luc couldn’t see her; she was still hidden within the hedge.

She gasped. “Who’s there?”

“The brother.”

Her head—like a disembodied apparition—appeared from the hedge, turning to look for him.

When she saw him, her eyes widened. It was the first time he realized her eyes were gray. “Whose brother?”

He hummed but said, “Since we’re both on lookout duty, we could make it interesting.” “Who are you, exactly?” she asked, stepping from the hedge.

Luc’s breath stopped up, caught up by both disbelief and utter excitement. […] “There you are,” Luc said, finally finding his voice.

She demanded his name.

“Lucian,” he said, turning slightly toward her, his shoulder leaning against the hedge—a terrible choice. He straightened and wiped the leaves from his shoulder.

“And you’re not here to meet my sister?”

“Stars, no,” he said, allowing himself to truly look at her as he shook his head, grateful, suddenly, that Nix asked him to be his unnecessary companion. “That would be my brother. Come closer.” He gave her a slight grin. “I don’t bite. Usually.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m fine right here, thank you.”

“You know my name, which gives you power. Will you not offer the same?” Though he already knew it, he wanted her to offer it freely.

“Brinna,” she replied and disappeared back into the hedge.

“Wait,” Luc called. “Where did you go?” The hedge didn’t have an entrance. “Where are you?” “Here,” she whispered, as if daring him to find her. Despite the low volume, her voice reached him, and he wondered, strangely, if it always would.

He used his godlight to sneak through the magical threads of the hedge, and his arms passed through, allowing him to grasp Brinna. Using her as leverage, he pulled himself inside.

She squealed—a cute little sound that seemed as if she was trying to be quiet about it—and stumbled into him, her palms pressed against his chest. Heat seared his skin underneath his clothes where her hands rested.

“What are you doing?” she demanded. “Unhand me.”

He did. Immediately. Swiping his hands over the place she’d touched to wipe away the sensation.

He hated the added impulse of wanting to wrap her up in his arms.

Ridiculous. He told himself he was curious about this hedge, given he’d never seen anything like it on his Roam.

He walked deeper into an arched passageway that stretched out in front of him with no end in sight, as if it curled in on itself. Surprised by the muted light inside, Luc glanced over his shoulder, where Brinna now stood framed by an arched entrance.

She followed him. “What is wrong with you?”

His internal glow warmed the darkness inside the hedge so he could see her features, which pinched with her frown. He wanted to press his thumb against her mouth, run the pad of it across her lips, but he swallowed the urge instead and looked away.

“If I keep walking, what will I find?” he asked, ignoring her question for one of his own.

“The cottage. Where I live.” She paused, then said, “You truly couldn’t see me? That seems… unbelievable.”

He hummed and looked around. “Perhaps if it wasn’t enchanted.”

“Enchanted!” She scoffed, an unflattering kind of snort, but Luc found it… cute. “You must be mistaken.”

He snorted back at her, incredulous. “I am not mistaken. Not about this.”

“You don’t make mistakes?” She offered a sharp laugh.

He’d begun to think this—trapping himself in proximity to her—was one. “Absolutely not,” he lied. The very large mistake in his immediate past had nearly cost him his brother, but she didn’t need to know about that.

“I highly doubt that.” She crossed her arms, her dark eyebrows arching over her pretty eyes. “Now, why are you glowing?”

“Why is this hedge enchanted?” he countered, realizing he should have doused his godlight so his father wouldn’t know, but he didn’t with her attention finally fixed on him.

They stood facing one another, the hedge seeming to close in around them. He only needed to take a step, and he’d be close enough to draw her into his arms, lean forward, and kiss her. The shrinking hedge and his overpowering urge to touch her made him feel like he couldn’t take a deep enough breath.

“How do you get out of here?” The shrinking hedge unnerved him, even if it was an illusion…Then he realized he couldn’t see the opening any longer. It had disappeared. He was trapped.

“I need to go,” he gasped.

 

Author Bio:

Romance author.

Lover of stories.

Maci Aurora has been writing stories since she was a child. When she was eleven, she fell in love with reading Sunfire Historical Romances about girls who made a difference in their lives and still fell in love. In high school, a friend introduced her to Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught, and from there, her writing journey was cemented in telling stories about love. Having already published many novels (all of which are threaded with romance as upper YA

and New Adult titles) under the pen name, CL Walters, Maci Aurora wanted to write stories that offered the same attention to story and characters but with additional steam.

Maci writes in Hawaiʻi where she lives with her husband, their children, and their fur-babies.

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Shadows of the Past
Pamela McCord
(The Unfinished Business of Eliot Ness)
Publication date: December 14th 2023
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal

A copycat serial killer and the ghost of Eliot Ness. Can two amateur sleuths, with the help of the famous ghost, stop the murderer before he kills again.

A ghostly figure surprises India Bennett in her study. That’s unnerving enough, but said ghost leaves a book open to a page showing a mutilated body, a body which looks just like the body in a case Indy’s homicide detective boyfriend, Danny, is currently investigating. Standing next to the body in the picture in the mysterious book is a man Indy recognizes as the ghost she saw in her study. Danny points out to her that it would be impossible for her to have seen the man in the picture, the legendary lawman Eliot Ness.

Despite Danny’s insistence, Indy knows what she saw, and she and her best friend Cara become friends with Eliot’s spirit. With ghostly assistance, the amateur sleuths begin their own investigation. After their discovery of what appears to be a journal describing the original victims from the 1930s, and with two murders already committed by the current serial killer, Indy and Cara rush to find the copycat murderer before he kills again.

In “Shadows of the Past,” a thrilling fusion of historical crime and supernatural suspense, the spirit of Eliot Ness becomes an unexpected ally, guiding Indy and Cara through a treacherous maze of secrets and hidden motives. With their lives on the line and the body count rising, they must navigate the shadows of the past and confront the malevolent force that seeks to perpetuate the sins of history.

The past and present collide in this captivating novel, unleashing a bone-chilling tale of danger, redemption, and the enduring power of justice. Prepare to be captivated by this gripping page-turner.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

The man bent over, hands on knees, breathing in deep, ragged breaths until his heart rate slowed to a more normal level. He wasn’t as young as he used to be. Standing, he wiped his hands on his pants, brushed off the dirt and weeds clinging to the denim overalls, then gazed down at the body laid out in the field near the railroad tracks.

He took a moment to look at, and admire, his handiwork, but only a moment, as he couldn’t afford to be spotted. Then he reluctantly slipped quietly through the night to his waiting car,

parked not a dozen yards from where he’d dumped the mutilated corpse. There would be time later to savor his memories of the enjoyment the person’s last hours had provided.

The dim whistle of a train sounded in the still evening air as he pulled open the driver’s-side door. The whistle sound was replaced by the crunching of dry weeds as he drove out of the field.

 

Author Bio:

Born in Arkansas and raised in Southern California, Pamela McCord started writing later in life when she was challenged by a friend to create a book out of his story idea. Since then, she’s become an internationally published author. Pam has spent over 40 years working as a legal secretary at a law firm in Orange County, California. Aside from writing, she follows the stock market, buying, selling and trading stocks and options. In contrast to that, she loves trips to Las Vegas where she can spend many happy hours at the Pai Gow tables. She shares a condo with her very own My Cat From Hell TV star, Allie, who manages to exude just enough affection to make her scary feral ways tolerable.

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