Open Book with Rektok Ross

As we enter winter and ski season a perfect book to cozy up by the fire with is Rektok Ross’, Ski Weekend. A chilling winter thriller about a group of teens who are stranded after their SUV crashes in the wilderness with brutal conditions. Sounds like the perfect teen drama to me, let the casting begin! I am so excited to have Rektok on the blog in my latest Open Book. Read below about her admiration for Christopher Pike, I mean reading nostalgia anyone?! and her love for Bravo!

from Amazon ~

*Named a Best Book of Fall by Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Yahoo!Life, Brit + Co., SheKnows, BookTrib, Women.com, SheReads, Ms. Career Girl, and more!
*2021 American Fiction Awards Award-Winning Finalist in Young Adult, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Winner in Young Adult, and Firebird Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction

The Breakfast Club meets Alive in this gripping tale of survival, impossible choices, and the harrowing balance between life and death.

Six teens, one dog, a ski trip gone wrong . . .

Sam is dreading senior ski weekend and having to watch after her brother and his best friend, Gavin, to make sure they don’t do anything stupid. Again. Gavin may be gorgeous, but he and Sam have never gotten along. Now they’re crammed into an SUV with three other classmates and Gavin’s dog, heading on a road trip that can’t go by fast enough.

Then their SUV crashes into a snowbank, and Sam and her friends find themselves stranded in the mountains with cell phone coverage long gone and temperatures dropping. When the group gets sick of waiting for rescue, they venture outside to find help—only to have a wilderness accident leave Sam’s brother with a smashed leg and, soon, a raging fever. While the hours turn to days, Sam’s brother gets sicker and sicker, and their food and supplies dwindle until there isn’t enough for everyone. As the winter elements begin to claim members of the group one by one, Sam vows to keep her brother alive.

No matter what.

Filled with twists, secrets, and life-changing moments, Ski Weekend is a snow-packed survival thriller featuring a diverse cast of teens that will appeal to fans of One of Us is Lying and I Am Still Alive.

1. What three celebrities/authors/figures- living or dead, would you want to have a bookclub with?

Christopher Pike, Jason Blum, and Reese Witherspoon.

2. Current binge series?

I love tv! I really think we are living in a golden age of television right now. I’m catching up and trying to finish Supernatural (yes, I am behind) and working on the latest American Horror Story season. I also just finished watching an older series on MTV called Scream, Outerbanks on Netflix, Never Have I Ever on Netflix, and Siesta Key on MTV (I watch with my stepdaughter). As you can probably tell, if its thriller/horror or teen soapy I am all over it. 

3. Last favorite book?

We just finished A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meisnner in my Facebook book club The Book Nook. I am not a big historical fiction fan so would not have picked it up if the group didn’t vote on it, and I am so glad I gave it a chance. It’s a gorgeous read and I have recommended to many friends since. I also really loved Born A Crime by Trevor Noah (another Book Nook pick). On the thriller/horror front, which is the genre I probably read the most of other than romance, Grady Hendrix’s The Final Girl Support Group was a lot of fun (I adore slashers) and Jessica Goodman’s They Wish They Were Us was also great. 

4. What 3 things to you pack in your bag for your dream vacation?  Where is it?

My heating pad (I hurt my back a few years ago and never go anywhere without it). My iPad so I can write, read books, listen to music, and watch tv/movies. And then probably my dogs. My biggest is a golden retriever and probably wouldn’t fit in my bag, but I hate leaving them at home so we would make it work, lol. As far as dream vacation, I’m a big traveler and am very lucky to say I have hit most of my dream locations at this point but a safari in South Africa is still on the list. I am the biggest animal lover and Ithink to see them all in their natural habitat like that would be breathtaking and life-affirming. Otherwise, I would say St. Tropez in the summer. I’ve been to the South of France but never there during season.

5. Sunday NYT or US Weekly?

Darn that’s a good one. My head says NYT but my heart says US Weekly. 

6. Last person you sent a text message to?

My husband. And then the one just a few seconds before that was to my editor, Amy Tipton, letting her know about a podcast SKI WEEKEND was just featured on to celebrate with her. I’ve been so lucky in that Amy has become such a great friend and support system to me in this journey.

7. Book you read that you wished you wrote?

Anything by Christopher Pike. He has been my hero (and unofficial mentor because he doesn’t know it) since I was a teen. I also kind of wish I’d written Harry Potter or Twilight because movie or tv deals—especially at that level–is a dream of mine. 

8. Do you have a teacher who encouraged you to become a writer?

Sadly no. Is that sad? Even though I took a lot of creative writing and film classes growing up, I didn’t really get a chance to explore writing as a real thing until my adult life. 

9. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, who?

Yes, almost always. I like movie soundtracks from book adaptations and find them inspiring because that is my dream. So I usually have Harry Potter, Twilight, Game of Thrones, things like that, playing in the background. 

10. 10.Describe your writing space?

It changes based on my mood. I often write in bed, especially if my back injury is flaring up, but I also have an office I enjoy writing in. I like to play music and light candles, sometimes the scents of the settings where the book takes place to inspire the mood.

11. Coffee or tea?

Tea for sure. I am a tea addict and have quite the collection.

12. Do you have a favorite book that you gift?

I don’t but I always like to recommend them. I will say that after I read Night by Elie Wiesel I was so profoundly moved by it that I gifted it to quite a few friends. I also always give books to my family on the holidays but there isn’t one that I give in particular.

13. Book that you wished they would make a movie out of?

I don’t want to say because I hope one day to option it and do it myself. But here is a hint . . . it’s YA and has witches. 

14. IIf you could have one song as the theme song of your life what would it be and why?

Don’t Stop Believing by Journey. I have had so much rejection and ups and downs on this writing journey it is kind of crazy I am still here plugging away, but I am, mostly because I believe in myself and what I’m trying to do. 

15. What/Who inspires you?

Great storytellers that don’t give up. One example I love is Jason Blum’s graduation speech and how he kept going in the film industry even after he had a lot of rejection. I think Slyvester Stallone has a similar story with Rocky. At one point before Rocky happened, he was going to give up on acting altogether and thank goodness he didn’t. Also, I read that no one wanted to make The Queen’s Gambit into a tv show and look what happened. Stories like that make me feel like anything can happen if we put in the work and just keep going. 

16. Bravo reality TV- yes or no?

Absolutely. Andy Cohen is a genius.

17. Favorite Instagram account?

Besides mine? LOL! There are so many I adore as a Bookstagrammer myself and a part of the community, I don’t know if I can choose just one. I think @BookswithParisa, @oasisgirlmd, @meredithmara, @zibbyowens, @jordys.book.club, @ReesesBookClub, and @itscarlyrae are just a few that have really amazing accounts highlighting books and authors. I’m also really into fashion and my friend @SydneySadick is killing it in the fashion world so I love to watch her interview all the movers and shakers in Manhattan. And @Lewishowes is great for inspiration.

18. IIf you could name just one lipstick after a book, what would you call it and what shade would it be? 

SKI WEEKEND and it would be a shimmery, sparkly white with hints of blue. (Can you tell I have given this a lot of thought?)

19. Current #TBR pile?

I have a few book launch events for SKI WEEKEND coming up with some of my favorite author friends so need to catch up on their latest novels before our panels. I’ve got Small Favors by Erin A. Craig, All These Bodies by Kendare Blake, They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman, and Butterfly Awakens by Meg Nocero to get through in the next few weeks. Wish me luck!

20. Best advice you’ve ever received?

I don’t know if it’s the best advice I’ve ever received, but I just heard it recently and love it—“A man becomes what he thinks about.”

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Open Book with Tara Laskowski

Take Big Little Lies, add a heaping spoonful of Desperate Housewives with a sprinkle of Dead to Me and you have The Mother Next Door, Tara Laskowski’s latest novel. I read this in less than three days and I have to say it is the most perfect read for spooky season, centering around a posh group of women and their annual Halloween party. I absolutely LOVED this book and appreciate the twists and turns Laskowski takes you on. I am so thrilled, no pun intended, to have Tara as my latest Open Book. Read below to see what she’s currently reading and the Hitchcock binge watch she is on!

via Amazon ~

“If the women of Big Little Lies were the moms of East Coast high schoolers, they’d be right at home in The Mother Next Door—a witty, wicked thriller packed with hidden agendas, juicy secrets, and pitch-perfect satire of the suburban dream.”
—Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here

GOOD MOTHERS…
Never show their feelings.
Never spill their secrets.
Never admit to murder.

The annual Halloween block party is the pinnacle of the year on idyllic suburban cul-de-sac Ivy Woods Drive. An influential group of neighborhood moms—known as the Ivy Five—plans the event for months.

Except the Ivy Five has been four for a long time.

When a new mother moves to town, eager to fit in, the moms see it as an opportunity to make the group whole again. This year’s block party should be the best yet… until the women start receiving anonymous messages threatening to expose the quiet neighborhood’s dark past—and the lengths they’ve gone to hide it.

As secrets seep out and the threats intensify, the Ivy Five must sort the loyal from the disloyal, the good from the bad. They’ll do anything to protect their families. But when a twisted plot is revealed, with dangerous consequences, their steady foundation begins to crumble, leaving only one certainty: after this year’s block party, Ivy Woods Drive will never be the same.

From award-winning author Tara Laskowski, The Mother Next Door is an atmospheric novel of domestic suspense in which the strive for perfection ends in murder…

“Trust no one, absolutely no one while reading The Mother Next Door because everyone has secrets, all of them are liars, and everybody has at least one thing to lose. Tara Laskowski’s brilliantly paced tale of perfect-suburbia-until-you-scratch-the-surface is as compelling as it is twisted.”
—Hannah Mary McKinnon, bestselling author of You Will Remember Me

Tara Laskowski

1. What three celebrities/authors/figures- living or dead, would you want to have a bookclub with?

Gosh, this is a hard question! I’m going with characters here. Ok, my bookclub would be:

Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote, who would actually read the books and have something delightful to say and probably cook us some great muffins or something. Except one of us would probably end up dead by the end of the night. 

Wednesday Addams, who most likely wouldn’t read the books but would bring some medeval torture device or an authentic spell book to the meeting for us all to look over.

And Hermoine Granger, who will have taken extensive notes on the book and come prepared with research and questions to spark the conversation.

2. Current binge series?

Well, this might not count, but my husband and I have this project right now where we’re watching all of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies in order of release. We are up to Notorious right now!

3. Last favorite book?

I feel like every book I read is my last favorite! So, in this case, it’s Tana French’s The Searcher. I adore everything she does, and this book is no exception. I loved the characters so much that I was incredibly sad when the book was over because I couldn’t hang out with them anymore.

4. What 3 things do you pack in your bag for your dream vacation?  Where is it?

I really want to go to Australia. I don’t think I’d pack anything special, though, except a good camera. I’d just buy a lot of stuff while I’m there!

5. Sunday NYT or US Weekly?

Sunday NYT all the way! (I’m also obsessed with the NY Times Spelling Bee game.)

6. Last person you sent a text message to?

My son’s tennis instructor. 🙂

7. Book you read that you wished you wrote?

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

8. Do you have a teacher who encouraged you to become a writer?

I do! Mr. Jones, my high school English teacher. I actually wrote about him in a column once. We recently got in touch again (he’s now retired), and it was great to get to tell him he’s one of the reasons I do what I do now.

9. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, who?

Oh, no. I need quiet. I can’t even write in a coffee shop.

10. Describe your writing space?

I mostly work in my home office, surrounded by bookshelves. I’ve got a great big window I can open on nice days and a whole lotta trees to stare at.

11. Coffee or tea?

Usually tea in the mornings, and cold brew in the afternoon.

12. Do you have a favorite book that you gift?

 The book I think I’ve gifted the most is The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker. It’s a fantastic book about intuition and trusting your gut. I give it to my women friends. My friend and I used to have a joke in college that whenever we were in a situation that felt weird, we’d turn to each other and say, “What Would Gavin DeBecker Do?” I think it’s a really smart book that has great pointers for navigating a world filled with creeps.

13. Book that you wished they would make a movie out of?

I mean, mine? Hahaha. 

I wish there were movies of The Three Investigators series. It’s an old YA crime fiction series that I’m obsessed with. My husband and I are reading them to our son now, and they are so great. There are two movies based on the books that were made in Germany, but they are hard to find, and I’d love to see them made here in the U.S. Great fun.

14. If you could have one song as the theme song of your life what would it be and why?

“Season of the Witch” by Lana Del Rey. I was born on Halloween, and I adore anything spooky. 

15. What/Who inspires you?

My son inspires me. He’s got so much energy and enthusiasm and hope. I am amazed at what he creates, and what he says that makes me laugh, and the way his brain works.

16. Bravo reality TV- yes or no?

Nope. I don’t watch much TV at all, actually, but when I do, it’s usually a British crime show or some horror movie.

17. Favorite Instagram account?

Ok, I love my friend Steph Post’s IG because she’s got all these beautiful animals and wildlife that she photographs. Otherwise, I just adore scrolling through all the Reels about hilarious cats and dogs and nostalgic ‘80s things. 

18. If you could name just one lipstick after a book, what would you call it and what shade would it be? 

The Shining, and it would be a shimmery black, kind of like an oil slick.

19. Current #TBR pile?

Um, it’s going to crush me. And these aren’t even the ones on my Kindle!

20. Best advice you’ve ever received?

For god’s sake, turn on the light. You’re going to go blind.

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COVER REVEAL ~ The Social Graces by Renee Rosen

So thrilled to be able to share Renee Rosen’s upcoming novel and stunning cover, The Social Graces.  Renee has a way with words to transport readers to magical moments in history.  If you have yet to read Park Avenue Summer you are missing out, one of my favorite reads!  See below for summary of the book, coming out April 2021 and a pre-order link!

About The Social Graces:

Renee Rosen, bestselling author of Park Avenue Summer, delivers readers a peek behind the curtain at one of the most remarkable feuds in history: Mrs. Vanderbilt and Mrs. Astor’s notorious battle for control of New York society during the Gilded Age.

 

In the glittering world of Manhattan’s upper crust, where wives turn a blind eye to husbands’ infidelities, and women have few rights and even less independence, society is everything. The more celebrated the hostess, the more powerful the woman. And none is more powerful than Caroline Astor–the Mrs. Astor.

But times are changing.

Alva Vanderbilt has recently married into one of America’s richest families. But what good is money when society refuses to acknowledge you? When it carries on just as it has done for generations? Alva, who knows what it is to have nothing, will do whatever it takes to have everything.

Sweeping three decades and based on true events, this gripping novel follows these two women as they try to outdo and outsmart each other at every turn. As Caroline comes closer to defeat and Alva closer to victory, both will make surprising discoveries about themselves and what’s truly at stake.

 

PRE-ORDER here: https://bit.ly/2YBkCE2

A Q&A with Renee:

What inspired you to write THE SOCIAL GRACES?

 

THE SOCIAL GRACES is the story of Alva Vanderbilt and Caroline Astor vying for control of New York society during the Gilded Age.  That’s my elevator pitch, but it’s also the story of mothers and daughters, of sisters, of husbands and wives, of class and examining one’s shifting values.

 

In terms of inspiration, it was more of a “who” rather than a “what”. I was brainstorming on new book concepts and my agent mentioned Consuelo Vanderbilt. Right after that, my editor suggested doing something in the Gilded Age. So really it was the two of them who inspired me, and after some preliminary research on New York in that time period, it was obvious that the rivalry between Mrs. Astor and Alva Vanderbilt had the makings of a really interesting novel.

 

Tell us about what it was like to write the feuding Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Vanderbilt, two of America’s wealthiest and most powerful women. Did you relate more to Mrs. Astor, or Mrs. Vanderbilt?

 

Bringing Caroline Astor and Alva Vanderbilt to life on the page was far more challenging than I had anticipated.  When I first started working on the novel, I looked at my cast of characters and realized I had a group of rather unlikable people. On the surface, they came across as spoiled, entitled, greedy and superficial. I knew that if I wanted to engage the reader, I was going to have to really drill down to find the humanity in these people and find a reason for us to root for them. Once I started to see Alva and Caroline as wives, mothers and daughters themselves, they started to come alive for me. I found myself able to relate to both of them in different ways and for different reasons. I related to Caroline reaching the prime of her life and worried that her youth and significance were slipping away. With Alva I related to her passion, her drive, her unconventional spirit.  In the end, I’m happy to say that I found them both women to be fascinating and bewildering characters to work with.

 

Did you discover anything in your research that surprised you?

 

I was really surprised by how understated the knickerbockers (the old money) were early on, before the nouveau riche began exerting their influence. For example, Caroline Astor and other society matrons of her ilk found those wonderful Worth gowns to be very gauche and pretentious. They never wore them and instead favored more plain gowns. The knickerbockers lived in very refined, nearly identical townhouses. It wasn’t until Alva Vanderbilt embarked on her architectural masterpieces (such as Petit Chateau and Marble House) that the rest of society began trying to out-build one another with their palatial mansions. The same goes for their extravagant entertaining. It wasn’t until the new money began throwing such elaborate and outlandish balls that the knickerbockers felt they needed to compete and became a matter of keeping up with the Joneses.

 

If THE SOCIAL GRACES was made into a movie, who would you choose to cast as your two leading ladies?

 

Such a fun question! I think Kathy Bates would be a fabulous Mrs. Astor and I could see Julia Garner bringing Alva to life. After seeing her portrayal of Ruth Langmore in Ozark as well as a few other performances, I’m convinced she’d be brilliant in any part she plays.