Friday, December 7, 2007 Bee Balms & Burgundy Synopsis

BEE BALMS & BURGUNDY SYNOPSIS: Nick May is a successful Gen X entrepreneur now living in Vancouver. At 32, he's lost patience with live-in girlfriend Sonja, as well as business partner, Jason. Upon a late summer visit to his hometown of St. Paul, he reacquaints with childhood neighbor and lifelong friend, Mia. Unbeknownst to Nick, Mia is now a post-mastectomy breast cancer survivor, with her cancer currently in remission. She also harbors another powerful secret - one that will change Nick forever. Bee Balms & Burgundy excerpt: I arose at ten minutes after ten St. Paul time. It’s always so strange for me to awake in the place where I grew up. While the memories supply warm reminders of family, friends, and productive youth, they are, at the same time, somewhat disturbing. Memorabilia reiterates a lifetime already lived, a phase completed and put in the books; it demands a step down the evolution ladder. I’d always defined my life by my ability to progress beyond what I’d been “given” to that which I’d “chosen” for myself. In this respect, the Twin Cities acted as the inherited, Vancouver as the earned. To my amazement, the sun shone through the curtainless windows just beside my bed. My mother had redone the wallpaper and carpet in the room—my former bedroom and now the guest bedroom—prior to her Christmas visit to see me eight months earlier, and, for some reason, had yet to adorn the windows with proper tapestries. Perhaps she waited for me to do it, or perhaps she just had too many other things piled upon her plate. I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I noticed the windowsill included yet another limp chickadee. This had become a running joke at my mother’s house. Although she felt sincere empathy for the adorable little creatures, she couldn’t help but question the animals’ intelligence. Like clockwork, my mother would clean her kitchen windows and within hours another chickadee would attempt to employ the hanging plants as a resting perch, subsequently coldcocking himself against the glass. Sometimes, the bird survived the first bid but didn’t get the message. After knocking himself silly, he’d come to shortly thereafter. Then, he’d give it another try, only to discover the futility in a second attempt. My mother could’ve placed the plants elsewhere. In fact, she’d tried to find a “safer” location several times. However, the plants needed sunlight to survive; therefore, they belonged window-side. The chickadees yearned to alight upon the plants; hence, they’d meet their fate. My mom and I expected PETA to show up at the door any day and demand that we kill all her plants to save the chickadees from themselves. Then, the Sierra Club would come calling. I stepped through the sliding glass door, and picked the chickadee from the windowsill. I threw him in the woods, then headed back inside and proceeded to wash my hands. A note from my mother lay next to the sink. She was “running errands” until noon, and she wanted me to take a package to the next-door neighbor’s house—the Lawsons’ house. The parcel itself sat on the counter. So did a twenty-dollar bill. No matter how old I got, no matter how wealthy I became, my mother had a difficult time grasping the fact that I, at age thirty-two, could provide for myself. I thought it a cute gesture, but… I pulled a glass from the cupboard and the Aloe Vera juice from the fridge—which my mother stocked exclusively for my visits, as she hated the stuff. I poured and drank, then headed up to the spare bathroom to take a shower. For more about Nelson and his writing visit his website. Posted by Jean StoryCrafters Monday, December 3rd, 2007 Activate those Adverbs! POSTED BY JEAN AT MONDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2007 6 COMMENTS http://storycrafters.blogspot.com Random Thoughts From C.P. Murphy December 4th, 2007 Introduce you to Nelson Pahl, autor of Bee Balms & Burguandy http://booksbycpmurphy.com/WordPress/index.php Sadie’s Storylines Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 Bee Balms & Burgundy, Nelson Pahl Posted by Sadie http://sadiecass.blogspot.com Snow’s Place Thursday, December 6th, 2007 Review “Bee Balms & Burgundy POSTED BY SNOW http://snowlover033.blogspot.com Buzz the book Friday, December 7th, 2007 Spotlight Bee Balms & Burgundy Synopsis Posted by Jean http://buzzthebook.blogspot.com Found on View Jean Lauzier's blog posts http://morganmandelbooks.ning.com/ Today at Buzz the Book we are spotlighting Bee Balms & Burgundy by Nelson Pahl. There is a short synopsis and excerpt. This isn't your typical romance such as those that are more formula based. Plus the male POV is really a nice change. For reviews of Bee Balms and Burgundy you can stop by Snow's Place and Sadie's Storylines.… Cheryl C. Malandrinos added the blog post 'Authors on Tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion - December 7th' http://morganmandelbooks.ning.com/ Nelson Pahl and his book, Bee Balms and Burgundy make a stop at Buzz the Book http://buzzthebook.blogspot.com/ Come find out more about the novel that Indie Nation Magazine called, “…The Best Love Story You’ll Read This Year!”