#mary monroe

[lovelyladylea]

Currently reading

[enablesllamas]

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Double Lives by Mary Monroe

The cover drew me in, the synopsis intrigued me, I had high hopes and then I started to read… and was jarred by the voice of the beginning storyteller and wondered if this was the book for me. I persevered and finished the first chapter. I then did what I often do and read the last chapter to see if what I read would justify reading the middle. Undecided, I read a chapter from the middle and then decided that though this book would probably resonate with and be loved by some, it was not for me…or perhaps not for me right now. So, I closed the book and am moving on. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3 Stars

BLURB

Award-winning New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe returns with an outrageous new tale of Depression-era Southern drama starring identical twin sisters with a talent for switching lives and hiding the scandalous results—until one risk too many changes the game forever . . . Since childhood, identical twins Leona and Fiona Dunbar have been getting in—and out—of trouble by pretending to be each other. Yet underneath, they couldn't be more different. Outspoken Leona lives to break rules, have a good time, and scandalize their respectable hometown of Lexington. Fiona is a seemingly-demure churchgoing girl who is the apple of her domineering, widowed mother Mavis’s eye. But together, the twins have fooled teachers, boyfriends, bosses, racist police—and most importantly, strait-laced Mavis. Even when Leona does jail time for Fiona, their unbreakable bond keeps them fiercely loyal. . . . So when Fiona feels stifled in her passionless marriage, and Leona is heartbroken over losing her one true love, it's perfect timing to change places once again . . . Leona is shocked to discover she enjoys the security of being a wife and homebody. And the unexpected spark between her and Fiona’s husband is giving her all kinds of deliciously sexy ideas. Meanwhile, Fiona enjoys being free, single, and reveling in the independence she's never had. And the more she indulges her secret, long-repressed wild child, the more Leona’s ex-lover becomes one temptation she’s having trouble resisting . . . As the sisters’ masquerade ignites desires and appetites they never expected, it also puts their most damning secrets on the line. Once the fallout rocks their small town, can Fiona and Leona's deep sisterhood shield them from total disaster and help them reconcile their mistakes? Or will the trust between them become a weapon that shatters their lives for good?

[booksbydlwhite]

Bookcast Epi 83: Who do you write for, and are they reading your books?

Welcome back to the Bookcast, my platform for sharing short fiction and updates on what I'm reading and writing.

In this episode, I provide insights into my writing progress, current reads, author branding and the challenges of marketing while maintaining brand authenticity. I shared  book and podcast recommends, and wax on about the the Friends-to-Lovers romance  trope. I'm prepping for a  work trip, so I've outlined my plans for writing amidst a busy schedule and tease plot developments in my current novel.

it’s #INDIEAPRIL! To celebrate, I have a few books on sale:

Grab the audiobooks for Dinner at Sam’s and Brunch at Ruby’s on CHIRP - sale ends in 8 days!

Grab the ebooks and audiobooks for Brunch at Ruby’s and Dinner at Sam’s at my website store for a CHOOSE YOUR OWN PRICE- min price $.99!

Listen to the show here (grab a transcript here!)

BOOK REPORT

READ - 6

The Way You Tempt Me (Pure Talent, #1) by Elle Wright

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

Double Lives by Mary Monroe

Take It (On the Clock #1) by Shae Sanders

The Replacements: A Grumpy Boss Romance by Shae Sanders

Happy Hour Hoe (On the Clock #2) by Shae Sanders

READING -3

Invasion of Privacy by Imani Jay

Work Song by Danielle Allen

Some Kind of Love: Prelude by Elle Wright

PUT DOWN -0!

Recommended Listening:

Recommends: THE STACKS POD - Traci asks a question that absolutely blows my mind, to the point of not remembering what the answer was. “Who is your audience and are those the people reading your book?“ Is the best question I have ever heard in my life. The Stacks is my fave Wednesday and occasional Friday bonus epi listen… it’s pinned to the TOP of my podcast list so it always plays first. Give Traci a listen and join us in the Stacks Pack.

Ep. 314 Being Chesty with Andrew Boryga

Traci asked me why I love this question. My response- Authors (who aren't white) have the added hurdle of WANTING to write to a siloed audience but publishing wanting to be more broad and vast (read: white readers) which makes it hard to reach your target audience bc the marketing approach is different. Asking this q especially to a debut author gives us insight into whether they see what efforts their agent/publisher marketing dept are making toward their books, and is that at the expense of the people you're trying to reach? It's also about some of the conversations authors are having about book covers. Slapping those cute illustrated covers on a steamy romance or a lit fiction book works against us because cover branding is a promise to the reader. If I write a steamy romance but my cover looks like a funny romcom, am I reaching the audience that wants to read steamy romance? And if I hit romcom and get 2 star reviews for all the sex and profanity bc they didn't expect that, is it hurting me?

My second rec ties into my first and it was kismet that it played right after that episode. I listen to a long list of writing, author, publishing pods and one of my faves is the Wish I'd Known Then podcast. Authors Jami Albright and Sara Rosett interview self-published authors about how they found success as well as lessons they've learned. This week’s episode is on author branding and is worth a listen or two. I’m definitely going to run it back.

How to Find Your Author Brand - Wish I'd Known Then For Writers

Both episodes echo conversations that writers have been having about cover, about voice, about standing out but blending in. Both episodes are great and I highly recommend them!

WRITING UPDATE

My last reported word count was 63,523 words. Today I’m’ at 70,559 words. And I am not done. I’ll definitely have to cut some back, but I’m not worried about it yet. YET. Listen to today’s episode and stress out with me about it.

Thank you so much for joining me for today's chat! I truly enjoy having you here and welcome any comments or feedback at booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast. Don’t forget to share the podcast if you enjoyed this episode and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, give a girl a rating! I’d really appreciate it. Do not forget that you can support this podcast with your book purchases, by spreading the good word, or by throwing some coins in the hat at bookcast.buzzsprout.com. Every little bit helps.

I'll be back on Saturday April 20th. We’ll talk about how much writing I didn’t get done (LOL), and what books I got into whilst on my trip. Please enjoy this weekend, have a superlative week and we'll chat again soon. 

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com. Buy books by DL White at https://BooksbyDLWhite.com/books. Buy Merch by DLWhite at https://payhip.com/BooksbyDLWhite/collection/merch Find the Bookcast on booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast or your fave podcast app: Apple Podcasts | Spotify |Overcast | Podlink| Youtube

[rbtbc]

The downside of scheduling content is that I forget to share it. 😩 🙄

[storyofmorewhoa]

Just marry the belle and be done.

X-Men Gold #30 (2018) "Remember It," X-Men '97 (2024)

see also: this thread started by @bornincaldecott, this gifset by @counterspelling, and this post

[wh0-is-lily]

It takes a lot to do the bare minimum •°. *࿐ (Made By Me)

[stephaniesblogxx]

yes i have a picture of marilyn monroe in a gold frame and a bowl for my string of pearls and mary jane’s sitting with no place beside my bed but i’m just a girl

[ldr-is-my-life]

The Virgin Suicides🎀

[sabrerine911]

I did it!

I colored ALL of them!

My Earth-911b X-men sketches are done!

Earh 911 is mostly how I dubbed the Earth they are from back then, just stuck with it.

They are based mostly on the 90's version, X-men Legends and some other more modern sources. Some of them are considerably more powerful/stronger version of those but that's the general gist of it.

(added some extra description stuff on these versions, some more similar to the regulars than others)

Now Im officially ready for X-Men 97! (was planning to add a bit more info on my versions, but these high effort posts never blow up so I wont bother with that effort XD )

[enablesllamas]

Quick Selfies before Poppy left!

[cherriesandwinegirl]

𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧

[voguefashion]

“Pink is the new black” - Diana Vreeland

Thomas Gainsborough, Mary, Countess Howe, c. 1764.

Marilyn Monroe wearing a pink satin strapless gown with an oversized bow attached at back, designed by William Travilla for the "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best friend" number from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).

Vogue Paris, December 1964.

Jackie Kennedy wearing a Pink Chanel suit on the day of her husbands assassination in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.

Margot Robbie on the set of Barbie.

Shirley MacLaine in a gown by Edith Head for What a Way to Go! (1964).

Brigitte Bardot wearing the famous pink and white gingham dress with a Peter Pan collar made of English lace, specially designed for her by Jacques Esterel on her wedding day to Jacques Charrier on June 18th 1959.

Reese Witherspoon wearing the pink leather 'driving suit' in Legally Blonde (2001), designed by Sophie de Rakoff.

Barbara Cartland the "Queen of Romance" fiction was often dressed in a pink chiffon gown.

"A brave new pink that accepts the challenge of the blazing summer sun." Elizabeth Arden "Arden Pink" advertisement in American Vogue, April 15, 1959.

Princess Diana wearing a pink sweater and pink and white gingham pants at her home at Highgrove, Gloucestershire, 1986.

Model Suzy Parker in the "Think Pink!" number from Funny Face (1957), costume designed by Edith Head.

Valentino Garavani Tan-Go Platform Pump in Patent Leather 155mm in Rose Violet.

Molly Ringwald wearing the 'prom dress' designed by Marilyn Vance in Pretty in Pink (1986).

[rbtbc]

Prefer to mutlitask and want to READ and WATCH at the same time? Check out the blog post here ➡️➡️➡️ https://readingbeyondthebookcover.com/empty-vows-by-mary-monroe/

[eleutheria4ever]

i’d like to be in your arms, honey, come back to me, please

[wh0-is-lily]

Holy communion in NYC, 1944