MUSE MONDAY
Who doesn't love the beach, even if you're not a swimmer like myself? Just sitting in the sun on the sand and hearing the sounds of the water is excellent. Add to that reading a great beach novel! My guest today enjoys that all the time, plus she writes those great beach reads. Please welcome Karen Cino to Discover... for Muse Monday.
I live at the Jersey Shore, and I’ve been a beach lover my whole life. Walking every morning at the boardwalk is the perfect way to start my day. I’ve taken my love of the beach and have incorporated it into my women’s fiction romance and cozy mysteries. Yes, it’s tough during the winter months, but just knowing that the ocean is there every morning, I can’t help but create stories that take place at the shore all year long. If you enjoy reading beach themed books, then take a few minutes to check the other book in the Five Beach Road Series.
Living at
the Shore
Blurb:
After moving into
her grandmother’s summer house at the Jersey Shore to seek solace and new
beginnings, Brooke’s tranquil life is disrupted by a past love and her new
neighbors.
Her newly found friendship with Flo and Jane
assists in settling Brooke into her new surroundings. When she finds herself in
the middle of her neighbors’ domestic disputes, it puts further strain on her
relationship with Scott. Flo continues to come to terms with her past decisions
about her daughter’s adoption, while maintaining a relationship with Jerry. A
misunderstanding on Thanksgiving put her relationship to the test.
Jane’s bakery is blooming and she’s settling in nicely in her
relationship with Mark, however, she’s still battling old wounds from her
deceased ex-husband, causing her to second guess moving forward with Mark.
All
three women are battling demons from the past, deterring them from making a
commitment to their future relationship. Their friendship is a rich tapestry of
interconnected stories about overcoming adversity through support systems found
in their friendships.
Excerpt:
Brooke walked him down the spiral staircase to the door and waited for his car to disappear down the block before she walked into the kitchen. Scott O’Keffe had been her godsend. He was unlike any man she had known. She became instantly attracted to him the night she met him at the tiki bar and they had their first dance. By the end of the summer, their relationship had bloomed into something that Brooke never thought was possible for her.
The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. As she walked down the spiral stairs again, she rolled her eyes. Brooke flung open the door and gasped. This can’t be happening. The last thing she expected to see was her ex-boyfriend, Eric, especially since she had put that part of her life to rest. Now, he stood at her front door, dressed in clothes she had given him. Her legs weakened, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. She knew it was essential to keep her cool and not let him break her down. She had no intentions of turning the clocks back in time. After all, she had come to grips with her emotions for Eric months ago.
“Brooke?” Eric waved papers in her face.
“Eric, what the hell are you doing here?”
“I did it. I asked her for a divorce.” He handed her a set of divorce papers. “It’s official. We can finally be together. I’m here to take you home.”
Brooke dropped her glance to look at the papers, flicking through them until she got to the last page with the seal. Why, after all these years, did he make the plunge to file for divorce? They had spoken about him leaving her years ago, but he never followed through. Seal or not, she wasn’t going back. Slowly, she raised her gaze back to Eric. “Congratulations on your divorce, but I am home,” Brooke said, blocking the door.
“Sweetheart, please, let me in so we can talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. We’re over. Nothing you say or do will change my mind. I have created a new life here and have no intention of changing my routine. It’s too late for us.”
“I’m so sorry I hurt you.” Eric slid his hands into his back pockets and leaned toward her. “Please, I did this for us.”
Brooke handed him back the papers. “This has no bearing on my decision. You strung me along for years. You didn’t do this for us, you did it for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Eric asked, rolling the papers in his hand. “I thought this is what you wanted.”
“No, Eric. This was a decision you had to make on your own. All you’ve done was complain about your wife for years, and how you hated being there. You said that she was bipolar and wouldn’t be able to handle you leaving her. So, my guess is she was the one who initiated the divorce.”
“No, you’re wrong. I…I…I can’t live without you.”
“I thought the same thing for the longest time. I’ve moved on and learned to live without you.”
“I don’t believe you. You’d repeatedly said how much you loved me and wanted to be with me. What changed?”
“I can ask you the same thing, Eric. Tell me the truth. Did you ask her for a divorce or is she divorcing you?”
Eric dropped his gaze down to the floor, shuffling his feet on the wooden porch, confusion written all over his face. Brooke took a deep breath. Eric was a mess. And as much as her heart went out to him, she still stood her ground.
“She did,” he whispered. “She told me she was tired of me being out all night and she had found my secret phone in the car’s glove compartment.”
BUY LINKS
Down at the Shore
https://www.amazon.com/Down-Shore-Five-Beach-Road-ebook/dp/B09F6Z73FY/
Karen Cino is a multi-published author who has been writing since she was fourteen years old. She started her career by writing poetry, short stories and articles for her high school newspaper. While in college, she was one of the foundling member of WSIA radio station. Many years later, she worked as an investigator reporter at a local newspaper. Her daily walks down at the boardwalk are what gets her muse going. It clears her mind and helps her find realistic plot ideas and characters, boosting up her muse. Karen loves writing about local places that people can relate to.
Karen loves the summer, loves the beach. Her previous books were written and take place in various places across Staten Island. When Karen relocated to the Jersey Shore back in 2015, she traded in the Staten Island Boardwalk for the New Jersey Shoreline.
Currently, Karen is working on a Women’s Fiction as well as a Cozy Mystery series.
FIND KAREN HERE:
Website: https://karencino.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/karencino
Amazon
Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karencino
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ladymandolay
Newsletter:
https://subscribepage.io/jGP7wi