$15 Gift Card Giveaway and Guest Post: Where the Greener Grass Grows

Original Title: Where the Greener Grass Grows
Author: Lin Brooks
Publisher: Isolibris Publishing
Release Date: September 7th 2011
Genre: Women's Fiction

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Sending the children off to college is never easy. For Lacey Marchand and Cara Myers, an empty nest is enough to drive them a little crazy -- but sometimes, a little crazy is just what the doctor ordered.
Now that their daughters have left for college, Lacey and Cara have too much time on their hands. With nothing else to do, Cara decides to help single-mom Lacey get a life. And what better way to get a life than a few blind dates?

Lacey, however, can't think of a worse way to spend her weekends. She has her own ideas for curing their empty nest problems -- Cara needs a new career. And a career just happens to be what Lacey understands best.

For Cara and Lacey, coping with the empty nest means reinventing their lives without losing their sanity. Where the Greener Grass Grows is the story of two mothers learning to live, to laugh and to let go.

THE FEEL OF A HARDCOVER BOOK

- Guest Post by Lin Brooks

Books fascinate me. I love the feel of them. In an electronic age where most books, including my own, are just bits and bytes in a computer program, there's something about the paper that still appeals to me. I love that musty smell of a really old book. I love having a favorite author's autograph scrawled across the title page. And I love relaxing in bed, turning page after page until I realize it's three in the morning and I have to get up early for work in the morning. I have a ton of audiobooks and eBooks, but for the really good ones, I still want the paper. There are at least five books that I have in all three formats. Because you never know.

So I decided to build a library.  My mom ran out of eggs once and decided to build a hen house and raise chickens. True story. This isn't quite the same thing, but you get the idea. The women in my family are like that. We get a wild idea, and off we go. There’s no stopping us. All our men can do is shake their heads and get out of our way.

The problem is my house is very normal. When I say “normal” I mean it doesn’t exactly have room for three stories of floor to ceiling, wall to wall bookshelves surrounding a reading couch (and a wine closet. I do have my standards.).  In fact, it really doesn’t have room for one story of floor to ceiling, wall to wall bookshelves. Space is a commodity here. I have one bathroom (yeah, I know. We have teenagers. This is a problem.)  But I can dream, right?

Since I can’t have a real library, I decided a “sort-of” library would be close enough. For starters, I mentally commandeered a section of my living room. I have measured the space, designed the layout in my head, and tested the paint colors (my living room is now eight different colors, but I think I have it narrowed down). There is a temporary bookshelf there now that is overflowing with books, more in my room, and even more in huge boxes in storage. I’m not exactly new at building shelves. I built a pantry in our kitchen, built-in linen shelves in our bathroom, and an entertainment center for my stepson. However, that doesn’t mean this is quick job for me. The shelves have to be level. That’s important. This means I have to reattach each shelf at least three times (and repair the damage I cause by taking them apart). So, alongside a law practice in two cities that are separated by three hours of driving, teaching part time at the law school, raising a husband and keeping up with two stepkids at home and a daughter in college, there is precious little time left for writing, much less swinging a hammer.

But all of those books!  They deserve a good home. They should be carefully placed, not haphazardly tossed, two deep and three high, on a shelf that is too small. They should be out where I can see them, pick them up and reread them, instead of stuck in a dark box in a storage shed. I suppose if I would just rely on the trusty iPad, I wouldn’t have this problem. But I’m a book junkie. I can’t help myself.

So the library is a worthy cause, even without the wine closet. And when I’m finished, I’m sure it won’t be long before I’m looking for more shelf space. I’m not giving up my reading. I guess I’ll just have to keep on building. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lin Brooks is a lifelong Southern girl who lives in Mobile, Alabama with her family. Lin is a lawyer, runner, mother, home improvement enthusiast and an avid reader with a bucket list that includes visiting Australia, running a marathon and trying every kind of margarita ever made.

AUTHOR ONLINE @ Blog | Amazon

GIVEAWAY

Lin will be awarding a $15.00 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn host.

So, all you have to do, to enter this giveaway, is COMMENT.

Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL and ends November 9th 2012!