Getting recognition for CHASING FOOLS is so thrilling. It’s an oddball novel–a mix of genres, strange characters, etc. I do love the book, though, and I’m hoping it finds at least a small audience. Perhaps winning the First Chapter Contest can help spread the word about the novel.

CHASING FOOLS available for purchase at Amazon.

I submitted the listing to several places, which I’ll be featuring here as I find them going live:

• Free Kindle Books and Tips
• Kindle Book Review
• Pixel of Ink

I’m really excited by the reception it’s getting. I mean, every writer hopes whatever they put out there is going to be enjoyed. And at the very least, no one wants to wake up and find out that everyone hates it and thinks your writing is weak!

If you want it in paperback, it’s not available on Amazon yet, but you can get it here in the interim.

From Dinjolina at Reading Infection:

The book itself was hilarious–but it never felt like the author tried too hard to make the reader(s) feel the mirth. It also had genuine substance, and touched a few important topics – like religion and sexual orientations. Since Mrs. Brassington does not judge or point fingers, the reader(s) can relax, soak up the experience and be sympathetic to characters that would normally not appeal.

I actually read parts of this book to a marginally homophobic friend and she was completely in love with one of the main characters–the Italian GAY guy.

If ever there was something that is hard to pull off–it is making, even forcing, the consumer to be neutral and focus on character traits, without being sidetracked with labels. The author of “Chasing fools” succeeded where many others failed–and I applaud her for that!

Dinjolina gave Chasing Fools five stars (thank you)!

Another review comes from a woman who also received an ARC, and she awarded Chasing Fools four stars (yay!):

I liked all the characters. I really liked how they progressed, in regards to how I perceived them. In the beginning, when they’re being introduced and we’re getting the backstory, I was thinking that they were a pretty weird bunch for one reason or another. And they stayed weird, but the more I read of them, the more I loved them. The weird/quirky didn’t go away but just kind of faded into part of who they were. Because I cared about them, their quirks in no way trumped the love and care they showed for each other. Or the lengths they would go to in helping each other out, oh God. So hilarious!

I can only hope all the reviews are that glowing. Keep an eye out this week for Chasing Fools to release on Amazon. The official drop date is this coming Friday, July 20.

Chasing Fools is a darkly comedic suspense novel with strong romantic elements. If you dig Christopher Moore or Tom Robbins, this might be the book for you. The pitch:

Relationships are complicated even under the best of circumstances. For Varda Dorfman and Tommy Campi, these are the worst of times. Varda, an illegal foods smuggler, has pissed off Anthony Carluccio, the kingpin of the local underground dinner club, and put her plans for the future in serious jeopardy. Her boyfriend Gino won’t quit bugging her to get married, even though his mother hates her. Tommy, Gino’s brother and the ladies man of the family, can’t even introduce the love of his life to anyone: he’s secretly gay and dating the son of Carluccio’s biggest competition. And now Tommy’s getting pressure to go public.

When Carluccio’s hit man turns up dead in Varda’s closet after snacking on poisonous mushrooms, all hell breaks loose. Varda’s running for her life, and since his mother is dating Carluccio, Gino’s convinced the only way to save her life is to finally drag her to the altar. And when people start discovering Tommy’s hush-hush relationship, things really start to get interesting.

Sound like something you might want to read? You’ll be able to enter to win an ARC on Goodreads in the next day or two.

For those of you waiting for North of Frost, I can only offer my apologies. Something’s just not right upstairs (in my head, that is), but I continue to try to fix the book to my satisfaction.

U.S. residents-click here
U.K. residents-click here

The blurb:

There are things Patrick Boyle will never forget: the sound of his own neck breaking at the moment of his death in the fall of 1970, the sweet taste of his mother’s chocolate cake, and the awful day his parents abandoned him in his childhood house-turned prison.

Nineteen-year-old Patrick wonders for decades if God has forgotten all about him or if he’s being punished for some terrible crime or sin over a lovely forty years trapped in an empty home. But when Sara Oswald, a strange woman with a mysterious past, buys his house, old feeling reawaken, and a new optimism convinces him that she’s the answer to his prayers.

Things are never simple, though, especially when she begins channeling the memories of his life and death in her writing.

Think of it as my contribution to your beach reading!

I hope you’ll download a copy and let me know if you enjoy it.

My novel is available through Powell’s.

Let me tell you a story. The first time I had to go to Portland was for work. I planned my entire trip around getting to spend several hours in Powell’s. It’s huge…and it’s an indie bookstore. I freaking love this place. To see Between Seasons available there is, well, there are just not enough of the right words to express how thrilled I am.

They’re selling it in paperback format. Now, I don’t think they have any copies in the store — the listing says all copies are stored in an off-site warehouse, but still. I could conceivably have a copy of my novel delivered to the store and buy it there. That’s huge. I mean it. Huge.

So thank you to Powell’s for stocking Between Seasons.

And thanks to everyone who’s read the novel and reviewed it. Have you checked out the most recent reviews? They’re amazing!

Probably not so much after this weekend.

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for ideas for how to stay warm. Today I offer you some of my thoughts:

• Have sex. This is my favorite option for a variety of reasons, but from a warmth standpoint, there’s nothing better than body heat. Go generate some.
• Travel. Oh sure, you could “travel” down the sidewalk. I’m sure if you’re bundled up enough, you’ll be warm-ish. And if you walk fast enough, maybe you’ll even work up a sweat. But I’m suggesting you actually get on a plane and go somewhere temperate. Turkey, perhaps.
• Laugh. I always forget about being an ice cube when I’m reading or watching something hilarious. A word of warning: if you’re at, say, the grocery store — like maybe in the frozen foods aisle — and you get cold, bursting out into maniacal laughter might get you hauled away. I’m not saying this from experience, of course. Oh, no. :looks around innocently:
• Drink heavily. What? Oh sure, your risk of hypothermia skyrockets after you booze it up — mostly because you get too stupid to know you’re cold. But isn’t that the point? Put on a sweater, a heavy pair of socks, bundle under a blanket, and have a hot toddy or something.
• Hot flash. I have yet to enter menopause, but I’m told hot flashes are remarkably effective for chasing away the chills. And you thought getting older didn’t have any benefits!
• Invade Someone’s Personal Space (grab a hug). Similar to having sex, this is all about generating body heat. I urge you to hug someone you know, rather than a stranger. Otherwise, you may find yourself soaking up the atmosphere in prison.

Brrr.

I see a lot of writers blogging about writing. Not their writing, but how to plot, how to write better characters, how to do this, that, and the other thing. Well, that’s great if you’re a nonfiction writer pimping a book or getting ready to pimp a book, but I’m not sure how it helps fiction writers. Why? Because as a reader, I’m not really interested in the behind the scenes stuff. I want to read excerpts, short stories, flash fiction pieces, and stuff about the writer’s life.

Are some readers also writers? Sure. But lots of them aren’t.

I’m not saying this blog or my twitter account is the perfect reflection of what I believe. Eh. Whatever. Don’t mind me — I’ve just got a bug up my butt for Friday the 13th.

Anyway, there are a few more really reviews and interviews up for BETWEEN SEASONS if you’re interested:

• Good Choice Reading — Review
• MVF review and interviews

Maybe he knew I was writing about him.

Or maybe he knew others were thinking of him.

Today brought me two new reviews for Between Seasons, both of them good!

From A Tasty Read:

Between Seasons by Aida Brassington is a bit different from most of the Romances that I read. For one, the whole book takes place in the POV of our Hero, Patrick. For another, Patrick is dead. Yes, I know…Sounds strange…but the book was… Fantastic. I was skeptical if I would enjoy this type of Romance, it seemed to be a bit “darker” than I would normally read, but Patrick is such a wonderful character, and with each page you read you can’t help but fall for him yourself.

From Books To the Sky:

This was such an intriguing book! The first chapter was so intensely descriptive of Patrick’s death and the reactions of his parents. It was heartbreaking, knowing that he was the only child his parents could have, and they lost him.

If you’ve been thinking about laying hands on a copy of Between Seasons, now’s a good time — the novel was on sale over the holidays, but even though I set the price back up to $3.99, Amazon has chosen to keep it on sale for 99 cents in Kindle format. Get it now before the price goes back up!