Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Meet the Authors – #Poetry Miriam Hurdle, #Thriller Jacquie Biggar, #YARomance Angie Dokos

There are over 150 authors in the Cafe and Bookstore and I wanted to keep it to key pieces of information such as buying links, recent review, website and covers. However, I know that readers also like to know more about the background of authors.

In this series during June and July I will share the bios of all the authors in the cafe in a random selection. I hope that this will introduce you to the authors in more depth and encourage you to check out their books and follow them on their blog and Twitter.

Meet Miriam Hurdle

Miriam Hurdle is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

She published four children’s books at twenty-six years old. Her poetry collection received the Solo “Medalist Winner” for the New Apple Summer eBook Award and achieved bestseller status on Amazon.

Miriam writes poetry, short stories, memoir, and children’s books. She earned a Doctor of Education from the University of La Verne in California. After two years of rehabilitation counseling, fifteen years of public-school teaching and ten years in school district administration, she retired and enjoys life with her husband in southern California, and the visits to her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters in Oregon. When not writing, she engages in blogging, gardening, photography, and traveling.

A recent review for the collection

Esther Suh 5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book! A thoughtful and fun poem collection of life Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020

I really enjoyed reading this book of poetry and in one sitting! I rarely buy books of poems because they can be so hard to understand or follow. But I found out about Miriam Hurdle’s book through her blog and ordered it to show support for a fellow blogger and writer. I’m glad I did!

The organization of her book was fluid to read in following the different stages of her life. Her introduction works as a perfect guide for the reader. Her poems ranged in topics from hope, failure, pain, heartbreak, reflections about family and nature, and some lighthearted ones about animals. My only regret is that I didn’t check out my order in color. Miriam told me about this beforehand, but I didn’t look into it too much. From the black and white pictures I could tell they would be beautiful in color. Thanks Miriam for rekindling my interest in reading poetry!

Miriam Hurdle, Buy also in Spanish and Portuguese: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK –  Goodreads: Miriam Hurdle – Blog: The Showers of Blessings –  Twitter: @mhurdle112

Meet Jacquie Biggar

Jacquie Biggar is a USA TODAY bestselling author of Romantic Suspense who loves to write about tough, alpha males who know what they want. That is until they’re gob-smacked by heroines who are strong, contemporary women willing to show them what they really need is love. She is the author of the popular Wounded Hearts series and has just started a new series in paranormal suspense, Mended Souls. She has also contributed to several successful anthologies.

She has been blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoys writing romance novels that end with happily-ever-afters.

Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her family and loves reading, writing, and flower gardening. She swears she can’t function without coffee, preferably at the beach with her sweetheart. 🙂

A small selection of Jacquie’s books

One of the recent reviews for Virtually Gone

Laura Furuta 5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfaul read…. Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020

The story Virtually Gone (High-Tech Crime Solvers Book 6) by Jacquie Biggar is a thrilling book to read. It pulled me in from the start and didn’t let me go until the final page. It is a story that has mystery, suspense, and danger. I loved reading about the characters of Julie Crenshaw and Matthew Roy. Julie is an investigative reporter who when on a story is determined to follow it to its conclusion. The one that she is on now could be the case of a lifetime. Matthew is a detective who is frustrated by the fact that he hasn’t been able to bring a rapist to justice. When the suspect escalates his crime to murder, Matthew knows that he has to bring him in. The one question is how? Read this book to see if Matthew solves the case. This is a story that had me turning pages wondering what was going to happen next. I loved the way that the author writes about the technology used in the investigation. I also enjoyed the interactions and bantering back and forth between the characters. This is a fast-paced book that will keep you guessing. I highly recommend reading it.

Jacquie Biggar, Buy:  Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Jacquie : Goodreads – website: Jacquie Biggar – Twitter: @jacqbiggar

Meet Angie Dokos

I was born a reader and grew to be a writer. Okay, so the reading took a few years, but in the meantime, I was having someone else read to me. I enjoy hiking and love to travel. I currently live in Woodstock, GA with my husband and children. I love to read and write to escape reality and to live more than one life. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, WordPress, and other sites if you are interested. If you are entertained by my work, chances are your friends will be too, so spread the word, please. Thank you. Remember, live life one chapter at a time!

Books by Angie Dokos

One of the recent reviews for Roadside

L. Carmichael 5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, Hopeful, Tender  Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2020

Roadside is a contemporary fiction / young adult / romance novel by author Angie Dokos. I’ve previously read another of her books, and when I saw she was doing some marketing for an upcoming tour of this one, I decided to move up the book in my reading queue.

Zayne, a ~20ish college student, finds the almost dead body of a young girl on the roadside with his dad. They take her to the hospital, and Zayne keeps returning to check on her. He feels a weird connection. When she wakes up, he learns her name is Serena. She was attacked and had been unconscious for days. She remembers a lot of details, and Zayne’s father does the investigating with the police to find her assailant. Clues remain in the forest by the roadside, but ultimately, this is a story about the aftermath, how to trust someone you’ve just met, and recovery.

Dokos creates memorable characters. This is a very simple, sweet, and touching story. There is complexity in the plot and relationships, but the writing is casual, easy to read, connective, and makes you feel warm and cozy, even in the scary parts. There’s a balance of light and darkness, given the subject matter, and in the end, you 100% root for Zayne and Serena to fall in love. But there’s a supporting cast you also find yourself keen to get to know. Best friends, siblings, parents, school administrators and staff… everyone plays a pivotal role. Just who did attack Serena and why?

We learn the truth midway through the book, and the remainder is about dealing with the recovery and results of trusting someone you shouldn’t. How can you assign blame and fix the problem when the problem occurred so long ago, you feel bad for the assailant too? Okay, just a little, as (s)he did try to rape and kill Serena. No matter the circumstances, the person needs to be punished.

I enjoy Dokos’ writing style, and she makes you flip the pages quickly to keep investing in the story. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Angie Dokos, Buy: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK –  follow Angie : Goodreads –  website: Angie Dokos WordPress –  Twitter: @AngieDokos

Thank you for joining me today for this series and I will be sharing another three authors and their work every weekday during June and July. It would be great if you could share. Thanks Sally.