The Chosen Ones by Lisa Luciano

It’s a pleasure to tell you about former NY Times Olympic reporter Lisa Luciano’s debut novel, THE CHOSEN ONES.

• Book Title: The Chosen Ones
• Author: Lisa Luciano
• Release Date: May 1, 2020
• Publisher: Micro Publishing Media Inc.
• ISBN-10: 1936517302
• ISBN-13: 978-1936517305
• Price: $16.95
• Paperback: 288 Pages
• Distributors:
• Genres: Mystery, crime, thriller, suspense, sports fiction, fiction

THE CHOSEN ONES is a mystery/crime novel that goes inside the scandalous and icy world of Olympic figure skating.

If you thought the Tonya Harding / Nancy Kerrigan story was the biggest scandal in figure skating history, you are in for a surprise. It is just one of the many shocking and tragic scandals to rock the world of figure skating. Behind the glitz and glamour in the rink is a world filled with dark and disturbing secrets, corruption, greed, addiction, abuse, racism, homophobia, athletes at the breaking point, and countless suspects capable of murder in their quest for the gold medal.

THE CHOSEN ONES (though fictionalized for protection) reveals shocking secrets inspired by real-life skaters and events. It is a darkly entertaining depiction of the scandal and social issues entrenched in high-profile Olympic sports.

A chilling message left on an answering machine warns that one of the world’s top male figure skaters will be dead before the end of the Olympics. A disgraced reporter has one chance to save a life and resurrect his career by going undercover as a trainer in order to infiltrate the backstage world of figure skating. What he discovers hidden behind the smiles and sequins, is a chilling and dangerously competitive world filled with corruption and scandal. In this non-stop thriller, only one person can win. Not everyone will survive.

THE CHOSEN ONES is available through the following sites:

* Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Ones-Lisa-Luciano/dp/1936517302

* MicroPublishing Media Inc: https://micropublishingmedia.com/books/shop/2165/?fbclid=IwAR2j_deE5a1Jl6TfE8-gt_bW10dgTa0v9EVx4NiXgXF1NefqySBh0p67SWY

* Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-chosen-ones-luciano-lisa/1134897330?ean=9781936517305

With the growing popularity of high-pressure sports and the upcoming Olympics (whenever that may be), readers are looking to whet their appetite with a backstage pass to the drama, chaos and politics of competitive sports.

This book offers a fictionalized look behind the scenes of a cutthroat sport that presents as the epitome of grace and poise. Framed by the story of Brody and his investigation into the potential murder, the plot braids together mystery, crime, romance, racial tension, and the narratives of various athletes and skating insiders.

In any media format, journalists are now uncovering what was once said to be "don't ask, don't tell" information, and exposing corruption and abuse in many different settings. Victims are now emboldened to speak up because society has had enough. This story, set in the '90s, was one of the first to take a stance and search for answers. Combined with the ever so popular "true crime" perspective, this thrilling novel takes the reader on a mission to expose long overdue secrets behind the sequins.

The writing in this novel includes both literary descriptions and technical skating detail. And twisted around the investigation plot are a few juicy romances, some of them illicit, which keeps the drama high from cover to cover.

This new edition includes additional resources for everyone from novices to serious skating fans that combines fact and fantasy to offer the never-before-told story of the complex and captivating world of high-pressure sports.

Author Lisa Luciano

Now for those who aren’t familiar with the author, here’s a bit of background on her.

Former New York Times sports reporter, Lisa Luciano has a unique perspective into the icy world of competitive figure skating, which she writes about in her debut novel, The Chosen Ones. The book won multiple awards in advance of its release in May 2020 including Best Sports Fiction in the NYC Big Books Competition.

Lisa was also a television producer and director who received national recognition for excellence in educational programming. A teacher with 40 years of experience, Lisa taught English, TV Production, Technology, and Digital Literacy and most recently worked as a Library Media Specialist.

She currently resides in Connecticut.

For more information on Lisa and her writing, contact with her on the following sites:

* Author Website: https://www.lisalucianobooks.com 

* Instagram: @lisalucianobooks

* Twitter:  @LisaLuciano888

* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-luciano-39875a74/

* Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53296616-the-chosen-ones

Inconvenient Daughter by Lauren J. Sharkey

I’m delighted today to tell you about a new-to-me author and her upcoming contemporary fiction debut novel.

Author Lauren J. Sharkey’s debut novel Inconvenient Daughter (June 2020) explores questions surrounding identity and what it means to belong. As a transracial adoptee, Rowan attempts to accept and heal from the trauma of infant separation and overcome the challenges and complications that arise from not seeing herself reflected in the faces of those she loves most. 

          Rowan Kelly knows she’s lucky. After all, if she hadn’t been adopted, she could have spent her days in a rice paddy, or a windowless warehouse assembling iPhones—they make iPhones in Korea, right? Either way, slowly dying of boredom on Long Island is surely better than the alternative.

According to her parents, being adopted means Rowan is “special”; but when she’s sent to kindergarten at an all-white Catholic girls’ school, she realizes that “special” means “different,” and not in a good way. It occurs to her that she’ll never know if she has her mother’s eyes, or if she’d be in America at all, had her adoptive parents been able to conceive. Rowan imagines herself the store-brand version you reluctantly place in your shopping cart when there’s no more Velveeta Shells & Cheese.

Rowan sets out to prove that she can be someone’s first choice—that she isn’t just a consolation prize. After running away from home—and her parents’ rules—and ending up beaten, barefoot, and topless on a Pennsylvania street courtesy of Bad Boy Number One, Rowan attaches herself to Never-Going-to-Commit. When that doesn’t work out, she fully abandons self-respect and begins browsing the craigslist personals. But as Rowan dives deeper and deeper into the world of casual encounters with strangers, she discovers what she’s really looking for.

With a fresh voice, quick wit, and a captivating character, Inconvenient Daughter explores the questions surrounding transracial adoption, the ties that bind, and what it means to belong.

“I realized what all victims of domestic violence know—eventually,

my abuser was going to kill me. But more than that, I realized I didn’t want to die.”

About the author:        

Author Lauren J. Sharkey

Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. After her birth in South Korea, she was adopted by Irish Catholic parents and raised on Long Island. Sharkey holds an MFA in Creative Writing & Literature, and her creative nonfiction has appeared in the Asian American Feminist Collective’s digital storytelling project, First Times, as well as several anthologies including I Am Strength! and Women under Scrutiny.

Inconvenient Daughter is her debut novel and loosely based on her experience as a Korean adoptee.

You can learn more about Inconvenient Daughter and Lauren on Goodreads and Lauren’sWebsite.

Thanks for stopping by today. I always enjoy sharing new book finds with you. What are your thoughts about self-identity being tied solely to the men (or women) in a person’s life?