Afterglow Playlist

I like to listen to music while writing and I make a playlist for each of my books as I write it.
Since Afterglow is up for votes as a RONE nominee in the best contemporary, I'd like to share a few of the songs from the playlist, along with a link to where you can give a listen.
You can vote for Afterglow in the reader poll HERE

Feel a Whole Lot Better--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

If You Want Me--Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard (Once)

Irreplaceable--Beyonce

Stolen Car--Bruce Springsteen

Gone Gone Gone--The Everly Brothers

When Love Takes Over--David Guetta and Kelly Rowland

Silly Habits--Janice Ian

My Love Will Not Let You Down--Bruce Springsteen

Five Stars for To the Wind!

To the Wind received a five star rating from Reader's Favorite!

"As in the first novel, Sweet Lenora (Dark Heroes), Ute Carbone captures the reader's interest immediately with an adventurous, emotional tale of a sailor's life on the sea as they follow orders from bosses within the trade business of the California gold rush era. It also tells of incredible love, heartfelt compassion, and the pure admiration a young couple can have for one another. Ute Carbone's To the Wind has a bit of everything in it, making it appealing to many types of readers. It is a short story written so skillfully and descriptively it is as though you are watching a movie screen rather than reading a book." Michelle Robertson for Reader's Favorite Reviews

Read the entire Review HERE

To the Wind The Journey Continues In this sequel to Sweet Lenora, Anton and Lenora sail away from trouble in Rio de Janeiro only to encounter new problems. With only half a crew and a first mate that is hated and feared, they venture to San Francisco plagued by threats, mutiny,and illness. As they arrive at their destination, the ghosts of the past come back to haunt them and may prove to be the greatest menace of all. At each turn, the love they have forged is tested. Will it prevail?    Available at: Amazon Champagne Books Kobo Read more about the book on the To the Wind site To the Wind has been nominated for a RONE as best historical novella. Reader voting is in a few weeks Meantime, Reader voting for Afterglow, in the best contemporary (general) category is going on all this week. You can vote HERE

#Snippet Afterglow--Mitch and India

Update! Reader voting for best contemporary, the category in which Afterglow was nominated, begins March 17  and runs through March 23.

You can vote HERE

Because Afterglow was nominated for a RONE award this week, I've gone back and dug out one of my favorite snips from the story. Mitch and India have become friends--and maybe, just maybe, Mitch is looking for more


Here's the snippet--

“How’s Allie?” Mitch asked the next day when I went to pick up more shoes.

“Hurt. Angry.”

“I told her it was hard. I was pretty upset when my parents

split.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“And you get over it. I was totally annihilated when my

marriage split, but I got past it. It’s been two years now.”

“You were married? And divorced?”

Mitch nodded as he opened the door to his storage room. “Yup. You’re in good company. I know what it’s like to be the walking wounded.”

“What other secrets are you keeping from us, Dr. Tinker?”

Mitch turned on the light and stood holding the pull string. “Not that many,” he said softly. “No more than your average guy. If you stick around, I’ll share a few with you.” He smiled, but there was a hint of something else in his eyes, concern maybe, or longing. It matched my feelings and that made me a little uncomfortable.

“Like what, for instance?” I said, wanting to melt the discomfort away. It worked. The smile rose into his eyes .

 “I’ll tell one if you will,” he said.

“I like gravy on my French fries,” I said.

“Yummy. I sing along with my iPod when I’m alone.”

 “What kind of music?”

“Springsteen, mostly. No fair, that’s two. You owe me one.”

“The River is one of my favorite albums.”

“And?” he raised his eyebrows, waiting.

“Okay. I really like to finger paint. And sometimes after school I paint at a kid’s art easel.”

“Landscapes or portraits?”

“Portraits mostly. Your turn.”

“I still watch Scooby Doo.”

“Hallmark commercials make me cry.”

“I had a huge crush on you when I was ten.” The room went very still and we stood there staring at each other. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s fine. You’re not ten anymore. Heck, I’m not thirty anymore.”

“I have changed considerably. You haven’t. Not really. Not that much.” He turned towards the shoes. “So, how many boxes do you think your trunk can hold?”

Find out more about Afterglow HERE

RONE nominees

The RONE awards are given by InDTale magazine each year for stories that are Indie or small-press published. This year, I'm honored to have two of my books nominated

Afterglow was nominated for best contemporary

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage.

The book can be purchased at:

Champagne Books

Amazon: 

ARE: 

To the Wind was nominated for best historical novella

The Journey Continues

In this sequel to Sweet Lenora, Anton and Lenora sail away from trouble in Rio de Janeiro only to encounter new problems. With only half a crew and a first mate that is hated and feared, they venture to San Francisco plagued by threats, mutiny,and illness. As they arrive at their destination, the ghosts of the past come back to haunt them and may prove to be the greatest menace of all. At each turn, the love they have forged is tested. Will it prevail?   

The book can be purchased at:

Amazon

Champagne Books

Kobo

#8Sunday: The Whisper of Time has been nominated for a RONE award

Click Button for more great snippets

My time travel novella, The Whisper of Time, has been nominated for a RONE award in the novella and short story category!

This week's eight are the first eight from the book:

It figured that I would get lost. Kyle was always telling me I had a terrible sense of direction. “Turn left,” I would say, and he would answer “Which left, Gwynn, yours or mine?” I used to think everything Kyle said was charming.
I’d since found out that Kyle, like GPS, had a limited range. Out here, in the middle of Vermont farm country, my GPS had stopped functioning. A signal kept insisting the phone was searching for a satellite, but it was becoming pretty clear that the satellite was nowhere to be found. It was hiding, perhaps, from the snippy woman’s voice that commanded me to turn left when I wanted to turn right.

For more great Sunday Snippets, Click HERE

In the RONE award's second round, readers get to vote for favorites.  To vote, please click HERE

For more on The Whisper of Time, please click HERE