What’s on my iPod: “If I Die Young” by The Perry Band

The last person I followed:@toryburch

What I’m Reading: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Still looking for a great gift for mom? It’s not too late to order her something and BookSparks PR has two great books that would make perfect gifts.

HERE, HOME, HOPE by Kaira Rouda
Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her ordinary middle-American existence and her neighbors’ seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding but exhausting. Meanwhile, Kelly’s own passions lie wasted. She eyes with envy the lives of her two best friends, Kathryn and Charlotte, both beautiful, successful businesswomen who seem to have it all. Kelly takes charge of her life, devising a midlife makeover plan.
From page one, Kelly’s witty reflections, self-deprecating humor, and clever tactics in executing that plan—she places Post-it notes all over her house and car—will have readers laughing out loud. The next instant, however, they might rant right along with Kelly as her commitment to a sullen, anorexic teenager left on her doorstep tries her patience or as she deflects the boozy advances of a divorced neighbor. Readers will need to keep the tissue box handy, too, as Kelly repairs the damage she inflicted on a high school friend; realizes how deeply her husband, Patrick, understands and loves her; and ultimately grows into a woman empowered by her own blend of home and career. Coming May 2011, Here, Home, Hope will surely appeal to readers of chick lit and other women’s fiction titles who are ready to transition into something new in their own life.

A MOTHER’S DAY by Kaira Rouda
This short story was also just released and is available on the Kindle for only $0.99. The story is about the different stages of motherhood – told from the point of view of three mothers who each experience the same, life-altering event. It’s the story of their reactions, and by reflection, the love each of them has for her son.

About Kaira Rouda
Kaira Rouda is a former newspaper columnist, reporter, contributing magazine editor, and freelance writer for numerous regional and national publications. The previous author of Real You Incorporated (Wiley, 2008), Kaira created Real Living Real Estate, the first national women-focused brand in real estate and now the fastest growing international brand.
She is the recipient of Best Entrepreneur of 2008 from Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and Entrepreneur magazine placed Real Living on its “Top 50 Fastest-Growing, Women-Led Companies” list. During her twenty-year career in marketing, Kaira has received multiple ADDY, Webby, Telly, Communiator, Prism, WebAward, and W3 awards. She is one of Forbes’ top 30 women to follow on Twitter.  Here, Home, Hope is Kaira’s debut fiction novel. Learn more about Kaira on her website www.kairarouda.com or on Twitter @KairaRouda.

THE LAST LETTER by Kathleen Shoop
For any daughter who thinks she knows her mother’s story…

Katherine Arthur’s mother arrives on her doorstep, dying, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget. When Katherine was young, the Arthur family had been affluent city dwellers until shame sent them running for the prairie, into the unknown. Taking her family, including young Katherine, to live off the land was the last thing Jeanie Arthur had wanted, but she did her best to make a go of it on a domain of natural disasters, temptation, hatred, even death.

Ten-year-old Katherine had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when there was no other choice, and Jeanie resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine’s world apart. Now, seventeen years later, and far from the prairie, Katherine has found the truth – she has discovered the last letter.

About Kathleen Shoop
Kathleen Shoop is a Language Arts Coach with a PhD in Reading Education whose work has appeared in The Tribune Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent Magazine. She lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. The Last Letter is her debut novel. Find out more about Kathleen at her website www.kshoop.com or on Twitter @kathieshoop.
These books are also available in eBook format for those of you who are getting mom a Kindle this Mother’s Day 🙂

So what are you getting your mother this Sunday?