Lynne Constantine is a
coffee drinking, twitter addicted, fiction writer always working on her next book. She is the co-author of CIRCLE
DANCE, a family saga written with her sister, as well as
the author of several short stories. She is the managing partner of a social media consulting firm & gives talks on the role of social media
in publishing. She is a contributing
editor to The Big Thrill magazine published by International Thriller Writers (ITW). She likes to run her plots by Tucker, her golden retriever, who rarely disagrees with her.
She recently finished her
first thriller, and a second book with her sister. Lynne is now working on a
third women’s fiction collaboration with her sister. In her spare time the
loves going to the beach, spending time with her family, and reading, reading, reading.
For
More Information
- Visit Lynne Constantine’s website.
- Connect with Lynne on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about Lynne at Goodreads.
Valerie Constantine was
born in Baltimore, Maryland. She has always loved books and spent too
many nights reading by the light of her bedside lamp until 3 a.m. (Those
were the days when she was able to stay up that late.) She graduated from
Nancy Drew to Shakespeare and went on to study at the University of Maryland
where she received a degree in English Literature. She is a contributing editor
to The Big Thrill magazine and has also worked with St. John’s College as chair
of their Meet The Authors Program. She is an active community volunteer working
with a Washington, D.C. organization that fights human trafficking and also as
president of Assistance League of the Chesapeake, a philanthropic organization
that helps and supports children in need. In her spare time she reads, kayaks
and travels. Valerie lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and
Zorba, their brilliant King Charles Cavalier.
For
More Information
About the Book:
Title:
Circle Dance
Author: Lynne Constantine & Valerie Constantine
Publisher: Bookbaby
Pages: 261
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Format: Paperback/Kindle/Audible/Nook
Author: Lynne Constantine & Valerie Constantine
Publisher: Bookbaby
Pages: 261
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Format: Paperback/Kindle/Audible/Nook
Young, smart and beautiful with everything figured out – or
so they thought. Born into a prosperous Greek American family, sisters Nicole
and Theodora have achieved the perfect balance between the old world rich in
Greek tradition and the freedom of life in America.
Nicole’s world spins out of control when she falls for a
married senator who shares her heritage and her dreams. The decisions she makes
will affect the happiness of those closest to her and will define the woman she
is to become.
As Theodora struggles to succeed at her marriage, she seeks
the wisdom and council of her beloved Greek grandmother who has been happily
married for over half a century. Ultimately she must come to terms with the
reality of her own life and take responsibility for the role she has played in
deceiving herself.
As the dramatic plot unfolds, the two young women must
confront deceit and betrayal and their own shortcomings—while they struggle to
preserve the values they cherish.
Set in Baltimore, Annapolis and the tiny island of Ikaria,
Greece, Circle Dance provides a view into the lives of a dynamic family that
has successfully achieved the American dream without abandoning the customs and
traditions handed down through their Greek heritage.
For More Information
- Circle Dance is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
A black casket, shiny and ornate, sat upon the altar, and pallbearers
in dark suits quietly led the mourners to their seats as the church continued
to fill. The chanter’s hypnotic singing
droned on. It was a muggy one hundred
and five degrees, but inside the dark sanctuary, cut off and remote from the
outside world, it was cool and still.
The air in the Annunciation Cathedral was heavily mingled with the sweet
scent of carnations and the burning sting of incense. Rays of sunlight, muted by tall stained glass
windows, cast uneven shadows on the walls of the church. From the huge pipe organ flowed the somber
strains of a Byzantine lament.
"Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.” In automatic response, Sophia Zaharis, seated
in the front pew, crossed herself. He
was too young, she thought sadly, her eyes never leaving the coffin. An accident, they said—unexpected, tragic. She reflected on another funeral, which had
taken place more than sixty years ago on the small island of Ikaria in Greece
where she grew up. She could still see
the smiling face of her father as he held her little brother’s hand and waved
to them from the fishing boat. She
unconsciously reached into the small pocket on the inside of her purse and
fingered the frayed and worn photograph.
Her father had been just thirty-six years old; her brother, with dark
curls spilling over his collar and smiling eyes, a mere seven. And then the accident. She shuddered, flooded with feelings of grief
and pain that were undiminished with time.
It was a blow from which her mother never recovered and Sophia
understood that she, too, was affected by the double loss in ways more profound
than she knew. She had married Andreas
and left Greece a few short years later to come to America. Perhaps that was the hardest thing of all—to
leave her mother an ocean away, alone and mourning. There is something wrong in the order of nature
when a parent buries a child, even if that child is an adult, she thought,
lifting her eyes to the casket once again.
Andreas, as
if reading her mind, put his arm around her shoulder, holding her close to his
side, and she felt a warm suffusion of gratitude move through her body. She was thankful for this kind, strong man
who had never let her down, whose love she trusted implicitly. They had begun a new life in America and the
years had been good to them, long years filled with memorable times and
children of their own. Today, however,
they were paying their last respects to a man whose life was cut short. He would miss so much. She thought about all the family milestones
and celebrations still to come. If it
were up to her, no sorrow would ever touch her children, but no matter how hard
she tried to protect them, in the end, all she could do was be there to comfort
them, just as her mother had been there for her.
The Greek Orthodox
priest appeared from behind the lattice-carved wooden screen dressed in his
vestments, and, carrying a large gold-encrusted Bible, turned to face the
congregation. She still couldn't believe he was dead. So much had happened in one short year. She closed her eyes and thought back to that
perfect last summer in Ikaria.
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