{"id":1663,"date":"2009-06-16T01:17:34","date_gmt":"2009-06-16T06:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=1663"},"modified":"2009-06-15T21:21:52","modified_gmt":"2009-06-16T02:21:52","slug":"you-make-me-feel-like-dancing-by-allison-bottke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=1663","title":{"rendered":"You Make Me Feel Like Dancing by Allison Bottke"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/strong><\/span> <\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n
Allison Bottke<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing: A Novel (Va Va Va Boom Series)<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

David C. Cook; New edition edition (June 1, 2009)<\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Allison Bottke spent 17 years as a professional fund-raiser before her personal journey prompted her to create the best-selling God Allows U-Turns anthologies. Now a popular speaker and author of hip-lit fiction as well as nonfiction, Allison was one of the first plus-size models with the Wilhelmina agency. Today, she has created a place where fun, fashion, food, family, and faith merge to empower and inspire boomer women all around the world. That place is her website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $14.99
\nPaperback: 448 pages
\nPublisher: David C. Cook; New edition edition (June 1, 2009)
\nLanguage: English
\nISBN-10: 1434799492
\nISBN-13: 978-1434799494<\/p>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Susan Anderson yawned and mumbled an incoherent complaint. She tried to focus heavy-lidded eyes on the glowing chartreuse numbers of the digital clock. Six a.m. She rolled onto her side and picked up the ringing cell phone, wishing she\u2019d shut it off the night before. This was her day off, the one day in seven she could stay ensconced in her luxurious bed, wrapped in Egyptian cotton like a mummy princess. The one day in seven she could snuggle with her hubby when he came home from working the night shift.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m-sorry-to-wake-you-up-but-it\u2019s-an-emergency-and-you\u2019re-the-only-one-who-can-help-something-horrible-has-happened-to-Tina.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSlow down, Karen,\u201d Susan whispered hoarsely. \u201cI understand you haven\u2019t been to sleep yet, but I\u2019m still waking up, okay? Now, start from the top. Who\u2019s Tina?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stretching like a limber feline, Susan propped her pillow against the headboard and slowly sat up, her eyebrows knitting together as she listened. Her eyes opened more fully as she listened to Karen\u2019s amazing tale.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 that\u2019s the whole story. I\u2019m afraid she\u2019s going to do something drastic. Please, you have to help her. I know you don\u2019t work Mondays, but you\u2019re the only one I know who might be able to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan leaned her head back and yawned again as she considered.<\/p>\n

\u201cSusan? Susan, are you there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill here. Sorry. Okay. I need coffee and a bagel, but you can tell her to meet me at the salon at seven.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously? Fantastic! You\u2019re a lifesaver!\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan hung up the phone, rolled onto her stomach, and buried her face in her pillow. Part of her wanted to go back to sleep. But the rest of her loved a challenge\u2014and this was truly a challenge. Although dull moments were few in her world, so were new ventures these days\u2014at least ventures of the dramatic magnitude Karen had just described.<\/p>\n

She pulled back the covers and eased up on the edge of the bed. Absentmindedly tucking a strand of ash-blond hair behind her ear, she considered her options for another minute or two before reaching for the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe works hard for the money, so hard.\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop singing, Loretta\u2014please. It\u2019s too early for Donna Summer, even for you. I hate caller ID.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHeretic\u2014bite your tongue! It\u2019s never too early for Donna. And you should love caller ID. It\u2019s the only reason I always answer your calls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan laughed. More than a dependable employee, Loretta Wells was a good friend and a sister in faith. She was also the reason Susan could take Mondays off. Loretta was more than capable of handling things without the boss. In fact, she\u2019d been Susan\u2019s right hand for almost twenty years.<\/p>\n

Every Monday morning before opening the salon at seven thirty, Loretta had coffee at the Starbucks just off Tropicana Boulevard. Susan knew she could depend on her to rise to this challenge, cut her Starbucks run short, and get things ready for Tina before she arrived.<\/p>\n

Susan explained what little she knew about what she\u2019d dubbed as Tina\u2019s Tragic Trauma. \u201cYou don\u2019t mind coming in early?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you kidding? Sounds utterly fascinating. Don\u2019t worry about me\u2014what about you? I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen you on a Monday in more than a decade. Think you can function?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery funny. I\u2019ll be just fine. See you in forty five.\u201d<\/p>\n

She flipped the phone shut, grabbed a notepad and pen from the bedside table, and scribbled a note to leave downstairs for Michael on her way out. Her husband wouldn\u2019t get home until eight, about the time she was usually getting ready for work. He wouldn\u2019t be happy with her for taking off like this on their one day together, but what could she do? This young woman needed her.<\/p>\n

She recalled the most recent argument she\u2019d had with Michael about this very subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a hairdresser for crying out loud\u2014not George!\u201d he had shouted into the phone last week when she called him from the salon at 2:30 a.m.<\/p>\n

George was their neighbor, a psychologist who was on call for police emergencies twenty-four\/seven.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t say that, Michael, if you had seen her. The creep used a butcher knife to cut off her hair. I couldn\u2019t say no. Michael, you should have seen \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if he had showed up at the shop? What then? He might be outside waiting for you right now. Maybe I should come over and follow you home \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Michael, I\u2019m fine. I\u2019m sure he\u2019s not waiting for me. He doesn\u2019t have a beef with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan didn\u2019t tell him she had worried about the same thing when the girl showed up, referred by a friend who ran a shelter for battered women.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I called,\u201d she said with a sigh. What she had really wanted to share was her excitement at being able to pray with a young woman who was openly searching for an answer to the unexplainable emptiness in her heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d Michael grumbled. \u201cNow, get out of there and go home. I\u2019ll stay on the phone while you lock up.\u201d<\/p>\n

That had been several days ago, and they had yet to talk about the situation again. She wasn\u2019t exactly eager to bring it up\u2014not with the way Michael had been acting lately. His sixtieth birthday loomed on the horizon, and Susan was quite certain he was having a delayed midlife crisis. She was hard-pressed to feel sympathetic. She was turning fifty in April, and she wasn\u2019t snapping at everyone about every little thing.<\/p>\n

Susan didn\u2019t start thinking about Tina\u2019s Tragic Trauma again until she was in the shower. What if she couldn\u2019t help her? Lord, I\u2019m almost embarrassed to bring this to you. I mean, I know it\u2019s just hair. But what if Karen isn\u2019t overdramatizing the situation? Surely someone wouldn\u2019t commit suicide over a bad hair day, would she? Please help me help Tina. Amen.<\/p>\n

Hurrying to get dressed, she pulled her thick hair back in a ponytail and wrapped a vintage Chanel scarf around her crown as a headband. She brushed her teeth, stroked on moisturizer, and applied her makeup in record time even though she\u2019d been tempted to go without it, since her goal was to return home in a couple of hours and jump back into bed.<\/p>\n

She quickly straightened up the bathroom for Michael, knowing he would take a shower as soon as he got home. When she finished, she sat down at her laptop and sent a quick e-mail to her online chat group. Then she checked herself one last time in the hall mirror and headed out the door.<\/p>\n

From: Susan Anderson (boomerbabesusan@boomerbabesrock.com)<\/p>\n

Sent: Monday, January 9, 6:43 a.m.<\/p>\n

To: Patricia Davies; Mary Johnson; Lisa Taylor; Linda Jones; Sharon Wilson<\/p>\n

Subject: You will NEVER believe this \u2026 story to follow<\/p>\n

Good morning fellow boomer babes!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m off to work early \u2026 seems we have a Hair Emergency. I\u2019ll fill you in when I know more. Can\u2019t believe it\u2019s only week two of the new year. Things haven\u2019t slowed down at the shop \u2026 we\u2019ve been operating full tilt since before Thanksgiving. Guess I shouldn\u2019t complain \u2026 business is good. Hope everyone is healthy and happy.<\/p>\n

Suze<\/p>\n

Looking around the casino on his way out that morning brought Michael Anderson a bittersweet feeling. He liked his job, and every day yielded a new challenge. Yet, after thirty-five years, he was beginning to consider early retirement. The past night had been another busy one, and he was tired from walking the length of the property countless times as one mechanical problem after another surfaced. The Silver Spur was one of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas, and time was beginning to take its toll.<\/p>\n

Of course, mechanical problems were easier to deal with than the inevitable people problems his wife seemed to encounter on a daily basis. He couldn\u2019t imagine what it must be like for Susan, standing in one area, doing the same thing day in and day out. It must drive her crazy. It drove him crazy sometimes, just hearing about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it, Michael, really I do,\u201d she often told him. And he knew she was proud of her unique beauty salon, Disco Diva. But she had to be as tired of the daily grind as he was. They\u2019d both been at it for so many years.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t wait to get home and tell her his news\u2014and this was the day to tell it. Monday was their only full day to spend together. Oh, sure, he saw her throughout the week, but not for long. Most days they were like the proverbial ships passing each other. He came home from the night shift just before she left in the morning, and she woke him when she returned from the salon in time for him to shower, get dressed, eat, and take off for work.<\/p>\n

For years, though, they had enjoyed their evening meal together\u2014Susan\u2019s dinner and his breakfast. It was a solid ritual. And there was always something to talk about. Communication wasn\u2019t a problem in their relationship. Having time to communicate was the problem. He\u2019d once computed the time they\u2019d actually spent together in the almost twenty-five years they\u2019d been married; it was far less than the years implied.<\/p>\n

And recently, it seemed, things were getting worse. More often than not during the past few months, Susan was already gone when he came home in the morning. And instead of waking him in person in the evening, she had taken to setting the alarm clock for him before she left for the salon.<\/p>\n

This was all very unusual for her. He suspected she might be going through early menopause\u2014not that he was an expert on such things. But she was certainly acting strangely these days. She spent more time at the salon than ever and seemed on edge a lot of the time.<\/p>\n

That was another reason he\u2019d decided to unveil his surprise a little early. It was time to free her from the growing responsibilities that were clearly taking away her joy.<\/p>\n

Time for him to make their longtime dream come true.<\/p><\/div>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Allison Bottke has brought several vibrant and interesting characters to life in the pages of\u00a0 You Make Me Feel Like Dancing<\/a>. Each of them has his or her own struggles that they deal with in their own way. As they their lives intersect and they interact with each other, they find themselves forever changed.<\/p>\n

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing<\/a> is a fun book with many lighthearted moments; yet it also deals with several very serious subjects that include strained marital relations, unwanted pregnancy, secrets from the past, and some severe emotional problems. It illustrates the importance of a strong spiritual life as well as the support of friends and family.<\/p>\n

I particularly enjoyed the Disco Diva salon scenes (probably because both my children are hair stylists) and can imagine how successful a theme salon could be. Filled with a wealth of fascinating facts about the disco era, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing<\/a> should hold the interest of most readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1663"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1720,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663\/revisions\/1720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}