Vanilla Heart Publishing
Brenda Hill


An avid reader since her grandfather told stories about magical castles in his native France, Brenda Hill feels books are a joy. No matter her circumstances, she can open a book and find love, laughter, and a light to guide her way.


Because of the crises she's faced in her own life, Brenda focuses her stories on women and the crises in their lives. She highlights a problem and offers possible solutions while celebrating the inner strength women sometimes forget they possess. Her #3-ranked Amazon short story, “Am I Wife or Daughter” is based on her own struggle with her mother's care. Her first novel, Ten Times Guilty, garnered a four-star review from Romantic Times Book Review magazine and her short story, featured in True Story Magazine, was rated a 'Twelve-tissue Tearjerker.'


Brainbench certified in Written English, Brenda studied novel writing at a local community college, then took the Writer’s Digest course as well as online studies from New York’s Gotham Writers’ Workshop. She spent a summer at the University of Iowa for their summer writing sessions and was a member of an international critiquing group. She lives in Southern California where she's currently a freelance editor. She rounds out her time conducting novel writing classes and writing feature articles and restaurant reviews for her local newspaper.








Beyond the Quiet by Brenda Hill               

AMAZON   B&N   OMNILIT PDF

KINDLE   SMASHWORDS MULTIFORMAT

 

Ten Times Guilty  by Brenda Hill              

AMAZON   B&N   OMNILIT PDF

KINDLE   SMASHWORDS MULTIFORMAT

 

Plot Your Way to Publication by Brenda Hill               

AMAZON   B&N   OMNILIT PDF  

SMASHWORDS MULTIFORMAT


 


Brenda Hill's First Chapters Freebook
Read first chapters from each of Brenda's releases in this Freebook...
Send an email to brendahillseaman@yahoo.com with Freebook in the subject line
for your freebook download!






Beyond the Quiet

By Brenda Hill

"To all of our years together," Lisa Montgomery's husband said one evening, raising his glass in a toast, "some of them good." They laughed and clicked wine glasses. But after his death, Lisa discovers he hadn't been teasing. When the contents of a secret post office box shatters her illusions about her marriage, she struggles to come to terms with his betrayal. Forced to examine her life as a wife, mother, and as a woman, she realizes her troubled childhood didn't allow her to be anything but composed and quiet. Then Terry O'Neal enters her life... But a jealous coworker watches, wanting to destroy what he can't have. Beyond the Quiet shares the story of one woman's struggles though bitterness, loss, and betrayal, learning to cherish each moment and follow her long-buried dreams. It's the story of how a quiet, passionless widow becomes spirited enough to climb onto her lover s shoulders for a piggyback ride... in the nude.


Acclaim for Beyond the Quiet


Rating: Five Cups from Coffee Time Romance

... Let me start by saying if I could give more than five cups I would give 10 or more. Ms. Hill has written Lisa’s story so well that I could barely set the book down to wipe away my tears. Lisa’s journey will have you feeling all she felt. To go from her grief to self discovery to empathy is a truly amazing ride. Each character has a role that plays an enormous part in the story, none less important than another. If you do not add this book to your collection, you will have missed a truly amazing read.

Matilda 
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More (click to read the full review)


Beyond the Quiet is a heartfelt, deeply sincere labor of love about a woman who loses everything -- and finds her way back.

Michael Prescott,
NYT Best Selling Author, including  Comes the Dark, Stealing Faces, The Shadow Hunter, and Last Breath


Beyond the Quiet
was so good, I couldn't put it down. I rushed home after a basketball meeting to continue reading. So many lessons along the way that make you think about life, relationships, etc. I absolutely loved it, and will purchase Ten Times Guilty as well. I look forward to others soon!

Cheryl Peetz, Manager
Office Depot, Redlands, CA



Not only does Brenda Hill create an amazing story with characters that will stay in your heart long past the story's ending, but she also teaches many life lessons to her readers as well. I not only enjoyed this story, but I felt as though I came out of it feeling better about myself; I was reminded of how precious life is and how wonderful it can be. ...Brenda Hill takes her readers through a story all about Lisa and her self-discovery. She finds out what it is like to truly love someone, to truly hate someone, and all that is in between. At forty-four years old Lisa is just starting to live her life. Her attempt to open up to the world is jarred when she learns more about her husband's betrayal, her friend's betrayal, and encounters a man who is stalking her. This story is definitely not lacking in excitement!


Ashley Merrill,
Front Street Reviews



Beyond the Quiet is a novel for all women, everywhere. This heartrending story  touches on all of the joys, sorrows, trials and triumphs that come with being a woman. The plot is captivating and Lisa is a complex and likeable character. I couldn’t help rooting for her every step of the way on her journey to self-discovery. Brenda Hill’s writing is sensual, emotional and beautiful.

M. Jean Pike,
Award Winning author of Heatherfield and Waiting For The Rain 

 

 
Emotionally abused as a child, Lisa Montgomery learned at an early age to keep her feelings well hidden, believing that the only way to be loved and accepted was to be perfect. As an adult, she finds stability and happiness in Mac Montgomery. When Mac loses his battle with cancer after twenty-five years of marriage, forty-four year old Lisa is devastated. On her own for the first time in over two decades, she returns to her job as a real estate agent, desperate to escape the pain of losing her husband and determined to carve out a new life for herself. Just when things seem to be getting better, she receives a strange notice in the mail; a letter stating that Mac’s post office box is due for renewal. The couple had always received their mail through home delivery, so thinking it must be a mistake, Lisa heads to the post office to straighten it out. What she discovers is the beginning of a nightmare as Mac’s secret life of lies and betrayal begin to unravel.

This book took me on an emotional roller coaster ride; a ride that pulled me along and refused to let me go until it reached its final destination. I was gripped by Lisa’s situation from the opening scenes, and with each turn of the page I found myself making more of an emotional investment. Lisa deals with some tough issues that any woman can sympathize with: an alienated daughter, a friend’s betrayal, a husband’s deceit. The plot took many twists and turns as Lisa made her journey to self-discovery, learning how to love again, how to live again. I was right there in every scene, feeling her joy, her anguish, and her outrage.

Brenda Hill succeeded in creating a character that I truly cared about and even loved, and placed her in a setting that became as real to me as my own neighborhood. Beyond the Quiet is a love story, but more than that, it is a life story. It is the story of what it means to be a woman.

Honeybee, on Working Girl Reviews


Beyond the Quiet  Pre-release Video Trailer







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ond the Quiet
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Plot Your Way to Publication

A step-by-step method for building a successful storyline.

A compact writing course, this ebook takes you from basic story idea to a solid storyline. Designed for the busy lifestyle, it's simple enough to read in one sitting, yet powerful enough to demonstrate the mysteries of story structure.

Contrary to myth, a good skeleton does not inhibit a writer's imagination; instead, an accepted structure provides the exciting changes that lead to story satisfaction.

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Today's readers are more sophisticated than ever before, and they instinctively know and expect certain things to happen in your story. If these incidents do not occur, the reader is often left dissatisfied and disappointed. Draggy, they may think. Dull. They may have purchased your first novel, but may hesitate to buy your next.

                                                         Don't let that happen!

After many requests, I've condensed years of teaching fiction into simple one-page chart templates. Not only do I explain structure, I give examples of critical scenes and turning points and show you exactly where they should be placed for the best dramatic effect. I even list the scenes I used in my novel, Ten Times Guilty, on my plotting charts as an illustration.

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Use the charts over and over
Works with any fiction genre


Now, with 'PLOT YOUR WAY TO PUBLICATION,' you can become the successful author you've always envisioned yourself to  be.                                             
                                                    










Coming Soon

Ten Times Guilty by Brenda Hill

...a single mother's struggle for worth after a vicious attack.  It's about a police sergeant seeking redemption for a crime he didn't realize he had committed--
until the victim died.


Tracy Michaels grew up believing her step-father, Jim Hammond, when he said she wasn't good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough.  Now a single mother, she works as a tour guide in one of Denver's old Victorian museums barely making enough to survive.  During long, sleepless nights in her studio apartment, she worries about stretching her meager paycheck for the basic necessities.  She wants more for her life, more for Ritchie, her baby son, so she studies self-improvement and arranges longer hours at work, trying desperately to scrape together enough money to attend classes at a local tech school.

Then one night her entire world shatters.  She's beaten and sexually attacked.  She survives, but he's watching her, threatening Ritchie's life if she talks to the authorities.

Sergeant Reese Sanders, Denver PD, struggles through his own recovery, tormented by memories of another young victim, one who had always looked up to him--as a police officer, and as her brother.  When she was attacked a year ago, she expected sympathy and comfort.  But Reese had become hardened and was never able to offer understanding or anything beyond the standard platitudes.

His sister slashed her wrists.

Reese spent a year failing to drown his guilt with bourbon.  Now, back on the force, he discovers his true redemption lies in finding the man responsible for his sister's attack, the same man he believes attacked Tracy.  His very sanity depends on convincing her to help him bring the perpetrator to justice.

Meanwhile, the perp watches.

Even in the hospital Tracy isn't safe from his threats.  She's forced to run, seeking shelter for Ritchie and herself in a safe house for battered women.  With Suzy Banning's guidance, a white-haired-grandmother rape counselor who loves gaudy jewelry and sequined clothes, Tracy discovers inner strength and courage, qualities she must test when the offender finds her and demands she meet him. 

  Reviewed by:


        
"Hill mesmerizes with the horrific details of rape, self-blame and the will to live. A compelling tale of pain, courage and hope."