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PRAISE FOR STARS OR STRIPES 4TH OF JULY
Reading Mariana Williams’ Stars or Stripes 4th of July is like going on the best vacation you’ve ever had. It’s funny, thrilling, suspenseful, romantic, and always highly entertaining. Veronica is a delightful companion in this fast-paced romp. As with any great vacation, you will miss her when it’s over—and hope that you’ll see her again in another adventure. The sooner the better!
Raymond Obstfeld
New York Times bestselling author of On the Shoulders of Giants and Anatomy Lesson
Veronica opens up and lets you in - to her life, her bedroom and the backstage of show business. Mariana Williams is a storyteller who knows how to write and keep it real. I enjoyed it from cover to cover."
Alan Kalter
Announcer for The Late Show with David Letterman
I would say it's a page turner except I was laughing so much that I had trouble sometime turning the page. Sometimes you are lucky enough to read a book that not only keeps you in suspense but lets you giggle along the way. Stars or Stripes 4th of July is a real treat.
Andrea Abbate
Comic, TV Writer
Wacky con men and witty hijinks dominate this guilty pleasure of a novel. A female version of Carl Hiaasen, Williams substitutes Hilton Head for Florida, as main character Veronica Bennett heedlessly meanders into one sticky situation after another. Effortless enjoyment--you'll be reaching for another Veronica Bennett novel when finished.
Penny Bernal
Juror for Elle Letters, Elle Magazine
I could not put down Mariana William’s novel, Stars or Stripes 4th of July. Okay, I lied. I put it down a lot - so I could rest from laughing! I was truly captivated, entertained, and even titillated. I needed a cigarette after reading, and I quit smoking 10 years ago. Like a carnival ride...I want to go again!
Craig Shoemaker
Comic, “The Love Master”
Mariana Williams prose is bubbly and her dialogue crackles with humor and truth. She is a good story teller to boot. Stars or Stripes 4th of July is not only a fun read but will leave you wanting a sequel.
Tracey Jackson
Author, screenwriter and blogger
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Singer Veronica Bennet performs for a season at a lush resort in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Putting on a 4th of July talent show, is when things go south. Veronica is forced to meet the ransom of a crime as murky as the Carolina coastline. When you are a stranger in town, who can you trust?
EXCERPT FROM STARS or STRIPES 4th of JULY
A Veronica Bennett Story by Mariana Williams
Chapter 1 Sydney, Australia
“And so I’ve decided—we’ll make love every other time we, uh, see each other.” I cleared my throat. “Instead of every time.”
Jack’s eyes smiled over the top of his coffee cup. Sitting with his back against the bed’s ornate headboard, wearing the hotel’s plush robe with the collar circling his chiseled jaw, he looked positively regal. His dark hair was slept into peaks and valleys and he needed a shave but a sly grin made him boyishly cute. “Okay.” He tilted his head, with an expression one would use when standing in front of a Jackson Pollack painting. I let go of the door handle and my purse slid off my shoulder and down my arm, weighing heavy on my wrist. I squared my shoulders and spouted my memorized speech. “Since I’ve been in Sydney we’ve hardly worked on the book. You know I’m grateful to be here—the Park Hyatt is gorgeous.” I waved toward the expansive window overlooking the glistening harbor. “But I’ve flown fourteen hours and we need to finish your biography, Jack. Not just shag in the suite.”
“I’m not sure ‘shag’ is the word used here in Australia. You may be quoting Austin Powers.”
************
Losing at that hand, Veronica flees Jack's suite. Desperate to heal her pride, she boards the first plane out of Australia and nabs a gig playing piano for the summer in the resort town, Hilton Head Island. She embraces the solitary life of musician by night, and by day works on her book and her tan. Not necessarily in that order. Immediately she's assigned the task of producing an American Idol type talent show to bring in a crowd on Independence Day. A month later she's borrowing thousands to pay a kidnapper's ransom. Misinterpreting a psychic's warning and playing love's fool, Veronica skips down a path as sinister as a gator's smile.
