Reading is SEXY

Because reading is smart. Smart is beautiful. Beautiful is SEXY. The Vast Landscape is soul stirring, emotional, authentic, raw truth in a moment of chaos when the whole world could use, something beautiful. Faith. Strength. Love. Hope.
Fine Lit., Not Chick Lit.

#1 Fiction Indie Proud

Amazon Readers *****

“A glimpse inside the intimate, very personal view of a world. ”
Colleague| 5 reviewers made a similar statement

“Filled with raw emotion..a page turner from the start! ”
Kathy Aiello| 6 reviewers made a similar statement

“This is a sisterhood amongst girlfriends that are there for each other through the good times and the bad. ”
Amalia Colyer| 2 reviewers made a similar statement

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Book Review: THE VAST LANDSCAPE by Jacqueline Cioffa

The Vast Landscape is a journey, a pilgrimage, a walk filled with doubt, mistrust, fame, self-discovery and a life lived, big and bold. The carnival ride comes full circle. The Vast Landscape sucks you in from the very first page and keeps you there, holding your breath. Harrison, the complicated, fearless, brash, messy heroine on her quest to find inner peace in spite of her flaws. Raw, emotional, honest to a fault, The Vast Landscape keeps you guessing and wanting more. A love story so bittersweet it leaves an acrid taste in the mouth and teardrops made out of sea salt. Can Harrison strip away the armor? Unmask the beautiful person hiding all along? It’s a simple question. All roads lead back to, Zack.

via Book Review: THE VAST LANDSCAPE by Jacqueline Cioffa.

A Place in the Heart

The Vast Landscape has a place in the heart, all its own.

Never. quit. your. dreams.

A touching, humbling reader comment.

‘Jackie~ for quite some time I thought you were the main character in your well written book, full of emotion. I know now you are not but perhaps bits are you ! WOW! The intense sensitivity throughout the middle of the book brought me to tears several times. (and not just an occasional tear but I’m talking that ugly cry!) Your ability to elicit such pure and deep emotion is incredible. “Perception is not always reality.” “The love of a solid man priceless.” and “Lose the load and gain the insight.” ~ Heartfelt advice that resonated with me. I enjoyed it and look forward to Georgia Pine!’

truth sitting in fiction. life, that tugs at your core, emotional, authentic, raw and heartfelt

Origins

I could live inside the world of film. A matinee during the week, when the whole world is at work, one of my most favorite things. Moving images. Images so crucial to how my writing process works. Boots and a bag. Simple, basic image right? Not so much, the picture stays with me for weeks, turning over possibilities, the jumping off point.

Those boots and that bag left home with me at eighteen, the naive girl with movie star dreams. Passing them down to Harrison, the protagonist in The Vast Landscape allowed me the freedom to visit worlds I would never see. The sunburst orange, black diamond jagged beach, I see in fantasy. Picturing the house so clearly, I can feel the jagged edges of the wood, splintered fingers, precise dimensions of sand, time granules as they slip through my fingers. The Vast Landscape leads to Georgia Pine., symbiotic. One story does not exist without the other. Much like us humans, we cannot thrive without our tribe. The breathtaking ethereal, haunting girl, gazing out into reflective pools of water, somber and mysterious. Flowing locks of crimson, scream come with me. I’ll tell you a story. And, so I go willingly into the dreamstate, the image drawing me in. Into the intimate, still images, the matinee that does not end abruptly in one afternoon.

truth sitting in fiction. life, that tugs at your core, emotional, authentic, meaningful and heartfelt

boots and a bag. The origin, creation of Harrison the protagonist. Harrison is beautiful, messy chaos.

Faint whispers drift down from the stars into the evergreen, clapboard cottage. The Cove, a mystic beach, sea, sun, stars and moon sanctuary. Harrison’s refuge.

Gatekeeper, descendant and fixer of Harrison’s family, Georgia Pine. The crimson child with blazing hair and fire belly will do as she’s told, not before she’s ready. Pyre and brimstone, gut-instinct to guide her.

 

 

 

He Ain’t Ugly Fo’ Sure

I told my therapist today if The Vast Landscape stunk, I would’ve stopped writing. And, had A LOT of time on my hands. Apparently, it did not.

An awesome Friday afternoon email. Thank you, kind reader. I love receiving your feedback. The Zack comment was THE BEST, made me LMAO!
…yeah, he’s oh so Dr. Pretty. And yes KM, wait until you meet Jake in Georgia Pine.
He ain’t ugly fo’ sure.
THE VAST LANDSCAPE REVIEW (email)
“OMG my friend, you are amazing!!! I just finished it and cannot wait for Georgia Pine…………..what a wonderful read!!! Couldn’t put it down, would have read right through but life happens….
But WOW, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it…………..bought it at Downtown Books and Coffee. And does Zack have an older brother or can you clone one for me??? He sounds perfect………………”

“Jacqueline Cioffa’s novel “The Vast Landscape” is not a memoir, but the story shares elements with the author’s 17-year career as an international fashion model.”- auburnpub.com

Sunburst Orange Safety

                                                                              Right here I’ve been. Five years, or six? I lost track. From this chair. In this room. I recover, over and over. I type days and days, novelties. My view, the intimate, safe space where I am free. To be. The color I am. Black circular with the pinpoint hole starving for the light. Sick, oh yeah. I have been that. Not today. Today I am less unwell. I am sunburst orange,  slightly out of focus. The sun is out. Time to teak the lounge chairs. Put away summer season. This room I love, this space can wait.

 

‘One Times Four’ Georgia Pine.

Maybe I overthink it. Maybe I’m the fidgety, free-spirit bound by an overweighted body, so yes I do. I overthink it.

Perhaps, I think too much. Anticipating the one thousand steps in front of me, stuck inside the tens of thousands behind my back. I don’t know. I can’t fix the past, weave a sparkle plenty doll future where the waters remain oh so calm, indigo swaying temperate.

I. don’t. know. I call it straight, as I see it. Then, there are the convoluted thoughts, ice cubes smashing angry against the glass. We’re all connected, until we’re not.

Simplistic words of a child.

Until they’re the heartbreaking sounds, gut wrenching final good-bye from a beloved.

The precious one, we can not, will not, refuse to exist without. I overthink it, how could I not.

The Vast Landscape and GEORGIA PINE. symbiotic, extensions of my time here.

 

-excerpt from GEORGIA PINE.

by Jacqueline Cioffa

ONE TIMES FOUR

Georgia pulled the rocker close to her grandfather’s, almost touching. She needed to be near, reassured by the sounds of his breathing. Side by side, gliding back and forth. She had nowhere to go, nowhere she’d rather be. Mostly, she rocked while he nodded off. He was her most favorite person. She refused a life without him. Georgia knew what was coming. Maxine wasn’t the only one with a gift, she didn’t brag. Her grandmother was a fading memory, but Georgia could still recall the tight squeeze of her hand. How overtired giggly they got when she tucked her in. Harry whispered secrets in her ear.

http://www.amazon.com/THE-VAST-LANDSCAPE-Jacqueline-Cioffa-ebook/dp/B00H3P51LS