Winner of the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award, Love Tag is a novel of betrayal and infidelity that ultimately celebrates love, courage and hope.
Phil Tag, already a successful and devoted family man, is driven to prove he's a winner. Past dirty tricks pale next to present treachery when Tag attempts to settle a grudge with an old adversary, while megabucks and reputations hang in the balance.
Meanwhile, Phil's nineteen-year-old adopted son locates his birth mother, a beautiful woman who becomes immersed in the emotional rip tides that sweep the Tag family into uncharted waters.
As Ellen Tag watches her family disintegrate, she buries herself in church volunteer work that her handsome pastor appreciates far more than he should. Ellen, feeling neglected at home, finds herself drawn to the priest who helped her son battle alcohol and drugs.
Numerous twists and turns obstruct any hope of resolving the many conflicts in Love Tag. Can the Tag family find the happiness that has so sadly eluded them?
Excerpt
She leaned toward him, elbows on the table, fingers knitted beneath her chin. "So you've decided to find your birth parents. Little scary, isn't it?"
He nodded.
"You've come to the right bounty hunter. If I can't find 'em, they ain't findable."
She giggled in a breathy way that gave him a rise and kind of made him want to laugh. But the thought of all the other social workers and pyschologists his parents had taken him to put a brake on that impulse. Bunch of con artists. Maybe not on the surface, or to begin with, but sooner or later they all tried to con you into doing their stuff. So you played along with their game and in the end you conned them. Most of the time they didn't even know it, or didn't let on, because if they did they'd be admitting they'd lost, and nobody needed failed cases.
"Let me answer a few questions in advance," she said. "Number one, how long does it take? My search rarely takes more than six months. Usually less. Number two, what's my success rate? Better than ninety percent if they still live in the state. Three, cost. Based on your ability to pay. We'll talk about that later, so don't worry about it in the meantime. Four, how do birth parents react? Varies all over the place, from elation to anger."
Jeez, what is she, a CPA? Everything is one, two, three.
"Let me tell you their legal options. One, they can agree to see you. Two, provide you with current non-identifying information, and not see you. Three, refuse to see you and refuse to give information." She leaned back and smiled. "You knew most of that, right?"
She seemed straight. Just kind of weird, maybe? "Where do you start? I mean, it's got to be tough to find somebody after nineteen years."
She smiled and shook her head.
"How long do you think it'll take?"
"Bet you a beer I find your mother in two months. Ha! I wouldn't have to pay off for two years anyway, when you're legal."
"What happens next?"
She opened a manila folder. "First, here's some literature for you to read." She laid two pamphlets on the table. They were loaded with print. David flinched.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
"No."
She hesitated a moment before resuming. "Second, complete this genetic search form before you leave. See me if you have any questions. Third, don't sign the form. Think about it for a week. Then sign it or tear it up. Okay?"
"I'll sign it."
As if from nowhere, she brought out a playing card and placed it on the table. It was the five of hearts. "This is you," she said, touching the lone heart in the center. She pointed to the two hearts at the top of the card. "You know and love these two hearts. Do you want to know the other two?"
Professional Reviews
Along the Way
Love Tag is the story of a family with secrets, infidelities and much turmoil. I was drawn immediately into the story, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. Phil Tag and his wife Ellen are the parents of two teenagers, Jessica and David, who were adopted as infants. The story begins on the day of David's graduation from high school, and is immediately followed by David's announcement that he wants to find his birth parents. The story could be about any typical family, with the teenagers trying to find their place in the world. The four members of this family are pulled in different directions, each with their own personal agenda. As David's search for his birth parents progresses, he begins a rather unconventional relationship with the social worker handling his case. Ellen, the mother, is a former nurse and a devout Catholic. She devotes all of her free time to helping out at the church, and soon finds herself involved in more than church activities with the parish priest. Unresolved issues with an old university acquaintance come to the forefront when Phil is trying to seal a business deal, and David's birth mother is also involved in the same contract. So many twists and turns, and you never know what is going to happen next. This book will keep you turning pages, as you need to find out how everything is finally going to end. A very enjoyable read!
Janet Ruth
Fascinationg Authors
Peter Shianna has produced a scenario that too often seems to occur today. The protagonist is a boy from a blue collar family who enters the university with hopes for a career in baseball. He is thwarted by one of the "wealthier" boys, but continues his education to obtain a degree in law. He never forgets the wealthy boy and the cause of his shortened athletic career, however. His career moves into insurance and, with a partner, becomes highly successful with all of the toys associated--club memberships, lakeside summer home with boats, private airplane, etc.
His wife is a former nurse whom he loves, and he has an adopted son and daughter, both of whom become problem children for reasons prevalent among contemporary teenagers. Additionally, the son decides he wishes to find his natural parents and from this point, the story moves into high gear. He acquires an unusual social case worker, finds his mother, learns about his natural father, and everyone's life begins to fall into place.
Unfortunately, interaction begins to accelerate among the characters. The parish priest begins to show more than a religious interest in the wife, who is a devout Catholic and spends much time and energy with projects for the church. The protagonist's company gains a huge contract that requires the expertise of the son's natural mother. The former "wealthy boy" is an important cog in the company offering the contract. The hero finds an opening to "get even" and proceeds to attempt to do so. Simultaneously, he succumbs to middle age syndrome with attraction to the natural mother.
The description just presented is every bit as involved as it appears, but to expand it would spoil an enjoyable read. The author has so deftly woven the various components into a tight plot that it seems real and, as stated previously, could be a scenario from any of a number of situations that, with variations, play themselves out almost daily in our society.
Peter Shianna has created living people that include all of the faults one can readily believe to be there. Enjoy.
John Manhold
Fascinating Authors
A story of cheating, disloyalty and egotism. From the first page, I was brought into the lives of this dysfunctional family of Mom, Dad and two very troubled, adopted children-- scratch that, young adults. The son has just graduated from high school and is not sure what he wants to do next and the daughter is fighting a war with anorexia and trying to fit in.
Phil Tag, the father, is very obsessed with becoming a winner in his field. He has everything a successful businessman could ever wish for, but is not satisfied and seems to want more. Not being satisfied with his lot in life, he undertakes a plan to get even with an old foe from college who has always had it in for him. This person is an executive in a company that Phil and his partner are trying to do financial planning for. There are many millions of dollars involved and Phil is having a difficult time getting around his nemesis. This takes up so much of his time that he doesn't seem to realize that his family is falling apart in front of him. His newly graduated son has decided to find his birth parents. His daughter is trying to beat her anorexia, but not succeeding, and his wife is throwing herself into church volunteer work that has brought her to the attention of a very good-looking clergyman who is much more aware of her than he should be. As Phil's personal and business life start to fall apart, things get pretty glum.
Despite everything, or maybe because of everything, I found myself enjoying this book. I felt sorry for the family and even for Phil. He is so wrapped up in being a success that he overlooks all the good things in his life and is able to concentrate on only the material things.
I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy adult fiction. The characters are interesting and believable, and the book moves along at a fast pace and doesn't get bogged down by any back story. I'm sure there are many families that have gone through similar situations, and this book is extremely realistic.
Mary Lignor
Five years have passed. The sequel to the award-winning Chapel of Eternal Love, this book revisits the same couples in the first book, and where the lives have taken them since they left the altar at The Chapel of Eternal Love
The gifted and fascinating Urban Poet, Asa D Seeley, once again speaks. He introduces a New Genre of Poetry...Reality Confrontation. Juxtaposed with Essay and staying true to his unique style, Asa brings a breath of...fresh air...to the world of poet
