I’m happy to be hosting a stop on the book tour for Kerry Taylor’s “Blind Daring” (organized by Penelope Bartotto’s Across the Universe Book Tours).

And heee’s our author for today, Kerry Taylor

A single mom of three living in Madrid, Kerry Taylor has been through many tugs-of-war in her life – from being stalked and abused to separated from her estranged husband – all while expressing her life through writing in different forms.

She has released a series of autobiographies in the form of short stories and poetry: Stones of My Heart, Life’s Pebbles, Emotional Rollercoaster of a Single Mom, and Gravels of Moments.

You can find Kerry at her blog, Goodreads and Smashwords.  Here’s an interview with Kerry:

And about her book…it’s called “Blind Dating:

A light-hearted, funny romantic comedy – perfect for fans of Hilary Boyd, Christina Lauren, Lindsey Kelk, Deborah Cooke, Claire Cross, and Jill Mansell.

When mid-forties, divorced, single-mother-of-three, Kimberly, realizes her own mother has more of a life than she does, she decides to do something about it. Encouraged by success stories from people at work, she joins a dating chat room, ICQ, which starts to rock her world.

All of a sudden she’s a swinging single, online, with extreme dates, a little dirty talk, and a sense of her new, sexy self— until that fateful moment when her long-time chat-room buddy, LonelySingle, wants to meet.

“Are you trying to find a man on Facelook?” her Mom questions, after years of being told it is Facebook!

What if he doesn’t like her?

What if she doesn’t like him?

These are the thoughts, inside her head. Until they meet and realise, that they have been friends offline as well as online!

What happens next?

A light-hearted, romantic comedy about a single mom finding true love, which was right before her eyes.

And here’s a brief excerpt…

OK, I am going to look for the piece of paper Pamela wrote the website on and if I cannot find it, then I will simply ask her. I do not want to ask her face-to-face. Actually, I do not want to ask her.

“Kimberly, are you listening?” My boss is calling me.

“Can you come to my office, please?”

“Sure,” I reply.

I go into his office with my notepad and pen, ready to take notes. Then, he asks me the oddest question in the world: “Do you think I am attractive?”

“Not sure how to respond to this one,” I reply.

I know there is one of two ways; if I say no, he will feel rejected. If I say yes, it will be a lie.

I reply, “Sure some ladies out there would find you attractive.”

He asks, “So, do you think I am attractive?”

That is the wrong question next to:

How old do you think I am?

Do you think I am fat?

Do you think I am short?

Why do people insist in asking such questions – and always to me!

The phone rings; I am so relieved. I wanted the floor to take me up and suck me before. But now I am thinking and looking at him, realising for the first time in eight years, I have never looked at this man. My mom asked me if Derek was single, and the reply is yes, but I have never thought of him as anything else but my boss, and I keep it that way.

You can buy it at Amazon, the Apple iBook store, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and CreateSpace.

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The Dream Series was featured yesterday at Raven’s Reviews, and today it stops at Teracia’s Book Hoarding Problem.  Check it out!

Also, be sure to check out the Virtual Book Fair today!

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Friend and regular reader Gene Demaitre sent me this interesting article from io9 – “25 classic sci-fi movies you must watch.”

It’s not a bad list, and I’ve seen 21 of the 25 movies on it.  But my list would be a little bit different.  It’s roughly in order of when they were released, but I didn’t go to IMDB to check every single one…

Metropolis
Day the Earth Stood Still
Forbidden Planet
Godzila (the orignal)
2001
Planet of the Apes
Soylent Green (or Rollerball, Silent Running, Logan’s Run – pick your favorite early 70’s dystopia)
Star Wars
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 version, but you could swap for the 1958)
Superman: the Movie
Close Encounters
Alien
Blade Runner
Terminator
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II
Empire Strikes Back
E.T.
Back to the Future
Robocop
Brazil
Akira
The Fifth Element
Dark City
WALL-E

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The Virtual Book Tour continues – today it’s at Reader’s Candy, with another very nice review of Dream Student.

This Saturday is the weekly Virtual Book Fair, which you should definitely check out.

Work continues on Book #5.  I’m just about at the halfway point.  The plot will speed up with a very nasty incident that’s coming up in chapter 9…

Remember that you can listen to my radio interview on Blog Talk Radio anytime you like, just by clicking here.  And I’ll be on again, on a different show with host Elaine Raco Chase, on June 6th.

You can also listen to the ten minute audiobook sample: Dream Student Audiobook Sample.  The full audiobook should be out next month.

Finally, if you’ve downloaded and read Dream Student or any of the other books in the Dream series, please go to my Amazon author page (and/or my Goodreads page, if you want to post reviews there, too) and review them.  And if you haven’t read any of the Dream books, they’re only $2.99 on Kindle (and if you have another e-reader, you can buy and download books #2, 3 and 4 from Smashwords in any of several convenient formats).

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The bok tour for the Dream Series continues.  Today it’s at Kay LaLone’s blog, I Love Books.  If you follow the link, you can read her 5-star review of Dream Student!  And if you click on Dream Student, you can buy it yourself!

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I’ve got a fantastic indie author for you to meet today: Donna Hawk, author of “Of Stone and Mist”

Here’s what Donna says about herself:

My name is Donna Hawk. I’ve been a middle school teacher for 33 years. I taught Reading, mostly, but also I’ve taught a variety of things: yearbook, photography, creative writing, social studies… the list seems endless. I truly enjoy that age kids. I retired two years ago because I wanted to devote time to writing. I live in a small town, on a farm with my husband, a dog, and a whole bunch of cows. I know everyone in town, so writing is a good way to escape! I am also an avid photographer.

You can find Donna at her blog, on Twitter and also on Facebook.

And we have a brief interview with her:

Q: Do you use a pen name?

A: Yes, kinda. I write with my maiden name so I can separate my married self from my author self and people still recognize me. I’m afraid if I used a totally different name, I may not recognize myself!

Q: Do you listen to music while you write?

A: Actually, I don’t. I want to. But my brain sometimes goes on a tangent and I’ll find myself staring off into space singing and bopping around and NOT WRITING. Trust me, everyone is better off if I don’t sing. 🙂

Q: Beatles or Monkees?

A: Duh, Monkees. Fifth grade, I was a total spaz for them and my cousin got to see them in concert. I still haven’t forgiven her. That was over 45 years ago. I know…sad.

Q: If you could apologize to someone in your past, who would it be?

A: I had a penpal from Sweden. I got a chance to go to Sweden to see her in 2007. I knew she had cancer. Unfortunately, six weeks after I returned home, she passed away. I never told her how much I loved her. I definitely owe her an apology for that.

Q: Are the names of the characters in your novels important?

A: Yes. Sometimes I change them several times before I get them right. When I have the right name, I almost always know it. Sometimes I struggle.

Q: What is the hardest part about writing your books?
A: Consistency. Sometimes I’m afraid my “voice” will change from day to day or mood to mood. Generally, from those who have read my work as I went along, I’ve discovered my voice isn’t as troublesome as my facts. I find myself making tons of scribbles and notes on paper beside my computer to keep my facts straight. I still get tripped up once in a while. I’m getting better, though.

And now to the book, “Of Stone and Mist”,  which you can buy at Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

It’s all photographer Jessa Bennett can do to understand the bizarre, unnatural world of speaking to dead ancestors that Maria believed in, but Maria has been missing for three years, and everyone assumes Mitch Conner has gotten away with murder.

Hired by Maria’s parents to find out why, Jessa clandestinely snoops in Mitch’s historic home, Bristol House. She finds more questions than answers: what is the medallion key to the dead world; why does she keep feeling like her mornings are repeating; and why does the postcard of Bristol House keep changing? But mostly, why does Maria’s ghost show up first in Jessa’s camera, then in her dreams? What does Maria want?

The ghosts of Bristol House come alive to draw Jessa into a world she didn’t think existed outside of nightmares, and she uncovers a hundred and fifty year old secret in order to solve the mystery of the missing young woman.

And we’ve also got a brief excerpt:

Though sealed tight, she became aware of a bright light penetrating her eyelids. She blinked and squinted, but the pain stabbed through her optic nerve like a scalpel. She wanted to shut her eyes and bow her back and writhe away from the light, but she was still immobile, drenched in sweat.

After a time, though, she became used to the light. It was less harsh and even inviting. It called to her; wanted something from her. Its power consumed her. Putting her elbows on the table in front of her, she leaned into the light, peering closely as if it was telling her secrets. Surprised, she sat back suddenly. The tiny room where she was sitting was stark and bare, dark except for the light shining down on the plain square table.

She shivered in her thin, white hospital gown, and wondered for a terrified moment if it was open at the back. Then her mind wandered again, and she became consumed once more by the bright light shining down on her and the table.

Besides the light, she realized she wasn’t alone, and that the room wasn’t completely empty. Across from her sat a young woman, beautiful, staring at her and waiting to be noticed. Jessa squinted, though it was hard to see much through the bright beam of light.

When she did finally recognize the woman, she realized it was someone she’d never seen before, but she knew the face. Intimately. She also knew, with certainty, that this woman, here with her now, was dead.

I’ll be posting a review myself in the next few days, but in the meantime, you should definitely check it out for yourself, and give Donna’s website a visit, too – you won’t regret it!

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I saw this at Margaret Tidwell’s blog, The World as I See It (she was kind enough to host my book last week), and I thought I’d borrow it myself…

1.) Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?  Closed, although sometimes at night the cat will open them and go in for a while
2.) Do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? Yes!
3.) Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Out.
4.) Have you ever stolen a street sign?  No, but for a while I had one someone else stole in my dorm room in college.
5.) Do you cut out coupons and then never use them?  Sometimes.
6.) Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?  A bear.  My death would be quicker, I think.
7.)Do you always smile for pictures?  I try, but it never ends up looking that way.
8.) Do you ever count your steps when you walk?  Nope!.
9.) Have you ever peed in the woods?  No.  Why would I go into the woods in the first place?
10.) Do you still watch cartoons?  Absolutely!
11.) Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?  I’m not telling you.  They call it “hidden” for a reason.
12.) What do you drink with dinner?  Usually water.  Sometimes coca-cola.
13.) What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Sweet & Sour or Barbecue sauce.
14.) What movies could you watch over and over and still love?  Too many to list, really.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy has been on cable recently, and I’ve been bits of it every few days.
15.) Were you ever a boy scout?  Nope.
16.) Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?  Dear God, no.
17.) Can you change the oil on your car?  Don’t have a car.  Couldn’t change the oil if I did have one.
18.) Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?  Nope.
19.) Afraid of heights?  Somewhat.  If I’m inside, even a very tall height doesn’t bother me, but outdoors…eek.
20.) Do you sing in the car?  Yep!

21.) Is Christmas stressful?  No, it’s the happiest time of year.  And by Christmas, I mean November 1st through at least mid-January (longer if the Giants are still in the NFL playoffs)

22.) Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid.  Astronaut.
23.) Do you believe in ghosts?  Yes.
24.) The first concert you ever went to.  REM
25.) Walmart, Target, or Kmart?  Target.
26.) Nike or Adidas?  Asics.
27.) Can you curl your tongue?  Yes
28.) Have you ever cried because you were so happy?  Yes.  The last time was watching the victory parade after the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI.
29.) The last concert you saw?  “Show Boat” performed by the Washington National Opera.
30.) Can you swim well?  Yes.
31.) Can you knit or crochet? No.  It seems horribly difficult.
32.) Are you a dog person or a cat person?  Both.  But right now I’m more “cat-owned” than a cat person.

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I’ve got a great fifteen minute interview today, on The Authors Show.  It’s playing all day long, so click on by any time to listen to it!

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The Dream Series virtual tour moves on to Out of Control Characters this morning.  Please stop by and give it a look!

There’s a character interview with Sara’s best friend Beth, and there are also glowing reviews of all four books, so it’s definitely worth your time to stop on over there!

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The first stop on the big Dream series Virtual Book Tour is Cu’s Blog Tours.  Check it out!

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