If you haven’t gotten into the Dream Series yet, there’s no better time than right now. The first three books are all on sale for $0.99 each…
AND, the Kindle Box Set with the first FIVE books (plus bonus material) is on sale, too, for just $4.99! It’s called A Box of Dreams, and it can be yours RIGHT NOW!
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JeanneGiveaway:
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Here’s another great indie author for you to meet – say hello to Ryan Gladney!
Ryan Gladney is the author of Nine Lives of Adam Blake, a contemporary novel set in Minnesota that combines elements of speculative fiction, urban fantasy, philosophical fiction, coming-of-age, and literary fiction. It was released in February 2014. For more information on Nine Lives of Adam Blake, visit the Book page.
Ryan was born in St. Louis, and has lived in Boston, Orange Country, Ann Arbor, Los Angeles, and Minnesota. He attended college at the University of Michigan. When not writing (or working), Ryan spends most of his time with his wife, son, and cats. He’s an active book-clubber, kickballer, bike-rider, brunch-eater, and live music aficionado. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
You can visit him at his website to learn more…
And here’s his book…
Adam Blake knows what fate awaits him after death. He has died before, and will die again, and always it’s the same. For Adam, there is no heaven, no hell, no reincarnation, or cold, final sleep. When he dies, his life flashes before his eyes; it rushes backward—nothing skipped or overlooked—until it stops, suddenly, at age twelve, one week after he had mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind his childhood home. Then, he wakes up.
Adam is cursed—or blessed—to relive the same life again and again, from this moment onward, regardless of how he lives, who he becomes, or what ultimately causes next his demise. He is free to right past wrongs, avoid past mistakes, pursue any interest and chase any dream. But the longer Adam lives, the less anything matters but answers. He must know: Why is he stuck in this loop? What is its cause? How will it end? And what awaits him on the other side of death when it finally does?
You can buy it at Amazon, right now!
And, last but not least, I’ve got a great interview with Ryan…
Who is your favorite author?
Not sure I have a favorite, but there are a few authors I turn to again and again when I need a little inspiration/motivation to write. Hemingway, Vonnegut, Bradbury, and Mark Twain are a few.
How do you describe your writing style? Use no more than two sentences.
I love Flaubert’s concept of “le mot juste” (“the right word”). I try to write in a style that is direct and efficient but doesn’t skimp on elegance and substance.
Why should we read your book?
Because it’s amazing! Just kidding. I’ve had readers tell me that Nine Lives is the rare summer read that actually challenges your mind and lingers long after you are done. It deals with some heady issues, but through the lens of some quirky, colorful, and occasionally intoxicated characters who aren’t exactly well equipped to deal with much of what they face.
Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?
No. I’m not much like Adam at all, and the only thing I share with the rest of them is a hometown.
If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why?
Adam, on one of the days he dies. The way death happens to him would be exciting to experience once, but then I’d want to go back to being Ryan afterward.
What books have most influenced your life?
A Farewell to Arms, A Demon Haunted World, The Elements of Style, and From Where You Dream.
If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why?
…I just wrote something really cynical and mean and then deleted the entire paragraph. I’ll take a pass on this one.
Beatles or Monkees? Why?
Beatles! My son’s middle name is Lennon, for goodness’ sake!
Who should play you in a film of your life?
I’d say Channing Tatum, but he’s not quite muscular and handsome enough to play me. I don’t know. Maybe Ron Livingston? I need to give this more thought.
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I’ve got another fantastic author to introduce to you today. Meet Beverly Bateman…
I’m a Canadian author and live in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, BC. It’s beautiful country with lots of large lakes, beautiful beaches, orchards of apples, pears, peaches plus raspberries, blueberries and lots of other fresh produce. And of course, it’s wine country. We have world class wines which I feel is my obligation to taste.
You can follow Beverly at:
Facebook Authorpage – http://www.facebook.com/AuthorBeverleyBateman?ref=hl
Twitter @kelownawriter
Blog http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/okwriter
Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Beverley-Bateman/e/B008M01F5E
BLOG – http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/beverley.bateman.18
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7052567.Beverley_Bateman
Webpage http://www.beverleybateman.com
Or you can email her: babateman@shaw.ca
And here’s her book…
Arson,arms dealing, murder and the ATF – Holly Devine’s newest assignment immediately tosses her back into the world of the wealthy Miami social lifestyle. A woman is reported missing by her sister, but the husband says his wife isn’t missing. Who’s telling the truth? Why is one of them lying? And where is the wife?
You can buy it right now:
Amazon http://amzn.to/1iQ5ry4
Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/a-murder-to-forget
I’ve got a great interview with Beverly…
Who is your favorite author? Nora Roberts and her alter ego J.D Robb. Her characters are well-developed and you fall in love with them – especially Rourke.
How do you describe your writing style? Use no more than two sentences. It’s plot driven with strong female heroines who are smart and work through their own challenges to reach their goals
Why should we read your book?
Good question – because it’s great?J Actually A Murder To Forget has a good plot and I don’t think there are any books with ex-wealthy private investigators, an Alzheimer’s friend set in Miami and supporting male characters in Interpol and the ATF.
Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?
No, but probably a little bit of myself sneaks into a lot of them.
If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why?
That’s a difficult question. I’m not sure I want the challenges they face, but I guess I’d have to say Holly Devine in A Murder to Forget (where she doesn’t have amnesia.) She’s smart, discovering herself, sensitive and involved with a couple of sexy men.
What books have most influenced your life? Honestly, I think I’d have to say The Power of Positive Thinking. I found it when I was diagnosed breast cancer the first time and it helped me become a survivor. And I’ve read it many more times and use it as a basis for living – always be positive.
I’ve bought and given this book to others, recommended it many people facing challenges and read it many times myself.
If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why? That’s hard. When I read good writers there’s nothing I’d want to touch, whether literary, romance or suspense. I guess I’d say Michael Connelly.
I love his stories, but I’d like a romantic interest and a believable female POV. Some men have a challenge thinking like a woman.
Beatles or Monkees? Monkees – I loved Mickey and their great song “I’m a Believer.”
Who should play you in a film of your life? Meryl Streep – she’s such a great actress she could even play someone like me.
Last, but definitely not least, here’s an excerpt from the book for you…
“Hi, it’s Holly Devine. I’m from the Capelleti Detective Agency.”
It was a few seconds before the buzzer rang.
Holly opened the door and stepped into a small entry. There was no elevator. She tramped up the well-worn stairs. On the second floor, she checked the numbers on the doors and started down the hall.
A door to her right opened.
“Yes?” A woman in her early thirties stood there.
She was taller than Holly, maybe five feet six and heavier. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore no makeup or jewelry.
“Can I help you?” Her icy blue eyes stared at Holly.
“Holly Devine, from the Capelleti Detective Agency. Mr. Capelleti asked me to look into your report that your sister is missing.”
“You don’t look like a detective.”
“I’m a newer member of the team. These cases are my specialty.” Holly crossed her fingers behind her back.
“I see. Do you have identification?”
“Oh, sure,” Holly opened her purse, fumbled through her wallet and eventually found an old photo ID card. She’d rummaged through some old boxes in the attic and found it. Mickey said he should have her replacement identification ready by the weekend.
“Here you go.”
The woman accepted it and stared at it and then at Holly. She handed the card back.
“Thank you. Please come in. I’m Millie Gudron. I was afraid Victor might have sent you to try and keep me quiet.”
The woman stepped to one side. Holly edged past her into the living room. The furnishings were simple and older; an overstuffed beige corduroy couch and matching chair, a rocker, a wood and glass coffee table and a corner shelf.
“Please, have a seat. Thank you for coming. I didn’t know what else to do. I’m afraid that something has happened to my sister.”
Holly sat in the handcrafted rocking chair the sister indicated.
“Victor? Why would he want to keep you quiet?”
“Because I’m sure he’s done something to my sister and he doesn’t want anybody to check on her.”
Holly perched on the edge of the chair to prevent herself from rocking. “I see. Maybe you can tell me what makes you think your sister is missing.”
“I haven’t heard from her in over a week. Can I get you a cup of tea?”
“That would be lovely.” Holly dug out her notepad and pencil.
“Is chamomile all right?”
“That sounds perfect. A week isn’t long. She might be busy and forgot to call.”
“I know it doesn’t sound like it’s a long time, but my sister and I are very close. When our parents died, I looked after Mitzi. I’m five years older. We talk every day or every other day at the latest. Even if she’s away somewhere, she always calls me.”
Millie returned with a small tray and placed it on the coffee table. She poured Holly a cup and passed it over carefully. “Help yourself to the cream and sugar.”
“No, I’m good.”
“Would you like lemon? I think I have some.”
“No, clear is fine. Thank you.” Holly took a sip and burned the tip of her tongue. She put the cup down.
“When I talked to her last week, she told me Victor was angry. She said she was frightened. She didn’t know what he might do to her. She planned to tell me why when she saw me because Victor often listened in on her phone calls.
“When I didn’t hear from her for two days, I called and talked to Victor, her wonderful husband. He was abrupt and told me Mitzi had gone and hung up on me. I was frustrated. I went out to see him. He was furious that I’d come and wouldn’t let me in the house. When I pressured him, he said she’d run off with the golf pro and good riddance to both of them.”
“I see.” Holly scribbled furiously.
“I know she didn’t run off with the golf pro. She would have told me if that was her plan, or dropped by here before they left town. She’d never even told me she was interested in the golf pro. I know Victor is a liar. He’s done something to my sister. I know he has. I don’t know what, but I have to find out, whatever it is. Can you help me?” Millie asked.
“Look, I didn’t know you or your sister, but are you sure there’s no way she would have run off with a man without telling you? It might have been a spur of the moment thing and once they’re settled in Mexico, or wherever, she’ll call and let you know where she is.”
“No, she’d never do that. I know Mitzi.”
“I’ll talk to the golf pro and see what he says.”
“I understand what you’re saying. I know I sound a little over protective. Some people considered our dependence on each other abnormal. I know Victor hated it. It’s just we were all we had, for so long. When our parents died, we sort of looked after each other, even though I was older. Mitzi brightened up my life. We never go more than a day or two without keeping in touch. It’s who we are.” Millie shrugged.
“Her husband says she’s run off with the golf pro and isn’t too worried. Did he sound angry or upset?”
“Victor? No. Victor would never sound upset. I think he was angry because I phoned to check on Mitzi. He was mad at me, but basically Victor is cold and calculating. He married Mitzi because she is gorgeous. She won the Miss Miami Orange contest. She’s talented, too. He wanted her for an adornment when he entertained. Other than that he didn’t have much use for her. For that matter, I don’t think he has much use for any woman. He didn’t love her.”
“Did Mitzi love him?”
“I think she did when she first met him. He showered her with gifts and expensive trips. She was young and easily impressed. He turned her head. It didn’t last long.”
“I see. Why didn’t she leave him?”
“He would have killed her. She was his property.” Millie replied.
“But even if he didn’t love her, if someone’s run off with his property, wouldn’t he be upset?”
Millie sighed. “No. He’d be furious; the same as if you walked into your home and found a thief had violated it. He’d kill them both if it happened. Then find another ornament to decorate his arm.”
“So, you think he’s killed your sister?” Holly asked.
“Yes. I’m afraid that’s what he’s done. There’s no other reason she wouldn’t have called me. And it wouldn’t be because she ran off with someone. There has to be another reason.”
“Oh God, you didn’t say anything about a murder.” A shiver twisted snake-like down Holly’s spine. “If you think she’s been killed, you should talk to the police. They’re the ones who should look into this,
not a private investigator.”
“I talked to the police. They’re not interested. She hasn’t been missing that long and Victor says she’s run off with the golf pro.”
“But did you tell them what you suspected?”
“Yes, and they laughed. Victor Santiago has money and power and is an important man. I’m nobody. The police say it’s a domestic issue. Even when husbands say they plan to kill their wives, they usually don’t. They did talk to Victor. He was very convincing about her disappearance.”
“So you want me to find out if Victor murdered your sister.”
“Yes. A part of me hopes that she has run off with the golf pro, or that Victor has locked her in her room, to teach her a lesson, but I’m sure he’s killed her. I have to know the truth.” Tears spilled over and trickled down Millie’s cheek. She swiped at them with the back of her hand.
“I’m sorry. I’m probably being a nuisance, but honestly, I don’t know what else to do.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’re doing the right thing. Do you have a picture of Mitzi?”
“Of course, I’ll get it for you.” Millie swiped at her eyes and left the room.
“Do you know any of her friends?”
“She didn’t have any. Victor made sure of that. He kept her isolated from friends and family. She went to the country club to play golf and she went shopping. That’s about it. And she had a chauffeur for those activities. There were a couple of girls at the country club that she played golf with. I’ll write their names down for you.” Millie came back into the room and handed a photograph to Holly.
Holly looked at the photo of a young woman, maybe in her late twenties, with long blonde hair and soulful blue eyes. “She is beautiful.”
“Yes. That’s what got her into this mess. She was young and naïve. Victor overwhelmed her with his money. She expected to live the life of Cinderella. It turned out to be more like Rapunzel, but Rapunzel escaped. I don’t think Mitzi did.”
Holly dropped the photo into her purse. “I’ll do what I can. I don’t have a lot to go on.”
“I understand. Anything you can find out, anything at all, I’ll appreciate it. The fact you listened to me and will try to find her makes me feel a little better. I don’t know what I’ll do without her, but I don’t think I can live if I don’t know where she is or what happened to her.” Millie dabbed at the corner of her eye.
“It will probably be a couple of days before I get back to you.”
“If you think of anything else, or your sister calls, you can get a message to me through the office. You have the number?”
“Yes, but she won’t call.” Millie said. A tear caught in her throat. “She can’t.”
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I’ve got about 26,000 words written on book 8, “Dream Vacation” and I think I’ve got the whole thing pretty much mapped out. Hopefully I can pick up the pace and get things moving a little faster.
I’ve also got 17,000 words written for book 9, “Shattered Dream” (3-4 chapters near the end of the book, actually). And that book has its villain, who is pretty much “ripped from the headlines” (well, the headlines of 2007-8, which is when the book is set).
Work should begin any day now on the audiobook recording of “Waking Dream” and “Dream Reunion”, and, also, “Dream Student” is being translated into FOUR different foreign languages (Spanish, Italian, German and Portugese). So there’s a lot going on!
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I’m happy to introduce you to another great author this morning…meet Kristin Wallace!
Growing up Kristin devoured books like bags of Dove Dark Chocolate. Her first Golden Book led to Laura Ingalls Wilder, Nancy Drew, C.S. Lewis and the Sweet Valley High series. Later, she discovered romance novels and fell in love all over again. It’s no surprise then that Kristin would one day try her hand at writing them. She writes inspirational romance and women’s fiction filled with love, laughter and a leap of faith. When she’s not writing her next novel, Kristin works as an advertising copywriter. Kristin is the author of the Covington Falls Chronicles, romances set in a quirky Southern town with a character all its own. Be sure to check out the first two books in the series, Marry Me and Acting Up.
Connect with Kristin:
Website: http://KristinWallaceAuthor.com
Facebook – http://facebook.com/KristinWallaceAuthor
Twitter – http://twitter.com/KWallaceAuthor
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kristin-Wallace/e/B00G5KX80I
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7361414.Kristin_Wallace
And here’s the book!
Children’s author Emily Sinclair was supposed to be the next J.K. Rowling… Until her second book flopped and her imagination went on the fritz. So Emily sets out on an epic adventure to find inspiration again. Till a dead car lands her in Covington Falls, Georgia. Soon Emily is taking up her quest, looking for inspiration driving a mobile library van, as a companion to a crotchety old woman and her insomniac dog, and as a very ungraceful baker’s assistant. Of course, what really sparks her romantic fantasies is a valiant hero, though he yields a paint roller instead of a sword.
Rugged, blue-collar Nate Cooper has spent most of his life avoiding the printed page. These days he doesn’t have much use for fancy words and certainly not for a slightly off-center writer on the lam. Not when his mother is battling cancer, his little brother has morphed into a teenaged ogre, and God seems to have taken a vacation.
On paper, these two would seem the least likely pairing, and a happily ever after nothing but fantasy. But with faith and imagination Emily and Nate are about to write a new chapter that will lead to unexpected love.
You can buy it at:
Amazon and Barnes & Noble
And here’s an excerpt…
Chapter One
A stomach-churning thunk. A disaster-laden chug. A scary, threatening gurgle.
Emily Sinclair’s hands clutched the steering wheel as she guided her how-could-you-give-out-on-me–now convertible to the side of the road. With a last ominous blunk and splutter, the car gave up the ghost.
She switched off the engine, waited a few seconds, and then turned the key again. Nothing.
Not surprising. As if anything glug-glugging like an octogenarian trying to cough up a lung was going to restart with so little effort.
A cranky yowl went up from the passenger seat. Emily glanced over at the pet carrier and sent the fat Persian inside a confident smile. “Don’t worry, Wordsworth. This is why modern man invented cell phones.”
She fished her phone out of her purse. A blank screen stared back at her. Pressing more buttons did nothing.
Dead as her car.
With a sound of disgust, Emily tossed the useless phone aside and stared out the windshield at the deserted country road in front of her. The very deserted country road that stretched around a sparkling blue lake and disappeared into the back of beyond. The kind of road featured in all the best horror stories. Emily’s mind conjured up every one, along with the opening line in the newspaper article.
Onceamous children’s author found mangled to death. Quest to locate her lost imagination and revive faded career ends in disaster… as her mother predicted.
Muttering an oath, Emily climbed out of the car and slammed the door as hard as she could. What a fix. And ironic. There were rules about writing. Not grammar rules, like where to put commas or when to use a semicolon. No, the unofficial rules for fiction writing. Chief among them is that an author should never start a novel with the character driving or thinking. No, readers wanted action right off the top, and the car could never break down.
In college, Emily had written a short story where the heroine’s car stalled in a typical these-people-will-murder-you-in-your-sleep town. Emily’s professor had written cliché in bold, red pen across the page. Not satisfied, she’d added boring cliché, underlining the boring with three thick red lines. The critique had stung. The fact that it had come courtesy of Professor Vanessa Sinclair, Emily’s mother, had been like ripping off an old bandage.
Emily was breaking all three cardinal rules of writing at once. Though technically the driving rule didn’t apply. Same for the sitting rule. She was thinking, though. Thinking her entire life had become a cliché, so what did it matter if she broke her mother’s precious writing rules? She was a one-hit writing wonder. A flash in the pan. A big-haired eighties’ rock band that had scored one giant hit and then disappeared into the oblivion of those nostalgic ‘Where are they now?’ music specials.
Emily sighed. If one had to break down somewhere, one could do worse than… what had the sign said back there? Covington something. Covington something, Georgia. Muted afternoon sun shimmered off the surface of the lake. She lifted a hand to ward off the eye-watering glare and focused on the water. In her previous life, the golden flecks of sunlight reflecting off its surface would have transformed into a million different kinds of fantastical creatures. Or maybe something nightmarish would charge out of that bank of oak trees across the lake.
Unfortunately, Emily was stuck in her real life, and her imagination was on the fritz.
Well, at least she wouldn’t die of water deprivation while she waited to be rescued.
Speaking of rescue.
A car had appeared, winding around the curve of the lake. A big ole’ country truck calling to mind hoedowns and hay rides. A big ole’ rusty truck, Emily realized as it drew closer. Burnt red growth spread out across the hood like a marauding band of Vikings overtaking a defenseless village. She imagined rust was the only thing holding the vehicle together.
The truck slowed and Emily tensed, torn between elation at being found and wariness regarding exactly who might be behind the wheel of the ancient rattletrap. The glare off the windshield made it impossible to see inside the cab, however.
The tires veered off to the side of the road and stopped, sending up a cloud of dust. Emily waved her hand, choking on the airborne dirt. Her mouth felt dry as if she had licked the ground. The door opened. Work boots emerged. Brown and roughed-up and covered in… paint. A man stepped out, and Emily steadied her hands against the car to keep from falling over.
Mr. Darcy. No, Heathcliff. Only instead of a cravat and breeches, he was dressed in faded jeans and a black T-shirt, which seemed molded to an impressive chest. Heath stretched up a good six-plus feet, towering over her puny five-foot-two frame. A lock of dark chocolate-brown hair brushed over his forehead. Their eyes met. Since she was already thinking in clichés, Emily’s mind offered up a million of them to describe his eyes. She could start with gray, but no way did such a mundane word do them justice. Slate, storm clouds, a roiling sea, glazed pewter. Devastating, and framed by thick sooty lashes no man had a right to possess.
He stopped a few feet away, and Emily had the fanciful notion he was trying not to frighten her. Like she was a skittish filly about to bolt.
“Hi,” he said. “Car trouble?”
His voice was like his eyes. Smooth and deep, like honey in a cup of hot tea.
Emily nodded. How could she speak when every male literary fantasy she’d ever dreamed about had unfolded from a rusted-out pickup?
Finally, I’ve got a great interview with Kristin…
Who is your favorite author?
I enjoy anyone who can write humor well so my favorite authors tend to be in that vein. I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Kristan Higgins. They are both masters of humor with great situational comedy and zingy dialogue. I also like historicals and Julia Quinn is brilliant.
How do you describe your writing style?
Fun, witty, snarky. I love to come up with situations where everything goes wrong and the hero/heroine have to try and figure out how to fix it. I also include inspirational themes so I have elements of faith and forgiveness. I want readers to come away uplifted and hopeful.
Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book?
If someone wants a book that will take them away for a few hours and just give pure, fun pleasure with a strong message about the power of love (romantic & spiritual) they should read my books.
Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?
I don’t think any of them are specifically modeled after me or any one person. The heroine in my latest book is an author so I guess she is close, but she’s a personality all her own.
What books have most influenced your life?
I guess the books I read a child. The ones that taught me to love reading and eventually led me to try writing my own. The Little House of the Prairie books, Nancy Drew, C.S. Lewis (The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe), A Wrinkle In Time, Encyclopedia Brown. Those really impacted me.
Beatles or Monkees? Why?
I guess Beatles. The Monkees always seemed like the wanna-be Beatles. The Beatles music is absolutely timeless.
Who should play you in a film of your life? I’d want Sandra Bullock.
(James’ note – from Kristin’s photo, I can definitely see that!)
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I had so much material from Maegan that, to be sure you see it all, I split it into two posts (the first post, with more info about her new book, is HERE). So here’s Maegan in her own words…
Finding my way home
By: Maegan Beaumont
I grew up reading books that caused dubious glances and concerned frowns to dance across the face of any adult who made the mistake of asking me, “So, what are you reading?”What I was reading was whatever I wanted to. And usually whatever I wanted to was considered wildly inappropriate for a “girl my age”… or even a girl in general.
In grade school I was enthralled by Lloyd Alexander’s The Book of Three and Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown. In these books I caught my first glimpse of something that I needed very much—female characters who were like me. Bookish and a bit brazen. Awkward but unflinching in their resolve to be themselves. I still love these books. I own then and will push them on my kids every chance I get.
I had my brief fling with romance novels in junior high… Dusty cowboys and roguish pirates, rescuing damsels and marrying women they won in card games. I like to joke that everything I know about sex, I learned from Danielle Steele novels. Reading Family Album in the 5th grade changed my life… it also made me the girl no one was allowed to invite over for dinner.
In high school, I peppered my required-but-very-much-enjoyed readings of Shakespeare and Hawthorne, Dostoyevsky and Dickens with as much Stephen King and Thomas Harris as I possibly could… and it was in books such as Harris’ Red Dragon and King’s The Dark Half where I finally found my literary home.
In thrillers, I felt a click. They made sense to me like nothing I had ever read, before or since. There were no cowboys. No dragons (unless you count the one tattooed on a serial killer’s back…). No pirates. No magical swords. These were not stories of love and redemption or good versus evil in any obvious sense, but in them I found a fundamental truth I’ve never found in any other genre of book.
We all harbor darkness.
A good thriller not only shows us this darkness, it entices us to invite it in. Gives us characters we not only relate to, but shakes us to the bone with their disturbing sameness to ourselves. A good thriller will show us what we are made of. Put us in situations that force us to poke at our own secret wounds, to test our own battered moorings. Situations that we can’t help but use to measure what we hope ourselves to be against what we truly are. A good thriller will force us to question how far we’re willing to go to protect ourselves and the ones we love. How close to that darkness we are willing to tread in order to survive…
And if the thriller is great… we don’t always like the answers we come up with.
And here’s an interview with Maegan…
Who is your favorite author?
I have too many to pick just one. Right now I’m really into Karin Slaughter and Chelsea Cain. Alison Gaylin is another that I really enjoy—her Brenna Spector series is awesome.
How do you describe your writing style?I’ve been told that my writing is very clean and
Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book?You should read my book because it’s awesome. Really, really awesome.
Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?There are many facets of Sabrina’s personality that come directly from me. She’s hard-head, refuses to give up and is loyal to a fault.
If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why?I think I’d like to be Dr. Mandy Black. She’s the assistant medical examiner for Marin county (and Sabrina’s go-to gal). I’d love to know everything she knows and see what she sees. She’s got an interesting backstory and all of Sabrina’s razor-sharp wit with none of the emotional baggage.
What books have most influenced your life?From the start, I have been drawn to strong female characters. Women who knew the difference between needing a man and wanting one… women who could fight their own battles and actually win. Robin McKinley wrote a book called The Hero and the Crown in the mid-eighties that I still think of when I think about books that have shaped me as a writer. The main character was a female dragon slayer—how cool is that?
If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why?I’m constantly doing this. Re-writing books in my head… If I had my way, I’d re-write The Stand and keep the Nick Andros character alive, for no reason other than I really liked him and I was sad when he died.
(James’ note – I totally agree with this!)
Beatles or Monkees? Why?Monkees—because they didn’t take themselves too seriously. They knew exactly what they were and they had fun with it.
Who should play you in a film of your life?Melissa McCarthy—that chick is hilarious.
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Published
May 8th 2013
by Midnight Ink
Past horrors bleed into a present day nightmare
Fifteen
years ago, a psychotic killer abducted seventeen year old Melissa
Walker. For 83 days she was raped and tortured before being left for
dead in a deserted church yard… But she was still alive.
Melissa
begins a new life as homicide inspector, Sabrina Vaughn. With a new
face and a new name, it’s her job to hunt down murderers and it’s a job
she does very well.
When Michael O’Shea, a childhood
acquaintance with a suspicious past, suddenly finds her, he brings to
life the nightmare Sabrina has long since buried.
Believing that
his sister was recently murdered by the same monster who attacked
Sabrina, Michael is dead set on getting his revenge–using Sabrina as
bait.
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Here’s another great indie author for you on this holiday morning: N.R. Champagne…
N. R. Champagne grew up the “tomboy” in a family of all girls, preferring climbing trees to playing with dolls. With a strong desire to see the world, she joined the Navy, where she got a permanent case of wanderlust. She met her current husband in the States, who encouraged her to fulfill her lifelong dream of writing. Together they moved to his native Scotland, where she is happily pursuing that dream. When she’s not writing, she can be found rambling in the woods and fields or cooking stodgy British meals for her husband. She recently self-published her debut novel, Prodigal Angel, a paranormal fantasy/scifi adventure, and is now at work on the sequel, Desolate Angel.
Follow her at:
Her Website: www.nrchampagnebooks.com
Her Blog: http://nrchampagne.blogspot.com
Facebook: N.R. Champagne
Twitter: @NRChampagne1
Here’s the book…
If you fall in love with a powerful immortal, beware—he might have powerful, immortal enemies!
Lonely engineer Miranda Jones finds the new guy at work attractive, but rather strange. What she doesn’t know is that Jared is Irin, an ancient race with supernatural abilities descended from the Fallen Angels. Despite Miranda’s resolve she falls for him, but she didn’t count on his Bysh brother, Gareth, an evil outcast who is bent on destroying them both. At stake is a revolutionary new green technology that could change the world…
You can buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1koeXXu
And you can read an excerpt at N.R.’s website: http://www.nrchampagnebooks.com/prodigal-angel-excerpt.html
And also, here’s a great interview with her…
Who is your favorite author?
I’ve been smitten with the books of Olivia Butler and I’ve always loved C. J. Cherryh, but I’d have to say my all-time favorite is Ursula K. LeGuin. She’s an anthropologist who writes science fiction the way I think it should be written: with the focus on people, not technology. Her works are literary in the way they take her characters on journeys of learning and self-discovery, and the way they expose truths about our world.
How do you describe your writing style?
It might be easier to describe what it’s not: it’s not flowery, but it’s not spare, either. It’s not “snarky,” but it’s not stuffy, either. It’s just comfortable, I think.
Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book?
Because it’s an enjoyable piece of escapism which might also make you think a little.
Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?
No, although I’ve borrowed bits and pieces from other people in my life. Some of the characters might be modeled after what I would like to be. However, they all have their quirks and their flaws. No Author Avatars or Mary Sues here.
If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why?
It’s hard to answer that without introducing any spoilers! But I think I’d be Miranda, my main character. She started with so little in her life; by the end of the book, she has an opportunity to begin a rich, fulfilling new existence.
What books have most influenced your life?
I think it must be Ursula LeGuin’s The Dispossessed. I’m still trying to find an answer to the question she set up in that book, which is: can humankind ever create a truly just society? I was only 16 or 17 when I first read it; I didn’t understand what I was reading then. But it was still fascinating and cool to me. Over the years I’ve come to understand the book better as I’ve come to understand the problems and injustices in the world. The story sets up two societies on different planets: one on a rich planet that is like an exaggerated Western capitalist country, with wealth and opulence but a wide disparity between rich and poor; and the other on a poor planet where an anarchist system has been set up based on brotherhood, sharing and cooperation. A physicist from the anarchist planet comes up with the holy grail of physics, which is a Unified Theory of Everything. This promises to bring all sorts of new technology, like faster space travel. So of course, this man becomes much sought-after, and becomes uncomfortably caught up between the interests of the two worlds.
If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why?
I can’t think of a book I’d do that to, but I can sure think of some movies. The main one that comes to mind is the much-underappreciated The Golden Compass, based on the book by Philip Pullman, the first in the brilliant His Dark Materials series. This is “an epic fantasy trilogy in which two children range across parallel universes battling the forces of the repressive Magisterium (a thinly disguised Catholic Church) and encountering Victorian Zeppelins and armoured polar bears” (http://dailym.ai/1mn48r5). The book was beautiful, but Hollywood made an unintelligible mess out of it. Two or three movies should have been made out of just the first in the series, à la Peter Jackson. Maybe that way the audience could be let in on some of the sweeping themes (dogmatic religion, sexuality and innocence, good and evil) of the books. But no, Hollywood has to go and give it the usual ham-fisted treatment, making it all glitter and no substance. A warning to any author who may receive a movie option offer!
(James’ note – I agree. I loved the book, and the movie was even more of a mess than Hollywood usually makes out of a book)
Beatles or Monkees? Why?
There’s absolutely no comparison between the two, is there? The Monkees are pure entertainment; the Beatles are true artists. Not that I didn’t enjoy the Monkees when I was younger, they were a lot of fun! But the Beatles were revolutionary. I find it incredible now how much of their music has been made into “easy listening” instrumental-type stuff, makes me laugh.
Who should play you in a film of your life?
My life is not extraordinary enough to make a film out of. Although having said that, I feel it has been a bit more interesting than the average life. I never really settled down, you see. I didn’t get married right away, have kids, live in the same town and do the same job for many years like a lot of people. I’ve traveled, experienced other cultures, done a lot of different kinds of work, and learned a lot of interesting things. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way!
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