Month: October 2013

Featured Author: Lauren Algeo

/ Lori / 2 Comments

Featured Author:    Lauren Algeo

 

LaurenAlgeo_500x500Lauren and her dog Kip

  1.  Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

Hi, my name’s Lauren Algeo. I’m a 28 year old graphic designer from Kent, England. I currently write during my daily commute and spare time but would love to write for a living one day. I find writing a great way to unwind after a day at work and I get inspiration from everywhere. I always have a notepad in my bag for jotting down ideas. I live with my boyfriend and our dog, Kip, a German Shepherd we got from a rescue centre last year. For me, dog walking is a great opportunity to think through story ideas and new plots!

2.   What made you decide to write (the genre of your book), were there any influencing factors, or were any of the stories based on true events. 

I’m a huge fan of horror stories and thrillers so they were natural genres for me. I’ve read a lot of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Lee Child, Jo Nesbo and James Patterson so I credit them with my love of those genres.

3.    How do you promote your book, and do you find that difficult or just par for the course.

At the moment I mainly use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter for promotion, as well as Goodreads. It can be quite difficult to find time to fit in promotion as well as writing and the day job but it seems to be going ok so far. I’m learning all the time and always appreciate any promoting suggestions.

4.    Do you remember your first review and how it made you feel?  (If it was a bad one, also tell about your good one too).

My first review was a 5 star one on Amazon for my first book, Hikers – Part One: Power. It was really exciting to see it there and I love getting new reviews (good or bad), it’s always interesting to see people’s reactions to my books.

5.    Tell us about your book and if it’s a series and how the public is reacting to this book.

The first novel I published, Hikers – Part One: Power, is part of a horror series, the Hikers Trilogy. I’m currently editing Hikers – Part Two: Passion, which will be available to buy soon. So far the reaction has been great and I’ve had quite a few people contacting me to ask when Part Two will be out as they can’t wait to read it. I plan to start writing Part Three as soon as Part Two is published, and already have plenty of notes to get started with.

In between writing Hikers Part One and Two, I published a book called The Perfect Date. It’s a slight change of genre for me, more of a romance thriller, but there’s a plot twist that people have been very complimentary of so far – so not your average ‘romance’, more thriller!

6.    Can you share any and all links that are important to you as a person and the book?  (You can relate more to a book if you know more about the author).   

For all the latest news on my books, go to:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HikersTrilogy

Twitter:  @LaurenAlgeo

To purchase ebook or paperback versions of Hikers – Part One: Power visit:

Amazon UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hikers-Part-Power-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00B35DZMG

Amazon USA:

http://www.amazon.com/Hikers-Part-Power-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00B35DZMG

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/341549

7.    I’ll wrap it up with this question since “7” is a lucky numberJ.   Can you share an excerpt from your book, and I’d like to thank you so much for taking time to share your book with me. Please share as much as you’d like.

LaurenAlgeo_205x285

Thanks for having me! I’d like to share an excerpt from Hikers – Part One: Power. It’s a horror thriller about an ex-Detective Inspector, Scott Brewer, who hunts hikers, a family of hired assassins with the power of mind control. Brewer is joined on his mission by Georgie Duncan, a moody teenager with a turbulent past, and together they must find a way to kill the seemingly invincible hikers. This excerpt is from the very start of the trilogy. I hope you enjoy it!

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Prologue

 ‘It’s time.’ The voice in his mind urged.

He felt a moment of doubt but couldn’t think of a rational reason why. He had been planning this for days. He was ready. They would all pay.

He slipped his right hand into the pocket of the large duffel coat he was wearing and felt the weight of the gun. He closed his hand around the cool metal and rested his finger on the trigger.

He stepped onto the escalator and surveyed the scene as it descended slowly in to Waterloo’s main train station. It was lunchtime and people were bustling to and fro in front of him. Not as busy as rush hour in the morning or evening but busy enough for him to blend in to the crowd.

He felt a shiver surge through his body and he pulled the heavy black coat tighter around himself. The weather had begun to turn and he knew there were cold days ahead.

‘There! There!’ The voice whispered excitedly.

He looked towards a small crowd gathered round some video equipment near the middle of the station. A TV actor was filming part of a drama series there today. The man could see him sitting in a chair to the side of the equipment, being fussed over by a makeup artist. He felt a tug of anger as he focussed on the man’s smug face.

That should have been his life. He deserved fame, money and recognition. Instead he had nothing.

He walked towards the set slowly, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. He set his face in a mildly curious expression, as if he was just heading over to check out what was being filmed. A couple of others were doing the same but this was London and most people weren’t too bothered about minor celebrities when they had their own important lives.

The TV star was talking to a young woman who had just had her picture taken with him. She was giggling and toying coyly with her hair. Women just threw themselves at celebrities. He felt that ripple of rage again. He was only a few steps away now.

The actor half turned towards him as he reached them, a friendly smile on his face. He assumed the man was just another fan coming to say hello.

The man began to pull his hand out of his coat pocket. It looked as though he wanted to shake hands and the actor started to extend his own towards the man. Their eyes met for an instant and he felt that moment’s hesitation again.

Before he could comprehend it, his right hand was being thrust upwards and his thumb clicked off the safety.

‘Now!’ The voice in his head screamed.

The TV actor barely had time to register the change in intent before the man shot him in the chest.

The sound was deafening and echoed around the station but the man barely noticed, all he seemed to hear was an insane laughing in his mind.

He turned swiftly and shot the young woman before the actor’s body had even hit the ground. His shot was wide of target and only clipped her left arm but he didn’t care.

He twisted and turned, firing at anyone in his line of sight. He spun to the right suddenly and felt the gun being guided to a middle-aged man who had been walking past.

The man was frozen to the spot, his eyes wide with shock and a sandwich dangling in his stiff fingers. He had on a dark pinstripe suit and was carrying a brief case by his side.

The man thought he heard the voice whisper through its chilling laughter. ‘Bang.’

This time his shot was perfect and he hit the man dead centre in the chest. His finger carried on squeezing and the gun bucked in his hand as he found running targets. There was panic everywhere but the urgency that had consumed him seemed to be subsiding. The gun clicked empty and suddenly the crazy laughter that had filled his mind was gone.

The world seemed to swim back to the man slowly. He looked around confused. People were fleeing away from where he stood and there were several others lying on the floor. He could see blood pooled around some of the motionless ones. Others were writhing around, trying to drag themselves to the safety of cover.

He looked down at the gun in his hand, realising what he had done. Now all he could hear was screaming.

***Lauren is a friend and colleague of mine with a wonderful book to share!  Make sure to check out her links as well.

Featured Author: Raani York

/ Lori / 22 Comments

Featured Author:  Raani York

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Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

I’m an author with a “normal daytime job”. Uhm… something needs to actually get food on the table. I wish I could live off writing, but I’m not far enough yet for that.

I work, I get back, I do some writing, I blog, and once in a while I get an idea and fulfill one of my dreams and goals. Whatever is in my mind. I as well am into Martial Arts and usually work out once a week.

And of course I take care of my little “furry family”, means my three Maine Coon cats, Jake, Charlet and Esme. (who do actually play quite a role in my blog.)

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  1.   What made you decide to write (the genre of your book), were there any influencing factors, or were any of the stories based on true events.

I am writing for quite some time now, started out with articles for little magazines, later for newspaper columns, even continuation love stories for women magazines. But I soon felt, this was not the writing I wanted to do.

I wanted more… a book… I couldn’t even tell when exactly the idea came into my head but I did feel the need to write down this story and when I was “done” I felt I hadn’t told all there is. So I just continued to the next book… and the next.

I do write fantasy books and besides a few of my family members and friends inspiring me to “form” my characters, the only one who didn’t inspire me, was myself. (Even though I have to admit a couple of my friends and my editor tell me, the main protagonist strongly reminds them of me)

 

My Trilogy has gotten its copyright and is truly mine, but has not been published yet. The first book “Dragonbride” is ready, but I think it really deserves a special publication and I work on it. There’s no exact date yet. For some reason there was always something coming up that delayed it and I start believing that has some reason I do not yet know about.

My second book of the Trilogy is nearly done editing and the third book is written, but hadn’t had editing yet.

After years of work on this Trilogy the characters grew on me and I had to finally say good bye to them. It was a little like “losing friends”.

 

In the meantime I have started another two manuscripts of another, entirely new Trilogy and I’m really surprised how easy they are to write.

  1.   How do you promote your book, and do you find that difficult or just par for the course.

At this time I am still Networking. I can hardly really promote a book that doesn’t yet “exist”. It WILL be published, yes, and by then I think it will get the best possible promotion I can give it, but right now, I’m still in the “start-up” phase.

 

 

  1.   Do you remember your first review and how it made you feel?  (If it was a bad one, also tell about your good one too).

I gave the Manuscript to a wonderful book expert, Kristen Lamb who allowed me to send it in since I won her monthly contest on her blog. She gave me a great review and comments on the parts of the manuscript she read and I was quite proud of it and still am.

I do figure by the time my first book really is published the reviews will come in – and even though I hope all of them will be great, I already am afraid they won’t be. And it scares me.

  1.   Tell us about your book and if it’s a series and how the public is reacting to this book.

Dragonbride is the first book of the “Dragon Chronicles” Trilogy. It tells about a baby, growing up to be the only Magician on Earth. She’s taken care of by her Aunts and is taught Magic from a very young age. Her entire life she’s prepared to become the “Golden Dragon’s” wife. Of course she doesn’t believe it at first, she thinks it’s only her Aunt’s threat to make her behave – and then she is quite surprised when it turns out to be the truth. She does become the Golden Dragon’s wife. Her marriage isn’t quite the horror she fears – it’s more the opposite. She’s very happy. But then she and her husband find out that the Earth is in grave danger by the most evil creature appearing. And they go on a mission to save the Earth.

I don’t want to get the entire book told her within a few words. There are a few surprising things happening – and at the end, it will be like a “new beginning.

  1.    Can you share any and all links that are important to you as a person and the book?  (You can relate more to a book if you know more about the author).

My Website:                   http://www.raaniyork.com/

My blog:                         http://raaniyork.wordpress.com/

My email:                       raaniyorkca@aol.com

 

Different Platforms:      

https://myspace.com/raaniyork

https://www.facebook.com/raaniyork

http://www.pinterest.com/raaniyorkca/boards/

https://plus.google.com/115854197563561201228/posts

https://twitter.com/RaaniYork

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/raani-york/5/922/b37

http://microcerpt.com/raaniyork/

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12628426-raani

  1.     I’ll wrap it up with this question since “7” is a lucky numberJ.   Can you share an excerpt from your book, and I’d like to thank you so much for taking time to share your book with me. Please share as much as you’d like.

*****

Finally, we lay next to each other again, and I nestled against him. We both knew that it was time for the final part of the ritual.

Dragan sighed worriedly, and I looked into his eyes. His voice barely a whisper, he said, “I see fear in your eyes… but I see love as well. I hope from the bottom of my heart that this won’t destroy things before we’ve had a chance to start.”
I knew that nothing I said would help right now, so I just slipped out of his arms and let him get out of bed. It was torturous for both of us, and I could tell by his expression that he did not want to leave my side. He hated the idea that we had to be apart while he shapeshifted. I could almost feel his unhappiness physically. “Please, give me an hour.” I nodded silently.

(free translation of the Dragon’s diary…)

He hoped that he would not lose her, that she would not fear him for the rest of her life. Even his mother, Lea-Angela, had been so shocked that it took her a year to become used to her husband’s dragon form.

However, he knew that if it went badly he would do anything he could to help his wife through this – anything. He disappeared behind the tapestry that covered the passage leading to his own suite, which was much bigger than his wife’s to accommodate his true form. He needed a lot of space to be able to spread out and move around, especially when he bathed.

Dragons were very clean creatures, and he liked to spread his wings out after grooming himself, something he loved to do. Naturally, this room was covered in rare and expensive carpets, along with the other rooms in his quarters. He liked their warmth, and only the bathroom was uncarpeted for practical reason. It was tiled and there was a large drain in the tub. He felt quite comfortable after cleaning up and was ready to face his wife….

Within the hour I had bathed and changed my clothes. Three of my servants were there to help me; they gave me a gentle massage and applied a perfumed lotion to keep my skin moisturized.
“This is necessary,” Nemesis explained, “because the air-conditioning system down here can dry your skin out, Your Highness, and I’m sure that you want to appear as young and as beautiful as you can.” I nodded, but my thoughts were in the next room.
Standing now in my dark red night-gown, I realized that the moment of truth had come. Surprisingly, I felt not more than anticipation and curiosity.

I considered it a great privilege to see the Golden Dragon with my own eyes. I waved my hand to dismiss my servants and moved slowly towards the door.

Knocking politely on the door, I called in the dragons’ favored tongue, Latin. “Are you ready, milord?” A deep growl answered me. I interpreted this as a yes and entered his chambers.

The very first thing I saw was an immense claw, directly in front of me. Looking up, I followed the curve of his enormous shoulder. To the right was his coiled tail, its muscles twitching slightly.

I looked into his yellow reptilian eyes, the pupils narrow and slitted. His huge head was beautifully formed and not at all scary since I already knew my husband as a ‘human’; even his snout was perfectly formed. As our eyes met, we almost became lost in each other’s eyes.

I saw the folded wings and the razor-sharp claws, but what impressed me the most was his magnificent armor-plated body. Dragan’s shimmering golden scales were a mixture of shades from a yellow as rich as the summer sun and the darkest ochre, and everything in between.

When I had decided that I had seen enough, I bowed before him and said, “Milord Draco Beziehn’leliehv, I shall always be at your disposal no matter what form you take.”

A single tear slid down the scales covering his cheek, vanishing into a crevice. He seemed so emotional that he couldn’t speak; I was afraid that he’d croak like a frog if he tried to right now. I smiled at him and asked “Am I permitted to touch you, milord?”
The Golden Dragon nodded, answering in melodic voice that I found hypnotic. “Yes, milady, but be careful. My claws are as sharp as knives – don’t hurt yourself.”

Minding his words, I approached him and took care around his claws. I placed a hand on his golden scales. Even though he felt cool to the touch, I could feel the life-force within and the slow rhythm of his heart. But more importantly than that, I could feel his love for me.

I smiled as I stood before him. “You’re magnificent, my husband.”
In his thoughts I could sense his relief and pleasure at those words….

*****

kitty

Thank you very much for giving me the chance to be your guest. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity. I really appreciate it!

Raani

***Thank you so much Raani for allowing me to interview you.  You have such BEAUTIFUL CATS, I have two and love them so much that their considered my “Babies” rather than my “pets”.    You are quite the accomplished author and I only wish you the best.

Featured Author: Christopher Courtley

/ Lori / 2 Comments

Featured Author:     Christopher Courtley

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  1.  Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

I’ve been telling stories, writing poetry and prose, and drawing (or more like doodling) for as long as I can remember. I’m not happy unless I’m creating. A consequence of this, perhaps, is that I’ve also been a bit of a misfit for as long as I can remember. As a child I had what one might call a fey nature. I was a very solitary, private person for much of my life, mostly nocturnal and attracted to dark and lonely places, old forests and brooding wastelands, ruins, graveyards; a lover of mist and moonlight, fascinated by the creatures of the night, and by death, the paranormal, and the occult. This disposition has served to shape both my life and my work.

2.  What made you decide to write (the genre of your book), were there any influencing factors, or were any of the stories based on true events.   

I’ve always loved fantasy, especially dark fantasy, and Gothic horror, and found that these elements often come together in fairy tales of the type collected by the Grimms in addition to those included in the Arabian Nights and not a few written by Hans Christian Andersen as well, so naturally some of my earliest writings have been in that vein. I’m also a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, so his work has had a major influence on my own, especially pertaining to the realms of Faerie and my poetic experience of them.

3.  How do you promote your book, and do you find that difficult or just par for the course.

I use social networking almost exclusively to promote my books. Right now the most important promotional tools for me besides my blog are Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google +, and the Virtual Ebook Fair.

4.   Do you remember your first review and how it made you feel?  (If it was a bad one, also tell about your good one too).

Yes, I remember it well. I almost don’t need to copy-paste it because I remember it almost word-for-word, but I will do so anyway for the sake of accuracy: “if you like the dark side of things this book is for you.i love the short stories and the poems if you like that odd creepy feeling when your reading.this book will surely do it for you”. This review made me feel really good because this is exactly the sort of reaction I was going for.

5.  Tell us about your book and if it’s a series and how the public is reacting to this book.

My book, TROLL STEW: A STRANGE BREW OF DARK FAIRY TALES & POEMS FOR ADULTS, is a collection of original dark fairy tales and fairy-related poetry. While it isn’t exactly a series, it’s a small taste of things to come. So far the reaction to this very first book of mine has been overwhelmingly positive, so I am excited about releasing my next, even larger collection of dark fairy tales, which I hope will be finished well before the end of this month, since it’s perfect for Halloween, tending more toward the Gothic, with some elements of weird fiction thrown in as well.

6.   Can you share any and all links that are important to you as a person and the book?  (You can relate more to a book if you know more about the author).

Well, my official website is www.christophercourtley.com and my blog is located at www.courtleymanor.com.

You can get the paperback edition of TROLL STEW here: http://www.amazon.com/Troll-Stew-Strange-Fairy-Adults/dp/148492746X/ and the Kindle edition here: http://www.amazon.com/Troll-Stew-Strange-Adults-ebook/dp/B0091K7HJC/

I also have a sword and sorcery series in the works called The Valruna Saga, which is currently only available from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/8341

For more information on this developing series, you can also visit the official page at http://www.christophercourtley.com/valrunasaga.html

Some additional links you might be interested in are:

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/courtleymanor

My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/courtleymanor

My Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/christophercourtley

7.   I’ll wrap it up with this question since “7” is a lucky numberJ.   Can you share an excerpt from your book, and I’d like to thank you so much for taking time to share your book with me. Please share as much as you’d like.

An Excerpt from “The Palace At Winter’s End”, one of the stories included in TROLL STEW: A STRANGE BREW OF DARK FAIRY TALES & POEMS FOR ADULTS:

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That night, for the first time since she had come to the palace, Autumn had a dream.

She was riding through the forest. It was a sunny afternoon, and the leader of the wolf pack was running alongside her and Amani. They were hunting the unicorn.

“We’re close,” said the wolf. “I can smell him.”

Then suddenly their prey darted out from behind a tall thicket. With unnatural speed, Autumn drew her bow and shot an arrow into the unicorn’s neck. The beast stumbled and then fell to the ground, twitching in the agony of its death throes, its blood bright scarlet on the snow.

Autumn dismounted and she and the wolf approached the dying unicorn. As she stooped to examine her fallen prey, Amani came up behind her and neighed loudly.

“What have you done?” the horse said with her own voice.

She turned to Amani, on the point of telling him that she was only doing what her mother had wanted her to, but the words died upon her lips.

For it wasn’t Amani anymore. It was the unicorn, no longer near death, nor even wounded.

Then, with an anguished cry, Autumn realized that the arrow was in her own neck.

She awoke in a cold sweat. It was just before dawn, and she could see through the narrow gap between the drawn drapes the silvery-grey of the twilight.

Turning her face from the window, she tried to go back to sleep, but found that she couldn’t. So she just lay there in the waning darkness, pondering her strange dream. She was still wide awake when her mother brought in her breakfast tray.

“Good morning, daughter,” the queen said cheerily as she placed the tray beside the bed.

“Good morning, Mother.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Not exactly. I had a terrible dream, and then couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“Would you like to tell me your dream?”

“Perhaps later.”

“Very well. Enjoy your breakfast, my darling.”

The queen drew the drapes aside to let in the light and left the room.

Autumn picked at her breakfast absently, the stark images of the dream still lingering in her mind.

Then, after she had finished eating, she rose and dressed, and headed straight to the library. It was not long before she found what she was looking for; a compendium of legendary creatures she had spied while perusing the books on the night of her arrival at the palace. She turned to the page where there should have been an entry for ‘unicorn’, but to her disappointment, she discovered that it had been torn out. So she closed the book and after carefully returning it to its place on the shelf, went looking for her mother.

She found the queen sitting beside the hearth in the dining room, staring into the fire.

“Mother, tell me about the unicorn.”

“You have seen it for yourself,” the queen replied without taking her eyes from the flames. “What more is there to tell?”

“Why do you hunt it?”

“For sport.”

“No other reason?”

“No. Why?”

“Because I recall having read once, though I can’t remember where, that the unicorn’s horn was once thought to have magical and healing properties.”

“Well, yes. I suppose that it does. But I have no need of such.”

“Well, then, what do you intend to do with the unicorn once you’ve finally killed it?”

“Oh, I will never do that.”

“You mean you don’t wish to kill it?”

“No, I mean that I can not. I will never catch the unicorn.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

“Then why do you hunt it?”

“I believe I have already answered that question. But come, why all these questions concerning the unicorn?” Now at last she looked at her daughter, and silver flames danced with the shadows in her eyes. “Was it him you dreamt of last night?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me your dream.”

Then Autumn related her dream, to which the queen listened attentively, but without any change in her expression. Then, when the girl was done, she said nothing, but turned back toward the fire.

“Well?” asked Autumn with growing impatience. “What does it mean?”

“What do you think it means?”

“I don’t know. I’m asking you. I wish you would just give me a straight answer for once.”

The queen glanced at her daughter’s face again and smiled softly.

“Only you can know for sure what your dream is trying to tell you, my dear. But I will say this: It does contain a grain of truth. As I said, I can never catch the unicorn. But you can.”

“I can? How?”

“You must go deep into the forest alone, and wait for it there. It will come to you.”

“But I don’t want to catch it!”

“That is precisely why you will.”

“I understand now. You want the unicorn, but you can’t get it for yourself, so you think to use me to lure it into a trap! Well, I won’t do it!”

The queen laughed. “Nor would I not want you to. Where would be the sport in that?”

“I don’t get it,” said Autumn. “What’s the point in hunting something if you know you can’t ever catch it?”

“The joy is in the hunt, my girl. There is only one unicorn; if I ever succeeded in slaying it, there would be no more hunt. Whatever would I do with myself then?”

“Well, why would I want to catch it?”

“That is another one of those questions you must answer for yourself, my darling. But I will say this: if you never catch it, you will never know the answer to that question. Such is the way of things.”

***Christopher Courtley is an accomplished author and colleague of mine.  I strongly recommend his book and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!! :)

Featured Author: Delinda McCann

/ Lori / 2 Comments

Featured Author:  Delinda McCann

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Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

I am a social psychologist with many years of experience working with people who are poor, disabled, at-risk, and have mental health problems.  I’ve served as an advocate on state boards and been a board member for several Non-Government Organizations that serve the most vulnerable in our society.

 I am basically a country girl.  Over the years we’ve owned three horses, some goats, three sheep, many dogs and cats, rabbits, ducks, chickens, geese and the usual round of pet birds and rodents.  Currently, I own a small flower farm on Vashon Island.  I grow cut flowers and sell them at a slightly crooked farm stand that I built all by myself.

 In addition to the above interests, I am an amateur musician.  I play the piano poorly and sing with my church choir.  I mention the music because it has been one of my more lucrative hobbies.  I put myself through graduate school with money from my piano teaching.  All the heroine’s in my novels can play and sing.

2.  What made you decide to write fiction?  Were there any influencing factors, or were any of the stories based on true events.  

I’d just gotten the diagnosis for my second cancer.  I wasn’t even close to recovered from my first cancer or my stroke.  I decided reality sucked.  I was way too sick to do anything else so I started writing Lies That Bind based loosely on my experience as the first person to have a web site on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.  My web site brought me into contact with other foreign governments and I learned more than I taught.  I wove that experience into a love story.  Note:  I never had an affair with a foreign head of state.  I have been married for forty-seven years so maybe I know a thing or two about sex though.

3.   How do you promote your book, and do you find that difficult or just par for the course.

Lies That Bind was picked up by a literacy program and was shipped off to remote places on the globe.  Other than the literacy program, my promotional efforts include mostly internet activities.   I have a blog.  I tweet.  I promote on Facebook.  I have a large extended family and lots of friends who buy my books.

4.  Do you remember your first review and how it made you feel?  (If it was a bad one, also tell about your good one too).

My first review was a five star and very enthusiastic.  Most people with a sense for social justice give my books five star ratings.  I remember being so thankful for those first couple reviews.  I am still extremely thankful for anybody who takes the time to write a review.  I know someday I may get a bad review and I have no idea how I will take that.

5.  Tell us about your book and if it’s a series and how the public is reacting to this book.

My first book Lies That Bind was huge—eight hundred pages, which is almost a series between two covers.  I’ve had people buy it because it was thick and others avoid it because it looks to be too long.  It did cause my readers to ask questions about my hero, Jake Jaconovich.  By this time Jake was firmly lodged in my head so he told me the story of his childhood and the events that catapulted him into the presidency of his country so I wrote M’TK Sewer Rat: End of and Empire and M’TK Sewer Rat: Birth of a Nation.  Meanwhile, Maudy asked me to tell her story.  Maudy also lives in my head.  She wanted me to write about brain damage and the grace of God.  Her story, Something About Maudy came out in July.  I’m not certain The Public has read any of my books, but the few people who’ve read them and contacted me about them love them, saying that I’ve describe a portion of their lives or the life of a loved one with a disability so accurately.  One cousin just hugged me for a long time and thanked me for my words.  I think the hug from a family member was the best reward ever.

6  Can you share any and all links that are important to you as a person and the book?  (You can relate more to a book if you know more about the author).   

Links:

All Delinda’s books are on her website. http://delindalmccann.weebly.com/index.html

7.   I’ll wrap it up with this question since “7” is a lucky numberJ.   Can you share an excerpt from your book, and I’d like to thank you so much for taking time to share your book with me. Please share as much as you’d like.

Excerpt

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This is from M’TK Sewer Rat:  End of an Empire

*****

    I wondered what this old drunk could have seen that made him fear for his life.

“I figure you’s an hones man.  I heerd how your papa saved all dose people when M’TK burned.  I heerd how you got dat Fortenac.  I remember da M’TK Sewer Rat.”

  I smiled.

            “I figure I cin trust you.”

            I nodded.

            “I seen some men.  Da night da laundry caught fire, I seen dem and I heerd dem.”

            I looked around to see if anybody noticed us or could overhear us.  I didn’t ask him why he had not come forward sooner.  I knew the city.  I understood why he hadn’t said anything sooner.  I pulled out a legal pad.  I wrote the case number for the fire on the top of the page and labeled it Source: Q.  “Mr. S’PnG this is very important.  It will help me a great deal.”

            “Well, I seen dat cop.”

*** I’ve known Delinda for quite a while, we are friends and colleagues.  She is a WONDERFUL, TALENTED and KINDHEARTED woman that is an excellent writer!

Featured Author: Brian Bigelow

/ Lori / 3 Comments

Featured Author:  Brian Bigelow

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  1.  Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little about
    the person behind the pen.

I’m an author living in Colorado Springs, Colorado with my wife Brandy and our fuzzy children Beeper and Bear. Beeper, our Chihuahua, does a good job of protecting us from shadows and such, Bear, our cat, tells me when to go to bed.

2.  What made you decide to write (the genre of your book), were there any influencing factors, or were any of the stories based on true events.

I bought a house a couple of years ago that we’re living in now. What’s the worst thing that could of happened?

3.  How do you promote your book, and do you find that difficult or just par for the course.

I personally like networking. You know, meeting with the readers.
Presently, I have a couple of publishers that are waiting on books and stories
so I’ve been mostly working on writing. Too much of the time I think promoting
relies on advertising which doesn’t make a direct connection.

4.  Do you remember your first review and how it made you feel?  (If it was a bad one, also tell about your good one too).

I can’t remember the first review for one of my books. Not that I’m not entirely interested, but I don’t usually look at them except for very rarely.

5.  Tell us about your book and if it’s a series and how the public is reacting to this book.

I’ve never released a series though I began working on one sequel to a fantasy novella. My more recent releases in general have been very well received. I’m amazed at some of the wonderful things that have been said about things I’ve written. It’s really overwhelming and I’m really touched.

6.  Can you share any and all links that are important to you as a person and the book?  (You can relate more to a book if you know more about the author).

http://brian-bigelow.blogspot.com

http://www.amazon.com/Brian-Bigelow/e/B00667745A/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

http://www.amazon.com/An-Ill-Wind-Cometh-ebook/dp/B00DGDFZNK

7.  I’ll wrap it up with this question since “7” is a lucky number :) .   Can you
share an excerpt from your book, and I’d like to thank you so much for taking
time to share your book with me. Please share as much as you’d like.

An Ill Wind Cometh 2

As she reached the porch deck she felt a chill surge through her. It caused her to look around to see what was causing it. The goose bumps raised on her arms were unmistakable but it was too hot out to feel chilly. A dark shadow on the wall passed by quickly which she wasn’t quite sure she was seeing. What in the hell was that? Her inquisitive eyes did a double take. Shaking her head she told herself it was only her imagination playing tricks on her. She was positive that nothing actually happened so she was able to safely disregard it. Sharon took a deep breath as she stepped over to the door to look in the window with her husband.

***I know Brian, he has been a good friend and colleague for quite sometime.  I had a chance to read his book and found it GREAT.  It was suspenseful, edge of your seat excitement.  I encourage all of you who like this type of genre…and those that don’t to definitely give it a read.  :)