At The Dark Hour by John Wilson-Review, Interview & Giveaway

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Sandy

AT THE DARK HOUR by John Wilson-Review, Interview and Giveaway

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 19, 2018

A loving affair is destroyed by the Blitz on London. Julia ends her relationship with Adam. Her concern is for her children and that, if she is divorced, she will lose them. What is the nature of love? Does it have gradations? Love, and it’s textures, lie at the heart of this story. Love is where you find it. And sometimes it ambushes you. And, often, it is hidden.

•••••

REVIEW: AT THE DARK HOUR by John Wilson is a fantastic tale of historical fiction set in 1940 London, England during the London Blitz.

Told from third person perspective, following several timelines, from the outset the reader is pulled into a logistical nightmare as our anti-hero Adam Falling, a member of the King’s Council (KC) finds himself charged with infidelity- an affair with a fellow KC’s wife, all the while, himself married with a twelve year old daughter. As art begins to imitate life, Adam is the lead defence attorney for another man accused of adultery but not before Adam’s legal skills are in demand for a Czechoslovakian refugee who is charged with treason and potential threats against the English crown. What ensues is the build-up of three legal cases, defence and prosecution, and the culmination of secrets, lies, and questionable evidence that are procured and presented in an effort to protect several men whose extra-marital dalliances have destroyed too many lives in the face of the on-going destruction set upon by WWII.

John Wilson pulls the reader in 1940 London, England during the London Blitz bombing. Rationing, and the evacuation of children to the rural countryside, finds families torn apart, as the destruction of London threatens not only their lives but their spirit as well. As darkness befalls London, so too do the blackout restrictions for those whose lives remain at risk by an invisible threat from the skies.

AT THE DARK HOUR is a lengthy story line that focuses on the legal drama of Adam Falling, down on his luck, chronically ill attorney whose on-going affair with the wife of a fellow member of the KC begins to unravel as suspicion leads to accusation, lies, secrets and cover-ups. Adultery is illegal; divorce requires an admission of fault; love becomes dependant upon a hierarchy of importance for the heart. John Wilson takes the reader into the ethically questionable side of courtroom law as the world outside is vanquished by death and destruction of the nightly bombs.

The structure of the novel is broken down into four parts plus an epilogue. The use of quotation marks for traditional speech is absent but that is not to say the conversations go unmarked. Indentation and the use of hyphenation (-) denote speaking parts but the author does not always differentiate between speakers or characters; memories and events recalled are italicized for ease of context.

AT THE DARK HOUR is a wonderfully detailed, complex and focused story line with a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters whose role in Adam’s life culminates in a series of events leading to a frenzied trial of revelations and lies. John Wilson’s AT THE DARK HOUR is a thought-provoking, cautionary tale of infidelity and the destruction of lives. An intelligent, impressive, imaginative and profound story with spirited but flawed characters whose passion for life upsets the balance of the status quo.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

TRC: Hi John and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the recent release of AT THE DARK HOUR.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Website:https://www.johnwilsonauthor.net/

John: I come from Wigan in Lancashire although my mother was Scottish. Both of my grandfathers were coal miners although my maternal grandfather had to work above ground because of the disabling injuries he received at the Somme during WW1. He became quite a figure in the Scottish Mineworkers Union and had been intending to stand for Parliament in 1939 for the Labour Party but got called down to London by Clement Atlee to work in the Directorate of Labour. A young Harold Wilson would come around for Sunday lunch and walk my grandad’s dog.

My father joined the RAF at the start of WWII and was a navigator / bomb aimer in Halifaxes with Bomber Command before transferring to 624 squadron flying special ops out of North Africa. After the war he went to Strawberry Hill to train as a teacher which is where he met my mother. I did not find out until after she died in 2004 that she had been working with the Code-Breakers at Bletchley Park.

My paternal grandfather died of a lung related disease before I was born.

My parents were naturally rebellious and adventurous and travelled widely, living in South Africa, Rhodesia (as it then was) and, when I came along Cyprus and South Korea. So, I had an unusual and peripatetic education.

I went to Cambridge to study law – where I played bass guitar (badly) in a band called the Underachievers – and then did the Bar exams. Before University I spent most of a year working in a bakery in Wigan. After Bar exams I worked in a wholefood warehouse before going to live for a while in Connecticut and then Paris where I got a job as a bi-lingual secretary at UNESCO.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

John:I have always written and the urge to write is something I have little control over. I was much influenced by writers such as Orwell, Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Aldous Huxley and Herman Hesse. In particular, I read nearly everything that George Orwell wrote and his essay “Why I write” had a profound effect on me as I recognised in me what he was saying about the impulse to write. It made perfect sense. I was also strongly influenced by a number of Russian writers such as Dostoyevsky, Bulgakov, Zamyatin and, more recently Andrei Kurkov. I also found the writings of Sol Stein and, in particular, his books Solutions for Writers and Solutions for Novelists, extremely helpful.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your novels?

John:The biggest difficulty I had with writing At the Dark Hour was finding the time to write. I had a very busy practice at the Bar, particularly before I took silk in 2011 and so time was very short. I was also writing a lot of academic things, either whole text books or chapters in large well known standard texts. These were all contractual and subject to deadlines and, regrettably, my fiction writing had to take third place behind my practice and my contractual obligations to write text books and articles.

In terms of getting published the difficulty was in finding a literary agent who would be prepared to represent me, although I got close on two or three occasions. My novel is long and it takes some commitment from potential agents to read it when, at the outset, they do not know whether it will be worthwhile. I also found the traditional publishing model to be extremely slow. Teaming up with Clink Street Publishing has been an excellent move for me as everything has moved very quickly and they have been extremely helpful with such things as pricing and, for example, practical things like working out how wide the spine of the book will need to be.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of AT THE DARK HOUR?

John: At the Dark Hour came to me in three separate phases. As a Bar student who had never really been to London before I was spellbound by the beauty of the Temple but intrigued by the signs everywhere, in the form of plaques or Latin inscriptions that pointed to the enormous devastation that had been wrought by the Blitz. I was one of the editors of Pegasus, the Student Magazine, and decided to research this story. I went up into the galleries in the Inner Temple Library and found monographs by long dead and long forgotten barristers who had written down their experiences of being under the bombing. I subsequently discovered that these sources had all been missed by the primary historians of the age. I thought it was an interesting story but it did not amount to a plot.

A few years later I was commissioned by the BBC to write some radio programmes. We did two series. My first producer worked primarily on Women’s Hour and my second producer worked on producing radio plays. After we were done he left me a voice message asking me to write some radio plays, on a subject of my choosing, which he would then produce for radio. I agreed and decided to write some radio plays about treason trials during the blitz. However, I never had the time actually to sit down and write them. I thought that this would tie in nicely with a story about the destruction of the Temple although it still did not amount to what I thought was sufficient for a plot.

At about the same time my chambers moved out of the Temple and I did not return there until 2002. By now I was a divorce lawyer. My practice and my academic work meant that I learnt a lot about the misogynistic nature of the divorce laws in the 1940s – if a man succeeded in proving that his wife had committed adultery she would lose the custody of her children and all financial support – and it was this final strand that brought everything together in my mind. Linked to this was a long-standing supposition I had about the nature of love. Is it possible to love two people at the same time? Well, I concluded that it was but, when it comes to that sticking point you will have to conclude that you love one person more than you love that other person. In those circumstances, do you love the other person at all?

So, the book contains a series of love stories all set against the backdrop of the destruction of the Temple and of the divorce laws that had such an impact on people’s actions. Julia Pemberton breaks off her affair with Adam Falling because she does not want to be divorced and lose her children. But it is too late. Her husband has found out and petitions for divorce. Central to the story is the development and then the end of their affair. Is it really over? Is there any way back for Adam? Why did she end it? Will they even survive the blitz? And interwoven into this narrative is a further adultery trial where Adam is representing the co-respondent accused of committing adultery with the respondent wife whilst Jeremy Pemberton KC, whom Adam has cuckolded, is representing the cuckolded petitioner.

TRC: What kinds of research/plotting did you endeavour, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning AT THE DARK HOUR?

John: I did my early research into the Blitz and the Temple whilst still a student. In terms of research generally, I had the benefit of reading the complete writings of George Orwell and, in particular, his wartime diaries. I read every book I could find on London and the Blitz as well as reading fiction that was written during that period such as Greene’s Ministry of Fear and The End of the Affair and Tragedy at Law by Cyril Hare. I read practically all of the Times Archive for the period, concentrating in particular on the small ads where much of the “grain” of the time could be found as well as finding all sorts of diaries from the time that had been subsequently posted online. Because the plot involved an alleged attempt to poison London’s water supplies I needed to learn all I could about the London Metropolitan Water Board. I found reference to a book online and tracked it down to an antique book shop in the West Country. I ordered it and it was delivered to my house in the South of France a few days later. It had belonged to the head of the Water Board – his signature was there with a flourish in the frontispiece and, from looking up his obituary I realised that this book had probably been languishing in the book shop for over forty years. I read a small article in the Evening Standard about the Westminster Public Record Map where all the bombs were charted and recorded during the blitz. So, I went to the Westminster Public Library and took out the original bomb maps with carbon copies of typed reports of the bombs or handwritten copies still sitting there.

In the mid-1980s I was representing a defendant in a long running vice trial at the Old Bailey. Whilst being kept in the holding cell just beyond the dock he tried to commit suicide in an imaginative way that involved tying a small piece of string tightly around his neck and then tying his tie equally tightly but with the knot at 180 degrees to the first knot. As I was waiting for the day to begin all hell broke loose and I was summonsed to the cell behind the dock. The warders had succeeded in cutting him free but he had an enormous red wheal around his neck. It was very dramatic and I thought to myself: I can use this. Which I did subsequently in ATDH. I got him off.

I suppose I began writing At the Dark Hour in earnest in about 2007 / 2008. However, I was stymied by my other commitments. My wife and I took three months off in 2008 with a view to me finishing the novel but I was also in the process of writing my text book, Cohabitation Claims which had required a lot of writing and re-writing as the law kept changing. That was published in April 2009. Then I was commissioned to write two chapters of Jackson’s Matrimonial Finance which came out in January 2012. In the meantime, in 2011, I was asked to write a second edition of Cohabitation Claims. This proved to be a lengthy and difficult job and it was not published until October 2015.

In the meantime, I was continuing to write ATDH when I could find the time and showing the work in progress to friends all of whom loved it. The turning point came for me in the summer of 2014. I was conducting a very big trial in the High Court and my solicitor asked to see what I had written. It was about 570 pages long at this point but unfinished. He read it in five days. I told another friend about this over a beer on the Friday night and he asked me to send it to him. I sent it to him at 7 am on the Saturday morning and on the Sunday at 9 am he wrote back to say that he had read it all, staying up until 2 am to finish it. He was only disappointed that, after 570 pages it was not complete. I realised that this was becoming ridiculous so, that summer, when we went down to France, I sat down and finished it in a matter of weeks. It was all up there in my head and I just knew that I needed to write it all down.

So, I suppose my research started in 1981 and limped haphazardly along. It was largely completed by 2007 although I continued to learn new things. There were then spurts of writing when I could find the time between other commitments but it was not until 2014 that I decided just to write the final parts down.

TRC: Do you believe authors of historical fiction should follow historical accuracy and fact? Do authors have a responsibility to be factually accurate?

John:Broadly speaking I think that authors of historical fiction should seek historical accuracy. It makes the story credible and it keeps the reader believing in what has been written. So, in ATDH, if newsvendors are shouting “Victories in Libya” that is what happened on the day in question. Or when a civic official is taking an oxyacetylene lamp to the railings around Lincoln’s Inn Fields that is because that happened on the day. When Julia sports a coat that she purchased from Bradley’s in Chepstow Place for twelve and a half guineas the previous season it is because that very coat was on sale that season. However, subject to that general belief in accuracy I do not think that it is essential. I have tweaked some of the facts ever so slightly for dramatic effect here and there and I suspect most readers will not spot them. There is a libel trial involving three literary siblings called the Renshaws. Only two of my readers realised that this was in fact a trial that actually took place on the days in question involving the Sitwell siblings. I don’t think that this sort of “tweaking” with the historical record causes any harm or other problems.

TRC: How did publishing your first book affect your writing style going forward?

John:I don’t think that having my first book published has greatly affected my writing style going forward in that I think that it has largely been formed now. My work means that I am writing most days of the week. I remember acting for a famous science fantasy writer on his divorce. We were having a companionable fag outside the Hastings County Court and I asked him what he thought of the financial documents I had prepared for his case. He said that he liked my prose style. I had to say to him that this was not the point: it was the content rather than the style that mattered. I have written so many things now from radio programmes to co-writing the European Youth Forum Policy on Youth Unemployment and Training that I think that my style is quite adaptable to whatever it is I am writing about at the time.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

John:Yes, I do. I was greatly assisted with the cover of this book by Gareth Howard of Clink Street Publishing. Amazingly, we both had almost exactly the same concept of what the cover page should look like. Then it has to be kept as simple as possible because, frequently, it will be seen only as a “thumbnail” picture.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

John:This is a very good question. With my story line I had in my mind a very clear narrative arc. However, I am also of the view that, if you direct the characters in your story, you remove their free will and they turn into cardboard. So, I would not say that I direct the characters. However, there is often a range of things that a particular character could do in certain circumstances and as long as you can keep them broadly on track they can do what they like. I found this quite infuriating at times and there was one particular character, Roly Blytheway, who caused me no end of grief as he would not do what I wanted him to do. But it was very rewarding, in the end, to let him do things his way.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

John:This question covers an awful lot of ground. I remember when I began thinking seriously about writing a novel, studying the writings of those authors who had the ability to “pull you into the storyline”. When our hero is pressing himself against a damp brick wall to stay hidden why do some writers make you feel as though you too are breathless and feeling that same brick wall whilst other writers will leave you cold? As mentioned earlier I found the writings of Sol Stein extremely helpful on this. The old mantra is that one must “show and not tell”. I think that this is correct but simplistic. Yes. The writer must show and not tell. However, he or she must do a lot more than this. It is necessary to imagine every scene from all particular angles. To make oneself aware of the time of day, the quality of the light, any ambient factors that would play on the protagonist and then distil those down into a few sentences. For me, every short scene had a long gestation. One needs to cut back on the adverbs and adjectives. If you tell the reader that your protagonist is nervous you are taking the imaginative involvement away from the reader. If you show the reader your protagonist trying to light a cigarette with a tremor in his right hand such that he spills all his matches on the floor you give the scene to the imagination of your reader.

I think that writers frequently fail in this endeavour because they do not make a sufficient attempt to show rather than tell. They do not fully picture the scene in question in their mind’s eye and then seek to reproduce that scene so that the reader can see it as well. I think that this is sometimes down to lazy or sloppy writing and it is a sign of disrespect to the reader who, of course, is entitled to the utmost courtesy.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

John:I don’t tend to listen to music when writing unless it is necessary for the plot. Thus, in the two funeral scenes in the novel the choice of music for the funerals was very important to me and to the scenes in question. And so I listened to a lot of classical music when trying to imagine these and trying to picture how the music chosen would affect the actors at these dramas. Pergolesi was particularly important.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

John:From my point of view I think that the biggest misconception people have about authors relates to the whole question of writer’s block. When I was starting out I assumed that with “writer’s block” that meant that the author did not know what was supposed to happen next. Perhaps that is true of some writers. Bruce Robinson (of Withnail and I fame) has spoken movingly about “the Block”. However, I came to the conclusion that writer’s block is rarely about not knowing what is supposed to happen next. It is more to do with finding the paradymic scene that is more than the sum of its parts or dealing with issues such as “point of view” or “pacing”. These, in my experience, are the true sources of writer’s block.

TRC: What is something that few, if anybody, knows about you?

John:One of my favourite songs is “In my Secret Life” by Leonard Cohen. The lyrics of the song speak for themselves. I can relate to that. I have my secret life and, by and large, it remains so.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

John:I am working on a number of projects. I wrote a novella in 2016 called “A Short While” which, simplistically, is about cancer in the Home Counties. My god-daughter, Hannah Sharp, who is a very talented artist and actress, and I are turning it into a screenplay and we are on the fourth draft. I have written some children’s stories about two wombats, Wallis and Wendy, escaping from the circus on their tandem to go and play at the Ayer’s Rock Country and Western Music Festival. I am collaborating with Candida Spencer, a very close friend and great artist and she is in the process of illustrating it for me. I have another novella on the boil which starts in Gipsy Hill in the mid-1980s with a hundred mechanical parrots squawking “give me your money!” in a suburban garden. I am also working on the prequel / sequel to At the Dark Hour. I have two chapters of an academic book to write by September and the third volume of Cohabitation Claims text book is due out next year. I have decided to share the writing out with other people on this because it is too much for one person to do. I have also, I hope, recently finalised the next issue of Family Affairs, a magazine that I edit which I hope will be reaching our subscribers’ trays this week.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

John:I am a huge fan of David Bowie and I liked, in particular, the way that he would always seek to collaborate on his future work.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Tuna

Favorite Dessert
Summer (red) berries covered in melted white chocolate

Favorite TV Show
Death in Paradise

Last Movie You Saw
Source Code

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate

Secret Celebrity Crush
Ingrid Bergman

Last Vacation Destination
Iran

Do you have any pets?
Two cats: Dooley Wilson and Monty Wilson. Dooley is a black cat.

Last book you read
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

TRC: Thank you John for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your the release of AT THE DARK HOUR. We wish you much success.

Tuesday 17^thJuly

Behind Closed Doors Book Review

Wednesday 18^thJuly

Belleandthenovel

Thursday 19^thJuly

Short Book and Scribes

Friday 20^thJuly

Bound 2 Escape

Evermore Books

Monday 23^rdJuly

Blue Striped Square

Tuesday 24^thJuly

Celticlady Reviews

Wednesday 25^thJuly

Portable Magic

The Reading Café

Thursday 26^thJuly

The Writing Greyhound

Friday 27^thJuly

Donna’s Book Blog

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Madam Tulip and The Bones of Chance (Madam Tulip #3) by David Ahern-Review and Interview

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Sandy

MADAM TULIP AND THE BONES OF CHANCE (Madam Tulip #3) by David Ahern-Review and Interview

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 12, 2018

A surprise role in a movie takes actress Derry O’Donnell to a romantic castle in the Scottish Highlands. But romance soon turns to fear and suspicion. Someone means to kill, and Derry, moonlighting as celebrity fortune-teller Madam Tulip, is snared in a net of greed, conspiracy and betrayal.

A millionaire banker, a film producer with a mysterious past, a gun-loving wife, a PA with her eyes on Hollywood, a handsome and charming estate manager—each has a secret to share and a request for Madam Tulip.

As Derry and her friend Bruce race to prevent a murder, she learns to her dismay that the one future Tulip can’t predict is her own.

Madame Tulip is the third in a series of thrilling and hilarious Tulip adventures in which Derry O’Donnell, celebrity fortune-teller and reluctant amateur detective, plays the most exciting and perilous roles of her acting life, drinks borage tea, and fails to understand her parents.

••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: MADAM TULIP AND THE BONES OF CHANCE is the third instalment in David Ahern’s contemporary, adult MADAM TULIP slightly paranormal, mystery series focusing on the adventures of Irish American actress and celebrity fortune-teller Derry O’Donnell aka Madam Tulip. MADAM TULIP AND THE BONES OF CHANCE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

SOME BACKGROUND: Derry O’Donnell is the daughter of American-born mother PR representative Vanessa, and her Irish-born father, eccentric artist and gambling addict Jack O’Donnell but Derry is also an amateur detective with psychic powers and visions of the future she employs in her role as the celebrity fortune-teller Madam Tulip.

Told from third person perspective (Derry O’Donnell) MADAM TULIP AND THE BONES OF CHANCE follows actress Derry O’Donnell as she reluctantly accepts the role of a gypsy fortune-teller in a Scottish time-travel movie shooting in the Highlands of Scotland. Along with her best friend, fellow actor and former Navy SEAL Bruce, Derry embarks on a cross-country journey through Scotland where the sights and sounds hide centuries of secrets and sins. As the filming begins, Derry must come to terms with a group of obnoxious film professionals, a number who apparently, have something to hide. Several requests to ‘read’ the future find our heroine the target of a potential killer, a killer whose secrets do not want to be revealed.

MADAM TULIP AND THE BONES OF CHANCE is a slow building, detailed story line that takes the reader through Edinburg and Glasgow, and the rolling hills and crumbling castles of the Highlands of Scotland. Derry’s parents continue their slightly acrimonious relationship pulling our heroine into the middle of an uphill struggle with their own fortune and fame. The large ensemble cast of spirited secondary and supporting characters pushes the envelope of liability and collaboration as it pertains to the who-dunnit aspect of the mystery and suspense. The premise is entertaining and engaging-captivating the reader’s attention with the slow reveal of possibilities; the characters are animated and energetic. MADAM TULIP AND THE BONES OF CHANCE is a story of betrayal and vengeance; power and greed; with the added humor of the O’Donnell’s ongoing triumphs and failures.

I will add there are some Scottish/Irish expressions and words that may be unfamiliar to North American readers.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

TRC: Hi David and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the recent release of MADAM TULIP and THE BONES OF CHANCE.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow David: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

David: I’m Irish, although I lived for many years in Scotland and love the place. I live on the West coast. Like most writers, I’ve had a bunch of careers, varying from the wildly successful to the unmitigated disaster.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

David: No doubt about it, my mother. She’s a marvellous actress, a fine writer and an inspiration to everyone who meets her.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your novels?

David: It’s the same for most writers, I think. Finding your voice and gaining confidence in that voice takes time.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of MADAM TULIP and THE BONES OF CHANCE and the MADAM TULIP series?

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au

David: Derry O’Donnell is an actress who moonlights as a fortune teller. She’s a teeny bit psychic, but when it comes to solving mysteries that’s no help at all. The thing about fortune telling for the wealthy is that where you’ve got money and secrets, you’ve got trouble. In ‘Madam Tulip and the Bones of Chance,’Derry gets to act in a movie being shot in Scotland. And someone is determined to kill.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning MADAM TULIP and THE BONES OF CHANCE?

David: I’m one of those writers whose greatest fear is getting lost in the fun of research. So I impose strict limits. I’d say a max of ten percent of the time is spent on research, and I wish it were less.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series? Will they all be set in the UK?

David: I’ll keep on writing them as long as readers want me to. So far I’ve set one in each of Ireland, England and Scotland. I guess Wales should figure next, but in fact the fourth book is set back in Ireland. I do see Madam Tulip spreading her wings to more exotic climes as time goes on (and research budgets get more generous).

TRC: How did publishing your first book affect your writing style going forward?

David: I don’t think publishing affected anything much in the writing.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

David: Definitely. I’m lucky to have a wonderful cover designer in Natalie of Kisscutdesign. It really makes a difference.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

David: For me characters come first. They decide.

David: I like to feel I’m telling a story as I would if we had a power cut and were sitting around the fire entertaining ourselves with tall tales. As for writers failing, I don’t like playing the guru where writing is concerned – everyone has to find their own way. But sometimes the best advice is ‘just tell the story.’

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

David: I’d have a breakdown. Some kind of fuse in my brain would go pop if I tried to listen and write at the same time.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

David: That it’s somehow better than being paid lots of money.

TRC: What is something that few, if anybody, knows about you?

David: That I’m a wonderfully talented musician. Unfortunately, the reason they don’t know is because they’ve heard me play.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

David: Madam Tulip book #4!

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

David: Just a thank you.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Anything Thai

Favorite Dessert
Don’t care as long as it’s got cream on.

Favorite TV Show
Black Books

Last Movie You Saw
The Producers (on TV)

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Any.

Secret Celebrity Crush
Jennifer L. because she’s got a sense of humour.

Last Vacation Destination
Vacation?

Do you have any pets?
Cats X 2.

Last book you read
Suetonius – The Twelve Caesars (talk about tabloid!)

TRC: Thank you David for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your the release of MADAM TULIP and THE BONES OF CHANCE. We wish you much success.

David: Thanks for having me. 🙂

Every Deep Desire (Deadly Force #1) by Sharon Wray-Review, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Sandy

EVERY DEEP DESIRE (Deadly Force #1) by Sharon Wray-Review, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 6, 2018

He’s taking it all back
His honor, his freedom, and the woman he loves

Rafe Montfort was a decorated Green Beret, the best of the best, until a disastrous mission and an unforgivable betrayal destroyed his life. Now, this deadly soldier has returned to the sultry Georgia swamps to reunite with his brothers, and take back all he lost. But Juliet must never know the truth behind what he’s done…or the dangerous secret that threatens to take him from her forever.

It took Juliet Capel eight long years to put her life back together after her husband was taken from her. Now Rafe is back, determined to protect her at any cost, and it’s not just her heart that’s in danger. The swamps hold a secret long buried and far deadlier than either of them could have imagined.

••••••••••

REVIEW: EVERY DEEP DESIRE is the first instalment in Sharon Wray’s contemporary, adult DEADLY FORCE romantic suspense series focusing on a group of former Green Beret’s betrayed by someone in charge. This is Rafe Montfort, and Juliet Capel’s second chance story line.

NOTE: EVERY DEEP DESIRE contains scenes of graphic violence that may not be suitable for some readers.

Told from several third person perspectives including Rafe and Juliet VERY DEEP DESIRE is a complex and multi-layered story line that focuses on the rekindling romance between former and dishonourably discharged Green Beret Rafe Montfort, and the woman he loves, landscape architect Juliet Capel. Eight years earlier Rafe Montfort went AWOL leaving the woman he loves struggling to survive. Fast forward to present day wherein a changed Rafe returns seeking revenge against people who destroyed his life-a life he no longer controls as his own. With continuing threats against Juliet, and the return of two of the men he once called friend, Rafe’s mission becomes more complicated as the ‘Brotherhood’, a secret organization known as the Fianna, seeks payment and retribution for sins of the past. What ensues is the second chance romance between Rafe and Juliet, and the potential fall-out as one-time friends become enemies, and enemies become future friends, and the Brotherhood refuses to let go of one of their own.

Sharon Wray has loosely adapted Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette with the release of EVERY DEEP DESIRE wherein brother is pitted against brother, family against friendship in a war not of their making. From betrayal to secrets, poison to promises, EVERY DEEP DESIRE is a complicated mosaic of double cross and treachery, heartbreak and confession, power and control. The ‘Brotherhood’ speaks in Shakespearean prose referencing life and death with every message and note. There are heroes and anti-heroes, villains and sinners, black sheep and rogues such that the line between good and evil is constantly blurred. With the introduction of Rafe’s former Green Beret Team, I am hoping the author has plans for future story lines.

EVERY DEEP DESIRE is not an easy read due to the numerous intersecting and complex plotlines; the introduction of a diverse cast of secondary and supporting characters; and the mysterious Fianna-a group of ‘mythological’ Irish warriors dating back hundreds of years. The overload of information is, at times, confusing and chaotic, but I recommend reading EVERY DEEP DESIRE until the end. The premise is unique, intriguing and cleverly written; the characters are passionate and tragic; the romance is palpable and intense. EVERY DEEP DESIRE is a thrilling and fascinating take on Romeo and Juliet- the hidden ‘Easter Eggs’ are only the beginning.

Copy supplied by Netgalley through the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Juliet’s house had disappeared.
Rafe Montfort scrubbed a hand over his face. A strangling ache invaded his chest, filling the empty space that once held his heart. He shifted the Army duffel he’d shouldered for the past six miles, moving the burn from one arm to the other. Why had he assumed her father’s trailer would still be standing? That she’d be living there? Waiting for him?
Because he wasn’t only a bastard who made assumptions. He was a fool who once believed the Prince’s brutal goals justified Rafe’s ruthless actions.
Or, as Escalus used to say, “a fool whose violent delights have violent ends.”
Summer cicadas hummed in the Isle of Grace’s surrounding woods, their mournful drone filling Rafe’s head with rhythmic disapproval. Sweat soaked his T-shirt, pooling low in his back above his waistband. Where he used to keep his gun.
He wasn’t just a bastard. He wasn’t just a fool. He just wasn’t the man he’d once hoped to become. With a nod to his broken past, he left the overgrown property and headed home.
Keep it moving, Montfort. That’s right. One boot in front of the other.
He kicked an empty beer bottle into a ditch, shattering the brown glass, and marched toward Pops’s trailer tucked between the towering Georgia pines a half mile down the Isle’s dirt road. He’d given up his honor, his wife, his men. Thank God his mother had died before he betrayed everyone he loved. In the years he’d been away, he hadn’t just cut out his heart; he’d sold his soul.
Despite the breeze, questions about Juliet’s departure burned his blood.
Why had she left? He climbed the pine steps to the deck alongside the double-wide.
Where’d she go? He jumped the last two steps to avoid the missing planks.
Did she ever think of him? The Capels had arrived on the Isle long before the American Revolution. It’d never occurred to him that her family would leave. For eight long years, he’d been counting on that.
His duffel landed with a thud next to an outboard motor and buckets of fishing gear. He rubbed the knotted muscles in his shoulder and faced the broken screen door. His vision faded until all he could see was the blurry mesh.
What the hell was he doing? Why had he even come home? Because he’d had no choice. Everything depended on him remembering that. With renewed determination, he raised his fist and hit the metal door.
No answer. He closed his eyes, took another breath, and knocked again.
Juliet’s family was gone. Had his left as well?
He heard a banging around back, pulled out his leather jacket, and covered the tattoos on his arms. He’d rather die of heat stroke than start an argument. Then he jumped over the deck rail. His combat boots made it easier to walk through the tall weeds to the red barn a hundred yards behind the trailer. Three times larger than the home, the barn and surrounding yard held remnants of every American classic car ever made.
Everything stood as if he’d never left, except for the cell boost antenna on the barn’s roof. From the height and distance, it probably provided a cell signal the width and depth of Pops’s property. Pops had joined the twenty-first century? Maybe miracles were possible.
He drew closer and saw his daddy’s gray head bobbing up and down beneath the hood of a black 1958 Chevy Impala. He stopped on the other side of the car and exhaled until his lungs ached. “Pops?”
His dad raised his head, his eyes squinting. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me. Rafe.”
A man, shorter than he remembered, stood. In a stained red T-shirt and overalls with one strap hanging down, his father waited a few moments before nodding. At least he wasn’t holding a beer. Or his shotgun.
Rafe waved at the car. “She’s a real beauty. She yours?”
“No.” Pops wiped his dirty hands on an oily rag, and Rafe focused on the remaining finger on his father’s right hand. He’d given the other four to the Marines. “She belongs to your brother.”
“Good for him.”
Pops tossed the rag onto the engine and gripped the side of the Chevy’s frame. His hard stare took in Rafe’s leather jacket in what had to be triple-digit heat. “What you doin’ here, boy?”
He held out his hand. A hug would only be an invitation to an ass-kicking. “The Army released me from prison.”
“Released?” His father picked up a dirty wrench, his face brown beneath a haircut the Corps would salute. “What the hell for? Good behavior?”
“No, sir.” He dropped his hand. If disapproval were a color, it would be the dark, muddy brown in his father’s grim gaze. “I don’t know why.”
Since he’d spent two years in a Russian jail and then the last nine months locked in isolation in Leavenworth, he wasn’t sure what to think. “I was told to return to Savannah and wait for a call.”
While it went against every one of his hard-earned instincts urging him to run, he’d come home to find out what the hell was going on. Besides, it wasn’t like he had anyplace else to go.
“You still a sergeant?”
A sharp ache hit Rafe’s back molars, and he eased off the teeth grinding. On his left, he noticed a band of magnolia trees surrounding a white glory cross. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and forced himself to meet his father’s reproach. “I don’t know what I am.” Sergeant? Prisoner 061486? The Prince’s warrior? Hell if he knew.
“I know what you are,” Pops said. “Damn traitor. Not to mention adulterer, liar, thief.”
Rafe’s exhale sounded more like a hiss. While he wasn’t all of those things, he’d done other things—worse things. “I was also dishonorably discharged.”

TRC: Hi Sharon and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the recent release of your debut book EVERY DEEP DESIRE

Sharon: Thank you so much for having me here today.

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow Sharon: Goodreads / Website / Facebook / Twitter / Google Plus

Sharon: I’m a librarian and archivist who worked in the pharmaceutical and news industries, as well as in art and public libraries. I’m also a wife and a mother of twins who also used to design wedding gowns. But many years ago, when I decided to stay home with my twins and give up my design business, I was looking for a new creative venture and my sister-in-law gave me a copy of the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. As I worked through the book, I decided to become a romance author.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Sharon: My father was my biggest influence and one of my biggest supporters until his death. His grandparents came from Ireland (my maiden name is Brennan) and he was always telling me stories about Irish kings and warriors and, of course, fairies. When I was trying to decide which creative track I should take, I remembered my father’s stories and that help me decide to become a writer.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your first novel?

Sharon: I don’t want to depress any new writers out there, but it took me fourteen years from the day I decided to become a romance writer to having a book on a bookshelf. 🙂 I joined Romance Writers of America on March 2, 2004 and my debut novel will hit bookstores March 6, 2018.

In those fourteen years, I’ve written eight full manuscripts and two partials. I also have alot of outlines for other books. It took me six years to find an agent and another six to sell my first books. And along the way I’ve received over a hundred rejections. But all of this taught me invaluable lessons about patience, perseverance and gratitude. It’s also taught me how to be a better writer. As long as this journey has been, it’s also been wonderful. And it makes my release of EVERY DEEP DESIRE that much more amazing.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of EVERY DEEP DESIRE and the DEADLY FORCE series?

Sharon: The DEADLY FORCE series is about a team of ex-Green Berets and their sexy, smart heroines who redeem Shakespeare’s greatest love stories.

When a group of ex-special forces soldiers, under the leadership of Colonel Kells Torridan, are accused of vicious war crimes and dishonorably discharged, they find themselves in the middle of a war between a vicious arms dealer and the secretive Fianna army.

Kells’s men now work in a cheesy, pirate-themed gym in Savannah, GA, desperate to prove their innocence before their enemies comes after them again. But as these men struggle to rebuild their lives and redeem their honor, it’s the women they love who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning.

EVERY DEEP DESIRE is a contemporary romantic suspense retelling of Romeo and Juliet. When Juliet Capel, a woman determined to protect the life she’s built for herself, becomes the target of an arms dealer who believes she holds the key to a 17th Century secret, her only chance to stay alive rests within the arms of Rafe Montfort, her ex-Green Beret husband who abandoned her eight years earlier.

TRC: From where did the idea come to integrate Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and the mythology of the Fianna Irish warriors?

Sharon: Honestly, I’m not sure. I didn’t think about any of this when I started the book. At first, I started writing about a character named Jack Keeley (he’s a colonel from the hero’s Green Beret unit who’s in prison for most of the series) and Jack started telling me about the series premise, about a group of ex-Green Berets caught in the middle of war between a brutal arms dealer and the Fianna army. Then, after the first rough draft, Rafe (the hero) told me he was a Fianna warrior, and Juliet (the heroine) told me she always felt her love story with Rafe was a tragedy. And the two ideas came together. Except then I had to start the book over.

This book would’ve been easier to write if I’d know all of this before I started writing. LOL.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning EVERY DEEP DESIRE?

Sharon: Wow. A lot. It didn’t help that I’ve been a reference librarian all of my adult life. 🙂
I’ve been working on this series for about seven years. First, I re-read the entire Fenian cycle of poetry and all of the stories about the mythic Irish warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill who formed the Fianna army to fend off the Roman invasion of Ireland. Then I re-read Romeo and Juliet and read as much literary criticism as I could find.

My parents lived in Savannah for a while, and my husband is from Charleston, so I did hundreds of hours of hands-on investigative work in these cities. I went to archives, took history tours, and ate in restaurants. 🙂 My brother-in-law is from one of the oldest families in the south, as well as a lawyer, and he was incredibly helpful with the legal aspects in this story.

My husband went to West Point and was an army officer for many, many years and now works for the DoD. He helped me with all of the military/weapon/action stuff and answered all of my crazy questions with patience and in terms I could understand. And if he didn’t know, he asked people who did know.

But for as much research as I did, I deliberately fictionalized certain things. I took famous stories about pirates and privateers and changed them to fit the story. I even made up my own island and my husband’s rendition of it made it into the book!

TRC: What was the hardest scene to write?

Sharon: It’s a tie between the first meet scene between Rafe (the hero) and Juliet (the heroine) as well as the first meet scene between Rafe and Nate (Rafe’s ex-Green Beret buddy from his former unit). Both of these scenes were difficult to write for the same reason: They were highly emotional.

Rafe abandoned his wife and his men, including Nate, so both Nate and Juliet feel completely betrayed. Even after 8 years, that kind of betrayal is hard to recover from. Although one character is a wife and the other is a friend, the emotions of betrayal, anger, and sadness were similar. Both scenes took me months to write, and many, many rounds of revisions to hit the emotions properly. And now they’re two of my favorite scenes in the book. 🙂

TRC: How will publishing EVERY DEEP DESIRE affect your writing style going forward?

Sharon: The editing process for this book taught me a lot about what scenes are really necessary and which ones aren’t. I am a very long and very slow writer, and my hope is that the process I went through with this book will teach me how writer leaner and faster writer going forward.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Sharon: As a librarian, I do believe that covers help readers select a book. I’ve spent too many years in libraries where people would bring in books, point to the cover, and say, “give me something like this”. And I’m incredibly grateful to Sourcebooks for giving EVERY DEEP DESIRE such a fabulous cover. I also think that a strong cover on the first book of a series helps set the tone for the series and hopefully attracts readers who are seeking that kind of story.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Sharon: I don’t do any directing of the characters in the first few drafts. I write down everything they say and do and want and feel and see. Then, as I begin to revise, I start cutting and moving and redirecting. But If I do too much redirecting. The characters stop talking to me. I can edit them, but I can’t change them. They don’t like that!

Sharon: I always feel like I can improve in this area. First of all, knowing the characters is key. You can’t evoke emotions in readers if you don’t understand the emotions your characters are feeling. I spend a LOT of time with my characters, trying to learn everything I can about them, before I start my drafts.

To evoke emotion—and keep the tension on the page—an author must understand the interplay between dialog and narrative in both scenes and sequels. And then know when to layer in backstory, setting, and descriptions. It’s like trying to balance five bricks on a high wire. It can be done (I saw someone do this once!) but only if everything is in perfect balance.

If I fail in this balance (and I have many, many times), I always make sure I understand the type of scene it is (scene or sequel, action or love scene, etc). Then I look to the narrative to see if it’s overburdened with extra stuff, and then to the dialog to see if it’s rambling. I have some characters who love to talk and even though it may be witty and fun, it often needs to be cut. Balance is the key to everything.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Sharon: I do listen to music while I’m drafting and will build a playlist as I draft. I collect songs of all genres from classical to heavy metal, depending on the scene I’m writing. Each scene has a feel to it, as do each character, and I use the music to help me pace the scene. Then, when I’m ready to revise, I pick a few songs that I feel embody the tone and “beat” of the book and will play those over and over again until I’m done.

When I’m doing final read-throughs, everything in the house needs to be silent. Even the dog’s snoring annoys me! Lol.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Sharon: That our lives are really glamorous. Mine’s really not. I write seven days a week, and between revising and marketing and writing new books, it’s easily a 60-hours a week job. I rarely leave the house if I’m in draft-mode or revise-mode which is almost all the time! But I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’m so much happier now than I was when I working in an office.

TRC: What is something that few, if anybody, knows about you?

Sharon: I used to work in the American Red Cross office in Uijongbu, South Korea.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Sharon: I am revising book 2 in the Deadly Force series and writing book 3.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Sharon: It’s still seems so surreal that EVERY DEEP DESIRE is out in the world. My book’s debut proves that if you have a dream you can’t ever, ever, ever give up. Dreams do come true.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
BBQ ribs

Favorite Dessert
Oreos (seriously!)

Favorite TV Show
The Colony (it’s a sc-fi show with Josh Holloway)

Last Movie You Saw
I re-watched Casablanca with my family.

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Both!

Secret Celebrity Crush
Laurence Olivier (when he played Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights)

Last Vacation Destination
Jamaica with my husband

Do you have any pets?
Yes, a one-eyed rescue dog named Donut (He’s an Australian blue-heeler)

Last book you read
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. It’s a YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Sharon: Thank you so much for having me here today!

TRC: Thank you Sharon for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your the release of EVERY DEEP DESIRE. We wish you much success.

Dear Readers,

As an author, I both love and fear release days. I’m thrilled that the book I’ve spent years on is entering the world, ready to find readers. Yet terrified because the fictional world I’ve spent so much time in—dreaming about, thinking of, planning for—is no longer my own.

The story and everything in it, especially the characters, now belong to you. All the feels you experience, whether I intended them or not, will be filtered through your own life’s events. Your memories, your dreams, your joys, and losses will determine what you take away from the story. And that’s the way it should be.

Yet, while reader reactions are completely out of my control, it’s also scary. Especially when one makes changes to the genre. Every Deep Desire, and the other books in the Deadly Force series, are all romantic suspense stories—yet they’re also different. And we all know how the world feels about change.

The Deadly Force series is about a group of ex-Green Berets, under the command of Colonel Kells Torridan, who were charged with a crime they didn’t commit and dishonorably discharged despite their innocence. Some of the men from the unit are in prison, but the men in the series, including Kells, are living in Savannah, GA, managing Iron Rack’s, a run-down, pirate-themed gym in a not-so-nice part of town, and working as bouncers at a goth strip club. They’re hiding in plain sight, teaching Krav Maga classes, tossing drunks, desperate to find any information that can lead them to who destroyed their lives, and why.

But these books aren’t just about the men and their weapons. They are also romances. To be more specific, each love story is a retelling of one of Shakespeare’s greatest love stories. Just add in sexy, down-and-out Green Berets, dangerous arms dealers, and strong heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning.

Every Deep Desire, a contemporary retelling of Romeo and Juliet and first in the Deadly Force series, is about Rafe Montfort and Juliet Capel. Rafe, a man in Kells’s unit, left his men and his wife to join the Prince and his Fianna army only to end up in prison. Now, eight years later, Rafe finds himself released without explanation. His only clue is a note telling him to return to the remote sea island off the coast of Savannah where he and Juliet grew up. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that his wife Juliet, the woman he’s adored his entire life, is in danger.

Juliet, a landscape architect, has struggled for eight years to recover from Rafe’s abandonment and disappearance. Their early marriage had been a disaster both their families had warned them about, but they’d been too young and too in love to understand. Now she’s determined to live her life on her own terms without help from anyone. And the last thing she needs is her ex-husband returning home with vague warnings of danger.

But when vague warnings become real threats, Rafe and Juliet realize that both of their enemies, the Prince and Remiel Marigny, know a 17th century secret about the Isle where they both grew up, a secret both of their families have kept for hundreds of years. Now, in order to figure out why an army of assassins, a brutal gun runner, and a team of ex-Green Berets are interested in Juliet’s ancestor—a Puritan woman accused of witchcraft—Rafe and Juliet must face their past together.

Now they’re running out of time. And not only is Juliet’s heart and Rafe’s freedom in jeopardy, the secret they uncover is far deadlier than anyone could’ve realized.

I hope you all enjoy this first book in the Deadly Forces series. It’s a world where sexy, smart heroines must teach these ex-Green Berets bent on redemption that physical strength and combat experience isn’t always enough to win. Sometimes a person’s greatest weapon—true courage—comes from seeking forgiveness and accepting love.

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the publisher

Fly Away With Me (Blue Moon Harbor #1) by Susan Fox-Review, Interview & Giveaway

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Sandy

Fly Away with Me (Blue Moon Harbor #1) by Susan Fox-Review, Interview and Giveaway

FLY WAY WITH ME
Blue Moon Harbor #1
by Susan Fox
Release Date:July 25, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

Fly Away with Me

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Dat July 25, 2017

Known for its rugged beauty and eccentric residents, tiny Blue Moon Harbor is big on love . . .

For busy lawyer Eden Blaine, a trip to a Pacific Northwest island she’s never even heard of is far from a vacation. Eden’s ailing mother has tasked her with finding her long-lost aunt, who once had ties to a commune on the island. Still reeling from a breakup with her longtime boyfriend, romance is the last thing Eden is looking for. But her gorgeous seaplane pilot has her wondering if a carefree rebound fling is exactly what she needs. . .

Aaron Gabriel has no illusions about happily ever after. His troubled childhood made sure of that. But he does appreciate a pretty woman’s company, and Eden is the exact combination of smart and sexy that turns him on. Still, as he helps her search for her missing aunt, the casual relationship he imagined quickly becomes something much more passionate–and much harder to give up. Can two people determined to ignore romance recognize that their heated connection is the kind of love destined to last?

••••••••••

REVIEW: Fly Away with Me begins with Eden Blaine embarking on a trip to try and find her mother’s long,-lost sister. Through a series of very unfortunate events, Eden’s mother has no idea if her sister is dead or alive. The only piece of information they have as to her whereabouts is the name of an island, Destiny, where the aunt headed to long years ago. Eden is bound and determined to find what happened to her aunt, even though she really has no idea where to start. Two things she does know: a little time away may do her some good and failure is not an option. Eden’s mother has been battling cancer, so, Eden being Eden, sets out to make everything okay.

Aaron Gabriel meets his passengers at the port where he will pick them up and fly them to various spots, including his home base of Destiny. Once he’s dropped off everyone except for Eden, he strikes up a conversation with her and offers his help in finding her aunt. The one thing Eden has to promise for his help? Have a little fun while she’s here.

As Eden and Aaron get to know each other a little, Eden immediately realizes that she will indeed need his help. Seems folks on the island have a little bit of a hard time warming up to outsiders. While they set out to question long-time residents of the island, they do start to have a little fun. Their attraction to each other grows and they both find themselves thinking things that they never thought they would. However, as the mystery deepens surrounding Eden’s aunt, neither know what is in store for their very near future.

Fly Away with Me is a nicely written story, and a first for me from author Susan Fox. I loved the character development of the main characters, as well as the eclectic secondary characters. This is not a story with an immediate HEA. They both have to work on themselves individually, as well as trying to be a couple and what comes with that. Fly Away with Me is ultimately a story that teaches you nothing is written in stone, and with hard work, you might carve out a whole lot of happiness for yourself. The first half was a bit slow, but the last half was worth the wait. This one touched me in ways that a romance hasn’t in a very long time. Like I said, this was my first story by Susan Fox, but it definitely won’t be my last. If you’re a romance fan that loves stories with a slow simmer and a real life storyline, you won’t go wrong with Fly Away with Me. Well done, Susan Fox!

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Vickie M

Interview-Blue

TRC:Hi Susan and welcome to The Reading Café.

Susan Fox Susan: Thank you so much for having me here!

TRC: Congratulations on the recent release of FLY AWAY WITH ME

Susan: Thanks again! I’m thrilled to be launching a new series (Blue Moon Harbor) set in my own part of the world.

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow Susan: Facebook / Goodreads / Website / Pinterest / Amazon / BookBub

Susan: I’ve lived in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, all my life, and I love the great outdoors as well as great restaurants and theatre. I have degrees in psychology and law, but rather than choose a sensible profession with a secure income, I drifted from job to job, looking for the right fit. I found it, with writing.

I’m fascinated by people, personality, character growth, relationships – and writing romance and women’s fiction is the perfect place to indulge that fascination. My world is a diverse, multicultural one, and that’s the kind of world I write about. I believe a writer has a responsibility, and so my stories always have messages, sometimes pretty blatant and sometimes more subtle. Equality and appreciation of differences are strong values for me. You’ll find some issues in my books, such as dealing with major illnesses or injuries (e.g., Eden’s mother’s cancer in Fly Away With Me) and dysfunctional families (such as Aaron’s), and so on. The stories aren’t heavy, dark ones, but they do involve some emotional stuff. As well as love and laughter, good friends, and some steamy sex. I love romance because the reader (and author!) always knows that no matter how much angst the characters go through, they will emerge stronger, and they’ll find love.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Susan: It took me forever to figure out that I didn’t just love reading fiction, I wanted to write it. That happened when a friend gave me Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. When I started to write my first book (which will never be published), I knew I’d found my passion.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your stories?

Susan: The biggest challenge was in getting my work published. I’m smart, organized and efficient, and I’m a good writer. And yet it took me 10 years to sell my first book. That was back in the days when self-publishing wasn’t an option. What I learned is that it’s easier to be a lawyer than to sell a book to a publisher. Becoming a lawyer is mostly within your own control: work hard and get good marks, work hard and finance your education, work hard and learn the law, hang out your shingle, and work hard to bring in clients then devote your best efforts to serving them well. But all the hard work and best efforts can’t make a publisher buy your work. I came close, so many times. When I did sell that first book to Kensington in 2005, it wasn’t that that particular book (Champagne Rules) was any better than the previous ones, it was a matter of luck and timing. I’d written a book that happened to fit with the new Aphrodisia line that Kensington planned to launch.

Trying to make decent money as an author is an ongoing challenge. I’ve written for Berkley and Harlequin as well as Kensington, and I’ve also done some self-publishing. Right now, Kensington is the best home for me. I’m certainly not getting rich, but I’m writing the kind of stories I want to write, with a supportive editor and publishing team.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of FLY AWAY WITH ME and the Blue Moon Harbor series?

Susan: The idea for the series setting came from my boating in the Gulf Islands near Victoria, British Columbia (something my partner and I do every summer). I love the ocean and the islands, which have a diverse and quirky population. So I’m writing about a small community setting, as with my Caribou Crossing books which are set in ranching country in B.C.’s interior. But an island has the added quality of only being accessible by water or air – it’s isolated and weather-dependent.

I created a fictional island and named it Destiny, because I thought that would lead to some interesting book titles. I named the village Blue Moon Harbor because who doesn’t love the romantic notion of a blue moon? My publisher, Kensington, decided to use Blue Moon Harbor as the series name.

I love seaplanes, and they’re an intrinsic part of island life, so making my first hero a seaplane pilot was a “well, duh!” kind of thing. To make for contrast and conflict, I thought Aaron needed an off-island heroine, and who could be more different from him than a big city lawyer? Eden’s not there on holiday, but on a mission for her ailing mom, to find her mother’s long-lost sister who ran away from home in 1969. A newly-discovered letter indicates she joined the island commune way back then.

Eden is responsible and driven. Aaron is easygoing (at least that’s the image he presents to the world) and he’s determined to teach Eden how to have fun.

Coming off a breakup, Eden’s not interested in a serious relationship, but a rebound fling sounds good to her. And Aaron, whose dysfunctional childhood made him cynical about finding love, only ever seeks casual relationships. So they’re on the same page – at least until their heartstrings start getting tugged!

But how could long-term be possible for them? She’s devoted to her family and career in Ottawa. He’s equally devoted to his career on Destiny, and to his single-parent younger sister and her little girl.

All the same, when you find your love on Destiny, life will never be the same!

I had originally titled the book Destiny Calls, but my publisher wasn’t keen on using “destiny” because they thought it might have religious connotations for some people. Fly Away With Me was my agent’s suggestion. It’s perfect, because of course Aaron flies away with Eden’s heart. ☺

TRC: What kind of research/plotting do you do, and how long do you spend researching /plotting before beginning a book?

Susan: I’m not a big plotter, but I do need to feel fairly confident that I have enough of a story to make a 100,000 word book. I don’t need to know many plot details, but I need to know that I have characters who can carry a romance story. They need to be interesting, complex, relatable, and they need to have issues.

I don’t tend to do a lot of research ahead of time, just enough to get me into the story. For Fly Away With Me, for example, I already knew the setting because I’ve visited the Gulf Islands all my life, and as I said earlier, I go boating there a lot. (We have a 1960s vintage old wooden boat, a 36’ Shepherd.) I did do a bit of historical and factual research on the islands, to draw on in creating my fictional Destiny Island. I wanted to use a fictional island rather than a real one so I’d have more creative freedom.

The hero Aaron is a seaplane pilot. I’ve flown in seaplanes – and even flown one – so I didn’t have to do initial research on that. I did some as I was writing, to fine-tune the details. Eden’s a lawyer with a foundation that funds charities, and I had a pretty good idea of her job. But with some books, if I don’t know much about the heroine’s or hero’s occupations, I may need to do up-front research.

Or if a heroine or hero has an illness or injury (e.g., my hero’s leg amputation and PTSD in Ring of Fire), I’ll need to research that in order to get a clear idea of the issues that character deals with on a practical and emotional level. Those things are key to the character’s personality – and personality is key to how the story will develop.

So, basically, I do enough research up front to understand my setting and my two main characters, and then I let the story develop as I write, and do additional research as needed. I’ll often skip some of the nitpicky details while I’m writing and then fill them in later.

TRC: How did publishing your first book change your writing process?

Susan: It made me write faster and be more focused. I no longer had the luxury of messing around with a manuscript for as long as I wanted. I also felt the pressure to make each book the absolute best I could, because real people would be reading it. But I’m a disciplined, organized person, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch. And I was so thrilled to finally have publishing contracts and to know that my characters and stories would be reaching readers, I was happy to put in the extra hours and effort.

TRC: What was your hardest scene –ever-to write?

Susan: The hardest were probably a couple of sex scenes in Bound to be Dirty, one of my Dirty Girls Book Club erotic romances for Berkley Heat. The premise of the series was that each time the book club read a “dirty book,” one of the members would have a sexy romance that in some ways paralleled that story. In Bound to be Dirty (which came out after Fifty Shades of Grey), the club decided they had to read a BDSM book, since everyone else was doing it. Book club member Lily (a family practice doctor) was married to Dax (a helicopter bush pilot), their marriage was in serious trouble, and they started trying out some very mild BDSM stuff. It was more about exploring their relationship and developing communication, trust, and intimacy than about actual BDSM sex, but I did have to figure out how to write all aspects of the sex scenes.

And there lay my problem, because I personally can’t relate to BDSM. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it, for two equal partners who both want it and consent and have a safe word, but for me the concept of one person being dominant and the other submissive makes me squirmy – and not in a nice way! But it was good for me to have to push myself – and of course the story wasn’t about me, it was about Lily and Dax and how they felt about themselves and each other. I also had an interesting time with the book club as they discussed the novel they were reading. Four young, intelligent, self-sufficient women, sharing their viewpoints!

TRC: There is a fine line between romance, erotic, and erotica in many of today’s popular contemporary fiction. Many authors are re-issuing their previously erotic story lines with ‘cleaner’ versions without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. What do you believe has precipitated this move or change in direction?

Susan: The publishing world goes through phases. My first book (Champagne Rules) came out in February 2006, and all the traditional publishers were jumping on the erotic romance bandwagon, after seeing how successful e-publishers had been with those books. My Awesome Foursome series with Kensington Aphrodisia and my destination wedding series with Berkley Heat were branded as erotic romance. They were spicier than the books I’m writing now, but not hot or kinky enough for a lot of erotic romance readers, so they didn’t do terribly well.

The next trend was for many contemporary romances to become steamier, and at that point many of the erotic romance lines faded away. But then came Fifty Shades of Grey and the world “discovered” erotic romance. LOL. That seemed ridiculous to the authors who’d already been writing erotic romance for many years, but what that one book did was break through to the truly mainstream audience. It also spearheaded another surge in the popularity of erotic romance – especially the kind that featured BDSM.

But now that trend seems to have faded again, and we’re back to just having a nice range of romance. Everything from super-hot and kinky through to barely even a hint of sexual tension. It’s terrific that readers can find just the level of heat that works for them.

Why are authors turning their previously issued erotic stories into cleaner ones for reissue? For many, I’d guess that they figured those books had their opportunity to reach erotic romance readers. Now the authors have their rights back and are self-publishing the books, and they hope to reach a different audience.

Also, authors get tired of writing the same thing. Writing hot sex that’s believable, original, and steamy is really difficult. And you can, if you’ll pardon the pun, burn out on it. So if an author who once wrote erotic romance has turned to writing less erotic, as I have, then she may want all her current releases to appeal to her current readers rather than shocking or disgusting them with too much or too explicit or too kinky sex.

It’ll be interesting to see how some of those reissues work. With erotic romance, I always figured the premise of the story needed to be a sexy one. You had to find some reason for the characters to have sex early in the story. And then you needed not just a lot of sexual tension but also a fair number of sex scenes, because that’s something the readers were looking for. So, how do you take a book that’s as “erotic” as it is “romantic,” and take out the eroticism? Seems to me it would be like trying to take the suspense out of a romantic suspense novel, or taking the religious aspect out of an inspirational romance. But if authors can do it, and readers enjoy the result, then more power to all of them!

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Susan: It sure does for me, and I know I’m not the only one. The cover conveys so much about the book. For example, I usually won’t choose a book with a “hot, semi-naked guy” cover, because to me that suggests the book’s going to be more about the sexuality of the relationship than the emotionality. Nothing against sex – I write explicit sex scenes myself – but I want the emotions to be the most important part of the book. If I’ve read a blurb or review that really appeals to me, I won’t let the cover put me off getting the book, but if I’m just scanning a page full of covers, I pretty quickly narrow my focus to the books I’m most likely to be interested in.

Kensington asked me for cover ideas for Fly Away With Me and I said I wanted to convey the setting, and the fact that the story is a romance. I thought the seaplane aspect of the book was interesting, so suggested a couple on a dock with a seaplane. Kensington did a cover shoot and gave me everything I asked for! My only complaint is that the male model isn’t as rugged and masculine as Aaron.

TRC: When writing a story line, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Susan: A bit of both. It’s a joint effort, and we kind of trade off. In the beginning, I put a fair bit of thought into figuring out who they are. My goal is to create characters who are so multi-dimensional and genuine that they can then more or less take over and I just transcribe as they direct me. But usually I’ll stall at one or more points as I’m writing, which basically means they’ve stopped telling me what to type. Then I have to step away from the keyboard and do some more reflecting. I need to talk to the characters in my head, do more analysis, get to know them even better. And then they pretty much decide what they’re going to do next, and I get back to taking direction from them.

TRC: How do you select the names of your characters?

Susan: In all sorts of ways. Sometimes names just pop into my mind or I see interesting names in TV credits or magazines. I have lists of names that interest me and I review them when I’m naming new characters. I’ll check popular baby names for the year the character was born. Ethnic background is a factor. I’ve also asked for suggestions on my Facebook page.
Here’s how I came up with the names in Fly Away With Me. Eden: A friend gave her baby that name, and I loved it. Blaine: I wanted a simple surname, one syllable after the two-syllable first name, something that sounded good with Eden, so I just hunted through names until one felt right. Aaron: He was originally Adam, a name I like and have never used for a hero, but someone pointed out that Adam and Eden was too Biblical – something I’d never actually realized myself, even though it seems obvious – so I looked for something similar and hit on Aaron. Gabriel: It’s a name I just love, one I’ve used as a hero’s first name (in Finding Isadora), so I indulged and let myself use it again, this time as a surname. I also loved naming Di and Seal SkySong, but if I told you any more about that, it would be a spoiler!

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the story line so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Susan: I totally agree with you. For me, reading is all about the emotions. That’s why I write stories that are character-driven more than plot-driven. I think the key, for the author, is to “go deep.” Deep into who the character is, how her (or his) life up to now has shaped her, what she hopes for and fears, what she cares about and values, all of that stuff. Who she is when the story starts, and how she reacts emotionally to everything that happens during the story. How she makes decisions (e.g., mostly with her heart or with her mind?) and how she evaluates those decisions. And so on, and so on. I have a psychology degree and I’m fascinated by everything that goes into making us who we are and shaping our behavior and emotions. So, for me, I spend a lot of time getting to know my characters and then I try to put myself into their shoes. I talk to them in my head, like I’m having a conversation with someone I care about, whom I want to know even better.

As for other writers, well, I hate to judge. And reading is so subjective. Different things appeal to each of us. But if a reader is looking to be pulled into the emotional journey and finds that isn’t happening, then maybe the author didn’t actually want it to happen. Maybe the author wanted a story that was more plot-driven – perhaps thrilling or humorous – so that the reader cares more about events and actions than emotions. I find that some mysteries and police procedurals are like this.

In other cases, I think authors just don’t take the time to “sit with” their characters and stories for very long. They may be driven to turn out X number of books per year, and while some authors are capable of producing brilliant and emotional stories in a short time-frame, others just aren’t.

Or, of course, some authors simply don’t want to “go deep” on some emotional issues. For example, it was hard for me to write about Eden’s mom’s cancer, because my mother had cancer too. Ovarian cancer, in her case, and she did survive. But it was of course very hard on her, and on my stepdad and me. I used lessons from that time in writing Fly Away With Me, and I shed some tears. If an issue hits particularly close to home, an author just may not want to “go there” on a deep emotional level. And so they don’t take the reader there.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the story line direction? Characters?

Susan: I don’t listen when I’m actually writing. I find music too distracting. But occasionally, if a certain song is relevant to a story I’m working on, I’ll listen to it before I start writing, or during a writing break. With the Caribou Crossing Romances, I listened to a lot of country music and developed a real appreciation for it. It was fun finding songs to match the stories, and then seeing that those songs influenced the direction of the story.

For the book I’m writing now (Sail Away With Me), one of the songs I’ve listened to is Ricky Nelson’s “I Will Follow You.” My heroine’s grandmother said it was the story of her romance with her hubby – and let’s just say, the song plays a role in my heroine’s love story, too!

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Susan: That we’re rich! Or that we write just because we love it, not as an actual job. They therefore think it’s okay to download free books that have been pirated (i.e., stolen) from us. I don’t expect my doctor or car mechanic or hairdresser to work for free, so why should some readers think they shouldn’t have to pay for books? For most authors, if we can’t earn an income from our writing, then we have to do it from some other job – which means we have less, or even no, writing time. Which means fewer books out there for readers.

TRC: What is something that few, if anybody, knows about you?

Susan: My parents split up when I was in my early teens and didn’t tell me. Supposedly, my father was away on a business trip. How did I find out? When someone phoned for him, I said he was out of town, and they said they’d seen him in town the previous day. This was at Christmas. Let’s just say, it wasn’t the happiest Christmas of my life. Within a few months, they were divorced.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Susan: I’m continuing the Blue Moon Harbor series. The next story is “Blue Moon Harbor Christmas” in Winter Wishes, a holiday anthology (October 2017) that also contains novellas by Fern Michaels, Jules Bennett, and Leah Marie Brown. Then Come Home With Me will be out in late December, and Sail Away With Me in the fall of 2018. I’m just finishing the manuscript of Sail Away with Me now. And pitching another book in the series: Come Dance With Me.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Susan: I’d love to hear readers’ thoughts on my new series, my writing process, and my new release. I’m also happy to answer any questions.

I hope readers will visit my Website (where they can subscribe to my newsletter, find all sorts of info about all my books, and get in touch with me) and my Facebook page. I’m also on Amazon , Pinterest, Goodreads and BookBub.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Depends totally on my mood.

Favorite Dessert: The Grand Marnier soufflé I was served at a French restaurant on the island of St. Martin. Other than that, I’d go with a rich dark chocolate cupcake with almond icing.

Favorite TV Show: Heartland. It’s a Canadian production, set on the prairies, about family, relationships, and horses.

Last Movie You Saw: Dirty Dancing. I watched the TV version and was so disappointed, I had to go back and watch the original Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey original. Which I just happen to own. ☺

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Dark. Only ever dark.

Secret Celebrity Crush: Richard Gere, at any age. Love, love, love his eyes and expressive face.

Last Vacation Destination: That’s actually a tough question! Boating in the Gulf Islands – does that count? Last winter’s motor home trip to southern California. Or, if you mean an actual real big trip, then St. Martin, a few years ago.

Do you have any pets?: No. Our lifestyle doesn’t really allow for it. I just enjoy the wildlife around me.

Last book you read: Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor.

TRC: Thank you Susan for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your new release.

Susan: Thanks again for this opportunity!

giveaway

Susan Fox is graciously offering a signed, paper copy of FLY AWAY WITH ME to ONE (1) commenter at The Reading Cafe. Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY

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Surrender The Dark (The Dark #1) by Tibby Armstrong-Review & Interview

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Sandy

SURRENDER THE DARK (The Dark #1) by Tibby Armstrong-Review and Interview

Surrender the Dark

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 23, 2017

As a provocative series of paranormal temptation begins, a vampire king seduces the supernaturally gifted man hunting him. But when the stakes are literally life or death, their struggle for control is no game.

Benjamin Fuller is a hunter, born and bred. Blinded as a child by the vampire who slaughtered his family, he’s blessed with a second sight that allows him to catch and kill his quarry. What his gift can’t help him see coming is his fierce, almost carnal attraction to the mystery man who claims to be a fellow hunter and whose touch triggers both lust and revulsion. When he gains the upper hand, Benjamin vows to bring his enemy to his knees.

After many years spent in exile, the only one who can help restore Tzadkiel Dragoumanos to his rightful place as War King is a blind hunter with golden curls, a lithe dancer’s physique, and distinctive facial scars—scars Tzadkiel gave him two decades ago. The mere scent of Benjamin Fuller provokes an unwelcome rush of insatiable desire. Yet to win an all-out supernatural war, Tzadkiel must resist the ravenous hunger to possess his prey—for now.

•••••••••••

REVIEW: I had not read anything by this author before reading this book.

I read the back cover and was hooked…. How could the author manage to make Ben the vampire hunter and Tzadkiel the vampire that killed his family and blinded him go from enemies to lovers?

Ben’s a hunter, from a long line of hunters, when Ben was eight, his parents and uncle were slaughtered by a vampire and he was blinded. Ben had to learn quick and he did….. For the last 20 years, Ben has hunted and killed as many vampires as he could find in his home town of Boston. He hunts with his two best friends, Nyx, who is part witch and part fae, and Akito, who has always wanted to be a superhero.

The vampire in question has been walking the earth for thousands of years, but the last 20 years Tzadkiel has been in hiding, trying to heal from his injuries that were inflicted by Ben’s family. He has a plan, though, to get his strength back and also strengthen his mora (his vampire family) once again, he will need to take out the hunter in Boston.

Tzadkiel sets out to teach Ben a lesson before he ends his life, so he pretends to be a hunter like Ben, and to reeducate Ben in the art of vampire killing. He makes Ben’s previous teachings from his family a sham, he puts doubt into Ben’s mind. He makes him question his own background.

Ben and Tzadkiel and are very attracted to one another and neither of them can seem to stop it. But there is so much between them, that it takes a while before any real feelings emerge. There is a lot of hatred and mistrust.

But there is a power struggle going on in Boston that puts everyone in danger, there are zombies and strange goings on, so Ben and Tzadkiel decide that it’s better the devil you know basis and form an uneasy alliance between them.

So will they have a happy ending? It was hard to believe they would, there was so much hatred and bad blood between them, I couldn’t see how. So I won’t tell you ?you’ll have to buy the book and find out yourself.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B

Interview

TRC: Hi, Tibby and welcome to The Reading Café.

Tibby: Thank you for having me. I’m thrilled to be here!

TRC: Congratulations on the release of SURRENDER THE DARK

Tibby: It’s such a thrill to have the book out in the world and to be able to share it with you and your readers!

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Tibby: I come from a family that had a book addiction. There are more bookshelves in my family than family members, and more books in three of our homes than in all of my home town public library. I think I started writing out of self defense. At least at first, writing my own stories was easier on my budget.

Thinking I would love to work as well as live around books 24/7, I obtained a Master’s of Library science in 2011. Alas, the economy and my student loans didn’t support my actually working in a library. So, now I work in the technology sector by day and allow my author alter ego to come out on nights and weekends.TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Tibby: I grew up in a house with 10 people, my great grandparents included. My great grandmother used to tell me stories as I fell asleep at night. She came up with tales about elves who lived in our backyard, as well as relating the fun of being the middle of a family of 12 children. It’s safe to say that my imagination is influenced in large part by my relationship with her.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your stories?

Tibby: I’ve been extraordinarily lucky with publishing my work. My third completed novel was picked up a few months after I completed the pages. I’ve had some wonderful mentors, friends, and professionals such as my agent and my editors to rely on. If I had to say anything has been difficult, it’s that I work pretty much seven days a week and don’t take vacations because I need to use that time to meet my deadlines. I love writing though, so it’s really no sacrifice.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about SURRENDER THE DARK?

Tibby: The plot of Surrender the Dark came to me almost three years ago when I had first moved back to the Boston area for work. I was walking down a snowy street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, wondering how a person with visual impairments would navigate the icy brick sidewalks, when I looked up and saw a Victorian building decorated with gargoyles and urns. I thought, “Hm. That would be a great place for a vampire to crouch in wait for its quarry.” On the heels of that came the thought, “Blind vampire hunter.” Boom! A story was born!

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series? Is the series entirely M/M based?

Tibby: There are three books planned for the series. They are all m/m, of a sort. The third book explores some gender issues, but I think readers will be intrigued. I know I am!

TRC: How do you keep the plot(s) unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Tibby: I think most folks enjoy a certain amount of predictability in Romance, but the key is to satisfy those expectations while keeping the world and conflicts fresh. Tropes can be used as long as they’re used for a reason. The key is to make those choices consciously and to let the characters and conflict drive the story. Also, I rarely read inside my own genre anymore. I read outside the genre and find that weaving storytelling methods from those other genres into my own process helps me not to reach for the “easy fix”. Some authors can read in their genre, but I’m not someone who can do that without getting bogged down.

TRC: You write several different genres. Which do you prefer? Which do you find the most difficult?

Tibby: True! I write contemporary, paranormal, m/m and m/f. I find PNR the most challenging, but the most enjoyable. The complexity of world building, characterization, and plot keep me engaged more fully. I have had a marvelous time writing contemporary stories, but PNR has long been my first love.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Tibby: I do believe the cover image is very important. It’s a shorthand that tells readers several things at a glance:

1. The genre
2. The tone (light, dark, fun, angsty)
3. The quality of production put into the book by the publisher (Did the publisher believe in the book enough to spend time on the cover?)
4. Author brand

If the cover is compelling it will make the reader stop and notice the book, picking it out of a sea of other available and often wonderful options.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Tibby: Oh, it’s very much the characters directing the show. If I don’t give them control, they simply shut up and I have nothing to write or what I write comes out wooden. I learned a long time ago that they run the show!

Tibby: My goodness. I don’t know that I’m qualified to say why writers might fail in showing emotions, but I think the key here is “show.” If you tell readers “It was a dark and stormy night,” you’re setting a scene, but it’s a cardboard cutout that evokes little. Writing, instead, “Tree branches scraped the leaded pane windows, their shadows like bony fingers on the ceiling. Thunder cracked, the simultaneous lightning flash illuminating the room. Sophia stifled a scream. Jared stood at the end of her bed i. He smelled of rain and freshly turned earth.”

We’ve set the scene and created anticipation so that when Jared does appear, we’re experiencing the authenticity of Sophia’s emotions. To merely say “it was a dark and stormy night” makes the reader feel as if they are watching a costume drama minus the costumes and period setting.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Tibby: I do! However, I don’t usually find my playlist for the novel until I’ve written several chapters and understand a little more about the characters. Then, I go on Pandora and listen to my Alternative station until I find the songs that speak to mood and psychology. Sometimes those songs influence the emotions later in the story, but mostly they support the ones I’ve already discovered.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Tibby: I have several critique partners. I also bounce ideas off of my editor and agent.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Tibby: Probably that we are born knowing how to write. Learning to tell a good story takes many years of practice.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Tibby: There’s not much I won’t tell people, given a chance. So, not much! Though my close friends know this, possibly not many of my readers do, however. The character of Greg in No Apologies lives the career that I wanted for myself. He also has some life experiences that were also my own.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Tibby: Currently, I’m working on the second draft of the follow-up novel to Surrender the Dark. It is titled Taste the Dark, and tells the story of Akito, who falls in love with Lyandros, brother to the vampire king.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Tibby: Thank you for having me! I hope you and your readers enjoy Surrender the Dark!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food

Smoothies!

Favorite Dessert

Cheesecake

Favorite TV Show

Currently, The Crown and Victoria. I’m researching a historical PNR!

Last Movie You Saw

Oh dear. I can’t recall. It has been a while.

Dark or Milk Chocolate

It depends on the chocolate. If it’s really expensive dark chocolate, it can triumph over milk chocolate. My guilty pleasure, however, are Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Secret Celebrity Crush

Daniel Craig

Last Vacation Destination

Manhattan

Do you have any pets?

I have two cats, Dean and Diana.

Last book you read

Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold. If you haven’t read Cordelia’s Honor, pick it up!

TRC: Thank you, Tibby, for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your new release.

Tibby: Thank you for having me. I’ve enjoyed myself immensely!

The Bridal Squad (Enchanted Bridal #2) by Samantha Chase-Review, Interview & Giveaway

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Sandy

THE BRIDAL SQUAD (Enchanted Bridal #2) by Samantha Chase-Review, Interview & Giveaway

THE BRIDAL SQUAD
Enchanted Bridal #2
by Samantha Chase
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance
Release Date: May 10, 2017

The Bridal Squad

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

About the book: Release Date May 10, 2017

Click HERE for more details about Samantha Chase and the Enchanted Bridal series

The Friday Night Brides are back! And this time, it’s their first season running the business! It was one thing to just model in a weekly fashion show, it’s quite another to be the ones calling the shots and making future brides’ dreams come true. Their first client has them wondering if they’re really prepared for their new roles!

The Bride: Julianne is big on fitness, small on patience. And planning her wedding is grating on her every last nerve. As a Zumba instructor, she loves the freedom to create and choreograph her routines and help others achieve their goals, but having to stand back and let others choreograph her big day has her wanting to hip-hop toward eloping!

The Matron of Honor: As the only married member of the bridal party, Natalie considers herself the aficionado on all-things weddings. And even though her time in the spotlight is over, that doesn’t mean she isn’t full of ideas on how her best friend’s wedding should look and feel and be! And it doesn’t take long for her to realize that maybe it’s not so much that she’s wanting to help as it is that she’s afraid of her own honeymoon ending.

The Bride’s Sister: Nothing screams unwanted relationship advice than when your younger sister gets married before you. It’s not that Harper doesn’t want to get married, after three failed engagements she really does! But finding the right man to walk down the aisle with is proving harder than she thought. And it gets even harder when constantly being compared to the perfect couple!

The Reluctant Bridesmaid: There is nothing Kayla wants more than to see one of her best friend’s get married…if only the whole process wasn’t so exhausting! Travel and adventure and being on the go fuels her. Having to stay in one place for an extended period of time while wearing taffeta? Not so much. Her job tends to take her away on a moment’s notice and this is one time she may have to pass up the trip of a lifetime in the name of friendship.

•••••••••

REVIEW: THE BRIDAL SQUAD is the second installment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary, adult ENCHANTED BRIDAL romance series. Like the first book Friday Night Brides, THE BRIDAL SQUAD focuses on four women-Julianne, Natalie, Harper and Kayla-four friends whose personal lives implode as they make preparations for Julianne’s wedding.

Told from several third person points of view THE BRIDAL SQUAD follows the four friends as they traverse a minefield of relationship hiccups and disasters-misunderstandings, new love, fear of commitment, meddling mothers, and being taken for granted. While Julianne makes plans for her upcoming nuptials, everyone’s life begins to spiral out of control until the bride-to-be announces she was done with it all.

THE BRIDAL SQUAD looks at four women whose personal struggles are not unlike the reality of relationships and love but for each their battles loom larger through a lack of communication, issues of trust, secrets and the sheer exhaustion of their friend’s impending wedding.

Samantha Chase writes a heartwarming, realistic and poignant story of romance, and love, heartbreak and pain, perception and emotional withdrawal for four women who love hard, and work hard for love. Julianne battles for control of her wedding; Harper can never measure up to her mother’s ideals; Kayla receives an ultimatum; and Natalie realizes she may had made the biggest mistake of her life. THE BRIDAL SQUAD is an enjoyable, animated and lighthearted look at life. The premise is playful and energetic, and the characters are vivacious and passionate.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book 1-FRIDAY NIGHT BRIDES

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Interview

CATCHING UP with Samantha Chase

TRC: Hi Samantha and welcome back to The Reading Café.

Congratulations on the release of THE BRIDAL SQUAD-the second installment in your Enchanted Bridal Series. SamanthaChase

For anyone new to Samantha Chase, please tell us something about yourself?

Follow: Goodreads / Twitter / Website / Facebook

Samantha: Thanks for having me back! I write contemporary romance – some call it sweet, but I like to just mention that most of the sexy stuff happens behind closed doors!

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Samantha: I started reading romances in the 7th grade when my science lab partner introduced me to Harlequin romances. I was instantly hooked. I always knew that I loved writing stories, but it wasn’t until I got serious about reading romances that I knew that’s what I wanted to write. Sandra Brown was a huge influence on me wanting to do it.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your stories?

Samantha: There are so many amazing authors out there that it’s hard to stand out and find readers! I am fortunate in that I am a full-time writer so I can set my own schedule and really write the books that I want to, but finding and keeping an audience is a constant challenge.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about THE BRIDAL SQUAD and Enchanted Bridal Series?

Samantha: There was never really going to be a series! Whew…it’s good to finally admit that! I had originally published THE WEDDING SEASON as a standalone. FRIDAY NIGHT BRIDES was a story that I always wanted to write because growing up, I knew a family who owned a bridal shop and they did those fashion shows and I was always intrigued by them. As I started to plan it, I was talking to a friend about it and she mentioned using some of the characters from WEDDING SEASON and I thought “Why not?” So we sort of considered that the prequel. Readers seemed to really enjoy FRIDAY NIGHT BRIDES and I knew I could totally do more with the girls from that story but bring them back in supporting roles.

I wrote THE BRIDAL SQUAD in a very short amount of time. I won’t say how short, but trust me, it was! And the interesting thing was that I didn’t really know what I wanted these girls to be dealing with. I knew the dynamic that I wanted but this story was truly a by-the-seat-of-my-pants event. As the story progressed, I have to admit that even I was surprised at where some of the stories went but in the end, I felt like these were women who I would want to be friends with and the response from readers has confirmed that they would as well!

TRC: Are any of the characters based in reality?

Samantha: The character of Angie is based on a friend of mine. I mean like solidly based on her personality, not the life situation that the character in the book finds herself in. But most of my characters end up being a combination of people that I’ve known in my life.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the story line direction? Characters?

Friday Night Brides Samantha: While I’m physically writing, the only sound I usually hear is my dog snoring or I put on a Sounds of the Ocean CD. However, almost all of my books have at least one song that has either inspired a particular scene or even the entire book. I tend to turn to music when I have writers block and that’s how I’ll find that perfect song to help me out.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Samantha: That writing is easy. I get so upset when people get flippant about what I do and then say “Oh maybe I’ll write a book!” It’s not easy. And it doesn’t get any easier. Each book takes more hours that I think it will and it means that I sit at my desk for fourteen hours a day or I don’t go out of my house for days on end.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Samantha: I’m actually kind of an introvert. Online I don’t seem that way, but most times if given the choice, I will gladly stay home with my husband and son and just hang out and watch TV.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Samantha: I am currently working on two books. The first is a new book in my Montgomery Brothers series. No title yet and I’m about 40K into it. And the other is book three in the Preston’s Mill series that I am co-writing with Noelle Adams called Complicating.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Steak

Favorite Dessert – chocolate milkshake

Favorite TV Show – Modern Family

Last Movie You Saw – Beauty and the Beast

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Dark

Secret Celebrity Crush – Jeffery Dean Morgan

Last Vacation Destination – San Diego

Do you have any pets? – Yes! My sassy pug Maylene

Last book you read – An ARC of GOING IN DEEP by Carly Phillips. And I LOVED it!!

TRC: Thank you Samantha for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your new release

Giveaway

Samantha and her publicist are offering an ecopy of THE BRIDAL SQUAD to THREE (3) commenters at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please follow Samantha Chase on Facebook.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE The Reading Cafe on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

7. Giveaway is open to international entries.

8. Giveaway runs from May 12-16, 2017

Trident Media Group

Lessons in Letting Go (Study Abroad #3) by Jessica Peterson-Review, Interview & Giveaway

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Sandy

Lessons in Letting Go (Study Abroad #3) by Jessica Peterson – Review, Interview & Giveaway

Lessons in Letting Go
Study Abroad #3
by Jessica Peterson
Release Date: December 12, 2016
Genre: new adult, contemporary, romance

Lessons in Letting Go

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 12, 2016

“Ten minutes ago, I was just an American student studying abroad in Spain. But now? Now I’m a professional soccer player’s muse. His good luck charm…”

Soccer star Rhys Maddox’s recovery from an injury isn’t going well—until one night with a beautiful American and a few terrible pick-up lines changes everything. With Laura at his side, he plays smarter, runs faster, and fights harder than he ever has on the pitch. She’s just the good luck charm he needs to turn his flailing career around.

Laura Bennet begins her semester in Madrid with plans to ditch bad habits and worse boyfriends. But when she unexpectedly gets caught up in Rhys’s A-list life, her plans are put on hold. Who wouldn’t skip class to fly on a private jet with a studly Welsh footballer? It’s a no brainer, or so she thinks. Turns out Rhys’s glamorous lifestyle hides an obsession with appearances—an obsession that makes her totally miserable. Determined to take back her happiness, Laura decides to dump Rhys and tackle a “Spain Bucket List” on her own.

But Rhys isn’t letting his good luck charm go without a fight. He’s spent his entire life trying to earn his way into the big leagues, and he’ll do anything to win—even risk his carefully crafted image to help Laura with her bucket list. Will he be able to let go of his ego? Or will he and Laura ultimately let go of each other?

•••••••••••

REVIEW: Let’s all be honest, we all have inner demons and hang ups in our lives. Whether we let those inner demons and hang ups control our lives is up to us. Whether it’s a past we are trying to leave behind or a fear that constrains way of living, we all have our inner demons and hang ups. In this story we have the beautiful yet bright student Laura who wants to shed her people pleasing skin to be more emotionally free to have more fun and to stop caring about her weight so much to enjoy real food. And then we have rising soccer star Rhys who came from a very poor family in Wales who puts so much unnecessary pressure on himself to provide for his family. He is always constantly fighting his inner demons that he doesn’t want to repeat his father’s mistakes. Will Rhys and Laura let go of their demons and hang ups to really live their lives and find love in each other’s arms?

I really enjoyed how likeable Laura was but what I really appreciated was how relatable her issues were. Being a people pleaser and being overly concern about weight are very relatable issues many women have. I also enjoyed reading about Rhys letting go of his inner demons as well, that just because he deviates from his rigid schedule and routine doesn’t mean that he’s going to end up a washed up failure at soccer like his dad. The character growth and development were elements of the book I really enjoyed. Laura was able to enjoy real food and not get upset over the slight weight gain. She was able to do things for her and not for others, she was even able to assert herself to do the things she wanted. Rhys was able to free himself of letting his father’s mistake rule his every action. I truly enjoy reading Laura and Rhys’s journey to emotional freedom.

I really liked this book. The book was tastefully sexy but had literary substance to it. You would think all the hangs ups and inner demons concept would bring down the mood of the book but doesn’t. The book has an uplifting and encouraging tone to it that is refreshing. I enjoyed this book so much that I went ahead to purchase the rest of the series. Another plus, the book can read alone with no issues of missing parts of the previous books. I highly recommend this read I really do.

Copy supplied for review.

Reviewed by Xtina

excerpt

Rhys That Night

“Zat, it was fucking awesome, mate!” Olivier says, pounding me on the back. “Where did it come from? For so many months, you play like a terrible child. But today? Today you play like a champion.”
“Thanks, dickhead,” I say, laughing as I tug on my trousers. The familiar scents of the locker room—sweat, soap, antiseptic—surround me. For the first time in forever, they fill me with hope. Happiness. I’m actually glad to be here. “Nice goal, by the way.”
“Not as nice as ze assist.”
“That’s it, Cabbage!” William Wallace—I don’t think anyone knows his real name anymore—appears at my elbow, clapping loudly. “Whatever girl you and your dobber mates were chattin’ about at training, I want you to see more of her! I haven’t seen ye play like this since before ye balls dropped.”
“Thanks,” I say.
“I mean it,” he says, looking me in the eye. “Ye’re comin’ back, lad. Keep it up, yeah?”
I fight back a smile. The relief that floods me—the disbelief that my luck might actually be turning—is overwhelming. I finally played like the legend I hope to be. In this sport, legends get paid very, very well. And heaven knows I could do a lot of things for a lot of people with that money.
My sponsors lit up my mobile tonight. I even got a new one—a giant diamond company—that promised to pay me twenty thousand euros if I showed up at their event tomorrow night.
Needless to say, I cleared my schedule and accepted the invitation. Relationships with sponsors are fragile, so I always make an effort to put my best foot forward and attend every event they invite me to.
I shake hands, slap backs, smile as the squad compliments me on the pass. But all the while I’m thinking of only one thing.
One girl.
I admit I’m superstitious—what athlete isn’t?—but even I’m not daft enough to think my legendary performance today has anything to do with Laura, or the ridiculously intense orgasms we had together. Orgasms are magical, sure, but they don’t have magical powers.
Do they?
Because that feeling I got when I gunned down the pitch, the way my instincts took over, and guided me—it came from the same deeply buried place inside me that came alive when I fucked Laura, her eyes wet and lucid, her hair wild, her silky skin flushed.
Maybe coach is right. Maybe Laura did make me play any better today. It makes sense—sort of. Nothing else about my life has changed in the past week. I ate the same food, trained the same way, slept my customary nine hours a night.
Hanging out with Laura was the only deviation from my carefully scripted schedule. It was the only time I had fun, cut loose. I spend so much time doing the things I should or need to do; I rarely do what I want. I wanted to get naked with Laura, so I did. There was something so…liberating about it.
Sure, I’ve thought about Laura this week. I haven’t called her, though, because that’s my rule. But I have to admit that even my training sessions were better—every single one of them.
I suppose playing so well in the match today just confirms that there’s something at work here.
That I finally played really, really well for the first time since blowing out my knee after I slept with Laura could be purely coincidental. It could be a not-so-funny joke, engineered by the big guy in the sky. The connection between my performance and Laura could mean nothing.
Then again, it could mean everything. It could mean the difference between being demoted from first team, and making all my dreams come true. If I keep playing like I did tonight, there’s a seriously exciting future ahead of me. A future where I can do right by my family, and prove to the world I’m not going to wash up like my deadbeat dad. A future with the biggest sponsors and the biggest paychecks and the best bet to live the life I’ve always wanted for myself, and for mum, and for Maggie.
The kind of life dad promised us, but never delivered on.
I’m certainly not alone in my superstitions. Alexandr swore it was wearing the bright yellow boots his wife “blessed” with a kiss every morning that made his performance in last year’s Euro Cup so astounding. Fred’s got his ice cream. Sergio bangs on the brick wall outside the locker room exactly six times before every match. If he doesn’t, his play will be rotten (so he says). As athletes, so much of our professional lives—our successes, our failures—depends on chance. To touch the divine, and play like the gods we want to be, the timing’s got to be just right; the stars have to align; that ever-elusive shadow called luck must be on our side.
No one knows what it is, exactly, that keeps that shadow in our corner, or lures it away. I’d sell my soul to know the nebulous math that solves the equation in my favor. But as much as I believe in the power chance, I also believe in my own power—my own agency. I can’t control luck, but I can run after it as hard and as fast as I can.
Tonight, I ran pretty damn fast.
Shrugging into my suit jacket, I know what I have to do. I have too much at risk to underestimate this Laura thing. Maybe it’s real, maybe it’s not, but I will do anything—bloody anything—to keep my stars aligned.
Lucky for me, that “anything” is a gorgeous girl with an even more gorgeous body. Just thinking about that body, the way her pussy clenched around me again and again, has me adjusting the crotch of my trousers.
I’ve got to run like hell after Laura, and convince her, somehow, to let me see her again. Tomorrow, perhaps. I’ll apologize for not calling sooner, tell her I’ve been busy with training. The diamond guys want me to bring a date to the event, and Laura would look really hot in heels and a tight little dress.
With the most important season of my career on the line, I have to see her. Perhaps make her laugh with more awful pick-up lines, or give her another orgasm, or five. God, the look in her eyes when I slammed inside her…
I swallow, hard.
It’s not serious. It can’t be. But I’ve got to see her.
I think I just stumbled upon the good luck charm I’ve been looking for.
***
Laura

Monday

Today is my first day at the Santa Caterina After School Program (bucket list item #6: Community service—tutor kids, literacy work). Considering I’ve spent the past hour in a classroom with twenty-three five and six year olds I’ve only just met, it’s going pretty well. Only one little boy peed his pants, and the kids seem to be enjoying my terrible Spanish renditions of some of my favorite picture books (The Giving Tree gets me every.damn.time., even in a different language).
I’ve always been a big reader—I began sneaking romance novels from my mom’s bookshelf when I was eleven, and now my massive collection of pink- and purple-spined paperbacks is the thing I treasure most in this world—so I knew when I got to college I wanted to do some kind of literacy work. My dirty book habit aside, I hoped to work with underprivileged kids. I remember what a proud, magical moment it was when I learned to read, and I wanted to relive that feeling with the children I volunteered with.
The kids and I are seated in a circle on the floor. They’re a little fidgety—being asked to sit quietly after a full day of school is not easy when you’re six—but they return my smile when I close The Giving Tree and settle it in my lap.
So, I ask in embarrassingly stilted Spanish, the giving tree was very kind and generous with the little boy. Is there anyone in your life who is kind and generous with you? Someone who gave you something special?
A few small hands shoot up. I point to a little girl who is missing her front teeth.
My dad says Rhys Maddox is going to give us a title this year, but only if he doesn’t play like garbage.
I blink. Seriously? I can’t get away from this guy. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I swore to dedicate myself to my bucket list. And yet here Rhys is, invading my carefully guarded personal space once again. Damn him and his ridiculous, delicious, rock-hard body. Oh, that body…
Yeah, another girl in pigtails says. My dad says Rhys Maddox can be the best player in the world if he just gets his head out of his ass.
“Whoa!” I say, before remembering to use Spanish. Celeste, excuse me, but you cannot use that word here.
Rhys Maddox would be kind and generous if he played as well as he did last night so we could win the war against Barcelona, a little boy named Miguel says.
Well, it’s not a real war, I say. The rivalry between the football clubs in Madrid and Barcelona is intense. Some Spaniards—older generations, mostly—see that rivalry as a continuation of the Spanish Civil War, or at least a reenactment of it.
My grandpa says it is, he replies. We’ve been fighting it for a thousand years, and only Rhys Maddox can win it with a league title.
I bite back a grin. I can’t resist. Do you think Rhys Maddox is kind, like the giving tree?
Maybe, a little boy says when I call on him. My mom says he is very handsome. It makes her happy when he takes his shirt off. So maybe that means he is kind?
Hmmm, I say. My belly aches from trying not to laugh. I’m not so sure about that one.
When we finish up reading hour, I take the kids outside to play on the playground. I jump when my phone, tucked into the back pocket of my jeans, begins to ring.
Are you all right, Miss Bennet? Miguel looks up at me, holding a hand to his forehead against the fading sun.
I grin at him and nod, even though my heart weirdly begins to pound as I dig my phone out of my pocket. The girls I went to the soccer game with usually text me; so do my friends back home. The only people who actually call me are Em and my parents. And considering both—well, all three of those people know I’m working right now, they wouldn’t be calling me unless it was an emergency.
I glance at the screen. It’s a number I don’t recognize—a European number. My heart pounds faster. For one stupid, heady heartbeat, I think it might be Rhys, finally making good on his promise to call.
I look around, quickly. I’m not supposed to use my phone while I’m with the kids, but this could be an emergency. Ducking into the shade of a nearby bench, I slide my thumb across the bottom of the screen.
“Hello?”
“Laura?”
My stomach plummets at the familiar rumble of the voice that greets me.
Holy shit. It can’t be. No way. No freaking way. I bite the inside of my lip, just to make sure I’m awake and alive and that this is really happening.
“Uh. Yes?”
“It’s Rhys. Rhys Maddox.”
I take a deep breath, let it out. “Oh, hey, uh, Rhys. What’s, um. What’s up?”
Barf. Why do I have to be so awkward?
“I want to see you,” he says.
“See me?”
“Yeah. Where are you?”
“Where am I? Like, physically?”
“Yes.” He laughs. “Where on the Earth are you located?”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Where are you right now?” There’s a loud noise in the background, like he’s vacuuming or something. Only Rhys wouldn’t vacuum because he’s, well, Rhys Maddox.
What the hell?
“Um.” I glance at the playground. “I’m volunteering at Santa Caterina. It’s this after school program in—God, I actually forget what the neighborhood is called. It’s not in the best area in the city…”
“You’re at Santa Caterina?”
My stomach drops again. “Do you know it?”
“No. But I’ve got Google maps. I’ll be there in twenty.”
Now I really feel like I’m going to barf. “Wait, Rhys—no. No, don’t…please, you don’t have to—”
He already hung up.
I drop my phone on the bench, my hands shaking as I smooth my hair back from my face. I feel like I just got electrocuted. Be cool, I tell myself. Stay calm.
But how in the world am I supposed to stay calm when Rhys Maddox is on his way here? After calling me? And inexplicably telling me he wants to see me?
I don’t get why he’s in such a rush. Did he just find out he has a horrible, non-curable STD he passed on to me? Is he just in a good mood after his win last night? Does he want to get naked again?
I mean, what the frick is going on?
I stand up and survey my outfit. Of course Rhys would pick the day I’m dressed like a sweaty hippie hobo to drop into my life. I was more than a little hung over this morning after yesterday’s shenanigans at the football stadium, so I only had time for cruddy jeans and a little mascara before I had to leave for class. And after hanging outside in this heat, I probably smell just lovely.
I run my hands through my hair, giving my tired waves a bit of a boost. I adjust my shirt and discreetly check for any signs of BO. The situation isn’t great, but it isn’t terrible, either.
I take another deep breath. Be cool. Be calm.
And then I laugh at the absurdity of trying to be either of those things when the hottest, sexiest human on the planet just called to say he wants to see me this very minute. I am so out of my depth here. And I can’t tell if that excites or terrifies me.
***
When the throaty rumble of an exotic sports car fills the playground, I feel like I’m going to faint. On cue, the kids drop whatever they were doing and hurry toward the fence. They let out little gasps of surprise as a black convertible Lamborghini pulls up to the curb.
I bared myself to Rhys in every sense of the word last week. I felt relatively brave then. But now? Not so much. I feel embarrassed. Some small, mean part of me thinks he came here just to make fun of me for my hairy vagina or awful, pretend o-face.
I remind myself I have nothing to lose, that I’m focusing on me, myself, and my bucket list this semester, but that doesn’t do much to slow my racing pulse.
I look down at a tug on my hand. It’s the little girl with the missing front teeth.
It’s all right, Miss Bennet, she says. That’s Batman. He is kind and generous, just like the giving tree. Although sometimes he kills people, too.
Rhys revs the engine one last time—boys and their toys, so ridiculous—before he turns off the car and climbs out, tucking his sunglasses into the front pocket of his tuxedo jacket.
That’s right. As if this whole scenario wasn’t ridiculous enough, Rhys is wearing a goddamn tuxedo. I feel like I’m in a commercial, one of those ads that’s trying to sell probiotic yogurt to middle-aged women. Rhys is one tall class of yogurt—water—whatever—in his dapper duds. I didn’t know feeling weak in the knees was actually a thing until this very moment. I grab onto the fence to steady myself.

Interview

TRC: Hi Jessica, and welcome to The Reading Cafe.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

Jessica Peterson Jessica: Hi there! First, thank you very much for having me; I’m so excited to be here! So I’m a thirty-something writer living in North Carolina with my husband, Ben, and our smelly Goldendoodle, Martha Bean. My STUDY ABROAD series is based on my own experience studying in Madrid, Spain, more than ten (!) years ago.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Jessica: Great question. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but it took me a while to finally sit down and write a book. I started out writing historicals, but after I read the likes of Elle Kennedy and Kristen Callihan, I knew I had to write some smexy contemporary romance. It’s been a lot of fun!

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your stories?

Jessica: Oh, wow, lots. I started out writing historicals for a traditional publisher, but they did not renew my contract for a second series. I was totally crushed and didn’t know where to go next with my writing. I wasn’t so sure about the indie thing, but once I started, I found I was a much happier writer–a much BETTER writer–and that I enjoyed the process so much more. It hasn’t been easy, and it’s a struggle sometimes not to get discouraged when everyone around you seems to be selling millions of books and you’re not, but I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, and I still get goosebumps every morning when I sit at my computer and read what I wrote the day before. It’s a dream come true for sure!

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of LESSONS IN LETTING GO?

Lessons in Letting Go Jessica: Sure! This is my first sports romance I’ve ever written, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the sports angle…maybe because I enjoyed googling shirtless footballers WAY too much. I pitch it as a hot, tortured Welsh footballer + ambitious American student + orgasm-heavy bucket list. Totally delicious!

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series? Can each book be read as a stand alone without any difficulty?

Jessica: While LESSONS IN LETTING GO is the third book in the series, it can absolutely be read as a standalone–so can the previous two books in the series, SPANISH LESSONS and LESSONS IN GRAVITY.

TRC: How do you keep the plot(s) unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Jessica: So plotting is definitely not my strong suit, and I look to my editor for a lot of guidance there. I’m a “pantser”, meaning I don’t outline before I write (I just get bored). My method is labor intensive–edits can be a total beast–but I’d like to think it works!

TRC: Are any of the characters or scenarios based in reality or from people you know or met?

Jessica: None of the characters are, but this book is basically the fantasy I had when I studied abroad that I’d meet a cute footballer and he’d fall in love with me (ha!). That never happened in real life, so of course I had to write a book about it.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Jessica: Not necessarily. It certainly doesn’t for me. I read a lot of romance blogs and am active on Twitter and Facebook; if people are raving about a book, I’ll usually buy it and check it out, regardless of what the cover looks like.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Jessica: The characters definitely direct the writing. It’s all about internal and external conflict–those drive the characters, which drives the plot.

TRC: Many writers bounce ideas with friends or other authors. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Jessica: My editor is AMAZING and we work really well together when it comes to plotting. When I’m stuck, or I’m brainstorming, I’ll usually give her a call and we’ll talk for, like, four hours about how to make the book work. I usually have the characters, and she has the plot ideas.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the story line so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Jessica: I think it all comes back to the characters. You have to understand in them–you have to believe them and what they’re after. I think it’s especially to get the hero right in romance. I took Elizabeth Hoyt’s workshop on the hero a couple years ago at RWA, and her message–that if you get your hero right, you’re in a good place–has stuck with me.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the story line direction? Characters?

Jessica: I usually can’t listen to music when I’m writing, EXCEPT when I write a kissing or sex scene. Then music is essential. By the time I finish a book, I usually have a playlist of songs I’ve played hundreds of times. It captures the tone/mood of the story for me.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Jessica: That writing is easy or enjoyable! Sure, I’m chasing down my dream job, but that doesn’t mean that I sit down at my computer with a smile and happily type away until the book is done. Most days are boring, lonely, and HARD. But then you get that one day where the plot comes together or you write a scene that gives you chills and you’re so happy you want to cry. THAT is what keeps me coming back, page after page.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Jessica: I’m currently working on what was supposed to be a novella (STUDY ABROAD #3.5), but apparently I’m incapable of writing anything shorter than 60,000 words. So this next book will probably turn into a full-length novel. I’m kicking around the idea of using it to create a spin-off footballer series. We’ll see!

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Jessica: Thanks again for having me–this was so fun!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite TV show: right now, THE CROWN on Netflix. Love anything to do with royalty!

Last movie you saw: DR. STRANGE. God I love Benedict.

Favorite Food: Right now? A great cup of coffee first thing.

Favorite Dessert: Definitely cake. Preferably from a box, with icing from a can. YUM.

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Milk chocolate all the way! Reese’s are my favorite.

Favorite Celebrity Crush: Right now I’m digging Sergio Ramos, a super hot Spanish soccer player. Google him. You won’t be sorry.

Last Vacation Destination: Colorado for some skiing.

Last book you read: EVERYTHING I LEFT UNSAID by Molly O’Keefe. So.damn.good.

Do you have any pets: Yes! Last year we got a Goldendoodle puppy named Martha Bean. Now I’m that crazy dog lady who treats her dog like a human. She’s the best writing companion ever!

Thank you Jessica for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of LESSONS IN LETTING GO

Giveaway Black and Lime

Jessica Peterson is graciously offering an ecopy of LESSON IN LETTING GO-book 3 in her Study Abroad series to three (3) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe.

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Poet of the Wrong Generation by Lonnie Ostrow-Review, Interview & Giveaway

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Sandy

POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION by Lonnie Ostrow-Review, Interview and Giveaway

POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION
by Lonnie Ostrow
Release Date: November 10, 2016
Genre: fiction, contemporary romance

Poet of the Wrong Generation

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / BAM /

RELEASE DATE: November 10, 2016

“It’s not that I don’t love you, and my tears are yet to dry. But you can’t go back and forth forever and we’ve already said goodbye.”

Through these words, a young poet unearths his musical soul while severing ties with the woman he loves after her stunning betrayal. Unknowingly, in writing this ballad of liberation, he will soon evolve as one of the fastest rising stars on the pop music landscape.

The year is 1991; the place, New York City. Here we meet Johnny Elias, a college student from Brooklyn with boundless adoration for two things in life: timeless popular music, and the heart of a sweet, complicated young woman who is clearly out of his league.

Megan Price not only is the object of Johnny’s affection, but also the only daughter of New York’s most powerful PR woman: the indomitable Katherine Price.

Projecting that her daughter’s boyfriend will never live up to the family standard, Katherine cleverly perpetrates a series of duplicitous schemes to rid Johnny from her high-class world. But in her callous disregard, she inadvertently sets him on a determined course to his improbable musical destiny – while sending her own daughter spiraling down a path of devastation.

Poet of the Wrong Generation tells the symmetrical story of a lovable underdog and his meteoric rise to stardom, his humiliating downfall and his unprecedented attempt to reclaim his place as the unlikely musical spokesman for his generation. At the heart of Poet is a tale of star-crossed lovers and their struggle with unforeseen success and disillusionment, in an attempt to rediscover lasting harmony.

Uniquely integrating a variety of original song compositions, Poet projects the epic clash between true contentment and the fable of stardom’s rewards; a nostalgic journey through the major events of the 1990s, with a cherished cast of characters and a stunningly unpredictable conclusion.

•••••

REVIEW: POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION by Lonnie Ostrow is an amazing and cleverly written, contemporary romance story of fiction following musician Johnny Elias, and the woman he loves Megan Price.

Told from several third person points of view, POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION covers approximately six years in the life, beginning in 1991, of contemporary singer/song writer and poet Johnny Elias –from his early days in college to his meteoric rise to fame and fortune, and the eventual downfall, not of his making. The reader is front and center as twenty one year old Johnny Elias enters into the world of an upstart musician working his way to the top. Before Johnny’s life begins its quick ascent he will lose the one person who keeps his heart beating and his soul alive. Megan’s rejection of the boy that she loves is the perfect muse for our story line hero, and with it comes the fame and notoriety of celebrity status and the fortunes of success…but jealousy, revenge and betrayal are accomplices to Johnny’s fall from grace- a fall that is triggered by someone from his past.

POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION is an astonishing and profound story; a unique look at one man’s climb to the top only to be destroyed by someone else’s greed, ambition, and need for retribution and revenge; a story of forbidden love between two people whose lives will be destroyed by resentment, the hunger for power, and a need to control. Lonnie Ostrow’s POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION is a masterpiece of literary fiction for today’s generation and the next.Make POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION your next go to read and enjoy

Copy supplied by the publisher for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Interview

TRC: Hi Lonnie and welcome to The Reading Café.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow Lonnie: Goodreads / Website . Facebook Twitter /

Lonnie Ostrow Lonnie: I guess you could say that I have been an innovator, storyteller, promoter and celebrity-insider for more than two decades. With Poet Of The Wrong Generation, I combined all of my unique experiences to create a novel of love & betrayal, music & fanfare, downfall & redemption — a fable of stardom’s rewards, set in New York City during the 1990s. It’s been hailed as “the ultimate rock & roll love story.” Since 2001, I have been the publicity/marketing director & researcher for the iconic best-selling novelist Barbara T. Bradford. I also serve as an editorial and marketing consultant for a collection of first-time authors through The Editorial Department in Tucson, AZ. Previously I worked as a PR executive, promoting an assortment of first-time celebrity authors including Ray Manzarek of The Doors.

From 1995 – 2001, I was widely credited with inventing the “living celebrity postal phenomenon.” In all, I worked with more than 40 legendary personalities from the Bee Gees to Bob Dylan, Sylvester Stallone to Jackie Chan, creating media events to celebrate their postal recognition by an assortment of foreign nations.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Lonnie: Writing has been my backbone throughout my life. I recall my struggles in math and some science classes back in the middle years in grade-school. Out of need to impress my English teacher, I decided to sit down and write a handful of short-stories, which I turned in for extra credit. Mrs. Birnbaum, my 5th grade teacher, was particularly encouraging for me to continue focusing on creative writing. My college English professor in my freshman year was another great influence. Professor William Hochman pushed me to expand my skills in storytelling and in researching my subjects to create dynamic writing projects. It was my great thrill to recently present an advance copy of my debut novel to each of them.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your stories?

Lonnie: The writing itself went rather smoothly. It took me four months of round-the-clock writing to complete the initial draft. I spent eight months working with a wonderful editor, whipping the manuscript into shape. When it was “publication-ready” I submitted query letters to more than a hundred agents. I researched the process extensively, then sent out 10 – 15 targeted letters every week for several months. It took a lot of patience and endurance of rejection before I drew interest from a trio a literary agents. I selected one based upon her enthusiasm for my project and her track record of placements for contemporary fiction. My literary agent who I signed with in 2007 became insistent on me changing my novel from a PG-rated story into something more hardcore and explicit. She insisted that it needed to be that way in order to sell my book as “adult fiction.” I tried to meet her halfway, but she was not willing to compromise her position. And I was not prepared to compromise my personal values. We reached an impasse and parted ways. I probably could have landed another agent if I had wanted to. Instead, I tucked away the project until recently when I was approached by Harmony River Press. They were perfectly comfortable with the content of my story.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION?

Lonnie: The great, late, Harry Chapin was sang that “sometimes life is better when we don’t get to touch our dreams.” If my story has a primary theme, this is it. Johnny Elias is a college student from Brooklyn with boundless adoration for two things in life: timeless popular music, and the heart of a sweet, complicated young woman who is clearly out of his league. Megan Price not only is the object of Johnny’s affection, but also the only daughter of New York’s most powerful PR woman: the indomitable Katherine Price. Projecting that her daughter’s boyfriend will never live up to the family standard, Katherine cleverly perpetrates a series of duplicitous schemes to rid Johnny from her high-class world. But in her callous disregard, she inadvertently sets him on a determined course to his improbable musical destiny – while sending her own daughter spiraling down a path of despair. “Poet” tells the story of a lovable underdog and his meteoric rise to stardom, his humiliating downfall and his unprecedented attempt to reclaim his place as the unlikely musical spokesman for his generation. At the heart of Poet is a tale of star-crossed lovers and their struggle with unforeseen success and disillusionment, in an attempt to rediscover lasting harmony.

TRC: How do you keep the plot(s) unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Lonnie: Before I wrote a single page of this novel, I got to know my characters exceptionally well. They needed to feel “real” to me before I could convince readers of their authenticity. The story is rooted in some real-life incidents, and takes place in New York City in 1991 against a series of notable events. I think that using real history is essential in keeping the fiction “believable.” So much of what happens in the story has an element of reality to it, although there are a few rather sensational incidents that are eye-opening to the readers. Just not in a jarring way.

TRC: Are any of the characters or scenarios based in reality or from people you know or met?

Lonnie: There are elements in some of my characters that I find in myself and some other individuals who I know, or once knew. Johnny Elias is my protagonist. He isn’t me, but he is the fictional songwriter credited with writing and performing my song compositions. He’s the rock star who I never attempted to become. Howard Greffen is Johnny’s musical mentor. I based him loosely on a student who I went to Adelphi University with back in the early 90s. This too was a much older student with terrific musical ability. There’s a character called Larry Jacobs who is one of New York’s treasured FM radio personalities. I created him as a composite of several popular radio hosts including the legendary Cousin Brucie, whom I have had the pleasure of working with on several events.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Lonnie: Absolutely. An eye-catching cover is essential, although perhaps less so today because so many readers purchase their books online, where the cover art appears smaller than a printed cover on a bookstore shelf. In my opinion, a strong cover is colorful, tells an element of the story, and best of all, it frames the title in a way that will visually resonate with readers.

TRC: When writing a story line, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Lonnie: The characters are my story. Yes there is a story arc which I had fleshed out in a detailed outline before writing the book. But when I sat down to write it, the characters came alive and elements of their personalities dictated the direction of secondary story lines. So many new wrinkles were worked in along the way because of how these characters influenced the pace.

TRC: Many writers bounce ideas with friends or other authors. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Lonnie: My wife, Simona, was my first sounding board. I would share ideas and scenes with her as the story developed. A childhood friend, Ben Wulfsohn, was actually the first person to read the rough manuscript. Ben was helpful in the naming of a supporting character, and in helping me to catch errors like missing hyphens, quotation marks, etc. Eventually, I worked closely with an excellent editor on polishing the writing until it was ready for circulation to agents.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the story line so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Lonnie: I happen to work with many first-time authors in editing their novels. One thing they all have in common is that they tend to make the same mistake in their first draft. That is: they compose too much narrative summary and not enough scenes with action and dialog. The reader wants to feel like they are part of the drama with the characters. They don’t want to read about it after the fact in a wrap-up show. I’ve read entire novels that were done in this fashion and had to be completely re-written. Thankfully, if these are my clients, I make sure to point out every place where a real-time scene needs to replace the epilogue-like summary. However, there are some books out there that have been published by mainstream authors that fall into this trap. It’s quite frustrating as the reader to be “told” the story instead of being inside the minds and hearts of the characters.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Lonnie: My musical tastes are eclectic and range from classic rock to folk to 1970s/80s pop. But when I’m working, I strongly prefer to have on music without lyrics. Film scores are my primary choice. I have a few favorites including the soundtrack to the film Awakenings and The Last Of The Mohegans. Sad, expressive music can help me to squeeze out a more emotional scene. I also had my original song demos for the songs that are included in the story. I listened carefully to them during the time when I was ready to insert the song lyrics into my story.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Lonnie: To me, the most notable misconception is that just because an author writes one good book does not mean they will be able to duplicate this success, or creativity a second time. I happen to have a client author who had unprecedented exposure and sales for her first novel. Unfortunately for her, she has never been able to approach the quality of the story, or the strength of her characters in her subsequent work. Some writers really only have one good story in them. Those who are prolific at turning out a book a year are the ones who have both the skills and the deep imagination to keep on coming up with the next great protagonist and plot. But these are the rare and few.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Lonnie: I’m currently in the heart of promoting Poet Of The Wrong Generation. I’m fortunate in that I am a professional book marketer, so I’ve put together an extensive blueprint for spreading word for my debut novel. The campaign will keep me busy well into February of next year (2017). This includes my weekly blog articles, a pair of music videos, and a series of book commercials that I am producing. Beyond that, I plan to go back next spring and finish that second novel which I started long ago, but never completed. Mind you, this is not due to a lack of story, or ideas. I shelved it because I put all my focus into getting my first novel published. I’m now excited to revisit that second project with a fresh pair of eyes.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Lonnie: For readers who wish to hear the original songs contained in Poet Of The Wrong Generation, I have a page on my website where one can view a pair of music videos containing two of the more important songs from the story. The link is HERE: I know that readers will appreciate the concept of a book with an audio soundtrack.

TRC: Thank you Lonnie for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION.

Giveaway-Black and Deep Blue

Lonnie’s publisher is graciously offering a’Greatest Hits of the 80s’ compilation CD to one commenter; and a paper copy of POET OF THE WRONG GENERATION to one commenter.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging into the site, please refresh the page at the top of your computer.

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3. Please LIKE and Follow Lonnie Ostrow on Facebook

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY

8. Giveaway runs from November 10-14, 2016

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