FEATURED AUTHOR: T.S. ROSE

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Modern-day Britain, with the terrorism threat level set at severe and rising to critical, needs extraordinary measures to overcome the next threat, including the use of students with psychic abilities.
 
Alone, and frightened of her own power, Alpha is forced to use it to protect the care home she’s lived in since the loss of her parents. But such abilities do not go unnoticed, bringing her to the attention of others, some with good intentions and others with racist affiliations. She runs, but just when she thinks she’s found a sanctuary it turns out to have been infiltrated by those with the most violent form of terrorism on their agenda.
 
Sunday, a most unlikely hero and would-be young thief, must form a bond with Alpha if the pair are to stand even the slightest chance of averting the most catastrophic terrorist attack on British soil for many years. They must learn to trust others, too—but how can they do this, when everyone else is a suspect?



Book Details:
Title: Psychic
Author: T.S. Rose
Genre: sci-fi/fantasy/thriller
Publisher: Apprentice House Press (June 7, 2022)
Print length: 380 pages



GUEST BLOG: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF T.S. ROSE­­

Note: T.S. Rose is the pen name for Sharon and Tammy Rose, a mother-daughter duo



Sharon’s Day:

5:45 am  Alarm goes off. I get to work at 7.30 am, and start on over 300 emails and Facebook messages from local residents and councillors. The usual complaints: potholes, trees either just about to fall on someone’s house despite the fact that all the trees in that area were recently risk assessed, but in the mind of the complainant must immediately be cut down. Another complaint that the Council doesn’t plant enough trees. Can’t please them all! Applications from both national and local charities, pedestrian lights not working again, town clock out of order, and a hundred other things. 

9 am  Staff meeting, printer not working, and problems with sick leave applications not being received. Training on how to bring the lift down manually if the electricity is cut. Review of budget against actual expenditure. 



11 am  Walk round local park where a major event is being held – plan wrongly drawn up. Glad to have caught this in time.  


12 noon  Sign off 45 purchase orders raised by staff, query 2 of these. Goal posts in park haven’t been anchored in with concrete. Investigate with Property Officer.   



1 pm  Working lunch with councillors to consider the big strategic issues facing the Town Council. Flooding and the need to create more sequestration opportunities become important considerations. 



3 pm  Problem with allotment fencing that has blown down in the storm. Consider whether it’s worth claiming on insurance.  



4:30-6 pm  Meeting with Policy and Finance Committee. Review cost of capital project that is 2.5 x more expensive than anticipated and where funding will come from.   



7-8.00 pm  Meeting to discuss renewing contract with Leisure Service Provider, and implications of Covid-19 on swimming and gym membership.  



8:00 pm  Grab some dinner. Thank goodness my other half is cooking tonight.  



8:30 pm  Have a very quick swim. 



9 pm   Prepare agenda for Business Development meeting including writing a report on a new asset/liability to be transferred to the Council. 



10.30 pm  Take half an hour to consider my co-author’s next chapter and discuss implications with her.  Great writing. Oh dear! I’ve done nothing yet on my next chapter. Blank page facing me. Think long and hard – write first sentence, then go to bed. Very proud of first sentence.  No idea what second sentence will be.    
 

Tammy’s Day:


6:45 pm  Alarm goes off. I get dressed, then review my lesson plans over breakfast (great start today it’s croissants and grapes) and walk to school.  



8:10 am  Early meeting with other members of the English Department over forthcoming curriculum and in particular book choices for the year. 



8:35 am Staggered classes start. First lesson is with year 11 high achievers. Prompt them to find the humour and writing techniques used in The Importance of Being Earnest. Long and very funny debate about cucumber sandwiches.  



9:10 am. Year 7 class. Need to work on underachievement of targets, particularly with students inclined to be disruptive. Issue 5 S1 discipline records for poor behaviour, 4 x S2s and 1 x S3. That means yet another detention class this week after school.  



10:15 am   Shakespeare’s As you Like It. At least this lesson starts with a short film about the play.  



11:10 am   Take a class on creative writing and media studies. Several students impress me with their creativity. One busts into tears after getting an S1. Oh dear – something else more personal going on here that I will need to find out about.  



12-1 pm  My turn to monitor the canteen. 



1 pm  Library session – I usually enjoy these. These young people actually like reading, but this week we’ve got work people banging about outside the window, so it’s really not very productive.



1:50 pm  Grammar with year 10s. The difference between Demonstrative, Indefinite and Reflective Pronouns. Does anyone really care? Just ensuring students can identify the pronouns within a piece of text is difficult enough. 



2:30 pm Last class of the day. 



4 – 6 pm  Lesson planning for the next day. 



7 pm  An hour of yoga, followed by a shower – my mind is at peace. 



8 pm  Dinner – Dad’s a good cook – it’s cottage pie. 



8:30 pm Back to lesson planning, and marking of essays, then some Facetime with my brother and a few fellow teachers from my student years.  



10 pm  I finish a chapter of my own writing at great speed. I think it works well, but we’ll see what my co-author has to say.   



11 pm  Bed, then start all over again. If only I had an actual social life.        
 
 
 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

T.S. Rose is the pen-name of Tammy and Sharon Rose, a mother-daughter duo living in London.

Tammy is a recent graduate of Queen Mary University of London and is now a secondary school teacher.

Sharon was born in South Africa, partially schooled in Germany and the UK, and lived for a while in Kissimmee, Florida. Her career as a Town Clerk, working for the good of the community, keeps her exceptionally busy, so writing takes place during stolen moments just before bed.

Connect with the authors:
Website  |  Goodreads 
Buy the book:
Amazon   |  Barnes & Noble   |  Bookshop

 

FEATURED AUTHOR: TERESA TRENT

ABOUT THE BOOK

Artist Gabby Wolfe has the ability to see not only the beauty of the living but the despair of the dead. When she returns to her childhood home in Henry Park Colorado, she is forced to bring along her younger brother Mitch. He is on a “break” from college where he was majoring in wine, women, and song. If that isn’t enough they also have Mitch’s rambunctious beagle Luigi along who prefers to spend his days wallowing in junk food. When Gabby draws the death of a young woman before it happens, she knows she must tell someone and risk a new job and her professional credibility. Will she reveal her secret in time to save the woman in the water or will it be too late?

INTERVIEW WITH TERESA TRENT

Teresa, how did you get started writing?
I started writing little by little. I loved fiction that featured small town life and wanted to show the warmth of every day human existence. I made plenty of mistakes, but struggling with my three kids who had dyslexia, dysgraphia, and Down syndrome, you get into the mindset that if something is difficult you have to think of it as just a road block and there is always a way to get around it.  If my daughter didn’t give up on reading, there was no way I would give up on writing. So, I kept at it until I finally finished a book. Then I figured out all the mistakes I made with that one and wrote a second book and more from there.

What’s your favorite thing about the writing process?
Watching my characters come clearer with each draft.

Do you have a writing routine?
So many! Each novel I write has a three-ring binder. Most of my initial plotting is done by hand with a series of questions I ask for each plot and subplot. From there I create a tentative scene list and then go to work on the writing. Once I start, that’s all I do until the end of the first draft. Once I finish that, I put the binder on my shelf and work through a second or third draft of another novel. This way I have time to step back and think about the book a little before I tackle the second draft.

Do you write every day?
Yes!

What do you wish you had done differently when you had first started the writing process?
I wish I had hired a professional editor before I published my first book.

What do you think is the hardest part of writing a book?
The middle. I know how I want it start and how I want it to end. Getting there is another matter.

What’s more important—character or plot?
First plot then good characters to make it real to the reader.

How often do you read?
Every day.

What is your writing style?
I think I write simply. The Popeye method. I am what I am. I have been told by my critique group I’m all about the dialogue. I can’t help adding humor, and when I tried to write a thriller, it was a dismal failure. You just can’t make jokes about deep terror like a serial killer.

What do you think makes a good story?
I love characters I can identify with who find success on their journeys.  I absolutely hate a story where everyone loses at the end.

What books do you currently have published?
Color Me Dead is the first installment of the Henry Park Series.

I also have six books in The Pecan Bayou Series, a story about a helpful hints writer who solves crimes in the tiny Texas town of Pecan Bayou.

What five things would you never live without?
1.    Warm feet on a cold night
2.    Brownies just coming out of the oven
3.    Lip Balm
4.    My computer
5.    A great story

What do you love about where you live?
I live in Houston, Texas. I love the balmy breezes and the excellent Mexican food!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Teresa Trent writes cozy mysteries that take place in small towns in Texas. She was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee but with her father in the military, didn't stay for long. She's lived all over but has a special place in her heart for Colorado, Illinois and of course, Texas. Being a fan of the Andy Griffith Show and Murder She Wrote, she loves creating quirky small towns and colorful characters. She decided to feature a character with Down syndrome in the Pecan Bayou series because after giving birth to her son with DS, she discovered there were very few people like him in the world of cozy mysteries. She continues that with the character of Gigi, a young woman with cerebral palsy in the Henry Park Series. Teresa lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, two of her adult children and a needy dachshund mix named Martin Luther. 

Connect with Teresa:
Website   |  Blog  |  Facebook  |   Twitter  |   Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon

Note: Color Me Dead is FREE on Amazon!

FEATURED AUTHOR: LENA GREGORY

ABOUT THE BOOK

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that something’s not right on Bay Island  .  .  .
  
Since she left her psychiatric practice in New York City to open up a psychic shop in her hometown on Bay Island, Cass Donovan has given her fair share of readings to conflicted customers. But what she sees in Ellie Callahan’s future doesn’t bode well.
 
When Ellie’s mother, Marge, publicly confronts Cass about the reading, the embarrassment makes her want to curl up and die. And when she later stumbles across Marge’s body—and is a suspect in her murder—Cass is suddenly the star of Bay Island’s rumor mill.
 
Cass is determined to prove her innocence and save Ellie from meeting the fate in her unfortunate vision. But even with the help of her friends Bee and Stephanie, Cass will have to channel some serious sleuthing instincts to find the real killer  .  .  .

INTERVIEW WITH LENA GREGORY

Lena, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I love plotting my books.

Do you have a writing routine?
I keep a stack of spiral notebooks on my nightstand, one on my desk, and one in the living room. I even keep a small notebook in my car and one in my purse in case I have an idea while I’m out. Every time I have an idea for a story, I pull out a notebook and start plotting it out. I list the characters, giving a lot of thought to their names, sometimes even researching names that have some meaning that relates to the story. Then I give each of them a back story and work them into each other. Then I research ways to kill people.  And then I plot the story. Once I finish all of that, I just sit down and start writing.

Do you write every day?
I do try to write a minimum of a thousand words a day, but I don’t always make it.

What’s more important–characters or plot?
Hmm . . . This one made me pause. Though it’s a really tough choice, and I could make arguments for both sides, I’d have to say characters are more important to me. If I read a book with a great plot, but I can’t care about the characters, I tend to lose interest. To me, loving a character is kind of like hanging out with a good friend. It doesn’t really matter what you’re doing, even if you’re just hanging around doing nothing, it’s still fun to spend time together.

How often do you read?
I read all the time. I used to read at least three to four books a week, but since my son was born and I started writing—all in the same year—I haven’t had as much time. I still try to read at least a little every day.

What books do you currently have published?
Death at First Sight is my first book, and there are two more books written in the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries series. Occult and Battery is due to release in April of 2017, and the third book, which has not yet been named, is due out in October of 2017.

Is writing your dream job?
I have been fortunate enough to have worked several dream jobs. I was a dance teacher for many years, I choreographed and directed high school musicals for a while, and now I’m writing. Writing is definitely my dream job. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and I’m so thrilled I’m finally doing it. 


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? 
Cleaning houses was the worst job I’ve had, but it taught me the importance of working hard.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without?
Notepad and pen.

What do you love about where you live?
I live in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island. I’m about a mile from the bay, ten minutes from the ocean beaches, and only an hour or so from New York City, so there’s always plenty to do. I think my favorite thing about living here, though, is the small-town feel. I grew up working in my grandfather’s deli, my kids go to the same schools I went to, and everyone knows everyone else–which is sometimes good, and sometimes not so much.

What’s your favorite beverage?
I’m addicted to Diet Pepsi.

What is your superpower?
Multitasking! I can usually do several things at one time, including typing and talking, which drives my daughter nuts.


What do you wish you could do?
I wish I could sing. I’m absolutely awful.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Read!

Where is your favorite place to visit?
Disney World. I have three kids, ages twenty-five, seventeen and five. It’s not always easy to find something everyone likes to do, but we all love Disney.

Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Yes. Cass, from Death at First Sight, has a habit of always running late. That’s all me.

Do you procrastinate?
I am the queen of procrastination.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it, if you can dream it, you can become it."

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
I usually keep interview answers light and fun but, truthfully, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write was my younger brother’s eulogy. He lost his battle with lung cancer at forty-three years old. There was just so much I wanted to say, but it was all so painful, and it was so important to me to get it right.


That must have been so hard. Let's lighten it up. Who is your favorite fictional character?
Scarlett O’Hara. I’ve always been a huge Gone With the Wind fan.


How do you like your pizza?
With everything except anchovies.


What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
Rivendell, from Lord of the Rings.


What is your favorite movie?
Lord of the Rings.



If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be?
That is so true. Actions speak louder than words.


What are you working on now?
I just finished the third book in the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries series, and I am currently writing a romantic suspense and plotting ideas for a new cozy series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lena lives in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and three children. When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories.


Connect with Lena:

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  | 
Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Penguin Random House  

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