FEATURED AUTHOR: VICKI VASS

 ABOUT THE BOOK

Antique hunter Anne Hillstrom’s whirlwind shopping tour to Paris comes to a dead stop, as dead as the man sitting next to her on the plane. And to make matters worse, her identity has been stolen, leaving her to face her worst nightmare. She must sell all her precious antiques with the help of her business partner and co-blogger, CC Muller. Together, they open a pop-up antique store in the quaint suburb of Glen Ellyn Illinois. Their blog fans flock to the store looking to find that perfect treasure and so does a killer. When the Sweet Shop lady next door is found caramelized, the success of the pop-up sale turns bittersweet. Anne and CC dust off the clues, unraveling a centuries-old mystery that leads them to one conclusion. They must find the killer before the killer finds them.


INTERVIEW WITH VICKI VASS

Vicki, how did you get started writing?
I’ve been writing ever since I could read. I started reading when I was four and wrote my first short book when I was five.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I love creating characters and imagining them in their world.

Do you have a writing routine?
During the week, I try to write at least five pages a night and on the weekends at least 10 pages every day. This allows me to stay current with whatever story I am working on.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
I’d say character. If the characters are not interesting or the reader doesn’t care about the character, then the book can fall flat. The books that resonate with me are ones where the characters seem to jump off the page, to become real, and you don’t want the book to end.

How often do you read?
As often as I can. Right now I am reading several different books, all research for the new Antique Hunters mystery.

What books do you currently have published?
There are three books in the Antique Hunters series: Murder by the Spoonful, Pickin’ Murder and Killer Finds (I am working on the fourth book currently). I recently published the first book in a new series called Gem Hunter. And, I wrote a mystery novel based on my real-life neighbor called The Postman is Late.

Is writing your dream job?
Yes, I’ve always wanted to write.


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
I’ve had several jobs, actually my friends call me a serial job hopper, but the worst was working at a rebate center where I literally typed in rebate forms all day. Or, perhaps it was the 4-1-1 call center. It taught me that you have to do what you have to pay the bills but there’s something better out there.

What scares you the most?
Snakes. I am irrationally afraid of snakes. I see them in places where it makes no sense. My science fiction novel, the Lexicon, uses this as a theme throughout the book.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Popcorn. I love buttered, movie popcorn so much that I have actually walked into the theater, bought popcorn and then left.

What is your superpower?
I have an almost photographic memory. I remember conversations, emails, and even where something appeared in a book, came in handy on tests in college.


Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Yes, my main character, Anne shares my obsession with shopping. I have been known to go out of the way for a sale and spend a little more than I should.

Do you procrastinate?
All the time.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
Faith is believing even when common sense tells you not to. 


Who is your favorite fictional character?
I actually would have to say Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind. She is anachronistic living in the wrong time period but she does what she has to survive I admire her spirit. 


What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
It is a picture of my large dog surrounded by 12 feet of snow. I lost him a few years back, but he loved the snow and willingly trudged through it.


What is your favorite movie?
My all-time favorite movie would be Casablanca. I watched it as a child with my father and enjoy watching it now. There are so many great lines and characters in that movie. It never gets old. 


What are you working on now?
I am working on the fourth book in the Antique Hunters mystery series, the second book in the Gem Hunters series and already have ideas spilling for the fifth book in the antique hunters series. I wish I had started all these about 20 years ago.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With a passion for shopping and antiques, Vicki Vass turned in her reporter's notebook to chronicle the adventures of Anne and CC, two antique hunters who use their skills to solve a murder case. 

Vicki has written more than 1,400 stories for the Chicago Tribune as well as other commercial publications including Home & Away, the Lutheran and Woman's World. Her science fiction novel, The Lexicon, draws on her experience in Sudan while writing about the ongoing civil war for World Relief.

Connect with Vicki:

Website  |   Blog  |    
Facebook  |    Amazon

RAFFLECOPTER: ENTER TO WIN

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FEATURED AUTHOR: GLENN NILSON


ABOUT THE BOOK

Bobby Navarro is looking forward to a shower and a good steak dinner when he pulls his motorcycle into Williams, Arizona. What he finds instead, is the body of a young girl who’s been murdered and left in the trunk of a car parked on old Route 66—and the police think he did it. To make matters worse, one of the investigating officers is a woman he had a crush on in high school. Before Bobby leaves town, he must find out if a local eccentric is telling him the truth about knowing who killed the girl, and untangle a web of mysteries he stumbles into at the Holiness Pentecostal Church of the Brethren.

INTERVIEW WITH GLENN NILSON

Glenn, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I enjoy getting caught up in the stories I write and watching the characters come to life. When I come back to a manuscript I’m working on, I read a bit of conversation that took place before I left off and it feels like the characters are telling the story for me. I just need to immerse myself in what the characters are doing, and the story will usually start to unfold through their dialogue.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
For me, characters are all-important. I have to care about people in a story I’m reading in order to want to know what happens next. Characters bring life to the story, and what they do and what happens to them moves the plot.

What books do you currently have published?
I have two books out, Murder on the Mother Road and Murder on Route 66
.

Is writing your dream job?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer and I’ve often looked at other things I’ve done as grist for the writing mill. Now, I look at writing as one of the things I do, one of the things I love doing, but I can’t say it’s my dream job. Now that I am a writer, I’ve learned there is more to the job than I first dreamed. I hate the business end of writing; I love telling a good story.


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
I worked in a bank for a while, in an office without any windows. I’m an outdoor person. I guess I learned that a lot can be accomplished if you really listen to what someone is trying to tell you. I found I could solve a lot of problems by really listening. I also realized I was much more interested in the human dramas all around me than in the business of banking. I’ve never regretted leaving that job.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
That’s pretty easy. It would be PBS. I rely on PBS for higher quality programs than I think television generally offers.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I have very mixed feelings about Facebook. I get to keep up with the postings of friends and family, but I also get a lot of things on Facebook I could do without. I like to have an actual conversation and hear the person I’m talking with.

What do you love about where you live?
I suppose you could say I lead a semi nomadic life, spending half the year in Florida and the other half in upstate New York. Since I am upstate at the moment, I’ll say I love the countryside here. We live on a trout stream, and I can hear the water when I sit outside in the evening. The area is farming country, but heavily wooded as well, and we enjoy a lot of wildlife. We often eat meals on our deck and tell ourselves how lucky we are.
 
What’s your favorite fast food?
There’s nothing like a good cheeseburger. We used to spend a lot of time in Key Largo, Florida, and talk about stopping in for a Cheeseburger in Paradise when we were out for a night on the town. Like Jimmy Buffett, I like mine with lettuce and tomato, pickles and onion. And, don’t forget the mayo and catsup.


What’s your favorite beverage?
If I’m really limited to one thing, I can’t answer this question. But, I can say I’m a devout tea drinker. Most of the time, there’s nothing like a good cuppa. I prefer black tea, straight and strong. On the other hand, a good glass of red wine with dinner tops just about anything else.
 
What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
I’m an outdoor person, so I enjoy taking a walk, or hiking, or going camping, or playing a round of golf. Of course, I love to ride my motorcycle.

Do you procrastinate?
Sadly, yes. Do you know any good approaches to not doing that?

Unfortunately, I do not. What would your main character say about you?
“He’s put a lot of miles under his wheels, he can’t be all bad.”
When I was doing a promotional tour on my motorcycle for Murder on Route 66, my first published novel, a woman asked me if I was a real rider. I guessed she wanted to know if the bike was for show. I pointed to my motorcycle parked outside and told her I had ridden it from New York. A lot of people ride for recreation, especially in groups. Bobby would appreciate that I have done most of my riding across country and solo.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
I love writing fiction, novels, short stories, and poetry. I’ve also written professional articles as a sociologist and as a trainer/researcher in something called “Action Learning.” The hardest thing? I once had to complete a massive application to become an officer in the Navy. I think that was the hardest. Why? I hate filling out forms requiring information, addresses and dates I never think about. Part of it included a psychological questionnaire. Who would enjoy doing that? I didn’t.

Understandable. Who is your favorite fictional character?
I really admire Robert Parker. Too bad we lost him. I think Parker was a master at getting needed information into a few words or lines. His Jesse Stone character is a favorite of mine because he is a pretty complex character with a few flaws, but is really likeable.

I totally agree! 
What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
I have a photo of a coastal town I took in Tuscany. It shows multi-storied buildings on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and boats moored in the shallows. I love the memories connected with the scene, and the scene itself. I use it for my favorite wallpaper.


Describe yourself in 5 words.

Analytic, Cynical, Optimistic, A Romantic, A Dreamer.


Do you have a favorite book?
Probably have to pick Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath for this answer. I think Steinbeck was a master of understanding the human condition of everyday people.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on another novel featuring Bobby Navarro. This time he has taken his motorcycle to Florida, where he gets involved solving a murder that occurs in Key Largo. I wanted to take Bobby out of the southwest and off of Route 66 for a time. South Florida has a lot of rural area with cattle ranches and fields of truck crops, in addition to sugarcane, and a lot of open highway for bikers. You can get a pretty good cheeseburger there, too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Glenn grew up on a farm in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, hiking, hunting, even panning for gold. After college, he served as an officer in the Navy, then earned a doctorate in sociology and taught at a branch of the State University in Connecticut. There, he developed, directed and taught a criminal justice program. Upon retirement, the West drew him back, this time to New Mexico, the setting for his first novel, Murder on Route 66. Currently, Glenn divides his time between living in rural Florida and up-state New York, writing and refurbishing an 1870’s-era, creek-side cottage. Whenever possible, he enjoys cooking, riding his own motorcycle and camping.



Connect with Glenn:

Website  |  Blog  

Buy the book:
Amazon

RAFFLECOPTER—ENTER TO WIN

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FEATURED AUTHOR: CARL BROOKINS

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Inside Passage is an adventure thriller set primarily on the waters between Campbell River, British Columbia, and Seattle, Washington. It is the story of one man’s successful effort to find justice and peace after the murder of his wife and her friend by ruthless gun runners. It offers moving descriptions of magnificent mountain scenery and the sea, storms, explosive action, murder, loss, love, and redemption.

INTERVIEW WITH CARL BROOKINS

Carl, how did you get started writing?
I cannot remember a time when I didn't write. My parents encouraged me to read and apparently treated my early scribbles as sensible. My mother disagreed with librarians who wanted to keep me out of the adult sections and restrict my book choices to those in the children sections. I have always appreciated good, thoughtful, well-constructed writing. Shakespeare is my favorite writer in the English language. He has great plots, marvelous creative use of the language, and an innate sense of pace that is unequaled. Did you know there are almost a thousand phrases in current use in English that can be traced to his invention?

I achieved second place in a writing contest from a Western  pulp magazine when I was in the seventh grade! Nearly every job I've ever held, including several temporary summer jobs, included a writing component. Writing is part of my DNA, but then, so is talking.

Do you have a writing routine?
When I decided I wanted to try writing serious fiction, I was still employed full time in a position which usually required my presence in the office. I was an adult student college counselor. I had appointments. Hence I developed a routine of getting up quite early, usually between five and five-thirty and writing at typewriter and computer. After an hour or so I would get dressed and go off to my office. Sometimes I worked on  manuscripts in the evening, but usually not. I did spend many weekends writing all day. Now I don 't do that so much. Weekends are reserved for other activities although many times they are writing related, such as appearing at or attending book events or conventions or traveling between events and home. I don't do much writing on tour, but I do communicate and often edit a current project.

What’s more important – characters or plot?
My answer—it depends! An author singularly focused on thrillers or multiple murders, terrorism, has to develop and maintain a strong active plot. Most good detective stories, whether run by amateurs or professional detectives, need a crime as motivation, but the interaction of interesting characters usually enriches and enlarges the scope of the story. Sometimes that gets away from you and you discover meandering tales in which the characters become so enamored of themselves and their talent or intellect that the story gets lost.  Authors of crime fiction who do not narrowly focus their concentration may lose important threads and thereby damage their tales. So the question has no obvious or easy answer. I try to maintain a clear focus whether I'm writing a thriller or a detective story. I want authors I read to do the same thing and that means making specific choices. Of course, if you are enormously talented and highly popular, you can probably ignore this advice at your pleasure.

What books do you currently have published?
About a dozen crime novels, in three separate categories. I began with an adventure series in which my main characters, a husband and wife are recreational sailors, and I can place them  in interesting and exotic places like the Caribbean where Red Sky is set. I get lots of ideas for stories that are simply inappropriate for Mary Whitney, although the series does allow me to explore the mind and activities of a strong intelligent woman. My private detective came about because I wanted to write something a little humorous as well as crime-focused. He's a short fellow with a tall wealthy girlfriend. There's a satirical  element to them and a nod to a writer I really liked as a kid, Richard Prather. He wrote the highly successful Shell Scott detective series in the 1950s. I also write about my life as a student counselor for a new and highly experimental (at the time) college for working adults. More cozy fiction from an amateur detective.

What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
For a time I sold hardware and photographic equipment for a national retail chain. They had a dress code, and a number  of arbitrary rules that often made no sense. Worse, some of the rules inhibited sales which seemed odd to me. Sales people on the retail floor were required to wear a shirt and tie. Shirts were quickly dirtied because tools and nails and nuts and bolts were not packaged in plastic boxes, they were in bins and had to be handled. The photo department on the main floor, developed a reputation for ignoring the rules of decorum. We were loud and laughed and seemed to be having a good time. That attracted customers and we had really good sales records. That didn't matter as much as that we were sometimes noisy in the process of celebrating success with customers. I learned that rigid rules in most circumstances were frequently a hindrance to getting the job done and that managers needed to work with staff instead of maintaining hard-line ruling. When the manager in the tower made a ruling, it usually meant that he (the most inflexible managers were always men) either didn't understand the situation or he was unwilling to try to fix a bad situation.

Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
Listen and learn. Know there are a thousand scam artists out there eager to take your money. Take in all the advice you can possibly acquire from many different sources and then follow your heart. Be cautious, be wise, work hard and be patient.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
Our local PBS station. We support the station. I worked as a producer, director, program manager, and general station manager for public television stations for many years. But I'd miss the local news.

How often do you tweet?
A couple times a week. I'm more active on other platforms.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I feel fine about it. I use FB to comment on political and social events and views, I promote causes, ideas, and my books and reviews. I also promote my family. I believe too many authors—who are nearly all creative thinkers—are too reticent about speaking and  writing about current affairs.

What’s one THING you never leave the house without (besides your phone).
I don't carry a phone. My wife has a cell, but I do not. I never leave home without my camera.

What’s your favorite beverage?
Good single malt scotch. I'm partial to Glenmorangie.

What do you wish you could do?
Go back in time and finish my Master of Communication Arts degree at Michigan State University.

What’s your least favorite chore?
Changing the bed sheets because it hurts my back.

Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Absolutely! I wish I could make it permanent, as does my wife.

What’s one thing that drives you crazy?
Racial, gender, and religious intolerance.

What’s in your refrigerator right now?
White wine, orange juice, milk, lettuce, eggs, snacking cheeses, jams and jellies, sandwich meats, bacon, and butter.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
The new Ramsey County library; great staff, excellent accommodations, convenient parking and an affiliated coffee shop.

If you had a talk show who would your dream guests be?
Actually, with two dear fellow authors, Ellen Hart and Kent Krueger, I had a cable talk show which ran weekly for nearly three years. We interviewed agents, authors, publishers, bookstore owners and anybody else in the book business we could entice. They were all dream guests (even the difficult ones).

Describe yourself in 5 words.
Progressive, tolerant, smart, stubborn, aging.

What’s your favorite color?
Blue, all variations of blue, but intense ocean blue is best.

What are you working on now?
A crime novel featuring an older Travis McGee-type and his honey, a former stripper and show girl.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Before he became a mystery writer and reviewer, Carl Brookins was a counselor and faculty member at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Brookins and his wife are avid recreational sailors. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Private Eye Writers of America. He can frequently be found touring bookstores and libraries with his companions-in-crime, The Minnesota Crime Wave.
 
He writes the sailing adventure series featuring Michael Tanner and Mary Whitney. The third novel is Old Silver. His new private investigator series features Sean NMI Sean, a short P.I. The first is titled The Case of the Greedy Lawyers. Brookins received a liberal arts degree from the University of Minnesota and studied for a MA in Communications at Michigan State University.

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

Buy the book:
Amazon  

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

I almost have as much trouble naming the characters in my novels as I did naming my children. But writing Southern novels makes it a little easier since there are so many colorful names from which to choose. And colorful equals memorable, in my opinion. It’s a pretty safe bet that if someone has a unique name, they’re going to be . . . well, a character.

Double names are big in the South. They came about as a way to both honor and appease family members. If a child was named for the mother’s sister, she had to be given the name of the father’s sister too. They didn’t want anybody to feel left out. The Closer had two great examples in Brenda Lee and Willie Mae. I love Eula Lee, Dora Sue, and Edna Maye from my family. Women aren’t the only ones with double names. If you live in the South, you know at least one man named Joe Bob, Jimmy Lee, or Billy Ray. It should be an unwritten rule that Southern novels have to have at least one character with a double name.

And nicknames? Child, nobody loves a nickname like a Southerner does. Whether they’re shortening a perfectly good name, like Araminta to Mint, or giving someone a whole new moniker altogether, nicknames abound, and the more unusual the better. When it comes to a name, which would a reader remember more—Tom, Dick, or Harry, or Brick, Skeeter, or Booger? Those kinds of names add richness to a character and a story, in my opinion. (No offense to Tom, Dick, or Harry.) My family had Uncle Toad. Nobody seems to know how he got that nickname, but one thing was for sure: he had a great sense of humor.

Sometimes the nickname fits the character, like Beedy Eyes Hickman or Slewfoot Taylor. It’s a pretty safe bet what those dudes look like. Some names are ironic, like Tiny Walker, who is six foot four and weighs three hundred pounds. Other times, there’s no rhyme or reason why someone came to be known as Spoodle, or Little Bun, Murble, or Boojay. But they certainly are memorable.

And then there are the names like the basketball coach, Tubby Smith, who got his nickname not from his size but because he liked to take baths when he was a kid. But my favorite one is Blister. Everyone knows if your nickname is Blister it tells the world you’re a lazy, good for nothing so-and-so who never shows up until the work is done.

Men’s nicknames seem to be more colorful than women’s, for some reason. Who knows how someone came to be called Stumpy, Moo, Big Curly, Cotton, Cactus, Howdy, or Tuffy, but you can bet they’re not boring. Women tend to get the tamer, but still memorable, names such as Teenie, Liddy, Precious, Princess, Bitsie, or Bunny.

Maybe I’m biased, but Southern characters are my favorite. History, culture, dialect, and expressions vibrantly come alive in books about the South and its charismatic characters with distinctive names. I mean, only in the south would you find a person, not a restaurant, named Taco Belle. And only in the Goose Pimple Junction mysteries will you find Pickle, Peanut, Butterbean, Skeeter, Brick, Tank, Slick, and Junebug.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Metz is the owner of this blog, the author of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series, and a mom. The fourth book in her series, Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction was released in May. The audiobook of the first in the series, Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction, became available for sale in June.


Find/follow/like me at:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon   




*This post has been slightly altered since it first appeared on the blog Suite T.

GUEST POST WITH FREDRIK NATH

ABOUT THE BOOK

"The story is brilliantly executed . . . Nath’s biggest success is the sustained atmospheric tension that he creates somewhat effortlessly." 
 - Little Interpretations

"A haunting and bittersweet novel that stays with you long after the final chapter – always the sign of a really well-written and praiseworthy story. It would also make an excellent screenplay."
- Historical Novels Review - Editor's Choice, Feb 2011

Nazi occupied Aquitaine, 1943: A young woman is found murdered in the shadow of the Bergerac Prefecture. Auguste Ran, Assistant Chief of Police, suspects Brunner, a German Security Police Major, of the crime. The more Auguste investigates, the more obsessed he becomes with bringing down the seemingly untouchable Brunner.

Auguste begins to realise he has been conveniently ignoring the Nazi atrocities going on around him, and understands too late the human cost of his own participation in the internment of the local Jewish population.

Driven by conscience and struggling with his Catholic religious beliefs, his actions start to put his own family at risk. Harbouring the daughter of his lifelong Jewish friend Pierre, they are forced into a desperate trek towards neighbouring Switzerland, pursued all the way by the German Sicherheitspolizei.

The Cyclist is the first in Fredrik Nath's series of World War 2 novels. The adventures continue in Farewell Bergerac, Francesca Pascal. Find out more about The Cyclist and Fredrik Nath's other holocaust novels in his 3D author room.

GUEST POST:

The Cyclist and an Inspiration

The early morning sunlight flickered from behind the high clouds and reflected golden and crisp from the monument in Bergerac’s market square. Around me, shoppers bustled and in the roadway a car beeped its horn. The grey stone pillar rose fifteen feet above me, its shadow pointing away towards the elm trees that line the roadway. A smell of garlic wafted as I read those brave words that showed the strength of the French and France’s indomitable leaders. The monument was a reminder of the valour and sacrifice of those brave local partisans who gave up their lives in the struggle against the occupying Nazi forces all those years ago. 

Yes, it is moving. Surely there’s a story here.

In my head a story began to form. What would it have been like to have to make the choices needed to protect oneself and one’s family yet still remain French? The main character would need to do something admirable. He would need to depart from the norm. If you became a partisan you would endanger the people nearest you. What if you were caught?

I began to think of how it would be to be the one who is rounding up the local Jewish people. Would you hate it? Of course you would, even if you were forced to it for fear of endangering your family. For a religious man it would be even harder. Surely one would do anything to avoid such ‘duties’ if you had a conscience?

The story began to form. A Vichy French policeman, a man of conscience, a family man working with evil Nazis whom he secretly hated. I created Auguste Ran, a good policeman, but in essence weak, until a certain event tips him over the edge and slowly he begins to fight back.

That’s where The Cyclist came from and it was my springboard for the other books in my French resistance series. Each takes a character and makes life hard for them, allowing them to become. In the end, THE CYCLIST sold 30,000 copies. It was Editor’s choice in the Historical Novel Review in 2011.

You can catch all six books on Amazon: a policeman, a teacher, an artist, a chef, a philosopher and in THE PROMISE a medical student.

The Promise is the last and most recent of the series. Jean Valois, a medical student before the war, swears to his sister he will protect her. But in war, who can keep such promises? Trained to kill by SOE, in a desperate bid to save his sister Rebecca, he undertakes a mission deep into enemy-occupied Poland, risking all for the sake of a promise made long ago. A story of love, war, hatred and revenge, The Promise tells a tale of courage and staunchness.

If you like drama and character-based plots check them out!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fred Nath is a full time Neurosurgeon. Fred was born in Sweden and brought up in London and has worked in Liverpool, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow in his training (a long, long time ago). He lives in the northeast of England with his teenage daughter, his three sons having grown up and flown the coop.

In his time, he has run twenty-four Great North Run half-marathons (22 consecutive), trekked Island Peak, to 6000m in Nepal, crossed the highest mountain pass in the world (also in Nepal) [which you can see on You-tube],done a 12,000ft tandem parachute jump and began writing, like John Buchan, "because he ran out of penny-novels to read and felt he should write his own." Fred loves a good story, which is why he writes.

To date, his published works include: five French resistance thrillers, three books in the Galdir series and the first instalment of a four book series 'Amulet' has recently appeared in print - all published by Fingerpress publishers.
Galdir 4 is on the way and this year Amulet 2 will come out.

How does he find time to write? Get up a bit earlier and go to bed a bit later - sleep makes you unproductive!

He also loves the Dordogne, French wine and a good family getogether!

Questions? He's happy to hear from any of his readers.

Reach Fred at: fred@neurosurg.co.uk or  at his Website. 

Buy the book:
Amazon

FEATURED AUTHOR: TIFFANY MCDANIEL

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heat wave scorched Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.

Sal seems to appear out of nowhere - a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding Bliss, the son of a local prosecutor, brings him home where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, assuming he's a runaway from a nearby farm town.

When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperature as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him. As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be. While the Bliss family wrestle with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.

INTERVIEW WITH TIFFANY MCDANIEL

Tiffany, how did you get started writing? 
Writing is what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s the first thing I remember doing as a child outside of any external influence or someone telling me to write something. I was instantly drawn to story. Reading it and creating it. Back in cavemen day I would have been the one scribbling all over the cave walls. 

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process? 
I wish I wouldn’t have been so hopeful. I wrote my first novel when I was eighteen and didn’t get a publishing contract until I was twenty-nine. Starting out as a young author trying to get published at eighteen, I was so ignorant of the journey to publication that I thought my entire future would be decided in a week. That’s the time standard of youth. I was so very optimistic and hopeful, I wish I would have been a little more realistic about how hard it truly is to get published. But even though you prepare yourself for rejection, it always hurts.   

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book? 
Getting it published. 

What books do you currently have published? 
The Summer that Melted Everything is my first published novel. It wasn’t the first novel I wrote, but more like my fifth or sixth novel. I have nine novels to date. Just waiting for publishing to catch up to me.   

What’s the oldest thing you own and still use? 
My imagination. It feels older than myself. Like maybe its childhood had with the dinosaurs and now in its old age it’s a million years old. 

Do you have any secret talents? 
I so wish I could say I know how to get a good boil going in a cauldron. I still want to be a witch, Hocus Pocus style. That’s not weird. Right?

Hmmm . . . I'll get back to you on that. If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be? 
PBS. When I was a kid my dad always watched PBS, and I thought it was full of boring shows. But then when I actually watched it I saw how amazing it was. NOVA science documentaries, NATURE documentaries, Masterpiece Classic. What more could you want? We never grew up on cable. I actually just recently even got cable, but I still return to PBS because you get entertainment and education. So this was a completely boring answer, huh?  

Not at all. How often do you tweet? 
I don’t tweet or Facebook. Shocker—I have no social media. My only online presence being my website www.tiffanymcdaniel.com. 

What scares you the most? 
My biggest fear is starting to write a novel and dying before getting to finish it. I get the feeling an asteroid is just going to barrel down on top of me before I get that last sentence down. Unfinished work is a very scary thing.   

What’s your favorite beverage? 
Milkshake. Easy on the milk. Heavy on the ice cream.

Have you had a Chick-fil-A peach milkshake? Oh. My. Gosh. 
What do you wish you could do? 
Actually visit the Witches’ Supermarket from Susan Meddaugh’s book, The Witches’ Supermarket. 

Where is your favorite place to visit? 
When I dream I have recurring places I try to dream myself back to. They’re hard to explain while awake, but I never want to leave them when I’m there in sleep. 

What’s in your refrigerator right now? 
I don’t know what’s in the fridge, but I will say what’s in my freezer is frozen blueberries raised in my own garden. I love to just eat them straight out of the bag. Nothing beats a frozen blueberry. Except for maybe blueberry muffins and blueberry pie . . .

And peach milkshakes. Who is your favorite fictional character?
I’d love to hang out with Willy Wonka. But also solve a murder mystery with Hercule Poirot. 


If you had a talk show who would your dream guest be?
Beetlejuice. We can eat ZagNuts together. All you Beetlejuice fans know what I’m talking about.  


What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop? 
Currently it’s a desert scene. For some reason I’ve always wanted to live out in the middle of a desert with plenty of cactuses. I blame the house full of cactuses in the Gene Tierney movie, Leave her to Heaven.


What’s your favorite smell? 
The smell of chocolate cooking. But I also love Shalimar. And the smell of an approaching thunder storm. And the crushed smell of autumn leaves. My nose can’t decide.
    

And peach milkshakes. Oh. Sorry. What’s your favorite color? 
It’s a toss up between the gray color of storm clouds, chocolate brown, that orange of Halloween pumpkins, and the dark purple of eggplant. You’ll notice I have trouble naming my absolute favorite of something.  



What is your favorite movie? 
There are so many. I love Beetlejuice and Little Shop of Horrors, Misery, and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Don’t ask me to choose between them. We’ll be here for eternity.


Understandable. I'm afraid to ask this one, but I will . . . do you have a favorite book? 
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. I want to be buried with it.



What are you working on now? 
I hope to follow The Summer that Melted Everything up with my newest novel, When Lions Stood as Men. It’s a unique story of a Jewish brother and sister who struggle so much with their guilt over surviving the Holocaust that they create their own camp of judgment in which their souls are tested and where they try to understand how they exist in relation to one another. It is a story about love above all else, and the oftentimes undeniable torment of that very emotion. Lions have stood before, the novel tells us, are we brave enough to stand with them?  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An Ohio native, Tiffany McDaniel's writing is inspired by the rolling hills and buckeye woods of the land she knows. She is also a poet, playwright, screenwriter, and artist. The Summer that Melted Everything is her debut novel.


Giveaway!
Tiffany is holding a pre-order contest. Readers have a chance to win the audio book, free books, or original prints of her painting. For details, go here.



Buy the book:
Website   | Goodreads  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Powell's  |  IndieBound 

Help Wanted!

I don't understand it, I can't explain it. The first book in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series, Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction currently has 574 reviews on Amazon.com. Great, right? Yes! Thank you and hallelujah! I am so grateful for that response. What am I whining about, right? Well, the problem is: reviews for the other three books have been slow to come in. The second and third books currently each have a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars, and the fourth book has a 4.9 rating. Meaning, for the most part, reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. But the number of reviews is . . . well, kind of sad:
Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction: 203 reviews. Not bad, but more are needed!

Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction: 23 reviews. Considering the book has been out for nine months, that number seriously needs improvement.
Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction: 16 reviews. Sixteen reviews in six weeks—yikes! That number makes me want to take up scorpion petting.

Please, Please, Please

So this is my unabashed plea for more reviews. 

What's that you say? You don't know how to write a review? Pshaw! What did you like or dislike about the book? Write it down. Write it like you are telling a friend about it. Reviews don't have to be long; in fact shorter reviews are usually preferable because longer ones tend to give away plot lines or attempt to be a synopsis of the book. Once you've read the review detailing the book, you pretty much don't need to read the book! 

You want to remain anonymous? Perfectly fine! Just register for an Amazon account under the name of your choice.

 

Here are some examples of perfectly good (and short) reviews for the three books desperately in need of reviews:

Book 2: Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction
"To say I enjoyed Ms. Metz work would be an understatement, I relished it, adored it, want to marry it. "
". . . be careful drinking while you read. You could be snorting soda out your nose."
" . . . a side-splitting, pee-in-your-knickers hilariously funny cozy mystery, thanks to its cast of colorful characters.

Book 3: Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction
"Reading these short tales was like hanging out with friends."
"She still writes each character in a realistic, distinctive, and three-dimensional manner . . . "
"I can truthfully say this book was laugh-out-loud funny and impossible to put down."

Book 4: Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction
". . . full of oddball eccentric characters that you just have to love."
"Southern charm meets murder."
"This was such a fun read I really hated for it to end and just FYI it has one heck of an ending."
"Absolutely love this series!"

These reviews are short and sweet yet convey the feelings of the readers/reviewers. Yes, I shortened them, because really, any of these would be fine reviews by themselves. Of course, reviews are really just a person's opinion, and you can be the juiciest, ripest peach in the world, but there will still be people who don't like peaches. But bad reviews are welcome too. They tend to get people talking about the book, or even better, curious about it. And curiosity leads to book sales. 

Stars matter

I would ask one favor: if you loved the book, give it five stars. It doesn't mean it's your most favorite book of all time. It just means that you loved the book. If you liked the book, give it at least a four-star rating. Because ratings contribute to ranking, and reaching the top 100 best seller list in a particular genre gives more exposure to the book, which means . . . MORE SALES! Plus, there are some sites that won't promote a book if its rating is below 4.0. So the difference between the number of stars you give a book really does matter.

What's the point?

My point is . . . you don't have to love the book to leave a review. The thing is, Amazon.com pays attention to the number of reviews. After you reach a certain number, they start promoting your book for you. And the more reviews a book gets, the more promo time it's going to get, which translates to what? Yes! Sales! And critical reviews are sometimes very helpful feedback that help an author make necessary changes in future books.


So . . . if you've read any of the four books in the Goose Pimple Junction series but haven't written a review and posted it on Amazon.com, I need your help. I would so appreciate it if you could take just five minutes to leave a short review and rate the book(s) from 1-5 stars. If you haven't read the book(s), why not? They are each currently priced at just 99 cents for a Kindle copy. If that is still too much for your budget, leave a comment, and you may just win a copy.

Go On, Get Goose Pimples!

One more thing: word of mouth really is the best promotion for a book. So if you like a book, tell your friends. Post it on Facebook, Tweet about it on Twitter, Pin it on Pinterest, Google+ it on Google+, add it to a shelf on Goodreads, ask your local library to order it, like and follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Amazon, etc. Show an author some love and spread the word! We will be eternally grateful.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

In case you're not familiar with the Goose Pimple Junction series, here are the book blurbs for each book:

#1 Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction

When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder. Suddenly she’s learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.

A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery that Tess attempts to solve. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.

#2 Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction

Goose Pimple Junction is just recovering from a kidnapping and a murder, its first major crimes in years, when trouble begins anew. Life is turned upside down in the quirky little Southern town with the arrival of several shifty hooligans: A philandering husband intent on getting his wife back, another murderer loose in town, a stalker intent on frightening Martha Maye, and a thief who’s stealing the town blind of their pumpkins, pies, and peace. Together, they’re scaring the living daylights out of the residents and keeping the new police chief busier than a set of jumper cables at a redneck picnic. Suddenly, he has his hands full trying to apprehend a killer, stop a stalker, and fight his feelings for the damsel in distress.

#3 Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction

This is not your average Southern town. With a hint of mystery, a lot of laughs, and its unique charm, you'll catch a glimpse of everyday life in Goose Pimple Junction in this short story compilation. Short & Tall Tales occurs chronologically between Murder & Mayhem, book 1, and Heroes & Hooligans, book 2, in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. Book 1.5 is a fun escape that will answer questions readers may have about the residents of this quirky small town.

How did Johnny Butterfield become police chief?
How did Tess and Jack get engaged?
How did Ima Jean come to live with Louetta?
How do you celebrate an Apple Day?

These questions and more are answered in Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction. Five short stories, one novella, and three recipes will give you more of life in Goose Pimple Junction, make you laugh, and have your mouth watering. If you want a feel-good read, you've come to the right place. Grab some sweet tea and escape to Goose Pimple Junction.

#4 Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction

Like any good Southern belle, Caledonia Culpepper was raised by her mama to be gracious, charming, witty, and above all, a devoted mother and loving wife, so she's baffled when her marriage falls apart.

Wynona Baxter is a master of disguise but is often a ditzy airhead. A hit woman wannabe, when she's hired for her first job in Goose Pimple Junction and things don't go as planned, she's forced to resort to Plan B. She'll also need Plan C and D.

Crooked lawyers, restless husbands, a teenaged hoodlum – it seems there are rogues and rascals everywhere you look in Goose Pimple Junction.

When Caledonia and Wynona's paths cross, they prove there isn't a rogue or a rascal who can keep a good woman down. Mama always said there would be days like this . . .