Meet the Author: Shelley Stout

Originally from Annandale, Virginia, Shelley Stout resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she enjoys spending time with her two grown sons. She also enjoys volunteering at a local homeless shelter. Shelley is a contributing writer for local and regional magazines, and her award-winning fiction has appeared in anthologies, The Storyteller Magazine and online at WordRiot.  Each of her books is available for the Kindle for only $2.99.  Here's Shelley:


After nearly a decade, writing has become a huge part of my life. I've been continually busy, either writing, revising, editing, submitting, or promoting/marketing my work. I also have a full-time job, so I frequently wish I could spend more time on writerly activities!

My first novel, (Radium Halos) was released in July 2009 as an ebook from Girlebooks.com. In October 2009, it was released in print from Librifiles Publishing, the sister site of Girlebooks. I've had several book signings, where I've met many wonderful people-- readers and other authors. I've also visited several book clubs-- some via Skype. I enjoy speaking with my readers and learn so much from them and from other authors.

Radium Halos is historical fiction. It is based on the true story of the Radium Dial painters-- young women factory workers in the 1920s who were exposed to radiation while painting watch and clock dials with radium paint. These innocent young women were taught by their supervisors to dip their brush into the paint and then between their lips for a sharper point. In the process, they were swallowing small amounts of the radioactive paint. This scenario happens in companies even today, where employees are merely following instructions from someone higher in authority. In this particular case, the Radium Dial Company denied any wrongdoing. Their focus was on production, not on worker safety.

Many people have asked me where I got the idea for Radium Halos. In the late 1980s, I watched a documentary on the Discovery Channel, called “Radium City.” I was stunned and horrified, but at the same time, the story of these young women fascinated me, because I had never heard of it. The documentary was phenomenal – it presented a great deal of information about what the young women went through. Every so often, I would think of it, but it wasn’t until about four years ago that I decided the time was right: I needed to write a novel based on this true event, because so many people were unaware of it.


Radium Halos has received praise from various sources. I have included reviews below:

Batt Humphreys, former senior producer for CBS News and author of Dead Weight

"Shelley Stout debuts with a novel of characters as compelling as the true story it covers. Like a good reporter, she follows the facts. In this case she not only uncovers a story little known, but more importantly she reveals in her characters, the humanity of a tragic tale."

The Historical Novel Review

"At turns humorous, feisty, and heartrendingly childlike, [main character] Helen’s narrative voice is powerfully blunt."

Red Adept's Kindle Book Review Blog

"Five stars......this was a novel to tug at the heart."

Comcast.net News: Badeau P.O.V.

"Stout’s strong storytelling skills and clever use of humor make this a novel that just won’t stay closed."

Girlebooks.com

"While the subject matter is intense, the tone of the novel is surprisingly light. Thanks is due to [main character] Helen who adds humor through her naive and bluntly honest outlook."


What's up next? Shelley has just completed her newest ebook. It's a romantic comedy, entitled "Celebrities for Breakfast."  It's getting 5-star reviews at Amazon and is available for just $2.99.




Shelley's facebook page

http://shelleystout.librifiles.com/

Shelley's twitter

Meet the Author: Helen Smith

I have so many wonderful authors to share with you, I'm going to start featuring them on weekends, when you can kick back and put your feet up and read someone new.  Today's author is Helen Smith.  You can find her book "Being Light"  in paperback, or get it for your Kindle for just $2.99.

Helen Smith traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both – from cleaning motels to working as a magician’s assistant - before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel. She writes novels, poetry, plays and screenplays. She’s a long-term supporter of the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and mentors members of an exiled writers group to help them tell their stories.

My interview with Helen Smith

Q) Tell us about your book
Being Light is a comedy set in England. A man is swept away on a freak gust of wind while installing a bouncy castle in a park in south London. When he doesn’t come home, his wife, Sheila, hires a private detective to find him. There are various madcap characters involved in a series of interlinked adventures and although I set out to make people laugh, there are some serious underlying themes – death, loss, mortality, post-natal depression, child care for working mothers and the treatment of animals in circuses. But I doubt that anyone except the most assiduous reader would pick up on all those references.

The book was first published in the UK by Gollancz/Orion and it got some fantastic reviews but eventually it went out of print. I got the rights back last year and I’m publishing it myself under my own imprint, Tyger Books.

Q) What inspired you to write this book?
I read a story in the paper when I was in Australia about a man who travelled several feet in the air while installing a bouncy castle in a park. Of course, he came back down again. But I loved the idea of someone floating high above the countryside, too high up to be able to shout for help and having no choice but to wave back at the people on the ground as he gives in to his fate – and that’s how the book starts.

Q) Do you have a favorite character?
I like them all, even the ‘baddies’! I feel sorry for Sheila – she’s bewildered and trying to make sense out of a very odd situation. Why would her husband not come home, if he’s free? She doesn’t take the hints that others throw out, that he might have gone off with another woman. I love Mrs Fitzgerald, the boss of the detective agency Sheila hires to find her husband (she also features in my first book, Alison Wonderland). She reads the autobiographies of shamed celebrities to work out what drove them over the edge, so she can avoid it. Most of the characters in my books are trying to invent rules for themselves to understand or improve the world.

Q) I have a lot of very creative readers. Do you have other hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing?
I love knitting but I don’t do much of it. I like following complicated patterns but I get frustrated if I go wrong because I hate going back and unpicking my work. I started knitting when I was about fourteen and I have always liked the idea of being able to create something beautiful out of raw materials, though I also love looking at skeins of dyed wool in their unknitted state. My dream would be to own a knitting wool shop in a picturesque village somewhere – and combine that with solving mysteries, like a Miss Marple style amateur detective.

Last year I made some nonsensical short films with my daughter and my dog, and put them on YouTube. I can’t tell you how much pleasure I got from making and editing them – more than viewers get from watching them, I’d guess. Still, you can find them at http://www.youtube.com/cutoffyournose if you’d like to take a look. I put the skills I had learned to good use more recently when I filmed an actor friend reading two poems by an Iranian poet and put them up on YouTube. The poet is a friend of mine and I helped her to translate the poems from Farsi. I wouldn’t win any prizes for film-making but one of the poems, Remember Me, got 1400 hits in the first three days, and the poet was overjoyed – Remember Me was dedicated to her younger brother who died in Evin prison in Iran.

Q) Do you have any upcoming titles you’re working on?
I’m writing a book called Beachy Head about a woman and an angel on an extended road trip in the south of England.

Q) What’s on your nightstand (or kindle) right now?
I love print books and always disliked the idea of reading on the computer because I thought it would hurt my eyes. I also think that the text reads differently on screen than it does on the page - I would never edit or proof read a document on the computer screen, for example. But I recently got Kindle for PC (which is free – another joy) and I have been converted to its advantages. I like being able to adjust the font size so I don’t need reading glasses, I like the instant access to books as I’m browsing, I like the price, which is cheaper than print books, and I like being able to read the classics and other out-of-copyright books for free.

I have recently loaded up some free Chekhov on my Kindle for PC, I also have Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel to read (under $5 – a bargain compared to the paperback!). I’m half way through a paperback copy of A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian and I’m still dipping in to the latest edition of Granta, which is a quarterly collection of fiction, essays and photographs published in book form. I subscribed for years – I first read Lynn Barber’s short piece ‘An Education’ in Granta; it later became the film with Carey Mulligan, with a script by Nick Hornby. I also discovered one of my favourite stories of all time in a Granta collection with an Australian theme, a novella called Pobby and Dingan. I thought Granta went off a bit and unsubscribed for a few years but I have just gone back to it – there’s a new American editor - and have enjoyed the last two issues.

Q) What else would you like to add?
Thank you for having me! This is an interesting blog and I look forward to coming back to chat as a visitor.

Q) Where can we find your book?
Being Light is available in print from Amazon, B&N, The Book Depository and other online stores, and in digital format from the Amazon Kindle Store as well as The Book Depository. You may have to order it if you’d like to buy it from your local book store or borrow it from the library.

Q) Any other links?
I have a blog here: http://helensmithblog.blogspot.com
Please come and say hello.

And the Winner Is...

I want to thank everyone who stopped by and chatted with the authors during my Author Party.  I know the authors enjoyed it and hopefully you found some new books to read.

If you own a Kindle, most of the works offered by the featured authors are available for $2.99.  If you missed any and are looking for some good reading material, take a look back at those posts.

And now the winner.  I had 89 eligible comment entries.  Random.Org chose #27 for me which happened to be  Nancy.  I will send Nancy the gift certificate as soon as I get her email address.

I still have many more author friends to introduce to you, so I'm planning to have a weekly Author Party.  I can't give prizes every time, except the fun of finding new books to read.

Thanks for playing along.  It gave me peace of mind to know my blog was still a busy place, even while I was in the hospital.

Meet Marie Bostwick

Today is the final day of the Author Party.  I will tally up the comments and announce the winner on Monday.  There's still time to get more chances to win - just go to previous author posts and leave a comment!

Today I'm thrilled to introduce one of my favorite authors, Marie Bostwick.  Her "Cobbled Court" series of books is a must-read for every quilter.  Wonderful, memorable characters and satisfying storylines.

Tell us a little about your latest book

My newest title, A THREAD SO THIN, the third book in my Cobbled Court series, takes readers back to New Bern and the wonderful women who gather at the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop.

With her college graduation approaching, Liza faces an overwhelming array of choices about her future, including a surprise marriage proposal from Garrett that leaves her breathless – and conflicted.


Do you have a favorite character in any of your books?

I really love all my characters. However, Abigail Burgess Wynne Spaulding is the most fun to write. I love a good curmudgeon, and Abigail is the BEST!


Are any of your characters based on people you know?

Very occasionally, I will model a character on a real person. But before long I find that the character develops a voice, personality, and viewpoint that is completely their own.

What kinds of research have you done for your writing?

All kinds. Naturally, when I was writing historical fiction the amount of time I spent researching was much more extensive than it is now. But I still do research as the need arises. Usually, my research involves the internet or a trip to the library, but I do conduct interviews or make on-site visits. Just last week, I visited the workshop of a woman who grows her own herbs and makes herbal cosmetic products – just like Tessa Woodruff, a character who will appear in my 2011 book, THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE.

I have a lot of very creative readers. Do you pursue any hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing? Any time for quilting these days?

I like to cook and garden, and I do a bit of knitting, though I’m not very good at it. My writing schedule keeps me from spending as much time with my quilting as I’d like, but I’m going to have to carve out a few extra hours for that soon. My first grandchild is on the way and the baby fabric is piling up!


What's on your nightstand (or Kindle) right now?

There is always a big stack of books on my nightstand. At the moment, the pile includes, CHEERFUL MONEY by Tad Friend, SUCH A PRETTY FACE by Cathy Lamb, THE PROBLEM OF PAIN by C.S. Lewis, THE WHOLE IN OUR GOSPEL by Richard Stearn, and VELVA JEAN LEARNS TO DRIVE by Jennifer Niven.

Do you have any upcoming titles you're working on?

I’m putting the finishing touches on my fourth Cobbled Court book, THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE. It will be out on May 28, 2011. As soon as I deliver that (very probably the next day), I’ll begin work on another book.

What else would you like to add?

Readers have been asking for audio versions of my books for years and I’m thrilled to tell you that they’re almost here! An audio version of A SINGLE THREAD, will be out on October 1. The others will be available shortly after. You can order them from Blackstone Audio at www.blackstoneaudio.com

Where can we find your books?

You can find my books at any independent or chain bookstore. If they don’t have the book you want in stock, the booksellers can order them for you quickly. Alternatively, you can order my books from any online book retailer and in e-versions for Nook, Kindle, Sony E-reader, etc.

Any other links?

Come on over to my website, www.mariebostwick.com to learn more about my books or to read an excerpt. If you register as one of my Reading Friends, you’ll have access to special content, be entered in my monthly contest, and be able to download fun freebies including recipes and quilt patterns.

Marie is doing a bit of jet-setting today, but do leave a comment for her to read later.  Every comment you leave during the Author Party gives you an entry in the Amazon gift card giveaway.

Meet John Fitch V

Today I'm pleased to present John Fitch V to you.  Leave a comment to be entered to win a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com.  Leave comments on previous author entries for more chances to win!

Hello Threeundertwo and her bevy of blogosphere readers! I’m John Fitch V, and I’m the author of six novels – soon to be seven released and many more to come. I’ll be answering Threeundertwo’s questions, and of course your questions at the end. I love Q&A sessions!

Tell us about your book
Which book should I talk about first? Hmmm. Well, let me start off with
TURNING BACK THE CLOCK. This is a book for any baseball fan, but what I’ve found recently is that non-baseball fans have also enjoyed it. This novel is about Greg Patterson, a Red Sox fan, and his quest to end the Yankees’ dominance over the Olde Towne Team. He gets the idea to build a time machine after watching the Yankees steal victory from the Red Sox in the 2003 American League Championship
Series. He recruits his friend, Brandon Roy, to go back to 1919 with him to stop
two events from happening: the sale of Babe Ruth from Boston to New York, as
well as the Black Sox Scandal. Greg believes these two events are connected, and
by stopping them, the Red Sox will not go into their 80-plus year funk. There is
also a little love story between Greg and a woman he meets in the past, and a
little twist at the end.

I’ve also written several Lord of the Rings-type fantasy novels – my next release is a fantasy novel – as well as a space opera, Star Wars-type sci-fi novel. I have many writing interests and I like to dabble in a potpourri of genres. I really wanted to be a fantasy author, but… the rest is history.

What inspired you to write Turning Back The Clock?
I was just finishing up my first novel, OBLOERON: THE QUEST FOR THE CHALICE, when a friend of mine said he was going to write a book about two Red Sox fans going back in time to stop the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees. It was the same concept, but he didn’t take the manuscript anywhere longer than a few pages, and after a while, he stopped altogether. I kept prodding him and encouraging him to write it, because it was a book I would want to buy and read. By the time I finished my third novel, another year had passed, and it was now 2006. I asked him again how it was coming, and he said he had given up. I then asked him if I
could take over the project; it was coming up on winter 2006, and I wanted something to write during the day and I was out of full time work. He gave me his blessing and I started research on the project. I added the Black Sox Scandal part, added the love interest, looked at old maps.

I basically wanted to tell a fun story and ask the age old question: What if Babe Ruth never went to New York?

Do you have a favorite character?
I think that I enjoy writing every character, but as for a favorite? That’s a hard question to answer. Obviously, Yanos Kingsfoil was the first character I created for OBLOERON, and he’s near and dear to me. Yanos is a halfling (a hobbit, for you folks who know Lord of the Rings in passing), but instead of being a real docile being, he is ready to fight – one author friend of mine said he had the courage of Conan the Barbarian. I also consider Radamuck – the second character created – one of my favorite characters, because he’s such a great leader and has a strong and sturdy countenance about him. In the prequel novels (set to be released beginning this fall), Radamuck is younger and a little more headstrong, but he’s also a tad bit more funny than he is in the original TRILOGY. He serves as foil for Krampel and Lutricia. Lutricia was also a fun character to write, and there is another female character that I can’t talk about as of yet. Maybe in a year-to-18 months I can start talking about her.

Are any of your characters based on people you know in real life?
Most of my characters have some basis in reality. Radamuck, for instance, is the fantasy embodiment of yours truly. Of course, there is also a little bit of me in Grumpet and his grandfather, Krampel. I’ve named characters after friends and my younger cousins and named fantasy towns after friends. It’s always fun to
take a friend’s name, twist it a little bit, and make it look different.

What kinds of things did you research to write your book?
For TBTC, I had to make sure I had the details of the sale of Babe Ruth as well as the events surrounding the Black Sox Scandal to be as true as I could find: the Black Sox Scandal is, in some way, based on hearsay. I re-read EIGHT MEN OUT, watched the movie repeatedly, and also culled information from other sources. I then had to commit a map of Boston, mainly the area surrounding Fenway Park, to memory: even though I grew up in Boston, it was a good idea to refresh my memory. I also tried to gather information on the old telephone exchange system that was in use back in 1919 (think Pennsylvania 6-5000, and
you’ll get the gist).

I have a lot of very creative readers. Do you have other hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing?
I would love to say I still play golf, but I haven’t played in four years. I read constantly, and my “day job” is covering sports for my local newspaper. If I’m not writing, I’m reading, and if I’m not reading, I’m sleeping or watching sports on TV. I’m a Boston sports fan, mainly the Red Sox and the Patriots. But I also support the New England Revolution as well as Arsenal FC in the English Premier League.

What’s on your nightstand (or kindle) right now?
Right now, I have Jim C. Hines’ RED HOOD’S REVENGE on tap, and I’ll also be re-reading the DUNE series shortly in preparation for the next novel. I also read LORD OF THE RINGS every year, so I’ll be doing that probably over Christmas. I’m also a HUGE Star Wars fan – I own all of the books – as well as
Harry Potter. I also read Steven Savile, Vince Flynn, John Grisham, and R.A. Salvatore.

Do you have any upcoming titles you’re working on?
I have a lot of stuff that I’m busily getting ready for publication. This fall, I’ll be releasing the first OBLOERON prequel, and there will be three of those spread over the next few years. I’ll also be working on revisions to the follow-up to TBTC, a mild baseball thriller tentatively entitled LOADED UP, which I hope to have ready for next spring. I have a debut YA novel that I’ll put out next summer, as well as the project and lead female character that I can’t talk about just yet. I’m also brainstorming another sports novel, and
another YA title for 2012. It may mean I won’t write another OBLOERON novel until next year or maybe even early 2012, since the prequels have been backed up for so long.

What else would you like to add?
If you haven’t jumped aboard the digital eBook revolution bandwagon, do so soon.  Prices on eReaders are going down, and the price of books, other than indies, will soon go down. I am sure of it.

Where can we find your book?
You can find my books in trade paperback via Amazon.com (as well as .ca and .co.uk), B&N.com, as well as on Amazon Kindle and on Smashwords.

Any other links?
My web site is johnfitchv.com, and I have a blog on johnfitchv.livejournal.com!
Thanks for the invitation to meet your readers. I’ll be happy to chat here with anyone who has a question for me.

Introducing Simon Wood

Just a few days left of my Author Party.  Leave a comment today for Simon Wood, and go back and leave comments on previous posts for more chances to win the $50.00 Amazon.com gift card.  See the tab above for full rules and more ways to win.

Simon Wood is an ex-racecar driver, a licensed pilot and an occasional private investigator. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie. A longhaired dachshund and five cats dominate their lives. He’s had over 150 stories and articles published. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines anthologies, such as Seattle Noir, Thriller 2 and Woman’s World. He’s a frequent contributor to Writer’s Digest. He’s the Anthony Award winning author of DRAGGED INTO DARKNESS, WORKING STIFFS, ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN, PAYING THE PIPER and WE ALL FALL DOWN. As Simon Janus, he’s the author of THE SCRUBS and ROAD RASH. His latest works are TERMINATED and ASKING FOR TROUBLE. Curious people can learn more at www.simonwood.net




WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID?
By Simon Wood

I recently learned that someone is convinced that something in one of my books is real and I did it. This isn’t the first time this has happened. A few years ago, a woman at a book club who had read WORKING STIFFS asked me in all seriousness how many times I’d cheated on my wife because the book partially dealt with infidelity. Others have pushed me for answers about different aspects of my stories and my culpability. It can be a little disconcerting when someone asks you, “Did you ever get caught stealing cars?” At the same time, I can understand why people will read something and put two and two together and come up with five. It might be fiction, but for any slice of fiction to be believable, the element of realism has to be strong. It has to get the reader to suspend their disbelief and buy into what they're reading.

A writer’s storytelling style plays into this problem too. While any writer can proclaim that their writing is a reflection of the world around them, a book says more about the writer’s world view than anybody else’s. I’ll be the first to acknowledge that I show more than a little thigh from time to time in my stories. It’s impossible for my sensibilities and insensibilities not to show.

By the same token, when someone rushes up to me and demands to know how many times I’ve cheated on my wife, it reveals a lot more about their life and sensitivities than it does about mine. That’s the bugger about any story. Once it’s out there in the open, it’s a mirror and we all see something different when we gaze into it.

When it comes to the crimes I may or may not have committed, I have to fall back on Sharon Stone’s defense in BASIC INSTINCT. If I’d committed a crime, do you think I’d be daft enough to admit it in writing? I’m dumb, but not that dumb. :-)

I will admit that while none of my stories are reenactments of things that have happened to me, there are flickers of personal experiences contained within the pages. While it would be nice to regurgitate life stories in my books, it doesn’t work that way. They just don’t fit well within the confines of a novel.

That said, I do occasionally insert a few inside jokes in my stories for my amusement and the amusement of friends, coworkers and family. Perhaps, an old boss’ name is used for a character who comes to a grizzly end. Sometimes I do things for my enjoyment only and the eye rolls of others. I used Julie’s name for a character whose husband was cheating on her and I killed my mother-in-law in another. Don’t worry, I haven’t done these things but I know I’m going to get a groan out of them when they read the story.

Of all the things I’ve been accused of doing in real life no one has accused me of killing anyone. I guess I should be flattered by the fact that some people think I’m an adulterer, a thief, or a blackmailer, but not a murderer.

It’ll be interesting to see the kind of remarks I get for my latest releases. ASKING FOR TROUBLE has people committing a variety of infractions from murder for hire to embezzlement. And TERMINATED features a bitter and twisted man who victimizes his female boss as a way of striking back at a world he views as unfair. There's even cruelty to the elderly, so heaven knows what people will say about that.

I suppose my only advice to you, my readers, is not to wonder about the things I write about, but the things I don’t write about. :-)

Yours innocently,
Simon Wood
simonwoodwrites@yahoo.com

Meet Delyse Trink

Today I'm happy to introduce Delyse Trink.  Leave a comment on this post and be entered to win a $50 Amazon.com gift card.  Leave comments on each of the posts during the Author Party for more chances to win.  See the official rules in the tab above.

Tell us about your book.
My romance novel Wrapped in a Rainbow is about learning that life can not be completely planned out, but sometimes when you are thrown an obstacle, your rocky path might lead you somewhere wonderful. It is also about finding that one amazing person to share your life with!

What inspired you to write this book?
Growing up with my mother, sister and best friend all being avid readers of romance novels, I had plenty of books to read. I read so many that I felt I had to try to write one myself. My book is styled like those favorite books of mine.

Do you have a favorite character?
Kristy, my heroine is probably my favorite character. She is smart and idealistic at the beginning of the story but even though she gets a wake-up call that her job will not turn out as she hoped, she will not let life get her down. She decides to move on!

What kinds of things did you research to write your book?
Ah, the research was the fun part. I'm from Canada and we love to escape our harsh winters. The Bahamas was the first warm, tropical place I ever went to. It will always be special to me because of that so I used my visits there as research. I know a few of my friends who read my book now want to vacation there. Maybe I should work for Bahamas tourism!

I have a lot of very creative readers. Do you have other hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing?
I love to garden and plant flowers according to a color scheme every spring. It drives my husband crazy that whenever he suggests something to plant it just doesn't seem to go with the colors that year!
I have a line in my book about a hand-made table runner that they are so skilled at making in the Bahamas. The line about trying to learn to crochet comes from my own experience and frustration!

What’s on your nightstand (or kindle) right now?
I have so many "To Be Read" books. I have a few from other Kindleboards authors to read. I have a Nora Roberts book waiting. Right now someone gave me a book to read from a local author so I've just started reading that.

Do you have any upcoming titles you’re working on?
Yes, I'm working on a Teen/Young Adult mystery story like the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew type of books.
After that I hope to write a suspense/romance.

What else would you like to add?

Here's a blurb about my book:
What would you do? Would you drop everything and take a chance? Life presents to Kristy a fabulous once in a lifetime opportunity to work in the Bahamas. If she decides to go for it, will it meet, exceed, or fall short of her expectations?

Sexy, handsome Dave is wary and jaded about women. He likes his life in the beautiful Bahamas where his romantic encounters are fast and fleeting. Gorgeous Kristy catches his eye but refuses to play by those rules. In fact she has studiously avoided men like him! David is intrigued by her resistance and so relentless in his pursuit, that much to her astonishment, Kristy finds herself agreeing to go out with him.

They end up having a sensational first date, but then it all turns to shambles. Could it be that David isn’t everything he appears to be? Could it be that Kristy isn’t everything David assumes her to be? Read Wrapped in a Rainbow to find out!

Brimming with luscious descriptions of Nassau and Paradise Island Wrapped in a Rainbow (Published by Club Lighthouse Publishing) is only $3.19 in Amazon’s Kindle store and is also available in paperback!

Thank-you for letting me share my story with your readers!

Leave a comment for Delyse!

Meet Danielle Bourdon

Today I'm presenting Danielle Bourdon, another author for you to discover.  Leave a comment to be eligible to win a $50.00 gift card to Amazon.com.  Visit previous authors in my party and leave comments there for additional entries!

Tell us about your book

Dréoteth is a story about a dragon that can take the shape of a man. He was born to loathe humans but at the same time, he's annoyingly fascinated by the trials and tribulations of their lives. It's an emotional, deep story of grudging friendship, tragedy and the consequences of Dréoteth's decisions.

What inspired you to write this book?

Dréoteth was a character concept I've had sitting around for about 6 years or so. I decided to enter the National Novel Writing Month contest and used him as a catalyst for a story. I wanted a clean slate to write with, and although he's been around a while, I'd never fleshed him out.


Do you have a favorite character?

That's a tough question. I have quite a few characters that I adore. Laurel Mayfield, who makes an appearance in my up and coming novel Bound by Blood, ranks up there in the top three. She has to overcome so much in the story I have for her and watching her evolve and mature was fun.

Are any of your characters based on people you know in real life?

None of my characters are based on anyone I know.

What kinds of things did you research to write your book?

I had to research the dark/middle ages a little. It's set in that time period.

I have a lot of very creative readers. Do you have other hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing?

Oh yes! I've painted for years. My favorite mediums are acrylic and watercolor. For a time, I made a living selling my art. I've dabbled in graphic design and love to go out every chance I can to practice photography.

What’s on your nightstand (or kindle) right now?

Right this second, I'm reading One Little Sin by Liz Carlyle.

Do you have any upcoming titles you’re working on?

My second book, Bound by Blood, is scheduled to be released September 1st, 2010. I have a co-author, Kimberly Hoyt, this time around. We've already finished the first draft and are in the editing stage. It's a paranormal romance with time travel elements.

What else would you like to add?

Here's an excerpt from one of Dréoteth's journal entries:

I sit here conflicted, licking my teeth, agitated in ways I have not been. These doubts are not me. This is not the way of Dréoteth. When did my loathing for humans turn into the kind of curiosity that makes me pause in the killing of them? Unthinkable. These indecisions are the path to annihilation. As much as I like to think otherwise, my kind are not invincible. We can be killed as humans can and given the motivation, they are capable of hunting us down.

Such unusual, pessimistic thoughts, these.

Dréoteth.



Where can we find your book?


Here's the Kindle version link on Amazon

The link for the paperback on Amazon is above.


Any other links?

Readers can find me at www.daniellebourdon.com

and on twitter: www.twitter/wildbloom.com

Meet Brendan Carroll

Today I'm pleased to introduce Brendan Carroll, who has an entire series available for you to enjoy.  Leave a comment for Brendan and for any previous or future authors in this author party and you will be eligible to win a $50.00 Amazon.com gift certificate!

The Red Cross of Gold:. Assassin Chronicles leans toward fantasy, but is set in modern times and centers around a rather grumpy, semi-immortal knight left over from the Crusades. He is one of twelve members of the ruling Council of the Order of the Red Cross of Gold. His primary job as Knight of Death and assassin for the order makes him a rather dark character to start with. His secondary occupation as alchemist requires his attention in a dusty, musty old lab in Scotland making gold to support the Order’s financial needs. He considers himself a simple monk and wants nothing more than to be left alone, but fate has other things in store for him. The Order’s Grand Master sends him on a mission to America to retrieve a traitorious member of the Order who has defected to another Order. It should have been a simple snatch and grab mission, dead or alive, no problem, but he runs into trouble in Texas when he runs afoul of nasty little fellow who throws some sort of mysterious chemical in his face that causes him to temporarily forget who he is and why he’s there. By the time his memories return, he is in deep trouble.

I have always been interested in mystical subjects such as the mystery of the Templar Knights’ treasures, the Ark of the Covenant mystery, Freemasonry legends, mythology, conspiracy theories, ufo’s, quantum physics, time travel, cosmology and other subjects too numerous to mention. The myriad facts and trivia that I amassed over the years inspired me to attempt to tie everything together in one simple package.

I guess my favorite character has to be the Chevalier Mark Andrew Ramsay, Knight of Death. But I have a number of characters I am quite fond of throughout the series. I love to start off making the reader dislike the characters and then gradually cause them to fall in love with them. I wouldn’t ever classify the books as romance exclusively, but I have heard from a number of my female readers just how sexy my grumpy knight really is.

In addition to writing, I’ve done a variety of crafty things over the years from making birdhouses to oil painting (which I found much too expensive and messy to continue). I love to draw and paint and make things. I’m an amateur bird-watcher and I collect wind-up toys.

Right now, I’m attempting to read The Cost of Betrayal by David Dalglish. I have Gone for a Soldier by Jeff Hepple waiting in my kindle as well as a number of other indie books that sound very interesting. I am also reading a new book about faeries.

In the works is The Red Cross of Gold XVIII:. The Company of Women, the eighteen book in the Assassin Chronicles series. It should be out before the end of the month. I have written all the books in the series already and am now simply editing and formatting them for kindle, smashwords and paperback editions.

Here is a very nice review I received on The Knight of Death from one of my readers:

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I took my kids swimming, and sat there for 3 hours engrossed and on the edge of my seat. They had to beg me to take them home, because I didn't want to stop reading. Every time I got a free minute, I wanted to get back to this book. I am so glad there are many more in the series!

Our hero is Mark Ramsay, immortal Templar Knight, alchemist and assassin, rough and tough and oh so gorgeous. He finds himself kidnapped and without his memory, and discovers who he is and what he is about, along with the reader. Just when you think things can't get any worse for our hero, his Brothers come to his......rescue? Murder and mayhem, sword fights and brawls, flashbacks to life during the Crusades, love and loss and sex and even some unexpected humor all abound in this terrific tale.

I highly recommend this series!


My books can be found at Amazon.com, smashwords and Barnes & Noble. They are also listed on KOBO and in the I-store and are available in a number of e-formats as well as paperbacks.

I have blogs at Blogspot, Wordpress & Author’s Den. I can be found on Facebook, LibraryThing, Shelfari and Goodreads.

Meet Ed Patterson

Today I'm happy to introduce Ed Patterson, Author of 15 books with more in the pipeline.  Remember, every comment you leave for an author during my author party gives you a chance to win the $50.00 Amazon.com gift card.

On a personal note, I'm home from the hospital now, after an unscheduled visit to the cardiac ICU in addition to my surgery.  I appreciate your support of my blog and these authors while I recuperate.

Tell us about your book

Look Away Silence. Martin and Matthew are an unlikely couple - as different as you can imagine. But when Matthew is struck down by the ravages of AIDS, Martin finds himself on an unimaginable journey of the heart. Written from my own experiences in health services and caregiving, this one will move readers in ways that can only be guess. Bring your own Kleenex. It centers on the life of a self-centered gay man in the early '90's who hops from holiday to holiday and hobby to hobby until he settles down unexpectedly as a caregiver. The book is dedicated to the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation and to my eighteen fallen friends, who hovered over me while I wrote the book. I sleep better at night now.

What inspired you to write this book?

I'm a veteran of AIDS volunteer services, having been in buddy services and fund-raising for years. The book is fed by my experiences and the people I knew, both patients and caregivers. Specifically, I was inspired by a couple who were torn apart during this period, Their story moved me first to poetry and then to a full length novel.

Do you have a favorite character?

The protagonist, Martin Powers is a favorite, and one of my favorites from my fifteen published works. I became close to him and imbued him with humor to keep the work emotionally steady. He is the only 1st person character I have ever rolled out, so by the end of the work, he sat on my shoulder like Jimeny Cricket.

Are any of your characters based on people you know in real life?

All my chaarcters in every novel are based in part on people I know and myself. That blend helps me secure them in the reader's imagination.

What kinds of things did you research to write your book?

I already had much of the knowledge for this one, both in AIDS services (training) and, for the depiction of the Gay & Lesbian Choral Association (GALA) Festival in Colorado, I had founded a GALA Chorus (The New Jersey Gay Men's Chorus) and attended the big Denver event myself. I am also intimate with the NAMES Project and attended the full AIDS Quilt display in Washington, DC.

I have a lot of very creative readers.  Do you have other hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing?

I've been writing for 50 years and, until I began to publish, it could have been considered a hobby. However, I also have degrees in Chinese History (Sinology) and have a life long passion for things Chinese. In fact, most of my other works have Chinese themes and historical Chinese settings. I love language and know seven , including Mandarin and Cherokee (I'm a native American), and I also sing (a tenor) and studied opera at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. I'm also a proud veteran and the founder of Operation eBook Drop, providing a conduit from over 400 Indie authors to our brave men and women serving overseas. I keep busy for an old Queen.

What’s on your nightstand (or kindle) right now?  

Besides my Kindle, chock full of my fellow Indie author works, I have the Cambridge History of China: The Ch'in and Han Dynasties, the first of several volumes each over 1,000 pages. Nothing like a little light reading to cut the insomnia.

Do you have any upcoming titles you’re working on?

I have 15 titles out and 10 in progress. My next published work is the 4th installment of my flagship series, The Jade Owl  entitled The People's Treasure. It should be out in September, but these 700 pagers take time, especially in the editing department. I also have the next book (Book III) of the five part series Southern Swallow called Swan Cloud. A gothic thriller called The Road to Grafenwoehr should be out in the first quarter of 2011, and the first book of a SciFi series called Belmundus should make it out in 2011 also. As I said, I'm a busy Queen.

What else would you like to add?

Here's an excerpt from Look Away Silence

I spent the week before Christmas rushing between work and Long Branch. The place needed a Dutch Cleanser scrub. Hank helped by covering Matt’s meals and meds. Fortunately, all these days were good days, so Matt didn’t miss work. I had also planned to squirrel over one of the computers, but decided against it. I didn’t know one end of the thing from another. I would surely screw it up and lose data or break a mouse. So I just decided that I would need to be Matt’s favorite pastime for the Christmas weekend.

I set up the manger and the holly and frosted the windows, although it looked like we might have a white Christmas. In fact, I prayed we would have a white Christmas. That would set my cowboy on the pinnacle of joy. There was something about the white stuff that electrified him. The only thing I didn’t do was buy the tree. I promised him that we’d pick it out together and decorate it on Christmas Eve. Hank was going to spend time with us then and help. However, Hank had no family, except us now. He had three other buddies, but decided he would make pit stops at their places and end up with us to help decorate the tree.

“Are you cold?” I asked Matt as we strolled through the nursery between the cut evergreens.

“I’m fine.”

He didn’t look fine. He smiled and his eyes were bright, but he was bundled up, his green plaid scarf high to his chin. I could hear his teeth chatter and his bones rattle.

“You could sit in the truck,” I said. “I mean, there’s no need to overdo it.”

“I’m fine, Pumpkin. Let’s just pick out a . . .”

He stood still, his eyes opening wider. He pointed.

“That one?” I asked.

“Perfect.”

It was perfect. Pyramidical. Full needled and ample. It wasn’t gargantuan either, which was a good thing. I inspected it.

“That one’s taken,” said a man who stood nearby. He was dressed in a flimsy jacket, had a red plaid hunter’s cap with the flaps askew. He needed a shave. “I spotted that one and have decided upon it.”

I frowned, and then looked for a tag, which would indicate a reservation or a SOLD. There wasn’t one.

“Well,” I said, “There’s no ticket on it.”

“Don’t need one, feller,” he said. “I’m here. I’m taking it. Don’t need to tag it.”

I perused him. He was a mean looking character, the kind that ate bullets for breakfast. Matt turned away.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“I’ll wait in the truck.”

Nice. It was like another session over the toilet bowel. Suddenly, my hand inexplicably latched onto the tree.

“Didn’t you hear me?” the man barked.

“I heard you fine,” I said, my Mary voice quite the airy-fairy. It was an out of body experience. My body said, run away. Hide behind the big blue conifer, but my soul said forget you, bully. I‘ve been pushed around by a retrovirus. So you’re not so muckin’ fuch. “The fact is, my lover wants this tree and this tree he shall have.”

I pulled the tree toward me, and then waved to the nurseryman, who was prompt.

“How much?”

“Twenty-eight,” he said.

Highway robbery, I thought.

“I’ll take it. Bale it up, and could someone help me get it to my truck?”

The tree disappeared into the building. The bully snorted, but didn’t contest it. If I didn’t know better I would say that he was put off by the twenty-eight. If the nurseryman had said fifteen, I would have been pounded to a pulp. I marched to the truck, where Matt rolled down the window. His face was bluish.

“Roll the window up. I’ll put on the heat.”

“Did you get it?”

I smiled.

“Nobody messes with this girl once I get my dander up.”

Matt laughed, coughed and rolled the window up.

Where can we find your book?

Amazon.com   for the Kindle  and here in Paperback

Any other links?

My author's page on Anazon is http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BMI6X8

My website is Dancaster Creative - http://www.dancaster.com

Meet Linda Acaster

Today I am pleased to introduce Linda Acaster. 

Tell us about your book
Hi everyone. I'm Linda Acaster and I live in England, UK. Hostage of the Heart is a rights-reverted print novel new to ebook, a Mediaeval historical romance set in 1066 on the eve of the biggest invasion the British islands have seen. With the militia away countering the threat, the balance of power shifts along the disputed English/Welsh borderlands. Rhodri ap Hywel reclaims by the sword lands taken from his kinsmen by force, and with them the Saxon Lady Dena, sacrificed to slow the Welsh advance. But Rhodri harbours dark secrets, and when the fortunes of war turn, Dena can either stand by her faithless kin, or by her own integrity and the beating of her heart.

What inspired you to write this book?
I was researching for another novel and came across information about battle hostages. In truth, most 'hostages' were more often exchanged under treaty terms, where kin of group A (often children) would be brought up as part of group B's household on the understanding that if group A didn't toe the line dire consequences would result. And they often did. Can you imagine living a feted life as an adoptee and suddenly not only having it all withdrawn, but the people you'd trusted threatening disfigurement or death, all because your blood-kin now considered you worthless? This became the back-story to Hostage of the Heart which is mirrored in the front-story of poor relative, Dena, only welcomed into her uncle's household to raise his status by making a prestigious marriage.

Are any of your characters based on people you know in real life?
'Knowing' someone is anathema in terms. We never truly 'know' someone we have even daily contact with. Life experiences cause people to be layered outwards from a central core, and we can only see a person from the outside layer in. To make fiction believable writers need to know their characters from the inside out so that the motivation and fears of each can be used to strengthen the storyline.

What kinds of things did you research to write your book?
Masses, it goes with the territory when writing historicals of any genre, and often not just historicals. I've a scene where Rhodri, who may or may not be a Welsh prince, is dragged into the hall in chains as part of the entertainment during a meal. Everything from how the hall looks, feels and smells, to what is eaten and how, who serves it, what they look like, what everyone would wear depending on their circumstances, table customs and usae, other entertainment, the underlying hierarchical intrigue... I needed to know it even if only part of it is used on the page. And all this is going on in the background just to give depth to the unfolding character interaction in this scene.

I have a lot of very creative readers. Do you have other hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing?
I help keep a vegetable garden, and until recently I painted in oils & knife, but this has had to be set aside for a while.

Do you have any upcoming titles you’re working on?
Beneath The Shining Mountains, an historical romance set among the Apsaroke/Crow people of the northern American plains in the 1830s, is due out for the Kindle before the end of July, and is already out via Smashwords.com awaiting distribution for other formats. My English contemporary timeslip thriller Torc of Moonlight, book 1 of a trilogy about the ressurection of a Celtic water goddess, is already out as a paperback, but the Special Edition ebook should be out by the end of August.

What else would you like to add?

Dena gasped at the sight which met her eyes, gasped and held her breath to capture the moment and hold every detail of it.

‘Rhodri, you are well!’ she breathed. The relief and the thankfulness burst in her chest to fill her whole body with warmth and contentment.

‘Told you he was strong, I did, but you did not believe me,’ Mildthryth chuntered.

Dena took a step forward, her shins nudging the edge of the pallet. She wanted to get closer to him, to sit by his side and hold his hand, to throw her arms round him, but there was no room except to stand and stare.

Propped against the wall, his chest and arms sticky with the salves and potions Mildthryth had applied to his wounds, Rhodri’s sunken eyes surveyed her without emotion. Curtained by his lank, dark hair which fell in matted locks to his shoulders, his face still looked very pale. For Dena, he was a joy to see, and she clasped her hands, wanting to tell him so, but not knowing how to bring her sense of elation to her lips.

‘Tell this witch of yours to stop calling me my prince. I am not a prince. I have never been a prince.’

He was in pain and he was angry, and his words were designed to hurt, but they only made Dena’s smile the broader.

‘An ungrateful cur,’ Mildthryth snarled. ‘Bites the hand that heals.’ As if to prove it, she extended her hand to touch him, only to have it knocked aside.

‘I am not your doll!’

‘But I can make one,’ Mildthryth retorted, ‘to stick pins into!’

Dena’s smile faded. ‘Stop this! The door is thin enough. Do you want the kitchen workers to hear you?’

Where can we find your books?
For Amazon's Kindle

For all other formats, either direct from Smashwords or Barnes and Noble, Sony, I-Pad, etc

Any other links?
For samples of all my books, general info and to sign up for my monthly newsletter: www.lindaacaster.com and http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com

Linda is making herself available today to respond to your comments and questions. Remember, every time you leave a comment during this author party you are entered to win the $50.00 Amazon.com gift certificate.

Meet Paul Clayton

Today I'm happy to introduce Paul Clayton. Remember, during this author party, every author that you leave a comment or question for qualifies you to win the $50.00 Amazon.com gift card.  See contest details and more ways to win in the tab above.


First let me say thanks to Threeundertwo for letting me post to her blog and speak to her readers. My name is Paul Clayton and I’ve been writing seriously since college (graduated Temple University in Philly in 1976). I wrote a little as a child, just essays and poems, no novels or screenplays. I recall winning second place for an essay at our grade school. My sister won first place. Don’t know why, but she gave up writing after that and I kept at it. This probably worked out the better for me, as I don’t have to say, I’m a writer, brother to best-selling author, Anne Clayton. You see, I’m what’s known in the biz as s ‘midlist writer.’ We’re the ones that write most of the books that make the publishers’ profit, probably only high single or low double digit profit, but profit just the same.

The way I figure it, midlist writers are the backbone of Big Publishing. They’re a known commodity, good, steady producers, a good investment. And you would think that they’d be appreciated as such. But it does seem like Big Publishing is more concerned with finding and signing the next Harry Potter or Twilight author. But they take what we give them until that day.

The first novel I wrote was based on my experiences as a drafted Infantryman in Vietnam. I often say that it was Vietnam that made me a writer. I wanted people to know what that war was like. And I wanted to put some faces on that conflict. After finishing the Vietnam book I just couldn’t sell it. I put it away and went on to write another. This book, Cacique, a Shogun-like action adventure based on the Spanish conquest of the Floridas, was bought by Putnam Berkley and sold as Calling Crow (new writers do not usually get to choose their book’s titles). Unfortunately, they designed a cover for the book that would, in my opinion, repel the serious readers that I wrote the book for, and attract the folks that just wanted a good shoot –‘em-up type entertainment. Anyway, the book sold modestly. Well enough that the publisher requested two more. I delivered Flight of the Crow, and Calling Crow Nation over the next two years.

I should add that this was back before the internet really got going and the Indy movement started to gain traction. And, during this time, I was married, working full time, and raising a family.

I was never happy about the fact that my Vietnam book (Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam) hadn’t found a publisher. So I went on another sales campaign. No luck. Finally, out of frustration, I published the book as an ebook with a little business in Canada. Unbeknownst to me, the publisher submitted the book along with a few other titles to the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards. It was named a finalist along with works by Joyce Carole Oates (Faithless) and David McCullough (John Adams). I got a free flight to Germany on an almost empty plane (the awards were about a month after 911), stayed free in a first class hotel, and met a lot of nice folks. This really was a coup of sorts since my book was truly the only independent entry, the others being pdf versions of the major publishing houses biggest writers. But there was still no book deal.

It took me another three years to find a publisher for Carl Melcher. Finally, partially through the intercession of now-deceased Colonel David Hackworth, I sold the book to Thomas Dunne which published it in hardcover. Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam is currently available on Kindle and other ebook sites, and a paperback version will go on sale in approximately a week.

So, I like to think I’ve established some ‘street cred’ when it comes to the Indy book revolution, specifically, the ebook revolution. Big Publishing was in trouble before the current recession hit. It was becoming almost impossible to sell a book unless your last one sold in record numbers. Things have, of course, become even worse now. Now, it seems, agencies are pulling up their rope ladders and filling their moats with alligators. Some require potential authors to enter the moshpit of their own on-line writers critiquing groups. They’ll sit on the sidelines and see who emerges with the least amount of bruising. Other agencies will only accept queries (not book chapters, or manuscripts) from authors who are recommended (connected) by in-house authors. So you had better spend four or five years finding representation because now publishers will only look at ‘agented’ material.

But the ebook revolution is putting a few cracks in the wall agencies and publishing houses have erected. Hardly a month goes by without a story of an unknown Indy author racking up twenty thousand or more in sales and being recruited by a commercial house. This is certainly good news, but I don’t know if it will save publishing, or specifically, if it will ensure that the absolute best books will come to the fore. Time will tell. For now, authors must be, not only dreamer and scribe, but also entertainer, door-to-door salesman, gadfly, copy-writer, editor, cover artist (some of them) and, if they get lucky, the equivalent of the guy or gal who demonstrates and sells those nifty blenders at the State Fair. Some authors have all of those skills down, or most of them, (or some of them, as this writer likes to think of himself), and the readers and consumers will react accordingly. But some authors fail miserably in these areas. All they can do is dream and write. What will become of their strange, moving tales? So we won’t know for another ten or so years how this is all going to shake out. Stay tuned.

As far as my own books and writing is concerned, I am going whole hog Indy at this time. There was a lag of five years between when I signed the contract for my first book, Calling Crow, and when it finally showed up on bookstores. Five years! And this is not unusual.

Last year I sent out about fifty query email letters to agents about my newest book, White Seed: The Untold Story of The Lost Colony of Roanoke. About half responded in the negative. Two requested sample chapters. Nothing panned out. However, eight months later I received an email from an agent who had just gotten around to reading that query – eight months later! He requested a manuscript and I sent it. But he did state that it might be many more months before he gets around to reading it. Meanwhile, my birthday seems to be coming faster and faster, and I guess that means I’m getting older. And I don’t want to leave my work in the hands of people who will get around to reading it in a year or two, when they probably won’t even be employed at the same agency in a year or two.

By the way, I hope this is not discouraging anyone who dreams of writing and publishing. That is not my intention. I merely want people to know what to expect so they can realistically prepare themselves for a long slog. And, know, because it’s true, that the joy is in the journey.

Well, my struggle to make my books available to readers pales in comparison with the story of the early English colonists in the Virginias. I have attempted to bring their struggles to life in White Seed: The Untold Story of The Lost Colony of Roanoke. White Seed tells the story of the abandoned colony through the eyes of fictional character Maggie Hagger, an Irish serving girl, Manteo, real life Croatoan interpreter for the English, John White, real life governor of the ill fated colony, and many others. White Seed made it to the top one hundred finalists in the 2009 ABNA contest, winning a review from Publishers Weekly. It is 492 pages in paper.

I have made the ebook version available for $0.99 for the months of June and July. I’d like to teach Big Publishing a lesson. Who knows, maybe I’ll sell three million copies at $0.99 a pop? That would make me no longer a mid-list author, but rather a best selling author, and, with a profit of $0.33 a copy, a millionaire. What? I can dream, can’t I?

Best!

Meet Dawn McCullough-White

Today I'd like to introduce Dawn McCullough-White.  Leave her a comment or a question in order to be entered in the drawing to win the Amazon.com gift card.  See complete rules in the tab above.



Tell us about your book
My novel is called Cameo the Assassin and it's a dark, historical fantasy. 
Cameo, the main character is an assassin who seems to possess a certain, otherworldliness.  She has a master that she works for at a place called The Association, which is a company of assassins, and a secret master who is a vampire.  She's sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place, she hates working as an assassin but she's afraid if she breaks from the company they'll kill her, and she has a vampire master who seems to delight in tormenting her by killing the people she loves.  Up to this point in her career she has steered clear of any sort of friendship entanglements, until she meets up with two somewhat charming highwaymen. 
It's set in the pseudo 18th century, so it's pretty gritty.  The characters have scars and bad teeth from clay-pipe smoking, and hang out in dirty taverns.  Death comes pretty quick and dirty, I don't generally let characters with grievous wounds survive my novels.  I try to stay fairly realistic to the medicine of the time except for an element of the supernatural and some magic.  I really enjoy history so I try to inject odd bits of history into the story.

What inspired you to write this book?
Well, I guess I'm a person who often wonders what happened to minor character's in other literature or film to make them who they are; I wonder what his or her story might be.  It was fun expounding on the life of someone who might be a minor character in another novel.  An assassin.

Do you have a favorite character?  Black Opal.  He's a highwayman, a dandy, a libertine and he's really flamboyant which made him a lot of fun to write about. 

Are any of your characters based on people you know in real life?
One is based on someone I used to know, although I'm not going to divulge that character's name.  Many of the others have some quality that I borrowed from people I know; my father and my grandmother heavily influenced traits of minor character's. 

What kinds of things did you research to write your book?
I did some research into some mundane things about the 18th century such as black powder pistols, bedding, fabric, bathing, tavern games, smallpox, and grievous wounds. 

I have a lot of very creative readers. Do you have other hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing?
I am also an artist but I haven't done much drawing in a few years now.  Generally though, when I'm working up a new character I draw him or her to get a feel for what he or she is like.  My son (who is 3yrs) and I planted a veggie garden this summer and I'm really obsessed with watching it grow.  I'm really quite a nurturer, although you probably would never guess that from my novel.

What’s on your nightstand (or kindle) right now?
I'm reading Mudhouse Sabbath[Image] by Lauren F. Winner and The Lovely Bones[Image] by Alice Sebold.  Sort of a dichotomy but both authors write such beautifully delicious prose. 

Do you have any upcoming titles you’re working on?
Yes.  The second book in the “Cameo” series is with my editor right now.  It's called Cameo and the Highwayman and that will be out in the fall of 2010.  I'm currently writing the third book which is untitled presently.

What else would you like to add? 
Here is an excerpt from Cameo the Assassin:
It was midday and over an hour since Kyrian and Opal had arrived on horseback in Plunyport.  The lad wandered up the dark, cobblestone street near the stable where they had sold the horses they'd stolen from Kings Basin. Just as he did, a slender dandy happened to be sauntering down that same alley, with a bottle of red wine in one hand."Where have you been?" Kyrian demanded."Ah, hello lad."  Opal faked a smile."I've been looking all over for you."  "Oh, have you?  Well, now you've found me."Kyrian examined his wardrobe.  "You've bought new clothes?!""Yes. Surely that can't come as such a shock to you, can it?  I've even had a bath."The lad fumed, "I've been waiting here at the stables for you to get back!""Quite obvious you hadn't had a bath or gotten yourself a new set of clothes.""You said to wait for you here!""Calm down, lad. You'll make a spectacle of yourself." He attempted to push Kyrian into the shadows near the town stables.The acolyte looked over Opal's newest ensemble and scoffed.  "I'm making a spectacle?!""You really do smell like a horse.""I wonder why.""The bathhouses are still open.""Fine. Where's the money from the sale of those horses?""Hmm ... money, yes, well.  Don't you have some money?""I spent all of my money buying you and Evangeline that bottle of wine, and my last meal.  Where's my cut of that robbery money?""Oh, Kyrian," Opal rolled his eye as he lowered his voice. "Don't be a hypocrite.  I know full well that the gods don't take kindly to thievery."The lad grabbed him roughly by the lapels of his jacket and shook him.  "You spent all that money on yourself!  On this stupid outfit?!"Black Opal looked down at the boy whose hands were still clutching the jacket.Kyrian looked up at the pock-marked face, his anger subsiding to a wary realization that he had just attacked a wanted villain.   "Did you really expect more than that out of me?""Um ...."Opal's face softened a bit as he brushed Kyrian's hands from his jacket.  "This material is crushed so easily. It's because it's so delicate, so yielding.""It's very nice ... very, shiny."

Where can we find your book?   It's on sale at Smashwords for the month of July  Also available on Kindle It's also available in paperback at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Any other links? 
For more information please visit my website http://www.dawnmccullough-white.com

 Dawn is kind enough to make herself available today to answer your questions.  Leave comments or questions to qualify to win the $50.00 Amazon.com gift card!

Meet J.M. DeBord

Today please welcome J.M. DeBord.  Be sure to leave a comment below to qualify for the Amazon gift certificate.  Click on the banner above for complete contest rules.

I have been writing fiction for 25 years, though not until the completion of my novel "Something Coming: a New Age Thriller" did I really consider myself a professional. What's the difference? Dozens of rewrites, critiques from a handful of proofreaders, and a writer's pride after ten years of work to present my best product. While writing the novel I worked as a Pilates instructor at a federal research institute, among other interesting (and some not so interesting) ways of making a living. I have published several hundred newspaper articles for a variety of small publications, covering everything from regular news to sports to music journalism to essays on culture and politics. A personal highlight of that time was interviewing two of my favorite guitar players, Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson.

Tell us about your book:

Here's the boilerplate: Meet King Antiochus, coming very soon to an Apocalypse near you. When he died 21 centuries ago he never passed on; instead his spirit waited for resurrection. He's been preparing for his return, watching humanity until its fruit ripened ready to be harvested for the New Age. That time is now. But to Christians and Jews he can only be the Antichrist. It's a recipe for Armageddon.

The idea for Something Coming dogged me for years until finally written, because I knew I had a potential best-seller in my head. The premise was just too good, too current, and provoked responses like “Wow, I'd read that, why don't you write it?” Looking back a decade later, all of the research, writing, editing and polishing were worth it. But for a while I thought I might never finish.

How long did it take to write the book?

Took ten years from idea to publication, then another year revising and publishing again, including ebook editions. The research was exhaustive. Plus, every chapter has been rewritten dozens of times. I can practically quote whole sections, after reading through again and again.

What inspired you to write the book?

I was reading a NY Times article about the excavation of Mt. Nemrut when the idea struck me.

“Struck me” is right: The voice of inspiration grabbed a megaphone and yelled between my ears. Some critical elements of the plot came together that day in 1999. I knew that the story could be a vehicle for a message about finding spirit within, the true nature of evil (which is indifference), and how to spark a revolution in consciousness that could save the planet from catastrophe. The best books I've read hid the moral within the story, and that's what I tried to accomplish while also making the story accessible for the average reader who just enjoys a good, unconventional thriller.

Talk about the writing process. Did you have a writing routine? Did you do any research, and if so, what did that involve?

The Seleucid kings who built the sanctuary at Mt. Nemrut lived fascinating lives, and left behind a vision for religious harmony that the world could benefit from hearing today. For several years after the first inspiration I researched their history plus cloning science and the life of the main character, Antiochus Epiphanes. Then I was challenged by a friend to write a completed story in one summer. Problem was, I wasn't skilled enough at the time to complete a novel. Next best idea: a screenplay. That finally got the basic story down on paper. The version copyrighted back in '05 or so is a lot different from the book that's published now, because I used the screenplay as an outline and wrote for a few years. Better ideas to introduce the scene at Mt. Nemrut and kick off the action hit me as I went through this process. Even today I still get inspirations for expanding the story. I can see it as a TV series. (Paging Mr. Joss Whedon!). So the writing process has been continual, pretty much non-stop since '05.

What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?

Beneath the action and mysticism is a message that I hope readers will understand: Enlightenment begins within, and if we serve the Light within, we all win. Something Coming is a big meaty meal for thinkers and an unconventional thriller rolled in one.

Where can we buy your book?

The first two books are available for half price at Smashwords during the July sale, or for the always low price of 2.99 at Amazon, 3.99 for the sequel:

Any other links or info you'd like to share?
My website: http://groovywriter.com

Facebook. For a while I had only one fan - me! - until a few authors linked to my page. I have plenty of room for more! http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-writing-of-JM-DeBord/179437762837

I also have two short stories at Smashwords that are free for download: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RadicalOwl

Do you have other hobbies/interests?

I can answer two questions in one here and tell you that I'm working on a book about dream interpretation. I've practiced for 15 years and finally feel experienced enough to share my knowledge. Guitar is my other main hobby.

J.M. is available to take your comments and questions. Remember, every author you leave a comment for qualifies you to win the $50.00 Amazon.com gift card.