Guest Author B.J. DANIELS showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME BACK B.J. DANIELS


B.J. DANIELS

B.J. DANIELS, a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author, wrote her first book after a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist and author of 37 published short stories. That first book, ODD MAN OUT, received a 4 ½ star review from Romantic Times magazine and went on to be nominated for Best Intrigue for that year. Since then she has won numerous awards including a career achievement award for romantic suspense and numerous nominations and awards for best book. Daniels lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and two Springer Spaniels, Spot and Jem. When she isn’t writing, she snowboards, camps, boats and plays tennis. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Thriller Writers, Kiss of Death and Romance Writers of America.
Connect with B.J. at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

ABOUT THE BOOK

Just how far are people willing to go to keep their secrets?

Protecting the citizens of Beartooth, Montana, is never an easy job. It’s been one year, and Sheriff Dillon Lawson still feels guilty that he couldn’t save his twin brother, Ethan. But the biggest test of his bravery comes when Tessa Winters arrives, claiming to be pregnant…with Ethan’s baby. At first, Dillon can’t decide if this beautiful woman is a con artist or a victim. If Ethan didn’t die in that car crash, then where is he—and why is he hiding?

Now, Dillon is prepared to do anything to uncover the truth—anything except admit his growing feelings for Tessa. But with violence threatening, Tessa and Dillon must trust in each other to save not only themselves…but also Tessa’s unborn child.

BOOK DETAILS:

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
ISBN-10: 0373778465
ISBN-13: 978-0373778461

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

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HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
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ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author CARLA NEGGERS

WELCOME BACK CARLA NEGGERS


CARLA NEGGERS

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 novels, with translations in 24 languages. Born and raised on the western edge of the beautiful Quabbin Reservoir in rural Massachusetts, Carla grew up with tales of her father’s life as a Dutch sailor and her mother’s childhood in northwest Florida.

At a young age, Carla began penning her own stories on a branch high up in her favorite sugar maple. Now she enjoys spending time at the family homestead (now a tree farm) with her six brothers and sisters and their families.

When she’s not writing, Carla loves to travel, hike, kayak, garden, and, of course, dive into a good book. She lives with her family in Vermont, near Quechee Gorge.
Connect with NAME at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

Q&A with Carla Neggers

In your new book Cider Brook, your main character Samantha Bennett aims to solve a 300-year-old pirate mystery. What inspired you to throw pirates into the mix?
Pirates are endlessly fascinating! Samantha is a treasure hunter on a personal mission to prove a pirate buried treasure in quiet, little Knights Bridge. It’s a theory that’s gotten her into a bit of trouble. It also stirs up long-buried secrets in the out-of-the-way small town and gets the attention of Justin Sloan, a volunteer firefighter and Knights Bridge native who just might know more about buried pirate’s treasure than he’s willing to admit.

Have you ever discovered a “treasure” of your own that someone left behind?
When I was seven, my family moved into an 18th-century carriage house in a small town much like Knights Bridge. An old man had lived there on his own for twenty-five years. It was quite the fixer-upper! We unearthed all sorts of “treasure” he left behind: musty books, a brass bed frame, an antique coffee-grinder, Depression glass bowls. It was great fun. It’s a gem of a house now. Our family homestead. My husband and I have lived in a number of old houses. I always find something left behind by previous residents that fires up my imagination.

How did growing up in a family of nine with a storytelling father impact your desire to become a writer?
My three brothers and three sisters and I loved to listen to my father’s stories of his childhood in Holland and his years at sea as a Dutch merchant marine and my mother’s childhood in a remote part of the Florida Panhandle. Their lives before we came along were so different from what we knew growing up in small-town New England! Their stories brought to life things I’d never seen or experienced. I pictured Dutch canals and cathedrals, war-torn Holland, cramped ship’s quarters, Florida swamps and beautiful camellias. There’s no question their true stories inspired me to create my own fictional stories.

When you first climbed up a tree with a pad and pen at age 11, did you know one day you’d become a famous writer?
I dreamed of becoming a published writer but it was because I loved to write! I had little idea of what that meant. After sixty-plus books, I love to write as much now as I did as a kid up in my favorite sugar maple. I’m happiest as a writer when I put aside the “business of publishing” and dive into the story at hand.

What do you love about the Swift River Valley series that sets the books apart from your others?
The Swift River Valley series returns me to my contemporary romance roots. It’s been great fun creating a small town and populating it with compelling, interesting people—and secrets! Secrets of the Lost Summer, the first book in the series, came to me in a whoosh. I could see Olivia Frost in Boston, picking up the pieces of her self-esteem after a friend’s betrayal and making the decision to take the bull by the horns and return to her hometown and open an inn. I could see Dylan McCaffrey, a wealthy ex-hockey player, getting Olivia’s letter to come clean up his eyesore of yard…at a house he didn’t know he owned in a town he’s never heard of. And Grace Webster, a starchy former teacher now in her 90s, with a fateful secret that affects Olivia and Dylan and surprises everyone in Knights Bridge. I knew I had to write this story! And as I wrote Secrets of the Lost Summer, I knew this out-of-the-way little New England town would yield more stories.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Being rescued by a good-looking, bad-boy firefighter isn’t how Samantha Bennett expected to start her stay in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. Now she has everyone’s attention—especially that of Justin Sloan, her rescuer, who wants to know why she was camped out in an abandoned old New England cider mill.

Samantha is a treasure hunter who has returned to Knights Bridge to solve a 300-year-old mystery and salvage her good name. Justin remembers her well. He’s the one who alerted her late mentor to her iffy past and got her fired. But just because he doesn’t trust her doesn’t mean he can resist her. Samantha is daring, determined, seized by wanderlust—everything that strong, stoic Justin never knew he wanted. Until now…

BOOK DETAILS:

Series: A Swift River Valley Novel (Book 3)
Number of Pages: 384 pages
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
ISBN-10: 0778315886
ISBN-13: 978-0778315889

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

Read an excerpt

Samantha Bennett slipped her grandfather’s antique silver flask into an outer pocket of her khaki safari jacket. He’d claimed the flask was from an old pirate chest, but she’d discovered in the three years since his death at ninety-six that not everything he’d told her had been factual. Harry Bennett had been a grand spinner of the strategic tall tale. He’d probably been drinking run from the flask when he’d spun the pirate-chest story.

No rum for me, Samantha thought, glancing around her grandfather’s cluttered office on the second floor of the Bennett house in Boston’s Back Bay. She’d filled the flask with the smoky Scotch he had left in one of his crystal decanters. If she was going to hunt pirate’s treasure, she figured she ought to have whiskey with her.

Although what could go wrong in little Knights Bridge, Massachusetts?

Her grandfather smiled at her from a framed black-and-white photograph hanging on the wood-paneled wall behind his massive oak desk. At the time of the photo, he’d been forty-seven roguishly handsome wearing a jacket much like hers. He’d just arrived back in Boston after the Antarctic trip that had sealed his reputation as a world-class explorer and adventurer. It had almost killed him, too. Her couple of nights’ camping in an out-of-the-way New England town hardly compared to an expedition to Antarctica.

She buttoned the flap of her jacket pocket. There were endless pockets inside and out. She was already forgetting where she’d put things—her phone, compass, matches, map, the earth-tone lipstick she’d grabbed at the last second, in case she went out to dinner one night during her stay in Knights Bridge.

Out to dinner? Where, with whom—and why?

If nothing else, a few days away from her grandfather’s clutter would do her good. He had been born on a struggling New England farm and had died a wealthy man, if also a hopeless pack rat. Samantha hadn’t realized just how much he’d collected in his long, active life until she’d been hired by his estate—meaning her father and her uncle—to go through his house and his Londom apartment. She swore she’d found fum wrappers from 1952. The man had saved everything.

The morning sun streamed through translucent panels that hung over bowfront windows framed by heavy charcoal velvet drapes. Her grandmother, who had died twenty-five years ago, when Samantha was four, had decorated the entire house herself, decreeing that gray and white were the perfect colors for this room, for when her husband was there, being contemplative and studious—which wasn’t often, even in his later years. He’d spent little time in his office, mostly just long enough to stack up his latest finds.

Samantha appreciated the effect of the filtered sunlight on the original oil painting that she’d unearthed from the office closet a few weeks ago. The painting was unsigned and clearly an amateur work, but it had captivated her from the moment she’d taken it out into the light. It depicted an idyllic red-painted New England cider mill, with apples in wooden crates, barrels of cider and a water wheel capturing the runoff from a small stone-and-earth dam on a woodland stream. She’d assumed it was untitled but two days ago had discovered neat, faded handwriting on the lower edge of the simple wood frame.

The Mill at Cider Brook.

Her surprise had been so complete that she’d dipped into the Scotch decanter.

She didn’t know if the mill depicted in the painting was real, but there was a Cider Brook in Knights Bridge, barely two hours west of Boston.

Of all places.

A quick internet search had produced a year-old notice that the town of Knights Bridge was selling an old cider mill in its possession. Had someone bought it? Was it still for sale?

Samantha had checked the closet for anything else her grandfather might have stuffed in there related to Cider Brook. Instead, she discovered a legal-size envelope containing about fifty yellowed, handwritten pages—the rough draft of a story called The Adventures of Captain Farraday and Lady Elizabeth.

She suspected but had no way to prove that the story was by the same hand as the painting, but it didn’t matter. It had sealed the deal, and now she had Harry Bennett’s antique silver flask tucked in her jacket and her plans made for her return to Knights Bridge—a town she had expected, and hoped, she would never have to visit again.

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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author JILL SHALVIS showcase & giveaway

WELCOME BACK JILL SHALVIS

JILL SHALVIS

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling,  award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
Connect with Jill at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

Q&A with Jill Shalvis

Ben’s a bit lost at the beginning of the book, unsure of what he wants to do with his life.  Did you always have his story—and how it would end—in mind?
I did.  Every once in awhile, I really enjoy torturing a hero to the end.

Your main character Aubrey is remodeling her aunt’s bookstore so it can be a haven for other booklovers as it was for her when she was younger. Did you have a special place growing up (or do you have one now?) where you love to read?
I always had a soft spot for bookstores.  And libraries.  They were my special hideaway haven.  I really went back and forth on using a bookstore in today’s day and age, but in the end, I wanted to pay homage to one of my favorite places on earth.

What scene did you have the most fun writing?
Oh I have quite a few from this book!  When Aubrey throws her drink in Ben’s face, when she runs and hides out in an AA meeting and makes friends with the pastor, when Ben figures out she’s writing a list of people she’s wronged and he wonders that it’s not a lot longer than it is, when Aubrey gets a little tipsy and throws rocks at Ben’s window like a scene right out of the Say Anything movie …

What’s the most interesting way you got around a plot problem?
I wrote myself into a corner in Once In A Lifetime, twice.  I wrote XX happens here and it will be brilliant and funny.  And then I accidentally left that in when I sent it to my editor.  I’m sure she wasn’t as amused as I was.

What can your fans look forward to next in the Lucky Harbor series?
Next up is a Lucky Harbor trilogy for this coming summer and fall, It’s In His Kiss, He’s So Fine, and Once In A Million, the stories of the three sexy hot guys who run Lucky Harbor Charters.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SOMETIMES WRONG IS OH-SO-RIGHT
After a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniel tried to escape his grief by working in dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he’s back in his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she’s not the one to ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the future.

Determined to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben – even though he has absolutely no idea what she’s done . . .

Can this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky Harbor?

Read an excerpt

          A few snowflakes floated lazily out of the low, dense clouds.  One block over, the Pacific Ocean carved into the harbor, which was lined by three-story high, rugged bluffs teeming with the untouched forestland that was the Olympic Mountains.  Around him, the oak-lined streets were strung with white lights, shining brightly through the morning gloom.  Peaceful.  Still.

A month ago, he’d been in South America, elbows deep in a project rebuilding a water system for the war-torn land.  Before that, he’d been in Haiti.  And before that, Africa.  And before that … Indonesia?  Hell, it might have been another planet for all he remembered.  It was all rolling together.

He went to places after disaster hit, whether man or nature made, and he saw people at their very worst moments.  Sometimes he changed lives, sometimes he improved them, but at some point over the past five years, he’d become numb to it.  So much so that when he’d gone to check out a new jobsite at the wrong place, only to have the right place blown to bits by a suicide bomber just before he got there, he’d finally realized something.

He didn’t always have to be the guy on the front line.  He could design and plan water systems for devastated countries from anywhere.  Hell, he could become a consultant instead.  Five years of wading knee deep in crap, both figuratively and literally, was enough for anyone.  He didn’t want to be in the right hellhole next time.

So he’d come home, with no idea what was next.

BOOK DETAILS:

Series: Lucky Harbor (Book 10)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: February 18, 2014
ISBN-10: 1455521132
ISBN-13: 978-1455521135

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

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…….of Stress Free Kids by Lori Lite

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Guest Author JACK GINESI showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME JACK GINESI


JACK GINESI

Jack Ginesi is a collection of atoms roughly configured into human form. In accordance with Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, it is not possible to know, with any degree of accuracy, where he is and what he is doing at any given time (which is a constant source of irritation to his friends and family).

From a more conventional perspective, he lives near Tunbridge Wells in Kent – in fact, he has lived in the South-East of England all his life. He has not travelled extensively, he doesn’t participate in extreme sports (or even moderate ones) and he has never held a high powered job in the corporate world or the foreign office. He has never been a spy, an international gunrunner or a member of a boy band. He does, however, like to write, create artwork (usually depicting wolves or crystal skulls – occasionally both), play the guitar badly and think about things (pictured left) – interestingly he often turns monochrome when thinking hard.

At just 18-years-old Jack started writing about a fictional village in Southern Europe, building up a whole cast of gloriously oddball characters. At the same time he started to record his own experiences and observations on life. Finally, after many years, he drew the two together, transforming what started off as endless anecdotes into his debut novel, the Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka.

He claims, somewhat predictably, that the Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka is merely the first in a planned trilogy of books; although, given the amount of time he has spent arsing around on the first one, I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for the second.

Jack is a proponent of the ‘Infinite Monkey’* school of writing.
Connect with Jack at these sites:

WEBSITE       

Q&A with Jack Ginesi

Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
For the most part, I draw on my own experiences and observations. The book is set in a small European village, which is entirely fictitious.  As the story is primarily allegorical in nature, I wanted to create an insular little world, cut off from external influences – a kind of laboratory where I could explore the psychology and motivations of the inhabitants. This tends to give the story a somewhat surreal edge; although it was nice to hear my father, who grew up in a provincial Italian town, remarking on how reading the book brought back memories of his childhood.

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
As a general rule, I start at the beginning because I tend to see the story unfolding like a movie in my head – I just follow it wherever it takes me. In the case of The Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka, the book actually started out as several short stories that, over time, merged together. These became the history of the Ramdinkka family and helped to shape the character of the young Joshua.

Your routine when writing?  Any idiosyncrasies?
Generally, I prefer to write in the evening or at night. The basic routine would be; start at around 7:30pm and then aim to write for about 3 or 4 hours. For me, there is definitely something about the night that seems conducive to writing, things just seem more intense and focused – I’m pretty sure that all the deepest philosophical conversations I’ve ever had, have taken place either late at night or in the wee small hours of the morning (and that had nothing to do with alcohol).

I have many idiosyncrasies, but I’m not sure that any of them relate specifically to my writing. I do have a ‘lucky’ green gnome that I got out of a cracker when I was a kid, it sits on the edge of my desk and watches me while I work – but I don’t know if that helps or hinders me.

Is writing your full time job?  If not, may I ask what you do by day?
By day I am a mild mannered reporter for the Daily Plan… no, hang on a second, that’s somebody else, isn’t it? I do have something of a dual life though, I split my time between consultancy work in the corporate world and running a publishing company that creates spiritual and personal development products. I’m very fortunate in that my work is quite flexible, so I can always create more time to write if I want. The problem is, like many authors, I have a love/hate relationship with my books – so the amount of time I actually spend writing tends to depend of whether the book and I are on speaking terms at that particular moment or not.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favourite author would have to be the late, great Douglas Adams. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books just fascinated me when I was younger. I loved the wonderfully wry observations – they were often deceptively simple, but incredibly insightful. And the passion for technology was also something that resonated with me. I am also a fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books – I am in awe of anyone who can conjure up such a vast and vibrant, living universe, in such exquisite detail.

What are you reading now?
At the moment, I am actually re-reading Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. In general, I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction. I have a fascination with anything spiritual, psychological and philosophical and these topics are always at the core of anything I write.

Are you working on your next novel?  Can you tell us a little about it?
The next novel is in the planning stage. I like to think of it as a “parra-equel” to The Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka. That is to say, it runs in parallel with the events of the first book (there probably is a proper word for that). The story follows Meloko’s life as told through his journal… but with a twist! And for the first time we’ll discover the unseen forces that played a part in Joshua’s downfall. I also have an idea for a third book that will bring things full circle and will reinstate Joshua to his rightful place in the family history. 

 Your novel will be a movie.  Who would you cast?
That is an interesting question. As I said before, I always visualise the story when I’m writing and the characters are now so clearly defined in my mind that they feel like real people, so it’s strange to think of substituting them with actors. I think the role of Joshua would be particularly tricky to cast (as you will appreciate if you’ve read the book) but I think someone like Edward Norton might be a good choice. In terms of the villagers, I can think of plenty of great actors and actresses who could easily grace the streets of Potokini: Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Brian Blessed… Wow, can we just go ahead and make this thing?

Manuscript/Notes: hand written or keyboard?
The manuscript is always typed. I really couldn’t work without a word processor; I’m constantly changing, tweaking and generally tampering with things. I often make handwritten notes, there is always a pad and pen next to the bed and I have a little 3 inch by 3 inch spiral bound notepad that I usually carry with me. It’s proved invaluable as I often find inspiration strikes when I’m out walking.

Favorite leisure activity/hobby?
I spend around an hour a day meditating…although technically, I guess, that would be classed as an inactivity. Apart from that I love anything where I can be creative: writing, photography, artwork, music, web design – I can easily lose myself for days in a project.

Favorite meal?
Tuna Bolognese with Penne Rigate topped with melted mozzarella made to my own recipe… bellissimo!

ABOUT THE BOOK

“For though we share one planet, we inhabit many worlds.” – Barisko Volloti
Joshua Ramdinkka is having a bad day…that makes 14,768 and counting. It’s not like he asked to take over the running of the celebrated Ramdinkka vineyard but, as the last of his distinguished line, what choice did he have?

The suspicion that great grandfather’s ghost is trying to muscle his way back into the family business isn’t helping matters. Nor is the fact that his alter ego has accidentally killed the village mime. Now it seems the council is just itching to bulldoze his beloved family home. But is Joshua a victim or the architect of his own misfortune? The answer is staring him in the face but, with the Grim Reaper dogging his every step, can he really cheat death and reclaim his life or is he destined to fall foul of a classic cinematic cliché? Set in a bygone world of vineyards and village life, this is a novel about the choices we make and how they make us. It’s about living in the shadow of greatness, the perils of discovering you are God and the realisation that no one else will ever see the world quite the way you do.

The Curious History of Joshua Ramdinkka explores how we create our own reality. It is an intriguing and provocative tale of one man’s history, played out against the backdrop of a small, southern European village – filled with gloriously eccentric characters – and told with a wry, offbeat sense of humour. The book examines the relationship between life and death and raises numerous metaphysical questions, whilst touching on a number of spiritual themes. Whilst fiction, this thought-provoking book invites the reader to examine patterns in their own life. The idea that human experience is a matter of perception, and that all truth is subjective, is a powerful theme.

BOOK DETAILS:

Number of Pages: 346
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
Publication Date: January 29, 2014
ISBN-10: 1910162205
ISBN-13: 978-1910162200

PURCHASE LINKS:

            

THANKS TO KATY AT AUTHORIGHT,
I
HAVE THREE (3) DIGITAL COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
EBOOK~~OPEN TO ALL
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS MARCH 4th AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author ALINE TEMPLETON

WELCOME ALINE TEMPLETON

ALINE TEMPLETON

Aline Templeton grew up in the fishing village of Anstruther, in the East Neuk of Fife. She has worked in education and broadcasting and was a Justice of the Peace for ten years. Married, with two grown-up children and three grandchildren, she now lives in a house with a view of Edinburgh Castle. When not writing, she enjoys cooking, choral singing, and traveling the back roads of France.
Connect with Aline at these sites:

WEBSITE    

Q&A with Aline Templeton

 
Writing and Reading:
Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
Both, I suppose, though only in a general way. I never put people I know in my books, though I might see someone who suggests a character. For instance, I once passed a very old lady standing hunched over, smoking, her face wrinkled as a walnut, very shabby, wearing what looked a man’s old tweed jacket and trousers. But she was wearing a bright purple crocheted hat with a bunch of pink, white and purple flowers on it. I didn’t know anything about her but she made a great character in Lamb to the Slaughter.

I don’t write directly about current events but sometimes a news story prompts an idea. The case of Louise Woodward, the nanny convicted of killing her charge, prompted a ‘what-if’ story that was the starting point for Cradle to Grave.

Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the
beginning and see where the story line brings you?

Somewhere between the two. When I start I usually think I know what the ending will be and I set off towards it. But I could well be wrong – I’m a great believer in letting the story develop. I write because I’m telling myself a story and I want to see what happens. If I knew it all too definitely, I would get bored. In fact, in one of my early books, Past Praying For, I reached the second last chapter and realized I’d got the murderer wrong! I thought, ‘Of course! That’s who did it,’ and went back to change the story to fit – then found that it was all there. It’s amazing what the subconscious can do without you noticing.

Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
Very boring, I’m afraid. I go to my desk at 9.30 and write until just after 1.00. No coffee break – I just make a mug and take it back to my study. In the afternoon I revise and do all the housekeeping related to emails and posts – and a bit of housework as well!

Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
Yes, it has been for many years.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
In crime, Louise Penny, PD James, Andrea Camilleri. In the classics Jane Austen, of course, and Henry James and Emily Bronte; poets Browning, Kipling, TS Eliot, Robert Frost – and dozens of others. Modern fiction; Tracy Chevalier, Elizabeth Jane Howard, Barbara Kingsolver, Jane Smiley

What are you reading now?
Sashenka by Simon Sebag-Montefiori. It’s a compelling, moving and impressively-researched story about Russia under Stalin.

Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
It’s the next in the DI Marjory Fleming series. It begins with a group of hedonistic young people whose excesses end in tragedy when one dies of a drugs overdose and one leaves a suicide note at the edge of a cliff. But two years later a car is found stranded on a mudflat in the Solway Firth after a high tide and the murdered body found in it is that of the man believed to be dead.

Fun questions:
Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
DI Fleming would have to be an actress with a Scottish accent – there’s nothing I hate more than a fake attempt at one – so that rather limits the field. Emma Thomson is English but she spends a lot of time in Scotland so she would probably do it quite well and she’d make a good Big Marge.

Manuscript/Notes: hand written or keyboard?
Notes hand-written every time. If I’m starting a book, or if I hit a sticky patch, I always seize one of my trusty Bic fine-point pens and write in longhand – I feel it gets me closer to my characters sometimes.

Favorite leisure activity/hobby?
I love to cook – mainly French influenced, I suppose. Cookery books are my favorite indulgent reading.

Favorite meal?
A light, elegant cappuccino soup like artichoke, roasted roe deer venison, a dessert of three or four minute ‘themed’ puddings – like lemon tart, lemon mousse, lemon sorbet and limoncello jelly. You can tell I take a lot of holidays in France!

ABOUT THE BOOK

This moody and arresting thriller is perfect for fans of Tana French.

On a beautiful, eerily quiet May morning, a girl is found brutally bludgeoned to death. When Detective Marjory Fleming arrives, the silence of the scene is broken only by the ringing of the girl’s cell phone. The nearby community is small and close-knit, but the veneer of contented prosperity conceals nasty secrets and deep betrayals. When another corpse is discovered, Fleming quickly realizes she must watch her own back while she searches for the link between the murders. As she uncovers layer upon layer of intrigue and deceit, it becomes apparent that, while the dead can’t tell lies, the living most certainly can.

READ AN EXCERPT

The wind had dropped with the sunrise. It was a beautiful May morning, with the soft, pearly light so typical of the south-west corner of Scotland, but it was cool still; vapour clung to the tops of the trees and there was a sweet, damp, earthy smell after a heavy dew. He got up to have a chilly shower – he must see if something couldn’t be done about the hot-water supply – then dressed in his working jeans and checked shirt and went down the rickety staircase and across the living room to open the door.

The wooden shack, his home since he was freed on licence six months ago, had walls weathered by time and the elements to a soft silvery grey. It stood in a clearing surrounded by rough grass studded with the stumps of felled trees, crumbling and mossy now. Beyond that, a tangle of undergrowth formed a natural enclosure: at this time of year the grass had feathery seed heads and thecreamy flowers of hawthorn and cow parsley gleamed against the lush dark green of nettles and docks. From a snarl of brambles, a robin was shouting a melodious challenge to all comers. Sitting down on the dilapidated bench outside the back door, he drank in the peace and freedom which remained a novelty still.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Crime Fiction
Published by: Witness Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins
Publication Date: 2/11/2014
Number of Pages: 513
ISBN: 9780062301758

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
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Mailbox Monday

    

 

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is  now hosted on its own blog

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Click on title for synopsis via IndieBound (I am an IndieBound affiliate)
     

Monday:  Retribution by Anderson Harp from Media Muscle
Saturday:  Red Devil 4 by Eric C. Leuthardt from Media Muscle

Guest Author ROB WHITE showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME ROB WHITE


ROB WHITE

Rob White is a philosopher, storyteller, author, and inspirational speaker. He’s also a pretty funny guy to listen to. Rob inspires folks to look at their lives through the lens of transformational opportunities which leads them back home to their naturally curious and ambitious nature.

From an early age Rob was dissatisfied with his life, and became an imaginist, dreaming of living a grander life than what his environment was offering.  Rob calls it “inspirational dissatisfaction” that took him from a mill town kid destined to work in a local factory, to a teaching career in a major city, to careers as a highly successful real estate developer and restaurateur with holdings in Massachusetts and California. Most recently, he became an essayist and book author. He is the author of 180: A Guide to Achieving “Inner Strength and Outer Freedom” and A Second Chance at Success: Remarkably Simple Ways to Open Your Life to Opportunities and Turn Past Mistakes Into Lasting Confidence, Happiness and Success.

Rob is regularly featured in the Huffington Post and his unique articles are published in dozens of print and online publications. Most recently, Rob has become a National Spokesperson for Hilton Garden Inn and is an adjunct professor at Northeastern University.
Connect with Rob at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

From humble beginnings, Rob White went on to become very successful in the real estate and restaurant business. At the same time that he began enjoying material wealth, he experienced a deepening feeling of inner emptiness. So he sought out world-class gurus to help him understand better how to live a full, rich life. However, he eventually discovered that the most helpful gurus aren’t necessarily bestselling self-help authors, world-famous keynote speakers, or famous workshop leaders — they’re unassuming gurus that everyone encounters on their journey through life. These “everyday” teachers awakened Rob to powerful insights and life lessons that are superb starting points for a new life.

This book recaps twenty one of Rob’s awakening moments in inspirational, warm, and entertaining stories. You’ll read about a grade school student who, with one simple question, helped Rob gain a deeper understanding of the true meaning of life. You’ll meet a Maasai mother who demonstrated that we’re much more than we dare to imagine. And you’ll meet a former peanut vendor who turned medical wisdom on its head by simply deciding that he wasn’t going to die.

And Then I Met Margaret demonstrates that life is always supporting you by sending the right and perfect person to help you learn what you next need to know in order to grow. Rob wrote this book to alert you to the many unexpected teachers who can help shatter the myths that keep you from you experiencing life to the fullest and achieving your dreams and goals.

After reading And Then I Met Margaret, you’ll never see the world the same way. You may even recognize an unexpected guru or two as you travel the journey of your life

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Non-Fiction
Published by: Mind Adventure Press
Publication Date: Jan 14th, 2014
Number of Pages: 2296
ISBN:978-0980229967

PURCHASE LINKS:

       

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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.