by Sarah | Apr 10, 2013 | Character Interview, Guest Authors, Writing
Today I’m super thrilled to have someone I considered a good friend, and an excellent critique partner, stopping by. I’ve known her for a year now and am so excited that her debut novel (which I had the honor of critiquing) is out in the world. Part romance, part urban fantasy, part laugh-your-ass-off funny…Fiona Druce delivers a story with snark and sass. I asked her to stop by with a few characters for an interview and well…she tried…
*~*
1. Tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to your author’s attention? Occupation?
ACE: I fell on the ground. No joke. There I was, stacking books, and I fell over. I guess the commotion caught her eye or something… especially since she started the book with that very scene. *evil glare at Fiona* I own the bookstore, actually. I sell all kinds of unique books, antique books and books that fall under other adjectives that also end in “–que”.
VAL: *clears his throat and rubs his hand on Ace’s arm* My turn? Well. I came to Fiona’s attention only moments later when Ace fell on me. She had no idea who I was until I’d introduced myself. Fiona was quite excited. Ace? Not as much. *sighs* As for occupation, I’m a King.
JOHN: *shoulders his way past Val to stand in the front* I knocked Thane to the ground. And Irving. And Val. *he flexes, a satisfied smile curling up the corners of his lips* I’m sure my little girl spoke of me, but Fiona didn’t really notice me until I’d hit people. Which is fine. *he glares at Val* I have a lot more where that came from, too.
VAL: *sighs* Must we, John?
JOHN: *narrows his eyes, a low grumble in in his chest*
ACE: *whines* Really? Right now? If ya’ll don’t stop, I’m telling Mama. *stands akimbo*
2. What or who is the greatest love of your life? Why? What drew you to them?
ACE: *whacks Val on the forearm* This guy because he’s so cute when he’s ready to impale someone with his thumb-sized dragon teeth. And I would have to say it was gravity that drew me to him. I did fall on him, after all. Twice–No… it might have been three times… *purses her lips and squeezes an eye shut, trying to remember*
VAL: *says nothing, still smiling at John*
JOHN: *says nothing, still glaring at Val*
ACE: *nudges Val* Psst. That was your cue to earn brownie points.
VAL: *continues to glare at John*
ACE: *harumphs and slams her arms across her chest to sulk*
3. What’s your greatest fear?
ACE: The next few months…
VAL: *shoots a look of indignant disbelief at Ace*
JOHN: *mumbles something that includes words like acreage and shotgun*
4. What’s your motto in life?
ACE: F–
VAL: *smirks at John* A man is only as good as his virility.
JOHN: *sputters* *slams his fist into Val’s jaw*
ACE: *her shoulders sink and she stares at the interviewer* Do you see what I have to put up with?
*Val chuckles at John, who throws another punch. Val dodges it with a snakelike jerk of his head.*
5. How do the other characters in your book view you?
ACE: Usually from above. I’m pretty short.
VAL & JOHN: *eye each other, John with painful intent, and Val with a self-satisfied grin.*
6. What do you prefer? To spread & hear gossip, or be the creator of gossip fodder?
ACE: I’m a Southern girl. So… Yes, I suppose. All of the above.
VAL & JOHN: *silent*
7. What is it about you that is going to draw us readers in?
ACE: We’re a…er…motley crew of…er…
VAL: *pinches Ace’s backend *
JOHN: “Get your hands off my baby girl!”
ACE: *yelps* “Sorry, what was I saying…?”
8. What was your happiest moment?
ACE: *Stands in front of them, ignoring the entire situation* “Can I answer that another time, perhaps? You know… when… er… certain people aren’t present?”
FIONA: “You mean your dad?”
ACE: *shakes her head covertly and whispers* “Val.”
FIONA: Er…
VAL: *his brow shoots up, the only sign of his indignant glower*
JOHN: *leans back and lets out a howl of laughter*
9. What trait in others do you find most deplorable?
ACE: Pr–
JOHN: Being that guy. *punches at Val*
VAL: *dodges the punch* “Come, now…can’t we just get along?”
FIONA: *winces at the antics of the men* Sorry, Ace.
ACE: *glowers at Fiona but says nothing, then glares at Val* “Quit antagonizing my father! I expected better of you!”
VAL: “Love, it’s just a game…”
ACE: *snorts* “A game where the winner gets to sleep on the couch.” *she harumphs and then spins around to leave, throwing a last comment over her shoulder*. “As does the loser.”
JOHN: *turns to Val* “See what you did!”
VAL: *rolls his eyes* “Ace…” *follows her out*
JOHN: *follows them out*
FIONA: …Sooo… *clears her throat and looks around. Nope. She’s all by herself* Er…I like blue. *grimaces, but it might be an attempt at a smile*
*~*~*~*
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BLURB:
More snarky-than-sweet Southern girl Acacia “Ace” Stanning has never been anyone’s ideal anything. Not for a lack of trying, of course.
Dark, mysterious, and utterly frustrating hottie Val Draig has always been quite the opposite. Without even an attempt at trying. Except that whole being-a-dragon bit. And the violent bloody war bit. And the fact that simply by knowing him, Ace is now drawn kicking and screaming into a secret battle between two warring dragon factions.
Then Val told her she was his ideal everything.
Now, because he loves her, a whole group of dragons want her dead. And those are the good guys.
The bad guys want both Ace and Val’s entire clan wiped from existence. To stop the bloodshed, she and Val will unravel a hidden past only to discover a future together is the key to their survival.
Ace may not be ideal, but who she is may just be wild enough to work.
Fiona Druce and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest with two daughters and a large neurotic dog. Her interests are singing, triathlons, molecular biology, qualitative chemistry, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and writing fiction. She’s positive there is somehow a connection in all that but she hasn’t found it, yet. Suggestions welcome.
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by Sarah | Apr 10, 2013 | A to Z Challenge, All About Family, All About Home, All About Indiana, All About Me, Random, Story of Me, The Reluctant Hoosier
The path is familiar.
Second nature.
The first time I followed it, I was only 14.
Unable to drive.
Unable to process what it meant.
How I would change.
While the path stayed the same.
*
The first time it was the I-90 to 271, to 71, to 270, to 70…and off the highway in the middle of Indiana.
A far cry from home.
From the suburbs of Buffalo, the suburbs of Indianapolis – that felt to me more rural than suburban.
From attitudes and pride, to looking people in the eye and church.
A foreign land.
*
For three years we traversed the path between two worlds frequently.
We lingered in the past, and at the same time moved forward.
Our lives moved on, and a few years later, so did we.
We left behind Indiana and followed new paths…
Only to return again.
Not “home”…no, not New York.
“Home.” Indiana.
*
20 years later I could still drive the path blindfolded.
I know the way.
I can still find my way through my old home town, even though I learned to drive 500 miles away from it.
Instinct brings me back around.
But I don’t.
*
Now the roles are reversed.
This foreign land has become home.
Familiar.
Safe.
The last time I drove that route was 2 years ago…and it was for a funeral.
Before that, almost 4 years had passed.
I missed much.
So much it’s now foreign.
There are days I miss that land.
Days I feel my heart call me home.
But life has moved on.
And so have I.
*
I will return again.
I will eat the familiar, delicious foods.
I will drive the pathways that no longer lead to the same places I remember, where strangers now live, or where the home itself has been changed.
Because a piece of me will always remember and belong.
*
Those interstate pathways carried me away.
Took me to places I never expected.
But they can never lead home again.
*~*~*
The A-Z Challenge has over 1900 participants, all blogging from A to Z this month. Check them out and see if you can’t find a few new favorites!!
by Sarah | Apr 9, 2013 | Books, Holiday, Hump Day Hook, Writing
Another Hump Day Hook!
And this week it’s time for something new and completely different!
One of the WIP’s I’ve been working on in the background is a story for a holiday submission call. It’s tentatively called Santa, Maybe although I’ve also had the quirky suggestion of Holiday Peace (which both fits the story and matches the fact that I keep calling it my “holiday piece”. :D). I wish I could settle on a name, but it’s just not happening.
If this book is contracted and published, all proceeds will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 🙂
Anyhow, here’s one paragraph from this WIP…just one…don’t hate me:
“No. No more wishes.” She had to get a grip on herself or she’d fall back into the trap. Sniffling against the tears, she pulled back and swiped at them. Her fingers pressed to the bridge of her nose to try to settle them down. “This has to be the last time we walk away from each other. There’s nothing else left to wish for.”
*~*~*
Hump Day Hook asks authors to post one paragraph of one of their stories, whether a WIP, one contracted, or already published. Please visit and comment on the participants – you might just stumble on the next great read for your library! To see more participants, click on the HDH banner below:
by Sarah | Apr 9, 2013 | A to Z Challenge, All About Erik, All About Marriage, All About Me, All of Us, Story of Me
This hummingbird glass sculpture was purchased to be my cake-topper at my wedding to match the light hints of hummingbird throughout my wedding (like the hummingbirds mom embroidered on my dress). Less than a year after the wedding my cat skidded across my dresser, knocked it to the ground and shattered it. I refuse to throw it away. It sits there, sealed in a plastic bag, for eternity. The symbol of the hummingbird means too much to give up. I dream of finding someone to fix this cake-topper, even though I know it’s not possible.
*~*
My grandparents used to take an annual trip to see my Grampa’s brother. They’d go out to Massachusetts and spend time with family, and then return home to Buffalo.
One of their favorite parts of the trip was sitting outside and watching the hummingbirds buzz around.
Then, my great-uncle passed away, and my grandparents went out for the funeral. On their last night there, in the cool evening air they spoke of my uncle. As he sat there talking, a hummingbird flew up near my Grampa’s shoulder and hovered. It lingered near his face for several minutes, flitting back and forth before flying off.
They all decided that had been my great-uncle stopping by for one last visit.
Almost seventeen years ago, after a year’s fight against cancer, my Grampa passed away.
It was September in Buffalo. Cold air had begun to move in. All summer things were fading. I returned to New York with the funeral, and then went right back to NC to return to school.
Three weeks later the family grapevine lit up with the story.
At the end of September, Gramma was out on her porch to bring in all the chairs, etc. for winter. It was a yearly ritual when it just became too cold to sit on the porch. Since it was sunny, she decided to sit outside for one last afternoon. Wrapped in her sweater she sat, watching the cars go by as she always did.
There.
In the cold end of September.
Hovering near a hanging plant.
Buzzed a hummingbird.
It flew under the porch roof.
Hovered near Grandma.
And then took off.
*
Every September for the past sixteen years.
Even if I have not seen one all year.
A hummingbird shows up.
Every year.
*~*
I won’t let go of the cake topper.
The hummingbird is still in one piece.
And Grampa still visits.
*~*~*
The A-Z Challenge has over 1900 participants, all blogging from A to Z this month. Check them out and see if you can’t find a few new favorites!!
by Sarah | Apr 8, 2013 | Author Interview, Guest Authors, Writing
I’m very happy to have Carolyn Wren stop by again today for a visit. It seems like just yesterday I had her here with her book, [amazon_link id=”B00BAXHNCY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Scientist (The Protector Series #2)[/amazon_link]. Now she’s back for her latest book in the Protector Series The Actress. Carolyn was good enough to sit down and answer a few questions for me.
*~*
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a former book keeper who decided, one day, to ignore numbers and start playing with words instead. I had never written before and quickly found out how addictive it is. Now I feel cheated if I don’t write every day, and have been known to take my laptop on planes, trains, and in automobiles in order to get down that chapter in my head.
2. Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I plot in my head, to the point where it is word perfect. However, when I type, I turn into a pantster, and that perfect scene tends to change dramatically once my fingers hit the keyboard.
3. Can you tell us about the challenges you faced getting your first book published?
Self-confidence was the biggest challenge, or to be more accurate, lack of it. I never even considered getting published, all my stories sat on a folder on my desktop, and provided lunchtime reading entertainment for my friends at work. It was only when I won the 2012 RWA Emerald award and got to the finals of the 2012 Daphne Du Maurier awards that I finally found the courage to submit my work to a publisher.
4. What was your favorite chapter to write and why?
The opening chapter of book 4 in the series -and the one I had great success with in contests-The Hostage, starts with a dramatic rescue scene. To make it different, the captive is a big strong male, and his savior is a tiny woman. I liked the idea of putting a twist on a hostage/rescuer situation and it remains my favorite chapter to date.
5. Were all of your characters easy to write, or did some of them give you trouble? Any particular character you didn’t like at all?
Book 2 in the series, The Scientist, features a very outrageous, danger seeking agent called Simon Winters. He is a flirt, cheeky, and completely over the top. I was concerned people might hate him, but he seems to be a big favorite with readers.
6. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Write, write, write. Even if you think what you’re doing is complete rubbish. Write what you love, because you love it. It’s all part of learning. Join an organization like the RWA, because their support network is amazing. Enter contests, let the judge’s feedback guide you into which direction you need to go.
Most importantly, enjoy it. We all have to follow the rules and regulations of publishing. Have to get our heads around correct punctuation, and correct usage of point of view, once we get that far.
But for that initial draft? For that tantalizing story in your head that won’t go away? Just write.
7. In researching your book what did you learn that surprised you? Or, alternatively, what thing did you research that you never thought you would (and considered deleting from your browsing history)?
My browser history would fascinate and confuse any therapist. In one day, whilst working on 3 separate books of different genres, I researched the following…
How bright is a muzzle flash from a 9mm gun in a completely dark room. How long does a stun gun render a person unconscious for. What exactly happens in a fifteen century nunnery? What was the largest battle in the Crusades. How do you track an older style cell phone manufactured in the year 2005. What were the midwife techniques in England in the 1950s. Is it possible to exist for a long period of time in the Amazon Jungle without coming across any form of civilization?
And all of the answers were very interesting!
8. Narrow down your novel. Why must we read it? (besides the obvious, it’s awesome answer…because of course it is!)
This particular book, The Actress, follows the story of Bryce Black, and we have met Bryce in all of the books in the series so far. He is a tech wizard, not your usual shoot-them-up secret agents. He is quiet and witty and very cute. The story takes a very interesting turn half way. It goes from a fun contemporary story into something much darker. And, we get a teasing cameo from Omega, the totally secretive, totally enigmatic agent, who will feature in book 4.
9. Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
I have synesthesia, so I see numbers as colors. It makes remembering phone numbers very easy.
10. Which character speaks the loudest to you?
Jared Knight from Book 1, Diplomat’s Daughter, the first male character I ever wrote, still speaks clearly to me. Not loudly, as Jared never shouts. Maybe because he was the first fictional character I ever invented, and maybe because he features in all the books in the series. I feel I always know exactly what he would say, or do, in any situation.
11. Do you have another book coming out soon?
The Hostage, Book 4 is scheduled for a June release. In 2013 I have a book coming out every two months.
12. How many books can we expect to see in your series? Is the number tentative or set?
There are seven books in The Protector series, and they were all written to tell a complete arc before I submitted them to Secret Cravings Publishing. So yes, in this case, the number is set.
However I have a paranormal series I have been working on for some time, called The Stolen Ones Trilogy, and I strongly suspect it’s now turning into a four or possibly five books series, so I will have to find another name for it!
*~*~*~*
BUY LINK: http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=569
The Protectors, Book 3
The Actress
A famous television actress trying to balance her fictional character and her real life. And an obsessed fan who cannot tell the difference.
The technical wizard of The Protectors agency…
Bryce Black can invent, build, or hack anything. Preferring to leave the danger to his fellow operatives, Bryce is happiest at home designing gadgets, and pursuing his hobby of creating replica diamonds. When offered an assignment to protect a fortune in real gems featured in a high rating television show, he accepts. Only to find himself falling for the beautiful lead actress.
Katrina Abbott is walking away from her acting career without regret. The loss of privacy and invasion of her personal life have become overwhelming. The handsome security advisor with his fascinating amber colored eyes has her contemplating a new life, far from the glaring spotlight. But first she needs to film the finale of her wildly popular drama series.
One female fan does not want the show to end, and has a very different view of what Katrina’s future should be.
Excerpt.
Taking the opportunity for a brief escape, Katrina headed towards catering, fiddling with the stubborn cap of the pill bottle. Turning a corner, she crashed into a solid male chest. The container flew from her hands and hit the floor, spilling its contents.
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It’s okay,” her victim said, pulling the wet t-shirt away from his skin. “It could have been worse. I almost made a cup of hot coffee.” He gestured to the empty cup of what had been filled with water rolling around on the floor.
Katrina looked up from the damp torso to see a handsome face. Black hair curled over his collar, and he had the most startling amber gold eyes. Realizing she was staring, Katrina covered her uncharacteristic rudeness by pointing to the photos in his other hand. “Would you like me to sign those?” The glance he gave her seemed puzzled. “I don’t mind. I do it all the time. Do you have a pen?” Almost plucking the pictures from his hand, she found herself studying a photograph of some sort of sophisticated wall safe and another of a diamond pendant.
“I thought they would be of me. They usually are. Did the tour group give you the wrong pictures?”
“I’m not with the tour group. I’m the security consultant, and I’m actually searching for George Hooper.”
“Oh, sorry. I’m used to people wanting to see me.” Oh God, did that sound conceited. “Not that I expect you to‒I mean.” Katrina put her hands on her hips. “You could have said something before I went on and on.”
A smile tilted his lips at the corner, exposing a deep dimple in his cheek that caught Katrina’s attention. His golden eyes lit with amused warmth. “In my defense, I was waiting for a suitable pause in conversation to interrupt. To be truthful, I was also seeking confirmation of your identity. In the photo I have, you appear to be dressed as a nun.”
“Crisis in a convent,” Katrina said automatically. “Season two, episode three, my character was undercover.”
“Aha, well that does explain the current lack of wimple.”
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