Wednesday, November 28, 2012

A Wild Ride! Virtual Book Tour & #Giveaway with p.m. terrell - Secrets of a Dangerous Woman



Fasten your seat belts because you're in for another wild ride with p.m. terrell's, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, on tour now at the Virtual Book Tour Cafe'. I'm chatting with p.m. today about her book and she's offering you a chance to win her Black Swamp Mysteries Prize Pack, which includes some goodies from the town of Lumberton where the Black Swamp Mysteries is based. Enter using the Rafflecopter below, and enjoy!

Welcome p.m.! So glad you could join us today.

MM: Many authors relate their characters to people they know. Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?

Each of my characters is unique, just as people are in real life. So I take bits and pieces of personalities and physical characteristics from people I know but when combined with other personality quirks and traits, they end up not resembling any specific person. I also try hard to keep each character within each book very different from the others they interact with; I enjoy pitting opposites together, for example. My characters tend to be much larger than life than I am, which is a good thing!


MM: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

Dylan Maguire, hands down. Dylan is an Irishman who comes to America in Vicki’s Key, the second book in the series. In Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, he is on his first CIA assignment. On one hand, he is definitely the kind of man you’d want protecting you; he is resourceful, opportunistic and capable of killing. Yet there is another side to him that can be very gentle and very attentive. When I created his character, it was important for another character, Vicki Boyd, to fall for him hard and fast. So I did quite a bit of research into what women like. I learned they were most turned on by Scottish accents, followed by Irish accents and then Australian. I decided to make him Irish because their language is more melodious and softer than the Scots. He has a five o’clock shadow, which many independent surveys showed really appealed to most women, thick hair (for running fingers through) and of course, he is muscular and fit.


MM: Who is your most favorite character from any book of all time?

That is a really tough question. It would have to be Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind. He is actually very much like Dylan Maguire; the biggest difference is Rhett Butler was American, through and through!


MM: If you could dive into the pages of any book, which book would it be and what character would you be?

That is another toughy because I would want the romance without the drama and suspense! My friends and family all know that I like no drama in my life—only in the pages of my books. So, having said that, I love the romance between Ramses the Great and Julie Stratford in Anne Rice’s The Mummy. I would be Julie Stratford and Ramses would look like Russell Crowe in Master and Commander. Yes, I would fall in love with a mummy. But it’s Ramses the Great and he’s worth it!


MM: If your book was to become a movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?

Alan Duggan and Antonio Cupo both have the appearance of Dylan Maguire. Could either of them handle an Irish accent? I’d love to find out!

I can definitely see Amy Adams playing psychic spy Vicki Boyd.

And Lindsay Lohan would be awesome as bad girl computer hacker Brenda Carnegie.

Robert DeNiro is who I patterned Sam, their CIA boss, after, so of course no one else could play the role!


MM: What can we expect from p.m.terrell in the future? Any new projects?

Secrets of a Dangerous Woman is my 14th release. The 15th, Dylan’s Song, is scheduled for release in the spring of 2013. I am currently working on the final edits for that book and have started the next in the Black Swamp Mysteries series for release in 2014.

In Dylan’s Song, Dylan Maguire and Vicki Boyd travel to Ireland on a CIA mission: to locate and rescue a missing CIA operative using Vicki’s psychic spy abilities and Dylan as leader of the ground operation. While there, Vicki learns why he left his native Ireland—while harboring a secret of her own.

I have also started a new Ryan O’Clery series, which follows a homicide detective with a touch of the paranormal and romance; I think of it as Robert B. Parker meets Nicholas Sparks. I do not yet have the publication date for the first in that series but I am currently writing the sequel.

MM: Where can readers connect with you?

My website: www.pmterrell.com
Twitter: @pmterrell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell


Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure.

p.m. terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 16 books in four genres: paranormal romantic suspense, suspense/thriller, historical adventure/suspense and non-fiction. Vicki's Key, the second book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, was a finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards (one of only five in the mystery/suspense category) and River Passage won the 2010 Best Drama & Fiction Award. She has been a full-time writer for more than ten years. Previously, she founded and operated two computer companies; her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense. Her work in detecting computer white collar crime and computer intelligence inspired many of her books. She is an avid dog lover and advocate for animal rights and founded the New Leash on Life program in Robeson County, NC, which rescues dogs and places them in the prison system for obedience training and adoption. She also co-founded The Book 'Em Foundation, whose slogan is Buy a Book and Stop a Crook; their mission is to raise awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She co-chairs the Book 'Em North Carolina Writers' Conference and Book Fair each year in Lumberton, NC, which raises money for literacy campaigns in our communities.


Genre: Suspense
Publisher: Drake Valley Press
Release Date: September 2012
Buy: Amazon | Kindle

Blurb:

Irishman Dylan Maguire is back in Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, reuniting with psychic spy Vicki Boyd. In his first mission with the CIA, he must interrogate recently captured Brenda Carnegie. But when she escapes again, it's obvious she's had help from within the CIA's own ranks. With Vicki Boyd's psychic assistance, Brenda is back in his custody again. And now he must find out why some in the highest branches of government want her dead - and others will risk everything to help her. And when he discovers her true identity, his mission has just become very personal.

Excerpt:

Something grasped Dylan’s ankle and he recoiled as he stared downward. Sam had rolled toward him, grabbing his ankle with desperate strength. His bloodshot eyes were open, revealing his misery.
We’re gettin’ you out o’ here,” Dylan said.
Chris raced through the doorway to peer over the banister at the floor below.
No,” Sam croaked. His voice was dry and his fingers tightened around Dylan’s ankle, tugging him into coming closer.
Dylan knelt.
I’m not going to make it,” Sam said laboriously.
You won’t be the judge o’ that.”
Leave me here.”
I’ll not be leavin’ you.”
Sam’s fingers tightened around his pants leg. “Go to Vicki. Save her, Dylan.”
Dylan stared into Sam’s eyes at the mention of her.
She needs you,” Sam said, his fingers loosening as if the mere effort of holding on was too difficult. “Tell her—tell her I love her. I always have.”
Dylan’s jaw dropped. “I refuse to tell ‘er,” he heard himself saying. “You’ll be tellin’ her y’self.”
I’m a dead man,” Sam said, his hand dropping back to the floor. “Leave me. Save yourself. And save Vicki.”
They’re coming in,” Chris said in a stage whisper.
Dylan rose, glancing at Sam as his eyes closed once more before rushing into the open hallway. “Which door?”
Chris pointed.
Then take these stairs. We’ll go out the side door. We’ve got to get to the girls.”
Chris glimpsed into Sam’s office, where his body lay still, before giving Dylan a fleeting look. Nodding, he rushed to the top of the stairs, Dylan on his heels.
Dylan had taken one step downward before he froze. In a fraction of a second, he hurled around and dashed back to Sam’s office. Sliding one arm under his knees and the other under his torso, he lifted the man in his arms and carried him to the stairs. Glancing down as he descended, he was met with Sam’s open eyes, questioning and baffled. “I’ll not be leavin’ you,” Dylan said simply.





Friday, November 23, 2012

Chatting with #Author B.L. Brown & #Giveaway ($100 Cash & more..)



Today I'm pleased to introduce you to author, B.L. Brown. B.L. is on tour now with her books, Halo-Orangees, Employer-Employee, "One Accord" Volume 1. One Body, One Mind, One Team at the Virtual Book Tour Cafe'. B.L. is chatting today about her book, and is also offering you a chance to win one of 3 great prizes. Enter using the Rafflecopter below.

Welcome to Mass Musings B.L. Brown! Let's chat...


MM: Many authors relate their characters to people they know. Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?
Halo-Orangees employer-employee “one accord” Volume I One Mind, One Body, One Team chapters contain real life on the job experiences of people I have some form of association with. As you journey through this book, you will experience a multiplicity of real life work encounters by characters such as Suzy T. Harassed and Joanna M. Miserable. I can certainly see myself in the character Employee Strong.

MM: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
Employee Strong is undeniably my favorite character in Halo-Orangees’ employer-employee “one accord” Volume I One Mind, One Body, One Team book. Employee Strong demonstrates unbelievable courage and strength.

MM: Who is your most favorite character from any book of all time?
Charlotte in the book Charlotte’s Web is my most favorite book character of all time.

MM: If you could dive into the pages of any book, which book would it be and what character would you be?
Charlotte’s Web is a book I would love to dive into taking the role of Charlotte.

MM: If your book was to become a movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?
Halo-Orangees’ employer-employee “one accord” Volume I One Mind, One Body, One Team movie cast would include:

Jada Pinkett Smith -Role of Employee Strong
Mo'Nique -Role of Ms. New
Angela Basket -Role of Chelsea Courage
Julie Roberts -Role of Suzy T. Harassed
Sheryl Underwood-Role of Coffee Pot Manager
Kathy Bates - Role of Joanna M. Miserable
Ellen Degeneres-Role of Cherrellee GoLucky
Kristen Stewart - Role of Receptionist
Kerry Washington- Role of Joyce Streetlight
Kevin Hart-Role of Melvin Booker
Steve Harvey- Role of Edward Jones
Danny Devito - Role of Mike Small
Denzel Washington - Role of Tommie Joe

This all-star lineup of actors/actresses would be great for the characters in the real life experiences in Halo-Orangees’ book. A talented cast of such as this would make the movie an instant box office hit. Tickets would sell out before the movie release date. Halo-Orangees’ employer-employee “one accord” Volume I One Mind, One Body, One Team confronts the real-life workplace issues occurring in organizations world-wide (negativity, drama, power struggles, backstabbing, friend-family hiring, and endless gossip). There are many relatable real life characters in this book such as, Tammy Poor Leadership, Joanna M. Miserable, and Coffee Pot Manager. Names, dates, places, and incidents in this book have been changed or omitted for a variety of reasons. I will leave it up to you, the reader, to realize what is what, who is who, and where is where.

MM: What can we expect from Author B.L. Brown in the future? Any new projects?
I am in the process of completing Halo-Orangees’ employer-employee “one accord” Volume II One Mind, One Body, One Team. I am currently developing Halo-Orangees international online job board and training programs (www.halo-orangeesjobs.com).

Visit Halo-Orangees international online job board/website at http://www.halo-orangeesjobs.com. Jobseekers can create an account, post resumes, and apply for jobs free. Halo-Orangees international job board delivers candidates on time and under budget. Employers can post jobs and search resume database. Halo-Orangees resume database is searched daily by numerous organizations for qualified applicants to meet their organizational needs. Therefore, if you do not see a position in which you qualify at the time of your search, it is to your advantage to continue the process and upload your resume. Opportunities are available through the resume database component of Halo-Orangees website http://www.halo-orangeesjobs.com.

Visit Halo-Orangees/h-connect online dating website at http://www.h-connect.net. The h-connect.net brand is empowering, motivating singles to find their best friend in love. Halo-Orangees/h-connect is the first online dating website reinvesting back into it members community through monthly cash giveaway.

MM: Where can readers connect with you?
My Website:
Book Purchase Link Amazon-http://www.amazon.com/dp/1432747584
Dating Website- http://www.h-connect.net
Social Media Sites:
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Goodreads

Is your book in Print, ebook or both? Both

Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure.

B.L. Brown is the CEO and Founder of Halo-Orangees', international online job board (halo-orangeesjobs.com). Halo-Orangees’ international job board delivers candidates on time and under budget. Employers can post jobs and search resume database. Jobseekers can post resumes and search jobs for free. The genesis of Halo-Orangees Brand: Helping Advocate Longevity of Organizations by Obtaining Objectives through Redefining Above-Board New Generational Guidelines for Employer Employee Standards was inspired, developed, and birthed from her reaction to an unethical manager with whom she had the pleasure of working for and whose style of supervision made her stronger.
In a one-on-one meeting with this executive director, he made the statement that another employee, who held the same title as B.L. Brown, was better than she was. In response, B.L. Brown informed him that this employee was not better than her nor was she better than the employee. From that one statement, she instantly realized her true purpose in life. "Best negative words spoken into my life thus far" (Excerpt~ B.L. Brown). Reckoning her experience with a newfound belief, the foundation of Halo-Orangees emerged.
In 2012 Author B.L. Brown launched Halo-Orangees/h-connect brand, international online dating website h-connect.net. The h-connect.net brand is empowering, motivating singles to find their best friend in love.

Progress can also be followed via social media:





Book Genre: BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Angels & Spirit Guides / Business & Economics
Publisher: Outskirts PressRelease Date: August 18, 2011

Is your work environment infected with the dysfunctional "I" and ME" Team Virus? "I" and "Me" are the driving forces behind dysfunctional organizational employer-employee relationships.

This book embodies the message that all human beings have a purpose and can rise above any situation or circumstance as long as they remain ethically true to themselves.

As you journey through this book, you will experience a multiplicity of real life work encounters such as, "A manager espoused her opinion that lower-paid employees should serve higher-paid employees". In this encounter, the manager also stated, "higher-salaried staff members are not paid to clean coffee pots" 
(Excerpt~ B.L. Brown). 

Halo-Orangees book is a movement with encouraging straightforwardness; Author B.L. Brown confronts real-life workplace issues occurring in organizations world-wide (negativity, drama, power struggles, backstabbing, and endless gossip). The Introduction is entitled, "Don't Allow Anyone to Confine You to a Box, Disabling Your Growth".

Halo-Orangees is a nonexclusive on the job survival manual, mindset enhancer, and stress reliever for both employers and employees. This book will change your life both personally and professionally.

Don’t ever allow anyone to attack your self-esteem, kill your passion, or tell you that someone else is more worthy than you” (Excerpt ~B.L. Brown).

You are the only one who defines you, so don’t ever allow anyone to tell you who you are, or that you are not good enough” (Excerpt ~B.L. Brown).




Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Virtual Book Tour Cafe' Interview with Michael Meyer - Covert Dreams



Allow me to introduce you to author, Michael Meyer. Michael is currently on tour with his novel, Covert Dreams at the Virtual Book Tour Cafe'. I've had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Meyer and I hope you enjoy the interview.

Welcome Michael.

MM:  Many authors relate their characters to people they know.  Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them? 
Yes, I know that bits and pieces of myself have found a home in my characters. My sisters tell me that they can see me at times as they read my work. For instance, the caring that B.J. demonstrates to his distraught wife, who is afraid of losing her husband, reminds me of me. Stan’s tenacity at not giving up in his search for his missing wife, no matter how difficult the circumstance, reminds me of me.
   
MM:  Who is your favorite character in your book and why? 
Stan Halsey, newly arrived in Saudi Arabia, is on a life or death mission. His wife has disappeared. She is out there somewhere in the burning sands of Arabia, frightened to death, in a new country for the first time, and in a country where she knows that a segment of the population targets Americans, infidels one and all.  And she’s been out there for over twenty-four hours now, missing under mysterious conditions, but nobody believes him. In fact, nobody, not the American authorities nor the Saudi government officials think that she is real. There is simply no evidence of her very existence anywhere. But Stan Halsey is a determined man, a guy who simply cannot be derailed from his valiant efforts to locate his wife, to discover what is going on. He is tenacious, like a pit bull, allowing no one and no thing to get in his way. He simply is a man who will not be stopped until he locates his wife. No obstacle is too much for him to overcome. He will do whatever it takes to find her and to solve the mystery of why her very existence is being questioned by everyone around him.

MM:  Who is your most favorite character from any book of all time?
I have been such an avid reader my entire life, and I have such eclectic tastes in reading, that this is an extremely difficult question for me to answer. If pinned down, though, I would say that Rosie, one of the main characters in my Caribbean murder mystery, DEADLY EYES, would surely be there right at the top of my list. Why? Because I simply fell in love with her. She is feisty, sexy, quick-witted, and very independent.

MM:  If you could dive into the pages of any book, which book would it be and what character would you be?
I would love to be Doc in John Steinbeck’s CANNERY ROW. He was such an interesting character, genial, caring, and always curious about the world around him.

MM:  If your book was to become a movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?
I feel that Kevin Costner would make a great B.J., Harrison Ford would be fantastic as Stan Halsey, and Julia Roberts would be the perfect Dabbie Hodson. I only wish I had the power to make all of this come true.

MM:  What can we expect from Michael Meyer in the future? Any new projects? 
I hope to write until I die. I love to create plots and characters. I love language, stringing words together to create different moods. I am currently working on something quite different from anything that I have ever written before. It is a memoir of my journey from grieving widower to the once-again happily married man I am today. It is entitled THE THREE KITTIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE, dedicated to my rescued stay cat, my inspirational three-legged cat, and my wonderful new wife, Kitty.
  
MM:  Where can readers connect with you?






Pinterest writing site: http://pinterest.com/temmike/#
  
Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure.


Author bio:

I have resided in and have visited many places in the world, all of which have contributed in some way to my own published writing. I have literally traveled throughout the world, on numerous occasions. I have lived in Finland, Germany, Thailand, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Saudi Arabia, where COVERT DREAMS is set. I gained the wanderlust to see the world, to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left me. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as I have aged. I try to travel internationally at least once a year. In the interim, I spend lots of time traveling around both my home state of California and other nearby states.
            I spent my early years in the small town of Lone Pine, California, the home of almost every western movie, in addition to a wide variety of other genres, made in the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. In fact, Hollywood still films parts of big-time movies there today. My dad, the town’s lifeguard at the time, personally knew John Wayne, Lloyd Bridges, and Lee Marvin, all of whom came to the town’s pool, the Memorial Plunge, at times to cool off after a hectic day of working in the sun. I was even an extra in a movie filmed there in 1957, MONOLITH MONSTERS, a B-cult favorite even today. I was ten years old at the time. Even though I resided in a small town hours from the big city, I was exposed to the excitement of action and heroes at a formative age, and, thus, my interest in writing novels of suspense such as COVERT DREAMS was born.
            As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, I now live in Southern California wine country with my wife, Kitty, and our two other cats. 
  
Author Links:


Genre: Suspense/thriller/mystery


Imagine waking up remembering intimate details about a country in which you have never traveled and fluently speaking a language that you have never spoken. B.J. is living the ideal life. He has a great wife, a wonderful job. And yet he is experiencing life-like vivid dreams of Munich, a city he has never visited.

Stan Halsey is a professor in Saudi Arabia, who sends for his wife to join him. She arrives, and, in the blink of an eye, she vanishes, leaving no trace of ever being alive in either the United States or in Saudi Arabia.

COVERT DREAMS is a fast-paced international suspense thriller that moves from Munich to the burning sands of Saudi Arabia. What is real, and who is responsible for the terrifying nightmare?

Excerpt:

The Munich all around her was bustling with activity. She could hear it from all directions. Munich was a wonderful city, a fun-loving place, the live and let live ebullience of the city emanating from its every nook and cranny. She had had a lovely stay here. All of it had been so adventurous, so new, so unlike life back home in Arizona. She could vividly recall the first time she had ventured into a Munich beer garden, where the liter mugs had been so huge that she had had to lift hers with both hands, and the giggles, from him, until he too had had to use both hands.

The fumbling noises he had been making came to an abrupt halt. He began stroking her cheek again. Gus looked so happy, so young, so full of life. It was so hard to imagine that he could be so heavily involved in all this horror.

Gus smiled at her once more. His eyes were soft, so gentle, so caring, so loving.

Maybe this was some kind of huge mistake. Maybe he wasn't going to kill her after all. Maybe everything would turn out happily ever after. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

But then suddenly she saw it clearly. It was no fairy tale. There would be no maybe. This was real, as real as the mixture of sadness and fear that now flooded her brain.

And then she died, with her eyes wide open, challenging, piercing his to the end.


BOOK PURCHASE LINK: Amazon




Monday, November 19, 2012

Virtual Book Tour & #Giveaway with Larry Ivkovich - The Sixth Precept




I'm so very pleased to introduce you to author, Larry Ivkovich, currently on tour with his book, The Sixth Precept at Virtual Book Tour Cafe'. Larry is giving you a chance to win one of twelve signed paperbacks at the end of his tour, so be sure to enter via Rafflecopter below.

Welcome to Mass Musings Larry!
  
MM:  Many authors relate their characters to people they know.  Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?

Yes. In THE SIXTH PRECEPT, there are aspects of my personality in both of my two protagonists—Kim Yoshima and Wayne Brewster. I’ve imbued Kim with certain philosophies that I try to live my life by such as trying to make a difference in the world and respect and tolerance for my fellow human beings. With Wayne, it’s a little different—my love for comic books and the influence they’ve had in my writing are all over him. Batman was my favorite super-hero growing up so the name, Wayne Brewster, is a takeoff on Bruce Wayne and ArcNight is the Dark Knight.


MM:  Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

I’d have to say Kim Yoshima. I actually wrote four short stories featuring her well before I was inspired to write the novel (Two of those stories have been published—“Time Noir” in M-Brane SF and “A Concerned Citizen” by IFWG Publishing). I’ve kept coming back to her because she’s strong-willed yet compassionate and can kick butt! She’s also very intelligent and is not afraid to put herself in the line of fire for her colleagues, friends and family. And did I mention she can kick butt?


MM:  Who is your most favorite character from any book of all time?

Wow. That’s a good question. I guess I’d have to say Molly Millions from William Gibson’s “Johnny Mnemonic,” NEUROMANCER and MONA LISA OVERDRIVE. At the time (early ‘80s), she was very unique and flashy, to say the least. The idea of her being a “street samurai,” having mirror shades surgically attached over her eyes and thin claw-like razors extending from her fingertips was something I’d never seen in a character before. Plus, I think Gibson had a liking for her as well, having featured her in two novels and a short story. Too bad he wasn’t able to write her into his script for the movie version of “Johnny Mnemonic” because of some copyright issues.


MM:  If you could dive into the pages of any book, which book would it be and what character would you be?

It would be my favorite science fiction book, HYPERION, by Dan Simmons. Of all the characters in this futuristic CANTERBURY TALES, I’d love to be the Templar pilot, Het Masteen , captain of the Treeship Yggdrasill. The treeships are such a great concept and to be able to fly around the universe in a living starship powered by the force field of the alien erg would be so cool! What an imaginative idea!


MM:  If your book was to become a movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?

Lucy Liu as Kim. Not only is she a terrific actress and absolutely gorgeous but she’s about the right age (early to mid-forties) and can handle action scenes extremely well.
Robert Downey, Jr. as Wayne Brewster. Though a little older than I envision Brewster (very late thirties), Downey’s got the requisite attitude and action chops for the role. I think he’d make the character shine.


MM:  What can we expect from Larry Ivkovich in the future? Any new projects?

My second novel, MAGUS STAR RISING, will be published by IFWG Publishing sometime next year. It’s a far future science fiction novel taking place on a “backwater rim world” and features a bunch of human and alien characters involved in all things mysterious and dark. I’m currently working on the sequel to THE SIXTH PRECEPT.


MM:  Where can readers connect with you?





Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure.

You’re welcome and thank you! It’s been a great opportunity to be on this tour.

Larry Ivkovich is an IT professional and the author of several science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories and novellas, published online and in various print publications and anthologies including M-Brane SF, Afterburn SF, Penumbra, Twisted Cat Tales, Abaculus III, Raw Terror, Triangulations, Shelter of Daylight and SQ Magazine. He has also been a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest and was the 2010 recipient of the CZP/Rannu Fund Award for fiction. His debut urban fantasy novel, THE SIXTH PRECEPT, is now available from IFWG Publishing, Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. He is a member of two local writing/critique groups, the Pittsburgh Southwrites and the Pittsburgh Worldrights, and lives in Coraopolis, PA with his wife Martha and cats Trixie and Milo. 

Website | Facebook


Genre – Urban Fantasy
Publisher – IFWG Publishing
Release Date – November, 2011
 Amazon | BarnesandNoble | IFWG Publishing


The Sixth Precept In 16th century medieval Japan, Yoshima Mitsu, who is gifted with psychic powers, uses her prescient abilities to send her young attendant, Shioko, into the future. There, Mitsu believes Shioko will be safe from the purges of the maniacal warlord Omori Kadanamora, his warrior monks and his half-human, half-bestial Shadow-Trackers. In present-day Pittsburgh, police Lieutenant Kim Yoshima is attacked by a creature out of someone’s twisted nightmare. In the aftermath of that terrifying struggle, Kim finds a young Japanese girl named Shioko, lost, confused and calling Kim “Mitsu” and her monstrous attacker a “Shadow-Tracker.” Wayne Brewster dreams of the costumed hero, ArcNight. But more than that, he feels bizarrely connected to the fictional crime fighter as if ArcNight and his comic book world are real. And in all of his dreams, Brewster sees one constant, one face repeated over and over--the face of Kim Yoshima. Empowered by a mysterious book, The Five Precepts to Enlightenment, Kim realizes her destiny is in the past. Using her own burgeoning esper powers, Kim, accompanied by Shioko and Brewster, travel by means of a temporal rift to feudal Japan. There they must assume different personas to fight Omori and creatures of Japan’s mythological world to fulfill ancient prophesy and modern historical fact. If they fail, history will be altered and the world will change forever.


EXCERPT #1 – 16TH Century Japan
The attempt on his life had been an act of desperation, he knew. The battle was lost, the opposing forces broken and scattered. Without the inspiration of Soun Ujitsuna, the Odawaran armies had been routed. Omori Kadonomaro had vanquished those foes who had defended this city as he had crushed everyone else who had ever opposed him. Even now, most of his own army and all but a few of his warrior monks were rounding up prisoners or putting to the sword any who offered even token resistance. But the assassins’ threat had been real enough, though for a different reason entirely.

He had led a small party of his warrior monks and a trio of shadow-trackers in the hunt for the shirabyoshi spoken of by Eela. He had no desire to sit and wait, to allow others to do his work for him. He had always been a man of action and the Prophecy of the One Child concerned him greatly.

Though the shadow-trackers had no real scent or clue to rely on, through the magic urging of the majo, one of them had led Omori and his men to the market district of the city. The creature’s manner was agitated yet focused; the beast appeared like something out of a traveler’s tale. Naked, it moved like a ghost, spiriting almost invisibly in and out of the smallest places as it used the shadows as cover.

Omori had never gotten used to them but the creatures did serve his purpose. Whatever magic the witch called upon to create such monsters was the warlord’s to control. At least for the moment.

And he meant to keep it that way.

Located near the lower west gates, the marketplace was the one area his attacking land forces had been able to breach. Parts of it lay in smoldering ruins; the remaining residents hiding fearfully behind closed and latched doors.

The city’s defenders had been beaten but the fear of Omori and his allies—the sohei, the witch and the shadow-trackers—still hung thickly in the air. To most of the downtrodden Odawarans, it was their worst nightmare realized.

Eela rode by the daimyo’s side. Both men’s armored horses picked their way among the scattered rubble and trash that lay strewn about the streets. “My pet seems sure the one we seek is here, Lord,” the majo said silkily. “He is the best of the three and can discern his prey with very little assistance.”

His pet. Omori frowned. Eela’s skills had extended to supervising the breeding, raising and training of the shadow-trackers, skills Omori appreciated but which gave the majo another point of power in his favor. “Just make sure your pet finds her,” Omori said distastefully. “I will stop this child once and for all.”




Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Virtual Book Tour: Chatting with #Author Shelly Frome - Twilight of the Drifter


I'm excited to introduce you to Shelly Frome, on tour now with his book, Twilight of the Drifter at the Virtual Book Tour Cafe'. Shelly and I had a chance to chat, so please grab a cup of coffee and join us while we talk about his book.

Welcome Shelly!


MM:  Many authors relate their characters to people they know.  Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?
            I guess my characters are a composite drawn from all the books I’ve read, all the plays I’ve been in, movies I’ve seen and my imagination. I am pretty sure, however, my central characters stem from a journey I need to take. But I have no other means to see it through other than coming up with a fictional odyssey supported by research, observation and personal experience.

MM:  Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
            Alice, the troubled runaway, is probably my favorite character because she’s on her own, under a great deal of pressure and impending danger, and I never really knew what she was about to say or do. In a sense, she kept surprising me and I always cared about her. In short, there was something engaging about a young character who’d been through the mill, tried to put on a cocky independent front but was very vulnerable underneath.   

MM:  Who is your most favorite character from any book of all time?
            That’s hard to say. The first character who made a real impression on me was Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. It was almost startling to come across a character who spoke directly to you, was at odds with society and pulled no punches. Perhaps the direct opposite of, say, characters in a Henry James novel who were incapable of disclosing anything directly and spent a lot of time posing and/or wondering  what other people really were up to. 

MM:  If you could dive into the pages of any book, which book would it be and what character would you be?
            I would love to be Jake Barnes, the expatriate American, in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. That is, if I could put aside his problems and come upon a scene of Parisian café life in the twenties. Just take in the atmosphere among members of the lost generation based on real people Hemingway knew, playing off one another, looking forward to the heady excitement of the Pamplona Festival in Spain.

MM:  If your book was to become a movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?
            I see Edward Norton in the lead as Josh; Daniel Day Lewis as the backwoods tracker Roy; Hailee Steinfeld as Alice; Maggie Gyllenhaal as LuAnn; a grizzled Ed Harris as Uncle Bill; and Julie Harris as the visionary Ada Mae.   
  
MM:  What can we expect from Shelly Frome in the future? Any new projects?
            I’ve just received a new contract from my publisher for my Hollywood escapade entitled Tinseltown Riff  which should be released early next year.

MM:  Where can readers connect with you?
            Facebook, Twitter @shellyfrome, Amazon and Author Central, and Linkedin


Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure!

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of mysteries, books on theater and film, and articles on the performing arts appearing in a number of periodicals in the U.S. and the U.K. He is also a film critic and a contributor to writers’ blogs. His fiction includes Lilac Moon, Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Tinseltown Riff and the trans-Atlantic cozy The Twinning Murders. Among his works of non-fiction are the acclaimed The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage.  Twilight of the Drifter, his latest novel, is a southern gothic crime-and-blues odyssey.


Genre: “A laudable crime thriller with a Southern setting”—Kirkus Reviews

Publisher:  Sunbury Press; released in January 2012


"Twilight of the Drifter" is a crime story with southern gothic overtones. It centers on thirty-something Josh Devlin, a failed journalist who, after a year of wandering, winds up in a Kentucky homeless shelter on a wintry December. Soon after the opening setup, the crosscurrents go into motion as Josh comes upon a runaway named Alice holed up in an abandoned boxcar. Taken with her plight and dejected over his own squandered life, he spirits her back to Memphis and his uncle's Blues Hall Cafe. From there he tries to get back on his feet while seeking a solution to Alice's troubles. As the story unfolds, a Delta bluesman's checkered past comes into play and, inevitably, Josh finds himself on a collision course with a backwoods tracker fixated on the Civil War and, by extension, the machinations of the governor-elect of Mississippi. In a sense, this tale hinges on the vagaries of chance and human nature. At the same time, an underlying force appears to be driving the action as though seeking the truth and long awaited redemption. Or, to put it another way, past sins have finally come due in the present..


Excerpt:

Wolf Creek was silent again, shrouded and hidden away in the fading early December light.  
            Then the cracking sound of wood as the old hunter’s blind gave way somewhere in the near distance, a sudden scream and a muffled thud. The cracking sound was not nearly as sharp as the first gunshot or the second, the scream not at all as piercing as the first cry or as grating as the moans that followed and faded.
            The coonhound took off immediately, ignoring the touch of frost in the creek water, the obstacle course of fallen tree limbs and bare forked branches, the muddy slope and the snare and tangle of vines and whip-like saplings. Within seconds, the hound was bounding higher until he came upon a prone scrawny figure totally unlike the one that had just fallen on the opposite bank.    
            Sniffing around, barking and howling, the hound snapped at the flimsy jacket and bit into it.  As the scrawny little figure began to stir, he tore into the sleeve, ripping it to shreds and barked and howled again, turning back for instructions. The sight of the skinny flailing arms sent the coonhound back on its haunches—half guarding, half confused as it turned around yet again, looking down the slope to the creek bed, still waiting for a signal.
            Presently, a tall, rangy man made his way across the same obstacle course, long-handled shovel in hand. But he was only in time to catch sight of a girl clutching her head, staggering away from the scene through the tangles and deepening shadows. Then again, it could’ve been a boy for all he knew, but he settled on a girl, a flat-chested tomboy, more like. Casting his gaze up to the snapped rungs of the tree-ladder, he spotted the broken edge of the rotting hunters blind some eight feet above where she could’ve seen everything.
            The coonhound began circling around him, displaying the shards of material dangling from his jaw.  Instinctively, the man rushed forward. Then he thought better of it as his overalls got snagged in the brambles. From the look of things, the girl was probably dazed and confused and wouldn’t get as far as the dirt drive, if that.
            Wrong guess. The slam of a hood as the flat-bed’s worn V-8 motor fired-up, the grinding of gears and the familiar whine and squeal of tires signaled the tomboy was away and well out of reach.

Follow The Tour:

November 11 - Introduction at VBT Cafe' Blog
November 13 - Interviewed at Mass Musings
November 15 - Author Interviewed at Thrice The Mischief, 3 Times The Love
November 20 - Guest Blogging at BK Walker Books Etc.
November 25 - Interviewed at BK Walker's Blog
November 29 - Interviewed at Where Fantasy Meets Reality
December 3 - Book Feature & Excerpt at The Writing World
December 5 - Guest Blogging at AZ Publishing Services
December 7 - Reviewed at Bookalicious Travel Addict
December 10 - Guest Blogging at Marketing Cafe'
December 12 - Guest Blogging at Lori's Reading Corner
December 14 - Book Feature & Excerpt at The Official Blog-Zine of Terra Little
December 17 - Guest Blogging at Wise Words
December 18 - Interviewed at MK McClintock's Blog
December 19 - Guest Blogging at My World
December 21 - Guest Blogging at My Life...One Story At A Time
December 26 - Guest Blogging at Cindy Vine's Blog
December 28 - Book Feature & Excerpt at The Stuff Of Success
January 2 - Book Feature & Excerpt at Books, Books, The Magical Fruit
January 4 - Interviewed at From The Mind Of Omegia
January 8 - Review & Guest Blogging at A Book Lover's Library
January 10 - Reviewed at Kaisy Daisy's Corner
January 12 - Book Feature & Excerpt at Mom With A Kindle
January 14 - Review & Interview at Central Bargains and Giveaways
January 16 - Book Feature & Excerpt at The Stuff of Success
January 18 - Review & Guest Blogging at 5 Girls Book Reviews





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