Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 249

#Review: EDEN FOREST by Alofe Marie Sheriden

  4 of 5 stars
Sarajane Anderson is a normal twenty-one-year-old young woman, that is, until her mother mysteriously disappears. There are no clues, no ranson notes, no body, nothing to go on. Both her younger sister Jessica and father John muddle through their days. Nothing is the same without Marta. When Sarajane is also kidnapped and brought through a wall of fire to the land of Saskia the parallel to Earth, she must face some truths that she'd rather not know - who she really is, who her parents are and what exactly does magic have to do with her?

This was an intriguing tale although there was too much of an information dump in the prologue. I know that I passed over a lot of it and only after I finished the story and went back to the beginning did I realize how much I had missed by not reading it more closely. The author does a very good job of fleshing out the characters, but they are either good or evil. There seems to be no gray areas among them and that seemed a little too rigid. I love to see characters conflicted especially when faced with harsh choices. The transitions between Saskia and Earth flow well and most of the story is told in Sarajane's POV. While I understand that this is a trilogy, I would have liked to have learned more about Sarajane and her affinities in Saskia. One minute she's letting others protect her, the next she's doing magic herself. The ending of the book seemed a little rushed and I would have preferred to have a little more conclusion for Sarajane in this first book. I would have also liked to have seen more of Tristan, her hunky guardian. Overall, this is a very enjoyable book and I would recommend it to both the YA and adult fantasy fan.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. 


Book & Author details:Eden Forest by Aoife Marie Sheridan
(Saskia Trilogy #1)
Publication date: September 28th 2012
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:Sarajane Anderson is your regular twenty one year old. With family, friends and a normal job. She also happens to be the only person who can save Saskia, a world parallel to earth.

When Sarajane is taken to Saskia, she could never have imagined the reality of the world she steps into, a world where magical abilities are in everyone’s possession.

She must face a father she never knew, a world that is beyond her belief. A guardian who captures her heart, and a darkness that wants to take it.
On this journey Sarajane discovers her magical abilities and realizes they come with a price. Sarajane is truly tested, as her loved ones are put at risk. The question she must ask herself is, how do you choose who lives and who dies?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17087721-eden-forest?ac=1
Purchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1908417498/ref=twoen-20
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eden-forest-miss-aoife-marie-sheridan/1113848691?ean=2940016175959
AUTHOR BIO:Aoife Marie Sheridan has loved reading from a very young age, starting off with mills and boon’s books, given to by her grandmother her love for romances grew, by the age of 14 she had read hundreds of them.

Aoife had a passion for writing poetry or in her eyes her journal entries. It was something she did throughout her teens and into her twenties. Aoife won first place for two of her poems and had them published at a young age of just nineteen. Realising she needed to get a real job (What writing isn’t) she studied accountancy and qualified working in that field for many years, until her passion for reading returned and she found Maria V Snyder. Poison study one of her favourite books has been read and re-read countless times.

Aoife’s first book Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) came to be after a dream of a man and woman on a black horse jumping through a wall of fire and the idea of Saskia was born. Now with her first novel published and taking first place for Eden Forest with Writers Got Talent 2013, Aoife continues to write tales of fantasy and is currently working on her third book for the Saskia Trilogy amongst other new works.
LINKS:http://www.aoifemariesheridan.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551996.Aoife_Marie_Sheridanhttps://www.facebook.com/Aoifemariesherihttps://twitter.com/aoifesheri
Giveaways: 
Tour wide giveaway Open internationally: 
2 eBooks of Eden forest (part one of the saskia trilogy) and 
2 e books of city of secrets (part two of the saskia trilogy)

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Review: PEACEFUL GENOCIDE BY JA Reynolds

3 of 5 stars
Mitzi is not happy to be in another study to test her memory. She's not like other people, she's gifted and remembers everything, every detail, every place, every conversation from her entire life. When she meets 3 other kids in this newest study, fellow teenager Deuce and younger kids, Ralph and Paisley, she's determined to stay as far away from them as possible. However, the study stresses team work and the physical demands the researchers put them through makes it impossible to complete the tasks alone. Because Mitzi has a bad attitude, none of the other kids believe her when she starts to realize that something is very wrong with this study. What happens next is shocking.

This story starts out very well. The author does a good job of characterizing Mitzi as an angry embittered teenager who because of her bad attitude has a hard time connecting and trusting others. As her back story is slowly revealed, the reader begins to understand why Mitzi acts the way she does. Deuce is the typical high school football star who works hard, achieves his goals and expects to do great things with his life. He's exactly the kind of person that Mitzi wants nothing to do with. This is related very well throughout the story and was refreshing to see that it was not the typical depiction of a boy/girl relationship. Ralph and Paisley have their own skills, but they're secondary characters in this inventive story. A few criticisms - I had figured out the plot about 1/2 way through the book and the last third of the book was riddled with typos and missing/wrong words. The story also ends on a major cliffhanger which I'm not a fan of and I'm afraid that I'm not intrigued enough with Mitzi and Deuce to buy the next book. 

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. 


Book & Author details:Peaceful Genocide by J.A. Reynolds
Publication date: November 25th 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Synopsis:Seventeen-year-old Mitzi and Deuce can recall how many drops of water were on a leaf from a rainstorm five years ago and conversations from last week, month, or year. They have the ability to remember every second of everyday—since birth.

This gift has blessed Mitzi with a history of being sexually assaulted by researchers and abused by her own parents. She trusts no one. Likes no one. Deuce, however, is a high school standout. His gift has made him a superstar on the football field and his memory promises him endless opportunities.

When they both end up at an Alzheimer’s research facility under false proviso, they quickly realize this place isn’t what it seems to be. They endure crazy military-style tests, are forcefully drugged, and complete real-life simulations that haunt them. Mitzi and Deuce have no idea what the researchers want to do with them or their memories. But one thing is clear: the researchers will go to any lengths to get what they want.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18499632-peaceful-genocide?ac=1
Purchase:--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Peaceful-Genocide-J-Reynolds-ebook/dp/B00GA9JBCI/ref=twoen-20
AUTHOR BIO:
JA Reynolds lives in the Midwest with a normal family, raising a normal daughter, with some abnormal pets. It’s extraordinarily ordinary.

Author Links:
Blog:  http://www.jareynoldsbooks.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaauthor
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/JA-Reynolds/430107783757165?ref=hl
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18499632-peaceful-genocide
Giveaway:
Tour wide giveaway Prizes - open to US and Canada: 
-A Kindle Fire and 
10 signed copies 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Ten Inspirations for My Characters by JA Reynolds

 

1. Family. Let’s face it, everyone has a crazy person in their family they want to write about. Or a normal person they want the world to see. My book, Stolen Horse Dreams, as envisioned and requested written by my daughter, has a main character who is very much like her.
2. Those scary people in your memory. Doctors with pointy objects. The school principal. All those formidable people who are intimidating and creepy. They always have a place in my books. A good example would be Ikea, one of the characters in Peaceful Genocide. She’s not a main character, but I bet you’ll remember her!
3. Those random people you see every day. Like the elderly man in the grocery store by himself. Or the teenager screaming at their friend on the street. And that woman in the vet’s office talking to her dog.
4. Speaking of dogs. PETS! Animals are instinctual and they are very perceptive. If you watch them long enough, and close enough, you can get a good idea of “who” they are, and create a character after them. And I’m not just talking about dogs here. There are horses, pigs, mice, deer, fish, bears, birds, you name it. Watch and learn and create!
5. Personal experiences. Big things happen, small things happen and all those things can be twisted into a story. If you have family and friends, the same can be applied to them.
6. Seeing a random act, anywhere at any time. Seriously. I’ll be sitting somewhere (anywhere) and see something or hear something and then BAMN, a story wraps itself inside my head. It only takes a sentence or a look from someone and the story forms in my mind.
7. People giving me suggestions. “Hey, you should write about this.” I get that a lot. Sometimes I take the suggestions and sometimes I don’t. And some people (like family) are more persistent. It’s easy for me to take a very small part of something and turn it into something much bigger.
8. Uh, I’ve run out of things.  So, how about for the last two, I give you random facts about me! Okay, so here goes:
·       I’m terrified of heights, flying, sharks (and therefore the ocean), and tornadoes. It’s a short list, but just thinking about these things gives me panic attacks. ·       I’ve lived in the same town all my life and dream of living somewhere else.

#Excerpt: REMEMBER OUR SONG by Emma South

  Excerpt:...I felt his hands begin to pull away and I quickly raised my own to cover his, keeping them firmly planted on my cheeks as I raised myself up on to the tips of my toes and kissed him.  Jeremy hardly moved for a moment, as if he’d forgotten how to kiss, but then returned it with growing confidence until we had to break it off to catch our breath.
We stared at each other, my heart beating so hard I thought for sure he would hear it.  All the protests inside my mind were washed away by the more immediate desires of my body, the usually strongly asserted points washed away by the events of the day, a perfect day as Jeremy had said.
Jeremy leaned down again, one hand leaving my face to slide down my back and pull me against him, the other moving to the back of my head and his fingers running through my hair.  I felt him against the entire length of my body, held tight like he was never going to let go, his heat driving away any lingering chills the cold air had caused...
Blitz-wide giveaway Prizes - open INTL 
Amazon gift cards:
1st prize as $50, 2nd as $15 and 3rd as $10

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Interview with Lilas Taha, author of SHADOWS OF DAMASCUS

1.     What part of the writing process do you dread?Spelling out the words. I’m terrible at spelling, and when I jot down a scene or a thought, I rush to get it out. When I look back at the computer screen, I see lots of underlined red words that are sometimes indistinguishable. Thank God for my son. Without his editing, you would likely have difficulty reading this. That’s the technical part. The creative part is less daunting. Getting to the end of a story is troublesome for me. Since I don’t work from a set plotline ahead of time, I don’t have specific ideas on what the next chapter is going to be, so reaching the end of a story is a dynamic process. And when I finally do, I dread starting over to refine and fine tune the sequence of events that lead to the end.
2.     Where do you get your best ideas?I depend on my dreams a lot. And I seem to remember many details about my dreams. I included a couple in my book, Shadows of Damascus, with slight variations. I also like to draw on children’s undiluted perceptions of the world.
3.     What do you do to relax?Take long walks outdoors.
4.     If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?Hummus and pita bread, a spread of olives and stuffed pastries for appetizers. For the main course, Barbeque lamb kabobs and chicken, and maybe stuffed grape leaves if I had three spare hours the day before to prepare them. For dessert? I would probably buy a red velvet cake and serve it with fruit salad. I’m not good with desserts. Book BLURB:Debt. Honor. Pain. Solitude. These are things wounded war veteran Adam Wegener knows all about. Love—now, that he is not good at. Not when love equals a closed fist, burns, and suicide attempts. But Adam is one who keeps his word. He owes the man who saved his life in Iraq. And he doesn’t question the measure of the debt, even when it is in the form of an emotionally distant, beautiful woman.
Yasmeen agreed to become the wife of an American veteran so she could flee persecution in war-torn Syria. She counted on being in the United States for a short stay until she could return home. There was one thing she did not count on: wanting more.
Is it too late for Adam and Yasmeen?Buy link:
Buy Link Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Damascus-Lilas-Taha-ebook/dp/B00HUZUG8Y


AUTHOR Bio and Links:Lilas Taha is a writer at heart, an electrical engineer by training, and an advocate for domestic abuse victims by choice. She was born in Kuwait to a Syrian mother and a Palestinian father, and immigrated to the U.S. as a result of the Gulf war in 1990. She earned a master’s degree in Human Factors Engineering from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. There, Lilas met her beloved husband and true friend, and moved with him to Sugar Land, Texas to establish a family. She is the proud mother of a daughter and a son. Instead of working in an industrial field, she applied herself to the field of social safety, working with victims of domestic violence.Pursuing her true passion for creative writing, Lilas brings her professional interests, and her Middle Eastern background together in her debut fictional novel, Shadows of Damascus.
Website: www.lilastaha.comAuthor Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/LilasTahaAuthorBlog: http://lilastaha.blogspot.comTwitter: Follow @LilasTaha https://twitter.com/LilasTahaLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lilastahaEmail: info@lilastaha.comGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Lilas_TahaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadows-of-Damascus/577132239031259
Follow the tour:http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/12/virtual-book-tour-shadows-of-damascus.html 
Prizes for the tour are as follows: • One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.  • Two randomly chosen hosts will each receive a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. 
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

#Review: THE COUNTESS CONSPIRACY by Courtney Milan

4 of 5 stars
I enjoy Ms. Milan's writing. Her characters are colorful, interesting and do unexpected things. The plot twists are always surprising. In the Countess Conspiracy, I couldn't quite connect with Violet Waterfield, the heroine of the story. There was so much bitterness at every turn that it got old. I understood exactly what the author was trying to do, but all of that internal "I'm not good enough," "I'm not worthy" began to grate on me. Sebastian Malheur, on the other hand, was such an infectious character. He was charming, likeable and vulnerable - everything that a hero should be. 

What I did appreciate was the scientific storyline - how women felt they needed to hide their intelligence from the men in their lives. I cannot imagine how that would feel not to be able to express your opinion on anything besides strictly "women's" safe topics. Ms. Milan did an excellent job of explaining the hardships women of the era faced and this is what kept my interest in the story. Plus, of course, I wanted to know what happened with Sebastian.

While this wasn't my favorite book by this author, I still enjoyed it and would definitely recommend the other novels in "The Brothers Sinister" series.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Interview with Cristin Harber

Caterina Cruz has no home. No loyalties. No objection to exacting torturous revenge. Her life’s mission is to destroy the terrorist who murdered her family. Then she steps into an elaborate game of charades alongside a Titan Group operative posing as an arms dealer—and her newlywed husband. The sexy distraction may be more than she can handle. Attacked with a psychedelic drug weeks before, Rocco Savage is plagued with hallucinations that threaten his new rank as Titan’s second-in-command. No one knows and he wants to keep it that way.

Throwing him further off his game, he now has a wife with her own secrets he can’t crack and an agenda he can’t control. Their mission—an elaborate deception of heated glances and passionate kisses—spins out of control. With Rocco's mind already compromised, can he keep his secret and his distance? And with Caterina's tragic past controlling her every move, can she keep the con up long enough to secure her revenge? Or will both go down in flames?  
*************
Goodreads
Buy links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ILWA6WG/ref=twoen-20
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/savage-secrets
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/savage-secrets-cristin-harber/1118732064?ean=2940148329961
Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?Savage Secrets is the 6th title in the Titan series though each book can be read as a standalone. Rocco Savage and Caterina Cruz partner to take down a terrorist, but each have their own reasons for wanting to succeed. Rocco needs to prove that he was the right choice for a promotion within Titan. Caterina needs to avenge her family’s massacre. Both have internal demons that bring them to the point of disaster.
Do you have a favorite character?I’ve loved Cash Garrison in every book. But, I have to admit, that Rocco Savage has stolen my heart. It surprised me. I love all my characters, hero, heroine, and secondary, but Cash has always had a special place for some reason. But Cash being Cash has graciously stepped aside to let his buddy rock out the top spot. So, I adore Rocco for no other reason than Roc loves Cat in a deep, intense way, flaws and all.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?Brock was always supposed to be a minor character. But then he went and did something crazy in book #3, Westin’s Chase. I had to write his novella. It’s called Gambled. And I still get tons of emails about him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he keeps showing up in a major way as the series progresses. But then again, IDK. Brock’s always pulling fast ones on me.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?I like the control aspect. Before I decided to publish, I was waiting for others, on their schedules. When someone left a job, I was left dangling. When someone went on vacation, my career was put on hold. It didn’t work for me. Then I started to study the industry and watch some good friends with bad deals. It made my heart hurt for them. So while I was mulling all these things over, I went to the RWA conference, took the self-publishing track and it rocked my world. I highly suggest buying and listening to the recordings. They aren’t cheap, but I attribute much of my success to strategies and tactics I picked up in those workshops.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?Ha. I’d love to outline. I’ve tried. But it turns into a joke. I’m an absolute fly by the seat of my pants pantser. I tried an outline (again) recently. It literally read: birthday party, pool scene, love, sex, dark moment. That’s not an outline. That’s a shopping list of plot points.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?Yes, I hire an editorial team. I’ve learned a lot since the first book was edited. But now, I’m most comfortable with a process of crit partners, beta readers, an editor and a proofreader.
What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?Smile and ignore the one star reviews. I’d say don’t read any of them, but really? Who’s going to do that when you first start? My favorite one star review bashes one of my favorite sentences EVER. So it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
Also, don’t forget this is a business. Write content. Don’t shy away from advertising. But don’t spend money you don’t have with a survival plan.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBook, Google Play, and All Romance
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?Yes, it’s easy to fall into the easy trap of FB and twitter. Character interviews and take overs are time consuming. They have their benefits, but moderation is key. Leading up to the Savage Secrets release, the only writing I’ve done is promo. I love it and it is worth it, but it certainly doesn’t write the next book.
What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?Know your business, understand the industry. It’s hard to stay afloat on every topic, all the time, but it’s worth your time to know what’s happening out there. Also, forget about marketing and social media. The return on your investment of time isn’t worth it unless you have three or more books to sell. Instead, write. Write, write, write. Content is king. But, make sure the content is well-structured and well-edited.
What’s next for you?Sweet Girl is the prequel to Garrison’s Creed. Then after that I’m writing Roman and Parker’s books. 

Book Tour Blast: FATHOMS OF FORGIVENESS by Nadia Scrieva

Book Blurb:
Meet the brave and fearless Visola; a woman unlike any you've ever encountered. Her wit and humor take her through the darkest of dangers with a smile always on her face --a nd her smile only grows larger as the odds become more impossible. With no concern for her own safety, Visola dives headfirst into the throes of battle to protect the people and country she loves, even if it means facing her worst enemy--the one man who can get inside her head and break her down like no other: her own husband...        

There is no divorce in the undersea kingdom of Adlivun. Marriage is a bond that lasts until death--even if death comes in several centuries, and your spouse happens to become a ruthless, vicious adversary. This is the conflict that General Visola Ramaris faces when she learns that the mighty Vachlan is behind the attacks on her kingdom. She has sworn to protect Adlivun with her life, but long ago, she also swore to love and honor her husband...

Visola must choose whether she will destroy Vachlan once and for all, or attempt the hardest thing conceivable: communication. After two hundred years of desertion, she knows she can never forgive him. When he threatens the person dearest to her, she must take action. Confronting Vachlan on enemy territory would be nothing short of suicide. She knows that if she falls into his custody, the deranged mercenary would relish torturing her and making her lose her own sanity.

Princess Aazuria forbids Visola from taking matters into her own hands. She will do anything it takes to protect her friend from the man who wants to crush her. Alas, Visola is a crazy, uncontrollable warrior with the blood of Vikings in her veins. Why would she ever consider doing the safe and predictable thing?

Amazon buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Fathoms-Forgiveness-Sacred-Breath-Book-ebook/dp/B007KWTTXK/ref=twoen-20



Author bio:
Nadia Scrieva lives in Toronto, Canada with no husband, no kids, and no pets. She does own a very attractive houseplant which she occasionally remembers to water between her all-consuming writing marathons.

www.NadiaScrieva.com
www.facebook.com/NadiaFans





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#SALE for ONLY .99: SHATTERED WORLDS Boxed Set

Limited Time only!Special sale price of only $0.99! Together these books have over 650 five star reviews!
Read these bestselling tales of survival against the odds, dark worlds, dystopian regimes and heroic rebels.
Shattered Worlds features six full-length novels from bestselling authors. Immerse yourself in post-apocalyptic civilizations and bleak near-futures where hope still lives.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Elle Casey – Apocalypsis Book 1: Kahayatle
My name's Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along with all the other adults in the world. I'm almost out of food and the gangs of kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day. It's time for me to leave and find another place to live ... a place where I can find food and shelter ... a place where they won't be able to find me. Alone, it might have been possible; but now I've got company. I'm worried that I don't have what it takes to get from here to my final destination. And I have no idea what might be waiting for me when I get there.
**May not be suitable for younger, middle grade readers.** Book & Author Details: 
Shattered Worlds by Boxed Set
Publication date: February 26th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult 

Synopsis:
Read these bestselling tales of survival against the odds, dark worlds, dystopian regimes and heroic rebels.

Shattered Worlds features six full-length novels from bestselling authors. Immerse yourself in post-apocalyptic civilizations and bleak near-futures where hope still lives.

Featured authors and books are:

Elle Casey: Apocalypsis
Shalini Boland: Outside
Zoe Cannon: The Torturer’s Daughter
Scott Cramer: Night of the Purple Moon
Sarah Dalton: The Blemished
Katie French: The BreedersGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20662080-shattered-worlds
Purchase:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Worlds-Six-Dystopian-Novels-ebook/dp/B00IJYIFG0 Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shattered-worlds-scott-cramer/1118715578?ean=2940148119333&itm=1&usri=2940148119333 
Kobo:  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/shattered-worlds-1
Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/410597
 

About the Authors:
Elle CaseyElle Casey is a full-time writer of New Adult and Young Adult titles in several genres, including romance, urban fantasy, sci-fi dystopian, and action-adventure. She's an American girl who's been living in southern France with her husband and three children since 2010. She loves chatting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.You can find her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellecaseytheauthor or on her website: www.ElleCasey.com.
Shalini BolandShalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband and two noisy boys. Before children, she was signed to Universal Music as a singer songwriter. Now, writing novels has hijacked her life and she is usually to be found with a laptop welded to her fingers and the house in a permanent state of neglect. Find Shalini at: http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk
Zoe CannonZoe Cannon writes about the things that fascinate her: outsiders, societies no sane person would want to live in, questions with no easy answers, and the inner workings of the mind. If she couldn't be a writer, she would probably be a psychologist, a penniless philosopher, or a hermit in a cave somewhere. While she'll read anything that isn't nailed down, she considers herself a YA reader and writer at heart. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and a giant teddy bear of a dog, and spends entirely too much time on the internet. Find Zoe at: http://www.zoecannon.com
Scott CramerScott Cramer has written feature articles for national magazines, covered school committee meetings for a local newspaper, published haiku and poetry, optioned a screenplay, and worked in high-tech marketing communications. His pursuit of a good story has put him behind the stick of an F-18, flying a Navy Blue Angels' fighter jet, and he has trekked through the Peruvian mountains in search of an ancient Quechua festival featuring a condor. Scott and his wife have two daughters and reside outside Lowell, Massachusetts (birthplace of Jack Kerouac) in an empty nest/zoo/suburban farm/art studio with too many surfboards in the garage. Find Scott at: http://www.facebook.com/authorscottcramer
Sarah DaltonSarah grew up in the middle of nowhere in the countryside of Derbyshire and as a result has an over-active imagination. She has been an avid reader for most of her life, taking inspiration from the stories she read as a child, and the novels she devoured as an adult.
She is the author of the popular YA dystopia series 'Blemished' and the gothic novella 'My Daylight Monsters'. She is currently working on a YA Fantasy series titled 'White Hart'. Find Sarah at: http://sarahdaltonbooks.com/
Katie FrenchKatie French imagined herself an author when her poem caught the eye of her second grade teacher. In middle school she spent her free time locked in her room, writing her first young adult novel. Though her social life suffered, her love for literature thrived. She studied English at Eastern Michigan University, where she veered from writing and earned an education degree. She spent nine years teaching high school English. Currently she is a school counselor, doing a job that is both one of the hardest things she's ever done and the most rewarding. In her free time she writes, reads great books and takes care of her two beautiful and crazy children. She is a contributor and co-creator of Underground Book Reviews, a website dedicated to erasing the boundaries between traditional and non-traditional publishing. She lives in Michigan with her husband and two children. You can find her at www.katiefrenchbooks.com. a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

The Story Behind HEADMASTER'S WIFE by Thomas Christopher Greene

 The Headmaster's Wife is a significant departure from my other work. At Morrow, the branding of my career was based largely on becoming, as one editor put it, Nick Sparks for the Volvo set. I was writing full time then and there was pressure to produce books that fit this model. In 2007, the year my last book was published, I began an effort to save a historic college campus and three nationally acclaimed MFA programs and create a new college. This effort was successful and today Vermont College of Fine Arts is widely recognized as one of the leading graduate institutions in the arts in the country. My position as the founder and the president gives me a wider platform than I have ever had for my work in the past. Because of the nature of the job, I was able to take a deep breath and reconsider my literary career and the kind of work I wanted to do. In 2009, my wife Tia became pregnant with our second child. A routine ultrasound in her 23rd week of pregnancy changed everything. The placenta had attached in a difficult place and somehow had created a leak of amniotic fluid. We were told Tia would not leave the hospital until the baby was born and that could happen any day. The challenge was to hang on as long as possible to give the baby a reasonable chance of survival. Tia was on bed rest in the hospital for three weeks while I ran a college and took care of our three year old at home. Our daughter, Jane, was born at the gestational age of 26 weeks, and weighed one pound 14 ounces. She was immediately put on machines to help her breathe. We began our vigil.

For the next six months my wife and I took turns living in the hospital. I spent day after day next to Jane, reading to her, talking to her, and she was a miracle. She grew. She learned to smile. She had warm brown eyes and my face. But her lungs were in tough shape. The same machines that had saved her were ironically killing her as she developed BPD, a lung disease that comes from prematurity. But even with her on the machines we could hold her and there were days when it didn't seem like she was going to make it, and then days when we had conversations with doctors about what it would be like when we got home. How this would all be a bad memory, a story we could tell about this tough little baby who fought like hell to live. It was during this time that I began the book that would become The Headmaster’s Wife. I wrote next to her bed in the NICU and for the first time I felt like I was writing honestly, though I don't know how to explain that fully. I wasn't writing with an audience in mind, or anything like that--I was simply going deep into the mind of my characters and I was writing this book for Jane. I was writing what I felt as a father. Eventually we made the difficult decision to transfer Jane from Dartmouth Hitchcock in New Hampshire to Children's Hospital in Boston where one of the leading specialists in lung issues resides. Jane lived one more month and died peacefully in her mother's arms. There is no way to describe what it's like to lose a child and I could not in normal ways –except that this book became a response to her life and our grief.  People cautioned us after Jane’s death that these things can tear apart a marriage. 

We had been an amazing team for six months – My wife taking care of Jane, learning everything she could, doing everything she could to make her life seem normal. I was the tireless advocate, reading the New England Journal of Medicine and everything I could get my hands on. Becoming the first parent in the 30-year history of the NICU at Dartmouth to run the weekly Doctor's meetings. After Jane’s death we were in a fog for six months. We knew someday we would come out of it and we were determined to stay together--which we have. But I began to ask the question: what if we fell apart? I began to rewrite the book with this question in mind. When I finished this novel, I knew I had something very different than my previous work. It required a different approach to my literary career. I replaced my long time agent Nick Ellison who had a more straight commercial focus with Marly Rusoff. This book is five years in the making. It will be dedicated to Jane and all the nurses at Dartmouth Hitchcock who became part of our family.
 Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Headmasters-Wife-Thomas-Christopher-Greene-ebook/dp/B00FIL6TVU/ref=twoen-20 
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE HEADMASTER’S WIFE
– Booklist
 “Greene (Mirror Lake; Envious Moon) has created a brilliant, harrowing novel depicting the spectacular unraveling of a once distinguished and proudly successful man. He has also conceived one of the most convincingly drawn unreliable narrators that readers may ever meet, a character recalling the creations of Edgar Allan Poe…Essential for fans of literary fiction.”– Library Journal
“The book is, at its core, a trenchant examination of one family’s terrible loss and how the aftermath of tragedy can make or break a person’s soul.” – Publishers Weekly
“…this is a moving testament to the vicissitudes of love and loss, regret and hope.” –Kirkus Reviews
“A truly remarkable novel, I read the second half of The Headmaster’s Wife with my mouth open my jaw having dropped at the end of the first half.  Thomas Christopher Greene knows how to hook a reader and land him.”   – Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls
“An accomplished and artful storyteller, Greene has surprises in store as he unspools a plot that becomes as poignant as it is unpredictable.”–Wally Lamb, New York Times bestselling author of The Hour I First Believed
“I devoured this book.  Both psychologically complex and wickedly fast-paced.”–Julianna Baggott, New York Times bestselling author of Pure
Author bio:Thomas Christopher Greene was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. Tom has worked in a staple factory; as an oyster shucker; a speechwriter and spokesperson for a presidential campaign; the director of public affairs for two colleges; and as a professor of writing and literature. In 2006, Tom founded the Vermont College of Fine Arts, a top New England arts college, making him the youngest college president in America at that time. The Headmaster's Wife is Tom's fourth novel.