Joyce T. Strand's Blog, page 21

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Chris R. Pownall, Author

Chris R. Pownall, Author
FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUT; THIS IS THE LIFE;
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS; SPANNING A LIFETIME;
A LONG JOURNEY BACK; DANE MILLS BOSLEY

Using humor as his hallmark, British author Chris R. Pownall has published six books, including his memoirs as well as his most recent book SPANNING A LIFETIME highlighting his favorite bridges. Oh, and under pseudonym Rusty Nocks, he also published two erotic stories.
When Pownall retired from his mechanical engineering career, he grew quickly bored. He turned to writing “to challenge the mind and exercise the brain.” He discovered that he had plenty of material to write, given his extensive travels and challenging projects. When he’s not writing, Pownall spends his time with his wife exercising and travelling, because he considers himself “primarily a family man.”
Don’t miss an excerpt from THIS IS THE LIFE following his interview.
Q: You have published six books that are autobiographical or descriptive of people or locations in your life, and you have written two erotic stories (under pseudonym Rusty Nock). Your most recent book SPANNING A LIFETIME describes your favorite bridges. What makes bridges so compelling that you would write a book about them?
Chris R. Pownall: I have always had a keen interest in bridges, both from an architectural style and composition perspective, as well as an appreciation for their engineering design and the construction materials used.
Some bridges are iconic symbols of a nation’s greatness, both historically and into the future. I have been privileged to visit some of the world’s most amazing bridges and I wished to share my experiences with others less fortunate in their ability to travel.
All the bridges featured in SPANNING A LIFETIME provide links to associated stories about my travels and experiences throughout my three score years and ten.
Q: Three of your books, FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUT; THIS IS THE LIFE; and ONWARDS AND UPWARDS tell your personal story. How do you select the moments of your life to write about?
Chris R. Pownall: To begin with, I draught (i.e., “draft” for Americans) a basic structure and framework into which the details of my anecdotal stories will be formatted. I make notes when I search my mind for things that I consider suitable material for my particular theme.
Once I get started, I find that one thing triggers another, and I am very fortunate that my memory store is accessible and allows me to draw upon moments in my life that I consider interesting and amusing. If I focus upon a particular period or subject, my mind appears to go into search mode and it might be several days before I retrieve what I’m seeking. Unfortunately, this very often occurs at 03:00 am in the morning.
Q: I notice you have a strong sense of humor. How relevant is humor to your books?
Chris R. Pownall: Highly relevant, I would say, as humor has played a major role in my life in most everyday situations. I observe humor all around me, both in others, and the course, the self-effacing variety. I have used humor throughout my working life both in my presentational style, and in the development of business relationships. Without humor, my books would have little relevance whatsoever.
Q: How do you make “you” a compelling character? What do you do to develop “you” as the protagonist?
Chris R. Pownall: I am a bit of a ‘Mr. Bean’ type person, and I have the reputation of being there when things go wrong. This has contributed to the character of me and what I am. I have never been afraid to push boundaries and this philosophy has got me into all manner of scrapes. They say life is what you make it and to some extent, I believe this is true. However, I consider myself highly fortunate and I exploit my experiences from a humorous perspective, hopefully, without playing the fool.
I do have a serious side when it comes to work ethic and family life, and I try to emphasize these values when writing about myself.
Apart from what the future might unfold, my retrospective autobiographical work is now complete, and my literary skills, if I have any, will be directed towards other forms of literary expression.
Q: What made you decide to write your son’s story recovering from a head injury, A LONG JOURNEY BACK? It must have been difficult to write such a personal story.
Chris R. Pownall:  I had a conscience that when writing FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUT & ONWARDS AND UPWARDS, I had purposely omitted the tragic event of our son Robert’s accident. They were books focusing upon the humorous aspects of my life, and I never considered including the unhappy times.
Afterwards, I realized that Robert’s story affected each member of the family and I felt a compelling need to record what happened, plus my immense respect and admiration of how Robert, together with his mother and sister handled this very difficult time. I also thought it might serve as an inspiration to others faced with a similar dilemma and demonstrate what Robert achieved through sheer guts and determination in regaining his life, after what at the time seemed a hopeless situation.
This was the most difficult piece of writing to date, as it triggered past emotions, which were difficult to bear. I’m pleased I did it, as it gave me lots of time to reflect, upon the past, and it made me realize that life is not all about humor and happy times. 
Q: What made you decide to write erotica (under pseudonym Rusty Nock DEBAUCHEROUS DESIRES and SALACIOUS SEDUCTIONS) in addition to your other books? Is humor relevant in these books as well? (I do love those titles!)
Chris R. Pownall: At the time when Fifty Shades of Grey was receiving mega publicity, I thought to myself, I can write something of a similar nature, but with the addition of some subtle humor. Initially, I invented Rusty Nock to maintain my anonymity from this particular genre. However, the truth was soon out and my association with Rusty is widely known.
Q: Do you write your autobiographical books and/or your erotica novels strictly to entertain or do you also want to deliver a message?  Do you prefer writing fiction or non-fiction?
Chris R. Pownall: My autobiographical books contain specific messages regarding my opinions and views on life. These are not deep messages, rather values and standards in everyday life, as well work ethics within the business world.
I must admit that I have found writing fiction far more challenging, whilst at the same time, the most emotionally rewarding, when good creativity is achieved. My most enjoyable book to write was DANE MILLS BOSLEY as this involved some considerable research into matters of social and industrial history. The autobiographical stuff was easy, as it was all in my head and just needed expressing in the written word. I am aware of my limited technical writing skills, and I shall aim to improve as my literary world moves forward.
Q: Who are the most likely readers to appreciate your autobiographical books? Who is most likely to care about bridges?
Chris R. Pownall: Initially those who have known me, but I have been amazed by the interest of some who have shared in my humor and appreciated my views on life.
As far as bridges are concerned, I don’t expect SPANNING A LIFETIME to be a best seller. I didn’t do it for that reason. I simply find bridges amazing structures, and they provided a means of allowing me to indulge in writing about some more things in my life which have produced such great pleasure.
I also have a fascination with historic ships, and I have used my selected bridges wherever appropriate, to incorporate some of my favorite vessels.
Q: What made you decide to start writing?
Chris R. Pownall: I was encouraged to write my memoirs by a number of my work colleagues, and things developed from there. Retirement didn’t come easy for me, and I needed something to challenge the mind and exercise the brain. Writing has given me a pastime and an interest, which I greatly appreciate.
Q: What’s next?
Chris R. Pownall: I am currently in a state of contemplation regarding any further literary work. I’ve exhausted my autobiographical stuff and now need to move on to other genre. I found writing fiction very difficult and I’m unsure whether I could find the stamina to attempt another novel.
It has crossed my mind that I should like to write a biography of someone who has led an interesting life but does not have the means to put the story into print. It’s a matter of finding the right person for this project, and I’m searching for ideas of how I might take the concept forward.
On the other hand, Rusty Nock might be persuaded to write another erotic novel, this time bringing the exploits of the Brown family up to date!! 
Q:  Tell us about Chris R. Pownall. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Chris R. Pownall: I am very much a family man and I spend a lot of time with my wife Pat, when we share our thoughts and opinions about everyday life. We both like to take exercise and we are extremely fortunate to reside not too far from Sherwood Forest and Clumber Park. We love to walk around the lake in Clumber, in all weathers; we find it enjoyable and beneficial to our mental and physical health.
We both appreciate foreign travel, and since our retirement, we have taken several cruises to various parts of the globe. I always carry my notebook and pen, as you never know what you might see or experience.
I could provide a very long list of things that I don’t do, but that isn’t what you asked. My life is very simple and uncomplicated, and that’s just how I want it to continue.
About Chris R. Pownall
Chris R. Pownall is a British author of six books that are autobiographical or descriptive of people or locations in his life, and two erotic stories (under pseudonym Rusty Nock), who now resides in Nottinghamshire England.
A mechanical engineer by trade, Pownall also joined the Merchant Navy, serving with the famous Blue Funnel Line as an Assistant Engineering Officer. After leaving the Merchant Navy, his career was to take him on many overseas travels, and in the last two years of his employment, he focused upon writing strategic market plans for some existing, plus new sales territories.
Although Chris has a loving wife Pat, retirement didn’t come easy, and after a few months, he was missing the demands of his occupation, with the days seeming endless. He decided to take up writing and to date he has published six books, with a possibility of more on the way. Writing has provided Chris with a retirement interest, as well as a major challenge, giving him great satisfaction, when a difficult project is finally completed.
Humor has always played an important part in Chris’ life, which manifests itself in his written work. He has witnessed many amusing situations throughout seven decades of life and he has appreciated the humorous side of everyday living.
Chris has recently had a feature published in the magazine ‘Shipping Today & Yesterday’. It is entitled S.S. Talthybius 1944 to 1971, which was the Blue Funnel Ship on which he sailed to the Far East in 1967. The voyage included a visit to Shanghai in the People’s Republic of China at the height of the Proletarian Cultural Revolution, under the chairmanship of leader Moa Zedong. The story of what happened during this visit is detailed in Chris’ memoirs.
About Chris R. Pownall’s Books

FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUT
The first of Pownall’s memoirs contains a few revelations that might make some individuals cringe. True to say, Pownall has had a colorful life and his employment has provided much opportunity to travel to faraway places, and experience many interesting things. With the exception of the first three chapters, the book is not structured in chronological sequence; instead it covers specific subject matters in separate chapters, which overlap in time. The book focuses upon the humorous aspects of Pownall’s life, which have occurred in many forms.
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
This sequel to FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUT comprises much more humor and revelations about Pownall’s life, all set out in a very different style to the first book. Readers will find something to suit most aspects of interest, including travel, social history, viewpoints & opinions, plus much more, all wrapped up in a humorous package.
A LONG JOURNEY BACK
The author says this was his most difficult literary task to date, as it tells the true life story about his 41 year old son Robert, who at the age of 18, suffered a near fatal head injury. He found it very emotional writing about such sad and worrying times, but felt the need to go public about the tremendous determination and courage on Rob’s part, in regaining his life.
The book explains what happened following the accident, including life-saving neurosurgery, time spent in a coma, plus the very long haul through rehabilitation. The author wanted to pay his respects to his wife Pat and daughter Tracey, who were unbelievably brave at Rob’s most critical time of need, and their support and encouragement was an amazing inspiration to anyone faced with a similar situation.
Whilst Rob made a remarkable recovery, he was left with some physical difficulties and the book describes how he managed these problems over a twenty year period in a highly professional job.
As the years have passed by, Rob’s physical disabilities have deteriorated and employment has become a problem. The book concludes with Rob explaining how he has combatted discrimination towards disability, and he gives advice to others in similar circumstances.

DANE MILLS BOSLEY
Pownall claims this is his most enjoyable literary project to date. It’s about two mills in rural Cheshire, where he served his engineering apprenticeship between 1958 and 1966. These mills have a very long history dating back to circa 1766, when they were constructed by the famous industrialist Charles Roe. He provides an overview of the history, and describes the business during his period of employment, explaining the manufacturing processes involved, plus details of all the machinery and it works.
His main objective in writing this book was to capture the culture of the place which he  achieves with anecdotal stories about many of his fellow workers. Social historians will find these stories interesting and many of them are highly amusing.

THIS IS THE LIFE
The third in his autobiographical works, containing many subjects omitted from the previous two. He supplies more details about his childhood, describing what country lads did during the 1940s and 1950s, their leisure activities, and the games they played. He recalls specific memories of the market towns of Macclesfield and Leek during the 1960s & 1970s, plus his attending Congleton Senior Boys School between 1954 & 1958. As Congleton was not his home town, after leaving school he lost contact with his fellow pupils. Part of his research for this book was to try and trace any class mates from form 3rdTech ‘A’, and the results are detailed in the book. He wanted to discover what some of these lads have achieved in their lives, having all failed their 11+ examination, like the author.
Readers will be amazed at the results as well as learning about the very strict disciplinary regimes in place at that time. “Teachers of today would be imprisoned for repeating some of the things that took place in my time. Having said that, we had the utmost respect for our teachers as those who read my book will discover”
SPANNING A LIFETIME
The author’s most recent book is about bridges with associated stories. Pownall has always appreciated the structure of bridges, be they small or large, and constructed from stone, timber, concrete, iron & steel, aluminum, or a combination of any, or all of these materials. Not only does he find most bridges “very pleasing on the eye”, but he admires the architectural and engineering design that goes into building them.
The bridges described in this book are included for various reasons. Some invoke specific memories, whereas others rate particularly high, within the author’s league table of great bridges. They are all bridges that he has either crossed over, passed beneath, or simply visited, some close to home, and others from global travels.
Pownall believes bridges are amazing structures, and marvels at how ancient civilizations, including the Romans, were capable of designing and constructing bridges from timber and natural stone. He believes that bridges are symbols of a nation’s development, with bigger and longer structures now being constructed in many parts of the world.
Excerpt
This excerpt is taken from my book entitled THIS IS THE LIFE, chapter 4 ‘Memories of Leek’. Leek is a small market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. This is the place where I met my wife Pat, and where we first resided following our marriage in 1969.
The Grand Cinema I remember visiting the Grand Cinema, and the film on show that week was ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’. This would have been in the early 1960’s and there was a lot of hype about this particular film. It was billed as the most scary horror film around, and as a precaution, there would be a qualified nurse attending every showing, in case any member of the audience was to faint from fear or fright.
When I arrived at the cinema, sure enough, there was a nurse in the foyer all adding to the anticipation of what we were going to see. I remember thinking, that wasn’t a real nurse as her uniform looked something like one of those uniforms you might have seen in the film ‘Carry on Nurse’!!
Anyway, the film began to roll, and for those of you who have not seen this film before, it’s all to do with a torture chamber, hidden in the cellars of a Medieval Castle. Within this chamber there are the most horrific methods of torture imaginable, including the pendulum, for which you have wait until the last bit of the film.
The music featured highly in the presentation of the horror and passion, and there was one particular scene that caught someone off guard.
We had been shown a most gruesome piece of torturing apparatus, comprising a steel chest that resembled a large bank safe. On the front of this safe was a heavily constructed steel door on which there were a number of steel spikes about a foot in length. The idea being that when some poor victim was forced to sit inside the chest, and the door was slammed shut, the occupant would be spiked to death, in a most dreadful manner. The door also had a peephole strategically positioned, so that you could see the face of the poor sod, when all the spikes had penetrated his trembling body.
A handcuffed individual was brought into the torture chamber and thrown into this dreadful contraption. You could see all the horrendous spikes, some with bloodstains from previous killings.
The music was beginning to build louder and louder as the time approached for the door to be slammed shut. At this moment, a lady appeared in one of the aisles selling ice creams. All this time, the music was getting louder and louder as a queue was forming for those wishing to purchase an ice cream.
As the door in the death chest slammed shut, there appeared a huge blood shot eye, which completely filled the screen. The music then culminated in the loudest crescendo I had ever heard. Then, there was total silence as the music cut dead. All that could be heard in the auditorium was someone shouting out in an incredibly loud voice, “A Tub and a lolly.”
They had obviously pitched their voice so that they could be heard above the horrendous volume of music, but when the actual words came out, the auditorium was in total silence.
The place erupted in laughter, and it was quite some time before things settled down and we could once again return to the morbid atmosphere of a horror movie.
Author and Purchasing Links
Web site  www.amazing-life-stories.webs.com

Twitter:  @bosleyboy
Please note that all Pownall’s books are available from Amazon both as paperbacks, as well as Kindle versions. Simply type Chris R. Pownall into the Amazon website ‘books’ search bar and they will all appear. This applies to Amazon UK, plus all the other Amazon global companies.

For details of Pownall’s erotic FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUTAmazon.com Amazon UKPublished in the UK by ‘Pneuma Springs Publishing’. Please use the following link -  http://www.pneumasprings.co.uk/FunnyHowThingsWorkOut.htm
ONWARDS AND UPWARDSAmazon. com Amazon UKPublished in the UK by ‘Pneuma Springs Publishing’. Please use the following link - http://www.pneumasprings.co.uk/OnwardsandUpwards.htm
A LONG JOURNEY BACKAmazon. comAmazon UKPublished in the UK by ‘Pneuma Springs Publishing’. Please use the following link - http://www.pneumasprings.co.uk/ALongJourneyBack.htm
DANE MILLS BOSLEYAmazon. comAmazon UKPublished in the UK by Pneuma Springs Publishing. Please use the following link - http://www.pneumasprings.co.uk/DaneMillsBosley.htm
THIS IS MY LIFEAmazon.comAmazon UK      
SPANNING A LIFETIMEAmazon. comAmazon UK

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Author C. Edward Baldwin

C. Edward Baldwin, Author
FATHERS HOUSEC. Edward Baldwin brings us FATHERS HOUSE a novel about “a deadly combination of grimy thugs, corruption, murders and last but not least – intrigue” according to a reviewer. Others tout the novel as a "tense thriller" with "compelling character development." Baldwin values "believability" as well. He wanted to write an entertaining book with "messages buried within."
Baldwin turned to writing after more than 20 years as an insurance claims investigator. He is engrossed in writing his next novel, and also spends time with his wife and two boys. Oh, and he coaches a mitey-mite football team that is undefeated after two years.



Q: What influenced your writing of FATHERS HOUSE? Why did you write this story?
C. Edward Baldwin: I read a news article once about a town where the police department was misleading the public about the rate of crime. Some arrests for violent crimes were being factored into the statistics. So, it appeared that the crime rate was much lower than it actually was. So, that was the basis for the plot. The rest of the story, a crime syndicate working in cahoots with public officials was my imagination running wild.
Q: Is FATHERS HOUSE a story about fatherhood?
C. Edward Baldwin: Fatherhood is a central theme in the story, although the story encompasses some other themes as well. My second son was born a year into my writing the manuscript. He's six years younger than my first son. All the anxiety I felt about being a father returned again and crept into my writing. In fact, the working title of my manuscript was not Fathers House, nor was the character Mayo's last name, Fathers. Those changes were made later when the father motif reared its head.
Q: Reviewers praise FATHERS HOUSE as a “tense thriller” with many “twists and turns.”  How do you create suspense? What makes a thriller?
C. Edward Baldwin: That's a good question. For me, a good suspense story lets readers know early on that some type of danger or traumatic event is on the horizon and it's up to the hero/heroine to figure out what's going on and how to save the day.  As for a thriller, I think the major element of a good one is when the hero is sucked into someone else's scheme and has to figure out a way to get out of it.
Q:  In addition to touting the suspense of FATHERS HOUSE, reviewers also cite your “compelling character development.”Did you base any of your characters on real people? What did you do to make readers care about them?
C. Edward Baldwin: My characters weren't based on anyone I know; at least they weren't consciously based on anyone that I know. I tried to make them human, in other words, I wanted them to do and feel many of the things that we as people do and feel every day. For instance, there's a scene where the protagonist Ben Lovison is cleaning a bathroom in anticipation of his wife's return from the hospital. Part of the reason for him doing that is because he wants the place nice for her return; but another reason is he's embarrassed by how dirty he'd kept the place.  Another character, Leo Johnston, recently divorced goes to a Bojangles to eat because he doesn't want to eat alone in an empty house. I feel that we all are connected in that we have some of the same fears, desires, needs, etc. and I believe that when my characters exhibit some of those same qualities, people will naturally relate to them.
Q:  One of your reviewers said ”I found the antagonist Father a different kind of villain.” What are the characteristics of a typical villain and why is your antagonist different? Does a hero need a villain in order to be a hero?
C. Edward Baldwin: A good villain is bad to his core. He has an agenda, be it to steal, rob, or kill, and he will let nothing stand in his way to achieve that agenda. He's heartless, selfish, but extremely intelligent. Fathers House's antagonist, Father is all those aforementioned things, heartless, selfish, and extremely intelligent. But unlike typical bad guys, Father's motivation isn't simply to get riches or to kill. In fact, he doesn't care about material goods. And when he kills or has someone killed, it's not for the joy of the kill. In his mind, a killing may be necessary so it's carried out. Father's motivation is power, not fame or fortune; but power. Make no mistake; fortune represents a means to obtain the power. But power is what he wants and he intends to get it at any cost.
Q: Did you write FATHERS HOUSE to deliver a message? To educate? To entertain?
C. Edward Baldwin: I wanted to write a story that was entertaining, yet had some messages buried within. But I didn't want to hit anybody over the head with messages. I dislike preachy books, so I tried hard not to create one. Some folks want to read a story without thinking about anything while some people like me like stories with a little teeth in them. I love figuring out symbolism and what not, so I tried to strike a happy medium.
Q: When writing, are you in control of your characters or do they push you around?
C. Edward Baldwin: I'm in total control of my characters; however I will listen to them. Sometimes they'll tell me something interesting about their background that I hadn't considered before.
Q: How important is back story and/or setting to telling FATHERS HOUSE, particularly regarding the activities of a district attorney’s office? What did you do to enhance credibility?  How important is believability to your story?
C. Edward Baldwin: Believability is very important for me. I was fortunate in that my youngest brother dated a federal prosecutor at one point during the writing and I've worked nearly twenty years as an insurance claims investigator, so I sort of combined those experiences with my imagination. In addition, I researched the web and discovered a district attorney's office where they'd started going "green" getting rid of paper files. The company they were using had interviewed some of the prosecutors and put the video on the web for marketing purposes. Paperless files are a major part of Fathers House plot, so I was very fortunate to stumble across that.
Q: What’s next?
C. Edward Baldwin: I'm deep into writing my second novel and hope to have a first draft completed within the next several weeks. 
Q: Tell us about C. Edward Baldwin. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
C. Edward Baldwin: I'm a father and husband, which keep me extremely busy. In addition, I coach a mitey-mite football team during the fall. We've gone undefeated two years in a row, which I've enjoyed tremendously. When I'm not writing, I'm reading. I love good books. Currently I'm reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.
About C. Edward Baldwin
C. Edward Baldwin spent nearly twenty years as an insurance claims investigator before embarking on a writing career. He and his wife Natasha and their two boys currently reside in Raleigh, NC.
About FATHERS HOUSE

Ben moved to Fathers House at the age of thirteen, shortly after the brutal murder of his mother in broad daylight in front of their home. It was Mayo Fathers, proprietor of Fathers House who encouraged Ben to finish school, attend college and law school. Uncle Mayo (as he liked his boys to call him), was also instrumental in getting Ben his job with the district attorney’s office. But eight years later after the salvage, fatal beating of one of the city’s teenagers, Ben soon learns that Fathers House has a dark side and a seedy connection with the city of Duraleigh. He also fears that Fathers House may have been involved in the death of his mother and the disappearance of the father that he never met.
Purchase and Author Links
Twitter address: @WinCurtAmazon Barnes and NobleKobo AppleITunesSony

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: SciFi Author Drew Avera

Drew Avera, Author
REICH, DEAD PLANET BOOK 1 EXODUS,
THE POLICEMAN, and MR GRIMMAuthor Drew Avera writes science fiction stories to ask readers to ponder “What if?”  He has published a variety of short stories and novels, most recently THE POLICEMAN which is a prequel to the first DEAD PLANET book and MR GRIMM, his first in a collaborative series called “The Twin Cities Series," an urban fantasy series being released in serial novellas.  He cites his “fixation on stories about hope, either the presence or absence of it” – as an inspiration for his work.
In addition to writing, Avera is a 14-year active duty US Navy veteran who plays the guitar. Married with two daughters, he has not decided between dogs and cats and has some of each—and a hedgehog as well.
Q: What led you to write dystopian science fiction in REICH and DEAD PLANET BOOK 1 EXODUS? Do you read science fiction? Do you have a favorite author in the genre?  Have you considered writing in a different genre? 
Drew Avera: I grew up reading comic books and I was naturally drawn to science fiction because of it. The dystopian angle comes from my fixation on stories about hope, either the presence or absence of it. I am currently working on an urban fantasy series and a thriller novel.
Q: How do you create credibility for a story set in the future or in a make-believe world?
Drew Avera: I think there is a level of “buy in” for a reader who knows that it is fiction. I just try to be consistent in the story so readers can suspend disbelief long enough to finish it. 
Q: Is the concept of “heroes and villains” relevant to your stories? What makes a good villain? Do you need a villain to have a hero?
Drew Avera: That’s another comic book inspiration. REICH is a world without heroes, so I think the villain can be essential to the story. A good villain has to think that they are doing the right thing, no matter how horrible it is.
Q:  How do you engage readers to care about your characters?  Are they based on real people?
Drew Avera: I try to put characters in situations that I think readers can relate to, be it fear or suspense. I want readers to ask themselves how they would react and put themselves into the characters head.
Q:  Do your characters lead you to write about them? Or do you keep them in their place by sticking to an outline?
Drew Avera: I outlined one novel. The rest of my writing has been off the cuff, so I let characters lead me where they want to go. Sometimes it’s into a corner, but most of the time it works out really well.
Q: Reviewers of REICH call it “thought provoking” “enjoyable”, “gripping.” Do you write to educate, entertain, and/or deliver a message?
Drew Avera: I write something to make you think, “What if”. I want you to come away with something, even if you hate the main character. I think an emotional response to a story is a story well told.
Q:  How do you make your story “gripping?” What do you do to build suspense?
Drew Avera: I write in beats, so if there is nothing going on in the story then I create suspense in any way that I can plausibly get away with. Most of the time it is an action scene, but it can also be anxiety from the main character. I try to remove as much fluff as possible so that each chapter ends with a small cliffhanger.
Q: One of your reviewers talks about your use of multiple points-of-view in REICH.  Can you explain why you told your story in this manner?  
Drew Avera: REICH started as a short story. Chapter 1 was called 158AH and some friends said they wanted more. The problem was that it was written in first person and at the end that character was no longer alive (spoiler alert). The only way that I could move forward was with a different point of view. I kept that going until I worked my way out of scene and carried on with the rest of the story. I don’t recommend trying to retrofit a short story into a novella in that way. Some people liked it, but some people have been quite critical of it.
Q:  What’s next?
Drew Avera: A lot!  I am working on a series called “The Twin Cities Series” which is an urban fantasy series that will be released in serial novellas. There are about four authors working on this series with me, so there will be a lot of stories to go around. I also have an urban fantasy novel called “For Thee Darkness Weeps” which is in edits and will be released sometime in the spring.  I just released a short story called THE POLICEMAN which is a prequel to the first Dead Planet book, 
Q:  Tell us about Drew Avera. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?  Favorite super-hero? Favorite movie and/or TV show in 2013?  Dogs or cats?
Drew Avera: I was born and raised in Mississippi until I was seventeen. That was when I joined the Navy. I have been serving on active duty for almost fourteen years now. I’m married with two daughters and we live in Virginia. We have a dog and two cats as well as a hedgehog.  My favorite superhero is Batman. My favorite TV show depends on the day. I love Big Bang Theory, Arrow, Breaking Bad and many others. I also play guitar.
About Drew Avera
Drew Avera is an active duty navy veteran and self-published author. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two daughters.
About REICH(SciFi Novella)
In the 158 years after Hitler’s death (AH158), Germany has become the utopian state that he had originally envisioned. The Aryan Dynasty has conquered the free world at the cost of billions of lives. Hitler has become the patriarch of a new religious fervor, one that even he did not see coming. The wastelands that surround Germany are the only threat awaiting the German citizens. That is at least what everyone is taught. This is a story of how misplaced power can lead to tyranny, but it could be Germany that falls victim to a new Reich.

About  DEAD PLANET SERIES BOOK 1 EXODUS
For twenty five hundred years the civilization on Mars has been ruled by the Syndicate, an organization run by the top one percent. Every need and desire of the average citizen has been fed by the machine in return for a lifetime of obedience. What happens when the profit margins fall and the people become a burden to the pockets of the Syndicate? What happens when their plans to exile their citizens to a certain death is revealed? This is the story of a man named Serus Blackwell who has a job to do. Serus is a policeman who works for the Agency, but it isn’t what you think. Can he protect his sister, Kara, before the Agency kills her, or will the programming he received from the Agency override his emotions and condemn Kara to the same fate as the rest of the planet?

About THE TWIN CITIES series
The Twin Cities Series is a collaborative set of novellas written by a number of different authors including Drew Avera, Simone Beaudelaire, J.B. Cameron, Thomas R. Manning, & Theresa Snyder.
The people of Minnesota believe the twin cities to be Minneapolis and St. Paul, but what they don't realize is the name actually refers to a parallel dimension known as The Realms, where creatures of myth roam freely.
Humans stand only a dimensional barrier away from the most terrifying and horrible monsters imaginable, but there are select few who answer the cries for help, who guard the world of mankind and keep it safe from harm.

The Realms can be a place of great danger, as well as great beauty, where love and loss can be sudden and significant, but make no mistake...in this world, humanity is just another word for powerless.

An Urban Fantasy novella with a noir feel MR GRIMM
Alexander Grimm has been sentenced to a life of servitude. His services are rendered to a man who calls himself The Raven, but he is more than a man. He is a vampire. Grimm has done The Raven's bidding for twenty years with the life of his daughter, Angelica, hanging in the balance. Someone in The Raven's Court has approached the man known in The Realms as "Mr. Grimm" with a choice: Continue killing for fear of losing his daughter, or give his life to ensure that The Raven can never hold her life in his hands again. Which will he choose?
This is the first installment of The Twin Cities Series. Take a journey into the world known as The Realms, where the paranormal is more common than you think. Vampires rule more than just the night; they can rule your life.
This series will premier stories written by the following authors: Drew Avera, Simone Beaudelaire, Thomas Manning, and Theresa Snyder.
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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Author Joseph Grammer

Joseph Grammer, Author
COCOON KIDSAuthor Joseph Grammer brings us COCOON KIDS, “an intriguing collection of short stories that are exceptionally creative and some are even quite odd/quirky in a really new and entertaining way,” according to a reviewer. Grammer explains that his short stories are diverse but connected in their actions to “find love and understanding.”
Grammer originally studied to be a psychologist, but gave it up when he realized what he really wanted to do was to write. He uses what he learned in his mental health experience to create his characters. He values humor, research, and character development and is currently working on a book set in Okinawa.
For a taste of Grammer’s uniqueness, don’t miss the excerpt following the interview.
Q: A reviewer said of COCOON KIDS that it is an “incredible re-imagining of what short stories can be!” What’s different about the short stories in your book?
Joseph Grammer: They’re diverse. I wrote about samurai, circus performers, the first female POTUS, New York poets, and thoracic surgeons. I tried to bind these disparate people together with their similar efforts to find love and understanding.
This search for connection takes many forms. In “A Squid for Mr. Calaway”, the narrator claims he loves nothing but squid. He hangs out with an ex-convict, looking for connection, but he’s blocked inside, emotionally. In “Comfort”, two dying samurai try to make sense of their last moments on Earth by insulting the hell out of each other.
From a visual perspective, Anna Tulchinskaya created illustrations for each story, which added a unifying life and depth to the collection. Her videogame-style designs complemented Cocoon Kids’ themes of growing and pushing beyond one’s boundaries.

Q:  You studied to be a psychologist. Why did you decide to focus on writing and become an author?
Joseph Grammer: I realized I prefer writing. It took me years to accept this because I assumed I needed a stable career to be happy. Psychology isn’t a well-paid field, and it has loads of its own stressors, but for most of my life the concept of being a writer seemed frivolous in comparison. I thought, “Who am I to think I can sit down and make a story and sell it?” Then I realized that was an unhelpful way to think. I’m still open to getting a Masters or Ph.D. in psychology—just not yet.
I use what I learned in my mental health experience to develop my characters. For example, in “Grandpa Farron”, a kid struggles to see the good in his dying alcoholic grandfather. The topic sounds rough, but it was a lot of fun to build a comical, dysfunctional family and stick them in a hospital room together.
Q:  “There is so much life in each character” – How do you instill “life” into your characters? What do you do to engage readers?
Joseph Grammer: Values and details. I write down what makes a character cry and laugh and refuse to budge; I figure out her weak points and strengths, then see how she reacts in a crisis. I point out what’s different about her and focus on that stubbornness, or that helpless generosity, and pivot the story around it. It’s difficult to find the right details (I don’t want to bog the reader down with every color of every piece of clothing a person is wearing), but choosing one or two unique ones helps to flesh out the character. One test is to see if a reader can tell who’s speaking without providing any names.
Q:  Do you write your stories to entertain? Or do you write to reach or teach your readers in some way?
Joseph Grammer: To me, directly attempting to teach the reader is heavy-handed. It’s too close to moralizing, and I think one of my criticisms about myself is that I unconsciously do this from time to time. At best, I hope to show readers a glimmer of what is possible through the lens of another person—often someone who appears different from them.
Entertainment is a huge reason I write. People don’t want uninteresting fiction. It’s a huge privilege to occupy someone’s time with my stories, so I do my best to write engagingly. I’d rather someone hated my words than found them dull.  I also expect a moderate amount of work from the reader. Convincing her to participate in the story and use her own imagination to fill in details is the best response I can hope for.
Q: How important is humor to telling your stories?
Joseph Grammer: I love being funny; unfortunately, it’s hard to make people laugh. The inherent gamble of humor is exciting, so it’s one of my favorite ways to communicate. It’s also one of the most difficult, so if you can somehow pull off making a serious topic seem humorous, you earn major points in my (proverbial) book.
In “The Perfect Surgeon”, I satirize fundamentalist Christianity by having a surgeon perform outrageous tasks for God. To me, this is funny, but I’ve met some readers who were horrified by it. This teaches me a useful lesson in humor: different people have different thresholds of acceptance.
Q: How much of your stories is fiction? Do you base your characters on real people?
Joseph Grammer: I don’t like including people from my life in my stories. I’ve read about literary fiction authors (e.g., Saul Bellow) including obvious traits or personalities from their friends, and the consequences that can follow. Having said that, I have no doubt that elements from my life creep into my stories, including aspects of people I know. I just try to minimize this effect in my writing.
Q: What’s different about writing short stories over a full novel?
Joseph Grammer: They’re easier. I’m sure Raymond Carver would have a different take on the question, but for me a short story is much more manageable in terms of cognitive and emotional effort. I might agonize over every word in a story for weeks or months, but it’s still easier. I read that it took Ezra Pound a year to write a fourteen-line poem, which must have involved levels of internal anxiety I don’t even want to imagine.
Q: How relevant is the concept around heroes and villains to your writing? How would you define a villain? Do you need a villain to produce a hero?
Joseph Grammer: I just finished reading Chuck Klosterman’s I Wear the Black Hat, which is a collection of essays about villainy. He defines a villain as “someone who knows the most, but cares the least” (even though later he pokes a hole in his own definition). I’d define a villain as “someone who injures others out of desire or neglect, without repentance.” This way, Eichmann is still a villain.
I explore villainy in “High-Wire”, in which a sexist magician harasses the narrator, Leah, and all of her female friends. At first glance he is a villain, because he torments other people, but he is kind of pathetic as well. He doesn’t know how to be happy. Normally people aren’t totally villainous or totally heroic, which is great because their shifting point on the spectrum gives them the capacity to change and learn.
Q: What’s next?
Joseph Grammer: I’m writing a book set in Okinawa, Japan. A typhoon throws together a ninety-one-year old peace activist, a hitman, a US Army private, and a psychologist to make sense of their personal crimes while fighting to survive.
I traveled to Okinawa for two weeks in 2012 as part of a research project. Both my grandfather and father were stationed there, so I felt a strange familial element floating around as I walked, even though I’d never been there before. I dug into Okinawa’s history and was fascinated by its great turbulence and suffering, but also by its tight-knit culture. Despite having been a vassal to China, a prefecture of Japan, and a (secret) nuclear storage facility for America, Okinawa retains a life that is wholly unique. I read Miyume Tanji’s Myth, Protest and Struggle in Okinawa and combed dozens of articles concerning the U.S. bases that occupy a fifth of Okinawa’s landmass. To say the least, a thorny political situation reigns in that area of the world, and this provides a tense backdrop to my story.
Q: Tell us about Joseph Grammer. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Joseph Grammer: I read obsessively, although I’ve learned I’m a slow reader. I like to savor passages, reread chapters, and take notes on books. Outside of book-related activities, I play guitar and mess around with Fruity Loops, which is a digital music production software. My ear for music isn’t professional by any standard, but I enjoy it a lot. I like to cook, walk around for hours at a clip, and travel. Languages also fascinate me; I studied Russian in college and am currently trying to learn Japanese (although I am very slow with this, too).
About Joseph Grammer
Joseph Grammer is a writer who lives in Alexandria, VA. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park and studied to be a psychologist until he realized he’d rather stick stories on paper. He enjoys music from every decade, strangely paced movies, and journeys around Washington, D.C. with his girlfriend Anna. COCOON KIDS is his first book of short stories.
About COCOON KIDS

Your rowdy, boozy Grandpa. Two samurai hurling insults at each other on a battlefield. A guy who commits a crime because of pancakes. The stories inside COCOON KIDS explore the strange ways that love and peace make themselves known in our lives. From the streets of New York to the traveling circus, struggles for a good life are waged with the usual human tricks: humor, anger, work, and chronic delusion. Like all earthly occupants, some win, some fail, and some hang in the goopy middle. One or two go to jail.
COCOON KIDS may help you along if you want to sing and kick your inner shell; if you like poems or beer or basketball; or if you’re wondering what a thoracic surgeon, a squid, and a truck-stop bathroom can teach you about companionship. 
Excerpt
From “A Squid for Mr. Calaway,” a short story in COCOON KIDS:
My therapist says love goes beyond mere sensual pleasure, but she doesn’t eat baby squid from Vogliano’s with butter and garlic every Wednesday. If she did she’d drop her doctorate in the trash. “So this food is the only thing you feel you love?”“Is that weird? I mean, it makes me happy.”“It’s natural to love what, or who, makes you happy.”“No who for me, please.”She nods without moving any part of her face. “You prefer to be alone.”“Prefer? I don’t know what I prefer. A fried cephalopod with crunchy tentacles.”She leans back in her chair, steeples her fingers. Her eyes are a tenth the size of a giant squid’s. “Other people—family, friends. How do you feel about them?”I test Dr. Lane’s comfort with silence. When I’ve run out the clock she says, “Enjoy your dinner, Mr. Calaway.”I want to explain that it’s more than a meal—it’s a marine bonanza. But instead I hustle my way to 2nd Ave, avoiding the blight of Bellevue Hospital, and choose my companions for the evening. “Prego, un chilo di calamari.” Nailed the accent. The old woman wraps two-point-two comforting pounds in a plastic sack. “Grazie a Dio!”“Eh?”“Non, non importa.” Into the dusk with my mollusks. I’m not ashamed in the slightest to say squid completes me. I’d marry one if I could. Get a satin dress, walk it down the aisle. So what if it taps some Freudian desire—what the hell doesn’t? Freud took cocaine with his patients and sexualized everything with a pulse. He also smoked cigars until his jaw rotted away, which highlights a distinct advantage of the squid: its beak is immune to disease. I walk down 23rd street by that Shake Shack in Gramercy. Slush coats the tedious Midtown grandeur. Barry Donoghey is standing on the corner of Broadway smoking a Sweet Afton and clapping his pink, slashed-up hands together. He has killed a man and served twenty-three years for it in Sing Sing. Cradling my bag, I stiff-arm the man like Tiki Barber plowing through a defender. “You damn caffler—Christ, and to think I’m a pacifist now—” he says.“If I didn’t have a pressing engagement with my friends, I’d steal your credit card and ruin your FICO scores. All three of them.”“I don’t own a credit card, and I believe a ficus is a plant, but I’ve known blind amputee whores who balance more gracefully than you.”“There’s human feces on your shirt, Barry.”Barry peeks down at his gray flannel pullover, which is indeed marred by something strange, brown, and wet. He wipes a hand along the silver scruff under his chin and pulls on his cigarette and makes no effort to remove the incriminating stain.“Oh well–where there’s a will, there’s a relative.”I stand in the wind that howls down Broadway, scratching my head. “I don’t…I don’t get it Barry.” “What’s to get? It might be shite, it might not.”
Author and Purchase Links
Twitter address: @joe_grammerAmazon link for Cocoon KidsAmazon Author CentralJoseph Grammer’s websiteGoodreads

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Author Eva A. Blaskovic

Eva A. Blaskovic, Author
BEYOND THE PRECIPICEAuthor Eva A. Blaskovic brings us BEYOND THE PRECIPICE, her first full-length novel described as  “a powerful story that many teens and adults will relate to.” The book features an 18-year-old and reviewers say it “captures exactly how young people think and feel, especially creative ones.”
Originally from the Czech Republic, Blaskovic grew up in Canada, where she worked as a teacher and writer of non-fiction and raised four children. A musician herself – she counted that she has played a total of eight keyboard, string, and wind instruments – she used music to “heighten the impact of the story.” She hastens to say, however, that readers can substitute any passion for music.   
Q:  Reviewers of BEYOND THE PRECIPICErecommend that all teenagers should read the book, but they also claim adults, too, should read it. Did you intend for it to reach out to youth especially? Or is the book targeted at both adult and youth?
Eva A. Blaskovic: Thank you for inviting me to do this interview.
Since the protagonist, Bret, is eighteen, his lifestyle and his internal and external conflicts hold insights for youth. However, due to the book’s complexity and life lessons, the book has a great deal of meaning for adult readers, many of whom find they relate to Bret on some level. The inclusion of older characters adds another layer of dynamic, which both youth and adults can view from their current perspectives. It became apparent soon after the conception of the book that it would speak to adults because of the psychology involved and the life experience required to digest it fully. However, I also hoped to appeal to a younger readership, in part because I wanted youth exposed to certain messages earlier in life than when I had discovered them, and because of the protagonist’s age. In addition, two of my four children were in their teens at the time of the book’s conception, with the other two soon to be, and I wanted them to be able to relate as well.
The book contains some mature language and material, but youth as young as thirteen have read it (“Hurry up and write the next book! I want to read it!”), students in high school English classes have found it realistic (“I like it because it’s relevant. It’s a story I can relate to and learn from.”), forty-something men (“Are you sure this isn’t about me?”) and women (“It’s intense. The suspense is incredible.”), including readers who don’t typically do fiction (“I don’t normally read fiction, but I couldn’t put this down. I’m going to read it again.”), and older adults (“Outstanding! … a depth and authenticity that should make a big impression on many readers.”) have all taken something from the book.
Q: Why do readers find your protagonist Bret a compelling character to care about?
Eva A. Blaskovic: Perhaps because, even though Bret is gifted on many fronts, he has significant character flaws; he’s thoroughly screwed up and conflicted, and undervalues each aspect of himself. Giftedness for him is a sentence, not an advantage. He tries hard but stumbles like the rest of us, if not more. He struggles through a difficult youth with the goal of doing some good in the world, even vindicating himself, which drives him onward. His heart is in the right place, but he is all too aware that just by being himself, he has already hurt people. When Nicole Willoughby and her family enter his life, he does not want his problems to affect and hurt them, but the striking contrast between Nicole’s family and his own drives him to a breaking point. How he handles this and the decisions he makes at this time determine his future. His family difficulties, the responsibility that comes with adulthood, and his struggle to find his path in life are things that many readers identify with.
Q:  You are originally from the Czech Republic. Did your background influence your story in any way? What led you to write BEYOND THE PRECIPICE?
Eva A. Blaskovic: I was not quite five years old when I left Prague, and was unable to go back until 2011. What I had all those years, however, was some of my family members’ values and beliefs. As I moved through my teens and into young adulthood, I collected many models, pieced them together, and began to define the kind of person I wanted to be at my core. One of the things I believe I inherited, but also consciously embraced, is the attitude of investing in people, especially youth. This attitude is strongly portrayed in Dr. Kern Willoughby. I believe Kern holds an important message for our society.
Q:  What is “The Precipice”? Please don’t tell us if knowing the answer is a “spoiler.”
Eva A. Blaskovic: I’ll say this much. The title BEYOND THE PRECIPICE has a double meaning: both physical and metaphorical. In the metaphorical sense, Bret stands on the precipice of his life. If he has faith in himself as well as in those who try to help him, will he fly? Can he confront, process, and move beyond the past that haunts him on so many levels?
Q: Did you write BEYOND THE PRECIPICE to entertain readers? To teach? To deliver a message?
Eva A. Blaskovic: I wrote BEYOND THE PRECIPICE because it had many messages—issues I had studied, observed, and harbored much of my life in one form or another. I hoped people would consider what youth such as Bret, and older adults such as Kyra, his mother, face in our society because of attitudes and beliefs about both the value of human potential and money. It is a complex story of character, revolving around social and family dynamics and values, and incorporates the psychology of grief, guilt, rejection, and abuse against a backdrop of the life-giving power of unconditional love, forgiveness, and the importance of being true to oneself. It is a dark story, but readers find the hope within.
Bret’s story is complex, and in order to get the most out of it, young readers should be willing to think and consider. Although it is not light reading, it was written with the intent to entertain, as any book needs to. But, along the way, it has the potential to teach and enlighten, depending on what a reader decides to take away from the story. Substitute any passion for music, and the same logistics apply. Many readers have identified with the family dynamics of Bret’s life, or even faced parental death situations. Readers of BEYOND THE PRECIPICE have spanned from age thirteen to beyond seventy, and all have enjoyed the book. Without a doubt, each age group defines a different message in terms of what the story means to them.
Q:  You are a writer of non-fiction as well as fiction. Do you prefer one to the other? Can you exploit your non-fiction skills to apply to fiction?
Eva A. Blaskovic: In truth, for me, the two cannot be compared in terms of preference, since they target specific areas and have different motivations behind them. The processes and approaches are distinct, although non-fiction benefits from the creative abilities of fiction, and fiction exploits the tight writing I learned through non-fiction. But fiction deals with transcribing images and moods into words, which must then be processed by the reader to recreate the events back on their sensory levels, whereas non-fiction comes generated in words, and is therefore faster and more straightforward to write. That’s the biggest difference for me, I would say; non-fiction is faster, although it, too, undergoes rigorous processing, and fiction is comparatively slow. Except dialogue, which is simply taking dictation. Then it’s just a case of getting the tag lines right to ensure the reader has the correct pacing.
Q:  Are you a musician? How important is music to your story in BEYOND THE PRECIPICE?
Eva A. Blaskovic: Yes, I am a musician—or, rather, was. I had to sit down the other day and count up the number of instruments I’ve played. It’s eight. I’ve played keyboard, string, and wind instruments, which is a broad spectrum. Was I Bret? Not by a long shot. But music is something of a food group for me.
As for importance to the story, a reader can substitute any passion for music. But in the specific sense, music gives the book its own flavor and living element. The music components and descriptions heighten the impact of the story and give it a personal touch.
Q:  How do you define villains and heroes? Is the concept relevant to BEYOND THE PRECIPICE?
Eva A. Blaskovic: Real people are not at one end of the extreme or the other; they display varying degrees of goodness, or lack thereof. The terms “hero” and “villain” may serve to provide placement bearings along the spectrum. Perhaps a hero is ultimately someone who succeeds at generating net goodness, whereas a villain does the opposite. That’s not to say a villain cannot have some endearing qualities, or a hero inspire you to slap him silly and shake some sense into him. Some people have kinder hearts than others, but what begs explanation is why. Are people who come across as villains innately evil, or are they victims? And, when put to the test, why do some people come out on top in spite of their circumstances? Is it the goodness in their heart? Their resiliency? The formative power of some critical aspect of their childhood? These are the questions BEYOND THEPRECIPICE invites people to contemplate.
Several characters in BEYOND THE PRECIPICE can be considered heroes, and a few, or at least one, depending on what the reader determines, can be perceived as villainous. I can’t say much more or it will interfere with the discovery process and subsequent conclusion each reader makes for himself. BOOK TWO exposes additional detail about several of the characters and the reasons behind their motivations.
Q:  What’s next? Will you continue to write fiction? Can we anticipate another novel?
Eva A. Blaskovic: Technically, it’s not a choice. I’ve been a fiction writer all my life, since before I could physically put pen to paper, compelled to write no matter what the obstacles or consequences. I’m targeting late 2014 as the release date for BOOK TWO, and my publisher, Ashby-BP Fair-Trade Publishing, wants a third book to complete the trilogy. (In theory, there could be a prequel as well.) Sadly, I am unable to write full time at this point, so weaving my writing around the necessities of daily life and work is an ongoing challenge, especially since fiction requires large blocks of unbroken time in order to plug in all the subtleties, foreshadowing, and links that made BEYOND THE PRECIPICE the book it is today. BOOK TWO requires more research and has big boots to fill.
Q:  Tell us about Eva Blaskovic.  What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Eva A. Blaskovic: I’m a single parent. Most of the time, I’m working to make ends meet. The question works in reverse: when I’m not working, I’m writing. I’ve just finished a phase of life that involved concurrent jobs, courses, martial arts, and the raising of a young family. As the future unfolds, I hope to devote more of my time to writing, enjoying live music and festivals, and frequenting fine cafés and restaurants.  
About Eva A. Blaskovic
Eva Blaskovic was born in the Czech Republic, grew up in Ontario, Canada, and moved to Alberta in 1988, where she raised four children. Eva has worked in science labs and has taught literacy, writing, math, and science. She is both an accomplished writer and editor of non-fiction articles on business, education, how-to, parenting, and travel. She is also an author of short fiction. BEYOND THE PRECIPICE is Eva Blaskovic's first full length novel, but it has already received rave reviews from literary professionals and aficionados the world over. When Eva hasn't buried herself in writing or editing, she may be found taking her teenagers to Taekwondo, exploring the Farmers' Market, listening to Celtic music, or sipping a latte.
About BEYOND THE PRECIPICE

A young man with a dark secret must choose between his family and the girl he loves.
For six years Bret Killeen is trapped by the wishes of his dead father, blackmailed by his brother, and rejected by his uncle. Meanwhile, he watches his mother descend into the depths of poverty.As Bret wrestles with guilt over the death of his father, he is helped by Nicole, a young cello player with big dreams. She stirs the embers of his longing both for music and for her - and ignites a fire he can't extinguish.
But can he brave his past in order to seize his future?
The award-worthy debut novel by Eva A. Blaskovic is a riveting blend of suspense, dark humor, and compelling inter-personal drama. Once you engage this roller coaster read you won't be able to stop.
Purchase Links
Amazon Kindle Paperback   Ashby-BPPublishing KOBO 
Author Links
Facebook Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlaskovicWriterWebsite 
**Tour sponsored by Worldwind Virtual Book Tours**

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Author Jennifer Kibble

Jennifer Kibble, Author
PHOENIX ELEMENT: NORMALITY TWISTEDFantasy author Jennifer Kibble categorizes her new book, PHOENIX ELEMENT: NORMALITY TWISTED, as “a fantasy adventure series with a somewhat comic book feel to it." Reviewers say “You can't stuff this book into one category,” and that it is “Fast paced with believable and up to date dialogue.” Kibble penned her book mostly for young adults but both she and reviewers claim adults will enjoy it as well.
Kibble is already writing the second book in the PHOENIX ELEMENT series. She believes that a series enables an author to expand character development and also she loves 'cliffhangers.' When she isn’t writing or reading, she likes playing video games, which she gives credit for stirring creativity for her stories.
Q: Reviewers claim that PHOENIX ELEMENT: NORMALITY TWISTED spans multiple genres including “Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and comic book action.”  How would you categorize it? Is it mostly for young adults?
Jennifer Kibble:  I see PHOENIX ELEMENT: NORMALITY TWISTEDas a fantasy adventure series with a somewhat comic book feel to it. Even though it does take place on different planets, the feel is more fantasy. The series is geared toward young adults, fifth graders on up but I feel it is also a series that adults can get into as well. It is always nice to tap into our younger selves.
Q: Given that your book is fantasy, how do you make your story credible? How important is believability to your readers?
Jennifer Kibble:  I was always told to “write what you know” while I was in school. I take what I know and learned throughout my life and then expand on that. I try to embellish what I know and pull on my imagination as much as I can until I hit that wall that has a note on it telling me that if I can’t believe it then chances are, my readers won’t. The main things that I focus on are the characters. If the characters do not feel real, if their emotions are not believable then everything falls apart. Yes, magic isn’t real but if the character is believable that says something about those elements, items, species that are not.
Q: One of your reviewers praises your protagonist as a female who “feels real?” Why do readers care about your characters? Do you think readers prefer male to female protagonists?
Jennifer Kibble:  The majority of heroes in comics, video games, movies and books are mostly male. This isn’t anything new. Some of those in the media even argue that a lead male protagonist sells better than a female lead. However if a character, be it male, female, or otherwise creates a connection with the reader and feels real, then the readers feel more at ease and it won’t matter the sex of the main protagonist. I believe it isn’t the sex of the character but their actions, thoughts, their core that matter most.
Q: Do you write to entertain? Or to educate? Or to deliver a message?
Jennifer Kibble:  Before I wanted to get my book series out to the masses, I wrote for myself. It got me to write and took some of that pressure and stress away. When I decided to write to become a published author, I knew I had to write for my readers and that I want to entertain them. If a message is learned from what I write I would be happy and honored but that is not why I write. I just want to share a story and be grateful to those who go along for the ride.
Q: What is the significance of the title PHOENIX ELEMENT: NORMALITY TWISTED?
Jennifer Kibble:  I can’t dive into what the significance of PHOENIX ELEMENT is but once I find out what or who it is, my readers will know as well. NORMALITY TWISTED was originally the title of the first chapter back when I named each chapter. I got rid of that all together and used the title of the first chapter as the title for the first book in the series. It represents what the main character, JB, goes through as she becomes Anya, and her life and what she knows is drastically changed.
Q: Why did you decide to write a series rather than a standalone book?
Jennifer Kibble:  This is more of a subconscious decision. Growing up I read a lot of book series as opposed to standalone books. Writing a series, in my opinion, allows for more of the story and characters to expand. And it is always fun to end on a cliffhanger.
Q: What are the characteristics of a villain? A hero? Are they relevant to PHOENIX ELEMENT? Do you need a villain to have a hero?
Jennifer Kibble: “Every fairytale needs a good old-fashioned villain. You need me, or you’re nothing” as said by the character Moriarty in the TV series, Sherlock. No matter how you say it, every hero needs a villain. The villain doesn’t have to be a living being. A villain can be within oneself, an obstacle or a challenge that the hero must deal with and every story has one in some form or another. A hero and villain can be defined by their morals and actions. A hero can perform a villainous act and the same goes for the villain performing a heroic deed. The hero and villain scale is a tricky one and one minor slip can mean a shift in their alignment. Heroes-and-villains is a relevant concept throughout the entire series of PHOENIX ELEMENT and at times it will not be so black and white.
Q: Do your characters push you around and make you write what they want? Or are you in control?
Jennifer Kibble:  I would be lying if I said I was in control. I’ve yelled at my computer at times because my characters wanted to go left when I told them right and I love that. For me, it allows me to write the characters as they want to be written and not the other way around.
Q:  What’s next? Cover concept for MAGES OF VANE
 by Eric White
Jennifer Kibble: I am currently working on the second book of the PHOENIX ELEMENT series, MAGES OF VANE. I'm about 67% done with it. I'm happy with it so far, and I can't wait to share it with my readers. Eric White, who worked on the cover for NORMALITY TWISTED has been working on the cover for the second book (see sketch to right.)
Q:  Tell us about Jennifer Kibble. What do you like to do when you’re not reading or writing?
Jennifer Kibble:  I try to read when I can, which is sadly, less than what I used to. Currently I am deep into DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES and LEGENDS, which is a fantasy series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. When I’m not reading or writing I like to relax by playing video games, something that I’ve been doing since I was roughly six years old. Playing since a young age has helped with my imagination and in turn given me the ideas to write.
About Jennifer Kibble
Jennifer Kibble was born and raised in a South Florida trailer park rife with drugs and gangs. Finding an escape through both video games and writing, Jen began to write stories at an early age, finding encouragement in both teachers and her love of video games.
Her writings took a larger scope after visiting a NASA Tweet-Up Event for the final shuttle launch of Discovery. While touring the Saturn V Center, Jen found inspiration and motivation to write the Phoenix Element series. The characters and story have always been there. Jen just needed that extra push to bring dream to reality.
About PHOENIX ELEMENT: NORMALITY TWISTED

NORMALITY TWISTED takes a regular middle school student on an adventure of a lifetime and dives into her past life as well. Not only must Jennibelle tackle babysitting and her homework, but she discovers that she has magical powers as she learns who she once was—Anya, a princess from another planet. The surprises do not stop there. Anya discovers that a dark entity, a Rayasha, has attached itself to Anya's soul and is waiting for the right moment to surface. Anya is not alone as others with magic powers start to surface and friends from her past stand at her side in this young adult fantasy series.
Excerpt
I then hear leaves breaking under fast pacing footsteps. I duck as a broadsword swings over my head which is held by Kyle. No one has taught me how to fight with weapons before.                        Kyle takes another swing at me and as I duck again, I point towards Celestria and a straight line of fire heads towards her. I then stand and I back up a few feet away from Kyle and I await his attack. Before he or I get a chance to attack each other, I am hit on my left side by in invisible force. The push is so great that I get knocked into several trees before finally coming to a stop.                        Arrows shoot from above as I stand up and dodge them. I can see Kyle flying above me as I race towards Tom who is still in the clearing. The arrows follow me as I run towards Tom who is about to use sound against me for the second time. Kyle is now flying towards me from my rear and right before Tom attacks I teleport, forcing Tom to use his power against Kyle. Kyle falls down to the ground. I reappear in the trees on a branch above Celestria. I drop down and swing on the branch with my legs, upside down and facing Celestria’s back. I press my finger against her back. I didn't want to teleport but in this situation, I didn't have much of a choice. It just came to me, like instinct.                        I sense someone behind me so I teleport and I shoot off a fire spell upwards as I fall towards the ground. The fire spell makes its way up towards Kyle who fires back with an electricity spell. Both spells collide and meet in the middle. I teleport again, this time with my feet on the ground, palms now pointing upwards but I notice Tom getting closer so I pull one arm away from Kyle and point it towards Tom. He uses his power to try to push my attack back towards me. Celestria then jumps down from the trees and points her arrow towards me.                        “You hesitated,” she says.                        “I wasn’t going to shoot you from behind,” I answer.                        “The enemy will take advantage of that.”                        “You’re not the enemy," I mock.                        “You’re also holding back.” Kyle says from above. He pulls off his attack and files out of the way before my fire can hit him. He files down and stands next to Celestria. “Hey Tom, you can stop now.”                        “Tell that to Anya,” he calls back.                        “I’m not going to get hit by you again,” I call back.                        “How about at the same time,” Celestria sighs.                        We both pull back and I can feel my muscles as they are bruised and worn from the workout.                        “Ready for round two?” Kyle asks, gripping his sword.                        I arch my eyebrow, "Always."
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Twitter address @Next_Jen 

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Journalist and Author Monte Dutton

Monte Dutton, Author
THE INTANGIBLESSports journalist turned novelist Monte Dutton brings us THE INTANGIBLES, a novel about a Southern town struggling to integrate in the late 1960s. Those of us who experienced the 1960s comprehend the effects -- at least on some level-- from the unsettling series of events of that decade. Dutton wrote his book to describe the problems faced by all sides in the integration efforts. A reviewer claims that THE INTANGIBLES is a “compelling, finely crafted reflection of a mighty turbulent time and place in our history” that “blends perfect balance of warmth, humor, action, terror and depth.”
Dutton, who currently lives in South Carolina, covered Nascar racing as a reporter for 20 years. He has happily turned to writing fiction, because, he says, “The best way to tell the truth is to write fiction.” He also enjoys playing the guitar and writing songs, and loves sports. THE INTANGIBLES is his second novel; his first, THE AUDACITY OF DOPE, was published in 2011.
Don't miss the opportunity to enter a Giveaway at the end of his interview.
Q:  What inspired you to write THE INTANGIBLES? Did you base it on real-life experiences and/or events?
Monte Dutton: I was a child during the period covered by THE INTANGIBLES, but my memories are vivid. Some characters were created with real people in mind, just as many were not. The same is true of the events described therein. It’s fair to say that the novel is loosely based on my recollections of school desegregation and the civil rights movement as it affected my hometown.
Q:  Is THE INTANGIBLES a story about The South and overcoming bigotry? Or is it about football and how it can contribute to the solution of social problems?
Monte Dutton: It’s a story of the former with the experience of a high school football team providing a foundation. My goal was to depict the cultural change that complicated the lives of black and white alike.
Q: How do you engage readers to care about your characters? Did you base them on real people?
Monte Dutton: It’s pretty simple. By creating characters who interested me, I figured I was creating characters who would interest readers. It was all a matter of being able to think the way the characters thought: to imagine myself as them when I was writing. The world changed rapidly. Fear of those changes was the chief instigator of the disorder and violence that occurred.
Q: What is the significance of the title THE INTANGIBLES?
Monte Dutton: It’s a double entendre. The Intangibles were the slogans on the high school’s locker-room walls, and when the schools were integrated in Fairmont, the town folk were plunging into a new way of life whose effects were difficult to anticipate or measure.
Q: Did you write THE INTANGIBLES to deliver a message? To entertain? To educate?
Monte Dutton: All of those. I wanted to depict the hardships of the time. I wanted to remind younger generations that the cataclysmic events of their lives are not unprecedented. I tried to write in an irreverent vein that would create amusement, but I also tried to depict the late 1960s in the South authentically.
Q: What makes a good villain? Does THE INTANGIBLES have a villain? Or is the concept of bigotry the “villain?” Do you need a villain to have a hero?
Monte Dutton: The chief villain is the bitter ex-football coach, Preston Shipley, who has been moved to principal of Fairmont High School. A conspiracy gathers around Shipley’s bitterness, which is more personal than political, and draws other villains into its web. Bigotry plays a role in Shipley’s character that is similar to the role of slavery in the Civil War. It isn’t his only consideration, but, without it, he wouldn’t have succumbed to hate and self-destruction.
Q:  Your book is set in the late 1960s when there were no cell phones, personal computers, or internet.  How much research did you conduct to assure historical accuracy? How important is accuracy to credibility?
Monte Dutton:  The story begins on the day of JFK’s assassination, then jumps four years ahead. The rest occurs in 1967-68. I researched the times in terms of when events occurred: the assassinations of RFK and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Vietnam War, South Carolina’s Orangeburg Massacre, and other considerations, such as popular television shows and hit songs. I blended historical research with my own memories of the times. If a story is set in the past, it seems to me that it has to ring true if it is to illuminate as well as entertain.
Q: You have been a reporter and have written non-fiction books. What is different about the two approaches? Do you prefer fiction over non-fiction? Were you able to apply one to the other?
Monte Dutton: I have little desire to write non-fiction again, though I write the occasional free-lance story. Journalism isn’t really about telling the truth. It’s about getting as close to the truth as possible by reporting what people say the truth is. It’s not the same thing. My favorite irony: The best way to tell the truth is to write fiction. I really love it. I’m never happier than when sitting at my laptop, describing a world of my own invention and telling a story that fits that world.
Q: What’s next?
Monte Dutton: I’m working on the second draft of Crazy by Natural Causes, a contemporary novel set in rural Kentucky. In a sense, Chance Benford in Crazy -- like Riley Mansfield in my first novel, The Audacity of Dope -- is a person whose life is uprooted because, well, the damndest things happen to him. Chance rolls with this flow better than Riley, but both novels are about the absurdity of life. Audacityis more of a suspense thriller. Crazyhas its share of suspense, but Riley and Chance don’t have much in common. Riley has a quiet determination and stubborn streak that Chance lacks. Chance learns to drift along where the rivers of his life happen to flow.
Q:  Tell us about Monte Dutton? What do you like to do when you’re not working or writing?
Monte Dutton: I love playing guitar and writing songs. I love sports, most notably the football programs of Clinton High School and Furman University. I’ve had a lifelong passion for the Boston Red Sox. I still watch NASCAR races on TV, though I don’t have much interest in going to the track again. Writing daily blogs on my website (montedutton.com) has been good therapy and a handy way to get ready to write fiction. The daily blog is like singing scales in a choir or chorus; it’s a warm-up exercise as well as a promotional device for raising interest in my novels.
About Monte Dutton
Monte Dutton lives in Clinton, South Carolina. In high school, he played football for a state championship team, then attended Furman University, Greenville, S.C., graduating in 1980, B.A., cum laude, political science/history. 
He spent 20 years (1993-2012) writing about NASCAR for several publications. He was named Writer of the Year by the Eastern Motorsports Press Association (Frank Blunk Award) in 2003 and Writer of the Year by the National Motorsports Press Association (George Cunningham Award) in 2008. His NASCAR writing was syndicated by King Feature Syndicate in the form of a weekly page, "NASCAR This Week" for 17 years.
Monte Dutton is also the author of Pride of Clinton, a history of high school football in his hometown, 1986; At Speed, 2000 (Potomac Books); Rebel with a Cause: A Season with NASCAR's Tony Stewart, 2001 (Potomac Books); Jeff Gordon: The Racer, 2001 (Thomas Nelson); Postcards from Pit Road, 2003 (Potomac Books); Haul A** and Turn Left, 2005 (Warner Books), True to the Roots: Americana Music Revealed, 2006. (Bison Books); and is an Editor/Contributor of Taking Stock: Life in NASCAR's Fast Lane, 2004 (Potomac Books). 

The Audacity of Dope, 2011 (Neverland Publishing) was his first novel, and Neverland recently published his second, THE INTANGIBLES. Another, Crazy by Natural Causes, is in the works.
About THE INTANGIBLES

It’s 1968. The winds of change are descending on Fairmont and engulfing the small South Carolina town in a tornadic frenzy. The public schools are finally being completely integrated. Mossy Springs High School is closing and its black students are now attending formerly all-white Fairmont High; the town is rife with racial tension. Several black youths have been arrested for tossing firebombs at a handful of stores. White citizens form a private academy for the purpose of keeping their kids out of the integrated school system. The Ku Klux Klan is growing.
Reese Knighton arrives on the scene at precisely the right time. The principal of Fairmont High School, Claude Lowell, becomes superintendent of the school district. Lowell chooses Preston Shipley, currently the football coach, to replace him as principal and hires Knighton to coach the team, thus forcing Knighton to find common ground with Willie Spurgeon, the successful Mossy Springs coach who has been passed over for a job he richly deserves.
At The Intangibles’ center is the Hoskins family, their relationships to those living within the town of Fairmont giving rise to a memorable cast of characters. Tommy Hoskins is a local businessman and farmer who is a supporter of the team, on which his older son, Frankie, plays. Frankie’s best friend is Raymond Simpson, who lives in a shanty on the Hoskins’ farm. Another of Frankie’s friends, Ned Whitesides, is a spoiled bigot. Clarence “Click” Clowney is the talented, rebellious quarterback from Mossy Springs. Al Martin is the staunch black tackle who becomes the glue that keeps the integrated team together. Twins James and Joey Leverette are the sons of professors at local Oconee College. Curly Mayhew coaches rival Lexington Central. Laura Hedison is a white cheerleader. Jorge Heredia is a tennis player at the college who sells drugs on the side. Aubrey Roper is a college girl who exerts a corruptive influence on Frankie Hoskins. The county sheriff, a turncoat within the team, Ned Whitesides’ father, the loyal assistants, militants both black and white, a doctor, a lawyer, local businessmen, and others all add fuel to the fires of prejudice and fear of the unknown that are raging in the town of Fairmont.
This is a story of a high school football team that puts aside its differences, never realizing that, outside its bounds, the world is unraveling. It’s a story about the cultural changes, good and bad, that take place when two societies shift and finally come together.
Ultimately, THE INTANGIBLES is a story of triumph achieved at considerable cost.
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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Author and Journalist Catherine Feeny

Catherine Feeny, Author
FLOWER GIRLAuthor and journalist Catherine Feeny imagined what it might be like to fall for a movie star and move with him to Hollywood.  In “Into-the-Woods” style, her new book FLOWER GIRL takes readers to the next step of the fairy tale, which, according to reviewers, includes many twists and turns.
FLOWER GIRL is Feeny’s fifth novel. She also is a freelance journalist and writes short stories and drama for BBC Radio 4. She currently lives in London – where she loves to cook, especially to bake bread. She also lived in the U.S. for four years and spent time in France and Spain.
Q: Would you characterize FLOWER GIRL as a romance or mystery or…?
Catherine Feeny: FLOWER GIRL is a romance, but it has elements of mystery and intrigue too.
I had always wondered what would happen if you got to live the dream: to meet a movie star and have him whisk you off to Hollywood. The answer I came up with was that, however handsome and charismatic his image might be, you would still wake up with a real man. That idea intrigued me and it was what I went on to explore in the novel.
Q: How do you make FLOWER GIRL “an emotional roller coaster, well worth the ride!” – as described by a reviewer? How do you engage your readers to care about the “flower girl”?
Catherine Feeny: Let me answer the second question first. I think readers care about Violet, whose work as a freelance florist gives the novel its title, because she is a compelling and believable character, who has to find a way of dealing with a remarkable sequence of events.
Once you care about Violet, the twists and turns of the plot are an emotional roller coaster because you experience them with and through her.
Q: Would you describe Violet Lake, your protagonist, as a modern, independent woman? How important is her type of character to the development of your story?
Catherine Feeny: Yes, she is modern and independent. She also has her feet on the ground and doesn’t stand in awe of anybody. That is why she is able to navigate a course through the craziness that is showbiz Hollywood.
The story is mostly described through Violet’s eyes, so she is immensely important to its development. Initially she is completely out of her depth in the world into which she has tumbled, but she is not naive and she is certainly no fool. She makes sense of her situation by means of a level-headed gaze and a good pinch of sardonic wit. Her journey is also the reader’s.
Q: Were you able to use your journalist skills to write a fictional novel? Or is the differencebetween reporting news and creating a story difficult to cross?
Catherine Feeny: I very much used what I learnt as a journalist when writing FLOWER GIRL. In particular my time in the Shetland Isles, where I lived until recently. The Shetland Isles are Britain’s most northerly archipelago, situated fifteen hours by ferry from the Scottish mainland. They have their own distinct identity, and an oral storytelling tradition still thrives there.
As a journalist I met up with lots Shetland folk, and heard the wonderful tales they had to tell. In the process I fell in love with the twists and turns of spellbinding narrative, and that is reflected in the intricate plot of FLOWER GIRL.
Journalistic writing must be punchy, immediate, and full of arresting turns of phrase. I also incorporated those characteristics into the language of FLOWER GIRL.
Q: How would you define a “villain”? Does FLOWER GIRL have “villains”?
Catherine Feeny: A villain is an antagonist; the person who endeavours to prevent a happy ending. Oh yes, FLOWER GIRL has several, my favourite being the malevolent Harold Acker, of whom I will say no more. People will just have to read the novel!
Q: Did you write FLOWER GIRL primarily to entertain? Did you also write it to educate or deliver a message?
Catherine Feeny: I did write FLOWER GIRL primarily to entertain, which goes back to my delight in telling a cracking good story. I certainly didn’t intend to educate, but any novel is bound to indicate its writer’s approach to life, and give a sense of their priorities.
Q: In addition to writing your novels, you are also a journalist. When did you first realize that you are a writer? What has inspired you to continue to write?
Catherine Feeny: I have written ever since I was a child. I continue because I can’t imagine not doing so. There would be a void in my life that nothing else could fill.
Q: How is FLOWER GIRL different from your four previous novels?
Catherine Feeny: My four previous novels were written before I lived in Shetland, and their aim was to make a political point. Although they did have romantic elements, FLOWER GIRL represents a move into a different genre.
My four previous novels were published by Hodder & Stoughton. FLOWER GIRL is published on Amazon Kindle. That was another big departure for me, but I am convinced that ebooks are the future. I like the speed with which they can come onto the market, and the way in which, as a writer, you have control over every aspect of the publishing process, from choosing a cover to marketing. They also put authors into a new and much closer relationship with their public. These are exciting times for writers and readers alike. It is no exaggeration to say that we are in the throes of a literary revolution.
Q: What’s next?
Catherine Feeny: I’m currently gestating an idea for another novel, but I’ll leave it at that. I’m a bit superstitious about a work in progress!
Q: Tell us about Catherine Feeny. What do you like to do when you’re not writing or working?
Catherine Feeny: I love to cook. In particular I am a passionate breadmaker. The alchemy that happens when you bring so few ingredients together never ceases to thrill me. And the smell of fresh bread is just magical!
More About Catherine Feeny
Catherine Feeny is the author of four previous novels, published by Hodder & Stoughton. She also teaches Creative Writing, works as a freelance journalist, and writes short stories and drama for BBC Radio 4. She currently lives in Lincoln UK, but has spent time in France and Spain, and lived in the United States for four years. Her travels around America by Greyhound bus at the age of sixteen were among the inspirations for FLOWERGIRL.
About FLOWER GIRL

FLOWER GIRL tells the story of how a night of passion leads London florist Violet Lake to leave her former life behind, and fly off with her movie star lover to live with him in his Hollywood mansion. Once there, however, Violet’s fantasy starts to unravel, and she finds herself catapulted into an adventure which carries her across the entire American continent, and leaves her future happiness hanging in the balance.
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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Author Lynn Albrecht

Lynn Albrecht, Author
DYING FOR SEXMystery author Lynn Albrecht brings us DYING FOR SEX  touted by reviewers as a “Great mystery, great humor” and “Sex, drugs, and an old folks home? How could it get any better?” Albrecht values humor—which comes through in her interview—but understands that a mystery with lots of twists, turns, and red herrings creates an entertaining book.
Albrecht originally worked in broadcasting and then in the field of corporate communications—a career I pursued for more than 25 years. (I, too, did not do well with the power suits.) So I can appreciate her career change to become a social worker. Today she continues to work part time as a social worker and lives in Canada with her husband.
Be sure to check into her "Huge Kindle Giveaway" posted at the end of the interview. You could win a Kindle Paperwhite!
Q:  Your reviewers praise the mystery in DYING FOR SEX. How did you conceive it? What inspired it? Was it based on real events?
Lynn Albrecht: I had tried to write novels in my thirties––a romance and a historical novel. I never got very far. Many years passed until the urge to write a story came over me again. This time I knew that in order to succeed, I had to write about what I knew. When I started writing DYING FOR SEXI also knew that I had to have the whole swinger scenario in the story somehow. Most of my adult life I have heard a lot of rumors and stories about the swinger lifestyle. When I started researching it for the book, I was astounded to learn there was actually an “adult lifestyle club” in the heart of the city I lived at that time. The more I looked into it the more I realized that a) it was more popular than I ever realized, and b) for me, it’s a subject that inspires hilarity. Could I ask for more? Let’s face it, sex can just be downright funny.
Q: How important is humor to telling your story?
Lynn Albrecht:  Very. My main goal was to make people laugh. I have always loved Janet Evanovich’s and Laura Levine’s books. I started reading the Stephanie Plum series in my forties and I can tell you those books saved me from plunging into total insanity some days. My son wanted to get his gazillieth piercing, my daughter announced she was leaving university to learn how to massage horses, and my boobs were starting to droop so badly they slapped me in the face when I jogged. So I would lose myself in one of Janet’s books and the world suddenly didn’t look so bad anymore, although the whole boob thing remained very disconcerting.
Q: Your reviewers point out the successful integration of intrigue and humor in DYING FOR SEX.  How did you keep readers in suspense and laughing?
Lynn Albrecht:  I had to keep reminding myself not to get too serious. I knew I had to have lots of twists and turns in the plot and a few red herrings, but I kept the voice of Lindy in the forefront.  She just has a way of turning a potentially serious situation into mayhem. DYING FOR SEX is not a scary book. No blood, no gore, but a good mystery that I think, keeps you guessing as well as laughing.
Q: How do you create credibility for your amateur sleuth, Lindy Sutton, to the extent that we believe she can solve the mystery? Why do readers care what happens to her?
Lynn Albrecht:  She’s a lot like you and me. She’s just this woman who’s been drawn into helping solve a mystery by the victim’s brother. She has absolutely no idea how to go about it. So she pulls in her best friend and her sister to help, as well as this old gay guy named Chappy Lowton, who lives at the retirement home where the victim worked. They’re all just ordinary people, bumbling along asking questions, and getting into trouble in the process. Along the way, life intrudes. Her son brings home this outrageously ugly bus and parks it in their driveway, her long dormant hormones fire up for the very annoying detective on the case, and her sister constantly makes fun of her. Lindy’s not particularly brilliant or brave, she’s hard on herself, and uses humor to cover up her insecurities. She doesn’t solve the mystery in a concise, methodical way, because she’s not like a Kay Scarpetta.  But she does solve it. And I think she does it the way you or I might, and I think that’s why people like her character.
Q:  Did you write DYING FOR SEX purely for entertainment? Or were you trying to educate your readers? Deliver a message?
Lynn Albrecht:  My goal was to entertain and hopefully, keep people guessing about the identity of the murderer and what was going to happen next. Any messages that are in the book are pretty simple I think. Seniors are not staid, used-up, people with nothing to offer. The elderly people in DYING FOR SEX, all have very different, and I think, interesting personalities and they are important to the storyline. Fifty-year old women can be funny, still have a lot to offer and think about sex. People are diverse and therefore diverse in their tastes and proclivities. Mothers will protect a child no matter how old either of them get. Laughter just makes life better. Nothing too pithy.  DYING FOR SEXain’t  Dostoyevsky after all.
Q: How helpful is the concept of villain versus hero to telling your story? Do the actions of your villain result in the heroic responses of the protagonist?
Lynn Albrecht: Lindy is not the typical kind of hero you see in a lot of mysteries. This is a light mystery so Lindy isn’t going to grab a machine gun and take out a gaggle of assassins or anything like that. I tried to make it believable even though Lindy tends to end up in some ridiculous situations. She’s kind of a chaos magnet, but believable chaos. I think because it is a light mystery, the idea of the villain is less intense but still does bad things. Lindy reacts to that, but again, in a way that you or I might.
Q: Is any of DYING FOR SEX based on real events? Is the back story based on your own experiences or did you need to do research?Lynn Albrecht:  Well as I said earlier, I am a little older than Lindy. So I did base some of her thoughts, feelings on things I have been through, especially her relationship with her son Brent, how she feels about her changing body, sexuality, and her love of Spanx of course. The swinger part of it required a whole lot of on-line research, which needed nerves of steel and a few stiff drinks. But I got through it.
Q: Did your characters push you around and make you write what they wanted? Or were you in control? Did you start with an outline?
Lynn Albrecht: I sat down one Easter weekend and wrote out the entire plot on index cards. Then I started writing, going from one card to the next. At first it was a struggle to let the characters’ voices come out. It took me a while before I relaxed and just let their voices take over. I kept control of the plot and where the characters were going, but I let the characters take over control of the dialogue and the narrative feel of the book. In particular, I felt that Lindy’s voice had to be strong and consistent.
Q:  What’s next?
Lynn Albrecht: I still work part-time as a social worker and I’m working hard to promote DYING FOR SEX.  I’m a novice when it comes to things like twitter, face book, and well, blog tours. It’s a steep learning curve. My publisher does help, but really the onus is on me to get the book noticed. But I’m learning and it’s another adventure. I’m enjoying it.
When I am not promoting DYING FOR SEX, I am working on the second Lindy Sutton mystery. The same characters are in it––Lindy, Patty, Toni, Dixie, and of course, Chappy Lowton.

Q:  Tell us about Lynn Albrecht. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Lynn Albrecht: Not a hell of a lot. Give me a good mystery and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and I’m happy. I do travel with my husband when we have the time and money to do so. I love Sedona, Arizona in particular so we try to visit there once a year. I periodically bug my two adult children in a valiant effort to make them remember I’m still around and have relevance in their lives. Sometimes it works. And I spend an inordinate amount of time sussing out sales on Spanx and trying to figure out why my knees have started to droop.
About Lynn AlbrechtLynn C. Albrecht started her career in broadcasting. Quickly realizing she was not going to be the next Lisa Laflamme, she entered the world of corporate communications. After years of writing videos, speeches, advertising, and dressing in power suits with shoulders pads that made her look like Hunter Hearst Helmsley, she had a great epiphany. She ditched the shoulder pads and returned to school. Five years later, she was released into the unsuspecting healthcare system as a social worker. She works at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario.Lynn lives in Baden, Ontario with her infinitely patient husband, John Belton.
 DYING FOR SEX is her first book. She is currently hard at work on the second Lindy Sutton mystery.http://lynncalbrecht.comhttps://www.facebook.com/lynncalbrecht
About DYING FOR SEX
Lindy Sutton has her hands full. In between having her clown act clobbered by pint-sized critics, keeping a group of sex-crazed octogenarians from starting brawls in the raciest bar in town, and trying to keep her crazy Aunt Pip from being tossed out of Laughing Pines retirement home, she still has to contend with her son’s garish band bus parked in her driveway. Could things get any worse? Yup! Margaret Quaid, the social worker at Laughing Pines is found dead of an apparent overdose and the drop dead handsome detective on the case, thinks she stole the drugs from the retirement home and was pretty active in the world of wife swapping to boot. Lindy’s temper soars, along with her long dormant hormones, as she sets out to clear Margaret’s name, find the murderer and make the sexy detective eat crow. Aided and abetted by the aging but flamboyant Chappy Lowton, her eccentric and sarcastic sister, her best friend Patty, and that hoard of sex-crazed geriatrics, Lindy wades into the world of swingers only to find that there are plenty of people with a motive to kill the social worker. http://lynncalbrecht.comLinksSocial Links:
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Where to Purchase:
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Giveaway:  Enter here http://tinyurl.com/k5l5dg4
First Prize: Kindle Paperwhite and an autographed copy of Dying for Sex
Second Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card and an autographed copy of Dying for Sex
Third Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card and an autographed copy of Dying for Sex

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Mystery Author Jill Edmondson

Jill Edmondson, Author
FRISKY BUSINESSMystery author Jill Edmondson knows what she likes, and her latest book FRISKY BUSINESS involves her hard-boiled detective Sasha Jackson in another Toronto-based case. Edmondson believes in building credibility through leaving loose ends and making mistakes – in addition to factual accuracy.  And a hero will always be a hero – but needs a catalyst to be so.
Edmondson loves to travel and – like, yours truly – goes to Broadway plays (oh I wish I, too, could have seen nine in the past year!). She also enjoys her two toothless Maltese dogs.




Q: What inspired your story-line--the murder of a porn star--for FRISKY BUSINESS?
Jill Edmondson: The book was totally inspired by chapter two of Empire of Illusion by Chris Hedges.  Hedges is one of my favorite writers, and Empire of Illusion is one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read in a long time.  In chapter two, Hedges examines the realities of the “adult entertainment” industry, particularly XXX movies.  I can’t remember the last time I read anything that made me so angry.  It made me mad enough to kill, well, only fictionally…
Q: How do you convince readers that Sasha Jackson is a credible hard-boiled private detective? What makes her “hard-boiled?” Why do readers care what happens to her?
Jill Edmondson: I am so happy to be able to say that readers tell me again and again that they can relate to her, that they’d like to hang out with her.  She’s fun, and likes to have a good time, but there’s more to her than that.
Like the archetypal hard-boiled PI, Sasha has an inner moral compass that guides her.  Making things right is her goal, and if a few stupid rules get broken in the process… Sasha can be counted on to do the right thing, but will probably do it the wrong way.  That’s fine though, the results are what matters, even if she does end up setting her hair on fire, or getting shot in the boobs, or totaling an expensive car…
Q: Why did you decide to write a series featuring Sasha Jackson?
Jill Edmondson: Sasha was clearly formed in my mind before I ever started writing, before I even came up with an idea for a plot!  This was a result of a few things…·      For several years, I ran a mystery book club (and for a while I actually ran two mystery book clubs).·      In 2005, I was a judge for the Arthur Ellis Awards (and read about 60 mysteries in about 4 months)·      When I was doing my MA, I did a few research papers on Women in Crime Fiction.·      I was a non-author member of Crime Writers of Canada and of Sisters in Crime.All of those things combined to give birth to Sasha.  I knew the mystery genre really well.  I had a solid idea of what I liked and didn’t like in a mystery novel or character.  I had a good idea of what was under-represented in the genre.  And I’d learned from various discussions what fellow readers DIDN’T like or what they wished there was more of in the genre.  When I decided to try my hand at writing, I knew right away who my sleuth would be. 

Q:  How relevant is Toronto as a setting for telling the story? Does it add to the mystery? Are you able to exploit its unique aspects?
Jill Edmondson:  Very, yes, and yes!  The city is almost another character, and many reviewers have commented (favorably) on the setting.  Toronto is diverse, and it really is a city of neighbourhoods.  Each area of the city, to some extent, can be characterized by culture, mood, commerce, language, income, and so on.  These locales add to the plots of each Sasha book.  The series wouldn’t be the same if it were set in, let’s say, Vancouver or Boston. 
A while ago, I managed to get the Sasha books into the hands of David Mayor, the former Mayor of Toronto, and he Tweeted: 
Gorgeous day to kick back with a big mug of coffee and the latest Jill Edmondson mystery - in which Toronto plays itself.And: - the books are terrific and Sasha suitably feisty. And I love Toronto playing itself!
That was pretty high praise!
Q: Did you write FRISKY BUSINESS solely to entertain? Or also to educate or deliver a message?
Jill Edmondson:  Entertainment must come first, but if there’s a message subtly delivered as well, then great!
Q:  Are you a believer in heroes and villains? What makes an engaging villain? Does a hero depend on the villain’s actions to become a hero?
Jill Edmondson:  A hero will always be a hero, that innate sense of morals or justice will always BE there, but it takes some kind of a catalyst, some precipitating event to SHOW the hero’s character.  Superman never leaped tall buildings in a single bound just because he was bored. 
As for villains… that’s tricky.  If a writer goes too far in making a villain loathsome, then the reader may be turned off.  I think a workable villain needs to have a shred of decency, some indication of humanity… buried way deep down.
Q:  How do you make your story “credible?” Does credibility enhance the mystery and/or suspense?
Jill Edmondson: There are many things a mystery author can do to add credibility, making it factual, researching bullet wounds and blood spatter patterns, and so on.  But to me, one of the best ways to make a story credible is to have mistakes, to have loose ends.  Real life does not unfold logically or perfectly, with everything wrapped up in a nice little package.  As long as order is restored in the end, the journey to that destination can and should contain a SNAFU or two. 
Q:  How important is humor in telling your story or creating your characters?
Jill Edmondson: I think a dose of humor is necessary.  I want readers to have a giggle now and then.  For me, this is easiest to do in dialogue.  Often, when I write, I’m laughing my head off.  I can get away with saying or doing things in fiction that I’d never say or do in real life. 
Q:  What’s next? Will you be writing more Sasha Jackson stories?
Jill Edmondson:  Number five, Odd Lang Syne, is already underway.  It’s about Gina Gervais, a former teen idol.  Gina is at the peak of her comeback, back on the top of the charts.  Everything should be golden, but it’s not.  She’s going through a nasty divorce, she’s got a stalker, and, oh sh*t, someone’s just released a sex tape of her.  If that’s not bad enough, her estranged husband is murdered, and guess who the number one suspect is? 
Q:  Tell us about Jill Edmondson. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Jill Edmondson:  Can I borrow your credit card before I answer that question?  I love to travel.  Put me on a plane to anywhere!  I never really plan my trips, I just bumble along when I get there. 
My other favourite money vacuum, I mean pastime, is going to concerts, musicals and live theatre.  I’ve seen 9 Broadway shows in the last ~year!
About Jill Edmondson
Jill Edmondson is the author of the Sasha Jacksonmystery series.  There’s a thin line between Jill and her sleuth Sasha, although Jill has never worked at a phone sex hotline, and Sasha isn’t a language geek. Jill enjoys bumming around any country where they speak a Latin-based language.  She also loves head-banging About FRISKY BUSINESS– the latest Sasha Jackson Mystery
This time around, PI Sasha Jackson is investigating the murder of a porn star...  

The drug addicted girl was a worthless nobody, so the cops aren't putting much effort into finding out who killed her.  Sasha takes on the case, and learns that the dirty picture business is way dirtier than it seems. She discovers surprising motives and even more surprising secrets, and just when she thinks she's solved the case, another dead body turns up. 

Meanwhile, Sasha's private life is a shambles.  Her brother is pissing her off, Sasha's love-life is on the rocks, and her BFF has her nose out of joint over Sasha's latest revelations.   And then there's the driving instructor, the locksmith and the glazier.  Let's just say it's a good thing that Sasha has a credit card.  

Why can't everyone just chill out long enough for Sasha to get in a good jam session, or have a good night's sleep?  

Oh, for crying out loud, pass the Scotch...
About BLOOD AND GROOM – the first Sasha Jackson Mystery
When not talking dirty at her part-time phone sex job, fledgling gumshoe Sasha Jackson is spending her days learning how “till death do us part” applies to her jilted client.
Christine Arvisais was dumped by her gold-plated fiancé Gordon just days before mailing the wedding invitations.  Four months later, Gordon was shot during his Saturday morning jog. 
Then another former fiancé is killed and it appears Cupid’s bow is no match for the Grim Reaper’s scythe.  As Sasha continues her investigation, she uncovers a pattern of guys who skipped “I do” and now never will. 
LinksJill Edmondson is the author of four mystery novels.  FRISKY BUSINESS is the latest novel featuring PI Sasha Jackson. 
For more info on Jill, check out her:
Website Blog 
Books on Amazon
Facebook Goodreads Follow her on Twitter @JillEdmondson