Shehanne Moore's Blog, page 46
June 18, 2013
The chair finale- a Ray of sunshine
What a week really, l must admit. We have seen characters bribed with… 
No guesses for who all wants to go with Anna Wells…..
Carolina might have but then again she went blind, so I think Susan Arden is in the clear there. While talking other Susans, mine can’t take her eyes off that French maid picture she brought along yesterday. I am tactfully keeping my mouth zipped.
This is the last interview after all and I wouldn’t like to be conducting it from a different sort of chair……
Come on…..you got any idea the damage that rolling pin did last time even if Flint did ask for it? It just looks nice. 
This week, in addition to bringing together some fab authors the idea was to help two celebrate new releases. Charley Descoteaux…veteran of the last set of hot seat interviews has eight days to go before her new book, Directing Traffic is released by Dreamspinner Press.
It’s my pleasure to have her here today with her character —another secondary, Ray Bigelow, who since the book is not yet out, has plenty time to jump ship. I am standing by with a catalogue of swimming pool pics just in case. Already you can see he is considering them…..
Charley : Thanks, Shey, for having us! And Hi Ray, thanks for stopping by. How are you feeling?
Ray: Thanks for inviting me over, doll. Doing just fine. Don’t let the wrinkles fool you, everything still works the way it should. *winks*
Charley: Um….. glad to hear it. I was hoping you’d talk a little about Ty. He doesn’t get any POV time in this story so I’d like to let everyone get to know him a little better.
Ray: But I thought, this was to be about me?…….Oh, that’s a nice swimming pool….
Hey… just as well you didn’t try to get him to talk on the page. ….hey, you mean this pool has the house thrown in?
Charley : Honey, you’d be surprised what could be thrown in…..
Ray: Well….He’s not comfortable talking about anything serious with anyone over the age of fourteen. He’s great at getting the kids to open up about what’s going on at home or what kind of career they’re interested in, but don’t bring up the l-word or he’ll shut right down. Like me, you don’t stop threaten…that’s nice pool too…
Charley: So he hasn’t had many serious relationships?
Ray: Many? Any. Never would admit if he’d been looking for it, but I know how his mind works. He’s been waiting for someone to convince him. Hey…maybe if you showed him these pools….
Charley: What about the rest of the family? How does he get along with them?
Ray: My brother’s a ^&%^^^£
………………..OOPS
Charley: Whoa, Ray, were you in the Navy?
Ray: No. Wouldn’t take me, too scrawny. Not foul mouthed enough. But that brother of mine, he didn’t deserve to have a son like Ty. Or a wife like Laura, for that matter. Thought he should always be perfect—some Norman Rockwell version of the perfect son, do everything he couldn’t do. You probably know the type. Jackass—can I get away with jackass without being censored??—
kicked him out when he turned eighteen. Happy Birthday, now go live with your queer uncle, fag.
Charley: Did he really say that?
Ray: Not sure, but I wouldn’t put it past the )9*&^%8*. Told me himself he said worse.
Charley: Than you Ray? What a charming man.
Ray: Obviously that kind of charm isn’t hereditary. *flirty grin*
Charley: Obviously.
Ray: But I’m not. Gay, I mean.
Charley: So I’ve heard. It’s pretty obvious, though, by the way you’re flirting.
Ray: Am I getting anywhere? *wink* How about your pretty friend whose space we’re invading?
Charley: You mean Shey? Down, boy—she’s married.
Ray: Oh, lucky for him then! *a wink and an eyebrow wiggle* You’re both too young for me anyhow. I would’ve liked to get married, have a couple kids. Just never met the woman who could take my being gone so much. And by the time I stopped driving I was too foul-mouthed and set in my ways to chase after it. But hey, I do like these pools, so know what…..
Charley : You just about paid for one too all that cussing.
Directing Traffic by Charley Descoteaux
Neil Sedwick expects to spend his vacation in a sleepy tourist trap mourning his late partner’s death. Instead, he puts his recently acquired CPR certificate to use and saves an elderly resident’s life. But it’s the survivor’s nephew, sexy middle-school teacher Ty Bigelow, who causes Neil to reevaluate his routine and consider reopening his heart.
Though the electricity between them is undeniable, Ty is struggling with his own feelings of inadequacy, and Neil is moored to the past. Even the healing peace of an old man’s garden and the ever-changing waters of the Oregon coast may not be enough to prepare Neil to overcome a crisis of the heart.
Available for pre-order now—Dreamspinner Press: http://tinyurl.com/pm5euze
BIO: Charley Descoteaux has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they let her sleep once in a while. Every guy deserves a beautiful love story even, or maybe especially, the ones who would usually be in the supporting cast. Home is Portland, Oregon, where the weather is like your favorite hard-case writing buddy who won’t let you get away with taking too many days off, and in some places you can be as weird as you are without fear. As an out and proud bisexual and life-long weird-o, she thinks that last part is pretty cool.
Rattle Charley’s cages:
Blog: http://cdescoteauxwrites.wordpress.com/
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/CharleyDescoteauxAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharleyDescote
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/aqe7g7r
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/charleydescote/
e-mail: c.descoteauxwrites@gmail.com
SO that’s it for now folks. The chair goes back under wraps but so long as no-one sets it aflame…not looking at anyone Aimee Duffy, who knows when it will next return………
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: Aimee Duffy, Anna Wells, Charley Ddescoteaux, Crimson Romance, Directing Traffic, Dreamspinner Press, Etopia Press, Harper Impulse, Noelle Clark, Peter Romilly, Shehanne Moore, Steve Emmett, Susan Arden 
June 17, 2013
Day six…Oh give these seconds a chance.
What seconds? Well, these ones in books, who are much easier to deal with than the sticky, moaning, groaning, whinging, needing bribed with swimming pools and promises of hot partners, main characters. These ones who plainly never read that heart-breaking post by Aimee Duffy, the one that led this off, http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/return-of-the-dreaded-chair/
Or they would see they are lucky to get in any book, for us to sit in any at all–even the one above- and thank the lord god of writing for knowing us.
Anyway, not expecting all these caring, generous, wonderfully, docile authors to do something I would not do myself, I ‘ve… er brought along my own chair. 
As we head along towards tomorrow’s concluding post from Charley Descoteaux, who is also bringing along a ‘second’ from her forthcoming release, I am here today with the lovely Susan from the Unraveling of Lady Fury —-
Susan : Before you even start Shehanne, I’ve seen the photographs and all the stuff you wrote about me being old enough to be Flint’s mother. Fury’s too. Dumpy and frumpy. 
The answer is no. You can just put that rolling pin away. Everyone knows if you have a rolling pin, it’s got nothing to do with your cakes. The ones you get your pal Ross to photo-shop. Bad enough you never let me be the heroine, but you want me to look like some frump-dump. in an apron and mob cap. Why can’t I look like this?
Shehanne : (aside) Oh God, another tiresome one who wants to be a blonde with boobs. Very well, because generally speaking, maids in Genoa didn’t look like much this in 1820. All that housework, in these boots. Susan, just think will you, what it will do to your feet. How this
will go to this.
What’s more if you looked like that blonde above, do you really think Fury would employ you?
Susan: No. But Flint might.
Shehanne : Susan, how shocking, how rebellious is this when only the other day Susan Arden asked me if Fury was taking the lovely Susan on blog tour with her?
Susan : With her as in ’ rich, full, and quite amazing.’ These leads always are. ‘Such a strong character, at times, I was fearful for Susan, her companion.’
Shehanne : Oh Susan, don’t be silly. Look at the next line will you? ‘but then realised Susan had the upper hand in many situations.’ Now doesn’t that make you feel empowered as a secondary character?
As integral to the story as hero and heroine? All the way through you see so much she doesn’t. What’s more, there’s a scene thrown in here, I don’t want to say too much about, but in that scene you are the heroine.
Susan : You mean I get Flint?
Shehanne : Well, it sort of depends on what we mean by get. But yes. yes you do. And do you have any idea of the things you get up to with the feather duster?
Susan : Me?
Shehanne : Absolutely…………..
It only remains for me to say plenty crockery was damaged in the course of this book. Blurb and all in Books Tab.
Tomorrow we round off with the lovely Charley Descoteaux.
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: Aimee Duffy, AnnaWells, Charley Descoteaux, Etopia Press, hot seat interviews, Noelle Clark, Peter Romilly, secondary characters, Shehanne Moore, Steve Emmett, Susan Arden, The Unraveling of Lady Fury
June 16, 2013
On Day Five ….the chair gets hot
The exciting week here continues with the news that Noelle Clark’s gift to Abbie….. 
or rather Abbie’s t-shirt, has proved a facebook hit in the land of Oz. So much so, Noelle sent me this….. 
regarding similar insects we apparently have here in Scotland. Carolina, following yesterday’s clash with Susan Arden, is now sporting these…
very happily too, I must say. She was concerned about going blind after all. Tom Lupton is still to traced, but Marc, newly christened Kent, is still out there saving the world and making it safe for today’s guests, debut author, Anna Wells and the hero – at least we hope he’s going to be – of her new book, Trust Me, Donovan Prentice. Can we just get with the program here? Donovan is the hero duh… Though I am sure that trusting him is what he wants the heroine to do.
Trust me too, Anna is sure to convince him, as everyone else has here, very nicely, this week. So here she is, the lady herself, (Cue lights, drumroll, camera, action )
and Donovan.
Donovan : Okay, okay, let’s just can the applause. I’m with Carolina Rodriguez here. Before we go any further, Anna, this book of yours… I’m an FBI Lawyer, working undercover? Etc…etc..etc? Look, just because you authors work hard yourselves, holding down day jobs and all, why do you all think we want to do the same? Why can’t I be a millionaire and laze all day by the pool? the beach or something sort of like this…..
Nice huh? But even if not, and I take on board it is probably the not, why can’t I be something ordinary that leaves plenty time for the finer things in life?
Anna: Donovan, who are you trying to kid? You were a lawyer before you joined the FBI as a Special Agent. It’s just not your style to laze around. You’d be bored.
Donovan: So you keep telling yourself. Me? Well, how about you give me the chance to laze about for say maybe ten years or so, then come back and talk to me? Unless you have something else to convince me. NO. No spiders okay?
Anna : Alaina the heroine is very hot, she’s petite with a smoking body. Unfortunately this really distracts you from doing your job.
Donovan : Well, that’s ok. Since I don’t want to work anyhows. So okay. I can go with that. This undercover stuff… I’m pretty straight and honest. That’s the kind of guy I’m going to be in this book isn’t it? The sort who would never lie to a lady? Especially a lady like Alaina?
Anna : You’re full of integrity and your personal ethics mean everything to you. Upholding the law and putting those terrorists in jail is your primary focus. Undercover work is just part of getting the job done. Remember you think Alaina might be guilty of working with those nasty terrorists so you can’t tell her the truth.
Donovan :In other words. I’m a lying sob. And not only am I a lying sob, you have this in the blurb. ‘When the bullets start to fly.’
It was said right here the other day–how come you authors keep sticking us in situations you’d never get in yourself, thinking we’re all Clark Kent or something and can dodge them, saving the world while we’re about it?
Anna: Hey, don’t blame me it’s part of your job description.
Donovan : Well, you’re so talented you can go away and just write me another one Anna.
Anna : How’s this? Donovan you’ll have fun, I promise. Alaina is smart, funny, and sexy and when you two get together the pages smoke. What more could you want than that? Doesn’t that sound better than lazing around the pool? Although there is going to be some hot action in a swimming pool, but I don’t want to give too much away…And of course, if you don’t want to….
Donovan : A swimming pool? You never told me that one.
Anna : of course it looks like this.
…………………….and now Anna has, well you can see how nice we are to our characters and how delighted they are to agree.
Lawyer Alaina Simmons never imagined that she would be defending her deceased father against accusations of terrorism when she agreed to protect his legacy, a group of documents he’d placed in an archival repository. FBI Lawyer Donovan Prentice insists that her father and the organization he worked for were terrorists and that crucial evidence is in the documents Alaina has sworn to protect. Now she is forced to combat the FBI and her compelling attraction to Donovan Prentice while unaware that she is also Donovan’s suspect.
Special Agent Donovan Prentice is working undercover posing as a lawyer in an attempt to gain access to the evidence he needs to convict a group of terrorists as well as determine if Alaina Simmons is working with them. Things become complicated as Donovan becomes more intent on getting his suspect in bed than putting her in jail.
When the bullets start to fly and the lies begin to unravel Alaina and Donovan begin to explore their intensely sexual relationship, but the couple will have to learn to trust each other both in and out of bed before the terrorists’ game of intrigue can end.
Warning: This book contains steamy sex scenes and amusing banter.
Excerpt
As she entered the lobby, Alaina felt prepared, confident and ready to do battle against almost anyone. Except she hadn’t planned on doing battle with Mr. Drugstore, and that was exactly who was rising from the black leather couch to greet her saying, “Ms. Simmons, I’m Donovan Prentice, it appears we’ve met before.”
She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Alaina was sure that her shock must be apparent; normally she prided herself on her self-control but today’s events seemed to be working against her. After all she had never experienced such a coincidence like this one before. She had met this man as a stranger and had flirted with him, completely unaware that she had an appointment with him later that day. She felt that their entire professional relationship had been compromised. As disconcerted as she felt, she was going to have to pretend that nothing had happened, and actually if she thought about it nothing really had happened. Their flirtation had been a little unusual but it hadn’t gone beyond that. It was just that she never let business associates or clients see anything but the professional side of her personality, she had ensured this by making it a habit not to discuss her personal life with any of them. By meeting this man outside of the office, outside of her professional setting, she almost felt as if he had caught her undressed. Her only option now was to ignore the incident as if it had never happened and maintain her normal professional composure. Okay so maybe ignoring it was just going to make her look like a coward. She needed to face this situation head on.
Making up her mind to take control and not let Donovan get the upper hand since he didn’t seem the least surprised to see her, she responded to his greeting with, “Yes, what a coincidence. It’s nice to meet you, formally that is.”
She looked over at Marlene, who was indiscreetly staring at Donovan Prentice as if she had never seen a man before, not that Alaina could blame her. The man was impressive to say the least. “Marlene could you hold my calls?”
Marlene barely glanced her way as she continued to stare at the object of her attention but finally managed to respond, “Yes of course Ms. Simmons.”
Alaina glanced at her wryly. “Thanks, Marlene.” She returned her attention to Mr. Prentice who was waiting patiently. “If you’ll just follow me we can discuss the issue of the subpoena in my office.” She was determined to regain her equilibrium, but as she walked down the corridor with Donovan closely following behind her, she wondered if that was even a remote possibility. “Right this way Mr. Prentice.”
“Please call me Donovan. Is it all right if I call you Alaina?”
He’s taking control again, Alaina simmered inwardly, but she responded without hesitation, “Please do.”
“I’m so glad I’ve a name to put to that beautiful face.”
She felt a thrill at his words as they entered the office. Alaina could not help but be aware of his overwhelming presence. She was feeling that same level of inexplicable excitement she had felt in the drugstore. Ignoring her jumbled emotions she tried to concentrate on the matter at hand. It was becoming pretty obvious that she needed to get laid if this guy made it so hard for her to concentrate. She might as well meet the problem head on.
She took a deep breath before saying, “Donovan. I’m just going to face the elephant in the room. When we met this morning I obviously had no idea who you were and if I had I wouldn’t have spoken to you the way that I did. Okay?”
Donovan was a little surprised but managed to hold back a laugh. “And what way was that?” His voice held that same sensual tone that it had in the drugstore.
Okay, so wow, his voice really turned her on. She felt slightly embarrassed, but what the hell he had flirted too. “Well, I was a bit flirtatious.”
He raised a brow and grinned. “A bit?”
“Cut me some slack, you were just as bad. Admit it.” Could that knowing grin of his get any bigger? She wasn’t sure why, but he was charming the hell out of her.
“As an officer of the court, I’m taking the fifth,” he said jokingly before adding, “I think this is a conversation we should pursue further once we’ve completed our business.” He paused a brief moment and looked at her intently. “And I would like to pursue it.”
The low timber of his voice caused her skin to tingle, and she felt her face flush in reaction. The idea certainly had merits she thought as she studied the hard plains of his face. God he was hot and he was making her hotter. She exhaled trying to calm herself before saying, “Do you think we can do that? Wouldn’t it be a conflict?”
He gave her a slight smile and there seemed to be a sparkle in those blue eyes as he said, “Yeah I think we can do that, but we have business to settle first.”
She nodded in agreement, hoping the meeting went smoothly and they could get back to the more interesting conversation. Wasn’t that a professional thought?
Available on
Amazon.ca
Amazon.uk
Amazon.com
KOBO.com
Anna Wells can be found on:
https://www.facebook.com/annawellswrites
http://annawellwrites.blogspot.ca/
AnnaWel07914287 (Twitter)
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: Aimee Duiffy, Anna Wells, Clark Kent, Noelle Clark, Peter Romilly, Scotland, Special agent, Steve Emmett, Susan Arden, Trust Me
June 15, 2013
On day four…..do we hear wedding bells?
Having saved the planet yesterday–Marc’s surname was obviously Kent……
forgetting that, wouldn’t it be exciting to hear that harmonious chime for a book character? Weddings? The lovely dress? The fabulous day?
Not to mention the piece of …..cake, this is going to be for our next hot seat author, the lovely Susan D. Taylor, writing as Susan Arden. Not a spider, not a dog in sight. Just the prospect of a very obliging character, (cue drumroll) the sexy, the beautiful, the flaming hot, and about to be truly tempted by trouble, Carolina Rodriguez!!!!!!
Carolina. Whoa, whoa, can we stop that God awful racket please? I have a headache. Thank you. Let’s just start here. Two things, going by this here book blurb, ‘At her cousin’s wedding she runs into Matt.’ Firstly, why is it always someone else’s wedding, like no-one ever wants to marry us. Secondly, who here said I like men? (Susan tries to gaze innocently round) Was it you?
Susan. Now really my dear. I’m not the one with the reputation of spinning through men like potato chips. I tried to steer you away from Jeff. But, oh no. You said one taste and then look what happened. I thought you might need a patch to deal with that addiction. And men? Carolina, we all you know you like men. That’s not the problem. It’s the fact that they all have such a streak running through them, deep like iron ore and girl, you’re just one big ole magnet.
Carolina. But Susan, that’s another thing, all this sex can make you go blind you know. Why do you writers keep having us at it like rabbits, just because there’s animals in your book too? I mean have you ever thought some of us are quite prim? Quite proper? Members of the dowd brigade?
Susan. There are several prim and proper characters. Yes. Take Cory, Matt’s little sister. So much sass and never a mention of men. Or Sonya, your mom. The perfect, proud widow. Or Brandon, Rory, Miller. Not a wink. Pure McLemore gentlemen. I can’t help that Matt and you come together, fast and furious with the force of a wrecking ball. Umm, that one is on you guys.
Carolina. (Blushing ) All right…there’s no need to go on. So Matt..let’s put him to the side for a moment… I’m really not fond of animals.
Susan. Meow!! Me thinks the lady dost protest too much. Is this some sort of defense mechanism or opposite Wednesday type of thing?
Carolina. I’m not meaning Matt. I am meaning the fact it says….vet. What’s more I’m not really a country girl either. All this rodeo and line dancing stuff. Me in cowboy boots? Are you serious? Look at the length of these toes. I might trip.
Susan. Mmm, I don’t know about that. Stomping around in the Florida Everglades on cattle ranches. Maybe not country, but you’ve been wearing boots. Combat boots. I think you’re citified country with some Cuban spice, and that makes all the difference, Mamacita.
Carolina Matt? Will this be more than just a fling? I mean a wedding of my own now, a dress like this, I might be tempted.
Susan. Hey, I only set up the story with plot points and choose the character arcs I thought would hold. Heck, all was smooth sailing. The first couple of chapters were under way, you guys were pretty much on your own, I was in the writing groove and them BAM! I wasn’t the one with one foot out the door. It was your grand idea to tell him you were only interested in sex. Quite frankly, you left me scrambling on what to do with the second half of the book. I thought we’d agreed, Matt was going to go that route. You basically stole his thunder and his line. I had to switch gears. How it ended, well that was a surprise too. Thank you very much. Now you won’t even be in it? Know what? I’m keeping Matt to myself.
Carolina. Whoa……you mean this here’s Matt?
PLEASE NOTE: This story has explicit adult content. Western Erotic Romance
A doctor on a mission…Carolina Rodriguez trades in her sexy stilettos for cowboy boots. She’s a large-animal vet willing to do almost anything to escape South Florida. Interviewed over the Internet by a family connection, she accepts a job sight unseen. At her cousin’s wedding, she runs into Matt McLemore. With his smoldering dark looks hot enough to melt metal, it takes every ounce of Carolina’s self-control to turn down his audacious offer to slip away for the evening.
A rancher short on time…Matt is more than daring, he’s Carolina’s new boss and floored to discover the sassy woman from the parking lot encounter is the ranch’s new vet. Matt’s attraction to Carolina is an excruciating temptation. But, a roll in the hay may prove too volatile to handle where business is concerned, especially when he needs her help to determine why his cattle keep dying.
Evermore, a cattle ranch that needs saving…The last time a team of vets came to Evermore, the ending was less than stellar. His father refuses to allow another modern vet on their land. Matt proposes to introduce Carolina to his family as his girlfriend, giving her the opportunity to work and stay at his ranch without arousing his family’s suspicion. After learning she’s the last chance to help save his family’s cattle reputation, she agrees to act the part of his girlfriend.
A woman begins to see possibilities…Playing Matt’s girlfriend, she uncovers several alluring side to this powerful man. Carolina succumbs to Matt’s raw magnetism, where she submits to his control in the bedroom. In turn, Matt unleashes a red-hot passion between them, unlike anything Carolina has ever experienced.
An attraction that has the force of a nuclear explosion…By the time the lab reports comes back, they’ve explored every inch of each other. All of a sudden, this fiery affair is more than just a fling. When a past flame threatens to overwhelm their newfound romance, Matt must find a way to stake his claim to Carolina’s heart before it’s too late.
Heat Level: Sensually provocative
WARNING: ICE MAY BE NEEDED FOR FLAMING IMAGINATIONS!
……………………….PHEW!! That’s it for today folks except to say Susan Arden lives in Tennessee with her husband, cattle dogs, cats, corn snake, and a gecko. A mother, lover of gardening, and stained-glass projects. Learn more about her at http://susanarden.com. –
Tempted By Trouble is available http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=temtped+by+trouble+by+susan+arden+at+amazon.com&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2FTempted-Trouble-Crimson-Romance-ebook%2Fdp%2FB00BS9LGWS&ei=52u8Ube7L4nmOZyMgaAP&usg=AFQjCNEQNxW0rcqdEsGsWCxQaE96B5VNfg
Tomorrow’s hot seat visitor is Anna Wells.
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: Erotic romance novels, Susan Arden, Temtped By Trouble
June 14, 2013
Day three–forget the chair, grab the raft
Hasn’t it been exciting so far though? But before anyone thinks this present bunch of authors are so much tougher than the ones here in March, I do think I should clear up a few misunderstandings. Yesterday, for example, no way did Steve Emmett have these dogs anywhere near his character Tom. The dog Steve was about to produce before Tom bolted from the scene, was perfectly friendly, the latest in author promotion.
See? With the natty book jacket and all. As for Abbie…what a carry on over a plastic spider, that on closer inspection, looks like this,
The idea is to have a happy week here celebrating Aimee Duffy and Charley Descoteaux’s forthcoming releases. Can we help it if certain characters choose to overreact?
So today here in the seat we have British author Peter Romilly.
Please pay no attention that it says warrior on the picture. Peter just chanced to be standing there. He wouldn’t harm a fly, which is why he has kindly agreed to sit in the chair in order to convince Marc just why he should be the hero of 500 Parts Per Million.
Marc. So, ‘The year is 2050, the weather is … devastating.‘ What’s that exactly? You live in Scotland don’t you? Knowing what that’s like you want me to appear in some book where the weather is even worse than there? Peter, look at the picture Steve Emmett showed here yesterday. His character gets to go to Italy. I would like to be in his book.
Peter. (aside. Steve also showed him these dogs) Okay, the weather in Scotland’s fickle, but I think you’re missing the point about living here. It’s a beautiful place when the sun shines and when it doesn’t. Great scenery, wide open spaces, and lots of very fresh air.
Sure, the weather in 500 Parts Per Million is a lot worse than Scotland, but that’s because we kept pumping out carbon dioxide (CO2), screwed up our climate and kicked off weird weather patterns. You’re too young to know this, but atmospheric concentrations of CO2, the main global warming gas, already reached 400 parts per million in 2013 and carried on increasing. The gas acts like a greenhouse, letting sunlight through but trapping the heat. Greenhouse turns pressure cooker as the CO2 rises from 400 to 500 ppm and one momentous day in 2050 the planet’s weather goes haywire and our way of life falls apart. Imagine not being able to use your mobile phone or tweet your mates, or go to the supermarket to buy your groceries!
But I think you’re a guy that’s up for a challenge – you’re smart, you’re a survivor, so even when times are bad you can tough it out. It’s a great opportunity to take part in an adventure, and hang out in some interesting places with interesting people.
Marc. An adventure … you mean like in one of these adventure parks or things? Where I get to hang out somewhere cool?
Peter. Of course. It’s on a sea-going yacht, or to use the nautical term, a sloop. You can catch a little glimpse of it on the book cover. The boat is small, but it comfortably sleeps two people, and there are no problems queuing for baggage check-in at the airports because there aren’t any flights. You get to sail round the rugged Cornish coast of south England, the Floating City in Rotterdam and up the PeeDee River…
Marc. The what?
Peter. In Carolina, so there are plenty of attractions to soak up. I mean just look at this.
As nice As Steve’s picture don’t you think?
Marc. Go on.
Peter. I have to give a big shout out for the PeeDee, which is a very scenic and interesting river, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy its meandering charms (but watch out for the crocs). Did you know the PeeDee is thought by some to be the inspiration for the song “Old Folks at Home”, known by its first line “Way down upon the Swanee River“? It’s the official state song of Florida. Not a lot of people know that.
But I do know you’re a good sailor and you like lots of fresh air, so a yacht is an ideal opportunity to breathe in huge lungfuls of the stuff. There are only two drawbacks I can see – you have to travel with an oddball fella called GM Joe, and you have to batten down the hatches when a hurricane strikes off the east coast of the US.
Marc. A complication? You are calling a hurricane a complication? Isn’t that just you authors all over? 
Oh, you fall 800m feet from this building, oh you go down with the Titanic, oh a meteor strikes your spaceship catapulting you into some galaxy where the aliens live on your space suit for ever more. Why don’t you go in the book yourself if you’re so keen?
Peter. Because I want you to escape that boring office job as a risk analyst in the City of London. I don’t know how you put up with the rush hour traffic and all those stuffed shirts and city slickers. You can be your own boss and take charge of your own destiny for a change. There’ll be plenty of excitement, especially with GM Joe in tow, and you’ll get to meet a sexy lady called Constance, who’s the daughter of the mayor of Jamesville, a town under siege in Carolina.
Marc. A mayor’s daughter?
Peter : Gorgeous.
Marc. But what if I tell you I’ve come to prefer sailing up the PeeDee River with GM Joe? What do I want to be involved with her for? And all the complications it will bring because let’s face it women always do.
Peter. Are you out of your mind? I don’t think you can possibly be serious about preferring GM Joe to Constance, so I’ll ignore that remark. Besides, GM Joe has a love interest of his own. As soon as you meet Constance, you’ll be hooked, believe me. As for complications, well, no relationship with a woman is smooth sailing (excuse the pun), but I think you need to get out more, know what I mean? You’ve had a good relationship with your current girl Dayna, but Constance is in a different league. Okay, she can be a bit demanding at times, but hey, so can you!
Marc. Basically you’re wrecking the world. And you want me to live in it?
Peter. In a word, yes. I’m really sorry your parents, grandparents and people like me made such a mess of our planet. We burnt way too much fossil fuel in our quest for consumer heaven, and we chopped down forests, melted the ice and filled our rivers and oceans with garbage. We squandered our precious resources and we ignored the danger signs. Now your generation has to pick up the tab.
But I think you can be better than us. You can learn from our mistakes and do the right thing. You can put the pieces back together and restore the planet’s health. It won’t be easy, but I’m confident you can do it. But it can only happen if you agree to take part, which is why you need to be in 500 Parts Per Milion, at the centre of the action. And if you don’t…well….
Marc. What is it they say about subtle persuasion?
……………………………………..Folks. See that? How we don’t hurt characters here? Marc is gonna save the world and Peter didn’t need a spider, or a pack of hell hounds to do it. It only remains for me to say tomorrow’s guest is the lovely Susan Taylor and here is Peter’s blurb and book jacket. 
The year is 2050, the weather is … devastating. Marc, a young man working in London’s financial district, is summoned to a business meeting in Amsterdam and
finds his life changed forever. Washed up on an embankment after a huge storm surge overwhelms Amsterdam’s sea defences, he sets sail on a dangerous adventure that takes him from the rugged Cornish coastline of south west England to the Floating City in Rotterdam, then across the Atlantic to the east coast of the United States. On his travels he encounters an oddball companion, GM Joe, and together they sail up the PeeDee river to the town of Jamesville in drought-stricken South Carolina, where Marc gets friendly with Constance, the mayor’s daughter. But Jamesville has plenty of problems of its own, not just drought, as Marc soon
discovers.
500 Parts Per Million is based on the contemporary environmental issue of global warming, a tale of life, love and survival in a
warmed up world. It’s about a planet where the weather has gone haywire, the technologies we rely on don’t work, and where communities face new threats and have to relearn forgotten skills to survive.
Book links:
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009S5Q2RI
US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009S5Q2RI
You can find Peter here. http://peteromilly.com/blog/
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: 500 Parts per Million, Aimee Duffy, Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, Charley Descoteaux, Noelle Clark, Peter Romilly, Scotland, Steve Emmett, The Peedee river 
June 13, 2013
Day two-Getting Horrible With Steve
Firstly I do want to apologize about yesterday and say that of course Noelle and Abbie are the very best of friends as you can see of this latest picture of Noelle here, released late last night after she too was released from hospital,
and that the tarantula which somehow-by mistake-wound up on Abbie’s t-shirt was a plastic one.
Today, in my bid to help and support fellow authors, I have invited along Steve Emmett. It is my great pleasure to do so. I love being able to introduce fresh blood to the blog, although maybe, in the context of what Steve writes that is perhaps not the right word to use.
Steve-pictured above- is here today with Tom Lupton, the hero of Diavolino, product description…..paradise is just one step from hell….. to explain to him just why he should be in the book.
Tom. Firstly Steve, before we even start, a dream home, a private island, there has to be some sort of catch, right? I mean, living miserable existences yourselves, you authors are never so generous. This is…well, let’s say I am speechless. You want me to live here?
Steve: Well, that’s a nice way to start a relationship! Miserable existence? I’ll have you know I’m as happy as a pig in…you know…and as for being ungenerous, that is libelous. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I have a big heart and am far from a skinflint. In my experience it’s always the stars in the limelight, the big earners, who have short arms and deep pockets. Just because I’ve conjured up a fabulous house in a dream location you automatically assume there’s a catch. Well, there isn’t. Not really. Not unless you think having a gateway to Hell on your doorstep is a drawback. As if!
Tom. Okay. Okay. So I got a touch of the primadonnas. And I do like the look of this place. Can I just whisper this though? See Steve, I have a big problem with this business of the island. I get sea-sick…. On dry land.
Steve: Erm, there is no sea. This island is in a lake. A shallow lake. Most of the time it’s like a millpond. Okay, I know there’s a storm in the book but that’s all the fault of evil old Monsignor Clavelli. You don’t believe me, do you? What? Because I said the waters are unpredictable? Look, the whole point of good fiction is that the reader is able to suspend disbelief. What you’re proving is that I’m maybe a good writer – so thanks!
Tom. Okay. I am welcome on this island? It’s a nice place? The kind you want a holiday home on?
Steve: You’re welcome as far as I’m concerned but it’s not me you need to worry about.To call it a nice place is to do it an injustice; it’s magical and mysterious, alive with flora and fauna, steeped in history. If you want a holiday home in beautiful and peaceful surroundings I can think of few better places. 
Yes, there are a few mosquitoes in the summer but I wouldn’t worry – they pale into insignificance compared with the other beasties that will be after your blood.
Tom. But there’s this time thing business. 1545 1546. You want me in your book but don’t. I am in this book on every page amn’t I?
Steve: What are you on about? I want you in but I don’t? The book begins in 1545 and then moves to the present day (well, thereabouts). No one is on every page. No one. If being on 75% of them isn’t enough for your obviously huge ego then maybe we’d all be better off without you. See if I care! I can call on forces that you haven’t even dreamed of.
Tom. So like that business yesterday with that poor Abbie girl, bribery doesn’t work so you’re threatening me with spiders, right? Here’s asurprise for you. I like spiders.
Steve: Spiders? Who says anything about spiders? I will send the hounds of Hell after you and they will tear your body apart morsel by morsel. When they have had their fill they’ll drag your soul back to where they came from. Now, what’s it to be?….Tom? …Tom?
Shehanne 
in a deep masculine voice ) Of course I will be in your book Steve. Never mind that door slamming there. Thank you so much for asking me.
……………………It only remains for me to thank Steve and Tom for coming by today, to ask Steve to get these bloody dogs out of here.
Tomorrow’s guest- another genre, and another gentleman–is Peter Romilly. Of course Tom agreed as you can see.
Paradise is just one step from Hell.
The chance to build a dream home on a private island in Italy’s most beautiful lake offers architect Tom Lupton the fresh start he’s been yearning for. But when he arrives with his family on Diavolino, he finds the terrified locals dead set against his arrival. The island, whose very existence has been shrouded in secrecy for half a millennium, has a dark history that no one cares to remember, and as their opposition to Tom grows, so grows a brooding evil that will lead them to the very doors of hell…
You can buy Diavolino from Etopia Press-paperback or E book kindle
Diavolino: Steve Emmett: 9781936751945: Amazon.com: Books
British author Steve grew up on Dennis Wheatley novels and Hammer Horror films, and on many occasions started to put pen to paper. He is influenced by the writing of John Ajvide Lindqvist, Stephen King, M R James, Anne Rice and Joanne Harris (and one or two others), but he has his own distinctive style. Steve is an avid reader of horror and suspense, and works as an occasional reviewer for the New York Journal of Books. Steve was born in Harrogate. He can be found here.
http://steve-emmett.com/
http://chukkienator.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/chukkie58
Filed under: Author Interviews, writing Tagged: Diavolino, Etopia Press, Horror fiction, Steve Emmett
June 12, 2013
On Day one-we hear from angels
It must have been something to do with Aimee being here yesterday to talk about her struggle to what I am sure will be huge success for her, with her new release.
http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/return-of-the-dreaded-chair/Aimee was of course paving the way for our first guest in a hot seat week. You know the one where the characters decide they really don’t want to be in your book? Where we cue the scary music and talk in faux accents? That guest is Noelle Clark, Australian author of Where Angels Fly. Yes. We kept certain bits of this well under wraps……..
Anyway she is here today having just seen the chair
and so of course is her lovely …er….can’t wait to be in your book Abbie. So, let’s take it away. (No. Not the chair Noelle, put that down and sit in it)
Abbie ….. Let Angels Fly. Noelle I am so thrilled you’ve even included me in the title here. Young, beautiful, blond, the perfect person, the perfect life.
.
Noelle………..Well, to tell the truth, Abbie, you are NO angel. You don’t even look like one. Heck – you’re practically middle aged! And the only flying you do is off the handle when you get angry. Then you lose it and start bawling like a babe. No, you are definitely NOT an angel. The angel in the title refers to the Beng Melea Angel – an ancient stone statue at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
Abbie.. You mean….you mean I’m not young? I’m not beautiful? *sobs* Am I even blond?
Noelle… Well, your not exactly old either. Look Abbie, you don’t have to be young to find love. You have to be a nice person, someone who attracts a person who likes what they see in you. They don’t care if you have saggy boobs, or if you colour your hair to hide the greys. When someone falls in love with your, age is not important.
Abbie …And my husband ran off with a young thing? Why is this?
Noelle….Um. In a word – yes. But some men are just a-holes when they get to a certain age. When they look at themselves in the mirror, they don’t see the bushy ear and nose hair, the balding head, the man-boobs, and the beer gut. They think they are 25 again and go chasing stupid young bimbo’s.
Abbie …Amn’t I half way decent in bed or something? Is that it?
Noelle….Difficult for me to say, but from what I had you doing, you were QUITE good. Heck, Craig even said so after that first time. Remember? And he doesn’t think foreplay is burping, then leaning over and leering at you, saying “Well, how ’bout it love? Want some hanky panky tonight?” On the contrary Abbie, I’d say you satisfied Craig in many, many ways in bed.
Abbie.. Cambodia? I have a morbid fear of flying and aren’t there insects and things there? I don’t like them. As for temples what do you think I am? Holier than thou?
Noelle.. Gawd, you’re such a whimp sometimes. *exasperated*. I happen to know first-hand that back in Australia, where you come from, we have cockroaches the size of cars; mosquitoes that carry you away; spiders, snakes, scorpions – you name it. But no, you had to turn to water when you saw the hairy little spiders in Spider Town. Check out this photo. Does that look scary? Mmm, looks deeeeelicious to me.
Abbie… Oh get that thing away form me. I can’t look. The only dish I would consider is Craig. He’s not and I completely refuse to do this.
Noelle…I get heart palpitations just thinking about Craig. He’s over 6 foot tall, tanned, lean, muscled, his hair is beginning to recede, but he still has some. He’s gorgeous!! He’s also kind, generous, gentle, funny. Yes, he’s a dish!
Abbie… So really I am a sort of angel?
Noelle … Aw Abbie. Yes, you are. *sigh* You’re cute, funny, kind. You care about other people and try really hard not to hurt anyone’s feelings. You make friends easily, you ain’t bad looking … and Craig adores you. You are definitely his angel.
Abbie Oh…All right then Noelle. Take that spider off my tee shirt and I will do it.
…………………………There we have it folks. The week’s first. It only remains to say no spiders and no characters were hurt during this interview. Tomorrow’s happy guest is HORROR writer Steve Emmett. And of course to thank Noellle for joining in me to help both Aimee Duffy and Charley Descoteaux celebrate their new forthcoming releases. And here is Noelle’s fabulous book.
Life’s full of surprises the second time around.
Arriving in Cambodia to volunteer at an orphanage, Abbie finds a warm welcome with the owner of her hotel, the handsome Craig Nelson. Craig is everything her ex-husband wasn’t—warm, compassionate, and a generous humanitarian dedicated to helping the local people. But after raising a family and being devastated by the end of her bad marriage, the last thing Abbie needs is complications. She’s on her own for the first time in many years, and it’s time for her to spread her wings and fly free amid the people and culture that have always fascinated her.
But while exploring the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, Abbie overhears odd noises and sinister conversation that raise her hackles. Turning to the only person she thinks may be able to help—Craig—she realizes she’s witnessed tomb raiders—art thieves stealing frescoes to sell on the black market. Unable to let the pillaging of the beloved temple continue, Abbie goes back to investigate and finds evidence that proves her theory. And in the mean time, she finds herself falling for Craig.
Yet change isn’t easy for either of them. Both carry scars, and neither is ready to let go of the past. When Abbie is attacked in the market place, it’s clear her presence in the temple wasn’t overlooked. When Abbie agrees to help the police stage a sting operation to catch the thieves, things go from bad to worse. And Craig might be powerless to help…
She can be found…minus killer tarantulas here.
Noelle Clark
www.noelleclark.net
“Let Angels Fly” out now on Etopia Press and via Amazon
Filed under: Author Interviews Tagged: Aimee Duffy, Cambodia, Etopia Press, Harper Impulse, Let Angels Fly, Noelle Clark, Sinfully SUmmer
June 11, 2013
Return of the Dreaded Chair
Some of you–those in particular who have written been interviewed for it, weeks ago–may be wondering when this little item was going to reappear. The answer is tomorrow. It’s being brought out of wraps especially to help Charley Descoteaux and Aimee…watch me spell this correctly…Duffy, celebrate their forthcoming releases.
Yes Aimee, we know you haven’t been interviewed, calm doon lassie ( oh oh there’s me on about dogs again )
BUT St. Polly Positive has been whizzing about a lot recently thanks to author, Sharon Struth, what better way than to prequel -big word- the hot seat character interviews with this amazingly brave post from Aimee Duffy? It’s all about how her forthcoming release nearly never came to be and why, if you want to be published, you should never, ever abandon hope.
‘Publication is subjective.’
I loathe those words put together, especially when read in a form rejection email followed by…
‘Please keep us in mind for future projects’
And let me tell you something, no matter if you have a publishing contract with another book or are just starting out, those words sting like hell.
But what gnawed at my self-esteem the most was that these form rejection emails came after two rounds of revisions on the full from Harlequin, who ultimately felt the book still wasn’t right for the line I had targeted. Or so I had thought until the Rs started pouring in, then I had to ask myself if they were politely telling me it was crap.
Cue downward spiral. It took a while to find the optimism to send the wip out into the world. I love the story, and had to see this one published. it didn’t fit anywhere.
In fact, I was even entertaining the idea of self-publishing if it didn’t fit anywhere.
But nothing kills your spirit as much as the first form R, then the second, then a third. Luckily, the publisher I really wanted to sign with still had my submission, and wasn’t one of those who put out the Rs. I think I would have given up on the wip otherwise.
Even so, awful doubts started to creep in. I was questioning every word I typed, wondered if I should give up everything, not just on that one story, and how awful is that? But when no one shows enthusiasm about something you poured your heart and soul into it can get… well, depressing.
I have so much wonderful support from friends. They helped cheer me up and told me to hang in there. They also agreed that publishing is subjective and it only takes one person to love your story to help you get it out there in front of the world. I know this. The same thing happened with my first release, but it was such a long time ago I’d forgotten how I managed to stay sane.
A few weeks later I received an email from Harper Impulse. I don’t have auto-preview, and I really didn’t want to open the email. This was the one publisher I couldn’t bear to hear ‘no’ from. I was in such a crappy place and could hardly bring myself to read it.
But I did, and when I saw the editor wanted to call me that just cued more angst, along with a lot of cautious excitement.
But it turned out great. They loved my story, and wanted to sign it. Sinfully Summer is due out on 20th June. I’m so excited to be part of the team.
So, moral of the story is, those form R’s, though soul crushing, are true. Publishing is subjective. It doesn’t mean your story should never see the light of day, or that it won’t find a home. Hell it doesn’t even mean readers won’t enjoy it! It simply means your story isn’t right for that editor at that time.
Would have been lovely if they could say why it didn’t suit them. I know exactly how frustrating that is, but I also understand editors are busy. They get thousands of submissions and not all have the time to give feedback.
The only way you fail to be published is if you give up. Keep at it, and try to think of the glass half-full even when it feels almost empty and the water has gone all mouldy. It will be worth it in the end.
Huge thanks for the lovely Shehanne for letting me share my woes.
* * *
The pleasure actually has all been mine. It only remains for me to tell you that our first guest Noelle Clark will be appearing in the chair tomorrow, to explain to her character why she should be in her book. Oh! Of course I have to show you this fabulous pic of Aimee’s book. Congratulations Aimee, way to go girl. May you happy dance on!
Sinfully Summer Blurb
Sun, Sea and Scandal
Notorious heiress Alexa Green has certainly been enjoying her most recent girls-holiday in Marbella. Just as we thought, she’s been knocking back the cocktails and showing off her fabulous bikini body on the beach… but rumour has it she’s also been spotted sneaking out of Enrique Castillo’s penthouse in the early hours of this morning – in nothing but her underwear! Our question is, doesn’t this fiercely private billionaire know what he’s letting himself in for?
He’s got the millions… and she knows how to spend them! So lie back on your sun lounger and get comfortable, because this summer fling is going to be a sizzler!
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Google Play / Barnes & Noble
Excerpt
Adrenaline roared through her veins. This was her only chance. Pushing away from the wall, she rounded the lift, desperately seeking an escape. She barely noticed the plush furnishings, soft-looking leather sofas and floor to ceiling window which showcased the most spectacular view she’d ever seen. Instead she focused on the walls surrounding the elevator.
‘Are you lost?’
The heavily accented voice froze her to the spot. She darted a glance toward the sound. Dark brows furrowed over the richest coloured eyes she’d seen. His gaze swept over the length of her body, then up, lingering on her rear for a beat too long. Her skin tingled under his scrutiny.
Turning her whole body to face him, she slapped a hand on her hip. ‘Had a good enough look?’
His lips quirked in a sexy, lopsided grin. The jitters were back and Alexa swore the temperature in the room shot up ten degrees. Her gaze dropped to his broad shoulders, covered in a thin white t-shirt, then down to a well filled chest. She could see a dark pattern beneath the t-shirt. She longed to find out what kind of tattoo he had. Usually, tats didn’t do it for her. But on that body…
‘I could ask you the same thing.’
She snapped her attention back to his face. He stepped toward her, his jaw set, his eyes dancing with humour and something darker…something that made her blood heat and her mouth water.
Alexa raised her arm, palm out. ‘Hold it there, Mr. Any closer and I’ll scream.’
He paused by the sofa. Propping his hip against the cream leather, he folded his arms across his chest, causing the muscles to bulge. The moisture drained from her mouth and flooded in her belly.
‘No one’s here to hear you.’ He cocked a brow. ‘You seem to be forgetting where you are and,’ his gaze dipped down to her breasts causing the nipples to peak against the lacy fabric ‘how underdressed.’
Alexa thought this moment would have topped the blush scale. She planted her other hand on her hip and glared at him, unwilling to show any weakness. ‘I’m just leaving.’
She turned and strode back to the lift, keeping her back straight and trying not to wiggle her hips too much. The predatory sheen in his eyes made her body more jittery than the idea of sprinting around the lower floor in her underwear. She reached out to hit the button, but a large hand circled her wrist before she made it.
Alexa squeaked and darted back a step. He was so close, and his chest was right in her face. She could see the dark outline of the tattoo beneath the thin cotton. The outline of a burning sun, she thought, or something that looked like a sun. Her hands itched to lift the material and see for herself.
‘I’m up here.’
She snapped her gaze back up to his smirking face and took another step back. His lips kicked up at the corners and his eyes darkened. She swallowed against the urge to step closer, to feel his hard body pressed against hers. But she realised she was in little more than her bra and knickers in a stranger’s home. Unease skittered down her spine.
Alexa squared her shoulders, trying to quash the fear turning her heated blood into cold sludge. ‘I’m leaving now.’
‘After you explain what you’re doing in my home in your undergarments.’
‘Undergarments?’ Alexa pressed her lips together to keep a giggle at bay. ‘Seriously?’
About the Author
All my life I’ve been dreaming up stories. My mum said when I was little I used to make all the My Little Pony figurines talk to each other, and even fall in love. Later, it was Barbie and Ken. In my teens, I played matchmaker with my friends at school.
When I wasn’t creating imaginary scenarios, I had my nose stuck in books, reading across genres and there was one thing I loved more than the escapism—the fact a story can touch me so deeply, like I was experiencing everything along with my characters. I knew from early on this was something I wanted to do for others.
Fast forward a few years, and the dream almost got lost in real life, but I still couldn’t shake it completely. Now I write sizzling romance with the hope of making my readers’ hearts race like they are falling in love for the first time.
You can find me here:
Website/Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Pinterest / Google +
Related articles
Once Upon A ……May Author Interview (shehannemoore.wordpress.com)
Filed under: Author Interviews, Guest bloggers, writing Tagged: Aimee Duffy, dealingn with rejection as a writer, making it as a writer, rejected writers, SInfully Summer. Harper Impulse
June 8, 2013
The June Author Interview-Getting Green Eyed With Jerrie
Well why not, after that last blog about not getting published. You want to see her again, don’t you? Not Greeting Teenie….Mamzelle Positive. 
So there she is. Twinkling nicely. AND the lovely lady at Book Reviews and Peeks http://t.co/l61P8g0nEu 
She gave Fury a lovely page there, which I thought I’d say….just to improve your day.
Okay… gonna behave now. I mean we have another guest today and we don’t want hissy fits. The last post was very popular though, I am going to do more on publishing. Polly Positive can be the guide.
Today’s guest is the fabulous Jerrie Alexander, dark, gritty and emotionally-packed suspense author–a closet writer in her youth.
Jerrie is another one you can take inspiration from because she set that dream aside for family and career. But now she’s back at it and how. What is more–stop flash–her very latest book has just released early…as I write this. Yes! Someone To Watch Over Me,can be found on Amazon.
Jerrie is joining me today all the way from Texas. And, while my last guest may have brought Polly, Jerrie has brought the sunshine finally this year to Scotland. What’s more she’s going to let me join her mid week. SO without further ado…. cue the scary music that accompanies Jerrie’s scary, scary story…. I am already quaking in my stilettos here. Do you know she says she likes to torture people????!
Shey. Okay Jerrie, A woman hiding her past. A Texas sheriff who ignites a flame she thought lost forever. A killer who paints his victims to look like porcelain dolls. Putting the killer aside, how much of you is in the rest of the description?
Jerrie. Shehanne, first let me say, thank you for having me as your guest. To be honest, I don’t see any of myself in my characters. They have incredible inner strength and determination to overcome the obstacles I put in front of them. I hope I would have that kind of perseverance if ever faced with the kind of situations my hero and heroine have to struggle through to survive. But I also hope I’m never faced with those kinds of problems.
Shey. Of course The Green-Eyed Doll was your first release, let’s talk about your new book, The Last Execution.
Jerrie. Love to! My heroine, a Atlanta homicide detective, made a life altering decision seven years earlier. She’s on a special task force, working with an FBI agent to stop a vigilante, when a man she sent to prison is released. He’s seeking revenge. She faces a moral dilemma when she realizes the vigilante may kill him.
Shey. Ooh. I’m certainly not going to twist your arm Jerrie, to ask about the outcome, not when you write scary stuff like this. But sounds plenty intriguing. I hear you were a great traveller when you were younger. And you like to look at the sights.
The surf right? What’s your favorite visit place? And your favorite place just to be?
Jerrie. I still love to travel! For the past seven years, I’ve taken my daughter and granddaughter on a girls trip. We pick a different place each year to snorkel. My favorite of all the places has to be Negril, Jamaica. The water was so clear; I could stand in water up to my chin and still see the color of my toenail polish.
My favorite place to “just be” is right here at home. We moved quite a bit for work and getting back to Texas was always the end goal.
Shey. Jamaica? Milady’s Book-Club may shortly be contacting you. We’ve done blogs here on locations featuring in books. Any inspiring ones that have featured in yours? Now Jerrie, I ain’t talking that horse box, because you are known for gritty stories with dark plots!
Jerrie. I used Atlanta for the setting of The Last Execution and a small town thirty minutes away from the city. Newnan, Georgia is called The City of Homes because of the beautiful, historical old homes. You can drive through and half expect Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler to wave from the porch. While writing the story, I wanted to use that area, so I let my hero’s grandmother live there.
Shey. Any tips for getting rid of her again? Or can I be in your next book please? You’re obviously way too generous to your characters. I thought you said you liked to torture ‘em? And while we’re about it, I really would like to meet Rhett. Can you manage that too? Seriously what is your process of writing, given its suspense? Were you a plotter or a pantser when writing The Last Execution?
Jerrie. A panster all the way! I wish I could plot. Really! I’ve tried, taken classes from the best authors, but when I start a story, let my characters tell me what happens next.
Shey. All this grit, who is your fav villain ever?
Jerrie. Without a doubt, the vigilante in The Last Execution. He’d lost touch with reality and really believed his kills were righteous.
Shey. Well, they are the scariest ones aren’t they, because you’re not going to convince them otherwise. You immersing yourself in all that suspense Jerrie, how about you let your hair down and quickie tell us the following other favs.
Flower?
The red peony. We’ve tried and tried to grow them and failed every time.
Month?
June. Our wedding anniversary is in June. And that’s the month school’s out and we take our snorkel trip.
Animal?
Dog. I spotted this tiny dog in our backyard one morning. (We didn’t have any pets at the time) Poor thing couldn’t lift his head off the grass. We took him to the veterinarian, and she patched him up. She said from the looks of him, he’d been thrown him away, and been bitten by a big dog. So he came home with us. That was over a year ago. Buddy weighs in at a robust eleven pounds and has found his forever home.
Dish?
That’s a tough one. If I have to choose only one, I’d take boiled shrimp with a good red sauce. But then again, my long time love for sweets leads me to say bread pudding or tiramisu.
Shey. SO there we go. I sympathize re the peonies being to gardening what I am to baking…..
The Last Execution blurb:
To survive, she must put the past behind her. To love, she must learn to trust.
Homicide detective Leigh McBride’s first assignment with the FBI brings her face-to-face with a past she’s tried hard to forget. And when her temporary partner, a cynical ex-marine, lights a fire in her she thought long-extinguished, her darkest secret is threatened.
Scarred both physically and emotionally, Special Agent J. T. Noble is a man of few words. He prefers to keep people at a distance—until he meets Leigh. He’s attracted to her strength and drawn in by her secrecy. But in their line of work, secrets can be deadly.
When the killer they are hunting aims his vigilante justice at Leigh’s past assailant, the fine line between right and wrong blurs. To heal the past—and find their future together—Leigh and J. T. must learn that only through trust and forgiveness can love grow.
The Last Execution excerpt:
Ethan turned his head sideways as he studied J.T.’s face. Wide eyed, the boy pointed at the scar with his index finger. J.T. wasn’t surprised. The kid was probably curious.
“How’d you get that?”
“A piece of shrapnel—” He paused and considered Ethan’s age. “I was in the war. A bomb went off and a piece of metal smacked me in the face.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.” J.T. marveled at the innocence in Ethan’s eyes.
“Can I touch it?”
“I guess so.” J.T. breathed in and waited. Ethan hesitated, leaning closer.
“I’m not supposed to talk about your scar.”
“Who said?”
“Mama.”
“It’s okay. I won’t tell.”
J.T. turned his head to the side. No one had outright asked to touch the constant reminder of a day when his best friend caught the worst of an IUD. Hell, people shied away from his right side. Except Leigh, she looked him square in the face. He lay still while Ethan poked a finger into the scar a couple of times. After a few seconds of investigation, the kid cupped the scar with his small hand and patted lightly. The oddest thing happened to J.T.’s heart. It swelled inside his chest and then clenched.
“Mama said you were a brave soldier.”
Alien emotions swirled through J.T. and an unexplained urge to hug Ethan put a weird lump in J.T.’s throat. Unable to cope or understand, his mind raced for an idea, anything to end the moment.
YOU CAN FIND JERRIE HERE
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June 5, 2013
On NOT Getting Published
Oh God, another helpful post on that. Just what you don’t want to read on a wet Wednesday if you’ve just received your twentieth rejection slip of the day on your perfectly crafted manuscript and the sugar bowl is all out of sugar so you can’t even sweeten the coffee and that drip, drip sound isn’t just your enthusiasm dripping away but a leaking roof tile.
Can’t these slimy authors just feck the hell off with their success stories and leave you alone to your misery?
Well. You will be dancing on your leaking roof to know we can’t. Because today I am going to introduce you to a special guest. Polly Positive. . 
Oops sorry. Just what you don’t need to see on a wet Wednesday… No. Here she is.
Polly isn’t actually mine before you don the boxing mitt and smack her where the sun doesn’t shine. She belongs to author Sharon Struth. Oh dear….another author shoving their success stories and their buy links in your face.
But the fact is it is a lottery getting a publisher. and while we’re busily getting our teeth kicked in, on the prowl we do hear all these marvellously depressing success stories. There’s even me oh blah, boast, six days to Etopia Press. We don’t always hear of the dark moments behind them. The years behind the six days. The times we think ..right that’s it.
Personally I’ve recently come across two fabulous articles. One by author and writing pal, Noelle Clark–oh that’s another thing we do, blab about our fabulous writing buddies. Noelle’s article is a very nice piece though about writers who weren’t in the first flush of youth when they finally made it.
Hey! Not as depressing as all that. You can read it here. http://www.noelleclarkauthor.com/2013/05/late-bloomers-are-budding-with-great.html
The second was by Sharon Struth. She talked so honestly of her struggle to find a publisher, I’ve asked her here today.
Shey. I wasn’t actually first drawn to you as a fellow writer because we share the same stable. It was Polly Positive. Sharon, can you tell us a little about that?
Sharon. I’m so glad you liked Polly Positive, who publically appeared in a piece I had published in “Better after 50.” She’s a constant companion, only veering from my side on occasion. I’m a true optimist, so naturally that helps a great deal in my new job as a writer. Here’s a link to my “Polly” story: http://betterafter50.com/2013/05/its-never-too-late-for-a-new-career/.
Shey. So how old were you when you started to write? Or is that big girl’s secret!?
Sharon. I became a full-time writer around five years ago, at the age of forty-eight.
Shey. Just how it feel when that phone didn’t ring?
Sharon. I’m a realist. I knew that a writing career would take time, hard work and commitment. I knew it wasn’t for anybody lacking in a thick skin. My skin isn’t terribly thick but I had Polly Positive (you know, my sidekick mentioned above.) She reminded me to stay focused on my tasks, not worry about the outcome. 
Shey. Even when you had an agent? And still waited?
Sharon. Having my agent has been a true godsend. For the first time, I didn’t feel alone. I had an ally who wanted to see my work published, too. Sure, once she began to submit, we got rejections. I stayed positive, at least for a while…
Shey. I’m just thinking of the line from Braveheart here.
And dying in your bed many years from now…. Was that an all time low? Did you consider giving up?
Sharon. I had one dark moment where my writing career seemed so bleak that I went into total blackout mode. Polly Positive left my side and I was one step from getting out the “Want Ads” to find an office job to go to each day rather than my trusty computer. Well, the planets must have been in perfect alignment that day because that’s the exact moment my agent called with an offer on The Hourglass, my new release. I still can’t believe it happened that day but am thrilled that it did!
Shey. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Sharon. Learn everything you can, write every day and find other writers to hang out with (critique groups, professional groups, RWA etc.). Oh, most of all, never give up.
Shey. So there you are. Of course Sharon does have a book out. But I think we can only commend her on her steel teeth. Finish our coffee, phone a roofer AND get back to that manuscript.
Blurb for THE HOURGLASS by Sharon Struth:
Can forgiveness survive lies and unspoken truths?
Until Brenda McAllister’s husband committed suicide, she appeared to have the ideal life: a thriving psychology practice, success as a self-help author, and a model family. But her guilt over her affair with Jack’s best friend prevents her from moving on. Did Jack learn of her infidelity? Was she the cause of his death?
The release of Brenda’s second book forces her into an unexpected assignment with arrogant celebrity author CJ Morrison, whose irritating and edgy exterior hides the torment of his own mistakes. But as she grows closer to CJ, Brenda learns she wasn’t the only one with secrets—Jack had secrets of his own, unsavory ones that may have led to his death. While CJ helps Brenda uncover the truth about her husband, she finds the path to forgiveness isn’t always on the map.
Excerpt:
An unexpected gravitational pull swelled Brenda’s anger. Her cute quip ran into hiding. She no longer cared about winning this man’s favor. His rudeness left her feeling as if she’d been doused with hot coffee this time. Brenda clenched her fists. A year of internal browbeating over Jack’s suicide had left her easily irritated.
Brenda gripped the frail edges of her self-control. “I once again offer my apologies for the accident, by definition an unplanned event with lack of intent.” He looked down his sturdy, Grecian nose at her, so she stood and put her hands on her hips. “Shouldn’t you, as a writer, know that?”
Every line on his face tensed. “I could do without your sarcasm.” He leaned closer. “Thanks to you, I missed my meeting. Maybe tomorrow morning you could get room service.”
The brunette unleashed a tight smirk. CJ motioned for them to move on.
Brenda fumbled for a good retort. As he stepped away, the last word went with him. The same way Jack had the last word in their life together. A silent explosion went off inside Brenda’s head and propelled her anger forward.
“Mr. Morrison?” She raised her voice to be heard above the crowd.
He looked over his shoulder and arched a questioning eyebrow.
Brenda crossed her arms and fixed a phony smile as she nodded toward his companion. “It’s so nice of you to bring your daughter to the conference.”
FOR A TRAILER AND BOOK GROUP QUESTIONS, VISIT: www.thehourglassnovel.com
Buy THE HOURGLASS at:
Amazon:
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hourglass-sharon-struth/1115199538?ean=2940016552453
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Hourglass/book-bZt6Dbk3kkuXEZC0m2PStg/page1.html
All Romance E-books: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thehourglass-1173513-149.html
~ About the Author ~
Novelist Sharon Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The Hourglass, her debut novel, received first place in the Dixie Cane Memorial Contest and second place in the Golden Heart. She writes from the friendliest place she’s ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut, along with her husband, two daughters and canine companions. For more information, including where to find her published essays, please visit www.sharonstruth.com
Filed under: Author Interviews Tagged: Braveheart, dealing with rejection as a writer, Etopia Press, Publishing, Sharon Struth, The Hourglass by Sharon Struth, Writers Resources 
