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An Interview with Author, J.M. Kay

UNDER THE SHADOWChildren of the First Star: Volume IByJ.M. KayAn Interview with Author, J.M. Kay 



Can you give us a summary of your book?
“Under the Shadow” is a story of self-discovery. Two thirteen-year-old boys, Jason Swann and Daniel Elliot, are forced into friendship as they are accidentally abducted by the Archivist, a robotic being created by an ancient alien race known as the Shantar Anar for the purpose of studying the universe. But of course, things that seem like coincidence reek of deeper mystery as the boys and the Archivist find themselves lost in an adventure on a foreign world, Ranis Anjiran.  What they discover there only further dismantles the myths surrounding their accidental abduction and their connection to the Shantar Anar.
While the boys are in far off worlds, their respective families in the small town of Ashton, in the American Midwest, desperately seek to find them, thinking the worst. Their search uncovers a hidden history with ties to the events surrounding Jason and Daniel’s journey.
What was your inspiration for writing Under the Shadow – Children of the First Star, Vol. 1?
I wanted to write a story that wasn’t just about good versus evil but about an evolution and about the ability to become a better version of oneself by looking within.  In that sense, it’s my homage to T.S. Eliot, whose poetry I fell in love with in high school and has always made me want to better understand who I really am as a person.

When did you know you wanted to become a writer?
I don’t know if there was ever a “light going off” moment, but the need to put my thoughts down onto page has been with me since probably late high school.  Writing was a way for me to empty my anxiety and my stress, to literally take it from my own body and put it on a page and I would always feel better afterwards.  From then, my desire to write evolved into a love of bringing my imagination into the world in a way where it would have a home and not be forgotten.  From there it was just a natural progression to thinking, wouldn’t it be amazing if this were my job?

Have you always been interested in science fiction?  
Science fiction and fantasy were without a doubt my favorite genres growing up and in many ways they still are.  I have always been very fond of astronomy and physics and if my math skills were better I definitely would have pursued a career in a hard science.  Some of the best science fiction I have read isn’t just about spaceships and aliens but builds on a platform of real scientific research and imagines potentials based upon these theories.
Name your favorite book and author from when you were the age of the characters in this book and explain why it appealed to you so much.
That’s tough, a lot of choices, but maybe “The Seventh Gate,” which is the final installment of the Death Gate Cycle (Fantasy not Sci Fi)  by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.  I read the series for the first time at around fourteen.  The world was very original, it employed a great magic system, and the depth and range of the characters they imagined into being were really amazing.
How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?

I think it took me about two and a half years from first word to final draft, though that doesn’t include a stretch of about a year where I had to set it aside for work related issues.
What was the most challenging part about writing your book?

The most challenging part was not throwing it in the garbage and going to look for something else to do with my life after the first time I had a real editor do coverage. I was used to having writing critiqued but not to the extent where I knew I was going to have to spend months and months tearing apart and writing a new story, which I was already happy with. 
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months?

In the next 12 months I hope to be able to finish my outline for “A Moment in the Glass: Children of the First Star, Volume II” and be well into writing the first draft.  If I have the time, I’d love to keep working on a series of humorous short stories I started a little while back and some poetry here and there always seems to find a way into the mix.   
  
Are you working on something right now? If so, can you tell us more about it?
I’ve started working on the plot points and the outline for Children of the First Star: Volume II which will continue the adventure of Jason and Daniel on the home planet of the Shantar Anar and will find those searching for them on Earth closer to the boys than they might ever have imagined.
If you could meet three authors, which authors would you choose?
Really tough question and I’m not sure how I could even pick so I’m just going to choose three authors who’ve written books that changed the way I look at life.Joseph Heller – The sardonic humor of “Catch 22” is melded so perfectly with a profound understanding of the human condition and it inspired the title for my first collection of poetry, which I wrote during college “Snowden’s Secret.”
Milan Kundera – While I’ve read many of his books, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” broke my heart during a time when I had lost a close friend.
Alexandre Dumas – The unabridged version of “The Count of Monte Cristo” is simply and without doubt the best book I have ever read in my entire life.




About the Author
J. M. Kay started writing seriously his sophomore year of college at University of California, Santa Barbara. A few poems here and there led to several collections of poetry, a book of short stories, and many other writing projects. Under the Shadow, Children of the First Star: Volume I is his first novel. He, his wife and their adorable Shih Tzu all hope that this is just the first book of many, as being a writer, for all of its aggravations, is still way more fun and rewarding than what he used to do.
To learn more about the author, visit: http://www.jmkaywriting.com


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Book Details


Summary:In the small mid-west town of Ashton, two boys are accidently abducted by a universal archivist from a distant planet. The boys must travel with the archivist to a planet filled with secrets, all the while hoping it is in the interest of the archivist’s superiors to send them back to earth. In Ashton, the apparent kidnapping of the two missing teens spark old hatreds and suspicions in a town that once before suffered a very similar tragedy.
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Chet Baker: The Missing Years: A Memoir by Artt Frank **Book Blitz**

Chet Baker: The Missing Years: A Memoir by Artt Frank **Book Blitz**
Happy Monday! Today we are featuring a memoir by a jazz legend! Check out Chet Baker: The Missing Years: a Memoir by Artt Frank.

"top ten list of beautiful, romantic ballads that I personally like, and
Chet used to sing and play most of these also"


1- 'My Foolish Heart.
2- My Funny Valentine
3-This Is Always 4- Someone To Watch Over Me5- Living For You (or, Easy Living)6-Everything  Happens To Me.7-Bewitched, Bothered And  Bewildered8-O' You Crazy Moon9-I'm Old Fashioned10-Young And Foolish Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame Bop drummer, composer, lyricist, and vocalist Artt Frank is one of the few authentic bop musicians on the scene today. He is best known for his friendship and professional association with trumpet immortal, Chet Baker, with whom he worked for many years.

Michael Armando, jazz musician and President of MJA Records, says of Chet Baker: The Missing Years: A Memoir by Artt Frank, “Artt tells it like it was, what it was like being a friend and a drummer for this great legend Chet Baker … When reading this book for the first time it is almost like you are being drawn into a time warp going back into time. Artt Frank takes you from the dark back alleys of drugs and despair to the shinning genius of Chet's playing smoke filled clubs and the streets … If you are a musician you will cherish it after reading it. Non-musicians will learn how great Chet Baker was and how great a friend drumming great Artt Frank was to Chet. The truth will set you free and Artt Frank has done this with his memoir. Amen... I give this book 10 stars...”

As reviewed by premiere jazz journalist and critic, Doug Ramsey, this memoir “…shows us sides of the great trumpeter that few people knew. In gripping detail, he [Artt] tells of the well-known drama in Baker’s life—the sudden fame, the struggle with drugs, the effects of a beating that almost ended his career. But Artt gives us new insights into Chet’s warmth, his love of family, his steely determination and the early emergence of his astonishing talent…This is a book of revelations."

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Praise for Chet Baker: The Missing Years, A Memoir by Artt Frank
In August of 2012, jazz great Dave Brubeck gave the following review of Artt’s memoir:“Artt Frank, the author of Chet Baker: The Missing Years is a devout Christian who practices what he preaches. His personal memoir of his meeting and subsequent friendship with the jazz genius of the trumpet is an unvarnished, honest portrayal of Chet Baker. In depicting Chet’s struggle to recovery, Artt reveals great compassion for a sensitive soul fighting for a life, and puts to rest the rumors and gossip that circulated about Chet’s ‘missing years.’”– Dave Brubeck, Legendary Jazz Pianist and Composer“About Chet a lot has been written, but alas, much of it is nonsense, repeating other nonsense. To get reliable information, we have to turn to the few people who actually knew him. Artt Frank not only knew Chet but kept in touch when it seems like the world had forgotten him; a period he calls 'the missing years,’ and rightfully so.''Jeroen de Valk, author – Chet Baker: His Life and Music
“Chet Baker’s friend and drummer Artt Frank shows us sides of the great trumpeter that few people knew. In gripping detail, he tells of the well-known drama in Baker’s life—the sudden fame, the struggle with drugs, the effects of a beating that almost ended his career. But Artt gives us new insights into Chet’s warmth, his love of family, his steely determination and the early emergence of his astonishing talent. Frank’s photographic memory for conversations rivals Truman Capote’s. This is a book of revelations.”–        Doug Ramsey, Author of Jazz Matters and –        Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond“Chet Baker: The Missing Years is perhaps the most accurate account of Chet’s life and true spirit to date. Superbly written by Artt Frank ... the book gives fresh insight into the man behind the music. A must-read for everyone from the casual jazz fan to the serious student of jazz history.”–        JB Dyas, PhD, VP, Education and Curriculum –        Development, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz

Artt Frank, bop drummer/composer, and author, is one of the few authentic bop musicians on the scene today. Born in the small paper mill town of Westbrook, Maine on March 9, 1933, Artt is best known for his long-term association with Chet Baker, with whom he collaborated for over 20 years. Artt has also been worked with an impressive list of jazz luminaries over the past sixty years including the great Charlie Parker, Tadd Dameron, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Jimmy Heath, Al Cohn, Ted Curson, and many others, including one memorable night with the great singer, Billie HolidayIn 2004, Artt completed his book “Essentials for the Be Bop Drummer” with Pete Swan and published by Tim Schaffner, publisher (and drummer!) of Schaffner Press, Inc.Artt Frank was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in November, 2010.He currently lives in Green Valley, Arizona with his wife, Lisa Frank.To learn more about the author, visit: www.ArttFrank.com

AN EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT
Chapter  1
Our First Meeting I met Chet Baker in March of 1954 in a Boston jazz club called, “Storyville.” But the first time I heard Chet’s music was over the Armed Forces radio aboard the USS Des Moines in ’53 toward the end of the Korean War. Listening to Chet’s trumpet on that radio, I cried inside, unable to understand how a trumpeter could affect a drummer so much. Right then, I sincerely sent up a prayer that I would get home safely and get a chance to meet and play with Chet Baker.
Since I was about six years old, I’d been playing drums on anything I could find. By the time I was in my teens, I tried to imitate the beats of my favorite drummer, Gene Krupa, on the tabletop at home in Westbrook, Maine. Still, the only other musician who had affected me the way Chet did, was when I first heard Charlie “Bird” Parker and the new form of jazz – Be Bop. At 17, I hitchhiked to New York City from Westbrook, just to hear Bird in person at The Royal Roost. And maybe get the courage to ask him if I could sit in. I did, and he and Max Roach were kind enough to let me play.
Now, at 21, the war was over, I was honorably discharged and home working at the paper mill, like my father and most everybody in Westbrook, and still in love with jazz and drumming.
Chet Baker had just won both the Downbeat and Metronome jazz magazine polls for America’s number one new jazz trumpeter. That night in ’54 when I got to Boston, the Storyville club was jam-packed. My first impression of him was not only was he gifted, but also he was a very handsome young man as evidenced by all the beautiful young girls surrounding him. I waited until most of the girls and fans left, then made my way over to the bandstand to say hello. I wanted to make him think we had met once before, so as I approached I extended my hand, and said, “Hi Chet, Art Frank. Remember me?”
He looked at me for what seemed an eternity, shook his head, and said, “No, no, I don’t remember you, man. Sorry.” He said it softly but directly. I learned right then and there that Chet was very quick, intent and painfully honest. He looked you in the eyes when he spoke. It seemed like he could pretty much read your thoughts on the spot. I got the feeling he’d tell you the truth even if it meant his losing a fan by doing so. Man, if Chet had been a gunfighter during the old Wild West days, he no doubt would have stared down Jesse James. That’s how intense he was. And conversely, he was quite approachable.
As I spoke, he studied me for another few seconds or so and asked when and where we were supposed to have met. Rather than continuing to lie, I confessed that I hadn’t really met him in person, but how terribly moved I’d been by his sound and the way he played when I’d first heard him on the radio aboard ship during the war. He smiled, obviously liking what I had said, and when he did, I couldn’t help notice that one of his upper front teeth was missing on the left side. I was about to ask him how he’d lost it when the bass player, Carson Smith came over and stopped my train of thought. Chet introduced us, and we shook hands briefly. Carson excused himself and walked off toward the bar area. Chet didn’t appear to be in any particular hurry to get rid of me, smiling and nodding at the beautiful young chicks as they walked by.I went on to tell him about the prayer I’d made when I had first heard him play; that I’d be able to meet him one day, maybe even get the chance to play with him and his group. He studied me curiously and asked what instrument I played. I told him I was a drummer, and had sat in with Charlie Parker at the Royal Roost, and a lot of other great bop musicians along 52nd Street. Bop drummer Stan Levey had also given me a lot of inside tips on how to play. Chet seemed impressed and smiled warmly. As far as getting the chance to play with him one day, he said in his soft, melodic voice, “One never knows, man… one never knows.”
Carson and Russ were on their way outside and asked Chet if he wanted to go out for a breath of fresh air. He nodded, excused himself and left me standing there. Much to my surprise though, he stopped, turned half way around and gestured for me to join him. I couldn’t believe it. Here was Chet Baker inviting me to join him. Once outside the club, I lit up a cigarette and offered one to Chet. He just shook his head and told me he didn’t smoke. He stood by watching the traffic whiz by. He had the interest and intensity of a little boy on some long ago Christmas morning watching his father operate a set of Lionel trains on a miniature set of tracks on a worn out linoleum covered floor.
After a minute or so, Russ and Carson told him they were going back inside the club, but Chet was too focused on watching all the cars go by and didn’t respond. They left and I don’t think Chet even realized I was standing there beside him until a minute or so later. He turned around and asked me where Russ and Carson had gone. When I told him what happened, his face lit up with a smile. He told me that whenever he watched a lot of cars speeding by, it brought to his mind one of the few things he would most like to do in life -- drive a race car at Le Mans and win. “What a thrill that would be, man,” he said, a kind of daydream look in his eyes.
While I stood there listening to him, it occurred to me that I was talking to the nation’s number one trumpet player, and he’s telling me how he’d like to be a racecar driver. I told him he could probably do anything he set his mind to. Where I came from in Maine, racing cars against each other was what most of the young guys did every night and weekends for excitement. Hearing that brought another smile. He told me that most of the young cats in L.A. were doing the same thing. I guess it must have been pretty much the same way in every city and town across the country.
I asked him where he and his group were going after they left Boston. He said they would be doing back-to-back gigs in different cities before winding up doing a full month at “Birdland,” the world-renowned jazz club in New York City. The first two weeks of that gig he would play opposite sets with Dizzy Gillespie’s group, and the following two weeks, opposite sets with Miles Davis’ group. He was real excited about the prospect of that. He was gracious and told me that if I could make it down during one of those weeks, I’d more than likely get the chance to sit in with him. I was ecstatic when he said that, and told him I’d do my damnedest to make it down on one of the nights he’d be sharing the stand with Miles Davis. He said he hoped so, and I believe he genuinely meant it.
I knew he had other things to do, and I didn’t want to get off to a bad start by taking up any more of his time. He still had another set to play, and I had a hundred and five mile drive back to Westbrook, Maine. Also, I had to be at work at the paper mill by 6 a.m. the following morning. I worked the ‘swing shift.’ One week I’d work the 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. shift, the following week I’d work from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., the next week I’d work from 6 p.m. to midnight, and finally, I’d work the graveyard shift, from midnight to 6 a.m. I hated the swing shift because it was very difficult to make plans to do anything. I really didn’t want to leave the club, but knew I had to. I shook Chet’s hand and told him I hoped to see him again when he played Birdland, and left the club reluctant, but elated.
Almost as soon as I had driven out of Boston, a mixture of snow and rain started to fall softly, causing the roads to be a bit slippery, not the least unusual in early spring. But I didn’t care. I was absolutely ecstatic because I had finally met and talked with my main inspiration in jazz, Chet Baker, and he’d been very warm toward me. I praised and thanked God for hearing my prayers about meeting Chet.
The snow continued to fall but it never really amounted to anything, at least until I hit Route 1 in Maine, where the road became even more slippery. I made it home just before 5:00am, about the time my father would be getting up. He had to get up at that time each morning to get the wood stove fire going so he could make his ‘Eight O’Clock’ brand coffee. He’d have to do this in the spring, summer, fall and winter because we only had one wood-burning stove in the house and that was in the kitchen. Whenever I’d get home late, as I did in this case, I’d come upstairs very quietly so I wouldn’t awaken him. But lo and behold, there he was, already up, dressed and sitting at the table waiting for the coffee to finish perking.
It seemed that every winter morning in Maine was a particularly cold one, and this March morning was no different. My father busied himself putting pieces of wood into the stove in order to have it warm for my mother and the other kids who’d soon be getting up. I swear, every other room in that apartment was freezing and the floors were as cold as glaciers. There was absolutely no insulation or storm windows, no central heating system nor even running hot water. In order to have hot water, we would have to fill a pan with water and heat it on the front of the stove.
This was a routine my father did each and every morning before he would sit down and enjoy his cup of coffee - after which, he’d put on his light weight frock coat, a railroad cap, leave the house and go out into the freezing cold. Not having a car, he’d walk the mile and a half through deep snow to get to work at the local paper mill. But God bless his heart, he was happy for me when I told him about the whole episode of meeting Chet. My dad played a C Melody sax, which is comparable to a soprano saxophone, but he never really got the opportunity to play in any of the nightclubs in nearby Portland. He was too busy working seven days of every week to support seven of us kids.
While we sat there talking, my mother woke up and joined us. Still being excited, I went over the whole story again, filling in each and every little detail, and later the same day, I relived it again with my three brothers and three sisters. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s how important it was for me to have met Chet Baker.
My mother, having a ‘steel trap’ memory, recalled how I’d bought a record by Chet the year before, the day after my discharge, and wanted me to play it. I got the turntable from my room and played it for them. Hell, all I did for weeks and weeks was play The Lamp is Low on that Chet Baker record until I nearly wore the grooves out. There was something in Chet’s music that got to me. I was so excited about the possibility of seeing Chet again that I wanted to share his music with everybody. I’d open the windows and play his record so the neighbors next door would be able to hear the sounds too. Some of them didn’t mind. But there were a few others who always squawked. They were too square, but I played the records anyway!
As luck would have it though, when it came time for Chet and his quartet to begin his month at Birdland, I was working the top part of the swing shift, 6 a.m. to 12 pm - which meant that by the time it came around for Chet to be playing his two weeks opposite Miles Davis, I’d be working the 6 p.m. to midnight the first week and the midnight to 6 a.m. shift the second week. Unless I could find someone to swap shifts, I’d not only miss the chance to see Chet again, but also miss the chance to sit in and play with him and his group. To say that I was frantic would be an understatement. I called the other two guys who worked the swing shift, and asked each one if they’d be willing to swap their shifts with me for the last two weeks of the month, but unfortunately for me, they could not for each had made plans of their own. So that March night of 1954 in Boston turned out to be the last time I would see Chet for the next fourteen years.

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“The Fabliss Life of Bella Mellman” **Blog Tour Reading**

“The Fabliss Life of Bella Mellman”**Blog Tour Reading**



Biography Born in South Africa, married, two children, divorced.
Off to London, back to South Africa, mistakenly and briefly married.
The: 1987 to The United States, landing in Beverly Hills.
Writes, paints, knits, re-arranges decor, cooks, exercise a bit, reads a lot.
Loves animals and abhors animal cruelty!
Interested in just about everything except sport.
Has opinions about everything including sports.
Loves friends old and new, family near and afar.
Love ... the answer.
_____________________________

Education: Fine Arts Degree, University of The Witwatersrand.
Showed art at various galleries in Johannesburg, London and Los Angeles.
Advertising copywriter, Johannesburg.
The Fabliss Life Of Bella Mellman spins a bold tale of a savvy woman of the world who gives a rollicking social commentary on life in the flats of Beverly Hills, men, “mature” dating habits, and the odd complexities of love, sociopaths, marriage, divorce, and living a creative life. The book also looks at the role of the older woman, her place in the sexual panoply, which has been so horribly simplified. Bella Mellman, a transplanted South African artist and writer, lives a ‘fabliss’ life (as her 8-year-old grand-daughter tells it) in the flats of Beverly Hills. A long-time divorcee nearing the seventh decade of a very full life, Bella is constantly annoyed when friends, and even strangers, ask the impertinent question of “Why, don’t you have a partner?” Followed by the hated phrase: “You look quite good for a woman your age.” The only thing to do, Bella realizes, is to write a book that explains once and for all, her satisfaction with being older and single.

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An Interview with Author, Deborah Coonts

An Interview with Author, Deborah Coonts
DEBORAH COONTS BIO

My mother tells me I was born a very long time ago, but I’m not so sure—my mother can’t be trusted.  These things I do know:  I was raised in Texas on barbeque, Mexican food and beer.  I am the author of WANNA GET LUCKY? (A NY Times Notable Crime Novel and double RITA™ Finalist), its five sequels, LUCKY CATCH, being the latest, and four between-the-books novellas.  Currently I’m stretching my writer muscles working on a women’s fiction/contemporary romance series set in Napa, a dark thriller, as well as the next Lucky adventure, LUCKY BREAK, due out November 20, 2015—all very different projects. So, if you see me with a glass of Champagne in hand, you’ll understand.  I can usually be found at the bar, but also at www.deborahcoonts.com.
Where are you from? Born and groomed in Texas; it’s the South, you know.  But I’m pretty much from wherever my imagination and my credit card can take me.    Wanderlust is embedded in my DNA.
What inspired you to write your first book? A borderline personality disorder and too much wine.  Turns out, I LOVE stories—I was a lawyer for many years, so I told a lot of stories!  The leap to making up the facts and characters as well as weaving the story wasn’t too wide to take in a giant stride.  But the craft!  Now that took some time.  Can you imagine a novel written in the same tone as a legal brief.  Oh dear!  I’d be out of publishing before I got startedJ
Do you write full-time or part-time? How do you balance your writing life with your family/work life? I am lucky enough to write full-time.  Balance?  What’s that?  I am a triple Type-A and my hobbies are all aspects of my writing career—so I’m a one-trick pony.  Every now and again my family will force me out of my cave into the light.  And then, there is that travel bug thing.  But, that is one of the ways I refill the story well.  As a writer, I need an every changing landscape outside my window.  Yes, in case you are wondering, my son is grownJ
What book are you reading now? I’m writing two and editing two—that’s enough folks in my head all talking at once!
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Sure.  Tons.  So many fabulous writers.  I absolutely loved Deborah Harkness’s sAll-Souls Trilogy.  I 4ead across genre:  Nora Robert’s for description and a love, Allison Brennan, Catherin Coulter because they are awesome, Josie Brown to make me laugh and give me a wild ride;  Kendra Elliot just because (I love her stories).  The list is endless.
What are your current projects? I’ve just finished a dark psychological thriller and am going through edits now.  The first in a new series, CRUSHED, is done but for a few tweaks and will launch in January.  Friends, food, wine, and dishy men, what’s not to like?  I’m scribbling away on the first in a romantic suspense series titled DEEP WATER, and featuring a female helicopter pilot and a Coast Guard Commander AND the second book to follow CRUSHED, AGED.   Then the next Lucky…..Does anyone out there have enough stroke with the Powers That Be to get another 24 hours added to each day?  I’d really appreciate that!
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? Wow, it just came out so I haven’t had time to pick it apart yet.  There are always things I’d change, but not necessarily things that would make the story better.  Moving words around doesn’t help that much.  To be honest, I really like how LUCKY BREAK came together.  It has the elements I wanted.  Hope others agree.
Can you share a little of your current work with us? Not yet…..
How do you overcome writer’s block? I don’t really have this problem. If I get stuck on a plot point or something, I find a way to take my mind off of it, go play.  Usually somewhere in the playtime the answer rises to the surface.  My subconscious is often a better writer than the me who whispers in my ear all the time
What was the most fun part of writing your book? Lucky, Vegas, Lucky’s mother, Mona, Teddie, Jean-Charles… and a very nasty old nemesis—all of that is great fun!

What was the hardest part of writing your book? Quitting for the day.  I love playing in Lucky’s world.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? I learn something from each book.  Hopefully I grow in my craft and my storytelling, but, some books are easier to write than others.  LUCKY BREAK was one of the easier ones—I’d had it in mind for a long time, so that helped.  I think though the main lesson I’ve learned along this path is to just do it—to trust myself, my story and to have fun.  Yep, I’ve killed my internal editor.  That’s not to say that I don’t go back through the sories multiple times, hired editors and proofreaders—I do all of that.  But I let myself have fun and play while I’m writing the first draft.  After that I can make it pretty.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Write every day.  Never quite.  Have fun!
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? Thank you!  A million times thank you!  Because of you I get to make stuff up for a living.  How incredibly wonderful is that?  I pinch myself every morning.
What do you think about e-publishing versus technical publishing? I’m a HUGE fan of e-publishing.  I have a foot in both worlds, and they both have their pluses and minues.  BUT, the advent of digital publishing finally gave authors a choice…and with choices comes power.  This is a very good thing. 
Do you have an agent or publisher? How did you go about finding one? Yes, I have an agent.  I found him at ThrillerFest.  I would recommend going to conferences and networking as the best way to find an agent.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? San Francisco.  With a month or two a year sampling other places.  I’m a dreamerJ  But, if you don’t dream then they can’t become reality.
If you could have any super power, what would it be? To fly.  I’m a pilot and that’s the closest I’ve gotten.
Publisher’s Weekly calls the Lucky books “Evanovich with a dose of CSI.”A light-hearted romantic mystery set in Las Vegas where FUN is the name of the game.With Christmas a few days away, Lucky O’Toole, Vice President of Customer Relations for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s premier Strip casino resort, is in a festive mood. The upcoming wedding of her assistant to the Beautiful Jeremy Whitlock and her own engagement to her delish French Chef, Jean-Charles Bouclet have Lucky in full holiday cheer.And even bigger celebrations are afoot. The national media is focused on the grand opening of Jean-Charles’s restaurant atop Lucky’s very own slice-of-heaven hotel. The opening gets a boost when Holt Box, a retired country-western singing legend lends a hand in the kitchen, adding mega-watt celebrity buzz.Lucky’s life is humming.The only sour note is her former lover, Teddie.Teddie claims Lucky’s father, the Big Boss, has put an end to his return to the Las Vegas stage by handing that stage to Holt Box. Box is returning from retirement, a comeback of epic magnitude that will give the Babylon—and Lucky’s career—an incredible boost.Taken by surprise, Lucky takes the high road. Or rather, she does what she always does when life overwhelms… She ignores it.Until she finds Teddie and her father, bloodied and angry, standing over the lifeless body of Holt Box, a dagger in Teddie’s fist.The media sharks are circling. A Macau heavy-hitter in town, flying under the radar but making his presence felt. An old nemesis of Lucky’s is out of prison and salivating for revenge. Lucky’s mother is ramping up her political campaign while juggling her new twins, who still don’t have names. And Christmas is racing toward a crescendo.Time is short as Lucky must discover whether Teddie is a killer.And why she still cares.What folks say about the Lucky Series:With Christmas a few days away, Lucky O’Toole, Vice President of Customer Relations for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s premier Strip casino resort, is in a festive mood. The upcoming wedding of her assistant to the Beautiful Jeremy Whitlock and her own engagement to her delish French Chef, Jean-Charles Bouclet have Lucky in full holiday cheer.And even bigger celebrations are afoot. The national media is focused on the grand opening of Jean-Charles’s restaurant atop Lucky’s very own slice-of-heaven hotel. The opening gets a boost when Holt Box, a retired country-western singing legend lends a hand in the kitchen, adding mega-watt celebrity buzz.Lucky’s life is humming.The only sour note is her former lover, Teddie.Teddie claims Lucky’s father, the Big Boss, has put an end to his return to the Las Vegas stage by handing that stage to Holt Box. Box is returning from retirement, a comeback of epic magnitude that will give the Babylon—and Lucky’s career—an incredible boost.Taken by surprise, Lucky takes the high road. Or rather, she does what she always does when life overwhelms… She ignores it.Until she finds Teddie and her father, bloodied and angry, standing over the lifeless body of Holt Box, a dagger in Teddie’s fist.The media sharks are circling. A Macau heavy-hitter in town, flying under the radar but making his presence felt. An old nemesis of Lucky’s is out of prison and salivating for revenge. Lucky’s mother is ramping up her political campaign while juggling her new twins, who still don’t have names. And Christmas is racing toward a crescendo.Time is short as Lucky must discover whether Teddie is a killer.And why she still cares.AmazonConnect with DeborahFacebook:   https://www.facebook.com/deborahcoonts/Twitter:  @DeborahCoontsInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/deborahcoonts/Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/debcoonts/
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Bio: Tammy L. Bailey is a mother, wife, and veteran. After graduating from Appomattox County High School in Virginia, she joined the military, serving five years in the active duty Army before retiring as a Master Sergeant in the Ohio Air National Guard. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and enjoys writing both contemporary and historical romance. When she’s not writing or watching Jane Austen adaptations, she enjoys Star Wars movie nights with her 9-year-old and watching her 12-year-old’s drumming gigs. Without her family’s sacrifice and understanding, she believes she would have never been able to pursue her passion of writing or her accomplishment of becoming a published author. 


Book blurb
Edmund Rushwood is a single English lord in possession of a great fortune who is in desperate need of a rich wife. In accordance with his father’s will, Edmund has until he turns twenty-six to find a wealthy bride or lose his vast inheritance. To retain his selfish lifestyle, he agrees to join an American dating game show to find the woman who can save him. He doesn’t bargain on meeting Abby Forester, an impoverished, spirited American woman who is content to live out her father’s dreams in his vintage record shop. With covert intervention from an unlikely source, Abby lands on the dating game show as one of Edmund’s potential brides. As their worlds entangle and love begins to bloom, Abby discovers Edmund cannot marry her and retain his wealth at the same time. Will love keep them together, or will greed triumph and tear them apart?

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Woodland Creek Series

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Woodland Creek Series + Buy Links
GARGOYLE BY SCARLETT DAWN
“Being stone-hard has never been this sexy and wicked.”
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UNBOUND BY ELLE THORNE
“Secrets don’t always set you free.”

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PHOENIX REBORN BY CARINA WILDER
“Ashling just wanted to be a normal woman, until the very unusual Hawke Turner soared back into her life.”

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DRAGON’S WEB BY LIA DAVIS
“One sexy dragon, two strong-willed females, a family scandal, murder, and a love that requires plenty of ice.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21d4GSCNook: http://bit.ly/1GklS1nKobo: http://bit.ly/1LPoMHIiBooks: http://apple.co/1jshUd4

THE SCARLETT LEGACY BY K.N. LEE

“All Evie wanted was to escape her family’s secret…and then Avalon walked into town.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leKPS9
BROKEN WINGS BY MINDY LARSON
“Love. Secrets and lies make for a thrilling ride in Broken Wings.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leKXkK
CROW’S CAW AT NIGHTMOON CREEK BY CALINDA B
“All she can think about is his naked body in the woods last night…and how he murdered her best friend.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21d6QSn
BEAR WITH ME BY NICOLE BLANCHARD
“Danger mounts and secrets are revealed as Declan and Sully decide if risking their hearts is a price too high to bear.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leL9R4
THE GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO BEING A DEMON BY APRIL AASHEIM
“What’s a nice girl to do when she starts growing horns, and a hunger?”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21d6ZVQ
MOONLIT FEATHERS BY SARAH MAKELA
“After faced with crippling loss, a heartbroken raven must find her wings again…”

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Play: http://bit.ly/1Q5VtGK
RUNNING FREE BY K WEBSTER
“Can Frankie prove her innocence with a sexy detective hot on her trail?”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leLrY9
DREAM CATCHER BY M.C. CERNY
“Happenstance brought Kerri Harper to Woodland Creek, but will she stay for the wolf intent on mending her broken heart?”

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TREAGAR’S REDEMPTION BY ISOBELLE CATE
“It was innate in Marcus to avenge his parents’ death; it was agony to sacrifice the love he found.”

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TRAJECTORY BY EMILY WALKER
“Taking flight in front of your dream guy is problematic but it gets worse when someone is trying to kill you.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21d7Ndh
THE BEAST WITHIN BY RACHEL M RAITHBY
“Passion ignites, and pasts collide, when the beast comes out to play.”

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SINFUL INSTINCTS BY J.D. HOLLYFIELD
“She was his temptation, and he was her ultimate Sin.”

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DEARBORN BY JENNI MOEN
“I craved normalcy, to fall in love with someone untouched by the magic of Woodland Creek, but not as much as I craved him.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leMk2L
ZENKO BY J. ROSE ALEXANDER
“Blaze Riordan must find Melody Hastings before Halloween–and only a little red fox can help him do it.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21d8NhK
MINA’S REVENGE BY J.M. WITT
“Her powers are changing and they’re more than the bloodline inheritance from her mother.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leMtTS
THE VIKING’S CURSE BY XANDRA JAMES
“He was supposed to keep me alive after I was marked for death, but hiring the meanest Viking shifter in town might just kill me.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leMB5Z
SIBILANCE BY ARIA KANE
“This sexy trickster won’t let Sophia Samson slither out of his life so easily.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leMHuiNook: http://bit.ly/1XAlvlQiBooks: http://apple.co/1Pkniwi
HOUNDED BY TASHA BLACK
“This dog is about to have his day.”

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SOLIDIFY BY ALEXIA PURDY
“Being a hero is overrated for this brazen loner, until one woman ignites his world.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21d9k3g
BITE ME BY MANDY ROSKO
“She always did have a sassy mouth… Just his type…”

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STORM WATCH BY HOPE WELSH
“Saving her from the storm is only the beginning.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21d9yHD
WICKED JACKAL BY CHERIE MARKS
“The freedom to choose her fate is all she wants, but can she resist the draw of one wicked jackal?”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21d9KXn
ONE INSATIABLE BY TIA LOUISE
“One wounded panther, one restless lynx, one insatiable hunger.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leNdIxNook: http://bit.ly/1OxD8AoKobo: http://bit.ly/1MMz4f7iBooks: http://apple.co/1Relbtk

BLIND TRUST BY RACI AMES
“When Pia goes blind she must learn to trust what her heart can see, even if it means falling in love with two different shifters.”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1leNkE5
RIDING HER UNICORN BY EVER COMING
“Giddy up!”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/21da74e
CLAIMED BY THE TIGER BY AE GATTA
“All Ellie Ashford wanted was a family…but at what cost?”


Amazon: http://amzn.to/21daknRNook: http://bit.ly/1NVKxH4Kobo: http://bit.ly/1kZUIDWiBooks: http://apple.co/1NgqYbG