Book Blog Tour: "A No Good Itch" by S.D. Skye

The author will be awarding a Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 + $25 Kindle GC (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during this tour and the  Review Tour, Here , and a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host, also between this tour and the Review Tour.



What is your name?
S.D. Skye

Where are you from? 
Washington D.C.

What genre are you in?
Romantic suspense/spy thrillers

Please list your books and the year of publication.
The Seven Year Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel) Book 1 - 2012
Son of a Itch (A J.J. McCall Nov el) Book 2 – 2013
A No Good Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel) Book 3 – 2014


Why are you an Author?
I believe most authors who are asked this question must have the same answer. We are authors because we can’t be anything else. Writing is really a compulsion for me; I can’t not write. Besides, with all the voices in my head crying for their places on the pages of my books, sun avoidance and barricading myself in my office while I talk to imaginary people, if I didn’t write these stories I might be diagnosed as a  schizophrenic.

What inspires you?
I’m most inspired by stories in which people discover their true selves or overcome major obstacles to achieve dreams. Stories like this inspire my own life and give me energy to endure this writer’s life which can often be very disheartening and discouraging to say the least. So, when I get the opportunity to read about stories and watch stories which inspire hope, I tend to infuse these into my characters. Whatever ups and downs they endure, they usually come out in a positive place.

Where and what times during the day do you work best? 
I usually get my best work done in my office around 3 or 4 am. I’m one of those authors who must still maintain the dreaded (but appreciated) 9-to-5 to pay the mortgage, and my work schedule is usually pretty hectic. So, I try to get in as much writing before work as possible because that’s when my mind is freshest. The good thing is that I’m fortunate enough to have a dedicated office space in my house, so I have a place to go to whenever inspiration strikes.

Who is your target audience?
First and foremost, I would say men or women who like spy novels, political thrillers, and Beltway intrigue will absolutely love this entire series. If you like the classic FBI versus Russian spies stories then you will absolutely love these stories. They are told from a unique perspective than most spy novels as they deal with how the FBI operates against spies inside the United States, and mostly in the Washington D.C. area. With that said, woven throughout the spy stories is a burgeoning romance and a bit of a love triangle.  Also underlying the plots is the story of a woman’s journey to find out whether following in her mother’s footsteps led her to the right path for her own life. She’s also got some personal demons to overcome. So, there is a mix of things to keep all kinds of readers interested.  

How do you want your readers to feel as they read your book?
Wow, great question. I want them to be anxious and breathless. I want them to be so concerned about what’s going to happen next and how the story is going to end that they can’t put the books down. I wrote them with that intent. I want them to fall in love with the main characters—J.J. McCall, Tony Donato, and Six. I want them to get angry at them and be disappointed in them, but mostly root for them and care about what happens to them. I feel all these things when I’m writing them, so if some of that is imparted to the readers and keeps them hooked into the story then nothing could make me happier.

What is one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
I’ve written a number of books in multiple genres. I’ve self published some books and have been signed to a Big 5 publisher under a pseudonym for other books. I’ve seen this industry from many different perspectives and one piece of advice that has served me well is this: Write your heart. Write your own story.

Be true to yourself and your art. If you are coming from a place of truth and authenticity, no matter what you write, you will find an audience…eventually. Don’t try to keep up with the trends. Don’t try to re-create another author’s success. Stay in your own lane. Write your own heart. Tell the stories that only you can tell. Will this path win you instant success? Maybe yes, maybe no. But what it will do is ensure that when you find success, you’ll be able to sustain it.  

Share one thing about yourself that you would like readers to know.
I spent 20+ years in the intelligence community and one thing that I wanted to accomplish in these series is bringing people similar to those that I worked with and out of the shadows and into books. Almost every character is based on one person or a combination of several people that I’ve encountered in real life. I’ve done a lot of amazing things in my career (I could tell you but I’d have to kill you) and I wanted to bring elements of the stuff done in the shadows to light…but in a fictional way. 

For that reason, I love writing this series…and when I say I love it, I mean – this is the thing I was meant to do. When you read one (or all) of my stories what you will see is that I have so much fun taking readers on a ride. I love throwing in twists. I love putting my characters through the wringer or challenging situations that test their faith, courage, and moral fiber—because that’s what people in the field of U.S. intelligence are faced with every day. They are tested in ways you can’t imagine, but at the end of the day they endure and live it because they are patriots.
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BLURB:
IN THE GAME OF ESPIONAGE, SPY TAKES TRAITOR.

J.J. MCCALL TAKES OVER.

The FBI and Italian Mafia make strange bedfellows when a vicious Russian Organized crime figure, operating at the behest of Russian Intelligence, lands in The Big Apple. The Russian intelligence hench-man, infamously known as Mashkov, avenges the death of slain a Russian sleeper agent and accidentally hits the son of an Italian crime boss, sending J.J. and Task Force Phantom Hunter to the streets of New York. They are stepping into a possible war between Russian and Italian organized crime factions, while trying to dismantle the financial hub of the most insidious Russian illegals network in U.S. History.

Meanwhile, CIA Case Officer Grayson “Six” Chance is in Moscow trying to capture a fugitive American who has stolen White House intelligence and is planning to pass it to the Russians—putting Six in a moral dilemma he may not be prepared to handle.

And when J.J. finally learns the truth surrounding her mother's death in the line of duty, her life may never be the same.

If you enjoy this book, you will love Book 1--The Seven Year Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel) and Book 2 -- Son of a Itch (A J.J. McCall Novel).

 
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Excerpt:
The Sheriffs walked J.J. and Tony through a series of security doors until they reached the interrogation room. They left their overcoats with their escorts and tugged their suit jackets straight before entering. The sight of Kendell Phillips’ murderer shrouded in orange and shackled at the hands and feet gave J.J. a burst of pleasure she hadn’t felt since her early morning romp with Tony. A reddish blue bruise circled his eye and spread to the cap of his jaw. His gaze disintegrated under the weight of her glare and fell to his twiddling thumbs. She prepared to speak when an overwhelming scent jarred her senses—the smell of contemptible swine.

“My, my, my,” J.J. said to Maddix. “What an ugly fall from grace. Too bad they don’t make an Armani perp suit. You used to wear him so well.”

Positioned across from Maddix, Tony scanned the rat’s face and looked at him with a pained expression. “Rough night, eh? Did they forget to put you in solitary? Looks like you’ve been mingling with the locals.”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” he said with a shrug. Then he leaned back, spread his knees wide, and placed his hands in his lap. “So, this is the reason you came all the way to Shangri-La? To gloat?”

J.J. savored his misery and then vexed him with a tight smile. “We’re here to discuss your comrade in arms, Hawk—Gary Mosin.”

“Newsflash, doll.” Maddix forced out a grating laugh, overplaying his weak position just a smidge. “You get nothing from me, not without a deal. I want immunity.”

“Immunity?” J.J. blinked in rapid motion.

"Listen, you ain’t gotta make this difficult. We didn’t come here to pick a fight. Give us the information we need, and you can go back to counting the tiles on the ceiling . . . or whatever it is you do on the inside.” Tony contrived a calm demeanor as he reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a pack of Marlboro 100s and a book of matches. He slid them to the middle of the table until they stopped beside a plastic ashtray. “Our treat. Enjoy. But if you choose to stay on the difficult route, we can reverse course any time.”

Maddix cupped his hands and with no show of gratitude, pulled the offerings to the table’s edge, his shackles jangling with his every move. He folded back the foil on the corner of the pack and knocked the open end against his wrist until a cigarette emerged. Then his brow drew together, furrowed in confusion. “You don’t have a clue, do you?” His gaze ping-ponged between J.J. and Tony before he shook his head. “That’s why you’re here. You don’t know!”

 
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
S.D. Skye is a former FBI Counterintelligence Analyst in the Russia program and supported cases during her 12-year tenure at the Bureau. She has personally witnessed the blowback the Intelligence Community suffered due to the most significant compromises in U.S. history, including the arrests of former CIA Case Officer Aldrich Ames and two of the Bureau's own—FBI Agents Earl Pitts and Robert Hansen. She has spent 20 years in the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Skye is a member of the Maryland Writer’s Association, Romance Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. She’s addicted to writing and chocolate—not necessarily in that order—and currently lives in the Washington D.C. area with her son. Skye is hard at work on several projects, including the next installment of the series.

Web Links
Blog: http://www.authorsdskye.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorsdskye
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sdskye1

Buy Links
http://www.amazon.com/S.D.-Skye/e/B00AMAUFK8


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