Hey! “Unexpected Gifts”, by S.R. (Sarah) Mallery) is 99 cents on Amazon…check it out!

It has 25 5-star reviews!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book Description:

Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives behaviors help mold our own? In Unexpected Gifts, that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A History Lesson With a Surprise Ending May 11, 2013

By Lasher Lane

In S.R. Mallery’s novel, the main character Sonia resurrects a family tree from a long-secreted attic trunk.
Struggling with her bothersome, lifelong affliction, she looks for clues in the diaries and tangible souvenirs of her past relatives’ lives, hoping for a better understanding of herself.
With Ms. Mallery alternating each chapter between past and present, I was reminded of T.C. Boyle’s WORLD’S END, but unlike WORLD’S END, UNEXPECTED GIFTS covers many more decades of American history, and the author’s recounting of events such as The Depression, Suffragist Movement, immigrants’ contribution to the Ford Motor Company and Empire State Building construction, Vietnam War and Woodstock is powerful.
Then there’s the surprise ending, as Sonia realizes her friend and her father share something in common.
A wonderful story that should serve to remind us that in this fast-paced world we live in, we should never forget such precious American history.

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars A page turner you will enjoy May 10, 2013

By Frank Lennox

Sonia Weyland not only learns the origins of her OCD, she learns how to cure it (or did she? Not sure about that). And in the bargain, finds a way – by chance — to help her father out of a long depression brought on by an injury from Vietnam. She is able to travel deep into her ancestors’ emotional lives by means of diaries stashed in her mother’s attic. Lucky for her, they recorded the events and emotions that shaped their lives (and their friends. Not sure how they did that!). The vehicle that S.R. Mallery uses to reveal their lives – these diaries – might tax credulity, but it is okay, because we can suspend that disbelief in order to follow her ancestors’ arrival in the United States and trials as immigrants and workers struggling through the depression, and later in the 1950s and 60s. The historical aspects are engaging – tossing rivets on the Empire State Building, Woodstock, anyone? Or the HUAC hearings — and especially her father’s unwelcome trip to Vietnam – but the pleasure of the novel is in Sonia’s story: her emotional trials with a rock star boyfriend (a scoundrel) and a new comer whose ethical care of his wheelchair-bound relative shows a higher path is engaging – if maybe too pat. I enjoyed the novel as a page-turner. The unexpected gifts are more elusive. I look forward to her next novel.

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected Gifts was an unexpected book! November 24, 2013

By Marisa Slusarcyk

Unexpected Gifts was an unexpected book!

So many historical events and times are covered from Woodstock and Vietnam to the depression, emigration/immigration and the poor conditions people were forced to endure once arriving here. Even the Titanic is briefly touched on!

I have never read a book that wasn’t a textbook that was able to successfully cover so many time frames in such little space, with the accuracy you really would expect from reading the journals of those who had actually lived in those times.

 

Hey, y’all! “Once Upon Another Time”,by my buddy Rosary McQuestion, is 99 cents on Amazon today only…check it out!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book Description:

A Paranormal Romance/Fantasy Novel

Six years ago, when Aubrey McCory was twenty-eight years old, her fairytale dream of living happily-ever-after ended the day her husband died. Emotionally damaged with an unhealed heart, she sometimes fantasizes about what it would be like to see her husband one last time, like in her favorite movie “Ghost” when Sam said his final goodbye to Molly. Then five days before the seventh anniversary of his death, a glitch in the universe gives Aubrey the psychic ability to hear what people are thinking. And by all accounts, she seems to also have made a psychic connection with the dearly departed – namely her deceased husband.

As fate would have it, she also meets hunky Gavin Donnelly – whom she feels might be the next Mr. Right – and her life becomes topsy-turvy.

Her hippy parents, the Abbie and Anita Hoffman of suburbia, have Aubrey questioning her sanity after they leak a secret that Aunt Millie threw herself off the Brooklyn Bridge after hearing voices. Then there’s the fiasco of Aubrey trying to hold a connection with the dead when her new psychic ability doesn’t come with an instruction manual or tech support. And she can’t lean on her best friend, former debutante Laura Wentworth, who inhabits the heady spheres of society, without looking like a kook.

Aubrey’s life was complicated enough before photos rattled off bookshelves and the sound of wind chimes played in her head. Soon she’s juggling a demanding career, a six-year-old son, a freaky spiritualist, and the belief that her husband’s spirit is trying to tell her something of great importance. All while she tries to reclaim her heart and not lose the next love of her life.

MEET SOME OF THE CHARACTERS!

Aubrey McCory
People tell Aubrey she looks like a young Elizabeth Taylor. The only resemblance she sees is that she’s had as much bad luck with keeping a boyfriend as Liz had with keeping a husband. And her idiosyncrasy with organization, like products in her cupboard lined up like tin soldiers with labels faced forward and having days-of-the-week underwear is exceeding the breaking point. Yet, she manages to keep it all together as a prominent Providence lawyer, mother to a six-year-old son, and survivor of widowhood. Is it guilt over her husband’s tragic death six years before that brings him back to her? Albeit, in a ghostly form. 

Matt McCory
Even in death, his love for Aubrey has no boundaries. But will he be able to really return to her?

Laura Wentworth
Best friends with Aubrey, Laura’s beauty, both face and figure, has caused more whiplashes in the City of Providence than most car accidents have. The same age as Aubrey, she’s also a lawyer, and they work at the same law firm. Although she wants Aubrey to find love, she has her own issues. Having a hefty trust fund and dating only the wealthiest, most eligible bachelors in Providence, doesn’t seem to be getting her anywhere. Will her latest choice of suitors turn out to be the one—or a scoundrel?

Gavin Donnelly
Thirty-two and ridiculously tall, dark, and handsome, he’s a Project Manager for J&J Crew, a construction company located in the same building where Aubrey works. Is it just déjà vu when the first time Gavin sees her, he swears he knows her from someplace? And what’s up with Aubrey having a dream about him before she even meets him? And why does she feel a close connection upon their first meeting? The only thing Gavin is sure of is that he has to win Aubrey’s heart.

Mr. & Mrs. Becker
Known as the Abbie and Anita Hoffman of suburbia, Aubrey’s parents, hippies from the ’70s look as if they are stuck in a time warp. They make Aubrey wonder how sane she really is after growing up with parents who invited half-naked people to backyard bonfires, grew alfalfa sprouts in the bathtub, and constantly quoted Zen Buddhism. Will their expertise on parallel universes help Aubrey with the ghost of Matt? 

Read about more colorful characters at www.rosarymcquestion.com.

I have as my guest today Mr. Simon Okill and his vampire thriller “Luna Aeturnus” – come join us!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book description:

Paris 1925. A young woman is nearing her Eternal Vampire state as her birthday approaches. She is held captive by the hybrid vampire she created and slowly drained of her pure blood to keep his addiction in check. She outwits him and escapes to a chateau in the hope of reaching maturity. But he follows her unmistakable scent and massacres all that dare protect his supply of Eternal blood.
She awakens in a tiny room trapped and defenceless with amnesia, but something deep in her subconscious yearns to be set free by the next full moon – the date of her Eternal Birthday.
Her true self, Eternal, emerges in brief flashes of awareness to protect her from the horrors of this terrifying prison. Desperate, she forges an alliance with her true love, a gorgeous young doctor treating her.
But her nemesis is out there somewhere, relishing the hunt for her blood – and nothing will stop him from becoming Eternal.

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book description:

Rural France, June 1925 – The witness to the Moreau massacre, Eternal, is still incarcerated in an asylum, trapped by her amnesia. Only her true love, Edouard, can help rediscover her identity. But the startling truth attracts the attention of The Count, the secret leader of a vampire cult. The Count needs Eternal’s blood to achieve his destiny at the Eternal Hour and he has the forces of evil to help him.
With little time remaining, Edouard must unravel Eternal’s vampiric past, unmask The Count, and plot their escape. But at every step, dangers beyond his understanding lurk in the shadows, and Eternal is vulnerable to attack the moment he leaves her.
With the Eternal Hour at hand and the forces of darkness converging, Edouard and Eternal must fight to rid the world of this evil. If they lose, The Count will reign supreme and unleash the dogs of war and chaos upon the world. Let the final battle begin.

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TR: Simon, my brother! Man, I’ve been waiting a long time for today…how the hell are ya?

SO: Hey, Thomas…I’m doing delicious..thanks for having me over.

TR: De nada, my friend. So, what say we unleash this pony? What was the first thing you wrote, and how old were you when you wrote it?

SO: Purple bubbles here, blue bubbles there, I can see bubbles everywhere. I was 9 and was beaten by my sadistic teachers for writing it as they accused me of copying it.

TR: You’re lucky they didn’t run a drug screen on you. Today, that would happen. Well, since penning that classic, what have you written?

SO: A lot of stuff. Kidding, Thomas, let’s see 22 scripts some read by John Travolta, Ian McShane, Gary Oldman, Timothy Dalton, Amanda Donohoe. Now I have to admit, nothing has come from my scripts as getting an agent is nigh on impossible in UK. Now those scripts are emerging from their pupa state to become fully fledged novels.

TR: There should be a certain pride attached with even having those folks deign to read your stuff. Besides, who are they to know real talent? So, in regards to either your scripts or books, what made you choose your genre of writing, and what about your genre fascinates you?

SO: I only write paranormal, because I am not normal and proud of it. Star Trek persuaded me more than any other show on TV that there was more to our existence than mere mundane mediocrity hammered into us by the system.

TR: Another Trekkie! Halelujah! You know, I loved the original series. It only lasted a few years, but I agree – it put the thought of otherworldly civilizations in our brains more than any program before. Having said that, would you ever consider writing in a different genre?

SO: I’d rather have earwigs nest in my ears than stray from the path that is my destiny. Here’s the thing – I just reviewed Broken Angels by Graham Masterton, a detective thriller set in Ireland, but it was really a horror neatly disguised as a detective thriller set in Ireland. A leopard can’t change his spots.

TR: Earwigs…argh. Well, “Know thyself”, I always say – particularly if it prevents vermin from taking up residence in your body cavities. Now, much has been written about how a book will change from the original intent of the writer, as it’s being written. How did your book change as you created it, and did it surprise you how it came out?

SO: Oh boy, let’s see – Luna Series started out as Blood Bath then Bathed In Blood about a vampire reincarnated from Erzsbet Bathory – the world’s worst serial killer. It then changed to Exquisite Tenderness where a female vampire kills her lover in order to re-animate him. Finally, after 5 years we have Luna Sanguis & Luna Aeturnus a Gothic Vampire Thriller set in Paris where a female vampire must fall in love and survive a gauntlet of horrors to become an Eternal Vampire with her mate.

TR: Whew. I’m tired just from reading that. Sounds like you had quite a journey of the soul during that whole process. I’m reading “Luna Sanguis” right now, and I can say the journey certainly ended well. What is the most difficult part of writing a book?

SO: Marketing it. Writing a book is as easy as dreaming about it, but getting readers to buy it is like threading a needle with a frayed rope. Sad to say, marketing does tend to take the joy out of publishing, unless you are Stephen King and have a horde of PR GuysnGals to do that for you.

TR: I’m afraid I have to agree with you. I don’t know if I find writing it as easy as dreaming (and I can’t write about what I dream, on a personal note), but it’s sure as hell easier than selling it, that’s certain. I know you’re an indie writer. Would you consider changing over from indie publishing to traditional? (Or vice versa). Why or why not?

SO: Only if they offered me a huge sum of money and did all the promoting, then it would be worth the small percentage of sales. But I now prefer to be self published as I can decide what price my book should be.

TR: Along with a bevy of other decisions, eh? Since you evidently hate selling (and I identify), what is the most difficult element in selling your book, and how do you overcome it?

SO: Marketing for Indies is so difficult, we have to be perfect, and I mean perfect, because readers go out of their way to pick the bones from the editorial skeleton in a merciless fashion. I am blessed to have such a wonderful collection of friends in ASMSG who all help each other nurture our writing and better ourselves.

TR: Well said! They are a great bunch of folks, no doubt. And I agree with the stigma attached to indies. Now, tell our nice readers (at least I hope there are readers. Hello? Are you out there?), what mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?

SO: Going small publisher was a huge mistake. Self publish is the way to go. I can decide on book cover, editor, pricing, go free when I like. You can’t do any of that traditional-wise.

TR: I’d say you’re sold on the concept of indie publishing…that about right? Okay, time to grow a set of lungs – tell us a bit about your current book, and where it’s available.

SO: Luna Aeturnus is the part 2 to my small series Gothic Vampire Historical Thriller set in an asylum, France 1925. There, a young woman is close to vampire perfection and with the next full moon, 24 hours later she will become an Eternal, but The Count is close by hunting her scent and he will stop at nothing to drink every last drop of her essence and become Eternal. It is a race against the clock and only Edouard, a psychiatrist can alter the course of events and so seal Eternal’s destiny.

Available on Amazon –

http://amzn.to/19e22PQ us

 http://amzn.to/17JKfaS uk

TR: Very nice – and trust me, “Luna Aerturnus” is up high on my “to read next” list. 🙂 Do you have an idea for your next book?

SO: Luna Historica will be the final chapter and explains Eternal’s history from birth during Khufu’s reign as Pharaoh to her death during the French Revolution.

TR: Aha! A bit of historical fiction thrown in with the throat nibbling…excellent! I’m assuming that by now, people are itching to get hold of you – so how do they do that?

SO: My personal links are:

http://twitter.com/simonokill

https://www.amazon.com/author/simondokillwriter

https://www.facebook.com/lunaeternal

http://goodreads.com/tassyoneill

SO: Thanks Thomas for this opportunity to shout about me new release. Now where’s that beer you promised?

TR: No thanks needed, my brother…it was  a keen pleasure having you over for a bit. The very best of luck with both your books, and your future writing as well. Oh…here you go…

That’s a wrap folks. As I told Simon, I am reading “Luna Sanguis”, and it’s superb! Why not drop by and get both it and “Luna Aeturnus” – trust me, you can’t go wrong…

Hey! “Ghost: Razer 8”, the lastest Razer 8 series installment by P.T. Macias, is available NOW on Amazon…check it out!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book Description:

Ghost is an old-fashioned Southern boy fighting hard to forget his pain. He’s forced to protect his Mama and sister from their abusive Pa. Ghost is strong, silent, and soft spoken. He works hard against all obstacles and hurt. 
Ghost grows up to become a Delta Force. He meets and falls for a hot Latina who sets him on fire! She captures his soul and brightens his world. He would do anything to protect her. 
Duty calls and he’s forced to leave her unprotected. The unspeakable happens! Ghost calls on Infinity. Infinity aids to extract his woman from the clutches of a soulless prostitution mob. Time is running out!

And how about the first one in the series?

Click here to get IT on Amazon!

Book description:

The hard driven, ambitious delta force operative is immune to women. His heart has been destroyed by a treacherous woman and the unexpected loss of his family. These events have driven him nearly into insanity. The hard knocks in life propel him into grasping his emotions, his thoughts, and his physical condition. He focused on his goal. Loco doesn’t allow any type of distractions or obstacles to stop him. His actions and recklessness have earned him his nickname, Loco. 
The Infinite power, Razer 8 operatives, are united and linked for infinity. His team mates recognize his pain, anger, and strength is derived from the intense impotency he feels from his loss. 
The unexpected mission and unexpected encounter with his soul mate, tests his strength. His mind, heart, and soul recognize his love even before the actual encounter. The ruthless criminals threaten to harm his soul mate, pushing and transforming him into a fearless warrior.

Good morning, all! My “Chatting with the Authors” segment this morning is with my buddy Victoria Dougherty and her soon-to-be-released novel”Bone Church”…come join us!

Victoria Daugherty

TR: Hey, good morning, Victoria…I’m so pleased to have you today!

VD: Good morning, Thomas…it’s my pleasure 🙂

TR: So, what do you say we get this party started? What was the first thing you wrote, and how old were you when you wrote it?

VC: Hmmm…probably Second Grade. It was a superhero short story about a lighting fast little girl who creates all sorts of mischief.

TR: That’s an early start. What have you written since then?

VC: Nothing. Just kidding. I’ve written speeches, essays, plays, translations, ghosted a memoir, plus finished two novels and am working on two more.

TR: Man, you’ve got your train rollin’. What made you choose your genre of writing, and what about your genre fascinates you?

VC: I grew up in what my husband describes as “the ultimate Cold War family” – with a little bit of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and WWII thrown in for good measure.  So, writing noir-ish spy thrillers with a ghostly twist sort of came naturally to me.

 As to what most inspired and fascinated me – it was my family.  The dinner table I grew up around was full of stories and cigarettes and rich, world-weary laughter. My house was a place where there was always an old map of the world pinned to a wall somewhere – and two tickets to Buenos Aires in a locked drawer just in case (or so I suspected).

 I also lived in Prague during the 1990s and was finally able to connect with my family culture in a way that had eluded me during the Cold War years.  My family was full of political dissidents, so all my life I’ve been deeply interested in how people behave under intense pressure and how historical forces make sweeping changes in people’s lives.

I also love a good action sequence.

TR: Sounds like you love it right where you are. Would you ever consider writing in a different genre?

VC: Absolutely. In fact I’m working on 2 ½ YA books right now (the half is an idea that I haven’t started writing yet).

TR: Very nice! Now, much has been written about how a book will change from the original intent of the writer, as it’s being written. How did your book change as you created it, and did it surprise you how it came out?

VC: I would say evolve more than change. Does it ever surprise me how it turns out? Sometimes. But I love surprises. And I have to say, it’s not as if I didn’t know it was there in my heart and mind to begin with – it’s just curious how it ultimately came to be expressed.

TR: Curious, indeed. Tell us, in your opinion, what is the most difficult part of writing a book?

VC:  I love writing. I’m not one of those people who sits in agony over a blank page. I love devising a plot, creating a character, I love editing – there isn’t a single thing I would trade about the process. I am giddy when I sit down at my computer.

TR: So much for difficulty. Would you consider changing over from indie publishing to traditional? (Or vice versa). Why or why not?

VC: I’m a hybrid of indie and traditional as it is and I no longer distinguish between the two. It’s a brave new world.

TR: It is that. Now, what do you consider to be the most important element in selling your book?

VC: My books are about story and atmosphere. A lot of atmosphere. I love black and white photography, for instance, and have made that a crucial element of my social media platform. I hope to incorporate imagery into my novels as well. I want my readers to enter a world that’s more than an impression, but with room enough for their own imagination, if that makes sense. I suppose that’s what is most important in selling my books – a sense of time and place. A distinct aesthetic. That, and the best writing I can deliver, of course.

TR: Of course. What mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?

VC: Perhaps I’ve been too cautious. I have an agent – and one I care deeply about and with whom I have a long-standing relationship – so I guess you can say I come out of traditional publishing. But I’m also an entrepreneur, and I’ve always loved the idea of my books being my own. It’s just taken me longer to get there. Now that I am there – I’m on fire with the possibilities. As for marketing mistakes – I don’t know, as my first novel has yet to come out. Check with me in about a year.

TR: I’ll be happy to. So, now that you mentioned it, tell us a bit about your first book.

VC: My first novel, The Bone Church, is coming out this fall. It’s a Cold War spy thriller with a ghostly twist and I have never loved writing anything more. Hopefully, my readers will feel that intense emotion.

It involves a mysterious Roman Catholic Cardinal, a reckless sculptor intent on making a big political statement, a gypsy with a dangerous sex life, and an émigré priest who is forced to confront the fragility of his faith. There’s love and sex and danger all over the place.

TR: It sounds fascinating! And your second one?

VC: My second book is written. It’s called The Hungarian and I’m publishing it late next Spring. And I have endless ideas for books – it’s a blessing and a curse.

TR: A curse that ain’t bad to have. Okay, so how do people get in touch or follow you?

VC: The best place is my blog. It’s called Cold and you can click on www.victoriadougherty.wordpress.com to get there. Cold is the way revenge is best served; the way a war was fought; the way a story should be told. At least in my humble opinion 

You can also follow me on twitter: @vicdougherty

And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Dougherty/127269077354041

And tumblr: http://vicdougherty.tumblr.com/

If you’re out for a walk, you can also catch me drinking a whiskey on my front porch most nights.

TR: Save a sip of that for me. Victoria, it was a blast. Come back any time, okay?

VD: Thanks so much, Thomas…I’ll take you up on that 🙂

That’s a wrap folks. Victoria has her first book “Bone Church” coming out in the fall, so why don’t you buddy up to her, so you can stay tuned for the launch, and get yourself a great book?

In case you’re interested, here’s a quick synopsis…

The Bone Church

After secretly witnessing the murder of his father at the hands of a Nazi thug, Czech hockey star Felix Andel sets his sights on revenge. Soon Felix and his half-Jewish lover, Magdalena Ruza, become embroiled in a Prague Underground plot to assassinate the man who ordered the hit on his father: Hitler’s nefarious Minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels.

But in the surreal and paranoid underworld of wartime Prague, Felix and Magdalena must forge unlikely alliances in their quest—with a mysterious Roman Catholic Cardinal, a reckless sculptor intent on making a big political statement, and a gypsy with a dangerous sex life.

When the assassination attempt against Goebbels goes wildly wrong, fierce historical winds blow the lovers in separate directions. Critically wounded and slipping into a fog of extraordinary visions, Felix’s destiny is sealed at The Bone Church, a mystical pilgrimage site on the outskirts of Prague where he experiences a religious conversion. Magdalena, abandoned by the Cardinal who promised her safe passage out of the country, goes deep into hiding lest she be rounded up and transported to Auschwitz.

Twelve years pass.

Felix, now a Jesuit priest, is an emissary for people in trouble. From Vienna, he runs a Vatican-financed operation that smuggles prominent dissidents out of Soviet-occupied countries. Only this time, it’s Magdalena who needs his help. After a long exile in various political prisons, she turns up in a bleak corner of the Czech countryside – disgraced, impoverished and struggling to stay alive. Felix’s superior in Rome, the Cardinal who betrayed Magdalena, reluctantly dispatches him to collect her.

With government security forces closing in around them as they run for the border, the émigré priest is forced to confront his past…and the fragility of his faith.   

‘Nuf said…

 

Good morning, all! My “Chatting with the Authors” segment this morning is with my buddy Victoria Dougherty and her soon-to-be-released novel”Bone Church”…come join us!

Victoria Daugherty

TR: Hey, good morning, Victoria…I’m so pleased to have you today!

VD: Good morning, Thomas…it’s my pleasure 🙂

TR: So, what do you say we get this party started? What was the first thing you wrote, and how old were you when you wrote it?

VC: Hmmm…probably Second Grade. It was a superhero short story about a lighting fast little girl who creates all sorts of mischief.

TR: That’s an early start. What have you written since then?

VC: Nothing. Just kidding. I’ve written speeches, essays, plays, translations, ghosted a memoir, plus finished two novels and am working on two more.

TR: Man, you’ve got your train rollin’. What made you choose your genre of writing, and what about your genre fascinates you?

VC: I grew up in what my husband describes as “the ultimate Cold War family” – with a little bit of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and WWII thrown in for good measure.  So, writing noir-ish spy thrillers with a ghostly twist sort of came naturally to me.

 As to what most inspired and fascinated me – it was my family.  The dinner table I grew up around was full of stories and cigarettes and rich, world-weary laughter. My house was a place where there was always an old map of the world pinned to a wall somewhere – and two tickets to Buenos Aires in a locked drawer just in case (or so I suspected).

 I also lived in Prague during the 1990s and was finally able to connect with my family culture in a way that had eluded me during the Cold War years.  My family was full of political dissidents, so all my life I’ve been deeply interested in how people behave under intense pressure and how historical forces make sweeping changes in people’s lives.

I also love a good action sequence.

TR: Sounds like you love it right where you are. Would you ever consider writing in a different genre?

VC: Absolutely. In fact I’m working on 2 ½ YA books right now (the half is an idea that I haven’t started writing yet).

TR: Very nice! Now, much has been written about how a book will change from the original intent of the writer, as it’s being written. How did your book change as you created it, and did it surprise you how it came out?

VC: I would say evolve more than change. Does it ever surprise me how it turns out? Sometimes. But I love surprises. And I have to say, it’s not as if I didn’t know it was there in my heart and mind to begin with – it’s just curious how it ultimately came to be expressed.

TR: Curious, indeed. Tell us, in your opinion, what is the most difficult part of writing a book?

VC:  I love writing. I’m not one of those people who sits in agony over a blank page. I love devising a plot, creating a character, I love editing – there isn’t a single thing I would trade about the process. I am giddy when I sit down at my computer.

TR: So much for difficulty. Would you consider changing over from indie publishing to traditional? (Or vice versa). Why or why not?

VC: I’m a hybrid of indie and traditional as it is and I no longer distinguish between the two. It’s a brave new world.

TR: It is that. Now, what do you consider to be the most important element in selling your book?

VC: My books are about story and atmosphere. A lot of atmosphere. I love black and white photography, for instance, and have made that a crucial element of my social media platform. I hope to incorporate imagery into my novels as well. I want my readers to enter a world that’s more than an impression, but with room enough for their own imagination, if that makes sense. I suppose that’s what is most important in selling my books – a sense of time and place. A distinct aesthetic. That, and the best writing I can deliver, of course.

TR: Of course. What mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?

VC: Perhaps I’ve been too cautious. I have an agent – and one I care deeply about and with whom I have a long-standing relationship – so I guess you can say I come out of traditional publishing. But I’m also an entrepreneur, and I’ve always loved the idea of my books being my own. It’s just taken me longer to get there. Now that I am there – I’m on fire with the possibilities. As for marketing mistakes – I don’t know, as my first novel has yet to come out. Check with me in about a year.

TR: I’ll be happy to. So, now that you mentioned it, tell us a bit about your first book.

VC: My first novel, The Bone Church, is coming out this fall. It’s a Cold War spy thriller with a ghostly twist and I have never loved writing anything more. Hopefully, my readers will feel that intense emotion.

It involves a mysterious Roman Catholic Cardinal, a reckless sculptor intent on making a big political statement, a gypsy with a dangerous sex life, and an émigré priest who is forced to confront the fragility of his faith. There’s love and sex and danger all over the place.

TR: It sounds fascinating! And your second one?

VC: My second book is written. It’s called The Hungarian and I’m publishing it late next Spring. And I have endless ideas for books – it’s a blessing and a curse.

TR: A curse that ain’t bad to have. Okay, so how do people get in touch or follow you?

VC: The best place is my blog. It’s called Cold and you can click on www.victoriadougherty.wordpress.com to get there. Cold is the way revenge is best served; the way a war was fought; the way a story should be told. At least in my humble opinion 

You can also follow me on twitter: @vicdougherty

And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Dougherty/127269077354041

And tumblr: http://vicdougherty.tumblr.com/

If you’re out for a walk, you can also catch me drinking a whiskey on my front porch most nights.

TR: Save a sip of that for me. Victoria, it was a blast. Come back any time, okay?

VD: Thanks so much, Thomas…I’ll take you up on that 🙂

That’s a wrap folks. Victoria has her first book “Bone Church” coming out in the fall, so why don’t you buddy up to her, so you can stay tuned for the launch, and get yourself a great book?

In case you’re interested, here’s a quick synopsis…

The Bone Church

After secretly witnessing the murder of his father at the hands of a Nazi thug, Czech hockey star Felix Andel sets his sights on revenge. Soon Felix and his half-Jewish lover, Magdalena Ruza, become embroiled in a Prague Underground plot to assassinate the man who ordered the hit on his father: Hitler’s nefarious Minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels.

But in the surreal and paranoid underworld of wartime Prague, Felix and Magdalena must forge unlikely alliances in their quest—with a mysterious Roman Catholic Cardinal, a reckless sculptor intent on making a big political statement, and a gypsy with a dangerous sex life.

When the assassination attempt against Goebbels goes wildly wrong, fierce historical winds blow the lovers in separate directions. Critically wounded and slipping into a fog of extraordinary visions, Felix’s destiny is sealed at The Bone Church, a mystical pilgrimage site on the outskirts of Prague where he experiences a religious conversion. Magdalena, abandoned by the Cardinal who promised her safe passage out of the country, goes deep into hiding lest she be rounded up and transported to Auschwitz.

Twelve years pass.

Felix, now a Jesuit priest, is an emissary for people in trouble. From Vienna, he runs a Vatican-financed operation that smuggles prominent dissidents out of Soviet-occupied countries. Only this time, it’s Magdalena who needs his help. After a long exile in various political prisons, she turns up in a bleak corner of the Czech countryside – disgraced, impoverished and struggling to stay alive. Felix’s superior in Rome, the Cardinal who betrayed Magdalena, reluctantly dispatches him to collect her.

With government security forces closing in around them as they run for the border, the émigré priest is forced to confront his past…and the fragility of his faith.   

‘Nuf said…

 

Hey, y’all! “Amelia’s Story”, a life adventure by my pal D.G. “Dawn” Torrens, is FREE on Amazon today…check it out!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book Description:

This is a powerful true story of one young girl’s struggle to survive the care system during the 70s, and 80s. Amelia has one wish and that’s to make it through to adulthood. However, the obstacles placed before her are proving too hard to bear. She starts to wonder about the peace and finality of her own death. Amelia can see no light at the end of the tunnel, she just wants to hold her own destiny in her own hands, but adulthood was so far way she could not even catch a glimpse of her dream.

Hey! My pal Lorraine Jean Bush has “The Wingless Bird” available on Amazon…check it out!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Poetry can be provocative, mesmerizing, and beautiful. Even more so when it is from the writer’s own life experiences. I would invite you to read “The Wingless Bird”, by my pal Lorraine Jean Bush. 

From Lorraine:

“I was 9 years old when I wrote my first poem. It contained a few childish scribbled lines of how I felt at the time. I continued and never stopped.

This collection of poems come from my inner core, written from a continuing sense of grief and loss.

Although dark, emotional and heartbreaking at times; I hope all those who read my poems, will be able to relate to both the illustrations and the words.

Each in itself tells its own story.”

 

Good morning, all! My “Chatting with the Authors” segment this morning is with my pal Sarah Mallery and “Unexpected Gifts”…come join us!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book Description:

Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives behaviors help mold our own? In Unexpected Gifts, that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

TR: Sarah! Good morning, and welcome. I’m thrilled to have you on 🙂

SM: Good morning, Thomas, and thanks so much. It’s great to be here.

TR: So, what do you say we get this train rolling, shall we?  How old were you when you wrote your first piece?

SM: Other than writing little stories and papers in school growing up, with no mind for publication, I wrote my first real short story at age 45.

TR: A late bloomer, eh? Outstanding!  What was it, and in what genre?

SM: It’s called Sewing Can Be Dangerous, and it’s part of my collection of short stories, (Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads) due out later this year. It’s about the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that took place in New York City, in 1911.

TR: Fascinating. How in the world did you come up with that for a subject?

SM: I have always loved history, particularly U. S. history, and I remember my father telling me what a big deal this fire was, and how it changed labor/fire codes forever. When I started reading about it, I was not only fascinated, I could immediately see my various characters and a plot come to life.

TR: When you say it like that, it makes perfect sense. So, what have you written since then?

SM: I added ten more long short stories to that collection, most of which involve a ‘thread’ of sewing or crafts (but DON’T think this is a cutesy little quilting book! (See http://www.srmallery.com/#!__sewing-can-be-dangerous). Next, I started to write some flash fiction, which very quickly got published in various literary magazines: descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions, The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt.

TR: Sounds great – and like the theme-based pattern you used for your collection. Very catchy 🙂 Tell us, what was the inspiration for your current book, “Unexpected Gifts?”

SM: Many years ago, when my daughter was just out of toddlerdom, I was visiting my parents and she was sleeping in the guest bed with me. I was reading a short story my mother had had published years before and as I lay there, looking down at my sleeping daughter, I suddenly thought, ‘Wow! There are three generations in this bed tonight!’ That thought excited me, and along with always enjoying going through my family’s photo albums of old pictures of relatives from past eras, I guess that idea stuck with me.

TR: If your daughter turns out to be an author, that would be even better, eh? So, tell us a little about it, and where it’s available.

SM: Basically, here’s the synopsis:

Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives’ behaviors help mold our own? In “Unexpected Gifts,” that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys, weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.

You can find it on:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/12FlgQe

Barnes & Noble in paperback and Nook: http://bit.ly/1cIqw4n

The book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8boWh1y5MtM

TR: Thanks so much – Now, is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?

SM: I get my ideas in so many places! Listening to music in my car (particularly when the music fits my time period I’m working on); watching movies on my treadmill—seeing what happens to a character or happens in a plot and then having an A-ha! moment about how that could fit into my book; doing a mundane task, like doing laundry or dishes and suddenly thinking about a plot device (I’m in good company––apparently Agatha Christie got many of her ideas from washing the dishes!)

Sometimes it even happens when I’m at a traffic stop light and see a person/persons walking across the street or doing something on the sidewalk that strikes me….in other words, anywhere!

TR: That’s a very lucky skill you have. I’m jealous! So, I understand you’re published traditionally. What made you choose that path?

SM: I am from a long line of writers, and because of that, I assumed that was the only way to go to be ‘legitimate’. I am fast learning that that is no longer the case! A possible direction for me in the future, who knows?

TR: Ah…perhaps some decisions down the road. Okay, now if you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?

SM: Hmmmm……I’ve been reading various articles/blurbs/blog articles about platforms, and my gut instinct is to just be True to Oneself. In other words, don’t try to write what is not in your heart. Sometimes I wish I was into more trendy subjects, because a lot of them are certainly selling well (and good for those authors!) but I have decided I’m going to stick to what I love writing and try to market that.

TR: Very good. So, what mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?

SM: To be honest, I’m still learning so much about this promotional business, I can’t really answer your question fully. I am beginning to truly understand that one can promote, promote, and promote, but if it’s not to the proper audience, it can be a waste of your time, time that might be better served in writing your next book.

Ask me this question a year from now, and perhaps I’ll have a more complete answer for you!

TR: You know, I might just take you up on that :). Do you have an idea for your next book?

SM: Besides Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads, (I am currently working on some edits for it), I have an idea for a Civil War mystery. Am doing research for it, have characters mapped out, and a very, very vague outline for it.

Of course that could all change in the blink of an eye…

TR: Of course it can…particularly if you wash a lot of dishes 🙂

Sarah, it was certainly a pleasure having you. The very best of luck with “Unexpected Gifts”, and your future writing.

SM: Thanks, Thomas, it was fun 🙂

That’s a wrap, folks. “Unexpected Gifts” sounds great…why not swing by and pick up a copy?

And thanks so much for stopping by…

Good morning, all! My “Chatting with the Authors” segment this morning is with my pal Sarah Mallery and “Unexpected Gifts”…come join us!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book Description:

Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives behaviors help mold our own? In Unexpected Gifts, that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

TR: Sarah! Good morning, and welcome. I’m thrilled to have you on 🙂

SM: Good morning, Thomas, and thanks so much. It’s great to be here.

TR: So, what do you say we get this train rolling, shall we?  How old were you when you wrote your first piece?

SM: Other than writing little stories and papers in school growing up, with no mind for publication, I wrote my first real short story at age 45.

TR: A late bloomer, eh? Outstanding!  What was it, and in what genre?

SM: It’s called Sewing Can Be Dangerous, and it’s part of my collection of short stories, (Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads) due out later this year. It’s about the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that took place in New York City, in 1911.

TR: Fascinating. How in the world did you come up with that for a subject?

SM: I have always loved history, particularly U. S. history, and I remember my father telling me what a big deal this fire was, and how it changed labor/fire codes forever. When I started reading about it, I was not only fascinated, I could immediately see my various characters and a plot come to life.

TR: When you say it like that, it makes perfect sense. So, what have you written since then?

SM: I added ten more long short stories to that collection, most of which involve a ‘thread’ of sewing or crafts (but DON’T think this is a cutesy little quilting book! (See http://www.srmallery.com/#!__sewing-can-be-dangerous). Next, I started to write some flash fiction, which very quickly got published in various literary magazines: descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions, The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt.

TR: Sounds great – and like the theme-based pattern you used for your collection. Very catchy 🙂 Tell us, what was the inspiration for your current book, “Unexpected Gifts?”

SM: Many years ago, when my daughter was just out of toddlerdom, I was visiting my parents and she was sleeping in the guest bed with me. I was reading a short story my mother had had published years before and as I lay there, looking down at my sleeping daughter, I suddenly thought, ‘Wow! There are three generations in this bed tonight!’ That thought excited me, and along with always enjoying going through my family’s photo albums of old pictures of relatives from past eras, I guess that idea stuck with me.

TR: If your daughter turns out to be an author, that would be even better, eh? So, tell us a little about it, and where it’s available.

SM: Basically, here’s the synopsis:

Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives’ behaviors help mold our own? In “Unexpected Gifts,” that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCarthyism, and Black Power; the Great Depression, dance marathons, and Eleanor Roosevelt; the immigrant experience and the Suffragists. Back and forth the book journeys, weaving yesteryear with modern life until finally, she gains enough clarity to make the right choices.

You can find it on:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/12FlgQe

Barnes & Noble in paperback and Nook: http://bit.ly/1cIqw4n

The book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8boWh1y5MtM

TR: Thanks so much – Now, is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?

SM: I get my ideas in so many places! Listening to music in my car (particularly when the music fits my time period I’m working on); watching movies on my treadmill—seeing what happens to a character or happens in a plot and then having an A-ha! moment about how that could fit into my book; doing a mundane task, like doing laundry or dishes and suddenly thinking about a plot device (I’m in good company––apparently Agatha Christie got many of her ideas from washing the dishes!)

Sometimes it even happens when I’m at a traffic stop light and see a person/persons walking across the street or doing something on the sidewalk that strikes me….in other words, anywhere!

TR: That’s a very lucky skill you have. I’m jealous! So, I understand you’re published traditionally. What made you choose that path?

SM: I am from a long line of writers, and because of that, I assumed that was the only way to go to be ‘legitimate’. I am fast learning that that is no longer the case! A possible direction for me in the future, who knows?

TR: Ah…perhaps some decisions down the road. Okay, now if you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?

SM: Hmmmm……I’ve been reading various articles/blurbs/blog articles about platforms, and my gut instinct is to just be True to Oneself. In other words, don’t try to write what is not in your heart. Sometimes I wish I was into more trendy subjects, because a lot of them are certainly selling well (and good for those authors!) but I have decided I’m going to stick to what I love writing and try to market that.

TR: Very good. So, what mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?

SM: To be honest, I’m still learning so much about this promotional business, I can’t really answer your question fully. I am beginning to truly understand that one can promote, promote, and promote, but if it’s not to the proper audience, it can be a waste of your time, time that might be better served in writing your next book.

Ask me this question a year from now, and perhaps I’ll have a more complete answer for you!

TR: You know, I might just take you up on that :). Do you have an idea for your next book?

SM: Besides Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads, (I am currently working on some edits for it), I have an idea for a Civil War mystery. Am doing research for it, have characters mapped out, and a very, very vague outline for it.

Of course that could all change in the blink of an eye…

TR: Of course it can…particularly if you wash a lot of dishes 🙂

Sarah, it was certainly a pleasure having you. The very best of luck with “Unexpected Gifts”, and your future writing.

SM: Thanks, Thomas, it was fun 🙂

That’s a wrap, folks. “Unexpected Gifts” sounds great…why not swing by and pick up a copy?

And thanks so much for stopping by…