CURRENT GIVEAWAYS


My interview over at The Art and Craft of Writing Creatively is HERE

Purchase my book Images of America: Detroit Lakes HERE

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Author Interview: Sheila Roberts




I know your new book Better Than Chocolate was just released September 25, 2012 and I really want to talk about that. But first, I’d like my readers to know a little about you.

Q. What is your favorite quality about yourself?
A. Gosh, there are so many. Hahahah. Seriously, I guess one of my best qualities is that I’m fun to be with. Is that a quality? I hope so.
 
Q. What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?
A. “If you can dream it you can do it” – Walt Disney. That is so inspiring to me. I think God gives us all talents and dreams. Sometimes the one thing that holds us back is confidence. If there’s a dream in your heart, chances are it’s there for a reason. I say, go for it!
 
We’re going to talk about your book that you’ve written, but first, let us learn a little about how you got your start in writing.
 
Q.  How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
A. I had a family that was very encouraging and supportive. Anything I wanted to try my parents were behind me 100 percent. They encouraged my creativity. I also had an amazing grade school teacher who allowed me to read my literary creations to the class on a regular basis. (Poor kids – talk about a captive audience!)
 
Q. What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
A. Putting in the work on a daily basis. Sometimes I would much rather be off playing than in my office, especially when the sun is out. (Although, I must admit, I make sure to build playtime into my life.)
 
Okay, now we can get to talking about Better Than Chocolate. 
 
Q. Tell us about a little bit about Better Than Chocolate.
A. This novel is about a family of women whose business is in trouble. And it’s up to our heroine Samantha Sterling to pull them out. Since the business employs a lot of people in town there’s more riding on this than just the fate of her immediate family. Her mountain town of Icicle Falls has been experiencing an economic slump and could use a shot in the arm. What better way to help everyone than to sponsor a chocolate festival? Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, I made sure it wouldn’t be. Heroines have to struggle to prove their heroines, right?
 
Q. How did you develop your plot and characters?
A. This all comes about in pieces. I always start with my concept, what the basic idea of the book is going to be and then work on from there. For this book, first of all, I knew I wanted to create a charming small town. (The town of Icicle Falls is actually based on Leavenworth, Washington, a town that was on the verge of extinction and rebuilt itself in the sixties to become a tourist destination.) Then I wanted to introduce readers to that town by giving them a family as its centerpiece. The family needed a business and I decided to make it chocolate. From there it was a matter of asking, “What kind of problems could this family have?” and “What kind of woman would be able to save her family and the town?”
 
Q.What was the hardest part about writing this book?
A. Actually, testing the recipes for it. Some were real disasters. And I gained several pounds in the process!
 
Q. Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
A. The character of Muriel, the matriarch of the Sterling family, who is money challenged, was a good reminder to me that I need to be more involved in my own family’s finances. Math has never been my thing and my husband takes care of all the budgeting and bill paying. In many ways this is great. It leaves me free to be creative. In many ways though this is not so good because if something happens to him I’m in deep doo-doo. Finances, like all other aspects of marriage should be a team effort, and after seeing the mess Muriel got into because she was clueless I’m aware that I need to be a much more involved member of the team when it comes to managing our money.
 
Q.Have you started your next project yet? If so, can you tell us anything about it?
A. We authors actually work far ahead so I’m already two books down the road. I’m very excited about Merry Ex-mas, a holiday tale of wives and their exes, which will be out this November. Then, next spring, What She Wants will be out. I’m just putting the finishing touches on that and it’s really going to be fun. 
 
Q. Do you have any specific last thoughts that you want to say to your readers?
A. Just one. I want to say thank you. Without readers we writers would have no audience. To whom could we tell our stories? You are so important to me!
 
BONUS FUN QUESTIONS
Q. Do you remember the first book that kept you up all night reading? What was it?
A. As a girl I devoured Nancy Drew books. I got older and graduated to Jane Austen. But I think the book that turned me into a night owl reader was probably Kirkland Revels by Victoria Holt. After that book I became a Victoria Holt addict.
 
Q. What is your favorite movie and why?
A. It’s a Wonderful Life – best movie ever made IMHO! I love the positive message of that movie and I’m such a sap. I cry at the ending every time – quite an accomplishment considering I’ve been watching it every Christmas for the last twenty years. By the way, no one in my family will watch it with me any more. Now I have to resort to hosting a holiday chick flick night. Anybody want to join me?!
 
ABOUT SHEILA ROBERTS
Sheila Roberts is married and has three children. She lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have appeared in Reader’s Digest condensed books and have been published in several languages. Her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network. When she’s not writing songs, hanging out with her girlfriends or hitting the dance floor with her husband, she can be found writing about those things dear to women’s hearts: family, friends and chocolate.
 
You can visit Sheila at sheilasplace.com. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook. 
Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been in the Sterling family for generations, ever since Great-Grandma Rose literally dreamed up her first fabulous recipe. So Samantha Sterling was understandably unhappy when her mother named her second husband, Waldo, president of the family business. Appointed president after Waldo’s recent death, Samantha is apoplectic when she discovers just how close Sweet Dreams is to bankruptcy.
 
Thanks to the free spending ways of her recently deceased stepfather, it looks as if they’re about to lose Sweet Dreams to the bank—and that would be a disaster, not only for the family but for the town of Icicle Falls, Washington. Although Waldo had ignored numerous requests by Cascade Mutual to discuss their arrears, Samantha is sure she can win over the manager to her side.
 
But the bank’s longtime manager has retired and his replacement, former Icicle Falls high school football star Blake Preston, isn’t as easy a mark as his predecessor. So when Samantha’s pleas and a gift box of chocolate fail to impress, she’s forced to consider other options.
 
After some brainstorming with her mother and sisters, inspiration strikes. They’ll have a chocolate festival. Town council approves the idea—despite some reservations voiced by Blake. Time is running out, but the Sterling women are determined and the town’s behind them, so what could go wrong?
 
Well, quite a few things, actually. The permits appear to be mysteriously stalled at the mayor’s office. Samantha and her mother seem to be at loggerheads. And Blake is determined to sell off Sweet Dreams assets to their biggest competitor even if the Sterling women do raise the funds.
 
Or is he?
 
It’s enough to drive her to chocolate.

PURCHASE BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

ARC Review: Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel



Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Format: e-ARC
Source: publisher via Edelweiss for an honest review

Blurb via Edelweiss
It's 2196, and the city of New London is now markedly changed. Political and social tensions are building around the advent of the "civilized" undead, and there's violence in the streets. When that violence hits close to home, Nora Dearly and Bram Griswold are once again forced to take control of their own destinies. As old friends become foes and chaos reigns all around them, Nora and Bram must find strength in each other-no matter the cost.  

Lia Habel is a genius. In her first book she made zombies loveable and she did not let us down with her second installment, Dearly, Beloved. I loved returning to New London and seeing how life is now that the general population knows about the dead. Of course there are different types of zombies. There are the civilized ones that just want to go about their lives now that there are ways of retaining their memories and then there are those that have succumbed to the virus and are just mindless biting machines.

Nora is still our headstrong heroine and now that they are back in New London, it is required of her to learn how to be a lady. After everything that Nora has been through, this is a little tough. She wants to be on the front lines fighting for the zombies rights. She and Bram are still going strong but they have to be careful and keep their relationship on the down low for now. Bram is still the valiant knight to Nora and will always do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

The plot this time is that the Lazarus strain has mutated and the vaccine they designed isn’t made to deal with this strain. They do not want another Siege so they try to covertly move the zombie (Patient One) infected with this strain away from anyone that could use him for a weapon. There are several groups that know about Patient One and they all want him.

The main reason that I find this series fascinating is that the story is told from multiple points of views. The reader is not restricted in knowing only what the main characters know. We are lucky enough to know everything that is going on and it keeps the pace of the book moving. The non-stop action will keep the reader invested in the lives of these characters. If you are looking for a unique series to read, this is the one for you. Due to the high complexity of Lia’s world, I recommend reading the series in order.

PURCHASE DEARLY, BELOVED

PURCHASE DEARLY, DEPARTED

My REVIEW of Dearly Departed


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Guest Post Author Allen Wyler-The Challenges of Writing a Medical Thriller


THE CHALLENGES OF WRITING A MEDICAL THRILLER
People who read medical thrillers are usually interested in medical details, just as readers of legal thrillers find law interesting. What is difficult is adding sufficient medical detail to satisfy a reader without making descriptions or facts boring. This is one reason I try to move my stories along at a fast clip. Thrillers are intended to thrill, not lecture. Fast pace, good plot, interesting characters are the elements that should be in a medical thriller. 

THE RESEARCH BEHIND DEAD END DEAL
This is a blitz-pace thriller about a Seattle neurosurgeon who, while in Korea, is framed for a murder. Now hunted by police he must evade a professional hit man while trying to find a way back to the United States. I figure it’s Three Days of The Condor meets Michael Crichton.

I got the idea for the story when I was a guest lecturer at a medical school in Seoul, South Korea. I was staying at the Walker Hill Sheraton hotel across the Han river from the hospital. So all the scenes (hotel, downtown Seoul, and the Korean hospital) were from notes and snapshots I took while there. (I always travel with a small point and shoot camera in my pocket). The brief description of the surgical procedure comes from my own experience.

My neurosurgeon protagonist, Jon Ritter, escapes via a route I personally took when figuring out how he might return to the United States without a passport. Again, the scenes were written with the help of snapshots. So, the short answer to the question is that all the research for the story came from personal experience. By the way, I find digital photography a great help when writing. I view a relevant snapshot on the screen as I write. This help me accurately describe what I’m seeing.

MY PATH FROM NEUROSURGEON TO AUTHOR 
Writing always interested me. Even in grade school I read like a fiend. So it seemed like a good idea to major in English instead of the traditional chemistry or zoology when I was taking my premed courses. This caused me considerable grief because it was difficult to get in all my required credits. But I figured once I got into medical school I’d never have another shot at the literature courses. And that’s exactly what happened —medical school and post graduate training consumed all my time. Then one Saturday, after starting practice, I came home from making rounds at the hospital and decided to start writing. Just like that. I began a novel that ended up to be really awful. Then I wrote another one, which was better but still not ready for prime time. At that point I started trolling for an agent and finally secured one, but could not sell my work. Years later, I got the call I’d been waiting for. It was quite a thrill. I guess, in the end, my biggest challenge was finding enough time to devote to writing. For me the writing process is difficult and requires a ton of work. I now enjoy the luxury of having sufficient time to work on my craft. It’s a dream come true.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
Allen Wyler is a renowned neurosurgeon who earned an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity. He has served on the faculties of both the University of Washington and the University of Tennessee, and in 1992 was recruited by the prestigious Swedish Medical Center to develop a neuroscience institute. 

In 2002, he left active practice to become Medical Director for a startup med-tech company (that went public in 2006) and he now chairs the Institutional Review Board of a major medical center in the Pacific Northwest.

Leveraging a love for thrillers since the early 70’s, Wyler devoted himself to fiction writing in earnest, eventually serving as Vice President of the International Thriller Writers organization for several years. After publishing his first two medical thrillers Deadly Errors (2005) and Dead Head (2007), he officially retired from medicine to devote himself to writing full time.

He and his wife, Lily, divide their time between Seattle and the San Juan Islands.

 
ABOUT DEAD END DEAL
World-renowned neurosurgeon Jon Ritter is on the verge of a medical breakthrough that will change the world. His groundbreaking surgical treatment, using transplanted non-human stem cells, is set to eradicate the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease and give hope to millions. But when the procedure is slated for testing, it all comes to an abrupt and terrifying halt. Ritter’s colleague is gunned down and Ritter himself is threatened by a radical anti-abortion group that not only claims responsibility, but promises more of the same.

Faced with a dangerous reality but determined to succeed, Ritter and his allies conduct clandestine clinical trials in Seoul, Korea. But there, Ritter and his allies are thrown into a horrifying nightmare scenario: The trial patients are murdered and Ritter is the number one suspect. Now, aided by his beautiful lab assistant, Yeonhee, Ritter flees the country, as he becomes the target of an international manhunt involving Interpol, the FBI, zealous fanatics and a coldly efficient assassin named Fiest.

Dead End Deal is a fast paced, heart-pounding, and sophisticated thriller. Penned by master neurosurgeon, Allen Wyler—who draws significantly from experience, actual events and hot-button issues when writing—Dead End Deal is unmatched as a technical procedural. Its medical and scientific details can impress even the most seasoned medical practitioners. And yet, the technical expertise is seamlessly woven into a riveting plot with enough action and surprises to engross even the most well-read thriller enthusiast. A smart, unique, page-turner, Dead End Deal delivers.

PURCHASE DEAD END DEAL


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