Daily Archives: October 7, 2015
Book Tour – Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together
Title: Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together
Author: Jamillah & David Lamb
Publisher: Between the Lines Productions
Pages: 182
Genre: Relationships/Dating/Romance/Self-Help
David and Jamillah Lamb are the creative and dynamic couple that founded Between The Lines Productions, Inc. to fulfill their co-mission: to spread inspiration, joy, and love through the power of theater and other media. They are also co-authors of the acclaimed Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together.
As they’ve taken each step of their unique journey, they’ve become a trusted source for answering the questions like: What is Love? What is Romance? What is Marriage?
They didn’t wake up one day, and ‘poof’, they were instant relationship gurus. That might be how it happens in romance novels and romance movies, but that’s not the story of their romance. Their expertise grew out of everyday living and a desire to teach each other the lessons of love, the joys and trials of marriage, and the beauty of a romance. They are dedicated to giving other couples an honest, no-holds barred look at their struggles, their hurts, their triumphs, and their love.
His Story:
David was born in Queens, NY and raised in public housing in Astoria, Queens. He attended Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and New York University School of Law. The successful playwright of the hit off-Broadway play Platanos Y Collard Greens, David has found the love of his life in Jamillah.
Despite knowing he had found the right person, David struggled to lower his guard and put aside his tendency to be suspicious of women. Before Jamillah, David would often find himself breaking up with girlfriends rather than risk being hurt by rejection. Recognizing he had found a “kind heart and sweet spirit” in Jamillah, he made the decision “to grow up and grow into feeling what love felt like.” As the relationship has deepened, he’s learned other lessons. He now smiles at his typically male (let’s be honest!) expectation that Jamillah be able to read his mind.
The ability of love and romance to conquer hurts and overcome hardships is a theme that runs through David’s books and plays. He loves being a business, marriage, and parenting partner with Jamillah.
Her Story:
Jamillah grew up in Chicago in the same neighborhood as First Lady Michelle Obama. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Wesleyan University and then a Masters degree in Public Policy from Harvard University. A former Vice-President at Citibank, Jamillah uses her education and experience in the daily operations of their business.
Just like David, Jamillah had baggage of her own to overcome. Raised in a strict environment with high expectations, she struggled to lighten up. She put men she met before David “through the ringer,” worrying that allowing someone to care for her meant being less independent. As she learned to overcome her fears and become more trusting, she came up against other challenges. Becoming a family with the birth of their daughter Kaira was not a straight path. The journey to this incredible blessing was filled with adversity and pain, but also the support of David.
Jamillah made one of her most important life decisions in 2005. At that time, Jamillah was a VP at Citibank, while also helping get David’s first play off the ground. The play had been going well for a couple of years, but it was still a big leap of faith when she made the decision to leave a comfortable corporate job to work on their business full-time. Through ups and downs, and the typical financial worries of growing a business, Jamillah has never regretted her decision. The choice has allowed them to be together day in and day out doing creative, passionate work together
For More Information
- Visit the authors’ website.
- Connect with the authors on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about the authors at Goodreads.
About the Book:
Title: Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together
Author: Jamillah & David Lamb
Publisher: Between the Lines Productions
Pages: 182
Genre: Relationships/Dating/Romance/Self-Help
Jamillah and David Lamb are the dynamic couple behind the successful off-Broadway play, Platanos Y Collard Greens, which has enjoyed more than 10 years running. For years, they have worked side by side, 24/7, to create and build their business. And, not only have they not killed each other, their love has grown stronger. Now Jamillah and David share their recipe for romantic success.
This insightful relationship guidebook is part love manual and part diary as the couple explores important and intimate topics. Speaking from both of their voices–separately and collectively.
Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together is not a book of relationship theory – it’s a practical guide that provides the recipe anyone, man or woman, single, engaged or married, can use for love. Jamillah & David tell their story with a sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious, honesty. It is the warm, true-to-life style combined with road-tested advice that makes this book on love and relationships so unique and so valuable.
For More Information
- Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:
So many couples don’t want to deal with it, especially not in detail, but we all come to every relationship with a past. We walk around carrying hurts, pains and regrets in gigantic emotional duffel bags. Believe us; we do the same, just like every other couple. Just because you see us on stage smiling at each other affectionately at the end of a great show, our genuine love on display doesn’t mean that we haven’t had to unload emotional baggage to arrive at a place of Love and Happiness. So before we get into what works in our relationship and in our partnership, or deal with the places where we are still being challenged, we wanted to share with you our “Before You” talk.
We have all been in relationships before that didn’t work, and we all have to deal with the ideas, memories, expectations and pain that keep us from Love and Happiness. It’s necessary because there are some important lessons you learned in those other relationships about what you don’t want and will not accept in a relationship (your deal-breakers). But, here’s the truth that stings: even though you’re an amazing, wonderful, gifted person, you have also learned some things about yourself that didn’t always reflect you in the best light, but they were real.
In order to be willing to move forward, in love, with love, you’ve got to deal with what you’ve learned about yourself. The lessons you learned are important and it’s essential to incorporate them into your everyday thinking so that you don’t make those same mistakes or waste time on those same conver sations, when you know that you already know better.
INTERVIEW:
We are a happily-married, fun loving couple with a beautiful little girl, who happen to run a theater-company together that produces plays Off-Broadway. In fact it was when our audiences discovered that we were not only married but that we worked together 24-7 without killing each other 🙂 that they demanded to know our secrets and that’s what inspired us to write our story and share the lessons we’ve learned that can help anyone find love and happiness.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
A chance to spend time with the ones we love. The chance to see the world through our daughter’s eyes. Another chance to take a crack at telling a story in a fresh way that makes people laugh and inspires them.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Stephen King. So we could spend time with him and learn from his routine how he is able to be such a productive writer every single day.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients To Happily Living & Loving Together our relationship guide that is a love manual speaking from both the male and female point of view that arms readers with insights and techniques they can use to create their own recipe for love and happiness.
Tell us your writing process?
Writing Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients To Happily Living & Loving Together was a collaborative process. It was important to us to write from both the male and female point of view. Most books about relationships aren’t able to capture both perspectives, and we felt that we could add great value to the reader by writing in alternating voices between both of our perspectives. We used a voice recorder to record our initial thoughts, and then edited down the essentials and gave much back and forth commentary to each other, before giving it to our beta readers and our editor.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
David has known he wanted to be a writer since he started writing short stories for his classmates in the sixth grade. For me, I realized over time that we had to write our story and share the lessons we’ve learned about how to achieve, maintain and grow love and happiness after so many of our audience members time and time again asked, or rather demanded, that we share our relationship secrets.
What are you working on next?
Publishing David’s new novel next spring, It’s Good To Be King (Until the Bell Chimes)
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
Relentless endurance! The great thing is, anyone can develop relentless endurance to pursue their dreams!
Who are your favorite authors?
Sue Grafton, Kimberly Lawson Roby, Michael Crichton, Dan Brown, Paul Beatty, Mark Twain.
What do you like to do with your free time?
Go to plays, concerts. Travel. When we are sufficiently motivated to take yoga together. Go on surprise dates.
Tell us about your plans for upcoming books.
Releasing David’s new novel next spring, It’s Good To Be King (Until The Bell Chimes) a hilarious satire with a chick-lit twist, the story of a Hip Hop mogul told through both his eyes and the eyes of the one who got away—the only girl to give him the time of day back when he was the biggest nerd on campus and the first one to give him the courage to let his musical genius shine, only to watch him turn into an egotistical maniac. Now he wants to win her back by re-discovering how to be the man she originally fell in love with.
Where can people find you on the web?
Any final thoughts?
Live in the moment. As Dale Carnegie says, “Shut tight the iron doors to regrets about yesterday and fears about tomorrow!”
Release Day – Letter from Hell
About the Book
Title: Letter from Hell
Author: M. Lee Mendelson
Genre: Horror
A simple, routine call to 911 unexpectedly erupts into a grisly suicide. Mike, a well-seasoned deputy is uncharacteristically disturbed by the gruesome scene. Who was this tortured soul, and why did this happen? Innocently, most of us accept our destiny. We assume our life experiences are the result of mere chance. Few of us discover that our fate is actually an orchestrated tapestry woven from beyond our world. When that influencing weaver is from the netherworld, you may likely find yourself on a dark, terrifying, and tragic journey. What if you discovered a letter penned by a desperate soul from beyond the grave, a literal letter from hell? What if that letter could alter your perception of reality by revealing that you are not in control? Would you dare read it?
Author Bio
A first time author, M. Lee Mendelson and his wife Yvonne have six children between them, three boys and three girls. Yes–the Brady Bunch. He was inspired and encouraged by Yvonne to write his first book after he proposed the concept to her. M. Lee never dreamt of writing anything before his first book, but has now discovered he has a passion for writing, with one idea after another pouring out of him. A rare native Floridian, M. Lee recently retired from a career as a full-time firefighter and part-time law enforcement officer. His twenty-six years of experience on the streets have given him a vast array of experiences; some good, some bad. His recent retirement allows him much more freedom to dedicate to his newfound obsession with the written word. His first book, “Letter From Hell,” is a complex horror novel with a little something for everyone M. Lee’s real-life experiences, coupled with an active and vivid imagination, allow his stories to come alive. Striving to paint pictures with words, he immerses the reader into his scenes. His ambition is that people will enjoy reading his work and deem it worthy to recommend to others.
Links
Website: http://t.co/5YXLLxfh3F
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mleemendelson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLeeMendelson-754871841286995/timeline/
Buy the Book:
Book Tour – MY FATHER’S DAUGHTER, FROM ROME TO SICILY
Title: My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily
Author: Gilda Morina Syverson
Publisher: Divine Phoenix and Pegasus Books
Pages: 277
Genre: Memoir/Travel/Family Relationships
In this multigenerational memoir, My Father’s Daughter, From Rome toSicily, our author travels with her Italian-born father, Italian-American mother, and very-American husband to the villages of her ancestors. This trilogy tale leads the reader through ancient sites of Rome, landscapes of a picturesque countryside, seaside villages of Sicily, olive trees in the valley of Mount Etna, while contrasting an emotional journey between a father and daughter.
Former North Carolina Poet Laureate, Joseph Bathanti, says, “My Father’s Daughter: From Rome to Sicily” is a travel book in every sense. Syverson – a savvy, funny, elegant tour guide – expertly escorts us through the gorgeous time-locked terrain of Italy, but also along the often precarious byways of the heart. This book risks everything: its humanity, its courage, its sheer unbridled candor, the moving sweep of its poetic language and its refusal to turn away from the breathtaking mystery of love and ancestry.
For More Information
- My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Watch the book trailer at YouTube.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:
Sunday, October 15
Bright lights on the digital alarm blink 5:00 a.m. Five o’clock? What in the world am I doing awake? And what is this inner voice nagging me about room reservations in Rome? Something doesn’t feel right. Today? Sunday. Tomorrow is Monday. We’re leaving—Mom, Dad, Stu and me—for our trip to Italy and Sicily.
Why this message now and not when the itinerary arrived two months ago? Wait. I did wonder why the address for the hotel was different from what Carol, our travel agent, gave me on the phone. Why didn’t I pay attention to those feelings when the reservations first arrived?
I’ve been to Italy half a dozen times. Anything’s possible there. The building could be on a side alley, the address on the main road. Carol referred to the place as Hotel Columbus, and in her next breath called it Hotel Cristoforo Colombo.
It didn’t seem unusual to hear her use English and then Italian. After all, we both have Italian backgrounds. That’s why I used Carol to make the flight arrangements. I even chuckled when she rolled those rich flowing vowels off her tongue. Maybe I shouldn’t be so friendly and focus strictly on business.
One night on the Internet, I looked up the Hotel Columbus. Just like Carol had said, the address was Via della Conciliazione, Numero 34. The ad even touted that they were only blocks from the Vatican. I assumed the street address on the itinerary was simply an error. How many Christopher Columbus Hotels could there be, anyway? It wasn’t a chain— that much I knew.
At different times in my life, I’ve learned to let go and let others do things for me. But it didn’t come easy. Being the second oldest of eight children, I’ve often felt overly responsible.
I can’t be in charge of absolutely everything. At least that’s what I’ve tried to tell myself after having moved away from my large Italian-American family. Besides, our agent is not just any fly-by-night. She’s been in the business for over thirty years specializing in trips to Italy.
Now, here I am the morning before we’re supposed to leave, and I can’t stop churning. If I don’t get back to sleep, I’ll wake my husband. There’s no sense in both Stu and me being sleep deprived. I slip out of bed, climb the stairs to my art studio and quietly close the door. I hate following up after Carol, but I’m calling that hotel in Rome.
“Buon giorno,” I say in my best Italian. “Parla Inglese?”
I’ve learned that if anyone there admits to speaking English, his or her verbal skills are much more fluent than my broken Italian. Luigi, the person on the other end of the phone, takes my last name and my parents‟ name, then asks for our reservation numbers.
“No problema,” Luigi says in his rich accent; we are booked.
To be absolutely sure, I say, “Now this is the Hotel Columbus two blocks from the Vatican, correct?”
“No, not correct,” Luigi replies. “We are about fifteen kilometers from the Vatican.”
Fifteen kilometers doesn’t register. I envision fifteen yards, fifteen feet, fifteen anything but kilometers.
“Si,” I repeat, “fifteen kilometers is right down the street from the Vatican, correct?”
“No, not correct,” he says again. “Kilometers, kilometers,” he repeats, pronouncing each syllable—key lom e tours.
And then it hits me.
“KILOMETERS?” I bellow, “But my travel agent said that you were in walking distance of the Vatican.”
“We are not,” he says. “You will have to take a bus or a tassi.”
Frantic, I hang up furious with myself for not having listened to my intuition after the itinerary arrived months ago. I ignored that internal voice trying to tell me something was awry and assumed my imagination had gotten the best of me, as I’ve been told most of my life it did.
I click on the Internet and find the phone number for the other Hotel Columbus and call. A woman named Stefania also replies yes to my question about speaking English.
“I’m sorry, Madam,” she says, “We do not have your name.”
She doesn’t have the reservation number that I read off either. Obviously, the confirmation system at one hotel is different from another. But I am grasping here. It’s pretty apparent that our reservations are with the first place I called.
I’m going to Rome with my mother and father, seventy- three and seventy-six, respectively. Although they’re not old, they’re not young and used to traveling either. And we’re not even staying close to the Vatican.
My father attends Mass every day, sometimes twice. Mom is not compulsive about daily Mass, but she is excited about being within walking distance from what we’ve always been taught is the seat of Catholicism.
Thanks to Stu, my Episcopalian husband, we’re scheduled to see Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s piazza the morning after we arrive in Italy. Stu’s nephew’s wife’s father, a colonel in the U.S. Army, had once been stationed at the American Embassy in Rome, and he was able to arrange a papal audience for us. Well, the four of us and about 8,000 other people.
The plan is to walk to the piazza from our hotel. Since the year 2000 is the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Celebration, we do not want to fight the traffic with the thousands of pilgrims who will be flooding Vatican City from all areas of the capital. Even though the main impetus for the trip is to visit my parents’ ancestral towns in Sicily, how can we go to Italy with my folks and not visit Rome?
Now on the other end of the phone, Stefania, the woman from the hotel near the Vatican, is trying to calm my rattled nerves.
“Madam, stay in the hotel that you have a reservation for and then try to find another place after you arrive. Rooms are scarce here,” she continues. “You are lucky to have one at all.”
Lucky is not how I’m feeling. I explain to Stefania how my parents are older, that it’s my mother’s first trip abroad, and we are willing take any available rooms. After several apologies and her sympathy, Stefania says they are totally booked. Exasperated, I go back to bed and crawl beneath the covers. So much for trying not to rouse my husband.
“Stu,” I whisper, “Those hotel reservations in Rome… they’re not at all near the Vatican.”
His eyes pop open.
Now we’re both awake for the day. I wait until almost 8:30 before I call our travel agent at home. Carol and I spend most of Sunday on and off the phone. Even though she looks on numerous Internet sites for another place near the Vatican, none of her attempts meet with success.
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About the Author
Gilda Morina Syverson, artist, poet, writer and teacher, was born and raised in a large, Italian-American family in Syracuse, New York. Her heritage is the impetus for her memoir My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily. Gilda’s story was a Novello Literary Award Finalist previously entitled Finding Bottom: an Italian-American woman’s journey to the old country.
Gilda’s award winning poems and prose have appeared in literary journals, magazines and anthologies in the United States and Canada. She is also the author of the full-length poetry book, Facing the Dragon, and the chapbook, In This Dream Everything Remains Inside. Her commentaries have been aired on WFAE, Charlotte, N.C.’s public radio station.
Gilda moved to Charlotte, NC after having received an MFA in Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education from Buffalo State College. Gilda has taught in the Creative Arts for over 35 years including memoir classes and workshops for Queens University of Charlotte, The Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius, N.C. and at various other locations. Her fine art has been exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. Her angel drawings and prints are in a number of collections throughout the United States, Canada and Italy.
Gilda lives outside of Charlotte, N.C. with her husband Stu.
For More Information
- Visit Gilda Morina Syverson’s website.
- Connect with Gilda on Facebook.
- Find out more about Gilda at Goodreads.
- Visit Gilda’s blog.
- Contact Gilda.
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INTERVIEW
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Being alive inspires me to get out of bed each day, along with my passion for creativity. I have been in the creative arts all of my adult life and before. I wake up with a passion to work hard, create hard, be present for my husband, family- which includes my parents and siblings, close friends, students who have been a huge part of my life, along with colleague/friends – both artists and writers.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Since you did not ask whether the person is living or dead, today I would choose Hildegard of Bingen. (Tomorrow it could be Catherine of Siena, Elizabeth Gilbert or even Caroline Myss). Since I have always been interested in the mystics, I choose Hildegard because of her interests in art, writing, poetry, natural and medicinal herbs, role as an abbess, along with her courage and tenacity to stand up to a male-dominated system that did not, at that time in history, appreciate or even understand the value of the intuitive female.
What’s the story behind your latest book?
My story is a multigenerational memoir about traveling with my Italian-born father, Italian-American mother and very-American husband to the villages of my ancestors. My trilogy tale leads the reader through ancient sites of Rome, landscapes of a picturesque countryside, seaside villages of Sicily, olive tress in the valley of Mount Etna, while contrasting an emotional journey between my father and myself.
Tell us your writing process
Most often I begin my process by writing in my journal when I first wake up and again before I go to sleep. After breakfast, I take my journal entries, bring them to the computer and type them into a word document where I keep writing, until the story is written and ready for editing and revising. When I was in the heat of my memoir, I would often get up early and go right to the computer where I would work on a new chapter or edit one that needed revision. The days that I teach, I have to wait until evening when I can work on my writing. Once I’m into the writing, I have a hard time stopping. I get totally engrossed in the process and can easily lose track of time and stay up into wee hours of the morning.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I came into the creative arts as a Fine Artist–drawing, painting and mixed media. It was 1985 that I found writing or writing found me, and I fell totally at home in the process.
Tell us about your main character:
Since my book My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily is a memoir, I think of the story as having four main characters. Because I write from my perspective, I will talk about me as one of the main characters. I am obsessive about getting to my father’s village in Sicily with him, and excited to be able to visit my mother’s family’s village only a few hours away. My obsession does not stop with getting to those villages but continues throughout the whole story with worry over whether we have the right rooms in Rome, arrive at the papal audience on time or get to the train with time to spare. I pay attention to the details of every need my parents might have either before they have them or even if they never have them. The bottom line is that my character is a bit obsessive and out to uncover a heritage that possibly helped create such a personality.
What are you working on next?
I have a story I’ve written about my initial discovery and experiences in Healing Touch, an energy modality like Reiki, that I got involved in soon after 9-11 took place.
Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
Besides being a writer, I have been an artist all of my adult life and before. I also discovered that I have the ability to do energy work (Healing Touch), where I am able to sense and feel energy around people.
Who are your favorite authors?
This has always been a tough question because there have been so many over the years. I will give a few of who I am “presently” obsessed with, which means it could change next month. These are but a few authors whose books are sitting on one of the surfaces next to where I read: Elizabeth Gilbert, Adriana Trigiani and most recently I’ve become enamored with Elena Ferrante.
What do you like to do with your free time?
I like to walk, bike, read, hang out with my husband, Stu, and I/we love to travel.
Tell us about your plans for upcoming books.
One of my books is about Healing Touch. I also have stories about the angels that I have drawn for the last two or more decades. I know there are at least two more books from the poems I have written and continue to write. There are a few other possibilities that I think about.
Any final thoughts?
My memoir My Father’s Daughter, From Rome to Sicily, has been an experience that has helped me to discover my passion for story. I am not talking only about my stories, although that’s where it begins. I’m also talking about the accounts of the people I teach in classes and workshops and meet at writing events. It is important for us and for humanity to get our stories written. I believe if we don’t capture our tales, the truth of our life will be lost.
Book Tour – Lake of Sins
Lake of Sins
by L. S. O’Dea
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BLURB:
In a world where class distinction means the difference between imprisonment and freedom and even life and death, being chosen to stay in the encampment and breed is the only way to guarantee survival for a teenage Producer.
Every year after harvest, the finest examples of teenage Producers are assigned mates; the rest are loaded onto carts and hauled away, never to be seen or heard from again. Trinity, a sixteen-year-old Producer, knows that she has no chance of being chosen to stay. She isn’t even full-blooded Producer. Her father is a House Servant and she’s spent her entire life hiding her differences, especially her claws and fangs.
She has one week to sneak into the forest and discover what happens to those who are taken. Her plan is simple, but she doesn’t count on being hunted and captured by predators long believed to be extinct. Can she elude her captors to uncover the fate of her kind and return to camp before her escape is discovered?
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Excerpt:
She ran blindly away from the sound of the Guards, her backpack slamming against her spine with each stride. If they catch my scent, they will find me. She skidded to a stop. The forest had ended. A rock wall loomed in front of her, stretching to both sides as far as she could see. Little crevices and divots peppered the wall, but it was too steep to climb. She had to make a choice. The wrong one would cost her freedom, maybe her life.
The trees rustled behind her. Too late. They found me. This had all been for nothing. Now, the best she could hope for was to be taken with the others. Her chest tightened. She had to make sure that her mom and Remy weren’t punished because she escaped. She raised her hands to her shoulders and slowly turned. Her breath caught in her throat. A Tracker, the deadliest of predators, stood on its back two legs, towering above her, front legs hanging down like arms. Brindle fur covered its body and its eyes glowed yellow in the shadowed forest. Its tongue lolled out the side of its mouth, exposing a row of sharp teeth on the other side. Someone should tell it that they no longer exist in the wild.
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AUTHOR BIO:
L.S. O’Dea grew up the youngest of seven. She always wanted to do what her older siblings were doing, especially reading stories.
Ill at a young age, she immersed herself in books. Her life changed when she read a short story written by her older brother and realized that normal (somewhat anyway, since her brother was a bit weird in her opinion) people created these amazing stories. From that day forward, she wanted to write.
However, as with all good stories, obstacles rose in her path (mostly self-created obstacles) and it took her many years to put finger to keyboard and type her first book.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11771298.L_S_O_Dea?from_search=true
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-of-Sins-Escape/1525911114338421
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lsodea
Website: http://www.lsodea.com
Blog: http://www.lsodea.com/4/feed
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RNMCAQU
The first book of the series is on sale for $0.99 until the end of the tour.
Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RI7GKMU
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GIVEAWAY
Prizes for the tour are as follows:
- One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
- One randomly chosen host will receive a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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INTERVIEW
What are four things you can’t live without?
I’m a realist (seems odd since I am also a fiction writer). So, if I answered this question honestly, the answers would be air, food, water and some type of shelter or safe place to rest. Those are really the only things that we need to survive.
However, I think that the above answer does not address the spirit of the question.
So, the four things that I would not want to live without are:
My family. I have been blessed (although I did not always consider six older siblings a blessing) with a large and loving family and would truly miss not having them to reach out to for a chat.
My pets. This answer is kind of cheating since I consider my pets my family. They are my companions and as much as they exasperate me sometimes, I love each one (yes, even you Jack! – he’s a bit of a high energy dog with digestive issues).
Nature. I used to want to live in New York City with the hustle and bustle. Now, I know that I would be miserable in any city. I crave the wide open spaces and the greens and browns of nature.
Finally, Pepsi. I truly love that sugary, carbonated drink.
What is your favorite television show?
Hmm. I have a lot of shows that I like. Some, I love the concept more than the actual show itself (Walking Dead – they could do so much better with their episodes and characters). Some are guilty pleasures (reality TV – Survivor and yes, I admit it – Big Brother). But, right now, I’d have to say that my favorite show is Game of Thrones. It is so well written and acted that there is nothing else out there even close to it.
If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be? Why?
I’m a wimp and I know how tough real life is so, I’d choose to be a heroine from any of the contemporary romances. Sure, life is tough for a bit but I’d end up with a hunky guy (probably rich) who adores me and a happily ever after.
What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?
Currently, I am working on the next three books in the Lake of Sins series. It was supposed to be two but the third one is way too long, so I’m probably going to make it into two books. I have also just finished (in rough draft) a novella about Christian, the River-Man and how he became a River-Man. I hope to have that one released in a month or so. I may send it to Kindle Scout which will delay the release, especially if it is accepted. I am toying with the idea to release this story as both a novella and as a graphic novel. I have to get a quote from the illustrator who’s been creating images of my characters.
What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I really don’t have any one. Over the years, I have gone through many favorite authors – Stephen King, Carl Hiaasen, Julia Quinn, Shakespeare (of course) just to name a few. I don’t really know if any of them have influenced my writing but I suppose that they have in some way. I am really more of a “book/story” reader. I may read several books by the same author but then I flood my system and tire of that author (I’m not suggesting that any of you should tire of me as an author – of course J) because their stories become boiler plates. I’m hoping to avoid that myself, but I’ll probably fall into that trap too.
C.A. Milson 