Cassie Exline...A Modern Day "She" Holmes...

I'm truly delighted to introduce Cassie Exline to the blog today. She is a multifaceted author combining suspense, mystery and even erotica into her books. I am truly impressed and excited to see her take a classic story like Sherlocke Holmes and Watson and put her own spin on it, creating the characters "Sheryl Locke Holmes" and "Dot Watson." Here is a little background on Cassie, then we will have an interview and (so excited) an exerts from  Ruby's Deadly Secret.

 Cassie works for a small town newspaper along the east coast of the United States. Writing has been her passion. Writing contemporary romance, erotica,  and mysteries have become her joy. Real life inspires much of Cassie’s erotic fiction. Her stories have been published at Ruthie’s Club, The Erotic Woman, Justus Roux, and Erotic Bookworm. Her two ebooks in the Sheryl Locke Holmes Series, Amber's Mysterious Death and Ruby's Deadly Secret, can be purchased at Wild Child Publishing. Currently in editing is the third book in the Holmes series, Opal's Disappearance. She also has a story, Fire & Ice, published in the anthology Coming Together: With Pride, available in ebook & print at Amazon. She’s a member of Erotica Author’s Association, Erotica Readers & Writers Association and Desdmona’s FishTank. 

1.       Have you ever googled yourself?  Yes. If so what did you see? That I’ve been busy.

2.       Do you have a mentor/s? If so who and what have you gained from their relationship? Oh yes, I work with a crit partner.  He makes me work hard and my most toughest critic, next to me, that I’ve encountered. I’m just glad he’s too far away to strangle. There are moments, but he is a great taskmaster and keeps me out of a rut.

3.       Have you considered self publishing? Yes. If so elaborate on whatever your decision was. I have self-published and am pleased with having total control. This was done under a different name. I think some misconceptions of self-publishing are that the writer couldn’t find anyone to buy her/his work. So wrong in a lot of cases. I’ve sold lots of short stories and have been under contract with several publishing houses. The key is to have fresh eyes and polish, polish, polish that self-published work. I’ve found mistakes in ebooks sold from reputable publishing houses. So no one is perfect.

4.       Do you follow writing blogs? If so which ones and why? Not writing blogs. I follow Four Strong Women, Wicked Writers, CJ England, Coffee Fueled Erotica, Willsin Rowe, Sommer Marsden. The why is because they are interesting blogs and friends I’ve had online. I do stop by other blogs and always on the look-out for anything interesting.

5.       How/where do you gather inspiration? From anything and everything. Songs, movies, my mind running wild.

6.       How do you gather information/research for a book? What’s the most significant experience you had with research? Research online of course. And if I know of anyone local I can talk to I do that and have done that. The most significant experience was I gathered ideas to enhance the character or for other books or scenes.

7.       Do you feel that a romance has to have sex in order for it to be great? No, but it needs suspense to make it great.

8.       What are you reading now? Just finished reading Guise and Dolls by Deb Baker. Her ebooks are on Smashwords.

9.       What draws you into a book? Great characters.

10.   Where were you in your career a year ago? Writing. I’m always writing. I’ve been published since 2005.

11.   Where do you project to see yourself one year from now? Writing.

   

Sheryl Locke Holmes:

Book 2: Ruby's Deadly Secret

By C.L. Exline

What do you get when you add a ruby, diary, secrets, and a mansion? A motive for murder. Sheryl Locke Holmes and her best friend, Dot Watson, have been offered an exciting opportunity to explore Bridgeside, a Victorian mansion, to search for items for their antique shop. Their adventure is short-lived when they discover a diary containing dark secrets and a newspaper clipping with a warning written in what appears to be blood. They get trapped in the attic, Dot is attacked and they find out the owner died inside the house. As if that isn't enough, Jake is spotted with another woman. Clues are pointing to Sheryl as the next target, no matter who gets in the way.

Ruby’s Deadly Secret came in number eight in Top Mystery Book of 2010 at Preditors & Editors Poll.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, beautiful cover art and exert from your book Cassie. I'm just truly impressed with the whole Sherlocke Holmes ideas and your cover art is amazing. Congrats and much more success. If anyone would like info no where to purchase Cassie's books or find out more info no her please check out the links below. 

Bri

Website: www.cassieexline.com

Blog: http://cassieexline.blogspot.com

Buy Link: http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=83&products_id=329

Website: http://www.cassieexline.com
Blogs at: http://cassieexline.blogspot.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/cassie.exline

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/CassieExline

 

The Innocent Review and Interview

Getting caught is simply not an option.

 
It's been a year since Jack Marconi's wife was killed. Ever since, he's been slipping up at his job as warden at an upstate New York prison. It makes him the perfect patsy when a cop-killer breaks out--with the help of someone on the inside. Throwing himself into the hunt for the fleeing con, Jack doesn't see what's coming.Suddenly the walls are closing in. And in the next twenty-four hours, Jack will defy direct orders, tamper with evidence, kidnap the con's girlfriend--and run from the law with a .45 hidden beneath his sports coat. Because Jack Marconi, keeper of laws, men, secrets, and memories, has been set up--by a conspiracy that has turned everyone he ever trusted into an enemy. And everything he ever believed in into the worst kind of lie.


After I read this book I had the craziest dream that was a cross between the novels The Innocent, The Shining and the tv shows Paranormal State and Sisterwives. That's what Vincent Zandri does...it's his magic power...his books take you to the depths of your morality, emotions and imagination. When you fall asleep after reading his work you are left asking yourself questions, "Would I have done the same thing? How would I have reacted? Do men really look at women when they stretch?"
Ok so that last part maybe not everyone would. I did. Once again we come to his gift. He provides an insight into people, men, women (he proved that in The Remains) and characters in a way people don't normally consider. He did it again in the Innocent. If I were back home in the south this would have already traveled the gossips circles twice before Sunday morning church. The Innocent a must have.







 Interview with Vincent Zandri...

1.      What did you see the first time you googled yourself?

I saw the future…Google would become the information source for me, my books, my adventures, my life…my cyber information mirror that will grow and live long after I’m dust.

2.   

          Did I read somewhere that you actually stay overnight in a prison? Is that true? What was it like? Were you shanked?

I did. When researching The Innocent, I spent two days and a night in the “honor block” of Sing Sing Prison. No I wasn’t shanked. The honor block consists mostly of old men who’ve been in prison so long they wouldn’t know what to do on the outside. Some of them maintain gardens outside the block walls. The warden couldn’t put me in General Population. Because then for certain I would have been shanked or shivved.

3.    What was your research like on this project?

Months of interviews with the late David Harris, New York State’s first Black Max Security warden. Months of field trips to Sing Sing and Green Haven prison. Months inside a library, and online. I was also in writing school at the time up in Vermont. It was an exhausting but at the same time exhilarating experience. When I was done with the writing, I spent three days in bed. That’s around the time my first wife told me she was divorcing me. I said, “Promise?”    

(Really?...I would have shanked you while you were sleeping.)

4.    How many virtual blog tours have you done to date? What kind of success have you had from them?

I believe this is my fourth. Success is dictated by how well you work the tour stops over the social networks. All my recently published novels have been Amazon bestsellers in several categories including hard-boiled and psychological suspense. Even romantic suspense. I guess that means my characters are tough, will play with your mind, and make great lovers. (two out of three ain't bad.)

5.    The Innocent was published previously…(I won’t say the other title because I think it is a horrid wretched title and I forbid you to use it at all on my page!) would you please summarize what happened?

The novel was published by one of the Big Six some years ago. It got amazing reviews like “Brilliant…” in the New York Post, and “The most arresting crime novel to break into print this season,” by The Boston Herald. Even Harlan Coben and Don Winslow willingly provided awesome blurbs. DreamWorks gave it three reads and there was talk of an option from none other than Steven Spielberg. Clooney read it, and so did Pacino. Some others too. Foreign rights were sold to Japan and the Netherlands. Then the corporate boys in NYC decided to merge my imprint with another and everyone in my house got either canned or assimilated into the other house. Interest in promoting the book was halted and in no time, it was remaindered. However, they refused to give up the rights to this one and the follow-up Godchild for quite a few years. In other words, they held two books of mine hostage. 

(hearing stuff like this gives me nightmares!)

Now since The Innocent is back out, it’s been an Amazon Kindle Bestseller in both Hard-Boiled and Psychological Suspense. Godchild has also just been re-released, and I fully expect it to be a bestseller. StoneGate Ink is planning on putting both books together in a special Kindle collectors edition in a few months. 

6.       You mentioned in a post once that you marketed yourself aggressively for a year and that you were going to stop that. I have noticed your marketing is formidably lighter than before. Has that had a negative impact on your sales? (do I sound like I stalk you here)

Actually, I believe I said I would stop the aggressive guerrilla marketing now that I had been back on the scene for a full year. I now have enough of an audience…a steadily expanding audience…that I can handle marketing my books via blogs, hosting guest blogs, virtual tours, appearances, social networking, trailer teasers and more, without having to email people personally begging them to give my books a try. It’s too much like spam and sometimes it can piss people off…something I’ve always been pretty good at without filling up their email bins. But that kind of aggressive approach was necessary at the time. And sales have doubled and tripled since this time last year. I expect them to double and triple again over the course of 2011. Same for 2012, and so on…probably for a 5 year period or so. Soon I won’t have to do so much journalism to make a living. Or, at the very least, I’ll be able to be more selective with my story topics. 

7.     From one author to another do you have any pet words that you have a habit of using in your writing? (Mine are Perhaps and Nevertheless) If so how do you reign in their use?

A fan of mine once wrote me to point out that I use the “worm smell” metaphor at least once in every one of my novels. In other words, “the hospital room where the body was laid out smelled like wet worms.” Or something like that.  Now I want to use the worm smell thing once in every book I write just to make sure he reads them. (so your saying that if I point something out to you...you will compulsively write it in your books? Wow the possibilities....)

8.     The Concrete Pearl is your next female protagonist led novel…tell us about that…(Tarnation I’m so a cyber stalker…you need a cyber restraining order!)

I was raised and groomed for the construction business, my dad being the president of pretty good sized commercial firm in Albany. I wanted to wrap a story around what I knew about the business. When some dudes I knew personally got involved in an asbestos abatement scam and were eventually busted for it by the FBI, I knew I had the basis for what eventually became what I hope will be viewed as a pretty unique suspense thriller—a female construction business owner goes on the hunt for a disappeared asbestos removal contractor after he’s exposed more than 300 kids of deadly asbestos fibers for more than a year.

My protagonist, Ava “Spike” Harrison, is both beautiful and brassy (sort of like you, Bri!) and up against it. She carries framing hammer (what she called her “equalizer’) instead of a pistol. I’d try and date her if she didn’t live inside my head. By the way: the last time I heard the word “tarnation” was on a Bonanza rerun. (Awe thanks for the compliment V...whats a Bonanza?)

9.   How many emails on average do you get a day? How many do you return?

It varies, but about 100, give or take. I open only a few of them and return even less, because I can either write or stare at AOL all day. And I never answer IMs I get during the day. However, if you are a writer, especially newbie, and you’d like some advice, etc. please don’t hesitate to write and I will try and get to you in a timely manner. Just put something in the subject heading that makes me aware of your presence…something like “NOT SPAM!” 

(I'll personally valge for that one. He is amazing at supporting those that are genuinely seeking advice. I stress genuine. He's not one to coddle or placate an ego...trust me.)

10.   In the beginning of The Innocent there is  commentary from Heath Lowrance that I just loved. It was very funny and beautifully worded, truly complementary. However,  on  the part where he says “Some say Zandri—who, remember, is a sort of world traveling action man type—was forced on the lam after seducing the wife of a prominent South East Asian warlord.” Why would he say something like that?

Actually, he got the geography wrong. I have been to South East Asia but I made it out unscathed, having only begun a small affair with my translator/guide. Or, I believe, I tried to start a small affair with her, and her quick bruising slap to the left side of my face made it clear that No Means No!

What Heath is referring to is when I was in West Africa on assignment for RT last June, I found myself alone inside a hut with the daughter (not wife) of a voodoo master (Benin is the voodoo capital of the world). While gripping a machete, the master kindly asked me to perform a ceremonial ritual…You know what? Maybe I’d better leave it at that.   

Well leave it to Vincent to weave a tale into two paragraphs. Thanks for visiting us and I do hope you will come again. Perhaps finish that tale of a ceremonial ritual. You are going to at least tell me right?

If anyone has any questions please leave them below. He is great at answering them. If you are interested in purchasing The Remains or The Innocent or checking out more about Vincent Zandri...well just click the high lighted words.

Bri 

Guest Post By UK Author Rachele Brimble

 

I am so happy to be here as part of the Romantic Suspense blog tour I am taking part in along with Bri and fifteen other authors. It gives me a chance to talk about the one sub-genre of romance I write that, to be honest, I haven’t ventured into for over two years now.

I intend to remedy that in 2011!

Romantic suspense is my favorite genre to read and so the first book I wrote was also romantic suspense. After all, the one of the best piece of writing advice to new and aspiring authors is ‘write what you love to read’. This worked for me and in 2007, my debut novel, ‘Searching For Sophie’ was contracted by The Wild Rose Press, followed by my second romantic suspense novel in 2008, Reluctant Witness.

I love both of these books (and will be giving away a free pdf of either one to a random commenter) yet haven’t felt the spark of another romantic suspense story until recently. So what have I been doing in between? Writing other sub-genres of romance, of course!

After Reluctant Witness, I wrote a romantic comedy, followed by an historical and since then two straight contemporary romances. All of which have sold, yay! But as I started writing novel number seven (my second historical), the germ of an idea for a new romantic suspense formulated in my mind.

I scribbled it down in very sketchy detail but basically, it was the hero’s voice asking for help that I heard first. He was talking to the heroine and asking her to provide him with a false alibi. Hmm, not exactly heroic behavior, is it? But then I wondered why he was asking such a thing? What has happened to him? Why doesn’t he plead innocence? Why does he feel the need to ask the heroine to lie for him?

All great questions that have led to my basic story idea of a man falsely accused of murder and the woman who helps him catch the real killer before he is due to appear before judge and jury. I am not sure if will work out like that, but it’s a start and I’m excited to be re-visiting the sub-genre of romantic suspense after such a long absence, (even if all my books seem to have some kind of villainous character in them!).

So look out for a new romantic suspense title some time soon, but in the meantime here is the blurb for my latest contemporary romance, published by Lyrical Press. Enjoy!

Getting It Right This Time

 She's back, but this time she’s a mother…intent on protecting her young.

Two years after her husband’s death, Kate Marshall returns home seeking security and stability for her three-year-old daughter. But when her path crosses with ‘the one who got away’…her husband’s best friend, she has to fight the desire to be with him for the sake of further heartbreak for her and her daughter.

A tough, straight talking theatrical agent, Mark Johnston is dangerously handsome, exceedingly rich, irresistibly charming – and branded by the tabloids as one of the UK’s most eligible bachelors. So even though Mark lost the girl of his dreams to his best friend, he finds no hardship in being single. Or so he thought.

Determined not to lose her a second time, Mark has to find a way to convince her they can work.  But can Kate cope with the media interest and ruthless, money-hungry clients surrounding him, being anywhere near her daughter?  Or accept that Mark Johnston is really the family man he claims to be?

Rachel’s Buy Links:

http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=89_78&products_id=427

http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=89_78&products_id=1011

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_25&products_id=296

Rachel’s Personal Links

www.rachelbrimble.com

www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/rachelbrimble

 

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  Having always believed there’s someone for everyone, Rachel started writing her own tales of love once her children were at school.  Since then, she’s had several books published with The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press and Lyrical Press.  She aspires to secure an agent in the near future.  A member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, Rachel cannot imagine her life without romance or writing!

When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family.  And in the evening?  Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…


Thank you kindly Rachel for visiting and sharing your thoughts and experiences in the romance genre and sub genre's. Also thank you for offering up the chance to win a free PDF book. So just leave a comment below dear readers and you could be the winner. I'm so glad to have met you Rachele and delight in your continued success.

Bri 

Did You Know That Erotica Has It's Own Morals? My Interview With Sarah Ballance

Saulti Dear Reader today we will hear the fairy tale like story of Sarah Ballance and her road to publication. And during this interview I have learned so much about romantic suspense as a genre as well as sub genre's within it. On with the interview....

Sarah lives a charmed life as the mother of six incredible homeschooled children, all of whom are completely adorable when they're asleep. Her husband of many years (long, long years, he calls them) is the kind of guy who could teach those heroes from the books a thing or two about romance, not that he'd readily admit it. Completely supportive of her new found passion for writing, he's generously offered to help with any necessary research for "the good parts." She's never had to ask twice.

Sarah wrote her first novel because she told someone she couldn't.  It was accept by the first publisher she queried, and the rest, as they say, is history.  While the idea of writing novels initially intimidated her, it has morphed into a favorite pastime since her characters, unlike her kids, actually listen to her. Most of the time.

1.       Have you ever googled yourself? If so what did you see?

Not until a couple of months after my first book release.  What I found was about three pages of ME.  I was shocked.  Fortunately, there wasn't a horrifying entry in the bunch.  I mostly found news of my release and blog entries or interviews, and also discovered my book for sale at several third party vendors which was a nice surprise.

2.       Do you have a mentor/s? If so who and what have you gained from their relationship?

My crit partner wins this prize.  She read the first draft of the first chapter of my first novel and she's still speaking to me, if you can believe it.  ;c)  She's my hero, though.  I shudder to think what a crit group would have done to my "had" and "that" riddled manuscript, but she offered gentle guidance in those early days which, in turn, gave me the confidence to grow and improve (a LOT) as an author.  There's no way I'd be here, two releases down, without her.

3.       Have you considered self publishing? If so elaborate on whatever your decision was.

No, I haven't.  My first manuscript was accepted by the first and only publisher I queried, so it's hard to say what might have changed had I faced a rejection or ten.  But would I move forward without professional editing?  Absolutely not.

4.       Do you follow writing blogs? If so which ones and why?

I try.  Oh, how I try.  LOL.  There just aren't enough hours in the day, and I exist in a perpetual state of "frazzled."  So rather than frequent any one spot, I tend to make the rounds when I see a tweet or a message board entry with the news of a new blog or interview posted. 

5.       How/where do you gather inspiration?

I love music when I write.  My hubby is a total romantic (don't tell him I said that) and he keeps me inspired on a greater scale.  We've been together 15 years, but he still turns my insides to mush, which is handy when you're writing about those fluttery first moments of attraction and heart-pounding lust.

6.       How do you gather information/research for a book? What’s the most significant experience you had with research?

My first two novels, DOWN IN FLAMES and RUN TO YOU, did not require research.  The one I'm working on now required quite a bit and, in fact, I recently told the tale in a guest blog I dubbed The Riot of Research.  I spent hours asking my hubby about a gun, only to realize I really need to know about ammo.  It took a solid day just to gather enough info for a short two-page prologue, and now if I so much as mention "having a question" to him, that little vein on his head starts to throb.  It was hilarious.  (We won't ask him what he'd call it, LOL).

7.       What’s the best/worst writing advice you have ever received?

The best?  Be yourself.  You don't have to write 3,000 words a day – or even 300 – to be a "real" author.  No need to wait for the end - you can edit as you go along if you'd like.  You don't have to fit a mold and neither do your characters.  The worst?  Anyone insisting otherwise.

8.       What’s the best/worst marketing advice? Best advice, hands down, was "one reader at a time."  That said, the worst is a nonstop barrage of "buy my book" tweets and FB status updates.  As a reader, I tend to avoid the latter.  But as for an author who takes the time to connect with me?  Forget buying one book – I'll buy them all.

9.       What’s the best/worst publishing advice?

Do your research!  Period.  I didn't know enough to research before I had my first contract, but I couldn't have chosen a better publisher.  Noble ROCKS.

10.   What defines a great romance novel?

There's an X-factor. It needs to be well-written, obviously, but readers need to be able to connect to the characters in a way that touches them.  Any story that has readers emotionally invested in a believable, heart-wrenching, breathtaking plot scores big in my book.

11.   Do you feel that a romance has to have sex in order for it to be great?

Absolutely not!  In fact, the tension without sex can be incredibly erotic in itself. 

Thank you so much for having me here today.  It's been a pleasure having the opportunity to chat with you!  I'm going to hang out to answer any questions your readers may have, so, dear readers, feel free to bring 'em on. Anything goes – nothing's too crazy or too personal!  ;c)

Fabulous honest answers Sarah. Grazi...Grazi...And in order to get her to quit stalking my page people please ask some questions. (Kidding Sarah) Now lets learn about genre's and sub genres.


Those that know my work know that I write what is considered "clean fiction" in the romantic genre's. However, I do believe in the art of sexual tension. I have my own personal moral code of what is too far, words that are taboo and what's ethical--as I'm sure all authors do. I'm pleased to see  that publishers have that as well and it ranges from the strictest clean fiction publisher to the most erotic publisher. Here's two examples that I saw within the erotica genre. The first being that any writing of an erotic nature with in the books be from consenting characters 18 years of age or older no matter the genre or time period. Second they have what's called levels of heat or flame. Most have a scale from 1-5. 1 meaning less description. 5 meaning....well you get it.

Now lets talk about sensual romance. When I asked Sarah this her answer was , in reference to her book Run to You. " There's sex, but little to no mention of body parts - not graphic." Kathryn Anne Dubois defined three subgenres of romance in her article on Defining the Market as....

Erotica – explicit sex without emotion and commitment.
Erotic Romance – explicit sex with emotion and commitment.
 Sensual Romance – lot of unexplicit sex with emotion and commitment.

Now while I won't be writing novels with heat ratings...I have respect for those women that do and their craft. Just like I know those women I've befriended that write in the genre don't call me a prude. (at least not on my wall.) LOL. Now time for Sarah's latest novel Run to You

HEAT LEVEL:  SENSUAL ROMANCE (Run to You)
GENRES:  romantic suspense, romance - I love a good romantic suspense.  It's my favorite genre to read, and being able to write them is a dream come true.

BLURB (Run to You, romantic suspense)

Mattie James can't pinpoint exactly when she lost control of her life, but the moment she decided to take it back made the front page of the local paper. Desperate to dodge the fallout— and the tabloids—she jumps at the chance to spend an off-season week in a tiny resort community by the sea. Making the trip with her ex-lover is a complication she can live with; coming face to face with a dead woman is not.

The last thing Sheriff Wyatt Reed expected to find on the storm-ravaged beach was a beautiful blonde with a jealous sidekick, but one look at Mattie left him wanting more. Their first date takes an ominous turn when he gets the call that a woman was found murdered. With a killer on the loose and a troubling lack of suspects or motive, Wyatt has to put his feelings aside to focus on the case. But his vow not to become personally involved is shattered when he discovers Mattie's life is on the line, and this time the truth leaves her with a deadly choice . . . and nowhere to run.  
BUY LINK: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=214

Wow that's sounds like romantic suspense with a dash of adventure!! If you'd like to learn more about Sarah or her books please click on the links below. Thank you kindly Sarah for visiting. Keep up the good work...don't be a stranger now either.

Website:  http://sarahballance.com/
Blog:  http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#%21/SarahBallance

Facebook Fan Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Ballance-author/125956520788499

Facebook Friend Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Ballance-author/125956520788499#%21/profile.php?id=100001580043965

Week One of 17 weeks of Fantastic Romantic Suspense...Author Leanne Dyck

Welcome Dear Readers to the first interview  in a 17 week series where we will visit and talk with different Romantic Suspense authors. Something that I have learned in my journey through in the romance genre is that you really can't judge a book by it's cover. (But you can get a pretty good idea!)

Just because there is a half naked man or woman on the cover does not mean that it is necessarily erotica, or what would be rated R if it was a movie....

Take The Sweater Curse by Leanne Dyck (published by Decadence Publishing on January 10, 2011) for example. It's more of a thriller than a romance. The premise is new and intriguing and I'm very excited to have it on TBR pile.

Aspiring knitwear designer Gwen Bjarnson is stuck in Purgatory. To escape, she must re-examine her life, journey through her past and right a wrong.

But which wrong?

Young and in love, she works to establish her career, except fate has different plans. One rash act and she loses everything. Never resting, always seeking, and yearning for what she can no longer have, Gwen faces the truth:  if she remains, others are destined to die.

How will she solve the mystery before it is too late?

Preface...

This isn't Heaven. It isn't Hell. And I'm not alive.

Picture this:  a bus stop, tons of people packed into the same small space all waiting to continue their journey. Many buses stop here. Some passengers get off, others get on. Young children with sickly white complexions huddle together in the shelter. Teenagers with rope burns around their necks get off the bus. Old men with bullet holes climb on.

Throughout this confusion, the only constant is me. I remain alone.

Why?

I don't know, but I must find the reason. I must examine my life to discover the momentary lapse. The wrong I've committed. The task I've neglected. It's my only means of escape.

Now to meet the talented Leanne Dyck.....

Author Bio:  Leanne Dyck began her knitwear design career in August 2002. Her patterns have sold in North America and internationally. Shortly after The Sweater Curse is published, Leanne plans to close this business to write full-time.

She earned her first writer's paycheck for an article published in a knitting magazine and is a member of the Mayne Island Writers Group, the Victoria Writer Society, and Crime Writers of Canada.

 

      

 1.  Have you ever googled yourself? If so what did you see?

Yes, I’ve googled ‘Leanne Dyck’. The first entry on page was “Author Leanne Dyck knows her craft, her audience, and her setting” (wow that's awesome)

2.      Have you considered self publishing? If so elaborate on whatever your decision was.

Yes, I have self published an audiobook short story collection and a mystery.

I’ve written an article about my experience. If you like, in a future blog visit, I could share the article with you and your readers.( well ain't she slick...of course we want you to come back girl)

3.      Do you follow writing blogs? If so which ones and why?

Following writing blogs is an affordable means of learning the craft. Some of the blogs I faithfully follow are:  Story Fix, Story Flip, The Creative Penn and Writers Unboxed.

4.      How/where do you gather inspiration?

I’m inspired by things I’ve heard, books I’ve read, movies I’ve watched, songs I’ve enjoyed, dreams I’ve had and on and on…

5.      How do you gather information/research for a book? What’s the most significant experience you had with research? 

I gather information by reading books, talking with people and by using search engines.

6.      What’s the best/worst writing advice you have ever received?

A gem I gathered from a writing magazine was a writer’s job is to write and submit.

7.      What’s the best/worst marketing advice?

Once upon a time, I had a craft supply store. One fateful day in walked a tourist. He spent hours examining all the merchandise, finally he found me hiding in a corner—knitting. “Your store is so well stocked. You should be very proud. If it were mine, everyone within in a 50 mile radius would know I was here and what I had to offer.”

Now, as a writer, I try to follow his advice. (I'd call this a gem too.)

8.      Is there anything you want to share or wished that were asked that hasn’t been?

I’d like to thank my readers for their kind support. (Talented, beautiful, intelligent and well mannered, we will definitely be inviting Mrs. Dyck back.)

For more information on The Sweater Curse click the highlighted link. To purchase The Sweater Curse click here.

Grazi, Grazi, Grazi!!! to Leanne for spending time with us today and I hope to have her back again soon to talk more.

Bri