>
Stop by 100 Romances Project Here and check out my review.
>New Review Deep in the Heat of Texas
March 31, 2011 By
>Guest Ed Lynskey & Giveaway
March 30, 2011 By
>Lets all welcome Ed to the blog today he has stopped by to answer some questions. he is always offering a free PDF copy to a lucky winner.
Babs….Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Ed: You know, I just don’t have any clear memories as a kid when I thought I’d
like to write books when I grew up. I know I liked to read fiction: The Hardy
Boys,
The Three Investigators, and The Happy Hollisters come to mind. Does anybody
remember the Hollisters, a crime-solving family? Years later, I interviewed
Dennis Lynds
who’d written some titles in The Three Investigator series. That was pretty
cool. Alfred
Hitchcock sponsored it. At any rate, I came to write the novels in my
mid-forties
which is rather late, I suppose. But then perhaps you have to live some of life
before you can actually write about it even if it’s fiction. I still get a big
kick
from writing novels, and I doubt if I ever return to writing the short stories
or poems
again any time soon.
Babs….Do you have any rituals when you write, i.e., coffee, tea, music, food?
Ed: Nothing is too weird or exotic. Four a.m. should be my start time. I don’t
always make it, but I sure do try. Coffee, no cream or sugar, is a must-have.
My most joyous day is to keystroke 500 new words before the sun comes
up in the ‘burbs. Everything is hushed then. Since I went on this low
cholesterol
diet and lost 40 lbs., I love to graze on fruits and veggies all day. Jazz is
my preferred background music. Or else I play the rock oldies on YouTube. While
I’m
writing, I alternate positions, often using a stand-up desk. I try to walk 2
miles at
midday. My course is mapped out to avoid the dogs. Nothing against my
neighbors, but I don’t trust mean dogs. That’s pretty much my writing
day.
Babs…..Are you working on any current projects?
Ed: Would you believe a police procedural will get my next revision treatment?
Also, my next PI Frank Johnson mystery, AFTER THE BIG NOISE, had better
get another editorial scrub. I hate to think of it, but it will. Right at the
moment,
my energies are fixed on promoting QUIET ANCHORAGE and LAKE CHARLES,
soft-boiled and hard-boiled, respectively.
Babs…..The one place you would love to go, but have not been?
Ed: Neat question. I like cats, so I’ve always thought Key West might be the
right fit for me. Key West has lots of cats, some of them the descendents of
Papa Hemingway’s brood when he lived there.
Babs…. If you could have lunch with anyone past or present who would it be?
Why?
H’m. I’d like to do lunch with somebody who’s approachable and down to earth.
If I had to sit awe of them, it wouldn’t be much fun for me. Dennis Franz of
NYPD
Blue fame (Andy Sipowicz) seems like the sort of individual. I was a big fan of
the TV show.
Babs…..What are you currently reading?
E IS FOR EVIDENCE by Sue Grafton who is always a comfort read for me. I’m a
sucker for a classic private eye book. I just finished up reading A LONG AND
HAPPY LIFE by the late Reynolds Price from North Carolina. It’s a lovely
literary book of a tough, heartbreaking romance between a girl and boy.
Babs…..Favorite sweet, if you have one?
Since I went on my diet, I’ve had to cut out most sweets, but I confess a
weakness still for candied mangoes.
Babs….Do you have a day job?
I work out of my home office doing a lot of freelance work.
Babs…Anything else you would like to add?
Just to say thank you for the opportunity to talk for the first time about my
cozy mystery QUIET ANCHORAGE, and for your willingness to try the book
to do a review.
Giveaway all you have to do is make a comment about the interview and you will be entered into the giveway. It ends 4-6- at midnight. This is for a PDF copy of his book Quiet Anchorage.
>Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference: Post About the BBP and Enter to WIN!!!
March 30, 2011 By
>
Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference: Post About the BBP and Enter to WIN!!!: “Help us out and be entered to win a big stack of books!!! Make a post about the BBP on your blog and be entered to get a prize whether you a…”
>Guest David Seaburn
March 29, 2011 By
>Please help me welcome David this morning.
Babs….Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I was on my high school newspaper staff and I liked to write even then, but I never thought of writing as my future. I became more serious about writing in my early twenties when I was at Boston University School of Theology. There I had my first publication—a series of poems that appeared in their alumni magazine. For a time I served a country church and did a lot of writing. I even had a book accepted by a publisher, but then the publisher decided not to go ahead with the project—I didn’t write at all for a few years after that! Most of my career has been as a marriage and family therapist working in an academic setting (University of Rochester Medical Center in the Departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine). I published two professional books and well over fifty articles and book chapters during my tenure at the Medical Center. Some of the articles I wrote were creative nonfiction, which got me interested at trying my hand at fiction again, this time novels. I started writing my first novel in 2004—Darkness is as Light (2005). It was followed by Pumpkin Hill in 2007. And now Charlie No Face has been published in 2011. It wasn’t until I was well into my second novel, though, that I thought of myself as a writer. By then I was in my mid-fifties.
Babs….Do you have any rituals when you write, ie coffee, tea, music, food?
I wouldn’t say I have any rituals. I have a discipline. I’ve kept a journal since 1973. It is great practice. It keeps me balanced. And some of my ideas are culled from my journal entries. Other than that, I like to write in my basement office and I prefer quiet.
Babs…..Are you working on any current projects?
I am well into my fourth novel—Chimney Bluffs. A couple of years ago I read a news story from England that I couldn’t get out of my mind. A couple had jumped to their death from a famous cliff after their young son died suddenly of an illness. With them were two sacks—one had their deceased son and the other had his toys. I wondered—How did that decision come to make sense to them? And—What if one of the parents had survived the jump? Those questions form the backbone of my story. I hope to be finished with a few months.
Babs…..The one place you would love to go, but have not been?
My wife and I want to go to Italy for our fortieth anniversary.
Babs…. If you could have lunch with anyone past of present who would it be?
This is not a unique answer, but I love reading about Lincoln. His humanity is remarkable, the combination of compassion and humor. I would enjoy sitting and listening to his stories.
Babs…..What are you currently reading?
I am reading “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen.
Babs…..Favorite Sweet if you have one?
Panda Paws ice cream by Perry’s is far and away my favorite sweet.
Babs….Do you have a day job?
I am retired although I have a very small private psychotherapy practice. I spend several days a week helping care for our two wonderful granddaughters, Gianna and Makayla.
To learn more about David and his books check these sites out.
David B. Seaburn, PhD, LMFT
Author of :
Charlie No Face—available at: www.amazon.com/dp/0984555285
More about Charlie No Face on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/embed/wR8OeYfXpsg
Also check out my other novels on amazon.com:
Darkness is as Light
Pumpkin Hill
Pumpkin Hill
Visit:www.davidbseaburn.com
Order books through:www.amazon.com
>Guest Author Joy Spraycar & Giveaway
March 28, 2011 By
>
Please help me welcome Joy to the blog today. Joy has even offered a sign copy of her book Quicksliver. See details below. Here is my review Quicksilver
Babs…….Have you always wanted to write? I began writing in Jr. High and really enjoyed it, although my stories back then were really dark. It looks like that side of my personality is coming out again with my new Keeper Series. But yeah, if I’d have known you could make a living writing, I might have continued doing that. But I took time off to have a career or ten and raise my kids. But getting back to it has been really great.
Babs……..If you could be one character from one of your books who would it be?
I love all my characters. However the ones I indentify with most are the guys. I don’t know if I could pick just one, but in each book I have my favorites. In Quicksilver it is definately Quinton.
Babs…….. What other projects do you have going?(sorry that question erased)
I have two more books finished. The first one is a Urban Fantasy called Phantom Wolves. The second is a YA called Tawny’s Ghost. Both of them are being looked at by Valor Publishing, but I don’t have a contract for either one yet. Then I’m doing two new projects. One is a paranormal romance called the Keeper of the Southern Gate. This is about a man who is given the charge to release the Hounds of Hell every night, but when his job causes him to lose everyone he loves he thinks life is over, until he meets another Keeper. Then I’m writing a fantasy, called Suki, about a hamster from another planet with super powers.
Babs……..Is there a place you would like to go visit that you haven’t yet?
I would love to go to Scotland and Ireland. Maybe some day I’ll get there to do research and write a book with one of them as the backgound.
Babs……. Do you also have a day job?
I watch kids all day. That’s were some say I get my imagination, but I’ve always had a great imagination. It is just fun to play all day for a job.
Babs……..What book are you reading right now?
Right now I’m reading more than one book. First is The Maze Runner by James Dashner, another Utah author. And I’m reading The Book of Lies by Brad Metzler.
Babs…….Favoriet food?
My favorite of all time is cheese soufflee, but for regualr easy to get stuff it’s Greek souvlaki.
Babs…..Night owl or Early riser?
Early riser. That’s when I do all my writing. I can’t get in the zone if other stuff has already gone on. But I’ve always gotten up early.
Babs…….Hobbies outside of writing?
I love to ride horses. I own three and would actually love to spend more time on my horses, but life gets in the way. I also scrapbook, read (of course), and do stichery.
Babs……..Anything you would like to add?
I love to help people who are beginning writing. All authors are approachable, we are just people like you after all. So don’t be intimidated by us.
Thanks Babs for your time and having me visit your blog.
To learn more about Joy and to enter in the giveaway:
Giveaway: Ends 4-5 at midnight EST
One winner will be chosen from the comments section to win a free signed copy of Quicksilver.
All you have to do is make a good comment something meaningful not just “nice interview”.
Joy will be looking at the comments and picking the best one as the winner. The giveaway ends 4-05 at midnight.
>New Review of Hobo by Henry Gravelle
March 28, 2011 By
>Hobo
The Brethren of the night await.
The midnight Penterville Express has more than a mountain storm to contend with when a marauding vampire places the train under seige.
- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 129 KB
- Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
- Publisher: Damnation Books LLC (February 28, 2011)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
- Language: English
- ASIN: B004Q3RKQO
My 2 cents:
Wow what a read. If you like vampires this is a great story. The hobo jumps on the train after it gets moving again and starts picking off the crew one by one along with the passengers. At first no one understands why the hobo is killing people until Thomas comes along. He explains to the passengers and crew what they are looking for is a Vampire. You can imagine how that went over. With crosses and stakes made from the train, the passengers are hoping to make it to sunrise. They finally get moving again after something or someone gets stuck into the smoke stack of the broiler. Can the crew and passengers make it out alive?
I always enjoy books by Henry, little mystery and horror is always nice. The characters are all well done and described with remarkable details. This is defiantly a book worth reading.
>Guest Allan Guthrie
March 27, 2011 By
>
Help me welcome Allan Guthrie to the blog today.
Babs…….Have you always wanted to write?
Al: Pretty much, Babs. I remember writing my first story in infant school. It was about a picnic that was rained off (even at the age of five my bleak outlook on life was apparent!). I wrote my first novel when I was nine. While all my classmates were drawing and painting, my teacher allowed me to scribble away on my book. It was a somewhat Enid Blyton-inspired effort. She created the Famous Five and the Secret Seven, but I had this notion that more had to be better. Hence my gift to the world: The Fabulous Fourteen. Needless to say, ‘fabulous’ it was not!
I went on to write a couple of angsty teenage novels and then stopped for a couple of decades. I started again in 1999 after discovering crime fiction and wondering if I might have a crime novel in me. I wrote two practice novels which received an impressive number of rejections, and then finally Two-Way Split was picked up and published in 2004 by a small US publisher with Hard Case Crime buying my next novel, Kiss Her Goodbye, shortly afterwards.
Babs……..If you could be one character from one of your books who would it be?
Al: That’s tough. I tend to write about characters who have mental health issues or who are about to encounter extreme misfortune (or indeed both). I don’t write series novels but I do have a recurring character known as Pearce. He’s the kind of guy you want to have on your side. He’s loyal to a fault, and by his own reckoning, only kills people who deserve it. But he’s not the character I’d like to be. I’d like to be Hilda, his dog. Hilda’s a Dandie Dinmont terrier who does admittedly have a habit of being kidnapped (or should that be dognapped?) and only has three legs. But most of the time he (yes, Hilda’s a male dog) has a very happy life by the seaside in Portobello, Edinburgh’s seaside.
Babs…….Any new projects?
Al: Absolutely. The ebook explosion has really opened up the possibilities for writers. My main preoccupation at the moment is trying to get my backlist print titles out cheaply in digital format. I should have a revised edition of another short novella, Kill Clock (featuring Pearce and Hilda), out in the next couple of weeks, and there are five novels too (although sadly they won’t all be available in the US due to rights issues). I also have a couple of new novels in a fairly advanced stage, plus a raft of ideas for more novellas and further novels. I’m very keen to try my hand at a couple of non-crime genres too.
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=babsw0b-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003Y5H8FI&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrBabs……..Is there a place you would like to go visit that you haven’t yet?
Al: I’ve always wanted to go to Antarctica. I like the cold, and love snow. And it would be a great place to get a nice quiet stretch of time to do some concentrated writing!
Babs……. Do you also have a day job?
Al: I don’t have a salaried job, no. I’ve been self-employed in the publishing industry since 2005. I make the bulk of my income from writing, but I’m also a literary agent with Jenny Brown Associates, and I do the occasional bit of freelance editing.
Babs……..What book are you reading right now?
Al: The first in a new series by fellow Scot, Tony Black, who previously wrote four excellent novels about a very opinionated, and often very drunk, investigative journalist. The new one’s a police procedural called TRUTH LIES BLEEDING.
Babs…….Favorite food?
Al: I love Italian pastries, especially when they’re filled with pastry cream.
Babs…..Night owl or Early riser?
Al: Night owl, no question. Always have been. I usually work till 2 or 3 in the morning and then read for an hour or two.
Babs…….Hobbies outside of writing?
Al: Some writers have hobbies? I think I need to work on my time management, Babs.
Babs…..yes you do, hobbies are always good ha ha
Babs……..Anything you would like to add?
Al: Just a big thanks for taking the time to talk to me and host this interview. It’s much appreciated.
>Buffalo Chicken Dip
March 26, 2011 By
>
A friend of mine’s coworker share one of her recipes with us today.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
By Kathy in NJ
2 Cups diced cooked chicken
¾ cup lite blue cheese or ranch dressing
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz softened lite cream cheese
4-6-oz Crystal Red Hot Sauce
Mix all ingredients together and bake 25-30 mins
@ 350.
Serve with celery, Frito’s scoops or Melba toast
>New Review of Rabbits in the Garden by Jessica McHugh
March 25, 2011 By
>Rabbits in the Garden
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=babsw0b-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=061544413X&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
At twelve years old, Avery Norton had everything: a boyfriend who was also her best friend, the entirety of Martha’s Vineyard as her playground, and her very own garden to tend. By thirteen, it was all over.The discovery of a secret crypt in the basement starts the Norton family down many unexpected avenues, including one that leads to Avery’s arrest for murder and her subsequent imprisonment in Taunton State Lunatic Asylum. Set in 1950s Massachusetts, Rabbits in the Garden follows Avery Norton’s struggle to prove her innocence and escape Taunton with her mind intact.
- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 269 KB
- Publisher: Post Mortem Press (February 2, 2011)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
- Language: English
- ASIN: B004LZ53L6
My 2 Cents:
Talk about an interesting read, this is it! Avery was a sweet girl whom anyone would love to have as a daughter. Paul, Avery’s boyfriend and best friend, wanted to help Avery. He knew her mom was strange and could not understand why she hated him so much. Natalie, Avery’s sister, was at a nice school away from home and never visited long. She arrived for Avery’s 13th birthday party. One of the gifts that was given to the birthday girl was her mom’s garden. She had come of the age that her mom thought it would be a good idea. Natalie was horrified and warned Avery that she herself could not take care of it well and was sent away. As the weeks went by Avery was getting more concerned about her mother. With Paul’s help they hid inside Avery’s mother’s car. After a long drive they eased out to follow were the mother was going and what the kids saw was unthinkable. Avery was grounded after slipping out of the house. She went to tend the garden and stumbled upon a scene that would terrify her and send her away for good.
I loved the book for the characters. Everyone in the story has their part and played it well. Jessica does a wonderful job with her descriptions. I could picture the Asylum and what the kids there went through or watching Avery’s mom throw her under the bus so to speak. Paul really comes through for avery after all the years she has to spend in the asylum before she is helped by one of the insiders. I also liked the fact anyone could really put themselves in Avery’s shoes and feel the same way she did. It is a wonder that Avery is sane at all.
A wonderful scary, mysterious read that sucks you in.
>Guest Author Shirley Wells
March 25, 2011 By
>Please help me welcome Shirley to the blog today. She is a remarkable woman and so sweet to chat with.
Babs…….Have you always wanted to write?
Shirley: I’ve always written but I’d left college and had a variety of jobs before I realised that maybe, just maybe, I could be a writer. I started off by writing short stories for women’s magazines, mostly in the UK and mostly romances. I’ve always loved crime/mystery fiction though and in 2006, I decided to try my hand at a crime novel. I’m delighted to say it was the first of what is now fondly known as the ‘Jill and Max’ series.
Babs……..If you could be one character from one of your books who would it be?
Shirley: I think I’d be Jill Kennedy from the ‘Jill and Max’ series of mysteries. She’s a forensic psychologist, she’s smart, she’s gorgeous and she has an on/off relationship with the rather lovely DCI Max Trentham.
Babs…….Any new projects?
Shirley: Dead Silent, Dylan Scott’s second story, is due for release in August and I’m hard at work on his third case.
Babs……..Is there a place you would like to go visit that you haven’t yet?
Shirley: There are so many places. The Yukon is currently topping my list of ‘must visit’ places. I’d also like to visit Iceland. The irony is that, as I live in the UK, I spend all my time complaining about the weather and race off to warmer countries as soon as I’m able.
Babs……. Do you also have a day job?
Shirley: Thankfully, no. I gave up the day job many years ago in order to write. The downside was that I had to write short stories and magazine serials to pay the bills. Instead of writing what I wanted to write, I was writing what editors paid me to write. It was worth it though. I’m now in the wonderful position of being able to stay at home and write the stories I want to write. It has to be the best job in the world!
Babs……..What book are you reading right now?
Shirley: I’ve just finished The Hanging Shed by Gordon Ferris, a new-to-me author, and loved it. The writing was superb and the story had lots of unexpected twists and turns.
I’m currently in the middle of The Basement by Stephen Leather, a fast-paced, novella about a serial killer torturing and killing women in New York. I’m loving every word.
Babs…….Favorite food?
Shirley: Chocolate. Preferably dark chocolate. Yum.
Babs…..Night owl or Early riser?
Shirley: Definitely a night owl. I wake up very slowly and very reluctantly much to the disgust of my two dogs who expect me to leap out of bed and take them for a long, long walk. They get that walk, but can’t understand that I need coffee – and lots of it – first.
Babs…….Hobbies?
Shirley: If I’m not writing, I’m usually reading. I also love photography and would love to be able to devote more time to that.
Babs……..Anything you would like to add?
Shirley: I’d just like to thank you for inviting me to your lovely blog, and for taking the time to review Presumed Dead. I’m delighted (and relieved) that the book’s getting such good reviews and I appreciate each and every one.
Thanks, Babs!
More ways to to learn or join Shirley are:
Shirley’s Blog
