Blog Tour: Run the Risk by Lori Foster (Giveaway too!)

 This blog tour is presented by Meryl Moss Media Relations - Book Trib

Click HERE to see the tour schedule on the tour website!

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature Lori Foster and Run the Risk.

Lori Foster Q and A:

1.      If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Nope. I rarely look back. There are too many characters jammed into my brain, demanding attention from my Muse. If I don’t continually look forward, working hard to give each character his own story, then my brain would explode and I’d never get any sleep. LOL. As it is, they do their best to keep me awake all night, trying to tell me their stories before I’m ready to hear them. 
2.      Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I was home sick, in bed, too miserable even to get up and watch TV, and my sister, Monica, brought me over a paper bag full of romances. Out of curiosity I flipped through a historical, found a scene where the heroine was miscarrying on the side of the road and the hero had to help her. It was powerful. And intriguing. From there I looked for a love scene (so predictable, I know, but I *had* to see those two together) and I got so enthralled that I had to go back to the beginning to figure out how the characters had gotten to that point. I’ve been a reader ever since! 
3.      Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Endings! Ohmigosh, finding that right last line, the one that wraps it up, feels final, and sort of says, Ta-da dum. I angst over the last line more than any other part of the book. If only we could say, “They lived happily ever after.” LOL Beginnings are always the easiest for me, the endings always the hardest. 
4.      Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned all sorts of police procedural stuff. Not saying I got it all accurate in the story because, you know, we have to make it work. But I did research it. Luckily a few police officers, a retired officer, and the daughter of an officer, all made themselves accessible. It was nice! Nothing beats actually talking to someone who is in the know. Much better than just reading someone online.

Now for the book!

Amazon Product Description:
When Detective Logan Riske goes undercover to find Pepper Yates, a potential link to his best friend's unsolved murder, he vows to gain her cooperation by any means necessary. But the elusive beauty is more suspicious—and in far more danger—than he expected. And the last thing Logan needs is to start caring for her….

Pepper has spent years dodging the corrupt club owner who will stop at nothing to keep her silenced. She can trust no one, not even the handsome new "construction worker" who's moved in next door. The heat between them is undeniable. But will surrendering to passion bring her the safety she so desires—or will her feelings for Logan draw them both into a killer's crosshairs?

A short excerpt to get you going:
“Really, Mr. Stark, I don’t need any help.”
His grin widened. Teasing. Flirting. “You are so prickly.”
How could he make that sound like a compliment? 
“I am not—”                
He snatched her keys from her, too, and short of grabbing for them, which would only make her look foolish, she had no choice but to follow him.                
“—prickly,” she muttered—probably in a really prickly way. 

My Thoughts:
     Fantastic read!  I loved the characters.  The characters have been carefully created with intricate personality traits and characteristics that make them seem so real that I found myself instantly attached emotionally.  Even the "bad" guys are so well made that they too got instant reactions.  Pepper and Logan are great, but Rowdy is probably my favorite.  His dedication to Pepper and his willingness to sacrifice to keep her safe.  Which is ironic when you think about the fact that Logan is willing to use her to find Rowdy.  I enjoyed the unfolding romance that finds both Logan and Pepper.
     The story is well written and the pages almost turn themselves.  The author cleverly uses people's perceptions to add both depth and some misdirection to the plot; a plot that is original, intriguing and nicely played out.  Lori Foster is a storyteller at heart.
     The conclusion left me satisfied and wanting more at the same time.  I can't wait for more books - I hope the next one is Rowdy's story!

In Case this isn't already enough.....A Giveaway!

Blog Tour: Hellfire and Damnation II by Connie Corcoran Wilson

This virtual book tour is presented by Teddy Rose at Virtual Author Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the tour schedule.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature:

Connie Corcoran Wilson and Hellfire and Damnation II.

About Connie Corcoran Wilson:

Connie (Corcoran) Wilson (MS + 30) graduated from the University of Iowa and Western Illinois University, with additional study at Northern Illinois, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago. She taught writing at six Iowa/Illinois colleges and has written for five newspapers and seven blogs, including Associated Content (now owned by Yahoo) which named her its 2008 Content Producer of the Year . She is an active, voting member of HWA (Horror Writers Association).

Her stories and interviews with writers like David Morrell, Joe Hill, Kurt Vonnegut, Frederik Pohl and Anne Perry have appeared online and in numerous journals. Her work has won prizes from “Whim’s Place Flash Fiction,” “Writer’s Digest” (Screenplay) and she will have 12 books out by the end of the year. Connie reviewed film and books for the Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa) for 12 years and wrote humor columns and conducted interviews for the (Moline, Illinois) Daily Dispatch and now blogs for 7 blogs, including television reviews and political reporting for Yahoo.

Connie lives in East Moline, Illinois with husband Craig and cat Lucy, and in Chicago, Illinois, where her son, Scott and daughter-in-law Jessica and their three-year-old twins Elise and Ava reside. Her daughter, Stacey, recently graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, as a Music Business graduate and is currently living and working in Australia.

Connie’s Website: Connie’s blog: 

Description of Hellfire & Damnation II:

Publisher: Merry Blacksmith Press, August 1, 2012 Category: Short Stories, Psychological Thriller
Tour Dates: October, 2012 Available in: Print, Kindle, Epub & PDF, 168 pages

Cover Art by Vincent Chong.

Hellfire & Damnation II is the sequel to the well-received  award-winning short story collection Hellfire& Damnation(www.HellfireAndDamnationTheBook.com) (E-Lit award, Silver Feather award). The first collection contained 15 short stories that described the sins punished at each of the 9 Circles of Hell within Dante’s Inferno. With that framing device and an Introduction by William F. Nolan (Logan’s Run), the 2011 visit to Hell was 47,000 words that critics called “blazingly original.”

The sequel, Hellfire & Damnation II, is slightly longer, at 53,000 words, containing 11 short stories that, once again, address the sins punished at each of the 9 Circles of Hell. Plus, this time, there is an illustration for each story and a From the Author section, which describes the inspiration for each story. [There are no recurring characters, however, so no need to have read the first book in order to plunge into the second.]

My thoughts:
     To begin this short piece on my thoughts of the book Hellfire and Danmantion II, I just have to state that I have never before been so effected by the introduction in a book.  I was struck by the very first phrase and by the time I had finished reading the intro, there was absolutely NO way that I would not read this book.  I actually went on-line and bought a copy of book one as I had not read that yet.  The introduction was so well written that I just knew the book would be even better.
     I was not disappointed.  This collection of short stories is fabulous.  The writing is wonderful; the word selection, the pacing, the structure, everything just works.  Her writing draws you in emotionally and you feel as if you are a part of it all.  The characters are first rate, in all of the stories.  She mixes humor with the horror in just the right doses.  

Click HERE to buy a copy of Hellfire and Damnation II 

Click HERE to buy a copy of Hellfire and Damnation (book one)

Click HERE to go to the website for book one.

Blogfest Winner! (Finally!)

After much waiting.....here is the winner of The Blogfest 2012!

Leanne G!

She has selected Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

***Your book has been ordered and is on it's way to you!***

Blog Tour: Primal by D.A. Serra (Giveaway too!)

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.

It is my pleasure to feature D.A. Serra and Primal.

I hope you enjoy the interview!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I always wrote:  as a little girl I wrote limericks and long-winded birthday cards, as a teenaged girl I wrote morose romantic heartbreak poetry (of course), and as an adult I moved toward more complicated prose.  So, while writing has always been a natural part of my life, it took me a long time to see it as a possible career; consequently, there was no specific moment when I knew I was a writer – but there was a specific moment when I committed to making a living at it.  That was when I moved to Los Angeles from New York and started working in the television industry.  I knew that if I was going to support myself I needed to be where the work was.  So, that was how I began.

How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

Before I committed to a career as a writer, I probably had nine or ten other jobs. I wasn’t happy at any of them. I was an exceptionally hard-worker, and I cared a great deal about doing the job perfectly, but I was too sensitive, and not political enough, for an office or retail environment. 

How long does it take you to write a book?

It is widely variable and depends mostly on how good my outline is, and how intricate my theme.  I have one book I’ve been writing on-and-off for seven years, and another I finished in six months.  Since I came from the film and TV world, and there you are forced to write in stages, I am used to having a fairly good outline.  My thriller, Primal, is a bit different, because I wrote it as a speculative screenplay first.  I had a loose outline in my mind when I began the screenplay, but I was free to move around in the plot, since it wasn’t a studio assignment.  I was delighted when it sold to James Cameron.  The film rights are now with FOX and I’m grateful to them for giving me the rights to turn it into a novel.  I loved fleshing it out and going deeper.  It went quite quickly from screenplay to novel since the script functioned as an excellent outline.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I open my eyes and start writing.  I begin writing in the morning, before I’m even out of bed.  After a bit, I get up and dress – but I start while barely awake.  My husband hands me a cup of coffee in bed around 6:30 a.m., I roll over and open my computer.

Do you have a routine to get into the right frame of mind?

I need coffee while I write.  I don’t know why exactly.  For me, there is something very comforting about a hot frothy cup of coffee.  It makes me feel like musing.

How do you decide what to write about?

I am regularly bombarded by things I want to write, and most specifically by phrases that pop into my head.  It is a matter of culling and choosing for me.  Nine times out of ten, I will gravitate toward a character, or an interesting philosophical idea, before I will be captivated by a plot device.  And I am always writing several different projects at a time.  Currently, I’m working on a humorous non-fiction travel memoir, on another thriller with a young girl as the protagonist, and on a very serious novel exploring the idea of Free Will and the unconscious.  That one is in final editing, so I’m most excited about it.

What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?

Charlotte’s Web – I still feel my fingers gripping the pages of that book.

What is your favorite comfort food?

Spaghetti with butter & cheese – any day – all day – when sick, when well, no matter. 

What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

There are a number of books I pick up over and over:  Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace, any of the hinges of history series written by Thomas Cahill.

RANDOM:

Dogs – all the way!

Coffee – see above

Dark dark dark chocolate – yum

Flowers (does someone like rocks?)

Night time is the best time – work is done and the wine is uncorked

More About the Author:  Deborah Serra was a screenwriter for twenty years and recognized by the Writer’s Guild for her long term continuous employment. She has written ten TV movies, four feature films, and numerous TV episodes including two years as a staff writer for NBC.  She worked for top producers, directors, and actors.  She has taught writing at the University of California, San Diego, Wofford College and at writers’ conferences nationwide.  Serra has now turned her attention to novels, and she was honored as a recent recipient of the prestigious Hawthornden Literary Fellowship, and as a semi-finalist for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Award given by the Faulkner Society in New Orleans, LA.  ~~~ Deborah’s  Website.

Primal by D.A. Serra

What if the worst happens and you are not a cop, or a spy with weapons training and an iron heart? What if you're a schoolteacher - a mother? In this gritty crime thriller a family vacation takes a vicious turn when a fishing camp is invaded by four armed men. With nothing except her brains, her will, and the element of surprise on her side, Alison must kill or watch her family die. And then - things get worse.

This virtual book tour is presented by Teddy Rose at Virtual Author Book Tours.

Click HERE to see the tour schedule.

...and now for the Giveaway!

Review: Primal by D. A. Serra

Primal by D. A. Serra

Amazon Product Description:
What if the worst happens and you are not a cop, or a spy with weapons training and an iron heart? What if you're a schoolteacher - a mother? In this gritty crime thriller a family vacation takes a vicious turn when a fishing camp is invaded by four armed men. With nothing except her brains, her will, and the element of surprise on her side, Alison must kill or watch her family die. And then - things get worse.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.


My thoughts:
     Wow! This is an edge of the seat read for certain!  I connected with the story quickly as it is set in Minnesota - where I live - and I have a son and am a teacher.  I can't express how truly thankful I am that the comparison ends there.  This is a thrillingly terrifying read.  
     The story is wonderfully written.  The pacing and language are fantastic and the plot is so well done that you can't turn the pages fast enough.  The characters are created well and I found myself connecting with them and at times feeling as if I were there with them (thank goodness I wasn't!).
     I haven't read a lot of "scary" books recently and this one makes me rethink that.  Suspenseful, intense, gripping - - - makes you wonder what you are capable of.  Well worth the read!

Blog Tour: Annabelle's Story by Leigh Michael

This virtual blog tour is presented by the author Leigh Michael.

Click HERE to go to the official tour site!

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour!

It is my pleasure to feature Leigh Michael.

Get to Know Leigh Michael

Leigh Michael is a debut author… so you probably don’t know much about her. Let’s change that! Take a look at the 10 facts below. To learn even more, be sure to stop by Read Write Reviews on October 18, Reader Girls on October 22, and Secret Lives of Fiction Lovers on October 27. Enjoy! 

I'm allergic to Mint (spearmint is the worst).
My husband and I got married in a 1700's marketplace known as Headhouse Square Shambles.
I suffer from maskaphobia (mainly mascots).
Zoey is the name of our adorable goldendoodle.
The Trumpet of the Swan was my favorite childhood book.
I share a birthday with Nina Dobrev, Kate Middleton, and Dave Matthew.
I've been an advertising copywriter for nearly 10 years.
My favorite candy is Swedish Fish.
The fastest I've run a mile was 5 minutes, 12 seconds.
I've seen Taylor Swift in concert twice in my hometown of Philadelphia.

Do you have anything in common with Leigh? Sound off below in the comments :) 

Also, be sure to stop by Leigh Michael Books on October 31st for a Trick or Treat surprise! 

Author Bio:
Leigh Michael is an author of YA fiction. She's worked within the advertising world for nearly a decade before writing her debut series, Annabelle's Story. Leigh lives in Washington, DC with her husband and goldendoodle. Please learn more about Leigh and her works at www.LeighMichaelBooks.com.

Series summary:

Annabelle Walsh thought she had it all. She was the star of her swim team, had a loving family, a great boyfriend, and to top it off, she’d be starting at UCLA in the fall. One day, she’d be referred to as Dr. Annabelle Walsh.

She was living every girl’s dream – until her life was turned upside down. All starting with finding out that she's not just a human, but also a water spirit. Half-human, half-sprite to be exact. Although not just any sprite, Annabelle is prophesied to be the only one who can save both the sprites and mankind.

With a mix of current events, anecdotes from Greek mythology, tidbits of folklore, and Leigh’s own imagination, we join Annabelle in her journey to restore order beneath the sea. Each step of the way her mind, body, and soul are pushed to the limit begging the question, how much can one half-human, half-sprite take?


Purchase information:

Sprite (Annabelle’s Story Part One) can be purchased at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords 

Kin (Annabelle’s Story Part Two) can be purchased at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole ~ stay tuned for reviews of these two books later today!