Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Larry Peterson - The Priest and the Peaches - Author Interview

My thanks to Larry Peterson for stopping by The Plot Thickens for an author interview during the blog tour for his book, The Priest and the Peaches.

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
The plot revolves around the five Peach children, Teddy, 18, Joanie, 17, and their three younger brothers, Dancer, 14, Beeker, 10 and Joey, age 6. Their father suddenly passes away and, since their mom had died a few years earlier, they are now on their own. Teddy is in charge and they have to join together to begin their fight to stay together as a family as "grown-up world" attacks them head on.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
The book takes the reader on a journey where the importance of faith, love and belief in God can prove to be an invaluable ally in trumping the challenging and pressure filled world of creditors, past due bills, an empty refrigerator, having no money, and many other things adults have to deal with. These kids are raw rookies who have been unexpectedly thrust into the "big leagues."

3. When does the plot take place?
The time frame for the story is the mid 1960s.

4. Where does the plot take place?
The story takes place in a south Bronx, blue-collar neighborhood.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
It was simply a progression of a real life situation. From the sudden shock of being orphaned, followed by having to plan a funeral for their father, to discovering the rent and utilities are behind, not having any money available and so on. It was simply a natural progression into a quagmire that many adults have trouble dealing with, no less kids. They are quietly guided (as adults often are) by the steady and calming hand of the parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
My brothers and sister and I did lose our folks when we were quite young. I had never planned to write anything based on that but when our brother, Bobby, died a few years back we were all sitting around after his funeral reminiscing about the "old days" and we wound up having a grand time sifting through and recalling memories. That is the point in time I thought I might base a book on those days. I guess I just ran with it because the book is fiction.


About the Book
The Priest and the Peaches

Book Details:
Price: $2.99-$4.99
Format: ebook
Published: January 1, 2012
Pages: 285
ISBN: 9780983741848
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Buy Links: Kindle, Nook, iPad, Smashwords, Google, PDF

Blurb:
Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

About the Author
Larry Peterson


Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former Metal Lather/Reinforcing Iron-worker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.

His first children's picture book, Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches was released and he is presently working on the sequel.

He also has a blog (http://www.slipperywillie.com) where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other.


Connect with Larry:
Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Kick-Butt Characters Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to our winner!
Chris
kissyjensen [at] gmail [dot] com

Enter to win the latest young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.


1) Add Jolene Perry's upcoming May 2012 release, Knee Deep, to your Goodreads to-read list. Click here for the direct link.

2) Leave a comment with your email address.


***


Night Sky
by Jolene Perry


After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.

But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

http://night-sky-book.com/



Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Mark Saunders - Nobody Knows the Spanish I Speak - Guest Post

My thanks to Mark Saunders for stopping by The Plot Thickens for a guest post during the blog tour for his book, Nobody Knows the Spanish I Speak.

Guest Post

My wife, Arlene, and I were beyond 50, living and working in high tech in Portland, Oregon, with no immediate plans for retirement other than dwindling 401ks, because, we thought, retirement was several years away and, after all, life was good. All that changed, when in early 2005, we learned our jobs were going away—different companies, different circumstances —and we were not sure what to do next. Life was suddenly not so good.

The abrupt change in how we saw our future reminded me of a book illustration from years ago. It was, I think, by the fantasy illustrator Brian Froud, and the caption declared: “One day it was the Middle Ages.” I had always enjoyed the suddenness of that concept, a seismic shift in history with the rise of the morning sun. But when applied to my own life, I wasn’t so keen on it.

That’s when the chief thread, the single most important catalyst, what in screenwriting is often called the “inciting incident,” happened.

We visited a friend in Guanajuato, Mexico, over what amounted to nothing more than an extended weekend, and immediately fell in love—hook, line, and guacamole—with the colonial central highlands. A solar-powered light bulb went off and we decided to pursue a more proactive course: we chose to drop out, sell almost everything, and move to Mexico, where we didn’t know a soul and could barely speak the language.

Not quite unplugged, but clearly disconnected, we lived in the town of San Miguel de Allende for two years. Daily, the plot didn’t just thicken, it oozed and bubbled. No matter what I might have planned for a day, something or someone always popped up, taking me in a different direction than originally planned.

Yet after more than eighteen months, I realized a sad fact about my situation. It wasn’t working for me. I should have been big-musical-number happy with my new life in Mexico. The people were warm and friendly. I was no longer working for the man. And there was no point to Little Orphan Annie singing about the sun coming out tomorrow, because it beamed every day.

Truth be told, I wasn’t sure what I was doing there, besides soaking up sun. More and more I began to feel like the Martin Short character in the film The Three Amigos, when, after learning they were shooting real bullets at him, cries out: “What am I doing in Mexico?”

But the only thing shot my way were glances. I felt perfectly safe.

Yet we packed our things and pets and returned to the United States, where the plot thickened once more. Returning to Portland, we realized our mistake. Our hearts were still in the highlands. Three years later, we found ourselves, incredulously, perhaps miraculously, crammed inside another small car, with a dog and a cat and whatever we could fit of their belongings and ours, driving back to Mexico.

The arc of my humorous memoir, Nobody Knows the Spanish I Speak, is a simple one: we lose our jobs, drop out, and move to Mexico (Act 1); we experience conflict, both good and bad, before moving back to the States (end of Act 2); finally, we resolve our biggest conflict by moving back to Mexico (Conclusion), where we hope to stay longer this time.

Or, as the Joni Mitchell song goes, “… you don't know what you've got
till it's gone.”


About the Book
Nobody Knows the Spanish I Speak

Book Details:
Price: $14.95 paperback, $9.99 ebook
Format: Paperback, ebook
Publisher: Fuze Publishing
Published: November 2011
Pages: 298
ISBN: 9780984141289
Genre: Memoir, Humor
Buy Links: Amazon, Fuze Publishing, Kindle, Nook

Blurb:
Ay, chihuahua! Ay, caramba! Oy vey!

In early December 2005, Mark Saunders and his wife, along with their dog and cat, packed up their 21st century jalopy, a black Audi Quattro with a luggage carrier on top, and left Portland, Oregon, for San Miguel de Allende, three thousand miles away in the middle of Mexico, where they knew no one and could barely speak the language.

Things fell apart almost from the beginning. The house they rented was as cold as a restaurant’s freezer. Their furniture took longer than expected to arrive. They couldn’t even get copies of their house keys made. They unintentionally filled their house with smoke and just as unintentionally knocked out the power to their entire neighborhood. In other words, they were clueless. This is their story.

About the Author
Mark Saunders


An award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and cartoonist, Mark Saunders tried standup comedy to get over shyness and failed spectacularly at it — the standup part, not the shyness. He once owned a Yugo and still can’t remember why. Nearly 30 of his plays have been staged, from California to New York - with several stops in-between - and two plays have been published.

With three scripts optioned, his screenplays, all comedies, have attracted awards but seem to be allergic to money. Back in his drawing days, more than 500 of his cartoons appeared nationally in publications as diverse as Writer’s Digest, The Twilight Zone Magazine, and The Saturday Evening Post.

As a freelancer, he also wrote gags for the popular comic strip “Frank and Ernest,” as well as jokes for professional comedians, including Jay Leno. Nobody Knows the Spanish I Speak is his first book.


Connect with Mark:
Web Site

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop

Eizabeth Hyatt
BookAttict
elizabeth [at] bookattict [dot] com

Enter to win the latest young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.


1) Add Jolene Perry's upcoming May 2012 release, Knee Deep, to your Goodreads to-read list. Click here for the direct link.

2) Leave a comment with your email address.


***


Night Sky
by Jolene Perry


After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.

But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

http://night-sky-book.com/



Monday, March 12, 2012

Jill Limber - Montana Morning - Author Interview

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
The plot centers on a young woman, Katherine Holman, who lives on a cattle ranch in the Montana territory.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
Katherine faces a life changing dilemma. She must find a husband in order to inherit the ranch and support her young daughter.

3. When does the plot take place?
1882

4. Where does the plot take place?
Near Miles City Montana territory.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
I always start with the question ‘what if?’ In this case, it was: What if a woman needed a husband, and because of an indiscretion in her past, she did not feel she could choose from any of the men she already knew?

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
I read a short story about a town in 18th Century England where a condemned man was rescued off the gallows by an unmarried woman. The premise of the story was that the love of a good woman could reform a man, and I thought--what a great beginning for a romance!

About the Book


In the Montana Territory town of Dennison, the law allows a woman to save a man from hanging if she agrees to marry him. Battered and nearly unconscious with a noose around his neck, Katherine Holman decides Wes Merrick is perfect husband material. Under the terms of her father’s will, due to a youthful indiscretion, she must be married to inherit. She expects her ‘husband’ to leave as soon as the deed is in her name. She wasn’t prepared for the fact that the man she has chosen turns out to be an honorable sort who decides to stick around and hold up his end of the bargain.

Buy Links: Barnes & Noble, Burroughs Publishing Group


About the Author

A multi-published author and former RWA President, Jill Limber’s latest books are Montana Morning, A Heart That Dares and The Right Track. As a child, some of Jill’s tales got her in trouble, but now she gets paid for them. Residing in San Diego with her husband and a trio of dogs and one very ancient cat, Jill’s favorite pastime is to gather friends and family for good food, conversation and plenty of laughter.

Connect with Jill

Website
Facebook
Goodreads

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Kellyann Zuzulo - The Genie Ignites - Author Interview

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
The plot revolves around a cursed and captivating genie named Zubis and Bethany O’Brien, a modern woman living in DC, and the object of his desire. They’re bound by an ancient betrayal and a love they once shared that he has vowed never to forget but which she can’t remember.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
That love is timeless; that, in spite of bias and cultural divides, love can prevail; that genies and humans can live together; that genies are hot.

3. When does the plot take place?
The Genie Ignites is set in present day but drifts back with Bethany’s and Zubis’s memories to the time of Solomon and the mystery and intrigue of ancient Jerusalem.

4. Where does the plot take place?
The story opens in Washington, D.C., at an embassy reception. In short order, Bethany is forced to flee to London, Italy, Egypt and, ultimately, Saudi Arabia. Zubis first meets her in D.C. and then intercepts her along the way.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
The Genie made me do it.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
I’d been fascinated by the legends of the jinn ever since I worked as an editor of publications for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. I studied accounts of the jinn, which are believed to be a real aspect of creation in many parts of the world. Then came the “What if.” What if genies were real? What if a genie was in love with a woman who loved him in a previous life? What if he would risk everything to get her back?

About the Book

The genie in THE GENIE IGNITES is Zubis. He’s been cursed for 3,000 years and is waiting for someone to make the final wish and free him. Problem is, nobody wants to free the genie. Along comes Bethany O’Brien, a modern and sassy D.C. journalist who was Zubis’s one and only in a previous incarnation. She has no memory of the great love they shared until he starts appearing to her in dreams, then embassy receptions, and ultimately in a shower in Urbino, Italy. She begins to remember what they meant to each other, that she was somehow responsible for his curse, and that she has the ability to set him free. Her journey to reclaim her memories and her love pit her against a secret society, three governments, and a nefarious genie who wants to kill her. Zubis, meanwhile, will risk his life to keep her safe.

Price: $3.99
# of Pages: 314
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Release Date: March 1st 2012
Buy Links: Boroughs Publishing Group


About the Author

Kellyann is an author and editor who started her writing career as a journalist. Her books of fiction usually weave the lore of the jinn into a modern setting. Her interest in Middle Eastern legend stems from her stint as a Managing Editor of Publications for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. Her new novel, The Genie Ignites, is the first installment in a series, The Zubis Chronicles. A native Philadelphian, she lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three children, and two terriers.

Connect with Kellyann

Website
Facebook
Twitter

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Lunar Love Giveaway Hop

Congratulations to our winner!
Lauren Mackesy
lmackesy at gmail dot com

Enter to win the latest young adult ebook release from Tribute Books.


1) Become a Google Follower of this blog.

2) Leave a comment with your email address.


***


Night Sky
by Jolene Perry


After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.

But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

http://night-sky-book.com/



Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Timothy B. Sagges - Best Seller - Author Interview

My thanks to Timothy B. Sagges for stopping by The Plot Thickens for an author interview during the blog tour for his book, Best Seller.

1. Who is the plot based around?
Richard Rossi, in his 30's and not quite as successful in life as he had planned.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
How hope can evolve into desperation, and can cause normal people to make bad decisions.

3. When does the plot take place?
Present day.

4. Where does the plot take place?
Primarily in New York City, but embeds its tentacles all over the word.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
To basically just tell the story without leaving unintended loose ends.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
At the risk of sounding cliche, it came to me in a dream.


About the Book
Best Seller

Book Details:
Price: $14.99
Format: paperback
Publisher: self-published
Published: February 2011
Pages: 326
ISBN: 9781456478193
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Author Web Site

Blurb:
Thirty-five year old fiction writer, Richard Rossi would do just about anything to get his manuscript published. However, months of rejection and unanswered prayers have strained his capacity to hope. Alone in New York City, he teeters on the brink of alcoholism, as his hope erodes into desperation.

His prayers are finally answered when a simple misdirected piece of mail spawns a chance encounter with an extraordinary man, Seth Volos, Publisher. And while their unholy alliance thrusts Richard to the top of every Best Seller list in America, the horrifying outcome for the book's legions of fans is anything but a happy ending.

About the Author
Timothy B. Sagges


Fifty-year-old actor, director and playwright, Tim Sagges has been tormented by a series of recurring night terrors since 1967, long before there was a name for such a curse. It is only recently that he has found the courage to formulate some of these visions into works of literature. In an effort to purge himself of the unrelenting horror of his dreams, he has created Best Seller, the first in a series of nightmares exorcised from his mind and onto the page.

He is currently the owner of Eye Candy Vision in Philadelphia.


Connect with Timothy:
Web Site
Facebook
Twitter

About the Tour

Tribute Books Blog Tours

Best Seller Blog Tour Site

Tour Participants:

March 1 (interview)
Just a Girl - Heidi Ruby Miller

March 2 (interview)
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

March 3 (guest post)
Literary R&R

March 5 (interview or guest post)
The Character Connection

March 5 (interview)
You Gotta Read

March 6 (interview or guest post)
The Plot Thickens

March 7 (interview or guest post)
City Girl Who Loves to Read

March 8 (interview)
Fighter Writer

March 8 (review)
Kritters Ramblings

March 9 (review)
Must Read Faster

March 11 (review)
TicToc

March 13 (review)
My Reading Room

March 15 (guest post)
Bibliophilic Book Blog

March 15 (review)
The Book Review

March 19 (review)
The Book Addict

March 20 (interview)
The Book Addict

March 22 (interview)
The Book Connection

March 23 (guest post)
Books-n-Kisses

March 26 (review)
The Book Connection

March 27 (review)
My Tower of Books

March 28 (review)
Telly Says

March 30 (review)
From the TBR Pile