Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Tessa thrust the book away from her as if it were on fire. "You can't be serious."

"You're right. I'm not." Will leaped down from the ladder and landed lightly in front of her. "You do believe everything I say, though, don't you? Is it because I have a a trustworthy sort of face?"

- Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Posted by Unknown at 9:14 PM
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Monday, December 5, 2011

Joann H. Buchanan - Soulless Light - Author Interview

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
The Plot for Soulless Light surrounds Julia, a young innocent girl whose life is snatched away by blood thirsty knights.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
The main idea for the plot is to be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.

3. When does the plot take place?
The story takes place in the year 1363.

4. Where does the plot take place?
On a small island called The Isle of Ely, located in the middle of a lake.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
I knew I wanted to tell a story about the way something good can be twisted and turned into the ultimate evil. This time period in history is one of the most violent and misleading times in history. So much of it is reflected in today's society when we talk about religion or differences. It's sad that even today, fear rules and fuels the fires for more destruction.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
The truth is I don't know. I started writing about a girl who had all she could ever want in life and what could happen when all she loved was taken. I wanted to show that she didn't have to be a victim and could become the very evil the knights were seeking. As far as plot ideas and where it comes from, I could say oh I was inspired by this or that...but the truth is I sat down one day and disappeared into Julia's world. I watched her go from a loving young woman to a vengeful spirit. She told me her story. I was just the conduit.

Book Summary:

A young love destroyed, an entire village murdered. The year, 1363-the plagued ravaged the land in every corner of Great Britain accept one lonely isle called The Isle of Ely. The bishop, sure the village had consorted with the devil sent his Templar Knights to investigate. Their hearts thirsted for blood. They killed every living person in the village. Julia's soul, so angered by the actions of the knights, is given a power in death she did not posses in life. She must decide if revenge is worth the price she will pay.

price: Print 6.99, Kindle 2.99
number of pages: 63
genre: Horror
publisher: World Castle Publishing
buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Soulless-Light-ebook/dp/B005MEKQR6/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Author Bio:

Joann H. Buchanan, author, radio show host and mother of 5, is living in Kansas. Soulless Light is her debut novel.

Her novel I Am Wolf has just been picked up by World Castle Publishing and is in the middle of edits. More news to come.

She hosts The Eclectic Artist Cave Mon-Fri on The Shark at 11 AM CST. She interviews writers, producers, musicians and creative people of all kinds. Information about her show can be found at, http://theeclecticartistcave.blogspot.com.

Also, Joann H. Buchanan hosts video author chats for Book Candy Studios. http://joannhbuchanan.blogspot.com/.

She lives by 2 motto's, above all else, entertain and make it work.

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/JoannHBuchanan

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/JoannHBuchanan
Posted by Unknown at 7:39 PM
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Karen Mueller Bryson - The Incredibly Awesome Adventures of Puggie Liddell

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
The main character is the wise-cracking, whiz-kid Puggie Liddell. When his modified Gameboy accidently activates a time portal, he and his sibling rival, teen sister, Gigi, are forced to travel through time together.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
Puggie and Gigi must learn to work together to find a portal back to the present before the eccentric scientist, Nikola Tesla, or his arch nemesis, inventor Thomas Edison, can steal the Gameboy and use it to complete a death ray machine, an invention powerful enough to disturb the very fabric of space-time and create an instantaneous world disaster.

3. When does the plot take place?
The plot begins in present day. When the siblings travel through time, they initially land in 1893 and then travel back to the America Civil War era.

4. Where does the plot take place?
Puggie and Gigi travel from Florida to Chicago by stage coach and train. They attend the great Chicago World’s Fair, then travel to New York, where they visit Tesla’s laboratory. When the kids accidently travel further back in time, into the Civil War era, they visit P.T. Barnum’s America Museum and then must take the Underground Railroad back down south.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
I wanted to integrate the most interesting historical figures and events into a fast-paced and fun adventure story that would, hopefully, motivate kids to want to learn more about history.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
I’ve always been fascinated by Nikola Tesla and the rivalry he had with Thomas Edison. I wanted to write a time travel adventure for kids, so I made both Tesla and Edison the antagonists of the story. I initially had hundreds of ideas for historical figures I wanted Puggie and Gigi to meet but they would not all fit in one book, so there will be many more time travel adventures in the series.

Book Summary:

History made fun! The Incredibly Awesome Adventures of Puggie Liddell integrates historical figures and events into a fast-paced and action-packed time travel adventure for tweens. The novel is great for reluctant readers or kids on-the-go.

Price: $6.95 print / $2.99 eBook
Pages: 90
Genre: Tween Adventure
Publisher: Zeta Comics
Release Date: September 2011
BUY PRINT: http://www.amazon.com/Incredibly-Awesome-Adventures-Puggie-Liddell/dp/0986842818/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319641713&sr=8-1
BUY eBOOK: http://www.amazon.com/Incredibly-Awesome-Adventures-Liddell-ebook/dp/B005UHIK6E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319641713&sr=8-2


Author Bio:

Karen Mueller Bryson, Ph.D. is an optioned screenwriter, produced playwright and published novelists. Karen has been writing since she learned to read and fell in love with books! Karen is the creator of Short on Time Books, a series of fast-paced and fun novels for readers on the go. When she’s not at her computer creating new stories, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds. For additional information, visit Karen’s website: http://www.ahorsewithnoname.com.

Website: http://puggie.homestead.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thepuggiepage
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ThePuggiePage
Blog: http://puggieblog.tumblr.com/
Youtube Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/karenmbryson
Posted by Unknown at 7:19 PM
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Musing Monday

This week’s musing asks…

How many books do you read in a week? Month? Year?

I try to read about 6 books a month, about 1 and a half books a week. Right now, I'm reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
Posted by Unknown at 6:28 PM
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Friday, December 2, 2011

Follow Friday

Book Blogger HopWhat is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don’t like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

Weird plot twists like the ever-changing genetic relationship of Clary and Jace in the Mortal Instruments.
Posted by Unknown at 2:04 PM
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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Tom Mach - An Innocent Murdered - Author Interview

My thanks to Tom Mach for stopping by The Plot Thickens for an author interview during the blog tour for his book, An Innocent Murdered.

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
The plot for An Innocent Murdered is based upon two central ideas. One is that sometimes we get caught up with assuming someone’s guilt even before a trial takes place. The other is that the adage that “time heals all wounds” is not necessarily true. Although An Innocent Murdered is a murder mystery involving a detective trying to solve a murder case, this novel goes beyond that. People in Rock Meadow, Kansas, assume that a priest is guilty of molesting a young girl because flimsy circumstantial evidence seems to point in that direction. Because of that, an innocent priest is murdered, but the murder conjures up bad memories for the detective, whose teenage sweetheart many years ago was also murdered and now he has to face the very suspect who did it.

2. What is the main idea of this plot?
There is one main idea in An Innocent Murdered and two subordinate ideas that tie in with it. The main idea is that a priest whom people believe is a child molester is viciously murdered in the rectory and, while the evidence overwhelming that Jacinta did it, things begin to unravel. Two persons of interest show up (one with the murder weapon) making it difficult for Matt Gunnison to believe Jacinta is the murderer, despite the evidence. There are two subordinate plots important to the main idea. One, Matt has an intimate relationship with a former nun who leads him to uncover evidence that solves a cold case murder of a young child 25 years ago in Chicago. Two, because of the former nun, Matt is able not only to solve the cold case murder but also find evidence that eventually uncovers the true murderer of the priest.

3. When does the plot take place?
An Innocent Murdered is a contemporary murder mystery. The entire time sequence in this novel goes from October 26th to December 23. This means the action in An Innocent Murdered moves quickly and that surprises await the reader virtually at the end of every chapter. The last chapter promises readers a real surprise.

4. Where does the plot take place?
The plot for An Innocent Murdered starts in a fictitious town in Kansas called Rock Meadow. But it travels to two interesting locations: Juneau, Alaska, and Chicago, Illinois. Both of these locations are important to the novel.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
My novel, An Innocent Murdered, was initially intended to be a simple detective story where a priest gets murdered and the detective hunts for clues to find the true killer. But at I wrote the story, I found that the characters came alive and wanted to tell their own story. Detective Matt Gunnison was my main character. He has a complex personality and I rallied for him. He had feelings, he had inner turmoil, he had empathy--but he was a great detective. One of the characters I grew to love was Susan, a former nun, who used to teach at a fictitious elementary school in Chicago, called St. Malachy’s. To me she was a sweet 46-year-old, rather plain-looking but with a great personality. After she gets to know Detective Matt Gunnison, she trusts him with an important request--she has never had a sexual experience and would like to have one with him just to satisfy her burning curiosity.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
I wrote the original draft for An Innocent Murdered years ago when the media ran stories about sexual abuse by Catholic priests. However, I knew that the great majority of priests were very God-centered men and would never harm a child. That’s the priest in my novel--Father O’Fallon. O’Fallon was always kind toward children and the accusation against him was extremely unfair. But as I wrote the story I wanted to know how people would feel about him after they learned he was an innocent man--and I discovered that folks didn’t seem particularly upset by this revelation--except for the killer, who was frustrated because her murder of the priest was unnecessary. People who shy away from molestation stories will be happy to learn that the molestation itself is hardly mentioned and the entire focus is on the murder itself. A similar situation occurred in my other novel, Advent, where a ruthless power-hungry U.S. President sees to it that his Press Secretary is murdered because he believes she knows a secret that will destroy him--although she never knew such a secret.

About the Book
An Innocent Murdered

Book Details:
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Murder Mystery
Format: ebook
Price: $0.99
Buy Links: Kindle

Blurb:
Father O'Fallon has been murdered, and police officer Jacinta Perez is arrested and charged. Detective Matt Gunnison, however, is not convinced and with the help of Susan, an ex-nun, he discovers a fascinating link between the priest's death and the death of a child 25 years ago. Will Matt be able to solve both murders?

Excerpt:
“What’s critically important here,” Matt said, “is the time this event happened. Mr. Zylinski, you said you knew it was about 9:13 pm when this occurred. How would you know that?”

“It’s all in the deposition, sir,” the man replied. “I checked my watch just before I got to my car. I had to be somewhere at ten and didn’t want to be late.”

The attorney leaned forward, a smile on her face. “I am sure you learned by now, Mr. Gunnison, that the bank clock was correct after all. During the day, that clock was not set back an hour for daylight savings time, but it was corrected by the bank manager at 6:00 that evening. So it really was 9:13 after all.”

Matt was a bit miffed at her know-it-all attitude. “Thank you for pointing that out to me, counselor.”

About the Author
Tom Mach

Tom Mach wrote two successful historical novels, Sissy! and All Parts Together, both of which have won rave reviews and were listed among the 150 best Kansas books in 2011. Sissy! won the J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award while All Parts Together was a viable entrant for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Award. He also wrote a collection of short stories entitled Stories To Enjoy which received positive reviews. Tom’s other novels include: An Innocent Murdered, Advent, and Homer the Roamer.

His poetry collection, The Uni Verse, won the Nelson Poetry Book Award. In addition to several awards for his poetry, Writer’s Digest awarded him ninth place in a field of 3,000 entrants. He also has a popular blog for writers of both prose and verse.

Connect With Tom:
Web Site
Facebook
Twitter
Blog


GIVEAWAY:
A copy of Tom Mach's popular historical novel about the Lincoln assassination, All Parts Together. Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.


From Goddess Fish:

Hi! Just wanted to let you know that Tom's sister passed away Sunday and he will be unavailable to comment on your blog post on his scheduled day. If you would add that to your post and assure people he will comment once he gets back into town, we would greatly appreciate it.
Posted by Unknown at 12:01 AM
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Diane Stringam Tolley - Carving Angels - Author Interview

My thanks to Diane Stringam Tolley for stopping by The Plot Thickens for an author interview during the blog tour for her book, Carving Angels.

Author Interview

1. Who is the plot based around?
Carving Angels is the story of Papa Adam, former chief wood-carver for Santa. An elderly elf who has given up on his life and livelihood with the loss of his sight.

2. What is the main idea of the plot?
Papa Adam is waiting to die. But a request to carve once more, given by his youngest grandchild and only granddaughter, Amy, helps him realize that his life is not over. And that he is definitely not useless. Together, the two of them begin a project that will change, not only their lives, but the lives of every single member of the North Pole community.

3. When does the plot take place?
The story begins in early spring and follows Papa Adam and Amy through the year till Christmas.

4. Where does the plot take place?
Almost the entirety of the story takes place in Pap Adam's cottage and work room. Though there is an occasional foray into the reindeer stables and the wood sheds. But all at the North Pole.

5. Why did the plot develop the way it did?
This story is a statement about people with disabilities. And in overcoming those disabilities. It was a sweet story about faith in others and in ourselves. Because of that, it needed no other 'antagonist' or 'motivator' to move it along. Once I realized that, I was free to simply follow my two protagonists through their gentle, peaceful days. To suggest that Carving Angels really took its own path might sound . . . odd. But that's exactly what happened!

6. How did you come up with the idea for the plot?
I was looking at a picture of Santa Claus and his sleigh. And the thought popped into my head, "I wonder where he got his sleigh?" I figured he couldn't have found it on E-Bay or at Sleighs Are Us. It must have been carved by an elf.

The rest of the story developed through a series of questions . . .So . . . what kind of elf? A wood-carver, obviously. But what makes him the most special wood-carver? Well, he was the best. Santa's chief. But what makes this an unusual accomplishment for him? He had retired because of disabilities. (Huh. Elves really do grow old and infirm!)

What sort of disabilities? Age and blindness. Okay, he will need someone to help him, at least at times. Who could it be? This was tricky. I wanted someone who could be a help, but who would also be disregarded by the community at large, due to a 'disability.' Then Amy came to me. A little girl, just five years old. Perfect!

About the Book
Carving Angels

Book Details:
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Published: September 2011
Genre: Children, ages 9-12
Format: hardcover
Price: $12.99
Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes&Noble.com

Blurb:
Papa Adam, an elderly elf and former chief carver for Santa, has given up. Blind, frail and useless, he counts the minutes in every day as he waits to die.

But a challenge to carve, given by his youngest granddaughter, reawakens Papa Adam. Helps him to realize that he is not finished. And definitely not useless.

The two of them, the 'marginal' oldest and youngest members of North Pole society, begin a remarkable project that will change their community forever. Prove that the most paralyzing thing you can do is underestimate or undervalue anyone, especially yourself.

And that with the right love and encouragement, anything is possible.

About the Author
Diane Stringam Tolley

Diane Stringam Tolley was born and raised on a ranch in Southern Alberta, Canada. Educated in Journalism, she is the author of countless articles and short stories and 4 e-books including a novel for young adults, Essence. She and her husband, Grant are the parents of six children and live in Beaumont, Alberta, Canada.

Connect With Diane:
Blog
Author Web Site

About the Tour

Cedar Fort Blog Tours

Posted by Unknown at 12:01 AM
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