Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
SBB: Untangling The Knot
BLURB:
“I did what?”
Twenty-eight year old Gabriella Bessu is St. Therese’s
meticulous wedding ceremony coordinator. So the fact that she has mistakenly
signed her newest couple up for an annulment, rather than a wedding, sends her
Catholic guilt into overdrive.
But who can blame her? The groom is gorgeous and his two
kids tug at Gabriella’s heart in a way that overcomes all her best intentions.
Before long she’s in over her head, fixing her mixed-up plans and helping the
children and dad come to terms with their haunting grief for the mother and
wife they lost years earlier.
Can Gabriella untangle her own fears and accept the messy
life that God has handed them?
EXCERPT:
Gabriella heard Mandy’s screech all the way down the corridor. Oh
no! That didn’t sound good. She’d sort of thought Mandy appeared wound up
when they had first arrived at the office but she couldn’t imagine what would
have made her explode like that.
She didn’t have to wait long to
find out. Seconds later, Mandy stormed into her office pointing a piece of
paper at her like a gun. Within moments, Ryan and Fr. O’Shea followed her
through the door, Ryan seeming confused and Fr. O looking apologetic.
“There is no way . . ..
I can tell you, NO WAY that Tina would have said I was not ready to get
married. This is beyond crazy.” She turned to Fr. O’Shea and waved her arm in
Gabriella’s direction.
“Okay, let’s slow down a
little, honey.” Ryan tried to calm her. “We need to find out what happened from
Gabriella.”
He studied Gabriella
questioningly, but she could only stand mute, shaking her head.
“Bri, you took Tina’s
statement, right?”
Gabriella nodded her head.
“Did she say anything to you to make you think”—Fr. O.
stopped and gently took the paper from Mandy’s manic grasp—“that Mandy might
not be prepared for being a wife or mother.”
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
With an English teacher for a mom, DEANNE WILSTED, grew up
reciting conjugation instead of nursery rhymes. Now, forty years later, she's
sharing that special skill through her writing and her mothering. Her first
book, a contemporary romance called BETTING JESSICA, was released
October 2011. Her second Novel, UNTANGLING
THE KNOT, is due out in February 2013 from Soul Mate Publishing.
She is currently marketing her third book for publication and writing her
fourth, fifth and sixth while blogging about the crazy stuff she overhears
while writing.
LINKS:
Author Follow Links –
@dwilsted - https://twitter.com/dwilsted
Goodreads author
page- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5294824.Deanne_Wilsted
Amazon author page - http://amzn.com/e/B005YHFBQ2
Untangling the Knot Purchase Links
http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/untangling-the-knot/Thursday, February 21, 2013
Jobs Accomplished...Or Not
I have or have not...
Pilled the cat: Oh yes
Cleaned litter boxes: Yes, sigh
Dusted: Oops
Mopped the floors: Uh, no
Vacuumed: Dang, I knew I forgot something
Laundry: Ah-ha, I did do that
Worked on Love, Lattes and Mutants: Er, not as much as I was supposed to
Blogged: Working on it
Visited blog buds: Soon, very soon
Gotten taxes ready to take to the accountant: Yes! Yes, yes, yes yes! And that one is done for the year!
How's your projects coming this week?
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
One day it's a sunny 60 degrees
And the next....
I took a shower and when I came out there was snow on the ground. When we drove around town we saw all the little kids out building snowmen.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
VBT:David Gelber's Minotaur Revisited
With us today is David Gelber. David, do you have a day job
and if so what is it?
My primary means of
supporting myself is as a general surgeon. Writing is my second line of work.
When the surgeon life becomes very busy my writing diminishes considerably.
Even so, I’ve managed to write five books, two short stories and numerous
articles which appear on my blog and at various other venues around the
Internet.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I had to Google
“pantser” to find out what it was. My first thought was that it was someone who
became short of breath when exercising, but then I realized that would be
“panter.” Then I thought it may be a type of flower, but soon discovered that’s
a pansy. Luckily, we have google, which informed me that “pantser” is a writer
who goes by the seat of his pants, as opposed to a plotter who plans everything
out before committing a word to paper.
I usually work out
story lines in my head, sometimes writing them down in very brief form. Then I sit at my computer and write it out,
creating as I go. I suppose that makes me more a “pantser.”
Do you prefer self-publishing or a publisher?
I have self-published
most of my work. I have my own company “Ruffian Press” and use “Lightning
Source” as printer, Kindle Direct Publishing and Pubit! For the e-books.
Does your muse work 24/7 or take more vacation days than
she's entitled to?
I’ve been looking for
my muse for several years now. I thought I saw her when I first started, but
that was just a reflection of my dog in the mirror. Then I was on vacation in
Las Vegas and caught a glimpse of her at a blackjack table at the Bellagio. She
managed to escape, however, only to reappear months later in the operating room
at the hospital where I work. She taunted while sitting on one of the surgical
lights. Needless to say, I was otherwise occupied allowing her to elude me once
again.
One time I thought I
saw her sitting on the edge of the bed. I snuck up behind her, grabbed her and
put my hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. I carried her into the attic
and tried to lock her in a trunk. Unfortunately, I discovered too late that it
was my wife and not my Muse. I had to sleep on the couch for a month.
Seriously, I am
always thinking of things to write. Sometimes the simplest thing will trigger
an idea and an article for my blog or storyline for a future book is born.
BLURB:
Legend states that the Minotaur was confined to the
Labyrinth, slain by Theseus and then laid to rest by thousands of years of
Greek mythology. But, the truth is far different. Read the Minotaur’s own words
as he recounts his full life as god, king, warrior, matchmaker, midwife, monk,
sage, father, mother, husband and, most of all, witness. The fierce Minotaur
lived to see and be a part of the best and worst of humanity during a life
spanning thousands of years. Part bull, part human, the Minotaur struggled to
find his place in this world and, in the end, left his unique mark on history.
EXCERPT:
AUTHOR INFORMATION:David Gelber, a New
York native, is the seventh of nine sons and one of three to pursue medicine.
He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1980 and went on to graduate
medical school in 1984 from the University of Rochester.
Gelber has been a surgeon for more than
20 years, but over the last few years he began to pursue his passion for
writing, initially with his debut novel, "Future Hope" (Emerald Book
Company, January 2010). The novel speculates about future Earth and what the
world might have been like if man had not succumbed to temptation in the Garden
of Eden. "Joshua and Aaron" is a sequel to "Future Hope"
and follows the battle of wills that transpires between unsung hero Joshua
Smith and satanic Aaron Diblonski.
Dr. Gelber has added two books about surgery, "Behind the
Mask" and "Under the Drapes", both of which provide the reader
with a view of the world of surgery rarely seen by those outside the medical
professions.
"Last Light" is an apocalyptic short story which starts
off asking the question: "What would happen if nobody ever was sick or
injured?"
"Minotaur Revisited" is an entertaining romp through
history seen through the eyes of Quint, the famed half bull half man monster of
Greek Mythology. It was in October 2012.
Gelber was raised in reformed Judaism, but joined the Presbyterian
Church 15 years ago. He is married with three teenage children, four dogs and
24 birds of various species. His interests include horse racing, mechanical
Swiss watches and, of course, writing.
LINKS:
http://www.davidgelber.com/
David will be awarding a
$100 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter at the conclusion of the two
tours.
Monday, February 18, 2013
VBT:Name Before the Masses
How is writing
psychological fiction different from writing a romance or murder mystery?
I’m
making the comparison with the other two genres you mentioned strictly as a
reader, since I don’t write in either of those genres. It’s my observation that
in the romance genre, the hero and the heroine want the same thing; to come
together, give in to their passion, although neither one knows it at the
beginning or they fight it, deny it all together. In psychological fiction, the
protagonist wants to be as far away as possible from the antagonist whether the
antagonist is a person, event, circumstance, or the war going on in his/her
head. In crime fiction, the hero wants to catch the bad guy who’s committing
vicious crimes, usually murder. In psychological fiction, the bad guy isn’t
necessarily a murderer.
Psychological fiction places a strong emphasis on motives,
circumstances and internal actions, which manifests themselves externally. This
genre delves into not only what happened but why. My novel Conspiracy of Silence is a psychological thriller and the
psychological thriller borrows from the mystery, suspense and thriller genres
but reverses the structure of the traditional thriller. The traditional
thriller emphasizes the plot and physical action and tension. The psychological
thriller emphasizes the characters and in Conspiracy
of Silence, the protagonist has to use her mental resources to match wits
with a formidable opponent, all the while battling for balance and
understanding in her own mind about her circumstances.
BLURB:
Nina Kasai is a gorgeous, Ivy League educated executive who would do
anything to keep her past a secret, even from her husband. Seventeen years ago,
she ran for her life and the truth has been locked away in the pages of her
hidden diary, and in the mind of a disturbed woman who will never tell—ever.
When Nina lands the cover of a prestigious business magazine however,
she can no longer hide from the powerful enemy she escaped. Phillip Copeland
wants to be the next Governor of Massachusetts and he’s not above using his
power and influence to silence Nina. He warns her to keep quiet about what
happened all those years ago—or else.
As the stakes are raised, both politically and personally, Nina
realizes the only way to win this game is to tell the truth. But who will
believe her since her diary has been destroyed, and the only other witness
isn’t talking?
Nina’s one chance at reclaiming her life hinges on a dramatic
courtroom battle where nothing is as it seems. And when the verdict is read,
four lives will be forever altere
Excerpt:
The telephone rang at three a.m. A drowsy Nina answered it.
“I have bad news.”
She didn’t need a psychic to tell her that. It was three in
the morning.
“What is it?” she asked Dan McCloud.
“It’s Constance Buckwell. She’s dead, Nina.”
Nina turned on the lamp on the nightstand and rubbed the
sleep from her eyes.
“How could she be dead? I just spoke to her last night. She
emphatically told me she was going to lie on the witness stand.”
“It’s a tough break, for her and for us.” Dan McCloud
couldn’t hide his disappointment. Even at this ungodly hour, he was thinking
like a lawyer.
“How did she die?” Nina asked.
“Heart attack. She was on her way home and collapsed on the
bus. She made it to the hospital alive but died shortly afterwards.”
“This isn’t a good time to bring this up, but we just
suffered a major setback and we need to rethink our strategy,” McCloud said.
“This case is going to come down to your testimony. I’m still optimistic about
our chances, but you have to be the most compelling witness in this case. Your
recollection of details is what’s going to persuade a jury to vote for a
conviction. Can you meet me at seven?”
Nina shook Marc awake. “We have big trouble.”
“What?” he asked without moving.
“Constance is gone. No more star witness.”
Marc popped up like a Jack-in-the-Box. “Where did she go?”
To hell is my best guess.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Gledé Browne
Kabongo began writing at age 14 when she covered soccer matches for her
hometown newspaper. She has also written
for the Patriot Ledger and Metrowest Daily News, two Massachusetts based
newspapers. She earned a master’s degree in communications from Clark
University, and once had dreams of winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism.
These days her dreams have shifted to winning the Pulitzer for fiction, and a
Best Screenplay Academy Award. For the past decade, Gledé has worked in senior
marketing roles for organizations in the Information Technology, publishing and
non-profit sectors. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.
Author website: http://www.gledebrownekabongo.com
Twitter:
@gkabongo
Buy links
Amazon
Barnes &
Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/conspiracy-of-silence-gled-browne-kabongo/1112772082?ean=9781475945690
iUniverse
Gledé
will be awarding an Italian leather journal to a randomly drawn commenter
(US/Canada Only) during the tour.
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