Interview with novelist Richard Brawer

Thriller author Richard Brawer is Reviews and Interviews' guest today.

Bio:
After graduating the University of Florida and a stint in the National Guard, Richard Brawer worked 40 years in the textile and retail industries. He spends his retirement years writing novels, sailing, and gardening. He has two married daughters and lives in New Jersey with his wife. Beyond Guilty is his fifth published novel.

Richard, please tell us about your current release.
Beyond Guilty is a high concept thriller where a wrongly convicted woman escapes from death row and fights to prove her innocence.

Teenager Eileen Robinson lives in an ideal, middle class African-American family in Houston, Texas. Through a careless act she causes the deaths of her two younger sisters. Tormented and alienated from her mother, she runs away from home. Befriended by a drug dealer, she moves in with him. At twenty-one she is a single mother of two falsely convicted of killing a state senator’s son and sentenced to death. At thirty-three she is executed. Or is she?

Reviewers have said about Beyond Guilty: "Twisting Action", "Thought Provoking", "A Fast Paced Thriller", "Sympathetic Character", "Authentic Dialogue", "Spirited Prose", "A Real Winner"

Please see all the reviews at my website.

What inspired you to write this book?
Beyond Guilty was inspired by a screen play written by my daughter, Marlo Brawer Lyons. In her script, the protagonist is an African-American male wrongly accused of a murder and sentenced to death. Despite her being a lawyer in the movie industry and the screenplay winning a number of awards including $1,000 from a “Writer’s Digest” contest, she was not able to generate interest in Hollywood. I said to her, “Let me write it as a book with an African-American female protagonist as there are many black actresses looking for a strong leading role.” Thus, Beyond Guilty was born.

However, in the process, the book took on a life of its own and dramatically deviated from the screen play. Marlo has written a new screen play from Beyond Guilty and is shopping it around.

What exciting story are you working on next?
A fourth Murder at the Jersey Shore mystery with Detective David Nance.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
First, let me say if one’s main consideration as having “made it” as a writer is money received, I have not yet made it. However, money was not my primary criteria. To me, getting rave reviews from both reviewers and readers was when I considered myself as having arrived as a writer. So I first considered myself a writer when my historical novel, Silk Legacy was published in 2006.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I am retired, so I find plenty of time to write. I try to write every day, but occasionally I get stuck. I don’t like to write just to fill pages with words. If I’m stuck, I take a break and think about where I want the story to go next. Some of the inspiration comes during my hour walks that I take almost every day. Unfortunately, most of the inspiration that “unsticks” me comes when I turn the lights off in bed at night. I keep a huge pile of paper and a flashlight next to the bed to jot down the nocturnal inspirations. It is those nights that I don’t get a lot of sleep. There are even times I get out of bed and begin to write again, sometimes to dawn.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A businessman. The family have always been independent business owners in the textile industry of which the retail end was one facet.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I like to include something educational in my novels. In Beyond Guilty it's nanomedicine, a revolutionary field of medical science that has the potential by the mid 2020s to cure cancer, alzheimers, diabetes, and many more diseases.

Although only a small segment of the plot (the main focus being Eileen's quest to prove her innocence) nanomedicine is a fascinating subject. I chose it after reading an article about it in a magazine. My daughter's screenplay had her protagonist trying to salvage his DNA before it got destroyed to prove his innocence. I thought that was old news.

Of course I ran into immediate problems trying to include nanomedicine in the plot. I was neither a doctor nor a scientist. So I started research on the internet. 99% of the articles were way over my head, but one author, Robert A. Freitas Jr., Senior Research Fellow at the Institute For Molecular Manufacturing, explained it in "English". I contacted him and asked him if he would look at what I wrote. Not only was he happy to do so, he graciously edited the references to nanomaufacturing and nanomedicine and has written the essay at the end of the novel about the progress being made in developing nanomedicine.

The next question I had was would the reader understand the subject? I think this review answers that question: “The author’s inclusion of the concept of nanomedicine in the plot is articulate and intriguing …Readers who like the thrillers and mysteries with a medical theme should find Beyond Guilty interesting and entertaining, as well as faster-paced than most books in this sub-genre.” Von Pittman for The Genreview

Anything else you like to share with the readers today?
My writing process:

First: I form a major premise along with the ending of the story. In the mysteries it’s naturally "who-done-it." In the historical fiction novel, it’s the resolution between the characters. And in the suspense novels, it’s how to the protagonist gets out of peril.

Second: I create my protagonist and antagonist―their looks, quirks, and their experiences in life that affect their personalities and the way they react to events.

Third: I create a very rough outline as to how the story will progress from beginning to end. Note I said very rough as this changes as the story evolves.

Fourth: I try to create a captivating opening chapter such as finding the body in the mysteries, putting the protagonist in jeopardy in the suspense novel and creating the conflict in the historical fiction.

Finally: I write from my opening chapter to the conclusion of the story. I strive to take the reader on a journey that is never a straight line, but more like the line of a gyrating stock market. I place red herrings in my mysteries, adventure and jeopardy in my suspense novels and many setbacks in my historical fiction novel. However, one thing remains constant―there is always CONFLICT. The most important aspect of a novel is the conflict between the characters. Without conflict there is no story.

Richard, thank you for stopping by today and for sharing so much with us. Best of luck with your writing projects.

Interview with dark fiction author JE Gurley

Today on Reviews and Interviews, is dark fiction author JE Gurley. He's chatting about himself and his new release Hell Rig from Damnation Books.

Bio:
JE Gurley is 57 years old, retired, born in Corinth, MS, but spent most of his life in Atlanta, GA as a professional chef. He lived a brief time in the Poconos in PA but now lives in Tucson, AZ with his wife, Kim, and their two cats, Elsie and Shoes. When not writing, he plays guitar and keyboards in local Tucson rock and roll and blues bands.

Jim, welcome. Please tell us about your current release.
Hell Rig takes place on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico between Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Twenty-two men die mysteriously on Global Oil rig #13 during Katrina. The one survivor suffered a mental breakdown. Three weeks later, he and a crew from Re-berth, Inc. go to the rig to refurbish it. When they began to die horrible deaths, Jeff Towns and Lisa Love discover they are facing Damballah Wedo, father of all voodoo Loas. They battle voodoo spirits, deadly fog, an unseen murderer, Hurricane Rita, and their zombie dead friends.

What inspired you to write this book?
I worked on an oil rig for a while in 1976-77. I used my experiences then and added a New Orleans voodoo flair. It’s dangerous enough on an oil rig without zombies.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Blood Lust, with a serial killer vampire who is really a Chupacabra; not the ‘goat-sucker’ myth, but the basis for all vampire and gargoyle legends. The Chupacabra is strong, flies, very intelligent and lives for hundreds of years. Oh, yeah. Did I tell you he was pregnant?

Please tell us a bit about your writing life.
I’ve always written for myself and friends, but I sold my first story in 2004 and added about 35 to that total. My first real novel is Hell Rig from Damnation Books, though I have self-published 3 novels through Lulu.com. I write constantly and have four novels making the publishing rounds and about six in the works.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
My first sale – a children’s ghost story titled “Memories in Green” about haunted kudzu. We have a lot of that in Atlanta.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I write full-time, off and on all day and night. I play music, all kinds and play in local bands sometimes. I make time to write. You have to. You can’t sit down for thirty minutes and expect to gather your thoughts and put them down.

What do you do for fun (other than write)?
I play guitar, keyboards, bass, read, hike, and party with friends.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have a macabre sense of humor. Does that count? No, I would say my deep Southern drawl. I can’t get rid of it. It shows up sometimes in characters. I’m always fighting with Spellcheck on my computer about a word or sentence structure I’ve used all my life. My parents and grand parents, like a lot of country folk, weren’t well schooled. My syntax sometimes sucks.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Hmm? Either a research scientist or a demolition expert. I studied per-medtech for 3 years before I grew bored with school. Traveling and playing in rock and roll bands was more fun. I still love to research my stories though. It keeps my mind sharp. I did manage to blow up some stuff working on the Tenn-Tom Waterway in TN, MS. And AL, along canal that lets ships and barges go from the Tenn. River to Mobile Bay, at least it was supposed to. It’s mainly used by skiers. Our tax dollars at work.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Yeah. Check out my website or the book's website, follow my blog, buy my book, and don’t litter.

That's a great closing, Jim. :) Thanks for being here today. Best wishes for your future writing projects.

Interview with paranormal author Scott Prussing

Please put your hands together to welcome paranormal novelist Scott Prussing today.

Welcome, Scott. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up in NJ, went to college and graduate school (psychology) in CT, and was smart enough to move to San Diego soon after. I worked in Health Education for 20+ years, helping people lose weight, quit smoking, manage their stress, and improve their fitness. Two years ago I took “early retirement” so I could devote my time and energy to writing.

I live just a few blocks from the beach, so I head down there almost every morning to walk, ride my bike, or rollerblade, for fun and fitness.

Please tell us about your current release.
Breathless is a modern day paranormal romance set in a small college in Connecticut. Although Breathless fits into a very popular (and overdone) genre, I’ve created lots of new ideas and twists.

Here’s how one reviewer described what sets Breathless apart from other vampire books: “Scott Prussing has written a book that, although it includes vampires, has managed to break away from the same old over-worked concepts and puts a new and creative spin on things. Rather than being the focus, vampires are the catalyst that brings in much-needed new blood to the supernatural world in the form of deadly vampire hunters known as volkaanes. Kudos to Scott.”

In addition to volkaanes, I also created one-fanged vampires, crippled versions of the real thing who are crucial to the story. I’m very happy to say that the exciting Breathless storyline has been appealing to women of all ages, and even some men!

Breathless centers around college freshman Leesa Nyland. Leesa has been fascinated by vampires since she was a little girl, when her mom began refusing to go outside during the day, insisting the sunlight hurt her skin because she’d been bitten by a one-fanged vampire. But fascinated didn’t mean Leesa believed. Any more than she believed in magical blue fire, people who live for centuries, and kisses that can kill. But when her beloved older brother suddenly disappears, she is forced to confront all these and more. She also has to figure out what to do about her mysterious new boyfriend. She knows Rave likes her a lot — so why won’t he kiss her?

As Leesa draws closer to finding her brother, she faces some gut-wrenching decisions. Should she risk her mom’s life trying to “cure” her? Should she continue seeing Rave, after he reveals his dangerous secret? And most terrifying of all, should she make the ultimate sacrifice — give up her humanity — to save her brother?

What inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired by an off-hand comment from a friend. He’d just read an unpublished mystery/suspense novel of mine and really liked it. He said “you should write something with vampires in it. Anything with vampires sells.” I thought that was a pretty good idea. I’d always liked fantasy — Lord of the Rings is my all-time favorite book — and I thought a vampire story would be a fun challenge. But I didn’t want to write “just another” vampire novel, so I made sure I included plenty of new things, like the one-fanged vampires and volkaanes.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m writing the sequel to Breathless, which will be the second book in the Blue Flame series. I’m slightly more than half done, so I consider myself to be “over the hump!”

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Shortly after graduate school, I decided to try my hand at writing an epic fantasy. I had just moved to San Diego and I wasn’t yet working, so I would take a yellow legal pad and a pen down to the beach and write a few pages every day, in between swimming, sunning, and girl-watching. Eventually, I had 800 pages of a not very well written book, but it was a start.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I could write full time if I wanted to, since I’m single and not working right now, but sitting at my computer all day is not my idea of a “full and meaningful” life. I write for at least two hours almost every morning. Then, as the mood strikes me, I may or may not write some more in the afternoon. Since Breathless is a self-published novel, I also spend at least an hour a day marketing it in one way or another — Facebook, Yahoo User Groups, Craigslist, and, of course, wonderful blogs like this one.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Well, I guess one would be that I never plan out the storyline of my books ahead of time. I have a general idea of what the story will be about, but I just let the plot unfold as I write. I definitely surprise myself sometimes!

A “quirk” about Breathless is that the first sentence (or part of the first sentence) of every chapter is taken from the opening line of another book, or in a couple cases, a poem. These include such disparate works as Catch-22, The Stranger, The Little Prince, Interview with the Vampire, The Sword of Shannara, and The Postman. I think I managed to do it pretty seamlessly, because very few readers have noticed. It’s kind of like the “Easter egg” feature in video games.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a professional athlete of some kind. I was pretty good at sports, but nowhere near that good.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I love hearing from readers. I can be contacted through my website, or the Breathless Vampire Book page on Facebook. And I accept all friend requests on my personal Facebook page.

The hardcover Breathless is available through www.scottprussing.com or amazon.com. The eBook version can be found at either Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

Thanks for being here today, Scott. Best wishes with your writing projects! I need to get to the beach now.

Interview with debut novelist David F. Porteous

Reviews and Interviews is happy to have debut novelist David F. Porteous here today as he does a virtual tour for Singular.

Bio: David F. Porteous was born in 1980, but was asked for ID in a bar as recently as February 2011. Yes, it was dark, but still.

He attended Cockenzie and Port Seton Primary School where he learned to spell and write his name in cursive. The value of these once impressive skills has been substantially undermined by subsequent technological developments.

In 2002, he graduated from Napier University in Edinburgh with a degree in Marketing Management. His honours dissertation asserted that there was a bright future ahead for DVD rental stores. Over time this assertion proved to be both wrong and stupid.

(He is not giving back the degree).

David has been a stand-up comic, poet, voice actor, and social research consultant. He stuck with the consulting because it was only thing people paid him for.

Singular is his first novel.

David, welcome! Please tell us about your current release.
Singular is set in a near-future where it’s possible to live forever by transferring your consciousness into a virtual universe called the Singularity Network. As Britain prepares to make access to the network free for all, evidence is emerging that the network isn’t all that it seems and that a nameless, faceless ‘it’, born in the machine world, has been reaching out into the real world and committing murder of a huge scale.

It’s from the perspective of four characters whose own personal struggles - for power, for revenge, for freedom and for life – throw them together and into conflict with each other. It’s an exploration of death, what it might mean to be immortal and what it means to be alive.

It’s also funny – I feel the need to say that because I haven’t found a way of summarizing the plot and key themes and the tone.

What inspired you to write this book?
A lot of the book is inspired by a cancer misdiagnosis in 2009. It wasn’t until some time after I’d had an operation that we realised I didn’t have cancer, but in the intervening time I’d written a great deal of the book that would be Singular.

My particular muse has an odd sense of humour.

The rest of the book is my philosophy, my thoughts on a range of issues and my love of jokes, cataclysms, and sword fighting.

What exciting story are you working on next?
My main effort is the difficult second novel. I’d started writing two other stories before I settled on the one I’m currently working on – and this is the one I’ll finish. I hope you don’t mind me being coy about details, but I find that it’s too easy for me to talk about writing as a substitute for actually doing it.

Alongside this big project I’m playing with a few short stories that I’ll eventually release as a collection, but in the meantime I’ll probably send them out into the world individually to see what the reaction is. I’m writing one story which is only dialogue, no description, and another where the main character – a five-year-old dragonslayer – is mute. I’ve no immediate plans to write something “like Singular”; I think it’s important to explore different styles and subjects to grow as a writer.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Almost a decade ago I was in a bar. I’d been doing some stand-up comedy for a while, the BBC had shown some interest in a couple of comedy sketches I’d written and I was working on spec script for something I honestly don’t remember. I was very young and I thought that becoming famous was inevitable. I described myself as a writer then.

As it turned out, the BBC lost interest in the sketches and just gave a blunt 'no' to the script. I didn’t write anything much after that for about seven years. It was a setback I almost never recovered from.

At the moment I have no problem with saying “I’ve written a book”, but I’m not describing myself as a writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I’d love to be able to make writing pay the bills. That may be the ambition of every writer from Aeschylus onwards. I haven’t yet managed it, but I am gainfully employed as a social research consultant. Writing is my weekend job; I rarely find the time or the energy for it otherwise.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Honestly – a writer. At about nine I sat down to write a book and got as far as numbering and naming each of the chapters, having no idea how to do anything else. The story I’d wanted to write was somewhere between the Elizabeth Shue film Adventures in Babysitting and Harry Potter. I think somebody still needs to write that story.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
At the end of this virtual book tour, one lucky person who “likes” Singular on Facebook will receive the signed proof copy of the US print edition of Singular – a one-of-a-kind, never-be-another prize. You can find me on Twitter and at my website.

Thanks for having me.

You're welcome. We enjoy meeting new authors and finding new books to read. Have fun with your book tour.

Live chat/interview with poet Martha Carlson-Bradley - 6/12/11

The Writer's Chatroom presents poet Martha Carlson-Bradley.

WHEN?

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Eastern USA Time.....7-9 PM

Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are? http://www.worldtimeserver.com

WHERE?

The Writers Chatroom at: http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Login. No password needed.

Please note: The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.

Interview with dark fiction writer Micheal Grin

A dark and bloody Reviews and Interviews handshake extends to dark fiction author Micheal Grin today. (Yes, that's the correct way to spell his name). He chats a bit about his freshly released book from Damnation Books.

Notice: This interview talks about the darkest side of dark fiction, so is not appropriate for everyone. It isn't graphic, it just touches on topics that some may not want to read about.



Bio:
From a young age, Micheal Grin always knew what he wanted to do: write. He’s on a personal quest of enlightenment, always searching the deepest depths of his imagination to see what horrors he is capable of conjuring. Satisfaction lies for him in the cesspools of sexual torment, deprivation, and the worst of humanity. His is a crusade to understand just what lengths a man can push himself to until he no longer has hope, fear or reason.

With his wife, Evelyn, Micheal Grin currently resides in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Micheal, please tell us about your current release, Princess Nonomi.
Written through the eyes of the title character, my book follows Princess Nonomi, an escapee of a mental institution who believes herself to be a real princess, on her travels to what she conceives is her future home; a castle in the mountains. Along the way, she recalls the story of her life, from growing up in a home where her father repeatedly abused her sexually to when she brutally murdered her parents. We learn of when she lived in a foster home and attended an all-girl Catholic school. We follow Nonomi as she leaves a trail of violence and sexual exploits on her mission to reach the castle and of her love for the doctor who mistakenly gave her the idea in the first place.

What inspired you to write this book?
The idea came to me shortly after reading both Bret Ellis's American Psycho and Marquis de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom. It started as a simple short story in which Princess Nonomi was in an apartment, carving a word into a female victim's forehead. Then the story just kind of grew from that point as I started to wonder what kind of person would do such a think. The character, Nonomi, then evolved into something more, into a girl truly lost in a world of her own. Third person became first when I stared to explore her mind and before I knew it, I was up until three in the morning each night expanding her history.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Currently, I'm a little torn. I've had a fantasy trilogy stewing in my mind for the last couple of years but I'm focused on drawing out a few more single novels first. I've got a completed erotica that I wouldn't mind fleshing out titled The List, which explores the limits to the idea of “friends with benefits”. However, I still feel I need to dig deeper in the dark corners of my mind and create something even darker than Princess Nonomi. Something which would leave even myself feeling I might have gone too far. It's the story of my life; I'm constantly pulled between sex and violence.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I don't really consider myself to be a writer, to be honest. I think that by that definition we are all writers. We all have a story to tell. I just decided to type mine out. Really, I think as myself to be nothing more than a passing storyteller. A guy with something to say. If anything, I see myself as a sideshow, a twisted freak with a taste for blood, bondage and the surreal.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I would love it if I wrote full time. Nothing would make feel more fulfilled and complete than if I could just hide myself away from society and type my life away. Unfortunately, I currenty run a small dead-end business that means less to me than my goal. If I could get out of that and write full time, I would feel accomplished.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Obsession. One night while writing Princess Nonomi, my wife came out into the living room, asking me why I was still up. It was three in the morning. I'm not sure if that could be considered a quirk, but when I really get into it, the world around ceases to exist. I become the story. That, and never read what I'm typing from over my shoulder. I am very protective of my work until it's complete.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer. When I was younger, nothing ever really appealed to me but I did enjoy writing. It took a while to consider it as a career, however, because I always thought that my ideas were too unmarketable. I was limited to my access of books and was not aware at the time of such amazing authors like Ellis, Palahniuk, The Marquis, Edward Lee, and Fowles.
Turns out I was wrong. There are people out there that would love to read about sex and violence.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
There is violence and horror happening in our world everyday. It happens in our cities, in our parks and in our backyards. We can all embrace the scary things in life but let's not forget that every person on this planet deserves the right to live and be happy.

Let's keep our monsters for the fiction artists, shall we?

Feel free to visit my website, blog, or follow me on Twitter.

Thanks for visiting, Micheal. Yes, let's keep the monsters in fictionville. :)

Interview with romance author Tory Richards

Reviews and Interviews is happy to be the first stop for Tory Richards as she tours with Goddess Fish Promotions for her book The Promise from Liquid Silver Books. Please see below for details on how to enter to win a $15 gift card to Bath and Body.

Tory, welcome to Reviews and Interviews. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm a fifty-something author who discovered my passion for writing and story telling at the ripe old age of ten. Before I received my first manual typewriter, with pencil in hand, I would jot my stories down on notebook paper. Later, after receiving that desired typewriter, I spent hours in my bedroom, where my parents thought I was doing homework.
I also hold down a full time day job. So basically I'm working all the time. Only writing is a hobby for me, something I do during the quiet of the evenings and on my weekends. My goals are simple and realistic. By the time I retire I'll be happy if I'm just making enough "mad money" from it to be able to travel a little, and spoil my grandchildren.

I collect antiques and art, and I love chocolate, who doesn't? And I'm addicted to good coffee and sweet ice tea. McDonald's hazelnut iced coffee has been on my favorite list for quite some time.

For a while life got in the way of my dreams. A few years ago I decided to get serious and haven't looked back!

Please tell us about your current release.
The Promise is a story about marine returning home for the holidays for the first time in years, and his brother’s young widow. A woman he’s secretly in love with. Being under the same roof together soon proves their attraction to one another is too hard to resist, and the promise each made to the same man is what binds them together.

What inspired you to write this book?
This is always a hard question to answer for me. I don’t know that I would say I was inspired to write it. It was just an idea that popped inside my head one day. Something I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t is invite someone serving our country over for a holiday meal. That thought might have had something to do with it.

What exciting story are you working on next?
While I have several works in progress I’m trying to finish up another erotic romance right now. It’s the story of a plus-size model, and the bodyguard hired to protect her from a possible serial killer.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I was about ten and began penning short stories on note book paper.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Writing is a hobby for me. It’s my passion, and something I do for me. I write when I’m in the mood, and yes, I do work a full time day job. So most of my writing takes place in the evenings and during the weekends.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Hummm…that’s a good question. Let me think about it and get back to you. :)

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Are you kidding? I wanted to be a writer of course! I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t have a story floating around inside my head and I couldn’t wait to get it down on paper. Even though I wrote for me, and I considered it a kind of therapy, I still dreamed about becoming an author when I grew up.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I love hearing from readers, whether it’s an email or on my blog. Some of the best reviews I’ve received are from them and I appreciate the time they take to write me. So don’t be shy!

Also, I'm giving away a $15 gift card to Bath and Body to one randomly drawn commenter at the end of this virtual tour. So feel free to leave a comment on this post or on any other blog stops I'm making. Dates and blogs can be found here.

Thanks for being a part of my blog, Tory. Best of luck with your tour and with your writing.