Gun Kiss
by Khaled Talib
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GENRE: Thriller
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BLURB:
The United States media is abuzz with news of the mysterious disappearance of Hollywood movie star, Goldie St. Helen.
Ex-Delta Force Blake Deco receives a tip from a Mexican friend that a drug lord, obsessed with the beautiful actress, is holding her captive in Tijuana.
With the help of a reluctant army friend, Blake mounts a daring rescue.
What he doesn’t expect is to have feelings for Goldie—or that a killer is hunting them.
Ex-Delta Force Blake Deco receives a tip from a Mexican friend that a drug lord, obsessed with the beautiful actress, is holding her captive in Tijuana.
With the help of a reluctant army friend, Blake mounts a daring rescue.
What he doesn’t expect is to have feelings for Goldie—or that a killer is hunting them.
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EXCERPT:
Clad in tactical black, Blake rested on his chest in the dark chaparral. He watched his curly-haired friend beside him maneuver the tiny dragonfly drone with his phone. The luminous screen showed its flight path toward Dai Lo’s hacienda in the northeastern outskirts of Tijuana, nothing around it for miles.
The drone sent back images of the 375,000 square feet compound, including some of Dai Lo's men patrolling. It hovered in front of the three-floor mansion built with stacked balconies and double-hung windows. It then swooped down to a porch with three tall columns under a pediment. Finding no entry point, Jack raised it up again.
“I’m going to circle behind,” Jack said.
“Do that,” Blake responded.
“You going to kill Dai Lo?” Jack asked.
“Not unless I have to. I’m not an assassin,” Blake said.
“So why did you give Chavez the impression you will?”
“If Chavez knew what I was thinking, he wouldn’t give me the weapons. Then how are we going to save the actress?”
“You better know what you’re doing, Blake.”
“If you still want to go on that European tour, start thinking positive.”
The tiny drone went around the mansion and flew past a lit pool, buffeting over a garden and an annex connected by a sheltered catwalk. It moved sideways until it came to a lit corner window on the third level. The visual zoomed closer to the windowsill and sent back an image that left both men recoiling with gasps.
Author Interview
1.Did you always want to be an author?
The first story ever told me was about Helen of Troy. The way the person told me the story had my full attention. I imagined myself being present in ancient Troy. Not everyone can tell a story, I realize, because I get quickly bored when I hear someone else tell other stories. Similarly, when I used to read fiction books as part of the school curriculum I felt bored. When I started reading certain genre that my mother purchased from bookstores, I felt inspired to write my own stories.
My subconscious was gearing me towards the path of authorship, but my normal day to day was pushing me away from conventional life. I felt pressured to do things I don’t want to do. But the voice inside me was strong. One day, years later, I conceded and sat down to write my first novel. I admit I didn’t have the courage to pursue this path. Now, I can say it loudly: Yes, I’ve always wanted to be an author.
2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.
My first, Smokescreen, is a thriller about a reporter in Singapore who is framed for murder in a plot to assassinate the Israeli Prime Minister. I used to be a reporter for various media, so I created the protagonist inspired by own work experience Also, having lived in Cairo, Egypt for a while, and knowing how close the relationship between Singapore and Israeli, I had enough ingredients to weave a tale of espionage. Smokescreen received praise from several notable authors, including two New York Times bestselling authors in the same genre. The IndieReadereven chose it as one of the six boundary breaking indies in 2016.
Interesting, I had sent the book to a literary agent who saw potential in it, but he wanted me to make some changes. However, I couldn’t understand his advice and though he gave me a second chance, I still didn’t get it right, so I lost an opportunity. Then I submitted it directly to a publisher who also rejected me but offered to read it again if I could rework the manuscript. Again, I didn’t understand what he meant. They don’t go into details, so you’re left alone trying to decipher your own weaknesses. So, I took a long hard look at what I’ve written—and then it hit me what’s wrong with the manuscript. I started rewriting the manuscript and resubmitted to the publisher. This time, I got it right.
The confidence of my first book led me to write two more thrillers: Incognito, a Vatican thriller, is a story about the Pope being kidnapped. I didn’t plan to write the story, but while travelling around Switzerland and Italy, and having encountered some people, I was inspired to write the manuscript.
My most recent work, Gun Kiss, is a story about a former Delta Force soldier who rescues a movie star from an obsessed drug lord. The story of the story came from watching an old movie one night. I had gone jogging earlier in the morning and developed cramps in my legs. So, while running ointment, I watched this movie —and voila! What do you know? I had an idea in mind.
3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?
I have to many names to list, probably longer than Rapunzel’s hair. But top of my mind include Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, Ted Bell, Lisa Scottoline, Umberto Eco, Ruth Harris, Jon Land, Gayle Lynds, Alexandre Dumas, Dan Brown, Philip Kerrigan. There’s more…so many more.
4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?
The best part is you see your work materialize, especially after seeing the book cover because it’s a glimpse of your imagination. The worst part is the stress of thinking you’ll never finish what you’re writing. It’s like running endlessly along a hallway. But you must not give up.
5.What are you working on now?
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Khaled Talib is a former journalist with local and international exposure. He has authored three thrillers since 2014.
The author's works have been praised by NY Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, NY Times bestselling author Ruth Harris, USA Today bestselling author Jon Land, NY Times bestselling author Keith Thomson, K.J. Howe, and Jon McGoran.
His debut thriller, Smokescreen, was listed as one of the six "boundary-breaking indies" in 2016 by the IndieReader. His second novel, Incognito, won the Silver Award for the AuthorsDB Book Cover Contest 2017. Gun Kiss is his third novel.
Khaled, who is also a member of the International Thriller Writers, resides in Singapore.
GUN KISS Buy links:
The book will be on sale for only $0.99.
Amazon Kindle
Smashwords
Kobo
B&N
Ibooks/Apple
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Khaled Talib will be awarding a Amazon Fire 7 8GB tablet to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The prize is limited to U.S. and Canada only.
Thank for hosting me, Elaine.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate getting to read about another book my family have not known about previously. Thanks so much for the book description and giveaway also.
ReplyDeleteReally awesome cover, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, James, It's a delight to be here. I'm always happy to make new friends and chat about my passion -- writing and books. Thank you for reading.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the cover, Victoria. When I first saw it, I said Yes! The drawings of the people are exactly how I described the characters in the book. The designer definitely got it right.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rita. Breathless is the key word here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming, Khaled. Gun Kiss sounds fantastic.
ReplyDeleteSounds great.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cars.
ReplyDelete