Beyond the Book: Why Yes I Do

 

Have you ever based a character on a real person? Have you ever used a TV or movie character as inspiration for a character in your stories? 

To begin, I suppose most authors must have a certain type of hero or heroine that possesses the same qualities that the author admires. Looking back at my own work I think it’s mostly true of me. However, as my career continued, I started to write some characters that ended up being atypical of my work. That’s ok with me too. I don’t really like single dimension, flat characters. No one is perfect, and when a book has nothing but perfect characters it’s boring. 

That being said, in my early years of writing I did totally base a character on a real person. The character was Dan Wakefield who was my hero in Turnaround Farm. I think this was the third book I ever wrote. I occasionally edited the book as time passed, but I didn’t really do anything with until just a few years ago. So, what was Dan like?

First, his moral compass defines almost everything he does. His beliefs are his own, and he won’t deviate from them.

Second, He came from a family without much money so sometimes life was hard. He learned patience and the value of hard work while helping his family.

Third, he loves animals, and they love him in return. 

Fourth, he didn’t date much. There was no time for dating when he was working so hard to keep Turnaround Farm. 

Fifth, He sacrifices for people he loves, putting their needs before his own.

Sixth, He’s dependable. If he says he’ll do something he will. 

Seventh, he’s faithful. Once he finds the woman he loves he never looks at another woman.

Eighth, he’ll deny himself something he wants, but he’s generous to a fault with his loved ones.

Ninth, he’s self-sufficient, which can be both good and bad, and he hates parties. 

Tenth, he’s not perfect. He loses his temper sometimes, and he can hold a grudge. 

While I was writing the book, Dan seemed so familiar to me. It was easy to write scenes from his point of view. It was like I knew exactly what he would say and how he would react to situations. I didn’t pay it much attention, though, except to think how much my writing had improved, LOL. Trust me; this was one of my first books so my congratulations to myself were slightly premature.

I didn’t figure out who Dan really was until a publisher picked it up, and I started edits. I knew this guy! No wonder I knew exactly how he’d react. Without realizing it, I had based Dan on my husband. Yep, Dan for the most part was my husband made over. I told him about it, which slightly alarmed him. He read the book, and after that he didn’t seem too worried so I assume he was pleased with himself. For that reason, Turnaround Farm is one of my favorite books. 

If you know an author have you recognized yourself in anyone’s book? 

I wanted to let everyone know that my ebook, TURNAROUND FARM, has been added to Draft2Digital which makes the book available from multiple sources. It will be available on March 1, 2023.

From today, January 30, through February 28th the price will be $2.99 for its prerelease. March 1st it will be offered at the regular price of $3.99

Here is a link called a UBL-- Universal Book Link.

https://books2read.com/b/mdjnxR

When you click it, you will be taken to books2read.com From there you will be given the option of which vendor you want to use for purchasing your book.

If you want to order from Amazon, the book is still available at https://www.amazon.com/Turnar.../dp/B07GGM5CWB/ref=sr_1_1...

Titanian Warrior

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Victoria Saccenti will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

One woman holds the key to his destiny—and his people’s salvation. Hagen drags himself to the gates of Hell, body and soul shredded by the bloodlust that consumes all the unmated of his kind. Awaiting the painful atonement that will buy him ten more years to find his eternal mate—or face oblivion. But Hades himself kicks him out with the bloodlust still prowling, unsatisfied, in his veins.

Bargained away by her parents to Master O, a mysterious, cruel wizard, Faiza serves in his household, keeping her small magic a secret, plagued by wild, confusing visions of a strange, suffering man. Then the master brings home a wounded Titanian warrior whose touch sends ice, fire, and desire racing through her body.

When she learns Master O plans to use Hagen as a weapon to conquer all races, she devises a desperate plan to free him—a plan that opens a portal to a world she’s never known. And a destiny entwined with danger that could destroy them all.

Read an Excerpt

The wounded male groaned and flipped on his side. Burdened by the heavy weight, the pallet under him protested with loud creaks. Faiza scowled. The abrupt movement had reopened a cut on his brow, and a trickle of blood flowed to his jaw.

“To hell with Master.” Huffing, she stomped to the kitchen, tore another dishcloth in lengths under running water, and squeezed out the excess. As she returned to the male, she passed a strip to Lilith. “He’s too big for only one of us. I’ll clean one side. You take care of the other.”

Lilith nodded. Without making her usual smart comments or objections, she knelt quietly next to their guest and took care of his cheek and neck.

Faiza leaned closer to his jaw. She dabbed his skin. Instantly, he clutched her wrist. Fire and ice punched through his hold into her, and she was thrown back as icicles settled in her lungs and flames flared in her core.

“Ah!” Faiza yelped, eyeing the point of contact, convinced she’d see sores and burns, but her skin was smooth and its golden color hadn’t changed. She felt no pain except for an odd tingle under his fingers.

“Penance!” he shouted, rising close to her face. His deep voice resonated through the small room.

Then he looked at her.

Sparkling irises, full of magic and bright as searchlights bore into hers. He was not human, but not a god either. No deity aura surrounded him. Her mind spun as she fought to make sense of this marvel and every wild sensation he’d inspired in her.

About the Author:

Award-winning, multi-genre author Victoria Saccenti writes romantic women’s fiction, contemporary romance, and paranormal romance. Not one for heart and flower stories, she explores the edgy twists and turns of human interaction, the many facets of love, and all possible happy endings. After thirty years of traveling the world, she’s settled in Central Florida. She splits her busy schedule between family and her active muse at Essence Publishing. However, if she could convince her husband to sell their home, she would pack up her computer and move to Scotland, a land she adores. On a side note, in one form or another, Scotland appears in most of her stories.

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A Reservoir Man

 

A Reservoir Man

by L.J. Ambrosio

 

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GENRE: Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

A Reservoir Man, critics have hailed this explosive and timely work as “a must-read coming-of-age story of 2022.” Twists and turns further pull the reader in to Michael’s action-packed tale, with powerful themes, from betrayal and family to secrets and identity. “Be sure not to blink because you just might miss a pivotal moment in Michael’s rousing, larger-than-life story.” -- R.C. Gibson, Indiestoday.com. “This book is a dream, a gamble, a utopia, even.” -- Kalyan Panja, Bookmarkks.

 

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EXCERPT

 

Michael had now become, after these last six months, a little more world weary and worse for the wear. Sitting on his bench, entering his last year at college. Michael still had not found his soul or his truth. His emphasis on sex was unfulfilling and empty. He wandered in the shadowy corners, the lightless streets, leading to a dead end and the darkness of an empty truck. Loneliness had become a fixture of Michael’s being. He longed for a few hours to be with Carol, Claire, or Raphael.

 

One day, while sitting on the bench, Michael heard in the distance Otis Reading’s “The Dock of The Bay” playing on a portable radio. The music came closer and closer and then quickly turned to the Four Tops' “Reach Out (I’ll be There).”

 

Picking up his head, Michael saw this extremely attractive ethnic guy standing right above him. Michael said ‘hello,’ and the young man answered.

 

“My name is Nick. Do you dance?”

 

Michael said, “Sort of, but I do not have much of a chance to go dancing.”

 

“You want to go tonight?” Nick asked with a smile, and he started to sing “Baby I Need Your Loving” by the Four Tops.

 

Michael became a little concerned about the message of the song, so he suggested that they might talk over coffee before they venture out dancing. Michael decided to cut his next two classes and have coffee.

 

They spent hours talking about their lives. Nick was older than Michael by nine years. Nick said he had to prepare for graduation as did Michael. He was in the school for Education and would be graduating that year.

 

He was first generation Greek from Cyprus and spoke fluent Greek. His family lived in Harlem on 137th Street off Broadway. He had siblings, a brother and sister. Michael was taken by him. He made him laugh and feel amazingly comfortable. Nick invited Michael to dinner Saturday night. His mother would make Doimadakia, Humus, Tzataki and Moussaka. Michael agreed to go.

 

Nick’s parents were great. His mother was shy, his father a little less. They spoke with a broken accent, which Michael loved. They had a great dinner and talked a lot. Michael learned a lot about Cyprus.

 

Nick said after dinner, "Dancing, right?”

A Word With the Author

1.Did you always want to be an author?

 

No my educational interest was comparative literature –the lack of mastering 3 languages besides English was the reason I abandon this quest I only mastered two French and German.  I turned to American literature with an accent towards European-success. But my terminal degree is in theatre. Never dreamed of being an author-could see myself sitting alone writing too much life to live. I was very surprised how it just flowed out. Happy I did

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book

 

I knew nothing of anything just followed the path and it happened.  Amazon was very helpful and they should be complimented doing what they are doing but they get a C for promotion that is a path you need to figure out. Some of the sites that are tour host are great and other who don’t are also great..

3.Beside yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

 

this is a hard question I love JD Salinger Jack Kerouac Thomas Mann Herman Hesse Satre, Saint Genet the list goes on and on I love to read, not as much now but in my 20 s besides parting all I did was read and in my 30’d and 40” after that I just go back and reread what I reading the past

4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?

 

I get to reflect on my thoughts and beliefs the worst is the pain of the memories

 

 

I completed my new novel just sent it to the Editor who has it now –very proud of this book it is a novel fiction and a little non fiction but the lessons are great—it is a buddy story –and it all hits home. No sex just a lot of love.

GOOD PIECEOF ADVICE READ THE MASTER AS MANY AS YOU CAN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND STORY TELLING AND BE INSPIRED!!!!!

 

 

 

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                                                             AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career. He taught at 7 universities in the United States.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Reservoir-Man-L-J-Ambrosio/dp/B0B28MYS3S

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

 

L.J. Ambrosio will be awarding a signed copy of the book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

 

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Beyond the Book: Night Angels

 

Blurb

From the author of The Last Rose of Shanghai comes a profoundly moving novel about a diplomatic couple who risked their lives to help Viennese Jews escape the Nazis, based on the true story of Dr. Ho Fengshan, Righteous Among the Nations.

1938. Dr. Ho Fengshan, consul general of China, is posted in Vienna with his American wife, Grace. Shy and ill at ease with the societal obligations of diplomats’ wives, Grace is an outsider in a city beginning to feel the sweep of the Nazi dragnet. When Grace forms a friendship with her Jewish tutor, Lola Schnitzler, Dr. Ho requests that Grace keep her distance. His instructions are to maintain amicable relations with the Third Reich, and he and Grace are already under their vigilant eye.

But when Lola’s family is subjugated to a brutal pogrom, Dr. Ho decides to issue them visas to Shanghai. As violence against the Jews escalates after Kristallnacht and threats mount, Dr. Ho must issue thousands more to help Jews escape Vienna before World War II explodes.

Based on a remarkable true story, Night Angels explores the risks brave souls took and the love and friendship they built and lost while fighting against incalculable evil.

My Review

The story begins in 1938 at the Chinese Embassy in Vienna. Vienna is a lovely, cultured city that offers much to both visitors and residents. It’s nicely described. The author didn’t go overboard with too many details, but the ones she used painted a very nice picture. 

Unfortunately, the Nazis are in Vienna in 1938.Their persecution of the Jews is well documented, but each and every time I read something about it I’m freshly appalled at the cruelty and depravity that characterized the Third Reich. 

Slowly, event by event, the tension increased. Each and every time Dr. Ho helped another Jew, the Nazis took note. I expected at any moment for Dr. Ho to be sent to a concentration camp. If he hadn’t been a diplomat I’m sure he would have been. However, the Chinese government recalled him to China because he continued to disregard their orders to stop giving visas to Jews.

Dr. Ho’s wife, who is mainly fictitious, also suffers in Vienna. She has a traumatic experience that changes her profoundly. 

Dr. Ho briefly mentions his time in Vienna in his memoir which was the first time most people knew about it. He always avoided speaking of his experiences in Vienna while he was alive, but after his death his notes and book were translated and shared with the world. He was posthumously recognized with the title Righteous Among the Nations.

It’s a good book, and I think he was a true hero. It’s well worth a read.

The Pepper Peach Murder

 

The Pepper Peach Murder

by Meg Benjamin

 

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GENRE:   Cozy Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

Roxy Constantine is the jam queen of Shavano, Colorado, and she’s fine with it. Not that things couldn’t be better. Her social life is a bust, and she’s still recovering from a bad experience as a line cook in Denver. But things are looking up when she meets local chef Nate Robicheaux. Roxy would like to get closer to Nate, but she’s fending off the unwanted attentions of another local, Brett Holmes, who won’t take no for an answer. When Brett threatens to derail Roxy’s appearance on a national cooking show, the two have a very public fight. A few days later, Brett is found murdered in his restaurant kitchen, and suddenly Roxy’s a prime suspect. Now Roxy, Nate, and her other friends must find out the truth about Brett’s background and his murderer before the town of Shavano decides Roxy’s reign as jam queen is over for good.

 

 

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EXCERPT

 

It would be better for him to hear it from you than to discover it on his own.

 

Nate’s voice still echoed in my ears. For a moment, I wished I’d asked him to come with me. But I had to face this on my own. It was my disaster, after all.

 

I climbed up the stairs to the front door, pausing for a moment to check the directory on the wall inside. The chief’s office was on the first floor, right down the hall. Once I turned in that direction, there’d be no going back. I’d be committed to confessing.

 

I walked down the corridor, feeling like I was going to the executioner’s block.

 

There was a receptionist for the chief’s office along with the county attorney and the sheriff. I didn’t recognize her, which was just as well. This visit wasn’t something I wanted shared on social media.

 

She looked up expectantly. “Yes?”

 

“I need to see Chief Fowler.” I was amazed that my voice was steady. 

 

“Do you have an appointment?”

 

I shook my head. “He’ll want to talk to me. Tell him it’s Roxy Constantine.”

 

The receptionist picked up her phone and dialed a number, turning away from me as she spoke.

 

Of course, I wasn’t absolutely sure Fowler would want to see me. Maybe he’d be too busy. Maybe he wasn’t interested. Maybe…

 

The receptionist glanced up at me. “Go on in. He’ll see you now.”

 

So much for hope. I opened the office door and stepped inside. 

 

Fowler was sitting at his utilitarian, city-issued desk. He gazed up at me with that same unsmiling, inscrutable look he always seemed to wear. I wondered if he ever smiled. Probably not at people like me, people he suspected of murder. 

 

I cleared my throat. “I have some things to tell you.”

 

He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “Sit down, Ms. Constantine. I’ve been expecting you.”

 

 

A Word With the Author

 

1.Did you always want to be an author?

In a way, I think I did. I’ve always loved to read and I’ve always loved stories. When I was a kid, I was always fascinated by the idea I could be a storyteller, too. I tried writing some fairytales when I was in grade school, but I never got too far with them. Now I get to write another version of fairytales full time.

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

My first book was a romance, Venus In Blue Jeans, that I published with Samhain Publishing (it’s now with Entangled since Samhain went out of business). I’d been casting around for a romance plot idea and someone told me the hero and heroine had to meet within the first ten pages of any romance. I didn’t think that was true, and it annoyed me. So I wrote a first chapter in which the hero and heroine wanted to meet each other but couldn’t seem to make it happen. The rest of the book just blossomed from there, and Samhain contracted it a year later.

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

I like a lot of cozy writers, but Kerry Greenwood is probably my favorite. She’s the author of both the Corrina Chapman and Phryne Fisher series, which have the virtue of being sort of exotic to me since they’re set in Melbourne. She also weaves romance into all her cozies, which makes them more interesting from my point of view. I particularly like that Corinna is a full-figured heroine who has a gorgeous boyfriend and takes the world in stride.

4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?

The best part is being able to write stories. Like I said, I’ve loved stories from an early age and I love creating them myself. The worst part is putting the meat on the bones of the story. Writing isn’t exactly a breeze, but it’s an interesting way to spend your time.

5.What are you working on now?

The second Luscious Delights mystery, The Pumpkin Butter Murder, will be out later this year and I’m working on more adventures for Roxy. I’ll also bring out another in my long-running Konigsburg, TX, series, Take That Ride, this summer. 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing). Her new cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights from Wild Rose Press, concerns a jam-making sleuth based in the mythical small town of Shavano, Colorado. Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix and the Folk trilogy from Soul Mate. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers. Meg’s Web site is http://www.MegBenjamin.com. You can follow her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/megbenjamin/), Instagram (meg_benjamin) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/megbenj1). Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com.

 

The buy links for Pepper Peach Murder is https://www.amazon.com/Pepper-Murder-Luscious-Delights-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BKYJPN22/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PHU83N6E7I8N&keywords=meg+benjamin+pepper+peach+murder&qid=1668885185&s=books&sprefix=meg+benjamin+pepper+peach+murder%2Cstripbooks%2C105&sr=1-1

 And  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pepper-peach-murder-meg-benjamin/1142562360?ean=9781509246922

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

 

Meg Benjamin will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Dead True Love

 

My Dead True Love

by Kim Pierce

 

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GENRE: Women's literature

 

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BLURB:

 

When a newspaper reporter’s fiancé dies abruptly, she questions how he could just cease to be.

 

Dogged by unbidden thoughts, odd coincidences and unexplained phenomena, Ann Stewart becomes obsessed with finding out what really happens after we die and whether her beloved Gregory is still out there. She finds her answer, which takes her and a close-knit coterie of women to the edge of the cosmos—and the core of their own hearts.

 

Based on a true story.

 

 

 

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EXCERPT

 

 

“It was definitely Gregory,” Connie declared, forcing herself to return to the vision. “As clear as if he were standing next to me. Smiling.”

 

“If you saw him”—and I still wasn’t believing—“did he see you? Did he see me?”

 

It made no sense, but I had to know more.

 

“I don’t know. I tried to un-see him. I really did,” she said, turning to me, something akin to terror twisting her face. “This ‘seeing’ is a part of me that triggers so much shame—and reactivates the trauma. Like shell shock.” Red mottling crept up Connie’s neck and onto her cheeks.

 

She saw him. The words slid off my brain as if she were speaking in tongues. What did that mean?

 

“Could it have been your imagination?” I offered wanly, not wanting that to be the case. 

 

“Yes, I suppose it could.” 

 

Neither of us believed it.

 

I waited. 

 

“What would it mean for you to ‘see’ him?” I pressed. 

 

Tell me. Even if it makes no sense.

 

“That there’s something wrong with me,” came her acrid reply. “Deeply, terribly wrong. At least that’s what my father would say. And a lot of other people who make judgments about what I can do.” She slammed the car into park a little too aggressively. 

 

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” I said, getting out of the car. 

 

Connie shut down. 

 

“I need to go home for a while,” she said.

 

Tell. Me. More.

A Word With the Author

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Vanilla. But only in the purest, most artisanal ice cream.  

First book you remember making an indelible impression on you.

I’ll give you three. I loved Dr. Seuss’s On Beyond Zebra so much that I memorized it. I became entranced with tide pool life thanks to Pagoo by Holling Clancy Holling (illustrated by Lucille Webster Holling). And in junior high I read a YA novel about a boy in a bombed-out German city after World War II. It was called Doorway to Darkness, and I’ve never been able to find it since. No, it’s not the book of that title that pops up on Amazon.  

How did you develop your plot and characters?

Because my novel is based loosely on a real experience, I had a scaffolding for both. But I had to build them out. For the characters, there comes a point where they take on a life of their own, and I’m asking “Would this character do this?” or “How would this character navigate this?” For the plot, I relied heavily on the hero’s journey to build conflict and tension. A novel has to “go” somewhere, and when the reader arrives at the pinnacle point, s/he needs to feel almost a physical release. Like good sex. 

Describe your writing space.

The heart of my set-up is two screens perched upon cigar boxes on a wavy, modern desk. I look out a window on a fence, where squirrels and birds cavort. I’ve seen mama squirrels carrying babies in their mouths. And, oh yeah, there goes one with a fat tomato from our garden. I use a kneeling chair. I’m surrounded by bookshelves on two sides, with lots of cookbooks from my newspaper-writing days, including my well-used America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I also have a squatty contemporary chair where I switch to editor mode and read proofs. 

 

 

 

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

Kim Pierce is a former Dallas Morning News writer and editor who completed the Writer’s Path fiction program at Southern Methodist University. My Dead True Love is her first novel, inspired by events surrounding the death of her fiancé in 1998. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her partner and three cats.

 

https://mydeadtruelove.com/

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

 

A randomly drawn winner will receive a $50 Amazon/BN GC.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor, and Monster Hunter?

 Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor, and Monster Hunter?

by C.L. Colyer

 

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GENRE:   Middle Grade Action Adventure

 

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BLURB:

 

Nothing frightens Atticus Everheart more than monsters, thanks to his older brothers, who often threaten to feed him to the beastly creatures.
Fearing that’s what they will do if he doesn’t replace the book he accidentally ruined, he takes a job tutoring a boy in his neighborhood.

Although nervous about the job, Atticus soon discovers there’s a lot more in store for him than teaching. Never in a trillion years would he have imagined he’d be hiding from monsters, working with ghosts, or searching for werewolves and witches. He’s not brave, and he has no plans to change.

Until he’s forced to.

A Word With the Author:

1.Did you always want to be an author? 

 

I always enjoyed writing. When I was in grade school, I enjoyed writing essays. In high school, I wrote poems. But it wasn’t until I was an adult that I considered writing a book, and I have my husband to thank for the push. I used to tell him about ideas I had of fantasy creatures living in our world. One day, he asked me why I didn’t write a book. So, I decided to write down one of my ideas. I loved plotting and being the director of my characters’ lives so much that he got me my first laptop, went with me to hear other authors speak, and encouraged me to pursue publication. He’s a great guy. 

 

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

 

My first publication was Embrace, a YA paranormal thriller/romance about a girl who discovers magical powers exist, and she has to embrace these powers if she hopes to save her best friend. The book went through many revisions, rejections, and more revisions before I found it a home. Then, thanks to readers’ enthusiastic responses to the book and its characters, I write two more books, making it a series. I had planned to continue the series, but I wasn’t happy with the changes happening with the publisher.

 

My first published middle grade book was Friends to the End. Zach, the new kid at school, follows a group of thrill-seeking kids into a wild encounter as they search for a vanishing house. Like Embrace, it went through a few revisions before I found it a home.

 

 

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

 

I write across genres. Some of my favorite middle grade authors include J.K. Rowling, Eoin Colfer, and Rick Riordan. A few recently discovered middle-grade authors whose books I enjoyed include Leah Cupps, Heather Fawcett, and Lee Fodi.

 

 

4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?

 

Best part is a tie between getting to know my characters and the world around them and hearing from readers. Worst is the first draft. 

 

 

5.What are you working on now?

 

I’m working on a contemporary paranormal romance that stars Cassie, the lovable witch in Merry Little Wishing Spritz. At the same time, I’ve been jotting down ideas for a possible sequel to Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor and Monster Hunter? 

 

 

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EXCERPT

 

“These came for you,” said Abigail, the oldest of his younger sisters. At eight, she was already smarter than him in many ways. She turned the envelope upside down over his bed. A pair of prescription, steampunk- inspired goggles tumbled out. Still ignoring Atticus’s prior demand, she settled on the window seat. 

 

“I thought they’d never get here!” His previous statement forgotten, Atticus sat up and took off his glasses. He then slipped the leather strap of the goggles over his head and pulled to tighten them to a perfect fit. He raised his chin, wise and prepared, able to spot danger in a single glance. 

 

“How do I look?” 

 

“Like a weirdo.” Abigail pulled her honey-brown hair into a high ponytail. “Or a praying mantis.” 

 

He should have known she wouldn’t recognize functional accessories if they stared her in the face. 

 

“Did you have to get green frames?” she asked.

 

“I like green.”

 

“I think you look smart,” said Evie, the youngest of the Everheart children. She was a miniature version of Atticus, from her curly brown hair, round cheeks, and scrawny arms, right down to her bulbous big toes and curious nature. “Why are there round thingies sticking out from the side?” 

 

“Those are monocles.” Abigail opened the newspaper to the comic section. “They magnify things.” 

 

“These aren’t ordinary monocles,” said Atticus. “I can’t believe you think I’d want goggles if they didn’t do something spectacular. I’ll have you know these are the most advanced pair of monster-seeing goggles available, able to cut through the mundane to reveal beasts and demons, ghosts, and goblins.” At least, that’s what the ad had said. Atticus flipped down the crimson lens. “This one’s for flesh-eating monsters.” 

 

“Oh, they’re way cool!” Evie inched closer and asked, “Do you see any?” 

 

“Yes!” Atticus lunged forward and grabbed her, tickling her waist. 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

 

C.L. Colyer found her love for writing in first grade when her class was sent to the library and asked to find a book for their first book report. While she doesn’t still have this book report, she’s very proud to say she got an A on it. Her favorite thing about the book was that it had no words. That’s right, not one! That gave her the freedom to interpret the pictures in any way she wanted and write her own story.

This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical.  You’ll find examples of this in her novels.

 

Buy links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Atticus-Everheart-Fifth-Monster-Hunter/dp/1509246118/

Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/atticus-everheart-fifth-grade-tutor-and-monster-hunter-c-l-colyer/1142093808

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/atticus-everheart-fifth-grade-tutor-and-monster-hunter/id6443330146

Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/bzVLPE

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62309386-atticus-everheart-fifth-grade-tutor-and-monster-hunter

 

 

Embedded:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Apple ~ Other Retailers

Goodreads

 

Keep in Touch:

 

Website: https://cheriecolyer.com/children/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cherie-Colyer-author-250631921629169 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieColyer

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cherie_colyer/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21748654.C_L_Colyer

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/C-L-Colyer/e/B09C6JPT3X/

Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cherie-colyer

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

C.L. Colyer will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.