First...Happy September!
And ONCE UPON A PAINTED HORSE is now available for preorder on Amazon!
Please note, too, that this book is on sale for 99 cents until after its release, when the price will change to $2.99. So reserve your copy today!
Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts
Monday, September 7, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Now Available for PRE-ORDER
So excited to report that ONCE UPON A PAINTED HORSE is now available for pre-order from Smashwords! Check out the little widget on my sidebar.
Of course, if you prefer to pre-order from Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo or the others, that should be coming very shortly.
Also, please note that this book will actually be released on September 19, 2015. But if you wish, go ahead and reserve your copy!
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Character Interview with Tom Clayton
Though I had originally planned to give readers some background on my upcoming book, sometimes it's a lot more fun--and makes even more sense--coming from the mouth of one of the characters themselves! That hasn't happened since Violet Dunne from FOREVER IN MY HEART came for an interview.
Now we've got Tom Clayton, the hero of ONCE UPON A PAINTED HORSE, who has graciously agreed to stop by and talk about this upcoming Christian novel which, as it turns out, is about romance...and more. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax & enjoy the interview!
ME: Welcome, Tom, to my humble, little blog!
TOM (smiling shyly): Thank you, writer! (Whispering) Um...do I pretend we haven't seen each other every single day since the book began? I'm not sure how to do this.
ME (whispering): Oh, you're doing find, sweetheart. The readers know we've been working together. You just be your wonderful self, answer my questions--but don't give too much away. Okay?
TOM: Got it!
ME: Good. So tell us about ONCE UPON A PAINTED HORSE. In a nutshell, what is it about?
TOM: Well, the story starts out with Heather Blackburn--that's my Heather, though we don't know each other at the very beginning. She's just been laid off from a very prestigious job in New York City.
ME: She was an editor, right? At a publishing house?
TOM: Yes, that's right. Her dream job. Anyway, she's let go and she doesn't know what direction her life is supposed to take. Her parents have been living in Western North Carolina, and their pastor and his family are planning to take an 11-week sabbatical. They offer Heather, who is coming down to North Carolina because she has lost her apartment up North, as a house-sitter. She's just gotten to the house and is driving around, checking out her surroundings, when she sees signs for an amusement park. That's when she meets me. I own the amusement park.
ME: How cool! But there's something...let's just say, unusual about this amusement park, isn't there?
TOM: Y-yes, absolutely. The amusement park hasn't been used in decades. In fact...it's said to be haunted.
ME: Ahhh, exactly. Okay, well, let's go back to that, but first...tell us about Heather. It's love at first sight between you two, right?
TOM (laughing): No, I wouldn't say that. We don't get off on the right foot at all. But she ends up going to church with her parents, and guess who's also there? Because I'm the piano player for the church. I accompany the worship team.
ME: Very nice! You're also a high school teacher and a coach, but it's the summer, so you're currently not working, right?
TOM: Right. I had decided to spend the summer trying to get the park--or rather, the land it's on, sold.
ME: But nobody wants to buy land that is "haunted," right?
TOM: Unfortunately, that's true. But it's not haunted by ghosts. As a Christian, I have to deal with what is on that land. And I can't do it alone. That's something I have to learn in the story.
ME: Yes, and that's what makes this book a lot different from other Christian romances I have worked on. You're a very brave hero, by the way, and Heather is a very brave heroine.
TOM: I appreciate that, but it's not always easy. There are elements of spiritual warfare. This used to be a beautiful park, a playground for families, but there were tragedies there, and there are things there that don't want to leave. They would also like to come between Heather and me.
ME: That's right. It's important to warn readers that there are elements of horror within the story, too, but at heart, what is really going on there is what you mentioned--spiritual warfare. This isn't easy for either of you, either.
TOM: No, because I've been a Christian since I was younger, in my 20s. I'm 30 now. But I'm at a hard place in my walk, where I'm wavering in the faith. And Heather is just coming to the Lord. This story is also about re-dedication to the Lord and trusting Him no matter what you face, and trusting Him to be Lord over the most important relationship of your life--aside from the one with Him, of course.
ME: Of course! I think we're going to leave it there, Tom. You've given the readers a good idea of what to expect.
TOM (smiling): A good story and, I hope, a blessing!
ME: I agree. Thank you for coming, Tom.
TOM: Thank you, writer! See ya this afternoon! Meet you at the laptop!
ME (giggling): Meet you there!
And remember...ONCE UPON A PAINTED HORSE will be released sometime in August 2015!
Now we've got Tom Clayton, the hero of ONCE UPON A PAINTED HORSE, who has graciously agreed to stop by and talk about this upcoming Christian novel which, as it turns out, is about romance...and more. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax & enjoy the interview!
ME: Welcome, Tom, to my humble, little blog!
TOM (smiling shyly): Thank you, writer! (Whispering) Um...do I pretend we haven't seen each other every single day since the book began? I'm not sure how to do this.
ME (whispering): Oh, you're doing find, sweetheart. The readers know we've been working together. You just be your wonderful self, answer my questions--but don't give too much away. Okay?
TOM: Got it!
ME: Good. So tell us about ONCE UPON A PAINTED HORSE. In a nutshell, what is it about?
TOM: Well, the story starts out with Heather Blackburn--that's my Heather, though we don't know each other at the very beginning. She's just been laid off from a very prestigious job in New York City.
ME: She was an editor, right? At a publishing house?
TOM: Yes, that's right. Her dream job. Anyway, she's let go and she doesn't know what direction her life is supposed to take. Her parents have been living in Western North Carolina, and their pastor and his family are planning to take an 11-week sabbatical. They offer Heather, who is coming down to North Carolina because she has lost her apartment up North, as a house-sitter. She's just gotten to the house and is driving around, checking out her surroundings, when she sees signs for an amusement park. That's when she meets me. I own the amusement park.
ME: How cool! But there's something...let's just say, unusual about this amusement park, isn't there?
TOM: Y-yes, absolutely. The amusement park hasn't been used in decades. In fact...it's said to be haunted.
ME: Ahhh, exactly. Okay, well, let's go back to that, but first...tell us about Heather. It's love at first sight between you two, right?
TOM (laughing): No, I wouldn't say that. We don't get off on the right foot at all. But she ends up going to church with her parents, and guess who's also there? Because I'm the piano player for the church. I accompany the worship team.
ME: Very nice! You're also a high school teacher and a coach, but it's the summer, so you're currently not working, right?
TOM: Right. I had decided to spend the summer trying to get the park--or rather, the land it's on, sold.
ME: But nobody wants to buy land that is "haunted," right?
TOM: Unfortunately, that's true. But it's not haunted by ghosts. As a Christian, I have to deal with what is on that land. And I can't do it alone. That's something I have to learn in the story.
ME: Yes, and that's what makes this book a lot different from other Christian romances I have worked on. You're a very brave hero, by the way, and Heather is a very brave heroine.
TOM: I appreciate that, but it's not always easy. There are elements of spiritual warfare. This used to be a beautiful park, a playground for families, but there were tragedies there, and there are things there that don't want to leave. They would also like to come between Heather and me.
ME: That's right. It's important to warn readers that there are elements of horror within the story, too, but at heart, what is really going on there is what you mentioned--spiritual warfare. This isn't easy for either of you, either.
TOM: No, because I've been a Christian since I was younger, in my 20s. I'm 30 now. But I'm at a hard place in my walk, where I'm wavering in the faith. And Heather is just coming to the Lord. This story is also about re-dedication to the Lord and trusting Him no matter what you face, and trusting Him to be Lord over the most important relationship of your life--aside from the one with Him, of course.
ME: Of course! I think we're going to leave it there, Tom. You've given the readers a good idea of what to expect.
TOM (smiling): A good story and, I hope, a blessing!
ME: I agree. Thank you for coming, Tom.
TOM: Thank you, writer! See ya this afternoon! Meet you at the laptop!
ME (giggling): Meet you there!
And remember...ONCE UPON A PAINTED HORSE will be released sometime in August 2015!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Next up at the Plate!
People in town always believed the place was haunted.
Goodson’s Furniture Store had been abandoned for years. It had stood there, dark and decaying, beside an old cemetery, for decades. The former owners left in a hurry, though no one’s ever been quite sure as to why. Callie Drennan, a local young woman, often went there to hide as a troubled young girl, to find solace from her painful life. One day, she follows her dog inside and makes an amazing, and yet terrifying, discovery: The freight elevator is a portal leading to another dimension. All it takes is one heart-pounding ride, and she’s instantly transported to a Galveston Beach in 1967. That’s where she meets rancher Dale Anderson, a man who makes her believe that love really does exist. But is she really ready for her life to change forever? And will it take all of her courage to travel back to that other dimension…or to sacrifice her own chance for happiness for the sake of the one she loves?
As you can probably tell from the description above, Dimension is a paranormal romance that is a lot different from my last two releases, Glimmers of Heaven and 'Twas the Spy Before Christmas.
Just as a little background, Dimension actually started out life as a Young Adult paranormal novel. As a matter of fact, it was written right after Suburban Vampires, but it was never completed. Written early in my career, it didn't make the rounds as much as some of my other work, and only found its way to about three editors' desks. It was rejected by all three, and after that I switched gears as well as genres. I began writing both short stories for women's magazines and romance novels. Dimension became one of those projects that a writer looks back wistfully on, always wondering if it would have found its way into the hands of readers.
My niece, Shannon, was a true advocate of this little story. Over the years she would always ask me, "Did you ever finish DIMENSION?" I'm grateful to her for keeping the memory of this little book alive. And now I can say that, yes, DIMENSION IS finished! However, I've completely rewritten it, and it's gone through a complete metamorphosis. The original heroine was a troubled 15-year-old with a learning disorder; the new heroine is a troubled 23-year-old young woman whose life, either as a child and as an adult, has not been easy. Interestingly, the finished product is about the length of a YA novel. Due to adult subject matters within the story, please note that DIMENSION is NOT a YA, but rather aimed at a mature audience.
I do want to add that the story doesn't follow the standard "rules" of romance. It is told in the first person from Callie's point of view, which also stayed true to the style of the original version.
So if you're in the mood for something a bit different, a suspenseful tale that is an excursion into speculative fiction and a love story to boot, then DIMENSION is coming your way this week!
Goodson’s Furniture Store had been abandoned for years. It had stood there, dark and decaying, beside an old cemetery, for decades. The former owners left in a hurry, though no one’s ever been quite sure as to why. Callie Drennan, a local young woman, often went there to hide as a troubled young girl, to find solace from her painful life. One day, she follows her dog inside and makes an amazing, and yet terrifying, discovery: The freight elevator is a portal leading to another dimension. All it takes is one heart-pounding ride, and she’s instantly transported to a Galveston Beach in 1967. That’s where she meets rancher Dale Anderson, a man who makes her believe that love really does exist. But is she really ready for her life to change forever? And will it take all of her courage to travel back to that other dimension…or to sacrifice her own chance for happiness for the sake of the one she loves?
As you can probably tell from the description above, Dimension is a paranormal romance that is a lot different from my last two releases, Glimmers of Heaven and 'Twas the Spy Before Christmas.
Just as a little background, Dimension actually started out life as a Young Adult paranormal novel. As a matter of fact, it was written right after Suburban Vampires, but it was never completed. Written early in my career, it didn't make the rounds as much as some of my other work, and only found its way to about three editors' desks. It was rejected by all three, and after that I switched gears as well as genres. I began writing both short stories for women's magazines and romance novels. Dimension became one of those projects that a writer looks back wistfully on, always wondering if it would have found its way into the hands of readers.
My niece, Shannon, was a true advocate of this little story. Over the years she would always ask me, "Did you ever finish DIMENSION?" I'm grateful to her for keeping the memory of this little book alive. And now I can say that, yes, DIMENSION IS finished! However, I've completely rewritten it, and it's gone through a complete metamorphosis. The original heroine was a troubled 15-year-old with a learning disorder; the new heroine is a troubled 23-year-old young woman whose life, either as a child and as an adult, has not been easy. Interestingly, the finished product is about the length of a YA novel. Due to adult subject matters within the story, please note that DIMENSION is NOT a YA, but rather aimed at a mature audience.
I do want to add that the story doesn't follow the standard "rules" of romance. It is told in the first person from Callie's point of view, which also stayed true to the style of the original version.
So if you're in the mood for something a bit different, a suspenseful tale that is an excursion into speculative fiction and a love story to boot, then DIMENSION is coming your way this week!
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