BWL Blurbathon Presents Jamie Hill's Family Secrets

Family Secrets
A Cop in the Family, Book 1
by Jamie Hill

As if stumbling over a dead body isn't enough, Crystal Cartwright finds herself playing surrogate mother to two small boys when their father--her neighbor--doesn't come home. The kids aren't much trouble, but the thieves, drug dealers and kidnappers they're about to encounter are.

Detective Jack Dunlevy, a cop down on his luck, draws the cases no one else wants. A simple investigation involving a dead homeless man quickly changes as Crystal enlists Jack's help with the children. Drawn into a mystery that none of them could have anticipated, they're faced with a situation that will change their lives forever.

"Ms. Hill is a genius! The plot line was AMAZING. It was action packed and kept me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. Ms. Hill has become a favorite author of mine and I consider her to be an automatic add to my "to be read list". If you are a serious suspense loving reader who loves to form bonds with the characters, this is definitely the book for you! I loved it and can't wait to read more of Ms. Hill's books, she has the gift of knowing what the reader wants and then hitting you with an ending you certainly don't expect. Two thumbs up!" ~ Val, You Gotta Read Reviews, 5 Stars

Find this title here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004478IN6/

 
Find all of Jamie's titles here:   

http://bookswelove.net/jamiehill.php

Please come back March 21 for a blurb from author Pat Dale!

 

 

Author Shirley Martin on the Casting Couch with Sheila Claydon

With a vivid imagination and a love of storytelling, Shirley Martin has always enjoyed writing. She was born in western Pennsylvania and her first published novel, Destined to Love, reflects her familiarity with the area and shows her love of  writing. From this historical romance she blossomed out into other genres. One More Tomorrow is a vampire romance, one her publisher dubbed 'a sizzling seller'. Now the author of several fantasy novels and novellas, her writing should appeal to just about every reader of romance. Her books are on sale at Amazon and most major book stores and have garnered great reviews. 

Welcome to the Casting Couch Shirley. I am looking forward to learning more about your writing technique.

* * *

Which characters are hardest for you to develop?  Is it the hero, the heroine, the villain, or the secondary characters?

First, thank you for featuring me, Sheila. I am so pleased to be here.

I often have trouble developing the heroines. I know women today like assertive heroines but since I'm a little reserved myself, it's difficult for me to present heroines who are truly assertive.

It is such a surprise to hear you say that Shirley because your heroines are great. When an idea strikes, do you work through the plot first and then cast the characters, or is it the characters first?  Or does it vary? 

It varies. After I get an idea, I usually work out a basic plot. I do an external and internal Goal, Motivation and Conflict chart for each major character.

That is so organized. Can you give an example from a published story? 

Yes. My historical romance, Forbidden Love, is centered around a steel strike in Pittsburgh, so I knew my hero would have to be a steelworker. To counter this I wanted the heroine to be from a wealthy family, so there would be extremes in their backgrounds, and thus, much conflict.

When deciding how your characters should look, do pictures inspire you, or do you think of someone you know?  Or perhaps you rely on an active imagination or another method entirely. 

I use my imagination

.

That is unusual. Nearly every other writer I've interviewed has to have their imagination triggered by some sort of visual idea. Do you have a system for developing their character traits?

As stated earlier, I use a Goal, Motivation and Conflict chart for each of my main characters,      but they often have a mind of their own and do unexpected things.

All characters have goals. Can your characters' goals usually be summed up in a word or two, or are they multi-layered?  Do they change as you write the book? 

My characters all have internal and external goals. Often their goals change as I write.

Motives drive a character. How do you discover your character's specific goals?  Are they based on back story or do other elements influence their motives? 

Their external goals center around outside circumstances.  Their internal goals are changes they must make within themselves. For example, in my time travel romance, Dream Weaver, my heroine's external goal is to save her lover's life. As her internal goal is to conquer her fear of violence  she has to attain her internal goal before she can save him.

It's very clear that you really think out your characters in great detail so, last but not least, do you like them?  Are they people you would want to spend time with? Assuming they are not just a paper exercise, which of your characters would you most want to meet, and why?

I like all of my characters and would love to meet them all.  I really admire the steelworker from Forbidden Love though.  Although he has so many things going against him he remains determined to attain his goals

* * *

Born near Pittsburgh, Shirley Martin attended the University of Pittsburgh and then taught school for one year.After that she became a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines. She met her husband when she was based in Miami and, with him, raised three sons. Once they were grown she devoted her time to writing, something she had always wanted to do.

With a vivid imagination and a love of storytelling, Shirley has always enjoyed writing. Now, sadly, a widow, Shirley lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her two cats.

Visit her website: http://shirleymartinauthor.com/

BWL Blurbathon Presents Joan Hall Hovey's The Abduction of Mary Rose

The Abduction of Mary Rose 

 

A suspense novel interwoven with threads of romance and paranormal.
Imagine discovering everything you believe about yourself to be a lie. And that the truth could stir a killer from his lair.

Following the death of the woman she believed to be her mother, 28-year-old Naomi Waters learns from a malicious aunt that she is not only adopted, but the product of a brutal rape that left her birth mother,  Mary Rose Francis, a teenager of Micmac ancestry, in a coma for 8 months. 

Dealing with a sense of betrayal and loss, but with new purpose in her life, Naomi vows to track down Mary Rose's attackers and bring them to justice. She places her story in the local paper, asking for information from residents who might remember something of the case that has been cold for nearly three decades. 

She is about to lose hope that her efforts will bear fruit, when she gets an anonymous phone call.  Naomi has attracted the attention of one who remembers the case well.  

But someone else has also read the article in the paper. The man whose DNA she carries. 

And he has Naomi in his sights.  

"Hovey’s The Abduction of Mary Rose was disturbingly satisfying. Naomi’s resilience and the strength which she managed to acquire were inspirational. Also, the author allowing readers to peek inside the mind of a sociopath was riveting. The cold madness which he displayed was masterfully crafted. Even though his character was well tailored, the relevance of the other characters cannot be annoyed, the way in which the other characters were incorporated, allowed the story to flow well. They added the components which led to Naomi achieving justice. The Abduction of Mary Rose was well worth the read and I hope that Hovey once more invites readers into Naomi’s world." ~ Kellie, You Need to Read, You Gotta Read Reviews

Available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005M4W22I/

Find Joan's other books here:  http://bookswelove.net/joanhallhovey.php

Please stop back on March 19 for a blurb by Jamie Hill.