Four For Friday--Joyce Strand

Four For Friday is a weekly feature where guest authors choose one of their own characters to complete four sentences. Please be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could be the lucky winner of a Kindle copy!

This week's post is by Joyce Strand from her novel, Open Meetings.

Jillian Hillcrest 

I am a PR Executive at a small biotechnology company in Silicon Valley who—through no fault of my own—gets drawn into solving murders.

I live in San Francisco in an apartment near the San Francisco Giants park. I got married right after graduating from Cal to Chad Bradbury, who is a marketing executive at a biotech company in Alameda, CA. We got divorced after 10 years of marriage, and, quite frankly, are not sure why—other than we just stopped caring. We still enjoy getting together. In particular, we love going to fine (and not so fine) restaurants and drinking red wine.

My amateur sleuth days begin in ON MESSAGE where I encounter a determined San Francisco police inspector who is convinced I am the key to solving two murders. With the help of Chad—whose attentiveness I welcome even though we’re divorced—and retired SFPD neighbor, Cynthia Anderson, I am able to connect disparate pieces of the puzzle to help solve the crimes.

My ability to draw criminals my way continues in OPEN MEETINGS. I join with a local reporter to investigate the suspicious death of one of his informants. Again, Chad and Cynthia help out, but we all run into far more than we anticipated.

1.   If I found a pot of gold…

I would open a restaurant in San Francisco featuring Italian, Mexican and Thai food blended in California style (lots of avocados) served with only California wines. We would have live music from new California jazz bands – every night. The art on the walls would come from local California artists and be circulated regularly. Teachers, firemen, police would all receive a discount.

2.   The color green…

means alternative energy sources. We need to look to the sun and wind, for example, to power our homes and businesses. A big part of our transition away from fossil fuels will require an investment in the infrastructure essential to support alternative energy such as electricity for cars.

3.   I have a lucky…

hat. Well, actually Chad has a lucky hat. He wears it whenever he flies. He claims he’s not afraid of flying, but he wants to do all he can to be sure the plane lands safely. You may know that Chad has a lot of hats, so I’m never sure which one is his lucky one.

4.  If I was on the television show, ‘Survivor,’ I would be the one that…

finds the Immunity Idol. I love to solve puzzles and am good at it, and you need to solve a puzzle to find it.

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Want to learn more about this character and author? 

Visit Joyce Strand on her Website: 

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Kindle Copy of Nurse Blood--We Have a Winner!

There were 14 entries for a Kindle copy of Nurse Blood.

 Thank you to everyone who participated. 

And now, what you've all been waiting for....Drum roll, please...

Kathryn M. Romeo!

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Killer Thriller Book Launch--Luke Romyn

The Birth of a New Christ

My life has often taken me to strange places – not just literally, often merely figuratively. Dark, despoiled locales haunted by miscreants and lost souls alike, where hatred is your only brother, a blanket to keep you warm against the chill of a torturous world.

I never intended to write books involving God. My main aim in penning my first tome was to exorcize some of my inner demons, but without intending to, I somehow stumbled onto a deity I had long forgotten.

Is He real?

Ha! Good luck answering that one. I’m not going to fall into that trap, nor am I likely to be found preaching the word of the gospel – far from it. I find the thought of quoting from a two-millennia-old textbook ridiculous. It has some good stories, sure. They’re meant to teach the reader lessons about life, not be used as condemnations against those you hate.

And then I find myself preaching….

THE DARK PATH touched on certain religious aspects, and it got me thinking. Images trickled through my late-night ponderings – usually as I lay in bed trying to sleep – and I found myself wondering what might happen were Christ actually reborn. Would he shoot from the womb spouting philosophy? Or would he be birthed a man, a mere hominid, one with a task of colossal importance awaiting him, and he had to decipher all answers on his own?

I took this concept and played with it – tearing at the edges as I do in order to dirty things up a little.

What if this man were raised in the wrong environment? What if those supposed to nourish and support him instead tortured and bullied him, screaming script from the Bible at him as they whipped his fragile mortal frame? Would he still turn out the epitome of God, or would he morph into something a bit darker?

And that’s how CORPUS CHRISTI began….

The Clover Key--Settings

When I write, I need to create the people, places and things that I'm writing about. I thought I would share the visions I had in my head while I created the world for The Clover Key.

Present Day:

Another Chance

The Buchanan Home

The Garden 

17th Century:

Buchanan Castle

Inchtalear

Elspeth's Tower

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Four For Friday--Rebecca Besser

Four For Friday is a weekly feature where guest authors choose one of their own characters to complete four sentences. Please be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could be the lucky winner of a Kindle copy!

This week's post is by Rebecca Besser from her novel, Nurse Blood.

Hi, I'm Sonya Garret, and I'm a nurse. I work at the local hospital as a cover for what I really do -- chop people up for parts to sell on the black market. Do you know how much money can be made that way? You're probably sitting there thinking I'm a cold-hearted bitch, but the truth is, I believe in killing one to save many. A lot of people are on the waiting lists to receive the organs that will save their life. That's not all either! There's also tissue from various parts of the human body that can be used for research. So, I ask you, why is it bad to kill one person when their death will give new life and hope to many?

I usually work with Roger -- whom I love like a brother -- and Jennings (he's really a pompous ass). Unfortunately, one of the members of our group quit so we had to find a new guy -- Jack. I hate him! Luckily, my boyfriend Lloyd came along to help me deal with all the stress.

I'm from somewhere in the United States (I can't really say where), and Sonya isn't my real name (shh, don't tell). There are a lot of things about my past that I can't and won't share with you for your own safety. The FBI is hot on our trail after all, and we never know what information will lead them to us. ;)

1. The worst Valentine's Day gift I ever received was...

when Lloyd thought I wanted a romantic dinner. Why would I want to go out when we could stay in and wear less clothes?!

2. My idea of the perfect date would be...

to have a bubble bath with Lloyd and spend the night in bed, pleasing each other.

3. If you want to give me candy...

I would prefer chocolate hearts. They remind me of my work and the hearts I provide to so many needy, sick people.

4. The song that best describes my current love life is... 

Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry 

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Want to learn more about this character and author? 

Visit Rebecca's Amazon Author Page


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Hidden Under Her Heart--We Have a Winner!

There were 54 entries for a Kindle copy of Hidden Under Her Heart.

 Thank you to everyone who participated. 

And now, what you've all been waiting for....Drum roll, please...

Karina Vavere!

Didn't win? There will be a giveaway every week. Make sure you stay connected so you will know when to enter.

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Behind The Keyboard--Tools of the Trade

"Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." –George Herbert

While it’s true that writers do not require any special tools, there certainly are a large variety of them out there. Some writers find themselves more productive and comfortable using certain devices.

I began my writing career with only paper and pencil. I would take my handwritten manuscript to work and type it up during my lunch break. Revisions and edits were made at home with a red pencil and then brought back to work the following day for a retype. If you think this process sounds hectic and unproductive, you would be right.

Five years later, the process is only a little less hectic. I now own a laptop at home, and my tools have increased. I still write on paper with a pencil. I type it into an Open Office document but save it as an .rtf on Dropbox in order to work on it at the shop in Microsoft Word. Edits and revisions are still done in red, but I prefer the Pilot Rollerball.

I have a room fool of tools. Are they necessary? Not really, but they make life a little easier and that translates into higher productivity.

Let’s take a look at some of the tools available to writers.

Paper—is available in different sizes, weights and colors. I use 8-1/2 x 11 sheets of used paper. (I have tons of it from my day job, and I only write on one side anyway.)

Notebooks—come in a huge assortment: moleskins, journals, spiral or black marbled composition books. I have at least four of each kind, in every size.

Pencils—are available in mechanical, colored, or conventional wood in hard or soft. I prefer using mechanical pencils, but sometimes I use #2 conventionals. I line up a half dozen of them by my right hand. Running them through a sharpener when all six points are worn is like active meditation and gives me time to imagine a scene.

Pens—there are so many different pens in every color imaginable! Just a few examples are ballpoint, rollerball, gel, markers, fountain pens, or even a quill and ink. (Yes, I own a variety of each, but some are just decorative.) IF I use a pen, which is rare, I prefer a fine point in black.

Technology—is a must since almost all submissions and queries are done via e-mail. Social media is a necessary evil as well as maintaining a website or blog. And who doesn’t love the convenience of quick online research. Always, always, always make sure you back up your work on either a thumb drive or an online backup site. I use Norton. Your cache of technology may consist of a laptop or desktop, tablet, smartphone, and/or voice recorder. While I don’t have a smartphone (Yes, I’m still resistant.) I have all the rest. I find the voice recorder comes in handy when I’m driving. My muse sits in the back seat, poking me in the ribs while she spews ideas at me.

Craft and Reference books and e-books—may include a Thesaurus, Dictionary, Market guides, and Rules of Grammar. There are hundreds of  ‘How-to’ books on creative writing, writing a novel, poetry, characters, heck, you name it! One of the newest additions to my writing toolbox is the Emotion Thesaurus.

Computer Software and Programs—Besides Microsoft Word and Open Office, there are tons of writer’s programs available, such as Storybook and Scrivener to name a few. Some are free and some charge, but the one that piqued my interest was the Dragon Speech Recognition software. We’re still in the getting-to-know-you stage of the relationship, but I’ll keep you updated.

Writing sites—There are too many to name, and you can really spend way too much time in cyberville, but some of the best ones are Rhymezone, Nathan Bransford's blog and Kristi Holl's Writer's First Aid. There are sites that offer forums, discussions, critique partners, and any other form of writing support you may need. But Beware! If you spend too much time on these sites, you won’t get much writing done.

Prompts—For those times when your muse is on vacation, you can find websites that offer word and picture prompts, and there are even books that will give you ideas. I own The Pocket Muse but I’ll be honest, I haven’t had the need for it lately.

What is the one tool you NEED to stay productive?

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