The April issue of Guilty As Charged is now up on my site! In this issue, I have an interview with a correctional officer. This person was open and honest about what the job is like (and that’s not easy to come by!). I hope you’ll all read the interview and share your thoughts.
www.QuietFuryBooks.com/newsletters.html
And a huge thank you goes to my correctional officer friend! 
Ever wonder what your hairstylist is really thinking? In my upcoming book The Cutting Edge, I’ll be revealing some secrets from my 15 years in the business. You may never feel the same way about getting your hair done!
Skye is a hairstylist with murder on her mind. She’s burned out and people are driving her crazy. She fantasizes about what she could do with her scissors while smiling at her clients. Then she runs into a real-life serial killer who believes that Skye might be a kindred spirit. If given the oppportunity, would Skye really kill someone?
I was hoping to have The Cutting Edge complete and available by summer. Health complications have set me back a bit, so I’m shooting for late summer / early fall.
Meet Louise Wise, author of Eden!
Tell us about yourself, Louise:
I’m married and live with my husband in Northampton (where the late Princess Diana was born), England. We have four boys, the youngest is six and the eldest is nineteen. Two cats and a rabbit with a personality disorder – he thinks he’s a cat also. Professionally I am an on-line editor as well as a writer. I do love editing (I think I’m alone?), I love seeing pieces come alive on the page just by changing the position of a comma.
***
About Eden:
JOURNEY TO THE PAST…
A tale of romance and survival as three people travel from 2236 to the beginning of time.
Jennifer Daykin joins the three-man crew to explore the newly discovered planet, Eden.
All was going well until Jenny found herself deserted…
She listened for an answering shout – there was nothing. In the distance, Jenny was transfixed with horror as the space shuttle rose into the blue sky of Eden.
‘No… Don’t leave me here!’
Only the pounding of her heart answered her.
…but not alone
The instant she hit the floor she curled into the foetal position. Finally, the bare feet walked away. A Native American warrior, had been her first thought, but it was his eyes that had alerted her he wasn’t an Indian or even human. They were completely black; black, dry orbs in a battered face.
Ordinary people with ordinary emotions, fears and insecurities.
Only this isn’t Earth, and he isn’t human.
A modern day Adam and Eve.
***
A chat with Louise:
Eden is your first book. What prompted you to write this particular story?
Eden is my first published book. I have written nine books previous to Eden but they are so badly written I can’t look at them without grimacing. I’d always liked the idea of being abandoned somewhere remote (yeah, I loved Swiss Family Robinson as a kid), but lost on an island in the Pacific just seemed cliché somehow. So, also having an interest in Astronomy I thought why not use the same concept but on another planet!
Eden is a unique blend of romance and sci-fi. Have you always been a fan of both genres?
I’m a true romantic! I’m not a total fan of sci-fi though, funnily enough, I don’t like trying to fathom out the pronunciation of unfamiliar names or faraway places. I like reality and Eden is based on ordinary human emotions and survival. Fly, the alien, was as human as I could make him. I do love factual books about space, but not fiction.
What type of research, if any, did you do for Eden?
I used the Internet and books for all. It’s true what they say, write what you know, and being interested in all things spacey the research was a pleasure. I used the NASA and ESA website, and I found I also needed to know about farming and medicine (I researched medicine in medieval times for that one).
Do you have a special writing process or routine?
I weave my writing around my homelife and what I call my real-life job (I usually write in the early to late evening).
I tend to have an idea and generally sit on it, turning it over in my mind before jotting down ideas. I then write a couple of chapters, not bothering with spelling or being precise, so going along to see if the story flows.
By doing it this way I can see if it’s an idea that either grows or falters. If it falters I file the chapters away on the computer (I never throw anything away!) and sometimes they come in use for a short story, if it grows hey-presto!
When I read the book, I felt a powerful message woven within the story. Was that intentional on your part?
You felt that? Oh good! I was trying to get the message across that you can’t judge a book by its cover (no pun intended!). Fly, the alien, looked vicious but Jenny fell for him. The other characters couldn’t understand it, and thought she was prostituting herself for survival. Prejudice survives because of a refusal to understand another race, but the minority races can also fuel this lack of understanding. Fly (the minority) realised he’d have to meet the others half way, and tried to fit in. It didn’t work, he got angry, the others scared. and it took a major catastrophe to rethink their ideas.
What’s next in your writing career?
Thank you for calling it a “career”, my family still calls it my hobby! I have a book called A Proper Charlie coming out in September, it’s a chicklit. It sounds completely different from Eden, doesn’t it? But I feel more comfortable writing humour – and of course, the romance is still there. This time I’m using “mistaken identity” as my theme.
If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why? (Totally irrelevant to writing, I know. We can’t be all work and no play!)
I think I’d like to be a wolf (not one from my story! Eek!), they have a strong sense of loyalty to one another and are social animals.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?
I’d like to say to aspiring writers reading this, that those “over night” success stories really take years of writing rubbish and hard, hard work learning the craft before they are “discovered”.
Purchasing Info:
Amazon.com: http://bit.ly/dzv9bp
Amazon.uk: www.bit.ly/cEjYqt
Louise’s Blog: http://louisewise.blogspot.com/
I loved Eden! The story was compelling, as well as fun. I hope you’ll all read it!
Thanks for joining us today, Louise! I’m looking forward to your next book!
I just found out that my novel Enemies and Playmates is number one in the Romantic Suspense Community on Amazon!
To celebrate, I’m giving away a signed copy in a 48-Hour Book Giveaway contest. Enter between 3PM EST today and 3PM EST Wednesday, March 24.
To enter, just fill out the form on my contest page. (Be sure to fill out the correct form. You may enter both contests, though only one time each.
www.QuietFuryBooks.com/contests.html
By the way, I’m reading the number two book in that community – Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba. I’ve recently had the pleasure of getting to know Stacy. She’s a great writer and I’m loving her book!
Love to read but can’t afford to buy all the books you want? The website www.Goodreads.com has a great swap program! Joining the site is free. Members list books they no longer want, along with the condition the book is in. All you do is choose one you’d like and supply a credit/debit card. You’re charged for shipping only (generally about $3.50 per book).
When you ship one of your books to someone, the shipping is figured out for you and all you do is print the label. No money exchanging hands. No weighing the package. All you do is stick the label on the envelope and mail the book. Plus, for every 10 books you send out, you get one shipped to you free!
Goodreads has lots more to offer, including giveaways of early review copies of dozens of books every month! If you haven’t stumbled across the site yet, you should check it out!
Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to the fabulous author, Gayle Trent!
Gayle writes the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating Mystery series for Bell Bridge Books. The second book in that series is Dead Pan. Both Thorndike and the English publisher BBC Audiobooks will be releasing the first book in that series, Murder Takes the Cake, in large-print, hardcover format in the coming year.
Gayle also writes an embroidery series under the pseudonym Amanda Lee for NAL/Penguin. The first book in that series is due to be released in August of 2010.
When the meanest gossip in Brea Ridge dies mysteriously, suspicions turn to cake decorator Daphne Martin. But all Daphne did was deliver a spice cake with cream cheese frosting–and find Yodel’s body. Now Daphne’s got to help solve the murder and clear her good name. Problem is, her Virginia hometown is brimming with people who had good reason to kill Yodel, and Daphne’s whole family is among them.
Kaye’s Penguin Posts Cake decorator Daphne Martin once again finds herself and her cakes at the center of a murder mystery. Half the town gets sick following a cake event, but for poor Fred Duncan, a bout with potential food poisoning quickly turns fatal. Now it’s up to Daphne to sort through the likely suspects and figure out who frosted Fred.
Books bought from Bell Bridge Books will be personalized. They can be purchased through the website at www.bellbridgebooks.com. You can also find Gayle’s books on Amazon!
Gayle loves to hear from readers who can contact her via e-mail at gd830@hotmail.com or via one of her Web sites: www.gayletrent.com or http://gayle24202.tripod.com. If you share an interest in cake decorating, please visit Daphne’s Web site, available via click-through from either of Gayle’s sites or at www.gayle24202.tripod.com/id9.html.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will all check out Gayle’s novels!
To learn about more authors and books on the March Virtual Book Tour: http://tinyurl.com/ykjvonn
I have a book addiction. There, I’ve said it. Furthermore, I do not wish to be cured. If a support group existed for book addicts, I wouldn’t join. Well, maybe I would. But only to take the books from the addicts wishing to rid themselves of their addiction.
I have a room, my office/library, in which I am surrounded by built-in bookshelves. (Thankfully, my husband is a genius with power tools.) I own a lot of books. I won’t say I own too many because there is no such thing as too many books. My interests vary greatly, therefore my collection is eclectic. A hodgepodge of genres and topics to choose from. I keep all my nonfiction. As for my fiction, I pass most of those books on once I’ve read them. I don’t re-read fiction and I’m always happy to know that a book has found a new home with someone who wants to read it.
This method has worked well for me. My collection doesn’t get out of hand and I’m always surrounded by a variety of titles to choose from. Then my husband bought me a Sony Reader and I have since lost control of my addiction.
First, let me state that I will always prefer the physical book. I love the look of books. I love the smell of them. I love to touch them and rearrange them on my shelves. Yes, I know, I need counseling.
Despite my preference for physical books, I love my Reader. It’s convenient and stores hundreds of titles in one little spot! Also, it’s better for the environment (I’m slightly less guilty of destroying the rainforest) and most of the titles are a little cheaper (which helps when you’re a compulsive book shopper on a budget).
Here’s the real problem. I now have a digital library that I’m not quite sure how to handle. I’ve read the book. I’m done with it. I won’t read it again. Yet, it sits on my computer, in my Sony Reader’s digital library, taking up space. I’m collecting books I’ve read that I will not read again. They are mingling with those that I haven’t read and I’m creating an unorganized mess. And, yet, I cannot bring myself to delete the e-books I’ve read! That act is comparable to tossing a book in the trash. Delete a book? I get queasy just considering it!
I know I must come to terms with this. I’ve decided that I will make a collection folder for all the e-books I’ve read in my virtual library. At least this will prevent them from mingling with my unread e-books and disrupting my brainwaves when I attempt to pick the next title to read. However, this is not a long-term solution. I know that eventually I will need to use that delete button. When that day comes, I am sure I will need a strong sedative. No, on second thought, I’ll need a major book-shopping spree. Nothing lifts my mood like shopping for books!
Read An e-Book Week has begun! Click on the banner to see a list of all the participating sites, authors, and publishers!
All of my e-books are discounted and available on Smashwords. Enemies and Playmates is a free download this week! My other four novels are available at big discounts. The codes are given to you on the purchase pages.
While you’re there, check out all the other free and discounted books! Stock up on your reading material during Read An e-Book Week!
My Smashwords page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DarciaHelle
Should you get fired from your job for smoking pot, providing you have a prescription that says you’re allowed to do so? According to a recent article in Newsweek magazine, this is happening all over the country. Employers are firing their employees for failing a drug test, despite the fact that the marijuana in their system is legal and their job performance has not been a problem. Many of these cases have gone to court. According to the article, so far judges in California, Washington, Montana, and Oregon have sided with the employers.
This doesn’t seem like a fair standard. Oxycontin and Vicodin are much more powerful than marijuana, yet employees are not being fired for using those drugs. In these cases, we are talking about the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes, not recreational drug use. If a state is going to make the use of medical marijuana legal, then “failing” a drug test for that same drug should not be legal cause for termination. After all, you don’t get fired for having Oxycontin in your system – that is, providing you have a prescription.
Of course, this is just my opinion. But, it seems to me, our courts need to start backing up the laws made by our government, at both the local and national levels. Otherwise, there is a whole lot of confusion and innocent people get tossed around in the resulting whirlwind.
