The Next Big Thing Blog Hop: AVENGERS OF BLOOD

Charles Dougherty

Last week, fellow writer Charles Dougherty (@clrdougherty on Twitter) invited me to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. 

If you haven't met Charles, stop by his blog. And if you haven't read his books, give them a try. I've read DECEPTION IN SAVANNAH and enjoyed it - it's a great mystery with quirky characters (even a raccoon with a personality) and it'll have you laughing out loud!

You'll find links to six other fabulous authors at the bottom of this post. Follow the links on February 7, 2013 to learn more about their works.


 

1) What is the working title of your book?

AVENGERS OF BLOOD. It's the second book in the Cass Elliot crime series.


(AVENGERS OF BLOOD is now live on Amazon! Get it here.)

 
2) Where did the idea for the book come from?

The idea for AVENGERS OF BLOOD came to me after I read about James Byrd Jr.'s murder in Jasper, Texas back in 1998. His death was atrocious, but even more than his killing, it was his family's reaction that caught my attention. They chose to forgive his killers, even asking that the two who received the death penalty have their sentences changed to life without parole.

AVENGERS OF BLOOD isn't a book about James Byrd Jr. or his family. Instead, it asks what would happen if someone chose vengeance instead of forgiveness. If you want to read more about how the novel came to be, read this post.


3) What genre is your book?

It's a crime thriller.


4) What actors would you choose to play the characters in a movie rendition?

Oooh, this is a hard one. Each of my characters is fully formed in my head, but finding the right person to fit that image is tough! I picture Cass Elliot as a Kate Mara or Jennifer Lawrence kind of gal. 

Kate Mara

I can see Matthew McConaughey as Mitch Stone, although he might have to put on a little weight. Just a smidge. He's an East Texas boy, so he's got the accent down and he could probably pull together Mitch's swagger and vulnerability. 

My editor recommended Harrison Ford for Sheriff Bill Hoffner - yup, that would definitely work. 

Harrison Ford

5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

A horrific triple murder, a crime without punishment, and memories that will not be silenced.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published.


7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

About 90 days for the first draft and another 45 for editing.


8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Probably Karin Slaughter's Grant County series. They're gritty crime thrillers with a strong, flawed female lead.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

This story has been nagging at me for years, but the plot is a bit complicated and I wasn't sure I could pull it off. It involves two sets of individuals who are seeking vengeance from the same people, but for different reasons. Things get nasty when their paths cross. When I finished THE DEVIL OF LIGHT, I talked the plot for AVENGERS OF BLOOD over with my husband, and he encouraged me to try writing it.


10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

If you've read THE DEVIL OF LIGHT, you know that the book ends without full resolution: some of the bad guys get away, a character's life hangs in the balance, and Cass Elliot's future as a Forney County Detective is uncertain. Some of those loose ends are tied up in AVENGERS OF BLOOD, and others continue to weave through the series storyline (yup, Hitch and the old man still linger...).

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And now to introduce six great authors - in no particular order. Remember to check out their Next Big Thing posts on February 7, 2013:

Wendy Potocki (@WPotocki) - horror author, her most recent is the second book in the Adduné series - The House of Cards

Douglas Wickard (@DouglasWickard) - author of the Sami Saxton thriller series 

Joseph Souza (@josephsouza3) - author of The Living Dead Trilogy 

Teri Heyer (@TeriHeyer) - poet and author of contemporary and paranormal romance, her most recent is Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows

Ron Dahle (@chrningcauldron) - author of The Churning Cauldron paramilitary novels

David Perlmutter (@davepperlmutter) - author of true story Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Cover Reveal: AVENGERS OF BLOOD

The cover for AVENGERS OF BLOOD, the second book in the Cass Elliot crime series, has just been finalized and I am tickled with it:

The story revolves around two sets of individuals who are seeking vengeance from the same people, but for different reasons. Things get nasty when their paths cross in Forney County.

If you've read THE DEVIL OF LIGHT, you know that the book ends without full resolution: some of the bad guys get away, a character's life hangs in the balance, and Cass Elliot's future as a Forney County Detective is uncertain. Some of those loose ends are tied up in AVENGERS OF BLOOD, and others continue to weave through the series storyline.

As my editor said, the cover captures the essence of the book perfectly. Look for AVENGERS OF BLOOD in February 2013, and let me know what you think.

Genesis of a Novel: A Dirty Old Man

Readers sometimes ask where I get ideas for my novels. I'd like to say that there's some sophisticated process of pondering, gestation, and - some time later - voilà, a novel is born.

Alas, no. Ideas for my books come from seemingly random events that my little brain manipulates and interprets into evil motives and actions. Take, for example, the spark for THE DEVIL OF LIGHT. It ignited shortly after I was groped by a horny octogenarian.

Yes, you read that right. A dude in his 80s fondled me. Not what I expected from a respected member of our East Texas community. But excellent fodder for a crime novelist's brain...

In fairness, I guess the spark didn't fully flare until he groped me the second time and I realized that the old fart hadn't just lost his balance and grabbed my right breast and left ass-cheek to stabilize himself.

[How did this dirty old man even have the opportunity to grab said breast and cheek? During one of those polite 'hello' and 'good-bye' hugs that characterize greetings in Texas, and perhaps in other parts of the South. Simple as that.]


In truth, the idea for THE DEVIL OF LIGHT crystallized into a flammable substance as I listened, between gropings, to this old man describe the joy he experienced as a young buck, when he chased blacks and Hispanics ('nigras' and 'spics' - his words) through the East Texas woods. This would've been in the 1930s or so, when he was in his teens or twenties. Such was his glee in describing the chase that I didn't dare ask what happened when he caught these people. The chase was chilling enough.

But full-blown ignition occurred after Groping #2, when I realized that the old man believed that playing grab-ass with women he barely knows and chasing scared people through the river bottoms was perfectly acceptable behavior.

No. More than acceptable. It was his right.

And then it hit me that he probably wasn't alone in this belief. The dirty old man was merely acting on what many people believe to be true: that certain folks are "less than" and therefore, undeniably gropeable. The definition of those who are "less than" in THE DEVIL OF LIGHT is simple: anyone who is not white, wealthy, male, and / or holding certain positions of power in the community.

My little brain went into full-blown event manipulation mode, and the idea behind THE DEVIL OF LIGHT, the old man, and The Church of the True Believer was born. Detective Cass Elliot had been knocking around in my conscious and subconscious for a while, waiting for a meaty mystery to dig into. Cass is a wounded woman for whom justice is not just a concept - it's a physical necessity. The cruelty and arrogance of the old man, his Church, and his sadistic killer were just her ticket into existence on the page.


On its surface, the novel is about the hunt for a multiple murderer. But beneath that thin veneer THE DEVIL OF LIGHT explores what might happen when the gropers of this world unite and decide to 'control', to 'mold' their communities into a preferred state of status quo. Where those "less than" are forced into their place and kept there through a mix of blackmail, violence, and bastardized religion. It's about corruption for the sake of a tiny bit of power in a narrow slice of the world. The story is brutal at times. Violent. Gritty.

And powerful, given the reviews the book has received to date.

And maybe, just maybe, THE DEVIL OF LIGHT is my way of poking a metaphorical finger in the octogenarian's eye. My initial reaction to his gnarly fingers squeezing my body was to bop him in the nose. A bit of broken cartilage, some blood, perhaps a fall and a fractured bone. But that would've ended badly for all of us. Me, especially.


A novel is a much safer outlet. Delightfully satisfying to write and hopefully, an enjoyable break from reality for my readers. 

And there you have it, the Genesis of THE DEVIL OF LIGHT - a dirty old man with wandering hands and a sense of entitlement, and my little brain seeing opportunities for evil everywhere...


photo credit: Tiago Daniel via photopin cc
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via photopin cc
photo credit: Shavar Ross via photopin cc
photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc

Physical Books and CDs: Alive and Well in 2012 England

It's hard to find a bookstore or a CD shop any more. Have you noticed? Barnes & Noble are still around, along with a (very) few independent bookshops, re-sale CD shops, and in our area, the highly addictive Half Price Books (who do a mighty trade in CDs). In this neck of the woods, that's about it.

As a writer, the demise of the physical bookstore doesn't bother me - customers find me in a variety of digital venues. As a reader, it definitely does bother me. Same holds true for my musician husband when it comes to CDs and his recording / listening habits. He can distribute digitally, but prefers to have the physical CD (or even the vinyl, in some cases) for listening purposes.

Although this change might be a bit slower coming to other parts of the world, the digital age continues to gain ground. In this August 6, 2012 article, Michael Harper notes that in the UK, Amazon is selling 114 ebooks for every 100 paperback or hardback books sold, and the British are buying approximately four times more books now than before they owned an ereader. (That's good news for those of us who so far, only publish our books electronically.)

Two of the things I enjoyed most about living in England were the ability to walk to many of the places we wanted to go and the number of bookstores and music shops we came across on our walks. In June, my husband and I had the pleasure of traveling to England to visit his family in Norfolk County. One of the things we worried about before we took flight was how many of those lovely stand-alone book and CD shops we'd find, now that we've been away for five years. So much has changed in terms of the world's digital lives that we had serious cause for doubt.

It was with some trepidation that Martyn and I walked down London's Charing Cross Road in hopes of seeing Foyle's Bookshop and Ray's Jazz. To our delight, both exist and appear to be thriving.

The Stage at Ray's Jazz is still on Foyle's first floor, but with a larger seating area for the café. (If you have a chance, stop by for a great cup of coffee, scrumptious scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and free Wi-Fi.) The record shop is upstairs on the third floor now, with an expanded selection of music. Yup, you read that right: expanded selection. Music to Martyn's ears, so to speak.

With the exception of the Borders bookstores, we found almost all of the stores that we remembered open and doing quite well, in both Norwich and London. All the bookshops down Cecil Court were open, along with the Waterstone's on Oxford Street, Hatchard's on Piccadilly, and many of the independent shops.

The bookshops on Cecil Court

On the music front, although the Virgin store is long gone from Piccadilly Circus, HMV lives on in London and Norwich. We were pleasantly surprised to find the funky Fopp on Earlham Street still open (they're somehow linked to HMV now), and all the instrument shops down Denmark Street thriving.

The Earlham Fopp Shop

Denmark Street

What does the presence of all this populated brick and mortar mean? Although the digital age marches on, it seems there are a few holdouts for lovers of physical books and CDs. Across the pond, anyway. Given the rise of the ereader and other digital devices in England, it may not last. But hopefully those physical shops will hold on long enough for us to make another trip back - maybe next year...

Does having access to physical shops for books and records matter to you?


Girl Reading Book photo credit: Βethan via photo pin cc
All other photos via yours truly.

Harpers Hollow Horror-ble Grand Opening Giveaway!

Calling all horror, sci-fi, and fantasy aficiandos!

Do you love a good chill down your spine? Get a thrill from watching your victims scream and dance as you scare the daylights out of them? Are ghost hunters your heros? Take heart - Halloween is just around the corner, and Harpers Hollow is celebrating their grand online opening by hosting a fabulously fearsome giveaway!

Don't know Harpers Hollow? It's the new virtual home of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy - freaky features are added daily! Click here to learn more about the little house of Harpers Hollow horrors.

For an easy-as-pumpkin-pie chance to win a custom designed Halloween prop with a value of up to $500,  a $100 Halloween Home decor item, or a coupon for $10 off your $60 shopping spree - click the link below! But click fast, the giveaway ends12:01 a.m. September 1, 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

photo credit: Hourman via photo pin cc