Book Launch: Taken by Erin Bowman

So many awesome books coming out this year. Here's one that releases today. TAKEN, by Erin Bowman, is a dystopian that sounds super interesting. Take a look:

There are no men in Claysoot.

There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends . . . and he's gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby's eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he's prepared to meet his fate—until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he's been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets, the Heist itself, and what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot—a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken—or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Interview with Quinn Loftis PLUS Giveaway

Ever since Lord of the Rings, the concept of elves intrigued me. Good thing author Quinn Loftis stopped by to talk about her book—which features elves—for today's interview.

Welcome to We Do Write, Quinn. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm 33 years old, I'm a wife, mother and author. I love to spend time with my family and friends, love to play board games or cards or really any kind of game. I enjoy exercising, crocheting and reading.

How long have you been writing?

For two years now, before that I wrote short stories and poetry while in high school.

Tell us about ELFIN. What's the story about?

Elfin is about an 18 year old human girl, Cassie, who discovers that Elves, not Christmas elves, but like Lord of the Rings elves, are real. She discovers this whole new world and also that she is tied to it in the most unusual and some what scary way. There light and dark elves and the deadliest of the dark elves has set his sight on Cassie. It's a love story, but it has a twist. It's intense and at times emotional, but there is my trade mark humor thrown in.

Sounds really cool! How did the idea of the story come to you?

I love paranormal, I think most of my readers know that, but they didn't know that I love Elves. I think they are a very interesting race and I think that there hasn't been much Romance done on them and thought it would be cool to try something outside the realm of were wolves, vampires or the other already done things.

Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I do have several girls who read for me and help me decide what is crap and what is not lol. Those girls are invaluable to me as is the advice of my husband.

I hear you on the crap detectors. I value my extra sets of eyes like you wouldn't believe. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I'm a both. I do write an outline but the story usually builds itself as I write.

What's the hardest part of writing for you?

Making sure to balance dialogue with description and not rushing things.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Skittles, music, coca cola (cause I'm healthy like that)

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

I've been asked that and honestly I wouldn't want one, too much responsibility lol.

Interesting; no one's ever given that answer before. Okay, then. What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Hmm, never been asked that.... let's see, I'm a little morbid and fascinated by the minds of criminals so I've googled information about notorious serial killers...I know, scary right?

Don't worry. If there's one thing writers know, it's not to judge a person based on their browser history. Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: fins, sensitive, and vindicate.

Zapora pushed through the waters wishing she had fins instead of just a fin, not to mention that said fin was extremely sensitive because of the idiot merman who attempted to catch her in a net, so hellbent to vindicate his brother of his accused crime against her father.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

reading or on social media

Here's the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

A big thank you to ALL the amazing bloggers who have taken their time to talk up my books, you are incredible! And to all the readers who have taken a chance on an indie author, thank you from the very depths of my heart. You mean more to me than you know! To my husband, God knew what he was doing when he gave me you.

And finally, where can people find you and your book online?

Amazon -do a search for Quinn Loftis
Barnes and Nobles
Ibooks
www.quinnloftisbooks.com
Face Book: Quinn Loftis Books
Good Reads
Twitter: @AuthQuinnLoftis

Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Quinn. Your book is definitely on my to-read list. :)

Giveaway:

Win 1 of 3 signed Quinn Loftis Swag Packs
International
Ends 30th April

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Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest: Special Announcement!

It's Monday! Which, for most of us, means the weekend has come and gone and we are slogging our way back to work or school. Hopefully, you're relaxed and ready to start your week, but if that's not even close, maybe we can help (or just get you excited and antsy, which is probably not much help at all).

Today we announce the agent who will be judging the Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest in TWO WEEKS! (If you have no idea what the Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest is, read this post) Believe me, guys, this agent is a good one. She comes from a fabulous agency that is currently not opened to unsolicited queries, so this may be your chance to snag her!

Meet Tricia Lawrence of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, the gracious guest judge of our Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest:

Tricia is the "Pacific Northwest branch" of EMLA—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 17 years of working as a developmental and production-based editor (from kids book to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist hoping to learn from Erin and Joan about agenting.

As associate agent, Tricia represents picture books/chapter books that look at the world in a unique and unusual way, with characters that are alive both on and off the page, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction that offers strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won't let go.

Tricia loves hiking, camping out in the woods, and collecting rocks. She loves BBC America and anything British. She has way too many books and not enough bookshelves. You can find Tricia's writing about blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and other social media topics (for authors and the publishing industry at large) here.

So, if you want the chance to pitch to Tricia in three sentences, click this link, read the post, and follow the directions. We look forward to reading your entries!

Guest Post by Leah Petersen: Science in Science Fiction ... & Paranormal?

Science in Science Fiction…& Paranormal?

by Leah Petersen

This past weekend I attended Ad Astra convention in Toronto, ON. It’s a great con, and if you’re anywhere nearby, you should check it out next year. One of the panels I was on was called Science in Science Fiction. Now what does this have to do with Dorothy’s blog, when she’s a paranormal writer?

Bear with me.

One of the things that kept coming up was how important it is to respect your audience by making sure you do your homework. We were talking specifically about making sure our science wasn’t way out there, even when we’re fast forwarding hundreds of years into the future, or transplanting ourselves to other planets, or who knows what.

But if we’re writing about things that aren’t scientifically possible now, we can do whatever we want, right?

Nope. Why? Because your readers aren’t stupid. If you put people in outer space without ships or suits, you’d better have a really good explanation for how they haven’t died before the end of page one.

That goes for all sorts of genres.

Paranormal, for example, is that fun blend of science fiction and fantasy. The stuff that could almost be happening in our world but isn’t, and isn’t likely to just because we’ve made some new scientific discovery. So anything goes, right?

No, and here’s why: Your story, your world, your characters can be so much better if you take the time to be accurate. For example, if your character is a shapeshifter, someone’s going to notice and be frustrated by the fact that she’s 4’9” when she’s human and 12’ 1” when she’s a were-unicorn. You’re violating some pretty significant principles of physics and biology there, even accounting for the unicorn bit. So don’t pull a trick like that. Or, better yet, do it, just know HOW.

Skimming over the years of your life spent in high-school science classes, you know that we’re mostly empty space, because each individual atom we’re made of is mostly empty space, a little bit of nucleus and a lot of cloudy area made up of the protons and neutrons. With me? Great.

But there’s still only so much mass there. So if you stretch it out too much, you’re unlikely to get a very stable or solid were-unicorn. But what if something about your world makes the atoms of were-unicorns in their human form hold their protons and neutrons closer, what if there’s much less empty space than an average human. Well then you’ve got so much more to work with when it’s time to stretch that same collection of atoms into a being three times its size.

Why did I just bore you with the physics lesson? Because if you pay attention to the details, if you don’t make something happen just because you want it to, you’re not only going to have fewer pissed-off readers, you’ve got so many more possibilities! What would a human be like that is three times as dense as everyone around her? That’s Superman type stuff! Think of how it enriches your world, your characters, and opens up avenues that the average ‘well it’s a shapeshifter, it just works, ok?’ writer won’t find.

It’s more work. Let’s not kid ourselves. But if you want yours to be the book people love, that sticks with them and that they recommend to all their friends, you have to make sure they don’t throw it down in disgust, or just walk away at some point, shaking their heads at you.

Respect your reader. Do your homework. And keep writing!

Leah Petersen lives in North Carolina. She does the day-job, wife, and mother thing, much like everyone else. She prides herself on being able to hold a book with her feet so she can knit while reading. She’s still working on knitting while writing.

Cascade Effect, the sequel to her debut science fiction novel, Fighting Gravity , is available now (http://www.leahpetersen.com/).

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeahPetersen

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LeahPetersenAuthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/leahpetersen

Google+: http://profiles.google.com/leahpetersen

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Interview with Nicolai Grunnet

Now that spring is making an appearance, it's nice to spend time outdoors. Perhaps in the backyard where the grass is nicely trimmed, and you can lay out in the sun among the garden gnomes. And if I've piqued your interest by mentioning gnomes, I've got an interview that touches upon that subject in an extraordinary way. Let's meet author Nicolai Grunnet.

Welcome to We Do Write, Nicolai! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Thank you! Allow me to say that I’m so thrilled about having this opportunity. My name is Nicolai Grunnet, born in April, 1982 and still feel younger than ever. During the day I’m a clinical psychologist and at night the author of the psychological, satirical fantasy series "Heureka". Writing has been one of my greatest passions since school, especially when I was allowed to tell wild fairytales in my assignments (usually about my friends). Once role-playing games were discovered, I happily took up the mantle of game master and storyteller.

I have travelled the world much and met up with many exotic people and their stories. This day I live in Denmark and have former careers as a warehouse operative, sales clerk, gardening assistant, teacher, actor and now psychologist and author. Who knows what might be next?
My style of writing attempts to remain within the conventions of the classical fantasy story and yet twist it as I please. They are stories of ordinary people with ordinary problems, in a disorderly world. While satirical elements are certainly present, through various clichés and pop cultural references, the stories also present more serious themes.

Gaming takes up a big part of my life. D&D, MMO's and Warhammer to name a few. Alternatively, I take my pet-hedgehog for walks around the house.

How cute! How long have you been writing?

I suppose it really began in school, as mentioned, but back then I was very inspired by the artwork of D&D and the universe of Warcraft, so I practiced drawing a lot. I never really became good at it, though.
I took up writing in 9th grade and mailed my first manuscript to a publisher. Needless to say, it wasn’t that good and I had a pretty rough review; still I am impressed they even bothered with an answer.
Writing went a bit on and off for many years. In 2011 I began working as a clinical psychologist, for a time with severely traumatized patients. It meant that many days were full of tales (and pictures) of war, torture and rape; things that really got to me. I had to find something to do in order to cope with it.
Thus I began writing, and as Sir Terry Pratchett once said, writing is the most fun you can have by yourself.

Tell us about PANDEGNOMIUM. What’s the story about?

Pandegnomium is the first book of the Heureka-series; a satirical, psychological story about a world that is not plagued by a demon or an evil dragon, but an international crisis. It only gets worse as the gardening gnome is, quite by accident, invented and kick starts the economy. But the gnomes are soon about to take their revenge. Thus, a strange expedition sets out to find the Ban-Hammer; a mighty weapon that can battle the gnomes. The expedition is neither great, nor heroic, but consists of a depressed warrior, a barmaid and a young wizard with Arcane Deficit Casting Disorder. So they travel out into the mad world to stop the gardening gnomes, only to contend with talking hippos, old ladies and obsessive nerds collecting board games.

If you wish to relate it to other authors, I’m mostly inspired by the two authors Sir Terry Pratchett and R.A.Salvatore.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

It’s actually a rather old idea, Pandegnomium was the first story in the universe and I clearly remember having it on a night in Italy back in 2002. I’ve always had a thing with gardening gnomes just being wrong and this seemed like an excellent opportunity to spread the message. Most of the story was written in the UK around 2005, however, and since then a lot of things have been changed in editing. For example, the first drafts were purely in Danish, but I felt it was too much of a niche for anything but the international market.

Interesting! Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I’m happy to have a solid (albeit small) group of beta readers at my disposal, who luckily all share my black sense of humor. While I think my writing is decent there is no way I’m getting around using a proofreader. Her name is Satine and she does a terrific job at pointing out my mistakes and remembering things I wrote 20 pages ago. I hope she one day manages to teach me the correct use of lay/lie.

One of my best friends through several years is kind enough to read through the first draft of every manuscript, whereas my sister, Sophie, is the main illustrator for the covers and always the first one to hear what the book is about. Of course, when it comes to the practical editing I go at it alone.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a pantser at heart, as long as I have a general idea what the story is supposed to be about. I know where it starts and where I’m supposed to go, but the landscape in between is unknown. Observers have described that I almost weave it together, which is a pretty nice picture, really. For me it has the obvious advantage of letting yourself be surprised at times and seeing how your characters react. And again, I’ve burned myself more than once by almost ‘writing myself into a corner’. That’s when I need to take some steps back and try to intervene as best as possible.

It can especially backfire in fantasy, I believe, as so much in this genre depends on the consistency of your world. Which is likely why the entire world of Heureka has so few rules set in stone. It is, after all, an existential nuthouse of ideas that have run wild and don’t care for such trifle concerns as ‘rules’. It leaves you with a lot of freedom to just throw stuff in it. One of the new characters we will see in the third book is the Assassin of Language, Etoia. I made her up pretty much on the fly, as one of my friends complained that ‘there was too much killing of language going around in society these days’. She fits right in, even though she was never a part of the original idea. And now it looks like she will play out a prominent role, brewing poison from dangling participles. That’s really one of the greatest things about being a pantser.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Bad conscience whenever I don’t write, actually. Being your own master is a terrible responsibility, especially because there is always something to do! Even after 3000 words in a few hours I can feel terrible for calling it a night. Then add in the immense amount of publicity and advertising you have to do afterwards. I can also have a rather hard time coping with how lonesome being an author is and the realization that your friends might not always be as interested in your work as you are. As I’ve said in one of my articles, I envy graphical artists because they can post a picture and get tons of feedback.

But you asked about writing specifically; I believe the hardest thing is getting started. I mustn’t allow myself to stare at the blank page for too long, otherwise nothing happens. Just write something and things will eventually follow, sort of like getting the train up into speed.

Oh yeah, and when you’re a nerd, roleplayer, mmo-gamer and warhammer-enthusiast, it’s not like you’re short on temptations.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Darkness and soda. I have a notorious relationship with either, through several years. I write really poorly in daylight, maybe because so much activity is going on outside. The sound of cars, people, everything. During the night, quietude is just so much better with fewer things to keep you occupied. Maybe because you tend to forget about dishes and cleaning and just focus on the books? Some of my readers have pointed out to me that my stories often take place at night. “Bloody Peasant” is pretty much one nocturnal battle, starting a bit into the book. I hadn’t given that much thought.

And soda, well, just because. My old, Indian bus driver once told me; “Just stay off the booze and the cigarettes and you’ll do fine!”

I’m taking his word for it.

Sounds like sound advice. If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Depends. I’d go for the ability to freeze time indefinitely, but isn’t that more like a god power? If it is, I’d instantly go for teleportation. From my calculations it’s both cool, can keep me alive (think about how much money I could make, if I started taking people with me) and is still usable to keep troublesome people away. Plus, who wouldn’t want to buy books from a teleporting guy?

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I’ve googled a LOT of weird things for my books. From the top of my head; ‘Most dangerous enemy of hippos’, ‘Goth Bears’, ‘Zombie gardening gnomes’ and likely the top candidate; ‘tentacle owl’. I’m sure there are more of them.

My general google rule, however, is to never click on the Image-tab. Bad things happen there.

LOL. Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: panda, gnome, and momentum.

On the top of his momentum, the panda smashed the gnome. 
I really don’t like gnomes.

I gathered that. ;) Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

Sleeping or feeling bad about not writing. Possibly at the same time.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

The Academy, of course, as I know they will give the upcoming film version an Oscar. But the very special shout outs go to the persons working with me on the first book. Sophie, my sister and artist who made the lovely cover and is still busy with the second one (and soon third, she just doesn’t know yet). She has been a kindred spirit as well, her too fighting her way forward in the world as an artist. I love it how she listens eagerly to the story and her way of adapting my characters into drawings, often in ways I couldn’t imagine.
I was extremely lucky to meet Satine, who’s primarily my proofreader and has slightly turned into sparring partner for my various ideas. She’s shown impressive skills and taught me a lot about writing in English, also been a great source of inspiration for my third book. A lot of grammatical humor is going on there and half of the jokes wouldn’t’ have made it if not for her. Just like Sophie, I hope to work with her for a long time.
Of course there is the emotional support, mainly from my better half, my mother and best friend. While they might not always get to read the books, they believe in me. And that is one of the biggest things for an aspiring author.

I owe all these people so much.

And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

My homepage is the central hub for all my books:
www.nicolaigrunnet.com
There they can find links to the various sites that sell them, mainly Amazon and Smashwords. It also features news and other nifty features, and if you want for further updates, I strongly recommend joining up on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorNicolaiGrunnet
Finally, if you want the direct link for Pandegnomium here it is:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/289643
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMZ7SV6/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_r=0D3G1DN0BE7KBVB85XYM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938731&pf_rd_i=507846

Thanks so much for chatting with us, Nicolai. Good luck with your books!

It’s been a pleasure being here! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Guest Post: Chris Allen: On Writing an Action Thriller Series

On Writing An Action Thriller Series
(& The TV Characters That Influenced Me)

By Chris Allen

For me, it was always about writing a series because I was hugely influenced by Ian Fleming as a young kid through till, well, today. Like Fleming’s Bond novels, I wanted to build a fraternity and a relationship with people who liked to read a series… and, most importantly, liked to see films made from their favourite books.

It wasn’t just Fleming and Bond though that I was obsessed with as a boy growing up in Perth in the 1970’s. Throughout that time I developed an encyclopaedic knowledge around all things series-related on television and the big screen.  It almost bordered on an unhealthy obsession. I thank my lucky stars that I still had drumming and running / hockey to keep me active and grounded! But reflecting on it today, it’s these influences that inform my own characters and plot development, so ingrained are they in my psyche.

Some of my favourites in the TV world included The Thunderbirds, the love of which I pass on to my two boys today.  There’s nothing better than having an excuse (in your 40’s) to watch the Tracey brothers flying all over the world to save people. The rockets were just incredible and, let’s face it, Lady Penelope is totally gorgeous. Of course, as a boy, you’re growing up fast and so it’s only a matter of time before you move onto things more befitting you’re age. It was inevitable that The Thunderbirds were discarded (for a while) as I went on to discover new shows and that’s when I stumbled upon the ultra-cool, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  By then it was the early ‘70’s, so I was seeing the repeats of this classic cult hit from the 60’s featuring secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin of U.N.C.L.E. This show left an immediate impression on me and I was intrigued by the idea of an agency that was ‘international’; so, in retrospect, it was not such a stretch from International Rescue of The Thunderbirds.  It’s more obvious now that U.N.C.L.E inspired the secret agency of my own books, INTREPID, and I’m thrilled to see that there is talk of a reboot of the series aimed at the big screen in 2013-14, although there’s still some conjecture around who might play the leads.

Another show I used to watch was the cop show Adam 12 which featured the Los Angeles Police and a great duo, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed. I enjoyed this show so much I’d sit too close to the screen for almost every episode, so gripped was I by the police officer’s responses to, what I saw through much younger eyes, as gritty, real-life situations. Of course, around this same period of my life, the opening theme to The Saint, featuring Roger Moore as Simon Templar, could summon me instantly from the opposite end of the house and, just a couple of years later, the theme music to The Professionals would have an even greater impact.  In fact, I was usually to be found fixed to a lounge chair at least ten minutes before that show would even start, urging the rest of the family to get whatever conversation they had left out of their systems or into another room by the time the opening credits appeared on screen. Not all that easy with two older sisters and two younger brothers!  The lead characters of The Professionals, ex-soldier Bodie and ex-cop Doyle along with their boss, retired Major George Cowley, remain staunch favourites of mine to this day for their pervading sense of camaraderie, loyalty, bravado, street smarts and, it must be said, classic 70’s cool.

The lead character of my own series, Alex Morgan, is infused with some of my life experiences and attitudes, combined with the most real and/or heroic elements I could draw from my favourite protagonists such as Bond, Bodie and Templar et al. As a kid, I’d watch them all on the screen or read about them in books and imagine myself vividly in their situations. What I liked most about Bond was that Ian Fleming had used himself as the basis for the character but then had developed him beyond that into a classic hero of fiction.  So, in creating Alex Morgan, I adopted a similar approach. Like me, Morgan is Welsh-Australian, and a former Army officer and paratrooper, with a personal history based loosely on my own experiences.  Of course, I’m nowhere near as heroic and unstoppable as Alex, but serving with the Australian and British Para's, the Australian Federal Police and as a counter-terrorism and critical infrastructure protection expert in the government arena has given me a wide range of source material to draw on for the books.  I’m also incredibly fortunate to have a number of very close friends whom I’ve also added to my characterisations, including Alex Morgan and the ensemble cast that is INTREPID. Unlike me, though, Morgan’s gone on to become this ultra cool ‘part-soldier, policeman and spy’, recruited as the star international agent of INTREPID, the covert-operations division of Interpol's Terrorism sub-directorate. 

INTREPID stands for the Intelligence, Recovery, Protection and Infiltration Division of Interpol and was established in the wake of 9/11 to take on criminals in the world's darkest corners. It's my creation, borne not only from personal experience but also decades of thinking, reading and watching all of these favourite shows and films and books and imagining the various scenarios that would eventually emerge from the pages of my own novels.

The series opens with Alex Morgan entering Intrepid in his mid-30's, so by the time I've finished #4 he will be within reach of 40. My intent is that he will naturally age and mature as the series progresses. But you don’t find out everything about him in the first series – you’ll have to wait to get to know him and the other agents, too, as the stories progress. My focus is in developing three-dimensional characters - Morgan and his compadres – something the readers can tease out through the entire series.

Thus far, the first two novels, Defender and Hunter, have been published by Pan Macmillan Australia's digital imprint Momentum and the third, Avenger, is due out at the end of this year, with the as yet untitled #4 currently in the planning stages. There's even a negotiation underway for a film franchise, so who knows how many missions Major Morgan will take on in total. I’ve always said there are a plenty of missions ahead for Morgan and being a former serving officer I have many ideas about what I’d like to see him do next. I’m sure he’s up for the challenge!

Morgan is an inherently adventurous guy - an agent first and foremost - and while he has a propensity to be melancholic on occasion (due to some of the things he's seen in his time) he considers himself very much a modern age Templar knight, a true 'defender’. 

For Morgan and his fellow agents, the life they have chosen is a vocation. That said, he hasn't been able to resist some of the strong, capable women in the stories – such as Arena Halls from the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office in Defender, or Charly Fleming, the internationally renowned classical pianist who was kidnapped by fugitive war criminals in Hunter - but he hasn't committed to anyone permanently. Well, not just yet.

I love thinking about this series, about INTREPID and what Alex Morgan will be up against on each operation. Writing provides the ultimate escape and gives me the opportunity to create new interactions and situations for my series character. But writing a collection of stories in 100,000 word blocks is no holiday. One of the challenges is coming up with believable plot lines that are consistent with my grand narrative for the series, as well as fitting in with the literary look and feel of the series. I like to give each thriller a contemporary backdrop for the agency to sink their teeth into and I try to make my story lines as real as possible, which can be difficult in the action genre when so much has already been done and told. That said, my stories aren’t about an evil genius trying to take over the world - far from it.  Instead, I try to find plot lines based in reality – like gunrunning in Defender, bringing Serbian Warlords to justice in Hunter, or tracking down the architects of human trafficking in Avenger – while still giving them just enough fictional spin to leave the reader with a sense that they could actually happen.

So, in writing a series of novels, I get to develop a whole range of people, situations and events Morgan has to deal with and that is hugely enjoyable. Long term, I think about how these experiences will develop him as a character. Also, with the advent of social media it's easy to converse with readers who like to engage with the complexities of Morgan as a person and an agent - whether it's about his unstoppable-ness, the way he banters with his compadres, or how he reflects on and deals with elements from particularly tough missions.

Morgan’s sole purpose at this point is to establish himself as the new lead agent in INTREPID and that means taking on everything his chief, General Davenport, throws at him. One of the knock-on effects of having Morgan's emotions and personal life put to the side is that he doesn't always have the chance to decompress post-mission. He's not robotic in nature, he's as real to me as the next person, and so that means he can be melancholic as a result. But he doesn't have much time to dwell on it, you see - there's always the next assignment waiting.

About Chris Allen: A former Paratrooper, Government Security and Counter-Terrorism expert, and most recently the Sheriff of New South Wales, Chris Allen's series of thriller novels feature Alex Morgan, star agent in Interpol's ultra-secret sub-directorate Intrepid (Chris’s literary brainchild). His experience of the publishing revolution has been up close and personal, self-publishing before being signed to Pan Macmillan's digital-only imprint, Momentum Books. Defender and Hunter have become instant eBook sensations and Avenger is due for release at the end of 2013, with a film franchise underway.

For more information visit www.intrepidallen.com, or say g’day to Chris at www.facebook.com/intrepidallen. Chris also blogs atwww.intrepidallen.com/blog.

To buy Defender on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009DF1098
To buy Hunter on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009DZKFNK

Interview with Tracy Sweeney

Happy Wednesday! It's halfway through the week, which means we're halfway to the weekend! And to help us get over the hump, we are pleased to have Tracy Sweeney here to discuss her writing path and her novel, LIVING BACKWARDS.

Welcome to We Do Write, Tracy. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a first time author and mother of two crazy boys who are seven and four.  They keep me on my toes when my head isn’t in the clouds.  We live north of Boston – sadly nowhere near New Kids on the Block, Matt or Ben.  I still blame my parents for this.

Ha! Well, you're closer to them then I am. How long have you been writing?

Since I was a kid.  I have memories of writing short stories in my fifth grade science notebook instead of listening to my teacher talk about rock formations.  I hope she’s not reading this now.

Tell us about LIVING BACKWARDS. What’s the story about?

The main character, Jillian Cross, falls and bumps her head while trying to squeeze herself into a very unforgiving pair of skinny jeans.  When she wakes up, she’s back in her childhood bedroom.  It’s 1999 and she’s a senior in high school.  Because she’s aware that any change she makes can affect  the future, she sets off to walk the same path she walked more than ten years earlier.  Unfortunately, she finds it’s hard to be the same person she was when she was seventeen.  Mostly because the first time around, she didn’t have a pink, sparkly flask.  And she hadn’t met Luke.  It’s hard to be reasonable when there’s a cute boy on a motorcycle.

Sounds like a fun read! How did the idea of the story come to you?

I love time travel movies.  Peggy Sue, Back to the Future, The Butterfly Effect.  I eat them up.  Maybe I spent too much time thinking about their nuances but if you were to really end up back in high school years later, could you effectively pretend you belonged there?  Do you remember where your locker was or your locker combination?  What you were studying in chem class?  Where you sat?  Could you be the person you were when you were seventeen?  Could you make it through all of that trauma and teenage angst without a cocktail?  I couldn’t.

You're right. I don't think I could either, and I don't normally drink. Speaking of needing a drink, how do you approach editing? Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I self-edit constantly.  I’m always tweaking words and sentence structures. If I sat down with LIVING BACKWARDS now, I’d probably reword the whole thing.  I’m terrible that way.  But at some point, you need to stop and take a step back.

I have a few people who then read for errors and will poke holes in my plots and tell me if something makes absolutely no sense at all.  When it’s cleaned up, it goes to my beta readers.  It takes a village, folks.

Absolutely. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m definitely a plotter.  I usually start with a broad outline.  When it’s time to dive into a chapter, I’ll flesh it out a bit with points I want to touch upon.  That’s not to say that I don’t go off on a hundred tangents once I start writing but I have a very definitive idea of where I’m going and how I’m getting there.  At least on the page.  In life, I’m lost without a GPS.

I hear you! I get lost in my own town of 15,000 without a GPS. What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Free time is at a premium for me.  And I don’t like forcing myself to write.  I’d totally fail at NaNoWriMo.  If I’m not in the right frame of mind or the words just aren’t coming, I can’t do it.  It just sounds forced.  I’m constantly struggling with when I want to write versus when I have the time to write.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

A martini.  Haha.  Seriously, it’s more like what I don’t want nearby.  I don’t listen to music or like having the TV on.  Background noise distracts me.  Just me and my laptop and I’m happy.  Then maybe the martini later.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

X-ray vision.  Kidding.  I’m not that creepy.  I’d like to be able to teleport.  Croissant for breakfast in France.  Favorite burger in NYC for lunch.  Gnocchi in Italy for dinner.  I’m very food-focused.

That would be really cool. And fattening! What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

The weirdest thing I’m willing to admit?  Haha.  I had to do some motorcycle and car repair research for LIVING BACKWARDS.  I know more about a blown head gasket than I ever expected to know.

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: ready, mustard, and caring.

Not caring about how I looked or what people said or whether I had a mustard stain on my t-shirt from that awesome hot dog at lunch, I marched across the library to tell him I was ready to finally work through this mess and figure it all out.

(I am a fan of the run-on sentence.  It’s making a comeback.)

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

Texting, chatting on AIM, posting a picture to Instagram and updating my FB status.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

How much room do I have?  I have an amazing support system and a huge fan club of people who may or may not be blood relatives.

My sister is my rock.  She tells me when I’m crazy.  And sometimes that I’m not.

Sarine, Nina, Carol and Kelly scoured over every word—a million times.  They’re all amazing and so, so good to me.

Liz designed an epic cover that makes me smile every time I see the book.  I couldn’t be happier with it.

My best friends Kim, Gina and Nicole are the best cheerleaders ever.  My pre-readers (cute cousins and kickass co-workers) all read LIVING BACKWARDS and squealed over Luke with me.

And all of the support I received from people who read the story in the planning phases and now when I can hold it in my hands.  I’m grateful for every person who has given me their feedback.  It’s truly been a learning experience.

And finally, where can people find you and your book online?

I’m everywhere.  Well, not really.  Here’s a good starting point:

Website

Facebook Page

Twitter

Amazon

LIVING BACKWARDS is available on Amazon, Barnes& Noble and Virtualbookworm Publishing.