Welcome, Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

1: Thank you so much for being here, Joan Donaldson-Yarmey. First up is the obligatory question. When did you

first begin writing?

My first attempts at writing were back in the 1970s when my children were small. However, I didn't have anything published until 1987.

2: Same thing with me. What or Who inspired you to write?

I was a stay-at-home mom and I loved reading. I decided to try writing as a hobby.

3: Wow, that’s pretty much what I did. So tell us, what do you like the most and least about writing? I like research, coming up with story ideas, and seeing a finished book published. I sometimes don't like the writing process, especially when it is going slow.  

4: Nothing worse than a slow moving book. I’m experiencing the same thing with WIP. Okay, so  what do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?

I live on a small acreage with lots of fruit trees so in the summer I love going out and grazing for fruit. In the winter I enjoy reading.

5: Sounds like fun. I used to love gardening. Which authors do you like to read?

I like mystery novels so I try to read a variety of mystery writers.

6: My favorites also. Tell us the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

I love life.

7: Tell me about your current novel, where I can find it

and your website/blog.

My latest novel, published by Books We Love Ltd, is called

The Criminal Streak. It is science fiction and the first of two books from the Cry of the Guilty-Silence of the Innocent series. It can be found on Smashwords as an ebook and will be in print this fall. The second one is called Betrayed and it will be out as an ebook in October.

My website is www.joandonaldsonyarmey.com

 and my blog is http://thetravellingdetectiveseries.blogspot.com/

8: Sounds interesting. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

In the beginning take some courses just to give you an

idea of how to put a story together. But know when to stop taking those courses and start writing.

9:Great advice. Do you base your characters on real-life people?

 Not really but I sometimes give them names from real people in my life.

10: Tell us where you get your ideas?

The usual places like news stories, overheard conversations, and sometimes an idea just comes to me. That is where I got the idea for The Criminal Streak and Betrayed.

11: I love using overheard conversations. What’s one thing no one knows about you?

There are a lot of things people don't know about me and a little mystery never hurt anyone.

12. LOL great answer. Who’s your favorite author and what’s your favorite book?

I don’t really have a favorite author. There are writers I like to read but after a while I find their books all start to sound the same. The one book I read that really made me look at writing differently was Barney's Version by Mordecai Richlier. I really liked the way he wove the tale and presented the ending.

EXCERPT:

Ten thousand years ago, our ancestors evolved from being hunter-gatherers to growing and harvesting their own food. They also began inventing tools to make their lives easier. This two-book story could be one explanation as to why.

 

Prologue

Two asteroids collided out in space. Both were bumped out of their orbits and one broke into pieces. Two of those pieces soared towards an occupied planet. One hit land, throwing a thick layer of dust into the air and starting countless raging fires which consumed towns and cities. The other landed in an ocean, creating massive tidal waves on most shores. The waves submerged islands and swamped half the land on the continents, drowning all people and animals in its path.

The dust formed a blanket and the plants on the land not hit by the waves died for lack of sunlight and moisture. The masses of inhabitants who survived the fires and tidal waves choked to death or died of starvation. When the water finally subsided it exposed the islands, now bare, and left huge lakes on the continents. It took months for the people living on the untouched areas of the planet to assess the destruction. One‑third of the planet’s former landmass was under water or covered by a dust mantle and half of the planet’s population had died.

During that time the true horror of the catastrophe done by the asteroids was revealed. The bump occurred when the planet was in its equinox and that was how it stayed. The middle section or equator permanently faced the sun as it rotated. Over the next few years the hotter rays burned off the ozone layer at the equator. The sun shone with a brilliant white light and the land for long distances on both sides of the equator could no longer support life.

Great bands of habitants trekked north and south looking for a new place to live. Fences, patrolled by armed guards, were erected around the towns and cities in their paths, but they were hungry and angry and could not be stopped. Thousands were killed as they swarmed through the towns and cities, looting stores for food and water and clothing, and setting fires. But when that was over there was still no place for them to go and no food for them to eat and hundreds of thousands starved to death before tent cities could be set up and meagre rations of food distributed.

Fear, and the knowledge that this may be their only chance, drove all the countries of the planet to join as one large Global Alliance. Leaders worked together to find the best way to save their species. To the north and south, where the ozone layer was thicker, the weather was more temperate. The alliance decreed this land was to be used to grow grains, vegetables, and domesticated animals sufficient to feed the people.

In what became known as the Great Change, twenty mega-cities known as megalopolises were built on huge tracts of arid land close to the farmland. They consisted of levels dug into the ground and ones rising above ground. Once they were completed, all the people who weren’t farmers were moved to the cities where they were given jobs and provided with rent-free apartments until they could afford to buy.

The villages, towns, and cities were then demolished so the land could be turned into more farmland. Special forests were planted for the cultivation of medicinal plants as well as for the small percentage of air purification they provided. It took years for the farmers to kill the remaining plants and work the land for seeding. They went as high up the mountain sides as trees had been able to grow and claimed the edges of the deserts through irrigation. What was too rocky or had substandard soil was turned into feedlots or pasture for the animals. Any other species of animal not of direct benefit to the dominant race was exterminated.

Scientists developed new strains of grains and vegetables that grew faster and larger so that six crops could be planted in a year. Animals were fed growth hormones and were ready for market in half the normal time. Great fishing farms were set up in the oceans and lakes.

At the same time there were purges. The Leaders decreed that everyone must have a job. So began the Tech Purge. Technology that had been developed over hundreds of years, first to make life easier and then to increase company profits by eliminating the worker, was banned. Walled‑in industrial parks were erected beside each megalopolis and any company that wanted to move there had to convert back to people power. Soon, the equipment that had taken over assembly lines, the apparatuses that had mixed and built, and the computers that had done the thinking were thrown into Tech Dumps. Residents ran the looms to make cloth, used the scissors to cut the patterns, made the garments. They worked in the assembly lines that built everything, they filled the ledgers, and they made the bread.

When a walkway in the megalopolises had to be repaired, the residents mixed the moon dust compound by hand and carried it in buckets to the repair site. When the streets needed sweeping, they were out in force with brooms. When a new level was to be constructed they carried the materials, mixed the moon dust, poured the bricks, and built the apartments. Everyone capable of working had a job and everyone earned enough to look after his or her needs. It was only where the lift and carry was too heavy for the workers or the distance of transport was too far that limited machinery was used.

Some remnants, such as telephones for communication and television for in-home entertainment, had been kept. Only government run agencies had computers. Education, especially history, was encouraged.

During the Corruption Purge, it was decided that anyone who committed a crime was not to be tolerated. All first time convicted criminals, no matter what they had done, were sent to the Fringes, former cities near the megalopolises, for five years. What they did there was of no concern to the justice system, but if they were caught back in the giant cities during their term, their sentences were doubled and they were sent to the Orbital Prisons. Anyone in the megalopolises who committed murder or sold drugs, which included tobacco, was automatically jailed in the prisons. Those sentences ranged from ten years to life.

Present life was good. The population was growing slowly, the food supply increasing. The one drawback, though, was crime. It, too, was increasing and they were running out of room to house their prisoners.

Welcome, Juliet Waldron

Thank you so much for being here, Juliet Waldron.

Thanks so much for having me, Roseanne!

1. First up is the obligatory question. When did you first begin writing?

Early, but then that’s standard for most writers. At heart, most of us story tellers, simple as that. I started with what we’d call fan fic, writing a play based on Bambi that was performed in the auditorium before all the fourth grade classes. I was pretty elated by that!

2. Wow, that is an early start and quite a feat. Who or what inspired you to write?

Our house was full of books. All my elders enjoyed telling stories about their childhood or just recounting events of the day with lots detail and sometimes, funny embellishments. My grandfather was a Lit professor with a wry sense of humor who could turn a trip to get gas and groceries into an adventure. In short, I had inspiring role models.

3. Wonderful role models. I love a good story teller. So what do you like the most and least about writing?

At the moment, what I hate most is sitting to type. Maybe I need a standing desk, as my back has been giving me fits. I’m not a fast writer, and I spew something out and then have to go over and over it in order to completely build a scene. What I like the most is the moment when those characters I’ve been imagining (and imagining) suddenly pop into three dimensions and begin to talk and walk without any apparent help from me. Then, writing a story becomes rather like watching a play.

4. Characters taking over is the best part of writing. And what do you do for fun and relaxation when not writing?

I’ve been a cyclist for 40 years. Although I used to ride distance (25-50) miles, those days are gone. It still puts a big smile on my face, though, when I hop on my step-through Granny bike, , and ride a few miles to shop or to the library or farmer’s markets.  I also volunteer with bike rodeos for kids and perform advocacy work to make cycling and walking safer. I keep a small garden, and read—of course—as well as slouch on the couch and watch too much TV with a cat or two.

5. Sounds fascinating and much more physical than me. What authors do you like to read?

We have some wonderful authors of genre fiction at BWL, and I’ll mention just a few—A.M. Westerling, Kathy Fischer-Brown, Jamie Hill and Margaret Tanner come to mind, but there are plenty of others whose stories I’ve read and enjoyed. I read non-fiction, too, especially history and archeology. That’s not only for research, but because learning new things about our human past is a kick.

6. They are excellent writers and you’re right, BWL does have a lot of wonderful authors. Tell us, what’s the thing you’d most like people know about you?

My books focus on relationships and on women’s experience in whatever time or place. Our names don’t often make it into the history books, but we were there, accomplishing things that moved society forward. I’d like to shed some light on both parties in a relationship. Mozart had a wife and so did Alexander Hamilton. These women are interesting in their own right.

7. Excellent. Tell us about your current novel, where we can find it and your website/blog?

I’m finishing the second half of “A Master Passion” which is about Alexander Hamilton and his wife, Elizabeth. Not only did our Founding Fathers possess exceptional minds, they had personal lives, too. In this case, both husband and wife have fascinating ‘backstories.’ Imagine a world in which Albany sits on the edge of frontier! And Hamilton himself has a life story that struck even his contemporaries as improbable, the stuff of fiction.

You can find out more at:  http://www.julietwaldron.com

The first book of the set is available at:

http://amzn.com/B00V8UT9I0

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/538709

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/a-master-passion-the-story-of-alexander-and-elizabeth-hamilton

8. You obviously have a fondness for history. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

At a long ago Romance Writer’s Convention, I heard Nora Roberts instruct: “Put your fanny in the chair.”

To that I will add Jimmy Hendrix: “Get experience!” And there you have it.

9. Ah yes, I heard her speak and she said the same thing. Great advice. Do you base your characters on real-life people?

I would say that I do, even my historical fiction. I’ve often read true stories that have inspired the big “what if?” question. That’s the germ of every tale.

10. Where do you get your ideas?

From life, as above, whether it’s life in the past or observable behavior. When I write fantasy, which I do occasionally, I head to the big storage cabinet of myth, but even a wolf man has to be a consistent and believable character.

11. You’re right about that. What’s one thing no one knows about you?

I doubt there’s much that’s interesting. I’m just another writer with a head full of stories I hope to tell. No extra toes or anything like that.  J

12. LOL So, who’s your favorite author and what’s your favorite book?

That’s a tough one. As a child, I remember reading “Little Men” about 30 times. I also got stuck on Jane Austen for a time, as well as Gore Vidal’s “Burr” and Eco’s “Name of the Rose”. I read Margaret Irwin, Margaret Campbell Barnes, Rhoda Edwards (“Broken Sword”) and Sharon K. Pennman back in the day, and wanted so much to write fiction like them. Right now, I’m enjoying Susanna Clarke’s “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” which is a fantastic genre mash-up. 

 Excerpt from Master Passion

 

Betsy heaved a sigh of relief and smoothed her party dress. In the center of the table sat the tea, steaming in a fine English china pot her mother had given her. The surrounding fare was substantial. The guests were obviously enjoying their repast. It was a full-scale affair, a long table covered with savories as well as sweets.

Some, Betsy had made herself, some she had brought in from famous Philadelphia bake shops. From her kitchen had come apple, pumpkin, kidney and pigeon pies, conserves of pears and plums, and loaves of bread.

That wonderful Dutch treat, oleykoecks dusted with sugar, those that had escaped the nimble fingers of the children, were not an hour old and wafting fragrance over the table. From the German baker there were sticky honey cakes and high tortes of nuts, cake and cream. A fine ham sat in state beside the tea pot with slices cut to order by Davie, who had stayed with them. He was resplendent tonight in a fine new wig, coat and pants.

Betsy knew that to the Philadelphians, as well as to the rich southerners, her tea was a simple affair. No roast pig, no pheasant, no songbirds stuffed in pigeons stuffed in ducks stuffed in turkeys. Nor any French cook backstage drowning everything in sauce, such as Mr. Jefferson employed.

Betsy didn’t have money for such luxuries on the slender salary of her public servant husband. Even if she had, her Dutch housewife’s upbringing wouldn’t have allowed her to ever feel easy with a French cook in the kitchen.

After a little time, she overheard the judgment of Philadelphia society upon the table of Mrs. Secretary of the Treasury.

“Pumpkin custard baked in the pumpkin. How quaint!”

“Yes. Good Lord. I haven’t been intimate with the dish in years.”

“Well, try some. It’s delicious. I’d quite forgotten how good it can be.”

The first speaker was Mrs. Willing, a tall and fashionably dressed brunette, a member of an old Philadelphia family. The second, Mrs. Bingham, was younger, fair and bejeweled.

“Look at this whipped cream! I must say, this is the first edible Republican tea I’ve had. The torte is Herr Kumkraker’s, certainly, but excellent as usual. The rest, I divine, came from her kitchen. I must confess it’s all extremely well prepared.”

 Betsy, holding her chin high, strode to confront the speakers. Mrs. Willing, she thought, was, as usual, sailing just to the lee of rude, but then, what else could be expected from someone whose father had been a war profiteer? The other lady’s maiden days had been spent coquetting it among the red coats during the occupation. One of her bosom friends had been the glamorous, notorious, and now forever banished Peggy Shippen—Mrs. Benedict Arnold.

“Ah, Mrs. Secretary Hamilton, such a marvelous table!”

“Yes, and so perfectly apropos for our Republican Court.” Mrs. Willing caught the flash in Betsy’s dark eyes and quickly added, “These days, with so many well-trained émigrés to employ, one is liable to overlook one’s native diet.”

“Such satisfying food! Why, it’s the kind of tea my worthy Grandmother Chew often served.”

“Your chef…is, ah, from New York?”

Betsy was certain they were fishing for an admission that she had “stooped” to cooking. Gazing into those smug, smooth, carefully made-up faces, she was ready to give them something to gossip about—these foolish women, too proud to enter their kitchens.

A man’s arm slipped beneath hers, interrupting.

“Ladies!” Alexander saluted Betsy’s companions, bowing gracefully. Both women returned his greeting with the responsiveness that Betsy knew usually welcomes a man who is both good looking and powerful.

“Mr. Secretary.”

“Mr. Secretary.”

“I overheard you ladies discussing our chef.” His glorious blue eyes flashed at Mrs. Bingham. The reigning beauty’s color rose beneath her rouge.

The secret of his power over all of us, Betsy thought with a deal of irritation, is that he acts as if he’s not only been in our bed before, but that he’s eager to get back in!

“Actually, a mere cook, ladies.” Alexander began smoothly, sending the merest flicker of a wink to his wife. “She is a marvelous Dutch woman from Albany, sent to us by Mrs. Major General Schuyler. If you can believe it, she speaks not a word of English. My wife is the only one who can communicate with her.”

While Mrs. Bingham and Mrs. Willing were mulling this astonishing fiction, he added, “Plain fare it is, but, I must confess, ’tis quite rich enough for a man with a delicate constitution.”

“You, Mr. Secretary?”

“Ah, yes, unfortunately so. Please excuse me, my dear.” He set Betsy’s arm free. “It is imperative that the ladies taste the pigeon pie.”

Collecting them, one gorgeous belle on each arm, Hamilton began to steer them along the length of the table to where the pigeon pie sat in state, rich brown gravy flowing from a generous cut where the Knoxes had already assailed it. Davie, helpfully attentive, picked up a plate and a server, ready to offer whatever the ladies fancied.

“I confide, of course.” Hamilton spoke in lowered tones. “Trusting implicitly in your discretion.”

The ladies nodded, curls dripping from their towering hairpieces, eager to have his attention.

“Did I hear you say something about a delicate constitution?” asked Mrs. Bingham. “That you should have any weaknesses at all, Mr. Secretary, is an astonishing notion.”

“Ah, Madam, if only I had none. In fact, I have several. A Spartan diet takes care of one.” Here he paused, blue eyes tantalizing them. “Marriage, I confess, assuages the other.”

The buxom Mrs. Willing leaned closer and tapped his chest with her fan. “But, surely, if the weakness is still with you, you must occasionally experiment with other cures...”

  

Welcome, Shirley Martin

1: Thank you so much for being here, Shirley Martin.

First up is the obligatory question. When did you first begin writing?

First,Ro, thanks for having me. I started writing in the

early ‘90s. 

2: Great, so What or Who inspired you to write? 
Writing was something I’d always wanted to do. After my sons were grown, I decided that would be a good time to start.

3:Sounds like many authors. Tell us, what do you like the most and least about writing? 
I love getting ideas for novels. I don’t like the research.

4:Ah yes, the research, very time consuming. What do you for fun and relaxation when not writing? 
I love to walk and read. Also enjoy listening to music, mainly country and pop from the ‘40s and ‘50s.

5:I love 50s music. Are there certain authors you like to read?

Books We Love has some great authors, including you. Also Margaret Tanner, Sydell Voeller,Ann Herrick. All of BWL’s authors are great.

6:Thank you, BWL does have great authors. Tell us one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

That even though I’m not a very outgoing person, I’m interested in others.

7:Okay, tell us about your current novel, where we can find it and your website/blog.

 My last published novel is “Temptation.” It’s a contemporary vampire romance. My website is www.shirleymartinauthor.com

8: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Yes, always set a time for writing and don’t let anything interfere, unless it’s an emergency. Write one novel at a time.

9: Great advice. I've read that some authors base their characters on real-life people. Do you?

No, I get my characters from my head.

10: And where do you get your ideas?

From everywhere. I got the idea for “Magic Mountain,” my WIP, from a book I read, “Lost Treasures.”

11: That's interesting. Tell us one thing no one knows about you?

That I was once engaged to a man from Beirut, Lebanon.

12.Wow, that is interesting. I'd love to hear more some day. Okay, back on track. Who’s your favorite author and what’s your favorite book?

I have several favorite authors and favorite books.  My favorite book is “Illusion” by Frank Peretti.  I also like Ted Dekker, Dean Koontz, and Terry Brooks.

  This excerpt is from my contemporary vampire romance, “Temptation.”  You can get it here:              http://amzn.com/B00MOZDM4K

           

Jennifer stepped outside on the brick patio, needing to escape the continual bragging of the stockbroker whose only subject was himself.  Closing the French doors behind her, she shut out most of the noise and laughter from the party inside, a welcome relief.  Surprised she had the patio to herself, she rested her hand on the iron railing and inhaled the cool November air, her gaze absorbing the magnificent houses and lush foliage of this elegant Coral Gables neighborhood.  Some day she hoped to have a home of her own, but she knew she could never afford a spacious mansion such as this.  But that was fine with her: a more modest house would suit her nicely.  The fragrance of night-blooming jasmine drifted her way, carried by a light easterly breeze.  She stared upward at the clear sky where a sprinkling of stars and a couple of planets overcame the competition of bright city lights.  She’d return to the party in a few minutes, but for now, she wanted time to herself.  She’d had a rough week and wanted just a few moments alone.

“A beautiful night, isn’t it?” 

“Oh!”  She swung around to stare at the stranger,. “You scared me!  You shouldn’t sneak up on a person like that.  I didn’t hear the doors close.”  Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and dark tie, he stood a few feet away, next to the door.  Tall, dark, and handsome.  The cliche slipped easily from her mind, but it was true.  At least his hair was dark, but his skin was the palest she’d ever seen, as if he never got enough sunlight.  On him, the combination was fascinating.  If Helen of Troy had a face that could launch a thousand ships, this man had the good looks to send a rocket to Mars.

He smiled.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”  He nodded toward the party inside.  “It was getting much too noisy in there.”

She tilted her head at him.  “I didn’t see you there.” 

“But I saw you across the room, and I wanted to meet you.  I hope you don’t mind.” 

 His dark eyes focused on her.  Those eyes!  She could gladly sink into them and never come up for air. 

Welcome, Author, Jamie Hill

Today, I'm interviewing my friend and fellow author, Jamie Hill.

1: Thank you so much for being here, Jamie.

First up is the obligatory question. When did you first begin writing?

Like many writers, when I was a kid. At age ten I wrote in spiral notebooks, and when I didn’t have one I used wide-rule notebook paper bound with crocheted yarn chains. Those first few stories were bad, really bad, but to me they showed I had heart and desire to put pen to paper. I threw them away at one point in my life and I do regret that, although it’s probably for the best. If they were to become public, oh my!

2: I love the idea of a notebook held together with croceted yarn chains. Never would have thought of that. So tell us, Jamie What or Who inspired you to write?

Reading Danielle Steel made me stop and think, “I could do that.” Please understand, I’m not putting myself on her level, I’m just saying that her books inspired me to push myself to see what I could do. There’s an old expression that anyone can write one book, but writing a second displays a person’s intentions to actually be a writer.

3: She's one of my favorite writers. So what do you like the most and least about writing?

The thing I enjoy most is starting a book. Figuring out the names, character traits, habits, car makes, jobs, etc. It’s a lot of work that requires much deliberation before any writing can actually be done.

The thing I like least about writing…see paragraph above! Sometimes the initial plotting is just exhausting!

4: Ah, you're a plotter, not a panster. So, then tell us, what do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?

I try to walk several times a week to counteract sitting in front of the computer so much each day. I wish I was more diligent about it. For fun and relaxation I binge watch Netflix shows, which has the added benefit of stimulating my creative writing juices. Current favorites which I’ve seen all of are Blue Bloods, Graceland, Frankie and Grace and Cedar Cove. I want to watch Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, Sons of Anarchy, and many more.

5: I need to start walking. Which authors do you like to read?

My association with Books We Love has introduced me to many wonderful authors, including my hostess Roseanne Dowell. I especially love romantic suspense and really enjoyed her novels Shadows in the Attic and Ring Around the Rosy. I also enjoy reading Ginger Simpson, Gail Roughton, Jude Pittman, Kelly Janicello, Janet Lane Walters and Geeta Kakade. I know I’m leaving some out and I apologize. Find them all at bookswelove.com!

6: I'm blushing, thank you so much for your kind words. Tell us one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

That I always try to do the right thing. Life is hard sometimes, and it’s easy to get drawn into the petty stuff. I try to keep my head above all that, not sweat the small stuff, and just try to do what’s right.

7: Sometimes difficult to do. Tell us about your current novel, where we can find it and your website/blog.

My most recent work is my series, Witness Security. Pieces of the Past and Time To Kill are available now. Cover of Darkness will be available later this fall. My website is http://www.jamiehill.biz/ but I’ve been struggling with Google saying I have malware(though I’ve been assured I don’t) so lately I’m directing readers to: http://authorjamiehill.blogspot.com/

8: Sometimes the internet is more trouble than it's worth. Okay, not really. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Just do it. People tell me all the time how they want to/plan to/wish they could write a book. Just do it. It may not be a masterpiece, but even the best editor can’t do much with a blank piece of paper.

9: Great advice. Do you base your characters on real-life people?

No, that would be creepy. I don’t even really like to use the names of people I know for main characters. I do like to stick my co-workers names in bit parts, that’s fun.

10: I bet it is fun. So where do you get your ideas?

Music inspires me, as do photos I see online. I’d have to say music lyrics, mainly.

11: That's interesting. I've had a couple songs inspire me also. Okay, so tell us what’s one thing no one knows about you?

If I told you, I’d never be able to answer this question again, now, would I?

My love for chocolate and George Clooney are fairly well known. Let’s just leave it at that.

12.LOL, okay, we won't push it. Tell us who your favorite author is and what’s your favorite book?

Not sure I could ever choose just one. While I love to read spicy romance and romantic suspense, two of my ‘off-the-top-of-my-head’ all time faves would be the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling and Holes by Louis Sachar. Go figure.

Thanks for hosting me today, Roseanne!

It was my pleasure, Jamie.

Excerpt from Time to Kill by Jamie Hill. Book 2 in the

Witness Security Series.

A couple of hours later, after Jordan had eaten the donut that Olivia brought her anyway, she glanced up to see their chief escorting a man into the office. Something familiar about him, she swiveled her chair to get a better look. Tall and slender, with spiky light brown hair, he sported a familiar, sexy little cleft in the middle of his chin.

She panicked. Rhodes wouldn’t have. He couldn’t have. No. He. Did. Not.

Pushing away from her desk, she hurried to the break room before either of them spotted her. With her back against the wall, she fumbled in her pocket for her phone and texted Doug.

He’s here. OMG!

Realizing she was being cryptic, she added,

Pierce. Then, Nick Pierce is here.

She waited. And waited. Damn it! Doug always had his phone on him. Unless he was sleeping. Maybe the baby was keeping them up at night. Damn it!

Ben entered the room and refilled his coffee cup.

“Ben! I need you to run interference for me. Go out there and distract Rhodes and that other man. I just need to grab my purse and get out of here.”

He looked at her like she was insane. “What are you talking about? I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes.” With an apologetic shrug, he walked out.

Her phone vibrated and she glanced at the screen. Doug had texted her back.

No freaking way! Wish I was there to run interference for you.

Jordan thought she might cry.

Me too, she typed back. I don’t know what to do.

He replied, I have a few thoughts, but can’t put them in writing. Might be used against me in a trial.

 She smiled and typed, No shit. A moment of hesitation, then she added, I’m scared.

His reply was instantaneous. Want me to come in? Go hide somewhere and I’ll be there as soon as I can.

Jordan brushed a tear from her cheek. Love you for saying that, but no thanks. Not going to hide. She inhaled deeply to bolster herself, then blew out the breath. Thank you. Go kiss that baby. Talk soon. She pocketed her phone.

A mirror hung on the opposite wall and she moved in front of it to check her makeup. Nothing had smeared, thankfully. Before she could decide what to do next, a voice from the past sounded behind her.

“Beautiful as ever, Jo.”

Welcome, Tricia McGill

1: Thank you so much for being here, Tricia McGill

First up is the obligatory question. When did you first begin writing?

Thanks for having me, Roseanne. I began writing so long ago I have forgotten just when. I can recall loving composing the essays they set for me at primary school, and my older sisters telling me how good my scribbles were. I only began to write seriously once I retired early from the fashion industry. Only then could I concentrate on creating full length stories.

2: Seems to be the standard answer. So What or Who inspired you to write?

I guess no one in particular inspired me at the start. I was given a box full of contemporary paper back romances by a friend and until that time had mostly read mainstream fiction. But thought, like many before me, I can do this. Then I was off and running. I love a happy endings so the romance genre suited me.

3: One of my favorite genres. Tell us what do you like the most and least about writing?

Unlike some writers, I love the editing and re-writing part. Perhaps this is because once the first draft is done there is something satisfying about reading over your work and improving and slashing. At times I wonder; did I write that? And there are times I can’t remember actually coming up with an idea that found its way into my story. I’m afraid I am of the generation that is not wholly social media savvy. I really do not enjoy the promotion side of writing but realize it has to be done. When my first book was published, epublishing was in its infancy and promotion was simpler.

4: I know what you mean about revising and wondering if you really wrote that. I’ve wondered the same things at times. Ah, yes, the dreaded promotion. Not my favorite part either. What do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?

I am a volunteer for a community group. Our program assists disabled people with their computers and internet and all the tech stuff that goes with this. I visit some clients in their homes but most of my time when not writing these days is taken up with the administration side of things. I walk my two small dogs daily and putter about in the garden with any other small windows of spare time.

5:Your volunteer work sounds fulfilling. Tell us which authors do you like to read?

I love Time-Travel and Historical Romance, so mainly stick to these genres these days. My favorite authors include Margaret Tanner (a fellow Australian) Juliet Waldron, and Ginger Simpson, to name just a few. Miles away from romance but one of my all-time favorite authors is Terry Pratchett. His sense of the ridiculous and fabulously inventive mind hooked me from the first of his books I read. Sadly, he passed away earlier this year, so I will just be re-reading his work from now on. 

6: Great authors. I’ve never read Terry Pratchett. I’ll have to look up his work. So a question off the beaten path, what’s the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

There’s not a lot to know about me really. I’ve led a charmed life; loved and been loved, and that’s what most of us want most out of life isn’t it? I’m no great literary writer but just like telling stories, and hope my readers will go on enjoying my stories.

7: Great answer. Yes, that’s what most of us want out of life. Okay, tell us about your current novel, where I can find it and your website/blog.

My latest book out is Leah in Love (and Trouble) Book 3 in my Beneath Southern Skies series, contemporary romances set in Australia. I had the most fun writing this one. It’s told from Leah’s point of view and I hope readers will enjoy her sense of fun. Leah is a landscape designer and goes to work on the garden of private Investigator Sean Russel (with one L). The attraction on her part is instantaneous, but it takes Sean a little longer to fall for her. She becomes mixed up in his cases which lead to mayhem and catastrophe, but her incurable sense of humor enables her to get through all that is thrown her way. In its previous life as Shrinking Violet this book was a finalist in the Romance Writers of Australia’s Romantic Book of The Year 2006.

Information on all my Books can be found on my web site: www.triciamcgill.com

Or my blog: http://triciamg.blogspot.com/

8:I love fun books. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

I think it’s all been said before. To become a writer you need dedication, determination and a burning desire to see a book with your name on its cover out there in the world. It’s just plain hard work and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

9:Boy you’re not kidding about it being hard work and what it takes. So, a question I’ve been asked a lot, do you base your characters on real-life people?

No, can’t say that I do. I often have an image in my mind when I am writing, and the hero often looks like Matthew McConaughey when he was younger. I love seeing the cover designer’s finished product after translating my ideas. As for characteristics, I believe most of my heroes have a touch of my father in them. He was strong in spirit (surviving the 1914/18 war), handsome, generous and kind. 

10: Great person to base your heroes on. Where do you get your ideas?

A lot of my ideas come to me in that period between sleep and waking around 4.30 am. I have always been a dreamer and some ideas have arrived in dreams.

11: Great way to get ideas. Okay, another question off the beaten path, what’s one thing no one knows about you?

I’m an open book. I’m sitting here trying to think of one thing I haven’t told anyone before. Nope, can’t think of anything, anything that would be of interest to people reading this.

12. Sounds like me. LOL  Who’s your favorite author and what’s your favorite book?

I have many favorites and my tastes have changed over the years, but I have a treasured copy of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It amazed me that someone who led a sheltered life and was educated at home by her father could write such a dramatic story. Sadly she didn’t live to see her Wuthering Heights gain success. She destroyed all her unpublished poems and writings before she died and you have to wonder why and what would have become of them if she hadn’t.

Excerpt from Leah in Love (and Trouble)

There was a door in the room I hadn’t noticed. Aggro opened it and peered round the

edge, while Baldy stood nearby. Now I knew why they called him that, his pate was as bald as a baby’s bottom, but not as nice by any means.

I was shoved into another dim room. At first I thought it was empty. But I knew it wasn’t when someone rushed at Aggro, who went down with a groan and a muttered oath. Craig and Baldy caught Russel before he got past the doorway, probably because I’d been in the way of Russel’s run. He stared at me with stunned disbelief as we were both shoved back through the door, which was slammed after us.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here?”

Well, what a welcome? Not nice to see you, glad you came along to help, but an accusatory question fired at me.

“I went back to your house and Craig and Baldy were there searching it. What are they after? They seem very pissed off with you.”

“They were at my house again?” He slumped on the floor, his back against the wall. The one window in this room appeared to have slats of wood fastened across it on the outside. Light seeped in through gaps. As my eyes grew accustomed to the dimness I could make out his features.

“Yes, I went back there after taking your sister home. Lord, now there’s going to be trouble.” I scratched at my head. The cap I always wore while working was gone, and the band usually pulling my hair back into a ponytail was also gone. My hair flopped about my shoulders, and I pushed it back irritably.

“You mean more trouble than we already find ourselves in?” He sounded amused. Which struck me as odd considering the position we were in.

“Oh yes, a whole lot more.” I sat beside him, my hands drooping between my bent knees. “They left a note for Sadie. She’s supposed to be getting a million dollars together by six.”

“A million?” He wasn’t laughing now. Real concern colored his voice.

“And I was going to deliver it. I told her to cut up some newspapers to put underneath a few notes.”

He stared at me and I shifted uncomfortably. “You’ve been watching too many cop shows on TV.”

“Well, they said not to tell the cops or you would die. And if she went to the bank to draw out that sort of cash they would surely get suspicious and call the police, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hmm.”

Is that all he had to say? Seemed so, for he sat staring at nothing in particular. “Your sister won’t have a clue what to do without me.”

“That’s a fact.” He ran both hands through his hair. “We have to get out of here.”

Talk about stating the obvious. “Of course we do, but you don’t seem to have had much luck so far. Why didn’t you try anything while you just had the idiot called Aggro watching over you?”

“I didn’t know he was alone, did I?” I’d pricked his male pride for he sounded quite put out.

“So, what were they looking for at your house?”

He sighed heavily. This close I could see that his lip was split again. Those beautiful lips of his sure were taking a battering. I might suggest kissing him better, but decided against it. Now wasn’t the time for frivolity.

Camping

I love camping. First time I went camping my children were little - that was a long time ago. We had three kids, bought a tent, sleeping bags, a camp stove, latern and heater. All the neccesities to camp comfortable. Two of my brothers and my older sister also camped with us.
That was back in the day you pulled into the campground, they charged by the car load and you piced any spot you wanted. Camps were set up where ever we wanted and no one was crowded together.  Yes, there was a bathroom and shower, and water pumps were located at various places around the grounds, but we always brought 5 gallons of water from home for drinking and cooking.
The first time we camped was Memorial Day weekend. Weather in Ohio is iffy at best and end of May or not, there was no guarantee for warm weather. There's a reason they tell you not to plant your garden until after Memorial Day and all danger of frost is past.
Yep, you guessed it. It was cold - winter coat weather cold, but hey we're diehard campers and we braved it out. My brothers were more fortunate as they had popup campers. My sister and I had tents. We used great care choosing our spots making sure it was level ground.
We camped for several years and eventually my younger sister joined us. First in a tent and later in a pop up. She and I used to camp in Beaver Creek State Park, what they called primitive camping. There were outhouses, no showers, and water pumps- the kind you had to hand pump - well water. Again we brought water from home. Baths consisted of boiling water and sponge baths every day. What were we thinking? LOL
One year we decided to stay out there for a month. Our husbands went to work from there. Mine worked nights and hers worked days so we always had a man in camp. Of course, mine was asleep much of the time.
They had a naturalist and he held classes for the kids. We hiked down a steep hill with her three kids and my six, the youngest both being about four years old. When we think back to how dangerous that was, we wonder where our brains were. Seriously, it was a very steep hill and if one of the kids, or us for that matter, slipped and fell what would we do? One of us would have had to leave the kids and go for help. Pretty scary. Fortunately, nothing happened and the kids earned their badges for various activities. The kids have great memories and we had fun.
From there we moved on to renting a cottage for a week every year. That was great fun also, but it was only a week. Camping was most weekends and we often stayed a week at a time. Other than the time we stayed a month.
The cottage was much different than camping obviously. We had a roof over our heads, running water, heat, a stove, fridge, and all the comforts of home. One of my brothers, my
parents, and of course my younger sister rented cottages. Really more like homes than my vision of a cottage. The kids could come and go without worry as it was a gated community.
Eventually, we rented a cabin for a week in Lake Hope Ohio with my oldest daughter and her family. We did that for several years and made many memories with her children. We had a great time hiking, sitting around the camp fire and cooking out.
A few years ago my kids started camping - they all had tents. One by one they bought campers, except for my oldest daughter, she still tent camps.
My youngest son bought a popup from a friend and later moved on to a trailer camper. We got the popup from him and recently gave it to my oldest son.  The popup was sufficient space, but putting it up and down was too much for my husband and me. It wasn't a
modern remote or even a crank type. Putting it up was fairly easy, putting it down was someting else.

So we bought and old (1998) motor home. It needs work but fits our needs. We went on our first camping trip of the season a couple weeks ago. It was great to pull up, park, put up our canopy, put the lights on them, pull out our rug, chairs and grill and sit back and relax. Well not actually, I did walk around and offer to help my daughters. It was great having a bathroom for those middle of the night visits and hot water to wash dishes. No more boiling it. Opening cupboards and taking out dishes instead of digging through one cabinet or countertop to find what we needed. My counters remained uncluttered. Clutter drives me crazy. It was great having a refrigerator instead of two coolers, also. Oh and it even has a pantry, so I didn't have to bring two storage containers. We weren't looking for a motorhome, we were looking for a class C camper. Hubby wanted something he could drive. Our car isn't capable of towing a trailer type camper anyway. We were lucky it pulled the popup. We couldn't afford a truck and a camper, so that was our only solution.
We've been busy making minor repairs and making it ours. For some reason there were mirrors next to the stove. Why? I can't even begin to guess. I pulled them off and of course broke them. I replaced them with stick on fake glass tile. Looks much better. There's still two mirrors on the other side of the sink. I have to buy more of the fake tile and I'll pull them off also.

For some unknown reason, there was also mirrors on the wall behind our bed. I removed the headboard and pulled the mirrors off. Fortunately they didn't break. Not sure what I'm going to do with them. They're beautiful beveled glass mirrors. Anyway, I replaced the mirrors with a quilt my daughters made me a long time ago. Each square is a family member's name, their spouse and their children. It looks great hanging behind the bed.
Oh, did I say our dogs love camping. They adapted quite well to the popup and have defintely made themselves quite at home in the motorhome. Needless to say I'm looking forward to our next camping trip, which will be next week.