Past Due-- Elizabeth Seckman

If you follow my other blog, Therabidwriter.blogspot.com, you may have already  read about my friend Elizabeth and her new book, Past Due. If not, check it out! 

I am SOOOOO excited to have Elizabeth Seckman with us today. And because she's such a good friend, I'm going to put her on BOTH of my blogs.  I met Elizabeth online through a mutual writing friend. She's been a wonderful encouragement in my own writing and today, I get to celebrate with her. You see, she just released her debut novel, PAST DUE. Today, she's answering a few questions for us so we can get to know her a little better.

Here's a little about PAST DUE:
The Blurb 

Jenna Austin is a young, widowed artist raising a teenage son on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As the costs of living in paradise rise, she struggles to make ends meet. Life isn't easy, but she manages.

When her car breaks down, she trudges on. She assumes life can't get any more complicated than it is. But it can...

Chance brings her nose to well-formed chest with Tres Coulter, the handsome, affluent aid to Governor Hunt. Jenna and Tres share a history; they also share a love they thought long lost.  Their lives are about to be altered forever as the deceptions of the past transform the very foundation of the present. 

The price of happily ever after may be too steep to pay once the past comes due. 

THE INTERVIEW:

1.      What do you do when you are not writing?

          --Laundry. And make food. What is it about kids thinking they have to be fed?

2.       When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

         --I started my first book in 2001. Wrote four more, then in 2010 decided I better start querying...my husband threatened to make me get a real job if I didn't start trying to sell.

3. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

        --Outline. Sort of. I keep a notebook on each story. I keep all the story details in it. The synopsis, a timeline, character sketches, plot ideas, and research information. 

4.   Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

          --Getting someone to take a chance on me. I got several requests, but the general consensus was...the book was good; but maybe not break-out novel worthy.

5.      Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

         --They really moved the lighthouse. And Jenna is patterned after my sister, Cathy. This book was requested by her as a gift for her 25th wedding anniversary. She wanted a love story centered around the moving of the Cape Hatteras light in 1999. "Past Due" was the result.

6.   What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

         -- The epilogue. I like to wrap things up completely. I guess I'm a writer with controlling tendencies.

7.      What project are you working on now?

         --I have several. I like to work on a few books at a time. It helps me not to be too close to a work. Setting it aside and working on something else gives me better perspective.

8. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

        --Honestly...everyone has been really professional. I'm expecting my first heart break to come from a reviewer. What has been the best compliment? Any time a reader says they like it, that's what I'm writing for. If the reader is pleased, I'm a happy girl.

9. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?  

        --Write. If at first you don't succeed, write, write again.

10. You write romance...Are there any love scenes? If so, what did your husband say when he read them?

        --LOL. First one he read he complained that it was lame and reflected poorly on him. Geesh...the pressure!

11. What's your writing environment like... couch/desk, dog at feet, handwrite/type?

        --Office chair and a desk. One dog at my feet, one behind the chair, and the cat keeps watch from the printer. Such loyal fans. 

12. What sort of Starbuck’s coffee would your characters order? Simple coffee, complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-deal?

        --Simple coffee.

And the bonus question...Milky Way or Snickers?

        --Snicker bars over Milky Ways. I even named a dog Snickers. She was a good dog. RIP sweet little mutt.

Be sure to check out Elizabeth's book here:

amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Past-Due-Elizabeth-Seckman/dp/1938243323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339055528&sr=8-1 

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/elizabeth-seckman?keyword=elizabeth+seckman&store=allproducts

All Romance E-Books

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html 

Smashwords

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/168887 

World Castle

http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com/author-elizabeth-seckman.html 

Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan

Hello all, 

Today we're taking a look at a new book by Andrew Klavan called Crazy Dangerous. If you don't have it on your TBR lists, get out your pens and write it down or type it in or list it on Goodreads or whatever it is you do for your TBRs. For today's post, we get to see a little more intimately into the life of the writer.

We writers all have a special place where we go to allow the muse to work. For some it's a quaint coffee shop, for others it may be a favorite chair. For Andrew Klavan, he's got himself an awesome workshop. :) 

Writing Place

I have a workshop in the backyard of my house.  It’s only a small shack but it has just enough room for me to do what I need to do:  sit and work, pace, lie down and read on the sofa from time to time.  I’ve got it decorated with framed jackets from some of my books.  And there’s a framed print of Caravaggio’s painting “The Inspiration of Saint Matthew,” with the angel whispering in St. Matthew’s ear while he sits writing at his table. Not that I compare myself to St. Matthew, but I do think of good writing as a matter of inspiration:  something that is breathed into you from somewhere else. I really like my workshop because I’m off by myself there, but I can always wander into the house and have lunch with my wife or get something from my bookshelves. It’s a good arrangement.

Award winning author, screenwriter and media commentator Andrew Klavan is the author of such internationally bestselling novels as True Crime, filmed by Clint Eastwood, and Don’t Say A Word, filmed starring Michael Douglas. Andrew has been nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award five times and has won twice. His books have been translated around the world. His latest novel for adults, The Identity Man, has been praised by Nelson Demille as “fast paced, intelligent and thought-provoking; a great read!” Television and radio host Glenn Beck says “Andrew Klavan never disappoints…one of the best illustrations of the power of redemption that I’ve ever read.” His last novel Empire of Lies was about media bias in the age of terror, and topped Amazon.com’s thriller list. Andrew has also published a series of thrillers for young adults, The Homelanders, which follows a patriotic teenager’s battle against jihadists. The books have been optioned to be made into movies by Summit Entertainment, the team behind the mega-successful Twilight film series.

Author website | Twitter | Facebook |Thomas Nelson Fiction

New Member and Rochester Teen Book Festival!

       Hi guys! I'm Jordan, the newest Read Between the Lines member! Some of you may know me from my old blog, Sleep.Eat.Read. I noticed that since my swim season started, I stopped posting as frequently as I used to, so I, being the silly person I am, shut down the blog. Now, I regret it. Because I miss it. Tons! Luckily, I have connections to people like Mrs. A! (Okay, I really mean Jessie, the currently blogger for Read Between the Lines. BUT, she was my middle school English teacher first, so she will forever be Mrs. A to me. So when I say Mrs A, know that I am referring to her.:)) Anyway! Mrs A so kindly let me join Read Between the Lines, this way I can still be involved with the book blogging that I love! So, thanks Mrs A! :)
      So, before I talk about how amazing TBF was let me tell you a little bit about me. Hmm. Let's see. Well, I'm a almost senior in high school, I'm at the end of my junior year. I absolutely LOVE reading, maybe even more than breathing. I'm always reading a book, no matter how much time I have. (Which probably isn't a good thing when it comes to studying for tests and stuff) I even drove from New York, where I live,  to Texas just for a book fesitval. Which totally rocked, BTW. I may have also skipping Prom for the Rochester TBF. Again, totally rocked. What I REALLY want to do is get together with some of my other YA blogger friends and have a blog run by 4 or 5 of us. Hopefully that can happen soon. I'm the quiet one at school, but loud around people I'm comfortable with. Although I love TONS of authors, and TONS of books, there is something about Heather Brewer, A.S. King, and Ellen Hopkins. What they stand for. What they are passionate for. I connect, and it makes me love them all the more. Hmmm. What else. I'm always listening to music, and when I graduated, I  plan on going to school to become a school psychologist. Well, I think that's about it! Now, onto TBF!
       Okay! So! There is this AWESOME event that takes place at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. Lets look at pictures.



 

 

         You can't tell me that doesn't look awesome. :) The event was an absolute blast. The day is broken up. In the morning, it starts with a parade of authors. Then, book sales. After that, an opening session, including all of the authors, and all the attendees. Then the authors split up. Some in groups, some by themselves. There are 3 sessions throughout the day, unless you choose to skip lunch, then you can attend 4. I, of course, skipped lunch. Who needs lunch when you can hang out with Laurie Halse Anderson?  

          I decided that I would go to the following sessions: Laurie Halse Anderson, A.S. King, Jenny Han and Melissa Walker, and Amy Holder and Gae Polisner. They all totally rocked! Laurie talking about her life, which is actually VERY motivational. Jenny Han and Melissa Walker played fun games, and Amy Holder and Gae Polisner and  talked about the road to publication. But, like I said before, there is something about A.S. King that I totally love. Besides being made of awesomeness, how passionate she is about what she does astounds me. She talked about self love, bullying, and packing suitcases. Not a REAL suitcase. Our own personal suitcase. She talked about not letting others pack our suitcases for us by what they say or do to us. It made me think twice. And the message REALLY stuck with me. Amy, thanks for that. It's definitely made me see things differently. Seriously. 

       All together, the even totally rocked, and I will be going next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. So, if you are at all local, the even is TOTALLY free, and it TOTALLY rocks, so you should go. I always have so much fun! (Thank you TBF twitter account for all the pictures. :))

      Well guys, along with the guest posts that and tours that Mrs A does, Ill should be posting things like book reviews, possibly tours, guest posts. Things of that sort, so make sure to stop by more often for things from both of us! 

                                          Happy Reading! :)

                                                ~Jordan