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Terry Ambrose

Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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You are here: Home / Archives for romance

romance

A Conversation with Lindsay Faye About Jane Steele Excerpt

March 29, 2016 By Terry Leave a Comment

Jane Steele by Lindsay FayeLast week, Putnam released “Jane Steele” by Lindsay Faye. As part of the launch, Putnam also sent out “A Conversation with Lindsay Faye About Jane Steele.” Here is an excerpt, which gives insight into Faye’s fifth novel and may serve as inspiration for writers who want to try something quite different.

Q. What inspired the idea for this novel, and gave you the confidence you could pull it off? After all, Jane Eyre as a serial killer is a pretty outrageous concept, and it re-imagines one of the most beloved and famous novels of all time?

A. Unwarranted hubris? I’m kidding. It’s absolutely outrageous, and I think that the outrageousness of the concept was freeing. It’s a ridiculous notion to conceive of Jane Eyre as Dexter. So I was enabled by that rather than hampered, if that makes sense? She wants to get rid of truly evil people, and there’s something satisfying about the notion of a female protagonist accomplishing what “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” did. I don’t ever condone murder, of course. But I will point out that Charlotte Bronte actually lived at that horrible school she describes in Jane Eyre, and two of her sisters later died after having been terribly weakened by lack of care at the Cowan Bridge facility. What ought to be outrageous is that any such thing was ever allowed to happen in the first place—children were fairly routinely abused in the 19th Century at such boarding schools, like the one equally vividly brought to life in “Nicholas Nickelby” by Charles Dickens.

Additionally, this novel is unabashedly also a satire. I call it a satirical romance, but I don’t even know if that’s a real thing, though I hope so! And I wasn’t worried about people who love “Jane Eyre” being offended because I already love “Jane Eyre” so much it oozes out of my pores. The entire undertaking came from a place of deep affection and respect for the original material. It’s very tongue in cheek.

There was much more to the “Conversation,” but this answer gave some great insight into the story behind the story of “Jane Steele.”

Filed Under: Author Interviews, One Step Ahead - Featured Tagged With: crime fiction, historical novel, romance

Dangerous liaisons—a true story

November 30, 2014 By Terry Leave a Comment

Business UnderworldOnline dating scams are one of the easiest cons to fall for. Recently, a friend of mine named Frank sent me copies of emails he’d exchanged with someone who called “herself” Teri. Thank goodness Frank recognized what was going on before he followed through.

It all began when Frank responded to Teri’s online dating profile. He received a reply that began:

“Thanks so much for the interest! you sound really like a nice man with a good and loving heart of kind, care and honesty..I am so sorry for the late reply… open attachment for my pictures…Distance is not a problem for me….. because i am ready to relocate with my right man…….”

The email, which included photos of a stunning blonde, went on to describe Teri’s background, the fact that she was on a business trip in China, her desire to find an honest man, her desire to establish a friendship before a serious relationship—oh, and did I mention her desire to find an honest man? Indeed, she hit that button three times.

It appeared that Frank had struck relationship gold and replied immediately. “Absolutely a pleasure hearing back from you. Kinda gratifying. I appreciate your position regarding pain, and loneliness. I will do my best to never inflict any type of pain. I will always be straight and forthright. I certainly am not perfect, but I always try to do my best . . .”

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Frank went on to tell Teri more about himself and closed with an offer to get together once she returned from her China trip. The following day, Frank had another email from Teri, but this time the tone was different. “Thanks for your respond……Well i have bad trip in China right now.. …..This is my first time i will be visit China….I have a check of $86,000 here with me.. i try to get it cash….. but the bank here told me that, they don’t accept that,…But when i ask them why they did not accept that…”

Teri also asked Frank for $900 to get her out of China and promised, twice, to pay him back when he picked her up at the airport. Sorry, Teri, not happening. Frank wised up. Hope you’re not still at LAX waiting.

Do you have a good scam story you’d be wiling to share? If so, contact me and let’s talk about sharing it.

Filed Under: Scams & Cons Tagged With: email scam, romance, scams

Broken by CJ Lyons shines

December 9, 2013 By Terry Leave a Comment

Broken by CJ Lyons“Broken” by New York Times Bestselling author CJ Lyons is a young-adult thriller about Scarlet Killian, a fifteen-year-old girl diagnosed with a rare heart condition capable of killing her at any time. Scarlet must carry a portable AED with her at all times just in case her heart stops. Her overly protective parents have fought to keep her home, but Scarlet has decided she wants to be “normal” for just one week—and that means attending high school—even if it kills her.

During Scarlet’s first day at school, many of the students take an instant dislike to her. Still, she’s determined to continue on. Her mother threatens to end Scarlet’s experiment, but relents when Scarlet agrees to conditions intended to keep her safe.

As the week progresses, Scarlet’s determination mounts despite the growing animosity toward her. Fortunately, she does have a few friends, those who are also enrolled in a “peer support” group. Her friendship with the three other kids in peer support appears to be doomed, however, as their lives spiral out of control.

Check out these New York Times author interviews
CJ Lyons and Broken
Phillip Margolin and Sleight of Hand
Getting to know Carolyn Hart

The character of Scarlet is a dramatic combination of physical weakness brought on by a life-long medical crisis, emotional frailty brought on by constant isolation, and an inner strength created by those very conditions. It’s Scarlet’s strength that drives this book forward to a dramatic conclusion in which Scarlet’s life will be changed forever. The portrayal of how kids treat each other in high school will be an eye opener for anyone unfamiliar with today’s school environments.

Lyons’ experience as an ER doctor shines through, adding credibility to Scarlet’s descriptions of her life. Pacing in “Broken” builds throughout with twists that are as natural as they are unexpected. No blood, guts, or gore, just solid tension from beginning to end.

More information

FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher.

The website for CJ Lyons is cjlyons.net.

Filed Under: Author Interviews, Reviews Tagged With: book review, New York Times bestseller, romance, thriller

Behind the story with Lisa Wiedmeier

December 7, 2013 By Terry 2 Comments

Cheyenne by Lisa WiedmeierLisa Wiedmeier, the author of four novels, said she never considered herself to be a writer. During this interview, the author who describes herself as “taming the wilderness of her imagination one story at a time,” discussed what encouraged her to write the Timeless Series. “[It’s] about overcoming obstacles, holding strong and fighting the good fight without giving up. Becoming the person you were meant to be.”

Wiedmeier discovered that meant she should become a writer despite several challenges. “English wasn’t my strongest subject in school. I’m dyslexic; even speaking clearly at times can be a challenge. But, I’ve made up for it in other places. My mind is like a playground where I roam freely, my special world to make and break anything to my heart’s content.”

Check out these New York Times author interviews
CJ Lyons and Broken
Phillip Margolin and Sleight of Hand
Getting to know Carolyn Hart

The ability to explore imaginary worlds allows Wiedmeier to look everywhere for inspiration. She said, “A lot of things inspire me to write, my surroundings, new faces, or in this case rings. The Timeless Series came about because of two simple rings. I looked deeper and saw a story emerging. I took what was unique and twisted it into a tale of mystery, romance and adventure.”

While her stories are pure fiction, Wiedmeier describes herself as “real.” She likes conversing on social media and her blog to create relationships with her fans. She also doesn’t use a pen name to write. “I write under my own name, my real name,” she said. “I know, I should have probably chosen something easier to spell like Lisa Lynn, not to mention easier to find, but I wanted Wiedmeier on my books. I wanted to make my husband proud that I slapped his last name on there. Of course, now he tells me I shouldn’t have, go figure.”

“I want to connect with the people who read my work. I want to get to know them, to develop a relationship with them. I want to be their friend.” She quipped, “Okay, in reality I want them to be my friend, but who’s taking sides? I have days where I write a whole forty-five words, and it sucks, big time. I’m just as real as the next person. From time to time I need words of encouragement and need that cheering section telling me I’m not that bad, that I don’t really suck all the time.”

Her cheering section is there because Wiedmeier’s fans connect with her characters. “When I write, the emotions pour out, the laughter, the crying, the heartache…those are my personal feelings in my work that I share with you. I cry when my characters cry. I’m lonely when they’re lonely. I’m at my end when they’re at their end. They’re all a part of me, the real me, and I think that’s why my fans love the characters so much. They can connect with them as I do, and I love that.”

The latest book in the Timeless Series is “Cheyenne.” Wiedmeier’s description of the book is concise, “Murder, romance, secrets, hidden pasts and deception from every angle, but who’s telling the truth?” In the book, Cheyenne Wilson’s life is thrown into turmoil after her adoptive parents are killed in an accident. Cheyenne is a Timeless, a being that ages one year for every hundred human years, once they reach their twenties. She’s part of a royal bloodline. Destined to gain great power, but walled in by danger and with few she can trust, Cheyenne must come to terms with her true identity and choose between a forbidden love or destiny.

How did Wiedmeier discover she was meant to be a writer? “Prior to 2009, I’d never written more than checks for my bills. I hadn’t picked up a book in over twenty years to read for enjoyment because I didn’t have time. I was too busy doing other things…like raising my children, growing my business, and life in general. Then suddenly I hit a brick wall. Everything I held near and dear to me didn’t matter anymore. My husband saw it coming and told me to slow down, but I didn’t. I’m a do-er, always have been. You can’t ask a do-er to slow down because it’s not in their DNA.”

It was during that time Wiedmeier realized she had a desire to write. She said, “I found a passion, a drive that had been kept in the dark for many years. My writing passion is here to stay, and I hope to produce many more books for readers to enjoy. I am currently working on the fourth novel and will continue with the series as long as the fans desire it.”

More information

Learn more about Lisa Wiedmeier on her website at www.lisawiedmeier.com, where you can also find links to her Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts.

Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: interview, paranormal, romance

San Diego paranormal author pits dark vs. light in new series

November 2, 2013 By Terry 2 Comments

Hot HolidayLinda Thomas-Sundstrom is an award-winning author of both light and dark paranormal romance and urban fantasy. For this interview the teacher-by-day/writer-by-night talked about her new series and why she loves writing it. Thomas-Sundstrom said, “I write paranormal romance for Harlequin’s Nocturne imprint, both full novels and novellas, and love that, but I also wanted to get back to my urban fantasy roots in between book releases from Nocturne. Some friends and I decided to turn out a new fantasy series of novellas, and mine were born. These are not short stories, but novelettes, and the fast pacing of the novella format is what I love best.”

The second novelette in the series, “Hot Holiday,” was released on Nov. 1. In “Hot Holiday,” the Dark Side has put out a hit on Santa Claus and sent their secret weapon, a Recruiter named Wanda, to seal the deal. But Wanda might not be fully prepared for Santa’s hot, heavenly bodyguard. With a lead-in like that, one has to wonder where the idea for a hit on the man in the red suit came from—and how he got a bodyguard. Thomas-Sundstrom said, “I’m fascinated with the concept of darkness, and our fear of things that go bump in the night. I write about those things in most of my books. For this series, I was driven to explore not only the blatant differences between dark and light, good and evil, black and white, but the grey ground in the middle, where both dark and light sometimes have to touch down and then deal with the discomfort.”

Shaking things up—unsettling both sides—is what Thomas-Sundstrom says she wants to do. She might have accomplished her goal. She added, “My new series is titled ‘Dark vs. Light,’ and the Urban Fantasy genre gives me the freedom to twist this grey zone any way I want to. Not heavy stuff, but slightly quirky. ‘Trapped in Stone’ was the first release, in September, and November 1 was the release date for ‘Hot Holiday.’”

As a writer with a day job, Thomas-Sundstrom has the tricky task of keeping her life in balance even as she strives to unsettle both the dark and light sides of the universe. When asked how she did it, she said, “I barely do [smiling]. But, I am getting better at juggling, though. I teach at two colleges, have a family, volunteer in my community, face really tight deadlines, and care for what amounts to a ranch in the country. All of which I am profoundly grateful for. By remembering how grateful I am, and managing my time as best I can, the balance seems to work most of the time. Plus, there just is no time left in this schedule to even consider a nervous breakdown.”

More information

“Hot Holiday is delightfully entertaining all the way through . . . enchanting . . . with potent scorching desire and unique characters that are unquestionably Linda Thomas-Sundstrom’s best to date.”— Single Title reviews — Amelia.

Linda Thomas-Sundstrom’s website is at www.lindathomas-sundstrom.com.

Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: interview, paranormal, romance

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