FRIDAY FEAST with Juliet Madison
Are you feeling the Friday love, Feasters? I am. Not only to my beloved Sydney Swans, THE best looking AFL team in the comp, take on the Collywobbles tonight at the mighty MCG, I have a gorgeous new author on today. Humorous and heart-warming women’s fiction in the name of Juliet Madison’s game, and does she deliver!
I know this because I’ve read her wonderful short story, …
Call for Submissions
Here's a fun fact: if you submit to Escape now, you can be a published (or multi-published) author by Christmas. We're working to an aggressive publishing program, and we want stories!
I'm going to list some subgenres/themes that I'm very interested in, but please note: we publish all subgenres all the time. So if yours doesn't necessarily fit in to the list, I…
Past, Present, & Future with Jacqui Jacoby
In celebration of the release of my debut novel, Fast Forward, I’m doing a series of interviews with authors about their past, present & future. Today, please welcome Jacqui Jacoby who also has a book to give away for one lucky reader…
PAST:
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid it was called being a stewardess. Today the politically correct term is a flight attendant. I had dreams of travelling the world.
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
I graduated UCLA before I wrote my first story and then I became a housewife and a stay at home Mom, raising my three kids. In fact, it’s the same thing I did as I was a writer, too.
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
My favourite memory is not from the distant past, but one that occurred just ten years ago. My husband and I renewed our wedding vows on board The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California for our twentieth anniversary. Our kids stood up for us: my oldest daughter as the maid of honour, our son as the best man and my youngest as the flower girl.
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest/upcoming release about and/or what are you currently working on?
My upcoming novel, With a Vengeance, is my debut release. It’s about two friends who realize they want more from their relationship. It’s set in the backdrop of CIA action and adventure. The project I am working on now is also a romantic suspense. It’s about a Russian hero and the heroine who figures out his secret. I’m hoping to have it completed by my birthday in May.
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
When I had the kids at home, my days were unpredictable and full of surprises. I could never know what was coming next and always had to be prepared for the unexpected. Now that they are grown and I am entering into the anticipated “Empty Nest” my days are more routine. I rise late – one of the perks of the kids being grown – and take my walk. Walking is good to clear the mind and get it ready to work. I come home, shower, watch a little bit of Twilight Zone or M*A*S*H – another Empty Nest perk . Then I hit the computer to get started on the day’s work. What I am working on depends on what is due. Right now I am editing a suspense novel for submission and getting ready for The Brenda Novak auction where I will be auctioning off a mentor program.
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
1. My relationship with my husband of thirty years.
2. The relationships I have with each of my three children, and the relationships they have with each other.
3. That I was able to be a Stay at Home Mom while working in a career that I love. I got the best of both worlds.
FUTURE:
7. If you could fast forward in time to any age or year for just one day, what would you choose & why?
To my fiftieth anniversary where my husband and I will renew our wedding vows one more time and my oldest daughter will stand as maiden of honour, my youngest daughter as a bridesmaid and my son as my husband’s best man. All our grandchildren will be there and their children, too. It will be euphoric!!
8. If you could have any new technology or invention in the future that would make your life a whole lot easier (or more fun), what would it be?
It would be a machine that takes the ideas for stories and characters straight from my brain and puts them onto the page without me having to type everything out.
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
I’m a frustrated French student trapped in the body of a fifty-year-old woman. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to speak a second or even a third language. My hope and dream is that I will return to the university this coming fall to obtain a degree in Modern Languages (French/Spanish). I don’t have any plans to travel with the degree, but it certainly would be possible to visit Paris and Barcelona.
Thanks for visiting the blog, Jacqui!
>>To WIN an e-copy of Jacqui’s book, WITH A VENGEANCE, please leave a comment below. Winner will be drawn on Wed 22nd May and notified on this blog and via email. Good luck!
Visit Jacqui online at her website, blog, facebook, and twitter. You can also check out her book at Amazon and via her publisher.
Editing Tip: 10 Words to Search For in Your Manuscript
When I’m editing, and before I do a final read through and tweaking of my manuscript, I use Microsoft Word’s ‘find’ feature to search for the following ten words. These words can usually be deleted in order to tighten up the writing and focus on ‘showing vs telling’.
1. almost
Sometimes ‘almost’ can work but often it’s not needed. Eg: With his sunken eyes and pallor he almost looked like a ghost. An example where it may work could be: She almost slammed the door in his face. Or instead of that, it could be changed to: She resisted the urge to slam the door in his face.
2. very
Usually there is a stronger word available to replace the need for ‘very’, or the phrase can be changed completely to something else. Eg: ‘very sad’ could become ‘despondent’. Eg: It was very sunny. Better: It was sunny. Even better: She squinted as the sun’s glare rebounded off the pavement and hit her eyes.
3. started
When this is used alongside ‘to’, as in ‘started to’, it’s probably not needed. Eg: She started to get dressed. Better: She got dressed. Even better: She zipped her jeans and put on a t-shirt.
4. began
This is similar to ‘started’. Eg: It began to rain. Better: Droplets of rain dampened her hair, or: He flicked on the windscreen wipers as rain blurred the road ahead.
5. stood up
Remove the word ‘up’. If someone stood, it’s obviously up.
6. sat down
Remove the word ‘down’. If someone is going from a standing position to a sitting position it is obviously ‘down’. Except if the person is lying down and then changes to a sitting position.
7. heard/hear
Removing ‘heard’ or ‘hear’ gives the reader a more vivid experience. Eg: She heard someone call her name. Better: A voice called her name. Eg: I could hear the rain pelting against the window. Better: rain pelted against the window.
8. saw/see
Same as with ‘heard’. Eg: She saw his face through the window. Better: His eyes glared at her through the window. Eg: I could see him coming towards me. Better: He came towards me.
9. felt
Telling a reader what a character felt is not as powerful as showing them. Eg: She felt relaxed and happy. Better: She leaned back in the chair and a smile eased onto her face.
10. just
Eg: If she could just find a way to get through to him, he might understand. Eg: “The shop is just around the corner.”
There are more suggestions of words to search for at this very useful site.
Have a search of your manuscript and see how many of these words you can find and change to improve your book.
Are there words that you often overuse in your writing?
Fave Five
My Top 5 Chick Lit Books
by Juliet Madison
It’s hard to pick favourites when there are so many fabulous books out there, but these are the five books that stand out for me (in no particular order - c’mon, it was hard enough picking five books, I can’t possibly put them in order!!)...
1. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella:
Mothers Day Giveaway – books up for grabs!
Happy Mother’s Day for Sunday 12th to all the mums, moms, step-mothers, mothers-in-law, mothers-to-be, single dads, and mothers-at-heart! Read on for a chance to win some books…
I celebrated an early Mothers Day with my mum a week ago, so this Mothers Day I plan on having a relaxing day of reading (I doubt my son will bring me breakfast in bed, but that’s okay because I’m not really a fan of the whole crumbs in bed thing!). I’ve been writing like mad lately, so I think a day on the ‘other side’ might be just what the doctor ordered. 
With the special day on my mind, I’ve been thinking about motherhood in fiction (which was the topic of an article I wrote on the Australian Bookshelf blog). Have you read many books with mothers as main characters?
The main character in my novel, FAST FORWARD, Kelli, starts out as a childless twenty-five-year-old until she’s propelled into the future and finds herself as a fifty-year-old mother of two and a grandmother-to-be. Motherhood may be challenging, but it’s even more challenging when it’s suddenly bestowed upon you!
>> I asked around about different books that feature mothers as main characters, and here are a few that were mentioned…
A Man Like Mike by Sami Lee; Want to know a Secret? by Sue Moorcroft; Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips; Hello, It’s Me, by Wendy Markham; I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson; The Girl, The Gold Tooth & Everything by Francine LaSala, What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.
So if you like reading about mothers as characters, why not check them out!
>> And now, the part of this post you’ve been waiting for – the book giveaway!
PRIZE:
I’m gifting one lucky person three ebooks from my publisher: Escape Publishing. There are fifty books to choose from, and the winner can pick three they would like. I’ll be gifting them from Amazon.com, so before entering make sure you can receive ebooks from Amazon.com (ie, not UK). You can keep all three ebooks to yourself, or you can choose to on-gift one or all of them to your mother, or a special someone.
HOW TO WIN:
1. For ONE entry into the draw, simply leave a comment below and tell me what your ideal Mothers Day Present would be. If you’re not a mother, you can still let me know what your ideal present would be.
2. For TWO entries into the draw, do the same as above and also subscribe to this blog via email (in the subscription section on the top right corner of the page). In your comment please mention that you’ve subscribed. If you’re already a subscriber, simply say ‘I’m a subscriber’ in your comment.
3. For THREE entries, do the same as above (comment and subscribe), and tweet about this giveaway using one of the sample tweets at the bottom of this post. Include your twitter handle in your comment. So, your comment might look like this:
My ideal Mothers Day present would be a day on a Greek Island with a good book. I’m a subscriber. My twitter handle is @MyHandle
The winner will be drawn on Monday 13th May. Good luck, and please share this giveaway with your friends!
***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***
Tweet this post >> Copy & paste any of the following into a tweet:
#MothersDay Giveaway – books up for grabs! via @Juliet_Madison http://wp.me/p1jJti-he
#WIN three ebooks, your choice! #MothersDay competition via @Juliet_Madison http://wp.me/p1jJti-he
What would be your ideal #MothersDay present? Tell us and win books! via @Juliet_Madison http://wp.me/p1jJti-he
Ten Awkward Author Questions with Pamela Cook
In this segment, authors will be subjected to a list of awkward questions that may reveal more about themselves than they really wish to share, and they will receive a score on the ‘Braveometer’. If they choose to answer only five questions, they are a ‘Brave Author’, if they answer 6 to 9 questions they are a ‘Mega-Brave Author’, and if they answer all 10 questions they are an ‘Ultra-Brave Author’!
Please welcome Australian rural fiction author, Pamela Cook!
1. If only one of your books could have been / could be published, which one would you choose? (C’mon, I don’t want to hear ‘Oh, I love them all, there’s no way I could choose.’ Time to be ruthless, these are the Ten Awkward Questions after all!)
As I’ve only had one book published so far that’s a tricky question but … in an ideal world I would have chosen the first book I wrote. It’s Literary rather than Genre fiction and closer to my heart, probably because it’s the first one and I spent so long on it. The same reasons why it hasn’t been published to date – it’s easier to be ruthless with writing you’re not so attached to. Having said all that I am over the moon about having Blackwattle Lake out there on the bookstore shelves. And to be working on my next book.
2. Okay, now which one of your children/family members would you… nah, just kidding! Which of the following words most accurately describes your best personality trait (you must pick only one!):
Punctual. Good listener. Neat. Graceful. Generous. Cheerful.
You certainly make it hard Juliet! I’m rarely punctual (just ask my friends), I’m certainly not neat. I’d like to think I’m graceful, generous and cheerful (at least most of the time) but if I have to pick one it would be that I’m a good listener.
3. Which of the following words most accurately describes your worst most challenging personality trait (even if you’re perfect, you must pick one):
Always late. Blabbermouth. Slob. Complete klutz. Scrooge. Grumpy pants.
Definitely the first – I’m always late. For pretty much everything!
4. Have you ever had a romantic crush on one of your characters? Who and why?
Absolutely. I adore Jack from Blackwattle Lake. He’s handsome, down to earth, has a great body and a killer smile. But he’s also scarred by his past which makes him vulnerable and in need of a hug. Although I have to say that Vincent, a character from my current wip could soon take Jack’s place in my heart.
5. When writing an important scene, do you act it out to allow you to better describe what’s happening?
I definitely act it out in my head but I often sit at my computer making crazy arm gestures and pulling bizarre faces to try to get the movements and expressions of the characters right.
6. Do you talk to yourself when writing or coming up with plot ideas?
I certainly do! Thankfully my study, where I write most of the time, is tucked away in a corner away from the main living areas of the house. My family already think I’m a nut case – they don’t need any more ammunition.
7. Who would be ideal to play YOU in a movie of your life?
The toughest question yet. I have to say a movie about my life would be very dull so whoever played me would have to be expert at making the mundane seem extraordinary. Based on that criteria I’d go with Nicole Kidman. Not that we look alike (I wish) but she’s an amazing actor, I know she can ride horses and is a city girl who loves the country. Like me!
8. If you could be any book character for one day, who would you be and why?
I would be Elizabeth Bennet, after her marriage to Mr Darcy. Do I really need to explain why?
9. You’re about to be left on a deserted island for a year, and while your basic food and water needs will be met, you can only bring one extra thing from the following. Which would you choose?
a) A pen and notepad that never runs out
b) An unlimited supply of books
c) An unlimited supply of chocolate, coffee, or alcohol (your choice)
d) A gorgeous man/woman depending on your preference
As much as c and d are appealing it’s definitely between the first two. And although I’d love a whole year to read as many books as possible without being disturbed the thought of having total solitude and an exotic location to write in is irresistible.
10. If you had the attention of the whole world for two minutes what would you say?
I know I’d be tongue tied so I’d read one of my favourite poems, something by Robert Frost or Mary Oliver. Perhaps even Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese. You can hear Mary Oliver reading it herself right here:
Thanks for having me Juliet. The questions were a lot of fun. 
You’re welcome, Pamela… and you have been awarded Ultra-Brave Author status on the Braveometer!
You can visit Pamela on the web:
Birthday Memories…
Today, April 14th, is my birthday so I thought I’d do a birthday-themed blog post! It’s especially fitting because my debut novel, FAST FORWARD, which was released a couple of months ago, takes place mostly over one day – the main character’s birthday.
Young, hip, and gorgeous Kelli, from Fast Forward, is getting ready to celebrate her 25th birthday, but she wakes up to the birthday present of her nightmares – she’s jumped ahead to the future and is a 50 year old flabby, wrinkly, housewife, married to the nerd she used to tease in high school. Not only that, she has two grown children she doesn’t recognise, a daggy best friend, she has to give an important business presentation of which she knows nothing about, and she has no idea how to get back to her old, I mean, young life.
I’m glad to say I’ve never had a birthday as challenging or memorable as Kelli’s, but I’ve had a lot of good ones! (The photo of the chocolates on the plate was taken at a restaurant for my birthday a couple of years ago).
At my thirtieth I had a fancy dress costume party with a 70’s and 80’s theme. Guests had to come dressed as someone from either of those decades. I dressed as a psychedelic chick with straight hair parted in the middle and wore white flared pants and a multicoloured top, and my son dressed as Michael Jackson in the afro stage, complete with black shoes with white socks. A couple of my cousins around the same age as me dressed as girls from the eighties with lovely teased fringes (bangs, for my US friends), ponytails, and lovely eighties clothes and jewellery. We hired a juke-box to play music from those eras, and it was a lot of fun!
This birthday, I received a fantastic early present just a few days ago – an offer of publication from Escape Publishing for my romantic comedy novella, I DREAM OF JOHNNY! (More news on that later on). Now that’s memorable
I decided to ask a few facebook friends about their birthday memories, and here are their responses:
My best birthday memory was for one of those horrible ones with an 0 on the end. My family decided to treat me to a ‘ride on a Harley’ as I’d been rabitting on about it. I was collected from the house and driven right around the Gold Coast on this wonderful Harley motorbike, letting rip with whoops of joy as we zoomed around the roads. It was amazing. My ‘driver’ was a hoot and totally entered into the spirit of the thing, but a very good driver.
My mother was the archetypal feminist and she vetoed a series of dodgy presents from my wish lists over the years. Like the time I wanted a bride doll, and I got a Basil Brush puppet. Or the time I wanted Pretty in Pink Barbie, and got a budgie. All that changed when I was 12. I got some birthday money, and raced out to purchase Golden Dream Barbie. I brought her home, unwrapped her carefully, and discovered that I was kind of too old for Barbies by then anyway.
The weirdest thing is, 37 years later, my daughter has more Barbies than you could pack into a Barbie camper (mostly hand-me-downs from older cousins). And what does she want, more than anything in the world? A budgie. Go figure!!
I won a novel writing competition with the prize of publication.
The book was scheduled to come out a few days after my birthday but when I mentioned that the publisher managed to bring it forward so it came out on my birthday (30 March last year).
Don’t think a writer could have a better birthday present than a copy of their first published novel.
I spent my 40th birthday alone and homesick, having just moved to the UK for a few years. I took a rowdy early-morning call from friends back home while I was in the dining room of a Scarborough hotel I’m sure was the model for Fawlty Towers, with shades of Mr Bean’s holiday hotel thrown in. The elderly hotel guests were tutting over their baked beans and kippers as this hysterical Australian woman howled with laughter (and a few tears) into the phone. At least the horror of the hotel eased the horror of turning 40!
What was your most memorable birthday?
Now, I’m off to celebrate, eat some yummy food, and blow out the 25 candles on my cake (ha! I wish! Oops, you have to be careful what you wish for).
[Guest Post] Choreographing a Love Scene Underwater, and other things your craft book never taught you. – Ros Baxter
Please welcome fellow Escape author Ros Baxter to the ‘Writing Wednesday’ segment of the blog today! Ros is the author of Fish Out Of Water (Escape Publishing) and co-author of Sister Pact (Harper Collins).
Some people write romance. Some write chick lit. Some write fantasy. Me? I’m an omnivore, in reading and in writing. Like Mae West said: “Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, I’m tired.”
That’s me when it comes to books. I’m far too nice to say the word whore, but I never really met a genre I didn’t like.
When I read, it’s all about the book. When I write, it’s all about the story. For me, this time, and this character, it had to be fantasy. Rania, my deep sea mermaid living incognito as a small town cop, hammered at my brain. She was tough. She was cool. There was simply no saying no to her.
I told my sister: I’m writing a mermaid book.
She said something like: Ooooh, cool. Fantasy.
I said something like: No, don’t be silly, you know I don’t write fantasy.
Then she said something like: Erhh…you know mermaids aren’t real, right? I mean, I you had those pyjamas back when you were seven, but…
Et cetera.
So fantasy was kind of an untrod road for me. And, like most paths less travelled, I had to learn some things along the way. Good and bad. I had lots of feedback from critique partners and other readers, and it helped shape what worked and what didn’t.
So first up, the good. You know what I love about fantasy? You don’t just get to break the rules, you get to write your own. If the whole sex-with-a-tail thing is just way too mind-bending – voila! No tails. If your action takes place between the deepest part of the ocean floor and small town USA and your characters need to whizz quickly between the two? No problems. Just invent a cool new way of travelling almost instantly – melting down to the very droplets in the air, with the aid of a very cool, very small blue fish.
And then the bad news. You know what’s tough? There are some parts of any story that transcend genre, and they are the bits you absolutely have to nail. They’re also the hard bits. Story. Heart. And, you guessed it, sex.
And the problem is, very few of us have ever been intimate seven miles down. With a boy who’s kind of a fish. So what to do? Two things really.
First, approximate. Okay, so I don’t know how a mermaid gets lush and loose. But I know some stuff about dolphins, whales, and other sea creatures (well, at least the internet does, and we’re really good friends). I can look at the reality and approximate from there.
Second, keep what you know. The stuff that’s real (and important) from your own experience. Touch, heat, connection. And then use your imagination about how those realities mesh with the new world.
Third (okay, I know I said two things, but like I already said, I’m not much of a rule-follower), don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Remember the basics – character, conflict, motivation. Whether your character is human, fish, or something in between, your readers are humans. And we need those human connections.
I hope readers can find that spark of connection with my wild heroine and her story of love, secrets and danger.
Thanks for having me.
[Thanks for being my guest, Ros! ~ Juliet]
Ros Baxter has been writing since she was eight and penned a whimsical series of short stories about a race of tiny people who lived on a rainbow. While they were a hit in the playground, a few things intervened – including a career in social policy and four noisy children. Ros started writing again in earnest three years ago. In that time, Ros has secured a two-book deal with Harper Collins Australia, published Sister Pact (a romantic comedy co-written with her sister Ali) and Fish Out of Water (Escape Publishing on 1 April), been a contributing author to the e-anthology URL Love, and finaled in the STALI competition.
Ros writes fresh, funny, genre-busting fiction. She digs feisty heroines, good friends, quirky families, heroes to make you sigh and tingle, and a dash of fantasy from time to time.
Ros also runs a successful business consulting to government and the private sector. She teaches professional writing skills and has authored a writing guide, Clarity.
Ros lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband Blair, four small but very opinionated children, a neurotic dog and nine billion germs.
You can email Ros at rosbaxterink@gmail.com or find her at www.facebook.com/RosBaxterInk, on twitter @RosBaxter, or www.rosbaxterink.com.
FISH OUT OF WATER Blurb:
“It’s Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum meets Splash in a sexy, smart-talking debut about a mermaid in a desert, a city under water, and the secret that no-one is supposed to uncover.”
Dirtwater’s straight-talking Deputy Sheriff has a lot on her plate: a nicotine addiction that’s a serious liability for a mermaid, a solider-of-fortune ex who’s hooked on her Mom’s brownies, a gorgeous, naked stranger in her shower, and a mysterious dead blonde with a fish tattoo on Main Street.
Oh, and one other thing.
She’s scheduled to die on her thirtieth birthday – in three weeks – unless she can ‘change the course of destiny and save the world entire’. Throw in a Mom who’s the local Mayor and a Dad who’s been locked in the county jail for twelve years, and that’s all the trouble she needs without her mermaid roots coming back to haunt her.Rania’s heading home to Aegira for a family wedding but she’s starting to have a sinking feeling that’s got nothing to do with hydroporting seven miles under the sea and everything to do with some weird connections that seem to be emerging between her, the dead blonde, her Mom’s shady past and a ten thousand year old prophesy. Now if she can just steal a corpse, get a crazy Aegirian priest off her case, work out who the hell’s trying to kill her and stop sleeping with the fishes, she might be able to unravel the prophesy, the mystery of the missing choirgirls and the secrets hidden in her Mom’s past. And maybe even save her own ass while she’s at it.
Buy Fish Out of Water.
Find out more at www.rosbaxterink.com
Past, Present, & Future with Natalie Charles (plus giveaway!)
In celebration of the release of my debut novel, Fast Forward, I’m doing a series of interviews with authors about their past, present & future. Today, please welcome… Natalie Charles!
PAST:
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an actress. Now it makes me laugh, but of course acting was very serious business. I used to write my own plays and direct kids in my elementary class, and I acted throughout high school. I fell in love with the idea of being someone else and bringing words to life, and I still draw on those experiences. When I write, I need to immerse myself in a character and to hear them speak. I spend a lot of my writing time on dialogue, listening to the rhythm of my characters’ conversations.
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
I was a sales clerk at my family’s independent pharmacy throughout high school, then I held odd jobs on my college campus like writing tutor, graduation program assembler, orientation leader, public relations assistant…basically I had no standards. If it paid, I wanted to do it. Over the summers I was a park supervisor in my town, which sounds like I was some kind of ranger, but really I made lanyards with local kids and told them not to swear. After college I worked in logistics for a construction company, shipping fixtures to national retail locations. That lasted about five minutes, and then I quit to work as a makeup sales clerk (seriously). Then I went to law school (seriously), and now I’m a lawyer.
I still work full-time as an attorney. I write laws, so it’s sort of a writing job, but not as much fun as writing romantic suspense.
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
Christmas Eve at my grandfather’s house. We’d have this formal Italian dinner and then these beautiful desserts: cannoli and cookies and fruit. I never ate the dessert or much of the dinner because I was too busy waiting for Santa to come, although I do remember eating pomegranate seeds. I can’t imagine one easily forgets the first time they eat pomegranate seeds.
The dinner took forever! There was a white tablecloth and all these fish dishes that I wouldn’t touch, and of course we had to dress up. Torture. My brother and sister and I would periodically excuse ourselves to dash to the living room, waiting for presents to appear under the tree. We practically wore the carpet thin, running between the living room and the dining room. At some point, we’d go to the living room and it would be filled with presents. We never saw Santa or had any idea that the gifts were being delivered. I was lucky to have such magic in my childhood.
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest/upcoming release about and/or what are you currently working on?
My debut for Harlequin Romantic Suspense is called THE SEVEN-DAY TARGET. It’s about an FBI agent named Nick Foster who discovers that his ex-fiancée, prosecutor Libby Andrews, is being hunted by a serial killer who leaves six signs over six days before killing on the seventh. She broke his heart, but now he has no choice but to protect her – even if it means putting his heart at risk!
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
I wake up too early and cook my husband and daughter breakfast. Then I head off to work, where I draft legislation and do my best to not muck up anyone’s life too much…unless that’s what my clients want, of course. Then it’s home to make dinner, bathe my daughter and put her to bed. I collapse on the couch to write after all of that, and when I’ve finished writing, I collapse in bed. Sometimes my husband and I manage to fit in a conversation, but you asked about a typical day.
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
I have so much to be grateful for! I’m grateful for my health, first and foremost. My youngest brother is a childhood cancer survivor, and I try to remember to never take a healthy day for granted. I’m endlessly grateful for my family, especially my husband and my daughter and the baby we have on the way. And I’m grateful for the support I’ve had in reaching this point in my life, because I haven’t done anything alone.
FUTURE:
7. If you could fast forward in time to any age or year for just one day, what would you choose & why?
Tough question! I don’t know that I’d want to do this. I’m definitely a person who dwells in the future, but I like my future unwritten and full of possibility. I think that actually seeing the future might make me feel like some kind of destiny was involved. Naive or not, I like to imagine I’m in control.
8. If you could have any new technology or invention in the future that would make your life a whole lot easier (or more fun), what would it be?
I’d want a teleporting machine like they have on Star Trek. This way I could travel all over the world in a matter of seconds. I live in New England, where we have dark and cold winters. Summers here are absolutely beautiful, but I’d love to hop a teleporter to somewhere tropical on the winter weekends, or spend a chilly afternoon on a beach in Fiji.
I hope someone smarter than myself gets on that, stat.
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
You mean besides writing the Great American Novel? I want to raise children who call me regularly as adults and travel to beautiful places with my husband. I plan to continue writing what I love to write, and if I happen to make a living at it, that would be a dream.
Thanks for visiting the blog, Natalie!
>>To WIN a copy of Natalie’s book, THE SEVEN DAY TARGET (blurb below), leave a comment for Natalie.
*Competition open WORLDWIDE (US/Canada residents will receive a signed print copy, international readers will receive a Kindle copy. Winner will be drawn Wed 10th April (Sydney time).
Good luck!
Natalie on the web:
The Seven Day Target
He never meant to speak to her again. Back in Arbor Falls for a funeral, Special Agent Nick Foster has moved on. He has no plans to stay in his tiny hometown-or to reunite with the beautiful Libby Andrews. His onetime fiancée broke his heart, and what’s past should stay buried.
Libby doesn’t want his help. Her childhood sweetheart can never know the real reason she ended their engagement three years before. But when a serial killer targets her, she must team up with the rugged agent for her own safety. Something in her past has put her in danger, and the passion they’ve reignited puts their future in deadly jeopardy.
Read Chapter One
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