Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Meet my Guest, Author of Medical Fiction and Thrillers, Retired Physician Lawrence W. Gold, M.D.

I met Larry while working as an editor for Moongypsy Press. I was assigned to one of his submissions, NO CURE FOR MURDER, and from then on I've been a fan and friend. Read about his amazing life and books in the bio and interview below. You're in for a treat (and not just for Halloween!)

About Larry:

I was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, moved to Queens, and then, as New Yorkers say, we ascended to the Island. After graduating from Valley Stream Central High School, I went to Adelphi, a college then, a university now, and then to medical school in Chicago. The war in Vietnam interrupted my postgraduate training with a year in Colorado Springs and another as a Battalion Surgeon in Vietnam.

I spent seven months in the Central Highlands with the 4th Infantry and five months in an evacuation hospital in Long Binh outside Saigon where I ran the emergency room. I returned intact in 1968 to complete my training in internal medicine and diseases of the kidney, nephrology. I worked for twenty-three years in Berkeley, California in a hospital-based practice caring for patients with complicated illnesses often in ICU and served as Chief of Medicine.

My wife Dorlis and I retired in October 1995 and sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge for a life at sea in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Four years later, exhausted from repairing everything on board, (often many times) we sold the sailboat and within a year took the lazy man's out; we bought a Nordic Tug, a trawler. We motored around Florida, the Bahamas, the entire East Coast and completed two 'Circle trips' to Canada and back, eight months, the first time, five months, the second.

I wrote professionally as a physician to inform but rarely to entertain, at least not on purpose. First, Do No Harm was published in April 2007. No Cure for Murder was released in August 2011. For the Love of God was published in January 2012 and The Sixth Sense in July 2012. In the last two years, I've written three screenplays based on my novels and hope to see one or more produced for the screen. I submitted my screenplay, Rage to the 80th Annual Writer's Digest contest and won honorable mention (57 out of 11,000). We live in beautiful Grass Valley with 13 year old Mike, a terrier mix and Bennie, a 7 year old purebred though enormous Yorkie.

You, the Author

I’m a retired physician and long distance sailor. I write medical fiction for its drama and, in part, to educate about medicine, its reality, ethics, and its future.

If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would you rather do? Why?
Watch any movie or TV written by Aaron Sorkin

What kind of books do you love to read? Why?
Political thrillers, mysteries, non-fiction esp. about controversial issues.

What type of music do you enjoy relaxing to?
Classical and old-time favorites.

What is your stress buster?
Playing with the dogs. Tennis and racquetball.

What is your favorite food? What food do you seek when you’re sad, sort of a comfort food?
My wife cooks a whitefish that she caramelizes and saves a bit for a whitefish spread…great on a bagel.

Describe yourself in one word.
Determined.

If a fairy grants you one wish and one wish only, what would it be? Why?
That my life was meaningful.

What’s your biggest regret in life?
Not learning the piano earlier.

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
My life has been filled with adventure, but not craziness. I learned to fly a small plane, ride a motorcycle, scuba dive, and sail long distances.

What makes you happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry?
Human kindness gets to me. What makes me angry and disheartened is a breach of trust.

What are your wildest dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?
To be a concert pianist and having the talent to do so.

Your writing:

When did you write your first book? How long did it take you to write it?
My first novel was First, Do No Harm published in 2008 first by iUniverse then republished by CreateSpace in 2011. It took 6 months to write.

Did you encounter any obstacles in writing? What are they? How did you overcome them?
My biggest problems were writing medical fiction that was accurate and comprehensible. Writers groups quickly forced me to make the novels understandable and as free from jargon as possible. The other problem is editing. My early work suffered from both lack of editing and poor quality editing. Reviews remain on Amazon forever.

How did you feel when you receive your first contract? What did you do? Any celebratory dinner, dance, event, etc to commemorate the occasion?
I was overjoyed to be a ‘published author’. That was short-lived as the publisher did a terrible job.

Any writing peeves, things you wish you could improve on, things you do with exceptional talent?
I write like I think, but that need organization and simplification for the reader. I enjoy writing dialogue, and, I’m told I do it well.

What kind of books do you love/hate to write? Why?
I can’t write or even read most literary fiction. It’s too much work for the small payoff. Literary fiction is like the performance of a complicated piece of music. You can admire it, but do you really like it?

Where and when do you write? Tell us about your favorite work place and time. Any special reason?
I write on my computer in our den. I can edit anywhere.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story? How do you go on from there? Maybe you can give us an example with one of your books.
The plot idea always comes first, but now that I have created a few engaging characters, I let them loose to go where they may.

What books can you recommend to aspiring writers to improve on style, character development, plot, structure, dialogue, etc.?
I have shelves filled with them. For the beginner, I recommend the Sol Stein series.

What is your must-have book for writing?
A great thesaurus. I also use Master Writer extensively.

What is your advice to aspiring writers? Writing’s a craft. Learn it, and learn it well.

Your books:

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write medical fiction and thrillers.

Among those that you’ve written, which is your favorite book and why?
The Sixth Sense. It combines real drama, interesting information, and humor.

Where do you get your ideas? Do you jot them down in a notebook, in case you forgot?
They just pop into my head. If I don’t jot them into my iPhone or on paper, the odds are that they’ll be lost forever.

Which book is the closest to your heart? Why?
Patriots by Christian Appy. The ugly truth about the war in Vietnam. I served there as a medical officer.

Which of your books feature your family/friends, etc? What characters are modeled after them? Why?
None. All my characters are composites.

Which of your heroes/heroines is most similar to you? Why?
Very little is autobiographical. My characters are much more interesting, intelligent, and noble.

Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters are moving it in another direction? What did you do in such a situation?
Happens all the time. A well-drawn character will go where he/she may.

Tell us more about your latest release Never Too Late: Is Dr. Izzy Kramer’s desire to run a marathon at age 60 a fantasy, or can she prove that it’s never too late?



Any new projects, work in progress?
I’m about 2/3 finished with a yet to be named novel that explores the benefits and the risks of the application of modern scientific techniques on human beings

Do you outline your books or wing it? Describe your process.
I only outline in retrospect (after each chapter) because it makes revision easier. How do you decide on setting? I tend to use familiar settings and situations. It’s easier to keep things true that way.

What is your favorite part of writing? The original writing is truly creative. I get off on that. I love revision. I never fail to find something that I can make better.

What is your least favorite part of writing? Line editing. I suck at it. Some writers edit excessively as they write; others wait until a novel is finished to do the bulk of editing. I edit both ways.

How much research was involved in writing your book? How did you go about it?
Extensive. Thank God for the Internet, but don’t accept things blindly.

What inspired your latest release? I’m getting older and who likes to admit their powers, of any sort, are waning.

Can you tell us about your road to publication?
Years of frustration with an agent telling me how worthy my work was, but few recognizing it.

E-books, print, or both? Any preferences? Why?
I do E-books, print and audiobooks. Sales of E-books overwhelm them all.

How much time do you spend promoting your books? Perhaps 10% of my time.

Please tell us your experiences with social media. What are your favorite and least favorite parts of it?
Social media is a necessary evil. I don’t like it, but I do it. I don’t do it enough.

What else have you written already? I have 12 novels and one non-fiction book. About 2/3 of my novels are in the Brier Hospital Series. They share characters and scene, but each one can be read independently.

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?
I’m a retired physician and sailor.

Were you “born to write” or did you discover your passion for writing later in life?
I don’t know. I need time to write and I never had time before I retired.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?
I look out over our forest in the California Sierra foothills. It’s a constant source of joy.

What do you keep on your desk? What don’t I. It’s a mess, but it’s my mess.

Visit Larry at lawrencewgoldmd.com and http://drgoldsfiction.blogspot.com/


Monday, October 20, 2014

FOR A HALLOWEEN TREAT, READ ABOUT WITCH'S TATTOO by ELIZA MARCH

Say hi to my guest Eliza March, author of WITCH'S TATTOO published by The Wild Rose Press.
 
A bit about Eliza:
 

I've been writing seriously for about nine years. My first book, a novella,, was published in April of 2009 and since then, I've had several more published. To my great pleasure, many readers have responded positively to these books. I write in a variety of genres so I'm sure there's one that will please you. Can you just imagine how pleased I am to know I'm making readers happy with the yarns I spin in my head . . .


The first writers' group I joined was a local mixed group (all genres - all ages). They 
took turns reading aloud and critiquing each others' work once a week. Although I know how to spell the words I write, I find it difficult to voice them. Therefore I saw no future with that group, since I found it impossible to admit what I wrote, let alone, shock the life out of a group of white haired memoir writers. So I moved on - took online classes, college classes, and in 2006 I attended my first RWA National Conference and never looked back. I'm a member of RWA, my local chapter - TARA, several online groups. My secret passion is poetry, and my secret identity isn't as secret as I'd like to believe. 


You can usually find me at one of several of my favorite places . . . most often my blog, Eliza Writes sizzling hot romance http://elizamarch.blogspot.com  - FACEBOOK  - TWITTER  -  I also guest blog with fellow authors.

 

Something else you should know about me is I love hearing from my readers. Please email me at elizam@elizamarch.com  or leave comments at my blog.

 
Interesting Info about WITCH'S TATTOO 
1 - The first line(s) of the book. 
Michael lifted his arms to the North, the East, the South, and the West, casting the circle of fire. The Fire ceremony was the most effective used with the searching spell.
2- Favorite passage from the book. The skirt she wore barely covered her sexy ass—like a black leather napkin filled with wicked delights. Damn, the witch looked hot enough to melt ice-forged steel. He tortured himself with the image of her wearing just the pendant and the boots—thigh high, black leather cut in lacy patterns, exposing her creamy skin...
The tips of her long black hair brushed her narrow waist the way it had the night he watched her in the scrying mirror. His fingers twitched with the desire to trace her plunging neckline. A neckline that bared her deep cleavage and the pendant. 
3- One thing readers would find unique or interesting about the book: 
While attending a workshop with WRP Publisher, Rhonda Penders, she mentioned needing a few Halloween short stories, I came up with Witch's Tattoo and pitched the concept off the top of my head, growing more enthusiastic as I spoke. Thankfully, she liked the idea, too. 
CONTACT ELIZA:  

Monday, October 13, 2014

The Wild Rose Press Romantic Suspense Author Chrys Fey is my Guest


"When a woman finds herself in the middle of a war between a police force and the Mob, 30 SECONDS is a long time."
 
 

The Wild Rose Press released Chrys Fey's novella 30 SECONDS in September. Read about Chrys and her writing life in the interview below.
About 30 SECONDS:
When Officer Blake Herro agreed to go undercover in the Mob, he thought he understood the risks. But he's made mistakes and now an innocent woman has become their target. He's determined to protect her at all costs.
The Mob's death threat turns Dr. Dani Hart's life upside down, but there is one danger she doesn’t anticipate. As she's dodging bullets, she's falling in love with Blake. With danger all around them, will she and Blake survive and have a happy ending, or will the Mob make good on their threat?
Excerpt:
She panted with fear. What if they see the chest? What if we get caught? What if my breath stinks and I’m breathing right into Officer Hottie’s face? She shut her mouth and let oxygen flow through her nose.
Her eyesight slowly adjusted to the darkness and she could see Officer Herro’s silhouette. His head was turned and he was listening to the thuds of heavy boots getting louder; the intruders were coming their way.
Then the thunder of footsteps sounded right next to them. “There’s no one here, Red,” someone announced.
“Look for documents,” a man ordered, who Dani could only assume was Red. “I want the name of the person I’m going to kill.”
A moment later, there was a reply. “All the mail is addressed to a Dr. Hart.”
Hearing her name said aloud by one of the men who had ransacked her place made her want to gasp. Her mouth fell open and her breath was reversing into her lungs, but before she could make a sound, Officer Herro lowered his lips to hers, silencing her. Stunned, she could only lie beneath him with her eyes wide and her body tense. She couldn’t believe he was kissing her. She wanted to push him back, but knew if she did he might hit the inside of the chest, giving away their hiding place. That was when she realized he was kissing her so she wouldn’t gasp.
She let her body relax. After her initial shock faded, she was able to feel his lips. They were comforting and caused a reaction deep inside her. She couldn’t stop her lips from reacting to his. It was an innocent connection, a soft touch of lips. Until his hand slid from her shoulder to her neck and the kiss deepened into something else.

An Interview with Chrys


1. You, the Author


My debut eBook, Hurricane Crimes, was published in 2013 by The Wild Rose Press. I am currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes as well as a surprise for readers who enjoy 30 Seconds. I live in Florida with my four rescued cats. I love fashion designing, fairy tales, Scandal, and Halloween!

 

2.     How do you decide on setting?

The odd thing is I don’t really decide on a setting. The setting always comes with my story idea. With 30 Seconds, my characters are in Cleveland, Ohio because I got the idea for the story when I was traveling to Michigan and had a layover in the Cleveland airport. When I had to walk into the frigid air to board a tuna can of a plane, the cold cut straight through me to the marrow of my bones. The wind was so fierce I could barely walk. Once I was back home, I had a vision of my heroine, Dr. Dani Hart, coming home in Cleveland after pulling an all-nighter at the ER, the bottoms of her scrubs soaked by fresh snow. That immediately became the opening scene for 30 Seconds.

3.     What inspired your latest release?

A dream. In my dream I was spinning wildly on a swivel chair to pounding rock music. My eyes were closed when hands halted my fast rotation and lips touched mine. Strong arms pulled me out of the chair and into a steaming kiss. When I opened my eyes, I saw a hot cop in full uniform. My dream ended when he said, “I shouldn’t have done that.” In the morning, I immediately started to ponder stories about a woman who falls in love with a cop even though she knows she shouldn’t. I even used that dream as a scene in 30 Seconds.

4.     Were you “born to write” or did you discover your passion for writing later in life?

I was born to write! My mother is a writer and I would watch her write and illustrate her children’s books with the hope of being published. I wrote my first story when I was six-years-old, and started writing with the goal of publication when I was twelve.

5.     Tell us about your hero or heroine.  Give us one of his/her strengths and one of his/her weaknesses.

Blake Herro is a police officer who went undercover in the Mob. He has sexy, curly hair and evergreen eyes. His strength is his skill as a police officer. He’s tough and smart. His weakness is...Dani.

Dani Hart is a doctor who gets stuck in the middle of a war between a police force and the Mob. She has red hair and long legs. Her strength is her determination. She fights for what she believes in and stands her ground. Her weakness is...Blake.

6.     You’re having a party.  What character from your book do you hope attends?  Why?  What character do you hope doesn’t attend?  Why?

I would want Dani Hart, my heroine in 30 Seconds, to attend the party because she’s so much fun! She loves rock music and would be the life of the party. I would not want, Red, the villain in 30 Seconds, to attend because...he’s a Mob boss! Who can have fun with a Mob boss around?

7.     If you could have one skill that you don’t currently have, what would it be?

Singing. I wish I could sing because I love to write song lyrics.

8.     Do you listen to music as you write?

Absolutely! Music inspires me and it gets me in the mood to write certain scenes. 30 Seconds is actually named after my favorite band, Thirty Seconds to Mars.

9.     Tell us more about your latest release 30 Seconds

When Officer Blake Herro agreed to go undercover in the Mob, he thought he understood the risks. But he's made mistakes and now an innocent woman has become their target. He's determined to protect her at all costs.The Mob's death threat turns Dr. Dani Hart's life upside down, but there is one danger she doesn’t anticipate. As she's dodging bullets, she's falling in love with Blake. With danger all around them, will she and Blake survive and have a happy ending, or will the Mob make good on their threat?

10.  How would readers find out more about you?

They can like my Facebook page for insights into my writing and my life, and add me on Goodreads to see my reviews and what books I am reading.

They can also follow my blog Write with Fey for writing tips and other special posts.


 


Purchase 30 SECONDS:


Author Chrys Fey
 
 

 


Thursday, October 2, 2014

Romantic Time Travel Comedy FOR LOVE AND LOYALTY Now On Sale


 
In this paranormal time travel, the fifteenth‑century English King Edward IV and his younger brothers George and Richard travel to the twenty‑first century in order to try to rewrite history by making a film portraying Richard as he really was, a kind soul and benevolent king. In the course of their adventures, they each fall in love with very different women who reshape all their destinies.
Julianna Hammond, an officer of the Richard III Society and some of her fellow Ricardians take a pilgrimage to the ruins of Middleham Castle for their yearly summon of Richard=s spirit. But this time the mere wisp of a ghost doesn=t appearBit=s Richard in the flesh.
Julianna Hammond, an officer of the Richard III Society and some of her fellow Ricardians take a pilgrimage to the ruins of Middleham Castle for their yearly summon of Richard=s spirit. But this time the mere wisp of a ghost doesn=t appearBit=s Richard in the flesh.
Julianna takes him in and introduces him to the wonders of the modern worldBelectricity, motor vehicles, and in a more unfortunate incidentBjeans with zip-up flies.
During the 1480s, the biggest mystery in English history took place--the disappearance of the Princes, the nephews of King Richard III. Not only has Richard been accused of murdering his nephews, he's been maligned in every way from his politics to his physical appearance. Here was the perfect character to bring to the present, watch his stunned reaction as he reads a biography of himself and learns his fate, and see how he tries to change history.
In time travel, anything goes, and the humor is bawdier than our jaded modern minds can imagine it was in the 15th century. The three brothers Edward, George, and Richard, give the story its edge. The hedonistic skirt-chasing Edward and George play so well off the prim, proper and chivalrous Richard.
In the majority of time-travels, the modern heroine goes back in time, but to have historical figures come to modern times from the past is unique. It also gave me many opportunities for humor, seeing our world through 15th century eyes, in the simplest ways: Richard goes to an open-air market and sees things he's never seen before: bananas, tomatoes, corn on the cob, peanuts. He begins to bite into a banana, and Julianna shows him the correct way: peel and eat it from the top. He takes an ear of corn and proceeds to eat it like the banana, from the top, but she explains that it's eaten sideways. How confusing the modern world really is! Not to mention his first glance at a running computer, connected with the world through the internet.
Eventually, Edward and George find out, through the powers of their local wizard, where Richard has gone, and the wizard sends them both forward to the 21st century to be reunited with their baby brother, who they fear has gotten into all kinds of trouble.
But that=s hardly the case. He=s rewriting a movie script to portray himself as a kind benevolent king rather than Richard Crouchback of Shakespeare lore. He and Julianna have fallen in love, and she realizes Richard is the prince she=s always waited for. It=s hard to keep his identity a secret when she really wants to shout from the rooftops that she=s found her soulmate across five centuries.
Now in the 21st century, Edward and George each fall in love with their soulmates and fate brings them where they belongBEdward to the far future, George remaining in the present.
But Richard brings Julianna back 'home' to live his life differently--and in the future, a student of history opens a textbook to read about Good King Richard, who lowered taxes, built colleges, restructured the court system, and was handsome, charming, selfless, and had two very even, perfectly matched shoulders.
 
An excerpt from FOR LOVE AND LOYALTY
         “Well, you’re certainly a hero,” Julianna lavished well-deserved praise on him. “You’re kind, sensitive, brave, warm and very good looking. Everything a hero should be. But why don’t you think you’re romantic?”

Richard shook his head. “I never brought a lady flowers, I don’t pour honeyed flattery over them like Ned, I don’t recite poetry like George, I don’t cook gourmet cuisine. All I can do is spread bananas on pizza.”

She smiled and sipped at her wine. “It’s romantic if your intentions are sincere. I enjoyed your banana pizza more than any gourmet meal I could get at LaGrenouille.”

“Sincere?” He buffed the Middleham Ring on his shirt. “Mayhap. I don’t put forth any false fronts. Nay, there’s naught false about my front.” He took a quick glance downward. Her eyes couldn’t help but follow.

“That’s my idea of romantic,” she assured him. “Not flowers or poetry or flattery. Just sincerity. That other stuff is just veneer, and it wears quite thin after a while.”

His eyes pinned her and she took another sip to ease the tension. “Simply speak your heart. Share your heart. That’s what romance is all about—to me,” she said softly.

He reached over, took the glass from her hand and placed it on the table in one swift, graceful movement. “Then may we share some tonight?”

The hearth glowed, seductive music floated through the lounge—the  perfect ambiance. But now that the moment was here, the reality of it nudged her in a stern warning:

Don’t.

“Come here, Julianna.” The way he opened his arms to her, she couldn’t refuse. One warm embrace can’t hurt. But once she was in that embrace, and his lips sought hers, it felt as natural as breathing. He kissed her lovingly, gently and thoroughly. Stopping him would be as wrong as telling the sun not to shine.

Her heart beat the same primitive tattoo as the music surrounding them.

When his hand slid to her breast, she knew she had to take charge or nature would. “Richard—” She hadn’t meant sound so whispery, but her voice was nowhere to be found. She cleared her throat. “We can’t get involved. It’ll be too much heartache if something happens and you get sent back.” She wondered how convincing she really sounded, with her fingers still wound through his hair and her body half pressed up against his.

“I’m not going back, Julianna. I’m resigned to my fate. I’m not like Ned, I don’t rake every wench that crosses my path. I keep my desire firmly in check. But right now my desire is about to burn a hole in these thin trousers so I’ll have to go back to wearing that torturous denim castrati garment.”

She let out a deep sigh and tried to calm her breathing. There’d been some pretty heavy breathing till now. “Richard, I’ve been fighting my feelings all along and doing a pretty good job of it so far. Don’t let me weaken. Don’t let me fall in love with you. There’s enough weird stuff going on here already. We’ve got enough to do.”
 “I’ve grown very fond of you, Julianna.” He stroked her cheek. “And I’m still growing.” He relaxed his embrace and brushed her lips with his before sitting back. “However, you must lead and I follow, as this is your domain. I’m also a gentleman. If this were Ned sitting here, you’d have been ravished thrice already, in six different ways, and on your way to fetch him a beer.”
“Doesn’t he take no for an answer?” Her hand still played through his hair.
“He doesn’t even ask.”
“Looks like he doesn’t mind never going back to his own time. After tonight, George might not, either.”
“Well, Ned covered his arse quite well. He informed me he left the kingdom in good hands with no detail unattended to, and George will go anywhere there’s wenches and booze, even if it’s back to the stone age.”
“I wonder if you can go back by sheer force of will. Our minds are so much more powerful than we think.” A jumble of thoughts entered her head and vanished. This wasn’t the time to ponder telekinesis, as he tickled her earlobe and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. All she could do was close her eyes and let the exquisite sensations take over. She instinctively moved closer. Their bodies touched, his skin against hers. One more kiss, just one more of those delicious warm kisses, and I’ll call it a night, she convinced herself. Their lips met.
The door knocker pounded.
 
           Or the paperback
 
Published by The Wild Rose Press
 
 

 
 

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