Author Interview: Rebekah Turner

I have feature Rebekah Turner on my blog before, she actually kicked off my Blogoversary event last year, so if you are interested in learning even more about Rebekah check out her first interview. As you can probably guess I've been a fan of Rebekah's for awhile now and have found that her Applecross/Lora Blackgoat series have gotten better and better with each installment. If you like a little bit of fantasy and some steampunkness too I recommend picking up her novels Chaos Born, Chaos Bound, Chaos Broken.

Please Welcome to Blood Rose Books Today:

Rebekah Turner

You are now three books in to your Literary career how has your writing process changed from Chaos Born to Chaos Broken?
I'm more aware of my own writing techniques and the editing process. Otherwise, the frustration and elation of solving plot issues have stayed the same.

What have you learned about yourself from book one to book three?
That I can actually finish and polish up a book! There always is that doubt, that maybe this time you won't finish. The blank screen is an absolute horror. But so far, so good.

You have three books in your Applecross series, and it says everywhere that this is the last book in the series, I refuse to believe that. Please tell me there will be more Lora and more Applecross books.
I've got a novella plotted out that deal with Lora's past, including a bloodthirsty aunt who throws Lora's life into chaos.

As a reader I became very attached to your characters, I cannot think of how attached you would have become to all your characters. Is it hard to put them through all the pain and emotional turmoil they go through, especially Lora trying to figure out who she, who to trust as well as who is best for her?
It can be difficult, and I did find it hard to be so mean to Roman especially. Lora deals with pain by shutting down, because that's how she deals with traumatic experiences. I have always trusted in her abilities to persevere though. All the Chaos books are about survival against the odds, about getting knocked down and finding that inner strength to get back on your feet.

What do you think are the main components of writing a successful series?
Keeping your world building consistent and making sure the stakes are high enough to interest the readers. Always be true to your characters and don't make them bend to the plot. Give them desire, something to strive for, and something to fight against. Then you have plot! A daily writing routine helps as well. Have I mentioned the horror of a blank page?

What is next for you? Do you have another novel or series in development any new news you can share with us?
I wrote a book called Bite Deep, which is about biker werewolves. Hopefully that will be out next year, along with a Lora Blackgoat novella.

What is one book you have read in the past year that you think everyone should read?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, written by Laini Taylor. This book blew me away! I would totally recommend it to anyone.

I want to thank Rebekah once again for being part of another Blogoversary and taking the time to answer a few questions. I really reccomend her Applecross series and I think readers will find it hard not to love Lady Lora Blackgoat as a character. I look forward to seeing where Rebekah comes up with next and of course the Applecross novella :)

Author Interview & Giveaway: Sean Black

I have had the pleasure to read two books from Sean Black so far, both from different series, Lock Down and POST. Both are great action adventure / thriller reads with something for everyone and are great starts to both series. For me POST was able to  really draw me in with Black use of the topic of PTSD and I am very excited for the release of the second book in the series, Blood Country.

Please Welcome to Blood Rose Books Today

SEAN BLACK

If there was one author you could co-write a novel with (they can be alive or dead) who would you choose and why? I'd have to say Rebecca Cantrell as I have a new series out on October 29th that I am in fact co-authoring with Rebecca. She also co-authors with James Rollins so that tells you how great she is to work with. The series we're writing together is about a former child star turned private detective, Sofia Solgado, who works for a detective agency in Malibu. The first book is called 

"A" is for Asshat and it's very much in the Janet Evanovich mold of character-driven mystery with some humor.

You were inspired to start writing you Ryan Lock series based up an intensive body guarding course, what were the key aspects you learned in your training that you knew had to be part of Lock’s skill set?
More than specific aspects I think what I gained from training as a close protection operative was the mindset, which for high-end work is very unique.

Your debut novel, Lock Down would fall into the thriller/action adventure genres which can be a hard genre to get a following, how do you think that your novels differ from other authors within this genre?
That's tough because there are so many great writers working in the thriller/action genres. Maybe where the Lock books are a little different from most is in the black humor between my two main characters. That really comes from the research because the people who do the job in real life tend to have a slightly warped sense of humor. They need it to be able to deal with some of the less savory aspects of human nature that they come into contact with.
What do you think would be the hardest or most challenging genre to write a novel in and why?
Thrillers are tough because everything has to make sense and serve a function. That said, I have tremendous admiration for romance writers. It's a much maligned genre but I think that they are some of the smartest, most savvy writers we have. They know how to keep readers happy and that's the name of the game.

You have recently started writing a second series, what is it about a writing a series appeals to you compared to stand alone novel?
Readers love series and I love keeping readers engaged. I will however be tackling some standalone works over the next few years.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been making headlines for a few years now as the psychological affects become more and more apparent with soldiers and front line workers. Did you write Post to bring more awareness to PTSD? What type of research did you complete in order to ensure that the symptoms that Tibor was going through were accurate?
PTSD and mental health in general is something that interests me. The research for Post involved a huge amount of reading and talking to people.

If you had a chance to have Lock and Tibor go against each other, who do you think prevail?
Probably Byron Tibor because his abilities go beyond human. He's also a much darker character with less boundaries than Ryan Lock so that's where my money would be.

Do you have any information on upcoming works or events that you are able to share?
Between October and February 2016 I have FIVE books out. The second Byron Tibor novel, Blood Country, can be pre-ordered now and will be out early in early October. At the end of October the first book with Rebecca Cantrell will be out, and it's called "A" is for Asshat. Then we'll have books B,C and D out in November, December and February. And if people want a free ebook they can sign up for my mailing list at seanblackauthor.com and I'll send them a free Lock novel.

 
What is one book (other than one of your own) that you think everyone should read?
Great question. So many to choose but the last book I really devoured was The Cartel by Don Winslow. Basically anything by Don Winslow is going to be fantastic.

Thanks for the opportunity to appear on your blog.

I want to say Thank You once again to Sean Black for being part of my Blogoversary and I am looking forward to check out the additional books in his Lock and Tibor series and well with five books coming out in five months that is a lot of reading to look forward to. Sean has very kindly offered a giveaway to go along with his interview of 5 ebook copies of Blood Country which is the second book in his Byron Tibor series, so make sure to enter the rafflecopter link below. Once again THANK YOU SEAN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Interview & Giveaway: Sara Blaedel

WELCOME, to another year of my Blogoversary event. I can't believe that it was almost 5 years ago that I decided to have a place to for my reviews. I know I may be a small Book Blog out there but I truly love writing new reviews and discovering new authors every year. I hope you enjoy the author interviews and giveaways and with that let the event begin :)

To kick off my Blogoversary event, I like to choose an author that I have not heard of before and really impressed me with their novel. This year that author is Sara Blaedel, who is probably more well known in Europe as she resides in Denmark, but Blaedel's writing style and plot of her novel The Forgotten Girls was engaging, interesting and dark with a side of grey (and this comes from a book that is the 7th in the series). I look forward to more of Blaedel's novels being translated into English. Please Welcome to Blood Rose Books Today:

Sara Blaedel

If there was one author you could co-write a novel with (they can be alive or dead) who would you choose and why?

Definitely Enid Blyton - it could have been be so much fun to write a children's detective story with her.

You began your writing career first by starting a publishing company (Sara B) and this eventually lead you to journalism where you covered a variety of topics, have you used some of the stories you covered in journalism as inspiration for your novels?

I have certainly been inspired by many of the amazing people I met during my time as a journalist. And I often get inspired by reading the paper, but I have never used stories where people were able to recognize themselves. It is a matter of trust, I think.
 

You have been known for your writing ability and your Louise Rick series in Denmark and Europe well before making the transition to English which means USA, Canada and the UK. Can you explain what your experience was like and the process you went through to transition your novels into English and this market? Did you find your experience with your company Sara B helped you?

Most things are done the differently in the US when it comes to publishing - so I have not been able to use my experiences from the time I was a publisher myself, and it is so many years ago as well - much has changed in the publishing industry. But of course I have some experience – 15 plus years in the business (both as a publisher and as a writer) teaches you a thing or two.

What do you think would be the hardest or most challenging genre to write a novel in and why?

A romantic love story with a happy ending J. I would constantly sit and want to put a murder in the story. And I'm not that romantic - I would find it hard to resist being ironic and joking.

What do you think are the essentials to make a great crime mystery novel? How do you think your Louise Rick series differs from the many other mystery novels out there?

I am quite sure that the writer must have something to say to write a captivating crime novel, something at heart, and the characters have to be credible. Not necessarily likeable, but the characters have to awaken some feelings of the reader, the reader has to feel that something is at stake. If the characters do not create any emotions everything is lost. It is very difficult for me to point out where my novels are different from others. Just as it would be impossible for me to analyze my own work. So I think we have to ask the readers.

 

There are some dark aspects within your novel The Forgotten Girls, what appeals to you about the dark and disturbing aspects of human nature?

I think that all people can be driven apart when darkness takes over. In my books I always try to show the perpetrator's human side. And perpetrators in my novels are not pure evil, there is always some sort of explanation that hopefully makes the reader consider - even to life's hard questions.

Do you have any information on upcoming works or events that you are able to share?

Mid October I will go to Canada in order to promote The Forgotten Girls, and next year ‘The Death Trail’ will be published by Grand Central Publishing in the US. While all this is happening I am preparing a new story and it is all very hush hush. :)

What is one book that you think everyone should read?

It is a question with no simple answer. But since the desire for reading in one's adult life often are linked to how we were presented to fiction and storytelling as children, then it must be children's books: I think that all adults (who are able) should read books together with their children. In addition to getting us to grow as human beings, it is in all ways also an investment in the future. The World needs reader.

I want to thank Sara once again fro being part of my Blogoversary, I really reccomend her novel The Forgotten Girls and I hope more English translations (Glad to hear about The Death Trail" for next year) are on their way. Sara has very kindly supplied a Giveaway (US) for a copy of The Forgotten Girls to go along with her interview, so make sure to fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And stay tuned for the month of September as there are more Interviews and Giveaways coming.

Mark Dawson: In Cold Blood

In the first book in his new series Mark Dawson has a retired assassin who has her own kill list:

Beatrix Rose was one of the most deadly assassins for an off the books government kill agency, that was until the agency attempted to let her go, permanently. Her husband was killed and her daughter stolen from her, Beatrix had no choice but to lay low until she was able to find and retrieve her daughter. She has her daughter back and with that came the name of six people on her kill list. Those that she needs to take care of so that she and her daughter can be safe. Beatrix knows that she has a limited time in order to execute her plan; this is name number 1 on her list.

This book has a Kill Bill feel to the revenge state of things but with a more final twist thrown in. Even looking at the cover there is a Kill Bill play there as well and I am pretty sure that Beatrix did not use a sword at all throughout the book. However, she is very deadly with guns and knives so maybe she is also good with a sword as well.

This is the first book in the series Right? (…goes to check Goodreads again…Yes it states that it is...okay). There is a whole back story to this book that I feel like I have missed out on. Dawson does refer back to it from time to time, but not enough that I truly know what the back story was. I have so many questions about Beatrix that are left open and maybe Dawson addresses these in the next book in the series. I'm actually not even sure if this is a spin off series or not, part of me thinks that it is but I'm going to have to do some research in order to find out.

I am a big fan of Beatrix and her skill set as well as her motivation of wanting to protect her daughter from those who would use her against her. Beatrix seems to be deadly with any weapon that she finds in her hands but she also has the qualities that you expect of an expert assassin, ability to plan, wait and adapt when it is needed. I really wish i had more of the back story on her and the fight for her life (literally) that she is in, but even without knowing these things I still enjoyed her as a character.

This is a quick read but that does not mean that it lacked action scenes and I did find myself devouring this book even though there were times where I felt like I was missing some key aspects of the plot. As I also enjoyed the Kill Bill movies I liked this book and if people can get around the similarities between the two I think they will enjoy this book as well. I would read the next book in this series and hope that Dawson is able to fill in some of the gaps.

Enjoy!!!!

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RebekahTurner: Chaos Broken

You will need to read the first two books in this series Chaos Born and Chaos Bound before reading this book as they really set up who Lora is, what she has discovered about herself and her powers as well as all of her relationships. Turner also does most of the world building in the first novel Chaos Born so a reader jumping into the third novel may not get the Applecross and the world that Turner has created.

In the third book (and possibly final???) novel in Rebekah Turner's Chronicles of Applecross series, Lora has been left in charge of the runners and everything goes to hell:

Lora Blackgoat does not want to be in charge, especially when she loses a lucrative contract (of no fault of her own I assure you) and the business is struggling to stay afloat. Lora is desperate to make money any way she can even if that means looking for a missing cat. Who knew a missing cat was going to turn into a murder scene of magic that Lora has never seen before and all hell is about to break loose in the city. There is a new headman coming to head up the Order of Guides where everyone who has ever practiced any magic can be sentenced to burn at the stake. Lora is trying to make sure she does not make it to the stake, find a murder and Oh Roman is back in town stirring up all kinds of trouble; Just another day in the life of Lora Blackgoat (the musical???).

I'm really not sure if this is the last book in this series or not, I personally hope that it is not as I still think that there are many questions that need to be answers after reading this book. Maybe this will be the last Applecross series and move into a different setting with the same characters, but I think that Turner needs to continue the series because I love Lora as a character, the ideas that Turner comes up with, the world she has built and her ability to balance the fantasy, fight scenes and romance within the book. It was interesting to see Turner bring in a little bit of real history into the book with the introduction of burning witches at the stake, without a trail, just needed someone to accuse a person that they had seen them performing some aspect of the dark witch craft and to the stake they went. This added Lora the need to be not only extra cautious but to watch her back as she is well known throughout the city for her witch craft.

Lora has grown up quite a bit since the first book to this book, she barley drinks in this book and I don’t think she attends one dice game, who is this person. At first I questioned if this our Lora Blackgoat from the first two books, but the more I think about it, Lora is still there in a lot her actions and verbiage/sarcasm, but the act of being responsible for the Runners has made her have to change, well that and Crowhurst helping to keep her in line. One of the things that I love about Lora is her unswerving loyalty to those that she cares about and willing to put herself front and centre to protect them.

My one criticism for the book is that I think that Turner attempted to do too much and had too many ideas for this book. Yes, Turner is able to bring everything together in the end, but at times it seemed like there was a little too much going on for Lora to handle and at times I found myself getting a little bit lost. There is the murderer using magic she has never seen before, Lora trying to keep the Runner business afloat, Roman and all the problems he brings to town and then the introduction of a new head to the Order of Guides which causes all sorts of problems. Let’s just say that more than once it seemed like Lora's head was spinning and in turn mine was as well, so maybe that is a sign of good writing as I was so in tune with that was going on with Lora, that I felt just as lost and confused as she did at times.

I think that this series keeps getting better and better the more books that Turner adds to this series, I'm not sure of anyone else who has read this book but I am personally excited for Lora Blackwood the musical. I know I would go see it. It says on Goodreads that this book is the final installment of the series, and I seriously questions that just based upon how this book ends and all the unanswered questions that I think that Turner has left open. This better not be the last book in this series as I really enjoy Lora and the world that Turner has created.

Enjoy!!!

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Dennis Lehane: The Drop

Dennis Lehane is probably best known for his novel Mystic River and from what I understand from other reviews, he returns to Boston where the Chechen Mob runs the street and the bars:

Bob Saginowskiis a lonely bartender at his cousin's bar really just looking to for something to live for. When he rescues an abandoned and abused puppy left in a trash can it opens him up to new life experiences and something to live for. Bob has some secrets though, the bar where he works at used to be his cousin's bar but it is now owned by the Chechen mafia and when the bar is robbed one night it is up to Bob and Marv to make sure that they get the money back, and keep the police at bay. Bob just wants to have a regular life and has found some things to live for, but can he keep them, the mafia is known to take drastic measures in order to ensure that they get their money.

This is the first book that I have read by Lehane and I was really impressed with his writing style and how he laid out the plot in this story and how his is able to create the neighbourhood that Bob lives in and the players in a very short amount of time. You feel like you are walking the streets with Bob at night, or serving up drinks in the bar with him. I'm not quite sure how to describe this book it is part working for the mob, part trying to be independent and part love story. This book is not about fast action scenes or shoot outs, it is more about the slow burn as you try to put the pieces together of several different puzzles that are occurring at once, which I think is why I liked it so much. All the stories are interconnected somehow and it is really not till near the end that everything seems to come together.

I'm a sucker for books that have animals in it and I’m a sucker for a Man in a book that takes care of an innocent animal, so I was a big fan of Bob. Bob is slow, I think that is the best way to describe him, how he takes and interacts with people just seems a little bit off. He does not have many friends, other than his cousin Marv, and is awkward in social interactions (even as a bartender), but he wants to have someone or something in his life to love but struggles in how to do that. The protection he feels towards Rocco, the pit bull puppy he rescues, is really part of his charm and it is the puppy that not only leads him towards danger but also helps him learn to care for someone else. You can tell that Bob is loyal to a fault even when that loyalty ends him up working for the Mob; I think he is unable to see any way around it as that is the life that he has always known.

Marv is an interesting character; he is really stuck in the past and the Glory days when he used to have respect from people on the street and the Mob. Marv got into some gambling debts and was forced to "sell" his bar to the Chechen Mob to cover his debts and the bar has become a drop point for their cash whenever they want it. You can tell throughout the novel that Marv always wants more but is really unwilling to do anything to get it. Although Marv is supposed to be Bob's friend he often treats him badly and makes him do all the work, as he knows that Bob has no one else and capitalizes on how Loyal Bob really is.

This is the first book that I have read by Lehane and it is not one of his well-known ones. I think if he is able to write this well and keep me invested in a book that was not as popular as his other novels then I need to try to read the rest as well. This book is a quick good easy read, that I found was very entertaining and able to draw me into Bob’s story.

Enjoy!!!

On a side note, this book was also made into a movie (oh how I love Tom Hardy...) also called The Drop (watched it on Netflix so it could still be there) and the movie does a really good job in following the book almost exactly. There are a few additional elements that are left out, but they were not essential to the overall story.

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