COOKING THE BOOKS - Bonnie S Calhoun - Free Book

I am so thrilled to introduce you to author, Bonnie Calhoun. We are truly sisters under the skin. We may have been separated at birth. Welcome, Bonnie. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Whoa…*snort-giggle*…that might scare people away from me in person. Okay…I confess, Sloane Templeton is me, except I like guns and can shoot way better than her. See…there they go. I told ya’ they’d all run away!

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Yikes, if I told you that I might have to kill you! Are we talking quirky-ha, ha…or quirky-strange. And are we talking as a grown adult who should know better, or are we talking when I was young and dumb and innocent? ::blink blink::  I’ll pick a benign one. I went to the original Woodstock…without permission, and almost got killed by a honkin’ huge farm tractor.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

That’s an easy one, I discovered I was a writer when I was a teenager. Back in the day, teenage angst turned all kids into writers, unlike today when it turns them into serial killers.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

My range is sorta short like my arms. I love mystery, suspense, and dystopia. I have been known to try a romantic suspense, or plain romance…but only if it’s written by a friend and they have a high-heeled foot pressed firmly on my neck.

Is that what I have to do to get you to read my books? Look out at conference this year. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Hmmm…Of all the things I’ve ever lost, I think I miss my mind the most. Seriously though, I take one day at a time, and put one foot forward. The Lord doesn’t promise us tomorrow, so why should I worry about something that will never come? I do “today”’ the best I can, and then move on.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Have you ever met someone, and the first thing you think is, they fit their name? I’ve been picking names that sound cool, and sorta “fit” the personality of the actual character. But I do have an idea for a dystopia where all the names would be made up variations of names in use today.

I haven’t really gotten into dystopia yet. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

ROFLOL…this is going to sound totally off topic, but I am totally proud that the Lord has deemed it fit to let me live this long! I’m just praying that I have a lot more to accomplish for him and He lets me stay around to finish it!

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Yikes…an animal…would you believe I’ve never, ever thought of that. Let’s see…I wouldn’t pick a chicken or a cow…they’re both too stupid from my point of view but I love them on the dinner menu. And I wouldn’t pick a dog or a cat…and I don’t want to be something that could wind up as road kill. Ugh…don’t wanna be an animal…nope…it wouldn’t be prudent.

What is your favorite food?

That is totally easy…my favorite food is Buffalo chicken wings, red velvet cake, macaroni & cheese, French fries, cheesecake…ugh…I guess I’d better stop.

Wow! Cholesterol City. I hope you don’t eat them all at the same time. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Another easy question! My greatest roadblock to writing is finding enough time in each day to get words on the screen. If I could add all my Facebook words, Twitter words, and email responses to the count, I’d be on much better footing. But seriously I set a goal for each day, and I don’t get to go to bed until it is accomplished. Did I say that sleep is sorely over-rated?

Tell us about the featured book?

It's not easy being Sloane Templeton.

After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also “inherits” a half-batty store manager, a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week, but never read books, called the Granny Oakley’s Book Club, and Aunt Verline who fancies herself as an Iron Chef when in reality you need a cast iron stomach to partake of her culinary disasters. And with a group like this you should never ask, “What else can go wrong?”

A lot! Sloane begins to receive cyber threats. While she uses her computer forensic skills to uncover the source of the threats, it is discovered someone is out to kill her. Can her life get more crazy?

Please give us the first page of the book.

I’m going to skip the prologue and go right to the story:

One month later . . .

The car jerked as though possessed.

I inhaled sharply, holding onto the breath as tightly as I gripped the smooth wood railing with one hand and my garbage bag with the other. I peered down from the landing on the floor below my apartment at the car parked closest to the building.

My heart drummed a monster cadence that pounded on the blood vessels behind my eyes, causing pinpoint stars to float in front of my vision. Was I really seeing this or did I not have enough coffee yet this morning?

Yes. It was no flashback from my days of old. The car still shook.

A warm summer breeze drifted across my skin as I continued to stare down at the car. I shivered. I wasn’t cold. It was fear.

What was I, an idiot? I had to will my foot to descend to the next step. At the moment, my feet were apparently smarter than I was. They knew danger. A smart person would turn around and go back upstairs, through the apartment and down the front stairs. But no, I apparently didn’t emanate from that smart gene pool. If it could be considered dangerous or reckless, my name was probably attached somewhere.

My dear mom, God rest her soul, always said, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”

Yeah, let’s not mention that angels must have practiced running for the clouds every time the name Sloane Templeton came up as an assignment. I had a knack for turning them into bruised and battered little fife-and-drum corps, complete with head bandages and crutches.

A woman’s screech echoed from the closed interior of the car.

Okay, I’m totally hooked. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers can find me at my website http://bonniescalhoun.com/

On Faceook at https://www.facebook.com/bscalhoun

On Twitter at https://www.facebook.com/bscalhoun

Or on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/BonnieCalhoun

Thank you, Bonnie. I loved having you here. Come back whenever you have another book release.



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Cooking the Books: A Sloane Templeton Mystery


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