Dear Readers, we are
hosting a debut novella author today. Be sure and make her feel welcome.
Welcome, Dawn. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
I think all my characters have a little of me, but sometimes
they emulate other loved ones in my life. Howard, the main character in my
Kindle story, When Lyric Met Limerick (only $.99 on Amazon!) has traits in
common with my sons but is still his own unique person.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
While completing my master’s degree, my team and I did a
financial presentation while role-playing as Disney characters. It was a big
hit, and we got an A+!
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I was an early reader, and even at 5 years old, I wondered
if I could ever write a story as good as the ones I read on my own.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love books with surprise endings, the kind of ending you
don’t expect, which can span any genre, but particularly dominates the thriller/suspense
genre. My favorite genre is psychological thrillers which actually teach me
something about life or myself.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
Simplify, simplify, simplify. I know my limits and will
rarely take on something that I know will add stress to my life. And now that
my nest is empty, that’s much easier!
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
Sometimes, the character has to have a certain name in order
to fit the plot. Other times, I’ll randomly search names in books and keep
looking until I find one that fits.
What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
This is actually a tie among 3 things: acquiring my master’s
degree in 2011 (inured me to hard-core writing), choreographing a church
musical for people who’d never danced in their life, and it turned out
surprisingly well; finishing my first two complete novels in as many years.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
I’ve been asked this question before, and I have to be honest:
I would not want to be an animal. I wouldn’t have experienced all the joys of
life that I have.
Good answer. What is
your favorite food?
Do beverages count? It would have to be my morning
frappuccino. J
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I started out with all the rookie mistakes you can think of:
stilted dialog, filler scenes, telling/not showing, lots of adverbs, and purple
prose. I’m still overcoming these quirks, but I’ve learned to recognize them
from contest judges’ feedback, critique groups, and writers’ conferences.
Tell us about the
featured book.
It’s a quick read … just 37 pages. Originally the opening to
my upcoming release, Sapphire Secrets,
it tells of a fortuitous meeting that launches a series of events culminating
in … oh wait, I don’t want to spoil the ending for you. Just stay tuned for my
debut novel launching this month!
Please give us the
first page of the book.
May 1983
From the moment Howard McCreary spotted the Stevie Nicks
lookalike, song lyrics materialized in his head.
She’s a white cobra lady—
She sat across the vast marketplace, frowning at something
in front of her.
Slitherin’ in my brain—
He tried to resist her draw, but an unseen force drove him
on. He was going over there to see what she found so all-fired compelling.
He gestured to his friend, Nils Nelsson, who squinted in her
direction.
Hissing to me softly—
“Where you going now?” Nils protested. “I think we ought to
get out of here before that dude catches up to you.”
Drivin’ me insane—
Howard glanced behind him as they meandered among chattering
browsers at Seattle ’s
Pike’s Place Market, past booths filled with rainbows of jewelry, colorful
heaps of handmade clothing, walls of handcrafted knickknacks. A bushy-bearded
guy in suspenders tooted his flute next to a man hawking rugs.
No sign of the shopkeeper whose one remaining Jimi Hendrix
tee was tucked securely under Howard’s jacket. His feet pivoted toward his
prey. Nils followed with agitated steps. Beyond the westward windows, the sun
hid behind a blanket of industrial gray clouds. The pristine Olympic
Mountains sliced through the horizon like sails.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
or, to download my e-book, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/When-Lyric-Limerick-Dawn-Cahill-ebook/dp/B015DJU5AW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442461464&sr=8-1&keywords=when+lyric+met+limerickReaders, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the Ebook. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
10 comments:
The opening scene is captivating. BJM in SC
Sounds like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway! Sydney Harries GA
This sounds like a very nice little novella. I'd like to read more.
California
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Welcome Dawn and congratulations on the publication of your first novel. The first page of this story was fun to read!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
angela in KY would love to win.
What a fun first page.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
What a way to hook the reader and keep them wanting to read more. Thank you for the giveaway.
Kathy from Missouri
phoneticpandaatgmaildotcom
What a way to hook the reader and keep them wanting to read more. Thank you for the giveaway.
Kathy from Missouri
phoneticpandaatgmaildotcom
Yup gotta read more. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom. North Platte nebraska
Sounds great. Thanks for the giveaway.
Brenda in VA
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