COLLISION OF LIES - Tom Threadgill - One Free Book

BIO: Tom Threadgill is the author of the Jeremy Winter series of thrillers (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas), as well as Collision of Lies from Baker Publishing Group. His books have a distinct focus on clean, suspenseful action with strong character development. In his downtime, Tom enjoys woodworking and riding his Harley. He currently resides with his wife in the Dallas area and can be reached through his website at TomThreadgill.com.

Welcome, Tom. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Intentionally? Very little, though it’s hard to hide my sarcasm and humor in some of my characters. But I’m always surprised when I go back to earlier novels I wrote and see how much of myself and those around me is actually in there.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I didn’t try my hand at writing until around eight years ago. That first partial manuscript was horrible. I’m talking burn-it-and-spread-the-ashes-where-they’ll-never-be-found bad. After that, I attended conferences, read books on the craft, did whatever I could to get better. The first validation that I could do this came when an agent (the wonderful Linda S. Glaz) offered to represent me.

I didn’t know you were also a Hartline author. I am, too. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

In a lot of ways, writing has impacted my reading because I tend to spend as much time analyzing the story as I do getting lost in it. I used to be a big Tom Clancy fan, though his novels had too much technical info. Lately, I’ve been reading WWII non-fiction and some fantasy novels.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

There are plenty who’d argue I haven’t kept my sanity. I’m pretty much on a news blackout at the moment, and I really limit my social media time. I try to avoid as much negativity and arguing as possible.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

This is seriously one of the most difficult parts of writing for me. I use random name generators, research popular names for the time. All that stuff. It’s not uncommon for me to change a character’s name several times during the writing process. Since I write series, it’s vital I find a name that will resonate with readers.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

In life, it would be the fact that I’ve been married to the same woman for 38 years (and counting). As far as writing, getting all my books traditionally published is pretty exciting.

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

Ah, the animal question. Way better than the tree question. I absolutely love wolves. Beautiful animals. Not sure I’d want to be one though. I prefer my meat cooked.

What is your favorite food?

It’s hard to beat pizza. Or Tex-Mex. Or ice cream.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Procrastination. I tend to go out of my way to find ANYTHING to do other than write. And on the days I sit down to work, it seems that something inevitably happens to interrupt me. What works best for me is to decide I’m going to write for x amount of time per day, regardless of word count. When I get in that routine, I make decent progress. Up until the point I fall out of that routine again.

Tell us about the featured book?

Collision of Lies is the first in a series featuring Amara Alvarez, a detective in the San Antonio Police Department. Amara stumbles across a clue regarding a horrific accident years earlier between a freight train and a school bus filled with children. Despite her hesitation to believe what she’s being told, she pushes forward with one faint hope. One of the kids may still be alive.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Thirty seconds.

If they were still arguing, she’d call the cops then. Let the professionals deal with them.

Amara Alvarez leaned her athletic frame outside the diner’s booth to get in the man’s line of sight. He glanced up and she shot her best death stare his way. Clenched jaw, narrowed eyes, the works.

No effect. The man and woman continued their argument or breakup or whatever was happening. He bounced between whispers and shouts. She alternated between screaming and sobbing.

The couple, both appearing to be Hispanic and around thirty years old, had been at it for nearly an hour. Of all the restaurants in San Antonio, did they have to come here? Today? Her initial empathy toward the pair had faded a long time ago. Most folks would’ve recognized the impact of their outbursts on others. Not these two.

As a result, Amara’s mood had risen to level-ten irritation. Her Saturday morning ritual of a quiet meal at the Breakfast Bodega was ruined, thanks to them. Was it so much to ask? That people keep their personal matters personal?

Ronnie, the heavyset weekend manager of the diner, had stopped by their table twice with little impact on the theatrics. Most of the other customers had shoveled their meals into Styrofoam containers and fled the scene. Not Amara. This wasn’t her first battle of wills.

The red second hand on the wall clock hit the 12. She grabbed her phone, sighed, and laid it back on the table. Five more minutes. If they were still going, she’d call the police then.

You have my attention. How can readers find you on the Internet?

The best place is my website, TomThreadgill.com. All my books and links are listed there too. I’m also on Facebook, where I occasionally post random stuff. Oh, and I send out a monthly email with chances to win free books, so anyone interested can sign up at my website.

Thank you, Tom, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Collision of Lies - Christianbook.com
Collision of Lies  - Amazon Paperback
Collision of Lies  - Kindle ebook
Collision of Lies  - Audio book

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