THE LETTERS - C Kevin Thompson - One Free Book

Welcome back, C Kevin. Tell us about your salvation experience.

It occurred in November of 1981. I was eighteen years old. Cindy and I had been married for about three months. We were home on a Wednesday evening, watching TV, when a knock at the door came around seven o’clock. It was the youth pastor from a local church and a friend we had gone to high school with standing on our front porch. I answered the door, and they asked me if this house was the address they had on their little note card. I informed them they were looking for the house two doors down. So while they were there, we struck up a conversation, and in the midst of it, they asked me “the question”: If I was to die tonight, would I know for sure I was going to be in heaven? I admitted I was not sure. As a matter fact, it was a different question I had pondered for over two years: Was there more to this life than working really hard, accumulating a bunch of money and assorted stuff, and then dying and leaving it all to your kids? I felt like there had to be more to this life than that, but I didn’t have a clue what that would be. If there wasn’t, then why bother to obey laws and rules? Why not eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die? I didn’t word it like that, but does that sound familiar? That’s how I felt. But something inside kept telling me such hopelessness was unwarranted. There was more to this life. That night, on my doorstep, as an eighteen-year-old newlywed who already owned his own house, I gave my life to Christ. Now, all these years later, I am rich. Not in money and stuff. But I am rich in the things thieves and rust and moths can’t touch.

I love to hear salvation stories, and yours is a good one. You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why?

 Oh, my, that’s a good question. Only four, huh? Okay, so in no particular order, they would be as follows (and you didn’t say they had to be alive, so we’re gonna swing for the fences): Charles Dickens because he wrote from his heart and believed in his work so intensely, he was willing to risk everything to see it in print; Michael Crichton because he could teach a great deal about researching cutting-edge ideas and creating plots that are ripe for the silver screen; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because he could teach us how to develop a character that has been mimicked, copied, and spun off of, more than any other literary character in history, I think; and Tom Clancy because he believed in creating a truly good guy—a “boy scout”—and making him into a legend we all wished worked for the government.

Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that.

I actually do not, per se. Because I’m the major bread winner, I do have a day job that takes up the majority of my time. I have spoken in churches in the past, filling in for pastors in various capacities. I am also going to be teaching a class to our local writers group this summer on developing proposals that get you published, which I hope to then use to get my foot in the door at some writers conferences, so we’ll see how that turns out. J

Hoping it works out all right. I’m supposed to be the keynote speaker for a one-day conference in April, but it has been postponed. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it?

When I was a language arts teachers years ago, I showed up to school and taught the first half of the day before a student came up to me at the end of class, as the bell rang and students were filing out. He said, “Mr. Thompson, did you know you have two different shoes on?” I laughed and said, “Yeah, right.” I thought he was joking. He said, “No, really. Look.” He pointed at my shoes, so I looked. Sure enough, I had two pairs of the same shoes in my closet. One pair was black. The other brown. I had one of each on my feet. “That’s what happens when you get dressed in the dark,” I told him. He laughed. I laughed. Then, I thanked him for not blurting it out in class and embarrassing me in front of everyone, as I was embarrassed enough. I added that he showed great maturity by handling it the way he did. I then proceeded to open my closet and allow him to raid the stash of candy I had stored away for various rewards. It was the least I could do. And no, I didn’t go home and change my shoes. I lived too far away. So I decided to make an experiment out of it and see if anyone else noticed. Much to my surprise, nobody did. Because you know that if a middle schooler with no couth noticed, he or she would have said something.

People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that?

I usually ask then what they want to write. Then, I steer them in the right direction, because fiction is a different animal from non-fiction. If they just want to write a memoir, then that’s an entirely different discussion. But I always tell them that books don’t write themselves, so you have to sit down and actually write it. First things first. Can’t publish an unwritten book.

I also ask them what they plan to do with it once it’s done. That also helps me answer questions and give them some pointers about next steps after it is written.

Very good advice. Tell us about the featured book.

The Letters is a book about two worlds colliding within the life of Rachel Hamar. She’s just been let go from her bank teller position as a casualty of downsizing. This happens on the twentieth anniversary of the death of her high school sweetheart, Billy Baldwin. Billy died at the hands of her father because he found out she was pregnant. As a result, her father goes to prison, and her mother lands in a psychiatric ward. At the urging of her best friend, she has an abortion.

Now, twenty years later, everything and everyone she loved has been ripped from her. All that’s left is her mother, Dorothy Hamar, who now is a psychiatric patient at a local hospital in New York City.

It’s in the midst of Rachel’s spiraling depression that a letter arrives in the mail. It’s addressed to her. No return address. Simple white envelope. Common kind. Inside is a folded-up sheet of paper with what looks like scribbles from a pencil scratched across one side. She thinks it’s weird and tosses it in the garbage. Chalks it up to a postal carrier’s error. However, as more arrive, one each day, she fishes the first from the trash and starts comparing them. When she’s in possession of several, and as they shift from scribbles to crudely written letters to pictures drawn by a small child’s hand, Rachel starts to freak out, thinking they may be intended for someone else.

She enlists the help of a local detective, who is concerned this may involve the welfare of a child. However, the detective also believes this may be the work of a serial stalker, and this launches them into a story where two worlds collide into a tale of redemption and wonder.

As Rachel says in the prologue, this is her story. Some will call it a fairy tale. Some will call it a lie. But she calls it a story of love and redemption.

Please give us the first page of the book.

West 173rd Street

Washington Heights, NY

I slammed the car door shut and dropped my car keys onto the cold pavement. Shuffling the grocery bags from one hand to the other, I crouched in a pretzel-like fashion, trying not to keel over in my high heels.

Stupid keys.

Picking them up, my thigh muscles burned as I rose and fumbled for the one I needed, attempting not to crush the eggs or shatter the glass jars of spaghetti sauce clanking together in

revolt.

A stiff winter breeze battered my face as I trudged up the four blocks of sidewalk to the entrance of my five-story apartment building.

No bigger than a wide alley designed to look like a courtyard, the entrance led to eight fractured, concrete stairs, eroded by years of ice-melting salt in the winter, blistering heat in the

summer, and a million trudging feet.

The steps spread wide under two forty-year-old doors. Their glass panes, arranged in nine squares and each framed in wood, had a slightly melted, made-in-the-seventeenth-century look

about them.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers can find me in several locations:

Website:                                 www.ckevinthompson.com/

Kevin’s Writer’s Blog:          www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com/

Facebook:                               C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page

Twitter:                                   @CKevinThompson

Instagram:                               ckevinthompson

Pinterest:                                ckevinthompsonauthor

Goodreads:                             C. Kevin Thompson

Christian Authors Network:   https://christianauthorsnetwork.com/c-kevinthompson/

BookBub:                                C. Kevin Thompson

In addition to these links above, I also am a regular contributor to the writer’s blog, Seriously Write, I am a member of ACFW and have an author’s page on “Fiction Finder” too.

Thank you, Kevin, for sharing this new book with us. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book, because it is such a departure from the first 4 books I featured on my blog.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Letters-C-Kevin-Thompson/dp/1951246209/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= - Paperback

The Letters - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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, 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

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES FOURTEEN - C Kevin Thompson - One Free Book

Welcome back, Kevin. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

When I write fiction, I like to have an overarching theme (sometimes two) that covers the story from cover to cover. For The Serpent’s Grasp, it was the question of “What is Truth?” I looked at this from a scientific perspective as it relates to creationism versus evolution. One of the main characters, Dr. Evelyn Sims, wrestles with this dilemma as a Christian in the world of science, dominated by evolutionary theory, throughout the book.

For my Blake Meyer Thriller Series, it’s the question of “What is True Peace?” Blake has spent his life “protecting and serving” his country in various ways to make sure all Americans can live in peace. However, as his personal world gets turned on its head, he starts to see how peace can never be had through guns and laws and wars and alliances. He’s got to look somewhere else to find true peace, and his friend, Harrison Kelly, will help him in the end “get his God thing” going.

In my upcoming standalone novel, The Letters, it deals with the topic of abortion, but it’s more about how interwoven the physical and spiritual worlds are around us…much more than we tend to think or believe, even as Christians.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

Besides Book 4 of my Blake Meyer Series, When the Clock Strikes Fourteen, I have Book 5, A Pulse of Time, coming out in the latter part of 2019. Then, in January of 2020, the e-book of The Letters will be released, with the paperback coming out in February. Then, in the fall of 2020, Book 6, the final installment of the Blake Meyer Series, titled Devil of a Crime, will be released.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

In a previous interview, you asked me a similar question about spending time with “a person who is alive.” My answer was Steven Spielberg. Since he is alive and a contemporary, I’ll use someone else this go around, because there is more than one. J

Another person I’d love to sit down and meet is Tim Tebow. I’ve seen him play a lot (Go Gators!), and have followed his career after his years at the University of Florida. For a celebrity, he is—in my opinion—the closest thing to how we should live our lives for Christ. He’s never strayed from who he is in Christ. His message has remained constant. Despite all the successes and failures on the field and baseball diamond, despite all the positive and negative press coverage, despite all the people who lambaste him because of his faith, he remains true to God’s calling, and does it with a joy that’s unfortunately rare. He’s really a missionary in the world of sports and entertainment.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

In a previous interview, my answer to this question was William Shakespeare, because of how he was light years ahead of his time. We still use so many of his writings, his themes, and writing methods today. But there is more than one answer to this question as well.

Besides Shakespeare, I’ve always wanted to meet Gerard Groote, founder of the Brethren of the Common Life. He was an educator (so we have one thing in common) who came to a saving knowledge of Christ (now there’s two things in common) and founded a group which later became known as the Brethren of the Common Life in the mid-fourteenth century. A Roman Catholic pietist (we do not have that in common), Groote believed following Christ was to be a simple devotion, not cluttered with all the things his former life had espoused as necessary and worthwhile. I wrote a paper on the Brethren many years ago when I was in seminary, and found it hard to locate materials on them. However, they had an influence on such notables as Erasmus, who was educated as an orphan in one of their schools, and later wrote a work titled Enchiridion militis Christiani, or Manual of the Christian Soldier. It was this book that rejected monasticism and lobbied for true piety (which was a Brethren of the Common Life belief), and became a major reference for the Protestant Reformation.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

I have two answers for these authors. First, understand that rejections come in all forms. Some rejections are solely subjective. That particular editor at that particular publishing house didn’t like your work. That doesn’t mean ALL editors will feel the same way. And it doesn’t mean that publishing house will always be scratched off your list. Editors move. They leave for myriads of reasons and are replaced with new ones. That new one may love your work. So always keep up on who the editors are as much as which house rejected your work.

In other instances, the publishers may be going through reorganization of duties, so that editor isn’t sure his or her imprint will even be doing that type of fiction next month. Maybe they are being bought up by another company, and nobody knows if they even have a job next month! The point is, there are a hundred scenarios that could be painted, each one particular to that specific editor and/or house at that moment in time. Like the thunderstorms in Florida, wait thirty minutes. Things will change.

Second, don’t take it personally. The old saying is, “This isn’t personal. It’s business.” There are no truer words in publishing. That editor, for whatever reason, did not believe your work would make economic sense AT THIS TIME…FOR THEM. But there is another saying, too. “Where God is, the doors always open wide.” So if the editor slams the door shut, just know it’s only one of a thousand doors you can knock on. And God said to keep knocking, right? We are to ask, seek, and knock, according to Jesus’s sermon in Matthew. However, when we do, we not only need to be knocking on the right doors, we must—more importantly—be knocking for the right reasons. Now, that’s probably the hardest part for a writer!

Tell us about the featured book.

Here’s the Back Cover Copy:

An Insane Retribution. An Insidious Radical. An Intense Reunion.

When he got married, Supervisory Special Agent Blake Meyer worried that shielding his family from his past would prove to be formidable. Now, as precious time ticks away, Blake finds himself flying over the ocean at twenty thousand feet, searching for his family, and watching helplessly as his greatest fear wraps its tentacles around his past, present, and future, inextricably weaving them into a deadly game of vengeance.

With the help of his longtime friend, Harrison Kelly, and a small band of soldiers, Blake sets out to rescue the only people he has ever, truly loved…before it’s too late.

However, unbeknownst to Blake, retooled plans have been set in motion to keep the contagion in play. To keep the threat alive. To bring a country to its knees. And forge the dawning of a new era.

One free of American interference.

One dominated and controlled by those who survive the carnage.

One without Blake Meyer.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Genforma Laboratories

On the outskirts of Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

Lazar Nicolescu entered the decrepit backroom of the Genforma Laboratories’ biohazard lab every twenty minutes to check on a gray-colored marmot that looked like a large, overweight groundhog with a squirrel’s tail, otherwise known as specimen number fifteen. He grabbed the clipboard hanging inside the door and headed straight to the animal.

This experiment—the last one, if Lazar’s plans worked out—began two hours ago. Unlike the others, especially the last one involving Peter Zakayev, the Russian dissident handcuffed in the next room over, this one was designed to “reset” the contagion’s timeline. Lazar believed that if he was to expose Peter to the contagion now that he was theoretically immune, he needed to replicate the best and most realistic scenario he could muster in this God-forsaken hole of a lab.

As Lazar bent over to examine the test subject, he noticed specimen number fifteen shaking slightly, as if the animal was afraid. He tapped on the glass, and the animal lifted its head slightly but was not reacting the way Lazar thought it would or should have.

Then, the marmot shook its coat, like a dog trying to dry itself after taking a bath, and crawled into the corner, snuggling in like it was going down for a nap. The exertion caused the animal to breathe heavy.

He is not his perky self. And his breathing seems labored. Lazar jotted his thoughts down in the log. Test subject is showing signs of distress. Nothing substantial, but definitely a change from the last check twenty minutes ago.

Interesting! How can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers can find me at these locations:

Website:                                 www.ckevinthompson.com/

Kevin’s Writer’s Blog:          www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com/

Facebook:                               C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page

Twitter:                                   @CKevinThompson

Pinterest:                                ckevinthompsonauthor/

Instagram:                               ckevinthompson

Goodreads:                             C. Kevin Thompson

BookBub:                                C. Kevin Thompson

Thank you, Kevin, for sharing this new book in the series.

Readers, here are links to the book.

When the Clock Strikes Fourteen (The Blake Meyer Thriller series) - Amazon Paperback
When the Clock Strikes Fourteen (The Blake Meyer Thriller Series Book 4) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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, 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

THE TIDE OF TIMES - C Kevin Thompson - One Free Book

Welcome back, C Kevin. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

Completing the Blake Meyer series, working on my young adult series, working on the screenplays for The Serpent’s Grasp and The Letters, and anything else God allows me to complete. I also have a sequel series foreshadowed in the Blake Meyer series that will cameo Blake and focus on a fellow FBI agent, Julee Scarfano.

Tell us a little about your family.

I’m married to Cindy, my wife of almost 37 years. We have three daughters. Two of them are married, and we have five grandchildren. We have a rescue dog named Tiny. We live in the house I grew up in, but we’re looking to move in the next couple of years. We’ve lived in Florida twice, Western New York, Jackson, Missippi, Haltom City, Texas, and Des Moines, Iowa. We’ve never been west of I-35, but want to see the western half of the U.S. soon.

You were almost a neighbor when you were in Texas. I live in Hurst. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Some. I read a great deal more research material than I used to. But that’s about it.

What are you working on right now?

I’m completing Book 4 of the Blake Meyer series, titled When the Clock Strikes Fourteen. Should be done any day now. Plans are for it to be available this fall. In my spare time, I’m writing a young adult series with the characters starting off in 6th grade. My writers critique group has told me that it’s the best stuff I’ve written so far. That’s a good sign.

Yes, it is. What outside interests do you have?

I play the drums and percussion, love college football, and like to spend time with family. When I want to relax, my Laz-y-boy and the remote are my friends.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

The settings are based on the storyline. So, I guess you could say the plot drives the setting. When I come up with a story, I spend some time examining where the best place for it to take place would be. Then, I take to Google Earth and scour the streets (if I can’t get there myself) to get to know the town/city. I also look at websites of local places within that town to get a feel for it.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

William Shakespeare. He was light years ahead of his time. We still use so many of his writings, his themes, and writing methods today.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

That all publishers are not created equal. And even though some publishers have grand ideas, plans, and rhetoric, following through on those things are more important.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

How to live on less. That all the bells and whistles of American Dream living is a wasteful way of living. For example, we dropped cable and use Roku and an HD antenna now. We get almost everything we had before, and it costs us about $150 a month less. The life of John Wesley has challenged me. He lived on three percent of his income and gave away the rest.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

First, write. Then, write more. Then, write even more. Most authors never publish their first work. Usually, their first published work is manuscript three or more. But you cannot get anything published if you never finish it. So, write. Second, become a student of the business because that is what you are becoming, a businessman or businesswoman. Writing is a business, more so than ever for the writer these days of being as much a marketer as you are a writer. Third, when you build your brand, be true to who you are. Make sure you can live with yourself when it becomes that business we talked about earlier.

My first novel was published, but my second never made it. Tell us about the featured book.

Here’s the Back Cover Copy:

A Perverse Tale. A Precarious Truth. A Personal Tribulation.

Supervisory Special Agent Blake Meyer is at an impasse. Bound and beaten in a dilapidated warehouse halfway around the world, Blake finds himself listening to an unbelievable story. Right and wrong warp into a despicable clash of ideologies. Life quickly becomes neither black nor white. Nor is it red, white, and blue any longer.

Every second brings the contagion's release closer, promising to drag the United States into the Dark Ages. Tens of millions could be dead within months.

Every moment adds miles and hours to the expanding gulf between him and his family. What is he to believe? Who is he to trust?

For in this tide of times, his most trusted allies must be condemned. His most feared enemies must be trusted. And those he loves must be found before the world’s generals cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Highway 116

Wonderwood Drive

Greater Arlington Area

Jacksonville, Florida

Supervisory Special Agent-in-Charge Julee Scarfano and SSA Williams raced toward Chicopit Bay from the west. Smoke spiraled into the sky like a barber’s pole. Scarfano listened in as an emergency helicopter circled the scene and relayed to first responders on the ground informa­tion from a bird’s eye view. Three local news station choppers hovered at a safe distance, forming a makeshift triangle of aerial observation and no doubt streamed the scene live to the world.

Julee’s eyes widened in horror. Oh, my. “It looks like a war zone.”

“Reminds me of my first combat mission when I was over in Iraq,” Williams said. “That didn’t turn out so well.”

Julee turned and gave Williams a look of concern.

With their emergency lights embedded within the grill of the vehicle, flashing blue and red, Agent Williams slowed their black Ford Expedition as they approached the now severed bridge. A state trooper’s cruiser, parked at a forty-five degree angle, blocked the entrance to the crash site. The officer stood outside his car, holding out his left hand, motioning for them to stop.

Agent Williams rolled down his window and flipped the SUV into Park. He retrieved his credentials from his pocket. Julee did the same and held hers up.

“I’ll need to see some—” The trooper interrupted himself. “Oh, good. You’ve already got them out.”

Wow. You really left us hanging there. How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me in these locations:

My website:                www.ckevinthompson.com

Blog:                           www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com/

Facebook:                   C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page

Twitter:                       @CKevinThompson

Goodreads:                 C. Kevin Thompson

Amazon Author Page:            https://www.amazon.com/C.-Kevin-Thompson/e/B007ANOEDE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Also, check in soon to my website for the links to my new Pinterest page and Instagram page!

Thank you, C Kevin, for sharing this new book with us. I am eager to read it. So are my readers by now.

Readers, here are links to the book.

The Tide of Times (the Blake Meyer Thriller series) (Volume 3) - Paperback
The Tide of Times (the Blake Meyer Thriller series Book 3) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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

TRIPLE TIME - C Kevin Thompson - One Free Book

Welcome back, Kevin. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I’ve always loved a good mystery, good suspense, a good thriller (not the horror variety). I guess that’s why I gravitate toward shows like Blue Bloods, 24, Criminal Minds, Broadchurch and the like. But I also like that genre embedded within others, like science fiction, for example. That’s why I’m a Michael Crichton fan. Books like Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Prey are all mystery/thriller/suspense works woven around the good intentions of science gone horribly wrong (with Timeline, there’s a great deal of history as well!). So, I have the Blake Meyer series going (international thriller), have written The Serpent’s Grasp (a science fiction thriller), have written a manuscript currently titled The Letters, which has been described by one of my readers as “A Christmas Carol-esque without the ghosts,” meaning it’s a paranormal, speculative fiction work with a strong mystery/suspense side to it (much like Dickens’ work). And it has some humor as well. J And in my spare time, I’m developing a young adult character based on Sherlock Holmes with which my writing critique group members have fallen in love. They say this manuscript may be the best thing I’ve written yet, and the cool part about it is, I’ve developed it to start out as young adult fiction, but as the characters grow up, they stay together and eventually I’ll have an adult fiction series with the same characters.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Wow, that’s a hard question, because there are really four days that fit that bill. First and foremost was the day I married Cindy Lawson. At the age of eighteen, we were young and in love, and most people said it wouldn’t last. And although we’ve been through our fair share of trials (at times it seems unfair), if it wasn’t for our relationship with God, we would have been another negative statistic about marriage by now. Satan has definitely been at work. But as I heard it stated once, “The general never tries to destroy his own troops. He uses them. So, if old Lucifer is attacking you, he must see your good works and wants to derail them, or he expects you to do good things, and never wants those to get off the ground.”

The second, third, and fourth happiest days of my life were when our three daughters were born. And because we have endeavored to raise them to love God and follow Jesus, that’s reason enough for Satan to be upset. He hates it when we help increase the numbers of God’s family.

That is so true. How has being published changed your life?

Well, it’s added about 30-40 hours to my work week…that already had 40-50 hours spoken for as an assistant principal (currently at a middle school). J Joking aside, it’s given me so many wonderful friends who do the same thing. It’s also changed the way some people look at me. Some people think I’m nuts for wanting to write anything. Others see it as “cool.” They ask all sorts of questions about “what it’s like to be a published author.” At writers’ conferences, when I mention that I won a Selah award, agents’ and editors’ ears tend to perk up a little more. But through it all, I’m still the introvert who forces himself to “get out there” and promote his work in a publishing world that seems to change with the wind these days.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading some research on a topic a friend of mine and I are thinking about tackling. We are both in the field of education, and we both see many things that could improve, if certain things changed. So, we’ve been having some discussions, and plan to start meeting once a month to develop those ideas into an outline and eventually the first three chapters and a synopsis of the rest. Then we’ll see where it leads.

I’m also reading the first book in the Jesse Stone series by Robert B. Parker, Night Passage as well as The Lost City of Z by David Grann. I just finished for the second time (because I use it in my other job) The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. I highly recommend that book to any first year teacher or college of education student. She’ll save you years of grief, especially if you plan to be a language arts or reading teacher.

I’m a notoriously slow reader and usually have 2-4 books going at once.

When we married, my husband didn’t like to read, and I hadn’t written a book. Now I have had 45 books published, and he likes to read, but he is really slow. What is your current work in progress?

I currently have three projects going right now. First, is Book 4 of the Blake Meyer series, When the Clock Strikes Fourteen. It continues the story of the first three books in the series (readers are going to love what Blake does in this one), and will jettison readers into the final two books in the series. The series has been constructed like a season of 24, wherein each book would encapsulate roughly four episodes if it were to be made into a teleplay (hint, hint, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?), and because it has been built this way, I decided to incorporate an aspect of time into each title as it fit that section of the story. Another project I’m working on is the one I already referenced (the young adult series). I sit down when I have a little time—but not time enough to get hip deep (like I have to do with the Blake Meyer series)—and carve out a few pages. It’s still got a ways to go, but so far, the reviews have been excellent. I’ll reveal more about this once I have it done, which hopefully will be by the end of the year. Then, there’s the non-fiction educational work my friend and I are planning. Oh, and I’m toying around with the idea of writing the screenplay to The Serpent’s Grasp. Between Jurassic World and Meg, there seems to be a hunger for this stuff at the box office, right (no pun intended)?

What would be your dream vacation?

I’m a simple guy. Although I’d love to travel the world and see many things, sitting on a balcony in New Smyrna Beach, about five floors up, facing the ocean, is heavenly enough for me. That’s not only a dream vacation, it’s a dream lifestyle. If I owned a condo there, I’d have no reason to ever leave. However, if you press me, I would love to see Hawaii and Australia. Maybe even New Zealand while I’m down under.

Those three are on my list of dream vacations, too. How do you choose your settings for each book?

I choose them where I believe they make sense, would be believable, etc. The Letters is set in NYC because of the main protagonist’s mother, who lives in a psychiatric hospital and has been somewhat of a test subject. My Blake Meyer series, because of it being an international thriller, is set in Florida, Zurich, Paris, Texas, Russia, Haiti, Ukraine, and other points as needed. The Serpent’s Grasp is set primarily in Miami, but uses other locations in Florida and the Bahamas, but its main setting is the Atlantic Ocean.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I think it would probably be Steven Spielberg. As a storyteller, I’m always looking to expand my horizons, and learning the craft of screenplays and looking at the world through the lens of film would be helpful to not only understand that industry, but it would also help me in the transformation of words on a page to scenes on a screen. In addition, with his heritage, I think it would be interesting to hear his perspective on the nation Israel and the Old Testament. So, I guess we are talking about one long evening, huh? Lots to talk about.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Who has time for hobbies? I get up often at four in the morning to write (like I did this morning) for about two hours before I have to start getting ready for work. I’m usually at work between 7:30 & 8:00. I’m there until usually 5:00 or later, depending on what’s happened during the day and whether or not we have evening events. Then it’s back home to eat dinner and spend some time with Cindy. By 9:00 p.m., I’m wiped out. Usually in bed by 10:00-10:30. But you know what? This writing thing was a hobby years ago that turned into what amounts to a second job. So, I can’t complain. I’m doing something I love, and now I get paid for it. Another thing I love to do is play the drums/percussion. I used to have my own drum set when we were first married, but I had to sell it when we moved the first time. I have never owned my own set since, but I have played in two praise teams at church along the way, and will be joining a third one soon since we changed churches to be able to attend church with our daughters and their families.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

I never have an issue with writer’s block. I know some of my writer friends do, but I have so many ideas waiting in the wings. My obstacle is time. Like I described above, carving out time to write has to be strategic and disciplined. Otherwise, it will never happen. I’ve done the math…if writing was all I did, then I do believe churning out 4-6 books a year would not be difficult. However, with things the way they are right now, two a year is more reasonable.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Don’t quit. You’re going to get rejected. You’re going to be told your writing isn’t good enough. You’re going to get discouraged. It will happen over and over again. Even after you are published. But don’t quit. Even Frank Peretti, J. K. Rowling, and the like got/get rejected by editors, got/get negative reviews. So, don’t quit. Believe in what you are doing. Be flexible and teachable. Just like in the Christian walk, the best disciples (and thus writers) are FAT disciples (Faithful, Available, and Trainable). Always look at your writing with an editor’s eye. Always look at your career as one more step of growth. And always keep everything in perspective. I’ve often thought that even if I was the “James Patterson” of Christian writing when it came to sales, etc., when I stand before God on my judgement day, all those accolades would have to be tossed at His feet, too. They do not measure up to the infinite degree of grace I have received just like all my others works (Romans 3:9-24).

Tell us about the featured book.

Triple Time (A Blake Meyer Thriller – Book 2) is the continuation of Book 1. Blake has caught up to the nemesis of Book 1, Colin Murphy, but the contagion is still in play. But after going through everything in the first book, Book 2 opens with Blake being “granted” a chance to rest and heal for a day. This timing seems grand as it is also the day of his daughter’s fifth birthday party. But while the party is going on, and many friends and family are enjoying the festivities, Murphy’s plans are still in motion, and Blake and his family are attacked, launching them all into the rest of the series. Here’s a look at the Back Cover Copy:

Supervisory Special Agent Blake Meyer has an impossible choice to make. After thwarting a massive biological attack on the continental United States, the contagion is still missing and in the hands of the enemy. So is his family. Abducted as an act of revenge.

The clock is ticking, and the chances of finding his wife and children wane with every passing second. The assassin behind it holds all the answers.

Or does she?

Three demands. Three choices. Blake Meyer knows what must be done…but can he accomplish it before it’s too late? Time is literally of the essence. And double time will not be fast enough.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Home of Blake and Sara Meyer

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Blake Meyer checked his cell phone for the time. Six o’clock.

Having fired up the grill, Blake stood on the back porch of his family’s home overlooking the Atlantic. He’d spent the last several days opening up doors into his past he never wanted to revisit. Ones he’d kept hidden from his wife Sara and the kids until now. Surely, Sara would have more questions about his life before marriage. But how do you explain these things to your wife without making her scared of you?

He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed his senses to sanitize his worries. Catching Colin Murphy had been exhausting, and the breeze coming off the ocean mixed with the aroma of burgers on the grill relaxed his mind.

The roar of a watercraft sped by, causing him to look. A skier swished back and forth in a zig-zag pattern behind the boat, looking like something out of the movie Jaws. Farther out, little white specks—most likely shrimp boats and deep-sea fishing charters—dotted the horizon.

Inside the house, a growing commotion brewed as more and more relatives arrived for Little Sara’s big day, her fifth birthday. This little girl held a special place in Blake’s heart. He’d always said she was “the spittin’ image of her mother.” Even as a baby, she looked just like her mom’s baby pictures. However, with each passing day, the resemblance became even more striking. Now, at the age of five, it no longer was just the looks. The facial expressions, the mannerisms, the flow of the hair, the lilt in her voice…It was like he was getting the opportunity to watch his wife grow up right in front of him, all the while knowing how she’ll turn out when she becomes a woman.

Tomorrow night, the two sisters from down the street and the little girl from Little Sara’s YMCA swimming class would come over for a slumber party. Although Blake loved his daughter, he wasn’t sure if he could handle four screaming banshees in the house being chased by an annoyed, older brother. Blake smiled as he watched an older couple stroll by, hand in hand, kicking at the surf. Sounds like a great time to finish those After Action reports Connell’s demanding and get back up to speed on the investigation.

He flipped the burgers and listened to the mixture of lapping waves and laughing family members. The simple fact of standing on his patio, peering out at the ocean, an ocean, any ocean for that matter, was so much like a dream.

Blake had spent over half his life fighting to keep the country safe, so the people out on the ocean, those on the shore, and those in his house—oblivious to the Colin Murphys and Arina Filipovs of the world—could enjoy themselves. Life. Liberty. And the pursuit of happiness. Those were what Blake fought to protect.

He also knew his presence on the ocean’s shore, coupled with his FBI agent’s salary, made it all seem even more dreamlike…more like a fairy tale.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me in these locations:

My website:                www.ckevinthompson.com

Kevin’s Blog:             www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com/

Facebook:                   C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page

Twitter:                       @CKevinThompson

Goodreads:                 C. Kevin Thompson

Amazon Author Page:            https://www.amazon.com/C.-Kevin-Thompson/e/B007ANOEDE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Also, check in soon to my website for the links to my new Pinterest page and Instagram page!

Readers, here are links to the book.

Triple Time (the Blake Meyer Thriller series) - Paperback
Triple Time (The Blake Meyer Thriller Series Book 2) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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

30 DAYS HATH REVENGE - C Kevin Thompson - One Free Book

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

I’ve been told some of the phrases I use come out in the dialogue of characters. “I hear you say that,” my readers will tell me. But overall, I try to use certain things from time to time to help make the character more authentic. I remember putting into the manuscript of The Serpent’s Grasp a description of a car Micah Gregson used to own that caused him to purchase the car he owned now, a red Mustang Cobra. The car he “used to own back in the day” was a red 1971 Mach 1 Mustang with a 351 Cleveland. That was the car I had in high school and when we were first married (boy, do I wish I still had it now). Unfortunately, that recollection of Micah got axed in the final edit. However, he is driving the Mustang Cobra when he gets followed by the FBI agent, trying to find a news station that carries late, breaking news, and wishing he hadn’t allowed his satellite subscription to expire (another personal piece of info about me, by the way).

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I’ve sat here for ten minutes, and I can’t think of much. I even asked my wife, who’s known me since we were 15. She can’t either. So, I guess I’m not a very “quirky” person. More on the conservative side when it comes to my actions, I guess. However, I suppose it depends on who’s watching, too. Some people would say becoming a writer is a little quirky. “How can you sit at a computer for hours on end?” Ever heard that one? I’ve also had others “say”—not with their words so much but more with their looks and actions—that becoming a follower of Christ is quirky, if not borderline crazy.

When did you first discover you were a writer?

I had an inkling when I was in middle school. Creating stories was an interest, for sure. However, I really didn’t have anyone around who noticed or encouraged it growing up, and there weren’t the opportunities available back then like there are now for young writers (which maybe answers why I wasn’t encouraged?). I finally got more serious about it in my mid-thirties, got more serious about it in my mid-forties, and now, here I am, wishing I’d gotten serious about it way sooner.

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

With fiction, I enjoy mysteries and thrillers and wander around that section of the bookstore the most. That doesn’t mean I won’t pick up something else and give it a try, like a speculative fiction work or a science fiction piece. As for non-fiction, that’s all over the map, depending on what I’m doing. Christian spiritual growth books, if I want to read something for personal edification. Books about education, which are related to my day job as an assistant principal at a middle school (that job choice may qualify as quirky, too). Books about the subject I am researching for a novel I am writing. If you look at the bibliography in the back of The Serpent’s Grasp (and yes there is one…I put it there for a reason…), then you’ll get an idea of what I’m talking about here.

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

Sanity? What’s that? I work in a middle school. And I’m a writer. Doesn’t get much more insane than that. Especially in this day and age of school shootings and brick-and-mortar store closings. But hey, you can’t say that I’m a bystander in the game of life. I’m right in the middle of the action. 

Through it all, though, the only thing that keeps me even-keeled is Christ. If I wasn’t a Christian, I’d probably be in prison by now. Some of the thoughts that cross our minds at times are far from Christ-like. Understandable, maybe, but miles away from unconditional love. So God helps me stay on track, especially when I start to jump the rails. I do have to admit that as the days get darker and the pressure gets more constrictive, I’m finding the need for more time with Him. But my biggest struggle is I don’t deal with “stupid” and “foolishness” very well. I have always had very little patience for it, and that is wearing thin these days. I understand when people get upset about things that are unfair or even teeter on the line of being criminal or not (we’d all probably be upset if we were in those shoes). But there is so much foolishness going on today, so much stupidity, and so much senselessness. For example, humans taking challenges like eating Tide pods. Really? Back in the day, those teens would be working on a farm somewhere or learning a trade that would eat up all the free time they have. Or what about those who take a stand on political, divisive subjects they have no clue how to truly solve (but they’ll tell you how to solve it so it helps their cause)? The Apostle Paul’s description of minds thinking, acting, behaving, and believing as if they were seared with a hot iron was never truer than it is today. And all this drives me to God more and more. Personally, I don’t know how He does it (doesn’t destroy us all), or how He did it (died on a cross to save us). I know why (love). But to know and to act are two very different things. I guess that’s what makes Him God and me a fallen human.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

You know, that’s a good question. Some are just random. I need a certain name, and I’ll scan the books on my shelf to see if one jumps out at me. Other times, I’ll run across a name I really like and jot it down for future reference. In many cases, because the names are nationalistically important, I’ll do a web search of “Russian surnames” or “Hispanic female first names,” for example, and choose one after researching it further to verify that it would work. But my favorite way has been when I have assigned the names of my children and grandchildren to secondary characters in my books. I try to use them creatively, and not use them exactly like the real name. Like, for example, making my grandson’s first name the last name of a deputy.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I’m assuming you’re talking about writing accomplishments? Because I’d say being married for over 36 years is quite an accomplishment, especially with everything my wife and I have been through. J As for the writing, my proudest moment was when my book, The Serpent’s Grasp, won the 2013 Selah Award at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference for first fiction (debut novel). My second proudest moment was when my second novel, 30 Days Hath Revenge (A Blake Meyer Thriller – Book 1), won second place in the 2013 Readers’ Favorite awards for Christian Fiction. I found out later that the only reason it didn’t win first place was because of the cover, which I admit was not that tantalizing. This book has since come out in second edition with a new, great-looking cover.

I was surprised and honored when my novel Maggie’s Journey won the Selah for long historical. I had only won one other major prize at that time.  If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Probably a cheetah. I could outrun anything trying to catch me and outrun anything I’m trying to catch. And I’d have the tools needed to defend myself from most anything. Next would be a tiger. Wouldn’t be able to run as fast, but I’d better better-looking. J

What is your favorite food?

That’s a tie between an inch-thick, medium-well ribeye steak cooked to perfection with a slight char on the outside (I’m channeling my inner Guy Fieri here) and a good pepperoni pizza (preferably from a locally-owned place versus chain stores). If I could eat these two things every day and not gain an ounce, that would be heavenly.

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

When my first two novels were published, the publisher who had them started having problems (a common tale these days). They stopped publishing new titles, and became very hard to get a hold of. Although they were still “in business,” I was not receiving any monies from sales either. During this time, I acquired an agent. We both agreed that getting the rights back would be the best option, since publisher was, by that time, in breach of contract. It took well over a year to see that come to pass. Because my second book, 30 Days Hath Revenge, was the beginning of a series, it really caused issues because most publishers don’t want to reprint the first book in a series. As a result, we had to “self-publish” that book and the subsequent books in the series (I put it in quotes because it’s a bit of a different process than your typical self-pub route). My agent did find a home for my first novel, and it was reprinted by Hallway Publishing last summer.

Now, we have four books out. Book 4 of the Blake Meyer series, When the Clock Strikes Fourteen, is coming out later this year. Books 5 and 6 will complete the series in 2018.

Tell us about the featured book.

The featured book is 30 Days Hath Revenge. The overarching theme of the series is, “What is true peace?” We hear about that topic a lot these days. So did the Israelites in the days of Jeremiah…right before the Babylonians showed up. It’s this biblical scenario that has given me the bones from which to develop this story.

In my Blake Meyer Thriller Series, SSA Blake Meyer is the biggest patriot out there. He’s served his country in the military. He’s worked undercover. He has Black Ops training. And now he’s part of the FBI as a means of keeping tabs on certain people. Nobody bleeds red, white, and blue more than him.

It’s this past that raises its ugly head when a man by the name of Colin Murphy, who Blake actually worked with 15 years prior, organizes a diabolical plot to release a deadly, weaponized contagion with no known cure within the major cities of the U.S. as an act of revenge. This attack is being orchestrated by several big financial players from around the world, who are using Murphy to help bring the U.S. to its knees so it can use economic espionage to finally topple a nation they would never be able to beat militarily.

Blake is the only one who knows all about the past, and he has now been tasked by the president to lead the effort at finding the people responsible before it’s too late.

Please give us the first page of the book.

June 14

Four Years Earlier

Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

A Congolese man stumbled down a narrow, filthy alley clutching his chest. He staggered like a drunken man, bouncing back and forth off the walls like a pinball as he traversed its length.

He burst forth into a swarm of people in an open market and scanned the crowd before grabbing his head with both hands. He took a few more lumbering steps before falling face-first into the busy dirt road.

He rolled onto his back with a grimace, and his body contorted and writhed in agony. Mouthing something inaudible, he mustered the strength to flip over to his stomach.

Pounding the ground with his fist, he willed himself to his hands and knees. His labored breathing and internal pain caused his entire frame to heave in a distressed, desperate dance.

The ailing man finally rose to his feet. His well-worn clothes puffed plumes of dust as he teetered toward a passing ambulance, attempting to flag it down. Frantic but unable to wave his arms, he watched the vehicle turn the corner and disappear behind a building. He shook his head in despair and raised his arms in disbelief. Unintelligible words were overcome with tears as the man collapsed into a sobbing heap.

Seconds later, the man’s body shook with a violent force. Then, as if a great cable or rope was wrapped around his midsection, pulling him to the clouds, he arched his back and let out a horrific cry. As the man’s howl subsided, his body eased back down to the ground like a deflating balloon.

Very graphic description. Very good. How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me in these locations:

My website:                www.ckevinthompson.com

Kevin’s Blog:             www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com/

Facebook:                   C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page

Twitter:                       @CKevinThompson

Goodreads:                 C. Kevin Thompson

Amazon Author Page:            https://www.amazon.com/C.-Kevin-Thompson/e/B007ANOEDE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Also, check in soon to my website for the links to my new Pinterest page and Instagram page!

Thank you, Kevin, for sharing this book with me and my readers. We are all eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

30 Days Hath Revenge - Paperback
30 Days Hath Revenge - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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