SHATTERED GLASS - Rich Bullock - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I first met Rich on the ACFW email loop before we met in person at a national ACFW conference in Dallas. I was excited when his first book came out. I’ve read a couple of his books, and love his writing style, his characters, and his romantic suspense plots.

Welcome, Rich. Interesting picture. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

My typical themes run toward redemption, forgiveness, second chances, and trust. My latest touches on faith. However, I will say these themes are organic, emerging as the characters grow and overcome. I don’t know what the themes are before the story is told. Because they are subtle in that way, I’ve had some Christian readers ask for more Christian content. However, my target audience is not just Christians.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

My newest book is Shattered Glass, the first in the Glass and Stone series.

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

I’d love to spend time with Brad Pitt, because I understand he has face blindness (prosopagnosia) where he has trouble recognizing people and distinguishing one person from another. I have a mild case of this, which has resulted in some pretty embarrassing moments when I failed to recognize people I’ve recently met but don’t know well.

I think most of us have a touch of that. I know I experienced it for a while after each of my knee replacement surgeries. I’m sure the anesthesia and pain drugs were a contributing factor. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Wouldn’t it be fun to shadow Ulysses S. Grant for a few days? An interesting man in such troubling times. I recently read this quote by him: In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins. - Sounds like writing, doesn’t it? It’s the person who doesn’t give up who conquers.

That is so true. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

I recently heard an interview with some Mystery Writers of America Edgar award winners. While writing, they felt like their books were garbage (they used more colorful language!). And when they finished writing, it was an even bigger pile of garbage. One was an author who has successfully published over twenty books! Their point was, it’s all about what we do after that, our process which allows us to make something beautiful from the mess. All that comes from that final effort. Don’t quit too soon.

Tell us about the featured book.

Shattered Glass:

Lilly Hawthorne’s adoption five years ago is a rags-to-riches dream come true, complete with movie star mother and mega-producer father. But shortly before her eighteenth birthday, Lilly’s fairytale is destroyed when brutal attacks nearly kill her and threaten everything and everyone she holds dear.

Regardless of promises, Lilly quickly learns no one can truly protect her or her new family. She seeks expert training from a mysterious and deadly Russian woman, and prepares for what she fears will be a battle of life and death.

FBI Special Agent Kaden Hunt saved Lilly once, and he can’t forget his instant attraction to the young woman. Now on the trail of a cross-country serial killer, Kade and his team are closing in. But the closer they get, the more he fears the sadistic killer is targeting the one person for whom Kade will risk everything.

This story deals with self-defense, but it also shows dependence on others who care for us, and the faith to go on in the face of overwhelming odds.

Please give us the first page of the book.

November 4th was the night Lilly Glass’s world exploded.

Her sketchbook was spread across her lap, her box of colored pencils sharpened. After glancing again at the open art book from the school library, she used the light brown pencil and drew the first swaying line left to right, then curved it around and down. She compared her outline to the horse in the book. The shape of the back and hindquarters was the same.

Lilly repeated the process several more times, filling the page with flanks, withers, muzzles, knees, and hoofs. But her mind was on the arguing coming from the mobile home’s kitchen.

She was wondering if the nightly fight would spill into her tiny room, when a tap-tap rattled the cardboard covering her bedroom window, startling her. There hadn’t been real glass in the frame since last summer when Mom’s current boyfriend, Jerry, the one arguing in the other room, hurled a beer bottle at the outside of the single-wide in one of his rages.

The cardboard surface was covered with crayon drawings of horses, a whole herd of red, black, yellow-gold, white, and brown beasts running and prancing. The brown ones were her favorite because they matched the color of her hair.

Lilly peeled back the crinkled duct tape closure and swung the cardboard open. Her friend Tony poked his head in and hitched his chin toward the door of her room.

“You okay?”

Lilly followed his gaze to the thin door. Jerry had come home fifteen minutes ago, reeking of beer and perfume. Mom was waiting, fortified by her own bottle, purchased at the Gas-N-Go. The thin walls did nothing to contain their angry confrontation.

“Wanna come out?”

Tony’s tanned face withdrew into the night as Lilly climbed onto the low bookcase and swung her legs through the opening. She snatched a gray hooded sweatshirt off the bed before dropping out onto a stack of plastic crates. Even though the days were in the 50s and sometimes 60s, the November nights were cold. This morning, thin ice had skimmed the dog bowls outside nearly every trailer.

Although the dogs probably got cold at night, Lilly thought them the lucky ones—they got to spend more time outside than the kids.

I am eager for my copy of the book to arrive. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Web: www.perilousfiction.com

Facebook: /perilousfiction

Email: rich@perilousfiction.com

Thank you for sharing this book with us. I know my readers are as eager as I am to dive right into the book.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

Shattered Glass

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. (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.

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DESPERATION FALLS - Rich Bullock - One Free Book

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

I’m getting more and more requests to teach. This is exciting, since I love helping others. I’ve also spent a lot of time recently helping others get their books ready for self-publishing. It’s so fulfilling to see someone’s dream of getting their story online come true.

Tell us a little about your family.

My wife is a life and business coach, so our work is portable. We have a grown son and daughter, and each has a son … so we have two grandchildren.

James and I have two great grandsons. They’re so much fun. Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

I love reading now more than ever. However, now I’m looking for what holds my interest, what gets me into the character’s head, and how the author paces the story. Such amazing talent out there!

What are you working on right now?

I’m just beginning my fourth novel, Shattered Glass, about a glass artist. The story is still in the brainstorming stage, so I don’t know what happened, who did it, or even the main character’s name yet. But I’m anxious to find out!

What outside interests do you have?

My wife and I do marriage mentoring for engaged couples, preparing them for marriage. We also co-lead a church growth group. We bought a small travel trailer at the end of last summer, so we’ve enjoyed getting out into nature a little more on some camping trips.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Some of this comes from reader feedback. So many commented on how much they love my fictional settings of Perilous Cove and Storm Lake, that I based my third book, Desperation Falls, in the same setting. I really like the advantage of developing a community of businesses and secondary characters that give continuity to the books, even though the main characters are new. Although fictional, I grew up in areas like Perilous Cove and Storm Lake, so I’m writing from experience. I know the flora and fauna, the woodsy and fishy smells of the mountains and coast, the lingo, how the roads twist, the ethnic heritages of the old families. I write what I know, and I love the area. In fact, I want to live at Storm Lake!

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

I’ve always been a fan of 20s–30s Fords, so I’d like to meet Henry Ford in his early days, before he began building the Model T in 1908. I’d like to hear his passion for what the automobile could be.

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

How much fun it is to finish books and have people love them. Wow, what a rush! Since Desperation Falls is in the same setting as Storm Song, I included a map of Storm Lake in it. One reader said: “It’s exactly like I envisioned it!” So cool! I should have started writing about twenty years earlier.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

The critical value of faith. It’s the basis of our trust in Him, the confidence that He has our best at heart, and the hope we have for our future with Him.

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

It’s all about the character.

1. The natural inclination is to tell the action, but action means nothing without us first caring for the character. Get us into their head. Make them real to us. Know their wants, desires, fears, embarrassments, and strengths, and bring those out in the story.

2. “Sense” the world through them. Too often characters travel through scenes objectively, not being present by touching, smelling, hearing (those 5 senses), and the story reads like the character is disconnected from the scene. Description is fine, but do it through the character.

3. Show the reactions to events. Sort of like #2. I helped a new writer who wrote about going to an airshow and seeing the Blue Angels, then going home and swimming in the pool. I asked: “Were the Blue Angels loud? Did you like them? Was it cloudy, humid, hot?” He responded: “Oh, yeah! It was just like that!” But he hadn’t put us “there” in the scene by giving character reaction. So critical. We fixed that.

Tell us about the featured book.

Desperation Falls is the third book in the Perilous Safety Series, and this one is more romantic suspense than straight suspense.

Back cover copy:

A year after surviving a shocking attack, former Los Angeles cable TV carpenter Lena Blaylock buys some dilapidated fishing cabins on the shore of Storm Lake on California’s Central Coast and fixes them up as rentals. It’s the fulfillment of a dream, and a chance to build a new life free of her violent past. But she never intended sharing this unique setting with mysterious ex-lawman Alex Stone, or damaged teenage runaway Teal Kinshaw.

And she especially didn’t plan on sharing Desperation Falls Camp with a dead body.

As the hot summer progresses, Teal becomes a vital part of Lena’s life. And after a few barbecues together under the stars, Stone rises several notches from irritating to intriguing.

But when Lena and Teal unwittingly expose information from Lena’s past, it triggers a murder attempt on a friend in Los Angeles. Then a local girl at the lake disappears. Are they connected?

Teal’s own past might be a critical key, but only if she reveals all her ugly secrets. She could lose her new boyfriend, and the by-the-book local sheriff will throw her back into foster care.

Lena and Stone must figure out the connections, because everyone she loves—everything she’s built—is in danger.

Please give us the first page of the book.
“You’d better step away from that laptop, buster, or I’m gonna have to get my new gun.”

Lena McKinley’s husband, Bobby Blaylock, had grabbed their MacBook the moment he’d come home from the office. It wasn’t like he didn’t spend enough time on his work laptop he carried everywhere.

Bobby raised his hands. “Don’t shoot.” He flashed her his movie-star grin, not a bad imitation for someone not in “the industry.” He might be a Los Angeles assistant district attorney, but he had star qualities in Lena’s eyes.

“I promise I won’t be long, babe.” Bobby’s head dipped in concentration as his fingers flew and clicked. “I just have to copy some files on the office server.”

Lena blew wayward hairs out of her eyes as she placed the bread and salad on the dining room table. She’d been slaving in the kitchen all afternoon, trying not to ruin their special dinner. No easy task, that. As a carpenter and general contractor, she could handle a down-to-the-studs remodel easier than preparing a perfectly timed dinner.

She recognized Bobby’s laser intensity as he slipped back into work mode. Clearly, breaking his focus tonight would take some extra effort. She walked behind the couch and snaked her arms around his neck. Bobby half closed the laptop screen, hiding his work. Something big and secret. Whatever it was, it deepened his worry lines when he didn’t notice her watching him. He turned into her kiss, his lips soft and warm against hers.

“You taste like pasta sauce,” he said, licking his lips as she broke the kiss. He reached an arm around her head and pulled her down until they met again.

“Okay, Mr. Hotshot Attorney,” Lena mumbled against his mouth. “I’m giving you a two-minute warning. I busted my butt on this anniversary dinner. So if you’re not done with work, I’ll have to arrest you.”

Bobby trailed kisses along her jaw toward her ear. “Are you going to use handcuffs?”

He’d reached the sensitive spot on her neck and Lena’s knees went weak. She would have chucked the whole dinner idea right then if she hadn’t heard a splat and sizzle from the other room. Lena put a hand on his chest.

“If I don’t get back to the kitchen, the pasta will boil over and you’ll be cleaning the stove.”

Bobby raised an eyebrow, then released her. “Later then.”

It was a promise Lena would hold him to.

“I’ll be done soon,” Bobby called as she hurried toward the kitchen.

Of all the guys who’d gone gaga over her cable TV persona—including a few memorable nut cases who gave her the creeps—he was the one who had wrangled an introduction by calling in every favor he could with the show’s production people. Lena kidded with her friends that he’d had to fix a thousand parking tickets to win her hand. It was probably true. But she was the lucky one.

For their first date, he’d come to her door not just with flowers but also with a super cool Leatherman Multi-Tool with belt sheath. She almost wore it on the date.

So most of the time Lena didn’t mind that he was tenacious in his work and passionate about his cases. She understood. She was just as bad when it came to tools. Just not tonight.

Lena drained the pasta in a colander, filling the kitchen with white steam. He’d wanted to take her out for their six-month celebration, but with their hectic schedules they already spent too much time in restaurants. Tonight she wanted him all to herself.

Plus, she had a special gift for him. The flat box on the dining table contained her renewed contract—never a sure thing in LA—and she’d had the studio officially change her last name to Blaylock. From now on, it would read that way on the show credits, and allow Bobby to boast all over again to his colleagues that he’d married the sexy carpenter from the Nail It! TV show. She grinned. He’d love it.

I love your main heroine’s name. How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.perilousfiction.com

www.facebook.com/perilousfiction

rich@perilousfiction.com

Thank you, Rich, for sharing this new book and a slice of your life with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Desperation Falls (Perilous Safety) (Volume 3) - paperback
Desperation Falls (Perilous Safety Series) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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

STORM SONG - Rich Bullock - One Free Ebook

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I believe there is only one thing you need to know about fiction in any genre. Got your attention? Here it is: It’s the character’s story; you’re just writing it down.

As I get to know the people, their story unfolds. Somehow, it always involves a woman, danger, mystery, and suspense.

And the characters must be unique from the onset. No one wants to read a book about a clerk in a drug store…boring! …unless she is also a martial arts expert, drives an unreliable 1975 Super Beetle with a leaky soft top, and whose grandmother packs a 9 mill to the supermarket. Now things get interesting!

And I want the stories to end with an awakening dependence on faith, and an expectation of romance.

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

Getting married to my wife, Sheryl (41 years ago on a Friday the 13th), was the happiest event. All good things have come from our partnership and commitment. But honestly, I was kind of out of it during the whole ceremony/reception thing. So I wouldn’t necessarily call it the happiest day! Good thing we had pictures.

Wow! I was born on a Friday the 13^th. How has being published changed your life?

Recently, I was invited to teach at a creative writing class at a junior college. Being published gives me the credentials to teach others some of the great things I’ve learned from conferences and workshops. What a blast! I can’t wait to do more.

Another great thing is handing out a card with my book cover on the front and a code for a free download on the back. I did that a few days ago to my dermatologist, and again today at SuperCuts to the girl who cut my hair. Who knows what will come from that?

What are you reading right now?

I just finished a YA novel, Fathom, by Merrie Destefano—an intriguing and beautiful story that deserves a ton of praise. Couldn’t put it down, and didn’t want it to end. Well-written YA stories teach me how to get deep into the character’s head, and deal with a world full of conflict, danger, betrayal, and love—all from a young person’s position of limited power. I want to write like that.

What is your current work in progress?

DESPERATION FALLS: Lena Blaylock is the “sexy” carpenter on the cable TV home improvement show, Nail It!...until her world is destroyed in seconds one night as she celebrates her six-month wedding anniversary with her assistant district attorney husband. A year later, she is healed and beginning a new life at Storm Lake, California, as the owner of the dilapidated Desperation Falls Fishing Cabins, when an ex-lawman, a teenage runaway girl, and a dead body, turn everything upside down. Fixing up the cabins is the easy part.

I love your heroine’s name. ;-) What would be your dream vacation?

Being able to go on vacation and write at the same time, but I can never do it. If we’re in someplace new, I always want to make the most of the time and see the sights. No writing gets done. Sigh.

My favorite vacations are to beautiful places. This summer we went to Vancouver Island in Canada, then stopped at Forks, Washington, (home of Twilight). Forks wasn’t much, but Lake Crescent and the lodge were fabulous. I’d like to stay there someday.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I believe settings are very important to stories, so I try to create someplace where I want to live or visit. Both Perilous Cove and nearby Storm Lake are fictional composites of the best of areas I know along the California coast.

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

The most scintillating conversations I’ve ever had have been with fellow writers. Therefore, I think I’d pick Dean Koontz. The guy is funny, loves dogs, and has the strangest writing method with the most amazing outcomes. I want to know how his characters take shape; how he can write half a page of narrative without using “was” one time; how he contrasts such evil against good. Four or five hours wouldn’t be nearly enough time.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I have a 1932 Ford pickup that I hope to have back up and running by next summer. It’s been in my family since about 1939, and I learned to drive in it. I also love to tinker and do home projects, and I have the tools and tool chests to prove it. That’s why Lena Blaylock is close to my heart (see question #5).

In the late 1960s, we owned a 1937 International pickup. I loved driving that. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

No question, it’s figuring out what the story is. Characters are the easier part for me. I have trouble deciding what the external intrusion is that disrupts their lives. My overactive imagination spins the story in all directions, and trying to keep it on track and have it make sense is my biggest challenge. Can you tell I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer?

I’ve just begun using Scrivener, and I think the corkboard view is helping me visualize the story flow better than having one large manuscript. Now, if I could just figure out who the bad guy is…

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Learn the craft. You’ve gotta do it. Conferences and workshops are vital. New writers—and I was no exception—don’t realize how much there is to learn. A few (very few) have a lot of natural talent. The rest of us have to learn. Once you are comfortable with your writing, sign up for a mentoring group at a conference. This is the best way to test your story and your skill, and receive feedback from others. It’s a little scary, but extremely valuable.

Tell us about the featured book.

American Rayne Evans is on the verge of making it big in Europe’s competitive symphonic metal music scene, when a deranged fan attacks her band at their biggest concert.

She’s forced to hide while she heals in the only safe place: Storm Lake, California, where no one would know to look. But the picturesque lake holds Rayne’s deepest secret, and a different kind of danger from a man she thought she’d never see again. If she’s not careful, she could lose her band, her career, and her life.

Ben Conner made his choice years ago, and it hadn’t been to chase after Rayne Evans. It took years, but he’s recovered from her betrayal. Now she’s come to him for help, and he can’t turn her away. But helping her could tear holes in the life he’s built for a young boy and for himself.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Storm Song

Chapter 1

“Ten minutes, Miss Van Onweer,” the stage manager’s voice sounded outside the dressing room door.

“Thank you.” Regen van Onweer tilted a bottled water to her lips, but pulled it away without drinking. She’d be running to the bathroom between every song.

The woman staring back in the mirror looked composed, confident. “Pretense, that’s what counts,” Aunt Ruth had always told her. But that had been years ago in Nebraska before Regen van Onweer existed, not here in Rotterdam.

Her cell phone vibrated an excited dance on the dressing table. Unknown Caller ID. Only a few people had her new number. Her hand trembled as she pushed the answer button.

“Hello?”

A voice whispered, “Did you get my giiift?”

Regen’s eyes cut to the trash bin and the hideous flower as she jabbed the disconnect button. How had he gotten this number?

The door clicked, opened inward, and Regen shot to her feet, sending the cell phone to the hard tile floor where it split into its component pieces. They spun to a stop at the feet of the woman in the doorway—Lorna Nairne, her costume and hair expert. Lorna’s smile faded at Regen’s shuddering breath. Bending down, Lorna scooped up the battery, cover, and phone, while Regen worked air into frozen lungs.

“You okay, Ree girl? You look a little spooked.” Lorna’s accent rolled off her tongue like the Jamaican native she was, though Regen had heard her speak flawless King’s English when it benefited her. Lorna deposited the electronic parts into Regen’s cupped hands.

Regen nodded her response. She swiveled toward the dressing table, fingers trembling as she inserted the battery and snapped on its cover. “I’m just nervous, you know.” Her voice sounded as phony as a B-movie actress. Pretense wasn’t up to par. With battery in place, the phone buzzed happily, rebooting and searching for the cellular network, readying itself for the next call. Regen held her breath until the display went dark

Lorna laughed in lilting tones, moved behind Regen, and watched in the mirror as she tugged Regen’s black wig right and left until satisfied. She gave Regen a calculated once-over in the glass, then nodded.

“Yes, dis is a big night, Regen van Onweer, but you are ready.” She massaged Regen’s shoulders. “You may not think it too much right now, but you are.”

Regen closed her eyes under Lorna’s kneading fingers. The Dutch police still had no leads on the caller, but security at the Ahoy Rotterdam had been beefed up for tonight’s concert. There was even an Interpol inspector onsite. He’d checked in with her earlier.

Lorna had Regen stand and pirouette. The wide, multilayered Victorian skirt dusted the floor on the sides and back, but had a front cutaway to show off black leather knee boots that each sported a dozen silver buckles.

The cell phone buzzed and Regen’s eyes jerked toward the lighted display. A text message from Unknown Sender.

Save your last breath for me.

Sounds ominous! I have to download that one. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I’m most active on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PerilousFiction

Also at www.PerilousFiction.com

RichBullockWriter@gmail.com

Thank you, Rich, for sharing another intriguing story with us.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Storm Song (Perilous Safety Series - Book 2)


Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. 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 Feedblitz, Facebook, 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

PERILOUS COVE - Rich Bullock - One Free Ebook

Rich, I was thrilled when you told me your debut book was releasing as an ebook. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

No doubt frighteningly more than I realize. I consciously draw on experiences from childhood, college, vacations, marriage, raising kids, skills and talents, and careers. For example, in Perilous Cove, I used a vacation excursion we had on a whale watching boat, as well as years living near the Pacific Ocean. The result is a character with a job as a tour guide on a whale watching boat.

My mom had a strong personality, but she also liked to have fun and had some great sayings and opinions on life. She’s always in the books in some form, male or female.

And something that many women writers find interesting: my main protagonist is always female. This is a challenge, because I know very little about fashion, makeup, etc. I guess that’s why the suspense genre works for me: If I get in a fashion bind, I can always blow up something or crash a car to render what my characters are wearing inconsequential. You think I’m kidding?

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Hey, I’m from California—quirky is normal here! But for me I think it was after I finished my first year of college in Dallas. On almost the spur of the moment, my roommate (another Californian) and I decided to take a detour on the way home. We headed north in his ’56 Ford pickup, through Colorado, Yellowstone, up into Canada and across to Victoria, then down through Washington and Oregon to California—all for about $95 each. Those were the days of really cheap gas and no cell phones. We camped out, and slept in the truck when it rained.

When I was in college and borrowed a guy’s car to get to student teaching at the high school, I wouldn’t buy the gas if it was more than $.15 per gallon. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I’ve always been a voracious reader and, like many readers, I thought it would be cool to have my name on a book on the shelf. But it wasn’t until I was in my fifties that I began learning the craft of writing fiction. Six years later, I entered the 2009 Zondervan First Novel Contest and got a call that I made it into the semi-finals—and that they had to have the completed manuscript in a few weeks. It was only about 80% done. Yikes! When I typed The End, I think that was the moment it struck me: I had written an entire book. I made the deadline.

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

Through grade school and teen years, it was exclusively science fiction. Then I branched out to adventure (Clive Cussler-types), and then into mystery and suspense. When I began writing and those female characters cropped up, I began reading romances. I don’t read many. I mean, seriously, do all women have that much angst in their lives? *Note to romance writers: Enough with the second-guessing of whether he loves me or loves me not.

I also really enjoy YA (young adult). Those stories bring a sense of returning to what I love about story. And I guess this list wouldn’t be complete without revealing my guilty pleasure: vampire and paranormal stories. I know, I know, but how can you not want to see how the beautiful, intelligent girl falls for the bad boy bloodsucker?

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

Stay away from Facebook for a few days at a time and the whole world around me goes into balance. Amazing. I know as authors we’re required to have a “platform” and all, but the whole social media thing kind of wears me out.

Now, I’m not talking about your blog, Lena. Nope, this is the best thing ever. Really. Not kidding.

Oh, and I live on an iPhone. It tells me where to go, what to do, and who to meet. I’d be a mess without it. I capture writing ideas in Evernote, and read ebooks with Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, and Nook software readers. The iPhone is my only e-reading device.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Names are great, aren’t they? And so important to the story. I keep a running list in Evernote on my phone and jot an entry whenever I hear a great name.

In this book, Perilous Cove, I changed Natalie’s name and another key character’s name right before I finished the book. After I’d lived with the characters for so many months, the old names just didn’t feel right.

I try to pick unusual names that are memorable, but also straightforward in pronunciation. It bugs me when I read a book and I’m not sure how to pronounce a character’s name.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I was a Campus Life leader in Youth for Christ for many years, and I worked with high school students. One guy in particular was a hard case. And while he didn’t give his life over to God in Campus Life, he did later. He went on to become a church youth director, and now pastors a new church in Santa Cruz. He credits his time in our Campus Life club as the beginning of his faith, and he’s leading many others in their faith walk. Now that’s really cool!

Yes, it is. Things like that keep our lives going and growing. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A fox. Great fur, small and fast, smart (at least in theory).

What is your favorite food?

But there are so many! Hmmm…as I ponder what I’ll have for lunch…I like just about anything Mexican, except I can’t stand cilantro. Tastes metallic to me, like a mouthful of tinfoil that short out the fillings in your teeth, you know? Well, maybe you don’t know if you love the stuff. But there isn’t much better than chips, salsa, and a great burrito.

And I always ask for more cilantro in my food. I love it. All our tastes are different. Differences make the world go round. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

I have a lousy memory, so hands down it was figuring out an organization method for keeping track of scene content, character traits like hair color and type of car, ages, and clues and hints. I’d get about 50,000 words into the book and I couldn’t remember what I’d written. It took me about four years to develop the methodology using a combination of MS Word, a notebook application, and an age/year chart in Excel.

I’m working on my third book, and recently purchased Scrivener and moved the manuscript into it. There is a bit of a learning curve, but I think it’s really going to work for me.

I just keep a running file about each character and open it while I’m writing if I need to check something like that. Tell us about the featured book?

The germ of Perilous Cove began when a friend’s husband collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage. While he was incapacitated, she dug into their finances to pay the bills and found hidden bank accounts, thousands of dollars in cash in cans in the garage, a huge life insurance policy he’d taken out on her without her knowledge, and many other suspicious things that appeared to put her safety in serious question.

In Perilous Cove, Natalie’s husband dies, leaving her with grief, debt, and a nasty mother-in-law. Now someone wants Natalie dead, and all the evidence points to her husband. She flees to the only sanctuary no one knows about, her late aunt’s lighthouse keeper’s cottage in Perilous Cove, California, where she builds a new identity and life. But there is no place safe, especially not Perilous Cove.

I’m going to love reading this book. Please give us the first.

Chapter 1

He’d killed before. Once. Not that he was particularly opposed to it.

Tarz Broderick kicked the shoe of the man sprawled against the wall. The schmuck’s head came up and his eyes slowly focused. Duct tape secured his wrists and ankles. Three outside wraps with three more in-between. Inescapable.

“Nick Moreno, I presume,” Tarz said, watching the man’s eyes dart wildly as consciousness returned. Blood ran from his temple, staining the once white dress shirt.

Tarz turned to survey the small desk area and sighed. It could have been simple, easy in and out. The office should have been deserted. But that’s why they called it work, as dear ole daddy liked to say—often right before a whipping.

Tarz yanked the handles of the filing cabinet, a four-drawer, putty-colored unit of superior quality. Locked. He didn’t have time to mess with finding a key, so he hoisted his pry bar, wedged it into the drawer crack, and drove it home with his palm.

He could have come back later if he’d known someone would be in the office, but he’d rounded the corner into the L-shaped office and there Nick had been, working under the light from a single desk lamp. Oh, well.

Plus, Tarz didn’t have time to waste. He’d promised to drop by his sister’s apartment tonight. Dumb girl had gotten pregnant by a married man. She wasn’t saying who—knew her big brother too well to give up the slimeball’s name.

Tarz shrugged and worked the bar back and forth against groaning metal. Family was family. The money for tonight’s job would buy a nice baby gift for sis, plus keep him living high for a couple of months at least.

Yeah, I’ll really like this book. How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website and blog are at www.perilousfiction.com , and I also interact with readers and other writers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PerilousFiction . By email it’s rich@perilousfiction.com .


Thank you, Rich, for dropping by to share your new book with us.


Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Perilous Cove (Perilous Safety Series - Book 1)


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