Tag: mystery

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Book-Non-fiction Virtual Book Tours

Dazzled by Maxine Nunes Virtual Book Tour Interview by #thetoiboxofwords via @RABTBookTours #fiction #mystery

Greetings readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors and welcome to The ToiBox of Words. I’m your host Toi Thomas, author of Eternal Curse, and today I’m sharing a special interview with author, Maxine Nunes, about her fiction book entitled, Dazzled. Enjoy!

Amazon

Where did the idea for Dazzled come from?

When I first came to LA, I was, for a very, very short time, an actor. I saw so many rootless people living in a kind of limbo between their ambition, their illusions and reality — and I also met the predators who used them. It was the perfect cauldron for a mystery.

How did the title of this book come about?

DAZZLED is a mystery set in L.A., and on so many levels, that’s exactly what his city does. It dazzles — the relentless sun in a brilliant blue sky, platinum blonde hair, premiere lights sweeping the night, the star power, the wealth. And it’s not only brilliantly compelling, it can also blind you in ways that can be dangerous.

What genre is this book and why did you choose to make it so?

It’s a mystery with a noir feel. I’ve always been drawn to that genre, from classics like Raymond Chandler to contemporary greats like Megan Abbott.

What would you say is the overall message or the theme of this book?

There are several themes that interested me: I think the main theme may be the question posed at the very beginning of the book. “What’s real?” And in DAZZLED, some of the elements that play into that question are: What is friendship and what does it demand of us? Can we ever really know the people we’re closest to? What is beauty and why is it so powerful?

Tell me about the experience of writing this book; how long did it take.

It took a long time! The plot is complex, and I’ll rework sentences until I’m really satisfied. (If I hadn’t sold the book, I’d probably still be working on it! In fact, I did do a little tweaking for the new paperback edition.) But I also did a lot of research that was very exciting for me. I went down to the County Coroner so that I could really capture that experience in the book. And I learned to shoot a gun, because I knew I needed to get that right.

Tell me about the main storyline within this book.

It opens during a brutal L.A. heatwave. Four people have been murdered in the Hollywood Hills and Nikki Easton’s best friend Darla Ward has disappeared. The police think she might be one of the victims.

As she searches for the truth, Nikki discovers the hidden side of her friend’s life, laying bare secrets buried before Darla was born, and uncovering widening layers of corruption that reach far beyond Hollywood to the highest levels of government.

Who is the protagonist of this story?

Nikki Easton was a teen runaway who left home at 15 and spent the years since on the move. But now she’s nearing thirty, and has finally decided to build a life for herself. She’s drawn to an acting career, and is trying to work through the emotions she’s been running from since she was 15.

Who is the antagonist of this story?

I’m afraid you won’t know that till you turn the last page.

Who is your favorite character in this book?

Well, I love Nikki. It’s her voice that’s with us on every page. But Detective Adder is pretty damn sexy in a rough-hewn kind of way.

Are there elements of your personality or life experiences in this book?

I think in most fiction, the main character is fueled by the author’s emotional life, and in a way, Nikki is tied emotionally to me — but she’s a far braver, gutsier person than I am, that’s for sure.

What is something you wish wasn’t real and hope doesn’t happen to you?

I never want to find myself staring down the wrong end of a gun.

Let’s say your book is being turned into a feature length film; quick- cast the main two characters and pick a theme song or score.

Clare Danes is the perfect Nikki Easton. But I’m not sure who I’d cast as Adder. In my mind he’s kind of young Steve McQueen.

Do you have any special plans for this book in the near or far future?

Until now, it was only available in an expensive hardcover edition and on Kindle. But it’s just been released in paperback — and it’s half off for just a limited time — so I’m hoping more people will be able to read it! Check out the first chapters on Amazon.

~

Okay readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors, that’s all for today. Be sure to follow this blog to see who will be visiting next time. To obtain your copy of Dazzled, please visit the links provided.

Special introductory price for the paperback is $6.37 (will be $12.99).
And the Kindle edition is just $3.99.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Excerpts Videos Virtual Book Tours

The Bridge of Deaths by @M_C_V_Egan Promo & #Free eBook Tour by @MoBPromos via #thetoiboxofwords #amreading

The Bridge of Deaths
1st ed. published June 9, 2011- 50,000 words, 372 Pages

 

2nd. revised ed. published on August 15, 2014

 

Historical Fiction based on real events
with Metaphysical, Mystery, and Romance influences
Follow Bill and Maggie as they cross THE BRIDGE OF DEATHS into 1939 to uncover the mystery behind the plane crash of the G-AESY. A blend of historical fact and fiction takes the reader through well-known and little-known accounts leading up to WWII.

 

In the winter of 2009-2010 a young executive, Bill is promoted and transferred to London for a major International firm. He has struggled for the better part of his life with nightmares and phobias, which only seem to worsen in London. As he seeks the help of a therapist he accepts that his issues may well be related to a ‘past-life trauma’.

 

Through love, curiosity, archives and the information superhighway of the 21st century Bill travels through knowledge and time to uncover the story of the 1939 plane crash.

The Bridge of Deaths

 

Maggie liked Foyles at Charing Cross Road and shopped there often. She had been raised with all that is unlikely, unconventional, and supernatural (perhaps even magical). When she was a child, her world was that of fairies, ghosts, wishes, and the power of crystals and planets. She was taught that answers were to be found in round circles called astrology charts and that there were many people in the world who were psychic and could foretell the future. Although that world was an appealing world, it was inevitable that Maggie, as so many teenagers do, would rebel against the beliefs she was raised with and seek other philosophies.

 

She experimented with various traditional religions and belief systems that existed to fill in the voids felt by those lacking any sort of faith. She found that although she liked many traditional religions and appreciated what they stood for, it was indeed Buddhism that made her feel the most complete. Maggie was for all intents and purposes an illogical, whimsical, adventuresome, and happy young woman. She slept soundly and lived a very complete life.

 

The philosophies of acceptance by which she lived her life made her compatible with most people. She had a nice relationship with her mother, a Danish astrologer, and her father, a successful English businessman who was happy to receive a little guidance from the planets. (If anyone objected to this, he happily pointed out that it had worked for Ronald Reagan.) Maggie often read the books her mother spoke about, and every once in a while, she even joined her mother in some new age ritual or other.

 

It was the excuse of searching for the perfect birthday gift for her mother that placed her at the same book section and store. From the moment she saw the tall, slender man walking down the street, she felt that she needed to follow him. This is not something she remembered ever having done before. She was pretty, and more often than not, men approached her. Experience had taught her that many men worth talking to could be shy and sometimes needed to be approached. With the confidence that is often exhibited by very pretty women, she was not deterred in the least by his surprised reaction to her smile, and so she spoke.

 

“So, which of the women in your life recommended that book to you? Was it your mum or your girlfriend?”

 

She was indeed pretty, and inasmuch as he was instantly attracted to her, it was not in a purely physical way. Someday, as their love story flourished, she would explain to him that when two souls from the past meet, they recognize each other. This happens in love stories, to parents when they first encounter the eyes of their newborn, and to friends as well as enemies.

 

As so many lovers do, when they first met, neither one of them spoke the absolute truth. Like so many lovers starting out a new love story, if they had known where this would lead, both of them might have run out of the bookstore. But they both chose to stay, and so on a cold winter day in January of 2010, when the world was mourning the passing of so many souls in Haiti, their love story began. He smiled back and answered her question.

 

“Why would it have to be a woman? Why couldn’t a man recommend it?”

 

“Oh I see. You are an American.”

 

“No, Canadian actually.”

 

“Same difference. Perhaps in America or Canada, a man other than the author would recommend Many Lives, Many Masters. But here in England, well, it would have to be a girlfriend probably on her grand quest as to how you are soul mates eternally destined to be together, or maybe it would be a middle-aged mum who just discovered Brian Weiss, the author. So, it is that, or you have some sort of existential crisis that led you to find the book on your own. So, mum or girlfriend?”

 

“Hmmm, let me see. My mother prefers to pray and attend church. I don’t have a girlfriend, and it was the medical background of the guy who wrote the book, Dr. Weiss, that impressed me. So, maybe I do fall into the existential crisis category”

 

Her beautiful eyes widened.

 

“Existential crisis it is then, but if you seek impressive credentials in past-life therapy, you might want to read this book, Other Lives, Other Selves. Tell me, what triggered your belief in past lives?”

 

“Belief! I would not call it belief … possibility. I’ve come to realize that strange things happen.”

 

“You know, once you read that book, you will believe. In life there are certain doorways that once you cross them, they will forever change you. And you might also resolve your existential crisis. What you will definitely find is that women love to sleep with men who search for depth through such beliefs.”

 

So in that cold European winter when some in the world denied global warming, he lay in bed, holding her. He could not imagine a less likely place to have encountered the perfect girl, the self-help section at a bookstore. She was, by all accounts, very beautiful. Her laughter and smiley eyes were completely contagious. He was ready to settle down, and she might be the one, even if that involved accepting some very unlikely ideas that she held. There was the most extraordinary feeling of comfort in simply being with her.

 

Maggie had to laugh; she thought he’d be a quick and fun adventure, one that she would soon get out of her system. But this yuppie geek, as it turned out, was surprisingly special from the very first moment. This could be far more than a casual adventure.

 

Bill had not spoken to anyone about his problems. Not anyone other than doctors or therapists. Maggie worked counseling young kids. She was trained to ask just the right questions to make people talk. Bill was used to carefully giving only the information he wanted to give in business and in his private life. He sometimes caught himself telling Maggie much more than what he expected was safe. She thought that she knew just how to pry and could tell he was holding back; this, of course, made him all the more interesting.

 

Their love story grew and developed as some do. Maggie usually led and Bill followed. They enjoyed the typical things new couples enjoy, such as going to restaurants, the cinema, shops, and museums. Sometimes, if the winter weather allowed, they went for nice long walks. Before Bill met Maggie, he had spent all his time in London buried in his work, with his colleagues at the gym, or finding ways to run away from the dreams and thoughts that haunted him. He did this by playing any distracting “brain game” that helped him to forget the letters, the same five letters, on the wings and on the side of the aircraft in his nightmares.

 

He liked to remember how it had been the day they met there in the bookstore by the self-help and philosophy section while he had been holding the book Many Lives, Many Masters, a book that seemed sensible enough to explain past lives. (He had also noticed one discussing future lives. That seemed ridiculous, and he was wondering if in spite of Dr. Weiss’s credentials, this was the right way to learn more about past-life regression therapy.) It was right at that moment that she had smiled and spoken. He liked the thought of how later that day, before they left the bookstore together, they each had purchased a book; he bought Many Lives, Many Masters, and Maggie chose the one about future lives, Same Soul, Many Bodies, the ridiculous one. They often visited Foyles on rainy days.

 

Maggie loved that bookstore, so it could not exactly be said that she had followed him inside. That would have been completely out of character for her. She had not only felt attracted to his physique, but also the way he moved as he walked seemed so familiar; there was a very strong force there, and there had been something she recognized.

 

Then he absolutely surprised her; he went to the section she had least expected “his type”—the cute, yuppie geek type—to choose: he went to her mother’s favorite section, the self-help and new age philosophies section, and in his hand was one of the new age beliefs’ basic books, Many Lives, Many Masters.

 

This was good; it could only mean that he was new to such ideas. That was an old book. It was from the 1980s. Maybe even older. It had to be that old; she remembered a copy or two in her parents’ house for as long as she could remember. This guy, this conquest—Maggie, as many pretty young women do, conquered the hearts of men for sport—this conquest would be a breeze. It was then that he felt different, when he spoke and she heard his accent, an accent so familiar to her from the cinema and the telly, the accent of all the handsome men of her fantasies, an accent that made him even more appealing. Unlike the man she had just met, Maggie was very aware that she was a hopeless romantic.
The Bridge of Deaths **** Revised Edition
Amazon US KINDLE ~ AmazonUS PAPERBACK
 
Amazon UK KINDLE ~ Amazon UK PAPERBACK
 
 
The Bridge of Deaths **** Original Edition
Amazon US KINDLE ~ Amazon US PAPERBACK
 
Amazon UK KINDLE ~ Amazon UK PAPERBACK
 
Barnesand noble ~ authorHOUSE

 

Rated 4.7 Stars on AmazonREVISED EDITION

Experience this incredible quest, through the eyes of the author, and also the fictional characters of Maggie and Bill, who discover their connection to this event through a series of past life regressions. Mystery, love, reincarnation, discovery, and life abound. ~ 5 star review by RE

 

This has elements for the romantic, the mystery buff, and the history buff that will keep you reading until the end. ~ 5 star review by Teresa Watson

 

M C V Egan catches you in the first chapter and doesn’t let you go. You are sucked into both the historical story as well as the personal and paranormal stories that are intertwined through the book. You are wrapped up in the three main characters in both this life and their immediately previous life and enthralled in the winding trail of research that they follow together and separately to join the two together. Recommended. ~ 5 star review by FBTR

 

This is an EXCELLENT book! If you have been passing up Bridge of Deaths by Mcv Egan, well, cut it out! This book is VERY well researched. Excellent story with a blend of romance and mystery. I almost passed it by because I’m not a big history buff, BUT I started going thru the reviews and decided I had to go for it! This is one of the most interesting books I’ve read in awhile. From the first few chapters, I was invested in seeing where the story would take me. I was interested in the characters and completely captivated by the plot. ~ 5 star VERIFIED PURCHASE review by Tina “UF and PNR Romance fan”

 

The story is simple. Reincarnation and real research works in tandem to bring two lovers destined and the past together. The real story is that this book is not close to fiction. Little of this novel is fiction and that adds some wonderful spice to the story. ~ 5 star VERIFIED PURCHASE review by Wanda “Wandah Panda”

 

M.C.V. Egan is the pen name chosen by Maria Catalina Vergara Egan. Catalina was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1959, the sixth of eight children, in a traditional Catholic family. From a very young age, she became obsessed with the story of her maternal grandfather, Cesar Agustin Castillo–mostly the story of how he died.

 

She spent her childhood in Mexico. When her father became an employee of The World Bank in Washington D.C. in the early 1970s, she moved with her entire family to the United States. Catalina was already fluent in English, as she had spent one school year in the town of Pineville, Louisiana with her grandparents. There she won the English award, despite being the only one who had English as a second language in her class. In the D.C. suburbs she attended various private Catholic schools and graduated from Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Maryland in 1977.

 

She attended Montgomery Community College, where she changed majors every semester. She also studied in Lyons, France, at the Catholic University for two years. In 1981, due to an impulsive young marriage to a Viking (the Swedish kind, not the football player kind), Catalina moved to Sweden where she resided for five years and taught at a language school for Swedish, Danish, and Finnish businesspeople. She then returned to the USA, where she has lived ever since. She is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Swedish.

 

Maria Catalina Vergara Egan is married and has one son who, together with their five-pound Chihuahua, makes her feel like a full-time mother. Although she would not call herself an astrologer she has taken many classes and taught a few beginner classes in the subject M.C.V. Egan’s new series DEFINING WAYS uses Astrology and other Metaphysical tools www.thebridgeofdeaths.com

 

Amazon Author Page ~ Website ~ Facebook fan page 
Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Google+ ~ LinkedIN
 
Shelfari ~ Book Blogs
 
BLOGS
 
THE BRIDGE OF DEATHS
 
4covert2overt A Day In The Spotlight
 
Is History The Agreed Upon Lie?
 
Defining Ways

MoB Promos

magicofbookspromo@gmail.com

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
Categories
Book-Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful by @justindherd Interview & #Giveaway by @RABTBookTours #NoirSummer

Greetings readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors and welcome to The ToiBox of Words. I’m your host Toi Thomas, author of Eternal Curse, and today I’m sharing a special interview with author, Justin D. Herd, about his fiction book entitled, Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful. Check out the giveaway at the end and enjoy!

Where did the idea for Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful come from?

It originally started as a story about a man that has migraines but his pills keep him from slipping into another world. Then it became a story about a religious society that worshiped all these gods in the streets, not realizing that they still lived amongst them. The problem came in that my detective character wasn’t able to connect the dots when he was interacting with these gods. So, it became an atheistic society where the mob family is the only one that believes.

How did the title of this book come about?

For the longest time, the book was simply titled The Faithful, named after the mob family in the novel. A big issue throughout the story was that the gods were slowly introduced, filling in the fantasy as the story progressed, but now with Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful, you know exactly what you’re getting into.

What genre is this book and why did you choose to make it so?

This is one that blends a lot of genres, taking what fits and getting rid of the bits that don’t. On a top level, it’s Fantasy. But it’s got a crime element in an urban environment, so it’s Urban Fantasy. But, you hear of that and you think devils and deep magic systems and it’s not quite that. So, long and short of it, I consider it Fantasy Noir. This is a genre that focuses more on the setting, the feel of the prose, and stoic heroes. Overall, it doesn’t even quite fit that, but it’s the closest I’ve found.

What would you say is the overall message or the theme of this book?

Honestly, I’m not one much to talk about theme or any underlying messages. A lot of the imagery might string together to give some unintended context, but it’s always fun to hear what people read into it.

Tell me about the experience of writing this book; how long did it take.

The book took roughly nine months. I honestly don’t remember when I started it, but I finished it in 2008. I started with an idea for three books, opened a world building document, and wrote 22 pages (almost 12,000 words) describing the society, its gods, the characters and their history, as well as a six page treatment of the story. It ended nothing like it. I got caught up for about six months, trying to avoid using any of the ideas for the last two books, but ultimately gave in and finished the book in two weeks.

Tell me about the main storyline within this book.

A mobster becomes a god, only to discover they die too.

That’s the elevator pitch. The longer one involves mobsters, artists, cops, multiple gods, divine civil war, and coups. But hey, at least I’ve got it distilled down to eleven words!

Who is the protagonist of this story?

The main character is Raine Morgan, the right hand of the dominant mob family. He’s the mobster with a heart of gold, paying off his marks debts rather than have the family kill them. He’s not necessarily a believer, but it’s been ingrained into his past. When he accidentally kills someone, much less someone he was trying to protect, he spirals out of control in an effort to get revenge and, ultimately, redemption.

Who is the antagonist of this story?

For the humans, it’s Carrick Uren. He’s a greedy middleman in Na Creidmhigh and hates Raine for not killing people, for being able to surpass him. He takes his opportunity once Raine is caught out after his first murder. As a result, Na Creidmhigh is divided and ultimately becomes a slaughter house.

Then, there’s Theon the Trickster for the gods. As you might expect, he’s always up to no good.

What is the major conflict in this story?

The initial conflict is that Raine is set out to hunt down a couple miscreants, only to come on them assaulting a woman. He charges in, but ends up killing their victim and letting them escape. So he sets out to hunt them and perhaps gain some redemption. Little does he realize that the incident triggers godhood and he catches the attention of the gods. They come together to try to deal with another immortal joining them, only to discover they can die too. That sets off a divine civil war where no one is safe.

Where and when is this story taking place?

I took the amalgamation approach to writing this. It’s a near future technology, but with the clothing and music of the 1920s. It’s a grimy, gritty harbor town where the mob family rules the town. In general, the genre is Film Noir.

As for location, I took old maps of 1800s Boston and used the general locations of things. There are no cars in the world. Instead of trains, they use water trams.

Who is your favorite character in this book?

I’d have to say it’s probably the Shade. But I think people will really latch onto Theon. One of the things I like so much about him is that he pushes the envelope at every chance. Hell, even when he finds out he could actually die, he still screws gods over and toys with humans. He’s out to have a good time, damned the consequences.

Are there elements of your personality or life experiences in this book?

I’ve made sure to weed out anything that would be too much like me. At the end of the day, there’s some allusions to migraines, but not anything that’s explicitly stated. I have chronic migraines, almost every one of them starting with an ocular migraine where I lose my vision for about thirty minutes, then the pain starts.

The only other thing is that Raine is supremely clumsy. I have fallen up stairs, I have tripped over nothing, and would regularly drive my ex-wife crazy with how I would find anything and everything to trip over.

What is one thing from this book you wish was real or could happen to you?

I absolutely love Oki’s Veins. They are this architectural feature, essentially glass channels of backlit water. They run up and down the streets, up walls, connecting the city in a giant art display. It’s impractical and impossible, but it would just be amazing to see that, to have every structure just commit wholly to this feature.

What is something you wish wasn’t real and hope doesn’t happen to you?

I think the limited immortality would be a huge bummer. I mean, it’s one of those things you grow into that you realize immortality isn’t all it’s meant to be. But then to have it and suddenly be told, “Just kidding . . .” I try to explore that in the book, where the disparate gods react to it differently, but I just think that would be the worst.

Let’s say your book is being turned into a feature length film; quick- cast the main two characters and pick a theme song or score.

Raine Morgan – Michael Pitt
Theon – Christoph Waltz
Theme Song: End of the Line by Murder by Death

Do you have any special plans for this book in the near or far future?

Nothing too spectacular. I am already looking at its sequels. My plans are to split the story into two different storylines: one that follows the gods, the other the mob and see where that takes us. It would be a different take for those that love the mortal stuff, but not the gods, they have their series, or those that adored the god stuff, but not so much the mortals . . . well, they can be satisfied too.

~

Okay readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors, that’s all for today. Be sure to follow this blog to see who will be visiting next time. To obtain your copy of Of Gods and Madness: The Faithful, please visit the links provided.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

iTunes | Google Play | Kobo | Createspace

Visit this author at the following links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Patreon | Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This has been a
interviewpic-toibox

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords