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Book-Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Sewing Can Be Dangerous by @SarahMallery1 Interview & #Giveaway by @Njkinny Tours & Promos #read

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, S. R. Mallery, about her fiction book entitled, Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads. Enjoy!

 #BlogTourAnnouncement and #Signup: Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads by S.R. Mallery {16-19 July}

Where did the idea for Sewing Can Be Dangerous come from?

It was my father who told me all about the infamous 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and as a quilt designer/teacher, I was particularly drawn to those hapless immigrant seamstresses who died so needlessly. Surrounded by so many quilts and fabrics in my studio, I decided to write a group of stories, connecting them all by the single ‘thread’ of sewing/crafts. That actually helped focus me with each new story. No matter what time period I was reading about, I kept asking questions like, ‘How would sewing/crafting ‘fit’ into this time frame? Who would be the likely characters?’

How did the title of this book come about?

After I had written the first story in my collection, “Sewing Can Be Dangerous,” all about the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire of 1911, and then came up with the idea of connecting each story by a ‘thread’ of sewing and/or crafts, I thought I was happily on my way.  But it was later, after I had completed the stories that the title dilemma began. Many concepts later I had an epiphany.  Not only did that first story’s title create a “Huh? What’s that about?” reaction from people, it also embodied the gist of my collection––history, action, crime, romance, and…danger.

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

Actually, the genre chose me.  Because I love history and relish doing all the research that it entails, I just followed my heart.  In other words, I didn’t set out to write historical fiction; I just dove into the history aspect, then later, realizing so many of the stories revolved around history, I just went with the flow.

Oh, there is one modern crime story, however, because I just couldn’t resist putting it in.  During my professional quilting days, I had always thought about teaching quilting on a luxury cruise line, so why not include that little fantasy in my book?

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

This book took about five years, with time off for obtaining a teacher’s credential. As for techniques, when I read or hear about some little fact in history, it percolates in my head as I continue on with research––exploring that time period, the culture, clothing, and lingo—until I feel as if I’m actually living in that particular time myself.

These stories came with me everywhere: to my children’s afterschool activities, the NY Tenement Museum as we groped through the pitch-black hallway because ‘gaslights hadn’t come in yet’; to Wall Street, where the heart-attack-waiting-to-happen pace was disturbing.

Tell me about the main storyline within this book.

These eleven short stories combine history, mystery, action and/or romance––from drug trafficking using Guatemalan hand-woven wallets to an Antebellum U.S. slave using codes in her quilts as a freedom message system; from a wedding quilt curse dating back to the Salem Witchcraft Trials to a mystery involving a young seamstress in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; from a 1980’s Romeo and Juliet romance between a rising Wall Street financial ‘star’ and an eclectic fiber artist to a Haight-Asbury love affair between a professor and a beautiful macramé artist gone horribly askew, just to name a few.

What is the major conflict in this story?

Because this book involves different stories, there are many conflicts, not just one. That being said, I would say in general, most of the stories end with some sort of resolution to each conflict, whether it be overcoming poverty odds and a severe family member, solving murder cases and curses, avoiding Indian attacks, inventing a clever way to escape enslavement, helping others in trouble, or simply following one’s heart in spite of heavy opposition and nay-saying.

Where and when is this story taking place?

The time periods in this collection are wildly eclectic. From the 1600s Salem Witchcraft Trial where children ran supreme, to a horrendous fire in 1911 New York that darkened the lives of a whole city; from Washington Territory in 1870 where the Indians usually got along with the White people to the Wall Street in 1980; from the Antebellum South to a modern luxury cruise ship; from a 1967-69 Haight Ashbury hippy-dippy murder to the Nazis’ book-burning Kristallnacht horror.

Who is your favorite character in this book?

I choose Sasha, the immigrant seamstress, caught in the middle of the overwhelming conditions of the NYC Triangle Shirtwaist factory and her nasty, domineering father.  Being originally from New York, a quilter for so many years myself, and understanding the hardships that immigrants often bear when they come to this country, I felt a particular connection to this character.  In fact, at one point, when I was visiting New York and saw a little plaque on the New York University building honoring those college students who crawled across ladders to try and save some of those luckless girls that fateful day, I actually cried.

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

No elements of my personality are included, but interests/influences, most certainly. As a quilt instructor, I used to warn my students about the ‘dangers of sewing,’ and I came across quilt curses as I was preparing for a quilt article and I couldn’t get it out of my head!  At a machine-quilting exhibit, I saw a little note from a 1870 Washington Territory pioneer woman who wrote that she hid her new Singer sewing machine in the cornfield and I was enthralled. Absolutely no mention of the safety of her cabin, or her family! Talk about obsession!

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.

Actually, I see these stories as a TV series, because they seem more episodic than a single movie. The theme song would be similar to Thomas Newman’s “Revolutionary Road”–lilting, slightly dark, and mysterious. Casting—oh, my! Shailene Woodley, Elizabeth Olsen, Evan Rachel Ward, Emma Watson, Jennifer Lawrence, and Emma Stone.

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

The more I learn about this Author Selling Business, the more I will be able to cultivate a wider audience for this collection as well as my other books.  Eventually, however, I would love to have it made into a series…who knows?

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 Sewing Can Be Dangerous, please visit the links provided.

~Buying Links~
Grab the kindle/Nook book at just $0.99 or Rs. 63!
Amazon IN: Kindle Book
Amazon US: Paperback | Kindle Book
Goodreads: Add to Bookshelf
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~Connect with this author here~
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This has been a

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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

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Promotion

I have winners for my, #IndiePrideDay giveaway. Yay #free stuff!

I would first like to thank everyone who participated in my Indie Pride Day giveaway.

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The prizes are, 4 ebook copies of the anthology, Of Past and Future.

Now, the winners of my very special giveaway are…

Toya Cole, Mistral Dawn, Deidre Mapstone, and Audrey Lewis!

Winner

Thank you so much guys for participating and congratulations on your victory.

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

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Promotion Videos

Happy Indie Pride Day 2015! #IndieBooksBeSeen -Check out my ebooks #bargain.

ForBlog

While I think this could be a special day for all indie artists such as musicians and filmmakers, here at The ToiBox I’m focusing on the author portion. So today I’m going to be posting a lot on social media, but not because I’m full of myself. Today is the day for authors like me to shine and that’s what I plan to do. Plus, I put out an invite to post other indies too, but that all hinges on whether or not they take up my offer… and they did. See video below.

I missed this movement last year, but I’m on board this year. Apparently this was almost a trending topic last year, so I’m hoping to do my part at making it trend this year. You can help too and here’s how:

  1. Share a post or image of an indie book (with or without its author) and use the hashtag #IndieBooksBeSeen (Like this one 😉 ).
  2. Search the hashtag #IndieBooksBeSeen on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ and then share, like, and plus + anything you like. (Retweets are good too. Visit me on twitter to get started @toithomas.)
  3. Post book reviews and interviews of indie books and authors- don’t forget the hashtag.
  4. Purchase indie books and share your haul on Facebook, Twitter, and or Google+ with the hashtag #IndieBooksBeSeen.
  5. Tell a friend (or 2 or 10) and get them to do the same thing. Go ahead and be biased about it. Promote a particular book or author to your heart’s desire. As long as you use the hashtag #IndieBooksBeSeen it all helps the cause and is a reason to celebrate.

So there you have it. Five simple things you can do today to help make the world take notice of Indie Authors. I hope you will consider at least one or two of them and have some fun with this day. Speaking of fun, there’s a Facebook event you may want to check out (as well as some other stuff)…

#IndieBooksBeSeen Facebook Event

#IndieBooksBeSeen Google+ Event

#IndieBooksBeSeen Facebook Page

#IndieBooksBeSeen Facebook Group

#IndieBooksBeSeen Website

#IndieBooksBeSeen Blog

And last, but definitely not least, I’ve put together a special promotion for my ebooks, through Author Direct purchase and Amazon.com.

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I’ll be giving away 4 ebook copies of, Of Past and Future and a chance to purchase a bundle of my ebooks for $2.99  (see images below)
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Go ahead and check out the Rafflecopter below
Both Eternal Curse ebooks are 99₵.

It only takes 1 entry for a chance to win and there are 4 chances to win. Be sure to review the Terms & Condition…Oh and check out the cool video below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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