Gabe's Guardian Angel and author Beverly Stowe McClure

         

Today we're highlighting the author

Beverly Stowe McClure

and her novel

Gabe's Guardian Angel!

 Meet Beverly...

          1.    What was your hardest scene to write?

I think the scene where Gabe meets his Guardian Angel was tough to write. To get the angel right. To see Gabe’s reaction. To make it believable to the reader that Guardian Angels do exist. At least in the story. And that moment changes his life forever. An important scene, difficult to get just right.

          2.    What makes you run screaming?

If I’m outside taking a walk, the way I like to do, and see something slithering across the grass, you can bet I run screaming, thinking “snake.” I might be wrong, but I won’t wait around to find out.

          3.    You’re about to be dropped in a remote spot for a three-week survival test. Where would you go? What three tools would you take?

Okay, let’s say it’s in the mountains with lots of trees. I’d try to find a section where the trees formed a sort of fence around me. I’d check the tree branches to make sure they were strong enough to hold me in case some wild critter showed up and I needed to climb in a hurry. I’d definitely take a skillet to cook on and food to eat in an ice chest, and hope I could find wild fruits and veggies. I’d also take a blanket because nights in the mountains sometimes get cold. The third tool I’d most definitely need is my Cell Phone.

          4.    What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

I don’t know if this will surprise my readers or not, but when I was a kid I hated to read. I never went to the library to check out books. At school I only read what I had to in order to get by. Book reviews were a nightmare. Thank goodness for the jacket flap on the book that told about the story. Shh, that’s my secret. So why did I end up going to the university and getting a degree and becoming a teacher? Thank heavens I discovered what I was missing. Reading was fun and I learned a lot.

              5.    If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?

This may sound strange to you, but I’d go to South Carolina. That city has so much history and so many places to visit. There’s no place I’d rather be. Stories are all over South Carolina. The setting of one of my books, A Pirate, A Blockade Runner, and a Cat, is set in South Carolina. I had fun with that story. I ought to write another one about this interesting state.

              6.    If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?

Write your story. Don’t worry about whether anyone will like it.  It’s Your story. Don’t worry about others. Write what’s in your heart. That’s what’s important. And you know what. They’ll probably like it.

7.    What does literary success look like to you?

I used to think that someone who wrote a book, won awards, and made movies of their book was a literary success. Now that I’ve been writing for many years, to me a literary success is writing your book and getting it published. Yes, winning awards, making lots of money would be nice. That is success, and I love it when one of my books wins an award. Another kind of success and maybe the most important is being satisfied with your story, your dream of writing. Each of us likely has our own idea of literary success. And that’s okay, too.

8.    Tell us about the book you’re working on now.

I’m working on two books currently. One is a middle grade story about a boy and his dog. It’s been submitted a couple of times but no one was interested, so I’m completely rewriting it to see what happens. The other book is a sequel to one of my earliest books published. I don’t know why I decided to write a sequel so many years later, and it may not work, but I had an idea. Also, another middle grade idea has me thinking and jotting down notes. It might be a fantasy. Not sure yet.

Thanks for listening to my rambling.

It was our pleasure, Beverly!

*****

Gabe never asked for an angel…

Gabe Montana’s clumsy. He’s overweight, and he’s dyslexic. Worse yet, the bullies make his fifteen-year-old life even more miserable—so miserable he wants to die.

Charley, his guardian angel, says no to that idea, and comes up with a different plan. He’ll give Gabe self-confidence so he can solve his problems, not run away from them. But Gabe wonders why the angel doesn’t just help with the bullies. What’s with this self-confidence stuff?

Can Charley help Gabe stand on his own two feet? Will Gabe give up hope life can improve for him? Or will he finally listen to the angel’s advice?

Buy Links

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

Read My Review HERE!

 Most of the time you’ll find Beverly Stowe McClure at her computer, typing stories young voices whisper in her ear. When she’s not writing, she’s snapping pictures of wildlife, flowers, and clouds. Or taking a walk with her cat Tiger. She’s a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.  She has fifteen books published, several of them award winners. She’s sometimes known as the Bug Lady. She’s not telling why.

Her short stories have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul Anthologies and children’s magazines.

Social Links and Website

The Story of a Writer blog

WordPress Web Site

Goodreads

Goodreads Blog

FaceBook

Twitter

Book Bub

We loved your visit, Beverly! 

Readers, do you have any questions for this amazing writer?

To win a free copy of Gabe's Guardian Angel, just tell Beverly if you believe in angels, guardians, or otherwise.

Out From Silence with Author C.L.Tolbert

Today author C. l. Tolbert is here to discuss her latest novel Out From Silence. She's also agreed to take part in an interview.

Meet Cindy...

       1.    What was your hardest scene to write?

I have a more difficult time writing emotional scenes. In OUT FROM SILENCE, the scene describing the daughter’s death, particularly the aftermath of her death and her father’s reaction to it were the most difficult to write.

        2.    What makes you run screaming?

Right now, as I’m sitting here in my office at work, it’s my dog who won’t stop licking his paws. Typically, I’m pretty easy going, but loud, repetitive noises will get to me after a while.

        3.    You’re about to be dropped in a remote spot for a three-week survival test. Where would you go? What three tools would you take?

I’d go to one of the remote islands of French Polynesia since it’s one of the most beautiful locations in the world. The weather is perfect, and there are no poisonous snakes or insects. I could live like Robinson Crusoe there with a small axe, a mosquito net and a small pan for cooking.

        4.    What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise  your readers the most?

I have a Master’s of Special Education and taught learning disabled students for ten years before I enrolled in law school. I practiced law for thirty years before I published my first book.

        5.     If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year   while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?

I’ve always wanted to live in Paris, France. I’ve visited the city five times, and would love to go back. I write murder mysteries and can easily imagine a plot developed around the streets of that gorgeous city, especially along the left bank. Living there an entire year would be the realization of a dream.

  

         6.    If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

I’d tell myself to write on a consistent basis. I won my first writing contest at age nine, then didn’t submit anything for review again until 2010, which was when I won the Georgia State Bar Journal’s Fiction Writing Contest. I was fifty-eight years old at the time.

Although I was encouraged to write by teachers when I was younger, I didn’t, unless I was completing an assignment. But I had stories in my head.  I started making feeble stabs at writing during my recovery from cancer in 2006. I was fifty-four. I wasted more than forty creative writing years. (Legal writing doesn’t count.)

Stories have a way of being told, finally. But writing must be honed. It improves with each effort, each page, each edit, each book.

7.    What does literary success look like to you?

I enjoy writing, and feel enriched by it. That, in and of itself, feels like success. I enjoy plotting the story, developing the characters, and building the world the book is based on. I don’t have a huge reader base at this time, but those who have read my first book, OUT FROM SILENCE, have enjoyed it, which is important to me. In this book, a young deaf man is accused of killing his girlfriend in the story, so the readers have learned something about what it’s like to live in his world. I’d like to think their lives have been enhanced in some way by reading the book, which makes the success full circle. 

8.    Tell us about the book you’re working on now.

In December of 2020 my second murder mystery, THE REDEMPTION, will be published. It’s the second novel in the Thornton Mystery series and is based in New Orleans in 1994.

Emma Thornton is teaching at a law school in the city where she is the director of the school’s homelessness clinic. The Dean asks her to take on a case where Louis, a young boy, only sixteen years of age, has been arrested for the killing of two men at the Redemption, a housing project. Emma immediately suspects there were two shooters that night, and begins an investigation into the double murder. During this time frame, since there were two killings, Louis is treated as an adult and is subject to the death penalty. There is no definitive evidence, except for the testimony of one witness who incriminates Louis.  Emma and her third-year law students find themselves in treacherous circumstances as they work to free Louis.

*******

Out From Silence: A Thornton Mystery

Emma Thornton, law student and clerk for a local attorney, is asked to help defend Adam, a youthful deaf man accused of killing his girlfriend. The investigation sets her on a dangerous path which nearly costs her her life, and forces Adam out of his world of silence.

"Out From Silence is a solid debut loaded with menace, memorable characters, and dangerous secrets—a brooding mystery rooted deep in the Southern tradition." - Roger Johns, award-winning author of the Wallace Hartman Mysteries

Read My Review HERE!

In 2010 Cynthia Tolbert won the Georgia Bar Journal’s fiction contest for the short story version of OUT FROM SILENCE.  That story is now the first full-length novel of the Thornton Mystery Series, which was published by Level Best Books in December of 2019. She is currently writing her second novel in this same series entitled THE REDEMPTION, which is set in New Orleans. This book is scheduled to be published in December of 2020. 

Ms. Tolbert has a Master’s in Special Education and taught children with learning disabilities before moving on to law school. She spent most of her legal career working as defense counsel to large corporations and traveled throughout the country as regional and national counsel. She also had the unique opportunity of teaching third-year law students in a clinical program at a law school in New Orleans where she ran the Homelessness Law Clinic and learned, first hand, about poverty in that city. The experiences and impressions she has collected from the past forty years contribute to the stories she writes today.

She has four children, and three grandchildren, and lives in Atlanta with her husband and schnauzer.

www.cltolbert.com

Thank you, Cindy! 

Congratulations on a great mystery!

Readers, do you have any questions for Ms. Tolbert?

Meet Mason Canyon of MC Book Tours

TODAY 

June 9th 

the WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Patricia Anne Garcia WON the One Week Tour

&

Marla Bradeen/Paige Sleuth WON the Three Day Book Blast!

&

Remember anyone who mentions the blog post will get a discount!

Thank you,  Mason Canyon

I'm thrilled to be hosting Mason Canyon of MC Book Tours. She offers a wonderful resource for writers looking for exposure for their books. Today she's here to discuss her services and answer your questions.  

Meet Mason...

Yolanda, thank you so much for this opportunity to talk about MC Book Tours, an activity I enjoy so much – finding interesting books, awesome authors, and sharing both with other readers like myself.  I'm thrilled to be featured here. You have given me many, many sleepless nights thanks to the activities of Stowy Jenkins.

1.   I keep hearing that about Stowy. My apologies, but we're here to learn all about you. Tell us who are you, how did you get started providing book tours?

I started my blog, Thoughts in Progress, in 2009 to feature my book reviews and talk about books. Throughout the years, I began participating in more and more book tours. Several years ago, I became disenchanted with a tour and got the crazy idea I could provide book tours to bloggers because, being a blogger, I understand their needs, so MC Book Tours began.

2.   What is the benefit of a virtual book tour?

There are many benefits to a virtual tour. The author saves on travel and hotel expenses. They don't have the problems of scheduling meetings and making appointments. Virtual tours give global exposure to authors and their books. It's a quick and easy way for authors to interact with their readers all over the world without leaving their homes. Virtual tours allow authors to be exposed to readers who might not otherwise go out to an author's event. Virtual tours also offer readers the opportunity to find out about an author after the tour is over. With buy and social media links included in tours, an author's virtual tour goes on forever out in the wonderful world of blogging. I must point out one major disadvantage to a virtual tour. Neither the tour organizer nor the author controls whether a blogger posts during the tour. A blogger can sign up, be given all the tour material, and then not post due to a variety of reasons. The blogger can become sick, have family/work issues come up, internet/computer problems, simply forget, or decide for whatever reason they don't want to post. Sometimes you know why and sometimes you never know no matter how many times the organizer tries to contact the blogger. Just one aspect authors need to be aware of.

3.   Who are the bloggers that provide the exposure? Are they other authors, readers, or booksellers?

Bloggers that participate in tours are a great bunch of people. They are made up of a diverse group that does include authors, librarians, booksellers, publishers, and book lovers. They all are book readers though many may not have the time to read as much as they'd like.

4.   Authors want the blogger to be a reader that attracts other readers, do you designate those tours based on genre?

When I promote a book, I try to target bloggers that enjoy the genre that the book represents. For example, if I'm promoting a murder mystery, I look for bloggers that enjoy that genre. However, I also check with bloggers that cover other genres. It's good to expose an author to readers who aren't familiar with their work or not necessary a huge fan of the genre. It's an excellent way to expand an author's fan base. Sometimes a synopsis draws a blogger in that otherwise wouldn't have looked at the book.

5.   What about the giveaways, does the author need them to attract more readers, or are they a waste of time?

Giveaways, unfortunately, are a good way to attract readers to a post. The giveaways get readers' attention (who doesn't love winning something) and then organize it where they learn more about the book before they can enter. Sometimes that little bit intrigues a reader to learn more about the book and author, hopefully leading to a new fan.

6.    Do you give the email addresses of the participants to the author for their own mailing list?

Yes, if an author wants the emails of those entering a giveaway, I provide those for them. I do not share the emails with anyone else or even use them myself. The emails are collected for that author as part of their tour, so they are entitled to them if they wish.

7.   How often should a person have a book tour? Is it only for a book launch, or can it revive interest in an older book?

A book tour is a great way to get exposure for a new release. But I think it's also a great way to renew interest in a book that's been out for a while. The blog world is always changing, so there's going to be readers out there that weren't there say two or three years ago when a book was first published. A book tour is especially useful if you do a new cover for a reprint of an older edition.

8.   How do you recruit your bloggers?

Recruiting bloggers takes time. I have a list of bloggers who have participated in past tours I conducted. I also look for bloggers that participate in other tours and contact them directly when I have a tour, I think they might be interested in. In addition, I have a section on MC Book Tours where bloggers can sign up to be notified of tours. I also ask the author if they have a list of bloggers that would like contacted for their tour.

9.   Is a virtual book tour more beneficial for the self-published author or the traditionally published author?

At one time, I would have said virtual tours benefitted self-published authors more. They traditionally don't have the funds backing them to do all the promoting publishers do for their authors. However, as the publishing world changes, virtual book tours also help traditionally published authors. Publishers are more and more doing virtual tours for their authors. The pandemic we're experiencing is a great example of how virtual tours benefit both types of authors. I think it has a lot to do with global exposure as well as more cost-effective.

In wrapping up, I realize authors have hectic lives. I want to take as much stress off them when doing a tour as I can. It's entirely up to the author as to how much I do for them. I deal with all the bloggers, so they don't have to. I create the graphics and get the material to the bloggers. The authors only need to write the guest post and answer Q&As. During the tour, I make a point to visit each stop as authors are sometimes unable to do so. I also promote each stop on social media. I serve as the middleman (middlewoman), if you will, between author and blogger. I become the author's personal media assistance for the tour.

FYI: My Pricing List - Just click to follow the LINK!

Thank you again, Yolanda. It's been a pleasure being here. I'll be away from my computer for a few hours today, but I'm happy to answer any questions you or your readers have.

Facebook Page  

Website  

Twitter 

WIN A TOUR!

          Today, Mason is offering a free one-week book tour and a free three-day book blast to anyone who comments with the title of the book they’d love to advertise.

         Also, if someone doesn't want to enter the contest but contacts MC about a tour and mentions this blog post, she’ll offer them a discount.

Outstanding!

Thank you, Mason!

Well, there you are, a marvelous chance to win a tour and ask Mason any question you want!

Contest ends Midnight of June 7th.
Winners announced shortly after.

Thank You, For Hosting Murder, Just Because!

Unsplash

To all those who hosted Murder, Just Because.

I say ‘THANK YOU’ from the bottom of my heart!

Denise @ Denise Covey

CCAM @ Mythical Books

LuAnn Worley @ Rockin’ Book Reviews

Cathrina @ Constantine

Elizabeth Spann Craig @ Mystery Writing is Murder

L Diane Wolfe @ Spunk on A Stick

Lisa Haselton @ Reviews and Interviews

Shannon Lawrence @ The Warrior Muse

Bish Denham @ Random Thoughts

Ellen @ Ellen Jacobson Author

Susan Flett Swiderski @ I Think: Therefore, I Yam

Christine @ Christine Rains – Writer

Alex @ Alex J. Cavanaugh

Elizabeth @ Elizabeth Seckman, Author

Juneta Key @ Writer’s Gambit

Tara @ Tara Tyler Talks

H. R. @ H.R. Sinclair

Beverly Stowe McClure @ The Story of A Writer

Chrys Fey @ Write with Fey

Jemi Fraser @ Just Jemi

Mason Canyon @ Thoughts in Progress

Madhuri Palaji @ The Clipped Nightingale

Kathleen Kelly @ Celticlady’s Reviews

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Highlights & Book Tours

TOP TEN HIGHLIGHTS OF MY LIFE!

1.      The year I played Mary in the Christmas Play. I've never felt so humbled or honored.
2.      The day I stepped off a plane in Fairbanks, Alaska. I'd finally found a home.
3.       My first apartment and the purchase of my first car. After I found my first job in Alaska as a payroll clerk. I bought a used car and found a great apartment. Finally, total independence. It was the best of times!
4.       My first view of the aurora borealis. I would lie on my bed and watch them dance across the sky. So beautiful!
5.       Falling in love for the first time. It was everything every romance book ever said it would be. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. Unrequited is not one of my favorite words
6.       The birth of my two sons. The very best of my creative abilities! Handsome, smart, and independent! I'm very proud of them.
7        Graduating with High Honors and achieving my master's degree. Another goal marked done, but I still want my Ph.D.! I hoped my writing would fund that, but...
8.       The publication of my first novel. One of those naïve, impulsive, and totally in the dark experiences. Now I know everything I did wrong, but that day, that moment will always be special.
9.       Doing a Blog-Talk Radio Show. Getting out of my comfort zone to create the first book talk radio program. It was a blast, and I miss doing it.
10.     Buying a condo on the beach. I feel blessed to be able to isolate here.

Tell me a highlight or two of your life.

If you want to know more about Murder, Just Because just follow the links for reviews and guest posts.

Christine Rain's Review

Birthing Doesn't Have to be Murder

Interview With A Monster

Susan Flett-Swiderski Review

Reader's Favorite Review

How I Wrote My Mystery

My Top Ten Murder Mysteries

Heaven on Earth

How to Write a Thriller

Evil Exists

Mason Canyon Review


To learn more about me follow the links to the Q & A Sessions:

What Mythical Creature Am I?

What inspired Murder, Just Because?

What Makes Me Run Screaming?

Why do I Write Serial Killers?

What is the Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen?

Does My Writing Give Me Nightmares?


 

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