The Mind of a Genius - New Espionage Thriller

Welcome to David Snowdon’s interview for his book The Mind of a Genius. Enjoy!

About Author David Snowdon:

Brirtish thriller writer, David Snowdon was born in London, and currently lives in London. His first book, Too Young To Die, was published in August 2006, while his second book, The Mind of a Genius, was published in November 2007. Snowdon started writing in 1983, and wrote his first book, which hasn’t been published.

Author Website - http://www.the-mind-of-a-genius.com

Order details - http://www.the-mind-of-a-genius.com/order.html


Sue: Welcome, David! I am glad to have this opportunity to get to know you and your book, The Mind of a Genius. I understand this is your second book. Was this book more difficult to write than your first one?

David: Thank you, Sue. It’s a pleasure to be here today. The Mind of a Genius is my tenth book, but the second one published. I don’t think The Mind of a Genius was more difficult to write than my first published book, Too Young To Die, although both books were written in different styles. The Mind of a Genius was written in third person, while Too Young To Die was written in first person singular. The thing about writing is that it gets easier as you go along.

Sue: Do your characters talk to you and tell you what to write, or, do you create them on your own?

David: My characters are figments of my imagination and I decide which part a certain character will play in a specific book.

Sue: What are your writing habits? Special room, specific time, etc.?

David: When I’m working on a book, I write a few days a week for a few hours, but not always at specific times.

Sue: How do you handle interruptions when you are writing?

David: It’s quite normal for the phone to ring or for someone to enter the room when I’m writing, but interruptions don’t affect my work. I can continue to write after the interruption.

Sue: Do any of your characters represent or have characteristics of people in your life?

David: I try not to do that. I like to create my characters with their own distinct characteristics and it’s fun. When I have an idea for a certain character, I determine its characteristics before I start writing about the character. And I tend to use general human characteristics to make them seem as realistic as possible.

Sue: What did you have to do in order to research this book?

David: The initial research for The Mind of a Genius was done in 1984 for another espionage thriller that I wrote. At the time, I read a few newspaper articles. The most recent research was done by reading the newspapers and keeping up to date with the current events, and using the Internet.

Sue: What do you find as the most challenging aspect of writing? The most rewarding?

David: As far as I’m concerned, the most challenging aspect of writing is the discipline to write on a regular basis. Some people write on a daily basis, some people write a few days a week and some people write every now and again, but the determination to see a book through to completion is normally the major challenge. The most rewarding aspect is the finished product, which is the published book. At that point, you can stand back and admire your handiwork.

Sue: What do you do when you are not writing? Family, Hobbies?

David: In my spare time, I like to play table tennis, socialize and read. I also like to travel.

Sue: Do you have any works in progress?

David: I’m currently working on my new book.

Sue: Thank you for being with us today, David. I am so glad to have been able to introduce your book, The Mind of a Genius, to new readers.

David: Thanks for the interview, Sue.

Sue: The information to order The Mind of a Genius is below along with more information on David.

Please leave a comment, suggestion, or ask a question. We would love to hear from you!


About The Mind of a Genius:
ISBN: 978-0-9552650-1-3

When top British scientist, Malcom Prince, completed his latest project, there were a lot of interested parties. The MI4, the CIA and the Denmark Intelligence were all very interested. The word had spread that Prince had been working on a very important project, and invented a formula that could change the world.

But what was the project about? Nobody really knew, but that was the question that everyone seemed to be asking. The action moves from London to Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Australia. And events intensify, accelerate and explode into an electrifying climax, as the various parties painstakingly try to outclass each other in order to procure the secret information.

Espionage is the name of the game.

Available from:

Waterstone's Bookshops and Waterstone's.com, Blackwells Bookshops and Blackwells.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and all good bookshops.

Order details - http://www.the-mind-of-a-genius.com/order.html

Audience for The Mind of a Genius Would Enjoy These Genres:

Crime Fiction

Espionage

Mystery

Suspense Thriller

Excerpt from The Mind of a Genius
by David Snowdon

Chapter One

The phone began to ring and freelance MI4 agent, Jason Clay reluctantly disengaged himself from the girl he was kissing and reached for the phone.

“Hello,” he said, grabbing the receiver.

“Is that Clay?” said the voice at the other end.

It was a posh, home county voice and Clay thought it sounded vaguely familiar. But at that very moment, he couldn’t place it.

“It is,” he said frowning. “You sound familiar, who’s that?” Clay spoke with a mildly posh London accent.

“You’ve got a poor memory. It’s Colin Shooter.” Clay smiled.

Shooter was the assistant head of the MI4 and he knew that Shooter never called him just to say hello. Whenever Shooter called, there was always a reason, and a very good reason at that.

“Hello you,” said Clay cheerfully.

He was grinning now, and the girl sitting beside him on the sofa, a tall, slim blonde with lovely blue eyes, and who was about 24-years of age, was staring at him, a curious expression in her eyes.

“Long time, no see.”

“Listen, Clay,” said Shooter, “I’ve got something that might wet your appetite. “You haven’t got anything on, have you?”

“Only the shirt on me back,” said Clay smiling. “And that’s coming off very soon.” The girl chuckled.

Just like the girl sitting beside him on the sofa, Clay was tall, slim and Handsome with blonde hair, and lovely blue eyes. He was 34-years-old and had a smile that made the girls go wild. All he had to do was smile and within minutes, they’d be telling him the story of their life.

Tonight, he was wearing a white silk shirt and a pair of white cotton trousers.

“I’ve got something that’s right up your alley,” said Shooter. “This one’s irresistible. You’ll love it.”

“Will I?” said Clay jokingly, wondering what it was, and what was in it for him.

“I know you will,” said Shooter, at the other end of the line.

“You know my terms, don’t you?” said Clay, smiling. “I won’t even contemplate getting out of bed for anything less than ten thousand a day.”

“You’d be lucky to get half of that for this one,” said Shooter. “But come and see me tomorrow morning in my office at ten, and we’ll talk business, okay?”

Clay continued to smile. “Ten thousand a day plus expenses or no deal.”

“I’ll see you in my office at ten sharp tomorrow,” said Shooter. “And don’t be late.” And the line went dead.

“That guy,” said Clay, dropping the receiver, shaking his head and turning sideways to stare at the girl sitting beside him. “He drives a hard bargain, but he’s all right.” The girl smiled invitingly, but didn’t say anything.

“Now where were we?” said Clay smiling, as they started to kiss passionately, again.

The time was now 20.47 and they were sitting on a beige leather sofa in Clay’s spacious, luxurious living-room. The TV was on, but the volume had been turned down low. As they continued to kiss, they could hear it raining hard outside, and there was the occasional rumble of thunder. But that didn’t bother them, as they were now in paradise.

At 10.00am the following day, Colin Shooter sat in a conference room, at a conference table, in the MI4 head office in Vauxhall, overlooking the River Thames and worked on his laptop.

At 56, Shooter was tall, well-built, and had light brown hair. He was an ex-banker.

Today, he wore a brown suit, a yellow shirt and a brown tie.

Also in the room, sitting around the conference table was Special Agent, Paul Hudson and Special Agent, Janet Bond.

Hudson was 38, tall, dark and lean with handsome features and dark brown curly hair.

He wore a well-cut, navy blue Italian Suit, a white shirt and a black and blue stripped tie. He was an ex-solicitor, and a very good one, and it was his track record more than anything else that had impressed the M14 into employing him.

Janet Bond was 32, 5-foot-7, slim with a nice curvy figure, and blonde with blue eyes, and Scandinavian features.

She was a beauty, but she was also very intelligent. And it was the combination of beauty and brains that had attracted Shooter to her.

The phone started to ring, and Shooter snatched the receiver.

“Colin Shooter,” he said, speaking into the receiver.

“Mr Shooter, I have Mr Jason Clay here to see you.” The receptionist’s voice came clearly through the receiver.

“Give him a cup of tea,” said Shooter. “I’ll let you know when we’re ready to see him.”

“No worries,” said the receptionist.

And Shooter put the phone down. As he put the phone down, he continued to work on his laptop, and both Hudson and Bond sat in silence, with a blank expressions on their faces. They knew that whatever Shooter was doing on his laptop had to be vital, as Shooter was always very punctual.

Ten minutes later, Shooter finished working on his laptop and reached for the receiver.

“Send him in,” he said, when he got through to the receptionist. And he put the receiver down.

Three minutes later, there came a knock on the door.

“Come in,” said Shooter.

The door slid open and Clay wandered into the room. He wore a beige coloured suit, a beige coloured shirt and a red tie. He was looking very smart and there was a cheeky smile on his face, as he wandered into the room, and walked towards the conference table.

“Morning, all,” he said, aware that everyone was watching him.

The others returned his greeting.

“Take a seat,” said Shooter, waving him to a chair.

Clay moved towards the chair and sat on it.

“Thanks for coming,” said Shooter. “This one’s a beauty and you’re gonna love it.”

“That remains to be seen,” said Clay, smiling at him. “Let’s have the details and we’ll take it from there.”

Shooter stared at Clay.

He didn’t like Clay’s cocky attitude. Come to think of it, he wasn’t too fond of Clay. But Clay had his uses.

“Malcolm Prince, the scientist, remember him?”

Clay thought for a moment, then he remembered.

“He died a few months ago, didn’t he?”

Shooter nodded. “And that’s why you’re here.”

“Come off it,” said Clay, his smile turning into a grin as he looked from Shooter to Hudson, from Hudson to Bond and from Bond back to Shooter.

“I didn’t kill him. You’ve got the wrong guy.”

“I wouldn’t put it past you,” said Shooter, smiling at Clay. “You’d do anything for money, wouldn’t you? But if you’ve got your facts right, you’ll know that Prince died of a heart attack.”

“I could have told you that,” said Clay, smiling at him.

Shooter continued to talk. “Malcolm Prince was one of the finest scientist in the world. And at the time of his death, he had just completed a major project; a project that could change the world; a project that could benefit the world.” There was a pause, then Shooter continued to talk.

“We don’t know what the project was about. It was a well-kept secret, but we do know that the project was completed shortly before he died. Shortly before he died, he was on the verge of revealing the project to the world. But now he’s dead, and nobody really knows what that project was based on.”

“That’s sad,” said Clay.

Shooter continued to talk. “We’d like you to try and find out what that project was about.”

“And how do you expect me to do that?” said Clay, changing his position on his chair. Shooter smiled at him.

“Prince has a very lovely wife, and rumour has it that he was very fond of her. We have a feeling that she might have some vital information. Your task is to seduce her and to find out what that project was about.”

Clay gaped at him. “I thought you said I was gonna to love it.”

“You’re a very impatient man,” said Shooter, smiling at Clay.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself. “Patience is a virtue, Clay. Agent Bond has a present for you.”

Special Agent, Janet Bond produce an envelope and slid it across the table towards Clay. Clay opened the envelope, removed a glossy photograph and stared at it.

A beautiful, middle-aged, blonde woman with blue, friendly eyes, wearing a navy blue shirt stared at him.

Clay studied the woman in the picture and a wave of excitement swept through him.

The woman in the photograph looked classy, exciting and sexy. A combination that Clay considered to be irresistible. Shooter was right. He had a feeling that he was going to love this assignment. Here was an opportunity to have a good time, and at the same time, to make some decent money.

Clay smiled as he studied the photograph. It was a passport photo that had been enlarged into a 6 x 4 photograph.

Shooter and the others watched him, as he studied the photograph, and Shooter had a feeling that Clay was hooked.

“Nice girl,” said Clay, dropping the photograph on the table in front of him and smiling at Shooter.

“Laura Prince,” said Janet Bond. “45-years-old, 36-26-36 and an ex-secretary. She has a penchant for handsome toy boys. Had a few lovers when Prince was alive, but isn’t seeing anyone at present.”

“Very nice,” said Clay smiling and looking around the table.

“I told you,” said Shooter. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“But what makes you think she gonna fall for me?” said Clay.

“You fit the bill perfectly,” said Hudson, in his posh accent “You have a way with women. You can charm the birds out a tree. We’re sure you can swing it.”

“I can try,” said Clay. “But I can’t guarantee success.”

“That’s good enough for me,” said Shooter. “We don’t know for sure if she knows anything. She may be none the wiser, but all we can do is try.”

“That’s fine,” said Clay. “Ten thousand a day plus expenses, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“I don’t think so,” said Shooter, shaking his head. There was a crafty, little smile on his face. “Five thousand a day plus expenses, and you can take it or leave.”

Clay smiled at him.

“I’ve got a feeling we’re wasting each others time. Ten thousand a day plus expenses, or you can get someone else to do it.”

Shooter stared at him.

There were other agents that he could use, and who would work out a lot cheaper than Clay. But he realized that if anyone could pull this one off, it was Clay. And this assignment was far too vital to be bungled.

“Seven thousand a day plus expenses. Not a penny more, not a penny less. And that’s my final offer.”

“Done,” said Clay.

“Money, that’s all you ever think about, isn’t it?” said Shooter.

“What else is there to think about?” said Clay, smiling at him. “Money makes the world go round. And where would we be without it.”

“Sometimes I wonder why we pay you so much money,” said Shooter resentfully. We’re wasting hard-earned taxpayers money on you.”

“I’m value for money and you know it,” said Clay with his cheeky smile.

“I can get three good agents for what I’m paying you,” said Shooter.

“That’s three for the price of one. But you’re one of my best guys, and I’ve got a soft spot for you.”

“Come off it,” said Clay jokingly. “You haven’t got a soft spot for your own mother, let alone a guy like me.”

Shooter smiled at him, but this time the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Watch what you say, Clay. You shouldn’t speak about anyone’s mother like that.”

They regarded each other for a moment, then Shooter continued to talk.

“An advance payment of £70,000 will be paid into you’re account. Spend it wisely. Agent Bond will give you all the necessary details.”

“Cool,” said Clay, grinning at Shooter.

Money was very essential to him and he never got tired of talking about it. The more money he could lay his hands on, the better.

“Has Prince got any other relatives that you know of?”

“He’s got a grown up daughter and a grown up son from a previous marriage,” said Hudson.

“I hope so,” said Clay, looking down at Laura Prince’s photograph. “He was old enough to be this chick’s father.”

“She was his second wife,” said Hudson.

Clay regarded Hudson.

He had been so busy concentrating on Shooter that there had been times when he had forgotten that Hudson was also in the room.

“Can’t Pretty boy, Hudson handle this job?”

“I haven’t got your knack with women,” said Hudson, smiling at Clay.

“You’re tailor-made for the job.”

Agent Janet Bond smiled.

“And why is Agent Bond smiling?” said Clay teasingly.

Janet Bond lost her smile and stared at him. There was something about Clay that she didn’t like.

“I wasn’t smiling at you.”

What a chick, thought Clay giving her his dazzling smile. She reminded him of the girl that he had spent the night with. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes, but Bond was undoubtedly the better looking of the two.

“One of these days, we’ll go for a curry.”

“I don’t like curries and I don’t like you,” said Janet Bond.

“One of these days, you’re gonna love me,” said Clay teasingly.

Bond’s eyes flashed angriliy.

“One of these days, Clay, I’m gonna…”

She suddenly stopped without finishing her sentence, aware that Shooter was watching her with interest. She would have loved to have given Clay a piece of her mind. She would have loved to have told him exactly what she thought of him. But she didn’t want to lose her composure in front of her boss.

“Enough of that,” said Shooter, sensing it was time that he intervened.

“Now Agent Bond will give you the details.”

Special Agent, Janet Bond regained her composure and started to talk in her posh accent.

About Author David Snowdon:

Brirtish thriller writer, David Snowdon was born in London, and currently lives in London. His first book, Too Young To Die, was published in August 2006, while his second book, The Mind of a Genius, was published in November 2007. Snowdon started writing in 1983, and wrote his first book, which hasn’t been published.

Author Website - http://www.the-mind-of-a-genius.com

Order details - http://www.the-mind-of-a-genius.com/order.html

Phyllis Schieber, author of Sinner's Guide to Confession

I am so pleased to be able to interview
Phyllis Schieber about her new book,
The Sinner’s Guide to Confession.
I hope you enjoy the interview, and
take the time to ask Phyllis questions and
make comments about her interview. ~Sue

Sue: What event(s) sparked the idea for The Sinner’s Guide to Confession?
Phyllis: No one event sparked the idea for The Sinner’s Guide to Confession. Over time, it just became evident to me that we share different details of our lives with different people. I don’t share all of the details of my life with all my close friends. I choose my secret keepers with great care. I don’t think that is very unusual. On the other hand, I’ve met people on a train or while waiting in line and within minutes, we are sharing confidences. That leads me to believe that secrets are revealed when it is their time and not before.

Sue: What are your writing habits? Special room, specific time, etc.?
Phyllis: I have an office in my house. The office is a converted part of the garage. The space is very nice. It has floor to ceiling bookcases that are overflowing with books. And the room is filled with lots of framed posters, photographs and other items that I find pleasing. I like to write in the morning, I need to be alone. If my family is home, I need to work before they get up; otherwise, I can feel them breathing through the walls. Solitude is critical. I love to take a mug of hot coffee, put on a CD that I will listen to over and over all day, even all week, and just write. I’ll stop for a quick breakfast, write some more, and shower and dress before I am scheduled to see students. Occasionally, I might write at night, but that’s the exception.

Sue: How do you handle or avoid interruptions while you are writing?
Phyllis: I screen my calls. If I am working and get a call from a close friend, I’ll say, “Are you okay? I’m working.” My friends understand and respect my time. I always take calls from my son and never tell him that I’m working. He comes first. It’s the only way I’ve been able to navigate being a writer and a mother. Of course, I take calls from my husband, but I am more likely to tell him that I’m working!

Sue: Do the three women in The Sinner’s Guide to Confession resemble or were they based on women in your life?
Phyllis: Oh, no! Not at all. At least not their actions or their problems. Nevertheless, there are certainly aspects of their personalities that others feel are reminiscent of me or can be attributed to someone I might know. I don’t really know anyone like Ellen, but Barbara has some of my cynicism and humor. She also has some of the qualities of a good friend of mine. On some levels, I can see myself in Kaye, especially her background, but she also reminds me of others women I know. Bit and pieces of Ellen have been lifted from people I’ve met or heard about. Her eyelashes, for example, were taken from a story I heard about someone. Most of my characters are drawn from overheard conversations, newspaper articles, or are just creations of my imagination. For the most part, however, most of the emotions in the novel are autobiographical. I know how it feels to be in love, to be betrayed, to desire something I can’t have, to be disappointed, etc. All of the feelings are real. Writing fiction simply allows you to exaggerate or to diminish the intensity of the feelings as you see fit. It’s a lot of power for one person!

Sue: Of the three main characters of your book, which is your favorite? Which one was the most difficult to write?
Phyllis: The most difficult character to write was Barbara because I had to write erotica, and that was a challenge. Moreover, I had to write it the way Barbara would write, not the way I would. Barbara needed to be kept in check more than the other characters.
Ellen was a little more difficult to write because she changes the most. She really turns her life around and takes on the challenge of finding her child and becoming a mother and a grandmother all at the same time. Ellen had to handle a lot in a short time: her dreadful mother, her despicable husband, her family and its mixed messages, and her friends’ expectations. That’s a lot, and I believe she handles it all rather well. Still, it was a challenge to integrate her struggle and her growth with how she eases into her relationship with Faith and her children.

Sue: How do you keep track of your characters and story thread?
Phyllis: I keep a notebook and tab sections for each characters. That helps me stay a little organized. I write down whatever comes to mind about the characters as I go along. Initially, I develop character sketches. I write down everything about the character from the most detailed physical descriptions, to educational background, religion, family dynamics, birth order, quirks, likes and dislikes. I may not use all of the information, but it helps me develop the character.

Sue: Do you name your characters or do they tell you themselves who they are?
Phyllis: I name them. They don’t tell me anything—I tell them who they are and what to do!

Sue: What do you find as the most challenging aspect of writing? The most rewarding?
Phyllis: The most challenging part of writing is finding enough time. I also have another job, as most writers do, so I have to juggle, as most everyone does. It is also a challenge to make people understand that writing is a job—it’s not a hobby or a pastime. It’s hard work that requires consistency and commitment. I write because I have to, not because I imagine I will get a spot on Oprah or make a lot of money. I am a writer. That brings me to the most rewarding part of writing. When someone tells me that she laughed or cried or was moved by my words, it always amazes and thrills me.

Sue: Do you have any additional comments you would like to make?
Phyllis: I always have more to say! I want to thank you for taking the time to read The Sinner’s Guide to Confession and for the opportunity to meet new readers. That means a lot to me as a writer, especially since given a choice, I would be more likely to stay holed up in my office writing all day!

Sue: Thank you, Phyllis, for allowing me to interview you about your book, The Sinner’s Guide to Confession. I received my copy yesterday and I can’t wait to read it. For all you readers don’t forget to scroll down and find out how you can win your own copy of Phyllis Schieber’s book, The Sinner’s Guide to Confession. Again, thank you to Phyllis for being here with us.

About The Sinner’s Guide to Confession:
Kaye and Barbara are longtime friends, now in their fifties. Ellen, who is several years younger, develops a friendship with the other two women years later, solidifying this close-knit group. The three women are inseparable, yet each nurtures a secret that she keeps from the others.

Barbara, a widowed mother of three grown children, is an accomplished romance writer, who also has a secret persona as a celebrated erotica writer—an existence she feels compelled to keep from everyone. Kaye, a practicing psychotherapist and the mother of two, finds her marriage stable, but joyless. When she becomes involved with another man, she keeps her affair secret from her friends, too conflicted about her duplicity to expose herself. Ellen, a successful interior designer, childless and the seemingly perfect modern woman, harbors the most profound secret of all.

After her beloved husband betrays her, leaving her for a woman half her age who is also pregnant with his child, Ellen must face all her losses anew. First, there is the pain of the children she could never conceive with her husband. More importantly, however, there is the haunting memory of the child she had at sixteen and was forced to relinquish at birth. Estranged from her family, Ellen is reluctantly thrust back into contact after the death of her father, and learns that if she is ever to find her lost daughter—now a grown woman herself—she will have to confront her shame--and share her secret with her two closest friends.

About Author Phyllis Schieber:
The first great irony of my life was that I was born in a Catholic hospital. My parents, survivors of the Holocaust, had settled in the South Bronx among other new immigrants. .In the mid-fifties, my family moved to Washington Heights. The area offered scenic views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, as well as access to Fort Tryon Park and the mysteries of the Cloisters. Her first novel, Strictly Personal, for young adults, was published by Fawcett-Juniper. The Sinner’s Guide to Confession, was released by Berkley Putnam and in March 2008, Berkley Putnam will issue the first paperback publication of Willing Spirits.

Win A Free Book from Phyllis Schieber – Its very easy to be entered in a drawing for a FREE book by Phyllis Schieber. Post comments on any blogs during the virtual tour and you will have a chance to win a book from Phyllis. One random person will win – but we are also asking visitors to share a secret and one secret will also win a free book. As a bonus the blog owner that hosted the winning comments will also win a book. Share some interesting stories and questions with Phyllis Schieber during her tour – and have a chance to win a book.

For full details about Phyllis Schieber’s virtual tour, visit her tour home page - http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/12/sinners-guide-to-confession-by-phyllis.html
Visit Phyllis at www.thesinnersguidetoconfession.com

Authors of The Illumination

Karen Tintori and Jill Gregory
Interview
Authors of The Illumination

ISBN: 978-0-312-37597-3
ISBN-10: 0-312-37597-2

(Purchasing Information at
http://us.macmillan.com/theillumination)

It is a great opportunity to be able to speak to authors who are collaborators on a book. We don’t often get this opportunity. Being a collaborator on a WIP (Work In Progress), I know that it is not always easy to work on a project such as a book with someone else.

Karen Tintori and Jill Gregory have been best friends for more than 26 years. By the time they wrote their first novel together, they decided that since they write with one voice they'd do it as one person--Jillian Karr, a combination of their first names. For nearly a decade, Karen and Jill concentrated on their individual careers while trying to figure out how to "out" the Lamed Vovniks. The Illumination, their second hidden history thriller, has just been published by St. Martin's Press in the U.S. and Canada next year, and in Germany -- again by Rowohlt, and by Pan Macmillan in Australia.

Karen and Jill are joined again at the brain, working daily on plotting their next thriller.

I am honored to be able to interview these two prolific authors. I hope you enjoy the interview, and take the time to ask them questions and make comments about their interview. ~Sue

Sue: How long does it take you to write a book together?

Karen and Jill: It generally takes us eight months to a year to finish a book, but by the time we've submitted a new proposal to our editor, the first three chapters are usually included. Plus we've already done thorough research on our subject matter and then write the rest of the book from a well-thought out synopsis.

Sue: Is there a genre that you would like to write in that you haven’t already, either together or singly?

Karen: My mother always told me I'd end up writing children's or young adult books. Right now I don't see it, but many of the other things she'd predicted I'd do have come true, so who knows?

Jill: I might like to write a fantasy or paranormal novel some day. I've written novellas with fantasy elements for anthologies, like the Once Upon A anthologies I wrote with Nora Roberts, Ruth Ryan Langan and Marianne Willman, but never a full -length novel. Some of my favorite books are The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Once and Future King, and the Mary Stewart Merlin books, beginning with The Crystal Cave.

Sue: How do you keep track of your characters and story thread?

Jill and Karen: We make notes and lists for ourselves. Sometimes we'll write down all the scenes we need to do, all the information we still need to reveal, all the major story points we need to cover. There are often so many threads that if you don't write down every single detail you want in the book somewhere or other, you can completely forget to put something in. So we make a lot of notes for ourselves. We also have a poster board on the wall with photos of our characters which we've cut from magazines and which we both agree resemble and personifies the character. Alongside the photos and around them, we scribble important facts about the character, age, eye and hair color, etc. As well as key dates and other information for the character's backstory.

Sue: Do you name your characters or do they tell you themselves who they are?

Karen and Jill: We very definitely name them. We have a baby name book we flip through and one of us will read aloud a name that strikes us and seems to fit the character, and if the other one agrees that it's a good fit, we retain it as a possibility. If not, it's tossed. We also use the phone book. Once, without looking at any book, while I was on the internet in one room and Karen was at the work keyboard in the office, we both suggested the same surname at the same time! It was for a character in THE ILLUMINATION. But this happens to us all the time. Our brains are in sync.

Sue: Do you base any of your characters on people in your real life?

Jill and Karen: No, not at all. We make them up out of whole cloth. We even avoid giving our characters the first names of family and friends. That way we are free to make them whatever we want them to be and what the story needs them to be.

Sue: What was the high point of collaborating on The Illumination?

Karen and Jill: The high point was when we began pulling all the threads together for the culmination of the story, and we came up with several very cool twists that made it all work. It's fun to spring surprises on the reader that flow seamlessly from the story.

Sue: What did you learn through collaborating on this book?

Karen: I learned that we needed to choreograph certain action scenes so that we both saw them exactly alike. Our protagonist, Natalie Landau, knows Krav Maga, the Israeli system of self-defense. While we researched the principles of Krav Maga, when it came to writing the fight scenes, we needed to go through the motions (in slow motion!) in order to understand the movements well enough to describe them in a way that the reader could easily follow the action.

Jill: Karen knew about the evil eye through her Italian background, but I wasn't as familiar with the belief. I learned a great deal about the far-reaching mythology of the evil eye. I knew a little bit before we started, but not how ancient and extensive this belief is throughout human history.

Sue: Do you have any tips for authors who would like to collaborate?

Karen: We work differently than most writing teams we've come across. We write every line together and spend great chunks of time together, discussing every aspect of our characters and the story. It helps if your writing partner is your best friend, because a writing partner is a lot like a marriage -- you need cooperation, give and take, and a willingness to compromise.

Jill: Every collaborative team has their own way of working. Both partners have to feel comfortable with whatever way they choose, and you have to have mutual respect and a willingness to put the book first, before your own ego. In other words, if your writing partner doesn't like an idea, don't take it personally. Either convince the other person of the idea's merit, or drop it and move on with an open mind.

Sue: What do you find as the most challenging aspect of writing? The most rewarding?

Karen: The most challenging aspect of writing is avoiding the temptation to procrastinate -- either by checking your email, doing a little more research, or any other device to keep your butt from the chair. The absolute best is when Jill and I are writing and the one who isn't at the keyboard that day is pacing the office as the words roll from our mouths and fingertips, and both of us are totally of one mind and in the ultimate writing zone.

Jill: The most challenging is facing a blank page on the computer screen. It is also challenging to start a book, knowing all the difficulty ahead of weaving all the strands of the story together in a natural, yet suspenseful way and in balancing plot, character, narrative, dialogue, pacing, etc. The most rewarding moment is feeling that what you've written will grip the reader and surprise, intrigue and entertain him or her. Also, the absolutely most rewarding moment is when you write THE END.

Sue: Do you have any additional comments you would like to make?

Karen: Writing is the best job in the world, and probably the most masochistic. At the end of a day, Jill and I are often left whimpering, so exhausted by our mental gymnastics that a three hour rumba class would probably have taken less out of us. Plus, ours is a job, like motherhood, that doesn't end at 5 P.M. The book -- and whatever problems we're having with it -- rumbles in our heads twenty-four hours a day until we reach the end.

Jill: It takes many months and sometimes a year to write a book, but all the while, you're hoping that it will only take the reader a day or two to tear through the book. Our goal is always to enthrall the reader so completely that he or she won't be able to put the story aside. That's what we strive for with every book --that's foremost in our minds throughout the writing process.

Sue: Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you and have you on my blog. It was a real pleasure for me. I look forward to reading more of your collaborations.

Make sure you make a comment or ask a question of either Karen or Jill or both to be entered into a drawing for a free copy of The Illumination. Don’t forget to add an email address where you can be contacted if you are the winner.

Again, thanks to Karen and Jill for being here!

(Purchasing Information at
http://us.macmillan.com/theillumination)

Here is a synopsis of THE ILLUMINATION, by Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori:

Natalie Landau, a museum curator with an expertise in Mesopotamian protective amulets and magical beliefs, has received a puzzling gift from her sister Dana--a necklace with a blue evil eye pendant on it. The Evil Eye is a symbol of protection common throughout the world, with a history connecting it to many religions.

When Natalie learns Dana was murdered only hours after sending the gift, she begins to think her evil eye amulet had something to do with her sister’s death. As she races to discover the origin of the pendant, Natalie is sucked into an international battle between powerful religious factions, each battling for the eye, which turns out to be far more valuable—and far more powerful--than she could ever imagine.

Their websites are: www.karentintori.com and www.jillgregory.net

(Purchasing Information at
http://us.macmillan.com/theillumination)

Here are some comments about The Illumination.

“The intrigue is high. The excitement is palpable. The story is priceless. Combining mysticism, history, and fanaticism, this is one thriller that's simply impossible to put down until you've reached the ending - breathless and so well satisfied. Tintori and Gregory are first rate story tellers! ”--M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of The Memorist

“Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori return with another extraordinary thriller after their outstanding The Book of Names. Their new novel, The Illumination, skillfully weaves history, ancient art, dark legend and religious fanaticism into a story of high-stakes terror and international intrigue. The excitement stays at a high pitch from the opening scene at the looted Iraqi National Museum to the final sensational twist. A page-turner. extraordinaire.”--New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston, co-author of The Monster of Florence and The Wheel of Darkness

“Stirring and imaginative. A tense, intelligent, and surprising thrill. Drum tight in execution, fueled by imagination, the plot is as sharp as a broken shard of glass. If you like your tales loaded with intrigue, treachery, and a wealth of secrets you're going to love The Illumination.”-- New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry, author of The Charlemagne Pursuit and The Templar Legacy

(Purchasing Information at
http://us.macmillan.com/theillumination)

The Illumination Excerpt

The Illumination
A Novel
By Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori

Excerpt

Prologue

Iraq National Museum

Baghdad

April 12, 2003

Ibrahim Baaj picked his way through the darkness.

All around him, irreplaceable history lay shattered. As U.S. troops advanced along the dusty streets of Baghdad, chaos and pandemonium ruled. And so did greed.

Ibrahim understood greed. He was driven by it. It was greed that called him here tonight as common looters stormed the great museum. Little did this rabble know that his greed surpassed even theirs. As did his daring.

He was betraying men so powerful, so far-reaching, that he himself marveled at the brazenness of his own audacity.

Ibrahim smiled to himself through the sweat dripping from beneath his mustache. This steamy stone building was home to 170,000 of Mesopotamia’s oldest cultural treasures—some dating back to the cradle of civilization. Yet the crazed throng coursed through the galleries, shooting, grabbing, smashing, and plundering as if they were in a junk shop.

Very few were professionals as he was, searching with purpose and discrimination, carefully selecting the booty they would spirit away. Yet he suspected that amid this greedy throng there must be one or two agents who’d been sent by the United States or Israel, for both nations knew that this museum hid the greatest treasure of them all. The treasure he’d come for and intended to claim before the night was over.

Ibrahim gasped for air as he descended alone into the windowless, blackened bowels of the building and the oxygen-deprived chamber closed in around him. He paused to listen, blinking as beads of sweat stung his eyes. Despite the clamor above, he could discern no sounds down here besides his own ragged breaths. Trying to ignore the stale stench, he edged forward, prowling through the tomblike underworld of the museum’s five basement storerooms. The narrow beam of his flashlight was nearly useless, barely illuminating the floor directly beneath his feet.

No matter. He’d had twelve years while Saddam’s Republican Guard patrolled the compound—fearing another American strike—to memorize the crudely sketched layout that Aslam Hameed had given him. Twelve years to rehearse in his mind’s eye, waiting for a night like this one, with Saddam in hiding, the Americans on the march, and the museum’s courtyard gates smashed open. Now the moment was upon him.

He must seize it.

Nejeeb Zayadi knew the fifth storeroom as well as he knew his own wife’s body. Lovingly, he’d cared for the treasure secreted within it, just as his family had for generations. They were a family of caretakers.

Only a few outside of his brood knew what lay nestled here within the lockers. The slim storage bins looked innocuous enough—like the metal lockers outside any school gymnasium. But these compartments that he tended, checking daily to make certain they were secure, held wealth beyond measure. Coins, gold, silver—and the Eye.

Even the director of the museum knew nothing of the Eye’s presence. She didn’t even possess keys for all of the locks in this vast museum. It was he, Nejeeb, who had slipped the treasure deep inside the back set of lockers in 1966, transferring it from the old museum alongside the Tigris, where his father had preceded him in watching over it.

Nejeeb’s father had been a child when the vigil began. He’d told Nejeeb many times about how he was awakened by the voice of the stranger who had come to his father in the dead of night.

“Guard this until I return. I will make it well worth your trouble,” the stranger had said in a voice that sounded to the sleepy boy like the wind howling across the sand.

As Nejeeb’s father had peeked through the crack in the door, he’d watched his father shivering in his nightshirt, staring down at something in his palm, looking stunned.

“What is this?” Nejeeb’s grandfather had asked.

“Something dangerous in the wrong hands. I am entrusting you with it because your family name is an honored one, recorded among those who served in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar. Your table will always have bread and your sons will always have honor if you keep this safe.”

Nejeeb’s grandfather was dead now. Nejeeb’s father was dead, too, and Nejeeb himself was an old man. Soon his eldest son would step into the role of caretaker. For how long? Nejeeb wondered. Year after year, the money still came, but the strange man had never returned.

Nejeeb hoped that in his lifetime he would learn the truth about that which he guarded. If he could keep it safe through tonight?.?.?.?

A sudden sound in the darkness made Nejeeb jump. Footsteps. The creak of a drawer opening. One of the looters has made his way to the treasure rooms. Someone who knows to search for the keys.

Nejeeb’s gnarled hand tightened momentarily on the key he kept pinned inside his shirt, then fell to his side as he groped for his gun. But what good was a gun in the dark? Swearing under his breath, his fingers latched onto his pushbroom—it would sweep in a wider arc.

Fear congealed in his bowels as he heard the footsteps coming closer. More drawers opening, closing. A quick gleam of light, a shadow—all he needed to pinpoint the intruder. The old man lunged, lashing out fiercely with his broom, but it sliced through dead air. He swung it again and this time it connected—but he found himself suddenly dragged with it, pitching forward, down. Hitting the ground, he choked on dust and fumbled in panic for the gun—but it was too late.

He felt the blade nick at his throat an instant before it slashed his Adam’s apple in two.

Blood spurted across Ibrahim Baaj’s beard as he dispassionately searched the old caretaker’s body in the dark, hunting for a key ring. Nothing had jangled when he’d fallen.

Ibrahim’s search was quick but thorough. His fingers froze on the single key pinned inside the old man’s shirt.

One key. Interesting. It could be the one.

He switched on the flashlight for an instant, and located the lockers. Then, careful not to slip on the blood pooled around the old man’s body, he moved toward the lockers, praying for a perfect fit.

There wasn’t much time. He was surprised he hadn’t already been forced to dispatch a competitor tonight, one armed with inside information as accurate as his own. But the air held only the smell of must and blood and death, no hint of the adrenaline sweat of another human.

Noiselessly, he slid the key into a dozen locks before a tumbler finally clicked home. His heart thrummed with excitement as he pried open the door.

His fingers found a worn leather pouch tucked behind boxes of metal coins, clay cylinders, and small pottery figurines, all of which he ignored. He tore at the drawstring. There was no time to study it now, but he beamed the light inside just long enough to glimpse the dull gleam of ancient gold and the gem-emblazoned eyes staring back at him, one from each side. He had it: The prize countless men around the world had been seeking for centuries was in his palm.

Through pitch darkness, Ibrahim retraced his steps. Barely breathing, he slipped through the mob of thieves like an eel through deep water, smuggling the treasure through the chaos and rubble, easily concealing it within the pocket of his coat.

Then he was racing through the shouts and the gunfire of the streets. Panting, he sank into his car and sped north until he came to a field far from the city, far from the gun battles raging through Baghdad.

Ignoring the thick curtain of unrelenting heat, Ibrahim hacked at the dirt until he’d dug three feet down. He paused only for a moment to wipe the sweat stinging his eyes and to gaze upon the treasure again before he buried it.

It was just as it had been described in the crumbling manuscript he’d been shown: the timeworn leather drawstring pouch, painted on each side with a black-rimmed eye of bright blue.

A shiver ran through him as he untied the pouch adorned with the ancient protective symbol, thinking of the riches its contents would bring him. Carefully, he found the golden chain nestled within, and he drew the egg-shaped pendant out.

The Eye. It was magnificent, like no other—a pendant of hammered gold inlaid on both sides with jewels depicting an eye. He turned it over to make sure—smiling as he saw the identical orb staring at him from the opposite side.

Greedily his fingers traced over the red and yellow gemstones forming the center of the Eye and around the borders of lapis lazuli lined thick as Cleopatra’s kohl.

But Ibrahim dared not break apart the pendant to gaze upon the treasure locked inside.

His hands shaking slightly with urgency, he shoved it back inside the pouch and buried it, as war raged throughout his homeland. The treasure and its innate power had lain hidden for centuries here in Babylon. It would remain hidden a bit longer, until his price was met.

Ibrahim Baaj snuck back into the city by the same route he’d left it. Tomorrow, while the world learned how horribly its cultural history had been plundered, he would betray those who had hired him to seize it and would launch the bidding war for his prize.

But there was no tomorrow for Ibrahim. As he listened to the sounds of war exploding through his city, war came to him. A rapid burst of gunfire ripped through the windshield and blew his left eye through the back of his head.



Chapter 1

Five years later

Baghdad

The sand was everywhere—in her throat, in her eyelashes, embedded beneath the screw-on cap of her Gatorade bottle. Dana Landau had always loved the beach, but after three months in Iraq she’d be more than happy to never again feel the grit of sand between her toes.

“A few more minutes and I’ll have the rest of the footage,” her cameraman, Rusty Sutherland, called out.

“Make it fast.” Dana glanced warily around as he panned the wreckage yet again. She’d seen enough. And every minute they were out here, away from the fragile security of the Green Zone, they were in the devil’s hands.

If you liked this excerpt, read the full book by purchasing it at http://us.macmillan.com/BookCustomPage.aspx?isbn=9780312375973#Excerpt

Blog Tours Coming

Next week is going to be a busy week for me on this blog. I will be hosting two author blog tours right here on Sue's Snippets. I am so excited!

On Monday, January 26th, Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori, authors of The Illumination, will be sharing their book with us. There will be a book give-away. So make sure you stop by and comment on Monday, January 26th. It is an all day event online.

Wednesday, January 28th, Phyllis Schrieber, author of Sinner's Guide to Confession, will be right here on Sue's Snippets. Make sure you stop by on Wednesday, January 28th and make a comment to have a chance in Phyllis' book give-away. This is another online all day event.

I am looking forward to all comments and questions for these two blog tours.

Til Next Time!

Forever Friends Anthology Blog Tour

I am excited to be able to share an anthology that I was privileged to be a part of. It is called Forever Friends and was compiled, edited and published by Shelagh Watkins of the UK. Today, Shelagh will be answering some questions I asked her. I hope you enjoy the interview.

I have also included the Publisher's Description of Forever Friends.

“This collection of stories and poems, created by members of the Published Authors Forum on the worldwide web, reflects the bond of friendship between writers from all over the world. Forever Friends is a celebration of the power of friendship and human relationships. The breadth and depth of the stories cover all ages from young to old. Filled with love and respect for family, friends, pets and even a telescope, these tales are guaranteed to entertain the most discerning reader. Thoughtful poems of friendship and love will bring smiles or tears and encourage readers to read the next story. The fiction and non-fiction works in this book express friendship as timeless, enduring and forever.”

And now, my interview with Shelagh.

Shelagh: This is the ninth post on the blog tour. If you missed last week’s tour and have just joined the tour, welcome! If you read all the blogs, thank you for following the tour! Every day, I have mentioned what a wonderful book Forever Friends is. Today is no exception; this wonderful book is gathering quite a following thanks to amazon offering the anthology at the giveaway price of $9.99! You will see a link to the amazon website below if you would like to place an order for the book. Last week, I answered questions posed by Mary Muhammad and Helen Wisocki. Today, I will be answering Sue’s questions.

Sue: What was the high point of putting together and editing the Forever Friends Anthology?

Shelagh: The high point of any project is the finished article. Seeing the book for the first time was quite a thrill. Finding the photo for the book cover after hours of searching was an eureka moment. The final edit, when I changed the section headings and moved stories and poems from one section to another and saw the jigsaw pieces finally fall into place with no missing pieces was another magical moment -- similar to filling in the last answer to a crossword puzzle, knowing that all the other answers had been filled in correctly. The high points exist because of the striving for excellence. Without all the hard work there would be no sense of accomplishment.

Sue: How did you come up with the title?

Shelagh: We discussed the title on the forum and several suggestions were considered. I found an old greetings card of two young children, a boy and a girl, with the words “… always friends” on the front of the card. I used the image in several suggestions for the cover for the anthology and changed the words to “Forever Friends”. I didn’t use the picture but I kept the title. It’s interesting that work was done that never came to light. I didn’t have copyright for the photograph of the boy and girl, so I did an oil painting from the photo in case we decided to use it for the cover. I’m not sorry we didn’t use my artwork; I think the cover of the book is spot on.

Sue: Would you please explain a little bit about the process of putting together and editing Forever Friends?

Shelagh: Firstly, I set up sections for the book that included the word “friend” and listed the short stories under the section headings as they arrived. When I began editing the stories, I realized that the contents of the stories covered more than one aspect of friendship and that I would be able to move the stories around and avoid ending up with short sections and long sections.

I didn’t have time to send out suggestions for editorial changes, so I made the changes and then sent out the corrected files to the contributors for their approval. Every story came back with full approval of the changes I had made plus some changes the contributors wanted to make themselves. The extra changes meant that files were sent back and forth until all changes had been accepted and approved.

The final edit was done within days of going to press and produced a wonderful book.

Sue: In hindsight, what things would you do differently?

Shelagh: I would take twice as long to compile the book. Four months from start to finish was far too much work. It also gave the impression that it was possible to produce a quality book in a short space of time but the truth is I worked around the clock to make sure the book came out by the end of September. I remember my father working forty-eight hour shifts when he was a young man to make sure he did not lose a contract. It seemed like history was repeating itself.

Sue: Has putting together Forever Friends and editing it changed your life in any way? If so, how?

Shelagh: It has made me into a publisher. Something I would not have predicted three years ago when I knew next to nothing about the publishing business.

Sue: What have you learned from this experience?

Shelagh: I learned a great deal about publishing and about writers, and how to deal with difficult people and situations. I also learned about how to set up a virtual book tour!

Sue: Would you consider doing another anthology? If so, what topics would you be interested in doing?

Shelagh: I would need to think about that long and hard. Maybe I will see things differently in 2009. Who knows?

Sue: Do you have any additional comments you would like to make?

Shelagh: Thank you to everyone who contributed. Together, I think we have put together a wonderful book. My dearest wish would be for a commercial publisher to pick up the book and pay the contributors for their work. That would make my day! I would like to thank Sue for inviting me to say more about Forever Friends. Sue’s story in the anthology is short and sweet with a touch of romance and a happy ending. Just the thing for a quick read before bedtime! As well as writing short stories, Sue is busy setting up her own publishing company, Weaving Dreams. Maybe Sue will take on the mantle of Editor and Publisher of the next anthology. Who knows?

Please follow the tour to learn more about the book.

Thanks again for reading this and best wishes for the holiday season!
Shelagh Watkins

Sue: I would like to thank Shelagh for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the Forever Friends Anthology and her blog tour as well. Information on purchasing Forever Friends and the rest of the blog tour stops are below.

Til Next Time!

Forever Friends is available now from all major online stores, including amazon.com: Forever Friends
and barnesandnoble.com: Forever Friends

Blog Tour Stops


December 1 Chelle Cordero
December 2 Zada Connaway
December 3 Mary Muhammad
December 4 Helen Wisocki
December 5 Pam Robertson
December 6 Dick Stodghill
December 7 Philip Spires
December 8 Milena Gomez
December 9 L. Sue Durkin
December 10 A. Ahad
December 11 Malcolm R. Campbell
December 12 Lynn C. Johnston
December 13 Dianne Sagan
December 14 Donald James Parker
December 15 Karina Kantas
December 16 Grace Bridges
December 17 Tiziana Rinaldi Castro
December 18 Yvonne Oots
December 19 Dana Rettig