TBR welcomes Cynthia Racette

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Cynthia. Will you share a little bit about yourself?

Cynthia: Hubby and I are newly retired and I've been writing forever. After I joined RWA, I started to sell. We have two way too adorable granddaughters, three and four, but we never spoil them. Hee hee! We love everything with water: boats, beaches, swimming, etc. Oh, and I read voraciously and have since a small child. The Bobbsey Twins are my first memory of reading books other than See Spot Run.

TBR: Tell us about Windswept and where it's available.
Cynthia: My novel Windswept, is women's fiction and a story about betrayal and redemption in a family of three where the family's beloved sailboat plays a pivotal part of the whole tale. Human nature, betrayal from two sources, and the fury of Mother Nature perhaps deciding it all.

TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Cynthia: My hubby and I have always been sailors and I wanted to write a story where a sailboat would almost be a character in the story. I think I've succeeded. Others have told me so.

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Cynthia: Definitely a plotter. Being a pantser would drive me crazy. The men from the psych center would find me hanging from the ceiling with my fingernails dug into the plaster if I tried to write pantserish.

TBR: How do you develop your characters?
Cynthia: I write a character study for all four of the top characters so I know everything about them. By the end I know whether they go to church, what they look like, what movies they like, where they went to school. Everything. It's enormously handy to have all those things at hand to refer to at a moment's notice.

TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Cynthia: "To see the world in a grain of sand, And heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in 

the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour." Wm. Blake, Auguries of Innocence.

TBR: Did any music inspire your book? Do you have a playlist?
Cynthias: I love to listen to music but cannot abide music when I'm writing, nor TV nor God forbid, radio. I like quiet or I get distracted.

TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Cynthia:  David. He would be a fascinating character—very smart and with high values, in spite of what he did. Most of his punishment was self-imposed remorse. He beat himself up so badly over what he did, he didn't need anyone else to.

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Cynthia: How, once I started, I couldn't stand not writing. I have to have a work in progress or I break out in hives.  LOL

TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Cynthia:  Windswept gets caught in a waterborne tornado called a waterspout.

TBR: What's next for you?
Cynthia:  I'm currently revising my new novel with the working title of Fall Down Flat. A woman's husband is killed in a tragic accident caused by a drunken driver. She has never had a job, never had to deal with finances and never been completely alone with no one to rely on. When her daughter is arrested for shoplifting, she decides she has to make a life for herself and her children.

TBR: Any other published works?
Cynthia:  Just Windswept and a handful of articles and short stories.

TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Cynthia: Challenging: Finding time and opportunity to write every day. Rewarding: Seeing your work in print and knowing you're giving pleasure to someone and maybe even affecting some aspect of their lives.

TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Cynthia: Someone told me one of my stories had made them cry. She actually teared up again when she told me about it.

TBR: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Cynthia: JK Rowling—Harry Potter. The Fellowship of the Rings by Tolkein. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo. I just finished reading (and plan on implementing) a book on writing, Beginnings, Middles, and Ends by Nancy Kress. Looking forward to book #2 of Hunger Games.

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Cynthia: www.cynthiaracette.com

TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Cynthia:  Do you like books that deal with the whole family and how the children react to the adults' situation or do you prefer to just get the man/woman situation and cut to the chase?

Where to buy Windswept:

www.barnesandnoble.com
www.amazon.com

www.smp.com

TBR: Thanks for visiting TBR, Cynthia. All the best to you.

TBR welcomes Vasant Davé

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Vasant Davé. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Vasant: I was born and schooled in Kenya where my parents had emigrated from India before WWII. Although English isn't my mother tongue, I could gain considerable mastery over it with the help of some very dedicated teachers. I graduated in Engineering from the University of Bombay and served in both Electrical and Electronics fields for 24 years. Then for another 8 years, I executed industrial market research contracts for consultants based in Singapore and Hong Kong. I retired in 2008 to devote full time to historical research and fiction writing.

During one of my frequent official tours in remote parts of India, I happened to visit an archaeological site named Lothal. It was a port in the Indus Valley Civilization during the Bronze Age, and I was awed to find that it traded with Mesopotamia. That set me on a course that culminated in writing my first novel Trade Winds to Meluhha.

TBR: Tell us about Trade Winds to Meluhha and where it's available.
Vasant: Set in pre-historic times, it is story of a young Mesopotamian named Samasin who gets caught in a whirlwind of swift events and lands up in the Indus Valley 3,000 Km. across the sea.

Currently Trade Winds to Meluhha available in e-Book format at the following outlets:

Amazon-Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006XNEH7U/

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trade-winds-to-meluhha-vasant-dav/1109329291

Apple  http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/trade-winds-to-meluhha/id505677311?mt=11

Kobo  http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Trade-winds-to-Meluhha/book-vmST6_vx9UCD1DhYqz6dwQ/page1.html

Sony http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/vasant-dav%C3%A9/trade-winds-to-meluhha/_/R-400000000000000647002

Smashwords  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/123057

TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Vasant: The Protagonist, Samasin, is implicated in a foreigner's murder. He is saved from a gory sentence by a rare event which is actually recorded on clay tablets excavated in ancient Babylon. He flees to 'Meluhha', Indus Valley Civilization, in search of Siwa Saqra whose name was uttered by the alien before he died. There besides Siwa, he also meets two damsels. Anu is a Sumérian who poses as a Meluhhan because she is on a lookout for a couple of faceless men for revenge. Velli, who wins his heart, is still devoted to a person who had jilted her. Interactions with all three lead Samasin on the trail of a diabolic trade that is ruining the lives of youngsters and women back in Mesopotamia.

The narrative throws up suspense after suspense, such as:

- Why a native of Meluhha was brutally murdered in Mesopotamia?

- Why was a powerful Babylonian afraid of an orphan on the run?

- Why did a beautiful damsel eagerly await a coded message from an old man?

- Why did a comely hairdresser want to kill a gentleman who would never hurt a fly?

- Why did a wealthy merchant embark upon a long sea voyage after a stranger called on him?

- Why did an indignant woman seek pardon for an unscrupulous man who had exploited her?

- How did fate throw these individuals together?

TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Vasant: I was so thrilled by the ancient port of Lothal that I made it a point to visit other Indus Valley sites as well as museums with rich collection of artifacts of that period. My bookshelf, hard disk and diary started filling up with random facts about the life in the Indus Valley and its contemporary civilization of Mesopotamia with which it had had cultural and trade links.

As I studied it at leisure and visualized the Bronze Age, it struck me that a lot of that information could be used to create an exotic background for a story. Gradually, a rough plot emerged in my mind. Perhaps I could create a protagonist, who belonged to one ancient culture, and make him go through adventure and strife, and fall in love in another ancient culture.

Once while visiting my son Sachin and daughter-in-law Nitasha, I mentioned it casually. Both are working with leading Indian newspapers in Mumbai, and are voracious consumers of English novels and films. While Sachin's response was gentle, Nitasha was excited. "With that plot, you'd give J. K. Rowling a run for her money!" she said. I laughed it off - family members have a tendency to blow your miniscule success out of all proportions. However, the mere faith that the girl had in my narration ability made me take a shot.        

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Vasant: A hard-core plotter. While studying English Literature at school, I had grown fond of those authors who fired off on all engines from the word 'go', not wasting either their words or my time. Several years later, after I failed my first year engineering, reappeared in and passed the exams, I had six months in my hand before another academic year commenced. While others of my ilk used that period to learn technical courses like radio repairing, I could not keep myself away from pursuing a course in story writing. It taught me the concept of 'Problem-Conflict-Solution' which fitted perfectly with the sort of fiction that I enjoyed reading. Working on that line gave me immediate result when the late Shankar Pillai, one of the earliest political cartoonists in India, published a couple of nonsensical stories that I wrote.

TBR: How do you develop your characters?
Vasant: In Trade winds to Meluhha, I simply followed the fundamental requirement that my readers should love the Protagonist and his friends, and hate the Antagonist and his cronies. The characters themselves started morphing as the plot developed.

However, since I was writing about a Bronze Age civilization, it was essential that I ‘hung’ a couple of characters from some well-recognized ‘pegs’ of that period. I selected two unique artifacts discovered on Mohenjo-daro site in Pakistan. One was the bust of an aristocratic man and another was a bronze statuette of a nude teenage girl. The character of Siwa Saqra, the merchant of Meluhha, evolved from the former and that of Velli, the female Protagonist, from the later. Interested readers could get to know more about them in my article 'Creating Pre-Historic Characters' at http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.in/2012/04/creating-pre-historic-characters.html .

TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Vasant: Success is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration. - Emerson

TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Vasant: I wouldn't want to invite my antagonist Nergal to dinner because he simply doesn't value human relationship and trust. I would feel very insecure in his company because I would never know how his evil mind would be working to further his interests at my cost.

On the other hand, I'd go in my car to escort home Chief Bel of Babili and Siwa Saqra, the merchant of Meluhha, because both are gentlemen par excellence.

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Vasant: While researching for Trade winds to Meluhha, the most surprising thing that I learned was that there was a controversy around almost every aspect of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. It existed in the land that we now know as Pakistan and India. We are perhaps the two most argumentative nations in the world. There were wide differences over the geographical spread, the language, the religious practices followed, the existence of the river Saraswati and that of the horse. I have deliberated about 'Navigating through Controversies in writing Pre-Historic Fiction' at http://journeyreader.blogspot.in/2012/06/virtual-book-tour-of-vasant-dave-author.html

TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Vasant: Your women readers might like this one. My fictional world is created around what the Middle East and South Asia were 4,000 years ago. Surprisingly, the women in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley were more emancipated during that period than most of their great great grand-daughters in Iraq, Pakistan and India are today. Readers interested in details could read my article 'Women in my Bronze Age Novel' at http://historical-fiction.com/?p=4541

TBR: What's next for you?
Vasant: If readers like Trade winds to Meluhha, I intend to write a sequel wherein Meluhha, i.e. Indus Valley features along with ancient Egypt. Some of the characters would reappear in the new adventure in a new setting.

TBR: Any other published works?
Vasant: I have written a small booklet about my experience of writing Trade winds to Meluhha. Entitled How I wrote a Pre-Historic Novel, it discusses the various aspects that I considered in order to be true to the ancient period and the location of the narrative. It could be downloaded free from Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/75096

TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Vasant: Writing a Pre-Historic novel, I was faced with the question 'How to entertain the Reader while not diverting too much from historical evidence?'. I was forced to stick to several inconvenient facts in order to recreate the ancient period convincingly. At the same time, it was essential to make the narrative interesting. For instance, in a setting where horses were yet not widely used, I found it quite challenging to create a fast-moving plot.

The most satisfactory aspect was when Trade winds to Meluhha made it to the Quarter-Final list in Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, 2012. Seeing my debut novel among the top 5% of 10,000 entries made me feel that my efforts over three-and-a half years were well-rewarded.

TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your book?
Vasant: During the ABNA contest, my manuscript was read by Publisher's Weekly and here's how they found it: "A sprawling story of murder, rape, intrigue, bloodlust, and religious piety, set in the Bronze Age, this work of speculative fiction generally keeps its reader engaged. The novel’s epic scale and focus on ancient Mesopotamia are immersive."

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Vasant: Website: http://vasantdave.weebly.com/index.html

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BronzeAgeNovel

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Meluhha

TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Vasant: Readers of Historic Novels would have read fiction based on Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. Trade Winds to Meluhha is the first novel that explores their contemporary but lesser known culture of Indus Valley and its links with Mesopotamia. Would the readers now like to read fiction based on Indus Valley and Ancient Egypt together?

TBR: Readers, Vasant Davé will give away an ebook of Trade Winds to Meluhha to one lucky commenter. He'll pick a winner next week and announce the winner here. Be sure to leave your email address so he can contact you. 

Thanks for visiting TBR, Vasant. All the best to you.

TBR welcomes Cara Marsi

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Cara Marsi. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Cara:

I like to describe myself as a former corporate drone and cubicle dweller with a romantic soul. When I was stuck in that fabric-covered cage, writing and reading romance kept me sane and fed my soul. Now that I’m free of my cage, I have more time to write and indulge my love of romance. My husband and I love to travel and I love to write about the places we’ve been. We live on the East Coast and share our home with a fat, black diva of a cat named Killer.

TBR: Tell us about your latest release and where it's available.

Cara: My latest release is “Storm of Desire,” a very steamy romance set during a January nor’easter. It’s a reunion story of two people, Aiden and Samantha, who once spent a passionate night together. Afraid she was using Aiden just as her mother used men mercilessly, Samantha ran from Aiden. Now she can’t run. But does she want to?

Storm of Desire is available exclusively at Amazon. Here’s the link:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TQKKYO

TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Cara:

Blurb:

Corporate attorney Samantha Greco needs some peace and quiet to come to a decision about her career. Instead, while an icy nor’easter rages outside, she finds herself trapped in a cottage on Fenwick Island with Aiden Rourke, a man she used five years ago when she ran from the heartbreak of her fiancé’s betrayal.

Aiden Rourke has loved Sam for years. For one glorious night she was his. But then she fled, wounding his ego and his heart. Thrown together again, they soon discover time hasn’t diminished their fiery passion for each other. Only Aiden has ever been able to melt Sam with just a look or a touch. But the fear that she’s like her mother, who used men mercilessly, scares Sam to death.

The storm outside is nothing compared to the storm of desire, fear, and guilt raging inside Sam. But during their wild weekend together, Sam and Aiden draw closer and realize their all-consuming passion for each other masks deeper needs and desires.

When the storm ends, will they go their separate ways? Or will they find the courage to face the future together as one?

TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Cara: I love the themes of redemption and second chances. These themes run through all my books.

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Cara: I’m a plotter. I need to get the character descriptions on paper, plot out the story in outline form, then I’m ready to start writing. My characters get away from the script and insist on telling the story their way, but at least I have a starting point.

TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Cara: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  

TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Cara: I’d invite each of my heroes to dinner so I can drool over them. I fall in love with all my heroes.

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Cara: Writing is hard work.

TBR: What's next for you?
Cara: I’m working on a sequel to my romantic suspense, “Logan’s Redemption,” which has been a Kindle and iTunes bestseller. The sequel, also a romantic suspense, is called “Franco’s Fortune,” and it involves my heroine’s playboy brother from “Logan’s Redemption.”

TBR: Any other published works:

Cara: I’ve published a dozen short romance stories in women’s magazines. At present I have six other books available. One of my books, “Murder, Mi Amore,” was a 2012 EPPIE finalist for best romantic suspense; another, “Loving Or Nothing,” was a finalist in the novella category of the Gulf States RWA Silken Sands Star contest. My other books are: “Logan’s Redemption,” mentioned above; “Cursed Mates,” a werewolf paranormal romance from Noble Romance Publishing; “A Catered Romance,” a sensuous digital release of my very first published book which was titled “A Catered Affair” and published by Avalon Books; “A Cat’s Tale & Other Love Stories,” an anthology of short, sweet romance stories, each featuring a cat. Go to my website at www.caramarsi.com to read excerpts. While there, check out the guy on the cover of “Logan’s Redemption.” I could look at him all day. I got the picture from a royalty-free site. The model contacted me last year because he’d seen my cover. He was thrilled I’d used his picture for my cover. His name is Marko Geber and he’s from Serbia. Mine was his first romance cover. He’s been on a few other covers since. Marko told me he also knows the guy on the cover of “Murder, Mi Amore,” and that model is also from Serbia. Kind of makes me wonder what they’re putting in the water there to produce such hot guys.

TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Cara: Most challenging is putting my butt in the chair and writing. Most rewarding is when the book is finished. What a feeling of accomplishment.

TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Cara: My 83-year old aunt read “Cursed Mates,” then emailed me to tell me there was sure a lot of sex in the book. I’d warned her ahead of time.

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Cara:

www.caramarsi.com

Twitter: @caramarsi

Facebook: Carolyn Matkowsky (Cara Marsi Author)

 
TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Cara: I’m always interested to know what type heroes readers like. Alpha or Beta? Or a little of both?

TBR: Readers, Cara will give away a copy of any one of her books, reader’s choice, to one lucky commenter. She'll pick a winner on Tuesday, June 26 and announce the winner here. Be sure to leave your email address so she can contact you.

Thanks for visiting TBR, Cara. All the best to you.