Review at the Baker Street Blog

I did a guest post at the Baker Street Blog today!

I reviewed the book, Sherlock Holmes and the Affair in Transylvania by Gerry O'Hara.

Check it out!

Writer's Police Academy 2012 - Police Cruiser

I got to sit in (the front of) a police cruiser at the Writer's Police Academy. (The officers at the Academy were so kind to us writers!)

The officer explained how he writes up reports right in the car (on the laptop you can see in the pics). The front of the car is full of electronic equipment and the back is quite small. There's no barrier between the front and the back, either, so anyone arrested literally sits in the back of the car as though it's a regular ride to Grandma's house.

There's also a very cool feature of the camera on this car. It's like a DVR. You ever watch a TV show and think, 'hey, I want to see this from the beginning' so you hit record and start it over - even though you only turned on the TV halfway through? Well, this car is equipped with that sort of tech. The officer saw someone run a red light - right in front of him! He hit the record button and it caught the incident - even though it happened before record was hit.

Word to the wise - don't run red lights. Especially don't run red lights in front of cops. Double especially don't run red lights in front of cops in this cool technological age.

We Have A Winner!

We have a winner for the Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop.

And the winner is...

Drumroll...

WWE11

Congratulations, WWE11!!!!! (I've contacted you via your e-mail to select which book you'd like to receive.)

Thank you all who visited and entered the giveaway.

Happy Holidays to everybody and good luck on any other Blog Hop Contests you've entered.

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop - Enter to Win!



Check out the Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop.

The winner will receive ONE of the following e-books (via Smashwords):

From the Ella Westin Mysteries:

From the Case Files of the Hudson Agency:

The first in the Georgia H. Mysteries:

The first in the Masked Rider Mystery series:

All are short stories except for the Masked Rider: Origins, which is a novel. You can look here for info. all about which book you might like to select!

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment with a way for me to contact you via e-mail for notification if you are the winner. (A link to your Blog with e-mail in your profile is fine.) If you do not leave a way for me to contact you, you are disqualified and another winner will be selected.

Extra entries:

1.) Become a follower of my Blog

2.) Sign up for The Oberth Books Newsletter (receive 2 extra entries!)
(You have to state this in the comments of this blog)

3.) Like my Facebook Book Page

4.) Become a Twitter follower

If you already did any of the above, leave that info in the comment and you'll receive the extra entry/entries.

The contest starts December 4 and ends on December 10, 2012, 11:59 PM CST.

Winner to be announced on December 11, 2012.

Good luck to you all and happy reading!!

Want to find more book lover's giveaways?

My Mom is also a mystery writer and is participating in the giveaway. Click here for your chance to win a copy of her e-book, The Hudson Agency - Chicago Style.

Check below for a complete list of participants.

Book Lover's Holiday Hop

Princess Kate and Prince William are going to be a Mommy & Daddy!

How sweet! How fun for the happy couple - except the Princess is in the hospital because she has a condition that 1% of moms-to-be get (excessive morning sickness). I know, it sounds a little silly at first glance but the morning sickness is so bad, you can actually dehydrate and lose all sorts of vitamins and minerals that your body - not to mention the tiny fetus - requires.

As she's a Royal, I have no doubt she'll be well taken care of.

But how exciting is that? I just got a niece three months ago and there is no end of joy. Just like my sister's little one, I wonder if it's a boy or a girl. Can't wait to find out who the next heir to the throne is.

I love good news. Good world news that everyone can smile at.

'Debt of Bones' by Terry Goodkind

I found Legend of the Seeker on Hulu Plus and gave it a try. The slightest hints of humor got me to keep watching (the old naked man with the chicken was too weird NOT to keep watching). Then I found out this TV series was based on books.

I went to the library and found Debt of Bones (Sword of Truth, #0) by Terry Goodkind, which is a prequel to the Sword of Truth series that the TV show is based on.

Unfortunately, Debt of Bones didn't impress me. It actually read a teensy bit...juvenile in one sense, despite the gore that I really didn't appreciate. I'm one of those people that keeps reading even if I don't like something. (Thank God I did because one absolutely despicable part was explained satisfactorily.) This is a small book and a quick read and in this case, that's a wonderful thing.

I like the show (which I've heard didn't follow the novels enough for some fans) but I just did not like Debt of Bones; not the writing or the gore or the story. I did like the characters in the book. Except for the main character. I found her single-minded and irritating. She did carry the story forward, though, which usually doesn't happen when the main character is so annoying.

I was all set to read Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth, #1) but after Debt of Bones, I brought it back to the library and got some cozy mysteries instead.

I will say that I've since read other reviews of Debt of Bones (far be it from me to stomp on a beloved author) and a big chunk of diehard fans of the Sword of Truth series and of Terry Goodkind didn't even like it. Some said it doesn't do the Sword of Truth justice.

Knowing that gives me hope. I'll probably get Wizard's First Rule again someday. Not anytime soon, though. There are just so many other books out there, waiting to be read!

What An Animal Reading Challenge VI 2013

I've signed up for the 2013 What An Animal Reading Challenge VI hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews Blog.

In this Reading Challenge, you have to read six books with at least one of the following requirements:


a. there is an animal in the title of the book


b. there is an animal on the cover of the book


c. an animal plays a major role in the book


d. a main character is (or turns into) an animal (define that however you'd like)    

Right now I'm reading Tarzan of the Apes which fits all the above categories, but of course, this challenge is only 2013. (Challenge V has already started, and it ends at the end of February but I don't think I could read another five books along these lines by then!)   This'll be a fun one - there are enough options to fit that I should be able to find six books in the course of a year.

Cruisin' Thru The Cozies 2013 Reading Challenge

I've signed up for the 2013 Cruisin' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews - can you believe it's almost 2013?!

The 2012 Cruisin' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge was the only Challenge I beat. This year was rather disorganized and distracting.

Things in my life have settled down to a dull roar; my health is under control, the Blueberry (my sister's baby) is born, we've all moved and a routine is starting to descend upon us once again. (Thank goodness!)

I'm going for Level 3 Super Slueth again. That's reading 13 mysteries in 2013. I can do that with my eyes closed. Well, not really since this involves reading...

I picked the following books for the You Have The Right To Remain Silent Reading Challenge hosted by Charlotte (Buried in Books) at Goodreads and both challenges allow crossovers.

Cruisin' Thru The Cozies tentative list:

1) Sherlock Holmes & The Veiled Detective by David Stuart Davies
2) Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Holmes by Loren D. Estleman
3) Appointment With Death by Agatha Christie
4) Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie
5) Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
6) Ghost of a Chance (coming out February 5, 2013) by E.J. Copperman
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)

Review of Die Buying by Laura DiSilverio

Die Buying by Laura DiSilverio




Die Buying is the first of the ‘Mall Cop Mysteries’ and the cover has a picture of a Segway in a mall. As a lover of ‘cozy’’ mysteries, I thought this set up would make for a fun read and it did. EJ Ferris is the main character, an injured war vet who just wants to be a cop but can only get a job as a mall cop. Various people delight in reminding her of her duties which include giving mall patrons directions and watching the security cameras, not investigating the murder of an unpopular local businessman she found nude in a display window.

I liked the book but for me, it went a little slow in the middle. EJ kept thinking about the murder and tried to put the pieces together but with no real movement until we got to the end. I liked the humor, I LOVED the grandpa and other interesting characters EJ is surrounded by. (I adored EJ’s view of her cat!)

As an animal lover, I was nervous how the book started with a reptile escape and hoped the author wouldn’t disregard or harm those animals in the course of the book – she doesn’t so don’t worry about that.

I’m interested in the second book to see how the author handles the now-established characters and setting. I found EJ to be believable and strong and I never felt sorry for her - though I did feel for her - despite her injured condition. That’s a fine line the author treaded beautifully.



View all my reviews

Kobo - 'Honeymoon Homicide'

Honeymoon Homicide is #210 in the Kobo eBookstore in the 'Mystery & Suspense/Women Sleuths' category.

I don't usually look at rankings but I was adding links and double checking that they worked when I happened to see the number at Kobo.

It's very exciting!

(UPDATE: I just found out it was at #195 last month. How cool is that? In the top 200 list!)

99¢ - 8,383 words

Ella is awakened in the middle of the night by her new husband. But it's not what you think – he wants her to solve a murder. At 4 a.m. Can she do it? Or will she add another homicide to her honeymoon? This is the second story in the Ella Westin Mysteries.

Kobo I Smashwords I B&N I Amazon I Apple I Diesel

Arrow episode 3

I talked about Arrow yesterday on my blog.

WARNING: Spoilers for the first three episodes.

I missed the first few minutes because I had a phone call (picture but no sound), then the reception went down (no picture or sound) but I got it working and the first line dialogue I hear is:

Guy: "You should come with to meet him."
Oliver: "I slept with his fiancé."
Guy: "That was before the wedding."
Oliver: "It was at the rehearsal dinner."
Guy: "Yeah, that's before the wedding."
Then they both laugh.

What a shame.

That's great if it's a sleazy episode of Friends but this is our hero. It annoys me.

For the third week in a row, I'm not impressed. I should probably stop watching, instead of watching and complaining on my blog. It's just so difficult to give up Paul Blackthorne again!

I actually think it's a good show and done well (even if the writers are going one way when I'd go another - and they're missing golden opportunities) but it doesn't quite fit my taste.

On the good hand, from the first episode, I hoped the bodyguard would find out Arrow's identity. It seemed like it'd be a natural move. (As I said yesterday, I haven't read any original Arrow material so I don't know how the story played out.) Now I have to wait until next week to see the bodyguard coming to terms with his charge being Arrow! (Not that I'm hooked, I just want to see it.)

Oh, and this was cool for me:

In the first episode, Oliver was kidnapped and beaten for information. I assumed it was the stepfather who ordered this done. I was arrogant about it, I knew it was the stepfather. I was rolling my eyes as they were all dramatic and the camera wasn't showing the perpetrator.

When they revealed who it really was - I was shocked. That was very cool. If the show can keep the great fight scenes, stay not-so-bloody, drop the boring sex talk and not drag out the island back story, I might be able to watch and enjoy the show. As long as Paul Blackthorne stays in it. And I'd like some underlying humor, please, if it isn't asking too much. Just a bit, to draw me toward these characters I'm supposed to like.

(I'll have to watch the first few minutes on Hulu+ tomorrow to see why that guy was tattooing names all over his body. That was just weird.)

Anyone else watching this show? Liking it? Having problems with it?

Arrow the TV Series

First of all - I have not read or seen any original Arrow material, this new TV show is my first exposure.

I watched the first episode of Arrow a couple weeks ago. I love superhero movies, TV shows and books. Could that be why I wasn't all that impressed by Arrow? There are so many similar storylines, I'm not grabbed by this one.

Starting a series with a man cheating on his girlfriend (with her sister) is boring to me. And he's supposed to be our hero? I don't see it.

He's cute, he's got that going for him but that's about it for me.

And his disguise is a hood? I guess that beats Superman but this show is presented as serious and moody.

However, I adore Paul Blackthorne, I loved him from the moment I started watching Dresden Files when it first aired on the SciFi Channel back in 2007. In this, he plays a cop, the father of the sisters the Arrow guy 'dated'. The one daughter is alive and well. The one that was cheating is now dead (sort of because she was cheating - karma, I guess). So the cop/dad is no more a fan of Oliver Queen (the Arrow guy) than I am.

I watched the second episode of Arrow and I'm still not hooked but I'll watch the third. I noticed the Arrow guy wears a mask of some sort over his eyes. It might be make up, I'm not sure, but at least he's attempting to blur his features.

The action is good and I enjoy the stunts and special effects. They're not overdone, which I like.

And Paul Blackthorne is in it. In case you missed that.

I think my only problem is that the show hasn't set itself apart from all the other shows, movies and books I've enjoyed throughout the years. If it had a humorous streak, I'd probably be hooked by now, regardless of the typical storyline.

I didn't like the end of the second episode when Oliver Queen (the Arrow guy) decides to adopt a billionaire playboy persona and show up drunk to a press conference/shopping mall opening or whatever it was. He embarrasses himself and his family just to let us know that his secret identity is actually Oliver Queen and that Arrow is his true self.

Been there, done that. Zorro is my favorite superhero in which the unmasked person is actually the disguise.

The books (written by Johnston McCulley in 1919) are a bit harsher than the Disney version (Zorro played by Guy Williams in1957) but both depicted the son of a rich man as a foppish, lazy, disinterested man. The TV show, having to keep the disguise longer than the original stories, had Don Diego reexamine his actions (or lack of) every so often and he had to face the scorn his friends, neighbors and bad guys threw on him when he wouldn't rise to the occasion.

He wouldn't fight. He wouldn't stand up for freedom or other people's rights.

The most difficult person to keep up the disguise with was his father - because the father accepted him no matter what. The disappointment would read clearly on his face (shame for his son) and be erased by fatherly acceptance. Sometimes he'd get mad and chew his son out for not standing up for justice. Other times he would just look at him sadly and quietly - you knew he wished his son was different but he wouldn't say it. And then the father would pick up his sword and go fight alone.

THAT is drama. THAT is gripping. THAT is what's missing in Arrow. I already don't like the hero because he cheated on his girlfriend. (Besides the obvious, I find myself wondering, if he can't keep his pants zipped, how am I s'posed to buy that he can clean up rampant corruption in his city?)

I'm supposed to like this guy, respect him, root for him, care what happens to him?

I guess Oliver Queen acting drunk in public didn't sit right with me because of his terrible back story. He watched his father shoot himself to save him. Then he had to carry and bury his own father and then lived on a deserted island for the next five years. That'll mess you up, I admit. But with such a heavy, heart-wrenching past, why go for the stupid drunk persona? I think the writers could have pulled me in if they made him carefree and disinterested because of his dark past. He'll eat ice cream instead of run his father's business. He'll play with the new iPad during meetings and laugh at inappropriate times just because he's not on that island. They could have played up the social-awkwardness his character might have (at least in the beginning) due to being alone for five years and now thrown into the public spotlight.

I'm not saying I don't like the show because I would have written it differently but I guess, as a writer myself, I'm miffed they're leaving all these wonderful paths untrodden upon. The writers seem to be skipping over the unique aspects of this superhero that does set him apart from all the others.

Batman watched his parents murdered before his very eyes. That's different from Superman, who was adopted and then raised by a loving farm couple.

Harry Dresden's parents' deaths are not what they at first seem - but you'll have to watch or read those to find out why. (Or do both, you wouldn't want to miss Paul Blackthorne.)

Arrow reads to me as drama for the sake of drama. Situations created for the sole purpose of shoving drama down our throats - instead of them creating situations in which drama would naturally follow.

Am I being too harsh on this fledgling show? Perhaps.

Unlike certain channels (ahem, SciFi, why the heck did you cancel Dresden Files after one season?), I'm willing to give Arrow a try.

I hear John Borrowman will be making an appearance. (He played Captain Jack Harkness in the new Doctor Who.)

I can't wait to see that!

And yes, I'll probably only keep watching because Paul Blackthorne is in it.

For now, that's enough.

Writer's Police Academy - Handcuffs Are Uncomfortable

Writer's Police Academy is a unique convention for writers to experience the things they write about.

In any regular writer's convention, a class named 'Handcuffing and Arrest Technique' would likely be chock full of good information for a mystery writer to compose a realistic arrest scene.

But in THIS convention, you actually get arrested!

You can't really see in the picture but you always want to arrest a person with their palms facing out so that even if they've hidden a key, they can't get at the lock.

I've got to tell you, I struggled and moved my hands and wrists and there would be no way to twist my hands anywhere near the lock.

I NEVER noticed prisoners (or anyone in cuffs) with their palms facing together or out but that night I was flipping through the channels in the hotel room and they had a documentary on a prison and they happened to show a prisoner in that lovely orange jumpsuit and his hands were cuffed with his palms facing out.

Not only is this convention great for information, real experience and a lot of laughs but even if you have an unobservant mind like mine (I've never been accused of being a Sherlock Holmes), you'll remember the info because you'll see it in real life! Because YOU'RE involved in the activities, not just taking notes.

(I forget to take notes at this convention, to tell you the truth. Heck - I forget I'm a writer at this convention because I'm having so much fun or I'm so intrigued!!!)

Stan Lawhorne is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and retired police officer. He was in SWAT and currently is a field training officer and SCAT instructor - he teaches self defense and arrest tactics.

Cpl. Dee Jackson was one of the first female soldiers in the Gulf War. She's retired from the Marine Corp. She helped Stan out in this class, by being a good-natured victim of his handcuffing techniques.

They were highly entertaining and professional. That's another highlight of the Writer's Police Academy - these guys aren't (necessarily) teachers or instructors, they're real professionals taking us through their world.

Stan wrapped a strap around Dee's feet and attached the lead to the cuffs.

This would be used for particularly violent or uncooperative suspects.

It was a process even with Dee allowing him to do so. I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be if someone REALLY didn't want to be hogtied...

To sum up:

AWESOME CONVENTION AGAIN

Writer's Police Academy 2011

My Mom's Blog about Writer's Police Academy

Writer's Police Academy 2012

Writer's Police Academy 2012 was - wait for it - AWESOME!

I don't know how Lee Lofland, the instructors, the volunteers and everyone else involved with putting it together topped last year but they did.

Check back for posts about the different classes and demos.

All my non-work time has been spent with the new addition to our family - my cute little month-old niece - so blogging has taken a back seat lately!

But rest assured, I'm back and can't wait to catch you up on the Writer's Police Academy, as well as other things going on.

I'll write soon!

Wordless Wednesday - So That's Why I Find My Magnets On The Floor

Wordless Wednesday - I'm Watchin' The Coats Just Like You Asked!

 

Wordless Wednesday - Boxed In

Sprinkle With Murder by Jenn McKinlay Review

A great new series! Melanie Cooper and Angie Delaura own a bakery, Fairy Tale Cupcakes, and their first big order is 500 cupcakes for a wedding.

A murder takes place, Mel finds the body and becomes the prime suspect. The likely murder weapon? A cupcake, of course!

Mel and Angie are so entertaining and have so much fun running their bakery that you can't help but taste the chocolate.

I highly recommend reading this fun series.

Wordless Wednesday - Outlaw, Security Guard

Wordless Wednesday - But You're So Warm!

Happy Anniversary to My Darling Sister and Her Husband

Happy Anniversary!

{Photo would be inserted here if the happy & adorable couple weren't so shy. Ugh!}

I love how happy my sister is, all settled into a wonderful marriage - and FINALLY moved back to Chicago! I love having a brother, too. Our families blend together well. For Mother's Day, our side and his side met at my sister's new house and then we went for Chinese food. It was so much fun - I look forward to many shared holidays and expanding the family.

Cheers to many more years - decades - to my sister and new brother!!

To coincide with this auspicious occasion, I've published Toxic Train, the 3rd Ella Westin Mystery.

When a fellow train passenger is murdered right in front of her eyes, newlywed Ella Westin thinks it's great that all the suspects are trapped with her. But when she can't check out backgrounds or confirm motives - or lack of - she soon finds herself in over her head.

Then an unthinking Joe seems more determined to sabotage Ella's efforts than the murderer. Will she be able to solve the case before a second death occurs? Did the murderer engineer too good a crime for even Ella's skills? Can she track the criminal or will she be derailed before she can put her plan in motion? If the couple survive, is this just the beginning of a toxic relationship?

This is the third story in the Ella Westin Mysteries.

19,968 words.

99¢

Smashwords (for any eReading device)
Amazon

Wordless Wednesday - Whatch`ya Lookin' At?

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA!

Wordless Wednesday - IRS

I've never seen an IRS truck before. I didn't know they made them. Is it like a paddy wagon for the tax dodgers?

What'd I'd really like to know is the command stenciled on the back doors.

(DO NOT FOLLOW)

Really? Seriously?

Is this a problem for the government? Do the drivers come back (where do they go, anyway?) wiping a forearm across their forehead at yet another terrible day of strings of cars clogging traffic following them to pay their taxes?

I mean, is this such an issue they paid for the lettering to warn us not to follow? 'Cause, speaking for myself (and I work for a tax attorney), I'd never have to resist the urge to spot this van, make a U-turn and chase it.

Perhaps it's wishful thinking on the IRS' part.

Can you shed light on this ridiculous order?

Wordless Wednesday - Valentine Kitties

Monday Misc. - True Cat Love

Okay so I'm at the grocery store the other day and like a good little vegan, I picked out a salad. But I didn't do it from a healthy standpoint - I did it because Outlaw hovers over me every time I eat hoping for a piece of lettuce and I had run out.

I'm literally standing by the leaves-in-a-bag thinking of my cat. I bought it solely to give my little feline a treat that makes him so happy.

He goes NUTS for salad!

That's true kitty love.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYBODY!

Baker Street Saturday - Robert Downey Jr. Has Baby Boy

I love wonderful news so I thought I'd share what I learned this week about Robert Downey Jr. and wife Susan. On Tuesday, February 7th, they had a 7 pound, 5 ounce baby boy, 20 inches long.

Susan & Robert Downey Jr.
From Google Images

They named him Exton Elias.

An interesting name. I wonder if this is a 'celebrity' thing or a 'Robert & Susan' thing. As a Jennifer, I know what it's like to think about unusual baby names. Or in my case, character names. As far as celebrity baby namings go, though, Exton is not that bizarre. It doesn't lend itself to a nickname but neither does my sister's name, whereas 'Jennifer' provides enough nicknames that every third person calls me something different!

What about you? Did your normal/unusual name make you go opposite in naming your children?

Did you consider nicknames before naming your child?

Why did your parents name you what they did?

Any nickname horror stories or great stories?

Author Interview - Kris Wampler 'Love Train'

Today, I have the pleasure of asking Kris Wampler, author of Love Train, a few questions.

1. What’s your favorite part of Love Train (as a reader, not an author)?

The fight scenes.  They're deliberately over the top and filled with ridiculous puns which, together, fulfill the twin duties of parodying the action genre and entertaining the reader.  My goal here was to create characters that are both superhuman in strength and feat, while relatable to all of us with their goofy and awkward habits.

2. What was the hardest part of the book to write?

I had to figure out how the train's electrical system was connected to the hospital's system.  This required a little bit of research and creativity.  There's obviously no way the bad guy could have pulled off the stunt he did, but then, most events in action films and books are impossible, too.  And that's the point.

3. What was your road to publication like? What would you do different? What advice would you give other authors?

I wrote and developed this as a 100% indie project, meaning from the beginning I intended to self-publish.  I was inspired to publish on the Kindle platform after reading about another indie author who experienced success with it.  The only thing I would have done differently was begin the marketing campaign before the book was done.  As it was, I finished the book in mid-October; right before this I re-joined Facebook and began investigating social media and how it can be used for marketing.  I should have started this back in July or August and built hype around the book, so I was a little late to the game.

I would advise any authors to start early when it comes to marketing.  Build your network early and have everything in place so you can hit the ground running when your book is done.  I know in interviewing and reading about other authors that this is something many would have done differently.  Failing to do so is certainly not fatal to your writing project, it just makes it more difficult to catch up later.  Better to get this part of the work out of the way first.

4. I notice you’re not on Smashwords. Is there a reason for that? (What about readers who don’t have a Kindle and don’t want the Kindle for PC?)

Right now I'm just focusing on Amazon since they own most of the e-book market.  I'm also enrolled in the KDP Select program which means I have to make my digital book exclusive to Amazon for 90 days(if you're an Amazon Prime member, this means you can borrow it for free!) .  I haven't foreclosed the possibility of using Smashwords or other sites in the future, but with marketing and blogging there's not much time for that right now anyway.  I will add, however, that you can download a free Kindle desktop reader if you don't own the device, allowing you to read Kindle books on your computer.

5. What is the last book you read? Did you like it?

Of Mice and Men.  Not a bad read although it's fairly depressing (the scene with the sheepdog being put down was the most disturbing, as I own two of them myself).  I'm hoping to re-read The Giver soon, a dystopian fiction that's aimed at young adults but quite enjoyable by readers of all ages.  It's one of those books that seems to have a cult following: not many know about it, but those who do love it.  Highly recommended!


6. A review of Love Train on Amazon suggests Leslie Nielsen would be perfect if the book was turned into a movie. Would you agree? Who else would you place in roles and why?

Once Love Train was done, I looked to see if there was a particular category of humor, other than general parody, it fell into.  I had a sense about the type of comedic devices I was using but wasn't sure if there might be a name for it.  The first movie I thought of that employed a similar style was Airplane! and The Naked Gun series, so naturally this made me think of Leslie Nielsen.  However, given that Mr. Nielsen is no longer with us, I can't say he would be perfect for the movie version!

Originally I envisioned George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, and John Malkovich as playing Vic Steelbrass, Anastasia Romanov, and Crunchy.  I think Malkovich works for Crunchy because I could see him being a mix of serious and absurd.  I doubt Clooney and Hathaway would be good for Vic and Anastasia.

7. Are you working on more books? What’s next for you?

I have three general ideas for future books rolling around in my head right now.  In the next week or so I'm going to have to settle on one, but I want to write all three at once!  They range from a comedy in the same style as Love Train (but with completely original characters) to a serious novel which could end up becoming a series.  I'm also trying to do some freelance writing for my local paper and am continuing the blogging.

I also plan to offer Love Train for free as a promotional at some point soon, so please keep an eye out on my blog (kriswampler.wordpress.com) for this!

8. What would I find in your refrigerator right now?

Food, beverages, containers containing the food and beverages, cold air, electricity lighting the light bulb, refrigerator parts, and three-dimensional space.

9. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

The plot of Love Train is truly original.  As a device for parodying the action-adventure genre, it's perfect.  Keeping that goal in mind I believe readers will enjoy the fast-paced storyline and spot-on humor that Love Train delivers.  If you read the preview, you'll be hooked.  And if you read the book and like what you read, please consider giving a review on Amazon.com.

I'd also like to remind readers that I run a blog which features indie writers and their marketing efforts.  It's designed to share authors' works and their tips for getting their books out there on the market.  The address is kriswampler.wordpress.com, and if anyone is interested in being interviewed they can email me at indiewriting@gmail.com.  Thanks for the interview Jennifer!

Love Train:

"In a style his own, author Kris Wampler introduces this fast-paced and hilarious send up of the action-adventure genre.

When he boarded the 10:45 train, Vic Steelbrass had just one mission: learn PowerPoint by the time he reached New York. But when Anastasia Romanov walked into his life, fate handed him a different mission. Suddenly, he has to seduce a beautiful Russian, foil a madman's bomb plot, AND learn PowerPoint. With countless - or at least more than a few - lives on the line, Steelbrass must prove love is worth believing in...and kill a whole lot of bad guys in the process. He woke that morning as just your average, ex-millionaire, alligator-wrestling, skydiving businessman. But his life would be forever changed when he bought a ticket on...the LOVE TRAIN!"