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Welcome p.m. terrell back to the blog! This time she gives us a peak at The Tempest Murders – reincarnation and soul mates! Also, you don’t want to miss the author interview.  p.m. will be awarding this beautiful Celtic bracelet (US only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

 

Author Interview

Woohoo! You are a published author. Describe a strong character trait you possess, good or bad, and how it helped you become a published author. The Tempest Murders is my 16^th book release and looking back over the years, I believe determination helped me maintain a career in writing. It is a tough industry and I’ve seen a lot of authors come and go since my first book was published in 1984. Sometimes I think those who succeed are those who simply stayed in the game and refused to give up.

Sometimes an author begins writing a story before they are aware of its genre. Did you choose your genre, or did it choose you? I’ve written in four genres and three of the four chose me. My first published books were computer how-to books; the editor pursued me after reading some of my magazine articles. I also wrote two historical adventures based on my family’s history and a how-to book for authors, all of which chose me.

But my real love is suspense, especially when it contains romance and exotic locations, so I most definitely chose that genre.

I think it’s important to understand the genre before beginning to write because you really have to know who your target market is and how to reach them.

The plot thickens, or does it? Which one are you, a pantser or a plotter? I am a plotter. I begin by planning the crime in my suspense, and then I develop the characters best suited to tell the tale. Unlike some writers who write toward a climactic scene toward the end, I develop a starting point, mid-point and ending. Everything that occurs in the first half of the book takes me to a climactic mid-point, and from that point forward the action is a non-stop roller coaster headed for an even larger climax at the end.

Fear 101: As writers it is our duty to make our characters face their fears. Have you ever included one of your own fears in a storyline? From the time I was a small child, I had a fear of being kidnapped. When I wrote my most popular book, Songbirds are Free, about my ancestor who was captured by Shawnee warriors in 1780, I saw my own fear played out in those pages. I don’t know how Mary Neely could have remained so courageous, so determined to escape and find her way home. She remained a slave to the Shawnee tribe that captured her for three years—from the age of 19 to the age of 22.

Fear 102: Yes, deadlines are terrifying. Have you conquered the juggling act between writing and the rest of your life? What do you do when it feels like the balls are dropping all around you? I look at writing the same way others look at their full-time jobs. Many times there are personal crises or interruptions that come into play and yet millions of people find a way to get to work and do their jobs, regardless. I have set hours in which to write and I strive to be very focused, provided there isn’t an emergency situation requiring my attention. It also helps to compartmentalize and prioritize.

Where is your favorite place to write? Add that one comfort food that you can’t do without. My favorite place to write is in my living room where I am surrounded by freshwater angelfish aquariums. However, that isn’t always possible so I always have my office, which is separated from my house. I have a 360 degree view and it’s actually quite pleasant.

Definitely the comfort food I can’t live without is chocolate, the darker, the better.

Writing inspirations? I find inspiration everywhere I look. When I need a specific type of inspiration for a particular scene, I will often turn to movies or music. For example, if I am writing a romantic scene, I’ll watch movies with my favorite male leads or a particular romantic theme.

I’ve gone mad – why don’t you come with me? Some people just don’t understand us writers. Name a quirky, writer-thing you do that friends wish you didn’t. I am an avid people-watcher and I often note personality quirks or physical traits that make their way into my books. I always try to merge those characteristics with others so the source isn’t identifiable, but I’ve had friends say, “Don’t add this to your book please!”

I am also very sensitive; perhaps too much so. After all, writing about feelings is part of my life so it makes sense that I would feel them all acutely as well.

The Tempest Murders

by p.m. Terrell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blurb:

A provocative story of a love that spans centuries, of soul mates found, lost and reunited… and the lengths to which one man will go to change their destiny.

Irish Detective Ryan O’Clery is working a series of homicides in America when he discovers a journal written by an uncle, Constable Rian Kelly, five generations earlier. The journal detailed the same type of murders as the worst storm in Ireland’s history slammed into the island in 1839.

As Hurricane Irene barrels toward the North Carolina coastline, Ryan discovers even the killer’s description matches his cases exactly. And as he falls in love with television reporter Cathleen Reilly, he begins to wonder if she is the reincarnation of Caitlin O’Conor, Rian Kelly’s lover—the woman who was lost to the killer as the storm raged in Ireland—and if he is the reincarnation of Constable Rian Kelly.

Now he’s in a race to rescue Cathleen before the killer finds her—or is history destined to repeat itself?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

They were bites away from finishing their meal when the sky opened up. There might have been a warning, had he been by himself and able to observe his surroundings; but by the time he noticed the trees bending deeply and the gray clouds roiling, the rain had descended on them in a torrent. Within seconds, their food was floating.

A tiny shriek escaped Cathleen’s lips as she vainly tried to keep the rain off her head.

Ryan jumped up, grabbed her wrist and in one fluid movement, had her on her feet. They raced for the back door, managing to rush inside just as a wicked clap of thunder sounded, followed almost instantly by a white streak of lightning.

Once inside, he closed the door, plunging them both into relative silence. He turned around, an offer to get her a towel on his lips. But when he laid eyes on her, the words froze. She was completely drenched. Her hair was hanging in folds from which water streamed until it formed a puddle on the hardwood floor. Her thin blouse was plastered to her body and seemed to highlight the black lace bra beneath. It further accentuated a slender waist before giving way to jeans that she now appeared to have been poured into. Her feet were soaked and as he took in the petite toes peeking out, he found himself staring at the pink polish and a Celtic toe ring before his eyes moved back up her body.

By the time they reached her eyes, he felt as if he was on automatic pilot. His mind was completely blank, his emotions swept away. He stepped toward her at the exact moment he reached out and pulled her to him, the wet blouse teasing his chest. He didn’t look in her eyes but closed his as his lips locked onto hers.

They were everything he’d dreamed about; full and moist and soft. But she wasn’t kissing him.

He stopped and took a step backward, separating them. She stood perfectly still and stared at him with eyes that had grown round and huge. Her face had lost its color and as she continued staring at him, he realized she was in shock.

Horrified with his own boorish behavior, he stumbled over his words. “I am so sorry. I’ve never done anything like that in my life—”

She rushed at him and for the briefest of moments, he didn’t know if she planned to slap him or pummel him or push him to the side to rush out the door. He staggered backward to get out of her way but when she descended on him her arms encircled his neck, pulling his head down to hers. When their lips met again, hers were slightly open and she met his mouth with a passion he had only dreamed about but had never fully experienced.

Ryan’s arms wrapped around her; pulling her to him so tightly he had to contain himself to keep from bruising her. She tasted sweet and fresh, the raindrops mingling with perspiration and a fragrance that was both soothing and wild and which seemed to envelop them both in a sensual cocoon.

His large hand found her face, the palm cupping her chin while his fingers stroked her jaw. Her skin was as soft as silk and moist from the rain; and as her lips parted further to allow him in, he thought he could never get enough of her. As one hand wandered to her hair, weaving his fingers through the long tresses, a mingled scent of citrus and florals wafted upward, growing in intensity as he fondled her locks.

He pressed his body against her, tightening his hold on her as his other hand explored her back, kneading her skin through the thin, wet blouse. Her breath was coming in short shallow bursts now and he could feel her heart quickening as he pressed ever closer. When she sighed softly, he opened his eyes and when she moaned, he reluctantly drew back from her, his muscled chest rising and falling and yearning.

Her face was flushed, the heat rising in her cheeks in a way that tantalized him. Her plump lips remained slightly parted and as he gazed at them, he realized he might have bruised them despite his efforts to control his passion. As his eyes found hers, he discovered them staring at him in a way that disarmed him. The gold flecks he had seen earlier appeared to have grown and now they nearly glowed as she looked at him. They were tumultuous, the colors dancing under her long, curved black lashes. But it was the raw emotion in them that gripped his soul; he’d seen desire before and had witnessed passion but there was something more—something deeper. It was trust, he realized with a start. As if she was standing before him, naked to the soul and she was entrusting herself to his care.

In his peripheral vision, he could see her chest rising and falling with her jagged breath and each rise threatened to take him closer to the peak of desire.

 

Author Bio and Links:

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than eighteen books in four genres: contemporary suspense, historical suspense, computer how-to and non-fiction.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: McClelland Enterprises, Inc. and Continental Software Development Corporation. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence.

Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee and her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee.

She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She is the organizer of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org.

She sits on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library and the Robeson County Arts Council. She has also served on the boards of Crime Stoppers and Crime Solvers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

For more information visit the author’s website at www.pmterrell.com, follow her on Twitter at @pmterrell, her blog at www.pmterrell.blogspot.com, and on Facebook under author.p.m.terrell.

 

Buy Links:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Tempest-Murders-ebook/dp/B00EOAFTYY/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377895714&sr=1-2&keywords=the+tempest+murders