Meeting today with Tammie Clarke Gibbs

Behind the Scenes with Author Tammie Clarke Gibbs & the Hero of her new Time Travel Romance, Sworn to Secrecy....




Tammie Clarke Gibbs is the author of the #1 Kindle Best Selling Gothic/Time Travel Romance Island of Secrets which has been consistently on three of the Amazon Best Seller Lists for over eighteen consecutive months. She is the author of three novels and multiple non-fiction titles. Tammie resides with her husband, son, and a very spoiled Maltese in South Georgia. She loves to hear from her fans and can be reached at her website and via email

Thank you for dropping by. I’ve put together just a few questions to help my readers learn a bit more about you and your books.

When did you know you wanted to be a published author? I’d always loved to read, but never thought about writing until I was required to take a short story class in high school, and the teacher discovered I could write. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that a teacher cannot influence a student.  He shared my stories each week with the teachers in the faculty lounge. It was pretty neat, and I guess those teachers were my first fans.

 

Were there people that encouraged you along the way or did you have to claw your way where you are? I am very fortunate. At every step of the way, I’ve had people who have encouraged me. One of the most notable was Nanscy Neiman a former publisher with Warner Books and Penguin. She went out of her way to help Island of Secrets my debut novel get a read withPenguin/Putnam. Penguin/Putnam.  Nanscy is known for publishing books such as Scarlett, The Celestine Prophecy and The Bridges of Madison County. She is just one of many very talented people who’ve encouraged me.

 

Is there anything that bugs you about being published? Yes. Finding the time to write is always a challenge. Other than that I love being published.

 

Some authors don’t like to interact with their readers. What are your thoughts on the subject? That’s not me. What’s a book without a reader? I love interacting with readers and love hearing from them. It makes my day!!

 

Are you an animal lover? Yes. I’ve always had animals. When I was small I had chicks, rabbits, hamsters, birds, dogs, horses, cats and pretty much anything you could think of. When I had my son, we added an Iguanaand squirrel to the mix.  For now, we have a very spoiled Maltese named Sissy, who thinks she’s a real girl.

 

Do you have a dedicated office to write in? Yes. Do I write in it? Sometimes. I love the flexibility writing on a laptop affords me. Most days I get comfortable in my recliner and travel to exotic locations. You could say I’m an armchair tourist.

 

Are you married? Children? Yes. March 22nd we’ll celebrate our 27th Anniversary. His name is Mike, but I call him Michael. We have one son, who is 21.

 

What have been some of the highlights of your career so far? I've had many. I am so blessed. I have to say the day that Island of Secrets made the #1 Best Seller Spot in Gothic was one of the best!

 

Scroll down for an excerpt of Tammie's new book SWORN TO SECRECY....

A little something from Tammie: 

Be sure to visit all of the bloggers and authors that are hosting me during the Book Launch Celebration for Sworn to Secrecy for your chance to win prizes and read more about me and my books. I have something special planned with each of them.


During the launch, you can grab a copy for just .99. After March 20th, the price goes to its list price of $3.99.
 

 

  An unlikely alliance...a love born from the ashes of adversity....Dak Bartholomew is a US Secret Service agent. When he wakes up locked in a dark room it's just another day until he realizes that he's not alone.

Elizabeth Porter would like nothing more than to plunge her knife through the stranger's heart for all the trouble he's caused.

Together they'll take an unexpected journey to a time and place they could never have imagined and discover a secret they'll be sworn to protect.

Don't miss Tammie's other novels-
ISLAND OF SECRETS: GOTHIC TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE
KEEPING SECRETS: HISTORICAL ROMANTIC SUSPENSE



Buy on Amazon

Buy on Barnes and Noble

Help spread the word by visiting my blog and participating in the giveaway.

http://www.tammieclarkegibbs.com

Like Tammie on Facebook

Follow Tammie on Twitter




Scroll down for to read an excerpt 

 

 

 

Click on the links below to visit participating
Launch Partners & Read more…

Author Barbara Ivie Green - Live on March 12, 2013
Author Bill Hiatt - Live on March 13, 2013
Author SJ Byrne - Live on March 13, 2013
Author Michelle Hughes - Live on March 14, 2013
 Author Brian Bigelow - Live on March 15, 2013
Author Sheila Deeth - Live on March 16, 2013
Author Regan Black - Live on March 16, 2013
Author Pamela Foreman - Live on March 17, 2013
Author Olivia Martinez -Live on March 18, 2013 

 Wordlovers by Melissa Bowersock - Live on March 19, 2013
Author Andrea Buginsky - Live on March 19, 2013
Confessions of a Reader -Live on March 19, 2013
Author Gemma Wilford - Live on April 7, 2013

Click Here to go to the Giveaway Post and enter for some great prizes


Excerpt of Sworn to Secrecy Copyright Tammie Clarke Gibbs

Dak Bartholomew felt a trickle of blood run a cold wet trail down the side of his face from the open gash at his temple.

He struggled to open his eyes, and after several moments succeeded. Focusing on his surroundings took several more, but eventually, he could see the small, dank-smelling room in more clarity than he even desired.

The only light came from a single window, its pane’s blackened all but for one small section.

He pulled himself off the filthy mattress and felt his way toward the light. The window had been painted from the inside, and it appeared that someone had literally scratched at it until a small stream of light was allowed in from the outside. Instinctively, he reached into his pocket for his knife, but it wasn’t there. Nothing was there.

There was a faint cry from the corner of the room. Startled, Dak stepped back into the darkness.

He felt his way along the bed until he came to what he thought was a wall.

The darkness was deep and black, and the light cut only a sliver through it, leaving the rest of the room engulfed in an ebony sea.

He was weak from having been drugged or loss of blood. He wasn’t sure which. Either would have given him an excuse to forget he wasn’t alone and cower, but the pitiful whimpers stoked within him a steely determination.

“You there,” he called and waited for an answer.

The room was quiet in response. No whimpering. No breathing.

“Are you hurt?” Dak asked this time, and his voice was softer. Still there was no answer.

He took several short steps, feeling his way along the wall in the direction he’d heard the sounds coming from.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said, this time louder. “I…”

Dak felt a dirty hand on his mouth and something sharp at his side.

 

Wounded Warriors Project

I feel this is a really important charity. Many that have served in our military needs some help. You come back from some hell hole that your Government sent you to and things happened. Things you didn't really want to happen and they can be a real burden for the family. 

Here's a little more information about what the Wounded Warrior Project does. http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

A number of authors, including myself, are donating e-books to help raise funds for the project. 

http://authorsforwoundedwarriors.wordpress.com/

Not to Yield

I do seem to be making some headway on the, "Not to Yield" project. Finally managed to get it to the point that I'll need to fill in the bits that's been left out and there are quite a few of those. Ended up having to take a little break from writing because of it. In my head some variant of Alien was running rampant and there were also various paranormal elements coming to life. Basically, it was a trip and I may even write it some day but it won't be yet.

Soon after completing my, "Not to Yield" piece I'll be working on my next book which is tentatively titled at this time, "Rip Tide." Have written the first little bits and they're interesting and disturbing at the same time. Guess the book that's the closest to what I started coming up with would be, "The Dark Half."

Busy days.

Recently I released Macabre Moments which is a horror anthology and is presently available on Amazon and Smashwords. Soon, though I'm not sure exactly when I will also have a piece coming out in Terror By Gaslight which is a multi-author horror anthology. Some of the guys that are in it are really very talented writers having read some of the other pieces they’ve written in other books. The piece I wrote is one I'm really proud of; it’s really quite the delightful bit of horror and was a hell of a lot of fun to write.

I've also been working on my part of a shared world novel, "Not To Yield" that will be released by Perseid Press. It's sci-fi of all things and I'll admit I'm having a bit of time envisioning some of the things that I'm attempting to write in my part. What can I say, I guess it's a little easier I guess for me see demon possession, murder and vicious vampires. You know, all the fun stuff. I am getting better acquainted with my DVD player for the next few days and am watching some sci-fi on purpose so I can get more of a feel my "Not To Yield" bit.

 I'm hoping to soon be working on a novella. We'll see how the ideas play out though. If I run with what's coming together in my head, it will probably end up a bit gory. I won't go any further than that right now but there's a lot of ideas in interplay together and some are quite good.

$2.99, 5* with 1 review. Macabre Moments 

$2.99, 5* with 6 reviews. Horror Bent

Dream Project

You have the opportunity to hire anybody as your cover artist. If you write children's books or books that are heavily illustrated, who would you get for the interior artwork? If I had a choice of any cover artist in the world it would be Tammie Clarke Gibbs. Who would you co-write your next novel with? I don’t know What genre? It will be in horror. Why? I just like writing horror. You know, all the fun stuff, murder, mayhem, demon possession. Your publisher wants to do an audiobook version of your novel and they're not sparing any expense. Who do you think can narrate your masterpiece? I don’t have a clue. They're really going all out! Your novel is getting a full soundtrack. Who should compose it? If your novel uses a lot of songs, list your compilation here. Actually it would either be Iron Maiden or Metallica Congratulations! Your novel is being turned into a major motion picture. As the creator of the original work, you get to pick the director. There are a couple of my short stories I would want Billie Bob Thorton. On the rest that I write I’m kind of clueless. The director has some ideas on who to cast, but you get to cast one character. What role/character is it and who portrays them? The one character I would probably do the Stephen King or Alfred Hitchcock and do some stand in bit part. One of my favorites of that kind of thing would be Stephen King delivering pizza’s to Rose Red. You've been hired to write a novel based on a preexisting character or franchise from another medium. Which character or franchise is it? Actually, I would like to write something where Jack the Ripper is brought to life again. It's the anniversary of your favorite literary character's debut. You've been hired (yay, work!) to write an anniversary novel. Who is the literary character? I mostly write short stories so that’s a difficult one to answer especially after 16 books. I have a lot of characters to go through.

http://writerswritedaily.wordpress.com/

An interview with Trace Broyles

Trace I've frequently been asked where I got the idea for Ryder on the Storm and in the past I have given general explanations for interviews but then my good friend Brian Bigelow asked me to elaborate.  I actually had to ponder the appropriate way to explain how Storm and Ryder came to be.  When I was first asked about Ryder's origins I came up with a token response that oversimplified the journey.  It was, I supposed, a satisfactory response.  So, here is the whole story.

I had been writing an epic fantasy novel (ESTELAN if you are curious) but I was reading a series of paranormal romance novels (okay, several series in a row, call it my guilty pleasure).  The job I held at the time was not a good fit for me so I daydreamed more than I should have.  It was during a particularly enjoyable mental excursion, in conjunction with The Doors station on Pandora, that I got an inkling to write my own paranormal romance.  I received a phone call that jerked me from my reverie to deliver some papers to a coworker.  Fortunately, my coworker is one of those who supported my writing - and even egged it on!  We chatted briefly about my vague ideas for a story and she urged me to pursue the concept further.  Before I left her office I'd already named my first two characters - Storm and Ryder.  The idea of a subliminal message from my Pandora station was not lost on me.  I spent the rest of the afternoon outlining more of the tale and even started the first draft of my first chapter.  Continuing to mull my options as I prepared dinner, helped my children with their homework, and even as I read to them at bedtime, it was with little difficulty I completed the first chapter and half of the second that evening.  At that point, Ryder and Storm were in my head.

There were a few things I knew would (and would not) occur in RYDER.  First, no heavy vampire or werewolf usage.  Yes, they were the fad of the moment and yes, vampires are routinely viewed as sexy and desirable but I wanted something different.  Hence the Seer and the Immortal.  Second, I did not want to name a place.  I lived in Seattle at the time and I'd seen what befell the small town of Forks, Washington.  Once a quiet town in the middle of scenic Washington rainforest, it had become a mad tourist destination for droves of people fascinated with a book series.  I do not know how natives truly feel about the change, I am sure the tourism benefits their local economy as it tends to do, but I have always preferred creating my own places independent of those we all know.  Finally, I wanted to make something that would be easy to read, easy for those people commuting to work on the bus just like me and for parents who want an escape but can only read in snippets, just like me.

Within a week I had half of a novel, more words than I'd written in such a short time in years.  It was easy.  A little scary even but I couldn't shut their story off.   Storm needed a mother figure, somebody who truly looked out for her but not quite a mother.  Somebody quirky and intriguing but with much more depth.  Trin Sullivan was born and with her, a legacy that I could move forth in many directions.  The character of Lucian came to me next, while listening to another The Doors song, I am sure you can guess which one.  I wanted a character who had a darkness to him, a contrast to Ryder, the stereotypical bad boy.  Of course, Lucian would have to be tamed by a small woman, somebody meek in appearance but only to hide her inner strength.  Enter Sophia Bedeaux who, of course, would not make her appearance until LIGHT MY FIRE.

I will not give away any plot twists but suffice it to say, I like to be a little sneaky with things. There is some misdirection and of course, I did not clarify everything so that I could leave openings for the subsequent books.  In less than a month I had a full first draft of RYDER and a partial outline for FIRE (I wrote the first draft of FIRE for NaNoWriMo 2011).

And that is the full story of where RYDER ON THE STORM came from.  I could tell more about how little sleep I got in that month, how many chapters I erased and re-wrote, and how many characters were nixed or moved to subsequent installments of the EMERALD SEER series, but, those are boring stories in comparison to reading the series.  If intrigued, please stop by Amazon.com and grab a copy - ebook or paperback - and enjoy!

RYDER ON THE STORM

About the Author

Ms. Patterson graduated from Miami University with a degree in psychology and a minor in criminology.  She spends her days like most super-heroines waiting for the clock to strike five so she can escape into her imagination once again to pen another bestselling novel.

Be sure to check out her amazing paranormal EMERALD SEER Series.

You can connect with Ms. Patterson via http://emeraldseer.blogspot.com and via @booksbyviolet on Twitter.

Hell's Gift

About the Author:

Kristie Haigwood (a.k.a. K.S. Haigwood) is currently writing her 8th novel. She lives in Arkansas, US. She is the mother of 2 awesome kids and 2 great dogs. She is happily married to her soulmate who thinks reading is a solid waste of time. Opposites attract. Kristie’s works include 'Save My Soul', 'Forbidden Touch', 'Eternal Island' and 'Hell's Gift' (available on Amazon in ebook and print). 'Eternal Immortality', 'Eternal Inception', 'The Last Assignment' and 'Good Side of Sin' are all releasing soon.

About the book!

'Hell's Gift' is Book 2 in the 'Save My Soul' series. IT CAN BE READ AS A STAND-ALONE.

Depression consumes the guardian angel, Rhyan, after his human charge chooses her soulmate over him. Filled with anger and despair, he lashes out. And when his hate-filled words land him neck-deep in Hell, he realizes he's gone too far. He expects trouble, but not to discover his own soulmate in the fiery depths. Abigail is there with good reason, but she's done her time, and in order to save them both, Rhyan must strike a deal with the Devil. The stakes are higher than ever before, with his soul, his friends and even the fate of Heaven and Earth in jeopardy. If he fails, Rhyan stands to lose more than he ever feared. Will true love be denied? It will take everything he's got to break down the traps Lucifer puts in his way. New lines are drawn and old scores are settled, and Rhyan is in for the fight of his life. With Abigail as the prize, and humanity in the balance, he will stop at nothing to claim...Hell's Gift.

Hell's Gift US:http://www.amazon.com/Hells-Gift-Save-novel-ebook/dp/B00BF0VBKM Hell's Gift UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hells-Gift-Save-novel-ebook/dp/B00BF0VBKM

Find the Author:

AMAZON:http://www.amazon.com/author/kshaigwood
FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE:http://www.facebook.com/kshaigwoo
TWITTER:http://twitter.com/kshaigwood
BLOG:http://kshaigwood.blogspot.com Hell's Gift US:http://www.amazon.com/Hells-Gift-Save-novel-ebook/dp/B00BF0VBKM Hell's Gift UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hells-Gift-Save-novel-ebook/dp/B00BF0VBKM