It's with great pleasure that I welcome author Brenda Wallace to Bookhound's Den. Brenda recently published her first e-book, Brilliant Prey. I've read a little bit of it, and from what I saw, I can't wait to dig into the whole thing. Brenda is a great person and she's a lot of fun to hang out with on Twitter, and it's truly a treat to have her here today.
Hello, Neal, and fellow Bookhound’s Den fans. I am truly honored to be here and appreciate everyone taking their valuable time to come by and say “hi.” I know that Neal, particularly, is under great time constraints because of his editing service. More importantly, Flavel Sue, his alpha chicken, is due to go into labor at any second.
Brilliant Prey is a somewhat dark mystery thriller with a complicated romance thrown into the mix. Bestselling author Scott Nicholson described it as “A twisting, intense psychological thriller.” The book is now available for only 99 cents at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. I’m hosting a Kindle Giveaway Contest on my blog to celebrate the launch at http://tinyurl.com/3mrkhhb.
I first started writing Brilliant Prey shortly after my dad died. Of course, my father’s death made me realize that it was time to stop daydreaming about writing novels and actually start writing that first book. I made some early stabs at writing lighthearted romantic comedies. Unfortunately, “comedy” normally means that laughter should be involved in there somewhere. I love to laugh and joke a lot, so I was as surprised as anyone that my stories tend to focus on darker issues. I still hope to write a great comedy some day.
As long as my day job requires me to study literally thousands of psychological and psychiatric reports, I’ll probably continue to pour out all that darkness somewhere. Because I’m an optimist by nature, I do attempt to thread light throughout my books and end on the upbeat. I am way too empathetic, so many of the mental health reports I read, as well as all the physical tragedies involved in all those medical records, break my heart. Plus, I’ve run across these same sad issues enough in life, that I understand the profound impact of these events on a soul, so my books speak out as warnings.
I used to think that people are basically “good.” Brilliant Prey speaks, maybe yells, to anyone who still believes that, to watch out. There are evil people out there with no “good” in them who are searching for and will target naive trusting people and their loved ones. I think Brilliant Prey would also resonate with the many people who agree with me on this point. One nice thing I enjoy about writing is that I can make sure that the villain gets what’s coming to them.
What is that earsplitting racket? Sounds like a terrible painful squawking, and I’m talking about a “ten” kind of pain on a scale of one to ten. Oh. It’s time...for Neal to help birth his breakfast. Thanks again for stopping by. It was great fun chatting with y’all. You can visit me at http://www.brendawallace.com/, http://www.brendabwallace.blogspot.com/ and @brendabwallace on Twitter.
24 comments:
Thank you, Neal. This is my first Guest Blog, and it's a thrill to be here.
Enjoyed reading your comments, Brenda, and I loved Brilliant Prey. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Thanks!
Ahh. Thank you, Connie. Coming from a talented author like yourself, that's a high compliment.
Wonderful post Neal. Thank you. You know I love you Brenda! I can't wait to get this one on my Kindle. Congrats on the sale hon. See ya Saturday!
@Brenda - You're very welcome. I have a feeling it won't be your last guest blog. :-)
@Connie - Thanks for stopping by!
@Calisa - All the credit goes to Brenda; she wrote the insightful post. Thank you for stopping by!
Read this and what a great read! A couple of things you said in the book are what I'm going through right now and it's always neat to connect that way in a novel. Can't wait to read your next... *hint* *hint* :)
alchemyofscrawl.wordpress.com because these things only let me post anonymously... >.>
Hey Calisa! You are one busy woman! I'm excited for you, too, with your sale of Home to Wild Rose Press, plus working with an editor on your novel. Thank you for taking your time to stop by. Love you, too, girl. I look forward to seeing you Saturday. :)
Very dark. Love it.
Hello, "anonymous", aka Coral Russell. I can't tell you how much it means to me that we connected that way in a novel. Your tale Key to a Haunting spoke to me in that way, too. I think it really shook me that teen girls used to be locked in factories to work their lives away and couldn't flee a horrific fire.
Thank you, Pj Schott! I wasn't intending to write dark, but can't stop it for now. I think I may follow the professional advice of Neal Hock and write chicken comedies.
Hi Brenda, congratulations again on publishing your first novel. It's a fascinating book, haunting, gritty, certainly not for the faint-hearted, but with enough positive outlook that one feels good at the end.
Interesting, I began writing my first novel after the death of my mother. Sometimes, it takes something "dark" to get us started.
Neal, how is Mama Chicken doing?
Christa
Hi Christa! I had noticed that you started writing after your mother's death. I do agree that my book isn't for the faint-hearted--made me faint a few times, lol. I'm hearing fantastic things about your books An Uncommon Family and Love of a Stonemason and have them in my TBR Queue. I can't wait to read them! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Brenda...great post. I'm with you on the dark stuff. That's just what seems to come out of me and into my books. :-) So excited to read your book. I started it, but barely into it. Sounds like a winner and I wish you the best of luck!
Alicia Dean
Thank you, Alicia. You know I love your books! Maybe that's one reason I bond with your main characters so quickly, because I recognize things they're going through and enjoy how they handle those. I sure hope you enjoy the book and deeply appreciate your best wishes. :)
Your story about your dad is so sad but inspiring. Maybe that's why your book comes across with so much passion.
Thanks, Chryse. Couldn't keep the passion out of it and couldn't have done it without you. And, btw, our Chryse Wymer has one of the most vivid voices of any author I've ever read.
Brenda,
Pulling out the ole' Kindle to 'one click' right now. Congrats and all the best.
Bob
Hi Bob! I've been thinking about you and your thoughts on strategies. After Neal's high praise of Deadly Straits, I grabbed it and am looking forward to when I have more time to read it, plus more time to write. I sure hope you enjoy the book whenever you get a chance to read it. I know you have your own launch going, so thank you so much for coming by.
Your book sounds great will check it out, i'm always drawn to writing dark subject matter also, I try to expand or escape it but it always come back in.
Hi Kippoe. I saw you over on Twitter and noticed that you're also an independent film maker, which is very cool. I sure hope you enjoy the book. I don't think it would fall into the horror genre, but it is dark. Thank you stopping by. It's nice to meet you at Bookhound's Den.
Do you stay up 'til the rooster crows, Neal? I'll be checking back by, but I sure want to thank you for all your kind words and for hosting me here on your blog. You made it more than fun!
Brenda, the pleasure is all mine. Thank you for taking your time to do this. You'll always be welcome here. :-)
Hey, Brenda. Sorry I'm late for the party. Great Post, though. The things you learn about your fellow writerly friends by reading their blog posts! Now I know who to turn to when I need crazy people advice! Best wishes on the release & tour!
Hey, Jeff. As someone who has conversations with their basement and as the father of four, I thought you totally understood crazy. I won't be stingy with my crazy advice, though. Looks like Reunion is still doing fantastic. Thank you so much for stopping by, Jeff. It is great to see your face here.
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