Alison Stone, author of Random Acts joins us today as she tours with Goddess Fish Promotions. We'd like to welcome her and I for one, am looking forward to reading her book. Welcome Alison!
MK: Your book is described as a “Thrilling
Suspense and Heartfelt Romance”. That’s an intriguing combination – how did it
come about?
AS:
I was looking for a tagline to express the tone of
my books. I think the “thrilling suspense” is pretty straightforward.
“Heartfelt romance” is meant to convey the notion of a sweet romance for those
who prefer a “closed bedroom door.” I also like my other tagline, “The Thrill
of Sweet Suspense.” I guess I couldn’t settle on one.
MK: What is your favorite scene in Random Acts?
AS:
I can only pick one? J I
enjoyed writing a scene where Danielle connects with Patrick’s daughter, Ava.
Danielle is out raking leaves in the yard when Ava wanders over. Ava, who lost
her mother, is drawn to Danielle. Danielle allows the young girl to jump in the
leaves and she ends up joining her. As the two are laughing, leaves clinging in
their hair, Patrick shows up. His heart shifts. He’s happy his daughter has
become friends with Danielle, yet he’s worried she’ll break both of their
hearts when she leaves.
MK: Do you have a favorite character in Random Acts? Who and why?
AS:
I love both my hero and heroine. For me, I have to
really like my characters to hang out with them for 200 pages. However, if I
had to pick one character that holds a special place in my heart, it has to be
Ava, Patrick’s daughter. She brings Danielle and Patrick together despite their
reservations. I mean, who wants to disappoint a precious little girl?
MK:
Without giving it all away, please tell us a little something about how Danielle
Carson is going to get through her biggest challenges.
AS:
The hardest part of answering this question is not
to give anything away. J One
of Danielle’s biggest challenges comes at the climax of the book. She has to
dig deep and use her mental and physical strength. I’ll give you a hint. She
always swam for fitness. Being a strong swimmer will save her life. Also, after
years of struggling with her faith, she finally reaches out to God to ask for
strength during her darkest moment.
MK:
What has been your greatest challenge in writing Random Acts?
AS:
Random Acts is my debut novel, but not the first manuscript I’ve
ever written. I think the greatest challenge was pulling everything I knew
about craft together to tell a compelling story. Putting all the pieces
together is definitely a challenge. The really good writers make it seem so
easy.
MK:
“This title contains a shadowy criminal,
dark family secrets, meddling family, and a heroine who’s determined to show
her old crush that she’s moved on”…it sounds as though this story could hit
home for some people. Is there any underlying message or is it just to be taken
as a good work of fiction?
AS:
I hope my stories are an entertaining read. If
something in one of my books sticks with the reader long after they’ve finished
it, that’s a bonus.
MK: Tell us how you unwind after a long writing
session?
AS:
One of my favorite ways to unwind after a long writing
session is to curl up on the couch with my kids and watch a fun movie. Then, once
they are tucked into bed, I’ll pull out a good book.
MK:
What do you have in store next for your readers?
AS:
Too Close to Home, a romantic suspense, will be
released August 7th. Thanks for having me!
The Book:
Second chances can have
a terrible sense of timing.
As a child, watching her mother always
pick the wrong man left Danielle Carson wary of opening her heart to
anyone—except Patrick Kingsley. But circumstances came between them and left
Danielle with a broken heart. Now she buries the pain of what might have been
by channeling all her energy into her career. When a family crisis brings her
back to her hometown, she is forced to face the past—and the disturbing fact
that her sister’s car accident was staged to mask a brutal beating.
A police officer and widower, Patrick
guards his heart as fiercely as he guards his beloved daughter. Seeing Danielle
again unexpectedly reignites their old flame, but no way will he introduce a
woman into his daughter’s life. Certainly not one whose values on faith and
family are so different from his own.
Despite their best intentions, they
are drawn together—until Danielle learns Patrick had a hand in putting her
sister in harm’s way. Her fragile trust is crushed, but Patrick is the only man
who can help her stop the villain before everything they both love is
destroyed. Faith, family…and their second chance at forever.
Excerpt: End of opening scene of Random
Acts by Alison Stone:
He bobbled her body, freeing his hand to grab
the handle of the driver’s door. It opened with a groan. He loosened his jaw
and let out a quiet breath. A dog barked in the not-too-far distance. An
incessant bark, as if the animal sensed the girl’s plight.
His stomach tightened. His actions took on a
renewed urgency. Swallowing hard, he maneuvered the girl’s body behind the
wheel—no small feat, despite her small frame. Her lifeless body had a will of
its own. Her head dipped toward the passenger’s side, physics demanding her
body follow suit. His jaw clamped in frustration. He grabbed her shirt sleeve
and yanked her back into position. With a flat palm, he pushed the door closed,
careful not to make a sound this time. He reached through the open window to
adjust her body one last time. Fastening her seatbelt would be
counterproductive. He shook his head. Silly girl had only herself to blame.
Ducking his head, he reached into the vehicle and stretched across the steering
wheel to put the car in neutral.
With his plan coming together, he relaxed his
shoulders and strolled to the rear of the vehicle. Some things were meant to be
savored. He lifted a dusty boot to the plastic bumper.
And pushed.
The tires gained traction. The vehicle rolled
forward. Arms crossed, he watched the vehicle pick up speed as it raced down
the steep hill, heading toward the crop of trees at the bend in the road.
Just as he had planned.
Visit Alison!
Website: www.AlisonStone.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Alison_Stone
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlisonStoneAuthor
E-mail:
Alison@AlisonStone.com
GIVEAWAY!
Alison will be awarding autographed bookmarks at every stop, as
well as a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. She
will also give away a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to host with the most
comments.
I must have missed it before. I was not aware that RANDOM ACTS is your debut published novel. I love getting to know an author right from the exciting beginning of their publishing career.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thank you for hosting Alison today.
ReplyDeleteIt's great having her with us today. The book sounds great!
ReplyDeleteThank you, MK for hosting me!
ReplyDeleteMarybelle ~ Thanks for stopping by. I am very excited about my debut.
Alison- Didn't have a chance to read more last night but I'm looking forward to getting back to it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stacy. You're rocking the comments section :)
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to find a new author who writes my favorite kind of romance. I hope you continue writing this genre. I am anxious to read this story. It is on my to read list.
ReplyDeleteMK, you're surely helping many authors to get a spotlight in the land of blogging.
ReplyDeletethe book seems interesting and i really like "Thrilling Suspense and Heartfelt Romance."
I like suspense and heartfelt romance books.
Peaches - it's one of the best things about book blogging!
ReplyDeleteAlison - will you be publishing this in print too?
MK ~ Yes, Random Acts will be out in Paperback in March 2013.
ReplyDeleteMomJane ~ I'm very happy to tell you I have another book, Too Close to Home coming out in August. It is also "sweet" romantic suspense. :)
Peaches ~ thanks. I appreciate your stopping by. I appreciate all the wonderful authors who have hosted me. :)
Congrats on the debut novel. As a librarian, I love discovering new authors. In the past I was mostly a nonfiction reader but my resolution for this year was to read more fiction and more new-to-me authors. Thanks for giving me the chance to do so.
ReplyDelete@capefearlibn
Thanks, Catherine Lee. I hope you enjoy Random Acts.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your first release! The cover is lovelly and it was the first to attract my attention to the great excerpt.
ReplyDeleteJibriel.O (at) web (dot) de
I really like the cover, too. Thanks! The cover artist did a fantastic job.
ReplyDeleteOkay, my first ever virtual book tour has wrapped up. The winner of the autographed bookmark from this stop is Peaches Ledwidge. If you happen to read this Peaches, contact me at Alison AT AlisonStone dot com.
ReplyDeleteThe winner of the $25 Amazon gift card is "Mary" who posted on JC Martin's blog: http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/2012/05/alison-stone-motivational-lines/#comment-24265 (The winner was chosen via a random number generator across all 10 blog stops.)
Thank you to everyone who stopped by. I truly appreciate your support.
Great tour Alison and thank you for the generous giveaways! Congrats to the winners and thank you to our readers for stopping by and participating!
ReplyDelete