Straight Chatting from the Library: p.m. terrell

p.m. terrell has stopped by The Library to talk books with us as part of her virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. She is also giving one randomly chosen commenter a beaufiful Celtic Open Knot necklace. You can see the other stops on the tour here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/05/name-before-masses-secrets-of-dangerous.html. Now, pour yourself a cup of coffee, put your feet up, and let's chat with the author of Secrets of a Dangerous Woman.

p.m., what is the favorite book you remember as a child?

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. As lengthy as that book is, by the time I was 14 I’d read it multiple times. I loved the diversity of characters and the book contains much more of the Civil War battles than the movie did. And of course, there was Rhett Butler…

That's one of my favorites as well--what are you reading right now?

I am reading Remote Viewing by David Morehouse. It is part of my research into life as a psychic spy; one of the main characters in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, Vicki Boyd, is a psychic spy and I find the real psychic spies and psychic warriors totally fascinating. David Morehouse has so much information about the early days of these programs because he was one of the earliest spies—or remote viewers, which is the government’s term for them. Life is truly stranger than fiction.

I'll need to check that one out--it sounds fascinating, and I love the character of Vicki Boyd! E-Reader or print? and why?

I am totally hooked on my iPad. My epiphany came when I finished reading a trade paperback and stood in my living room for the longest time trying to find a place for it on my bookshelves. They were overflowing, even though I’d given hundreds of books to area libraries and nursing homes just a few months earlier. I realized that I could store approximately 50,000 books on my iPad and it would never take up any more physical space than the iPad itself.

Since I’ve begun reading eBooks, I love the ability to change the font size and the backlighting. And I find that I read much more than ever before.

Favorite book you've read this year?

Irish Lady by Jeanette Baker. I love all things Irish, and this book switches between two eras: that of Elizabeth I’s reign when Mary Queen of Scots was fighting for the throne and the Catholics were in conflict with the Church of England… And the era of the Irish Republican Army and Northern Ireland’s fight for independence. Both are fascinating times, and the plot is romantic suspense – my favorite.

Another book for my TBR list. When do you do most of your reading?

Since I have my iPad, I find I read everywhere—doctors’ offices, pharmacies, anywhere I have a few minutes. But I’d have to say most of my reading is done at home; I ride an exercise bicycle every day and enjoy reading while I’m cycling; and I also read while I’m eating and read in the evenings.

Favorite genre?

My favorite genre is romantic suspense. I love romance but I also enjoy a good, solid plot—and suspense always keeps the pages turning.

How do you keep your books organized?

With iBooks, I can create bookshelves for each of my favorite authors. In my purchased bookshelf, the ones I’ve recently purchased are at the top so I know which ones are next on my list to read.

What would make you not finish a book?

The biggest reason for me not to finish a book is poor writing. I really do believe that a lot of writers do themselves a grave injustice by rushing their self-published books into print without the benefit of an independent editor. Some of the books have wonderful plots and have the makings for well-rounded characters but they have so many misspelled words, grammatical errors, punctuation problems—like sentences missing periods at the end—and issues common with novices that I realize the books were not ready to be published and I don’t finish them. I also don’t buy that author’s other books. If I could give any new author advice, it would be to have the book professionally edited and revise, revise, revise before it goes into the marketplace.

Thanks for stopping by The Library, p.m. Now, I want to share something about your book with our readers.

READ THE BLURB

Dylan Maguire is back and in his first mission with the CIA he must interrogate a recently captured Brenda Carnegie. But when she escapes again, it’s obvious that she’s had help from within the CIA’s own ranks. With Vicki Boyd’s psychic help, he must locate her again—and find out why some in the highest levels of government want her dead while others will risk everything to help her. And when he finds out her true identity, his mission has just become very personal.

MEET THE AUTHOR

p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 18 books in 4 genres. A full-time author since 2002, she previously opened and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her specialties were in the areas of computer crime and computer intelligence and her clients included the Secret Service, CIA and Department of Defense as well as local law enforcement. Computer and spy technology are two themes that recur throughout her books. She is the co-founder of The Book 'Em Foundation, whose mission is to raise awareness of the link between high illiteracy rates and high crime rates. And she founded the annual Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair which takes place each February.

Author's website: www.pmterrell.com
Author's blogs: www.pmterrell.blogspot.com and www.vickisangelfish.com (inspired by the angelfish "front" used by the CIA in the Black Swamp Mysteries series)
Twitter: @pmterrell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell
Buy the book at Amazon-paperback or Amazon-ebook, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, or iTunes.