Last Stops and Newses

I wind up my blog tour today...

I had two reviews over the weekend (I've been extremely pleased with my reviews for Keeping Mum--all of them have been good)

So if you get a chance, go see my the review Dru Ann did at Cozy Chicks

And I had a guest post at Lori's Reading Corner

The actor in my head for Cam's Dad

And then TODAY is my last blog stop. At Dru's Book Musing, Annie is doing a feature article about Nelson Harris (Cam's Dad).  These two have some good chemistry--not sure if any of you had a best friend's parent you really hit it off with, but these two are great buddies. I like Dru's feature about characters, but thought Annie was the best voice to talk about Nelson with. Nelson would NEVER just talk about himself and Cam is too close, as his daughter. Besides, any of my readers knows I am having the most fun when I channel Annie.


And then finally... the NEWSES!

Yesterday was the first ABNA amputation and I am please to say I still have all my limbs.  The pitch stage is a rough one. Writing a pitch is a lot harder than writing a novel, in my opinion... at least sometimes. I've had a book or two that the pitch nearly wrote itself (though one of those pitches got cut, come to think of it.)

My ABNA record is as follows:

2010: Confluence (1st book) cut at pitch
2011: Kahlotus Disposal Site (6th book) semi-finalist
2012: Legacy (2nd book) quarter finalist
2013: Medium Wrong (10th book) cut at pitch

So let's hope what you see is a PATTERN, as that would lead to semi-final material, though honestly, I can't see passing past quarter-finalist, as this is really only the first third of the story (but SHHHHHHH--I can always hope the writing does it--Jade compared me to Stephen Freaking King, after all *shifty*)

Anyway, for anyone curious, here is my pitch:

A Shot in the Light (mystery/thriller)

A beach covered in dead seagulls brings Sidney Knight's quest for quiet to a halt. She's come to the Oregon coast to hammer out a few freelance deadlines but this breaks her concentration. According to her brother, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control, the avian flu has reached epidemic classification. His warning not to get the flu shot, contrary to authority recommendations, scares her. 

Back in Portland she begins to dig and notices a disturbing trend: the shot, rather than reducing risk, is increasing deaths. Health departments, hospitals, and news sources are silent and care providers have been warned not to "scare people". Sidney, young and inexperienced, doubts she can handle a story this big, but what if she's the only one looking? When the CDC is locked down with her brother inside and one of her closest friends dies from the vaccine, Sidney's mind is made up. Green or not, she has to figure out how this happened, who is responsible, and who can set it right. 

A Shot in the Light is a new adult epidemic conspiracy thriller and will appeal to people who like a complex plot, powerful relationships and an emotional roller coaster.