Christine Young Presents -- Captured Lies by Maggie Thom

Please welcome Maggie Thom  author of Captured Lies.

 Maggie will be awarding winner’s choice of a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and an autographed ebook copy to a randomly drawn host.

Please leave a comment for a chance to win that $20.00 gift card.

Captured Lies

by Maggie Thom

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INTERVIEW:

1.What or who inspired you to start writing?

I've been writing since I was young - pre-teen for sure. I think it really started as curiosity. I loved reading and when I'd read a story, I'd wonder, 'could I do that?' I loved the idea of making up stories. So at some point as a kid, I started jotting down ideas. I grew up in the country so there was lots of time to amuse myself, especially in winter. Writing became a great way to create other lives, other worlds. It was fun.

2.How did you come up with ideas for your books?

         I get ideas all the time, from everyday life. I take something from      real life and change the circumstances that it might occur in.      Sometimes a whole scene will play out in my head. The smallest       thing can start me to wonder 'what if?' For example, Captured Lies   was conceived after I had seen posters about missing children, I

         heard about a child being abducted by a family member and a plane flew rather low over us on its way to the airport. I started to wonder what would happen if someone was kidnapped and grew up not        knowing. Then one day they accidently found out the life they'd lived wasn't the one they were supposed to have. What if that life     was supposed to have been good but turned out to be really lousy?       The ideas kind of melded together and out the other side, came        Captured Lies.  So ideas for my books often come from seeing,         hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling something and then changing the          circumstances and wondering 'what if'. It comes so natural to me      that I'm surprised that not everyone does it :).

3.What components are necessary for the genre of this novel?

Suspense - something compelling, something intriguing that keeps you wanting to know what happens next. That it be fast paced, to keep the momentum of the story going. That there be believable characters who you want to get to know better, who you can identify with, and you either like them or you don't.

4.What expertise did you bring to your writing?

Besides writing for years for pleasure, I did a lot of technical writing (policies, procedures, programs, etc.) in my career in management. So I've done a lot of fiction and nonfiction but to really improve my fiction writing, I took courses, joined a writer's group, joined a critique group and I wrote. And I wrote. And I wrote. When I had free time, I read about writing and plotting. I love to read all kinds of books, which I think helped a lot. Not only did I read a lot of fiction books but I started to look at the plots, the characters, the story, instead of just what it was about. I analyzed what made it good.

5.What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I love where I'm at in life. I'm in a very good place. I love what I'm doing. I love where I'm going.

6.As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

Write. Write. And write. Just kidding but really that's what I'm doing. Actually, I am about 3/4's done the next book - Tainted Waters. I am hoping to have it available Spring of 2013. And I've been asked to do a sequel to Captured Lies, so we'll see where that goes.

7.If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why?

Tough question. I think it would be interesting to be almost any one of them. At least for a short period of time.

For this I will choose Bailey, the heroine because she's just an ordinary woman who gets thrown into a crazy situation where she discovers her life is a lie. She goes through an emotional upheaval - her mother suddenly dies and she discovers she wasn't really her mom. She has to figure out the truth, of who she is, by taking all the pieces of a puzzle and put them together while staying ahead of the people trying to kill her. She's got so much coming at her, I wonder how well I'd cope with all of that. It would be very challenging and thrilling, you know, minus the part about people wanting you dead. :)

8.Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?

I used to. It really was a great help. It gave me some good feedback on my writing, some ideas of what I needed to work on. The group disbanded, mainly because members moved away. I still belong to a critique group but this one is of people who are not writers, they are readers, and they help me with what is working in my story and what isn't. Love it.

9.When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

There are a few people who have encouraged me over the years. My husband, my kids and my sisters, are my biggest fans and supporters. I actually wrote Captured Lies about four years ago, but didn't do much with it until last year. I asked a few people to read it and when they all said they loved it and asked what I was doing with it, I knew it was time to do something. It was enough to get me on the path to publish it.

10.         What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

Best: 'Go for it. What do you have to lose? You're a good writer...'

Worst: 'It's not worth the effort.'

11.         Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I do both. Sometimes a scene will come to me and I just start writing and then I backtrack to fill in the story, the characters, etc. Then I have to figure out where this scene fits, what makes it compelling, what's the background. Other times, I'll outline the story first and then start writing. Usually I do a mix of both in a novel. I'll start writing, then outline, then write more and then outline more and on and on. I really don't have a set pattern.

12.         Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you've gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books?

I guess I'd have to say being active, hiking, being in nature. I love the outdoors and I tend to include a lot of nature scenes along with hiking or being active.

13.         Do you have an all time favorite book?

Stephen R. Donaldson's - Thomas Covenant White Gold Wielder.

14.         Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?

Yes. As I mentioned earlier, my next book is called Tainted Waters (available spring of 2013).

Frustrated at being fired from her latest job and overwhelmed by her consolatory family, Sam decides to move to the family’s cabin at the lake. A place she hasn’t been to since her dad committed suicide twenty years before. Or did he? Snooping is something she’s good at but someone seems to be taking offence to her looking too closely at what has been happening at the lake. What she discovers is shocking. Now she must uncover what’s real and what’s not.  The descendants of the four families who own the land around the lagoon are dying off... will she figure out why, before she's next.

15.         Do you have any family traditions or recipes you might like to share?

Matrimonial Cake (I now love but didn't as a kid)

3/4 brown sugar

3/4 oatmeal

3/4 flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 to 1/2 cup margarine or butter

Mix dry ingredients and cut in margarine. Spread 1/2 of the crumb mixture on the bottom of a 6 x 8 pan (a pie pan works great). Add the date filling on top and then cover with the remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes (until slightly brown).

Date Filling:

1/2 cup dates

1/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Mix together and cook for 3 minutes. Cool.

Note: You can replace the margarine with coconut oil. It tastes awesome. Is a bit crumbly but very good.

16.         What is your favorite reality show?

I'm not really a fan of reality shows. Gasp. I know, I shouldn't have said that out loud. If I had to pick I guess I'd say the Voice but just the tryouts.

17.         Who is your favorite actor and actress?

My favorite actor is Matt Damon. I like who he is as a person and I love his movies.

My favorite actress is Hilary Swank. I like who she is as a person and I love her movies.

18.         Can you tell us a little about the black moment in your book?

Actually there are a number of black moments in Captured Lies. The one that really stands out for me though is when her mother dies. My dad passed away when I was writing Captured Lies, so it was a tough scene to write.

19.         If you were a casting director for the film version of your book, who would play your lead roles?

Bailey would be Hilary Swank.

Guy could be Matt Damon.

20.         Anything else you might want to add?

I love the feedback that I've received from readers about Captured Lies. I'm fascinated with what people get out of the story I've written.

I'd also like to thank you for what you do to help authors and readers. Thank you for being such a gracious host.

BLURB:

She was kidnapped not once but twice and now someone wants her dead because of it....

Her life was a lie!

Bailey knew her upbringing wasn’t normal but she’s worked hard to stabilize her life. At 29, she finally has a good business, a stable home; her life is miles from that of her childhood. Then suddenly her mother dies, leaving a gaping hole and a discovery that they may not even be related. If Guy, the private investigator is to be believed, her life is a lie. Using the skills she learned on the streets, Bailey travels back through a sketchy and dangerous past, to find answers. Dodging bullets, staying ahead of those who want her dead and convincing Guy she can do it alone, are making it difficult to discover not only the secrets of her mother’s past but that of a family claiming she is theirs.

Everyone seems to have a story... but who’s telling the truth? And who wants her dead? Is Guy part of the solution? Or part of the problem? To discover the facts, she’ll have to untangle a web of deceit, lies, and secrets, dating back over thirty years.

But can she do it in time.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

Her door was yanked open. She jerked sideways, her arm coming up to shield herself, her foot lifting to lash out. Before she could make contact, a body pinned her and a hand reached across her, ripping out the keys. The scream that formed on her lips was swallowed, as she met a steely pair of blue eyes. He moved back but not before redirecting her foot to the floor mat. Her hand instinctively wrapped around the flash drive and slipped it into her pocket. Feeling faint with relief, she slumped back. Her door slammed and her would be thief was soon around the car and opening the passenger side. Sliding into the seat, Guy closed the door, leaned back and glared at her.

Too tired to move, she rolled her head sideways to meet the glower. Neither spoke. She waited him out. After a long period of time, she raised her eyebrows.

He folded his arms across his chest, and turned to look out the window. “Who was the guest at your house?”

“What?”

“Who was the nice man who was waiting at your home?”

“What were you doing at my mom’s place?”

“Looking for you.”

Since he wasn’t looking at her, she took the time to study him. He definitely had the cute bad boy down pat, all dressed in black, with his black leather coat and his hair looking windblown and falling over one eye. The scruffy beard thing was almost going too far.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Maggie Thom made the hard decision to leave her successful, twenty year career in management, to write full time. The leap was easy, the freefall was adventurous and very enlightening. When she’s not running her children around or spending time with her best friend, her husband, she’s writing - anywhere, anytime. Give her five free minutes and you’ll find her busy scribbling down ideas. She lives in the real world but loves to get lost in the lives of her characters - who live, love and laugh and are all figments of her imagination. She is thrilled to release her first novel - Captured Lies - filled with suspense, murder, mystery and romance - available October 2012. She is busy writing her second novel to be released, spring of 2013.  

She can be found at:

www.maggiethom.com

www.facebook.com/authormaggiethom

www.twitter.com/authormaggiethom2

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6549592.Maggie_Thom

Book is currently available through:

Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/cp2go24

Kobo - http://tinyurl.com/dxs82ld

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!