USA Today,Wall Street Journal, and New York Times bestselling author Margo Bond Collins is a former college English professor who, tired of explaining the difference between “hanged” and “hung,” turned to writing romance novels instead. (Sometimes her heroines kill monsters, too.)
Hi, everyone! Today, I’m reposting the guest blog from Merissa McCain’s Paranormal Month Spot yesterday (you can see the original here: http://tinyurl.com/jwq8tzx). It’s a character interview of Callie Taylor, the ghostly protagonist of Waking Up Dead. Check it out:
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I do have a few questions for Callie, and she’s agreed to be interviewed, so let’s jump right on in. Oh–we have to transcribe the interview–but bear with us. This is going to be great.
Interviewer: Today we welcome Callie Taylor, the heroine of Waking Up Dead. Callie, welcome to the blog! I’m sorry to say that most of our readers won’t actually be able to hear what you have to say, since you’re a ghost. So I’m afraid that you’ll have to let me simply transcribe your words. Yes, that’s right; I’m one of the few sensitives who can see and hear you. No, I didn’t know that you were working so hard to find someone who could help you. Wait. You were there when Molly was killed? That’s terrible! Still, I don’t see that knowing me then would have helped stop it, even though I can see and hear you.
[Aside:] Pardon me, everyone. Ms. Taylor’s getting a bit agitated; I might need to calm her down.
[They speak quietly in a corner for a moment, then come back to their seats.]
Interviewer: Okay. Let’s try this again. Callie, could you tell us a little bit about yourself? Mm-hm. Okay. Sure, sure. Callie says that this is the most screwed-up afterlife she could never have imagined for herself. She was supposed to get heaven or hell. She got Alabama. That was not in her afterlife plan. She would have settled for that squeaky voice psychic from the Poltergeist movie telling her to go to the light. But no. She can’t go anywhere, unless it’s in Abramsville, Alabama.
Interviewer: So what do you do all day? Television? That’s all? No, no. I understand. There’s not a lot you could do in your disembodied state. But wasn’t there something about trying to save a man from prison? What did you do to help him? Yes, I can see that having your partner Ashara could be helpful. Right, and Ashara’s boyfriend Stephen. And . . . wait. Her elderly grandmother Maw-Maw? Um . . .
So let me get this straight. You’re a ghost. She’s a bank teller. He’s a musical-instrument repairman. She’s an elderly, cane-wielding grandmother. Together, you fight crime. Seriously?!
To see what happens when a displaced ghost teams up with an unlikely trio in small-town Alabama to solve a local murder, check out Waking Up Dead, by Margo Bond Collins, available from Amazon.com.
Book Blurb
When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, when she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex, she went to Alabama. Now she’s witnessed another murder, and she’s not about to let this one go. She’s determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up dead in Alabama?
Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.
The sci-fi adventure that began with Yesterday continues with a thriller that can also be read as a standalone.
2063, United North America: climate change has rendered great swathes of the country uninhabitable, the rise of robot workers has created mass unemployment, eco-terrorism is a constant threat and a 2059 nuclear exchange between Pakistan and India has torn large holes in the world’s ozone layer and pushed humanity’s existence towards a cliff.
Garren and Freya have managed to escape that nightmare world and lose themselves in 1986 Vancouver. But the future’s reach is long, and they’re no longer safe there. No one is. Shadowy forces are intent on influencing the past’s path. And when Freya is taken, it’s up to Garren to save both her, and the future.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.K. Kelly Martin always thought she’d get around to writing in earnest eventually and began writing her first novel in a flat in Dublin, finishing it in a Toronto suburb. By then she’d discovered that young adult fiction felt the freshest and most exciting to her. You have most of your life to be an adult but you only grow up once!
Martin currently resides near Toronto with her Dub husband. She became an Irish citizen in 2001 and continues to visit Dublin often (although not as often as she’d like!) while working on teen novels.
Be sure to join us for the Waking Up Dead Facebook Release Party on October 8, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. I have over 50 prizes to give away, including Waking Up Dead swag packs, free ebook copies of Waking Up Dead, and more than 20 books from other authors. That means you will be able to enter a prize every five minutes! I’m doing the drawings at the end of the night, though, so if you need to come in a little late, you can still enter to win every prize. 🙂
Thanks to everyone for your support in making Waking Up Dead come to life. Y’all rock!
On October 9th and 10th, I have a few celebratory blog tour stops to make–watch for those; I’ll be announcing them on all my social media!
Now that the pre-release tour is over, I’m handing the promotional reigns over for a while to Enchanted Book Promotions. I know they’ll do a fabulous job; I’ll be announcing all of those blog stops, too!
When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she’s witnessed another murder, and she’s not about to let this one go. She’s determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?
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When I died, I expected to go to heaven.
Okay. Maybe hell. It’s not like I was perfect or anything. But I was sort of hoping for heaven.
Instead, I went to Alabama.
Yeah. I know. It’s weird.
I died in Dallas, my hometown. I was killed, actually. Murdered. I’ll spare you the gruesome details. I don’t like to remember them myself. Some jerk with a knife–and probably a Bad-Mommy complex. Believe me, if I knew where he was, I’d go haunt his ass.
At any rate, by the time death came, I was ready for it–ready to stop hurting, ready to let go. I didn’t even fight it.
And then I woke up dead in Alabama. Talk about pissed off.
You know, even reincarnation would have been fine with me–I could have started over, clean slate and all that. Human, cow, bug. Whatever. But no. I ended up haunting someplace I’d never even been.
That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, right? Ghosts are supposed to be the tortured spirits of those who cannot let go of their earthly existence. If they could be convinced to follow the light, they’d leave behind said earthly existence and quit scaring the bejesus out of the poor folks who run across them. That’s what all those “ghost hunter” shows on television tell us.
Let me tell you something. The living don’t know jack about the dead.
Not this dead chick, anyway.
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About the Author
Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.
If you can make it to the Facebook release party, I’d love to have you there. It’s on 10/8 from 6-9 p.m. CST–we’ll have over 50 prizes, including tons of e-books and swag from other authors who have been incredibly generous! I have piles of cool stuff to give away. You’re invited, and so are all your friends! 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/events/347803788688779/
After the party, Enchanted Book Tours will be running a blog tour for me from October 10 – November 10. Watch for announcements about it!
And check out this nifty new graphic, courtesy of The Book Trollop:
If you missed any of the multitude of Facebook or Twitter announcements I’ve been making (seems unlikely, but still . . .), check out the two book trailers:
I’m looking forward to seeing y’all at the release party!
Welcome to my stop on the Something Wicked Returns Blog Hop!
While you’re here, be sure to enter the giveaway for an eBook copy giveaway of my novel Waking Up Dead–and check out the excerpt and book trailers below!
When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she’s witnessed another murder, and she’s not about to let this one go. She’s determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?
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Excerpt
When I died, I expected to go to heaven.
Okay. Maybe hell. It’s not like I was perfect or anything. But I was sort of hoping for heaven.
Instead, I went to Alabama.
Yeah. I know. It’s weird.
I died in Dallas, my hometown. I was killed, actually. Murdered. I’ll spare you the gruesome details. I don’t like to remember them myself. Some jerk with a knife–and probably a Bad-Mommy complex. Believe me, if I knew where he was, I’d go haunt his ass.
At any rate, by the time death came, I was ready for it–ready to stop hurting, ready to let go. I didn’t even fight it.
And then I woke up dead in Alabama. Talk about pissed off.
You know, even reincarnation would have been fine with me–I could have started over, clean slate and all that. Human, cow, bug. Whatever. But no. I ended up haunting someplace I’d never even been.
That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, right? Ghosts are supposed to be the tortured spirits of those who cannot let go of their earthly existence. If they could be convinced to follow the light, they’d leave behind said earthly existence and quit scaring the bejesus out of the poor folks who run across them. That’s what all those “ghost hunter” shows on television tell us.
Let me tell you something. The living don’t know jack about the dead.
Not this dead chick, anyway.
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Book Trailers
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About the Author
Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.
When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she’s witnessed another murder, and she’s not about to let this one go. She’s determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?
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Excerpt
As Molly straightened up, the man slipped the wire over her head and twisted it around her neck. She struggled, but he pulled the garrote tighter and tighter.
I was screaming at the top of my ghostly voice, for all the good it did me. I moved up behind the man and beat at his back with closed fists–fists that slipped in and out of his back without ever making real contact. He shuddered a little–clearly he was one of the very slightly sensitive ones–but he didn’t loosen his hands.
I reached up and tried to grab the wire, tried to pull against the pressure he was exerting on the wire and it did loosen for an instant. But only for an instant. The living have more control over solid objects than the dead do. I never resented that fact more than at that moment.
But I kept trying. I kept trying as Molly’s face turned purple, then blue, then black, kept trying even as she drooped in the man’s grip.
Then he loosened the wire and it was too late. I watched that wispy, light-on-fog life force slip out of Molly and move on to wherever it is that other people go when they die. I was glad she didn’t show up next to me as a full-blown ghost. At that moment, I wouldn’t have wished my impotent half-existence on anyone.
I couldn’t help thinking that if I’d been alive, I might have been able to save her.
If I could have cried real tears, I would have. As it was, I was sobbing hoarsely and calling the man every dirty name I could think of.
I was still cursing as I followed him around the kitchen. First he opened the pantry and pulled out a box of Hefty garbage bags. Then he grabbed a knife out of the block on the counter. And finally, he picked up Molly’s body and carried it to the bathroom.
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About the Author
Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.
October 8: Release Day!
Facebook Release Party, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Waking Up Dead FB Release Party! Everyone is invited for (virtual) food and drink and (real) prizes! (https://www.facebook.com/events/347803788688779/)
Hello, and welcome to the first stop on my pre-release teaser tour for the paranormal mystery Waking Up Dead, due out from Solstice Publishing and available via Amazon on October 8! Be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of four copies of Waking Up Dead or a $10 Amazon card–and follow the tour or come back here once a day for even more chances to win!
When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she’s witnessed another murder, and she’s not about to let this one go. She’s determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?
Be sure to add Waking Up Dead to your Goodreads bookshelves!
___________________________ Excerpt
When I died, I expected to go to heaven.
Okay. Maybe hell. It’s not like I was perfect or anything. But I was sort of hoping for heaven.
Instead, I went to Alabama.
Yeah. I know. It’s weird.
I died in Dallas, my hometown. I was killed, actually. Murdered. I’ll spare you the gruesome details. I don’t like to remember them myself. Some jerk with a knife–and probably a Bad-Mommy complex. Believe me, if I knew where he was, I’d go haunt his ass.
At any rate, by the time death came, I was ready for it–ready to stop hurting, ready to let go. I didn’t even fight it.
And then I woke up dead in Alabama. Talk about pissed off.
You know, even reincarnation would have been fine with me–I could have started over, clean slate and all that. Human, cow, bug. Whatever. But no. I ended up haunting someplace I’d never even been.
That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, right? Ghosts are supposed to be the tortured spirits of those who cannot let go of their earthly existence. If they could be convinced to follow the light, they’d leave behind said earthly existence and quit scaring the bejesus out of the poor folks who run across them. That’s what all those “ghost hunter” shows on television tell us.
Let me tell you something. The living don’t know jack about the dead.
Not this dead chick, anyway.
___________________________
About the Author
Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.
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Words, Words, Words 