Pages

Monday, October 31, 2011

Blood And Bone - A Virtual Book Tour

Today is the first day of a virtual book tour for the book - Blood and Bone.  Author, Dawn Brown is not only presenting her latest novel but providing a give away of a $20 Amazon gift card to one lucky reader who leaves a comment over the course of the tour.

Blood and Bone - comes with a product warning.  I'm not sure if that means one is supposed to bring out a scotch warmed with the flavours of peat and all things Scottish before reading or...  But I digress, only because Dawn has been kind enough to tell us about Scotland.




So without further ado - here is Dawn Brown on the first day of her virtual tour with her recently released book, Blood and Bone

Dawn's first sojourn into storytelling began when she was nine.  She would rather invite neighborhood kids into her garage and regale them with ghost stories, believing even then that atmosphere played an important role in a good story.


Dawn has a diploma in journalism, but found herself pursuing a career in computer leasing.  After the birth of her son, she gave up the corporate world to be a mom and write full time, trading in her dreary cubicle for a dreary room in the attic.  Now Dawn spends her days creating dark, romantic mysteries with edgy heroes, clever heroines and villains she hopes will keep her readers sleeping with the light on.



I asked Dawn to tell us about a trip that changed her.  Any trip, across the globe or just a short jaunt to her local grocery story.  Here's Dawn's spin on -

Life hasn't been quite the same since...

When I was twenty-four, I went to Scotland with  my mother and grandmother.  Most people thought I was nuts making a trip like that with my grandmother.  I thought it was a great idea.  I was not well travelled, after all.  The only other time I'd been out of the country was a school trip to Washington DC when I was in eighth grade.  My grandmother made this trip Scotland, where she'd grown up, to visit her sisters every other year.  She would be able to show me everything I wanted to see.  Besides, I loved my grandmother.  She told funny stories and baked me a chocolate cake every year for my birthday.  

I was right.  My grandmother was great at making sure I got to see all the touristy sites.  Our first day in Edinburg, we climbed Arthur's Seat.  It's a small grass covered mountain in the middle of the city.  At the top, we took a rest looking out over the Firth of Forth, and she told me about playing on Arthur's Seat when she was a little girl, and how one of her friends turned up with her baby sister in a stroller.  All the kids playing there thought it would be a great idea to let the stroller go rolling down from the top--without baby sister in it, of course.  By the time the stroller hit the bottom it was just a crumpled ball.

We went to Edinburg Castle where my grandmother and her friends--who I was beginning to picture like the Little Rascals--would play hide and seek until security tossed them out.  Then Holyrood Palace where she and her friends stood on the fence trying to catch a glimpse of the future queen playing in the garden.

We passed the shop where my grandmother worked when she met my grandfather.  She was fifteen and he was fourteen.  We ate ice-cream at the parlor across from the church where grandparents were married just before the war ended.  

And then it hit me.  All these places we were visiting weren't merely tourist attractions, but places and moments from my grandmother's history.  I saw her differently then.  As a person.  She wasn't just a sweet old lady who baked and told stories.  For the first time, I saw her as a woman who had lived and loved and lost just like I had.  Just like I would.

She passed away seven years ago and I still miss her.  I imagine I always will.  But I will forever be grateful for that trip together.  I'm not sure I would have ever gained that same insight without it.


 


The deeper they dig into the past, the closer they come to a killer.  

Crime writer Shayne Reynolds is looking for the next book that'll get her out of her parents' basement and on track to rebuilding her life.  She's found it in Robert Anderson, a confessed murderer who's out on parole.  Something's never added up about that case. 

From the moment she sets foot in Dark Water, nothing goes as planned.  Anderson's family wants her to drop the story--especially surviving son Des.  A man who ignites sizzling heat even as he stands firmly in her way.

Laboring under his father's crushing legacy and his grandmother's iron resolve to get rid of the nosy writer at any cost, Des struggles to save the self-destructive sister who once saved him.  There's something honest and forthright about Shayne, though, that tempts him to help her get to the truth.  Even if it means double-crossing his powerful grandmother.

Despite their resolve to keep it strictly business, sexual sparks quickly set fire to tangled emotions.  And threads of a fragile bond that someone with a vendetta could use to weave their death shroud...

Product Warning:  This story contains a feisty writer, a sexy younger man and a 
mystery with enough twists and turns to cause vertigo.


Excerpt from Blood and Bone:
 The sucking slop of footsteps in wet mud rose from the surrounding black.  The hair on the back of her neck bristled, and a chill tickled along her spine.


Was it Hudson coming back to finish her off?  Tic?


What was she doing standing around here anyway?  A woman, alone, late at night, on a deserted country road, during a thunderstorm?  The scene had slasher flick written all over it.


She started for the driver's side door, but a low moan rose up from the darkness.  The wind?  Had to be.  Still, she picked up her pace.


The moan came again, louder this time.  Shayne stopped and turned.  A dark, hunched figure staggered toward her.


"Christ."  She gripped the door handle and yanked open the door.


The stooped outline lurched in front of her single headlight, and the glare illuminated the ugliest Hawaiian shirt she'd ever seen.  Relief swamped her like a tidal wave, turning her muscles soft for the second time in one night.  The feeling, however, was short-lived.  He might not have been the homicidal maniac she'd imagined, but the jerk had scared the life out of her.  And all because he was staggering drunk.  Even from this distance, the smell of beer was nearly overpowering.


As he pitched forward, the light cast a ghostly pallor over his face.  Dark smudges beneath his left eye, along his lip and circling the edges of each nostril stood out from the stark whiteness of his skin.


Blood.


He wasn't just drunk, he was hurt.



Are you as intrigued by Blood and Bone as I am?  Get to know the author, ask questions, or just leave your thoughts on the book or the author.  Each commenter will be entered for a chance to win a prize of a $20 Amazon gift card  that Dawn will provide on a random draw at the end of her tour.

And, if you still have questions about Dawn - head over to her website at www.dawnbrown.org
or follow her tour; next stop, Reading Romances on November 1.


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com


43 comments:

booklover0226 said...

Hi, Dawn.

You're a new author for me but not for long. Blood and Bone sounds great and I'm adding it to my must have list.

I checked out your site and other works. Your book covers are wonderful. Do you work closely with the cover artist?

Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com

orchid7 said...

I love finding new-to-me authors! This book looks like a great read. Thanks for the chance to win!

debbie at burdeen dot com

Dawn Brown said...

Thanks Ryshia for having me.

Tracey, I've been so lucky with the cover art for all my books. But I must admit, I think Blood and Bone is my favorite so far.

After I fill out a cover art form (which I'm probably annoyingly vague on) my editor mediates between myself and the cover artist. With Blood and Bone there was a first cover that was gorgeous, but there was someone concern it didn't convey the suspense element of the story. The second version is the one we used and it was just perfect.

Tnanks so much for commenting, Tracey.

Annmarie Weeks said...

You had me at "sexy younger man"! Looking forward to checking out this book!

Ryshia Kennie said...

Welcome to my blog Dawn - good to have you. Hope today finds many people introduced to what looks like a fantastic new book!

Margie said...

This sounds like an exciting read. Good luck with the tour. Thanks for the giveaway.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

teresa said...

Hi Dawn! The trip to Scotland with your grandmother sounds lovely. I loved Blood and Bone and eagerly await your next novel!
Happy touring.
Tere

Dawn Brown said...

Thanks, Debbie. And good luck!

Amweeks, I'm right there with you on the sexy younger man thing. ;-)

Thanks Margie!!

Tere, it was a wonderful trip. Thanks so much for stopping in.

Patti P said...

I saw sexy younger man and I want it!
Thanks.
musicalfrog at comcast dot net

desitheblonde said...

The book sound great me i would
love to go the castle and see the thing that go tick in the night or day the cover is great most of the time i go for the cover and then read the books
desitheblonde@msn.com

littlequeenie29 said...

What an amazing opportunity to have gone with your Grandma. My Grandma pased away almost 2 yrs ago and they did a life sketch. That is when it.hit me how truly little I had known her. She.was once a high school gitl like I had been, she had played with dolls, etc. it was an awful time to have woken up to it since I was in my 40's then. Missed alot.
Anyways, I wish you the best with your book. sounds like a winner.

Anne said...

Dawn's a new to me author too.

Sounds like her/your grandmother was a real pistol and probably more fun on a trip than your friends would have been.

I enjoyed the excerpt, despite being short it was suspenseful.

acm05atjuno dot com

susan said...

What a great memory you have with your grandmother..never forget it and I know you miss her and you always will..time just makes it easier to handle. I lost my mom when I was 17 and that is almost 49 years ago now but I still think of her and miss her. I had tears in my eyes after reading your story as I feel your loss ..been there too many times in my 64 years..almost 65. I love the sound of your book and hope to be entered in the drawing. Thanks for sharing your story and know grandmas is still up there looking down at you and saying "she's my girl". Take care susan Leech garysue@dejazzd.com

Karen H said...

Hi Dawn,

First off, congratulations on the release of your new book. I read primarily regency set historical romances but I enjoy the occasional suspense/thriller/mystery type story and Blood and Bone sounds like just the ticket.

You are a new-to-me author and I am not familiar with your work. That's the reason I like the blog book tours...I find so many authors and so many more books!

Chrisbails said...

Hi Dawn,
You are a new author for me and always looking for new books and authors to check out. Blood and Bone looks awesome and would love to win and read this.
I do have a couple of questions for you:
If you could write any genre what would you write? Also any favorite authors? Favorite books? Favorite TV shows or Movies?
Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win.
christinebails@yahoo.com

Pat Cochran said...

You are a new author to me, too. Just
read the excerpt of Blood and Bone, &
I am definitely drawn to the story!
Good luck! Thanks for the opportunity
to win a prize!

Pat Cochran
p-cochran@juno.com

Karyn Good said...

Blood and Bone sounds like a wonderful book! Always a good day when you come across a new-to-me author.

Thanks,
Karyn

karyngood at hotmail dot com

cky15 said...

i like what I have read so far. It has make my wish list to read.
I am looking forward to more books from you.

Dawn Brown said...

Patti, the sexy younger man does seem to be a big draw. ;-)

Desi, I'm always drawn to a good cover too.

Queenie29, it was a fantastic trip and I'm so glad I went with her.

Thanks Anne. I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt.

Susan, it must have been so hard to lose your mnom that young. I'm so sorry. Thanks for commenting.

Thanks, Karen. These tours are a great way to find new authors, aren't they?

Thanks, Pat. Glad you liked it.

Thanks, Karyn!

Dawn Brown said...

Chris, I've tried writing paranormals--I love reading them so I thought I'd try writing one--sadly, I wasn't very good at it.

I have so many favorite writers, but here's just a few. Minette Walters, Nora Roberts, J.R. Ward, Barbara Michaels. As for favorite books there are way too many to list. Favorite TV shows, Vampire Diaries, Rookie Blue, The Glades.

Thanks for asking.

Dawn Brown said...

Thanks, Cky!

Anonymous said...

A new author and a new read!!!!Blood and Bone sounds like a great book!

klmc_37@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I have Blood and Bone in my TBR pile on the Kindle. Hoping to read it soon. Sounds like a great read.

elizabeth said...

Love finding new authors. This sounds like a good story. Would love to win the book. But will look for it either way.

Elizabeth Gray
elizabethgr@sbcglobal.net

Ryshia Kennie said...

I just headed over to Amazon and read the sample they provided for Blood and Bone. For anyone who hasn't gone there - head on over. The link is below. Yeah, I know you'll have to copy and paste the very long link but it's worth the effort!

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-and-Bone-ebook/dp/B005NKEK26/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320105843&sr=8-1#reader_B005NKEK26.

Dawn, I love how you begin those first two chapters with a statistic, and of course I'm curious to know if you continue that pattern.

Great beginning, I didn't want to stop reading. Any intriguing tidbits on how you came up with the idea for the book?

Interesting twist on the title Blood and Bone and it hits right off the top in the opening pages. Sorry, everyone will have to read for themselves, I'm not spilling.

Chelsea B. said...

Thank you for sharing, Dawn :-)

justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

Linda Kish said...

This sounds really interesting! Count me in, please.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Dawn Brown said...

Thanks, Kimmy.

I hope you like it, fcrammer. :-)

Thanks, Elizabeth!

My pleasure, Chelsea. Thanks for stopping in.

Thanks, Linda!

Dawn Brown said...

Thanks, Ryshia. Yes, those excerpts do appear at the beginning of every chapter. And for the reader paying close attention they may find a few clues in them.

I got the idea while reading an article about men who murder their families and the personality traits many of them share. The idea for Blood and Bone sort of snowballed from there.

Sue A. said...

I'm late finding out about the book tour. Good luck with the book!

I started late with traveling too, but I think it was more memorable that way.

magenta 2 red [at] gmail [dot] com

Anonymous said...

Loved the picture. The book sounds interesting and I will add to my TBR wishlist.
Thanks
Patricia
panthers.ravens@yahoo.com

campfirestars said...

Dawn,

Terrific very compelling Exerpt of the Book. Great atmosphere created--I could feel the tension and indeed the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Hm--will I sleep tonite or just think about "what happens next" !?!

merrypoint said...

Hi Dawn,

Blood and Bone sounds great - can't wait to read it!

Dawn Brown said...

Thanks, Sue. Sadly, I'm still not very well travelled. Maybe one day.

Thanks, Patricia!

Campfires, I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt.

Thanks, Merry!

Dawn Brown said...

Thanks Ryshia for having me. And thanks to everyone for your questions and comments. I had fun.

Ryshia Kennie said...

Thanks Dawn for making Halloween just a little more extra special. I know, I for one, am looking forward to reading your new release.

And thank you everyone for participating. Good luck in the upcoming draws!

Lisa said...

Fantastic way to find a new author - and to learn about them, as well! Great job and thanks to Ryshia and Dawn! Lisa

www.lisamcmanuslange.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

It sounds like your trip was a time well spent with your grandmother. One of the few (and I mean few) memories that I have of my grandma is of me riding a donkey with her at my side. We were in a field of wheat or something but I whenever I think of her, I remember that day. She is still alive and well, but she lives in Mexico and I in the state of Virginia. I don't have money to visit her and the situation at the border is apparently bad so yea. But I will treasure that memory, for one day that may be all I have left of her.
Thanks for sharing your memory.
I hope to read your full book, it seems really interesting.

-Alice/ escagirl1056@hotmail.com

Krystal Larson said...

I love the excerpt, I would buy this book with the gift card ;)

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

Love, love, love finding new authors to add to my list. Romantic suspense is my go to read so am looking forward to checking your boos out.

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

In Julie's Opinion said...

What a great guest post! I hadn't heard of this book before now, but I definitely want to read it after reading the excerpt! Thanks for bringing this terrific author and book to my attention:)
jwitt33 at live dot com

Mary Preston said...

Blood and Bone is now on my reading list. Fabulous.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Anonymous said...

Great! thanks for the share!