Today I have the pleasure of
hosting fabulous author Sharon Struth as she interviews
a character from her novel The Hourglass.
Remember to leave a comment to enter to win one of two $25 Amazon gift cards which she will give away
at the end of her tour, which is today.
Hello Nana. Thanks for hosting me on your blog. Today
I’m going to interview Brenda. This way your readers can learn a little
bit more about what makes the heroine of my book tick.
Meet character Brenda McAllister.
Relationship Psychologist. Bestselling Self-Help
Author. Our Heroine in The Hourglass
Sharon: Thank you for joining me today, Brenda.
How’d you end up in The Hourglass?
Brenda: It all started when my best friend and agent, Reggie, insisted I attend
a writer’s conference. My second self-help book, Sex in the Middle Ages, had just released. I wasn’t much in the
mood to go out in public. A year earlier, I lost my husband to suicide. Besides
feeling like a failure because I hadn’t helped him, I sure didn’t feel like an
expert on middle-aged folks and their sex lives either. Anyway, on the first
day of the conference, I rolled out of bed and decided to get myself a nice
latte to help me wake up. I’ll admit I was tired and looked like hell, but then
I ran into someone in the lobby and spilled his coffee all over him. *Shakes
her head* Just my luck…it’s this big-time author with a major ego and
attitude problem. CJ Morrison. His books have been made into movies. Anyway, I
learned he has a few anger issues and doesn’t accept apologies too well.
Sharon: At least you wouldn’t have to see the author
again.
Brenda: *Rolls her eyes* Are you kidding? Have you heard of Murphy’s
Law? Later in the day I was at a table to sign my books and CJ saunters by
with—get this—a sexy super-model at least twenty years younger than him hanging
off his arm. Ugh, I hate when older men date out of their age bracket. I will
admit though, at a second look without spilled coffee, he is pretty hot. Then, when he spotted me, he had the nerve to make a
snotty remark about what happened with the coffee. *Brenda snickers* I
got the last laugh, though. My dig about his younger girlfriend won’t be
forgotten.
Sharon: At least you’ll never have to see him.
Brenda: I’d never get to lucky. Turns out my agent invited him to join us at
the conference dinner. She had spoken to his agent about an arrangement to have
me help with a character profile in his book. Dinner was
awkward, at best, but the worse part was he ignored me while he charmed every
other lady who came to our table. I ran into him later at the bar and made a dig
that he could be nicer. It went over like a lead weight. *Brenda pauses*
Here’s what’s strange, though. The next morning, when I watched his keynote
address, my opinion of him changed.
Sharon: Why?
Brenda: His address focused on a climb he took up Mt. Everest. One line stopped
me. He said it showed him ways he could deal more with his personal struggles. And
that’s when I saw it.
Sharon: Saw what?
Brenda: Sadness. He’s stuck in a place of deep sadness. Something tells me he
wants to make himself better but can’t. I could almost relate to him, after
what I’ve been through with losing my husband. The psychologist in me needed to
know what made CJ tick otherwise I’m not sure I would have kept our work
arrangement.
Sharon: Did you find out why he seemed sad? Does it
explain his bad behavior the first time you two met?
Brenda: *Cocks her head and grins* Well, I guess you’ll just have to
read more to find out.
Can forgiveness survive lies and unspoken truths?
Until Brenda McAllister’s husband committed suicide, she appeared
to have the ideal life: a thriving psychology practice, success as a self-help author,
and a model family. But her guilt over her affair with Jack’s best friend
prevents her from moving on. Did Jack learn of her infidelity? Was she the
cause of his death?
The release of Brenda’s second book forces her into an unexpected
assignment with arrogant celebrity author CJ Morrison, whose irritating and
edgy exterior hides the torment of his own mistakes. But as she grows closer to
CJ, Brenda learns she wasn’t the only one with secrets—Jack had secrets of his
own, unsavory ones that may have led to his death. While CJ helps Brenda
uncover the truth about her husband, she finds the path to forgiveness isn’t
always on the map.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
An unexpected gravitational pull
swelled Brenda’s anger. Her cute quip ran into hiding. She no longer cared
about winning this man’s favor. His rudeness left her feeling as if she’d been
doused with hot coffee this time. Brenda clenched her fists. A year of internal
browbeating over Jack’s suicide had left her easily irritated.
Brenda gripped the frail edges of
her self-control. “I once again offer my apologies for the accident, by
definition an unplanned event with lack of intent.” He looked down his sturdy,
Grecian nose at her, so she stood and put her hands on her hips. “Shouldn’t
you, as a writer, know that?”
Every line on his face tensed. “I
could do without your sarcasm.” He leaned closer. “Thanks to you, I missed my
meeting. Maybe tomorrow morning you could get room service.”
The brunette unleashed a tight
smirk. CJ motioned for them to move on.
Brenda fumbled for a good retort. As
he stepped away, the last word went with him. The same way Jack had the last
word in their life together. A silent explosion went off inside Brenda’s head
and propelled her anger forward.
“Mr. Morrison?” She raised her voice
to be heard above the crowd.
He looked over his shoulder and arched
a questioning eyebrow.
Brenda crossed her arms and fixed a
phony smile as she nodded toward his companion. “It’s so nice of you to bring
your daughter to the conference.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Novelist
Sharon Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The Hourglass,
her debut novel, received first place in the Dixie Cane Memorial Contest and
second place in the Golden Heart. She writes from the friendliest place she’s
ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut, along with her husband, two daughters and
canine companions. For more information, including where to find her published
essays, please visit http://www.sharonstruth.com.
Discover
more about Sharon Struth here:
Blogs
at "Life in the Middle Ages” http://www.sharonstruth.wordpress.com
Website:
www.sharonstruth.com
Facebook
Author Page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-Struth-Author-Page/139641182749036?ref=
OTHER
LINKS:
THE
HOURGLASS Webpage and Trailer: www.thehourglassnovel.com
All
Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thehourglass-1173513-149.html
Visit Sharon on her other stops and leave a comment to increase
your chances of winning one of the gift cards.
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/05/virtual-nbtm-tour-hourglass-by-sharon.html
The Hourglass sounds like a great read. (I love the cover too).
ReplyDeleteHi Lynda. Thank you! The publisher really gave me the kind of cover an authors hopes for! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteA most insightful way to meet Brenda thank you.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hello Mary. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for posting!
DeleteSad Brenda lost her husband to suicide then has to deal with a writer with a huge ego. The Hourglass sounds very interesting to say the least. Nice post.
ReplyDeletequeendsheena@hotmail.com
Hi Sheena-kay! Yes, it is sad but we learn what makes CJ tick isn't merely a bad attitude. Thanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteThank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.
DeleteSharon...Thanks for the character interview. I always enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteDid you have any psychology or counseling background that helped you in creating Brenda?
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Hi Catherine. I'm always reading articles about psychology but truly have no formal training. Yet it always interests me. I have a friend who has a job in the field and she "test-read" my book to make sure Brenda's assessment was authentic and she thought I'd done a good job. Guess all those Oprah shows and self-help articles has paid off :-)
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
Good morning, Nana! Thanks so much for hosting me today. I look forward to my visit :-)
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure, Sharon.
DeleteWhat a fun interview Sharon! Brenda was a great character and The Hourglass a terrific read. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Debbie! And thanks for stopping by!
Deletehah! I love character intervews! Brenda seems awesome and funny and I would definitely like to get inside her head for a book or two!
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
They are fun to write, too! Thanks for stopping by Andra!
DeleteThanks for the great character interview, it seems like she's been thru a lot but hasn't lost her spark which I like
ReplyDeletefencingromein at hotmail dot com
I think Brenda's motto is to never give up! Thanks for stopping by Shannnon.
DeleteLoved the excerpt with Brenda. It really tells a lot about the story and the characters in that brief interview.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it Jane! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteLove these character interviews! Well, it's the last day of the tour and I want to say I've enjoyed following you around, learning more about you and your books. So, thanks for a good time!
ReplyDeletekareninnc at gmail dot com
Hi Karen. The character interviews are fun to write, too. Thanks for following the tour!
DeleteHow will you be able to contact the winners of the Amazon cards?
ReplyDeleteI will select two winners from the blog tour and notify them via email.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
DeleteThanks for stopping by Rita!
ReplyDeletesounds like a good read!
ReplyDeleteHi Tori! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteThis is the last stop on my blog tour with Goddess Fish. Thanks to all who followed. I've selected the two winners for the raffle and would like to congratulate Catherine and Ingebord, who will be notified via email. Again, thank you to everyone who followed these past weeks. It's been fun!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the interview. Sounds like a fascinating novel.
ReplyDelete