Monday 19 August 2013

The Hourglass by Sharon Struth: Character #Interview and #Giveaway



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.


BLURB:

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.”

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

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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



OTHER LINKS:

THE HOURGLASS Webpage and Trailer: www.thehourglassnovel.com





 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

31 comments:

  1. The Hourglass sounds like a great read. (I love the cover too).

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    1. Hi Lynda. Thank you! The publisher really gave me the kind of cover an authors hopes for! Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. A most insightful way to meet Brenda thank you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. Hello Mary. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for posting!

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  3. Sad 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.

    queendsheena@hotmail.com

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    1. 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!

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  4. Sharon...Thanks for the character interview. I always enjoy them.

    Did you have any psychology or counseling background that helped you in creating Brenda?
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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    1. 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 :-)
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Good morning, Nana! Thanks so much for hosting me today. I look forward to my visit :-)

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  6. What a fun interview Sharon! Brenda was a great character and The Hourglass a terrific read. Good luck!

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    1. Thanks so much, Debbie! And thanks for stopping by!

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  7. hah! I love character intervews! Brenda seems awesome and funny and I would definitely like to get inside her head for a book or two!


    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

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    1. They are fun to write, too! Thanks for stopping by Andra!

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  8. Thanks for the great character interview, it seems like she's been thru a lot but hasn't lost her spark which I like

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

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    1. I think Brenda's motto is to never give up! Thanks for stopping by Shannnon.

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  9. Loved the excerpt with Brenda. It really tells a lot about the story and the characters in that brief interview.

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    1. Glad you liked it Jane! Thanks for stopping by.

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  10. Love 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!
    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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    1. Hi Karen. The character interviews are fun to write, too. Thanks for following the tour!

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  11. How will you be able to contact the winners of the Amazon cards?

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    1. I will select two winners from the blog tour and notify them via email.

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  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  13. Thanks for stopping by Rita!

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  14. Hi Tori! Thanks for stopping by.

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  15. This 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!

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  16. I really enjoyed the interview. Sounds like a fascinating novel.

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I love reading your comments.