Friday, February 13, 2015

Interview with Tamzen Schultz, author of The Frailty of Things.




The Frailty of Things
By Tamsen Schultz
Genre: Romantic Suspense

 

Book Blurb:

Independence. Kit Forrester is a woman who wears her independence like armor. Despite keeping secrets and hiding her past, she’s built a life she loves and is accountable to no one. Until, that is, one of the world’s most wanted war criminals sets his sights on her and she must weigh the risk to one against the chance of justice and closure for many—a decision Kit couldn't make on her own even if she wanted to.

Certainty. As a man who makes his living in the shadows of governments and wars, certainty isn’t a part of Garret Cantona’s vocabulary, and he’s just fine with that. But when Kit walks into his life, he realizes he’s never before been so sure about anything or anyone. Suddenly, he finds he’s looking at the world, his world, in a different light. And now that he is, he’s determined to protect it, and her, in whatever ways he can.

Frailty. No one knows better than Kit and Garret that an appreciation for what is, or what was, or what might be, can be born from the uncertainty and fragility of life. But when a hunt for a killer leaves Garret no choice but to throw Kit back into her broken and damaged past, even his unshakable faith in what they have together might not be enough to keep it from shattering into a million pieces.

 

Author Bio:

Tamsen Schultz is the author of several romantic suspense novels and  American Kin (a short story published in Line Zero Magazine).  In addition to being a writer, she has a background in the field of international conflict resolution,  has co-founded a non-profit, and currently works in corporate America. Like most lawyers, she spends a  disproportionate amount of time thinking (and writing) about what it might be like to do  something else. She lives in Northern California in a house full of males including her husband, two sons, four cats, a dog, and a gender-neutral, but well-stocked, wine rack.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TamsenSchultz
Twitter: @tamsenschultz
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tamsen-Schultz/e/B009NVIEGO
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/tamsens
Website: www.tamsenschultz.com



Author’s Interview Questions
 
1.         Where did the idea come from for the book?

I love exploring the grey – there is a lot of grey in “The Frailty of Things” in terms of decisions people make, who they trust, and why they do certain things.

2.         What genre does your book fall under?
Romantic Suspense 

3.         What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Not so much a synopsis, but the over-arching theme of “The Frailty of Things” is forgiveness, of each other and ourselves.

4.         Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Published by Booktrope

5.         How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Longer than I would have liked…probably close to eight months. It’s that pesky middle that slows me down.

6.         Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I’m always inspired by all the strong girlfriends I have in my life – they are fun, interesting, and wise, and all the ladies of Windsor are my homage to them.

7.         What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It takes the small town of Windsor to the international arena with settings as diverse as London, Rome, and rural Vermont.

8.         In general do you like to talk about you writing and published books or are you very close-lip about it? If no why?
I do like to talk about it in the right context. I’m not going to bring it up at a business meeting, but if you ask me about it, I love talking about it – mostly because it’s so fun.

9.         What book/s are you currently writing and what is it about?
I’m writing the next Windsor Series book called “An Inarticulate Sea” which is Drew and Carly’s story. She’s a small town policewoman and Drew, well, Drew is a lot of things.

10.      What is the writing process like for you?
I’m not big on giving myself reasons to feel guilty (I think we women do that enough already) so I don’t actually have a process because if I did and I didn’t stick to it, I’d feel bad. So really, I write when I can and try to have a lot of fun doing it. So far so good.

11.      How did/do you teach yourself to write?
By writing and reading and listening….learning to write is a long process and I’m still learning. I plan to be learning until I can’t write anymore.

12.      What aspect of the craft do you think is the most difficult to learn?
For me, because I write mysteries, I’m still playing with the best ways to keep track of all the small, but important details.


13.      What is the best and/ or worst part of being a writer?
The best part about writing is getting to live in another world for a period of time. And then I get to come back to my own – it’s the best of all worlds!

14.      Any advice for struggling writers?
I suck at advice. I really do. I just think that if someone wants to write, they should just do write. And keep writing.

15.      What is your favorite genre to read or write?
I like so many genres – not a big fan of sci-fi, fantasy, or horror, but other than that, I pretty much read everything.

16.      Favorite author?
Depends on the day and my mood.

17.      Do you have a favorite spot to read and write?
Anytime, anywhere

18.      What did you do before you became a writer?
I was and still am a lawyer by training.

19.      What do you like to do when not writing? Share a photo
I send a picture of my kids, but they are too busy wreaking havoc on the house to stand still long enough for a photo.

20.      Do you have a bucket/ to-do list and would you share at least two things on it?
I want to go to Argentina, Buenos Aires is definitely on my bucket list. So is the Son Doong cave in Vietnam….as you can tell, I love to travel J
21.      This or that questions:
22.      Coffee or Tea - Coffee
23.      Sweet or savory – Savory
24.      Home make meal or takeouts – homemade
25.      Winter or summer – SUMMER
26.      Night-owl or Early-Bird – early bird (much to my husband’s dismay)
27.      Telephone or visits – visits (I hate the phone. I really do)
28.      Which social network do you prefer? – hmmm, loaded question. FB seems to be the most effective in keeping in touch with people (friends, family, and readers)
29.      Blogger or website? Honestly, I suck at both (much to my marketing manager’s dismay)
30.      What does your family say about your career? Supportive or Clueless – totally behind it 100%

31.      And Finally
Moto/wisdom in life you live by.  We’re only here once…if I have a dream, I go for it because no one else is going to do it for me and at the end of the day, I don’t want to regret things I didn’t do.

 


The author is giving away 3 $10 Amazon Gift Cards to 3 lucky readers!


 

1 comment:

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