Tuesday 28 November 2023

J.L. Campbell - Flames of Wrath blog tour

Today, I'm welcoming the excellent author J.L. Campbell to help kick off the blog tour for her new release, Flames of Wrath!


The need to right a wrong against an innocent victim triggers a hailstorm of revenge. 


Flames of Wrath

by J.L. Campbell

Genre: Crime Thriller 

A mother’s quest for justice turns into a race against time to stop insidious murders that mysteriously begin populating throughout the city. Fans of Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware will be enthralled by this emotionally chilling thriller!

The need to right a wrong against an innocent victim triggers a hailstorm of revenge!
 
In less than twenty-four hours—before Alexia Leighton is scheduled to return to Miami from spring break in Jamaica—a group of friends betray her in a grisly assault that stops a heartbeat away from murder. The seventeen-year-old prays for the mercy of death. She survives. While on the road to recovery, Alexia's attackers become victims of mysterious acts of violence, leaving authorities confounded and racing against time to prevent another deadly attack. Concern looms, as the perpetrator has proven to be two steps ahead of them at every turn.
 
When the attention swings to Alexia's mother, a cyber-security expert, the family closes ranks. Geneva Leighton must quickly eliminate herself as a suspect, but not without handing down more punishment. The offenders fear for their own safety and the secrets that plague them. Can they trust the police to find the killer before someone else dies, or has their fate been sealed—leaving them with no place to run, and no place to hide . . .


Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

An Accidental Adventure

Flames of Wrath is a new genre for me and an adventure that started when I pitched a romantic suspense story to Black Odyssey Media. They were more interested in a thriller, and since I’m not one to back down from a challenge, I brainstormed the idea with my son and expanded on the concept I’d come up with in a synopsis.

The main character is a cybersecurity expert, so that meant a fair amount of research to make the story credible. Writers tend to fall down a rabbit hole when researching, so I had to balance information on technology without getting lost in subject matter that I wouldn’t use in the story.

The writing was the easiest part of pulling Flames of Wrath together. I tend to take a linear approach but this book had me writing chapters out of sequence. Some at the back end of the story were written early and only had to be tweaked a bit when I arrived at that part of the book.

The best thing about writing this novel is the fact that it’s a new adventure for me. I’ve been blessed in that I’ve never written in a genre that didn’t like me. There were times when I asked what I had gotten myself into with this story, but my experience with romantic suspense gave me the edge I needed to bring all the critical elements together in a cohesive way.

Would I do it again? That’s a definite yes. The characterization, accidents-on-purpose, and plot twists made Flames of Wrath exciting to write. I hope readers will find it as interesting to read.

National Bestselling Author, J.L. Campbell lives in Jamaica and writes across several genres. She is a certified editor, and book coach, who has produced over forty books. When she’s not writing, Campbell adds to her extensive collection of photos featuring Jamaica’s natural beauty.


Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thursday 2 November 2023

IWSG Apology and Good Luck for NaNoWriMo!

I'm just realising I spaced on IWSG this month so I'm just checking in to apologise, I had a slow start to the week writing wise and so I was more focused on getting words on a Word doc rather than the blog composer. I see the question related to NaNoWriMo, being November, so I'll give a shout out to anyone buckled in for that crazy ride this year. I've taken part three times (I think? It's a bit hazy), winning once, but of course it's more about getting ideas down and getting re-inspired if you need it than getting to 50k words per se. Good luck and I'll be here next month. Hard to believe 2023 is nearly at an end!

Wednesday 4 October 2023

IWSG October 2023

Time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. This month's co-hosts are Natalie AguirreKim LajevardiDebs CareyGwen GardnerRebecca Douglass and Patricia Josephine.


Today's optional IWSG question is a good one! I'm a bit late today, but I couldn't resist weighing in on this one.

The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts?

This one's interesting to me because I'm currently exploring AI themes in my WIP - not in terms of assisting in writing, but in the context of VR worlds and immersive experiences. Suffice it to say, things don't go so well when the characters are allowed some degree of independent thought rather than following preprogrammed behaviour patterns. I suppose it reflects my fear that AI could get out of control if we let it - and the most sinister result could be an overload of blandness. We all know there are already plenty of human-produced works out there in every genre that reproduce the same set of tropes that fans of that area have come to expect. AI can only compound this and accelerate the stagnation because it can only imitate, not innovate. I suppose the argument in favour is that this is giving readers what they want, but art isn't a production line. I like to know exactly what I'm getting when I order my favourite pizza. In contrast, when I pick up a new book, I'd like to be surprised - to encounter a different way of looking at the world, to come away slightly changed by the experience. Also, can AI capture the intricacies and idiosyncracies of human relationships in the same way we can? I'd need to be convinced on that.

AI can't move things forward, it can only reproduce and dilute what's already out there. I don't think it'll produce a great work of world literature like Frankenstein or Lord of the Rings. They may not have been the first ever works of horror or fantasy, but they were different to what came before and changed the game in terms of what those genres could be and what they could achieve.

I could go on, but I'd probably get into an even more worried and troubled state. Maybe I'm a Luddite in some ways, but the only word processing software I've ever used is Word and I don't even like the autofinish feature - how many times does it come out with the wrong thing?! Creativity has to stay in the hands of humans if things are to remain vital and progressive. 

Over to you - I'd love to hear your thoughts! I'm sure there are also loads of interesting answers at the IWSG sign-up sheet here.

Friday 22 September 2023

The Becalmer blog tour Day 5

It's the last day of The Becalmer blog tour already! Can't believe it's gone so quick, but it's been a huge amount of fun. I hope you've enjoyed following along with some of the posts. For today's final stop, I'm at Lisa Haselton's blog with an interview and excerpt. Have an amazing weekend!



Thursday 21 September 2023

The Becalmer blog tour Day 4

Onto Day 4 of the blog tour for The Becalmer, my recently released traditionally published debut. Today's stops are as follows:

Literary Gold - excerpt/interview

Kit 'n Kabookle - excerpt/interview

Don't forget there's a chance to win a $10 Amazon/B&N gift card all week. Hope you can join!



Wednesday 20 September 2023

The Becalmer blog tour Day 3

It's day 3 of the blog tour for my debut traditionally published novel, The Becalmer. Can't believe we're already halfway through! Here are today's stops:

Archaeolibrarian - excerpt/review

Straight from the Library - interview/excerpt

Hope to see you there!



Tuesday 19 September 2023

The Becalmer blog tour Day 2

Onto day 2 of the blog tour for my debut traditionally published book, The Becalmer and today I'm calling in at the following stops:

Sybrina's Book Blog - excerpt/guest post on why I write speculative fiction

Fabulous & Brunette - excerpt/guest post on how to create great main characters

Hope you can join! Don't forget, there's a giveaway running throughout the tour to win a $10 Amazon/B&N gift card too.