Book Spotlight and Giveaway for The Shed

Don't forget to enter the raffelcopter at the end of the post. Dianne will be awarding a A $25 Gift Card from Amazon plus an e-copy of ALEX, the first book in the series to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Blog tour is hosted by Giddess Fish and you can find the full tour schedule HERE

Talking with author Dianne Hartsock

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I've always been a story teller, starting with the bedtime stories I'd tell my younger brothers and sister when we were little. And I'm still telling stories, only now I write them down. I live here in Oregon with my lovely husband and work as a floral designer in a local shop. I job I love, by the way! When not working I spend as much time as I can here at the keyboard typing away at my current WIP. I have so many stories to tell I need to keep after them or I'll never get them all done.

What is your book(s) about?

THE SHED is the sequel to my psychological thriller ALEX

ALEX is the story of a twenty-something year old psychic who's having gruesome visions of the victims of a serial killer in the area. Through a summer of mental anguish and physical pain, flashbacks of a tortured childhood and the rallying of close friends, Alex wins through and helps the police catch the killers.

THE SHED picks up immediately from where ALEX leaves off, but where ALEX is told from his point of view, THE SHED is told mostly from the perspective of his mental health specialist, Scott Reid. Dealing with the scars of his own childhood, Scott is in the unique position to empathize and help Alex as he learns to control his visions rather than blindly following them.    

Though THE SHED is mostly about the kidnapping and brutalization of two young men and the heroes' drive to try and save them, it also has the underlying stories of Alex's battle to have a normal life and Scott Reid's attempt to give love one more try with Art Peters, a local art dealer.

What are you currently working on?

Several years ago I wrote a fantasy adventure, m/m romance novel, then set it aside, not entirely pleased with it. I just picked it up again this week and am happy to say the edits are going fantastic! I found my focus and am having a great time becoming reacquainted with this world and the people inhabiting it. I also feel I've come a long way as a writer these last few years and am able to add so much more to the story than I could back then. The adventure is all there, so I also get to focus a little more on the romantic bits, which is always a favorite with me.

How long did it take you to get your rough draft finished on your latest release?

THE SHED seemed to take forever to write! It's hard to say an exact timeframe, because there was promoting for my other stories to do and edits on some new ones and writing things for anthologies thrown into the time I spent writing this story. But roughly it took 5 months from the time I wrote the first word until I sent it off.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

You mean besides my full time job as a floral designer? *smiles* I love reading almost as much as I like writing books, so I can always be found with my nose between the pages or staring at my kindle. I also enjoy spending the evening on the porch with my husband or by the fire in cold weather. I love having lunch with friends and seeing a good movie or getting a beer and hearing live music in the evening once in a while. Also, my husband and I love to travel so we'll take a few days to drive somewhere new or spend some time at the beach.

What genres do you write in?

I mostly write short stories, m/m erotic romances: contemporary, fantasy, and paranormal. ALEX is a psychological thriller novel with some gay sensuality. THE SHED is its sequel with an m/m romance subplot. The novel I've recently submitted is an m/m contemporary paranormal romance and the fantasy novel I'm currently working on will have a strong m/m romance subplot. 

What was the hardest part of writing your book(s)?

Both ALEX and THE SHED deal with the harsh realities of child abuse and mental health issues, and in THE SHED, the sexual abuse of a young boy as well. In both books, these are shown in flashbacks to the MC's childhood, but researching and writing about these issues, as well as reliving some of my own issues in writing these books, made some scenes very hard to write.

If you write a series do you reread your previous books before you begin the new one?

Oh, definitely. And I also take stacks of notes as I'm writing and again when I reread a story. Makes it so much easier to find what I need rather than having to search the book every time I mention a character or use a scene from a previous story.

When writing, how do you keep track of timelines, ideas, inspiration and such? By notes on the computer, a notebook perhaps?

Everything gets written down in a notebook beside the computer. My characters usually come to me ready-made, appearing on the page when I need them. I jot down their name and characteristics as they are revealed. Same with setting the scenes of a story. I write down the details as I see them as the story moves along. That way, if a character returns to a certain place, I already have notes on the main details. I don't need to go searching for that particular place or person they might have previously met.

I’m always looking for book recommendations. What books have you been reading? Would you recommend them?

A short while ago I discovered Shira Anthony's Blue Note series. Fantastic books! Interesting plots and characters I've come to love.

I also enjoy Hank Edwards' books. Fast paced and exciting.

I've also been reading the Pulp Friction 2014 series by Lee Brazil, Havan Fellows, T.A. Webb and Laura Harner and really enjoying them.

The Shed

Contemporary/Paranormal M/M

Solstice Publishing

Available at Amazon / BN / Publisher

As a Certified Mental Health Therapist, Scott Reid has his share of interesting experiences, though nothing compares with the time he spends with the psychic, Alex Elson. Plagued by terrifying images and dreams, Alex turns to Doctor Reid in the hopes of learning to control his visions. Instead, Scott is pulled into Alex’s world, where dreams and reality mix and nightmares are real.

Two young men, brothers, have been abducted from the lake outside of Oakton without a trace of who took them. That is, until Alex receives a silver pocket watch in the mail belonging to the elder brother, a taunt from the kidnapper for Alex to come find them. Alex’s visions turn at once into nightmares. Images flash in his mind of an abandoned well and a terrified, lonely boy slowly dying at the bottom. The shed looms close by, holding a horrifying secret, a dark place Alex’s frightened mind refuses to go.

With the help of Scott Reid, Alex endeavors to control his visions and find the brutalized victims before death claims them. But the watch is ticking away and time’s running out.

Teaser:

Scott glanced at his watch as he started the car and pulled onto the street. Damn. He was already ten minutes late for his appointment with Alex Elson. “Please wait,” he muttered and drove a little faster than was prudent as he crossed town to the converted bungalow that housed his private practice. His patients at the clinic had seemed extra needy that day, especially Helen Kramer. Her nightmares had gotten worse, vivid and terrifying.

He sighed when traffic slowed in front of him. Though he’d been meeting with Alex for a few months, he knew the young man wasn’t thrilled with the arrangement. He could easily use Scott’s tardiness as an excuse to stop seeing him.

Scott realized he had chewed his bottom lip and soothed the hurt with his tongue. Alex’s case intrigued him but he wasn’t sure if he could be of any use to the young man. He knit his brow as he maneuvered the busy street, wondering if anyone could help him. Alex’s visions were real, he had no doubt, but successfully helping Alex to control them might be more than they could hope for. And they seemed to be getting worse, coming more frequently. Scott worried he’d lose his hold on reality this time around.

Alex stood on the sidewalk outside Scott’s office and Scott let out a relieved breath as he pulled into the driveway. Thank God. He was drawn to the young man and really wanted to help. He clarified the thought to himself. There wasn’t anything sexual in the attraction, though Alex was pretty in a dark, brooding way. But Alex was tortured. Vulnerable. And damn it, Scott liked him and hoped to make his life a little easier, if possible.

About the Author

Dianne grew up in one of the older houses in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play.

She says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house while it pours rain outside, a fire crackles on the hearth inside, and a cup of hot coffee warms her hands which kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

Blog: http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/diannehartsock

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/diannehartsock

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4707011-dianne-hartsock

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Dianne-Hartsock/e/B005106SYQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1361897239&sr=8-1

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