Monday, 7 January 2013

Interview & $20 Amazon or BN Gift Card Giveaway: Captured Lies by Maggie Thom

Original Title: Captured Lies
Author: Maggie Thom
Publisher: Quadessence Solutions
Release Date: October 17th 2012
Genre: Suspense
Buy Links: Amazon | Kobo




She was kidnapped not once but twice and now someone wants her dead because of it....

Her life was a lie!

Bailey knew her upbringing wasn’t normal but she’s worked hard to stabilize her life. At 29, she finally has a good business, a stable home; her life is miles from that of her childhood. Then suddenly her mother dies, leaving a gaping hole and a discovery that they may not even be related. If Guy, the private investigator is to be believed, her life is a lie. Using the skills she learned on the streets, Bailey travels back through a sketchy and dangerous past, to find answers. Dodging bullets, staying ahead of those who want her dead and convincing Guy she can do it alone, are making it difficult to discover not only the secrets of her mother’s past but that of a family claiming she is theirs.

Everyone seems to have a story... but who’s telling the truth? And who wants her dead? Is Guy part of the solution? Or part of the problem? To discover the facts, she’ll have to untangle a web of deceit, lies, and secrets, dating back over thirty years.


INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE THOM


1.  Is there an inspiration behind why you chose writing?

I had an uncle who I absolutely adored. As a kid, he was my favorite person. I spent a fair bit of time with him and he always had time for me. He wrote his own music for the piano. He was always crafting one song or another. That fascinated me. I loved reading and I think what he did got me to wondering if I could write, 'cause I knew I sure couldn't compose music. :)

2.  When you were little, what did you want to be when you "grew up"? 

When I was quite young I had a few ideas but nothing that really lasted very long. I wanted to be a nurse (I think that lasted a few days), a teacher (lasted maybe a day or so). When I was a bit older I wanted to work at the zoo with the wild animals. However when I learned that I would have to start with cleaning out the cages and all the poop, I lost interest real fast. I had grown up on a farm so this was just too much of what I had already been doing.

3.  Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is....

Lord of the Rings

4.  What are your current literary works?  Any sneak peaks?

My next ebook is Tainted Waters. To be published in Spring of 2013
Excerpt:  
    “You’re fired!”
Sam’s hands slammed down on the arms of the office chair as she jerked forward. “Because some dude stole a necklace from his wife, pawned it and got the insurance for it? And I had the nerve to  tell the story?”
    “You’re fired!”
    There was so much more Sam wanted to say to him. To tell him. It wasn’t fair that she was getting kicked to the curb for other people’s lies and secrets. It wasn’t her fault that she felt truth should win out at all costs. Climbing to her feet, she stared hard at her boss, debating about telling him again why she’d written that story but the blue vein bulging from his forehead and the deep crimson color of his puffy cheeks, told her it was pointless and might just cause a heart attack.
    “The story didn’t run, so what’s the big deal?”
    His mottled face started to shake with fury. Sam picked up her coffee, which she’d been glad she’d set down when she’d come in, and took a step back. The last man she’d seen that angry had thrown a punch.
    “Only because I caught it. Nothing and I mean nothing gets printed in this paper without my say so. Very sneaky Samantha. Not acceptable. You’re done here. And don’t worry, you won’t ever work in this industry again.”
    Sam shook her head hoping something would fall into place and this would all make sense. It wasn’t like it was any different than any of the other stories the newspaper wrote – they got details, or as many as they could and then skewed them sideways if that’s what made the tale sensational. Only she hadn’t needed to do that, the facts themselves had been enough to make the story astounding. For once the paper might have been able to print the truth and nothing but the truth. The informant who’d put her on to this situation had been right, it had been unbelievable. She wished she’d been able to thank him, but that had been part of the agreement – no names, no thank yous, no mention of where the story started. And she couldn’t tell anyone because it wasn’t actually supposed to have been hers to tell.
    “I’m fired.” It didn’t compute.
    “Of course. I don’t say things I don’t mean. Now get out.”
    Sam eyed Mr. Donner, the man that she’d thought she was going to have a lot of respect for, the man she’d envisioned thanking in the future for all he’d taught her. For taking her under his wing and making her the exceptional journalist that she was. Okay she knew that was crap but she had hoped that her initial ‘feeling’ about him had been wrong. Besides, she figured even if he wasn’t more than a pompous figurehead that there had to be some people at the paper that she could learn from. Unfortunately to date, she’d only been patted on the head and given the lame jobs. Still, she’d actually started to believe that this job might actually be her calling. Well until she’d taken it into her head to run with a tip she’d been given – it hadn’t really been meant for her but since Tom hadn’t been at his desk when it kept ringing and ringing, she’d figured it had been hers to run with since she’d been the one to answer his phone. She had planned to show them what she could do and that would have been the start to her amazing career.
    Another damn dream dashed.
    Without stopping to think about what she was doing or even taking the time to rationalize that this wouldn’t be in her best interest, she tossed her almost full cup of lukewarm coffee across the expansive cherry wood desk, into the face of the man, who had been her supervisor for a few short months.
    “You bitch!” he screamed. He jerked awkwardly to his feet, only to step onto the leg of his office chair, pitching him forward over the desk. His large bulk flopped forward with a loud thud, landing spread eagled over the almost immaculate surface.
    Sam’s eyes widened with disbelief as she choked back a laugh. It was way past time for her to eave......

5.  If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?

    Great question. There are so many periods in history that would be fascinating to go to, being able to see it all happen live but also a little scary due to the mentality of the time. I think I would love to go back to the time of Joan of Arc. I would love to meet her and to be able to talk to her, get her thoughts, her feelings, what really motivated her. She stood up for what she believed in and at such a young age.

6.  What is your favorite scene in the book and why do you love it?

    I have several favorite scenes in Captured Lies - Bailey learning her life was a lie, her mom's funeral, her regrets about her and her mom's strained relationship, traveling back through her life on the run to find answers, trying to figure out who was trying to kill her... To choose, I guess I'd have to say when she finds a toy, Miss Piggy, that she lost as a child and hasn't seen in twenty five years. It's the start of her realizing that so much of what she'd been told all her life, really was a lie. She really questions, who does she trust and how does she unravel it all. It's kind of a gut wrenching moment when she finds it and all that it means.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maggie Thom made the hard decision to leave her successful, twenty year career in management, to write full time. The leap was easy, the freefall was adventurous and very enlightening. When she’s not running her children around or spending time with her best friend, her husband, she’s writing - anywhere, anytime. Give her five free minutes and you’ll find her busy scribbling down ideas. She lives in the real world but loves to get lost in the lives of her characters - who live, love and laugh and are all figments of her imagination. She is thrilled to release her first novel - Captured Lies - filled with suspense, murder, mystery and romance - available October 2012. She is busy writing her second novel to be released, spring of 2013.  

AUTHOR ONLINE: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

Maggie will be awarding winner's choice of a $20 Amazon or BN gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

All you have to do is COMMENT in this post.  Leave a message or question to the author.

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