Original Title: Vicki's Key
Series: Black Swamp Mysteries Series #1
Author: P.M. Terrell
Publisher: Drake Valley Press
Release Date: March 17th 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Following a flawed CIA mission, Vicki Boyd leaves the Agency to begin a new life in a new town assisting an elderly woman. But when she arrives, she finds Laurel Maguire has suffered a stroke and her nephew has arrived from Ireland to care for her. Vicki quickly falls in love with the charming Dylan Maguire, but all is not what it seems to be at Aunt Laurel's house. And when the VIA arrive to recruit Vicki for one more mission, she finds her CIA past and her new future are about to collide... in murder.
The top three best moments in my life:
Would have to include moving to Lumberton, North Carolina. The people here are tremendously supportive of the arts and authors and greeted me with open arms. I love setting some of my books in Lumberton (Exit 22, Vicki’s Key, and Secrets of a Dangerous Woman) as a small way of giving back to them what they give to me. I love having my nationwide book launches in Lumberton because it feels like the whole town comes out to support me. There’s no greater feeling.
Most people probably can’t picture me on a roller coaster but one of the happiest times I ever had was going to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia with my niece Marissa. Our goal was to ride as many roller coasters as we could. It was an overcast day and had rained earlier, so the park was empty. We rode 17 roller coasters that day and would have ridden more had my niece not gotten sick!
A thrilling moment was when I took a helicopter ride from St. Joseph, Missouri to Charleston, West Virginia. The trip was about 8 or 9 hours long, which included flying around the arch in St Louis and stopping for lunch in Louisville, Kentucky. I was writing Songbirds are Free, about my ancestor’s capture by Shawnee warriors in 1780, and it was exciting for me to take aerial photographs of the rivers she traveled and see so much undeveloped land more than two hundred years after she had been there. After flying in a helicopter, I never wanted to fly on a commercial airline again!
In thinking about the top three worst moments in my life:
What would have to be Number 1 is when I had the difficult decision of putting my foxhound, Skipper, to sleep. Several years ago, Skipper was found in the back yard paralyzed from the neck down. When the veterinarian said he had suffered an FCE (fibrocartilaginous embolism) and he could fully recover, I wasted no time in getting him to NC State’s world-renowned Veterinary Hospital. He remained there for several days and was transferred to the Animal Rehabilitation & Wellness Institute by pet ambulance. They taught him how to stand again and walk again. He showed me so much courage and heart that it still brings tears to my eyes. After several months, he came home and he lived for more than four years. Other than a bit of a stiff-legged walk (which was endearing) he returned to normal. Then somehow his stomach flipped and the prognosis was that he could not live long enough to even get through the surgery. So I did the humane thing and stood beside him, petting him and talking to him, as they administered a shot that put him to sleep forever. He didn’t suffer at the end but I did!
Number 2, which is probably a defining moment in many lives, was 9/11. I was answering emails in my office when I saw a news story in my browser about the Twin Towers, followed quickly by the crash at the Pentagon. I turned on the television and remained glued to the news for the next week. Before that day, I thought we were safe; after all, there was an ocean between us and most of the world—on both sides of the continent. That day showed me in horrifying detail how vulnerable we really can be. And I believe it changed many of us.
And the third was when I was dating a military officer and I received the news that he was gone forever. It was then that I discovered I would not die of a broken heart, even though I wanted to.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of thirteen books, including six suspense/thrillers and two historical suspense. Suspense Magazine says "p.m.terrell gets better with each and every book she writes" and Midwest Book Review says, "p.m.terrell is a master at skillfully combining drama, action, suspense and romance to engage the reader in an adrenaline rush of page turning adventure." PBS television host Barbara Berlin says, "p.m.terrell is the next John Grisham." A full-time writer for more than 12 years, her latest series, Black Swamp Mysteries, combines international intrigue and adventure with the CIA's psychic spy program, resulting in a series that appeals to lovers of suspense, romance or the paranormal. Prior to becoming an author, terrell operated two computer businesses focusing on computer intelligence and white collar crime. Her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense. For more about terrell and her books, visit www.pmterrell.com.
The author will be giving away gift baskets from the real town of Lumberton, where Vicki's adventure takes place--one for a randomly drawn commenter and one for the host with the most comments, excluding the host's own or p.m.'s. (US/Canada only)
Giveaway open for US/Canada only and it ends on August 3rd!
Series: Black Swamp Mysteries Series #1
Author: P.M. Terrell
Publisher: Drake Valley Press
Release Date: March 17th 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Following a flawed CIA mission, Vicki Boyd leaves the Agency to begin a new life in a new town assisting an elderly woman. But when she arrives, she finds Laurel Maguire has suffered a stroke and her nephew has arrived from Ireland to care for her. Vicki quickly falls in love with the charming Dylan Maguire, but all is not what it seems to be at Aunt Laurel's house. And when the VIA arrive to recruit Vicki for one more mission, she finds her CIA past and her new future are about to collide... in murder.
TOP 3 BEST AND WORST MOMENTS IN MY LIFE
- Guest post by P.M. Terrell
The top three best moments in my life:
Would have to include moving to Lumberton, North Carolina. The people here are tremendously supportive of the arts and authors and greeted me with open arms. I love setting some of my books in Lumberton (Exit 22, Vicki’s Key, and Secrets of a Dangerous Woman) as a small way of giving back to them what they give to me. I love having my nationwide book launches in Lumberton because it feels like the whole town comes out to support me. There’s no greater feeling.
Most people probably can’t picture me on a roller coaster but one of the happiest times I ever had was going to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia with my niece Marissa. Our goal was to ride as many roller coasters as we could. It was an overcast day and had rained earlier, so the park was empty. We rode 17 roller coasters that day and would have ridden more had my niece not gotten sick!
A thrilling moment was when I took a helicopter ride from St. Joseph, Missouri to Charleston, West Virginia. The trip was about 8 or 9 hours long, which included flying around the arch in St Louis and stopping for lunch in Louisville, Kentucky. I was writing Songbirds are Free, about my ancestor’s capture by Shawnee warriors in 1780, and it was exciting for me to take aerial photographs of the rivers she traveled and see so much undeveloped land more than two hundred years after she had been there. After flying in a helicopter, I never wanted to fly on a commercial airline again!
In thinking about the top three worst moments in my life:
What would have to be Number 1 is when I had the difficult decision of putting my foxhound, Skipper, to sleep. Several years ago, Skipper was found in the back yard paralyzed from the neck down. When the veterinarian said he had suffered an FCE (fibrocartilaginous embolism) and he could fully recover, I wasted no time in getting him to NC State’s world-renowned Veterinary Hospital. He remained there for several days and was transferred to the Animal Rehabilitation & Wellness Institute by pet ambulance. They taught him how to stand again and walk again. He showed me so much courage and heart that it still brings tears to my eyes. After several months, he came home and he lived for more than four years. Other than a bit of a stiff-legged walk (which was endearing) he returned to normal. Then somehow his stomach flipped and the prognosis was that he could not live long enough to even get through the surgery. So I did the humane thing and stood beside him, petting him and talking to him, as they administered a shot that put him to sleep forever. He didn’t suffer at the end but I did!
Number 2, which is probably a defining moment in many lives, was 9/11. I was answering emails in my office when I saw a news story in my browser about the Twin Towers, followed quickly by the crash at the Pentagon. I turned on the television and remained glued to the news for the next week. Before that day, I thought we were safe; after all, there was an ocean between us and most of the world—on both sides of the continent. That day showed me in horrifying detail how vulnerable we really can be. And I believe it changed many of us.
And the third was when I was dating a military officer and I received the news that he was gone forever. It was then that I discovered I would not die of a broken heart, even though I wanted to.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of thirteen books, including six suspense/thrillers and two historical suspense. Suspense Magazine says "p.m.terrell gets better with each and every book she writes" and Midwest Book Review says, "p.m.terrell is a master at skillfully combining drama, action, suspense and romance to engage the reader in an adrenaline rush of page turning adventure." PBS television host Barbara Berlin says, "p.m.terrell is the next John Grisham." A full-time writer for more than 12 years, her latest series, Black Swamp Mysteries, combines international intrigue and adventure with the CIA's psychic spy program, resulting in a series that appeals to lovers of suspense, romance or the paranormal. Prior to becoming an author, terrell operated two computer businesses focusing on computer intelligence and white collar crime. Her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense. For more about terrell and her books, visit www.pmterrell.com.
GIVEAWAY
The author will be giving away gift baskets from the real town of Lumberton, where Vicki's adventure takes place--one for a randomly drawn commenter and one for the host with the most comments, excluding the host's own or p.m.'s. (US/Canada only)
Giveaway open for US/Canada only and it ends on August 3rd!
Thank you for hosting p.m. today.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for having me today! I'll be checking back periodically and answering any questions and responding to comments. I love the question you asked me for this post; I hadn't really thought of those Top 3 Moments like this before.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Sorry for your loss of your love. I could not imagine that pain.
ReplyDeleteYou are a new author for me. I love to read and always looking for new authors to check out. My questions for you are: what is your favorite genre to write? Do you prefer to write stand-alones or series? And last one is top 5 authors you would recommend? What a great giveaway.
Christinebails@yahoo.com
Thanks for stopping in and leaving questions for me!
DeleteChris, you asked about my favorite genre to write. Honestly, it’s romance. But I need a good plot to wrap around it and the romance has to factor into that. I cut my teeth on suspense so I am finding whatever I write, it still has that air of suspenseful expectation.
I prefer to write a series because I don’t have to become familiar with new main characters in each book. It’s more like an old friend is visiting me again and we can pick up where we left off.
My favorite author has to be Erin Quinn; I love her Haunting series and it reminded me why I fell in love with books to begin with. Erin’s series takes place in Ireland (which I love) and I also enjoy Carla Neggers’ books set in Ireland. Amber Scott is a paranormal romance author who is wonderful as well, and once again my favorite book of hers is Fierce Dawn, also set in Ireland! I like Jon Krakauer’s books; especially Into Thin Air (an oldie but goody) about climbing Mount Everest which is very suspenseful, edge of your seat—and true. And to round out the Top Five, I love reading Daphne du Maurier’s books, though I do have to adjust to the writing style, since so much has changed in the way we describe things in books today. Thanks again for stopping by!
What a great post! I agree 9/11 was a huge moment in everyone's lives. I am so sorry for the lost of your sweetheart and having to make the decision to end the suffering of a long time companion is heartbreaking. Thank you for offering up this giveaway. Do you only write paranormal? (I love paranormal but I was just wondering)Carin
ReplyDeletemawmom(at)gmail(dot(dot)com
Hi, Carin! Thanks so much for stopping in.
DeleteVicki’s Key is actually the first book I’ve written that makes the jump to paranormal. And it’s also the most romantic book I’ve written. My others are more contemporary suspense and I think having that background made me able to write the paranormal aspect with more believability. If you’d prefer to try one that doesn’t have the paranormal, try Exit 22. The characters from Exit 22 and Vicki’s Key actually merge together into the series with the next book, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman.
The paranormal in Vicki’s Key center around two things: Vicki’s job as a psychic spy, which was patterned after the real psychic spy program (you can go to the CIA’s own website and browse their declassified documents for more info) and on the ghostly appearances Vicki sees in the book.
Thanks again for stopping in and asking a question!
Isn't it wonderful how attached we get to our pets, our companions? Even though we make the right decisions for them in the end, it's no less heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that I have not heard of you or read any of your books. I'm your neighbor...right in Wilmington. And I'm a librarian. There's no excuse for not knowing a local author!
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Thank you so much for stopping in, Catherine! I love that you're a librarian in Wilmington! I hope you'll check out www.bookemnc.org - I started The Book 'Em Foundation about 10 years ago and we're having an annual Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference & Book Fair on the last Saturday of each February. Our next event is Feb 23 and our headliners are Hollywood Producer Chuck Williams (telling how books are made into movies) and NYT bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe, as well as more than 75 authors, publishers, literary agents and book publicists. It's free and open to the public and proceeds go toward increasing literacy. I hope you'll come by and see me!
DeleteSounds very interesting! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletemadelinebrubaker {at} gmail (dot) com
Thank you for the opportunity to win a gift basket and for introducing an unknown author to me. I can't wait to read her work. My favorite genre.
ReplyDeleteSuspense, romance and paranormal -- my three favorite genres all wrapped into one! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteDigicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
Very nice post.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com