INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Sins of the Father
(Sister Christian Book 2)
(Sister Christian Book 2)
by Lisa Beth Darling
Sins of the Father, the second book in the Sister Christian series by Lisa Beth Darling, is available for only $0.99. Also available: Genesis and Mysterious Ways.
Sins of the Father is currently on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The tour stops here today for my interview with the author, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
The second installment in the Sister Christian series delves deeply into Hannah's past. For it is only when we deal with our demons that we can leave them behind and work toward a bright future.
As Hannah recovers from emergency brain and heart surgery, memories of the past overtake her dreams with such clarity they cannot be denied. As the last of the painful family secrets come to light it's up to her brother, Doctor Richard Mason, and his unconventional methods to help her confront the ugliness.
Excerpt
Tonight Betsey left early to get ready for a banquet dinner for her son's football team and Mason was up to his eyeballs in a new case that was baffling him. After a very short phone call telling Hannah he was apt to be very late, he didn't have time to check in with her.
Alone in the house, Hannah entertained herself with the piano but without much heart when the phone began to ring. That was odd, Ricky's phone almost never rang during the day unless it was him calling and he'd already done that telling her that someone was very sick and needed him so he'd probably be very late tonight not to wait up for him and that he'd be home as soon as he could.
Staring at the ringing cordless phone in its cradle, she wheeled herself over to it to answer it wishing she could understand the words on the caller ID, "Hello?"
No one said anything. Perhaps the person on the other end thought they had the wrong number as they were expecting a man to answer the phone?
"Hello…May-son…Res-i-den-ce."
Still no one said anything though the line appeared open and she even thought she could hear someone breathing on the other end. "Is…some-one…there?"
When no one answered on her third try, Hannah clicked the little green button to disconnect the line before putting the phone back in the charger, chalking it up to a wrong number and a rude person who couldn't say 'hello'.
Outside it started to rain and through the window, she saw the yellow school bus pulling up to the curb just a few doors down. Hannah rolled over to the window to place the palm of her hand on the cool glass and watch the children get off the bus.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
"Following this story from the start has been quite a journey for me. Ms. Darling has brought these characters front, center and true to life. 'The devil's in the detail' must have been quoted after just such a story. It isn't just about Hannah I speak of, but also the redemption and healing from the unconditional love of a sister. I do recommend this as must read. It's food for the soul." ~ Anna Salamatin
"It's a must read if you enjoyed the first book. If you picked up this book first, put it aside and grab book one, else you'll feel a bit lost as to how things came to be." ~ Tanja
"Let me just say WOW. This book picks right up where the first one left us. We get more insight into what poor Hannah has gone through at the hands of her father. Truly a heart wrenching story. I loved it and cannot wait to see what is next." ~ TammyPayne - Book Nook Nuts
"It's hard to put into words how much I loved this series! I am awe struck at this story. [...] This is a very emotional story. This story will reach deep down in your soul and pull on every emotion you have. And it's going to stick with you for awhile after you have finished it. Loved it!! Looking forward to more from this author." ~ Brenda Romine
Interview With the Author
Hi Lisa Beth, thanks for joining me today to discuss your new book, Sins of the Father.
Hello, thank you so much for having me here today.
For what age group do you recommend your book?
Although there's no sex or any real violence in Sins of the Father or in the Sister Christian series in general, it does have some adult themes so I would recommend it to anyone 16 and over.
What sparked the idea for this series?
I started writing this series a few years after I made contact with my birth family and discovered I had three brothers. I was raised an only child so the idea that I had siblings was rather new to me; growing up I often wished I had a sibling but then I'd go to my friend's houses and see how they interacted with their siblings and went home happy I was an only child. The idea of the brother/sister dynamic always interested me even when my friends were shouting at each other over nothing. This series and a lot of its contents, planted deeply in the fertile ground of a writer's imagination, grew out of those two situations.
So, which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?
Generally the character will walk up and introduce themselves and then start telling me about the novel we're about to work on.
What was the hardest part to write in this book?
In one scene, toward the end, Richard Mason goes all out to take on the persona of his dead father in order to get his manic sister, Hannah Rice, to disclose everything that happened to her at the hands of James Rice. It was very difficult and emotional for writer and characters.
How do you hope this book affects its readers?
Positively. Although there are some dark parts to the book, there's a lot of laughter and very touching moments between brother and sister. I hope they find it heartwarming and inspiring.
How long did it take you to write this book?
Sins of the Father is the second novel in the Sister Christian series and, like most of the books in this series, it practically wrote itself. Maybe it was four months from start to finish.
What is your writing routine?
Like most writers, I have my rituals. I start writing around 2 in the afternoon when I come home from work. In between cleaning the house and getting dinner ready, I have about 2½ hours before my husband comes home from his job. I light my candles and my incense, get a glass of whatever strikes my fancy, put a soft blanket over my lap, and get to work. Once he's home, writing is done for the night on weekdays. On weekends, it's anything goes; I may sit at my keyboard so long I have trouble getting up from the chair.
How did you get your book published?
I'm a true Indie Writer. All of my books are self-published, in fact, absolutely anything you see in conjunction with me or my books, I've done it; writing, formatting, editing (though I do have some nice folks who help with that), book covers, trailers, my website … all of it. I did it.
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
So long as you're not fooling yourself into thinking you're going to put one book out there and become an overnight millionaire, I say go for it. Write your book, hone it, then send it around to agents and publishers. I think everyone should try that route just to see how it feels and, you never know, you may get lucky and an agent or house will take you on. If they don't and if the most important thing to you is telling a good story and getting it out there in hopes of it finding its audience, then learn everything you can about self-publishing in ebook and print. When you're ready, take the plunge and then promote, promote, promote!
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I'm a huge movie buff and I have a rather large collection of DVDs and Blu-Rays (yes, even VHS tapes, but I can't find a VCR anymore). In the nice weather, I like to garden; I do it in containers on and around my deck. Of course, just spending time with my husband is always tops on my list.
What does your family think of your writing?
My parents thought I was crazy to pursue this path and at such a young age - I was in 4th grade when I knew I was going to be a writer. But they supported me, they bought me an electric typewriter, ribbon, correction tape, and paper. It wasn't until near the end of her life that my mother finally read one of my novels. She loved it and asked me repeatedly, "Are you sure you wrote this?"
Hubby is very proud of me although he'd prefer not to share me with the Muse quite as often as he has to. My oldest daughter loves my books, the youngest has yet to read one.
Please tell us a bit about your childhood.
I was adopted in 1967 and grew up an only child in a two-parent home in a working class neighborhood just full of kids. My mother was a baker who made great big beautiful wedding cakes in our kitchen, and my father was an x-ray technician for a local factory. We were pretty typical and normal for that time period; we went on vacations in the summer and took weekend jaunts in the fall and spring. All in all, my childhood was quite idyllic.
Did you like reading when you were a child?
As a small child, no I didn't, but I loved to be read to. It wasn't until 7th or 8th grade, as my own writing began to progress, that I started devouring books that weren't exactly safe for school or even anywhere near appropriate for my age. I jumped straight from Madeline to The Shining with no stops in between.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
In the 4th grade we were given our very first creative writing assignment and, as I put pencil to paper, I knew that was what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I never let anyone or anything deter me from that dream.
Fantastic. Did your childhood experiences influence your writing?
Yes, most especially with the Sister Christian series and Mason discovering he's adopted. This series delves deeper into that aspect of my personal life than any stories before it. It also contains a nice bit my own religious background. I grew up Roman Catholic but, when I got older, turned away from that and to another path. When Hannah and Mason - a staunch atheist - are arguing over God, it probably sounds a lot like my mother and I when I was much younger.
Which writers have influenced you the most?
I'm a child of the '70s and '80s, so I grew up reading Stephen King (my all-time favorite author and the person who truly made me want to follow my dream), Judith Rossner, V. C. Andrews, Harold Robbins, Jacqueline Susann, Mary Higgins Clark, and Irwin Shaw.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Most people seem shy or, worse, they believe their opinion doesn't count for anything. I hear from readers on occasion. The ones I hear from often have become very good friends over the years, and that's what I consider them now, friends, no readers. When I do hear from people, they either love my work or they detest it. That hasn't been the case so much with the Sister Christian series. So far everyone I've heard from has completely fallen in love with Mason and Hannah. However, in my harder-hitting, more adult-oriented novels, things get dark and nasty. Some people can't take that, though they are duly warned long before they open a book.
What can we look forward to from you in the future?
I'm working on Prodigal Son, which will be the last novel in the Sister Christian series, and I hope to have it out late this summer. Then it's back to Ares God of War, Alena, Raven, the Olympians [in the Of War series], and the type of storytelling I tend to be better known for.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by today, Lisa Beth. Best of luck with your future projects.
Thanks again for having me here, Lynda. I've enjoyed my time with you very much.
About the Author
It was in the 4th grade when Lisa Beth Darling discovered she was a naturally gifted writer. For her very first creative writing assignment, the teacher asked the class to pen a story about a baby bird's first flight and read them to the class. Putting pencil to paper, Lisa was instantly whisked away by a force she couldn't explain. When they were finished, all of the children read their happy stories to the class. Not Lisa. She got up and told of how the baby bird flew too high, hit a plane, crashed to the ground and died. She told of how the mama bird and daddy bird cried, of how even God was upset, sending the rains pouring from the sky. The class was speechless when she finished all they could do was stare at her. The teacher kept her after class, told her the story was very good, but it was different from the others. She asked Lisa if she'd ever heard of Icarus and had she based her story on him. Lisa had yet to encounter Greek Mythology or hear a whisper of Icarus. As Lisa left the classroom the teacher again told her how good the story was but suggested she might want to write something happier next time. Perplexed, Lisa turned and asked her teacher: "Why?" The teacher had no answer. Luckily for us, Lisa never took that teacher's advice.
Today she brings us complex, multi-layered stories, rich with the trials and tribulations that make up the world in which we live. Not one to be pigeonholed into any single genre, Lisa's stories revolve around the intricacies of couples, range from the intimacy of lovers, to mothers and sons, and brothers and sisters.
Lisa Beth Darling is 49 years-old, lives in her hometown of New London, Connecticut, with her husband of nearly 30 years, Roy. She is the author of more than fifteen novels, along with several short stories and non-fiction books.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card.
Links
