Category: Author Q&A

Author Q&A with Elizabeth Crowens – A WAR IN TOO MANY WORLDS

Good day, my bookish divas and divos. It’s another chilly morning here in West Virginia, but the fall foliage is truly a wonder to behold. When I’m not spending my time reading, I simply gaze out my windows at the unbelievable beauty that is the seasonal foliage displayed on the surrounding hillsides. Although I’d love to spend some time in the future traveling to bookstores and libraries around the world, there are plenty of sights to behold here in West Virginia and in the United States first. Until I get to embark on my travels, I’ll sit back and enjoy visiting with a variety of different bookish folks. Today, I’m honored to welcome Elizabeth Crowens, author of A War in Too Many Worlds. Ms. Crowens will be answering a few questions for us about herself and her writings. I hope you’ll enjoy what she has to share, add A War in Too Many Worlds to your ever-growing TBR list, and follow the tour to learn more about this book and its author. Thank you, Ms. Crowens, for joining us today and participating in this author Q & A.

colorful Q&A graphic image with red "Q", gold "&", and green "A." The letter "A" also has a white figure seated on the top of the letter holding a blue book.

What’s on your bucket list?

More travel. I made five or six trips to the UK to research the Time Traveler Professor series. The pandemic put a real damper on that in the past two years, and it still has, but at least I got to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg before the Ukrainian invasion. I haven’t been overseas since and don’t feel all that comfortable yet. Looks doubtful if I’ll get to China anytime soon given the politics and the pandemic, and India was in dire shape. I still want to go to Tibet and Nepal. We’ll see…

What’s also on my bucket list, having the Time Traveler Professor series made into a streaming series like Doctor Who and being a creative advisor on the project. See below for the casting suggestions.

Your book is a movie! Who’s in your dream cast?

Funny you should ask, because I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for many years, so I’m always thinking along those lines.

Arthur Conan Doyle – Hugh Jackman
H.G. Wells – Rufus Sewell, from The Man in the High Castle and Victoria.
Harry Houdini – Michael Weston, played Houdini in the short-lived series, Doyle and Houdini
John Patrick Scott – Our protagonist has been the hardest one to cast. Also when the first book in the series starts out in 1898, he ages, and Book Three, A War in Too Many Worlds starts in late 1917. For a younger version, I’ve had my eye on Robert Sheehan, who plays Klaus in The Umbrella Academy or Timothée Chalamet. For the older versions, Cillian Murphy, from Peaky Blinders. Both are Irish actors but could play one who is Scottish.
Francois Poincaré – First choice: Sasha Baron Cohen, Second choice: Rami Malek. Francois reminded me a lot of Freddie Mercury. Obviously, Rami played him in Bohemian Rhapsody. Sasha was originally under consideration for that role.
Sophia Poincaré – possibly Marion Cotillard or Michelle Williams
Maria von Braun – Leonie Benesch, a German actress in the recent Around the World in Eighty Days and the television series Babylon Berlin and The Crown.
Leonora Offenbacher – Sarah Silverman
Rebecca Wells – Kate Winslet
Finneas “Finn” Fertle – Matt Smith, from Doctor Who and The Crown
Not sure about Helga, Max Pushkin, and Wendell Mackenzie.

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?

Spread the word. Post an excellent review on both Amazon and Goodreads, even if you won the book in a giveaway. I hate to emphasize algorithms and statistics, but that’s how their search engines work. The more reviews, the more an author will get discovered. ♦

A War in Too Many Worlds

by Elizabeth Crowens

October 17 – November 11, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

A War in Too Many Worlds by Elizabeth Crowens

The Time Traveler Professor

The secret diaries of John Patrick Scott pick up at the close of 1917. British intelligence sends Scott to work undercover in Berlin with his old partner-in-crime, Wendell Mackenzie, as his outside contact in Paris. Back on the Western Front, Scott discovered his ability to see the ghosts of the dead. Unsure if that’s a blessing or a curse, he takes this one step further, employing spirits in the world of deception and intrigue. As the Russian monarchy crumbles and the Red Baron meets his final match, for Scott, true love is always beyond arm’s reach. His long-lost patrons and paramours, Sophia and Francois Poincaré, resurface but as potential enemies of the Crown.

Arthur Conan Doyle vows to retrieve his stolen time machine from H.G. Wells. Scott is still at odds with Doyle, who still refuses to publicly acknowledge his contributions for ghostwriting Sherlock Holmes, and Doyle encounters Harry Houdini in the most unlikely of places. Get ready for a wild ride.

Time Traveler Professor, Book Three: A War in Too Many Worlds, pairs murder, mayhem and mysticism in a mashup where The Lost World meets The Island of Doctor Moreau. Stay tuned for Book Four, The Story Beyond Time, the final book in this epic series.

Praise for A War in Too Many Worlds:

“You’ll find that time stands still as your turn the pages and enjoy the roller-coaster plot, the only disappointment arriving when you reach the final moments of this extraordinary story… and want more.”

 

“Meticulously researched and wholly evocative of its time period; rich detail, immersive atmosphere and clever use of documented Victorian interests in the paranormal give Crowens’s latest novel distinct authenticity. The difficult task of channeling such bold and beloved icons as Doyle, Wells and Houdini is confidently and capably handled. Brimming with specificity, historic flavor and intriguing supernatural fancy, A War in Too Many Worlds is an impressive feat of fact weaving into fiction; sure to please history buffs as well as the more fantastical at heart in equal measure.”

Leanna Renee Hieber, award-winning, bestselling author

 

“Pack your best time-traveling attire, your sense of humor, and your open mind. A War in Too Many Worlds by Elizabeth Crowens, the third book in the Time Traveler Professor series, is a vibrant, explosive treatise on the intersection of magic, science, and spirituality. The book is both a loving nod to an era when magic and science were separated by a hairsbreadth, and a Jungian exploration of time, memory, and mysticism. Though the topics are erudite, the author’s wit and humor combined with karmic twists, musical accompaniment, and a historical who’s who, keep the book moving to its thrilling and unexpected climax. The entire series is highly recommended, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Kerry Adrienne, USA Today bestselling author

 

“This genre-bending trip through time and space offers the same delightfully loopy charm as a Doctor Who episode—but with its own irresistible allure, as if Douglas Adams and Jules Verne collaborated with a little help from Kafka. Crowens jumps effortlessly from the mournful haunts of Berlin during the Great War to the unpredictable travels of H.G. Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle. Exotic—and yet strangely familiar—characters keep popping up to entertain us. However, even among the amusements are laments of lost loves and lost opportunities—along with ghosts (both real and imagined)—all of which elevate the story. Indeed, together with the many fantastic elements, we are moved by the strivings and desires of the all-too-human characters, who will stick with you long after you get to the last page.”

R.J. Koreto, author of the Lady Frances Ffolkes and Alice Roosevelt historical mysteries

 

“Take your favorite elements for a paranormal mystery adventure— from Victorian times into the 20th century, historical (and then some) characters like Conan Doyle, Jung, Houdini, and a few surprises. Add the MacGuffin of a mysterious red book, and you will understand the delights of Elizabeth Crowens’s series featuring the Time Traveling Professor. Things come to a head in the third book in this delightful series. If you need to escape this world for a bit, try the one she has so beautifully built for you.”

Jim Freund, host of the radio program Hour of the Wolf

Book Details:

Genre: Alternate History / Time Travel
Published by: Atomic Alchemist Productions
Publication Date: August 16th, 2021
Number of Pages: 310
ISBN: 9781950384075 (paperback)
Series: Time Traveler Professor, #3
Purchase Links #CommissionEarned:   IndieBound.org Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository.com | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | The Mysterious Bookshop

Author Bio:

Elizabeth Crowens

Currently New York City-based worked in the entertainment industry in NY and LA for over 25 years. Writing credits include Black Belt, Black Gate, and Sherlock Holmes Mystery magazines, stories in Hell’s Heart and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated A New York State of Fright, and three alternate history/SFF novels. Recipient of the MWA-NY Leo B. Burstein Scholarship, City Artists Corps / New York Foundation of the Arts grant, a Glimmer Train Honorable Mention, an Eric Hoffer First Prize, two Grand Prize and five First Prize Chanticleer Review awards, including a 2022 Grand Prize in the Chanticleer Review Cygnus Awards for Science Fiction for A War in Too Many Worlds.

Catch Up With Elizabeth Crowens:
www.ElizabethCrowens.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @ecrowens
Instagram – @crowens_author
Twitter – @ECrowens
Facebook – @thereel.elizabeth.crowens

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaway entries!

https://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=308214

Giveaway:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Elizabeth Crowens. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

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Guest Post: M.E. Browning – MERCY CREEK

Mercy Creek by M.E. Browning Banner

Good day, book people. One of my go-to genres for reading are mysteries and suspense. Ever since my youngest brother became a police officer in our hometown, many years ago, I’ve been particularly attracted to mysteries and suspense featuring police officers or others in the law enforcement arena. However, I’m very particular with books featuring law enforcement officers (LEO) is that the LEOs must be realistic as well as the action. Stories that are taken from the headlines or feature realistic cases are my preference. Needless to say, the authors that write in the genre are rock stars to me. I’m pleased to welcome one such author today. Please help me welcome M.E. Browning, author of the recently released Mercy Creek, the second book in the Jo Wyatt Mysteries series. Ms. Browning will be discussing facts in fiction when dealing with a missing child. I hope you’ll enjoy what she has to share with us, add Mercy Creek to your TBR list, and follow the blog tour to learn more about this book and author. Thank you, Ms. Browning, for taking the time to join us today, the blog is all yours.

When a Child Goes Missing: Facts in Fiction

Few police investigations are more fraught with emotion than a report of a missing child. Sadly, more than 365,000 children went missing in 2020 according to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center. Some of those children were runaways, others were abducted by a parent or family member. Still others were found almost immediately in their own home or at a friend’s.

At the heart of my next novel, Mercy Creek, is a missing child case. My protagonist, Detective Jo Wyatt, leads her investigation in much the same way that law enforcement does in real-life cases.

On television there is often an obligatory scene where an officer—usually surly and intentionally unhelpful—states that a person must be missing for twenty-four hours before the police department can take action. That is false.

How an investigation proceeds is often determined by the missing person’s risk factors. Law enforcement takes into account mental or behavioral disabilities, medical issues that require drugs, if they’ve already been missing for more than 24 hours before being reported, or any other situation causing a reasonable person to believe the person is at risk. Age alone may be enough to determine if a child is at risk as many jurisdictions treat children under a threshold age as incapable of self-care (for example eleven years old or younger).

Custody issues between divorced parents have accounted for more than a few missing children. I’ve responded to plenty of civil standby calls to ensure estranged parents behaved during their custody exchanges. Occasionally, a parent was late to the exchange—either out of spite or to exert control. It was meant to punish the other parent, not the child. But familial abductions happen far too frequently and in 2020, 63 percent of all AMBER alerts issued were due to a child being abducted by a member of their own family.

For those not familiar with the term, the AMBER Alert System is a cooperative effort between law enforcement and the media in the event of a child abduction. The name pays homage to nine-year-old Amber Hagerman whose kidnapping and murder spurred the system’s creation, but the acronym stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, and the program is administered within the Department of Justice (DOJ).

AMBER Alerts are only one of many tools available to law enforcement when investigating a missing child. There is a vast number of FBI resources that local jurisdictions may request. However, not every tool is appropriate or available for each investigation.

Common requests include aircraft, artists, blood pattern specialists, botanists, crime scene technicians, evidence response teams, entomologists, ground-penetrating radar, pathologists, search and rescue teams, tracking dogs, and underwater search and rescue teams.

The support Detective Jo Wyatt requests for her investigation in Mercy Creek is tailored to the southwest Colorado terrain of her rural jurisdiction and includes search and rescue teams for both land and water, K9 teams, and more. She would be the first to tell you that working a missing child case takes an emotional toll on everyone involved. The crushing reality is that not every investigation has a happy ending, and not every child is found. But Jo would also be quick to point out that the glue holding search and investigative teams together is hope. ♦

Mercy Creek

by M.E. Browning

October 11 – November 5, 2021 Tour

Synopsis:

Mercy Creek by M.E. Browning

In an idyllic Colorado town, a young girl goes missing—and the trail leads into the heart and mind of a remorseless killer.

The late summer heat in Echo Valley, Colorado turns lush greenery into a tinder dry landscape. When a young girl mysteriously disappears, long buried grudges rekindle. Of the two Flores girls, Marisa was the one people pegged for trouble. Her younger sister, Lena, was the quiet daughter, dutiful and diligent—right until the moment she vanished.

Detective Jo Wyatt is convinced the eleven-year-old girl didn’t run away and that a more sinister reason lurks behind her disappearance. For Jo, the case is personal, reaching far back into her past. But as she mines Lena’s fractured family life, she unearths a cache of secrets and half-lies that paints a darker picture.

As the evidence mounts, so do the suspects, and when a witness steps forward with a shocking new revelation, Jo is forced to confront her doubts, and her worst fears. Now, it’s just a matter of time before the truth is revealed—or the killer makes another deadly move.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: October 12th 2021
Number of Pages: 288
ISBN: 1643857622 (ISBN13: 9781643857626)
ISBN: 9781643857633 (eBook)
ISBN: 9781666520835 (digital audiobook)
ASIN: B08SVMSNXG (Kindle edition)
ASIN: B09DHJH9ZZ (Audible audiobook)
Series: A Jo Wyatt Mystery, Book 2 || Each mystery in the A Jo Wyatt Mystery series is a stand alone novel.
Purchase Links #CommissionEarned: Penguin Random House | IndieBound.org | Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Audible | Barnes and Noble | BookDepository.com | Downpour Audiobook | eBooks.com | !ndigo | Kobo Audiobook | Kobo eBook | Goodreads

Author Bio:

M.E. Browning

M.E. Browning writes the Colorado Book Award-winning Jo Wyatt Mysteries and the Agatha-nominated and award-winning Mer Cavallo Mysteries (as Micki Browning). Micki also writes short stories and nonfiction. Her work has appeared in dive magazines, anthologies, mystery magazines, and textbooks. An FBI National Academy graduate, Micki worked in municipal law enforcement for more than two decades and retired as a captain before turning to a life of crime… fiction.

Catch Up With M.E. Browning:
MEBrowning.com
Goodreads
BookBub
Instagram – @mickibrowning
Twitter – @MickiBrowning
Facebook – @MickiBrowningAuthor

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
https://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=302812

ENTER TO WIN:

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for M.E. Browning. There will be TWO winners. ONE winner will receive (1) Amazon.com Gift Card and ONE winner will receive one (1) physical copy of Mercy Creek by M.E. Browning (U.S. addresses only). The giveaway runs October 11 through November 7, 2021. Void where prohibited.

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Q&A by Cindy Wang Brandt, author of YOU ARE REVOLUTIONARY

YOU ARE REVOLUTIONARY by Cindy Wang Brandt Virtual Book Tour Banner, published by Beaming Books, tour by PR by the Book

Hello book divas and divos and Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day to those of you in the US! I’ve been an avid reader all of my life. I can vividly recall sitting beside my mother as she read stories to my from assorted picture books when I was much younger. One of my paternal aunts, my father’s youngest sister, also helped to instill a love of reading by providing me with boxes of children’s books when I was in elementary and junior high school (aka middle school). I’ve tried to instill the love of reading in my nieces and nephews, often gifting them with books when they were younger and taking them with me to various book festivals. Not all are book divas and divos in later years, but they all fondly recall these experiences. I love helping to spread the love of reading in our youth and it is for this reason that I’m excited to welcome Cindy Wang Brandt, author of the soon-to-be-released You Are Revolutionary, a picture book for young readers. I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about this author and book and perhaps enter the giveaway for a print copy of You Are Revolutionary to share with young book diva or divo. Please help me welcome Cindy Wang Brandt as she answers a few questions about her background and the impetus for You Are Revolutionary.

Author Q&A

 

1. Where did you grow up / live now?

A. I grew up and still live in the Southern city of Taiwan called Kaohsiung (pronounced Gao Shung), where we were pandemic free for most of the year 2020!!

 

2. What is your education/career background?

A. I grew up conservative evangelical so I was very religious. I went to a Christian college and seminary, and actually became a career missionary for 5+ years! But now I have “faith shifted” and am no longer part of that world—this shift informs much of my work now.

 

3. Do you have kids and/or pets?

A. I have two awesome kids and I had the cutest Yorkie in the world named Caramel, but we lost her a few years ago. 😦

 

4. What inspired you to write?

A. I entered the blogging scene in the early 2010s and eventually developed a career as a writer, publishing my first book in 2019 and now a children’s book in 2021. I didn’t grow up in a literary family, in fact, English is my second language, so there was no support or resources for my journey to become a writer. The democratization of the internet made it possible for me to share my words with the public and I am forever grateful for the platform. Now, looking back, there were many clues that I was meant to be a writer, I just didn’t know it at the time. Anytime I needed to write in life—for school, writing family newsletters, and eventually on social media, it lit me up inside and I felt the most joy when I found any opportunity to put words together.

 

5. Where/when do you best like to write?

A. I’m a morning person, so I only ever write in the mornings. However, I do get my best ideas randomly throughout the day—often in the shower, which I do at night.

 

6. What inspired your story?

A. As I’ve previously mentioned, I have “faith shifted” meaning I’ve left the faith of my childhood. This has caused significant anxiety and trauma in adulthood. As I’ve sought to understand the source of my angst, much of it was having power wielded over me when I was a child. A big part of my own healing is to become an advocate for children today, that they be afforded full autonomy because they are human beings, not any lesser than adults. If kids are to be treated and respected as adults are, then what excludes them from becoming revolutionaries, people who make a change in the world? It is a human right to have a say in the way we live our lives, and yet we exclude kids from this work. I think our world still has a long way to go to extend children the rights they deserve, and I hope my book helps move progress.

 

7. Who do you hope will read your book?

A. I work with parents and I want parents to know that their responsibility isn’t just to raise happy and healthy children, but that we have an awesome responsibility to raise conscious citizens that together create a better world for all. The best way to love our kids is to create a world that is kind to all kids. Parenting is a revolution in itself, an act of changing the world. I hope parents who feel this responsibility deeply will pick up my book and read it for their inner child as well as their own kids.

You Are Revolutionary

written by Cindy Wang Brandt and illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao

YOU ARE REVOLUTIONARY - CWBrandt

Synopsis:

You have what it takes to change the world!

This is the empowering message parenting author and podcaster Cindy Wang Brandt wants every child to hear and embrace. In this inspiring picture book she speaks to every child who sees injustice in the world, revealing that they already have inside themselves everything they need to make big, transformative change in the world—just as they are. Every kid is a revolutionary! You don’t need to wait until you grow up. You don’t even need any special skills. Kids who are loud, kids who are quiet, kids who make art, kids who are good at math, kids with lots of energy, kids who are good listeners—all kids have what it takes to make a difference.

Lynnor Bontigao’s vibrant illustrations feature a diverse group of children taking up a call to action and using their individual gifts to change the world.

Book Details:

Genre: Children’s Picture Book (Ages 5-8)
Published by: Beaming Books
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Number of Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781506478302 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 9781506478982 (ebook)
ASIN: B08VLQX3PJ (Kindle version)

Purchase Links #CommissionEarned: IndieBound.org | Amazon | Amazon Kindle | BookDepository.com | BN.com | eBooks.com | !ndigo eBook | Kobo eBook

Connect with the Author via: Instagram  | Twitter

Connect with the Illustrator via:  Facebook | Instagram  | Twitter | Website

Giveaway:

YOU ARE REVOLUTIONARY Giveaway image

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway hosted by The Book Diva’s Reads. There will be one (1) winner of a print copy of You Are Revolutionary by Cindy Wang Brandt, illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States and Canada only. The giveaway begins at 12:01 AM ET on October 11th and ends at 11:59 PM ET on October 18, 2021. The winner will be announced on October 19, 2021 by 10:00 AM ET. All person entering that resides outside of the US and Canada will be disqualified. Void where prohibited by law.

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This virtual book tour and giveaway organized by PR by the Book