Special Guest - Colby Marshall

Today I'm pleased to welcome Colby Marshall, author of the thriller Chain of Command, who's sharing her thoughts on the unpredictability of success.  Take it away, Colby... 

As writers, I think we often wonder if our work has the potential to break out and be a hot commodity. But never fear, writers! There seems to be more and more evidence that no matter what is said, there's room for what you're writing, and no one can predict what's going to sell, sell, sell in entertainment today. We need only to look at some past successes to realize that sometimes, no one sees it coming...

Honestly, who ever thought that a television show following the "love lives" of real live meerkats would catch on? But nevertheless, Meerkat Manor is about to start what I believe to be its fourth season, and even I have to admit I'm enthralled by sexy Meerkat Mitch, that hunka burnin' love...

Another one I didn't see coming? Twilight. Yep, even as an avid Harry Potter fan, I must admit  Twilight's  success shocked me a little. After all, whoever heard of vegetarian vampires? I guess that's one reason the book didn't soak me in, because I'm a little too violent. I guess I needed some blood-sucking goodness to keep me interested. I suppose most people were okay with the fact that the opening chapter didn't include any neck biting, though, considering how well it's done. I wonder what that says about me? But I digress.

 And, last but not least is The Secret. Really? Really. Really! Really?!?!? I guess people just want to believe so badly that there's a way to make their lives better, a way to make it all simple. Maybe if they think about it really hard, meditate on it, exactly as they want it, that twenty bucks or so they paid for that book will come back to them.

 What book, tv, or movie successes surprised you?

A little about Colby...     

Writer by day, ballroom dancer and choreographer by night, Colby has a tendency to turn every hobby she has into a job, thus ensuring that she is a perpetual workaholic.  In addition to her 9,502 regular jobs, she is also a contributing columnist for M Food and Culture magazine and is a proud member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime.  She is actively involved in local theatres as a choreographer as well as sometimes indulges her prima donna side by taking the stage as an actress.  She lives in Georgia with her family, two mutts, and an array of cats that, if she were a bit older, would qualify her immediately for crazy cat lady status.  Her debut thriller, Chain of Command is about a reporter who discovers the simultaneous assassinations of the President and Vice President may have been a plot to rocket the very first woman—the Speaker of the House—into the presidency.  Chain of Command is now available, and the second book in her McKenzie McClendon series, The Trade, is due for publication by Stairway Press in June 2013. 

 Chain of Command is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, iBooks, Kobo, other major e-readers, or in select independent bookstores.

Watch the official book trailer for Chain of Command here: http://tinyurl.com/auye6bb.  You can learn more about Colby and her books at www.colbymarshall.com 

  

Thanks, Colby, for being my guest today.  And let me be the first to answer your question.  On TV, it's the whole unscripted quasi-reality show genre.  I just don't get it. 

Thanks to all my blog buddies for coming by. Please say hi and make Colby feel welcome.

Definition of the Day:

Yawn - An honest opinion, openly expressed.