Monday, April 1, 2013

Welcome My Guest, Carol Kilgore

Okay, fess up, people. How many of you are here because you read in my Friday post that guest author Carol Kilgore was here today to spill her deepest, darkest, most intimate secrets?

You wanted all the dirt, didn't you? All the juicy details. 
Well, remember what today is?

April Fool!

(heeheehee)

But not to worry, Carol is here this morning and she's dishing the dirt about her new book, Solomon's Compass.  Take it away, Carol.


Thanks for having me here today! I love your blog, so I’m going to do the best I can to keep your chatty spirit alive.

This is the first day of my blog tour for Solomon’s Compass. I’ll be out and about at various blogs over the next two weeks talking about everything you wanted to know about me and my books. Maybe more than you wanted to know, but I hope not.

Today I’m going to talk about the kind of novels I write. I call them Crime Fiction with a Kiss. Always at least one crime. Always a love story.

I think I write such a combination because of my favorite authors. If you envision the types of stories written by these individuals combined into one story written in my style, it will give you some idea.

Lisa Scottoline – Especially the Rosetti and Associates books
James Patterson – Especially the Alex Cross books
David Baldacci – Especially his standalone novels

For grins, add Lisa Gardner, Suzanne Brockmann, and Nelson DeMille to the mix. See what eclectic reading habits I have? And this doesn’t even venture into other genres I’ve come to enjoy. I have a few other favorites, but the authors I named have most influenced what I write.

Writing Solomon’s Compass brought me great pleasure and a whole menagerie of problems. From learning how to sail a catamaran on paper to learning how to scare the pants off someone in a car. From making myself really hungry for shrimp to drying tears from reading accounts of Coast Guard Point boat sailors about their tours of duty in Vietnam. And much more.

Tomorrow, April 2, is Solomon’s Compass Release Day. I’m nervous, excited, happy. Now I understand why authors say the second book is more stressful than the first.

People have read my first book. The second book is in the same genre, but it’s a different story with very different characters. The what-ifs in my head run rampant. I’ve tried to hold them in check, but they’re sneaky little devils.

Even with all that, I’m so excited I can barely sit still. Like a kid on Christmas Eve.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading Solomon’s Compass and learning about the world of Rock Harbor, Texas, as seen through the eyes of Taylor Campbell and Jake Solomon. If you do, I hope you’ll tell your friends about it.

Now, to continue in the spirit of this blog . . .

Here’s your Aw Moment:

 

  This is Wrangler, and today is his birthday. He’s eight years old, and he’s been a member of our family since he was seven weeks. He’s a border collie mix, and he was a rescue puppy.

He watches over me like a guardian angel. Or a crazed stalker, circling and circling. Your call.

And I love him dearly. Happy Birthday, Wrangler!


Now, here's a little something about Solomon’s Compass... 

A missing belt—her uncle’s prized possession. The lure of buried treasure. And a sexy former SEAL who makes U.S. Coast Guard Commander Taylor Campbell crazy. What more could any woman want. Right?

Taylor is in Rock Harbor, Texas, on a quest to unearth her uncle’s treasure—a journey far outside the realm of her real life. There’s one glitch. Taylor's certain the buried treasure was all in Uncle Randy's dementia-riddled mind. Now he’s dead.

Former SEAL Jake Solomon is in Rock Harbor under false pretenses to protect Taylor from the fate that befell her uncle and the other members of a tight circle of Coast Guardsmen called the Compass Points who served together on Point boats in Vietnam.

Jake is definitely not supposed to become involved with Taylor. That was his first mistake. Taylor is attracted to Jake as well, but she refuses to wait for him to locate the killer when she knows her plan will force her uncle’s murderer into action.

But the killer's actions are just what Jake is afraid of.


And a little something about Carol...

 Carol Kilgore has always had stories and characters in her head. She wrote short fiction for a few years and enjoyed a small success as a freelancer before giving it all up for her true love – novels.

As a Coast Guard wife, Carol has lived in locations across the U.S. She and her husband now live in a San Antonio suburb and share their home and patio with two active herding dogs whose mission is to keep them free from danger, real or imagined.  

You can find Carol and her books here:  blog . website . facebook . twitter . goodreads . amazon


Well, I know I can't wait to read Solomon's Compass. Thank you so much for being my guest today, Carol. I wish you all the best with your new release.

 Please leave a comment for Carol, let her know you stopped by.

Question for the Day:

Is it me--or do buffalo wings taste like chicken? 

43 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations, Carol! Tomorrow is your big day.

LD Masterson said...

Thanks for stopping by, Alex.

Al Diaz said...

Best of lucks with your blog tour, Carol!

Michelle Wallace said...

Aww! Wrangler stole the limelight today!
Carol, you are such a busy bee... good luck with your blog tour + A to Z posts this week!

Carol Kilgore said...

Hi, everyone! Thanks for stopping by. And thank you, Linda, for hosting me today :)

Alex - Thanks, Alex. Can't wait :)

Al - I've seen your name around on a few other blogs. Great to meet you!

Michelle - Wrangler had a special birthday treat this morning :)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Crime fiction with a kiss because we all need a little romance.

LD Masterson said...

Al - Thanks for saying hi.

Michelle - He's a cutie, isn't he?

Carol - My pleasure.

Diane - Absolutely. Carol knows.

Julie Flanders said...

Oh my goodness, I'm in love with Wrangler. Happy birthday to a gorgeous guy! :)

And congratulations on your release day, Carol!! I can't wait to read Solomon's Compass.

Carol Kilgore said...

Diane - Who doesn't love a little romance, right?

Julie - Cool! Wrangler's napping.

Misha Gerrick said...

Happy birthday, Wrangler! All the best with the release, Carol.

:-)

Lydia Kang said...

Aw is right! So cute! Congrats to Carol on her book!!!

Carol Kilgore said...

Misha - Wrangler says thanks. Me, too :)

Lydia - Thank you! Wrangler's a sweetie :)

mshatch said...

Congrats to Carol on her release - very exciting!

PK HREZO said...

Congrats to Carol! Love her cover and been seeing it around.

And in answer to your question, it's strange how everything tastes like chicken. ;)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I have this book on my TBR list. And that is weird about buffalo wings.

Donna Shields said...

Woohoo! Congrats on your release tomorrow.

Carol Kilgore said...

mshatch - Thanks!

PK - Funny about chicken :)

Susan - Cool :)

Donna - Thanks! I'm pumped!

Lucy R said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and spreading it around! I think it has a lot of potential. It is always fun to connect with other writers-even if we write in different genres : )

Kids Math Teacher

Laura S. said...

Congratulations to Carol! Her novel sounds terrific!!

Happy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

Kimberly Gabriel said...

Congrats to Carol! Happy birthday to Wrangler!

Carol Kilgore said...

Lucy - I agree. It doesn't matter what we write. We're all still writers and share a common bond.

Laura - Thanks, Laura :)

Kimberly - From me, thanks. Wrangler says, "Woof!"

Helena said...

Solomon's Compass is on my list -- and congrats on your release day tomorrow!

I love collies and border collies, but the way they're forever herding anyone near them drives me nuts.

Carol Kilgore said...

Thank you, Helena.

It's maddening at times. Plus we have another herding dog - a blue heeler. The two herd in entirely different ways. And sometimes try to herd each other.

LD Masterson said...

Hi everyone. I dropped out of the comment conversation since most of the comments were for Carol but I want to thank everyone for coming by and making Carol feel welcome.

Unknown said...

Best of luck, Carol, with the release. Happy April Fool's Day, LD.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, LD, hi, Carol...

All the best with your release tomorrow!

Mason Canyon said...

Linda, thanks for hosting Carol.

Carol, congratulations on your upcoming release. I like your taste in books.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Empty Nest Insider said...

Happy Birthday Wrangler! I'm excited for tomorrow Carol!
Thanks LD!

Julie

Carol Kilgore said...

Jan - Thank you!

Michael - I'm getting antsy.

Mason - Me, too, LOL!

Julie - So am I! Wrangler had such a big day, he's zonked at my feet.

Patricia Stoltey said...

Carol, a little romance never hurt a story one bit...and enhances many a lot. I think you have the right idea.

Elephant's Child said...

It sounds fascinating. And, happy birthday Wrangler - rescue animals are the best (on four legs anyway).

Unknown said...

You dog is so cute!

I will buy your book tomorrow.

kjmckendry said...

Solomon's Compass looks great! Congrats to Carol.

LD Masterson said...

Again, my thanks to everyone for coming by. I'm so happy my readers gave Carol such a warm welcome.

And for Carol's friends who came over from the Tiki Hut - Welcome! And I hope you'll visit again.

Margo Kelly said...

Wrangler - so cute! And yes, Buffalo Wings = Chicken. *sigh* haha - great post! :)

Jenny said...

Best of luck with the blog tour! Solomon's Compass looks great!

Jenny

jennymherrera.com

Carol Kilgore said...

Today has been such a busy day! I apologize for being late to stop here. I'll be back in just a little bit to respond to everyone.

Hi, Linda!

Murees Dupè said...

Wrangler is just the most beautiful dog. Thank you so much for this great info. Also, a big thank you for stopping by my blog.

Carol Kilgore said...

Patricia - I hope you're right :)

EC - Wrangler is amazing :)

Clarissa - He's a sweetie, too :)

kmckendry - Thank you!

Margo - Wrangler's gonna expect this every day now, LOL! Totally true about those Buffalo wings :)

Murees - He's smart, too. I think he reads, LOL!

Carol Kilgore said...

Oops, I missed Jenny up above. Great to meet you, and thanks for the good wishes. I'm a frazzled blogger today :)

LD Masterson said...

Thanks again to Carol for being my guest and for everyone who came by to wish her well.

Maria Zannini said...

Re: ...learning how to scare the pants off someone in a car.


According to my husband, I already know how to do this. :)

Congratulations, Carol. And Happy Birthday to Wrangler.

Carol Kilgore said...

Maria - LOL! I'm probably good at that, too. I should have added when the car isn't moving.

LD - Thank you for being such a wonderful host. I had a great time!