Monday, April 29, 2013

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.


18 comments:

Mark Means said...

Sounds like a pretty interesting book premise...

Definitely one to watch out for :)

Linda G. said...

Nothing surprises me anymore about what takes off with the public. I mean, I lived through the era of Wacky Wall-Walkers and Pet Rocks. *grin*

Chain of Command sounds great!

Stacy McKitrick said...

Pet Rocks - Yeah I forgot about those. What a quick million or two that person made, huh?

But Cabbage Patch Kids come to my mind. Those things were UGLY, yet everyone had to have one (and apparently my husband's aunt thought my kid did, too).

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Most reality shows, like Survivor. I mean, really???

Unknown said...

Colby sounds adorable, and I was a dance teacher in NYC a long time ago. Being a dancer is truly wonderful. Wishing Colby huge success with her book! :-)

colbymarshall said...

Thanks, Mark!

Thank you, Linda! I still can't believe pet rocks. Or Chia Pets! Another crazy one.

Stacy- Babyland General is here in Georgia, and people still go there to get Cabbage Patch Kids right when they're "born." Agh!

Alex- I enjoyed Survivor for a while, but a lot of the reality show concepts blow my mind. Mob Wives comes to mind.

Lexa- thanks for the well wishes. What sort of dance did you teach?

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Twilight surprised the publishers, too. I was at Book Expo right about the time Twilight was set to release and talked to one of the editors. He said the book was a bit of a fluke, as they had never published YA before, and he didn't foresee them continuing that line.

Right...

LD Masterson said...

Hi gang. Since all the comments were for Colby, I'm just popping in to thank everyone for dropping by and thanks to Colby for being a great guest.

And, Alex - I'm with you.

Robin said...

Current surprise: the success of the TV show Splash. Seriously????

Murees Dupè said...

Your book sounds wonderful. I also agree with you on liking the blood sucking vampires who bite humans. Guess I am a little violent too.

Maria Zannini said...

I've never been able to understand the popularity of reality shows.

Nice to meet you, Colby!

Kaye George said...

I was surprised anyone was able to (or wanted to) make a serial TV show starring Dexter. It turned out better than I thought it would, though. At least the first season.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Thanks, LD and Colby. You raise thought provoking, valid points. One never knows. It seems to me that the less merit a person or product has (e.g., Snooki, 50 Shades...), the more successful it/they will be. Sigh.

xoRobyn

LD Masterson said...

Robin - Makes no sense to me either.

Murees - Count me in on that. I don't understand cute teenage vampires that sparkle.

Maria - You and me both.

Kaye - I've never watched Dexter but my son and his wife love it. I don't understand.

Rawknrobyn - Makes you wonder, huh?

mshatch said...

I don't have television but Meerkat manor is something I'd love to watch; they are the cutest damn creatures! Congratulations to Colby and the book that surprised me was 50 Shades of Gray. Surely there's better soft porn to read than that!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi,LD,

I featured Colby a few months ago... I did a character interview... Such fun...

I don' t watch tv too often, but I generally love my reruns from I Love Lucy to Golden Girls...

Carol Kilgore said...

Fun seeing Colby here. A lot of reality shows surprise me. 50 Shades of Gray surprised me that it became mainstream so fast.

LD Masterson said...

mshatch - Oh dear. Is this where I admit I don't have the foggiest idea what a Meerkat is?

Michael - Ah...I Love Lucy. Classic.

Carol - Oh heck, I'm going to make two confessions in one post. I never read 50 Shades of Gray either. Just didn't appeal to me.