Meet Gwen From Willing Spirits by Phyllis Schieber

Let's start off Phyllis Schieber's virtual book tour to promote her new book Willing Spirits. Today we will meet Gwen - one of the main characters. Tomorrow we will meet Jane -- come back for more info. I could tell you about Gwen, but we'll let her speak for herself...

1. What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?

You would meet me in Willing Spirits, a Women’s Literature novel.
2. Who wrote the book?

Phyllis Schieber
3. What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.

I always tell the truth! I’m very much like the author in that way. She’s fairly irreverent, often cynical, but also very nurturing and loving. She demands solitude. I admire her outspokenness and her sense of humor.
4. Tell us a little about yourself. How would you describe your appearance? That's more than just really cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough detail to get a clear idea of how you look.

I’m tall and quite thin, though not as thin as I was before I had my two boys. I have very long legs, a feature most people notice about me first. My eyes are blue and my hair is dark, blue black really, and very straight. I’m quite fair skinned for someone with such dark hair.
5. What character are you in the book? Are you the hero, the best friend, the side kick, the hero and heroine's child or someone else?

I am definitely one of the heroines. I think I share the heroine position with my best friend Jane.
6. Is there a specific reason why you're in the story? Don't give us any story spoilers, but you can share some teasers if you want.

Well, there wouldn’t be a story without me. It’s my story, and it’s Jane’s story. We have our children, and our parents, and we have and then don’t have husbands. And we have lovers and some happiness and lots of disappointment. But we always, always have each other. That never changes for us.
7. What time period do you live in?

Contemporary.
8. Where are you from?

Fayetville, North Carolina

9. Do you live in the same place now?

No, I live in the North now. I live in an apartment in New York City.
10. Tell us about your hometown and your current home.

Everyone knew everyone else’s business in the town where I grew up. There were no secrets. The people were good people, and we had our share of eccentrics for sure, but it wasn’t a place where someone like me—tall, outspoken, independent—could blend in easily. I think my folks were relieved when I let. I’m more comfortable in New York. There is a certain relief in the anonymity. I have neighbors, but we have our boundaries. Still, I would be able to knock on someone’s door if I needed something.
11. Tell us how your hometown or your current home affects you, the things you do and how you feel about life?
I feel happy to be living in a city where there are so many choices. I can be alone, or I can be with others. I feel less judged and less pressured to follow a certain lifestyle.

12. What special skills or abilities do you have?

I’m an elementary schoolteacher. I also love to cook and bake. I tend to bake breads when I’m feeling troubled. My children are always suspicious when I start baking. They see it as a portent. I find baking immensely relaxing. I love working the dough and waiting for it to rise. It soothes me. `

13. How do those affect your part in the story?

The baking I do becomes sort of symbolic. I like the way my baking bread is worked into the story.
14. Are you happy with the story?

The story is truthful. I like that about it. I am not perfect, and I am not in a perfect relationship. However, I love Daniel even if I don’t always know what I want. In a perfect world, the story might not have had the impediment and delays that it does, but then the story would have been insincere. So, yes, I am happy with the story.
15. Do you have some ideas that the author should consider about the story? You can share them with us. We're all friends here.

I never liked thinking about myself as the “other woman.” It’s a very uncomfortable role. I do think that Phyllis deals with the complexities of that situation without judgment, but I think there could have been more discussion with Jane about my relationship with Daniel.

16. Tell us about your past. Can you share one really good experience and/or one really bad experience? I know that bad experience can be tough, but it would tell us more about what you've been through.

Some people might suspect that the worst thing to ever happen to me was the dissolution of my marriage. It was devastating. I was very young, alone in a city where I had no friends, and totally isolated from other women my age. However, in retrospect, I think my brother Warren’s untimely death was the worst experience of my life. Everyone blamed me even though it wasn’t my fault. My parents never seemed to recover, especially my mother. It changed our relationship and catapulted me into a different future, which is both good and bad. Nevertheless, combined with the actual loss of a brother I adored, Warren’s death was pivotal in my own life.

My friendship with Jane helped me redefine my belief in relationships. I can spend a day with Jane and speak to her on the phone later again. Daniel always teases me about that, but I think he understands. Actually, I can pretty much do the same thing with him, but not quite. Jane hears me differently than he does. There is less need for explanation with Jane. She just knows what I mean, and even if we don’t always agree, we always understand each other. That’s a very good thing in my life.

17. Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.

My sons are more important to me than anyone else. They have kept me sane. I have to be intact because I have to take care of them. I was a single mother at a very young age. And certainly Jane matters greatly. She’s my touchstone.

18. Is that person in the story we're talking about?

Yes, they are all present in Willing Spirits.
19. How does that person impact you and your life?

I would say that my sons define my place in the world, and Jane helps me make sense of that world.
20. Do you have any children?

I do. I have two grown sons, Matt and Ethan.
21. If you do, tell us about them. If you don't have any children, you can tell us why not - but, only if you want to tell us.

My sons were very young when their father left. It was very hard on Matt and Ethan because I came undone for a time. Children can get through most anything as long as they see their parent intact. Theodore, their father, just left, so I had to do everything. I was paralyzed with fear, and they sensed that. Fear is terrible. Matt is my older boy. He’s quite solid. He likes to tease me. His brother Ethan is the worrier. He’s my protector. He always wanted to take care of me. They’re both good boys. It was very difficult for me once they were both away at college. I was lonely for them, but I did everything not to let them know that. They don’t necessarily approve of my relationship with Daniel, but they like him.
22. What do you see in your future?

I don’t want to go into too much detail—it would be somewhat of a spoiler—but I am hopeful that I will be happy.
23. Do you think your author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series?

No, I don’t anticipate a series.
24. Do you like being a character in a book?

I’m a character in a book? Me?
25. If someone ever decides to make a movie based on your story, who should play you in the movie and why?

I think Geena Davis could play me. She’s tall and about my age. I think she could capture my restraint and my playfulness with equal candor.

For more information, visit - www.phyllisschieber.blogspot.com

Order from the publisher - http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780425225851,00.html?Willing_Spirits_Phyllis_Schieber

Order from Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Willing-Spirits-Phyllis-Schieber/dp/0425225852

Sinbad's Last Voyage by Toni Sweeney

Tell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book. What's her name?

Her name is Andrea Talltrees.

Why did you pick that name?

Andi is the adopted daughter of Vicente Talltrees, a Navajo Natural. I wanted something that sounded Native American.

Give us a brief description of how she looks.

Since Andi is adopted, she doesn't look native American, and this is one of the first things Sinbad questions her about. She's small, feisty--someone says she can lick all her one hundred and ten pounds in wildcats--blue-eyes and a wheat-blonde. She married Tran when she was sixteen and is now thirty-one and the fact that she's nearly two years older than Sinbad irritates her.

Is there anything unusual about her appearance?

Not to her people. She wears long skirts and shirts she makes herself, long buckskin boots (also handmade). When she has to change clothes into a disguise, she begs Sinbad to let her keep her boots because it took her three months to make them. She usually wears her hair in two long pigtails or a single braid down her back.

Who does she love? Why?

She thinks she loves her husband until she discovers his real agenda in coming to Earth but the moment she meets Sinbad sh'en Singh, she falls in love with him though she doesn't realize it. He's the total opposite of any man she's ever met--crass, outspoken, a criminal. Even Sinbad admits he's morally opposed to everything she's been brought up to believe it, yet there are little flashes of his secret self he reveals to her that make her realize most of his bombasting is a disguise, that a man who has been traumatized by what happened to his parents lurks inside the dependent front he puts on.

Does this person love her?

Sinbad loves her from the moment he sees her, but since she's married and in spite of being a criminal, he refuses to steal another man's woman, he hides his attraction behind insults, wise-cracks, and sarcasm. Eventually, the facade breaks, however, when Andi gets hurt and he thinks he's lost her and from then on--it's damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!

Tell us about her family.

The head of Andi's family is Vicente Talltrees. She has four foster brothers. Vicente was her father's best friend and when he enlisted in the Federation Armed Services, he asked Vicente to look after his wife and child. When Jon Pardee is MIA, Vicente goes to get Andi and her mother, finds Sheila dead of pneumonia and takes the little girl back to the Naturals' Reservation, raising her as his own. He spoils Andi, sheltering her, and generally letting her have her way.

Where is she from?

Andi and her people live in a valley that has escaped the pollution most of Earth is now under. She has a farm where they grow fruits and vegetables to be sold to the nearby Federation Military Base. The valley is located near Angel City, the remains of Los Angeles after the Great Quake of '89 dropped most of the lower part of California into the Pacific Ocean.

Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?

The Naturals follow the ways of their ancestors of the mid-twentieth century. Not only Navajos but many Caucasians are members of the cult which spreads across what is called the Buffalo Commons of the Midwest. They are very religious and have strict beliefs about God, marriage, and fidelity. When Andi admits she loves Sinbad--while they're searching for her husband--she feels she's being unfaithful and when they actually consummate that love, she berates herself, insisting she should be stoned for adultery while at the same time knowing she can never let him go.

What does she want out of life?

At first, she thinks she just wants Tran back and her life on the farm to return to its peaceful self. One she meets Sin, she knows that her old life is gone forever. From then on, life has to be with him, whatever that means.

What's her biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)

Andi doesn't have any real secrets. She's a fairly open person. Being taught to be truthful, she'd have to be. Associating with Sin, she finds hidden strengths within herself that she didn't know she possessed.

Did you write more than one story about her?

Andi features quite prominently in all the Sinbad stories, especially the second one, Sinbad's Wife, which is scheduled for publication this year. That follows the discovery of Sinbad's "secret," their marriage, and a violent separation when Andi's abducted by slavers and becomes their leader's concubine.

How would she describe you?

She's probably say, "I know people say we look alike, but--I swear--we certainly don't think alike! Slavers...criminals...moving to another planet! I'd never think to do that on my own!"

Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share.

Andi meets some people she'd never otherwise get to know while she's tagging along behind Sinbad. Someone of them pop up in the other books, too. She has to think fast in some situations and put her own bravery to the test and I think she handles everything rather well--for a very sheltered, slightly spoiled little Natural.

Please provide your website link.

www.tonivsweeney.com

What is the link to buy your book?

www.lulu.com; www.doubledragonbooks.com

Sara from Lady Lightkeeper by Nikki Leigh

This is an unscheduled stop on my virtual tour. I scheduled my entire tour without planning to visit any of my own book promotion blogs. That was because I created these blogs after the tour was planned. So, I decided that I would drop by today to tell you about the best friend in Widow's Walk and Lady Lightkeeper. I hope you enjoy. I will also include this stop in the book giveaway. Post a comment and you will be entered in the drawing for a free copy of Lady Lightkeeper.

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.
I’ll include the back cover blurb for the first and second book in the series to set the stage for this book.

Widow’s Walk – Misty Cove Chronicles, Book One

First in a series of three. Days before her wedding, in October 1841, Lizbeth climbs to the widows walk atop her home, with her fiancé. They search the dark and stormy horizon for her father's fishing boat and Lizbeth notices the darkened lighthouse on the point.
In such a violent storm, her father and the other men from Misty Cove need the lighthouse to guide their boats safely into harbor. In the morning and the lighthouse lamps shine out, but it's too late. Death had come in the stormy night and the community is devastated by loss. Is love enough for Lizbeth to overcome the needless death of her father?
Mourning and an investigation into the light's failure delay the wedding. When, at last, Lizbeth and William pledge their love, will they find happiness?

Lady Lightkeeper – Misty Cove Chronicles, Book Two

Lizbeth's happy world is turned upside down. Can she move ahead with her life? Lizbeth keeps an almost obsessive vigil from the lighthouse catwalk. She must find a way to help her children.

Friends help her realize she can help the townspeople and move her life ahead. The assistant light keeper helps her learn the ropes of her new job. He is a secretive man. Is he hiding a dark secret or a lifetime of hurt?

Lizbeth's children grow up in a time and place where death and loss are prevalent. Can Lizbeth draw on her disappointments and help them understand and cope?

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be
with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.
Sara is the best friend. She was hired about 15 years earlier to live in with Lizbeth and her father. Captain Sullivan brought Sara to the house to care for his young daughter while his fishing boat was at sea. (This backstory will be in a short story I hope to release before November 2007. There will be news about the story on my website. The tentative title is A Whisper on the Waves.)

Sara is in her late 40’s – early 50’s in Lady Lightkeeper. She’s proud of her Portuguese heritage and it is apparent in her appearance. She has long dark hair, an olive complexion and she is a tall woman. Sara is a very loyal person and she cares very much about Lizbeth and her family.

3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?
Sara helps Lizbeth and is her greatest supporter. However, she is also very helpful with Lizbeth’s children – Aidan and Marta.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?
Sara is in the story as the former caretaker for Lizbeth when she was much younger. She’s a housekeeper and friend of Lizbeth, the main character. In Widow’s Walk she devoted all her time to help the family, but I gave her some story elements of her own in this book and she even has a boyfriend.

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?Lizbeth loves Sara like a mother. Lizbeth lost her mother when she was very young and Sara took care of her for over 15 years. They have a very strong bond, but it is tested within the pages of Lady Lightkeeper.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle problems or difficulties with the best friend?This actually happens in the book. A long hidden secret is revealed to the town gossip. This woman mistreats Lizbeth at every opportunity and she loves to harass Sara – so getting word of a big secret is bad news for my heroine and her best friend. I can’t tell you how they handle it, because it gives a lot away.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?Only problems caused by Ida – the villain. But, she really stirs up some big trust issues.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?Sara will have a short story of her own. She might get more exposure in the future that depends on reader feedback for A Whisper on the Waves.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?
I hadn’t really thought about this, but I have an aunt and a good friend who didn’t raise me, but they have always been there to support me. Sara doesn’t have any physical or personality traits like these two women, but their presence in my life could’ve inspired her character in some ways.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share. The only thing I can think of is the fact that the story would be very different without her. She contributes a lot to the story and means a lot to Lizbeth and her family. It simply wouldn’t be the same without her. She’s also been a great character to write.

11 - Please provide your website link.
www.nikkileigh.com

12 - What is the link to buy your book?
Full order information is on my website at www.nikkileigh.com/books_4_sale.htm.

Partially Human by Dwayne Anderson

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.

Partially Human is a story about a group of friends who discover that one of them possesses the genes of a dying alien species in his body and how they help him cope with it.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.

The protagonist actually has several best friends, each of whom is his age. They were each originally each others’ friends, but included the protagonist in the group after he someone close to him moved away.

Rick Warris is an African-American whose parents and aunt were killed in a drunk driving accident. As a result, his uncle, a tavern keeper and motel operator who offers shelter for the homeless, stopped serving alcoholic drinks. His family has a history of racism against them.

Peter Christjes was raised in a religious family; everyone is named after a biblical character. His father is a minister of the church the protagonist attends. Peter frequently quotes from the bible which is his favorite work.

Eric Blonfly is the son of the police chief. He is the only member of the group to have a girlfriend, but one who is obnoxious, vain, self-centered, and henpeckles him.

3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?

These three friends continue to stand by their friend the protagonist of the story. They also later befriend three different girls and help them with their problems while becoming their new boyfriends in the process.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?

Each does their best to help the protagonist cope with being ostracized by the city after his extraterrestrial heritage is revealed, thus demonstrating the true meaning of friendship and loyalty.

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?

At first, he is too depressed by his predicament to have his spirits lifted by his friends, but as he learns to accept himself, he appreciates the efforts of his friends who try to help him.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?

There are no difficulties, problems, or conflicts, between the protagonist and his friends.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?

None.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?

Everyone has their own story, yet if I were to write the complete story for each, I’d have to write one book for them all.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?

I have an online friend named Tiffany who I can depend on to brighten my day whenever I’m feeling down. She stands up for me when others put me down.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.

Nope, I’ve told you everything I know about them.

11 - Please provide your website link.

http://www.geocities.com/andersondwayne/dwaynegand.html

12 - What is the link to buy your book?

http://www.bbotw.com/description.asp?ISBN=0-7414-3990-5

It can also be purchased at Amazon