Today is a special day!
I get the honor of kick-starting the Blog Tour celebrating the release
of THE
MISTAKEN by our very own Nancy S. Thompson.
Thanks for hosting,
Mark. I enjoy your ever-optimistic
content and humorous take on life. Let’s
get started, shall we?
Sounds like a planJ
What inspired you to write your book - when you had never
written anything ever before?
It was a new song I had
just downloaded, “Hurricane” by 30 Seconds To Mars. I was struck by the lyrics: “Tell
me, would you kill to save a life? Would
you kill to prove you’re right?” It
made me wonder: what could drive a genuinely good man to commit a violent
crime, and could he ever find his way back to the man he used to be?
What's been your road
to publication - including querying?
I didn’t write with the
intention of seeking publication; the idea just sort of grew on me. After finishing my second draft, I starting
researching how to improve my craft, write a query, and build a platform. After meeting several wonderful critique
partners and polishing my manuscript, I drafted a query and emailed in three
one-month bursts spread out over nine months.
I also queried one small press, which resulted in a book deal with Sapphire Star Publishing.
Why have you decided not to
pursue an agent - bad experience - or just not the right "fit?"
Impatience mostly! Once I directly queried a publisher, got a
request for a full, then a book deal, I didn’t feel I needed an agent, at least
not for this book or its sequel, though I’m not opposed to reexamining the
issue later.
What have you done to build
your author platform - challenges and setbacks?
I use Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads,
but mostly my blog. From there, I reach out to other writers like
yourself. They’ve taught me how to improve
my craft, informed me of countless resources, and held my hand when I was
feeling down. Blogging can be a
challenge time-wise, but so far, I haven’t experienced any setbacks.
Why do you love critique
partners - especially the super tough ones?
Writers who critique my
work see what I can’t because I’m just too close, too ignorant, or perhaps too
belligerent. I had twelve CPs for The
Mistaken, six of whom were exceptionally talented. Three of them were tough and relentless, questioning
my logic, asking me to clarify, pulling stuff out of me I never knew existed,
and allowing me to richly layer both the characters and plot. My story would’ve been quite thin without
them and definitely not publishable.
Every writer needs a tough CP!
Thanks, Nancy, and may I be the first to wish you *much* success with your debut novel, and hope to see many more in the future - and that's no mistake :)NANCY S. THOMPSON, Author :) |
Visit Nancy’s blog, follow, and leave a comment during her book tour for a chance to win an ARC of The Mistaken. Plus, 5 runner-ups will each win an eBook.
Here are several buy links for THE MISTAKEN:
Amazon
Amazon Kindle
Barnes and Noble
Nook
Praise for The Mistaken:
“A deliciously slow burn
that builds to a ferocious crescendo, Nancy S. Thompson's THE MISTAKEN kept me
riveted until the very last page. Tyler Karras is a complex and flawed
protagonist, and his redemptive journey makes him the perfect anti-hero. This
psychological suspense is a standout, and I can't wait for Thompson's next
book.”
~ Jennifer Hillier, author of CREEP and FREAK
“Nancy S. Thompson's
debut novel, The Mistaken, is a first-rate thriller full
of hair-raising twists and turns. Pursued by the police and the
Russian mafia in San Francisco, brothers Tyler and Nick Karras are
fascinating, fully-drawn, desperate characters. The action is
non-stop. Thompson's taut, intriguing tale of revenge, mistaken identity,
kidnapping and murder will keep you enthralled and entertained.”
~Kevin O’Brien, New York Times Bestselling
Author of DISTURBED and TERRIFIED“Fast-paced and emotionally gripping - once the ride begins, you won't stop reading until it ends."
~Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of CASSAFIRE and CASSASTAR
The Mistaken Blog tour continues tomorrow with:
10/19: Alex J. Cavanaugh & Arlee Bird
10/22: Carrie Butler & Jeff O’Handley
10/23: Julie Musil
10/24: Donna Weaver & Melissa Maygrove
10/25: Matthew MacNish
10/26: LG Smith
10/27: Aimee Jodoin
10/29: Heather M. Gardner
10/30: Lisa Regan
10/31: Jennifer Hillier
11/19: Arlee Bird
29 comments:
Big cheers for Nancy. I had the pleasure of reading one of those earlier drafts and can't wait to see it in 'finished' form. She's written a compelling story. Great interview!
And I got to read a review copy - it rocked!
Twelve critique partners? Dear Lord! I maxed out at three.
Nancy, you just enjoy today. Welcome to the world of being an author!
Hello, Mark! And congratulations, Nancy! I remember when you were querying this story and not getting a good response because the MC does something bad. Really bad. And the agents couldn't recover from it.
But I found that premise intriguing, and I have to admit I'm curious! Good luck with your launch and your tour!
Huge congrats to Nancy and best of luck! I've been looking forward to this book for ages, and reading those reviews makes the excitement all the greater. :D
Woohoo! :D
I've been holed up in a motel room, writing for two days. This snuck up on me.
Whooop! Big, massive congratulations on your book birthday, Nancy. And what a fascinating inspiration to get writing, too! I've got the book on my Kindle and can't wait to get reading. Have a great day and rock on!
LOVE the 'inspired by a song' aspect of this story, Nancy. Much success to you and Mistaken! :-)
Congratulations Nancy. I've been following your great blog and am happy to see the book come to fruition. Wonderful interview-- always helpful to read about the path others have taken. Glean, glean, glean. Much success to you!
Smart you queried that publisher. Everyone is so gung-ho for an agent when there are ten times as many publishers out there who take direct submissions.
Congrats on your release, Nancy.
Whoa! Thanks, Mark, and thank you, friends! What an overwhelming response. This is why I love the writing & blogging community! Big hugs to all!
Congratulations Nancy! How awesome you got to work directly with the publisher. I don't know what path my writing will take me but I do truly wish you the very best!!! (:
Twelve critique partners? You must not be as belligerent as you think.
Pretty awesome. Sooooo proud of Nancy... I love seeing people going for it and succeeding. :D
I have read THE MISTAKEN, and it's fantastic. Seriously. Everyone should buy it right now. :D
This is exciting! The book sounds amazing and I seriously cannot wait to read it. And, it's really cool that she did it without an agent :)
Yay Nancy! This is like a big party around the blogosphere with Nancy jumping up and down (because she's so happy).
I'm so happy for Nancy - thought about her all day long. I mean seriously, I should buy The Mistaken right now but I'll wait.
Great interview, Nancy!
Thank you Mark for hosting an awesome interview and a GREAT, now published author, NANCY S. THOMPSON! You guys are great and I mean it!
*hugs Nancy*
Looks around for Mark... *hugs Mark*
I'm so excited for you, Nancy. It's going to be quite a journey. I'm ordering my copy before they run out.
Wow, so much love! Awesome! I can't thank you guys enough. You absolutely made my launch day! Thank you!!!
I love hearing how people get accomplished! Congrats!
Cool, cool :)
........dhole
Nancy, congratulations on your debut!! That is awesome. I hope you have a great tour.
Finally! I've been waiting to dig into this story for what seems like a long time, and to hear about from the blog in Hawaii makes this even more special.
You are certainly fortunate (and tough-skinned!) to have so many critique partners. I have only recently begun receiving critiques for my own story, but already I can see the value another set of sharp eyes can have for the story.
Rock on, Nancy! Congrats on this great moment. :)
Hope you have nothing but success Nancy!!!
Inspired by a song? Wow! That is sooo cool!
Everything of the best, Nancy!
Great interview and I can tell you that The Mistaken is one incredible read. It will grab you and not let you go until you've devoured the very last page! Go Nancy! Congrats!
Aw, thanks again, everybody! And to you most especially, Mr. Koopmans!
I've seen a lot about The Mistaken this week and really look forward to reading it. How interesting that the idea came from a song. Great interview Mark & Nancy. :)
I've loved the premise of Nancy's book since she started talking about it back when. All success to Nancy.
Great interview questions! I read about Nancy's book on Alex's blog, too.
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