Author Interview w/Elaine Cantrell and Review of Blue 52 w/giveaway

 

Blue 52

by Elaine Cantrell

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BLURB:

 

“First Lady Kills President Lovinggood”

December 29, 2018

 

 

Thirty years later Hank Lovinggood embarks on a quest to prove his mother’s innocence and punish the killers who took his family from him. Together Hank and lovely physicist Kathryn Sinclair confront an implacable, twisted, merciless enemy who’ll do whatever it takes to hide the truth forever.

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Excerpt Eight:

 

“Do you have feelings for me, Hank? Your grandmother thinks you do.”

 

Hank hopped off the bed and joined her at the window. He put his arms around her from behind and pulled her against him. His lips brushed the side of her neck. “You know I do.”

 

“No,” Kathryn mused. “I don’t know. How do you feel about me?” She pulled out of Hank’s arms and turned around to face him. “You like making love to me. I know that, but tell me if there’s anything more.”

 

Hank smiled and stroked her lovely face. Her cheek felt smooth and silky beneath his fingers, softer even than his mother’s green velvet dress that still hung in the room beside his. “Don’t pretend you don’t know that I love you.”

 

Kathryn melted against him and almost purred with satisfaction. “I love you too.” She laughed softly and gave Hank a little shake. “How can I be in love with a man who doesn’t care about physics?”

 

“Beats me. How could I be in love with a woman who’s braver than I am?”

 

Kathryn pulled out of his arms. “Braver than you are?”

 

“Yeah, I’m scared to death, but you don’t seem worried at all.”

 

“Appearances can be deceiving.” Kathryn dropped a kiss on the front of his shoulder. “Since we’re both so nervous, I recommend a little physical therapy. It’s guaranteed to relax us.”

 

Hank grinned and teased her lips with his. “Physical therapy, huh?”

 

“Nothing’s better for stress.”

 

Hank closed the curtains, cocooning them in privacy, and took Kathryn by the hand. “Let Counselor Lovinggood help you with your stress, Dr. Sinclair.”

 

“How kind of you to offer.”

 

His hand went to the tie on her robe, and she kissed him.

 

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Welcome Elaine! Please start off by telling us a little about yourself. Okay, let’s see. I was born in Russia to descendants of the Russian czars, but for my safety I was hidden in Egypt where I lived not far from the pyramids.  Oh, all right!  You caught me. I was born in South Carolina, married my college sweetheart, and had two boys who gave us three wonderful grandchildren. And I’m a teacher, not a princess. See? Wasn’t the first version better?
Is Blue 52 a single title, or part of a series?

It’s part of a series, but it can totally stand alone. If you’d like to read in order, Return Engagement which is published by Whiskey Creek Press is where to start. Book three isn’t finished yet.

What were your inspirations for the story?

For one thing, I couldn’t let go of my Return Engagement characters. My hero captured my heart and wouldn’t let me move on. For another, I read about the Enigma code used by the Germans in World War II and wanted to write a book that featured a code.

Please share your setting for Blue 52. Have you ever lived or visited there? If so, what did you like most?

Mostly the book takes place in California. I flew over Los Angeles on the way home from Alaska, and the city seemed to go on forever. From a plane it was absolutely spectacular. I decided that my husband and I need to fly out there, rent a car, and go exploring. We haven’t done it yet, but it’s on my list.
When did the writing bug first bite?

I was born bitten. When I was five I dictated my first book to my father. He wrote it on notebook paper and laughed the entire time. So did my mother when he read it to her. I knew then that I had a great gift that would thrill the world once I learned how to read and write myself.

Who are you favorite authors, book/series?

Sorry, but that’s like asking which one of my children is my favorite. I love a great many authors and books. Lately, I’ve been reading The Color of Heaven series, and I do like that.

If you could have an author roundtable discussion with any authors, who would you invite?

LOL. I’ll get right on this!  I’d invite Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, Debbie Macomber, and Nicholas Sparks.

Do you have any hobbies or special things you like to do in your spare time?

Spare time? What’s that? Okay, I like to read, go to movies, and play with my grandchildren. I also like to collect vintage Christmas ornaments. I’ll include a close up picture of one of my vintage trees. You can see a few of my ornaments.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve heard or seen?

Once I went to New Orleans. As I was walking down the sidewalk I saw a guy dressed in fishnet panty hose, high heels, a feather boa, and a live boa constrictor. I liked his heels, but the panty hose were a bit much. I could have done without the snake too. We don’t get too many such outfits in the little town where I live.

 

Thanks so much for letting me come today.

 

Have you ever picked up a book because of the blurb?  Honestly, we can all say that we have.  Look at the first sentence of the blurb.  Yes, its set in the near future and that’s what sold me on the book.  Good thing because if I hadn’t I would have missed out on one of the romantic suspense that I’ve read in the recent years.  Seriously!  Romantic suspense is my favorite genre to read.  I love to escape and live someone else’s peril for a while and realizing my boring life is great.  🙂

I don’t know who to start with this review.  It truly shocked me in ways that I never saw coming.   Time travel?  Living until you are 115 years old?  Gasoline powered cars not on the road?  Bad air quality…doesn’t exist?  DNA tests done in a matter of seconds instead of days/weeks?  All of this could happen in the future but to actually read about it and get the details on the how it could be possible?  Fascinating to me.  Yes, I’m sort of a science geek and I love shows that revolve around the future.

I’m not going to write about what happens in the book except to say that this is one of the tightest, thrilling, can’t put the book down, nail biting suspense/thrillers book that I’ve read in a while.  The villain was truly evil but was completely fleshed out.  You understood where he was coming from but still pure evil.  Where there times that it slowed down?  You bet and they are just as exciting to read as everything else.  I liked watching Hank and Kathryn fall in love while trying to figure out the mystery in his parents murders.  Neither one of them saw love in the equation but sometimes love just happens.

The secondary characters from the Senator (Grandpa), Hank’s aunt Joan, Grandma, Kathryn’s brother and his family to the man that funded the time travel; each one had their reasons for Hank and Kathryn to either figure it out or not.  They brought a richness to the story that I enjoyed.  Never intrusive…well, maybe his grandparents but they had every right.  In fact, the Senator was a hoot at times.  He knew that Hank and Kathryn were falling in love and didn’t like it but what to do?  For 30 years, he grieved a son and never paid much attention to Hank because of it.

Keep in my mind that this book starts off in the future, time travels and than back again.  The secondary characters in the time travel part…OMG!!!  I want Scott on my side at all times.  Plus, knowing that the…  oops…sorry spoiler and I don’t spoil anything.  I will say this about the ending…Ms. Cantrell you are sneaky and brilliant at the same time.  If I had one compliant…Hank and Kathryn at the party.  Loved it the first time but I trusted you to somehow make it right and you did.  I almost cried because of it.  I was on the edge of my seat praying that everything worked out.

Please, I beg of you if you are looking for a gripping, it could happen suspense/thriller than you need to pick up Blue 52.  Its taunt and makes you think.  I need to read the other book in the series.

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina where she obtained a master’s degree in personnel services from Clemson University.  She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary society for women educators, Romance Writers of America, and EPIC authors.  Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love Contest.  When she’s not writing or teaching, she enjoys movies, quilting, reading, and collecting vintage Christmas ornaments.

 

Find Elaine at the following locations.

 

http://www.elainecantrell.com

 

http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com

 

http://www.facebook.com/elainepcantrell

 

Tweets by ElaineCantrell

 

 

http://www.goodreads.com/elainecantrell

 

Buy Links:

 

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blue-52-elaine-cantrell/1117552083?ean=2940148981893

 

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1171&zenid=07435ca83ccdf8de84ac176bb0022c8a

 

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/386031

 

Elaine will be awarding a free ecopy of Return Engagement to a randomly drawn commenter at every stop and a Grand prize of a $50 gift certificate for Amazon or B&N to one commenter during this tour and the Review Tour.

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