Crimson Eve by Brandilyn Collins
SCROLL DOWN for INTERVIEW with BRANDILYN and SPECIAL book offer!
Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense™. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline “Don’t forget to b r e a t h e…® ” She’s so well known in the industry there’s actually a club for her non-readers. That’s right. The Big Honkin’ Chickens Club (BHCC) members are proud of the fact that they’re too wimpy to read Brandilyn’s intense fiction. Now and then one of them tries. Bribing works pretty well. (Just ask Deb Raney.) Somehow they live to tell the tale.
Brandilyn writes for Zondervan, the Christian division of HarperCollins Publishers, and is currently at work on her 17th book. Her first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows.
She’s also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons), and often teaches at writers conferences. Brandilyn blogs at Forensics and Faith.
Visit her website to read the first chapters of all her books.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Carla stared at the gun and David Thornby—or whatever his name was. Her mind split in two, one side pleading this was some sick joke, the other screaming it was all too real.
“Please. You must have the wrong person. There’s no reason for someone to want me dead. I don’t have any enemies.”
“Then you’d best rethink your friends.”
Realtor Carla Radling shows an “English gentleman” a lakeside estate—and finds herself facing a gun. Who has hired this assassin to kill her, and why?
Forced on the run, Carla must uncover the scathing secrets of her past. Secrets that could destroy some very powerful people…
Brandilyn Collins fans and reviewers are saying Crimson Eve is her best book yet:
“Collins tops herself by creating a suspenseful nonstop thrill ride … Truly the best Christian Fiction suspense title so far this year.” – Library Journal, starred review
“Crimson Eve is Collins at her very best. It left me feeling as if I’d climbed Mount Everest without oxygen … I didn’t think Brandilyn could outdo herself after reading Coral Moon. She did.” –TitleTrakk.com
“I’ve never edited a more tightly crafted, deftly woven, compellingly written book.” –a Crimson Eve editor, with 20 years experience
“This is your best book! I could not stop reading!” – one of many readers with similar responses
Read about Violet Dawn and Coral Moon, books one and two in the Kanner Lake series.
Do you know someone who’s never read a Brandilyn Collins novel? Surely no such person exists. However, should you scrounge up such a friend—someone who enjoys suspense—here’s a special offer from Brandilyn. Be among the first 50 people between now and October 21, 2007 to e-mail her assistant at gayle.brandilyncollins@gmail.com with the person’s name, e-mail address and street address. (Due to exorbitant overseas mailing costs, United States residents only, please).
A signed copy of Crimson Eve will be sent to your friend—free—along with an e-mail from Brandilyn announcing the book is on its way, courtesy of you. (Don’t worry. Brandilyn won’t spam these email addresses. She just wants your friend to know who to thank.) No worries that this story is third in the Kanner Lake series. Each book stands alone. Brandilyn is convinced your friend will so love Crimson Eve, he/she will surely reciprocate with expensive chocolate.
INTERVIEW:
I’m really excited to have Brandilyn Collins, author of Seatbelt Suspense, for the first time on Portrait of a Writer. Believe it or not she didn’t become an overnight success. Read on and find out how Brandilyn balances writing with motherhood!
How old were your children when you started pursuing publication? When you got your first contract?
My son was 7 and my daughter was newborn when I started learning the craft of fiction. (I was already a professional non-fiction writer, creating marketing materials for clients.) Took me 10 years to sell my first novel.
How do you balance being a mom, wife, and writer?
Now it’s easier. Our daughter just left for college! Before I worked during the day while the kids were in school. At first I didn’t have enough balance. I had to learn to fit all my work into the time the kids were gone, then be available when they were at home. That’s hard at first when you’re suddenly heavily contracted. But it’s of utmost importance.
How do you handle interruptions in your writing life?
I write anyway. When you’re contracted and under deadline, that’s just the way it is. You can’t rely on feeling creative or being healthy. You just have to write no matter what’s going on in your life. If it’s family issues, illness or an accident (I’ve had all three), I get back to the computer as soon as possible.
Has there ever been a time God told you to set aside your writing to focus on other areas of your life? If so, how did you handle that?
No. Once He called me specifically to write Christian fiction, that’s what I’ve focused on as far as the career side of my life.
What advice would you give to writing moms who are struggling to find time to write?
If you’re not contracted, just write when you can. And ENJOY the fact that you’re not yet published. It’s all part of the journey. I know we all want to be published—so did I. But the unpublished have the ability to not write when life calls them. Those with deadlines don’t. So enjoy the part of the journey you’re on. And realize that when you do sell your first book, that’s not the end. It’s only the beginning.
Very sound advice and something I’ve been learning over the last couple of years. I’m not in a hurry to get published like I was two years ago. I’m trying to enjoy leisurely the journey before I have to strap on my seatbelt!
Thanks Brandilyn! You’re welcomed back any time!
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