Adding Lib by Kathryn Elliott - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome, Kathryn! Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

A fan of all things dark and criminally-minded, women’s fiction was not my first genre choice – I wanted to murder and plot political espionage. Sadly, it turns out I’ve got the killer instincts of a butterfly with Pope-like ethics. Damn Catholic school!

In all honesty, there are two schools of thought in writing. First, write outside your comfort zone, second write what you know; Adding Lib is a combination of both.

What research is required?

A key element of Adding Lib’s storyline stems from Libby’s mother, Mae McGinn’s early vascular dementia diagnosis. An advocate for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients for several years, I began researching the intricacies of the disease and interviewing families directly impacted by the often heart-wrenchingly slow process and discovered something surprising.

Laughter; a lot of laughter. It heals, soothes and even lessens the fears of both the patient and their family. I saw the niche for a humor and heartstrings based approach to a difficult subject matter – and Adding Lib was born.

Name one thing you learned from your heroine.

Tolerance.

Libby has a short fuse. Mae carries a big match. Engulfed in the never-ending life-juggling of suburbia, Libby fails to notice Mae's emerging dementia symptoms until a kitchen fire puts the problem on the front burner. It takes a razor wit and an iron stomach to handle Mae's diagnosis. Thankfully, just like her mother Libby has both.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

Confession: I lock the door to write love scenes. Don’t misunderstand, I’m a good ole’ smut loving gal, I just prefer privacy to craft the thrusts, grunts and afterglow. Sometimes I invite my friend Kendall Jackson to join me.

Are you a plotter or pantser?

Pantser - down to the Spanx.

Unlike a lot of my writer pals, I tend to develop characters and dialogue before a firm plot. I have a workable outline to begin, but the voices in my head need to talk it out before their story hits the page.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

Cold cup of coffee. That I will, without fail, re-heat in the microwave and forget about until tomorrow when the cream curdle bubbles up to make cottage cheese. Yum.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

The second book in the McGinn Series, Finding Caroline is almost through the first dreaded draft. Sean and Caroline’s story is up next, and yes, there’s quite a bit of door-locking-smut-crafting. And it’s about time!

Additionally, I’m doing a big of ghost writing and publicity work (where my roots lie) for local non-profits including the American Cancer Society and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Do you have a question for our readers?

If you could be any fictional character for one day, who would you be?

Thanks for inviting me for a visit! I hope Adding Lib brings love and laughter.

Libby O'Rourke has a short fuse. Her mother, Mae, carries a big match. Engulfed in the never-ending life-juggling of suburbia, Libby fails to notice Mae's emerging dementia symptoms until a kitchen fire puts the problem on the front burner.

Proficient in the art of denial, Mae brushes the shattering diagnosis aside and sets her sights on a matchmaking crusade for her eldest son. After all, if her lucid days are numbered, Mae’s going to make damned sure he makes it down the aisle while she still recognizes the groom.

It’s going to take a razor wit and an iron stomach to handle Mae's diagnosis. Thankfully, just like her mother Libby has both.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Libby felt the weight of the coming conversation bear down on her shoulders like a lead blanket and struggled to find the right words.

“It’s all right, Libby,” Mae said, interrupting her thoughts. “Say what you need to. We’re here for a reason. We both know it.”

Shocked by her mother’s perception, Libby stared at Mae.

The older woman’s eyes were moist but holding back. She continued. “Spit it out, honey. I won’t have a public tantrum. It’s obvious you have something important to talk to me about, and I think you’ve delayed long enough.”

Libby’s shoulders slumped. “How’d you know?”

“Well, let’s examine the facts...” Mae grinned despite the gravity of the moment. “You took me to church, plied me with brunch, and now you’re standing there biting your bottom lip raw. Daddy used to call that your tell. We always knew something was wrong if your bottom lip looked like it had a run-in with a cheese grater.”

“Huh?” Libby ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “I never noticed.”

“In your teens, we were pretty sure you were going to bite clean through it,” Mae joked. “At least your nervous habit isn’t offensive; whenever Kevin lies, he grabs his testicles. Since the day he was born that boy treated his penis like an accessory. It’s terribly inappropriate, especially at parties.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kathryn Elliott is a lifetime journalist with awards in political satire, human interest, and commentary. A Connecticut native, she is a happily married mother of two sons with high hopes one of them will pay for a delightful rest home.

A true believer in laughter's healing power, Kathryn writes characters whose flaws resonate with readers long after "The End."

ADDING LIB is her debut novel, and the first in The McGinn Series.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KathrynElliottAuthor
TWITTER: @CandidKathryn
BLOG LINK: http://candidkathryn.com/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5961246-kathryn-elliott

BUY LINKS: The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=6006

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Adding-Lib-Kathryn-Elliott/dp/1628306408/

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/adding-lib-kathryn-elliott/1120959745

iBook: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/adding-lib/id946791906?mt=11

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