A Struggle for Independence by pm terrell

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. p.m.terrell will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

A Struggle for Independence is a historical novel set in 1916 Ireland. I’ve been drawn to Irish history ever since discovering my ancestral home there. My ancestor, William Neely, moved from Scotland to Ireland in 1608 and discovered that his ancestors lived there long before they moved to Scotland in the 15th century. When I realized that meant they had been involved in or affected by many historical events in Ireland, I began an exploration of significant events. 1916 is a pivotal year because a group that included poets, writers, and actors declared their independence from Great Britain in what would become known as the Easter Rising. I wanted to portray the events through the eyes of an average Irish citizen caught up in the chaos, and her struggle between remaining loyal to England or risking everything for Irish freedom.

What research is required?

I performed about two years of research before I began to write, and the research continued through the final edits. Because there is a plethora of misinformation on the Internet, I stuck to sites associated with universities, historical societies, official government records, and nonprofits dedicated to preserving Irish history. I then contacted individuals related to those sites for verification and additional information, which included archaeologists, historians, and university professors. I toured the places I mentioned in the book, including Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, Saint Stephen’s Green, and the General Post Office, where Patrick Pearse read the proclamation of independence. There is nothing like standing on the site where the first person was killed during the Easter Rising, or where the leaders were executed in the courtyard of Kilmainham Gaol. It is a sobering and emotional experience.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

I learned that throughout history, uncertainty is a fact of life. Though we look back now at the conclusion of World War I, recognize its victors and often vilify the vanquished, the winners were never a foregone conclusion. When the Easter Rising was planned during this war, there was a sense it would be immediately successful, yet when it failed to unfold as the leaders planned, there were times of great consternation and anxiety as independence appeared to be beyond their reach. As we live through the present time, it is a reminder that every generation that went before experienced levels of uncertainty.

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

I often dream scenes before I begin to write. I have had at least three books in which I dreamed the entire book from beginning to end in one night. I awakened the following morning concerned that I would not remember all the details, but somehow they all fell into place.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

My betta tank. It is a ten-gallon tank that I have divided into three “apartments.” I have a male betta in each one. Though they can see one another, they know each has its own space, and they live peaceably together. It allows me to see their tranquil movements as I am writing.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I am currently researching two historical events for future books. I will be writing another ghost story in a dual timeline featuring author Hayley Hunter (from April in the Back of Beyond) as well as a sequel to A Struggle for Independence, which takes our heroine Independence Mather into the Irish War for Independence.

Do you have a question for our readers?

What genre do you prefer to read, and why?

Sometimes a woman comes to the realization that she has built the perfect life but with the wrong man.

It is 1916 Ireland, and Independence Mather has settled into a tedious routine in an arranged marriage when she meets an architect hired to add a wing onto her husband’s vast estate. She soon falls in love with the charming, attentive Nicky Bowers, but he has secrets to hide. When she discovers he is an Irish rebel, events propel her into the middle of the Easter Rising. Now she must decide whether to remain the wife of a British loyalist or risk everything to join the rebellion and be with the man she loves.

Read an Excerpt

I think when all is said and done, I prefer to sleep when the rains are upon me. There is something about curling up beneath layers of warm, cozy covers and listening to the raindrops against the glass or even the stronger pelting storms with their thunder and lightning that cause me to become lulled to contented sleep. But on nights like this, when the air is still and silent, time becomes stuck, and I feel suspended in wakefulness while sleep gathers just beyond my reach.

I rose, sliding my feet into my slippers and donning my robe to tread across the cold floor and poke the peat in the firebox. It was stubborn tonight; seeking the same slumber that evaded me, the remnants of earlier flames nothing more than a spark and a flicker. I finally gave up and began to make my way back to my bed, where warmth, if not sleep, awaited me. I paused at the window to note the frost forming in the lower corner, a late frost that could damage the flowers just beginning to bud to officially herald the spring and promise of summer. The skies were clear, the customary clouds nowhere in sight, the half-moon brilliant even though we were midway between full moons.

A flash caught my eye, and I turned my attention from the night sky to the ground below. I spotted it again, a glint and a glimmer, and it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Forgetting the chill for the moment, I strained my eyes as I peered into the shadows, the moon unable to penetrate the copses of trees between the great house and the structures beyond the meadow.

I tried to pinpoint where the flashes were occurring and came to the conclusion they were at the old barn across from my little studio cottage. I thought vaguely of Stratford, asleep and snoring in his room down the hall, and knew I would not awaken him to the possibility of trespassers, nor would I rouse the servants from their beds. Completely and fully awake now, I felt my senses pricking at my mind, urging me to venture there myself.

I dressed quickly in dark clothing and carried my heavier shoes in my arms as I slipped outside my bedchamber and quietly closed the door behind me. The corridor was dark, and I groped at the walls as I made my way away from Stratford and down the stairs. The house was surreally quiet, objects that seemed ordinary or innocuous during the daytime, suddenly morphing into ghostly beings that loomed over the rooms to watch my departure from the house and into the chill of the night.

About the Author:

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 24 books in multiple genres, including contemporary suspense, historical suspense, computer instructional, non-fiction and children’s books.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: McClelland Enterprises, Inc. and Continental Software Development Corporation. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in the detection of white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence.

A full-time author since 2002, Black Swamp Mysteries was her first series, inspired by the success of Exit 22, released in 2008. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The Pendulum Files was a national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014. Her second series, Ryan O’Clery Suspense, is also award-winning. The Tempest Murders (Book 1) was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards, cross-genre category. Her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee. Songbirds are Free is her bestselling book to date; it is inspired by the true story of Mary Neely, who was captured in 1780 by Shawnee warriors near Fort Nashborough (now Nashville, TN).

She was the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She was the founder of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in the town of Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime and served as its chairperson and organizer for its first four years. She also served on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County (NC) Public Library, the Robeson County (NC) Arts Council, Virginia Crime Stoppers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

For more information, book trailers, excerpts and more, visit the author’s website.

Website: https://pmterrell.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pmterrell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pmterrell.author/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pmterrell/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Independence-p-m-terrell-ebook/dp/B085Q9CRR2/ref=sr_1_1

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The Pendulum Files by p.m. terrell - Interview and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Leave a comment or ask the author a question to win a beautiful Celtic cross necklace. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

If someone were writing a story about you, what would your blurb say?

p.m.terrell’s life story is inspiring. Like so many others, it has taken twists and turns that never could have been anticipated. Some were devastating, some uplifting, and all led to where she is today. From homeless to the founder of two computer companies awarded millions in government contracts… to retiring to pursue her dream of being a published author, her story resonates with anyone who refuses to give up in the face of adversity.

Would you tell us a little about your newest release that isn't in the blurb?

The plot of The Pendulum Files involves merchant vessels bringing goods from China to the United States. It’s the second book I’ve written about trade between the US and China; the first was The China Conspiracy. It’s a subject that fascinates me, because every person in America is affected in some way by the trade deficit, and yet our elected politicians (whatever your party) seem to be blind and deaf to the effect it has on our economy. I began thinking about a politician who might want to change this dynamic, which brought in a political tone to the book (though I want every reader to come to their own conclusions; I never preach my own politics) and to what extent someone might go to in order to change our present policies. In adding the high seas to the adventure, it opened up a world I’d previously known nothing about, which was fascinating—the way the ocean is laid out in grids for those traversing it, maritime laws, and how governments react to crimes on the high seas.

What was your favorite scene to write in this story?

I love ghost stories and I’d have to say my favorite scene was when Vicki and Dylan were in their bedroom; Dylan was fast asleep and Vicki awakened to find his grandmother’s ghost in front of her. Vicki is not only a psychic spy but often sees ghosts, though she is still trying to come to terms with this part of her life. And of course any scene involving Dylan Maguire is a juicy one, in or out of the bedroom.

If you could trade places with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

I would want to be Vicki Boyd. Her psychic skills are enormous, she has the complete and faithful love of Irishman Dylan Maguire, and she will travel around the world with him. Their next stop in the sixth book in the series (due out in the spring of 2015) will be Ireland for their wedding and honeymoon.

CIA operative Dylan Maguire joins forces with psychic spy Vicki Boyd to find out who is bombing merchant vessels bound for the United States from China. Their mission will lead them to Black Sites, the high seas and into covert operations. And when an assassin escapes from prison determined to finish the job he started, they find their personal lives and their missions are about to collide in ways they never could have imagined.

Enjoy p.m.'s favorite scene:

She wasn’t quite sure what roused her from sleep. But as Vicki slowly opened her eyes, she became aware of her nude body lying on one side with Dylan’s larger, muscular form curled up behind her. One arm was stretched over her protectively and her derriere rested against his lap, their legs intertwined.

Normally some moonlight found its way inside, but the room was so murky that she wondered if there was any moon at all this night. She narrowed her eyes in an effort to adjust to the darkness as Dylan’s measured, soft breathing remained against her ear.

She nearly gasped as her eyes fell upon a figure just a few feet from the bed. She frowned as it swayed in front of her; it was not flesh and blood—that much was obvious. It was almost opaque and as she continued to stare, it grew more luminous until a tiny woman stood in front of her with long, flowing white hair billowing about her as if blown by the wind.

She wore a thin nightgown that reached from the base of her neck all the way to her feet, and as Vicki continued to stare, she smiled.

“Mam,” Vicki breathed as she recognized Dylan’s grandmother.

Dylan murmured something incomprehensible and held her more tightly against him.

“Be careful what you do, child,” Mam said in a clear voice. “There are eyes on you.”

Vicki gasped and grabbed at the bed covering. “You shouldn’t be watching us!” she exclaimed.

Dylan awakened and leaned over her to look at her face. “What is it, Darlin’?”

Vicki could feel the heat in her cheeks. She half-turned to Dylan to see him watching her with sleepy eyes. “I—” She turned back to where his grandmother had stood, but she was gone.

“Another bad dream, mayhap?” he asked before settling back. “There’s nothin’ at’al to be frightened of, Darlin’. I’ll take good care o’ you.”

She tried to relax against his body once more. She kept her eyes open and her ears on alert but she was met only with silence and a darkness that reminded her that she’d had precious little sleep. Still, she pulled the bedcovers over them, covering their naked bodies.

The grandfather clock downstairs ticked off the seconds, the sound reminding her of just how silent the rest of the house really was. She finally felt herself snuggling into that warm cocoon of sleep.

She could feel Dylan’s breath against the back of her neck; it was the steady breathing of a man deeply asleep. Then she became aware of something else, something against her nose as if someone was breathing on her face.

Her eyes flew open to find Mam leaning down in front of her, her face just inches from hers.

“It isn’t me you need to be concernin’ y’self with, child,” she said. “Other eyes are watchin’.”

About the Author:

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 20 books in five genres. A full-time author since 2002, Black Swamp Mysteries is her first series, inspired by the success of Exit 22 in 2008. The books include Exit 22,Vicki's Key, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, Dylan's Song, and The Pendulum Files. Vicki's Key placed as one of four finalists in the 2012 International Book Awards. Her historical book, River Passage, won the 2010 Best Drama Award, and her romantic suspense, The Tempest Murders, placed as one of four finalists in the 2013 USA Best Book Awards.

Prior to becoming a full-time writer, she founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her specialties were computer crime and computer intelligence and her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense. Computer technology often weaves its way through her contemporary suspense/thrillers.

She is also the co-founder of The Book 'Em Foundation and the founder of The Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, an annual event to raise money for literacy campaigns. She also serves on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library and the Robeson County Arts Council, and served as the first female president for the Chesterfield County/ Colonial Heights Crime Solvers.

website: www.pmterrell.com
blog:www.pmterrell.blogspot.com
twitter: @pmterrell
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell
amazon trade paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Pendulum-Files-Black-Mysteries-Volume/dp/1935970097/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395929941&sr=8-1&keywords=the+pendulum+files
amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Pendulum-Files-Black-Swamp-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00INC34Z0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1395929941
Smashwords (all ebook formats): http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/412506

Black Swamp Mysteries by pm terrell - Virtual Tour and Giveaway!

Today we're welcoming author p.m. terrell to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the Black Swamp mystery series.

The author is giving away a Celtic Triangle necklace to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a great prize!

p.m. was brave enough to share five things about herself that we might not know. The floor is yours!

1. My passions are helping God’s creatures and writing, in that order.

2. I currently own four rescue dogs: a foxhound named Mattie who was seized from a hunting lodge in South Carolina along with hundreds of other dogs; a collie named Simone who was seized from a backyard breeder and who was nearly starved to death when I adopted her; a Jack Russell named Eddie who had been shot in the leg—I brought him to a specialist who reconstructed his leg and inserted a metal plate; and a Jack Russell-Basset Hound mix named Lucy Lou who almost died from parvo. Three of the four dogs were adopted through the Robeson County Humane Society. A few years ago, I helped to raise money for them by auctioning off the role of a dog in one of my books—The Banker’s Greed features a golden retriever named Abby, who was the winner of the auction.

3. I helped to start the New Leash on Life program in a Robeson County prison, where inmates are pared with dogs who were destined for euthanasia. The inmates obedience train using the praise method—no punishment allowed—and after the dogs are house-trained and can heel, sit, stay and come on command, they are adopted out to loving homes.

4. I raise freshwater angelfish, purely by accident. I had several when I began writing the Black Swamp Mysteries series. The main characters, Vicki and Dylan, use an angelfish breeding business as a front for their CIA activities and every time I wrote that they were tending to the angelfish eggs or fry, my own would lay eggs! My largest angels are around ten inches tall. I’ve become somewhat of an expert in raising them and even launched a how-to website called www.vickisangelfish.blogspot.com, named after the character in the series.

5. I want to leave this world in a better place for having been here. So each place I live, I try to do something good for the community. I founded Book ‘Em North Carolina in an effort to raise literacy rates in Robeson County, North Carolina, a community that until recently was dependent on tobacco farming and manufacturing. Each year, I bring together more than 75 authors, publishers and literary agents who participate in panel discussions and sell their books—and a portion of every book sale goes to a literacy program.

Book 1 in the Series: Exit 22 by p.m.terrell

Blurb: Political strategist Christopher Sandige is driving along Interstate 95 in North Carolina when he is involved in a one-car accident. Stranded for the weekend, he meets a beautiful but mysterious woman and is immediately pulled into a double homicide. Now he’s on the run from law enforcement—and a hired assassin. As he falls deeper for Brenda Carnegie, he begins to wonder if she is the killer. As he pieces everything together and comes closer to the truth—time runs out.

Excerpt:

He placed his hands on the dock ladder, the frigid steel biting his hands with an unexpected ferocity. Quickly, he began to scale the ladder as Brenda knelt down beside him.

She had just started to hold her hand out to assist him when a great blue heron cried out, it’s trumpeting voice aggressive and hoarse as it floated on the wind just above their heads. Chris watched Brenda as she pulled back and tilted her head to admire the huge bird, the wind catching her hair.

He heard the sound of the shot in almost the same instant as he felt it whiz between them in the exact location where she’d knelt only a moment ago.

“Jesus!” he cried out, releasing his grip on the ladder and plunging into the water.

In a flurry of activity, Brenda threw herself back into the boat with a sudden fury, crossing the open stern as another shot rang out and echoed across the lake. Chris bounced out of the water almost the second his body struck it, flinging himself onto the deck in a fluid movement borne of a rapid surge of adrenaline. He half-crawled, half-propelled himself toward the rope that tied the boat to the dock as Brenda frantically tried to start the engine. As it sputtered and stalled and another bullet barely missed his bobbing and weaving body, he frenetically loosened the rope, his fingers feeling fat and uncoordinated and the rope stiff and unyielding.

His eyes darted toward the house as he threw the now-loosened rope into the boat and raced toward the bow, where it bobbled in the water with one remaining rope tethering it to the dock. The man from the hotel was walking calmly from the back door, his arm raised, his eyes measured as he crossed the small yard toward them. He was too far away for him to strike his target, but Chris knew it would be only seconds before he was close enough for his aim to be sure. Maniacally, he worked at the rope as the engine coughed, its slow groan in contrast with his rapidly beating heart.

As the last inch of rope was freed, he threw himself into the bow as another bullet whizzed past him and the engine sprung to life.

“Jesus!” he screamed again. “He’s trying to kill me!”

Then he was throwing himself toward the steering wheel, pushing Brenda away as he thrust the boat into reverse. The boat’s sudden movement knocked his breath from him, but his hands continued to grip the wheel with stubborn ferocity. Brenda pulled herself from the floor and raised her gun over the windshield. As he turned the boat from shore, he vaguely sensed her moving through the vessel, returning the man’s fire as they sped away toward open water.

Book 2: Vicki’s Key by p.m.terrell

Blurb: Following a flawed CIA mission, Vicki Boyd leaves the CIA to begin a new life in a new town assisting an elderly woman. But when she arrives, she finds Laurel Maguire has suffered a stroke and her nephew has arrived from Ireland to care for her. Vicki quickly falls in love with the charming Dylan Maguire, but all is not what it seems to be at Aunt Laurel’s house. And when the CIA arrive to recruit Vicki for one last mission, she finds her past and her future are about to collide… In murder.

Excerpt:

Vicki found herself in Dylan’s bedroom as if she was a phantom hovering in the far corner. She could see her own body sound asleep, curled into a ball under the covers. As her eyes roamed around the room, she found her pocketbook on the coffee table, the contents strewn, her driver’s license and CIA identification in plain view.

Her heart began pounding so hard it left her breathless. She turned back to the bed, where her body lay still and quiet. Dylan was no longer curled up behind her, keeping her warm. He was sitting on the floor beside the bed, watching her sleep, dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt. At his feet, laid across the floor, was the newspaper article of her parents’ plane accident.

And standing just behind him was an elderly woman with tightly curled hair, dressed in a sheer gown that reached to tiny feet that were so frail, the skin so thin, that they appeared almost translucent. As Vicki watched, she leaned over Dylan’s shoulder and glowered at Vicki’s sleeping body with opalescent eyes. Her red hair almost appeared to be exploding in angry flames as she screamed at the still body.

“Run!” she screamed in a voice so shrill and so loud that the sound sent a wave of terror through Vicki’s soul. “Run!”

Book 3: Secrets of a Dangerous Woman by p.m.terrell

Blurb: Irishman Dylan Maguire is back and in his first assignment with the CIA, he must interrogate recently captured Brenda Carnegie. But when she escapes again, it’s obvious that she’s had help from within the CIA’s own ranks. Psychic spy Vicki Boyd assists him in locating her again—but when he discovers Brenda’s true identity, he realizes his mission has just become very personal.

Excerpt:

Brenda turned to fully face Dylan and he found himself unable to tear himself away from her eyes. They were like liquid pools a man could drown in. She continued staring at him, expectantly waiting for his response.

“You shouldn’t keep me here, Irish,” she said. “It’s only a matter of time before he finds me. You’re harboring a fugitive. You’ve got to know it carries serious consequences.”

“The last place they’ll be lookin’ is right under their noses.”

“Is that so?” She sounded unconvinced.

“They think you’ve gone to Washington, you know.”

“Is that what they think?” She cocked her head.

“It is.”

“What would make them think that?”

“Now, why do you think?”

They stared at one another for a long moment. He knew his brows were knit, his eyes narrowed, and he could feel his lips slightly turned down. But her face remained completely expressionless. She stared at him with neither malice nor friendship and though he felt as though his soul could be sucked into those amber pools and lost there, he couldn’t read what the woman behind them intended to do.

“You know,” he said slowly, his eyes moving from her eyes to her lips and back, “you wanted to be seen on that camera.”

“What camera?” Her lips turned up slightly and one eyebrow rose.

He felt the heat rising in his cheeks and his brows knit tighter.

“Oh,” she said, perhaps sensing his mood, “that camera.”

“You wanted us to be searchin’ for you northward. And all the while you knew you’d be here.” She didn’t respond and after a moment, he added, “And these little games you keep playin’ with me are beginnin’ to foul m’ good humor.”

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 16 books. Vicki's Key, one of the first books in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, was one of five finalists in the 2012 International Book Awards (Mystery/Suspense) and 2012 USA Best Book Awards (Mystery/Suspense.) River Passage, an historical work based on her ancestor's migration to Fort Nashborough in 1779-1780, won the 2010 Best Fiction & Drama Award. The Nashville (TN) Metropolitan Government Archives determined it to be so historically accurate that they entered the original manuscript into their Archives for future researchers and historians.

Prior to becoming a full-time author in 2002, terrell founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her clients included the United States Secret Service, CIA, Department of Defense and federal and local law enforcement. Her specialty is in the areas of computer crime and computer intelligence. Her experience in these areas have greatly influenced her books' plots.

She is the co-founder of The Book 'Em Foundation, whose slogan is "Buy a Book and Stop a Crook" and whose mission is to raise awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She founded Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, an annual event to raise money to increase literacy and reduce crime.

For more information on Book 'Em North Carolina, visit www.bookemnc.org and www.bookemnc.blogspot.com.

p.m.terrell's website is www.pmterrell.com and her blog is www.pmterrell.blogspot.com.


On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell and https://www.facebook.com/pages/pmterrell/129318810431554pm .

Vicki's Key by p.m. terrell - Virtual tour and giveaway!

Today we're welcoming author p.m. terrell to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the paranormal romantic suspense, "Vicki's Key". 

p.m. is giving away a gift basket of goodies from the real town of Lumberton, where Vicki's adventure takes place to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US/Canada only please), so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

Thanks to the author for answering all my prying questions!

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

My father was an FBI Agent and I think from an early age, I was interested in crimes and the people who committed them. Though he couldn’t talk much about specific cases, I often heard bits and pieces that intrigued me. I originally wanted to become a criminal psychologist but life got in the way and I ended up in computers instead. So I combined the two—using computers to commit white collar computer crime, which ended up being my specialty in the computer field (working for law enforcement, of course) as well as my suspense/thrillers.

Later, I realized that I love reading romance and I began to add more of a romantic element to my suspense/thrillers, which I believe have made the whole experience much richer and more satisfying.

What research is required?

In my latest book, Vicki’s Key, the main character is a psychic spy, which is based on the real-life psychic spy programs conducted through the CIA and the Department of Defense. I conducted in-depth research, not only of the types of missions these spies have been engaged in, but also in the personal toll it takes on them. The side effects suffered by Vicki in my book are actual side effects reported by the real psychic spies. The method she uses to induce a self-hypnotic state that enables her to travel around the world in her mind was also based on real-life experiences. A few years ago, I probably would not have been able to write this book or conduct this type of research. But fortunately, many of the cases in which the psychic spies were engaged are now in declassified government documents.

In Vicki’s mission, she must travel in her mind to a remote village in Afghanistan, along the Pakistan border. I conducted in-depth research into that region, as well as the uranium that is mined in Afghanistan, which makes it a strategic stronghold for both Russia and China.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

Believe it or not, I learned that the side effects suffered by psychic spies are similar to those I have experienced when I am immersed in writing. My books take me around the world and to different cultures and times in history. I often can tell you exactly what my characters are doing at any given moment in my book but I have to reorient myself to what is happening around me in my own world.

I spoke to a reader recently who said she becomes immersed in a book and can’t put it down, even when she knows she has things to do around the house or with her job. I am the same way. But because I am writing the book, that feeling of not putting it down can continue for weeks or months.

Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I do believe if you are meant to be a writer, you will find the time to write. It might mean giving up a social life, television time or a hobby, but the passion of writing can have such a strong pull that it is difficult to impossible to ignore. I have been writing since 1970 and I cannot imagine a world in which I am not able to write. I often perform research in the mornings and then write for a minimum of three hours a day. Often, when I am completely immersed, I will write for 14 or 16 hours a day. It does become easier, the longer a person writes. My goal used to be to write one book a year. This year, I am doing three books and I hope to write at least two books per year going forward.

Plotter or pantser?

I plan the crime first. I remember having lunch with a chief of police once; I asked him how I could poison someone without anyone detecting it. He looked at me for a long moment and then said, “You’re writing another book, right?”

I line up my technical experts and I plan the crime right down to the details. Then I decide whose point of view would best serve the plot. In my series, Black Swamp Mysteries, I actually have five main characters and depending on the crime involved, the book will be written through any one of a combination of those five characters’ eyes.

I also know what pivotal scene will be in the mid-point of the book. Many writers sag in the middle; they have a beginning and an ending but a lackluster middle. I know that midway through my book, something is going to happen that is going to propel the rest of the book forward like a roller coaster.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

My closed circuit television screens. Because I write suspense all day long, I can be quite paranoid! I have closed circuit cameras all the way around my home and I frequently glance in the cameras to make sure all is right in my world.

And just below those cameras, I have two dogs asleep on their pillows: my rescue collie and my rescue Jack Russell. They usually remain in my office with me all day while I write, even though I have doggie doors everywhere and they have the full run of the house and the back yard.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

This fall, the next book in the Black Swamp Mysteries series will be released. In Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, Dylan Maguire returns in his first CIA assignment—to interrogate recently captured Brenda Carnegie, the main character from Exit 22. But when he discovers her true identity, he realizes his mission just became very personal.

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Thanks for asking! Yes, I would love to know where your readers purchase their books. Is it in a big box store like Barnes & Noble? Online at amazon or other online retailers? Or with independent book stores or anywhere else?

Following a flawed CIA mission, Vicki Boyd leaves the Agency to begin a new life in a new town assisting an elderly woman. But when she arrives, she finds Laurel Maguire has suffered a stroke and her nephew has arrived from Ireland to care for her. Vicki quickly falls in love with the charming Dylan Maguire, but all is not what it seems to be at Aunt Laurel's house. And when the VIA arrive to recruit Vicki for one more mission, she finds her CIA past and her new future are about to collide... in murder.

p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of thirteen books, including six suspense/thrillers and two historical suspense. Suspense Magazine says "p.m.terrell gets better with each and every book she writes" and Midwest Book Review says, "p.m.terrell is a master at skillfully combining drama, action, suspense and romance to engage the reader in an adrenaline rush of page turning adventure." PBS television host Barbara Berlin says, "p.m.terrell is the next John Grisham." A full-time writer for more than 12 years, her latest series, Black Swamp Mysteries, combines international intrigue and adventure with the CIA's psychic spy program, resulting in a series that appeals to lovers of suspense, romance or the paranormal. Prior to becoming an author, terrell operated two computer businesses focusing on computer intelligence and white collar crime. Her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense. For more about terrell and her books, visit www.pmterrell.com.

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