Cloak and Mirrors
by P.M. Terrell
GENRE: Suspense
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P.M. Terrell will be awarding Celtic necklace containing the Tree of Life. USA only to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please visit GoddessFish.com to follow the tour, remember the more you comment better your chances on winning.
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BLURB:
CIA operatives Vicki Boyd and Dylan Maguire are back in the 6th book of the award-winning Black Swamp Mysteries Series. Vicki and Dylan journey to Ireland for their honeymoon and while they are there, they agree to pick up a package from a Russian spy containing plans for Russia's latest stealth technology. But when the Russian decides to defect, they find themselves trying to get him safely out of the country. They also discover the Kremlin has uncovered their identities and now Vicki and Dylan flee across the island. With breathtaking descriptions of Ireland's rugged coast and the Northern Lights, romance and suspense come together again.
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Excerpt:
The winds whistled and swirled in the frosty night like a chorus of apparitions dancing and bobbing, leaving soft whispers against Dylan’s ear, enticing, cajoling, flirtatious and deadly. Ah, but they could drive a man insane on a night like this, he thought, pulling his collar tighter about his ears. He wore an Irish tweed cap and still the winds licked at his hair like fingers running through it, soothing, insistent and treacherous.
The horse’s mane was grasped as well by the same invisible force, the long strands stretched as though they were being combed by an otherworldly creature that would not let go. They were nervous tonight and he imagined given their heads, they would turn about and leave the eerie foothills of the Blue Stack Mountains. He kept a firm hold on Dougal’s reigns as the horse snorted, the sound unnaturally shrill.
He could read a horse like he could read a man’s face, and tonight it didn’t bode well. Dougal’s ears were stiff and pitched forward, a sign of unease for sure, and every now and again they twitched and trembled as his haunches dipped low. Dylan peered through the shadows at the other horses, both as spirited as his; and yet their tails were clamped low, their voices constant.
In contrast, the men were hushed as they had been since leaving the manor house, the silence broken only intermittently as Jack announced a change in direction or a distant landmark for which he was aiming. Even then, his statements were terse as if he was reluctant to speak in the eerie terrain.
The ground beneath the horses’ hooves was uneven and unpredictable. As the night sky began to brighten with the first vestiges of the aurora borealis, he began to see why their progress had slowed since entering the mountain range; the horses had to pick their way around craggy rocks, the tall grasses obscuring whether the land was firm or soft until their hooves either landed on solid ground or they felt the disconcerting descent into boggy earth.
He inched the horse forward until it was nearly even with Jack. He rode a silver mare with a jet black mane and tail, a beautiful animal to be sure and under the stars her coat was mesmerizing as if it was aglow.
“Are you certain this is the way to Innisbarracar?” Dylan asked.
Jack glanced in Alexei’s direction before shifting his attention to Dylan. “You said you needed weapons, did you not?”
“Aye.”
“Then we’d be taking a bit of a diversion.” He pointed at the mountain’s highest peak.
“Innisbarracar would be on the other side through the pass. We’ll be headin’ in that direction—” he pointed slightly to the left of the mountain “—where we’ll be arming ourselves first.”
“Ah.”
They rode for a few minutes in silence before Dylan asked, “And what type of weapons would you be havin’ there?”
Jack looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Whatever kind you’d be needin’.”
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Q & A with P.M. Terrell
What inspires you?
I find inspiration everywhere. I will see people with various personality traits or physical features that inevitably wind up in one of my characters. I get plot ideas through news sources, the Internet, and even bits and pieces of conversation. Landscapes often inspire me and I find my biggest inspiration comes from visiting my ancestral home in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. There is something so magical and mystical about Ireland. I have always wanted to write in a little white cottage by the sea.
Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work?
Daphne du Maurier has definitely influenced my writing; I love the way she describes her scenes and years after reading one of her books, I can still picture the landscape as though I was actually there—such as the moors in Jamaica Inn or the cove in Rebecca.
Richard Matheson inspired me with What Dreams May Come; he taught me how to end chapters with a cliffhanger and keep readers turning those pages.
Truman Capote taught me how to write nonfiction like a work of fictional suspense by reading In Cold Blood.
And Jon Krakauer and Sebastian Junger have taught me how to take ordinary people and place them into extraordinary circumstances, as well as how to effectively use weather as an adversary in their books Into Thin Air (Krakauer) and The Perfect Storm (Junger).
What do your plans for future projects include?
To be honest, the constant and bizarre dramas of the 2016 Presidential election and the Trump presidency have created a dilemma for suspense authors because how can a fictionalized political thriller compete with what is happening in our world today? In polling my readers, I have discovered that people often read fiction to escape. I have always enjoyed reading about Elizabethan England, the Celts or the Vikings so I have turned my attention to a new series that follows the lives of my ancestors beginning in 1608 Scotland. If you think politics today is divisive, back then it often ended in murder. Crosses and double-crosses, spies, romance, sword fighting, adventure and castle intrigue will make for a very exciting series.
Do you ever get writer’s Block? Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
Years ago when I was writing the story of my ancestor, Mary Neely, who had been captured by Shawnee warriors, I would go to bed at night asking her where she went, what she did, how she felt, and I found that I would dream about her all night. Since then I have taught myself to dream each chapter before it is written so as a result, I never experience writer’s block. However, sometimes I need to write a scene such as a romantic encounter and I admit I pull out the romance novels and movies for inspiration!
Have you ever had one character you wanted to go one way with but after the book was done the character was totally different?
Yes. Dylan Maguire was first introduced in Vicki’s Key and he was only supposed to appear in that one book. His character was a lot more sinister but when the editors read the first draft, they had become mesmerized by him and they told me it was non-negotiable: he had to remain in the entire series. I rewrote some of his scenes to make him less threatening and more fun-loving and I am really happy I did. He has become the most popular character in the Black Swamp Mysteries Series, and I must admit to being teary-eyed when I wrote his wedding to Vicki Boyd in Cloak and Mirrors!
Thank you for having me here today!
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 20 books in several genres, including suspense, historical and non-fiction. Prior to becoming a writer, she owned two computer companies in the Washington, DC with a specialty in combatting computer crime. Her clients included the CIA, Secret Service and Department of Defense. Technology is often woven through her suspense thrillers. Terrell is of Irish descent, and Ireland often figures prominently in her books as well. She has been a full-time author since 2002 and currently travels between her home in North Carolina and Northern Ireland, the home of her ancestors. She is also the founder of Book ‘Em North Carolina’s Writers Conference and Book Fair (http://bookemnc.org) and The Novel Business (http://thenovelbusiness.com).
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI love the way characters seem taken a life of their own as Dylan did. I had one who shook her finger at me after her rather ditzy appearance in my first mystery. "I'm worth more than that, young lady," she said. So by the third book in the series, this 80-something-year-old character became a role model for the rest of the women in the books.
ReplyDeleteThanks for following the tour, Fran. I love that your 80-something character spoke to you like that. They seem to come alive, don't they? Like guests in the house - and sometimes they never leave.
DeleteThank you for hosting me here today. I'll be checking in later and answering any questions anyone might have for me. And I have some questions for you: who are your favorite characters in any of the books you've read? Which have stayed with you and why?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this book !
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds great! I've added it to my TBR on GR. Thanks for the giveaway! 💖
ReplyDelete