Book Name: Walk A Mile

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23203135-walk-a-mile?ac=1

Author Name: Sarah Madison

Author Bio: Sarah Madison is a veterinarian with a big dog, an even bigger horse, too many cats, and a very patient boyfriend. She is a terrible cook, and concedes that her life would be easier if Purina made People Chow. She writes because it is cheaper than therapy.

Author Contact:

https://twitter.com/SarahMadisonFic

http://pinterest.com/sarahmadisontoo/

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sarah-Madison-Author/106445646104338

http://sarahmadisonfiction.tumblr.com/

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

Buy Links:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

Amazon.uk

Blurb:

Six months after starting their hunt for a serial killer who is still at large, FBI agents Jerry Lee Parker and John Flynn are partners in every sense. But Jerry has serious doubts about their relationship and whether they would even be together if not for the way Flynn changed after touching a mysterious artifact in a museum.

Flynn hates the extraordinary power bestowed on him by the artifact and wants nothing more than to have a normal life again. Jerry fears that without the unusual connection they forged, Flynn will no longer want or need him. Chasing after a similar artifact takes them back to Flynn’s old stomping grounds in Washington D.C., where his newfound abilities uncover long-buried secrets, the kind people would kill to protect. But they aren’t the only ones looking for these powerful relics, and what they discover will threaten their relationship—and their lives.

 

Sarah stopped by Love Bytes and answered some questions for us 🙂

It looks like this is the second book in a series, tell us about Jerry Lee Parker and John Flynn. What are their lives like?

Jerry Parker and John Flynn are about as opposite as you can get! John (who goes by Flynn) is a bit of a maverick. He’s ruthlessly dedicated to his career, the kind of guy who ‘always gets his man.’ He’s unbelievably handsome, and not above using it to his advantage. He’s an athlete and an adrenaline junkie and not used to having to ask for help. The events of the first book in the series, Unspeakable Words, put Flynn in the position of needing Jerry to intervene on his behalf. Jerry, on the other hand, is uptight, precise, and a little OCD. He has a nearly perfect memory, which has given him a reputation for being arrogant and intolerant. Flynn represents everything he thinks he wants to be—and yet the two of them are more alike than they realize. They’re both misfits within the system that make a better team working together than alone.

What was your inspiration for these books? Are there more planned?

It all started with a ‘what if…?’ idea. I wondered what it would be like for a normal person to be suddenly gifted with supernatural abilities. How it would affect their lives, their relationships, their career?  I took a man who practically invented the definition of ‘lone wolf’ and forced him to be dependent on someone else in order to function. I took another man who lives a life so ordered there isn’t room for anyone else and forced him to have to take care of someone. I was intrigued by the idea that ‘special gifts’ might be anything other than desired, and wanted to explore to what lengths someone might go in order to be normal again.

I originally planned a three story arc but as I am working on the third in the series now, I can see there needs to be at least one more novel to tie up all the loose ends.

What is your favorite genre (or sub-genre) to write?

Oh dear. I wish I could pick one. It would make far more sense in terms of ‘branding’ if I could say I write historicals, or paranormals, or sci-f. The truth is I love anything with a little twist to it. I love taking ordinary people and placing them in extraordinary situations to see what they are made of. My tag line is “Hot Men In Hot Water” and I like to say that I place my characters in hot water to see how strong they are. Like tea bags, only sexier. J

How do you schedule your day to allow time for a job, writing (also a job!), and a life?

Whew! I wish I could say I handled it better than I do. One of the reasons I am slow to produce new stories is that I have a very demanding day job. It’s hard finding the balance at times. I find that if I don’t spend a little time outdoors each day, I just don’t feel right. I can’t think or create. So I put in my 10-12 hour workday, and I make a point of getting in a two mile walk with the dog most days. I try to get out into the woods at least twice a week, and though I am no longer competing, I try to ride my horse on the weekends. I do some of my best brainstorming when I’m doing physical activities, such as mucking stalls, or walking the dog.

The hard part it finding the creative energy after an emotionally and physically exhausting day at work. I do best if I write a little every day—going too long without working on a draft results in my needing to spend a lot of time catching up on what I’ve already written, and struggling to get back into the mindset of my characters. I have to choose on any given day what I’m going to do with the time that I have allotted to me. I fear I spend far too much time on social media because it is easier to repost pictures of funny cats than it is to work out a thorny plot problem! I’ve scaled back on many of my other interests, such as photography, writing fanfic, and watching television in order to write original stories. Most days I’d rather write than do anything else, but there are times when I wonder if I’m just wasting my time. I worry that I might look back with regret on the time I spend writing and wish I’d engaged more with the people and animals that I love. Then I remind myself that I could have gone my whole life without ever discovering anything I was passionate about, and that a life with passion is better than a life without it.

If you could have a house full of animals, what would you have?

Hah! I had to laugh at this question because, yeah, been there, done that! I do have a house full of animals! I have a dog (only one because I find it difficult to devote enough attention to more than one dog at a time).  I can’t imagine ever being without a dog. Not. Ever. I also have three cats whom I love dearly, even though they don’t always get along with each other. In fact, the dog polices the cat interactions and prevents the youngest from terrorizing the oldest! I also have two ‘porch cats’, which are the result of feral cats having kittens under my porch. It took me several years to trap, neuter, and vaccinate them, after which they decided that I was their person. Now they come running whenever I pull up in the driveway, and roll around on my porch like they own it.

I also have horses. I bought my first horse for 89 cents a pound twenty-seven years ago. I still have him. 🙂

When I was growing up, we had all kinds of reptiles and rodents. I used to have cages and cages of rats and mice from around the world. When people find out that you have rats and they don’t want theirs anymore, they give you their unwanted pets. I had as many as fifty rodents at one time, but eventually, as I got young cats, I made the decision to not to accept any more rodents.

I’ve spent most of my life creating a family out of pets. I think they are one of the safest receptacles of your love that you can ever have.

What will we see from you in the future?

I’m currently working on the next in The Sixth Sense series, tentatively titled Truth and Consequences. I have plans for additional stories in the Crying for the Moon universe, and am working on new series under the name of Madison Dean, which features a post WW2 hero and heroine who masquerade as Ward and June Cleaver by day and investigate paranormal events by night. There might possibly be a talking dog, too.

Thank you so much for hosting me here today! These were great questions and I’ve enjoyed being here!

Thank You Sarah!

 

Jerry returned his attention to the tableau unfolding in the aisle. Flynn was making his way casually toward Jerry; he yawned, taking his time. 15-A hesitated; Jerry could see that he had stepped into the aisle, but was thinking of sitting back down again. Just then, the door to the toilet opened and the toddler came out into the aisle. Picking up on the air of tension, the child immediately started to wail.

15-A snapped like a wire stretched beyond its tensile strength. Whipping off his sunglasses, he reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a glass vial. Holding it up high over his head for everyone to see, he shouted, “Everybody stay where you are!”

People glanced up and turned around in their seats, startled and immediately alarmed. 15-A looked around sharply, making sure that no one was trying to rush him. Several people had started halfway up out of their seats to see what was going on; Jerry knew they were remembering United Flight 93.

15-a moved his hand in a broad semi-circle so that everyone could see the vial tucked in his palm. “I have Sarin!” he announced. “If anyone moves, I break the vial. Someone make that child shut up!”

Tour Dates/Stops:

October 3: Louise Lyons, Parker Williams

October 6: Multitasking Mommas, Kimi-Chan

October 7: Prism Book Alliance, 3 Chicks After Dark

October 8: Amanda C. Stone, Emotion in Motion

October 9: Andrew Q. Gordon, Inked Rainbow Reads, Love Bytes, Smoocher’s Voice

October 10: Romance the Night, Cate Ashwood

October 13: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, The Hat Party

October 14: Wake Up Your Wild Side, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Fallen Angel Reviews

October 15: Queer Town Abbey, The Blogger Girls, Butterfly-O-Meter

October 16: MM Good Book Reviews, Jade Crystal, Velvet Panic

 

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