Climbing Out of Hell by Liza O'Connor #interview #blogtour #giveaway #review

As you may have heard, Billionaire Trent Lancaster died two weeks ago. What you may not know is that three days before Trent’s death, he gave everything away to servants, friends and charities.

Melissa: Today I am interviewing the main recipients of his fortune, starting with Sam via Skype. 

Sam Lancaster, I understand you had already left NYC when you heard of your brother’s death and that he’d left you $21 billion dollars. According to my sources, up until a few weeks ago, you were his driver.

Sam: What of it? Nothing wrong with being a driver.

Melissa: But driving your brother around? That’s a bit odd isn’t it?

Sam: If you must know the sordid story, Lancaster Sr. forced my mother to have sex with him or lose her job. When she got pregnant, he paid a man to marry her.  I didn’t find out until I returned from Iraq. Upon learning who my father was, I tried to meet him, but he refused to acknowledge me as his son. So I asked for a job as a driver.

Melissa: Why?

Sam: I needed a job, and I wanted him to discover how much better I was than Trent.

Melissa: How’d that work out?

Sam: It’ didn’t and my proof is he still refused to acknowledge me, even on his death bed.

---

Jon: Sam, Jon Javits here.  

The reason he never acknowledged you was because of Mrs. Lancaster. She would have killed him in his sleep if he had tried. She was outraged you even drove the car.

Sam: Oh…thanks for telling me. I gather Trent left you something?

Jon: The penthouse.

Sam: How are you going to pay taxes and maintenance on that?

Jon: He left trust funds to handle that. He wanted me to get my boys back.

Sam: So you’re raising Trent’s baby for him?

Jon: I’m raising my sons. Patty listed me as the boy’s father, and we both agree it will be best if he never knows otherwise.

Sam: When he finds out, expect him to be pissed off.

Jon: That will be his choice. All I can do is be the best father I can and treat him no differently than the three older boys.

Sam: You sure those are yours?

Jon: reaches over and disconnects the line. “Sorry, but I’ve no patience with Lancasters anymore. Beside, you’ve yet to interview Mars. He’s far more interesting.

Melissa: And I will get to him, but readers want to know about their favorite writer, how are you doing?

Jon: Better than I expected. The boys love their new school and the butler at the penthouse is like a child whisperer, so all the anger outbursts and tantrums have stopped. Patty and I are both living at the penthouse. She wants to move into the master suite with me, but I need more time to forgive her.

Melissa: And the new baby?

Jon: I was afraid he’d be a little mini Trent with tantrums all the time, but he’s the sweetest little guy. As far as I’m concerned, he’s one of mine, and now that we don’t have money problems, I love having four little boys, but I’ve warned Patty any more and she’s out. She swears she’ll never be unfaithful again, that Trent seduced her with his wealth.

Melissa: I sense you don’t believe her.

Jon: She’s still blaming Trent, as if he forced her into his bed, which was not the case. I saw the way she would come onto him. I just didn’t think he’d betray me. He was my best friend.

Melissa: I’m sorry to bring up sad memories. Mars. Let’s talk about all the wonderful things you are doing.

---

Mars: As everyone seems to know. Trent left me his 86 acre Long Island Estate and substantial funds for me to create a Healing Sanctuary for returning vets. 

While I’ve only had three weeks to work on the transformation, new construction and modifications to the mansion and grounds have begun. Our first patient will transfer over in 6 months. So I’ve a great deal to do in the short time between. But before I leave, allow me to state my unequivocal appreciation and admiration for Trent Lancaster. While he often made bad decision and threw tantrums that would make a three-year-old proud, within him was a good man. I saw this often when Trent and Carrie were together. And I see the same good man in his gifts. He took great thought in each one, trying his hardest to do good. I can tell you from years working for him, all too often his attempts to be nice would make everything worse.

Jon: Laughs* That’s the truth. Nothing ever worked for him. No matter how good his intentions, it always came to a disaster. But, speaking for myself, this time he got it right.

Mars: Indeed he did.

Melissa: It’s a shame you disconnected Skype, for I’d love to get Sam’s view on the matter.

Mars: Sam is going through an identity crisis at the moment. The money enabled him to become the sheriff of some little town in Iowa, and he loves the million dollar car Trent gave him. So while I believe Sam remains emotionally in conflict, at least I know he’s not homeless, nor hungry, he has a job he likes, he’s dating a ‘nice’ girl, and he’s become ‘buds’ with one of the locals. So from my perspective, Trent did a good job with Sam as well.

Melissa: There you have it. It sounds like Trent Lancaster finally got something right.

---

Climbing Out of Hell

Book 4 of the series

A Long Road to Love

Romantic Comedy

Billionaire Trent Lancaster has destroyed his relationship with the only woman who ever loved him. Now we discover the full truth of what happened. 

He actually had reasons for his behaviors.

Still, there is no going back. Trent has lost Carrie forever, but he would rather die than marry Coco, so he does just that. Trent gives away most of his possessions, fakes his death, and starts over with a new face and a better attitude in a small town in Iowa where his half-brother Sam is sheriff.

Losing his true love has fundamentally broken Trent to his core. His only chance for happiness is to become the better man Carrie had always seen inside him.

True change is not easy. Can Trent grow up and become a man we can love?

Excerpt

Sam burst into the kitchen, frowned at Trent, then focused on Dani. “Leroy is at it again. I thought you said you were going to hide the damn thing?”

“I did. But there aren’t many places one can hide an AK-47 rifle.”

“Well, you hid it worth shit because it’s raining lead again at the downtown square!”

She gripped her head as if it might explode.

“What’s the problem?” Trent asked.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Iowa passed a law allowing blind people to carry guns in public. So her grandfather, who is blind as a bat, sits on a bench in the square and shoots his AK into the trees.”

“What’s he trying to shoot?”

“Pigeons,” Sam and Dani answered at once. She glared him into silence and continued her reply. “He likes pigeon soup. A Pakistani doctor told him it would prevent strokes.”

“Well, he’s giving me a stroke,” Sam snapped. “You have to make him stop!”

“I’ve talked to him until I’m blue in the face. He won’t listen to me. Most of the time he thinks I’m three-years old. Who listens to a three-year-old?” She threw her hands up in frustration and turned back to the grill.

Trent didn’t care for the way Sam pushed Dani. Grandparents were impossible to boss around…at least his had been. “Why don’t you talk to him?’

Sam released a hurricane of air. “Because the mayor told me to stay away from him, since he is not breaking any laws, and any attempt on my part could result in a lawsuit against the town.” He eyed Trent. “You should talk to him.”

“Sam, Trevor’s been in town an hour. You know Gramps doesn’t trust people right off.”

“Neither do you, yet here he sits, like an old friend, watching you cook him dinner.”

She rescued the burgers off the grill, slapped them both on buns, and shoved one at Sam. “This is your hamburger. Trevor is holding out for braised lamb.”

“Point still stands. Look, I think he can do the job. I intended to hit him with a ticket but he was so nice I sent him to you instead. He’s a likable guy. Let’s send him out and see if he can stop this madness.”

“No!”

“Then I’m shutting this bar down for safety violations.”

She stared at him in shock. “What violations?”

“Don’t worry. Mr. Olsen will find something. He owes me big time after last night’s poker game.”

Trent stood up. “Sam, you’re digging yourself into a hole. Your initial solution was excellent, and frankly I’m honored you think so well of me. I’ll go talk to him right now. Just tell me how to get to Pigeonville.”

Sam grinned and slapped him on the back as he led him out of the kitchen. “Way to man up. Seriously, I’ll owe you one if you can get the gun away from Leroy and bury it six feet under.”

Trent just hoped being a nice guy didn’t get him buried six feet under as well.

Links

Released May 1, 2014

Book Four of the series:

A Long Road to Love

Climbing out of Hell

Amazon

Other books in the A Long Road to Love series

Book One

Worst Week Ever

Amazon

“Love this book and couldn't stop laughing from beginning to end.” 5 stars – Alves - Amazon

Book Two

Oh Stupid Heart

Amazon

“Be warned though, this book is completely different from The Worst Week Ever. Yes, there is still humor, dry wit, situations that you would think...NOT AGAIN but this one humanizes Trent more.” 5 stars - Brian’s Mom – Amazon

Book Three

Coming to Reason

Amazon

Once again, Ms. O’Connor has written a brilliant book about the complexities of relationships, good and bad. Again, to me, the book is the best break up book EVER and it left my heart singing in the end. Best.Book.Ever…




Other Books by Liza O’Connor

Saving Casey  

Ghost Lover

Liza O’Connor

Author Bio:

Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT 

LIZA O'CONNOR & UPCOMING BOOKS:

Liza's Blog and Website   Facebook   Twitter

 

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Worst Week Ever

Oh Stupid Heart

Coming to Reason

Ghost Lover

 

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Here's My Review:
I've read the first two books in the Long Road to Love series and always felt that Trent needed to learn how to grow up and handle things himself. I missed the third book, partially because I didn't want to see him fall apart. He wasn't really a bad person, just misguided. I blamed his parents and the money. There's a new defense being used in court of Affluence- where children are given everything they want and so when it comes time to try to get something, they don't have the understanding of right and wrong...just "I want". 


Liza writes stories that draw you in. I wanted Trent to be redeemable but worried that he was in over his head. After all, he hadn't been the best person. But I guess when you have nothing to lose...The secondary characters are always my favorite. From Sam to Cougar...I couldn't get enough of these people. Each of them deserved their own happily ever after. 


I don't want to spoil the story for you...but this is a must read. I give it five stars! Filled with hilarious factual information and characters that will worm their ways into your heart, you won't be able to put the book down. Now Ms. Liza has more books to write... as I said... everyone deserves their happily ever after- so get with it for Sam and Mars.