  Tell us about your latest release: (blurb, excerpt, cover) Blurb - Cole Jackson spends fifteen years in prison for a murder he did not commit, the murder of his wife, Lindsey. His talent as a songwriter and an avid reader save him from the loneliness of the cold, dark and unforgiving prison walls. But as he joins the world of the free again, he struggles with his once again fame, because of his rock-n-roll band, of being a convicted killer and the fact that his self-esteem and self-respect were lost years ago. Prison will do that to you, not to mention drugs, alcohol and an unfaithful wife. He no longer has the drugs, the alcohol or the unfaithful wife. What he has is a tarnished reputation and the determination to find the true killer and restore his life. Shannon Gallagher's hard work as a writer has finally paid off. She believes her life is complete living in her dream home on the ocean until she meets Cole Jackson. She idolized him at sixteen, cried at twenty-one when he went to prison. Now at thirty-six she meets him and falls instantly in love. But as Cole gets closer to his wife's killer, he puts Shannon's life in danger. Can he expose the murderer and keep Shannon safe? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PROLOGUE Groping the wall blindly, hoping to steady his rubbery legs, Cole Jackson swore as he realized he was totally wasted. The hotel hallway seemed to sway violently like a ship caught in a serious gale—the kind small boats don’t survive intact. “Shit,” he yelled as he collapsed to one knee then slowly raised himself up and continued shuffling toward the room he shared with his wife, Lindsey. From a distant haze, voices pummeled through the buzz surrounding his brain. Faces blurred and flashed in and out and around the black spots plaguing his eyesight. One person asked, “How’d the show go tonight, Mr. Jackson?” “Great, just great,” Cole thought he replied. The words formed in his brain—he just wasn’t sure they managed to escape his mouth. Another man remarked, “Do you need any assistance?” “Hell no,” Cole muttered aloud this time as he tripped along mumbling to himself. Why did everyone assume he needed assistance just because he had a damn good buzz on? It was his life, wasn’t it? And if he chose to blur it with alcohol it was his business and nobody else’s. Cole slid the stupid plastic key card in the door for the third time. “Damn, damn, damn.” He pounded the door with his fist. “I need sleep. All I want to do is crawl into bed. Come on, fourth time’s the charm.” As he turned the knob, he prayed Lindsey slept alone. He’d stayed away as long as he could without passing out in the hotel bar. Not like he’d never done that before. “What the hell,” he swore as he shoved the door open, banging it into something. Once inside with the door shut, he looked down, blinked several times, forcing his eyes to focus, and saw Lindsey lying on the floor. A deep red stain encompassed her chest and a potent metallic smell suddenly floored his senses. Cole swayed and tried to steady himself as blackness descended, swallowing him up. The last thing he remembered as he collapsed next to Lindsey was his hand landing in something warm, wet and sticky. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How did you decide on your story plot? It was more like the plot chose me. The story just appeared in my head one day. How did you choose your characters names and location for your story? The location was easy. The story is set on the southeast coast of Massachusetts near the Cape Cod Canal. It’s where I live and where I set many of my contemporary books. As for character names, I pull up name lists on line and play with them. Do you have a favorite scene? Why? My favorite scene is when Cole Jackson shows up unexpectedly at Shannon Gallagher’s hotel room and takes her dancing. Do you have a character that you identify with? Who and why? I would have to say Shannon because she is a romantic suspense writer who is also a mother of a teenage son, to which I have four sons. Let our readers know how they can get a hold of you… Christinedonovan6@verizon.net http://www.christinedonovan.org/ https://www.facebook.com/christine.donovanauthor Is there anything else that you want to share… feel free!! Thank you for inviting me to be your guest, Melissa. I had a great time.  About the Author Christine Donovan is an International Bestselling Author and a PAN member of Romance Writers of America. She lives on the Southeast Coast of Massachusetts with her husband, four sons, one granddaughter and four cats. In addition to writing Contemporary Romance, she writers Regency and Paranormal Romance. When she is not writing or reading, she is either painting or gardening. Her latest book is the contemporary romance, BlackJack. For More Information Hello, Christine Donovan and thank you for visiting today. Tell us a little about yourself. I have lived on the southeast coast of Massachusetts my entire life. I’m married to a wonderful man and we have four great sons and one granddaughter. As well as writing, I work part-time at an optometrist office. I’m also a painter and, of course, an avid reader. I love to travel, spend time at the beach and attending concerts. I never miss Country Fest at Foxboro Stadium. Thanks! It sounds like you have an interesting life. I wish I could paint. Now on to some personal questions. If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself? Don’t be so shy, self-conscious or worry about what people think about you. Be true to yourself, relax and enjoy life. For what are you grateful? I’m grateful for my family. Not just my husband and children, but my mother, sister and brothers. Without all of you I wouldn’t be where I am today. And my late father, he was the best dad ever. If a zombie virus took over the world, how many days do you think you could last before you were infected? And what would you do to postpone the inevitable? I would do what they do on The Walking Dead. That ought to keep me alive for a good longtime. What television sitcom is most like your family? Why? I’m going back a while to Home Improvement. The hectic life of raising boys, the funny moments of doing home repairs and failing and the overall craziness of life. What’s your favorite thing to do to relax? I’d have to say reading. Nothing relaxes me more than being engrossed in a good book to take away the stresses of everyday life. Let’s find out a little bit about you as an author. Did you always want to be an author? Not always. I was an avid reader growing up, but never thought about writing a book myself. Then one day I woke up with this story in my head and I needed to write it down. I haven’t stopped writing since. What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? Growing up I read romances by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers, Jennifer Black to name just a few, which began my love affair with romance. As an adult I read more than romance, but the authors who have the most impact on me are Nora Roberts, Suzan Brockman, Lee Child, J.R. Ward to name a few. It is so hard to narrow the list down to only a few. Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing? The only must have is great music. I need background noise to write. What have you learned the most from being in the writing business? It is hard. Before I was published, I took my writing seriously, but it was different. Now, I have strict deadlines and goals. I work with editors and designers who all have tight schedules. I’ve learned that I work better under pressure. I book my editor and then push myself to get the book written and polished to make that deadline. It works for me.  Title: BlackJack
Author: Christine Donovan Publisher: Christine Donovan Books Pages: 336 Genre: Contemporary Romance Format: Paperback/Kindle/Nook Cole Jackson spends fifteen years in prison for a murder he did not commit, the murder of his wife, Lindsey. His talent as a songwriter and an avid reader save him from the loneliness of the cold, dark and unforgiving prison walls. But as he joins the world of the free again, he struggles with his once again fame, because of his rock-n-roll band, of being a convicted killer and the fact that his self-esteem and self-respect were lost years ago. Prison will do that to you, not to mention drugs, alcohol and an unfaithful wife. He no longer has the drugs, the alcohol or the unfaithful wife. What he has is a tarnished reputation and the determination to find the true killer and restore his life. Shannon Gallagher's hard work as a writer has finally paid off. She believes her life is complete living in her dream home on the ocean until she meets Cole Jackson. She idolized him at sixteen, cried at twenty-one when he went to prison. Now at thirty-six she meets him and falls instantly in love. But as Cole gets closer to his wife's killer, he puts Shannon's life in danger. Can he expose the murderer and keep Shannon safe? For More Information
8/11/2015 03:58:29 am
Thank you, Melissa, for inviting me today. I appreciate all you do for authors. Comments are closed.
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