Sue Vincent at the Daily Echo generously allowed me to guest-post on her blog. “It’s Not A Human!” addresses man’s self-defeating alienation from nature and how literature can restore the connections that make us human.
The Book Blogger Interview
Matt Bond is the webmaster of The Book Blogger, a UK-based site dedicated to reviewing books of all genres. He interviewed me about my writing goals and my latest book, The Genie Hunt.
Things were going smoothly. Then he asked, “What would surprise readers about you?”
The Genie Hunt
Solstice Publishing has just released my novella The Genie Hunt, a modern fantasy set in High Point, North Carolina. It’s the latest comic adventure of Buddy Vuncannon and Coot Pickard, whose first exploit appeared in my short story Witch Flambé, published by Aurora Wolf.
Attorney Buddy Vuncannon and his friend Coot Pickard are heading out of town for a fishing weekend when they’re surrounded by a SWAT team. When Coot is booked, Buddy learns three of Coot’s friends identified Coot as the gun man at a pawn shop robbery, the latest in a string of violent crimes that have terrified the small town.
To defend Coot, Buddy must stand up to a bullying district attorney, uncover the identity of the real robbers, and battle a powerful genie from Iraq who serves the robbers. Buddy’s investigation implicates an old friend, reigniting long-forgotten friction between Buddy and Coot. Old and new loyalties clash, leading Buddy and Coot to a desperate backwoods chase that forces them to seek the help of a madman they both fear.
It was a blast researching and writing this story. I grew up in High Point, which was once a thriving mill and furniture center in the North Carolina Piedmont. After reading J. D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, I was moved to write about how the middle class is seeing its way of life disappear in a changing, often bewildering world. These neglected people deserve their due, as well as a little respect. As in the real world of rural and small-town America, the maltreated but proud characters in The Genie Hunt still have a lot of fight left in them.
I want to thank my critique partners and beta readers for their invaluable insights, as well as the hard-working editors at Solstice Publishing. The end result of our efforts is a fast-paced comedy thriller that’ll hook you at page one. Enjoy!
Available now on Amazon.
Early reviews:
“Tuggle redefines a popular fairy tale character in his tale of the paranormal, of powerful dark alliances, and of deadly deception, set in a small town in North Carolina. Those bedtime stories we were told as children may just have a frightening, more threatening side. The Genie Hunt will keep you guessing about how a good lawyer can overcome evil to set an innocent man free.”
Ben Sharpton, author of 3rd Option.
“I was hooked from the start. Great story, full of suspense. This book is one of my must-reads this year.”
Aman Mittal, Confessions of a Readaholic
“The small town Carolina setting and the friendships forged by the people who grew up there together give the story an authentic feel.”
Cathleen Townsend, author of Dragon Hoard.
Traits Writers Have in Common – What I Learned from an Author Panel
I instantly recognized myself in K.L. Kranes’s post on the writing life and knew I had to share it.
On Saturday I participated in my first author panel with a fellow local writer in the Northern Virginia area, Angela Glascock (Locksmith at the End of the World) and moderated by another local writer, Lisa Tully.
Author panels are meant to give the audience insight on novels, authors and the writing process. But, I learned a few things too, including it seems as though we writers have a lot in common.
Here are some of the commonalities I noticed.
We wrote as children, all the time
As a kid, I remember writing all the time. I filled notebooks with stories and poems. They’d be stuff in drawers and boxes. When we’d clean out my room they’d turn up in random places. It was even an activity with my friends. While other kids were playing with toys or riding bikes, I’d rather be writing a book. Lucky for me I…
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Bookworms Rejoice: the Benefits of Reading
Reading nurtures both personal growth and one’s ability to connect with others. A great post from new author Amy Walters.
Bookworms need no convincing of the benefits of reading, for most of us, reading is engrained in our DNA. We love the smell of new books, or the email from Amazon telling us that new Kindle book is now on our device (especially those long awaited prereleases). But apart from the fact that we love it, why else is reading a beneficial thing to do?
Stress relief -Reading relieves stress because it takes our mind to a place far away from our troubles. It allows us to be present in another person’s moment, and our own fight or flight response calms down. Our, mostly unwanted, companionadrenaline, trickles out of our bloodstream. Our muscles relax, and the world seems a better place.
Empathy -Reading about someone else’s life and experiences gives us a sense of what life is like for that person. When we then meet someone going that…
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Quote of the day
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” – Thomas Jefferson
We could use more of that attitude these days …
Tough Travels: Assassins
Here’s the lowdown on one of my favorite fantasy tropes – the mysterious assassin!
It’s Tough Travelling time again! This is a feature hosted by Laura Hughes at Fantasy Faction (originally created by Fantasy Review Barn). Every month, with the help of Diana Wynne Jones’s classic Tough Guide to Fantasyland, it puts the spotlight on a particular fantasy trope, theme or cliché, and invites bloggers to list stand-out books related to that week’s theme.
This month’s theme is assassins:
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Best fiction and writing blogs
The best fiction and writing blog posts from around the ‘net, all guaranteed to make you a literary legend. Compiled by flannery.
D. Wallace Peach – Writers’ Critique Groups
Cathleen Townsend – Pinterest–Tips to Get Started
Sean P. Carlin – Foundations of Storytelling: The Logline
Annabelle Troy – Fiction Gets Brainy
Dave Astor – It’s Earth Day in Some Parts of Literature
Nicola Alter – Getting The Last Line
J. C. Wolfe – 16 Redundant Phrases You Should Simplify in Your Writing
Jay Dee Archer – Genres Helping Other Genres
Pre-Release Review of The Genie Hunt
“What do you get when someone blends these genres: Thriller and Fantasy? You get M. C. Tuggle’s new book The Genie Hunt. I was hooked from the start. … Great story, full of suspense. This book is one of my must-reads this year.” – Aman Mittal. Read the rest at Confessions of a Readaholic
Award-Winning Thrillers Sale
I wanted to pass on this news — for the next few days, author Ben A. Sharpton is offering his novels at 99 cents! Check it out.
M.C. Tuggle, Writer 