I’m delighted to help promote the relaunch of Billy Ray Chitwood‘s novel, Mama’s Madness, to be released June 21st. Billy Ray is the author of 14 books, in the genres of fiction and nonfiction memoir. Many of his novels were inspired by true events. He describes himself as a dreamer, a wanderlust, a stereotype of many in his generation, and a young man in an old man’s body who is trying to catch up with himself and find the pieces he left behind in a disconnected youth and early years of manhood.

Pre-order HERE

Blurb

A story inspired by a northern California news account a few years ago … Some of the details in this fictional penning are true. Some of the details are exaggerated and are simply the work of the author’s imagination. What is clearly evidenced in this novel is the coldness of a mother’s heart and the madness of her cruelty. The mind cannot comprehend lives the children depicted here were forced to endure: from black punishment closets of hell (for days, not hours!), kitchen tables used for crudely performed operations, to a high sierra execution by fire. The terror is real. The pain is vicariously felt. Unbelievable? Yes, it is unbelievable that such depravity, such MAMA’S MADNESS exists in our world. Accept the embellishments with the truth. Know your environment and be safe!

Review by Timothy M. Tays on July 8, 2012
Mama’s Madness: Excellent writing about a depraved subject

“Mama’s Madness” by Billy Ray Chitwood is an excellently written story about an abused protagonist (Tammie Jo), her sociopathic mama, and the senseless crimes that Mama and her accomplices commit and are eventually held accountable for. As unsettling as the characters and their behavior may be, Chitwood manages to almost balance their menace with the goodness and dedication of law enforcement and Tammie Jo’s struggle to reconcile her environment with her possible future (or her lack of a future if Mama is left unrestrained). Chitwood’s ability to interweave the profile of a monster, the coming of age and redemption of a girl, and a fascinating multiple-murder investigation is masterful. I highly recommend “Mama’s Madness” for lovers of gritty murder investigations that include the perpetrator’s, victim’s, and detectives’ point-of-views. I will certainly continue reading Mr. Chitwood’s body of work.

*************

Please join me in welcoming Billy Ray to my blog.

Tell us a little about yourself.  Born in Appalachia during the aftermath of the Great Depression, I somehow survived those tumultuous years of poverty, mobility and family disconnect. I’m a romantic, a wanderlust with too much ‘Past’ in my awareness…reconciled to the fact those parts of me will never change: those parts have been with me all the way and live with me now in ‘Twilight’ – always looking for the ‘White Buffalo’.

In what genre is Mama’s Madness and who published it? This novel is inspired by true events in the genres of Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Child Abuse. Self-published through CreateSpace (Amazon).

The storyline?  Meet a mother from hell! I ran across the California newspaper clippings from years ago about a Northern California mother who tortured her six kids – the three girls most specifically – with beatings, dark-closet punishments that could last for days, eating lard and their own retch, standing erect or on their knees for hours at a time. She kills two of the girls by fire, leaving one girl to fear for her life…an amazing story, fictionalized with lots of true elements!

What inspired you to write it?  Thinking of my own kids, reading the clippings about these California crimes made me angry, made me cry, plus the ‘junk in my mind’s attic,’ conspired and inspired me to write a fictionalized account of this evil ‘woman from hell!’ It was a tough book to write and it’s a tough book to read! My hope is the book will serve as a silent siren for parents and children to be aware that evil exists in our world, to be aware of their environments, the stranger in the park, the offer of a ride home, et al.

What inspires you to write in general?  Hope this is not too corny or trite, but something magical happens for me when my fingers touch the laptop keys…it’s like invisible fingers are tapping those keys, creating what I believe to be good, sometimes great writing! The ‘business’ (marketing, the internet) of writing stymies me, but the writing itself satisfies a need within me. I can say truthfully that Writing is my therapy!

In what sub-genres do you write?  Cross-Genres…The whole spectrum actually: mystery, suspense, thriller, romance, memoir, time travel, history. My romance books get very little attention from the reading public, but that’s because, frankly, I don’t know what I’m doing in marketing them.

When and what did you first start writing?  As a kid I wrote poetry – at least, my Mom called it poetry. I thought about becoming a singer but my shyness was a major factor in not following that course. I wrote off and on through the work years, and really got serious about it around the 1980s.

What authors have most influenced you? How and why?  John D. MacDonald hooked me with his Travis McGee Novels. I read all twenty-one: each title contained a color: The Deep Blue Good-by;  Nightmare in Pink; A Purple Place for Dying; The Quick Red Fox. These books were all written in 1964. Tall good-looking Travis lived aboard a boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and each book is action-packed as Travis helps a friend or someone get out of trouble. John D. sold over 70 million copies of his books over his 70-year life span. It broke my heart when I lost those 21 books in one of my moves… The English Romantic poets rang my bell in college, as did the Naturalist Writers: Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Jack London, Theodore Dreiser (Sister Carrie), and others. Today, I like Nelson DeMille’s smooth-flowing style.

How do you write – outline or free flow?  Most of my writing is free flow. I’ve also done outlines, but, for me, I like to let my characters take my laptop tapping wherever it is they go and whatever they do.

What genres do you like to read?  Mystery, suspense, memoirs.

*************

I’d like to thank Billy Ray for being my guest and wish him all the best with his relaunch.

Pre-order HERE

Other books by Billy Ray

The Bailey Crane Mystery Series

Find all of Billy Ray’s books HERE

Connect with Billy Ray:  Website   Blog   Twitter   Facebook   Goodreads   LinkedIn   Google+   Amazon

I hope you enjoyed learning more about Billy Ray. Please visit his blog, comment and share.

Thanks so much for stopping by ❤️

Jacqui Murray has just released her latest novel, Born in a Treacherous Time, and I’m so pleased to help her promote it. She’s doing a blog hop beginning today and running through June 21st. Jacqui has been teaching K-8 technology for 15 years. She is editor/author of over 100 tech ed resources, including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, and K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, CSG Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Buy Jacqui’s book HERE

BLURB

Born in the harsh world of East Africa 1.8 million years ago, where hunger, death, and predation are a normal part of daily life, Lucy and her band of early humans struggle to survive. It is a time in history when man was relentlessly annihilated by predators, nature, his own people, and the next iteration of the species. To make it worse, Lucy’s band hates her. She may be their leader’s new mate but they don’t understand her odd actions, don’t like her strange looks, and don’t trust her past. To survive, she cobbles together an unusual alliance with an orphaned child, a beleaguered protodog who’s lost his pack, and a man who was supposed to be dead.

Kirkus Review:

Murray’s lean prose is steeped in the characters’ brutal worldview, which lends a delightful otherness to the narration …The book’s plot is similar in key ways to other works in the genre, particularly Jean M. Auel’s The Clan of the Cave Bear. However, Murray weaves a taut, compelling narrative, building her story on timeless human concerns of survival, acceptance, and fear of the unknown. Even if readers have a general sense of where the plot is going, they’ll still find the specific twists and revelations to be highly entertaining throughout.

A well-executed tale of early man.

*************

Please join me in welcoming Jacqui to my blog. Let’s learn more about her and her work.

Before I start, Tina, I’d like to thank you for hosting me on your wonderful blog and for the opportunity to get to know your community. This is quite an honor!

You’re most welcome, Jacqui. I’m delighted to host you! Tell us something personal about yourself.  I adore my husband and my dog (not necessarily in that order). I have two amazing children, one a SGT in the Army and the other a LT CMDR (Select) in the Navy. I am blessed with my family!

Tell us a little about your new book.  My latest novel is prehistoric fiction, Born in a Treacherous Time, to be released June 2018. It is Book 1 of my Man vs. Nature series, planned for four books covering man’s rise from helpless prey to apex predator. I’m excited to get this story out there and hope it will inspire the main character to stop nagging me!

Born in a Treacherous Time is Lucy’s story, how she and her band of early humans struggle to survive in the harsh reality of a world where nature rules, survival is a daily challenge, and a violent band threatens to destroy everything Lucy thinks she understands.

If you like Bear Grylls’ Man vs. Wild, you’ll love this book. If you ever wondered how earliest man survived but couldn’t get through the ten-syllable academic explanations, this book is for you. It will bring that world to life in a way never seen before.

What inspired you to write it?  I started writing to understand historic events better. Nothing unravels history better than seeing people in real-life situations. I like to throw my characters off a ledge and see if they learn to fly. There is no high as great as solving the unsolvable.

How do you write – outline or free flow?  I write from an outline. I put everything into a spreadsheet first, add details, shake everything up, move rows around, and then convert it to Word where I flesh the story out. I know it’s a bit odd but it works well for me!

What subjects do write about on your blog?  I have several blogs (thank you for the opportunity to share them!):

• WordDreams, for writers
• Ask a Tech Teacher, for educators
• USNA or Bust, for high schoolers who just must go to the US Naval Academy

What is your current writing project?  Currently, I am working on Book 2 in the Man vs. Nature series. This one will explore early man’s migration from Africa to all parts of Asia, the Levant, and Europe. It’s tentatively called Crossroads (for obvious reasons) and should be out Summer 2019.

What advice would you give a new writer?  The best I can offer—besides the de rigeur of ‘write well’–is write a lot. Making money at writing is as much a numbers game as anything else—the more books you have out, the more you sell. People are more likely to buy your first book if they see you’ve written a series.

What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?  I hope readers of Born in a Treacherous Time are blown away with the majesty and nobility of early man. He was the first animal who didn’t rely on instinct to ensure his survival. Instead, he evaluated his surroundings and came up with new solutions to old problems. I am in awe of his tenacity and brilliance.

What is a fun fact about you?  Few people know I used to be a professional ballroom dancer. I competed around the country and owned a dance studio. My favorite dances were tango, Paso Doble, and the venerable fox trot. I haven’t danced since I got married. My husband isn’t a fan and nothing I could do would change his mind!

Perhaps Jacqui could hold a dance-a-thon on her blog. It would be great fun and could very well go viral 🙂

I’d like to thank Jacqui for being my guest. I’m sure we all wish her every success with her writing and her new book.

*************

Find all of Jacqui’s books Here

Connect with Jacqui:  Blog   Twitter   Facebook   LinkedIn   Pinterest   Nonfiction technology-in-ed books
Amazon Author Page  

I hope you enjoyed learning more about Jacqui. Please visit her blogs, comment and share.

Thanks so much for stopping by ❤️