What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read Stolen Obsession?
There are many morals in this book. Here are the top three: First, you are stronger than you think you are. Shown by Annalisse’s trials with personal loss and helping those around her. Secondly, keep those around you close to your heart because you never know when they can be taken away. Annalisse experiences a great deal of personal loss. Third, judge people not by what others say about them, but by how they truly are. Give people a chance to redeem any negative qualities that come from hearsay. Annalisse learns this with Alec Zavos, her love interest in Stolen Obsession. The tabloids paint him with a broad womanizer brush, and Annalisse takes her time deciding for herself who Alec is and if he can be trusted.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Stolen Obsession took 8 years from start to finish due to the learning process. I’m working toward publishing the 2nd book, Spent Identity in 2019. I’m at 70,000 words so far!
Where did the idea for Stolen Obsession come from? What was the inspiration?
The main character, Annalisse is a lot like me. Through 8 drafts of the story, the focus changed dramatically. The genre moved from Women’s Fiction to Romantic Mystery. I wouldn’t say the story came from one inspiration because of the long learning process. It has naturally morphed into the final version through plot changes and tons of edits.
Describe Stolen Obsession using seven words.
Ancient Curse Collides With Three Jewelry Pieces
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I write every day, even if it’s a few hundred words. First thing in the morning after the sheep are fed. By 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on a good day. On very good days, I can knock out a single chapter in 4-5 hours of work. 1-2 chapters each week with editing along the way. I’m a constant editor, especially since using the Hemmingway App.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
When I can, I stop and read other authors to keep the creative juices flowing. Spending time with the lambs in their pastures with a camera along is also worthwhile as a pick-me-up when words clog my mind and are disjointed on the page. If my writing stinks, there’s no sense in staying at the keyboard. It’s nice to have options like photography, drawing, painting and of course, sheep.
What do you think makes a good story?
It’s all about the reader turning pages. Whether I write mystery, suspense or the occasional love scene, it’s important to leave a scene to hang with an important question in the reader’s mind. The goal is to create a page-turner by whatever means possible.
Book Details
Book Title: Stolen Obsession by Marlene M. Bell
Category: Adult Fiction; 284 pages
Genre: Romantic Mystery / Thriller
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Release date: March 20, 2018
Tour dates: Sept 10 to 28, 2018
Content Rating: R (Small bit of language and one detailed sex scene)
Book Description
Antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury dreams of a quiet life on the family's sheep farm, far away from Manhattan's brownstones, when her closest confidant falls victim to a mugging gone wrong. This had to be a hit--There are echoes from the past--and detectives have no leads. Then at a gallery opening, she sees an artifact on display, an interlocking necklace of horse heads matching her friend's stolen bracelet. Annalisse fears for the curator who owns the piece.
Convinced the jewelry collection is evil and must be destroyed, Annalisse enlists the gallery owner's womanizing son. Alec Zavos has his mother's ear but dismisses Annalisse's concerns--until a second victim at the opening brings them together in a fight against treachery, a race through exotic lands, and an unimaginable future. If Annalisse can survive...
To read reviews, please visit Marlene M. Bell's page on iRead Book Tours.
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Meet the Author
Marlene Bell is an acclaimed artist and photographer as well as a writer. Her sheep and lamb landscapes grace the covers of many publications such as, Sheep!, The Shepherd, Ranch & Rural Living and Sheep Industry News, to name a few. Her mail order venture, Ewephoric, began in 1985 out of the need to find personalized stationery depicting sheep that truly looked like them. She wrote Among the Sheep, nonfiction in 2009, and the Annalisse Series launched in March 2018.
Marlene and her husband, Gregg reside on a wooded ranch in East Texas with their 50 head of spoiled Horned Dorset sheep, a lovable Maremma guard dog named, Tia, and 3 attention-loving cats who rule the household.
Enter the Giveaway!
Ends Oct 6, 2018
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