Travel and writing: a tight bond in the Trilogy Deadly Deception

By P. J. Mann

The trilogy Deadly Deception that has been finally released as a whole is set mainly in Boston and Tbilisi, with some short stops in Africa described in the first book of the series.

In my life, writing and traveling are very closely connected together. 

Traveling is meant for me as a journey to my inner growth, besides seeing something new, and my destinations are not always those, someone who is thinking about a holiday would consider. Many of them have been in conflict areas where we needed the support of some people we knew who were working at the UN missions.

Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, has been chosen because I really liked the attitude of the country from its detachment from the Soviet Union, which happened in 1990.

I have traveled in Tbilisi during the spring period, and I believe I should have done it in summer to appreciate all the beauty of the place. 

Here are some pictures from the places that inspired me the most in Georgia:

Something I wanted to bring out from this trilogy was the cultural difference, the beauty of the landscape and cityscape, the flavors, the colors, and the language.

The contrast between the two places, Boston and Tbilisi, was something worth highlighting, and here are some pictures from Boston:

The Georgian characters are brought to life by the observations I have made and the people I have met during my stay in Tbilisi. 

In the same way, also the Boston characters come from direct experiences of people I have met during my journey in Boston.

Now I understand that we cannot generalize, and people are different even within the same country. Nevertheless, there are always those cultural heritage backgrounds common to general behavior.

Due to my lack of clue on how to properly market my writing, I have received very few reviews. However, I am glad to see that they are all positive, which compensates from low sales.

I hope you found this peeking behind the scenes interesting.

Here is the general link for the whole series:
Deadly Deception-The trilogy 

Love's An Adventure At Any Age

Grace Augustine, Author

www.graceaugustine.weebly.com

  My tagline..."Love's an Adventure at Any Age" fits perfectly with my writing genre...love, romance, and life issues.

  We have a tendency to think love is all about the fireworks. While fireworks are nice, they are momentary...blasting the sky with color that soon fades, leaving us a dark sky.

  Love, true lasting love, is a lifetime adventure. If you are fortunate to find that one special person to spend the rest of your life with, the fireworks happen, the tears happen, children happen, death happens. 

  Enter romance. Romance, as I said in my prior blog, is the icing on the cake, the sprinkles on the ice cream, and definitely the bling on love.

   Think of adventure when you think of love. Think of adventure when you think of romance. Love and romance are timeless and each is an adventure in its own right.

   

My Acorn Hills series was born from the aftermath of a bad relationship. But, once I started writing, I knew the characters I'd introduced in book one, Bittersweet, had their own stories to tell. So, the characters took me from their time in high school through present day. You will read of betrayal, friendships, teen pregnancy, adoption, death of a parent, birth of twins, disease ridden bodies that don't obey, and most of all romance.

An excerpt from Bittersweet, Book 1 of The Acorn Hills Series, free on Amazon 

 http://a.co/8SYu7IL

     “I don’t just want to be normal, Jake. I want to be YOUR normal. But, after what you just said, normal isn’t enough and I will never BE enough for you. I have never denied you anything. I gave you all of who I am and it still isn’t enough.”

          “But, Baby Doll, you know I love you,” Jake interjected as he walked back behind his desk, putting even more space between them.

           Jillian wasn’t having any of it. She stood up and followed him. She began barking at him again, just inches away from his face.

          “I cannot and will not stand by while you charm your way into the beds of other women.  You knew how I felt about all this when we agreed you could stay in my home.  Now I know what it is all about, I’m not just going to sit idly in the same space with you, not saying anything, when you get phone calls and text messages that put this stinking, slimy smile on your face!”

          She seldom ever raised her voice, but it was at a decibel right now where those in the outer office could hear every word. She was so angry! A fire-breathing dragon had nothing on her right now. She fingered the Polish crystal paper weight on Jake’s desk, wondering if she threw it at the window behind him just how many shards of glass there would be surrounding them."

Our Author Gang

Today is the launch day of our brand new blog

A Small Gang of Authors 

We are a group of authors and we write various genre books.

We will take turns and post something new, interesting an fun every day.
Follow us, and share our blog with your friends.
Thank you!

What brought us together on this blog:

First and foremost, our shared love for writing.

We like to "hang out" together, helping each another other

by promoting each other's books, blogs, events,

and doing whatever we can to support one another.

We take turns posting about our books,
the rewards as well as the difficulties of publishing and book promotion,
and about things we enjoy in everyday life.

We need your support, please visit our blog often,
comment on our posts and share our posts.
Thank you!

Every hug is greatly appreciated, and thank you for your support!

The Authors in this group

Joe Bonadonna

Read about Joe's books on his PAGE

Hello out there in cyberspace! I write Heroic Fantasy, Space Opera, Sword & Planet Sci-Fi, Sword and Sorcery Fantasy, Children's Books, and I also dabble a bit in Horror stories.

Why do I write?

My Dad gave me not only a love for old movies, but also my love of reading by bringing home children's books and teaching me to read before I was in kindergarten. I've been writing off and on over the years since 5th grade. In my 30s and 40s I settled down and got serious about writing. I retired in 2010, and have not stopped writing since. I can't. Storytelling for me is an addiction.

Erika M Szabo

Read about Erika's books on her PAGE

I became an avid reader at a very early age, thanks to my dad who introduced me to many great books. I write alternate history, romantic fantasy, magical realism novels as well as fun, educational, and bilingual books for children ages 4-12 about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them. I also like to encourage children to use their imagination and daydream about fantasy worlds.

Why do I write?

Writing is my passion and my hobby because I'm not a big talker but because I have a lot to say, I write. I do have as much anxiety about my writing as any author:

Are they going to like what I write?

Am I going to get a lot of criticism?

Will my books become popular?

When I'm in doubt, I always recall the day when we had to do a book report on one of the assigned books back in school. It was the War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Half of our class absolutely loved the book, and half the kids hated it. One girl asked the teacher why he assigned such a boring, stupid book, the other one hushed her saying, “You’re stupid and boring. This book is brilliantly written.”

The teacher smiled and replied, “Now kids, today you’ve learned a valuable lesson. Every reader's likes and preferences are different, but every writer who has the courage to put their thoughts and feelings on paper has something to say. And, eventually, every book finds its reader. If you have something to say, say it. Even if only a few friends and family members will read it, you will leave a mark with your book, 'I was here'.”

Mary Anne Yarde

Read about Mary Anne's books on her PAGE

Mary Anne Yarde is an award winning author of the International Best  Selling Series — The Du Lac Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du Lac Chronicles takes you on a journey through Dark Age Briton and Brittany, where you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and historical fact, the Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed.

Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury--the fabled Isle of Avalon--was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.

Why do I write?

I think, for me, writing is like breathing. It is something that I have to do. It is an addiction that I have no intention of trying to quit!

Tima Maria Lacoba

Read about Tima Maria's books on her PAGE

I'm Tima Maria Lacoba, a former ancient historian and archaeologist who accidentally smashed a 3,000 Egyptian vase while on my first dig! My supervisor made me glue it back together again. It took a week. From there I went on to specialise in late Roman-British archaeology, and the military forts along Hadrian’s Wall, because buildings don’t smash as easily. Now I’ve combined my love of history with another passion – story-telling – to create a gothic romance series laced with action, mystery and suspense.

Zrinka Jelic

Read about Zrinka's books on her PAGE

Zrinka Jelic lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two children. A PAN member of the Romance Writers of America and Savvy Authors, she writes contemporary fiction—which sometimes leans toward the paranormal—and adds a pinch of history. Her characters come from all walks of life, and although she prefers red, romance comes in many colors. Given Jelic’s love for her native Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, her characters usually find themselves dealing with a fair amount of sunshine, but that’s about the only break they get.

Mackenzie Flohr

Read about Mackenzie's books on her PAGE

Mackenzie Flohr grew up in the heartland of America, chasing leprechauns and rainbows and dreaming of angels. Her parents nurtured a love of fantasy and make-believe by introducing her at a very young age to the artistic and cultural opportunities that the city of Cleveland had to offer.

From the time she could hold a pencil, Mackenzie was already creating pictorial interpretations of classic stories, and by the age of nine, she and a childhood friend were authors and reviewers of their own picture books.

While following her love of adventure, Mackenzie found a second home, the Beck Center for the Arts Children's and Teen Theater School. It was there that a world of wonder was only a script and a performance away.

Yet it wasn't until she was on a trip to Indiana, viewing a Lord of the Rings exhibit, that the innermost desire of her heart became clear to her. She wanted to write a fantasy of her own, one that could inspire imagination in others and lead them into a magical world of their own making. She hopes The Rite Of Wands will do just that.

Wherever we live and wherever we come from is our individual heartland. Anything is possible and everything can happen. Pure imagination is in all of us—we only need to discover it, and sometimes story telling helps.