Operation Awesome #20Questions in #2020 of #NewBook Debut Author Glenda Thompson

Broken Toys by Glenda Thompson

1- What does the hashtag #TWRP stand for on your Twitter feed?

#TWRP represents my amazing publishers and the great group of authors and artists who make up The Wild Rose Press. RJ Morris and Rhonda Penders are magnificent gardeners who help the Roses (authors) in the garden blossom and grow.

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Don’t chase perfection.

3- What is the best piece of writing advice you've received?

Write for yourself. Tell the story you want to read and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Be true to your own voice.

A corollary to that which I apply not only to writing but to life is “don’t let anyone steal your dreams.”

4- How are you spending the holiday season this December?

Christmas week will be spent driving Darlin’ back and forth from chemotherapy and radiation treatments and sitting in the parking lot waiting because they won’t let me go in with him. But it’s okay, while waiting I write. The hour and a half one way drive is spent talking and laughing with Darlin’ about anything and everything under the sun.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book with something classic Texas?



6- What do you think Americans would be most surprised to learn about human trafficking?

Human trafficking is much more prevalent than most people realize and it’s not just happening in foreign countries. It’s happening right here in the USA. On average, 6 people out of a 1,000 will be trafficked in a single year. That’s 40.3 MILLION victims. Some will be sold into forced labor, others into forced marriages. The scary part is that anyone can become a victim in a blink of an eye. The bad guys aren’t always your stereotypical bad guys involved in organized crime. Many times the perpetrators are the victim’s neighbor, friends, or even family members.

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

I’m @PressRattler on Twitter. Several of my writer friends include @SandyRStuckless ; @JWorrellWrites ; and @10MinNovelist

8- What’s one writing goal you hope to accomplish before you die?

I want to write each of my grandchildren their own book.

9- What most motivates you to read a new book?

If it’s an author I’ve read before, the characters are the reason I continue a series. If it’s a new author I’m unfamiliar with, the blurb has to catch my attention.

10- It's our tenth anniversary! How far has your writing come in the past ten years and where do you see your writing career ten years from now?

Ten years ago, I was still talking about wanting to be an author. Today, I’m a published author. In ten years, I plan to have a huge backlist and an even larger following of readers.

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

Author name: Jennifer Worrell @JWorrellWrites
Title: Edge of Sundown
Love because: it kept me guessing


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

I hope readers will feel the gamut of emotions when they read Broken Toys. Everything from love and happiness, to fear, despair, anger, and loss.

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

I hope Broken Toys will bring a spotlight on human trafficking. I also hope it teaches readers that they don’t need to hide who they are on the inside to be loved. One should always be true to oneself.

14- What is the best writing tool, program, or reference book you've ever bought?

Story Genius by Lisa Cron. This book taught me to look for the lie that my main character has accepted as truth in their own life. I may or may not have applied this technique to my own life as well.


15- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks

I have a bit of difficulty with this question. I truly believe until we can quit seeing the world in terms of us and them, we will never move past the issues we are dealing with on a daily basis. That being said, in Broken Toys, I don’t really address diversity. My next novel, Wings Over Wylder, however has a main character on the autism spectrum. Charlie is based on my youngest grandson who is also on the spectrum.

16- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

I don’t have a favorite—yet.

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

I have always dreamed of being traditionally published. I think a small press, like The Wild Rose Press, was a perfect fit for me because I am not just another number in a long line of authors being pushed out by a more traditional press. The Wild Rose Press feels like home. I love my editor and the time she takes to work with me, to help me grow my talent and skills.

18- Which author, past or present, do you feel most resembles your work?

I like to think my work resembles a mish-mash of James Patterson, John Sandford, Dean Koontz, and JD Robb.

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

What major criminal issue would you like to see addressed in fiction?

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

Blurb:

Texas Ranger Noah Morgan has his life together—with a great job and the girl of his dreams. Too bad it's all based on a lie. A single phone call threatens to bring it all crashing down. After an irate citizen complains shoddy workmanship has left him with a booby-trapped driveway, and the local sheriff's office is too busy to respond, Noah takes the call. The investigation of local scam artists uncovers a human trafficking ring, Noah fights to avoid being swept back into the sights of his murderous family—people he escaped at the age of seventeen.
Can he keep his past a secret or will his carefully crafted life come to a violent end?

Tagline:

“His life is perfect. Too bad it’s built on a lie.”

Excerpt:

“While we wait for the mobile crime scene lab to arrive from Austin, I need you to sign this consent-to-search form. Next, Ranger Trammell and I will photograph the scene to preserve it in situ—as it currently is.”
“Now you wait one cotton-picking minute,” the old man growled. “How long will all that take? What if I don’t want to sign your verdammt form? I need my car. The old lady has several doctors’ appointments in San Antonio this afternoon.”
Noah lifted his hat again and brushed sweat off his forehead before it rolled into his eyes. “Tell you what. Sign this piece of paper giving us permission to search your driveway, and as soon as we finish the photography, Ranger Trammell and I will change your tire. Then you can pull your car out of the driveway. If you don’t sign it, we will have to find a judge and get a warrant. Going the warrant route will delay things considerably.” Noah shrugged. “The choice is yours. Either way it goes, you won’t be able to pull back in for some time. We’re going to have to tape off your driveway and process it as a crime scene. Is there somewhere you could stay for a few days?”
“Crime scene?” Mr. Schmidt crumpled as if he’d been kicked in the solar plexus. Bewilderment flooded his features. For the first time since the rangers arrived, the man looked old. “My driveway is a crime scene?”
“I’m afraid so, sir,” Noah said, using the tone he reserved for scared kids, grieving family members and sagging old men who hadn’t tasted sweet tea in more than sixty years. “Hip implants, bits of bone and teeth are not normally used for road base. It looks like someone may have disposed of a body in your driveway.”

Order Link

https://thewildrosepress.com/books/broken-toys

Bio:

A sixth-generation Texan with Scottish roots, Glenda Thompson can 'bless your heart' with the best of them. As a former emergency medical technician married to a south Texas Lawman, she's used insider information from both their careers as inspiration to build her Broken world of Texas Rangers with hidden pasts and dark secrets.
When she's not busy embarrassing her children or grandchildren by dancing in the middle of a country road during a rainstorm, she can be found huddled in her writing cave with her law enforcement technical adviser/husband working on another story in her Broken universe.
You can keep up with the future crazy cat lady's hi-jinks at http://glendathompson.com or follow her on Twitter @PressRattler or Facebook @Glenda Thompson, Author or Instagram. Amazon author page.
http://glendathompson.com


Broken Toys by Glenda Thompson