Monday, June 22, 2009

Are You Ready For "Dangerous Lies"?!

by Anna Sugden

I'm delighted to welcome back my very dear friend and supremely talented author, Anna Louise Lucia.

You may recall Anna celebrated the release of her debut novel Run Among Thorns with us here in the Lair. As well as enticing us with her special guest, the hero of Run Among Thorns, Kier McAllister, she ran a contest to name the beer in her next book, Dangerous Lies and our very own Christine Wells won - with Sweaty Socks. I can tell you that this beer does indeed appear in Dangerous Lies. And a special tribute is paid to a certain golden feathered rascal too!


You'll have to rush out and buy Dangerous Lies to check it out! In fact, I may offer a fun prize to the first person to email me with the page number this info appears on! (email me at anna@annasugden.com )

Anyway, Anna is back with us today to celebrate the release of Dangerous Lies, which is already receiving well-deserved rave reviews - including an 'A' from All About Romance! And she has brought another special guest with her; the delicious hero of Dangerous Lies, Alan Waring.

Welcome Anna and Alan.
Anna: Thank you Anna, we're delighted to be here.

Alan, you've kindly agreed to answer some questions for the Banditas and BB's, so shall we get started?
Alan: By all means.

How are you related to Jenny and Kier McAllister?
Alan: Jenny’s my uncrushable little sister. I love her, so I’ll forgive her the lapse of judgement that made Kier my brother in law. No, I’m kidding. I’ve a lot of respect for the monosyllabic Kier, and I’d trust him in a tight spot. Plus I’m educating him on the true qualities of British real ales – it’s a project!

What do you do, Alan?
Alan: I own and run a landscape gardening company, but I do a fair bit of travelling, too. Mostly the Nordic countries, Sweden, Norway. I owe Jenny another postcard, I think. The last one was from the Sognefjord.

But Dangerous Lies is set in Morocco ... what is a ‘garden’ man doing in Morocco?
Alan: Ah. No, you must be mistaken, I…
Look, Kier vouched for you. He said I could trust the Banditas, although I didn’t know then what he was talking about. So I’ll level with you. I’m an agent of the British Government. A spy, If you like. While I’m in North Africa I travel as a ICT salesman, specialising in emerging markets. I’ve been in Rabat in Morocco for a while this trip, waiting for HQ to give me the nod to come home with… with something I’m carrying.

You know, if it turns out I can’t trust you… No. If Kier says you’re okay, you’re okay.


I promise you can trust us. You know, what's said in the Lair, stays in the Lair.
Alan: All right, then.

So, Alan, who is Marianne and how did you get involved with her?
Alan: Marianne is… an enigma. She’s just a tourist, travelling alone. She tells me it’s her first holiday abroad, and really I’m guessing she’s led a sheltered life. She was caring for her father for years, and then he died, and she decided it was time to live a little. I think she wants … wanted … Me to help her with that.

I was out and about in the backstreets, after a meeting HQ arranged went bust, and I saw her alone in an abandoned house. It was a striking moment, that picture of the dark haired woman with the lonely eyes, unmoving in that tiled courtyard, like the ghost of old Morocco… I should have walked on. But there was some unrest in the city and I knew she’d be at risk. I couldn’t just leave her, so I gave her my escort. It got… interesting.

You seem to have landed in a spot of bother – tell us about it.

Alan: A spot of bother! God, if it were only that. I’ve been criminally, indefensibly stupid and reckless, and Mari’s… she’s missing. We had a fling. She wanted it to end, she said she did. But it threw me, she’s so brave and generous and she’s got under my skin. I was off balance, disorientated. I put her at risk. I never meant to, I swear. Surely… it’s got to have been an accident.

But whoever it is who’s hunting me has got her. I don’t even know if…

No.

No, I’ll find her. Whatever it takes. Bloody hellfire, if I have to crawl halfway across the Sahara desert on my hands and knees, I will find her.


Excerpt

There was grit in her shoes, sand in her eyes and the mob and her blood roaring in her ears. We can’t outrun them, she thought, we can’t—

“In here.” Alan flicked a latch on a narrow gate of planks, paint peeling red and green, and pushed her through it ahead of him. It was little more than a narrow space between two houses. Not even wide enough to earn the name alley, just a gap, with a wavering channel running down the centre, where water would run in the rains.

He crowded in after her, bending close to the gate to close it, one palm braced on the splintering wood, one easing the latch into place silently. The mob passed, a shadow at the gate, a shouting and thundering, shivering a skein of sand from the back ledge of the gate.

The noise outside went away, the noise inside was only their breathing, her feet shuffling on the ground as she tried to edge her way to some personal space, somewhere she could breathe.

She was immediately half-blinded in the shadows and half-stifled in the still, hot air. She braced one hand on the rough-rendered wall opposite. With her back against the other wall, she couldn’t even straighten her arm. She dragged in hot, dusty air, choking on the racing of her own heart, and tried not to panic.

Looking around, she saw that the other end of their hiding place was blocked by piles of something like boxes. Oh, God. “Where—”

Alan whirled on her, plucking her close, wedging her between his chest and the wall, one arm immobilising her, one hand hard across her mouth. Outside there were shouts, a distant cacophony, unreal and distorted.

Everything was unreal. The shafts of light piercing the rickety door were like golden blades.
The dust motes that danced on them were gods and angels, djinns and genies. She was blinded with light and dazzled with darkness in one breath.

In the stuttering dark he was a wall of heat, pressing her back, holding her in place. Adrenaline surged in her, heightening her senses, making her want to shout against his hand, making her want . . .

One of those golden blades sliced across his throat, where the collar of his pale shirt was undone. It gleamed on his damp, tanned skin, and glinted on the bead of sweat that was travelling––now fast, now slow––down the rough stubble underneath his jaw.

Her breathing had steadied, but her heart was still racing. There was no sun, now, on which to blame her light-headedness.

He was golden, gilded, bright.

His palm against her mouth smelled of him, and of spice and heat. She dragged the scent in, her eyes fluttering half-closed. His skin would taste of salt, she knew . . . It would taste salty and hot and intense.

It would taste . . .

She put out her tongue, half-dizzy, half-dreaming, and tasted him.

His body jerked against hers. His eyes were glowing in one of those brilliant beams from the broken door, all white and blue, like a clouded summer sky. They fixed on her, holding her more effectively in place than the hands that gripped her and the body that pinned her.

He ducked his head. The hair at her temple snagged on the roughness of his jaw, and his breath spilled down her neck. “Mari,” he whispered, a word of warning, but his grip on her changed, gentled. His thigh brushed hers, his chest pressed against her breasts. Outside, distantly, a crowd roared, but the sound of her blood drowned out their hate.

Anna: We have a question for all of you in the Lair. Alan and Mari have to weather a sandstorm in the Sahara, hunkering down behind some rocks with only some bits of a tent for shelter. What one comfort item would you take into the desert with you.... the one thing, apart from basic survival kit, you would HAVE to have with you?
One lucky commenter will win a copy of Dangerous Lies and some Moroccan Rose lotions from The Body Shop

75 comments:

Anna Campbell said...

Ha ha! He's mine all mine!

Helen said...

Anna
You have just got there before me good on ya

Have Fun
Helen

Anna Campbell said...

Anna Louise, how fabulous to have you back in the lair! Congratulations on all the buzz for the new story. An A from AAR is not to be sneezed at! The new story sounds fantastic. Are you coming to DC? I loved meeting you last year. Vrai Anna, thanks for inviting back such a great guest!

I've had a word with the rooster and told him I'm in the writing cave. If he plays up (he definitely has a mischievous spark in his eye!), I've told him it's chicken cacciatore for dinner, featuring a star ingredient!

Jane said...

Hi Anna and Alan,
Congrats on the new release, Anna. My comfort item would be moisturizer and lip balm. I cannot live without those two things. I would definitely need these with me in the desert because it's so arid.

Anna Campbell said...

Wow, Helen, the Aussies were neck and neck. It was a bit like the Melbourne Cup only for roosters! Hope you're enjoying your day!

Helen said...

Keep him well behaved Anna I am sure he will be after that threat.

What a great interview Anna I loved meeting Alan thanks for bringing him along Anna L (so many Annas here today) Congrats on the "A" review this books sounds wondeful.

What would I take with me? How about Tim Tams and a good book although if I have a hunk like Alan with me I may not get a chance to read the book but the Tim Tams we could have some fun with.

Have Fun
Helen

Unknown said...

Congrats Anna on nabbing that rooster and pour Helen missed him by a feather!

Welcome Anna Louise, congrat on your new story! Great interview, I really enjoyed it. What comfort item would I take? That would have to be a book by all means. I would mind a little chocolate too, but that would melt on me, the way my luck goes! Thanks for sharing with us today!

Anna Louise Lucia said...

Squeeeeeeeee! I'm so happy to be back in the Lair! :-D

Now, first point of business. Christine, are you out there? Would you e-mail me your snail mail addy (again!) on anna (at) annalouiselucia (dot) com? I don't seem to have your addy from last time, and I'd like you to have a copy of Dangerous Lies so you can rejoice in the naming of your own beer!

Anna Louise Lucia said...

LOL! Congratulations, Anna! (So close, Helen... )

I know, Anna, I was so amazed and chuffed to get that AAR review. I think I'm still floating from that one! Sadly, no, I'm not making it to DC this year :-( It was great meeting you last time, and I'll be sorry not to hang with the Banditas again... *gasp* You can't threaten the golden rooster! Can you? ;-)

Oh, Jane, you're so right! Yesterday I was dancing on the beach with hundreds of other Morris Dancers at Scarborough. I got seperated from my gear, which included my sunscreen and lipbalm... Today I am a fetching shade of lobster pink, and my lips are still throbbing! *eyeroll*

There's way too many Annas, aren't there, Helen! And I don't even have a useful nickname to hand... LOL @ fun with the Tim Tams! Nice one!

Hi Virginia! Thank you :-) Yes, I think the chocolate would only be good to paint arrows on rocks so you don't go round in circles.... but the book would be a great idea!

Right. Now I need to take a shower.

And slap on some more aftersun lotion!

Pissenlit said...

Anna, thanks for introducing us to Alan!

Aside from a book or two, I'd have to take my mp3 player with me(I usually don't leave home without it) despite the lack of outlets to recharge it and the fact that mp3 players and sand probably don't go well together. I'd enjoy it while it lasted.

Anna Campbell - I've told him it's chicken cacciatore for dinner, featuring a star ingredient!

I'm torn between an "Oh dear!" comment and a "Mmmm, yummy!" comment.

Anna Sugden said...

Congrats FoAnna - hope the rascal isn't too much of a distraction in the writing cave!

Better luck, next time, Helen!

Anna Sugden said...

Dangerous Lies is a fabulous story, FoAnna (I was lucky enough to see an advance copy *g*). Very atmospheric - for those of you who love to travel vicariously through books, you'll love Dangeours Lies. You could almost be in Morocco with Alan and Mari!

Anna Sugden said...

Good choices, Jane. Especially the lip balm. Wouldn't want your lips drying out, especially if you're with Alan!

Anna Sugden said...

This reminds me of the old joke about buses, Helen ... you wait for ages for an Anna and then three come all at once! LOL

Tim Tams and a good book - a perfect combination. You make a good point about not getting much reading time *g*

Christine Wells said...

Helllooooo, Anna Louise, lovely to see you back in the lair! Can't wait for Dangerous Lies--and don't worry, I will BUY a copy, no need to send me one. It sounds like a fabulous read and I'm so chuffed about my beer name getting a mention! Actually, I think I might have some coasters made...*g*

Just popped in quickly as my deadline is looming, but I wanted to say hello and wish you all the very best with Dangerous Lies!!

Anna, thanks for bringing Anna Louise along today.

Foanna, congrats on the rooster! And I know how well you roast a chicken but please restrain yourself this once!

Anna Sugden said...

Books and chocolate seem to be the theme, don't they Virginia?! Of course, you could eat the chocolate quickly, so it doesnt melt.

Then again ... melted chocolate .. Alan ... ;)

Anna Sugden said...

Isn't that a strange thing, Anna L - getting sunburned in England! I get burned more here than in any tropical clime!

Anna Sugden said...

Oh yes, Pissenlit - I couldn't be without my iPod Touch! Wonder if they'll invent a special recharger for them - solar-powered or something.

Anna Sugden said...

Happy writing, Christine - can't wait for this next book, as you know *g*.

I got such a thrill seeing your beer name too - it was such fun knowing where it came from.

Anonymous said...

"it's my industrial-strength hair-dryer, and I can't live without it!"

no really I would have to say my cats. I know they are not technically an item but I could not live without there companionship.

Anna Sugden said...

Cats are a great choice, Chekru. I'd hate to be without my girls too. I could live without the hairdryer though *g*.

Maureen said...

Congratulations Anna Lucia on your new book. If I were stranded in a dessert I would have to have a lot of sunscreen since I am so fair that I burn so easily.

Gillian Layne said...

Anna, Dangerous Lies sounds delicious.

A comfort item in the desert? That's easy--Oded Fehr! ;)

Anna Louise Lucia said...

Ahhh, pissenlit, there's got to be a soundtrack, hasn't there! Perhaps you could get a solar charger and a slip cover for your iPod?

Morning Anna S! :-D Melted chocolate... Alan... lip balm... Alan... I'm spotting a theme here... ;-) I know, I truly wasn't expecting to get this badly seared! And look, Great Minds Think Alike - solar powered charger for an iPod!

Helloooooo Christine! Thank you, so sweet of you to buy one! but still send me your addy, and I can send a signed bookplate...

Ah, Chekru, that's lovely. I have four cats - Pippi, Minnie, Chrissy and Cleo. I think Cleo is the one who'd most take to the desert environment - she's our little adventurous stunt cat!

A good plan, Maureen - I wish I'd been so sensible on Sunday! :-D

ROFL, Gillian! I loooooooooved Oded in The Mummy. I think his company would definitely be a comfort. Or maybe a distraction... ;-)

Minna said...

Congratulations Anna on your new book!
What one comfort item would I take into the desert with me? A book.

Sting: Desert Rose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJo0E7aCo_Y&feature=related

Anna Sugden said...

Another vote for sunscreen, Maureen. I have to say, as I get older I need to use sunscreen more and more. With my colour skin you'd think I wouldn't have problems. But, I tend to burn easily. *sigh*.

Anna Sugden said...

I had to look up Oded Fehr, Gillian (ducks head). Not bad. I can see how he might be vital for squeezing into small spaces with *g*.

Anna Sugden said...

*waving northwards* morning Anna! I'm not surprised our great minds think alike ... again! LOL

And yes, you caught me ;) I'm flexible though - I could also cuddle up to Gareth (despite the looking like Gerry Butler thing). I know everyone will be eager to read Gareth's story when they meet him in Dangerous Lies.

Anna Sugden said...

Another vote for a book Minna. Perhaps we should get you all to be more specific - a book you've read (ie a keeper) or a new one?

Joan said...

Welcome back, Anna L!

Once again, your new title sounds fabulous and I'm adding it to the teetering TBR pile.

And commiserations on the sunburn. Me? Irish heritage + sun = sizzle!

In the desert. Hmmmmmm.....two things my massage therapist because I'm thinking I'd be REAL stressed and....my cell phone to call for help :-)

Susan Sey said...

Good morning, Anna Louise! Thanks for bringing your yummy hero into the lair this morning!

And congrats, Anna C., on winning the GR! He's a frisky beast--watch the hands! :-)

Now, as for what I'd bring to the desert, aside from the survival basics? A giant, floppy sun hat. The kind that would cast a ring of shade big enough to attract lizards.

Oh, & a camp chair--like a Thermarester or something. I could put on my hat, hunker down in the massive puddle of shade & snooze away the hottest part of the day. :-)

But would I be a big wuss if I admitted the desert scares me? I'm from the humid upper midwest & the first time I camped in the desert I thought, "I think this place is trying to kill me." NOT a friendly environment.

housemouse88 said...

Hello Anna,

First, congrats on the new book and release. Second, I'd have to have sunscreen in the desert. I'm just way to pale. If I could take something for just plan fun, it would have to be my TBR pile. Have a great day.

Anna Sugden said...

Massage therapist ... Alan ;)

Very practical, Joanie, to think of a cell-phone. Now, if I had one of those new iPhones, I could combine that with Pissenlit's MP3 player and be happy!

Anna Sugden said...

I was wondering when someone would mention a hat, Susan. Good thinking on the chair - could get a sore bum sitting on the hard ground.

Better to be a wuss and sensible about the dangers of the desert, than be a fool and pretend they don't exist! Especially, the Sahara. And especially the part of the Sahara in Dangerous Lies!

Anna Sugden said...

I'm lol housemouse at the idea of trekking through the desert with my TBR mountain - I'd probably need a monster truck to carry it!!

But, what fun - especially now that we have a chair, sunscreen and a hat too.

Cool drink, anyone?

traveler said...

Congratulations Anna! Wishing you all the best for this new release.
I would need lip balm since I use it daily and sunglasses.

Donna MacMeans said...

Welcome to the lair Anna! Dangerous Lies sounds great - love the title.

Okay - trapped in a desert...heck, I can't go outdoors in the summer without my sunglasses, so that would be number one. A nice floppy hat that will keep the sun off my face and a good book wouldn't be bad either. Sounds like I wouldn't have time to read it - but I'd get comfort just knowing it's there waiting for me.

How exciting that you chose Morocco as a setting. Have you been there?

Blodeuedd said...

How hard, what to take with me... something too cool me down with when the heat gets to me

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Welcome to the Lair, again Anna Louise and Alan! Wonderful interview, Anna, and I LOVE the exerpt.

Just popped in to say hey from Texas. Apparently I'm having a Sip & See, (It's sort of like a baby shower, but you have it afterwards, and NO GAMES are played, plus everyone gets to see or hold the baby!), for my daughter and new grandson this afternoon. So still cooking and cleaning this morning. Not much blogging for me.

But I wanted to pop in and answer the question... For me the one thing I'd want to take would be one favorite re-read book...Probably Saving Grace by Julie Garwood. It wouldn't be too heavy, and I think I wouldn't mind the heat if I was reading about Scotland.

Anna Sugden said...

I couldn't be without my sunglasses either, traveler!

Anna Sugden said...

What - no case of soft drinks, Donna?;)

Anna Sugden said...

Something to cool you down, Blodeuedd ... Alan?

No, he'd probably heat you up further *g*

jo robertson said...

Great interview, Anna and Vrai and welcome back to the Lair, Anna Louise! Super excerpt! My heart's still pounding.

Well, it's certainly the day for the Anna's, eh? Congratulations, Fo! Oh, no, not chicken cacciatore! Poor rooster, and I hear he's got a family reunion coming up.

jo robertson said...

Oops, forgot to answer the question. Hmmm, beyond the basic survival equipment/items (which I'd definitely have, been a very practical girl), I'd take my gold and amythest ring that my husband bought me for my 44th birthday (a leap year!) in Tiburon, CA, a beautiful little city that overlooks the San Francisco Bay.

The Scarf Princess said...

Well, this is a tough question. Even though I'd like to bring something frivolous and fun, I guess I'd better be practical and bring sunscreen.

Anna Sugden said...

I've never heard of a Sip and See, Suz. In my case, that would probably be Sip and See and Clean up the Sick! Babies always seem to throw up on me. *sigh*

Hope it goes well - remember to let other people hold your new grandbaby LOL.

I have Saving Grace in my TBR pile - based on your recommendation, Suz.

Anna Sugden said...

Sounds gorgeous, Jo. I'm an opal fan myself - rather appropriate for the desert really, given where they're mined!

Anna Sugden said...

Joder, this is the Lair - feel free to bring something frivolous and fun!

Joan said...

A giant, floppy sun hat. The kind that would cast a ring of shade big enough to attract lizards. ....

One word.

Ewwwwwwww....

Anna Louise Lucia said...

Wow, Minna, that's amazing - one of my key 'soundtrack' tracks for Dangerous Lies was Sting's 'Mad About You' which has that amazing North African rhythm and wonderful lyrics - google them!

Ahhh, Anna, Gareth's something special. :-)

Thank you Joan! :-) Oooohhhh I like the massage therapist idea! I'm stiff as a board today, and would love a good massage... mmmmmmmmm

Morning Susan! :-) LOL @ attract lizards! I have one of those, a white thing that's floppy brimmed, but also wired, so you can mould it into whatever shape you desire... Not a wuss at all! The desert's a killer landscape, no question. But the deadly can be beautiful, too...

Thank you housemouse! I'm loving my launch month. :-) And good one! The TBR pile is lateral thinking, nice!

Thank you Traveler! :-D Sunglasses is a good plan....

(I'm now swaying to Mad About You.... thanks Minna!)

Hi Donna! I'll confess I haven't been to Morocco. My research was books, maps (try coreographing a chase across two countries in North Africa, trying to take in average speeds of various vehicles, stops, terrain, refuelling... argh!) and online travelogues. PLUS I grew up with my Dad's stories of his time spent in the Sahara, and drew on that a lot. Dad made those places come alive in all their senses, and he's why I wanted to write a 'desert book' in the first place!

Hi Blodeuedd - lovely name - Welsh? I'm thinking a cool water paddling pool might be nice... ;-)

Hi Suzanne and thank you! I hope you have a lovely Sip and See (lovely idea) this afternoon, and congrats on the new grandson. :-D I'll have to put that book recommendation on my list!

Glad you liked the excerpt, Jo! :-D Ahhh, now that's a nice thing to take. And I love amethyst. :-)

You gotta be practical sometime, eh, joder? :-) But you can be frivolous too!

Anna Louise Lucia said...

Ah, no, I LIKE lizards, Joan! ;-)

Nancy said...

Anna C., congrats on the chook! I hope you will keep him very, very busy doing something useful.

I've always felt the duty imposed by my parents each Saturday, that of cleaning toilets to the standards of the U.S. Navy, would do the GR good. Peering under a toilet rim with a toothbrush (be sure it's not yours!) in his talons might make him appreciate the lair and, especially, the cabana boys more. *evil g*

Nancy said...

Anna Louise, welcome back! I LOVE spy stories, and this one looks fabulous! Exotic settings add to the intrigue, at least for me. I see the TBR pile getting taller again . . .

The dh loves microbrews. Is Sweaty Socks a British product or Moroccan?

Nancy said...

Oh--totally forgot the question! I think Jane's lip balm is a highly practical suggestion. My first tendency is always to want a book on hand, but something like lip balm or sunburn cream would probably be way more useful.

Nancy said...

Helen, you'd have to eat those Tim Tams fast before they melted. And wouldn't that be such a chore? *g*

Nancy said...

Anna S. wrote: Isn't that a strange thing, Anna L - getting sunburned in England!

My strangest sunburn was in Denver, Colorado, at a street festival one Labor Day. By the time it was over, I resembled a lobster. The air is so thin in the Mile High City, it doesn't filter out UV rays as much as the air here does, but sunscreen had never occurred to me.

We once spent part of an afternoon on Ness Beach, outside Teignmouth, and came away with very pink noses and cheeks. Just 'cause it's comparatively cool (as in the mountains of Colorado), doesn't turn down the UV level. As we learned the hard way.

Anna Campbell said...

Anna, you don't know Oded? He was absolutely gorgeous in the Mummy films!

Rooster report - the chicken cacciatore threat seems to have been marvellously effective. Take note, people. He's even done some housework for me this morning while I've been attacking the wip. Or perhaps he misheard me and thought I said I'd attack him with a whip!

Anna Louise Lucia said...

Oh wow, you're training chickens... I'm impressed! ;-)

Thanks Nancy! Sweaty Socks was an invention of Christine's - she won the competition we ran for my last release, to name a beer!

So I guess you could say it's the Banditas Microbrewery!

Now, I've got an early start tomorrow, so I'm taking an early night tonight. But I'll pop in tomorrow to wrap up and pick a winner!

I've been looking forward to this stop on my blog tour since it was planned, and I was right to - I've had a fantastic time. You loves are wonderful people to be around, you know? :-)

Caffey said...

Hi Anna. What a joy to meet you! I love coming here to see some of my favorite authors but too, to meet new ones. Its always so fun to read new to be books (and get more to be autobuys!) I'm sorry I missed you on your last visit here. I need to find your previous post here to see what that was about the beer?! LOL

Hi too Alan :) I got so caught up in your interview and then a peek into the story and realized the page went off and I must know how this all turns out!

So your two books are related? I do always read books in order, so shall be searching for RUN AMONG THORNS. Now with two stories out, are there more characters to have their stories connected to these? If you answered already, forgive me. I just hate to miss anything!

Nice meeting you too Anna :) As for what I'd bring with me, I'd totally fill up my ebook reader with all the books I can. But I worry the power will run out. So I'm thinking of some huge book, like all of Jane Austen's book in one huge book to bring with me. I know this may sound like a typical answer, but I just can't survive a day without my books.

Anna Louise Lucia said...

I do a mean chicken impression, btw.... apropos of nothing.

Nancy said...

Anna C., glad to hear the rooster is, for once, being helpful. Will file away that threat for future use. :-)

Anna Campbell said...

Nancy, I don't think you're big and scary enough to cow the rooster (rooster the cow?). You need to have that gimlet eye and stentorian voice like me.

Estella said...

I take a book with me everywhere.

chey said...

Hi!
My comfort items would be sunglasses and a hat.

Nancy said...

Anna C. said: Nancy, I don't think you're big and scary enough to cow the rooster (rooster the cow?). You need to have that gimlet eye and stentorian voice like me.

But I have a blue belt, a labrador retriever and the boy's katana.

And the dragon if she'll condescend to help.

You don't think that's enough?

Apropos of nothing, there's a raccoon in our neighborhood that's bigger than many small dog breeds. We've seen it in the yard twice. In the daytime. Am thinking of asking the dragon, very nicely and with a steak in hand, if she'll run it off. Assuming she'll do that without also eating it.

Nancy said...

Estella, I also take a book everywhere. I just don't like to be without one.

Nancy said...

Chey, sunglasses would also be extremely practical!

Now that I think of it, that zinc oxide ointment, the white stuff we used to slather on our noses at the beach, would be practical, too.

Unknown said...

My ebook reader, got to have my books! :)

Nancy said...

Amy S.--ooh, multiple books! I like it.

Nancy said...

Just happened to think that the Alan doll in Barbie's universe, back when I was a kid, was actually cuter than Ken. And there's also Robin Hood's buddy Alan-A-Dale. I do like that name.

Pat Cochran said...

WOW! That excerpt is super good!
Loved it! Would carry a cushion,
(the kind that deflates when not . in use), sunscreen, an extra pair
of glasses (or two), and a couple
of books. All small items which
could fit in the over-the-shoulder
bag that saw me through day trips
in Venice!

Pat Cochran

Becke Davis said...

Congrats on nabbing the GR, Anna -- he's quite the world traveler!

Once again, the Banditas have introduced me to another new author. More books to read!

donnas said...

Books, definitely books. Great excerpt, Im really going to have to keep an eye out for this one.

Anna Sugden said...

Sorry all, got laid low by a migraine last night. Wonderful drugs have kicked in, so I'm able to thank you for making Anna feel so welcome.

Back later with prize winner details, so keep your eyes open for a Bandita Booty post!

Anna Louise Lucia said...

What a lovely thing to say, Caffey! I'm glad I'm a joy. :-) You're right, the books are connected. Run Among Thorns is Kier and Jenny's story. Jenny's brother Alan is the hero of Dangerous Lies, and Kier and Alan's friend Gareth is the hero of Danger: Deep Water, which has yet to be finished! Typical or not (and I note the clever use of a 'complete works' there!) I'm loving that so many people want to take books into the desert...

You too, Estella? Great! I usually have a book on the go in the bathroom, one in the car, one in my handbag and one by the bed... ;-)

Good answer, chey! Husband and I are about to head out for an impromptu evening picnic, and I'm certainly going to make sure I have my hat with me!

And there's another ebook reader - nice one, Amy! I still do all my ebook reading on my laptop, shame on me...

Glad you like the name Alan, Nancy. I often choose names I think are pretty ordinary, or that DON'T give me a thrill to hear. I like to build a character with an everyday name that thrills for himself, not the packaging, if you see what I mean.

Pat, I swear, the usefulness of portable cushions is much overlooked in modern society! :-D I have two that live in my car, just in case...

Nice to meet you, too, Treethyme! Glad you liked what you saw. :-)

Thank you Donna! Dangerous Lies is probably easiest to find through Amazon/Barnes and Noble and the like.

Ouch, sorry you had a migraine, Anna S. ((((hugs)))) Hope you're feeling better very soon.