Totally Devoted: E. M. Bannock

Please welcome E. M. Bannock author of Totally Devoted

E.M. Bannock will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Totally Devoted

by E.M. Bannock

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GENRE:  Western Contemporary Romance

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

It began with a love of reading. I loved listening to stories as a child and I’ve always had a good imagination. Every author and storyteller I’ve had has inspired me. I’ve been writing poems and stories since around middle school. I’ve been a contributor on a few newsletters. Totally Devoted is the first of what, I hope, will be many books that I can entertain my readers with.

2. How did you come up with ideas for your books?

The idea for Totally Devoted came to me in a dream one night and the entire plot came to me in a flash the next day as I was in a plane circling for a landing in Detroit.

My idea for the beginning of my second book actually started with a song we danced to in my Zumba exercise class, Apple-Bottom Jeans, by TPain. I’ve always had a run-away imagination. I’ll see something and my mind runs wild thinking of the possibilities of future events.

I’ve lived in many places and met many different types of people. Life has never been easy but it’s always been interesting. I’ve got ideas to fill many more books.

3. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

My life experiences and my vivid imagination are my greatest expertise tools. I’ve been around the block more than once and seen things a lot of people haven’t or even want to. They say that fact is stranger than fiction and I’ve found this to be true indeed. Many events in my books are based on real life experiences.

4. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

That I’m just a short little person with a big attitude and big ideas. I love to be the boss and I never taken ‘no’ for an answer. I never give up. I can be a bitch when needed. But I can also be the best friend you’ll ever have.

5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I plan to continue writing the books that are locked inside my brain and hope I can continue to publish them. I want to build my reader base; a good story needs to be shared with all. I write because I love to write. It’s a labor of love and spreading it around with others is a great joy.

6. If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why?

If I had to choose, it would be all of the main characters, which are strong willed, independent, intelligent, women. At some point in the writing process you become all of the characters, even the villains. You have to. But as for picking a favorite it would be like asking a mother to pick a favorite child.

7. If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles?

I’ve thought about this and I’m having trouble casting the lead female role. She’s a brunette so that cuts down the field by quite a bit. I picture someone like Famke Janssen for my first choice. She is down to earth, intelligent, beautiful, and powerful like my book character. Carla Gugino would be my second choice. She’s got that mature yet sexy thing going on. Marie Trousdale is a woman in her 40’s so I think either of those beautiful and talented women could handle it well. But I would be open to an unknown if she encapsulated the essence of Marie.

As far as the man, my first choice has always been Timothy Olyphant. I fell in love with him on Justified. He’s got the western drawl, the body, the swagger walk. He’s perfect. A close second would be Leonardo DiCaprio. He did such a great job in The Revenant that I think he could pull off the roll of Wil pretty darn good.

8. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I usually just start writing but then I find myself trying to figure out what time of year it is, or how many years happened between this event and that event, or how old someone is, or some other time related thing and I end up creating one. It does come in handy. Usually the plot gets so complicated that I really need a timeline to keep it all straight.

12. Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you’ve gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books?

In a way, yes. One of my hobbies is cooking. Since we live in a remote area of Wyoming and it’s 40 miles to the nearest restaurant and/or grocery store, cooking is a must here. I don’t eat meat so I’m really dependant on my cooking. I actually gave that characteristic to Marie Trousdale in Totally Devoted. She takes a lot of crap for it from Wil, nothing I haven’t experienced in some form or another. So far, Marie is my only vegetarian.

I also enjoy horseback riding and spending time in the mountains, which my characters do a lot of in my book. I’ve tried to write it in a way that my readers can feel like they are on the ride with me.

13. Do you have an all time favorite book?

My all time favorite book is actually a series of books. It’s the Outlander series written by Diana Gabaldon. I got hooked watching the Starz TV series and my sister-in-law, Tammy, said, “If you like the TV show, you’ll love the books.” Truer words were never spoken. I’ve devoured all 8 books and am anxious awaiting the release of the 9^th and 10^th that have been promised. It’s the greatest love story of all time. I can only hope people get that passionate about my books.

14. Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?

I have several ideas and I’m actually writing three books right now. The one I’m concentrating on is called Zoey’s Place and is about a woman who loses her husband, quits her law practice, and opens a spa/brothel for rich women.

15. Who is your favorite actor and actress?

This changes with time and/or the last movie I saw. For a long time Brad Pitt was my favorite actor. I like actors that can change with the roll and be convincing every time. Brad went from the hunk in Thelma and Louise to the crazy guy in 12 Monkeys and Fight Club, to the heart throb in A River Runs Through It, Legends of the Fall, and Troy, and the Nazi killer in Inglorious Bastards. There aren’t many movies that I don’t like him in.

I’ve always like Leonardo DiCaprio but since The Revenant, I’ve gotten a lot more respect for him. I watched some interviews after the release of the movie and he really went through a lot to make that movie, and what an excellent job he did. I think he brings a believable-ness to the characters in all of his movies.

Meryl Streep is my favorite actress; also very versatile in her talent. I love all her movies. I like her as a person, too. She is a strong minded woman who is not afraid to speak up for what she believes in. I like to think I’m the same way.

That being said, the more I watch the Outlander TV series the more I fall in love with the acting of Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe. They really bring Jamie and Claire to life. The casting is perfect.

16. Can you tell us a little about the black moment in your book?

This was the hardest part of the book to write. As an author and to have to put myself in the mind of the ‘bad guy’ was very disturbing to me. I had to think about giving pain to someone who doesn’t deserve it. The villain of Totally Devoted is Morty Jablonski, a creepy fan who is obsessed with Marie. He brings out the worst part of being ‘famous.’

Without giving too much away, he kidnaps Marie and takes her to a remote cabin in the mountains where he envisions her falling in love with him. His mistreatment of Marie when he accepts the fact that she will never love him and the danger he puts her in took a long time to write. A writer has to become the character and this guy touched a part of me that gives me the chills. I wrote him in because people like him are part of reality. He is the means by which Wil’s love for Marie is measured.

17. What is your favorite reality show?

Not a fan of traditional reality shows. Don’t know if it’s really a reality show but I love watching Long Island Medium. I’m very spiritual and interested in the afterlife. I believe in the ability to communicate with spirit on the other side and have seen a Medium myself.

The events that happen on Long Island Medium are so touching and emotional. I always end up crying but I can’t stop watching

18. Anything else you might want to add?
    I’d like to thank my host, Christine Young, for the chance to introduce everyone to my book and my characters. I hope I’ve sparked enough curiosity in you to want to read it.

As always, I encourage readers to leave reviews, they are priceless, as are our readers.

For anyone out there wondering if they should write that book they always thought they could write, I say go for it. The bliss you feel the first time someone reads your book and comes up to you and says, “I read your book. Loved it,” is indescribable. You can’t win if you don’t play.

BLURB:

Ten years after the death of her husband and young son, Marie Trousdale decides to move
from Los Angeles, California to a small rural Oregon town and hires Wil Townsend, a
local contractor, to build her dream home on property she inherited from her deceased husband.

Although they couldn’t be more different in every way possible the two fall in love. Things
get complicated when Marie changes occupations. When she is put in danger, Wil must decide if his love is stronger than the differences that separate him from Marie.

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EXCERPT:

From the description she was given by the hotel desk clerk, she figured she wouldn’t have much trouble finding the guy—grungy black cowboy hat, well-worn cowboy boots, scruffy beard, jean jacket, and Levi’s, sitting at the corner table. She was right. He wasn’t hard to spot. It was Monday night, and there were only a handful of people in the place. There he was, sitting at his regular corner table, with his back to the wall, his chair up on two legs, and his feet propped up and crossed on the chair next to him. There was a glass of beer and a half-empty pitcher in front of him. She wondered how many pitchers he had drained before this one. The desk clerk said he had a lot of funny habits. The clerk said the guy always sat with his back to the wall, so no one could get the jump on him. He probably watched too many John Wayne movies.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

E.M. Bannock was born in 1950 and grew up in the Detroit suburbs. Her love for writing began during high school where she excelled in writing short stories and poetry. Born with the wanderlust, she found herself in Los Angeles, an exciting place to be in the early 70’s, and E.M. experienced all that it had to offer. It was here she met her husband. She has lived in California, Oregon, Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming, where she now lives with her husband, son, daughter-in-law, grandson and a menagerie of cats, dogs, chickens, and horses.

email: esther@nemont.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EMBannock/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMBannock

http://www.5princebooks.com/embannock.html

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Totally-Devoted-M-Bannock-ebook/dp/B079MCNS7L/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

E.M. Bannock will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2629