BLURB:
"The first
book in the popular trilogy, soon to be a major new television series!
Some fires can
consume you.
Last year, I had
it all. Two jumpers on the show circuit, a lot of wins, and a lot of attention
- the good kind. But now I have nothing. My life is circling the drain. The
only spark of light that exists for me is my new, forbidden passion. If my
stepfather finds out, he will kill me. My twin brother, my only blood relative
in the world, has already begged me not to. But I can't help myself. If it
can't be horses, it has to be this..."
EXCERPT:
I
squished my way through the water-soaked grass to the pasture. The sudden
downpour had cooled the air, and I shivered slightly in my wet clothes. The
worst of the storm seemed to be over, and when I reached the pasture fence I
paused, debating whether I needed to bring the horses in. The rain had abated
to a fine drizzle, and there hadn’t been any lightning or thunder since I’d
left the barn. It was such a relief to escape the tense atmosphere there that I
lingered, leaning on the fence and watching the dark wet patches creeping down
the horses’ coats.
I
didn’t hear the footsteps until they were right behind me. I knew whose they
were without turning; only Jaden’s presence would raise the hairs on my body
like that.
“Tea,”
he said my name like a caress.
I
was about to duck away, but he knew me too well—his hands shot out and gripped
the fence board on either side of me, though he didn’t touch me, of course. He
was so close now that I could feel the heat from his body searing the back of
mine, but this heat made me shiver all the more.
“How
long are you planning on not talking to me?” His voice was subdued.
I
shrugged. I felt, rather than heard, his sigh.
“You’re
angry with me.”
He
was wrong about that. It wasn’t anger that was making me avoid him, it was self
preservation.
“I
don’t blame you. I know I’ve made a mess of things. I came to give you a
choice… I was planning to leave at the end of the season.” He paused, but my
brain was already frozen. As though it couldn’t process the word ‘leave’. “But
if you’d rather I left now, I’ll understand. I’ll find a spot for my horses
closer to Toronto.”
My
chest constricted painfully, and my breath started coming in sharp, raw gasps.
Either way, he would be gone. My only option was whether to prolong my
suffering. It was always the same impossible choice: the pain of his presence
versus the torture of his absence. I didn’t say anything. I don’t think I could
have spoken even if I’d wanted to.
“Let
me know what you decide,” he continued quietly. He hesitated, then dropped his
head close to mine; I felt the zing of current from my face down to my
shoulder. He whispered his parting line in my ear.
“I
miss you.”
I
waited until his footsteps faded to surrender to the wracking sobs, and they
shook me for a long time before I pulled myself together and went back to work.
- Where
did you get the idea for the novel?
I have no memory of trying to think
of an idea, but I vividly recall being assaulted by it when it suddenly invaded
my life, springing forth quite fully formed from my subconscious. I used to work with horses, so that part’s
easily understood, and everyone has some family drama in their lives, although
I’ve seen perhaps more than most. Wherever
it came from, I’m thankful.
- Your
title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?
My book titles seem pretty humdrum
at first glance, don’t they? I’ll never
be appointed the official entitler of anyone else’s work!
I’m not sure whether you know this,
but a “blaze” is a type of marking on a horse’s face – a wide white
stripe. I’ve always wanted to own a
jumper with a blaze and call him/her Blaze of Glory (as in the Bon Jovi
song). It never happened in real life,
so I invented an equine character with that name, although the horse’s
personality was based on my last horse, whose name was Jamie. Show horses usually have at least two names,
a ‘barn name’ for every day, and a show name.
Sometimes they also have a different registered name, if they’re a
particular breed. Each of the book
titles in the Blaze of Glory trilogy
is the show name of a different horse in the series. I never changed any of the titles because
they each “fit” on different levels.
They’re horse names, but they also describe something of the happenings
in each book – the first was all fire and passion, hence Blaze of Glory. The second, Look Twice, took a closer look at the
various complicated relationships within this family. And the third, Renaissance Man, marks new beginnings for several of the characters
(‘renaissance’ is ‘rebirth’ in French).
However, after seeing how hard it is
to read a long title when you do an Amazon search (on those small thumbnails),
I decided to call the book I’m currently writing Panther – short and legible.
- Why
did you pick this genre? What do you like about it?
I honestly never thought about genre
when I was writing. Even after finishing
my first book, I was hard-pressed to put a label on it; I wrote the story that
barreled through me, and let others decide how to pigeonhole it. I suppose I was drawn to family drama because
I’m fascinated by relationships – between people, between humans and animals,
and even by our relationships with ourselves.
And although the trilogy is considered a family drama, several people
referred to the first book as a romance, which I found pretty amusing since
it’s a genre I almost never read.
- Since
becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
Having my books optioned for TV is
definitely the most exciting development!
I was on cloud nine for months afterward. I’m so looking forward to seeing my
characters, my second family, on screen.
But on a day-to-day basis, just being able to sit down and write is
pretty darn great, too.
- What
book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?
I just started Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout.
It’s looking great so far!
- What
is your writing process?
My writing process has evolved a
lot, and doubtless it will continue to change.
With my first book I happily jumped in feet first with no idea of where
the story was going, but now I spend more time planning before I write. I get to know the characters a bit before I
put anything on paper. If I’m having
trouble imagining any of them, I ask simple questions, like “What’s this
person’s favorite color? Favorite food?
How would they react to say, a break-up or a surprise party?” Then I let the characters answer for
themselves.
When it comes to the actual writing,
that’s easy. I was trained in my
previous career as a consultant to show up on schedule, sit down and produce something
to show for your time – I must say it’s come in handy.
- At a
book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do
you come up with stuff to say?
You have no idea how I agonized over
this in the beginning! I’d wonder, what
if I write something that comes across the wrong way? What if I make a spelling mistake? What if my handwriting – never neat at the
best of times – is downright illegible?
As with most things, the worry tends to be for naught. Now I usually ask people if they’d like
anything special inscribed, or if they want a particular person’s name in the
book (sometimes it’s a gift). If not, I
write something fairly generic, like “I hope you enjoy the story.” If there’s a line-up I might only sign my
name, but I like to include something extra – I feel honored when anyone takes
the time out of their busy lives to read something I’ve created.
- What
is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I was born in Holland and only
learned English when I was five. It was
my third language, but now I can’t even remember any Dutch.
- How
do you react to a bad review?
Fiction is a form of
art, which is by its nature subjective.
I’ve started reading books that I didn’t enjoy, put them aside, and
picked them up at another time (‘cause I’m stubborn that way) only to find
myself completely caught up in the story.
So I don’t get upset by bad reviews, and I think it’s even useful for
readers to have a negative review to read when they’re shopping for a book,
just to provide a balanced view. When
I’m looking at books to read, I usually read a cross-section: a few of the rave
reviews and a few of the negative ones.
- How
did you celebrate the sale of your first book?
My first royalty
cheque was for a whopping $32, and I used it to take my two kids out for
dinner. Any time I don’t have to cook is
a celebration for me!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
M.
Garzon rode horses professionally for ten years, until an injury prompted a
career change. She returned to school and completed a BSc; then for good
measure, an MBA. After several years of toiling as a business consultant, she turned
to writing in a desperate bid to regain her sanity. A mom of two fabulous
children, she lives in St Lazare, QC and considers herself extremely lucky to
be a writer.
Links:
(also
available on Kobo, NOOK, and iBooks)
The author will be awarding the entire trilogy on Kindle or Kobo
(winner's choice) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
The more you comment,
the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Thanks very much for having me here today!
ReplyDeleteNeat interview, especially for someone who doesn't know much about showing horses, like me.
ReplyDeletefalcondraco at Hotmail dot com
Thanks Leslie! Dianne, I hope you get a horse someday :)
ReplyDelete