When the chance came up to host a leg on Sarah’s blog tour, I quickly asked to be included. Walk a Mile has so many elements that appeal to me. Hot men may top the list, but its about law enforcement men in DC – hmm sounds like my life.  And Sarah didn’t disappoint.  This is a great book, written by a wonder author. Please take a moment to read her interview and then consider getting the book, you won’t be disappointed.   -AQG

Walk a Mile, by Sarah Madison

Welcome Sarah. Why don’t you begin by telling everyone a bit about yourself.

Hah! I’m rather boring, actually. I’m a middle-aged woman living in the southern US—part of the Bible Belt. I can catch a copperhead, castrate a bull calf, face down a pit bull, and replace the rocker arm of a 1969 Chevy Impala, but have rarely traveled and lead a quiet life. I used to compete in the horse sport known as eventing, but had to retire my competition horse a few years ago. Okay, so that doesn’t sound all that boring, but trust me, it is! I work, I walk the dog, I write. Sometimes I take pictures with my little point-and-shoot camera. That’s about it.

Your latest book is Walk a Mile, talk about that.

Walk a Mile is book two in the Sixth Sense series from Dreamspinner Press. In the first story, Unspeakable Words, FBI agents John Flynn and Jerry Parker are assigned to work together on a cold serial killer case, the Grimm Fairy Tale Murders. Flynn comes into contact with a mysterious artifact during the course of a witness interview, and is gifted with extraordinary powers. This ‘gift’ proves to be more of a curse than not, and when the artifact and all its documentation disappears, Flynn has lost his only shot at reversing the curse—or so he thinks.

Six months later, the relationship, which had grown strong as a result of Flynn’s affliction, is showing the strain of Flynn’s obsession with ridding himself of his power—even as Jerry fears that without the bond of Flynn’s secret, there may be no relationship at all. When the two men discover another artifact in the Smithsonian, they head back to Flynn’s hometown to see if the curse can be broken. But they aren’t the only ones looking for these artifacts, not by a long shot!

Did you do research for the book involving the FBI?  

I researched online some basic information about the FBI, but in terms of specific research, I read A Special Agent: Gay and Inside the FBI. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1331097.A_Special_Agent

I’d long known about the origins of the FBI and Hoover’s obsession with keeping homosexuals out, but this book gave me some insight into what it was like to be a closeted gay man within the organization prior to its policy changes in 1991, and how such a deeply rooted anti-gay culture would continue to have impacts on careers, despite the stated policy of the FBI.

Have you been to DC? Did you visit the Hoover Bldg (Main FBI Building) or the Washington D.C. Field Office where most of the DC agents work?

I’ve been to DC many times–it’s one of my favorite cities to visit, and I have friends i Herndon,  Leesburg, and Fairfax. My brother used to live in Alexandria, and I used to live in Bowling Green, just below Fredericksburg, and have some familiarity with Middleburg (I event horses, and that’s a big horse area)  I have not specifically visited the Hoover Building or the Washington field office, though it is exactly the sort of thing I would love to do. My recent visits have been mainly to the Smithsonian and the major monuments, and I’m sad to say its been a while since I’ve done that as well. I did as much research on Quantico as possible online, and I read stories and watched movies related to the area, but it is not the same as actually going there, I know. I recently found out about a camp called Writer’s  Police Academy, where authors can go and experience enactments of crime scenes, prepare a case to present to a prosecute, or investigate a possible case of arson, and I want so badly to go to the next session offered that I am practically salivating. Unfortunately, I have a demanding day job, and getting time off is hard to come by. But man, oh man, I can’t think of a more exciting way to spend my only five days off each year…

 Are there any notable DC landmarks that become part of the story?

Not really. The characters spend a brief period of time at Quantico, but soon end up traveling down I-95 to Richmond. I grew up in Richmond, and felt more comfortable basing Flynn’s boyhood home there. I wanted very much to make a run up to DC when writing Walk a Mile just for the local color–a few years ago I visited the UK for the first time and was struck with how different the very ground was there–and I know how important first-hand impressions are to me as a writer. I love adding the details of scent and sound into my descriptions, and you just can’t get the same depth with Google. Unfortunately, I seldom get to leave my small hometown existence, but I’m working on it. 🙂

Where did the inspiration for the main characters Jerry and Flynn come from?

I have to laugh here! At the time, I was watching two different crime dramas. Each show had an episode in which an FBI agent assisted with the case—a one-shot guest spot. One character was Mr. Joe Cool, the other a fussy, Felix Unger type. It amused me to picture the two characters being assigned to work together. I love opposites-attract kinds of stories, especially the sparkage and banter that can result from such a pairing.

Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?

Well, this is the first time Flynn has gone back home since he’s developed these extraordinary powers—and as such, it makes interacting with his friends and family…tense. You know how hard it is to go home anyway, but with a secret like his, Flynn is even more defensive than ever. J

What part of the book was the most fun to write and why?

Well, as one reader put it, “What were they thinking? They should have known better after their last experience with a mysterious artifact!” I had far too much fun being evil to the boys. Let’s just leave it at that. *rubs hands together with evil laugh*

What part made you struggle the most?

Most of this story is from Jerry’s point of view—so we only get to see what is going in with Flynn through Jerry’s eyes. There is a point in the story, however, in which we get to experience first-hand what Flynn lives with all the time. It was challenging to depict that in a way that made sense to the reader. I hope it worked!

What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?

The Tao of Pooh. It’s a simple little book which explains the principles of Taosim through Winnie-the-Pooh, and vice versa. The idea is to show how often Pooh’s simple-minded approach to things reflects the Taoist Way of life. Simple doesn’t mean stupid, just uncomplicated by preconceived ideas. It also makes for soothing bedtime reading.

{Fan boy moment, I read that 25 years ago and still have a copy. I love it.}

If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

Dorothy L. Sayers. Hands down, she is my favorite mystery writer and the creator of the character Lord Peter Wimsey. I sense there is a lot of her in Harriet Vane, the mystery writer who goes on trial for the murder of her former lover, and whom Lord Peter falls in love with and ultimately marries. Through Harriet Vane, Sayers shares much of her views on women, feminism, and academia during a time when women were scarcely recognized as citizens. Plus, she tells a thumping good tale!

What’s a fun – non-writing – day for you?

Ah, on the best days, I allow myself the luxury of sleeping in a half hour or so longer. I confess, I’m a big fan of snuggling under the blankets on a cold morning. However, the dog believes everyone should get up at daybreak, so on my day off, I usually take him out for a run in the national forest. We recently ran into a black bear on our usual walk, so I’ve been taking him out a bit later than before in hopes of not crossing paths with the bear again!

Then, if the weather is nice, I’ll go for a ride on my horse. My mare isn’t sound enough to jump a four-by-four oxer anymore, but a quiet trail ride is about our speed these days. Then in the evening, I’ll curl up on the couch to watch something with the BF, or read. See, I told you I was boring!

Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?

I have so many things I would love to spend more time doing, but once I found my passion for writing again, most of those things fell by the wayside. I was quite competitive in my youth, but I’m finding that less and less important to me these days. I enjoy taking photographs, even though I only have a crappy little point-and-shoot camera. It’s rare that a day goes by without me taking a picture of something. I used to do a lot of theater, and sing, too, but with the kind of schedule I have, it is easier to pour my creative energies into something I can do on my own time, rather than try to coordinate with a group of people to attend rehearsals or performances.

Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?

Well, I know there was a big time gap between books one and two in the Sixth Sense series, and there are a lot of people clamoring for the next installment already! I decided I should set aside some other projects and commit to finishing book three in a timely manner. I have so many plans and ideas, though! There are the follow up stories for the characters in Crying for the Moon, as well as plans to start a series, under the name of Madison Dean, set in the post-war 1950s, with characters who have to masquerade as Ward and June Cleaver by day and investigate paranormal events by night. I’m having fun doing the research on that one!

Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.

Wow, this was harder to answer than I thought it would be! Let’s see…well, I have a demanding day job, so I don’t always get to write as much as I would like. I’m frankly envious of the people who can produce a new story every quarter; I wish I could be that prolific! I have a terrible habit of over-committing myself, however, and biting off more than I can chew. My fantasy is that I will someday make enough money writing that I can cut back on the hours at work, but in order for that to work, I need to write more!

I had to give up caffeine last year. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but absolutely necessary. One 12 ounce Pepsi and my BP is 145/90. No caffeine, and it is 117/80

I once had to deworm a snake at work. I am not afraid of snakes at all. When I was eight, some boys at school dropped a grass snake in my lap that they’d found on the play yard. In an instant, I realized that I was supposed to scream and cry—that was what the boys wanted. So instead I picked up the snake and cooed over it. “For me? May I keep it?”

That was the last time anyone tried a stunt like that.

I do a kick-ass Yoda impression, but I have to make an incredibly ugly face in order to do so. Be sure to ask me to demonstrate it, should we ever meet in person.

I also do an imitation of a catfight that is so realistic I can’t do it if there are any animals in the building, as it has been known to trigger fights. Be sure to ask me to do that, too. I will. I have no stage fright. I’ll happily make a fool of myself with a karaoke machine. My insecurities are all intellectual and emotional. J

Thank you for hosting me here and giving me the opportunity to share a little about the new book! And thank you, too, for such interesting questions!

Blurb:

Six months after starting their hunt for a serial killer who is still at large, FBI agents Jerry Lee Parker and John Flynn are partners in every sense. But Jerry has serious doubts about their relationship and whether they would even be together if not for the way Flynn changed after touching a mysterious artifact in a museum.

Flynn hates the extraordinary power bestowed on him by the artifact and wants nothing more than to have a normal life again. Jerry fears that without the unusual connection they forged, Flynn will no longer want or need him. Chasing after a similar artifact takes them back to Flynn’s old stomping grounds in Washington D.C., where his newfound abilities uncover long-buried secrets, the kind people would kill to protect. But they aren’t the only ones looking for these powerful relics, and what they discover will threaten their relationship—and their lives.

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

Sales Links:

Dreamspinner Press:

Amazon:

Excerpt:

Jerry returned his attention to the tableau unfolding in the aisle. Flynn was making his way casually toward Jerry; he yawned, taking his time. 15-A hesitated; Jerry could see that he had stepped into the aisle, but was thinking of sitting back down again. Just then, the door to the toilet opened and the toddler came out into the aisle. Picking up on the air of tension, the child immediately started to wail.

15-A snapped like a wire stretched beyond its tensile strength. Whipping off his sunglasses, he reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a glass vial. Holding it up high over his head for everyone to see, he shouted, “Everybody stay where you are!”

People glanced up and turned around in their seats, startled and immediately alarmed. 15-A looked around sharply, making sure that no one was trying to rush him. Several people had started halfway up out of their seats to see what was going on; Jerry knew they were remembering United Flight 93.

15-a moved his hand in a broad semi-circle so that everyone could see the vial tucked in his palm. “I have Sarin!” he announced. “If anyone moves, I break the vial. Someone make that child shut up!”

Author Bio:

Sarah Madison is a veterinarian with a big dog, an even bigger horse, too many cats, and a very patient boyfriend. She is a terrible cook, and concedes that her life would be easier if Purina made People Chow. She writes because it is cheaper than therapy.

Author Contact:

https://twitter.com/SarahMadisonFic

http://pinterest.com/sarahmadisontoo/

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sarah-Madison-Author/106445646104338

http://sarahmadisonfiction.tumblr.com/

Tour Dates/Stops:

October 3: Louise Lyons, Parker Williams

October 6: Multitasking Mommas, Kimi-Chan

October 7: Prism Book Alliance, 3 Chicks After Dark

October 8: Amanda C. Stone, Emotion in Motion

October 9: Andrew Q. Gordon, Inked Rainbow Reads, Love Bytes, Smoocher’s Voice

October 10: Romance the Night, Cate Ashwood

October 13: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, The Hat Party

October 14: Wake Up Your Wild Side, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Fallen Angel Reviews

October 15: Queer Town Abbey, The Blogger Girls, Butterfly-O-Meter

October 16: MM Good Book Reviews, Jade Crystal, Velvet Panic

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