Friday, December 22, 2017

Interview with an author: The Remains in the Pond by Ann Swann



Today I'm welcoming Ann Swann, a writer with a a penchant for murder! (Romantic suspense, to be exact!) Hello Ann! Please introduce yourself, and tell us how you became a writer:

Ann: Hi, My name is Ann Swann. I write romantic suspense, ghost stories, and contemporary fiction. I also write speculative fiction from time to time. My new novel is THE REMAINS IN THE POND, it recently won a cover contest – isn’t that cover awesome? When I’m not writing, I like to hike the trails around our town (we live in the deserts of West Texas), go to movies and concerts with my hubby, and play outside with my darling grandchildren. I also love watching crime TV shows and speculative shows like Stranger Things on Netflix.

Me: I love Stranger Things too! What inspires you most? 

Ann: People inspire me. Their actions, how they treat each other, and their dialogue. I love to watch people out in public. But I base a lot of my characters on my family members, friends, and frenemies. If they didn’t want me to write about them, they should have acted better. I always tell them if they think I’m writing about them, then I probably am.

What were your favorite books when you were young, and what are your favorite books right now?

I loved animal stories when I was young, The Black Stallion, Black Beauty, Silver Chief, Dog of the North, The Call of the Wild, Night of the White Deer . . . I could go on and on. Nowadays I read a little bit of everything. I love romantic suspense (naturally), but I also love YA like The Hunger Games or novels by Sara Dessen and Nicolas Sparks. I also read anything by Stephen King simply because he got his hooks in me when I was young and now I’m addicted.

Tell us about your book - who is the main character, is there a villain, and what do want readers to know about this story?
THE REMAINS IN THE POND is about a girl named Gabi (I named her after a woman who won a contest on my last blog tour. The antagonist, Rose, was also a winning reader) who has all her dreams dashed on prom night when her year-long-crush (Matt) has a car wreck and winds up in a coma. As if that weren’t bad enough, his jealous cousin, Rose, (who is in love with him), lures Gabi to the old pond under the guise that Matt is out of the hospital and wants to see her. Lies, lies, lies. Things do not go well at the pond.

Gabi leaves town and makes a new life for herself, but when she has to return for a funeral, she is charged with murder because of the remains found in the pond.

The Remains in the Pond
by Ann Swann
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GENRE: Romantic Suspense
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BLURB:
Senior prom is the happiest night of Gabi’s life. Her crush has just revealed that he is every bit as infatuated with her as she is with him. When he has a car wreck and is transported to the hospital in a coma, Gabi feels as if she’s taken a knife to the heart. But his jealous cousin, Rose, sees her chance to give the knife an even harder twist. She convinces Gabi to meet her at a local parking spot outside town. It's a night that will change several lives forever. One of the girls will return, and one will become known as the remains in the pond.

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Excerpt Three:

I didn’t see Matt anywhere. There weren’t any vehicles in the gravel lot. I parked but didn’t roll down the windows. Something felt wrong. The night began to feel as opaque as the murky water. If Matt wanted to see me, where was he?

Backing up, I shined my headlights a different direction, then I made a small tight circle and lit up the entire parking area a little at a time. Low mesquites and spindly live oaks bordered one side of the lot. It was the sort of foliage that loved a little water now and then but thrived just as well without it. I saw neither Matt nor Rose.

After a few minutes, I pulled out of the lot and circled the pond as far as I could go. The gravel road didn’t loop around the entire thing, only about three quarters of the way, and then you were forced to turn around in the only remaining wide spot unless you wanted to get out and have a picnic beneath the single stand of oaks tall enough to give good shade.

Of course I didn’t need any shade now. And I really didn’t want to get out of the car. This seemed too weird. I put the car in reverse and executed a careful turnaround. When my headlights picked out the figure at the edge of the water, I inhaled sharply. It was not what I expected to find.

I rolled down my window. “Rose?” I called. “Is that you?”

A branch cracked, a shadow moved, and panic slid between my ribs like a blade. The figure turned toward my headlights, definitely female. She wore her long hair lose and flowing. Under the moonlight, I couldn’t be certain if the woman’s hair was red or light brown.

What are you doing here?” No answer. “Where’s Matt?” I tried to keep my voice steady, to show her I wasn’t afraid. I put the car in PARK and opened my door tentatively, putting one foot on the ground.

She stared into my headlights, one hand shielding her eyes like a sailor looking for land, and then, like a flash, she ran straight at me. Straight toward my little Honda with the window rolled down. Her hair flew out behind her and it was all so surreal that for a moment, I simply sat there, paralyzed. Then she raised her right hand above her head. In her grip, I caught a glimpse of silver.
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Me: I love the blurb and excerpt, and can't wait to read the book! 
Can you share a favorite recipe or life hack – perhaps something that is connected to your book?

Ann: Strange you should ask … I can share a firehouse recipe from my sweet hubby, Dude, who used to be a fire fighter. Take a can of Eagle Brand sweetened, condensed, milk, remove the paper label, and put the unopened can in a sturdy pan of water (enough to cover the can of milk), bring to a boil and then turn down to medium. Cook on stovetop for three hours. When you open the can you have caramel. Spoon into a graham cracker crust, cool in the fridge, and then top with Cool Whip when you’re ready to serve. It’s creamy and delicious. This has been a dessert staple at our house forever. I actually use this recipe in my next book, a steamy romance that is in progress.

Me - Oh my, that sounds delicious! I will definitely give it a try! Anything else you'd like to add? 

Ann: Watch for my two new YA books to come out soon!

Thank you for being a guest on my blog! 
Ann:  Thank you for letting me ramble.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Ann has been a writer since junior high school, but to pay the bills she’s waited tables,
delivered newspapers, cleaned other people's houses, taught school, and even had a short
stint as a secretary in a rock-n-roll radio station. She also worked as a 911 operator and a
police dispatcher.

Ann’s stories began to win awards in her college days. Since then she’s published novels,
novellas, and short stories. But even if no one ever bought another book, Ann wouldn’t stop
writing. For her it’s the cathartic pause in a sometimes-crazy world. Most of the time, it even
keeps her sane.

Blog: www.annswann.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/annswann.books
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/6vuw7vl
Twitter: @ann_swann

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Ann Swann will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


6 comments:

  1. I was really enjoying following this tour, thank you for all the great blog posts and excerpts!

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  2. congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)

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  3. sounds good! thanks for sharing!

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  4. I have enjoyed the tour. Merry Christmas!

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  5. Thanks for sharing the great post. Happy Holidays!!

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