1. What do you think you are
really good at?
I am the world’s best
procrastinator. If I give myself the slightest excuse, I can put off work
indefinitely. That’s why I have to force myself into a regular schedule—if I
wrote only when the mood strikes, I would die unpublished. I frequently remind
myself of Harry Crews’ observation about writing only when there is time for
it: ".
. . there ain't no time; world don't want you to do that. World wants you to go
to the zoo and eat cotton candy, preferably seven days a week."
2. What do you think you’re
really bad at?
Why would I want to admit being
lousy at something?
3. Have you ever had an
imaginary friend?
I have always had an active, rich
fantasy life, peopled with characters of every conceivable stripe. But I’ve
never had any trouble distinguishing the imaginary from the real.
4. Do you have any phobias?
That’s an abnormal or irrational fear, right? Who is going to admit
to being abnormal or irrational?
5. Ever broken any bones?
During my teen years I traveled with a carnival. In those
prehistoric days they often had athletic shows where a boxer or wrestler—a
villain, or heavy—challenged local men to get into the ring. As the baby-face,
my job was to play the role of a local and accept the challenge. But sometimes
we had a real challenger and I ended up as the inside man. Before I shifted to
the safer environs of the U.S. military, I got several teeth knocked loose and
wore casts over a broken wrist and a broken leg.
The Price of Sanctuary
by Gaylon Greer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Accustomed to a life of privilege, Shelby Cervosier new
finds herself running for her life. Accused of killing an American Immigration
agent, Shelby has undertaken a mission on behalf of a secretive American
espionage agency in exchange for a promise of legal amnesty and political
asylum in America. Now, however, the agent who coerced her into accepting the
assignment wants her dead to cover up the bungled mission. Two hit men compete
for the bounty that has been placed on her head.
Shelby and her younger sister flee into America’s heartland
in search of a safe haven. They find only fear and danger, however, when they
are captured by one of the assassins, Hank.
Prepared to do whatever it takes to keep her sister safe,
Shelby cooperates with her capturer. Deciding that his feelings for them are
more important than bounty money, Hank takes the sisters under his wing and
secrets then away to his hideout: a farm in a remote corner of Colorado. They
become a part of his extended family; they have finally found sanctuary.
Their safe new world is shattered when the second hit man, a
relentless psychopath, captures Shelby’s little sister and uses her to lure
Shelby and her lover into a middle-of-the-night showdown on an isolated Rocky
Mountain battleground.
EXCERPT
Shelby barely cleared the edge of
the runway before twin engines on the sleek little jet wound up to an ear-achy
screech and it began moving, leaving behind a smelly residue of burned fuel.
Chuck's warning about the runway lights struck home; shadows below them made
the ground a dark void. With every step, roots, ruts, and weeds threatened
Shelby's balance. Something—palmetto fronds, she guessed—whipped her legs.
When distance rendered the lights
less blinding, she picked up her pace. Cloying heat and humidity plastered her
T-shirt and jeans to her skin as she jogged across the rugged turf with her
blue canvas overnight bag slung over a shoulder.
Look for a Dodge van, Chuck had
said. But what if it wasn't there? Maybe she could hibernate until daylight and
flag some¬one down. One way or another, get to a car rental agency, drive to
Homestead and sneak Carmen away.
As she approached the hangars,
she slowed her pace. Wiping at sweat that stung her eyes and breathing hard
from exertion, she looked for the woman who was supposed to meet her. With
solid cloud cover blocking the moon, she almost bumped into the van be¬fore she
recognized it.
Chuck had guessed wrong about the
driver: she wasn't sleeping. She opened the passenger door. “Welcome to
Florida.”
Shelby climbed in. “Brenda,
right?”
“Not really.” The old Dodge
Caravan's dome light revealed an overweight, middle-aged woman with freckled,
sun-leathered skin and unruly blond hair. “Chuck said not to give you my real
name, in case the feds nab you.” She cranked the engine and pulled away from
the hangar. “You lean on back, catch some shut-eye. We'll be on the road at
least an hour, and your butt's gotta be draggin'.”
Shelby reclined the seat and
closed her eyes. She was too keyed up to sleep, but God, she was tired. Tired
of running. Tired of hid¬ing. Tired of being scared.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Working with traveling carnivals and itinerant farm labor gangs during
his teen and early adult years took Gaylon Greer up, down, and across the
United States and introduced him to a plethora of colorful individuals who
serve as models for his fictional characters. A return to school in pursuit of
a high school diploma while serving in the Air Force led to three university
degrees, including a Ph.D. in economics, and a stint as a university professor.
After publishing several books on real estate and personal financial planning,
as well as lecturing on these subjects to nationwide audiences, he shifted his
energy to writing fiction. Gaylon lives near Austin, Texas.
Gaylon’s Web Site: http://gaylongreer.com/
Amazon Author Page:
Buy Link:
Prizes for the tour are as follows:
• One randomly chosen commenter
will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
• Two randomly chosen hosts will
each receive a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Thank you for the invite visit to your web site.
ReplyDeleteGaylon
First time for a virtual tour for me.
DeleteLOVED both your books, they are habit forming, The suspence makes you want to keep reading to see what happens next. Sure would love to see a series from you, I'd buy them all.
Looking forward to a series!!!
Thank you. I have another in the works--hope it doesn't disappoint you.
DeleteGaylon I just loved your Q & A today *chuckles*. I bet you are a hoot to have a conversation with and you can probably make or break a dinner party. Love your sense of timing, wit and straight shooting manner of speaking.
ReplyDeleteilookfamous(at)yahoo(dot)com
The story sounds very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Really sounds like an exciting story. I loved the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteFun interview!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
A great big thanks to all of you for dropping by and even more so for adding a comment so I'll know I'm brightening someone's day.
ReplyDeletethank you for the chance.
ReplyDeleteGaylon,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your sense of humour throughout your interview. I can imagine you had quite a number of adventures being on the road with a carnival. Thanks for sharing. :)
Sarah @ Living As We
oddball2003 at hotmail.com
Writing sounds safer than your carnival exploits.
ReplyDelete