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?
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?
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Romantic Suspense
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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!
Thank you for being a guest on my blog!
Ann: Thank you
for letting me ramble.
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
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-swann
GIVEAWAY
INFORMATION
Ann
Swann will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner
via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI was really enjoying following this tour, thank you for all the great blog posts and excerpts!
ReplyDeletecongrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeletesounds good! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed the tour. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the great post. Happy Holidays!!
ReplyDelete