Hello my dear friends!

I know it's been a while between posts, but I'm doing my best to finish up the rough draft of the new Evans series. Yes, they are not done yet! Yay! I received so many requests to keep it going that I couldn't find the heart to put my beloved friends away forever. I'm just about done with the rough draft of the Evans Domination Series, Book One. As the readers of Sunshine Rising learned, there was a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, and sure enough, they have not finished their battle with the Mexican cartels.

So, what's the new book about? Well, without giving away the entire plot, I will say that they are searching for El Padrino (who, by the way, is not the real El Padrino who was arrested some time ago. I did not base my character on him at all, and I had never heard of him until I began researching this new book. I wanted to put that out there, just in case, LOL). Book One will be introducing some new characters who will be relevant in future books, but our favorite Evans characters do make an appearance. Zach is trying his hardest to handle El Padrino the legal way while Hayden, Andrew, and Ian are planning to go rogue. When Zach is called into a human trafficking case based in Tucson, he works hard to tie it back to El Padrino. Stay tuned for a frightening, yet very real, story to come.

With that being said, please watch out this summer for the new book, Hope Is Calling, The Evans Domination, Book One. We're looking at a late-June release date, but I'll post once it's ready to go.

I hope all of my friends are doing well, and thank you for your patience with me last year. I know I was only able to release two books instead of three, but I'm trying hard to make up for that this year. If only I could fix my back! Ugh.

Don't forget to stay tuned. I'm sending the information to my cover artist today, and hopefully she'll be working her magic in time for the June release. 

Hugs to my readers out there! Take care.

Greetings everyone!

I have been offline for quite some time, and I apologize for that. My second surgery in June took quite a bit out of me physically. What they found when they went in was a misplaced screw that was pushing on the herniated L4/L5, and a lot of scar tissue had built up around my sciatic nerves (ouch, I'll tell you). The damage has brought out some herniation at L3 and bulging at L2 and L1, although that's not too bad at all. I hope by continuing to use the inversion table, I can fix that. I just need to wait for clearance to hang upside down again.

At any rate, those first few months were agonizing. When I saw my surgeon in October, I was sobbing so hard by the time I reached his office that he sent me home and said, "come back next month and we'll see about starting PT then." I had to see my pain management doctor, and we tried a Flector patch for the fusion site itself. I did not find that useful at all, but it might work for others. What I have found was a website. I did a Google search in desperation and stumbled upon the McKenzie Method. It's an institute based out of New Zealand, and he runs a PT program specifically designed for us with extreme back problems. He also has a set for neck issues too. I mentioned him to my pain doc when I saw him, and he was surprised that I found him. He said that in his opinion, McKenzie is the best way to manage severe back problems, and I agree with him. The exercises are simple, and I saw an improvement almost immediately. It hurt at first, and my range of motion is nowhere near that of those in the videos, but I'm getting there little by little. I can now move forward and backward more than a half inch, and I can lean forward and backward a little. My biggest problem right now is the tightness of my muscles. I believe that if they would stop with the spasms and loosen up a little bit more, I'd be in much better shape. But I still do the exercises multiple times a day, especially after I have to run errands or drive for any distance, and I stretch every chance I get. My kids find it hysterical when I walk in the door and immediately get down on the floor. But I have found something that works for me, and I hope it continues to help. Thank you McKenzie Institute!

So Sunshine Rising was very delayed. For that, I apologize, too. I have finally finished it, and it's a long novel. Since it has characters from the entire series in it, there is a cast of characters, and I highly recommend using it so you don't get confused. Now that Sunshine Rising is complete, I'll be working right away on my next novel. I hope this year to publish four to make up for last year (barring any further back surgeries). Please keep your fingers crossed! I have several ideas popping in my head already, and I'm anxious to get them down on paper to keep you all busy. In the meantime, I do hope you all enjoy the new book, and I thank you again for your support and patience!

Most importantly, remember to take care of your back! You only have one, and it is completely devastating when you lose it. 

Although a little late in posting, here is my continuing series of scenes from my books. I've chosen Eyes on Tango, one of my favorites to feature next. A jungle adventure, a vacation gone awry, and the beginning of the mystery is falling into place. 

Please enjoy seeing some of the scenes where Dani and Hayden began their road to love, where Rocky and Micaela reveal their plans, and where Zach begins to find the information he needs to catch the bad guys he and Ian have been hunting for months.

From the ruins in Tulum, Mexico, up the Mayan Riviera to Playa del Carmen and finally Cancun, Mexico, the two lovers run for their lives in search of escape from a beautiful land turned deadly.

I hope you have a fun time exploring the sites with Dani and Hayden!

This post was originally published on November 30,2011 on my blog, collettescott.blogspot.com.

With  the passing of the Patriot Act in what seems a lifetime ago, I think many  Americans thought everything would be okay. However, Linda Hawley presents a  different spin on the invasion of  government into the private sector. What if  the government was monitoring us via microchip inserted in our driver's  licenses? What if the government was listening to every word we said at every  time? Ms. Hawley has taken that line of thought one step further with the first  book in her series, Dreams Unleashed. I am very pleased to announce that the lovely Linda Hawley is here to share a little more about her spine-tingling, edge-of-your-seat thriller, the first in her series The Prophecies.
 Collette: Welcome, Linda. I’m so happy to have you here. Can we start with  the basics? Tell us a little about your background. How was The Prophecies Series born?

Linda: I was an executive on a plane flying from Dallas to Seattle when, upon landing, the plane nearly crashed.(I have flown all over the world in all kinds of weather, and it was the very worst experience on a plane that I'd had.) In the airport later, I wrote down the experience while it was fresh in my mind, amazed that I was alive. I then emailed it to my assistant. When I got back in my office the next day, my assistant said, "That was incredible; you should write a book. "I was shocked by his words, but let them marinate in my mind. Not long after, Ann Torgeson (my protagonist) was born.The final chapter in Dreams Unleashed (book 1 of The  Prophecies) was inspired by my experience.
 
Collette: That’s some scary stuff. What is your  writing process?
 
Linda: I'm a night writer. Some of my best scenes I wrote at one in the morning. I pretty much write every day. I usually know the first and last chapter of every book, and often write them first. For the rest of the novel, I write down 12  phrases of milestones in the story, and then write to them chronologically. I never get more detailed than that, because  I need to keep it open to activate my creative juices. For the most part, I fly off the seat of my  pants when writing stories.

Collette: Do you write full-time now?

Linda: Yes

Collette: Were you inspired by someone/something to write the genre you’re writing in?
 
Linda: Dystopian thrillers are what I love; both in books and movies. Nothing could be more exciting for me.

Collette: How long have you been working on the series?

Linda: I started Dreams Unleashed (book one) three years ago, but in March 2011, I discarded all but 1/8 of the book, and rewrote  it; it was published two months later. I wrote Guardian of Time (book two) in three months; it was published Oct 2011.I am  writing book three now; it's the final book in the series. I'm comfortable writing three novels per year.
 
Collette: Can you describe your research into your subject?

Linda: I'm a news junky; I read about five news sources every day. I understand what's going on in the  world. I look for trends of discord to  use in my dystopian thrillers. I research like crazy, because most of the technology, locations, and historical  information are real. In The Prophecies, the fiction includes the characters and the things that they do. However, Remote Viewing, Project Stargate,  RFID tracking, and many other things are real --all of them discovered in my research.
 
Collette: Are any of your characters based on real-life friends or acquaintances?

Linda: All except Chow Lai, and a couple of new characters in Guardian of Time.
 
Collette: Do you ever incorporate yourself into your characters?
 
Linda: Ann's character includes the best parts of me.

Collette: That’s pretty cool, Linda.

Moving on to Dreams Unleashed. Here’s the blurb for the story:
 
Book 1, The Prophecies, A Dystopian Thriller Series

It’s the near future, and society is government controlled. Technology tracks everyone, and personal privacy does not exist. The hope for freedom lies in the operations of an underground organization, GOG, which fights against worldwide oppression. Their most powerful weapon is Ann Torgeson, a paranormally-gifted operative. When her powers release the seal of The Prophecies, she becomes a weapon against the government, which relentlessly pursues her. 

Question everything is the theme of Dreams Unleashed.

Collette: Your series is a mixture of adventure and intrigue, yet Ann still manages to remain a ‘woman’. She’s a female Jason Bourne but also a mother who loves her daughter and a wife who loves her husband. Can you tell us how you managed to balance her tough and soft sides?

Linda: I think women are amazing--smart, intuitive, joyful, spiritual, thoughtful, aware, loyal, sensual, funny, etc. In movies, however, women are rarely multidimensional, especially with their sensuality. I wanted to create a powerful, feminine woman who did not wear high heels, stockings, or a little black dress, but who was not a tomboy. I wanted her to be a thinking woman who considered the state of the world, and for her to be a warrior who was willing to risk her own life to fight for what she knows to be right. With all this intensity, I softened her character by making her laugh at her boyfriend's jokes, and to be enticed by compliments from her boss.

Collette: Yes, she is a multi-dimensional character, for sure. One of my favorite things about Ann is that she’s a tough and capable character with a strong sense of what is right. Can you tell us a little about Ann’s message?

Linda: Ann's message is to open your eyes and look around. Take something mentioned in one of the books, and Google it to find out what's happening in your own country. You're likely to be surprised. In The Prophecies, I'm not trying to scare you, but it's likely that I will do just that if you consider that most of the technologies in the book are real--right now.

Collette: What's the biggest surprise readers can expect from reading this series?

Linda: Adventure. Ann travels all over the globe, and I've described these adventures visually, so the reader can see it in their mind's eye. It's an armchair traveler's delight. 
 
Collette: Without giving away too much of your story, can you tell us what’s in the works for Ann in later installments of The Prophecies Series?
 
Linda: I can't answer this one very well [without giving too much away], but I'll give you a little teaser. The final book in The Prophecies series (yet untitled) will answer all of the open questions from Dreams Unleashed and
Guardian of Time (books 1 and 2).The ending is quite spectacular; I suspect readers will be thrilled.
 
Collette: Do you have plans to continue writing following Ann’s final chapter? If so, what will your future projects entail?
 
Linda: I have a stand-alone novel I'm writing. My dad's father (my grandfather) died a hero in a notorious battle in Germany right before the end of WWII. The first scene in the novel is the final battle scene, and as he's dying, his life flashes before his eyes. Since it's historical fiction, I'm working hard to present a visual story (like all my writing).It's called 'An American Orphan.' It's a surprise for my dad. I expect to be finished in March 2012.
 
Collette: Ok, so make sure you don’t tell him we’ve posted this interview. Where can we find you
online?
 
Book Trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctR4NDgwSSc&feature=youtu.be
Author Website: http://www.lindahawley.com/
Facebook Fan Page:http://www.facebook.com/ThePropheciesSeries
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Unleashed-2nd-Prophecies-ebook/dp/B005YIQYIU/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1319555407&sr=1-2
Amazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005YIQYIU
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/98527
B&N:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dreams2-unleashed-linda-hawley/1106955115?ean=2940013306615&itm=2&usri=linda%252bhawley
CreateSpace:https://www.createspace.com/3696178
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12973680-dreams-unleashed-2nd-ed
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/books/23896326/Dreams-Unleashed-(The-Prophecies)
LibraryThing:http://www.librarything.com/work/book/79452349
 
Collette: What formats are your books available in?
 
Linda: All eBook formats and of course Print. 

Collette: Thank you so much, Linda! I wish you all the best with your writing projects!