Double Dip Day:"The Charge" by Sharon Bayliss AND The Top 10 Movie Countdown!

Sharon Bayliss Blog Tour/Top 10 Movie Countdown Blogfest

I usually only do one post at a time, but in true Alex J. Cavanaugh, host of the blogfest, style, I have Sharon AND the blogfest. Of course Sharon gets to go first.

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I'm excited to have author Sharon Bayliss here today for a stop on her blog tour. Her new novel “The Charge” is now available on Amazon, and sounds like a terrific book. I interviewed Sharon, and realizing how much we had in common, of course couldn't stay out of the conversation...

1. So far, is being a published author how you expected it to be? Any surprises?

Sharon: I think every author has some dreams of fame and fortune, but on the whole my expectations for my debut novel were somewhere within the realistic range. The biggest surprise is all the hard work and time it takes. Between marketing this novel and trying to write the next one, it's a full time job. But I don't make enough money yet to quit my day job, so I'm stuck with two jobs! It's no longer a hobby I can dabble in when I am able.

Tina: I'm still dabbling...my first novel is dying to get out. It's 17% done if you count NaNo wise, as in 50,000 words, but I have a feeling it will take me longer to pull all the loose threads together.

2. If you had to dress up as your favorite literary character, who would it be? 

Sharon: I'm not a big dress-up type, so I've never dressed up as a literary character. However, I secretly would love to wear wizards robes a la Harry Potter and wield a wand. Don't tell the Gryffindors, but in my dress-up fantasy I would wear Slytherin robes and shout "avada kedavra" and other dark curses.

Tina: Say it isn't so! I'm a Gryffindor all the way! I'd dress up in the invisibility cloak and eavesdrop on staff meetings. As a former teacher, I'd love to be able to hear how this bunch took care of business.

3. Name one habit you want to change in yourself. 

Sharon: I'm very messy. I can't seem to keep my house and car clean, even when I really try. Having two small boys in the house and almost no free time makes it that much harder, but I've never been good at housework. So, I wish I was cleaner. Or made enough money to hire a maid. Although, I'm far from wealthy, I actually think the latter is actually more likely. ;)

Tina: I'm a mess, too. Four pack-rats and one un-packratter makes for an interesting house. The Swede put it kindly, “It always looks like you're about to move in, or maybe out...” BUT, I do have a solution for you. Teenage girls. I have some physical disabilities, and have had teenagers clean my house for the last 8 years. They're cheap, trainable, eager to please, and fun to hang around with. 

4. Tell us something interesting or shocking about yourself.

Sharon: Interesting - My husband is a descendant of Joseph Bayliss, who died at the Alamo.

Shocking - I once stabbed a knife all the way through my hand in a freak avocado slicing accident.

Tina: I'll actually stay out of this one...stories galore here at Life is Good about me and my accident prone nature...

5. What can we expect next from you? Will there be a sequel to The Charge?

I have a completed novel just waiting for me to have the time to edit and submit it to my publisher. So, if my publisher offers me a contract on that, my next book will be an adult drama about a Houston family who are part-Baptist, part-dark wizard.

I'm also not done screwing with Warren's life. :) After I get my wizard novel submitted, I'll start working on a new book in The Charge series.

Check out the reviews of “The Charge” on Amazon. This story of an alternate relationship between Texas and the US has elements of the supernatural, suspense, romance, and non-stop action. Two of the reviewers “couldn't put it down.” I bought one of course, and can't wait to read it. I love those elements, and historical fiction. This seems like a perfect mix!

So leave Sharon some love, and go buy her book!

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Alex J. Cavanaugh, the newly christened Blogfather, is hosting the movie bloghop.   Not one to always follow directions, I divided my top 10 into categories and put them in order IN THEIR CATEGORY. Make sense?

Relationships

1. Lost in Translation (a must see for any Bill Murray fan, he should have gotten an Oscar)

2. Love Actually (best ensemble movie AND most quotable movie EVER)

3. A Love Song for Bobby Long (poignant and sweet, yet real and gritty and the score should have won, not that it was nominated)

Comedy

1. The Princess Bride (2^nd most quotable movie, ever, Rob Reiner is a genius)

2. The American President (I guess I'm a Rob Reiner fan...)

3. When Harry Met Sally (that would be Rob again, I'm seeing a pattern)

Sci-Fi

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (never, ever, EVER, will I tire of this one...)

2. Terminator (see note on previous entry)

Action

1. Die Hard (started the franchise, still the best, though some of the others are still worth watching multiple times...like Live Free or Die Hard)

2. The Transporter (I don't think I need to say more than Jason Stratham)

Wow, picking only ten was hard. I grouped them by order in genre, not overall order. I'm just as likely to put one in as the other, but as for THE number one movie, it's in the #1 slot.  Lost in Translation.

Brevity card nowhere in sight.  OOPS.

~Tina