Today's Stop: An excerpt for Stray Ally, a giveaway, and an interview with the author Troy Lambert, who is currently on tour for his new novel, Stray Ally!
Hello Troy, and thanks for stopping by my blog!
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What inspired you to start your novel?
The idea for Stray Ally woke me up in the middle of the night. The first scene came to me almost fully written. I got up, wrote it down, and started to write the next day.
Who or What inspired you to start writing?
I’m not sure I could pinpoint one person. A great influence and one I still credit was my freshman/sophomore high school English teacher, Mrs Ruth Allen. She was one of the first ones to “see” my creativity, and encourage me to pursue it.
Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from Stray Ally?
Out of all the books you've written, what was your favorite to write?
It’s almost always the last one I wrote, and I would say Confession (due out May 1st) was one of the hardest, as it was very personal, but I enjoyed finishing it, and it really was a ton of fun to piece the story together. That being said, probably the next one I write will be my favorite as soon as I am done writing it.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
By the time I was six, I knew I wanted to be a writer, or at least a storyteller. That passion continued into my teens, but I struggled to make it a practice in my adult life until the relatively recent past. Other than that, I wanted to be a pilot, but my poor eyesight made it impossible.
What is your favorite motivational phrase?
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” –Stephen King
What are your three favorite songs to listen to while writing?
I listen to a ton of music when I write, of all genres depending on my mood. But narrow it to three?
Morning/Mellow: Springsteen, “Dream Baby Dream.”
Moderate, but good beat in the background: Blue October, “Sway”
Heavy, fast fight scene stuff: Metallica, “Master of Puppets”
At least, that’s the three today. Ask me tomorrow and you may get a different answer.
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A strange accident on the freeway, accusations of murder, and an encounter in the Idaho wilderness all propel Todd Clarke into a new friendship with a dog named Sparky. But Sparky is no ordinary dog, and there is more going on than Clarke could have imagined.
A military commander he investigated for Aryan activity and links to domestic terrorism is after him, and he’s not sure why until another chance encounter provides the answer.
With Sparky and the help of his canine friends, will he be able to figure out the Colonel’s plan and stop him in time? All Clarke knows for sure is none of it would be possible without the help of his Stray Ally.
Excerpt ~
"I want you to fetch a fugitive for me."
"Okay. Who and for what?"
"Jumped bail on a murder rap."
"Who?" He kept up on the local cases, and figured this one must be from out of state.
"Todd Clarke."
"Marsha Clarke's husband? The cop killer? There's already guys on that, better than me. They figure he ran out of the country.”
"I have information that says he's hiding locally."
"Share it with the FBI then. Local cops. That one's out of my league." Truth be told, he didn't want to enter the fray. There was interest on all sides, and reportedly big money. The kind of money that bounty hunters shot each other over to get to the client, who then might shoot them. It just wasn't his thing.
"An interested party wants you on this one."
"I don't know any of the interested parties."
"This might help." He unzipped the duffel. Inside, Dale saw stacks of twenty-dollar bills.
He shook his head. "I still don't think so."
"Dale, this is just up-front payment. Call it expense money. The interested party would like Mr. Clarke brought quietly to him, not necessarily to the authorities, if you know what I mean."
"I do, and I got out of that a long time ago. I'm strictly legit now."
"A certain Colonel would like you to call on some of your Brotherhood you may still be in contact with. He says they have a personal interest in Clarke, and so do you."
"Look, whoever you are, I'm not interested."
The stranger tossed an envelope on the counter. "Look that over. Keep the money, for now. If after you do your research, you still want out, I'll come back for it then."
"Listen, I already told you I'm not interested."
The stranger turned and walked out the door, the bell ringing with finality. Dale fingered the envelope, and then slid it open.
On top were four 8 x 10 prints, black and white, but clear shots.
The man in them looked so much younger. A life he'd put behind him. A scar on his bicep was all that remained of the swastika tattoo he’d had removed last year.
The shovel in his hands, the white sheet folded up onto the top of his head.
The gallows.
The grave behind him. The Lieutenant's arm around his shoulder.
The camp sign in the next picture. Todd Clarke in the background, watching.
He picked up the phone, then thought better of it. Pay phones had become impossible to find. Time to go buy a pre-paid cell, and make some calls.
This would be the last time, no matter what. Of course, that's what he'd said the last time.
"Okay. Who and for what?"
"Jumped bail on a murder rap."
"Who?" He kept up on the local cases, and figured this one must be from out of state.
"Todd Clarke."
"Marsha Clarke's husband? The cop killer? There's already guys on that, better than me. They figure he ran out of the country.”
"I have information that says he's hiding locally."
"Share it with the FBI then. Local cops. That one's out of my league." Truth be told, he didn't want to enter the fray. There was interest on all sides, and reportedly big money. The kind of money that bounty hunters shot each other over to get to the client, who then might shoot them. It just wasn't his thing.
"An interested party wants you on this one."
"I don't know any of the interested parties."
"This might help." He unzipped the duffel. Inside, Dale saw stacks of twenty-dollar bills.
He shook his head. "I still don't think so."
"Dale, this is just up-front payment. Call it expense money. The interested party would like Mr. Clarke brought quietly to him, not necessarily to the authorities, if you know what I mean."
"I do, and I got out of that a long time ago. I'm strictly legit now."
"A certain Colonel would like you to call on some of your Brotherhood you may still be in contact with. He says they have a personal interest in Clarke, and so do you."
"Look, whoever you are, I'm not interested."
The stranger tossed an envelope on the counter. "Look that over. Keep the money, for now. If after you do your research, you still want out, I'll come back for it then."
"Listen, I already told you I'm not interested."
The stranger turned and walked out the door, the bell ringing with finality. Dale fingered the envelope, and then slid it open.
On top were four 8 x 10 prints, black and white, but clear shots.
The man in them looked so much younger. A life he'd put behind him. A scar on his bicep was all that remained of the swastika tattoo he’d had removed last year.
The shovel in his hands, the white sheet folded up onto the top of his head.
The gallows.
The grave behind him. The Lieutenant's arm around his shoulder.
The camp sign in the next picture. Todd Clarke in the background, watching.
He picked up the phone, then thought better of it. Pay phones had become impossible to find. Time to go buy a pre-paid cell, and make some calls.
This would be the last time, no matter what. Of course, that's what he'd said the last time.
Buy Stray Ally here!
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Troy works as a freelance writer, researcher, and editor. He writes historical site characterization reports for those performing remediation on former resource extraction sites, software instruction and help guides, and edits the research of others as well. His true passion is writing dark, psychological thrillers. His work includes Broken Bones, a collection of his short stories, Redemption the first in the Samuel Elijah Johnson Series, Temptation the sequel to Redemption, along with the horror Satanarium, co-authored with Poppet, a brilliant author from South Africa and published by Wild Wolf Publishing. His next novel, Stray Ally, will be published March 4th by Tirgearr Publishing. The final in the Samuel Elijah Johnson Series, Confession will be published May 1st.
Troy lives with his wife of twelve years, two of his five children and two very talented dogs. He is a skier, cyclist, hiker, fisherman, hunter, and a terrible beginning golfer.
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| Click on the Photo Above ^ for more Information on the Blog Tour! |
Best story of a dog (Stray Ally) that you rescued or that helped you through a hard time sent to author@troylambertwrites.com by March 29th wins a $25 Amazon gift card.
Winner and story shared on my blog Monday, March 31st. Share your story today!
Don't forget to check out the other tour posts!
March 10: Elin Gregory
March 11: Deal sharing aunt
March 12: Between the Lines
March 13: Celia Janderson
March 14: Morphy Books
March 17: Books/Movies Reviews
March 18: Kit And Kabookable
March 19: Lynelle Clark Aspired Writer
March 20: Toots Book Reviews
March 21: Love Romances and more
March 24: Bookablies
March 25: So I read this book Today
March 26: Are Cafe
March 27: Love Bites Silk Ties
Macrh 28: CBY Book Club
