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Wednesday 27 August 2014

Blog Tour Guest Post - Double Blind by Tiffany Pitts



Double Blind
Author: Tiffany Pitts
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Pages: 280
Genre: Action/Adventure/Humor/Sci-fi
Format: Paperback/Kindle

Book Summary:
Delilah Pelham’s brother, Paul, is missing. She should probably be worried about that but honestly, he’s been in trouble since the day he learned the words “trust me." In fact, if it weren’t for his roommate, Carl, she would gladly leave him to his fate.

Carl is a good guy, even if he’s a bit of a dork. Okay, a large slice of a dork. Possibly the entire cake.

But he wants to help, as do his gamer friends, which is how Deli finds herself in the middle of Hong Kong with the King of the Dorks, running from creepy guys with slicked-back hair and shiny black guns.

Back at home, Carl’s friends aren’t faring nearly as well. All they had to do was monitor the situation and feed Deli’s cat while she was gone. How could that possibly end in bloodshed?

There is an answer, of course, but no one ever thinks to ask the cat.

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Author Interview

1. What inspired you to want to become a writer?

I’m a pattern seeker. I notice things. And when things in my environment change (as everything does) I make up weird stories about why. The neighbor’s tree died? Someone probably angered the tree gnomes. The mailman is a different person today? The original mailman must be on a spy mission in Guatemala. I don’t know why I do this, but I’ve done it all my life. Unfortunately, angry Guatemalan tree gnomes aren’t really a suitable topic for cocktail parties unless you want to be known as a crazy person.

The day I realized I could write all this down and just leave it out there for people to read—that was miracle day. Now I have an outlet for all these weird ideas. And if I can making it entertaining enough, maybe people will want to know more about La Gran Rebelion de arbol Gnomos. And then we can all laugh heartily and agree that I’m not crazy, I’m just a writer.

2. Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Last spring my sister invited us over for a dinner party. There was another couple there that my husband and I have known for a long time but we don’t see them very often because they live pretty far away and everyone has kids and making those things happen is difficult. Anyway, over appetizers we got to talking about Double Blind and the husband of this other couple lit up. He started smiling and gushing in this charming happy way. He loved the book! He wanted to read the next one right now! How come there isn’t a next one yet? The honesty behind his words was flattering for sure, but it was also a sincere call to action. No longer was I writing for my own entertainment. Now there were people out there actually listening to me. It was humbling and gratifying moment and more than a little bit scary.

3. If you could have a signed copy of any novel what would it be and why?

Is this a trick question? Doesn’t everyone want a signed first edition of the Hobbit? I’s like the Guttenberg bible but for awesome nerds. I think the better question here is, what would I do with it? Because you can’t go trusting that caliber of historical artifact to just anyone, especially not the hawn-yocks who live in this house. Weird things go missing around here all the time. Four years ago, we lost the door handle to the storage closet. How do you even do that? I definitely couldn’t keep it here.

No, if I had a signed first edition of the Hobbit I think I would write a letter to Stephen Colbert asking him to help me fund raise in order to build a bullet-proof display vault. Then together we could petition Paul Allen to display it in one of his libraries. Colbert is possibly the biggest Tolkien fan in Hollywood so I’m guessing he would be on board with the fund raising. And Paul Allen has like, twelve libraries doesn’t he? It can’t be too hard to find an empty corner somewhere. I think they’d probably do it. I’ve heard they’re both decent fellows.

4. If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

Aha! I know the answer to this one! We have this discussion over dinner at least three times a week in my house. I choose the ability to stop time. Not only would be indispensable to theoretical physics research but I could take a nap whenever I wanted. That sounds like the best super power in the world.

5. Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

Double Blind is one of those books you can’t stop reading until you’ve finished it.

6. Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

I’m in the middle of writing Wizzy Wig, the second book in the Thanatos Rising series. Jake Denny is still hopelessly in love with Pizza Girl. Even though they are officially friends now he still doesn’t know how to talk to her. His chit-chat always seems to end up focused on what he knows best: video games, Kung-Fu movies and theoretical physics.  When Pizza Girl remembers one of his experiments and decides to help him out, the resulting twist in reality puts everyone in danger (or as in the case of some really tall people, goofy 80’s movies). Toesy knows what is going on but he’s busy trying to save a fatalistic marsupial from a crazed accountant.

It should be finished this fall. I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

7. Do you write as you go or do you have the book planned before you start the first draft?

I am definitely a pantser. I know the plot in my head when I start out but then when I write it all down it changes drastically. About halfway through the first draft I know where all the characters should end up but it takes me forever to figure out how get them there. Often I have to go through and rewrite great swathes of plot in order to move forward.

8. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel universe has put out some great movies in the past and we’re a huge super hero family. Chris Pratt, in addition to being a local (which I think is awesome) is one of my favorite actors right now. Plus, my kid will not shut up about this movie.

(He’s not just a raccoon mom. He’s a raccoon with like, 300 bazookas. There’s a DIFFERENCE.)

9. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

We live north of Seattle and have strong ties to the Olympic Peninsula. That’s not really something I want to change because I think this is one of the best places in the world. Plus, I just put in a patio.

However, if I had unlimited resources, I would definitely winter in Wellington, New Zealand. It is a gorgeous city. The people are friendly and inclusive and they have a very positive outlook on life. I’ve never felt as relaxed in a city as I did in Wellington. The whole country is absolutely beautiful. And they put ice cream in their iced coffees. Clearly the Kiwi are superior people.

10. Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

Yes, but only in very specific ways.  For example, let’s say I have a misogynistic jackass as a villain. I can’t write about that guy unless I know him better but we don’t have anything in common. So I give him a trait that I have—a link from his personality to mine. Maybe we both get irrationally angry when someone leaves garbage in the kitchen sink. I’ve experienced anger at having to scoop up someone else’s soggy garbage and I can call that experience back until I am sufficiently riled up again. Then, in the middle of that self-righteous tantrum I sort of slide myself over into the character’s head. It’s like a tiny emotional bridge. And when I’m on the other side of it, I can expand on all the rest of the things that character thinks and feels.

The connection isn’t always anger—I usually save that for the bad guys. Most of the time it’s happiness or joy. Many times it’s confusion. Whatever it may be, I need that common experience to build the rest of their personality. I don’t invest much of myself into the characters but what I do invest is essential to me knowing them better.


Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.


About the Author
Tiffany Pitts grew up in the Seattle area in a time when the Super Sonics were huge and Starbucks was just a store at the end of the Market. Tragedy struck early in her life as her family moved to New Jersey mere months before Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” album hit record stores. It took nearly a decade to wean herself off the hairspray. But Seattle called her back, so she went; eventually earning a degree in Botany (pronounced “Bar tending”) at the University of Washington.

She made one more valiant attempt to leave the PNW after college by travelling around the country doing not much of value and making very stupid decisions. She is thankful every day that the internet was not a huge deal in those years. Then Seattle called again so she picked up and moved home where she spent many years being a scientist of middling talent in several labs that she absolutely did not blow up—except for that one time and everyone agreed not to talk about that any more.

Now she divides her time between writing fiction and raising two kids who are wonderful but, for some reason, will not stop licking things.
Her latest book is the action/adventure/humorous/scifi, Double Blind.

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