Good day, book people. I should no longer be amazed by the notion that artistic people, including authors, create their works using every and anything as their inspirations (but I am!). Characters may have attributes taken from coworkers, friends, and family. Action may take place in memorable sites visited in the past. And the driving force behind some action may be culled from favorite memories. Authors will take all of these and create a wonderful story for our reading pleasure and, I am incredibly grateful that they are able to do so. I'm pleased to welcome JM Adams, author of Second Term to the blog today. Mr. Adams will be providing us with some insight into one of the characters from Second Term. Thank you, Mr. Adams, for joining us today. The blog is now all yours.
Love in a Nutshell
by JM Adams
My name is John Adams author of Second Term, a thriller featuring a fearsome female protagonist who's torn in several directions by a web of conflicting forces. Cora Walker always finds herself embroiled in a matrix of chaos. The enduring love for her daughter, a moral compass that points due north and an unwavering dedication to her country are the opposing high-stakes forces constantly vying for her attention.
While there is no shortage of action, violence, treachery and political plotting, (it is a thriller) Cora Walker never strays far from her daughter. Her love for Abby is the key component that fuels her no matter what deadly ambush is waiting around the corner. Despite the polarization and the bitter feelings dividing this country, love begins and must be nurtured at home with the family.
I have two daughters who mean the world to me and although there are no bloodthirsty terrorists waiting around the corner (at least I hope not) modern life is very busy and chaotic for parents and children alike. No matter how hectic our lives get, there is always an effort to keep the family engaged with one another. One of the ways we accomplish this is by trying to see the world through the eyes of our children and remembering what is was like to be a kid.
For some reason, when I was a child, I was obsessed with chestnuts. Those little brown nuts that appear on sidewalks in the Northeastern United States in late August and stay with us until the snows come. They're not like acorns, they are larger than a quarter and the trees that produce them are few and far between. Chestnuts have a perfectly smooth surface that is pleasing to the touch. I lost touch (pun intended) with that chestnut fascination sometime in the 1970's until my youngest daughter rediscovered them for me.
As a toddler, she always had always had a fascination with the treasures that trees delivered to the sidewalk. A wonderful memory I have was shortly after she learned how to walk. I watched her with a tiny blue bucket collecting acorns off of the sidewalk.
"Watcha doing Sweetie?" I asked.
At that point, all of her C's were pronounced not with the "C" sound but with a "T" sound.
"Pitt-In up A-Torns," she said keeping up her torrid pace.
"Why are you doing that?" I asked.
"I don't know," she answered scurrying to the next a-torn.
So it was no great surprise on one of our fall walks when she discovered the wonder of chestnuts. Chestnuts are covered with an armor-like spikey shell. She carefully picked it up and showed it to me. I asked her if she wanted to see what was inside.
She was horrified when I dropped it on the ground and lightly stepped on it, but when it split open and displayed a smooth brown nut, she reached down and snapped it up. She examined it for a long time, caressing the glass-like surface with her thumb and I followed suit. There we were, two knuckleheads paying homage to the Goddess of Chestnuts.
In that moment, I was four-years-old again, seeing the chestnuts through the eyes of a child and remembering that unique sensation of discovery that I had never shared with another human being until that moment.
The "chestnut" moment was a learning experience for me. Seeing things through the eyes of our children helps to explain a myriad of their reactions and emotions. A child's priorities, goals and dreams are so different from the adult world, but trying to decipher what they see and how they might see it helps me in the parental communication process.
I hope this theme comes through as Cora Walker makes the same attempt to understand and empathize with her daughter while she holds back the forces of evil and unrest in Second Term. ♦
Second Term
by JM Adams
October 23 - November 17, 2023 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
A lame duck president's desperate power grab threatens democracy in the United States—can former intelligence operative and single mother Cora Walker prevent catastrophe?
September 2012. Cora Walker, a DIA defense operative, learns of a terrorist plot in Benghazi and rushes to a secret installation to stop it. When her superiors ignore her dire warnings, she's forced to mount an unsanctioned attempt to thwart the attack. Her team barely repels the large force of invaders determined to kill Americans.
Sixteen years after her heroic actions in Benghazi, Cora is the press secretary for the Speaker of the House. As a single mom, she's struggling to balance her demanding job and her home life. Soon, things get more complicated at work as the lame duck president suspends habeas corpus and begins arresting members of Congress in a desperate attempt to retain power.
Cora springs into action to save the Speaker and prevent catastrophe. She'll have to work strategically to keep everyone safe—alliances turn sour, and her trust in others begins to falter. It's an uphill battle for Cora until an explosive finale exposes what can really happen to democracy when political extremism reaches new heights.
Book Details:
Genre: Action, Suspense, Thriller
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: October 2023
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781608095919 (Hardcover)
ISBN10: 1608095916
ASIN: B0BNWBRJ6T (Kindle edition)
ASIN: B0CKWKG1HW (Audible audiobook)
Book Links #CommissionEarned: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Audible Audiobook | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Oceanview Publishing
Praise for Second Term:
"Second Term is second to none when it comes to high stakes action and nonstop thrills. J. M. Adams has fashioned a ticking time bomb of a political thriller that evokes the best of classics from Seven Days in May to Six Days of the Condor."
~ Jon Land, USA Today best-selling author
"A battle of wits that heats up the pages, this one will hold you tight until all is revealed."
~ Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author
"In his debut novel, Second Term, J. M. Adams keeps the pages of his political thriller turning at a blistering pace, led by a character you're going to root for aloud. If only she were real!"
~ Jerome Preisler, New York Times best-selling author
"I sat down with Second Term and didn't stop reading until I finished it. Breakneck pace and an all-too-plausible scenario, with a vivid and memorable protagonist. I hope we see more of Cora Walker."
~ Joseph Finder, New York Times best-selling author
"Adams effectively harnesses the headlines to create suspense."
~ Publishers Weekly
Author Bio:
J.M. ADAMS has more than 15 years of on-air television journalism experience, reporting for CBS and NBC news affiliates across the United States.
Highlights from his career include sea patrols with the Navy after the 9/11 attacks and reporting on location from Kuwait, Iraq, and a number of hurricane disaster zones across the country. Adams was briefly detained in East Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall. Second Term is his debut novel.
Adams lives in Northern New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and a pair of Cavashons who appear to have taken over the house.
Tour Participants:
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!
https://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=311772
Join In for a Chance to Win:
This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for JM Adams. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
https://kingsumo.com/js/embed.js
No comments:
Post a Comment