Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Marionette by T. B. Markinson Review and Author interview

MarionetteMarionette by T.B. Markinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paige Alexander had it all planned out, step by step, except for one important detail: how long it would take to actually die. Now she has to face the scars left behind both on the inside and the out. She made a promise to her girlfriend, Jess, however, and is determined to keep it. Can she find a way to deal with her dark past while simultaneously having to face her future in a college with new friends she never thought she could have? You will just have to read this book to find out.
Have you ever read a book where you hated one page and loved the next, yet you just couldn't stop reading? Well, this was that kind of book for me. I was unsure whether I liked it or disliked it from the very first page. Whenever I start a book I must read the whole book no matter how good or bad it is. I am very glad I finished this book. It was well written and heartfelt. The characters are believable and it flows well. I am not even sure what about it rubbed me the wrong way. I think it is because it started with an attempted suicide, and this set the tone for the whole piece. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance, self-expression, or books about someone taking charge of their life and giving it a run for its money.


About the Author:




T. B. Markinson is a 39-year old American writer, living in England, who pledged she would publish before she was 35. Better late than never. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling around the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order. Marionette is her second novel. A Woman Lost was her debut novel.

Thank you T. B. Markinson for joining us today.

1) What genre do you like to write?

Both of the novels I have published are lesbian fiction. However, one is a lesbian romance and the other is young adult. I’m not sure I’m tied to a certain genre, since I like to tell stories, no matter where they fall on the genre spectrum.


2) How long have you been writing? What prompted you to start writing?

Ever since grade school I wanted to pursue writing. Over the years I would jot down stories and I started at least one novel but never finished it. Life always interfered. I was working full-time and whenever I tried to take my writing to the next level, something would happen and I found myself consumed with everyday life. Then over two years ago my partner’s company asked us to move from Boston to London. Suddenly I was unemployed. The transfer was supposed to last two years and my partner and I decided that I would use the time to give writing a go. So I pulled an unfinished manuscript out of the drawer and got to work. Now the book is published and I’ve completed the second one, Marionette.


3) What inspires you to write?

Stories. All these stories bubble inside me and I can’t rest until I get them down on paper.


4) When a story idea pops into your head, how long does it typically take to write it (from start to finish)? 

With my first novel it took years since I was working full-time and didn’t have the dedication to writing that I have now. With my second novel, it took a year to write the story and have it published. The third novel only took four months for the first draft. In January, I’m sending it to my editor. I’m hoping from now on to publish at least one novel per year. Only time will tell if I’m successful.


5) What did you find to be the most difficult part of the writing process?  Easiest?  

Editing is not my favorite part of writing. I love working with my editor to polish the story. However, tracking down all the typos and other errors can become tedious. It’s a necessary part of the process, but it’s my least favorite part.

As for easiest, that depends on the day. Sometimes the story just flies out of my head and other days it’s like pulling teeth. However, I have found that it’s best that I write each and every day to keep the story fresh in my mind. And when I’m stuck, this helps me since my brain loves to percolate and fix problems.


6) Of all your characters whom do you most relate to?

I relate more to my secondary characters who are on the outside looking in. I’ve never been one who likes to be in the spotlight. Instead I prefer observing others.


7) Is there one of your characters that you did not like when you started writing about them, but found yourself liking by the end of the story?

Kat Finn is a character in a novel I’m currently working on. At first, I didn’t like her. As I got to know her, she won me over completely. In fact, she insisted that she play a much bigger role in my latest novel and thank goodness since it makes it a stronger story. It’s important to listen to your characters. They know what they are doing.


8) What is your least favorite part about writing? The Most?

It’s never easy killing your darlings. Sometimes it can be downright painful to cut a scene that you love, but you know deep down that it’s not necessary. My favorite part of writing is getting inside the heads of my characters. I love to know everything about them, especially what makes them tick.


9) When you are not writing or editing what do you do for relaxation?

I love to travel, when I can afford it. I now live in London, I’m from the US, so even when I can’t travel, I enjoy exploring London since it’s still pretty new to me. I’m a sports nut—tennis and football (soccer) are my favorite, but I’ll watch just about any sport. I still haven’t figured out cricket, but I hope to at some point. I love discovering new pubs in London, sampling new ales and reading a good book. I have an adorable dog who takes me on his own adventures in London.


10) What genre of books do you like to read? 

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of English authors since I now live in England. For years I had wanted to live in the UK and now that I do, I really enjoy reading Austen or Dickens, to name a couple, in the country they wrote about. However, I love to read any genre as long as the story is good.


11) What author(s) do you enjoy reading?  Why? 

My favorite author is John Steinbeck. I recently reread The Grapes of Wrath for the fourth or fifth time. He has the incredible ability of pulling me into the pages of his novel. His characters are real to me. And the way he writes about the land and the cities where his characters live and visit astounds me each and every time. He’s a wonderful storyteller and his writing comes across effortlessly.


12) Tell us about your books where can people find them?

Marionet is a different type of story. Paige is only seventeen and has her whole life in front of her. Days before her high school graduation she slits her wrists. She doesn’t succeed and the novel follows her journey as she battles her desire to kill herself. However, Paige insists she isn’t depressed. She wants control over her life and to escape a terrible childhood and her manipulative parents. It’s also available on Amazon.

My first novel, A Woman Lost, is about a young woman. Lizzie, who is struggling with finding who she is and what she wants out of life. She’s a lesbian and her family isn’t accepting at all and even though she doesn’t want to admit that affects her it does. The novel is about Lizzie discovering herself and finding a way to love herself and those close to her. The ebook is available on Amazon.

Marionet

Synopsis:

Paige Alexander is seventeen and has her whole life in front of her. One day her girlfriend comes home to discover that Paige has slit her wrists. Paige isn’t insane, but she acts like she is. Why?

After the incident, Paige agrees to go to therapy to appease her girlfriend, Jess. However, Paige doesn’t believe that therapy will help her. She believes she’s beyond help. Paige doesn’t want to find herself and she doesn’t want to relive her painful past in order to come to terms with it. What Paige wants is control over her life, which she hasn’t had since her birth.

During her childhood, Paige is blamed for a family tragedy, when in fact, her twin sister, Abbie was responsible. Abbie doesn’t come forward and Paige becomes the pariah of the family.

To add to Paige’s woes while attending a college in a small town in Colorado, the residents are in the midst of debating whether or not gays and lesbians should have equal rights. Tension is high and there’s a threat of violence. She isn’t out of the closet and pretends to be straight at school since she fears what will happen if her parents find out she’s a lesbian. Will she end up dead like her best friend, Alex?

 

Mailing List:

Sign up to TB’s New Release Mailing List here. Your email will never be shared and you will only be contacted when a new book is out.




Links:




If the links don’t copy and paste, here they are. If it’s too much trouble to manually insert them, I completely understand. I want to make this as easy as possible for everyone and I appreciate all of the help. Thanks!









Purchase Links:

Amazon(US)

Amazon(UK)







Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)