Around The Fire Welcomes C. Becker and Her New Release​, Saving Euphoria.

​Achoo! Excuse me. Yep it's springtime in New Jersey and the pollen is brutal. I've been busy around the house as well as with writing and editing. I'm also getting ready for a few personal appearances. If you want more info on those head over to Insider Looks by tapping above.

I'm excited to welcome today's guest to the fire. I read her first book, Finding Euphoria and reviewed it. Here's an out take-
5-Stars
I highly recommend Finding Euphoria by C. Becker
As a fan of medical thrillers, Finding Euphoria reminds me in many ways of Michael Crichton. Many turns and twists lead the reader into a world of drugs and crimes and navigate us without losing any of the relationships in the book.
 
C., while I stoke the fire please ​tell our visitors who you are other than your bio?
I’m a wife and mother of four, and I love spending time with my family. My kids are all in their twenties. I’m a music director at a local church where I lead the choir and accompany the Sunday services, and I’m also active in my own church singing and playing piano/organ every week. I like to compose songs and some have been sung at different churches in my area. I lead a bi-monthly writer’s group (since 2015), which hosts a talented group of serious writers. Even during COVID we met twice a month using video conferencing.

You sound like a very busy woman. I can't read music or follow at tune to save my life. What interests besides writing do you enjoy? I spend a lot of time on my music. The best gift my parents gave me was piano lessons! LOL! I love to garden. I enjoy baking desserts, and I can’t get enough of stamping cards. It’s like therapy to sit, relax, and create cards for all occasions. My Jack Russell dog and I have a fondness for walking, him more so, but I do like to exercise. Reading is always a pleasure—all genres, as I love absorbing information.

Hali says, "Woof." That means hello to your JRT. And other than your doggo, who is your network or support system?  
I’m fortunate to have a supportive writing network. My family is extremely supportive. Without their patience and support, I don’t know if I could continue. Some evenings, dinner doesn’t get on the table, and we do take-out. I belong to the best writer’s group on the planet. Each member brings their own talents to the critiques and discussions, and we help each other with ideas and writing. They aren’t afraid to tell me if they don’t like something or if a character’s actions seem off. And I have a small beta group of readers who are awesome, too!

Who or what books or authors are your inspiration? The authors at The Wild Rose Press are an inspiration. Their support is unbelievable and truly make me feel a part of the Garden of Roses! We help each other with marketing and so many have blogs to help spread author’s works. My editor ELF is the especially the best and inspires me to want to do better. Love her to pieces!

ELF is my editor too! TWRP authors are an amazing diverse group of writers. Do you have any fun or outrageous talent?
My biggest talent is singing and playing piano, but I’m also decent at home improvement projects and word games.

What is your neighborhood like? 
I  live in a rural area in West Virginia. Rural by most people’s standards though I live in a small city that has plenty of restaurants. Before COVID, my writer’s group used to go to Panera for the meetings. My family and I enjoy eating at all the major chain restaurants. Plus there are plenty of locally owned restaurants in town. The local libraries are supportive and I’ve had book signings there. My town just opened up The Bridge, a gigantic recreational center which I love going to. The town is small enough that I can walk two miles to the schools and small shops downtown, but yet I’m far enough away to have my privacy.
 
I'm familiar with Webster Springs WV. It's a gorgeous state. What books took up you childhood? 
I couldn’t read enough Trixie Belden books and other mysteries when I was young. The younger teen age of Trixie meshed perfectly with mine. My goal was to read the entire series, but the first and last book in the series was always missing from the bookmobile. I lived in the middle of western Pennsylvania farm country and didn’t have a library in my town. Thank goodness my mother walked my siblings and me a half-mile to the local church to sign out books at the bookmobile.

If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I love a lot of songs, but as of today, I’d choose Für Elise Jam by the Piano Guys. Classical, and jazzy.

Worst household chore?
Emptying the dishwasher. I’d prefer to handwash dishes after every meal and let them airdry instead of waiting for a large load of dishes to unload.

Do you play board games? Oh my yes! There were nine kids in my family growing up, and we played a lot of games. Now my kids like them, too. Bananagrams, Big Boggle, Scrabble are my favorites today. Scattergories, Chameleon, Scotland Yard are also fun games. Dictionary Dabble/Balderdash, Chinese Checkers…I could go on forever.

What was your first job?
I boxed letters for a mailing service company specializing in high-volume marketing. Basically, I boxed the junk mail that most people tossed immediately in their trash. I didn’t like the job at all, but it helped pay for college. Worked three days a week 6am-6pm during my summer year before college.

Let's talk about writing. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
For the Euphoria trilogy books, I couldn’t begin to calculate the hours of research I’ve spent. When I began Finding Euphoria, I researched brain disorders and narcotics. For this second book, Saving Euphoria, I’ve researched burns, burn therapies, PTSD, mail-order pharmaceuticals, Colombia, and FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia military group). Although I research material beforehand, I like to see where my story is going and then research as the plot progresses. For example, by having a drug lord live in Colombia, I needed to research the setting, animals, vegetation, foods, clothing, housing materials, colloquial language for curse words, occupations, town structures, and jungles. Then I spent days—days—on watching YouTube videos to see how coca leaves are made into cocaine. 

What was your hardest scene to write?
The first intimate scene in Finding Euphoria, knowing that my father and kids might read the book. (We can stop now because my face is flushed.)

C., thanks for sharing my fire today. Before you head out, will you leave us a peek at your new release and where we can find it and more about you? Oh, and to our other guests, make sure you keep scrolling. There's some pictures below.

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​Saving Euphoria
by
C. Becker


Hailey Langley and her children struggle to cope with the shocking and mysterious death of her husband Mark. Her teenaged son is rebelling, and Hailey is dealing with physical and mental challenges as well.
Tom Parker, Hailey's former partner from the Special Crimes Agency, comes back into her life. He warns her to trust no one even as he tries to rekindle the flame that connects them.
Everyone has secrets, even Parker, and some of those from the past threaten to destroy the present. Hailey fights to move forward after losing Mark, but she needs to figure out if she can trust Parker and risk taking another chance on love.

Get your copy today.
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09SVMXYZT
The Wild Rose Press: https://www.thewildrosepress.com/bookauthor/c-becker
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-euphoria-c-becker/1141022852
iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/saving-euphoria/id1612065577


More about the Author and where to find her.
Becker is the author of Finding Euphoria and Saving Euphoria. She is currently working on the third book to the Euphoria trilogy. As a medical technologist in a former career, Becker has never outgrown the attraction of using science in everyday life.
Becker enjoys hanging out with her family and Jack Russell, playing the piano, reading, and gardening.
 
https://cbeckerauthor.wixsite.com/cbeckerauthor
Twitter https://twitter.com/cbeckerauthor
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CBeckerauthor/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/beckercee/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60471332-saving-euphoria
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/saving-euphoria-by-c-becker
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/C.-Becker/e/B07NRWPWX3
 
Get to know C. Becker better by signing up for an email newsletter https://mailchi.mp/7a51fa024f7a/cbeckerauthor

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