Around The Fire with guest Terry Newman.

Hi, everyone and welcome to my fire. I know. I know. It's hot. Very hot. Summer does that especially in New Jersey. I often write about the 3H's. Hazy, hot, and humid. I'm from a time where air-conditioning was not the norm. I remember laying in bed by the window hoping for a breeze to come in. Now I'm blessed with AC and ceiling fans. Here's a video of a do it yourself unit youtu.be/Gt_AgZ0zrrg
Quick bit before we get to today's guest, head over to www.facebook.com/events/362139512766952/. My publisher, The Wild Rose Press is hosting a release party for me and you are invited. Now, today's guest is a hoot and a half. We've become virtual friend and I think you're going to love her.

Hello, my fellow coffee guzzler. While I grab a couple of cups why don't you start and tell my other guests ho are you other than your bio?
My bio doesn’t tell you I’m resilient and I never, ever think of giving up. Even when those lemons life throws at you seem insurmountable. I’m a 11-year ovarian cancer survivor. I was diagnosed at age 55 ½. My mom died of the same disease at age 56. So very fortunate to be alive.
But wait…there’s more!
In 2019 I was in a three-week coma and not expected to live. As my daughter says, I “defied all the odds.” While I was in a nursing home recovering, I edited and queried the novel Heartquake. I’m doubly fortunate to be alive.

Yowzah! I had no idea. We are so happy that you have that resilient gene. It also gives hope to others that struggle. Terry, what other interests do you have besides writing?
It’s probably obvious I love to read, but I also try to crochet. I’m not very good, but I’ve crafted a bed spread and several small afghans. My next project is a pocket shawl. 
It’s a way for me to meditate. And before you laugh, check out all the research that links crocheting and knitting with meditative-state brain waves. 

You don't have to convince me. I crochet too. Not as much as I used to. My favorite is a long, narrow blanket I can cover up from neck to toes or wrap as a shawl. People, people who need people...Who is your network or support system? Oh, and you're welcome for the earworm.
My daughter is my biggest fan, without a doubt. She never laughs at my dreams, no matter how outrageous they sound (and trust me some are out there). She even encourages them.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my fellow authors at The Wild Rose Press who have cheered me on. They support me in untold ways.

Hello, daughter of Terry! The TWRP 'garden' is amazing. So, you're a reader. Who or what books or authors are your inspiration?
Every book I read inspires me in some way. But each time I read a talented, witty author, I want my words to emulate theirs. Specifically, let’s talk Jessica Bird. She’s a talented romance author (and writes the Black Dagger Brotherhood as J.R. Ward). My love of her style influenced Heartquake.
And let’s talk Janet Evanovich. I love the first several books of her Stephanie Plum series and you’ll have the chance to see her influence in my upcoming romantic comedy, Rewrites of the Heart, which is currently in edits.

Do you have any fun or outrageous talent?
Trivia! Trivia! Trivia! I love trivia—to the point of annoying everyone around me. The combination of watching Jeopardy for nearly my entire life (when I was in elementary and high school, I would make sure I was in front of the TV in the summer for Art Fleming.) and my last decade and as half of non-fiction freelance writer makes me darn good at it (if I do say so myself!). 
It also makes me the most annoying person in the room.

Hubby and I are Jeopardy fans too. If they ever have a couples tournament we'd be in the running. Our categories are different so unless they toss in Shakespeare, we get quite a few. What is your neighborhood like? Are there any places you frequent? What makes them special?
I love breakfasts and I love to write in coffee shops. So, you can guess what I do when I go out. And I’ve recently discovered this family-owned restaurant that serves the best home fries I’ve ever tasted (and that’s saying something.). it’s Adele’s in Salem, Ohio. Tucked away, surprisingly, in the industrial section of town, off the beaten path. 
But when breakfast is over, I then go to my new favorite coffee shop, Lib’s Market in the Historic District of Salem. A small, narrow space, they roast their own coffee (did I say I search for a good cup of coffee?) With the best décor. There’s even a large, very old safe in one corner, with all its original decorations. It’s the best place to sit and write.
If you’re ever in Salem, Ohio, you have to check out both of those establishments.

Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry or keepsake?
Nearly 25 years ago, my husband bought me a specially designed family ring. I resisted and thought it was an extravagance. He insisted. The result, some 15 years after he’s passed, is a ring I cherish. Three stones. The middle stone is a pearl, my birthday. On either side I have a garnet, his birthday, and a sapphire, our daughter’s birthday. When my daughter got married last year, I felt like a part of her dad was there. 
Moral of the story: If someone wants to spoil you with something seemingly extravagant, let them.

That is so touching! I'm sorry for your loss, he must have been amazing. I've discovered to graciously accept gifts and compliments. It does bless the person on the giving end. Probably even more. What is your favorite mug or teacup?
Surprise! My favorite mug is neither writing nor reading related. It’s a mug my daughter gave me when she went to Roswell, New Mexico, one of the stops on her honeymoon. It’s an oversized cobalt blue ceramic mug with the face of an alien. And has the city stamped below it. Yes, I love all things aliens.

What's your favorite childhood book? Did it inspire you to become an author?
I couldn’t have been older than 8 or 9 and my mom bought me the first book in The Happy Hollisters series. These are the adventures of a family with five kids who travel the world and solve mysteries. After the first book I was hooked. I begged my mom to get me all 33 of them. They came once a month through the mail. I couldn’t wait to read them. And they had line illustrations of certain scenes.
From that moment on I knew I wanted to write and illustrate my own books. When I discovered I had zero natural ability in art, I set my sights a bit lower. Okay, I’ll just be an author.

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?
Laugh if you want, but it would be I am Woman, by Helen Reddy. It was a childhood favorite during the 70s. But more than that, it was my anthem in the nursing home as I was getting my legs strong enough to walk again.
Every evening one aide would follow me and the walker with a wheelchair. I walked from a specified place in the hall to my room. Each day the length grew. I started playing I am Woman on my cell phone for inspiration. Okay, and I sang. Loudly. Yeah, you can imagine that echoing throughout the hall.
So, every evening, I was able to sing a bit more of it until finally, I sang the whole song. Success. Still had a long way to go, but Helen Reddy was an integral part of my recovery.

What a great song! If you could time travel, where would you go and why?
I have to preface this answer by saying I’m obsessed with American politics. Have been all my life. Even went to graduate school to study American history, specifically presidential political history.
I would set my time machine back to the years of the 1790s, the beginnings of the Constitution and the country as we know it. When George Washington was president and Aaron Burr was roaming the streets. In college, I read Gore Vidal’s book, Burr, which gave a less than flattering account of Washington. I’d love not only to see what the first president was like, but Burr and all the founding fathers. (Especially Ben Franklin. Are those accounts of his promiscuity really true?)
But if my time machine had a layover in the 1950s, I wouldn’t complain. I’m fascinated by the McCarthy Era. Such good drama. Still thinking about writing a book about that time period.

Do you play board games? What games do you like?
I have an un-board game I love: Bananagrams. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re missing out. It’s like Scrabble, but without the board. The game consists of 144 lettered tiles (that come in a yellow zippered pouch in the shape of a banana). Each player gets 21 tiles and from there they build their own scrabble board, making words off the letters of other words.
The goal is to use all the tiles in the common pile. When the player uses all of his tiles, he can pull one (by yelling “peel”) and each of the other players must pull three. When all the tiles have been used, the person who has the least amount of stray tiles wins. It’s fast-paced, fun, and competitive. The game was invented, supposedly, by a person who grew tired of the slow pace of Scrabble.

I'll have to check that one out. One of my friends, Paula, plays it. What’s the most amazing natural occurrence you’ve witnessed?
The sunrise out my bedroom window. I have a small efficiency apartment, but I’m lucky enough that I get the morning sun. The sunrise is spectacular. I have a series of photos of them. 
I love the sunrise because it’s a promise of a new day, ripe with possibilities. 

Terry, thanks so much for visiting me today. I loved getting to know you better. Before you depart for the coffee shop, will you leave us a bit about Heartquake and where to get more information on it and you? Oh, and to our other guests, keep scrolling. Terry shares a sunrise shot at the end.

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Heartquake 
Coffee makes everything possible.
by
Terry Newman

Coffee shop owner, Charlee Lightheart, views corporations with contempt. She believes her father died at the hands of the pharmaceutical industry. When she’s approached to run for city council on an anti-fracking platform, she’s reluctant. She’s not sure this movement is her cause.
Billionaire Riley Brockton has given up on love. Then he walks into Charlee’s shop. All he wanted was coffee and muffins. From that first electrifying touch, he knows he needs more. He withholds one piece of vital information: he’s a lionshifter.
A rogue reporter sets out to reveal the one secret that can destroy the anti-fracking movement and the couple’s relationship. Can their love survive the truth and public exposure?

It is absolutely fantastic! Well written, well developed, well described, witty, emotionally
deep, engaging, and relatable with drama and ups and downs. The characters are
strong and believable. This book is guaranteed to leave you wanting more. Definitely
recommended!
NetGalley Reviewer

Grab a copy today
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Heartquake-Terry-Newman-ebook/dp/B09PJZ5FK1
B&N
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heartquake-terry-newman/1140834497
Kobo
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heartquake-4 
Google Playbooks
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Terry_Newman_Heartquake

More about the author 
Terry Newman has always loved words. As the editor-in-chief of a national natural health publishing company, she has written books on a variety of topics, as well as writing direct-mail advertising.
She’s also worked as a reporter, a communications specialist and a freelance writer. She’d had clients worldwide, and researched and wrote hundreds of eBooks and print books as well as ghostwrote novellas and short stories.
One day she woke and decided to make her dream of writing her own novel come true. She sets all her stories in fictional towns in northeast Ohio and writes about things she loves—like coffee. Terry has taught workshops on writing and character development.
She has a daughter, a son-in-law, and a grandpuppy, and lives in North Lima, a real town in northeast Ohio.

Social Media Links
Website
https://terrynewmanauthor.com/
Facebook: Terry Newman
https://www.facebook.com/terry.newman.31521 
Twitter: @tnewmanwrites
https://twitter.com/tnewmanwrites 
Instagram: terry.newman.31521
https://www.instagram.com/terry.newman.31521/ 
TikTok: @terrynewman614
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60574351-heartquake
Bookbub: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60574351-heartquake

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The view from Terry's window.