Happy Saturday, Campers. I'm so glad you joined me today. I've been a busy girl. Retiremant happened and now hubby and I are traveling the south east after the Florida West Coast Writers conference. I met so many lovely and talented people including a fan-girl moment with CL Wilson. She signed a copy of Lord of the Fading Lands for me. That's not all! I scored to copies of Roni Denholtz Deerbourne Inn novellas AND Shirley Goldbergs latest, Eat Your Heart Out. As of this campfire DH and I are in the Peach State and I have Georgia on my mind. I a few days I'll be heading up the coast to South Carolina. If you are interested in my daily Video log I'm on Tik Tok at @dvstoneauthor. Now onto the Campfire and todays guest Dan Rice. He's new to camp so help me welcome him.

Hello fellow camper. How are you Dan, and what can I get for you? 
Coffee, black. I do most of my writing before anyone else in the household wakes up, so I drink the black brew by the pot!
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An early bird, huh? Not me. I'm a non functioning human until the 2nd cup and then there may be a cohesive though in my head. I hear you are a camper?  
Oh, yes, my family does love the outdoors. When we go camping, we use a tent. We started camping regularly when my first son was still a wee lad. That was put on hold when number two son came along. I've been camping with both my sons individually, but I have yet to be brave enough to take them out together since they tend not to mind their father and have a penchant for a bit of the old ultraviolence.

Tell us about your latest project. I'm excited to hear about it because I adore Dragons.
My latest project is the sequel to my debut Dragons Walk Among Us. Like its predecessor, it’s a YA urban fantasy. The story will follow Allison Lee and her squad on further adventures of self-discovery while protecting the world from supernatural entities. If everything goes to plan, I’ll have the manuscript turned in to my publisher by December this year.

What else are you  working on? 
I have other works that I was banging away on before Dragons Walk Among Us was picked up by The Wild Rose Press. For now, I’ve set those stories aside to concentrate on telling Allison Lee’s complete story. I might return to those other tales at a future date or not. Right now, I’m having too much fun writing about Allison and her squad to enter those other story worlds.

Do you have a tagline or life motto?
Hard work pays off! That’s what my wife and I tell our sons. In my life, Dragons Walk Among Us is the ultimate proof of this motto.

Who are your inspirations for writing? Or would you like to give a shout-out to anyone or their books?
I have tons of different inspirations. If I had to choose just one, its Frank Herbert’s novel Dune. I think I was 11 when I first read this book. I knew from that first reading that I needed to be a writer.

Do you have any advice for other authors?
Find a routine and stick to it whenever possible, but remember to remain flexible. If you have a family with young children, flexibility is a must, or you will drive yourself insane.

Now the fun questions. 
If they made a movie about your life, what would the title be, and who would play you? My significant other is a big fan of Keanu Reeves, so I pick him.
What is your favorite mug or teacup?
My absolutely favorite mug is from Hawaii. It features a pig on a surfboard with the line no coffee no workee.

Favorite childhood book? Or writing that inspired you to become an author.
As a young child, I remember my mother reading the Black Stallion series to me. I absolutely adored those books for a few years. I don't know if we finished the series before I outgrew it, but we came close.

If you could time travel, where would you go and when? Why?
I probably would travel back to the middle ages to a castle somewhere in Europe. I've always been taken by the romanticism of knights and mighty castles.

Would you rather have unlimited international first-class tickets or never have to pay for food at restaurants?
First class tickets please! My family loves to travel, both domestically and internationally. Favorite destinations include Hawaii and Southeast Asia.

What subjects should be taught in school, but aren’t?
I think foreign languages and computer programming should be taught in elementary school. I have nieces and nephews in Southeast Asia who can speak several languages fluently. They began language instruction in elementary school. Having a fundamental understanding of computers and the programs that run on them is becoming more and more important in our society. Teaching children the fundamentals at a young age will set them up for future success.

Dan, thank you for spending time with us at the fire. Could you leave us a bit more about your book and where to find you?

​Dragons Walk Among Us
by 
Dan Rice
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Shutterbug Allison Lee is trying to survive high school while suffering the popular girl's abuse. Her life is often abysmal, but at least her green hair is savage. Her talent for photography is recognized by the school paper and the judges of a photo contest.
While visiting her friend Joe, a homeless vet, Allison's life irrevocably changes after an attack leaves her blind. All her dreams as a photojournalist are dashed as she realizes she'll never see again. Despair sets in until she is offered an experimental procedure to restore her vision. But there are side effects, or are they hallucinations? She now sees dragons accompanying some of the people she meets. Can she trust her eyes, or has the procedure affected her more than she can see?
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0951NLKCK
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragons-walk-among-us-dan-rice/1139530393?ean=2940162168041 
https://books.apple.com/us/book/dragons-walk-among-us/id1567778944 

More about Dan
My name is Dan. I've wanted to write novels since first reading Frank Herbert’s Dune at the age of eleven. As a native of the Pacific Northwest, I often go hiking with my family through mist-shrouded forests and along alpine trails with expansive views.
Dragons Walk Among Us is my debut YA fantasy novel from The Wild Rose Press. It is the first novel in The Allison Lee Chronicles, which is planned to span four books. Check my blog for info on release dates and progress reports.
Follow Dan at

• Website: https://www.danscifi.com/dragons-walk-among-us 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanSciFi 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRiceWrites 
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58108442-dragons-walk-among-us 

Hi everyone! Welcome to my campfire. This is a place to sit back, relax, and maybe find a new to you book and author. Don't be afraid to ask a question or leave a comment. One thing about authors is they love to discuss all things book. And if they've agreed to join me at the campfire they aren't shy about talking about their lives. So pour yourself a favorite beverage and join the Campfire Crew. Real quick update from the road. I'm near St. Mary's Georgia today. We're parked at the lovely KOA here just north of Jacksonville Florida. Today we went to a museum and café. We also stopped at a few local antique and vintage shops. I scored something I've been looking for for months. The DVD of UP! Yep, I'm just a kid at heart. Tomorrow DH and I will be taking Hali to a dog friendly boat for some dolphin watching. I'm infatuated with Glamping and seeing all this country has to offer. Okay, nuff about me. Please help me welcome today's special guest Susie Black.

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Ahoy, Susie! Since we're near the coast it seems an appropriate greeting. While you tell us about any camping or adventures, what can I get you? The camp fridge is like a treasure chest. Anything inside is possible. Are you a camper?
Thank you so much for inviting me to the campfire. I prefer black coffee, please. Kind of in a roundabout way. For over a decade we owned a houseboat that was as close to camping as I have been. She was only 36 feet in length and let’s say she was cozy for one and cramped for two or more.  

Tell us about your favorite vacation or adventure. 
My favorite vacation was a trip to Cancun where I went power boating and snorkeling with my son. 

Fun! We Jet-skied and snorkeled. Tell us about your latest project. 
My debut novel was released on June 9th Death by Sample Size, is a cozy mystery, Heat level: is pretty cool. Much more humorous.

I love a book that can make me laugh.  What was your inspiration?
The inspiration for all my stories is my experiences in the ladies’ apparel industry. 

Can you tell us about the main characters?
Sales exec Holly Schlivnik, Holly’s colleague Queenie Levine, buying office owner Bunny Frank, Gotham Swimwear designer Louis Chennault, Retail swimwear buyer Angela Wellborn. 

Great names. How long did this take you from conception to publication?
Three years.

Is there anything else on the horizon for you?
Yes: I am completing the fourth novel in the Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series and am mapping out an initial outline of a new series. 

So you're not busy at all. {wink wink} Do you have a tagline or life motto?
I do. Ask me a question, be prepared for my answer.
 
Oh, yeah. I find it impossible when someone asks me something not to be straight with them. Who are your inspirations for writing? 
My inspirations are the interesting and quirky people I have encountered during the course of my career. 

Working with the public is certainly interesting. Oh, the stories. would you like to give a shout-out to anyone or their books? 
My dad who was my career mentor

Huzzah for loving and engaged dads everywhere!   In the spirit of mentorship, do you have any tips, tricks, or anything you specialize in that you would share with others? 
Write what you know. If you don’t know it, don’t write it until you do. 

Now the fun questions 

1. If they made a movie about your life, what would the title be, and who would play you? Movie title: Rag Lady. Sandra Bullock would play me.
2. Do you have a special object like a piece of jewelry or keepsake of some sort? Can you tell us what makes it special to you? I wear my grandfather’s ring. My Nana was the eldest of six children, four girls two boys. When one of her four sisters became engaged, her future husband received the same ring as my grandfather did from my Nan, so all my great uncles had the same ring.. 
3. What is your favorite mug? When I got into the swimwear business, my smart alec Nana bought me a mug that says “Things could be worse. We could be trying on Swimsuits.”
4. Years ago, there was a commercial that talked about a “Kodak Moment.” It’s a moment in time you catch in a picture. One you never want to forget. What is yours? The moment the doctor put my newborn son in my arms for the first time. 
5. Favorite childhood book? Nancy Drew 
6. 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? People by Barbra Streisand
7. Did you ever win something? What? Yes. A sandwich at Nelly’s deli

Susie, thanks for joining me at the campfire. Before you head out, could you leave us a bit more about not only Death by Sample Size, but you and where we can find out more?

Death by Sample Size 
by
​Susie Black
Everyone wanted her dead…but who actually killed her?
The last thing swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik expected was to discover ruthless buying office big wig Bunny Frank’s corpse trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey with a bikini stuffed down her throat. When Holly’s colleague is arrested for Bunny’s murder, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to find the real killer.  Nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she matches wits with a wily killer hellbent for revenge. Get ready to laugh out loud as Susie Black’s Death by Sample Size takes you on a rollicking adventure ride through the Los Angeles apparel industry.

Bonus excerpt
When the elevator doors opened, I had to stop myself short not to step on her. There was Bunny Frank-the buying office big shot-lying diagonally across the car. Her legs were splayed out and her back was propped against the corner. Her sightless eyes were wide open and her arms reached out in a come to me baby pose. She was trussed up with shipping tape like a dressed Thanksgiving turkey ready for the oven with a bikini stuffed in her mouth. A Gotham Swimwear hangtag drooped off her lower lip like a toe tag gone lost. Naturally, I burst out laughing. 
Before you label me incredibly weird or stone-cold, let me say genetics aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. If you’re lucky you inherit your Aunt Bertha’s sexy long legs or your father’s ability to add a bazillion dollar order in his head and get the total correct to the last penny. Without even breaking into a sweat, it’s easy to spout at least a million fabulous traits inheritable by the luck of the draw. Did I get those sexy long legs or the ability to add more than two plus two without a calculator? Noooooooooo. Lucky me. I inherited my Nana’s fear of death we overcompensated for with the nervous habit of laughing. A hysterical reaction? Think Bozo the clown eulogizing your favorite aunt.
I craned my neck like a tortoise and checked around. Then I clamped a fist over my mouth. Cripes, how could I possibly explain my guffaws with Bunny lying there? Disappointment was simultaneously mixed with relief when there was no one else in the parking lot. Where was security when you needed them?
I toed the elevator door open and bent over Bunny. I’d seen enough CSI episodes to know not to touch her. She was stiff as a board and I attributed the bluish tinge of her skin to the bikini crammed down her throat. I was no doctor, but I didn’t need an MD after my name to make this diagnosis. Bunny Frank was dead as the proverbial doorknob. 
It was no surprise Bunny Frank had finally pushed someone beyond their limits. The only surprise was it had taken so long. The question wasn’t who wanted Bunny Frank dead. The question was who didn’t?
Available for purchase aat
Amazon
itunes
barnesandnoble

Target

And follow Susie Black on social media 
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More about Susie Black

Susie Black biography
Born in the Big Apple, Susie Black calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries. 
She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect. 
Looking for more? Reach her at mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

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