Sandra Sookoo's Marking Time

Sometimes the destination is not as important as the journey.

Ava Lesarris has her life figured out. She has a great job, has accepted her latent wolf shifter identity and is looking forward to climbing the corporate ladder. When a faulty GPS unit leads her to a town called Strange Hollow, she’s in a quandary, even more so when she’s suddenly transported back to the year 1900.

Sam Tremaine is the last of his kind. He’s a phoenix, living in Strange Hollow during what should have been its greatest time--the founding year, but he can’t enjoy it. He’s dying, which leaves him with one regret. He’s never found a woman whose spirit is as strong as his own. He wants be remembered but time is running out, not to mention he hasn’t been able to get “it” up for months.

Worlds collide as the past and present come together in Strange Hollow. Ava will need to figure out her purpose while Sam struggles to come to terms with his fate. If they’re lucky, the special town will offer the answers they’re both seeking before the next phase of life begins.

Sandra is a writer of romantic fiction.  Her portfolio includes historical, contemporary, sci-fi and paranormal romances in full-length books as well as shorts and novellas.  No matter if the heat level is scorching or sweet, she loves to blend genres and often times will add humor as well.   

When not immersed in creating new worlds and interesting characters, Sandra likes to read, bake and travel.  Her favorite place to spend vacation hours is Walt Disney World.  It’s where dreams come true and the soul can play.  When she’s not writing, she’s keeping things interesting at the Believing is Seeing blog or spending time with her husband.

You can write to Sandra at sandrasookoo@yahoo.com, visit her website or look her up on Facebook and Twitter.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

1.  When did you start writing?

 I started writing when I was 10, but didn’t start “getting serious” about my writing until 2007 when I got laid off from my day job.

2.  Do you write from inspiration or do you have a muse?  If you have a muse, do you have a funny story about it or them?

 I think I write from inspiration, which is all around me.  Conversations overheard, movies, things I see at the store, etc all play a role in forming threads for stories.

3.  Are your characters based on anyone in particular?  If so, can you tell a story?

 Some of my characters have taken on aspects from people I’ve known in the past.  It’s really a combination of personality quirks and traits.  I’d love to base a character on a really meddling, pot stirring receptionist I used to work with but I was so traumatized by her I’ve never put her on a written page LOL

4.  How long did it take you to get published?

 I worked at it for a year and a half before I finally received my first contract in November 2008. It’s a tough business. You have to be patient.

5.  Was getting published a frustrating experience for you?

 At times, when I kept waiting to get “the call or rather the email”. I didn’t know if it would ever happen.  I kept entering contests to so/so feedback, or the “we like your voice but…”  Then when I began to receive perfect scores and finals, I knew it was time to start sending work out to pubs.  Of course, rejections followed but I never gave up.

6.  How long did it take you to write your book?

 With MARKING TIME, it took about a month and a half to actually write the book. I’d spend a few weeks ahead of writing to conceptualize and put my characters together.

7.  How many words is your book?

 I believe MARKING TIME is around 30K.  It’s a good novella length piece.

8.  Any advice for upcoming authors.

 Keep plugging away and when the opportunity to learn something new about the craft comes your way, don’t ignore it. You’ll be glad you took the time with it.

9.  What is your next book about?

 The next book I’ll work on is a fast paced, action-packed sci-fi romance.

10.  Can you tell us a little about your book?

Sure! Here’s a blurb and excerpt:

Blurb:  Sometimes the destination is not as important as the journey.

Ava Lesarris has her life figured out. She has a great job, has accepted her latent wolf shifter identity and is looking forward to climbing the corporate ladder. When a faulty GPS unit leads her to a town called Strange Hollow, she’s in a quandary, even more so when she’s suddenly transported back to the year 1900.

Sam Tremaine is the last of his kind.  He’s a phoenix, living in Strange Hollow during what should have been its greatest time—the founding year, but he can’t enjoy it.  He’s dying which leaves him with one regret.  He’s never found a woman whose spirit is as strong as his own.  He wants be remembered but time is running out, not to mention he hasn’t been able to get “it” up for months.

Worlds collide as the past and present come together in Strange Hollow.  Ava will need to figure out her purpose while Sam struggles to come to terms with his fate.  If they’re lucky, the special town will offer the answers they’re both seeking before the next phase of life begins.

Book video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNfVHKyxHK4

Excerpt:

She hit the ground with a hard thump that jarred every bone in her body. “Good grief! Talk about a stiff wind.” Struggling to her feet, Ava knocked the dust off the seat of her pants. “Is this normal weather for this area?”

 “Welcome to Strange Hollow, Miss Lesarris.” The greeting held lyrical notes that reminded her of birdsong--Jacinda’s voice.

“Um, you already said that.” Ava narrowed her eyes as the last of the whirlwind faded and she could actually see her surroundings.

Town Hall stood before her as well as the same cozy shops, except they held a veneer of newness about them, as if they’d only been erected not long ago. In fact, Ava swore she could smell the sweet fragrance of newly-cut lumber in the air.

Spinning around in a slow circle, Ava gawked at some of the other differences. The streets lining the square weren’t made of asphalt. Instead, cobblestones formed the ground cover. A horse pulled a smart, black carriage along one street and the ring of its shoes against the brickwork echoed in the afternoon air. In the distance, the long, mournful whistle of a train put her in mind of simpler times.

When she turned back to stare at the strange woman she’d just met, her stomach clenched into knots. I have a bad feeling about this. Even more surprising, her wolf remained silent. “Where are we?”

Jacinda tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. “Strange Hollow, of course, but it is more a question of when we are that you might like to consider.”

“What are you talking about?” A low-grade headache formed between her eyebrows. “Where’s my car?” As her heart tried to pound its way out of her rib cage, she glanced at the street. No sign of her rental. Which meant her pharmaceutical case, her cell phone and her purse were also gone. “Lady, I need answers, right now.”

Time to get to the bottom of this hallucination.

“I am sure you do, but I cannot give them to you.” Another enigmatic smile passed over her round face. “I can tell you this. You have come to the right place, yet not the right time. You are here to find what you think you do not need.”

Ava blinked, unable to wrap her brain around the whole, weird tale. “Okay. Why am I here? What is it I need?” Her gaze skittered to a few residents walking along the street. Both males and females were dressed in the same quaint clothing that Jacinda wore. Everyone wore hats and gloves, and it seemed they were all overly polite to each other. “Why am I here?” It seemed right to repeat her earlier question if only to stave off the tide of rising panic.

“You are here to help fulfill a destiny that does not belong to you.”

“Why is this my problem?” Jacinda didn’t answer. It didn’t make sense. “What if I have no clue how to do that?” Not to mention, why would she want to expend the energy on somebody else when she needed the resources to find a way home?

Jacinda shrugged as if the matter didn’t concern her. “You will remain stuck in this time period for as long as the task takes. I have no control over the whims of fate.”

Nausea made Ava’s throat prickle with warm saliva. “What’s the year?” Like passing a car wreck, she wanted to know but didn’t at the same time.

“The year of Our Lord, 1900. You have come during a wonderful anniversary year as I founded Strange Hollow months ago in April. Outcasts like yourself are welcomed here with open arms.”

“Outcasts?” She forgot the sickening sensations in light of this new info. “Why would you assume I’m an outcast?”

One of Jacinda’s eyebrows arched. “You are a latent wolf, are you not?”

How could she possibly know that? “Maybe.” Best not anger the natives.

“There are few rules here. Murder and rape are both punishable by death. Elitists will be eaten on sight. This is natural selection not murder. Feel free to mingle with the townsfolk, but I will caution you to procure clothing more suited to this time period.” She began walking toward the Town Hall. Almost as an afterthought, she paused and turned to hold Ava’s gaze. “I wish you luck, Miss Lesarris. More lives than just your own depend on you figuring out this riddle.”

The panic she’d been holding in check exploded into full-out terror. Cold chills raced over her skin. “What I am supposed to do? Where will I live? All my money is in my car and I don’t even have that right now.”

Jacinda waved away her concerns. “There is a dress shop not far from here. You will find their clothing selection most pleasing. Afterward, feel free to wander the town. If you’re ever feeling sentimental, the train station will be your best bet. This is all I can tell you.”

As Ava stared, alternating between bursting into tears and screaming obscenities at the woman who couldn’t--or wouldn’t--understand her viewpoint, Jacinda Fergus literally vanished into thin air.

Her wolf picked that moment to chime in. I think we’re screwed.

“No crap.” And definitely not in a good way. What exactly did a person do when suddenly whisked back in time without a valid explanation or reason? “What the hell am I supposed to do now?

Of course, her wolf had no smart answer this time.

I hope you enjoyed my post. Be sure to leave a comment to be in the running for one of two watch pendants.

If you’d like to buy the book, it can be found at the following links:

Amazon buy link:  http://www.amazon.com/Marking-Time-ebook/dp/B005NXDZG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316444235&sr=8-1

All Romance e-books buy link:  http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-markingtime-601641-140.html

Liquid Silver Books buy link:  http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/markingtime.htm

Interested in finding out more about me? Connect with me here:

Website:  http://www.sandrasookoo.com

Believing is Seeing blog:  http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/sandrasookoo

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/sandra.sookoo

 Anyone who stops by on her tour has a chance to win one of these two watches. I will pick the winners and announce it in the mid October (around the 15^th) newsletter for Sizzling PR. You can sign up for the newsletter on the right hand side of Sizzling PR (www.sizzlingpr.com)

This contest is only open to USA and Canada.

Information about the watches and pictures are attached.