BLOG TOUR and GIVEAWAY: All Fall Down by Julie Coulter Bellon
ABOUT THE BOOK
Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down . . .
That simple rhyme turns negotiator Claire Michaels’ current hostage situation into an international incident. Claire just wants to help get everyone out safely, but as the crisis escalates she realizes she’s dealing with an al-Qaeda operative who has the means to become another bin Laden---with the potential to attack America. Claire has her own personal reasons for wanting to stop al-Qaeda, but time is slipping away as negotiations break down. Can she overcome her scars of the past in order to get the hostage out alive and possibly stop an assault on U.S. national security?
Navy SEAL Rafe Kelly is on leave to recover from a knee injury he suffered during his tour in Afghanistan and he doesn’t expect to be fighting terrorists on his home turf. But when he is taken hostage and his brother is kidnapped, Rafe teams up with a hostage negotiator in order to stay alive and get his brother back. The terrorist is always one step ahead of them, however, and the situation quickly turns from desperate to deadly. Will Rafe be able to save himself and his country without anyone he loves getting caught in the crossfire?
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ABOUT THE AUTHORJulie Coulter Bellon
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What is the 'story behind
the story' of All Fall Down?
I was watching the Discovery
Channel one night and it was on SEAL Team Six and what they went through to
penetrate the compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden had been hiding. They talked about the computers they
confiscated and how those files were turned over to the Department of Defense
for decrypting. My mind started turning
because my husband used to work for a computer forensics company and I thought,
what if the DoD couldn’t decrypt one of those files that would have important
information on it that people would kill to have? And what if they gave it to a civilian company and al-Qaeda got
wind of it? And the story went from
there.
What research did you have
to do to write the story?
I had to do a lot of
research on SEALs, Afghanistan, DoD, next-gen weaponry, hostage negotiation
teams you
name it. I got to meet and talk with a
lot of great people that helped me make it as realistic as possible, though,
and I’m grateful for their patience with all my questions!
What's your favorite thing
about writing? Least favorite?
My favorite thing is holding
the book in my hands. There is
something so satisfying to telling a story that other people can read.
My least favorite thing is
having a story in my head that I really want to write down, but not having
enough computer time to get to it.
Eventually I always do, but if I had one wish it would be for an extra
bit of computer time each day.
Where would you love to
travel if you could go anywhere?
I would love to visit
Australia. The Man From Snowy River
was always one of my favorite movies and I’d love to see some of that country.
Do you have a particular
process for when you write? A favorite place to write?
My process is to write down
everything I’ve been thinking of all day each scene and piece of
dialogue. When time is limited, you do
what you have to do. My desk is right
between my family and kitchen so while it may not be my favorite place, I can
always stay in the thick of family things while I’m writing. Not many writers can be stirring dinner and
writing at the same time!
What is your favorite kind
of dessert?
Well, it depends. On rainy days it’s chocolate chip
cookies. On sunny days it’s cinnamon
rolls. On every other day it’s anything
with chocolate in it. But my ultimate
dessert is Canadian chocolate. Yum. (Now I’m hungry and craving chocolate. Thanks a lot!)
And thanks for the
interview!
REVIEW
Whoa. What a ride! If you decide to read this be prepared to have a hard time putting it down. I found the book action-packed and full of interesting characters. Rafe and Claire make for a great pair. While I would have liked more character development, I did really enjoy the book. The focus is on the action which starts in chapter one when Rafe is taken hostage by his friend Gary who has been forced to do so. Claire steps in as hostage negotiator and before she realizes it finds herself neck deep in a fight for not only her own life but the lives of others she cares about.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy romantic suspense with lots of action.
GIVEAWAY
Julie is generously
offering 7, yes 7 awesome giveaways for
the tour!! (I want to win them myself!) That means you have 7 chances at
winning! (Pretty good odds, huh?!)
The prizes include:
- (2) "Book Lovers'" baskets which include a copy of All Fall Down, a hand tied lap blanket, Julie's favorite hot chocolate mix, and a copy of Janice Sperry's Christmas novella, The Candy Cane Queen
- (3) Print copies of All Fall Down
- (2) Ebook copies of All Fall Down
- Open from November 12 to December 7.
- Must be 13+ years of age to enter
- US and Canadian mailing addresses only
Earn entries by doing any/all of the following:
- Leaving a blog post comment
- Liking Julie’s Facebook page
- Following Julie on Twitter
- Becoming a fan of Julie on Goodreads
- Tweeting about the giveaway (once per day)
- Follow Julie's blog via GFC
Thanks so much for the review and what a fun interview! :)
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