Please welcome Liz Lazarus author of Free of Malice.
Liz Lazarus will be awarding $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Free
of Malice
by Liz Lazarus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Suspense / Thriller
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INTERVIEW:
What or who inspired you to start writing?
Like the main character, I was attacked by a stranger in my home in
the middle of the night. In order to heal, I started to write about how I was
feeling and what had changed in my life. At the time, I didn't know about EMDR
therapy to heal from trauma, so used writing as a catharsis. Also like the main
character, all I had for self-defense was a can of Mace. After the attack, I
said to my brother-in-law, if I had owned a gun, I would have shot the guy as
he left. My brother-in-law informed me that I was fortunate that I didn't - as
the shooting might not have been a clear case of self-defense. That idea
sparked my interest in learning about the criminal justice system and inspired
me to write the hypothetical case portrayed in the book. The ending, which I
won't spoil, was prompted by a question from my mother. Once you've finished
the book, you can write to me at liz@lizlazarus.com and
I'll tell you more about that.
As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I’m so
honored that readers are asking for more, as Free of Malice is my debut novel.
I’ve been thinking about the next book and some of my signature items to
include:
· Sympathetic protagonist
· Self-defense training & gun
ownership
· Criminal defense element
· Science or technology element
· Twist ending
I have
the working title and plot, but still a ways to go – so stay tuned!
Can you give us a sneak peek into this
book?
If you go to my website: www.freeofmalice.com, you can download
the first chapter. While there, check out the 1 minute trailer and the book’s
theme song, Let Me Breathe.
Here’s a tidbit to get
you started…
FREE OF MALICE |
LIZ LAZARUS
Run. Run faster. As much
as I strained my legs to move, they were immobile, like I was waist deep in
quicksand.
Why can’t I move?
I tried to scream for
help but my mouth was full, like it was stuffed with cotton—no sound would
escape.
I felt something
clutching my shoulder. No, it was someone. He was pushing me forward and then
yanking me back. I tried to jerk away but he had a tight grip, like a vice.
I have to break free.
The tugging got harder,
more forceful. He was calling my name— over and over. He knew my name.
“Laura, Laura.”
I jolted awake—my
husband’s hand still on my shoulder.
“Honey, wake up. You’re
having another bad dream.”
Slowly, I turned over in
bed and looked at him—his dark brown eyes were fixated on me. I could see them
clearly as the light from the bathroom brightened our bedroom.
For a month now, we had
slept with this light on.
I could see the small
wrinkle on his forehead. I loved that wrinkle though wished he didn’t have
good reason to be so concerned. I was enduring the nightmares, but he had to
deal with my tossing and mumbling in terror.
I remember when we first
met—ten years ago in chemistry lab at Georgia Tech. He had walked up to me with
those warm eyes and a charming, confident smile and asked, “Want to be
partners?”
Two years later he took
me to Stone Mountain Park, rented a small rowboat and, in the moonlight, he
pulled out a diamond ring and asked me again, “Want to be partners?”
Life had seemed just
about perfect.
Until now.
We looked at each other
for a moment. Then he propped himself up on his elbow and said softly, “Laura,
I feel so helpless. I know it’s only been a month, but...”
He hesitated.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s just as bad as that
first night. After it happened. Look, I want to make you feel safe again, but I
don’t know how.”
He rubbed his eyes and
looked away. I waited, staring at him.
What isn’t he saying?
“I know you don’t want to
see a therapist, but seeing someone doesn’t mean you’re crazy. Therapists don’t
treat just crazy people. They help people who have been through traumas and you
have. Hell, no one even has to know.”
He paused for a second.
“Don’t be mad at me, but
yesterday I made an appointment for you. I was going to talk to you about it in
the morning if you had another bad dream. I found a woman who is downtown by my
office. She’s been practicing for about twenty years, got her doctorate from
Emory and comes with really good patient reviews.”
He looked for my reaction
and continued. “I made the appointment for you at 4:00 so we can go to dinner
afterward. You know what you always say. You’ll try anything once, right?”
“I told you I don’t want
to see a psychiatrist,” I pushed back. “I just need more time. I’ll bounce back.
You know I almost came in the house on my own today. Besides, if I see a
psychiatrist, on every job application I complete in the future, I’ll have to
check the ‘Yes’ box when they ask if I’ve had mental health treatment.”
“Jesus. No you don’t.
You’re too innocent sometimes.”
He gently tapped me on
the nose.
“You can check the box
‘No.’ Besides, if that’s the only thing stopping you, I think you should give
it a try. Her name is Barbara Cole. I’ll take you to Houston’s afterward,” he
added.
I ignored the bribe. “But
what can she do that you can’t? All she’ll do is listen and you do that for me
already. Psychiatrists are for people who don’t have friends or husbands to
talk to.”
Chris shook his head.
“Please? Do it for me.”
The tone in his voice was
different—more helpless than normal. Chris had been so understanding, so
comforting this past month, especially considering I had been waking him every
night. How could I refuse his request?
I sighed. “Okay,” I
relented. “I’ll go.”
“One visit. That’s all
I’m asking. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to go back. She’s a
psychologist, by the way, not a psychiatrist. She does therapy, not drugs.”
He glanced at the clock.
It was 3:30 a.m.
Chris grabbed Konk, my
stuffed animal gorilla that I won at the state fair by outshooting him at the
basketball game. He had sworn the scum running the game couldn’t take his eyes
off my butt and let me win.
“Here’s Konk,” he said.
“I’m going to finish my presentation since I’m up. I’ll just be in the office.
Want the door open?”
“Yes,” I said as I
wrapped my arms tightly around Konk.
“Hey, we’ll celebrate
your first therapy visit and my signed contract, I hope, this evening.”
“You mean you hope my
first visit?” I said with a playful smile.
He gave me a look—he was
in no mood for jokes.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll go,” I
assured.
“If you’re asleep when I
leave, just come by my office after the appointment and we’ll head to dinner.
Try to get some sleep. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
What is the best and worst advice you ever received?
(regarding writing or publishing)
I adored Jay’s monologue (still miss him, though I marvel at
Jimmy Fallon’s talent), but David had the trademark on the Top 10. So as a
tribute to both late night icons, here are my Top 10 tips for writing a book.
· Pay for and create your own ISBN # -
it lets you control distribution.
· Have a few, honest friends give you
early feedback—it’s hard to judge your own work. You know the old saying, “it’s
hard to tell if your baby’s ugly.”
· Print on demand – it allows you make
early tweaks and there are always more typos that you think are humanly
possible! CreateSpace is a great option.
· Don’t go to layout until you are
sure (I mean absolutely, positively, 100%, no more changes sure).
· Find the right PR firm – best way to
test them is to see who can write a good media kit and how many current media
contacts they have.
· Learn the world of social media –
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest.
· Do spend the money on a proper
Website – it’s your home base and your identity.
· Have other projects or work that
balance your focus on your book and allow for a fresh perspective.
· Learn to breathe. Take deep breaths
and welcome feedback in every form.
· And most importantly, remember that
some of the most famous authors have a pile of early rejection letters – don’t
let it discourage you!
Do you outline your books or just start writing?
Free of Malice takes place over 6 months, from June to
December. As strange as it may sound, I didn’t write the book in order. Like
most authors, I outlined the story so I had the sequence of events laid out.
Then, because I’m a fairly visual person, I used a huge wall calendar to
outline the six months in which the book took place, listing all the events
that occurred which helped me arrange the story and also allowed me to circle
back to clues I had dropped in earlier chapters. And though I don’t have a law
degree and am not a trained therapist, I had the great fortune to consult with
a criminal defense lawyer (Alison Frutoz) and a certified EMDR therapist (Karen
McCarty) to be sure those portions of the book were accurate. Spoiler alert – don’t read the calendar too
closely—might give away some clues!
Who is your favorite character in the book.
Can you tell us why?
The young, black lawyer character in my book
is loosely based on my best friend from college, Thomas Barnette. We met our
first day at Georgia Tech when we both got lost trying to find the civil
engineering building and we’ve been close ever since. Back then, I had no idea
that Thomas was such a talented signer—he kept that part of his life hidden.
One day after we had graduated, he played a CD for me in his car and the man’s
voice was amazing, kind of a Seal meets U2. I literally didn’t believe it was
Thomas so he had to sing to me to prove it. From that day on, we talked about
producing a music CD. Ironically, right after I took my leave of absence from
work to write my book, a check arrived for some salary I had deferred and it
was the exact amount we needed for the CD.
In my novel, the lawyer character takes the
stage at Eddie’s Attic, one of the many Atlanta locations that I feature. Here,
readers can either pull out their QR app and hear the real Thomas singing Let
Me Breathe or go to my website, www.freeofmalice.com
and hear it online. To me, it adds another dimension to the book, to hear the
character’s voice. Thomas also sang at my launch party and we are planning a
few joint events throughout the year.
BLURB:
Laura Holland awakes
in the middle of the night to see a stranger standing in her bedroom doorway.
She manages to defend herself from the would-be rapist, though he threatens to
return as he retreats. Traumatized with recurring nightmares, Laura seeks
therapy and is exposed to a unique treatment called EMDR. She also seeks
self-protection— buying a gun against the wishes of her husband. When Laura
learns she could have gone to prison had she shot her fleeing assailant, she
decides to write a hypothetical legal case using the details of that night. She
enlists the help of criminal defense lawyer, Thomas Bennett, who proves to be
well versed in the justice system but has an uncanny resemblance to her
attacker. As the two work together to develop the story, Laura's discomfort
escalates particularly when Thomas seems to know more about that night than he
should. Reality and fiction soon merge as her real life drama begins to mirror
the fiction she's trying to create.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Run.
Run faster. As much as I strained my legs to move, they were immobile, like I
was waist deep in quicksand.
Why
can’t I move?
I
tried to scream for help but my mouth was full, like it was stuffed with
cotton—no sound would escape.
I
felt something clutching my shoulder. No, it was someone. He was pushing me
forward and then yanking me back. I tried to jerk away but he had a tight grip,
like a vice.
I
have to break free.
The
tugging got harder, more forceful. He was calling my name— over and over. He
knew my name.
“Laura,
Laura.”
I
jolted awake—my husband’s hand still on my shoulder.
“Honey,
wake up. You’re having another bad dream.”
Slowly,
I turned over in bed and looked at him—his dark brown eyes were fixated on me.
I could see them clearly as the light from the bathroom brightened our bedroom.
For
a month now, we had slept with this light on.
I
could see the small wrinkle on his forehead. I loved that wrinkle though wished
he didn’t have good reason to be so concerned. I was enduring the nightmares,
but he had to deal with my tossing and mumbling in terror.
I
remember when we first met—ten years ago in chemistry lab at Georgia Tech. He
had walked up to me with those warm eyes and a charming, confident smile and
asked, “Want to be partners?”
Two
years later he took me to Stone Mountain Park, rented a small rowboat and, in
the moonlight, he pulled out a diamond ring and asked me again, “Want to be
partners?”
Life
had seemed just about perfect.
Until
now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Liz Lazarus is the author of Free of Malice, a psychological,
legal thriller loosely based on her personal experience and a series of ‘what
if’ questions that trace the after effects of a foiled attack; a woman healing,
and grappling with the legal system to acknowledge her right to self-defense.
She
was born in Valdosta, Georgia, graduated from Georgia Tech with an engineering
degree and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern with an MBA in
their executive master’s program. She spent most of her career at General
Electric’s Healthcare division and is currently a Managing Director at a strategic
planning consulting firm in addition to being an author.
Free
of Malice is her debut novel, set in Atlanta, and supplemented by extensive
research with both therapists and criminal defense attorneys. She currently
lives in Brookhaven, GA, with her fiancé, Richard, and their very spoiled
orange tabby, Buckwheat.
Available
On:
Amazon:
Barnes
& Noble:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Liz Lazarus will be awarding $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble
GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
