I’d like to welcome Bruce A. Borders Spotlight Author. I am told that Bruce’s book is exceptionally well written and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Bruce is a good friend that I met on Twitter and so I want you to give him a warm rousing welcome.

 BRUCE A. BORDERS

Write What You Know – Maybe

Thank you Rave Reviews Book Club for voting me this week’s Spotlight Author! And, a huge thanks to all the members who agreed to host me on their site!

What would you do if Child Protective Services showed up on your doorstep with an army of Sheriff’s deputies and tried to remove your three-year-old from your home? Knowing there’s no justification for their action and the court documents they presented are fabricated, would you stand by or fight to protect your child?

Over My Dead Body explores the deadly reaction and consequences when a protective father, Jeff Blake, tries to prevent the state from  taking his daughter. The director of Child Protective Services uses his position to exact a personal vendetta in removing three-year-old Ashley from the Blake’s home.

The situation quickly becomes violent as Jeff resorts to the only response he feels he has. By the end of the short encounter, three people are dead. Ironically, Ashley is still taken, so the tragic fiasco gained nothing.

Matters are further complicated when Amy, the wife and mother, winds up in a mental ward due to the trauma she witnessed in her home. Jeff and Amy’s daughter is placed in temporary foster care, while the family’s attorneys attempt to salvage what they can and re-unite the family. The police, as well as the Courts, understandably, are not too concerned with the needs of the family and it seems the entire justice system is against them. Complete with many twists of fate, the story looks at the common problems of a typical family caught between love and the law.

Being my first novel, Over My Dead Body, will always have special place for me.

Many first-time authors choose an event in their personal life to write about; something they know well and thus can relate in a believable manner. Write what you know, that’s the “rule.” For me, it wasn’t quite that simple.

No single real-life event sparked the creation of Over My Dead Body – at least in my life. Over the years, I’d heard of several news stories, which began similarly to this book – a corrupt official from the state shows up to remove a child from the home without cause. Having a weakness for defending the underdog or, someone who has been unjustly treated, the “without cause” always bothered me.

Every time I’d hear one of these stories, my initial thought was “I hope that never happens to me.” I know how I would react and it wouldn’t be good – not for anyone involved. I’m VERY protective of my children! However, I’m under no illusion as to the likely outcome of my actions. I decided to write a book describing what my response would be and what I’m sure would result from that response.

Although my children are now grown, as a parent, inserting myself into the role of the father in this story came easily. Yet, admittedly, I cannot fully imagine the helpless sense of desperation one must feel in such an instance. To be forced into the position of defending my family in my home, justifiably or not, would undoubtedly be a horror I’d rather not face. For me, the choice would be an easy one to make. But once that split-second decision is made, and executed, the aftermath of it all would be extremely complicated and stressful – for everyone concerned. While everyone else’s life goes on, the struggle to maintain any sort of sanity in the family would be challenging to say the least. And that, a family coping with the repercussions of choices made, is what this book is really about.

While the settings and events of this book may not be real – just an author imagining the way things might play out if such an event were to occur – the scenario is something that could happen. Something, as I’ve found since the release of Over My Dead Body, to which many parents can relate.

Over My Dead Body

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Over-My-Dead-Body-ebook/dp/B005N260Z4

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/over-my-dead-body-bruce-a-borders/1105621591

Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/114607

Sony Reader http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/bruce-a-borders/over-my-dead-body/

iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/over-my-dead-body/id464857750?mt=11

Kobo  http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Over-My-Dead-Body/book-4nYOrXCtVUaz8IDhXcQYIw/page1.html?s=bIkOjlpZzkmFGU3AyfF4wg&r=6

Connect with Bruce:

Twitter handle: @BruceABorders

Facebook address: http://www.facebook.com/BruceABordersBooks

Website address: http://bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752197.Bruce_A_Borders

RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB is pleased to announce a new Facebook “Question of the Day!” In an online Scavenger Hunt, participants will need to find the daily answer SOMEWHERE on the many Blog Tour Host sites! Please LIKE our FB page and play along:

https://www.facebook.com/ pages/Rave-Reviews-Book-Club/ 271290866357000?fref=ts

Bruce’s questions & answers on THIS site:

RRBC: Who influences you the most?

B.B.:  That’s a hard question to answer. Several people influence me; some are authors, some are not. I suppose the best answer would be my family.

RRBC: What is your favorite theme/genre to write?

B.B.:  Crime suspense, usually with some injustice as the starting point.

RRBC: Which character you’ve created is your favorite? Why?

B.B.: Wynn Garrett from the Wynn Garrett Series books, because he is very straightforward, doesn’t waste a lot of energy on formalities or even being nice when it is not warranted – yet, he can be quite courteous and considerate. Ultimately, he is quite comfortable being himself and doesn’t feel compelled to do things to make people like him.

RRBC: Do any of your life experiences worm their way into your books?

B.B.: Yes, all the time. I change the details though, to fit into the story.

RRBC: How do you like to connect with readers?

B.B.: The many forms of social media work well.

RRBC: What do you hope readers take away from your books? 

B.B.: The enjoyment of having experienced a believable story to which they can relate. In addition, I like to make people think or give them a smile at times.

 RRBC: Who helps you with the critique and editing process? 

B.B.:My wife, who is my worst critic – and I’m very fortunate in that regard. There would be absolutely no benefit in her telling me my writing is fine if it is not. It takes a confident woman to tell a guy that something he’s worked on for months is garbage! Okay, she doesn’t always say it’s garbage but she is very helpful in terms of providing honest feedback and giving me constructive criticism. The point is, she doesn’t feel obligated to say everything I’ve written is great simply because I wrote it. 

RRBC: Do you ever hate something you’ve written? 

B.B.:Yes. Quite often, actually. But apparently, my opinion doesn’t count! For example, I didn’t like my book Miscarriage Of Justice at all, and waited to release it for more than a year after it was finished. It turned out to be my biggest selling book. 

RRBC: How do you overcome any nagging self-doubt that inevitably creeps in? 

B.B.:Keep writing and editing until it goes away.

THANK YOU for stopping by!

To read different posts, including excerpts from “Over My Dead Body,”  please visit all Blog Tour Hosts as found on:

 http://ravereviewsbynonniejules.wordpress.com/spotlight-authors/

__________________________________

Bruce thank you for gracing us with your presence. We at Rave Reviews Book Club love and support you because that’s what we do.

Shirley Harris-Slaughter
Author & Member

Book Title: Our Lady of Victory, the Saga of an African-American Catholic Community.

http://ravereviewsbynonniejules.wordpress.com/rave-reviews-book-club/

https://shirleyslaughterblog.wordpress.com/

http://Twitter.com/motorcityauthor

https://www.facebook.com/ShirleyHarrisSlaughterAuthor?ref=hl

Website:   www.rememberourladyofvictory.com

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