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Showing posts with label A Time To Build. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Time To Build. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Blurb and Excerpt from The Attache' by David Bond

Tell us about The Attache', your first book with Desert Breeze Publishing. What is it about?

Zack Brenner is blinded after a mortar attack by insurgents in Iraq. The image of a woman with penetrating eyes he saw in an email before he lost his sight is seared into his memory. He returns home to a failing family business, begins to learn independent living skills, and can’t help fall in love with the woman from the email. 


Jessie Weaver narrowly escaped the North Tower on 9/11 after a brief encounter with a handsome visitor who left an attaché behind. She is determined to find him again, and her only hope is to work for the man’s family business, now owned and managed by his blinded brother Zach. Jessie faces a test of loyalty as she questions her devotion to a wandering stranger, versus her growing compassion for Zach. 



Seeking to accomplish something, Zach sets out to climb his beloved mountain. A long buried family secret emerges, and a madman threatens the lives of Zack and the woman he loves. The Attaché is a story about overcoming obstacles, acceptance, and developing trust. 



Is there truth in the words found in Scripture? “With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.”
Thanks for sharing a family photo. As my readers know, I am always interested in dog stories. Does yours have one?

People do wonder about her name. She is Lacey to everyone but me. I call her Missy. She doesn't seem to mind.

Well, she is a beautiful beagle. Will you share an excerpt from The Attache'?

Zach pushed away from the table. She figured he was getting the phone, but he trailed his hand along the edge of the table until he arrived where she sat. He reached out tentatively then pulled his hand back. "Can you... um, stand up?" 

He wore an odd look. She placed the last of the granola bar on the table and pushed her chair out. "Okay. What's this about?" 

He reached again, and she realized he wanted to hold her hand. Slivers of sunlight filtered in through the kitchen window, and a shiver traveled up her spine. 

"I might have waited for a better time, whatever that is, but I'm not going to. Jessie? I want to tell you something... I need to tell you something, and I'm not sure how you'll take this. I'm not sure how to say it either." 

His grip was firm, his hands slightly damp. Zach hid his nervousness well. His eyes were wide though, so wide she wondered how it was possible they were sightless. Whatever he wanted to tell her, Zach was paying a price. She instinctively gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. 

"I'll be all right. You don't need to worry. I'll be with Suzy for a couple days, and then I think I'll go back to Lancaster for a little while. So, Zach..." 

"Lancaster? Home?" 

"Well, yeah. What else?" 

He shook his head, trying to smile. "You can't think of any other options?" 

"Not at the moment. No." 

"Is this because you think there's no job?" 

"I don't have a job. How could I?" 

"I don't know. No one's fired you, as far as I know." 

"There's nothing for me to do. No business. You don't have to fire me, I'll just quit." 

Jessie tugged her hands away. She heard the words, flying out of her mouth laced with poison. She was under attack, emotions and logic warring for dominance, something inside her clinging to a desperate memory. For the past three years, one thing, one man, had given her a reason to dream. Joel understood life, knew the meaning of love between a man and a woman. He was slipping away, his memory a gray mist in the awakening dawn. 

If she stayed here, instead of seeing Joel, she would precipitate his demise. Joel would be gone forever. It was ludicrous to hope he would show up. How often did he come here? Almost never. She had to leave, had to flee for her sake, and Joel's sake. If not, Zach would block the way forever. 

Zach's hands reached for her, but she was out of reach. "Jessie. Listen. What I need to tell you is this. I love you. I. Love. You. But the thing is, I know how you might take that, and I understand. But I couldn't have gone much longer without saying how I feel." 

"Don't say that. Just don't say that. Zach, you remember the time I talked about Joel? Remember? There was this connection thing? I didn't tell you the whole story." She clasped and unclasped her fingers. "You see, he left his attaché, I told you that, but inside it, there was this... this manuscript. A romance story he was writing. Over the years, I've read it and re-read it. It isn't finished, but there was something in his writing, something that reached out to me and held on. You're laughing. Stop. Stop laughing..." 

Jessie was finished with this. Joel had gotten more defense than he deserved at the moment. She needed him in the flesh, not in her dreams. Even a few more minutes in this house would threaten his emergence into her reality, bringing about her own betrayal. 


Thanks! And one more time, remind us of your newest release and where to buy both books:




The most recent release is A Time To Build, Here is the blurb and link: A Time for Everything Book One: A Time to Build   Thirteen years is a long time. But not long enough for Brian Marshall to forget the face of the woman who stepped inside his office one July morning. Has the one mistake he made in his life finally come back to exact its toll?






Tuesday, June 26, 2012

OK, you're blind - so how do you write, edit and promote??

David, I know you mentioned that you are blind, and that the hero in your previous books was blind as well. What is is like to be a writer who is blind?

For a blind author, clicking and dragging are just two of the terms not likely to be used. A couple things you might hear are, “…my screen reader stopped…help!,” or, “…what do you mean it’s underlined?”

Fortunately, most of the time, those of us who are blind authors are able to flow along pretty smoothly because we’re using a word processing program like Word. The uninitiated observer might be amazed how fast some blind authors can type, fingers flying and the sometimes tinny response of the synthetic speech output indiscernible. I’ve demonstrated my setup to many people over the years, and the most amazing part to them is often making sense of the little robotic voice! I can assure you, it’s quite easy to listen to this computer generated voice, it just takes a little time, and the desire to get the job done.

So how do you type on a keyboard? Have you ever had any typing lessons? I have. And the first thing I was told is, "…no good typist looks at the keyboard." It’s all about teaching your fingers to become familiar with the keyboard and to focus on what you are typing.

And trust me, if you are one of those who hunts and pecks, it’s time to find a blindfold and force yourself to get to know your keyboard a little better!

How about browsing the Internet? Is that problematic? Since the web is an essential component because of research, limited accessibility and other fancy web sites with pop-up boxes and floating banners are a real pain! Most people (sighted) look at any given screen, locate the place on the screen of interest, and click or scroll there and take care of business. It’s not so easy for us. It’s often a technical problem, where pop-ups and moving banners or bars make our screen reader act sporadically or lock up. If a web site doesn’t cause these kind of problems, we often do just fine. In some cases, maybe even better. This is because of the built-in search feature our screen reader’s use, enabling us to search for and land on a word or phrase of interest.

Then there is that huge new area for anyone promoting their books - social media. How accessible is that with your screen reader? The biggest nightmare in our present time revolves around social media sites. Facebook is accessible to a point, using the mobile version, but for the most part, the layout of the site which usually includes images and photos and limited textual content makes these kinds of sites very difficult to use. A new one, Pinterest, is enjoying a surge in popularity among writers, but it is almost entirely inaccessible to blind people since it is largely all about photos and images. Since all authors need to spend time performing self-promotion, which means making use of social media sites, we are at a distinct disadvantage in this realm.

It sounds like you've got technology and can do most of the things sighted authors do, though. All things considered, a blind author is almost on a level playing field with their sighted counterparts. Because there are myriads of promotional paths to follow, hopefully, avoiding the ones which are inaccessible will not prove to be fatal. Deep down, I hold onto two basic thoughts: First, God is overseeing my writing, and this includes promotion. Second, a good story will find an audience. So, my main focus is to pay more attention to the latter point, and let God worry about the former!

~~ Available now! -- A Time To Build --  and The Attache' From Desert Breeze Publishing ~~

(Note from Lynette: David informed me that this blog was not accessible in the current template. I had someone who specializes in accessibility build my website but I had not taken as much care with the blog. You may see me switching between templates for the next few days while David gives me feedback on accessibility.)


Monday, June 25, 2012

Can he build on the greatest mistake of his life?

Author David Bond has just released his second book with Desert Breeze Publishing. Dave, tell us about A Time To Build. Brian Marshall lives a quiet, serious life. At age thirty-three, he’s content and reasonably prosperous. When a new client steps inside his office one July morning, and he recognizes her strikingly beautiful face, his thoughts are thrown back in time thirteen years, to a time when he committed perhaps the greatest mistake of his life.

Hallie Grover has come a long way in thirteen years. When she left central Pennsylvania as a dispirited seventeen-year old to live with her divorced mother in California, she couldn’t have imagined the path her life was to take. Will she be able to handle her new life, owning and managing a small café in McCane, Pennsylvania? And will she be able to rebuild a relationship with her sister, and a thirteen-year old girl she’s never had the chance to know?

Brian fears Hallie will one day remember him. Hallie blossoms, but is she ready to embrace a relationship she wasn’t expecting?

Ooo - I like how that sounds. Tell us a little about yourself.
Like most writers, I love to read. As an appreciative reader, I've always been amazed at a well written book. Losing my eyesight at age 33 (in 1988) I had no idea I would one day discover writing to be an enjoyable career. I'm innately artistic, and writing is now a great outlet for my artistic creativity.
My debut novel is about a man who loses his eyesight. I resisted writing about a blind character, but eventually knew it was the right thing to do. I have always enjoyed romance fiction, as long as the characters were believable, and the story had depth. I hope my stories will come across as believable, yet also convey something important about life. Since I write inspirational fiction, God plays a role in how my characters work through their conflicts and struggles.
I'm married, and we have a teenage son. We live near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have always enjoyed the outdoors, including the mountains and wilderness of central and northern Pennsylvania. In my books, readers will catch glimpses of the things I cherish, and hopefully come away possessing a greater understanding or appreciation for some of the important things in life.

Leave David a comment about the important things in life to YOU.

Buy his book: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-308/A-Time-to-Build/Detail.bok

Visit David:
http://authordavidbond.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authordavidbond