Mrs. Potter’s Book Publicity Services
Presents:
Blog Tour for Virtue by Allison Bassen
Synopsis
Candice
and Susan thought they had it all, but they were dead wrong. Their lives were
in jeopardy the day they learned the daunting truth about one formidable man.
Candice, incognito, now occupies the penthouse
suite as the in-house call girl at Manhattan's
swankiest hotel. She rises to the top of her profession paying more attention
to the psychological longings of her clients. After all, sex is so much more
than just sex. Even though she has powerful men under her influence, Candice
still glances over her shoulder.
Susan, once a wealthy Atlanta socialite, played by the rules only
to be confronted with an unimaginable ultimatum. She snaps out of her charm school
coma realizing the last twenty-three years played like a sinister joke at her
expense. Now she has one goal. Stay alive.
One will survive.
VIRTUE takes you on a ride of sultry suspense.
Buckle up.
Book Link:
Purchase Links:
Author Bio:
My first
word was "cookie." That tells you just about everything you need to
know about me.
I was born
in Columbia, South Carolina weighing a meager three
pounds, which was tenuous back in those days. As usual, I was early for my own
birthday by three months. My theory is everyone's punctuality is innate. I'm
early for almost everything.
My folks
moved to Atlanta
when I was nine months old and I stayed there until I was twenty-four. My itch
was Manhattan.
I can still remember signaling my first taxi and when that checker cab pulled
over for me, I became Audrey Hepburn. Even though I understand the whys, I miss
those over sized cabs and their character. There's nothing glamorous in putting
your hand out for a yellow Prius.
I fell for a
"Yankee" and never made it back to Atlanta. We tied the knot and made three
beautiful children. Funny, my youngest son read the first few pages of VIRTUE,
and his only comment was, "This is fiction, right?"
My friends and family have been telling me to
write for years. The challenge was coming up with the story. VIRTUE was
inspired by scandalous newspaper headlines. A Governor got caught with an escort.
That had me scratching my head. Why would a powerful man risk his career? And
what about the escort? She looked like a pretty girl and came from a nice
family. Then I researched the history of prostitution and came to understand
why it is referred to as "the oldest profession." Yes, prostitution
is in The Bible.
My second novel, MY FATHER'S AFFAIR, which
should be published by June of 2013, was inspired by a true story. I took that
story and raised the proverbial stakes. I changed the era and the setting.
Things were much different in the early sixties. Small towns are like Cheers
where everybody knows your name. But I think the most important aspect of
writing this novel was the narrator. The reader sees the story through Ellie's
eyes, the thirteen year old daughter, which intensifies the emotions.
Writing gets me out of bed every morning. Okay,
breakfast, lunch, and dinner are equally motivating. If I'm not writing, I'm
reading. There is nothing better than a great read. My biggest hope is that you
find pleasure reading my novels.
Author Links:
AUTHOR INTERVIEW:
Q) Is there a
message in your novel/novels that you want readers to grasp?
A) One of my reviewers said it best. There’s no such thing as a perfect
white-picketed fence. That’s when you
discover someone’s true character. How
do they fix the fence?
Q)
What books have most influenced your life most?
A) Stephen King’s novels make me throw my head
back and say, “Wow!” His descriptions,
adjectives, and pacing just blow me away.
The man is a word artist. But
there are also two southern writers that are beyond mesmerizing and if you do
sit down to read their work, take the day off from all responsibilities because
you will want to give both authors your undivided attention: Flannery O’Conner and Harper Lee.
Q)
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in any of
your books?
A) I would
probably change the cover of Virtue. It gives the impression of “erotica,” which
is not the case. So I would make the
cover less sexy.
Q)
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
A) I had an English professor in college who told
me, “I actually look forward to reading your stories.” Thing is, I always enjoyed writing, but she
made me realize I had talent. One day
she told me, “Allison, I bet you could write a story about a toothbrush and
make it interesting.” I wish I had
saved that assignment. The toothbrush,
Reddie, came to life, fuelled by jealousy that the “other” toothbrush got used
everyday while Reddie just sat there unused and ignored.
Q)
What was the hardest part of writing your books?
A) Letting them go out in public! My husband asked me, “When are you gonna be
finished?” You have to reach a point
where you stop trying to make each and every sentence better. In a way, writing is a form of torture.
Q) Do you have
anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
A) Publishing your first book is like putting
your baby on the school bus for the first time.
You don’t want to let go and you worry how it will do out in the world. Saying that, I want to thank the many readers
who raved about Virtue, went to the
trouble to post a review, and told their friends about a new book they just
finished in one day!
Q) What were
the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing
your characters to life?
A) Making sure each character has a different
“voice.” The reader has to love your
protagonist and according to the reviews, people pulled out the pom-poms for a
prostitute. That’s not easy. They understood she wasn’t proud of what she
did, however she did take great pride in her work. The other challenging part was explaining the
psychology of why men sought out a prostitute without coming across as
clinical.
Tour Wide Giveaway:
$50 amazon.com giveaway!
To enter leave a comment on
as many blog stops as you can!
After the loss of her
parents, Allison Scott spent the past year of her life being emotionally
disconnected, and afraid of the loss that comes from loving someone. 
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