Author Interview & Giveaway ($10 Amazon/B&N GC) - Hand Over Fist by Michael Ross

Hand Over Fist

by Michael Ross

 

GENRE: Thriller 

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BLURB: 

When an old friend disappears, Martin learns nothing is what it seems…

Martin Russell can barely face the future. With dismal life prospects and an estranged family, he is at the end of his rope. When an old friend, Hannah, elbows her way back into his life, Martin’s luck begins to turn around.

Hidden within the shadows of evil, there must be some good…

Ex-policeman Bobby Tanner lost everything one rage-filled night. Now he runs a reading group for alcoholics where he meets a young drug dealer, Zack, who disturbs him in a way that’s hard to define. Bobby soon discovers the teenager is in over his head and has been dealing with a despicable individual known as The Chemist.

The roots of evil run deeper than we imagine…

Martin’s lucky streak begins to unravel when Hannah suddenly goes missing, and he turns to a friend of a friend, Bobby, for help. Thrust into an underworld empire of corruption and half-truths, he learns his friend may not be who he thought she was.

In a shadowed world of deception, stalkers, and despicable drug dealers, Bobby and Martin must uncover the truth, and fast…

Several lives depend on it.

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EXCERPT: 

Hannah asked questions quicker than she could find answers. 

Why do things happen? Where do they start? Why hadn’t the cyclist seen that big pothole? Why had the van driver been so slow in reacting? Why did the police leave the diversion in force for three whole days after the accident? Why had she diverted down a side road when she could have stayed in the queue? Whatever made her look to the left when she did? Why had the car immediately caught her attention? Why did the sight of that car bother her all next day? Why had she faithfully retraced that convoluted route? Hadn’t she better things to do? Where had she found the time? Why had she stopped and got out of her car? How did she know it had to be his house? Why was she ringing the front door bell? 

“Martin.” 

It came across as a question, a query, an exclamation of astonishment because it was him, yet nothing like him. He had never been good-looking, but his round face had always possessed an undercurrent of charm that flickered through his eyes. Today, he was wearing old fashioned Buddy Holly glasses that hid those eyes… 

His chestnut hair used to be carefully groomed but now hung in limp curls bruised by swathes of grey. His face and body hung stringily around his slack frame, and the smart designer clothing of yesteryear had been replaced by second line charity shop wear. His appearance could be summed up by a single word: defeated. 

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Talking with author Michael Ross

What is your writing environment?

I am very, very lucky. I have a room at the top of the house all to myself, with fantastic views from my skylight windows. 

Who is your perfect hero/heroine and why?

I really like Bobby Tanner, from my novel Hand Over Fist. Life has dealt him a very poor hand, but he gets on with his life and buries the past behind him. (Not always easy to do.)

What authors have caught your interest lately and why?

Neither in a genre within which I write, but I love Virginia Woolf and Salman Rushdie 

Top 3 things on your bucket list?

Visit Peru. Get another rescue dog. Drive route 66.

How did you get the idea for this particular novel?

It evolved form a short story I wrote a few years ago. I wanted to find out about the protagonist's past and what the future was going to bring him. I was as surprised as  anyone when it turned into a mystery thriller.

What is your favorite scene in your new release?

I love the opening scene. I think it is extremely cinematic, with little need for dialogue and poses immediate questions for the reader. In fact onto my bucket list would be to write a screen play for the book.

What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?

I have three books to come out this year: a follow up to Hand Over Fist, a light-hearted romance, and another anthology of short stories.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Walking, watching football and holidaying in either of my two favourite countries, Italy or Poland

What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know? 

 

I went from being a millionaire to being insolvent within an eighteen month period, I know the true value of stuff now!

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

It was a strange and twisting road that led to the publication of my first novel. From my humble beginnings, as an office clerk, to ownership of a multi-million dollar business I always maintained my love for literature. 

Born and raised in Bristol, England. I spent most of my life in business, my companies turning over in the region of $500 million. The majority of that time marketing cars, eventually owning the largest Saab specialist in the world, before a bitter divorce forced me rethink my priorities. Particularly between 2003 and 2005 when I had to accept that I was no longer a millionaire but literally penniless. I avoided bankruptcy by the skin of my teeth and slowly rebuilt my life. 

This led me to the life changing decision to leave the bustling city and move to live halfway up a mountain in the Welsh valleys. At the same time I started a part time six year English Literature course at Bristol University, and attended creative writing classes at Cardiff University. I left school at sixteen and this was my first taste of further education and an immense challenge. 

I eventually adjusted my thinking to the academic life, and on 30 June 2015 had confirmation of my 2.1(Hons) degree from Bristol University. At the same time I also won the prestigious Hopkins Prize for my essay on Virginia Woolf and the unsaid within her text. Now the university courses are finished it will, with any luck, gives me plenty of extra time that I can devote to my fiction writing. 

Thanks to the university experiences, my interest in English literature has flourished over recent years. Hopefully I have evolved as a writer from my earlier work in short stories (over ninety of them.) Although interestingly my first three novels have all been developed from a long forgotten short story. 

Life is, once again, very good, and I live very happily halfway up a mountain, in the Welsh Valleys, with my wonderful partner Mari, and our rescue dog Wolfie.

 

Facebook     www.facebook.com/michaelross.writer

Twitter         http://www.twitter.com/mikerosswriter

Website        www.michaelrosswriter.com

Blog             http://mikerosswriter.wordpress.com

 

AMAZON

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GIVEAWAY: 

Michael will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway