liz faraim – A. L. Lester

Thanks for letting me stop by and share a guest post with your readers! I’m Liz Faraim and am pleased to announce the release of the third novel in my Vivian Chastain series, titled Concussion and Contentment.

When speaking with readers, bloggers, and podcasters I get asked a lot of questions. I’d like to share some of those with your readers.

Q: Do your books spring to life from a character first or an idea?

A: The first three books (the Vivian Chastain series) came from Vivian Chastain bumping around inside my head demanding to be let out. My most recent project, titled Pinned, started out with one moment in time. It happened to be that I went down to the pier in my town to watch the water during a particularly bad storm and everything in that moment – the sounds, smells, and sights – all needed to be captured. Pinned sprang into life from there.

Q: How did you deal with rejection letters?

A: It is very frustrating to receive a rejection letter, and the process of submitting and being rejected over and over is very disheartening. But the big picture of it is that I just have to keep trying.

Q: What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

A: For me, I have written both by hand and on a computer. I hugely prefer writing on a laptop. I also recommend some good headphones and your favorite non-distracting play list.

Q: If you had a grant to write any book you wanted as a freebie without worrying about sales, what kind of story would you like to tell?

A: I actually did do a writing project last fall with one of my writing groups. The task was to write a horror short story for a Halloween radio show we were putting together. I had never written a true short story before, nor had I written horror. It was really interesting to see how the story flowed out of me and how twisted it was. When I finished editing it I sat back and thought “Where the f*ck did that come from?” I think I would like to explore writing horror some more.

Q: What’s the funniest or creepiest thing you’ve come across while researching for one of your stories?

A: While writing Stitches and Sepsis, I spent a lot of time researching hospital protocols, as well as septicemia and septic shock. The biggest thing that stays with me is when I spent an afternoon looking at online images of septic wounds.

Read on to find out about Concussion and Contentment, read an excerpt and find out more about Liz.

Concussion and Contentment

Warnings: This book contains violence, attempted murder, homophobic slurs, alcohol/drug use, references to suicide, abuse of a child by a parent, abuse of a child by an adult, attempted suicide, racism

Vivian, an adrenaline junkie and U.S. Army veteran, goes about her life as a bartender, avid runner, and polyamorous lesbian. Life in Sacramento, California is going well until she is blindsided by unforeseen financial issues which lead her to consider a new career.

In an attempt to recharge and take a break, she visits her best friend, Jared, only to be sidetrackedby a motorcycle trip with her other best friend, Bear. The adventure does not turn out to be the carefree break Vivian had hoped for. A mess, she returns to Sacramento where her partner, Ang, tries to push her down, rather than help her pick up the pieces. Meanwhile, Vivian takes big steps
with her other partner, Audre, which fills a void in Vivian’s life left behind by her dysfunctional and abusive childhood.

While out on a day trip to her favorite hiking trails, Vivian has an epiphany about what line of work she wants to pursue, and chases after it head first while also beginning to mend fences with her brother, Joey.

As things start to stabilize, one of Vivian’s partners commits an act of grave violence, resulting in life-changing consequences for all concerned. Surrounded by friends, Vivian turns over a new leaf and finally finds the contentment she has sought for a lifetime.

You can purchase Canopy (book one) here, Stitches and Sepsis (book two) here, and Concussion and Contentment (book three) here.

Excerpt from Chapter One of Concussion and Contentment:

Sweat dripped and bass pulsed as hundreds of women writhed and bumped to the music. Tick, the club DJ, was killing it. The vibe was so good that I was high on it. There was a line at my station ten people deep, customers jostling for position while dancing and shuffling forward each time I finished a drink order. One of my regulars stepped up and waved a twenty-dollar bill at me. She was in her forties, sporting a bowler hat and forearm tats.

“Viv, show me them titties and tats!” she shouted over the thumping and chatter. I had already stripped down to my sports bra, with my beater hanging from the back pocket of my Dickies. It was hot for April, and the press of sweating, dancing bodies had made the nightclub a sauna.

“Aw, Tig, you know I can’t do that,” I said with a smirk and turned my back to the crowd. Behind the bar was a wall-to-wall mirror. I gyrated my hips to Bubba Sparxxx’s “Ms. New Booty,” which had become a club favorite. I made eye contact with Tig in the mirror as she jumped to the beat, still waving the twenty-dollar bill at me. Shoving down the shyness that crept up, I slapped on the façade of the confident butch barkeep I wore to work. I pulled my sports bra
up, just a bit.

Amidst the chaos, they leaned to the side to see my reflection in the mirror, their mouths

agape, eyes laser focused on me. I kept the tease up for a minute, dancing to the song, pulling my bra up a bit and lowering it again. Each time I lowered it, there was a chorus of “Awwwww’s” behind me. I finally relented and pulled my sports bra completely off. Their hoots and hollers made me grin, and I continued dancing for myself in the mirror.

Just as the song was ending, a bright light flashed in the mirror, reflecting straight into my eyes. I traced the light back along the mirror and saw it was coming from near the front door.

Buck, our bouncer, stood on the rungs of her barstool by the door, flashing her Maglite at me. When we made eye contact, she tapped the top of her head three times, which was the sign that the cops were coming. I shimmied back into my sweaty sports bra, which was no easy feat, and turned back to my customers.
Tig pulled me into a hug across the bar. She tucked the bill into my waistband, her rough fingers lingering far too long on my skin. “Thanks, Viv. Looking good. Those tits and tats, you are so fucking hot. If I weren’t married, things’d be different.”

I patted her cheek and ended the hug, doing my best to keep my cool and stay in my role.

“Good to see you, Tig. The usual?”

She nodded and I poured her an Irish Car Bomb. She slapped some more cash on the bar, dropped the shot glass of whiskey and Bailey’s into her pint of Guinness, and chugged the whole frothing mess while her crew cheered her on. She slammed the pint glass down, wiped her mouth on her bare arm, belched, and disappeared into the fray.

Jen, the barback, bounced up to me with her usual level of cheer, and began unloading glasses fresh from the washer. “Tig still trying to get into your pants?” Her voice dripped with disgust as she fingered the American Spirit cigarette tucked behind her ear.

“Always.” I uncapped some beer bottles and rang up my next customer. “You know, I’ve been doing this job a few years now, and know that there’s a certain level of shit we have to put up with if we want those tips. And I need those tips. But it’s getting less amusing when people forget we are human and not a piece of meat.”

Buy Links: Amazon : NineStar Press : UBL

About Liz

Pronouns: She/Her

Liz has a full plate between balancing a day job, parenting, writing, and finding some semblance of a social life. In past lives she has been a soldier, a bartender, a shoe salesperson, an assistant museum curator, and even a driving instructor. She focuses her writing on strong, queer, female leads who don’t back down.
Liz transplanted to California from New York over thirty years ago. She now lives in the East Bay Area of California and enjoys exploring nature with her wife and son.

Website : Author Facebook (Personal) : Author Facebook (Author Page) : Author Twitter : Author Goodreads : Author QueeRomance Ink : Author Amazon

Liz Faraim is here today as part of her OWL blogtour for Stitches and Sepsis, the second in her brilliant Vivian Chastain series. Welcome back, Liz!

You can read her visit to talk about Canopy, the first in series here!

Howdy. My name is Liz Faraim. I am the author of the Vivian Chastain series. I thought I’d take a moment to answer some questions that I get asked a lot. Enjoy!

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

While researching Stitches and Sepsis I had to do extensive research on how sepsis impacts the body and what types of medical intervention might happen while hospitalized with it. I spent many hours watching videos on how to insert and remove foley catheters, nasogastric feeding tubes, and IVs. Also, don’t do an internet search for images of septic wounds (or do?).

Have you ever taken a trip to research a story? Tell me about it.

Yes! I have hiked every single one of the trails that I write about, I have ridden my motorcycle on every one of the routes described in the series, and I have run every jogging route too. I like to write about places I can describe in detail, which is why Vivian stays mostly in northern California.

What do you do when you get writer’s block?

Writer’s block hits me every time I reach the midpoint and end of each manuscript. Breaking the writer’s block sometimes means taking a writing break for a few weeks to re-read familiar novels or just wallow in self-loathing before getting back to the keyboard.

Do you use a pseudonym? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, I use a pseudonym. I chose to do this because I work in a very conservative and heavily scrutinized field for my day job, and for me to feel truly free to write what I want to write, I need to do it under a different name.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Liz, just as you assumed, not everybody is going to like your work (including family). But do it anyway. You don’t have to please everyone. Write what you want, because someone out there will connect with it.

Do you ever base your characters on real people? If so, what are the pitfalls you’ve run into doing so?

Yes, I have based a few characters on people I have come into contact with over the years. The only pitfall I have run in to so far is that the person I based the character Bear on (who plays a much larger role in book three) passed away before my books were published. Bear was my best friend, and we used to do writing exercises where we’d each write an excerpt and pass the story back and forth, continually adding to it. I know she would be so proud of me for finally getting published. I just wish she had lived long enough to read about herself in my books.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It depends! Whatever project I happen to be working on during National Novel Writing Month gets wrapped up in about six to eight weeks. If I am writing any other time of the year it takes about six months. I balance a demanding day job and solo parenting, so I don’t have much time to dedicate solely to writing.

What do you do if you get a brilliant idea at a bad time?

This happens all the time! I have random notes stored in my phone, on sticky notes on my desk, and scribbled on note pads. One thing I have to get better about is giving more context when I make a note for myself, because the current sticky note on my desk just says “gloves,” “daffodils” and “foghorn.” I think I know what I was trying to say, but who knows!

Liz has a prize draw as part of the Stitches and Sepsis launch! Win a $20 giftcard!

Stitches and Sepsis

Contemporary, thriller, ff, lesbian, polyamory, poly, Dom/sub relationship, multiple partners, ex-military, bartender, LGBTQ, queer, thriller, new release, announcement

Adrenaline addicted veteran, Vivian Chastain, confronts the man who has been following her for days, only to find he has a message of dire consequence for her. Spurred into action by his news, she barrels head on into a tumultuous and violent series of events. Stoic and stubborn, Vivian lands in the hospital, fighting for her life.

During Vivian’s lengthy recovery, her partner is released from jail and the two reconnect, stoking up the flames of their toxic union all while Vivian dives into a blossoming relationship with a new love interest who offers fulfillment and love, if only Vivian can figure out how to allow it all in.

Still on the mend, she learns that the coast is not clear as former threats return and continue to endanger her. While she cannot rest easy; friends, her work crew, and customers at the night club where she tends bar provide her with much needed fun, comradery, and support.

Vivian wrestles with her temper, her penchant for physical violence, and her overwhelming emotional baggage. Struggles from within and without threaten her existence, and in the moment when death is just a breath away, Vivian’s brother shows up and changes everything.

Warnings: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers, graphic violence, self-harm, references to PTSD, domestic abuse, animal abuse, homophobic slurs, sexual assault (reference to past), death of a secondary character

Buy Stitches & Sepsis