Author Spotlight - Except from Landed by a Flyboy

May Williams is sharing an excerpt from her latest DB release, "Landed by a Flyboy" today. Leave a post after reading the excerpt with your name and email, Fri, Sat, & Sun, and one lucky winner will receive a PDF copy of May's World War II Romance, "Landed by a Flyboy."

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Moderator Steph

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"Lodging a complaint about me already, Miss Stevens?" the masculine voice that had been stuck in her head since this morning said very close to her ear in the base's parking lot. "I thought I behaved pretty well this morning."

Bertie turned her head a fraction to see Captain Marsh's cool blue eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be flying planes, Captain, or are you all talk?"

"I'm headed for my pre-flight meeting right now. Care to join me?"

"Me? No thanks."

"Scared?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm busy. And somehow I think your one-day tenure on this base wouldn't allow you to fly guests."
"I'll still say you're chicken until you fly with me. I promise to behave for most of the flight." His intoxicating smile nearly convinced her to accept.

"I need to get back. Elsie will be expecting me."

"Ah, Elsie. Wonderful woman." He patted his stomach. "So kind, too."

Bertie took the obvious bait. "Captain Marsh, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot yesterday, so why don't we pretend we met this morning?"

"Fine by me, lady." Captain Marsh repeated his phrase from the previous day, but now it sounded friendly and just a little teasing.

"Don't call me lady. It makes me feel old." Bertie opened the door of her car and slid onto the seat.

"Sweetheart, any man who saw you in that swimsuit today would never make that mistake." He closed the car's door and stuck his head in the open window. His eyes, intensified by the dimmed light, focused on her face. For a second, Bertie thought he meant to kiss her. An appealing idea, but not a smart one.

"I'll see you later, Captain," Bertie collected herself enough to say. If she was lucky, the interior of the car hid her deep blush.


Contact and Buy links:

www.maywilliams.com

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May Williams on Facebook

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http://www.amazon.com/Landed-by-a-Flyboy-ebook/dp/B005K4YCHS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1315964455&sr=8-5

Author Spotlight - May Williams discusses "mood" in writing

Mood. Are you in a good mood? Are you in a bad mood? (I've learned over the years to never ask that question. Asking only magnifies a bad mood.) Mood determines almost everything we do and our reaction to events. A few weeks ago when I sat with my children to watch the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, I thought about the mood of the nation. I recall the mood of the actual 9/11 - fear, paranoia, sadness. The fear has faded to be replaced by a profound sorrow ten years later. Yet, on September 12, 2011, we all went to work, played ball in the yard, and watched for the first signs of autumn. Life goes on, we go on.

I often thought about mood when I was writing Landed by a Flyboy. What was the mood of the nation at the height of WWII? The mood of the people after seeing war or waiting to hear news from loved ones? Through it all, life went on and that's what I have always admired about the WWII generation. I love reading about WWII, but not the battles. I leave those books to my husband. I read about the women who joined the service in the Wacs, Waves, Wasps, or Spars. I read about Rosie the Riveter. I read about the housewives who grew Victory Gardens and figured out how to feed and cloth their kids when supplies were rationed.

I think in the post 9/11 world we are more like the WWII generation than we realize. We've struggled with the somber mood of tragedy, but tucked in and made the best out of the last ten difficult years. I worry about the nation's mood because I've got two kids. They don't know any America but the post 9/11 version. I worry and then I remember that the WWII generation is considered the greatest generation. Maybe our kids' generation will be great, too.

Author Spotlight - May Williams shares her favorite film

As I mentioned in the Q and A from Monday, I love vintage film so I thought I would talk about one of my favorites today. The film that I could watch over and over is Desk Set (1957). This film from 20th Century Fox stars Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. I don't think there has even been a Hollywood couple with more chemistry than these two.

In the movie, Hepburn (ironically named Bunny) works in the research department of a major TV network. Tracy plays one of the first computer experts who is supposed to be designing a computer to do the work of the research department. As he finds out (and we already know here in the 21st century), the computer can only do so much. People have more value and more knowledge than machines. In the process of figuring this out, Hepburn and Tracy fall in love.

Although I enjoy the spunk of Hepburn in all of her films, I think she is particularly savvy and witty in Desk Set. The three ladies she works with are equally smart plus they all wear some fabulous 1950s dresses. My favorite scene is the Christmas party that roams through the different departments at the network. I've never been to a party quite like that, but it sure looks like fun.

Author Spotlight - May Williams talks about her passion for historicals

I love history. I come from a long line of serious history buffs. I think the WWII setting that I use in Flyboy really comes from my experiences as a kid. I remember reading William Manchester’s The Glory and the Dream when I was in about the sixth grade. In a nutshell, Manchester’s book is the history of America from 1932-1972. I got an official foundation about WWII from that book, but many personal stories from the people in the small town where I grew up. Whether they were veterans or housewives, they all had a story to tell about life during the war.

My interest in history isn’t only 20th century. I love to look back to time periods when women wore beautiful gowns, everyone had polished manners, and rakes could be reformed. My next book by Desert Breeze is a regency romance called Enchanted by a Lily which is due out on March 15, 2012. Regardless of the time period, history and romance go hand and hand for me. I love the depth that history can give to a story, but a book isn’t a satisfying read for me unless romance blossoms into a happy ending.



Contact and Buy links:

www.maywilliams.com

maywilliams2@twitter.com

May Williams on Facebook

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-201/May-Williams-Landed-by/Detail.bok

http://www.amazon.com/Landed-by-a-Flyboy-ebook/dp/B005K4YCHS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1315964455&sr=8-5

Author Spotlight - Q&A with May Williams

STEPH: I don't know much about "Landed by a Flyboy." What's it about?

MAY: Flyboy is the story of Bertie Stevens who runs a little summer resort in Cape May, NJ during WWII. Her brother has been MIA in the war in Europe, and she’s struggling with the bank who is threatening to foreclose on her property. Captain Greg Marsh, an injured Naval Pilot, comes to quarter at her resort and romantic sparks soon fly.

STEPH: Where did you find the inspiration for the story?

MAY: A few summers ago, we took a family vacation to Cape May. It was my first time on the Jersey Shore and I was amazed at how beautiful it was. My husband and I are both history buffs so we took a look at the remains of WWII in the Cape May area. There’s an old bunker on the beach, two watch towers (one of them inside a hotel), and an airbase (now occupied by the Coast Guard).

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

MAY: I wrote the original story in about a month, but it bears no resemblance to what Flyboy is now. That happened over a period of two years and a ton of revisions.



STEPH: How important is setting to the novel?

MAY: Setting is key. I’ve always been fascinated by WWII on the home front. The way people came together and helped each other is a wonderful lesson for us today. Toss that in with the beauty of Cape May and a handsome flyboy and romance was bound to happen.

STEPH: Did you do a lot of research for it?

MAY: I did some research into the history of Cape May and the military activity that took place there during WWII. Because of its location at the mouth of the Delaware Bay, Cape May was pivotal in forming a defense for the mid-Atlantic region.

STEPH: Hollywood just told you they want to make a movie of your novel. Cast the leads!

MAY: Yikes. I’m terrible at contemporary Hollywood. I’m better at vintage films. I think Betty Grable and Rory Calhoun as they appear in How to Marry a Millionaire would be my idea of the perfect cast.

STEPH: What do you want people to take away from the novel?

MAY: I love a novel that I can escape into and I wrote Flyboy with that in mind. I want readers to be entertained and enjoy the story.

STEPH: Are you a plotter or a panster?

MAY: I’m a plotter or at least I try to be. I do think about all the chapters in advance, but frequently wander off the plot chart into new territory.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

MAY: Flyboy was written during the summer months when I’m stealing moments in between entertaining my kids. Really I write anywhere in or around the house. I do have a little office, but I’m just as often at the dining room table. When the weather is nice, I take my laptop to the front porch. I live directly across the street from a police station and fire station. I like the constant hum of activity.

STEPH: Tell us a little about the state you live in.

MAY: I live in northern Ohio very near Lake Erie. Summers are beautiful, and we have so much to do. There are islands in the lake to visit and the world famous Cedar Point Amusement Park is about a 20 minute drive. Still, my favorite season is fall. The lake keeps us warm through the end of October extending the season. Unfortunately, in the spring, the lake has the opposite effect and we freeze into April. And don’t even ask me about lake effect snow. I can’t think about that yet.


Contact and Buy links:

www.maywilliams.com

maywilliams2@twitter.com

May Williams on Facebook

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-201/May-Williams-Landed-by/Detail.bok

http://www.amazon.com/Landed-by-a-Flyboy-ebook/dp/B005K4YCHS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1315964455&sr=8-5