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Please Help Her!

Posted by Tara Taylor Quinn, 12 months ago

I am a USA Today Bestselling author of fifty-six romance and suspense novels. My husband and I are on a fifty stop original post blog tour to raise awareness for the fight against domestic abuse as we bring our own true love story to the world. We're here in Canada today hoping you all will join with us to give voice to the existence of domestic violence and to offer support to the thousands of women who suffer silently from this debilitating disease.

I am a survivor. If you are a victim, you can be a survivor, too. Or you can help someone else on her path to survival. Our story, It Happened On Maple Street, is written in novel form. This isn't a memoir, or a self help book. It's a love story like all of the other love stories I've told throughout my career. It's a gripping read purely as a novel to fill up those stolen 'reading' moments.

And it is also a way for women who might be suffering from domestic violence, who maybe haven't faced their situations, or more likely, are living in the silence, afraid to speak up to speak, to find their way out.

As readers we identify with the characters of the books we read. We often become them, live vicariously through them. We laugh with them. We cry with them. As readers we enter the pages of the books we read, escaping our lives to experience new and different things with the heroes and heroines beneath the covers. And so many times we come away from the books we read with new understanding, with things to ponder. And sometimes with the hope for a new and better life.

The heroine in It Happened On Maple Street was deeply in love at eighteen. And while she and her true love struggled to grow up, to find a way to be together, the heroine's innocence, her ability to open her heart and give of her deepest self, was shattered by another man. Again and again.

But true love does not die. Even when the heroine no longer believes in her ability to feel it. To give it.

It Happened On Maple Street is a love story in the purest sense. And it is a read that will take women on a journey from darkness to light. From hopelessness to faith. From deepest lonliness to joy.

Most often, when a women is caught in the domestic violence cycle, kind words of advice and support are not enough to get her out. Her mind has been victimized as much or more than her body. She believes that she is unlovable. That the only one who will ever love her is her abuser. She might believe that the abuse is her fault. And the sting of shame might be worse than the sting of the next slap. The biggest problem is not a lack of money to provide for herself or her children, or even fear of his retribution - though those are often the contributers that she tells herself keeps her in the situation. The real problem is her lack of belief in her own worthiness. Her lack of faith and hope and trust. Her biggest problem is that her abuser has robbed her of the inner tools she needs to save herself.

I know. I was there. I am smart. And successful. And I was that woman who was unworthy. By the grace of true love, I found my way out. And my husband, Tim Barney, and I are now dedicated to helping other women find a way out as well. Not with kind words, but by taking them on the mental journey necessary to find themselves again.

I am risking everything - putting my deepest shames out there in the hope that good can come of the thirty years I lost.

I've been receiving testimonials from women who have been helped by this book. And from women who have been better able to help others after having read the book.

There are copies of It Happened On Maple Street available for purchase here on this website. There are copies on the shelves of Chapter's Book stores all over Canada. They're available for Kindle at Amazon.com. If you suspect that someone you know and care about is a victim of domestic abuse, please buy her a copy of this book. Help her find her own way out - a way that no amount of friendly advice can give her.

If you've read the book, or have emotional support to offer, please comment and let others know. Here, today, and on the rest of our blog tour. (Schedule at www.tarataylorquinn.com) Together we can build momentum that can change the world - the world of one woman at a time.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, or if you suspect someone is, please contact www.thehotline.org, or call, toll free, 24/7, 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). The call can be anonymous and is always confidential. There is not one second of life that is worth wasting.

Next tour stop: Wednesday, May 4, Storybroads: www.storybroads.com.

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The Grass Needs To Be Mowed

Posted by Tara Taylor Quinn, 13 months ago

Tim and I are on book tour over the next several weeks. A lot of exciting things are happening. Our lives are changing yet again. There are panicky moments. Questions without answers. We're embarking on a journey into the unknown. Regular sleep is a thing of the past. And today, I have three things of note to bring to you.

1. The Grass Needs to be Mowed. When life gets out of control, when panic sets in, focus on something little. Something that is mundane and normal and manageable. I am an author. I am a domestic violence survivor. I'm an advocate and a voice to the world about a tough subject that is too much a part of me to pretend otherwise. I cannot be on this course without feeling the effects of the light I'm shining. Without succumbing to the residuals of abuse along the way. But I can mow the grass. I can put on my jeans, tie the laces on my black leather hiking boots, climb onto the mower, turn the key and drive slowly around the yard in orderly fashion, leaving strips of beautifully manicured green grass in my wake. I am capable. The grass needs me. And I need it. In the midst of chaos, there is oridnary.

2. Not All Beds Are Alike. We make our beds. We lie in them. But they are not all equal. And so it is important to choose the bed on which we lay. Sleep is at a premium right now. I cannot afford to toss and turn on a mattress that is too soft. Or to lie stiffly upon one that is too firm. But for most every body, there is a mattress that feels just right. I know. I've tried out many of them over the past couple of weeks. And I"ve found a couple of them that hold my body gently, kindly, absorbing my fatigue naturally, allowing the exhuastion to seep from me to it, as though we were hooked up to transfusion equipment. The road doesn't have to be easy. Nor is the bed always readily available. But when we're called to a difficult road, that is when we most need to pay attention to the bed.

3. Sometimes Stench is Good. Airplane accomodations tend to be a bit cozy. In the past week, I've been on four nearly coast to coast flights. And the last one, the one on which I was most tired, contained a flight attendant with an overly active spraying finger. She'd used it to apply her perfume. I noticed the second I stepped on the plane. I noticed it when I took my seat. We were in the first row. Right behind the flight attendant's galley. I was going to be spending untold numbers of minutes stretching into hours, sharing my space with that scent. Why not? Obviously she liked it. She had a right to wear it. No, more like, she had a reason to wear it. A short time into the flgiht, it was time for her to serve the airline's patrons. Pushing her cart in front of her, she left my area, taking her scent with her. I was more aware of the clouds outside my window. Of the sound of the engines. Of the popping in my ears. I could feel the turbulance. And thought about how tired I was and how far I had yet to travel. The flight attendant had run out of something. She breezed by our row on her way to collect the item she needed. Her scent wafted past with her. Back again. The clouds outside took on different form, like waves on a ride in Disneyland. I had time to relax. To enjoy just being - without responsibility of any kind. The flight attendant moved about the cabin, taking her scent with her. I vascilatted between a state of peaceful acceptance and achy fatigue. And I remembered something I've known for many years. Essential oils affect mental and physical stress. Jasmine - an attribute in many perfumes - relieves headache, depression, boosts confidence and helps relieve tension and stress. I've studied essential oils. Jasmine is one of the most expensive (due to the extraction process which requires many flowers per small amount of oil.) I have a vial of it in my desk and use it sparingly. And the flight attendant's perfume had high tones of jasmine. I'd been gifted with an overpowering scent that had healing properties.

This post is brought to you as part of the It Happened On Maple Street International Blog Tour. For a complete tour schedule visit www.tarataylorquinn.com. All blog commenters are added to the weekly basket list. Gift Basket given each week to one randomly drawn name on the list.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, or if you suspect someone is, please contact www.thehotline.org, or call, toll free, 24/7, 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). The call can be anonymous and is always confidential. There is not one second of life that is worth wasting.

Next tour stop, Wednesday, April 13. www.storybroads.com.

To get your copy of It Happened On Maple Street, visit your favorite bookseller, or www.maplestreetbook.com.

Don’t miss The Chapman Files! Still available at Amazon.

It Happened On Maple Street is available on Kindle and Nook, too!

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MAPLE STREET CYBER BLOG PARTY

Posted by Tara Taylor Quinn, 14 months ago

We're here! community.indigo.ca/posts/Tara-Taylor-Quinn/user-452412/608295.html

Come On IN!

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Cyber Blog Party - Part Five

Posted by Tara Taylor Quinn, 14 months ago

Hey, check this site out. We were here last fall and they've re-decorated! The first thing Tim and I noticed is that they have It Happened On Maple Street on the shelves!! Yea!!

We've brought our cyber blog party celebrating today's release of It Happened on Maple Street, our true life love story, back to Canada. I'm still Tara Taylor Quinn. The love of my life is a little wrinkled from travel, a little eager for the wine he knows is coming soon, and having the time of his life. The grin on his face and the twinkle in his eye tells that story.

If you've missed today's earlier posts, there's a schedule posted below. We've been telling about how I, a best selling romance author with over fifty books, ended up telling her own true life love story. And how an engineer became an author.

And, we've been talking about domestic violence, too. I'm a victim. I'm also a survivor.

We were invited to write our story. We wrote the book. It wasn't easy. I was up, sitting in bed with a laptop on my knees and Tim sleeping beside me, until four o'clock in the morning to make our deadline. I was very relieved to send the book off. I needed it done. Out of my life.

And, of course, it came back to us. I'm an author. I've done this publishing process 56 times now. I know that I'm going to see the book a couple of more times in various forms before it goes to print.

Yet when I got the email with this particular manuscript attached I was surprised. I had to go through the entire thing again. Read it word for word. I couldn't do it alone. I couldn't take that trip by myself again.

And then it occurred to me. I didn't have to! I wasn't alone anymore. I have a partner and we go together. Tim could probably think of better things to do than proofreading. He's not a huge reader to begin with. I had the perfect plan. I'd read the book aloud to him. We could do this together. And I knew when. We had a road trip planned that Sunday.

Tim (stepping forward): Our day was planned. We would take a drive to our favorite outlet mall in Jeffersonville and do what we do best, spend money on us. Along the way Tara announced she would be reading the printout from It Happened On Maple Street so I could help look for mistakes. That meant no Led Zeppelin along the way, because I know Tara doesn't like to compete with the radio. About ten minutes into the drive Tara was gungho and started reading. No easing into this one, I thought to myself.

Tara: I had to get it over and done with or I'd put it off forever.

Tim: As she read I was drawn in the story. Up until that point I had only heard the story in bits and pieces as we wrote them. But now I was hearing it as everyone would be reading it. As a whole. It was kind of strange hearing my own words being repeated back to me, but on the other hand they sounded pretty good. They flowed.

Tara (I'm grinning): Tim calls it like it is, even when he has to admit when he does something right. And he's right. The words flowed.

Tim (he was grinning, too, but now he's got a serious look on his face) : By the time Tara finished reading, all I could think was WOW. She'd turned our words into a story worth reading. From that point on I knew we had not made a mistake. That's when I started thinking about ways to promote our book.

I didn't want to think about promotion. Promotion meant exposing myself to the world. Tara Taylor Quinn is pretty good at that. Tara Gumser quaked with fear.

What do you think? Would you be able to send your life story out into the world for everyone to see?

To find out what happens next, follow along with us to the last leg of today's party at bordersblog.com/trueromance/.

To be entered to win today's one of a kind Maple Street collectible basket filled with Tim and Tara favorites, comment on all six of today's blog posts. They can be found here:

Part One: MIRA Authors, community.eharlequin.com/content/mira-author-blog; Part Two: HCI Books, maplestreetbook.com; Part Three: RomCon, www.romconinc.com/index.php/conversations/blog/4; Part Four: National Domestic Violence Hotline, www.thehotline.org/category/share-your-voice/; Part Five: Chapter’s Books, community.indigo.ca//find/community-posts/1.html; Part Six: Border’s Books, bordersblog.com/trueromance/.

This post is brought to you as part of the It Happened On Maple Street International Blog Tour. For a complete tour schedule visit www.tarataylorquinn.com.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, or if you suspect someone is, please contact www.thehotline.org, or call, toll free, 24/7, 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). The call can be anonymous and is always confidential. There is not one second of life that is worth wasting.

Next tour stop, Saturday April 2, Deena Remiel’s Place, deenar116.wordpress.com/

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Do You Want To Be Scared? (Tara Taylor Quinn)

Posted by Tara Taylor Quinn, 2 years ago

I write suspense. I'm told I do it very well. As a matter of fact I had a call from a relative of mine - one not known for giving effusive praise - who said that she'd just finished my current release, The Third Secret. This is my 53rd book and she's read many of them. She said, paraphrasing only a litte, 'You know, you really write a good mystery.' Said nicely. With just a tad bit of a note of surprise in her voice. Reviewers have gushed over this book. My relatives praise says it all to me.

And it started me thinking. Why would she be surprised that I write a good mystery. Well, of course, there's the obvious, she didn't think I could write. Or write well. My ability to do something really good surprised her. And maybe so. Or maybe it's that she's surprised that I, Tara, the girl who's timid in most cases, who choosed to bury herself in romance novels, could tell a good scary story.

I'm with her on that one. I would no more choose to watch a scary movie than to skin my knee. I'm not into horror or suspense or blood and gore. I shy away from the news - it's usually all bad.

So why do I write suspense? Do I secretly like to be scared? But only when I can control the level of fear?

I'm turning this one on you all. Why do you read suspense? Do you like to be scared?

This post is brought to you as part of The Chapman Files International Blog Tour. Please join us in our fight against domestic abuse. We’re hosting a charity skate/walkathon on December 4th in Phoenix, Arizona. If you can join us, we’d love to have you. Tim and I are skating and we’re going to have a blast. If you aren’t going to be in the area, you can still sponsor us. Please. In our downed economy domestic abuse has risen and the monies to help have dwindled. To register for the skate, or to donate any amount to the cause, click here: www.predatorspeed.org/, or go to www.tarataylorquinn.com/ and click donate.

There’s an item from our new book, The Third Secret, hidden on the tour with us. Guess the item to enter the drawing to win it! Today’s clue: They're often stored upside down. Send all guesses to staff@tarataylorquinn.com. To see previous clues visit blog sites listed at www.tarataylorquinn.com/. Guess as many times as you’d like!

Don’t miss The Chapman File tour party on December 4th at www.eharlequin.com/! We’re giving away a KOBO e-reader and many other cool prizes! All you have to do to be entered to win is leave comments on the tour!

E-books of all of The Chapman File Stories are available at amzn.to/bmJzp4.

Next tour stop: Sunday, November 14, 2010. Australia Romance Readers Association: australianromancereaders.wordpress.com/ . We hope to see you back here! The more blogs you visit with us, the more chances you have to win! Every time you comment your name is dropped in the bag for the prize drawings.

For weekly blog tour dates, visit www.tarataylorquinn.com/. Or to have the weekly schedule sent directly to your email, send request to staff@tarataylorquinn.com.

The Third Secret by Tara Taylor Quinn. MIRA, ©2010. ISBN 9780778328346 (paperback), 400p. www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Third-Secret-Tara-Taylor-Quinn/9780778328346-item.html?ikwid=tara+taylor+quinn&ikwsec=Books

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Where Have All The Bookstores Gone? (Tara Taylor Quinn and Kelly Chapman)

Posted by Tara Taylor Quinn, 2 years ago

Welcome again to The Chapman File International Blog Tour. Today Kelly and I wanted to talk about bookstores. In our travels we've noticed a significant lack of bookstores. We're noticing, of course, because The First Wife, the first Chapman File, is officially released in just four days. We're anxious to see it on the shelves. It's available here at Chapters.indigo. In e-book and print. It hit #1 this week for Superromances at another cyber bookstore. But there's nothing like walking into a brick and mortar building and actually reaching out and touching the book. Feeling my fingers slide over the gloss of the cover. Touching the pages. Smelling them. Seeing the words I've written actually in print on the pages.

For Kelly, this is going to be a first. This is her first published book ever. I've been talking to her about how it never changes. No matter how many books I've published, each one feels like the first. I've been telling her how great it's going to feel. And how she'll worry, too, like when a mother sends her firstborn off to kindergarten.

But the thing is, we're finding very few bookstores to visit. Even stores from major chains have closed. And we read this week that Border's, one of the major chains with store closures, has now made the decision to carry things other than books. Build-A-Bear for instance.

I love Build-a-Bear. I've done it. It's a very cool concept. A great idea for a birthday party. Or a girlfriend send off. But it's not a quiet process. It's frenetic and silly and fun. And messy, too. In a bookstore? I'm not getting it. When I go to bookstores, I want to browse in an atmosphere where I can focus, read, decide which of all of the marvelous choices I'm going to be able to take home with me. I want to be able to sit a while. To read some. How am I going to do that with young girls building bears in my midst?

I'm not. I'm going to watch them build their bears. And listen to their sweet voices as they make their choices.

I recently spoke with a woman who has had an independent bookstore in a town where I grew up for more years than I can count. She does an amazing buisness. Or she did. She can't compete anymore. She wanted to host a signing for Kelly and I but couldn't afford to buy the numbers of books she'd have to buy. She'd make the money back, but she didn't have it to front. Because she's been squeezed out of business by those who can buy in bulk and sell for less. She told me what kind of discount she gets on books compared to the larger conglomerates.

As readers, we go where we can get our books for less. I'm afraid that pretty soon, we won't have anywhere to 'go' at all. I'm afraid that the only place we'll be able to walk among shelves and shelves of books, to pull them off and thumb through them, to touch and veiw and smell and hold, will be the library.

Maybe I'm just behind the times and clinging to the past in my love of the traditional, shelves filled with books, bookstores.

I have two e-readers. I love them, too. In some situations they're a godsend. I'm thrilled that all four of The Chapman Files are available as e-books. I just want it all, I guess. I want technology and progress and all of the exciting things the future holds. And I want traditional, too.

By the way, Kelly wanted me to mention that The First Wife is also available on audiobook. We heard an excerpt of it last week. Very strange experience!

For those of you just joining us, as we tour, Kelly and I are asking for help. If you can, join us in our fight against Domestic Abuse. Since February of this year, the United States’ first battered women’s shelter, Strengthen Our Sisters is down $400,000.00 in donations. If you’d like to help, click here to go directly to a secure paypal sight. www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VR7WPWDHR6KFS.

There’s an item from our new book, The First Wife, hidden on the tour with us. Guess the item to enter the drawing to win it! Today’s clue: Some people keep them in the bedroom. Send all guesses to staff@tarataylorquinn.com. For previous clues visit blog sites listed at www.tarataylorquinn.com.

Don’t miss The Chapman File tour party on December 4th on www.e-harlequin.com! Tour random prize winners will be announced!

Next tour stop: Tuesday, September 14, 2010. MIRA Authors. community.eharlequin.com/content/mira-author-blog. We hope to see you there! The more blogs you visit with us, the more chances you have to win! Every time you comment your name is dropped in the bag for the prize drawings.

For weekly blog tour dates, visit www.tarataylorquinn.com. Or to have the weekly schedule sent directly to your email, send request to staff@tarataylorquinn.com.

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The Chapman Files International Blog Tour

Posted by Tara Taylor Quinn, 2 years ago

Expert witness psychologist Kelly Chapman and I, Tara Taylor Quinn, her conduit, arrived in Canada this morning just to visit Chapters. I'm gazing around like a tourist. Kelly's taking everything in stride. I travel a lot. She travels a lot more.

We have a lot of friends on tour with us. They're all booklovers. Which is why we're here. We wanted them to see this great store. Chapter's has graciously purchased all four of our books, too! The First Wife will be here in a matter of days. And then The Second Lie, The Third Secret and The Fourth Victim are here in October, November and December. Kelly's the star of the show. Each book is one of her files so you'd have to talk to her about them. I'm just the typist. And the wordsmith.

We'd love to have you all join the tour with us. Over the next three months we're traveling around the globe, visiting all kinds of blogs, raising money and support for the fight against domestic abuse. We're having contests and looking for mystery gifts and making random drawings for giveaways, too.

On Monday, we've got a very special visit. Right here in Canada. We'll be in Toronto, over at Harlequin. But what makes this stop so special is that we're going to have a visitor. Sandra Ramos, founder of the first battered women's shelter in the United States, is going to be with us. She's got some powerful things to say. I hope you all join us.

And to my friends on the tour - I can't wait for you to meet Sandra. She's one of those people who really has changed the world. She just doesn't quit. No matter what. She's a huge inspiration to me.

Now, everyone take a look around. We brought you here for your enjoyment. What do you think of Chapters? And has anyone seen any diet coke? Kelly and I rushed here so quickly we haven't had our caffeine yet!

Over the next three months, as we celebrate The Chapman Files, Kelly and I are going to be asking for help. If you can, join us in our fight against Domestic Abuse. Since February of this year, the United States’ first battered women’s shelter, Strengthen Our Sisters is down $400,000.00 in donations. Some of the staff members are working without pay as they struggle to pay mortgages on ten houses filled to capacity and keep their women and children housed and safe. If you’d like to help, click here to go directly to a secure paypal sight. www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VR7WPWDHR6KFS.

There’s an item from our new book, The First Wife, hidden on the tour with us. Guess the item to enter the drawing to win it! Today’s clue: There's writing on it. Send all guesses to staff@tarataylorquinn.com. To see previous clues visit blog sites listed at www.tarataylorquinn.com.

Don’t miss The Chapman File tour party on December 4th! Tour prize winners will be announced!

E-books of all of The Chapman File Stories are available for pre-order at amzn.to/bmJzp4.

Next tour stop: Monday, September 6, 2010. Harlequin Superromance Authors bit.ly/aiYPeY. We hope to see you there! The more blogs you visit with us, the more chances you have to win! Every time you comment your name is dropped in the bag for the prize drawings.

For weekly blog tour dates, visit www.tarataylorquinn.com. Or to have the weekly schedule sent directly to your email, send request to staff@tarataylorquinn.com

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