Book Tour--THE DISILLUSIONED

THE DISILLUSIONED by D.J. Williams
A mystery suspense adventure

BLURB
A mother’s suicide threatens to destroy a family legacy. Her sons, Sam and Daniel, are forced to leave their comfortable worlds behind and search for a woman they believe can unlock the secrets that have remained hidden. They are propelled into separate journeys from Los Angeles to the heart of the Zambezi where they are forced to confront a man known as Die Duiwel, the Devil. On their adventures they will find themselves in a place where death is one breath away, where thousands of children are disappearing into the darkness, and where the woman they are searching for is on the hunt for revenge. When they stand face-to-face with the forgotten slaves of Africa they will fight to redeem what has been lost.

“A fast-paced mystery…you won’t put it down until you’ve unlocked the secrets and lies to find the truth.” Judith McCreary, Co-Executive Producer Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, & CSI

EXCERPT
Drops of rain turned into a torrential downpour as Danny and Sam stood drenched at the edge of a deep hole and a fresh mound of dirt. The casket had already been lowered into the ground, evident by the arm of a crane hovering overhead. A groundskeeper kept his distance a few yards away, careful to allow the boys their final goodbye.

A week ago they were living their own life, far removed from the darkness that had stolen their mother. One shouldered the guilt of a tarnished legacy while the other grew increasingly restless to return to his isolated world.

Danny was still reeling from his face to face with Bowman. How were they going to pay back the money? Where was the money? Why was it stolen in the first place? Should they even do anything, since neither was legally liable? He needed answers.

A wave of anger flushed over Danny as he thought of all his family had lost. Thousands of sermons preached by a man who now seemed as addicted to the almighty dollar as the people who passed the offering plate. He knew his father kept secrets, but nothing had prepared him for the news Bowman planted on him.

“Riveting...an indelible picture painted with suspense.” Mitch Kruse, Author of Restoration Road

ABOUT D.J. WILLIAMS

With the DNA of a world traveler, Williams was born in Hong Kong, has ventured into the jungles of the Amazon, the bush of Africa, and the slums of the Far East, to share stories of those who are overcoming incredible odds. He is the co-author of Restoration Road with Mitch Kruse and has produced and directed over 140 television episodes syndicated on NBC, ABC, FOX and various cable networks worldwide. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife.

Check out his website. Follow him on Twitter @djwilliams316.

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Hey readers,

“An engrossing tale…makes you think about the world we live in and your place in it.” Tony Guerrero, Founder of F.A.C.T. Alliance: Fight Against Child Trafficking

Sounds intense.

Follow the rest of the tour here.

And don’t forget to comment for a chance at a prize.

One randomly drawn commenter will win a $30 Amazon gift certificate.

Writer Hell #2

Hello folks,

I’m only on number 2, and I’m already sick of seeing this title on my blog posts. I know, however, that there will be many to come.

Back in February, I wrote about Writer Hell #1. Check that out when you’re really down about writing.

Unfortunately, this one is no happier. As I’ve said many times by this point, I’m working on my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University. What does that mean exactly? It means I get a lot of headaches—today no exception.

Last month, I wrote “The End” on the rough draft of my thesis novel. Man, that felt amazing. Last week (or maybe it was the week before) I made a painful decision. My thesis is currently in three parts, aptly named “Part 1,” Part 2,” and “Part 3.” I know, original, right? I would have come up with more creative titles eventually.

Would have, yes. Because Part 1 is no longer with us. After agonizing over it, I realized/finally let myself admit that Part 1 just didn’t match parts 2 and 3. It’s the same story, but the events are too far away. Part 1 needs to be its own book. And so it was cut.

Ready for it…I’m cutting a grand total of….

39,420 words

OUCH!!!

Yes, that hurts, burns, causes pain of any kind. With the manuscript sitting at approximately 107k words, that’s almost half. The only saving grace is that the new novel doesn’t need to be quite that long. My minimum goal is 90k, which saves me 17k words to write. That’s still roughly 27k, which, really, isn’t bad.

So maybe it’s not hell in terms of production. Where it is hell, though, is in the cutting. I have so many ideas for Part 1. Up until recently, I hated my thesis with a passion. Finishing the rough draft and getting into the bones of my characters and the story made me love it. I really wanted to see the entire thing (Part 1 and all) at my thesis reading next June. Not gonna happen.

I’m telling myself all kinds of things to cheer myself up—it’s for the best; now I can give it the attention and detail it needs; it’s not a big deal.

But when will I have the time to do it? Not between now and graduation, that’s for sure.

It also kills my title. I had a great title for this book. Now it needs to be a series title, and I need a new title. Ok, that’s a small thing, but it still bugs me.

To the disheartened writer, this is what it’s about. It’s about working, cutting, rebuilding, crying, sweating, hoping, praying, pounding your laptop into the floor, jumping up and down when you hit a milestone. If I can cut 40k words and still be determined to graduate on time, you can be a writer. Yes, I’m terrified, but I like the story now. That’s important. I just need to keep liking it until I finish it.

Ready, set, go!