Today I am so pleased to welcome Don Allmon to Joyfully Jay. Don has come to talk to us about his latest release, The Glamour Thieves. He has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Don a big welcome!

Glamour Thieves Tour Banner

When I Die, Please Delete My Browser History

Like any writer, my browser history is filled with some pretty sketchy things. I’m writing SF/F and romance, so there’s going to be research on explosives and drugs and hacking techniques mixed in with research on the best rope to use for a bondage scene. So I figured I’d pick through my browser history and give y’all a taste of what a writer’s research is like.

First there’s the technical stuff:

  • Endless clicks on the street-level view of Google maps. Seriously, I have spent entire days of my life doing this: studying neighborhoods, stretches of deserted roads, and checking to make sure my descriptions of views from various locations are accurate.
  • I researched the hell out of fuel cells. What kinds are there? What was required to make them viable? How long would one last? In the end I chose one that required nano-engineered gold foil that mimicked the properties of platinum, something my world’s tech allowed.
  • I researched GPS. How does it work and how can you spoof it? This wasn’t something that figured much into Glamour Thieves but it’s pretty important to the second book in the series, Apocalypse Alley.
  •  I looked up the velocity of various caliber bullets shot from various powered guns at various ranges to ballpark the timing of the Nightshrike attack on Buzz and JT. I did the conservation of energy calculations from bullets to snowballs to see whether a snowball like that could still break bones.

And then the crazier searches:

  • I researched the teeth and jaw structures of human, apes, and tusked animals so that I knew exactly how JT’s mouth worked.
  • I looked up the height of a Corvette’s window to see if Austin’s crotch would fall at the right level for… erm… access by someone sitting inside. Indeed, it does.
  • I watched a bunch of videos of guys getting various genital piercings. I’m not telling you why. (Pssst! Book Three.)
  • I looked up the average amount of semen a human shoots. And then just for comparison’s sake, a horse. I tried to determine if semen was a non-compressible fluid but it didn’t look like anyone had done that research. I gave up and assumed it was.
  • I looked up the supposed weight of a human soul.

And if you read the book, you’re looking at that list right now and you’re wondering where the hell all of that was in the story? Where does the story talk about the quantum chemical properties of platinum? Where are the Prince Alberts and ouchier things? Weight of a human soul? Dude, wtf? Why spend so much time researching things that aren’t even in the book?

It’s the iceberg metaphor: 95% of your world the reader never sees, but you need it to support that 5% of the world they do.

And I hate to admit it, but there’s weirder shit yet. So, please, when I die, delete my browser history.


Blurb

Glamour ThievesJT is an orc on the way up. He’s got his own boutique robotics shop, high-end clientele, and deep-pocketed investors. He’s even mentoring an orc teen who reminds him a bit too much of himself back in the day.

Then Austin shows up, and the elf’s got the same hard body and silver tongue as he did two years ago when they used to be friends and might have been more. He’s also got a stolen car to bribe JT to saying yes to one last scheme: stealing the virtual intelligence called Blue Unicorn.

Soon JT’s up to his tusks in trouble, and it ain’t just zombies and Chinese triads threatening to tear his new life apart. Austin wants a second chance with JT—this time as more than just a friend—and even the Blue Unicorn is trying to play matchmaker.


Bio

In his night job, Don Allmon writes science fiction, fantasy, and romance. In his day job, he’s an IT drone. He holds a master of arts in English literature from the University of Kansas and wrote his thesis on the influence of royal hunting culture on medieval werewolf stories. He’s a fan of role-playing games, both video and tabletop. He has lived all over from New York to San Francisco, but currently lives on the prairies of Kansas with many animals.

Connect with Don:


Giveaway

To celebrate the release of The Glamour Thieves, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 2, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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