Today I am so pleased to welcome Selina Kray to Joyfully Jay. Selina has come to talk to us about her latest release, The Fruit of the Poisonous Tree (which we reviewed here and gave five stars!). She has also brought along a giveaway to share. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

Hi! I’m Selina Kray, and this is the second stop on the blog tour celebrating the release of Stoker & Bash: The Fruit of the Poisonous Tree. A huge thanks to Jay for hosting me today!

Is there anything that holds more allure, more storytelling potential than a mysterious box? Like Schrödinger’s cat, an unopened box has everything and nothing to offer. It’s the ultimate “what if” to a writer. It gifts your story with endless possibilities… but also builds up expectations that you have to deliver on.

In 2008, J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost and director of instalments of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, gave a famous TED talk about his approach to storytelling. He began with an anecdote, that as a kid he purchased a mystery magic box in a game store and, to this day, he has never opened it. Why, you might ask?

“It represents infinite possibility. It represents hope. It represents potential. What I love about this box — and what I realized I sort of do, in whatever it is that I do — is I find myself drawn to infinite possibility and that sense of potential. And I realize that mystery is the catalyst for imagination… What are stories besides mystery boxes?” (source: http://theweek.com/articles/460936/hey-jj-abrams-time-open-mystery-box)

Writers, however, aren’t as lucky as famous film directors. If we introduce a mysterious box into the narrative of a novel, there better be a payoff when that box gets opened. And so I felt the pressure when I decided to include a version of prophet Joanna Southcott’s Great Box into the plot of Stoker & Bash: The Fruit of the Poisonous Tree.

DI Tim Stoker and his companion Hieronymus Bash are investigating a murder on the compound of a messianic cult, the Daughters of Eden. Their long-dead prophet just so happens to have left behind a box, allegedly full of her prophecies, but possibly containing a major clue. Tim dismisses the box as not being relevant to the murder, but our favorite light-fingered faux detective, Hieronymus Bash, just can’t resist the allure of a mystery box. His own particular brand of chaos ensues.

Does Hiero succeed in opening the Daughters’ box? What clues, if any, are found inside? I hope the answers to these questions and the adventure they lead our detectives on fulfill the promise of my unopened, mysterious box.

Check out J.J. Abrams’ TED talk, definitely worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpjVgF5JDq8


Blurb

When will She open Rebecca Northcote’s box?

Finding lost poodles and retrieving stolen baubles is not how DI Tim Stoker envisioned his partnership with his lover, Hieronymus Bash. So when the police commissioner’s son goes missing, he’s determined to help, no matter what secrets he has to keep, or from whom.

When a family member is kidnapped, Hiero moves heaven and earth to rescue them. Even if that means infiltrating the Daughters of Eden, a cult of wealthy widows devoted to the teachings of Rebecca Northcote and the mysterious contents of her box. The Daughters’ goodwill toward London’s fallen women has given them a saintly reputation, but Hiero has a nose for sniffing out a fraud. He will need to draw on some divine inspiration to rattle the pious Daughters.

Like weeds gnarling the roots of Eden’s fabled tree, Tim and Hiero’s cases intertwine. Serpents, secrets, and echoes from Hiero’s past lurk behind every branch. Giving in to temptation could bind them closer together—or sever their partnership forever. 

Stoker & Bash Series

Book #1 – The Fangs Of Scavo – Amazon US | Amazon UK


Bio

Selina Kray is the nom de plume of an author and English editor. Professionally she has covered all the artsy-fartsy bases, having worked in a bookstore, at a cinema, in children’s television, and in television distribution, up to her latest incarnation as a subtitle editor and grammar nerd (though she may have always been a grammar nerd). A self-proclaimed geek and pop culture junkie who sometimes manages to pry herself away from the review sites and gossip blogs to write fiction of her own, she is a voracious consumer of art with both a capital and lowercase A.

Selina’s aim is to write genre-spanning romances with intricate plots, complex characters, and lots of heart. Whether she has achieved this goal is for you, gentle readers, to decide. At present she is hard at work on future novels at home in Montreal, Quebec, with her wee corgi serving as both foot warmer and in-house critic.

If you’re interested in receiving Selina’s newsletter and being the first to know when new books are released, plus getting sneak peeks at upcoming novels, please sign up at her website: www.selinakray.net


Giveaway

Selina has brought a great tour-wide giveaway. Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • 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.
FILED UNDER: Giveaway, Guest Post
TAGGED: