A moving, fast-paced and incredibly emotional story about love, friendship and transformation.
In this thriller set in a rural Gulf Coast town, Marty Jameson finds refuge in the attic from his mother's abusive rages. But only during the day. At night the attic holds terrors even beyond what he witnesses in his home. With a family made up of a psychotic mother, a drug-dealing father and a comatose older brother withering away in the spare bedroom, Marty feels trapped.
Next door, wheel-chair bound Sadie Marsh obsessively watches Marty's comings and goings from her bedroom window, despite her mother's warning about the evil in that house. Evil which appears to Sadie as huge black-winged creatures.
Marty, emotionally torn by the violence and dysfunction in his family, is drawn to Sadie and her kindly mother. But if he is to save his new friend from the supernatural horror threatening them all, Marty must transform himself from victim to hero. And to do so, he must first confront what lurks hidden in the shadows of his attic.
Wink is a thriller that captivates readers and leaves them longing for more. Trant is a talented author whose character descriptions go far beyond the physical.
Paperback: 275 pages
Publisher: WiDo Publishing (May 7, 2013)
ISBN: 193717834X
ISBN-13: 978-1937178345
ASIN: B00CE4OP1K
Twitter hashtag: #WINK
Wink is available as a print and e-book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Book Giveaway Contest:
To win a copy of Wink, please enter using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. The giveaway contest closes next Friday, August 2nd at 12:00 AM EST. We will announce the winner the same day in the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!
About the Author:
Eric is an advocate for organ donation and lost his 18mo son in May of 2012. Eric and his wife courageously donated their son’s heart, kidneys, and liver. The couple went on to begin a foundation to support organ donor families. Eric speaks openly about this emotional journey on his blog and the topic of organ donation is very close to his heart.
Find out more about the author by visiting him online:
Author website: www.EricTrant.com
Author blog: http://diggingwiththeworms.blogspot.com/
Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/eric.trant.9
-----Interview by Crystal J. Otto
WOW: Eric, I enjoyed reading Wink (it certainly grabbed my attention and kept me at the edge of my seat) and would hope you could share with us where the ideas for this thriller came from? Marty’s uncle in particular?
Eric: I decided I had enough to write the story in 2011. I can't say where I got Uncle Cooper from, or the glass eye, but I can say I have an unhealthy fear of losing my eye. For me the glass eye was a fine piece of horror, since I cannot think of too many things scarier than that, and since I wanted to write something scary, the eye took on a life of its own.
WOW: I’m not sure what to say to that, except my eye is watering and I may be developing the same fear… thanks Eric… I’ll be changing the subject now.
The release of Wink and the anniversary of your son, Dastan’s passing away are very close together. I know from previous conversations that one of your speaking topics is staying motivated in the face of defeat, can you tell us more about what kept you motivated and keeps you moving forward during this very difficult anniversary?
Eric: This year has been one of change and facing fears. In March, I left my corporate job and struck out on my own as a business owner. On top of that we met my son's heart recipient, a one-year-old baby girl, and the kidney recipient, a seventy-year-old woman. I finalized the edits for Wink. My wife and I decided to have another baby, and at the end of June we heard a heartbeat and confirmed I landed a three-pointer from the sideline. In the face of all that stress I find joy with my family, and it cannot be underestimated how much of an impact it had on us to meet the recipients and be welcomed not as friends but as family. I look around and wonder what the heck I was ever afraid of, and why defeat is even a word. I suppose an underlying faith that everything will be all right is what keeps me going.
WOW: Congratulations on the new addition as well as so much emotional healing over the last year. That’s fabulous for you and your family! (Readers, you’ll have to wait until February to find out if the baby is a boy or girl and exactly what his/her name will be)! Things seem to be going well in your personal life, but let’s face it, as writers, we realize that rejection is a necessary evil. Do you have some stories to share about your journey to publication? Recommendations for others?
Eric: Most rejection is because the writing is immature. You don't ride a bike for a month and head to France. It takes ~TIME~ to grow. It takes ~WORK~ to improve. It is not realistic to expect your first book to be published, nor your first short story. My first book published was my fifth written, and Wink is my seventh book written. I don't know how many shorts I wrote before I published one, but it was on the order of dozens. I've read at least two feet worth of books on writing, and that does not include the blogs I've poked around on or the books I've forgotten I read. Do your research and keep writing and improving. Rejection is not a sign to quit—it is a sign to grow.
WOW: So much for my plans of entering my four-year-old in the French Open…good analogy though Eric, you said it well.
Your first short story was published in 2009; what are you doing differently now that you wished you would have done with that first publication? What do you wish you would have known then? Have things gotten easier?
Eric: I would do nothing differently. I learned from each point in the process. I learned to be selective of your publishers. Do not take all the editorial advice you receive. Find your voice and stick to it. Read inspirational writers while you write. Things do not get easier. With each step upward the pressure increases, because the publisher raises their expectations for sales and professionalism, while the audience becomes less forgiving of your work.
WOW: That’s sound advice; my daddy always said “take it with a grain of salt” and you make a good point about finding and sticking with your voice.
I’ve heard good things about WiDo publishing; it sounds like they did a lot to make things easier for you as the author. There are many author choices right now including self-publishing, what about WiDo publishing appealed to you?
Eric: I found WiDo through networking with other bloggers online. I was fortunate to know some of their other authors, who all raved about their experience with WiDo, and since I had read some of WiDo's books, I knew they were reputable with an outstanding editorial team. I rank them as a mid-sized publisher, owing to the large number of authors and books they have published, a paid staff, and because they distribute through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, Amazon, B&N, and wherever books are sold. I want to grow, and WiDo is a fine step up for me.
WOW: Sounds like you’re on the right path for that growth right now. Congratulations! At what point did you say to yourself, "It’s only impossible until someone does it.” When did you realize Wink was a possibility for you?
Eric: That quote came to me from a character in one of my books. A little boy said it when someone challenged him that he spoke of an impossibility. I liked the quote so much I wrote it down in my personal quotes and put it up on my website as a sort of mantra. It's true, you know. People always say it's impossible until someone does it.
WOW: Speaking of growth and excitement … any sneak peeks for us about what is in your future?
Eric: My current work is an apocalyptic piece that combines elements of McCarthy's The Road with character-driven action much like that on AMC's Walking Dead. A supernatural undertow drags the reader deeper into the storyline by suggesting that not only are we not alone, but there is a reason and a design even to such horrors as the end of the world. It is my goal not just to write an end-of-the-world piece, but to create an original and thought-provoking piece that explains why such things happen.
WOW: Anything you’d like to add as far as future plans for your writing or your family?
Eric: My future in writing includes making this a full-time gig. By 2018 I hope to be writing full-time with a backlog of books and an ever-growing audience. My future in family includes another child, due February 2014. He or she will be named with an F, because our first names begin with A, B, C, D, and E. Weird, huh?
WOW: Eric, I don’t think that’s weird at all … we have an A and a C and our son will be born at the end of September and we chose a B name. If you’re weird, so am I and I’m glad to be in such good company!
----------Blog Tour Dates
Wednesday, July 24 (today!) @ The Muffin
Don’t miss the exciting thriller Wink by Eric W. Trant. Wink’s WOW! Blog Tour begins with an author interview and a give-away!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/
Thursday, July 25 @ Book Flame
Break the mold and win with today’s stop at Book Flame where you’ll have a chance to win a copy of the new thriller, Wink (#WINK) and hear from Eric Trant with his guest post: “Breaking the Molds for Men and Women in Literature.”
http://bookflame.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 26 @ All Things Audry
Don’t miss today’s win/win stop for Eric Trant and his new thriller Wink (#WINK)! Not only is it your chance to win your own copy of Wink, but join Eric to find out “How Writing Heals.”
http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, July 30 @ A Writer’s Life
Talk about interesting! Join Eric Trant as he discusses “How Small Town Living Made Me a More Interesting Writer” and Win a copy of Eric’s new thriller, Wink (#WINK)!
http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/
Thursday, August 1 @ Sharing with Writers
Win a copy of the new thriller, Wink (#WINK) by Eric Trant and hear his thoughts on “Author Intrusion: Good or Bad?”
http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/
Thursday, August 1 @ Writing is Easy
Find out why Eric says caution should be taken when branding yourself, and win your own copy of his fabulous new thriller Wink (#WINK).
http://c-c-hall.com/
Friday August 2 @ CMash Reads
Eric Trant talks about being your authentic self with today's guest post "Why You Should Be Yourself in Writing and Marketing" stop by CMash Reads for this exciting discussion and your chance to win a copy of Wink (#WINK) Print-US/Canada residents OR eBook-open to all.
http://www.cmashlovestoread.com
Saturday, August 3 @ Book Worm
Today is your chance to win a copy of Wink by Eric Trant (#WINK) and read his fascinating guest post: "Can a Faith-Based Person Write Supernatural Fantasy?"
http://bookworm66.wordpress.com/
Monday, August 5 @ Books I Think You Should Read
Don't miss your chance to win a copy of this great thriller and read Elizabeth Parker's review of Wink (#WINK) by Eric W. Trant.
http://booksithinkyoushouldread.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, August 6 @ Renee's Pages
Don't miss another chance to win a copy of Eric Trant's thriller, Wink (#WINK) and read his guest post about "Author Intrusion, Good or Bad?"
http://www.reneespages.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, August 7 @ World of My Imagination
Win your very own copy of Wink (#WINK) by Eric W. Trant and see what Nicole thought after reading this fabulous thriller set in a rural Gulf Coast town.
http://theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com/
Friday, August 9 @ Read These Books and Use Them
Don't blink or you'll miss your chance at Wink (#WINK). Today is your opportunity to win a copy of Eric W. Trant's thriller, Wink and read what Margo had to say about this small town thriller!
http://margodill.com/blog/
Tuesday, August 13 @ Steph the Bookworm
Today could be your lucky day to win Eric W. Trant's thriller, Wink and read a book lover's review of this moving work!
http://www.stephthebookworm.com/
Wednesday, August 14 @ Words By Webb
Join Jodi as she does a 5W's interview with Eric W. Trant, the author of the fabulous thriller, Wink!
http://jodiwebb.com/
Friday, August 16 @ Literary R&R
Wink makes a stop for a giveaway and review!
http://literaryrr.blogspot.com
Monday, August 19 @ Books & Such
Teri Polen reviews Eric Trant's thriller, Wink and offers readers a chance at a giveaway for this fast paced 5 star action packed thriller!
http://teripolen.com/
To view all our touring authors, check out our Events Calendar. Keep up with blog stops and giveaways in real time by following us on Twitter @WOWBlogTour.
Get Involved! If you have a website or blog and would like to host one of our touring authors or schedule a tour of your own, please email us at blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com.
Book Giveaway Contest: Enter to win a copy of Wink by Eric Trant! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. We will announce the winner in the Rafflecopter widget next Friday, August 2nd.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
10 comments:
Crystal, thanks for hosting! Been great working on this tour with you, and looking forward to the next book, hopefully in 2013.
Funny that you have an ABC family, too. We're a little deeper into the alphabet at F. Guess you have some catching up to do.
- Eric
Eric and Crystal:
So excited to be a part of this tour! :) Thanks for the interview, and thank goodness I am not doing an ABC family--but we do have an K (daughter), L (stepson), M (me!). Best of luck to you!
Great interview! Eric, I love what you said about rejection--that it's not a sign to quit, it's a sign to grow. You mentioned that Wink is your seventh novel, but your bio only mentions two. Are you working on those other five or did you decide to abandon the projects? I'm just curious because I have three projects that I'm considering "trunking," as Stephen King would say.
Congratulations on your success! I'm looking forward to reading Wink, and I'm excited by your WIP! I'm a huge Walking Dead fan.
Crystal--great interview.
Eric--I'd like to hear about those other five books, too.
Congratulations. I loved your answer about what you would have done differently. We DO learn from our mistakes and grow from them.
Here is a link to Eric's site where you can find his other works (http://diggingwiththeworms.blogspot.com/p/summary-of-works.html)- glad everyone enjoyed the interview. Eric is really a great guy which makes an interview come to life!
Have a great night all!
~Crystal
Margo: We're going for the whole alphabet. Hanging stockings is fun with all the letters.
Angela, Sioux: The other books are shelved, or trunked, or still in my drawers, however you want to think about it. One is very salvageable, my first book, as it is within my genre. Another is semi-salvageable, but is a hardcore sci-fi. Another is on the list to be reworked and finished and is what I consider my go-to OS (Oh Shayt) book, should I need something that I can finish in a month or two.
The other two are unsalvageable given what I know now, but I do plan to cannibalize characters and scenes and settings for other books, when the time comes.
All in all, EVERY book is a good book to write. Just not all of them are ~publishable.
- Eric
Great interview! Kudos to you for your persistence, Eric. I look forward to checking out Wink.
Renee: Thanks!
- Eric
Super Awesome! Congratulations on the new addition to your family Eric. I hope your dreams of full time writing come true. I'm looking forward to the apocalypse book, sounds intriguing.
I've already read and enjoyed Wink, so I won't sign on the raffle copter. But I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. Glass eyes are kinda scary.
.......dhole
Eric, the idea of losing an eye or having a glass eye is pretty creepy to me! Eek!
I'm excited about Wink.
Jai
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