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Color Of Evil Series Boxed Set by Connie Corcoran Wilson
Color Of Evil Series Boxed Set by Connie Corcoran WilsonPublisher: Quad Cities’ Press (Aug, 2017)
Category: YA, Psychological Paranormal Thriller
Tour Dates: Oct/Nov, 2017
Available in: E-book, 725 Pages
THE COLOR OF EVIL series presents you with characters who live, breathe and die in small town Cedar Falls, Iowa. Tad McGreevy, the focus of the series, has a paranormal power, Tetrachromatic Super Vision, that allows him to see auras that tell him whether a person is good or evil. At night, in horrifying nightmares, Tad relives the crimes of the evil-doers. Eventually, becomes the target of a particularly lethal antagonist, Michael Clay (aka Pogo the Clown) who wants to eliminate the teen-aged boy. In three books, we witness the power of evil faced off against a good-hearted young boy who just wants to protect those he loves.
Beginning with the first manifestations of this supernatural power at the age of 8, the book quickly takes us forward to the high school years of Tad and the band of friends we come to know well. We follow their progress from their junior year of high school through graduation with danger always lurking in the background. As others have said, it’s quite a ride.
Begin the journey today with this specially-priced trilogy: THE COLOR OF EVIL; RED IS FOR RAGE; and KHAKI=KILLER..
“THE COLOR OF EVIL series is old-school psychological horror, artfully blended with new-school shocks and twists. Bravo!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author, multiple Bram Stoker winner.
Praise for Color Of Evil Series Boxed Set by Connie Corcoran Wilson
‘The book has all the elements of a compelling mystery and an inventive paranormal twist. One must credit Wilson for treating her teenage protagonists with respect, as they face adult dilemmas and resolve them with maturity and grace.”- Kirkus
“Connie Corcoran Wilson weaves a deftly fine scalpel in an age where a crude blade is more the norm. Her work is a smooth, subtle hybrid mix of science fiction, thriller, and horror that realizes a unique and pointed vision in the great tradition of Phillip K. Dick and Ray Bradbury. Her voice is a wonder to behold, at once dark and somber while maintaining a glimmer of hope that shines in the hearts of her heroes, who cling to the light. Like Stephen King, nothing escapes her discerning eye, the result of which is tale after tale that bleed life onto the page, both literally and figuratively.”–Jon Land, bestselling author of the Caitlin Strong Series
“Wilson’s characters come alive on the page. Comparisons to Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Philip K. Dick aside, Wilson has spent 33 years teaching students in this age range. She knows what she is talking about.”–Gary Braver, author of “Flashback” and 8 other thrillers.
Interview with the Author
What initially got you interested in writing?
I won $50 for writing a poem in 6th grade in a contest sponsored by the Archdiocese of Dubuque. (That would be $500 in today’s dollars.) After that, the Editor of my small home town newspaper asked my father (the local banker) if I would do some interviews for the local newspaper, which I did. In high school, I was Editor of our school newspaper and that led to a Ferner/Hearst Journalism Scholarship full ride at the University of Iowa—a school noted for its Writers’ Workshop—so that’s how I ended up becoming a writer, and I’ve written for newspapers and for online outlets ever since (which is over 6 decades now).
How did you decide to make the move into being a published author?
A: I got tired of the small publishing houses that published many of my books (a) going under (b) not honoring our signed contracts (c) not sending me royalty contracts (d) not promoting my books. I decided that if I put out my own books, I probably wouldn’t cheat myself. (And, note: there were a couple that did try to pay in a timely fashion and do it honestly, but it certainly was not 100%.)
What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?
I hope that readers who enjoy a fast-paced plot (thriller/horror/paranormal/ new YA) with lots of action and plenty to think about will like my books as much as readers like books by Stephen King, Philip K. Dick, or Dean Koontz (the authors I am most often compared to.) THE COLOR OF EVIL was my first solo novel. I hope I am improving and boxed set readers can decide for themselves. However, if the reviews are overwhelmingly negative, I probably will never write another one. I am really sort of tired of hearing that “This is not suitable for New YA” (which is supposedly the time frame when young people are graduating from high school/college and going out in the world, and that is where the fourth book’s plot would place the protagonists. I have a fourth installment in this series half written, but it will be up to the bloggers and readers to give a girl a break, as to whether or not I suffer through the time and effort in putting out a 250+ page tome only to have petty objections (“You repeated yourself on page 12.” “ You got the names Shannon and Sharon mixed up on page 2”) derail me, because writing a novel is A LOT of work, and a lot less fun than writing short stories or reviewing film, my other major writing these days for www.WeeklyWilson.com , www.TheMovieBlog.com and www.QuadCities.com. I’m actually sitting back and waiting to see how the book is received. Then I’ll decide whether or not to continue with what I had planned for Book #4. Maybe th-th-th-that’s all, Folks. Who knows?
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
I have always written as a form of therapy, and I still do. I like finding out what my characters will say and do, and they surprise me every time.
What do you find most challenging about writing?
It’s called the “butt in the chair” and it’s hard to pass up fun things to do in favor of writing a 250 page, 75,000 word novel. I’m not a Stephen King disciplined writer with a schedule. I’m a binge writer who writes into the wee hours of the morning. Right now, I’m more interested in seeing as many of the 150 films showing at the Chicago International Film Fest, which I am covering for the 14th year, and, the day it ends (Oct. 26th), I head for Austin for the Austin Film Festival, which ends November 3rd. Doesn’t leave a lot of time to hole up and write novels.
What advice would you give to people want to enter the field?
Learn the basics of grammar, spelling and composition, usually taught in the lower grades up through junior high school (which I taught for 18 years). At that point, if you think you are good at it, please find beta readers and a good editor. Then, if you don’t want to starve, don’t give up your day job. I can afford to do this because I worked steadily from 1969 until 2003. Then I began writing ‘long” (rather than short, as in newspapers and blogs, which I had always done while teaching and running my Sylvan Learning Center and my Prometric Testing Center.
What ways can readers connect with you?
I’m very accessible. I have a blog (WeeklyWilson.com). I’m on Facebook as Connie Corcoran Wilson (please “like” the professional page that we are overhauling now.) I am on Linkedin as Constance Corcoran Wilson. I twitter as @Connie_C_Wilson. I have an Instagram account and a Pinterest account and a Goodreads account as Connie Corcoran Wilson. I have a newsletter that we’d love to sign you up for (“Weekly Wilson’s New News”). We only send that out when I have “new news” about a release or an event, so it won’t clog up your mailbox. And, last, and certainly least, I still have my old AOL account with my college nickname. You can write to Einnoc10@Aol.com or to ConnieCWilson10@gmail.com. After 22 years I “upgraded” to the $5 a month AOL Gold and it doesn’t work at all, so far. I’ve lost all my British friends in Pub Quiz and none of my mail will open or send, but, other than that……
Excerpt from the Book
November 3, 2003
12:01 A.M.
Stealthy step by stealthy step, Michael Clay climbed steadily towards the top of the San Giovannis’ basement stairs. When he reached the top step, he stretched out his hand towards the doorknob. At first, the doorknob, although it turned, didn’t open the door. Michael applied more pressure, pushing with slightly more force. The door was stuck. He would have to apply greater force to gain entry. He hoped it wasn’t locked, as that would mean breaking the door down. If anyone was on the other side, they’d have time to dial 911 while he was breaking down the door.
So much for my theory about people not locking their basement doors, Pogo thought, just before the door gave, and he was able to slide, like a phantom, into the house.
In the family room, Jenny SanGiovanni heard a noise. She knew it was probably just her imagination. She had been through this before with her parents. They always cautioned her about panicking unnecessarily. The SanGiovanni house had a hot water heating system. The hot water was pumped around the perimeter of the rooms in metal ducts. It often made loud cracking noises. It was usually the case that the heating system had caused Jenny to become frightened, when nothing at all was wrong. She had become the butt of jokes. But, this time, if she were to cry “Wolf!” would her cries be answered!”
About Connie Corcoran Wilson
Connie (Corcoran) Wilson (MS + 30) graduated from the University of Iowa and Western Illinois University, with additional study at Northern Illinois, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago. She taught writing at six Iowa/Illinois colleges and has written for five newspapers and seven blogs, including Yahoo, which named her its 2008 Content Producer of the Year. She covers politics and entertainment and writes for The Movie Blog, QuadCities.com and her own blog, WeeklyWilson.com.
She is a member of ITW (International Thriller Writers) and a member of IWPA (Illinois Women’s Press Association, Chicago chapter), which awarded her its Silver Feather Award in 2012 and 2014, MWA (Midwest Writers Association), AWP (American Writing Program) and MWC (Midwest Writing Center), which named her its Writer of the Year in 2010. She has won numerous E-Lit awards, a NABE Pinnacle award, an ALMA (American Literary Merit Award), Lucky Cinda competition and two IWPA Silver Feather Awards (2012, 2014).
Her stories and interviews with writers like David Morrell, Joe Hill, Kurt Vonnegut, Frederik Pohl, William F. Nolan, Anne Perry, r. Barri Flowers, Valerie Plame, Allen Zadoff and Jon Land have appeared online and in numerous journals.
Her work has won prizes from “Whim’s Place Flash Fiction,” “Writer’s Digest” (Screenplay) and she has 30 published works. Connie reviewed film and books for the Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa) for 12 years, wrote humor columns and conducted interviews for the (Moline, Illinois) Dispatch.
Connie has three ongoing series: THE COLOR OF EVIL, HELLFIRE & DAMNATION (short stories organized around the crimes or sins punished at each of the levels of Hell in Dante’s Inferno) and THE CHRISTMAS CATS, which she writes for her granddaughters. (www.TheColorOfEvil.com; www.RedIsforRage.com; www.KhakiEqualsKiller.com; www.HellfireAndDamnationTheBook.com; www.TheXmasCats.com)
Connie lives in East Moline, Illinois with husband Craig and in Chicago, Illinois and Austin, Texas. Son Scott and wife Jessica and granddaughters Ava and Elise live in Austin and her daughter, Stacey, currently flies for Southwest Airlines and flies from Denver, Colorado.
Connie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConnieCWilson
Connie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Connie-Corcoran-Wilson/275020829241869
Connie on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/conniecwilson/
Follow Color Of Evil Series by Connie Corcoran Wilson Tour
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Gayle Books Reviews Etc Oct 3 Review
Beverly’s Book Blog Oct 13 Review, Excerpt, Interview, & Giveaway
Dawn Bound 2 Escape Oct 10 Excerpt & Giveaway
Angélica Amazon Review Nov 1 Review
Jessica JBronder Book Reviews Nov 8 Review
Shannon The Pulp and Mystery Shelf Nov 13 Excerpt & Interview
Donna Amazon Review Nov 15 Review
Cheryl’s Book Nook Nov 21 Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway
Dawn Bound 2 Escape Nov 28 Review
Dr. Jacques Coulardeau Amazon Review Nov 28
Lisa Lisa’s Writopia Nov 29 Review
Erica Bassgiraffe’s Thoughts Nov 30 Review
Lorna Amazon Review Nov 30 Review
*This schedule is subject to change.
Teddy Rose
Thanks for hosting Connie!