Hi lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Kurt Kamm and his
new book, “The Lizard’s Tale”! For other
stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner
above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $50
Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card.
Also, come back daily to interact with Kurt and to increase your chances
of winning!
Thanks for stopping by!
Wishing you lots of luck in this exciting giveaway!
The Lizard’s Tale
by Kurt Kamm
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GENRE: Mystery/Crime Thriller
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BLURB:
Kurt Kamm has written a novel that's a literary crime novel, with a strong thread of non-fiction running through it. The Lizard's Tale is a tale of crime—with an a wide-ranging cast of characters.
When the DEA goes up against the Sinaloa Cartel, an orphan and an endangered lizard are caught in the conflict. The action moves from Guatemala to Mexico to Catalina Island off the coast of California.
Alejandro, a middle class Guatemalan, wants his share, and makes a deal with the cartel. Now he’s risking his life to deliver the goods.
El Dedo, a brilliant financier, is the Sinaloa Cartel’s banker. He worries about what to do with the billions of dollars collecting dust in his underground vault.
Ryan, a DEA Special Agent, needs to make a high profile case to get a promotion. Is the big yacht headed for California carrying a Mexican drug shipment?
Kate, a wildlife officer on Catalina Island, smells smoke. When she heads out in the middle of the night to investigate a fire, she makes an astonishing discovery.
Jorge, an orphan from the streets of Mexico, is abandoned in the United States. Will he find his way back home and track down his mother’s killer?
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EXCERPT THREE:
The
General’s tank was near empty. Alejandro stopped and took down one of the red
plastic gas containers. After he filled the tank, he extracted the second of
the three bottles of beer from his cooler. “Bienvenido a Mexico,” he said aloud
and held the bottle up in an imaginary toast. The beer was warm, but he enjoyed
it anyway. He had overcome the harsh Guatemalan roads and crossed the border
safely with his cargo. Now all he had to do was survive the trip through
Mexico.
Ahead of
him lay 2,500-kilometers on Mexico Highway 200, the main road along the Pacific
Coast. The trip north would take Alejandro past Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, and
Mazatlan before reaching Culiacán. The condition of the road itself had been
the challenge in Guatemala, but that was not the big risk on the journey ahead.
Highway 200 was a winding, two-lane paved road. The real danger was what
Alejandro might encounter. He had been warned not to travel at night. Drunk
drivers, livestock, pedestrians, and unlighted farm equipment were some of the
lesser hazards. The real threat, day or night however, was robbery and
hijacking, and he had read several reports of travelers coming upon roadblocks
set by bandits armed with machetes and machine guns, decked out in bulletproof
vests draped with hand grenades. Alejandro planned to keep moving and cover
about 800 kilometers. By evening, he hoped to reach Acapulco.
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INTERVIEW:
Do
you ever wish you were someone else? Who?
I think it is
dangerous to wish to be someone else. Who knows how happy or healthy that
person really is? What if that person is two weeks away from death? What if I
became that person and realized I didn't really like him? Nah, maybe I'm
egotistical, but I would much rather be me. At least I know what I'm dealing
with.
What
did you do on your last birthday?
I am a former
elite masters bicycle racer. Every birthday I plan a super-hard ride and see if
I can do it. Last year was 6,000 feet of climbing (canyons and hills around
Malibu) and a 2,400-calorie burn. Ride on!
What
part of the writing process do you dread?
I hate writing
the first 5,000 words of a new novel. That part is very slow and tentative. I
am often changing POV, not always sure of my main character and story line.
Once I get into it, and am confident that I have the story and characters I
want, then I love to sit down and work away.
Do
you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
Since I do not have a detailed plot when I
start writing, my characters sometimes get themselves into plot conundrums or
crises and I have no idea how to bail them out. I find riding my bike –high
heart rate, major physical exertion—results in a state of mental relaxation,
almost free association, that helps me work out plot problems. Sometimes it takes
several days, with only minor progress each day, but eventually I am able to
work through my character's problems. My writer's block never lasts long.
Tell
us about your latest release.
After
attending a DEA Citizen's Academy, I wanted to write something involving the
Drug Enforcement Administration. What I did not want to do, however, was write
another typical cartel book. One of the things I learned at the Academy was
that the high-ranking cartel bosses are big collectors—of cars, guns, and
exotic animals. I happened to be having a conversation with the reptile curator
at the Los Angeles Zoo and asked him to tell me about the most exotic reptile
on earth. He mentioned the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard. Its existence is
threatened and there are only about 400 in existence. BINGO! I decided to write
a book about a cartel boss trying to obtain such a lizard.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Malibu, California resident Kurt Kamm has written
a series of firefighter mystery novels, which have won several literary awards.
His newest novel, The Lizard’s Tale, provides a unique look inside the
activities of the Mexican drug cartels and the men dedicated to stopping them.
Kurt has used his contact with CalFire, Los
Angeles County and Ventura County Fire Departments, as well as the ATF and DEA
to write fact-based (“faction”) novels. He has attended classes at El Camino
Fire Academy and trained in wildland firefighting, arson investigation and hazardous
materials response. He has also attended the ATF and DEA Citizen’s Academies.
After graduating from the DEA Citizen’s Academy in 2014, he began work on The
Lizard’s Tale.
Kurt has built an avid fan base among first
responders and other readers. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Law
School, Kurt was previously a financial executive and semi-professional bicycle
racer. He was also Chairman of the UCLA/Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Foundation for several years.
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CONNECT WITH KURT:
Website: www.kurtkamm.com
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2czYDUA
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AUTHOR AWARDS:
Kurt Kamm
LITERARY AWARDS
TUNNEL VISIONS
(MCM Publishing 2014)
2014 USA Best Book Award -Fiction: General –
Finalist
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL (MCM Publishing 2013)
Best Novel 2013 – Public Safety Writers
Association
Winner of the 2012 Hackney Literary Award for
best novel of the year ($5,000 PRIZE)
Reader's Favorite 2013 – Finalist – Urban
Fiction
The 2012 Dana Award – Finalist
Eric Hoffer Award - Finalist (2014)
Excerpt published in Birmingham Arts
Journal
http://www.birminghamartsjournal.com/pdf/baj10-2.pdf
ONE FOOT IN THE BLACK (MCM Publishing 2012)
The 2012 USA Best Book Awards – Fiction:
General – Finalist
The 2013 Beverly Hills Book Awards – Fiction:
General – Finalist
Excerpt published in Felons, Flames and
Ambulance Rides: Stories About America's Public Safety Heroes
CODE BLOOD
(MCM Publishing 2011)
Writer’s Type -
First Chapter Competition.
January 2011- First Place
2012 International Book Awards - Fiction: Cross Genre Category – First Place
National Indie Excellence Book Awards – Faction
(fiction based on fact) - Winner of the
2012 Award
The 2012 USA Best Book Awards - Fiction: Horror -
Winner
LuckyCinda Publishing Contest 2013 First Place – Thriller
Reader's Favorite 2013– Finalist – Horror Fiction
Knoxville Writer’s Guild - 2011 Novella or Novel Excerpt – 2nd Place
RED FLAG WARNING
Aberdeen Bay 2010
The Infinite Writer– Mystery 2010 – First Place
The Written Art Awards - Mystery/Thriller 2010 – First Place
Royal Dragonfly – Mystery Category 2011 –
First Place
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2c6hLIx
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
One randomly chosen winner via Rafflecopter will win a
$50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette
is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not
Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are
solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeletecongrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds intriguing. (Especially since i just finished watching Narcos). Good luck on the book release and thank you so much for the giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ally - Its a bit early here in Malibu, but just wanted to say thanks for hosting me and The Lizard's Tale. I'll stop by during the day to follow up on some comments.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main characters in the book is Gina, a woman who goes through a lot of men. She uses them (for guess what?) and then moves on. She finally get her comeuppance. It was fun creating this character, because it's usually a man doing this to women.
The book is "faction" - fact based fiction. Your readers will find it very realistic.
Talk to you later.
Kurt Kamm
I like the blurb. Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteI like the "faction" concept!
ReplyDelete--Trix
Here's a Gina excerpt--
ReplyDeleteGina wasn’t looking for a husband—she was far too independent to let a man run her life—but she needed male companionship. After coming to Catalina, she spent a lot of time alone until she met Brad, a captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. He worked at Station 55, and was big, strong, and good-looking. All her Latin lovers had been dark and she was attracted to his blond hair. She loved running her fingers over the blond carpet that covered his chest. At thirty-six, he was five years younger than she was, and married. Brad was perfect.
Their affair lasted almost two years. She didn't see him every day—in fact, she didn't want to see him every day. His wife and daughter lived in Seal Beach, and once a week he took the ferry to the mainland and spent three days at home. But he didn’t always head home right away, and they often stole a few hours together on one of the remote beaches on the rugged, wind-swept west end of the island. During the off-season, they sometimes managed to spend a night at a local bed and breakfast in Avalon, and occasionally she cooked dinner for him at the ranch house. When nothing else worked, they drove up into the hills and screwed in the back of his SUV. For Gina it was a perfect relationship—she got what she needed without making a major emotional commitment.
Her relationship with Brad had gone on longer than any other liaison she had ever had and she’d begun to wonder how long it could last.
This sounds like an amazing book, thanks for sharing I'm looking forward to checking it out :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm at it, there is another interesting woman, a stunning Mexican prostitute, Maria Gabriella, who plays an important role in the story. She has taken up with Dedo, the top financial manager for the Sinaloa Cartel. She is worried –
ReplyDeleteThat was the problem. She “belonged” to Dedo. The possibility that she might be kidnapped or shot was always on her mind, and wherever Maria Gabriela went, at least two of his men trailed along to protect her. She felt like a captive behind the walls of Dedo’s compound. When he travelled, which was often, she spent her days alone. She missed the working girls who were her friends and the fun they once had. Now her social circle was limited to the wives and girlfriends of the cartel bosses. “I can’t stand most of them,” she told Dedo.
But no matter how much she grumbled, Maria Gabriela never forgot how lucky she was. Before she met Dedo, she had worked the all-night narco parties in Culiacán, consuming whatever drugs were available and lavishing her affections on anyone who showed interest. She was invited everywhere because she was eye candy—men stared when she entered a room. Beneath her high spirits, however, Maria Gabriela was worried. The fiesta wouldn’t last forever. Soon there would be younger, prettier women. Before she was thirty, she had to find a papi rico—a sugar daddy—to take care of her. If he loved her, all the better.
Thanks for the giveaway; I like the excerpt. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to sign off. Thanks Ally for hosting. Best wishes
ReplyDeleteKurt
I really enjoyed reading the entire post, thank you!
ReplyDeleteDo you have a specific writing style?
ReplyDelete