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DB Michaels, Author of SONG OF THE BLACKBIRD (Albatross Prison Series #1), Talks About How Her Commute Helps Her Write (with a giveaway!)

Join DB Michaels and the Killion Group as we celebrate the release of Song of the Blackbird with this 16 stop Book Tour from June 20th to July 1st. Included in this book tour is exclusive content, guest posts from DB, book reviews, a spotlight of the book, and a giveaway. One GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

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How My Commute Helped Me Become an Author

by DB Michaels

DB GP
My daily freeway commute route

Like many Americans, I spend an insane amount of time in the car commuting to work every day, an hour back and forth each way. My hours are early, seven am to three pm, which means getting up at five thirty every morning before everyone else does. At first, I dreaded the commute…the leaving the house in the dark, the constant battle with traffic, the stress of moving at a snail’s pace in a sea of red lights.

Then one day, my late father-in-law, someone who used to commute 120 miles a day, told me I needed to busy myself with something to do in the car. With what? I asked him. Well, you can listen to the news, or read an audiobook, or just think about anything you want, he said.

Ah…eight years later, I’m doing exactly that and though not loving my drive, I’ve learned so much along the way, including how to write and publish my first novel!

Here are the top five things I did during my commute to help me develop my novel, Song of the Blackbird:

  1. Listen to audiobooks on how to write. My favorite was Stephen King’s, On Writing, which not only inspired but also taught me a lot about the craft.
  1. Let my mind wander and dream. That commute is my time away from the demands of the outside world. I’ve learned to treasure it as my personal time and space. No interruptions. No phone calls. No checking emails. Simply a time to relax, lean back, and dream. Dream about how two opposite characters can fall in love such as Maxim and Emma did in my novel.
  1. Listen to audiotapes from the RWA National Conference lectures and workshops. Boy, these are worth their weight in gold, teaching not only the craft of writing but also the business of writing and publishing.
  1. Talking to my editor on the phone. Once I wrote my book, I used the commute time to talk with professionals who definitely helped make my book and its launch better.
  1. Listen to audiobooks for fun from my favorite authors. Reading has always been my first love and the more nourishment I get from reading, the happier I become and the better I write.

Though I don’t love my commute, I tolerate it a lot better now and in an odd way, I don’t think I would have written my first novel without having the time and space during my long drive to think, dream, and plan. I’ve recently purchased Dragon Dictation to see if I can dictate parts of my next novel while driving and am very excited to try it out. Has anyone used Dragon and what do you think of it? What do you do in your commute that you’ve found useful and relaxing? Please write back and share your thoughts.

 

About DB Michaels:DB Michaels

DB Michaels is a life-long reader who fell in love with the field of medicine during college. Double boarded in internal medicine and emergency medicine, she enjoys using her skills to help those in need. Working as a doctor in the prison system inspired her to write Song of the Blackbird, the first installment in her Albatross Prison Series. Though the book is entirely fictional, it illustrates the power of love, hope, and second chances.

DB’s first passion has always been books and she is happiest when she is absorbed in a great novel or writing. When she has time off, she likes to watch old movies, dally in the sun, and spend time with her family.

 

Connect with DB: Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

 

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Title: Song of the Blackbird
Series: Albatross Prison Series #1
Author: DB Michaels
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Medical
Release Date: June 21, 2016
Publisher: Dream Tower Publishing
Print Length: 331 pages
Format: Digital and Paperback
Digital ISBN: 978-0-9972798-0-1
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9972798-1-8

 

Synopsis:

Healing must start from within…

Desperate to reconnect with her half-brother, Emma Edwards takes her new medical training and secures a doctor’s job at the prison where he’s serving a sentence. But what she finds there is worse than she ever imagined…tough rules and even tougher men, gangs powered by drug money and corruption. Emma must find a way to keep her brother alive until he’s freed even if that means lying to the one man she should be able to trust…

Unless you find someone to share your pain…

Warden Maxim Chambers doesn’t believe a woman should be working in a penitentiary, especially one like Emma – a woman even a hardened man like him can’t get off his mind. He’s spent too many years building walls around his heart to let himself care about anyone. Yet when Emma is almost hurt in a prison assault, Maxim can’t deny his feelings for her. But what is the connection between Emma and the prisoner named Sam?

And accept your past.

When secrets are revealed, danger and death run through the prison. Only the truth can save Emma and Maxim…if it’s not too late.

Song of the Blackbird immerses you in a whole new world – a gritty, violent world where things you have always believed turn out not to be true. It is a compelling story of sorrow and loss, of hope and second chances, and most of all, of the power of love.

Available Here: Amazon

Excerpt:

Julien began rattling off some names. Thank goodness Sam wasn’t one of them. At least not this time, but had he been ill before? They’d always been close. Something horrible must have happened to him. Maybe he’d been beaten up and lay hurt somewhere all these months. But then Emma remembered the 308-35U. Surely if he was hurt, they wouldn’t have assigned him to a dorm?

One of the side doors to the conference room opened and several inmate workers lifting large boxes entered. One carried two huge boxes. His face was partially obscured but when he turned, her heart almost stopped. That uplifted nose, the frizzy hair, the lanky build. She squeezed her eyes shut and snapped them open again, sure her mind was playing tricks on her. But no. There he was. He turned and suddenly caught her eye. His whole body stiffened. That was it, a momentary tenseness. Nothing else. No smile, no spark of recognition. He put the boxes on the cart and followed the group of inmates out the door.

“Excuse me.” Emma hastily stood. “Sorry. I’ll be right back.”

She rushed to the door, registering Chambers’s and Kaye’s identical expressions of disapproval. But what did it matter? She’d seen Sam. Her darling, beloved Sam. She flung the door open. Where the heck were they? They couldn’t have gone far. She darted down the corridor, turned left, and caught a glimpse of blue going around the next corner. She ran after them. There they were, exiting the building farther down the hall.

Emma rushed outside. The four inmate workers stood in a single line near the locked gate she’d entered with Julien awhile back. Their supervisor opened the gate with his set of keys. They were at least fifty yards away but Emma had no problem identifying Sam. His gait was the same. The usual swing to the arms and the mild dragging of his left foot. Courtesy of his cursed father who’d started this nightmare. Sam never turned around as the group disappeared from sight. Either he was mad at her or maybe he’d lost his memory? Had he had a concussion from some head trauma? He had to know her. There must be a reason for him to ignore her like that.

Suddenly, a blackbird’s call rang in the air. On-ke-kaaangh. On-ke-kaaangh. Then a short pause and another. On-ke-kaaangh. On-ke-kaaangh. Sam’s voice definitely.

Emma’s heart soared. She put her hand to her mouth and prayed she still remembered. “On-ke-kaaangh. On-ke-kaaangh.”

It didn’t come out as polished as when they’d practiced it long ago camping in the woods but it was enough. Dear God, it was enough. Tears rushed behind her eyes as the familiar birdcall echoed back to her. She swallowed several times and wiped the wetness from her cheeks. She’d found her brother at last.

 

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Follow the tour to these participating blogs for new content each day:

6/20/2016

The Recipe Fairy

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6/22/2016

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Nicole’s Book Musings

 

6/23/2016

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6/24/2016

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Stormy Vixen’s Book Reviews

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6/29/2016

Hart’s Romance Pulse

 

7/1/2016

The Somewhere Library

The Phantom Paragrapher

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