About the Authors

by Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth

Hi, we’re Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth.  The kind people here have invited us to stop by and tell you a little about our newest book, Peripheral People.  A standalone novel in the Ylendrian Empire series, Peripheral People combines elements of romance, science fiction, paranormal, and crime drama in the intense, galaxy-spanning hunt for a psychic serial killer.  Hot on the trail and hot for each other (in the sense that they’d both prefer to be set on fire than work together), the imperial agents who stumble into the case must evade terrifying mental traps, their own volatile relationship, and the discovery that someone in a higher pay grade may not be so keen on their quest for justice.

We’re thrilled to be with you today, and we’re looking forward to any questions or comments you might have.

1. What’s a typical day like for you?

I wake up around 6:45, then hit the snooze button until the munchkin cat alarm starts going off. (Usually this alarm involves some variation of a seven pound cat dancing on my bladder because I haven’t fed her yet.) Feed the monsters (five of them, anyway), then head off to the Day Job, where I pretend to be a frightfully competent office manager.  Then home, more feeding of the beasties (I’m beginning to understand why they’re fat…), whatever assorted family members are about for dinner that night, and a little down time before I pack up and head off to the Writing Office, wherever it may be located that day- coffee shop, studio, or the desk in my room.  I write and attend to writerly business for a few hours almost every night.  If I reach a goal and there’s time left, I’ll catch up on something recorded before I roust the cats off my bed and reclaim it.

2. If you could only keep one book for the rest of your life, which book would it be?

This answer might change tomorrow, but I think it would be The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.  Aside from being an achingly beautiful fairy tale composed of perfect words, it’s filled with so much wisdom about life.  About the quest for self, and home, and sacrifice, and what it means to make a difference in the world- everything, really.  It’s an amazing book that changes me every time I read it.

3. Which is the biggest time-waster: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, or something else?

Oh man, it’s twitter, all the way.  (I’m @reesah, btw.)  I love the conversations on twitter.  It’s somewhere comfortably nestled between an echo chamber and the cesspit of most comment sections. Plus, I can fit a LOT of absurdity into 140 characters.

4. Are there any deleted scenes from your book? (BTW, deleted scenes make great book tour posts!)

Why yes, yes there are! We totally scrapped the first four chapters of the book at one point, but here’s a tiny bit from them that I still like to imagine is canon.  Westley Tavera, our psychic cop, and Gavin Hale, his partner, report for duty on the ship they’ll be living on for their next duty cycle.  Parts of this scene did eventually make it into the book in a much-altered form.

“Gavilicious, you’re in my way.”  West tapped his friend on the back of the leg with his shoe, struggling under the weight of his duffle.  Of course, if Gavin had agreed to carry it, it wouldn’t seem so heavy, but he didn’t see that happening any time soon.  Gavin got sensitive about “contributions to the partnership” when West tried to get him to carry things, and he wasn’t up for the pointed looks at the moment.

“If you hadn’t packed half a ton of crap, it wouldn’t be so heavy.”  Gavin set down his own neatly packed bag, almost managing not to look smug.  “Housing would have crated up all that stuff and had it delivered before we leave, you know.”

“No way.  There’s important stuff in here, man!  Very important Reader-type things that no one can touch without contamination.”

Gavin’s eyebrows climbed well above his dark glasses.  “Like your stuffed hedgehog and your “Most Valuable Psychic” mug?”

West shifted his attention to the expanse of empty tarmac behind Gavin.  “Maaaaaybe.”

“I’ve told you a million times, nobody wants to steal your stuff,” Gavin’s air of familiar tolerance was a welcome balm, much like his silent mind and the quick, calming hand he put on West’s shoulder.

“You don’t know that,” West said, patting the top of his duffel protectively.  “I’m famous, Gav.  I could turn my back for a second, and “poof”, all my worldly possessions could be up for sale on some auction site!”

Gavin let go of his shoulder, shoving him a little.  “I think you’ve confused “famous” with “self-important”.  Common mistake.  For you, I mean.”

About Peripheral People

Corwin Menivie and Nika Santivan are decorated veterans of the Imperial Enforcement Coalition, and are perfectly capable of solving cases the old-fashioned way. When they’re paired with Westley Tavera and Gavin Hale, the most powerful Reader/Ground team to emerge from the Psionics Academy, it could either be the best thing that’s ever happened to crime fighting, or the makings of a quadruple homicide.

During a routine investigation, West’s talent puts them on the trail of a brutal serial killer who traps his prey in a deadly mental playground. Then the killer starts baiting the team, laying psychic landmines at crime scenes and exposing IEC secrets. The strain of the case binds the agents closer together—so close that Nika and Gavin start sharing a room, and even the curmudgeonly Corwin finds himself as occupied with West as he is with the murders.

But as West’s visions of death grow more violent, the only way out for all of them may be straight through the mind of a monster. If they’re not careful, they may forget which side of the hunt they’re on.

Available at: Riptide Publishing & Amazon

About the Authors

Reesa Herberth was born in Nevada and spirited away to California before moving to Hawaii, where she grew up on the Big Island.  She tried Arizona for a few years, then lit out for the D.C. area, where her nomadic itch is regularly curbed by the nightmares of urban traffic.  She’s held a handful of the requisite crazy writer jobs, including book store overlord, office goddess for an artisan ice cream maker, and cheese-cup scrubber at an organic goat dairy.

Michelle Moore has a well-documented obsession with travel, television, frappuccinos and flamingos. These, however, come in a distant second to her love of writing. Most evenings she can be found huddled over her laptop at the local Starbucks, dividing her time between actually writing and pretending to be a barista. 

Michelle and Reesa have been writing together for over fifteen years.  They are currently working on more Ylendrian stories, and a petition to have cat hair recognized as a form of currency.

Twitter:
Michelle Moore – @marigotc
Reesa Herberth – @reesah

Facebook – Ylendrian Empire Fan Page

Websites:
Michelle and Reesa Write
Ylendrian Empire

As part of this blog tour, Michelle & Reesa is giving away Peripheral People Prize Pack!! To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Good luck!