NBTM + #Giveaway: Deep End by Kathleen Duhamel @KathleenDuhamel @GoddessFish

Deep End

by Kathleen Duhamel

GENRE: Contemporary Women's Fiction

BLURB:

After years of struggle and harsh criticism, happily married rock star wife Claire Martin has finally achieved the career success of her dreams. As the featured artist in an international traveling exhibit, she looks forward to her best year ever, while her husband, singer Robert Silver of the legendary band Deep Blue, contemplates a return to touring.

Things are also looking up for Claire’s best friend, Denise Hrivnak, who’s planning her wedding to Robert’s musical partner, Art Hoffman. However, what should have been most joyful day of Denise’s life turns to tragedy when an unexpected event forces both woman to contemplate the terrifying possibility of life without the men they love.

Besieged by the paparazzi and sick with worry, Claire waits for answers in a Las Vegas hotel room, thinking over her improbable relationship with Rob and praying that love alone is strong enough to bring her beloved husband back from the brink.

Excerpt:

“We’ve met before, but I bet you don’t remember,” she says, before fixing her eyes on me. Her body is encased in a skin-tight short dress designed to show off a pair of cantaloupe-sized fake breasts that she shoves at my chest. Too much Botox, too many hair extensions, those claw-like nails, and some hideous tattoos. Nothing about this woman, who is maybe my daughter’s age, seems real or natural.

“I remember.” But not in the way she hopes.

“If you’re not doing anything later,” she says, giving me the once-over, “I’m having an intimate little after party in my hotel suite.”

“You know I’m married.”

“Of course,” she goes on. “I met your wife a few minutes ago. But marriage means different things to different people. In my mind we’re going to have sex, so you might as well be in the room with me.”

I need to get away from here before someone snaps a photo of us and it winds up being posted online. After last year’s revelation of my out-of-wedlock child and the controversy over Claire’s arrest for threatening his mother, I have been advised to maintain a low public profile. To put it bluntly, in the words of our band’s long-time publicist, Katie McDowell, “As far as the tabloids are concerned, you and Claire are an average married couple raising a kid in rural New York. You can’t get any more boring than that.”

Keep moving. Nothing to see here.

Besides, I’m not the least bit tempted, even if Brittney believes she’s Ms. Freaking Universe. Why go out for fast food when I can have a gourmet meal at home?

Interview with Kathleen Duhamel

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Deep End?

Claire Martin is a 61-year-old artist and free spirit who has married the love of her life, aging rock singer Robert Silver of the legendary band Deep Blue. She’s on the verge of attaining career success when a series of events forces her to re-examine her life, which might have to go on without her beloved husband. Robert, who brought a love child and a history of addiction into their marriage, takes on the roles of husband, father, and grandfather, while trying to remain viable in the brutal music industry.

Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?

I’m working on Fed Up, the first book in my new Well-Seasoned series. The main characters are a small town chef and a semi-successful television actor, both in their 50s, who meet and fall in love at precisely the wrong time. At some point in the series, I expect one or more characters from Deep Blue to make an appearance.

How long would you say it takes you to write a book?

Usually, about a year to write a novel, then several more months of editing, cover design, etc., before it’s published. I’m not so prolific that I can crank out a book every few months.

What is your favorite childhood book?

The Velveteen Rabbit. I still tear up when I read it.

If you could spend the day with one of the characters from Deep End, who would it be?

I’d like to hang out with Artie, who is Rob’s longtime musical partner and a guitar genius. He is unrelentingly sarcastic, completely uncensored, and possibly the funniest character in the book. I’d like to spend the day watching a rehearsal of his and Rob’s cable TV show, Front Row Seat with Deep Blue, and get the VIP treatment.

What was the hardest scene from Deep End to write?

One of the hardest scenes, as well as the blackest moment in Deep End, comes when Rob and Artie’s chartered jet goes missing en route to Las Vegas during a scorching summer. Claire and her BFF Denise are faced with the possibility of losing the men they love. They’re in a state of near-panic, feeling helpless, worried, and tormented by paparazzi. I wanted to convey the wrenching uncertainty and fear that takes over when you aren’t sure you’ll ever see your loved ones again.

What made you want to become a writer?

I wrote and illustrated my first story at age eight, so I guess I’m a born storyteller!

Just for fun

(a Favorite song: I can’t go with a favorite song, but my favorite singer is Boz Scaggs. He’s received a shout-out in all my books.

(b Favorite book: Anything that Barbara Kingsolver ever wrote, although I particularly love Pigs in Heaven.

(c Favorite movie: It’s a Wonderful Life. I watch it every Christmas and sob.

(d Favorite tv show: Currently, it’s the Outlander series with its epic love story.

(e Favorite Food: sushi

(f Favorite drink:  Chardonnay

(g Favorite website: http://www.imajinbooks.com/ibic

Thanks so much for visiting with us today! 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kathleen Duhamel is a contemporary women’s fiction writer and the author of the Deep Blue Trilogy (Deep Blue, Deeper, and Deep End) as well as the novella At Home With Andre. She wrote and illustrated her first short story at the age of eight, and has been a writer for most of her life. Her love of the written word continued throughout her varied career as a newspaper journalist and editor, public relations executive, freelance travel writer, and owner/operator of two small businesses. A native of Texas, she has spent most of her adult life in Colorado. She lives in the Denver area with her husband, a geriatric standard poodle, and a spoiled cat. She is a lifelong devotee of rock and soul music, contemporary art, and popular culture.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Buy Links:

Deep Blue Trilogy

Deep Blue #1 ~ Deeper #2 ~ Deep End #3

At Home With Andre: A Deep Blue Novella

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon or B/N GC

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