Collision of Lies

(Detective Amara Alvarez, Book One)

by

Tom Threadgill

Genre: Contemporary Christian Suspense

Publisher: Revell

Date of Publication: February 4, 2020

Number of Pages: 400

Scroll down for the giveaway!

Three years ago, a collision between a fast-moving freight train and a school bus full of kids led to devastation and grief on an unimaginable scale. But a fresh clue leads San Antonio police detective Amara Alvarez to the unlikely conclusion that one of the children may still be alive. If she’s correct, everything law enforcement believes about the accident is a lie.

With time running out, Amara must convince others–and herself–that despite all evidence to the contrary, the boy lives. And she will do everything in her power to bring him home.

A fresh voice in suspense, Tom Threadgill will have you questioning everything as you fly through the pages of this enthralling story.

Praise

“Threadgill plunges a detective from the San Antonio Property Crimes Division into a deep-laid plot involving murder, kidnapping, and myriad other crimes above her pay grade.” — Kirkus Review

“I have a new favorite author. Tom Threadgill kept me reading for hours. I didn’t want to put this book down . . . couldn’t put it down. I absolutely adore Amara Alvarez and her relationships with her coworkers, friends, and her iguana! Now I want one. She was a heroine who made me laugh and one I could really relate to. I can think of a few words to describe this book: amazing, incredible, intriguing, mesmerizing, unputdownable. . . I could go on, but I need to stop so I can go buy up the entire backlist of my new favorite author.”  — Lynette Eason, award-winning, bestselling author of the Blue Justice Series

Baker Book House  ⬫  Amazon  ⬫  B&N

ChristianBook.com  ⬫ iBooks  ⬫  Kobo

Other Retailers

Of Reptiles and Women

By Tom Threadgill

Author of Collision of Lies

Collision of Lies, my latest novel, was my favorite to write so far. As I look back on the process, I think that’s because the characters were fresher to me. I’d just finished a series of three novels and was ready to move on to something different. Not to say I won’t go back to Jeremy Winter and his cohorts, but I left them in a good spot. They can manage without me for a while.

When I write, I have only the thinnest of ideas about the story. I’m very much a pantser—though I prefer the term “organic writer” since it doesn’t sound as, I don’t know, weird?—and do as little plotting as possible. I wanted Collision to have a female protagonist but needed more than the tired “divorced cop with a chip on her shoulder” routine. Amara Alvarez, the main character, had to be real. Someone readers can relate to even though they might not be a cop or divorced (or a woman).

When I first met Amara (yeah, I know how strange that sounds), she was in her early thirties, single for the last decade or so, and working as a detective in the San Antonio Property Crimes Division. Good job, one she enjoyed, but more of a stepping-stone into Homicide. She’s a wee bit on the short side, which doesn’t bother her too much, and likes to work out, especially doing kickboxing.

Oh, and she has a pet lizard.

Not just any lizard though. Larry is a three-foot-long iguana who lives in the second bedroom of her apartment. He’s got his own hangout, complete with heaters, branches, and everything else a lizard could want. He can also be a bit moody at times.

You need to understand that I knew nothing about lizards. I’m not a fan of reptiles. So why not give Amara a dog or cat or ferret or potbellied pig? Simple. I couldn’t. She already had the iguana when I met her.

That might not make a lot of sense if you’re not a writer, but characters must be free to make their own decisions. Live their own lives. When I first met Amara (and when you first meet her), she’d already made plenty of choices, some good, some bad. One of those choices was Larry. Why? Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t asked her yet. Maybe in the sequel. Could I insist she have a different pet, or even none at all? Sure, but then she wouldn’t be Amara. Any author will tell you that if you don’t listen to your characters, your book isn’t going to be as good as it could be.

So I had to research iguanas. What they eat. How to take care of them. The pros and cons of having them as a pet. Did you know they can grow to be up to six feet long? That if you pet them and they close their eyes, it’s not a sign of enjoyment? They’re stressed and blocking you out. If they open one or both eyes while you pet them, they trust you, even though they still don’t particularly enjoy it. And did we talk about salmonella? No? Well, be sure and wash your hands after touching Larry.

I know more about lizards now than I ever wanted to. I’ll never have one for a pet. And Larry doesn’t even show up much in the book. He’s more of a behind-the-scenes guy, though he does make an appearance or two.

But if Larry is important to Amara, I need to know everything I can about him whether I use it in the novel or not. It keeps her real in my mind. Lets me peak inside her head just a little so I can understand what decisions she will make as I go through the writing process. Larry and a slew of other traits go into building her character. Each is important in its own way.

The result is that I’m able to tag along as she moves through my novel. I don’t have to tell her what to do. She does it on her own. And if I write a scene that’s not true to her nature, she doesn’t hesitate to let me know. Nothing worse than a character acting out of character. (Can I use the same word twice in a sentence?)

Anyway, I hope you’ll pick up Collision of Lies and let me know how you like it. Amara and I put a lot of work into it and, to be honest, I’m just grateful she didn’t choose a snake (shudder) instead of Larry. Not sure I could’ve left her in the story.

Tom Threadgill is a full-time author and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). He is currently on the suspense/thriller publishing board for LPC Books, a division of Iron Stream Media. He lives with his wife in rural Tennessee.

Website ⬥ Facebook ⬥ Twitter ⬥ BookBub

Goodreads ⬥ Amazon Author Page

————————————

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

GRAND PRIZE: Copy of Collision of Lies + $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card 

SECOND PRIZE: Copy of Collision of Lies + Composition Notebook Pouch

THIRD PRIZE: Copy of Collision of Lies

February 6-16, 2020

(U.S. Only)

Check out the other blogs on this tour

blog tour services provided by