Welcome to the Battle Not With Monsters Book Tour, hosted by Xpresso Book Tours!

Title: Battle Not With Monsters
Author: Overton Scott
Genre: Thriller
Publication Date: March 8, 2014
GoodReads

Synopsis:

Victim?

Neen Ford is a loner, drifting from town to town, working as a security guard and teaching martial arts. One hot night in Dallas, she witnesses the brutal murder of a Ukranian prostitute and becomes the killer’s next target. Neen’s never backed down from a fight, but she’s never tangled with a human trafficking ring before. Until now.

Hero?

Naïve young women are being trafficked into the United States by Russian criminals. Someone needs to help them. The police are trying, but they’re not moving fast enough for Neen, who is now being stalked by a man who enjoys inflicting pain.

Vigilante?

How far will Neen go to save herself? How far, to save three young women from a life of fear and despair? And what price will she pay for battling the monster? There’s a thin line between hero and vigilante – will she cross it?

Buy Links:
Amazon

Interview:
I am SUPER excited introduce all of you to Overton Scott! Overton Scott debuted in March with his stand alone, thriller novel Battle Not With Monsters and is here today to talk about it!

Hey, Overton Scott! Welcome to Between Printed Pages, we’re so happy to have you here today~

Thanks for such a warm welcome! I’m happy to be here, too.

Before we start, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I was an attorney and corporate executive before I turned to writing. I like the writing gig much better. I can work in my pajamas and nobody cares. I live in the Midwest, but I’ve spent time on both coasts and a number of years in Dallas, where BNWM is set.

We understand that Overton Scott is a pseudonym. Was there any particular reason you decided to write under a different name?

I’m traditionally published under my own name, in a completely different genre (historical fiction). I wanted to separate the two series I write. I’m beginning to think this pseudonym thing is more trouble than it’s worth, and at some point I may combine my output and lay claim to it under one name.

What inspired the story for Battle Not With Monsters? Also, is there a message in this story you want readers to grasp?

The same thing serves as inspiration for all my books: strong women. I like to write female protagonists who battle societal expectations and their own demons. Neen Ford, my heroine, is an example of that. She’s more comfortable practicing roundhouse kicks with a bunch of guys than having an actual conversation with one of them. Things are changing rapidly, but society still frowns on women who want to do typically masculine things, like fight. I hope the message of BNTM is that each individual has to follow his or her own path, with honor and courage.

What was the publishing process like for this book? Any advice for aspiring writers and others who are trying to get their work published?

BNWM is a self-published work, so the process is simple compared to the traditional publishing route. Let me give you a few examples of how they differ. My last book was delivered to the publisher in December, 2012, and finally hit stores in February, 2014. I finished BNWM and had it uploaded to retailers within a week of its completion. I have no control over cover design on my other books, but I hired my own designer for BNTM. Most importantly, I receive only 15% royalty on my traditionally published books and the price is set by the publisher. For BNTM, I’m getting 70% of the price, and I determine the price. A traditional publisher would never agree to set the price for a book at $2.99. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method. I plan to do both.

As for advice, I can only offer the following: write, rewrite and rewrite again. Be persistent and believe in yourself. Care about the process, and not publication. If you are published, realize you’ve been very lucky. Stay humble and keep writing. Then rewrite, etc.

What is your writing process like? Did anything change for this book?

I’m a planner, not a pantser, so the first thing I did was prepare a scene by scene outline for the book. That took a few weeks, as simultaneously I was doing some background reading on human trafficking, the Dallas area, and martial arts. Once I had an outline I started writing. I typically try to do 1,000 words per day. That doesn’t sound like much, but do it every day for three months and you have a novel. Then the hard work begins. I’ll read the novel 6-10 more times, starting with a “big picture” read to be sure there aren’t holes in the plot, to see if characterization is consistent, to determine if scenes should be added or deleted. Then I start drilling down, until finally I’m reading to be sure every word is the right word. I hate this part, particularly because no matter how many times you read the novel, you’ll always miss something.

For all the readers out there, could you name the top three books you think everyone should read?

Just three books? Really? I’m going to cheat. Here are three authors writing thrillers with female protagonists that I think everyone should read: S. J. Bolton, Taylor Stevens and Karin Slaughter.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Would you ever want to set a book there?

The one place I’m dying to go (and probably would end up doing just that if I went now) is Egypt. And absolutely I’d set a novel there.

My final question: What is your favourite word?

Marmoreal – of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue, especially in coldness or aloofness.

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Thank you so much, Overton Scott, for taking the time to answer our questions! Extremely excited to read your novel!

My pleasure. Thank you for having me. I hope you enjoy the book, and that you’ll check out the first Neen Ford short story, Dead Wasps, available at Amazon, B & N and Smashwords. And anyone who cares to talk to me can reach me at neenford@gmail.com or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/scottneenford).

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About the Author:

Overton Scott is the pseudonym of a national bestselling author. Overton is interested in a lot of themes covered in the Neen Ford stories: martial arts, the warrior ethos, personal responsibility, and the concept of justice. Like Neen, Overton doesn’t think that the guilty should escape punishment on this earth. Unlike Neen, Overton prefers to write stories rather than take the law into his own hands. It’s just as morally satisfying, but less dangerous.

As you are reading this, Overton should be working on the next Neen Ford adventure. But he’s probably at the gym, shooting or wasting time looking at funny pictures on the internet. You can contact him at neenford@gmail.com, if you’d like to discuss any aspect of the Neen Ford stories.

Giveaway:

There will be two giveaways. The first is tour-wide and open internationally and there are two signed copies of Battle Not With Monsters !