BLOG TOUR [THIS OR THAT?] Back Before Dark by Tim Shoemaker

Tour Schedule

Back Before Dark
by Tim Shoemaker

Praise for Code of Silence: 'Deliberate, plausible, and gritty whodunit.' --Booklist Starred Review

Taken!

A detour through the park leads Cooper, Gordy, Hiro, and Lunk straight into a trap, and Gordy is abducted! For the kidnapper, it's all a game, a way to settle an old score, with no one getting hurt. But evil has a way of escalating, and once his identity is discovered, the rules change. Despite the best of police efforts, the hours tick by without a clue or a ransom call, leaving everyone to their own fears. Gordy is gone. Cooper descends deeper into a living nightmare, imagining the worst for his best friend and cousin. Hours stretch into days, and talks of a memorial service begin to surface. But Cooper still feels his cousin is alive and develops a reckless plan, changing all the rules. Now the one who set out to rescue his friend needs to be rescued himself. Sometimes rescuing a friend from darkness means going in after them.

    

Happily married for more than thirty years to Cheryl, the love of my life.

Dad to three grown sons and two daughter-in-laws

Elder Chairman in my church and high school small group leader

Full time speaker and author since 2004

Living in the greater Chicago area

Grateful for God’s incredible grace and mercy to me in countless ways.

WEBSITE * FACEBOOK * TWITTER * GOODREADS

THIS OR THAT?

 WITH AUTHOR TIM SHOEMAKER

Print or Ebook?

Definitely print. I get excited about opening a book. Feeling the heft of it. I like turning a page—or flipping the pages to reread a section rather than scrolling. With a twist of my wrist I can see the cover again. I like dropping a bookmark between pages. A physical bookmark—like a key card from some hotel my wife and I visited. Or a ticket stub to an event that I totally enjoyed. Or maybe a photo that brings back great memories. I like using a highlighter on parts that really speak to me. And I love seeing other people reading books—don’t you? I usually try to get close enough to read the title. Sometimes that opens the door for a conversation with them. That would be pretty tough to do that if they were reading an ebook.

Beach or Pool?

Beach. Hearing the gulls. The waves. The foam hissing it’s way to my feet. And I love exploring. Lets face it, beachcombing can make a guy totally lose track of time. Looking for a perfect shell, or some strange creature that washed up. I love that kind of stuff. Pools can be great, but walking along a pool doesn’t quite have the same appeal as walking a shoreline.

Pizza or Pasta?

Pasta. I love pizza, especially Chicago-style deep dish, but pasta still wins. But not just any pasta. The only one that can beat pizza is spaghetti—with lots of marinara sauce.

Horror or Romance?

Unless it’s really old horror, as in laughingly hokey, I’d have to go with romance. My wife likes romance movies—and good ones put her in a romantic mood. So if I’m going on a date with my wife, I’d vote for a romantic movie every time!

Coke or Pepsi?

Coke. Cold—but with very little ice to water it down. I think Coke is stronger—more alive. And those machines in some restaurants where you can make something like a hundred varieties are great. Recently I’ve been into the Cherry Vanilla Coke.

Harry Potter or Twilight?

Harry Potter. Sorry, I just can’t get into the idea that vampires are romantic. I grew up watching the old black and white horror films like Frankenstein, Wolfman, and Dracula. And vampires like Dracula were hardly romantic. They were pasty-faced. Creepy. Stalkers.

Gum or Breath Mints?

Gum. I’ve been on a cycle of Trident Tropical Twist for some time—and bubble gum.

Summer or Winter?

Summer. Don’t get me wrong—I love the nippy bite of winter on my face—and I actually love shoveling and making snow forts. But summer has so many options—for fun and work. I take the laptop and write outside a lot. By the woods—or even better—at some fast food restaurant. Sip, snack, write. Repeat.

Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook—but even there, I don’t spend much time with it. It’s too easy to get absorbed in it—and lose my writing time.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

It depends. A shake? Vanilla. Cake? Chocolate. And when I’m eating at one of those places that has the soft serve ice cream machines. I’ll do a little of both. Yeah, I definitely make room for chocolate and vanilla in my life!

Spontaneity or Planning Ahead?

I try to plan ahead for almost everything—complete with “to-do” lists that I highlight as I finish. Highlight your accomplishments, right? And I have to plan ahead so I can actually get time to write. But the writing itself is spontaneous. I’m not one to plan it all out.

Black or White?

Black. Or white. I’ll take either. But not gray.

Hot or Cold?

Showers-hot. Food—hot, but not spicy. But hot weather? Forget about it. I’d rather have it a little cool outside.

Night owl or early bird?

I think it’s a really good idea to go to bed at the same time as my wife—and Cheryl isn’t a night owl. In my heart, I’m a night owl. But practicality has made me an early bird. And too often, I try to be both.

TV or Movies?

Movies. There’s something special about sitting back to watch it. To me, it’s an event. Like sitting down with a good book. And with a movie, I don’t have commercials interrupting every ten minutes.

Truth or Dare?

Truth. I’ve got nothing to hide. Almost nothing, anyway!

Text or Talk?

Talk—although texting has is a real lifesaver at times. But I like to hear the person’s voice. And if I have good news, I like to hear the excitement on the other end of the phone. But when I text—I write just like I’m doing any other writing. No trendy shortcuts or strange spellings. I’m careful to get the punctuation right—and I usually proofread and edit. Which is probably part of the reason I prefer talking.

Diet or Regular?

Regular. Always. The only diet drink I have is water.

Christmas or Thanksgiving?

Christmas. It’s magical. Thanksgiving lasts a day—but Christmas is a season. Yeah, in my way of thinking there are five seasons, not four. Winter, spring, summer, fall, and Christmas! I love everything about the season.

a Rafflecopter giveaway