Addison Brae lives in Dallas, Texas on the edge of downtown. She has been writing since childhood and continues today with articles, video scripts, and other content as an independent marketing consultant. Addison enjoys traveling, collecting interesting cocktail recipes, reading, jogging in her neighborhood park, sipping red wine, binge-watching TV series, vintage clothing, and hanging out with her artistic other half and their neurotic cat Lucy.
Character Interview
Beverley: What’s your name and where did you grow up?
Gillian: Hey. I’m Gillian Davis from Sugar Creek, Missouri, outside of St. Louis. If you’ve never heard of it like most people, it’s a little town outside of Kansas City.
Beverley: During what time period does your story take place?
Gillian: My story in Becker Circle and Dark Energy, Return to Becker Circle is current. Luckily all of the craziness in my life happened before the pandemic hit. The outcomes may have been entirely opposite if the timing was different.
Beverley: What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?
Gillian: I worked hard to graduate early from Harvard last December then start over in Dallas with a good accounting job and my own apartment in Becker Circle. I’d be happy anywhere but Sugar Creek after Mom’s death and losing Dad to the bottle. Then there’s what my ex did on my last birthday. Boston’s not big enough for both of us. They say Becker Circle is the “it” place to live. I call it home now, but the fresh start has been way harder than it should be.
Beverley: What’s your goal in this story?
Gillian: Why does crime always find me? Or do I find crime? All I want is a good job, a few friends who accept me for who I am, and to be happy. Meeting a fun guy who’s good to me wouldn’t be so bad either. I’ve met amazing people and had three job opportunities, but luck hasn’t been on my side.
Beverley: What conflicts are you facing?
Gillian: I’ve come so far since moving to Dallas. Taking the bartending job was a blessing and a curse. It’s how I met Jon but also where I saw someone die. It led me to Pinkie and my new career but almost got me killed. Then the FBI arrested Pinkie for a cryptojacking scheme leaving me to run his two bars. It’s been tough. Now I’m not sure if I’m an accountant, bar manager, or crime fighter.
Beverley: Do you have a plan for resolving them?
Gillian: Pinkie is my mentor and my friend. I will not let him go down for something he didn’t do so I force myself to trust the cops, people who had hurt me, and others I know are criminals. Those criminals upped the ante in this war. Now it’s our move. The good news is no one except for me knows what our move might be.
Beverley: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?
Gillian: I always keep my word, no matter what, even if it gets in the way of my happiness. That’s why rule eighteen of my new life is, “Never make a promise I can’t keep.”
Blurb for Dark Energy:
Cybercrime doesn’t talk. It creeps in and destroys lives right under Gillian’s nose when a cryptojacking scheme lands her boss, Pinkie, in jail. Gillian had just started over with a new career, boyfriend, and confidence after escaping a vicious murder investigation that shattered her ability to trust. Then Pinkie’s arrest leaves her struggling to run his two bars while also unraveling the conspiracy.
Gillian will not let her mentor and friend go down for something he didn’t do. Neither will Jon, the most talented musician on the bar’s stage and the perfect boyfriend…until his good fortune sends her reeling. Gillian forces herself to trust the cops, people who hurt her, and known criminals. Will it be enough to free Pinkie and save her life? Watch the book trailer https://youtu.be/tK0s7Y6FP2Y .
Excerpt from Dark Energy:
I lock the front door behind him, stash the cash in the safe, and log the receipts, just realizing how not enough rest has caught up with me. Sleep will be welcome after last night. I turn off the last light and head through the heavy back door to the parking garage when strong arms wrap around me from behind.
“No!”
A rag covers my face, garbling my scream. Exhaustion converts to fear. All I see is cloth and concrete.
I swing my body around with everything I have to escape my captor’s hold before everything goes black.
Time passes before I come to. How much, I have no idea. I struggle to break loose. My arms and legs are tied to a chair, and my face is covered. “Where am I?
Who’s here?” My heart might pound through my ribs.
“Hello, Gillian. Sorry to drop in uninvited.”
“It’s you. Again.” I’ll never forget the voice I heard the first time someone held me hostage after Bobby died.
“Indeed, we meet again. Trust me, this is a friendly visit.”
“Then why am I tied up and blindfolded?” My heartrate slows. For some odd reason, I’m not afraid I’m about to die.
“Please don’t take it personally. It’s purely so I can remain anonymous.”
“We have these things today called phones. Don’t you guys use burners so no one can trace the calls? Might try that next time.”
“You being here is much more personal.”
Then why can’t I see him? Footsteps travel across the room.
“You and Pinkie have a nice place here.” Carl’s pots and utensils clank together like off-tuned chimes.
“I heard about Pinkie’s misfortune. If you want to keep this nice place, we need to work together.”
“Why would we work with some guy who keeps kidnapping me?”
“I always like your spirit, Gillian Davis. Your question is smart. There’s someone new in town. He’s trying to control Dallas. Keep hard working entrepreneurs like Pinkie and me from running our businesses.”
Buy Links for Dark Energy:
Publishe r https://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Brae_Addison/dark-energy.htm? fbclid=IwAR3JxFrd2hK60VSCx47QlVSh3hy-jNzQCWgxQIfeF9hPjs5zXxHSBaXppEs
Amazon https://amzn.to/2YSkP6H
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-energy-addison-brae/1137002173
iBooks http s://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780463686379
Kob o htt ps://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=9780463686379
Smashwords – 50% off in July 2021 h ttp s://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1021319 ttp
Author proceeds go to Hope’s Door New Beginning Center to help fight domestic abuse.
Social Media Links for Addison
Connect with Addison on her website , Tirgearr Publishing , Amazon , BookBub , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook and YouTube . Text “AddisonBrae” to 888.431.1137 or visit addisonbrae.com/contact and be the first to receive a text message (no more than 1 per month) on book launches, appearances, and book sales.