Review Door to Door + interview with author T.L. (Tracy) Brown

Sometimes its serendipity that brings a new author into my life like when Tracy liked a comment I made on another blogger's website and it made her reach out to me. And to me for finding a new favorite author.
I hope you enjoy my audio review of Door To Door and our exclusive chat!

ASIN: B0C9G3R5DW
Publisher: T.L. Brown
Release Date: 06-27-2023
Length: 9 hours & 37 minutes
Source: Author for review
Buy It: Audible (.99 on Kindle format)

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Two worlds collide when Emily Swift turns 30, and her late father’s journal lands on her doorstep....

Seventeen years after Emily Swift’s father died, a door is opened to a new world, an Empire led by peculiar men and women called Salesmen–transporters of magical items. These Salesmen have the unique ability to travel from place to place, and even world to world, simply by stepping through the “right” door. Now that Emily is 30, it turns out that she can “door travel” too, stumbling unplanned into kitchens, bathrooms, and alleyways as her connection to the Salesman Empire is revealed.

Fueled by the cryptic notes and sketches in her father’s journal, Emily discovers the real reason behind his death: he was targeted and assassinated by the Fringe, a terrorist group of rogue Salesmen. After an attack that leaves an innocent woman dead, a rare book containing clues to the whereabouts of the Crimson Stone is missing. Emily is charged with getting it back. As she races through the Empire, she pursues John Templeton, the mysterious Salesman with extraordinary abilities, who seems to help and undermine Emily at whim.

With new friends Anne Lace and the seemingly-boyish Rabbit, she tracks Templeton, but the Fringe is not far behind–as two new murders prove. Along the way, Emily struggles to balance her desire to find out who killed her father against the task of recovering the legendary stone. The internal journey of reconciling the father she hardly knew with the great leader she’ll never know forms the foundation for a fast-paced race to keep powerful magic out of violent, fanatical hands.

About the book on Youtube

 

Listen to an audio sample HERE

My exclusive interview with author T.L. (Tracy) Brown:

 

Tracy hi! Welcome to The Reading Frenzy.
I absolutely loved your book, Door to Door.
Tell my readers a bit about it please.

First, thank you for inviting me to interview with you, Deb — and I’m thrilled you loved Door to Door! I like to describe this book as a fun and fast-paced paranormal mystery with leanings toward the cozy genre. 

Emily Swift is the book’s protagonist, living in a small city in upstate New York. She shares her home with her boyfriend Jack and the three “Furious Furballs” — her cats. On her 30^th birthday, a package lands on her snowy doorstep. There is no return address, but inside is her late father’s travel journal. Turning 30 and receiving the book sets off a series of events and missteps that reveal a connection to another world called the Empire — where magic exists, and men and women called Salesmen can travel from place to place simply by stepping through a door. 

It turns out that Emily can “door travel,” too, albeit not always successfully. Add to the mix a mysterious top-hatted antagonist (Templeton) who helps and hinders Emily on a whim, the murder of an innocent woman, and the theft of a magical gemstone, and Emily’s 30^th birthday becomes one to remember.

Did I mention there is a rogue group of Salesmen called the Fringe chasing Emily as she races through the Empire to recover the Crimson Stone? These Empire terrorists will stop at nothing to get to her. 

This book was first published in 2020 in ebook and paperback versions and just released this summer as an audiobook.
Audiobooks are my favorite way to experience a story but no matter how great the printed version is, it’s the narrator who makes or breaks the audio version and Elyse is fantastic!
Did you have her in mind for the role as narrator and if not how did she audition and get picked?

I did have Elyse Osterhaug in mind! She was recommended by a fellow author, Julie Embleton. Elyse narrated Embleton’s Turning Moon series — if you like fantasy, I highly recommend it — and I reached out to Elyse directly. I also auditioned around 15 other narrators at the same time, just in case Elyse wasn’t interested. But fate worked in my favor, and she was available to “become the voice of Emily Swift.”   
 

Was it always your intention to make this available in audio?

I don’t think I thought about it in the beginning. Later, when I toyed with the idea, I still didn’t pursue having an audiobook created because it can be very expensive to hire talent (voice artists). There is always the option of narrating your own book, but frankly, I know my limitations. I needed a professional to narrate Door to Door. 

The same author I mentioned above, Julie Embleton, encouraged me to explore a service called ACX. Writers and narrators partner to co-create audiobooks and are bound by a contract provided by ACX. There are pros and cons for both the writer and the narrator, of course. 

I’m glad I took the leap and connected with the right voice artist. I want to reach as many readers as possible. If an audiobook is the preferred way for someone to read, I want to meet them where they are and give them the chance to hear the story. 

So, I love all kinds of fantasy from cozies to hard fantasy and yet with the explosion of the genre in the past decade or so there is so much of the same thing out there. Door to Door, however, is really unique.
Where did the story come from?

 I’d kicked around the idea of portal travel and magical realism for quite some time, but it was during a drive from Long Island to Rochester, NY, that Emily Swift’s story began to take shape. My husband asked me to tell him a story to pass the time. He kept asking: And then what happened? When we returned home, I started to write the book. 

Also, I’ve always lived in my imagination — from early childhood to today. I wanted to have magic right alongside my everyday life in the mundane world. That’s why I love magical realism and books that fall into that category. It’s probably why I loved old classic TV shows like Bewitched or even Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Sometimes, I look around and think: what if there really IS magical stuff happening, and we’re too “grown up” to see it? I kind of hope there is. :-) 

So, let’s talk about Emily.
She’s more open minded than many protagonists would be, not that she didn’t come to her fate kicking and screaming just that it was a kinder gentler version. 😉
Did you always know she would be this accepting, or did she surprise you when you were writing the book?

People often think writers — especially new authors — put themselves into the main character. I’ve even been asked if that was the case with Emily Swift. It’s not, but I will tell you that Emily and I do have one big thing in common: curiosity. And that’s what helps her be more accepting — and frequently gets her into trouble. 

Now that I think about it, and since you asked, I guess Emily’s character does reflect me in that we both are reasonably open-minded. Maybe curiosity and open-mindedness go hand in hand. 

Still, Emily always surprises me. There comes a point in the series where she is very much “the hand of justice,” and that hardness revealed some layers I hadn’t anticipated.

Sometimes it felt like Templeton was thrown in as a red herring and sometimes he felt like he belonged.
If you wanted him to be a conundrum you hit the nail on the head. I’m hoping some questions will be answered in the next two books.
Will he be featured in the next books?

Ah, my morally gray John Templeton. He’s something, isn’t he? Arrogant, dismissive, wealthy, and powerful. And a Salesman — an extraordinary one. From the beginning, I intended to allow readers to wonder about his motives — and they should — because it’s not clear if he can be trusted. Plus, he’s like a cat with a mouse with Emily. She amuses him. But by the end of Door to Door, he has learned she’s not to be underestimated.

Templeton returns in book 2 of the series, Through the Door, but he’s not “on page” as much. Still, he plays a critical role. He’s also in book 3, Doors Wide Open, and plays a HUGE role. It’s my favorite book in the series. I laid him bare at one point. And yes, readers learn important secrets. 

Templeton has his fans and even his own hashtag on Instagram: #Temptington

This is the first book in the series of three and I have to admit I’m worried about Jack in the upcoming tales, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for them to make it.
Did you know the final series outcome from the start or are there perhaps more stories to tell?

Emily and Jack definitely go through a lot, and it’s hard for him to accept Emily’s new world. This is touched on more in the second book in the series, Through the Door. But don’t dismay! Love is powerful, and Jack and Emily love each other very much.   

When I started writing Door to Door, I didn’t even think about a series. After I published it, I knew there was so much more to Emily’s story. By the end of Through the Door, I knew exactly what was going to happen in the last book of the series, Doors Wide Open. 

Writing Doors Wide Open was one of the best experiences of my life. 

This book felt darker than a cozy but not as dark as a hard fantasy so I guess if I was asked I would call it a dark cozy.
Do you like labels on your books?

Dark cozy! I love that description. 

For better or worse, we need labels — or categories — to help readers find our books. With the Door to Door Paranormal Mystery series, I try to emphasize the paranormal aspect over the cozy label. But, since the sex and most of the violence happen off-page, with only a small amount of violence included in the storyline, it falls under cozy. And for the most part, the language is clean. I knew my mother was going to read the books! 

Right now, Amazon has put Door to Door in the following three categories: Women's Fantasy Fiction, Women's Action & Adventure Fiction, and Mystery Action Fiction. I suppose that’s all true, too.  

You also have a spin off series The Bellerose Witchline series that stars characters from the Door To Door series.
Does it help with background etc. if you read the Door to Door series first?

Thanks for asking this question! I even created a video for readers who might wonder the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE2jB2Yl_pY 

The short answer is readers do not “need” to read the Door to Door series to appreciate and understand the Bellerose Witchline books. However, people who read the Door to Door series first will have a slight advantage to backstory because I pull over three significant “side characters” from the Door to Door series into the next one.

Templeton, Rabbit, and Lucie Bellerose are the “stars” of the adult dark fantasy Bellerose Witchline series, and Lucie is the main character. Lucie is first introduced as a small side character in Emily Swift’s Through the Door and then plays a big role in Doors Wide Open. In fact, the end of Doors Wide Open is the launch of Lucie Bellerose’s first book in her series, A Thin Witchline Between Love & Hate.

This second video is a book trailer for both series, and I think it highlights the difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdFPEMoaKcg

Tracy I love one of the taglines on your bio
“Tracy’s married to one damn amazing man. Together they talk about music for hours, cook up fabulous meals, and raise clever chickens.”
Literally?

We do! We have six hens. They are a riot and keep us on our toes. Our Australorps are Maxine, Penelope, and Zorro, and our Barred Rocks are Alice, Gertrude, and Mimi. Mimi is our littlest chicken, a diva, and once fought off a hawk. Don’t mess with the chicks! :-) 

Tracy thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, I love learning about new to me authors.
I can’t wait to dig into the next book.
What are you working on next?

Thank you for engaging me! Your questions were great, Deb. This was a pleasure.

As for what’s next, the audiobook version of Through the Door (book 2 in the series) is in the editing phase, and hopefully, it will be released by mid-December at the very latest. 

I’m also writing the third book in the Bellerose Witchline series, Walking a Fine Witchline. That book will be published in 2024, but I don’t yet have a date. 

Readers can keep up with what I’m doing by signing up for my newsletter or following me in social media. A list of my socials can be found on my website here: https://writertracybrown.com/contact/

Thanks again for having me on your website, and I wish everyone a happy reading! :-)   

Tracy's Books

My Audio Review:

Door to Door
T.L. Brown

 

Door To Door, first in T.L.(Tracy) Brown’s supernatural mystery series is a fantastical delight, a wild ride into another world filled with strange and wonderful people, places and things and of course some despicable evil doers as well and featuring a clueless Emily Swift as her protagonist. Her plot is unique and engaging and will keep listeners interest from the eye-opening beginning to the expectant end and is very refreshing in a genre containing a lot of same old, same old. There are many curious characters that the audience will meet through the story both good and bad like Emily’s BFF Tara, her boyfriend Jack, and the mysterious Templeton.  But it’s definitely Emily that is the real stand-out star of the show; she’s the rare example of acing her magical on the job door to door training, all the while trying to stay alive to be able to get back to tackle the problems she left behind in her own world. Fans of Angie Fox or Joss Walker will love this book.

Narration:
Elyse Osterhaug does a bang-up job of narrating this book, she’s a fantastic Emily and does a good job with the other voices both male and female. She also does a great job of putting emotions just where they belong making her audience gasp, shiver and laugh at just the right moments.

 

On Emily Swift’s 30^th birthday she expects a quiet dinner with her boyfriend Jack but instead gets some unexpected and unusual gifts, first her beloved deceased father’s work journal shows up on her doorstep, then she’s followed by a top hat wearing stranger who seems to disappear into thin air, and she oh gets an unexpected trip to a parallel universe.

Emily only knew her father was a Salesman but soon learns from her new mentor into magic that it was so much more than just a job and that she as his eldest should have been let in on his little secret as she is supposed to inherit the position. But instead, she’s jumping from the frying pan into the fire when she discovers that this new world, the Empire is in the middle of a civil war with a disgruntled faction known as the Fringe who have killed to get what they want and may have been responsible for her father’s death. She’s also determined to keep Jack in the know about her new vocation unlike her father who kept she and her mother in the dark. But all that’s turning out to be harder than she thought when she’s having trouble just trying to stay out of danger and alive long enough to get back to her own world. But she’s sure she’ll figure it all out, eventually.

About the author:
Writer Tracy Brown lives in the beautiful Finger Lakes of New York State dreaming up epic stories and quirky characters who definitely make her life much more interesting.

She believes magic still exists; you just need to look in the right places.
Tracy is the author of the Door to Door Paranormal Mystery Series, three books penned under the name T.L. Brown.
She is also the author of the adult dark fantasy Bellerose Witchline books. Although this is a standalone series, it shares some of the author’s most popular characters found in the “Door to Door books.” The second book in the series, Crossing the Witchline, was released in September 2022. She’s working on the third installment now, Walking a Fine Witchline, due out in 2024.
Tracy was born in snowy Western New York where she developed a love of reading and writing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in History – Political Science.
After college, she moved to Rochester and began to create a story about an average 30-year-old who was caught between two worlds: the known one and a new, dangerous place known as the Empire. That character became Emily Swift, the main character in the Door to Door Paranormal Mystery Series.
Tracy’s married to one damn amazing man. Together they talk about music for hours, cook up fabulous meals, and raise clever chickens.
Interviews with T.L. Brown can be found on the following websites:
Featured Author, T.L. Brown – on AllAuthor.com
Get to Know the Author – Fast Facts, T.L. Brown – with @ButFirstLetsRead on Instagram
Author Interview: T.L. Brown – on British mystery author Saffron Amatti’s website
An Introduction to T.L. Brown – on Jill-Elizabeth.com
Featured Author, T.L. Brown – on Cozy Capers

If you would like to feature a Q&A or an interview with T.L. Brown, please contact her through one of her official social media channels.