Blog Tour – Poughkeepsie Enhanced Edition by Debra Anastasia

Welcome to the Poughkeepsie Enhanced Collector’s Edition App Tour!

Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia has been a cult hit bestseller since 2011. A homeless guy counting the smiles of a kind train commuter spiraled into a novel that was nominated by the Rockstars of Romance as one of the most romantic stories ever and won 2^nd place! It was a story that deserved getting a jumbo-sized enhancement. Extra scenes out the ying yang was, of course, a huge part of the fun. Getting to spend some of those previously undiscovered first moments with Blake and Livia or the moment he proposed was worth exploring. In Debra’s wildest dreams she imagined Poughkeepsie with its own soundtrack, anchored by her favorite musicians. When blockbuster talent Ron Pope signed on with fourteen songs and then Rustic Overtones agreed as well, she knew things were going to get crazy cool.

After almost two full years of development, the Enhanced Poughkeepsie is ready. Debra lost count of the hours spent, as did the developer poured into this. It was beast, and more amazing than she could have ever imagined. This app became the most exceptional reading experience Debra could devise for her readers.

Check out what’s in store for you:

Immerse yourself in the world of Debra Anastasia’s Poughkeepsie.
Experience this bestselling novel for the first time…again as you break all the rules about books with Omnific Publishing and Debra Anastasia. In this enhanced version of the novel, you’ll enjoy insights from the author, music by Ron Pope and other artists to set the mood, and images and video that bring the scenes to life as you read. You’ll delve deeper into the world of Poughkeepsie through nearly 50,000 words of added scenes (more love, more drama, more romance!) and informative insights into how this marvelous story and its characters came to be.

Self-contained in this app (no wifi needed after downloading):
•complete novel Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia
•author/director’s pop-up commentary
•music by Ron Pope, Rustic Overtones, Monoxide G, Violet Winter, Bo Heart, and Jeff Epstein and the City Line Singers
•more than 100 images to enhance the story
•videos of your favorite characters in action
•special animation
•sound effects
•interviews with the characters, author, and more
•interactive games
•trailers for the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood series
•how-to knitting instructions
•how-to instructions for making a paper rose
•recipe for the dinner Livia makes for Blake

Great. Debra Anastasia has ruined reading for me. Now I want every book I read to be just like the enhanced Poughkeepsie app. I’ve read a few enhanced books before. I thought I knew what I was getting into. Since I read Poughkeepsie once before (almost 2 years already!), I thought I could spend a little extra time with the app and be able to review it. Uuuuummmm…..NO. A LITTLE extra time? I don’t think so. There is so much AMAZING extra material in this little app that you can spend hours with it, in addition to reading the book. Yet it’s never overwhelming. In fact, I think this version reads better than the original (plus, the extra scenes make it better, and they are HOT!)

This easy-to-navigate app/website lets you read the book, but adds photos, custom music and art, tons of background on the writing process, and little notes from Debra throughout. I think my favorite part of all is the little comments Debra leaves about certain lines in the book and how they are special or significant to her personally.

This gave the book such a personal feel! And regarding the story itself…I don’t even want to link you to my original review. Because 2 years later this book stuck with me more than almost any other book. My memory SUCKS. I read Poughkeepsie while I was on vacation in Gatlinburg, in between helicopter rides, white water rafting, ziplining, concerts and tons of other activities, so I think it’s safe to say my attention wasn’t 100% on the book. Poughkeepsie was not a quick, easy read, and I think it affected my rating. Because now, re-reading for this review, I can pretty much say it is a 5 star read (but honestly, I have not finished the re-read, there were glitches getting the app in time).

One thing I will say, this app seems to be a bit more geared to a fan that is already familiar with Poughkeepsie and Debra’s work. Although I find Debra’s Facebook to be absolutely hysterical, I did not realize how much ‘real life’ is in this book, and the app kind of assumes you know. But that is OK. I think the newbie and the fan can still read and LOVE this interactive book.

I was so busy with Wicked Book Weekend, that I missed the opportunity to get the iPad app. But Debra sent the web app (which will be live for use on all platforms later this week) and it worked just great, just like an app. I played with it both on my desktop and iPad, and I can’t wait to explore it even deeper.

Though I think I have only gone through half of the app as of this writing, I can more than safely give this a 5 stars and 5 Heat.

Whether you have read Poughkeepsie before, or are just reading it for the first time, THIS is the way it should be read! The amount of detail and work that clearly went into this app is astounding. They didn’t just throw in a few songs and videos, it was a fully immersive experience, with something extra on every page. Real photos of the Poughkeepsie platform and so many other scenes really help bring the book to life.

Bringing Poughkeepsie even more to life….we have Beckett. (And the additional Magic Wand scene!!! I loved that…best toy ever)

Male Fashion Model John Quinlan in Calvin Klein

When I was assembling the Enhanced eBook for Poughkeepsie, I knew I wanted a Beckett for the ladies. Then my friend Julie presented me with a picture of John Quinlan in a suit, and immediately I could tell he had Beckett’s swagger. After connecting with John, I asked him if he’d be willing to portray Beckett in a few scenes I scripted for him. He said yes, and the rest has been pretty amazing history! I have to introduce you guys to this man. He is the sweetest badass you’ll ever meet.

Debra Anastasia: John Quinlan, you have quite a résumé, can you tell the ladies about some of your accomplishments?

John Quinlan: First of all, I am truly honored to be selected as Beckett. I am grateful to all of you out there in the romance world for the kindness, love, and support you’ve shown me. You all made John Quinlan! Without you believing in me, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and I most certainly wouldn’t be Beckett Taylor.

And, thanks, Debra, for the dramatic introduction—calling me sweet and a badass in the same sentence. You’re pretty accurate there. People often judge me as a bad guy or a punk before they get to know me. But once they’ve had the chance to talk with me for a bit, they find out I’m a cool, down to earth guy. I am used to this by now, so it’s all good.

Okay, so Debra wanted the baddest Beckett on the planet, and, baby, you scored him with me. I have been involved in athletics, professional wrestling, fitness, and modeling since I was 19. I’ve been an image model for dozens of apparel brands over the years, along with appearing in television documentaries, commercials, art gallery print work, and having my likeness used on children’s book covers. I am also a former physique competitor and a current romance novel cover model as well.

John Quinlan’s awards and honors:

Mr. USA Next Man Model of The Year, 2011
HUF Magazine January Male Fashion Model of The Month, 2011
Toot Apparel Image Model, Brand Ambassador and Spokesmodel to Japan and Asia via United States, 2011
Diego Barberi Apparel Image Model & Brand Ambassador to Switzerland via United States, 2011
Official Image Model of the Year for No Limits Brand Underwear, 2012
Nutrabolics Supplement Company Image Model and Brand Ambassador, 2012
Athletic Xtreme Supplement Company Sponsored Athlete, 2012
The Most Tattooed Romance Cover Model in The World, 2012 – present
Official Alpha Male Underwear Image Model, 2013

DA: When we were coordinating the shots for the scenes you performed as Beckett, you went above and beyond. I was blown away and had tears in my eyes every time. It was incredible to see Beckett on film. Can you tell us a little about what went in to your creation of the character?

JQ: I really immersed myself in this character. I was no longer John Quinlan, I was Beckett Taylor. These scenes were filmed in a motel that I selected—not too nice but not too grungy either, kind of a hideout type place. I had to keep this quiet, so I took my wife Jennifer with me to get this on film. She did an amazing job and wasn’t even freaked out when I had a meltdown after the telephone scene and I pounded the bed with my fist and nearly broke it. Having to pay the motel manager for a broken bed was not in the plan, so I got lucky there!

The wild assortment of firearms next to my bed was all the real deal. All 100-percent authentic and live. Yeah, I was loading a legit gun, baby… I don’t mess around. The gun you see me loading with bullets is a Beretta 92, which is the gun used by Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. Another one of the guns on the nightstand is the Colt Detective Special, which was the weapon of choice for Edward G. Robinson as character Johnny Blake in the 1936 film Bullets or Ballets. This gun will do some serious damage! The third was a Walther PPK—James Bond’s gun from Dr. No through Tomorrow Never Dies (except in Moonrakers and Octopussy). My brother Brian knows a guy who is a gun master, and he supplied the weapons.

An alcoholic drink I truly despise is Black Label, so for the wake up in bed scene, my flask was full of…you guessed it, real Black Label. I wanted the viewer to get a real, natural reaction of disgust when I drank it.

As for the Hummer, I wanted to select a form of transportation that really defined Beckett—and me at the same time. Some of my top choices were a Corvette, a Ferrari, and a Cadillac Escalade, but in the end I went with the Hummer. Everything just clicked with this choice. It is strong, rugged, turns heads and is aggressive without being too glamorous. All of these things define John Quinlan’s version of Beckett Taylor.

Best of all, after contacting many dealerships and friends who had connections willing to let me use their trophy cars, the Hummer was the closest to home and the most easily accessible. Thanks to my sister Kim and brother in-law Bill Ryan (owners of the Hummer). It was a lot of work getting all of these things, but I knew when everything came together, Debra Anastasia’s badass Beckett Taylor would deliver as promised and knock this one outta that park.

DA: I really thought your acting was on point. Why are you so good at this? (Besides Julie’s amazing directing debut!)

JQ: I’m glad you were happy with my performance, Debra. Some of my life experiences along the way have shaped me into the person I am today. I’m very comfortable in front of a camera, and I always try to articulate things the best I can and make conversation interesting and fun. I think two things that have really helped me excel in this area are my time as a pro wrestler and as a nightclub doorman and host.

Many moons ago I had the honor of training at the world famous Killer Kowalski Professional Wrestling School. I became friends with the legend himself, Walter “Killer” Kowalski. What an amazing person! I remember him training the class on how to speak with a microphone in front of a crowd. He would say, “John, get up there and cut a 30 second promo as a heel (bad guy in wrestling) in front of the class.” This would be on the spur of the moment in front of guys who were the size of buildings. I figured if I could get this down I could do almost anything. J During my time as a nightclub doorman and host, I had to interact with so many people. I think over time my customer service skills became “money” for me. As the face of Beckett Taylor, I knew I had some big shoes to fill, so I used what I’ve learned over the years to bring my best performance.

DA: Your body is insane, and you totally look like a tough guy, but I’m willing to bet you’d stop your car and help an old lady across the road. Why is it important for you to be a gentleman?

JQ: Thanks, Debra, for the kind words. John Quinlan on the outside is the exact opposite of John Quinlan on the inside. I guess when I have to act a bit tough I can, but my natural personality is very docile.

DA: The boys in Poughkeepsie have tattoos that mean a lot to them and highlight their bond. You have some ink as well, so tell me about your favorite tattoos.

JQ: I have a total of 20 tattoos at the moment, which cover my abdomen, arms, shoulders, back, and hands. On my abdomen is a tribal sun symbol wrapped in barbed wire around my navel with the kanji courage symbol next to it. On my arms and shoulders I have two half sleeves, a tribal wrist bracelet, Asian strength and tranquility symbols, two red and black nautical stars, and the Asian kanji family symbol. On my back are three Celtic crosses with the kanji hope and happiness symbols and two more red and black nautical stars. Finally, on my right ring finger is a tribal shamrock and the Asian symbol of perseverance with a red and black nautical star adjacent to that on my right pinky finger. The tribal shamrock I got approved by professional MMA fighter Frank Shamrock before I put it on, as it started out as the symbol of his dojo.

DA: What is on the horizon for you?

JQ: Debra, I live for the moment. I have many modeling-related projects lined up, and without giving too much away just yet, I can say I will be in Philadelphia in mid-October for a shoot to appear on the cover of Jillian Bullock’s new fitness book. And the 2014 RT Convention in New Orleans is looking pretty good right now—especially since you will be there. 🙂 I gotta keep some things a surprise, though. Ha ha ha!

DA: John, thank you so very much for becoming Beckett Taylor. I’m so excited for my amazing readers to get to know you. You totally rock! And, ladies, if you’d like to see more of John Quinlan, you can find him here: