Susan Whitfield's Blog

Funny Valentines

2012-02-01T12:20:00.008-05:00

How does this blog cover a book that was conceived on an internet group, has forty writers, occupies a sales niche with a shelf life, and doesn't even take itself seriously? This humor anthology bills itself as "America's funniest writers take on love, romance, and other complications," and that’s exactly what it offers. No literary pretensions here: this pocket-sized book only wants to make you laugh. Or at least chuckle, chortle or guffaw. This collection of "Love Day" humor essays, jokes and cartoons was brought together by two writers already known for tickling ribs: Karla Telega has a highly-regarded humor blog as well as authoring the funny cozy mystery "Box of Rocks" while Linton Robinson was a co-perpetrator of "Mayan Calendar Girls," in addition to the scathing "The Way of the Weekend Warrior," based on his cult humor columns.

Both Karla and Lin contributed pieces to My Funny Valentine but are quick to note that other writers really power the book: writers who syndicate their columns, win contests, write for standup and television, produce programs, and pester people in subways.

I interview a lot of authors here, but aren’t you actually the editors of My Funny Valentine?

Lin: Well, Karla and I both contributed pieces, but what makes this book so cool is that it was written by forty very funny writers, so there's a gamut of style and types of writing and humor.

Karla: I have to check in the mirror each morning to see which hat I’m wearing. One day I’m writing, and the next day I’m trying not to squirt coffee out my nose while reading a story from one of our contributors.

Lin: Editing gives a different perspective to writing. I used to hate snotty editors who thought they were superior, and now I am one. Actually, I have edited publications before, just never funny ones. Not intentionally funny, anyway.

Where did you find the writers?

Lin: That was the main job on this project--and believe me, we were learning the job as we went along. We posted public calls on many forums and sites, but many were people we already knew and invited personally.

Karla: I’ve gathered a bit of infamy in the online humor community, so we called on some contacts there. We didn’t have to resort to bars or houses of ill-repute, although Lin volunteered to check them out.

Other than "funny", how would you characterize the writing?

Lin: One thing I noticed is that, although there are quite a few sweet and/or surrealistic pieces in what we think of as the "canon" of Valentine, a great many stories were from two viewpoints: women defying the stereotypes that Vday urges on their relationships, and men terrified that if they don't get the right present or do the right thing they'll end up sleeping alone and unconsummated in a Toyota. This goes beyond cheap laughs (hey, ten bucks for a book is cheap these days) into sociological significance. Since I'm not a sociologist, I have no idea what it signifies, but it's major, see?

Karla: With forty writers, odds are good that there is some socially redeeming value mixed in with all the hilarity.

Who do you think would read My Funny Valentine?

Lin: Two kinds of people, I think. One kind would be humor fans, people who like funny books and pick up titles by Dave Barry or Sedaris or Grizzard or Foxworthy. The other kind would be people who just want something novel as a Valentine's stocking-stuffer. One of our writers convinced us to do the Kindle version for the sort of last-minute panic purchase to avoid the doghouse, as is touched on several times in the book itself.

Karla: I boil it down to: women who have bought Valentine’s Day power tools for the last five years running, and men who prefer not to be blinded by the perfume spritz-person (the politically correct term) at the department store.

Why did you choose humor as the topic of your imprint?

Karla: I talked to several agents when shopping my own humor book, and got the same response: “This is hilarious, but you have to be a nationally syndicated humor columnist before a publisher will take it on.” It seemed outrageous that traditional publishers would turn their back on a whole genre. I skipped over self-pity and went straight to stubborn. If fresh humor was going to get into the hands of readers, some idiot(s) would have to champion the cause. “Some idiot,” by the way, is my job title.

And why Valentine's Day? It's not what we think of as a funny holiday, particularly.

Lin: One thing our writers brought out, Valentines might be the most bipolar, ambivalent holiday of them all. Most people feel the same way about Christmas and Thanksgiving and Halloween (other than fundamentalists and humbuggers) but a day that is all about love is just a set-up for touching on some complex emotions and attitudes. But mostly we just figured people would buy it to give to their love objects.

Karla: Besides, Christmas, Armistice Day, and Purim were already taken.

Were you friends or writing partners before editing My Funny Valentine?

Lin: Not really. I knew Karla's name and had seen her work on a humor webzine called The Flying Trapezezine, but our decision to do this together came out of a discussion about publishing on a writing forum. We were talking about publishing and I think I came up with the question of, "Why don't we do it?" And Karla was the only one who stepped up and said, "Yeah, lets."

Karla: I actually ran a background check to make sure Lin wasn’t in witness protection, an international spy, or a Cubs fan.

Was it difficult for two independent writers like you to work together?

Lin: Not at all. And I'm not known as the sweetest guy in the world to work with. Karla, on the other hand, is a dream to work with. But what was spooky to me was how much somebody across the country was on my same wavelength. We've actually come up with the same idea and mentioned to the other in crossing emails. Even odder, it turns out that we shared a lot of background. Both military brats, both graduated from University of Washington, both of us speak Spanish.

Karla: My first marriage should have gone so well. What I most appreciate is the mutual respect. We’re both good listeners when there’s a disagreement.

**How are sales going for My Funny Valentine?**

Lin: Nicely, but it's hard to tell for sure. We expect a last-minute flurry around the first week of February (followed by a drop off to zero until next year). It's moving on Amazon and Kindle, but at least half the sales are coming from writers buying them at wholesale for signings and sales from their websites or standup gigs, and those sales don't show up on retail rankings. These are POD books, but we now realize we could have gone to an offset run. Next time we will.

Karla: Marketing an “event” book leaves very little time for a learning curve. We’re pleased with the numbers, but there’s so much more we can take from this for future projects.

So you are planning to do more humor books?

Lin: Definitely. Humor anthologies are our entire focus, though we might get into single-writer collections once we figure out what we're doing. Our plans at the moment are to issue a call for contributors on March 1 and produce at least three more titles in 2012.

Writers interested in receiving calls, or humor fans who want to know when new books are available, can sign up for notices at http://myfunnybooks.biz/mail

The topic of our next book isn't yet carved into stone. (eBooks and POD make all that carving unnecessary.) We've rejected "My Funny Prostate Operation", "My Funny Rotten Junkie Teenager", "My Funny Post-Partum Suicide Attempt" and "My Funny Expense Account Cheating", but will come up with something as equally fabulous, we promise.

Do you have advice for humorists?

Lin: Yes: quit clowning around and get serious. Seriously, I think there is a strength in association and mutual support. You see this in the networks of humor bloggers out there. And--surprise, surprise—you’ll want to pursue anthologies like ours, McSweeney's, Chicken Soup. Three of our contributors were offered assignments from publications on the strength of their inclusion in My Funny Valentine. Take every opportunity to get your name out there.

Karla: Humor is so subjective. If you’re a new writer, don’t be discouraged by rejections. We’ve had to turn down some very funny pieces because they didn’t fit with the overall style of the book, or it was a subject that was already well covered. If you stick with it and you’re lucky, your book may grace the backs of millions of toilet seats around the country. See you all at the next humor conference: John Con II.

Karla and Lin, thanks for contributing humor to the blog. It's always appreciated.

2011 Whitfield Cover Award Contest Winner

2012-01-31T17:51:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Randy Rohn and artist Linda Houle for winning the Whitfield Book Cover Award by a large margin!

Thanks to all 83 folks who voted.

Are you a good juggler?

2012-01-30T09:32:00.000-05:00

As I sit here working on a panel topic (Marketing) for the Cape Fear Crime Festival this weekend, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to write, keep up with two blogs of my own, visit other blogs, arrange signings and conferences, update my web site, and....oh, yes! My family needs some attention as well. I'm curious about how you guys juggle the list of things we're all told we need to do each day, or at least every few days. Leave comments in the link below and someone will win a free copy of Just North of Luck, the second Logan Hunter Mystery.

Multi-talented Lawrence Johnson

2012-01-26T08:00:00.005-05:00

I am delighted to welcome Lawrence Johnson to the blog today. Lawrence, please give us a brief bio, and include something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I am the co-founder of Book Town, the free social network for authors on the internet. My daughter and I own Global Book Blast, an international book promotion company for authors.

Yes, and I so much appreciate Book Town not only as a "resident" myself, but because of your hospitality, Mayor of Booktown, another great spot to post author interviews.
How many books have you written?

My first full length novel was Escape 2 Earth 2012. Since that time I have written the sequel titled Return 2 Earth and about a dozen or so short stories in the sci-fi, fantasy and mystery realm. I have also written one detective novel so the total number of books written would be three.

Give a short synop of each book.

Escape 2 Earth 2012 is a sci-fi story that centers around space aliens and December 21, 2012. The main characters have a close encounter with members of a clandestine alien organization and must convince world leaders to evacuate earth. The story involves deception, secret alien bases, assassination, sabotage, alien planets, space ships and a lot more. Return 2 Earth is the second book in the series. It takes place seven years later in a far away galaxy. As humans continue to adjust to life on their new planet a cruel, heartless alien dictator has enslaved those left behind on Old Earth. Leaders from Earth 2 join forces with the Planetary Alliance to free those enslaved on old earth but there are many obstacles. A massive rescue force is mounted but the ruthless alien leader has planted a traitor in the midst of the Planetary Alliance. There are twist, turns and many setbacks during the sequel that takes place on several planets including Old and New Earth.

Are they available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes, Escape 2 Earth 2012, Return 2 Earth and Blackout are available in paperback and e-books on most book sites. My daughter and I have combined several of our short stories into two books, Paranormal Portals and Anthologies of the Spiral Galaxy which is a spin off from the Escape 2 Earth series. All of these books are also available in the UK.

What has been your most rewarding experience as a writer?

When I decided to write my first novel I wrote it for me. I didn't know how it would be received by the general public but that was secondary to me. When the book was published the response from friends and family was gratifying but I would have to say that the sales of Return 2 Earth Liberation Force (Book 2 from the E2E Universe) was the most rewarding because these were people who enjoyed the first book enough to read the second.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others?

Absolutely, most people that I have talked to at book festivals and signings think that you don't need to research sci-fi since the places are not real. Escape 2 Earth deals with worldwide issues and world leaders as well as distant galaxies. The main characters travel around the world and massive space vessels have to be constructed around the entire planet so locations, world leaders and international cultures had to be researched. Worldwide landmarks like Stonehenge, Christ the Redeemer, and the Sphinx also needed to be researched. Another issue was creating an original galaxy of planets. In the 5 years since the first novel the planets, leaders, ships and aliens have become so detailed, so defined that we have put together a free guide called Lexicon of the Spiral Galaxy.

When writing, how do you determine when enough is enough?

Actually I don't set limits when it comes to writing a story. Most authors, myself included write more than they need then cut out the parts that don't fit or flow on the re-write.

Great answer.
We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

Online it's pretty much the same as with most other authors, I have a website, Facebook page, Myspace, and a blog. I also have several book trailers on you tube and belong to a half dozen author social sites. I am a regular guest on the G-Zone radio show and am featured in blog interviews whenever I am offered the opportunity. In my opinion promoting your novels at book-fairs and book signings is more effective than online promotion. There's something special about meeting people face to face. That interaction is even more special when you meet someone who has purchased one of your books in the past. I put together a manual for authors who attend book festivals and fairs; it’s called The Complete Author's Guide to Planning and Attending Book Fairs.

Oh, I've got to check that out.

It's Available on Lulu, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch Barnes and Noble etc. There is an effort to have Escape 2 Earth made into a weekly series. So far we have more than 50 signatures so far. I hope your reader also sign it. http://www.change.org/petitions/escape-2-earth-2012-the-television-series

I wish you the best of luck with this endeavor.

Can you tell us your writing goals for 2012 or beyond?

Wow, okay, I am currently working on the third and final book in the Escape 2 Earth series titled Earth 2 Redemption. In contrast to my sci-fi stories I am about to began another short story in the Alexander Steele short story mystery series. The story is called Death on the Delaware. Sometime during 2012 I will complete the re-write of the detective mystery novel Blackout which takes place in Philadelphia Pa.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Lawrence Johnson - Novels and Short Stories http://tinyurl.com/7b8zpmp Blog http://lawrencejohnsonsr.com/ Social and Networking Links http://www.lawrencejohnsonsr.com/social.links.html E-mail escape2earth@gmail.com Book Town http://booktownusa.org Sign petition http://tinyurl.com/7y222vn

Thank you Susan for giving me the opportunity to promote my work.

You're so welcome. My pleasure to promote a man who promotes so many. And for those of you not familiar with the Book Town community, check it out at www.booktown.ning.com

Kindle versions can save you big bucks

2012-01-22T11:00:00.008-05:00

Even though my books are in print, they are also available in digital versions for those of you who love to read but balk at paying the price of print. To make it easy for you, here's the link to Genesis Beach, the first book in the Logan Hunter series. And the price has dropped, which I'm glad to see.

I'd love to know what you readers and followers prefer. Do you only read print? Do you prefer digital so that you can enlarge the print to suit your needs? Do you like the prices? Please feel free to leave comments in the section below. Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Beach-Hunter-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0052PJQAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327243802&sr=1-1

A Killer Character Speaks

2012-01-12T16:31:00.005-05:00

Today I have a character in one of my books give his side of the story. This was a different experience for me, that's for sure, but I enjoyed it.
We writers must get into the heads of all of our characters, so I knew what the motvations for the murder was going to be even before the killer did. SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't read Hell Swamp, you may learn more than you want to in this post.

My name is Ethan Daw. I’m fifteen, and I killed a woman. It’s about time I got to tell my side of the story. I grew up with my dad because my mother just took off one day when I was little. He’s tried to be a pretty good dad, but in all honesty he let me get away with too much. We lived in a rural area of Pender County—deer country—in eastern North Carolina.

I started driving myself to school when I was fourteen so I didn’t have to catch the stinking bus, and my dad had no problem with it either. I was a good driver. I’ve been driving tractors in blueberry fields since I was ten. Anyway, I started hanging with some Goths at my school. They were cool with all the black clothes, chains, piercings, and tats. Dad had no problem with the black clothes but he threatened to kill me if I got any part of my body pierced or tatted. I believed him.

The trouble really started when I shot a nice 8-point buck and my dad sent a picture to the newspaper and they published it with my name. Two days later I got an envelope with the paper clipping inside, but instead of congratulating me on a big kill, the sender wrote “Ethan Daw, you’re a murderer! You’re a killer! You hurt poor defenseless animals. You should be shot!” It didn’t take much thought for me and my dad to know Mrs. Clara Banoak, the local animal rights crazy, sent it. She gave deer hunters and every other kind of hunter a fit every time she heard they’d bagged something. My dad went to see her and when he came back he was mad enough to punch a hole in the wall of our house. He didn’t do anything else, but he was mighty upset about it, and so were other hunters once they heard about it.

In spite of Mrs. Banoak, I sometimes did things around her big yard at Black River Plantation, and her daughter, Nita Quicki, paid me. Now Nita was about forty, I guess, and always hot to trot. She’d been married about five times, and was hornier than any female I’d ever been around. She paid me well, if you know what I mean. To get to the point, my Goth friends and I whacked Crazy Clara one night because she threatened to tell our parents and the law that we were sacrificing puppies during our rituals down by the river. I couldn’t let her do that, so me and the others came up with a plan to hoist her up on her own chandelier and gut her like a deer. I have to admit I threw up for days after that. It’s still hard for me to believe we actually went through with it, but I can still see her body to this day. We would have gotten away with it free and clear, though, if that SBI agent Logan Hunter hadn’t been all up in our business. I liked her at first, but she kept snooping around like a hound on the trail of a wounded deer.

When it all came out, I confessed. Nita is dead, and I’m in juvenile prison. Dad comes to see me every Sunday, even though it takes him several hours to get here. I’m glad to see him, and I’m sorry things got out of hand. It just happened, you know? (Hell Swamp)

Don't forget to read the next post and vote for your favorite book cover. I know authors will appreciate it.

I'll get you, my pretty!

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

Let's continue our discussion about writing a strong plot, thanks to the Writers Digest article in the previous post. Today's topic: REVENGE.

Right away, we have to make certain that our protagonist is likeable and sympathetic or readers simply won't care about the character or what s/he is trying to accomplish. Most of the time, our protagonist is innocent of any wrongdoing. Afterall, we want to write about nice folks, don't we? So, whatever is wrong wasn't his fault.

But what if your main character is a villain, or you decide to write your book (or portions of it) from the villain's point of view, as I did in Just North of Luck? This worked well for me because I wanted to show readers that even though this man was mean and cold-hearted killer, he was horrendously abused as a child. I had to grab some sympathy from readers so they understood why this man, a highly intelligent and talented man, came unglued and took out all the crap Life dealt him on innocent people in a close-knit community. His methodical plan for revenge ended in his demise, of course, at the hands of my protagonist, but the point is REVENGE drove the plot from his perspective.

Have you ever written from a villain's point-of-view, or had a protagonist who got caught up in revenge rather than justice? Please comment for a chance to win a free copy of Just North of Luck.

Pull it together, baby!

2012-01-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

While cleaning out a few messy spots in my office basket, I came across a Writers Digest article from 2005. Yes, my cleaning and purging are long overdue, but I'm so glad I held on to this article, entitled "Pull it together." As I work on the last 10,000 words or so of my The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood rough draft, I need to read the article once again. It's all about plot. Well, I have a pretty darn good plot, I think, but it has some serious holes in it right now, so I thought I'd loosely share some of the gems I gleaned from this article by James Scott Bell.

First, the plot must thrust the protagonist into some kind of quest, searching for another person, evidence, knowledge or inner peace. In order to accomplish that, the writer (you and me) must create a character who is incomplete in some way, and whatever s/he is searching for must be important and worthwhile, or readers won't care.

Then the writer has to throw boulders, both real and imaginary obstacles in the way to keep the protag from reaching the goal. By the end of the quest or journey, the main character should have changed (usually for the better). If not, the ending is a tragedy.

As the article declares "The quest is a powerful pattern because it mirrors our own journey through life. We encounter challenges, suffer setbacks and victories but move on."

In the manuscript I'm writing now, this statement rings true, mirroring sometimes too closely my own journey through life. Can you say the same? What kind of journey are you sending your main characters on, and how much of yourself have you intertwined within the work? Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of Genesis Beach at the end of the week.

Learning from every book I write

2012-01-02T08:11:00.002-05:00

Good cold morning from eastern North Carolina. The coffee pot is gurgling and I'm looking forward to editing/rewriting more of my latest project, The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood, a novel about lifelong friendship. Even though I have four novels published in the Logan Hunter Mystery series, and each one was challenging in some way, I struggled with Goose Parade for months and months, sometimes frustrated enough to walk away for a while.

I was trying to write Goose Parade in first-person point-of-view, like the Hunter series. But it just didn't work. I made posters of sections I wanted in the book. You know, the lessons learned from geese? So once I divided the book into Honk, Rotate, Drag, Uplift, and Protect, I thought I'd be home-free. HA!

I have learned that not only can I not force characters to do something in the book that's out of character for them, I can't force the plot either. One morning as I stared at the pages, my mind as blank as my billfold this time of year, it dawned on me that I can't tell this story in first person. I must tell the story of all four major characters in this book.

It truly amazes me at how much of a learning process EACH book becomes. I am once again enjoying the process and moving on with what I hope will be my best work yet.

Have you had a similar experience? Do you learn something new with each book you read/write? Please share you experiences in the comment section for a chance to win a free copy of Genesis Beach, my first novel.

Blessings to All!

2011-12-29T07:49:00.002-05:00

As 2012 breathes down my neck, I want to thank all of you authors and industry experts who graciously took the time to answer questions about your writing habits and tell me and the wonderful followers of this blog about your books. With the economy still ailing, I hope I helped you in some small way with book sales, or at the very least, visibility. Many readers are looking for good books, but aren't quite sure where to find them. This blog gives authors a chance to entice, and I must say I've purchased a number of the books mentioned this year. But that's not the best part, in my opinion.

I've met so many wonderful people all over the world, some who've become cyber buddies, and others I've had the privilege of meeting in person at book signings, conferences, or quite by accident. As 2011 winds down, I extend my cyber arms to hug each of you who stop by this blog. I hope you will continue to drop. At the present time, I'm working hard to complete The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood for its 2012 publication. I'm also writing scenes for Punch Street, the next Logan Hunter Mystery. My book shelf is filled with research on a medieval ancestor of mine, and I plan to write an historical mystery about him ONE OF THESE DAYS.

Please stop by and keep us informed about what you're reading or writing. I am inviting all who enter here to guest blog on my site during 2012. I'd love to know what readers look for, what reviewers have to say, and how editors and publishers pick through the masses to find gems.

Enjoy the last days of 2011 and plan to celebrate 2012 every day in some way. We have so many blessings in our lives. I count you among mine.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Siobhan Cunningham

2011-12-28T08:00:00.008-05:00

I'm delighted to have the gorgeous and talented Siobhan Cunningham back on the blog. Welcome, Siobhan, and Merry Christmas!

Thank you , Susan. Merry Christmas to you as well.

How many books have you written?

Strangely enough, although I write mainly commercial thriller fiction, I started out in the late 80’s helping my ex-husband, Saxophonist Raf Ravenscroft, write four music books on how to play the Saxophone. It’s a tough instrument to master, you need a strong embouchure, circular breathing and understanding neighbors (I used to practice in a wardrobe and never did quite get the hang of it).

Raf played the infamous Sax intro on Jerry Rafferty’s haunting ‘Baker Street’, he also played with the Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye and Tina Turner, to name but a few. We had a recording studio, producing music for film and have an awesomely talented daughter, Scarlett Raven (www.scarlettraven.com), a contemporary artist currently being hailed as ‘‘the new Van Gogh & Jackson Pollock, and Prince Harry’s favorite artist’’.

As respite from my thrillers, Scarlett and I produce a Children’s Picture Book series together, I write the text and she designs the images. They are a fun indulgence that gives a royalty share to dog rescue (www.ginormousjoe.com).

I am currently producing a thriller trilogy, the first of which ‘The Penance List’ has been published and adapted to Screenplay, I am just about to publish the sequel ‘Unfinished Business’.

And I've read them. They're all awesome, Siobhan. Congratulations!

Thank you.

What books or authors have influenced you?

I have a long list, too many to mention. Severe respect goes out to anyone that can hold an audience’s attention, sweep them away to another world, keep them intrigued enough to turn 300 or so pages and feel remorse on reading the final page – the loss of a cozy friend.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

Writing is a tough, lonely, mushroom-like existence but there are immense highs when a sentence flows just right, I can spend hours, days going over and over a simple line until it hits that eureka moment, crazy I know. Reader’s mail is rewarding, they are, after all, my reason d’etre. The most common reviews are ‘WOW!’ and ‘I didn’t see that last line coming!’ This gives me courage that I have entertained, kept one step ahead and should keep on writing.

Tell us about The Penance List.

It is a psychological thriller based on David’s obsession with his childhood sweetheart, Tara - the best friend of his bullying big sister. They met when he was 7yrs old at an English boarding school run by and abusive Headmaster. He loses everything, his virginity, his mother, his heart, and finally his mind. He grows from a beautiful cherubic choirboy into a handsome sexual tour de force killer, manipulating both sexes. We understand the boy but fear the man.

Tara is his opposite, bubbly, successful, fun loving, girl about town with cheeky ‘Sex and the City’ girlfriends and disastrous love affairs. She has no idea that 20yrs later she and her friends are on David’s revenge list, that he wants payback for his lost childhood.

As Tara starts a torrid affair with footballing sensation Franco Rossellini, David sets up a stalking base in the apartment above hers, filming her every move. If he can’t have her, no one can.

Juggling the British press, football fans, Franco’s ex-girlfriend, an ex SAS bodyguard, a prostitute, a hysterical drama-queen stylist and an ‘almost out of the closet’ fashion photographer, Tara’s innocent, light-hearted world becomes embroiled in David’s vengeance. The body count builds as Tara’s time runs out. Based in glitzy London and the stunning Amalfi Coast. Think ‘Basic Instinct’ meets ‘American Psycho’ meets ‘Sex & The City’

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes, print, ebook, kindle and Audiobook. From my days in producing music for film, I write everything with film in mind, so I am happy that it has also been adapted for Screenplay.

A lot of fun is to be had over who should play the challenging role of David. The actor will have to manage a complex role; sexual, charming, loving, as well as evil, cunning and psychotic. He must be attractive to both male and female, and be happy to work in his birthday suit – there are torrid sex scenes. Some favorites that have been put forward are; Tom Hardy, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Henry Cavill, Mathew Goode. We will see.

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

The characters must never become dull, as they progress through the trilogy, layers are shed, the more we get to know them, the more we realize we didn’t actually know them. My job is to keep them interesting to sustain the suspension of disbelief.

How do you develop characters?

I adore people watching, observing. My characters are, in the main, a mismatch of people I have met. Once the storyline takes off the characters tend to write themselves. I am not always in control, which is a bit shocking, but I have stopped wondering about it and just let them get on with it.

One of the lead characters in ‘The Penance List’ does something completely out of character on the final line of the final page… I did not know this was coming until I sat to write it, but the clever thing has set herself up for a wonderful romp in the sequel ‘Unfinished Business’… as I said, I don’t question it any more, I just do as I am told and write.

How do you choose your setting?

In the main I write about what I know, it helps to breath, smell, feel, see, taste each visual as if in a movie scene. But with ‘The Penance List’ the footballer, Franco, has a beautiful cliff top villa which is used to shoot an advertising commercial that Tara works on. I made this ‘image’ up in my mind’s eye. Just before publishing I decided to try and find a real place that looked like my image to be able to give it a name. I found Ravello on the Amalfi Coast – it was perfect.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

David’s strengths are in the scarab shell he formed to protect himself when being abused as a child. They are in his confident beauty, hypnotic gaze and Godlike control over others. He learned the taste for ‘control’ when he had none, when he hid himself away in the science lab at school, dissecting creatures, smaller and weaker than him. As a boy he was weak, we felt empathy for him, as a man he is strong, we fear him.

David’s flaws were beauty, religion and shame. His beauty attracted the attentions of an evil Headmaster, his beliefs made him fear the wrath of God if he declined and his shame made him keep a sordid secret from the rest of the world, leading him into a distorted realm of his own.

Tara’s strengths are hard work, laughter and honesty; her flaws are a rose-tinted, stubborn heart that offers misguided loyalty, an overbearing mother… and girlfriends that behave wonderfully badly.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

It has everything to do with my writing, I write about what I know, have seen or been in close contact with. David was in boarding school, I went to boarding school, Tara worked in advertising, I worked in advertising, Franco is a premiership footballer, I worked in celebrity management (David Beckham’s agency) etc. I also met a violent attacker in my early 20’s (unscathed thank goodness) and helped the police with a photo fit to catch him, he is now in prison. Looking into this man’s eyes the seed of my fictional character of ‘David’ was formed.

If I can I would like to shine a small light on child abuse, to encourage us to listen to our children, cut away the power of secrets and shame. And also to remind us to follow our gut, look over our shoulder. Have fun, but be careful, evil can step into our sweet little worlds at any time – it certainly did with me that rainy afternoon when I met an attacker.

Although the book is a sexy thriller it is scattered with laugh out loud ‘release’ moments. My upbringing has been to laugh at oneself and adversity, it helps us through.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

Today writers have to wear a few hats, as well as write a best seller, they need to market, sell, publicize, promote, social network, treat themselves as a business. I dedicate a few hours each day to reach out and talk to readers; they help me create a robust platform to keep producing books from. It’s a two way street, I write for them, and they give me courage to keep moving.

I guess it will be no surprise for you to hear that (true to form I write what I know) I have included social networking in the next book ‘Unfinished Business’ a little twist in the tale where the victim is snared through social networking.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

‘Unfinished Business’ and ‘For My Sins’ will complete the trilogy, which is hard for me because it is the end of the David Trilogy (or is it?) and I do not want to say goodbye to these wonderful characters.

‘The Fallen Angel Trilogy’ crime thriller. A feisty female protagonist makes a deal with God to allow her to ‘take care’ of a few of the ‘bad’uns’ that slip through his and government agency fingers. Think Edward Woodward’s The Equalizer meets CSI meets Heaven Can Wait (Angels are the new Vampires).

The La Manga 6’ crime thriller. For the past10yrs 5 sexy, mature, successful career women have met up for a girls holiday in La Manga, Spain. Where for one glorious week, away from work, family and commitments, they let their hair down and behave badly. But the past is returning to haunt them, not everything that happens in La Manga stays in La Manga. Angry locals, jealous lovers, husbands, gangsters and bodies on the balcony mount up. This may be their last year to get away with murder. Think ‘Sexy Beast’ meets ‘Mad Dogs’ meets ‘Desperate Housewives’.

‘Janet Reger’ a biography of the iconic 1960’s lingerie designer who breathed life into the glamorous undergarments we know today. In collaboration with Alizer Reger & Getty Images Publishing.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Check out my websites or twitter

www.sccunningham.com

www.thedavidtrilogy.com

Thank you for the interview,Susan, as always a pleasure to chat with you.

Likewise, Siobhan. Continued success with all endeavors!

Brian T. Shirley: Make Love not Warts

2011-12-26T08:00:00.006-05:00

My guest today is author and comedian, Brian T. Shirley. We're sipping coffee and nibbling on Christmas leftovers. Welcome to the blog, Brian. Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I love performing onstage in front of a big audience, but I don't like crowds. I'm also a pretty shy person when it comes to one on one encounters. I find it easier to talk to a bunch of people rather than a few.

How many books have you written?

Two

What books or authors have influenced you?

These two books I have published were influenced by Gary Larson. I loved reading his "Far Side" series when I was growing up and his books were the first thing I thought of when I started putting my series together.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

I had a lot of help from friends and family with both books. The best part of this was running the one liners I had written by them to see what they thought. I could not wait to see what they thought and watch them laugh as they read them. Even better than watching them read my latest work was hearing my dad read the proverbs aloud.

Tell us about your latest release Four Score and Seven Beers Ago.

This is the second book in my Make Love not Warts trilogy. Much like the first book, this one is full of funny proverbs and insults. There are a few differences in Four Score. Number one is that I've taken popular song titles and made comedic sentences with them, such as " I did the Safety Dance with My Sharona while Jessie's Girl Barked At the Moon." Second I added a funny poem at the end of the book. I did these books as a way for people to laugh at their own leisure and come back to the books to laugh again when they see their favorite lines.

Is it available in print,ebook and kindle formats?

Yes, both books are available in all those formats and at most major book re tailors.

Were any of the books more challenging to write than the others?

Yes, the second book was a challenge. I have over two hundred proverbs in the first book of which I had a good amount of those already written. I started fresh with the second so it took me a little longer.The third book is proving to be an even bigger challenge.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

I take a lot of my comedy from what is going on around me and my frame of mind at the time. The environment I was in colored a lot of my second book. A lot of the proverbs I wrote were about taking my frustrations out on life in general.

We all know how important our work has become. How do you get the word out off and online?

First off I must say a big " Thank You " to you for this interview. This is one of the ways I've tried to promote my work. I've done several online interviews to get the word out. I'm also on facebook,twitter and linkedin. I've done online ads and press releases. I have a web site that presents my work as a comedian and an author, so I push both aspects of my career at the same time.

Offline I've done TV,radio and newspaper interviews for both my books as I promote my comedy performances. I use the books as part of my intro into my shows and as part of my promo material to all the clubs I play. I carry the books with me and sell them after my shows and I've have great success with them in that aspect.

Can you tell us about your current or future projects?

I'm plugging along writing the third book in this series. I'm also working on short stories for my website and possibly future publication/sitcom material. I'm always writing new material for my show, and I'm hoping to get a novel started later on in 2012.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

They can go to my web site http://www.briantshirley.webs.com. I have excerpts from both books there, short stories,videos, and my tour calendar.

Thanks Susan! Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, Brian!

C.J. West: Addicted to Love

2011-12-23T08:00:00.009-05:00

C.J. West has returned to the blog just in time for Christmas. C. J. and I are sitting here, enjoying Southern pecan pie and coffee.

C.J., I'm delighted to have you visit the blog again. Have a piece of cutie, umm, I mean pecan pie with your coffee and tell us about your latest release, Addicted To Love.

Wow! Thanks for the refreshments and the interview, Susan. Addicted To Love is a novel about being passionately in love. The whole town of Highland Falls is overcome with love - monogamous love. It is the ideal setting to settle down until a bizarre series of murders begins. Women begin attacking their men with such brutality the whole town is in shock. Wes Holliday is in town on vacation but finds himself torn between an intense love affair and duty to a town that desperately needs him.

In the book I explore sex and passion as something that each of us wants and desires and how far we would go to keep passion alive in our everyday lives.

I'm hooked!

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Signed print copies are available from my website. Electronic formats are available from Amazon, BN, and Smashwords.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others, C.J?

My early books were much more challenging. I find myself distracted by promotion and other activities now, but I write more strategically (for impact on the reader) and I draft my prose much more quickly. My first drafts are now as good as the third or fourth draft of my early books.

That's good to hear, C.J. How do you develop characters?

One of the compliments I often get on my writing is that even my minor characters are vibrant. When a new character steps onto the page, I go out and browse for a photo of someone I think looks like the character. As I develop the personality and background of my new friend, I ascribe attitudes and emotions to the picture as I work and after some time I feel like I know the character personally.

I follow the same procedure and it seems to work well for me. Can you tell us about current or future projects?

I’m working on a 5 book series that’s unique for me. Each book is a self-contained story, but the series also reads like a single book. There is a mystery that runs through the series and becomes clearer as the books progress. I’m excited for a series structured this way and I really like writing the characters. The first book will be available in 2012.

I am also working on a live murder mystery show that will take place in December. I enjoy acting in and directing these shows. They are a lot of fun for me and they are a great way to get the word out about my work.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Folks can find me at any of the following places:

http://www.facebook.com/cjwestfans

http://www.22wb.com

http://cjwestkills.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/cjwest

Have a wonderful Christmas, C.J., with lots of book sales! I am looking forward to reading Addicted to Love on my Kindle after the holidays.

Thanks, Susan. I hope you enjoy it, and Merry Christmas!

John Zunski

2011-12-21T08:00:00.008-05:00

John Zunski is my guest today. Welcome, John.

Thanks for having me, Susan.

What inspires your stories?

Once upon a time I owned a Dek hockey rink, I was a firefighter for six years, now I own a small town bar; that being said, I’ve been blessed with incredible voyeuristic opportunities. I’ve encountered interesting characters over the years, it would be a wasted opportunity if I didn’t translate some of those characteristics onto the page. Great characters give good stories; it’s my job to add variables and make the stories memorable.

What genre do you gravitate toward?

I dabble in many genres. Cemetery Streetis a coming of age tragedy/tearjerker –Shangri-La Trailer Parkis a dark comedy. I also have a political satire and a ghost story in the pipeline. A writer friend calls my tendencies schizophrenic – simply because I don’t linger within one genre. A common link through my work is that the settings are contemporary. That could change in the future, but my‘schizophrenia’ would have to deepen.

What are your work habits?

I prefer writing in the wee hours. I usually take an evening nap, wake up around two AM and write at least two hours before turning in. Living in the mountains of Montana, the calm of the night resonates with me – during the summer, when the windows are open, I find inspiration in the sound of the creek or on occasion, the sounds of wildlife - especially coyotes and wolves. During the winter, the full moon on snow is super inspiring. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch the shadow of the muse lurking within the night.

What do you consider your best work?

That’s a hard question, it’s like asking a parent what child is their favorite. Cemetery Street is emotional – which I love. Any book that elicits emotion is a winner with me. Shangri-La Trailer Park is gritty, it really looks at the dark side of life with a humorous, if not offensive eye. Nightwatching – my ghost story – packs a wallop, it has more twists and turns than a mountain road. My current work – Montana Rural – has some intense moments that have left members of my writer’s group cursing the characters for their actions. That being said, can I take a powder on the question and give you an answer in twenty years?

Do you plot out your novels in advance or do you write on the fly?

I’ve set out to do both. Cemetery Streetwas plotted, as is its forthcoming sequel Montana Rural. Shangri-La Trailer Park,Nightwatching and Dirty Bum for President piloted themselves.

What experience do you want for your readers?

I want them to have an emotional experience. I hope readers relate to my characters and have lingering images of them. My job is complete when long after a reader finishes reading one of my books the characters resonates in their memories like old friends.

Are any of your character traits or settings based on real life?

That goes without saying! Most characters and settings are, but I always will add extra elements. I’ve been asked if Cemetery Street is autobiographical – other than the settings, it is not. I believe you have toadd realistic settings – they’re the canvass on which the painting of the story rests. It would be an injustice to craft a beautiful picture on a paper bag. It cheapens the art.

What are your most significant challenges when you write?

Getting started. Once I silence the prattle in my mind and fall into my chair, magic happens.

What are you currently working on?

Montana Rural – it’s a story of a dysfunctional rural fire district in Montana.

Do you have any writing advice you would like to share with aspiring authors?

Be tenacious and never, ever, give up! Actively seek insight and criticism, and when someone criticizes you or your work, use their words as fuel to fire your creative engines. Stay true to the passion that initiallyinspired you to write.

Good advice, John. Have a Merry Christmas!

You too, Susan.

Lee Carey's Pets in Paradise

2011-12-19T08:00:00.009-05:00

My guest today is Lee Carey, author of Pets in Paradise. We're sitting on my sunny deck, sipping a concoction he made. Welcome, Lee.

Thank you for sharing your time with me, Susan. It’s my pleasure to meet a fellow writer, especially one from my great state of North Carolina.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

Susan, you would need a rubber hose and hot light for me to admit many of my adventures and shortcomings.

LOL! Really??? I have a hose and a light around here somewhere.

LOL. Just teasing, Susan. Let’s just say that my high school days were mostly spent focused on anything other than school studies. They didn’t grade on girls, surfing, baseball, and music, which meant my GPA (had no clue what that meant back then) was well-locked into the C- category. I do wished I’d paid more attention in English class. However, after writing for twelve years and countless edits, I’ve finally learned…with the priceless assistance of my UNC graduate wife, Kay. My advice to young writers; ‘please learn the basics when you are young.’

How many books have you written?

Judging from my three-foot stack of ‘rejection letters’, I say somewhere around seven hundred, but really the actual count is: 7 novels and 15 short stories.

What books or authors have influenced you?

Way too many to mention here, so to make a long list short, let’s go with; James W. Hall; Michael Connelly; Peter Blauner; and James Grippando. Hall is the writer I credit with inspiring me to begin writing novels. He made it look so easy – boy, was I fooled.

Tell us about your latest release?

That would be Pets In Paradise. My only novels published in ‘real book’ form (paperback) were pet novels. Pets follows my first, Gabby…All About Me. The idea of a paradise for pets and animals came to me the day we had to put Gabby to sleep. (She was two months shy of fifteen years old.) Anyway, since saying ‘good bye’ to a pet is such a traumatic experience, I wanted to write something light and humorous, hoping to ease the pain, not only for me and my wife, but for all pet lovers. Another goal was to help readers recall those memorable moments and unique personalities they enjoyed with their pets. This novel includes various pets and animals, each with their own personality. I included true stories and traits shared by my friends about their deceased pets. It is the most fun scribbling I’ve ever done.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes. Both pet novels were published in paperback (available on my website), and are also offered in Kindle and Nook formats. My three Mystery/Crime and two YA/Crossover novels are also on Kindle. The titles and previews are listed on my web page.

How do you choose your settings?

Preferably, the places I like and have spent time. Some are set at the beach, and as I mentioned, North Carolina. Since I was raised on a farm in the country, and now live at the beach, I’ve got most areas covered with personal experiences.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out, both off and online?

I am fortunate in the sense that I owned and operated a Purina feed store for twenty years. Included in the daily business was advertising through radio, print, and television. So, I fully understand promoting a product. I have become very familiar with Facebook, and have designed my own website, and I am very impressed with Amazon Kindle’s huge impact and outreach. To be honest, Susan, it’s such a breath of fresh air not to need literary agents and their attitudes. Now I write what I feel a percentage of readers will enjoy, putting quotas and sales in a bottle for the next outgoing tide. For me, writing is not about fame and wealth…my goal is receiving emails with a simple ‘thank you’ from readers. In the words of Dirty Harry… ‘It makes my day’.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

I welcome everyone to catch the wave to my website: http://www.leecarey-author.com/index.html and peruse my scribblings. If they have questions, drop me an email. (Address on site.) And, if they like FB, I can be found under Lee Carey or Sandbridge Author.

Susan, thank you for allowing me to tell your readers a little about the ‘beach writer’. Have a great day and keep smilin’…

Thanks, Lee. Back at you! Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! Now pass me another beverage.

Joyce and Jim Lavene: Prolific Writing Team

2011-12-16T08:00:00.009-05:00

Just in time for Christmas: A Spirited Gift by Joyce and Jim Lavene. I'm happy to say that my guests today, the husband and wife team of Joyce and Jim Lavene, are friends of mine who also live in North Carolina. The Lavenes created Carolina Conspiracy, a group of mystery writers from the Carolinas, and we can't thank them enough for getting so many of us together. But more about that later in the interview.

Welcome to the blog, Joyce and Jim. Please have some of my Brittle Bones (peanut brittle from Killer Recipes cookbook) and a beverage.

Thanks, Susan.

I love the cover of your new release! It's quite eye-catching.

We like it too.

How on earth do two married folks write together without a homicide in the house?

You know, people ask us this question more than any other. We’re not really sure why this works for us. Maybe it’s because we worked together for 15 years with our own office supply business. Or maybe it’s because we’ve been married for 40 years. Or maybe it’s because we kill people in our books so we don’t have to kill each other. Of course, we have disagreements sometimes but it works for us.

You have two have written several series. Tell us how you came up with the ideas and a little about each series.

Sheriff Sharyn Howard Mysteries – This was our first. We got the idea from watching the news and seeing the first woman elected as a sheriff in NC. Sharyn was very serious, a little dark. Her father, who’d been the sheriff, was killed in a robbery and she looked bad in her ugly brown uniforms. She didn’t get along with her mother and had a love/hate relationship with the county ME. We wrote 12 books in this series and hated when it was over. The books are being released now from Harlequin Worldwide in paperback.

Peggy Lee Garden Mysteries – Jim and I have been Master Gardeners for years and thought it would be fun to write about a botanist and botanical poisons. We are good friends with a botanist at the NC zoo who was a big help with these books. Peggy was also an older protagonist which was fun. And it was set in Charlotte so we got to eat out at all the restaurants we used in the book (for research) and had her travel across the state.

Renaissance Faire Mysteries – This is a strange, fun mystery series about a history professor who spends her off time at a Ren Faire in Myrtle Beach where she solves murder mysteries. This was so much fun to write because we love Ren Faires. We made this the best Ren Faire we could imagine with a castle, a lake, a pirate ship and a five acre Sherwood Forest. We’ve had so many people ask us if this is a real place because they want to go there. But it’s not, though we wish it was too! Jessie, our protagonist, apprentices herself and learns a different craft each time she goes to the Faire. So far she’s learned glass making, basket weaving, hat making, sword making and toy making.

The Missing Pieces Mysteries – This is set in Duck, NC and the mayor, Dae O’Donnell, is the mayor of the town. She is a finder of lost things, based a little on Jim’s uncanny ability to find lost things. She’s much more talented since she is also psychic. She has an antique/secondhand shop where she can put all the things she finds. The area is rich with folklore, pirates and ghosts so we wove these into the series as well. Dae finds out in the third book, A Spirited Gift, that she is related to the scourge of Duck, pirate Rafe Masterson. His ghost needs her help to clear his name and she needs his help to solve the murder of her friend.

We are currently writing two new series – The Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Pie in the Sky Mysteries for Pocket Books.

Congratulations to both of you!

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

Joyce – I can’t sleep if the closet door is open.

Jim – I have a collection of more than 200 dragons.

How many books have you written?

A Spirited Gift, our December release, will be our 60th published book. We are very excited about it!

WOW! That's fantastic!

Tell us more about A Spirited Gift.

A Spirited Gift is the third book in the Missing Pieces Mysteries. The books are set at the Outer Banks, in Duck, NC. Our protagonist is the mayor of Duck, Dae O’Donnell. In A Spirited Gift, Dae is trying to solve the murder of a friend when she is confronted by the ghostly apparition of a long dead relative demanding justice for his death. The pirate Rafe Masterson wasn’t someone Dae expected to learn she was related to but she has little choice but to help him with him everywhere she turns.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

It is available in every format in print and online everywhere.

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

There is always the issue of keeping your characters fresh as well as keeping up with their lives and everything that happens to them. When you write two or three series a year, you have to keep a running tab on what all of them are doing! It helps to get them in, and out of, trouble.

How do you develop characters?

They really kind of develop themselves. Most of the time they form, sometimes with or without, a plot. Secondary characters are often people we know or that we’ve met.

I have trouble keeping up with character ins two books, so I'm awestruck.
How do you choose your setting?

Setting is so important. We choose it as carefully as we do characters. For Peggy Lee, our garden mystery protagonist, she wanted to be in Charlotte, NC in an urban area that loved to garden. Dae O’Donnell couldn’t have lived anywhere but Duck with its legends and history. Our Renaissance Faire could only have survived in someplace like Myrtle Beach where there are plenty of tourists.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

Right now, we are working on a new series for Berkley Prime Crime. It’s called the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries and it is set in the Smokey Mountains. Our protagonist is a firefighter from Chicago who comes to the Tennessee Mountains to help out a new volunteer fire dept. We are also working on a new series for Pocket Books called Pie in the Sky which is set at Duke University.

Further congrats!

You guys created Carolina Conspiracy, a unique group of Carolina mystery writers who often travel do the same locations for workshops and other book events. Why did you establish this group? And I must add, I thoroughly enjoy being one of the conspirators.

People often comment on how nice it must be to do things together, and it is. We thought it might be nice for other authors to get together and enjoy themselves while they sell their books. It’s been fun for us too and we’ve made many good friends.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

The best place for excerpts and news is www.joyceandjimlavene.com but we are also on Facebook and I tweet @author54. Hope to see you there!

So, folks, these two have plenty of great books for your entertainment. What are you waiting for?

How About a Candy Cadillac for Christmas?

2011-12-15T08:00:00.007-05:00

My special guest today is Claire Applewhite, whom I've met in person. Claire is a petite beauty with plenty of charm and talent. We have the same publisher, L&L Dreamspell, in common. It's my pleasure to have you on the blog, Claire.

Thank you, Susan.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

People may not know that I study piano and music composition. Recently, I’ve written the music and lyrics for my video trailers. It is an exciting challenge to match the mood of the music to the theme of the story.

Wow! How exciting! I can hardly wait to see the video trailers.

How many books have you written, Claire?

The Wrong Side of Memphis, Crazy For You, St. Louis Hustle, Candy Cadillac.

What books or authors have influenced you?

Books: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, A Dark Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine, and authors Walter Mosley, Ed McBain, Mary Higgins Clark.

What has been your most rewarding experience durng the writing process?

When someone emails me or stops me to say that they really enjoyed my book, or especially when they say they meant to read a chapter a night and ended up staying half the night to read more of the book. Or when someone says, “I don’t usually like to read, but I liked your book.”

That IS rewarding.

Tell us about your latest release, Candy Cadillac.

Candy Cadillac is the third in the ‘nam noir series, featuring Elvin Suggs and Di Redding. There was a time in St. Louis history when car bombings were quite active among organized crime figures. Years ago, one of the victims had a girlfriend that lived in our neighborhood, and a detective banged on our door one Sunday afternoon, wanting to know what we knew about her boyfriend, who had, by the way, been blown up when he started his car. By the way, what did we know about her, hmm? This scenario inspired the makings of Candy Cadillac.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

It is available in print, ebook and Kindle formats.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others?

Candy Cadillac was more challenging to write because it had a ticking clock in it from page one until the end. It was critical that I keep an eye on my timeline. The entire story occurs between a Wednesday and a Sunday evening, and it was the first book that I have written where time lapsed between scenes really mattered.

What are some of the challenges you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

Before I begin writing, I try to decide how much time/space each character will occupy during the story. For example, will it center on the growth of a particular character this time? What role will the others play? Will they all appear or only some of them? How much of a subplot will they offer?

How do you develop characters?

First, I line up 3-5 of the most interesting people I know and select a strong characteristic from each one. Then I blend them into one person. I ask what does this person want more than anything in the world? Who or what is in their way? What are they most afraid of? And then, I make sure that thing happens. The character is definitely different in the end than they were in the beginning of the story.

How do you choose your setting?

For me, the story chooses the setting. I look for the theme or mood of the storyline and it tells me where to set the plot.

Any current or future projects?

Currently, I am working on the fourth in the series, Tennessee Plates, in which Elvin goes returns to Memphis and finds romance—with the wrong woman.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

My website is www.claireapplewhite.com

Claire, thanks for taking the time for an interview about your new release. Have a wonderful Christmas!

Thanks for having me, Susan. Wishing you a memorable holiday season as well.

Mary L. Tabor: Sex After Sixty

2011-12-14T08:00:00.005-05:00

My guest today is Mary Tabor, author of (Re) Making Love, for those of us over 60.

Welcome to the blog, Mary. Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I say, It ain’t over till it’s over. I published my first book when I turned 60.

Congratulations!

How many books have you written?

Three: two published and one not: My first book is The Woman Who Never Cooked, connected stories Mid-List Press, winner of the First Series Award. I then wrote a novel entitled Who by Fire (excerpts have won prizes, but the book has not found a publisher yet. My most recent is the memoir (Re)Making Love: a sex after sixty story, published by the fab Anthony Policastro, CEO of Outer Banks Publishing Group.

What books or authors have influenced you?

A: Nabokov, for the beauty of his prose, his love of games, and his depth of feeling. Speak, Memory is my favorite memoir. Joyce because of the humanity of Ulysses. Folks read all the glosses, try to get all the allusions and get mired in the complexity of the tale when its power is its pure simplicity: one day, two men, each on a separate long journey and a meeting that changes them both and the reader for ever.

I don’t write like either of them but their power over me has been undeniable.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

My readers when the book was a blog: They shored me up. I forged ahead on the sea of their belief.

Tell us about your latest release, (Re)Making Love.

I wrote this memoir live as a blog while I was living it. My husband of 21 years, Oh so Greta Garbo said one day, “I need to live alone.” I cratered. And then I wrote. The journey of the good, the bad and the oh so foolish is my story. But ultimately, the journey turned into a love story I could never have imagined. In this way, the old saw truth is stranger than fiction became a reality.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes, all three. Check out Amazon here: http://amzn.to/nqg0yo but you can also read it on your iPad through Smashwords.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others?

The memoir was the most challenging because I left the cover of fiction. I do think all heartrending and deeply moving fictions come from the writer’s willingness to venture into the unconscious and that is true of my short stories and the unpublished novel. But with the cover of fiction, I could be as bare as I am in the memoir but never have to say it was true when much of it actually is. With the memoir, my heart, my life and stuff I would never tell you in conversation get revealed. It was hard to do but hard not to do. I suspect that paradox is the artist’s burden.

How do you develop characters?

All my writing begins with a character. Henry James in his preface to The Ambassadors talks of the novel’s “strong stake.” I think what he means is that we must know the trouble that drives the character, but the strong stake is ultimately the fullness of that character’s life on the page. In his preface to The Golden Bowl, he admits how he inexorably chooses to move closer. “There is no other participant, of course, than each of the real, the deeply involved and immersed and more or less bleeding participants….”

In the case of the memoir—and maybe all my work—I grapple with the question, Who am I? Here’s something I say in the prologue of the memoir, now in its second edition, that might explain better what I mean:

For this second edition that comes now one year after its first publication, I would like to share with you as you embark on the journey of (Re)Making Love what I have learned about living within time’s limits from writing this book and from living beyond its first publication. Rabbi Hillel, who spoke these words 2,000 years ago, has been widely quoted ever since, perhaps most notably in my lifetime by the ilk of Primo Levi and Robert F. Kennedy.

If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?

Truly knowing what these words mean has come from the place of not knowing. And by this I mean that I have had to live this journey without the full understanding of their plain spoken sense. I have had to learn the hard way: through the good, the bad and the foolish that this memoir recounts.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

My website: http://maryltabor.com

Blog: http://maryltabor.blogspot.com

FB: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Tabor/125813534105239

Twitter: http://twitter/com/maryltabor

Continued success, Mary, and Merryu Christmas!

You too, Susan.

Margaret Millmore's Doppelganger Experiment

2011-12-12T08:00:00.054-05:00

Margaret A. Millmore was born and raised in Southern California, moved to San Francisco in 1991 and currently resides there wsband. Reading is an addiction for her, and one she’ll never give up. She has an active imagination and often made up stories as a child. After ending a successful career, she found herself with the time to pursue those stories, and the floodgates opened. She loves just about every kind of story, but especially fiction. "Throw in some supernatural or paranormal overtones and I’m in heaven," she adds. She is the grandniece of Irish author Benedict Kiely and the second cousin of Irish author Sharon Owens. So writing is certainly in her blood.

Margaret, welcome to the blog. May I pour you a cup of tea?

Thank you, Susan. Yes, you may.

Tell us what books or authors have influenced you.

My earliest love was CS Lewis’ Narnia books, but I’ve been a die-hard Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and Dean Koontz fan for as long as I can remember. I read a great deal, and almost every author I read inspires and influences me.

Tell us about your latest release.

Doppelganger Experiment is psychological thriller based in San Francisco with a touch of the paranormal: After more than four weeks in a coma, Jane woke up to find several things wrong; she didn’t remember the last three years, she was married to a man she didn’t know, and frightening dreams were infiltrating her sleep. But were they dreams or memories? As she struggles to recapture a life she doesn’t remember, she discovers clues that lead to flashes of memories and the discovery of horrific experiments that end in murder... and something worse than murder. She must uncover the secret to the experiments to recover her life and end the horrible things that are happening.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes, the book is available in both formats at most on-line retailers.

How do you develop characters, Margaret?

I usually develop the main character(s) when the story idea comes to me, from there the characters develop with the story itself, they sort of write each other.

How do you choose your settings?

I’ve lived in San Francisco for the last twenty years, so it was just natural to use the City as the setting.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

I use as much social media as I can and of course I shamelessly ask friends and family to spread the word. It’s very difficult to promote, but you really have to put your all into it, I also do a ‘featured authors’ page on my website, this is to help promote my fellow authors and more often than not they kindly reciprocate.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

I’m working on a new thriller, but it’s in the very early stages, so at this point, there isn’t much to tell.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

You can visit my website at www.margaretmillmore.com, or the following links: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002915649470

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/margaret-millmore/4/a6b/6a9

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/margaret-millmore?store=book&r=1

http://www.amazon.com/Doppelganger-Experiment-Margaret-Millmore/dp/1937593207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318857839&sr=8-1#_

Here's a blurb for her novel, Doppelganger Experiment:

After more than four weeks in a coma, Jane woke up to find several things wrong; she didn’t remember the last three years, she was married to a man she didn’t know, and frightening dreams were infiltrating her sleep. But were they dreams or memories? As she struggles to recapture a life she doesn’t remember she discovers clues that lead to flashes of memories and the discovery of horrific experiments that end in murder... and something worse than murder. A psychological thriller based in San Francisco.

Margaret, it has been a pleasure to have you over. Continued success with your writing endeavors.

Thank you, Susan.

Roxanne Smolen's Wolf Boy

2011-12-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

Good morning, folks. I'm sitting here with author Roxanne Smolen to discuss her new release, The Amazing Wolf Boy. Welcome back, Roxanne. Help yourself to a cranberry orange muffin and cup of hot tea.

Yum, Susan. Thanks for having me again.

For those who may have missed your first interivew, please give us a short biography.

My name is Roxanne Smolen, and I write science fiction. I’ve been writing professionally since the year 2000. Before that, I guess I wrote unprofessionally. I have nine published novels. My first three books were adult fiction. Someone said that sex sells, so I thought I’d try my hand at it. Since then, I decided that I didn’t want to write anything my grandkids weren’t allowed to read. Now my books are rated PG—no bad language, and no overt love scenes.

What books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing?

Harry Potter had an impact on me, for what it was as much as for what it wasn’t. I was amazed at how Rowling took the rules of writing for young adults and threw them in the air. Her books were big. She used big words. And still she wrote some of the most popular books of all time. She taught me that it’s great characters and good stories that make a book memorable, not rules.

Please give us a short synopsis of your new book, The Amazing Wolf Boy.

Being a teenager is difficult enough without having to hide the fact that you’re a werewolf. Cody would do anything to be a regular kid again, especially after he meets Brittany, the most perfect girl in the world. But when Brittany is kidnapped and her life threatened, Cody learns to appreciate his untried super powers. Can he rescue her in time?

When do you accomplish your best writing?

I’m a morning person. Around 6:00, I brew a pot of Earl Grey, sit with my laptop in my comfy chair, and write. On a good day, my tea grows cold because I forget to drink it. On a very good day, I forget to eat lunch, as well.

Is there another book on the horizon?

One of the joys of writing, or reading for that matter, is when the characters get under your skin and feel like friends. I love Cody and Brittany too much to let them go, so I’m writing a second book that picks up right where the first one ends. Hopefully, I’ll continue documenting their lives for a dozen books or more.

After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?

Don’t laugh, but I like to watch old science fiction television shows. Firefly, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica. I spend my evenings with them. Currently, I’m revisiting Torchwood.

Is The Amazing Wolf Boy available in print, ebook, and Kindle?

My book will be released in print on October 28th. You can pre-order it at Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/qLMivu It’s available as an ebook at All Romance Ebooks http://bit.ly/nPUPZD

Or buy it now for your Kindle http://amzn.to/qiz0Jz

Where can we get more information about you?

You can find me most anywhere. I try to keep a digital presence. My favorites are:
http://www.roxannesmolen.com
http://www.facebook.com/roxannesmolenauthor
http://twitter.com/roxannesmolen
http://booktown.ning.com/profile/roxannesmolen

Thanks for having me, Susan. It’s always a pleasure.

Back at you, Roxanne.

John M. Daniel's Redwood Door

2011-12-07T08:00:00.008-05:00

Come in, friends! John Daniel and I are Behind The Redwood Door, waiting for you. John has worked as a bookseller, a free-lance writer, an editor, an entertainer, a model, an innkeeper, and a teacher. He and his wife, Susan, live in Humboldt County, California, where they are small-press book publishers. Susan enjoys gardening, John enjoys writing, and they both enjoy living with their wondercat, Warren.

John, I'm delighted to have you here this morning to talk about your latest book, Behind The Redwood Door.

Thanks so much for inviting me to your distinguished blog, Susan. I feel honored!

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

People may be interested to know that in addition to writing mysteries, I am also a publisher of mysteries, under the imprint Perseverance Press. So I’ve seen all aspects of this game.

How many books have you written?

Yikes! I’ve written 29 books. Eight of them never got published, thank goodness. Seven of them were ghost-written for other people. I published a few of them myself. But I’m proud of them all.

Wow! What books or authors have influenced you?

I still can’t get The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which was the first book I read by myself, out of my mind. It made me want to be a reader, and I’ve reread that book at least a dozen times over the years. But I thank Richard Bissell for making me want to be a writer. He is (was, because he’s been dead quite a while now) my favorite novelist.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

When my first Guy Mallon mystery, The Poet’s Funeral, was published by Poisoned Pen Press in 2005, it got a STARRED REVIEW in Publishers Weekly. This meant the world to me, because my book was a loving satire of the publishing industry, and I knew the review (and maybe even the book) would be read by my colleagues in the business.

However, let me say this: the most rewarding experience I’ve ever had as a writer is the process of writing itself. The joy of writing story beats all the reviews.

I agree, John.

Tell us about your latest release, Behind the Redwood Door.

As I write this, Behind the Redwood Door hasn’t come out yet, but it will be published November 20, just in time for my birthday. It’s the third Guy Mallon mystery. It takes place on the North Coast of far-northern California, redwood country, where I have lived for the past eight years. Guy’s no longer a publisher, but he still can’t stop getting into trouble. He stands five feet tall, but he stands up tall against bullies. In this book his foolhardy courage almost costs him his life.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

It will be a print book, paperback at $14.95. It will also exist in ebook form and will be available in Kindle format.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others?

My second Guy Mallon book, Vanity Fire, presented a huge challenge because I dealt with the dark side of publishing. I went into a black mood as I wrote that book, because I knew how sadly true some of it was. However, I got through it, and I’m proud of the book. Another book that gave me fits was my ebook, Elephant Lake. It dealt with an eight-year-old boy’s problems sorting out the serious problems of his mother’s alcoholism and his uncle’s suicide. Believe it or not, the book has its lighter moments, though.

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

Well, it’s hard to believe that a mild-mannered amateur sleuth like my pint-sized hero, Guy Mallon, would always get himself into a pickle with hardened criminals. At the end of Behind the Redwood Door Guy promises his wife that he’ll stay out of trouble from now on. Will he? We’ll see.

How do you develop characters?

No matter how hard I try to tell them what to do or what to say, they always seem to have a mind of their own.

So true, John, and I love that, don't you?

How do you choose your setting?

I write about places I’ve been. Most of my books take place on the California coast, my stomping grounds.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

Guy was called a “flawed” protagonist in reviews of Vanity Fair. His flaw was to succumb to dishonesty. That will never happen again, at least in my books. Otherwise his flaws are a sassy courage and a feisty manner shared by many short people (think Mickey Rooney, think Danny DeVito). His strengths? He has the tenacity of a bulldog and the wit of a class clown.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

I’ve been blog-hopping a lot lately, as publication date draws nigh. I maintain a blog of my own, too, and I’m on Facebook. I’ve sent out a lot of advance reading copies to mystery media. (We maintain a good list of them for promoting Perseverance Press.) When the book comes out I’ll be sending out review copies and press kits. But I expect my most effective sales campaign will be emailing my own list of friends, family, and hundreds of colleagues in the writing and publishing worlds. I also teach creative writing, so I have a giant list of former students.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

Just a there are always more books to read than I have time to read them, I have more plans for books to write than I’ll be able to finish in my lifetime, and the idea bank keeps getting fuller and fuller. All I can say is this: I’ll always be writing, and whatever I’m working on at any moment will be the place my spirit is living.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

The new book, Behind the Redwood Door will be published by Oak Tree Press: http://www.oaktreebooks.com/

Here are my contact spots:

my website: www.johnmdaniel.com

my blog: blog.johnmdaniel.com

my amazon author page: amazon.johnmdaniel.com

and facebook: facebook.johnmdaniel.com

John M. Daniel was born in Minnesota, raised in Texas, and educated in Massachusetts and California. He was a Wallace Stegner Fellow in Creative Writing at Stanford University and a Writer in Residence at Wilbur Hot Springs. He has taught fiction writing at UCLA Extension and Santa Barbara Adult Education and was on the faculty of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference for nearly twenty years. He now teaches creative writing for Humboldt State University Extended Education.

John’s stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines. His thirteen published books include four mysteries: Play Melancholy Baby, The Poet’s Funeral, Vanity Fire, and Behind the Redwood Door, recently published by Oak Tree Press.

Marilyn Meredith

2011-12-05T08:00:00.004-05:00

F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of nearly thirty published novels. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is Angel Lost. She’s also been an instructor at many writers conferences including the Central Coast Writers Conference and the Maui Writers Retreat. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Internet chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Marilyn Meredith has stopped by for cookies and milk. Welcome, Marilyn.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

Thanks! I write two series—which means writing two books a year. Besides the time it takes, I have to adjust my thinking depending upon which book I’m writing.

How many books have you written?

I haven’t bothered to count the exactly number, I only know over thirty have been published, and there are a few that will never see the light of day.

Tell us about your latest release, Angel Lost, from Oak Tree Press.

As plans for her perfect wedding fill her mind, Officer Stacey Wilbur is sent out to trap a flasher, the new hire realizes Rocky Bluff P.D. is not the answer to his problems, Abel Navarro can’t concentrate on the job because of worry about his mother, Officer Gordon Butler has his usual upsets, the sudden appearance of an angel in the window of a furniture store captures everyone’s imagination and causes problems for RBPD, and then the worst possible happens—will Stacey and Doug’s wedding take place?

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes. And I might add, though this is a series and many characters continue through each book, I write them so they can stand-alone. The crime is solved, whatever has been going on will be taken care of by the end.

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

It is really important for me to keep track of names of new characters (I tend to change them in mid-book) and their characteristics. I have more trouble with the names then what they look like, I am able to “see’ the characters in my mind and usually can describe them without a problem. See the word usually? That means that I do make mistakes sometimes and I’m glad I have editors who are good at catching the mistakes. The worst one I did early in my career was in the middle of a book, changing the type of car a main character drove.

How do you choose your setting?

For my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, the setting is a small beach community between Ventura and Santa Barbara, California. This is a fictional town and I did this because I wanted to write about a small town police force without much money. The detectives solve most of their crimes by old-fashioned police work; studying the crime scenes, questioning suspects and witnesses, following up on clues. However, in this particular series, much attention is placed on what is happening with the officers’ families and how that affects them, and how what happens on the job affects the family. This is particularly prevalent in Angel Lost.

How does your environment color your writing?

For over twenty years we lived in a beach community and knew and interacted with many police officers and their families who lived in our neighborhood. I was friends with the wives, their kids played at our house and my kids played and in some cases babysat for theirs. I got to see first hand how the job affected the families. My son-in-law was a police officer in this particular town and he shared a lot of insight with me. The weather in Southern California is always interesting, there’s a lot of fog and fog adds a lot to a mystery.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

Promoting takes a lot of my time because I know how important it is to let people know about your books. I do a lot of interviews like this, thank you, Susan, blog tours, promote on Facebook and Twitter and other social sites. I have a monthly newsletter that I send out to anyone who’d like to subscribe. All someone has to do is email me at mmeredith@ocsnet.net and ask to subscribe.

As for in-person events, I love to give presentations at libraries, for writing groups, bookstores, social and service organizations. Book and craft fairs are also something I enjoy.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

Next up in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series is No Bells. In this book, the spotlight is placed on Officer Gordon Butler. He’s been a favorite of my readers through the series. Things never go easy for Gordon, if something can go wrong, it will.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

My website is http://fictionforyou.com/ and my blog is http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Rowena Cherry's Mating Material

2011-12-01T08:00:00.087-05:00

I am absolutely delighted to have futuristic author, Rowena Cherry, visit today.

Welcome to the blog, Rowena. Have a cup of tea?

Why, thank you, Susan.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I don't like writing sex scenes. Surprised?

Absolutely! You certainly write them well.

How many books have you written, Rowena?

That depends how you count.

I wrote Forced Mate as a science fiction romance for release as an e-book and as a Print On Demand with NBI, and simultaneously worked with Alicia Condon, then of Dorchester, on a futuristic romance version solely for the mass market paperback market.

When NBI went belly-up, my rights were returned, and I self-published Forced Mate as an ebook.

My next mass market paperback was Insufficient Mating Material (mass market paperback only), followed by Knight's Fork (mass market paperback).

Yes, I'm in love with that knight

In the meantime, I also wrote a novella which I license to New Concepts Publishing. It's a prequel, and is titled Mating Net, and is only available as an e-book.

I also have a first draft of Grand Fork... half-written, not published, not for sale.

What books or authors have influenced you?

Georgette Heyer, George Orwell, Isaac Asimov, Agatha Christie.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

"During the writing process..." That rules out letters from readers, compliments from editors, generous reviews from strangers, the arrival of checks/cheques.

I think, then, my answer must be something to do with what happens when a talented editor such as Alicia Condon or Karen Babcock asks a question about content, and I solve the communication problem with three alternate revisions, and they want to use all three.

Tell us about your latest release.
Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

I'm editing Insufficient Mating Material for release as an e-book.

Forced Mate, Insufficient Mating Material, and Knight's Fork are available in print while supplies last, and I occasionally sell some of my stash on EBay. Mating Net is available from New Concepts Publishing.

Knight's Fork is the last paperback book I released before I realized that the royalty model of traditional publishing is unsustainable.

This is an unofficial blurb that I may use for the e-book.

One virtuous Knight, an interstellar quest, a sexy royal stowaway and, a saboteur along for the ride.

‘Rhett knows why he is going to Earth. He has a lost Princess to find, a secret that might petrify his
enemies to unearth, and a scandalous Queen to avoid.
What is unclear is why his arch enemy, Tarrant-Arragon, is so eager to lend him an Imperial space destroyer, a young Prince in need of a mentor, and the dour fellowship of his man, Grievous.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others?

Yes. But which? I suppose that most authors struggle for longest with their first book (mine was Forced Mate) if they learn the craft the hard way. However, Forced Mate basically took every stock situation from a standard Historical abduction romance, and spoofed them. Once I found the proper starting point, there was a logical progression of scenes. Nevertheless, many scenes involving secondary characters and parallel storylines could have been inserted at several different junctures.... and they were, before the book was "right".

Insufficient Mating Material was an alien desert island romance, so, again, there was a structure for the first part of the book, and also for the third and final part. The middle was a bit of a challenge. I think the term of what to avoid is "expository lump".

Knight's Fork was probably the most challenging to write. I hadn't planned the books as a series, and found myself writing an interstellar soap opera. As a result, I'd painted myself into a few corners, and since I was writing about a family (a dysfunctional alien royal family) I had to continue to include senior members of the royal family. Also, their appearances had to be meaningful, and had to advance the plots.

The biggest difficulty with Knight's Fork was the heroine. She was married to someone other than the hero, and I did not want to glorify adultery (one reason I put her in a chastity belt and lost the key) and it didn't suit me to kill off her husband. That would have been too easy! The second biggest difficulty was in **not** making the husband the villain. That, too, would have been too predictable.

How do you develop characters?

Painfully slowly. No one could possibly be interested in my methods. I might compare my methods to making sloe gin.

Anyone who wishes to learn how to develop characters would do much better to visit
http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/ and benefit from the lessons taught by Jacqueline Lichtenberg or look up Linnea Sinclair's courses. http://www.linneasinclair.com/news.html

You're much too modest, Rowena. Your characters are exquisite.

Why, thank you. You want to know how to make sloe gin?

Sure!

Go out onto the windswept cliffs where the thorny, hardy, wild damson bushes are in fruit (Autumn) and free to pick. Remove worms and cobwebs and other assorted wildlife. Prick the dusky purple sloes individually with needles or pins. Fill a narrow-necked old bottle (that can be corked) with the pricked fruit, just like a colorful science class demonstration of volume.

When the bottle is full of pricked berries, fill it with sugar.

When the bottle is full of berries and sugar, fill it with cheap gin. Cork it. Leave it for several months, turning the corked bottle at intervals. Enjoy responsibly.

Appreciate the metaphor. (Grinning.)

Yes, I certainly do appreciate it. LOL.

How do you choose your setting?

All the books so far are spin-offs of the first one, so the core settings remain places I've lived: Britain (parts of Britain that I know... therefore London, Cambridge, Hertfordshire, Dorset,Wiltshire, Guernsey), imaginary spaceships, imaginary alien palaces and brothels.

One of the more interesting choices I had to make about setting was for Insufficient Mating Material. Initially, it was a toss-up whether I would locate the deserted, sub-tropical island where the hero and heroine were to be forcibly marooned on Earth or on the imaginary alien planet An'Koor.

Looking back, the choice was a no-brainer. The island had to be on An'Koor. One simply cannot have humongous alien spaceships blockading Earth and expect Earthlings not to notice.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

I cannot imagine loving a man who is incompetent... not romantically. So, all my heroes are supremely competent. Effective. Very good indeed at whatever it is they do. Also, they all have a sense of humor.

Their flaws vary. They may be incorrigible liars, have awesome tempers, swear or drink too much, be obsessive or compulsive, or unable to delegate.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

If you don't mind, I'd like to talk a little bit about copyright infringement, because fighting infringement on behalf of those who cannot or dare not has been my passion for the past two years. (I even won an E.P.I.C. award for my efforts.)

Go right ahead, Rowena. We all need to be reminded.

It appears that a lot of internet users have trouble understanding this:

"The FBI Warning: Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000."

Sometimes, those who reproduce and distribute (or "share") e-books online cut out the front matter, and start the e-books at Chapter One. I believe that some settings on older e-readers defaulted to Page One. So, possibly, a lot of e-book buyers never see the warning. Kinder, gentler publishers use words like "All Rights Reserved", which might be a tad vague.

Other times, the heavy duty, FBI warning or a similar one, is right there on the "free e-book hosting" sites that allow visitors to "preview" the document.

Possibly, the problem lies in the word, "unauthorized". Too many readers assume that, if they purchased an ebook, they are entitled ( or "authorized" ) to do whatever they like with it. This is not true.

Nor is it true that if a site like 4shared.com offers (you) the ability to copy every book in someone else's collection to your own account that therefore it is legal for you to click that option. It's not. Just because someone uploaded a modern bestseller to a file hosting site does not mean that that bestseller is "in the public domain" or that the copyright warnings --whether there or stripped-- do not apply to anyone copying or downloading the work.

If you take a paperback to a copy-shop, you will be required to fill out paperwork before the copy shop will photocopy the entire book for you. Try it. If you take a library book to the library photocopier, you will see warnings posted about copyright infringement.

With a paperback, if you used a coin-powered machine to print a copy of every page, you'd probably spend more on the machine than it would cost you to purchase a legal copy. Also, if you lend or sell or give a paperback to a friend, she has it. You don't have it any more.

With e-books, it is possible to create thousands of copies with no effort, no expense, and no thought. One can even make a profit. However, making copies and sharing them is the prerogative of the copyright owner. The author. If a reader makes copies and shares them without personal, written permission from the author, it is copyright infringement.

A better solution, which Smashwords is now encouraging authors and publishers to use is wording in the front matter that makes it clear that an e-book is not purchased, but licensed.

Excerpted from
http://blog.copyrightalliance.org/2011/10/rethinking-the-vernor-decision/

"A user is a licensee, rather than an owner, when the copyright owner
1) Specifies the user is being granted a license
2) Significantly restricts the user's ability to transfer the software, and
3) Imposes notable use restrictions

For anyone who wishes to learn more about the horrors and triumphs of fighting digital piracy, there is a GoodReads.com group open to readers and authors. http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/30255.Authors_Without_A_Yacht_AWaY_GoodReads

Susan, I hope these remarks will be more helpful to your aspiring-author-readers than any insights into how I stay on track as I write about faraway worlds and through the eyes of alien hunks.

Excellent information, indeed. Thanks for sharing.
Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Thank you for asking. There is an interview of me on TheAuthorsShow (check for "Rowena Cherry" and "Knight's Fork" in the yellowish menu bar in the middle of the page) at http://www.theauthorsshow.com/ Various authors' interviews are featured on a rotating basis.

I'm supposed to be promoting "Knight's Fork" but end up talking more about my alleged psychic abilities, cows, and why "futuristic" is not the right genre for what I write.

I have two websites. They are: http://www.rowenacherry.com and http://www.spacesnark.com

You might well ask why I have two. One is run professionally by a webmaster, whom I have to pay if I want any kind of update. The other is through Authors' Guild, was set up free, I can edit it any time I wish, and it costs me $6.00 a month.

And, finally, again for the authors in your audience, I run a group on LinkedIn.com
for "Authors Of Romance Helping Authors Of Romance"
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=122671&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

Thank you very much for inviting me over!

I have thoroughly enjoyed having you over, Rowena.

Now, readers of the blog, play attention to the offering that follows:

Rowena is giving away a $25 gift token. "No warranties, no purchase necessary, winner selection random from comments, starting 12.01 am Eastern, December 1st, ending midnight Eastern December 5th, (all the usual rules) full written rules obtainable from..... rowena@rowenacherry.com"

Melodie Campbell's Rowena

2011-11-30T08:00:00.005-05:00

Melodie Campbell got her start as a comedy writer, so it’s no surprise that editors have called her work ‘wacky’ and ‘laugh out loud funny’. She has over 200 publications, including 100 humour columns, 30 short stories and one novel. She has received five awards for fiction, and is the General Manager of Crime Writers of Canada. Melodie dropped by to discuss her new book.Welcome, Melodie.

Thank you for having me, Susan.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I got my start writing comedy. Didn’t mean to, but somehow every time I tried to write straight, the gremlins took over and twisted the words. Okay, I’ll go back; I was the class clown in high school, always getting in trouble for quipping in class.

I wrote short for many years. Had a humor column, wrote standup. In 1993, a producer from fledgling HBO saw my play, ‘Burglar for Coffee” in Toronto, labeled it “completely nuts” and offered me a spot writing pilots, which I stupidly turned down. This goes on record as one of the worst decisions ever made by a human not officially insane.

In 1999, I was asked to open the Canadian Humour Conference. Was invited to join the Toronto Press Club. Drank a lot of scotch there. Then some newspaper guy said, “Why don’t you write a novel? You’ve never written a novel.”

Never one to turn down a dare (did I mention I was not officially insane?) I wrote Rowena.

How many books have you written?

2.75. All my books are comedies. Rowena Through the Wall is out now. The Goddaughter (a comic mob caper) comes out in 2012, and Rowena continues in a sequel Rowena and the Dark Lord, also out in 2012.

What books or authors have influenced you?

The great comic writers! Douglas Adams, for Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, one of my all time favorites. Janet Evanovich and Lisa Lutz are my primary influences; I would love to be counted in their number.

Tell us about your latest release, Rowena Through the Wall.

Rowena was written as a comic fantasy; basically I was trying to do something in the genre of ‘The Princess Bride’, only with a feisty female as protagonist. Then my publisher got hold of it and said: you know, with a little tweaking, we could slide this into the paranormal romance market too. Rowena is the sort of book I wish someone else would write so I could read it. A rollicking adventure, and a fast read.

I wish there were more fun adventures written today. Pure escape stories with lots of rollicking action, and the spice of romance. Nothing would please me more than to see more of this type of book written. I have asked and asked (on Amazon, Goodreads) for people to tell me about other books like mine so I could read them, and there don’t seem to be many, alas.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes – all formats! I’ll leave links below.

How do you choose your setting?

Ah! Now that is a story. I have family links to England.

My late cousin Tony was Viscount Clegg-Hill of Shropshire and Shrewsbury. He had that dry British wit I adored, and would regale me of stories about the rakish ancestors. The castle I use in Rowena Through the Wall is the original Norman castle that went to ruin in the 1500s. (Hawkstone Hall, which still stands, was built to replace it in 1556). The Norman castle, with its rounded turrets, crenellations and merlons, has been in my imaginations for decades. Rowena walks through the wall to her ancestor’s home, and falls in love with it too.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

The Goddaughter is at the publishers now, going through editing. It is a comic mob caper, featuring the reluctant goddaughter of a mob king, who is always having to bail out her inept mobster family. I am writing Rowena and the Dark Lord now, and should be finished by Christmas. It will wrap up Rowena’s tale, but also leave entry for more tales in the world of Land’s End.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

I write a comic blog, which features some of my published humor columns and stand-up routines.

I also have a website. Here are links to both:

http://funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html

View trailer and read opening scene at

http://www.melodiecampbell.com/

Follow Melodie on Twitter: @MelodieCampbell

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Through-the-Wall-ebook/dp/B00557Z2QU

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65519

I'm interviewed on my own blog! Ha!

2011-11-29T08:00:00.010-05:00

(Good morning, everyone. I hope all of you had a meaningful Thanksgiving. We have so many things to be thankful for, don't we? I invited David Fingerman back over to talk about his new book, but as you will see, David turned the table on me. I hope you enjoy the conversation.)

I am honored to be making my third appearance on Susan Whitfield’s blog. Other than the release of my new mystery, Playing the Hand She’s Dealt, the amazing and fantastic sequel to the equally amazing and fantastic Silent Kill, my life hasn’t change all that much since my last interview here. So, for something a little different I thought it might be fun to turn the table on Susan and interview her. Happily (for me), she agreed.

And as you can tell, David is sooooo modest. LOL.

Susan, welcome. First off, how does it feel being the interviewee instead of the interviewer on your own blog?

LOL. Well, David, I’ve been interviewed quite a few times but not on my OWN blog. I’m honored that you’re interested.

I'd be willing to bet a lot of people are interested.
When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer, and then a mystery novelist?

I’ve been writing since about third grade, so it’s pretty much been a lifelong dream. However, I didn’t really get serious about it until I was retiring from a high school principalship. They say write what you read, and I truly love a good mystery. I tried to write a steamy novel, but I blushed so much I just couldn’t go through with it.

What’s a typical day for Susan Whitfield?

Normally I grab a huge cup of joe (some people refer to my cup as a planter) and start writing. Unfortunately, right now I have to dress and go to physical therapy in the mornings because I tore me Achilles tendon, power-walking between writing sessions to get into better shape. That’s thrown my routine off and now I’m writing sporadically in the afternoons. So my routine is quite atypical right now.

Ouch! Here's wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thank you. I'm wearing an ugly heavy boot and my husband calls me a platypuss:-(

LOL, brave man.

You’ve completed four Logan Hunter novels thus far. How do you keep Logan Hunter fresh and exciting?

I have to remember to let her age and change over the course of the novels. She was inexperienced in Genesis Beach as an intern at the Genesis Beach Police Department, and then once she was an official North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent in Just North of Luck, she tackled (quite literally) a serial killer in our beautiful Appalachian Mountains, got herself into all kinds of jams in Hell Swamp, and had truly life-changing experiences in Sin Creek.

In each book, she matured a little more, changed from heavy dark eye glasses to contacts, and married another agent. (I use internal thoughts in my first-person novels so readers can get inside Logan’s head and emotions.) Sin Creek was difficult to write because there’s so much raw emotion in it. Punch Street, the fifth novel in the Logan Hunter series, is about seven pages at this point. I’m currently writing a non-series novel, entitled The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood, about lifelong friendship.

We'll get more into the Goose Parade in a couple minutes.
How are you and Logan Hunter similar/dissimilar?

Boy, that’s a loaded question.

I try.

First of all Logan is over six feet tall, blond, and toothpick thin. I, on the other hand, am 5’6” and shrinking, have salt and pepper hair, and am not a toothpick. I have to admit there is a lot of me in Logan. I believe in saying what I mean and meaning what I say. I believe in doing what’s right even when it’s not popular. I like bending rules as much as Logan does, but I seldom break them completely unless there’s no other choice. She’s more adventurous than I am; I write adventures but you won’t find me sky-diving…unless I develop more courage or dementia as I age.

Well, let's keep a happy thought.
Changing gears for a moment, please tell us the history and thought processes behind the cookbook, Killer Recipes.

Ah, good question. I met a lady here in North Carolina who came to an event just to meet me. She’d written a cookbook and I bought one. Later, as we kept in touch, she told me how good sales were, and she was considering another cookbook. I started to think about that and all the wonderful recipes I have. Since I had a fairly large audience of writer friends from networking, I asked if folks would consider donating recipes for the cookbook in exchange for promotion at the bottom of each one.

I decided that all proceeds from this book would be donated to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in honor of my grandson, a cancer survivor. I didn’t think it would be right for me to pocket proceeds since the book couldn’t happen without the support of other writers. Authors all over the country responded in an overwhelming way, and Killer Recipes has become a unique cookbook we can all be proud of. My publisher, L&L Dreamspell, liked the idea so much that they didn’t give me a chance to query, and they donate all of THEIR profits for this particular book as well. Good folks, indeed.

Indeed they are ~ and a great cause! And what a great holiday gift (hint hint).

Yes, giving this book is giving twice. You can order all of my books through my site, www.susanwhitfieldonline.com or www.amazon.com and other online stores. They're all available in print or digital formats. I love having the cookbook on my Kindle.

On a very serious and scary note, and I’m sure it’s a nightmare of anyone who has reached any level of celebrity status, but I seem to recall you were harassed by a stalker some time back. I certainly won’t ask details, but what would you advise your fellow authors to do if ever in a similar situation?

Your memory is still sharp, David. While the person never came to my house and never called my house, she showed up at several of my signings and tried to discourage people from buying books. I really think it backfired, though, because it 's obvious that she is unstable. She wrote a personal attack on Facebook about me, and posted a terrible review on Amazon about what a bad writer I am. The post was up 3 weeks before I knew about it. I contacted Amazon.com and told them about the woman, our past, and the Facebook comment. They removed the review immediately. The scariest part was that the following weekend, I had a signing back in my home county, and she’d messaged me that she was going to go. I “unfriend” her, and contacted a deputy who worked with me when I was a principal. He arranged for a deputy to ride by the bookstore every few minutes during the hours I was there. She never showed. I guess she was playing with my head.

I’m not sure what I’d advise someone else. My situation was strange and it really wasn’t about writing at all. I’ve never had another experience like that and hope I never do again. However, after that lengthy answer, I will also tell you and readers to whatever you have to do to keep yourself safe. There are plenty of nuts out there.

That had to have been not only scary, but very frustrating and time consuming as well. I'm glad it's long behind you.

Thank you , David. I hope it’s over.

I see on your website that Punch Street is due out in 2012. Would you mind giving us a sneak peek into that novel?

Punch Street is the next Logan Hunter novel, dealing with bullying, a major issue that’s been around since the beginning of time but seems to be in the news so much more since Internet and texting arrived. Logan and another agent go undercover in a school to get to the bottom of a student’s death. Remember, not all bullies are children. They come in every size and package.

Not only an excellent sounding plot - but very timely.

I also noticed that you’re working on a stand-alone book, The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood. Would you be willing to share any secrets on what that is about?

Writing this stand-alone has been a hoot, for sure. It’s about lifelong friends who’re now going through menopause, marital problems, and health problems. Their friendship endures even through misfortune and conflict. The title comes from the fact that they live near a pond that is overcrowded with geese, only one of many conflicts that arise.

I can already sense the fun you're having writing this. That's always a good sign that it will be an equally fun book.
What else does the future hold for Susan Whitfield?

My first goal is to get well and back to full-blown writing here shortly, complete Goose Parade and Punch Street, and dig into all the research I’ve gathered about my ancestor, a Knight of the Bath. I hope to write an historical novel about him, son-in-law of King Henry I.

It certainly sounds like you're keeping your writing plate full.

I have to stay busy. I don’t idle well.

Susan, thank you for being such a good sport and letting me turn the tables on you. I hope you had fun being on the other side of your blog.

I certainly did, David. That was a great idea and I appreciate your support. I also wish you tremendous success with your new book.

Thank you. As mentioned above, Playing the Hand She's Dealt is the sequel to Silent Kill. In Silent Kill, Louise Miller was after a psycho-killer. In Playing the Hand, someone is after Louise. Not only does he want her dead, but he first wants to destroy her piece by piece. A great mystery if I do say so myself.

I can’t wait to read it. Have a wonderful holiday season, David. Hugs!

C.L.Kraemer's Shattered Tomorrows

2011-11-28T08:00:00.004-05:00

Lucy Daniels has a secret--a deeply guarded secret.

Her life was going along just fine until she accompanied her best friend, Cassie, to her attorney’s suite on top of the Equitable Building in downtown Salem, Oregon.

Once inside the lawyer’s office, the world turned upside down and Lucy was forced to face a demon from her past. Thirty years previously, life had been different. Lucy had discovered Prince Charming and was headed to her happily ever after.

That’s when the devil intervened and because of her brush with the devil, innocent people died.

[Author’s note: This fictional account was loosely based on the incident of May 7, 1981 at 10:20 pm in the Oregon Museum Tavern, Salem, Oregon. A lone gunman entered the tavern,took out his Browning 9mm and emptied the clip into the crowd of Ladies’ Night revelers. He stepped outside to reload, entering again and shooting indiscriminately at the patrons inside the bar. Several young men tackled him, ending his killing spree. At the end of the 15 minutes of shooting, four were killed and twenty wounded.

This writer had been inside the tavern fifteen minutes prior to the incident, opting to leave with a friend to visit other nightspots.]

Intrigued? Well, stay with us while I interview C.L.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

Once upon a time… I was a model. Difficult to believe when one views my “fluffy” appearance now.

How many books have you written?

I’m currently working on books thirteen and fourteen.

Tell us about your latest release, _Shattered Tomorrows.

Shattered Tomorrows was born of my own survivor’s guilt. On May 7, 1981, a lone gunman opened the front door of the Oregon Museum Tavern in Salem, Oregon at 10:20 pm and pulled out a Browning 9mm weapon. He proceeded to empty the clip into the crowd of Ladies’ Night revelers. Stepping outside, he released the empty clip and reloaded. Inside the door again, he started to fire indiscriminately into the remaining stunned patrons. Several young men shook off their shock and tackled him, dislodging the gun and slamming him to the ground. Three were dead; a fourth dying on the way to the hospital, and twenty were wounded.

Less than fifteen minutes prior, my friend and I had stood at the end of the bar nearest the door deciding whether to stay or leave. We opted to leave and heard the news on the radio as we pulled into another nightclub in town less than two miles away.

I’ve been haunted by the incident for years and opted to put my confusion and guilt into the pages of a novel. My main character Lucy Daniels has spent thirty years successfully blocking out the night her life changed forever, but a visit with her best friend to a location that played an important part in her younger years stirs up the memory pot and she realizes she must face her demons and conquer them.

In 1981 solving problems with a gun was not common and the event completely changed the way an entire generation thought about going out on the town. We begin to look over our shoulders and keep our backs to the wall. For some, it was a revisit to Vietnam. Our bubble of immortality had been broken. To this day if someone brings up the subject at a gathering, it is amazing the amount of people affected by incident.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others?

My first book was probably the most difficult as I had so little experience writing beyond 3,000 words. I had the story and knew I wanted to expand on the bare bones but didn’t have all the knowledge to move forward quickly. Once I joined RWA in my hometown, I met with my current critique partners and my writing smoothed out with their help and the information provided by picking up several writing oriented magazines. I began to purchase books and study the craft I wanted to pursue. By allowing those characters in my head to have their own way, my writing soon became a matter of keeping up with the story and not a matter of where was it going.

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

When I first started my Dragon series [Dragons Among Us], I realized after the first four chapters I was going to have to create lists for characters, their traits, their countries and towns, and a little back history to give them more depth. Up to that point I was pretty much a panster writer. I quickly changed. I’ve actually begun to create outlines for my stories when I begin and find I’m thankful I did. My series is currently nine stories [I’m writing the third, Dragons Among the Ice] and may expand. I’m not sure yet how far I want to pursue the story.

How do you develop characters?

All right, I’m going to give you a writer answer. My characters seem to appear to me fully developed and it’s up to me to woo the details from them—similar to dating. I’ve traveled extensively in my life and met many different types of people. That helps wonderfully in character building. I can take one trait from someone I recall and add it to my character then borrow another trait from a separate person. There is a little bit of everyone I meet in my stories. I tell my friends I love being a writer because I can commit murder and never go to jail. I warn my husband if he isn’t nice to me I’ll kill him in my next book. Somehow, he doesn’t seem worried.

How do you choose your setting?

Setting for me truly depends on the story. As much of my writing is fantasy, I can create my own world as I see fit. For my story, Shattered Tomorrows, the setting was defined by the story itself. Since the story was loosely based on an actual incident, I opted to keep the setting local and change names and some details of places to avoid any legal issues.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

As I mentioned, I’m currently in the midst of writing a Dragon series. I have completed Dragons Among Us for the base book and Dragons Among the Eagles as the second in the series. I’m starting to write Dragons Among the Ice. I’ll be completing Dragons Among the Bamboo, Dragons Among the Deserts, Dragons Among the Heather, Dragons Among the Stars, Dragons Among the Rains Forests and Quest for the Amber Ruby [a prequel]. Those are certain to be written. I’m thinking of Dragons Among the Roos, Dragons Among the Iguanas and possibly Dragons Among the Savannahs. This all depends on my ability to manage my time.

I’m also writing a mystery about a motorcycle poker run called Joker’s Wild. It’s a motorcycle run where those unfortunate enough to pull the Joker card have some pretty awful things happen to them. This will be completed in March 2012. My other passion is the Fae. I started writing about them in a couple anthologies and they have been trying to get their own series ever since. We’ll see.

You can also follow me at:

www.clkraemer.com;
www.celiacooper.com;
www.RoguesAngelsblogspot.com/SableAngel; www.DragonsFaeriesandothercreaturesblogspot.com

Or contact me at:

Clkraemer1@gmail.com
Celia.cooper1@gmail.com

C.L., it been a pleasure to learn more about you. Have a wonderful Christmas.

tThanks, Susan.

Cindy Reynders: A Killer Slice

2011-11-25T08:00:00.004-05:00

Cindy Reynders is here with A Killer Slice, just in time for Thanksgiving. Isn't that great?
Welcome back, Cindy, and congratulations on the new book. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Cindy, even though I have previously interviewed you, please give new blog visitors a brief bio.

I live in Cheyenne, Wyoming with my husband, Rich and my little dog, Ewok. I work for Laramie County School District 1 as their Marketing Specialist, and I write feature articles for my office’s Public Schools Chronicle. I’ve written articles for True West and Wild West magazines, and my published books in the Saucy Lucy mystery trilogy are The Saucy Lucy Murders and Paws-itively Guilty. The newest in the trilogy is A Killer Slice.

I've been to Cheyenne and hope to return next year.

What books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing?

I fell in love with Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind when I read it at sixteen. I wrote romance for years, but I switched to murder mystery and there I found my niche. I’ve got this crazy wicked sense of humor that plagues my writing, even though I also craft many scenes that are sad. Thankfully, my fans seem to love my style.

Yes, I'm with them! Please give us a short synopsis of your new book, A Killer Slice.

Sisters Lexie and Lucy are the main characters, and they live in the small town of Moose Creek Junction, Wyoming. A Killer Slice starts during a baby shower for Lexie’s daughter. A young man shows up on the door step of the Saucy Lucy Café, the eatery the sisters own, claiming he’s Lucy’s long-lost son who she gave up for adoption while she was a single college girl. Now Lucy’s a married, God-fearing, churchgoing woman, so to have this happen is a slap in the face, and she vehemently denies having a child out of wedlock. When the young man winds up dead, the local police naturally consider Lucy a suspect. So the sisters polish their amateur sleuthing skills to save her from going to jail. Everyone who has read the book so far, including my editor, swears they had no inkling about who did it until the great reveal at the end. A little secret: When I was writing it, I didn’t know either!

Sometimes our characters surprise us, don't they?

How has your writing progressed since your first book?

I feel more confident in my writing abilities. I’m also more aware that people are actually reading my work. As a result, I’m more of a perfectionist because I want to live up to reader expectations. I’m taking more risks, and I’m trying new things.

When do you accomplish your best writing?

I go to bed early each evening so I can get up in the wee hours of the morning and hide out in my office to write for a couple of hours before work.

Is there another book on the horizon?

Yes, actually there is. In early 2012, Angelic Knight Press will publish one of my new titles, “The Seven-Year Witch,” a humorous, lighthearted story about a witch who must travel through time to find the Philosopher’s Stone. It’s actually classified as an urban fantasy, so this is one of the new things I mentioned I’ve been trying. I’m hoping AKP and I can continue to work together to publish more in this line about my witch protagonist and her sisters. They may potentially be made into graphic novels as well, but this still only at the discussion stage.

Suer!
After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?

I love reading magazines! They’re quick fun reads that really help me relax.

Are your books available in print, ebook, and Kindle?

Yes.

Where can we purchase these books and get more information about you?

My books can be found online, of course. If you prefer a hard copy and you can’t locate one in a brick and mortar store, it’s easy to order one online and it will be delivered to your doorstep. Or you can order a hard copy from a book store. Either way, the process is quick and easy. At my website, www.cindykeenreynders.com, readers can access my Facebook page and also my blog or they can contact me via e-mail with questions. I’m also on Twitter!

Thanks for visiting again, Cindy, and I plan to look you up when I get back to Wyoming.

Please do, Susan.

Lila Pinord's In Time

2011-11-23T08:00:00.005-05:00

My guest today is Lila Pinord, author of IN TIME. Welcome, Lila. Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I was born and raised in a Native American fishing village along the coast of Washington state. I didn’t leave until I was eighteen.

Interesting!

How many books have you written?

IN TIME is my fourth book. The other three are SKYE DANCER, EVIL LIVES in BLUE ROCK, and MIN'S MONSTER.

What books or authors have influenced you?

Stephen King was my first favorite, but later changed to Dean Koontz. I’ve read all his books and like the tension he generates through words. I try to do the same.

Tell us about your latest release.

IN TIME is an urban fantasy. A young lad begins to pass through “misty curtains of time” and time-travels here on earth. He meets some historical figures along the way,including Meriwether Lewis and Blackbeard. His mother Ellie also passes through the opening as she seeks her son, who now goes by the name of Cowboy. Along the way she meets other time “travelers”. Will she and her son find each other “in time”?

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes, it is in both formats.

Were any of your booksmore challenging to write than the others?

No, I usually have them pretty much thought out before I even begin writing my stories.

How do you develop characters?

My characters seem to jump out at me as I’m writing.Their names just come to me as if it were meant to be. It’s weird howcharacters come to life for us writers!

How do you choose your setting?

From my growing-up years in and around the village;the surrounding lakes and rivers and mountains play a big part in the settingsof my novels. Also the weather always works its way into my stories. SkyeDancer includes a great storm and flooding rivers and lakes. Evil Lives in BlueRock is enfolded in thick fog. Min’s Monster takes place during a horrific snowstorm. I think my next one may take place during a heat wave!

What are your protagonists' strengths? Flaws?

They always seem to overcome anything, such as theweather conditions mentioned above. Fear would be a weakness, but we all havethat at one time or another in our lives.

We all know how important promoting our work hasbecome. How do you get the word out both off and online?

Social websites, local newspapers, press releases,word-of-mouth. My own website contains all the information. http://lilalpinord.bravehost.com

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

Believe it or not, I am working on two books at the same time! Or maybe I’m just re-working one I’d written many years ago. There is always room for improvement.

I'm usually working on two books at the same time as well.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Mainly on my website. However I have yet to add INTIME there, but will get to it soon. The books are on Amazon, Barnes &Noble and wherever books are sold.

Thanks for dropping by, Lila, and continued success!

Readers, click the link to see Lila's book trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0bHz02syHY for Skye Dancer book trailer

http://www.youtube.com/lilapinord for Min's Monster book trailer

Susan Fleet's Diva

2011-11-21T08:00:00.045-05:00

My special guest today is Susan Fleet, author of Diva Desire.

Welcome to the blog, Susan.

It's great to be here, Susan.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

In my former life I worked as a professional trumpeter in the Boston area playing a wild assortment of gigs ranging from the Ringling Brothers Circus to operas, symphonies and solo recitals. While teaching music at Brown University and Berklee College of Music, I took a scriptwriting course that turned me on to writing fiction, and my dark side. In 1990, unbeknownst to my colleagues, I began killing people. Fictionally, of course.

How many books have you written?

Between 1990 and 2000 I wrote five thrillers. I threw three of them away because they weren't ready for prime time, but it wasn't a waste of time. That's how I learned to write a novel. In 2001 I moved to New Orleans. That's the setting for my first published novel, Absolution, which I'm happy to say the Premier Book Awards named Best Mystery-Suspense-Thriller of 2009. My latest novel, Diva, was published in June 2011.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

My favorite experience is getting feedback from readers. I've only done one book club event (for Absolution) but it was fabulous and I'd love to do more. I also do library talks. I did one recently in Brunswick, Maine, and the people had some fantastic comments and questions. Many readers also email me through my website: www.susanfleet.com
Tell us about your latest release.

Diva is a fast-paced thriller set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Many reviewers have commented on the way I meld the elegant world of classical music with the dark world of drug dealers. Beautiful, talented and ambitious, flute soloist Belinda Scully wants to be a star. But fame can be dangerous. A psychotic man is stalking her. Chantelle, a homeless teenager, is desperate to escape a menacing drug lord. NOPD detective Frank Renzi tries to save them both. Diva is available in print, Kindle and Nook formats.
What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

My biggest problem is hinting at events in previous books without revealing the outcome. But I love writing a series. Now that I've done two books with my protagonist, NOPD detective Frank Renzi, he feels very real to me. He's driven by a desire to get criminals off the street, but he has a dark past. After being a detective for the Boston Police Department for many years, he moved to New Orleans, partly because of a devastating work-related incident, partly because of a messy divorce. But he's still close to his daughter, who is now in college, and several other characters also make repeat appearances in the series.

How do you choose your setting?

After I moved to New Orleans, I decided to set my novels there. It's an exotic city with great music, which I use in my novels, but also with some racial tensions, which figure in both my books. I set some of my Diva scenes in London at the Royal Festival Hall, which was fun because I've been there. I also show the devastating impact Katrina had on New Orleans, its residents and the police department.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

The rough draft of my next novel is done and should be out sometime in 2012. It involves two murders twenty years apart that take place in New Orleans. Frank has to solve the earlier murder in order to solve the current one. He also makes a brief visit to Boston because of a murder related to the New Orleans case. And the killer might be a woman!

Sounds intriguing. Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Please visit my website: www.susanfleet.com Individual pages for my books feature video trailers, and free sample chapters and book club questions to download.

Absolution: http://susanfleet.com/fleet-absolution.html

Diva: http://susanfleet.com/fleet-diva.html

And let me take a moment to offer my thanks to you, Susan, for inviting me to be a guest on your blog!

My pleasure, Susan!

Neil Ostroff's Insectland

2011-11-17T08:00:00.019-05:00

INSECTLAND author, Neil Ostroff, dropped by for coffee and cheese danish. Welcome to the blog, Neil.

Thanks, Susan, for the interview and the refreshments.

Can you tell us about yourself?

I’m an author of dark, noir thrillers, romance thrillers, and middle grade sci/fi and paranormal novels. I was raised in a rural town outside of Philadelphia and have been a published author for more than twenty years. My science fiction and fantasy stories have appeared in numerous presses, zines, and websites. I have several published novels available at all online booksellers. I am an avid boater, gardener, and poker player when not working on my novels.

How many books have you written?

At this time I have seven books available for purchase. I am writing quite a bit these days and anticipate another four books out by next year. Here are descriptions of the ones available now:

PULP-Struggling thriller writer Kevin Turner just received a panicked call from his ex-girlfriend Tina, a self-proclaimed clairvoyant prostitute. One of her clients, the mayor’s married son, died in her bed and she needs Kevin’s help to dispose of the body.

DEGENERATES- Each degenerate overcomes incredible obstacles working in a restaurant named City Café until a psychotic co-worker changes everything about their lives.

FROSTPROOF- Niles Goodman is on a weeklong trip into madness as his best friend kills indiscriminately and then explains the philosophy behind his actions.

TIM MADISON GALACTIC WARRIOR- Thirteen-year-old Tim Madison is the only person who knows about and can stop the ruthless creatures who are working deep inside our planet constructing a massive extermination army.

INSECTLAND-Imagine a world where humans are pests and insect-like aliens rule over them. Imagine that world is Earth.

DROP OUT- After overcoming incredible personal tragedy Nathan Cruz meets a terminal, young woman who helps him find the strength to piece his shattered life back together.

AFTER- High school student, Nick Murray’s sudden death is no accident. What he thought was his life has been an illusion created by powerful celestial beings. But for what purpose?

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

For me, the best part of writing is finishing a draft and then taking that draft and turning it into a good story. I love creating characters and then living vicariously through them. I also love having people read early drafts and then tell me what they think. It eliminates tons of wasted time trying to figure out alone if something is good or not.

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest book is called INSECTLAND. It’s available as an e-book on all devices.

INSECTLAND blurb:

Be frightened! Be very frightened! Tiny, dragon-like creatures hiding in our homes are going to harm us. They will shrink us to the size of ants, enslave us, and turn our world into their own. But there is hope. Legions of insect robots intent on stopping them have recruited high school sophomore Dan Larson for help. Thrust into danger, Dan risks everything in a desperate attempt to thwart an attack and prevent the end of society as we know it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005P81J48

How do you develop characters?

Most of my characters ideas come from people I deal with in my everyday life. A man I see in line with me that has a peculiar facial tic, or the guy walking down the street mumbling to himself. I will use these different traits and add them to my characters. But the core personality of my characters almost always come from people I’m close to in my daily life.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

Sure. I am currently working on the last book in a YA sci/fi fantasy series involving the same group of characters. It’s called DREAM TRAVELER and should be available in a few months. I am also doing a rewrite on an edgy YA novel called WASTED, about a group of drug-addicted teens who are trying to get straight and turn their lives around. It too, should be available by year’s end.

Where can folks learn more about your books?

I maintain a huge web presence and can be reached simply by typing my name into any search engine. I have several websites and can be found on most social network sites. The most up to date website for info regarding me and my books is:

http://www.authorsden.com/neilostroff

My blog:

http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com

I wish you the best with your writing, Neil.

Thank you, Susan, and the same to you!

Anne Patrick's Kill Shot

2011-11-15T08:00:00.025-05:00

My special guest today is Anne Patrick, who's returning to talk about her new book and catch us up on what's going on in her life. Anne Patrick is the author of more than a dozen novels of Romance, Mayhem &Faith, including the award-winning and best-selling Fire and Ash, Lethal Dreams and Sabotage. Her heroines are usually strong willed, witty, and often very opinionated…combinations that usually land them in situations where death seems imminent. When she's not working on her next novel she enjoys spending time with family and friends. Born an Okie and proud of it (Go Sooners!), she now makes her home in Kansas.

Welcome back, Anne. Please have a chocolate chunk cookie and some hot tea.

Yummy! Thanks, Susan. I think I'll just do that.

Tell us your latest news.

Glad to, Susan! My latest release, Kill Shot, book one in my Wounded Heroes series, comes out today. Here's the blurb: Former combat medic Kory Wagner has been in four war zones, served three tours in Iraq, survived countless firefights, RPG’s, IED’s and even a helicopter crash. Now she’s home and out of the Army for good and someone is trying to kill her in her own backyard. Just as disturbing is the handsome sheriff who’s on the case. Sheriff Sean Harding doesn’t quite know what to think of the decorated veteran that managed to outsmart an entire search party. What bothers him more is the body of a PI, whom she hired, was found dead in a building she owns. And Kory isn’t being very cooperative with helping him find the answers as to why someone would kill her sister and want her dead. Will he be able to keep her alive along enough to discover the truth?

Folks, Anne is giving away a free pdf copy of the new book. See below to get your name in the cookie jar.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in this latest book? If so, why?

I don't think so. A couple of years from now I may think differently. As I continue to grow as a writer, I can usually look back at a book and see things I could have done better.

That's got to be a great feeling.

Can you share a short excerpt from the book?

The steel door creaked as she pushed it open, the sound echoing throughout the metal building. "Mr. Urlik?" She waited for her eyes to adjust to the change in lighting before stepping all the way inside. A wide stream of light from the door spread out in front of her. "Mr. Urlik. Are you in here?"

Kory heard a sound a few yards in front of her. She quickly scanned the area. Three rows of huge metal shelves lined the interior. She inched forward, peering around the corner of the second row. Mr. Urlik lay on his side, facing her, clutching his chest. His eyes were opened and his mouth moved, but no sound came out. A heart attack? She ran to him, knelt down on the cement floor, and took his hand. It was wet, slimy. She looked down and saw his hand covered in blood. Her eyes shifted to his chest. A large crimson stain spread across the width of his white shirt from a small hole near the center. He was breathing erratically. Experience told her a bullet had pierced at least one lung and he didn't have much time. She immediately pressed the heel of her right hand against the wound.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Where's your cell phone?" Hers was in her backpack but she didn't want to waste valuable time digging it out.

"No time. Get out."

"Who did this, Mr. Urlik?"

He grabbed her right hand and squeezed it tightly. "You were right -- no accident."

His hand went limp.

Kory felt something in the palm of her hand, looked down and saw it was a key. She shoved it into her jeans pocket. A whizzing sound buzzed past her, followed by the unmistakable clink of a bullet ricocheting off metal. She instinctively threw herself over his body as another bullet struck metal. Kory felt for a pulse. There was none. She lowered her hand to his chest and felt under both arms and along his waist. I thought all PIs carried guns. Just my luck this one didn't.

She scrambled to her feet, as more shots ricocheted around her, and dove through an opening on the first row of shelves. A piercing pain sliced through her upper arm as she took cover behind some boxes. They wouldn't shield her from the gunfire but they would conceal her presence while she figured out how she was going to get out of there. She paused long enough to grab her cell phone from her backpack, wishing she hadn't when another bullet tore through a box beside her. She ducked lower to the floor.

Kory ignored the throbbing in her arm and slithered along the floor toward the back of the building. As a child, she and her sister, Callie, had often accompanied her grandfather to the warehouse where he worked on boats as a hobby. She remembered a back exit that led to the side parking lot and nearby woods. If she could reach the door, she had a chance of getting out of this alive. She looked down at the tear in her shirt, drenched with blood.

This isn't good!

Okay, so I'm hooked! A must-read for me for sure.

How about sharing a review or two from your other books with readers?

Barbara Hightower gave Fire and Ash 5 stars: What a wonderful read this has turned out to be...The book has a lot of angles and twist to keep the reader guessing and want to know more. I am now a fan of Anne's and will be looking into her other books.

Sherry Kuhn said this about Journey to Redemption: WOW! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It grabs you from the first page and does not let you go until the last. I truly did not know who all the bad guys were until the end. I really like that in a story.

Where can we purchase Kill Shot?

You can get the eBook at Desert Breeze Publishing, Christianbook.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and most online bookstores.

Do you have plans for another book?

There are four other books under contract in the Wounded Heroes series. Trespasses release May 2012, Vengeance in February 2013; Betrayal in November 2013, and Secrets in August 2014. Each book is a stand-alone inspirational romantic suspense.

Where can we find you online?

My website (where I have monthly giveaways): http://annepatrick.weebly.com/index.html Blog: www.suspensebyanne.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Anne-Patrick/1843150272

Thank you for allowing me to come and talk about my new book, Susan. I'd love to give away a PDF copy of Kill Shot to one of your readers.

How generous of you!

So, readers, if you want Kill Shot, you have to leave a comment. Anne will get in touch with the winner.

Lesley Diehl

2011-11-11T08:00:00.006-05:00

Lesley Diehl, author of Dumpster Dying and A Deadly Draught, is here today. Welcome, Lesley. Please give us a short bio.

Thanks, Susan.

I retired from my life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed my country roots by moving to a small cottage in the Butternut River Valley in upstate New York. In the winter I migrate to old Florida—cowboys, scrub palmetto, and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office. Back north, I devote my afternoons to writing and, when the sun sets, relaxing on the bank of my trout stream, sipping tea or a local microbrew.

Wow! You're a lucky gal to have so much inspiration.

I really am.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I can’t read music, but, when I was a kid, I thought I could write operas. I didn’t realize when I heard them on the radio that they were written in another language, so I just made one up, and sang the meaningless words to a made-up tune also. It’s no surprise that a kid as naive as me or one with as much chutzpa would decide to become a mystery writer after retirement. It takes me a while to get the word!

How many books have you written?

Oh, well, many, many books, but not all have been published. I recently took another look at my earliest manuscript, and it’s probably just as well some have never seen the light of day. So far my books include A Deadly Draught from Mainly Murder Press and Dumpster Dying from Oak Tree Press. Angel Sleuth will be released by UntreedReads later his year and MMP will release Poisoned Pairings, the second in my microbrewer series in May, 2012.

What books or authors have influenced you?

I write cozies, so I must give credit to Agatha Christie, the second mystery author I read after Carolyn Keene. Janet Evanovich helped me find my funny bone and my intricate plots come from reading Elizabeth George and P. D. James.

Tell us about your latest release, Dumpster Dying.

Dumpster Dying is my latest. It is set in rural Florida around the area of the Big Lake (Lake Okeechobee) a county in which there are more cattle than people. Think Texas with palm trees. I always write about family and like to explore the secrets families often keep. In this work my protagonist Emily Rhodes makes the mistake many women in love make. She trusts her life partner to take care of her, but he dies suddenly, the only will found leaving everything to his ex-wife. Emily, as his partner of over fifteen years, must fight his ex in court for her rightful share of his estate, but her attention is diverted by finding the body of a wealthy rancher in the dumpster of the country club where she is employed as a bartender. The authorities initially try to pin the murder on her, but they finally settle on her boss and good friend. In the process of tracking down the killer Emily’s past catches up with her as do the family secrets her good friend has kept hidden for many years.

It is available as a trade paperback, on Kindle and Nook.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others?

Dumpster Dying is, as you would guess, a humorous cozy. The other book A Deadly Draught is not. While humor is fun for me to write, it’s tricky because not everyone has the same sense of humor. What’s funny to me may offend someone else. So while I seem to gravitate toward humor (Angel Sleuth is also funny, and a manuscript in the hands of my agent now is, too), a writer must do all the character development and intricate plotting of a traditional mystery but also throw in humor, which may bomb. A humorous mystery is a real high for me to write, but more challenging than if I’m not inserting funny situations, lines, or personalities.

How do you choose your setting?

My settings have chosen me. I write about the places I live. A Deadly Draught and its sequel Poisoned Pairings are set in the Butternut Valley in upstate New York. It’s a real place and where I live for half the year alongside a usually well-behaved trout stream (Lee recently turned it into a raging river that overflowed its banks). During the winter I live in rural Florida, the setting for Dumpster Dying. I am at home in the country and don’t think I would feel comfortable writing about another setting. Besides, as you can see, natural disasters present themselves, and I use them in my work. The people I meet feel familiar to me, like those I grew up around on the farm, and I create characters with that same connection to the land.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

My microbrewer, Hera Knightsbridge, has only an inkling she is hiding from life and from her past by embracing her chosen career, crafting beer. It takes murder and the reappearance of a former lover to convince her she’s not as invincible as she would like to think. She is strong mentally and physically and she likes a challenge. She will face up to anything.

In contrast, Emily Rhodes, from Dumpster Dying is tiny and a bit timid. She’s a retired preschool teacher, and everyone expects her to be nonassertive. But Emily knows dealing with fighting preschoolers has developed some backbone which she will have to use to get herself out of her financial mess and help find a murderer so that she can clear her friend’s name. Although two men find her enticing, she’s no longer so trusting of men and will stand up to both of them when they come acourtin’. Don’t underestimate the untapped courage of this little woman.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

I was raised on a dairy farm in the Midwest. I was an only child and spent my childhood entertaining myself by reading and hanging out with cows. Then I moved away, went to college and graduate school to become a psychologist. I was a professor and college administrator before I retired and came to understand my true vocation was writing mysteries, so, you see, my degree in psychology helped not at all in finding myself! I think my background in psychology finds its way into my writing in helping me craft my characters and the villain’s motives for killing. The cows keep me humble.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

I think I’m becoming, as does every writer, the queen of social networking, but just when I think I’ve got a handle on it, another plum opportunity like this one comes my way, and I embrace it. I also do a lot of library programs, and those are great fun whether two or twenty-two people show up. The in-person experience of interacting with readers and other writers is almost as good as chocolate.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

I’m working on the second Emily Rhodes book, tentatively titled Grilled, Chilled, and Killed. This time Emily stumbles upon a dead body sauced like a brisket of beef and hidden in a beer cooler truck.

My agent has another Florida based manuscript about a Connecticut fashionista come to the wilds of Florida to set up a consignment shop. You guessed it. A patron is killed while trying on a cocktail dress.

I’ve put another manuscript on the back burner. It represents a departure for me from cozies and is a traditional mystery set in upstate New York. The protagonist is a woman who runs an auction house and is the mayor of a small village. Folks in the village believe coyotes are killing their livestock. She engages an expert on coyotes, someone she knew when she was in college, to look at the situation. The most vociferous proponent of an open season on killing coyotes is himself killed, and the authorities suspect the protagonist’s friend. Helping him to clear his name forces the protagonist to reveal a family secret, one that will drive her daughter away from her.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Go to my website www.lesleydiehl.com or visit my blog http://anotherdraught.com

Continued success, Lesley!

Thanks so much, Susan.

Joyce Luciani, Cancer Survivor and author

2011-11-09T08:00:00.006-05:00

Joyce Luciani, author of Killing The Cure is my guest today. Thanks for coming by, Joyce.

I appreciate the invitation, Susan.

Before we talk about the book, please tell us a little about you.

I went to college after my family grew up and I was 50 years old, graduating with honors in philosophy and loving every minute of it. I’ve always been a person who throws herself entirely into whatever subject interests me most. In doing the research for Killing the Cure I accumulated hundreds of books, papers, notes and other information on the condition of our health care industry. The more I learned, the angrier I became. Since I had always been known as a ‘peacemaker’ type, (I learned that from growing up as one of eight and from having nine children of my own), my angry attitude came as a surprise to my friends and family. The result was this novel, a fictional story based on the facts as they appear to me.

How many books have you written?

Although Killing the Cure is my first novel, I co-authored a biography, Semka, the Sammy Skobel Story, which was published several years ago. (Perhaps I should say I’ve written three books as I have another novel (The Benediction) finished and am actively searching for an agent and/or publisher). I have also had a number of articles and a few poems published.

Have any writers inspired you?

First and foremost my favorite author would be Ernest Hemingway. I read him very early in my life and loved his style. Another is Leon Uris, especially his Irish novel, Exodus.A more recent one would be Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With a Pearl Earring and Remarkable Creatures.

Had any great experiences while writing?

Seeing one’s work in print is always a great thrill, but I think one of the greatest experiences in writing fiction is when my characters take over the story and do or say things I didn’t expect.   It’s then I know I’ve created characters who have become real. It’s a fantastic high!

Tell us about Killing the Cure, Joyce.

Killing the Cure grew out of a period when both my husband and I had cancer. He was receiving his third series of radiation treatments for prostate cancer which had spread to his bones when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. We were overwhelmed, not only emotionally, but financially. The cost of treatments and prescriptions were eating up our savings. I was angry that after all the years of research, no cause or cure had been found. Throwing myself into researching the subject, I found that the vast majority of research funds had been spent on treatment drugs rather than on finding a cause or a cure.
      Killing the Cure is the story of two brothers, one a doctor, the other a newspaper columnist, whose mother died of cancer when they were boys. They vow to search for a cure for cancer, but find that the pharmaceutical companies are raking in billions of dollars from their treatment drugs and are willing to go to such extremes as arson and even murder to keep a cure from being discovered.   When Greg realizes that his girlfriend’s father is the head of this corrupt group, his lack of trust sends his love life into a spin. Jared exposes the group in his column and in television interviews, opening himself to their revenge. It is their own greed that brings the pharmaceutical companies down in an unexpected scandal.

Where can we find Killing the Cure?

Killing the Cure is available at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com, in both print and eBook, and at www.barringerpublishing.com.   It is also available on the website www.killingthecurethebook.com .

Did you have many challenges while writing this book?

Killing the Cure required a tremendous amount of research. I spent the better part of two years searching for the answers, pouring over newspaper articles and books, as well as visiting Washington, D.C. before I could start writing. The biography, on the other hand, required hours and hours of meetings and discussion as well as editing each section as it was written. The writing itself went rather smoothly.

Joyce, how do you develop characters?

I write up character sketches with background material and descriptions, creating a history of their lives, their parents, their education, their desires, their friends, their likes, their dislikes, etc. Minor character are treated the same way but not in as much detail. My characters are often a composite of people I have known or observed.

How about setting?

There was only one setting possible for Killing the Cure. That was Washington, D.C. I had lived in Washington for four years in the past and was familiar with the city and the way things worked, but I had to go back to see how things had changed since I lived there.

Speak to us about any flaws in your characters.

Greg’s main strength is his dedication and perseverance in spite of setbacks. His flaws are his lack of trust and his self-doubt. His brother’s strength is in his positive attitude regarding his handicap. Although he is in a wheelchair he feels there is nothing he cannot do.   His flaw is that he tends to blunder through when a simpler path would be the better way.

Why did you write this particular novel?

My firm belief that a cure for cancer is out there waiting to be discovered kept me researching and writing through the four years of writing this novel. My background in journalism and my years living in the Washington D.C. area definitely influenced my writing.   Also my personal experience as a cancer patient and as a primary caregiver gave me a special viewpoint on the subject influencing my writing of this novel.

Where can readers learn more?

I have a website dedicated to Killing the Cure and promote it on facebook. I speak about the book at various clubs and organizations in the area, as well as at book clubs and booksignings... I also write a weekly blog on current health tips that I pick up during ongoing research (www.joycemcdonald.wordpress.com).

Are you working on a project at this time?

I have recently finished an Irish historical novel which is set in the early nineteenth century and is searching for a home with a publisher. This novel, too, involves brothers, and one girl who attracts the attention of all four. It is a story of betrayal, of loss of faith, and of a family torn apart. Their search for each other and all they have lost takes the reader from Ireland where their home and the village itself are destroyed, to Boston where their welcome is not what they expect.

How can folks find out about signings and such?

Check out my website at www.killingthecurethebook.com for upcoming dates and new blogs, as well as an excerpt from the book.

Joyce, I wish you the best with Killing the Cure. You strength and endurance are an inspiration! I want to also remind readers that all proceeds from my cookbook, Killer Recipes, are donated to cancer research so that we can more happy endings like Joyce had, available on my web site at www.susanwhitfieldonline.com or ask you favorite store to order copies if they're out.

Beatlemaniac Sally Carpenter

2011-11-07T08:00:00.006-05:00

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

I have a black belt in tae kwon do and have won a number of trophies at several martial arts tournaments. At the tourneys awards were given for forms (katas) and sparring (fighting). I did better in sparring than forms. Most of the trophies are for second- and third-place, but I have six first-place wins.

How many books have you written?

One, The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper.

What books or authors have influenced you?

Richard Levinson and William Link. They wrote the best TV mysteries and created my favorite detective, Columbo. Two years ago I had the privilege of meeting Link at a book signing. He’s published a collection of short stories with the Columbo character. Arthur Conan Doyle and the Sherlock Holmes stories. The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew series. I think most mystery writers started there. I based my book on the Hardy Boys structure—fast pacing, cliffhanger chapter endings, attempts on the hero’s life—although my book has better dialogue and more character development.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

Actually finishing the book. It’s a long haul from getting the idea to putting it down on paper. I think many new writers struggling to write a novel get discouraged, tired or bored part way through and never complete the book. I like when a scene finally pulls together. I do an extensive amount of revision and it’s a joy to finally see the gem emerge from the rough stone.

Tell us about your latest release.

My protagonist is Sandy Fairfax, former ‘70s teen idol and star of the hit TV show “Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth.” Now it’s 1993 and he’s a 38-year-old recovering alcoholic, forgotten and desperate for a comeback. When Sandy makes a guest appearance at a small Beatles fan convention in Evansville, Ind., a member of the Mercy Marvels tribute band is shot. When the police finger Sandy as the prime suspect, and Sandy fills in for the dead musician at a concert, the schoolboy shamus is back in action to find the killer.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

In print. My publisher has started releasing titles as e-books and I’m sure my book will be available electronically at some point

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

I’m trying to avoid the problems of most series books through advance planning. I’ve sketched out the next ten or so books. I don’t have the details or necessarily the crime in mind, but I know the setting of each book and what happens in Sandy’s personal life. Sandy’s trying to reconnect with his estranged family, so there’s new emotional issues in each book. At some point he’ll remarry. This will be an intricate part of the book, not a tacked-on gimmick. His wife will assist him in his crime solving.

A series writer faces the challenge that the characters need to grow somewhat—or else they’re caricatures, not real humans—but not change so much that readers no longer like them.

How do you develop characters?

Sandy was developed through extensive research—attending concerts and reading autobiographies written by real teen idols, non-fiction books about rock bands and teen idol fanzines. I use some of the techniques from my acting classes in how an actor analyzes a script. Imagination is helpful, too. I generally don’t base characters on real people I know. For most writers, their base of family and friends is rather limited and I want to broaden my characters beyond my own social sphere.

How do you choose your setting?

This was set by my character. He worked in Hollywood and still lives in Los Angeles in the house he bought with the royalties from his first album (although he may move to a new home later in the series). In each book he performs in a different venue and that will determine the story’s setting. In this book, he’s in the Midwest. It’s a “fish out of water” story in that Sandy is a different environment than he’s used to and working with people he doesn’t know. He’s stressed because he’s separated from his home and support base. That makes for some great tension. I placed the story in Evansville, Ind., because I grew up in the area and know it well. Also, it’s one of the last places my hero would go if he had a choice.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

He’s a teen idol, so physically, he’s cute and gorgeous. That’s a major strength! Seriously, he’s smart, perceptive, outgoing, helpful, friendly and charming. He has a great sence of humor. Sandy’s braver than he thinks he is and he’s concerned about justice. He’s a talented musician and a decent actor. He works well with other performers. As for flaws, sometimes he’s a “people pleaser” to a fault. His teen idol days were based on making the fans and the studio executives happy. Some of this carried over. He’ll either give in to others or be downright stubborn about doing what he wants. He’s a perfectionist about his art and gets annoyed during a performance or rehearsal when things don’t go right. He has an explosive temper. He’s crabby when he’s exhausted. Sometimes he’s tired of living up to his wholesome teen idol image. In his heyday Sandy was used to having managers take care of details for him, so he gets absent minded at times about what he need to do. He’s not good at handling money. Sandy got use to spending money freely and never learned how to control his spending after the cash stopped flowing in. Sandy has been arrested twice, once for a DUI and also for starting a bar fight. He still has a scar on his cheek.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

I believe in God and the ultimate triumph of good over evil, so the good guys always win in my books and the killer is brought to justice. I don’t want to read about graphic sex, violence or serial killers, so I don’t write it.

When I read, I want to escape and have fun. The world is a bad enough place as is and I try to brighten it up with an enjoyable book that puts a smile on a reader’s face.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

I belong to Sisters in Crime (men can join too), an international support group for mystery writers. It’s a great place to start networking, both online and at chapter meetings. I’ve written guest spots on numerous blogs (like this one!). There are a number of online sites that publish book reviews. Some of these bloggers actively seek books to read or authors to promote. I’m also contacting the Beatles fan blogs. The good news is that the Internet provides a number of promotional outlets that are open to new writers. The bad news is that contacting all these sites takes a good deal of time and effort.

Also, with the fragmented nature of the web, blogs only reach anywhere from a dozen people to a few thousand. A writer must blog on numerous sites to reach even a handful of potential readers.

I plan to contact some syndicated radio shows about the Beatles. The libraries in my area love to host local writers for presentations. I have several events in the works. Librarians also love book donations.

I believe that in these economic times, and with the high price of hardcovers and closure of bookstores, more people are getting their reading material from libraries than stores. Readers who enjoy a library book may still purchase a copy or at least buy other books in the series. Also, bookstores mostly promote the bestsellers, whereas libraries give more attention to local authors.

Writers conferences are fun to attend, but are expensive and require a commitment of time and travel. I’m selective regarding the ones I attend. Promotion nowadays consists of many steps and contacts; there’s no single place one can go for instant publicity.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

I’m working on the next book in the Sandy Fairfax series, “The Sinister Sitcom Caper.” Most of the action takes place at a movie studio where Sandy’s a guest star on a TV show. When an actor drops dead at his feet, he begins sleuthing with the aid of a dwarf and an animal actor.

We also start meeting members of Sandy’s family. And he falls head over heels in love with a woman he meets—but will she give him a tumble?

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

My book’s available from Amazon.com and my publisher, http://oaktreebooks.com. If you have questions about me or my book, contact me directly at scwriter@earthlink.net.

"The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper"
A Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mystery

Marja McGraw's Bogey Nights

2011-11-03T08:00:00.006-04:00

Marja McGraw, author of Bogey Nights, is my guest this morning.
Marja, tell us a little about yourself.

I write two series and both are lighter with a little humor. One is about a young female P.I. in Los Angeles, the Sandi Webster Mysteries. The other is about an amateur investigator who bears an uncanny resemblance to Humphrey Bogart, the Bogey Man Mysteries. I've had one book in each series released this year. This was the fifth book in the Sandi Webster series, and the first in the Bogey Man series.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

If life had turned out differently for me, I would have studied and become an archaeologist. I guess in a way, my mysteries are somewhat like making a find at a dig because I have to find and figure out what the artifacts, or clues, are.

How many books have you written?

To date I’ve had eight books released. I self-published my first two books, and admittedly they’re not bestseller material. The next five are part of the Sandi Webster (female P.I.) series, and the first book in the Bogey Man Mysteries just came out in March.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

Honestly, the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made. And discovering that I have the talent to put a mystery together that people enjoy reading. Somehow, it all goes hand in hand.

Tell us about your latest releases, Bogey Nights and Old Murders Never Die.

It’s been a good year because two books were released, one in each series.

Bogey Nights came out in March from Oak Tree Press. You know your day has taken a turn for the worse when you buy a vintage house to convert into a restaurant, and your two yellow Labrador retrievers find a vintage body buried in the basement.

Chris Cross, who bears a striking resemblance to Humphrey Bogart, and his wife, Pamela, are about to learn that a seven-year-old son, two Labrador retrievers and seniors are all forces to be reckoned with in the course of this case.

Old Murders Never Die was released in July by Wings ePress. P.I. Sandi Webster is in for the adventure of a lifetime when she and her partner, Pete, become stranded in a ghost town inhabited by a mysterious cowboy and haunted by some unsolved Old West murders.

Are they available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Both books are available in print and Kindle, and Old Murders Never Die is also available in most ebook formats.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others?

Old Murders Never Die was both the most challenging and the most fun. Although the story takes place today, there are portions that took place around 1880. There was plenty of research to be done, and I tried my best to let the local sheriff speak in his own uneducated 1880s voice. I hope that makes sense, but honestly, an uneducated man in 1880 simply didn’t speak the way we do now.

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters?

I have to let them grow throughout the series. It would be easy to let them stagnate, but that wouldn’t be very realistic. Also, I think each book allows the reader to learn something new about each character because of their growth. I’ve also tried to write each book so they can be read out of order without confusing the reader.

The Sandi Webster series showcases a single female P.I., her partner, and various family members and friends, and a half wolf/half Golden retriever dog named Bubba.

The Bogey Man series revolves around a man and wife, their son, and two yellow Labrador retrievers. Can you tell I like dogs? (By the way, everything about Labs that you might have read about or seen in the movie Marley & Me by John Grogan is absolutely true. We have two yellow Labs.)

I too, have a huge Yellow Lab we calle the gentle giant.

The two series present very different problems and situations. Sometimes I have to take a step back so I don’t mix them up.

How do you develop characters?

By paying attention to people in my real life. I develop a character to suit his or her purpose in the story, and then try to give them characteristics that fit actual people.

How do you choose your setting?

The setting is often almost one of the characters in the stories, so it has to relate to what’s going on. Once I know what kind of story I’m going to work on, I chose a setting to match the story. An example would be Old Murders Never Die, which took place in a ghost town. I had to do a lot of research on ghost towns, and I’m still not sure I got it all right.

We all know how important promoting our work has become. How do you get the word out both off and online?

I have a website at www.marjamcgraw.com online, as well as a blog site at http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/ . Lately I’ve had several authors presenting guest blogs on my site, so I’ve been volunteering to do blogs on other sites, like yours (which I really like, by the way). I also belong to several online groups such as Goodreads, Sisters in Crime and others.

When possible I do presentations at libraries, to social and business groups, and anywhere else that’ll put up with me. I really enjoy meeting new people, and if I can make the group laugh, it makes my day.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

I have a Bogey Man book waiting in the wings right now about some Church Ladies (who scare Chris Cross, the Bogey Man), and who want him to find a missing friend. In the process a Murder for Hire scheme is uncovered.

And at the moment I’m working on one more Bogey Man book. This one involves a long-deceased bestselling author who wrote gothic novels and who has apparently left a treasure hidden in her old home.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Just visit my website at www.marjamcgraw.com, and while you’re there you might take a look at the Vintage Movie Page and the Photo Page, as well as Events and Books and other fun stuff.

Susan, thank you so much for allowing me to visit today. I had a good time, and I hope one day I can return the favor.

My pleasure, Marja. Continued success with all endeavors!

TRICK or TREAT!

2011-10-31T17:21:00.000-04:00

Would I trick you? Nah! I'm actually going to treat you to a recipe from my cookbook, Killer Recipes. If Halloween is a clear and cold night, you can make this delicious treat for all the big and little goblins in your neighborhood. In fact, keep plenty for yourself. This brittle stores well if you can keep hands out of it! We eat it throughout the winter too. Enjoy, my loyal blog visitors, and have a Happy Halloween!

BRITTLE BONES

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups raw peanuts
1 tsp. baking soda

Note: Make on a cold, clear night. If there's dampness in the air, it will be sticky! Fill your sink with hot soapy water, grease large cookie sheet, and measure the baking soda out on a paper towel near the stove. This recipe moves fast, so don't wander off!

In a cast-iron skillet, boil water, syrup, and sugar.
Add nuts (you may sub peanuts for whatever nuts you prefer) and cook until 6-8 nut make a little "pop", stirring often. I use a heavy slotted spoon.
Immediately remove from heat and stir in soda. Stir mixture (now foaming) onto greased pan. Toss hot skillet into sink for easy cleanup.
Take cookie sheet outside and leave about 15 minutes before checking for brittleness.
Pieces should snap apart.

Enjoy many delicious and fun recipes in this unique cookbook, available in print and ebook formats, with recipes from mystery writers all over the country, who were generous enough to share. It makes a great gift any time of year. This book can be purchased through my website at www.susanwhitfieldonline.com or through brick and online stores everywhere!

Divisons in the cookbook include:
Breads and Breakfasts To Die For
Criminal Bites, Dips, and Beverages
Devilish Desserts
Insane Soups, Salads, and Sauces
Shameless Sides
Slayer Casseroles
Suck-ulent Main Dishes
Unlawful Vegetables

All proceeds for this book are donated to American Cancer Society in honor of my grandson, Caleb, now a cancer-free 12-year-old.