Steve: It’s my privilege today to interview author Yvonne Rediger. Many readers know that urban fantasy is a hot new subgenre of fantasy, and Yvonne has started a fantastic series called the “VIC Shapeshifter” series, starting with The Shape of Us and continuing with Hell Cat (to be published this fall) and Trusting the Wolf (for 2019). But, like yours truly and many other authors, Yvonne writes in several genres. This prolific author has written two mystery novels in the “Musgrave Landing Mysteries,” Death and Cupcakes (fall 2018) and Fun with Funerals (2019). She also has written the romantic suspense novels Diving in Heart First and The Common Touch (2019). Without further ado, lets’s hear from Yvonne.

Yvonne on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?

Yvonne: Thank you for inviting me, Steve. I’ve always made up stories as a kid. Later, by about ten-years-old, I began writing them down. Fan-fic for TV shows and then later in high school I wrote my own fiction. After that, I took an introductory course in journalism, and that really got me going on the writing track.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

Yvonne: Yes, it is called The Shape of Us, from the “VIC Shapeshifters” series. It is urban fantasy with a strong moral theme: people are born different. Well, and with some mystery, romance, magic, and adventure too.

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?

Yvonne: If the well runs dry up, I will back track to milestone events and do the ‘what if thing.’ Instead of something good happening, maybe something bad does, and I’ll see where it goes.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

Yvonne: I need to write. I get cranky if I haven’t met my daily word count. I love to see the work progress.

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

Yvonne: Oh, yes. I use all sorts of things I’ve done and places I’ve been to base my stories on. The “VIC Shapeshifter” series is based in my neighbourhood on Vancouver Island. My cozy mystery series, “Musgrave Landing Mysteries,” are based on Salt Spring Island, just across the strait from the village I live in.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

Yvonne: I’m a born storyteller. However, finding my voice and telling the stories in a form and style which appeals to the reader, those skills were learned.

Steve: What is the last book you read? What are you reading now?

Yvonne: Shannon Mayer’s Priceless was the last book I read. Picked it up at our writers’ conference; Shannon was the workshop’s guest presenter. Currently, I’m reading Linwood Barkley’s A Tap on the Window. I also have Five Minute Mysteries by Ken Webb in progress.

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

Yvonne: Linwood  Barkley, Harlan Coben, Robert Ludlum, Tanya Huff, Jim Butcher, Lois McMaster Bujold, Robert J. Sawyer, Sir Terry Pratchett, Dave Duncan, and…oh, so many. I learn something new from each book.

Steve: What’s the last book to make you laugh?  Cry? (more…)

Steve: Today I have the pleasure of interviewing author June Trop, who has written an outstanding historical mystery series set in first-century CE Roman Alexandria, an interesting combination of the historical fiction and mystery genres. Without further ado, why don’t you tell the readers of this blog a bit about yourself.

June: I’ll discuss the series first. It contains the following novels: The Deadliest Lie (Bell Bridge, 2013), praised by the Historical Novel Society; The Deadliest Hate (Bell Bridge, 2015), honorable mention for fiction at the 2016 New York Book Festival; The Deadliest Sport (Black Opal Books, 2017); The Deadliest Fever (Black Opal Books, 2018), placed in the Readers’ Choice cover contest; and The Deadliest Thief (Black Opal Books, in press).

My academic background from my previous life as a teacher contains the following high points: a BA in biology/chemistry magna cum laude from Rutgers University, where I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa; and teaching science in the public secondary schools of New Jersey and New York State. I received an award from Jersey Central Power and Light for NJ Science Teacher of the Year; an MS in Ed. in teaching biology from the State University of New York, New Paltz; and an Ed.D. in the education of teachers of science from Teachers College, Columbia University. I was professor of Secondary Science Teacher Education at the State University of New York, New Paltz.

June on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?

June: Although I’ve enjoyed language, putting words together to make sense, I started writing professionally as an academic. But it was only when I retired that I began to write fiction. That was eleven years ago.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

June: The first book I wrote was for and about novice teachers, From Lesson Plans to Power Struggles (Corwin, 2009). I wanted novice teachers, based on their own stories, to understand that, although they might be alone in their classroom, they are not alone in their struggles and fears. Moreover, I wanted their mentors, those seasoned veteran teachers who supervise them, to be able to put on the goggles of their charges to understand how to guide them better. When that book was finished and accepted for publication, I began to think I could actually write another book.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

June: Writing is something I want to do. I look forward to the time I can spend listening to my characters as they share their adventures with me in the world my research and imagination have created.

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

June: Starting with Nancy Drew and graduating to Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Lawrence Block, and Walter Mosley among others, I’ve been living a life of crime almost my entire life. I myself wanted to be an amateur detective, but alas, no mysteries whispered in my ear; no secret passages, clues, or unclaimed treasures beckoned me. So, I had to use my imagination. In that sense, I would say that my lack of personal experiences influenced my creativity.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

June: I think creativity emerges from knowledge. That is, a deep knowledge base is necessary for creativity to develop.

Steve: What is the last book you read? What are you reading now?

June: I always have a book to read, something to keep me company during those calms in the storm, like when I’m about to go to sleep or waiting for someone. Right now, I’m reading Little Green by Walter Mosley. I read a variety of books, my choices of literary fiction driven by the book club I belong to and my crime fiction choices based on my interest in studying the techniques of particular authors.

Steve: Who is your favorite author and why?

June: My favorite author is Arthur Conan Doyle. Aside from his memorable Sherlock Holmes stories, he wrote a host of other tales of horror and mystery. I enjoy reading and re-reading them for the atmosphere he created. Whenever I read The Hound of the Baskervilles, my favorite, my nerves still tingle in the evocative landscape of Dartmoor.

Steve: How do you find (discover) your plots?

June: Now that I know my characters well—I am now writing the sixth book in the Miriam bat Isaac Series—they are more likely to direct me, or so it seems. Right now, I am focusing on a subgenre, the locked room mystery, but it is still the situations and personality of my characters that determine how the plot will develop. Since the beginning, I’ve been keeping a journal of plot ideas. I let them simmer and see how my characters take to them. Most I discard; some I save; a few I develop.

Steve: Are your characters based on real people?

June: My characters are composites of people I know, with a little of me mixed in as well.

Steve: How do you name your characters?

June: I have mainly Greek, Roman, and Jewish characters. Using a list of names that were common in each culture, I’m guided by their meanings, those that suit my character or for comical effect, those that are the antithesis. But I also impose my own rules: The names should be simple to pronounce; no two characters should have names that sound similar (unless that’s part of the mystery); and the way others address the character, should reflect his or her status.

Steve: Any comments about writing dialog?

June: Lawrence Block, to me, writes the best dialog. That is, he can make the written word sound like the spoken word. And so, I read everything he writes, and aside from enjoying his plots, setting, and characters, I study the way he writes dialog.

Steve: How do you handle POV?

June: I write in the first person. My protagonist, Miriam bat Isaac, narrates the stories. I’ve set my books in a place none of my readers have visited. I use the first-person POV to bring readers close to Miriam and her world, to make her and her setting more credible.

Steve: Do you do fact-finding for (AKA research) your books?  If so, how? What sources do you use?

June: I check and double check everything! I rely on journals (e.g., of archaeology, alchemy); and maps of first-century Alexandria as well as of Caesarea, Ephesus, and Tarsus, where pieces of my plots take the characters. All these cities were important in the first century so there are many books about their neighborhoods and architecture, flora and fauna, games and sports, religion and culture, business and commerce, food and drinks, language and customs, politics and government. You name it. That’s part of the fun for me. I never know what detail I’ll be researching on a given day. For example, when writing The Deadliest Hate, I had an Egyptian cobra break out of its urn and make its way toward Miriam across a marble floor. How did snakes of that class crawl on such a smooth surface? I needed to know that.

Steve: What reference works do you use most?

June: No matter what I write, no matter what programs are built into my computer, I always have beside me Hayakawa’s book, Choosing the Right Word; Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style; and my Webster’s New World Dictionary. Always!

June on the Writing Business:

Steve: Do you use a formatter?  Editor?  Agent?

June: I am a good-enough editor until the final draft, when I rely on my twin sister, Gail Trop Kushner’s eagle eye and unvarnished criticism. On matters of antiquity, I rely on my friend, Lewis M. Greenberg, professor emeritus of art history and culture, for his expertise. I have never had an agent.

Steve: Do you self-publish or traditionally publish?

June: My works have been traditionally published, first by Bell Bridge Books and then by Black Opal Books.

Steve: What are your most effective marketing techniques?  Where would you like to improve?  Do you go it alone or seek professional help (outside what your publisher provides, if appropriate).

June: There is no magic bullet for marketing. It’s 99% persistence and 1% luck. I seem to do better with my own initiative than with professional promoters. So, I use some combination of social media, personal appearances, broadcasts, and podcasts. (more…)

Steve: Today I’m interviewing author Howard Levine. Because he’s written a new thriller, Last Gasp, we have a lot in common. I bought the new book the moment I saw it. Without further ado, let’s hear from Howard.

Howard on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?

Howard: I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I started writing in earnest because I wanted to express some ideas regarding life as a whole in a fictional context.  I did that with my first published novel, Leaving This Life Behind.  I was hooked on writing thereafter.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

Howard: The first book I wrote would have to be entirely rewritten before I would want to publish it.  It did get some positive feedback, and constructive criticism was helpful going forward.

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?

Howard: I struggle sometimes with descriptions of faces and facial expressions.  Sometimes descriptions of emotions—or finding ways of varying those descriptions—can be a challenge as well.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

Howard: Both.  However I might feel at a given time, the process of writing engages me.

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

Howard: I think that my life experiences have a tremendous amount to do with the way I characterize people.  I feel that if I can relate to what they’re going through personally, my depictions of their reactions to events in their lives will be more real, more powerful.  This holds true with both male and female characters.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

Howard: I think that with any person who exhibits creativity, some of it is probably innate. In my case, I definitely feel that I’ve learned from feedback from readers.  Also, I think that my long-term practice of Transcendental Meditation has helped me to access more of my creative potential.

Steve: What is the last book you read? What are you reading now?

Howard: The last book I read was Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach, an absorbing read with excellent historical details.  Currently I’m reading The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

Howard: Richard Russo has a great facility for evoking the lives of ordinary people in a realistic and insightful way.  I try to do the same in my writing.  T.C. Boyle is a master at the use of language, of evoking time, place, and characters with dazzling prose, even as he moves his story along in a way that engrosses the reader.  Jennifer Egan is another author whose skills I admire.  She tells gripping stories, and her writing is both accessible and beautifully descriptive.

Steve: What’s the last book to make you laugh?  Cry?

Howard: The last book to make me laugh was The Nix by Nathan Hill, with its hilarious, manipulative college student.  I don’t remember the last book that made me cry, though.  Some have, for sure.

Steve: Should writers read in their genre?  Should they be avid readers?

Howard: I don’t write in any particular genre.  I had an idea for a thriller with Last Gasp, but other books I’ve written would not fit in that genre.  Reading, I think, is of great value in terms of improving one’s own writing skills.

Steve: How do you find (discover) your plots?

Howard: That’s hard to say. Two novels I’ve written—as yet unpublished—stemmed from articles I read in the New Yorker, one concerning a welfare mother in New York, the other profiling two Mormon missionaries.  The idea for Last Gasp just popped up, more or less.  Once the central idea was there, plot details unfolded as I went along.

Steve: Are your characters based on real people?

Howard: The characters’ personality traits and experiences may or may not have roots in my own experiences.  None of my characters are reproductions of anyone I know. (more…)

Steve: I’m honored to interview author Leonardus G. Rougoor today. He writes mystery/thriller novels, among them Waiting in the Shadows, The Chase, The Revelation, The Clock, and The Murderer and the Lost Treasures. Our reading interests are also similar, so we have lots in common. Without further ado and with great pleasure, let’s hear from Leonardus.

Leonardus on reading and writing…

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?

Leonardus: I never wrote much my entire life, except for music in my late 50’s. I started writing a novel one week after retiring in 2013. I wrote it because I had a story I wanted to tell. When I used to watch the news before going to bed and saw reports of rape and abuse, it bothered me so much that I had a difficult time getting to sleep. I would lie in bed thinking of ways to stop the abuse.

My first book dealt with a young man taking the law into his own hands, after his mother was raped and murdered. The criminal was not prosecuted.

Steve: Did you publish that first book you wrote?

Leonardus: Yes, I published it with the title Waiting in the Shadows (trilogy).

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?

Leonardus: My biggest problem writing was learning to tell a story by showing, not telling. Grammar was a big hurdle too. I learned how to deal with the showing part by rewriting my first novel nine times, and using the internet to give me examples. It helped that I had read at least a thousand books in my life. This showed me somewhat how to write a novel.

I hired a publishing consultant in New Zealand ($2,000). It was almost a total waste of money. I got one idea from her, and that was all.

I am very fortunate in the fact that I have never had writer’s block. I have written nine novels in five years. My problem is turning it off. I sometimes lay awake in bed thinking about plots and characters.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

Leonardus: Since I started writing, I feel driven to get on the computer and write more. My wife isn’t always as enthusiastic about it as I am, so I get off and spend time with her now and then—after all, happy wife….

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

Leonardus: I have used quite a number of my experiences with people in my life and created stories from them. I especially use them for cases in my private-eye series. Some people that I have had a dislike for, but have been unable to tell them what I really think, I’ve done so in my stories. I sometimes wonder if they will ever read my works, hopefully.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

Leonardus: My creativity, for the most part is innate with me. I have an overactive imagination. I have been told that when I mow the lawn, my mouth is quite often moving, as I talk to myself. Yeah, right.

I worked as a quality control inspector, among other things, in the steel fabrication industry. I was good at it because I was able to think on the run, coming up with new ideas as I needed them. Putting them down on paper properly has been a learned skill.

Steve: What is the last book you read? What are you reading now?

Leonardus: The last book I read was The Buchanan Campaign by Rick Shelly. Right now, I’m reading The Mutant Season by Karen Haber and Robert Silverberg. Both are science fiction, my favorite genre.

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

Leonardus: I like science fiction. My absolute favorite author is Isaac Asimov. I loved Caves of Steel, the Foundation series, and all his books that were written in this genre. His stories were set in the future, and many were murder mysteries, or just mysteries.

(more…)

Steve: Today I have the honor of interviewing author Geza Tatrallyay. This man of the world, scholar, and gentleman writes thrillers, memoirs, poetry, and children’s picture storybooks. Readers can visit his website https://www.gezatatrallyay.com/, but this interview will provide even more insight about this talented and versatile writer.

Geza’s essential data:

Steve: Why don’t you tell us about yourself, Geza? You’ve had an interesting life!

Geza: I was born in Budapest, Hungary, and escaped with my family in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution, immigrating to Canada that same year. I grew up in Toronto, attending the University of Toronto Schools, where I was School Captain.

I graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Human Ecology in 1972 (after taking a break in my studies to work as a host in the Ontario Pavilion at Expo’70 in Osaka, Japan). I was selected as a Rhodes Scholar from Ontario, attending Oxford University and graduating with a BA/MA in Human Sciences in 1974; I completed my studies with a MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Politics in 1975. I represented Canada as an epée fencer in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

My professional experience has included stints in government, international organizations, finance, and environmental entrepreneurship. Since 2004, I have been semi-retired, managing a few investments mainly in the clean energy sector and devoting himself to my family and my writing.

I am a citizen of both Canada and Hungary, a green card holder with an American wife, a daughter living in San Francisco, and a son in Nairobi. I currently divide my time between Barnard, Vermont, and San Francisco.

Steve: Wow! Impressive. You have a lot to write about. Can you describe some of that writing?

Geza: Sure. My first novel was Arctic Meltdown (2011), a political/environmental thriller. My “Twisted” trilogy is comprised of the international crime thrillers Twisted Reasons (Deux Voiliers, 2014), Twisted Traffick (Black Opal Books, 2017), and Twisted Fates (Black Opal Books, 2018). Rainbow Vintner is an international thriller about the rise of jihadist terrorism and the extreme far right in France (to be published by Black Opal Books in late 2018).

The first book in “The Cold War Escape Trilogy,” For the Children, is the narrative memoir of my escape from Hungary and immigration to Canada (Editions Dedicaces, 2015).  Other books in that series are The Expo Affair, a memoir of three Czechoslovak girls who approached me during Expo70, the world’s fair in Osaka, Japan, to help them defect to Canada (Guernica Editions, 2016); and The Fencers, a memoir of a Romanian-Hungarian fencer who approached me to help him defect at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where I represented Canada as an epee fencer (currently under consideration by several publishers).

(more…)

Steve: Today I have the pleasure of interviewing multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald. Nineteen of her fiction books have been published to critical praise, including books for adults, teens, and children. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies such as: The Writer, L.A. Times, Reader’s Digest, Pedestal, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, Over My Dead Body!, Gumshoe Review, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and The Christian Science Monitor.

She’s taught creative, expository, and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Her writer’s blog can be found at: http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com.

Without further ado, let’s hear from Jacqueline.

Jacqueline on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?

Jacqueline: I started writing stories back in elementary school. I was always into reading and wanted to try my hand at writing. I won some writing contests and that encouraged me to continue.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

Jacqueline: No, it sat in a drawer. I showed it to several people including my mother who didn’t much care for it. So I decided eventually to start a different work.

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?

Jacqueline: For me, the hardest part is getting the beginning right. I agonize over beginnings, writing and rewriting until I’m satisfied. I know how important it is to create a strong narrative hook to catch the reader’s attention from the start.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

Jacqueline: Writing is definitely something I need to do. When I finish writing a work that I consider really good, I’m on a high.

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

Jacqueline: Yes, real life does influence my writing. For example, my first novel in the “Kim Reynolds Mystery Series,” The Inferno Collection, was inspired by a speaker/university librarian who lectured on the unique topic of inferno collections while I was studying for my library science degree. I was fascinated and thought this would provide the perfect backdrop for a murder mystery.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

Jacqueline: It’s definitely a combination. Because my mother loved to read, I became an avid reader as well. That encouraged me to write my own thoughts, stories and ideas. I took a creative writing course in college and when I became an English teacher, I also taught creative writing. As I taught, I continued to learn myself.

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

Jacqueline: Jane Austen is a longtime favorite. I was also inspired by Biblical stories.

Steve: Should writers read in their genre?  Should they be avid readers?

Jacqueline: I believe writers should read in their favorite genre and also be avid readers of infinite variety—fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, plays—I’ve read and written them all. I respect and embrace diversity. I’ve written for adults, teens and children. For instance, in the last few months my adult romantic mystery thriller Death Promise was published by Encircle to very good reviews, followed by my young adult novel Witch Wish from Black Opal Books. Although I’m best known for romantic mystery thrillers, I don’t just read or write in that genre.

Steve: Are your characters based on real people? (more…)

Steve: Today we have with us Sandra Gardner, mystery writer and author of the Mother-and-Me Mystery Series.  Without further ado, let’s begin.  Why don’t you introduce yourself, Sandra.

Sandra: Many readers are interested in mysteries, so I’ll start my writing life.  My Mother-and-Me Mystery Series has the following books: Dead Shrinks Don’t Talk (published by Black Opal Books, 5/18) with Grave Expectations and Death of a Nuisance, to follow. These are paranormal cozies. I’m currently revising my new mystery/suspense tale, The Murder Blog, and working on the sequel.  Dead Shrinks Don’t Talk was originally published in 2012 as Mother, Murder and Me, a contest winner, by Swyers Publishing. Halley and Me, a coming-of-age novel, won the Grassic Short Novel Prize and was published by Evening Street Press in 2013.  A poetry chapbook, Mythmaking, was a contest winner and published by Word Journal in 2004.  I’ve received awards for articles in The New York Times and other publications. More information is available on my website: https://sjgardner.wixsite.com/mysite.

Sandra on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Let’s do a wee bit of time travel.  Why, how, and when did you start writing?

Sandra: Seems like forever. Starting with poetry in junior high, I think. Our senior high school English teacher had us write a lot and told me I could write – short fiction pieces. Also wrote for the school magazine. Ditto in college and more poetry.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

Sandra: Yes. One of four YA non-fiction books, Six Who Dared (Simon & Schuster), about daredevils; Street Gangs (Franklin Watts) about youth gangs in the New York area; Teenage Suicide (S&S); and Street Gangs in America (Watts), updated and expanded view, gangs in L.A. area.

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?  

Sandra: Biggest problem—doing it! My fiction is character-driven, so it starts with a character(!) and then, what’s going to happen, etc. Setting is a problem for me – I’m an auditory-type person (poetry and play the piano) who could (and has) walk(ed) into walls… not noticing very obvious things in front of me. So I end up with the coffee cup (or the person) hanging in mid-air until I fix it. Voice is my strongest point.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

Sandra: Need to. Are you kidding? What sane person would want to throw themselves in this agonizing process?

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

Sandra: Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. So much has proved to be grist for the mill. But isn’t that the case with most writers? Besides “write what you know,” I don’t think you can help incorporating bits and pieces of people, experiences, in your work.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned? Sandra: Innate? Well, it’s one of two things I’ve been good at, so it must be innate somehow (the other is music). I don’t do sports, am pretty lousy at any kind of craft, don’t much like cooking, etc.

Steve: What is the last book you read? What are you reading now?

Sandra: Just finished Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. Very scary. Reading Agatha – the ones I read years ago and don’t remember. The Curiosity Cabinet by Preston & Childs. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. [I read the last. It was a lot of fun. And, of course, most of Dame Agatha’s books.]

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

Sandra: Megan Abbott, because she really gets teenage angst; Laura Kasichke, especially her newest one about the Russian adopted child; Hank Phillippi Ryan, for great characterization and plot; Kate Flora—I love her Joe Burgess series because she gets inside the cop mind beautifully. Jenny Milchman has great characterization and exciting plots; Susan Strecker, ditto. Lots more but that’s all I can think of now.

Steve: What’s the last book to make you laugh?  Cry?

Sandra: Interesting question. I don’t usually read funny (have read a couple of Evanovich books—they are hysterical). I don’t usually read tearjerkers either. But some of Megan Abbott’s and Laura Kasichke’s have done that.

Steve: Should writers read in their genre?  Should they be avid readers?

Sandra: Yes, yes. Especially in their genre, for goodness sakes. Otherwise, how can you really know how it’s done?

Steve: How do you find (discover) your plots?

Sandra: They swim around in my head. After the characters do, of course.

Steve: Are your characters based on real people?

Sandra: Yes and no. Like many writers, characters end up as composites.

Steve: How do you name your characters?

Sandra: They usually name themselves. That is, what name comes to mind when I think of the character. They tell me. Exception is: not to name characters (even minor ones) with the same name – or preferably, not even the same initial—as another character. Hank Phillippi Ryan has sometimes posted asking people for good names beginning with certain letters and not others for one of her characters. I’m assuming the “no” list is because of being too similar to other characters.

Steve: Which comes first for you, plot or characters?

Sandra: Oh, character. Always.

Steve: Any comments about writing dialog?

Sandra: Listen to your characters. They’ll tell you.

Steve: How do you handle POV?

Sandra: I’m a much better first-person writer; the voice comes through better, I’ve been told. But in my newest novel (and possible sequel to it), I’ve got multiple POVs. Believe me, it’s a big challenge. And I’m still not quite sure if it works the way it should. The MC, however, is in first person. Everyone else, in third.

Steve: Do you do fact-finding (AKA research) for your books?  If so, how? What sources do you use?

Sandra: Yes, lots, for my first series, the Mother-and-Me Mystery Series (Dead Shrinks Don’t Talk, first book just published by Black Opal Books this May), I went to Rikers Island for the jail scenes. Went online to D.P. Lyle, a forensic pathologist (and writer) for medical questions—about murder, of course! And most of all, consulted with my mystery-writer friend, a retired family court judge, for extensive legal questions. And also online for other questions involving police procedure, etc.

Steve: What reference works do you use most? (more…)

[Today’s guest is Cygne duLac, a widely acclaimed writer of romance novels. Without further ado, let’s listen to what she says.]

Cygne introduces herself…

SM: Why don’t you tell us about yourself?

CdL: Hello, Steve. Thank you for inviting me to your blog. I’d never considered being a professional writer. In school, I was more inclined toward math and the sciences. Being an ugly duckling, my mother drilled into my head that I wasn’t pretty enough to attract a husband, so I focused on my academics. But a funny thing happened just before high school graduation that changed the direction of my life. A studious boy named Hank invited me to the prom. It was love at first sight, but we both had four years of college ahead of us and at different schools. We wrote weekly, sometimes more often because we rarely saw each other. I had summer jobs in our hometown, but Hank worked in his uncle’s artificial insemination business upstate.

Hank pushed me to get married the Saturday after graduation. Not wanting to lose him, I agreed. My career plans took a major turn when I got pregnant on the honeymoon. After the baby was born, I wasn’t about to put the nurturing of this child I’d assumed I thought I’d never have in strangers’ hands. So, my career switched abruptly to homemaker. The two other children who arrived in the first five years of our marriage sealed my fate to that of a housewife until the children were grown.

SM: So, you started writing after your children were out of the house?

CdL: Out for a good while. I never considered writing, even as a hobby, until Hank died a terrible death from cancer. About a month after his death, with all the activity that accompanied his funeral behind me, I was lonely. And afraid. No way was I going to dive into the dating pool after 30 years of marriage. I’d never be able to compete with the younger women.

SM: You’re selling yourself short there.

CdL:  The problem is that I can’t imagine having feelings toward another man as I did for Hank. Nor can I imagine anyone else loving me as much as he did. It was our emotions that made our sex so great. So, I rechanneled my desires into writing fictional stories about the adventures of a woman much like myself except she’s beautiful and sophisticated. Writing at night serves to keep my mind occupied and protects me from considering things I’d regret later.

Cygne talks about reading and writing…

SM: Were you able to find a publisher for the first book you wrote?

CdL: That’s what surprised me the most. A friend loved my first book The Swan, as I nicknamed my heroine, so much so that she gave my manuscript to a friend of hers who is a literary agent. The agent took me on as a client and demanded I write other Swan books to make me more attractive to publishers. A small publisher gave me a tiny advance and I became a published author. Hank’s discipline in saving and investing a sizeable part of his salary gives me a comfortable living and the freedom to spend my time as I please.

SM: I’m going to shift gears a little now. What is your biggest problem in the writing process? (more…)

[Today I have the privilege of interviewing author Saralyn Richard. Saralyn is a mystery and children’s book writer who teaches on the side. Some of her poems and essays have won awards and contests from the time she was in high school. Her children’s picture book, Naughty Nana, has reached thousands of children worldwide. The mystery novel Murder in the One Percent, from Black Opal Books, pulls back the curtain on the privileged and powerful rich. Set on a gentleman’s farm in Pennsylvania and in the tony areas of New York, the book shows what happens when someone comes to a party with murder in his heart and poison in his pocket. A member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn is now writing the sequel to Murder in the One Percent. Visit her at her website. Note that you can read my review of Murder in the One Percent in the “Mini-Reviews of Books” category of this blog.]

Saralyn on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?

Saralyn: I started reading when I was two, and I read everything I could get my hands on as a child. I earned the Girl Scout badge for reading, with over 100 books read in a few months, and I plowed through classics, adventures, mysteries, romances, and just-for-fun books. At some point my love for reading crossed over into a love for writing. I wrote faithfully in my diary for years, wrote poems and song lyrics for family occasions, and gradually moved into stories.

My sophomore English teacher, Mari Allmond, was the first to recognize my talent and encourage me to be a writer, and my senior English teacher, Mary Pennington, pushed me to enter writing contests. I am grateful to those two ladies for shaping my ambition to teach and to write.

Later, I taught creative writing to many talented and dedicated students, who went on to become successful professional writers. The creative classroom environment and the close relationships that come from sharing insights and techniques in writing have made a lasting imprint on all, including me, so I am also grateful to my students.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

Saralyn: The first book I wrote was a comic book detailing the story of first love. It was full of humorous anecdotes and sentimental memories. [Steve: I also learned to read and write making comic books. I needed to put something in the balloons!]

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?

Saralyn: The biggest problem I had in writing Murder in the One Percent was managing the ensemble cast of characters and the multiple points of view that were necessary for the mystery. So many of the clues come from inside characters’ heads. I needed to “out” them, but had to be vigilant about switching heads too often. It was especially hard in scenes where all the characters were gathered in the same room. I’ll say that those scenes required multiple revisions with a careful eye toward point of view.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

Saralyn: Writing is something I am driven to do, privileged to do. I’m writing in my head all day long, and many times throughout the night, as well. More than work, it is a joy of my life.

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

Saralyn: Personal experiences and situations have absolutely influenced my writing. There is a piece of me in every character, every setting, and every plot twist. All the rest is research.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

Saralyn: Whether creativity is innate or learned is a topic I have wrestled with for years as a teacher. Many of my students have complained that they don’t have what it takes to be a successful writer, yet they produce outstanding pieces of writing when prompted and practiced. I’ve seen gifted students who lacked the discipline to bring their talent to fruition, and I’ve seen ordinary students who wrote exceptional stories and flourished as writers. In the end, I think everyone has at least one good story in him, but not everyone has the skill or drive to see the writing project through. [Steve: That’s profound!]

Steve: What is the last book you read? What are you reading now?

Saralyn: I’m currently reading Warlight by Michael Ondaatje. Prior to that I read Witch Wish by Jacqueline Seewald and The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn.

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

Saralyn: My list of favorite authors is extensive, but I’ll name a few. The worlds depicted in John Irving’s books draw me in and hold me in suspension throughout my reading and long afterward. Even though some of his plot points are preposterous, they work within the context of the books, and the details with which he paints his characters make them step out of the page and into my brain and heart.

(more…)

[I’m honored today to interview author S. P. Brown. Like me, Stan writes in various genres. Also, like me, he has an academic background. Without further ado, let’s begin….]

Steve: Stan, let’s start with some back story: why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

S.P.: My full name is Stanley Paul Brown, but I write fiction as S. P. Brown. Some of my published genres are Political Thrillers/Paranormal Thrillers, Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy/Sci-Fi, found in the following books: The Legacy (Political Thriller/Paranormal), Veiled Memory (Contemporary Fantasy/Sci-Fi), and Fallen Wizard (Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy). I just finished the MS for The Captain of Tally Ho (Children’s Chapter Book – Animal Adventure/Fantasy) and The Ruby Ring (Book Two of “The Stonehenge Chronicles”—Book One is Veiled Memory). You mentioned my academic background; I have a Doctorate in Exercise Physiology (Department Head of Kinesiology, Mississippi State University). I’m a Marvel nerd—check my website out for an interesting item here.

S.P. on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?

S.P: As I explain on my website, I started out of boredom. I had been a very successful academic (still am) but cranking out papers and more books after achieving full professor was just blah, so I needed a new challenge. Years ago, in Oxford Mississippi, I attended the same church as John Grisham just before his meteoric rise. At the time I remember ruminating with a friend something like this, “You know, we could do that. Piece of cake.” I didn’t start trying until 2005, and, no, it wasn’t a piece of cake like we thought. But I LOVE a challenge and this was going to be it because I love to read, all sorts of fiction and nonfiction. So, bored, I sat down with a tablet and started jotting down ideas. The first became my second and current published novel, Veiled Memory.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

S.P: Yes, Veiled Memory, with Black Opal Books.

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?

S.P: I’ll only say here that I would not characterize it as a problem. It’s a large puzzle that you create in your head and all the parts have to be there for it to work. Everything you mention, each are equally important and I would include plot, because my work is definitely plot driven.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

S.P: Both really. It is a professional necessity for me and I love storytelling, so it’s something I have also chosen as a pastime that I will continue into retirement (about 5 years away).

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

S.P.: I would say no, other than the fact that I admire creative people. I try to be that too because it’s a challenge.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

S.P.: Definitely a learned art. Learning the craft is tough. It doesn’t come right away. I read and wrote and read some more on the craft of writing and critical reading of novelists I love.

Steve: What is the last book you read? What are you reading now?

S.P.: Harry Potter (one of them again). Fallen Wizard, releasing August 2018, is in that vein.

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

S.P.: Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Vince Flynn, JRR Tolkien, Jim Butcher, JK Rowling, Dean Koontz. All these guys are huge wordsmiths. Tolkien is inspiring. I try to create new mythologies like he did. [Steve: they’re certainly all in my list!]

Steve: What’s the last book to make you laugh? Cry?

S.P.: Been a while since I read this, but in one of Grisham’s early books he uses the word “sumbitch.” When I read it I burst out laughing because it’s such a quintessential southern curse and in the context he used it, it struck my funny bone. I use it repeatedly in The Legacy out of the mouth of a quintessential southern sheriff. I’ve cried reading Tolkien, but it’s been a while.

Steve: Should writers read in their genre? Should they be avid readers?

S.P. For the first question: ABSOLUTELY, NO DOUBT. AN ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT. Same answer for the second question.

Steve: How do you find (discover) your plots?

S.P.: Organic for the story I have in mind, but it is also more fully discovered as I write. Nothing is fully fleshed out when I start—character, plot, nothing. I usually have a general idea of the story and the ending, and I start and edit constantly as I go and let the characters begin to write themselves. Can’t do like Grisham does and write a short synopsis of each chapter/scene before he starts the book. Waste of time for me. I have to begin. And the beginning is the hardest part.

Steve: Are your characters based on real people?

S.P.: No.

Steve: How do you name your characters?

S.P.: Pops into my head. Although, the main characters in The Legacy represent a call out to family and some famous characters others have created.

Steve: Which comes first for you, plot or characters?

S.P.: Plot, always. I have a definite story I want to tell that’s plot driven. I start with a concept, the rudiments of an idea and go from there.

Steve: Any comments about writing dialog?

S.P.: Make it real for the character and genre. But it cannot be how you would talk with all the minutia we speak in real life. Dialogue must further plot too in my opinion. So it is very purposeful.

Steve: How do you handle POV?

S.P.: The worst thing a new writer can do is to strap himself into a mold and never explore. Lots of things can work, so explore. Having said that, my work isn’t experimental at all. I tend to go for a close POV in the third person, although my just finished children’s chapter book, The Captain of Tally Ho, uses an omniscient narrator.

Steve: Do you do fact-finding for (AKA research) your books?  If so, how? What sources do you use?

S.P.: All of my stuff, though paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi, is grounded to the contemporary world we live in. So, I try to be accurate. BUT, this is fiction, so literary license is ok. I do a lot of research via the internet and think about things a lot if I’m striving for accuracy in any scene or situation. I’ve never been to the situation room of the White House, but I have a scene there in one of my books.

Steve: What reference works do you use most? (more…)