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?

Yvonne: Tanya Huff’s A Peace Divided (sci-fi); I love her sarcasm. At the other end of the spectrum, A Line in the Sand: Canadians at War in Kandahar by Ray Weiss (nonfiction); I know it really happened, so it gets to me.

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

Yvonne: Yes, and absolutely. One can always learn something from another author.

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

Yvonne: The ideas come from everywhere. Conversations, news items, social events, nowhere specific.

Steve: Are your characters based on real people?

Yvonne: No, my characters are their own people, with a chunk of my soul.

Steve: How do you name your characters?

Yvonne: Sometimes the names pop into my head as I’m writing their background. Sometimes I hear a name and file it away for later use.

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

Yvonne: Plot, definitely. However, the main character comes shortly afterward.

Steve: Any comments about writing dialog?

Yvonne: Keep the conversation styles as close to real life as possible.

Steve: How do you handle POV?

Yvonne: For urban fantasy, the lead female is first person, and the lead male is third person. For mysteries, both are third person. For romances, most times I write only the female in third person point of view.

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

Yvonne: I’m an analyst by trade, so facts matter to me. When I’m reading and come across some aspect that I know is inaccurate, it jars me, so I ensure, as much as possible, that I get the facts right. My sources are people who do the jobs, have the skills or experience, and, of course the library. My family members have professions covering medicine, the military, mining, oil patch, IT, education, etc. So they are where I start if I don’t have the experience. Official webpages do help, but be wary of wiki. I also interview people. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in Coffee with a Cop, and Sergeant Collin Douglas was generous with his time and information with regard to police procedure. I also got a tour of a police SUV. Interesting information I will incorporate into Fun with Funerals, the next Musgrave Landing Mystery.

Steve: What reference works do you use most?

Yvonne: Save the Cat for plotting. How to Write a Killer Thriller, Writing Romance. I also have a list of books I haven’t made my way through yet.

Yvonne on the Writing Business:

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

Yvonne: As an analyst, technical writing is part of my job.  I know MS Word fairly well, so I do my own formatting. Nope, no editors besides the ones who work for my publishers. I also am fortunate to have several beta-readers. No agent yet. I do contracts; it’s no hardship for me. If I ever am asked for film rights, I’d consider an agent.

Steve: Do you self-publish or traditionally publish?

Yvonne: Both. I’m a hybrid author. Mysteries are with BWL Publishing; Death and Cupcakes has a December release. My urban fantasy series is with Black Opal Books; Hell Cat also has a December release. I self-publish my short stories.

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).

Yvonne: For new releases and books put on sale, I use Authors Billboard, Thunderclap, blog tours, and podcasts, along with Twitter, Instagram, and my Facebook Author page. I am always on the lookout for a new marketing method.

Steve: Do you release trade paperbacks or ebooks or both?

Yvonne: Both. I do book signings a couple times a year, and I see the look in the reader’s eye when they hold a paper copy, it’s worth it to do both.

Steve: What do you think of publishing services like Amazon, Smashwords, etc?  What about small presses v. large, traditional publishers?

Yvonne: Like a lot of authors, I wish Amazon had not changed their algorithm. My sales took a hit back then. I like the reach I get with Smashwords to other markets beyond Amazon. I’ve worked with some amazing editors, on the traditional side and would recommend the experience.

Personal questions for Yvonne:

Steve: What is your favorite place to eat out?  Favorite food?  Drink?

Yvonne: The Shipyard Restaurant at Maple Bay Marina. This is where our sailboat is berthed. Friday night live music, great people, great food! Chicken parmigiana, Shipyard Alfredo along with a good chardonnay. Oh yes, amazing crabcakes and muscles.

Steve: What are your favorite other places, either here or abroad? What places would you like to visit?

Yvonne: So far, Britain is my favourite, besides Vancouver Island. I love my home province of Saskatchewan, and bleed green for my football team, the Roughriders, but they get serious winter there, -40F. I’d love to see Egypt and Greece in the coming years.

Steve: What other interests and activities do you have besides writing?

Yvonne: My husband and I sail, scuba dive, and hike. We love to read too.

Steve: What was the last movie you went to see?  If your book(s) were to be made into a movie, who would you want to play your main characters?

Yvonne: The last movie I saw was Downsizing with Matt Damon—really liked it. No, I would not want to be any of my lead characters, but I’d love to be background (an extra). I have some past theatre and TV experience.

Steve: What would I find in your refrigerator right now?

Yvonne: A whole chicken thawing for supper tonight.

Steve: If you could trade places with someone for a week, famous or not, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

Yvonne: Meghan Markle. I’d like to know what it feels like to go from a commoner to a princess, but it’s only for a week, so I’d know I could escape the role.

Steve: What is your favorite (song) and why?  Piece of music?  Theater work? Movie?  Piece of art?

Yvonne: They change as I hear new pieces, or see new shows. However, Phantom of the Opera has been a longtime favourite of mine. I love my husband’s photography, our walls at home are covered in his work. My current favourite painting is the cover of Hell Cat; my daughter-in-law, Tammy Rediger, created it.

Steve: I want to thank you, Yvonne, for your interesting and candid answers to all these questions. Given your multiple writing genres, I’m sure many readers will want to read your books. (You can find more information at Yvonne’s website, http://blackyvy50.wix.com/yvonnerediger, or her Facebook author page, http://www.facebook.com/vicshapeshifters/).

***

Comments are always welcome!

The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan. This spin-off from the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series,” along with the novella The Phantom Harvester (see the list of free downloadable PDFs on the “Free Stuff & Contests” web page), serve as bridges to the “Clones and Mutants Trilogy.” It answers the following question: what might an authoritarian U.S. government do with the nation’s elderly who possess Top Secret information? The answer is only part of the plot, because an old nemesis of the detectives wants to bribe a presidential candidate…or eliminate her if he can’t! DHS agent Ashley Scott becomes involved in this broader conspiracy after she witnesses a murder on Frank Sinatra Way in Hoboken, NJ. The victim is a nurse from a retirement home for government employees. On sale now at Smashwords at 50% off.

Have a safe and happy Halloween! Drivers and parents, watch out for the kiddies. Let’s all enjoy the spooky day….

 

 

 

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