Time Travel Romance Author Terisa Wilcox Interview

 Tell us about your latest published book and your current writing project. 

My latest published book is “Timeless Mist.”  It is a time travel romance.  I also have, coming out next year, the second book in the series, Between Now And Then, which is about Caitlyn MacGregor, Iain’s sister.  She travels forward in time.  Right now, I’m working on the third book in the series.  No title for that one as of yet, but the heroine is Hailey Armstrong, Kris’ best friend from book one, and Jamie MacGregor, Iain’s brother.  I’m also working on a new book, the first in a new series, called Raven’s Heart.

Why do you write?

Because I can’t NOT. LOL  I love writing, getting into the characters heads and creating a story.

How do you research for your historical novels?

I spend a lot of time on the Internet.  There is a plethora of information there.  I haven’t yet been able to visit Scotland, but I would love to someday.

How do you keep track of historical facts and other research?

I take quite a few notes.  I usually have a notebook full of them and it helps to be able to remember what I’ve read. 

What is a typical writing day like for you?

I typically write in the morning and late evening.  In between that time, I babysit my grandson and spend time with my family.                 

What was the hardest writing lesson for you to learn?

I think POV and showing not telling.  I’ve overcome this for the most part by writing certain scenes in first person.  This helps tremendously with both of those issues.

How did Kristianna and Iain come to you?

They came from other characters actually.  I was doing research and wondered what would happen if a MacGregor and a Campbell fell in love.  Then, I wondered what would happen if the heroine came from a different time and what problems that would cause.

How hard are the love scenes to write?

They aren’t very hard at all, actually.  I am an avid reader and that helps.  I just do it and don’t really think about it.

Tell us something about your part of the country – we love travel.

I live in Central Florida, which is great because I love the warm weather.  I lived in New England for about 20 years and hated the cold.  I finally convinced my husband a couple of years ago that Florida would really be better .

What is your favorite southern vacation spot?

Florida LOL.

What is your website address?   TerisaWilcox.com

Terisa Wilcox–Author of Timeless Mist

Ni fiu sceal gan udar! There’s no worth to a story without an author!

 

 

Psst, I’ve got a secret…

Or perhaps I should call it my guilty pleasure.  Whatever.  I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me but here it is…I love a cliche.  Yep, that’s right.  I’m a writer and even though I know cliches are something I should avoid like the plague, I still love them.

So, even though cliches are akin to the kiss of death where writing is concerned, I use them every so often in my manuscripts and if I could get away with it, I’d probably use them on every single page.  I try to restrain myself except…

in my novella, Unwilling Angel, which is about a best-selling author, Ted ”Mac” McNabb, who dies and goes to Heaven.  After he goes through Judgement, he’s told he’ll have to complete five missions to atone for his earthly sins before he will be admitted to his own Personal Heaven.  Each of these missions will be guided by one of the Archangels and each of them will concern a  person who will play a part in stopping a worldwide disaster in the distant future.

So, Mac is an Apprentice Angel and he’s not too happy about it.  To make matters worse, he develops a tendency to spout cliches at the drop of a hat.  It goes without saying that his new inclination to speak in what he considers wornout, overused phrases makes him madder than a wet hen and meaner than a striped snake at times.

Needless to say, given my love of cliches, I had more fun than a barrelful of monkeys writing this book.  When I wrote the second book in the series, Unruly Angel (it’s finished but I haven’t decided what to do with it yet), I took it in a slightly different direction by making it more of a romance with the tried and truey happily-ever-after ending, which made me as happy as a duck in water.  I haven’t started the third one yet, but I know what it’s going to be about, and I have no doubt when I get started on it, I’ll be happier than a pig in mud, or to use a southern cliche since I live in the south, happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.

So, there you have it, my deep, dark secret shame, a love of cliches and a powerful hankering to use them freely in the books I write.  Oh well, I guess that’s wishful thinking but who knows, if I keep my fingers crossed, one day the winds might change directions and cliches might become the new black for authors.  Meanwhile, I’ll keep my head in the clouds and dream of a time when I’m free as a bird to use as many of my beloved cliches as I want.

And now for a little blatant self promotion:  Unwilling Angel is available in ebook on Fictionwise and for the Amazon Kindle.  It’s a heartwarming story with a Christmas theme and at under three dollars would make a great Christmas gift.  Also, next month, I’ll be conducting a character interview with Mac, my reluctant Apprentice Angel, and I might even pull in the victim, er, subject of his first mission, Ellen Bradshaw, to answer a question or two.  Heck, I might even pull in Gabriel, or Grumpy Gabe as Mac calls him, the Archangel who sends him to help Ellen.

Okay, that’s it for this week’s version of Friday Favorites.  I’m outa here but not before I say it again…I love a cliche and so cliches and Cliche Day (November 3rd) get a Dames of Dialogue kiss of approval!

World traveller, Sybil Baker, writes screwball comedy

Tell us about your latest published book and your current writing project.

 My first novel, The Life Plan (Casperian Books, March 2009) published by Casperian Books in March 2009. The Life Plan, as described by Nina Zero author Robert Eversz, “is a screwball comedy for the 21st century, a witty and winning romp through one woman’s discovery that life, love, and liberty do not always go according to plan.”

 I also have a linked short story collection, tentatively titled Talismans, which will be published by C&R Press in late 2010. Talismans traces Elise’s physical and emotional journey from her Virginia childhood through her twenties in Asia as she tries to understand why her father, a Vietnam Vet, left her and her mother, a choir director obsessed with her church music. 

I’m currently working on two novels, one based in Virginia and South Korea, the other in DC and Prague.

I spent twelve years living and traveling abroad and still travel widely. I’m very interested in the allure and alienation of American travelers and expatriates, and this has heavily influenced my writing.

 Why do you write? Because it’s challenging and fun.

 Teaching in Korea was a bold step, how did your love of travel get started?   

My dad loved traveling, so our family always went somewhere new every summer. We couldn’t afford to travel abroad or fly, so we just packed up the camper and went up and down the east coast. My brother lives in Turkey, and my parents traveled around the world after they retired. I guess it’s in our blood.

 Getting to Korea was not too hard. The school that hired me and my then-husband paid for our plane tickets, gave us “starter” money when we got off the plane, free furnished housing, and a strong support system of other expat teachers. Korea was very different from the States in 1995, but the actual moving there was not too hard.

  What advice can you give writers who want to include comedy in their novels?

I think that if you enjoy writing humor you can include comedy in your novel. I was a humor columnist for my college newspaper, and so had some practice writing humor. But humor is something I don’t’ know how to teach. For example, I’m not that good at telling jokes and probably never will be. I think the biggest advice is to read the type of humor you want to incorporate and study how those writers use timing and pacing to be humorous.

 What is a typical writing day like for you?

 Since I teach at a university, I don’t have a typical day. On the days I’m not teaching and don’t have a lot of grading/administrative stuff to do, I’ll usually try to write in the mid morning. I try to set a goal of 1,000 words. If I’m well into a novel and have more time (like in the summer) I’ll write much more each day.

 What was the hardest writing lesson for you to learn?

 To learn to love the process of writing. To be patient. To persevere.

 Share a favorite writing group/critique session/writing conference experience.

 I’ve had so many great teachers that it’s hard to pick one. I had a great experience with Robert Eversz in the Prague Summer Seminars in the summer of 2002. I’d been writing on my own since I’d moved to Korea and was desperate for some feedback on my work and to meet other writers. I workshopped very early versions of two of the first stories I wrote for Talismans. I (re)learned a lot about the basics—sentences, character, scene, action, and dialogue that I use in my classes today.

 Fiction book promotion is hard. What has worked the best for you?

 Book signings and readings where some people already know me has been pretty successful. I did a blog tour with Women On Writing which I think helped with my visibility. As always, word of mouth is a big help. The biggest help has been a student at UTC helping with marketing and publicity.

 How much rewriting of Kat, your main character, did you have to do as you got to know her?

 Kat I knew pretty well from the beginning—what I did have to rewrite was more plot oriented. Kat was too passive for the last third of the book, so I had to rewrite scenes that forced her to act instead of react to situations. While I had to make her more proactive, her voice didn’t change much from the early drafts.

 Tell us something about your part of the country – we love travel.

 Chattanooga is awesome—one of those well-kept secrets. It’s a vibrant artsy town with a little bit of everything. I’ve met an incredible variety and array of people here, and found most to be very welcoming and open. Chattanooga is on the river and mountains, offers lots of outdoor activities, live music, eclectic bars, great public art and museums. We live downtown and so usually walk to bars and other events. The downtown has a European feel to it in that sense.

 Chat about your pets (or any other animal)– we love those, too.

 I love animals, but unfortunately because we do travel so much we don’t own any—it’s just not fair to the pet. My husband is from South Africa and we just spent a month last year traveling in South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia. We saw lots of amazing animals there—including lions feeding on a kill.

 What is your favorite southern expression? (This can be from “southern” > Korea)

 My favorite Korean expression is “ah-sah” which means (that I’ve done) something great or cool. A simultaneous fist pump is also good.

 From the American South I love the basic “y’all”—the English language doesn’t distinguish between a singular and plural “you”—and y’all fits that role. Much better than “you guys.”

 What is your website address?  http://www.sybilbaker.com

Costumes and Halloween by Maggie Bishop

     Costumes and Halloween, all thanks to the ancient Samhain Celtic Festival. What is it about dressing up that makes reasonable adults indulge and have child-like fun?

     Sure, there is Marti Gras, Saint Patrick’s Day, even the 4th of July but our fangs and fatigues, wigs and wands, and masks and outlandish makeup are reserved for Halloween. We adventurous Americans spend hours deciding on which character, searching for the pieces to the costume, phrases to say that fit the character, all before going to a party, to the mall, out on the streets, or simply opening the door to hand out treats to the kids in costume. It is our best chance to be an actor is full dress and mingle with other like-minded people.

     Hooray for Halloween. May the fun live long and prosper.

     What’s your favorite Halloween story? Here are a few you might enjoy.

“It’s 1985, and scandal surrounding Jim and Tammy Baker’s tele-ministry The 700 Club is big news in NC. Our local mall sponsors a kids costume contest before Halloween, and I’m searching for clever costumes for my five-year-old twins. The mall toy store supplies a convict’s stripes and horn-rimmed glasses. With an adhesive-tape mounted “700″ on the chest, my dark-haired son is disguised as Jim. A bright mini-dress, false eyelashes and boutique shopping bag identifies my blond daughter as Tammy. A bribe to my son, and handcuffs, complete the effect. They win a “special award,” and have fun spending the bribe.”

Judith Geary, author, GETORIX: The Eagle and The Bull, Visit her website: www.judithgeary.com  for information about the book and about the Roman Republic

     Teacher had guessed fifteen masked children, but one was left. A hobo danced about, making donkey ears and sticking a red tongue through the mask. “Who is this child?” In 1946 trick and treat was foreign to a Pennsylvania farm child. One-room schools were the norm, and teachers had costume parties for Halloween.

     The shy child realized that a mask could hide both face and behavior and made the most out of anonymity. At last Teacher gave up and resorted to her attendance record. She went through the list alphabetically, matching unmasked faces to the names. The last name on the list was June Windle. “No! Not shy little June.”

     It was. I knew that making donkey ears and sticking my tongue out at the teacher was wrong, but I learned that day that I didn’t have to be shy. I received a Hershey bar as my prize.

 June W. Bare http://www.junebarebooks.com   ”All Things” December 2008; “Soar Above the Yesterdays” November 2009

THE MILLER AND HIS SECOND WIFE by Juanita Tobin

The miller took another wife

 with hair of black satin and amber eyes.

She had floated to him out of nowhere

 from the shadows in cypress trees.

 His daughter cringed and drew away

 and neighbors had a lot to say.

Business came to a stand-still.

The wheels in his mill jerked.

He found nails in hoppers,

sacks of corn were slashed

and grain spread over the floor.

A storm shredded his door

 into a dozen broomsticks

and a horde of cats rushed in

with backs humped and teeth bared.

One, with amber eyes, sprang upon him

 as his ax sang through the air.

Hearing the roar of water,

he ran along the dam to raise the gate

and save his mill but lost his footing.

He was swept into a bottomless pit

holding a black cat’s paw.

Velda Brotherton answers the Dames’ Dozen!

1.    Tell us about your latest book, Fly with the Mourning Dove.

Edna and her parents arrive on a homestead given by the government to vets of WW I. It’s remote location in the high desert of New Mexico proves daunting to her mother Cassie, but Edna immediately falls in love. The book is a biography written like fiction. It begins with her mother’s journals and finishes with Edna’s writings. We spent more than a year exchanging stories and bits of manuscript until her story was completed to her satisfaction. 

The family is often uprooted when her father comes down with TB. The ranch is near Taos and artists are arriving every day, so she grows up mingling with them. Though she dreams of becoming a horse wrangler her father sees that she attends college. She becomes a teacher.

She often hiked and rode the mountain trails, made her final horseback ride at the age of 85 and hiked a few years longer. She is a tough lady who lived through many adversities and had great adventures. Today Edna is 95 and lives in the San Luis Valley of Colorado near one of her ranches run by her daughter, her husband and a grandson. The family still owns a ranch in New Mexico near the original homestead.

 2.  Can you share a little bit about what you’re working on now?

I just finished two books. One is about the stories and people of the lost communities of the Boston Mountains in the Ozarks. The title is The Boston Mountains: Lost in the Ozarks. It contains 137 photographs. The other is an authentic Ozark recipe book that contains many stories as well. The title is Arkansas Meals and Memories: Lift Your Eyes to the Mountains. Right now I’m between books, but hope to finish soon a memoir of the 9 years I spent as a reporter for a rural weekly newspaper. 

 3.  Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

Mostly in the people I meet. There are so many folks who don’t really understand what an adventure their life has been. I root out those adventures. Sometimes I turn them into fiction, other times they become creative nonfiction. 

 4.  What is a typical writing day like for you?

I begin right after lunch, quickly go over Emails for anything important, then begin on whatever is scheduled for that day. On Monday it’s blogs, Facebook postings, any other promotional writings online and I work till five at least. On Tuesday I write my weekly newspaper column and work on any other short writings like stories, articles or essays. Wednesday through Saturday those hours are spent on whatever work I have in progress. I relax on Sunday. I try to schedule all my interviews etc., for mornings so they don’t interfere with my writing time, but that’s not always possible.

 5.  On writing, you say on your Website that “My biggest problem, I think, has been trying all types of writing. Maybe if I’d stuck to one I’d be famous and/or rich by now. But I wouldn’t have had near as much fun.”  Is there any particular genre or style you haven’t tried but would like to?

I can’t think of any. I’ve written a horror novel, a mystery, romances, historicals, women’s fiction, paranormal and short stories as well as nonfiction in many forms. Guess there’s not much left except to continue with those I can get published. 

 6.  You’ve been published in both nonfiction and under your pseudonym, Samantha Lee, in historical fiction.  Do you have a preference for one or the other?

I was published under two pseudonyms, Elizabeth Gregg and Samantha Lee in historical romances, and while writing those and engaging in the promotional tours etc., I had a blast. Meeting the cover models was especially fun. As I grow older, though I think I enjoy visiting historical places and talking to a lot of people. I’m in the process of trying to find an agent to market my women’s fiction. All types have been extremely satisfying because they involved meeting people. If I go to a book fair and don’t sell a book I still count it as worth the effort because a few more people know who I am and I know something about them I might put in a book someday. 

7.  Self‑promotion is a necessity for all authors today.  Can you tell us a little bit about how you promote your work?  

I’m already beginning to promote my next two books by talking about them to anyone who is interested in that subject matter. After I get a release date, I will send post cards to everyone who has expressed an interest as well as all those on my mailing list letting them know when the books will be out. I send those cards to book sellers, libraries, historical societies, anyone I think might want copies of the book. I also like to attend writer’s events where many writers are invited to show their books and speak. Speaking sells books.

I can say to all authors, never miss a chance to talk about your book, but don’t bore people. A little taste is all they need. If they’re interested they’ll ask questions. Also look for all the promotional sites online and learn to use them. I feel that promoting online is probably the best way to go. Write blogs, get a website even before you have any books. Develop an Internet presence. I spent a few hours a couple of times a week all one summer learning how to promote online. I obtained interviews both spoken and written, I found people to review my books. I’m still learning how to best utilize the Internet. When we’re there we have the opportunity to speak to millions of people.

 8.  You’ve received several awards for your writing but what is your most cherished reader reaction to your work?

Nothing is better than the reader who walks up to my table at a festival or event and says warmly, “I read Fly With the Mourning Dove and it is a wonderful book.” Those few words, spoken spontaneously make my day, as they say.

 9.  Who or what has been the biggest influence in your writing career and why?

When I first began I was alone writing away, not sure what I was doing, just that I had to do it. The words poured out of me. But I had no where to go with what I’d written. Then I attended my first writer’s conference, a small one, chosen carefully, and I began to meet other writers. Dusty Richards, double winner of the Spur from Western Writers of America, has probably helped me more than anyone, but I must credit the entire group of writers we have here in Northwest Arkansas. Without their encouragement I never would have approached that first editor which eventually led to the sale of my first book.

10.  What part of the craft of writing has improved since your first book?

Computers. One word says it all. I wrote three novels on a small electric typewriter and I wouldn’t go back to that method for any amount of money.

11.  You were born and raised in the Ozark Mountains and throughout the course of your life, you traveled and moved around quite a bit then you returned to Arkansas in the 70s.  You’ve been there ever since so obviously home is important to you.  When you travel now, do you have a favorite place to visit?

Our favorite place is the high desert of New Mexico where I spent so much time while I was writing Fly With the Mourning Dove. We return every fall, and just came back.

Is there any place you’d like to go but haven’t gotten to yet?

I’m a believer in touring the good old USA and have never had a desire to go abroad. We’ve been to a lot of places and enjoyed Montana and Wyoming second to New Mexico. I can’t think of anyplace I want to go where I haven’t already been. But I love returning to the places we enjoy.

12.  Mark Twain said, “Southerners speak music…” and I believe that’s very true.  Do you have a favorite Southern saying?

There are many I like, but I’ll tell one to you in a short anecdote. While interviewing an elderly couple who were approaching their 75th wedding anniversary, we sat on the front porch of their remote Ozark home talking. She was blind, and sat with her hand on my arm. As I finished and began to stir around getting ready to leave, she patted my arm and said, “Oh, stay more, stay more.” I think that expresses southern hospitality best of all.

To find out more about Velda and her work, please visit www.veldabrotherton.com

OKTOBERFEST — A LIVELY BEER FESTIVAL AND MORE

Oktoberfest is a celebration of many things, but specifically, it is an autumnal festival held annually in Munich, Germany, that begins on September 20 and continues until October 4.

Since I have a son living in Europe, and who is, in fact, residing in Berlin, I tapped him for photos and intriguing moments from last year’s Oktoberfest, which was his first attendance at this event—even though he had lived in Europe for more than a decade.

In his words, he shares some of his experiences:

Oktoberfest in Munich is legendary.  It is the Mecca for all beer creatures, big and small.  Attending Oktoberfest was one of my life goals—one which seemed to elude me over the years.  I had all the right incentives:  1) A friend who lives in Munich, 2) 10 years of living a mere 6-hour drive from Oktoberfest and of course, 3) A powerful thirst for beer.  My Munich friend said I wouldn’t like Oktoberfest because of my fear of crowds and being bumped into, and he led me to believe that Oktoberfest wasn’t a “real” German cultural event anyway, that it had long since been abandoned by the lederhosen set in favor of the Big Tourist Drunken Carnival, and that I would need galoshes to wade through all the beer and stomach contents.

So I replied, “So, do you have any space on yer couch for me to visit this October or not?”  As it happened, he didn’t.  Other friends had booked his couch for crashing die Wies ‘n (Munchener slang for Oktoberfest) that year.  He could have just said so in the first place.

After several years of hemming and hawing over the elusive Munich sofa, sometimes due to couch scheduling problems, other times due to illness (mine or my friend’s), or other times due to work, I finally found myself in Mein Munchen Mecca last year.

And some of his impressions from this event include the following, with images:

Pretzels bigger than a child’s head, tents bigger than Barnum and Bailey, more leather in the pants than on all of the cows in Germany at any given time (on Bavarians and foreigners alike), more tuba thrashing Umpah Music than any human ear should be allowed to hear in one lifetime (but still sounding great), and a great German industrial efficiency machine for brewing and cooking and delivering beer, sausages, pretzels, t-shirts, souvenirs and music throughout the night for weeks on end, from the middle of September until the end of the first week of October.  Waitaminit, it starts in September?  Why is it called “Oktoberfest” then?

Ask the Germans, they’ll be happy to tell you all about it.

Here are some of them, telling you pictorially.

For more information on the author/photographer, check here:

Craig Robinson,Berlin Photographer

STACY JUBA ANSWERS THE DAMES DOZEN

1.Your new mystery sounds intriguing.  I see from your bio that you published a YA novel when you were only 18 years old.  What was that experience like for you?  And what led you to move into the suspense genre?

I started writing a young adult novel, Face-Off, when I was 16, scribbling in a notebook   during high school study halls.  It was about twin teenage brothers who compete on the hockey rink for their father’s approval. I entered it in the Avon Flare Young Adult Novel Competition and heard that it won when I was a college freshman.  It was both exciting and intimidating, trying to rewrite the novel to meet their editorial requirements while taking college classes and attempting to make new friends in the dorm.  I had typed the original draft on an electric typewriter, so the whole manuscript needed to be retyped.  I handwrote all the editing changes on the hard copy and my dad retyped it for me on his new word processor.  It was then published by Avon Flare, under my maiden name Stacy Drumtra. This was before the Internet was popular, in the early 1990s, so authors didn’t promote themselves in the same way that they do today. I did one book-signing and that was about it. I switched to mystery and suspense in my mid-twenties, as I’d grown up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, and I still enjoyed reading those genres as an adult.

2.How did you come up with the idea for your character in the mystery—Kris Langley?

I began my journalism career as an obit writer and editorial assistant for a daily newspaper, and one of my tasks was compiling the 25 Years Ago Today column. I was trying to come up with an idea for a mystery novel, and I thought, what if a rookie editorial assistant stumbled across an unsolved murder on the microfilm? What if she was haunted by a tragedy in her own past? What if she becomes obsessed with solving this old case as a way of redeeming herself from her past mistakes?  I started writing, and named her Kris Langley.  Kris will do what needs to be done to get the story, but she has a great deal of empathy for her sources and wants to get it right. Whether she’s writing an obit or a news story, she feels that people are trusting her with their words and their personal histories. As a result, Kris is very hard on herself when she makes a mistake.

3.  Can you share a little bit about your current WIP?

It’s called Sign of the Messenger and is the first in a planned series. Burned-out R.N. Deirdre Sheridan has quit her job to become a massage therapist, hands-on healer and partner in a metaphysical center. As a result, she meets a client and new mother whose murder drives Deirdre toward bringing a killer to justice, even if it means exposing her hidden psychic gifts.  The manuscript was a recipient of the William F. Deeck Malice Domestic Grant. Deirdre is serious and introspective, but she has a quirky partner named Crystal who offers comic relief.

4. Where do you find your inspiration for your writing?

I like to write about things that interest me. I’ve always enjoyed Greek and Roman mythology, and found it fascinating that ancient cultures created these stories about magical gods and goddesses. That interest made its way into Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, as the murder victim, Diana Ferguson, painted intriguing scenes inspired by Greek and Roman myth – scenes that ultimately will provide clues about her death.  My interest in energy work, alternative medicine, and psychics led me to start writing my WIP Sign of the Messenger, and because of my interest in those subjects, I think it would be fun to develop those characters into a series. Face-Off resulted from my high school passion for ice hockey.

5.  What is a typical writing day like for you?

I tend to write in the morning when my family is sleeping, and I work for about an hour at night.   About 5-7 days a month, my parents or in-laws will help out with the kids, and I’ll work steadily from about 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. I also write in a notebook and carry manuscript pages around the house with me to edit when I get time.  Sometimes, I’ll steal a few moments on my laptop in my walk-in closet. My laptop isn’t equipped with e-mail or the Internet, so that I’ll have no excuse to procrastinate on writing.  There really isn’t a typical writing day at this time of my life, but I make steady progress by chipping away at it.

6.  Promotion is a big part of the writing world these days.  Tell us what you do to promote your work, and what that’s like for you?

It takes a great deal of time, and with the book launch, I’m spending much more time on promotion than fiction-writing. I launched http://www.stacyjuba.com over the summer, and it took me awhile to write all of the content. I also created a database of book reviewers, magazines, newspapers, book-related web sites, and blogs that do author interviews or accept guest articles. Currently, I’ve been concentrating on sending out review copies, publicizing my local events and signings, and building an on-line presence.  I have six speaking engagements coming up for the remainder of the year – a library talk, two bookstore talks/signings, a debut author panel at the New England Crime Bake mystery writers conference, and two book club meetings. Once I get the book launched, I’ll concentrate on e-mailing bookstores and libraries, and I will probably set up a blog tour for sometime in 2010.  I’m on Facebook, and plan to do more with Good Reads and Twitter next year. But, I want to be an author, not a full-time publicist, so after the book launch frenzy, I’ll concentrate on one or two big promotion tasks a month and get back to my work-in-progress for awhile.  But, you do have to be organized and have a marketing plan with short and long term goals, especially if you’re with a small press, as authors need to take an active role in getting their books noticed.

7.  From the positive reviews you have received, I can tell that you have definitely tapped into something that readers can relate to.  Did you feel that you had found your niche when you began this book?

I definitely feel that mystery fiction is my niche. My first book Face-Off, a non-mystery, was successful and it has had a lot of longevity. But, for the long haul, young adult drama was not my niche.  I kept trying to write literary-type YA fiction, but it wasn’t coming as naturally as Face-Off did and I wasn’t getting anywhere. When I started Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, I couldn’t believe how easy the writing was.  The story just flowed out, chapter by chapter.  I always liked a structured classroom as a child, and I think that’s why I like writing mystery novels – because of the structure.  I can be creative within that structure, but mystery readers expect certain ingredients like a murder, suspects, clues, red herrings, and escalating tension.   As the author, I know from page one that I need to include these aspects and I appreciate having a road map to guide me.

8.  From your website, I see that you practice the healing art of Reiki.  Can you tell us a little about that?

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is based on the idea that an unseen life force energy flows through us. If one’s life force energy is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.  Many people practice Reiki professionally, but I just do it for friends and family.  It’s very easy to learn and the first level is often taught in a one-or two-day class.  It’s a great tool for anyone to have. For example, if you’re a parent, you can use it to comfort a sick child and provide them with an extra healing touch. It’s a mystery how Reiki works since we’re talking about unseen energy, but that energy can most certainly be felt. The International Center for Reiki Training is a wonderful resource for anyone who would like more information. Their web site is http://www.reiki.org/

9.   What is your most cherished reader reaction from your books?

I got a lot of fan mail from young readers, mostly preteen boys, after Face-Off and I was always touched that these young kids took the time to write me letters.  More recently, I’ve been thrilled with the positive reviews that Twenty-Five Years Ago Today has received and from the notes sent to me by readers.  It’s really exciting to finally have the book in the hands of readers and when someone tells me they enjoyed it, that makes my day.

10.   Who or what has been the biggest influence in your writing career, and why?

Winning the William F. Deeck Malice Domestic Grant in 2005 for my work-in-progress probably had the biggest influence. I was at a crossroads, frustrated with all the rejection, and it gave me the confidence to continue mystery writing.  It also gave me the opportunity to spend $1,000 on furthering my writing career. I used the money to take on-line classes on mystery writing and plotting, which helped to bring my writing to a higher level. I used the remainder to take a 6-week Tai Chi class, as research for my novel. I wound up studying Tai Chi for two years and I still practice it today.

11.  What part of the craft of writing has improved since your first book?

I’m a much better editor now.  With Face-Off, my editor sent me a nine-page letter filled with areas that needed to be fixed – pages of back story and excess description that needed to be cut, dialogue that needed punching up, scenes that needed more conflict. Now I catch most of that myself before it ever gets to an editor or agent.  I still rely on my critique partners for feedback, to gain a fresh perspective, but they don’t see my chapters until I’ve rigorously edited them.

12.  The Dames love animals.  Do you have any pets?  If so, tell us a little about them.

I had a beautiful gray Angora cat named Smokey from second grade until I was about 22, but I don’t currently have an animal.  I keep a picture of Smokey in my office as she was very special to me. When I was little, I had a pet hamster named Puzzles, and that’s why the pet ferret in Twenty-Five Years Ago Today is named Puzzles. Perhaps someday, we’ll get a pet!

STACY’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE

MAINLY MURDER PRESS

Just announced, Christy Tillery French’s The Bodyguard and the Rock Star…

…has been honored as a finalist in the National Best Books 2009 Awards (NBBA), under the category Fiction and Literature: Cross Genre Fiction!  Congratulations Christy!  A well-deserved honor for an outstanding book–and I’m not just saying that because it happens to star…me!  Um, okay, not me exactly, but the client Natasha’s guarding in this one is a rock star with my name.  Okay, not my real name, but a family nickname–Giki!

Seriously though, The Bodyguard and the Rock Star, the third book in her Bodyguard Series is a fabulous book, one of her best and not just because it has a character named after me.  Here’s the review I did of it shortly after it was released:

The Bodyguard and the Rock Star by Christy Tillery French

With The Bodyguard and the Rock Star, Christy Tillery French has once again taken me on a enjoyable roller coaster ride of heart-stopping thrills and rib-tickling humor.

 In the third installment of Ms. French’s Bodyguard series, Natasha Chamberlain eagerly takes on her latest assignment—guarding English rock star, Giki, on a tour of the Southern United States.  Natasha is convinced this will be an easy job.  True, Giki has a wild streak, and at times she’s uncontrollable in her desire to experience every facet of being a rock star, from sex to concerts to…sweets?  Yes, Giki has a sweet tooth that is sometimes irrepressible, along with several other bad habits, and Natasha soon feels more like a babysitter than a bodyguard.  No problem, she can handle the aggravation of that, but Giki has a secret; a cyber-stalker who is willing to do whatever it takes to end the rock star’s career.  And Natasha is suddenly caught up in a job that’s far more dangerous than she first assumed.

 When she’s shot at the first concert, her fiancé, Jonce Striker, shows up at the hospital, and the battle is on as single-minded alpha male clashes with strong-minded, determined woman, adding another delightful twist to the thrilling plot.  Natasha loves Striker and would do just about anything for him, but the one thing she’s not willing to do is give up her job.  She knows she can protect Giki, and she’s going to prove it to Striker once and for all.  Jonce, however, is worried and despite her protests brings in the competent, but completely adorable duo of Pit and Bigun to safeguard her.

 And well, let’s just say, chaos ensues as Natasha struggles to find her balance between Striker and her chosen profession and, as she always does, manages to get her man.  No spoilers here, I’m not going to tell you which one she gets, you’ll have to read it for yourself to find out!

 As with all the books in her Bodyguard Series, Ms. French has peppered this one with laugh-out-loud humor, nail-biting suspense, familiar, lovable characters as well as a few new, quirky ones, and dialogue so realistic it practically leaps off the page.  Then there’s the constant and stimulating tug-of-war between a strong man and an even-stronger woman.  Throw in a delightful tour of the cities of the South, which Ms. French writes about with obvious love and pleasure, and you have a very satisfying read that will keep you glued to the pages until the end.

 Needless to say, The Bodyguard and the Rock Star is going to join the other books by Ms. French on my keeper shelf!

So go on, click on one of the links below and get your copy today.  You’ll be glad you did!

Print: Amazon, B&N

Ebook: Fictionwise, Amazon Kindle, B&N

You can also visit Christy’s website or her author page on Amazon to find out more about her and her fantastic books.  And of course there’s always the Christy Tillery French page here on the Dames of Dialogue blog.

Spirits, Specters, and Ghosts, Oh My!

It’s that time of year again, the time when you’re liable to encounter ghosts and witches and all manner of spooky creatures.  Here in North Carolina there are more than a few spine-tingling stories about spirit-beings you wouldn’t want to encounter in a dark wood when you’re all alone.  There’s the one about a place where the devil reportedly walked the earth (The Devil’s Tramping Ground), or the one about strange lights that appear without explanation (the Brown Mountain Lights), and more ghosts than you can count (the Phantom Rider of the Confederacy, The Ghosts of Smithfield, and Haunted Wilmington, a town that has a ghost or ghosts hanging out in the welcome center, a library, a theater, an old Civil War post, and even a ship, the Battleship North Carolina which is at rest there.)  So as you can see, things that go bump in the night are very popular around these parts.

I’ve always loved ghost stories and if I had to pick a favorite, I’d have to go with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  I have both the movie (the one with Alistair Sim, which is, in my opinion, the best) and the book which I read every Christmas.

Before you ask, I’ve never seen a ghost or heard one, for that matter, but my great-aunt Bessie often told stories of hearing them around her house.  They were, she believed, the ghosts of the slaves that used to live on the Zachariah Solomon plantation where she and my great-uncle Fletch bought property for their farm.  She told us she heard them walking around outside at night, shuffling along in their chains and singing.  She also told us of one occasion when she heard a mule and wagon turn onto their property, drive by the house and around to the barn out back.  When she and Uncle Fletch went to see who had come to call, there was no one there.

She believed in ghosts and so do I, despite never having seen one.  I did have one ghostly encounter…or I suppose a better term would be an Elvis sighting only instead of Elvis, I saw Ed McBain, aka Evan Hunter, one of my favorite authors.  This was in 2005, shortly after he’d passed away and I was at KC’s, a sort of combination deli/convenience store, getting my daily fix of Green Mountain coffee.  When I saw him standing by a rack of newspapers, the first thing to pop into my mind was that line from the movie, The Sixth Sense, “I see dead people.”  Seriously, this guy looked so much like the younger and healthier Ed McBain whose photo graced the backs of his many books that I literally thought I was seeing his ghost.  And of course, being an author, I hurried home and wrote the whole thing down exactly as it happened.  That one scene, complete with the “I see dead people” line evolved into the opening for my novella, Unwilling Angel.   By the time I finished the story the main character, Ted “Mac” McNabb, had morphed into an angel but when I saw him in KC’s that day, my mind practically screamed “Ghost!”

You’ll hear more about Mac in the next couple of months because I’m scheduled to do another Friday Favorites on clichés in November which will feature Mac because, well, I think I’ll wait and tell you next month.   As for December, I’m working on a character interview with him, a first here on the Dames of Dialogue blog—that is, if I can get him to cooperate, he’s a bit surly since his untimely death and subsequent demotion from best-selling author to Apprentice Angel.

Until then, stay safe and don’t forget to say that old Scottish prayer before you go to bed at night:

From ghoulies and ghosties, and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, good Lord, deliver us!

Oh, and Happy Halloween!

To find out more about the ghosts and legends of North Carolina, visit Haunted North Carolina.

Get your Christmas spirit early, Unwilling Angel is available in ebook at B&N, Fictionwise, Amazon Kindle, and Red Rose Publishing!

ELIZABETH ZELVIN ANSWERS THE DAMES DOZEN

1.    Tell us about your latest book and what comes next.

Death Will Help You Leave Him is available for preorder now and will be out from Minotaur on October 13. It’s the second in the series featuring recovering alcoholic Bruce Kohler and his friends, Jimmy the computer genius and Barbara the world-class codependent. This one is about bad relationships. Barbara’s Al-Anon sponsee is the prime suspect when her abusive boyfriend is murdered in her apartment. Bruce has to juggle the investigation, his sobriety, a crush on the bereaved girlfriend, and his addictive relationship with his crazy but compelling ex-wife, who’s always on the brink of self-destructing and is in another abusive relationship.

The next in the series, which is on my editor’s desk but no contract yet, is my Hamptons book. Bruce, Barbara, and Jimmy take a share in a lethal clean and sober group house in an imaginary Hampton. And a Bruce Christmas story, “Death Will Trim Your Tree,” will appear in the anthology The Gift of Murder, to benefit Toys for Tots, in time for the holidays.

2.    The protagonist of Death Will Help You Leave Him and the first in the series, Death Will Get You Sober, Bruce, is interesting because he’s a recovering alcoholic.  Is there any particular reason you chose a recovering alcoholic as the primary character for your series?  

I don’t think any writer makes that kind of decision by accident. I worked in the addictions field for many years and have been amazed and inspired by the courage and honesty of alcoholics and other addicts who turn their lives around in recovery. I was directing a treatment program for homeless alcoholics on the Bowery when I started to talk about writing a mystery about people in recovery that I’d call Death Will Get You Sober. That was all I knew about the book before I started to write it. I also have a lot to say about codependency, so Barbara is a very important character for me. Her tendency to help compulsively and control and mind everybody’s business make her a good amateur sleuth and drive her commitment to addictions counseling, but they get her in a lot of hot water.

3.    Is this a series that you plan to carry forward or will it be limited?

That will depend entirely on the publisher.  In this economy, it’s a struggle for a midlist author to keep going. And whatever happens with the novels, there will surely be more short stories about Bruce and his friends.

4.    You have lived such an interesting life and have accomplished so much: as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa, as a textbook and reference book editor, then on to a master’s degree in social work and your many years as a psychotherapist and directing alcoholism treatment programs. And now you have an online therapy website, LZcybershrink.com.  You’ve also published professional material and and two books of poetry, and you’re a singer/songwriter too. Very impressive! I imagine you enjoyed each, but which do you think you enjoy(ed) the most?

I’m what a friend of mine called a “Renaissance soul” in a book she wrote about people like me, who have many interests and focus first on one and then on another. I’ve reinvented myself several times, though being a writer was the one I’ve wanted my whole life. When the writing is going well and you feel as if you’re just a channel for something that’s coming through you from whatever you call it—inspiration, the Muse, a Higher Power—that’s a great feeling. So is performing for an audience, whether it’s singing and playing the guitar—or even better, singing with real musicians backing me up and doing harmony vocals—or giving a talk or a poetry reading. Getting a laugh from a big audience—it hasn’t happened that many times, but it’s a peak experience. Moving someone to tears, which I know I’ve done with my songs and poems—it’s harder to tell with a novel, because I’m not there when people are reading it. As a therapist too, having a session in which a client reaches a deeper level and experiences insight, or even better, hope—knowing I’ve really helped someone is a terrific experience too. The point of being a Renaissance soul is that I don’t have to choose.

5.    Your road to fiction publication is an interesting one that I find quite motivating. Could you share that with our readers?

I’m always afraid everybody in the world—or at least New York and cyberspace—have heard that story till they’re tired of it. The short version is that I queried 125 agents and 35 publishers before I sold Death Will Get You Sober to St. Martin’s. But first I had to rewrite the whole thing for an editor who then quit publishing. The drop of luck in a sea of persistence was his giving the manuscript to the legendary Ruth Cavin before he left. And the fact that she liked it was more than luck, it was a miracle.

6.    What inspires you as a writer?

I can think of two ways to answer that question. One, what inspires me as a writer is what inspires me as a person—the transformational quality of recovery, which is what I chose to write my series about, and also, in general, love and honesty about one’s own shortcomings and willingness to change and grow. But the inspiration that sends me to the keyboard with my fingers flying, that knocking on the inside of my head when a character has something to say and wants to get out and say it—that’s a completely intuitive process. I only know I have to get it down before it disappears. Novels are hard because you can’t do the whole thing that way. You get fragments, and then you have to slog. But a poem or a song or even a short story can come to me that way. It’s a gift I’m awed by and grateful for.

7.    Do you have a specific writing ritual?

I tend to spend the whole day at the computer whether I’m working on a novel or not. I sit down at the keyboard right after breakfast and fall in. If I am actively working on a manuscript, I try—not always successfully—to get right to it rather than looking at my email first. The email is important—it could be a therapy client, or I could see opportunities for networking and promotion or information I need to know on one of my e-lists—but fiction writing goes better for me if I put it first. I try to get out and run for an hour—around the Central Park reservoir if I’m home in New York—and then I’ll come back, sit down at the computer, and fall right in again.

8.    You’ve received many accolades regarding your writing, as well as some pretty amazing letters from readers. Is there any one award or letter that stands out?

Getting an Agatha nomination for my first short story, “Death Will Clean Your Closet,” was pretty cool, and it inspired me to go on writing short stories. And I love hearing I made a reader chuckle or moved someone to tears. Even better, the emails from readers who have experienced the devastation of alcoholism first-hand or reached a new understanding from reading the book have warmed my heart and made me very proud: the woman with 35 years sobriety who wrote, “You are the first professional that I have come across that really seems to get it;” the reader who said, “I was profoundly moved by the struggle of the recovering addict. I finally got what it means to crave something so bad for you.” I hope the same thing will happen with what I’ve tried to show about relationships and codependency in Death Will Help You Leave Him.

9.    What do you find works best for you in promoting?

I’m lucky in that I was born to schmooze. It’s all about connecting with other people on an emotional level—just like writing and doing therapy. Whether I’m at a mystery conference or a signing at a bookstore or library, even if only a few people come, or posting on an e-list like DorothyL or on Poe’s Deadly Daughters, the blog I do with other mystery writers, or at someone’s launch party, I throw myself into it with enthusiasm and a lot of love. You can’t fake it, and I think people appreciate it. I’ve certainly found an enormously supportive community among mystery lovers—writers, readers, booksellers, librarians, and others in the book world.

10. We are interested in learning about other areas of the country. Tell us about where you live.

LOL. I live in New York City—where do I start? Both my mysteries are set in the city, and I had a lot of fun with the location of various scenes for Death Will Help You Leave Him. I took a lot of photos and even shot some video, which you can see on my book trailer by going to my author website at www.elizabethzelvin.com and clicking on the cover of Death Will Help You Leave Him at the bottom of the page. I set scenes in Spanish Harlem, a funeral in Brooklyn, an Italian bakery, a fancy East Side lingerie shop, an art gallery in SoHo, and a traffic jam on Canal Street in Chinatown. Bruce lives on the Upper East Side—which was an old ethnic neighborhood, Yorkville, when he and Jimmy grew up there—and Barbara and Jimmy live on the Upper West Side, more or less where I do, so they’re always walking across Central Park, which I do all the time.

11. What’s your favorite Southern expression or place or food?

I recently visited Nashville, which I loved for the music—and the great people I met at Killer Nashville—and I ate pulled pork more than once. You can get it in New York, but not easily. I can’t deny I’m fond of fried chicken and pecan pie as well, but I think I’d have to go further south for those. I do say “y’all,” at least in email, and I know it’s plural.

12. What’s your favorite animal?

I love giraffes, ever since I was very little and had a couple of cuddly toy ones. I love their long eyelashes and the way they move. No, I didn’t see any when I lived in West Africa for two years–wrong side of the continent. My best encounter with giraffes was at a safari park in New Jersey. You weren’t supposed to feed the animals, but the folks in the pickup right next to our bus had loaded the bed of the truck with Cheerios. We were surrounded–eight giraffes, including a baby. So if you ever need to know, giraffes love Cheerios.

Elizabeth Zelvin, 2007 Agatha nominee
DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM, October 2009
DEATH WILL GET YOU SOBER, David nominee for Best Mystery Novel of 2008
www.elizabethzelvin.com