So I’ve decided to switch media here and become a screenwriter.  I’m a natural.  I can sit in those funny collapsible canvas chairs just as well as the next guy, and besides, I know hundreds of unbelievable plots: I follow state politics.

So here goes: for my first screamplay <sic> I’m going to do something made for TV; specifically one of those romance-suspense-action-thriller-northern-southern-civil war epic-type things, maybe a miniseries.  It would have everything – sex, violence, sex, betrayal, sex, revenge, sex – and maybe even some dialogue.  It would star a ravishing but thoroughly spoiled female lead, maybe called Sapphire.  Here’s a preview:

Sapphire flings herself up the sweeping staircase, catching bottom of skirt on knob of banister.

Sapphire (yanking at fabric):  Go away, Rot!  Just go away!

Rot:  I’m going, I’m going.  But one last thing, Sapphire honey, I’ve got to know.  How do you manage to go to the bathroom with that bloody hoola- hoop attached to your skirt?

Sapphire (rolling downstairs on her side):  Don’t go, Rot!  Please don’t go.

Rot (doffing hat):  Frankly Sapphire, I don’t give a hoot.

(From outside, several barn owls hoot.)

I predict a blockbuster.  But just in case, I have a second one planned.  It’s a 1960s historical spy flick, based on the true-to-life adventures of very bad people who might possibly be Russian.

First Spy (possibly named Boris):  Gee comrade, do you theenk perhaps we are raising peeples suspicions speeeking English with Russian accent?

Second Spy (also named Boris):  Especially seence it is very BAD Russian accent, comrade?

Okay, so it needs a bit of work, and maybe some more sex.  I’m thinking of calling it Czech-mate. And if we bring it forward to modern times, the possibilities are endless.  What about a ‘Spy of the Month’ reality series?  Boris could live in an LA frat house with nine other comrades named Boris, and the survivor…

Or I could go back to writing for newspapers.

Like this humor?   Don’t miss: Rowena Through the Wall, the comic time travel novel by Melodie Campbell

“Is that a broadsword on your belt, or are you just glad to see me?”

When Rowena falls through her classroom wall into a medieval world, she doesn’t count on being kidnapped – not once, but twice, dammit – and the stakes get higher as the men get hotter.  Good thing she can go back through the wall when she wants to…or can she?

Melodie Campbell got her start as a comedy writer; she has over 200 publications, and has received six awards for fiction.  Melodie is the General Manager of Crime Writers of Canada.

Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Through-the-Wall-ebook/dp/B00557Z2QUSmashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65519

Follow Melodie’s comic blog at http://funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com

Welcome, Tony. Tell us about your latest release, Anything Short of Murder.

It is an old fashion detective thriller set in the Hollywood of the 1930’s. In creating it I drew on the writing styles of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, so you might say that is it a pastiche of sorts. It has all the elements of a classic detective novel from that era- the hardboiled, wise-cracking, world weary detective; the damsel in distress who may, or may not be as innocent as she seems; more red-herrings than could be contained in a barrel; and a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end.  

An old-fashioned detective thriller, indeed, and I think you did a fabulous job with it. What made you decide to write it in the style of the pulp detective thrillers of the 1930’s and 40’s?

Two reasons, the first being that it was originally being written as a short serialized story for the Turner Classic Movie Fan site. I was composing it for a specific audience, namely classic movie fans that enjoy film noir. It was the success on that site, and the encouragement of all its fans that convinced me to expand it into a book and get it published. Second, I enjoy a good mystery. I’ve read most of the famous authors that the genre has produced over the years, and miss some of the classic detective stories that modern authors have jettisoned in favor of police procedurals. CSI stories are interesting, and definitely play an important part in mystery literature, but personally I enjoy the independent detectives, like Marlowe, or amateur investigators like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot in the books that I read.       

Ah, TCM—about the only channel I watch on TV anymore. I’m an avid fan of the old black and white movies and while reading Anything Short of Murder it was very easy for me to picture Humphrey Bogart playing the lead in a movie made from the book. How did you come up with the idea for the character of Tom Logan?

Tom Logan was formed with Bogart in mind, and perhaps a little of William Powell. As I mentioned earlier, the story was being fashioned for an audience of discerning classic movie lovers. That was helpful in developing the character because you knew that you had to get it “dead on”, or you would hear from the fans. I was encouraged by their response because Bogart was the general consensus. Additionally, as with other authors- although some will deny it- there is also a little of him in me. The sense of humor and to a lesser extent the world weariness is something we both have in common.

Bogart and Powell are two of my favorite actors from that time period. Can you share little bit about what you’re working on now or what’s coming next?

 I have a second novel, The Curse of the Crimson Dragon which will be published March of 2012. It is not a sequel to Anything Short of Murder, although due to numerous requests I am working on that now. Crimson Dragon is a stand-alone novel, an adventure set on Hawaii during 1944. Initially the plot will seem familiar, but don’t let that fool you, as with Anything Short of Murder there will be twists and turns that no one will see coming. It is also loaded with action, romance, nostalgia, and intrigue- all of which plays out in a lush, tropical backdrop during the tumultuous war years. I was real happy with the results of the final manuscript, and am very excited about making it available to the public. It was certainly fun writing it- real escapism- and I’m sure that that will be passed on to the readers.

Glad to hear you’re working on a sequel since I enjoyed Anything Short of Murder so much. I’ll be sure to watch for the release of The Curse of the Crimson Dragon. Sounds like a lot of fun and I love that time period. How long have you been writing?

I would like to say since I was ten years old. That’s when I first attempted writing, but re-writes with a typewriter and carbon paper takes a patience I wasn’t blessed with. I had assignments in school, and creative writing, but it wasn’t until about two years ago that I discovered how easy writing has become thanks entirely to the computer. So I’d say that I started writing in earnest about two years ago.

Oh, I remember typewriters and carbon paper and shudder to think about attempting to write a novel without the convenience of my laptop. I just don’t think I could do it. Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

Imagination; I was an only child growing up, and had to keep myself amused. I created stories to pass the hours, and in some cases serialized ones that I would tell myself every night before going to sleep. As I got older, I shared some of these stories with friends and organized plays around them. Imagination was also the driving force when I started reading more regularly at age eight. Fueled on by authors such as Jules Verne, H.G.Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and later Agatha Christie and Ian Fleming, I couldn’t help but fall in love with books, and that resulted in an urge to become a storyteller.

I grew up in a family of 5 kids and I can remember wishing I was an only child—but I have to say with the wisdom of age, I’m glad I didn’t get that wish!  Who are your favorite authors, the ones you read when you should or could be doing something else? Why do they appeal to you?

I’ve already mentioned them in your previous question, but now that I have become a member of two writer’s organizations- Sisters in Crime and SLO NightWriters- I am being introduced to a number of new authors, people like Sue McGinty and Dianne Emley and their mystery series. Aside from being great individuals, their mysteries are engaging. Regarding, why do these writers appeal to me? Their books provide escapism, with puzzles that challenge the mind, and an ample serving of good old fashion heroics. A part of me still is a dreamer and believes in a happy ending, although my pessimistic side also acknowledges the realities of life.

In other words, you read for pleasure, and judging from your book, I’d say you write for the same reason. What is a typical writing day like for you? Do you have any habits or established routines that work best?

I usually set a goal of nothing less than 2,500 words. That is the minimum I set for a chapter. Once I get started I pound away until I complete that objective. I usually strive for a chapter a day, but once in awhile it may take two. I am a fast writer once I get into it, however I do have a day job, and that takes precedence when it comes to working on my novel. My first novel took nine months from conception to publication- somewhat of a record. The Curse of the Crimson Dragon has taken over a year, but it is a bigger novel.

2,500 words, that’s impressive and a goal I wish I could accomplish. I have days when I write much more than that but I also have days—too many of them lately—when I don’t come anywhere near a fraction of that. And after the book is written, then comes the hard part, at least for me, promoting. Can you tell us a little bit about how you promote your work?  Any tips for other authors?

My simple answer would be by any means possible. I use Twitter, Facebook, place ads, do interviews such as this, as well as print and radio. I also have done book signings and lectures at independent bookstores, and have a blog site where I write stories about the motion picture and television stars that I had worked with when I was in the industry. Still, it is never enough. Competition is hard, and even though you have a great story, it only sells if someone knows about it. For the release of my next book I am considering hiring a publicist. As far as tips- if you believe in your product…sell…sell…sell.

Competition is hard and with the recent trends in publishing, it’s getting harder every day. Still, like you say, the best thing to do is to believe in your work and sell…sell…sell. Who or what has been the biggest influence in your writing career and why?

All my friends at the two writing groups give me a boost when my batteries start running a little low, however, with the risk of sounding a little maudlin I would have to say my parents, especially my mother. It was her persistence that set me on the right course. When I was in second grade the teacher noticed that I wasn’t paying attention to our reading sessions. I seemed distracted, and she communicated that to my mother. My mother asked if she could borrow some books over the summer, and spent each day with me reading. She always felt bad that she hadn’t graduated from high school, and impressed upon me the importance of learning, and especially reading. I became a good student after that, and an avid reader. She passed away nine years ago, but I think she would be very pleased to see that her hard work and concern had paid off, and her son is a published author.

As a retired teacher, I have to say “yay” for your mother. How great that she took an interest in what was going on with you in school and went on to contribute to your love of reading. And yes, I’m sure she’s very proud of her “published author” son.

In your bio on your website, you say you’ve had a “long and varied professional career,” everything from acting to biologist to stunt man. And now you’re a published author. Of all the jobs you’ve had which of them would you prefer if you had to choose only one?

That is a difficult question, because just a like a diamond, each is a facet which makes up the whole of my life’s experience. Each one of those I have drawn upon to help build or reinforce another. A writer needs to be knowledgeable about what he or she is writing. That involves either research, or better yet actual experience. Because my background has been so diverse, I can write about science, or what goes on behind the scenes in a movie studio, or how to detail an action sequence with confidence because I have been there and done that. And besides that aspect, we all strive to utilize to the fullest whatever gifts we have. It is our legacy. I like to think that whatever I have done, whether it was the findings I made in research which may have benefited a sick individual, or the stories that I write that helps readers escape the troubles of the world- all have equal value- that is why I  could not  pick just one.

Good answer and a very well thought out one, too. What do you consider the single most satisfying aspect of being a writer?

Again, it comes down to legacy. Life is short, and memories are fleeting, if Jules Verne or H.G.Wells never picked up a pen, who would remember them? But, more importantly, some measure success by the money they make, but for me the satisfaction isn’t financial, but whether those that read my books truly enjoy them. My objective is to tell a good story, and the payback is to hear that my efforts were not in vain- that it really provided the readers with what I had attempted- entertainment and escapism.  When I receive a comment as such, or a good review, it is worth infinitely more to me than anything money can buy.

I agree wholeheartedly, it’s not the money that makes me want to write, it’s the feedback I get from readers. Knowing that my words give someone even a few seconds of entertainment is much more important.

Thanks so much for joining us, Tony. It’s been a real pleasure!

To find out more about Tony and his work, please visit:

Book Site:

www.anythingshortofmurder.com

Blog:

http://authortonypiazza.wordpress.com/author/authortonypiazza/

Author’s Site on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004K2YN0M

Facebook Fan Page:

https://www.facebook.com//pages/Anything-Short-of-Murder-Fan-Page/252147254802399

Gray wolves live as a family unit and are social animals. They share duties much like we humans. The idea that wolves will hunt down a human has been proven to be utter nonsense. There has never been a case of a wolf attacking and/or killing a human. Those stories belong in Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

In spite of this, when Europeans settled in this country, they began to kill off the wolf population which ranged widely across the continent. Two species were found in North America, the gray wolf and its various subspecies and the red wolf found in the southeastern United States.

It wasn’t long before they were hunted nearly to extinction. Destroying these predators brought about other problems. Their prey, deer and elk, increased in numbers and began to range with the cattle, horses and sheep eating much of the pastureland. Over population caused many to starve during the winter when food was scarce.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “…the Gray Wolf, being a keystone predator, is an integral component of the ecosystems to which it typically belongs. The wide range of habitats in which wolves can thrive reflects their adaptability as a species, and includes temperate forests, mountains, tundra, taiga, and grasslands.”

These predators, like most, have a particular prey, depending on their habitat. They feed on large (four legged) mammals, such as deer and elk, generally removing the sick and injured animals from the populations. Though wolves have families much like humans, the Alpha male and female are the only ones in the pack to produce young, typically two or three per season. And occasionally, when times are lean, they put off procreating at all. They raise their young cooperatively.

By the middle of the 20th century, only a few hundred gray wolves lived in Minnesota and an isolated population survived on Michigan’s Isle Royale. There were reports of sightings of an occasional Mexico or red wolf, but few wolves existed in the lower 48 States. They were all but extinct in the western and Rocky Mountain states.

In an effort to save the species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed gray wolf recovery plans for several parts of the country. In cooperation with species experts and knowledgeable staff from State wildlife agencies, other Federal agencies, universities, and conservation organizations, they set a goal to restore this elegant animal to a secure status in several areas of its historical range.

Ranchers hotly objected to the restoration of the wolves. They signed petitions and many shot and killed this predator despite imposed fines of up to $10,000 plus a year in prison. In direct conflict with the feelings of these ranchers, some behavioral scientists claim that the few wolves that begin to kill domesticated animals can be retrained. However, those who are found to do so are eradicated. Most wolves prefer the elk and deer population, they say. Others still vehemently claim that wolves will breed like rats and soon over-populate the cattle grazing ranges. Some even cling to the antiquated fear that wolves will steal their children.

Because of the Gray Wolf Restoration Act, today, more than 5,000 gray wolves live in the lower 48 States. Thanks to protection from unregulated hunting and trapping provided by the Act, improved habitat for prey, and recovery programs, the wolf population in the western Great Lakes States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan has recovered to a point that it no longer needs the protection of the Act. Gray wolf populations in the northern Rocky Mountains have, in some areas, been delisted, and the animals are no longer on the endangered list. In Wyoming they are protected under the Act as “nonessential, experimental populations.”

Probably the best-known and most criticized wolf recovery effort was the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996. After an absence of more than 50 years, the Service brought wild gray wolves from Canada to the Park and to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area in Idaho. The goal was to speed up recovery in the Rocky Mountain region and restore a species to the historic range from which it had been eliminated in the late 1920s. It is working. At night their mournful howls once again fill the silence of the mountains.

Recovery partners released wolves as family groups in Yellowstone and individually in central Idaho. The program has been extremely successful. As a result three young pups, members of the Lazy Creek Pack of gray wolves that live in Yellowstone Park, frolick near their hidden den, tumbling about in the sweet green grass. A few young aunts baby sit while the Alpha male and female are away hunting. Soon the pups will go along and take part.

In the crisp mountain air, the Alpha wolf scents a huge herd of elk that recently wandered onto the high ground for summer grazing. One lags behind, a perfect target for the two gray wolves, who attack in tandem, going for the throat. Once they’ve brought down the prey, the real work begins. They rip and tear the food into small enough pieces to carry back to the den for the pups.

The remainder of the pack have waited patiently under a stand of aspen trees, and they move toward the dinner table. The Alpha challenges the youngest male, wrestling him to his back. He must wait his turn until the older members have their fill.

The magnificent gray Alpha male and female then carry meat to the waiting pups, and the aunts are released to join the others at the feast.

For more information on the current status of the wolves, see: http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A00D

Wolf Song is a paranormal novel from SynergEbooks. It is set in Pinedale, Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park during the Gray Wolf Restoration Program.

Olivia dreams of running with the wolves, and wishes she could escape to avoid dealing with her guilt. Her sister lies in a hospital, kept alive by machines, and it’s Olivia’s fault she’s there.

Wolf Shadow, a reluctant and inexperienced Cheyenne Shape Shifter who can occupy the body of a wolf, appears to help her release her sister to the spiritual world.

Someone is killing the gray wolves released to the wild. When Olivia and her friend Ginni get involved in TenderCare, an organization that supports the restoration of the gray wolf, both are threatened. Who is their new friend, Singer? Could he be behind the threats? And if so, why?

I like how you describe yourself as a guide to other worlds and times. In that vein, tell us about your most recent release.

Revenge set Ellspeth, captain of Sea Falcon, on the path to her destiny, but prophecy controlled the journey. Released by Burst, an imprint of Champagne Books, Ellspeth and Windmaster set sail in June 2011 on a romance-filled, action-packed fantasy described by one reader as “a fascinating story that will keep you up all night turning the pages.”

Despite his insolent attitude, Ellspeth is attracted to the dark-haired dockworker she hires to help unload the Falcon’s cargo. When the supposed dockhand reveals he is Lord Dal, the last member of the Council of Wizards, and her passenger, Ellspeth breaks a cardinal rule–fraternizing with the paying customers. Bringing him back from near-death releases her latent powers and threatens her captaincy. For to have magic she must give up the sea.

Dal has his own reasons for Ellspeth to embrace her powers. In accordance with an ancient prophecy, he allows her to be handfasted to him without her knowledge or consent. However, the prophecy doesn’t state whether Ellspeth will return his love. A likelihood threatened as the deception is unveiled and, again when Dal is captured and stripped of his powers by fanatical clerics bent on ridding the world of magic and those who wield it.

Trapped within the Oracle’s Temple and marked for sacrifice, Ellspeth must choose between her own survival, saving the future of magic, or love.

Well, I’m hooked. What’s next?

For the next year, I’ll be jumping back and forth on two different treadmills. Coming in late spring from Burst Books, Dragon Destiny tells the story of Branin, the last dragon shifter born in over 300 years. As a dragshi, he can take the form of his dragon soul twin, Llewlyn and knows the freedom of flight, but not happiness. Both are the last of their kind and have waited millennia for their mates. When a faint thought impinged on Branin’s mind, hope for an ending to eons of loneliness soared. Plagued by doubts because no signs of a dragon shifter’s birth have been seen, Branin searches the world for the mysterious girl he only knows by the name, Anastasia. All that stands between their happiness is destiny—and the Lady Broch who is determined to have Branin for herself.

In June, the newly handfasted Ellspeth and her husband Lord Dal set sail with Windmaster Legacy. Their plans for a quiet matrimonial trip as they escort his mother on a final journey to her ancestral lands change when mercenaries under the control of Bashim, a rogue mage, attack. Dal’s mother is severely wounded and Ellspeth is captured. Her sole hope for escape is Nobyn, an untrained wizard going through the throes of awakening magic. However, Nobyn is Bashim’s apprentice and under the mage’s total control.

Dal’s destiny will change depending on whether he rescues his wife, cures his mother, or thwarts Bashim’s plans. More than who lives or dies is at stake. Dal might be able to live with his guilt over the death of a loved one, but could he survive death of magic for all eternity.

Congrats on your two upcoming releases, Helen. Both sound intriguing. You certainly have a very creative imagination. I’m always interested in how an author became published. Tell us about your journey to publication.

I have been a writer in one form or another for most of my adult life. Computer code and ‘how-to’ manuals gave way as the technical writer shifted focus to a more public audience. A feature-story writer and correspondent, my writing credits include over 300 articles on a number of topics including military and American history, antiques and collectibles. All of which form a great basis for world building. Among the more unusual stories covered were air shows and battlefield archeology. (Yes, I do know a little something about the subject and have participated in digs using both traditional screen and trowel methods and the new-fangled metal detectors). I’m proud of my two local histories, Matawan and Aberdeen – Of Town and Field and Around Matawan and Aberdeen, both published under the Arcadia Press imprint.   

As things come full circle, the urges that I had suppressed years earlier to guide readers through the stars, among worlds of imagination, or back to the Old West re-emerged. Unlike my more youthful attempts at writing fiction, acceptance letters replaced the earlier rejection ones. A science fiction short story led to a fantasy, then more works in the genres were put under contract in ezines and print publications. After those first hesitant steps, I took the plunge. A great critique group, a supportive husband, and my debut novel, Windmaster, was created. The roller coaster ride started when Champagne Books placed Windmaster under contract.

If I had to describe my journey to publication, I would say it is a winding path up a mountainside. Fiction and fact, the present and the past, all blend. And as far as the end of the trip, that is still being written.

I like your statement, “…as far as the end of the trip, that is still being written” and that you describe it as a roller coaster ride. I think that’s true for most authors. You’re a prolific writer and have published in different genres. Do you prefer to write in any particular one, and if so, why?

I’ve always loved to escape into other worlds, it didn’t matter whether I became a fast-gun in the American West, an interplanetary explorer, or international secret agent. Right now, I’ve settled in fantasy. The genre allows me to create environments where magic lives and heroes rule. Being able to hang out with dragons or horses with a touch of magic in their souls are other reasons why I write fantasies.

Romance crept into the adventure and action that fills my stories when a few years back I joined the critique group, wePub. One of the members is the multi-published, award-winning author Carol McPhee. Her numerous titles include Spirited Liaison and Shadowed Pursuit. After being exposed to her work, the romance that lingered through some of my fantasy and science fiction stories blossomed to demand its own emphasis. I would say I officially joined the ranks of romance writers with the appearance of the short story Recov in Romance of My Dreams 2, released for Valentine’s Day 2011 by L&L Dreamspell.

While at this point in time, magic and fantasy fill my writing world. a series of historical western tales clamors louder and louder. Eventually, it will no longer be able to be denied. But, until then I’ll fill my spell book with magic and practice with sword and bow.

I love your term “spell book”. What is your favorite genre to read?

A voracious reader–a trait I inherited from my mother and grandmother–I have poured through genre after genre. I just finished reading Knight of Darkness by Kinley Macgregor. The War Adventure series, Air Combat Stories  and the tales of Cherry Ames, among others from my parent’s bookcase, filled my early reading experience. The enlargement of my county library from a small building on a back street to a modern facility proved a lifesaver as I read shelf after shelf. Westerns to military action, science fiction to fantasy. Today, the bulk of items on my to-be-read shelf are science fiction or fantasy, with a few orphan western volumes mixed in.

Sci-fi and fantasy are two very hot genres now. Who is your favorite fictional character?

There are so many great characters out there, like the commercial says, you can’t take just one. So I’ll stay close to home. The tales of a female gunslinger named Hell Lost have haunted me for years and maybe someday, I’ll ride the high mountain trails with her. At this point in time, while the novel and short stories languish in the future drawer, the tale of one of the events that took place after she hung up her guns has been published. Written under the name of my ancestress, Jessie Treon, Ambush Luck appeared in the Dreamspell Goddess anthology.

A female gunslinger – very intriguing. Who are your favorite authors?

My favorite authors reflect my typical Gemini split personality. I have always felt that I lived in the wrong time. The farm girl is drawn toward western frontier. The side of my personality that designed computers wants to fly a jet and journey in outer space. I read Louis L’Amour to fill the void in my western soul, and Anne McCaffrey, Barbara Hambly, and E. E. Doc Smith when I want to explore and visit other worlds.

What inspires you?

The tranquil setting of a deck of a log cabin overlooking a lake sets my imagination roaming. The muse frequently appears in response to certain pieces of music. Westerns are written while listening to Ashokan Farewell or western movie themes. Celtic harp and flute fill the room when fantasy is in the air. Other triggers for my writing are vintage photographs, and those fleeting thoughts stuck in the dream-catcher.

Perhaps the most unusual inspiration came during my years as a freelance writer and correspondent, One night while walking (in period costume of course) the camp of a Revolutionary War reenactment set up on the site an 18th century battle), I felt like I travelled back in time.

I find music very motivating. When I write action-adventure, hard rock inspires me. For romance – Elton John’s early work. Cannot figure that one out! What one secret would you like to share?

I believe one of the key elements in a successful fantasy story is the believability of the world, even though winged horses or elves might inhabit it. In creating 300+ articles covering antiques and history, including military history, and two local history books, I’ve had to research, research, and do more research. Knowledge of the past is often transferable to the worlds of fantasy. If the reader feels the weight of the sworn dragging down the heroine’s arm, smells the smoke from an inn’s fireplace, or walks through an ancient culture, it brings the world to life for them. No matter what genre I’m writing, one major element carries through them all—I try to make the world I build for the characters real for my readers.

One author I admire who writes historical romance/action-adventure always describes the five senses in her scenes, which pulls me into that time and place. The Dames love romance and I note you have been married to your husband for 30 years. How did you meet and to what do you attribute the longevity of your marriage?

My husband and I actually met at college through a connivance of mutual friends. One night, my husband and I were each invited by to eat dinner with a group of several people we knew. The only two seats open at the table put my future husband and myself together. That first meeting led to invitations to be his date for the senior concert and then the senior prom. A short year later, almost to the day, I found myself on an airplane heading toward Biloxi, Mississippi with a wedding gown neatly folded in my suitcase and a diamond glittering on my finger. When asked by my seatmate on the plane if I was going to visit an airman, I quickly responded, “No, to marry one.” Next year that journey reaches the forty year mark.

As to the second part of the question, I have no freaking idea beyond pure luck and a husband with unboundable levels of love and patience. I found a man who allows me to be myself, and supports my quirks. Our similar philosophies on family, honor, and duty have held us together as we have matured together and are now growing old together. While our individual interests don’t always coincide, they complement the mutual ones. As a correspondent I dragged him to antique fairs and air shows. Over the years, I’ve been the quiet spectator at archaeology digs and metal detector events that my husband participated in. Camping and bicycling are two activities we enjoy doing together. Last year we camped in upstate New York (a stay Hurricane Irene tried and failed to flood out) and bicycled along the towpath of the Erie Canal.

One last thing, Did I say Tom never misses my birthday or anniversary, even though they are two days apart?

My husband and I have been married over 39 years and, like you, I have no idea how we’ve survived this long. We love pets. Do you have any? If not, what’s your favorite animal?

I don’t have any pets at this time. The last one, Tigh, a black and white masked cat we inherited, ran our household for almost eighteen years before he romped beyond the veil. Before I was married, two collies, a sable (no, not named Lassie) and a tri-color named Salt and Pepper, helped control the sheep on my family’s farm.

Having a very large, Shetland pony when growing up must have influenced me. Each of my fantasy worlds is inhabited by a type of magical equine. But as one reader commented, every girl needs a horse. Although don’t let the head stallion of either the fàlaire or the seisag hear you call them a horse. They may look like one, and provide mounts to mages and wizards, but both seisag and fàlaire have abilities beyond that of a true horse.

Having owned horses in the past, I totally agree with your statement that every girl needs a horse. They’re beautiful, magnificent, intelligent, and affectionate animals. Tell us about your neck of the woods.

Although I grew up a farm girl, and am not unfamiliar with the mountains of Pennsylvania coal country, I admit to enjoying life in a small town. The one-square mile waterfront town we live in has a boardwalk with views of several areas of New York City. Each summer, local residents line the railing to watch boats being launched. Crowds gather on the boardwalk to view the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks in New York City. Closer ones are shot over the bay to close the firemen’s fair. On clear nights, the lights of Manhattan are clearly visible, as are the buildings themselves during the day, except the morning the towers fell when clouds of smoke obscured the horizon. The closeness of a converted rail trail that winds through salt marshes and beneath canopied trees allows my husband and me to enjoy two-wheeled journeys along the coast.

Thank you, Helen, for a really intriguing interview!

Thanks for letting me visit the grand ‘Dames.

Helen Henderson
Website: http://helenhenderson-author.webs.com/

There are four general categories of birds of prey; eagles, hawks, falcons and owls. They occupy every terrestrial ecosystem on Earth except for the Antarctic. Without raptors, our world would quickly become overrun with rodents and other prey items. In many cases, individual species have evolved to eat specific kinds of prey. In places where certain species have become endangered, farmers and others who make their living from the land have felt the loss.

Eagles are the largest of the raptors and there are some 75 species. That number is debated since birds are often reclassified. Eagles feed on a large number of prey species from monkeys, to rabbits, ducks, fish and even deer in some ranges. Like most raptors eagles are extremely opportunistic and will eat carrion when they find it. They’ll also steal from other predators.

In North America, we have two species of eagles, the Bald eagle and the golden. When people say eagle, the Bald eagle comes to mind.. It is most commonly found near water since a large portion of its diet consists of fish and ducks. During the salmon runs along the Pacific coast, it’s not uncommon to see hundreds of eagles in one area competing for food. The Bald eagle was nearly lost to us thanks to the pesticide DDT back in the 1960s, but thanks to the hard work of a lot of people, using captive breeding techniques developed by falconers to help save the Peregrine falcon from a similar fate, there are now more Bald eagles in North America than there were in the past 75 years.

Golden eagles are often mistaken for Bald eagles, particularly since immature Bald eagles and immature Golden eagles look a lot alike. Neither one gets their distinctive head coloring until their fifth year. Golden eagles are large brown and golden birds that hunt mostly land-based prey such as rabbits, hares, deer and pronghorn antelope. They occur throughout the western part of the continent, and unlike the Bald eagle, have never been in danger of extinction. The sight of a magnificent Golden eagle swooping down to grab a rabbit or prairie dog is a wonderful thing to behold.

Across our world, there are 37 species of falcons, with seven of those species occurring in North America. Falcons are the true masters of flight. The Peregrine falcon has been clocked flying at over 200 miles an hour when flying down prey. For the most part, falcons hunt other flying prey, from geese for the large Arctic Gyrfalcon to grasshoppers for the tiny American Kestrel. Like the Bald eagle, several falcon species across the world have been impacted by pesticide use, and have been returned from the brink of extinction through dedicated captive-breeding programs. Currently only one species of falcon is in danger in North America, the Aplomado falcon. Through a lot of hard work over the past 40 years, the Peregrine falcon was removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999 and currently is found in areas where it never was before, having adapted to using the ledges of skyscrapers for nesting when no cliff faces are available. Falcons have had a close relationship with man for several thousand years since they were the first wild raptors to be used in the sport of falconry. They are highly cherished by many falconers as the ultimate in hunting partners.

Hawk is a term that is used loosely for several classes of birds, and at one time, even falcons were referred to as hawks. The two main classes of hawks are buteos or soaring hawks, and accipiters or forest hawks. Buteos are the hawks we see most frequently in North America. Of the several buteo species, the Red-Tailed hawk is the most abundant. We see a lot of redtails as we go about our daily lives and often don’t even realize that we see them. Redtails are one of the most adaptable birds on the planet and thrive in our cities and farmlands. They love to hunt from a tall perch and phone poles and billboards are perfect perches. They can sit there for hours waiting for prey to wander past.

The largest North American buteo, the Ferruginous hawk, is currently a species of concern in several western states. Being a large and highly intelligent bird, it’s sensitive to human encroachment of its territory. Combined with being hard hit by West Nile virus a few years ago, its numbers are struggling in some regions.

Accipiters are, for the most part, forest-dwelling birds. Some like the goshawk, prefer dense old-growth forest where they are seldom seen, but their presence is often felt. They are stealth hunters, relying on the element of surprise to catch their prey off guard, feeding on everything from other birds to squirrels and mice. A mid-sized accipiter, the Cooper’s hawk, is a frequent visitor to many a back-yard bird feeders as is the smallest accipiter, the sharp-shinned hawk that is smaller than the Cooper’s but nearly identical. Although they don’t eat seeds, the birds that congregate at the feeders, making tempting and nutritious buffet.

Like their hawk cousins, owls occupy every terrestrial ecosystem other than the South Pole. There are around 200 species of owls worldwide, ranging in size from the diminutive Elf owl of the great American desert being only about five inches and just over an ounce, to the Eurasian Eagle owl coming in at nearly 27 in and can weigh as much as 10 pounds. Most owls are never seen, being primarily nocturnal hunters. The two best exceptions are the Hawk owl and the Burrowing owl that are active during the day. Owls have evolved to be the masters of silent flight. Different from any other bird, the trailing edge of their flight feathers are designed to cut through the air in such a way that an owl can pass inches away and most creatures won’t hear them. Being such masters of silence, and active at night, most owls hunt by sound, not sight. They have developed binocular hearing. Some, like barn owls, can hunt in complete darkness, hearing prey like mice and rats moving around in the forest or barn floor at great distances. Barn owls are so good at what they do, that a family of barn owls can eat between 200 and 300 pounds of rodents over the course of a year. Unfortunately, barn owls have been impacted by modern buildings where there aren’t as many places for them to nest as old-style wooden barns provided.

All over the world, for as long as man has been around, birds of prey have been feared, worshiped and revered. These magnificent masters of the air inspire all of us with a sense of awe and wonder whenever they happen to fly through our lives. If you would like to find out more about the birds of prey in your area, please visit a local wild bird rehabilitation center or nature center.

A.M. Burns is a writer of urban fantasy novels. His latest book is “Blood Moon, Yellow Sky” Blurb: Tal O’Duirwood, dragon, enjoys his quiet life of solitude in the Colorado mountains. He never realized what was missing until his gets an assignment to travel to Yellow Sky, Texas and help a witch and her students there stop a vampire invasion. Once there, he finds that things were not as he was told. The witch is actually a werecoyote, and one of her students has eyes for Tal. Can Tal help stop the vampires in time to save his blossoming love? Will his heart, so long closed off from the world be able to open to the touch of the handsome young mage?  Visit website www.amburns.com

Author L. J. Garland

Welcome to our delightful guest, L. J. Garland, who loves adventure and writes about it.

1.    When did you first decide that you would be a writer?

Wow…come to think of it, I never really decided to become a writer. It was a long, surreptitious process that I soon found myself obsessing over. I’ve always written—journals, school assignments, short stories, etc. But I guess I never had that epiphany that a lot of authors have. I’ve always loved writing. Crafting stories has become kinda obsessive/compulsive, but we won’t talk about that right now.

2.     I notice that the themes in your novels are exciting and adventurous.  How did you come to write in your particular genre?

I’m a tomboy all the way! Yep. I’ve always climbed trees, bounded through the woods behind my childhood home, and lived adventures when playing as a kid. When I grew up, I found my more girlie side, but discovered that I didn’t have to give anything up in the process. In fact, my DH loves that I can wear a dress and heels while firing assault rifles or carry my kid’s sippy cup in my jacket pocket while shooting compound bows or lighting fireworks. And since I have three boys, I guess it all worked out just right in the end! LOL

3.    Your childhood sounds wonderful!  I can definitely see how your adventures led to these stories.  Who or what inspired your particular writing journey?

Hmm…my seventh grade teacher told me I should be a writer. But really, even though I continued penning stories over the years, it wasn’t until I met my husband that the bug really bit. I came home and said, “Honey, I want to write a book.” He was like, “Okay.” But I’ll tell you, there’s nothing so intense as sitting by, gnawing your nails, while the man you love reads what you wrote. Course later he told me that he’d been just as nervous. Before he ever read the first word, he wondered how he would tell me if it sucked. LOL

4.    Oh, I think having those close to us read our work is very nerve-shattering.  Are you currently working on another book?  If so, what can you tell us about it?

Actually, I’m working on several other stories. One is a SFR short story about a guy who is falsely accused of murder. Another is Paranormal Romance about a woman who has to die before she discovers her true love. And one I’m co-authoring with the very talented Debbie Gould. It’s a Paranormal Romance series about a girl who learns she has a family she never knew existed and the implications that follow. All of these are action-packed romances with stuff blowing up and the hero and heroine in one perilous situation or another. And yes…I love torturing my characters. LOL

5.    Since your writing is full of adventures, I imagine that your reading might be as well.  What books are currently on your nightstand?

Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time
Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series
Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein Series
Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters Series

6.    Can you tell us about some of your favorite childhood books?

Nancy Drew. Yeah, goes back to the intrepid tomboy. She always rooted out the truth and had awesome adventures.

7.    Who are your top five favorite authors, and why?

Stephen King – because he didn’t write horror just for the sake of writing horror, there was a deep, psychological aspect that caused the blood to run cold.

Dean Koontz – because his style of writing drew me. The way he wove his earlier stories was unusual, never in a straight line, which left me wondering how these diverse characters would ever collide.

Suzanne Brockmann – for her high-action stories and her hero’s perspective.

Robert Jordan – for his epic stories.

Thomas Harris – psychologically terrifying.

8.    Good choices and great reasons for them!  What can you share about your writing day?  Do you have a special writing space and certain rituals?

Between kids and house and editing for epubs, it’s more like my writing minutes. LOL However, all those ‘distractions’ allow for my subconscious to work out plot issues and also gives me time to write and rewrite the next chapter in my head before I sit down to the computer. Most times I have a really good idea where the scene is going and a good bit of the characters’ dialog as well. Somehow it works….

9.    Marketing is often a challenge for authors.  What works for you?

Word of mouth, interviews, blogs, reviews, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

10.    I’d love to hear about where you live.  How does your home setting inspire your writing?

I live in Rocket City, USA! What better place to inspire sci-fi romances? As for my home setting…well, I have three rambunctious boys, who continually surprise me with how common, everyday objects can become weapons. McGyver ain’t got nuthin’ on them! LOL (And yes, I did just date myself, didn’t I?) But my motto is: From Chaos comes Clarity. –That happens mostly at night. When I’m asleep.

11.    Do you have any pets?  We love animals.

Three cats who love to sit on me while I work. An awesome guinea pig, loaded with personality. That squeaky rodent loves to interact with the family and begs for a good head scratching. Also, a tank full of fish. Not much on the interaction side, but wonderful to watch for relaxation.

Website: http://www.lj-garland.com/
Blog: http://www.garland-and-gould.blogspot.com/

On June 10, 2006, my husband and I left our slip in Chesapeake Bay and headed north with our friends for a grand tour. We were prepared with a full load of diesel, charts,  groceries, passports, lines, fenders, and a courtesy flag. And, of course, cash and a credit card.

Let me explain some of my terminology. Our boat used diesel instead of gasoline. (Most boats do.) The charts were both paper and electronic and included the maritime GPS installed on the roof that connected to our Plot Charter.  Lines, called ropes on land, were to attach ourselves to shore overnight and essential to traversing the locks. The fenders, also called bumpers, were inflated rubber or synthetic bladders (tied to the boat rail with more line) that kept the hull from rubbing the side of the lock (or other boats and similar obstacles as well). The courtesy flag was a small Canadian flag, the red maple leaf on a white field, necessary to fly from the bow of the boat while in Canadian waters.

 Since my purpose is to show (and tell) you about those amazing locks, I could say our trip from Chesapeake Bay into the Atlantic Ocean, then to New York Harbor, past the Statue of Liberty, and up the Hudson River was uneventful but that would be a total lie. We had Auto Pilot outages (forcing one of us to handle the wheel in mid-ocean umm, make that occasionally out of sight of land). We had photo-op views as we passed under bridges, watched commuter trains on one side of the Hudson and freight trains on the other, and all manner of oddities that included the back side of billboards. A few times we even saw that our position, shown with less than pin-point accuracy on the Plot Charter, would indicate that our boat was traveling on land.

Of course, with an average speed of six knots (nautical miles per hour – each one slightly longer than a mile by automobile) this all took several days. We stopped at various marinas along the way, met a mix of interesting boaters, walked into various towns for meals and provisioning, and tried the specialty of every ice cream shop we found. We encountered our first lock on June 16, Troy Lock, a federal lock that took us to the Erie Canal. Yes, that same Erie Canal of song and myth.

Our first day on the Erie Canal took us non-stop through five locks that lifted us thirty and thirty-five feet each, for a total of 150 feet. (Did I ever get used to deliberately going into a cavern with solid, mucky walls, looking up to the bit of sky while wondering if we’d really arrive at the top? Did I ever worry about what would could happen should the gates in front of us malfunction as they slowly opened by inches to allow torrents of water to descend and fill that cavern? Well, sure. But did it help to learn that was the most lift in the shortest distance anywhere in the world?)

Except for that flight of five, most locks were beside a dam, built to take advantage of the terrain to supply electricity. Usually our path was clearly marked so we wouldn’t absent-mindedly wander into the turbulant spillway. Since our speed was little more than the bikers we saw on the Canalway Trail, it took another two days before the locks began lowering us. After a day of that, we left the Erie Canal to head north. On one of our overnight stops, Sylvan Beach, we discovered a city-run year-round festival. (Tourist op.) That evening we also discovered we needed to find the closest full-service marina for essential repairs to the head. (Any non-boaters who don’t know that term? I’m not sure why the water closet/bathroom/loo is called a head. Backwards terminology, if you ask me.)

After a couple of days we rejoined Carole H and headed further north on the Oswego Canal/River. More locks. We were getting good at positioning our fenders for maximum protection from wet and dirty lock walls and slipping a line around cables, or looping the line over ballards or cleats on the land to keep us in place as our boat floated up or down. Finally, we reached Lake Ontario, where we crossed into Canada. Signing in was easy. We telephoned for permission, placed our document number in the window, and put our courtesy flag at the bow. In Canada, we turned into temporarily road-bound tourists. Our group of six (the Carole H crew included two young teen boys) rented a van and took a lay day (that’s boat for don’t move the boat but do something else, more usually involving rest or repairs). Those boys were ice hockey players and fans, so we visited the Toronto Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. (More photo ops and souvenir shopping for two of our grandchildren also into ice hockey.)

Finally, we were on the Trent Severin Waterway. We thought we knew locks. You motor into an enclosed space, loop a line around something, and keep yourselves in place as the gate closes electrically behind you, water flows in or out, then, when the gate in front opens, you steam out the opposite end at a new level. Piece of cake. Sorta. And, truth to tell, on many of the locks on the Trent Severin Waterway we followed exactly the same procedure. But some locks are engineering marvels of strange and beautiful complexity that prove an old adage Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

First, consider the hidden electrical connection that operates the gates those large pieces of structure that are mostly water-tight when closed and keep water from flowing through either end of the lock. Many of the gates in Canada were opened and closed with a combination of hidden gears and man (or woman) power. Think pre-electricity mills, grinding grain. Back then mills  were often placed beside a stream with water wheels providing the power. But without the water, did they have oxen, yoked to a bar so they could walk in a circle to turn the wheels and gears that powered the mill? That is exactly the procedure in several of the locks we encountered. There were metal bars in a V-shape with convenient hand-holds for the lock tender to push in a circle, a most efficient method to open and close a gate. (My hubby helped one day when there was only one attendant at the lock.)

One of our first locks was, according to the sign, fifteen miles from anywhere. The crew left in the evening using the only land access, a non-public road, after giving us the keys to their office so we could use the facilities inside. The next day we had our first experience with a joint lock. Looked like any other lock at first. We motored into the area, tied up, were raised, the gate in front of us opened to another lock. So we moved thirty feet into that to be lifted even higher. That was the day I discovered my new hooded jacket wasn’t really a rain coat at all—just looked like one!

We traveled through lakes dotted with mini-islands each one sporting a summer cottage, a tree or two, a boat mooring, and, if it was large enough, a lawn or perhaps even a tennis court. We followed connecting rivers and more locks. And arrived at Peterborough Marina on the last day of June. The marina adjoined the Del Crary Park, and excellent place to spend the next day, July 1, Canada Day. We watched the parade from the street in front of the marina, visited the festivities, lunched at the international food bazaar at the park, and, that night, watched fireworks from our boat roof (until the rain, thunder, and lightening chased the noisy crowd away).

The Peterborough Lift Lock is one of those engineering marvels. We took a second lay day to look at it and take pictures. We watched with great interest as a tour boat, full of tourists went up and other boats came down to go the opposite way. The next day was our turn. We followed Carole H into the U-shaped spot and were lifted, securely floating in our box of water, all the way up to find ourselves on top of the hill with the open river in front of us.

On July 4th several friendly Canadians wished us a happy Independence Day. At a Bobcaygeon bakery a man insisted on treating us to the local specialty, Chelsey buns. (They were similar to the sticky buns of Pennsylvania.) We went through more lakes, narrow canals and rivers. And more locks. Finally, we arrived at Big Chute. We took a lay day to check this one out as well. Big Chute had no box of water to float the transported boats. It does start with a U-shaped spot to pull into, but the boats are pulled out of the water by straps running underneath, lifted onto a platform and carefully positioned to remain steady and upright. The platform is big enough for large boats, or two or three smaller ones, so we rode along with Carole H. Our ride took us over a road (with the lowered gates keeping automobile traffic backed up as if they were at a train crossing). Then we were lifted over a hill and our platform was attached to something that looked like a boat launch, except that it was perhaps a hundred or more feet long and sloped rather quickly down into the water below. Rather strange to be traveling in the trees. But nothing spilled (although I didn’t go out of my way to position something tippy or spilly to test it out).

We had more adventures headed out into Georgian Bay (can you say “heavy winds,” or “banged the hull on a rock”). We stopped at Henry’s Fish Camp on a very rocky island (a must place where everything, and I mean everything including lobster tail, was deep fried). At Tobermory we were introduced to beaver tails, a large, flat treat made of donut dough and topped with your choice of almost everything. Yum!

Since we were in a lake we had no more locks for a while. We stopped at several places known for their beaches. We heard that rains had destroyed Lock 10 on the Erie Canal and we would have to leave our boat behind and return for Sunset Cloud after the lock was repaired. We continued much more of our trip, but as we were going a circle route in Canada, we wouldn’t return to those unusual locks. One highlight of our time in Canada was our stop at Kincardine. There we heard the story of a boat lost in a storm and the ship’s captain who decided to play his bagpipes as he went to his death. However, a piper at Kincardine heard and answered his pipes, and led him to safety. Now, every night at sunset a piper climbs to the top of the lighthouse and plays his (or her) bagpipes. We stayed there an extra day, taking sunset pictures of the waterfront from a high position in town while we listened to the bagpipes.

Norma Huss writes mystery inspired by her boating days and placed in Chesapeake Bay. Her latest book is Death of a Hot Chick. Naturally, it involves a boat, Snapdragon. The protagonist is Cyd, a young widow trying to survive, who is confronted with the boat owner’s ghost. “Find my killer!” the ghost demands. In exchange, Cyd will own Snapdragon. Not so easy to solve a murder with too much help from family and friends. Not too safe either, especially when Cyd wonders: Was the killer’s target his victim or her boat?

Norma’s website is http://www.normahuss.com

My pleasure. The Amazing Wolf Boy is a paranormal romance about a bumbling teenager who inexplicably turns into a werewolf while at Christmas dinner. When his parents banish him to live in Loxahatchee, Florida, with an uncle he barely knows, his troubles really start. The kids at his new school hate him, and the teachers suspect him of being a troublemaker because he’s transferring in from an exclusive prep school. Even the dogs in town shun him. Then he meets the most beautiful girl in the world, a brilliant outcast who changes her hair color with her mood. When she discovers his shape-changing secret, she tries to cure him using candles, crystals, and magic potions. All is well until a pack of “real” werewolves howl into town and disrupt his life once again.

2. What started you writing Science Fiction?

I’ve been reading Asimov and Heinlein since I was a tadpole. I grew up watching TV shows such as the Twilight Zone and Outer Limits. So writing Science Fiction came natural to me. To a writer, Science Fiction is exciting because it is limited only by imagination. To a reader, Science Fiction embodies hope, because there is always someone left to tell the story. If we go to the stars and meet an alien culture, we will be strong enough to withstand their aggressions or brave enough to become their friends. If we cause our own destruction, we will rebuild after the apocalypse. Science Fiction is hope, and I love that aspect of it.

3. Why did you turn to Romance?

Most books have elements of romance in them, but not all books can be considered a Romance. In a Romance, love drives the story. Everything the protagonist does is for the love of his or her intended. Love is an emotion all readers can identify with, and it makes a character more believable if they love deeply. Werewolves are made-up creatures, of course, but in The Amazing Wolf Boy I wanted my readers to believe my werewolf could be real. So I set him in a Romance and let him struggle with the joy and insecurity of young love.

4. How did you end up writing Horror?

There are many levels in Horror. In some stories, the focus is on scaring the reader even to the detriment of character or plot development. Others deal with traditionally horrific beings but get into their heads in a way that humanizes them. My brand of Horror is one step outside of Science Fiction. In my book, Satan’s Mirror, the heroine goes to hell, but does so by following a wormhole into another dimension. In The Amazing Wolf Boy, my werewolf is as cute and cuddly as a sparkling vampire.

5. Which of your characters is your favorite and why?

I have never been a sixteen year old boy, not even in a previous life, but I had to imagine myself as one while writing Cody, my werewolf from The Amazing Wolf Boy. It was difficult at first, but I drew from all the boys I’ve known, past and present, and threw in a bit of how I wished they would act. After a while, Cody became more real to me than any of my other characters. He is funny, vulnerable, and fiercely devoted, and I truly enjoy working with him.

6. Since you are almost blind, describe your writing process.

I have two phobias: I hate spiders and I’m afraid of the dark. When I first started losing my eyesight, I was terrified. I thought it was the worst thing that could happen to me. I imagined myself alone in the dark, hearing little spider feet creeping up on me. And while that is still an issue, I now realize that had I not gone blind, I would still be working at my 8-5 job and coming home exhausted. I’d be writing mostly in my head, jotting it down on weekends, and probably never finish that first novel. A friend once told me that, for him, going blind was a blessing because it changed his life. It took me a while to understand what he meant.

I used to write my first drafts in longhand. But I can’t see the paper anymore, and I doubt that anyone could read my handwriting, so now I write exclusively on the computer. I use a computer program that echoes what I type. There are many programs that will do that for you. Windows has a narrator built right in—just type screen reader into the search box under all programs. The program I use is called JAWS, and I couldn’t write without it. I like to split my screen and put my chapter on one side and my outline on the other. That way I can switch back and forth to be sure I’m on track. I’m a big believer in outlines. My current outline is fifty pages long and growing. I’m always tweaking it.

7. Who influenced you the most in your writing career?

Some writers might credit their careers to other writers, and indeed the works of notables such as Stephen King and J. K. Rowling have influenced my writing style. But I have to thank my daughter for my career. My daughter has cerebral palsy. When she was young, I was told she would never walk and never talk. The predictions were wrong, largely due to her determination. When I become despondent and want to give up, I think of her little face as she forced her legs to respond. If she can overcome something like that, I can face a little darkness.

8. Where do your ideas come from?

Reading! Both fiction and nonfiction. Sometimes a book will blow me away, and the themes and characters will inspire me. Sometimes a book will be so poorly written, I think I could write a better book than that. And that inspires me, too. I don’t read like a reader anymore, for pleasure or escape. I read like a writer, always asking what if. My first series of books was inspired by a magazine article about a Middle Eastern woman in a cage, and I thought, “What if the richest woman in the galaxy were in that cage?” Thus, the Anneliese Thielman Trilogy was born. My Colonial Scouts Adventures came about after I read an article on collapsed black holes and I wondered, “What if we could use black holes to transport ourselves to other worlds?” The idea for The Amazing Wolf Boy came after I read Twilight and I thought, “What if the main character was a werewolf instead of a vampire?”

9. How did you meet your husband? We love a romance.

I met my husband in high school. He was the most annoying, obnoxious person I ever met. He sat behind me in study hall and used to balance pencils on my shoulders, trying to get them to slide into the front of my blouse. I couldn’t stand him. Then one day, the second most annoying and obnoxious person was harassing me after school, and my husband came to my rescue. I literally saw him in a different light. It was like a ray of sunshine lit his head. After that, we had conversations instead of confrontations. The rest is history—which was fortunate because history was my worst class and he was really good at it.

10. What’s your favorite southern food?

Here in South Florida, we love our gator. Here’s my recipe for Alligator Fingers.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds alligator meat, cut into bite-size strips
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for frying
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

Directions

1. Place alligator meat in a medium bowl, and mix with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate about 10 minutes.
2. Pour oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch, and heat over a medium-high flame.
3. In a large resealable bag, mix the flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Squeeze off excess liquid from the meat, and add one handful of meat to the resealable bag. Shake to coat. Remove meat, tap off excess flour, and set on a plate. Repeat with remaining meat.
4. When oil is hot, place meat pieces into oil, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. (If you’re blind, be sure to use a timer.) Remove to paper towels, and serve hot with ranch dressing for dipping.

11. We love animals. Tell us about your pet.

Have you ever seen the Peanuts cartoon with the little dog, Snoopy, who gets up on his hind legs and dances? My dog used to do that exact thing. She’d even smile as she spun around. She was a collie/beagle mix, a beautiful dog. Perhaps it was the beagle in her that made her dance. Sadly, she was struck by a car. I think of her often.

12. What’s next in your writing life?

I’m currently writing the second book of The Amazing Wolf Boy. It picks up right where the first book ends. I love these characters and hope to write a dozen books with them. There is certainly room for mischief in Loxahatchee, Florida, where the story takes place.

Thanks for having me on Dames of Dialogue. It was a pleasure.

http://www.roxannesmolen.com

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A few months ago, when my new book was about to be released, I was tasked with selecting a photograph of myself to go along with it. This is the second time I’ve faced this particular task, and it presented me with the same challenge on both occasions. As someone with a disability, due to a car accident in 1988, I had to decide if I wanted the world to see me sitting in a wheelchair.

How do people, disabled or able-bodied, wish to be seen? After all, we live in a very visual world and society often judges people, rightly or wrongly, by their physical appearance. While my personal belief is that everyone has a disability, I admit that there are some pieces of adaptive equipment, like glasses and hearing aids, that seem to be more socially accepted. Wheelchairs, generally speaking, do not make that list.

A few years ago, while visiting a friend in Washington, D.C, I decided to check out the then-new FDR memorial. I’ve always been a fan of FDR. His policies strike a cord in my liberal-leaning sensibilities. So, I was thrilled to see him memorialized in such a grand manner. If you haven’t seen the memorial, I strongly urge you to do so.

However, while rolling through the structure, one post-unveiling addition to the original panels and statues disturbed me. While the sculptors and designers of the memorial chose not to depict the president sitting in a wheelchair, a group of disability advocates decided that it was important to show that side of him. I disagreed, and still do. President Roosevelt did not want to be seen as a person with a disability. He was never seen in public, or in earlier depictions, sitting in a wheelchair. In my opinion that one statue changed the message of the entire memorial.

Why do I mention the Roosevelt memorial? It is simply because people have a right to be seen in the manner in which they choose, and they have the right to have any depictions of them give the message they choose it to deliver. So, in choosing a photograph to go along with my books, I had to be mindful not only of my own self-image but also of the message I wanted my stories to convey. The protagonist in my Blind Traveler mystery series, Douglas Abledan, is a blind man. The way he deals with his disability is a key plot point in the stories. So, for me to hide my own disability by using a photograph without my wheelchair, seemed to convey the wrong message.

We, as authors, have always to be mindful of the messages we wish our readers to take away from our work. The simple act of adding a photograph to that work goes a long way toward delivering that message.

Robert Bennett, a former social worker turned writer, lives in the house he grew up in with his mother, one of his two brothers, two dogs that don’t get along, and a turtle.  His lifelong focus has been a concern for the needs of society’s disenfranchised.  His articles span a wide range of topics from sports to technology and from politics to social justice.  His fiction is grounded in real world events and technologies as well as his own philosophical concerns.  “It is the act of truly living and believing in yourself that is important, not the manner in which that action is undertaken.”  Mr. Bennett has spoken to groups of physical therapy students, church members and senior citizens, and has appeared on several radio programs.  Contact Mr. Bennett through his website at www.enablingwords.com

His latest book: The year is 2021.  Natural forces have changed our world.  As the Earth’s magnetic poles have shifted, pressure on the planet’s mantle layer is building.  The bottom line . . . earthquakes now wreak havoc in areas they have never occurred before. In Mexico, members of an archaeological team investigate the remains of an ancient village uncovered by a quake; racing to prove their theories about the civilization that once lived there.  But, disaster strikes when the accidental destruction of an artifact unleashes a worldwide agricultural plague. Halfway across the continent, Douglas Abledan, a blind computer technologist, embarks on a long anticipated vacation.  On the plane to Chicago, he meets world-renowned agricultural pathologist Cara Cordelia.  Little do either of them know she has been targeted for murder. In this stand-alone sequel to his critically acclaimed “Blind Traveler Down a Dark River,” author Robert P. Bennett continues to bring us suspense and intrigue while exploring a world of the not too distant future.  While society struggles with the impact of natural changes, the advancement of new technology enables a blind man to investigate a murder.

Author Lesley Diehl

I’m happy to welcome Lesley Diehl today.  She writes intriguing mysteries set in places she knows very well.

1.    Lesley, thanks for joining us today.  I recently read and LOVED your book Dumpster Dying.  What or who inspired the character of Emily Rhodes?  

In the winter we live in rural Florida.  While I have warm regard for the people here, they are quite different in world outlook from my husband and me.  Upon learning that I am a writer, many are quick to tell me they only read religious material.  I assume this is a polite way of saying the chance of my selling a book to them is about as good as a gator in a swimming pool finding a mate.

The conservative nature of the community led to series of what if questions and from these questions sprang Emily and her story.  What if no one in Emily’s little trailer park knew she and Fred were not married but only life partners?  What if Fred died and left a will leaving his entire estate to his ex wife?  What if everything was in Fred’s name and Emily had to go out and get a job?  What job could a retired preschool teacher land?  Milker on one of the large dairy farms around here?  Not likely.  So she becomes a bartender and takes on one of the Bible-thumping judges in the county to wrest Fred’s estate from the hands of his already too wealthy ex.  And, oh yeah, to make things interesting for her, Emily finds a body in a dumpster.

For my review of Dumpster Dying, click the title.

2.    I enjoy how you arrived at your plot!  What-if questions are a fabulous way to go.  Do your characters spring from real-life people, a combination of individuals you’ve met, or possibly from another source…like your imagination?

I hold my imagination responsible for creating my characters.  I never copy someone from my life or anyone I’ve met or encountered although I do take bits and pieces of people and shake them around like vodka and vermouth in a cocktail shaker to produce a martini of character traits.  I just recently found that my family members inspire me and pieces of them have found their way into my short stories.  I come from a very odd family so I’m thinking these stories are just the beginning of a whole lot of writing.    

3.    Great bartender similes!  I can relate to combining pieces of people, too.  In perusing your website, I was drawn to the book A Deadly Draught.  This one sounds like another page-turner.  What can you tell us about how you came to write this story?

I was looking for an unusual occupation for my protagonist.  At first I thought how about a taxidermist?  But recognizing I’d have to do extensive research to make her come to life, I decided I wasn’t fond of the idea of plunging into chipmunk entrails up to my elbows.  I cancelled that idea pretty quick.

On a brewery tour, our guide pointed out a room with an open fermenter commenting that we would not be allowed to go into that room because the yeast working to produce alcohol gave off carbon dioxide as a waste product.  How exciting, I thought.  I raised my hand and asked, “Could you kill someone in there?” and had to explain to my startled guide and the other folks on the tour that I was a writer of murder mysteries.  Hera, my microbrewer, was born that day.  

4.    Oh, great description of how you arrived at the story in A Deadly Draught.  Are you currently working on another book?  If so, what can you tell us about it?

I’m always working on either a book or a short story.  Right now I’m doing some editing for the sequel to A Deadly Draught which my publisher will release in May, 2012.  It is entitled Poisoned Pairings and focuses on the pairing of beer and food with hydrofracking, a controversial drilling technique for extracting gas from shale, as a political backdrop.

I’m finishing Grilled, Chilled and Killed, the sequel to Dumpster Dying.  It will be released sometime in the summer of 2012.  And, oh yes, Emily finds yet another dead body.

5.    Oh, I can’t wait!  Great title, too.  As a writer, I am sure you must be an avid reader.  What books are currently on your nightstand?

I’m reading Harlan Coben’s books backwards so Deal Breaker is on my night stand along with several Robert Parker books.  There’s usually an Elizabeth George book and often P.D. James there, but I think I’ve read all the Elizabeth George books.

6.    Going back a bit, can you tell us about some of your favorite childhood books?

My love of mystery began with Nancy Drew which I could never check out of the library because all the other girls beat me to it, so I discovered the Dana girls.  I graduated to Agatha Christie.

7.    Oh, I had almost forgotten about the Dana girls!  I adored them, too.  Who are your top five favorite authors, and why?

Robert Parker for his ability to pack more meat into a sentence than most writers can get into a chapter; Elizabeth George for the density of her characters and the complexity of the interactions between her characters; PD James for her penetrating portrayal of the English countryside and its denizens; Janet Evanovich because she’s just so funny; and any writer of cozies as I search for another Agatha Christie.

8.    Wonderful characteristics in those writers.  Thanks!  I gravitate to certain writers because of their prose.  Can you think of a favorite line from one of the books you love?

Well, I may be paraphrasing it a bit incorrectly, but I believe it was Mark Twain who said, “Man is the only animal who blushes, or has a need to.”

9.    I’m a big fan of Mark Twain and have some quotables from him, too.  What can you share about your writing day?  Do you have a special writing space and certain rituals?

I get up and walk several miles, then read my emails and reply to them, doing the business associated with writing.  I may write in the morning left to me or in the afternoon.  I try not to write at night or plot issues will keep me awake until I have to get up and address the problems they create.  I do not spend hours writing at one sitting, rather, I intersperse my writing with other activities like trying to get the cat off the table or out of the garbage or off the other cat or away from the front door or out of the groceries.  You know, exercise.

10.    Ha-ha…it’s great to visualize your day.  Let’s talk about marketing, which is often a challenge for authors.  What works for you?

Who know what works if you’re talking about how any attempt to market translates into sales.  My favorite marketing/promotion approach is doing programs at libraries or to interested groups.  The internet social interaction sites are not so much fun for me, but I understand my presence there is important.  Just how it works and if it works, I’m not sure, nor, I’m convinced, is anyone else.  I’ve read about a number of roaring success stories, but I’m skeptical they can be repeated with the same degree of success.  Promotional strategies can be quite time sensitive.  An author can miss the curve, e.g., my book for 99 cents last year might have more impact than the book priced at 99 cents this year.

11.    Oh, how true.  We do the best we can, though.  I’d love to hear about where you live.  How does your home setting inspire your writing?

Did you know I own a cottage on a trout stream?  A Civil War veteran built the house in 1874, and we are convinced a ghost inhabits it, name of Fred.  He has become my literary muse.  He has a wicked sense of humor, loves to play pranks, and just when I think I understand him, he surprises me.  My micro brewing series is set in this same valley.  Setting is important to me.  I use it as another character.  For example, it’s difficult for me to imagine my micro brewing mystery taking place anywhere other than in the Butternut Valley.  

In Dumpster Dying, set in rural Florida in a town similar to that where I live part of the year, Emily is also a winter visitor, and this status and her interaction with the natives are what fuel much of the plot line.  I even believe the alligator who swims down my canal is my Florida muse.  His name is George, and he’s only got three legs.  He’s disadvantaged in the world of large predators, but he seems to be thriving, probably because he’s been eating off the canal’s banquet table—birds and smaller gators.  Alligators are the thugs of Florida wildlife, but their presence in my writing gives it an edge that is juxtaposed against the humor in the book.

I love the places I live, and I think the affection I have for my disparate worlds shows in my writing.  I hope so.

12.    I agree, Lesley, and the concept of settings as characters also intrigues me…so do animals as characters.  Do you have any pets?  If so, can you tell us about them?

We have two very spoiled cats.  I suppose anyone who is owned by a cat can say that, so our cats are just the usual pampered felines.  We rescued them from a campground in Key Largo.  Since they both are grey, we refer to them by their special pedigree, “Keys Grays.”  They are not grateful to be rescued and often threaten us with finding new, better parents.  We try to ignore this kind of emotional blackmail by informing them that no one else would want them.  They are unmoved by our attempts to frighten them into being better owners.  Help!  I think we’re being held hostage by cats far smarter than we are.  Cat lovers will find all of this boring and familiar.

http://lesleydiehl.com
http://anotherdraught.blogspot.com

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Thanks for joining us today, Lesley!   I’m still chuckling as I picture your cats holding you hostage.   I can actually visualize that scenario in one of your stories.   I can’t wait to read the next one.