No Substitute for Money!

Carolyn J. Rose is the author of several novels, including Hemlock Lake, Through a Yellow Wood, An Uncertain Refuge, Sea of Regret, A Place of Forgetting, No Substitute for Murder and No Substitute for Money. She penned a young-adult fantasy, Drum Warrior, with her husband, Mike Nettleton.

She grew up in New York's Catskill Mountains, graduated from the University of Arizona, logged two years in Arkansas with Volunteers in Service to America, and spent 25 years as a television news researcher, writer, producer, and assignment editor in Arkansas, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. She founded the Vancouver Writers' Mixers and is an active supporter of her local bookstore, Cover to Cover. Her interests are reading, gardening, and not cooking.

Where do you live, and how has your environment affected your writing?

 I’ve lived in Vancouver, Washington for the past 13 years. The area reminds me a lot of the Catskill Mountains where I grew up. At least the low mountains do—the Catskills don’t have towering volcanic peaks or the rounded domes of dozing volcanoes like Mount St. Helens which I can see from my bedroom window when the leaves are off the trees. Growing up in the mountains in the 1950s imprinted the “small-town experience” on me and I’ve drawn on that in writing Hemlock Lake, Through a Yellow Wood, and A Place of Forgetting. Living and working in the growing city of Vancouver and subbing in high school here definitely influenced my cozies, No Substitute for Murder and No Substitute for Money.

How many books have you written?

15. Many are now out of print. Some will soon be revised and re-released.

Give a short synop of your most recently published book.

Substitute teacher Barbara Reed knows better than to say the word “perfect.” Using the P-word is a sure way to jinx romance, finance, and circumstance.

Despite a chronic shortage of funds, things are looking up for Barb after the events of NO SUBSTITUTE FOR MURDER. She’s completing grad school and hoping for a job at Captain Meriwether High School in Reckless River, Washington. Her drug-cop boyfriend, Dave Martin, wants to move in and his daughter is all in favor. Even Barb’s tiny dog Cheese Puff has no objections—undaunted by size, he’s infatuated with Dave’s partner Lola, a drug-sniffing Golden Retriever.

Then Dave uses the P-word. And Barb’s luck leaves town.

Her car breaks down, her domineering sister comes for a visit, the condo manager plots to ban dogs, her jailed ex-husband begs her to be a character witness at his trial, a computer hacker creates chaos at the high school, and a hulking thug threatens violence.

Just when it appears things can’t get worse, Lola sniffs out a package in her car and a drug dealer decides Barb and Cheese Puff are his tickets out of trouble.

 

Do your characters take on a life of their own? If so, which is your favorite?

They do. Often I wake up at night having dreamed about them and what they “intend to do” in the next few chapters. Characters in Through a Yellow Wood told me they were getting sick and tired of a couple of difficult characters. They assured me they knew I put those folks there to create conflict, but they felt it was time I found other ways to stir things up in the community of Hemlock Lake. I took their advice and killed one character off and arranged for the other to leave town.

Do you travel to do research or for inspiration? Can you share some special places with us?

Most of my travel now is through recollection of places I’ve been in the past—the Catskill Mountains and the Oregon Coast. I’m always inspired when I return to the place I grew and walk those overgrown paths into the woods. And I’m always moved by the crash and thrash of the Pacific Ocean which is just a two-hour drive from where I live now.

What do you think is the greatest lesson you’ve learned about writing so far? What advice can you give new writers?

Not every book is for every reader. Make up your mind before your book is published that you’ll get some one-star and two-star reviews no matter how engaging your characters are or how tight and original the plotting may be. Get mad about that, kick some furniture, punch out a pillow, then face up to reality and get back to writing. Write to tell stories and give your characters life. Write because that’s what you want to do more than anything else. Later, go back to those reviews and read them carefully to see if they contain anything that can help you hone your craft. You might be surprised.

Where do you store ideas for later use: in your head, in a notebook, or on a spreadsheet?

Without my pack of index cards and the calendars I use to keep track of plot progression, I’d still be working on my first novel.

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

I’m terrible at this. I blog and participate in some groups. I should do a bunch more but I keep breaking the promises I make to myself to do that. The messages I received as a child were, “Don’t talk about yourself, don’t be pushy, let others go first.” With that baggage, it’s hard to promote myself.

Can you tell us your future writing goals/projects?

Those Hemlock Lake characters want me to write a third book and I intend to start on that project this summer. But I may have to write a third substitute book first. We’ll see what happens when I clean up my office and get settled at the computer.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

My website:  www.deadlyduomysteries.com

Amazon Author Page. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003515CZ4

Are your books available in print and ebook formats? (please provide the buy link for easy reader accessibility)

Most of them are available in both formats.

Darden North's Wiggle Room

Dr. Darden North has written another novel. It’s my please to have him join us this morning.

A practicing, board-certified physician in obstetrics and gynecology, Darden North writes mysteries and thrillers. His three published novels have received national awards, most notably Points of Origin in Southern Fiction by the 2007 IPPY Book Awards. The screenplay adaptation of third novel Fresh Frozen is in film development by Frank Vitolo and Scott Alvaraz. North lives with his wife Sally in Jackson, Mississippi. They have two children and two dogs.

Darden, it's great to have you back on the blog. Congratulations on the screen play adaptation and on the new release, Wiggle Room, published by Sartoris Literary Group in print and ebook in early June 2013.

Thank you, Susan.

Before we get into your new book, please tell us how you balance a successful medical career with a successful writing career.

I am fortunate to practice in a large single-specialty ob/gyn group, so I have flexibility in scheduling vacations and other trips out-of-town (including book signings.) I have not slowed my medical and surgical practice, and the time not spent working or being with family and friends is spent writing, working in the yard, and walking for exercise. I guess if I had been gifted in golf, tennis, or mountain climbing, things might be different … maybe I would have written only two novels.

I’ve read your novels and I know writing is in your blood.

Please provide a brief synopsis of Wiggle Room.

Dr. Brad Cummins saves a man’s life. Now that man wants him dead.
Serving as an Air Force surgeon at the height of the Iraq War, Major Brad Cummins fails to save an injured soldier yet must mend the Iraqi national maimed in the same IED blast. Still blaming himself for losing the soldier after successful surgery, Brad is haunted by the words of the Iraqi: Maybe you should rethink what you really are.

After returning from deployment to home in Mississippi, Brad soon discovers his twin brother shot to death in a suspected robbery. He cannot forget the anonymous text I will give you a little wiggle room and suspects that he was the intended target.

Not only does Brad’s new surgical partner Diana Bratton rescue him during repeated attacks on his life, the heroine pushes for answers. Diana wonders if more than one killer is still tracking Brad, someone who may have also murdered the young soldier in Iraq.

Sounds intriguing, Darden.

Give us a little background into why you chose to tell a story about an Air Force surgeon in Iraq.

About the time that I was looking for an idea for book #4, a reader at a book signing in Louisiana seemed intrigued that I was both a physician and author of fiction. His physician son had recently returned from overseas military service, emotionally troubled over requirements to treat unfriendly nationals at our military bases hospitals alongside injured US servicepersons. Simultaneously, my son was in medical school and studying under a trauma surgeon who had recently served in Balad, Iraq.
Everything seemed to fall in place as my imagination reached beyond my comfort zone since I have never served in the military. Many of the sub-plots in the novel required a lot of research as well including the murder scenes (i.e., bullet trajectories, blood splatter patterns, masking intentional hospital deaths, etc. – concepts that would not come naturally to a kind-hearted, conscientious physician.)

I really like Diana Bratton. Quite a feisty lady :-) Is she based on a real life person or did you create her in full?

I like that phrase “create her in full.” Diana Bratton is my first true female protagonist although all my novels have women characters. (An editor once said that I do women well.) Diana is an amalgam, a portrayal of someone abused by a spouse when a young mother and resident in surgical training who then looks beyond her professional career for fulfillment. In other words, through her attempt to reinvent herself as a desirable woman while being a top-notch surgeon, she becomes sexually involved with Brad Cummins. It is not really love that spurs her to protect Cummins and find his attacker, but frustration over a man who becomes complacent to danger. She makes herself beautiful, more feminine, yet becomes more resilient and confident. This makes her even more dynamic.

I think both my female and male readers will be drawn to Diana Bratton. I plan to make her a major player in novel 6 as well.

Daren, how do you develop your characters?

Characterization may be the main reason I write. At least that aspect of this journey is the most fun for me. Developing a character involves weaving in a combination of traits, mannerisms, and mentality that I might both cherish and abhor. A thriller is all about watching a character squirm in a situation while another one delights in the same circumstances. It was tough for me to kill off a couple of characters in Wiggle Room because that ended the prospect of a sequel or series including those guys …or did it?

The names given to the major characters in Wiggle Room were derived from names chosen by patrons at charity events or fund-raisers for non-profit organizations both in Mississippi and elsewhere. The character assigned to each was the author’s choice. While the characters in the novel in no way resemble the real people who happen to bear the same names, I cannot imagine having used any other name for the individual characters.

I think of all the characters in my novels as a mixture of people I know well or have met casually or would like to meet or avoid. That is what is fascinating about writing. You can transform a nice person into someone even nicer (almost to the point of absurdity) while gaining great satisfaction in tormenting a character who deserves it. One of my editors summed this up well when commenting that he really “liked” one of the darkest characters in Wiggle Room, almost to the point of regretting the guy’s circumstances as the plot unfolds.

What challenges did you encounter while writing your latest book?

A challenge for any writer is balancing the time demands of life and work (the “day job”) while reaching beyond his familiarity with a subject -- again, leaving the comfort zone.

How many books have you written?

I have written three other novels, all available in print and ebook: House Call, Points of Origin, and Fresh Frozen.

And I can tell folks that they're all great books.

Can you tell us about future projects? Events?

As mentioned in my bio, Amy Taylor’s screenplay adaptation of my third novel Fresh Frozen is in film development by producer Frank Vitolo and director Scott Alvaraz. Plans are to film Mississippi. Upcoming book signings include the annual Mississippi Picnic in Central Park in New York on June 8, 2013, and Lemuria Book store in Jackson with the Sartoris Literary Group in July.

Where can readers get more information about you and your books?

Check out my website www.dardennorth.com for blog updates and a growing list of upcoming book signings as well as online links to purchase. Readers can contact me at darden@dardennorth.com and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, AuthorsDen, and You-Tube.

Thanks for dropping by, Darden, and continued success with both your practice and your writing.

I appreciate your having me over, Susan. I wish you success with your novels as well.

Tip of the Iceberg

DC Lozeau hails from northern New England where he resided until 2004. He relocated to Richmond, VA, where he now lives with his wife and their three cats. He only started his writing career three years ago and has already written his first novel, Tip of the Iceberg. It was published and released in Jan. 2013. His book is a fiction crime mystery and is set in the windy city of Chicago. DC Lozeau is currently working on his second novel, a sequel to his debut novel, titled Destiny's Fate. He is hoping to have it published later this year.

DC's also a member of James River Writers in Richmond, Va. JRW is a collection of writers, readers, playwrights and other persons whose love of the written word helps the literary community of central Virginia by connecting and aspiring writers and readers of the region.

When he is not crafting his current creation, DC can be found on his blog, "Paying It Back" at dclozeau.blogspot.com.

Welcome, DC.

Tell us more.

Thanks, Susan. I have written and published just my debut novel, Tip of the Iceberg. I am currently working on the sequel to it titled Destiny's Fate. If all goes well, I am planning on having it out by late 2013 or Spring of 2014. I am also writing a fantasy story called The Fantastic Time Book which is being published, with weekly chapters (Fridays), on thedanobrienproject.blogspot.com.

I truthfully can't say that I grew up wanting to be a writer. I can remember always loving to get writing assignments in school, as it gave me a chance to exercise my imagination and put it on paper. It wasn't until late in life, when my wife, a very avid reader, prodded me into trying to  write a book. Her knack for discovering the 'villain' in a mystery before the end of the story gave me the challenge I needed to write a novel that would leave her on the edge until the very last minute. My debut novel did just that!

Give a short synop of your book.

Tip of the Iceberg is a crime mystery that takes place in the windy city of Chicago. It involves a young man, Anthony 'Tony' Thomas, who at the age of seventeen, sees his mother killed by a drunk driver, and decides to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a Police Detective. Once he makes the ranks, he gets promoted to the Homicide Department and from day one, is thrown into some horrific mutilation murders. The story follows Tony's journey to uncover the truths about the murders, as Tony also has to deal with his innate suspensions about his new partner, Denis Logan. Tony soon finds out that as he gets closer to the truth, he is also putting the ones closest to him in jeopardy.  And as the title suggests, things don't always appear to be what they really are!

What challenges did you face while writing this book?

That's easy. In the beginning of my bio, I mentioned what an avid reader my wife is. She loves crime and forensic novels. When I finally decided to write Tip of the Iceberg, I had one goal in mind. That was to stump my wife's uncanny ability to figure out who the 'bad guy' was in the story. Keeping in mind that she reads a lot, and knows all the tricks that name-brand authors use to misguide, if you will, their readers from coming up with the villain, I really had to put my thinking cap on and come up with ways to derail her and lead her off into different directions. And I succeeded!

What do you think is the greatest lesson you've learned about writing so far? What advice can you give to new writers?

I can answer both those questions with one word, Susan. Patience! When I first started writing, I would often get frustrated trying to make the story flow in such a way as to make it exciting, but realistic. Sometimes the words just weren't there. I knew what I wanted to say or have my characters do, but just didn't know how. It wasn't until I just stopped writing, sat back and thought things through in my mind, that things came together. Sometimes you just have to 'stop and smell the roses!'

Where do you store ideas for later use: in your head, in a notebook, or on a spreadsheet?

Believe it or not, I still have a 'day job'. I've been a machinist for thirty years. In doing my normal work, I sometimes have machine times of fifteen, twenty, or even thirty minutes. That means I am just standing there, or sitting, and watching the machine do its thing. That's when I do all my thinking. I carry a small note pad in my back pocket and when an idea hits...it goes on paper. At the end of the day, I may have two dozen 3 by 5 pieces of paper in my pocket just waiting to be sorted out and put into my story.

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

For one thing, I have a traditional publisher. Tate Publishing. They have done, and continue to do, a lot of footwork as far as sending out media blurbs and making press announcements about any  upcoming events. I do my share as well, using social media and the like, and doing what we are doing right now. When you first start out as a writer, you are a virtual unknown. You have to 'make friends and influence people' to get not only the name of your novel out there, but your name as an author as well. One of the best ways to do this is to join a writer's group, as I did. Joining James River Writers in Richmond, Virginia, was the best thing I've done since getting my novel published.

Can you tell us your future writing goals/projects?

In the near future, my goal of course, is to finish my sequel. And as I mentioned earlier, I am currently writing a weekly fantasy book, The Fantastic Time Book. I am hoping to start writing as a freelance writer in the real near future. If all this becomes a reality, then maybe I can think about retirement and getting out of the work force and become a full time writer/author.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

I post almost daily on Facebook at Dave Lozeau or on my book page at DC Lozeau. I have a dedicated website for Tip of the Iceberg at www.dclozeau.tateauthor.com. I do use Twitter, but not as much. (@DCLozeau)

Are your books available in print and ebook formats?

Yes to both. They are available through BARNES & NOBLE  and amazon.com/  as well as through my website.

Thanks for the interview, Susan.

Sandra Chang's Escaped Alone

Sharon Clark Chang was raised in Richmond, Virginia, in a family whose forbears included some of Virginia’s earliest settlers as well as 19th-century immigrants who arrived on famine ships. She is a graduate of The George Washington University, with a degree in International Affairs/East Asian Studies. After an 18-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency’s Clandestine Services, she worked in advocacy for Americans of Asian descent. Still later, she formed a one-of-a-kind consultancy serving minority-owned small businesses. Together with a brace of terrierists, a relentless sense of humor, and a reputation for being incorrigible, she currently lives in a Northern Virginia city located not far from the sites of the Escaped Alone action.

Welcome, Sharon! You're my northern neighbor.

How has growing up in Virginia affected your writing?

I live in Northern Virginia—and grew up further south in Virginia.  Growing up in a Southern environment and having a healthy dose of Irishness in my genetic makeup has given me two strong storytelling influences.  Add to that the fact that coming from two conquered peoples makes for a pronounced awareness of what, for better or for worse, has been lost as time passes and one era transitions into another.

How many books have you written?

This is my first book-length work.

Give a short synop of Escaped Alone.     

The Greatest Generation made our world safe for democracy—and then sired a generation that began transforming our nation into one that was safe for diversity. Escaped Alone transports the reader to mid-20th-century Virginia—to a time when the American South was experiencing its Last Hurrah. As a society struggles to return to its prewar stability, the slower-paced mode of living for the very young remains sheltered and in many ways idyllic, allowing ample time to savor the joys of childhood. Yet accompanying this pleasant existence is a darker undercurrent of institutionalized injustice that gradually awakens one child to the ugliness of racial, religious and lifestyle discrimination within her community. Departure for college provides the opportunity to begin her search for a more tolerant mode of living. The tale of her development into one who will seize this opportunity is punctuated by abundant humor, occasional horror, the emergence from the closet of some wildly animated family skeletons, and a generous outlay of unmistakably Southern storytelling. Its entertainment value aside, Escaped Alone may well be the first in-depth chronicling of exactly how a new kind of American conscience was formed.

How much of yourself is hidden in the characters in the book?

Since the book is nonfiction/memoir and I am the narrator, there is none of myself that’s hidden in it. My characters don’t take on lives of their own.  Their lives are depicted as they are (or, in some cases), were.  Truth may be stranger than fiction in the case of many of the characters I present.

What challenges did you face while writing this book?

It’s perfectly fair to say that my biggest challenge was bringing myself to stop editing it and to get on with the process of finding a publisher.

Do you travel to do research or for inspiration? Can you share some special places with us?

I have mostly traveled for work or for pleasure.  The doing of research and the finding of inspiration are incidental aspects of travel for me.  In terms of travel during my developmental years, some several special places (one of which is depicted in the opening scene) are shared within Escaped Alone—which, among other things, is a book that evokes a very strong sense of place and of drawing the reader into certain scenes in a very vivid and intimate way.

What do you think is the greatest lesson you’ve learned about writing so far? What advice can you give new writers?

The greatest lesson I’ve learned about writing so far is to make the writing as beautiful as the story is compelling.  Very often when I write, I apply two criteria to any given sentence.  The first is “Does it read well on the page?”  The second is “Would it sound equally good, or even better, if read aloud?”  If the answer to both questions is an unqualified “Yes,” I know that I’ve achieved the effect I’m seeking. 

To new writers, I’d say that letting your creativity have full rein requires that you first know and observe the basics: spelling, grammar, usage, sentence structure, etc.  Unless you’re willing to attract only readers who are themselves too lackadaisical to be distracted by errors in a published work, the devil definitely is in the details.

Where do you store ideas for later use: in your head, in a notebook, or on a spreadsheet?

Sometimes in my head, sometimes in a notebook.  Never on a spreadsheet.

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

Friends, family, neighbors, word-of-mouth from those who’ve already read the book, publisher, signings and other appearances, Facebook Author Page, web site.  At the moment I’m working on sewing the title of my book in mother-of-pearl buttons on the back of my jean jacket for a bit of a springtime/rock star effect.  Will be interested to see how that works.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

http://escapedalone.tateauthor.com/book/escaped-alone/

Are your books available in print and ebook formats?

Yes.  The buy link can be found to the right on my web site:

http://escapedalone.tateauthor.com/book/escaped-alone/     

Sonnet O'Dell's Deadly Sin

Well, perhaps I should explain that Sonnet hasn't commited a deadly sin. LOL. She's the author of Deadly Sin. Sonnet was born at the John Radcliffe in Oxford and spent the first six years of her life living in the town of Abingdon close to both her grandparents and most of the rest of her family.

She moved after that to Cornwall for three years and then to Devon for another three before moving to where she has lived for the last fourteen or so years.

Sonnet now lives in Worcester, Worcestershire, famous for Lea & Perrin’s Sauce and as the site for the last battle of the Civil War. Sonnet has had a passion for the written word from a very young age and enjoys nothing more than to read a good book. The worlds created by words.    

Welcome to the blog, Sonnet.

Thank you very much.

So you live in Worcester in England. How has your environment affected your writing?

I can say it’s affected my writing quite a lot. When I was trying to write as a teen I would often get told that the story wasn’t believable because you could tell I didn’t know the places I was writing about. I was told: "write what you know". This philosophy is what let me to base my series here, in places I know, go to or see all the time.

Good advice.

How many books have you written?

In May my tenth book comes out, but it’s actually the sixth in my series – The Cassandra Farbanks Novels. Deadly Sin continues to follow Cassandra as she learns where her powers come from, to what extent they go and more about who her family are.

How much of yourself is hidden in the characters in the book?

I don’t know how much of me is in them but there has to be a little bit of me in all of them. You can govern certain situations, especially with main characters, by how you would react or apply the opposite. I like to think some of them have me sense of humour.

Do you travel to do research or for inspiration? Can you share some special places with us?

I recently went to Venice during Carnivale in order to do research for one of the Cassandra books. I needed to know what places looked like, felt like, smelt like. How I felt contemplating architecture, food and the people. I want people to feel like they are there when I write about it later.

Where do you store ideas for later use: in your head, in a notebook, or on a spreadsheet?

I have a ring binder folder, I tend to write my ideas out of whatever scrap of paper happens to be lying around. I put them into this folder to keep them safe encase I ever get time to pursue them further. I also use the memo app on my phone.

Can you tell us your future writing goals/projects?

I’m in the middle of writing book seven in the Cassandra series, I have a couple of romance novella’s on the go and I’m working on a horror that I hope to finish soon so I can submit it to my publisher to get on the schedule just after Halloween.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

I’m all over the place. I’m on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sonnet-ODell-Author-Page/127559694006921

I have my own blog: http://sonnetodelldustypages.blogspot.co.uk and my own website: www.sonnetodell.com

Are your books available in print and ebook formats? 

My book are available in pretty much all major formats, kindle, paperback, nook. They are available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/175-9815822-5718458?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Sonnet%20O%27Dell

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Sonnet-O-Dell?store=allproducts&keyword=Sonnet+O%27Dell

and direct from my publisher at www.eternalpress.biz

Such a pleasure to meet you, Sonnet. I thank you for coming and inviting me over to your blog as well. Continued success in all endeavors!

Death Legacy

Multiple award-winning author Jacqueline Seewald has taught creative, expository and technical writing at the university level as well as high school English. She also worked as an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Twelve of her books of fiction have been published, including books for adults, teens and children. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications. She enjoys spending time with family and friends when she isn’t writing. In addition, she is a playwright, a landscape artist and loves many types of music most particularly blue grass. Somehow she manages to support so many other authors and their blogs. I'm lucky to have her as a cyber-friend and colleague. 

Welcome back to the blog, Jacquie. Please tell us more about yourself.
Where do you live, and how has your environment affected your writing?

I’m a Jersey girl, born and bred. I’ve lived my entire life in the state.

Most, but not all of my books, take place in NJ. My Kim Reynolds librarian sleuth series takes place in my home state. My next Five Star/Gale mystery novel, THE THIRD EYE which will be published in August/September, takes place in the Pine Barrens of NJ and depends heavily on setting.

How many books have you written?

I’ve written twenty books, twelve of which have been published so far. At this time, I have the fourth Kim Reynolds mystery under submission as well as a brand new mystery.

Give a short synop of your most recently published book.   

My most recently published novel is DEATH LEGACY which is a romantic suspense mystery thriller published by Five Star/Gale in hardcover and Thorndike Press in large print hardcover. Since the novels are expensive, I encourage readers to request the novel at their local library. Here’s a brief synopsis:

DEATH LEGACY features an Englishwoman, Michelle Hallam, whose deceased uncle, a former British intelligence agent, operated a "consulting firm" which she now runs. Michelle meets a young, handsome American psychiatrist on the French Riviera under mysterious circumstances. There is a strong physical attraction but Michelle remains wary of him. Daniel appears to have a friendly, warm personality, and urban wit in contrast to Michelle’s outward façade of cool cynicism. In New York, Michelle sends Dr. Reiner a patient who has asked her to look into the disappearance and/or death of the woman's husband, a CIA agent, in Washington D.C. The case involves both Michelle and Daniel in espionage, international intrigue, romance and murder, changing their lives irrevocably. The novel combines elements of suspense thriller, mystery and romance. 

It sounds wonderful, Jacquie and the cover is awesome!

How much of yourself is hidden in the characters your books?

Well, like Kim Reynolds, I’ve worked as an academic librarian, an English teacher and an educational media specialist. But I definitely have no psychic abilities, nor do I have dark family secrets. Michelle Hallam and I have nothing in common, but Daniel Reiner and Mike Gardner share some of my husband’s character traits.

Do your characters take on a life of their own? If so, which is your favorite?

Kim and her sometime boyfriend, Detective Mike Gardner, especially take on lives of their own. They are first introduced in THE INFERNO COLLECTION which Harlequin Worldwide Mystery brought out this month as an inexpensive paperback reprint.

Their relationship develops further in THE DROWNING POOL in which they investigate a new set of murder mysteries. In THE TRUTH SLEUTH, third novel in this series, their relationship undergoes some serious changes and they solve yet a new set of murder mysteries.

What do you think is the greatest lesson you’ve learned about writing so far? What advice can you give new writers?

If you really want to be a writer, you have to write and you also have to read. We learn how to be good writers from reading the works of other writers and consistently writing each day. You need to find a time to write that’s good for you. For me, it’s early morning. That’s when I’m most productive. But everyone is different.

Develop self-discipline. Write, put work away, come back to it at a later time, and put on your editor’s hat. Above all, do not give up! Be pit bull persistent. Don’t let rejections deter you. We all get them! Keep at it. Keep improving at your chosen craft.

Wonderful advice, indeed.

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

I’m not that great at promoting my work but I hope to reach as many readers as possible. Being published by Harlequin Worldwide Mystery will be helpful I believe since the novels are in print and very inexpensive. I also like being published in e-book formats.

Online I blog when I have time. Once a month I do a blog for Author Expressions which I enjoy. I appreciate your help, Susan, in reaching more of an audience.

Can you tell us your future writing goals/projects? 

I would like to see more of my novels published. That, of course, is not up to me. I want to continue the Kim Reynolds mystery series, for instance. I enjoy writing romance fiction as well, and all of my mystery novels have elements of romance in them.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?    

 

I’m working on putting up a new website as we speak.  But I have a web page on the L&L Dreamspell site:

http://www.lldreamspell.com/JacquelineSeewald.htm

Many of my novels and short stories have been published by L&L Dreamspell.

Are your books available in print and ebook formats?

Quite a few of my novels are available both in print and as e-books:

The newest listing is from Harlequin Worldwide Mystery:

http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=2189

Amazon listing:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jacqueline+seewald

B&N listing:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/seewald-jacqueline?store=allproducts&keyword=seewald,+jacqueline

It's always a pleasure to have you on the blog and I'll be picking up this book right away. Continued success, Jacquie!