I'm interviewed on my own blog! Ha!

(Good morning, everyone. I'm reposting a unique interview from 2011. I invited David Fingerman back over to talk about his new book, but as you will see, David turned the table on me. I hope you enjoy the conversation.)

I am honored to be making my third appearance on Susan Whitfield’s blog. Other than the release of my new mystery, Playing the Hand She’s Dealt, the amazing and fantastic sequel to the equally amazing and fantastic Silent Kill, my life hasn’t change all that much since my last interview here. So, for something a little different I thought it might be fun to turn the table on Susan and interview her.  Happily (for me), she agreed.

And as you can tell, David is sooooo modest. LOL.

Susan, welcome. First off, how does it feel being the interviewee instead of the interviewer on your own blog?

LOL. Well, David, I’ve been interviewed quite a few times but not on my OWN blog. I’m honored that you’re interested.

I'd be willing to bet a lot of people are interested.
When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer, and then a mystery novelist?

I’ve been writing since about third grade, so it’s pretty much been a lifelong dream. However, I didn’t really get serious about it until I was retiring from a high school principalship. They say write what you read, and I truly love a good mystery. I tried to write a steamy novel, but I blushed so much I just couldn’t go through with it.

What’s a typical day for Susan Whitfield?

Normally I grab a huge cup of joe (some people refer to my cup as a planter) and start writing. Unfortunately, right now I have to dress and go to physical therapy in the mornings because I tore me Achilles tendon, power-walking between writing sessions to get into better shape. That’s thrown my routine off and now I’m writing sporadically in the afternoons. So my routine is quite atypical right now.

Ouch! Here's wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thank you. I'm wearing an ugly heavy boot and my husband calls me a platypuss:-( 

LOL, brave man.

You’ve completed four Logan Hunter novels thus far.  How do you keep Logan Hunter fresh and exciting?

I have to remember to let her age and change over the course of the novels. She was inexperienced in Genesis Beach as an intern at the Genesis Beach Police Department, and then once she was an official North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent in Just North of Luck, she tackled (quite literally) a serial killer in our beautiful Appalachian Mountains, got herself into all kinds of jams in Hell Swamp, and had truly life-changing experiences in Sin Creek.

In each book, she matured a little more, changed from heavy dark eye glasses to contacts, and married another agent. (I use internal thoughts in my first-person novels so readers can get inside Logan’s head and emotions.) Sin Creek was difficult to write because there’s so much raw emotion in it. Punch Street, the fifth novel in the Logan Hunter series, is about seven pages at this point. I’m currently writing a non-series novel, entitled The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood, about lifelong friendship.

We'll get more into the Goose Parade in a couple minutes.
How are you and Logan Hunter similar/dissimilar?

Boy, that’s a loaded question.

I try.

First of all Logan is over six feet tall, blond, and toothpick thin. I, on the other hand, am 5’6” and shrinking, have salt and pepper hair, and am not a toothpick. I have to admit there is a lot of me in Logan. I believe in saying what I mean and meaning what I say. I believe in doing what’s right even when it’s not popular. I like bending rules as much as Logan does, but I seldom break them completely unless there’s no other choice. She’s more adventurous than I am; I write adventures but you won’t find me sky-diving…unless I develop more courage or dementia as I age.

Well, let's keep a happy thought.
Changing gears for a moment, please tell us the history and thought processes behind the cookbook, Killer Recipes.

Ah, good question. I met a lady here in North Carolina who came to an event just to meet me. She’d written a cookbook and I bought one. Later, as we kept in touch, she told me how good sales were, and she was considering another cookbook. I started to think about that and all the wonderful recipes I have. Since I had a fairly large audience of writer friends from networking, I asked if folks would consider donating recipes for the cookbook in exchange for promotion at the bottom of each one.

I decided that all proceeds from this book would be donated to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in honor of my grandson, a cancer survivor. I didn’t think it would be right for me to pocket proceeds since the book  couldn’t happen without the support of other writers. Authors all over the country responded in an overwhelming way, and Killer Recipes has become a unique cookbook we can all be proud of. My publisher, L&L Dreamspell, liked the idea so much that they didn’t give me a chance to query, and they donate all of THEIR profits for this particular book as well. Good folks, indeed.

Indeed they are ~ and a great cause! And what a great holiday gift (hint hint).

Yes, giving this book is giving twice. You can order all of my books through my site, www.susanwhitfieldonline.com or www.amazon.com and other online stores. They're all available in print or digital formats. I love having the cookbook on my Kindle.

On a very serious and scary note, and I’m sure it’s a nightmare of anyone who has reached any level of celebrity status, but I seem to recall you were harassed by a stalker some time back. I certainly won’t ask details, but what would you advise your fellow authors to do if ever in a similar situation?

Your memory is still sharp, David. While the person never came to my house and never called my house, she showed up at several of my signings and tried to discourage people from buying books. I really think it backfired, though, because it 's obvious that she is unstable. She wrote a personal attack on Facebook about me, and posted a terrible review on Amazon about what a bad writer I am. The post was up 3 weeks before I knew about it. I contacted Amazon.com and told them about the woman, our past, and the Facebook comment. They removed the review immediately. The scariest part was that the following weekend, I had a signing back in my home county, and she’d messaged me that she was going to go. I “unfriend” her, and contacted a deputy who worked with me when I was a principal. He arranged for a deputy to ride by the bookstore every few minutes during the hours I was there. She never showed. I guess she was playing with my head.

I’m not sure what I’d advise someone else. My situation was strange and it really wasn’t about writing at all. I’ve never had another experience like that and hope I never do again. However, after that lengthy answer, I will also tell you and readers to whatever you have to do to keep yourself safe. There are plenty of nuts out there.

That had to have been not only scary, but very frustrating and time consuming as well. I'm glad it's long behind you.

Thank you , David. I hope it’s over.

I see on your website that Punch Street is due out in 2012. Would you mind giving us a sneak peek into that novel?

Punch Street (working title) is the next Logan Hunter novel, dealing with bullying, a major issue that’s been around since the beginning of time but seems to be in the news so much more since Internet and texting arrived. Logan and another agent go undercover in a school to get to the bottom of a student’s death. Remember, not all bullies are children. They come in every size and package.

Not only an excellent sounding  plot - but very timely.

I also noticed that you’re working on a stand-alone book, The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood. Would you be willing to share any secrets on what that is about?

Writing this stand-alone has been a hoot, for sure. It’s about lifelong friends who’re now going through menopause, marital problems, and health problems. Their friendship endures even through misfortune and conflict. The title comes from the fact that they live near a pond that is overcrowded with geese, only one of many conflicts that arise.

I can already sense the fun you're having writing this. That's always a good sign that it will be an equally fun book.

What else does the future hold for Susan Whitfield?

My first goal is to get well and back to full-blown writing here shortly, complete Goose Parade and Punch Street, and dig into all the research I’ve gathered about my ancestor, a Knight of the Bath. I hope to write an historical novel about him, son-in-law of King Henry I.

It certainly sounds like you're keeping your writing plate full.

I have to stay busy. I don’t idle well.

Susan, thank you for being such a good sport and letting me turn the tables on you. I hope you had fun being on the other side of your blog.

I certainly did, David. That was a great idea and I appreciate your support. I also wish you tremendous success with your new book.

Thank you. As mentioned above, Playing the Hand She's Dealt is the sequel to Silent Kill. In Silent Kill, Louise Miller was after a psycho-killer. In Playing the Hand, someone is after Louise. Not only does he want her dead, but he first wants to destroy her piece by piece. A great mystery if I do say so myself.

I can’t wait to read it. BTW, as I repost this interview, I'm walking a mile every day and not limping. It feels good to be back. Hugs!   

NOTE: Since this post first "aired", I have completed the Logan Hunter Mystery series with Sticking Point, created my own publishing company, and re-published my cook book, Killer Recipes, now under the Studebaker Press logo.

Are you a good juggler?

As I sit here working on a panel topic (Marketing) for the Cape Fear Crime Festival this weekend, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to write, keep up with two blogs of my own, visit other blogs, arrange signings and conferences, update my web site, and....oh, yes! My family needs some attention as well. I'm curious about how you guys juggle the list of things we're all told we need to do each day, or at least every few days. Leave comments in the link below and someone will win a free copy of Just North of Luck, the second Logan Hunter Mystery.

Kindle versions can save you big bucks

Even though my books are in print, they are also available in digital versions for those of you who love to read but balk at paying the price of print. To make it easy for you,  here's the link to Genesis Beach, the first book in the Logan Hunter series. And the price has dropped, which I'm glad to see.

I'd love to know what you readers and followers prefer. Do you only read print? Do you prefer digital so that you can enlarge the print to suit your needs? Do you like the prices? Please feel free to leave comments in the section below. Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Beach-Hunter-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0052PJQAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327243802&sr=1-1

I'll get you, my pretty!

Let's continue our discussion about writing a strong plot, thanks to the Writers Digest article in the previous post. Today's topic: REVENGE.

Right away, we have to make certain that our protagonist is likeable and sympathetic or readers simply won't care about the character or what s/he is trying to accomplish. Most of the time, our protagonist is innocent of any wrongdoing. Afterall, we want to write about nice folks, don't we? So, whatever is wrong wasn't his fault.

But what if your main character is a villain, or you decide to write your book (or portions of it) from the villain's point of view, as I did in Just North of Luck? This worked well for me because I wanted to show readers that even though this man was mean and cold-hearted killer, he was horrendously abused as a child. I had to grab some sympathy from readers so they understood why this man, a highly intelligent and talented man, came unglued and took out all the crap Life dealt him on innocent people in a close-knit community. His methodical plan for revenge ended in his demise, of course, at the hands of my protagonist, but the point is REVENGE drove the plot from his perspective.

Have you ever written from a villain's point-of-view, or had a protagonist who got caught up in revenge rather than justice? Please comment for a chance to win a free copy of Just North of Luck.

Series and Non-series books

It's been quite a while since I posted anything about my own work. I've been interviewing and showcasing others. But this morning, I thought I'd post about my own series and the current project, a non-series book. When I wrote my first book, I ran into the same problem so many of us face:  plenty of rejections. After months of trying to write the sequel and getting nowhere with the first novel, Genesis Beach, I self-published. I had a fairly good experience with it until I tried to get the book into chain stores and got the cold shoulder at every turn. To shorten the story, I was thrilled when L&;L Dreamspell, a small Houston-based publisher, signed me. They picked up Genesis Beach, much to my delight, and gave me the opportunity to rewrite and strengthen sections of the book. They also created a cover with major impact. There are currently four novels in the Logan Hunter Mystery series.

Genesis Beach is set along the North Carolina Crystal Coast with a quirky and gutsy young female SBI (state bureau of investigation) agent. The second novel, Just North of Luck, is set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and showcases Madison County and Asheville. I really upped the ante in this one by having a serial killer and getting into his brain or rather having him in mine. It truly was a scary time for me since I carried this character around in my head for months. I was relieved to finish the book and have him move out of my space. In this book, Logan meets Chase Railey, a Madison County detective who works with her on the multiple murders, all gruesome and not fitting a serial killer mold.


In Hell Swamp, Logan thinks she can take a few days off, her supervisor assigns her to investigate a murder at Black River Plantation, four miles from where she spent her childhood. She heads to Pender County begrudingly and confronts a sheriff and deputies who failed to contain the crime scene, creating a nightmare for Logan. As she begins to question deer hunters in the area, she learns that the victim had many enemies and nobody is stepping forward to help her find the murderer.  When she eventually finds the killer, she and the entire rural community are shocked beyond belief at the circumstances that led to murder.
Chase comes in to help her with this case, but a misunderstanding leads to a strained relationship. When the couple are trapped and nearly fried by an arsonist's forest fire, they vow to work things out if they survive. By the end of the book, Chase proposes. He is sworn into the SBI.

As Logan leaves her bridal shower in the fourth novel, Sin Creek, she is paged to a local university campus where the body of a young student has been discovered. Even though she and Chase make it down the aisle, they are often assigned different cases across the state, and Chase's terminally ill mother dies in Asheville, sending him home to handle the arrangements and leaving Logan to work with an obnoxious agent sent in to help. Logan and Farris McCracken (Crack) don't get along. The tension is deafening and distracting, but the investigation moves along...right into the pornography industry. Logan is incredibly uncomfortable about having to follow Tit (Thomas Irving Trollinger)who appears to be the porn king. She ends up on a ferry dressed as a bar maid and discovers that Crack is also onboard. When she has to make a hasty retreat in a lifeboat, Crack jumps in and drives her 4-inch heel through the raft, causing it to spring a leak. They end up swimming to a small island in the middle of the Cape Fear River, hoping the river alligators don't notice them. Logan is relieved when Chase returns to help, but she has no idea how her life will change before the investigation is over.

All of the Logan Hunter books are set in North Carolina, where I've hung out all my life. There's so much beauty here, so many dialects and personalities. I love this state!

I'm in the planning stages of the fifth Logan Hunter Mystery, tentatively entitled Punch Street. But I have been working on a non-series novel about lifelong friends, Mackie Sue Beanblosson and Daisy Marie Hazelhurst, in their sixties, going through hot flashes, weight gain, marital problems, and trying to hold down jobs. You know, a day in the life sort of thing.  The book is entitled The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood. It's entirely different from the Logan Hunter series, but I am having fun with it. I hope to have it ready for publication in 1212, but I really need to get busy.

Video trailers for Just North of Luck, Hell Swamp, and Sin Creek are over at Youtube.com  All books are available in print and ebook from the publisher, online stores, or through my site, www.susanwhitfieldonline.com  I hope I've whet your appetite. Leave a comment for a chance to win the book of your choice!

A Surprise from Maggie Bishop

Fellow author and friend Maggie Bishop sent me this wonderful picture of her sitting by the fire with a copy of Just North of Luck. How wonderful! Maggie and I haven't met in person even though we both attended East Carolina University and both write mysteries. We hope to meet soon. Maggie, may you have a glorious Christmas and an outstanding New Year!

Caitlyn Hunter's Storm Shadows

It's always a treat to interview a North Carolina writer, this week, Caitlyn Hunter.

Welcome. Tell us a little about yourself, Caitlyn.


I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina with my husband and our two dogs, Des and Fletch. I write mostly romance, paranormal to contemporary, sensual to sweet, novels to short stories. I’m part Cherokee and all of my paranormal romances are based on one or more of the legends of my ancestors. When I’m not writing, I like to garden, can, quilt and like all writers, I’m an avid reader.

Tell us about Storm Shadows.

Storm Shadows is the second book in my Eternal Shadows series. The hero, Marcus, like his three brothers, was cursed hundreds of years ago by the Shamans for shirking their responsibilities to their tribe. As a result of the curse, they’re shape-shifters, have various psychic abilities, and they’re immortal—or so they think until Marc starts doing some research into Cherokee legends and beliefs.
Marc’s been having visions for a number of years that involve a woman. Because of the outcome of those visions, when the woman shows up on his mountain, he’s caught up in a fight or flight scenario. Should he let her into his life and risk the possibility of his visions coming true or stay as far away from her as he possibly can?
Betty Sue considers herself the ultimate plain Jane. She’s klutzy, shy, and woefully lacking in self-confidence. When her friend Nathan, Marc’s brother, offers her the opportunity to stay in his cabin on Eternity Mountain she jumps at the chance. After a few days exploring the mountain, she meets Marc and is instantly attracted to him. It’s obvious he’s interested in her too, but why is he doing everything possible to drive her away and what secrets hide behind the sadness she sees in his eyes?

Caitlyn, do you think your writing has improved since your first attempt? If so, in what way?

Oh definitely. My first book, which is no longer available (thank goodness!) was full of head-hopping. Of course, all the POV jumps were fixed in the editing process but I still have a tendency to head-hop. I'm getting better at staying with one character during a scene, but I still have to remind myself constantly which character’s POV I’m in while I’m writing the scene. I've even been known to stick a post-it note on my computer with the character's name on it.
I also have a tendency to tell instead of show which as you know, is a cardinal sin for writers. I blame it on the fact that I grew up listening to my dad tell stories about his childhood in the mountains of North Carolina. I still love to "hear" a good story and it doesn't bother me when an author "tells" more than "shows" but I know that's bad so I try to avoid it. It’s a tough battle—and a constant one for me!

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others? If so, why?

Oh yeah, Storm Shadows. I don’t usually use an outline for my books; instead I start writing and let the characters drive me where they want to go. But with Storm, I actually had an outline. It was rough but I knew exactly where I wanted the book to go and how it was going to get there. The heroine, unfortunately, had other ideas. The whole time I was writing the book, I tried to stick with the outline but Betty Sue did some shape-shifting of her own, turning into a scene-stealing monster and refusing to follow my directions. She took me on a wild ride, down roads I’d never considered going, leading to places I’d never imagined. We argued constantly—and yes, I carry on conversations with my characters—and she came very close to driving me crazy before I finished the book. I happy to say I got through it but I really hope the heroine in the next book doesn’t present the same challenge.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Most of my stories take place in the mountains of western North Carolina. When my husband and I decided to move back to the South after living in Maine for eight years, we settled on western NC because it’s close to our families in east Tennessee and I had spent quite a bit of time here as a child visiting my dad’s family. Eternity Mountain, where the Eternal Shadows series takes place is based on childhood memories of the mountain where my grandmother and great aunt lived.
My first book and two of my short stories, however, were written when my husband and I lived in Maine and they both take place there. I also have a couple of YA fantasies I wrote while I lived there that are set in Maine.
As you can see, environment plays an important part in my writing and recently my upbringing has come to the forefront because my sister, Christy Tillery French, and I are co-writing a book about our great aunt’s life growing up in the historical town of Hot Springs, North Carolina. We’re doing our best to incorporate all those wonderful stories we heard from our dad when we were kids.

Yes, I've visited Hot Springs many times and wrote about it in one of my novels, Just North of Luck except that I have a serial killer on the loose in that little town.
Any current projects?

I have another paranormal romance, Winds of Fate, coming out soon. This one’s based on the Native American legend of the Blowing Rock in North Carolina and also includes elements of the Cherokee beliefs on reincarnation.

As I mentioned above, my sister and I are writing a book, Whistling Woman, about our great aunt’s life. We're very close to finishing the manuscript and hope to meet in Hot Springs for several days to edit and revise before we start the submission process.

What a great place to do that. I'm envious.

I’m also working on the next book in the Eternal Shadows series, Sun Shadows, which tells the story of the third Tassel brother, Luke. And I’m about ninety-five percent finished with a novella about an older, very professional woman who gets involved with a younger man, tentatively titled Strict Policies. Also, I recently pulled out one of those YA books and am playing around with it, hoping I’ll have the nerve to submit it…someday!

Wow! You're certainly a busy lady. Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

On my website, Romancing the Legends… at http://caitlynhunter.com, or on my blog, Cait-Tales at http://caitlynhunter.wordpress.com/. I also have a page on Author’s Den, Facebook, MySpace, and various other networking sites, all of which can be found through my website. I’m one of the Dames of Dialogue, a group of women writers who can be found at http://damesofdialogue.wordpress.com/.

Caitlyn, I hope we meet in person soon. Continued success with all that you have going on.
Thanks, Susan

A weekend of remembrance

Like many of you, I attended a touching memorial to 9/11 victims and the families they left behind. I'm very patriotic and it shows. I love this country and I love my family and friends, so this weekend became a time to reminiscese about family and friends who touched my life--for many years or only a fleeting moment--and I'll never be the same.

I often bring memories into my writing, and even though I write about child abuse and killers, I actually had a wonderful wholesome childhood with two great parents who loved me and taught me about God, the Golden Rule, and a multitude of other things that have made me who I am. God created me and they molded me.

I thank God for each one of them, many no longer here, who provided unconditional love but let me spread my wings and find myself. If I'm fortunate enough to write many more books, there will be pieces of me in each one.

Can you find me?

Ahhhhh, that's part of the mystery, isn't it?

Available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats

Luck

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I am posting an excerpt from Just North Of Luck. I hope you enjoy it.


My tummy howled as I grabbed rocks and roots and worked my way to the top. I pulled out binoculars and

crouched to peer under brush and trees, spotting the copper Hummer a little farther away than I anticipated,

but at least it was in sight. Finally.

I eased myself down, working out a plan a few degrees at a time. Once I was near a small patch of

flat ground I spotted it again and ran, tripping a few yards away, right into the anal glands of a skunk.

The damn striped fur bag threw its tail in reverse and soaked me with a pungent discharge. My eyes

stung and my nostrils caved in while my mouth twisted and contorted, followed by the rest of

my body.

I pulled my Ruger to shoot the little shit but couldn*t see well enough to take aim. I couldn*t wipe off since

my clothes were saturated with revolting spew. Fumbling for keys, I unlocked the Hummer and

grabbed the emergency blanket, wiping my eyes and face first. Stink dripped from my hair.

I mopped.

I peeled off all my clothes and wrapped nakedness in the blanket, careful to toss my guns and gear in the

back as far from me as possible, leaving the sturdy camo clothing and blue lace panties beside the road.

Just North of Luck is the second novel in the Logan Hunter Mystery series. Learn more about this book and the others:

http://www.susanwhitfieldonline.com/

And may the luck of the Irish be with you!