Dead and Breakfast Anthology Interview

My guests today are Linda Houle, Betty Gordon, Cash Anthony, Gayle Wigglesworth, and Pauline Baird Jones, who have short stories published in the Dead and Breakfast anthology, published by Texas-based L&L Dreamspell.

Linda Houle is an author and the co-owner of L&L Dreamspell, a Texas-based independent publishing company. Her favorite part of the job is designing book covers. She also runs a small wildlife ranch, WESTWIND DREAMS, in the beautiful Texas Hill County.
Linda’s synopsis:

“The Legacy of Ledgemont Inn”: “While Fran is away at college she discovers she’s about to inherit the family B&B on her 21st birthday. Accompanied by her friend Justine, she returns to Ledgemont Inn hoping for a happy reunion with the father she hasn’t seen in years. The girls are in for a shock at the terrible condition of the estate and the frightening demeanor of the new staff—and then things go from bad to worse…”

Betty Gordon: Betty Gordon is a native Texan who delights in storytelling. She draws inspiration for her writing from all aspects life offers emphasizing psychological disorders of the criminal mind. While Betty uses her years in the legal arena for her mysteries that are sprinkled with romance, she also involves her extensive backgrounds in dance and sculpting for additional creations. An example of dance, “Veiled Deception,” is featured in the anthology.

Betty continues her studies with on-line workshops and conferences and memberships in The Final Twist Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Writers’ League of Texas, Houston Writers’ Guild, and Bay Area Writers League.

Betty’s synopsis:

“Dead by Breakfast, An Enchanted Rose Mystery”: When Janie Pitts restored a dilapidated house located in Texas’ Hill Country, she inherited a Casper-like ghost, Henry. Henry is mischievous and fun, but he has friends who are not so friendly. Mrs. Banish, a ghost hunter, is called in to rid the B&B of the unwelcome visitors, but she disappears a short time later. The mystery deepens when a time-worn wedding ring and button from a Civil War uniform is found in the room occupied by the ghost hunter. Did Henry, his friends, or someone else do away with Mrs. Banish?

Betty’s “Veiled Deception, Choreography of a Crime” synopsis:

Zoe Macmillan, belly dancer and owner of a bed and breakfast in the Heights area of Houston, Texas, is preparing for an international dance convention. She supplies a common area of the lodging with a Doumbek (drum) and several swords for use by her guests. The bed and breakfast is robbed—these are the only items missing. Humor, romance, suspense, and Tarot cards lead to the capture of an individual hell-bent on killing Zoe Macmillan.

Pauline Baird Jones is the award-winning author of nine novels. Her latest releases are Girl Gone Nova and Out of Time (wide digital /limited print release). She's also written a steampunk novella called Tangled in Time that will release in 2010. She's written three non-fiction books. Pauline, give us a synop of your story.

"Do Wah Diddy Die Already":  Luci Seymour is out of the murder business and in the mom/wife/B&B business. Until the morning she sees a body in the new freezer. But when she goes to call in her homicide detective husband, she sees the dead guy walk in the front door. Not dead. Not even chilly... (The characters in this story are from the novel, Do Wah Diddy Die)

Elaine ( Cash) Anthony is a Houston writer, director, and producer. She’s the author of short stories, feature-length screenplays, adaptations, B&B murder mysteries and short films. Two of her efforts may be seen on the website for her company, The Master Strategy Group, at http://msg.msgroup.org. Though she no longer practices law actively, she is an A-V rate attorney and a former judicial candidate, and she served as a prosecutor for Harris County, TX. Cash lives in south-central Houston with her husband Tim Hogan, cats Sam and Cora, and Gypsy the husky. Her business/writing partner James R. Davis often assists with her mysteries.

The story in Dead and Breakfast, "The Stand-In", is the first in my Jessie Carr series. It’s autobiographical in part, like the others, as I’ve had some fascinating weekends at B&Bs. The more recent stories in the series are based on other experiences I’ve had while touring the U.S. on my motorcycle with my business partner, James Davis, or while practicing law for over a dozen years as a trial lawyer and consumer advocate.

Two more stories in the series have been published, and a fourth, called "Yes, She Bites", is due out this fall. In addition to the Jessie Carr stories, I write and adapt feature-length screenplays and short scripts. This year I’m also honored to be serving as president of The Final Twist, our writers group.

Gayle Wigglesworth is a retired bank executive who has always wanted to be a published author, so she took an early retirement to concentrate her efforts.  She joined the writing group, The Final Twist, very close to when it was first formed and appreciated all the help she received in learning to promote books. "When we decided we needed to develop our first anthology to help more of our members to get published and to build up some income for our group, I wanted to be a part of it so I had to come up with a story.

The idea for “I Love a Parade” came from a gutsy friend, who sold her business and house, put her worldly goods in storage and traveled the world for a couple years before deciding where she wanted to put down roots for the last part of her life. The plot was developed from a memory of a parade I witnessed in a small, picturesque town where I once stopped overnight at a bed and breakfast facility. All I had to do was start thinking ‘what if?’ and suddenly the story was there.

Do you write any other genres?

Linda: Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Erotica, Mainstream, Paranormal, and Non-Fiction.

Betty: Suspense, romantic/paranormal, and thriller

Pauline: Science fiction romance, Steampunk, action-adventure, suspense, romantic suspense and comedy-mystery—sometimes all at the same time. (grin)

Cash:  I write mystery, thriller, and adventure stories, and I have a medico-legal thriller novel in the works, called “A Week of Wednesdays”. Occasionally I’ve co-written weekend “murder mystery entertainments” for B&Bs.

Gayle:  I have written and published a cookbook with family stories. However, I love traditional mysteries, reading them, and writing them, so I concentrate my writing in that genre.

What books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing?

Linda: I grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. I also enjoy Agatha Christie’s stories.

Betty: When I originally focused on writing mysteries, Robert Crais’ books were recommended and read with enthusiasm. Not long after, Murder by the Book featured Crais during an author’s lunch which continued to fuel my growth. There were others, of course, Lee Child, Jonathan Kellerman, Lisa Gardner, Lisa Jackson, and many more..

Pauline: The “book” that came along was actually a movie: "The Moonspinners" with Haley Mills as star. I noticed that it was based on a book by Mary Stewart. I looked it up and was hooked for life. When I decided to write my first novel, my goal was to be as interesting as Mary Stewart.

Cash:  My reading varies between fiction in the genres I like to write in, and non-fiction which tends to support some story idea I’m researching. Favorite fiction authors these days are Jeffrey Deaver, Michael Connelly, Lee Childs, Laurie King, Anne Perry, Thomas Perry, and John Connelly, whose novel The Black Angel is one of the finest I’ve read. I also read the daily newspaper, the Washington Post, and the New Yorker magazine.

Gayle:  When I was young I found Jane Eyre and then became a fan of the Gothic Mysteries written by Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. Although my taste in mysteries has grown and changed much since those days, I’m sure that combination of history, romance and mystery has had a major impact on my writing to this day.

What makes a good story?

Linda: Anything that evokes emotion or curiosity.

Betty: Characters that grab readers and keep their attention until the end of the story, a believable plot shadowed with clues that play fair with readers and threads itself through the story to a satisfying ending.

Pauline: For short stories it needs a tight premise, a fast hook into the story and solid ending.

Cash:  Unique characters caught in an intriguing situation fraught with increasing suspense; and terrifying villains who know their secrets. Eventually, familiar characters whom we have come to love will draw a reader’s interest, just to see what they’re up to now.

Gayle:  Mix interesting characters in a compelling plot.

Is there a different writing process for short stories than there is for novels?

Linda: Short stories don’t require as much planning as full length books.

Betty: There is no difference for me except to create a shorter trail. Since the story arc is the same, I develop all aspects of a short story tale on a diminished scale.

Pauline: I find that I need to write shorter for short stories and longer for long ones. If I could find a way to reverse this process, I could write my novels faster, but so far that’s the way it works.

Cash:  I go at a short story with much more spontaneity and less structural planning, once I get the idea. This means I usually write more than the story needs and have to delete a lot of the non-essentials once the first draft is done. There’s also much less opportunity for the characters to ruminate; who they are has to be revealed through their actions, so the plotting must be tight.

Gayle:  A short story requires the author to always be aware of the number of words used. The right words have to be selected to tell the most in the shortest amount of space. In a full length novel the author can/must segue into sub-plots during the story to develop motivation, to grow characters and to explain the complexities of the action while helping to move the story through the scenes to its conclusion. A short story doesn’t have the luxury of using that method.

How do you discipline yourself when writing?

Linda: The right story comes pouring out with no discipline required. If I feel I am forcing myself to write, then I set that project aside for a few months. Later, if it still feels forced, then it should be scrapped altogether.

Betty: I begin most days as I would any job. The great part is I don’t have to drive anywhere. I simply sit in front of the computer and hope my Muse visits. I have learned that if inspiration is elusive, I go to emails or just stop for a time—the afternoon usually becomes more productive.

Pauline: I have to promise myself stuff when I first start, but once I’m in the meat of the story, the hard part is stopping. I once typed so long that the ends of my fingers went numb. I didn’t know there are muscles in your fingers that can get sore.

Cash:  If I have a deadline coming up, I’ll get busy. ;) If I have a competition to enter, I’ll work and work to refine the project that’s going to be judged. Otherwise, I read all the time, and I make vast numbers of notes (many of which disappear into my stacks of earlier notes) that relate to my current project. It’s always in the back of my mind, even if I’m apparently ‘drifting and dreaming.’ Then I’ll write in spurts, reflect in spurts, rewrite, and try to keep going to the end.

Gayle:  I’m at the stage of my life I’m either disciplined or forget it. Two things will motivate me to write a story: a story I want to tell and a deadline I have agreed to hit. I know how to plan and use my time to meet my goals.

Have you participated in any other anthologies? If so, which ones?

Linda: Currently available from L&L Dreamspell: A Death in Texas, A Box of Texas Chocolates, The Mystery of the Green Mist, Vampire Dreamspell, Sleeping with the Undead and coming soon from L&L Dreamspell: Cats in a Dreamspell, Dreamspell Goddess, Dreamspell Revenge 2, and Erotic Dreamspell.


Betty: “Anna Rose” in A Death in Texas,“The Cowboy’s Rose” in A Box of Texas Chocolates,“Twisted Tales of Texas Landmarks” (coming soon) and two stories: “Crystals, Rainbows and Oz” and “The Great Spirit”.

Pauline: A Death in Texas, Ghostly Dreamspell, Mystery of the Green Mist, Romance of My Dreams II, and A Box of Texas Chocolates.

Cash:  Yes, in A Death in Texas and A Box of Texas Chocolates.  My next short story will appear in Twisted Tales of Texas Landmarks this fall.


When writing, what themes do you feel passionate about?

Linda: For fiction, mystery and the paranormal/unexplained. For non-fiction, metaphysical themes, especially about the nature of consciousness.

Betty: Justice for victims and/or crime and punishment, crime puzzles that move through mazes of misdirection, psychological twists and turns of romance—who wins, who loses and why.

Pauline: I like themes from movies. Both original "Star Wars" and the new one are beautiful. I really liked "Chariots of Fire", too. It’s hard to put that in a book. Maybe when the multimedia books become a reality, I’ll be able to have a really cool theme for my novels. (grin)

Cash:  I share with my heroine Jessie Carr a realistic skepticism about how well justice is served for the “little guy” who gets the shaft in a scam, as well as her desire to find creative ways to even the score. Since there are plenty of scams and schemes going down at any given time, Jessie has much to be passionate about. Animals, old people and children – anyone who’s weak and has been preyed upon without a remedy – are likely clients for her specialized skills; and those situations are likely to catch my interest.

Gayle:  Mostly I like the good guys to win. You will find that many different ways in my stories, I guess because I’m hoping that it is true.

Agatha Christie once said, “The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” When and where do you plan?

Linda: While driving.
(GULP!)

Betty: Most of my plans are either when I go to bed or when I awake in the morning. There is also that indeterminable amount of time in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep and start thinking about characters or plots. Of course, after that sleep is forgotten.

Pauline: I plan everywhere, except when I’m driving. It’s too easy to lose track of where I am. My family claims they can tell when I’m plotting. I’ll get a “you’re not putting me in a book, are you?” from them sometimes. Or my husband will say, “You just killed me again, didn’t you?” Naturally I reserve the right to remain silent. (grin)

Cash:  I plan from the moment I get an inspiration about a story until it’s written and re-written to my satisfaction. I have many formal and informal ways to make that plan work for me, but I often find I’m having a brainstorm in the shower or while I’m cooking.

Gayle:  Even better than dishes is while doing a long-distance drive. Plug the iPod into the car and as the miles pass the ideas flow. I worked out the characters and plot for "Cruisin’ for a Bruisin" driving across Arizona, and solved the plot problems in Malice in Mexico on another trip through New Mexico and West Texas. Given any challenge I only have to arrange a trip.

Gayle, this sounds wonderful. I may use this approach from now on.

Do you have other writing projects underway, ladies?

Linda: Too many to count!

Betty: I have contracts with L&L Dreamspell for two novels that I’m very excited about. More to come later.

Pauline: I’m working on a whacky, but hopefully fun, Steampunk/science fiction romance, a connected story to Girl Gone Nova and Tangled in Time. It’s tentatively titled Steamrolled. I plan to complete it by this fall if my head doesn’t explode first.

Cash:  I’m refining an adaptation of the novel, “Ninth Lord of the Night,” by Diana Driver, which will be a feature-length movie script called “The Calendar Codex.” I have two more short stories due soon for another anthology, and I have six more Jessie Carr stories in various states that I need to polish. Much to my surprise, I recently found that I’d outlined a complete novel a few years ago and tucked it away, so I plan to pull that out and see where it might go; and I’ve got three more screenplays started. It never stops!

Gayle:  I just submitted the sixth book in my Claire Gulliver Series to my publisher; it is due out in September, this year. I am working on the first adventure in the series I have started based on the character in the story in this anthology. Right now I’m calling that book Murder Most Mystifying, a Glenda at Large Mystery, but who knows what I’ll be calling it by the time it’s finished. I have the plot for the first three of this series already in my head.

Where can readers learn more about you?

Linda: www.lldreamspell.com/LindaHoule.htm

Betty: Readers can learn more about me on my website www.bettygordon.com. I am on Facebook and Twitter.

Pauline: www.perilouspauline.com (or they can call my mom.)

Cash:  They can go to my website, which is at http://msg.msgroup.org/default.aspx. There they can see two of the short films I’ve written, directed, and produced as learning tools. My background is pretty well documented there, too.

Gayle:  Check out my website: www.gaylewigglesworth.com

Ladies, it has been a great pleasure. Continued success to all of you. I'm proud to be in your company.
(For more information about Dead and Breakfast and other Dreamspell publications, go to www.lldreamspell.com)

Denise Verrico's Cara Mia

My special guest today is Cara Mia author, Denise Verrico. Welcome, Denise. Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in New Jersey, but grew up in western Pennsylvania. I started writing in High School. I wrote comedy sketches and song parodies with a friend of mine, just for fun. I majored in theater at Point Park College in Pittsburgh and moved to NYC to pursue an acting career. After I graduated from college, I started writing plays, but I didn’t get serious about writing until I was in my thirties. Around the time my son turned two and started to be a bit more independent, I felt a strong urge to do something creative again. I wrote a couple of plays and had an original one and an adaptation produced. Cara Mia developed in those years. I read a lot of Anne Rice around that time. Vampire stories have been a passion since I was a little girl and a fan of Dark Shadows on TV. After Rice killed off a favorite character of mine, I had a dream about a female vampire and this inspired my heroine, Mia.

I currently live in Ohio with my husband of twenty years and my teenaged son. We’re all roller coaster fanatics and spend a lot of summer weekends at amusement parks. Our vacations usually consist of hopping from one park to another in two or three states. When I write, I like to sit curled up on my sofa with my laptop and a couple of my seven parrots.

Tell us about Cara Mia.

Cara Mia, Book One is the prelude to the Immortyl Revolution. It’s an urban fantasy with a rather strong science fiction component. The story deals with Mia becoming a vampire and her struggle to survive as a modern woman in an ancient culture. Along the way she meets another slave, Kurt, in whom she finds a sympathetic friend and lover. She and Kurt steal the secrets of immortality from their Immortyl masters and strike the first blow for freedom for the downtrodden of their society.

Mia and Kurt’s story brings together two people who have “suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”. Both are in their sixties when they finally pair up, so this definitely isn’t a teenaged relationship. The strong bond that develops between these two characters is very important to the entire series. In Book Two, Twilight of the Gods, Kurt rises to become a charismatic rebel leader and Mia, as his consort, is forced to navigate a minefield of vampire politics.

My publisher is L&L Dreamspell, and it’s been a very positive experience to work with them.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?
Great question, Susan. My ethnic background is a very important part of my life. My Dad was a first generation, Italian-American and my Mom’s grandparents came from Germany. I love to flavor the dish with tidbits of Italian culture and phrases. Some of Cara Mia is set around Naples, where my grandmother was born. Mia is a very earthy heroine with strong passions. On the other hand, Kurt is pragmatic, methodical and logical. He likes to use the occasional curse word auf Deutsch.

My theatre background pops up a lot in my writing. You’ll find lots of theatre and art references in my work. Mia was an actress in New York in the 1950’s and Philip, her kinsman was an Elizabethan actor. Kurt is a musician. Mia is performing in Ibsen’s The Master Builder when her master Ethan first encounters her. This play is an important thematic element in the book.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

Mia is fiercely independent and smart, with a strong sense of justice. Nothing bugs her more than the strong preying on the weak, which is the way of most of her kind. She will risk her life to protect others. On the negative side, she’s cantankerous. Mia flies off the handle, makes hasty decisions and is prone to rather acerbic comments that make her prickly. Kurt brings out the best in her. He understands that her tough exterior is a protective skin and loves this complicated woman for who she is.

How do you develop characters? Setting?

I fall back on my theatrical training and create a complete backstory for each major character, even if it never is meant to be in the book. I find out everything about this person, such as likes and dislikes, relationships to others, deeply held beliefs and moral philosophy, all the way down to their favorite foods and clothing. Quirks are what make a character come to life for me. Mia and her kinsman Philip tease one another a lot. He calls her “wench” and she calls him “an Elizabethan artifact”. These little relationship details make a story real.

I always think of my vamps as people, even the really bad ones have driving passions. The trouble ensues when the heroine and hero get in the way of the villains’ agendas. I like to give my villains interesting quirks or make them charming in some way. The most important part of developing a character and a story for me is to be able to articulate in a single sentence that character’s internal conflict or what we call in the theatre, the “super objective”. Mia is a vampire who wants to walk again in the sun.

I do a lot of research on history and cultures. I like to create characters from periods that I find interesting, like the Civil War or the Holocaust. Kurt was imprisoned in Dachau as a boy of fifteen. His experience there has filled him with an intense desire to right wrongs and protect others.

In choosing my setting, I couldn’t think of a better place to set an urban fantasy than Manhattan. I spent many years in the NYC area and it is my favorite place. New York after dark is a character in her own right. The rich ethnic and cultural tapestry gives a writer a lot of material for settings and characters. Even though I now live in Ohio, I go back to NY at least once a year to take photos and do research. The art deco building across the street from a friend of mine’s apartment inspired “The Vampire State,” the building Mia and Kurt use as the base for their revolution.

Book three, Fearful Symmetry, which I’m putting through my critique group. It’s set in near Calcutta, India. I had to do loads of research, but I’m still hoping to get there!

Were any of your books more difficult to write than the others?

Well, the first was a challenge because I’d never written fiction before, but I’d have to say Fearful Symmetry. Cedric MacKinnon the POV character is a nineteen-year-old prostitute, dying from AIDs. He’s playing his guitar in the London underground when his master finds him. Raj plucks Cedric from the streets and makes him immortal. Cedric typifies the lost boys and girls of my books. To me, the vampire is a metaphor for man’s inhumanity to man. Kids and young adults are trafficked in horrible ways in the real world by the human “vampires” that prey upon them.

Raj takes the boy to India where he is trained as an adept of the ancient arts. An adept is an Immortyl temple dancer, singer and courtesan in the service of a tantric cult of the goddess Kali. Because of Cedric’s profession there is quite a bit of sexual content, but it’s not written for purposes of titillation. Sex is part of the tantric religious rituals, but the boy is used as a political pawn in the chief elder’s intrigues. Cedric often suffers abuse from those he entertains.

The scenes aren’t explicit in a clinical way. What is going on in Cedric’s head is the important part. Although he’s a rather irreverent lad, his story has a tragic element. It’s a fine line to tread. On the other hand, I’ve found the challenges of writing this book to be an enjoyable experience. I really have to give some credit to my writer’s group, the North Columbus Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers for helping me to develop this one.

Current projects?

Book Two of The Immortyl Revolution, Twilight of the Gods will be out this fall. I’m currently working on it with my marvelous editor Cindy Davis. I’m doing revisions on book four, Ratopia. I’m also working on two other novels outside of the Immortyl Revolution series. One is a magic-based urban fantasy with lots of paranormal creatures and the other is a paranormal romance parody, called Betti Loves Yeti.

Where could folks learn more about your books and events?

I’m at www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com

www.ImmortylRevolution.blogspot.com

I’m on Facebook almost daily: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Immortyl-Revolution-Fans-of-Denise-Verrico-author/290431344200?ref=ts

Signed copies of Cara Mia are available for sale through links on my website and blog. My books are found in trade paperback and multi format e-book, including kindle at Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Borders and Fictionwise websites.

Thanks for the information, Denise, and I wish you the best of sales!

It’s been a pleasure visiting with you today, Susan! Thanks for this opportunity.

Folks, here's more about Cara Mia:
Reviews of Cara Mia:

With delicious descriptions and characters that the reader can really sink his or her teeth into, this story is page-turner. Denise Verrico cleverly incorporates unpredictable plot lines that weave through tones of the ordinary and provocative. The novel has a lot of meat to devour and I enjoyed the twisting journey of the characters--Hot Gossip Reviews

A great number of the novels that focus on vampires fall prey to certain cliches. Cara Mia is a wonderful exception with an intricate, unpredictable, and intelligent plot and well-developed characters--author of Midnight Reflections, Katrina Michaels

If you like your vampires with a mix of science fiction then Cara Mia Book One of the Immortyl Revolution by Denise Verrico is the book for you. The story begins with a fast pace and holds the reader until the end- -Lexington Vampire Examiner.

It was a thrilling read that kept me glued to the pages. I cannot wait to see more from this author- My Immortal Stories

The characters are well written and the story is different from what I usually read which was a nice break from the norm--Paranormal Haven.

It's been a pleasure, Denise. I wish you well.

A Saxon Tapestry

Margaret Blake lives in the North of England. She has published novels since l978 and likes to go on long walks and enjoy the company of good friends. Recently widowed, Margaret has one son, a beautiful daughter-in-law and three great grandkids. “As they live in Florida I get to visit, so although I do miss them, there is a tiny bonus in there too.”
Margaret, it’s great to have you over. Tell us what books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing?

When I was young I was inspired by the Bronte sisters. I was forever writing novels about young women wandering the moors. As the moors were not that far from Manchester, where I lived, it was easy to visit. I read and enjoyed lots of romantic novels, especially Mills and Boon, and many historical romantic writers like Jean Plaidy and Kathleen Woodiwiss. I learned an awful lot about history from Jean Plaidy.

How wonderful!
What are your writing goals?

I don’t really have any goals, I write because I love writing. Publishing my books is a wonderful bonus but even if I weren’t published I would still be writing. For a couple of months because of things in my life, I have been unable to write. It was like losing a limb. Fortunately I am now back in the saddle.

Is there a message in your writing you want readers to grasp?


I am not a “serious” writer, what I want my readers to do is to be entertained. Of course when I write my medieval romances, I hope they realize that King Richard the Third was not a monster and that King Harold of England, was a real hero!

I loved Richard III!
Tell us about your latest book.
My latest book is set at the time when William the Conqueror stole England from its rightful king, Harold (see above). It tells the story of a young woman who has to resort to extraordinary means in order to keep her land. Also shown is the cruelty to the English people by William but that in spite of that, love will flower (but never for him!).

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

I hope so! When you are writing you are forever learning new ways of expressing things. Writing styles have changed too – now there is much more showing rather than telling and it is important to pace your novels.

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

I decided to try my hand at romantic suspense. My first attempt was very well received Breaking the Clouds published by Robert Hale. I found I had to keep the suspense rolling and not reveal everything at once. Again, it is all to do with pace.

How do you develop characters? Setting?

Really my characters develop themselves. They live in my head and come to life on the page. Settings can be tricky. I have learned to use a certain area but change the names if I am writing medieval romance. I have used Florida , New Zealand and Australia, places I have visited, but I try to research very carefully if I am using a “real” place. Oddly I have written two books set in Spain and I have never been there. France is a country I know very well and have never set a novel there. Odd or what, but it’s just what comes in my head.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

Alfled in A Saxon Tapestry is very young and has been the adored daughter in a house of men. She tends to be hot headed and not consider consequences; this is her main flaw, her strength of character stems from her pride in her name and in her family. Rolf Le Blond is insecure in his claim to Alfled’s land but he is also always sure he is right. He has to learn the hard way that perhaps a native English person knows more than he does! In a way it is a strength and a flaw.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

I think being an only child and living in my imagination, helped to colour my writing. I spent lots of time on my own and so would write stories about having brothers and sisters. I lived in a very poor area in an industrial city but wrote longingly of the countryside and of horses and dogs. It was an ability to do that, I think, that made me able to step in and out of different periods.

How do you promote yourself online and off

I share a blog with three other Whiskey Creek writers www.larkjournals.blogspot.com Obviously, I belong to lots of writing groups. There are on occasions the opportunity for me to give a talk about writing, then there is Facebook and MySpace, all good places to let people know what is happening. Also the local newspaper is always very kind to me!

Then there are writers like yourself who are kind enough to interview me.

Where do you write? When? What do you have around you?

I use a little upstairs room; I have lots of books on shelves, my computer of course, cd’s. It faces on the street and sometimes when I am stuck for something to write, I glance out of the window and see what’s going on. That usually does the trick and I get back to what I should be doing, which is writing.

After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?

I watch television. Usually I work in the afternoon so go and see the news, sometimes have a glass of wine while my dinner is cooking. Now and again I go out for dinner with a girlfriend, which is always nice, but generally I have to say that I find the television entertaining. I record lots of films and favourite shows, and these are what I generally watch rather than mainstream television. If I am really blue I put on a Frasier, guaranteed to cheer me up no end.

Any current projects?

Yes I am working on a straightforward romance and a romantic suspense. I actually have another book A Fatal Flaw in the works (no date yet) which is a romantic suspense set in Florida. I had a go at humour with this one, so hope that it works!

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

All the current news about my books and events can be seen on my website,

http://www.margaretblake.co.uk/ and also I post regularly on Facebook.

Margaret, continued success. I keep sayin I'm going to visit Europe, and if I ever do, I'll look you up.

Thank you, Susan for this opportunity to visit with you. I have really enjoyed your challenging questions. I would also like to wish you all the very best.

John Howard Reid

John Howard Reid is here today to discuss his writing. John, it's great to have you as a guest. Please give us a short bio.

I've spent a life tradein the book trade. I started off as a publisher's representative and gradually moved up the ladder to the editor's desk and the publisher's chair. Most of my books were originally published by the company I was working for at the time, although, with permission, I did sell at least three new books and dozens of reprint rights to rival firms. I also contributed many articles and thousands of movie reviews to newspapers and magazines. At one stage, I was the movie critic for two rival city newspapers. Of course, I used a pseudonym for one of them!

When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?
 At the age of 18, I started off as a playwright and was moderately successful in my university years, but I soon realized that while actors were nice people to observe in a movie or on a stage, in real life they were not such pleasant company. The crunch came when I was assisting the producer and handied out a copy of my play to the various cast members. They all ran off, clutching my play to their breasts. And what did they do? Did they read my play to discover what it was all about? No! They all counted up their lines. And before you could say A.A. Milne, they were all racing back to the producer screaming that their roles were too small or that Jimmy Jack, who was only a featured player, had more lines than the stars.

Briefly tell us about your latest book.
Merryll Manning: Beachfront Holiday is the third and most recent title in the Merryll Manning series of mystery suspense thrillers. I'm attached to these books because they were the means of first attracting critical attention to my work. In fact, one of the later books, Merryll Manning Meets the Last Generation, was selected by The Sunday Telegraph newspaper as the "Best Novel of the Year".

Congratulations! 
How do you determine that first sentence?

I don't think the first sentence in a novel is all that important. For a short story, yes. For a novel, no. What is important in a novel is (1) The title and (2) The front cover. Both must attract the potential reader's attention. This is why I now insist on publishing my own books. Admittedly, I have allowed other firms to publish Large Print editions and I must admit, I have been reasonably happy with their covers. But I was most displeased with the cover Angus and Robertson (a Rupert Murdoch company) chose for Merryll Manning Is Dead Lucky. Although the book received hat-tossing reviews far and wide, sales were poor. The cover was impossibly drab. The very opposite of eye-catching. Admittedly, the book did eventually sell out. But it took two years, and my contract was not renewed. By way of contrast, in the same week that my book was released, a thriller from another firm with an extremely colorful, attention-grabbing cover hit the book-stands. This book received only three or four reviews (all of them extremely negative), yet it had sold out within a month. And, would you believe, it’s still on sale in book stores everywhere (and now in its 23rd impression)? Good reviews in themselves do not sell books. Good writing does not sell books. Imaginative plotting, page-turning incidents and believable characters do not sell books. Covers sell books. And eye-catching covers that quote enthusiastically over-the-top catch phrases from reviews sell even more books!

I know a great cover attracts me. I don't like the drab ones either.
How do you develop characters? Setting?
Mostly I rely upon real people and real settings. Merryll Manning is me, not as I am at present, but as I was in the years when I served in the army. People who knew me then would describe me as very aggressive. I needed to be, because I am basically a loner. I was drafted into the army and I determined to make the best of it by finding out how the army operates. To do this, I needed to ingratiate myself with the officers, to make myself indispensable, to put myself in a position where they would rely upon me for advice. I succeeded. But after all that, would you believe, I still haven't written my army novel? I've made many attempts. So far, no success. The problem is that I have too much material. Too many colorful characters. Too many incredible incidents. But at least the character of Merryll Manning has emerged from that experience.

Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?
I wish I did. My method of creating stories and novels is to let the characters do all the writing. Unfortunately, once an author lets his characters loose, they tend to lead the story into all sorts of impossible dead ends from which they cannot be extricated. I have at least 50 novels and stories in this category. Occasionally, after a few years' meditation, I can think of a way to rescue them. Occasionally! I wish I had a dollar for every manuscript page stashed away in my overflowing suitcases, cabinets, linen closets and wardrobes.

What are your current projects?
 I'm now working on (or rather re-working and revising for American publication) the fourth Merryll Manning novel, Merryll Manning On the Rim of Heaven. I should mention that although all the Manning novels could accurately be described as mystery-suspense thrillers, they can also be categorized in different sub-genres. I dislike repeating myself. Merryll Manning: Trapped on Mystery Island is a highly-charged "Ten Little Indians" in which the claustrophobic atmosphere of the island is deliberately so tense, it's almost overwhelming. Merryll Manning: The Health Farm Murders is likewise an Agatha Christie, but with a more detailed and more accurate setting (it is backgrounded against a real town), more colorful characters and more plot twists. Merryll Manning: Beachfront Holiday is a police procedural, but here too the hero is far more deeply involved than in most novels of this genre. Merryll Manning On the Rim of Heaven is both a small-town and an unlikely partners entry in which one of the principal characters from The Health Farm Murders not only makes a re-appearance but plays a substantial role.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?
I have a Merryll Manning website: http://merryllmanning.exactpages.com/
There’s also a general site at http://johnreid.exactpages.com/. I welcome correspondence from readers at johnreid@mail.qango.com

Thanks for the interview, John. I wish you continued success with your Merryll Manning series.

Diane Chamberlain's Lies

My guest today is another North Carolina gal, Diane Chamberlain. Welcome, Diane, and please tell us more about you.
I started writing nearly thirty years ago, when I was working as a social worker in a hospital. When I started, I thought of writing fiction as a hobby, but it soon became an obsession. It took me four years to write my first book, and four years more to see it published. Since then, I’ve written nineteen more novels.

Is there a message in your writing you want readers to grasp?
I want my readers to be entertained, first and foremost, but I definitely hope they will take away a message of hope, resilience, and the importance of family in all its varieties.

Briefly tell us about your latest book.
The Lies We Told is the story of two physician sisters, Maya and Rebecca, who are part of a disaster relief team. When they were teens, they witnessed the murder of their parents, and each of them carries a haunting secret about that event. Now, one of them is in a helicopter crash and presumed dead. . . and I don’t want to give away what happens next!

Do you think your writing has improved since your first attempt? In what way?
Oh, yes! I view my first book as a training ground, even though it won the Rita Award from the Romance Writers of America. Over time, my books have developed more suspense and mystery and less romance, but the main focus is always on relationships between family members and friends.

How do you develop characters? Setting?
I usually pick a setting that intrigues me or resonates for me personally. Often it’s an area I want to explore more, such as the city in The Lies We Told, Wilmington, NC. I loved it so much as I researched it that my next book is set there as well. As for characters, I employ some of the same techniques I used when getting to know my clients back in my psychotherapy days. Basically, I talk to them and listen hard to their answers. When they start to feel like real people to me, I know I’m on the right track.

I set my fourth novel in Wilmington as well. Beautiful place! I lived there when I was first married.

How do you determine voice in your writing?
I gave both sisters a voice in The Lies We Told. Maya is in first person, because I wanted the reader to feel closer to her. Rebecca is in third person.

How do you promote yourself online and off?
I have a very active blog at www.dianechamberlain.com/blog and I’m active on Facebook. If you’re on Facebook, too, please friend me! My website www.dianechamberlain.com has tons of information, including trailers of The Lies We Told and other recent books as well as contests and a printable booklist. I try to interact with my readers as much as I can.

Where do you write? When? What do you have around you?
I usually write at a coffee shop in the mornings. I need to get out of the house! In the afternoon and evening, I write in my office or if it’s a nice day, on the porch. My significant other is a photographer, so we both work at home, where we hang out with our two shelties.

Diane, thanks for dropping by. I'll have to get The Lies We Told. Good luck with it.

J.D. Webb

J. D. (Dave) Webb resides in Illinois with his wife (42years in Dec 2009 and counting) and their toy poodle, Ginger, losing all family votes 2 to 1. Dave served in the Security Service of the Air Force as a Chinese linguist and weather analyst in Viet Nam and the Philippines prior to spending 25 years in corporate management. After a company purge he promoted himself to cobbler and owned a shoe repair and sales shop for 11 years. During those careers Webb wrote short stories and suppressed an urge to write a novel. After making a conscious decision to live at the poverty level, novels began forcing their way out.

Welcome, Dave. Tell us when the writing bug bit you and in what genres.

In high school in 1959 a proclivity for mischief garnered a seat in the creative writing class as punishment. It was the best thing they ever did to (for) me. And since that time I’ve never hesitated to do mischief.

My passion for mysteries began at about the same time when I read Rex Stout’s Fer de Lance. I was hooked, and I still am.

What are your writing goals?

Trying not to be flippant, my goal has been fulfilled. I began in 2002 with one goal in mind: to finish a novel. Everything else is gravy, icing on the cake or whatever cliché you want to use. I write because I can’t not write and my current goal is merely to keep pounding on the keyboard

Is there a message in your writing you want readers to grasp?

No actual message. I just want everyone to enjoy the story. To feel connected with my characters; to love the protagonists; and to want the nasties to get their due. My books will always have a happy ending.

Tell us about Smudge.

Smudge published by L & L Dreamspell is my first stand-alone novel. I had an idea about a small town girl trying to make it despite obstacles, which would stop most of us in our tracks. She fights chauvinism on her job, an abusive husband, criminals, and health issues, proving to be that strong, resourceful, determined woman, well known in the USA.

What’s the hook for the book?

A small-town paralegal wipes a smudge off the screen of her ATM one night. It’s blood.
Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others? If so, why?

Smudge, my latest was the most challenging. It’s from a totally female perspective. Being male I had to be extremely careful to tap into my female side. As a female, you don’t just say purple describing a color. It has to be shades of fuchsia, orchid, or lavender. Fortunately I had five ladies (all excellent writers) in my writing group who gently chided me, telling me, “a woman would never say or do that!”

Where do you write? What do you have around you?

I converted a bedroom into my office. I have my trusty computer (without which I could only produce one book every five years, instead of one a year), a thermos of ice-cold water, and jellybeans. On my wall - a 3 ft by 2 ft target (a poster size image of a man crouching, pointing a gun at you) I received while going through pistol training (nine out of ten in the body), my huge painting of a stalking white wolf in the Canadian winter, and a pipe rack with over twenty formerly smoked pipes. Then there’s my printer, my how-to-write books and my indispensable Flip Dictionary. Observing me at all times is my toy poodle, Ginger, who goads me out of my sedentary state at times by having us go for a walk.

What are your current projects?

I tired of seeing authors from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India et al, appearing on the New York Times bestseller list. I don’t begrudge them I’m just envious. So I have become Khataa Baasem writing a novel about a teenage boy who is plucked from his Afghan home by a Taliban tribal leader after that man had killed the boy’s father. He is then forced to train as a member of the militia in Pakistan. Having been orphaned, the boy’s only quest becomes killing the man who destroyed his life. By the way Khataa Baasem in Pashtu means to deceive. The working title is The Sun Also Sets.

Interesting approach.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

www.jdwebb.com

www.lldreamspell.com

www.wings-press.com

www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/jdavewebb?ref=profile

www.jdwebb.com

Shepherd’s Pie (Golden Wings Award winner)

Moon Over Chicago (2008 Eppie Finalist)

Her Name Is Mommy (Now available)

Smudge (2010)

The Drifter Revenge II Anthology (2010)

Stuck in Valhalla (available at Sniplits.com)

Thanks for dropping by, Dave, and continued success to a fellow Dreamspell author.

A visit with author Nancy Famolari

Nancy Famolari lives with her husband, five horses, two dogs and five white cats on a farm in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. Before moving to Pennsylvania, she and her husband owned a small Standardbred breeding farm in Central New Jersey. Her novel, Unwelcome Guest at Fair Hill Farm, based on her experience raising Standardbred horses, is available from http://amazon.com. In The Lake House, her second novel, a young romance novelist solves the mystery of a brutal murder in her new home – the lake house. This book is also available from http://amazon.com.

Welcome, Nancy. What books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing?

This is a hard question. I love books, like most authors, and have so many favorites it's hard to pick. I'm a fan of Dorothy Sayers. After reading Gaudy Night I knew I wanted to write mysteries with a strong female protagonist.

What are your writing goals?
My near term goal is to finish my Montbleu Murders series. I have one book published and another ready to go with two more in draft. Beyond that, I want to continue to grow in my writing, try new things, and hopefully develop a readership.

Is there a message in your writing you want readers to grasp?
The message in both my YA novel, Unwelcome Guest at Fair Hill Farm, and in my mysteries is rather simple. We all need other people. No one goes it alone; everyone has useful talents.

Great message, indeed. Tell us more.
The Lake House is romantic suspense. The story takes place in a house that has been vacant for ten years because it was the site of a brutal murder. Tory and her husband buy the house so that Tory, a romance novelist, will have a quiet place to work. The house turns out to be anything but quiet when the ghost of the murdered woman shows up and the murderer, who was never caught, tries to silence Tory because she's researching the old murder.

What’s the hook for the book?

A murder that occurred ten years ago and is still haunting the town of Montbleu as well as the lake house.

Do you think your writing has improved since your first attempt? In what way?
My writing has definitely improved since my early tries. I made all the mistakes, too much back story in the opening, telling not showing, and spotty grammar. I've worked on all those technical things and now I think I've got a handle on most of them. Now that I've mastered more craft, I want to concentrate on making the story come alive.

The Lake House has been my most challenging book so far. I have an important sub-plot woven into the mystery. I have also given more of a glimpse into the lives of my characters as they solve the mystery. It wasn't easy for me to keep both threads going and keep the tension mounting.

How do you develop characters? Setting?
For characters, I wander around and imagine them. Names are important. I can see the person once I have a name. After I visualize the character, I do an extensive profile. I usually only do it for main characters, but occasionally, I've done it for minor characters as well if they had a pivotal role.
For setting, I try to use areas I'm familiar with and modify them. Montbleu is based on the little towns in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. I can't say I use one town, but I take features from several. Since I'm doing a series based in this town, I have a map and a break down of the history of the town. I find it makes it easier if you know the place you're writing about.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?
Tory's strength is that she's very determined. In the book, people keep telling her to leave the old murder alone. She can't. She has to know what happened. This gets her into trouble, but it also leads to a happy ending. Her major flaw is feeling guilty. Like many women, she feels responsible for making her relationships work, and she tries very hard. However, there are some things you can't fix by yourself. It takes two.

How do you determine voice in your writing?
That's another very difficult question. One of the members of my critique group told me that I'm a very visual writer. This surprised me because I don't even watch television. However, I do describe what I see happening in my head, so I guess my voice has a large visual component. My characters, so far, are all based on an amalgam of people I know. I try to present them mostly through actions and some inner dialog. I think the reader has a right to their interpretation of the character. I know people see real people in different ways, even if they witness the same scene. I think the same should be true for fictional characters.

Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?
Another member of my crit group said I'm a “seat of the pants” writer. My technique is to first write the book. I find plotting works best when I know the end game. Working toward it, I ask myself what is the next logical step for my character to take. Once the book is finished, I go back and make a plot outline that includes a time line. At this point, I may change some of the scenes, add more, or eliminate others. It may not be the most efficient way to get to the second draft, but by then, I know my characters and how they will react in various settings. I also know the setting and feel comfortable in the world I've created.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?
My environment is what I write about. My first novel, Summer's Story, and my young adult book are based on my experiences breeding, training and racing Standardbred horses. The Montbleu series is based on the naughty happenings in small towns. I live in a small town and while the books are an exaggeration, there are elements of truth.

How do you promote yourself online and off?
Online, I have a website (http://sites.google.com/site/nancyfamolari/) I also have two blogs (Nancy Famolari's Place: http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com/ and Nancy Famolari's Author Spotlight: http://nancyfamolari.blogspot.com/). I'm on Twitter, Facebook and My Space. I also belong to a great group, VBT, Writers on the Move. It's a virtual book tour group. Each month we host a member on our blog. It's a good way to meet people and publicize your blog. It also give us publicity for our books once a month.

Offline, I try to do presentations. I'm doing one at a local library in June. I also tell people about my books and give them away in contests.

Where do you write? When? What do you have around you?
I am extremely lucky in my writing space. The Pennsylvania farm has an apartment in the barn. I claimed it and that's where I work. I can look out, see the mountains and trees. It's great. My desk was made by a local carpenter from old barn wood. The boards on the top are more than twelve inches wide and and inch and a half thick. I love the desk. I designed it, and it's a perfect place to write.

I'm envious.
I like to write in the morning. I find I'm most alert and able to concentrate. During the day, little things build up that have to be done and often I don't get back to the computer after lunch, much as I'd like to.

After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?
We have Paso Finos, so I try to go riding as often as possible. It's good exercise and a great way to see our property. Having animals, caring for them, and working with them takes your mind off other things and cheers you up. I have admit I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Just looking out a the mountains and trees is relaxing.

What are your current projects?
I'm getting the second Montbleu novel ready to publish. I'm also working on a romance novella based on a short story I did awhile ago.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?
I publicize my events on Twitter and Facebook. I also have the information on my blog: Nancy Famolari's Place. If you live in the area, sometimes you can even find my in the local paper.

Thanks for giving us more insight, Nancy, and continued good fortune.