Happy Birthday, Victoria Heckman!

Victoria Heckman, author of BURN OUT, is my guest today, and it's her birthday! So we're having cake and ice cream while we talk. Welcome, Victoria, and Happy Birthday!

Thank you so much, Susan! The cake is awesome and the ice cream is homemade, isn't it?

Only the best for my guests.

Tell us something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

My idea for the animal communicator character in BURN OUT came because I have always talked with my animals the way Elizabeth does.  And they do talk back... : )

OKAAAAY! I'm not making any comment about that since I hear voices myself (wink-wink).

How many books have you written?

3 in the K.O.’d in... Hawai’i series, 1 in the Coconut Man Ancient Hawai’i series and 1 animal communicator which WAS supposed to be a stand alone, but my fans are demanding another, so I suppose that’s my newest series!

What books or authors have influenced you?

When I was a kid, I read Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and The Three Investigators, but since there wasn’t YA back then, by the time I was 12 I was reading Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardiner.

What has been your most rewarding experience during the writing process?

Selfishly, when someone I don’t know and am not related to, says they loved something I wrote!

Tell us about your latest release, BURN OUT.

Released a year ago, it’s doing well.  BURN OUT features Elizabeth Murphy and her fire fighter husband, Tig.  They live in a small (unnamed town) on the Central Coast of California.  She is an animal communicator (not pet psychic!) who carves out a small income serving local pet owners. However, when a temporary data entry position opens at the Fire Department, she accepts to earn a little extra money and be closer to her husband.  She notices a pattern in the frequency and severity of fire fighter injuries and when Tig is hurt on the job, Elizabeth intensifies her investigation.  However, her witnesses are animals and they don't have a great track record with reliable testimony on the stand.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats? 

 Absolutely!

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

Kapu-Sacred.  The first Coconut Man Mystery of Ancient Hawai’i.  That one was calling and calling.  I did 2 years of research before I could write a word.  I still didn’t have a character, although I knew he would be male and a Hawai’ian.  (K.O. is female and caucasian.)  I met an intriguing character on a research trip to Kauai.  I thought I was researching the next K.O., but no....  So, it was at least four years before Coconut Man came into the world!

What are some of the problems you faced while plotting a series with ongoing characters, Victoria?

Keeping track of things book to book.  Yes, I have logs of character traits, but in between books, etc, I lose track of the logs... I know, I know!

How do you develop characters?

The characters come to me, much like you’d meet a new *real* person. Then as I work with them, I discover new things. 

How do you choose your setting?

There was never a question of Hawai’i being my place.  I went to college there and didn’t leave until about 15 years ago. I worked closely with the Honolulu Police Department and had a great friend who became my source.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

She wants to save the world.  She bites off more than she can chew, and will do anything for a friend.  Yes, those are both her strengths and weaknesses.  She is loyal to a fault and believes in the law and her role in upholding it.  An ongoing conflict is that she is white in that world, and very much an outsider however long she lives there. 

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Of course, Hawai’i is the home of my heart and I spend time there researching and revisiting old haunts.  K.O. happens to love the restaurants and hiking spots I do, so that helps! 

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

I attend conferences and conventions. I spend time in libraries and Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.  I teach workshops and belong to a local performing hula halau (group) and they invite me to participate in things, so I have the Aloha Spirit even far away from the Islands.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

At the moment I am helping our Sisters in Crime Chapter-Central Coast- launch their newest anthology, “Somewhere In Crime.”  Mystery and suspense short stories of historical fiction or time travel.  I am also figuring out the newest Elizabeth Murphy (animal communicator) book.  I am a middle school teacher so during the school year, I can’t create a novel.  That will happen next summer after I lay the ground work now.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

www.victoriaheckman.com or friend me on Facebook!
Thanks for the interview, cake and ice cream, Susan.

It was my pleasure, Victoria.  I hope the rest of your birthday is filled with special treats.
Now when can I expect my plane ticket to Hawaii? (joking!)

LOL.

Mary Deal: Down to the Needle

My guest today is Mary Deal from Hawaii. Aloha, Mary. Please give us a brief bio.

I’m retired and living out a life-long dream of living on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Most of my time is spent writing, though I do get to the beach now and again. Oil painting and photography are business hobbies in which I take great pleasure and community activities too. Presently, I have four novels published, suspense and thrillers, with two additional thrillers now being written. I also write short stories and poetry which are published in various magazines and anthologies.

Briefly tell us about your latest book.
It’s a thriller called Down to the Needle. (ISBN 978-1-4401-9820-5)

The story is about a woman’s decades-long search for her abducted daughter. Her search leads her to a young woman on Death Row facing lethal injection for a crime she didn’t commit.

All of my books are available from online book stores as well as from the publisher, iUniverse.com. Just do a search for my name and all my books should come up on the same page.

How do you determine that all-important first sentence?
The first sentence, even the first word, must grab attention. Try never to start your first sentence with “I” or “The” or “There” and similar words. Actually they say nothing so it’s a lost chance to get the reader’s eyes riveted to the page. Some of my first words or phrases were “Blood red letters…” or “‘Witch!’ Randy Osborne said…” Should you find it necessary to use “the” as your first work, the next one or two words should be grabbers, as in “The jagged scar…” Or, as in my latest book, “‘The perp torched himself.’” My advice is to shoot for an attention-grabbing first word or phrase, not just the sentence overall..

How do you develop characters? Setting?
Usually with me, and with both novels and long shorts stories, I have an idea for the story and where it might take place. I see the character in my mind. One of the first things I do is to make a character sketch. That’s as simple as listing each character’s physical features, habits, traits, quirks and even disposition. I’ve written an article about setting up characters. Making a thorough list enables the writer to get into the mind of the character. Guaranteed, by the time you make this list for each of your characters, you will know them and how they will act out your plot.

Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?
I make notes anytime I think of some bit of information I can use in a story. I may not use it all in my present story, but if something comes to mind that’s way too good, I must write it down and save it. When I’m starting a story, I gather anything that may be usable in that story into one file to refer back to.

The way I write is not a way I can recommend to anyone else, unless it is their habit to begin with. When I begin a story, all of it is jumping around inside my mind begging to get out. I write what seems to be the most important scenes that I cannot afford to let get away. That means I may write the ending even before I begin the first chapter. Of course it will change later, but at least I have captured the idea while it contained the original spark of creativity. Too, I may write different scenes knowing, of course, the general order in which they should appear. Later I go back and join them together, maybe by adding more scenes, more story. I’ve also written an article about this subject. I write about anything I experience in order to clarify points for others.

Many people start a story at the beginning and that’s what I usually recommend others do. I can write like that, but invariably while I’m writing one chapter, it will trigger something that needs to happen much later in the story. So I write that part as soon as I can and then store it till I can work it in. However, especially for fledgling writers, know your plot. Make an outline or usable list of scenes. Start at the beginning.

How do you promote yourself online and off?
More promotion today is done online. Join as many sites as is feasibly possible to maintain a presence. A writer MUST have a website and, hopefully, one with PayPal buttons or other means of payment. Readers love autographed books.

I travel a bit so I always try to line up book signings even a year ahead of time. However, book signings don’t sell books. In rare cases it does, but appearances mostly help to come in contact with readers so they get to know you.

Other ways to promote is to make your book available as an ebook and downloadable for Kindle and other hand-helds. The publisher should do this for you. Too, if there are charity drives in your area, donate books. I am in charge of the Silent Auction for the local annual Kauai Coconut Festival. We love books! We have tourists coming here and they read books. Find locations in your area where you can make yourself and your books known. The ultimate goal anywhere is to build readership.

Enter your books into the best, the biggest contests. Even just making Honorable Mention gets your book publicized beyond what you might be able to do.

And finally, send your book out to reviewers. Reviews sell books.

What are your current projects?
My third novel, River Bones, a thriller, won a huge award in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards competition. I’m told by my readers that they loved the characters. So I am already in the process of writing two sequels to this book. River Bones has a subplot of a man traveling back and forth to Viet Nam searching for his MIA brother. Since he and the protagonist, Sara Mason, have fallen in love, the first sequel will begin deep in the Vietnam jungle. Most of the book, however, will take place on Kauai where Sara solves another cold case of a missing child. The second sequel will take place both on Kauai and in the jungles of Borneo, where Sara finds answers to an international cold case.

I read River Bones. It was great.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?
My mega-website, WriteAnyGenre.com offers my books for sale, and is also meant to be a resource for writers. All information on the site is free for the reading. I keep adding to the number of pages so there is a great deal on information available. The site covers creative writing of all kinds – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc. - and business writing. Chapters from my books are analyzed. We discuss how to choose character names. Aspects of how my books are put together, and how writers can get help with their books, are to be found on WriteAnyGenre.com.

For those wishing an autographed copy of any of my books, PayPal Shopping Cart buttons are available on all the book pages. Notices about my book signings are also posted on the book pages when I have confirmed travel arrangements.

Thanks for the interview, Mary, but I think next time I really should do this in person. LOL.