John Steinbeck offers advice

If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it—bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there~ John Steinbeck

I can't tell you how many times I've stalled on a paragraph, scene, chapter and stopped writing completely for a few days while trying to make it work in my head. Steinbeck offers great advice. I've finally learned to move on. Eventually the section that troubled me found its placement or got deleted.

Have you had this experience? How did you solve the problem?

Sheila Boneham invited me to guest blog on her new site, www.sheilaboneham.blogspot.com:

Sheila Boneham invited me to guest blog on her new site, www.sheilaboneham.blogspot.com:

Guest Blogger: Susan Whitfield's North Carolina Mysteries

Today I'd like to welcome North Carolina author Susan Whitfield, author of the Logan Hunter Mysteries, who talks about her books and the beautiful state in which they are set. If you leave a comment or ask Susan a question, your name will be entered for a free copy of Genesis Beach!

~ Sheila

North Carolina Mysteries
by Susan Whitfield

Let me begin by saying how much I appreciate Sheila Boneham inviting me to guest on her blog. I met her last year at Cape Fear Crime Festival in Wilmington and we were on a panel about book promotion. We found that we’re kindred spirits in several ways: both writers, lovers of books and animals, and residents of eastern North Carolina. Thanks again, Sheila, for the friendship and support.

I wrote the bones of my first mystery, Genesis Beach, while I was still a high school principal, occasionally pulling out a legal pad when I had hours between the end of the school day and a meeting or ball game.

Genesis Beach was my first attempt at writing, and I am here to tell you it was quite an eye-opener for me. I’d taught English for thirteen years on the high school level, making certain that students used correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation at all times. I found that trying to write a novel that way made my characters boring and the entire plot stilted and unbelievable. So I grabbed up my many pages and trashed them. It hurt.

After a couple of soul-searching days of carrying ideas around in my head, I started over. The experience was surreal. Logan Hunter, my female protagonist, took over and words, phrases, and attitudes poured down my arm, into my fingers, and appeared on the monitor. I wrote in a frenzied state for hours and left the computer an exhausted but thrilled emerging writer. I hope every writer out there has that kind of experience.

Genesis Beach is about a young lady who decides to major in Criminal Justice and then applies for the SBI, our equivalent to the feds. Part of her program requires an internship, which she completes at Genesis Beach, where her mother lived until she had a stroke. Logan moves into the old place, the beach right out her back door. Her first three weeks at the police station are boring, but when a local millionaire playboy is found dead in his hot tub, the chief of police and his two officers, Max Cash and Logan Hunter, investigate. Even though the man has no visible marks on him, Logan’s gut tells her he had help dying. Over the course of book, Logan uses her newly acquired knowledge to search for a killer once the ME discovers internal bleeding from trauma caused the death. She eventually catches the killer, of course and by the end of the book I wanted to write more about Logan Hunter.

Since I’d set the novel along the Crystal Coast in a fictitious beach town, I decided to take her to the mountains for the second book. Just North of Luck is set in Madison and Buncombe counties in western North Carolina. I upped the ante by having Logan, now a full-fledged SBI agent, chase a serial killer. I upped the ante for myself as well, beginning the book from the villain’s point of view and hoping that readers would have a few sympathetic feelings about him before being thoroughly creeped out later in the book. This book, in my opinion, is by far the most graphically violent. Some of my friends and family started looking at me in strange ways. My husband started telling folks he sleeps with one eye open.

Wow! What an experience. While I was writing this book and developing violent scenes, the villain lived inside my head. I must admit this was a scary time. There were many nights that I didn’t sleep. I was so relieved when I finished the book and he disappeared. No, really, I suppose I had to get into a killer’s head to write that kind of book, but never did I expect him to get into mine. Even though the book sells as mystery, I think it should have been listed in the horror genre. I never expected to write horror. I’m so glad Logan was there with me to get me safely on the other side of the experience.

By this time, I was even more willing to write another Logan Hunter mystery and hopefully tone it down a bit. I set Hell Swamp back in my native Pender County about four miles from my childhood home. This mystery begins with Logan miffed at having to return to work even though she’d taken off a few days to plan her wedding to Chase Railey, another law enforcement officer. With some kind of major virus circulating through the SBI, she begrudgingly reports to The Black River Plantation to find the crime scene terribly compromised…an agent’s worst nightmare.

When she pushes through the crowd and into the front foyer, her eyes bulge at the carcass of a small woman, gutted like a deer, and hung from the chandelier.

Deer hunters are the prime suspects in Hell Swamp but they’re closing the circle and trying to protect their own. Logan won’t be getting any time off any time soon. Her fiancé, Chase Railey, comes in to help her solve the case, but due to a misunderstanding, Logan doesn’t want him there. The conflict is evident between them, Logan making Chase as uncomfortable as she possibly can, However, Chase continues to work the case and keep an eye on her.

I enjoyed writing this book because it brought back so many childhood memories—great ones—and also provided me with an opportunity to write conflict between two people who love each other. Trust became a major issue for them to work through. By the end of the book—quite a shock to most readers—they have made up, adopted a victim’s dog, and locked up the perps. Chase gives Logan his mother’s wedding ring a few days before Christmas.

Sin Creek is the fourth Logan Hunter mystery, set in Wilmington because I absolutely love that place. I lived there for a year but cruised the streets all through my high school years. I set most of the novel down by the Cape Fear River, where the Riverwalk connects The Cotton Exchange to boutiques, restaurants, and Chandler’s Wharf. In this novel, Logan is called to a gruesome scene where a college freshman has been murdered. As she begins her investigation, she’s pulled into the porn industry when she discovers the young girl had sex on film in order to pay tuition and have an exciting and titillating nightlife.

There are several messages in this book, beginning with my letter to readers at the front. My discomfort in writing such a book comes through, I’m told. It was difficult to write, for sure, but I hope parents with children heading to college will read it, not to scare them but to inform them that there are many slime balls out there just hoping to hook up with the naiive. This book was even more difficult because I killed off a character I dearly loved. I cried over the pages many times while I worked to get it just right. Another message in this book is about becoming an organ donor. I hope it makes the reader at least think about recycling in the truest sense of the word.

I’ve written a few pages in the next Logan Hunter mystery, but it will be 2013 before I can say much about that one. It will be set here in North Carolina, probably on the Inner Banks (IOX) somewhere. I have lots of research to do. I enjoyed writing women’s fiction and hope to write more of that as well. I’m also researching an ancestor in hopes of writing an historical fiction.

Sheila, thank you again for showcasing my writing on your new blog. I hope to see you soon.

Susan Whitfield, author of the award-winning Logan Hunter Mystery series, lives in eastern North Carolina and sets her novels here. Susan has four published mysteries: Genesis Beach, Just North of Luck, Hell Swamp, and Sin Creek.

She has also compiled recipes from mystery writers across the country for Killer Recipes. Proceeds from the cookbook are donated to cancer research I honor of her grandson, a cancer thriver. Susan is an avid blogger and promotes and interviews other authors on her site. Susan is letting her first women’s fiction, The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood, “cure” for a few weeks before her last edit/rewrite. Then she plans to begin the query process.

For more information, visit Susan’s website at www.susanwhitfieldonline.com where you can view video trailers and keep up with events. Susan is currently interviewing authors at www.susanwhitfield.blogspot.com . She is a member of Mystery Writers of American, Sisters in Crime, Carolina Conspiracy, North Carolina

Sheila lives in Wilmington and writes mysteries about animals.

Mary Deal Howls from Hawaii

A native of Walnut Grove, in California’s Sacramento River Delta, Mary Deal has lived in England, the Caribbean, and now resides in Kapa`a, Kauai, Hawaii.

Mary is an award-winning author of 8 books and also a Pushcart Prize nominee. She is a newspaper columnist and Associate and Contributing Editor of a magazine. Additionally, she is an oil painter and photographer and maintains an online gallery, http://www.marydealfineart.com.

Learn more about Mary and read short stories and novel excerpts, and watch video trailers for each of her books in the Video Theatre on her Web site: http://www.writeanygenre.com

Welcome back, Mary. How has living in Hawaii affected your writing?

             My home is on Kauai, the northern-most island in the Hawaiian Island chain. It’s the most remote inhabited island on earth. It’s peaceful here. If I can keep my mind off the beach, I get good writing done.

How many books have you written?

            Eight published, with 5-6 more still waiting for final polish or re-editing. Of the 8 published, 5 are suspense/thrillers. One is a collection of zany short stories and flash fiction. Another is a reference for authors.

Give a short synop of your most recently published book.

             The Howling Cliffs is the 1st sequel to my award-winning River Bones. The synopsis:

             Sara Mason’s dedication to solving missing person cold cases with love interest, Huxley Keane, takes them deep into the unhealthy and dangerous Vietnam jungle searching for his MIA brother’s remains.

            Sara has purchased a home in Hawaii as an R&R stopover for veterans who make frequent trips between the U.S. Mainland and Vietnam. Sara learns that a six-year-old neighborhood girl went missing ten years earlier and strangely, dogs howl when taken high on a cliffside trail. Accompanied by a retired forensic dog, Sara wants to learn why dogs react in the forest.

            Continued attempts are made on Sara’s life as she investigates the girl’s disappearance. She investigates two known perverts and wonders about a police officer’s son. Sara is gravely injured after being run off the road. Her backyard trail is undermined so she would plummet into the gorge. Her home is broken into. Then she is pushed over a cliff deep in the forest. Dazed and alone at night on a narrow ledge, she discovers a frightful scene. The forensic dog later leads Sara and the police to a second disgusting site that explodes the case wide open and exposes an elusive murderer’s motives, revenge and victims.

I loved River Bones!

What sets your book apart from others?

              The Howling Cliffs follows two plot lines. One is that Sara Mason solves cold cases. The other is that her love interest, Huxley Keane, searches for his MIA brother’s remains in Vietnam. This story opens deep in the Vietnam jungle, moves to Sara’s cold case location on Kauai in Hawaii, and then back to California’s Sacramento River Delta, which is her home. It’s also the setting for the original story in River Bones. In the next sequel, a young Vietnamese boy holds a clue to finding Huxley’s brother’s remains; and, Sara solves a cold case in San Francisco based on those findings.

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

             The Howling Cliffs is presently in eBook format at both Smashwords and Amazon. It will go to paper sometime this year.

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

            When writing, it’s imperative that the story read like real life. Fiction must emulate real life in order for a reader to suspend disbelief that it’s fiction. That is, in order for the reader to feel a part of the story, it must feel real.

            My advice to other writers is to live life and experience as much as you can and observe everything. Your experiences will be fodder for your plots, no matter how much you alter the real occurrences. If you haven’t lived fully, how can you write about anything?

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

            Kauai is an island with only two books stores. Actually one is a coffee house trying to become a book store. I have book signings at the other when I can. I’m waiting to hear if the coffee house is willing to schedule me for my first signing there. I gave them free books to promote myself and to help the store make a little profit. The books disappeared the first day they were on the shelf. That should be reason to have me for a signing. I’d make it a gala event. I’m widely known on the island, thankfully.

            The rest of the promotion is word of mouth wherever I travel, and on the Internet. I frequent many, many sites and help others when I can. Sometimes all it takes to gain interest in our books is to answer a nagging question for a struggling author.  The major portion of my promotion is online.

   

Can you tell us your writing goals/projects for 2012 or beyond?

  My Write It Right – Tips for Authors, Vol. I will not have a Volume II. The new title is Write It Right – Tips for Authors – The Big Book. Well, that’s the tentative title. I have written so many articles pertaining to writing that have been published in myriad places, it’s difficult to single out a handful to publish in a second volume. So I’m going to publish nearly all of them in one volume. That will go to eBook and paper.

            I receive wonderful comments from writers about how my articles help them. I just can’t single out any particular topics to publish in the next volume and the next. So they’ll all be together. My expected date is 2012; that’s the closet I can nail it right now.

             I also wish to publish more of my short stories. People love the craziness of my flash fiction in my collection Off Center in the Attic. I have some stories that are zanier than those in the first collection.

            Too, I have several nonfiction manuscripts written which address aspects of my former career field of clinical hypnotherapy.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

             My website for writers, which one publisher called “a valuable resource for writers,” is http://www.writeanygenre.com.

            Go to my Author page at amazon.com to see the list of all my books:

            My books are also available at smashwords.com.

            My art gallery, which has been perused by writers looking for book cover art, is http://www.marydealfineart.com.

Great questions, Susan. You pack a lot of information into one of your interviews. No wonder people seek you out!

                                                                        

Thank you, Mary. But I have to say that this new Blogger is killing me. ( I'm sorry that spacing is wrong and there's no color. I've tried to fix it, but Blogger hangs up. Very frustrating, indeed.)

SUSAN, HERE ARE THE LINKS TO MY AMAZON AND SMASHWORDS PAGES:

 

amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_tc_2_0?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3AMary+Deal&keywords=Mary+Deal&ie=UTF8&qid=1309399720&sr=1-2-ent&field-contributor_id=B0035B02X6

 

smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MaryDeal

So folks, all you have to do is click above . I can attest to Mary's fine writing. Mary, best wishes and continued success with your writing endeavors.

Carol Crigger's Two Feet Below

Born and raised in North Idaho on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation, C.K. Crigger lives with her husband and three feisty little dogs in Spokane Valley, Washington. She is a member of Western Writers of America and reviews books and writes occasional articles for Roundup magazine.

Imbued with an abiding love of western traditions and wide-open spaces, Ms. Crigger writes of free-spirited people who break from their standard roles. In her books, whether westerns, mysteries, or fantasy, the locales are real places. All of her books are set the Inland Northwest, the westerns with a historical background. She is a two time Spur Award finalist and won the 2008 EPIC Award for Western/Historical fiction.

"People might be surprised to hear I learned to ride a little Honda dirt bike at the same time my boys did. As a kid, I had a horse, but not a bicycle, and never felt deprived. Still don’t!"

Welcome to the blog, Carol. 
How many books have you written?

Twelve of my books are in publication right now. I’ve completed three others--one of which will probably never see publication--and one is in final draft. Of course, I’ve got ideas for lots more. I love writing series, so I have two series going and the rest are standalones. The four westerns are all standalones. So too is a little horse and sword fantasy. My first series features time-traveling  female gunsmith Boothenay Irons who gets swept into the unfinished history of whatever gun she’s working on. She’s been in 1811 England and instigated a jail-break from Dartmoor prison (In the Service of the Queen). In Shadow Soldier she ends up in the midst of World War I. Crossroad finds her in a water deprived Washington State of the future, and in Six Shot she’s caught in the Chief Joseph War of 1877. A fifth book is written and looking for a publisher, but here, my heroine takes a new direction. The other series is western suspense set in 1896. China Bohannon has coerced her way into her uncle and his partner’s detective agency and manages to get herself in a whole lot of trouble. The first book is One Foot on the Edge, then Two Feet Below, and due out within the next couple months, Three Seconds to Thunder, where China is caught in a forest fire while searching for her uncle, who has disappeared. I’m also shopping around an apocalyptic novel as I finish up a contemporary mystery.

How do you motivate your protagonist—with fear, desire, both or something else?

Motivation for my protagonist depends entirely on the character and the plot.  The fear and desire as mentioned in the question often play a part, but I’ve found my protagonists often have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. They are compelled to right a wrong, finish a story, bring justice to someone--no matter what. Sometimes they may just want to survive!

What elements are important to include in your plot?

Depending on the story, this could be a pretty long list, but it could include, danger, plenty of action to avoid the danger, a bit of a love story, relationships with people around her/him, a timeline to accomplish the action in order to create some suspense, description of setting, and most of all, characterization. Readers need to feel an association with the protagonist before they care what happens to them.

What sets your book apart from others, Carol?

It’s hard to find a completely unique plot, so the protagonist’s point of view and voice are what will set my book apart from anyone else’s. At least I certainly hope so!

Are they available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

I’m happy to say that so far, all my books are available in print and Kindle, as well as Nook and most other ebook formats.

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

Two experiences really stand out beyond the thrill of holding my hot off the press books in my hand--and each time that seems like the first. Anyway, one experience involves a lady from South Carolina who wrote and asked me to sign and send back to her two copies of my first western, Liar’s Trail. She had (has) a grandson named Sawyer Kennett, just like the hero in the story and wanted a copy for him when he grows up. Sawyer shows up in Two Feet Below, also.

The second standout experience happened last summer when I took a few of my books to a rural farmer's market. A lady came by, just browsing, and picked up one of the westerns. Later in the week she called and asked if she might stop by my house and buy all the others. Believe me, I didn’t say no! But then, two weeks later she called again and came and bought all the rest of books, including the time-travels. I'm thrilled that she liked my stories so much.

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

Hmm. They’re all challenging. That “getting the words right” thing, you know. Research, you know. Shadow Soldier, the second time-travel book took the most research, taking me back to World War I, and now I can’t stop delving into anything set in that period. Let me turn the question around and say the least challenging was probably The Prince’s Cousin, my little sword and horse fantasy. No history to worry about, and not even a local setting. Everything is totally made up.

Can you tell us your writing goals for 2012 or beyond?

First of all, I’m looking forward to the release of the third book in my China Bohannon western suspense series (Three Seconds to Thunder). That should be very soon. Otherwise, my goal for this year is to sell the two fantasy stories I’m shopping around right now, finish up this contemporary mystery I’m working on (and sell it), and then get started on another China Bohannon. Unless the plot floating to the surface right now changes, it’s going to feature horse racing. And then there’s a bootlegger’s story percolating in my head, and after that....

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

I really do try to keep my website up-to-date with newest books and news and an events calendar. Also, another goal for this year is to update my blogs more often. If interested, you can learn more here:

http://ckcrigger.com
http://ckcrigger.blogspot.com
http://twofeetbelow.blogspot.com   

I also post on facebook and twitter upon occasion.

http://facebook.com/carolcrigger

http://twitter.com/ckcrigger

Carol, thanks for dropping by and letting us get to know you. Congrats on all the books, and continued success.

How Do You Determine Your Title?

Since I started my women's fiction a couple of years ago, I've called it The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood. Recently as I edited and rewrote portions of the book, I began to wonder if the title works. The book is about lessons learned from geese, but that's not the main thrust of the book. Lifelong friendship is. My two main characters are going through menopause, marital stife, and health issues. They're sick and tired of it. The book calls attention to all the frustrations in their lives and all the antics and misadventures they get caught up in, trying to enjoy themselves in spite of Life's obstacles and stumbling blocks. I have decided that a better title is Slightly Cracked. That title covers the goose egg issue in the book and also could be used to describe either of these sassy ladies. I am happy with my choice. It is officially Slightly Cracked now or until a publisher changes it to something even catchier.

The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood or Slightly Cracked

What do you think?

Have you changed the name of a book, or wished a book had a different title?

How important is the title to you?

Please leave comments for a chance to win a free signed copy once it's published.

Hank Quense takes a gamble

Award-winning author Hank Quense lives in Bergenfield, NJ with his wife Pat.  They have two daughters and five grandchildren.  He writes humorous fantasy and scifi stories.  On occasion, he also writes an article on fiction writing or book marketing but says that writing nonfiction is like work while writing fiction is fun.  A member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, he refuses to write serious genre fiction saying there is enough of that on the front page of any daily newspaper and on the evening TV news.

Zaftan Entrepreneurs is the first book of a trilogy.  In it, an alien mining ship discovers a planet that holds promise to be a mining bonanza.  Unfortunately, it is inhabited by humans, dwarfs, elves and other races and they object to the mining expeditions.

Zaftan Miscreants is the second book in the trilogy.  It is awash with unusual characters and filled with bizarre plots

Hank’s previous works include Tales From Gundarland, a collection of fantasy stories.  Readers Favorite awarded the book a medal and EPIC designated it a finalist in its 2011 competition.  His Fool’s Gold is a retelling of the ancient Rhinegold myth and Tunnel Vision is a collection of twenty previously published short stories.  Build a Better Story is a book of advice for fiction writers.

Hank has initiated a series of lectures and workshops to share his expertise in creating fiction and publishing books.  Create A Short Story is a 4 session workshop in which the participants design their own short story. He also gives a two-part seminar on Self-publishing a book and Marketing and Selling the self-published book.

Hank, welcome back. Please  give us a short synopsis of your new book.

This novel is Shakespeare's Worst Nightmare.  It takes two of the Bard's most famous plays, Hamlet and Othello, and recasts them with fantasy characters in a place called Gundarland.  Hamlet is a dwarf and Othello is a dark elf. If that isn't bad enough, these two tragedies are now comedies with Falstaff, Shakespeare's most popular rogue, thrown in as a bonus.  Both Hamlet and Othello are plagued by the scheming Falstaff, a human.

Hamlet is the Prince of Denmarko and is striving to start a private business -- bee-keeping -- to demonstrate his competence and independence from the court.  He is shocked to learn, from a ghost, that Clodio murdered his father.  Indecisive, he tries to balance his love of bees with his mother’s demands to help Clodio and the ghost’s insistence that he avenge his father’s murder.

Othello, using a tarted-up resume, is named to the post of Minister of Homeland Security in the city of Dun Hythe.  Once he assumes the post of Minister of Homeland Security for the city of Dun Hythe, he realizes his responsibilities are much greater than he imagined they would be.  He soon discovers his appointment was engineered by his wife’s grandmother who heads the local crime syndicate and demands that Othello award her contracts to rebuild the Dun Hythe’s walls

Falstaff is a life-long schemer and scam artist. He calls himself Sir John Falstaff since he won the title ‘Sir’ in a card game with the knight who had earned it.  A deserter from the army, he travels around the country with his batman, Poulet, searching for opportunities.  During the story Falstaff sees Hamlet and Othello as easy marks and gulls both of them.

How did you come up with this bizarre story?

    I love rewriting legends and old stories.  As I see it, I'm bring them into the 21st century.  This novel was years in the making. I originally wanted to write a short story about Hamlet.  I also planned to write a spoof about Othello.  I tried for at least 3 years, but couldn't get the stories going, mostly because the plays are tragedies and to Shakespeare that meant the stage is filled with dead bodies in the last act, not exactly the stuff of humor.  About 18 months ago, I tried once again and failed to get either story going.  Desperate, I combined them to see if that gave me any ideas.  it didn't because there was nothing to connect the two main characters. Then I had another idea and added Falstaff to the mix.  Within seconds, everything clicked.  I knew the plot, I knew the ending, I knew the character interactions.  All I had to do was finish build the character sketches and write the first draft.

What’s the status of the book?

I originally planned to publish the ebook in April of this year, but the advanced reviews are so good that I decided to postpone publishing it while I try to get an agent.  If nothing happens by the end of the summer, I’ll publish it.

When do you accomplish your best writing?

In the morning.  I generally start writing around 7:00 AM after checking email and various web sites

Is there another book on the horizon? 

I have five I want to write.  Two of them are ready to start the first draft, the others need more design work.  One of them, Zaftan Combatants, is the third book in the Zaftan Trilogy.  It's number two on the list.

After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?

Red wine works great. So does reading other authors’ books.

Ahh, that explains it then. LOL.

Are your books available in print, ebook, and Kindle?

All of the above.

Where can we purchase these books and get more information about you?

I have buy links for each book on the Strange Worlds Online website: http://strangeworldsonline.com

Okay, Hank, keep those unique books coming.

Jacqueline Seewald returns

Multiple award-winning author Jacqueline Seewald has taught creative, expository and technical writing at the university level as well as high school English. She also worked as an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Eleven of her books of fiction have been published. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications. She enjoys spending time with family and friends when she isn’t writing. In addition, she is a playwright, a landscape artist and loves many types of music. 

Welcome back, Jacquie. Congrats on the new book.

Thanks so much, Susan.

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

Three years ago we moved from suburban Central NJ to urban North Jersey. The environments are very different. I now live in a co-op apartment overlooking the Hudson with a view of Manhattan rather than a house with woods and a stream in the backyard. I had to give up my large personal library because of lack of space. This was painful. However, I actually have more time to write because there are less household responsibilities. Maintaining a large house and yard with thirty trees was time-consuming.

How many books have you written?

I’ve written sixteen books, eleven of which have been published so far.

Give a short synop of Death Legacy.

DEATH LEGACY is a fast-paced romantic suspense mystery/thriller featuring Michelle Hallam who heads a unique consulting firm she inherited from her deceased uncle, a former intelligence agent. Called to the French Riviera for business under mysterious circumstances, Michelle meets Dr. Daniel Reiner, a handsome young psychiatrist. They have a strong physical attraction but Michelle remains wary of being involved with him. Daniel’s friendly, warm personality and urban wit stands in contrast to Michelle’s outward facade of cool cynicism. In New York, Michelle reconnects with Dr. Reiner when she sends him a referral, her client, Nora Parker, who has asked Michelle to look into the suspicious disappearance and possible death of her husband, a CIA agent. The complex case involves both Michelle and Daniel in espionage, international intrigue, and murder, placing their lives in jeopardy. The novel combines elements of suspense, mystery, and sensual romance.

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

Not that much. The book isn’t autobiographical. But some of my husband’s personality traits are imbedded in the hero, like a sense of humor. Also, the hero’s grandparents are based on those of my husband.

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

At this time, DEATH LEGACY is only available in hardcover. It is available from many booksellers including Amazon and B&N Online. However, I encourage readers to request the novel at their local library. I consider libraries the greatest bargain. Since DEATH LEGACY had a very good review from BOOKLIST ONLINE among others, I believe librarians will be glad to order the novel if readers ask for it.

What challenges did you face while writing this book?

Not being a professional spy myself, I had to do considerable research. I also looked into weaponry. Michelle, my heroine, is an expert in martial arts. So research in that area had to be done as well. In addition, I had to make certain my setting descriptions were accurate. That too took research.

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

Writing is hard work. It’s a craft. To be a good writer, it’s necessary to be willing to do revisions. If you want to be a writer, you have to discipline yourself. You can’t be sloppy. It’s important to know the rules before you can break them.  Also, you need to find the time to write consistently, each day if possible.

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

When I get an idea I write it down by hand in a notebook.

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

I’m not that great at promotion. I’m still basically an unknown writer. But in this day and age, you really can’t wait to be discovered. I’m on a number of writer’s loops. I enjoy being in contact with other authors. I’m on Goodreads, Facebook and even Twitter—but not to a large extent. I do guest blog as time permits.

Can you tell us your writing goals/projects for 2012 or beyond?

I’ve written a paranormal mystery novel with my older son entitled THE THIRD EYE. I’m in the midst of contract negotiations for the book. I also have two historical romances that need to find a home plus a paranormal contemporary. The fourth Kim Reynolds novel is also complete and ready for submission.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

As to where you can learn more about my latest novel, Amazon and B&N online are making that information available. Check out: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Legacy-Five-Star-Mystery/dp/1432825739

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

 Goodreads offers reviews and information. The novel also has a Booklist review at: http://www.booklistonline.com/Death-Legacy-Jacqueline-Seewald/pid=5273579

You can check out more of my books online at the L&L Dreamspell site:

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

Susan, I want to say thanks for inviting me to your blog. I really appreciate the exposure.
Glad to have you back over. Continued success!