Carole Gill's House on Blackstone Moor

My guest today is Carole Gill, author of  The House on Blackstone Moor. Welcome, Carole.

Please give us a brief bio, and include something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

Thanks, Susan. Surprises: I went to the same acting school Al Pacino did but not at the same time unfortunately. Learning The Method I think benefited me with regard to dialogue writing. Currently I am widely published in sci-fi and horror anthologies. I wrote my first story at age 8. It was about a Martian invasion of earth which wasn’t all that unusual as both of my parents were sci-fi fans.Life got in the way of my writing but I turned back to it some years ago, joined a local writer’s workshop and just started to write for publication. North West Playwrights of England selected me for further development, but I found I preferred fiction writing. Besides, I didn’t think I would be another Harold Pinter! My debut novel, The House on Blackstone Moor was published by Vamplit last year. It’s been pretty well received. Vamplit suggested I do the sequel and I am. Unholy Testament will be released in the spring.

 How many books have you written?

I actually have written about three, but never sent the other two away (just as well, I think)!

Give a short synop of The House on Blackstone Moor.

The House on Blackstone Moor is a tale of vampirism, madness, obsession and devil worship as Rose Baines, only survivor of her family’s carnage, tells her story. Fragile, damaged by the tragedy, fate sends her to a desolate house on the haunted moors where demons dwell. The house and the moors have hideous secrets, yet there is love too; deep, abiding, eternal, but it comes with a price, her soul.

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

I don’t write anything without first thinking of the character’s motivation.

I mentioned The Method which teaches the actor to become the character he/she is playing, well frankly, I ‘method write.’ As I wrote Rose Baines (and the other characters), I became them.

Once I do that everything else evolves. Also, I don’t (I would if I could) write with an outline. So the motivation is the key thing for me. For example, the sequel to my novel is about a demon’s confession of all the sins he has committed in his existence. His reason for doing this is so that the woman he loves can better understand him, if she can understand him at all. His love for her is the motivation for the novel as it is his motivation. To answer your question more specifically, anger, fear, hatred, love evolve fairly easily when the motivation has been carefully considered I find.

What elements are important to include in your plot?

There again—those elements that make people act the way they do. Dare I say it: motivation! Conflict must be present. Not a punch-up but the conflicts and challenges we all deal with in the course of our lives. We are always overcoming something or striving for something or waiting for something.

In school we might have a crush on the school athlete who doesn’t know we’re alive. For me and the way I write it’s all tied in with motivation really as it’s the conflict that makes the story evolve by kick-starting everything.

How do you make certain that you’ve included all necessary elements in the book? Do you use specific techniques like maps or timelines?

I suppose I do. But they tend to be in my head. I mean take the sequel, it spans thousands of years. My protagonist has an encounter with Countess Bathory for example. Well, I know when she lived and where she lived so I just read some books about her. I find that once I get a feel of the time and place I am comfortable enough to start writing.

What sets your book apart from others?

I think all writers want to write the best book they can. But we write for different reasons. In my case I read that gothic romance was passé.I didn’t believe it was and studied the markets, I found there is a wide readership out there for it. In my opinion it probably needs to update itself. I’m not talking about paranormal romance with ‘racy bits.’ I am talking about dark gothic horror with romance combined.

I guess you could say I had that in mind when I wrote my novel. Further, I want to continue writing in this vein. I have with regard to my sequel and intend to for the book after that.

Is the book available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes, it is available in print, ebook and kindle also.

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

Seeing that I was able to keep to a commitment, actually sitting down nearly every single day for several hours was most rewarding to me. During the entire writing process, first being able to summon up enough courage to actually send out a story, was rewarding. Getting rejected on occasion and not letting that deter me in the slightest was also rewarding as it made me feel stronger and more determined.

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

Yes!!! The sequel, Unholy Testament is by far the more challenging.

I’m meticulous about research and well, my main protagonist has existed for thousands of years—well that was a lot of ground to cover! It helps to be a nerd though, which I am. I love reading history. But it was and continues to be very challenging!

When writing, how do you determine when enough is enough?

Seriously? When I begin to nod off at my laptop! I overdo it most of the time. So I have to be careful not to perish from exhaustion!

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

Twitter, Goodreads and Facebook are handy as well as my blog. I prefer a blog to a website, though. I find the website is too static for me. Promotion is so difficult and finding the right balance is the key whatever sites you use!

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

I’d like to write a book a year. Actually I’d like to write two a year. I can’t see myself not writing!

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carole-Gill-Author/120405794703293

https://twitter.com/#!/carolelynngill

http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.com/

Gary Val Tenuta

I'm delighted to welcome author Gary Val Tenuta back to the blog. Welcome back, Gary. Please give us a brief bio, and include something about yourself that readers might be surprised to learn.

Sure, Susan. My name is Gary Val Tenuta. The name, Tenuta, is Italian. It’s a word that translates into a broad definition pertaining to the ownership of land. You’ll see it on the back label of some Italian wines as a prefix to the name of the vineyard, or the owner of the vineyard, where that wine was produced. For example: Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, or Tenuta Valdipiatta.

I’m a book cover designer (www.bookcoversandvideos.webs.com) and a former feature article writer for Fate Magazine (U.S.) and Beyond Magazine (U.K.).

Something readers might be surprised to learn about me? The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that I was fortunate enough to have seen what has become known in the field of ufology as the “Black Triangle” UFO. It was a close-up sighting as the object was only about 500 feet above me. My affidavit attesting to the details of the event was among 30 others that were offered into evidence in a legal suit filed by attorney, Peter Gersten, against the U.S. Dept. of Defense in an attempt to get the DoD to release whatever files they had pertaining to that particular unidentified craft. The whole story is available here: www.examiner.com/ufo-in-national/close-encounter-with-black-triangle-ufo

 How many books have you written?

Two completed and one in the oven.

Give a short synopsis of each book.

The latest book is Ash: Return Of The Beast, a modern-day occult crime thriller inspired by a real-life (or should I say real-death) mystery from more than 60 years ago. It’s a work of fiction based on a little known factoid about the death of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), the notorious occultist the British press once called "The Wickedest Man In The World". Crowley’s body was cremated but the whereabouts of his funerary ashes has remained a mystery… until now.

The story carries the reader through a series of odd (and sometimes unsettling) events spanning the years from 1947(and the death of Aleister Crowley) to the 1990s and the coming-of-age (and eventual stardom) of a "death-metal" rocker named Rodney Duckworth.

The time-line shifts to the present day where Brian Kane, a gruff and gritty, street-worn Seattle Police Detective, reluctantly teams up with the mysterious Rowena Ravenwood, an attractive female FBI agent. Their task is to figure out why good, healthy, God-fearing preachers in their fair city are suddenly dropping dead.

What is the meaning of the strange symbols branded onto the bodies of these hapless victims? Are they all part of some bizarre cult? No eyewitnesses. No fingerprints. Is it really murder? Where’s the evidence? If it is murder, what is the ultimate goal of the killer? And what is the disturbing secret that Detective Kane is holding so close to his chest?

The investigation catapults Kane and Ravenwood headlong into life-threatening situations as they wind their way through the strange, dark labyrinth of the world of the occult and find themselves battling the powerful forces of ritual magick.

Problem is, the clues to help solve the case are in terribly short supply. Worse yet, so is the amount of time left to stop the mysterious killer's reign of terror before all Hell breaks loose. And – according to Special Agent Ravenwood – that’s not just a figure of speech. (Powerful video trailer and more: www.ashreturnofthebeast.webs.com)

My first novel, The Ezekiel Code, was released in 2007 and quickly became a “bestseller” on amazon.com and remained in the top 50 in three categories for over 57 weeks. Much of its success is due to the fact that it was one of the few novels that incorporated the 2012-end-of-the-Mayan-calendar phenomenon into the story line.

In The Ezekiel Code, December 21, 2012 (the end of the ancient Mayan calendar) holds the promise of a window of opportunity for the next step in the evolution of human consciousness. But a catastrophic event of global proportions looms on the horizon, prior to that date, threatening the annihilation of our planet and the end of civilization.

Zeke Banyon is a handsome Catholic seminary dropout who now runs a homeless shelter in Seattle's old waterfront district. Angela Ann Martin is an attractive young widow who just wants a simple part-time job at the shelter. But a single twist of fate turns their simple lives upside down when together they stumble onto a mysterious code and a rumor about a lost scroll penned by the prophet, Ezekiel, thousands of years ago. They soon find themselves tumbling down the rabbit hole into a world of secret societies, synchronicity-run-rampant, high strangeness, metaphysics, mystery and murder as they jet across continents in a race to understand the code that will lead them to an ancient artifact of profound importance. Dodging rogue Jesuit priests at every turn and unaware that the Illuminati are ever-present in the shadows, Zeke and Angela soon discover it's not just their own lives that are in danger but also the lives of everyone on the planet.

 Is Zeke Banyon the Chosen One of an obscure ancient prophecy? And if so, can he successfully accomplish the mission fate has in store for him? Nothing in seminary school could ever have prepared him for this. (Video trailer and more: www.ezekielcode.com)

 Congratulations on the success!

What sets your book apart from others?

The Ezekiel Code is the only novel ever written in which English gematria provides the plot device that drives the story. Not familiar with the term, gematria? In a very broad sense, you could think of it as a form of what might be called “sacred numerology” although it is much more than that. It’s a form of both “coding” and “divination” that was used by the ancient Greek and Hebrew priests and mystics, using their respective alphabets and languages. I’ve developed an English-based form of this same system. (www.secretofnine.com)

 I’ve also incorporated a bit of English gematria into the plot of Ash: Return Of The Beast, although to a much lesser extent. It appears only briefly as part of the deepening mystery that the two protagonists are struggling to solve.

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

The protagonists in Ash: Return Of The Beast are motivated initially by their sense of professional duty as law enforcement officers. That sense of duty, born of their profession, becomes a sense of duty on a much grander scale as they discover the survival of the entire human race has fallen upon their shoulders.

In The Ezekiel Code, the protagonists are initially motivated by sheer curiosity. That curiosity, however, leads to a profound discovery. The motivation of simple curiosity is then replaced by a sense of duty to save the planet from total destruction.

What elements are important to include in your plot?

 Since Ash: Return Of The Beast is an occult crime thriller, it was necessary to include the elements of suspense and mystery, of course. But also it had to incorporate a sense of the supernatural always present just beneath the thin surface of the mundane, normality of everyday life. The big challenge was to find a way to make the unbelievable believable, to take a very down-to-earth, street-worn, big city cop and place him into a situation in which everything he believed was only found in low-budget horror movies and Stephen King novels was actually real. To help accomplish this, I did something not often found in a novel. I started the novel with a preface. A preface is usually only found in non-fiction books. But, since this story is actually rooted in a real-life mystery (as I mentioned earlier) about a man whose entire life was so bizarre and so enmeshed in the darkest realms of occult activity that the British press labeled him as “The Wickedest Man In The World”, the preface immediately sets a tone for the historical “reality” and perceived “possibility” of paranormal and supernatural activity.

The Ezekiel Code, on the other hand, was quite different. From the beginning, I had a purpose for the book that went beyond just telling a compelling story. I’ve had a life-long interest in the paranormal, ancient mysteries, esoteric lore and, more recently, the intriguing ways in which some aspects of quantum physics seems to be providing possible explanations and support for some of those previously unexplainable phenomena. So my goal with The Ezekiel Code, beyond just telling a story, was to include just about everything I’d learned about those things so that readers who knew nothing at all about any of it could become informed about such things. It was a gamble, to be sure, because not all readers want to be inundated with that much information. It was a huge experiment of blending fact with fiction that resulted in the book being nearly 700 pages long. The press release for the book began with the following paragraph:

 It's all here in one puzzling page-turner of a novel: conspiracy, codes, secret societies, UFOs, the CIA’s remote viewing program, ancient mysteries, sacred geometry, the prophetic Mayan calendar end-date of 12/212012, alternative interpretations of Biblical events, mystifying metaphysics, good guys, bad guys, murder most foul, a touch of romance and a trace of sci-fi. All of this, and more, is intricately woven into the multifaceted storyline of THE EZEKIEL CODE.

In what formats are your books available?

Ash: Return Of The Beast (www.ashreturnofthebeast.webs.com) is only available on Kindle right now. I hope to have a paperback edition available by March of this year. The Ezekiel Code (www.ezekielcode.com) is available in both paperback and Kindle.

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

Definitely it would have to be the process of creating an entire world, a whole “reality”, including the characters, that began as an idea and a blank page. Watching it all develop and change throughout the writing process is a fantastic experience.

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

All the usual online suspects: facebook, twitter, youtube, goodreads, and a host of other social networking sites. Offline, I’ve put posters in the back passenger windows of my car and an 18”x4” banner in the rear window. Great exposure over a long period of time.

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

I have an unfinished YA fantasy that I keep threatening to get back to. That will likely be my next project.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Ash: Return Of The Beast, www.ashreturnofthebeast.webs.com

The Ezekiel Code, www.ezekielcode.com

Wishing you every success, Gary.

Thanks for having me over, Susan. Same to you.

Bobby Nash returns

 

Bobby Nash has been on the blog before and it's a pleasure to have him back.

Bobby, welcome back. You've been busy since last we spoke. Please give readers a brief bio and tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

Susan, it's always great to visit your blog. 

Readers might be surprised to learn that I started out wanting to be a comic book artist, not a writer. The writing came about because I started writing stories for myself to draw. Eventually, I realized I was a much better writer than artist and started to focus my efforts on writing.

Here’s my bio:

From his secret lair in the wilds of Bethlehem, Georgia, Bobby Nash writes. A multitasker, Bobby is certain that he doesn’t suffer from ADD, but instead he... ooh, shiny.

When he finally manages to put fingers to the keyboard, Bobby writes novels (Evil Ways; Fantastix; Deadly Games!), comic books (Fuzzy Bunnies From Hell; Demonslayer; Domino Lady vs. The Mummy; Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot”), short prose (A Fistful of Legends; Full Throttle Space Tales: Space Sirens; Green Hornet Case Files; Tales of The Rook; Zombies vs. Robots), novellas (Lance Star: Sky Ranger; Ravenwood: Stepson of Mystery; Nightbeat; Blackthorn: Thunder on Mars), graphic novels (Yin Yang; I Am Googol: The Great Invasion; Bloody Olde Englund), and even a little pulp fiction (Domino Lady; Secret Agent X; The Avenger; The Spider) just for good measure.  And despite what his brother says, Bobby swears he is not addicted to buying DVD box sets and can quit anytime he wants to. Really.

When not writing fiction, Bobby attends conventions and writers conferences, promotes his books, teaches writing courses and panels, and is a part-time extra in movies and television. Bobby is also the co-host of the weekly Earth Station One podcast (www.esopodcast.com) and writes for New Pulp (www.newpulpfiction.com) and All Pulp (http://allpulp.blogspot.com) news sites.

For more information on Bobby Nash please visit him at www.bobbynash.com, www.facebook.com/bobbyenash, www.twitter.com/bobbynash, www.lance-star.com, and http://BEN-Books.blogspot.com among other places across the web.

How many books have you written?

 14 published Short Stories/Anthologies
 29 finished and in the hands of editors awaiting publication
 3 published novels
 2 finished and in the hands of editors awaiting publication
29 published Comic Books/Graphic Novels
6 finished and in the hands of editors awaiting publication

Of course, this doesn’t take into account the projects that are in process and not yet completed.

ARE YOU SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME?

Holy crap! I didn’t expect this number to be quite this high.

I'm almost afraid to ask you to give a short synop of each book.

With there being 83 stories to choose from I will save you some space and point you toward www.bobbynash.com where there is information on most of these projects available. Some have not yet been announced by the publisher officially, even though they are completed so those are still hush-hush at the moment.

Whew! Thanks. My blog can't handle all of that:-)

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

It varies depending on the book, the theme, and the characters. There is not a specific motivating factor that I use all the time.

What elements are important to include in your plot?

The most important element for me is well-rounded characters. If I have defined the character and he or she feels real to me then all I have to do is insert them into the story and follow the character’s reactions to the plot. Cohesiveness is also important. I want to make sure the plot holds together. I hope it makes sense to the readers.

How do you make certain that you’ve included all necessary elements in the book? Do you use specific techniques like maps or timelines?

Sometimes. I have been known to make notes and graphs, especially if there is a mystery involved so I can track the clues I’ve placed throughout the story. I’m fortunate that I’m somehow able to keep the plots straight in my head. Not sure how I do it, but I do. For the shorter works I usually put a brief plot in the manuscript so it is easily accessible as I go along, leaving little notes, hints, character names, etc. so they are there if needed.

What sets your books apart from others?

I’d like to think that I have a unique voice that makes my books stand out. I have been told by people who have met me in person that they can hear my voice in their head when reading the story. I don’t try to emulate any particular style of storytelling. I write the story the way that I would like to read it. Fortunately for me my readers and publishers seem to like my style.

Are all of them available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes. All of my books are available in print (although some have gone out of print at this time). Most, but not all are available digitally. I am working with various publishers to get more of the books out there for electronic devices. Hopefully, that will happen. You can check the digital edition tab at
www.bobbynash.com to see which books are available as ebooks.

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

There is a moment when writing where suddenly everything makes perfect sense and you get into the writing zone. It’s almost like a literary epiphany and the words just flow out of you as if a creative dam has burst. I love that feeling.

Me too, Bobby.

One of the most rewarding moments is when someone comes up to me and wants me to sign a copy of my book for them. Very humbling and flattering.

Yes, indeed, it is.

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

Oh, sure. Working on anthologies, I often find myself writing characters that I did not create and might not be as familiar with. As a result, sometimes it is more of a challenge to get into that character’s head than others are so the challenge is to connect with that character and tell a good story. And usually I have to do it quickly to meet the deadline.

When writing, how do you determine when enough is enough?

Usually, it’s based on the word count limit given to me by my publishers. On the novels that I write then shop around I write until the story is done, although I know what publishers are generally looking for length-wise so I try to stick close to that.

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

Promotion is very important and I spend a good deal of time doing promotional work. I have a website (several, actually) and I try to update them regularly, especially www.bobbynash.com as it gets a good bit of traffic. I also use social media. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, writing forums and message boards, comic book forums, and the like. Wherever I am allowed to post, I do.

Off line I visit stores, make and pass out promotional postcards and flyers, attend conventions, set up book signings and other appearances, and always have copies of my books on hand because you never know when someone will be curious about what you write when you talk to them.

The trick is to balance promotion with other things. I see some writers who only post “Buy My Book” posts. I find myself ignoring those posts. I mix in updates about books I’m reading, what other writer friends are doing, convention, favorite movies and TV shows, etc. in addition to information about my books. Promotion is selling your books and yourself.

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

2012 is already shaping up to be a busy year and I have deadlines stacking up around me. So far this year I have 13 short stories/novellas to write, 5 comic books/graphic novels in productions, 5 novels I need to write or finish writing (3 are already in progress), 1 novel that is being re-issued by a new publisher so there will be a small amount of work there, and 1 completed novel that I will be releasing through my publishing imprint, BEN Books so I have to do design and layout work on that. Definitely a busy year.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

You can always find information about me, my books, and my appearances at www.bobbynash.com. I’m also at www.facebook.com/bobbyenash, www.twitter.com/bobbynash, www.lance-star.com, and http://BEN-Books.blogspot.com, www.esopodcast.com, www.newpulpfiction.com, and http://allpulp.blogspot.com on a fairly regular basis.

Well, Bobby, you've probably missed out on at least one book by taking the time to answer these questions, but I'm glad you did. I hope you get all of that done. Continued success with all endeavors.

Thank you, Susan. The same to you.

J.Conrad Guest's Cobb Legacy

J. Conrad Guest is the author of five novels—January’s Paradigm, One Hot January, January’s Thaw (all based on the character, Joe January, a Philip Marlowe type private investigator circa 1940), Backstop: A Baseball Love Story in Nine Innings, and The Cobb Legacy—and a novella, Chaotic Theory. Backstop was nominated as a Michigan Notable Book in 2010 and was adopted by the Illinois Institute of Technology for their spring 2011 course, “Baseball: America’s Literary Pastime.” His short fiction, memoirs, op-ed pieces and sports articles can be found at a variety of websites; simply google J. Conrad Guest.

J. Conrad Guest finds his muse in a good cigar and a pot of coffee or glass of scotch, depending on the time of day. They’ve become part of his ritual, his creative process.

Welcome back, Conrad.

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

I live in Michigan, where the long winter months make for a grand environment for writing. I live alone, which is also good for writing, which is a very solitary endeavor. I’ve had my heart bloodied and bruised several times—the warm and caring guy women claim to seek, tossed away in preference for the bad boy. But I’ve also bloodied a couple hearts myself and so my name is likely still cursed. Writing is therapeutic for me. I write largely about regret and the relationships between men and women and between children and parents. In short, I succeed in crafting happily ever after stories for my characters I can’t seem to write for myself.

Give a short synopsis of your most recently published book.

The Cobb Legacy spans more than a century. Baseball legend Ty Cobb’s father was killed, by his mother, a week before Ty became a major league ballplayer. Although she was acquitted on the grounds it was accidental, who can know what Cobb thought. His father, who was against his son playing ball, told him only not to return home a failure. He never did, but he did lament, after his playing days were done, that his father never got to see him play.

More than a murder mystery, The Cobb Legacy is the story of a man’s search to connect with his dying father while also coming to terms with an adulterous affair and impending divorce, and doubting that love with an old friend can be his.

What sets your books apart from others?

I probably rely more on personal experience—the disappointments I’ve encountered throughout my life—than most writers. I tend to write mostly in first person, which gives my work an almost autobiographical or memoir feel. I like to think this allows my readers to connect with my work more than books written from a purely fictional perspective. I also don’t follow a specific formula; I tend to mix several genres.

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

All my books are available as e-books, including Kindle and Nook, and several others as well as print—The Cobb Legacy will be available in print in May.

The Cobb Legacy i snow available for download for your Kindle, Nook, EPUB, MOBI orin PDF. Normally priced at $2.99, download The Cobb Legacy today for only $1.99. From the Pulse Publishing website, insert the promo code “FFTCLJCG” when prompted and you’ll be able to download The Cobb Legacy.

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

The greatest lesson I’ve learned is to enjoy the process. I used to get too wrapped up in publication. Rejection letters were, to me, a reflection of my work, its value. When I learned to enjoy the creative process, I became a writer, and publication eventually fell into place.

My advice to other writers is not to be so quick to self-publish. Try to learn from your rejection letters. Sure, publishing is highly subjective—what one publisher or agent seeks may make another yawn. Publishing on a credit card is the easy way; but it also results in stagnation—one can’t learn the art of writing because one continues to make the same mistakes.

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

Oh, gosh, that’s a difficult question because I’m still learning. Promoting my work doesn’t come easily to me; I’d much rather spend my free time writing than marketing. But it’s a necessary evil. Even the monster publishing houses expect more from their writers. A few years ago I learned that in order to get anywhere I needed a website and a blog, so I’ve got both. The trouble is, so does every other writer, so it becomes an exercise in making mine different to separate myself from all the others, and that’s something that is ongoing and which I’m still learning. I try to do interviews elsewhere, like this one, but it’s difficult to measure whether or not they’re effective.

Funny story: I posted an excerpt from The Cobb Legacy on Good Reads, a lengthy diatribe on Romeo and Juliet, which has gone quite literally viral. It’s been picked up by dozens of sites and been viewed by thousands. My name appears as the source; but unfortunately none of my book titles accompany it, so I have no way of knowing how many readers may have discovered my novels through that venue.

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

I’m currently shopping my sixth and seventh novels—A Retrospect in Death and 500 Miles to Go. The former takes the reader to the other side after the protagonist’s death, where he meets his higher self. The two of them analyze his past life, looking for the breadcrumbs that led to his unhappiness in preparation for his return to the lifecycle. The latter takes place in the 1960s, during the golden age of motor racing, and chronicles the efforts of a young man to achieve his dream of winning the Indianapolis, but at the cost of losing his childhood sweetheart, who is certain he will leave her a widow. It’s a story of the importance of, as well as the dangers associated with, pursuit of dreams.
 

I’m just getting involved with a collaborative novel with several other Second Wind Publishing authors, which will keep me busy through the first several months of 2012, and I have a couple of ideas for my next novel; but neither has gotten to the point where I need to set pen to paper.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?  

I can be found on Facebook, Red Room and Good Reads, and at my website: www.jconradguest.com.

A Box of Texas Chocolates

As Valentine's Day approaches, I thought I'd repost my first interview with multiple anthology authors. Today’s interview is with A Box of Texas Chocolates authors, Betty Gordon, Laura Elvebak, Cash Anthony, and the team of Charlotte and Mark Phillips. A Box of Texas Chocolates is the third short story collection from the Houston-based writing group, The Final Twist. Since the group is composed of writers of many genres, they decided to try a multi-genre anthology. Each story features chocolate and Texas. The award-winning A Box of Texas Chocolates is published by L&L Dreamspell.


Welcome, folks. Before we get into questions, please introduce yourself and your story.

Betty Gordon’s biography:

Betty Gordon is a native Texan who draws inspiration for short stories and novels from years of experience in the legal arena as a law student, legal assistant and paralegal. She also has extensive backgrounds in dance and sculpting which continually prick her imagination for future creations. Betty holds a B.S. Degree in Professional Writing, University of Houston-Downtown, as well as graduate degrees in Literature (creative writing) and Visual Arts from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Publishing credentials: “The Journal of Graduate Liberal Studies,” “Murder in the Third Person,” “Deceptive Clarity,” and numerous short stories in L&L Dreamspell’s anthologies. She is past president of The Final Twist Writers, a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Writers League of Texas, Ft. Bend Writers Guild, and Bay Area Writers League. (http://www.bettygordon.com/)

Synopsis of “The Cowboy’s Rose”: A rodeo cowboy, Hank, and his girlfriend, Rose, become embroiled in a suspenseful crime puzzle. Hank discovers that sitting on top of bucking bulls is nothing compared to involvement with a box of chocolates. Intriguing mystery leads this hard riding cowboy through nerve-racking experiences.

Laura Elvebak writes: “I write The Niki Alexander Mysteries, Less Dead and Lost Witness. I am past Chapter President and current Treasurer and Newsletter Editor for Mystery Writers of America, Southwest Chapter, a member of Sisters In Crime and The Final Twist.

Synopsis: “Dying For Chocolate” tells the story of a meek child car provider who suspects one of her employers is having an affair with her husband and vows revenge with a special box of chocolates she whips up herself.

Cash Anthony says: “I’m a Houston writer of short fiction and screenplays. I’m a semi-retired attorney and a biker chick. In addition to writing stores, I direct for stage and make short films.

Synopsis: “A Bona Fide Quirk in the Law” features Jessie Carr, the heroine of a series of short stories. This is the third one, and the fourth should be released this year. Jessie is a writer and amateur detective with a sideline as an occasional assassin. In this story, she’s terrorized by a rogue cop while out on her Harley, but she finds a way to get sweet revenge.

Charlotte Phillips writes, “I’m from the Keystone State. In addition to Pennsylvania, I lived in Florida and California before settling in Texas. I’ve always been surrounded by book, and spend a good part of my childhood in the doghouse for making up tall tales. It seemed only natural that I move to Texas and write.
Synopsis for “Books and Bon Bons”: A scrumptious assortment of desserts, a seminar on herbal poisons, and a harridan bent on evil, tempt a waitress towards the biggest mistake of her young life. Young Sassy learns vengeance can have unintended consequences.

Mark Phillips says, “I grew up in central Illinois reading the classis, especially Greek mythology, James bond novels, and Batman comics. I am a graduate of both the University of Illinois and Northwestern University. I live in Houston with my wife, Charlotte, and teach math and philosophy at Bellaire High School.
“You’ll find two of my short stories in A Box of Texas Chocolates. In “Truffles of Doom”, innocent homeless poor have been struck down by poisoned Christmas chocolates. Detective Eva Baum tracks a fiend without conscience or remorse to deliver a present of her own—justice.

“The Invisible Hand Will Smear Chocolate on the Face of Tyranny” finds the Rell buying up the cultural legacy of Earth with the merest trinkets of their advanced technology. Earth monopolists and Rell exploiters beware: rogue entrepreneur Kinkaid will sell Earth’s sweetest secret, chocolate, but only at the price of revolution and freedom.

Okay. Now for a few questions.Do you write any other genres?

Betty: Suspense—paranormal and romantic, and thrillers.

Laura: The fiction I write is all mystery. I have written non-fiction articles for magazines in the past, particularly in the self-help field.

Cash: I write several genres of screenplays. I have written documentaries, an adaptation of a YA novel, and a dark thriller. I have a medic-legal mystery in progress. My short fiction is usually mystery.

Mark: Charlotte and I write the Eva Baum mystery series together. I write science fiction and we’ve experimented with one-act plays.

Is there a different writing process for short stories compared to novel?

Betty: There is a big difference between writing the short story and novel aside from the obvious. Most of my short stories are written in First Person while the novels are written in Omniscient or Third Person. I like both formats, but prefer First Person for a short story as it brings me closer to the reader in a brief time.

Laura: While novels have a wider scope within which to work, short stories have to be concentrated with few characters and certain obstacles that the main character must hurdle to attain a goal that’s set out in the beginning, or having the main character finding an alternate goal more worthy.

Cash: For me, it’s hard to give up the layers of subtext, and the variety of settings and characters that you can have in longer fiction. My writers group has been the main cure for that, and they have been tremendously helpful.

Charlotte: For novels we like to start with an outline of sorts for the plot of the actual mystery. For shorts, we often start with an image or the question “what if?”

How do you discipline yourself while writing?

Betty: Discipline is fortunately not a problem for me. Perhaps my years of work and schooling trained me well. My day begins with getting ready as I would for a job—putting my derriere in front of the computer to check emails, taking care of responding to same, and beginning the day’s project which I have visualized before leaving my warm bed. If research is necessary, I do that first and then move forward.

Laura: I work best when I can close myself up in my office at home. I make myself write and once I get past that first bump, the ride gets much easier.

Cash: If I’m writing a first draft, I try not to read back to far before I continue with the story, or I’ll slip into editing mode. When I’m editing and in rewrite, I try to start at the end and work backwards in chunks, so as not to overlook problems.

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

Betty: The Dead and Breakfast anthology has two stories: “Dead by Breakfast” and “Veiled Deception”, published by L&L Dreamspell. “Anna Rose” is in the A Death in Texas: The Final Twist anthology, also published by L&L Dreamspell.

Laura: “Searching for Rachel” is in A Death in Texas.

Cash: “The Stand-In” is in the Dead and Breakfast anthology. I wrote “The Best Man” for A Death in Texas.

Charlotte and Mark: We wrote “Death on the Bayou” for A Death in Texas anthology.

When writing, what themes do you feel passionate about?


Betty: who wins, who loses, and why.

Laura: Injustice and the underdog.

Cash: Injustices for which there seems no remedy, injuries to children and animals, the good and the bad in all of us.

Parade magazine recently asked 89-year-old P.D. James why so many women write detective novels. She responded “…women are particularly interested in strong emotions…the reasons people step over that invisible line which separates the murderer from the rest of us.” Please respond to that statement.

Betty: I’m sure most us agree that women are emotional creatures. We learn to control and direct our emotions, of course, but these strong emotional-based reactions play well in detective/mystery novels.

Laura: What fascinates me is what motivates a person to cross that line. What final straw must break before it tips the edge from fury and hate to an emotion that chills the blood and brings that person to a dead end where there is no other way out.

Cash: I believe people are interested in murder mysteries for the intellectual puzzle most of them offer, in terms of discerning motivations and analyzing behavior, as well as the “car wreck response” that draws our attention to anything violent and out of the norm. When a villain has managed to fool his community while planning something intended to destroy it, I think people are deeply interested, especially if they feel they have been fooled.

Other writing projects underway?

Betty: My third novel, Valley of Obsessions, is in the hands of my publisher, L&L Dreamspell. To learn more about my work, please check my website: www.bettygordon.com.

Laura: I am working on the third Niki Alexander mystery, Heartless, and a memoir.
My website: http://www.lauraelvebak.com and my blog, A Writer’s Musings: http://lauraelvebak.blogspot.com

Cash: Always! I’m working on a new feature-length screenplay called “Nailed” which will, hopefully, be a comedy-thriller, and another short story about Jessie Carr tentatively called “The Wild Throbbing Dark”. I also have several scripts to read for friends who want feedback, and I take writing classes year-round with ScriptforSale. You can get the anthologies at Cash’s eShop, from Cash’s Closet, www.cashs-closet.com

Mark: Charlotte and I are hard at work on the next full-length Eva Baum story, tentatively called “The Golden Key”.

Charlotte: Mark is also creating a book on political philosophy called the Water Cooler Dialogues. His hope is to make political philosophy accessible to a general audience.

You can learn more about all our writing projects at MarkandCharlottePhillips.com.

Thanks to all of you for the interview!

Readers can learn about A Box of Texas Chocolates and all the L&L Dreamspell anthologies at http://www.lldreamspell.com/
The print book is available for purchase on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and all other online bookstores. It’s also available for Kindle, of course, and in multiple ebook formats at fictionwise.com.

Killer Recipes Cookbook Proceeds Donated

When my grandson, Caleb, was diagnosed with luekemia at the tender age of 2, my family and I were devastated. I felt truly helpless for the first time in my life. But now when I look back at all the pain he and his family and friends endured, I am eternally grateful for incredible doctors at Pitt Children's Hospital in Greenville, North Carolina and the latest research from The American Cancer Society and hospitals around the country who collaborated in efforts to save him. Caleb is now a healthy, happy 12-year-old and we are truly blessed to have him in our lives. 

What does my story have to do with the cookbook, Killer Recipes?  I wanted to do something other than write my usual checks to The American Cancer Society and my local Relay For Life. I decided to invite the huge network of mystery writers I'd connected with (mostly on Internet) to submit recipes for a cookbook in exchange for promotion underneath. I told them up front that the proceeds would be donated to cancer research--they wouldn't be getting any royalties. I was amazed at the response! Over sixty writers sent recipes! (I've interviewed many of them here on the blog and some are telling their stories at the new blog, www.killer-recipes.blogspot.com.

To make the pot even sweeter, my publisher, L& L Dreamspell, jumped in quickly, offering to publish the cookbook and donate their share to the cause. How sweet is that?

Killer Recipes is a fun cookbook because we changed the names of our family recipes to fit the mystery theme, and even though the names may seem ominous, the recipes are all safe and delicious. The categories are:

Breads and Breakfasts To Die For

Criminal Bites, Dips, and Beverages

Devilish Desserts

Insane Soups, Salads, and Sauces

Shameless Sides

Slayer Casseroles
Suck-ulent Main Dishes
Unlawful Vegetables

Our hope is to have a little fun, offer some wonderful family recipes, and kill cancer during our lifetime!

Won't you join our efforts by purchasing a few copies for yourself and others? You can get them at Amazon.com in print, ebook, or Kindle formats and feel good about giving the gift of hope to victims of this horrible disease. http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Recipes-Susan-Whitfield/dp/1603183507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328905556&sr=8-1


You can also purchase directly through my web site, www.susanwhitfieldonline.com for autographed copies.
If you'd like to purchase a case to sell at signings or Relay For Life events, please contact the publisher at http://www.lldreamspell.com/

It's a great time to try some of these recipes. Enjoy! And feel great that you've helped the fight against cancer.

Need more gifts? The Logan Hunter Mysteries are available at http://www.susanwhitfieldonline.com/ at a discount (I knocked down the price to cover shipping).

Book 'em!

Please Join Us for
The First Annual Book 'Em North Carolina Event!

Please make plans now to join me, more than 75 authors and more than half a dozen publishers at the First Annual Book 'Em North Carolina event! We are asking all authors and publishers to help spread the word your friends, family, fans, and customers!

Where &When

Robeson Community College

A.D. Lewis Auditorium (Building 15)

5160 Fayetteville Road
Lumberton, North Carolina 28358

February 25, 2012

9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

It's FREE and open to the public!

OUR STATE Magazine lists it as one of the top five things every North Carolinian needs to do in February!

Meet New York Times best-selling authors Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer, more than 30 award-winning authors, more than 75 authors of various genres, and more than 6 publishers for an innovative Writers Conference & Book Fair to raise money for literacy campaigns!

I'll be there with my four mysteries and I hope to see you there. Here's a message from co-founder, Trish Terrell:

Buy a Book – and Stop a Crook!

Many of us enjoy what reading a book can do for us. It can take us around the world, through the ages, enlighten, educate, pull at our emotions, change our perceptions of the world, and so much more.

But have you ever stopped to think about the connection between being literate and living in a low crime area? Or how literacy impacts social services?

It’s a fact that 83% of all those in juvenile court are functionally illiterate. Have you ever wondered how their lives might have been changed if they’d learned to love books and reading?

More than 60% of our prison population is functionally illiterate, and most male inmates read at a third grade level or below. At a time when the prison population is exploding, could literacy be one key to reducing that number?

A full 90% of all welfare recipients are high school dropouts. At a time when jobs are hard to come by, those without reading skills are destined for lives at minimum wage—if they can find a job. And as comedian Chris Rock so eloquently put it (and I paraphrase) employers paying minimum wage are saying if they could pay you less, they would. Reading is one ticket out of that cycle.

The national unemployment rate for persons without a high school education is double the rate for persons with some college.

Three out of every four food stamp recipients perform at the lowest literacy levels—usually below third grade.

With these facts in mind, Book ‘Em North Carolina comes to Lumberton on Saturday, February 25, 2012 with an innovative book fair and writers conference. It takes place from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm at Robeson Community College, conveniently located along Interstate 95 at Exit 22 and just 8 miles from Interstate 74.

More than 75 authors will be on hand to sell and sign their books, with a substantial portion of the proceeds going to increase literacy in our community.  More than 6 publishers will join these authors for panel discussions and solo talks on everything from writing to publishing to improving the quality of your life.

New York Times best-selling authors Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer are traveling from Vermont and Massachusetts to help bring attention to the connection between illiteracy and crime and raise money to increase literacy and reduce crime. Both have new books being released and Lumberton is one of their first stops to launch these new titles.

A Children’s Corner will conduct readings to the smallest children all day long, as well as special activities and events. And the first 100 children age 9 and younger will receive a free book when they come to the Children’s Corner Saturday morning.

With authors coming from as far away as Scotland and attendees coming from New Jersey, Florida and points in between, it’s sure to be an exciting, fun-filled day. We hope you’ll join us! For more information, visit www.bookemnc.org.

This guest blog was written by suspense author and Book ‘Em Foundation co-founder p.m.terrell.