Interview with mystery author Douglas Wickard

 

Next up I have an interview with Douglas Wickard, author of A PERFECT HUSBAND.  Check out what Douglas has to say about writing and bad guys and plots and... Well, we'll just get right to it:
 

1.       The quick pitch for A Perfect Husband is: “An abandoned cabin... a diabolical killer... a hidden cemetery. A deadly secret is about to be uncovered.”  How did the idea for this book come to you?

I was living in that precise cabin for over four years. Its location is exactly 72 miles from NYC in the township of Montague, New Jersey and was owned by my best friend Patricia. The cottage had literally been abandoned after her father died and was left to the elements for many years. Patricia offered the cabin to me as a retreat from the City to finish my first novel NOTHING SACRED. While living there, during those summer months, Patricia and I would often throw around plot points, story lines, etc. I remember coming up with THE KILLING FIELD on one of our excursions, which was an idea for Patricia to write. She was a major editor and publisher in NYC and had switched hats to write novels. Her first book, COCO: The Novel was published in 1990. She passed on THE KILLING FIELD idea, so in 2005, I snatched it up and began working on it, establishing Sami as my lead.

2.       One thing you and I have in common is that each of us spent many years working in the Hospitality Industry.  In bar and restaurant (or similar) jobs, you get to meet all kinds of people, to see all sorts of situations, and often times the people you interact with are (ahem) a wee bit tipsy (and I don’t just mean the customers!)  How much cross-pollination is there between Douglas the Hospitality Guy and Douglas the Author?  (ASIDE: I once got tipped a condom covered cucumber that was autographed by the director of a fetish film...) 

I kind of fell into the hospitality ‘thing’ when I first moved to NYC. I was a licensed Medical Technologist after being discharged from the Navy, but hated being trapped in basement laboratories with no windows and shaking test tubes all day. Arriving in New York, I needed to pay rent so I started waiting tables, like everybody else. It was fun, nonintrusive and allowed me time to focus on my writing, at that time musicals. I started taking my hospitality profession seriously when I got married and worked my way up the corporate ladder. Unfortunately, my writing took a back seat for many years during that time. I tinkered and tried and tailored my writing to fit my schedule, but ultimately, I lost that initial fire I possessed when I first arrived to the City.  I’m glad I’ve rekindled it!  

3.       I truly got a chill when I read the description of A Perfect Husband on your website.  Basement in a secluded cabin?  Carpenter table? Serial killer?   YIKES!!!  Get me out of here!!!  How do you feel about writing bad guys?  You can’t have a whodunit without a perpetrator, but how does it feel to try to imagine the bad guy’s perspective, to get inside the bad guy’s head?  

I love it! I allow myself to be a channel for whatever character I’m working on. I don’t have any investment in him/her except to make them believable and come to Life on the page. I have also been taught (by Patricia) to make villains loveable. There is a reason he/she is a killer. We aren’t born that way. I try to create a very real back story on all my characters.  To me, writing about the dark cracks of humanity is the reason I do it. I love exploring human behavior and taking it to its limit. Just wait and see what I put Sami through in the sequel!

4.       Sami Saxton is your starring character, your heroine... What were the challenges and/or what was the fun side of writing a female lead?

Once A PERFECT HUSBAND was published and I started getting some good reviews, particularly women reviewers began asking HOW? How could I write a female so well? I had to take a look at that. I was raised with women. I’m a huge fan of women. I also, have a very sensitive, feminine side to myself that I now embrace. Not always. It wasn’t always easy. I was raised without the benefit of a father figure so my core witnessed the world through female eyes. I don’t see a masculine world. I see it entirely from a female perspective. I’m okay with that now. It took quite a bit of adjustment. It’s much harder for me to write a masculine protagonist. My character Dan Hammer, in my next series, is my male alter ego.

5.       Tell me about your current work in progress (or next release).

A PERFECT SETUP is the sequel to A PERFECT HUSBAND. I finished the second book of my Dan Hammer series back in January, but with the success of A PERFECT HUSBAND, I figured I would create the PERFECT series and let Sami have her day. I’m loving the second book because I know Sami so well. All I can say is: TRUST NO ONE!

6.       You have done lots of writing: TV scripts, musicals, screenplays and more.  How easy is it for you to flip between types of writing?

I’m self taught. I’ve never taken a writing course. I always figured the best way to learn...is to do, so I would buy books on writing the screenplay, the TV script, etc., and just go for it! I got lucky. I landed a huge agent in NYC early on and kept with him for nearly thirteen years. Beginners luck. Writing novels was something intrinsic, I knew it was in me festering from an early age. My sensitivity gave me the nuance necessary to invite characters into my world and explore, reveal and bring to Life. I’ve tried stopping writing...I can’t. It’s a part of me.

   

7.       Writing can be a lonely occupation, a frustrating one, and every writer must develop a thick skin when it comes to rejections and reviews.  Yet, writers continue to plug away at the keyboard, to scribble on the scraps of paper.  What makes people do it?  Why do you write?

I have no choice. If I’m not uncovering a character’s dark spaces, I’m journaling, discovering mine. I use everything in my art. I’m not afraid to be candid, brutally honest. An unconscious thread usually runs parallel to the storyline with what’s happening in my Life. I sometimes don’t realize it until the book is finished, but that emotional link puts that hum of verisimilitude in my words, my characters.

8.       The publishing industry has undergone a sea change in recent years.  Nowadays, it’s not enough to be able to write a good story, but authors must also become PR experts and marketing mavens.  I know some authors who just can’t or won’t do the promotional side of things.  How comfortable are you with this aspect of the writing life?

I don’t know. The publishing industry is what it is: AN INDUSTRY, a business exploiting work/art for gain, hopefully mine. It’s in every business. With the changes in publishing a writer MUST promote himself and his brand. It’s essential to get seen. There are so many advantages to being published by the big six. But, until that day happens, I will hunker in for the long haul, keep putting fingers to the keyboard, tweet my heart out and Facebook my harlot ways to the goal line.

9.       You’re on holiday and aren’t allowed to write for a week or two.  Instead, you’ll catch up on reading.  What books will you bring with you for vacation?

Yours, for one.  I have a slew of new authors on my Kindle. And, I am dying to read GONE GIRL. I still read the New York Times Book Review every Sunday and keep an eye out for new books, new authors, exciting reads. I’m a voracious reader.

10.   The last question is kind of a freebie:  What is the one question you wish I had asked you but didn’t?  Now go ahead and ask and answer that question.

No question. Just gratitude. Thank you, Jill for allowing me this opportunity. I appreciate your support.

Check out Douglas Wickard's website http://www.douglaswickardbooks.com/

Follow him on Twitter @DouglasWickard

Get A PERFECT HUSBAND on Amazon click here. 

 

Interview with author Peggy Edelheit

Howdy Folks, 

Today I'm happy to share an interview with mystery author Peggy Edelheit with you.  Peggy is the author of the Samantha Jamison Mysteries.

 Here we go...

Jill:  The description of The Puzzle is certainly attention getting (see below).  There is a strong sense of voice here and a clear point of view.   Did you know at the outset who Samantha Jamison would be inside and out?  Did she come to you (fairly) fully formed?  

Excerpt from Amazon:  “I had to make a decision. Do I continue making excuses, or do I set in motion something that scares me?  Do I go back to North Carolina and solve the puzzle of who killed my husband?  Once there, I find that I am caught up in a web of intrigue and end up in my own novel.  My laptop couldn’t type me out of this one, and would I live to write about it?

Peggy:  I have to admit, that at first, The Puzzle was going to be a stand-alone book. Samantha’s persona was already rambling around inside me for a while before I finally put her down in book form. I felt the reader should feel and see in print her scattered, rambling thought process closely tied to her fear, insecurities and hopelessness in the loss of a husband, marriage, and the life she thought she had, hence the rambling of her words on the pages and incoherent thoughts. People don’t always follow any sense of mental order when total emotional chaos hits them.

As the book progressed, it enabled the reader to slowly see Sam evolve, gaining confidence as a writer and sleuth. By the end of the book, I knew I had to continue telling Samantha’s story. Plus, I loved the idea of an author telling a story within a story. The reader is at the same disadvantage as Sam as they see and hear only what she does to solve the mysteries.

 

Jill:  Name two authors (living or dead) who have inspired or influenced you. 

 

Peggy:  I can honestly say that no one particular author has influenced me more than another. I have always loved a well-written story that grabbed me the minute I started to read it. Over the years I’ve read so many genres, but kept coming back to mysteries, my preference.

Jill:  WOW! You’ve released five Samantha Jamison Mysteries between 2009 and now (busy gal!)  Do you ever feel like taking a break, or is the momentum what keeps you going?

 Peggy:  To me writing is like breathing. I can’t live without it. My only small break is to mentally contemplate my next mystery, having already let the reader know at the end of the one before where it was going next. The characters are my driving force. I love their unpredictability. I might do a Volume 5 ½ though as a brief pause, so to speak. The subject? Ah, another mystery!

Jill:  Writing is (or can be) tough at times, for any writer, in any genre, writer’s block and things like that can affect even the best.  However, I believe there is a unique challenge for writing mysteries:  Yes, in any genre and in nonfiction, one must be able to write, and develop characters and create snappy dialogue, or write vivid descriptions, one may have to do some research, and so on, but with mysteries, an author almost needs an additional skill set:  Mystery authors must be able to pepper in clues without giving away the plot too soon; they must play fair with the readers, and yet be plausible.  This is becoming the longest question I’ve ever asked, but what are your thoughts on this?  Do you find it easy to pepper in enough clues, without going overboard?  Do you find it hard to make the plot believable without being obvious? 

Peggy:  I’m intrigued with the power of the mystery. Constructing and deconstructing the pieces involved and making them all fit together at the end is not easy, but that is what fascinated me the most about them, making sure everything was attached at the end in a coherent manner.  I leave subtle clues throughout, some even at the very beginning. But every time I would change one thing, I then had to go back and change all the strings attached to it. I call it the ripple effect. It’s not easy because you have to be careful not to let that one detail get away from you. When I do surprise the reader, it is just as much a surprise to Samantha, too, so the reader never feels left out. Sam wasn’t expecting it either and she let’s them know it. I don’t outline. It just doesn’t work for me. When I am done with the whole book, then I reread the chapters and the whole book over and over to make sure it reads smoothly and there are no loose ends. Then it goes to my editor. After that a fine-tuning by me.

Jill:  If a Hot Shot Hollywood Director (he’s so important that his name is even italicized!)  showed up at your house and said he or she was about to make a Samantha Jamison movie, who would you like to see cast as Sam?

Peggy:  You know, you got me on that one. If I ever get to that point in my career, I’ll email you first thing with a follow up on this interview to let you know. From now on though, I think I may have to make sure Sam has star-like qualities in my next book just in case that happens so my fans won’t be disappointed when it come to the big screen. (chuckle)

Jill:  I’ve heard many writers say that they force themselves to have a routine or to write a certain number of words per day.  Other writers have a more casual approach, and write when the mood strikes them.  What is your writing process?

Peggy:  I try to write everyday, even when the words are not flowing. I’ll just keep plugging away. I don’t set hours or have a rigid schedule other than writing each day. Of course I may delete a lot of it, but feel it’s important to keep writing. I consider anything, even swapping dialogue to do a change up for an unexpected twist, providing the chemistry works.

Jill:  If an aspiring author asked you for just ONE piece of writing advice, what would you say and why?

Peggy:  Believe in yourself. Keep going. Never give up. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?

If I’ve learned anything, it’s to keep your readers in the loop. I let them know exactly what Sam is thinking and seeing as the story unfolds. If you lose your reader, they may give up on you and not come back. I try to keep the reader engaged throughout. I try not to forget they are looking over my shoulder.

Jill:  What comes more easily to you: dialogue or description?

Peggy:  Both. I know this sound crazy, but sometimes I can’t type fast enough, because I hear and see the whole scene so clearly in my mind and am afraid to let it go.  Sometimes it’s scary how it plays out before me. I feel like I am in the room with them or wherever they happen to be and I am trying to catch the banter going back and forth, often tempted to yell out, “Hold it! Can you repeat that?” “Hey, wait! Why did you run that way?” “Why did you say that?”

Jill:  In your experience, what is the best way to connect with readers? With other writers?

Peggy:  As far as readers go, I blog on my website, sometimes about myself so they get to know me. I may also leave excerpts or a sample first chapter for them to read. It gives me great feedback.

As far as writers are concerned, I have been lucky to connect with so many of them on Twitter. They are an amazing group of talented people who are so supportive. I try in some small way to give that support back every chance I get. 

The only social media I do is my website: samanthajamison.com and Twitter: @samanthajamison

I find any more than that and I don’t have the time to do what I love best, write.

Jill:  The last question is kind of a freebie: What is the one thing you wish I had asked you, but didn’t?  Now go ahead and ask and answer that question.

Peggy:  Here goes: If you had to do it all over, would you do anything differently?

Absolutely not! I love being an author, speed bumps and all. I just wish my parents were still alive to see what their little girl has achieved. I know they would be proud of me and tell me not to let it go to my head. I don’t think that’s possible. I am too humbled by all the talent around me.

Thanks for having me, Jill. I enjoyed the interview. 

Check out Peggy's books on AMAZON click here.

Chatting with author David Leadbeater

Today I'm pleased to interview David Leadbeater - an author who really THINKS BIG! 

Jill:  It’s all I can do to think of a plot around which to build a book – just a single book.  How the heck did you conceive of something so big when you wrote The Bones of Odin as part one of a four part series?  You must have tons of post-it notes stuck all over your work space.

 

Dave:  When I first conceived The Bones of Odin it was as a single book. When I came to the detailed planning and subsequent writing I soon realized that the discovery at the end – The Tomb of the Gods – took us in a whole new direction and opened up some great possibilities. At this point I roughly mapped out the next three books, decided on some cliffhangers, and pinpointed where the stories main revelations should occur. Luckily, I typed everything straight to my computer so am able to easily refer back. When I’m writing the Drake books I usually have 4 different story folders open! Then I have a couple of small A3 notebooks for ongoing story threads or new stuff that suddenly jumps out. Then, if something new sticks I add it to whichever book’s story folder it needs to go in.

Jill:  In hopes of making one of the greatest ever archeological discoveries, retired SAS officer Matt Drake goes searching for the Nine Pieces of Odin.  Tell me about your interest in archeology – do you have a little Indiana Jones in you?  Was archeology your major in university (or did you wish it was)?  Why did archeology seem like the right backdrop for this series?  

Dave:  I guess my love of archeology is fuelled by an interest in the ancient mysteries that may yet be uncovered. It goes back to my childhood when I used to watch old films on TV, past the Indiana Jones movies, and on through the Da Vinci Code days to present. Of course, I knew archeology had to be involved in my book as the story revolved around ancient artifacts being discovered.

What is your writing process?  Do you use an outline?  Do you have a set schedule?  Is there a favourite place for you to write?  How do you tackle edits and revisions?  Yes, I do realize that this is a whole lotta questions all rolled into one... sort of...

 

Haha! Well… I fully plan the story and every chapter before I write the first word. Of course, anything can change if something new pops up (and I love it when that happens) but I do start with a detailed step by step plan. Then, I jot bullet points for each chapter in a notebook and constantly refer to it as I write, ensuring the flow is maintained as carefully as possible. My editor handles the bulk of the edits which we bat back and forth a few times and then I polish before publication. 

Being a husband and a father of two young children I have no place of my own! I write where I can and when I have time, usually after the kids have gone to bed. I try to write about 3 pages per day, four or five days a week, but it's not always possible.

Your first book hop-scotches from the Louvre, to a Swedish cavern, to the Big Apple, and points beyond.  Do you always write about places that you have actually been to?  Can you write about real places you’ve never seen?

Good question. At this early point in my writing career I’m sticking to places that I have actually visited a few times and can confidently talk about. That is apart from any Scandanavian countries, the descriptions of which I have come unstuck with once and now try to refer to in a general way. No doubt I will soon have to write about a place I’ve never seen and will do extensive research before I put pen to paper.

The evil, awful, underworld figure the Blood King sounds, well, evil and awful and pretty darn scary.  What’s it like when it comes to writing bad guys... really, really bad guys? 

It’s not much fun, to be honest. I try not to write much from their POV, but create an aura of evil around them so I don’t have to delve too deeply!

Now, almost the total opposite (talking length here) of the four volume Matt Drake series, you also have a short story called Walking With Ghosts.  Is it easy to move between long and short fiction?  What are the pros and cons of each?

 

Yes, it’s pretty easy. Once I have a detailed story I can just proceed as outlined above. The Pro’s of writing a short story are not having to live with the constant mental stress of writing a novel, and being able to put something new out that means a lot to me in a shorter space of time. I intend – eventually – to have a series of short stories under some kind of ‘Ghostly’ banner, but that’s a fair way down the line. Walking with Ghosts was written to help showcase the city I live in and give a little publicity to the local hospital where my two premature children were cared for so superbly, as well as offering up a few frights along the way!

The cons? You can’t really expand on the characters you have created. And you have to end it just when you’re starting to have fun. But it does leave possibilities open for the future…I always like to do that.

 

The cover for The Chosen is pretty cool!  How do you decide on book covers?

Thank you! I talk, through email, to my cover designer and give him a list of storylines and events that occur in the book. He comes back with several suggestions. Then we fine tune and narrow it down. It’s a fun process and always great to see your dream taking shape.

Name two authors (living or dead) who inspire you or whom you’d like to emulate.  Tell me why.

I’ll go for one living and one dead then – In my opinion… JRR Tolkien, for writing the greatest story ever told, for inspiring me in my youth to write long fantasy epics just for fun, and for giving the English language such poetic brilliance whilst alternately shaking, chilling and exciting you to your very core.  And, more recently, the crime writer Robert Crais, for giving us the Elvis Cole series of novels and inventing two of the best and most likeable characters of recent times.

The last question is kind of a freebie:  What is the one thing you wish I had asked you but didn’t?  Now go ahead and ask and answer that question.  

Hey, Dave, when’s your next book out?

Well, just came out! It’s the third in the initial four part ‘Matt Drake’ series, called The Gates of Hell, and starts off where The Blood King Conspiracy finished on its huge cliffhanger- my apologies for that one! 

Check out Dave's page on AMAZON.  

Follow Dave on TWITTER @dleadbeater2011 

Wrong Place, Wrong Time... Right Interview! David P. Perlmutter

Today, I'm happy to have a chat with author David P. Perlmutter.  David is one of the first nonfiction authors I've interviewed.  Check out what he has to say about his true crime experience...

1.      If a freaky, jaw-dropping, scary-assed series of events, such as what you describe in Wrong Place, Wrong Time had never actually happened to you, do you still think you would have written a book one day?  Why or why not? 

Great question. I enjoy reading but this is the first piece of writing I have ever done. I was pushed by my great friend and Editor Elaine Denning to write this story, and I have the bug now! A second book, which is fiction, is in progress.

2.      What is the best, or most pleasantly-surprising thing about being an author?  

I really do not consider myself an author, I just wrote what happened to me. But, now I have been told: "David you've written a book, so go along with being an author", which I like hearing!  

3.      What’s next for you as an author?  Tell me all about your work in progress. 

I have a second book in draft. The outline of the story is there, I just need to put the story together which is what I'm doing at the moment.

 

4.      Born in England... Headed off to Spain... Now living in Portugal...  Por favor, please tell me: What draws you to the Iberian Peninsula? 

I just love being by the sea, and the weather. I also like mixing with the locals, and living their way of life.

5.      What was the most difficult thing about writing Wrong Place, Wrong Time?  

Putting down the events that happened to me bought it all back. But writing the book took a huge weight of my shoulders. 

6.      We met each other over the Twittersphere.  Obviously social media is a tremendous boon to authors.  How do you reach your audience outside of Twitter?  What advice do you have for other (aspiring) authors with regards to social media?  

Well I am new to this but my work is all about marketing. I do enjoy the marketing side of the book: Twitter, Facebook, my blog etc. There are so many aspects of marketing one can follow. In fact the book has taken over my life at the moment. It has been so busy with interviews. My advice to aspiring authors is to really focus on the marketing side even before the book is published. Create a following on Twitter, set up a Facebook page and a blog/website and keep at the marketing. It is a full time job which does play havoc with my job outside the book. Hopefully one day I can just concentrate on writing and earn a living from that.

7.      Your book is available on Kindle and Amazon, and was published by CreateSpace.  Obviously, there’s worldwide reach via Amazon and Kindle, but what thoughts went through your mind when you finished your manuscript and began shopping it around?  Was CreateSpace always your intended publisher or did you investigate other options?  

After doing my homework, Amazon was the place I wanted to self-publish my book as it reached the furthest audience. That is my personal view. 

8.      Did your experience in Spain forever ruin Paella for you?  Can you drink Sangria without having negative flashbacks?  

Funny! Yes I can drink Sangria anytime, no problem at all!!

9.      Smaller and more independent presses give the author more control over their product and over their content, but the downside of this may mean less marketing support.  What are your comments on this?   Do you think this matters as much as it might have twenty years ago?  

My view is, it’s all about the marketing and I prefer to do the marketing myself. There are a few excellent independent presses out there who have my book on their sites, which pull in a few sales and readers. With me, I like to get my book across a whole spectrum. The more the merrier, to be honest.

10.  One of the clips from a review on Amazon is: “Now just try to remember, David is a really nice guy.”   Tell me: How many little old ladies have you helped across the street?  What makes you such a nice guy?  And what’s your opinion of the old saying: “Nice guys finish last”?  

People have their own views. To some I am a nice guy and to others I am a scumbag as one reviewer said. That’s the beauty of personal views. I don’t think that I will finish last, only in the 100m sprint!

11.  If you were a travel agent, would you still recommend Spain to prospective travellers?  What attractions in Spain are not to be missed?  

Of course, if someone came into my travel agency and wanted to book a holiday to Spain, then I'd yes, you must visit it. 

However, I haven’t been back to Spain, so I'm unsure what's new there. But I am sure the beaches are still stunning!

12.  If a Hollywood hotshot showed up at your house and said he wanted to make Wrong Place, Wrong Time into a blockbuster, big-budget movie, who would you like to see cast in the starring role?  

I have been asked this questions a few times. I don’t know, maybe Robert Pattison? 

13.  Last question is a bit of a freebie: What is the one thing you wish I had asked you, but didn’t?  Now go ahead and ask and answer that question.  

What was it like in the hotel, with fire around, plus all the smoke and saving the two lives? Answer: I was only focused on saving the two people!  I felt a huge rush, and would do it again. The downside was the events that took place afterwards.

Get WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME on Amazon.   Click HERE. 

Follow Dave on Twitter @davepperlmutter

Check out Dave's blog:  http://thewrongplaceatthewrongtime.blogspot.ca/