Interview With Author Nell Duvall by Jacqueline Seewald

World traveler Nell DuVall has visited all the continents except South America and Antarctica. She participated in marine surveys and archeological expeditions in Scotland, Ireland, and Turkey. She lived for a while in the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio which gave her the inspiration for short stories and children’s tales. The author of five published novels, works of nonfiction, and a variety of spooky tales, she loves mysteries and has just release Murder in Her Dreams with Murder in The Cards to follow this fall and Murder in Her Mind to appear in the spring of 2015. As Mel Jacob, she also regularly reviews speculative fiction for www.SFREVU.com and mysteries for www.Gumshoereview.com.

Question: What is the title and genre of your novel?  Why did you select them?

Answer: Murder in Her Dreams, Book 1 of Murder in the Shadows is a paranormal romantic mystery.

Question:   What inspired this novel? How did it come about?

Answer:

Dreams that come true. I experienced one as a child. My son loves puns so that added an interesting way to providing clues to the mystery.

Question:  Could you tell us a little bit about the heroine and/or hero of your novel?

Answer: 

Cassie Blake is somewhat shy and had an earlier boyfriend reject her dreams. As a consequence, a young girl died. Now a viscous rabbit and a handsome man haunt her dreams. If she can’t convince the man of the danger from a hidden enemy, he will die.

Question:   Can you tell us about some of your other published novels or work?

Answer:  

My first published novel was The Train to Yesterday, a time travel romance. The feisty heroine is transported back in time to the building of a railroad in 1855 Ohio. Someone is trying to destroy the train. When Lilacs Bloom, another time travel romance followed that. I have one mystery, Selvage, a science fiction novel, Beyond the Rim of Light, with another author, an anthology, and a number of short stories.

Question:   What are you working on now?

Answer: 

Murder in Her Mind, Book 3 of Murder in the Shadows, a paranormal romantic mystery set in Ireland. Someone is trying to kill the heroine. To survive, she must identify her enemy with the help of a handsome Irish Captain.

Question:   What made you start writing?

Answer:

I love stories and storytelling. Learning about the characters and what makes them act as they do fascinates me. I especially love writing villains that readers can understand. They all have reasons for what they do and readers want to know why. If my heroines start out shy —not all do— they end by taking the battle to the villain.

Question:   What advice would you offer to those who are currently writing novels?

Answer:

Learn the basics of storytelling and the writing craft. Read, write, revise, write, PERSIST. Never take rejection as personal.

Question:  Where and when will readers be able to obtain your novel?

Answer:

Murder in Her Dreams is available now at most ebook sites. Print copies can also be purchased from Lulu. Print will also soon be available through Amazon.

Nell/Mel thanks so much for being our guest author today.

Readers and fellow authors, your questions and comments are most welcome.