Interview with Brenda Hill by Jacqueline Seewald

Today I am interviewing another Five Star/Cengage author.

Multi-published Brenda Hill studied writing at several national institutions including Gotham Writers Workshop NY, and the University of Iowa. Certified in Written English, she served as acquiring editor for an indie press and leads a critique group in SoCal. In addition to her novels, she wrote short stories for a national women’s magazine and a literary anthology,

The Talking Stick. She offers tips on writing and editing on her website: www.BrendaHill.com. Brenda is sharing details of

her new venture with us.

Q: Brenda, you’re primarily a writer with several published novels. Why did you decide to venture into something so drastically different as publishing an e-magazine?

A. I sometimes wonder myself, Jacqueline, but by nature, I’ve always loved to try something new. I’ve lived in several states, and even in writing, I’ve explored different avenues. While primarily a novelist, I’ve been CEO of L. Cooper Press, a service for writers. We do websites, 3-Chapter Analysis, 1^st Chapter Editing, and we assist writers who wish to self-publish but do not care to do everything themselves. I also wrote short stories for a national woman’s magazine and restaurant reviews for my SoCal newspaper. When I thought of a magazine for writers and readers, it seemed natural to go for it.  

Q. How did you get the idea?

A. I lead a critique group at a restaurant in Redlands, CA, and several of us arrive early, to have a bite to eat and to socialize. One evening several weeks ago, we celebrated a member’s newly-published fantasy novel.

One member, an older gentleman, examined the book. He congratulated the author. “Seems like everyone has something published except me,” he said, passing the book to the next member. “Makes me feel like a third wheel on a couples date.” He smiled, but I could hear the longing in his voice. I thought of my early days of writing when I desperately wanted to say I was an author.

One member suggested he try short stories, but that presented a problem: where to send his submission.

An anthology? Good idea. Some writers associations publish a yearly anthology, but they only accept submissions from their members. 

Magazines used to be great avenues for writers, but today, with only a few accepting fiction, the opportunity is greatly reduced. Many writers clubs across the county have their own emagazines, but again, they accept submissions only from their members. And they’re funded by dues.

That’s when I wondered if I could establish an avenue where writers could submit their stories and articles. An e-magazine open to anyone across the country would be a perfect solution. And I would offer it as a free download to anyone with access to the website.

Q. I believe our readers would be interested in how you handled the financing.

A. I decided against a business loan or funding by a large corporation. That could mean delays in opening, and both could ask for submission approval based on age-old publishing standards. Instead, I wanted the freedom to accept stories I, and the other editors, felt readers would enjoy.

So I wondered how I could fund my great new idea without constrictions. While I was considering the possibilities, another member mentioned the contest he’d recently entered, and excused the high submission fee as a possibility for his fiction to be read. A submission fee! Of course! I could use my own funds to begin the process, and ask for a low submission fee from the writers for operational costs. Then perhaps later, the magazine could accept ads.

Q. What terms are you offering writers whose stories you accept?

A. In our contract, we stipulate we have all rights for six months after publication. After that time, the author may publish the story on his/her website or even submit to another publication, but we retain the right to keep the story in that issue, which would be archived and available to anyone as a free download.

Q. Do you have a website yet?

A. Absolutely. Interested writers can read our guidelines, and if they have any questions, they can contact me from the site:

http://www.theknightwritersmagazine.com

Brenda Hill

*Questions and/or comments for Brenda are welcome here!

Interview with Author Phyllis Gobbell by Jacqueline Seewald

I’m interviewing Phyllis Gobbell who, like me, writes a little bit of everything, books, short stories, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She has received awards in both fiction and nonfiction, including Tennessee's Individual Artist Literary Award. She is an associate professor of English at Nashville State Community College, where she teaches writing and literature. On any Tuesday night, you will find her meeting with her writers group that began thirty years ago. She plays the piano and tennis. She is co-author of two true-crime books based on high-profile murders in Nashville: A Season of Darkness, with Doug Jones, and An Unfinished Canvas with Mike Glasgow. Her narrative, “Lost Innocence,” appeared in the anthology Masters of True Crime. Turning to traditional mysteries, she released the Jordan Mayfair Mystery Series in Spring 2015. Pursuit in Provence was first in the series. Secrets and Shamrocks has just been released. It has received excellent reviews like the previous novel:

“Gobbell’s enjoyable sequel to 2015’s Pursuit in Provence takes Savannah, Ga., architect Jordan Mayfair and her travel writer uncle, Alex Carlyle, to Ireland. Jordan’s keen knowledge of architecture and history comes in handy in her efforts to uncover the truth. Fans of travel cozies will find plenty to like.” --Publisher’s Weekly

“A visit to the verdant Irish countryside is marred by murder. The second in Gobbell’s travel series is filled with delightful descriptions of Ireland and offbeat characters…”--Kirkus Reviews

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

Secrets and Shamrocks is a cozy or traditional mystery or amateur sleuth mystery, whichever you prefer. Jordan Mayfair is on another adventure with her travel-writer uncle in a small town in Ireland. In some of the promo, I say that “secrets are as plentiful as shamrocks,” and that about sums it up. Shamrocks come into play, also, as one of the Irish legends resonates in the present day mystery.

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

It is the second in the Jordan Mayfair mystery series. First Jordan and her uncle, Alex, traveled to Provence, where I’d been on a couple of occasions, and I chose Ireland for the setting of this one because I spent three weeks teaching in Thurles, the same little town featured in the book.

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

Jordan Mayfair is an architect from Savannah, Georgia, who had just turned fifty in Pursuit in Provence. She had raised five children as a single mother, and the last of her children had just left for college. Her travel-writer uncle had his first book deal and needed Jordan to go along with him on the trip to Provence, so she did, stretching herself, and in some ways re-inventing herself. Now she and Alex are visiting friends from long ago in Georgia, Colin and Grace O’Toole, who own a B&B where a cast of eccentric characters are staying. And everyone seems to have a secret, plus there is a murder, of course. Jordan can’t keep from getting involved! And Paul Broussard, the charming patron of the arts from Pursuit in Provence, makes another appearance.

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

Besides Pursuit in Provence, I wrote two true-crime books about high-profile cold cases that were solved in Nashville, one after ten years, one after thirty years. Mike Glasgow and I collaborated on An Unfinished Canvas and I wrote A Season of Darkness with Doug Jones. After those true-crimes, with all the meticulous research that they involved, I was ready for something much lighter, and I’m having fun with the Jordan Mayfair Mystery Series.

Question: What are you working on now?

I’m almost finished with Treachery in Tuscany, the third in the series, and – you guessed it – it’s set in Italy, mostly in Florence.

(How exciting! My younger son and his family vacationed there this summer and loved the area)

Question: What made you start writing?

It seems I’ve been writing my whole life. I remember cutting out the words in the “speech bubbles” of comic strips and filling in my own words. Maybe it’s because I’ve always had something I wanted to say! I tried to write a novel when I was in the 6^th grade and got about 30 handwritten pages before I realized how awful it was. My first published works were articles for family/parenting magazines when my children were young. I also wrote a children’s book at that time, The Magic Click, about seatbelt safety. I had short stories published later. My passion is fiction – though I’ve found it harder to get published than non-fiction.

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

Write what you love to write. I don’t have good advice about publishing, but hard work and perseverance do seem to pay off. If you have something you want to say, the act of writing, the process and the result will give you a good feeling (maybe not money in the bank, but satisfaction). I tell my creative writing students that I read everything I write out loud, and if I don’t love it, it’s not ready for anyone else to love.

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

Secrets and Shamrocks is available on Amazon in hardback and e-book. 

Readers, you can request this lovely novel at your local libraries as well.

Comments and/or questions for Phyllis are appreciated.

Interview With Author Maris Soule by Jacqueline Seewald

Greetings! Today I have the pleasure of interviewing author Maris Soule. She was born and raised in California, taught high school art and math for 8 years. She was lured to southwest Michigan after marrying the blue-eyed redhead of her dreams. Together they built the house they lived in for 27 years, raised two children, owned, bred and showed Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and created a mini-farm with horses, pigs, goats and lots of other critters. She didn’t start writing until 1980 and initially didn’t plan on writing romances, but she loves a happy ending. That’s also what she likes about writing mysteries. The good guys win in the end. Soule and her husband now live near Lake Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter.

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

I have two mysteries out this summer. (Didn’t plan it that way.) One is A KILLER PAST. The other is EAT CROW AND DIE. The title for A Killer Past was more or less dictated by the story itself. (If you read the book, you’ll understand.) Originally I was calling Eat Crow and Die a Murder of Crows, but my editor told me there were too many books with that title and to come up with something new. So I went on FB and asked for suggestions. When Eat Crow and Die was posted, I knew that one would be great. It continues the “crow” theme in my titles and clearly indicates it’s a murder mystery.

 

Question:   What inspired these novels? How did they come about?

The question of “What would Lara Croft be like in her 70s” inspired A Killer Past. For Eat Crow and Die, I’d left P.J. Benson (the protagonist in the P.J. Benson mystery series)  wondering if she was pregnant and her boyfriend, Wade Kingsley, about to lose contact with his son. Added to that, a few years ago a boat blew up not far from where our boat was moored. Since Wade had a boat, I thought, Why not blow up Wade’s boat and kill a few people? Especially if that would make Wade the key suspect.

Question:  Could you tell us a little bit about the heroines and/or heroes of your novels?

Mary Harrington, in A Killer Past, has spent the last 44 years of her life trying not to garner attention. Most people see her as a nice, old lady who goes to the gym regularly, is a widow with a successful son and a beautiful, 18-year-old granddaughter. Little do they know what Mary did in her 20s. However, when she puts two gang members in the hospital after they try to mug her, Sergeant Jack Rossini, begins to suspect there’s more to Mary than anyone knows.

P.J. Benson is a CPA who seems to attract trouble, starting with a man dying in her dining room (The Crows), which is when she meets Deputy Wade Kingsley. In As the Crow Flies (the second book in the series) she manages to put her life in dangers again, and now, in Eat Crow and Die, she feels she must prove Wade didn’t cause the boat to explode, killing his ex-wife and her new husband. After all, Wade is the father of her unborn child, and she doesn’t want him put in prison.

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

I’ve mentioned my two earlier mysteries, The Crows and As the Crow Flies. Prior to switching to mysteries, I had 25 romances published. Two were RITA finalists, others won or placed in several contests for romances.

Question:   What are you working on now?

I’m working on three stories. One is a suspense set in Alaska. That one’s ready for final edits. I’m also working on a short story that will pick up P.J. and Wade’s lives after Eat Crow and Die, and, of course, include a mystery. And finally, I’m in the initial thinking stage of a mystery set in a Florida retirement community where homes are being broken into, and my main character is the daughter of a burglar.

Question:   What made you start writing?

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember, tried writing in my teens but was discouraged, and didn’t consider it a possibility until I had two pre-schoolers. The house we built was in a rural area with very few nearby neighbors, and most days my mental stimulation was “Sesame Street,” “Mr. Rogers,” and books. One day I read a mystery with a romantic sub-plot that caused me to say, “I could do that.” To which my husband said, “Then do it.” It took me three years to learn the craft, and I’ve been writing ever since.

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

READ. Read what’s being published nowadays. WRITE. Write what you enjoy reading or what you feel passionate about. LEARN. Learn the craft. Read how to format a manuscript, write a synopsis or query letter. Know how to submit. And finally, PERSIST Keep trying. Keep learning. Keep submitting.

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

Both books are available now as hardcover and e-book

Amazon: http://goo.gl/UJC2CF

Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/s1mvGo

Kazoo Books: http://www.kazoobooks.com/

Ipgbook.com: http://goo.gl/RLvn2F (for hardcover of A Killer Past only)

For more information about me, go to: www.marissoule.com

*Maris is available to respond to comments and/or questions.

Interview with Mystery Author Allan Emerson by Jacqueline Seewald

Allan Emerson is a Canadian writer who was born in Saskatchewan and brought up in small towns there and in British Columbia. He lived in Australia and New Zealand before settling on the west coast of Canada in Vancouver. As his mother could tell you, he's been making up stories since he was a little kid.

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

Answer: Death of a Bride and Groom is a small-town mystery with humor and characters with tangled personal relationships bent on keeping their secrets. I like mysteries with intriguing characters who are full of contradictions.

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

Answer: A few years ago, I joined the tourists swarming Niagara Falls and got to wondering what life was like for the locals. That provided the germ for the Honeymoon Falls series, which is set in a small resort town that bills itself as “The Romance Capital of the World.” I started with a single scene: the bodies of a man and woman are discovered dressed in full wedding regalia atop a giant wedding cake parade float. From there, the story grew until I had a town full of characters who had good reasons to want one or both of the victims dead.

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

Answer: Will Halsey was in line for a promotion on a big-city police force. Then his wife left him for an affair with a famous actor. Disillusioned, he abandons the city and returns to his small hometown to become the chief of its three-person police force. The quiet life he sought is disrupted by internal feuding between his subordinates, and shattered when the murders occur. He’s a strong man who’s been avoiding personal relationships until he meets Lucy Mitchum, who becomes a charming distraction while he struggles to find the murderer.

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

Answer:  This is my first published novel. I’ve written numerous short stories, one of which, Judgment Day, was recently published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. 

Question:   What are you working on now?

Answer:  I’m currently writing the next in the Honeymoon Falls series. It’s called Death of an Action Hero, and without giving too much away, I can tell you that both Halsey’s wife and her lover re-appear in Halsey’s life.

Question:   What made you start writing?

Answer: I’ve been addicted to reading since I was a little kid. I read everything from comics to books I had to sneak out of the library because the librarian thought they were too mature for me. The world I found in those stories inspired me to make up my own.

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

Answer: Understand that being a writer is like any other profession—there’s an apprenticeship to be served. Getting published isn’t a realistic goal when you begin. First you have to develop the skills a writer needs to tell a story that people will want to read. And the only way you can do that is by writing. Finish your book. Then write the next one, and the next. Don’t give up! I know you’ve heard this before, but that’s because it’s true.

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

Answer: Death of a Bride and Groom  was released May 20 in the U.S. (mid-June in Canada) in hardcopy and digital editions. You can order it through your favorite bookstore, library, or online. Death of a Bride and Groom is the first book in the Honeymoon Falls series. A large print edition will be released November, 2015.

Note: Allan is offering a print book giveaway/drawing, which includes the U.S. and Canada. If you are interested in receiving a copy of his novel, please leave a comment for Allan with an

e-mail address where you can be reached. Winner will be chosen in a random drawing.

You can visit Allan and check out his blog at: http://www.allanjemerson.com/

Interview with Author Joan Reeves by Jacqueline Seewald

Joan Reeves, Bestselling e-book author of contemporary romance, began her career with traditional publishers like Five Star/Gale/Cengage. When ebook reading devices like the Amazon Kindle made ebook publishing easy, she embraced a new career path as an independent author/publisher. Most of her popular romantic comedies appeared and stayed on the Kindle Top 100 Paid List for several weeks, as well as being on various genre bestseller lists.

Joan's traditionally published novels have been published in a half dozen languages, and several of her indie published ebooks are available in France through Bragelonne, her French publisher. She also writes nonfiction for writers to motivate and inspire as well as help authors navigate the stormy sea of being a career writer.

Joan makes her home in the Lone Star State with her hero, her husband. They have four kids who think they are adults and a ghost dog—all the ingredients for a life full of love and warmed by laughter. She lives the philosophy that is the premise of all of her romance novels: "It's never too late to live happily ever after."

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

Answer: My most recent work is a romantic comedy novella, April Fool Bride. I think my genre selected me. I just like humor with romance. Let's face it. Romance can be pretty darn funny.

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

Answer: I've always thought April Fool's Day was a peculiar kind of holiday. Several years ago, I almost bought a house on the ocean because it was located at April Fool Point. *g* Seriously though, I had an idea for a marriage of convenience story and a heroine who was not what she seemed at first glance. Since a deadline loomed prominently in the heroine's life, I thought I'd make that deadline be April Fool's Day.

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

Answer: I'm intrigued by celebrities in that the general public always has opinions about celebrities and trust fund babies who feature prominently in the tabloids. My heroine Madeline Quinn has been trying to live down her rep as Mad Maddie for the last few years. She learned some hard lessons and also learned how to accept her mistakes. Now she wants her full trust fund, but there's this pesky little clause that says she has to be married by her 25^th birthday. Poor Maddie doesn't trust men as far as she could throw them. She's learned that they only see dollar signs when they look at her. But... There's one guy she thinks she can trust to marry her and not take her to the cleaners--Jake Becker, the housekeeper's son who was like a big brother to her when they were growing up together in her family's mansion.

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

Answer:  I've published about a dozen ebooks to date. The novels are all romantic comedy. Some of the titles are Just One Look and Jane (I'm Still Single) Jones (more than 100,000 copies sold of each sold since 2011.) My most recent full-length novel is Scents and Sensuality. I've been waylaid by life in the last couple of years with my younger daughter's wedding and a few surgeries, then moving, buying a house and remodeling it, and a few other big time life stressors.

In other words, I'm behind on my writing! I have 3 series: San Antone Two Step, Texas One Night Stands, and The Good, The Bad, and The Girly.

I will be finishing the San Antone Two Step series in September with the publication of Cinderella Blue.

If my keyboard holds out--and my fingers--I'll be publishing Book 3 in the Texas series: Forever Starts Tonight, and, hopefully Book 2: Good Girl Conspiracy in The Good, The Bad, and The Girly.

I also have published 2  motivational nonfiction books for writers and will be publishing a book on blogging, Blog Ops: Search & Destroy Bad Blogging & Rescue Hostage Blogs in September.

Question:   What are you working on now?

Answer:  Cinderella Blue, Blog Ops, and outlining a Christmas short story.

Question:   What made you start writing?

Answer: I don't know if I can remember that far back. *g* Actually, I've always told stories. When I learned how to read and write--I was about five years old I--that's all I did. And continue to do I guess. It's just a joy.

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

Answer: Accept your gift. I don't think God gives us the desire to do something without giving us the ability to do it. Many people say they want to write, but their journey is fraught with insecurity and lack of confidence. Embrace your desire. You can judge whether you have the narrative skills necessary to write. If you feel lacking, then study some books on writing. There are many excellent ones available. Read any of the really good blogs from authors. I've published SlingWords.blogspot.com since 2005. I also offer Writing Hacks, a free subscription newsletter for writers. Many authors do. Educate yourself, and write, write, write. Practice does make perfect whether you're learning the piano or narrative skills.

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

Answer: All my ebooks are available at most ebook sellers. Audiobook editions are at Audible.com and iTunes. Print editions will be available, I hope, by the end of this year.

Note: Joan is available to respond to comments and questions from readers and fellow authors so ask away!

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.

"I’m Not A Forensic Anthropologist… But I Play One In Fiction"

Jacqueline Seewald:

Hi, I previously interviewed Jen J. Danna for Author Expressions when her first mystery novel was published. Today, she is our guest blogger. As a scientist specializing in infectious diseases, Jen is part of a dynamic research group at a  Canadian university. Her true passion, however, is indulging her love of the mysterious through her writing. Together with her partner Ann Vanderlaan, she crafts suspenseful crime fiction with a realistic scientific edge. Her Skeleton Keys blog at www.jenjdanna.com has been listed by ITSGOV and BestCriminalJustice.com as one of the top forensic blogs on the web. Jen lives near Toronto, Ontario with her husband and two daughters, and is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada. You can reach her at jenjdanna@gmail.com. As a mystery author myself, I find her writing fascinating. Okay—here’s Jen!

Everyone wants to have their own angle when they write a novel—something unique to interest readers. But when constantly told there are only a handful of constantly recycled universal storylines, writers need to find their own take on those stories. Be it a background in law, an interest in quilting, or a love of military history, a great way to pull readers into your story is to share your love of the topic with them.

In my case, it’s science. I’m a scientific researcher in my day job at the same university that awarded me my Bachelor of Science degree. And while I have 20 years (or maybe more *cough cough*) in the business of infectious diseases, it’s the science of forensics that really caught my attention.

So, for fun, I taught myself the field of forensic anthropology (yes, I hear you cry, that’s fun? Actually, it is for me…). I’ve always found it fascinating how experts can tell the story of a murder victim given nothing more than their skeletal remains. The idea of someone who speaks for the dead like this fascinates me. Thus Dr. Matt Lowell, forensic anthropologist, was born. Matt is paired with Trooper Leigh Abbott of the Massachusetts State Police because someone who speaks for the dead needs someone to stand for them. From a burial ground of torture victims in DEAD, WITHOUT A STONE TO TELL IT, to the remains of a young woman, tossed away at a landfill in NO ONE SEES ME ‘TIL I FALL, to arson victims in A FLAME IN THE WIND OF DEATH, or the discovery of a victim in a long forgotten Prohibition-era speakeasy in the upcoming TWO PARTS BLOODY MURDER, Matt and Leigh are a formidable team, dealing with what can be the messiest of the dead in their relentless drive to find justice for their victims.

As part of learning this background material, I’ve blogged on the topic of forensic anthropology and forensics on my Skeleton Keys blog for more than three years. Every week we cover a new topic (note—I say ‘we’ because my writing partner, Ann Vanderlaan, stands as editor for all my blog posts) around the basics of forensic anthropology, forensics, or the discovery of historic remains.

The Forensics 101 series of blog posts may occasionally have been unintentionally misleading. I’ve been called by the CBC here in Canada, when they were looking to interview a forensic anthropologist. Recently I was contacted by a gentleman who acquired a real human skull and was looking for someone to examine it for age, sex and race. In both cases, I was very honest about my background—I’m not a real forensic anthropologist, I just play one in fiction. In the case of the skull identification, the gentleman was aware of my background, but allowed me to take a stab at it anyway (for those who are interested, it was a male, of American white heritage, between the ages of ­­40 and 45, based solely on pictures of the skull and without any of the post cranial skeleton for confirmation). So sometimes, the role you play in fiction can become the roll you play in real life.

Whatever your passion, find a way to embed it naturally into your writing. The readers who share that love will find you and will stay with you for the long haul.

Thanks, Jen for providing us with this wonderful discussion. Comments and questions are most welcome!

Interview with Author Catherine Dilts by Jaqueline Seewald

To Catherine Dilts, rock shops are like geodes – both contain amazing treasures hidden inside their plain-as-dirt exteriors. Publishers Weekly calls her novel Stone Cold Dead – A Rock Shop Mystery, an “enjoyable debut,” and that “readers will look forward to seeing more of this endearing and strong protagonist.” Catherine works as an environmental scientist, and plays at heirloom vegetable gardening, camping, and fishing. She has published short fiction in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Visit her at http://www.catherinedilts.com/

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

Answer: Stone Cold Dead – A Rock Shop Mystery is an amateur sleuth murder mystery. I hope using “stone” in the title reinforces the setting of the novel, a rock shop filled with minerals and fossils. I wrote an amateur sleuth novel because one bit of advice given to beginning writers is to write what you love to read. I have an eclectic reading taste, but by far my favorite books are cozies and amateur sleuth mysteries. 

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

Answer: On a trip to Moab, Utah, the idea for a novel germinated at the same time that we visited a shop owned by a rockhound of international renown. I hadn’t run across any mysteries set in a rock shop. I wondered whether anyone would be interested in a mystery set in that rugged, dusty environment, and learned that I’m not the only reader who loves rock shops. 

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

Answer:  Another bit of writing advice is to write what you know. I don’t know much about geology, and neither does my protagonist, Morgan Iverson. I do know about empty nest syndrome and dramatic mid-life changes. As a widow in her forties with grown children, Morgan finds herself alone and far from home at a point in life when she thought her future was secure. It can be difficult to switch gears from the wife and mother role. Morgan has lost her sense of purpose, and needs to blaze a new trail in life.

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

Answer:  Stone Cold Dead is my debut novel. My short fiction appears in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. “The Jolly Fat Man” was in the April 2013 issue, and “Tweens” will appear in the May issue, on sale February 15, 2014.

Question:   What are you working on now?

Answer:  I am writing book two in my rock shop mystery series.

Question:   What made you start writing?

Answer: Boredom. My childhood summers were spent with relatives in rural South Dakota. This was the era before cable TV and personal computers. We played in the lake or explored the cornfields on nice days. When it rained, we had to come up with our own entertainment. My siblings and I created illustrated stories on sheets of typing paper, taped them together to form rolls, then cut up cereal boxes to scroll the paper through, making our own movies.

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

Answer:

Number One - finish. I have seen too many writers fuss over the first three chapters and never reach “the end.” If you have trouble shutting off your internal editor in order to get that first rough draft completed, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo - http://bit.ly/1dNpTrZ ) is a great exercise.

Number Two – let it rest. Once you think you are finished, set your writing project aside for as long as you possibly can. If you do this for even a week or two, and then go back to reread and edit, you’ll discover all kinds of things to improve. Every time I have done this, the story has benefited.

Number Three – let your baby go. I have also seen writers labor over the same manuscript for years, never actually reaching the “done” moment. I believe many writers who have worked for newspapers or as technical writers understand there’s a point where you have to be done enough. 

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

Answer: Stone Cold Dead is available now in hardcover at independent bookstore The Tattered Cover, as well as through Barnes & Noble. It is on Kindle and in hardcover through Amazon.

Tattered Cover Book Store: http://bit.ly/IC97SG 
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1bFVaQz
Amazon: http://amzn.to/18XVQiR

Comments and/or questions for Catherine are welcome here!