A Virtual Tour Visit with Alice Duncan

Award-winning author Alice Duncan lives with a herd of wild dachshunds (enriched from time to time with fosterees from New Mexico Dachshund Rescue) in Roswell, New Mexico. She's not a UFO enthusiast; she's in Roswell because her mother's family settled there fifty years before the aliens crashed. Alice no longer longs to return to California, although she still misses the food, not to mention her children, one of whom is there, the other in Nevada.

Alice, how did your dancing and singing careers lead you into writing?

Um . . . I’m not sure they did. Wait a minute! They certainly did. Silly me. When my body began rebelling against all the dancing and aerobicizing I’d been doing for so many years, not dancing left a huge chunk of my life empty. I tried to fill it up with compulsive cooking and eating, but eventually I turned to the only thing I ever really wanted to do in my life: writing books. So I guess you might say that I finally started writing because I had no excuses left not to.

Winning the HOLT Medallion Award for your first novel, One Bright Morning, was a great start. Where did your writing career go from there?

Downhill. Fast. One Bright Morning was bought by Harper, which also published my second book, Texas Lonesome. Then Harper dumped me. I took it personally at the time, since I was so new to publishing. However, then Harper dumped the rest of their romance writers, so I presume the market began to slow down. No publisher will ever tell you the truth about stuff like that. Trust me on this. Anyhow, I recovered and managed to sell another 40 or so books since then, but publishing is a brutal business, and it’s difficult to get published and stay published.

Tell us about your latest novel.

Genteek Spirits is Book #5 in my "Spirits" series, featuring Daisy Gumm Majesty, phony spiritualist extraordinaire:

Daisy Gumm Majesty is back, and she’s up to her ears again. Not only does she have to deal with her husband Billy’s declining health and her dog Spike’s obedience training, but she’s been hired by Lola de la Monica, a fabulously spoiled silent-screen beauty to be her spiritual advisor on the set of her next picture. As if this wasn’t already enough, a friend asks her to find out who’s been sending him poisoned-pen letters. Her problems only multiply when Sam Rotondo, Billy’s best friend and Daisy’s worst nightmare, is stationed on the same picture set as she!  

Why the move from Pasadena to Roswell, New Mexico, with your wild herd of dachshunds?

Money. It costs so much to live in Southern California. Then there were the ghastly crowds and the horrid smog. The air’s clean here, and there’s always parking. However, I do miss the food available in So. CA. Even the Mexican food is bad here unless you make it yourself. I’m looking forward to my trip to California in October. I plan on eating every kind of food I can’t get here: Japanese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Thai, good Mexican. Actually, Roswell does have a couple of pretty good Chinese restaurants, so we’re not completely cut off from culinary pleasures. Just mostly.

What have you done in Roswell to support your writing habit?

I edit books for Tekno Books, the company that acquires for Five Star, and I also have an independent editing service. Before both of those jobs took off, I worked as a part-time secretary to a defense lawyer and taught on-line writing classes for Writer’s Digest’s Writers On-Line Workshops. I hate teaching. Don’t ask me why, ‘cause I don’t know, so I no longer do that. I enjoy editing, though, and I can do it in my own home in my sloppy jeans and t-shirts, with the dogs lying around nearby. Mind you, since I live in Roswell, and things are pretty casual here, I probably could have worked for the lawyer in sloppy jeans and a t-shirt, too, but now I don’t have to leave the house to hold down a job. And my dogs like having me around.

How long does it take for you to develop a book and bring it to conclusion?

Not too long, if I’m on my game, which I haven’t been lately. However, there were years past in which I’d have four or five books (full-length novels, maybe 80,000-100,000 words each) published. I’ve slowed down considerably in recent years. Guess I’m not as driven as I used to be. However, I generally think up a plot and write a book in three months or thereabouts.

What’s your writing nemesis and how do you conquer it?

At the moment, it’s incentive. I have two books under consideration at a house, and I can’t get worked up enough to begin another one. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I have a fifth “Angels” book (Lost Among the Angels, Angels Flight, Fallen Angels) started, but since the publisher hasn’t yet bought the fourth one, I can’t conjure the oomph to finish the fifth one. However, I did get so sick of writing the stupid thing that I took time out and wrote a short cozy historical mystery story that I put directly onto Kindle and Smashwords (Pecos Valley Incident).

How do you feel about the ebook revolution? Are your ebooks outselling your print editions?

I absolutely adore the ebook revolution! I’ve put almost my entire backlist up on Kindle and Smashwords, and the books are selling! Mind you, I’ll never be an Amanda Hocking, but it’s nice to be making money on books that have been sitting around out of print for years. Since my books are now coming out in hardback and are so blasted expensive, I don’t really expect people to buy them. I can’t say for sure that my ebooks are outselling my hardbacks, but I kind of expect they are.

If you weren’t writing, what would occupy your time?

Reading. Rescuing dachshunds. Visiting my children (one in California and one in Nevada). Right now I sing in a church choir. If I had more time, I might join another singing group. I’d love to dance again, but my feet won’t let me.

Advice to aspiring mystery writers?

LEARN YOUR CRAFT. The English language has rules that can be broken from time to time, but it’s really easy to see when a person is deliberately breaking a rule, and when a person honestly doesn’t know the language. The language is our tool; learn to use it well.

Also, NEVER GIVE UP! You might never get published if you keep trying, but giving up is a sure way never to achieve your goal. Also, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Everyone writes the way s/he writes.

Thank you, Alice.

You can visit Alice at: her website:  alice@aliceduncan.net

At My Space page: : http://www.myspace.com/117749004
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1074293388

And Twitter: alicesbooks
And she would love to hear from you at alice@aliceduncan.net.

A Virtual Tour Visit with Wendy Gager

W.S. Gager has lived in Michigan for most of her life when she was interviewing race car drivers or professional women golfers. She enjoyed the fast-paced life of a news reporter until deciding to settle down. She realized babies didn't adapt well to running down story details on deadline. Since then she honed her skills in other forms of writing before deciding to do what she always wanted to do with her life. That was to write mystery novels. Her main character is Mitch Malone, an edgy crime-beat reporter who's always on the hunt for the next Pulitzer and reportedly won't let anyone stop him.

Wendy, how did your quirky crime beat reporter Mitch Malone come about? Did you pattern him after anyone you’ve known?

Mitch is very much his own man. He came to me in a dream so you could say he is my dream man. I don’t remember ever meeting anyone quite like Mitch. If he is closest to anyone it would be the opposite of me. Mitch isn’t afraid to say exactly what is on his mind which is something I only wished I could do.

Do you have a journalism background and how do you research your novels?

I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Central Michigan University. Go Chips! I worked at four different newspapers and did free lance writing work for others as well as magazines. For research I still have friends in the business and I also have some police friends who check my manuscript for accuracy. For other items, I start with Google and go from there.

Why did you decide to use your initials, W.S., instead of your given name? Do you think readers are more inclined to buy a crime novel written by a man?

I did decide to use my initials because Mitch is a male protagonist and would appeal to men. Many men I know won’t read woman authors so I didn’t want to make it easy for them to figure out my gender. Funny thing is that many more woman love Mitch. I’m still trying to figure that out.

Tell us about A Case of Hometown Blues.

When Pulitzer-winning reporter Mitch Malone's editor presses him for a favor, Malone breaks his vow to never return to his hometown. It seemed simple enough--lead a seminar for Flatville, MI's newspaper, keep a low profile and get back to the city post haste. But memories of his parents' death swarm him, and, to avoid solitude, he stops for a beer. In the crowded bar, Mitch is dismayed to see many of his former classmates--including the still-lovely Homecoming Queen, Trudy. Once the object of his teenage crush, Trudy joins Mitch. He quickly realizes she is upset and inebriated. Always the gentleman, Mitch sees her safely home, and returns to his B&B, still trying to shake memories of his parents' sad demise. The next day, he is stunned to learn Trudy was murdered and he is the prime suspect. The locals treat the murder charge as a slam dunk, and Mitch realizes he must track down the real killer to keep his butt out of jail. As he investigates, facts he thought he knew about his family unravel, and danger ratchets up. Can Mitch discover the truth that will allow his parents to rest in peace, or will he be resting with them?

How are your print editions faring compared with your ebook sales? When did you notice that Kindle was outselling print?

It wasn’t until just recently that I noticed a real uptick in ebook sales. I’ve been selling a lot of print books at arts and crafts events and speaking engagements. Just in the last month or so I’ve had many people ask about whether it is in an electronic form. Now I am giving away a lot of material to folks who have Nooks and Kindles with the link to Amazon or Barnes and Noble websites on it so they can download it. I think in the next royalty statement I will see them evening out too.

What’s your writing schedule like and do you aim for a certain amount of words per day?

I have children and whenever you plan a full day of writing, something happens. They are sick, forgot something they desperately needed or I am called into service for a volunteer project. I try to do 500 to 1,000 words a day normally. If I’m writing the first rough draft, I write much more and give myself permission not to edit at all. I try to get as much of the action down on paper and then go back and layer in setting and emotion and fill out the action.

Advice to novice writers.

Don’t worry about selling, just write. Enjoy writing because once you sell, you have to do so much marketing and it is hard to get back to the writing. Keep writing and editing and find someone to critique your work with constructive criticism and ways to improve your manuscript. It will make a big difference and help you get a salable project faster.

Thanks, Wendy.

Thank you so much for letting me stop by today Jean. I really enjoyed getting to know your readers. I’ve been thrilled with the reviews for A Case of Hometown Blues and love hearing from readers. Anyone who leaves a comment here today or on my blog during the tour will be entered to win A Case of Hometown Blues.

You can visit Wendy at her blog site: http://wsgager.blogspot.com/
on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wsgager
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/wsgager

A Visit with Sue Grafton

Sue Grafton published ‘A’ is for Alibi in 1982, following 15 years in Hollywood as a television script writer. The Louisville, Kentucky, native is currently on tour to publicize her 22^nd novel in the series, ‘V’ is for Vengeance, released on November 14. She has been published in 28 countries in 26 languages, her books selling in the millions.

Sue, does ’V’ is for Vengeance differ significantly from your previous novels?

It does, indeed, differ from the other novels in the series. In writing these books over a span of some twenty-eight years, I’ve kept detailed charts, which denote the gender of every killer I write about, the gender of the victim, the motive for the crime, and the nature of the climax. I also keep a set of log lines for each novel, describing the set-up for each book.

In ‘A’ . . . Kinsey’s hired to prove the innocence of a woman just out of prison after serving seven years for the murder of her husband.

In ‘B’ . . . Kinsey’s hired to find a woman whose signature is required on a minor document.

In ‘C’ . . . Kinsey’s hired by a kid to find out who’s been trying to murder him.

And so on. This way, I can be certain I’m not inadvertently repeating myself. In ‘V,’ Kinsey witnesses a shoplifting incident and alerts a sales clerk who notifies store security. The shoplifter is arrested and two days after her fiancé makes bail, she dies from a leap off a 400 foot high bridge. While it appears to be a suicide, the woman’s fiancé is convinced she was murdered and hires Kinsey to look into her death. Kinsey’s investigation uncovers an organized retail theft ring with which the shoplifter has been working. There are two other subplots woven into the overall storyline and all connect at the end.

How do you and Kinsey Millhone differ and which characteristics do you share?

As for Kinsey, I think of her as my alter-ego . . . the person I might have been had I not married young and had children. We’re like one soul in two bodies and she got the good one. The ’68 VW she drove (until ‘G’ is For Gumshoe) was a car I owned some years ago. In ‘H’ is for Homicide, she acquires the 1974 VW that was sitting out behind my house until I donated it to a local charity that raffled it off. That car was pale blue with only one minor ding in the left rear fender

I own both handguns she talks about and in fact, I learned to shoot so that I would know what it felt like. I also own the all-purpose back dress she wears. Like Kinsey, I’ve been married and divorced twice, though I’m now married to husband number three and intend to remain so for life. I’m much more domestic than she is and I cuss just as much, if not more.

What’s going to happen to Kinsey when you‘ve finished ‘Z’ is for Zero?

It’s going to take me another eight to ten years to complete the series at the pace I’ve settled on so I have close to a decade to decide what I’ll do after ‘Z’ is for Zero. I may well continue to chronicle her adventures, but I’ll do so as stand-alone novels. No more linking titles!

What’s your work schedule like?

I usually arrive at my desk at 9:00 am, check e-mails and Facebook, and then log into the current working journal for the novel I’m in the process of writing. I use these journals to talk to myself about the story, the characters, the pacing, problems I foresee, and any scene that worries me. Any research I do is recorded in the journal as well. I break briefly for lunch and then return to my desk and work until mid-afternoon when I stop and do a walk of three to five miles. My guess is that on a good day, I work productively for two hours. The rest is writer’s block and Free Cell. I’ve been known to work by page count and on that theory, I consider two pages a day a good run. In fact, I consider page count a better way to operate. It’s way too easy to claim you’ve worked for six hours when in reality you’ve talked on the phone, cleaned your desk drawers, and dawdled the time away.

What do you want your readers to experience from your novels?

I’d like for my readers to experience an entire range of emotions, from laughter to fear, to suspense to anxiety to tears depending on where they are in any given book. I want them to feel connected to Kinsey Millhone, to see the world as she sees it, and to come away from a story understanding how it’s affected her. These are the same emotions I look for in any book I read. I want to be touched and moved and I want to come away from a writer’s work feeling renewed and refreshed.

Thank you, Sue.

You can communicate with Sue Grafton at Facebook.

A Visit with Ellis Vidler

     Ellis Vidler’s love of writing began as a child. While her parents played poker with friends, she and the other children wrote mysteries in the bedroom. Growing up in Florence and Huntsville, Alabama, Ellis encountered a number of fascinating people and heard various stories that continue to influence her to this day. Although she writes from  imagination (no criminal experience), she loves research and can easily follow a thread until she forgets the original subject. Her first mystery, Haunting Refrain, was published by Silver Dagger Mysteries and is now on Kindle. She then wrote a suspense novel, The Peeper, with a retired police officer. Her next romantic suspense, Cold Comfort, is due out in January from Echelon Press .She’s a member of RWA, SinC, and Guppies.    

Ellis, how did your collaboration with former lawman Jim Christopher come about and do you plan to write more suspense novels with him?

Chris was a speaker at our local Sisters in Crime meeting. We became friends and he asked if I'd be interested in writing something with him. He had the basics in mind, the main characters, setting, and primary crime. It was a great experience, and I learned so much about police procedure and how detectives handle a crime scene—I loved every minute of working with Chris. Both of us were pleased with the book. It's a fast-paced suspense novel, and even though the main character does some bad things, his reasons are understandable.  The book has some explicit scenes.

2.   When did you write your first mystery and do you remember the plot?

Hmmm. That was a long time ago. Something about horses and jewels, maybe a bridle set with rubies the size of jawbreakers. (Big and gaudy appealed to me at that age.) I do remember churning out pages and pages of printing on those wide-lined tablets. A slightly older friend corrected my spelling. Gee, even children have editors.

3.   How and where do you conduct most of your research?

I have stacks of reference books, but most of the research for my books is done on the Internet. I always try to verify information, such as going to the Glock manufacturer's site instead of to a gun enthusiast. The Internet is a real blessing—it's always available, whether it's the middle of the night and you're in pajamas or over morning coffee, but you do have to double check.

4.   Has membership in Sisters in Crime helped your writing career?

Through SinC and the online groups, I've learned about agents and publishers, found all kinds of resources, and met some truly great people. Writers are generous and always willing to help. I started out in a vacuum, knowing nothing and blundering my way through. I wish I'd found Sisters in Crime earlier.

5.   Tell us briefly about The Peeper and your forthcoming novel, Cold Comfort.

Cold Comfort is old-fashioned romantic suspense. When Claire Spencer,  the lonely owner of a Williamsburg Christmas shop, becomes a killer's target, she hires burned out security consultant Ben Riley to find out why. He's sworn never to work with women again, but when Claire Spencer lands in his arms after a hit and run, he can't walk away. Their investigation reveals political connections to the mob and long-buried secrets, but the truth is . . . Cold Comfort.

Haunting Refrain is suspense with a little romance and a touch of paranormal. Photographer Kate McGuire is only looking for a little fun in her life when she joins in a parapsychology experiment. Witnessing a murder isn’t part of the plan. And when her eccentric friend Venice, a complication all by herself, leaks the story to a hot-dog reporter, Kate’s life turns upside down. The police don’t take her seriously, but the murderer does.

The Peeper. Three damaged people face human weakness and murder, love and redemption on a South Carolina college campus. Elliott, the lonely young man who makes “friends” through dorm windows. Sam, the world-weary cop who has to overcome his past, and Kay, the rookie who’s finding her way in a harsh world.

6.       
 What’s your writing schedule like?

Sporadic, but definitely mornings—my brain shuts down around 5 in the afternoon.  I work full time and during the week, it's hard to get focused and work for a couple of hours and then shut it off. Weekends are best. Once I get into the story, I lose track of time and everything else. It's a great feeling.   

    
 Has the ebook revolution affected your print book sales?

Yes, Haunting Refrain, my first mystery, is now available on Kindle, and it's doing reasonably well.  I'm dropping the price to $.99 in the next week or so because Cold Comfort will be available in November. The Peeper is still selling in eBook, but the print sales have definitely slowed. I love the convenience of eBooks. It's so easy to carry several and to store them—my shelves are overflowing.

8.  Advice for novice writers.

Study, study, study. Study your craft. Study grammar. And then keep writing. The more you write, the better you'll be. Just as owning a paint brush doesn't make you an artist, owning a word processor doesn't make you a writer. Continue to learn and improve. Persist. I'm still working on it.

9. Thanks, Ellis.

   You can learn more about Ellis at her website: http://www.ellisvidler.com/ :
   Her blog site: http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.comfacebook/: http://profile.to/ellisvidler

A Visit with Julie Garwood

     Julie Garwood is the author of more than 30 historical and romantic suspense novels, and 36 million copies of her books are in print. Twenty  of them have appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers list. She also writes YA novels as Emily Chase. 

    
   Julie, tell us about The Ideal Man.
  
   It's a story of  a young woman who is facing two threats.  The first one has been with her from her childhood, and the second one comes from an incident that she is thrown into by coincidental circumstance. 

     

    Despite the fear she's faced since she was young, she's managed to become a dedicated surgeon. She's successful and self assured; yet, there's always that vulnerability inside. She's never really allowed herself to let go . . . until the second threat appears. She accidentally becomes a witness to a crime, and the FBI agent on the case not only helps her resolve her fears but also opens her up to emotions she's never felt before.

   
   How did growing up in a large Irish family lend itself to storytelling?
  
  The Irish are by nature great storytellers I think. It seems to come with the genes. They bring out all the nuances of a situation, and I loved sitting around the dinner  table listening to my family talk. Also, growing up in a family of seven children taught me that self-expression had to be quick and forceful.

   Why did you begin your novel writing with YA books and historicals?

   I had young children when I began, so I was drawn to that genre, but I was also interested in historical novels. I had taken a medieval history class in college that I absolutely loved, so I was following that passion as well. My first book, A Girl Named Summer, was published by Scholastic, and shortly after that, Gentle Warrior was published by Pocket Books. The historical novels found a growing audience, and the publishers asked for more of them, so that's that direction my writing has taken.

    While I really enjoy writing the  adult books, I'm hoping to find the time to write a few more for young  readers someday.

    How have your books evolved over the years?

    I haven't changed my themes much. I still write about family and loyalty, and I try to insert some humor into my stories. There's always an element of intrigue or suspense and the romance between the hero and heroine is absolutely key. The setting has changed somewhat. I started with historical novels and I've moved into contemporary settings in the last few years. I enjoy each of them, so my goal is to find the time to write both.

   What's your writing schedule like?

   I like to begin writing early in the morning. It's a routine I started when my children were young. I'd get up early and work on my book before they were awake. I usually have the TV on, though I'm not watching it. It's just background noise. This is a habit that developed when I was a child doing my homework around a table with my siblings. In order to concentrate, I learned to block out the distractions.

    Do you outline your novels and do you aim for a certain amount of words each day?

    I know where the story is headed, but I don't follow a rigid outline. I find that if I let the story evolve, there will always be some surprises along the way that make it more fun. I can't predict how much I'll produce. There are times when the words just flow and I'll write one or two chapters in a day. Then there are times when I can't seem to get a scene right and I may spend two or three days on one page.

    In your opinion, why do some books make the bestseller lists while other equally well-written books fail?

    That's a million dollar question. If I had the answer to that, I'd be a genius. I do believe, though, that there are a great many elements involved. They include some marketing, some talent, and a great deal of luck.

   Advice to fledgling novelists?

   First, stay focused and set aside some time each and every day to work on your writing. It's important that you get into a rhythm and have the discipline to finish your manuscript.

   Second, let your voice be heard in your writing. If your reader can  hear you talking to them in your words, they're more likely to listen to what you have to say.

   Third, develop a network. Writers' organizations and conferences and conferences give you opportunities to meet agents and editor, and that will help you learn more about the publishing business and perhaps give you a leg up in getting published.

    How would you occupy your time if you weren't writing?

    Family would probably take up most of my time. I have a large extended family, so there's always something going on.

   Thank you for an enjoyable visit.

   You can visit Julie Garwood's website at: http://www.juliegarwood.com/
    At Facebook: www.Facebook.com/juliegarwood
    and at Twitter: @JulieGarwood