Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My mother was an avid reader and made me one as well. She read to me right from the very beginning and I had a huge collection of Little Golden Books–which, sadly, got destroyed when they passed to my little brother. But when I had children and grandchildren, we built the collection back up again and I loved revisiting some of my favorite stories with them. We had the complete Dr. Seuss collection, too, and when I write poetry, my poems still tend to emulate the Seussian-style.
I have also always been a writer, and was first published at the age of ten-years-old, when my flower-filled fantasy, “The Garden,” was printed in my small hometown newspaper. I wrote short stories and poems during my teens and early twenties, and then dryer stuff in the form of business proposals and non-profit grant requests during the bulk of my working years. But when I visited an ancient cemetery in Midway, Georgia, one of the spirits there reached out to me and my first novel, THE CONSORT CONSPIRACY, was born. Now that I am retired, my newest novel, ON DEADLY GROUNDS, the first in a series, will be released on May 8. My third book, THE ROAD REMEMBERED, takes place during World War II and is currently being shopped with publishers. So far, my books are suspense with history and mystery woven in. I say so far, because one of the next books I will write is a vampire story with quite a wonderful twist.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book is ON DEADLY GROUNDS and it will be released by Lamplighter Suspense on May 8. Like my other novels, a historical event provided the inspiration–in this case, the 1926 murder of Ned Doheny in an estate just outside of Los Angeles. Ned’s father, Edward Doheny, was involved in the Teapot Dome Scandal during the 1920s Warren Harding administration, which gave me not only the inspiration for the murder, but also the Russian involvement which my heroine must face.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unfortunately, I’m not very disciplined like some of the writers I have met. My friend, Steve Berry, for example, gets up early, goes to his office and writes 1000 words every day. GOOSEBUMPS author, R. L. Stine, writes 2000. To me, that feels too much like a job. And I am now retired. Plus, I like to putter around the house and I’m an avid gardener–planting hundreds of flowers every spring. So I get up when I wake up, have breakfast, maybe do a crossword puzzle or Sudoku, do my housework and yard work, then reward myself by going to my office to play with all my characters. While I was writing the World War II book, I often told my husband, “Okay, I’m going back to Germany.” I really don’t know if that’s unusual or not. It’s just what I do.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Several authors have influenced me. The late Dorothea Benton Frank was one of the first authors I heard say, “If Danielle Steele can write and be published, so can I.” I don’t think I had thought about being published before that. But she influenced me to think that way. I took a number of writing courses, including courses by writers Steve Berry and David Morrell, so I incorporated their methods and processes (except for the getting up early part) into my writing. And Kristin Hannah helped me to see how to build the dimensional depth of my stories by adding central characters who might have had nothing to do with the original plot line.
What are you working on now?
I have actually set up two novels that I am working on simultaneously–something I have never done before. But they are so different, I believe I can pull it off. One is the follow on book in my series that begins with ON DEADLY GROUNDS (coming out on May 8), tentatively titled FROM DEADLY TIES. The other book is a vampire book with a twist like nothing you’ve ever seen before and I am really anxious to complete it. I also just submitted a short story to an e-book series titled “1001 Dark Nights.” In addition, I am a regular contributor to several of our local magazines.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use social media as much as possible to promote–especially in these days of social distancing. I like Facebook and Instagram, but also use Twitter and have just begun really honing in on Goodreads. What a wonderful resource! Getting good reviews and pre-orders on Amazon are really great because Amazon will then use those, combined with their algorithms to promote the book for you. I actually send emails to my fans and readers and ask them to do a pre-order, complete with supplying them the link. This works best if the book is inexpensive–$.99 or free. Of course, the absolute best way to promote books, in addition to “word of mouth,” would be to get chosen by Reese Witherspoon or Oprah Winfrey for their book clubs. I haven’t figured that one out yet, but I’m still trying.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I certainly do. There are a number of things that have helped me through the years that I now pass along to new/aspiring authors. Except for the first one, they are not necessarily in order, because they are all important. But the first one is the most important:
1. FINISH YOUR BOOK – every time I speak to an editor, the first thing they say is, “Congratulations on completing your manuscript. More than 80% of people writing a book don’t.” Don’t let yourself become one of those unfinished statistics.
2. Write/read/edit your book as if it is a movie and get rid of anything that would interrupt that movie scene playing in your readers’ heads (a word they would have to look up, a tangent fact that doesn’t have anything to do with the scene, an explanation, an intrusion of research, and so on.)
3. Embrace re-writes. It’s easy to become attached to your words, but make cuts, streamline, and tighten up your story wherever possible.
4. Keep all your words–even after you’ve cut them to tighten up your story. You never know when that extraneous paragraph from Book #1 could be the perfect beginning for Book #2.
5. Eliminate overused words, such as “that,” “very,” and “of” as often as possible.
6. Practice BIC–Butt in Chair. No words will be written until that happens.
7. Become familiar with Blake Snyder’s “Beat Sheet” from his book, SAVE THE CAT. This is a great way to study the elements of successful stories and keep the pacing, along with the ups and downs of the story moving in the right direction.
8. Follow David Morrell’s “Writing with the Senses” as described in the next section.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have been fortunate to have met many authors, most of whom have made my favorites list. But the best advice I received was from David Morrell, who describes himself as “Rambo’s Father.” He said that most writers–especially inexperienced ones–describe scenes from a single sense–that of sight. He encouraged me to totally immerse myself in the scene and be aware of everything going on around me–what sounds do I hear, what smells or scents reach me and do those influence any tastes I might notice, am I comfortable or uncomfortable–hot, cold, in pain, in bliss or oblivion? I have taken that to heart and now, when I write, it’s an easy matter to put my character in the scene and simply describe the movie playing in my head.
What are you reading now?
I actually have a number of “How To” books in my reading pile that help refine the writing. For me, I am always learning and looking for ways to go through the writing process with fewer false starts and wasted words. So I am reading books on story structure that includes “Scene, series, and theme.” I am also constantly reading sections of a book about Master Characters from Mythology and how to use them for my writing tropes. For pleasure, I have just finished Steve Berry’s newest book, THE WARSAW PROTOCOL, and David Morrell’s CREEPERS, along with Heather Graham’s BLOOD NIGHT and Kristin Hannah’s THE GREAT ALONE.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have many stories swirling in my head, just bursting to be told, so I will continue to work on them and keep them moving. In addition, I plan to do more teaching. Almost everyone I talk to says some variation of “I have a story I’ve been playing with,” “A novel is floating around in my head,” or “Listen to this story I came up with.” So I designed a writer’s workshop that encompasses all my years of courses and experience and is called “We All Have a Story to Tell.” And it’s true. I often speak at a senior center near me, and modified the workshop to include writing autobiographies and memoirs, to strongly encourage those seniors to write their stories for their children and grandchildren. I will be forever grateful that I got my parents on video, talking about different aspects of their lives and giving me the family history before they died. My grandchildren will love it even more when they become my age. I encourage people to write their thoughts, stories, and novels down whenever I can and will continue to do so.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s easy. I would bring GONE WITH THE WIND, by Margaret Mitchell, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, by Agatha Christie, THE DAVINCI CODE, by Dan Brown, and THE NIGHTINGALE, by Kristin Hannah. And if I could sneak a fifth one in without your knowing, it would be WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, by Delia Owens. Of course, as I typed this, I thought of half a dozen others, but, push come to shove, these are my top four/five.
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