Warren Bull

Warren Bull has won a number of awards including Best Short Story of 2006 from the Missouri Writers’ Guild, Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave short story contest, The Mysterious Photo Contest in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Best short story in Strange Mysteries Anthology. He was a finalist for the Young Adult Discovery Award and a Derringer Award.  He has more than forty short stories published, novels Abraham Lincoln for the Defense, Heartland and Murder in the Moonlight, and a short story collection, Murder Manhattan Style.

Please tell everyone a bit about yourself, Warren.

Warren: I spent my childhood in Rock Island, Illinois, which is along the Mississippi river. I attended Knox College, where one of the Lincoln – Douglas debates took place, and the University of Illinois. My graduate training was at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and what is now Alliant University in Fresno, California.

I was first licensed as a psychologist in 1983, and have worked for agencies and in private practice with people of all ages as a therapist and as an administrator. I worked as a clinical psychologist for more than twenty-five years but still claim to come from a functional family.

I blog at Writers Who Kill. I’m a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime and an active member of Mystery Writers of America. 

When did the writing bug bite, and in what genres?

Warren: I had a very good writing teacher in the fourth grade and I’ve been writing ever since.  My mother used to read letters I sent her from college to the neighbors, which I discovered to my deep embarrassment during my first visit home from the holidays.  As a psychologist, I shared an office with Casey Dorman who wrote e-novels long before they became popular. Casey’s an excellent writer and a good guy, but I thought if he could do it so could I.  I write mostly mysteries because I enjoy mysteries and I’ve written essays, memoirs, general or “literary” fiction, historical fiction and fantasy.

When you started to write what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Warren: Good question. My initial goal was to get published. Once I got published, my goals evolved and they continue to evolve over time.  I’m not very interested in “solve the puzzle” mysteries. I like to read and write about characters in a variety of setting facing life challenges.  I’d like readers to identify with my characters and share their experiences. I’ve written about Abraham Lincoln as a great man who is flawed and fully human.

Tell us about your latest book.

Warren: Heartland available at Avignon Press is a Young Adult novel recently chosen as the Book of the Day by Killer Nashville.  The paperback edition is available at the link above. Please support the publisher who supported me.

Sixteen-year-old Tom Allen life is imploding. His father has all but vanished from his life; Tom’s stepfather is entirely too involved. Tom’s beloved grandmother suffers a stroke, which leaves his mother emotionally distant. Meanwhile his sister is too sophisticated to worry about his concern.  When Tom reads an old family memoir from his grandmother’s cedar chest, he becomes intrigued by his ancestors’ struggle to form one united family from two shattered families. They face man-made and natural dangers while they battle to survive the smoldering conflicts in “Bleeding Kansas” that will soon erupt into the bloodiest war in American history — the Civil War. With the help of friends and family, past and present Tom eventually comes to terms with the pain and possibilities of his own family.

What’s the hook for the book?

Warren: When the two riders appeared out of nowhere, I knew they came to kill my pa.

(The opening sentence.)

How do you develop characters? Settings?

Warren: With historical stories and novels research is essential.  There are readers who know all about things like shooting a black power rifle or men’s trousers in the 1840s so if I refer to “cordite” before it was invented or write about a man putting something into his non-existent rear pants pocket, I am going to make readers angry They are going to throw my book against the wall and never buy anything else from me again.  I like to have three independent sources for everything. 

Who is the most unusual character?

Warren: I have a number of characters who keep popping up in my work because they keep popping up in my head. One of them has been in half a dozen short stories in various venues but he never gives his name.  I know it but he wants to keep a low profile.  I don’t know that anyone except me knows how often I write about him.  He is a veteran of World War II who fought in the battle of the bulge, like my father.  He has a post-traumatic stress disorder and a deep – set distrust of authority.

 Do you have specific techniques that help you maintain the main course of the plot?

Warren: I use a timeline and a list of characters.  I also make a few notes of events that I want to use.  Every time I try to use an outline I get bored with the story before I get the novel written. I wish I could use an outline but I can’t.

What colors your writing?

Warren: I worked as a psychologist for more than twenty-five years, which gave me the opportunity to know and work with a wide variety of people I would probably never have met otherwise. I worked with people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, religions and social classes.  My clients had many unusual life experiences.

Also, although I am a male Caucasian, I have lived and worked in settings where my ethnicity and gender made me a minority. 

 Share the best review that you’ve ever had.

Warren: I’m grateful that Murder Manhattan Style has garnered some great reviews. The stories have been compared to the works of Damon Runyon and Raymond Chandler. New York Times Bestselling author Nancy Pickard wrote, “Warren Bull is a short story master, and this collection shows him at his best with quick stories told in crisp, clear prose. There’s variety, drama, history, humor, pathos, compassion and even Shakespeare here, along with surprising and satisfying endings to every story.”

What are your current projects?

 Warren: I am working on two very different projects at the moment. I am waiting for copyediting on a short story collection of very dark stories tentatively titled, No Happy Endings, and I am about 1/3 of the way into a middle grade novel about the adventures and misadventures of three sisters whose mom has run off with a rock bank.  I am busily researching television schedules, mimeographs and dial telephones in the early 1960s.

 Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Warren: I have a website http://www.warrenbull.com/

An author dashboard on Goodreads Goodreads Author Page

And an author page on Amazon.com  Warren Bull’s Author Page

 Thank you for joining us today, Warren.

Warren: Thanks for the opportunity.

Susan Wingate

Susan Wingate, award-winning, bestselling author, has written nine novels, two short story collections, a few plays, one screenplay and tons of poems. Her latest novel Drowning (contemporary women’s fiction), won 1st place in the 2011 Forward National Literature Award and was a finalist  in the 2011 International Book Awards.

Hi Susan, please tell everyone a bit about yourself.

Susan: I co-host the very popular talk radio show, “Dialogue: Between the Lines.” I was born in Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from AZ State University in 1994 with an undergraduate degree in accounting. Three years later, I moved from Phoenix to an island in Washington State where I began to concentrate fully on writing. After the writing “bug” bit me, I quit accounting to write full-time. Since then, I’ve  written several plays, one screenplay, two short story collections and nine novels. My amateur sleuth series entitled The Bobby’s Diner Series has received acclaim from reviewers and in book competitions. My pseudonyms include, Myah Lin (literary fiction) and JJ Adams (noir mystery). My gritty novel, A Falling of Law (JJ Adams) is often described as Chandleresque in style. Writing as Myah Lin, my novella, Camouflage was a Finalist and received an Editor’s Choice Award in the 2009 Textnovel Writing Contest. 

As a lover of education and the arts, I teach writing,  draw and paint abstracts using oil as my favored medium. I still live in Washington State with my husband and a bunch of crazy animals.

When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?

Susan: My passion for writing really took hold in my thirties. I guess you could say I was a late bloomer. I always enjoyed writing but had some negative writing experiences very early on that colored my ambitions to the point of quelling the longing to write all together — for a while, that is. Then, it seemed nothing could keep me from putting pen to paper. At first I wrote poetry, then short stories, then on my move from Phoenix to Washington State, I formulated an idea for a novel, for the entire 1900-mile drive. The moment I set foot into my new home, I dragged out my ring-bound notebook and started to scribble. It felt like I hadn’t been alive before that moment. I knew writing would be my life from then on.

When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Susan: Well, our goals change as we grow in writing but my very first goal was to write a novel. It was like baby steps. I’d never written a novel and I really had no right to be writing one then! Only three years before my move, I’d gotten  my bachelor’s degree in accounting but my life was undergoing a big metamorphosis. I honestly believe that the urge to write in me was so strong that I somehow created this metamorphosis and moved (under the guise of different reasons) in order to get to a place that would feed my muse and could free me to write. By the way, this is the first time I’ve ever expressed what happened to me, in words, written OR thought. So, thank you for the reveal — to your readers and also to me.

A message for readers? Yes. Always do what you love. Grab that brass ring. Now!

Briefly tell us about your latest book. Is it part of a series or stand-alone?

Susan: I’m nearing the close of a year-long book promotion for Drowning, which did remarkably well in sales and in competitions — Thank you, God! And, now my publisher is getting ready to release my debut YA novel entitled Spider  Brains. We’re serializing Spider Brains chapter-by-chapter on my blog “Writing from the Couch” at www.susanwingate.com. Spider Brains is the first in a series of four companion books.

What’s the hook for the book?

Susan: Addition Problem: If you have one teenage girl plus a spider bite, what does that equal? Answer: Transformation!

If one were to bake the story Spider Brains into a cake, they should sprinkle in Charlotte’s Web, toss in one Jellicle Cat, then stir in a little Spiderman — but as a girl and not in that goofy latex outfit! A tale of hope, transformation, transition and inspiration.

Who’s the most unusual/most likeable character?

Susan: In Spider Brains? I happen to think Matthew is the most likeable character.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Susan: Well, my father was a very funny, loving person. He was also a writer. So, I guess you could say that I have inherited my father’s funny gene. He loved words and their usages. I remember many days whether sitting around the table talking or taking long drives through the Arizona desert, my dad would play this game — to make up new words and then give them definitions. I still play it today. In fact,  Spider Brains has a few original words slipped in just to keep people on their toes. But, in  Spider Brains, Susie Speider loves words too and longs to be the editor of the high school newspaper. The current editor, Tanya, is Susie’s idol.

Today, I live in a home that sits on five acres of lush water-soaked land on an island in the Pacific Northwest. I look out my windows and see snow spattering the ground and patches of grass sneaking through the icy layer. Deer visit each morning, each afternoon for rolled oats, corn and pellets. Eagles perch on an enormous Noble Fir and they peer down into the massive pond for fish and ducks. My windows create a total encapsulation of nature at every turn of your head. It’s like heaven here and I get to sit and write about it. That’s my environment.

Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Susan: One that stands out from the crowd just happened, for  Spider Brains , I’m happy to say. It was written by another Amazon bestselling author and award-winning novelist, Joshua Graham. This was what he had to say about  Spider Brains:

Simply put, Susan Wingate is a master of the written word.  In  Spider Brains, she weaves a heart-warming tale full of wit and intrigue: a nod to Kafka’s Metamorphosis in a quirky blend with The Princess Diaries.  There are laugh out loud moments with the teenage protagonist, Susie Speider, whose voice was well executed and credible.  But there are also moments that tug at the heartstrings and even bring a tear to the eye, as we see Susie’s angst when she faces pain from the past, as well as redemption through the relationship with her mother. Whether or not you’re a fan of YA literature, you’ll love  Spider Brains.  But don’t expect anything ordinary!

 I kind of like that one! OMGeee. Who wouldn’t? Right? Thank you, Joshua. J

What are your current projects?

Susan: I’m currently working on an Apocalyptic Thriller entitled Eschatos: The First Witness. I love this story. It will be such a joy to put the final period on this one and then send it out to publishers.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Susan: They can find me all over the internet: at my website www.susanwingate.com, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Goodreads, EZRead.com, Amazon.com, B&N.com and Smashwords. My print books can be found in libraries and bookstores across the country as well.

Thanks for joining us today, Susan.

Susan: Thank you so much for hosting me! I’m thrilled to have been asked to contribute to Literature & Fiction.

Marilyn Jenkins

Today’s guest, poet and fiction writer Marilyn Jenkins, is a member of the Welsh Academy. Marilyn’s work has been published in magazines such as: The Anglo Welsh Review, The New Welsh Review, Paris Atlantic, Envoi and prize-winning anthologies.

Shelagh: Hi Marilyn, please tell us a little about yourself.

Marilyn: I was raised in post-war Wales, one of a privileged generation: NHS; free grammar school education; university grants. I went through to university. I taught and lectured in English and carried on after marriage and children. Later, I travelled widely because of my husband’s (academic) career. I’m grateful because I experienced other cultures. This, together with my Welsh background, has greatly influenced my writing.

Shelagh: When did you first begin to write and in what genre(s)?

Marilyn: I was always hooked on words. A good book to read is an essential for me. Because story, fiction, was the big draw; from primary school days I wanted to write my own. I remember sitting on the back steps at home trying to work out a knotty problem of how to get my characters out of an impossible fix in The Mystery of the Moated Grange (thanks for the inspiration Enid Blyton).  While the novel was my first love, – fiction with a dark mystery underlying it – I also had a poetry reading bug.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish?

Marilyn: It took some time before I could imagine myself as a ‘writer’. I stepped out of teaching for a while when I had small children and that’s when I began to draft novels. I say novels because my life is littered with unfinished novels. Completing one and getting it published was my secret goal.  Poems, short stories were less challenging to complete in a peripatetic existence. The way life panned out meant I was having these published long before my novel finally appeared. But the novel was the big thing.

Shelagh: Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Marilyn: I don’t have a message, as such, in anything I write. I think it was Alice (Lewis Carroll’s) who said: “How do I know what I mean till I see what I’ve said.” Working in longer fiction has told me quite a lot about myself, in fact.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book.

Marilyn: My novel, The Legacy of Alice Waters, finally appeared this year (2009). It is, as expected, fiction with a dark mystery: a whydunnit rather than a whodunnit.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Marilyn: Poisoners are not easy to like or understand – how different is Alice Waters?

Shelagh:. How do you develop characters and settings?

Marilyn: My characters develop in relation to the settings. I place a character in a situation and then probe the way in which removing them from their comfort (or discomfort zone) affects what happens. Each change becomes a test. Alice moves from her unhappy home in Wales to find love in wartime London. A return to post war Wales brings disaster. This is also true of her best friend Emily who comes home to die and who led an extraordinary life as a lawyer.

Shelagh: Do you have a favourite character?

Marilyn: I admire the character of Emily: a lesbian who hid from Alice that she was the love of her life. She is an intelligent woman who faces death with courage and finally carries out Alice’s last request: to tell her ‘lost’ daughter the truth.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style? Preferred POV?

Marilyn: Writing my second novel has shown me how ingrained my method is: I don’t tell the story through a single point of view. In my first, there are 2 primary third person POVs told in discrete sections: Emily’s and Madeleine’s (Maddie, Alice’s daughter).  Alice’s story is told in first person through her journals and her granddaughter, Daisy (Dessie), keeps a first person account when she visits Wales with her mother in pursuit of the truth.

Shelagh: Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

Marilyn: I start with a character and what happened to him/her. That gives me the skeleton. I don’t work particularly economically. I throw away a great deal but by the time of the final draft, I pretty much know who I’m dealing with and how it ends up. I know my characters – their strengths and weaknesses and, most of all, what they want.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Marilyn: My core environment is Wales. Like so many of my generation I left Wales to pursue a career. It was a kind of Welsh diaspora.  I have experienced so many different environments that they inevitably colour my fiction. But I am now back home and writing; Wales is always there but so are other parts of the world. How can I be insular with the multitude of addresses I’ve had? My current novel begins in Saskatoon, Canada, which I loved.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Marilyn: You can read some reviews on my website (below) but the ones I treasure are the unsolicited, unexpected.  Early on Boxing Day, I received this in as part of an e-mail from Maddison, Wisconsin:

“I so enjoyed your book, which was beautifully written.  It kept me riveted all Christmas Eve after I played Santa for my daughter and Christmas Day after cooking the roast.  I loved the suspense and the wonderful female characters: Dessie, Maddie, Emily, Harriet.   It was tragic on the one hand, but triumphant on the other; I loved that Maddie walked out on her deadbeat cheating husband (none of the married men seem to have understood the meaning of fidelity) and that the truth really did set her free in so many ways.”

I love this because the writer has engaged in the book and the fact that she loved the female characters was a real plus. I came across a similar comment from a review pasted on Google. On Google Books, you can open and read a goodly portion of the novel (as well as Amazon).

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Marilyn: The novel I’m working on is: Shadow of the Black Mountains, set in Saskatoon and the mysterious Welsh Border country.  If you’ve visited the Hay Festival you’ll know the area; the nearby mountains and valleys have exerted a mysterious, spiritual  fascination for centuries.  You can read the opening chapters and links to all my work on my website:

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Marilyn: www.marilynjenkins.books.officelive.com

Conrad Larson

Historical fiction writer, Conrad Larson, has joined us today to talk about his books.

Shelagh: Please tell us a little about yourself, Conrad.

Conrad: I am a former teacher, coach, farmer, entrepreneur and truck driver. I worked in corporate sales, corporate management, lay ministry, and have an everyday enthusiast of life. My book, a historical fiction mystery novel, The Overcoat, is based on the World War I soldier from this book. I am the father of five sons, five grandchildren and hopefully many more.

Shelagh: When did you begin to write and why?

Conrad: My mother passed away six years ago and I and my sister had no relatives left in that generation and older so I thought I needed to start writing for my sons and nephews.

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish?

Conrad: My first was a need to have a family history. The reason for writing was personal to begin with but, as the project grew, the want to have an impact in what was written grew also. The story developed over time and the storyline was both impacting and inspirational to me. The original was meant to be a biography, but the emotions became so hard for me that I redid it in historical fiction style.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book.

Conrad: Swede is a revisionist history due out early fall 2010. A story about a soldier that makes an impact based on revised information about the war.

Shelagh: Is this book part of a series or stand-alone?

Conrad: This will be a series and the second book is a third done.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Conrad: The mind set in America is that the Vietnam war should have been won and this book, Swede, wins the war.

Shelagh: How do you develop characters and setting?

Conrad: I see characters all around me and develop a story for them.  My life story has given me a wonderful memory of settings and history and it just seems to come naturally to place the setting once the character is developed.

Shelagh: Who’s the most unusual character?

Conrad: In my book, The Overcoat, Charlene is the character that has gotten me calls from a reader of my book from the State of Virginia wanting to know about that character. The point of my writing was to be able to talk about courage, character, life issues and my book has brought people to me.

Shelagh: Who is your favorite character?

Conrad: In Carry On Pvt Dahlgren,  Pvt Dahlgren is my favorite.

Shelagh: Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

Conrad: My techniques are rough and untested but working well so far. My Amazon book review shows an exciting fresh style which was a surprise to get.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style?

Conrad: I am a new author and my style is rough and probably out of the box but it is working.  My style is PG as I want my books to be acceptable to the Christian Community as well as the general market.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Conrad: The colors are like the brightest rainbow you have ever seen. My life stories are a big influence in my writing and I can write out of the box as well.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Conrad: Author Conrad Larson pays tribute to the veterans of the war with a gripping account of one man’s war adventure. In Carry On Private Dahlgren: World War I Runner, a book released through Xlibris, he makes sure that as the hundredth anniversary of the First World War is nearing, tales from this remarkable moment in history will not go fading.

The war that was supposed to stop all wars was cruel and brutal to all civilians and even soldiers. The sacrifices made by the men who stepped up to represent and protect their motherland should be remembered and be given the honor that they deserve.  Reflecting the greatest on American character and courage, Carry On Private Dahlgren: World War I Runner presents the nostalgic, personal journals of Pvt. Oscar Dahlgren of World War I. The journals, as found by the author’s family, were handwritten with notes written in margins at a later date by Dahlgren. It fascinatingly documents names of peers, superiors, dignitaries, and others. In detail, it chronicles Dahlgren’s exploits during the upsetting era, including names of places, some which have different names today. It is an untainted piece of history for unless changes were made for clarity, the style of writing, spelling and grammar were left the way Pvt. Oscar Dahlgren wrote it.

Reliving history, Carry On Private Dahlgren: World War I Runner provides readers a fascinating account of one man’s life filled with courage, hope, brotherhood, and patriotism.

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Conrad: My new projects are more than an idea, The first book in a revisionist history series, Swede, is done, the second book in the Swede series is a third done, The next project is a book about depression and it’s deadly duo. The name of the book is The Deadly Duo; a how to understand living in a world where friends, family and co-workers struggle with stresses beyond most of our comprehension on depression. The following project is a World War I collection of stories about the soldiers from that era for the hundreth anniversary of the War to End All Wars. Another challenging project is a three hundred page autobiography called The Farm Boy, but I’m reluctant to move forward at this time.

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Conrad: I have a website for the first book called www.myovercoat.com. I have a blogging site www.loveforbookwriting.com that has a lot of good stuff. My second book, Carry On Pvt Dahlgren, has two websites:

www.conradlarson.com

www.xlibris.com/conrad

Caryn Gottlieb FitzGerald

Caryn Gottlieb FitzGerald has a passion for writing and sharing her heart with others. After watching the manuscript from her first fiction novel, Tulips in the Sand – A Riley Matthews Mystery sit on a shelf at home for sixteen years, she set the goal of seeing her book published and on store shelves, reaching people around the world.

Her intention became reality when Tulips in the Sand – A Riley Matthews Mystery was published in July 2008 and has been intriguing fiction and mystery lovers ever since its release.

Shelagh: Please tell us about yourself, Caryn.

Caryn: I reside in a small town south of Fort Worth, Texas with my family. I enjoy spending time outdoors and I’m actively involved with my daughter’s school and in the local community.

I hold a B.A. in Criminal Justice and a certificate in Women’s Studies from Florida Atlantic University in addition to a Masters degree in Professional Studies in Human Relations from NY Institute of Technology. I am a former LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) and I’ve worked within the criminal justice system with medium security inmates as well as in the community sector and with survivors of domestic violence.

Today, as a life coach and motivational speaker, I share my story of surviving and thriving after living with eating disorders, abusive relationships and being trapped within the corporate world.

Shelagh: When did you first begin writing, and in what genre?

Caryn: I have been writing since childhood and have always been primarily drawn to writing mysteries, thrillers and fiction. My writing style varies; I am comfortable in writing both fiction and non-fiction genres. I’ve been published in several arenas, including psychological journals, newspapers, blogs, compilations, fiction and self-help books. Over the past few years, I have been focusing on writing my memoir and sharing my personal story of triumph over tragedy, which is allowing me to step out of the fiction genre

Shelagh: When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?

Caryn: I started writing as an outlet for expressing my creative side. My goal was to be published. I first achieved that goal in 1995 and have received the honor again several times since then. I’d like my readers to grasp the message that life is something that we create for ourselves. Enjoying what we surround ourselves with is key. I use writing as a method of expression, consider myself a writer and an artist and surround myself with others who feel the same about their creations.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Is it part of a series?

Caryn: My latest release is entitled Tulips in the Sand: A Riley Matthews Mystery and it is the first in a series centering about a young woman named Riley Matthews who, as a result of life’s challenges finds herself wrapped up in the center of crime and mystery and of course romance and passion. This particular novel was written in the early 90s and having it published was a dream come true.

Shelagh: How do you develop characters and setting?

Caryn: My writing style has changed over the years, but mainly I enjoy creating characters that are easy to relate to and that I can sink myself into, becoming the character for the time period required to advance development. My writing is usual set in places I have personally spent time in and enjoy reliving within my writings.

Shelagh: Who is the most unusual or likeable character?

Caryn: I hope each reader will have a different feeling about this. I personally had a lot of fun creating the character of Taylor as he was modeled after a friend who, upon reading the book said “hey, I know this guy!” Riley was also a lot of fun to develop for the first book. Currently, I am working on another book in the series in which Riley has matured a bit and is going through some things that more adults will relate to and her changes are fun for me to develop as well.

Shelagh: Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

Caryn: I have several techniques and am always open to trying new things. For example, my habit is to write each scene longhand and then type it up afterwards which leaves me with hundreds of these little seventy page count notebooks full of highlight marks and corner folds marking important information such as character descriptions. I do create an outline before I start a book and will talk it out as I go along. I have found over the years that my initial story is never what the end result is, because as I fall into the story I see things that the characters would be doing that I may have missed in the original outline. Being open to change and the creative process is key. I also make sure to write something every day as that keeps me in the thick of things as the work progresses.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style or preferred POV?

Caryn: My favorite writing style is to write whatever comes to mind as I create the scene. I like to pretend I am in the scene and imagine what the characters are feeling and seeing as they interact. As for POV, I am grateful to have an editor who keeps me in line because if I had my way, my readers would be able to enter the minds of all of the characters simultaneously and experience the scene from all vantage points. Mainly I focus on the POV of the main character, in this case Riley, and will usually add a second POV from another key character.

Shelagh: How does your environment and upbringing color your writing?

Caryn: I don’t know that my childhood upbringing colors my writing, but my personal experiences as an adult certainly have. I was a therapist for many years working within a men’s prison and from working with inmates who have committed all types of unspeakable crimes, I have learned that the human mind is capable of anything and if written well, the reader can be lead to believe they are part of the experience, evoking all types of emotions, including new ones they may have never experienced before.

Shelagh: Share the best review (or a portion) that you’ve ever had.

Caryn: This is my favorite as it is part of the feedback I received from my real-life friend who I modeled the character of Taylor:

Cool book … cool ending! That Taylor WAS a madman!!!

Shelagh: What are your current projects?

Caryn: I am always writing. Currently I am working on another book in the Riley Matthews Mystery series, my memoir (2010) and two self-help/non-fiction compilations.

I blog almost daily at: www.EmbracingMyJourney.com and also contribute to The Washington Times Communities – Life Online Section, where my column, “Changing Your Life, Living Your Passion” can be read daily.

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Caryn: The best place to start is at: www.CarynFitzgerald.com as that will provide folks with information on my current projects and events. I love connecting with my readers and encourage people to drop me a note and introduce themselves.

Shelagh: Thanks for joining us today, Caryn.

Caryn: Thank you for the opportunity to be featured on your site.

Malcolm R. Campbell

Malcolm R. Campbell, is author of The Sun Singer and two satirical novels in the Jock Stewart series.

Shelagh: Please tell us a little more about yourself, Malcolm.

Malcolm: Shelagh, I’ve spent the bulk of my career as a technical writer for computer companies, most of which fell on hard times, though I don’t think it was my fault. I’ve also worked as a college journalism instructor, grant writer, and corporate communications director. Currently, I’m a contributing writer for a north Georgia magazine called Living Jackson. My first novel, The Sun Singer, was published in 2004, followed by a book of satire in 2006 called Worst of Jock Stewart.

Shelagh: When did you first begin writing and what did you write?

Malcolm: When I was in high school, I was quite certain I’d end up traveling the world writing exciting articles about exotic places for National Geographic. While I have written a few articles about exotic places, they were published in the shipboard magazine of the aircraft carrier I served aboard while in the Navy. My Indiana Jones career didn’t quite pan out. So now, I visualize exotic places in my fiction.

Shelagh: Briefly tell us about your latest book. Is it part of a series or stand-alone?

Malcolm: My latest novel is a mystery/thriller, published by Vanilla Heart in August, with a large dash of comedy in it called Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire. Stewart lives in the exotic states of inebriation and Texas where he works as an gruff, old-style investigative reporter for a small-town newspaper. He’s hot on the trail of the thieves who appear to have stolen the mayor’s race horse Sea of Fire and who might just be the same people who killed his publisher’s girl friend Bambi Hill. The police chief has warned Stewart that he (Stewart) has a target on his back. Stewart believes that as long as your number’s not up, you’re going to be okay.

Shelagh: What’s the hook for the book?

Malcolm: Jock Stewart goes out of his way to mock those in authority by pretending to kowtow to them. He admits he does his best work by “being an asshole” and a mix of Don Rickles and Don Quixote. He’s the man for the job when the skirts are up and the chips are down.

Shelagh: How do you develop characters and setting in your books?

Malcolm: Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire arose out of the characters and settings I created several years ago for a blog called Morning Satirical News. I used the blog to satirize everything via fake news stories for a newspaper called the Star-Gazer at the fictional everyman’s town of Junction City. When I decided to put Stewart into a novel, he dragged the whole crazy mess of people and places right along with him. I had no choice but to just let it happen. I typed the first draft straight through to the end without planning or worrying about anything. Needless to say, I faced a fair amount of editing after that!

Shelagh: Do you have specific techniques to help you maintain the course of the plot?

Malcolm: I put myself in the shoes of every character in the book and “see” the world through their eyes when they are in a scene. It’s almost a free association technique while within each character’s mindset. Words and actions for each character simply pop into my mind when I’m thinking about them. Sometimes I wonder who’s actually writing the novel. Is it me or am I channeling a bunch of people who are competing for the best lines and the best scenes? Some day this is my muse, while others claim it’s my subconscious mind. Whatever it is, I’m not going to mess with it.

Shelagh: Do you have a specific writing style or preferred POV?

Malcolm: I write in third person restricted, staying within the protagonist’s point of view throughout a book or story. In The Sun Singer, my style was magical realism with a fair amount of interior monologue and description. In Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire, the scenes and dialogue were much shorter and faster with the voice-over flavor of an old noir film out of the 1940s or 1950s.

Shelagh: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

Malcom: My father was a journalist and journalism educator. The house was filled with books, magazines, and writing professors. It would have been difficult to escape this kind of influence even if I’d wanted to. The Jock Stewart character has a lot in common with many of the older journalists who were on my father’s staff, men who came out to the house and told stories about moonshiner raids, tough editors and weird reporters hanging out in the newsroom, and afterhours trips to a favorite watering hole. I was a journalist for the Navy, but the low salaries wouldn’t put Scotch and/or food on the table, so I ended up in corporate America rather than the newsroom. I probably would have had fewer ulcers in the newsroom.

Shelagh: Share with us the best review that you’ve ever had.

Malcolm: Author Nancy Whitney-Reiter wrote that the novel features “small town hi-jinks delivered with healthy doses of sarcasm and wit. Jock Stewart is like Guy Noir freed from the confines of public radio. A must-read for anyone who likes their sleuths hard-boiled, their women salty, and their plots with as many twists and turns as a plate of the Purple Platter Diner’s spaghetti.”

Shelagh: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Malcolm: My books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and Vanilla Heart. Readers can learn more about my books on my website at http://www.malcolmrcampbell.com and my author’s weblog at http://sunsinger.blogspot.com/.

Shelagh: Thank you for joining us today, Malcolm.

Malcolm: I enjoyed chatting with you here today, Shelagh.

Jean Holloway

I would like to welcome Jean Holloway, who has stopped in on her blog tour, Banned from Vegas. Jean’s books from her Deck of Cardz series are fictional detective stories following the career of a female lead homicide detective, Shevaughn Robinson. Ace of Hearts and Black Jack are currently available online and by request at your local bookstores.

Shelagh: Please tell us about Black Jack, Jean.

Jean: Black Jack is the sequel to my debut novel, Ace of Hearts.

Black Jack picks up four years after Shevaughn Robinson, lead homicide detective in Portsborough, NY, solves her first major case. She is anxiously living in the shadow of her high rate of arrests and closed cases. But it has all come at a price?

In Black Jack, Shevaughn tries to regain balance in her personal life just as the past comes back to haunt her. She will quickly find herself the center of yet another unique murder that feels a little too close for comfort.

Shelagh: What genre is Black Jack ?

Jean: I like to make sure I’m juggling a few genres. I’d say Black Jack is an adult romantic, psychological crime thriller.

Shelagh: That’s an interesting combination, Jean. I think you’ll have to explain how you married these genres in your book.

Jean: First, I classify it as adult, because my books are for the grown and sexy. It’s erotic, not erotica, yet definitely not for the kids.

The romantic elements involve you as you watch the growth of a loving relationship between the couples in this book, one being Shevaughn and Marcus, a local bookstore owner in Portsborough.

The psychological segments were a push for me. Out of nowhere, a past character, Terri Becker, emerged and I hate to say it but she’s a few a cans short of a six pack (if you know what I mean).

The crime is murder with the plot revolving around Shevaughn’s career and life depending on her solving this case. She has to get him or her before her life is tragically affected.

Lastly, it’s a thriller because you, the reader, have an opportunity to take in the story for the viewpoint of the lead detective attempting to balance her family obligations and her career and that of a depressed and confused psychopath looking for love in all the wrong places.

The two very different women are brought together by an opportunist that preys on weakness in others.

Shelagh: What should readers expect from Black Jack?

Jean: Expect the unexpected. Things are not what they appear to be, even I was surprise by the direction this story took.

Readers should turn the first page with an open mind and end the last page knowing that there is much more in store for Shevaughn Robinson.

About Black Jack

Black Jack is the sequel to Jean Holloway’s acclaimed debut novel, Ace of Hearts. Buckle up and follow Shevaughn as she moves closer to solving the murder of a lonely widow, unknowingly rekindling old grudges and awakening a sinister spirit.  Get ready, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Visit Deck of Cardz to learn more about Jean Holloway and her work. There you can download Black Jack eBook; watch the book video: Black Jack … Wanna Play, read the book synopsis; and more.