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Sunday, April 19, 2020
New Releases from the Wild Rose Press
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Welcome Jo A. Hiestand to our garden interviews
Hello Jo
Tell us about your books
and now for a little fun
Where can we find out more?
Tell us about your books
Are your
characters based on real people?
My main character, Michael McLaren, is based on a real person. I
didn’t know the man, but a friend did. When I was creating McLaren, my friend
and I exchanged perhaps a half dozen emails as we considered traits and
McLaren’s life story. I relied on my friend to give me the incident leading to the
real McLaren’s departure from his job, but I developed my fictional McLaren’s
personality, where he lives, gave him a name and everything else. I plopped him
down in a section of Britain far removed from the real McLaren, gave him a job
that would suit his need to cocoon himself from the world, and then allowed him
to slowly reconnect with society and his friends through his investigation of
cold cases.
Have you
ever cried while writing a book?
I did one time, which was for the last scene of “No Known Address.”
Three of my friends died within months of each other the year I was writing
that book. When I began the book, I had no intention my protagonist’s fiancée
would die. But my friends’ deaths overwhelmed me, and I felt compelled to have
McLaren, my protagonist, experience the sadness I felt. I guess you could label
this an outlet for my grief. I didn’t
react with the anger and violence that McLaren did in the book when he learned
of his fiancée’s death, but the ending scene when he’s listening to the music is
exactly what I did and felt.
How did
you come up with the title?
The book concerns a young man who disappeared, and the father has no
idea if his son has run away or is still alive. Since my protagonist, McLaren,
has to locate the young man, or at least figure out what happened to him, I
needed a title that implied that problem. I thought of physical indications to
convey this, like a road sign or an overgrown path or a letter stamped ‘return
to sender.’ I liked that letter idea a lot because besides implying the person
was no longer at that address, there also was a question about his departure: he
hadn’t left a forwarding address. Then the phrase ‘no known address’ popped into
my head. I thought that conveyed that the young man not only was gone but also
that there was a bit of mystery connected with his disappearance. So, “No Known
Address” became the book title.
Do you
have to travel researching your book(s)?
I need to travel to do research, but since my books are placed in
Britain and I’m stuck in the US, I rely on others to travel for me! I have several friends in Derbyshire, where
most of my books are placed. I can ask them questions and they’ll know the
answers, usually having been to those specific areas. For one book, I needed information on what
the tearoom looked like at Haddon Hall, and one friend actually drove there and
looked around for me! For another book,
I wanted to know the type of bridge on a particular road—one of those arch varieties
that are nearly flush with the ground. I also needed to know if the road went
uphill, what was near it, etc. I’d driven on that road several times when I was
in Derbyshire, but I couldn’t recall what the bridge looked like. My friend was
a police officer, so he knew that stretch of road and could tell me. Yes, I realize my book is fiction and I could
have made the area how I wish, but I like it to be accurate.
Describe
your writing style in ten words or less.
So descriptive you feel, hear, and see with the characters.
and now for a little fun
What did you
want to be when you grew up?
Either a treasure hunter, an archaeologist, a jockey, or a writer.
Do you
have a favorite quote?
My favorites
change a lot, depending on my mood. But one of my favorites is “Don’t
wait for the light at the end of the tunnel; go down there and light the bloody
thing yourself.”
What song
would best describe your life?
With no hesitation, the song is “I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m
Bound” by Tom Paxton. Especially the second verse that tells of wandering while
trying to discover what the person is meant to do with his/her life. In my
younger years I had several passions: photography, history, cooking, writing,
and music. I kept switching my thoughts on what I would become, loving so many
things that settling on one thing was difficult. So yes, I have been wondering
where I’m supposed to go and what I should become.
Has the
dog ever eaten your manuscript?
No, but I was so dog gone mad once that I threw the ms in the trash.
Are you
fun to go on vacation with?
I think I’m seldom “fun” to be with at any time, meaning I don’t do
zany things like put a lampshade on my head or do an imitation of The Mummy.
I’m too serious for “fun,” but on rare occasions I do get slaphappy. And I
frequently make comments in a dry sense of humor that others find funny. Many
times on vacation I get excited about the place I’m visiting, and my over-the-top
enthusiasm gives joy to the folks I’m with.
Website: www.johiestand.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jo.hiestand.3
Read “No Known Address” today.
Trade paper –
E-book --
Friday, April 17, 2020
Today we have Larry Farmer on our author interviews
Hello Larry
thank you for stopping by. tell us about your books.
thank you for stopping by. tell us about your books.
Do you have trouble
saying goodbye to characters?
There is a sentimentality involved.
But I love the completion. Not just finishing, but the sense of completion and fulfillment. These characters
are mine, of me, and fulfilled.
Do you plot or let the
story unfold as you write?
I know the story and
direction. Twists and turns and mutations do occur, but I know where I’m headed
going into the story.
Do you research (choose
one of the following item) your sex scenes?
I choose not to write full
sex scenes. I want to spice up the story, but prefer implications and emotion.
Who is the biggest
influence on your writing?
As far as established writers are concerned, John
Steinbeck, John Grisham, and Ernest Hemingway. Mostly for style but also
somewhat for story trend. Bigger than them are the aspiring writers I’ve met
along the way. Their failures as well as successes and how they cope with it
all.
Are your books or
characters based on anyone you know, or events in your own life?
Almost all based
on people and events I’ve known and lived. Not a direct link every time, but
for the meat of the story. A painter sees what he sees, not just a verbatim
snapshot. There is a lot of shaping to do even if you base a story on true
events and people. Some new made up characters are in the mix as well, but by then
the flow has been established and these new characters fill in to complement
it.
And a little about you...
If you were a tool what
would you be?
Some kind of functional yet alluring car.
If you came with a
warning label, what would it say?
Don’t tread on me.
Are you fun to go on
vacation with?
Unless you want to run the show.
If you were stranded on
a desert island, what three things would be the most essential for you?
Some kind of tool I could access for building and
maintenance. Natural resources like fresh water and fruit. Imagination.
Have you ever found true
love?
With adorable people. Sometimes foolishly with not so
adorable.
Where can we find out more?
Website: http://larryfarmerwrites.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larryfarmerwrites/
Twitter: @LFarmerWrites
Download I Will Survive on Amazon and other online retailers
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Welcome Peggy Jaeger to our garden interviews
thanks for being here. tell us everything :)
Do you plot or let the story unfold as you
write?
Before I became a full-time writer, I
was a Registered Nurse for about 175 years. As such, my life was steeped in the
Scientific method, devising patient care plans, and scheduling a patient’s
daily life. In my own life, I am a planner. I like to know where I’m going, how
I’m getting there and when I will arrive, and subsequently leave.
Yeah, I know. A little anal to be sure.
So that’s why I am a huge plotter.
Before I ever write a word in a story – be it a full length novel, a novella,
or even a short story, I plan/plot everything out on paper. I know all my
characters intimately; the setting is described in detail; the goal, conflict
and motivation are outlined.
I tried writing a story on the fly once
and had such anxiety I deleted every word from my laptop because it was
so….awful.
Have you ever cried while writing a book?
Several times, and not only with the
scenes of people or pets dying. I cry when I laugh in real life. My husband is
always asking me “what’s wrong?” if I’m watching something on TV and crying. 9
times out of 10 I am watching a comedy that is just making my belly shake and
my eyes leak. When I write a scene and I cry, I know my reader will be moved as
well and that’s a wonderful thing for a writer: to know they elicited an
emotion in a reader.
Do you have set times during the day that you
write?
I have chronic menopause induced
insomnia so I am awake most of the day and night. I typically get the majority
of my new writing done between the hours of midnight and four am. After that I
do all my daily marketing, answer emails, and read blog posts, etc. for about 2
hours. Then, from 8-11 am I write /revise what I wrote from midnight, have
lunch and exercise, and then write until about 2-4 pm. Check out the time stamp
in the upper right hand corner on this picture. It says 4:36 am. That’s the
time I was writing for this interview!
How much time do you spend writing every day?
Between 8 and 10 hours total. If I have
received edits from my editor, it can be anywhere up to 12 hours depending on
how much I need to edit/change/revise.
What is your least favorite part of the writing
process?
The marketing that has to be done to get
your book “out there” and into reader hands.
I am not a salesperson. I have friends
who could sell sand to desert-dwellers. Not me. I deplore having to convince
someone to buy my books. It’s really hard for me to do it in person, too. I
feel so…conceited, saying, “Buy my book! You’ll love it!!”
In the good old days of publishing, the
company gave writers publicists who did all that work. How I long for those
days….
Do you have a favorite quote?
Many, but the ones I live by daily are
two:
“When you know better, you do better.”
And
“People may forget what you said, people
may forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Both by the amazeballs Maya Angelu.
If you came with a warning label, what would it
say?
Contents may explode under pressure.
This is true. I rarely get mad, but when
I do, I blow big, loud, and scary.
What is the one question you wish an interviewer
would ask you?
Was it everything you thought it would
be?
If you could have three wishes granted, what
would you wish for?
I love this question because my WRP
novella 3 WISHES asked this same question!
1.
to have enough
money to make the lives of everyone I know secure. No bills, no mortgage
payments, no healthcare payments.
2.
To eradicate
hunger. Everywhere.
3.
(this is the
selfish one!) to be on a major bestseller list for every book I write.
Where can we find out more?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyjaeger_author/Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
Download A
PRIDE OF BROTHERS: RICK from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081G7WDP4
and other online retailers
And pre-order VANILLA WITH A TWIST
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Welcome Linda Griffin to our Garden Interviews
Hello Linda
Have you
ever cried while writing a book?
All the time! Especially
with The Rebound Effect.
When did you
decide to become an author?
As soon as I figured out that
somebody had to create the words I was reading. I wanted to be a “book maker”
when I grew up, which I thought meant forming the little printed letters by
hand. My older sister instructed me in the proper method: Gaze thoughtfully
into space, scribble a few words, repeat. With that improved technique, I wrote
my first story, “Judy and the Fairies,” when I was six, with a plot borrowed
from a “Nancy and Sluggo” comic book.
Do you have
trouble saying goodbye to characters?
Rarely.
Most of the time they are finished with me before I am finished with them. I’ve written one sequel,
mostly because it was the only way I could stop rewriting the ending of the
first one.
Did you have
to research forensic science or criminal psychology for your latest suspense?
I did research on police
procedure, DNA technology, and related matters for Guilty Knowledge. A
particularly useful source was Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide
for Writers, by Lee Lofland. I’m a retired reference librarian, so I love
research.
When you
wrote this book, did you have an idea of how it would end at the beginning?
Not with this one. Sometimes I do, but
except for assuming the mystery would be solved, I was pretty much at the mercy
of the characters.
Now lets get personal
If you were
going to commit the perfect murder, how would you go about it?
I
was once voted most likely to commit the perfect crime, but I’m not sure a
perfect murder is possible. Murder is messy. One important thing is to do it
alone, without any accomplices. Nobody
can betray you if you don’t trust anyone with your secrets. Make it look like
an accident or natural causes so that you will never be a suspect.
What is your
favorite drink?
Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection Dark
Chocolate hot chocolate.
What makes
you cry?
Everything! Songs,
TV commercials, sad movies, happy endings. I’m particularly partial to mother
and child reunions.
What is your
favorite time of year and why?
I
love rain, so anywhere from early autumn to April showers.
If you were
stranded on a desert island, what three things would be the most essential for
you?
Books, chocolate, and somebody who knew how
to cook.
Where can we find out more?
Download Guilty Knowledge on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Guilty-Knowledge-Linda-Griffin/dp/1509230459
and other online retailers
Photo by Laurens Antoine
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Welcome Colleen O’Connell to our Garden Interviews
Welcome Colleen
thank you for stopping by
thank you for stopping by
Do you plot or let the story unfold as you write?
Primarily,
I let the story unfold. I see the story as a movie playing in my
mind. I write from start to finish. I may have ideas for plotting
scenes, but as the story unfolds, some of those plotted scenes will
change as the characters drive the story.
When did you decide to become an author?
Although
as a child, I had an active imagination with creating stories, I didn’t
seriously start writing until I was in my 20’s. When reading romance
novels, I would invariably consider ways I would have done something
differently with the storyline. That triggered putting my ideas to
paper. The idea of becoming an author wasn’t a conscious thought until I
began crafting that first book my way and received positive feedback
from those reading the rawest draft.
Who is the biggest influence on your writing?
My
mother was an English teacher, so I was inspired by her to appreciate
words and phrasing. My father was a voracious reader. For me, the two
came together early on. Even as a child, without conscious design, I
always had some sort of story in mind with ‘what if’ scenarios. In my
early school years, I began writing mini-biographies of my family, which
contained a few sentences on notebook paper with taped on pictures of
whomever I was writing about. My imagination was always working, and
nothing has changed over the years.
Do you have set times during the day that you write?
I have a full-time day job
that is all encompassing regarding focus and time constraints. The
evening is when I tend to write as that is when I am most creative in my
thought process. Sleep becomes nearly secondary with many nights
garnering only 5-6 hours at best.
What tips would you give a new writer?
If
you are receiving positive feedback even if associated with a
rejection, keep writing and don’t give up. As disappointing and
upsetting as rejections can be, allow it to drive you to make your story
stronger and always take the feedback constructively.
now lets find out something personal
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an actress. I majored in Theatre Arts, moved from the
Midwest to Los Angeles and studied briefly at a theatre workshop. Then
reality set in. I was working as a waitress (what else?) and had no
connections and not a clue how to break in. My creativity began
shifting to writing and that overrode my initial choice.
Are you jealous of other writers? Jealousy
doesn’t come to my mind. I find myself very curious regarding
successful authors as to how they broke the barrier to cross over the
threshold to have their books best sellers – was it luck, marketing,
connections, the story alone or a combination? I’m in awe of great
writing.
If you came with a warning label, what would it say?
Beware of Clutz.
A trait I was born with. I tend to trip over my own feet. It’s made
for some interesting pratfalls. It’s amazing I still have functional
kneecaps.
What is your favorite comfort food?
Without
a doubt, chocolate. Technically, this would likely not be considered a
food group, but in my world, it’s a definite staple. To compensate for
it, I exercise daily.
What is your favorite time of year and why?
Christmas
is my favorite. Aside from the beautiful decorations, it’s the feeling
generated by the holiday and the season leading up to the actual day.
Everyone seems to be in better spirits, more considerate of others, and
excited about life.
Where can we find out more
website: www.colleenoconnell.org
Download Pirate’s Prey on Amazon and other online retailers. https://www.amazon.com/
Monday, April 13, 2020
Welcome Robert Herold to our garden interviews
Hello Robert
lets chat about you and your books
now for a bit of fun
I landed a job in college delivering
pizzas in a pickup truck, when I hardly knew how to drive! I had managed to get
a driver’s license two years earlier, but hardly drove in the meantime. Driving
around an unfamiliar city delivering pizzas, often in the rain or fog, made me
a hazard. (I did bump into a few things—a parked car in a narrow alley, and a
bush—fortunately no people.) The worst was when I was relying on a map to get
to a house on a foggy night. I turned right as the map indicated and ended up
in someone’s soggy front lawn. (The road didn’t exist.)
Where can we find out more?
lets chat about you and your books
Do you plot
or let the story unfold as you write?
I tried plotting everything once,
and I found I was not having as much fun in the act of writing. Now I only plot
minimally. I always come up with an ending first, to provide direction, then
have at it. Later, as I realize I’m juggling too many ideas in my head, I jot
them down, but only as beats along the way. The details I save for the moment.
Are your
characters based on real people?
Yes and no. I have actual people in
my supernatural series, notably William James , the father of psychology in
America & brother of the famous writer William James (author of Turn of the
Screw). William James heads the team of ghost hunters followed in The Eidola
Project novels. He was actually a paranormal investigator and wanted to apply
the scientific method to a search for the afterlife.
What's your
favorite book you've written?
So far it’s the second book in the
series, which involves a werewolf, titled Moonlight Becomes You (I’m
hoping to have it out before Halloween of this year). I’ve always been
interested in werewolves and wanted to be one as a boy!
How did you
do in English as a kid?
It was a mixed bag. I always
struggled with spelling (hey, I hear that F. Scott Fitzgerald did too!) so I
was always dreading spelling bees and would only advance due to attrition at
the top. When I finally got an English teacher in junior high who loved my
creativity I was in heaven. (In fact, the idea for The Eidola Project
began as a story I wrote for that teacher!) I was always a voracious reader.
When did you
decide to become an author?
I flirted with it earlier in life,
but set it aside in favor of music, raising a family, and my career as a middle
school history teacher. Once the kids were grown, I realized how much I wanted
to put writing back into my live. I decided to pursue becoming an author about
seven years ago. I first began writing pilot scripts for television and did
well in several contests. I had lots of script requests from agents and
producers, but didn’t get much further. A former television writer and
showrunner suggested writing a novel as a way of breaking in. As it turns out,
I love writing novels. I’m having a ball!
now for a bit of fun
What's the
most blatant lie you've ever told?
I landed a job in college delivering
pizzas in a pickup truck, when I hardly knew how to drive! I had managed to get
a driver’s license two years earlier, but hardly drove in the meantime. Driving
around an unfamiliar city delivering pizzas, often in the rain or fog, made me
a hazard. (I did bump into a few things—a parked car in a narrow alley, and a
bush—fortunately no people.) The worst was when I was relying on a map to get
to a house on a foggy night. I turned right as the map indicated and ended up
in someone’s soggy front lawn. (The road didn’t exist.)
Who do you
see as a hero/heroine in your life?
Especially in this time of the
coronavirus, my wife, who runs a homeless women’s day program in Seattle and is
exposed to many people daily. Likewise, healthcare workers and the local
checkers at the grocery. Heroes all.
What did you
want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a werewolf. As I
mentioned in my bio, when it snowed, I would walk halfway out onto neighbors’
lawns and then make paw prints with my fingers as far out as I could stretch. I
would then work my way backwards out to the street and fetch the neighborhood
kids, trying to convince them someone had turned into a werewolf right here on
this lawn. Most were skeptical.
Alas, I never became a werewolf, but
came as close as possible by growing a beard as an adult.
Do you have
a favorite quote?
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s
best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” Groucho Marx
If you came
with a warning label, what would it say?
WARNING: Incurable punster.
Do you have
any hobbies?
I play saxophone and flute in a
local blues group. I collect albums, especially jazz or those with wacky covers
(e.g., Snack Attack by Godley & Creme). I also collect books, toys
and cultural oddities.
Where can we find out more?
Website: https://robertheroldauthor.com/
Twitter: https://robertheroldauthor.com/
Download The Eidola Project on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Eidola-Project-Novel-ebook/dp/B07YRB4F99
and other online retailers
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