Welcome, Jane Richardson

1: Thank you so much for being here, Jane Richardson.

First up is the obligatory question. When did you first begin writing?

-I couldn’t tell you exactly when; I suppose I’ve always written in some shape or form since childhood. I know there was a long hiatus during my teenage years – probably because I was far too busy pursuing various other teenage pursuits, ahem! – and then in my twenties I spent a lot of time writing video scripts and learning materials for a management training organization, so my writing went in another direction entirely.  Work rather took over for a number of years, so it wasn’t until after I’d stopped working and had both my children that I turned to writing again.

2: What inspired you to write?

-I suppose like many writers, it’s just the feeling you have with a story forming in your head that won’t let you go until you begin to write it down.  From then on, it’s the way the story forms and shapes itself from there that keeps me at it. I don’t know where those stories come from – it can be a chance overheard remark that sets an idea off, or being curious about what the story might have been if something I’ve read about turned out very differently. Personal experience plays a large part, too – the way a character feels or the choices they make will often be based on something that happened to me or someone close to me in the past.

3: What do you like the most and least about writing?

-I bet most writers will say that the best thing is when you’re really ‘in the zone’ – the story is coming together perfectly and the characters are somehow writing their story for you, right down to the words they want you to use.  That’s the best feeling ever! What I like least are those times when I’m so busy with so many other things but the story is still tapping away inside my head, and all I can do is grab moments here and there to make notes – then when I do sit down to write, nothing comes out!  That’s such a pain!  All you can do is just work through it, I suppose.

4: What do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?

-Well, I’m a bit obsessed with food!  I love to cook, and if I’m not cooking food, I’m reading about it and planning dishes.  I had my Christmas menu all planned out in September...!  Maybe I should add that I did it with my family’s help, the children in particular – they love to learn about food and to try new things. They like to contribute their own ideas for special dinners, and as they grow up, they’re learning to cook things themselves. We always try to keep Sundays free as a family day, perhaps walk the dog together in the morning on the beach or one of the beautiful country parks here where I live on the Sussex coast, then a huge home-cooked lunch followed by maybe some games or a movie later.  If we have friends over too, then that’s so much the better. That’s what really relaxes me and keeps me grounded.

5: Which authors do you like to read?

-My favourites change all the time, but I’m a big fan of crime writer Michael Connelly.  I love his direct, to-the-point style, and he never wastes a single word. Another big favourite with me right now is the UK writer Maggie O’Farrell.  She writes so beautifully, the sort of thing when you read it, you recognize the feelings or the emotions instantly.  She touches something very raw in people.  I’m re-reading her novel ‘The Distance Between Us’ right now, and I defy anyone to get through the final chapter without weeping, first tears of frustration and then ultimately, joy.  She’s amazing.  I’m also very fond of another UK writer, Nicci Gerrard, for similar reasons. I love books written by women that other women can really relate to.

6: What’s the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

-Ok, I’m just getting over the flu, so hugs and hot drinks are much appreciated!

7: Tell me about your current novel, where I can find it and your website/blog.

-At the moment I have just one release with MuseItUp Publications, which is a short contemporary story called Edinburgh Fog. It’s about Greg Morton, who’s achieved his dream of running the best bar-bistro in the city – a place called Tellers’ - but at a massive cost to his private life.  When the woman he’s never forgotten, Julia Brady, walks into Tellers’ out of the blue, all the feelings Greg had suppressed for so long come flooding back – but it seems like someone else is interested in Julia, and Greg will have to work fast if he’s to stand any chance of getting her back. 

The story is available from MuseItUp here

http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=193&category_id=18&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

I’m re-doing my website right now, but in the meantime people can catch up with me at my blog, Home IS Where The Heart Is http://janerichardsonhome.blogspot.com/  or find me on Twitter, where I’m @Gimmeahugyou.

8: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

-Just write.  Don’t be afraid of the first draft, but just write, even if what you’re writing isn’t good – first drafts aren’t meant to be good.  Once you’ve got the first draft done, then you can REALLY begin writing after that!

9: Do you base your characters on real-life people?

-No. There might be a touch of a real person or a few people in the very early thought process, but truthfully, once they begin to be set down on the page they become their own person entirely.  Half the fun in writing is in inventing new people, I think.

11: What are you currently working on?

-A novel set in two time-frames, present day and in WWII. I’m hoping I can make it work! In addition, MuseItUp will be re-publishing a previously published book of mine next year, a contemporary novel called A Different Kind of Honesty, which I’m thrilled to bits about.

12. Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

-How about I make you a promise?  I’d love to have a perfect writing hideaway, something like one of those classic Airstream caravans that’s mine all mine, with a writing table, a comfy daybed, a cooker and all the mod cons, but I think the most I’ll ever manage will be a shed of sorts od the end of the garden – but I promise that when I have it, you can all come by for tea and cakes!

Don’t forget to add an excerpt. You can add an unedited excerpt but make sure to say it’s unedited.

This is an excerpt from Edinburgh Fog:

‘After they’d cleared out, Tellers’ was at last blessed with a couple of hours’ peace. The staff

heaved a collective sigh and set to preparing the place for the Friday evening crowd. Nothing

eventful happened except Chrissie tripping over Ben as he knelt behind the bar to re-stack the

mixers shelf and tipping half a bottle of vermouth and a bowl of stuffed olives down the back of

his neck. Ben took it in good part, commenting that while he smelled like a martini, he was only

stirred and not at all shaken. Leaving them to clean up as he sliced lemons and limes for the bar,

Greg mused on whether the olive incident counted as Thing Number Three, and was on the point

of convincing himself that definitely, absolutely nothing else could possibly go wrong for the

rest of the day, when she walked in.

Julia.

Greg froze, hypnotized by the reflection shimmering in the long mirror behind the bar. It

disappeared briefly, moving out of his line of vision and he stepped sideways, following the

mirror along the wall, seeking her out if only to convince himself that it couldn’t possibly be her

—that Julia hadn’t just walked back into his life four years after he’d walked out of hers.’

Welcome, Collin Kelley

Thank you so much for being here, Collin Kelley

1: What genre do you write?

I write poetry and fiction. My two novels, Conquering Venus and the recently released Remain In Light, are both mystery and suspense – with a poetic twist, of course.

2: How long have you been writing?

I started writing when I was a child. My parents taught me to read and write very early. I always read far above my grade level. I got into poetry in high school, dabbled in fiction, but poetry came first. My first novel was Conquering Venus and I started writing it in the late ‘90s but it wasn’t published until 2009.

3: What do you like the most and least about writing?

I wish I could hire a publicity team to do all the marketing, because it seriously eats into my writing time, but that’s the way of the writing world these days. You have to wear several hats to be an author now. The process of creating, honing and editing – sitting in front of the computer and watching the story progress – has always been my favorite part of writing.

4: What do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?

I’m a voracious reader, so when I’m not writing I’m reading. I also love to travel and watch movies, both of which inspire my writing. Some nights I just vegetate on the couch and listen to music.

5: Which authors do you like to read?

I have so many favorites – Margaret Atwood, Jeanette Winterson, Don DeLillo, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, John Irving, Anne Sexton, Walt Whitman, Raymond Carver, Ray Bradbury. I could go on and on.

6: What’s the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

When it comes to writing, I’m a rule breaker. While my novels are mysteries, there’s also healthy doses of magical realism, poetry, and paranormal thrown into the mix. I don’t like to be boxed in by genres.

7: Tell me about your current novel, where I can find it?

Remain In Light is about a Parisian widow, Irène Laureux, whose husband was murdered during the student and worker riots in 1968. She’s been looking for his killer for 30 years and finally catches up with him with the help of American expat writer, Martin Paige. But finding the killer reveals a much larger conspiracy. There’s crooked cops, detectives with questionable motives and stolen identities. The ebook version came out in October from Vanilla Heart Publishing and is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. The print version will be out in January.

8: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Explore all your options. The need for an agent and big-name publisher has gone the way of the dinosaur. Embrace indie presses, self-publishing and get involved with social media to promote your work directly to readers. Many writers don’t want to deal with Facebook, Twitter and blogs, but they are vital to success as a writer.

9: Do you base your characters on real-life people?

Yes, but they are usually composites of several people I know. I usually warn my friends before a book comes out that I’ve barrowed some trait or catchphrase. Everyone’s been flattered – so far.

10: How did you come up with the idea for this book?

The Venus Trilogy was inspired by a trip I took to London and Paris in 1995. It was an amazing experience and I got to meet some very interesting people and immerse myself in the cultures. Paris is usually portrayed as a city of love and romance, but it has a dark underbelly that most tourists never see. I wanted to look beyond the guidebooks and explore the Paris that is just beneath the surface of the postcards. As the character Irène Laureux says, “This city is not always full of light.”

11: What are you currently working on?

I’ve finished a new poetry collection and I’m doing research for a memoir about all my travels in London and the UK. Then I’ll turn my attention to the third book in The Venus Trilogy.

12. Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

I’m a sci-fi geek. I love Doctor Who, Star Wars, X-Files, Fringe and anything that has an alternate reality spin to it. One day, I’m going to write a big sci-fi epic.

13. Where can we find you? Website? Blog?

You can find me at www.collinkelley.com

on Facebook at facebook.com/collinkelleywriter 

Twitter (@CollinKelley. 

I also encourage readers and authors to join Goodreads. It’s a great place to interact and find new things to read.

You can read the first four chapters of Remain in Light for free (no sign up or anything like that required) to get a taste of the novel at: 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/56800699/Remain-in-Light-Sample-Chapters

Welcome, Adriana Ryan

1: First off, I know you have several names you write under. Why do you feel the need to use a pseudonym and how do you come up with the names?

Hey Roseanne! Thank you for having me. J It’s great to be doing my first official interview!

As far as pseudonyms go, I have two. I originally started writing under my real name: Sandhya Falls. I published a few short stories in anthologies, and they were all speculative and/or dark fiction.

I also write under Sandhya Menon, which is used for my multicultural children’s books. I haven’t published anything under that one yet, but there’s a ton underway!

When I wrote my contemporary paranormal romance for MuseItUp, I wanted to make sure my work wouldn’t clash with what I already had published. I didn’t want to confuse readers, or make it hard for them to choose what kind of fiction they wanted to read. Hence, Adriana Ryan was born.

2: How long have you been writing and what was your first book and series?

I have been writing since I was a little girl. I used to scribble bits of poems and prose on the walls and cabinets, and even my clothes and shoes! Finally, my parents got me my own notebooks and I filled those up as fast as I could.

Now, my Netbook is my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without it! However, Her Heart’s Desire (working title) will be my first novella. I’m so excited!

3: What do you like the most and least about writing?

Ooh, a really interesting question! There’s almost a love-hate relationship between most authors and the writing process, isn’t there? The act of writing itself is like a drug – addictive and intense – but then there are certain parts that make you want to tear your hair out.

Let’s see, my favorite part is when I type The End. Really! It’s not because it’s a project completed (although that’s nice, too!), it’s because I feel like I’ve had so much fun in this happy – or sad, or mysterious, etc. – world I’ve created. It’s a full, satisfying feeling, almost like when you’ve just had a baby. J

The worst part, I think, is editing! That first round of going through and ripping out parts you’ve written, rewriting things until the words start to swim, and wondering why you ever thought you were worthy of being a writer – ughhhh. ‘Editing’ is a four letter word to me.

4: What do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?

I LOVE to read. I’m a fanatic about books. I can’t stand having a single day without something new to read – the minute I finish a book, I have a new one waiting in the wings. I’m a total word nerd.

I’m an amateur painter as well, with an emphasis on the word ‘amateur.’ I absolutely love anything to do with color. I paint abstract realism most of the time, but most recently just finished my fully abstract piece and loved the experience.

5: You mentioned that you started off writing dark fiction. When and how did you begin to write contemporary paranormal romance?

Her Heart’s Desire is actually my very first romance, believe it or not. I was so lucky that MuseItUp picked it up! I wasn’t even sure there would be a market for a story like it; I just knew I wanted to write it. As you probably know, Roseanne, there are some characters who just won’t shut up until you tell their story! J

6: What’s the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

I’m really bad at talking about myself, so it would probably be that I’m not “just” a stay-at-home mom (although that in and of itself is a huge undertaking!). I have other personas: writer, for one, and student, for another. I think that when people find out you stay home with your kids, they sort of stop looking past that to see if there’s anything else. I’m lucky to have a proud husband who brags to anyone who’ll listen that I’m a writer and soon-to-be psychologist!

7: Tell us about your current novel, Her Heart’s Desire. How did you come up with the idea and where can we find it?

Her Heart’s Desire will be out through MuseItUp Publishing (www.museituppublishing.com) in March 2012 (stay tuned for a concrete date as time gets closer!).

I remember the idea came to me like a bolt of lightning. It was so different than anything I’d ever written that I knew I had to get it down. My first scribbles had allusions to an “imperfect heroine” and a “magic necklace” but the story hadn’t formed much beyond that until I started writing.

8: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Don’t worry about what others will think of your story. Just write the story you want to tell, write your heart out, write every day. Follow your instincts. And before you submit, have a few really smart people critique your work.

9: Do you base your characters on real-life people?

My major characters are almost always a vivid fusion of different people, and even different traits of people. For Millie, I drew upon my sister, myself, a secretary with whom I once worked, and my incredibly beautiful aunt. But ssh – don’t tell them!

10: Are you finished with Millie Fields, or does she still have any stories left to tell?

I’m not sure if Millie will come back in future books. As of this time, I haven’t written any more stories with her – her story feels told and done. However, I absolutely loved the fun, flirty feel of the book as well as the fact that it had a truer, deeper meaning in it as well. That’s something I hope to carry over into my future books.

11: Can you tell us about your next book in the works?

Sure! I always have about a zillion projects going at any time, so I’m happy to oblige. ;) My next novella, Dusk, is actually a light paranormal horror (absolutely no gore), with a touch of romance to it. I’m still editing it (ah, the lovely phase of rewrites – not!) and eventually I hope it’ll make it past the slush piles like Her Heart’s Desire did!

12. Are you a plotter or punster?

I am most definitely a plotter. My ideas come in a flurry, but I have to get that butterfly net out and snag them down to where I can pin them, or they’re lost. I like to have a visual map before me, either in the form of an Excel spreadsheet or a column of flash cards.

13. Where can we find you? Website? Blog?

My blog is http://adrianaryan.wordpress.com. I blog regularly about the writing process for a new (to the publishing world) author like me, but I also interview and feature a dazzlingly talented array of other authors. 

Blurb: Her Heart’s Desire is about Millie Fields, whose unfortunate life is of Greek-tragedy proportions and couldn’t possibly get any worse… or so she thought. But one humiliating encounter with her heartthrob of a boss (aka Gorgeous Grant) finds her in the rain, desperate for a chance to be someone who matters. A mysterious woman slips her a necklace that gives her exactly what she’s wanted for years. Will she be able to juggle her two identities and end up with the one man of her dreams?

Unedited Excerpt:

Millie knew she had to get out of there. Between the rain and her frizzy hair, the impossibility of getting promoted, and seeing her Graham fall so easily for Alice’s trilling laugh, she’d had enough. She was halfway to the door when the heel on her shoe snapped, twisting her ankle and landing her flat on her face – at Graham’s feet. For a moment, time stopped. She staggered up on her knees and stared up at Graham’s confused face. The silence around the office was deafening.

Alice was the first one to register what had happened. She started laughing so hard, she snorted several times in a row. The paralysis that had gripped the office broke, and people everywhere started joining in, chuckling and calling out, “Timber!”

Please don’t laugh at me. Millie tried to telegraph her entreaty to Graham. She was still on her knees; she just couldn’t bring herself to move. Please don’t laugh, not you.

But of course he laughed. With one look at Alice’s contorted face, Graham burst into guffaws.

Millie pulled herself up and took her shoes off in silence. She heard Alice drawl, “I don’t think you’re a heels kind of girl, Millie,” and there was a fresh wave of laughter around the office.

Millie looked around at everyone’s faces, distorted with mirth, eyeing her as though she might do something else for their entertainment. They all thought she was a big fool, didn’t they? She was an untalented, fat, unfashionable slob. She felt tears rush to her eyes and blinked them back furiously. She wouldn’t let them see her cry. She couldn’t give them the satisfaction.

Without a word, she ran out of the office and down the hallway. Flinging the door to the fire escape open, she ran down the stairs in her bare feet, and out into the warm pouring rain. She hurried away from the building, keeping her head down as people with umbrellas rushed past, darting her curious glances. Her hair was plastered to her skull, strands of it were in her eyes, and her tears mingled with the rain. She only half-registered the sobs that escaped from some place deep within her chest; her shoulders hitched with the effort of containing them. Finally, she got to a bench and sat down, her sopping clothes clinging to her. She glanced down at her shirt and realized with a lurch of horror that it was white. Her ratty black bra was clearly visible. Fresh sobs racked her frame; she was so out of it that it took her a few moments to notice that someone’s hand was on her back.

She looked up to see a weathered old face staring at her in concern.

“My dear, what is the matter?” The woman sitting next to her was dressed in tattered clothing and had a shopping cart full of clothes and knick knacks parked nearby. Her voice lilted with an accent that Millie couldn’t place.

“It would take less time to tell you what isn’t the matter.” Millie stared at the cracks in the sidewalk. She tried to gain control of her wobbling voice, but failed miserably.

“You mustn’t despair,” the old woman said. “You have a good heart. I see it.”

“Yeah well, a good heart doesn’t really help you get the man of your dreams, you know? It doesn’t help you be something other than a laughingstock for your whole office. It doesn’t help you get ahead in a career that’s completely dead-ended. It doesn’t help you feel like anything except a 28-year-old failure.” Millie put her hands over her face, giving in to her burning humiliation and sorrow.

 She looked up when she felt something being slipped around her neck. “What –“

“This is for you.” The woman gestured at Millie’s chest.

Millie looked down and saw a glass pendant shaped like a small bottle hanging on a black leather cord. The pendant was no bigger than an inch, and intricately carved. “It’s beautiful,” Millie said, fingering it. “But I don’t have any money… I left my purse back at the office –“

The woman held up a wrinkled old hand as the rain pelted down on them. “I do not want your money. This is for your pained heart.” Before Millie could protest, the woman placed her palm over the pendant. She closed her eyes and half-sang, half-chanted, “Mashaha la. Mashaha la.”

Millie watched in disbelief as a purple glow lit up the crevices of the woman’s hand and light spilled from the spaces between her fingers. She could feel the pendant getting warm, warmer, almost hot. Then, in a sudden mini-implosion, the light and the heat receded.

Millie squinted at the homeless woman in the rain, unable to speak. What had just happened?

“This is the Night’s Hope necklace. By day you will be Millie, by night you will be transformed into your heart’s desire.” She flashed a crooked little smile at Millie. “Enjoy.”

Millie gazed down at the necklace, trying to remember if she had told the old woman her name. “This is amazing,” she said, stroking the pendant. “How did you make it light up?” When there was silence, she looked up to see that the seat next to her was empty. Her only company was the thundering rain and gusting wind.

Happy Halloween and Happy Anniversary

We come to the end of our celebration. Although at MuseItUp Publishing, we celebrate every day. We celebrate our publisher - our editors - our cover artists. But mostly, we celebrate our family. Yes, Muse has become a family.
I've made many new friends here at Muse and I'm lucky enough to have met several. I was privileged to mee Rebecca Ryalls Russell, Marsha Moore, and Barbara Bockman t in Florida while on a trip to visit my father in law. As if that wasn't enough, I had the pleasure of meeting Ginger Simpson on the way home.
But I've made many other friends besides the ones I've met in person.
I knew Lea a long time ago when I presented a class in one of her earlier conferences. She was also my editor for a time at another publisher.  Lin and Kat Holmes, I met while at another publisher also. In fact they were the ones who told me Lea started her own publishing house. I couldn't wait to submit.
Of course I feel like everyone in the chat room is part of my family. But a few I've gotten to know on a more personal level, like Ginger, Gail, and Tanja.
Everyone here at Muse has been very supportive and if someone needs something - prayers- encouragement - or just a pat on the back, Muse authors are here for each other.
So Congratulations, Muse on your first year and hoping for many more to come.
I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween.

Hello, Judy Winn

Thank you so much for being here, Judy Winn.

1: What genre do you write?

Right now … Romantic Mysteries.  Those stories where there is a real mystery to be solved, a murder or a theft, but there is a love story that is important.

I write in other areas, children’s, non-fiction, mainstream, even Confession Magazines.

2: Ah my favorite genre. So tell us, how long have you been writing?

Gosh.  The first story I remember writing was when I was 10.  I still remember how my young heroine hid a jewel in a squeeze toy to outfox the villain. I thought that was pretty clever. 

But you know I didn’t really like English when I was little, in grade school.  It seemed a real chore, but I didn’t want to make a bad grade. 

I did a little self hypnosis, I guess you might call it, and told myself “English is my favorite subject”, “English is my favorite subject” until I began to convince myself. It must have worked because I love English, love words, love reading and love writing.

3: English was my favorite subject also. What do you like the most and least about writing?

Plot is hard for me. I think in terms of character, but sometimes I can’t make “my people” get into enough trouble.

What I like most is when I get so involved in writing something that time just doesn’t exist. You know when you get so lost in what you are doing that you think an hour has gone by and then you realize the whole darn afternoon has flown by?  Sort of a meditation, I think.

4: Gosh, that’s what I love most also. Maybe it’s living in another world. And, what do you do for fun and relaxation when not writing?

Well, I love to read.  I’ll read the backs of cereal boxes at the breakfast table if the morning newspaper is late.

And I like to sew, although I don’t do as much of that as I used to do. Crossword puzzles, sudoko, walks on the beach or the woods, yoga, and sometimes cooking is fun. (I like to read the cookbooks more than make the recipes though, if you want to know the truth.)

5: LOL. So which authors do you like to read?

Oh my.  Well, I really enjoyed your book “Double the Trouble” recently. 

J.A. Jance is my favorite, and Janet Evanovich.  She makes me laugh right out loud.  “The Ladies No.1 Detective Agency” author, Alexander McCall Smith? Those stories set in Botswana are adorable.

Remember Carolyn Keene? I know “she” was more than one writer, but I still think I’d enjoy a Nancy Drew mystery.  When I was around eleven or so, those books were my lifeline.  I’d go to the library and pile them into my bicycle basket, pedal home, and disappear into a world of roadsters, little boats, and a sleuth who could take me away with her.

I like to go into the library and pick up a book by an author I never heard of. Exploring books that way introduces me to lots of new folks.

6: Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed my book. Wow, I think The Nancy Drew Books are part of the reason I write. I loved  them, too. Tell us, what’s the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

I’m nice?  Well, at least most of the time.

I have traveled a lot, been married for nearly 53 years…to the same good man, started to college 10 years after HS and my children helped me pass French by drilling me on vocabulary from my textbooks so I could graduate.

I am a pilot, earning my private, instrument and commercial ratings, but I don’t do that anymore.

But that is more than one thing…just one thing? Ok.

I’m nice.  Most of the time. 

7: Multi-talented. My goodness you sound like you had a busy life. I wonder how you find time to write. Tell us about your current novel, where I can find it?

“The Silver Seahorse” is a story about a courageous young woman who has her future planned, when everything she trusts and loves is suddenly gone.  Danger and betrayal surround her when she investigates family secrets. She has to solve some dangerous problems and hopefully learn to love and trust again.

MuseItUp Publishing has a release date projected for August 2012.

8: Sounds like a great story. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Don’t give up.  Keep writing and keep sending your work out. And read everything you can get your hands on.

9: Great advice. Now a question I get asked often. Do you base your characters on real-life people?

No, they just seem to pop up full blown in my head. I have to name them and then they just materialize. Once they have a name, I can sort of see them.

10: Mind do the same thing. I sometimes wonder where they come from. How did you come up with the idea for this book?

I think the idea of things not being exactly as you have assumed is interesting. My main character Nessie Polite is raised by her mother, and my mother and I lived alone for a number of years, so I can understand the ties being so strong. Nessie’s situation is not mine, but I guess some of my emotions tumble into her.

11: I think of little of us slips into all our characters. What are you currently working on?

I so liked the setting of Beulah Beach in “The Silver Seahorse”, I have an idea for something else happening there.  Not a sequel really, but using the area there and a minor character or two.

12. Sounds great.Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

“The Silver Seahorse” is my first novel to be published and I am so excited to be working with MuseItUp

13.I hope we see a lot more from you. Where can we find you? Website? Blog?

Well.  I’m working on that.  Any suggestions?  Maybe I should get a face book page too.

Definitely get a blog and yes, go on Face book. Readers need a way to find you.

Unedited Excerpt:

The funeral director opened the clasp of the silver necklace, the only jewelry Kaylynn consistently wore, discretely slipped it off the narrow throat and held it out. Nessie felt her Grandmother come up beside her just as she reached for it.

“Bury the damn thing with her,” she hissed. “Nothing but bad luck since she got it. Get rid of it.”

Nessie felt a familiar tremor race down her back with the icy words. Why did Gran always make everything worse? How did she ever give birth to a woman as good, as wonderful, as caring as her mother? Tears burned her eyes but she would not answer her. Instead, even though her fingers were too shaky to make it easy, she deliberately fastened the delicate silver chain with the little seahorse pendant around her own neck.

I’ll take care of it for you, she promised. She stroked her mother’s fingertips for one last touch before taking her seat.

Anne Marie, her mother’s business partner and closest friend, slipped into one of the posh upholstered chairs with mahogany arms beside her at the front of the chapel. She wrapped an arm briefly around her shoulders. “Hang in there, Sugar,” she whispered. She gave her a quick hug, released her, but stayed beside her. Gran settled on the other side of Nessie, still bristled from the exchange by the casket.

Hello, Elle Druskin

Thank you so much for being here, Elle Druskin

1: What genre do you write?

That’s a simple question with a complicated answer.  I wrote my first book, To Catch A Cop, more or less to figure out how to write a novel.  I had a lot of experience in academic writing which undoubtedly helped and I’ll explain why a bit later.  I had a story in my head that wouldn’t go away.  It was always there so I thought maybe if I tried to write the thing, the vivid images and sounds would stop. (Yeah, I know, if you tell certain people about this, you might end up medicated.)

Anyway, I wrote the book like I said, to figure out HOW, presuming nobody would see it but me, so I didn’t worry about genre or word count.  I was more concerned with having a story and plot that hung together, tight pace, realistic characters who spoke believable dialogue, and since nobody was going to see it, well, it didn’t matter what genre I wrote.  When I finally got up the nerve to show it to a few people who would be critical readers (published authors or editors) the first told me it was a rather unorthodox romance, the second said it was “cute mystery and better than others I have read recently.”  Well, that made me sit up.  I KNEW the story had mystery elements, but I didn’t consider them strong.  The third told me he felt the story had some elements of a thriller.  All three said they laughed (that was good, they were meant to laugh at some points), found the story entertaining, and in their opinions, the book should be published.  By then, I had no idea what I had written.  What mattered to me was they all thought it was professionally crafted, a great story and completely engaging.  I figured I should let readers figure out what genre it is.  Interestingly, the reviews have all been mystery first, romance second.  To Catch A Cop was nominated as Best Romantic Comedy of 2010 by The Romance Reviewers.  Go figure.

Since then, I have written contemporary romance and mystery/suspense. 

Going To The Dogs, which is due out with MuseItUp in February 2012, is a contemporary romance about a dog-hating cop on the trail of his partner’s killer.  His new partner is a junk food addicted, country music loving poodle who drives the guy crazy.  Enter chief suspect Jodie McBride, dog trainer par excellance, who’s smart about dogs but not so smart with men.  Mix in some eccentric dogs and their equally eccentric owners and pretty soon everybody is Going To The Dogs.  I am a dog owner, always have been, been to a lot of dog shows and know a lot of “doggie” people so I guess this book was based on some of those experiences.  I had a wonderful time writing it.

2: How long have you been writing?

Probably always.  I come from a family of great storytellers and any book has to start with a great story.  I always enjoyed writing; in high school I worked on school publications and learned a great deal about writing from a wonderful teacher during those years thanks to those experiences.  This was informal learning, not in a classroom, but she had been an award winning journalist and taught us all many technical skills.  In my job as an academic, I continually have to produce scholarly papers, books chapters, etc. and I review submissions for a number of scholarly journals.  It’s a different form of writing but basically a similar process to fiction in the sense that you need the feedback to strengthen the work.  I have published quite a bit in the academic world and I do consider that writing so it’s been many years.

3: What do you like the most and least about writing?

The best part is getting that story out of my head while battling to find the words that express exactly what I am seeing and hearing so readers see and hear exactly what I do.  The worst part is the same; it’s a struggle and challenge.  If this process was easy I guess everyone would do it.

4: What do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?

I take ballroom dancing classes a few times a week.  I don’t think I am particularly good, but I enjoy them.  It’s great exercise, something I always wanted to learn and during the lessons you have to empty your mind of any other things that are distracting you.  You have to pay attention, so I think it’s good for tension release too.  I also think it helps you learn about movement, posture, working with a partner—you can’t do this alone -- and trust, because you have to trust your dance partner to give the right signals and your partner has to trust you to read them correctly.

I’ve also been trying to learn to surf. (Not the web ).  It’s also always been an ambition and it’s not easy but I keep getting out there and trying.  The first time, I dinged myself with my own board, the second, I was stung by a killer bee and ended up on Prednisone due to a very swollen arm. Last time, my board leash caught the guy who teaches me and I dragged him behind me as I took off with the wave.  No serious damage done and he was quite philosophical, said he figured it was his turn to have something happen.  I will get this, it’s a question of perseverance.  And one of the things I found really inspiring has been a correspondence with THE REAL GIDGET, the woman that the books were based on.  She is 70 (!), still out there and told me, “Don’t forget the Gidget can do spirit. You can do anything.”  That’s great advice for anyone in lots of circumstances.

5: Which authors do you like to read?

How much time have you got?  I love so many writers, the list is endless.  A real favorite is Diana Gabaldon who writes with such skill and elegance.  She is also very accessible to her fans and encouraging to other writers.  I also love the Amy Tan, Herman Wouk, R. F. Delderfield, David Grossman, Sara Donati, Sharon Penman, M. C. Beaton, Jennifer Crusie, Peter Mayle, Matt Benyon Rees, Kathy Reichs, Janet Evanovich, and authors of many classics such as Jane Austen, L. M. Montgomery, William Faulker, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, etc.   More recent first novels that I loved were Kathryn Stockett’s The Help and Andrew Davidson’s The Gargoyle.

I read in several languages, although much faster in English and I do enjoy discovering interesting writers that are not published in English.

In non-fiction, I especially enjoy Thomas Friedman, Martin Gilbert, Dee Brown, Bruce Catton, Shelby Foote (who also wrote fiction, but his mammoth work on The Civil War is sheer brilliance).  Look, I’m a reader; I read voraciously in almost any genre and I think that is absolutely critical for any writer.  Reading teaches all of us so much—what hooked you?  Why are you engaged with the story?  Why was that word chosen?  There is nothing like the sheer pleasure and enjoyment of sitting down with a good book.

6: What’s the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

7: Tell me about your current novel with Muse, where I can find it? Going To The Dogs scheduled for February release. 

Animal Crackers for May

The Life of the Party for August

Hanky Panky for December

8: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

I don’t know if I am qualified to give advice but since you’re asking, some general rules are READ and keep reading.  Like I said, reading teaches us so many things.  I assume anyone who wants to write started out as someone who loves to read so why would you stop?  Fatal mistake.  Read anything and everything, not only the genre that you aspire to write.

Research carefully when necessary.  Here is where I think having an academic background was useful for me.  Basically, a doctoral degree involves researching something that has not been done before or approaching it from a new angle, researching thoroughly and then writing it up.  I kind of call the dissertation a book that a handful of people (the supervisor and examiners) will read.  There are some people who have managed to turn their dissertations into best-selling books but that is pretty rare and I wouldn’t count on it. But, the process taught me the skills and rigors of research and how to conduct it. Sorry, but surfing the web is NOT research.  It might be a starting point, but I cannot emphasize enough the importance of relying on sound library skills and preferably a library that has access to many sorts of materials, ideally, a college library.  Again, I have been fortunate because my dissertation involved library research, archival research (which involves many other skills) and interviews.  All of those skills have been useful to me as a writer and I would encourage any writer to develop them.

9: Do you base your characters on real-life people?

Not usually but it has happened.  I don’t sit down and plot and outline.  I have a basic story in my head and I generally know how it is going to end but I am not always sure what might happen along the way.  I write as I see things unfold in my head.  I see and hear these scenes clearly and usually while writing that scene, another one starts to form.  Eventually, they will come together but might need some “gluing”—a transition scene or chapter to link them together.  In To Catch A Crook,(the book that follows To Catch A Cop) the London soap star is based on someone I knew; a wonderful woman who is charming, gracious and generous but yes, she stays up all night and performs.  Anyone and everyone becomes her captive audience, dropping with exhaustion while she is singing, dancing and acting non-stop.

10: How did you come up with the idea for Going To The Dogs?

I am a dog owner, always have been, been to a lot of dog shows and know a lot of “doggie” people so I guess this book was based on some of those experiences.  I had a wonderful time writing it.

See above.

11: What are you currently working on?

I’ve just finished work on a suspense/mystery novel.  I’m pretty happy with it but I have to say there were things in it that scared me.  I have no idea where it came from, if I have some deep, dark place in my brain.  I used several readers to check technical details in the story and give me general feedback. They all enjoyed it immensely but also said this was pretty scary—I thought I knew what was coming but I didn’t imagine the end.  No idea what I will do with this work yet, but I hope eventually it will be published.

I also have a contemporary romance series under contract with MuseItUp and all three books are due for release in 2012.  The first book is entitled Animal Crackers (yep, animals again ).  –Karma really has it in for Manhattan workaholic Hayley Weaver.  Fired, kicked out of her apartment and hit by a car driven by a clown all in one day.  She’s desperate and a temporary job house-sitting a movie star’s home sounds great.  Too bad nobody told Hayley that the house is in New Jersey, the place Hayley swore never to return to, and it’s full of more critters than the Beverly Hillbillies.  Local veterinarian Jake Marx is desperate to meet a woman he hasn’t known since kindergarten and with Jake on Hayley’s speed dial to corral the animals, pretty soon the whole town is in on the plot to convince Hayley that Jersey rocks and so does Jake.

The title, Animal Crackers, is indeed an allusion to all the animals in the story but also to Jake’s last name, Marx, and the lunacy of the Marx Brothers in all those wonderful, wacky classic comedy films.  Some pretty odd things happen in this fictional Jersey town that might seem eccentric or peculiar but make perfect sense to the residents of Liberty Heights. It’s great fun watching Hayley as the outsider slowly being sucked into all the crazy things that happen and slowly seeing them as “normal” too.

I am sure this book grew out of a Jersey childhood.  It might be just outside Manhattan, but Jersey people are well, different.  I had a ball creating this series and the fictional town of Liberty Heights where anything and everything does happen.  I hope readers will enjoy the books as much as I have enjoyed writing them.  One of the fun things about writing the series has been the opportunity to have a lot of secondary characters and being able to give them more prominence in the second and third books, tentatively entitled The Life of the Party and Hanky-Panky.  Sooo, the editing will be going on over the next few months and that is going to be keeping me pretty busy.

12. Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

Isn’t this enough?  It might be more than you wanted to know.

13. Where can we find you? Website? Blog?

You can find me on my website and blog at:

www.elledruskin.com

I am also a regular at Books and Writers Forum.  There are wonderful writers and readers there where anything and everything is discussed.

http://community.compuserve.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=start&webtag=ws-books

Excerpt (Unedited) Going To The Dogs

 Please be aware that this is unedited and could still change.
Going To The Dogs
Copyright: Elle Druskin 2011
Jodie shoved against a chest as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. George Clooney scowled down at her, dark eyes narrowed. The burglar had her pinned to the ground like a wrestler, and her panic soared. Why didn’t she lock the back door? She’d left it open in the morning confusion, and a criminal got inside. A thief. A rapist. Or worse.
Her body broke out in terrified shivers, and her fists came down on the burglar’s face like a ton of bricks but the guy didn’t budge. Heckel, the reluctant stud with impeccable bloodlines, slunk off to a corner stacked with dog beds and curled up in the deluxe model. In addition to the dog’s ignorance about mating, the worthless stud was also out of the loop when it came to being man’s best friend. In this case, woman’s, and protect her from intruders.
George Clooney rolled to one side, and a giant white poodle slurped his face, changed direction, and sniffed the female Puli that was in heat. The fluffy white tail beat like a bongo player gone wild.
“Hey, get that dog away from her! That female’s in season and I don’t get paid for cross-breed mutts.”
Jodie forgot her terror and to her relief, the intruder yanked the dog who snarled at him, baring sharp teeth. She got to her knees, crawled to the female Puli, and with one hand, shoved the female into a crate and snapped the latch. The poodle parked himself beside the crate, howling like a lovesick coyote.
Jodie arched her brows. The awful racket sounded like Home On The Range, but that was the least of the problems. She scanned the storeroom for a weapon before the intruder could grab her again. Any weapon.
Rawhide chews, dog shampoo, combs. Not a weapon in sight, not even a water pistol. Panic hit all time record highs as the stranger rose to his feet and towered over her. This wasn’t George Clooney, but the man was big and dangerous looking too, with a desperado stubbled chin and black eyes. If the guy wasn’t a criminal, he’d be  real eye candy. Jodie snatched a hairdryer and pointed it at the burglar’s chest. “Hands up! I’m calling the cops.”
The crook had the nerve to grin and relaxed in a casual pose, legs crossed at his ankles as he leaned against the back wall.
“Planning on giving me a blow job with that?”