Archive for the 'Interviews' Category
The Soft Side of Mary Alice Pritchard
March 22, 2007 | Interviews
ST: Welcome back everyone. Shall we get cracking, Mary Alice?
MAP: I’m ready when you are.
ST: Please describe your writing space.
MAP: I have an office. I’m lucky for someone who works a day job to have it. There is a small building next to my house that was an office before and I have the front room of it as my own personal space. My desk is nearly always covered in papers and I have lime green and yellow cork boards I use to keep track of ideas and character traits leaning all over it. I have some, um, inspirational calendars to gaze at when I need to and I have my book cases overflowing around me.
The muses have a cat tree in the corner that keeps them busy and I have bird feeders outside the windows that provide me and them entertainment. Mostly, it’s cluttered and looks disorganized, but I know where everything is. Oh, and then there are my posters… they are huge cat posters. 😉
ST: I love cats and sincerely miss my Smokey. Mar, what’s your favorite part of writing?
MAP: Starting the first chapter. I love finally getting to put down on paper what’s been ringing around my head for days and sometimes weeks waiting for me to have the time to get it out.
ST: What do you absolutely hate about being an author?
MAP: Waiting to find out if someone likes what I’ve written. If I didn’t have to work, besides write, it wouldn’t matter when I sent things out how long it took to hear back because I would always be writing. But, when you work outside of writing, it has taken so much to make the time to write that you feel like you need to know an answer soon so you can revise or change or re-work.
ST: Your website is gorgeous. I recommend everyone cruise over to check it out. How did you decide on the content and design?
MAP: Oh now that is so nice of you to say that! I’m a klutz with all that sort of thing and being a new writer, I can’t afford to hire it done yet so I had to work on it myself. That meant what I ended up with was what I could figure out how to do. I want something a little different eventually, but it’s fairly easy to navigate which is easier on readers so it works for me right now.
I have to give credit to a very good friend of mine and fellow author, Nita Wick for suffering through my many questions and naggings on setting it up. She was a patient teacher because I’m a nervous web site virgin.
ST: Our time is up, but I want to remind everyone to cruise over to Triskelion Publishing for a look at the new site. While you’re there click onto the New Releases page for an excerpt of SEE HOW THEY DIE.
See you all tomorrow and until then,
Happy Writing!
Sloane
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Author, Author, Tell Us More
March 21, 2007 | Interviews
ST: Good morning, Mary Alice, good to have you back. Several people emailed me to reshow I think they want to drool over your awesome hunk.
ST: All set to start?
MAP: Ready, so fire away.
ST: Are there any quirks you have or do before you write?
MAP: I’m not sure if I could write without at least one muse on the back of my chair, the arm of my chair or behind my back between me and the chair. You’d have to see me to understand. There’s always one of them around. I usually listen to music while I write. Mostly classic rock and metal, but occasionally something lighter, depends on my mood I guess.
ST: Where do you get the ideas for your novels?
MAP: They just flow. I don’t know where they come from other than a few have been dreams and a few others, results of life. Mostly, I see or hear something that captures my attention and I start thinking ‘what if?’ or ‘how did that happen?’
ST: How do you research your books?
MAP: Naturally I use the Internet for general research, going to official sites. It’s really great to belong to RWA and the different special chapters because they attract experts for classes, loop chats and workshops. I take quite a few workshops on subjects like police procedures and what life might be like for a sheriff. I also like to read up on the subject, or when I can, I find someone with experience and talk to them. Nothing like talking to someone about a subject they know and feel strongly about. You get the best information.
ST: Who is your support group?
MAP: My family is my greatest support but also my state RWA Chapter has helped me tremendously with improving my writing skills and learning about the publishing world.
ST: Thank you again, Mary Alice, for being here and so open. See you tomorrow.
MAP: I’m having a good time and it’s painless!
ST: Please remember, if you have any questions feel free to post them. Mary Alice will be happy to answer. See you in the morning and until then…
Happy Writing!
Sloane
The Write Side of Life
March 20, 2007 | Interviews
ST: Hi Mary Alice and welcome back.
MAP: My pleasure. What’s on the docket for today?
ST: What made you decide to be a writer?
MAP: I don’t think I actually decided to be a writer. I’ve written poems and short stories for as long as I can remember. I decided to submit my first manuscript after attending a Romantic Times Book Lover’s Convention in St Louis, MO. It was inspiring and I figured what the heck? I’d try it.
ST: I for one am glad you did. How long have you been writing?
MAP: Well, like I said, as long as I can remember. I started out just creating stories in my head for company and then I’d write them down. When I couldn’t find enough to read at the local library, I’d write my own adventures. I could be anyone or anything I wanted to when I wrote the ending.
ST: Do you find writing to be fulfilling? And in what way?
MAP: Yes, it keeps me sane. I use it to get out my frustrations and put my fears on paper so I can conquer them. The promise that I might be able to capture someone’s attention long enough they forget their own problems is my greatest dream right now. If I can do that, I’ll know I’m on the right track.
ST: What’s a normal day like for you?
MAP: Oh, you had to ask. I force myself out of bed and go to my day job at 8 each morning and then come home between 5 and 6 each afternoon and write until I have to go to bed. That’s about it. Boring, but I’d rather write than most anything I can think of other than reading or playing with the muses. I have to do the normal routine stuff like SOME housework and tend to the zoo here. (I have five cats and two dogs) But writing is a passion and a joy for me so I make it my priority.
ST: With your busy life how do you find time to write?
MAP: I write after work from about 6:30 until 10 or 11 at night. Sometimes I get distracted and look up and it’s nearly 2 in the morning so I have a really bad day the next day. 😉 Then, on weekends, I write off and on all day between chores, errands and spending time with my muses and my folks. I go to my local RWA Chapter meetings in Jackson, Mississippi once a month and that’s my longest dry spell not to write since it’s a 3.5 hour drive one way to go. But, the drive down the Trace has other advantages that help clear out the cobwebs and fill my head with new thoughts.
ST: I don’t think we can keep you chained to that chair any longer this morning, but I hope you come back tomorrow and tell us more about yourself.
MAP: I’ll be here!
ST: Thanks to all of you for coming by today. If you have any questions for Mary Alice, please feel free to post them. She’ll check back throughout the day and answer. Be sure to check out her website.
Happy Writing!
Sloane
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Inside Mary Alice Pritchard
March 19, 2007 | Interviews
ST: Hi, Mary Alice Pritchard, welcome and thank you for visiting with us this week.
MAP: Thank you for having me and being interested in my writing.
ST: Let’s show the world your beautiful cover for See How They Die.
ST: Tell us a about yourself.
MAP: Let’s see, what would people like to know about me? I’m a Mississippi girl, originally from the Delta but I’ve lived just about all over the state now. I’m also a nurse besides being a writer. I’m divorced with no children, but I have several feline muses to keep me in line. And, if they fail, there’s always Roxie, my Great Dane.
ST: Your current release, See How They Die, will be released in April. Please tell us about the book.
MAP: It’s a dark romantic suspense with paranormal elements in that the heroine is psychic and the hero has his own unique abilities. We all may wish our dreams would come true, but in Rhiannon’s case, they’re nightmares. They sweep her into the violent death of people she’s touched and become connected to during her life. They haunt her over and over until it’s too late for the victims.
Rhi’s spent last few years of her life trying to run from the dreams but she can’t hide anymore. Her latest dreams turn out to be someone close by and she can’t afford to ignore them this time. Not just because she’s tired of running, but because something’s different about them this time. It’s not just a random murder, it’s the work of a serial killer and she knows he’ll strike again. Determined to help the local sheriff stop him before he kills does, Rhi has to set aside her own fears, placing her trust and just maybe her life into the hands of another lost soul.
Sheriff Matt Brady of Izard County knows he needs help with this one and calls an old partner for help. Gavin’s unique abilities made him one of the army’s best specialists for over eight years. When his partner called it quits, Gavin mustered out as well. Now Matt needs his special brand of help to stop a serial killer. But how can a man seemingly beyond redemption offer a woman afraid of living a light to hold onto while she explores the sick mind of a killer? Can Rhi’s touch awaken the light within his soul and keep them both safe?
ST: How did you come up with the story line?
MAP: I’m really not sure. I sat down one day to write like I do but instead of my usual short stories I write for fun, Rhi started talking about how lonely she was and that she wanted to live a normal life. She wanted friends and someone to hold her at night when the nightmares came.
ST: How erotic is it?
MAP: Oh, this is book one of two books. The first one is full of sexual tension but nothing, um hot until the second book. It has the happy ending but it’s the beginning of their relationship, that first part where they circle each other, trying to figure out what is going on between them and how to resist…or if they want to resist. 😉
ST: And where can we buy See How They Die?
MAP: It will be released by Triskelion Publishing in April as an e-book at. Click here.
ST: I also see you wrote Ghostly Mistakes. Sounds like another thriller. Do you have a release date for it yet?
MAP: Ghostly Mistakes is part of a trilogy called Unfinished Business. It’s the first book in the series. I don’t have a release date yet but watch my website or the Triskelion link and I’ll post it as soon as I get it.
ST: Thanks for stopping by this morning, Mary Alice. We’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?
MAP: I’ll be here and ready to chat away.
Come back tomorrow when Mary Alices tells more about her life and her work. Until then…
Happy Writing!
Sloane
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Do You Want to See How They Die?
March 15, 2007 | Interviews
Let Mary Alice Pritchard show you
March 19 on Sloane Taylor’s blog.
Mary Alice shares the long road of turning your nightmares into an e-book joy.
Learn the good, bad, and frightful of this debut author.
Be sure to join Mary Alice for five days of fun!
Sloane Taylor ~ Sweet as honey …Hotter than hell
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Gazing into the Crystal Ball
February 23, 2007 | Interviews
ST: Good morning everyone and welcome back Sarah. Tell us what the future holds for you?
SG: I have an agent interested in seeing my writing, but she will only look at something that has not been sold, which means I need to write something for her. I have a single title planned that I will send her once complete.
I dream of the same thing most authors I’ve talked to dream: to be able to support myself writing. Most people don’t realize that this is something a lot of authors never achieve. Being published doesn’t automatically guarantee wealth or success.
ST: If you had one wish that would be granted, what would it be?
SG: I was going to say multiple orgasms, but then I thought about it and decided that I would much rather have my youngest son’s metabolism.
Or maybe what I need is some will power.
ST: How did you and Triskelion Publishing come together?
SG: That’s a funny story actually. For years I toned down my writing, altered it in order to fit it inside of the ‘box’ that some of the other publishing houses want you to fit in. And no matter how hard I tried, I was rejected. I hated writing that way, I hated altering how I do things and forcing myself to be what I thought these other publishers wanted me to be. Eventually, I realized I didn’t fit in the box. Now, this wasn’t an easy realization for me to come to. First, I had to get mad. I have the type of personality that when told I can’t do something, I go out and prove why I can do it. This is where Triskelion came into the picture.
After bending and twisting and reworking NOT WITHOUT RISK for another publisher, in the hopes it would fit in their box, I was rejected. I didn’t take it well. I had changed my characters, held myself back and totally altered the way I put a story together and they didn’t want it?
I queried the next day and Gail loved the story. I was offered a contract by the end of the week.
ST: What’s in the works for the future?
SG: AFTER MIDNIGHT, my second romantic suspense, is available from Triskelion Publishing June 2007. I haven’t heard whether that one will go to print and when. You can find an excerpt on my website
I’m beginning work on my single title, DARK LIGHT, brainstorming an anthology with two other talented suspense authors, and considering a book starring one of the secondary characters from AFTER MIDNIGHT.
ST: Thank you, Sarah, for spending so much time with us. It’s been a great week and I’ve enjoyed learning more about you. The very best to you in the future and keep us posted on your future releases.
SG: Thank you, Sloane. I’ll see you on the loops!
ST: Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. I’ll be back next week. Until then…
Happy Writing!
Sloane
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The Soft Side of the Lady Grimm
February 22, 2007 | Interviews
Good morning, everyone. A contingent of readers demanded equal time for the print cover to be shown larger. So here you go!
ST: Thanks for the Golden Cupcakes, Sarah. Now while I’m munching away how about you describe your writing space for everyone.
SG: Most people refer to it as a kitchen table. Really, I write at the kitchen table. Not the best place to try to write a book, let me tell you. Especially when you’re in the middle of a kitchen remodel like we are right now. Of course, when it is done, the house will go up for sale and my next home will have an office.
I might need to put the table in my office, however. My table was handmade by my father-in-law. It’s a beautiful round table with a pedestal base and the legs are the perfect height to rest your feet on. I’m so used to using those legs as a footrest that I have a difficult time sitting at a desk. So, my new house will have an office for me, but it just might have to be large enough to accommodate my round, handmade, sugar maple desk.
ST: You deserve an office and I’m in awe of how much you’ve accomplished without one. Sarah, what’s your favorite part of writing?
SG: Writing the book; discovering the characters, helping them fall in love, foil the villain and live happily-ever-after.
ST: What do you absolutely hate about being an author?
SG: Writing the book; discovering the characters, helping them fall in love, foil the villain and live happily-ever-after. LOL.
ST: Your website is gorgeous. If you haven’t done so yet, I recommend everyone cruise over to www.sarahgrimm.com and check it out. How did you decide on the content and design?
SG: Thanks, I’m glad you like it. Originally my website was set up by a wonderful family friend. He decided on the design and then looked to me for what I wanted when it came to content. He has his own family and a job, so when it became apparent that I wanted to be able to mess with the site on my own, he showed me how. Since I’ve taken over I’ve made some additions, but the main design, including the red tree banner at the top, are all his doing.
ST: Wow! Our time is up already and I had more to discuss with you today. It’ll have to keep until tomorrow. We’ll see Friday, bright and early?
SG: I’ll be here. Thanks again, Sloane. It’s been a pleasure hanging out.
ST: You’re very welcome, I’m enjoying it to. Have a good day, everyone and…
Happy writing!
Sloane
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Author, Author, Tell Us More
February 21, 2007 | Interviews
Good morning everyone. Yesterday I received several emails requesting I repost the e-book cover for NOT WITHOUT RISK only larger. I think people want to droll. So there it is and please excuse me while I take a moment to wipe off my keyboard.
ST: Hi, Sarah, and welcome back. Are you ready for another day of grilling?
SG: You bet. I’m fortified with a huge cup of coffee, so fire away.
ST: Are there any quirks you have or do before or while you’re writing?
SG: When I’m stuck I send my son to the corner store for a Diet Coke and a Hostess Golden Cupcake. I suspect this is why I get stuck so often while writing.
Oh, and the youngest of my three dogs needs to be sleeping in the office chair for me to be truly productive. This makes writing a bit uncomfortable since it leaves me with only the first few inches of the chair to perch on, but I’m always most productive when she is with me.
Does that mean she’s my muse?
ST: LOL. Can I borrow her?
SG: I’m not sure she’d ship well. LOL.
ST: Sarah, who or what encouraged you to write erotica?
SG: I’ve never considered what I write to be erotica. To me, I write romantic suspense. Do I have sexual tension in my stories? You bet. Do I have as many consummated love scenes in my stories as the characters allow? You bet! For me, that’s how it is, the characters tell me how many love scenes there will be. But I digress…
The question was what inspired me. Hmm… I write what I love to read. I’m not sure any one author inspired me, but a combination of all of my favorites. I don’t like to read romances with lots of sexual tension and a hunky hero and then once you get to the love scene, the author skims over it. Wait a minute! I feel robbed! So I give my readers what I like in a book. Hot sex!
ST: Where do you get the ideas for your novels?
SG: From everyday life: The stories I read, the music I listen to… I’m known for hearing a lyric in a song and developing an entire story around it. It’s true, I brainstormed a time travel like this. If anyone writes time travel, call me, I have a great idea for you.
I think I do what every author I’ve heard answer this question does: I hear or read something that spawns that old “What if?” question.
“What if a killer set his sights on you and the only way to survive was to revisit a past you swore never to look back on? What if you then had to trust the type of man experience told you was untrustworthy? What if you fell in love with that man? Is love worth the risk?”
These are some of the ‘what ifs’ that Paige Conroy, the heroine of NOT WITHOUT RISK faces. The hero, Justin Harrison, has a totally different set of ‘what ifs’:
“What if your identity hinged on the ability to do your job? What if you were suddenly injured and faced with the real possibility that you could no longer do your job? And if that wasn’t enough, “What if you suddenly realized that there was more to life than your job, but in order to keep that something more, you had to do your job and find the killer before he could find the heroine?”
ST: How do you research your books?
SG: I read a lot, both biographies and research books. As I’m writing there are always a few specific questions that come up and for those I turn to a fabulous RWA chapter called Kiss of Death. There’s not much that incredible group of writers doesn’t know the answer to.
ST: Who is your support group?
SG: If they spend most of their time yelling at me, are they still considered a support group?
My biggest supporters are my husband, my mother and my sister. Whenever I’m struggling, I’ll give one of them a call. Sometimes, I’ll call them because I’m excited about the way the story’s coming along and it’s during those calls that I’ll get the ‘That’s great, Sarah, so why are you calling me when you could be writing?’ That’s my sister and my mother; they’re always reminding me that I should be writing instead of cleaning the house or surfing the internet.
My husband supports me in different ways altogether. He’s a bit too supportive at times, LOL. Like when things aren’t going well and he’ll tell me, ‘Just walk away and go back later, sometimes all it takes is some distance and the answer will come to you. You want to go to the movies?’ I love that man! And I always want to go to the movies, but when I’m on deadline, I need to avoid his kind of ‘support.’
ST: My kind of man. You’ve pulled it all together with the help of people who love you. Congratulations.
SG: They mean a great deal to me. I sincerely appreciate them.
ST: Thank you again, Sarah for being so open and honest with us. We’ll see you tomorrow?
SG: I’ll be here and bring the Hostess Golden Cupcakes. LOL.
ST: Thank you all for stopping by. Don’t foget to check out Sarah’s web site. See you in the morning!
Sloane
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Show and Tell Time
February 20, 2007 | Interviews
Good morning and welcome back, Sarah. Let’s treat our guests and start today off with a bit of Show. Take a gander at Sarah’s covers. The first is the print edition and the second is the e-book cover for NOT WITHOUT RISK. Aren’t these just the hottest covers you’ve ever seen? They’re great, Sarah, congratulations!
ST: Now it’s time for the Tell. What made you decide to be a writer?
SG: I always wanted to be a writer, just check my bio on my website. My sister wrote it for me and as she mentions in it, I was always carrying around notebooks and jotting notes into them. When I was younger I wrote poetry, which slowly segued into romantic fiction. Even as a young girl I was hooked on happily-ever-after.
It wasn’t until my youngest was born and spent so much time in and out of hospital that I began to write more than a few chapters of any one story idea. It was during that first year of my son’s life, as we struggled to keep him alive, that I took pen to paper (Yup, longhand) and wrote my first book from start to finish.
I’m happy to say that my son is alive and well and revels in driving me crazy on a daily basis. And that first book I completed from beginning to end? NOT WITHOUT RISK
ST: How long have you been writing?
SG: The oldest writings of mine that I have are from when I was five years old. My sister is six years older than me and she taught me to read and write at a young age.
ST: Do you find writing to be fulfilling? And in what way?
SG: I find writing to be the one thing that keeps me sane. It also frustrates me when I know what I want to say but can’t get it out of my head and onto the page right. Is it fulfilling? Yes, I guess it is. When it finally clicks and everything comes together. When the words flow and a few days, or months later you go back and read it with a smile on your face and that little voice in your head that asks, ‘I wrote this?’
ST: What’s a normal day like for you?
SG: Describe ‘normal’ for me will you? LOL. But I’ll give it a try. Ready?
ST: You bet.
SG: Then here we go;
Typical Weekday
1. Wake up at 5:30
2. Squeeze out from under 3 dogs (no, I’m not counting my husband as one)
3. Pour myself a Diet Coke ~ caffeine please!
4. Turn on laptop
5. Start a load of laundry
6. check email
7. Go upstairs and wake the kids
8. Collect glasses that are strewn around the house and load into dishwasher
9. Go upstairs and wake the kids
10. Pack lunches, sign planners, fill water bottles
11. Go upstairs and wake the kids
12. You get the picture; we’ll skip to after I drop kids at school when I finally sit down to write. If it’s winter, my husband crawls out of bed about now and interrupts my writing to talk. I love him dearly, but he has a knack for interrupting at the worst possible times.
13. At around 10:00 I start running errands, these vary from day to day, sometimes it’s running parts for my husband’s marine repair business, other times banking, post office, groceries, etc
14. Write
15. Chat online – usually for too long as I get distracted easily
16. Write
17. Pick up kids from school
You get the idea. I don’t have a set writing time and there are days that this is a problem. I’m going to have to get better at this in the future.
ST: Lady, I don’t envy you. lol. With your busy life how do you find time to write?
SG: I make time to write. If I didn’t, I’d never get any writing done. There’s always a story going through my mind that I’m usually jotting down notes about, but to sit down and write it out? I have to force myself to do that. There are just too many other distractions, too much else I could be doing.
ST: Then I think we’d better let you off the hook and let you return to your work. Thanks for taking the time this morning and we’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.
SG: Not a problem. I’d like to add that if any of the readers have questions, I’ll be checking back throughout the day and am more than happy to answer them.
ST: Enjoy your day everyone. See you all Wednesday morning!
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Down and Dirty with Sarah Grimm
February 19, 2007 | Interviews
Hi, Sarah Grimm, welcome and thank you for visiting with us this week.
Thank you for inviting me.
ST : Tell us a about yourself.
SG: Hmmm, I’m married to my sexiest fantasy. We have two sons and three dogs, and I live in West Michigan. My entire life, there have been people talking in my head. Schizophrenic? Maybe, but I prefer to call it the mark of a creative mind. LOL I love to read and do so as often as possible. For me, there’s nothing better than losing myself in a good book.
ST: Your debut novel, NOT WITHOUT RISK, is exciting and hot. Please tell us about the book.
SG: Sergeant Justin Harrison is on top of his game. He is impulsive, insatiable and invincible. At least he’d always believed so. Until an addict with a .38 showed him otherwise. Six agonizing months after the slug collapsed his lung, Justin has managed to return to the one thing he excels at – his job as a San Diego homicide detective. He worked hard to get his body back in shape and nothing is going to stand in his way of proving he is fit for active duty. Especially not a long-legged brunette who just stumbled into his crime scene.
Photographer Paige Conroy spent years hiding from her past. Then one late night telephone call brings it crashing back. An old friend is in town and needs to see her. Speaking on the phone isn’t safe. She needs to meet him. Only four hours later, when she arrives at his hotel room, it is to find him dead. Fighting against the painful onslaught of memories, as well as the horror of being the only witness to murder, the last thing Paige needs is to feel attracted to the dark-eyed Sergeant Harrison.
When the villain sets his sights on Paige, she must turn to Justin for help. Together they learn that some things are worth the risk.
ST: How did you come up with the story line?
SG: Off the top of my head. Literally. One day at work the power went out. Now, I used to work for an insurance company that never, I mean never, gave us time off work. This day was no different. My friends and I sat in the lunch room, which had a wall of windows so we had some light, for four hours before the company decided to let us go home. To entertain everyone I started telling them a story, one I made up on the spot. Of course, I made quite a few changes when I sat down and wrote the story, but that’s how NOT WITHOUT RISK began.
ST: And where and when can we buy NOT WITHOUT RISK?
SG: NOT WITHOUT RISK will be available to download from Triskelion Publishing in March 2007. In August 2007 you can pick up a copy at your local bookstore when it becomes available as a mass market paperback.
ST: Sarah has a web site, blog, and a myspace you should check out. Don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter and contest.
Thanks for coming out on this cold Monday morning, Sarah. Tomorrow I’ll be sure to have Bloody Marys for us to sip while we chat.
SG: Sounds good! After that I can dive into my next book. Lol. See you in the morning and please, if anyone has questions, feel free to ask.
