ROCCO interviews graphic novelist RAY NORTON!

Meow, my guest today is graphic  novel author  Ray Norton

Like the cool cat that I am, I’m crazy for graphic novels: and if they have a Buffy-ish feel to’em,all the better! A talented friend and co-worker of the HUMAN’s, Ray Norton, has just published just such a graphic novel via Amazon, so I thought I’d sit him down for a little cat-to-human chat about being a graphic novelist!

• Hello, Ray! Tell us a little about your graphic novel. How did you get that idea?

Thanks ROCCO!  It’s a 3 part series about teens that get caught up with demons plotting to take over civilization. The creatures try to control the kids and the teen’s fight back vowing to destroy them and their ways. I got the idea mainly from the Buffy the vampire slayer comics. I like the idea of people sticking together and overcoming their challenges as a team. It’s really inspired me.

• Have you always drawn?

I started drawing about 6 years ago. I picked up a pencil one day and never put it down. I soon discovered the Kubert School for Comics, in Dover NJ which offers a Saturday morning introduction to drawing comics’ class. I signed up for the course and it’s been a passion ever since.

• What’s more challenging for you, the artistry or the plotting of the story?

I have to say drawing comics has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Just getting the characters to look the same every time is a challenge. I’ve always written quick little horror stories so writing scary stuff tends to flow naturally. Be very afraid. I enjoy creating comics. Nothing gives me a greater sense of accomplishment than seeing a completed work. I actually drew Blitz, twice. The first time was just to see if I could and then I wanted work on the characters more so their looks were more consistent. I really like the way it came out.

• Is there any artist or writer you regard as your inspiration?

Josh Whedon is my hero! No one has inspired me to the extent he has, especially his earlier work; Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Faith, Firefly. That’s the guy I want to be like, that’s what I want to do.

• What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans? Are there more graphic novels on the way?

Right now I’m finishing up the 2^nd book of the series. It takes a long time to get things just right. Sometimes I’ll do an entire page over and depending on the detail it could take days. I hoping to have the book completed by August. I do have a stack of stories on the shelf that I’m just waiting to start drawing the first chance I get.

• Would you like to try your hand at writing a novel and if so, what genre would you write in?

I attempted a novel once, but it ended up short.  So I thought about a book of short stories, and then said hey! What about comic books! I did a reading once of a story about a guy that worked in a huge basement and all the creepy things that went on down there, it really creeped people out. I should revisit that one.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Spit into the wind. Actually I was hiking with a friend years ago. We were somewhere in the Poconos behind an old mill. We took a steep trail downhill. The journey down seemed endless and by the time we made to level ground we were ready to head back. There was no way we were going back the way we came so we headed back in the direction of the mill trucking through the growth of the forest. We came upon a stream and knew it would take us in the direction we needed to go. Soon the earth on either side of us jutted straight up, we had hiked into a canyon. It looked like we would have to turn back. Looking straight up on our right was the mill. In front of us was a waterfall. It would take us up directly where we wanted to go. We decided to climb the waterfall. The climb was steep with occasional moss covered rock. Crawling on the moss the running water would push us closer to the edge. With nothing to grip onto it seemed certain we would slide off and fall to the rocks below. We clawed our way up the cascading water to the top. We made it. Then I spit into the wind.

• What’s one thing your readers would be surprised to find out about you?

I’m a pastry chef by trade. I worked in New York city for years, standing for hours in hot steaming kitchens cooking for hundreds of people. I decided I needed a break and that’s when I found something I enjoyed even more, writing graphic novels.

• Where can we learn more about you and your works? Do you have a website?

I haven’t caught up to the 21^st century yet, but a website is on my list of things to do, as well as learn Photoshop, how to tweet, and some hang gliding lessons.

Folks, you can check out BLITZ here:

BLITZ

Next week:  

LAURA BRADFORD returns to the blog!

Say hello to LAURA BRENNAN

Welcome ROCCO’s guest, Laura Brennan!

Laura’s eclectic career includes television, news, theater, fiction, and film.  Her horror film, Most Likely to Die, opened auspiciously on a Friday the 13^th and her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including “Last Exit to Murder” and “Hell Comes to Hollywood.” But it’s not all blood and guts: her webseries Faux Baby explores the lighter side of motherhood. And if the faux baby loses a limb here or there, well… No, actually, she has no justification for that at all. Find out more at DestinationMystery.com.

• Tell us a little about your background

Whoo, boy, where to start? Right out of college, I joined a theater company and spent three years traveling around Pennsylvania writing, producing, acting and directing. We wouldn’t just put on plays for local residents, we would convince the residents to be in the plays with us. The idea was to build community through theater and it was fun and exhausting and a wonderful challenge. From there, I went to PBS, where I wrote and produced on a news and current affairs show, and from there, I moved to Los Angeles and started working in episodic television and film. I’ve written a web series, lyrics to songs, essays and short stories, and I just finished writing my first novel -- a mystery, of course. You name it, I’ve probably tackled it.

• Tell us a bit about your “Destination Mystery” site. How did that come about?

I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, and I’m always meeting wonderful authors and having great chats about their work. Then I thought, wow, how much fun would it be to share this with the rest of the world? And I’d never tried podcasting before, so a new challenge was exciting. I built it to have all the things I enjoy when I listen to a podcast: I include a transcript so that people can read rather than listen, and show notes -- that’s my favorite part. I love having a way to follow up on cool stuff that comes up in the conversation. So far it’s included everything from organizations that help prevent human trafficking to info on the 350^th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

• Is there an author or a celebrity you wish you had a chance to interview and why?

Ngaio Marsh. She’s a Golden Age mystery writer and underappreciated in my book. She was a theater director as well as a mystery writer, and several books have murders taking place on stage -- that’s right up my alley. Also, her characters have great depth and humanity; even when you don’t like them, she allows you to understand them. Plus her novel, “Artists in Crime,” is one of my favorite play-fair mysteries. All the clues are there, but it still kept me guessing until the end.

• You’ve written plays and screenplays. Tell us about your first play (and that porn house???)

Ha! Okay, so here’s what happened: we were a brand-new theater company, and we were invited to come to a tiny town in Pennsylvania to help “rehabilitate” their downtown. They had just closed the porn theater, but they couldn’t convince families to check it out. I think they tried showing “The Care Bears” for free, but no dice. So they thought having us perform plays and teach workshops out of the movie theater would help change the image -- and it did have a decent stage. They paid us very little upfront, but we got to keep the box office for our performances and they agreed to put us up. They very kindly un-condemned the former brothel next to the porn house so that we could live there and then quietly re-condemned it after we left. It was all a bit surreal, but it was our first residency and we were grateful for a chance to show what we could do. Grateful, but broke. So I wrote an interactive murder mystery, a local restaurant agreed to cater, and we held “Murder at the Playhouse Café” for a whopping nine nights and made enough money to feed the company for a few months. Murder is a big draw! I did play fair, but the only group to pick up on all the clues and solve the mystery were the local high school mystery book club. They were our dress rehearsal, and those kids were crackerjack.

• You’ve worked in many genres – news, tv, fiction – do you have a favorite and why?

In episodic television, the bit I love with all my heart is breaking story. Do you remember the Dick Van Dyke show, when Rob, Sally and Buddy all spitball ideas for the Alan Brady show? That’s essentially what happens when you’re breaking story. I got to meet Rose Marie and tell her how much Sally influenced me; I wanted that kind of camaraderie, and I found it in television.

However, for the sheer joy of writing, nothing beats fiction.

• Your horror movie, Most Likely to Die was recently released.  Tell us a bit about that.  How did you feel when you learned it was going to be produced?

Which time? Seriously, that film was almost produced half a dozen times. It was three months out from being shot -- Adrian Paul from Highlander was going to direct -- and the bottom fell out of the economy. It got postponed and then cancelled and then resurrected… But I was very happy when cameras finally rolled. It’s a high school reunion, and a bunch of old friends are being killed off according to their yearbook superlatives. I like to tell people I didn’t write a horror movie, I wrote a love story… just one under very difficult circumstances.

• What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

The hardest thing as a film or television writer is getting kicked off a project you love. It happens all the time -- writers are seen as the most replaceable of all the cogs in the Hollywood machine. Perhaps that’s why I prefer writing fiction: no one can kick me off my novel. And to be clear, I’m not talking about getting notes or needing to edit. Being able to make a note work always makes the piece stronger. But having a new writer, someone you may never meet, come in and muck around with your work, that’s always hard. You just have to let go and move on to something new.

• What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

Right this minute, I’m breaking the story for a film for a producer I love to work with. Once she okays it, I’ll start writing the script. This is a project she owns, so I’m a writer for hire on it, but I love the story and it’s been great fun to work on. I’m also toying with ideas for my next novel, and I’m in conversation with yet another producer about working together on one of my television ideas. And, of course, setting up more interviews for Destination Mystery!

• What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

Typically, I work from 7am to about 3pm, then I do the mommy stuff, and then after dinner, while homework happens, I usually work another hour or two and catch up on e-mails and whatnot. My creative sweet spot is from about 8am to noon. That’s when I try to do as much writing as I can. I do corporate writing as well as work for hire, like this latest film, and of course my own projects. I have a short story that I’ve mostly worked out in my head -- I need to get that down on paper before I lose it!

• If you could take only three books with your for a year-long writing retreat in a gorgeous setting with no library, which three would you take?

Jane Eyre, the complete short stories of Dorothy Sayers, and any of P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster novels. The language is delicious!

• What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Write! Write everything, all kinds of things. Finish something and write something else. You’re a writer when you write. It’s a big clubhouse, come join the fun.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Running off to join the circus… Um, I mean, the theater. That still holds as the craziest thing. But that’s also how I met my husband -- I auditioned him for the role of my lover! -- so crazy wins big in my book.

• What’s one thing your readers would be surprised to find out about you?

I think this is something that surprises most people about writers: we are all our characters. The hero, the villain, everyone in between. There’s something of us on every page. It surprised me to realize that when I started writing, even when I was writing on someone else’s television show or doing work for hire. We always bring something of ourselves to every single project.

• What question do you wish interviewers would ask? (And what’s the answer?)

Q: What’s the one thing that’s made the biggest difference -- for the good -- in your life?

A: Being part of a community. We have this notion of the lone hero, and an even more corrosive notion of the solitary writer. Sure, writing involves a lot of sitting at your desk getting words on a page, but it’s important to have a community, multiple communities, even as a writer. I mentioned that I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, I’m also a member of the Horror Writers Association, I run a writers group, and I’m part of an informal “mastermind” group to help me stay on track. That’s in addition to getting out there and meeting producers and directors and other writers; some become contacts, others become friends. You need layers of support to help you grow as a writer and to keep it fun. You gotta have someone to celebrate with when things go well!

•  Where can we learn more about you?

You can find out more about me and the authors I interview at DestinationMystery.com

Thanks, Rocco!

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  Night.

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  My wonderful host would make all other animals, cat or dog, pale in comparison.

Beach or Pool? Beach.  

Steak or salad?  Salad.

Favorite Drink?  Hot chocolate.

Favorite Book?  Jane Eyre.

Favorite TV Series?  Currently? Castle. Of all time? The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Favorite Movie? My Sister Eileen.  

Favorite Actor: Cary Grant.

Favorite Actress: Octavia Spencer. Before she won her Oscar, she did a cameo in my web series, and she was the most delightful woman to work with. Plus she’s a writer! That woman rocks.

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Pina Colada.

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii.

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Terry Pratchett.

If I had just one wish, it would be World Peace.

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be Charlize Theron. She makes really interesting acting choices, and OMG, those clothes! But I’d only trade for Oscar week, then I’d want to be me again, back in my sweats typing away.

Say Hello to....Deanna Raybourne!

Meow, my guest today is NYT bestselling author Deanna Raybourn

New York Times bestselling novelist Deanna Raybourn is a 6^th-generation native Texan. She graduated with a double major in English and history from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of one, Deanna currently makes her home in Virginia. Her novels have been nominated for numerous awards including five RITAs, two RT Reviewers’ Choice awards, the Agatha, two Dilys Winns, a Last Laugh, and three du Mauriers. She has recently launched a new Victorian mystery series with the 2015 release of A CURIOUS BEGINNING, and her Lady Julia Grey novels are currently in development as a television series in the UK.

• Welcome Deanna! Tell us a little about your background

I’m a sixth-generation native Texan transplanted to Virginia. I double-majored in history and English and have been writing since I was 23. It took me fourteen years to get published, but I’ve made up for it since then! I have just turned in my eleventh novel, and I also have six digital novellas in print.

• Tell us about your Veronica Speedwell mystery series.  Where did the idea for that come from?

 It was time for me to change publishers, and I very much wanted to keep to the Victorian era. I wasn’t finished exploring it yet, so I dug into my research books and rediscovered a lepidopterist of the time I had read about some years before. Her name was Margaret Fountaine, and she traveled the world collecting butterflies—and men! She had a string of romantic adventures, and I thought a woman with some of her attributes would make a fabulous sleuth. So I created Veronica Speedwell, a butterfly hunter with a knack for finding handsome men and dead bodies…

• Tell us a bit about your Harlequin series. Do you enjoy writing period pieces. Would you ever do a story set in present day time?

I am very fond of the Lady Julia series. In fact, it was my devotion to the Victorian period that led me to eventually leave MIRA for Penguin. I was sorry to say goodbye to Julia, but MIRA felt the series had run its course, and declined further books in the series. I had written a few books set in the 1920s which were great fun, but I wanted to get back to gaslit, foggy London. Penguin gave me a chance to do that and I jumped at it. I have written one contemporary magical realism book, but it’s really quite bad, so it is tucked away in the attic. I might dig it out again one of these days and tear it to bits.

• How do you “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

 I do heaps of research, always collecting snippets of characteristics while I’m reading. Somehow various bits and pieces come together to form a person—I’m not entirely certain how it happens. It’s a weird writer alchemy, and I try not to examine it too closely. I just know that I’m always paying attention to what makes people tick and how they act upon those motivations. I also think about what a character likes to eat and wear and the music they like, the books they read. If I know their world, I know them.

• How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

 I always have to construct a plot since I’m writing a murder mystery; by definition, they have a certain logical structure. I’m becoming more of a plotter as I get further into my career. Pantsing can waste masses of time, and if you’re writing to a deadline, extra time is a commodity you don’t always have.

• Which do you consider more important, plot or character?

 They’re equally important, and in spite of what most people say, you can begin with either as long as there is logical consistency between the two. Would the characters you create DO those things? Would those things happen to the characters you’ve created? As long as those things hang together, it really don’t matter where you start. I generally begin with plot. Veronica Speedwell is a rare exception.

• What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

Not being published for fourteen years was fairly brutal, but I kept writing because I was a writer, and writers tell stories whether anyone is listening or not. Now I’m motivated by deadlines! I turn in my books on time, every time. It’s a point of pride.

• Do you have an “How I got my agent” story you want to share?

I had initially queried the agent she worked for and received a very kind letter informing me that the senior agent had quit the business to study in a monastery! In her stead, my agent sent me the nicest rejection letter you can possibly imagine—gracious, kind, encouraging. So the next year, when I had a better book in hand, I queried her again. This time she accepted me, and we’ve been together for eighteen years on a handshake. She is my rock in this business!

• What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

 I have just turned in the second Veronica Speedwell book and am preparing to dive into book three—as well as a few of secret projects I can’t talk about quite yet…

• What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

When I am working on a draft, I tend to work every day for about six weeks. I work in the morning for about an hour and a half, maybe two hours. I type quite fast and I don’t stop to ponder—I know what I’m writing when I sit down, so in that short period of time I can bang out exactly what I want to get done that day. When the draft is done, it sits for a few weeks until it’s time to pull it out and start on it again. During that break, I don’t write. I read instead. If I’m very hard against it, such as editorial revisions, I have been known to rewrite an entire book in five weeks—about 90,000 new words. I don’t recommend it! And most books don’t demand that kind of rewriting, thank heaven.

• If you could take only three books with your for a year-long writing retreat in a gorgeous setting with no library, which three would you take?

A collected volume of Jane Austen, THE BIG BOOK OF CHRISTMAS MYSTERIES edited by Otto Penzler, and a collection of fairy tales—the good, juicy ones, not the sanitized happy ending version.

• What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Don’t think that people who are published know the right answers for YOU. We know what works for us. If we swear by a technique or a rule or a principle, it may not work for you and that’s perfectly alright.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Well, I generally have a good reason for anything I do, no matter how insane it might seem to someone else…

• What’s one thing your readers would be surprised to find out about you?

 I’ve been bitten by a tiger cub.

• What question do you wish interviewers would ask? (And what’s the answer?)

 What perfume are you wearing? Today it’s Lubin’s Black Jade.

•  Where can we learn more about you and your books?

 www.deannaraybourn.com

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  Morning.

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  Dog, always.

Beach or Pool?   Beach.

Steak or salad?  A steak salad.

Favorite Drink?  Tea or wine, depending upon mood. If mood is very foul, a stiff gin and tonic.

Favorite Book?  Ha! No comment.

Favorite TV Series?  Very into BLACK SAILS right now.

Favorite Movie?  The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Favorite Actor: Peter O’Toole.

Favorite Actress: Maggie Smith.

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada?

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii.

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Eleanor of Aquitaine. She’s my 23^rd great-grandmother, and I have questions…

If I had just one wish, it would be to always have one tiny wish unfulfilled. It’s good to have something to work towards.

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be…heavens, no one! I am quite happy where I am. Although it might be fun to tag along with the Queen one day. I’d like to peek at her art collection and maybe have a nice chat over a cocktail.

Giveaway time!!!!

Deanna will give away a signed copy of trade edition of CITY OF JASMINE.  Contest open to US residents only

To enter, leave a comment on this blog post with your name and email address (entries without email will be disqualified). For extra entries, you can do any or all of the below:

* Follow my blog (+ 1 point)
* Follow me on Twitter (+ 1 point) (Link: https://twitter.com/RoccoBlogger)
* Tweet about the contest (+ 1 point)
* Friend me on Facebook (+ 1 point) (Link: https://www.facebook.com/ToniLotempio)#!/

* Mention the contest on Facebook (+ 1 point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  Don’t forget to mention all you’ve done in your comment. Good luck! Contest closes midnight, May 19!

Welcome author Tracy Weber to the Blog!

Meow,  my guest today is author Tracy Weber!

Tracy Weber is the author of the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries series.  The first book in the series, Murder Strikes a Pose, won the Maxwell Award for Fiction and was nominated for the Agatha award for Best First Novel.

A certified yoga therapist, Tracy is the owner of Whole Life Yoga, a Seattle yoga studio, as well as the creator and director of Whole Life Yoga’s teacher training program. She loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any way possible.

Tracy and her husband Marc live in Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd Tasha. When she’s not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house. 

Karma’s a Killer is her third novel. For more information on Tracy and the Downward Dog Mysteries, visit her author website: http://TracyWeberAuthor.com/

·        Tell us a little about your background:

I grew up on a dairy farm in Billings, Montana and “temporarily” moved to Seattle for college in 1982. Almost three-and-a-half decades later, I’m still here. My husband Marc was the first male I encountered while moving into my dorm at the University of Washington. I married him fourteen years later.

I received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1987 and a Masters of Business Administration in 1993. My husband says I have career ADD.  I’ve worked as a chemical engineer, an organizational development consultant, a high tech manager, a career coach and a yoga teacher. Writing is my newest passion.

·        Tell us a bit about the Downward Dog mysteries. What inspired it?

The idea came to me on a rainy evening about five years ago, while in the middle of a brutal workout at my favorite health club. I was pedaling away, reading a Susan Conant novel to distract myself from the evil exercise bike, when a quote from Black Ribbon about crazy dog people made me burst out loud laughing. I knew I’d found my author soul mate. Someone who truly got me.

I went home, looked her up on the web, and stumbled across a site about cozy mysteries. As I read about hundreds of other wonderful cozy series, I began to wonder: What would happen if a yoga teacher with a crazy dog like mine got mixed up in murder? Kate Davidson and Bella popped into my head a few days later. The rest is history.

·        How do you “get to know” your characters

My characters reveal themselves to me as I write. Some, such as Bella (the German shepherd in my series) are loosely based on animals and people from my real life. Most, like Kate (my yoga teacher/sleuth protagonist) take shape in my mind over time. I get to know them much like I’d get to know any other friend. Minor characters are tougher. Sometimes I write descriptions and back stories for them. Most of the time, I don’t. In many cases, I come up with minor ideas for these characters or picture them in my mind. Then I do Google Image searches. The images and websites that come up inform my understanding of those characters.

·        How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

I use a combination approach. My stories reveal themselves to me as I write, which means I never outline before I begin working on a book. Who has time to outline when you’ve got characters like Kate and Bella harassing you to hurry up and write them?   

I write the first draft by the seat of my pants, then I sit down and get serious about plot, red herrings, and consistency.  While I write the second draft, I outline what I’ve already written and identify plot holes and inconsistencies. I try to fix those in the third draft.  After that, it’s only twenty-seven more drafts until the finished product!

·        Which do you consider more important, plot or character?

Character, character, character.  But then again, according to the yoga teachings, our character is defined by the actions we take and our reactions to the world around us, and isn’t that plot? This question makes my head spin.  ;-)

·        What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

Finding the time to write while still working at my day job. And believe me, there will always be a day job. Most authors I know make a very little from their writing.

·        What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

I recently finished the fourth Downward Dog Mystery, A Fatal Twist.  I’m currently researching and daydreaming about the fifth book. I’m also working on a proposal for a beginners’ meditation book, and I have three (!!!) more mystery series rattling around in my head. 

·        What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

I’m lucky. I own my own business, so I’m able to work any eighteen hours a day I want. Seriously, sometimes it feels that way. My writing ebbs and flows based on the other competing priorities of my life. Sometimes several weeks will go by without my having time to write a word. Other times I write nonstop. I’m most creative late at night, which drives my husband crazy. When I’m deeply immersed in writing, I probably dedicate thirty hours or more to my novels. Blogs and other writing are on top of that.

·        If you could take only three books with you for a year-long writing retreat in a gorgeous setting with no library, which three would you take?

Hmm…I don’t really use books to develop the writing craft, as that’s not my learning style.  I know I’d need the Chicago Manual of Style and a great thesaurus.  Other than that, I’ve wanted to re-read Stephen King’s The Dead Zone for awhile, so I guess I’ll say that.

·        What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Don’t give up! Writing is a TOUGH business. No one gets published without facing rejection. When I was trying to land an agent, I allowed myself twenty-four hours to feel bad about every rejection, then I forced myself to do something proactive. Send out another letter, connect with another author, write another page.

You can’t please everyone, and yet when you write, you so desperately want to. (At least I do.) Just keep writing what you love and know that your work isn’t defined by what any one person thinks of it.

·        What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? 

I left a six-figure senior management job at Microsoft to start a yoga studio.  I’ve been broke ever since.  ;-)

·        What’s one thing your readers would be surprised to find out about you?

I live in the city right now, but I have a dream of moving to the country in the next year or two where I can have dogs, goats, pigs, and chickens.  Hubby is allergic to all things furry, so he and I are negotiating about that.

·        What question do you wish interviewers would ask? (And what’s the answer?) 

I always like to talk about my most recent work.  My newest is Karma’s a Killer.

Karma’s a Killer is the third book in the Downward Dog Mystery series. This story is special to me, because my yoga teacher/sleuth Kate solves not only the murder of an animal rights activist, but the mystery of her own childhood.

At the start of the novel, Kate overhears an argument between two animal rights protesters (Dharma and Raven) at a fundraiser for DogMa—a local animal rescue. Later that day, Kate learns that Dharma is the mother who abandoned her thirty years ago. When Dharma is arrested for Raven’s murder, Kate, her best friend Rene, and her German shepherd Bella can’t help but try to prove Dharma’s innocence. In doing so, Kate unveils clues to her own past. But will she solve either mystery before the killer strikes again?

·         Where can we learn more about you and your work?

Check out my author website:  http://tracyweberauthor.com/. 

Just for Fun:

·        Night or Day?  Day

·        Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  Can I take the 5^th?  I love both, but it’s dog. ;-)

·        Beach or Pool?   Beach

·        Steak or salad?  Salad (I’m vegetarian, after all.)

·        Favorite Drink?  Diet Mountain Dew

·        Favorite Book?  Pretty much any dog-related mystery.

·        Favorite TV Series?  Buffy the Vampire Slayer

·        Favorite Movie?  This is a tough one.  I don’t really have a favorite. But I remember really loving Magnolia.

·        Favorite Actor:  George Clooney

·        Favorite Actress:  Sandra Bullock

·        Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Pina Colada

·        Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii

·        Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Helen Keller.  I have been impressed with her since I was a child.

·        If I had just one wish, it would be that my dog, Tasha, would live forever

·        If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be my dog, Tasha.  No one’s ever been more loved!

Thanks Tracy!  Here’s where you can find her:

·        Website:  http://tracyweberauthor.com/

·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracywe

·        Blog: http://www.wholelifeyoga.com/blog/

·        E-mail: Tracy@WholeLifeYoga.com

·        Monthly Newsletter: http://tracyweberauthor.com/newsletter.html

Reader Giveaway! Win your choice of any of the books in the Downward Dog Mysteries, autographed by Tracy Weber.

To enter, leave a comment on this blog post with your name and email address (entries without email will be disqualified). For extra entries, you can do any or all of the below:

* Follow my blog (+ 1 point)
* Follow me on Twitter (+ 1 point) (Link: https://twitter.com/RoccoBlogger)
* Tweet about the contest (+ 1 point)
* Friend me on Facebook (+ 1 point) (Link: https://www.facebook.com/ToniLotempio)#!/

* Mention the contest on Facebook (+ 1 point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  Don’t forget to mention all you’ve done in your comment. Good luck! Contest ends midnight May 13

 

Say hi to Peg Cochran

Meow, my guest is author Peg Cochran!

Mystery writing lets Peg indulge her curiosity under the guise of “work.”  As a kid, she read the entire set of children’s encyclopedias her parents gave her and has been known to read the dictionary.  She put pen to paper at age seven when she wrote plays and forced her cousins to perform them at Christmas dinner.   She switched to mysteries when she discovered the perfect hiding place for a body down the street from her house.

A former Jersey girl, Peg now resides in Michigan with her husband and Westhighland white terrier, Reg.  She is the author of the Sweet Nothings Lingerie series (written as Meg London), the Gourmet De-Lite series, the Lucille series and now the Cranberry Cove series.  Her newest series, the Farmer’s Daughter, debuts with No Farm, No Foul in September 2016.

• Meow, Welcome Peg! Tell us a little about your background

Thanks ROCCO!  I’m a Jersey girl transplanted to Michigan.  I’ve wanted to be a writer since I read my first Nancy Drew.  I wrote bad, angst-ridden poetry in high school, studied journalism in college, got side-tracked and spent many years working in the art world in NYC but eventually started doing some freelance writing for magazines and the web and had some success with that.  But I always wanted to write fiction—specifically mysteries.  I used to haunt bookstores looking at all the mysteries with the Berkley Prime Crime handprint on the spine and imagining my name on one of those!  I still can’t believe it’s happened!

• Tell us a bit about your Cranberry Cove Series. How did that come about?

The whole concept came about when I read about cranberry bogs and how they flood them to harvest the berries.  The thought immediately popped into my head—what if a body floated up with the berries?  I mentioned the idea to my agent and she said write it! 

The town of Cranberry Cove was inspired by some of the little towns sprinkled along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan.  When I first moved to West Michigan, I was surprised by how many people are of Dutch ancestry and what a strong influence it still is.  I decided to use a lot of that in the series because I found it fascinating.

• Tell us about your latest release, BERRY THE HATCHET.  How hard is it to come up with “berried” titles?

It’s very hard to come up with “berried” titles actually!  The publisher kept the titles I suggested for the six books in my other two series (Gourmet De-Lite and Sweet Nothings Lingerie Series written as Meg London.)  That’s not always the case. But I seem to have lost my title “mojo” and was very grateful for Penguin’s marketing department for coming up with some great titles for my Cranberry Cove series!

In Berry the Hatchet, Monica’s mother shows up in Cranberry Cove and when she and Monica’s stepmother Gina discover they are dating the same man they become prime suspects when the object of their affections turns up dead.

• How do you “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

I fiddle around on paper asking myself questions and answering them—like what age do I want him/her to be?  What kind of person are they?  I don’t do a whole character inventory like some writers—a lot about the character comes out as I’m writing the story. 

• How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

I’m sort of half and half.  I have to have plot points before I start (what happens at critical points in the story like midway through the book, the ends of acts I and II etc.)  I’ve tried the storyboard thing—sticking post-it notes on a large piece of poster board and moving them around until I like the flow of the story—but that doesn’t work for every book for some reason.  I can’t go into the story blind, but I do love the moments where something completely unexpected pops into your head that works really well with what you’ve already got.

• Which do you consider more important, plot or character?

For me, it’s character because that’s how I start.  I think of a character who is going to be the victim, and then I come up with people who would want to murder someone like that.  The plot comes out of that.

• What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

The biggest challenge was getting an agent!  I racked up 400 rejections on three projects in two years.  The biggest challenge after you’re published, for me, has been conquering doubt and fear—a nasty duo that can stop you in your tracks.  But I push through it and keep going because I love telling stories!

• Do you have a “How I got my agent” story you want to share?

I didn’t get my agent in the usual way.  A fellow writer told me about an opportunity to write a series as a work-for-hire and put me in touch with her agency.  I “auditioned” for the job and got it—the agent came along with it.  And I’m super lucky because she’s fantastic!

• What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

I have a “day job” and work forty hours a week as a marketing communications manager.  So the hours between 8:30 – 5:00 p.m. are not my own—except for my lunch hour which I spend working on my current manuscript.  I spend some time writing when I get home and before I start dinner (we tend to eat on the late side.)  I will sometimes go back to my desk after dinner—except Fridays because that’s the start of the weekend, right?  You have to party a little.  And by party I mean watch something on TV!  I try to carve out a bigger chunk of time on Saturdays and Sundays to write. 

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

It’s a tossup between two things.  I’ll let you decide which is crazier!  In college (a long, long time ago) my roommate and I hitchhiked to her parents’ house.  Don’t tell my mother!  I also went skinny dipping at a nude beach (much later in life but before my body began to fall apart.)  Don’t tell my mother about that either!

• What’s one thing your readers would be surprised to find out about you?

That’s a tough question!  I’m pretty much an open book (pun intended!)  How about this—when I lived and worked in NYC, I was often mistaken for Jackie Onassis despite the fact that she was a couple of decades older than me and at least a foot taller!  (I did meet her once when she came into the gallery I managed.) 

• What question do you wish interviewers would ask? (And what’s the answer?)

Question:  How do you deal with negative reviews?  Answer:  By crying, sulking, drinking a whole bottle of wine…just kidding.  Everyone has an opinion, and not everyone is going to like the same books.  But I do look to see if there is a nugget of constructive criticism in the review that I can take away and work on improving.  You can learn something from a lot of reviews although unfortunately some are just plain mean spirited.  I had one reader disagree with something I posted on Facebook (I learned my lesson—stay away from religion and politics!) and she subsequently wrote a really nasty review of my next book on Amazon.  I had someone review a book that hadn’t come out yet—the only copy of the manuscript that existed was on my computer!  I’ve also had people put reviews of my book on Amazon that were actually for someone else’s book. 

•  Where can we learn more about you and your books?

Probably the best place is on my web site: pegcochran.com.  You can also sign up for my newsletter there where I give readers advance notice of contests, giveaways, etc. I blog on the first, third and fifth Saturdays of the month on mysteryloverskitchen.com and on the 26^th of the month on killercharacters.com.

Peg will give away a copy of Berry the Hatchet to one lucky commenter!

To enter, leave a comment on this blog post with your name and email address (entries without email will be disqualified). For extra entries, you can do any or all of the below:

* Follow my blog (+ 1 point)
* Follow me on Twitter (+ 1 point) (Link: https://twitter.com/RoccoBlogger)
* Tweet about the contest (+ 1 point)
* Friend me on Facebook (+ 1 point) (Link: https://www.facebook.com/ToniLotempio)#!/

* Mention the contest on Facebook (+ 1 point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  Don’t forget to mention all you’ve done in your comment. Good luck Contest ends midnight, May 8!