Tuesday, January 31, 2017

ROCCO interviews Days of Our Lives Nancy Wesley - PATRIKA DARBO!

Merow, we’ve got a real treat for you this week!  Some of you might know that one of the “human’s” favorite shows is the daytime soap opera, DAYS OF OUR LIVES.  Well, today my guest is none other than Nancy Wesley herself!!!!  Yes, you guessed it!  PATRIKA DARBO!!!!!


For those not familiar with the soap or Patrika, she is a Primetime Emmy winner for Best Actress for the inter-net series Acting Dead.  She just completed a starring role in the film Stolen From The Cradle and a guest voice role on American Dad.  She has appeared on countless other series including The Big Bang Theory, The Middle, Devious Maids, Desperate Housewives, Dexter and she was a series regular on the sit-com, Step By Step and the daytime drama, Days of Our Lives for which she received a Daytime Emmy nomination.  She is a veteran of dozens of films including Leaving Normal, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, Daddy's Dyin' (Who's Got The Will?), Speed 2, Rango, Babe and she is often remembered for her stand-out role in Clint Eastwood's In The Line of Fire where John Malkovich infamously proclaimed to her character, "You shouldn't have been from Minneapolis."

R:  Merow, thank you for coming on the blog, Patrika!  The human is salivating and I’m sure other DOOL fans are too!
PD:  Thanks ROCCO. Glad to be here!

R: How did it feel to be back on Days of our Lives after such a long absence?
PD:It always feels like going to a family reunion.  You know a lot of people but then there are new family members to get to know and then the time is  over and off you go again.

R:What do you think of Nancy’s current storyline?

PD:Nancy loves her daughter and will do anything for her, yet she is torn about keeping Nicole's child a secret.  In the end, Chloe is blood and Nancy would die for her.

R:What can Days fans look forward to in the future?

PD:We shoot very far in advance, so I can't really tell you anything.

R:What else have you been up to?

PD:I've been doing Voice Overs and I was elected the Performers Governor at the Television Academy.  I'll be Junior Governor to Lily Tomlin's Senior Governor.  I also did a movie that will probably be on Lifetime called Stolen From The Cradle.  I don't know when it will be released.  I’m also always seen golfing and working on somethings I'd like to produce.
 
R: Describe your co-stars in one word:
PD:
Nadia Bjorlin  Gorgeous

Arianne Zucker Statuesque

Vincent Izzary  Villainous

Eric Martsoff  Delectable

R:What’s your favorite thing to have for lunch?
PD: Chicken Caesar Salad

R:Do you collect anything?
PD: Antique Hat Pins

R:What is your go-to comfort food?
PD: Jamoca Almond Fudge Ice Cream

R:If you entered the witness protection program and had to start over, what job would you want to do?
PD:Zoo Keeper

R:What is your most annoying habit?
PD: Interrupting

R:What would you love to have a never ending supply of?
PD: Acting jobs

R:Whats the last tv show that made you laugh?
PD: The Big Bang Theory

R:What store could you browse in for hours?
PD:Any shoe store

R:What crazy thing have you done your fans would be surprised to find out?
PD: I’ve zip lined!

Meow, thank you so much for a great interview, Nancy!
Be sure to cat-ch Patrika Darbo on Days of Our Lives on NBC, Monday through Friday, noon EST!  Watch for her new movies coming out soon!





Thursday, January 26, 2017

Author Mary Angela on the blog!

 Meow! This week my guest is author Mary Angela!


Mary Angela is the author of An Act of Murder, the debut novel in the Professor Prather mystery series, and an English teacher at the University of Sioux Falls.  When she’s not grading papers (when is she not grading papers?), she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. An avid mystery fan, she is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Visit www.maryangelabooks.com for more information about Mary or her work.


R:  Welcome to the blog, Mary Angela! Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in writing.
Thanks ROCCO! I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing, even at a young age. Choose Your Own Adventures were some of my favorite mysteries. I would flip through every possible ending until I found the right one. At this time, I wrote mostly poems and short stories. My mom wrote poems, and watching her, I naturally gravitated toward creative writing as a way to interact with words. Later I would write longer works: a romance novel, a literary novel for my master’s thesis, and finally the first novel in the Professor Prather series, An Act of Murder.

R: Tell us about the Professor Prather mysteries.  How did the idea for that come about?
Although I teach English at a liberal arts college in South Dakota, I actually got the idea for the series when I was a graduate student. The people and professors on campus were unlike anybody I had ever met; they made a strong impression on me. They lived in a world within a world, and I thought that idea would be neat to integrate into a series.

R: As an English professor, do you have a particular literary favorite? 
I have so many authors I admire, but one of my favorite authors is F. Scott Fitzgerald and his novel The Great Gatsby. I’m drawn to the theme of the American Dream, and a poor North Dakota farm boy becoming a bootlegging millionaire obviously fits into that category. But it’s Gatsby’s capacity for hope that has fascinated me for years. I often wonder if it is his saving grace—or his undoing. I still haven’t made up my mind. I could read the book many more times and still discover nuances in his character.

R: How did you feel when you got the call your first novel had sold?
When Camel Press told me they would like to publish An Act of Murder, I was going through a rough period in my life. My dad had just passed away a few weeks prior, and the book was far from my mind. Its publication was an incredibly bright spot during a dark time. It gave my family and me something to look forward to.

R: What’s a must have for you when you are writing? What aids the creative process?
I need my MacBook computer and a cup of coffee … well, several cups of coffee. (I write in the morning!) I do all my drafting and revising on my computer, making notes on a notepad. A full night’s sleep helps, too.


R: If you had access to a time machine, which historical moment would you travel to and why?
I would love to travel to the Roaring Twenties, probably because of my interest in the Fitzgeralds. But so many other authors were active during this time period, such as Dorothy Parker and Agatha Christie, whom I would like to meet. I would love to tour Christie’s English home one day. I’ve read that guests can even stay overnight in one of the rooms.

R:  If a movie were to be made of one of your books, which one would you want it to be and who would you pick for the lead roles?
I love Hallmark and can imagine them making a movie of An Act of Murder. The town of Copper Bluff and its college campus would be the perfect setting for one of their mysteries.

R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?
I have two very special daughters who are eight and eleven. They love giving me wacky ideas for book titles.

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?
I hope they will take away a love of Copper Bluff and its characters as well as an appreciation for the plot. I pride myself on creating hard-to-crack whodunits.
R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a pantser. When I begin, I know who gets killed and why. All the scenes, though, are generated spontaneously.
R: Where can we find out more about you and your work?
You can go to www.maryangelabooks.com to find out more about me or my work. Passport to Murder, book two in the Professor Prather series, will come out in October of 2017. You can also view my upcoming events and giveaways as well as read my monthly blog.
R: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?
Write from your heart. “What your heart thinks is great, is great. The soul’s emphasis is always right.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson



Just for Fun:
Night or Day?  Night
Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  Cat
Beach or Pool?   Pool
Steak or salad?  I’m from South Dakota—steak!
Favorite Drink?  Coffee
Favorite Book?  The Great Gatsby
Favorite TV Series?  Bones
Favorite Movie?  Moonstruck
Favorite Actor: Johnny Depp
Favorite Actress: Angelina Jolie
Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Dirty Martini
Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii
Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Zelda Fitzgerald.
If I had just one wish, it would be for the end of child hunger.
If I could trade places with anyone in the world, I wouldn’t. I like being me.
Thanks Mary Angela!

Folks, Mary Angela will give away 1 signed copy of An Act of Murder 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, January 30!


Sunday, January 22, 2017

Revisiting an old favorite Interview with SOFIE KELLY!



MEROW!  Here's a blast from the past - my 2013 interview with NYT bestselling author Sofie Kelly!
MEOW!  My guest today is Sofie Kelly, NYT author of the “Magical Cats” mysteries!

Sofie Kelly is the author of the New York Times best-selling Magical Cats mysteries. As Sofie Ryan she writes the upcoming Second Chance Cat mysteries. In her spare time she cooks, hikes, practices tai chi and makes mixed media journals. She also has a tiny crush on the Today Show's Matt Lauer.

R:  Meow, Sofie, welcome. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in writing.
S: Thanks ROCCO! I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I won third place in a poetry contest in third grade. As a child I loved to make up stories—I still do.

 
R: So what’s in Kathleen and Marcus’ future? Any news you can share?
S: All I’m going to say is “it ain’t over til it’s over!”

R: Which of (your character) adventures was the most fun for you to write? Were any of them the least amount of fun?
S: It’s hard to pick just one. I enjoy any adventure that involves the cats. They’re all inspired in some way by something a real cat I know has done. The least amount of fun was the scene in SLEIGHT OF PAW where Kathleen is trapped in a basement. I’m not crazy about small spaces.

R:  Do you have an “how I got my agent” story you’d like to share?  How did you feel when you got the call your first novel had sold?
S: My agent is Kim Lionetti of Bookends. I had been represented by an agent who had retired, and when Kim said she felt we could work together I was thrilled. She’s a very positive person.

My very first book was a young adult novel and when I learned it was going to be published I was speechless—and that rarely happens!

R: What’s a must have for you when you are writing? What aids the creative process?
S: A title. It’s a weird little quirk that I have. I have to have a title. It doesn’t have to be that creative a title and it’s rarely the published title, but the book has to have a name before I start.

If I’m not feeling especially creative I remember that the orthodontist expects to be paid and that usually give me the nudge I need to start writing!

R: If you had access to a time machine, which historical moment would you travel to and why?
S: I’m laughing because my husband looked over my shoulder, read this question and said, “You’re going to tell the raisin bread story, aren’t you?”
(Yes, I am.)

The raisin bread story comes from our history. When we were first dating I made raisin bread to impress him with my cooking skills. (His mom was a great cook.) He said, “Thank you, but I don’t like raisin bread.” And I apologized! I tease him that if I had a time machine I would go back in time and tell him exactly what I thought of that comment and maybe kick him in the shins. He likes to remind me that I married him despite his gauche behavior. And he still doesn’t like raisin bread, but I do and I don’t have to share.

R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?
S: Probably that I run. My gait is awkward and I sweat profusely. I don’t look like a runner. I look like I’m about to pass out.

R: What is the craziest thing you've ever done? 
S: Three 5K races.

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?
S: I hope they’re entertained. I hope they finish one of my books and don’t feel that they’ve wasted their time.
R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
S: Plotter all the way. I think it’s a personality trait. I like to make lists and when I travel I like to have a map.
R: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks? :)
S:I like to cook. As a family we do a lot of hiking. And I sing with a great deal of enthusiasm but almost no musical ability.
R: Where can we find out more about you and your work?
and for my new alter ego coming in early 2014: www.sofieryan.com
R: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?
S: Read everything. Read good books and terrible ones. Read in your favorite genre and outside of it. And of course, write. It doesn’t matter how bad your first draft is. Once you have the story down on paper you can fix it, but you can’t fix what you haven’t written.


Just for Fun:
Night or Day?  Day
Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  Cat—no disrespect to any dogs who may be reading. (ROCCO: Love that answer!)
Beach or Pool?   On a hot day, either.
Steak or salad?  Salad. (I’m assuming there’s no chocolate.)
Favorite Drink?  Coffee
Favorite Book?  It’s impossible to pick one. I’m a big fan of Kurt Vonnegut. I’ve probably read every book by Agatha Christie at least twice.
Favorite TV Series?  Big Bang Theory
Favorite Movie?  The Princess Bride
Favorite Actor: Nathan Fillion from Castle is pretty cute. I wonder if he likes raisin bread. (ROCCO: Dunno. We’ll  have to ask him. I’m the official spokescat for his charity, Kids Need to Read)
Favorite Actress: I’m a big fan of Mariska Hargitay from Law & Order SVU.
Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Neither.
Hawaii or Alaska? I’ve never been to either, so both.
Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be probably my father. He died when I was very small.
If I had just one wish, it would be that we could all learn to see past our differences.
If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be Julianne Moore, solely so I could have her hair for the day.

Thank you, Sofie, for a wonderful interview!
Folks, to find out more about Sofie and her mystery series, check out these sites:
www.sofieryan.com

Since this interview, Sofie has published eight books in the popular magical cats series, and under her other pen name of Sofie Ryan four in her Second Chance Cat mysteries starring Elvis!!!!!  (the cat, not the King)

Penguin has donated a copy of Sofie Ryan's latest Second Chance Cat mystery, Telling Tails, to one reader! 
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. Contest ends midnight, January 28! Good luck!


ROCCO
INCREDIBLE BLOGGING CAT

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Rocco welcomes Suspense author Mike, M.A, Lawson!

ROCCO’s guest…suspense author Mike, aka M.A., Lawson!


Mike Lawson is the award-winning author of fourteen published novels.  He has been nominated for the Barry Award six times and has twice won the Portland-based Friends of Mystery Award for his Joe DeMarco political thriller series. The first book in his second series, titled Rosarito Beach, involving a rogue DEA agent named Kay Hamilton, was optioned for television.  Mike’s eleventh DeMarco book, House Revenge, was released be in July 2016 and his third Kay Hamilton book, K Street, in January 2017.  Prior to turning to writing full time, Mike was a nuclear engineer employed by the Navy and he lives in the Northwest.




R:  Welcome Mike! Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in writing.

ML: Thanks ROCCO! I’ve always been a big reader and in the job I had working for the navy, there was actually a lot of writing involved.  At some point, I decided to try writing a novel. This was way back in my thirties.  The mechanical process of writing – on a typewriter, whiting out typos, etc. - was simply too time consuming for a guy working ten, twelve hours a day.  What really got me started writing were programs like Word Perfect and Word and the invention of the laptop computer.  Writing these days – and more importantly re-writing and editing – is just so much simpler with the technology available now, which is one of the reasons so many people write books.  The other thing was, I used to take a ferry every day from Seattle to my job in Bremerton.  It was a fifty minute ride and in the morning I’d do navy stuff but in the evening – and I had no idea how big a deal this was at the time – I had forty or so minutes of uninterrupted time in which to write – which for a working guy with a family was really a gift.  The last thing that launched my writing career was that I read a book by a very famous author – I’ll never tell you his name – and the book really wasn’t very good.  I said to myself: Self, you can write a book as bad as that one – and, in fact, I wrote one even worse.  It never got published but I proved to myself that I could write a novel.  And then wrote my first novel which was eventually published.


R: What writers in your genre would you say have made the greatest influence on your writing?

My favorite writers are guys like Richard Price and George Pelecanos, and in non-fiction, Michael Lewis and Eric Larsen.  But I would say writers like John Sanford, Robert B. Parker and Elmore Leonard, who always have some humor in their books and a simple – I guess you’d say a “non-literary” way of writing – probably influenced my style more.  

R: Tell us about your Demarco series. How did the idea for that come about? For your second series? 

ML: The DeMarco books came about in two stages.  The first was I wanted some sort of D.C. setting because there’s so much in the news every day – corruption, scandals, boneheaded things that politicians do – that I can always come up with an idea for the next book.  Most of my books are based on some real life event.  The other thing I wanted was a protagonist who wasn’t a cop or a detective or a lawyer – there are already too many of those characters out there – so I came up with DeMarco – a fixer working for a corrupt politician.   The second series with Kay Hamilton started with a conversation with a television producer looking for a story with a female protagonist.  I never completed the deal with the producer – that’s a different story – but wrote a screenplay that I eventually turned into Rosarito Beach.

R: Tell us about your newest release.

ML: K Street was in some ways inspired by the movie Three Days of the Condor – that is by the beginning of the movie, when Robert Redford walks into his office and finds all his co-workers dead – which is basically the beginning of K Street.  After that it was a matter of pitting a covert, under the table intelligence agency (The Callahan Group) against real intelligence agencies, namely the NSA and the Chinese intelligence apparatus.   What I like about the Kay Hamilton character is she’s ruthless and totally independent and not bound by convention.

R: Which of (your character) adventures was the most fun for you to write? Were any of them the least amount of fun?

ML:  I enjoy writing all the books.  Even the research can be fun.  But I suppose the characters that are the most fun to write are the villains.   I like villains who aren’t “Terminator” types  - unemotional, pure evil, driven only by killing.  I like villains who have an ordinary side to them, a human side, something that in some ways can make you like them just a little bit.  In one of the books, the professional killer was a short, dumpy guy who ran a bar and was a terrible shot.  That kind of character.

R:  Do you have a “how I got my agent” story you’d like to share?  How did you feel when you got the call your first novel had sold?

ML: It took me ten years to find the right agent and get my first novel published.  I had four or five other agents during that period – some of those stories are a hoot – like the lady in Ohio – but I found my current agent in sort of an unusual way.  I’d go to bookstores – when there were still bookstores – and look at the acknowledgment section of debut authors because they always mention their agent.  I figured if an agent would take on one unpublished writer he or she might take on another.  Anyway, that’s how I found my agent – found his name in a book because the guy doesn’t need to advertise – and sent him a query letter.  When I found out he was John Grisham’s agent … Well you know that expression: Thought I’d died and gone to heaven? He got me a two book deal literally within days of agreeing to represent me.   As for how felt when I got my first book deal – well I’m back to that expression: Thought I’d died and ….

R: What’s a must have for you when you are writing? What aids the creative process?

ML: Mostly I just need a place to sit.  In the early days I wrote on the ferry and wrote a lot in coffee shops.  So I don’t even need total silence as I can usually just block everything out and focus. (People gabbing on cell phones are an exception.) These days I write mostly at home but I don’t need anything special – like music or a sound proof office - just a lot of coffee and functioning laptop.  I’m one of those people who wake up very early, and I write everyday.  Some days it goes well, some days it doesn’t.  But I get up about five and just start writing and I’m usually done by ten or so and then I go play golf or do whatever my wife tells me to do.

R: If you had access to a time machine, which historical moment would you travel to and why?

ML: You know that’s an interesting question and I suppose a lot of past eras would be interesting just to see how much reality matches written history.  But the truth is, I’d much rather go forward in time to see if mankind ever manages to escape its own worst instincts or if we’ve totally screwed up the planet, the way we currently appear to be doing.  

R:  If a movie were to be made of one of your books, which one would you want it to be and who would you pick for the lead roles?

I would really like to see either the DeMarco books or the Kay Hamilton books turned into television series.  I think both have enormous potential – DeMarco because of the political aspects of the books and the humor – and Kay Hamilton because she’d make an interesting, unconventional female protagonist.  (Rosarito Beach was actually optioned for television but in the end the series was never produced.)   Regarding who plays the lead characters, I just want it to be some bankable star who would attract viewers.  I honestly don’t have a particular actor in mind for either character.

R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?

ML: It seems that most people are surprised that I worked as an engineer when I had a real job.  (Writing’s too much fun to be classified as a real job.)  Most people seem to think of engineers being too “left-brained” to be creative.  The fact is that writing is kind of like a little engineering problem when it comes to developing plots.   

R: What is the craziest thing you've ever done? 

ML: I could come up with a long list of crazy things I did when I was a kid – the kind of things where I could have been seriously hurt or killed – the kind of stupid things it seems most boys do.  But as an adult I can’t really think of anything particularly crazy.  Does going out on sea trials of a just overhauled nuclear submarine – where they take the ship down to test depth to make sure everything was put back together correctly during the overhaul - count as crazy?

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?

ML: Enjoyment.  I’m not trying to push any cultural or political agenda in the books.  I want people to be entertained and I hope they are. 


Just for Fun:

Night or Day?   - Definitely Day.  I get up so damn early that I go to bed pretty early, too.  Can’t remember the last time I was in a bar when they said they said: Time to drink up, we’re closing

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully) – We had a cat for years.  I like that they’re independent and don’t require a whole lot of care – Okay, I’m talking about having no desire to walk behind a dog and pick up poop and put it in a bag.

Beach or Pool?   Beach side bar is more my style.  
 
Steak or salad?   Both.  It’s the baked potato I can’t handle these days.

Favorite Drink?  Coffee of the non-alcoholic type.  I’m not a Coke guy.  Vodka Martinis when it comes to the other type.

Favorite Book?  Don’t really have a favorite.  I read a lot, like both fiction and non-fiction.  I just finished reading Richard Price’s “The Whites”,  Michael Harvey’s “Brighton”, and “The Pope and Mussolini” (non-fiction) by David Kertzer

Favorite TV Series?  The Wire.   Thought it was brilliant. 

Favorite Movie?  The Shawshank Redemption

Favorite Actor:  One of my favorite actors was Philip Seymour Hoffman.  He was a brilliant character actor and his passing was truly a tragedy.

Favorite Actress: I’m really impressed by the actresses who seem like they’re ageless, the ones that have lasted even after the bloom of youth is gone, actresses like Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon.  I think actresses like Cate Blanchet and Kate Winslet are those kind of actresses and will be acting into their eighties.

Hawaii or Alaska?  Hawaii.   Especially as I’m writing this.  There’s snow outside and I can’t play golf.

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be:
J.D. Salinger.  Why in the hell did he decide to stop writing? Or did he?

If I had just one wish, it would be:  The best, happiest lives possible for my wife and son.  I’ve had a great life and have no complaints.

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be: Hell, I don’t know.  Santa Claus?

Thanks for a great interview, Mike.

Mike will be giving away a copy of his latest release, K Street, to two lucky commenters! 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, January 22!





Saturday, January 7, 2017

Revisiting ROCCO's 2016 interview with....GERRY SCHMITT!





Ma-row! My guest today is author Gerry Schmitt who is probably better known to you as Laura Childs! Today I am interviewing her on her new series!

Gerry Schmitt is the author of Little Girl Gone, an Afton Tangler Thriller to be released July 5, 2016. Writing under her pen name Laura Childs, she is
the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-six mysteries, including the Scrapbooking Mysteries, Tea Shop Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Gerry is the former CEO of her own marketing firm, has won dozens of TV and radio awards, and produced two reality TV shows. She and her professor husband enjoy travel and their two Shar-Pei dogs.


Welcome, Gerry! As Laura Childs, you write three fabulous cozy series. What made you make the leap into thrillers?

Thanks for having me, ROCCO!  It’s not such a huge leap. I’ve been writing what I call a “thrillzy” for years. This is my own brand of hybrid book that dances between a thriller and a cozy. Instead of sweet little ladies with cats, I incorporate smart, daring female entrepreneurs, double murders, international jewel thieves, arson, ponzi schemes, car crashes, smash and grab robberies, hangings, drownings, maniacal cult leaders, haunted houses, horse thieves, etc. If it’s crazy, evil, or exciting, I’ll stick it in one of my books.

Tell us what inspired this new series, the Afton Tangler Thrillers. Where did the idea for LITTLE GIRL GONE come from?

The first time I saw a “reborn” doll, a doll that had been stripped of factory paint and then reworked to look like a real infant, I thought to myself, “This is amazingly creepy.” I mean, this doll had hand-inserted hair and eyelashes, a perfect airbrushed paint job, and even a tiny motor to imitate a heartbeat. People who bought these dolls actually signed adoptions papers! From that sort of jumping off point it was easy to build a twisty, off-kilter plot.

Which do you prefer writing, thrillers or cozies?

I’m a commercial writer who’s written screenplays, TV commercials, reality shows, etc.  So I pretty much love writing everything. Writing thrillers is a little more difficult, however, because they demand a longer format and slightly more intricate plot.

Are you a fan of thrillers? Who is your favorite thriller author?

I read every thriller I can get my hands on, but my favorite thriller author is John Sandford. He’s the master of casual dialogue and intricate, gritty plots.

With four series on your plate, you are one busy lady! How do you keep your characters/plots straight and how do you schedule your writing so the series don’t overlap?

It’s fairly easy to keep my characters and plots straight because I work from a very tight outline. I always sketch out characters and key plot ideas before I start writing, and then I forge ahead with a ninety-page outline. That outline gives me a very tight parameter that’s easy to work from. As far as my series overlapping, they do! I’m usually working on two books at once. I’m a binge writer, so the minute I run out of ideas or energy for one book, I switch over to the second book. For some reason I can always find my mojo again!

Big question for your cozy fans: Do you intend to keep on writing your other three series and if so, can you tell us any future plans for them?

Actually, much of the future’s already written. CREPE FACTOR, the next Scrapbooking Mystery comes out in October and I’m already writing GLITTER BOMB, which will be the next book with a Mardi Gras theme. EGG DROP DEAD, my next Cackleberry Club Mystery, will be out in December, and I’ve already started writing EGGS OVER UNEASY. PEKOE MOST POISON, the next Tea Shop Mystery, will be out in March 2017 and that’s already written and sent off to my publisher. Now I’m working on the plot for PLUM TEA CRAZY. And I’m also working on an Afton Tangler Thriller for July 2017 publication. No title yet, but it involves a helicopter crash, international smugglers, a home shopping network, and a deranged widow out for revenge!

Describe your workspace.

It’s a mess. Press kits, ARCs, and boxes of books everywhere. My husband says I need an office and a mailroom. I agree.  (And I can’t forget my dogs, two Chinese Shar-Pei who sprawl everywhere.)


Do you have a favorite quote?

“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake” – Napoleon Bonaparte. (Harsh but very true when you’re in the middle of a business deal.)

What’s the best and worst part of being an author?

The best part is working for myself, which I do as an author and did for almost twenty years as CEO of my own marketing firm. The worst part (really the hardest part) is not having my former team around me anymore. (Although my designers have been brought in as freelancers.)

Read the Human's article on Gerry Schmitt in this month's issue of Night Owl Magazine: Night Owl - New Face for Suspense - Gerry Schmitt

Sunday, January 1, 2017

ROCCO revisits a popular interview from 2015 - VICKI DELANY



REPRINTING ROCCO'S INTERVIEW WITH VICKI FROM 12/26/15!

 

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers, author of the Constable Molly Smith police procedural series, standalone Gothic thrillers, and the Klondike Gold Rush books, as well as Rapid Read novellas including Juba Good, currently a finalist for the Ontario Library Association’s Golden Oak award. Under the pen name Eva Gates she is writing the Lighthouse Library cozy mystery series from Penguin Random House, set in a historic lighthouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The second in the series, Booked for Trouble was released in September 2015.

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen, the first book in the Year Round Christmas series is Vicki’s 20th published book.

A former computer programmer and systems analyst, Vicki lives and writes in bucolic Prince Edward County Ontario. She is the current President of Crime Writers of Canada.

 

  • Tell us a little about your background

My career was as a computer programmer and systems analyst. I left that seven years ago and am now a full time writer, author of 20 published books (so far).  My three daughters are all grown up, and I live a quiet life in a little house in the countryside in Southern Ontario.

  • Tell us a bit about your latest book, REST YE MURDERED GENTLEMEN. Where did that idea for a Christmas cozy come from?

The bones of the idea was from my agent, Kim Lionetti of Bookends. She suggested a Christmas themed store, and I took that further and created a Christmas themed town.

  • Tell us about other books you’ve written.

I have three standalone novels of psychological suspense from Poisoned Pen Press, the Constable Molly Smith series, also from Poisoned Pen, of which the eighth, Unreasonable Doubt, will be released in February, four books in the Klondike Gold Rush Series. And under the pen name of Eva Gates, I write the Lighthouse Library cozy series for Penguin Random House

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

I used to be a true pantser, but now that I am writing for Penguin Random House, they require an outline, and I find I really like writing that way.  The outline’s the hard part.  Get that out of the way, and writing the book’s the easy bit. 

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

Character determines plot. People act in certainly ways because of their character. So, saying that, I think character comes first.

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

I got my agent, Kim Lionetti, because my good friend Mary Jane Maffini recommended me to her. Kim didn’t want the work I was proposing, but when she heard of something I might be able to do she contacted me. The moral of that story, I believe, is the importance of networking. Of making friends in the writing community.

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

I am currently writing the third in the Year Round Christmas series, Hark the Herald Angels Slay.  The third Lighthouse Library book, Reading Up A Storm, will be out in April. I hope to continue writing both those series, as well as the Constable Molly Smith books.

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

I am a total creature of routine.

I get up every morning, seven days a week.  I go to my main computer in my office, and read e-mails, read the papers online, spend a bit of time on Facebook or Twitter. 

Then it’s time to start to write.  I walk into the dining room and stand at my Netbook computer which is on the half-wall between the kitchen and the dining room and boot it up.  (In the summer I might sit outside on the deck) As I pass through the kitchen, I put one egg on to boil.

I always write, standing up, on the Netbook.  I read over everything I did the previous day, doing a light edit as I go.  I then take my egg into the study and eat it while checking email. 

Then back to the small computer for several writing hours, usually finishing around one.

And that’s pretty much it.  I can’t write in small chunks. I can’t write as the spirit moves me.  

Three to four hours a day, every day of the week, every day of the year when I am home, unless I have company.

  • 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?

I’d probably go for length, if they have to last me a year. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy would be one. (Is that cheating?). An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears, because it’s long but also because it’s one of my favorite books of all time.  And something that would require a lot of concentration: How about the collected works of William Shakespeare, or a history of the world perhaps.

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

My advice is always the same. Read, and read a lot. Only by reading extensively is a writer able to know what works, and perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t.

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

I drove across North America, and up and down (Ontario to the Pacific; Alaska to San Diego) alone when I first retired. Had a marvelous time.  I wouldn’t say that’s anything crazy though, because it’s what I like to do.

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

That I’m an extreme introvert.  But remember, introvert doesn’t mean shy. Because I’m not that.

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

Q: Tell us about the Crime Writers of Canada.

A: I’d be happy to. I am the current president of the CWC, which is the Canadian equivalent of the MWA in the US or the CWA in the UK. We are an organization representing professional Canadian writers of mystery, suspense and true crime.  Information about our members and our books can be found at www.crimewriterscanada.com

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

My web page is www.vickidelany.com.  Eva Gates has her own page at www.lighthouselibrarymysteries.com. I’m on Facebook at evagatesauthor and twitter @vickidelany

UPDATE:Since this interview, Vicki has published the second in the Year Round Christmas mystery series, WE WISH YOU A MURDEROUS CHRISTMAS.  She also has a new series from Crooked Lane, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, debuting in March with ELEMENTARY, SHE READ.

WIN A COPY OF REST YE MURDERED GENTLEMEN, first in the Year Round Christmas series! Leave a comment with your email address in our comments section.  Winner will be chosen at random.  Contest ends midnight, January 8.