Thursday, September 27, 2018

A Bookish Conversation with 'Mortal Foe' Marty Roppelt @martyroppelt

September 27, 2018 0 Comments

“My eyes snap open wide.

A shadow faces me from beyond the foot of my bed. I shiver, holding my breath. The tall, bulky intruder seems oblivious. My sleep-hazy mind tells me to lie still. I'll make myself smaller that way, so the invader won't see me.
I'm making myself small…
My brain stirs slowly. A minute passes, then a few more. My eyes take their time adjusting to the darkness. Across the room, the sinister hulk takes the shape of my antique cherry-wood armoire.
My girlfriend, Kelly, lies next to me, undisturbed. She faces away. Her chest rises and falls with each breath, her body radiating warmth.
I don't move. Dread still freezes me in place. A voice in my head, my own voice, whispers a warning to me. The warning is so primal it would wear a bearskin if it had a life of its own.
Don't show the darkness any fear, any weakness.”

--From Mortal Foe by Marty Roppelt

Marty Roppelt was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His original profession was acting on stage, in local commercials and training films and in film. This means that he has experienced life through a wide variety of day and night jobs, from barista to waiter and bartender to security guard, amongst many others. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Becky, and their eccentric cat, Fritz. Mortal Foe is his debut novel.

Book Description:


A picture is worth a thousand words… But what if that image can only be seen through the lens of one camera? What is the snapshot can only be seen by a select few? What if the photo has its origins in the pit of Hell? What is that face belongs to an enemy bent on destruction? This is Buddy Cullen's fate when he first dreams of his grandfather's death and then inherits his grandfather's antique camera and captures an image that haunts him and seeks his death. Can Buddy survive the curse that he sarcastically dubs "Popcorn"—a curse that no one wants to believe exists and stalks the city of Cleveland, beginning with its baseball team—a mortal foe?

Interview:
Welcome Marty! It’s interesting to find out how versatile you are – you have been an actor, waiter, security guard, among other jobs before you became published. Did any of these jobs help in providing you with great info to write your book?
Marty: Thanks for having me! I think I've taken something useful from every job I've ever worked, different things from different jobs. Acting is really just story-telling in a different form. Creating a character on stage has helped me create characters on the page. I'd always felt that if, as an actor, you have no idea what makes a character tick, and don't find ways to physically show an audience, they won't get it. Writing is much the same. Working as a security guard trained me to watch people and discern their behavior. And tending bar and waiting tables was a treasure trove of human interactions and behaviors, not to mention more than a few stories I might adapt and use.
Are you a detail freak when it comes to writing your novels?
Marty: Yes. The trick for me, though, is choosing the right details to include. It is, I feel, possible to include too much detail. The reader should have room to let their imaginations breathe a little. Too much detail can be stifling. There are exceptional writers who pack tons of detail into very thick books. Tom Clancy, whose work was stellar, somehow wove piles of technical information into gripping thrillers. I can't do that. I remind myself in the editing process that every single word has to fight for space on the page. If it's not absolutely necessary, it's got to go. I like an analogy I once read about how writing is like carving an elephant. First, you get your block of wood—that's the first draft—and then you chip away everything that doesn't look like elephant. But not enough detail can leave a story mushy or blurry… is that the elephant's trunk or its tail? It's all about the right details.
How hard for you was it to sit down and start writing your novel? Did you have all these ideas swirling around your head or did it take some time before you were actually ready to sit down and begin?
Marty: Mortal Foe morphed into a novel from a short story I wrote called Popcorn. My main idea for that story was a father and son taking in a baseball game, and the son runs across a paranormal entity there. That was it, written and done. But my friend and writing mentor Anne Underwood Grant said to me, "This is a novel." Other aspects of the story came to me as I fleshed out the characters before writing. I always do that because often, for me, a character's personality, their psychology, might take the story in an unexpected direction. That was the case with Foe. I did have an outline to start, but as I added characters and their quirks, that outline changed a lot before I got going on the first draft. So, it wasn't hard for me to start once I created the characters.
Writers are often associated with loner tendencies. Is there any truth to that?
Marty: Maybe. As an actor I indulged in a lifestyle that's very different from the way I live now. Performances were almost always followed by a few beers at the bar across the street, or cast parties. There was a lot of socializing. Now I'm content to hang out quietly with my wife, Becky. And when she's not around, I'm usually working on some writing project or another, and will do so without really thinking I'm alone even though I am. It's not that I've become a loner, really. I still socialize, but not as often and not in the same way as I used to.
What makes writing supernatural thrillers so special to you?
Marty: Mostly my family background. My parents immigrated from Transylvania—yeah, there is such a place, in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. I've been there, and it is a deeply superstitious place. There was in fact a Dracula, but he wasn't a vampire and did far more horrifying things than Bram Stoker ever had nightmares about. His nickname was Vlad the Impaler. 'Nuff said about that. My mom loved horror novels, so growing up I had easy access to whatever she'd just brought home from the local library. I also have to mention my faith here. I don't just read the Bible, I study it. And folks who have never read the Bible might be surprised at some of the paranormal passages in it. What could be more terrifying than watching a mass of dried bones re-connect and come back to life? Or a living mist that wipes out tens of thousands of sleeping soldiers in the dead of night?
I am so excited about your novel, Mortal Foe. Can you tell us a little bit about the main characters?
Marty: I'll try to do this without giving too much away. Buddy Cullen, the main character, is a young journalism professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He's a die-hard Cleveland Indians fan (the Indians just lost the 1995 World Series). He's an agnostic, had a Catholic upbringing but is a believer in only what he can see and feel. Kelly Byrne is Buddy's gorgeous girlfriend—his Kryptonite, really. Buddy feels she's out of his league but doesn't question their relationship; it's enough that they're together. RJ is Buddy's best friend since grade school, an intern at a local hospital. They get together for a weekly game of darts and a few beers. RJ's younger sister Erika is one of Buddy's students. She's naturally curious, and laser-focused on the Who-What-When-Where-Why-How of journalism. And Buddy's dad Michael is a damaged Vietnam War vet who runs a dive bar in Downtown Cleveland. He fights internal demons, but doesn't put stock in external ones.
They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point when the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in Mortal Foe?
Marty: Early on, Buddy is sitting in a church at a funeral service, his mind wandering until he starts getting the nagging feeling he's being watched. The feeling grows in intensity until he can barely stand it any more. But my favorite chapter as far as can't-put-it-down moments comes later, when Buddy tracks a paranormal entity in an old-style, retired bus back to its lair late one night.
What’s next for you?
Marty: I'm currently working on a sequel to Mortal Foe. Foe takes place in 1995. The sequel is in the present day, and the son of a Foe character is a Cleveland police officer dealing with simmering racial tensions stoked by another paranormal entity. I do believe Shakespeare had it right when his Hamlet says, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."


Thursday, September 20, 2018

A Bookish Conversation with Shawn M. Beasley, Author of Killing the Rougarou @mamashawbeasl1

September 20, 2018 0 Comments

“Being from South Louisiana, you hear a lot of folklore. You never actually believe the old tales. You pass the stories on down to your babies and so on. You never quite believe in them until you meet a monster. Maybe then, you wonder: Could these stories be true?”

--From Killing the Rougarou by Shawn M. Beasley

Author Shawn Beasley was born and raised in small town Louisiana. She has a BSRN and has traveled the world only to return to the same small town where she was raised. Shawn has three grown children, one girl and two sons. She lives with her oldest son and grandson and has three other grandchildren that she adores. She has two fur babies, Pete and Taz. Killing the Rougarou is her debut novel and is the first book in a series of five. She is a member of Romance Writers of America.

Book Description:

Author Shawn Beasley captivates readers with the enthralling saga of two southern families-the Gauthiers from the South Louisiana bayou country and the Thomases from rural Texas-and the nightmare that will ultimately touch them both. In her sweeping and richly evocative novel, Beasley unfolds two remarkable family histories, populated by unforgettable, deeply human characters, and then rocks their worlds with tragedy and true horror. A novel that succeeds brilliantly on many levels, Killing the Rougarou is, at once, moving and terrifying, tense and thrilling, while capturing the sights, sounds, and vibrant life of Louisiana's Cajun country and Brazos County, Texas.
Interview:

Welcome Shawn! Your book, Killing the Rougarou, sounds absolutely thrilling! For those
not familiar, can you explain what a Rougarou is?

Shawn: A rougarou is the Cajun werewolf.

Killing the Rougarou is your first novel in a five part series. How long did it take you to complete this first one and have you started on the others yet?

Shawn: It has taken me a little over 31/2 years to get to where I am now. I am working on 6 stories now. Four are with the series.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters?

Shawn: James and Cat are the main characters in this story. James is a Cajun beauty and is a little off-balance due to the vicious attack on her as a small child. Cat is the typical alpha male until he meets her.

They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point where the reader just can’t put the book down. Can you tell give us one of the pivotal points in your book?

Shawn: I think one of the pivotal points in this story is; when her daddy sees her in the hospital for the first time after the attack.

Can you explain to us why it was important for you to write your story?

Shawn: I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. It took a while but I did.

I noticed that you are a member of Romance Writers of America. Did being a member of this organization help with writing your series?

Shawn: Absolutely.

Final question (promise!): do you have any advice for the yet-to-be-published writers reading this?

Shawn: Breathe and write!

Thursday, September 13, 2018

A Conversation with 'A Highland Emerald' Brenda B. Taylor @rayburnlady

September 13, 2018 0 Comments

“The words spewed from Da’s mouth. A sinister, dark shadow cloaked his face. Muscles twitched in his jaws and his hands clenched in tight fists. I stepped back. He abruptly turned, making his way up the stone steps to the upper story bed chambers, feeling the wall for security. When his foot struck the arisaid I’d dropped on the stair, he reached down, seized the garment, flung it with a vehemence I rarely witnessed from him, and continued up the staircase. The large dog followed at his heels. Not knowing what to do, I grabbed the arisaid, wrapped it closely around my shoulders, pulled the hood over my head, then ran toward the door of the great hall. Ellic waited in the garden. I wanted to be near him, feel his embrace, and listen to the sweet words he would whisper in my ear.”

From A Highland Emerald by Brenda B. Taylor

The desire to write historical fiction has long been a passion with Brenda B. Taylor. Since elementary school, she has written stories in her spare time. Brenda earned three degrees: a BSE from Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas; a MEd from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas; and an EdD from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; then worked as a teacher and administrator in the Texas Public School system. Only after retirement could she fulfill the dream of publication.

Brenda and her husband make their home in beautiful East Texas where they enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working in Bethabara Faith Ministry, Inc. She crafts stories about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people in her favorite place overlooking bird feeders, bird houses, and a variety of blooming trees and flowers. She sincerely thanks all who purchase and read her books. Her desire is that the message in each book will touch the heart of the reader as it did hers in the writing.

Her latest book is the Scottish Historical Romance A Highland Emerald.



Book Description:

Aine MacLean is forced into an arranged marriage with Sir William, Chief of Clan Munro, yet her heart belongs to a handsome young warrior in her father’s guard. She must leave Durant Castle, the home of her birth on the Isle of Mull, and travel across Scotland in a perilous journey to her husband’s home on Cromarty Firth. William agrees to a year and day of handfasting, giving Aine an opportunity to accept him and his clan. He promises her the protection of Clan Munro, however, Aine experiences kidnapping, pirates, and almost loses her life in the River Moriston. She doubts the sincerity of William’s promises and decides to return to Durant Castle when the handfasting ends. William determines to win Aine’s heart. Will the brave knight triumph in his fight for the bonnie lass?

A Highland Emerald is the third book in the award-winning Highland Treasures series. The novel tells the story of Aine MacLean and William Munro and is the prequel to A Highland Pearl.


Welcome Brenda! The desire to write historical fiction traces back to when you were a child. What sparked the interest of writing this genre at that young age?
Brenda: I loved studying history and making up stories, so combining the two came naturally. I made up stories in my head for many years until I retired and could put them on paper.
Are you a detail freak when it comes to writing your novels?
Brenda: My research for the historical novels is extensive, so I do attend to detail. I like to have the facts correct, but then the stories are fiction. Although the storyline, characters, and some places are fictitious, I try to make them correct according to the setting and time period.
How hard for you was it to sit down and start writing your novel? Did you have all these ideas swirling around your head or did it take some time before you were actually ready to sit down and begin?
Brenda: My first novel took several years of thinking about it, attending conferences, and studying the art of fiction writing before I finally typed the first word.
Writers are often associated with loner tendencies. Is there any truth to that?
Brenda: Out of necessity, writers are very introverted and self-absorbed. I spend a lot of time alone with my thoughts and ideas, yet I enjoy being with others and schedule times I can interact with friends and family.
I am so excited about your novel, A Highland Emerald. Can you tell us a little bit about the main characters?
Brenda: Aine MacLean, whose home is Durant Castle on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, is the heroine of A Highland Emerald. Her father, Lachlan Og MacLean, Chief of Clan MacLean, arranged her marriage to William Munro, Chief of Clan Munro, who resides across Scotland in Fàrdach Castle on the banks of Cromarty Firth. William understands Aine’s hesitancy in marrying him and agrees to a year and day of chaste handfasting or trial marriage. The couple must make a perilous journey across Scotland from Aine’s home on the Atlantic Ocean to William’s home near the North Sea. Aine is a pampered daughter at the beginning of the story who grows into a responsible wife and mother. Most of the time William is understanding with Aine, trying to win her affection and respect, but she does try his patience.
They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point when the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in A Highland Emerald?
Brenda: The pivotal point in A Highland Emerald is when Aine is forced to choose between ending the chaste handfasting and taking William as her true husband or enduring the imprisonment of her body guard, Sion.
What’s next for you?
Brenda: I recently finished a novella in the Highland Treasures series entitled, A Highland Bride. Next I plan to write a novel or novella in the post-Civil War series, The Wades of Crawford County.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

A Bookish Conversation with Nancy Gray, Author of 'Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow'

September 12, 2018 1 Comments

“Sophie got into the backseat of the car and didn’t glance back in the direction of the scarecrow until they were driving. When she did turn to look, even though she knew it wasn’t possible, the scarecrow’s head seemed to be cocked in a different direction, slightly upward, as though it was watching them leave. Just as she was about to say something to her parents, a wall of crows flew up from the cornfield and obscured her view. When they were gone the head was resting down again. Sophie made a whimpering sound in the back of her throat that she was glad her parents didn’t hear and shifted further down into her seat, hoping that even the top of her head wouldn’t show through the back window.”

From Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow by Nancy Gray

Nancy Gray has published a number of works including her young adult fantasy series Blood Rain. Her short story “Chosen” appeared in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest: a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap. Her work also appears in various anthologies.

Nancy Gray has been writing for over ten years. Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys books, video games, anime, manga, and horror.

Her latest book is the mid-grade horror, Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow.

Book Description:

Eleven year old Sophie arrives at her Aunt and Uncle’s farm to horrible news: her cousin, Hunt, has gone missing.  When Sophie starts searching for clues to where her cousin went, strange things happen.  The scarecrow wanders around the cornfields at night and murders of crows lash out at other animals for no reason at all.  

An ancient spirit wants revenge. Sophie will have to be brave and clever in order to save her cousin…and herself!

Interview:

Welcome Nancy! How did you get into writing horror novels for mid-graders?

Nancy: I’ve been inspired to write horror for a long time. I’ve always been a fan of many different horror authors, especially Stephen King. After reading Stephen King’s IT, I started a novel about a haunted school. Originally the story was going to be about the teachers. Basically the nightmares of the children were coming to life, and children were disappearing. Some of the teachers realized that something similar happened to them when they were children. They decided to band together to try to figure out what was going on to try to stop it.
Even though this series started as an adult novel, I began to remember there was always something special about the horror books that I read as a child, like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and the Goosebumps series. So I decided to scrap the original idea and decided to focus on the students in the
school. Each book of Spine Chillers focuses on the stories of children that have encountered a monster or spirit. They discover that not all scary stories are made up and some legends are true. The five main characters appear in the other stories, and eventually they will form a club to help other children with similar experiences. 

Are you a detail freak when it comes to writing your novels?

Nancy: I wouldn’t call myself a “detail freak” because I don’t tend to write long descriptions in most of my stories. I like to give hints about what a character is like through dialogue and their actions. However, I must admit that I write extensive character backgrounds, descriptions, and details about the setting in a notebook before I get started. Though this is considered old school, there’s something to be said about writing by hand in my opinion. Also I can easily take my story notes with me wherever I go.

Every character in the story, from the main characters to the minor characters, has a background that drives their actions. In this way, maybe I am a bit of a detail freak, but not all the details show through in the story. I strive to show enough of the character’s personality for the reader to make their own assumptions about their background. I like the fact that this way the reader can build upon the character’s personality based on their own experiences.

How hard for you was it to sit down and start writing your novel? Did you have all these ideas swirling around your head or did it take some time before you were actually ready to sit down and begin?

Nancy: I worked on ideas for this series off and on for a little over a year. It took a long time to begin because I was working on ideas for it while I was also working on my young adult fantasy series, Blood Rain. If I had focused entirely on developing notes for Spine Chillers during that time it would’ve been a shorter process. However, Blood Rain was a long work in progress that I was finally ready to complete.

As I mentioned earlier, I started by writing up the setting, basically the school and teachers involved in most of the stories. I also wrote up the character descriptions and the backgrounds of the characters. For Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow I was inspired by descriptions of the farm where my husband lived as a child, and I knew I wanted to use that setting. I’d say the initial planning is the longest part, but when I have an idea I jot it down in my story notes as soon as I can. 

After I had the setting and characters ready, I started right away. I did a short outline to get ready so that I would have a “road map” to follow for the project. Still, one thing that’s interesting about writing is that the characters don’t always do what you expect. Because of that the outline is always a loose one to accommodate any changes. There were several times that the main character, Sophie, surprised me as the story unfolded. When I’m inspired, I can write very quickly as inspiration pours out of my mind onto the page either with my notes or the manuscript itself.

Writers are often associated with loner tendencies. Is there any truth to that?

Nancy: Well, I can’t speak for other writers, but in my case that isn’t true. I’m married and have two children. I also have a good group of friends. We hang out just about every other day of the week to watch anime, play games, and cook out. I also throw a very big Halloween party and Christmas Pot-Luck party every year.

There are also several writer support groups. One such group is National Novel Writing Month where writers in the area meet up to discuss plots, character concepts, etc., in an attempt to finish writing a novel in a month’s time. I’m not as heavily involved in that group as I used to be primarily because I don’t like to push myself to finish in a month’s time. But I have made some good friends through that group. 

What makes writing midgrade horror books so special to you?

Nancy: During elementary school, my friend and I would read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark at recess and during sleepovers in an attempt to scare each other. Also, one of my favorite times of the year is Halloween. I have very fond memories of dressing up, carving pumpkins, and watching scary cartoons. Even though I don’t remember much about elementary school, I remember the Halloween carnival at my school vividly.

As I got older, I started reading the Goosebumps series and watching the television series, as well. I also watched other scary television shows like, Are you Afraid of the Dark, Amazing Stories, and Tales from the Crypt. Every year around Halloween, I think about how special Halloween made me feel as a child and how much fun it was to have a “safe scare.”

The world has become, and I guess in some ways always has always been, a scary place. Middle school is a hard time in a child’s life. It can be scary to go through all the changes a middle school child experiences. Reading about characters around the same age facing something that is frightening sometimes makes the things that scare a child in real life more bearable. I feel honored to try to provide my readers with a feeling of empowerment.

I am so excited about your novel, Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow? Can you tell us a little bit about the main characters?

Nancy: Absolutely!. Sophie is an eleven year old girl who tends to be shy at school and likes to read. She tries to be nice to everyone, even people that she doesn’t like very much because her mother taught her to be polite. She doesn’t do much active playing during recess, preferring to talk to her friends or to read a good book. Adventure stories are her favorite. She does have a mischievous side, though, but only if it is encouraged by a friend. Particularly, her cousin Hunt tends to get her into trouble when she goes to her Aunt’s farm. People sometimes poke fun at her because she is a little bit of a “fraidy cat” at heart, but she is brave when it comes to helping others.

Her cousin Hunt is mischievous and gets into lots of trouble with his parents. He tends to run away for short periods of time to worry them, but mostly does this for attention. His parents are very busy so he runs off to reassure himself that they are thinking about him. In The Scarecrow during one of these times, he doesn’t return. They fear he drowned in the pond, but Sophie doesn’t believe he’s dead and decides to look for him.

Edward is a mysterious character. He’s a boy that is hiding in the barn on the property and says Hunt gave him permission to stay there. He’s hiding something throughout the book, but Sophie doesn’t know exactly what. There is something odd about him, and she begins to wonder if he has something to do with her cousin disappearing.

They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point when the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow?

Nancy: This is a difficult question for a writer to answer, but from what my test readers say, one of the earliest pivotal points in the book that grips the reader is in the opening chapter. Sophie sees the scarecrow for the first time while it is being pecked by crows. The crows are pulling off one of its button eyes and the creases in the burlap sack used for its head give it an almost angry expression. She gets scared and runs back to the car and, as they drive away, she thinks she sees the head of the scarecrow watching them as they go. For a moment it is obscured by a wall of crows flying up from the cornfield and when she can see it again it’s back the way it was before.

The next pivotal moment is in chapter two when Sophie learns that her cousin Hunt is missing. His parents think he drowned in the pond, but Sophie knows him well enough to believe that he’s still alive. He was too good at swimming to die in that way, and she thinks he’s hiding somewhere on the farm. She decides that she’ll investigate the next day but is disturbed by terrifying dreams that night of something hiding in the cornfield, that isn’t her cousin.

What’s next for you?

Nancy: There will definitely be more Spine Chillers coming in the future. The next book is called Spine Chillers: Big Bad Wolf. Here is a preview of what the book is about.

Jane is ecstatic when she gets the role of Red Riding Hood in her school play, but she didn’t realize that they’d be using the stuffed wolf prop as the Big Bad Wolf. That tattered old prop has always scared her, and lately she has been having strange dreams about it that make it seem like it’s something more.
Jane will have to get help to save herself from the hungry spirit that has haunted her people and her nightmares before it consumes her, or worse, escapes the prison of the last creature it took to satiate its horrible appetite.

Currently there are five books in the Spine Chillers series, The Scarecrow, Big Bad Wolf, The Beast of Black Pond, Empty Eyes, and The Firefly. Most of the monsters in my stories are based loosely on legends and folklore so there are many more to come. If all goes as planned, the first five books should be published within the next few months. So please keep checking for updates. Thank you again for this interview. It has been a pleasure!

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

A Bookish Conversation with Jeanine Kitchel, Author of 'Wheels Up' @jeaninekitchel

September 11, 2018 0 Comments

“The Gulfstream jet, loaded with two tons of Colombian cocaine, careened over dense Yucatan jungle as Layla stared out the compact window, horrified. If they weren’t running on empty and destined to crash, it might have looked lush to her, even beautiful.
Without fuel, the engines starved into silence, she heard only the whooshing sound of the aluminum plane as it cruised over mangrove swamps and fast-approaching mahogany trees. All thoughts of her hasty departure from Guatemala to escape Don Guillermo’s wrath had vanished along with any hopes of safely landing in Cancun. They were going down.”


Jeanine Kitchel, a former journalist, escaped her hectic nine-to-five life in San Francisco, bought land, and built a house in a fishing village on the Mexican Caribbean coast. Shortly after settling in she opened a bookstore. By this time she had become a serious Mayaphile and her love of the Maya culture led her and her husband to nearby pyramid sites throughout southern Mexico and farther away to sites in Central America. In the bookstore she entertained a steady stream of customers with their own Maya tales to tell—from archeologists and explorers to tour guides and local experts. At the request of  a publisher friend, she began writing travel articles about her adopted homeland for websites and newspapers. Her travel memoir, Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya, and Maya 2012 Revealed: Demystifying the Prophecy, are available on Amazon. She has since branched into writing fiction and her debut novel, Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, launched May 2018.

Book Description:

Layla always wanted to run the family business. But is she willing to kill for it?

When her notorious drug lord uncle is recaptured, Layla Navarro catapults to the top of Mexico’s most powerful cartel. Groomed as his successor, Layla knows where the bodies are buried. But not all the enemies. She strikes her first deal to prove her mettle by accepting an offer to move two tons of cocaine from Colombia to Cancun by jet. Things go sideways during a stopover in Guatemala whe Layla unexpectedly uncovers a human trafficking ring. Plagued by self-doubt, she must fight off gangsters, outsmart corrupt officials, and navigate the minefield of Mexican machismo. Even worse, she realizes she’s become a target for every rival cartel seeking to undermine her new standing. From her lush base in the tropics, she’s determined to retain her dominant position in Mexico’s criminal world. If she can stay alive.

Interview

Welcome, Jeanine! Your book, Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival sounds thrilling! Can you tell us why you wrote it? 

Jeanine: Thank you. I've always loved Mexico. It was my home for 15 years and I guess it's just ingrained in me to write about it. Wheels Up, of course, is fiction, but as a former journalist, my first two books were non-fiction, and I've written for a number of newspapers and websites, about Mexico, the Maya and the Yucatán. Being there gave me an insider's insight into the country's multi-faceted culture as well as a closer look at the creeping dominance of the cartels and their effect on that society and how the average person trying to live a normal life copes, or doesn't.

Your protagonist, Layla, sounds like a powerful woman. Can you tell us more about her?

Jeanine: Sure. Layla Navarro is the niece of El Patrón of the Culiacan Cartel, the most powerful drug lord in Mexico. When her uncle is recaptured after eluding the law for 11 years, Layla's catapulted to top spot while he's in prison, waiting to see if the US will extradite him for international crimes. As cartel accountant, she's been groomed as her uncle's successor; she knows where the bodies are buried, but not all the enemies. Her older brother who was next in line died in an ambush, and now it's up to Layla to carry on. In Mexico, it's all about family and dynasty. She's competent just by her DNA and can be ruthless if necessary, but lacks "on the job" experience.
   
Even though Layla ends up at the top of Mexico’s most powerful cartel after her uncle dies, what makes us want to be on her side? Or do we?

Jeanine: Actually, her uncle doesn't die, he's recaptured and imprisoned. In any other country this is like a death, but in Mexico, drug lords rule even from behind bars. Initially Patrón's calling the shots and still schooling her. She visits him frequently at the prison. What makes Layla real is that, as a woman in Mexico, she's coming from a position of no power. In Mexico, machismo rules. She's an underdog but with a fancy title. Her associates play her and test her. We end up liking her because she's nuanced and strong, she's for family (or what's left of it) all the way. And with one of the novel's twists, she's forced to take a daring stand against one of her uncle's unsavory associates. She's tough and learns on the fly, has her own set of demons. At times, she's plagued by self doubt and appears unconfident and vulnerable.

Can you tell us a little about the other main characters?

Jeanine: Clay Lasalle is a Canadian pot grower extraordinaire who's branched out from the pot trade and into running cocaine. He's leader of his own gang in Canada, the Rainbow Tribe, and is into martial arts and Buddhism. He offers Layla a deal to move two tons of cocaine from Colombia to Cancun which she accepts. Layla's bodyguard, Carlos, is also her lover. He's a moody, handsome hulk of a man, and their impulsive relationship plays out best in the bedroom; they're basically stuck with each other. Donavon, a Vietnam vet, pilots the jet that transports the contraband from Colombia. He's cocky and worldly wise. El Zoyo is Patrón's first lieutenant and childhood friend. He ran the cartel during El Patrón's first prison sentence, before he escaped. Zoyo is controlling and not exactly happy that Layla is now stepping into the picture. Don Guillermo runs Culiacan Cartel operations in Guatemala and has a lurid secret. 

They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point where the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in your book?

Jeanine: During the Colombia to Cancun coke deal, it becomes evident Layla must meet Clay in Guatemala to grease the inroads to Cancun. Layla unexpectedly uncovers Don Guillermo's secret and the fallout from this leads to a fast and furious escape from Guatemala at dawn, with fuel hovering on empty. The plane crashes in the Yucatán jungle and the survivors must trek out or die. I think this is one of the book's pivotal points.
  
You actually lived on the coast of Mexico. How did this factor into the writing of your book being a local? Do you hear of much drug trafficking going on and what is Mexico doing about it?

Jeanine: Living in Mexico full time gives one incredible insight into how that society works. I speak and read Spanish and the local newspapers tell the news that doesn't make it into the international papers. I read that Dostoyevsky would pull articles from newspapers to use as "prompts" for his novels. Not a bad idea. When we first moved to Mexico, we hired an attorney to assist in various aspects of going through the immigration process. She told us at the time, late 90s, that people feared the Russian mafia was making a move on Cancun because as Mexico's most popular tourist resort, it was an attractive cash cow. That fear fell aside when the cartels started to claim territory. Cancun, however—because of its powerful draw as a tourist destination—has escaped the problems that exist in many border cities, and the states of Guerrero, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas. Those in power, both legally and illegally, realize the need to keep top notch resort cities like Cancun, Baja, Puerto Vallarta and the Yucatán with its amazing pyramids, free of problems. Corruption is actually Mexico's main problem, and that is difficult to reverse. Mexico is struggling with it, and that is part of the basis of my book.

Tell us about the bookstore you opened in Mexico!

Jeanine: We built our house in a fishing village, Puerto Morelos, on the Mexican Caribbean coast. It's just 30 miles south of Cancun, but lightyears away in everything else. When we bought land there in 1989, a class 5 hurricane had devastated our little pueblo, and absolutely no one wanted to live there. Except us. We bought beachfront land a mile out of town and with the skills of an American expat contractor, we built our house, Casa Maya. We rented it as a tourist rental until we could afford to move lock, stock and barrel (with our cat) to Mexico. I'm an avid reader and the more we traveled back and forth, the more friends we accumulated, readers all. I found myself schlepping suitcases of used books to Mexico. So an idea was born. Paul, my husband, and I decided to open a bookstore. We began the process 3 years in advance, rented a shop on the main "plaza" which was hardly a plaza at all. (Rent was $70 USD a month). And we collected used books in the US from estate sales, library and garage sales, eventually outgrowing our garage and spare bedroom and moving them to a nearby storage warehouse. When we moved south, we had the carpenter who'd made our windows and closets for the house build floor to ceiling red cedar bookshelves (they were beautiful). Our contractor said no one reads here— remember, Puerto Morelos was not even a blip on the map, so I decided I'd be open 3 days a week, maybe 5 hours a day with a siesta in between. There was an uproar when people heard our reduced hours. They wanted us open all the time! There were only 6 other bookstores in the entire state of Quintana Roo and we were the only English language bookstore. A star was born! Alma Libre Libros. We kept prices low, gave discounts to teachers and the military, had a darling children's reading room, and it was buy-sell-trade. People loved it. It was great fun and I met a ton of interesting characters along the way. Great fodder for an author's mind. Lots of stories still to tell.

Do you have other books you’d like to tell us about?

Jeanine: Thank you for asking. My first book, Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya, is a travel memoir and details how we bought land and built a house in Puerto Morelos. My second book, Maya 2012 RevealedDemystifying the Prophecy, explains the Maya calendar phenomenon.

Wheels Up is a trilogy and the second in the series, Layla's Law, should be out end of 2019. 

What's next for you?

Jeanine: As mentioned, Wheels Up is a trilogy, so writing Layla's Law is front and center stage now. With travel in between of course!

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

A Conversation with 'Wyoming Tryst' Charlene Whitman #historical #western #romance

September 04, 2018 0 Comments
Wyoming Tryst
“Thinking about her lawless town made her thoughts settle back on her father and the never-ending feud between the Carsons and the Morrisons—a feud Julia neither wanted nor understood. Yet here she was, in the midst of it, her party just one more piece of wood to throw on the fire of contention. She hoped it wouldn’t add to the blaze and worried that rather than enjoy her sixteenth year celebration, she would suffer the heat of her father’s ire for Stephen Morrison, and it would leave her scorched.”
--From Wyoming Tryst by Charlene Whitman

Charlene Whitman

The author of "heart-thumping" Western romance, Charlene Whitman spent many years living on Colorado's Front Range. She grew up riding and raising horses, and loves to read, write, and hike the mountains. She attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins as an English major. She has two daughters and is married to George "Dix" Whitman, her love of thirty years.

The Front Range series of sweet historical Western romance novels (set in the 1870s) includes Wild Horses, Wild Hearts, set in Laporte and Greeley. Colorado Promise, set in Greeley, Colorado; Colorado Hope, set in Fort Collins; Wild Secret, Wild Longing, which takes readers up into the Rockies, Colorado Dream (Greeley), and Wyoming Tryst, set in Laramie, WY.

Her latest book is Wyoming Tryst.

Book Description:

Two ranching tycoons. A decades-old feud. A sheriff bent on ridding the town of lawlessness . . .
In the midst of the trouble brewing in Laramie City in 1878, Julia Carson yearns to be free of her parents’ smothering and wonders whether she’ll ever find a man worthy to love in such a violent town rife with outlaws.

But when Robert Morrison sneaks onto her ranch the night of her sixteenth birthday party, Cupid shoots his arrows straight and true. Aware that their courtship would be anathema to their fathers, who are sworn enemies, Robert and Julia arrange a tryst.

Yet, their clandestine dalliance does not go unnoticed, and forces seek to destroy what little hope their romance has to bloom. The star-crossed lovers face heartache and danger as violence erupts. When all hope is lost, Joseph Tuttle, the new doctor at the penitentiary, is given a letter and a glass vial from Cheyenne medicine woman Sarah Banks.

The way of escape poses deadly dangers, but it is the only way for Robert and Julia to be together. It will take the greatest measure of faith and courage to come through unscathed, but love always conquers fear.

Interview:

Hi Charlene! Your book, Wyoming Trust, takes place in 1878. Can you tell us what it is about that era that you love the most?

Charlene: All my novels in the Front Range series are set in this decade. I chose it because it’s when the railroad has finally made inroads into the region and a lot of people were settling into new towns. I also go deep into the Indian issues, as most were just sent to Oklahoma to reservations, and some of my characters are half-breed and dealing with prejudice. Colorado was also inducted as a state in that time, so there was a lot going on in the state/territory that impacts my characters.

I love western romance! Can you tell us a little about Julia and Robert, the main characters of your book? Are they soul mates?

Charlene: Wyoming Tryst is a very close adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, set in Laramie. That should tell all! Robert is the heir to a big cattle ranch, and Julia’s father owns another huge ranch. These two feuding families hate each other, and the novel follows the Bard’s play closely. Yes, you could say Robert and Julia are soul mates. They are both oppressed by their fathers, and they both have deep faith and the belief that they were meant to be together.

I love the phrase you use regarding the two lovers ‘love conquers fear.’ What are the two lovebirds fearful of the most?

Charlene: They fear others forcing them apart, which happens in a big way in the novel. But they find a way, miraculously, to not only be together but escape the hatred between their families.

They say that all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point when the reader can’t put the book down. Can you give us one of the pivotal points in your book?

Charlene: Probably when Julia gets hauled to the sheriff for shooting and killing the creepy cowboy that tried to rape her in the alley in the brothel district in Laramie.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Charlene: Both!

When writing books, do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
Charlene: You have to do both. You must please your readers and meet their high expectations. But you also need to write a fresh, new story that hasn’t been done before. That was a fun challenge when paralleling Romeo and Juliet, but I think you’ll see how original this plot is.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Charlene: To spend years studying novel structure, to really master the craft!

What’s next for you?


Charlene: At some point I will be writing book 7 in the Front Range series, again set in Laramie. I don’t have a plot yet but it will also include the wonderful Doc Tuttle and the feminist Cathryn Povey. I hope readers will dive into the Front Range series and go on my characters’ journeys with them. I believe they’ll be thrilled and moved by the heart-thumping romance! And if readers join my mailing list with THIS LINK, they’ll get the first book, Wild Horses, Wild Hearts, for free!

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