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Author Interview: Dorien Grey

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What inspired you to write your first book?


“Money, frankly. I was working as an book editor when a fellow editor said he was looking for westerns. I never cared for westerns, but thought “”what the heck?”" and wrote one, which was released under the title “”Stagecoach to Nowhere”" with the cover blurb “”He cursed the law and rode for vengeance.”"

Since there were only two stagecoaches even mentioned in the book, neither having anything to do with the plot, and since the protagonist neither cursed the law nor rode for vengeance, I just took my money and went on my way.

However, because I really liked the basic story, some 30 years later I rewrote it as “”Calico,”" a western/romance/adventure/mystery with a twist: the protagonist is gay. I hope your readers may want to check it out.”

What books have most influenced your life most?


I was, before writing books limited my time to read them, a voracious reader, and every book I read had, I’m sure, some influence on me. But if I were to pick one, it would be the seldom-heard-of “Adrift in a Boneyard,” by Robert Lewis Taylor, which I’ve read at least a dozen times and belly-laughed my way through every one of them.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?


Hmmm. Again, there were many. Possibly Ray Bradbury and Robert Lewis Taylor were among the most influential.

What genre do you consider your book(s)?


With the possible exception of “Calico,” all my books have been mysteries. I have two series running alternately–the 14-book Dick Hardesty mysteries, and the soon-to-be four-book Elliott Smith paranormal mysteries.

What book are you reading now?


At the moment, I am so busy writing, I have not had the time to start a new book in an embarrassingly long time…and if I were to try to mention those at the top of my “to be read” pile, it would take up far more time and space than I could expect to have here.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?


I’ve just begun “The Serpent’s Tongue,” the fifteenth book in the Dick Hardesty series. It involves the death of a former priest, and something of a shock for those readers who have been with me for awhile.

Who designed your covers?


I’ve had a number of artists do my covers…the books are usually assigned an artist by the publisher.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?


There are several problems inherent in writing a series, primary among them the reintroduction, in each book, of recurring characters. Regular followers already know who everyone is, but for the new reader just coming in, I have to be sure he/she isn’t confused as to who’s who. And remembering recurring places, restaurants, bars, streets, etc. can also be a challenge. The Elliott Smith series is set in Chicago, so this isn’t a problem. But Dick Hardesty lives in a city that doesn’t exist on any map, but has its own geography with which the regular reader is familiar.

Do you write an outline before every book you write?


“Never. I consider myself blessed to have what might be called a split personality–the everyday-liver Roger Margason, and the writer Dorien Grey. Roger gets an idea for a book and a general idea of where he wants it to go, then just sits down at the computer, turns his mind and fingers over to Dorien, and sits back and reads the story as it appears on the screen. Perhaps a tad simplistic, but more accurate than not.

I personally would consider plotting things out in advance rather like forcing Dorien to wear lead boots.”

 Do you have any advice for other writers?


Oh, yes. First, talk TO your reader, never AT him (I refuse to play the infuriatingly cumbersome, politically correct “him/her”/”he or she” game). Remember that you know far more about your story and characters than the reader does. All he knows is what you tell him. Never forget that if a reader can be confused, he will be. Avoid the deus ex machina at all costs (one of the worst reactions a reader can possibly have is “Where the hell did THAT come from?”

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?


I consider every book I write a collaboration–albeit largely one-sided–with the reader, and write each one as though I’m talking with a friend. Please never forget that the reader is the most important person in the writer’s life; without readers, writers are nothing. And please, speaking not just for myself but for every other writer I know, if you enjoy a book, say so: to your friends, on line, and to the writer. Writers tend to be a rather needy lot, and hearing from a reader means the world to a writer.

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Author Interview: Wendy Dager

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Wendy Dager

What inspired you to write your first book?


My novel is called I MURDERED THE PTA (A Daphne Lee-Lee Misadventure). You can probably imagine what inspired it, but if you’ve never sat in on a PTA meeting–or like me, been on a PTA board for seven years–then you’re truly missing out on some fabulously creative–and potentially murderous–inspiration.

What books have most influenced your life most?


Books haven’t influenced my life most–writers have. Particularly writers like Mike Royko, Andy Rooney and Erma Bombeck.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?


My mentor is Jim R. Lane, author of DUTY and BLINDSIDE. He’s a modest guy, and I’m sure he’d be horrified that I told on him, but he’s the one who taught me not to use big words when I don’t have to.

What genre do you consider your book(s)?


I MURDERED THE PTA is a humorous mystery, but it also crosses over a little into romance, chick-lit, and whack-a-doo, if whack-a-doo counts as a genre.

What book are you reading now?


Right now I’m reading a couple of books about vintage purses, since I’m a collector. A HUGE collector. I have a lot of vintage clothes, including a ridiculously large collection of handbags. I’m trying to get museums interested in my traveling vintage purse exhibit.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?


My next novel is the second in the series of Daphne Lee-Lee Misadventures. It’s called I MURDERED THE SPELLING BEE. Poor Daphne. She gets herself in another mess.

Who designed your covers?


Because the original cover artist dropped out and my publisher didn’t have one lined up to replace him–and we were on short deadline–my good friend Lisa Chillino-Pawlick (Chillpaw) designed the covers. She’s a very talented artist whose passion is helping out animal rescues by designing cartoon logos and other art for them.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?


My main goal in writing I MURDERED THE PTA was to make sure I didn’t underestimate my reader. I didn’t want to make the outcome so obvious that the book was easy to figure out, but I also didn’t want to pull the resolution out of nowhere–leaving the reader saying, “Huh? How’d that happen?” Plot twists and turns are fun to write, but, man, they’re hard to tie together.

Do you write an outline before every book you write?


I don’t really do outlines. I kind of have an idea where I’m going, but, generally speaking, I like to surprise myself. It makes the writing experience more fun for me. Because I’m selfish like that.

 Do you have any advice for other writers?


If you’re going to be a writer, treat your writing like a business. Don’t think people are going to fall all over themselves to get to your book because you’re the most wonderful thing since deep-fried Twinkies. You have to put as much effort into the marketing  as you do the writing.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?


My books are purely for entertainment. They’re not works of literary genius. But if you need something to read in the bathroom, or on an airplane, or in an airplane bathroom, I MURDERED THE PTA is awesome!

 

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Author Interview: Tom Wallace

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Tom Wallace

What inspired you to write your first book?


I have always been a big reader, and I had written more than 1,000 poems. At some point, I knew I wanted to try to write a novel. I started maybe a half-dozen, only to discard them after a few chapters. Then in 1989, I began one that caught on. It felt right. I finished it in 1989. It was titled “Match Point.” I didn’t have a novel published until 2006. It was my third one. “Match Point” was retitled “The Devil’s Racket”, and was published in 2007.

What books have most influenced your life most?


Well, that’s a difficult question, because everything serious that you read probably influences you, whether you realize it or not. I read everything — history, philosophy, biographies, sports, poetry. As for crime fiction, my all-time favorite book is “Crime and Punishment.” Current crime writers I admire include Michael Connelly, Faye Kellerman, Ridley Pearson, James Ellroy and William Goldman.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?


I’m not sure how you can be mentored by someone you’ve never met. However, if I had to choose the crime writer I admire most, it would be Michael Connelly.

What genre do you consider your book(s)?


Mystery/thriller.

What book are you reading now?


Since I am working on a new novel, I’m now reading only non-fiction stuff. Much of it relates to the Bible and how it came into being. Also, I’m reading quite a bit of early gnostic history, and how/why the early church regarded those writings as heretical.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?


It’s a thriller that features Detective Jack Dantzler, who has been in three of my novels, and the legendary assassin Cain, who was in “Heirs of Cain.”

Who designed your covers?


My publisher, Frank Hall, designed the cover for my latest novel, “Gnosis.”

What was the hardest part of writing your book?


Striving for excellence is always hard. It’s easy to be mediocre, difficult to reach excellence. Since I always aim for the highest mark, everything about the writing process is fairly difficult.

Do you write an outline before every book you write?


No. I have a basic idea of how I want to begin each chapter, but once I’m into it, I let the story dictate where I go and how the characters act.

 Do you have any advice for other writers?


My advice for writers is the same advice I would give anyone — read, read, read. You simply cannot be an intelligent, well-informed individual if you are not a big reader.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?


Read and enjoy.

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Interview with T. Lee Harris

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That Book Place:Greetings, T!

T. Lee Harris

T Lee Harris is both writer and illustrator. A graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Harris has put her degree to good use when illustrating, designing and publishing the Indian Creek Anthology series for the Southern Indiana Writers’ Group and the Not From Around Here anthology for the Cincinnati Writers’ Project. Using said diploma to fan bacon smoke away from the smoke alarm was merely an unexpected plus.

Harris has had work in print and online including untreedreads.com, mystericale.com, the Indian Creek Anthology series and Wildside Press’ Cat Tales 2. Her novella, “Winter Wonderland”, featuring retired FBI agent, Dallas Powell, is available in both electronic and hardcopy. “Hanukkah Gelt”, a short story featuring military intelligence officer turned archaeological photographer, Josh Katzen, is available through untreedreads.com. Her historical horror story, “Twenty-Seven Cents of Luck”, was recently chosen for the premier issue of the e-magazine Wordmonger.

cover design by Dara England

“Hanukkah Gelt” is published in the Untreed Reads Fingerprint line of short stories for e-readers. The story features Josh Katzen, a former military intelligence officer turned photographer and artist. Josh tries his best to put his past behind him, but trouble seems to seek him out. In Hanukkah Gelt, Katzen and his sometimes girlfriend, Roz Eliahu, had plans for a quiet, cozy holiday by the fireplace. Instead, they find themselves embroiled in a fake antiquities scheme gone murderously wrong.

Now to proceed with our Usual Questions:

TBP:  How did you become involved with That Book Place?

T. Lee Harris:  I’m a member of the Southern Indiana Writer’s Group, a critique group that publishes a themed anthology each year. A while back, Marian Allen (Yep! She Who Interviews.) and I were representing SIW at the ConText convention in Cloumbus, OH, and Frank Hall approached us about doing a signing at That Book Place. Several SIW members trekked over to Madison and had one of the most fun and successful signings we’d ever had in spite of the cold and snowy weather. He hasn’t been able to get rid of us since. LOL

TBP:  Can you say how your main character first occurred to you and how he or she evolved from that first spark to a full character?

T. Lee Harris:  Like many of my protagonists (and villains), Josh evolved from a character that I developed many MANY moons ago for a comic book series, Major Daniel Durand, USAF. Later, Danny went from comics to a character in various pen and paper tabletop role playing games. He was always one of my favorites. Years later, when I had the glimmer of an action-thriller story set in the world of archaeology and antiquities flickering in the back of my head, there he was, sitting in the wings ready for a new part. I dusted him off, retired him from his career as a government agent specializing in retrieving sensitive items for Uncle Sam — sort of an It Takes a Thief kind of deal — and gave him a new name and identity. WitSec for former spies, if you will. Major Durand became Joshua Katzen, archaeological artist and photographer, took up residence in Chicago and tried to walk away from his past. Yeah. Right. <snort>

TBP:  Did you choose your subject, or did your subject choose you?

T. Lee Harris:  A little of both, actually. One of my favorite subjects has always been art history. I’m fascinated by the artifacts that have come down to us through time and what they can tell us about the people who made them as well as those who used them. I’d love to be involved in recording and studying antiquities, so it came naturally that I’d put Katzen in the business of photographing and illustrating archaeological finds. The fact that there has recently been an upsurge in the illegal antiquities trade made it even more attractive as a springboard for stories.

TBP:  How do you work?

T. Lee Harris:  For Josh Katzen’s stories, I read the archaeological news. I subscribe to several magazines that deal with discoveries and findings in the field and one of my daily rituals is to visit the online news page at archeology.org while I have my first cup of coffee. I have a couple files that contain printouts and clippings dealing with archaeology and antiquities. When I find an article or event that’s particularly interesting, I play with it in my head to see how well Katzen could be inserted or how it could weave into a story that would pull him into it.

Next stage is a stream of consciousness style of writing where I talk to myself. Will this work? What if I do this? What if this happens? Why would a bad guy do that? When (and if) things start to gel, the stream gets saved as a notes file and a new document is opened with a working title. If that sounds organized, trust me it isn’t. My working titles are frequently things like “Josh Overboard” which later became “Deep Blue Secrets” that appeared in the Southern Indiana Writers’ anthology “Most Wanted” or “Huti Goes Camping” which became my ancient Egyptian story “Wanting the Fish” for SIW’s anthology “Beastly Tales”. Sometimes I luck out and the title comes first and sparks a story. This happened with the Josh Katzen novel that’s in the works, “The Case of the Moche Rolex”.

After the document file is made, it then becomes a matter of getting the words down — alternating with removing cats in front of my monitor and shoving them off the keyboard. I write messily. Cleanup comes later.

TBP:  Are you involved with email lists and/or social media? Why or why not?

T. Lee Harris:  I’m somewhat involved with both email lists and social media, but not to the extent that many other writers are. Probably not as much as I actually should be. I’m not a tremendously social animal, truth to tell. Reading and writing have long been solitary pursuits and I suppose this is precisely why I found them attractive. The nature of both is changing, though, with the advent and insane growth of electronic media. I’m having to retrain myself to be more social. It’s not an easy road and I manage it by fits and starts. It’s easier to share on the social sites when I’m not actively writing a piece. When I’m working on something, my attention gets drawn down to a narrower point that focuses on the story I’m crafting and the social media and lists get to be more of an annoyance than a help to me. See? Anti-social behavior in text book form. LOL

TBP:  If you could have an evening with one fictional character, your own or someone else’s, who would it be and why?

T. Lee Harris:  Hmmm. That’s a hard one. My tastes move around with my moods and with whatever is going on in my life. Maybe I’d choose Josh Katzen. It would be nice to kick back, share a good single malt scotch, listen to jazz and talk about nothing in particular  — but then again, it never stays quiet for long when Joshua Katzen is involved.

TBP: Thanks, T! See you at the Second Annual Authors Fair in March!