Interview with Sandra Marton

I’d like to introduce award-winning author Sandra Marton. Sandra has published 75 novels and has a trilogy THE SHEIKH TYCOONS . The first book, THE SHEIKH’S DEFIANT BRIDE, is being released in October. Be sure to check her website for details.

Hi Sandra,
A bio never really tells everything. Give us a little more detail. How long have you been writing and how did you start?


I started writing when I was five but I began making up stories before that. My mother kept a scrapbook of my early writing/storytelling attempts (a typical Proud Mom!). At four, I made up poems and she wrote them down for me. By five, I was doing that for myself.

But if you mean, when did I start writing professionally, the answer is in the 1980’s. I wrote and sold a number of short stories to the so-called confession magazines, then wrote my first novel and sold it to Harlequin Mills and Boon in 1984.


You’ve published over seventy five books. How do you keep the well from running dry?

Honestly, Barbara, I don’t know the answer to that question. I think, like most writers, my head is full of characters and stories and “what if?” possibilities. My curiosity gets piqued by something I see, something I read, something I overhear and ideas come bursting forth. Or they come creeping out, and I have to find ways to encourage them to turn into something more specific.

Basically, I’ve always thought ideas, creativity, are almost mystical in origin. I don’t mean magical; I just mean that I’m not sure there’s any real way to explain or even define the creative process. It’s different for everyone. That’s the only certainty.

You’ve found time in your busy schedule to volunteer with your local RWA chapter. Why?

I haven’t volunteered as much this year as I’d have liked. I’ve done a workshop presentation and put together a giveaway goody bag but I just didn’t have time to judge in my chapter’s contest. Too tight a deadline schedule! As to why I volunteer… it just feels good to lend a hand to other writers. This chapter, CORW, is especially great. Warm, responsive, friendly… my thanks to you for forming it.

How do you balance writing full-time and having a life outside writing?

With great difficulty! (See my comment about deadlines, above.)

As you know, it isn’t easy. Writing can really consume you and if the writing’s going well, the hours at the computer roll by so quickly you don’t realize the day is ended until you look out the window and see that it’s dark. I’ve learned that the worst thing I can do is just assume I’m going to surface into the real world. Instead, I make deliberate appointments with myself. My husband and I believe in spur of the minute vacations—you know, get in the car and take off for a couple of days—but we also plan vacations well ahead of time. We make dinner engagements with friends that same way. Once something is entered in my appointment book, I feel compelled to keep to it even when my characters are tugging at me and begging me not to leave them. Well, okay. Sometimes, I don’t keep to the calendar; sometimes, I simply cannot leave my story or my characters but, for the most part, I’ve learned that without life outside writing, my writing suffers. Plus, I love my husband, my son, my daughter in law and my two little grandchildren. They’re very important to me and I want to be part of their lives.


Why do you write in this genre? Have you ever done other genres?

I’ve done romantic suspense, romantic adventure, a bit of supernatural stuff and even literary short stories but romance is what I love and what I believe in, creatively and personally.


How do you do research for your books? What’s the most interesting bit of research you’ve come across that you didn't use?

I use three primary research methods. One is online research, everything from contacting attorneys and physicians and realtors and peppering them with questions to “visiting” homes and castles and shops via the internet. The second method involves asking my husband, who is a great researcher, to delve into something for me. The third is direct contact between me and places and/or people. In other words, I travel. In fact, when your readers see this interview, I’ll be in Greece, researching a specific new setting for a new book; meeting with an Athenian translator and friend, face to face for some in-depth Q&A; and visiting Turkey because I have an exciting idea for a possible story that I’d want to set in Istanbul...

What’s the most interesting bit of research I haven’t used? That’s a tough question because I almost always end up with huge amounts of material that doesn’t make its way into a book. Let’s see… Well, when I was researching material for a book last year, THE GREEK PRINCE’S CHOSEN WIFE, I did an enormous amount of research on artificial insemination. In my story, my heroine becomes pregnant by reluctantly agreeing to an amateur insemination, done by her sister with a turkey baster. (She’s emotionally blackmailed into it for valid reasons.) I ended up with page after page of printed-out data from a variety of web sites and, most meaningfully, very personal info I absolutely could not use from e-mailed interview sessions with a woman I “met” online who had had two babies using this method. I had to laugh when a so-called reviewer at amazon.com chastised me for claiming a woman could and would be inseminated via turkey baster. Impossible, she said, and made it clear I was an idiot even to imagine the possibility. And then there was the time I set a book in a jungle. In preparation for what ended up being a very brief scene, I did lots of research on head-hunting. Anything you want to know about shrinking and preserving human heads, just ask. ☺


What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Keep writing. Keep reading. Read writers you love and writers you think are flawed. You’ll learn from both kinds. Read good writers within our genre. Read good writers outside our genre. Again, you’ll learn from both kinds. Be honest with yourself. Do you have talent, or is it that you wish you had talent? It’s hard to be that honest, but try. Send your work to editors. It’s painfully easy not to do so but unless you do, how will you ever know if your stuff is any good? On the other hand, don’t let a turn-down stop you from writing. Not all editors like the same things; not all are good at discerning what will sell and what won’t; and no editor is god. Never stop trying to get better, even if you’re multi-published, even if you’ve won a hundred awards. Writing is a talent. It’s also a skill and all skills can be perfected.

What do you have coming out?

A brand new trilogy I created for Harlequin Presents called THE SHEIKH TYCOONS. The first book, THE SHEIKH’S DEFIANT BRIDE, comes out in October. The second, THE SHEIKH’S WAYWARD WIFE, comes out in November and the third, THE SHEIKH’S REBELLIOUS MISTRESS, hits the stands in December. The sheikhs in this series are old pals who know each other for years. They all come from the same part of the world, a place I call The Nations, and each is convinced love serves no useful purpose. Oh, are they wrong!
How do you like your fans to contact you?
Email is best. I’m at mailto:sandra@sandramarton.com and there are email links at my blog, http://sandramarton.blogspot.com/and at my website, http://www.sandramarton.com/. I answer snail mail, too, if readers enclose SASE (Sorry, North American postage only). Actually, for the next couple of months, if readers send me SASE, I’ll send them one of my beautiful, brand new bookmarks.
Thanks for this chance to visit with you, Barbara. I’ve really enjoyed it.

Interview with J.D. Webb

I'd like you all to meet J.D. (Dave) Webb, author of Her Name is Mommy.

J. D. (Dave) Webb resides in Illinois with his wife of 40 years and their toy poodle, Ginger, losing all family votes 2 to 1. Dave became a full-time author in 2002 after spending 25 years in corporate management. A company purge promoted him to cobbler and he owned a shoe repair and sales shop for 11 years. During these careers he wrote short stories and suppressed an urge to write a novel. After making a conscious decision to live at the poverty level, those novels began forcing their way out.
Mystery author J D Webb http://www.jdwebb.com/
Shepherd's Pie (Golden Wings Award Winner)
Moon Over Chicago (2008 Eppie finalist)
Her Name Is Mommy (Now Available)
The Smudge & Aftermath (coming soon)

Hopefully, visitors have already read your bio, so I’m not going to ask you
to tell us about yourself.
Instead, what do you find the most difficult about being a writer?
Marketing my work. I was always taught not to brag, but that's what must be done to get people to buy books.
It also takes away time I could use to do more writing.

What is your hero’s biggest challenge?
I have multiple heroes/heroines. I try to put them into impossible situations and then try to figure out how they will succeed.

What is your heroine’s biggest flaw?
I have a PI series featuring Mike Shepherd. He's a laid back, easy going guy who wants to believe people when they tell him something.
It seldom works out that way. And it seems that every time he's on a date with his fiance he is called out on a case. He loves PI work, she hates it.

What prompted you to write this story?
I've always loved mysteries and so I thought why not write one? When I had done that I just kept going. I'm working on #5 right now.

What is your least favorite genre? Would you ever consider writing it?
Boy am I going to tick off some of your readers. My least favorite is Romance. Just because I don't read them as a rule.
I have nothing against them, just not my thing. So I guess I wouldn't write a romance. I try to include some romance with my books but it's not a main theme.

Who has helped you the most?
My wife has been most helpful, my biggest fan and my first editor. When I proudly brought my first chapter of my first book to her, she immediately asked for a pencil to mark some changes. So much for having a big head about how great my writing is. I now hand her a pencil when she does some reading. Also I have a wonderful critique group who gently make suggestions and help with grammar and punctuation. I'm extremely comma challenged.

Do you have a favorite theme? Eg: love conquers all; good vs evil; How do you use it?
I write what I call classic mysteries. In every one good overcomes evil and I'm proud that entire families can read my novels.
No graphic violence or sex and rarely any offensive language is included. I believe a novel can be interesting and exciting without any of that. I want everyone to be entertained and intrigued.

What have you learned about yourself from your writing?
That I have the discipline to finish a book and that I must have some ability since I've been published and receive fan mail and no hate mail unless you consider spam hate mail. I do. I've also learned that something other than my golf game can be humbling.
Why will your reader think your book is different?
It's my hope that rather than finding something different they will fall in love with my characters.
In mysteries the plots have all been done and the formula is predetermined, but the characters,
I hope, come alive. I provide twists and turns in the story but the people are the key elements.

Her Name Is Mommy Excerpt:
Prologue
Jan Lutovsky had no interest in the throng of shoppers. Exhausted from her own Christmas shopping, she checked her makeup once again in the compact mirror. Her long, blonde curls had been meticulously brushed minutes before, and Jan allowed herself a satisfied smile. Occasionally she glanced down at the large bags at her feet to make sure no one tried to grab one. Only three days left till Christmas and she finally had the perfect gift for everyone. With any luck, a nice snow would make it an ideal Christmas.
At 24, Jan had one of those model bodies, only not rail thin. In another life she could have been a movie star. At least that’s what her husband, Rick, always said. She was accustomed to being described as drop-dead gorgeous and learned to ignore the admiring looks from the many male passersby.
~*~
Jan’s four-year-old daughter, Madison, sat quietly on an uncomfortable, slatted bench and wondered how long she would have to sit there. She hoped mommy would remember the promise of ice cream as a reward for good behavior.
~*~
The Lutovsky driver, George, was not due for another fifteen minutes. Jan didn’t see anything that looked more comfortable, so she had just decided to seat herself next to Madison when a man approached. A worn Cubs baseball cap was pulled down to his eyebrows, and seemed to match the dirty jeans and scruffy, black leather jacket. Jan tried to snub the tall, gangly cretin who sported a three-day growth of beard, but he got right in her face.
“Come with me, and you won’t be hurt.” Despite the man’s appearance, his voice was soft and strained.
“I beg your pardon?” Jan looked him in the eye and shot him her most vicious stare.
“You’re coming with me. Let’s go.” The man grabbed her arm and pulled. The expensive compact flew out of her hand as she tried to wrestle her arm away, only to discover the unwanted grip had tightened.
“Ma’am, I have a gun. You don’t want me to use it.” He tugged his coat away, and she gasped at the sight of the shiny, brown handle of a pistol tucked in his belt.
“What do you want?” A cold shiver ran up her spine. She really didn’t want that question answered.
“I won’t say it again, lady. Let’s go.” They started toward the door. Jan took one last look at the bench where her daughter sat alone next to the pile of presents. She desperately hoped someone would help Madison, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to. Would she ever be able to help her daughter again? Dear God, this couldn’t be happening to her.

Billie Williams interview

I'm pleased to welcome author Billie Williams author of Ancient Secrets to Barb'ed Comments.

Billie A. Williams is the award-winning author of over two dozen works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as numerous articles, short stories and book reviews. Some of her work has appeared in Sister’s in Crime, Mystery Time, Thema Magazine, Guide Magazine for children, Inscriptions, Voice in the Dark, and Sell Writing on Line. She was a presenter at the Obadiah Christian Women’s Writing Conference in Merrill, WI in April of 2005.

She lives with her husband in Amberg, a small Northern Wisconsin community where the winters are cold and long but the town folk are warm and friendly. http://www.billiewilliams.com/
billie@billiewilliams.com
http://printedwords.blogspot.com/

Q & A

Hopefully, visitors have already read your bio, so I’m not going to ask you to tell us about yourself. Instead, what do you find the most difficult about being a writer?

Since my husband retired and my boss went in for heart surgery it’s finding enough time to write when I have enough energy to do it. So, I get up at 5 a.m. every morning to write before hubby gets up or I have to go to work. Then comes the tough part, finding a publisher, finding an agent — and getting the books finished and the next one started in case I get a nod on the current one. {smile}

What is your hero’s biggest challenge?
In my current work , (Ancient Secrets) that will be released September 2008 from Wings – the Hero must protect his mother, his girl friend, and himself from a force he cannot name yet, from dangers he cannot predict all in the world of South Africa where he is a complete stranger in a strange land.

What is your heroine’s biggest flaw?
In Ancient Secrets Abigail Stonehenge’s biggest flaw is her fearlessness and her trust of people she has just met. This puts her life at risk and pulls in the hero, his mother and some innocent by standers when Chet Kampa turns evil.

What prompted you to write this story?
This story has been rambling around in my brain for a couple years – it finally decided it wanted the page, it wanted the book written. It began with a study into the seven chakra’s associated with the various parts of the body and the stones that can heal/govern them. It fascinated me and I though what if a goddess imbibed these stones with powers that could be evil if they were not controlled — my wicked imagination did the rest. I actually did an interview with the necklace itself to find out what part it played in the tale I was to tell. It was a fascinating interview and revealed things —as strange as that sounds since I asked and answered the questions — why didn’t I already know the answer. All I can say is, it’s the muse—the writer’s world. If anyone wants to read the interview – I will post it on my website at http://www.billiewilliams.com/

What is your least favorite genre? Would you ever consider writing it?
I think all genres have a place and I do dabble in most of them. The only one I’d have a hard time writing would be Science Fiction and Fantasy – I don’t know if my brain could build a world, and build the characters to people it. That seems like an awesome task to me and I greatly admire those who write in those genres. Some day I may play around with it, but right now I have to many stories in my regular mystery/suspense genre that want me to get them written.

Who has helped you the most?
I have met so many wonderful people along my writing path from editors, authors, and reviewers to friends, family and books on the subject of writing or just the writing of so many authors —I could read non-stop and never read all the books by all the authors I admire. Every book I pick up can teach me something. Every book I write and have published has taught me something – the editors and staff of Wings have been fantastic in helping me develop my writing. I’ve had other editors and publishers and authors groups that have helped immeasurably as well. Siren/Bookstrand, Forbidden Publishing, Red Rose publishing, Echelon Press, there were others, but these are my current publishers and authors groups along with Wings where I have learned so very much and will be eternally grateful to them all.

Do you have a favorite theme? Eg: love conquers all; good vs evil; How do you use it?
I worked long and hard to find a theme – a brand if you will, for my writing and what I came up with was “Love and Evil have no boundaries.” Though my sig line says: Accidental Sleuths Solve crimes with wit, wisdom and chutzpah – and
The sig line for my romantic suspense (Cricket Sawyer) reads Accidental Sleuths, Incidental Romance, Heat Index—Inferno.

What have you learned about yourself from your writing?
That is a very interesting question and one I have never considered. I believe I have found out that I am a multi-facetted person. I can do what I set my mind to do. And creating believable characters that people can relate to comes out of the flaws I recognize in me, actions I have taken or would take in similar circumstances. I have also discovered some of my strengths—perseverance is one —or is that plain bullheadedness not knowing enough to give up {smile}.

Why will your reader think your book is different?
My books usually take the reader on a series of unexpected, unforeseen, unimagined twists and turns and I believe my characters are unique enough that you won’t find them in any other author's books.

Ancient Secrets

A novel of Sorcery, jealousy and legends tangles three unlikely adventurers in a drama of treachery in an effort to return the necklace stolen from the ancient goddess Ebony before the earth suffers her final blow. The only available path— through the Valley of the Kings laced with trials.

Ø Daringer Smith (Archeology Professor at a local university) finds his mother Mrs. Olenmurphy (a.k.a. The Story Lady) on the ground in her backyard. His worst fears are that she is dead, it turns out she is in a coma, no cause can be found for it. He was there to pick up the necklace she has asked him to try to authenticate. The bead and bronze necklace fascinated her. It is one of the items she used to teach her elementary students.
Ø The necklace seems to have some kind of power that Daringer experiences immediately when he finds the necklace among his mothers possessions while she remains in the hospital in a coma.
Excerpt:
As soon as Mempo could prepare the meal and they had prepared their bed rolls, they all turned in for the night.
Abigail awoke to screams and Chet’s urgent command to get dressed, grab their gear, and head for the collapsible room. She quickly dressed, helped Mrs. Olenmurphy gather her belongings and they both raced toward the room, Daringer was behind them shielding them from whatever attacked the bearers.
The jolt and groan of the room the minute they set foot inside told Abigail they had traded one danger for another. She pulled Mrs. Olenmurphy close to her and they huddled in the middle of the room behind Daringer and Chet as they frantically worked to open the other door.
When Daringer dropped the necklace and Chet tried to retrieve it Abigail’s fear escalated as Chet was blown across the room as if a giant hand had hit him. He scurried back to Daringer as the ceiling of the room drew ever nearer. When the bearer rolled out the other side to escape the crush of the room she held Mrs. Olenmurphy even tighter.
Finally, the door slid open and Chet and Daringer pulled them to safety at least a different sort of danger than the crush of the room. As the door slid shut the screams of the bearer being torn to shreds by the beasts they had just escaped were cut off as if with a scissors.