Thanks for joining us today. Lets get started by learning a little about you. Where are you from?
I live in Murrells Inlet, SC. I have family in Ohio and enjoy the winters there.
Tell us your latest news?
I am thrilled to announce the release of my new novel, THE CHECKERBOARD.
When and why did you begin writing?
I won an essay contest in grade school, but the teachers said it was too good and my mother must have written it. I became feature editor of the high school paper. (Take that, grade school teachers!) Fast forward through a career, family, and too many pets, the stories started bubbling. I won my first writing award in the mid 1990’s in spite of semi-controlled chaos. Eventually my husband’s struggle against early onset Alzheimer’s disease and my position as his care giver temporarily stopped my creativity.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I attended a workshop in 2013. After class, I bought the instructor’s book. She inscribed it with ‘To a fellow writer.’ Tracing the words with my finger, I knew it was real.
What inspired you to write your first book?
THE CANARY is about a yellow diamond that I inherited along with its whispered origin. THE CHECKERBOARD picks up right where it left off.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I seem to automatically pick up the rhythm and nuances of my characters’ speech.
How did you come up with the title?
The diamond’s color speaks for itself.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
At what length would you go to reinvent yourself?
How much of the book is realistic?
THE CANARY and CHECKERBOARD are well-researched historical novel with locations, language, and customs firmly grounded in fact.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Family rumors about the source of Myra’s ring are the basis. All the rest of the story is fiction.
What books have most influenced your life?
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series hooked me on historical novels. Her precise research methods taught me the importance of accuracy.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
I have a very good friend who was my colloquialism coach. He guided me down that fine path of country talk.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I belong to writers groups in South Carolina and Ohio. I love to travel.
Lastly, do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from writing.
Get it Now
September 8, 1900
Five Thousand Lives Blotted Out
The headlines say it all. Death, destruction, and desolation is everywhere on Galveston Island. Nothing is mentioned about the survivors.
THE CHECKERBOARD, sequel to THE CANARY, continues the story of Myra Gallaway, her new husband CB, and Black Jack and his new wife, Marguerite, the ‘red-headed colored gal.’ The men have proven that, against all odds, a mixed ship sails well. The wives band together in the house in LaPorte to prove the same to their new neighborhood. All seems to go as expected until that crazy gypsy, Lulah Marie, shows up and practically sets the house on fire.
Myra’s eldest child, Junior’s rebellious actions have landed him in jail on Galveston Island. His only hope for redemption lies in a very unusual punishment. The boy is forced to sail with the man he hates, his step father, CB Ledbetter. This voyage will either make or break Myra’s family. After all, what do you do with a drunken sailor? Only time will tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment