Hello, MB4 friends!
Maria DeVivo, a great gal and fellow Twilight
Times writer, author of the incredible story, The Coal Elf, tagged me for a Writing Process Blog Tour. I
absolutely love talking about writing, so I jumped on the opportunity to chat
with you today about the process.
I’ll answer questions about my work and my mysterious methods, and will subsequently tag three
wonderful writers to continue the topic.
But first, please check out Maria’s book, which has over 100 reviews on Amazon!! Here's what her readers are saying:
-Dechen Paldron
"Great characters and just a good story."
-Eric T Healy
"Do yourself a favor and read The Coal Elf--I highly recommend it."
-Daniel Springer
Q. What are you working on? I'm up to my ears in books this year, so I thought I'd share the status with you below!
1) A new boxed eBook set of Double Forté: A Gus LeGarde Mystery, Book 1,
Upstaged, Mazurka:
A Gus LeGarde Mystery, and FireSong will be released soon by
Twilight Times Books. Cover art by Kellie Dennis is ready and will be revealed soon.
2) SPIRIT ME AWAY, book #8 in LeGarde Mysteries, is undergoing its Beta reads right now and will be probably released within the month. Cover art by Kellie Dennis is done and will be revealed soon!
3) For Keeps: A Sam Moore Mystery, Book 3, will be offered next week for 99 cents!
4) Devil's Lake, a new standalone suspense, is 3/4 done and cover art is ready (again, thanks to Kellie). Will be revealed and released soon.
5) Starting on LeGarde #7 cover and final edits - VIRTUOSO should be ready in a few months.
6) Next comes final edits and polished on LeGarde #9, UNDER THE ICE (Counterpoint), the books 3 and 4 in Tall Pines (already written) SANCTUARY and MURDER ON THE SACANDAGA. They should all be out by fall I hope.
Q. How does your work differ from others of its genre?
A.
My books are pure country, and by that I don’t mean country as in heart throbbing, twanging
singers, I mean they are steeped in the woods, fields, lakes, rivers, and
mountains of the Genesee Valley and Adirondacks of New York State. Sometimes we
go abroad (Mazurka takes my
characters to Europe), and sometimes we go back in time (Tremolo: cry of the loon is based in Maine in 1964), but my
characters are always surrounded by nature and its beauty.
You’ll inhale the
aroma of the fetid earth when you fall into a pile of leaves if a villain’s
chasing you, or you’ll taste the buttery potatoes Gus just dug from his garden and cooked for his family,
or feel the sweaty back of a horse beneath your bare legs while you’re
cantering along a trail in the woods. My characters will always let you know how
they’re feeling inside, and for the most part, they try to set good examples of
loyalty, morality, and courage in the face of horrible villains.
Caution: You may also
feel a voraciously hungry after reading the LeGarde Mysteries, where Gus cooks
weekend feasts for his friends and family. I have been blamed for
screwing up my readers’ diets in the past.
Q. Why do you write what you
do?
A.
Obsession, I guess. I can’t stop the
stories that percolate in my head. I also need an escape from real life—frequently—and
I’m just thrilled to be able to run wild in my parallel universe. To love,
live, chase villains, and pursue happiness. It’s a blast. And it's cheap therapy. ;o)
Q. How does your writing
process work?
A.
A
nugget of an idea will set in my subconscious for a while, based on a
television show, movie, book, news report, or family event. Anything can
get
the muse rolling. For example, when the news reported the kidnappings of
those
poor girls in Cleveland by the creepy Ariel Castro, I couldn’t stop
thinking of how horrible it was. I kept picturing those poor women in
that boarded
up house. Eventually, the story I’m working on now, Devil’s Lake, was born. It morphed quite a bit from the original
inspiration, and opened up a new genre for me.
Normally,
once I get this idea and can’t stop thinking about it, I picture a broad,
sweeping idea of a story. I start to think about twists and turns. I pick a locale. Next, I picture
the first chapter. And then the real writing starts. Once I put fingers to
keyboard, the story evolves in a way that is almost out of my control. But I have to be actually
physically writing it for it to “come out.” Isn’t that odd? Sometimes I feel
like a conduit for my characters. I’m just fingers and they use me. LOL.
That's it! Thanks, Maria, for asking me to participate in this fun blog hop!
I’m
passing the baton to:
Ellis Vidler, author
of Cold Comfort
Victoria Howard,
author of Ring of Lies
2 comments:
Whatever you're doing, Aaron, is the right thing. I always see the settings and smell the food in your books. The main characters are so real I believe I'd recognize them on the street--they've become my friends. Maybe Gus will invite me to dinner sometime. :-)
I love your stories. Keep them coming!
Thank you, Ellis!!
Post a Comment