AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Author Interview for

University of Arizona Festival of Books

 

 

1-What type of book is Heir of Deceit?

                                             

            It is a sweet romance with family intrigue and a touch of mystery. I love what an Amazon reviewer said about it. “This is part love story, part genealogical mystery, a little bit about redemption and quite a lot of fun for the reader.” It is suitable for adults and teens. Both men and women have loved it.

 

2-What inspired you to write Heir of Deceit?

 

            My son had gone through a divorce. His wife wore the same wedding dress my sister had worn, and her marriage ended in divorce as well. My son suggested that I write a novel about a cursed wedding dress, and the idea was born.

 

3-So Heir of Deceit is about a cursed wedding dress?

 

            Well, no. The idea began there, and the first ideas were about the dress carrying a curse. The story evolved to be about a family curse where the women kill the men they love.

 

4-What happened to the original dress your son’s wife and your sister wore?

 

            I don’t know. It seems to have disappeared. My son’s ex likely knows, but she’s not talking.

 

5-She didn’t return it to your sister?

 

            Nope.

 

6-What else influenced your story?

 

            Lots of things. From cursed wedding dresses to a person known as “Granny Hatchet,” to a dear friend, Carlie, from North Carolina. Anything an author has ever read, experienced, or can imagine experiencing, influences a story.

 

7-So are your characters real people?

 

            Each one is completely fictional. Of course, I observed many personalities, ways of living, and doing things that make people what they are. A composite of many people and things make up any character an author creates. The places and folklore however, are as real as I could make them.

 

8-What makes your book unique?

 

            First:  Action. The story moves pretty quickly. Something is always happening that the reader has to find out about. I write less description and more doing. Second:  This is not a stereotyped Hallmark-type romance—hate each other; fall in love; big misunderstanding; break up; fix everything up; live happily ever after. Lacey does not start out hating her love interests. They are nice guys. Her conflict comes from things that are beyond her control and ability to fix. Mysteries and circumstances within the families. Third:  I think the story is pretty original. Shockingly original, maybe.

 

9-How has your book been received?

 

            You know, I’ve had people phone me just to tell me how much they enjoyed it. Some have bought multiple copies for gifts. One lady recommended it to her book club for the next month’s featured book. One man and his family bought six or seven copies. A 12-year-old boy was so excited about it he asks me about it every time I see him, and I’ve made quite a friend of him. My favorite fan is an older woman who is from the Southern USA. She says I portrayed the people perfectly, and the places are just right. She said it was one of the best books she’s ever read. (Maybe she doesn’t read that much).

 

10-How did you decide where to set your story?

 

            My friend, Carlie, had moved from Arizona back to North Carolina. She told me that when she visited relatives soon after her arrival, they met her at the door with a shotgun. I needed a place like that. My husband and I decided to visit her and research the area for the book.

 

11-Where in North Carolina was this?

 

            Asheville.

 

12-Is Asheville a lawless place?

 

            Oh, no. It’s a delightful place. It’s a wonderful, modern city, and we loved every minute of our visit there:  the wonderful people, the Southern hospitality, the history, climate, food, the beauty, the greenery. Everything. There are areas where people don’t like strangers coming unannounced. The moonshine trade, though it is thinning out, still exists. People don’t want assessors or revenuers poking around. Just what I was looking for.

 

13-And you needed a place like that because…?

 

            With women killing their husbands, I couldn’t have the law snooping around a lot. I needed a place with industry, some poverty, a few shady dealings, and a people that stuck together. And I needed shotguns. Asheville had it all.

 

14-The women in your book shoot their husbands with shotguns?

 

            No, no, no. They are much more creative. Less likely to be apprehended.

 

15-Such as…?

 

            Now, that would be giving away the story.

 

16-I’ve heard you say you met famous moonshiner, Popcorn Sutton.

 

            Yes! We ran into him quite by chance at a roadside stand in Maggie Valley (near Asheville). No one else was there at the time and we had him all to ourselves for about half an hour. He let my husband take a picture of him with his arm around me, still smoking his stump of a cigarette.

 

17-I’d like to see it.

 

            Unfortunately, it was a digital picture that was downloaded to a computer that crashed a long time ago. I printed out one print that I took to work with me to show everyone, but when I retired, it disappeared, along with some of my daughter’s wedding pictures. I’m just sick about it.

 

18-It sounds like you’re making that up.

 

            I know. But it’s the truth.

 

19-What was Popcorn Sutton like?

 

            Delightful! Meeting him was the highlight of our trip. He was exactly like every stereotyped picture of moonshiners you ever saw, bib overalls and all. Everything he said and did was a delight. In Heir of Deceit, there is a scene that takes place in a church where a group of people is talking about him. Everything that is said in that conversation is from the conversation we actually had with him!

 

20-Is he featured in your book?

 

            Only in that one conversation. He passed away before I published the book. Out of respect for his memory, I didn’t feel comfortable featuring him more than that. He was one-of-a-kind. A true original. A joy. This world will miss him. I’ll miss him.

 

21-What else did you learn on your research trip to Asheville?

 

            Cherokee history. I had no idea that the area around Cherokee, North Carolina, near the Tennessee border, was the historical home of the Cherokee before the Trail of Tears tragedy. I already had planned a secondary love interest for my heroine, Lacey. He became a tall, handsome, modern Cherokee firefighter. Perfect.

 

22-You mention ghosts on your back cover. Is this a ghost story?

 

            No. However, you can’t write a story set in Asheville without featuring a few of their famous ghost legends. Two ghosts actually have something to do with the plot. One of them is more of a spiritual experience. The other is a pretty scary legend. I softened her a bit because I didn’t want the story to become a spooky tale. Another legend that I refer to, I didn’t give the name, because it is “truth stranger than fiction.”

 

23-You know you’re going to have to spill now.

 

            It’s a half man, half bear that stalks young women searching for a bride. He’s called the Boojum.

 

24-Tell me about your main male character, Lacey’s fiancé.

 

            Evs is a rich, tough-as-barbed-wire rancher from Tubac, Arizona, a small, but growing community about 40 miles south of Tucson. He’s a bit of a hot-head. He will go to the ends of the earth for Lacey, which he does when he finds her missing shortly before their wedding.

 

25-Where do they meet?

 

            At the University of Arizona in Tucson, in front of Old Main.

 

26-So he finds her and they live happily ever after?

 

            Not exactly. There’s a lot more to it than that. I can tell you that it has a satisfying ending, with lots of twists. You won’t be disappointed.

 

27-And you’re not going to tell me what happens, right?

 

            You’ve got it. You’ll have to read the book.

 

28-What about your villain?

 

            He’s a brainless, arrogant jerk, narcissistic without any right to be. Ugly too. The kind everybody loves to hate.

 

29-You sound like you had a lot of fun writing Heir of Deceit.

 

            It was the most fun I’ve ever had. It’s mostly not a comedy, but it has its comical moments. I had a blast writing it.

 

30-Do you have a favorite character?

 

            All of my characters become very real to me, and I love all of them—except the villain, of course. Ruthella and Fergus, the aging, sparring brother and sister are my favorites. Their bantering and antics are hilarious. They change the other characters in very satisfying ways. Ruthella has creative ways with a shotgun. Fergus is a moonshiner.

 

31-Your characters became real? How do you mean that?

 

            Quite literally. They take on personalities of their own. They tell me what they want to say. They do things I didn’t plan on their doing. If I haven’t written for a while, they call to me, and aren’t happy until I’m with them again. I fall in love with the love interests, and feel pain when hearts get broken. I cry with them. Sometimes I can’t remember if something actually happened, or if it was in a book I wrote. I call it “Writer’s Psychosis.”

 

32- “Writer’s Psychosis.” Maybe I should keep my distance. Have you thought about writing a sequel?

 

            A pre-quel would be more likely. Many readers have said they would like to hear more about Lacey’s parents’ love story, or how the fun characters of Fergus and Ruthella grew up. I care for my characters enough to do something like that.