Today’s exclusive interview is with author and MTW2017 participant Anne Carmichael, who lives and writes in Lexington, Kentucky. Her newest mystery/romance is titled, Elderhaus. Here’s something to whet your literary appetite: Gertrude spent the better part of her adult life scouring Europe for Helmut Klingenfelter, the father who vanished not only from her life and that of her mother’s, but had forsaken everyone in his past. With midlife looming on the horizon, Gertie made the decision to stop chasing the ghosts of the past and return to her childhood home of Pitch Pine, where she purchased a century-old house at 1211 Castle Lane sight unseen. Elderhaus, as it came to be known, had a mysterious past of its own, one that would threaten more than Gertrude’s desire to find happiness. Tell us something(s) about the book that the blurb doesn’t reveal: Gertie is a confirmed introvert. She would rather spend time with animals than people. When she finally has a fling with a gorgeous man, everyone warns her that becoming involved with the Haskell family could cost her everything. What was your favorite or most surprising comment/review about the book? There’s only one review for Elderhaus at this time; however only the e-book has only recently been released. Of my other six books, the 60+ five-star reviews for Magoo Who: Life Through My Eyes and the reader’s plea to make it a series (4 books) motivated me to keep pursuing writing as a career. If given a chance, which author (living or dead) would you like to meet (have met)? No contest – Ernest Hemingway. I like his writing. I love his devil-may-care attitude and lifestyle. If your book was made into a movie, who would you cast as which characters? Amanda Peet – Gertie Klingenfelter (our protagonist, Jewish heritage, late 30’s. Loved her in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’) Lisa Kudrow – Sally Jaeger (no filter, loyal friend, innkeeper) Trey Haskell – Stephen Amell (antagonist, contractor on Elderhaus remodel, son of steel mogul) Noah Myers – James Franco (law school fail, veterinarian, has crushed on Gertie since grade school) What is the main conflict in your book? Secondary conflicts? 1. Gertie’s father walked out when she was just five years old. She spent most of her adult life scouring Germany for him, since both her mother’s and father’s family had fled Germany during WWII. He’d never shown either her mother or her any affection and he’d never discussed his past. She wanted answers. 2. Gertie bought Elderhaus, (a century-old Victorian house in her hometown of Pitch Pine, PA) sight unseen while still in Europe. Her Realtor hired Trey Haskell, local contractor, to do the repairs on the house. Trey was rugged and drop-dead gorgeous, but when Gertie began an affair with him, everyone warned her of the dangers of becoming involved with his powerful family. What is your favorite quote from the book and why? John Lennon’s quote begins this story: ‘Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.’ The quote is applicable not only to the main character in the book, but to the book’s author as well. I had never given any thought whatsoever to writing books. It fell into my lap, as though it were my destiny. I wanted badly to retire because all my friends were retiring, but knew that since my divorce, I really couldn’t financially manage it. Then I saw a blind cat (Magoo Who: The Blind Kitty Who Stole My Heart) on Facebook. Goo already had thousands of fans and I thought his story would make a great book. Goo was two years old and blind. He had been wandering the streets of South Philly since birth everyone wondered how he could possibly have survived. Something urged me to approach his owners and ask if they’d be interested in doing a book and the rest is history! I created characters from the other animals he encountered during those two lost years and ‘Magoo Who: Life Through My Eyes’ became the first book in what would be a series of four books that launched my writing career. So Lennon’s quote was not only applicable to my heroine, but to me as well. What are you working on next and when do you expect it to be on the shelves? My next book is called The Manifest. I hope to have it out by the end of 2017. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of publishing today? I would love to have begun my writing career when the big publishing houses paid upfront for a book, promoted it and the author and paid for everything. Today, unless you’re a Mary Higgins Clark, you pretty much do your own marketing, which leaves little time for writing. Are you traditionally published or self-published and why? My first two books were ‘traditionally’ published in that the publisher absorbed all the costs of editing, printing, etc. I still did my own promotions. I am now considered ‘self-published’, but the same publisher still edits, proofs and formats and I still do all the marketing; the difference being that I pay for those services. If you were going to dabble in a different genre, what would it be and why? ‘Elderhaus’ is my first foray away from all-ages, 150-page animal books. This is my first, full-length adult novel. I’ve spent two years writing and tweaking it. I really felt the need to challenge myself, use my mind and write books with more depth. I did feel that I needed to gradually transition my current reader base, who are primarily animal-lovers. I touched on my original concept for ‘Elderhaus’, which was to be about senior dogs. Elderhaus means ‘old house’ in German, so it was to be a book about an old house dedicated to saving old dogs. I had done books about cats, horses and polar bears. There are several senior dogs that show up one at a time and are rescued by the heroine and they’re woven into the story in other ways, but they’re not the focus of the book. Having now immersed myself in the mystery genre, I’m very excited about the freedoms I will have during the writing of The Manifest. Anne was kind enough to share an excerpt of Elderhaus with us:
PROLOGUE “This cannot be happening,” muttered Gertrude Klingenfelter to herself and any of the dozen FBI agents swarming throughout her home. “This stuff happens on cop shows or in some booming metropolis…certainly not in Pitch Pine, Pennsylvania and certainly not to me! My plan was simple. I would move back to Pitch Pine, buy a house on the Historic Preservation List and spend the remaining half of my life puttering about and restoring the house to its original glory. Of course, I did it all backwards. I bought the house online and then went home to Pitch Pine for the big reveal. The ad said ‘as is’, but who knew that meant ‘uninhabitable’ as the contractor soon told me. I believe that was right before I fell through the front porch. I’m forty-three years old for cripes sake. I foolishly squandered away the best part of my life searching for the father who abandoned us when I was five years old…five feckin years old. She began to mutter a string of obscenities that her rigid upbringing should not have allowed her to use but use them she did, and with some regularity. “I’ve never had a relationship with anyone that lasted five years since then,” she said bitterly as she threw her clothes and makeup into suitcases. She played the remainder of the soliloquy in her head. This is supposed to be my dream home. It was in shambles when I bought it. Now the house is finished…or it was before the Feds ripped out the walls and floors; but now my life is in shambles. I have no idea how I’m ever going to be able to step foot in this house again. Gertie extended the handles on two large, gun-metal gray suitcases and dragged them bouncing from one step to the next, the wheels spinning the bags out of control. Undaunted, she just yanked on them ever more violently as if the clattering noise seemed to articulate the turbulence churning within her. Her overnight bag, which was intended to hang cross-body style, slid around onto her back and the wide strap threatened to choke the life out of her. The heavy suitcase slammed into the screen door, pulling her backwards and she collapsed onto the front porch. That’s when the dam burst and spewed forth thirty-eight years of backlogged tears that had been building since the night Helmut Klingenfelter drove away and left Gertie and her mother, Anyaleise, irrevocably alone.
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Today’s exclusive interview is with author and MTW_2017 participant Joynell Schultz, but many know her as ‘Joy’ –the name she says she uses “when I’m not listed as an author or completing legal documents.” Joy hails from Rhinelander, Wisconsin and her most recent novel is Love, Lies & Clones, a book of Speculative Fiction meshed with Mystery and a touch of romance. It’s available in both Kindle and paperback versions via this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXTGIZL Here’s a sneak peek at the storyline: June never asked to be cloned from her mother’s DNA. She didn’t ask for the faulty heart that beats in her chest either. She made a life for herself as a college professor, but what she really wants is the same as everyone else: a human connection. But how can she connect to someone when her heart’s next beat could be the last? When her estranged father shows up on her doorstep, warning her that he’s being forced back into the illegal human cloning world and she’s in danger, she dismisses him as paranoid. That’s until he disappears. The police are not prepared to confront a conspiracy this large, especially with a serial killer on the loose. When approached by an AWOL soldier, insisting her father’s disappearance is linked to his brother’s odd behavior, she doesn’t trust him. She’s been taught her whole life not to trust anyone. With time running out, she must avoid abduction attempts, untangle the web of lies, and above all else, hide her taboo origins. Can June trust someone with her secret… and her heart? Tell us something(s) about the book that the blurb doesn’t reveal: My main character, June, believes she has a faulty heart because the woman she was cloned from--her mother who is also her father’s dead wife--died of a heart attack at 32 years old. June’s an avid runner as a way to keep her heart healthy. The heart issue makes her sometimes disregard the danger she faces because she thinks she’ll die in a few years anyway. Any Upcoming Promotions/Giveaways/Events We Should Know About? February 12th through the 19th, Love, Lies & Clones will be on sale for 99 cents for Kindle. What was your favorite or most surprising comment/review about the book? I keep being told Love, Lies & Clones is a page-turner and they can’t put it down. Then, I get asked when the sequel is coming out. It’s one thing to be told your book was enjoyable or good, but it’s another when your readers can’t put it down and want more. Being my first novel, I was really nervous about reader feedback. If given a chance, which author (living or dead) would you like to meet (have met) and why? Michael Crichton. His writing inspired me since childhood. I love the mix of science, especially medicine, integrated with our normal world—the world around us. He was a physician and used his expertise throughout his stories. Another thing I really like is he wrote across multiple genres. In fact, many of his books didn’t fit into one specific category. Speculative Fiction/Science Fiction, Thriller, Action & Adventure, etc. If your book was made into a movie, who would you cast as which characters? Hmmm. I have two main characters. June would be Jennifer Lawrence… well, the blond version of her. Elliot would be Ben Affleck… if only he was 10 years younger. This is a terribly difficult question since I don’t follow pop culture closely. What other jobs have you held (even what you’re doing currently)? Okay: Nerd alert. ;-) I’m a pharmacist. I always try to incorporate a little of this into everything I write. In Love, Lies & Clones, there are tranquilizer darts, medical cloning, and some sedatives. In my current novel I’m writing, one of my main characters is an emergency medicine physician and there are a few medications mentioned. What gave you the idea to write this book? The idea formed and stayed in the back of my mind since 2003 when the cloned sheep, Dolly, died. I often wondered, what would happen if they cloned humans, and what ethical issues would the humans face? My argument was always that they’d be as human as you and me. That sparked this story. What is the main conflict in your book? Secondary conflicts? The main conflict is June’s father disappears. She tries to get the police to help, but she can’t tell them her dad’s involvement in human cloning—since it’s illegal in her world. Since the police don’t know everything about her dad, and they are occupied hunting down a serial killer, June sets out to find her father herself. Oh, then June becomes the target, with the serial killer on her tail. The secondary conflict is Elliot, an AWOL military man, is missing his brother. He feels June maybe able to help locate him. June doesn’t want him tagging along, as she doesn’t trust him and can’t tell him her secret. He’s persistent and won’t leave her alone… plus, she’s attracted to him, but has sworn off men since she knows her heart’s faulty. She won’t break anyone’s heart. What is your favorite quote from the book? “My father always said to take our secret to my grave… I didn’t realize I may also take it to his.” This is my favorite because it sums up her moral dilemma with staying loyal to her father and doing what is needed to keep him safe. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of publishing today? My favorite and least favorite aspects of publishing are the same. There are SO many books on the market. Choices are fantastic for a reader. If you want to read about a one-eyed furry red alien that lives in a cave in Canada, there may be a book about that out there. But the problem is that if you wrote this book, you have to wait for this one person to come along and find it. The market is flooded and unless you’re lucky, built a huge fan base, or have written one of the most exceptional novels ever, it’s hard to get noticed. Are you traditionally published or self-published and why? Self-published. Writing is my hobby. I really enjoy doing it, but don’t want the pressures of it being my bread and butter. Writing is hard enough without adding financial stress to the process. Self-publishing cuts the wait time and not being at the mercy of literary gate-keepers. I also wanted the experience of managing every aspect of the novel writing process. I wrote the story, designed the cover, created a publishing company, published it, and now am discovering marketing and promotion. All of which, I’ve learned so much and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Well…except for a chance to take a few years off of work and travel the world. Nah, not even that. If you were going to dabble in a different genre, what would it be and why? I dabble in so many genres already that I end up struggling to define what genre each of my novels fall into. Love, Lies & Clones, my only published book so far, falls into science fiction / mystery even a little thriller near the end. I have another near publication that’s fantasy / mystery. I then have more of a chick-lit / superhero one in first draft format. All of them have some underlying “clean” romance laced throughout. So, I don’t stick to one genre… Other than being under the speculative fiction umbrella. Oh, I also grew up living at a zoo (okay, bring on the jokes), so I consider writing a non-fiction memoir about some of the crazy stories of my childhood. Joy was kind enough to share an excerpt from Love, Lies and Clones below:
Chapter 1 Six in the morning wasn’t the time for visitors, but Thursday disagreed with me. Before my intercom chirped, he sprang off my bed and rushed to the front door with his tail wagging. “What is it?” I snatched my uniTab from my nightstand while trying to keep up with my furry companion. The way his entire hind end swayed in rhythm to his tail made me smile. His ears were at full attention, which for a Vizsla-lab mix was saying something. The man’s image on the uniTab’s screen made me stop. With a shaky hand, I rubbed my eyes. It couldn’t be. Shit. My father had found me. Despite a new pair of glasses, his chocolate brown eyes and round face gave him away. My heart thumped, and I forgot to breathe as memories of our last encounter flooded my thoughts. Was it too late to crawl back into bed and burrow beneath the covers? Thursday barked and bounded around me, while I took a deep breath. Tou can do this, June. I touched ‘speak’ on the display. “What do you want? It’s been three years.” “May I come in?” His words were polite, yet his voice was edgier than I remembered. “This isn’t a good time.” It would never be a good time, especially not today. “I have to go to work in an hour, and I need to get ready.” My father looked at me like only a father could—one eyebrow raised and head cocked. It reminded me of how he used to wait for me to spill whatever mischief I had been hiding from him when I was a kid. It appeared the look still worked on me as an adult. With a heavy sigh, I clicked ‘unlock’ as I walked to greet him. As I opened my door, Thursday pushed his way through to sniff the guest. My father rubbed my dog’s head and strolled across my living room into the kitchen, sitting down at the round pine table. I fought the urge to cross my arms over my chest. Nothing like making yourself at home. He seemed younger. Sure, he sported a few more gray hairs and a couple of extra crow’s feet wrinkles, but he looked good. The last time I saw him, though, he was downing a bottle of cheap whisky. I scrutinized the sixty-some-year-old man, examining him for bloodshot eyes, glazed expression, or a flushed face. Nothing. Was he sober? I focused on the scents in the room, picking up the faint odor of lemon from my recently scrubbed floors, but no alcohol. His clothes appeared clean. Wrinkles ran deep in his plaid shirt, but he hadn’t been this put together since I was a child. Keeping the table between us, I leaned against the kitchen countertop and realized how small my duplex truly was. My finger rubbed a worn spot on the laminate while I waited for him to talk. “Who’s this?” He ruffled the light reddish brown fur behind Thursday’s ears. My fingertip heated from rubbing the counter, and I pulled away. “How’d you find me?” “I have my ways,” he said. My jaw tightened. “Forget it then. Let’s get to the point. Why are you here?” “There’s no easy way to say this.” He exhaled and ran a hand through his short hair. “You need to get out of town.” I laughed. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t think so.” “Sit down.” He eyed the kitchen chair across from him. “I don’t have time for this.” “Too bad. Sit down.” “Can’t you call me later?” “This is too important.” His voice was firm and, like always, his eyes avoided my face. “Sit down.” I felt like a child again, even though I hadn’t lived with him in twelve years. I plopped down and folded my arms across my chest. He still didn’t look at me. “I’ve been asked to help with another cloning project.” “So? Why should I leave town because of that?” “I’m going to say no.” His words were calm and firm. “I still don’t understand.” “I’m afraid of what they’ll do to make me help them.” “What who’ll do?” “That doesn’t matter.” “You’re paranoid.” Images from my childhood surfaced. “I’m not paranoid.” I stood up and pushed my chair in harder than intended. “You’ve always been paranoid.” I glanced at the time on my universal oven. “I need to shower and get to work. I’m not leaving town. I have a career, bills to pay, and a life. I can’t just pick up and leave.” Copyright 2016 Joynell Schultz. Reprinted with permission. |
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