What genres do you write?
Kam and I write a mixed genre of psychological thriller and mystery.
Where do you get your ideas?
I have to give full credit to my wife. The ideas for our books start with
Kam’s vivid dreams and wild imagination. If a dream sounds like a promising
story, we start kicking around the old who, what, when, where and why.
How do you come up with your characters?
We each have a notebook. While I am writing down names including characteristics,
background, mannerisms, occupation, nationalities, and every thing I can think
of related to a person’s life, Kam is doing the same. After we have
both completed our lists, we compare notes and discuss our likes and dislikes
of each name. Once we agree on which fictional person fits which character
in the book, the first few chapters are rewritten, inserting the characters’
names. As the plot unfolds, the characters take on their own form and become
real in our minds.
Are they based on real people or pure imagination?
I would have to say a large percentage of our characters are based on pure
imagination. We do throw in a trait or a reference to a famous person or someone
we know, now and then, if that’s how we view the character in our minds.
What books do you have planned for the near future?
At present, we are working on our third book in the ©Have No Mercy series,
“Black Lily: Have No Mercy III”. In the mystery genre, we have
a lot of notes with many ideas for other books, but nothing definite at this
time.
Kam is working on a series of children’s E-books, ©Annado’s
Versery-rhymes. They will be illustrated by Arthur L. Bain, artist and published
author.
When is your next book due out?
“Black Lily: Have No Mercy III” is scheduled for publication
June 2004 by Global Authors Publications.
Can we have a sneak summary?
Mt. Pride, Colorado’s mayor and his son, a prominent businessman, are
missing. Whether the disappearance of these two men is voluntary or foul play,
the case becomes a priority for the head of Mt. Pride’s Detective Division,
Captain Joe Warner, and his Lieutenant, Eddy Konklin. During their investigation,
the detectives are stymied by the death of two of their lead suspects. The
investigation leads to a bizarre conclusion.
Do you have any book signings/appearances in the future?
Due to other commitments, we have no book signings/appearances scheduled
until the end of May 2004. At that time, Melissa James (romantic/suspense
author from Washington state) and Roy Merritt (western author from Texas)
will be joining us in group signings here in Nebraska. On Friday, May 28,
we will be signing our books at Waldenbooks in Grand Island. Saturday, May
29, will find us at the Grand Island Hastings Book Store in the morning; and
in the afternoon at the Hastings Book Store in Kearney.
What do you feel makes your books unique or stand out from others in your
genre?
Many books have twists and turns, or a twist ending. We have several hairpin-curves
and multiple crossroads all through our novels, right up the last twist at
the end.
Do you have a special subgenre and if so what is it?
I don’t, but Kam is considering delving into erotica or writing more
romance into the mysteries.
Do you have a favorite place that you like to write?
My favorite place to write is sitting at my computer in my own home.
In what order do you write? (Beginning to End; combining parts; in random
order; development cycle).
One rough draft is written from beginning to end. From there, we go back
and embellish on the plot and, many times, add in sub-plots.
What do you like about what is/isn?t being done to promote authors?
There are fantastic, on-line sites that go the extra mile to promote the
‘not so well-known’ authors. The sad part is, many of these sites
are authors promoting authors. We help each other, which is a good thing.
However, we need more sites like Midnight Reviews, Sell Writing on Line and
My Shelf that reach the readers. I believe the majority of printed and on-line
periodicals could care less about today’s author unless they carry a
huge, well-known name like Spielburg, or have a book published by someone
like Random House. With all the creative, wonderful authors we have in this
world, it’s a darn shame some of the journalistic ‘conformists’
are blinded by their own mentality. You don’t have to have a famous
name or be published by a huge, known publishing house to write a good book.
What I like is knowing that book chains, such as Waldenbooks, Hastings Book
Stores and Barnes and Noble, are finally opening their doors to the small
press and self-published authors. This is a real breakthrough for all of us
– authors and readers.
Do you think that marketing departments have their fingers on the pulse of
readers??
Since I don’t deal with marketing departments, I cannot give a fair
answer. I am like several other thousands of today’s authors. We have
to promote and market our own books. What I do read and hear in the news,
most of these promoters are only interested if your book received a write-up
or a review someplace like the New York Times.
How do you feel about the review rating system and its affects on public
opinion?
I have very mixed emotions about the review rating system. When we were young
and able to travel more, we belonged to the AAA. Knowing that someone actually
checked out the motels or hotels before rating them, gave us a sense of security.
If we chose to stay in a 5-star motel, we knew we were getting the very best
accommodations for our money. It’s rather difficult to say this applies
to a book. Just because a reviewer gives a 5-star rating for a book, doesn’t
mean the reader will enjoy it. Many of the reviewers look for plot well-written,
realistic characters and conversations, and a good edit. We, as writers, strive
to give the reader all of these aspects. However, I, as a reader, also want
to be entertained. Some reviewers read so many books, they forget about the
entertainment value of their reviews.
For the most part, I do believe a reviewer on a well-known Web site (like
Amazon.com) or in a recognized, printed periodical (like The Washington Post)
can definitely sway the public to purchase or ignore a book based on their
review. When our books received a 5-star review by Amazon’s number one
reviewer, Harriet Klausner, and again by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a multi-award-winning
author/journalist, the reviews definitely helped our sales shoot up.
In what kind of venues can we find your books?
“Have No Mercy” takes place in a fictional area of Mt. Pride,
Colorado. Since we have lived in Denver and Estes Park, we wrote about an
area in which we were familiar. The mountainsides fit right into the plot.
Taking the storyline to Costa Rica was also easy, as Kam lived there, at one
time. With my extensive military background, I had the opportunity to travel
all over the world. So, writing a scene in a small, resort town in the Caribbean
was easy. With a bit of interior decorating in her resume, Kam comes up with
the lavish homes and descriptive interiors. I am a licensed Forensic hypnotist,
so writing scenes in the psychologist/hypnotist’s office was based on
my expertise. While living in Estes Park, Colorado, Kam and I owned and operated
a gourmet coffee shop. That is where our knowledge of coffee came from, and
why we placed one of our protagonists in the coffee business. When it came
to scenes dealing with the police, I utilized my law enforcement background
for authenticity of the detective’s investigations.
Other than the brief interludes in Des Moines and Chicago, the majority of
“Black Rosebud: Have No Mercy II” takes place in fictional areas
of Nebraska. Born and raised in Nebraska, Kam spent many summers on a farm.
Many of the farm and small town scenes in this book came from her childhood
memories. Also, we live in just that sort of a small town, rural area, today.
The Greyhound bus and depot scenes came easy for Kam, too. Years ago, she
took many a trip on the Greyhound. Since she was also familiar with Des Moines,
Iowa and Chicago, Illinois, and both places are on the Greyhound route to
New York, the pieces just fell into place for our lead character’s travels.
The soon to be published “Black Lily: Have No Mercy III” is set,
once again, in and around Mt. Pride, Colorado.
What do you feel is the best aspect of the Publishing Industry?
Seeing more small press, independent publishers emerge is one of the best
aspects of today’s publishing industry, allowing more writers to get
their works in print. Also, I like the idea of having a great number of publishers
utilizing ‘print on demand’ which helps to reduce publishing expenses
for both the publisher and the author.
What do you feel could stand to be ?tweaked? so to speak?
I don’t like the idea that ‘big’ publishing houses have
the right to pay for bookstore shelving of their books, leaving little to
no space for the small, independent authors.
With the rise of the E-book publishers and small press, do you think they
will be the wave of the future?
I certainly hope so. E-book and small press publishers appear to take more
pride in helping a writer get their books to print; and be more open-minded
in allowing the writer ‘free expression’.
How do you think the E-book industry has affected the Publishing industry?
The E-book industry has opened many doors for writers who otherwise would
not be able to see their writing efforts published; and for readers who would
rather read a book on their computer instead of having hard cover/paperback
books fill their shelves. E-books are not only a great convenience, but very
affordable for most budgets.
Is there anything else you would like to add that we haven?t covered?
Kam and I have nothing more to add, Carol, except to say thank you for the
opportunity to be included in your on-line interviews. We would also like
to thank you for being one of the select few that really care about promoting
authors and their works.
