MEET QUINCY MAC--A MAID IN LA

My guest is Holly Jacobs who has written a fun story in new series she has decided to self-publish. Holly tells some heartwarming stories and usually employing a good sense of humor. I haven’t read one of her stories I haven’t enjoyed. This one, though, with a reoccurring central character who finds all sorts of trouble and mysteries to solve, well, I’m really going to enjoy reading this series.

I have written for a lot of publisher and a lot of lines, but all my books have had one commonality...they were romances. Some were comedies, some just humorous, and some very serious. But they all centered on two characters meeting, falling in love and overcoming obstacles in order to be together.

For me, things changed when I met Quincy Mac.  She is a divorced, thirty-eight year old mother of three teens.  She moved from Erie, PA (come on, if you've read my books, you knew I had to tie Erie into it) to LA, hoping to become the next big star.  Instead…she became a maid.

It might not be what she expected, but Quincy's built a wonderful life.    Until... (come on, you know there had to be an until!) the day she accidentally cleans a murder scene and a particularly hunky cop questions her.  Now, most people, even if they accidentally cleaned not only the murder scene, but also the murder weapon, would sit back and let the cops figure out who the real murderer is.  But not Quincy Mac. You see, she has an uncle who was wrongly accused of a crime and spent two years in jail before the cops figured out he was innocent.  Quincy can't go to jail.  She has three boys to raise. She's going to be maid-of-honor in her best friend's wedding. And she's absolutely sure she's not someone who's meant to have a tattoo.    So, she sets out to find the real killer.  As she does, she finds a potential romance with the cop who’s trying to send her to death row…talk about obstacles that need to be overcome!

Right now, Quincy’s story only available for Kindle.  (I hope to have it on other platforms sometime in the future.  And there are two more Maid in LA Mysteries…Dusted, which should be out this fall.  (This time Quincy’s not solving a mystery to keep herself out of jail, but to save her business’s reputation!) and Spruced Up (a Christmas novella—Quincy heads home to Erie, PA for Christmas and finds another mystery to solve!). 

 PS. Here are a few unbiased reviews:

“Hey, at least it’s not a romance.” ~Holly’s son.  

 
“Dear God, not another cop character.  Any police procedural inaccuracies are all Holly’s.  They are not the fault of her personal police models.  Of course, the fact that she portrays cops as hunks is totally accurate.” ~Holly’s husband and two brothers (aka...the cops)  

 *“Holly is a fantastic writing talent…not that I’m biased.”   ~Holly’s favorite daughter* 

 *“Holly Jacobs is an auto-buy for me.  Not that I buy her books…she gives them to me.”  ~Holly’s favorite daughter* 

 *“Holly makes me laugh…so do her books.”  ~Holly’s favorite daughter*  

 *DISCLAIMER: Holly has three daughters…she has no favorites.

                                                                                                                                                                                        

BUY; AMAZON

STEAMED-A Maid in LA Mystery

Cleaning is Murder on the Manicure

Quincy Mac went to Hollywood with stars in her eyes.  Twenty years later, she's not a star, but she's built a good life.  She's got friends, three boys she loves and a thriving cleaning business. That's right, she's a co-owner of Mac'Cleaners, LA's premiere maid service.

Her ex and his newest wife take the boys on summer vacation and Quincy's imagining a quiet night with ice cream and a chick flick.  She just has one last cleaning job to finish first.  But there's a problem...a dead body in the bedroom.

Turns out, she's steamed and cleaned a murder scene.  Quincy's a suspect.  She sets out to find the real killer before she ends up in prison for a murder she didn't commit. Excerpt 

                                                                                                                                            

MY FUNNY VALENTINE WITH JOHN PHILIPP

It's my pleasure to have award winning humorist, John Philipp, visiting with us Over Coffee. He is one of the authors—some of the funniest writers in America: the people who win humor contests, syndicate columns, appear on comedy stages, create the jokes on TV—of My Funny Valentine. I had a chance to chat with him about his writing and My Funny Valentine. 

Share a bit about John Philipp with us. You’re originally from the east coast, aren't you? Did California’s sunshine blue skies and temperate weather lure you to the west?

 
I was born outside New York. Lived there for 20 years and then Cambridge, Mass for about the same time. Like all red-bloodied American men I was lured to California by Annette Funicello and everyone named Bambi. Also my boss made me go.

Ironically, I met a "Bambi" and married her but she would never let me call her that.

Among other things, you’re a humor columnist. How did that come about? Did you wake up one day and say, hmm, I like making people think and chuckle; I think I’ll start writing humor?

Seriously, I wrote humor because I wasn't good enough to write fiction — and not patient enough to learn how. Humor has a quite payoff. You tell a joke and people laugh or don't. With a short story, first you have to get it accepted. In those days, editors frowned on simultaneous submissions. So you'd send a story in, wait four months, get a form letter rejection, and send it somewhere else. If you persisted, eventually you'd sell it 12 years later. I was never much for delayed gratification.

Who were some of the humor writers that influenced you and how?

I love almost all humor. My first steady humor exposure was to Art Buchwald. We got the NY Herald Tribune at home, and my dad thought Buchwald was hysterical. Perhaps that's one reason I valued humor. This could be a story about a young boy who learns to write humor so his dad will love him but I discovered at age two that my dad did love me so I didn't start writing humor for another quarter century.

I know you’re very good with writing satire and humor and you’ve won awards for it. I also know that writing humor isn't as easy to write, as people would assume. Do you keep a notebook to jot down ideas to develop later?

I do. Articles in the newspaper, something in a cartoon, something someone says in the locker room, I get ideas all day long. Some ideas get developed during the day, usually when I'm in the steam room because that where my muse hangs out (A column about that is coming out shortly — as soon as her lawyer okays it.   

Typically, how long does it take you to put together a humor column?

I have no idea. Most often a short paragraph of a concept gets typed into a file. Maybe a week or a month later I'm going through my pile and I see that and write more. Or, I hear something that fits that topic and I dig out the file and add it.

Other times, like in the steam room, I play with an idea and organize it in my head, go home sit down and an hour later the complete first draft is done.

Not only do you write a humor column for a newspaper, but you also write one for a social media site-Gather. How long have you been doing that?

I've been writing for Gather for four years. Mostly I posted copies of columns I had already written but I did write some just for gather, including some of the "How to Write Humor" articles you included here once.


Yes,  you did a 5 part series on writing humor, in June of 2009. I'll link the the introductory article. At the end of the article are links to all of the articles in the series.

You also write fiction. Is it also comedic? Would you care to tell us a bit about it?

 
Usually my fiction is semi-serious, often with a surprising ending. But I just finished the first draft of a novel involving four generations, Jews in Europe during the war, a 13-year-old girl molested by her uncle, etc. Not much humor there except for her teddy bear, Monsieur Flaubert, who she talks to and I use as a device to get inside a young girl's mind.

True story. I read an article about survivor guilt and decided to write a story about a guy who fakes a heart attack to escape a hostage situation and then a bomb explodes and everyone else dies. He wrestles with, in this case, deserved survivor guilt and eventually gives himself a real heart attack — think "Crime and Punishment."
I started writing the story last week. The man is on his way to the bank. He's mad at his wife who doesn't appreciate his hypochondria and he starts fantasying leaving her and she's on her knees begging him back and pretty soon I had this sad, funny character on his way to an adventure.

So, the story will be humorous. And when it's out of the way, I will go back and write the serious, tragic one.

Available print and e-book
Amazon, Barnes and Noble

 

My Funny Valentine is not your typical Valentine’s Day stories. How did you become a part of this project?

One of the other humorists told me about it. It was fun. It was the "Book of the Day" on the Kindle site yesterday. They've started another one about funny car stories. I'll probably submit to that for the fun of it. It's primarily a marketing vehicle for the writers in it and it gets you an "Author page" on Amazon.

What is the title of your contribution to this book?

Don't Surprise Your Valentine. Surprising your sweetheart with a non-traditional valentine's gift is the leading cause in the United States of mid-February ER visits.

Any lessons you've learned, as a writer, you’d like to share with us?

Read voraciously, especially the type of writing you want to do. Some of it will stick on you and it improves your "ear." You read something you write and you can tell whether that rings true or not.

Write as much as you can, as often as you can, you don't have to do anything with that writing if you don't want to. But you will get better. Someone recently said that mastery of anything is doing it 10,000 times. Get started.

Be part of a writing group — you are blind to your mistakes and will often miss your own brilliance. I have found that learning how to critique others is the best training for learning how to write better myself.  

John, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. 

~*~*~*~

John Philipp is a weekly humor columnist for four Marin County, California newspapers and has won numerous humor and memoir writing awards. His humor columns are posted at Gather. His wisdom (with Phil Frank's cartoons) is posted at Thought~Bytes http://thoughtbytes.gather.com/ 

You can also find John on Facebook, where he offers Daily Ponder and Thought Bytes.

IT'S HOT AND SEXY WITH SIDNEY AYERS

My guest is the sassy creator of laughter and humorous paranormal romance, Sidney Ayers. I have to admit her characters crack me up. Not just because they invoked laughter but because many of them aren’t what they seem, or they border the bizarre even in the normal world. One thing I can tell you; they’re not boring. Sydney also writes it hot and this covers both her love stories and the subject of them—Demons Unleashed.

• Did you try other genres before you chose this one?

I’ve always been a history buff, so I started out writing historicals. Since I’ve always held a fascination with the society and mores during the early 1800’s, my first novel was a regency historical romance. I will eventually delve back into that period. I’ve even discovered how to include a sci-fi/fantasy element, so I’m very excited to delve back into the history (even if it’ll be slightly altered).

• Who was most/least supportive of your writing career?

I’ve been lucky that most my friends and family have been extremely supportive of my career. It’s something I’ve dreamt of for a long time and they’re all very excited for me.

• What’s the hardest thing you've had to face as a writer? How did you overcome it?

Rejection, I guess. It’s taken me a long time to realize not everyone is going to like what I write. I try to focus on the positive feedback and reviews and brush away the negative ones.

• What was the single best or luckiest thing that got you pubbed?

A good strong query with a solid hook helps a lot. A good story will seal the deal.

• What does your writing day look like?

My writing days are scattered as hell. I have no set schedule. It’s crazy.

• Describe your writing space. Or, describe your DREAM writing space.

My current office space consists of a faux suede recliner and a MyPlace laptop workstation (Best Christmas gift-EVER). Surprisingly, even with the TV right across from me, I’ve managed to finish 4 books with this setup.  My dream writing space would be a soundproofed, locked office. That way, there are absolutely no distractions.

• How do you refresh and recharge yourself so you can continue writing?

I watch TV, read a book, and of course, take a relaxing bath. A little vino doesn’t hurt every now and again, either.

• How has your own romance colored how you write romance in your stories?

I hate to admit this, but I’m single right now, so there’s no current romance to color my stories. Not many of my relationships have been that romance novel worthy, but the emotions at the time were true, so I like to think it helps me give my characters believable emotions.

DEMONS Like It HOT--Available now in stores and online.

 If you can’t stand the heat, get out of Hell’s Kitchen! 

A RECIPE FOR DISASTER...

Matthias Ambrose is a demon mercenary who never took sides, until his attraction to the spunky caterer he was hired to kidnap leads him to almost botch a job for the first time in eight hundred years. Now he must protect her from his former clients, but even an ice—cold demon like Matthias struggles to resist her fiery charms.

OR THE PERFECT INGREDIENTS FOR PASSION...

Completely engrossed with planning menus and prepping recipes for her shot at cooking show fame, star caterer Serah SanGermano refuses to believe she's on a fast track to Hades. But how is she supposed to stick to the kitchen if she can't stand the heat of her gorgeous demonic bodyguard? As a wicked plot to destroy humanity unfolds and all hell breaks loose in Serah's kitchen, she and Matthias find themselves knee—deep in demons and up to their eyeballs in love...excerpt

Buy:  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indigo

Sidney Ayers loves infusing her stories with humor. What would the world be without a little bit of laughter? She writes a plethora of genres, ranging from historical, to paranormal, to contemporary.

A native of Michigan, Sidney still lives in the same town she grew up in. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't seem to get away. Michigan is in her blood. Scary thought, huh?

Find Sidney: Facebook, Twitter, Website

LISA RENEE JONES—The Fun And Oh So Sexy Sterling

Warning: A sizzling excerpt included

My guest is romance author, Lisa Renee Jones. You'll remember she visited us back a ways with a delicious new paranormal Zodius Series and her first book of the series, The Legend of Michael. I loved the book. It was fresh and oh so fun to read. 


Lisa uses quite a bit of humor in her stories and I love the humor between the guys and the heroines also have a healthy dose. Of course, given the circumstances and their battles, the characters need that humor. 


Lisa, using a Dr. Pepper Commercial, gives us a visual of Sterling's sense of humor. Yeah, it made me laugh.



Recently I blogged about THE STORM THAT IS STERLING and Sterling’s addiction to M&M’s and Dr. Pepper. I shared some really fun clips from M&M’s most inappropriate commercials. One of the things I love about Sterling is that he is a true Renegade.  He’s been hurt and beat up emotionally and he survives this by jokes and a willingness to do anything he can to protect the world and save others. See, he doesn’t feel like he saved people in life that have been hurt. His mother died in childbirth. His father died in war. His grandmother became an alcoholic right after his mother died in childbirth. But he isn’t bitter. He has the biggest heart.

He’s also an expert hacker and that got him in a little trouble, which got him the attention of the Army where his father was Special Forces. They wanted him for his skill and for his daring. And he needed a family.

So to celebrate Sterling’s daring – I thought I’d share a video that celebrates Sterling’s addiction to Dr. Pepper, his woman, and his humor.

Do you love it? Want to win a copy of Sterling? Just tell me you stopped by!

Happy Holidays everyone!

The Storm That Is Sterling

Sterling Jeter has remarkable powers and has shown himselfto be just about indestructible. But beautiful, brilliant RebeccaBurns knows that even a Super Soldier needs comfort, and somuch more… 

But she can see that deep down, he’s just a man… 

Sterling and Rebecca’s teenage romance was interrupted,but years later the heat between them flares back to life.Even though it endangers everything they’re fighting for, it’simpossible to resist picking up right where they left off…

Lisa has chosen to give us sizzling excerpt from THE STORM THAT IS STERLING 
You can read an extra excerpt by following the link below this excerpt.

Erotic images rushed through Sterling’s mind as Becca walked toward him, anticipation for the moment this gorgeous, sweet, yet incredibly sexy woman would touch him. She stopped in front of him, her gaze lift­ing to his, simmering heat expanding between them. He swayed slightly, then silently reprimanded himself, despite the very male, very caveman-like desire to reach for her and say “mine.” He knew that wasn’t the right move. Just as he had known what to order for her at that restaurant, she didn’t feel she had choices, like she was spinning out of control. Well, she was going to have them with him. Whatever she wanted, she needed—he wanted and needed.

Slowly, her lashes lowered as she pressed her palm to his chest. It was soft, cool—a contrast to the fire licking at his limbs, spiraling between them. She splayed her fingers, flexing them against his skin before trailing one finger downward to his lower abdomen, and then flat­tened her hand on his skin again with the promise she wasn’t going to stop there. And man, oh man, did his cock know it. He was standing at attention, thrumming with anticipation, his heart pounding in his ears.

Her fingers walked a path downward to the base of his erection, and then she caressed straight to the tip. His cock jerked instantly with the pleasure.

Becca sucked in a breath and tried to pull her hand away, her eyes seeking his. And before he could stop himself, he stole a little piece of that control he’d vowed to relinquish to her. His hand closed around hers, wrapping her fingers around his cock. “Don’t stop,” he ordered, barely recognizing the husky voice as his own.

Her teeth scraped her bottom lip, and he all but moaned. Lust licked at his limbs like a four-alarm fire. That soft, amber gaze of hers so often full of innocent uncertainty flickered to his face, innocence no longer there. Instead, her eyes shimmered with a combination of desire and hestation. And then, blessed be, her hand tightened around him.

“Oh yeah, sweetheart,” he said hoarsely, releasing her hand, allowing her that freedom of choice, as long as it involved her hand on his cock.

“You like that?” she asked, more teasing than confirming.

“Just to be clear,” he said, his voice gravely and af­fected. “You pretty much can do anything you want to me… and I’ll like it. Aside from the use of teeth, that is.” Amending quickly, he added, “If used in limited capac­ity, of course, teeth can be kind of sexy and remain on the table for acceptable use. And being a scientist and all, I know you have an experimental instinct. Feel free to go with that. Just let it ride.”

Read an extra excerpt HERE:

http://www.lisareneejones.com/books/the-storm-that-is-sterling/sterling-excerpt/

And THE DANGER THAT IS DAMION is coming in May 2012!

BUY: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Borders | IndieBound

Award winning author, Lisa Renee Jones, has published more than fifteen novels in several different languages, spanning multiple genres of romance – contemporary, romantic suspense, dark paranormal and erotic fiction. In each book the hero is dark, dangerous, and sexy. She debuted for both, Nocturne and Blaze, on the Bookscan bestseller list. You can find Lisa on Twitter, Facebook, and her blog for regular updates. Lisa now has a Fan Page at Facebook.

Interview with Tonya Kappes

It's my pleasure to have my friend finally visit me here Over Coffee. It feels like I've been waiting forever. So it's with great pleasure I introduce, women's fiction author, Tonya Kappes. To reward her for visiting I decided to put her on the hot seat and ask lots of questions.

Before I get to the questions I have to tell you I read her latest book, Carpe Bead 'Em. I loved it! It's a fun summer read that leaves you feeling good after you put it down. I'll admit, I shook my Kindle in disbelief when I got to the end. I was sure it would magically continue on with Hallie's story, but alas it didn't. Darn it. Her story shares the best elements of women's fiction and chick-lit and yes, there are quirky characters, lots of laughs, and few tears. I would recommend Carpe Bead 'Em for a fun summer read and introduce you an excellent story teller.

 You can read the Blurb and Excerpt here

Buy: Amazon, Smashwords Available Kindle and Paperback

Carpe Bead 'Em book trailer

Tonya, I'm so glad to have you visiting here Over Coffee. Tell me a bit about you. I know you’re married and the mother of four teenaged boys. From what I know of you the past few years, it sounds like a big boisterous family setting. Do you work outside the home?

Yes! I do work outside the home with….KIDS!! Can you believe it? I can’t escape it!

I’m a Developmental Therapist for children birth to three-years old. I work with all sorts of children with disorders like shaken baby syndrome to speech therapy etc…


How do you balance writing with the rest of your life?


I put it on my head and hope it sinks in while walking really fast.

No, seriously. I keep all my writing stuff with me at all times. When I have a free second between therapy appointments I pull it out. When we are at one of many sporting events~I pull it out. The community we live in is use to seeing me with pencil, paper, laptop in hand.


What do you do to relax and recharge?


What? We can do that?? I do walk my dogs every day. Being with my family keeps me going. Plus I love my day job, and I get rewarded from helping those sweet little ones. It charges me up.


You’ve been writing for some years, how long have you had the goal to be published?


From day one. From the day I started seriously writing, I was writing for publication. I only wanted my name on a book. When that happened, I wanted to touch readers. Readers are my number one priority. It doesn’t matter about the amount of books sold, or the amount of money, it’s all about my readers.


How did you go about making that a reality? (How did writing groups, continuing education, etc help?)


I have to say, I’m very blessed to be surrounded by such a great group of writing women. My local RWA chapter has Lori Foster, Shelley Shepard Gray, Heather Webber, Jules Bennett, Dianne Castell, Toni Blake, Cathy Liggett, Kay Stockham, Becke Davis, Gabrielle Edwards, Tina Wolfer, just to name a few. They are great women who encourage me. Plus my critique group, that I meet with every other week, Heather Webber, Shelley Shepard Grey, Hilda Linder-Knepp, and Cathy Liggett, keep it real for me.


I really took a lot of classes to hone my craft. The story part is easy and flows, it’s all those grammar rules that flub me up. WHO NEEDS RULES??


You have a blog, The Naked Hero, with Misa Ramirez. How did the blog help you with fulfilling your goal to be published?

Yes, Misa Ramirez! Amazing woman! It helped me build a platform and establish a presence on line before I was published. I really do believe in connecting with readers and I found it there. I make sure I email each person who comments on my blog. I want them to feel like I hear them. I do.


How have you handled discouragement that comes with submitting and getting rejections?


I’m a “glass is half full” girl! I’m all about karma, destiny, and giving back. When I got rejections, and I did, I never got upset. It only fueled my fire, and I continued. I would send out sixty-one-hundred queries at a time. I can honestly say, I never ever got mad or upset. I accepted it and moved on.


I teach my children this every day!


You tout yourself as a high-class hillbilly (*snork), so does this tag make Tonya Kappes quirky? Or does designing and beading make her quirky?


Ummm…it’s me! I love to go barefoot, packing my Gucci bag, and calling everyone y’all. I’m a people person and can get along with the richest and the poorest, the smartest and the dumbest. There is good in everyone and I find it no matter what.


You say you love writing about, “quirky characters and even quirkier situations.” So, define for me quirky, and how it applies to your writing?


Quirky, to me, is living outside the box and letting the world know it is okay. Society lives in this box of rules, and I don’t, nor do my kids.


I love writing about these kinds of characters. They are entertaining and make a great character! It takes my reader away from their life and makes them smile.


You write woman’s fiction. What drew you to this genre?


I love reading about the growth, learning something to make your life better. It was just a natural write for me. I’m sure it’s because it was all I use to read. Now I read anything I can get my hands on.


What’s something you admire about Hallie, your heroine in Carpe Bead ‘em?


I love the fact she was able to come full circle in her life before it was too late. She discovers how important family is no matter where you come from. She has such a wonderful growth and her spirit, in the end, was gold.


(I love her friends and her interaction with Bo and his shirts, cracks me up.)


This might be like asking a mother to pick her favorite kid, but do you have a favorite scene?


I love all the scenes when Aunt Grace calls her in the middle of the night. Hallie never, not once, didn’t take her Aunt’s call.


What's easiest (or hardest) for you-dialogue, plot, character, or something else?


I love to cross tenses! My editor always corrects me for this. I write the full novel, then go back and make myself look at the tenses. It should get easier with each novel, but it hasn’t.


I know you are hard at work on a series. Can you tell us a bit about it and when it will be released?


OH! I love this series. It’s my first series that just flowed through me. All three novels are set in a fictitious town of Grandberry Falls, and centered around the residents there. The town is so charming with a waterfall in the middle of town square where you can throw in a penny for good luck, have lunch at The Fatted Pig, dessert at The Trembling Cup Café, or a cocktail at The Thirsty Turtle. It’s a town you will want to live in.


The Ladybug Jinx is the first in the series that will be released at the end of July. The second book, Happy New Life, will be released in September. The third and final book (I say that…) is Never Tell Your Dreams Before Breakfast, and will be released in January.


Readers will follow this town and some main characters throughout a major growth in all their life and community.

Tonya, I'm eagerly awaiting reading this series! You are such a good storyteller. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

~*~*~

Tonya Kappes, the queen, princess, and jester in her family of 4 boys, 2 dogs, and best friend husband, is the author of two novels, Carpe Bead 'Em and The Ladybug Jinx. She writes contemporary women's fiction and humorous cozy mysteries with quirky characters and quirkier situations. Tonya teaches on-line classes at savvyauthor.com about those heroes/heroines/villains we love to write and read about. Tonya's Promotional Toolbox is a must-go-to workshop, where Tonya works with authors on how to effectively promote and market themselves and their books. She is the co-founder of The Naked Hero(thenakedhero.com) website, and The Writer's Guide to E Publishing (www.thewritersguidetoepublishing.com). Find out what's going on with Tonya at www.tonyakappes.com. You can also find Tonya on Facebook.

Gary Alexander--The Writer's Life--Interview

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.

Gary Alexander says he’s been “abusing mystery readers for over thirty years” with various short stories and two series. As a writer he knows all about writing because it’s a burning desire within and the hit and miss vagaries of getting published.

His latest book isn’t a mystery but uses his experiences and knowledge of Vietnam to create, Dragon Lady, his first literary novel.  

Gary stopped by to chat with us a bit about a writer’s life.   






 When did you decide or know you wanted to be an author, to get your works published?

I think it’d been in my subconscious since I was a kid. I was a voracious reader and really appreciated good writing. In my early 30s, I finished reading an anthology of published stories, very disappointed with most of them. I told my wife, Shari, that I could do better than this guano. She said, well, why you don’t try? Six or seven years later I sold a story to the late Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, $25 on publication.

What other kinds of jobs have you held?

Mostly in the insurance industry. I worked in the field and could set my own hours. I carried around a tape recorder and often plumped out a story idea while stuck in gridlock.

Dragon Lady is obviously based on some personal experiences. Was it difficult to write about these?

Difficult and cathartic, more of the latter. Over the years, Dragon Lady evolved, all versions rejected or (mostly) ignored by editors and agents. Ones who responded said they weren’t interested in a Vietnam War story. It isn’t a war story, it’s an anti-war story. I emphasized humor to highlight the absurdity of it. The parallels to Afghanistan are stunning. I could go on and on---

How did writing this novel differ from writing other books/stories where the characters and plot were so far-removed from your personal life?

When I’d drop the manuscript into the mailbox, the character went with it. The exception to that were my series characters. They became friends.

Like a lot of authors, you’ve suffered your fair share of rejections. Do you think a writer’s life is difficult?

I was thinking about that the other day while taking a walk. Passed a garbage man unloading our Dumpster. Walked by a convenience store as the clerk cleaned up trash in the lot. Stopped by a bar for a beer; the bartender was running her butt off because the waitress didn’t show up for work. On the way home, a police car and fire truck zoomed by, sirens on, headed for who knows where. I’d say there might be a few jobs more difficult.

But the rejection is tough. Do you have a low opinion of the editors and agents who rejected you in the past?

I used to. But then I’d set manuscripts aside that the “idiots” had rejected. When I’d completely forgotten what they were about, I’d read them again. Guess who the idiot was? Almost half the 150+ short stories and 12 novels I’ve sold have been repair jobs after I’d let the works ripen.

What was the oddest/worst rejection you ever received?

What hasn’t been the worst? The uniformity of the comments makes me want to tear what remains of my hair out. “Not what we’re looking for.” “Not quite right for us.” “Not what we need.” Ad nauseam.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

In the old days, I’d pace around the office, sharpen pencils, and mutter obscenities.

And in today’s electronic era?

I pace around the office, sharpen pencils, and mutter obscenities.

How do you know if you’re a writer?

Easy question. A writer is one who cannot not write. Would-be writers have told me that they plan to take up writing after they have time, after the kids are grown and out of the house or after they retire from their day jobs, after after after ─

I believe it was Ross Macdonald who said that nothing ever got written because the writer had time to write it.

We’ve all read stories about 28-year-old first novelists who write bestsellers. How do you react to that?

Homicidal thoughts.

Seriously, have you ever read a bestseller and wondered, “How did this get published and become so popular?” How do you deal with those negative feelings? Do those feelings have an impact on your own work?

Many, many times. Just makes me work harder. I try not to dwell on anything over which I have no control.

Gary, thank you for taking time from your writing schedule to visit us today. What about you?

• As a reader or a writer, have YOU read a bestseller you wondered how in the world became published much less a bestseller?
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• As a writer, how do you deal with your rejections?

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Dragon Lady synopsis

  

In 1965 Saigon, Joe, a young draftee, becomes obsessed with a Vietnam girl named Mai, his own "Dragon Lady" from his beloved Terry and the Pirates cartoon strips that his mother still sends him. As he pursues a relationship with her, Saigon churns with intrigue and rumors--will the U.S. become more involved with the Vietnamese struggle? What's going on with a special unit that's bringing in all sorts of (for the time) high tech equipment? Will the U.S. make Vietnam the 51st state and bomb aggressors to oblivion?

But for Joe, the big question is--does Mai love him or will she betray more than just his heart? Excerpt

Gary Alexander’s intelligent voice, filled with dry wit, and his own experiences give this story a sharp sense of truth, recounting the horror and absurdity of war. Reminiscent of books such as Catch-22, Dragon Lady serves up equal measures of outrageous humor and poignant remembrance. Gary Alexander was one of 17,000 US soldiers in Vietnam that spring. When he left in the fall, there were 75,000 troops in-country.

Buy: Available as an e-book: Amazon, Smashwords, Istoria Books

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Gary R. Alexander enlisted in the Army in 1964 and served in Saigon. When he arrived in country, there were 17,000 GIs. When he left, 75,000. Dragon Lady is Gary’s first literary novel. He is the author of several mysteries featuring stand-up comic Buster Hightower--Disappeared, Zillionaire and Interlock--published in hardcover by Five Star/Cengage. He has had short stories published in several mystery publications, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. He resides in Seattle.


His website can be found here: http://garyralexander.com/

Istoria Books is giving away free copy using a 100 percent discount code from Smashwords.com that will allow a reader to "purchase" the book for free in a variety of ebook formats.
 

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