FEATURED AUTHOR: TERESA TRENT

ABOUT THE BOOK

Artist Gabby Wolfe has the ability to see not only the beauty of the living but the despair of the dead. When she returns to her childhood home in Henry Park Colorado, she is forced to bring along her younger brother Mitch. He is on a “break” from college where he was majoring in wine, women, and song. If that isn’t enough they also have Mitch’s rambunctious beagle Luigi along who prefers to spend his days wallowing in junk food. When Gabby draws the death of a young woman before it happens, she knows she must tell someone and risk a new job and her professional credibility. Will she reveal her secret in time to save the woman in the water or will it be too late?

INTERVIEW WITH TERESA TRENT

Teresa, how did you get started writing?
I started writing little by little. I loved fiction that featured small town life and wanted to show the warmth of every day human existence. I made plenty of mistakes, but struggling with my three kids who had dyslexia, dysgraphia, and Down syndrome, you get into the mindset that if something is difficult you have to think of it as just a road block and there is always a way to get around it.  If my daughter didn’t give up on reading, there was no way I would give up on writing. So, I kept at it until I finally finished a book. Then I figured out all the mistakes I made with that one and wrote a second book and more from there.

What’s your favorite thing about the writing process?
Watching my characters come clearer with each draft.

Do you have a writing routine?
So many! Each novel I write has a three-ring binder. Most of my initial plotting is done by hand with a series of questions I ask for each plot and subplot. From there I create a tentative scene list and then go to work on the writing. Once I start, that’s all I do until the end of the first draft. Once I finish that, I put the binder on my shelf and work through a second or third draft of another novel. This way I have time to step back and think about the book a little before I tackle the second draft.

Do you write every day?
Yes!

What do you wish you had done differently when you had first started the writing process?
I wish I had hired a professional editor before I published my first book.

What do you think is the hardest part of writing a book?
The middle. I know how I want it start and how I want it to end. Getting there is another matter.

What’s more important—character or plot?
First plot then good characters to make it real to the reader.

How often do you read?
Every day.

What is your writing style?
I think I write simply. The Popeye method. I am what I am. I have been told by my critique group I’m all about the dialogue. I can’t help adding humor, and when I tried to write a thriller, it was a dismal failure. You just can’t make jokes about deep terror like a serial killer.

What do you think makes a good story?
I love characters I can identify with who find success on their journeys.  I absolutely hate a story where everyone loses at the end.

What books do you currently have published?
Color Me Dead is the first installment of the Henry Park Series.

I also have six books in The Pecan Bayou Series, a story about a helpful hints writer who solves crimes in the tiny Texas town of Pecan Bayou.

What five things would you never live without?
1.    Warm feet on a cold night
2.    Brownies just coming out of the oven
3.    Lip Balm
4.    My computer
5.    A great story

What do you love about where you live?
I live in Houston, Texas. I love the balmy breezes and the excellent Mexican food!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Teresa Trent writes cozy mysteries that take place in small towns in Texas. She was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee but with her father in the military, didn't stay for long. She's lived all over but has a special place in her heart for Colorado, Illinois and of course, Texas. Being a fan of the Andy Griffith Show and Murder She Wrote, she loves creating quirky small towns and colorful characters. She decided to feature a character with Down syndrome in the Pecan Bayou series because after giving birth to her son with DS, she discovered there were very few people like him in the world of cozy mysteries. She continues that with the character of Gigi, a young woman with cerebral palsy in the Henry Park Series. Teresa lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, two of her adult children and a needy dachshund mix named Martin Luther. 

Connect with Teresa:
Website   |  Blog  |  Facebook  |   Twitter  |   Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon

Note: Color Me Dead is FREE on Amazon!