FEATURED AUTHOR: ANNETTE DRAKE

ABOUT THE BOOK

Joni Harte knew her first job out of college would be tough, but she didn’t expect it to be murder.

With the ink mostly dry on her journalism degree, Joni accepts the position of news reporter and photographer for The Ogallala Gazette. She’s tasked with chronicling all of the goings-on of the quirky characters who inhabit this small Missouri town.

While investigating the identity of the first murder victim, Joni makes an enemy of the local sheriff. Worse, she catches the attention of a violent stalker who promises to cure Joni of her curiosity.

As the Ogallala County Fair comes to an end, Joni must uncover the truth before she comes to hers.

INTERVIEW WITH ANNETTE DRAKE

Annette, how did you get started writing?
My goal is to tell stories. I remember making up a song about the American Civil War on my brother’s discarded guitar at age six. So, I think I was born wanting to tell stories. Writing? I love to read, so it’s a natural progression to love to write.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
A couple things: when I’m writing a first draft and I create a scene that has me both laughing and crying at the same time. I love that! I also love reading a book I’ve written long after it’s been published and still finding a small sense of satisfaction in it. When one of those moments happen, I’m content.

Do you have a writing routine?
Well, sort of. I have insomnia, and that helps establish a writing routine. But, generally, I try to spend at least one hour a day writing. I also try to leave myself bread crumbs: a Post-it note saying, tomorrow, I’ll write this scene.

Do you write every day?
No. I don’t. My career might be further along if I did. But I don’t.

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
Oh, gosh. To do it again, I would have forgotten querying agents and publishers and self-published all of my books. Author Hugh Howey talked about this as renting versus owning a house. I think no one has as much invested as the author, and so, no one can do as much to promote a book as the author.

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
Editing. Revising. Killing your darlings. Yes, it’s a smashingly witty phrase. Alas, it makes no sense and does not jibe with the tone of the book. Down comes the hatchet!

What’s more important – characters or plot?
I wouldn’t dream of saying both. The answer: character. Every. Single. Time. Without a strong, likeable character, I don’t think readers care about the book. Recently, I watched a major Hollywood blockbuster movie, and I didn’t finish it because I found all of the characters repugnant. I was actually rooting for the enemy. For me, as a reader and a writer, I must care about the characters.

How often do you read?
Every day.

What is your writing style?
Hmm. I might say it’s informal. I do not write in first person. That just feels too intimate to me. After all, this isn’t my story; it’s my character’s story. I write different genres, or I sure try to, so I think my writing style depends on the genre. But one thing I always try to do: hook my reader. When a reader stops reading a book, for me, that’s a huge fail. When I hear, I couldn’t put it down, I do a little dance. Kind of a mambo-tap dance thing.

What do you think makes a good story?
Great characters make great stories. The end.

What books do you currently have published?
I have five: Three romances: Celebration House, A Year with Geno and A Beautiful Day in Alaska (novella). I published what I’m calling a middle-grade novel in 2014; it’s entitled Bone Girl. In October, I published Death Goes to the County Fair, my first cozy mystery.

What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
I would have self-published my debut novel, Celebration House. Hindsight offers a beautiful view.

Is writing your dream job?
Yes and no. While I do love writing and I intend to eventually write full-time, I also find a lot of inspiration in my day job. I think they complement one another well.

Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
I’m a big advocate of promoting other writers as your promote your own work. For about a year, I ran an “Author Spotlight” feature, and I found a lot of satisfaction in that. Time constraints have ended that project, but I did enjoy it. And I think readers learned about my books from reading a blog post about the authors they followed. It was a win-win. Starting in 2016, I hope to host fellow authors again on various blog tours.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
The Food Network. I love cooking shows! No, I do not cook.

How often do you tweet?
Once a month, maybe.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I can’t say it’s sold a lot of my books, but I enjoy posting my successes and my challenges. I probably post something a couple times a week.

For what would you like to be remembered?
One of the surprises of this journey is how my meager success encourages others to pursue their passions. I love that! I love when people learn I’m an author, and it spurs them to write themselves or pursue a passion, like auditioning for their community theater. I hope I inspire other day-jobbers to make time in their lives for their art in whatever form.

What scares you the most?
Probably like every parent, the death of one of my children.

Would you make a good character in a book?
No. I’m boring. And cowardly.

What five things would you never want to live without?
1.    Coffee
2.    Coffee creamer
3.    Sweetener for my coffee
4.    Milk for my coffee
5.    Bailey’s Irish Cream

What do you love about where you live?
I love the view. We can see the port of Everett from out front porch. I’m also within walking distance of my job, and I LOVE that. I love walking to work. I’ve never had that luxury before.

What’s your favorite thing to do/favorite place to go on date night?
I don’t have enough of those with my husband to know.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
It’s two days after Christmas, and I’m completely fooded out. I may never eat again. Ever.

What's the biggest lie you ever told?
I love you.

What’s your favorite fast food?
We seldom eat out. But I visit Starbucks often. Does that count?

What’s your favorite beverage?
Coffee. I start every day with a huge cup and wonder why my heart is racing later.

What drives you crazy?
When I’m reading a mystery, and the author gives few or no clues. What the heck? How am I supposed to figure this one out? Or, when the villain turns out to be crazy, and that explains everything. Nope. Not buying it. I think the villain is the most important character in the book. He or she has to give the protagonist enough of a challenge to keep me turning pages. And crazy doesn’t do it for me.

What is your superpower?
The ability to delete the word “very” in everything I write. I abhor adverbs.

Name one thing you’re really good at and one thing you’re really bad at.
I’m good at calming people. I’m bad at calming myself.

What do you wish you could do?
Despite the beautiful view I now have, I want to live on a farm and write full-time. I want to look out my kitchen window and see my horse in her paddock. I want to grow huge tomatoes, okra and sunflowers. I want to put off turning on my kitchen light because I know my donkey will see it and start braying, demanding his breakfast. Yes. A farm is in my future. I’m just not there yet.

What is one of your happiest moments?
Bone Girl was published in March of 2014. In May, I received an email from a young girl. She had read my book and was writing a book report on it for school. She had a few questions. That reader-to-writer connect still pleases me.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Sleep! I love sleeping. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at it. But I do enjoy it.

Where is your favorite place to visit?
The Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. It was the motivation behind my first cozy mystery.

What would you name your autobiography?
“No. Seriously.”

What’s your least favorite chore?
I hate clipping my rabbits’ toenails. Hate it. I’d rather take a beating.

Would you rather be a movie star, sports star, or rock star?
Movie star, of course!

Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Yes! Absolutely. But as I write more books – I’m working on #6 – I don’t have so many to choose from anymore. Fortunately, there’s always self-doubt.

What’s one thing that drives you crazy?
Just one? No way. Here’s a couple: overflowing trash cans, distracted drivers on their cell phones, politicians, bankers, and bullies.

What’s your favorite/most visited Internet site?
As a writer, I really like KBoards. I find the authors who post there are knowledgeable and willing to share. I really appreciate them.

What’s in your refrigerator right now?
Milk and coffee creamer. I keep the Bailey’s in the cabinet.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
When I was 18, I applied for a work permit and traveled to the United Kingdom for the summer. I had about $120 in my pocket – that’s about 75 pounds. I quickly ran out of money. Learning of my financial worries, a girlfriend sent me money. The day I went to the post office to collect it, I had no money left and could not pay for my hotel room that night. When the clerk said there was nothing for me, I asked him to check again. Success! Her letter and the oh-so-desperately money were there for me.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Please see the above!

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
Hmm...with two ex-husbands, gosh, let me think. Actually, I am of the mind frame that looking back on our lives is a waste of time. I think for much of my life, I’ve lived in the past, and really, it wasn’t that great of a past. I don’t want to do that anymore. I am the person I am, the writer I am, because of my bad decisions. It’s part of me. I accept it. I think that kind of self acceptance begins in your 40s.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
My family is super sick of hearing this, but, hey, you asked:
“I cannot hear your words, sir, for so loudly do your actions speak.”

What would your main character say about you?
Joni Harte, the main character in my cozy mystery, is a journalist who just graduated from college. I kind of think she would say of me, “Gosh. She’s really old.”

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
When I was writing my middle-grade novel, Bone Girl, I had to describe a beginning band Christmas concert. It’s been many years since I’ve attended one of my children’s concerts, so I went searching for YouTube videos. What I found delighted me! I wrote the scene, and the narrator of the audiobook, Darryl Hughes Kurylo, said the scene was one of his favorites.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
It’s my local library, and they have a great kid’s section. My young son is a ravenous reader – he goes through a book in two days at the most. So, we are there a lot. The children’s librarian knows us by name now.

Who is your favorite fictional character?
Atticus Finch. I love gentle, quiet men. Who cook.

If you had a talk show who would your dream guest be?
Mark Twain. Can you hear him commenting on our current political climate? Also, I think Agatha Christie would be an entertaining guest.

What’s one thing that very few people know about you?
I’m an introvert. My favorite three words: Let’s stay home. Wait. Maybe people do know that.

You have a personal chef for the night. What would you ask him to prepare?
Confession time: I do have my own personal chef. It’s my husband. He’s an amazing cook and will fix whatever I ask him to. He’s indulged my requests for many things, including Mississippi Mud Cake for my birthday and low-calorie recipes when I diet. But he has limits. He once said to me, “Annette, I love you, but I will not eat fat-free sour cream for you.” Boundaries. They make marriages work. Or so I’m told.

How do you like your pizza?

We don’t eat pizza a lot, but we like the take-home-and-bake variety. I am partial to a thin crust vegetarian. Yummy!

What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
My rescue mare, Lacy. Want to see her picture?

Do you have any hidden talents?
I can control electricity. Okay. I wish I could control electricity. Hidden talents? Occasionally, my wit awakens, and I can make my husband laugh a deep belly laugh. That’s a good minute in my day.

Describe yourself in 5 words.
Cheerful. Imaginative. Kind. Hopeful. Determined.

What’s your favorite song?
Favorite? Hmm. Maybe "Emily’s Reel" as played by Mark O’Connor. I love bluegrass, and I play the fiddle – badly.

What’s your biggest pet peeve about writing?
Revising and editing, but it’s got to be done. As my writing career grows, I’ve been able to afford the services of a professional copy editor and a proofreader. Not doing it all myself is so great!

What would you do for a Klondike bar?
A stand-up comedy routine at my local comedy club. I’m already putting together my three minutes of material. When do we meet for the hand-off?

At the show. What is your favorite movie?
I love Steve Martin’s movie, Bowfinger. My kids and I actually quote the lines to one another.

Do you have a favorite book?
To Kill A Mockingbird.


If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be?
You get what you focus on.

What are you working on now?
I just finished writing my first screenplay – the adaptation of my middle grade novel, Bone Girl. Now, I am writing the two sequels to Celebration House. I plan to indie-publish both books in 2016.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annette Drake is a multi-genre author whose work is character-driven and celebrates the law of unintended consequences. She is the author of four novels and one novella.

Her first cozy mystery, Death Goes to the County Fair – An Ogallala Mystery, premiered on October 15th.

Annette makes her home in Washington state. A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, she loves ferry rides, basset hounds and bakeries. She does not camp. If she can help it.

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

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Featured Author: Janis Thornton

About the book:

When it comes to murder, forget the butler . . . it’s the housekeeper who knows where the bodies are buried.

Small-town newspaper editor Crystal Cropper never takes “no” for an answer, hates to be called a “senior citizen,” and uses the power of her pen to expose corruption in her small town.

Cleaning lady Gertie has a knack for sweeping skeletons out of closets—which makes her one of Crystal’s best informants. But Gertie’s latest hot tip has landed her in a coma, courtesy of an unknown assailant.

Now Crystal must follow the trail of dirt and gossip right to the doorsteps of several prominent local families to solve a decade-old murder and the disappearance of a young boy . . .

Interview with Janis Thornton

Janis, how long have you been writing, and how did you start?
Growing up, I was an only child and tended to make up little stories to entertain myself. I wrote poetry, too, and when I was 12 and 13, a national anthology of poetry by junior high students included my poems two years in a row. After that great start, it was 40 years before my next publishing credit. But...I’ve come a long way since my “Easter bonnets straight and tall, some are round and some are small” poem appeared in that anthology.

How did you come up with the title of your book?
Dust Bunnies and Dead Bodies was the stroke of genius of the editorial team at PageSpring Publishing. They felt this title represented the fun that readers could expect. My original title, Elmwood Confidential, is now the name for the series, which Dust Bunnies and Dead Bodies is starting.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
Yes, besides writing, I am a freelance personal historian and a part-time “doer of whatever needs doing” for a couple of great guys who are producing a new graphic novel series. Mainly, I do their graphic design projects, marketing, P.R., and run their graphic novel art museum.

How would you describe your book in five words?
Golden Girls meet Jessica Fletcher.

How did you create the plot for Dust Bunnies and Dead Bodies?

When I first began this project, all I had were the Crystal, Gertie, and Verlin characters, the small-town setting, and a vague inkling of a story about a 20-year-old unsolved murder. I wish I could say I sat down one evening and plotted the whole thing out, but that’s not how it worked. It actually was a long process of “write, delete, cry, repeat” before a doable storyline started to float to the top. During that time, reports about high school and college football coaches’ abuse of power were headlining the national news, and I decided to use that for the crux of the mystery. Once I had that element in place, the rest of the story came together organically.

What’s your favorite line from a book?
There is a lovely, short paragraph near the end of one of my most treasured books, Elizabeth Berg’s Talk Before Sleep, that always touches me. Here, the main character, Ann, tells the reader how she imagines the recent passing of her dearest friend, Ruth, who was a victim of breast cancer.

“I like to think that she looked out the window one last time the night she died and saw with a new understanding the placement of the stars. I like to think something incomprehensibly vast and complex moved into her soul at that moment, and that it, not pathology, was what took her breath away.”

That is wonderful! Tell us a book you’re an evangelist for.
As preparation for an interview I conducted this summer with author William Kent Krueger, I read his current best-selling book, Ordinary Grace, which had won numerous awards over the past few months. Before I reached the end of the prologue, the voice of the narrator, a 12-year-old boy, had hooked me, and I ate the book up. It’s a beautifully written story that seamlessly weaves together mystery, adventure, family, love, joy, loss, grief, and spirituality. In my opinion, it’s a magnificent book, and I can’t stop recommending it.  

What would your main character say about you?
Crystal Cropper would obviously say she owes everything she is and ever hopes to become to me. She might also say she wishes I would learn to cook so she could prepare herself a nutritious dinner that has nothing to do with nuking a frozen mystery casserole.

Are you like any of your characters?
I suspect Crystal and I are twins separated at birth (assuming it’s possible to be a fictional character’s twin) because we have so much in common. For example, she’s a blonde, Boomer-aged newspaper editor, and I’m a blonde, Baby Boomer-aged former newspaper editor; we like living alone, we hate to cook, we make jokes at inappropriate times, and we go crazy when someone refers to us as “seniors.” Where we differ is in the way we handle ourselves in the face of danger. I skulk away, while Crystal steels her nerve and jumps right in. I had great fun writing as Crystal and living vicariously through her. At times, she exemplified some facet of my actual life experience; other times she portrayed attitudes, actions, knowledge, courage, and skills that I’m too shy to exhibit.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
Because I infused my main character, Crystal, with an unfiltered penchant for wisecracking, sarcasm and self-deprecation, my favorite scene shines a light on her vulnerable side, which she rarely reveals. The setting is Gertie’s hospital room, where Gertie lies in a coma after an intruder knocked her unconscious. Crystal pays a visit and, feeling uncomfortable in the presence of a comatose Gertie and not knowing what to do, she starts a one-sided conversation. To me, it’s bittersweet because I drew from my own experience with my dad, who was hospitalized several times before he passed away, and I tried to have Crystal project some of the emotions I felt.

You get to decide who would read your audiobook. Who would you choose?
Without hesitation, I would choose Meryl Streep. If the sky’s the limit, why not pick the brightest star?

I agree. Your last meal would be...
A Chinese chicken salad from Chin-Chin’s of Studio City, California (it’s to die for!) … and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Jamaican Me Crazy sorbet.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I am a huge movie fan and usually go a couple times a month. I also love theater, roaming through museums, hanging out with my son, Matt, Goodwill shopping, and taking road trips.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I’ve not yet discovered my dream home, but I would like to try Booth Bay Harbor, Maine; Estes Park, Colorado; and Florence, Italy, for an extended stay to see if any of them feels like a good fit.

What are you working on now?

Writing-wise, I am in the early stages of plotting and writing Book 2 of my Elmwood Confidential series, I’m a third of the way through a local history book, and I’m polishing a completed a paranormal romantic-mystery. My non-writing work includes piecing together my family history, designing the first trade paperback for a graphic novel series, helping the Midwest Writers Workshop Committee plan the 2015 conference, and cleaning out the attic.

Excerpt from Dust Bunnies and Dead Bodies

Chapter 1

Funny where your mind goes when you’re staring into the face of mortal danger. The night I stepped through Gertie Tyroo’s dark back door, uninvited and all alone, my mind conjured up an old movie, starring me as the classic damsel in distress—fragile, frazzled, and befuddled, desperate for a white knight to gallop in on horseback and rescue me.

Crystal Cropper, I thought, revolted by the helpless self-image, you are pathetic! You don’t need a white knight. You’re your own white knight. Now get on with it. And get on with it I did. Without further hesitation, I drew a deep breath and called out, “Gertie! It’s me, Crystal. You okay?” That’s when the living room light went out, somebody screamed, and all hell broke loose.

Rapid-fire footsteps scurried toward me through the opaque darkness, prompting my Ladies Kick Ass training to kick in. I stiffened in a defensive stance—feet fixed at forty-five degree angles, knees bent, one hand clamped around my can of mace, the other poised to strike a crippling blow. I thought I was ready to rock ’n’ roll, but I was quickly proved wrong when a solid shoulder slammed into my chest. It bulldozed me toward the open doorway and knocked the mace from my grip. I screamed “Noooo!” and swung my right fist, hoping it would connect with the assailant’s face. Yes! My knuckles delivered a solid blow, and my attacker mewled weakly. Invigorated, I pressed on, determined to further stun my assailant with a head butt to the chin. Unfortunately, the plan was stopped when two strong hands grabbed my upper arms and shoved me with a force that dislodged my hairpins. As my topknot unfurled, the thug grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me out the door. Before I could rebound, I found myself tumbling down the back steps and onto the patio, where I landed hard on my left butt cheek, winded and dazed.

The intruder took my temporary incapacitation as an exit cue and bolted through the carport. My fears for Gertie pushed me up the steps and into the dark house. I groped the walls for a light switch, found one in the kitchen and flipped it on. An overhead fluorescent halo flickered to life, spilling light through the doorway to the front room. “Gertie!” I called again. “Where are you?” Still no answer.

Thinking I might catch a glimpse of the fleeing intruder, I rushed for the front door. But as I rounded Gertie’s sofa, I stubbed my foot on something large and doughy in my path. I nearly tripped and was set to give what-for to the poorly placed object, expecting maybe a hassock. But. Oh. My. God. It was Gertie.

The squeal of spinning tires resonated from the street, followed by the grinding roar of a souped-up engine. I scrambled for the front door, but my attempt to throw it open was stymied by the deadbolt. The louder the rumbling, the more my tangled fingers floundered over the stubborn lock. Finally disengaging the bolt, I threw open the door and dashed onto the sun porch as a light-colored pickup truck rocketed past. Although I hadn’t been able to read the license plate, I took note of the truck’s taillights—the left one was red, the right one orange.

With precious time wasting, I rushed back to Gertie. She was sprawled on her left side, wrapped tightly in her leopard-print coat. Her left arm extended unbent in alignment with her body and her hand rested on her tattered wool scarf. Her right arm jutted out before her at a ninety-degree angle gripping the strap of her straw handbag.

I grabbed a pillow and tucked it under her head. That’s when I discovered the blood soaking into the carpet. Its source was a deep wound on the back of her skull. I unbuttoned her coat and gently probed for her carotid artery with my fingertips. She had a pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

A table lamp lay on the floor within arm’s length. I set it upright and clicked it on. The room was chaos. The phone was off the hook and bleeping incessantly. I picked it up, tapped its plunger to get a dial tone, and punched 9–1–1.

About Janis:

Janis Thornton is a freelance writer, personal historian, and award-winning journalist. She is the author of two local history books, Images of America: Tipton County and Images of America: Frankfort. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Indiana Writers Center, Association of Personal Historians, and the Midwest Writers Workshop Planning Committee. She lives in a small Indiana town not unlike Elmwood. Dust Bunnies and Dead Bodies is her debut cozy mystery.

Connect with Janis:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book:
Amazon | Kobo

 

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