Author Spotlight
Dana Mentink Guest Post: Setting
October 8, 2011 | 
Author Novel Reaction is excited to welcome author Dana Mentink as part of our Murder and Mayhem celebration!
Dana Mentink lives in California where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Her family includes two girls (affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo.) Papa Bear works for the fire department and he met Dana doing a dinner theater production of The Velveteen Rabbit. Ironically, their parts were husband and wife.
Dana is a 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest. Her October release, Betrayal in the Badlands, won a 2010 Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award.
She spent her college years competing in speech and debate tournaments all around the country. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching Sunday school and working in second/third grade combination class. Mostly, she loves to be home with her family, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle and a quirky parakeet.
Dana loves to hear from her readers via her website (www.danamentink.com) or her Facebook reader page.
Hello, Novel Reaction! How nice to be here. My name is Dana Mentink and I write inspirational romantic suspense for Harlequin. This month marks my seventh book with them, entitled Buried Truth. It’s the second of three books set in the South Dakota Badlands. Sounds like a good locale for a ‘run for your life’ kind of adventure? I thought so. It’s a place of extremes, from violent summer lightning storms to relentless winter winds. Rich in fossils, poor in nutrient rich soils and nonetheless home to hundreds of species of animals.
When in the planning stages of writing a suspense novel, the setting is always foremost in my mind. This is not to say an author couldn’t write a rip snorting novel that takes place in regular old suburbia, but I find the more hostile and unusual the setting, the more interesting the story. To that end, I’ve crashed a plane in the remote Cascade Mountains, hidden characters in Alaska just shy of the Arctic Circle and stranded people in the Arizona desert. I find it works just as well to set a comedy in an out of the way place, as I did in an eBook I wrote about a city slicker who has to manage her aunt’s trailer park in Seepwillow, Arizona, a hundred miles from nowhere. The setting becomes a character itself, either an antagonist to the hero or a backdrop which can reveal the roots of the character’s psyche.
So what am I busy thinking about now? Another series set in the Guatemalan jungle, or maybe a historical which starts during a horrific journey to the rugged California gold fields via the Panama crossing. Either way, you can be sure those poor characters will prove their worth or die trying as they navigate their fictional world. The harsher the setting, the better the story will be!
_______________________________________
Thanks Dana for sharing with us about the importance of setting. I have to admit I picked up her latest novel Buried Truth based on the desolate looking cover (review to follow). Living in the extreme desert of Arizona I am always intrigued by novels set in a desolate location, wondering how the characters will survive not only the crazy killer after them but the extreme elements also.
Posted in Author Spotlight, Events, Musings, Mystery | 
Tags: Contemporary, Guest Post, Mystery, Romance | 
No Comments »
After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel Blog Tour
Novel Reaction is excited to be part of the After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel Blog Tour. Here is a little information about each author:
Carrie Jones likes Skinny Cow fudgsicles and potatoes. She does not know how to spell fudgsicles. This has not prevented her from writing books. She lives in Maine, but she grew up in Bedford, NH where she once had a séance with cool uber-comedian Sarah Silverman. Her house was terribly haunted. Pencils would randomly catch fire. Not good.
Carrie Jones is the author of the Need series, you can read Novel Reaction’s reviews of Need, Captivate, and Entice.
was born on April 28, 1966, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, but we moved to Enid, Oklahoma, within two years of my birth. I grew up in Enid, graduated from Enid High School in 1984, and will always consider that little city on the plains my home town.
Rather than go to college after high school, I got married and went to work, spending 10 years working in machine shops in Enid and Oklahoma City before rethinking my decision and going to college. I earned a BA in journalism, with a minor in English, from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1999, then went on to earn a Master of Liberal Studies degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2004; my emphasis was on creative writing.
I currently live in a suburb of Oklahoma City with my wife and four kids. I work as an English teacher at an independent school district in OKC.
Steven is the author of The Werewolf Saga.
I thought I would post a couple of interview questions from both authors that I thought were interesting, I didn’t provide the interview questions but the personalities of each author shines through.
Q: What reaction do you anticipate from your loyal fan base regarding this collaboration? Is it something they’re going to like? Will they pity you for what you’ve endured? Or will they simply ignore it?
STEVE: Hopefully Carrie’s fans won’t feel the need for pity. No residents of Maine were harmed in the creation of this book. Not physically, anyway. I think my fans will like it. I know my students will, and I’ll be thrilled to have a book school librarians will make available to high schoolers.
CARRIE: I hope they like it despite the fact that there are no pixies. They will all probably fall in love with Alan, the main character that Steve created, the way I did. Oh my gosh! You think they’ll ignore it? Hold on. I have to go panic now.
Q: Artistically speaking what did each of you contribute to this book? How is it different than the usual novel you write?
STEVE: Well, the most obvious answer is that the book is written in alternating points of view between Aimee, Carrie’s character, and Alan, my character. Carrie’s writing is very much character driven and very feminine. She sees a lot of detail that I tend to gloss over. I’d say this novel is much richer in detail and tone than anything I’ve done previously and I blame Carrie for that.
CARRIE: It is much quicker, much more plot-driven, and has a lot more testosterone in it. Steve puts a really man energy into his chapters and he’s so good at dialogue and flow. I was really lucky to write with him.
Q: Carrie, you are known for strong young female characters instrumental in solving their own problems, much like you allegedly gnawed through the chains and escaped Wedel. Has the revolving point of view used in After Obsession diluted the strength of Aimee, the female protagonist? And Steve, you are known for your horror and your detail. Did you find it hard to tone it down for this book?
CARRIE: No. I think by seeing her actions through Alan’s eyes it actually makes her stronger.
STEVE: In YA, even demons have to watch their language. Actually, the scary elements aren’t that toned down from my solo novels. And, I guess I’ve mellowed with age, because I’m not including as much graphic content in my other books as I used to.
Q: Carrie, are you suffering from Stockholm Syndrome? Would you collaborate with Wedel again, or are you simply glad to be free? Steve, have you moved on to bigger and better authors to torment? What are your states of mind as After Obsession moves closer to publication?
CARRIE: I would love to experiment again, if he still wants me.
STEVE: Bigger and better? That would be hard to find. I’d write with Carrie again in a heartbeat. Maybe I wouldn’t even have to use that old black magic next time.
Posted in Author Spotlight, Events, Romance, Young Adult | Tags: Blog Tour, Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult | No Comments »
Debby Giusti Guest Post and Giveaway: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
Novel Reaction is excited to welcome author Debby Guisti here to share with us the importance of weather and location on the setting of a mystery novel.
Debby Giusti is a medical technologist who loves working with test tubes and petri dishes almost as much as she loves to write. Growing up as an Army Brat, Debby met and married her husband–then a Captain in the Army–at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Together they traveled the world, raised three Army Brats of their own and have now settled in Atlanta, Georgia where Debby spins tales of suspense that touch the heart and soul.
Debby’s work has won numerous awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Suspense, the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Golden Quill, the Beacon, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Write Touch. In addition to full-length fiction, Debby has written magazine articles for Southern Lady, Woman’s World, Our Sunday Visitor, Army and Family, and served for over twelve years on the editorial advisory board of ADVANCE for Administrators of the Laboratory.
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night!
By Debby Giusti
It was a dark and stormy night. Anyone familiar with Charles M. Schulz’s cartoon strip, Peanuts, will recall the opening line of Snoopy’s Great American Novel. Although his writing career never blossomed, the loveable pooch did understand the importance of establishing the setting at the beginning of his book. Take a dark and stormy night, add rumbling thunder and bolts of lightning that expose an old Victorian house badly in need of repair and you’ve got a suspense story waiting to be written.
Any author worth her weight in typing paper knows the importance of anchoring the reader at the onset of the story. In a suspense novel, time of day, weather, location and a mix of details hand selected by the writer weave together into a chilling setting that keeps the reader turning the page. Take the unsuspecting hero or heroine from their ordinary world and drop them smack dab in the middle of an escalating problem–whether manmade or an act of God—to build reader anticipation and drive home the point that something sinister is about to happen.
Blue skies and sunshine are saved until the end when everything works out. After all, the hero and heroine deserve a happily ever after. By the close of the book, they’ve survived a series of life-threatening dangers in an ominous setting that grows worse on every page.
In THE OFFICER’S SECRET, my May release from Love Inspired Books, the story opens with a middle-of-the-night summons that forces my heroine to drive through a storm to a military post she vowed never to visit again. I added a set of quarters surprisingly similar to her house of old, a corpse in the attic and a secret, which causes the heroine to dig deep into her past to uncover the reason an officer died.
THE CAPTAIN’S MISSION, on sale in October, begins when a military training accident turns deadly. The smell of cordite and smoke permeate the dirt-clogged air and paint the desolate terrain in an eerie veil of gloom. The company commander hero and criminal investigation division special agent heroine are caught in a deadly trap that leads to a mountain campsite where uncovering the truth almost costs them their lives.
My tenth book, THE COLONEL’S DAUGTHER, will be in bookstores next August. The story commences with a summer storm and a murder victim. To up the stakes, I tossed in a deserted cemetery, a desecrated gravestone and a serial killer on the loose. An explosive ending leads to redemption and reunion and a resolution that should satisfy even the most difficult to please.
Whether hurricanes, tornadoes or torrential rains, a mountain cabin or oceanfront condo, high noon or midnight, a well-crafted combination of details sets the stage in which a story can unfold. In a suspense novel, that setting needs to be filled with intrigue and fraught with peril to draw the reader into the danger and keep her on the edge of her seat until The End.
I hope you’ll visit my website and consider reading one of my books. Leave a comment and the names of your favorite suspense stories and the types of settings that capture your fancy to be included in a drawing for my October Love Inspired Suspense, THE CAPTAIN’S MISSION.
Happy writing! Happy reading!
Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
Watch for THE CAPTAIN’S MISSION, in stores this October!
A DEMONSTRATION TURNED DEADLY: When one of his soldiers is killed by live ammunition during what was supposed to be a simple training exercise, Captain Phil Thibodeaux wants answers. Even if it means working with the Criminal Investigation Division that seems certain to pin the blame on him. But after CID agent Kelly McQueen defends his conduct, Phil realizes that there’s more to the dedicated agent than meets the eye. Maybe she’s someone he can trust, after all. And he’ll need someone to rely on as investigations lead him to doubt everyone else—even his own soldiers.
You can read an excerpt here.
____________________________________________
Thank you Debby for sharing with us about setting. I have to admit since moving to the extreme desert and living with the fear that in the heat of the sizzling summer I could easily die of dehydration I pay more attention to setting than I previously did in novels. As stated above Debby is giving away a copy of her October release The Captain’s Mission, which is the second book in the Military Investigations Series.
To be entered to win leave a commentthe names of your favorite suspense stories and the types of settings that capture your fancy to be included in a drawing for Debby’s October Love Inspired Suspense. The contest will close September 29th at midnight. This contest is limited to US and Canadian residents only (sorry Internationals, I promise I will have a contest for you soon).
Posted in Author Spotlight, Mystery, Romance | Tags: Author, Christian, Contemporary, Mystery | 25 Comments »
Rhys Bowen Guest Post: Wearing More Than One Hat
Novel Reaction is excited to welcome Rhys Bowen.
Rhys Bowen is a transplanted Brit who now divides her time between California and Arizona where she goes to escape the harsh California winters. She has been a professional writer all her life, moving from plays with the BBC in London, to books for children and young adults and finally to her real love, mysteries.
She began her mystery career with the Constable Evans series, set in her mother’s family’s native Wales, and has since moved on to two spunky heroines: Molly Murphy whose stories take place in 1900s New York City and Lady Georgiana, the penniless minor royal in 1930s England, whose Royal Spyness stories have become best sellers.
Rhys’s books have so far garnered 11 major awards out of 25 nominations.
Rhys also writes award-winning short stories when she can find the time to breathe. She enjoys touring for her books and meeting fans around the country.
Wearing More Than One Hat
Mystery Author Rhys Bowen Author of the Royal Spyness Series
As a writer I am called upon to wear more than one figurative hat. One minute I’m sitting focused at my desk, writing away to meet a deadline, living in a world that is not my own reality/ The next I’m required to get dressed in my “famous author” clothes and go out to speak to people about my books, to entertain them, make them laugh and essentially to sell my books. These require completely different personality types, don’t they? Silent, focused, shut away, in another world…and then witty, sparkling, elegant and charming among crowds of people.
I’m actually a people person so the second half is easier for me than the first. I find it hard to stay focused. I know I have to write. I know I have 30 pages to complete the book, and yet I’m checking Facebook, blogs, my emails, deciding it would be nice to take a long soak in the tub. I’ll get to my writing becuase I force myself but I never want to get started. Once I’m working I keep going until I’m finished for the day, but getting started–my, that’s hard.
And on hats–I never was much of a hat person. I have a small head and hats tend to look–well, stupid. But since I’ve been promoting the Royal Spyness books, I’ve been wearing a lot of lovely hats. I made the mistake of taking a very regal hat on tour with me last year. It was too big for my suitcase so I had to hand carry it through all those security checks. Learned that lesson. But on this tour I was at Powells Books in Portland (wonderful, wonderful store!) and they had a tower of hats (just what you’d expect to find in a bookstore, right?) Among them were some vintage looking hats.
Rhys Bowen
Author Website – Twitter – Facebook
Find the entire Royal Spyness Series at Amazon – Barnes and Noble
- A Night Like This by Julia Quinn Review
Don't miss it - Subscribe by RSS.
Widget created by Dave Clements
