As is typical, I don't have anyone to interview me, but myself, so here we go again.
Myself: Congratulations on your sixth book. Are you as amazed as I am by that?
Me: Oh yes! I mean, I realize that if you keep writing books,
eventually one of them will be the sixth book, but it is nice to actually get
there. Of course, now that means I need to start working on number seven!
Myself: This book is more gothic than any of your previous books. What do you think happened? I mean, it's not like you set out to write a gothic novel?
Me: I think sometimes the story determines the direction and the tone of a book. I set this book in Louisiana, which can be a bit gothic at times. The story also begins at a mansion that has been closed for a long time. The characters also set the tone for this story. My heroine, Dorothy, is looking for the person who arranged a hit on her father. It's an old murder, but one that isn't over yet. And whenever you venture into the realm of politics, I think it just naturally makes for a darker story.
I also think my stories reflect what is going on in my life, too. The year I wrote this was a challenging year for me personally. We were transferred by my husband's company, after eighteen years in New Orleans. While we're making a good transition to Houston, the act of moving is difficult at best. And there were other things going on in my personal life. I always tend to go darker when life gets interesting. Now that things are settling down, I find myself hungry for a bit humor. :-)
Myself: Well, we'll talk about what's next at the end of the interview. Try to keep focused!
Me: Oh right. Now who are you again? (get severe look from myself) Sorry.
Myself: Is this story very political?
Me: I think I meant it to be, but it didn't turn out that way. It is a story about power, what people will do to get power, what they will do to keep power and the consequences of those choices. Of course, it all sounds very important, but in the end, its still a murder mystery and a suspense tale and a romance. It's probably a good thing, because even after 18 years in Louisiana, I still don't understand the politics completely. <g>
Myself: Tell us about your hero, Remy Mistral.
Me: Remy is a talk radio host. His subject is the political scene, but he's tired of talking and wants to do something. His problem is, he's made a lot of enemies in the political establishment, so he's going to have trouble getting backing and money. Dorothy has money and a lot of political capital left over from her father, who was assassinated during a run for governor. He approaches her with a deal. He'll help her find her father's killer if she'll fund his campaign.
Myself: Dorothy and Remy have a history, don't they?
Me: Oh yeah! Dorothy has always been a bit interested in Remy, but she wasn't that interesting to him ten years ago. Now, of course, he's very interested. <g>
Myself: Well, he is very sassy. <g>
Me: Now whose having trouble focusing?
Myself: Sorry. Okay, like all your books, people do die.
Me: Yeah, while the violence isn't explicit in my books, this one does deal with some more mature themes, so I'd give it a PG-13 rating.
Myself: Rating duly noted. Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers about A Dangerous Dance?
Me: Just that I enjoyed writing it and hope they will enjoy it as well. :-)
Myself: Okay, now let's talk about what comes next. What are you working on?
Me: Well, I have a couple of proposals that I'm excited about. One is an action/adventure WWII time travel. I've been wanting to work on it for a couple of years, but had to keep shifting it to the back burner for other projects (and that move). I'm going to finish it, hopefully by the end of the summer and I'm also hoping to get to a cozy mystery series I've been developing.
Myself: Well, I'd like to thank you again for taking the time to talk to me, we?, about your latest book. And as always, if our readers have any questions, submit them via email and we'll address them here!
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