10 Big Questions With Peggy A. Edelheit

1. Who is Samantha Jamison and why are terrible things always happening in her life?

Samantha Jamison, my protagonist, is an Author whose husband, Stephen, was suddenly killed in a questionable death. After receiving unsatisfactory answers from the authorities, Sam goes back to the town of Highlands, North Carolina, where her husband had some history to find out what happened. Once there, Sam befriends several characters that not only end up in the follow-up books, but also are a major influence in future scenarios of trouble for Sam in the Samantha Jamison Mystery Series. 

Initially, Vol. 1, The Puzzle, was to meant be a stand-alone mystery, but in the end, I felt Sam’s story wasn’t finished and should keep going. So Samantha continues as a reluctant sleuth, who still keeps solving and writing about more of her very own thriller/whodunits.

2. Where does your inspiration come from for your writing?

My settings play a major role in where and how the mystery is going to be constructed, who will be in it and how it will play out:

Vol. 1- The Puzzle - Highlands, North Carolina (Smokey Mountains)

Vol. 2- Without Any Warning - Ocean City, New Jersey (The Jersey shore)

Vol. 3- 86 Avenue du Goulet – Les Issambres, France (The French Riviera)

Vol. 4- A Lethal Time - Sanbornton, New Hampshire (The Lakes Region)

Vol. 5- Mouth Of The Rat – Boca Raton, Florida

Vol. 5.5 – The Riviera Is Burning – The French Riviera, France (Same setting as Vol.3)

My characters also play a major role. As each book unfolds, the characters then develop further with their interplay among themselves. Those characters have become such an integral part of the books that their personas tell me what they are going to say and how they are going to react in certain situations. I just let my fingers roll with their dialogue to see where they will take me next. 

3. Are there any characters in your books that reflect your own personality?

I think that there is a little Sam in myself. (Peggy, who abruptly laughs, is not revealing how much) I also think that Martha, a character in her seventies in the series, is a great counterpoint to Sam: an older influence for Sam as an example of what the aging process might be like. Martha pushes and challenges Sam to get out of her comfort zone.

4. What appeals to you most about the Mystery genre?

 

As a reader, I have read all types of genres over the years, but was always fascinated by mysteries. They make you think and are similar to a puzzle in that you must check all the pieces to make sure they fit to complete the whole picture. If constructed properly, in the end, everything falls neatly into place. I love guessing endings. I think that is why I constantly toss in red herrings to throw my readers off to see if they are really paying attention, and then give them always one, but sometimes throw in two surprise endings. 

5. Has your writing process changed in anyway since you began your series?

Not much. I pretty much have kept to what has worked for me in the past. First I let my setting play into possible scenarios, then I add the characters one by one: some new, some old. I don’t like to throw a lot of characters at the reader too quickly unless it can’t be avoided in certain situations. I always bring the reader up to date from previous books and their history without giving anything away in case they haven’t read that book yet. Each one of my books are standalones, but the books are so much more enjoyable for the reader to start at the beginning to see how Sam and her friends came about and how Sam has changed with each successive book. I also like to throw in a touch of humor.

I like to toss out situations and dialogue to see what sticks and what doesn’t. I have been known to delete whole chapters because it doesn’t feel right or sound right. In this digital age is easy to hit the delete button and start over. Just don’t hit it by mistake.

6. Can you tell us about your newest novel, Volume 5.5, The Riviera Is Burning?

I’m sure you’ve noticed it is Volume 5.5. That was done on purpose because it is a brief break in my mystery series for a personal and true memoir. The Riviera Is Burning is a story of what my family and I went through in fleeing the famous French Riviera fires back in summer of 2003. We had an old 1950’s villa overlooking the Mediterranean. 

 

7. What made you go in another direction for this book?

It was a harrowing experience and one I will never forget. From that single occurrence, I now have a tremendous respect for, and a fear of, fire. It was a story that I thought needed telling and one I wanted to share with my readers.

 

8. How has your life changed since you decided to publish your books?

It has changed in so many wonderful ways. To begin with, I am doing what I have always wanted to do. I have met the most amazing authors and readers during this process. I love everyone’s feedback on my books. I love it when they tell me they have a hard time putting the book down. That means I’m doing a good job in holding their interest. I love it when they’re thrown by my endings.

 

9. What is the best way you have found to reach an audience for your novels?

I have a website where I post blogs and take questions and describe my books.

It is:  samanthajamison.com   I am on Twitter: @samanthajamison

And my books are sold on Amazon where I also have an author page.

I feel that if I have any more social media than this, then I don’t have time to do the one thing I love more than anything else, and that’s writing.

10. Any tips for authors who are interested in writing a Mystery novel?

Become very familiar with the genre. Read and learn from the styles of other authors, but most importantly create your own. Make your own footprint. Have confidence and don’t ever stop believing in yourself. Network with others authors of all genres. It is a wonderful community of talented people you can learn from. They can give you valuable advice and guide you in the process. Only you can make it happen.

Find out more about Peggy and her addictive Samantha Jamison novels!

Website: http://samanthajamison.com/

Twitter: @samanthajamison 

Dream Big. Write Small.

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

-   Mark Twain

I’ve been told that many novels start out as dreams. One night an author lays down for sleep and the next morning an original story has formed in his mind. This hasn’t happened to me, but I can understand the thinking behind it. An idea for a new book can strike at any moment, and the excitement that fresh storyline brings is exhilarating.

After such a brainstorm, it’s easy to go straight for the keyboard and start clacking away until the first few paragraphs are written. The characters are interesting. The setting is fascinating. So, you keep pushing forward until the first draft is complete. You read through it from start to finish and realize something: it’s not the story you wanted to tell.

What has happened is that instead of Writing Small you went straight for the big dream – a finished novel.

Writing Small is a term that I use to remind myself to focus on the details of the story. Instead of having a goal to finish my book I place my attention on finding the right word for the sentence and establishing the correct rhythm for the paragraph. From that point I build outwards until I finish a chapter and eventually a book. This way I am not consumed with the need to just finish, and can develop the story I truly wanted to tell.

Writing a novel is an epic accomplishment and I commend anyone who has taken on that challenge. It’s a Big Dream. Just make sure to take the time to Write Small and you’ll be happy that you did.

      

10 Big Questions With J.R. Johansson

 

1. Where did the idea for your debut novel Insomnia come from?

I woke up one morning after a particularly weird dream and started thinking what it would be like to see other people's dreams...and it just kind of evolved from there.

2. Who are the Night Walkers?

Oh, top secret! That's something that you might have to wait until the sequel to find out. ;-) Patience is a virtue. 

3. I’ve read that you love board games, so what would Insomnia: The Game be like? Would it have to be played in a hot tub?

Haha, I do love board games. I guess the game would probably be about trying to discover and prove to everyone else what your true character is. Kind of like the game Clue, but in reverse. And yes, I'd definitely make the hot tub a requirement. Or at least it should be played over hot beverages. :)

4. Why is June 10^th a special date for you? How do you imagine that day will feel?

It's special because I've spent a lot of time writing about people's dreams and that day will be a dream of my own coming true. I've worked so hard toward this, I imagine it won't feel very real, but that's how all the best days are.

5. Did you learn anything new about your writing process while writing Insomnia?

Yes. I learned that I work better and faster with a very, very vague outline and an ending in mind. It might not be the outline or ending I finish with, but having a plan makes me a much more efficient writer. 

6. Can you share what the query process was like for this book?

I queried around 30 agents with Insomnia, it was rather quick. I had a great request rate and my agent dove in head first. It wasn't my first book I'd queried and I'd learned a lot the first time around (over 100 agents). I think that experience helped so much when it was time to query Insomnia.

7. Any tips for authors who are starting to query?

Yes. The two most important things to remember while querying. First, once you know you have a good query on your hands, query widely. Second, while querying, start writing something new. It will help distract you while you wait on responses. Plus, it's a very good habit to get into early on.

8. How did you know that Flux was the right publisher for your novel?

Flux has a good reputation for doing a great job with books that are a little different. I definitely believe that Insomnia falls into this category and many reviews I've had so far agree. Also, when I looked them up and saw they had a male protagonist section already on their website, I knew that was a very good sign. 

9. Are you working on any new projects you can share with us?

I have a new project that is a contemporary thriller set in Philadelphia. It's creepy and awesome and that's all I can really say at the moment, but I'll have extremely exciting news on this one VERY soon (in the next week)...stay tuned!

10. If you had to switch places with a character from any book who would it be? Why?

Hmm...off the top of my head, I'd probably pick Hermione. She's a genius, she's tough, she punches Malfoy in the face, and she ends up with her cute best friend that always makes her laugh. Sounds pretty freaking awesome to me. 

 

Learn more about J.R. Johansson by clicking on the links below.

 

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website: www.jrjohansson.com

blog: www.jennjohansson.blogspot.com