Livia Harper's Blog, page 2
May 19, 2014
The Writing Process Blog Hop
Hello readers! And welcome to the Writing Process Blog Hop. This is a series of posts by authors in which we all answer a few questions about our work.
The amazing Jennifer Kincheloe was kind enough to include me in her list of the next authors to read about. And if she hadn’t gotten to me first, she would have been the first person I asked. Jennifer’s award-winning novel, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc, is a historical mystery about a socialite moonlighting as a police matron in early 1900’s Los Angeles. You simply cannot find a more charming and hilarious heroine than the incredible Anna Blanc. While the novel won’t be out until 2015, a little bird told me that you can read the first chapter of the book (which is OUTSTANDING) if you sign up for Jennifer’s mailing list here: www.JenniferKincheloe.com. Go do it. You won’t be sorry.
Now on to the questions:
What am I working on?
So many things. I’ve got at least five releases planned for 2014 and 2015 so far.
My debut novel, SLAIN, is scheduled for release in early August. It’s about a teen girl murdered in a fundamentalist megachurch that’s full of secrets, and the fallen pastor’s daughter who must solve the crime. As a former church-girl, this project is very close to my heart. I really wanted to shine a light on what it’s like to be a non-believer stuck in a world of devout Evangelicals. And in this book, of course, it’s a situation made all the more terrible by having to solve a murder at the same time.
Next, I have a three-book psychological suspense series called BOYFRIEND GLASSES, scheduled for release in the fall. It’s set in college and is all about obsession. It’s sort of my take on THE TALENTED MR.RIPLEY series by Patricia Highsmith. With a woman. A very, very creepy woman.
Click HERE to see a more in-depth description of the books.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I guess two ways.
First, my stories are very modern. They feature modern mores, modern people, and modern situations. I’m really fascinated by the ways morality has shifted over time, and the ways it hasn’t. My first novel, SLAIN, really digs into the way fundamentalist Christianity defines morality for some people, and how something good can be twisted into something evil. BOYFRIEND GLASSES is a more light read, but it’s still very steeped in exploring moral boundaries during your first years of college, particularly concerning love and friendships and which is more important.
On a more practical level, my characters must be people you could meet in the world today, dealing with problems that people today deal with. My villains have watched CSI enough to try to conceal their involvement in a crime. My heroines are aware of technology and at least try to use it to solve their problems, which can make things difficult sometimes as a writer. I can’t tell you how many classic mysteries and thrillers could be solved in five minutes if the heroine had a cell phone with a data plan! But the upside of placing those restrictions on my work is that it forces me to develop conflicts that really challenge my characters in a very deep way. If you can’t find the solution on the internet, which we’re all so used to doing these days, then what do you do next?
Second, I love writing about strong women. And I don’t mean strong as in, write-a-male-character-and-switch-the-gender strong. The women I know are tough, and oftentimes they’re tough in very different ways than the men I know. I like dudes a lot (I happen to be married to a particularly fabulous one), but there are enough stories out there about men, and plenty of other people to write more of them. Especially in film and television. It’s starting to change, but not fast enough. I’m kind of over it. I want the media I consume to reflect my life and the lives of the other women I know. I feel really lucky that the book-loving audience is hungry for characters like this in a way that many other platforms aren’t.
Why do I write what I do?
I’m drawn to writing thrillers and mysteries because I read them. I remember picking up my first Nancy Drew (The Bungalow Mystery) when I was about seven. It was a first edition, although I didn’t know it at the time. My grandmother had carefully curated this wonderful collection of children’s books and put them on a shelf that lined the room I stayed in when I visited her in the summers. Some of the books, like Nancy Drew, were ones she’d had as a child, and others were ones she’d read to my dad and uncle when they were kids. After sneaking a flashlight under the covers for that first Nancy Drew, I was hooked.
There’s just nothing better than sitting down with a book and getting so drawn in you can’t stop until you’re finished.. For me, mysteries and thrillers do that better than any other genre out there. I’m especially drawn to modern work by pioneering writers like Megan Abbott, Gillian Flynn and Tana French. But classic writers like Patricia Highsmith and Agatha Christie have long been favorites too.
Thrillers and mysteries also show what people are like during the most difficult times in their lives, and I really enjoy seeing that and writing about it. It’s easy to admire someone when they’re happy, but what about when they’re being chased by a vicious killer? So much more interesting.
How does my writing process work?
I am probably the WORST ATHLETE EVER, but I find I write at my best if I’ve gotten a little activity in the morning. Right now I’m training for my first triathalon, so I’ve been swimming, running, and cycling a couple times every week. I’m really slow at everything (no, seriously, TURTLE SLOW) but it gives me a chance to clear my head before I sit down at the laptop.
After that, I like to meet with other writer friends at a coffee shop or someone’s house for the day. I think we really inspire each other to stay focused and meet our word count goals. Of course, there’s always a little conversation involved too. I mean, what fun would it be without that?
Well, darlings, that does it for me. I’ve talked about myself long enough. How about we move on to some other exciting authors?
Up next in the blog hop are (drumroll please) …..
Dream Home by J.J. DiBenedetto
J.J. DiBenedetto
J.J. (James) DiBenedetto was born in Yonkers, New York. He attended Case Western Reserve University, where as his classmates can attest, he was a complete nerd. Very little has changed since then.
He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia with his beautiful wife and their cat (who has thoroughly trained them both). When he’s not writing, James works in the direct marketing field, enjoys the opera, photography and the New York Giants, among other interests.
The “Dreams” series is James’ first published work.
Estelle Ryan, author of the Genevieve Lenard book series.
Estelle Ryan
http://estelleryan.com/blog.html
Estelle Ryan has many passions: writing, coffee, traveling, coffee, art, crime, coffee, behavioral psychology, coffee, criminal psychology and music. And coffee. On any day of the week, you will find her combining all these passions into a book, while sipping coffee in a café wherever she might find herself on this planet. All of her books have been written in numerous coffee shops all over the world.
J. David Core, author of the Lupa Schwartz Mysteries.
Common Sense by J. David Core
J. David Core
http://lupamysteries.blogspot.com/
With a profound interest in religion, liberal politics and humor, Dave has worked in the newspaper industry, in the online publishing industry as a weekly contributor to Streetmail.com, was a contributing writer to the Buzz On series of informational books and to the Western online anthology, Elbow Creek. His mystery novel series featuring atheist PI Lupa Schwartz, is available at all online retailers. He currently resides in his childhood home with his beautiful girlfriend and his teenage daughter.
