Interview With Ellie Burmeister

Hi and welcome to another author interview Under the Willow Tree. Today it gives me great pleasure to interview the talented author Ellie Burmeister. Welcome Ellie.

What are you currently working on and when do you plan to release your next book?

I’m currently revising a mystery-suspense novel that takes place in renaissance Italy at the request of my agent.  I’m not sure when it will be released.  It’s the most ambitious project I’ve ever attempted.

Do you have a favorite genre for your writing or do you write whatever moves you?

Mysteries! The puzzle solver in me loves to read and create riddles.  Especially when they aren’t your everyday “conk on the head and the killer reveals himself” sort of mysteries.  I think there is a real magic in being able to play along at home and match wits with the detectives.  I also like historicals, since the truth is always so much stranger than fiction. Above all, I love humor.  I’m not sure I could write a book that isn’t humorous and quirky.  

What is the best piece of advice you were given about writing?

Silence your inner critic when putting out of a first draft.  The pacing for writing is far different than the pace it will be read at, and the important thing when starting a new project is to get your ideas down on paper.  A sentence that is painfully awkward when you write it will still be awkward the next morning. A sentence that only seemed awkward will survive when viewed with afresh eye.  Sometimes it takes several attempts to get things perfect, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Do you have a special spot where you like to write or are you a “have lap top will travel” writer?

I’m a “have lap top will travel” writer.  I have a 10” Samsung laptop that can fit into my purse so I’ve been known to write entire chapters while waiting in lines or eating dinner at a buffet restaurant.  I'm probably the only person who gets excited to be called for jury duty, since some of my best writing is done in their waiting room.

What is your favorite book and favorite author?

I can’t pick just one.  There are so many I love for different reasons.  In terms of books I’ve gladly read more than once, I might have to say the Princess Bride. As far as authors, it’s hard to beat Agatha Christie.  It’s hard to believe that one person came up with so many iconic mysteries.

When did you discover your passion for writing?

I think I had a passion for writing before I could write.

Do you have a favorite beverage or snack you must have while writing?

Not a favorite food, but I do like to listen to music.  Nothing gets me in the mood faster than the appropriate soundtrack. I create playlists for my characters, to get me in the proper mindset to tackle that POV.  Occasionally I’ll discover a song on the radio that is prefect and then I’ll have to find the title.  With can be really hard with instrumentals!

What inspires you?

I have a wild imagination.  As a kid I was bored a lot, so I made up stories.  People who know me are usually startled that I’m nothing like my protagonists, and they can’t recognize my characters, but that they are all fully fleshed and multidimensional.

Do you have a favorite vacation destination and do you write while vacationing?

I love London and Italy.  I’ve only gone to Italy once for a research safari.  Fortunately, my husband loves history too, and doesn’t think it’s weird that I’ll walk two miles, take a picture of a seemingly ordinary arch, and then leave.  Ok, he thinks it’s a little weird, but not after I explain the historical significance of that particular arch.

London was just for fun.  What mystery writer wouldn’t want to go to London?  We got a private tour of the Tower of London when a Beefeater realized that we knew the names and backgrounds behind the graffiti carved into the prison walls.  He wanted to hear our commentary on the graffiti in the areas that are normally closed to the general public.

Do you have any advice for other writers on any subject you choose?

Listen to your betas.  They are worth more than rubies!  If they tell you something isn’t working, don’t just explain to them why they are wrong. Once your book is released into the world, you lose the ability to correct your readers in any way that won’t put them off. 

Instead use their feedback to think of away to strengthen and improve.  This may seem limiting Most of the greatest storytelling the world has known is the result of circumventing limitations.  Shakespeare had his groundlings, early TV shows had their censors, all we need to do is get people to suspend their disbelief.

That said; make sure you have the right betas.  A person who only reads sci-fi and horror might not be the best person to propose changes to your Amish romances, and vice versa.  A good rule of thumb is to ask whether this person might buy your novel if he or she didn’t know you.

Any last thoughts you would like to add?

Chase your dreams and be fearless!  If you write the book you've always wanted to read, then chances are others will want to read it too.

You'll find Ellie's books at the following sites:

Amazon

 Barnes and Noble

I'll also be a guest professional at this year's Comic Com in San Diego.

Interview With Chuck Alderman

Today I am interviewing author Chuck Alderman here under the willow tree. Welcome Chuck.

What are you currently working on and when do you plan to release your next book?

Sequel to “Ronnie,” my 1st published novella. I probably should have held out and made them into a novel, oh, well.

Do you have a favorite genre for your writing or do you write whatever moves you?

I like crime, with low level mob guys. Whatever the genre, I don’t want to be predictable, if you see it coming, I’ve failed.

What is the best piece of advice you were given about writing?

Keep on keepin on.

Do you have a special spot where you like to write or are you a “have lap top will travel” writer?

I did do the lap top travel, but too many distractions, now I’m a hermit.

What is your favorite book and favorite author?

R. Chandler, Mickey Spillane. I love noir.

When did you discover your passion for writing?

1999 after 2nd divorce.

Do you have a favorite beverage or snack you must have while writing?

Hot, black, strong coffee.

What inspires you?

60’s & 70’s rock music.

Do you have a favorite vacation destination and do you write while vacationing?

I finished my wonder lust. I look at vacations as something you have to return from.

Do you have any advice for other writers on any subject you choose?

Write for yourself, write what you feel, what you like, don’t let em change you to fit their mold. If you want to be a millionaire, go to Vegas, go to Wall St. or play lotto.

Any last thoughts you would like to add?

 There are those who will praise you, and those whowill poo-poo you. Let it ALL roll off, every one. Write while it quenches that creative thirst, and don’t let anyone talk you out of it.

The old saying, “Truth is stranger than fiction,” is so true. BUT, remember, real life doesn’t always make sense, whereas, fiction has to.

Thanks Chuck. Best of luck with your books.

Blessings,

Marianne

You can find Chuck's books here:

Amazon.com: Ronnie eBook: Chuck Alderman, Amanda Gossage, Mallory Alderman: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: Full Circle eBook: Chuck Alderman, Amanda Gossage: Kindle Store

Interview with Susan Russo Anderson

Hi and welcome to the Willow Tree. Today I have the privilege of interviewing author Susan Russo Anderson. Take  a seat and enjoy her answers. 
What are you currently working on and when do you plan to release your next book? I’m working on the third book in the Serafina Florio mystery series for a late fall release. It’s the sequel to DEATH OF A SERPENT and NO MORE BROTHERS and the working title is DEATH IN BAGHERIA. Here’s the plot: Serafina, a struggling widow and midwife turned sleuth investigates the suspicious death of a baroness in Bagheria, one of the aristocracy’s watering holes in the nineteenth century. She discovers many suspects, including the local mafia don, the butler, the gardener, the cook, a local witch. Meanwhile, townspeople gossip about her ongoing affair with the ME; some of her children disappear; money is scarce, the country is in chaos; and grisly types threaten her. Along with the rest of the middle class in Sicily, her family’s life is becoming more and more desperate. (Sound familiar?) But despite these difficulties, Serafina never, ever gives up. She is determined to learn the truth.
Do you have a favorite genre for your writing or do you write whatever moves you? I love writing mysteries, maybe because I’ve always loved puzzles and, of course, the greatest puzzles are characters and why they do what they do, especially in extreme situations. And for us mortals, what could be more extreme than death? It’s our central mystery, such a big part of life. In the midst of life, death; in the midst of death, life.
Any hobbies? I love to walk. I walk about six miles a day, plotting as I plod along. It’s where I walk with my characters and get to know them and let them do the work. I also listen to books. I love to travel and get up at first light, go outside with a journal and walk, walk anywhere and sit and write. Characters and scenes just pop out. And I love love LOVE to read—mysteries, literary, historical fiction and poetry.
What is the best piece of advice you were given about writing? Write before you do anything else. Just sit in the same spot once a day, every day, and achieve your daily word goal. In the beginning, don’t stop to edit or look up a word. After that, revising, editing, and polishing are integral parts of the writing process. Then let the professionals do the final touches. They’re the ones who’ll make you look good.
Do you have a special spot where you like to write or are you a “have lap top will travel” writer? When I commuted to work on the train for an hour each way, I had a laptop and I’d do a lot of writing then. But now I “commute” from my bed to my desk at 5:30 every morning.
What is your favorite book and favorite author? Well, right now I’m very much into Deborah Crombie, Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Lee Child, and I’ve just started reading Scott Nicholson and J.A. Konrath and Margaret Maron. Of course I love the works of William Faulkner, Robert Penn Warren, Flannery O’Connor, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hilary Mantel, Margaret Atwood and James Joyce, the poetry of T.S. Eliot. I could go on and on—I’ve been reading for a very long time. When I find an author I like, I feel sort of, I don’t know, like Balboa must have felt when he discovered the Pacific and I want to read all their books, lose myself in the ocean of their words.
When did you discover your passion for writing? I didn’t begin writing seriously until high school and college. Actually, I used to hate writing term papers, and there were lots of them because I majored in English and minored in history, then went on to take graduate courses in British and American Lit. Maybe it was afterward, when I was first married and going through a bad patch and I’d sit down with a journal and just write. I wrote to understand. But now I write to understand my characters. Lots of times, they take over and that’s when writing is really fun. One thing about characters, they love to take over. Take Serafina. She’s the one who decided to have an affair in NO MORE BROTHERS. Wasn’t my idea, not at all.
Do you have a favorite beverage or snack you must have while writing? I like to eat my breakfast while writing—yogurt, granola, fruit, and whipped topping. And there’s the glory of that first cup of coffee.
Do you have any advice for other writers on any subject you choose? Well, for fiction writers: let your characters tell their story. And if you have children, and I’m very fortunate to have a child and grandchildren, listen to them, the cadence of their speech, the breathless way they have about them when they’re talking to their friends. They’ll charm you with their life and do all the work for you, create characters and write scenes and all you have to do is listen and write it down.
Links to my writing:
My blog and website: http://susanrusoanderson.com, http://writingsleuth.com
Where you can buy my books: http://tinyurl.com/6qtugfs
Bio: After attending Marywood High School for Girls and St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, I received a B.A. in English Literature from Marquette University.
I am a writer, a mother, a grandmother, a widow, a member of Sisters In Crime. I’ve taught language arts and creative writing, worked for a publisher, an airline, an opera company. Traveled. Grew up on the north side of Chicago, but lived most of my adult life in the east. So, like Faulkner’s Dilsey, I’ve seen the best and the worst, the first and the last. I’ve seen worlds blow apart and life turn inside out in less time than it takes to type this sentence. Through it all, and to understand it somewhat, I write.

Thank you Susan for visiting and answering my questions. I look forward to reading your new book. Happy writing. Blessings,
Marianne