Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. I grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, graduated from Illinois State University at Normal, and planned to teach art in elementary schools. Then life took over for the next 60 years. I’ve traveled the world leading golf tours. Stained glass projects I created can be found from Milwaukee to Tokyo. While serving as the executive director of a historical association in Virginia, I learned how to operate a restored historic grist mill. I founded a desk-top publishing company that produced two dozen hard-cover books about the U.S. Civil War, which enjoyed wide distribution.
I lived in five states: Illinois, California, Louisiana, Missouri, and Georgia. I lived on the 37th floor of a high-rise overlooking Lake Michigan and on a 46-foot Chris-Craft yacht in Newport Harbor, California. My hobbies include genealogy, building miniature dollhouses, gardening, travel, Zentangle, and blogging. I learned to ride a horse at age 45 and enjoyed trail riding and raising a foal. In short, I’ve been blessed with various life experiences that offer wonderful bits to include in a novel.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “The Next Great Discovery”?
A2. Time. Writing time was interrupted by daily life for years. It was hard to keep the plot line top of mind, and the characters were one-dimensional. I started three or four novels but each was derailed in turn. In retirement, I have time.
Q3. What books or authors have influenced your own writing?
A3. I read widely and voraciously. I particularly enjoy the character development in books in series: Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache), Richard Osmond (The Tuesday Murder Club), Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti). Alexandre McCall Smith (First Ladies Detective Agency), Martha Bond (Murder in [city]).
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. I don’t have a go-to place. Instead, I seem wired to the 60s aphorism “bloom where you are planted.” The place I am in is my favorite spot, but if a move is required, it is an easy transition to the next spot.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book “The Next Great Discovery”?
A5. Hurricane Katrina blew our family out of New Orleans in 2005. Elements of Marshall, Missouri, the small rural town we landed in, inspired the creation of fictional Hawkinston, the town in the book. The local college provided a town-and-gown element. The wholesome heartland was a good foil for mystery and mayhem. I added a female newspaper reporter protagonist, killed her cousin to start the action, added some colorful characters to the mix, and the race was on.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book “The Next Great Discovery”?
A6. The writing was sporadic over nearly 20 years as life intervened. I moved to a retirement community in 2023 and dusted off the manuscript. The characters let me know that what I thought was the main theme was really a subplot and a major rewrite was in order. I complied with their demands, finished the story, realized that the characters had positioned it as the first book in a series, and published it in 2024. So, 19 years in all, with long periods of dormancy. Book 2 in the series is coming along much faster.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your book?
A7. It is available in softcover and as an ebook from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, AuthorHouse, Books-a-Million, and other outlets online. Brick-and-mortar bookshops can order through Ingram.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title “The Next Great Discovery”?
A8. I wanted the cover to convey a sense of mystery and had in mind a red, white, and black palette. I have a black-and-white photo of a rural building with scary branches in the foreground that I took in a photography class years ago. The building was a perfect stand-in for the grist mill in the story. Unfortunately, the photo was not suitable for reproduction. I used it as a reference and sketched the scene on the cover.
The book’s title comes from a key piece of evidence that helps the protagonist unravel the truth of the mysterious deaths. It is a file folder labeled the next great discovery.
The Heartland to Hometown Mysteries brand arose from the format of the stories. Each book begins in Missouri, the Heartland. The challenge takes the protagonist to the hometown of one of the characters. In “The Next Great Discovery,” the hometown is New Orleans. In Book 2, the hometown destination is the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. I like to read dialog aloud to keep it real. Sometimes, a character will come up with something totally out of the blue. It may be a red herring, or maybe it gives the character an extra layer of personality, but either way, it gives the narrative a bit of oomph. I like surprises when I read and like to surprise my readers.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. The most basic advice writers receive is “write what you know.” It took me nearly 80 years to understand the importance of these words. I have a deep well of experience to draw from, as long as my memory holds out. What I know is the solid foundation for my writing.
The Next Great Discovery is available on Amazon
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