Today we
are welcoming back, Linda Weaver Clarke. Fascinated with history and family
ancestry, Linda travels the United States giving workshops that encourage
others to turn their family history and autobiography into interesting stories.
She is the author of A Family Saga In Bear Lake, Idaho series and also The John
and Julia Evans Mystery Series. Three books in her mystery series have already
been released—Anasazi Intrigue, Mayan Intrigue, and Montezuma Intrigue—and
the next book, Desert Intrigue, is being launched this month.
Welcome
back, Linda. It’s great to have you here! Why don’t you start us off by
refreshing our readers’ minds about you and your family?
I was
raised on a farm surrounded by the Rocky Mountains of southern Idaho and have
made my home in southern Utah. I am the mother of six daughters and am happily
married. After my family began leaving the nest, I decided to go back to
college and get a degree. At first I was apprehensive about my decision, but I
soon realized that I had made the right choice. I received my Bachelor of Arts
Degree at Southern Utah University and received the Outstanding Non-Traditional
Student Award for the College of Performing Arts in 2002. After graduation, I
submitted some manuscripts to publishers and became an author in 2005. I was
doing things that I never dreamed would ever happen to me in my later years.
I loved, Melinda
in the Wild West, and for a while I thought you would stick with historical
romance. What made you decide to switch gears?
Each genre
has its own challenges. I knew this and wanted to try something new and
different, so I changed to mystery/adventure. Of course, I did a lot of study
and learned how to create a mystery. This was exciting to me but I was a little
worried that my readers might figure out the plot. So I experimented on my
husband and had him read it before I sent it to my publisher. He said that he
had not been able to figure it out and I had some twists and turns that
surprised him. So I felt confident enough to submit my mystery series. In each
book, I try to add mystery, adventure, romance, humor, and intrigue!
Did you
find your mystery series more challenging to write than your romance novels?
Oh yes! The
writing process between romance and mystery is quite a change with a completely
different mind set. With romance, you plan out the plot around the meeting of a
couple. As you write, you develop some sort of charisma between the characters,
making the reader feel excited that one day they're going to hit it off and
fall in love. You, as the reader, know the outcome. But with a mystery, the
reader is in the dark. The author has to come up with a plot that no one knows
about until towards the end of the story and hope they haven’t figured it out.
In a mystery, you may or may not allow your reader to know who the bad guys
are, according to whether it’s just a mystery or mystery suspense. In a
mystery, the reader doesn’t know who the bad guys are until the end of the
book. With mystery suspense, the reader knows who they are and it makes for a
more suspenseful outcome.
Can you
tell readers about John and Julia Evans?
Julia is a
newspaper reporter and John is a professional knife maker. This series was
inspired by one of my favorite TV shows long ago called Hart to Hart,
which featured a married couple investigating and solving crimes staring Robert
Wagner and Stefanie Powers. The couple was madly in love–you laughed at the
humor and sighed at the romance.
What is the
plot of Desert Intrigue?
When
Julia’s brother announces that his dude ranch is haunted, she believes that
someone is trying to sabotage his place and force him to sell. The mysterious
happenings have to do with Superstition Mountain, the lost Dutchman’s goldmine,
and the great Thunder God. Is it possible that the legend of the Thunder God is
actually true? After a terrible thunderstorm, everyone begins to wonder. John
and Julia quickly head to Mesa, Arizona and discover a few mysterious events.
Will they find out who is behind these disasters before Uncle Kelly’s dude
ranch is ruined?
By the time
readers get to Desert Intrigue, John and Julia have already been on
three other exciting adventures. What’s different about this new book?
This is the
only one that doesn’t deal with artifact theft. This one deals with Arizona
history surrounding Superstition Mountain. The research for this novel was so
much fun.
Are these
books written as stand-alone novels or should readers start at the beginning?
Each book
in this series has its own plot and can be read alone, but I think it’s best
to start at the beginning with Anasazi Intrigue so you can get to know the
family.
Where can
readers purchase these books?
How can
readers find out more about you and your writing?
People can
find me at my website called “Make Believe”: www.lindaweaverclarke.com
Is there
anything you would like to add?
Yes, I
interview authors on my blog each week and have book giveaways. Please stop by
and be a part of the book giveaway each week at http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com.
Thanks
for spending time with us today, Linda. I wish you continued success.
VISIT THE BOOK LOVING BUSY MOM'S DAILY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN E-COPY OF DESERT INTRIGUE BY LINDA WEAVER CLARKE!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment