Category: A Writer’s Take……

Interview with Janet Evanovich, best selling author

Janet2011Bio1My interview with Janet had to be short and sweet….she is so busy writing she could only answer a few of my questions!  A good place to be, we’ll all agree.  And, hey, I’ll take what I can get!  Thanks Janet! 

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing?

A. My office is upstairs and has a beautiful view of the water. It’s just my bird, Ida, my dog, Ollie, the computer and me.

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)

A. I keep my work space pretty neat. I head upstairs with my cup of coffee at about 6 a.m. every morning and get to work.

Q. Do you have a set time each day to write or do you write only when you are feeling creative? Continue reading “Interview with Janet Evanovich, best selling author”

FREE Audio Book…Enjoy the Act of Murder for free!

Act.Murder.Cover.Book3   “The Act of Murder”  Book 3 of the World of Murder Series is now available in AUDIO books!

FREE Download!   Write me here at https://www.writeratplay.com/contact-me/ and I’ll send you the promotional code.

Take a Listen:  Act.Sample.ActoM–RAS

In Book 3 of The World of Murder series, O’Roarke and Garcia are called when a famous Broadway director dies. It appears that everyone hated this man, making the murder cops’ job just that much harder. They have their pick of suspects as everyone within a five mile radius of Broadway had a reason to want this guy dead. From the jealous stage manager, to the resentful actors, to a disappointed and hurt lover. From a scorned understudy, to his ex-wives, any one of them could have done it. This mystery takes the reader back stage into the tumultuous, gossip ridden, world of the theatre. Continue reading “FREE Audio Book…Enjoy the Act of Murder for free!”

The World Stood Still….Sheldon Kissed Amy

writing, blogs, blogger, comedy, Chuck Lorre, iconic television      A few nights ago Sheldon kissed (really kissed! There were four lips involved) Amy Farrah Fowler and the world stood still….at least ours did.  You could hear a universal gasp!

Have you ever paused your television in order to read Chuck Lorre’s vanity page?  (that’s what he calls it)  He is the head writer, creator and mastermind behind The Big Bang Theory.   I think his take on life and how we all muddle through it is dryer than my morning toast and I loves my humor dry.  Did I mention that he was ‘blogging’ before the word had been invented?

Now, I know that I will never write comedy and really don’t aspire to do so. It’s not my thing and if I’m funny when I write I assure you it’s an accident.  In my opinion,  the brilliance in the writing for The Big Bang Theory script is excelled by none in today’s culture.  Finally!  The geeks and ‘not-cool’ kids are fashionable and we cooler kids care about them.  (lol)  Continue reading “The World Stood Still….Sheldon Kissed Amy”

‘The Act of Murder’ in Audio-books now Available!

Act.Murder.Cover.Book3  Just Released in Audio-books!  My third in the series, The World of Murder

Give a listen:  Act.Sample.ActoM–RAS

 

http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/The-Act-of-Murder-Audiobook/B00IEIDX9A/ref=a_search_c4_1_4_srTtl?qid=1392728753&sr=1-4

In Book 3 of The World of Murder series, O’Roarke and Garcia are called when a famous Broadway director dies. It appears that everyone hated this man, making the murder cops’ job just that much harder. They have their pick of suspects as everyone within a five mile radius of Broadway had a reason to want this guy dead. From the jealous stage manager, to the resentful actors, to a disappointed and hurt lover. From a scorned understudy, to his ex-wives, any one of them could have done it. This mystery takes the reader back stage into the tumultuous, gossip ridden, world of the theatre.

Also available in paperback and e-books.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help!

helpWriting my newest mystery has been a challenge as I found my detectives, O’Roarke and Garcia and the killer in several situations where I have Cover.Angel - Copylittle or no knowledge and the Internet produced hardly anything with regard to my research.

So, I had to ‘rely on the kindness
of strangers….’

Since my fourth murder mysteries is heavy on police procedural, forensics, and pathology, not to mention the Catholic faith, I made several cold calls to people I didn’t know.  Would they help me?
Continue reading “Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help!”

Suicide by Heroin…A Eulogy

Philip_Seymour_Hoffman_2011[1]Philip Seymour Hoffman died last week by his own hand.  Shoving a needle into his arm, one last time and making our world a little more pale and less interesting.  Why do the brilliant feel the need to destroy themselves?  The heroin was just the ‘fix’ (aptly named) dulling the pain, banishing the demons…for a little while.   ‘An accidental overdose’ you say?  What was accidental about him sticking the bloody needle into his arm?  I ask.

And what does that say about the rest of us; living and struggling on, sometimes in quiet, brave desperation.  His actions were pure selfishness and I am royally pissed off at him!

And I earned the right  to be angry with him….being a survivor of suicide and the horror and  confusion that follows.  This man was an inspiration to all artists, actors, directors, writers, painters, dancers….he made us want to be better at our chosen craft …to aspire to his brilliance.   And now he’s gone.
Continue reading “Suicide by Heroin…A Eulogy”

My Interview with mystery writer, Andrew Grant (Part 2)

Andrew
Art by Lichtenstein

Q. Who or what is your “Muse” at the moment ?

A. For the book I just finished writing it was a bizarre combination of Roy Lichtenstein and Pat Benatar. Lichtenstein’s paintings ended up playing a major role in the book, but sadly Benatar’s music remained trapped on my iPod.

Q. When did you begin to write seriously?

A. When I quit my job in June 2006.

Q. How long after that were you published?

A. I finished the manuscript in June 2007, found an agent in December 2007, was offered a contract in February 2008, and my first book was published in May 2009.

Q. What makes a writer great?

A. The ability to create characters that readers care about as much – or more – as they do about real people.

Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like? Continue reading “My Interview with mystery writer, Andrew Grant (Part 2)”

Part 2 …My Interview with Andrew Grant

#2Adrew.writing.AGDon’t Miss part 2 when I sit down again with best selling author, Andrew Grant this Tuesday, February 11th.

Excerpt:

Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like?

A. For me, it breaks down into three phases: Percolating, where all the thoughts and ideas and “what ifs” that have built up in my head since finishing the last book coalesce and grow until they’re strong enough to carry a whole story; Writing, where I get the first draft of the book down on paper; and revising……. tune in this coming TUESDAY!

 

An Interview with Author, Andrew Grant

andrew_09newAndrew is a slick, clever mystery writer with tight interesting plots.  I ‘met’ him through his writer/wife, Tasha Alexander.  Can’t wait for his newest release coming out in the fall of 2014.

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? 

A. Whenever possible I write in what was originally the maid’s room in our apartment in Chicago (there was no sign of the maid when we moved in, so I figured someone may as well use it…) but due to the amount of traveling I have to do, I often find myself working on planes or in airport lounges, or any other place where I won’t get either wet or arrested!

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas)

A. I’m an obsessively tidy person, so I guess that tendency extends itself to my work space. Other than tidiness, all I need to get started in the morning is a giant pot of coffee. Followed by several more giant pots of coffee as the day (and sometimes, the night) progresses.
Continue reading “An Interview with Author, Andrew Grant”

Where to Find a Narrator for my Audio book? (Part 2)

Part II An Interview with VO professional and actor, Daniel Dorse       (Part I, click here)

It’s Easy!  I use www.acx.com.  The platform is simple to use and they have a terrific ‘stable’ of professional narrators.  Your book is published in audio form at amazon.com/audio, audible.com and iTunes.com.  You can pay your narrator/producer a percentage of sales or a one time fee.  The one time fees are on a sliding scale depending on what the narrator requires ‘per finished hour’.  With acx.com you will know what you will be paying (it’s based on the number of words in your manuscript.) before you commit. Tip. Eliminate all extra words like copyright page, acknowledgements, title, etc. and count only the words of the manuscript.

My one and only complaint about acx.com is the length of time they take to do the final quality control bit.  Two weeks.  Now sit back and enjoy the second part of my chat with Daniel.

Daniel working in his studio
Daniel working in his studio

Q. Can you tell us about your process when you get a job to narrate a book?

A. When I’m hired to produce an audio book, I should read the entire book, making character notes, notes on pronunciation, mood, transitions, accents, etc. In fact, I like to live dangerously, reading only a few chapters ahead (to avoid too many unwelcome surprises, like , “Uh-oh! This character I’ve been voicing for 15 pages is supposed to be Irish. Now I have to re-record.”). I do this, I tell myself, because I like to retain an element of spontaneity in my read, but it’s probably also because I’m both lazy & overly cocky about my sight-reading abilities.
Continue reading “Where to Find a Narrator for my Audio book? (Part 2)”