Getting to know William Doonan

I’m pleased to welcome author, William Doonan, as my guest today.  My blog is one stop on his tour to promote the recent release of his archeological mystery,  American Caliphate, which was published by Oak Tree Press.

William, let’s start with the basics.  Where did you grow up and did your childhood contribute to your desire to be a writer?

I grew up in New Jersey, but when I was nine, my family moved to Puerto Rico for three years.  It was a great experience.  When you’re young, languages load easily, so it wasn’t long before I was speaking Spanish with my new friends.  That fluency would help me a great deal later in life when I became an archaeologist working in Central America.

Both my parents are teachers, so we always had books in the house.  We had a coffee table so cluttered with books that you couldn’t even see the table.  Years later I would learn that there never was a table there to begin with, just the books.

That’s hilarious! Your parents sound like my kind of people. I love books! So, where do you live now and do you use that locale for settings in your novels?  If not, how do you choose your settings?

I live in Sacramento, CA, and so far, I have not set anything locally.  I travel a lot, so I’m more likely to pick a locale from my wanderings.  My first two mysteries, Grave Passage and Mediterranean Grave recount the adventures of Henry Grave, an octogenarian detective who solves crimes on cruise ships.  As such, those books are set at sea.  I’m a college professor, and during the summers, I lecture on board cruise ships, so that gave me the idea for that setting.

American Caliphate is set on the north coast of Peru, where I worked for several years excavating a pre-Inca pyramid complex.  It’s a perfect setting for a novel; it has pyramids, mummies, skeletons everywhere (really old ones). 

You definitely choose intriguing settings for your novels. I enjoyed reading Mediterranean Grave and I’m looking forward to reading American Caliphate. Did the inspiration for your characters/or plot come from people you know, a specific place, or personal experience?

Working on an archaeological excavation is about as much fun as I can imagine.  So I definitely try to bring that across in the book.  Each excavation is different, and each is life-changing.  I learned so much down there, working on those pyramids, and I became positive that I was only getting at about 10% of the secrets they held.  I decided I would invent the other 90%, and that’s where my story comes from.

As for the people, they are wholly invented, though some are composites of characters I’ve run across.  Here’s a blurb about American Caliphate: 

Archaeologists Jila Wells and Ben Juarez are not thrilled at the prospect of returning to Peru; the ambush that nearly cost Jila her life still haunts her.  But the ruined pyramids at Santiago de Paz hide an important document that would shock the Islamic world.  Professor Sandy Beckham is assembling a distinguished team to dig quickly through the pyramid complex, following clues found in the diary of a wealthy Muslim woman who lived in Spain five centuries ago. 

In the diary are details of an illegal expedition to Spanish Peru in three well-armed ships.  Convinced that Spain was forever lost to Islam, Diego Ibanez intended to bring the word of Allah to the pagan Americans.  Landing on Peru’s north coast, he learned that the fires of the Inquisition burned even hotter there than they did in Spain.

As the archaeologists brace for the ravaging storms of El Niño, Jila and Ben hurry to complete their excavations.  But they’re not the only ones interested in this project.  Other forces are determined that the document remain hidden.  Should it be discovered, a challenge could be made under Islamic testamentary law to the throne of Saudi Arabia.  And the House of Saud has no interest in sharing power with an American caliphate that might now awaken from a five hundred year slumber.

William, your book sounds wonderful. Thank you for being with us today.

If you’d like to check out William’s novel, it’s available now at some of the larger archaeology-themed bookstores near you, and on Amazon.com -  http://www.amazon.com/American-Caliphate-William-Doonan/dp/1610090438/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333558968&sr=8-1

Also, for more reading, William blogs about undead conquistador mummies at www.themummiesofblogspace9.com

The Countdown

I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter. I also want to let you know that I’ve altered my blog schedule for the month of April. (I’m counting the days until the release date for Mixed Messages.) Normally, I post once a week, usually on Sunday, and write a “Getting to know you” post the fourth Sunday of the month. This month will be an exception. Here’s the calendar of events:

Monday, April 9 - Marja McGraw is interviewing me on her blog.

http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/

Wednesday, April 11 - William Doonan will be my guest. My Writers Forum is one stop on the blog tour to promote his new novel, American Caliphate, an archaeological mystery.

Saturday, April 14 - Susan Whitfield has scheduled me for an interview.

http://susanwhitfield.blogspot.com/

Sunday, April 15 - I will host the local book launch event for Mixed Messages, the first novel in my Malone mystery series. I’m looking forward to seeing many of my friends and, hopefully, meeting some new people.

Tuesday, April 17 - Mixed Messages will be released, available at amazon.com and postmortem-press.com. Needless to say, I’m very excited!

Tuesday, April 24 – Award winning author, Marilyn Meredith, will be joining us as part of her blog tour for No Bells; she will be my featured guest for April’s “Getting to know you” post.

Saturday, April 28 - Morgen Bailey will post my “Author Spotlight” on her blog.

http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/

Happy Easter!

A Dream Come True

I’ve wanted to be a published author since I was a little girl. Like most girls my age, I read every Judy Bolton and Nancy Drew mystery; as a child, they were among my most prized possessions. When I was ten years old, I submitted a poem I’d written to my Sunday school magazine. I can still remember how thrilled I was when I saw my name printed under the title. My first byline! Now, many years later (no need to tell how many), I feel the same way!

My novel, Mixed Messages, the first in my Malone mystery series, will be released April 17^th! When I received my author’s copy and held it in my hands, it was truly a dream come true! I felt like that ten-year-old girl again; it was magical and surreal. It still is. To say I’m thrilled is an understatement. I spent years working on Mixed Messages. Creating the characters, giving them life, has been the single most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. To have the opportunity now to share them with readers is beyond incredible to me. And, it amazes me how things sometimes happen.

Ten years ago this month, I had the privilege of meeting my favorite author, Mary Higgins Clark, at a book signing of Daddy’s Little Girl. I own a copy of every book Mary’s ever written; as an adult, they’re among my most prized possessions. Mary’s not only a gifted writer; she’s a very nice person. She took the time to listen to me talk about the novel I “planned” to write and to encourage me to “write that novel.”

 I have a framed copy of this photo on my desk. Seeing it every day when I sit down at my computer has been and is a great source of inspiration. Every April, I eagerly await Mary’s newest release. I’m looking forward to reading The Lost Years. It’s still hard for me to believe that this year, (she says with a big smile on her face), I eagerly await the release of my novel, Mixed Messages, too!

Getting to know Sandra Parshall

I’d like to thank Agatha Award Winner, Sandra Parshall, for being with us today. I’ve asked her a series of questions so we can get to know a little bit more about her as a writer and as a person.

Sandra, where did you grow up? Did your childhood contribute to your desire to be a writer? If so, how?

I was born in upstate South Carolina and grew up there in a working class family (my parents worked in cotton mills). No one else in my family read much, so I don’t know where my love of books and writing came from. I was certainly an oddity from an early age. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to write stories -- I started scribbling fanciful stories on lined pulp paper as soon as I learned how to write – and my imagination operated on overdrive all the time. I didn’t care for reality. The worlds I created in my head felt more comfortable and welcoming. I think a lot of writers grow up feeling like outsiders and observers, and that’s how it was for me.

Where do you live now? Do you use that locale for settings in your novels? If not, how do you choose your settings?

I live in Northern Virginia, in a suburb of Washington, DC. This was the setting for my first published book, The Heat of the Moon. For the second and subsequent books, I moved my heroine, Rachel Goddard, out to the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia, which I felt was a better setting for the kind of books I wanted to write. I wanted a mix of strong characters – rich and poor, educated and uneducated, open-minded and ignorant – and Mason County, the small mountain community I invented, is a more plausible setting than the homogenous area I live in.

Did the inspiration for your characters and/or plot come from people you know, a specific place or personal experience? If not, what got you started?

A writer can pick up ideas anywhere, just by looking around and asking, “What if…?” The Heat of the Moon was inspired by a dream. Under the Dog Star was inspired by the Michael Vick dogfighting case. My other books are the result of disparate ideas coalescing in my imagination. The most mysterious part of the process, to me, is the way a story forms as I write it. Characters present themselves and events fall into place, often without a lot of conscious effort on my part, and somehow a complex story results.

Did you plan to write a series before or after you wrote the first book in the series?

I didn’t intend The Heat of the Moon as the first in a series. A series is probably the best way to build a fan base, though, and I love Rachel, so I was happy to keep going.

I have to tell you that I loved “The Heat of the Moon” so I’m glad to hear that. Can you name three of your favorite authors in the mystery genre and/or specific books you love.

Thomas H. Cook: Mortal Memory, Master of the Delta, and Breakheart Hill in particular

Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine: A Dark-Adapted Eye and Going Wrong in particular

Karin Slaughter: Fallen

What are your favorite things to do when you’re not reading or writing? Do you have any hobbies?

Photography is my hobby, and I love to be outdoors taking pictures of animals and other natural subjects. I’m also a gardener, so I grow a lot of my photographic subjects. Birdwatching is another pleasure.

Do you like to travel? If so, what are some of your favorite places to go and/or your favorite vacation?

I’m a homebody and would probably never go anywhere if I didn’t have to! I did love visiting Scotland, though, and I also enjoyed France.

Well, it doesn’t sound like you would use the money for travel so what’s your answer to this question – If I won a million dollars, I would ------

Pay the taxes first, which would greatly reduce the amount of the prize! I would invest some and give the rest away. When I hear about somebody winning tens of millions of dollars in a lottery, I always think of how much good could be done with that amount of money. Winners tend to waste it all, though.

         Just out of curiosity, what’s your favorite color? Why?

My favorite color changes from day to day, probably because my mood does. But I always favor rich colors – deep blue, teal, magenta, coral. The room I write in has coral walls.

         Describe yourself - personality wise.

I’ve been shy all my life, and I still am to a degree, although since becoming a published writer I’ve gotten over the worst of it. I’m not afraid of public speaking anymore. I’ll never be the life of the party, though. I’ll always be more of a quiet observer than a flashy type who grabs the spotlight. I like to believe that I’m a kind person, to both animals and other people. I do have a temper, though, so don’t make me mad!

Sandra, I’ll try to avoid doing that! : ) Thanks again for being with us today. Best of luck with your series!

The Power of Music

“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” True, but it has the power to do so much more. It can also motivate us, make us laugh or make us cry.

Music has always been an important part of my life. When I was growing up, my father liked to watch Mitch Miller and Lawrence Welk on TV. We had an old player piano and I remember sitting next to Dad while he pumped those pedals and sang along with the music on the rolls. My mother preferred what she referred to as “livelier” music; she was (and still is) a fan of rock ’n roll, especially Elvis. So, early on, I was exposed to all different kinds of music. As a result, I developed eclectic tastes.

When someone asks me what my favorite song is, I quickly respond, “Hotel California,” by the Eagles, because it reminds me of my vacation to Todos Santos (All Saints), Mexico where I visited the Hotel California. But, depending on my mood and what I’m doing, I have other “favorites.” For example, although I usually prefer absolute silence when I’m writing, I will occasionally listen to classical music. My hands down favorite is Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a theme from Paganini.” It was the music they played in the movie “Somewhere in Time.”

When I clean house, I like to listen to our local Oldies station because they play my favorite songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s. They get me swinging my hips and my vacuum cleaner. I prefer happy, upbeat music. Not only does it help motivate me, it gets me out of my funk if I’m in One Of Those Moods. Reggae has the same effective on me, especially Bob Marley’s tunes. I also love banjo music and Charlie Daniels’ fiddle.

I use music in my writing too. Ann, the main character in Mixed Messages, was raised by her grandmother, Nana, a retired music teacher. So, like me, there was always music in the house when Ann was growing up; she relies on music to cheer her up too. 

It’s the week of Halloween and, if you peek through the window into Ann’s kitchen, you just might catch her sashaying to the strains of “Elvira.” With a serial killer on the loose in her neighborhood and all the other problems she has, Ann needs all the help she can get!

St. Pat's Day

Ann Malone Kern, the main character in my novel, Mixed Messages, is of Irish descent but, as far as I know, I don’t have a drop of Irish blood in my veins. However, we both live in Cincinnati, a city where the Irish played an important role. Next to the Germans, they were the largest group of immigrants between 1840 and 1910. 

Cincinnati was a major destination for immigrants from Ireland who left their homeland because, due to the potato blight and resulting famine in their country, they couldn’t pay their mortgages and they were starving. Many were poor, spoke English with a brogue and were Roman Catholic with large families. Some came with nothing more than a few pieces of clothing.

The city offered many opportunities for work on the riverfront, digging for the Miami and Erie Canal and on railroad construction. Although most had hoped to become farmers, with no money and desperate to feed their families, when they arrived in the Queen City, many Irish took jobs that were dangerous and unskilled with low pay. 

Through the years, the Irish have contributed greatly to our city’s growth and culture. During the Civil War, the Irish formed several militia units, which became the core of the Ohio 10^th Regiment. Later, many became policemen and firemen, some were prosperous in industry and others were active in politics.

Today, we have The Irish Heritage Center of Greater Cincinnati. The IHC was founded to promote the Irish Culture through the study of customs, dance, education, film, genealogy, history, language, lectures, literature, music, mythology, poetry, social interaction, song, sport, theater and the visual arts. 

 Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

  “May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

Stress

We all have a lot of stress these days and, according to the experts, it can be damaging. Remarkably, studies show that positive events in our lives can be almost as harmful to us as disasters. The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), created by Dr. Thomas Holmes and Dr. Richard Rahe, assigns points (referred to as life change units or LCUs) to each type of stress we incur. For example: Marriage = 50 points, Divorce = 73 points; Voluntary change to a different line of work = 36 points while being fired from work = 47 points.
According to the SRRS, if we accrue too many LCUs within a short time, our natural defenses are lowered and we are more susceptible to accidents and illnesses. If we accumulate over 300 points in a year, there is an 80% chance of illness or accident in the near future. Obviously, in order to preserve our health and our sanity, we need to find ways to cope with and manage our stress.
Dr. Susan Thatcher, a psychologist and one of the characters in Mixed Messages, has a lot on her mind both personally and professionally and, as a result, she’s stressed and having trouble sleeping. To calm her nerves and reduce her stress, she uses the same mental image I do, a wonderful memory from a vacation I took a few years ago. I’ll let her tell you.

“Close your eyes. Relax. Clear your mind of all thoughts. Visualize something peaceful and soothing. You’re in the pool in Cabo, lying on a float, gazing out at the sun shimmering over the Pacific Ocean. 
You look up and marvel at the majestic cliffs and the brilliant blue sky. 
When you close your eyes, you can hear two waiters conversing in Spanish at the pool bar and the distant music as the mariachi band practices for their dinner performance. You dangle your hand in the water and splash some on your legs. It cools your burning skin. You’re floating...." 
How do you (or your characters) deal with stress?