Hi, Yolanda! So glad to have you at Spilling
the Beans, where we can learn a little bit about you, and your book. Grab a
cappuccino and let’s chat. Unless you have another favorite drink (alcoholic or
otherwise)?
Thanks for having me over today, Cate, I'd love a cup of green tea it's
my go to drink.
Coming right up! Fur or feathers, petwise?
Patches, my Boston terrier is my love and constant companion, but years
ago, I had a blue parakeet named Peppermint Patty. I loved her chatter.
Aw, we used to love our 'keets too. Any pet peeves? One thing that really burns
your biscuits?
Politicians – the snake oil salesmen we elect but who fail to do the
job they're elected to do. Instead, they line their pockets and the pockets of
their friends on the backs of the people who've elected them. But the worst, even
when they are exposed for who and what they are – we keep electing them! Makes
you wonder who the real idiots are!
Many feel the same as you these days, I’m
sure. :( What’s your guilty pleasure?
Food – Coconut Cake
Movie – The Phantom of the Opera
Music – Anything Josh Groban
When not writing – A long, long walk
Favorite quote?
The secret to happiness in your work is to
find a job in which your neurosis is constructive. ~Jeanne LaMont, MD
Ha, love it. What’s your ideal day like?
5:00 AM a beautiful quiet morning, a cup of green tea, two hours of
non-stop writing, and then a one-hour walk, breakfast and two more hours of
non-stop writing. The rest of the day spent with family, and friends, and the
day ends with more writing.
If you could live out any fantasy, what would
you do?
I would go to Alaska to finish my third book. I'd love to travel the
journey that Detective Quaid takes to solve his next mystery. From the Brooks
Range to Prudhoe Bay and to the Aleutian Islands, I would recapture the sense
of place, atmosphere, and most importantly the adventure.
Beethoven, Beatles, Foo Fighters or Keith
Urban (what type(s) of music makes you rock out)?
I enjoy listening to Josh Groban, Adele, James Blunt, Alison Krause,
and even Patsy Cline. I guess I'm a quiet rocker!
Yay, another eclectic music lover. Does music influence your writing? Do you
have a music playlist for your book?
I do listen to music when writing, but honestly, I shut out the world
when in the zone – including all sound. But yes, it does help to get me in the
creative mood, and my playlist includes all of the above!
Which of your characters would you most/least
want to hang out with, and why?
I would love to hang out with Leeann Thomas, she's Sarah Palmer's best
friend. Leeann travels to Hawaii several times a year and is married to a man
who gives her everything. (My hubby gives me everything – well almost!)
I would not want to hang out with any of the criminals in my books;
their evil is too well hidden behind a smile and a kind word.
While creating your books, what was one of
the most surprising things you learned?
I was surprised by my ability to kill the victims in my stories. They
are innocent people who die in brutally horrid ways, and then I was surprised
by how hard it was to kill 'my darlings'!
Where can readers find out more about you?
You can find me here: Defending
the Pen ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest
~ Goodreads
Thanks for spilling the beans today, Yolanda!
Thanks Cate, for allowing me to discuss Murder, Madness & Love, re-released
on August 19, 2013 and Memoires of Murder released on October
4, 2013. You make a mean cup of green tea – never had it with brandy before!
Blurb
Decades ago, the seeds were planted …
Today, dark, fathomless eyes rake the image before him. One final task
and the transformation is complete. Steady fingers screw intricately carved
horns on each side of a stiff brow, and a gargoyle suitable for Notre Dame
scowls from the smokey mirror in satisfaction.
A jagged smile rips through his smooth, hairless face, and inked,
reptilian scales caress his naked body.
A laugh of hideous resonance emanates from his gut as the demons of
hell welcome Lucifer into their fold.
In a dungeon-like chamber, his Lilith awaits. The kidnapped daughter of
a nun, groomed to fit the final piece in the complex puzzle for world
domination. Will Lucifer marry his bride, on the summer solstice?
Only two things stand in his way ...
His greed ...
And ...
Detective Steven Quaid.
Read
an Excerpt HERE!
Buy Memories of Murder here!
