In the Author Spotlight: D.M. Slate

Cate: Please welcome D.M. Slate. Danyelle, will you please share a short bio with us?
Danyelle: Hello! My name is Danyelle and I write under the name of D.M. Slate. I’m 28 years old, have two beautiful children and am married to my high school sweet-heart. We live in Colorado and enjoy all types of outdoor activities. I’ve always loved writing, so last summer I decided to write with the intention of submitting a story for publication. Much to my surprise, in December of last year my first publication was released.

Cate: Tell us about Isolated and where it's available.
Danyelle: My newest mystery/thriller, Isolated, was released earlier this month by Moongypsy Press. It’s available now in e-book format and is scheduled for paperback release later this year. It can be found on the Moongypsy Press website.

Cate: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Danyelle: No one could have foreseen their Mexican honeymoon horror.
As Anthony and Jazmine embark on their honeymoon to southern Mexico, they have no idea the dark trail that'll unfold before them. The couple signs up for an ATV tour and snorkel trip offered by their resort. Two days later Anthony stumbles out of the Mexican jungle bloodied, half dead and suffering from amnesia; he's the prime suspect in Jazmine's disappearance. Through his multiple interrogations, Anthony struggles to regain his memory in order clear his name and discover the whereabouts of his missing wife.
The international search for Jazmine reveals nothing and the F.B.I. are convinced that Anthony is involved, somehow. As bits and pieces of his memory return, he leads F.B.I. Special Agent Monroe on a trail of clues that implicate the couple's ATV tour guides. Further investigation reveals that Jazmine has been sold to a drug-lord in Panama, and nothing will stop Anthony from trying to rescue her. As he enters the foreign country, the distraught husband only causes greater chaos.
With the F.B.I. in fast pursuit to Panama, the race against the clock begins. When the authorities close in on the suspect's home hoping to recover Jazmine, a grueling discovery is made; Anthony is already at the house. As the case comes to a close, Anthony is shocked to discover that this wasn't a random crime.

Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Danyelle: My honeymoon in Mexico is the inspiration for this story. My husband and I took an ATV/snorkel trip and found ourselves in a very scary situation in the middle of the Mexican jungle; neither of us spoke Spanish and we had no idea where we were. We drove through a very suspicious encampment and the men there were armed with automatic weapons and sharp gleaming machetes. This gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach that stayed with me long after we left the camp. I used this scenario as the setting of the story, and then imagined the worst thing that could’ve happened from there.

Cate: Yikes, what a harrowing experience. Glad you got out of there!
How do you develop your plots and characters?
Danyelle: As a reader I like fast moving plots and stories that make me refuse to put the book down, so I try to provide that in my writing as well. I come up with a generalized plot, then start creating a web diagram with characters, their back-stories, and new twists and turns for the plot. I generally have an idea of how to end the story, and often let all the things in the middle just happen as I’m inspired. Sometimes the story ends up turning out differently than I originally thought it would, which is always cool to see.

Cate: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Danyelle: Most definitely! I do dream about my characters, and this is often inspiration for new twists in the story. A lot of times I find myself up in the middle of the night writing, because once I have a dream revealing an epiphany, it’s impossible to go back to sleep!

Cate: What's next for you?
Danyelle: My next murder/mystery, Royal Empress, is half finished. I hope to have it completed and submitted for publication by the end of the year.

Cate: Congrats! Any other published works?
Danyelle: My first sci-fi/horror, Day 94, was released by Eternal Press in December of 2009. It was voted the best Sci-fi/Futuristic Book of 2009 by the Love, Romance (and more) Café. I was very honored by the nomination, and completely shocked to win. It can be found at the Eternal Press website.

Cate: Very exciting! Describe your writing in three words.
Danyelle: Bold, real, and shocking.

Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Danyelle: My most challenging aspect is “time”. I work full time and have a busy family life, so finding the time to write is the hardest thing about it. But the most rewarding is to see the finalized copy and think, “Wow – I actually wrote that.”

Cate: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Danyelle: That people actually like the stories – LOL!

Cate: Those comments do make it all worthwhile. :)
Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Danyelle: I love Stephen King, Victor Hugo and Diana Gabaldon. Unfortunately, due to my time constraints, I’m not reading anything currently.

Cate: Where can you be found on the web?
Danyelle: http://www.dm-slate.com/

Cate: Readers, D.M. Slate is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting. Danyelle will draw the winner’s name notify the winner and post the winner’s name here.

Thanks for being my guest, Danyelle! Best of luck with all your projects.

In the Author Spotlight: Ginger Simpson

Cate: Please welcome Ginger Simpson. Ginger, will you please share a short bio with us?
Ginger: Although most are written in ‘third person’, I hope you don’t mind if I just talk like a friend. I live in Tennessee with my husband, Kelly. We’ve been married thirteen years. He can’t put two romantic words together, but he shows his love by all the great things he does…like coming with me to TN so I can be close to my grandson. This is a second marriage for both of us.
I retired in 2003 so I could devote more time to writing. I’m finding that promotion takes up most of my time…but I’m thankful for people like you who make blog spots available and provide questions that make it easy. I have one release coming in April from MoonGypsy Press, but unless I get myself in gear, I’m going to see a long dry spell between releases. I’m shopping another western historical, Odessa, at the moment, but I’ve already received two rejections, one because the editor appointed to read the book didn’t favor historical westerns (huh?) and the other because they already had a similar story (one based during the same time period) in queue. At least they didn’t say my writing stunk. *lol*. I’d like to say I’m a world traveler, a past performer of Stars on Ice, or something impressive, but I have only my writing to boast about. Last year, I was nominated for a EPIC award, and this year I won Love Romance Café’s 2009 Best Historical for Sparta Rose. Someone likes me.

Cate: That’s certainly impressive! Tell us about White Heart, Lakota Spirit, your upcoming release and where it's available.
Ginger: Sometime in April, Moongypsy Press is re-releasing this story written during my “amateur” years, but this time in a much-improved format. We learn so much in the process of writing, I was thrilled at the opportunity to re-work this exciting story and present it again, this time hoping for a wider audience. I’m honored to be among the authors celebrating the start-up of this new publisher.

Cate: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Ginger: Of course.
A normal morning turns to disaster when a small war party attacks Grace Cummings’ family and slaughters everyone but her. She returns to the Lakota camp filled with hatred, anger and fear, but through the help of another white woman in camp, learns the Lakota way. Broken treaties, dead buffalo, and the white man's foray of gold in the sacred hills give the people reason to defend themselves. When white soldiers invade the camp and presume to rescue Grace, she must decide where her heart lies.

Cate: Love it! What inspired you to write about the theme?
Ginger: Years of watching TV westerns with my family and reading everything written by Laura Ingalls Wilder developed my love for the old west. In the movies, the Indians always were the villains, so I wanted to show them from a more human perspective and prove with historical facts that they didn’t always attack without provocation. I believe I’ve achieved my goal.

Cate: How do you develop your plots and characters?
Ginger: My books are character-driven. My answer will make my sound crazy, but I always have voices in my head, most screaming at me to tell their stories. When I pick one to listen too, I do the typing, but my character relays the tale. I usually do a first draft, then go back and hone it into a novel, inserting SHOWING phrases that connect the reader with my characters. As a great instructor, Cheryl St. John has taught me, Rule number one, is make the reader care!

Cate: Great advice! Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Ginger: Oh yes. And new ones move in every day. I have to at least start a story so I don’t lose the “notion in the commotion,” and that results in so many works-in-progress, that I’m never sure where to start again. Right now, I’ve decided to put aside one and focus on another because HQ is searching for YA stories and I have one almost half finished. So definitely, no matter if the room looks empty, I always have plenty of company. Sometimes, I just wish they’d tone down the noise. *lol*

Cate: What's next for you?
Ginger: Only God knows that. I’ve finally decided that small press is probably my niche. With the growing competition and the economy causing publishing houses to cut back on releases--and be even more selective, I think my best chance is where I’m a known asset, even if it’s in my own mind. My final goal, because I’m not the spring chicken I once was, is to see at least one of my books in a brick and mortar store. So, I won’t give up entirely on finding a house to help me achieve that dream, but I’m smart enough to realize a dream is what it is. Like I said in a recent bio I submitted to EP…Grandma Moses didn’t become a hit until late in life, so good things can come to those who wait.

Cate: I totally agree. Any other published works?
Author: Yes. I’m the proud author of eight published novels, five novellas, a short story in a love magazine with three more being considered, and like I said, a multitude of selections in the works and a whole lot of hope in my heart.

Cate: Wonderful! Describe your writing in three words.
Ginger: Boy, that’s tough! I’ll use three I hope my readers identify with: Compelling, entertaining, and satisfying.

Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Ginger: For me, since I write by the seat of my pants, the biggest challenge is settling down one group of characters while I deal with another, then making notable progress. The most rewarding aspect is writing that last word and feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Cate: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Ginger: Do you lay awake nights and dream up these hard questions? *lol* I recently discovered a review about Sisters in Time – my time travel, which up to now has received stellar comments. I found this passage most interesting:

Tedious only because of its predictability, ‘Sisters in Time’ trots down the familiar trail of switched bodies, switched times. Predictable surprise and related difficulties ensue.

Why is it interesting? In a time travel, don’t you expect someone to switch times? In Sister’s, I thought I developed new twist by having my heroines switch bodies, thus looking the same, but showing up in an era years removed from their own. I don’t see anything predictable about a pioneer wife and a fast-paced modern female attorney faced with being thrown a real curve ball. No hair dryers, fashion malls, and Lexus automobiles for Taylor…just an old cast iron stove, a horse and buggy, and fabric from the Mercantile. For Mariah, who is used to all those “conveniences,” she’s scared to death by the growl of a garbage disposal, the flash of darting colors on the paved trail below her hospital window, and a winged vehicle flashing past the window of a strange place the man who thinks he’s her husband calls home. You just can’t please everyone. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but so very true.

Cate: Well I loved the premise! And I'm sure readers did too. Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Ginger: I’ve made a vow to myself to read only books written by my fellow e-published authors. If I don’t support my own industry, how can I expect others to? I’ve found a wealth of talent, including you, Ms. Masters, who rival those published by mainstream. To name a few others, Margaret Tanner and Tricia McGill (Aussie authors), Anita Davison (English author), Ciara Gold, Phyllis Campbell, Jaydyn Chelcee, and too many others to list. I’m not reading anything in particular at the moment…I’ve between books I’m reviewing for my examiner.com column, but I am critiquing with a few friends and I predict their novels are going to be best-sellers.

Cate: (blushes) You're too kind. But I agree about the others. Where can you be found on the web?
Ginger: Just Google my name. I show up in the weirdest of places. My favorite spot to promote is my blog, “Dishin’ It Out,” at http://mizging.blogspot.com, and I also maintain at website at http://www.gingersimpson.com. You can also find me on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, Ning…oh, the list goes on and on. No wonder I can’t get anything accomplished, and I’d be thrilled if Farmville disappeared from Facebook so I could stop the madness.

Cate: Too funny... I got away from the sheep-throwing and never went to Farmville, lol! Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Ginger: Yes, What can we do to make you more vocal on the loops and blogs where we promote our work? In most cases, E-pubbed authors bear the burden of all the promotion, and without input from you, we have no idea if we’re being successful or just boring you to tears. Playing to an empty house is just demoralizing sometimes. :)

Cate: Readers, Ginger is giving away a free download (PDF) of any book from her backlist to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner on April 3 and announce it here, so be sure to leave your email address so Ginger can contact you. (I'll be in NYC that day, so have fun!)

Ginger: Cate, I want to thank you again for allowing me time and space on your blog. Realizing how many times we try not to repeat the same things over and over when we guest, I hope I’ve managed to keep people’s interest to the end where they find out about the contest. *lol*

Cate: Happy to have you as a guest, Ginger! Best of luck with White Heart, Lakota Spirit!