Guest Blog

A Conversation With Mary Ellis

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Mary Ellis has written 20 novels. Her latest, Magnolia Moonlight, is part of a mystery series called Secrets of the South. Before retiring to write full-time, Mary taught middle school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. She enjoys gardening, bicycling and swimming, and lives in Ohio with her husband, dog and cat.

What’s the hardest part of writing romantic suspense?
Mary: There are two tied for first place. I find it’s often hard to keep the little details straight because in a longer length book, you end up with so many of them! And I find I must create a far more detailed outline before I begin than I did with historical romance or Amish romance. Otherwise, I will reveal certain key plot twists too soon.

How do you connect with your characters?
Mary: I look through magazines or the Internet for models, actors, or just average Joes who look like the characters in my head. Then it’s easier to put words in their mouths when I write dialogue. I have the pictures taped above my writing desk.

Where do you get the inspiration for your plots?
Mary: From travel. When I select a city to set one of my Southern mysteries, I go several times to get the feel for the area, the people, the food and the historical or cultural significance.

Current book: Magnolia Moonlight
What happens when two new private investigators discover everyone in town has something to hide with agendas longer than the Mississippi River?

Connect w/MaryMary Ellis low res head
Website: www.maryellis.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Mary-Ellis. Author/

 

 

 

A Conversation With Alice Arenz

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Alice K. Arenz’s newest book is Portrait of Jenny. Alice won a ACFW Carol Award in 2010, and has written An American Gothic, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (2009 Carol finalist), The Case of the Mystified M.D., (2010 Carol winner), and Mirrored Image (2011 Carol finalist).

Alice K. ArenzWhy do you like writing romantic suspense?
Alice: Probably because it is the type of book I’ve always been drawn to read. From the time I picked up my first mystery as a kid to discovering the world of wonder mixed with suspense and romance in books by Mary Stewart, Phyllis A. Whitney, Victoria Holt and others, I was hooked. Mary Higgins Clark was followed by CBA authors like Colleen Coble, Brandilyn Collins and so very many, many more. There’s an art in these books—not that there isn’t in all books, but for me, the twists and turns, the guessing and the unexpected, fascinates me. I love that God has given me the opportunity to make others feel as I have with my favorite authors.

Where do you get the inspiration for your plots?
Alice: God. I know that might sound trite or even made up, but it’s the truth. Long before I knew there was such a thing as Christian fiction, everything I wrote was only produced after prayer sessions. Without Him, I wouldn’t be able to put two words together.

As for how the plots come: sometimes, there will be a person’s name that’s the start, sometimes a title or even a location. Eventually, there’s enough there, a germ, if you will, that says it’s time to start writing. But as a seat-of-the-pants writer, I don’t know where it’s heading until I get there.

Why include curse words in your work?
Alice: Excellent question. And, I hope I have an excellent answer. I’ve always been honest about my work—the “my” I use but can’t claim it exclusively. I write because that’s what God has given me. And I write what He gives me. So when writing Jenny, there was a struggle going on that was quickly halted when I clearly heard, “Stop preaching to the choir.” So I listened and obeyed. After all, you’re not likely to hear an impassioned, angry detective—or anyone else—always stay within the lines. Sometimes, and probably more often than any of us might admit to, those swear words are more succinct, more meaningful than an emphatic “Golly, gee whiz!” And even those words, to some, are considered swear words.

Current book: Portrait of Jenny
Portrait of Jenny tinyWhen Richard meets the elusive “Jenny,” her image takes over his life and paintings. Dogged by a detective for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Richard’s past and present collide.

Connect w/Alice
Website: www.akawriter.com

Welcome to my fiction blog!

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Welcome to my fiction blog, where I’ll talk about my writing process, interview other Christian romantic suspense writers and serialize one of my unpublished romantic-mystery novels.
I’ve been putting stories on paper since I was a kid, with many more stories only spinning around in my imagination. I even placed in a couple of short story contests as a teen.
That love of storytelling spurred me to pursue writing as a career, specifically journalism. I worked on my high school and college student papers, while continuing to write fiction on the side.
After college, I joined the monthly magazine staff at the National Religious Broadcasters, and spent six years honing my news and feature writing before hopping over to work in the communications department at the National Restaurant Association for their award-winning monthly magazine and other publications. I still wrote fiction for fun occasionally.
547recent-copy-FINAL-735x1024Then, after marrying my wonderful husband and having our first child, I transitioned into freelance writing and editing, which I continue to do today. When I began freelancing, I had more time to focus on my fiction writing too. During that time, I also had two nonfiction books published, as well as self-published a few books.
Now, I’m actively pursuing publication for my first romantic suspense novel. I love to hear from readers, so please sign up for my newsletter and leave a comment on my site.
Sarah

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