Please welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author Susan Coryell.
Thanks to Nikki for inviting me to be a guest on your
wonderful blogspot.
It's great to have you here, Susan. Take it away!
Somewhere out there, I’m pretty sure, is a ghost in search
of an author. See, I have never actually experienced the spirit world, though
Lord knows I’ve tried. When my realtor husband listed a supposedly-haunted
historic estate for sale, he said he was planning to sell the ghost and throw
in the estate for free, though neither he nor I ever saw, heard, tasted,
smelled or felt the spirit’s presence.
Still, the haunted estate inspired my latest book, A Red, Red Rose, a cozy mystery/Southern
Gothic , published by The Wild Rose Press, 2013. Twenty-year-old Ashby Overton travels to
Moore Mountain Lake in Southwestern Virginia (based on Smith Mountain Lake,
where I now live) to be an au pair to
her 7-year old cousin, Jeff. Ashby has an ulterior motive: revealing family
secrets and searching out her roots at the historic family estate, Overhome.
Her first night in her room in the oldest wing of the house, Ashby is “greeted”
by what turns out to be Rosabelle, an ancient family ghost. Ashby’s search for
answers elicits more than she ever dreamed and she finds that some secrets, no
matter how deeply-held, are meant to be revealed. She also finds a confidant in
Luke, the stable boy. My novel involves mystery, history, romance and a ghost.
I’m proud to report that A Red, Red Rose
was nominated for a literary award by the Library of Virginia.
I would definitely choose Rosabelle, the spirit, as a
favorite character because she was so much fun to create! Never having
experienced a ghost, I relied on trusted friends who have successfully delved
into the spirit world. With some advice from them, and a lot of imagination, I
created Rosabelle. Amazingly, my dear spirit turned out to fit the exact definition
of a family ghost, according to a certified paranormal expert who reviewed A Red, Red Rose after publication. Wow!
That was a pleasant surprise; I thought I had mostly made up everything about
my ancestral spirit.
To answer some of Nikki’s questions:
What authors do you
return to and where do you find new authors?
For personal reading, I return again and again to an old
favorite mystery author, Daphne du Maurier, author of Rebecca and Jamaica Inn,
among others. I also enjoy reading new books written by my writing colleagues
at L&L Dreamspell and The Wild Rose Press, as well as works authored by
Lake Writers, my critique group, which I could not live without when it comes
to revising and editing.
What do you like
best/least about writing?
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One great thing about writing is I can work wherever and
whenever I find inspiration—love my laptop! I even take it to the dock in nice
weather, and it always goes on trips with me. I find writing isolating when I am
composing, and noise and interruptions make me cranky. The unexpected bonus
I’ve discovered with my writing is meeting other writers—in person and
online—through blogs and websites, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter. Technology
affords writers infinite ways to bond. Another definite plus is the opportunity
to speak about my books and writing. I
lead workshops, hold signings, prepare panel discussions and do other
presentations, from Virginia to Hawaii. A personal favorite was my
participation in the Virginia Paraquest last spring. Among the witches,
psychics, ghost busters and hypnotists, I mingled, somewhat out of my comfort
zone, holding a fake long-stemmed red rose, and talking about writing
paranormal fiction. I am delighted that they’ve invited me to return again to
this year’s Paraquest.
What else are you
working on?
I’m excited about my next book—just sent the manuscript to
my editor. Entitled Beneath the Stones,
the novel picks up where A Red, Red Rose
left off. Five years later Ashby is planning her wedding to Luke, her love
interest in the first book. But, there’s a big problem: Overhome is in
financial distress and it’s up to Ashby to save the estate from bankruptcy.
While most of the original characters appear, a host of new ones become involved
as a Civil War ghost tries to disrupt Ashby’s plans. I’m hoping The Wild Rose
Press will pick up Beneath the Stones.
Many of my lovely readers have clamored for a sequel. Of course, I am still
waiting to meet my first ghost in person.
Talk about the first
story you wrote:
My first attempt at novel-writing elicited a somewhat
Disneyesque young adult mystery called Doubleheader.
I never seriously tried to publish it—but I did prove to myself that I could
carry out a long work with a beginning, middle and end. Loosely based on my
twin brothers when they were teens, the novel involves a pitcher-catcher twin
duo who telepathize their signals to one another. My “success” led me to write
another YA novel, Eaglebait, about
school bullies from the victim’s perspective. Eaglebait won two major awards: The NY Public Library’s “Books for
the Teen Age” and the International Reading Association’s “Young Adult Choice.”
I’m currently revising and updating the novel to include cyber-bullying and
planning to publish it through Amazon within the next few months.
What are your
favorite non-writing activities?
When I’m not writing, I enjoy all that my beautiful lake
home offers—kayaking, cruising, swimming and just dock-sitting-sunset-watching
leisure. I also play at golf and stay fit with yoga and walking. My husband and
I love to travel, especially when our grandchildren are involved.
Advice for Newbies:
Just keep reading and writing. Writers have to write—curse
or blessing? I know not which.
It's been a delight having you here, Susan. Best of luck with your fascinating book!
Thanks, Nikki. It’s been fun blogging and I’d love to
respond to any comments. Ghost-busters, welcome!
Susan Coryell
Contact Susan at:
Buy links:
To purchase A Red, Red Rose, use the links below.
http://amzn.com/B00GVKMG0K
The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=1146
