FROM THE DESK OF
DONA PENZA TATTLE,
ESQ. AND
ASSOCIATE WRYE BALDERDASH
Greetings,
“I felt it!” Wrye held up his index finger as they sipped
sweet iced tea on the veranda outside their southern office.
“A breeze, a wonderful, hint of autumn-to-come breeze!”
“Don’t hurry our lives away, it is still technically summer,
m’literary-partner-in-gossip… I mean… ummm… blather… errr chatter….” Tattle
abruptly halted, noting the sound of coo-coo from the clock on the other side
of the sliders. “Ut oh, we’re late!”
Wrye picked up on their tardiness. “We certainly are late
for our Love of Literature Leap into an interview.”
With a rush, the two whisked off to the home office of J.
C. MEAD, author of THE SILVER CORD.
T: Be not afraid, we come bearing cupcakes... and questions.
(Handed Jean a double-iced gooey treat) Oh, everything in cyberspace, as you
know, is calorie-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, allergy-free, and
well, cost nada, too.
T: So, J.C., let’s get this interview started! (Noted J.C.
still looked startled) Ummm…. We’re Penza Dona Tattle and Associate Wrye
Balderdash and we’re here for your interview. (Does a tap dance) Ta Da!
W: Now, we know all about you. (Wrye winks) Or at least about THE SILVER CORD. Mmmm, very interesting. Supernatural meets witchcraft meets country with a bit of sleepy southern charm and a dash of romance sort of sums it up… perhaps? Maybe? Care to tell us more?
J.C.: First off, this cupcake is divine! Now then (wipes mouth), I think you have most of it wrapped up. Its got best friends, hot men, interior design, and mommy-stuff, too. OH! And there’s loads of Georgia history and some Cherokee info bits in it as well. So I guess historic paranormal romance would describe it best as far as genre. So, here’s the deal: After her husband’s death, single mom Kat Cambridge leaves bustling Boston and her high pressure interior design job to raise her kids in a sleepy southern town. Purchasing a run-down property with her best friend and fellow single mom, Jess Greenleaf, is the first in a plan of fixing and flipping homes. It was time for Kat to get back to nature, and back to being a witch.
W: Now, we know all about you. (Wrye winks) Or at least about THE SILVER CORD. Mmmm, very interesting. Supernatural meets witchcraft meets country with a bit of sleepy southern charm and a dash of romance sort of sums it up… perhaps? Maybe? Care to tell us more?
J.C.: First off, this cupcake is divine! Now then (wipes mouth), I think you have most of it wrapped up. Its got best friends, hot men, interior design, and mommy-stuff, too. OH! And there’s loads of Georgia history and some Cherokee info bits in it as well. So I guess historic paranormal romance would describe it best as far as genre. So, here’s the deal: After her husband’s death, single mom Kat Cambridge leaves bustling Boston and her high pressure interior design job to raise her kids in a sleepy southern town. Purchasing a run-down property with her best friend and fellow single mom, Jess Greenleaf, is the first in a plan of fixing and flipping homes. It was time for Kat to get back to nature, and back to being a witch.
Getting back into witchcraft was as easy as riding a broom,
so easy that Kat begins to have reality-bending visions of a smokin’ hot
Scottish soldier in their house. While exploring the house’s history, Kat meets
charming & sexy Southern gentleman Colin MacKay, who unknowingly reveals
the identity of the man in her visions. The soldier summons Kat and Jess to
save his drifting soul before it is lost forever. As challenging as that seems,
creating the perfect spell is easy compared to choosing between the ghost who
knows everything about her, and Colin, the real man in her life, who wants to.
T: (Grins) Just knew you’d like the sweet, ‘cause you are
sweet, but that book sounds even more than divine! Wanna gobble it all up and
know more. Tell us is Kat Cambridge a little like you, or totally made up?
J.C.: A bit of both actually. Authors write what (and who) they know. I did move from the North to the South and there are a LOT of differences, so that part was totally me. I have been here 11 years now and still get a giggle over slang phrases and terms, but love it here. So, that being said, I definitely know where Kat lives, but there’s a little of me in the character Jess as well.
T: So, be honest, it’s just us and all those readers, if you could make the oooh-sizzle hot Scottish soldier or the yummy yum-yum Colin Mackay real, who would be your personal pick for happily ever after?
J.C.: That is a tough one. The benefit of being the writer of these characters is the fun I have creating these “perfect yet flawed” guys. I mean, let’s face it; Colin is a smooth talking, yet sweet, Southern gentleman (who, by the way, looks best with his shirt off). The Scottish soldier is, well, Scottish (sigh) and lean and tan and just plain sexy…wait, what was the question again? Oh, yeah…um, I guess Colin (you’ll have to read the book for more info on these two – I can’t give it all away!).
W: if you could be a character in any of your books, which one would you choose and why?
J.C.: I love Kat and Jess. They are women I could definitely kick back with and have a glass (or three) of mead with while watching our kids run amok, but when I grow up I want to be Lilly. She’s awesome, incredibly wise, funny, strong, and I wish she was MY neighbor!
T: Now, that you've confided in who'd you'd like to be, tell us which antagonist in one of your books you loved to create and if there is any of you in the villainous character?
J.C.: There aren’t really any antagonists in this book other than time. But the cop and garden club cougars were fun to write about, they weren’t really antagonists, more like speed bumps in the grand scheme of things. And no, there is none of me in either. As far as antagonists, the second book is when it starts getting really interesting. Spoiler alert: Major trust issues…
W: Does the tribe of weird and strange apply to you? Or is logic your muse? (Points to Tattle and mouths) Weird. (Thumbs his chest) Logical.
J.C.: I am pretty weird, and have my strange and exceedingly silly moments more often than not. BUT I’m also a librarian, so I guess that makes me logical as well. Can I be both? Say 80% weird and 20% logical…that was logical of me to come up with, right?
T: Quite! Though, personally, I am proud to be a member of the weird persuasion, but I guess, (let's out a long breath) there is a place for logic now and again. After all I am quite fond of Data and Mr. Spock. Which brings me to another question. Do you read the type of stories you write?
J.C.: Yes! While I read a bit of everything, I am currently reading “Brownies and Broomsticks” by Bailey Cates. There is also Laurell K. Hamilton (love the Merry Gentry series), Kim Harrison, and Charlaine Harris. I think my favorite genre to read is magical realism. Authors I love (to name a few) are Sarah Addison Allen, Erica Bauermeister, Alice Hoffman, and Susan McBride. Being a librarian, I read all genres but my guilty pleasure is rock star biographies.
W: What does sci-fi characters have to do with.... Oh, never mind, like I mentioned earlier, weird! Now, for a more sensible query. If you could live on a planet of your own creation, what sort of planet would it be?
J.C.: Fun question! Let’s see, it would have loads of books, magic, oodles of forests with both coffee and mead waterfalls, music, puppies, and exceptionally nice people who don’t dog ear books or yell in libraries.
T: (Mutters) And he's the logical one?
W: Did you say something?
T: Yup. Was just asking J.C., if there was an alien invasion, and you could only take one thing, would it be your laptop, best sneakers, heels or your stash of candy?
J.C.: ALIENS!? (shudder) My laptop. Not only for writing, but music. I’m a music addict and can’t live (or write) without it! I even have a playlist that goes with “The Silver Cord”, it is on my website.
W: Thank you so much for allowing us to steal a piece of your busy schedule. You have been a dear.
T: And exceptionally patient. (Grinned broadly and pointed to Wrye) He sometimes asks strange questions.
J.C.: Thank you! Loved the questions -the stranger the better. See? 80% right there. Again, thanks for your time – and the cupcake.
J.C.: A bit of both actually. Authors write what (and who) they know. I did move from the North to the South and there are a LOT of differences, so that part was totally me. I have been here 11 years now and still get a giggle over slang phrases and terms, but love it here. So, that being said, I definitely know where Kat lives, but there’s a little of me in the character Jess as well.
T: So, be honest, it’s just us and all those readers, if you could make the oooh-sizzle hot Scottish soldier or the yummy yum-yum Colin Mackay real, who would be your personal pick for happily ever after?
J.C.: That is a tough one. The benefit of being the writer of these characters is the fun I have creating these “perfect yet flawed” guys. I mean, let’s face it; Colin is a smooth talking, yet sweet, Southern gentleman (who, by the way, looks best with his shirt off). The Scottish soldier is, well, Scottish (sigh) and lean and tan and just plain sexy…wait, what was the question again? Oh, yeah…um, I guess Colin (you’ll have to read the book for more info on these two – I can’t give it all away!).
W: if you could be a character in any of your books, which one would you choose and why?
J.C.: I love Kat and Jess. They are women I could definitely kick back with and have a glass (or three) of mead with while watching our kids run amok, but when I grow up I want to be Lilly. She’s awesome, incredibly wise, funny, strong, and I wish she was MY neighbor!
T: Now, that you've confided in who'd you'd like to be, tell us which antagonist in one of your books you loved to create and if there is any of you in the villainous character?
J.C.: There aren’t really any antagonists in this book other than time. But the cop and garden club cougars were fun to write about, they weren’t really antagonists, more like speed bumps in the grand scheme of things. And no, there is none of me in either. As far as antagonists, the second book is when it starts getting really interesting. Spoiler alert: Major trust issues…
W: Does the tribe of weird and strange apply to you? Or is logic your muse? (Points to Tattle and mouths) Weird. (Thumbs his chest) Logical.
J.C.: I am pretty weird, and have my strange and exceedingly silly moments more often than not. BUT I’m also a librarian, so I guess that makes me logical as well. Can I be both? Say 80% weird and 20% logical…that was logical of me to come up with, right?
T: Quite! Though, personally, I am proud to be a member of the weird persuasion, but I guess, (let's out a long breath) there is a place for logic now and again. After all I am quite fond of Data and Mr. Spock. Which brings me to another question. Do you read the type of stories you write?
J.C.: Yes! While I read a bit of everything, I am currently reading “Brownies and Broomsticks” by Bailey Cates. There is also Laurell K. Hamilton (love the Merry Gentry series), Kim Harrison, and Charlaine Harris. I think my favorite genre to read is magical realism. Authors I love (to name a few) are Sarah Addison Allen, Erica Bauermeister, Alice Hoffman, and Susan McBride. Being a librarian, I read all genres but my guilty pleasure is rock star biographies.
W: What does sci-fi characters have to do with.... Oh, never mind, like I mentioned earlier, weird! Now, for a more sensible query. If you could live on a planet of your own creation, what sort of planet would it be?
J.C.: Fun question! Let’s see, it would have loads of books, magic, oodles of forests with both coffee and mead waterfalls, music, puppies, and exceptionally nice people who don’t dog ear books or yell in libraries.
T: (Mutters) And he's the logical one?
W: Did you say something?
T: Yup. Was just asking J.C., if there was an alien invasion, and you could only take one thing, would it be your laptop, best sneakers, heels or your stash of candy?
J.C.: ALIENS!? (shudder) My laptop. Not only for writing, but music. I’m a music addict and can’t live (or write) without it! I even have a playlist that goes with “The Silver Cord”, it is on my website.
W: Thank you so much for allowing us to steal a piece of your busy schedule. You have been a dear.
T: And exceptionally patient. (Grinned broadly and pointed to Wrye) He sometimes asks strange questions.
J.C.: Thank you! Loved the questions -the stranger the better. See? 80% right there. Again, thanks for your time – and the cupcake.
J.C: Note: J.C. can be found at http://jcmead.weebly.com/ and loves
questions and comments. If you would like to Skype with her for a book club,
drop her a line on her comments page – she really loves book club discussions!
J.C. is currently working on book two of the Cord Trilogy, so keep an eye out.
Created and written by: Angelica Hart and Zi
***
Angelica Hart and Zi ~ Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane
www.champagnebooks.com - www.carnalpassions.com - angelicahartandzi.com
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