1.8.15 - 7 Minutes With... Jaden Terrell

Jaden Terrell and I go way back. Way back. Nearly a decade now, before either of us had book deals, and were both ardent Sisters in Crime, working hard and praying to get noticed. There is nothing better than seeing your old friends succeed, and succeed wonderfully. Her Nashville-based Jared McKean mysteries are a delight – smart and unique, with lots of local flavor. It’s kind of an alternate universe from my Taylor series; the characters walk the same streets, know some of the same people, yet never cross paths. Cool, huh? Jaden is one of the most dedicated writers I’ve ever met, and juggles an unholy load of work, writing, running the local Sisters in Crime and SEMWA chapters, is the executive director of Killer Nashville, board member of MWA – the list goes on and on. It takes great stamina and creative spirit to keep up with her. So enough of my blathering, here she is!

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

The opening theme from GAME OF THRONES. Very epic.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

I’m working on the fourth Jared McKean novel, which is about the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.

What’s your latest book about?

The newest release is RIVER OF GLASS. It’s about two people: Jared and his half-sister, Khanh, each of whom wishes the other didn’t exist, but they form an uneasy alliance to save Khanh’s daughter from human traffickers.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

My favorite place is on my laptop on the living room couch, with a Papillon on each side and a Tibetan Spaniel at my feet. It’s just terrible for my back and posture, but I love being able to snuggle with the dogs while I write. I also carry a spiral notebook and a pen so I can take advantage of the inevitable hang time between appointments and obligations. You know, those times when there’s not enough time to go home, but it’s too early to be at the next place.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Such a hard question! I think it must have been CALL OF THE WILD. (Yes, dogs again!) I carried it everywhere and read it over and over again until the binding fell apart. I actually went through three copies of that book.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

There are two. The first is “Resistance always has meaning.” If I’m stuck, there’s a reason for it. I just have to figure out what it is. The second is, “You can’t edit a blank page.”

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

I pull out a pen and a spiral notebook and start asking Jared questions.  I usually start with, What happened next? I write down whatever he says, which at that point is usually pretty sketchy. Then based on what he said, I ask whatever other questions come to mind: How did you feel about that? What did it look like/smell like/taste like? What did she say? What did he do? What was she wearing? And then what? And then what?

I tell myself I’m not writing, just brainstorming. Eventually, I find myself writing a scene and I can just keep going. If not, it usually means I’ve gone astray and something that happened earlier isn’t working. (“Resistance always has meaning.”) I keep writing in the notebook, but this time asking myself “what if” questions. What if x is really a bad guy? What if y betrays Jared? What if this thing in Chapter 3 happened another way? What if Sara and Donald were secretly in love with the same person?

What would you like to be remembered for?

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Kindness. But I would also like to be remembered for writing something thought-provoking and wonderful, something readers love enough to read until the covers fall apart.

Jaden Terrell is the Shamus Award-nominated author of three Jared McKean mysteries and a contributor to NOW WRITE! MYSTERIES, a collection of exercises published by Tarcher/Penguin for writers of crime fiction. Terrell is the special programs coordinator of the Killer Nashville conference and a recipient of the Magnolia Award for service to the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She is currently working on the Million Books for Freedom project to benefit victims of human trafficking. Visit her blog at http://killerconversation.wordpress.com. 

Here's a bit about RIVER OF GLASS, now in bookstores everywhere: 

Nashville private detective Jared McKean has spent his whole life trying to live up to the memory of the war hero father he barely knew. Then the body of a young Asian woman is found in Jared’s office dumpster clutching a yellowed photo of Jared’s father. A few days later, another Vietnamese woman, Khanh, appears on his doorstep, claiming to be his half-sister and begging him to help her find her daughter, Tuyet, who has been taken by human traffickers. While the police have their hands full with a renegade bomber, Jared and Khanh form an uneasy partnership to find Tuyet before she’s killed or whisked into a violent world beyond their reach.

7 Minutes With... Paige Crutcher

I am thrilled to introduce you to my dear friend Paige Crutcher. She is a gifted woman in so many respects - both as a writer, a journalist (she works for Publishers Weekly) and a yoga teacher. When you hear me mention my guru, this is who I'm speaking of. She's given me so much, and I'm so excited to be able to pay back just a bit by sharing her HUGE news - her debut novel, THE ODYSSEY OF FALLING, came out on Tuesday! This book is so fantastic, a really meaty, important, beautifully written YA novel about the journey of a young girl named Odd. I can't recommend it highly enough. And Paige's journey to publication is a study in perseverance and strength. I admire her so much. Without further ado...

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

Pale Blue Eyes by The Velvet Underground. 

It’s haunting, comforting, and somehow seductive. It sets the stage nicely for writing about the magical and complicated (and sometimes horrible) world of being a teen – and tapping into that time in your life when all the firsts are experienced and everything feels huge. Because it really kind of is.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

Well, my book released today, so I’m working on not wigging out. Because it’s a pretty surreal feeling to acknowledge that something I made is now out there in the world, for anyone to read. I feel rather naked, and vulnerable, so I’d say today I am working on channeling my brave.

Then I’ll be revising my new contemporary YA novel about a group of misfits in the 90s who reinvent themselves as renegade Merry Pranksters.

What’s your latest book about?

The Odyssey of Falling is about a girl named Odd who finds her recently deceased best friend’s journal, and decides to do the bucket list tucked inside the pages. It’s about loss, hope, getting into trouble, and falling in love. It’s about growing up and growing into who you are meant to be.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

My laptop, my hands, and occasionally a really awkweird grimace. I write at my desk, at the kitchen table, in bed, on the couch, on a box, by a fox, wearing socks. I am horrible at routine, and prefer to have alternate views of the world as I slip into a story one.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Anne Rice’s Memnoch the Devil. I read it when I was thirteen or fourteen and it has stayed with me. The language and imagery are gorgeous, and the book made me think. It gave me an escape, and mesmerized me, but it also made me really think about the world, God, and how I viewed it.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Trust your characters. It can be really hard to trust yourself if you look at writing from the perspective that you’re in control, or the puppet master pulling the strings. If, instead, you trust your characters and acknowledge that the story is their own – and that they know what to do -- I find it’s immensely freeing and a heck of a lot of fun.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

Watch Buffy? Usually I go for a walk, talk plot hiccups with my critique partners or husband, and come back to the page. I put on really angsty indie tunes and get the hell out of my own way. Once I stop fighting myself (or listening to the mean little inner critic), I find story is right where I left it.

What would you like to be remembered for?

For being a damn fine writer, and one hell of a friend. As someone who loved well, made a difference in the lives she encountered, and had a passionate and wonderful love story. And if it’s not too much to ask, I wouldn’t mind being remembered as a super hero. Peaceful Paige—the girl who spread hope.

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Paige Crutcher is a journalist for Publishers Weekly, a yoga instructor, and a voracious reader. She lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, two small dogs, her overactive imagination, and a houseful of books. The Odyssey of Falling is her first book. You can learn more about Paige at: paigecrutcher.com

More About THE ODYSSEY OF FALLING 

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Meet Odd. Audrey “Odd” Ashworth is an exceptionally bright girl with a sympathetic heart. She’s in the top 4% of her class. She’s obsessed with getting into Manhattan School of Music, committed to following the “signs” the universe delivers, and infatuated with the boyfriend of her recently deceased best friend. 

Life is a little strange for Odd. 

Until she finds her best friend’s diary in her crush’s car, and decides to do the bucket list tucked inside the pages. As Odd seeks closure and a way to honor her friend, she discovers there’s nothing wrong with a little strange, especially if it helps you discover who you were meant to be. Along the way, Odd falls into trouble, adventure, and finally love.

7 Minutes With... Pam Jenoff

Welcome Pam Jenoff to the Tao! I'm absolutely fascinated by her books, and jealous of her covers, because the meaty stories within give the art department so much to work with! Pam and I share a publisher, so I've been lucky enough to get my hands on her books before others, and I'm telling you,  if you haven't read her before, you're going to love them.

We are also fellow alums from George Washington University, and she followed a path into the foreign service which I'd originally been aiming for, so I'm doubly fascinated by her life and writing. Which, of course, influences her books. Maybe she'll pop into the comments and give us an extra answer - does life imitate art, or vice versa? Regardless, Pam's the whole package, people, and then some. So here we go!

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

Return to Innocence by Enigma.  But the truth is, I don’t work to music.  Sadder truth is I have the worst musical taste on the planet – think Mandy Patinkin meets Counting Crows.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

I just turned in my next book, called Summer Boys.  It’s the story of Adelia, a 16 year old Italian Jewish refugee who makes her way to America in 1941 and meets an Irish family with four sons.  She falls in love with the eldest just as America enters the war and when tragedy strikes, she flees her pain to wartorn London.

While my editor is reading that manuscript, I’m starting No Man’s Land, which is the story of a single mom trying to protect her homosexual son in Nazi Germany.

 What’s your latest book about?

The Winter Guest is the story of twin Polish sisters, Helena and Ruth Nowak, who are struggling to raise their younger siblings in Poland during the Second World War.  Things get complicated when Helena finds a wounded Jewish American paratrooper in the woods and hides him.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

I can write anywhere.  I have written in castles and mountaintop retreats, but also in my doctor’s waiting room and in my car.  I can tell you which Starbucks in my town open at 6 versus 6:30 on the weekends.  But I’m most comfortable in my office where I teach.  In the early stages of a book when I’m just throwing down words, I can use a notebook computer, but in later stages I need the big screen of a desktop.  I take notes and brainstorm long hand.

What was your favorite book as a child?

I was a huge reader.  Mary Poppins stands out, because it was so formative in my dream to go to England, which was fulfilled when I went to Cambridge.  I was also big on the Betsy Tacy series, about young girls in turn of the century Minnesota.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Anne Lamott has a quote and I’m going to paraphrase here, that before kids she couldn’t write if there were dirty dishes in the sink, and after kids she could write if there was a corpse in the sink.  So true.  You have to let the house be messy and things go undone if you are going to preserve your precious writing time.

I also like a lot of the writing advice from Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones about silencing your inner editor and just getting the words out.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

I work very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.  I don’t believe in writer’s block.  When I was practicing law, I couldn’t simply say, “I can’t write that brief; I’m not inspired.”  I just did it, and I take much the same approach to writing.  That said, there are things that help: I read something at night, a book on craft or some research and take notes so that I have prompts to write from the next morning, even if I’m bleary eyed from not sleeping.

What would you like to be remembered for?

Being a good mom.  But since I think we are talking about writing, I want to be remembered for handling the very difficult material surrounding World War II and the Holocaust with respect, and for making people think about that era in a way that challenges some stereotypes and conventional wisdom.  I lived in Poland and became very close to the survivors and my assumptions about that part of the world were challenged; I want that to come across in my books.  I call them my love songs to Jewish Europe and I hope they will be taken that way.

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Pam Jenoff is the internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including The Kommandant’s Girl and The Winter Guest, as well as a short story in the anthology Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion.  She is a graduate of GWU, Cambridge and Penn Law.  A former diplomat with the State Department, political appointee at the Pentagon and attorney, Pam lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and three small children where in addition to writing, she teaches law school.

Pam is always happy to skype with book clubs and will be touring the country extensively this year.  You can find her full tour schedule at www.pamjenoff.com

 More About THE WINTER GUEST

Life is a constant struggle for the eighteen-year-old Nowak twins as they raise their three younger siblings in rural Poland under the shadow of the Nazi occupation. The constant threat of arrest has made everyone in their village a spy, and turned neighbor against neighbor. Though rugged, independent Helena and pretty, gentle Ruth couldn't be more different, they are staunch allies in protecting their family from the threats the war brings closer to their doorstep with each passing day. 

 Then Helena discovers an American paratrooper stranded outside their small mountain village, wounded, but alive. Risking the safety of herself and her family, she hides Sam—a Jew—but Helena's concern for the American grows into something much deeper. Defying the perils that render a future together all but impossible, Sam and Helena make plans for the family to flee. But Helena is forced to contend with the jealousy her choices have sparked in Ruth, culminating in a singular act of betrayal that endangers them all—and setting in motion a chain of events that will reverberate across continents and decades. 

7 Minutes With... Jenny Milchman

I have such a treat for y'all today. If you haven't heard the name Jenny Milchman, prepare yourself. She's going to be the next Laura Lippman, and you heard it here first.  When I read COVER OF SNOW, I was blown away - how could this be a debut? I wasn't the only one, Jenny was nominated for a slew of awards, and has had an amazing amount of success for a new author. If you haven't read it, get a copy now, and while you're at it, snag yourself her new book, RUIN FALLS. Here's Jenny! 

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

It’d be something country. Maybe Sugarland or Lady A. That’s because we’re on the road, 4 months and 20,000 miles on the world’s longest book tour now that my second novel has come out. My kids are in the backseat—we “car-school” them—and my husband works from the front. And there’s something about the road that calls for country.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

Absolutely nothing! Well, I’m filling out this delightful set of questions, of course. And Tweeting, FB-ing, answering email. But I just turned in edits for my 2015 release, As Night Falls, and I’m in a lull period prior to starting my next novel, and finalizing this one.

What’s your latest book about?

Ruin Falls is about a woman whose children go missing at the start of a long awaited family vacation. But this is not a child-in-jeopardy novel, don’t worry. The kids are safe all along, and the mom and you as reader both know that. The suspense in the story comes from whether Liz Daniels can become the kind of person who can get her children back.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

I’m pretty much a word processing kind of girl. In fact, until recently when we rented out our house for the world’s longest book tour, I wrote on a machine that had no USB port, was running Windows 98…and backed up on floppy disks. (This led to all sorts of fun encounters at Staples or Office Max where the clerk looked at me like I was Encino Man). Now I use a real, internet-enabled netbook, but I still won’t go on the web or do email or social media while I am writing in the mornings. Instead, I stare out at a mountain, and a creek, and use the screen only as a portal into my story.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Anything by Stephen King.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Find the joy. I know the whole, Writing is easy; you just sit down and open up a vein school of thought. And maybe it’s true for some writers and some books. But I think that when we are just itching to get to that computer or pad of paper every day, travel into the world of our story, then our readers will be just as excited to keep turning the page.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

Knock on wood because so far at least this hasn’t happened, at least not during a first draft. Revising is like boxing my way out of a concrete cell, though. I weep, I pull hair out. Not even necessarily my own hair. But a first draft is more like a river that pulls me along.

What would you like to be remembered for?

A bookseller in Olympia, WA told me that after reading one of my books, she feels a little stronger as a person herself. I would love to be remembered for giving people that.

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Jenny Milchman is a suspense writer from the Hudson Valley of New York State, who lived for seven months on the road with her family on what Shelf Awareness called "the world's longest book tour."

Jenny's debut novel, COVER OF SNOW, won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for best suspense novel of 2013, and has been nominated for the Macavity and Barry Awards.

RUIN FALLS, Jenny's second novel, was published in 2014 to starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, and chosen as an Indie Next Pick.

Jenny is Vice President of Author Programming for International Thriller Writers, and the founder of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day, which was celebrated by over 700 bookstores in all 50 states and four foreign countries in 2013.

Tour

Jenny is currently on a second World's Longest Book Tour, from 4/22/2014 until 9/3/2014 (with some additional Fall and Winter dates), covering 40 states, 20,000 miles and almost 200 bookstores, libraries, book clubs, and other events. See http://jennymilchman.com/tour/over-the-falls-2014 for a full tour schedule and map. Jenny would love to meet you on the road!

About Ruin Falls, released 4/22/2014

Liz Daniels has just set off on vacation, but when the family stops for the night, she wakes to find a terrifying reality. Her children are missing, and the hours tick by without anyone finding a trace of them. But in a sudden, gut-wrenching instant, Liz realizes that no stranger invaded their hotel. Instead, someone she trusted completely has betrayed her. Now Liz will stop at nothing to get her children back. From her guarded in-laws’ farmhouse to the woods of her hometown, Liz follows the threads of a terrible secret to uncover a hidden world created from dreams and haunted by nightmares.

7 Minutes With... L.R. Nicolello

I was at RWA this year, at the literacy signing, when this knockout girl approached me and started asking questions about publishing. Her debut novel was coming out in a month, and she was hoping to glean some tips. Turns out said girl writes for my publisher, writes wicked thrillers, and within minutes, I knew she was something special. I meet a lot of people, a lot of writers, and sometimes, you just click with people, and we clicked. Plus - Nicolello? Come on, how can you not love a girl from the Old Country. I read DEAD DON'T LIE, which totally freaked me out, and knew I wanted to share L.R. and her writing with you. Beauty, brains, talent - she's going to go far, very far, and you heard it here first! So here we go! 

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

‘Empty Words’ by Christina Aguilera.

Okay, first, that’s hilarious. But, this song—oh, my heart—this song. I love how music releases just the right tsunami of emotions. I had this on repeat while writing a particular twist for my latest villain and walked away from the pages actually hurting for him and a little bit in love. (I blame Allison Brennan for that. : ) )

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

Today I’m on the beach but like every day, I’m multitasking, which I love. I’m prepping for the release of my debut book, DEAD DON’T LIE, while I finish up edits due back to my editor tomorrow for my second book in the series, DEAD NO MORE.

What’s your latest book about?

DEAD DON’T LIE is a romantic suspense featuring Detective Evelyn Davis, the best psychological profiler in the Seattle P.D., whose talent comes from heartbreaking experience. After two local families are wiped out, Evelyn believes a serial killer is at work. With each new discovery, the case becomes more personal and Evelyn starts to suspect the families aren’t the killer’s ultimate target—she is. 

I love writing kickass women who can hold their own, yet know how to let people into their hearts and lives, even if it takes them awhile to get there. Evelyn is one such woman, and I hope my readers love her as much as I do.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

My husband and I travel a lot for work, so I tend to write on my Macbook Pro wherever I can park myself in a chair and put in my earphones.  If I’m not near my laptop, I’ll pull out my iPhone or iPad and write in Evernote.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Funny story. I actually couldn’t read until well into first grade. Once I started, I never stopped, so the list is long and distinguished. Off the top of my head—probably Nancy Drew.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Two things come to mind: 1) Don’t edit until you’re done with the first draft. Sit down, and just write. 2) If you’re not disciplined enough to write every day, then hang it up now. 

Okay, I know the second bit of advice may sound a bit harsh, but when Catherine Coulter said those words to me, it was as if a pendulum swung in my mind. Total. Game. Changer.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

Head to the gym, go to a movie, read, jump in the car and just drive—anything to give my mind some space to just be. Then I refer to the first bit of writing advice: Sit down, and just write.

What would you like to be remembered for?

Being a gracious, steadfast, and kind woman, wife, and friend who never gave up on her dreams or the dreams of others.

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L. R. Nicolello has been obsessed with all things suspense and justice related for as long she can remember. When other girls her age were watching the latest chick flick, she was watching Top Gun, dreaming of flying fast. She thinks a man in uniform is swoon-worthy and her husband likes to tease her about it, especially whenever they are near a military base. Growing up, her parents instilled in her and her sister that women can be strong without losing their femininity, and she takes that to heart with every character that comes to life.

She lives in blue-sky Texas with her husband and their ninety-pound “dog child”, but travels—a lot. When she’s not writing, she watches and re-watches her favorite television shows, exercises or reads anything she can get her hands on. www.LRNicolello.com Twitter: @LRNicolello

More about DEAD DON'T LIE

You can run from the past…but you can never truly hide...

Detective Evelyn Davis delves deep into the minds of monsters for a living. She’s the best psychological profiler in the Seattle P.D., with a talent that comes from heartbreaking experience. When Evelyn was just eighteen, she received word of her family’s murder in the form of a horrifying video. Fifteen years later, tracking down other psychopaths is the only thing that brings her some peace.

But now two local families have been wiped out. Though the chilling crime scenes suggest murder-suicides, Evelyn believes a serial killer is at work. So does Special Agent Marcus Moretti, whose easy charm and fiercely protective instincts are breaking down all her defenses. Evelyn needs to put aside her emotional attachment to find the madman stalking her city—but with each discovery, this case becomes more personal. She’s starting to suspect the killer wants her—and he is edging closer with every step, ready to make Evelyn pay a devastating price.