Interview with Mickey J. Corrigan about her new release Whiskey Sour Noir

Hi Mickey :D Thanks for stopping by today!

Please tell us a little about yourself.

My real name is Virginia Aronson. I published lots of books, articles, poetry and fiction before I adopted a pen name. Mickey J. Corrigan was "born" a couple of years ago with my first romantic comedy, the little ebook novella Dream Job. Since then, I've published five more novellas and a novel, Sugar Babies, a romantic thriller about professional girlfriends.

Sometimes I think I might kill off Mickey. Just for fun. But her new series has been launched by The Wild Rose Press, so I can't get rid of her just yet. The first book in The Hard Stuff series is Whiskey Sour Noir. It's only available on Kindle right now, but will be everywhere starting March 5^th.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

Whiskey Sour Noir is about Tami Lee Conkers, a tough chick who works in a homeless shelter and hangs out in dumpy bars. She falls for Cat Avery, this gorgeous, intelligent man. But he's a convicted sex offender out on probation. His life is totally screwed, yet he insists he's innocent. She wants to believe him.

I was inspired to write this novella by a real story a friend of mine told me. His brother-in-law was accused of buying child porn. The legal battle ruined his reputation, his career and his marriage, and he ended up committing suicide. But he insisted he did not download those horrible photos onto his computer at work. I kind of believed him. It's just too easy for someone else to do this to a person, then turn them in. And it can absolutely destroy their life.

When did the characters first pop into your head?

About 24 hours before I began writing the story. I wasn't sure how it would all work out in the end, but I wanted to let Tami Lee explore her ability to love someone who was in such trouble with the rest of the world. Could she believe in him when nobody else did?

Cat Avery is such a hunk, a girl can't help falling for him. Yet, being a convicted sex offender in this culture is as low as it gets. So the conflict is very real.

Without giving away any spoilers, was the story always straightforward for you to write, or did it pop up any surprises along the way?

The story has more humor than I expected. As I was writing, I had no idea where their love was heading. The Gulf Stream had stopped flowing, altering the weather and wreaking chaos, and the entire world was freaking out. So there was a global crisis to contend with too. I had to hope everything would work out for Tami Lee and Cat Avery… and the rest of the planet.

Where do you like to write?

I write at my desk. I used to write in libraries and cafes, but now I like being in my little office with the sun shining in.

Do you read a lot?

I'm a huge reader. I read at least two books a week. Right now I'm reading essays by George Saunders and an academic book about dying. And for enjoyment, a novel by Jennifer Egan. 

Who are some of your favourite authors?

Too many to list! Top favorites include Charles Bukowski, Bret Easton Ellis, Denis Johnson, David Benioff, Daniel Woodrell and Dennis Lehane. Just to name a few. For anything economic, Michael Lewis is fantastic. I also love Tom Wolfe. Jay McInerney. Andre Dubois. Haruki Murakami. Nick Flynn is exceptional; I just went to a reading the other night and he was terrific. I find new authors I like all the time, too. I just discovered Jennifer Egan and she's amazing. There are so many talented writers out there.

And last but not least, have you any words of wisdom for aspiring writers out there?

Read a lot. Read, read, read!

As for writing, start small. First write a flash piece, real short fiction. Then write another one. Keep practicing. Get sharper, polish your words. Once you feel skilled at the short pieces, move up to writing longer stories. Or a novel.

Keep at it. It's tough to tell a story well, to develop interesting characters who can engage readers. Writing takes more practice than talent. It's a craft. You gotta put in the time.

I'm an editor and I work with people every day who want to publish. I always advise my clients: do not be afraid of editing. And never be afraid of rejection. This is all part of the process of publishing your best work. Keep trying. The writers who succeed are the ones who keep at it.

So don't stop believing!

***

Mickey J. Corrigan lives in South Florida. Visit her at www.mickeyjcorrrigan.com or on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5828647.Mickey_J_Corrigan.

Whiskey Sour Noir is available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Whiskey-Sour-Noir-Hard-Stuff-ebook/dp/B00GVKM9NE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390966701&sr=1-1&keywords=whiskey+sour+noir ) and will be released by The Wild Rose Press on March 5^th.

Tami Lee Conkers is a spunky Florida chick who works at a homeless shelter. Cat Avery is handsome, well-educated, articulate, funny and dark. He lives in a bum motel and bartends right down the street from Tami Lee. She falls for him—even though she knows better. The man is a registered sex offender.

Avery claims he's innocent. Tami Lee is following her heart, but she's afraid she knows where that will take her. The love they make feels doomed. All around them, life is going from bad to worse. Especially since the Gulf Stream has stopped moving for the first time in thousands of years.

An end of the world romance, Whiskey Sour Noir is an engaging story of two unlikely lovers battling tough odds.

Love can be so bittersweet.

Killer on the Road by Charles O'Keefe tour and interview!!

Title: Killer On The Road

Series: The Newfoundland Vampire

Author: Charles O’Keefe

Genre: Horror / Paranormal / Romance / Vampire

Publisher: Penumbra Publishing

Formats Available In: All eBook formats and Print

Release Date: January, 2011

Blurb: Joseph O’Reily is still adjusting to the lifestyle and the dangers that come with being a new vampire. He and Cassandra recently fought to the death with Cassandra’s estranged husband John Snow, and now Joseph has experienced his first ménage a trios, as only a vampire can. As if all of this was not complicated enough, he and Cassandra have been tasked with hunting down and killing a rogue vampire, Donald Rathmore.

Another of John Snow’s creations, Donald is an evil misogynistic killer in his own right. Donald has no interest in avenging his creator’s death, but killing Cassandra is at the top of his list.

While Donald continues his murderous spree, Joseph and Cassandra always seem to be one step behind him. The chase is further complicated as they encounter other vampires and learn more about the mysterious nature of the Vampire Council and the coming war between good and evil.

Joseph is only now beginning to trust Cassandra, and this trust will be shaken when he discovers she has even more secrets than he imagined. Her idea of justice and morality is at complete odds with his own. Despite all his powers and growing skill, Joseph is tested physically as a vampire and emotionally by Cassandra. This time the answers and challenges may be too much for the young vampire to handle.

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

About Charles O’Keefe:

Charles O’Keefe lives in the beautiful province of Newfoundland, Canada, with his wife and two feline ‘children,’ Jude and Esther. He works as an I.T. support guy and enjoys many hobbies and activities that include writing, reading, watching fantasy/science-fiction movies and television shows, gaming, poker, walking, acting, martial arts and of course fantasizing about vampires.

He currently has two novels out, books 1 and 2 of "The Newfoundland Vampire" series.

Amazon author page

Blog

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter

Website

INTERVIEW!!!

1. Please tell us a little about yourself

First off thanks for having me on your blog and for being part of the tour, I appreciate it.

I'm 37, married, no kids, 2 cats. Aside from writing I have a regular (often dull) day job. I have a book series called "The Newfoundland Vampire" that I'm very proud of (book 2 just came out). Aside from those things I'm an animal lover, vegetarian, agnostic and an environmentalist. I have a bunch of hobbies including reading, writing, walking, watching TV, movies, piano, going to concerts, role-playing, board games, Pilates, martial arts and acting. I enjoy meeting new people and I love going to geeky conventions.

2. How did you come up with the idea for your book?

It had been in my mind for a while (book 1). I have always loved the idea of a vampire and I just had the idea one day of combining my love of vampires with that of where I live (Newfoundland) seemed like a perfect fit. I suppose like lots of people I've always fantasized about being a vampire and since they're not real (surprise! ;) this was the closest I could come. So now you also know the main character, Joseph, is about 90% me. For book 2 the ideas just keep coming, I started writing it immediately after I submitted book 1. It’s a direct continutation of the story. In terms of what would happen I spent a few hours coming out with an outline and then got to writing. I’m lucky that as I have traveled a lot I decided it would be fun to have my main characters go to place I’ve been (and a few I hope to visit someday).

3. When did the characters first pop into your head?

Well as I said I cheated a bit, the main character is me, or at least a younger-vampire version of myself. I thought it would be fun to explore the ideas of immortality, power and temptation in relation to myself. Also it's very interesting for me to imagine how this fictional version of myself makes different choices than I did (obviously) and how he/me would deal with some difficult moral situations. Cassandra, the female lead, came a little later. I wanted to have a woman turn a man into a vampire for a change and then decided to work in real people who had mysterious/unusual deaths. So Cassandra is loosely based on Catherine Mandeville Snow, a real person who was the last woman hanged here in Newfoundland in 1834. I also knew right away I wanted a version of Count Dracula, you'll have to read to see exactly what I did to him.

4. Without giving away any spoilers, was the story always straight forward for you to write, or did it pop up any surprises along the way?

I found once I got going the story flowed pretty quickly. With that said I did go through a lot of re-writes (16 drafts total for book 1). So the final version ended up a lot different than I thought. For book 2 (which was only 8 drafts) there was still some surprises. It turned out I didn't give Cassandra enough to do/a strong enough voice (and I had too much sex). Her becoming a more well-developed and realistic character was a great surprise and something I'm very thankful to my editor, Pat, for making happen.

5. Where do you like to write?

I generally like to write in the kitchen on my laptop, I can look outside to take breaks and it's quiet there in the morning. I also have a little nook/desk area just often the kitchen where I write as well. Generally I do almost all of my writing at home but I have done some in Florida and on some smaller trips as well. I find it hard to write with a lot of distractions/noise around, so I tend to pick quiet places.

6. Do you read a lot?

I can't say I read as much as I used to. Recently I started reading comic books again and I found that’s replaced reading novels to some extent. I find that when I read a book I don't like it slows me down a lot, as such I'm going to have to be more picky about what I pick out to read. So the short answer is no, probably only 10-15 minutes most days but I go through phases where it can be more.

7. Who are some of your favourite authors?

Peter David, Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Kirkman, Robert Jordan, J.R.R. Tolkien, George Orwell, Richard Matheson, Anne Rice and Jamie Wasserman.

8. And last but not least, have you any words of wisdom for aspiring writers out there?

Sure I'll got some tips. Don't underestimate the importance of an outline/planning for a novel. Get lots of honest input from outside sources. Get an editor! I can't tell you how many terrible self-published books are out there that could have been good but without an editor they just fall to pieces. Don't expect to get rich overnight, the market is very hard to break into, be happy with small successes and keep writing. Despite what you may have heard people DO judge a book by it's cover, spend the time (and most likely money) to get a quality cover done you're happy with, people will notice. Work hard at promotion but know when it's time to scale back and focus again on writing, people want to see sequels/other works, it makes you established and gives readers a sense of security. If you love to write, keep at it. It takes time so be patient. Be prepared for rejections and harsh criticisms, you'll get them the same as any author. You have to not take things personal when it comes to writing, that’s not always an easy thing to do.

Thanks again for the interview, excellent questions that I had fun answering :)

Many thanks

You're welcome! Have a great day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway