Interview and Contest with New York Times Bestselling Author Heather Graham

CONTEST: NY Times Bestselling Author Heather Graham will pick one lucky commenter to win a copy of "Dust to Dust". To enter leave a comment with your email for Heather to contact the winner. Good Luck!

Unhallowed Ground: Harrison Investigation Series
Heather Graham
Mira
pp
August, 2009


Book Description:

When Sarah McKinley is finally able to buy and restore the historic Florida mansion that she has always loved, she dismisses the horror stories of past residents vanishing and a long-dead housekeeper who practiced black magic. Then, in the midst of renovations, she makes a grim discovery.

Hidden within the walls of Sarah’s dream house are the remains of dozens of bodies - some dating back over a century. The door to the past is blown wide open when Caleb Anderson, a private investigator, shows up at the mansion.

He believes several current missing persons cases are linked to the house and its dark past. Working together to find the connection and stop a contemporary killer, Sarah and Caleb are compelled to research the history of the haunted house, growing closer to each other even as the solution to the murders eludes them. But there is one who knows the truth…a spirit who follows every move they make. Soon Caleb begins to fear that if he can't stay a step ahead, he could lose Sarah to a killer with an ability to transcend time in a quest for blood and sacrifice.

In Depth interview with NY Times Bestselling Author Heather Graham

CSM: Please help me welcome New York Times Bestselling Author Heather Graham to Over the Edge Book Reviews. Heather, my readers and I are so psyched that one of my go-to authors has dropped to spend time with us. Thanks so much!
Please,Tell us more about yourself. Readers love learning new and interesting things about an author, and this would give you a chance to make them feel close

HG: Hm, well I started out doing dinner theater, wasn't paid terrifically, and it became two expensive for me to go to work--go figure on that! Reading has always been my passion, so I started writing. I went through a period of rejection--quite blindly, the groups were just beginning to form back then--and then I made two sales in a about a week. One, a short horror story, and the other, a category romance which was picked up by Dell. Since then, it has been trial and error. I did raise five kids--the last is in college now!--this way, and I still love what I do

CSM: If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would you rather do? Why?

HG:Free time is not easy to come by--I belong to MWA, HWA, FRW, ITW, Ninc, and Sisters in Crime, and I love conventions! Being with people of a like mind is always exciting for the writing mind. And, hey, they take place in different cities. I also love our band--The Slush Pile--and we play in New Orleans, for my Writers for New Orleans, at HWA, and this year, I'm excited to say, we're off to World Horror in Brighton. So, going back to the old is great. I'm a Criminal Minds junkie--Law and Order is all its guises, Dexter, and I like Burn Notice, and White Collar is looking pretty decent. I only see most of these as repeats, tho, late at night. My second son is an Arthur Murray instructor, and we actually started taking lessons together years ago, so I still love ballroom dance and will probably attend at least one pro-am event next year. And diving! I think I can never move away from Miami because I can dive any time the opportunity presents itself. I'm one hour from Key Largo, and don't mind the drive.

CSM: What kind of books do you love to read? Why?

HG: I read everything. Old, new, fiction, non-fiction, cereal boxes!

CSM: What type of music do you relax to?

HG: I listen to all music! Five kids--I get barraged. My daughter is in theater at CalArts, and she's surrounded by musicians as well, so visiting her is amazing. I love everything--that's what's so fun about the band. Each member has something different that they want to do, and so we all learn it--or try to! But classical, Broadway, old rock, new rock . . . ska, jazz . . . blues . . . you name it!

CSM: Besides being a total book junkie I’m also a music junkie. When I’m writing I have a sound track playing either in my mind or in my cd player. What’s your sound track? What type of music is on it?

HG: see above :-)

CSM: Describe yourself in one word?

HG: Describe myself in one word? Surviving!

CSM: What’s your biggest regret in life?

HG: My regret is rather personal. My sister died of hepatitis. I regret that we didn't know that live partial liver transplants weren't done in Florida because at some time someone sued someone in Boston. If I--and other family members had been equipped with more medical knowledge, I think we could have saved her. I don't beat myself up feeling responsible, I'm just angry because she was such a beautiful person.

CSM: What is the adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

HG: I'm just back from Bouchercon, before that, book tour, and before that, NOLA, L.A., and Killercon, in Vegas. I'll be updating the websites soon, but I can be found at theoriginalheathergraham.com, eheathergraham.com, and heathergraham.tv.

CSM: When did you write your first book?

HG: My first book was 1982--and I don't remember how long it took to write. To this day, every book is different. Some take less time, some take more!

CSM: Did you encounter any obstacles in writing?

HG:There are always obstacles in writing. Work, children, family, trips--the IRS! There are always obstacles. But everything can be overcome--tenacity is an amazing asset.

CSM: What do you think about editing?

HG: Editing is something every author needs. Always! I've noticed that sometimes, the most popular authors in the world wrote better books early on. Sometimes, I think, they might use their popularity to push some of their points when they shouldn't be pushed. A good editor is the best asset in the world for a writer. They save you from stupid mistakes, and they make you take a harder look at your words.

CSM: What books would you recommend to aspiring writers to improve on style, character development, plot structuring, dialogue, etc?

HG: Writer's Digest Writer's Market is my favorite book for writers. Reading--constantly reading books that you admire, authors you admire, is one way to hone your skills. Study what you love.

CSM: What is your advice for aspiring writers?

HG: Tenacity, reading, reading, reading--and dogged belief in oneself will get you where you want to go! Never stop--and take criticism intelligently. Reading is subjective, so know your characters and your story. Politely find out why someone is criticizing. A critique can be genuine, or perhaps the reader is fond of sci-fi and you've handed over a hardcore detective novel.

CSM: Where do you get your ideas? Do you jot them down in a notebook in case you forget?

HG: My ideas usually come from life--and people out there in it--and, definitely, the newspaper!


I'm horrible--don't own a notebook. But I write almost every day of my life, and my memory as far as ideas go is still functioning pretty well!

CSM: Which of your books feature your family/friends, etc? What characters are modeled after them? Why?

HG: My family--my dad was born in Stirling, Scotland, and my mom in Dublin, Ireland. I grew up with the Irish. Two books feature a lot of family feeling, one suspense called Night of the Blackbird, and a Christmas/suspense novel called The Last Noel.

CSM: Which of your heroes/heroines is most similar to you?

HG: I don't think I modeled any particular heroine after me. I often wonder what it was like if someone were different, so I like to play on that. Sometimes, however, I do give them what I know, so a lot are involved with theater or music. Oh--I have used artists, though, and I can't draw a stick figure!

CSM: Who is your strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest hero/heroine? Why?

HG: I don't think I have a favorite hero or heroine--it's always the people in the next book, because they're closest to my mind. Night of the Wolves, out in December, does have a dark, dangerous, hero--and in Home in Time for Christmas, out at the end of October, my guy was a lot of fun--he's a Revolutionary War hero about to be executed, but his sister, a witch, casts a spell to bring him home. She manages to do so, but she plops him down in the middle of a snowstorm in contemporary Massachusetts. For that book, I had a lot of fun asking one question to friends -- if you were suddenly hurled from the past into today, what would you find the most amazing?

CSM: Tell us more about your current MIRA release "Unhallowed Ground".

HG: The current book on the shelves is Unhallowed Ground. It takes place in St. Augustine where murders that occurred over a hundred and fifty years ago start happening in a like style again. Our heroine finds bones in the wall, and there paranormal aspects as well.

CSM: Any new projects, works in progress?

HG: Right now I'm working on a three book ghost series that takes place in Key West. It will be out next summer. After Night of the Wolves, I have a pp reprint of Nightwalker in March, and The Killing Edge in April.

CSM: I want to take this time to thank you Heather for stopping by and sharing with my readers and myself a little bit about yourself. This sure has been loads of fun. I hope you enjoyed being here as much as we enjoyed having you.

HG: Thanks!