Alyssa Lyons, like her character Jordan Davis, lives in Lynchburg, Virginia. The South is her playground. Its eccentricities fuel her stories. She specializes in “Solving Crimes Southern Style.” However unlike Jordan, she is a cat person—rather, she is staff to two cats she rescued. Like most cats, they believe they were the ones doing the saving and therefore she owes them. She taught high school American history and government, worked for the CIA as an Intelligence Analyst, and is a retired attorney. She declines to include a photo, preferring to remain a woman of mystery riding a motorcycle like Jordan, and hopes not be ridden out of town on a rail.
Welcome to BK Walker
Books Etc. I'm so happy you could join me today at Starbucks.
BK: Please tell us a
little about yourself...
AL: Thank you for
inviting me here today, BK. Like my character Jordan Davis, I live in
Lynchburg, Virginia. The South’s eccentricities fuel my stories.
Unlike Jordan, I am staff to an unherdable herd of rescue cats. Like
most cats, they believe they were the ones doing the saving and
therefore I owe them. I’ve taught high school, worked for the CIA,
and practiced law.
BK: Please tell us a
little about your book....
AL:
The Jordan Davis Mysteries started as a traditional romantic
suspense with a cozy (amateur sleuth) flavor. I wanted a strong
heroine who was also out of the ordinary. What could be more unusual
than a Jewish, motorcycle-riding free spirit? What stranger business
than a funeral boutique that grants its clients’ last wishes,
however bizarre they might be?
In
book 1, LAST
WISHES,
Jordan crosses paths, and then hearts, with a gorgeous, uptight judge
who got out of Lynchburg—until it pulled him back in—and then
found himself involved in Jordan’s murder investigations led me to
the idea of a series. The series is sexier and less alcohol-laden
than Nick & Nora Charles, while solving murders set against the
background of Lynchburg, Virginia, a small southern city. I also
wanted the town to be a character, giving the flavor of the New
South, still strongly religious, a mite rebellious, but kicking and
screaming its way into the Twenty-first Century.
BK: What inspired
you to pen this particular novel?
AL: I realized I
had a knack for writing mysteries with a strong dose of romance. I
dug under the bed for an unfinished mystery I had started several
years ago with a former co-writer. After substantial reworking, I
molded it into a faster paced, darker, and sexier story, but still
with romance and humor elements. Also, the nice part about writing a
series is your main characters don’t have to be created from
scratch each time, although you get to explore new dimensions of
them.
BK: When did you
first consider yourself a writer?
AL:
When I started rewriting the endings to unsatisfying movies, TV
shows, and books, I realized I had the makings of a writer. When I
outlined an idea, plopped myself down with a pad and pen (and later a
computer) and began to write a story like the kind I wanted to read
but couldn’t find enough of, and got through to “they lived
happily ever after,” I knew I had what it took to be a novelist.
BK: How do you keep
your story flowing?
AL: Mysteries take
more careful pre-planning than other genres. You have to keep the
reader guessing, the timeline straight, the red herrings convincing,
and the resolution logical. It would be very difficult for a true
“pantser” to write a mystery improvisationally. Writing mysteries
made changes in my style, voice, and planning method to conform with
the unique quality of mysteries. I also needed to hone my romance
writing skills. During my five-year hiatus from writing, sex in books
has grown hotter, more erotic. So be warned. You may need a fan
beside you in places.
BK: Do you ever run
into writer's block, and if so, what do you do to get past it?
AL: No so much
writer’s block as a general malaise that promotes procrastination.
I seldom lose the story itself because the plot is outlined, but I
just find reasons not to write. Ironically, deadlines are the best
cure for the malaise because it forces me to sit at the computer and
write.
BK: What is your
writing process like? Do you have any quirks, or must-haves to write?
AL:
My favorite place to write is sitting on the couch in my living
room. What I need more than anything is my best friend sitting on the
other end of the couch batting ideas back and forth. I will admit
that a Starbucks nine-pump, venti, soy chai latte, extra hot, no
water or foam, helps.
BK: Where do you
hope your books/writing will be in the future?
AL: I’d like to
continue the Jordan Davis series. I’ve also done some work on a
medical thriller series centered in the CDC that I’d like to pursue
at some time.
BK: What do you hope
readers will take away from your books?
AL: An interest in
reading more of them. I want them to be entertained, to lose
themselves in the story, and see that HEA but it requires working
through the problems that arise. That’s what’s great about a
series with continuing characters. I can show life in all its glory.
BK: What is one
piece of advice you received that you carry with you in your writing?
AL: Write. Nora
Roberts says you can always fix a manuscript, but you can’t fix a
blank page. Also, never let fear of reject keep you from entering
contests or submitting to editors. If you let your fear stop you,
then you’ve rejected your own work.
BK: What is one
piece of advice you would give to new and aspiring writers?
AL: Finish the
frakking book!
BK: Are you
currently working on any new projects? What can we expect from you in
the future?
AL: I am laying out
the plot for book number four of the Jordan Davis series. No title
yet, but a skeleton found in the wall of a Main Street renovation
uncovers skeletons buried deep in the closet for several characters
in the series, most notably Grayson Trent’s mother, Libby. It
should be released by late Summer 2012.
BK: Where can
readers find you?
You
can read about Jordan’s adventures in solving crime “Southern
Style” in LAST
WISHES, CLUBBED TO DEATH,
and
STABBED AND SLABBED.
You
can reach me at my website and blog: http://www.alyssalyons.com
My books are
available at http://www.blackopalbooks.com
and
all major e-book retailers.
Thank you so much
for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a pleasure having
you and I wish you much success in the future.
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