Author Visit: E.M. Alexander

It's my great pleasure to welcome author E.M. Alexander!

Bio

E. M. Alexander began working at the age of six, delivering newspapers up

a steep, and decidedly creepy, hill called Robert's Rd. She has worked as

a student library aid, a pizza maker, a tee-shirt maker, as well as a

receptionist and bill-collector. A freelance writer for

a local newspaper and one of the 2006 recipients for the Barbara Karlin

Grant, E. M. Alexander resides in Connecticut with her husband, Phillip,

and her son, Ethan. "Death at Deacon Pond" is her first novel.

Death at Deacon Pond Summary:

Ever since her father's suicide, Kerri Langston has been tortured by

visions of his violent death, leading her to believe that he was

murdered. With no way to prove her theory, her psychic visions only serve

to upset her mother and give her the reputation of being a "freak." When

Kerri stumbles upon a body in the woods near Deacon Pond she realizes her

visions are not limited to her father's death, and that her strange

connection with the dead might help solve a crime – if she can convince

the police to trust her this time. What Kerri doesn't know is that there

is someone close to her who will stop at nothing to ensure that her

visions remain hidden. In this small town full of skeptics, who can she

trust?

Questions:

What inspired you to write Death at Deacon Pond?

Death at Deacon Pond was a natural culmination of my early introduction to

horror stories and, perhaps, by spending way too much time in the woods

with my tattered copy of Grimm's Ghost Stories that I would read a zillion

times, just trying to perfect the stories to retell to my friends.

I also developed a real fondness for scary movies, even though I'm a total

wimp who shouts stuff like: Get out of the woods! Don't open that door!

Stop swimming in shark infested waters! Still, I really appreciate "that

moment". You know the one. The one before the big scare. It's not the

moment that Jaws pops out of the water...it's right BEFORE he eats you for

lunch. THAT'S the feeling that stays with you long after you've left the

story. It's the creep factor. The GOTCHA! And, to me, that's a goal worth

writing for.

Tell us about your main character. Are you like him or her?

Kerri Langston is a girl who desperately wishes to be "a normal girl" but,

of course, is anything but. She sees dead people and, more specifically,

her father. She is haunted by how much loss her family has suffered. Maybe

I've watched too much "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" but I'm a sucker for a

character who has been bestowed superpowers, but doesn't feel special at

all.

I absolutely see myself in Kerri. She's the sort of person who doubts how

strong she is until she's given a chance to prove it. When it really

matters, she stands up for herself and for what is right and I respect

that.

What's your writing process? Are you an outliner or not?

I usually start with an action scene, something pivotol that tells me

about the story and the people in it. I try to visualize that scene well

and build from there.

I'm a Non-Outliner that would love to be defect to the Organized Outliner

Camp. I tend to make vague outlines that I don't stick to. Basically, I'm

always at war with myself!

What's one word that describes your book best?

Awesome? Okay. Just kidding. I'm guessing that's not allowed...)

Creepy. But not weirdo creepy. Creepy in a "the bad guy is always watching

and you might not make it out alive" kind-of way. There is a big

difference.

If your book were a movie, whom would you like cast to play the main

characters?

Ah. Welcome to one of my favorite daydreams! I would have Zooey Deschancel

play Kerri she's got those big eyes and husky voice. Chad Michael Murray

would play Seth because he has that sensitive jock vibe. And maybe Robert

Patrick as Officer Roberts because he's so serious. Very official.

Do you have advice for aspiring authors?

Step One: Read. Write. Rewrite. Rinse and repeat.

Step Two: Believe in what you do.

Step Three: Acquire a writing buddy, mentor or special someone to remind

you to do Step One, especially when you've neglected Step Two. Writing is

tough and even the best of writers need someone to champion them from time

to time.

What are you reading now?

I am currently reading The Sweet Far Thing and avoiding anyone who has

already finished it.

Tell us a bit about your next project.

I'm currently working on a historical fiction called Apple Moon, which is

about a boy who, albeit reluctantly, rides the Orphan Trains to a new

life. Although the work is fictional, I did draw heavily from the factual

accounts of real riders. I have a tremendous respect for these kids, for

their resiliency. They had so much taken away, in manner that breeds

bitterness. Yet, many of them grew up to be the most giving of people.

That's what I've tried to capture in this book. I hope I've done them

justice.

Thank you, E.M. for stopping by! I hope you all have enjoyed her Q&A. E.M. is giving away TWO signed copies of Death at Deacon Pond. To be entered, leave a comment here, at LiveJournal or in both places. Have your comments in by 9PM EST on Sunday and my brother will draw two winners--one from Blogger and one from LJ. Check back on Monday morning for the winners!

Find E.M. on the Web:

Link to Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Death-at-Deacon-Pond-Alexander/dp/1897073429/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199313050&sr=8-1

Link to Barnes and Noble:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=death+at+deacon+pond&z=y

Website is www.emalexander.com

Blog: http://www.emalexander.com/wordpress/

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/writeremalexander