What genre do you write and why?
The one
word answer is ‘Suspense,’ although the broader genre is ‘Thriller/Mystery/International
Intrigue/Romantic Suspense.’ But at its
heart, I believe that The Lost Concerto is a story about bravery and
love, masquerading as a suspense/thriller.
I wrote
the book that I wanted to read. My
favorite reading choice always will be to escape with a suspenseful,
beautifully written story with evocative settings and fully-realized
characters. I grew up during the Cold
War and read every book by the ‘Queens of Espionage and Romantic Suspense’ –
Helen MacInnes and Mary Stewart. Their
books had it all – edge of the seat political intrigue, spies, war, secrets,
international settings, romance… and
always, innocent women characters caught up in extraordinary circumstances. For me, the suspense and heart of the story
is about what these women will do when their courage is tested.
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Tell us about your
latest book.
Music tells our stories.
The Lost Concerto is about Boston classical pianist Maggie
O’Shea, a widow mourning the loss of her husband, her missing godson, and her
music. But then a CD of unforgettable
music and a grainy photograph connect her vanished godson to a long-lost first
love. Maggie is drawn into a search
that will take her to Paris and Provence, setting her on a collision course
with her godson’s criminal father and leading her to a decades-old secret
involving stolen art, rare music, and a terrorist’s vengeance. It is music that tells Maggie’s story.
What advice do you have
for other writers?
* Write what you care about, the story you want to read.
* Make time to write every day. Not just time, but 2-3 hours of concentrated time if possible.
* Learn the tools – point of view, transitions, flashbacks,
limiting the dreaded adverbs.
* When in doubt, deepen your characters. (Best advice ever given to me.)
* Rewrite, Edit, Rewrite, Edit. Then do it again. Even when you think you are done. You are not.
* Have a thick skin and a sense of humor.
* Don’t give up.
* Don’t apologize. Just
tell the best story you can and be true to yourself.
What's the best thing
about being a writer?
For me, I love the freedom to create the stories I would enjoy
reading, and characters that have dimension and depth. I can live vicariously through my novels - go
to the places I want to visit, explore motives, fall in love, live a totally
different life. I am passionate about my
stories and my characters and cannot imagine not writing. I want to tell stories forever.
I also cannot tell you how much pleasure I get from hearing
readers whom I admire say that they could not put my novel down, that they did
not want the book to end, that the characters continue to resonate with
them. Being able to share these stories with
others, to make people feel, is a
gift to me.
Who is you favorite character in your book
and why?
This is difficult because I really do care about all my
characters, and feel as if they are a part of me. Maggie O’Shea, the concert pianist, is the
woman I want to be – strong, intelligent, funny, accomplished, compassionate,
brave. She is the kind of woman who will
do the right thing no matter what, who will run toward rather than away. At
the same time, she is flawed, and, as a grieving character, she has helped me
to explore feelings of grief and loss, and the strength needed to move on and take
your life back. Maggie is the character
who carries my theme: that while there
are many moments in life that we cannot change or control, it is how we deal
with what happens to us that matters.
This is when we learn who we truly are.
This always will be a theme in my novels.
I also
adore Colonel Beckett, who is lonely, cynical and broken in many ways but funny
and noble as hell. He has a darkness in
him that is fascinating to explore and a foil to Maggie’s light.
My
villain Victor is not the typical ‘one-dimensional bad guy.’ He scares me, but it was a huge and rewarding
challenge to try to explain his past, his guilt, and why he is the way he
is.
Finally,
many readers adore the (also) cynical 3-legged Golden Retriever, Shiloh, who is
a damaged soul like Beckett but in the end, a ‘kick-ass’ hero and a great expressive
character in his own right.
Why do you think readers are going to enjoy
your book?
I know
from talking and listening to my readers that they especially love three
aspects of The Lost Concerto:
well-drawn and complex characters that they can invest in, care about
and root for, (or, at the very least, understand) - characters that make them
feel; the atmospheric sense of place, in
scenes set in Boston, Paris and Provence;
and, the Music. Music is what
sets this story apart, makes it special.
It is music that tells Maggie’s story.
Did you learn anything from writing your
book that was unexpected?
Yes. I learned that my characters can have minds
of their own. It surprised me that the
characters and story became so real to me.
I now know that, for me, well drawn characters will direct the plot and
the outcome of the story. And I learned
that I can make myself cry in a scene, no matter how many times I read it.
How do you research your books?
Carefully. I write about history, politics, current
events and the arts, so I have many overflowing files with clippings from
newspapers, magazine articles, books and movies. Of course I use the internet as well – the
trick is to jump to the 4th page/section where you will find the
more interesting and unusual articles. I
have learned two important things about research. That one article can suddenly take you in a
totally unexpected and surprising direction, and if you ‘go with it’ you will
find a whole new world of inspiration. And that, for every 20 pages of research, I only
will use one page in my novel.
What is your work in progress? Tell us
about it.
I now am
writing my third novel of suspense. My
first two novels, Firebird and The Lost Concerto, are
‘stand-alone’ novels with their own individual storylines and characters. I
want this third novel to be a sequel for sure.
My problem is that I still love both stories and characters from each of
the previous novels. So, whose story do
I continue? Both of my main women
characters, Alexandra from Firebird and Maggie from The Lost Concerto,
absolutely deserve their own stories and sequels.
For now,
my work in progress is titled Woman in Shadows. It continues the missing art storyline from The
Lost Concerto, and includes my Lost Concerto characters Simon Sugarman and
Zachary Law. My main characters,
however, will be my art curator Alexandra, Agent Garcia and the Russian Yuri
Belankov, all from Firebird. I’ve
learned that I want to have music in my novels, so I have a new character - the
cellist Hannah. And, because I believe
several generations of characters make the relationships more interesting, I’ve
been surprised by a young Russian teen with a secret. To be continued…
What are your thoughts on self-publishing
verses traditional publishing?
I self
published my first novel, Firebird, in 2012 (as an e-book and Amazon
trade paperback.) In 2014, I signed a
contract with Oceanview Publishing of Sarasota, FL, for The Lost Concerto. So, I’ve been on both sides of the aisle.
The
good news about self publishing:
It’s
much faster. You will be published on
Amazon in 3 months instead of 12 – 18 months for a contracted book.
You
don’t have to find a publisher, and then wait months for decisions or
rejections from that publisher to get your novel ‘out there.’
You do not
need an agent, so you have total control over your creative and business
decisions.
The
cost is reasonable, I believe less than $1000, but this may have changed.
The
bad news about self publishing, at least for me:
There
is no formal editing process, you are on your own. And, trust me, you really should have good
editing.
Word
documents must be specially formatted for e-books. I could not begin to convert or format my
word manuscript on my own, so I had to find someone to hire and do the work for
me.
I was
lucky, but I often read that many ‘formatters’ or self-publishing help
organizations are not professional and
may let you down.
You
HAVE to market. Amazon will NOT do it
for you. Once your family, friends and
colleagues have placed their orders, you will sink or swim with marketing.
There
is NO PERSON available for contact to help you with your Direct Publishing
questions, so you really are on your own.
You
have to handle your own accounts (which, of course, you may prefer.)
The
good news about a publishing contract:
For me,
the validation. In Hardcover.
The
Advance, and all major production costs absorbed by the publisher.
Working
with a professional team who will Edit (!) your work and take you through the
process of choosing a cover, your headshot, the book jacket, whatever.
(I
cannot speak to the pros/cons of having an agent since I parted ways with my
agent in 2012 and found Oceanview on my own.)
All
distribution handled by the publisher.
Professional
marketing of your book – (but you’d better know your way around social media.)
The
downside to a publishing contract:
You
have to wait a looooooong time to see your royalties and for an unknown author
the advance most likely will be small.
You
have to commit to help market your book and may have to absorb some early costs
(bookmarks, launch parties, etc).
You
have to be prepared to work very hard with marketing and social media, and if
this is a new experience for you there is MUCH to learn and do - and it will
take time away from working on your next book.
Many
decisions are no longer yours – you no longer own your book – and this occasionally
can be frustrating.
(But for
me, I love Oceanview and seeing my book in hardcover on bookstore shelves, so
it is all worh it. I wouldn’t change a
thing.)
Who or what inspired you to become a
writer?
Two women I never met inspired me to write – Helen MacInnes
and Mary Stewart. Not teachers, but
writers - queens of espionage novels and romantic suspense from 1941 through
the 80’s. They taught me about suspense,
courage and love, and they inspired me with their heroic women characters. I never took a writing class, but because of
these writers, I learned about building page-turning suspense, finding a voice,
dialogue that is natural, creating romance.
My stories involve international and atmospheric settings, political
intrigue, timely plots and complex characters,
The women in my novels are strong, intelligent, funny, accomplished and
brave. Women who somehow find the
courage to do the right thing no matter what.
When you’re not writing, how do you spend
your time?
* Family
first. My husband and I have been
married 46 years and have 2 grown children and 4 beautiful grands. I spend as much time with my young ‘darlings’
as I can, they fill my world with magic.
*
Friends. Laughing matters.
* Travel. I love to travel with my husband. We enjoy NYC, New England, Sarasota, FL, Cape
May NJ, and exploring the West. We travel
frequently overseas as well, and especially love France, Italy and the UK.
* The
performing arts – dance, theater, music – and art galleries.
* Giving
back. I have been an outreach activist
for decades and always have worked ‘hands on’ with my non-profit boards in the
DC area. In 1998 I established my own foundation, the SunDial Foundation,
which supports women, children and families.
This is work that is near and dear to my heart and I hope to fund it
with my book royalties in the future.
* Walking,
and going out to dinner. Hopefully one
balances the other.
* Last
but not least, reading. I just wish
there were more hours in the day.
Where can a reader purchase your book?
On
Amazon; Barnes & Noble, Books A
Million, Independent Bookstores
Where can people find
out more about you and your writing?
What's your favourite
quote about writing/for writers?
“Always go to bed with a good book or someone who has written
one.” (by ‘Writer’s Write’ )
advice for authors
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Helaine Mario
Jo Linsdell
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The Lost Concerto
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2 Comments
Helaine Mario isn't very famous author. She published only two novels of suspense. I read her first novel "Firebird" which I liked. And I want to read her new book "The Lost Concerto". I also started my writing career, now I'm a writer at smartcustomwriting.com but I have a dream to write my own book. Helaine Mario is a good example for me, I like her easy-going writing style.
ReplyDeleteWrite a book that you want to read yourself - it's brilliant! I am also writing a book now and looking for materials for her professional presentation. I've read your blog for a long time. It iѕ lіve you rеad mу mind! You ѕeem to know a lot about this area!
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
Thanks for being an active part of the Writers and Authors community.