Today I'm pleased to welcome Thonie Hevron to the blog to talk about her upcoming book, "With Malice Aforethought."
1.
What inspired you to begin writing?
When
I was in the third grade, the teacher gave us an assignment to write a myth. I
wrote a story about how the leopard got his spots. From then on, there was no
stopping me. Then, as an adult, I read a mystery that left me unsatisfied. I
thought, “I could do better.” So, I started Civil War romance. After a while, I
figured that one had been done so I moved to something I was comfortable with—police
procedurals/mysteries. I had a lengthy career in law enforcement. I knew that
when I had questions, I had many different resources to help answer them.
2.
Would you classify your writing more as plot driven or
character driven? At
first, I thought my stories were plot driven—hero has to find and stop bad guy.
But now, I’m on the third book of the Nick and Meredith Mystery Series and find
the characters drive the story forward as much as the plot. Many of my readers
look upon the two protagonists as “old friends.”
3.
Can you tell us a little about your main character? Meredith Ryan is a
Sonoma County Sheriff’s
4.
Without giving away too much, tell us a little about
the main conflict in this book. There are two levels of conflict in With
Malice Aforethought. Nick has promoted and is now Meredith’s superior. As
they search the remote Sonoma hills for a murderer, both detectives have a
tight rein on their emotions, Cops who are involved with each other are nothing
but trouble. They uncover an unpredictable menace that detours the
investigation to a place no one expected. They are too busy to admit how they
feel about each other. Or are they?
5.
What do you hope readers take away from your book?
My
target audience is the people in law enforcement. I hope to present credible
characters in performance of their duties. The scenarios are authentic from a procedural-point
of view. The situations are mine. I like to put my heroes into positions where
they could easily make a bad choice. Between them, they make sound decisions
that are realistic, probably not textbook and definitely “the right thing to
do.” I hope readers will find a satisfying morality, especially when it’s
complicated.
6.
Now for a few fun questions! What song best describes
your writing style?
Ravel’s
Bolero. I start out slow—my muse needs to warm up—and finish with a crescendo.
When I listen to music, I like classical.
7.
Night Owl or Early Bird?
I
spent many years on graveyards and loved being up at times when the rest of the
world was asleep. However, I don’t think that was my most creative time. Now
that I’ve retired, I get up at 5am to write so I can meet my deadlines and
still have a life. Early morning is when I am the sharpest.
8.
Skittle or M&Ms?
M&M’s—yum.
9.
Who are your favorite authors?
I
read Larry McMurtry for his
magnificent characters, Robert Crais for how he weaves mystery into his stories,
Michael Connelly with his cunning cop insights, PJ Parrish taught me how to
make interior dialog and feelings drive the story forward, and T. Jefferson Parker and J.A. Jance for
superlative plotting and story construction.
10. Can you
tell us about your future projects?
My
current work occupies most of my time. Even though it is set in the Sonoma
hills, thirty miles from where I live, it is a different world. Consequently, research takes a lot of
my time. Also, I’ve found a
remarkable resource for my detail accuracy—a retired Violent Crimes
Investigator Sergeant. He has kept me from making some huge mistakes. After Malice,
I have a book I wrote years ago and put on the closet shelf. It had some
glaring issues. But, I like the plot well enough to go back and re-work it. It
won’t be a Nick and Meredith Mystery but I’m game for a fourth one if there’s
enough interest.
Intent to Hold on Amazon
Meet the Author
Thonie Hevron is a retired law enforcement veteran. A Sonoma County resident for over thirty years, she loves to incorporate the dramatic beauty of our area in vivid terms. Her experience inspires her to write suspense novels based on the lives of the people behind the badge. Thonie writes and hosts guest bloggers from law enforcement personnel who use stories to portray the police character accurately. Her two suspense/thrillers, By Force or Fear and Intent to Hold won awards in the Public Safety Writers Association Writers Contest in 2012 and 2014. The third book, called With Malice Aforethought is in progress.
Connect with Thonie Online
website thoniehevron.com
Twitter handle @thonieh
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