Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Author Interview: Thonie Hevron @thonieh


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
Violent Crimes Detective. She’s a city girl, raised in San Francisco by an abusive father. In the first book, By Force or Fear, her husband is killed by a powerful and dangerous man who is stalking her. Meredith pairs up with my other main character, Nick Reyes, also a Sonoma County Violent Crimes Detective, to fight for her survival.


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.  


 Book Links: By Force or Fear on Amazon

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 

Twitter handle @thonieh


No comments:

Post a Comment