Welcome Special Guest: author Yvonne Walus

Please welcome author, Yvonne Walus!

Yvonne Walus, award-winning novelist, poet, freelance writer, business analyst, mathematician, corporate trainer, wife, mother, joins us on her blog extravaganza tour. Yvonne will be visiting blogs today, March 4, and will give away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to the host with the most comments and to a randomly drawn commenter. So be sure to comment so you’re put in her drawing!

Hello Yvonne! What inspired you to become a writer?

When I left university, I started working as a computer programmer, gradually moving to a managerial role. Although parts of the job were fun and I worked very hard to get new clients and meet deadlines, I always had this distinct impression that it didn’t matter in the greater scheme of things. You know, one report more, one report less - who cared?

A nurse who bandages someone’s injury brings relief from pain. A farmer grows food. A garbage man keeps the streets clean. What did I do to make the world a better place? Nothing.

As a writer, I hope to inspire my readers, to make them laugh or think, or both. I want to make a difference to their day. I want them to be glad they’d read my book. It’s a lot to ask, I know. I may not always get it right. Still, it’s better than writing software packages that become obsolete three months after they hit the shelves.

When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
My first story was called “The Wedding Night”. The suggestive title was followed by suggestive text, following the happy couple into their honeymoon suite where they spent the night… unwrapping their wedding gifts.
It was about 1,000 words long. It never got published.
How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
About 5. I was lucky enough to find a science-fiction market hungry for stories.
What genre(s) do you write in? What drew you to write in it/them? What’s your favorite genre of all to write in?
I write chiefly murder mysteries, because I love reading them, as well as romance, because romance sells. I enjoy new challenges and variety, so I’ve also dabbled in literature and futuristic settings.
What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
The best advice, which I swear I’ll follow religiously from now on, is: “read it aloud”. Amazing it all sounds different to the way it reads in your head! There is nothing like reading your new book to a hundred people at a signing to make you wish you’d done it before you submitted the manuscript.
The worst advice ever, has to be: “Don’t quit your day job”. I mean, the advice is 100% correct. Most writers, even published writers, don’t make a living out of their books. It’s just that, if you have a day job, you don’t have enough time or energy or sheer drive to pour into your novel.
How do you celebrate/deal with acceptance/rejection letters?
Back when I started submitting to editors and publishers, I used to wait around the post box. Nowadays, I make sure I send out so many submissions, I get a few hits among the many misses. There is only one cure for a rejection letter: an acceptance from elsewhere.

In regard to the book you’re promoting, which actor and actress do you envision playing the roles of your hero and heroine? If there’s a villain or other characters who are pertinent to the story, who would play those parts?
My amateur detective, Christine Chamberlain, I’ve always imagined as a fiesty blonde. Emilie de Ravin, perhaps (Clair from LOST), or Kate Bosworth. Her husband is a Johnny Depp type. MURDER @ PLAY also has great roles for Leo di Caprio and Nicole Kidman, Hollywood agents please take a number and form an orderly queue. ;-)
In regard to the book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? What sparked the idea for the story/series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
MURDER @ PLAY is a prequel to MURDER @ WORK and it’s best to read them in this order.
I got the idea for the series from a highly feminist friend of mine who berated today’s literature for its lack of good female role models for our generation. Most heroines were James Bond bimbos or Bridget Jones lovable klutzes. He wanted to see an intelligent heroine, intelligent in a brainy way. Dr. Christine Chamberlain, with her mathematical mind, is my answer.

Now for some fun stuff…
Are you a morning person or night owl?
Definitely a night owl. The night, with its silence and shadows, makes a lovely place to be.
If you could live anywhere in the universe, where would it be and why?
Definitely here on earth. I like the atmosphere…. Seriously though, New Zealand is a lovely country to call home, but if I had enough money, I’d happily spend two of its winter months on a Greek island.
If you were stranded on a desert island and were only allowed to have five modern conveniences with you, what would they be?
A fully functional bathroom. A computer. Internet. … You know… 3 is all I need!

About Yvonne’s releases & where to find her online:
EVERY MARRIAGE NEEDS A TOUCH OF MYSTERY. OR DOES IT?
In the new free South Africa of 1994, men are still boss, women carry handguns for self-protection and some mistakes can change your life forever.
When a body is found during their weekend away with friends, Christine Chamberlain must use her brilliant mathematical mind to prove her husband’s innocence...
... whether he’s innocent or not.
When it comes to your loved ones, is it possible to know too much?
PRAISE FOR “MURDER @ WORK”:

·                     "A great read. Very witty. Very fresh."

·                     "An insight into South Africa without being bogged down with facts."

·                     "Excellent dialogue."

·   “... a very hard book to put down, and is a great weekend read. The chapters are short and you quickly make progress. The characters are engaging, and well constructed, the plot is more complex than it first seems, and it will have you guessing until the last page.”
Excerpt:
Anonymous letters are always a cliché. In South Africa, they can also be deadly.
This one would contain no explosives or wires. Just a plain envelope and a photocopy of words cut out from newspapers.
How many copies?
Five. One for every guy at the Election Day after-party.
Or perhaps only four?
Yes, that would be truly brilliant. Only four. ...
LINKS:
website: http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/
blog: http://yewalus.blogspot.com/
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yvonne.walus
book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJpbOiFkPkU
buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Play-ebook/dp/B003CT30GC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=A3QI763M62X7GQ&s=books&qid=1274234575&sr=1-2
publisher: http://www.echelonpress.com/

Thank you so much Yvonne for taking the time to do the interview and sharing your stories and writing life with us!