What If Your Book Became A Movie?

One of the toughest interview questions for me is, "If your book became a movie, what actor would play your hero?"

First, you'd have to pick me up off the floor if my book were ever to be made into a movie. After I stopped hyperventilating at the thought, then we can tackle the question at hand.  I've seen other authors talk about having an actor/actress pictured in their mind when they write their characters. That said, it's pretty easy for them to pick the actor to star in the role.

My heroes and heroines are born in my head, and I see them, but they seem rather ethereal to me. As if they are not from the real world-as if it would never be possible to notice them walking on the streets because they live in a parallel universe.

People have told me that Brett Murphy in WIDOW'S TALE is the spitting image of Hugh Jackman. After they point that out,  I can see the resemblance. And actually I remember thinking that Serena Murphy from the same book looked just like Anna, one of the dancers on Dancing With the Stars.


Many people have pointed out that Megan Summers as pictured on the cover of ENDLESS NIGHT looks like Eliza Dushku.

But still, I could never come up with these associations. So if you see an interview with me and that, "Who would play..." question comes up, please understand my fumbling answer.

Does anyone else have problems with that question? If you have read either of these books, do you have suggestions on actors/actresses?

Sample Sunday - ENDLESS NIGHT

From the romantic thriller, ENDLESS NIGHT

Closing the trunk and hoisting it under her arm, she reached out to throw the latch open as the door ripped from her hands and the Atlantic screamed at her. 

She screamed back. 

Even with the collar pulled up over her ears, the sounds of the tempest assaulted her. In the wind, she heard the ghostly woman crying, the phantom that besieged her at night. Outside of Wakefield’s dark chambers, the cry took on a hollow sound, like a woeful moan meant to lure souls toward its source, the yawning black shadows beyond the cliff’s edge. Megan also heard the anxious murmur of ice and snow, like a thousand voices whispering about her, berating her, cajoling her. Amidst their dissonance, one voice broke through. 

"Margaret." 

Her body jerked and the radio fell to the ground. It wasn’t the storm that called her name. She spun around and instinctively crouched, prepared to attack, but she did not have her trusty GLOCK. She had nothing but her bare hands and a flashlight. 

“Margaret,” that chilled voice called again. 

Megan whirled and saw his outline. Night swelled into the menacing form of a man. There were no distinct features, only a shadow—a frightening profile that looked as if the storm had taken its vivacity and breathed life into this very monster. 

ENDLESS NIGHT - Amazon Kindle

ENDLESS NIGHT - Carina Press

ENDLESS NIGHT - Bloopers!

Movies have bloopers...and so do books! I thought I would share some of the ENDLESS NIGHT outtakes with you.

Original line:

He hooked one ankle over the other and leaned back against the dryer, watching the red digital numbers decrease.

Editor's feedback:

If he is leaning back against the dryer, how can he read the digital display?

My rebuttal:

He is from the planet Zule and has a 360 degree ocular capacity.

What made it into the book:

The dungeon-like atmosphere smothered any desire Jake still felt. Leaning his hip against the dryer, he watched the red digital numbers on the washer decrease.

Original line:

Jake eyed the cover. "Nuclear bombs in North Korea."

Editor's feedback:

Is this headline current enough? 

My rebuttal:

Jake eyed the cover. "Lindsay Lohan goes to jail."

What made it into the book:

Jake eyed the cover. “The oil spill off the California coast?”

Another debate in the book was over a simple sentence that read, He stood on the deck.

I was schooled on the differences between a porch, patio, deck, veranda and balcony, and the final reference that made it into the book was,  porch. 

A reference to Wakefield House that didn't make the final cut:

The sinister shadow of Wakefield House loomed before them like a colossal gargoyle perched on the cliff, ready to launch at the Jeep with its talons and soar off into the black abyss with them clutched in its grasp.

Guest Romantic Suspense Author - TONI ANDERSON

I am in author awe today because I have a special guest...Romantic Suspense author, Toni Anderson.

You have a new book coming out with Carina Press. Can you tell us about EDGE OF SURVIVAL?

I’m so excited about this book. I absolutely love my hero, Daniel Fox (a British ex-SAS soldier turned helicopter pilot—who’s dark and brooding, in dire need of redemption) and my heroine, Cameran Young (a fish biologist who suffers from diabetes—she’s sparkling and bubbly and a real fighter).  The story is set in Northern Labrador and the heroine is doing a research study on fish migration—an Environmental Impact Assessment—in one of the most remote regions on earth. The study she’s conducting is one I actually did in 1996. I was flown all over the place in helicopters, dodging bears, and sleeping onboard an icebreaker every night. It was one of the most fascinating experiences of my life and I am thrilled I could use it in a novel.

This is my first military hero as opposed to law enforcement. That changes the dynamics around the crime—a murder—because the hero doesn’t care about solving the who, he just doesn’t want anyone else getting nailed on his watch. I think one of the things I like most about the story is the contrast of such strong personalities falling in love. And there’s a fabulous supporting cast too, including some unusual four-legged varieties.

This is the first romance I’ve read that features a diabetic heroine and I’m intending to donate some of the money to research into juvenile diabetes.

You seem to favor romantic suspense, but I have seen you throw in some paranormal elements into your books, such as STORM WARNING? Are you dedicated to a genre or do you find inspiration strikes you in many forms?

Inspiration strikes in many forms, but my stories are always essentially Romantic Suspense. I’m drawn to dangerous situations and intrigue and love writing about them. But to find a story emotionally satisfying, I need my Happy Ever After.

So, I always write RS stories but the emphasis can change. Sometimes it’s a mystery or ‘whodunit’. Other times it’s more about ‘what happens next?’ and ‘how the hell are the hero and heroine going to get out of this?’ To me, STORM WARNING wasn’t a paranormal story as defined by today’s publishing standards. It was more an old fashioned gothic ghost story. So there may be hints of other genres in my writing (mystery, paranormal), but I hope the essentials of the Romantic Suspense genre are there along with something a little bit extra—a fabulous location.

You recently received ‘the call’ for EDGE OF SURVIVAL? Does that still give you the same thrill as the first call?

I have never been physically ‘called’ with the good news and I feel so…cheated? LOL. I’ve sold six times now, the first two books to a publisher that went KABOOM! When I sold to Carina Press I was in the UK, so Angela James emailed me on Christmas Eve. To be honest I still get the same feeling of ‘Oh my God, they want to contract my book’ every single time J. It’s an amazing feeling!

What is next for Toni Anderson?

Right now, I’m writing another SAS hero who gets involved with a snow leopard biologist in the Wakhan Corridor and unearths a decades old spy ring. I have several other books planned—another Romantic Mystery set in Bamfield, Vancouver Island, another story set in Scotland, and another set in Brittany, France, where I spent 3 months last year.

Where can we find out more about you and your books?

My books are available as ebooks from Carina Press, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, BooksOnBoard, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and many other online retailers. HER SANCTUARY is also available in print from The Wild Rose Press, and STORM WARNING & SEA OF SUSPICION are also available as audiobooks from audible.com.

I have a website (http://tonianderson.shawwebspace.ca), and a blog (http://tonianderson.blogspot.com), and I’m on Facebook as both me (http://www.facebook.com/toniannanderson) and with an author page with information about my books (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toni-Andersons-books/153356538022559), and I’m a twitterer—Lord, do I ever twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/toniannanderson) AND I have an occasional newsletter (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Toni_Anderson_Newsletter/join). It’s hard to avoid me on the net J

I’m also involved in a wonderful group blog ‘NOT YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS’ that you may have heard of J

Thanks so much for having me here, Maureen.


Thank you for being here, Toni. Now go write!!

Guest Author - Pauline Barclay

We have a special guest joining us today all the way from the Canary Isles!  The lovely and talented, Pauline Barclay, author of Sometimes It Happens.

In Sometimes It Happens… Doreen Wilkinson wins the lottery. Is there an inspiration behind this storyline?

Nothing is ever what it seems and Doreen Wilkinson certainly found that out after she won the lottery. Doreen is an ordinary woman to whom the extraordinary happens. A hard working cleaning lady, Doreen struggled to make ends meet as she brought up her only daughter alone. Then she wins the lottery, millions of pounds. She is catapulted into a new life, a life she has no idea about and worse, it is not at all what she had been expecting. Doreen quickly finds out that the rich and the poor are poles apart as she and her daughter take a holiday at the fabulous Villas Bonitas.

You have lived many diverse locations. Tell us a little about your favorites and why

I was brought up in Yorkshire, then through work my family moved to Suffolk, after marrying my husband, worked also took both of us to another location. We moved to Surrey, then to Holland. We now live in Lanzarote in the Canary Isles. I love all the places we have lived and we’ve made life long friends along the way. I love were we live now, it is relatively unspoilt. The roads are empty most of the time. Stress is not a word used often, though the bureaucracy can get you down, otherwise it is just a great place to be. Of course I love the all year round sunshine! 

The cover of Sometimes It Happens is beautiful. Can you tell us more about it?

The book is about a luxurious holiday set in an exotic location, lots of champagne is drunk and the sun always shines. It’s a happy book with lots of laughter. I asked Cathy Helms from Avalon Graphic in North Carolina, USA to design the cover and after telling her a little about the novel this is what she came up with. I love it, it says so much about the book.

Tell us about your four-legged companions!

Apart from loving them to pieces, they are two rescues doggies. Not sure of their breeds, our little one is a terrier, a bit of Yorkshire and Highland terrier in her. She is now nine and half years old and has lived with us for the last four years. Our other one is, we believe, a Cockapoo and we have had him just one year and he will be two in July. They give so much love I find it incomprehensible that anyone could have hurt them. As I write I have Barney at my feet and Poppy in her cozy Igloo the other side of my desk.

What can we look forward to from you?

As well as Sometimes It Happens… I have two other books published, Magnolia House and Satchfield Hall. I have started writing my fourth novel, but with all the work needed to market my latest book, it is not getting the attention is deserves…but it will!

Where can we find Pauline Barclay?

I have a web site www.paulinebarclay.co.uk

I have a Blog http://paulinembarclay.blogspot.com

I’m on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/paulinembarclay

I’m On Twitter @paulinembarclay

And I’m also on Goodreads

A huge thank you to Maureen for inviting me here to meet some of her friends, I feel very honored.  Maureen is a terrific person and I am proud to call her my friend – thank you! Wishing you great success with Endless Night, it is my next read! x

Guest Mystery Author - Vicki Tyley

Today, I am happy to have with us, mystery and suspense author, Vicki Tyley!

1.             You have had quite an eclectic career. I have seen your IT experience work its way into your books. How much of your diverse occupations do you tap into when writing?

Writing from experience is certainly easier, and it does add an authenticity that no amount of research could replicate. However, I also like to mix up the occupations in my books. My main characters have held down a broad range of jobs – journalist, IT systems analyst, stockbroker, nurse, credit officer, web developer, advertising executive, private investigator, personal assistant, police officer, property developer, graphic designer, PR consultant, financial planner, recruitment consultant, real estate agent – many of which I have little or limited practical knowledge of. Which means I get to tap into other people’s experiences and add to my own – all part of the fun of writing.

2.            Your first novel, THIN BLOOD, was named as an Amazon Customer Favorite of 2010. How proud were you of your achievement?

Words can’t describe how proud I was. That’s once I’d picked myself up off the floor and made sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me. I still can’t quite believe that Thin Blood made it onto the list, joining fellow indies Karen McQuestion, D.B. Henson, and Christian Cantrell. Not to mention such greats as Harlan Coben, Lee Child, James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Nora Roberts, Tess Gerritsen, Jodi Picoult, and Sandra Brown.

One hundred books. Four indie authors. One unbelievably proud Australian debut novelist.

3.            I understand Thin Blood is now available as an audio book. It sounds silly, but how does it feel to hear your book? Did you have any participation in the narrating process?

The first time I heard my words narrated by a professional, I couldn’t stop grinning. The narrator brought my story to life, exceeding every expectation and giving it another whole dimension. To say that I’m delighted with the production would be an understatement.

I was involved in the narration process insomuch that a number of narrators auditioned and I chose the voice I thought suited the story best. After that, it was simply a matter of reviewing each track for pronunciation or other issues. A seamless process, for my part.

4.            What is next for Vicki Tyley?

My most recent novel, Bitter Nothings, is with my agent. I realize many think I’m mad to pursue a traditional publishing contract in these times of technological change, but that’s okay. Sanity is overrated.

In the meantime, prompted by a reader, I’ve revisited and am now rewriting a manuscript I’d previously consigned to the bottom drawer. Changing the storyline to introduce a new antagonist is proving a challenge, but it’s also been a good learning opportunity.

Thank you again for stopping by, Vicki. You are always welcome here.

Places where we can find the wonderful, Ms. Tyley!

My website: www.vickityley.com

Thin Blood Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Thin-Blood-ebook/dp/B003JTHBL0

Thin Blood audio details: http://springbrookaudio.com/2011/04/24/thin-blood-by-vicki-tyley/

Kindle eBooks: Customer Favorites of 2010 http://amzn.to/ajQzhx