This week's giveaway is a Nam Noir novel set at the
old St. Louis "No Tell Motel" Coral Court. Yes, we are giving away
Claire Applewhite's St. Louis Hustle.
"A simple case turns into a web
of lethal deception.
"When sleek Emily Davies begs
Elvin Suggs to trail her philandering husband, Nick, it seems like an easy
request. Dimond "Di" Redding and Elvin are eager to get started on the
first case for their new business, Grapevine Investigations. Along with help
from their fellow Vietnam vet Cobra Glynes, they follow the cheating husband
straight to St. Louis' notorious "no tell motel"-The Coral Court.
"Right from the start Di
distrusts Emily, a nurse at People's Hospital. She can't explain why she's
uneasy until they spot the woman playing doctor with a plastic surgeon at the
very same motel.
The mousy desk clerk Waldo E. knows his "regulars" but he refuses to
divulge his secrets to the investigators. When one of his regular guests turns
up dead, he still won't talk, not even to police detective Reggie Combs. The
woman's sleazy landlord is quick to point the finger at Emily's cheating
husband.
"After another body turns up,
this time at the Coral Court Motel, Elvin and Di discover there's no escape
until they see this twisted case through to the bitter end..."
Legend John Lutz wrote: "Author Applewhite has
created an engrossing tale that presents the setting almost as one of the cast
of characters. If you like neatly rendered, nicely plotted fiction, you'll
finish St. Louis Hustle in one sitting. For those who know little or nothing
about St. Louis, Applewhite's novel is the perfect gateway to the Gateway
City."
How do you
win a free copy of this book? To enter the contest, simply leave a
comment or question on the Writers' Lens blog between now (June 11) and
midnight June 16, 2012. Please include your email so we can reach you if
you win. The more comments you leave, the greater your chance of winning the
contest. If you refer others to The Writer's Lens who mention your name
in their comments, I'll enter your name again in our random number generator
along with theirs, also increasing your chances at winning! The winner will be
chosen after midnight on Saturday, June 16 and the announcement made on Sunday,
June 17. Good luck and comment often.
I had the pleasure to have a conversation with
Claire about her writing and why she writes Noir.
The
Writers' Lens: You are a very soft spoken and kind
person. What has drawn you to write about one of the most heinous acts that man
commit--murder?
Claire
Applewhite: I am intrigued by what would motivate
someone to commit such a heinous act.
WL:
You have a series of books that are set in St. Louis, Missouri that have been
classified as 'Nam Noir. What is 'Nam Noir?
CA:
Noir is a subgenre of mystery fiction. Themes such as isolation and
disillusionment, and motives such as jealousy, greed and lust, as well as
resilience in the face of adversity, all define the noir tradition. The series set in St. Louis centers on three
Vietnam veterans, and the events in their lives before and after their reunion,
twenty years later. Because the themes of noir influenced the lives of the ‘Nam
veterans, the series was classified as ‘Nam Noir.
WL: When you plot your novels, from whose point of view do you plot
from? The protagonist’s? The antagonist’s? The narrator’s? Some one else?
CA:
I plot from the POV of the character with the most at stake; that is, the one
with the most to lose. This character is usually involved with the other major
characters, and has a reason to care deeply about attainment of personal goals
and desires, and perhaps, the achievements of other characters.
WL:
When you are starting to work on a novel, what do you
find brings the story into focus for you? A Character? A setting? Something
else?
CA: In other words, how do I plan a project? I write
the first page and last page first.
Then, I decide what would be the climax or middle of the plot and write
a page for a central chapter. Remember, the middle cannot sag! From there,
using index cards, I decide what plot points occur between the beginning,
middle and end, and fill in the chapters in between. I have heard this method
called “storyboarding”, a film making
technique, but I find it to be an effective plotting device.
WL: What brings your writing
into focus?
CA:
When a major character is put into a
crisis, or an unusually stressful situation, and I am forced to feel with that
character, that is, endure the stress and survive, the story becomes more clearly
focused for me. Firsthand, I feel the
character’s strengths and weaknesses, and experience the level of
resilience. Many times, a stressful
situation will also illustrate the quality of a plot point, that is, the
effectiveness in the execution of a key scene.
In this way, a potential wrinkle or snag in the plot may be highlighted.
WL: What drives your novels: Theme,
Character, Plot, the Mystery?
CA:
What drives the novel are the needs/desires/goals of the
protagonist/antagonist. Their story arcs, each necessitating a transformation
by the end of the story, drive the novel.
WL: Do you work on multiple projects at once? If so, how many?
CA:
I complete one manuscript at a time, and let each one sit for at least a month
to attain some distance from it. During that 30 day “rest” I start a new
project.
WL: How easy was it to take the leap of faith to become a serious
writer and chase this career? What did you find that you had to do to take the
step?
CA:
I have always written creatively as a hobby, but it was not until I was a
little past forty that I came across a short story that I wrote as a senior at
St. Louis University entitled, “On Call.” At the time I wrote it, the
instructor and other students encouraged me to expand it into a novel---but I
didn’t do it. Almost twenty years later,
that story became my first published novel, The Wrong Side of Memphis. My point is, that I wasn’t ready to expose
the feelings in that short story until I felt comfortable doing so—and for me,
that meant waiting awhile. For a writer to decide to go for it, I believe,
isn’t always a matter of faith or whether it is easy or hard to do the
writing. A writer can do the writing
without anxiety, if they are ready. Sometimes, it’s a matter of if or when
you’re ready to let go of an issue or expose feelings that have been sitting on
an emotional shelf. That’s the tough part.
WL: A lot of marketing falls on
to the writer. How do you market your novels? How do you manage to juggle
everything you do?
CA:
I have to admit that right away, I realized that marketing the novel was going
to be just as time consuming and vital as writing it. I felt a little panicked, and then, decided
that this was too important to try and do by myself. My mind was open to
consulting when a friend told me that his friend had just been laid off and was
looking for work. We met, and though neither of us had much experience in
marketing books, we decided to work on a book together. So, I have a publicist to help with book
signings and photography, and a computer specialist to monitor my website. I
also got approval to stock my books at Barnes & Noble in the Midwest region
and scheduled book signings locally. Kirkus has reviewed my books and I post
the reviews on Goodreads and Twitter. I lecture, visit libraries, and serve as
a board member for the Midwest Chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and am an
Active member, Mystery Writers of America.
However, I had a literary agent tell me recently that nothing is as
powerful as “word of mouth” recommendations.
As far as juggling, I do something on the marketing
front everyday. It cannot be a sporadic effort, it should be consistent and
steady.
WL: What is your writing schedule like?
CA:
I get up at 6 am and start writing, and usually stop around 10:30 to 11
am. If it is an unusual day and that is
not possible, the time must be made up from 10 pm to 1 or 2 am. Either way, there is a ten page quota per
day.
WL: If you could have coffee (or drink of your choice) with four
other authors from any time period, who would you choose and why?
CA:
Ed McBain, Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell, Cornell Woolrich. These authors have
unique perspectives on the essential elements of a murder mystery: motive,
opportunity and means. Rendell and Woolrich in particular, focus on
psychological suspense, while Mc Bain and Christie have plots that I find
intriguing.
WL: How could my readers learn more about you?
CA:
Readers may visit my website at www.claireapplewhite.com, or view television interviews and book
trailers on YouTube, Claire Applewhite.
Thank you
Claire!
Thank you
for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com
and www.thewriterslens.com.
You can also follow me on twitter @Owlkenpowriter and the Writer’s Lens
@TheWritersLens. Fiction is the world where the philosopher is the most free in
our society to explore the human condition as he chooses.
