We're finally back with a new author interview — the first of the new year. So grab a cup of cinnamon decaf, the favorite of our author today, Lonnie Cruse, and enjoy the interview. If, like me, you need some caffeine in your coffee, help yourself to a cappuccino. Another favorite of Lonnie’s and mine is the gingerbread latte at Starbucks, but we won’t be able to get those much longer, so we had better hurry up with this interview and head on over.

CAFÉ:
So tell us about your latest book.

LONNIE:
The book Five Star is releasing this coming December is titled FIFTY-SEVEN HEAVEN. Genre, cozy. About the book: Imagine their surprise when baby boomers Kitty and Jack Bloodworth take their trophy-winning '57 Chevy to a contest and find the dead body of her irritating cousin stuffed in the trunk!

CAFÉ:
Wow what a surprise. How long have you been writing?

LONNIE:
As a novelist for eight years, beginning in my mid-fifties, but I've written articles and other non-fiction pieces since I was in my thirties.

CAFÉ:
When did your first novel come out?

LONNIE:
First novel was MURDER IN METROPOLIS and it came out in 2003, one month shy of my sixtieth birthday. It's about life in the real Metropolis, IL, a small town with a huge Superman statue which draws tourists from all over. That tourist influx affects our daily lives. My protagonist is the fictional sheriff of our county solving fictional crimes in the real city. Metropolis is a fun place to live and to write about.

CAFÉ:
Metropolis huh. Ever run into Superman? Have you always written mysteries?

LONNIE:
I once wrote a play about socks that get lost in the washer for my Cub Scout troupe. Unfortunately, the play was somehow lost to posterity. I've written short stories which were published in Future's Magazine. My short stories always seem to wander off into science fiction. I've written (and still do) for various newsletters either for writers or newsletters for Christian women. But for novels, I stick to mystery. I have the two series, the Metropolis Mystery series about Sheriff Joe Dalton and the Kitty Bloodworth, '57 Chevy series which debuts in December.

CAFÉ:
What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book? And please tell us a little them.

LONNIE:
The setting is again Metropolis, IL and also features Paducah, Kentucky which is right across the river from us. I love the rural setting and the feeling of the area. I do have a book written but not sold that is set in the Smoky Mountains. My main character in the Metropolis Series is a hometown boy sheriff, married, two kids, four deputies and a dispatcher who often drive him nuts. The Fifty-Seven series features Kitty and Jack Bloodworth, baby boomers who take their '57 Chevy, Sadie, to car shows and run into trouble there. Kitty is a retired school teacher, and she's fun to hang out with and write about.

CAFÉ:
What is the main reason that you write?

LONNIE:
I have a story to tell and I want to share it with others. I want to bring out good, clean, fun reads, the kind I like to read from other authors.

CAFÉ:
Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to take away from your work?

LONNIE:
Hmmm, yeah entertain is most important, but I try to slide in something that is meaningful to me in the plot, hoping it will resonate with the reader as well. The story I'm writing now is about a tornado damaging Metropolis, and what life is like after the fifteen minutes of destruction from the storm and the fifteen minutes of fame any area receives after a disaster, then the media moves on, leaving residents to survive as best they can.

CAFÉ:
Do you have a schedule for your writing or just write whenever you can?

LONNIE:
I try to write first thing in the morning before e-mail clouds my mind. Doesn't always work. I do a bit of meditating first and often go for a walk, then settle in.

CAFÉ:
Yet another morning person. Maybe I’ll have to give it a try one of these days? Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what's going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

LONNIE:
I don't outline exactly. I jot down ideas on index cards, then put them in some sort of order. Then I start writing the scenes. If the book takes off in another direction, that's fine. But the scene cards help me keep track of where I am. And I jot notes as I go. I recently installed a "sticky note" program on my computer so I can take quick notes to refer back to later and they don't clutter up my desk or get thrown away. Or worse, written on by my hubby, who sometimes uses the same computer. Sigh. But notes help me remember things that come in a flash and disappear just as fast if not written down.

CAFÉ:
That’s a lot like how screenwriters do it. I like that idea. I may just try it myself. If you had your ideal, what time of day would you prefer to write?

LONNIE:
Early morning.

CAFÉ:
Do you have a day job?

LONNIE:
Not now. I did work as a substitute teacher's aide until Uncle Sam started sending ME money every month rather than the other way around. This is a MUCH better arrangement.

CAFÉ:
Sounds like it. Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

LONNIE:
Mmmm, yes and no. I got over 20 rejections, went with a VERY small publisher who eventually went out of business, and had to go back to the beginning and start over. But networking helped me get into Five Star. Can't say enough about networking, helping others, etc.

CAFÉ:
Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you'd like to share?

LONNIE:
When I got my very first rejection I cried and my lovely daughter-in-law, Michelle, sent me flowers. When I got the second rejection and cried again, she said "Get over it, I'm not sending flowers every single time this happens." I got over it.

CAFÉ:
LOL What kind of promotion do you find most affective?

LONNIE:
Internet. Schmoozing with authors and readers on lists. They look me up and like the covers and buy the books. The Internet sells more books for me than anything.

CAFÉ:
Do you have a most interesting book signing story-in a bookstore or other venue?

LONNIE:
Sigh, at a local well-known chain grocery store which shall remain nameless. They forgot we were coming (the other mystery author set it up for us.) No table available so they put together eight empty plastic milk boxes turned upside down which I covered with my handy dandy little table cloth (never leave home without it!) and they provided a potted plant for decoration. I sold ONE book which they took forever to pay me for. Nearly everyone who came by said they'd spent their book money the week before on a local true crime writer who'd signed there. I know and love the guy, but I could've killed him by the end of the day. The other author with me didn't sell well either. This chain is supposed to be great for signings, but not for us. Not that day.

CAFÉ:
Not fun. I guess we all have our horror stories. Future writing goals?

LONNIE:
Stay published with Five Star, keep the series going and hope it sparks more interest for the first series.

CAFÉ:
Heroes?

LONNIE:
Anne Perry, Bill Crider, Anne George, Tony Hillerman, many others.

CAFÉ:
Person you would most like to meet dead or alive?

LONNIE:
Bill Crider (I've met Anne Perry) Abe Lincoln, Tony Hillerman.

CAFÉ:
What do you read?

LONNIE:
Cozy mystery.

CAFÉ:
What are your hobbies?

LONNIE:
Cross stitch, hanging out with my grands, rock hunting and hiking.

CAFÉ:
Favorite TV or movies?

LONNIE:
TV: The Closer, Design Star (I'm so mad that Sparkle Josh was eliminated last night, sigh.) Movies: The Thin Man Series, The Las Vegas Story, Pride and Prejudice (A&E version, of course.)

CAFÉ:
I love the Closer too and the Thin Man Series. Makes me want to watch them again. Any pets?

LONNIE:
None, but I miss having a dog.

CAFÉ:
Family?

LONNIE:
Hubby, kids, grands. All fun. All supportive.

CAFÉ:
That’s awesome. And where is Metropolis?

LONNIE:
Southern most tip of Illinois, right across from Paducah, KY. More people know where Paducah is than Metropolis. Did I mention we're small?

CAFÉ:
No one knows where Reedley is either so I know the feeling. Any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

LONNIE:
Keep learning, keep trying, don't give up. Mostly, keep learning so your work improves.

CAFÉ:
Good advice. Anything you would like to add?

LONNIE:
Is it lunch time yet? I'm starving.

CAFÉ:
We’ll have to grab you a bagel to go with the coffee. Website?

LONNIE:
www.lonniecruse.com and www.lonniecruse.blogspot.com and www.poesdeadlydaughters.blogspot.com

CAFÉ:
Where can people purchase your books?

LONNIE:
Some Barnes and Noble bookstores have them in stock in my area and all will order them. Amazon.com. OR signed copies can be ordered through the e-mail link on my website. Lorie, thanks so much for the interview opportunity, I really enjoyed it!

CAFÉ:
Thank you for joining us.

©2008 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.