No, sorry. I'm allergic to cats.
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| My poor husband is allergic, too. However, he did marry a veterinarian and three-legged Charlie is our cat. (He's MY cat whenever he is naughty, I'm afraid. haha) |
Q) WORST life advice
you ever received.
The worst thing someone can say to me is – you can't do
that. I have to prove them wrong.
***Ann here: I agree with you on that. I'd have to prove them wrong, too.***
(Q) BEST life advice
you ever received.
A favorite Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Welch, taught me to
question everything, even the religion I was studying with her.
 |
| Sounds like a good teacher. Here's some more good advice. |
Q) Please share a
picture of your favorite shoes.
I love shoes, and picking a favorite was hard. You don't
mind that I photographed them with my books. J
I love a wedge, especially a pink wedge, and in the winter,
boots!
Q) What's your
favorite Disney film? (We are watching Maleficent right now.)
John Carter, was panned by moviegoers and critics, but I
loved it!
***Ann here: I keep hearing this title. Now I'm convinced I'd better check it out. I don't have any idea what it's even about. Plus, I often don't agree with critics.***
Q) How many years did
you live in Alaska?
Only four, I sometimes wish I'd never left, but I wanted to finish
my education. I met my husband in the process. He's a hot weather guy so we
moved to Washington State as a compromise and lived there for 17 years. I love
Washington as much as Alaska. Now we're back in Pennsylvania.
Q) What's your
favorite part about living in Alaska? What's your least favorite part? It
sounds both exciting and difficult.
I was young and full of the "I can do anything"
spirit. I fell in love with the scenery, the openness, and the people. No one
was a stranger. I hitchhiked for the first time, always with a male friend. I
learned the importance of the Alaska perfume - Bug Off. I learned to fly fish,
and became an excellent shot. I hiked the Brooks Range and the Alaska Range,
and enjoyed grayling and salmon direct from the stream to the skillet or oven.
Alaska was magical.
I guess the worst was having to use the outhouse in the
bitter cold. No thank you, I moved from my first place, a brand new A-frame cabin
with no plumbing to an efficiency apartment that had a large warm bathroom, small
kitchen with running water. I don't mind roughing it on hikes into the
mountains, but I love a hot shower in the morning and a warm seat too!J
Q) How did you
survive being stranded alone on a mountain at 30 below?
To be honest I panicked, and ended up with mild hypothermia.
My little car made it over the mountains to Clear Air Force Base, 80 miles
south of Fairbanks. I was helping a friend move, but on the way back, when I
was alone, the car was just too light. On the mountain it kept sliding backward,
no matter what gear, I put it in, and no, I didn't have chains. The road was
nothing but ice. Even before this happened I was cold because my car's engine
couldn't produce enough heat to keep the windshield clear let alone heat the
interior. I had to scrape ice off the inside of the window while driving. It
was a foolish idea to make the trip in the first place, especially in that
little car, but I did.
My car ended up sideways in the middle of the highway on a
mountainside. It wouldn't go forward, and I panicked as it kept sliding
backwards. I wasn't in control, so I ended up straddling both lanes, which I
thought was better than hanging off the side of the cliff. I had no choice but
to get out and wait near the guardrail. If not for my winter gear, things would
have been a lot worse. Standing on the side of that mountain, I was certain a
semi would come around the curve up ahead and wipe us all out.
But God answered my prayer and sent a Jeep from the south.
The Jeep got behind me and pushed, then followed me the rest of the way. When I
climbed in bed that night, my entire body was bright pink. I was chilled to the
bone. Despite using every blanket I had, I shivered all night. Did not think I
would ever feel warm again. I was lucky.
Q) I've always
thought burning alive would be better than freezing alive, but you mention
living through a winter of fifty below for weeks at a time. How Hellish was
that? It sounds like Hell to me.
Freezing is more humane, first you shiver, then go a bit
crazy, some folks even get naked, and then you simply go to sleep. Burning to
death would be so painful.
In Alaska, you simply dress for the weather. That first year
I wore jeans, boots, and sweaters. The first time I decided to buy a skirt for
a date, I didn't recognize my own legs. J
The other thing about Alaska that made it wonderful was that
no one was a stranger. Everyone banded together, you knew who your neighbors
were, and everyone was willing to help. During the brown-outs, scheduled shut
downs of electrical power, due to over usage we'd all gather in one person's
kitchen with our kerosene lamps and talk or play cards and keep warm together.
Honestly, ice fog is a remarkable sight. Car exhaust would almost
solidify. Ice crystals float in the air like little flecks of diamond. After 50
below, 30 below is like a heat wave!
Q) On your Murderous
Imaginings website ("A blog for writers who kill their enemies and their
darlings." at http://www.yolandarenee.com) you list numerous poisons (arsenic, ethylene glycol, and
mercury, etc.) and now I have to ask--what's YOUR favorite poison to write
about? ***On a side note, since insulin is obtained without a prescription at
so many pharmacies right now (which I truly wonder at) I wonder if this will
soon become (or is now) a convenient way of killing someone in their sleep.
Gruesome thoughts, I know.***
I have such gruesome thoughts all the time, but motivations
are what interest me. My favorite weapon to write about is the knife. But if I
were to poison someone write about poisoning someone, I'd probably find
a plant in the garden like Autumn Crocus, Oleander, Angel’s Trumpet or Foxglove
and make a lovely tea. Some of the prettiest of flowers are the most deadly. I'd
also attempt to make the death look like an accident, so I'd use a slower
acting poison. With an accident, there's a good chance there'd be no autopsy,
but it's all a gamble with today's forensics experts.
As far as Murderous Imaginings it's a blog in
process. I'd like to find like-minded murderers, in writing of course, at least
three or four other writers, to contribute one blog post a month, all about
murder and writing it. Book reveals, reviews, guest posts and 'how-to's' for
writing a great mystery. If anyone is interested, please contact me at yolandarenee@hotmail.com.
(Q) What event would
you call your breakthrough as an author?
The query contest that Sharon Bayless and CQ held and I won.
I had an agent, but she'd done nothing with my books, except sit on them for an
entire year, and I thought why not.
(Q) What do you know
now that you wish you knew much earlier on as an author?
How truly wonderful the right editor is. Just like any relationship,
you have to find the right fit. Barbara Sachs Sloan is the expert I go to after
I think my books are done; she straightens me out real quick with structure and
content. Her advice has never been wrong. Editors are the folks that make me
look like the author I always wanted to be. They are awe-inspiring!
If it's allowed I'd love to give a shout out to Mollie
Wiesenfeld, with CQ, she did an incredible job with Murder & Obsession, my
third novel due out in March 2016.
Q) What's the best
marketing advice you can give other authors?
There's so much available information and resources out
there now for new authors, it can be overwhelming, so join a writers group,
especially a local one where you can network and learn. Help is there soak it
up!
But the best advice is and always has been – write, write, write!
Q) Name 5 books you
wish you'd written (and not just for the money and fame).
To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee's ability for setting.
Gone With the Wind, and Margaret Mitchell's attention to
detail, language, and strong women.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – JRR Tolkien's world
building.
It - Steven King's ability to scare the crap out of anyone.
Chesapeake – James A Michener – description says it all.
Q) List 5 books you
loved as a child.
We didn't have access to books when I was really young. We
learned about fairy tales from Saturday morning cartoons. I won my first book,
a Bible by memorizing Bible quotes. I read everything I could get my hands on,
the newspaper from front to back, and I'd read my mother's True Story magazines
and Readers Digest. As soon as I was old enough to apply for a library card, I
devoured everything on the shelves, and was quickly hooked on mysteries.
The Secret of the Old Clock, a Nancy Drew Mystery written by
Carolyn Keene.
The Vanishing Shadow, a Judy Bolton Mystery written by
Margaret Sutton.
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
And my all-time favorite – Gone With the Wind by Margaret
Mitchell.
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| As you can tell by now, this is one of my favorites as well. I remember reading my mom's copy in the rocking chair as a child, with the dictionary beside me because I had to look up approximately one word per page. I loved the challenge. |
*****
Thanks Ann, this was great fun, I apologize if I got a bit long
winded, but ask me about Alaska and I'll talk your ear off. J
AUTHOR BIO:
The Keystone state couldn't satisfy my adventurous spirit, yet Pennsylvania will always be home. Alaska called to me and I answered. I learned to sleep under the midnight sun, hike the Brooks Range, and traveled from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.
When I left the corporate world to seek my next adventure, writing, this beautiful state and it’s most primal spirit, inspired me to feature Alaska in my newly published mystery trilogy. The wonders, mysteries, and incredible beauty that is Alaska has never left my soul.
The story weaves a rich tapestry of love, obsession, mystery, and murder…
Life is full of many journeys, and I look forward to the next adventure on my bucket list…
Author of Murder, Madness & Love
Blogger at Defending the Pen
BOOK BLURB:
Decades ago, the seeds were planted …
Today, dark, fathomless eyes rake the
image before him. One final task and the transformation is complete. Steady
fingers screw intricately carved horns on each side of a stiff brow, and a
gargoyle suitable for Notre Dame scowls from the smokey mirror in satisfaction.
A jagged smile rips through his smooth,
hairless face, and inked, reptilian scales caress his naked body.
A laugh of hideous resonance emanates
from his gut as the demons of hell welcome Lucifer into their fold.
In a dungeon-like chamber, his Lilith
awaits. The kidnapped daughter of a nun, groomed to fit the final piece in the
complex puzzle for world domination. Will Lucifer marry his bride, on the
summer solstice?
Only two things stand in his way ...
His greed ...
And ...
Detective Steven Quaid.
Thanks, Ann, loved the questions, books have always been an important part of my life. In fact, one of the reasons I bought my first pick-up truck was to haul around my collection of books. I had no furniture, but hundreds of books, oh yeah!
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome. I very much enjoyed your answers. Alaska has always fascinated me, but I've never been adventurous enough to take that kind of leap. Oh, well. :)
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