Welcome back, Bruce. Why
do you write the kind of books you do?
I enjoy reading and writing historical fiction and
contemporary fiction that has historical roots, such as novels with paralleling
contemporary and historical storylines. Aside from the fascinating research, I
love sharing what I’ve discovered, because I believe it’s as important to learn
something from a book as it is to be entertained by it.
Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
On December 27th, Jeannie and I celebrated for the 43rd time
the best day of my life—and she has done everything in her power to make every
day since our wedding another best-day-of-my-life. The days she failed to do so
were completely my fault.
How has being
published changed your life?
It’s made me a lot busier. J It has also immensely
elevated my respect for those intrepid souls who have done it so much better
than I.
What are you reading
right now?
Fiction: I just finished Sibella Giorello’s latest release
in her Raleigh
Harmon series. (You all really need to read Sibella’s work—she’s one of
those intrepid souls.)
Non-fiction: The
Rhetoric of Revelation in the Hebrew Bible, by Dale Patrick. Fascinating
perspective on how God communicates through the Scriptures.
What is your current
work in progress?
I’m working on the “The Marble Falls Legacy – Part 2,” the
sequel to Quimby Pond which is featured in this blog interview. How fun!
There’s a sneak preview at the end of Quimby Pond for the more curious
among your readers.
What would be your
dream vacation?
A river cruise in Europe .
Okay, so while we’re dreaming, an all-expenses-paid river cruise in Europe .
Good luck with that. J How do you choose your
settings for each book?
The historical hook chooses it for me. I’m more interested
in a really interesting premise for the story than I am where it takes place. For
example, I would never have thought of Rangeley ,
Maine
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
The same person I spend every evening with—that 43-year
helpmate I mentioned earlier. But then, I don’t think that’s what you meant, so
I’ll try to be a little more innovative. I’ll also assume you don’t include
fictional characters—who are very much alive—because I’ve created some whom I’d
love to spend an evening with just to see what they’re really like. J
So, given those constraints, I suppose it would have to be Peyton Manning. He
has nothing to prove to me, so he can be genuine (i.e., no need to force any
“image”). I appreciate his work ethic and what I understand to be his
perspective on living his faith.
What are your
hobbies, besides writing and reading?
I enjoy camping, prospecting for gold, and playing the
12-string guitar. Sometimes all at the same time, which can get a little
confusing. But it’s still fun.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Finding consistent time to write. I have a full-time job and
a home life that I must prioritize. Writing sporadically hinders growing in the
craft. I do edit manuscripts, though, so I’m able to stay in the discipline
from that perspective, although creating my own work sometimes suffers.
What advice would you
give to a beginning author?
Establish your goal as a writer up front. What do you really
want to do? Do you want a writing career, an avocation, a one-time work to
share with family and friends? If you don’t decide that up front, you’ll waste
a lot of time, money, and frustration in seeking the proper path to publication
(sorry about the alliteration, but hey, that says it all. J)
Can you change your mind at some point? Sure, that’s the stuff of life. But in
the publishing industry, making a drastic change in trajectory can be ungainly.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Ah! J I absolutely love Quimby Pond. It’s my
first contemporary mystery/suspense—but still with that true historical
hook—and so the genre is a little new to me, although I’ve written elements of
mystery in previous works. Quimby Pond takes place in northern Maine . It centers on a
young woman who has come to Marble Falls (a fictitious representation of the lovely town
of Rangeley ) to
escape her past. When she begins to restore an antique trunk for a friend, her
past resurges, thrusting her and her friends into mortal danger.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
This is the Prologue, which sets the historical backdrop for
the story. It’s actually 1-1/2 pages, so be advised that I’m going to cheat. J
Thursday Night, August
20, 1896. Marble Falls , Maine
Arthur Dunsley, reporter for The Lakes newspaper, tapped a stubby pencil against his chin as he
circled the abandoned steamer trunk. It seemed sad, lonely, if such a thing
could be. A bridal trunk with no bride? Just wasn’t right. He stooped and
fingered a delicately inscribed card affixed to the lid, then jotted a word or
two in his pocket notebook.
“So, what ya make of her?” Stationmaster Charlie Turner
tipped up his billed cap and scratched behind an ear.
“Dunno. Suppose it was loaded on the wrong train?”
“On the line from Phillips?” Charlie shook his head. “Came
off the one o’clock, nobody with it. Word got around town. Folks came for
tonight’s train too. Still nobody.”
Arthur tugged on the hasp. “Locked.”
“Aye-uh. Already tried that.”
The reporter closed the notebook and rose with a half-smile.
Finally, something more exciting than who-is-visiting-whom-in-the-lakes gossip
and depressing obituaries. “I’ve got an empty corner in today’s edition. This
oughta add a little mystery to the humdrum.”
“And I got an empty corner in the stationhouse where she’ll
go ’til somebody comes ta fetch her.”
“Let me know if they do, would ya, Charlie?”
“Surely.” Charlie grasped one of the trunk’s leather handles
and dragged it toward the stationhouse door.
Arthur pocketed his pencil and notebook, and strode toward
town.
***
The dim glow of a cigar ember flared beyond the empty train
platform. Among the shadows, a lone figure leaning against a knobby evergreen
hacked a hoarse cough into his sleeve. A flick of his finger, and the stogie’s
chewed stub arced onto the narrow-gauge railroad tracks, erupting sparks over
their rough-hewn wooden ties.
The man pushed away from the tree and set a stealthy course
toward the station. He drew up at the platform as the stationmaster’s bulky
silhouette appeared in a window against the yellow glow of an oil lamp. The
stranger backed against the station’s turret, one hand pressed against the
rough stone, the other reaching toward his belt. When he withdrew it, the
pitted steel blade of a hunting knife flashed in the weak lamplight.
The stationmaster moved from view.
The man palmed the knife and edged toward the door.
Nice hook. I am eager
to find out what happens next. How can readers find you on the Internet?
I have a blog
and a Facebook
author page. I’d love to interact with any of your readers on either of those
venues.
Thanks so much for the interview, Lena .
It’s been fun!
Thank you, Bruce, for sharing this new book with us.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Quimby Pond
- paperbackQuimby Pond - Kindle
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