Welcome Gwyneth Greer

Welcome Judy Nickles writing as Gwyneth Greer

 

So happy you could be here today, Gwyneth! Please tell us a little about yourself.

• a retired teacher with two beautiful granddaughters and one worthless mutt. I love traveling, doing genealogical research, reading (mostly non-fiction), and dreaming of all the things I still want to do before I ‘shuffle off this mortal coil’.

Tell everyone about your journey to publishing a novel.

• I sat in front of the computer for a solid year, trying to learn how to get started. Someone pointed me to the Wild Rose Press, so I sent them a novel, which they rejected as not being a romance according to their guidelines. It fell more into the ‘family saga’ category, though there is a romance. Then I sent two more, Where Is Papa’s Shining Star? and its sequel, Finding Papa’s Shining Star, which were released in 2010.

What do you like the most and the least about writing?

• Doing the research for my ‘vintage’ novels is fascinating. Checking the galleys for errors, then lying awake nights worrying that I’ve missed something—that I could do without!

What are three things you cannot do without?

• My laptop, music to write by, and Diet Dr. Pepper, not necessarily in that order.

Give us a peek into your latest published work.

• The Showboat Affair, a Last Rose of Summer novel due for release April 15, tells the story of Nick and Jean, who find a second chance at love—and then find themselves running for their lives. This novel idea came from a trip to Branson, MO, where I enjoyed the dinner cruise on ‘The Branson Belle’, a wonderful showboat. What could be more romantic? (You can read the first chapter free at my website—www.judynickles.com—by clicking on ‘Excerpts’.)

What’s next on the writing horizon for you?

• The first novel I sent to TWRP has found a home with Champagne Books. The idea for  The Face on Miss Fanny’s Wall came from a visit to Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The visitor center is known as the ‘Hello Bordello’ which explains the history of the beautifully restored house! One wall displays pictures of some of the former residents, and my genealogical grenade went off. What if someone walked in and recognized great-grandma? It’s due out sometime in 2012. (Check out my Flickr account– http://flickr.com/judynickles- for pictures of the place.) 

Is there anything you want to tell readers?

• Read my books! (Sorry.) 

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

• I plot, and then I pant. Lots of good intentions give way to letting the story, like a good horse, have its head to find its way home.

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

• Probably The Showboat Affair since it’s contemporary as opposed to ‘vintage’—which isn’t everyone’s fascination as it is mine. Also, I surprised (shocked) myself with this book. I actually blushed while reading through the first edits! Hot seems to trump luke-warm when it comes to romance.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

• Yes! In the ‘shining star’ books, the message is definitely one of triumph over life’s circumstances and enduring love and devotion. In The Showboat Affair, I hope the reader takes away the power of hope and the healing of forgiveness.

How long have you been a writer?

• I was born with a #2 pencil in my fat little fist. Well, almost. Later, my long-suffering father hauled home his old upright Underwood typewriter so I could spin my tales far, far into summer nights. But it was writing ‘fan fiction’ on a forum dedicated to the old television western The Big Valley that taught me discipline and the necessity of crafting a tightly-woven story.

What’s something fans would find fascinating about you?

• If anyone can come up with something, please let me know. Maybe it’s that I’m having my adolescent rebellion 50 years late!

How do you come up with titles?

• With great difficulty. I was going to write The Showboat Murders’, but a friend expressed horror at the idea and said, “No! Write The Showboat Affair.” Song titles, quotations, the odd bit of conversation overheard somewhere…they’re all good. But honestly—I think it’s the artwork on the covers that grabs readers before anything else. TWRP has some awesome graphic artists!

Books available in print and as ebooks at The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.com

I like to sell the ‘shining star’ books as a set and give a nice discount if anyone wants to order the print books from me. judy@judynickles.com

Website: www.judynickles.com

Blog: www.judythewordplace.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/judy.nickles

Fan Page: http://facebook.com/VintageRomanceAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BigChiefTablet

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/judynickles