Avalon Books - Author! Author!


	Read some interviews from past editions:
		CJ Love August, 2009
		DeAnn Smallwood June, 2009
		Nikki Poppen February, 2009
		Sue Gibson December, 2008
		Elisabeth Rose October, 2008
		Sherry Lynn Ferguson August, 2008
		S.J. Stewart June, 2008
		Zelda Benjamin April, 2008
		Shirley Marks December, 2007
		Donna Wright December, 2007
		Carolyn Brown August, 2007
		Roni Denholtz June, 2007
		Tara Randel April, 2007
		Sydell Voeller February, 2007
		Sheila Robins December, 2006
		Ann Holt October, 2006
		Cynthia Danielewski July, 2006
		Jane McBride Choate March, 2006
		Kathryn Meyer Griffith January, 2006
		Mel Taylor November, 2005
		Kathleen Fuller September, 2005
		Tracey J. Lyons July, 2005
		Ludima Gus Burton May, 2005
		Holly Jacobs March, 2005
		Sandra D. Bricker January, 2005
		Kathryn Quick November, 2004
		Cheri Jetton September, 2004
		Heather S. Webber July, 2004
		Karl Fieldhouse May, 2004
		Shelley Galloway March, 2004
		Ilsa Mayr January, 2004
		Kathy Carmichael November, 2003
		Dorothy P. O'Neill July, 2003
		Joani Ascher May, 2003
		Patricia DeGroot March, 2003
		Nancy J. Parra January, 2003
		Barbara Meyers November, 2002
		Christine Bush September, 2002
		Debby Mayne July, 2002
		Jean C. Gordon May, 2002
		Charles E. Friend March, 2002
		Norma Seely January, 2002
		Glen Ebisch November, 2001
		Gina Cresse September, 2001
		John Paxson July, 2001
		Terri Alcock May, 2001
		Clifford Blair March, 2001
		Amanda Harte January, 2001
		Kent Conwell November, 2000
		Carolyn Brown September, 2000
		Annette Mahon July, 2000
		Marjorie McGinley May, 2000
		Jack Lewis March, 2000
		Amanda Harte January, 2000
		Joyce and Jim Lavene November, 1999
	Return to the current Author! Author! interview:
		Loretta C. Rogers October, 2009


Author! Author!: April, 2009
Click an image to learn more about these books. An Interview with Valerie and Susan (V.S.) Meszaros


Have you ever used real people as characters?
	Yes. In Lone Survivor, for instance, our first book with Avalon, we introduced Andrew Jackson. We researched him, found several interesting traits, and brought them to light. He is a fun character, and we are using him in a manuscript already with Avalon as well as in a future book. Historical figures can make entertaining secondary characters. We also have used our father in our books. When he was young he was an amateur boxer and earned the prestigious Golden Gloves Award. He never tired of telling us about the fights he’d won. Often, he would lace up the gloves and show us exactly how it was done. When we sit down to write the fighting scenes it all comes back. He always used to say of the other boxers, “Why, I can take five—no six—of him before breakfast!” It’s a line we used in Dead Man’s Money.
How do you name your characters?
	The phone book is a good source of names, first and last. Also, we look at credits at the end of movies to find unusual names. Check maps as well. In Dead Man’s Money, one of the outlaws is called Coolee. It is the name of a small town we used to visit as children.
Where do you get ideas for plots?
	They come from bits and pieces of history we’ve picked up along the way. Family history can be a good source for plots and material. Our father told us of an ancestor of ours—a foot soldier—who yanked an Austrian cavalry officer from his horse in the middle of a river and rode off, deserting the army to return home. This incident was used in Dead Man’s Money. Don’t be afraid to give the family tree a few shakes. You never know what will fall out.
What inspires you to write?
	The desire to write something entertaining and exciting. I’d like to think that readers can come into our books and have a good time. We start out with nice people—the hero and heroine—and, on the way to do whatever they must do, they run into some awful characters and go through harrowing experiences. At the end it all works out. Hopefully, as life itself does.
What is the hardest part of writing?
	The hardest part of writing is preparing the outlines and the constant rewrites. We break everything down and minutely outline before hand each chapter and what it will contain. This includes dialogue and action. After that comes the fun part: the writing of it. When we finish a section we pass it to read and make changes or suggestions. Material can go back and forth between us many times before we are satisfied with the draft. By the time the manuscript is ready to send off, we’ve read and refined each chapter about forty or fifty times. The work sometimes becomes tedious, but doing your best on your manuscript means less to do down the road when revisions come. At least, we fervently hope so!
What can you tell us about your latest book for Avalon?
	Dead Man’s Money is an 1870’s western unlike our first book, Lone Survivor, which was a frontier western and the first of the series. Julie Carter and her uncle John were traveling west to start a new life. But once the gunslingers saw the fat money belt around Carter’s waist and the pretty niece at his side, they wanted both. It’s up to Jim Wyatt, and ex-con, to help Julie when her uncle is gunned down and the outlaw gang come after her.
Are you working on anything else for Avalon?
	We have about ten story lines we’re working on for both regular and frontier westerns. Right now, we’re writing a third frontier western. Another traditional western will follow that. We like the frontier because it is wide open and gives the writer plenty of scope. You can come up with some unusual characters that fit in just fine in a frontier setting. You can also make the bad guys really bad. Of course, it makes it harder for the good guy to win—but that’s what makes the whole thing exciting. Traditional westerns, on the other hand, allow you to draw on the western landscape to bring your story to life. The history is different and so are your plots and characters. Both are enjoyable to write.
When do you find time to write?
	We’re always writing. It’s best to have a solid block of time. But sometimes you can come up with great ideas while you’re shoveling out the driveway, cutting grass, or cleaning the litter boxes. We like to discuss our characters or plots while we’re working or driving. When we get ideas we write them down immediately. (We keep a notebook in the car and pull over to jot down our thoughts.) Some of our best ideas occur when we’re just joking with each other. At lot of things come at night, when you’re laying in bed letting your mind wander over your book and characters. I don’t know how many times I’ve scribbled something down or run downstairs to type it up. When it comes, get it down right away. I guarantee by the time you wake up in the morning, you’ll have forgotten it. I have.