Interview with Authors L.J. Garland and Debie Gould and their book Sins of the Mind

I have both lovely authors on today to tell us a little bit about themselves and their creation!

Welcome to CEWTNK!!  It's so nice to have you here!!
DEBBIE GOULD : Thanks for inviting us, I’m excited.
LJ GARLAND : Yes, thanks so much for having us today!
                                   

How old were you when you first realized you wanted to write?

DEBBIE GOULD : Late thirty’s. I’ve always loved to read, but my daughter had just gone through a bunch of bad break-ups, so after reading about all these great heroes, I decided I wanted to write about the hero she should have. That’s when Mountain’s Echo was born.

LJ GARLAND : Hmm, well, I’m not going to mention my age <LOL> but it wasn’t until I met my husband that the bug really bit. This story idea just jumped into my head, and I came home from work one day and said, “Honey, I want to write a book.” He was like, “Okay.” So, off I went to write the first few chapters. Around chapter five, I decided I should stop and show him what I’d done. I’ll tell you, there’s nothing so intense as sitting by, gnawing your nails, while the man you love reads what you wrote. Course later he told me that he’d been just as nervous. Before he ever read the first word, he wondered how he would tell me if it sucked. LOL

                

Most authors have an unusual story or way that they come up with their ideas for books…Do you have one?
LJ GARLAND : Well, as I recall, we were both on the same Internet forum. We’d known each other for…what? Two years, Deb?

DEBBIE GOULD : Yup, about that. We had been brainstorming a plot in one of the books I was writing (still unfinished, lol) and I showed her the first chapter of another story that had been screaming in my brain at me. She liked it, and I asked her if she wanted to co-write it.

LJ GARLAND : That’s right! And I was excited because the story was interesting. Romance and murder, what’s not to like? So, we started brainstorming ideas and things got pretty intense and…what’s the word I’m looking for?

DEBBIE GOULD : Twisted?

LJ GARLAND : Yes. That’s a great descriptor. But we both loved it and voilà, Sins of the Mind!

What was your biggest influence that steered you towards writing?

DEBBIE GOULD : Like I said, my daughter. She and my boys continue to be great inspirations.

LJ GARLAND : I’ve always loved to read. But my husband’s encouragement was probably the biggest push.

I have to ask, what are the hardest scenes for you to write?

LJ GARLAND : For me, I think probably the opening scene. Most times I have the scene in my head, but it has to be worded to capture the reader’s attention and hold it, otherwise they’ll put the story down. Can’t have that! So, I work hard to try to hook ‘em and keep ‘em reading.

DEBBIE GOULD : Hands down, the sex. Not sure why, but I always stall when it comes to the sex scenes. LOVE to read them, but it’s hard as heck to write and have all the emotion and everything you need in it for it not to sound like insert slot A into slot B.

Are sex scenes difficult for you to word?

DEBBIE GOULD : LMAO…see above.

LJ GARLAND : The hardest part about sex scenes are coming up with enough terms so body parts aren’t repeated over and over…and to keep the verbiage from leaning toward purple prose. lol

Do you see yourself writing in another genre?
LJ GARLAND : Absolutely! Debbie and I write a variety of genre.

DEBBIE GOULD : Together, Laura and I started out with romantic suspense. But lately, we’ve really branched out! I think we’ve hit 4-5 other romance genres. The story we just finished is paranormal romance.

Has your family been supportive?
LJ GARLAND : My family is very supportive. My husband is forever discussing plot problems and character arcs. We work as a team on most everything! Course, Deb feels like family…and she’s super supportive!

DEBBIE GOULD : Ditto! J  My children have always been very supportive.

Are any of your characters reflective of you? DEBBIE GOULD : All of them. They all have a tiny piece of me in them. Well, except Elliot.

LJ GARLAND : Hahaha! Nah, there’s a piece of you in Elliot, too. The piece that you want never to see the light of day!

DEBBIE GOULD: NEVER will I admit that a piece of Elliot resides in me.

LJ GARLAND : Elliot Swanson is one of Red River’s Attorney at Law. He’s a self-involved nut job. LOL

DEBBIE: I HATE him. He’s a jerk!

LAURA: Okay then, I think maybe he’s the character I love to hate. LOL Who is your favorite character?

DEBBIE: Well, Ethan of course. He’s the hot, hunky, sensitive, Alpha of the book. What’s not to love?

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
DEBBIE GOULD : Read, travel, cook. I have a huge yard and the mowing takes 5 hours, so that’s what I’m doing on my weekends. Love to go camping too.

LJ GARLAND : I have three young boys who keep me on my toes. But when I’m not corralling or home schooling them, I have tons of hobbies, including building archery equipment from scratch and creating stained glass. I have a passion for anything that goes Boom! …from fireworks to high-powered combat rifles…it’s all good. My hubby and I are both rated helicopter pilots and spent our 10^th anniversary flying cross-country from east to west coast…an adventure I highly recommend.

Who is your favorite book heroine?

LJ GARLAND : I would have to say Fallon from the paranormal romance we just finished writing. She was amazing…risked her life, darn near killed herself to save the man she loved. Oops! Did I give away too much?

DEBBIE GOULD : LMAO!  Mine would have to be Melanie from Infidelity, a book I wrote a few years ago. She overcame tremendous odds.

Do you have any unusual habits that revolve around writing?
DEBBIE GOULD : Nope, don’t think so. I’m pretty basic.

LJ GARLAND : Maybe not unusual but I do like to listen to music and drink coffee. LOL Usually there’s a cat in my lap, too. They swear they’re helping with my creativity…I swear they’re bringing on carpal tunnel syndrome. But they’re sweet and furry, so how can I say no?

What is you favorite mystical creature? DEBBIE GOULD : Dragons. Multi-colored dragons. Those flying things in Avatar were cool too.

LJ GARLAND : Love unicorns. But a griffin takes a close second!

What were some of your biggest challenges at the beginning of your career? DEBBIE GOULD : Writing the story was easy. Sending it out to the critique group and learning about all the things I had no clue about was shocking. Grammar is not my strong suit apparently. LOL.

LJ GARLAND : For me, it was that there was SO much to learn. Writing is a very complicated craft—not to mention subjective.

How do you feel about reader comments?
LJ GARLAND : We love to hear from our readers! We like to know what they enjoyed about our stories and what they might like to see in the future.

DEBBIE GOULD : Love hearing from readers. Ditto what Laura said.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
LJ GARLAND : Learn the craft. Write the best story…and most important…Never quit.

DEBBIE GOULD : Ditto! Oh, and research what you’re not sure of.

LJ GARLAND : Yeah, research is good, too. And the Internet makes that part so much easier than back in the dino-age. I’ll tell you, it ain’t easy running from a T-Rex while lugging a set of encyclopedias. *cough* Not that I would know….

Where are your books available?
L.J. Garland & Debbie Gould

Sins of the Mind – kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Sins-Mind-River-Series-ebook/dp/B0083W9XLE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337636191&sr=1-1
ebook: http://www.omnilit.com/product-sinsofthemind-792597-149.html

L.J. Garland

On the Fringes –  kindle: http://www.amazon.com/On-the-Fringes-ebook/dp/B00328ZUZM/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
ebook: http://www.omnilit.com/product-onthefringes-507131-143.html

Cadence Interrupted –  kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Cadence-Interrupted-ebook/dp/B0030CMLMU/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
ebook: http://www.omnilit.com/product-cadenceinterrupted-434360-152.html

MechMan – paperback: http://www.amazon.com/MechMan-L-J-Garland/dp/1603182586/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1335976108&sr=8-2
kindle: http://www.amazon.com/MechMan-ebook/dp/B004OC06W2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335976108&sr=8-2
ebook: http://www.omnilit.com/product-mechman-516526-143.html

Dreamspell Revenge – paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Dreamspell-Revenge-Lisa-Rene-Smith/dp/1603181881/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Dreamspell-Revenge-ebook/dp/B004IAS08C/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
ebook: http://www.omnilit.com/product-dreamspellrevenge-477933-152.html

Dead or Alive – Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Alive-Night-Stand-Series-ebook/dp/B007ZU72G8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337636450&sr=8-1
ebook: http://www.omnilit.com/product-deadoralive-788384-143.html

Debbie Gould

Second Chance - http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Night-Series-ebook/dp/B0070PJ4DC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337695958&sr=1-1

November Rain - http://www.amazon.com/November-Rain-N%C3%A2t%C3%A2licia-Series-ebook/dp/B003WJRGTE/ref=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_img_in

Infidelity -  http://www.amazon.com/Infidelity-ebook/dp/B003Z9K4ZO/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337696067&sr=1-3

Mountain’s Echo -  http://www.amazon.com/Mountains-Echo-ebook/dp/B003ZK5FXY/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2#_

What can we expect from you in the future?
DEBBIE GOULD : We are working on the next book in the Red River Series, yup more murder, mayhem, and romance, lol.

LJ GARLAND : Yep, we’ll be torturing the next characters even more than the first. Though, I think Sins of the Mind had several unexpected twists…and the characters got banged up pretty good.

Where can we reach you and become informed of updates?
- We can be tracked down at http://www.garland-and-gould.blogspot.com/ where we blog, chat about stuff, and interview other authors.
- L.J. can be caught at www.lj-garland.com and emailed at mail@lj-garland.com You can also tweet her at @LJ_Garland1
- Debbie can be found at http://www.authordebbiegould.com/ and emailed at mountecho2006@yahoo.com.
- We love hearing from people who have enjoyed our stories!

And you can find Sins of the Mind here!

LJ GARLAND : Thank you so much for having us here today!
DEBBIE GOULD : Yes, thanks! We had an awesome time!

It was a pleasure having you both on!!  Now let's take a look at Sins of the Mind:

Seven years ago, Abby Montgomery survived a brutal attack. Now she is ready to put her pain in the past and move on with her life. The problem is, one by one the men in her life are being viciously murdered.

The detective assigned to the case, Ethan Parker, has demons of his own to hide. As the danger gets closer to Abby, so does Ethan. But can they get past his secrets before the killer gets to them? Sometimes the sins of the mind are more depraved than the sins of the heart