A Visit from M.M. Gornell, Author of Cousel of Ravens
Thank you, Marilyn, for
asking me over! I’m always honored to visit, especially since you’ve been such
an inspiration to me.
For this post, Marilyn so
kindly said I could talk about whatever aspect of writing I liked. What fun—and my thoughts eventually landed
on “doing a sequel,” then moved on from there to the larger concept of “the
winding-road-of-writing.”
As you all know, Marilyn writes
TWO series—but for me and my few
books, it’s been standalones until my latest. So, I’m talking about only one little sequel, and that may seem
like not such a big deal, but for me, it was huge. I didn’t realize how huge
until about the middle of writing Counsel
of Ravens. I’ve mentioned on blogs before how certain locations seem to
reach out, grab me, tell me there’s a story there. And from that initial spark,
my mind moves on to characters, plot, etc. Intertwined in that process—I think—is also a liking for dropping in
on characters, not only at a particular spot, but in a particular point in
their lives. Then drop out. Move on. Leaving all the “what if” possibilities in
the rest of their lives unanswered and left to the reader’s imagination.
Well, writing
a sequel with Hugh et al., I’d have to deal with what came next, tie up some
lose ends, even kick-start the next chapter of his life. At first, and for
quite awhile in the writing of Counsel of Ravens, I didn’t want to do that.
Doesn’t make much sense, but it’s true.
It was hard making what I’m
calling “second-wave” decisions for Hugh. And with that kind of mindset and
difficulty, how could I possibly ever write a series, which was one of my
initial goals way-back-when? And now, even with Counsel of Ravens published, I’m
still not sure I can actually write a continuing series.
Though, somewhere
during the storytelling part of my latest I began to enjoy developing Hugh’s
future, and his friend’s futures—including his ravens—who moved in this story from
being reticent, to butting-in. And I did very much enjoy
tying up the loose ends with a secondary, but one of my favorite characters in
Reticence of Ravens—Marsha Portson.
Which leads me to the
“winding-road-of-writing.” My love of P.D. James’s style, her books, her
protagonist, her approach to writing—led me to start off using M.M., wanting to
emulate my rock-star author and
because I planned on writing a series with a male protagonist—again, just like
P.D.
Things have changed for my
characters in several ways (indeed, two of my books have female protagonists)—and
for me. My writing-career-plans seem to
have their own plan—taking me on a
winding road somewhere…
A very wise author once told
me, “Enjoy the process,” and I say, “Hear! Hear! I sure better.” So here I am back
on the winding road, and what seems to
be next for me is writing a thriller sort of/mystery sort of/mainstream fiction
sort of/ novel called Rhodes. It’s a
standalone—BUT, I’ve given it a secondary title—The Mojavestone, just in case! (I’m rereading (audio) The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins—wonder if that has something
to do with my title?)
Oh, Marilyn, thanks so much
for inviting me—loved being here!
Synopsis for
Counsel of Ravens:
In the dark of night, murder
strikes on Route 66, and once again Hubert James Champion III finds himself
having to face realities he’d rather run from. Indeed, within two days, Hugh
finds himself embroiled in murder on a national scale, seeking justice for
petty-crimes of a local nature—and very close to home, reviving his skills as a
psychologist to help people who have become friends. Indeed, his friends need
him.
In addition, there are
troubling mysteries of the personal kind still tucked away in the recesses of
Hugh’s subconscious. He may still be “hiding out” in the desert, but East Coast
ties continue to haunt and thwart his building hopes for the future.
Fortunately, he has his
ravens to counsel him, and through it all—the Mojave winds continue to blow…
Bio:
Madeline (M.M.) Gornell has
five published mystery novels—including PSWA awarding winners Uncle Si’s Secret and Lies
of Convenience (also a Hollywood Book Festival honorable
Mention), Death of a Perfect Man, and Reticence of Ravens (a
finalist for the Eric Hoffer 2011 fiction Prize, the da Vinci Eye for cover
art, and the Montaigne Medal for most thought provoking book). Her latest is Counsel
of Ravens, her first sequel
and a continuation of Hubert Champion’s Mojave saga. She continues to be
inspired by historic Route 66, and expects to release in 2014 Rhodes.
Madeline is a lifetime lover
of mysteries, and besides reading and writing, she is also a potter with a
fondness for stoneware and reduction firing. She lives with her husband and
assorted canines in the Mojave High Desert near the internationally revered
Route 66 (Newberry Springs).
Contact and Buy Info:
Madeline’s books http://tinyurl.com/namho8g are available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com,
and Smashwords, in paper and e-book formats. You can visit her online at her
website http://www.mmgornell.com, or her BLOG http://www.mmgornell.wordpress.com or email her
directly at mmgornell@earthlink.net
Thank you so much, Madeline, for stopping by. I loved, loved, loved Counsel of Ravens and I'm really looking forward to Rhodes.
Marilyn
Comments
Madeline
Jackie, your raven story was so fascinating, http://jtzortman.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/ravens-rock/ I've told it to several people--and the raven picture is great. Thanks for stopping by, glad you liked Counsel of Ravens, and sure hope you enjoy Hugh's first Mojave adventure!
Diane
Marja McGraw
(PS had to delete first try TWICE of this comment - misspellings, always need an editor!)
I completely empathize! Writing a series is a monumental task! I'm in awe of authors like Marilyn, Marja and Lesley Diehl who write two or, in Lesley's case, three mystery series. I can't even imagine!
I've loved the first two books in your series and I can't wait to read the next one! If I can do it - I'm sending the third book in my Malone mystery series to my publisher soon - I absolutely KNOW that you can. :)
Madeline
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