Welcome to 10 Quick Questions with Dave, Interviews and News from Review A Book Members.

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Comment by Pattimari Sheets Cacciolfi on April 12, 2013 at 2:24pm

Hello Dave, I am interested in 10 Quick Questions with Dave. I've requested this before and I am still waiting.

Pattimari

Comment by Pattimari Sheets Cacciolfi on February 10, 2013 at 8:06pm

Thank you Dave Tallman, I am interested in 10 Quick Questions with Dave.

I am a published author of 28 books.

Pattimari Sheets Cacciolfi

Comment by Susan Whitfield on March 26, 2011 at 5:23pm

I've interviewed with Dave and he's great. I highly recommend you get in touch with him. I also interview authors, so let me know if your book needs a swift kick in the spine.

Comment by Jane McCormick on February 10, 2011 at 11:15pm

Two years ago Yvonne interviewd me and gave my writer Patti Wicklund  a 5 star I loved it and now I am a speaker for women that have no voice And also for domistic Violence and prostitution, and trafficking, I survivoed it all as a young girl back in the 60's iin Vages. I am now much older and have amission to hellp other women not make the mistakes I mad.  Best to you    Jane

Comment by Pattimari Sheets Cacciolfi on May 11, 2010 at 6:30pm

Dave, this sounds like a great thing to do for writers. I for one who love to get involved in this.
Pattimari Sheets-Diamond

Comment by Eileen Thornton on March 18, 2010 at 5:13am

Check out my interview with Author Susan Whitfield at:

www.susanwhitfield.blogspot.com

Comment by Rose Marie Utsch Artley on August 26, 2009 at 6:03pm

This is a great interview. I had the priveledge of meeting Yvonne at the local library where we met to talk about writing and publishing. She helped me publish my first book of poetry. She gave me the courage to do it. For that I am forever grateful. I haven't done much about promoting it which is something I need to do. My book is
"Thoughts Passing By: (poetry) published by Lulu I look forward to reading more and maybe you might want to talk with me.

Comment by Sierra Rose on June 5, 2009 at 11:25pm

That was an interesting interview. Look forward to others.

Comment by Jane McCormick on March 1, 2009 at 6:33pm

Hi I am trying to find :isa Or angle Lisa? I do not know were to go to fimd her?

Comment by Mari Sloan on February 27, 2009 at 8:37pm

This was interesting and I'm looking forward to reading new interviews!
:-) Mari Sloan

Comment by l.a. nantz on January 28, 2009 at 3:55pm

enjoying the reviews and looking forward to being review!

Comment by Ann B. Keller on January 28, 2009 at 7:02am

Great interview, guys! I like the line of questioning.

Thanks for showing us the way, Yvonne.

Ann

Comment by Dave from Fictionwritersgroup.com on January 25, 2009 at 10:17pm

YM:
I have been known two work on two at a time. When I was writing Brilliant Insanity I was also researching Silent Scream.


Me:
Is being a published Author all that you hoped it would be?

YM:
It is better than I ever hoped. It is a dream come true.


Me:
Writing is a notoriously individual effort, how has being a writer affected your home and or family life?

YM:
Actually my family is so supportive and encouraging the only way it has affected them is that they want more.


Me:
In TV and Film writing is often portrayed as a profession as being this glamorous lifestyle, but in reality a writer is looking at a lot of time spent alone, does that get to you sometimes? Has your family ever complained about your writing schedule?

YM:
No on fact they give me all the space I need. My husband bought me a laptop for Christmas last year so I could spend time with him and write at the same time.


Me:
If you could work in any genre other than the one you are currently active in, what would that be?

YM:
I would write about Vampires. They are one of my favorites.


Me:
Your novels are categorized as what genre? Have you ever tried to write out of your comfort zone genre? And what do you think your agent /publisher would say if you came to them with an off market project?

YM:
My genre is basically thriller, crime, and true crime. I did a short story out of my comfort zone and it was a short story it was published in an anthology. If I had n agent they would probably try to talk me out of it. They hate change.


Me:
What kinds of jobs have you held while writing at the same time?

YM:
I worked in sales, customer service, you name it. I even tended bar.

Comment by Dave from Fictionwritersgroup.com on January 25, 2009 at 10:16pm

Me:
Have you ever changed the plot line of one of your works to save the life of a character that you had originally created to be the so called sacrificial lamb?

YM:
No so far the ones that were supposed to die did. For some reason it all seemed right.

Me:
How do go about creating your Characters?

YM:
I use people from my life and stories I have read and then of course when I do true crime they are all real.


Me:
I know some writers create full profiles of their characters, complete Bios and past histories and the like, to help ground their creations in the real world. Do you do that? Or do just make them up on the fly?

YM:
When I am writing my characters tend to find their own way. They create their own personalities as I am writing and sometimes I even have to go back and do re-writes because they take on a life of their own.


Me:
Do you build time lines for your stories?


YM:
I did for one that I started and haven't finished yet. It is still sitting in the delivery room.


Me:
Have you ever used the story board approach to help you maintain consistency in your novels?

YM:
I did with my true crime work - I built a huge story board that covered one wall of my office. I did it in order to see the sequence of events and the time line of the crimes. I wrote the book backwards from the time Gerard Schaefer was caught. I wrote it the way the crimes were solved which were backward so I had to do the story board.


Me:
What’s your feeling on writing programs that many software companies offer which claim to help you write better? Have you ever used one?

YM:
Personally I think they are just money makers. I have learned from my own experience and my courses in school. I had old world English teachers who taught me how to not only write but to speak. They may be good for writers who are just getting their feet wet.


Me:
Do you do book signings? And what’s the farthest from home that you have had to go to do one?

YM:
Yes, I do signings. The reason is readers want that personal relationship with the author they read. They want to be able to say, I know that author. And they are the reason we make money. The farthest I have gone to do a signing is Ga.


Me:
Do you have an agent? Do think that a writer today can get published in the “main stream” without one?

YM:
I had an agent and it was the worst thing I did. And yes I do think a writer can get published in "main stream" without one - but why would one want to. Main stream inhibits the writer from flying and from having control over his work.


Me:
What’s your opinion of the self publishing phenomenon, do you think that self publishing can lead to a contract with a major publishing house?

YM:
Absolutely but then again when the author does that they lose control over their work, they have no control over the cover, edits or anything else.


Me:
Do you think online publishing houses, like e-books, will replace printed versions? How far out do think we are to that?

YM:
No, We will always have books. The reason is people still love having that book in their hand.


Me:
Have you ever used a self publishing house?

YM:
Yes, Silent Scream is published through a self publishing house. It is published by Lulu and it is selling better than my other three.


Me:
Do you think self publishing will ultimately help or hurt a novice writer’s chances to be signed by a major publishing label?

YM:
It can only help especially when that author already has a following from that self publishing house.


Me:
Do you have an agency that you work with and would you be willing to share their name with our members?

YM:
I am my agency. I am willing to pay it forward and help those novices out there.





Me:
Do work on one project at a time, or have several going at once? And what do you do if you have a great idea for another project while you are still working on different one

Comment by Dave from Fictionwritersgroup.com on January 25, 2009 at 10:14pm

Me:
Would you be willing to share an excerpt of your latest project with us?

YM:
Of Course-
One:
He stood in the shadows of the building in the late night and watched the girl as she walked down the sidewalk his eyes never leaving her. It had been way to long since the last one. But he had to take his time, make it last so he watched. She was a pretty little thing with a slight build, long dark hair and legs that went all the way up to, well, he knew where they went.
He watched her as she crossed the street and started around the corner; he quickly came out of the shadows and followed her but not to closely. He stalked her as if he were the hunter and she were the prey. He wouldn't take her tonight, it was too soon. What fun was there in the hunt, if the kill was too quick.
Besides, the voices would not let him take her yet; he must know her, recognize the value of the life he intended to take away. There was no merit in killing, it was the possession of the soul that mattered, and it came from becoming the object of his obsession. She liked pizza; she listened to rap music and spent hours at her laptop with her earphones on, listening to her IPOD. Even better, she liked sex.

He could tell by the way she undressed for boyfriend number three, at least the third man he had seen her with during the two weeks she had been the focal point of his life. She removed her clothes slowly at first, teasing him, then more quickly as the man became aroused. She liked it. She liked variety. Boyfriend number one had been Asian. She had cooked and served him tea, geisha-style dressed in that dragon red kimono which he knew she wore nothing underneath. Her Hispanic friend and she had made love on the beach, as the white full moon slowly rose from the gently rolling ocean. For this man, a white businessman, the current receiver of her affections, she played the happy hooker.
She would love him. He just knew she would. He had all the same ideas of fun and games the others had didn’t he?
“Of Course I do.” The voice said to him. “You are just as good as they are. Look at you. You have nice teeth, your hair while clipped to short for my taste is still neat. Your face it is decent, though not as handsome as some. But you will do. You aren’t overweight for your age. In fact, you have taken pretty good care of yourself.”
“I know that.” He replied to the voice. “But she might not like me. She might not like the games we want to play.”
“Never mind.” The voice replied. “She will learn to like them.”
What games he had in mind for them to play!
Ah yes, the games. His empty eyes of black narrowed as he reached into the deep recesses of his twisted mind to think about the games. The last one was no fun at all. She hated the games. But this girl, she would be different. She loved games. What would they play? Would they play the hanging game? How about the burial game? That was always one of his favorites.

He would secure a nice remote place where he could dig a deep dark hole. Then he would place a box the size of a coffin in it with a tube for air. He would take the girl there and put her in the box, leaving her for hours at a time. When he returned she would be grateful to see him. She would do anything for him. Much like she was doing for those men who didn't appreciate her like he would.
“Stop thinking about the games.” The Voice said. “It isn’t time. Just watch her and follow her. There will be time for games enjoy the moment.”
So he did. He quietly but urgently followed her as she walked to meet the businessman. The one who she would make all his dreams come true. Oh how he wished he could take her now. But he must listen to the voices in his head. They knew what to do and when to do it.

Me:
Thanks that looks great, do you have a favorite character that you have created?

YM:
So Far my favorite is my character in Brilliant Insanity. The Killer Louis Reinhart.

Comment by Dave from Fictionwritersgroup.com on January 25, 2009 at 10:13pm

Hello and welcome to 10 Quick Questions with Dave, I am your host Dave Tallman on loan here at Review a Book. Today I am interviewing with Yvonne Mason the founder and driving force behind this site and as such I broke format and just gave her a free reign to answer as many questions I could get from her. I hope you read this interview and get to know Yvonne a little better.


Me:
Yvonne, at what age did you first start writing?

YM:
I started Writing was soon as my mother taught me to write at five years old even before I started school.


Me:
When did you know that writing was the career that you would pursue?

YM:
That question I have not been asked before- But it was when after being rejected for over 10 years I knew that I would write and make good money at it. Sort of like putting a red flag in front of a bull.


Me:
Are you now a full time Author?

YM:
Finally after years of writing and working several jobs- Now I can concentrate on writing and research.


Me:
A lot of writers today are working full time jobs or going to school or both, what about you? And how many hours a day do you spend on writing?

YM:
I have the luxury of not having to work any more although, I do miss Bounty Hunting. Which I can't do in Florida. I spend all day either writing or turning plots and characters over in my head. They are always with me. I have to listen to the voices in my head telling me what to do.

Me:
Do you keep a writing journal, something that helps you keep track of how productive your day was? Or do think that adds unnecessary pressure on an Author?

YM:
I think each author has to find his own path. I don't keep a journal - it is too time consuming - but if I am away from the computer which isn't often I do keep a small notebook that I jot down notes to myself in.


Me:
If you suddenly found yourself unable to be a writer, what would be your back up career?

YM:
I would go back to hunting those who have no wish to be found because they are hiding from the law.


Me:
Who is your favorite comic book Hero or Villain and why?

YM:
I loved the Riddler in Batman. He was so unique and he made the readers think.


Me:
When you are having an off day, just unable to get that next line on the paper or screen, what do you do to break out of it?

YM:
I will surf the net and look for interesting subject matter - sometimes I walk on the dreaded treadmill it clears the head. I have been known to work in the yard a job I hate.


ME:
Do have a certain time of the day that you like to write?
YM:
I am a morning person and that is when my creative juices run amuck.


Me:
Do you write at the same time every day?

YM:
No strangely enough. Even though I am a morning person I don't always get to write at the same time every day.


Me:
Do you have a set number of hours that you write each day? And do you track it?

YM:
No I don't have a set number of hours I write- unlike most authors I never do the norm. I write when the story starts unfolding in my head.


Me:
If you could give one piece of advice to a novice writer who really wants to make out there, what would that be?

YM:
That it is possible to reach that dream and that no one can steal your dream without your permission. And Finally Failure is never an option. To have tried is not failing it is success.


Me:
What current projects are you working on and when can we expect to see them?

YM:
I am re-releasing Tangled Minds and working on another serial killer fiction entitled "The Other Side of Darkness"


Me:
Would you be willing to share an excerpt of your latest project with us?

YM:
Of Course-
One:
He stood in the shadows of the building in the late night and watched the girl as she walked down the sidewalk his eyes never leaving her. It had been way to long since the last one. But he had to take his time, make it last so he watched. She was a pretty little thing wi

Comment by Malcolm Watts on January 25, 2009 at 9:59pm

Looking forward to reading the interviews. Malcolm

Comment by Martha A. Cheves on January 25, 2009 at 4:36pm

I can't wait to read the interviews. Thank you.
Martha

Comment by Ann B. Keller on January 25, 2009 at 8:36am

Great! All of us are delighted to be a part of this, Dave.

Ann B. Keller

Comment by Dave from Fictionwritersgroup.com on January 25, 2009 at 12:49am

Coming soon Interviews with YOU!!