Cinco de Murder Book Blog Tour and #Giveaway #LoneStarLit

Interview with Author Rebecca Adler

How did you come up with the idea for your series?

Sometimes I create my characters before I begin writing; and other times they walk onto the page when I need them the most. The idea of a family running a Tex-Mex restaurant in a small Texas town came from my editor; but I fleshed out the details. It was fun discovering how they spoke, what they looked like, and how they felt about each other and the world around them. I’d say that’s my favorite part of writing this series—meeting the characters who arrive on the page, sometimes by design and other times by pure accident.

Lenny, Josie’s Chihuahua, was mine from the get go. On page one of Here Today, Gone Tamale when Josie stared at herself in the mirror and Lenny yipped his approval, a star was born.

I am a huge fan of Tony Hillerman’s Native American lawmen Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, not to mention Native American actors Adam Beach and Michael Horse. When it came time to create a local deputy, I couldn’t resist introducing the handsome Detective Quint Lightfoot.

At the beginning of each story in this trilogy, I had a lot of fun deciding on what celebration would fit that particular mystery. Cinco de Mayo was the perfect fit for springtime.

Do you have a favorite character in your book/series?

Josie Callahan’s my girl! She’s gutsy, funny, brave, and able to put together clues like nobody’s business. A close second on the list would definitely be the quiet, thoughtful, and oh-so-handsome Detective Quint Lightfoot. Um, I’m feeling guilty. I can’t not mention Josie’s erstwhile grandmother, Senora Mari, hard on the outside, marshmallow on the inside. And what would Lenny, the long-haired Chihuahua, say if I left him out? It’s like choosing between your own children!

What inspired you to write your first book?  

I was going through a rough patch and had three children at home under my feet. I read so many romances they were coming out my ears. One day I looked at the book I was reading and said those famous words, I can write that. Little did I know how hard it is to write a good book and that the best writers make it look easy. I did my research, joined North Texas Romance Writers, and began learning about the craft of writing. I began writing my first book as a way of being creative without having to leave the house. Play It Loud is a sweet romance I wrote under the name Gina Lee Nelson for The Wild Rose Press. The inspiration for my hero was Josh Groban; and I chose New York City as my setting because I missed living and working in the Big Apple.

What was one of the most surprising thing(s) you learned when trying to get your first book published?

This sounds daft, I know; but I didn’t realize how many times I would have to edit and revise that book. Each criticism by an editor felt like being pricked with pins. Now I crave more editorial revisions.

What are some of the personal challenges you’ve faced that influenced you while writing this book?

Writing a female heroine who is similar yet different to my own personality has been a challenge. When it would have been so easy to give her my sensibilities and temperament, I had to put my foot down and allow her to go her own way. As a result, she’s braver, less cautious, more impetuous, and definitely more willing to put herself in harm’s way to ferret out the truth.

Another personal challenge for me has been writing around my job. Join the club, right? I vow to write daily but often find myself merely writing on weekends, holidays, and summer vacations. I know, I know…and you’re right. A great perk of teaching is the summer vacation. Being an artistic type, I’m easily distracted by…well, everything. A couple of years ago, I had almost an empty nest, the perfect atmosphere for writing. Now two of my hatchlings have moved back in on a full-time basis and life is even more chaotic than before. Still I take heart and remind myself of the story Stephen King shares in his book On Writing. Even though he was thrilled to finally have an upstairs office away from the commotion of his family, he found he accomplished very little. It wasn’t until he moved back downstairs within earshot of the family commotion that he was able to write again successfully.

As for me, I seem to make the most progress when I chart my progress daily using spreadsheets. I also write in a chat room at times with my writing buddies, either checking in at regular intervals are doing writing sprints. If I don’t chat too long, I find the accountability works wonders.