The close friendship that evolved between the two main, female characters was easy to write because I’ve had similar experiences as an expat when a new friend takes you under her wing.

Anne Louise O’Connell – 23 April 2015

The Back Flap

When Celeste Parker’s daughter Tamara goes missing in Dubai the all-out search and rescue mission she anticipates never materializes. She is put off by the police as 18-year-old Tamara is technically an adult, and no foul play is apparent. Celeste faces the gut-wrenching fear every mother dreads… the possibility of losing a child.
The longer Tamara is missing the more her feelings of dread escalate. Celeste’s maternal instinct tells her something is terribly wrong. New to the city and with her husband away working in Saudi Arabia, she turns to her new friend and fellow expat, Susan Morris, for help. This suspenseful mystery/thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat as the duo set off on a hunt, which takes them down a dark alley of deep deceit. From exotic nightclubs and high-class call girls to mysterious Saudi palaces hidden behind ominous walls, they follow each lead while uncovering the unthinkable. The suspense builds as they come closer to finding Tamara and the secrets Celeste and Susan uncover threaten not only her daughter’s life but everyone in their families’ as well.

About the book

What is the book about?

My novel, Deep Deceit, revolves around a young girl named Tamara who gets kidnapped in Dubai and her mother Celeste’s mission to find her, despite the numerous roadblocks she faces. Celeste engages the help of a fellow expat named Susan whom she meets at a beach boot camp. The two women launch the search that the authorities will not, because at 18, Tamara is technically an adult.

The clues to Tamara’s whereabouts take Celeste and Susan down a dark alley of deep deceit. From exotic nightclubs and high-class call girls to mysterious Saudi palaces hidden behind ominous walls, they follow each lead while uncovering the unthinkable. As they come closer to finding Tamara, the secrets Celeste and Susan uncover threaten not only her daughter’s life but everyone in their families’ as well.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing Deep Deceit during NaNoWriMo 2012 and got waylaid with the launch of Mental Pause, my first novel. I started again the following year and at the time I was also launching my first week-long writing retreat and had the misguided notion that I could work on a novel and conduct a retreat at the same time. Needless to say I didn’t even type one word relating to my novel during that week.

How long did it take you to write it?

It wound up taking me a year and a half to write, which was a shocker for me since I had written my first novel during NaNoWriMo 2011. I guess writing my first novel in a month made me just a little bit cocky!

Where did you get the idea from?

I lived in Dubai for four years so some of the scenarios come from personal experiences and observations. I’ve always had an active imagination and I dream in techni-color so I guess the idea for the storyline came from a combination of my experiences, sparked by a dream and fleshed out by my imagination.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I did struggle at a couple of points during the writing process. About halfway through, I froze not knowing how to get from one plot-point to the next because I hadn’t done an outline. I re-grouped, mapped out the rest of the plot and then it started flowing again. I stalled a bit further along because I was starting to deeply dislike my protagonist. I guess I had written him so believable that writing his angry thoughts and typing out his journey to visit a prostitute left me cold. My fingers hesitated on the keyboard as I felt pangs of sympathy for my main character, who was his wife. I had become very attached to her, as most authors do with the ‘people’ they’re spending several hours a day with. Or, the familiarity starts to breed contempt, as it had begun to between Ryan and me!

What came easily?

The close friendship that evolved between the two main, female characters was easy to write because I’ve had similar experiences as an expat when a new friend takes you under her wing. The other element that comes easily for me is writing dialogue, so my books wind up with a fair bit of that. I find I have to go back after the first draft and intersperse more description amidst the dialogue.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

My character development certainly begins based on a various assortment of people who I have met either briefly or who are a big part of my life, however, they’re usually a combination of two or more interwoven with a large dose of fictionalized elements.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I read a wide variety of genres and learn something different from each one. I’m a huge mystery/suspense fan and love PD James, Sue Grafton, James Patterson, Robert Parker, Patricia Cornwell and Dick Francis, to name a few. I like each one for different reasons, whether it’s complex character development, the art of building suspense or delivering unexpected plot twists.

Do you have a target reader?

I seem to have a very broad spectrum of readers but would say my target reader is female, between the ages of 30 and 100 🙂 , skewed predominantly in the 40-70 range. My characters fall into that age range as well.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

As a fairly new novelist I’m still working through what works best for me. The only thing that’s consistent is that once I start working on a novel, I write every day. Whether it’s writing the story itself or developing backstory or writing character descriptions, it’s every day, at least 5-7 hours. The process always starts with a brain dump of all the ideas (chronological or otherwise) that have been swimming around in my mind and my dreams, probably for months. I then start several files to help compartmentalize the random thoughts that have poured out – one for characters (I use a character chart), one for background and research, one for plotline and chapter outline and one for scenes (I use a scene tracker). I’m planning to put all of these elements together into a software program for the first time. I’ve been learning how to use Scrivener so I’ll be testing it with my next WIP.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I used to think I was a ‘pantser’ since I wrote my first novel from start to finish without stopping and without an outline. It just kept spilling out and every night I would dream the next scene or chapter and couldn’t wait to get out of bed to keep on writing. As I shared earlier, I stalled with my second one and realized in order to keep the momentum going, I’d have to do an outline. I now see the value in doing so and do outline my books but not in any great detail as I don’t like to curtail any creativity that might start to flow naturally as I write. So, I’ll do a 2-3 line synopsis of each chapter with a few bullets to keep track of ideas or dialogue.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I never edit as I go. I prefer to finish what one of my mentors calls the ‘first shitty draft’ and then go back and fix things, add detail and make any edits that are necessary.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I have a group of beta readers and professional writers who review and edit my novels.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I do not listen to music as I write. I find it too distracting and wind up singing along rather than writing.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I began the querying process with my first novel and spent about a year submitting to agents and waiting for replies.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

While I was sending queries out to agents, I was also reading everything I could get my hands on about self-publishing. I had gotten some encouraging responses, requests for chapters and full manuscript but began to realize that even if I found an agent, it would probably take another two years before my book would be picked up and published. So, over Christmas of 2012 while visiting my mom I decided to take matters into my own hands and self-publish. I didn’t want to wait. I picked a launch date, March 8, 2013, International Women’s Day, which has now become a tradition with the launch of Deep Deceit on March 8, of this year.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I’ve had all my book covers professionally designed by Graham Booth (Creation Booth). Before I started writing fiction I wrote two non-fiction books, both for which Graham designed the covers.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

My background is in PR/Marketing so I do have an extensive marketing plan that I developed with the launch of my first novel Mental Pause, and that I built from and adapted for the recent launch of Deep Deceit.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Get ready for some hard work but also be prepared to enjoy the independence and creative control that self-publishing gives you as an indie author. Also, do the research and make sure you pick the process that suits you best. It’s easy to get bogged down in the litany of information that’s already out there and just keeps coming, but just take a deep breath and dive in! Join writers’ groups and take advantage of webinars and other learning opportunities… but don’t forget to take time to write too. The most important thing to do once you finish your first book is to get working on the next.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Where do you live now?

Phuket, Thailand, where it’s not nearly as snowy and cold!

What would you like readers to know about you?

I spend most of my time working on my own books but also spend time mentoring other authors and doing developmental editing. I’m also the creator of the Annual Phuket Paradise Writers’ Retreat.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on developing The Susan Morris Expat Mystery series that sprung from Deep Deceit and will feature one of the main characters from the novel.

End of Interview:

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Get your copy of Deep Deceit from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).