Besides having an overactive imagination, I usually take my stories from the people in my life. What’s happening in the world. Besides crazy cat videos, an idea gets stuck in my head and from that seed I make a story around it. 

Jill Brock – 13 May 2019

The Back Flap

Owner of O So Sweet Bakery, Odessa Wilkes should focus on her upcoming wedding. Instead, she is wondering why a dead woman called her looking for her fiancé. No one will give her an answer, including the man she’s about to marry. Everyone is lying. Between a dictatorial wedding planner, an anxiety-induced rash and deadly warnings, Odessa only has her best friend, P.I. in training, Maggie Swift to help her make it to her wedding – alive.

About the book

What is the book about?

This is the fifth book in my Maggie and Odessa Mystery series. The books are about these two very diverse women who keep a lifelong friendship as they grow and change and laugh while they do it. The latest book has to do with Odessa’s upcoming marriage to her live-in boyfriend, Lee. As with most things with Odessa nothing is ever easy. Lee’s past comes back in the form of a dead body and Odessa has to deal with it. With Maggie by her side, she tries to keep Lee alive and out of jail so he can make it to the altar. It’s also about the lies we tell others to protect them from harm or hurt. A white lie or what Odessa calls a candy-coated lie.

When did you start writing the book?

The outline began in 2017 and I wrote it the first few drafts in the early part 2018. I completed the later drafts by the end of that year after a month break. I let my books sit for a month or two before I go back to them. It gives me a fresh perspective.

How long did it take you to write it?

Off and on it usually takes me nine months to a year of intense writing to get from beginning to the end.

Where did you get the idea from?

Besides having an overactive imagination, I usually take my stories from the people in my life. What’s happening in the world. Besides crazy cat videos, an idea gets stuck in my head and from that seed I make a story around it.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Sometimes, I struggle when I write about a subject, I’m not familiar with and have to research. Depending on access, getting information and a sense of the subject can frustrate me. One aspect of the book as to do with pharmaceutical companies. That was tedious but necessary. Though I will never look at one of the drug commercials the same again.

What came easily?

The initial story idea. I always think of what if. What happens next? Because my books are serials, I know my characters and that helps. So, I put them into situations that makes those what if situations into a story.

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

I based my first book Pennywise on my time working in a restaurant, my family and friends. When some of them recognized themselves, I had a lot of explaining to do. It’s all good now. They kind of expect that from me and don’t take it personally.

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 loved mysteries, especially as a kid growing up. I’m not talking about Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. I love John D. MacDonald, Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, John Sanford and Walter Mosley. Later, I fell in love with reading humorous mysteries like Janet Evanovich’s  Stephanie Plum series.

Do you have a target reader?

I would say women of diverse backgrounds, who look beyond the traditional books for something different.

About Writing

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

It took a while to treat my writing as a job. Once I did, I gave myself a schedule. I worked the weekdays only. During a project, I write between five to six hours a day. Usually, 2–3 hours in the morning, a break for lunch and a couple hours in the afternoon. I stop before 5:00 P.M.

When I begin a project, I usually start with a sliver of an idea. Then my mind goes wild with situations I can put my characters. After a while, I come away with a theme I want to book to follow.

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

At the beginning, I never did outlines, but found if I didn’t, I would write War and Peace every time I sat down to write. Over time, I’ve gotten more detail with my outlines. They keep me on track and on a theme.

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

I always expect to do five to six drafts before I send it to an editor. My first go around is always about plotting, if it’s working or not. Then I look at my characters and so forth.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I use a professional editor. I recommend anyone, who plans to publish to spend money on a good editor. I’ve had a few bad editors who cared only about the money. I paid the price for that with bad reviews. So spend the money, you won’t be sorry.

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

I love instrumental jazz, like Charlie Parker, Max Roach and Thelonious Monk. It helps when I’m doing my first drafts of the story. It helps me focus. Later, I switch to classical R&B, Sam Cooke, Marvelettes and The Chi-Lites. When I can’t write anymore, I get up and dance.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

In the beginning, I did religiously. Though they liked the work, they couldn’t quite put it in a genre they were used to. I was an African American female writer, writing a cozy mystery with a heavy dash of humor. I didn’t fit. I’m not sure I fit now.

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

I saved my rejection letters and one day I said to myself, this is a story I wanted to read. No one was writing it or publishing it. So, I took the leap to self-publish.

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

I love book covers. They always remind of a time when I would spend hours in a bookstore looking for my next book. A cover would always pull me in, like an invitation to an adventure.

I had a background in graphic design, so doing my book covers was a no brainer. I try to always think of what would bring a reader to it. I try to relate to the story, the theme and the trends. Then I do several versions of the book and test it out with readers or family and friends.

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

This part of being an author always makes my stomach clench. It’s a learning process. Some people are great at it. I admire the salesmen in them. It’s hard, because I’m a bit of an introvert.

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

Respect it for the job it is. It requires time, effort and a thickening of your skin. You’ll find that the effort you put into it will be rewarded. However, it’s not all about writing your masterpiece. Unless you are writing for yourself, get out there and make it known to the world. That’s your other job, salesman.

About You

What I want the readers to know most about me, is that I had no plans to become a writer. My literary journal began because, though I love reading my favorite authors, I couldn’t find the books that spoke to what I wanted to read. There was not enough diversity of characters that went beyond the universally recognized protagonist readers saw in ninety-nine percent of the published books out there. I think there are a lot of unwritten stories not being told and somewhere out there; I hope someone is writing it.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of A Candy Coated Lie from Amazon US or Amazon UK.