While I can’t explain why I love to write, I simply do. I also find writing very hard, and it may be the challenge itself that inspires me. Whatever it is, the characters become my friends, and I write about them to learn more about what will happen next in their lives.

Trevor Wiltzen – 20 February 2021

The Back Flap

In a 1980s mountain town fueled by the drug trade, a young couple gets into an argument at Mabel’s Diner. Then the teen girl winds up brutally murdered, and the black boyfriend automatically jailed. Haunted by the tragedy, big-hearted, big-haired, single mom and waitress, Mabel Davison steps in and asks questions few want answered. But she’s unprepared for the secrets she uncovers, and now more lives may be destroyed, including her own.

Get your small-town mystery with a chilling twist today

Original, mystery readers seem particular attracted to the characters and my unique, straightforward style in telling the story. Here are a few comments from readers and reviewers:

“An absolute gem of a novel!” NetGalley
“An addictive plot that will keep the reader hooked.” Mystery and suspense.com
“A fantastic start of a series… and Mabel is one of my favorite characters I’ve read in a long time.” Bonkers for the Books.com on Goodreads

About the book

When did you start writing the book?

I started the Heart of a Runaway Girl last year (2020).

How long did it take you to write it?

I wrote Heart of a Runaway Girl and its two sequels in under six months.

Where did you get the idea from?

I was always interested in writing but wasn’t truly inspired to write until I went on a two-week geology contract in the Canadian Rockies. While there, I stayed in the small town of Blue River. During the day, a helicopter pilot flew me to various points on a mountain to identify the geology, and, in one instance, we landed in a vast carved-out bowl of rock capped with a glacier near a mountain’s peak. The setting was so majestic and yet ominous. It left me in awe. The spark to write an adventure book came to me then. While working a regular office job, raising a family, and getting a degree, I spent the next eight years writing and editing this adventure novel, which remains unpublished to this day. What is really interesting is that I also created a side character named Mabel. She had a small role in that book, but her voice spoke so clearly that I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Then, when I finally shelved my first adventure book, I wrote about Mabel next. The words just flowed out. I wrote her first three books within six months (a quarter of a million words). The first book, Heart of a Runaway Girl, is now published.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

While I can’t explain why I love to write, I simply do. I also find writing very hard, and it may be the challenge itself that inspires me. Whatever it is, the characters become my friends, and I write about them to learn more about what will happen next in their lives. I have ideas at the start, but these ideas don’t fully get fleshed out until the character’s act out a scene as I write it. Sometimes I get surprised at the turn of events. That’s why, when I start writing a book, I don’t have a fleshed-out outline. I only have an idea of where it might go and the voice of the characters, and we seem to write it together. I know this sounds strange, but also, doesn’t it sound kind of cool too? It is so fun to write about these imaginative worlds that become so rich and full of life. I can’t wait to get back to writing.

What came easily?

I find it strange that I wrote about a female character. However, the voice of Mabel rings so clear to me it’s uncanny. I love this character so much and am very appreciative and humbled that readers respond to her as well. Part of Mabel’s inspiration comes from a trip I took to the island of Newfoundland, Canada, to visit my extended family. Many of the women there say, “Oh Luv,” even when you go to buy a pack of gum. It’s endearing to me and not something I was used to. I live in a city where strangers are, at best, ignored. The island’s isolating effects and the sea’s cold cruelty likely forged this tight-knit community. A stranger here could simply be a distant family member or a friend of a friend in another town, and so are welcomed with warmth and open arms. What a beautiful concept that is. The character of Mabel is like that. Community and family are so important to her.

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

I have fun with my novel I set in the 1980s, and I reference the occasional pop culture reference from that era. It also makes it more difficult for my heroine to solve crimes, as we didn’t have the internet back then, and cell phones were the sizes of shoes and used only by stockbrokers. She had to rely more on her wits (and not technology).

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?

There are quite a few I love. In particular, crime writer Elmore Leonard and his spare style and rich dialogue are the closest parallels.  Stieg Larsson gave me confidence in writing a female character. Although my novel is not literary, I love Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, and I was influenced by Hemingway, like most North American writers. However, my writing is commercial to its core.

Do you have a target reader?

My demographic is women who either had kids in the 1980s or had grown up in that era and mystery lovers who find either the current psychological thriller/horror genre too shocking or cozy mysteries too safe. My book is in that interesting middle ground of straight mystery, but I take elements from both cozies and thrillers and make them my own.

About Writing

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

I often work late nights when the kids are in bed and early mornings when they are still asleep and do about two hours each day on Saturday and Sunday. It is a passion of mine. When possible, I like to work in local coffee shops. I love the smells, the bustle, the coffee, and the sense of community.

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

I set a scene, but I let my characters guide it, and how they react influences the plot.

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

It is better for me to get the words out as a full draft before I edit them.

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

I let the coffee shop choose the music J, but when I am on my own, I write without music.

About Publishing

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

Creative freedom is important to me and I love being an indie writer.

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

I am a hobbyist graphic designer and have dabbled in it for years. I wanted to create my cover, and so far, it’s gotten high marks on several review sites.

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

I am doing a little of both. Since it’s my debut, it’s a steep learning curve.

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

It isn’t easy being an indie author. While I have learned so much already, there is so much more to learn. The English language is so rich and expressive that I will be a student of writing for the rest of my life. I love the challenge, and this entire process has been challenging. The easiest part was writing the first draft. The words flowed out of me, and I wrote eighty thousand words in less than two months. Editing the book took much longer (about eight months), and designing the cover, creating a digital, print, and audio version another two months. Marketing and social will take much longer (and likely won’t stop), as I am in this for the long-haul — it is a passion. Overall, being an Indie author gives you a lot of freedom, and if you want to maintain your creative independence, it’s well worth it.

About You

What would you like readers to know about you?

I want to build a community of readers around these books. I value the readers who love these characters as much as I do. In such a challenging world we live in, it is nice to reach out through Social (and through my writing) to create a living community for any underdog who wants to do some good in the world and who wants to support others. I am sure many people are also looking for a similar sense of home. While Blue River in the books is fictional, the issues faced are genuine. There is more we can do together. Social has enabled us to make anywhere in the world feel local. I am a natural introvert forced to be an extrovert as an indie writer. I don’t need to travel anymore as I used to do in my twenties, backpacking to meet great people. It’s an exciting place to be and one I want to explore further with others. There is a lot I can learn, and I am willing to learn and to act.  I welcome those who share the same values to sign up to my newsletter on my website.

What are you working on now?

I started to edit the two sequels to Heart of a Runaway Girl, titled Missed Me and Haunting Pasts, which I hope to have ready by the summer. In Missed Me, Mabel struggles with the explosive fall-out with Larson as she helps a desperate mother search for a missing daughter. Then Mabel’s niece disappears, and the stakes rise terrifyingly higher. I wrote all three books within six months last year. It was a very creative period, as Mabel speaks to me. Sometimes I feel like I was a witness to the story unfolding as I was writing it. I would often not know what was going to happen next until Mabel made the next decision. It was such a cool process. Even though I have edited the first book tens of times, the bones of Mabel’s story have remained the same.

I am also publishing a new mystery/adventure series in 2022. The synopsis is as follows: The blockbuster origin story of Jack Winters, a young man of twenty-eight finishing his Ph.D. in the 1980s and about to fall into a comfortable position at a prestigious university — until a disabled old geologist working for the Security Exchange Commission offers him a mysterious job with no benefits and low pay and promises him, if he takes it, corrupt elements of the global mining industry will “hate him, smear him and try to tear him down.” Surprising everyone but the old geologist, Jack takes it. Teamed up with Sunil Livingston, a Harvard-trained geologist with a dark past, they investigate illegal conflict-mineral mining by an aggressive foreign power in the war-torn Horn of Africa. But when war explodes, Jack learns how the real world is far grander, bolder, devious, and dangerous than he ever imagined.

I also want to thank IndieView for this opportunity and greatly appreciate your support of Indie writers.

End of Interview:

For more from Trevor check out his website or follow him on Twitter.

Get your copy of Heart of a Runaway Girl from Amazon US or Amazon UK.