Some writers have trouble with the middle, but once I get started I become immersed in the story. The characters and snatches of scenes I’ve yet to write appear in my mind distracting me from my everyday life.

Paula Priamos – 19 June 2022

The Back Flap

Catia—or Tia—Drakos, is a former police handwriting analyst, a job that took her to dark demented places inside the minds of the worst people in society. Places she couldn’t go anymore and keep her own sanity. Now a real estate appraiser, she spends her days inside elegant, expensive properties all across the sunny Los Angeles area.

If only her private life was going so well. Newly divorced, and freshly engaged to a new man, Tia is trying to move on–maybe too quickly. Though she doesn’t want to admit it, Tia knows something about her new relationship isn’t all it appears. In addition to those doubts, her ex-husband seems unwilling to let her go, encroaching himself in her life.

Shortly after she appraises a friend’s family mansion in Bel Air, her friend disappears. Soon after, Tia starts receiving cryptic notes from someone who clearly knows about her former occupation. Are the notes meant to scare Tia or are they clues to find her missing friend? To find the answers, Tia will have to use skills from a life she thought she left behind, discovering secrets hidden not only within a wealthy family, but among close friends–the very people Tia thought she could trust.

About the book

What is the book about?

Appraise Her is about a Greek woman named Tia Drakos, a former police handwriting analyst, a job that took her to dark demented places inside the minds of the worst people in society.  But that line of work took a toll on her own mental stability, and she made the choice to leave it behind.  Now she is a real estate appraiser valuing expensive properties all across L.A.  Shortly after she appraises a friend’s family mansion, her friend disappears.  Tia starts receiving cryptic notes from someone who clearly knows of her previous occupation.  Are the notes meant to scare her or they are clues that possibly lead to the whereabouts of her missing friend?  She sets out to find the answers and, along the way, she faces dark parts of her past that she’s tried nearly her entire adult life to forget.

How long did it take you to write it?

The book took a little under a year to write.

Where did you get the idea from?

I teach English and creative writing at California State University, San Bernardino, and while I’ve always been interested in language, I’m also fascinated by the handwritten word.  It says a lot about who we are whether we are arrogant, aggressive or maybe holding something far more sinister back.  I did a lot of research in books about handwriting analysis, and I had a few students who came up with the handwritten notes that are interspersed throughout the narrative. I saw the first note left under the corner of the welcome mat on the front porch, and then I imagined the woman who opened the door and found it.  The story played out from there.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Some writers have trouble with the middle, but once I get started I become immersed in the story.  The characters and snatches of scenes I’ve yet to write appear in my mind distracting me from my everyday life.  I like to write in first person point of view which helps me stay focused, and I almost feel like I’m the actual character, a kind of method writing, I suppose.  The ending came organically which is always a great relief!

What came easily?

I like to write scene by scene, so most of it came briskly.

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

My character, Carson Davis, (the missing woman’s father) is a mix of Frank Sinatra and Steve McQueen.  He represents old Hollywood, but with a certain amount of grit and toughness.  Nobody gets one over on him.  As for the other characters, they were shaped in my mind and have no real anchoring in any actual people I know.  At least one character in all of my books is Greek because I enjoy sharing my culture and this part of my identity with the rest of the world.

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 love Hemingway’s use of dialogue to reveal characterization and move a story forward.  He’s been my biggest influence. Other early influences include Scott Turow for his suspense and legal dramas as well as Josephine Hart and her use of imagery and dark tones.

Do you have a target reader?

People who love suspense, mysteries and literary writing.  Appraise Her is a whodunnit with conflict, a plot and subplots, but it also has a female character whose inner strength grows throughout the narrative.  My goal is to write suspenseful novels with a good degree of emotional depth.

About Writing

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

I like to write in the early morning.  I work scene by scene, and the story plays like a movie reel inside my head.

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

I always first start writing in a spiral notebook.  I feel the most free, able to make mistakes or save something for later, when I’m working with a pen and paper.  Then I take what I’ve written and input it on the computer, revising and adding to it as I go.  Typically, I’ll outline what I want to reveal in each chapter.  It’s not an outline that I’d map on a wall or anything.  It’s a way of keeping me focused on what immediately lies ahead.

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

I always edit as I go, but I make sure not to trap myself in a loop of over-editing, which I know some writers make the mistake of doing.  It can prove frustrating and waste a lot of precious time.

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

I prefer it quiet.  I like to write either in my office with a view of the pine trees outside or, if the weather permits, out on my deck.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I had a literary agent.

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

Over the years I’ve endured misogyny and blatant sexual harassment by a male literary agent and a former top executive from a big publishing house.  I don’t imagine most female writers have endured exactly what I have.  At least, for their sakes, I hope they haven’t.  There have been other issues, too. For example, Rare Bird, the publisher of my novel Inside V, first said I didn’t make up the money it took to publish my book.  Then, when I requested an accounting, the publisher suddenly said he did in fact owe me money.  He didn’t give me the money that was owed to me for over three years.  It took the lawyer from the Authors Guild to get involved.  Appraise Her is a book where I hold the rights, and I therefore have complete control over it.

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

I had the cover professionally done by a fantastic company called The Killion Group.

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

The main thing was for me to get this book off my desktop and out into the world.

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

Be strong, confident and persistent.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Lynwood, California.  It borders Southgate and Watts.  But I primarily grew up in Chino, which is about an hour outside of L.A.

Where do you live now?

I live in a beautiful mountain community in the San Bernardino Mountains called Lake Arrowhead.  It’s a rare place in So Cal where we get to experience all four seasons.  The summers are nice and cool, but the winters are not for the faint of heart.  It snows quite a bit up here.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I love books, and I love writing, but I learned a long time ago to have other things in life that bring me happiness. I have my three dogs.  I have a husband.  I have good friends.  I’m lucky enough to wake up nearly every morning in a good mood.

What are you working on now?

I have two ideas for novels and am basically working on them at the same time.  At some point, I’ll concentrate on one more than the other.  We’ll see whichever one wins out…

End of Interview:

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Get your copy of Appraise Her from Amazon US or Amazon UK.