Click Here To Purchase Dead By My Side: A police detective crime mystery with a paranormal twist.

Author: Gloria Galloway

ISBN: 978-1456579104

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest Gloria Galloway, author of Dead By My Side.

Good day Gloria and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

How did you get started in writing and what drew you to writing a paranormal thriller?

Gloria:

As a teenager I devoured books, reading instead of studying, reading instead of doing my chores, and reading instead of sleeping. My favorite books were the Nancy Drew mysteries and Sweet Valley High series. Even as a little girl I enjoyed dressing up my dolls and making up stories about them. There were no knives involved. Honest. Thinking back on those early years, becoming a writer seems like a natural progression for me.

As for the paranormal, I’ve had a life-long fascination with the spectral world. My bookshelves are filled with books about ghosts and hauntings and things that go bump in the night. Who among us hasn’t lost a friend or loved one and wondered…what if? The idea of a “companion” ghost intrigued me. Can they tell the future, do they have x-ray vision, is there a staircase to heaven or a tunnel of light? I enjoyed coming up with answers to these age-old questions.

Norm:

What was your creative process like before writing Dead By My Side? What happened before sitting down to write the novel?

Gloria:

The inspiration for this book came from a short story written by my son-in-law. It is about a young man who wakes up in the attic of a bed and breakfast and discovers he’s a ghost. I immediately knew I wanted to create a character who died and came back to haunt someone.

My idea to make the story a police suspense thriller is owed to my second passion—law enforcement and the criminal mind. I don’t ever remember a plot line developing as quickly as this one. I had the first chapter written in my head before I ever sat down in front of my computer.

Norm:

How did you create the characters of Anthony (Tony) Camarelli and Julia (Jules) Reynolds?

Gloria:

For the character of Tony I wanted a man who was strong, yet vulnerable; principled, yet flawed and devilishly handsome, but humble. In other words, every woman’s dream guy. Seriously though, Tony displays weaknesses which I think make him human and believable.

I saw Julia’s character as the perfect compliment to Tony. Sassy, bold, and beautiful. I patterned her after Julia Robert’s character in the movie Erin Brokovich. A little more polished around the edges, though. The name was a coincidence…of course if Julia Roberts wants to play the lead in the movie version, I would have no objections.

Norm:

What discipline did you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc?

Gloria:

I work full time, so writing the book was more of a catch as catch can endeavor. I constantly had to fight procrastination, so I came up with a way to overcome it. In the past I started a book at the beginning and wrote to the end, pausing many times when writer’s block overcame me (another term for procrastination in my case). Now I jot down an idea or a sentence as it comes to me, then take the notes home and expand on them. An idea came to me once while I was driving and I had to resort to calling home and leaving a message on my answering machine.

Norm:

Did you know the end of your book at the beginning? As a follow up, was your book improvisational or did you have a set plan?

Gloria:

As I mentioned, I used to write the story from beginning to end, but this story was a complete departure for me. Although I did not know the ending at the very beginning, I did write the ending pretty early on. The ending was actually written out of sequence. Many of my chapters were as well. I then had to go back and piece them together in the write order. So I would say this story was completely improvisational.

Norm:

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating Dead By My Side?

Gloria:

When I started writing this story I was very naïve about police procedure and crime scene investigation. I had the good fortune to meet and befriend experts in the field. A big surprise for me was that an officer involved shooting does not automatically generate an Internal Affairs investigation. An investigation is initiated; however, in a case of the death of a suspect, as in this story, the homicide division would be responsible for sorting out the facts and making a determination. Of course, if there is any question of a cover up, or impropriety, then Internal Affairs would step in.

Norm:

What do you believe are the essential elements of a good thriller?

Gloria:

A plot that grabs the reader’s interest. Moving the story along at a fast clip so the reader never skips ahead to the “good” parts. Building suspense so that the reader never prefers sleep over reading just one more page or one more chapter.

Norm:

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Gloria:

Jodi Picoult. She does not write in the crime drama genre, but she is a truly gifted storyteller. Her books deal with the moral and ethical issues of our times, including organ donation, genetic engineering, the death penalty, to name just a few. I once had the pleasure of hearing her speak, and she made me want to be a better writer. I would like to inspire the kind of loyalty from my readers that Jodi inspires in me.

Norm:

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Gloria:

Time management and procrastination. Juggling a full time job and a part-time writing career is definitely challenging. Procrastination is something I’ve struggled with all my life. But I think I’m winning that particular battle. I’ve set a goal for the second book in this series. My plan is to have a finished manuscript by the end of 2012. I have a number of fans who have said they are going to hold me to that promise.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and Dead By My Side?

Gloria:

They can visit me on facebook.com/gloria.m.galloway

Norm

What is next for Gloria Galloway?

Gloria:

I am currently working with Author/Screenwriter Ron Montana on a screenplay for Dead By My Side. We hope to have it completed by Spring of 2012. The next book in the series Dead In My Heart should be out in early 2013.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Gloria:

Julia and Tony are figments of my imagination, but they represent our men and women in blue, who run toward danger when the rest of us run away. These law enforcement professionals are our true heroes.

Thanks again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

Click Here To Read Norm's Review of Dead By My Side

Click Here To Purchase Dead By My Side: A police detective crime mystery with a paranormal twist.