Meet R.T. Wolfe

I’m happy to introduce you to a writer I met through a fun, supportive group of writers. Help me welcome R.T. Wolfe who's going to share a little about herself and her debut book, Black Creek Burning.

Thank you for asking, Diane, and thank you for having me on your lovely blog today!

Glad to have you. Please tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in the Midwest, the youngest of six children. I married at a young age and decided early on I wanted a family myself. With three small boys in tow, my husband and I have flipped two houses with me in charge of the landscape design and install. Now, I am rooted in our final home we designed inside and out.
Now that my boys are nearly grown, I spend much of my time on the road traveling from one sporting event to another serving as mom and cheerleader. When at home, I enjoy Pilates, working with my Golden Retriever and digging in the glorious dirt of her landscaping plots.

In and around each of these, I have my trusty laptop waiting for some stolen hours in writing.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’m asked this often and I always find I need to simply honest. I didn’t realize I wanted to be writer until long after writing found me. I have no recollection of sitting down to write out the first line of my first novel. A few lines turn into a few pages that turned into a few hundred pages. I was in a tunnel and when I came out nine months later, I had completed my first book. The research, the editing, the revising, I love it all. Writing has truly become my crack cocaine.

How long does it take you to write a book?

It takes me about nine months to write a full-length novel. By the time my critique partners and editors have worked on it, it’s more like a year.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

I write about my passions and interests. I suppose all authors do. Accuracy is huge for me, however. So, I often solicit reviews from professionals before I put a book in print.

The characters in Black Creek Burning are a landscape designer and a wood working artist. I’ve had the honor of reviews from both Master Gardners and from Sawbridge Studios (downtown Chicago custom wood working studio) for the authenticity regarding the facts on gardening and woodworking. Each awarded me 5-star reviews. Black Creek Burning has also earned a 5-star review from EPIC Award Winning author, Laurie Larsen.

The sequel to Black Creek Burning is To Fly in Shadows. The main character in this book is a conservation biologist who specializes in the banding and rehabilitation of eagles. Operation Migration and the East Coast Center for Conservation and Biology have reviewed copies of this book for authenticity, also. CCB said, “I read your novel within days of receiving it. I loved it! It has just the right amount of suspense, romance and science to keep me interested.”

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

It’s not uncommon to find dark chocolate squares in my candy dish, my Golden Retriever at my feet and a few caterpillars spinning their cocoons in their terrariums on my counters. I love my family, gardening, eagle-watching and can occasionally be found viewing a flyover of migrating whooping cranes.

Mmm. Dark chocolate, my fav. Okay back to the interview. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Black Creek Burning is book one of the Black Creek Trilogy. Book two, To Fly in Shadows, debuts this February 1^st with book three following on July 1^st, 2013. 

What do you think makes a good story?

A good story is one that takes a reader away from this place and into the setting and the minds of the characters. I use a delicate balance between detail and action and know that I’ve done it right when I have a reader message me to tell me they are having trouble staying awake at work because they were up late reading my book. So fun.

What do you enjoy most about writing?

That’s a hard question, Diane! I love drafting, outlining…the research and even the editing. I suppose my favorite is reader response. Does that count? lol I can fly for days on a great review.

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?

I start with an outline, but it changes so much I’m not sure if it counts. The characters have their own ideas and plans and don’t always share them with me until I’m actually writing. I try to be flexible and adjust my outline often.

Are your stories driven by plot or character?

That should be equal in my opinion. Diverse characters who are realistic and likeable yet flawed are imperative. However, what is a romantic suspense without a gripping story and passionate love?

What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?

Although I’m writing a trilogy, I hope with each novel my reader takes away serenity and closure with a desire to return. I’ve been honored with reviews that say so thus far. Whoop!

What two authors would we find you reading when taking a break from your own writing?

Nora Roberts and James Patterson. Cliché and cliché, I know but I suppose they are who they are for a reason. Patterson’s Private series is one of my favorites and kept me wide awake and gripping my steering wheel as I listened through audio on a 13 hour drive to and from one of my son’s swim meets. I just finished Nora’s Inn at Boonsboro trilogy. I don’t generally read straight romance, but I loved it…especially book three. Whiskey Beach comes out in a few months by Nora. I’m looking forward to it!

Here’s an excerpt from Black Creek Burning:

As she meandered up the path to their house, she felt queasy, like she’d done this before. Nervously, she glanced over her shoulder through her mass of wavy brown hair as she kept moving toward the front door. Two people were walking along the street. She stopped and wondered what reason anyone would have to take a walk at this time of night in such an early bird neighborhood.

It was then she heard the shrill of the smoke detectors. Chest tightening, she bolted for the door.

“Mom! Dad!” she screamed and tumbled inside, spotting them almost immediately as they ran down the long upstairs hallway.

Not again. Please not again, she begged, as she fought her frozen legs to make them move up the stairs. The smoke detectors shrieked in her ears. Or was that the sound of her screams?

Her parents yelled her name as they reached for the bedroom door. She couldn’t stop gasping for air long enough to tell them to stop. She wasn’t in there. Didn’t they know? They needed to get out of the house. Couldn’t they smell the smoke?

Just like each time, her viewpoint from the middle of the stairs showed her the yellowish air sucking under the door to her bedroom. Although trying to use the railing to give her momentum, every part of her felt like it was in molasses. She cocked her head to the side, drawing her eyebrows together. Her gaze locked on the eerie breeze.

Almost simultaneously, her mother rotated the knob as her eyes turned and met hers. For that fraction of a second, her mother understood the fear on Brie’s face, but it was too late. It was always too late. As she opened the door, Brie had just enough time to witness her parents engulfed in flames before the explosion blew her back and everything went dark.

* * * *

“Brie, wake up. Wake up, Brie. You’re dreaming.”

Great excerpt. Where is Black Creek Burning available?

Black Creek Burning is available at the following sites:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/PqO2gE

BN: http://bit.ly/UsXZKD

Google Plus: http://bit.ly/NMiHn1

iTunes: http://bit.ly/UrUUHc

Kobo: http://bit.ly/RCpZr8

Where can readers find you?

Readers can find me on my website at http://www.rtwolfe.com

and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RTWolfe2012

My twitter handle is @RT_Wolfe. Here’s the link: http://www.twitter.com/RT_Wolfe

I have an awesome Pinterest page that tells more about the characters and stories behind the Black Creek Trilogy. Here is the link: http://www.pinterest.com/RTWolfe

Your Pinterest page is awesome. I love your picture of the butterfly on the dog’s nose. How precious.

Thank you for having me here today, Diane. Happy Holidays!

My pleasure. Be sure to come back again.