My friend Margo Hoornstra is on a tour with her latest, a 3-book anthology. I prevailed on Margo to do an interview first so you could get to know her better.
Margo, tell
us about yourself.
My
personal history in a nutshell is pretty simple. I’m a wife to one; mother to
four—seven if you count in-law children which I do—and grandmother to four so
far. My work experience includes public relations specialist, magazine editor,
television producer, and script and speech writer. I’m also a founding member
of Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America. Besides my family and writing, I
enjoy walking and hiking, especially in the Spring and Fall, hate to cook and
love to read.
Where can
readers find you?
Oh my
goodness. Thanks to Florence Price with Novel Assistance, I’m all over the place on the internet. Here’s where:
Amazon
Author Page:
When
did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Many
who know me have heard this story before. It wasn’t so much that I realized I
wanted to be a writer. Writing was what you could term the family business. My
dad supported us with his writing.
Novelists, children’s book authors, script writers, newspaper reporters
all were a part of my life as I was growing up. At one point, my father wrote
scripts for a Detroit based radio show titled Manhunt the forerunner of the
popular Dragnet television series. One neighbor wrote a couple of books that were
turned into motion pictures. Someday, I thought, when I receive the proper
training, I’ll write a book too. Ha! Little did I know that’s not exactly how
it goes.
Where
do you get your information or ideas for your books?
I
wish I knew, then I’d go there more
often. Seriously though, there are tons and tons of places where ideas come
from. A sentence on the news pages of the internet, people observed at a
restaurant, or in the park. The beginning of the idea for my current series in
progress, Blood Brothers In Blue, came from my husband. I had another premise for
books I was working on and getting nowhere when I plopped down in the living
room, discouraged, and asked him to brainstorm with me. He ended up doing most
of the talking – and I was off!
What
do you like to do when you're not writing?
The
time when I’m not writing, fortunately or not, seems to be growing smaller and
smaller. Though we are empty nesters now, our kids and grandkids all live
nearby – again fortunately or unfortunately – just kidding! We’re busy with
their activities, band concerts, little league games and such. Plus my husband
and I try to walk three or four miles a day. Spend quiet time together. I guess
you could say the usual. What most everyone does day to day.
What
do you think makes a good story?
That
sometimes depends on who the writer is. Some authors can go into minute detail
about the setting with minimal attention paid to the inner workings of their
characters and produce a riveting story. Other authors can take emotional hold
of their characters and explore every facet of their personalities ad nauseum
and do the same thing. Strong, what I call, word pictures are a must to draw in
the reader. Give them a stake in the project. Other than that, stories are
simply a series of compelling problems that need to reach satisfying
conclusions. As long as a story does that, it should be good, right?
What
did you learn from writing your first book?
Where
do I start? I learned so much over the years. My first, first book, by the way,
was a 300 page gothic that never will, and never should, see the light of day.
My first book that I sold to an actual publisher would have absolutely gone
that same never, never route if not for a wise and talented editor. She taught
me to complete my story arcs. It’s like Chekhov’s gun. Loosely put, ‘If a gun
appears in the first chapter, it darned well better go off by the last.’ Only things relevant to the story need to stay
in the story. The rest is expendable. This editor also made me, MADE ME rewrite
the ending three times. The first time, she said I took the easy way out, and
she was right. She also had me rewrite the Big Black Moment scene from the heroine’s
point of view to the hero’s. Though I balked at first – heck, I darn near
stamped my foot and refused - her suggestion did make for a much stronger
scene.
Are
your stories driven by plot or character?
Definitely
character, to the sometimes consternation of my critique partner. She by the
way, writes more plot driven stories. Though I am a true pantser (no outline,
minimal plot structure) when writing my books, I do at times enjoy filling out
broad character sheets. It’s amazing some of things I’ll discover about these
people who have popped into my head. Sometimes, when I’m stuck in a story somewhere
I’ll start writing out questions to the character. Why are you doing this? What
in the world do you hope to gain? Surprisingly the answer almost always comes
through to me. Pretty quickly, too. Sometimes it’s surprising, sometimes it’s
an ‘of course’ kind of moment.
How
do you balance a life outside of writing with deadlines and writing muses?
Life
is life and my writing is my writing. Even before I came to this place in my
life where I am able to devote more of my time and myself to the writing I want
to do, I was a writer in what is called my day job. (Former day job, in my
case.) As a magazine editor, deadlines were a daily way of life. The talking
heads television show I wrote scripts for started out as a live broadcast.
There is no – I don’t have time for this right now when you’re dealing with
live TV. There isn’t usually the pressure for me these days than there was
then, but like most of the working writers I know, I still challenge myself to
produce on a regular basis.
What
are some jobs you've done that would end up in a book?
One
of my jobs actually did end up in a book, sort of. Jake Holbrook, the hero of
One Fateful Friday, that is the last story in Saturday In Serendipity, is the administrator
of a large hospital. While that wasn’t the particular job I had, for many years
I was executive director of a local medical society (think local branch of the
American Medical Association). While my job was representing doctors per se,
much of my time was spent working liaison with hospitals, legislators and the
like. That part of my job, if you will, provided a real behind the scenes look
into how our health care system works, beyond the obvious of making sick people
well.
What
do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?
Like
many romance authors, I get my share of comments about how I write ‘bodice
rippers’, adult only stories that focus on sex and little else. In my case,
this is so untrue. But, also clues me in to the fact that whoever is making
those comments has no idea what my work is about. Further up in this interview
I mentioned being a character driven author. Many of my books go above and
beyond the relationship between the hero and heroine. For instance, one of my
heroines overcame sexual abuse for her HEA. In another book, my hero, a sitting
judge, suffered from PTSD. Other issues I’ve dealt with are adoption,
infertility, domestic violence. That kind of thing. Human issues, and the
emotions along with the triumphs that go with them.
Genre: Contemporary Romance – Anthology
Release Date: August 11, 2014
Length: 427 Pages
Buy link:
http://amzn.com/B00MNNW3ZC
A twenty year high school reunion changes the lives of former classmates and leads to unexpected futures.
Three Strikes Thursday
Barry Carlson, a pro baseball success, could have any woman he wanted.
Except one. Twenty years before, Barry won Amanda Marsh’s love, only to
crush her heart. He’s returned to Serendipity, determined to win her
back. Recently divorced, Amanda is happy—until Barry slides back into
her life. Can they put aside old wounds and new misunderstandings to
find a forever love?
Two On Tuesday
Blane Weston’s construction company needs the venture capital Matt
Durand has. With his reputation for hostile takeovers, she wants no part
of him. Mixing business with pleasure, she’s off to Serendipity to hook
up with a former flame. Not used to being denied, Matt follows. How can
Blane enjoy a journey to her past when Matt is determined to dictate
her future?
One Fateful Friday
His high school reunion in Serendipity over, hospital CEO Jake Holbrook
regrets his single state. When a special woman from his past tumbles
back into his life—and his bed—he’s determined to keep her there. Family
practitioner Bethany Thomas avoids an entanglement with her new boss,
but unknowingly betrays him. As the holidays approach, can they overcome
a lack of trust to find their Christmas miracle?
My review:
Get ready for three terrific stories of unexpected love.
Whether it’s a second chance or a first meeting, love has a way of finding
three couples. For Barry and Amanda, Blane and Matt, and Jake and Bethy, their
twenty-year reunion brings about good fortune. But the road to happy-ever-after
is never easy for Margo Hoornstra’s characters. Because of her skillful
writing, the reader feels the joy of exploring new love and the agony of
crushing disappointment before that ahh moment of resolution. Her likeable characters
have depth, and the excellent plotting makes Saturday in Serendipity an enjoyable read.
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