This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
You can see the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour!
It is my pleasure to bring you this interview with Mal Olson.
? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I've written for as long as I can remember. (And that covers a long period of time.) I loved English and writing in school, and one of my first romance stories blossomed in junior high school. From there it was on to editor of my high school newspaper. After that I constantly dabbled with articles and short stories, until one day my oldest daughter and I decided we could write a romance novel. We wrote two. Even though neither made it to publication, they still hold a soft spot in my heart because we had so much fun working on them together.
? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
Counting my first secretarial job fresh out of business school, the stay-at-home-mom gig for twelve years or so, a lunch room "cop" at one of our local schools, a stint at an office temp company, and two different jobs at the same place—secretarial work at a landscape firm, which led to a career as a landscape designer—the count comes to six (sort of). I still work part-time as a free lance landscape designer, but writing time gets in the way.
? How long does it take you to write a book?
Longer than I want to calculate. I wish I could say I can finish a book in a year, but it always seems like the rewriting and editing tack on another year. Of course now that I'm published, promotion takes up a lot of time. Guess I'm a slowpoke, and at this rate, my WIP, along with the series I have in the works, will probably take me into the next millennium. (Someone needs to invent longevity pills so I can get everything done in this lifetime. :)
? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
It really helps me get into the groove if I read a few samples of really good, really fresh writing before I start pounding the keys.
? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
I'm inspired by certain characters that I like in books, movies, TV, and real life, but somehow my characters seem to come knocking on the door (in my head), and I just get to know them as the story evolves.
? How do you decide what you want to write about?
I'll get the seed of an idea from a song, a real life event, or a news article, and when I start doing research for the story, things start to fall in place.
? What are you reading right now?
I just finished Linda Howard's Veil of Night, and before that, Trish McCallan's Forged in Fire. (Wow, phenomenal, and it's her first book!)
? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Spend time with my family, work in my flower gardens, jam on the mountain dulcimer with friends, watch Packer football.
? What is your favorite comfort food?
Anything chocolate.
? What do you think makes a good story?
The heart of any good story is the characters. If you can hook your reader with the characters, you've got it made. Also, for me personally, suspense is where it's at.
? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
Suzanne Brockmann because she writes great characters, and the reader is always treated to a lot of interior monologue. She's the queen of great romantic suspense.
Fun random questions:
- dogs or cats? Cats
- Coffee or tea? Coffee, but tea is a close runner up.
- Dark or milk chocolate? Dark, although I'm a recent convert.
- Rocks or flowers? Flowers
- Night or day? I'm a night person, not to say I don't enjoy a beautiful sunny day.
- Favorite color? Lavender
- Crayons or markers? Markers
- Pens or pencils? Pencils (mechanical ones)
Mal Olson writes adrenaline-kicked romantic suspense. When her consuming passion for writing allows time, she enjoys reading, flower gardening, jamming with friends on the mountain dulcimer, and hiking in a nearby state forest (or in the mountains somewhere). She has three grown children and one granddaughter and resides with her own special hero in southeast Wisconsin where she juggles writing time with her freelance landscape design business.
...and now ~ the book...
Blurb:
Can an FBI agent obsessed with redemption and a grieving widow desperate to clear her husband’s name learn to believe in love again?
Shannon Riedel faces down danger when a gunman breaks into her office claiming her dead husband swindled him. When FBI agent Tony Crazaniak arrives to investigate, sexual heat sizzles. The ex-Delta Force operative’s massive presence and dark eyes trigger an attraction the young widow finds unnerving.
When Crazaniak convinces Shannon she needs his protection, they partner to unearth secrets her husband left behind—secrets involving a Tanzanian mine that yields perfect blue diamonds coveted by dealers around the world—secrets connected to a terrorist leader Crazanaik has vowed to take down.
With danger surrounding them, two emotionally wounded souls bond, but can they put their demons to rest and trust in love? Can they survive long enough to find out?
Click HERE to see the book trailer.
Mal is giving away 5 ebook copies of Shadow of Deceit and a $15 Amazon GF tour wide!
