Memory Layne (Author Interview)

  

 

 


 packardislandpublishing.com/product/memory-layne/

Any plans to turn it into a series?

I have a mystery adventure series with my Emerson Moore character and wanted to write in a different style with a character fighting Alzheimer disease.  More of a heartwarming approach.

 

That’s an amazing cover.  Can you tell us a little about it?

I wanted to capture his old truck with the horse trailer and his golden Lab on board the ferry boat that he once captained. It’s a contrast between strength (the huge ferry) and weakness (the rusty truck and trailer). It’s meant to make the reader wonder what’s going on with that old truck?

 

What will readers get out of your book?

How good family values overcome the challenges of health issues and evil family interactions. There’s a thread of family love that runs through the novel.

 

What motivated you to become a writer?

I’ve wanted to write since I was 8-years-old and wrote skits in high school and college. While working in corporate public relations, I wrote plays and skits for my church, I also wrote articles for a number of boating magazines. My first book Rainbow’s End was released 20 years ago. I’m not working on my 18th novel.

 

How did you come up with the story and ideas in Memory Layne?

Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook inspired me as well as family and friends with Alzheimer disease. Their battles to overcome it were filled with sadness and, at times, humor. I tried to incorporate those moments in Memory Layne.

 

Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when writing Memory Layne?

The biggest challenge was balancing the poignant moments with the humorous moments. Zeke Layne was the teller of tall tales and a prankster, but he had those moments with memory loss and difficult confrontations with his stepdaughters and their biker boyfriends.

 

What do you like to do when not writing?

I enjoy traveling to the Lake Erie islands, Key West and the Caribbean to hang out with my treasure hunting friends. I’m also a researcher and enjoy getting ready for the next book – and interviewing subject matter experts.

 

Where can readers find out more about your work?

There’s more information about my books at packardislandpublishing.com/product/memory-layne/ where my books can be purchased with free shipping.


Memory Layne was named Best Fiction Novel (under 70,000 words) in June at the Next Generation Indie Awards.