Hello and welcome to my blog, Author Interviews. My name is Fiona Mcvie.
Let’s get you introduced to everyone, shall we? Tell us your name. What is your age?
Deborah Camp
Fiona: Where are you from?
Tulsa, OK
Fiona: A little about your self (ie, your education, family life, etc.).
Author of more than 50 romances, both contemporary and historical, I received the very first Janet Dailey Award (given to a romance novel that best addressed a social problem). My Wild Rose(https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Rose-Daring-Hearts-Book-ebook/dp/B0074NQ35W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501448623&sr=8-1&keywords=My+Wild+Rose+by+Deborah+Camp) deals with battered women and children in 1800s with Carrie Nation as a character in the novel.I love writing westerns, focusing on brave women and honorable men.
My Mind’s Eye series (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=The+Mind%27s+Eye+Series+by+Deborah+Camp) is a contemporary mixture of paranormal, romantic suspense, and detective/thriller with two talented psychics chasing serial killers.
I like to write about complex characters and I always mix in a bit of humor, even in my romantic suspense novels.
I’ve been a full-time writer since graduating from the University of Tulsa. My first novel was published in the late 1970s and my books have been published by Jove, New American Library, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, and Amazon. Iwas inducted into the Oklahoma Authors Hall of Fame and I’m a charter member of the Romance Writers of America. I’m also a member of the Author’s Guild.
Fiona: Tell us your latest news.
Number 4 in my Mind’s Eye series was released in July on Amazon. Through Her Eyes is set in New Orleans and Atlanta. Trudy and Levi, psychic detectives and lovers, are on the trail of a serial killer who has claimed 19 lives and is ready to make it 20.
My most recent western in Solitary Horseman(https://www.amazon.com/Solitary-Horseman-Deborah-Camp-ebook/dp/B01HFCC2UQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1501448792&sr=1-1&keywords=Solitary+Horseman+by+Deborah+Camp)and it’s available on Amazon. It’s set in Texas and deals with the aftermath and human struggles following the Civil War.
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve always wanted to write. When I was a kid, I wrote short stories.
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I suppose in high school when I started writing for the school newspaper.
Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?
Just the desire to do so. I read Harlequin romances all the time and I knew I could write one. So I did! The timing was great because Simon&Shuster was looking for romances for their yet-to-be-released Silhouette Romance line.
Fiona: How did you come up with the title?
I didn’t. Silhouette named it. (I assume we’re talking about my first published novel?) If we’re talking about my most recent novel, the first title in the Mind’s Eye series is Through His Eyes. The first three books focus a lot of Levi Wolfe. The next three – being with #4 – will have a focus on Trudy Tucker. Hence, Through HER Eyes. Also, Trudy’s main psychic gift is her ability to have her mind taken over by a murderer, so that she sees what he sees, hears what he hears, feels what he feels, etc. It’s a gift and a curse.
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style? Is there anything about your style or genre that you find particularly challenging?
I suppose I just write how I write. I do try to leave out the boring parts so that the books move along at a nice clip.
Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
The Mind’s Eye series was spawned from a friendship I have with a psychic. I’ve known him since high school and he’s very gifted, but not as gifted as Levi or Trudy. But knowing him sparked my interest in psychics and how they struggle with their abilities.
Fiona: To craft your works, do you have to travel? Before or during the process?
I don’t have to travel, no. While writing Through Her Eyes, I did jet off to New Orleans and stay at the hotels/cottages whereLevi and Trudy stayed in the book. And I poked around the city to reacquaint myself with it. I’d been to New Orleans several times before.
Fiona: Who designed the covers?
My cover artist is the talented Patricia Schmitt (pickyme.com). She’s a pleasure to work with and always comes through for me with great covers.
Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
The Mind’s Eye series is a lot like the X-Men in that it focuses on people who are gifted and who are often ridiculed and laughed at or they make people uneasy and even frightened. But they’re normal people with feelings and emotions just like everyone else. Levi and Trudy both struggled growing up psychic and those struggles made them strong, but also scarred them. Now they are using their talents to help other people, but they still are treated like oddballs and outcasts by a lot of people.
Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you?
I read new authors all the time. I find them on Goodreads, mostly. I just finished one by a favorite author of mine – Karina Halle. I also like E.L. James, Abigail Barnette, C.D. Reiss, and Mia Sheridan. I like books that have meaty plots (I really hate “saggy middles” in books when the author runs out of plot and has the characters do dumb things or repeat the same argument over and over again). I also like smutty books. One of my favorite hangouts on Goodreads is in the Kindle Smut group! I love hot love/sex scenes and alpha males and females.
Fiona: Outside of family members, name one entity that supported your commitment to become a published author.
My writing mentor was Peggy Fielding. She let me into her Writers Roundtable and taught me how to write fiction to sell. In the Mind’s Eye series, the character of Quintara is Peggy. Quintara conducts a Psychic Roundtable where Levi meets Trudy.
Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?
Writing is and always has been my career.
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No. I think it’s one of my best.
Fiona: Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
I learned that I’m taking too long in between the books. I have been writing a western in between each Mind’s Eye book (which I am doing now), but after I finish this western—which I hope will be released in December – then I’m writing #5 and #6 of the series back to back. It’s not good to keep readers waiting so long between releases.
Fiona: If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Levi would be someone like Tom Ellis (TV’s Lucifer) or Aidan Turner (Poldark). Trudy (who looks a lot like the girl on the cover) would be someone like Emma Stone or Sarah Hyland.
Fiona: Any advice for other writers?
Keep at it. Learn your craft. When you read books you like, study them as you would a textbook. Underline passages that make you feel something and dissect them to find out why and how. Learn punctuation and sentence structure. In other words, learn your craft. It amazes me how many people decide to write a book without studying how to do it! Would you say, “I’m going to be a brain surgeon.” And then try your hand at it the next day? Wanting to do something is great. The next step is to learn how it’s done.
Fiona: Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
If you haven’t read the first book in the Mind’s Eyes series, I would love to send it to you FREE. Go to my website (www.deborah-camp.com) and join my Happy Campers Super Cool Readers Group and I’ll send it to you (mobi or epub).
I’m currently working with a narrator to have Through His Eyes as an audio book. It’s a really interesting and exciting processs!
Fiona: What book are you reading now?
I’m reading Easy Love by Kristen Proby (she’s a new author for me and I’m enjoying her book a lot!). I’m reading and listening to it (bought the audio version on Audible).
Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?
I believe it was The Pokey Little Puppy.
Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?
Hard to predict when either of these emotions will bubble up in me. However, I do the former a lot more than the latter.
Fiona: Is there one person, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?
I’d like to meet Truman Capote because I think he’d be fascinating to talk to. He had such great stories to tell and he told them with gusto.
Fiona: Do you have any hobbies?
I volunteer with Animal Rescue Foundation in Tulsa and I help rescue dogs and cats from kill shelters and find them loving homes.
Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?
I like reality TV shows. Real Housewives, Survivor, Alone, Mountain Men, Deadliest Catch, Below Deck, you name it! I don’t like The Bachelor or The Bachelorette because I find them demeaning. I’m also a fan of The Walking Dead. As for films, my favorites are rom/coms. I love When Harry Met Sally, French Kiss, The Proposal, and The Way We Were.
Fiona: Favorite foods, colors, music?
Food: Hamburgers. Color: Orange. Music: Love songs – anything by Johnny Mathis or Barbara Streisand. I like Sam Smith, too.
Fiona: Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?
Read what other people write.
Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone?
She Loved to Laugh (and Write)
Fiona: Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates, events and special offers?
My website is www.deborah-camp.com You can find all my other media outlets addresses there, too. Twitter, Facebook, Blog, etc.