Welcome Andrea Ramos! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and answering a few questions. I'm happy to have you here. Well, let's get started...
Interview
- What process did you go through when you picked your characters’ names for Gumshoe Girl? This is actually a funny story, my main character’s name is Sheagan. I knew a girl from my old secretary job, she used to come in once a week for specialty work. She introduced herself as Sheagan, so I would call the appropriate persons and let them know she was there. As the months went past, we had gotten to know each other a bit and I told her how much I loved her name. I asked her if I could use it for the character in my book. She told me how much she was honored and said, “you know that’s my last name, right?” “What, no!” I apologized for using her last name (as her first) this whole time. “No, no, it’s fine, really. I actually love my last name and introduce myself that way on purpose. Everyone calls me Sheagan.” I loved it even more after that!
- What do you prefer: ebook or print? Why? Gumshoe Girl is available in ebook only, unfortunately, but I would love to get it to print someday. As a reader I love print books, so it’s kind of ironic that mine is only available electronically. I work on a computer all day sometimes, I love to just unplug. I also love the feel of holding a book, you don’t have to worry about solar glare, you can mark where you left off and find it easily and make personal notes in the margins with thoughts and feelings.
- What did you do when you received your first Acceptance Letter? I am a debut author and the process went very fast for me. I was so lucky! I had just finished the edits to my novel in December when PitMad came around. I wasn’t prepared, I actually had my dates mixed up and thought it was the next day. It was past 4pm and I didn’t think anyone would be paying attention at that point. I thought everybody would all be gearing up to go home, not looking at tweets. But I took a chance, I threw a tweet out there and it was favorited by a couple of people, one was from Tirgearr Publishing. I received my acceptance letter in February by Tirgearr Publishing and Gumshoe Girl was published in May. It was like a whirlwind!
- Any advice for the aspiring authors out there? Particularly those who are feeling a little discouraged? Grow tough skin and don’t give up! To be a writer you must have thick skin for all the rejection you will receive…not might receive…will receive. It doesn’t stop with a publisher offering you a contract, you must endure tough critiques and bad reviews, even the best, most well written novels get criticized- it’s simply part of the business. Hang in there, take chances and don’t give up! If I had thought about it for longer, I would have chickened out of throwing something up on PitMad, but As the Great One, Wayne Gretsky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
- Are you a writer who plans out your story ahead of time (a plotter), or do you let the story develop as you go along (a pantser)? I am definitely a plotter! I use a program called Trello to help plot my books, however I am not married to the outline when I plot it. If the story takes me in a different direction I go with it and adjust later. What is great about a plotting a story is it ensures that I don’t get too far off course and write myself into a box, I always have a path to where the story is heading, it just may take a different route than originally intended to get there.
Blurb:
Sheagan O’Hare got more than she bargained for when her newly inherited detective agency lands its first case; a missing person, embezzlement, and murder. Sheagan’s out to prove she can hang with the pro's, despite the constant reminder of her amateur status from an annoyingly attractive FBI agent, Colin 'Mac' MacEvine, who’s forced himself into her life.
How does she feel when an old high school friend hopes to ignite a new romance?
Will she be able to discover if detective work and love can mingle before someone gets hurt?
Buy Links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/
Author Bio:
Andi Ramos is a debut author from central Massachusetts where she lives with her family, goat, and Boston Terriers. Her love for reading grew into a passion for writing. She dabbled with pen and paper for a long time and eventually stopped pushing her amusements aside and started developing those stories into novels. One of her favorite things to do is to hop into her motorhome with her family and write while traveling down the road as they journey to various destinations.
Website: www.andiramos.com
Blog: www.andiramos.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Excerpt
Sheagan blinked back the sting in her eyes as sweat drizzled from her forehead. Her shoulders and forearms cried out as determination inched her body forward through the tin walls that framed her slender figure. The narrow shaft rendered her legs useless as they dragged behind her like dead weight. She made a vow to start working out as she approached her destination, the metal grate that looked down into the sweetheart suite of the Eliot Hotel.
She shimmied her binoculars out of her bag and clutched them in her sweaty palms as she readied herself to delve into the world of private investigating. The friction of her movements caused her mahogany mane to cling to all the surfaces of her temporary confinement. Perched behind the filigree frame, peering like a caged animal, she was a mere 20 feet from her target. Her target? The Rat Bastard, who up until this very moment she’d called boyfriend.
She wasn’t there to kill him, even though the thought had crossed her mind; no, she was there to catch him in the act. She suspected he had been cheating on her for some time, so proof would end her suspicion or the relationship. Spying on her significant other through an air-vent of a swanky hotel room was hardly a promising start to her so-called glamorous career as a private detective. But it snapped her back into the reality that her new chosen profession would often be messy and difficult.
She peered through the grate and envied the spacious room below, but her viewing angle was no good for the task at hand. She could feel the heat in her cheeks rise along with her anger as she scanned the room and soaked in the extravagance–the hardwood tables, the Italian marble fireplace, the opulent sheen of the fabric on the overstuffed furniture that glimmered in the soft candlelight. The Rat Bastard was not known to overindulge on frivolous expenses, unless it was on her dime. Thoughts of killing him resurfaced.
What is wrong with me? Why did I wait so long?
She immediately regretted the fleeting question. She knew why. The answer brought back the pain and significance of her father’s sudden death. He had been the only family she had left, and he was gone. All that was left behind was his detective agency. She had thought about giving it up, but she couldn’t; it was her only connection to him, to her family.
She closed her eyes briefly, realizing that now she was facing more loss–even if he was a lying, cheating Rat Bastard.
No! It’s better this way, stay focused.
She choked in a breath and turned her attention back to the room. His secret love nest was finished with soothing tones on the walls and thick, plush carpeting.
What is that on the end table?
Her gaze was drawn to the bottle label as it bobbed upside down in the melting ice. She sharpened the focus of her binoculars, and her eyes widened in recognition.
Her cheeks flushed. Cristal, she scoffed. Who is this Bimbo, anyway?
As if she had room to criticize this girl’s intelligence, when Sheagan was the one sweating her makeup off in a four-by-four-foot air-duct.
Yeah, who’s the stupid one?
She heard passionate sounds coming from the right of the room and recognized his tone. Leaning sideways, Sheagan pressed her face to the grate, but her limited
view revealed only a portion of the bed and unable to make out major details, like faces.
Crap, I can’t see anything. Damn! She needed to get a better look
As she shifted her weight, the metal walls started to reverberate and Sheagan stifled a gasp, willing the rumbling to cease. Her breathing became labored as the musty air stole the aroma of the sweet perfume wafting up waft from the suite below. She stilled her movements and did the only thing she could think of... nothing. Nothing but stare at the heap of blankets and wait.
Come on, bimbo, come up for air. I know he doesn’t last that long.
Her discomfort increased as the noise from their passion became more intense. Ugh, that’s it, I’ve had it!She mashed her cheek and upper body against the grate.
I just need a peek to confirm.
She pressed harder, ogling the bed. Finally, she caught a tiny glimpse.
Just a little further.
She pushed and heard a chirring sound, then a scraping. She froze in place, but
Her discomfort increased as the noise from their passion became more intense. Ugh, that’s it, I’ve had it!She mashed her cheek and upper body against the grate.
I just need a peek to confirm.
She pressed harder, ogling the bed. Finally, she caught a tiny glimpse.
Just a little further.
She pushed and heard a chirring sound, then a scraping. She froze in place, but
the grate gave way with a creaking groan and crashed to the ground. Time stood still as Sheagan realized there was nothing between her and the floor except air.
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