Welcome to my blog, CeeRee! Thanks for chatting with me.
Author Interview
What
made you decide to become a writer?
I never 'decided' to be a writer I just wrote.
When I was younger my parents weren't big into television. It was always 'go
outside and play' and there weren't swingsets and such only a yard with a few
toys. So I made up stories and my brother and I acted them out. So there's
always been stories floating around in my head. Later, the stories helped me
get through boring life stuff like standing in a grocery line before ereaders
were ever invented or waiting for the gas to hurry up and pump.
The first story I ever put to paper and tried
to have published was not your run of the mill story. I based it on the game
Mortal Kombat with a female character as lead. It was a romance and when I sent
it off for publishing, after having my English teacher proof it for me, I
received so many rejection letters. Not for grammar. Not for a weak story. But
because my female lead did not fit with their 'cookie-cutter' norm.
Needless to say, that story is still sitting in
paper form on a shelf next to me.
It wasn't until I moved to the Netherlands that
I had enough time to actually sit down and put more stories to paper. Living
here is slower not at all like living in the United States where every minute
of every day was always filled. So, I'm able to write more.
Who are
some of your favorite authors and why?
I'm a pretty voracious reader and will try any
genre once. Some of my favorite suspense authors, since we're talking about my
book, Gravedigger, today are JD Robb, Carol O'Connell, John Sandford and
Michael Connelly to name a few.
If you
could be any character in any book, who would it be and why?
If we're talking one of my stories, then I
would want to be Fawn. She's an assassin who is a few pieces short of building
a slider. In other words, she's crazy. But in a fun way... unless you're on the
wrong side of her blades. Or Jo Rayburn as she and I have a lot in common in
terms of family ties.
If we're talking about another author's work...
I would have to choose Robert Jordan's
Ahvienda. Because she was born a fighter, it's all she's ever known but when
her destiny catches up with her she runs until she can't run anymore and then
she finally accepts what life has in store for her. She acts like an every day
person. Everyone panics when things go wrong or crashes down all at once, but
when they stop fighting and actually accept what's happening flourish and are
usually happy. The few that continue to fight become bitter and sullen, I'd
rather be happy than bitter when life throws me curve balls.
Do you
have any hobbies you would like to share?
I'm a computer geek. So I'd say computer
software whether it's games or just software I can use as an author. For
instance I'm learning GIMP to create a world map for my futuristic fantasy
books as well as my covers, and adverts. Otherwise, I game. My primary game is
Runescape which I've played over 14 years and it's where I met my husband. If
I'm not on RS then I'm playing Sims3, Skyrim or on one of our gaming stations.
Yep I know total nerd.
What’s an item on your bucket list that you haven’t done yet?
I want to travel. I'd love to see more of
Europe. Greece, Norway, Denmark are a few of the countries on my bucket list to
see and wander around.
Tell us
the best vacation you have ever been on.
I don't have a best/favorite vacation, because
I loved all the experiences I've had while on vacation. From getting seasick
when my dad tried to share his love of deep sea fishing to bungee jumping and
having the biggest adrenaline rush. Now I love to go and just learn the history
to walk in places that are steeped with stories and history. Like seeing the
attic where Ann Frank hid to evade the Germans, touching the bullet holes
Germans left behind during World War II and realizing my grandfather wandered these
same streets when the Allies came to help. I'd like to go see the village that
inspired the story of the Pied Piper which is in Germany. Those are all
enjoyable in different ways.
Where do
you find the inspiration for your books?
I find inspiration in the oddest places. For my
first Rayburn Mystery, Gravedigger, I was actually flipping through some stuff
learning about the Grim Sleeper, aka Lonnie David Frankling Jr., a California
serial killer. I ended up stumbling across an article about a Russian man who'd
been digging up graves and putting the bodies in plaster so the dead wouldn't
be lonely anymore.
He probably never would've been caught except
he left a note at one or two of the sites and the parents became suspicious and
had their daughters' bodies exhumed only to find an empty coffin.
It made my mind churn and of course a story was
born. Most of it I let my imagination run as wild as I wanted, because
cemeteries can be fun exploring at night. And yes, I speak from experience...
who hasn't dared a friend to hang out in a cemetery on Halloween?
Is there
anything else you would like to share with your fans?
Yes, there are two more in the Rayburn series
written as well as two blog stories.
I'm in the process of writing the stories for
Josephine's sisters which has been a lot of fun since each of them have vastly
different personalities from not only Jo but each other as well. Juliette is a
CIA wetwork operative who worked with their father. Jenna is a white hat
hacker. And of course you've met Karma, she's found throughout Josephine and
Rhys's stories.
Also, Gravedigger was a finalist in The Beverly
for 2019. It came in at the top five of their Published Author's Contest.
Tagline: Hunting
a killer is easy. Learning to love is hard.
Blurb:
Josephine 'Jo' Rayburn has no luck with love. Between the
demands of her job as a homicide detective, finding the perfect yarn for her
knitting projects, and her nosy family, she doesn't have time to find her happily ever after, nor does she really
believe it exists. Until she's assigned to the Gravedigger task force where she
meets Rhysian 'Rhys' Harrison, the sexy Coroner's assistant.
Rhys Harrison thought he had found love with the perfect
woman. But his parents' death forced him to choose between his fiancée and
caring for his brother, he chose his brother. His only regret, the medical
degree he abandoned to work in the Coroner's office. When the Gravedigger
leaves his latest victim at the gates of a cemetery, Rhys and Jo are thrown
together, her prickly personality interests him, but it's her deeply hidden
romantic side that captivates him.
After one of
the task force members is shot, Rhys's fears of losing Jo, like he's lost so
much already, threaten to rip them apart. Can she convince him that love is
worth having no matter the risk? Or will he play it safe, leaving before his
heart becomes too attached?
Gravedigger Amazon Links:
Trailer:
Excerpt:
~Their first date at a craft show~
They rounded the corner and Jo released a startled gasp when Rhys led her
to another booth. “And this is the reason I wanted to bring you here.”
Her gaze bounced from all the colorful yarn in front of her, to him. She
narrowed her eyes. “Did Sullivan talk? Because if—”
“Sullivan knows?” Rhys held his palms up, shaking his head. “No, I kind
of spied on you . . . sort of.”
She took a careful step back. Could she have read him wrong? God, she had
the absolute worst luck with men.
“Get that look off your face. I wasn't following— Wait, I kind of . . .
Dammit.”
It was the first time she'd seen him at a loss for words and had heard
him curse. He took a deep breath, then released it as he rubbed his palms
across the sides of his pants. Nervous was good . . . maybe.
Rhys's gaze tangled with her and she read the sincerity in it. “I take my
brother to the library on Wednesdays. They sponsor a reading program, and I
like him to have real books. Borrowing the books teach him to take care of
items, especially if he's responsible for turning them back in or paying for damages
out of his allowance.”
“I thought I saw you on the escalator, but . . .” she trailed off unsure
if she wanted him to know she'd almost followed to see if the man really was
Rhys. Jo hadn't followed though, not wanting to embarrass herself if she were wrong.
“Yeah, probably. I followed you—”
“And saw the knitting books. Crap.” Jo stepped into his space, jabbing a
finger at him. “No telling anyone.
Sullivan knows, but I have enough blackmail video of him that he won't ever
spill.”
“I'm not going to tell anyone, Jo. I mean I don't get why it's a big
secret—” Rhys's hand caught hers, linking them together again.
People who didn't work in law enforcement rarely understood the weird
sense of humor and pranks that occurred because of it. “If any of my coworkers
know, I'll get orders showing up on my desk for knitted speedos, with sizes I'm
sure—”
“Are you kidding?” Rhys's mouth fell open when she shook her head.
“With just the Digger case, Sullivan and I have gotten three different
adverts for zombie apocalypse survival kits. Not to mention a few axes, and
tons of emails with videos on how to survive a zombie attack.”
“I thought cops had more important things to do.”
Jo snorted. “They do, but they also know levity keeps you from sinking
into the deepest darkest hole you can find. We see the absolute worst humanity
has to offer. Grandmothers killing grandkids because they were high. Or parents
selling their kids. Kids shooting parents or other family members. If someone
can dream it up, we've seen it.”
He gently pulled her close, cradling her in his arms. Safe. His chest was
solid under her cheek. His heart a steady beat in her ear, she stifled a gasp
at how right he felt.
“I know. I've only worked for Jim for a few months and I already know I'm
not cut out for it.”
Gathering her composure, Jo kept their hands linked and leaned back. “You
wanted to be a doctor? I thought I heard that.”
“Yes, a pediatrician.” His thin lips softened from the hard-flat line
they'd been in. “I planned to go into practice with a couple of friends I'd met
in school. One was studying to be an OBGYN and the two others were studying
general medicine. I wanted to help kids.”
“And what stopped you?”
“My parents died, and I needed to take care of Rian.” Rhys set her away
from him. “And this is depressing. How about we get off these subjects and back
on this amazing yarn.”
Deciding to go along with him, Jo turned and fell into her second love.
Knitting. Jo wanted to dig into all the questions she had: why Rhys quit
medical school, why he'd taken a job at the Coroner's office and why he still
drove his father's car after they'd been dead for two years, she tamped down
the urge. Focusing on his smiles and laughter. But especially the bubbly
feeling of happiness he drew so effortlessly from her.
Blog Story Links:
Author Bio:
I'm
a geek, a gamer, a music lover, and a voracious reader. I love Star Trek and
B-grade movies like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Sharknado. I enjoy
figuring out software and learning new things and applying them to whatever
book I'm currently working on.
I
write romantic adventures. Mostly, I live vicariously through my characters. I
can be a knife-wielding forager who saves her family from deadly kidnappers or
a slinky thief who must outmaneuver her sadistic cousin. My male characters
aren't cookie cutter either. There's so much diversity in the world that one
size does not fit all. It's the same for love. My male characters are diverse.
I have several he-men, alpha types, but I also have nerds in glasses who can
kickass when needed, whether in a board room or in a parking garage. I have
characters who are blind and some who have lost a limb putting their lives on
the line to save others.
The
one thing they all have in common is they are people who learn to move past
their hurdles and find love.
I can be found at:
Website: https://ceereefields.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/ceereefields
Facebook: facebook.com/ceereefields
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