A *Deadly* Interview with author Nike Chillemi–And a Giveaway

It is both an honor and a pleasure to welcome “Crime Fictionista” Nike Chillemi back to Whispers in Purple to give us an interview ans spend a little time with us.

Welcome to Whispers in Purple, Nike. So glad to have you here.

Let’s start with some ‘Getting to know you’ questions:

Tell us five random things about you

1) I think I have a pretty good sense of humor. 2) I like food, am a good cook, and spend a fair amount of time transforming my own personal favorites and beloved family recipes into healthy fare (cutting down sugar and fat). 3) I was a pet rescuer and still have a house full of pets. 4) I was a foster mom. 5) I love Montauk, NY on the tip of Long Island. It's "the end."

Ha  What is your ‘typical’ day like?

I try to start my day with some sort of Bible study/prayer. Right now I'm following a teaching on prayer, the different kinds of prayer, what they're for. The study is going deeply into the prayer of petition for oneself and for others.

Oh, that sounds very interesting. What’s the #1 thing on your ‘bucket list’?

In the past this wasn't high on my list. I'm wary of traveling to areas that might be unfriendly to Americans or risky. But recently I feel a deep urge to go to Israel. I want to walk the streets where Jesus walked.

Me, too! You mentioned above that you were once a pet rescuer. Tell us more about that. 

I'd always loved animals and met a Christian gal who ran a rescue agency. We had great times rescuing animals together, feeding the ones we fostered, and hanging out listening to Christian tapes (before CDs ruled). I still have a house full of pets. In that day, sometimes Christians would sort of angrily say to us, "Why are you rescuing animals when there are human babies to save?" The Lord gave me an answer. "I've been called to do this in this season. If we all do what we're called to do it'll all get done."

What a great answer!

Fun question: Money being no object, where would be your dream vacation, or writing retreat?

It would be a beach house in a warm climate. Not necessarily a tropical climate, but probably semi-tropical. Maybe a cozy little cottage on one of the islands off northern Florida, Georgia, or South Carolina.

I’m with you there! Sounds heavenly.

Now let’s talk about your writing and your books. I know you’ve written a number of books over the past several years (see ** below) but it’s your current detective series I want to focus on here.

Why a detective series?

I love to read detective stories and natch, it was inevitable I'd write one. Then I fell in love with the characters, not only the main characters, but the secondary ones too. I didn't want to let go of them. So, a series was born.

What made you select Texas as your original setting?

Ah, well, it all started with a short story writing challenge to place my heroine in a locale and a circumstance where she would be uncomfortable. I thought I'd be writing a few thousand words, at the most. I placed Brooklyn born private detective Veronica "Ronnie" Ingels in west Texas and had Dawson Hughes, the handsome and stalwart deputy sheriff, suspect her of killing her cheating husband. That was HARMFUL INTENT. They went on to search for a missing little girl who might've been kidnapped by terrorists in book two, DEADLY DESIGNS.

How did you choose your main characters’ names?

I like strong names. Ronnie's name has significance in terms of the plot. She's plagued by bad dreams in both novels, but in DEADLY DESIGNS we learn someone distasteful in her past called her Veronica. That's why she prefers her friends call her Ronnie.

Tell us a bit about your main characters. Who did you have the most fun writing?

I absolutely love Ronnie and Dawson, but I had the most fun writing secondary characters Hoot Dagney and Bertha. Hoot owns a local diner, has a beard, and wears a beat-up prospector's hat making him resemble Gabby Hays. Bertha is his waitress and baker. While Ronnie is a fledgling seeker at this point, Bertha and Hoot are committed Christians and funny as all get out. I enjoyed creating their 'seasoned citizen romance'.

What else would you like to share about this series, the individual books, and what’s coming up next?

As I mentioned, book one, HARMFUL INTENT, was set in west Texas. In book two, DEADLY DESIGNS, Ronnie and Dawson find themselves in the northeast. The last book of the trilogy, BLOOD SPEAKS, brings them to western Maryland where I bring back beloved characters from the first and second books. In BLOOD SPEAKS it's Bertha Dagney (now married to Hoot) who is accused of murder.

Share your social media links where readers can find you:

• Blog: Nike N. Chillemi ~ Crime Fictionista https://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/


• Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Nike-N.-Chillemi/e/B0050ZD44O/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1


• Twitter https://twitter.com/NikeNChillemi

***DEADLINE EXTENDED TO jAN 29!!

THE GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment, ask Nike a question, or answer this question: Do you like crime/detective-type fiction? to be entered in a random drawing for Nike’s first book in this series, Harmful Intent. Giveaway ends one week from today, January 20, at midnight, Central time. Winner will be drawn via random.org – and notified via email.

About Nike:



Like so many writers, Nike Chillemi started writing at a very young age. She still has the Crayola, fully illustrated book she penned (colored might be more accurate) as a little girl about her then off-the-chart love of horses. Today, you might call her a crime fictionista. Her passion is crime fiction. She likes her bad guys really bad and her good guys smarter and better.

Nike is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and is its Chair, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She has been a judge in the 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories; and an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category. Her four novel Sanctuary Point series, set in the mid-1940s has finaled, won an award, and garnered critical acclaim. HARMFUL INTENT released under the auspices of her own publishing company, Crime Fictionista Press, won in the Grace Awards 2014 Mystery/Thriller/Romantic Suspense/Historic Suspense category. Her new release is DEADLY DESIGNS. She has written book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and John 3:16 Marketing Network. http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, Nike. It’s been fun getting to know you and learn about your current writing projects.

♦♦♦♦

**Purchase links for Nike’s Books:

• 
  
  The Veronica "Ronnie" Ingels/Dawson Hughes Trilogy: Harmful Intent, Deadly Designs


• 
  
  Sanctuary Point Series: Burning Hearts, Goodbye Noel, Perilous Shadows, Darkest Hour 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be Intentional

by Peggy Blann Phifer @pegphifer

So, what does that mean…Be Intentional?

Some synonyms for the word are deliberate and purposeful.

I haven’t made New Year Resolutions in decades. As such, I think they are doomed to fail. Instead, I make goals.

But aren’t they the same, you ask? In a way, I suppose they are, yet they’re not.  Consider:

• Resolution: I will lose at least ten pounds, exercise three times a week,, eat only healthy foods… this year.
• Goal: I will be more intentional about taking better care of myself this year.

As a writer wanting to support other writers:

• Resolution: I will write at least one book review every month.
• Goal: I am going to be more intentional about writing and posting book reviews.

Do you see the subtle difference?

• Resolutions tend to tie you to specific things, thus harder  to accomplish. Most will fail at this, and end the year in frustration and disappointment.
• Goals, on the other hand, are pretty much NON-specific, easier to accomplish, and end the year with satisfaction.

The word Intentional ties in with my post from last week about Perseverance. With the right goals, it’s easier to persevere, don’t you think?

What about you? Are you a Resolver…or a Goaler? (Just made that word up.)

Be sure to join the conversation with your thoughts.

COTT Features "The Sound of Diamonds" by Rachelle Rea

Readers of Jody Hedlund’s new medieval YA series and Melanie Dickerson’s fairytale-based YA novels will love Rachelle Rea’s The Sound of Diamonds. 

—Dawn Crandall, award-winning author of The Hesitant Heiress

 

PURCHASE

Amazon

B & N

Books a Million

About the book: 

Her only chance of getting home is trusting the man she hates.

With the protestant Elizabeth on the throne of England and her family in shambles, Catholic maiden Gwyneth seeks refuge in the Low Countries of Holland, hoping to soothe her aching soul. But when the Iconoclastic Fury descends and bloodshed overtakes her haven, she has no choice but to trust the rogue who arrives, promising to see her safely home to her uncle's castle. She doesn't dare to trust him...and yet doesn't dare to refuse her one chance to preserve her own life and those of the nuns she rescues from the burning convent.

Dirk Godfrey is determined to restore his honor at whatever cost. Running from a tortured past, Dirk

knows he has only one chance at redemption, and it lies with the lovely Gwyneth, who hates him for the crimes she thinks he committed. He must see her to safety, prove to the world that he is innocent, prove that her poor eyesight is not the only thing that has blinded her but what is he to do when those goals clash?

The home Gwyneth knew is not what she once thought. When a dark secret and a twisted plot for power collide in a castle masquerading as a haven, the saint and the sinner must either dare to hold to hope...or be overcome.

With a lovely style that is mature and seasoned, at an enviable professional level, readers are in for a real treat with Rachelle Rea’s debut. Beautifully written, The Sound of Diamonds is a gem. An unusual heroine, a unique setting, and a heart-stopping hero make this a must-read for historical fiction fans. Encore, Rachelle Rea!

—Laura Frantz, author of The Mistress of Tall Acre

Get to know the author:

Rachelle Rea plots her novels while driving around the little town she's lived in all her life in her dream car, a pick-up truck. An Oreo addict, she is also a homeschool graduate and retired gymnast. She wrote the Sound of Diamonds the summer after her sophomore year of college.

When and where did you first get the idea for the Steadfast Love Series?

A song I was listening to on the radio inspired the title of the first book. So I wrote Diamonds, but when I finished it, I realized to my great frustration that the characters weren’t done with their story, even though I had been quite adamant that I would write a stand-alone novel. But the story wasn’t finished, so I kept writing.

2015 has been a busy year for you with your first two releases! :) Can you tell us one of the moments you'll remember most from this special year?

Holding my book for the first time was a big deal! I remember the boxes coming in, then sitting on the couch with a copy in my lap, just staring and realizing I was beaming a bit…

Rachelle Rea’s debut novel transports readers back to the danger and mystique of Europe during the 1500s. Rich in church history and woven together with romantic suspense, The Sounds of Diamonds is a fascinating story and stellar debut. I look forward to reading more from Rachelle Rea!

—Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of Chateau of Secrets

I saw on your website that you also write reviews, articles and offer editing services. What's one of your favorite things beyond writing novels that you enjoy?

Editing is such fun! I daresay I enjoy editing a page full of my own (or others’!) words just as much as I enjoy splashing words onto a blank page.

Is there anything else you'd like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us? 

I’m really excited about all that 2016 may hold! My third book, the last in the Steadfast Love series, releases the day after Valentine’s Day! Beyond that, time will tell ;)

 

What on earth are Repeat Police?

I’m tickled to kick off the first Writing Talk Tuesday of the New Year with another great post from Jeanne Marie Leach, and, from the title, this one might be fun. So sit back and find out what this is all about.



REPEAT POLICE, By: Jeanne Marie Leach

One of my pet peeves as an editor is repetition. I once mentored another Colorado writer who had trouble in this area. Every other page had a repetition infraction, and since she was a friend, I soon simply gave her this comment, “Repeat police! Repeat police.”

There are many ways repetition can find its way into a book.

One is by using the same noun repeatedly in the same sentence or paragraph.

• · George jumped into his red sports car and turned on the engine. He backed the car out of the driveway and then sped down the street in the car. He enjoyed the many stares he got from guys who envied him for his car, and from the chicks who dug guys with cool cars.

You saw the word, didn’t you? And it became glaringly annoying.

Another form of repetition is when the writer wants to drive home a certain point and says the same thing, only using different words. In the following example, only one of the sentences is necessary and the other can be eliminated.

• · Jane had never in her life met a man she admired as much as Tim. For the first time ever, she’d found a man whom she could look up to in Tim.

The next repeat offense that bothers me is when authors repeat words for effect. It’s especially maddening when I find more than one of these on the same page. It even irked me to have to write this example for you.

• · Jane crept down the long hallway—the hallway her mother had stepped into just moments before. Where had she gone? Perhaps she’d gone into her room—the room where a century ago a woman had been murdered—murdered by her own step-father.

This really does nothing to heighten the tension and is unnecessary to the story. The author would achieve the same effect with shorter sentences that get to the point. Here’s the same paragraph rewritten to create more tension.

• · Jane crept down the long hallway. Where had mother gone? To her room? Until then the fact that someone had been murdered by their own step-father a century ago in her mother’s room meant nothing to her.

The only time repetition is useful is when used for a special effect. I’ll never forget the scene in the movie 310 to Yuma when Ben Wade and his band of outlaws were in the bar after committing a big stage robbery in which a couple of their men had died. Ben lifts his glass and gives this “eulogy” about one of his men who’d made a huge mistake that caused other good men to die.

• · “Tommy was weak. Tommy was stupid. Tommy is dead.”

This type of repetition drives home a point much better than if he’d said, “Tommy was weak and stupid, and now he’s dead because of it.

Remember to cut repetition whenever possible, but leave it alone if it enhances the scene.

I hope you get what I’m saying here in this blog. Do you get the point of this blog—the blog that I hope gives you something to think about? My main goal of writing this blog is to help you recognize repetition in your own writing. Be on the lookout for repetition and you’ll stave off the Repeat Police.

 I get it, Jeanne, I get it!

 



Jeanne Marie Leach is a multi-published author and freelance editor specializing in fiction and teaches courses on editing fiction. She is coordinator of The Christian PEN, a member of the Christian Editor Network, and member #46 of The American Christian Fiction Writers, where she received the 2012 Member Service Award. She teaches 32 weeks per year to editors on how to edit fiction and continually keeps abreast of current market trends and hones her knowledge of fiction writing and editing through classes and conferences.

 

What about you, writers…Are you guilty of alerting the Repeat Police?

And you readers…have you found mistakes like these in books you’ve read?

Do join this conversation…

*PERSEVERE* God’s Word for the Year

GREETINGS, and Welcome to the New Year! As someone on a writing loop I belong to said,

“New year, new hope, same Jesus to walk with us every step of the way.”

And that’s the truth, right?

How many of you actively seek a ‘word’ from God for each new year? Or does God somehow give you a word or phrase to encourage you in whatever it is you wish to accomplish through the next 365 days? Many do. Last year, I did neither: no word whispered in my ear, nor did I specifically seek one.

But this year, on Saturday, one word kept niggling at the back of my mind: PERSEVERE

It’s a good word, especially for me at this time in my life. I didn’t come to writing until after I reached the half-century mark, and didn’t see my first book published for almost 20 years after that. Now, having passed the three-quarter-century mark, I’m feeling the crunch of time closing in on me.

Through all the intervening years, there were…and still are…so many times I felt like giving up, telling myself:

• I’m wasting my time


• Nobody will want to read this


• I’ll never be able to compete with other writers


• I can’t write like [fill in the blank] so why bother?


• There are so many great books out there, who’ll read something from an unknown?


• Writing is too hard…too much work.


• Where will I find new ideas.

And so on—all the lies and self-doubt the enemy throws at us, and not only writers. Anyone who wants to find purpose in their lives, their career, other responsibilities…that old wolf keeps prowling, seeking whom he may devour.

I’ll bet you can add to the list above.

Yet, because I didn't give up, in the last four years since my first book debuted, I’ve had one more novel published, five short-stories in several compilations, and am currently writing a series of my own…the first two published, the third in edits, and am one-third of the way through the fourth.

So, take that, you big, bad wolf. Your lies won’t stop me nor deter me from doing God’s work with the stories He gives me.

Here’s a closing scripture to think about:

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

Yes, God is good…all the time!

Blessings to you and yours in this Year of Our Lord, 2016

Don’t forget to leave your comments. I love reading them. If you wish to contact me privately, use the Contact Me button above.

TWEETABLES:

[bctt tweet="Don't let satan's lies deter you from God's purpose for your life. #writing #persevereance #amwriting"]

[bctt tweet="God has a #purpose for your #writing life. If you believe that, satan can't stop you. #amwriting #persevere"]