MEET THE AUTHOR - THE JACODY IVES MYSTERIES

As a reader who follows specific authors, and loves their characters I’ve often wondered what would my readers like to know about me? It was easier with my published book as I met many of those readers and spent time talking with them, answering their questions, and getting to know them. I actually made several wonderful friendships through those endeavors and we still stay in touch by email. EBook sales are substantially different in that I rarely, if ever, meet my readers now. And I miss that. I miss that one-on-one contact of discussing writing, characters and life in general.

One of the most often questions asked is: are any of my characters a part of my own persona. Well, yes, many of them are. Let’s take a look at Sacred Secrets, the prequel to The Gifts.

I believe we all have a dark and a light side. Thus Gavin McAllister a/ka/ Jacody Ives. Gavin, the “good” personality, and Jacody the “not quite so good” personality. The deeper, darker, more angry personality. In Sacred Secrets, I explore the trauma behind the split and the creation of Jacody Ives. So, yes, I feel a definite connection with both Gavin and Jacody.

Clover is a young girl who reads tarot cards, auras and believes everyone is psychic. I too believe everyone is psychic, and many of my own characteristics are a part of Clover’s personality.

Katie has lived the majority of her life on “death row”. Knowing that without a heart transplant she would die. I too was told early in life that without a pancreas transplant my days were numbered. After being placed on the transplant list my doctors discovered that I was allergic to the medications I would need for the operation. The surgery itself would kill me. So I know what it’s like to “be on death row”. And my short time on the transplant list is responsible for my interest in cellular memory.

Billy Dawson, the Dream Weaver. An interesting character. Torn between what he believes to be right, and his obligations. Don’t we all feel that same soul searching crisis throughout life?

Miss Charity, my own deep scars and wounds. Which, I hope you’ll forgive me I prefer not to share.

Those are just a few of my favorite characters in Sacred Secrets, which I believe are a part of my own persona.

As Sacred Secrets is the prequel to The Gifts, I did sort of a Star Wars on myself. In The Gifts Gavin and Jacody are no longer totally separate. They function as one, although not totally one.

Sarah, the town Sheriff, like Gavin has what her grandmother called “The Gift”. To Sarah it has always been more of a curse. Like Gavin, she dreams things. Things that happen. And therein lays her frustration. There’s no way she can ever know if what she dreamed is real until it happens, and then it’s too late to do anything about it. What kind of gift is that?

Nikki, Sarah’s five year old daughter reminds me of myself at her age. Yes, even then I was a little weird in the fact that I sometimes saw things or dreamed things that later I found out really happened.

I would love to believe that I have many of Millie’s charming characteristics. I know I have her propensity to feel that trust is essential in a relationship, and that without that trust nothing else matters.

When I started writing The Jacody Ives Mysteries I knew I wanted to write traditional mysteries to keep the reader guessing until the very end. I’ve been told many times that I accomplished this with The Gifts. The jury is still out on Sacred Secrets and I’ll have to wait for reader’s reviews to know if the twist at the end was enough. I will have to say it shocked me, as many times my characters go off in directions I had no idea they were going to take.

So now you know a little more about me, and my characters. Have a question you’d like me to answer? Feel free to post it below.