I’d love to host a show like the Oprah show.  I’m so intrigued by what makes people tick, their dreams, and what inspires them.  Lately, I’ve met so many brilliant mentors who teach me about the world of writing and publishing, and Elke Feuer is among them.  Thank you, Elke!  I can’t wait to read her book, For the Love of Jazz.  In preparing to interview Elke, I read her bio and found so many interesting nuggets that I could have asked her 100 questions instead of 8!  I hope you enjoy what this bright, beautiful, wife and mom who lives and writes on the gorgeous island of Grand Cayman had to share – I certainly did!

1. I just purchased For the Love of Jazz and can’t wait to read it.  It sounds like a story that has everything needed to stir the imagination – romance, music, architecture, ghosts, mystery, family secrets, and more!  What inspired you to write such a rich novel with so many fascinating elements?

Thanks for buying the book, Patricia!  I have your book also and can’t wait to dig in.

Funny story.  It was originally a simple story with a hero and heroine who meet and fall in love with the same house.  While taking an online course that forced me to delve deeper into my characters and the story, the book took on a life of its own.  Soon I had a heroine who wanted a more interesting profession, a villain who wouldn’t cooperate, and ghosts who weren’t even in the original story, bossing me around.  The jazz theme came from my love of jazz music and wanting to sing (although never had the guts to pursue it).  Adding it to the story let me live vicariously through my characters and helped me with the title of the book. So, in a way I had little to do with it.

2. How do you make time to write when you’re a busy wife and mom?

I have amazing support from my husband and parents who watch the kids on the weekend, and wonderful kids who cooperate with their early bedtimes (most of the time).  I take my work-in-progress with me everywhere, so if an opportunity presents itself I can write.  I also write during my lunchtime.  I realized years ago I had to fit my schedule around writing and not the other way around.

3. In 2008, you found an old list of your goals, one of which was to be a published author by 2005.  This propelled you to go after the dream you had set aside.  Now that you are a successful published author, what is one of your major goals for the future?

Ooh, there are so many, some that make people look at me strangely, but that’s what makes them so great.

I have a ribbon I wear to RWA conferences that says, “Look out Nora” (Nora Roberts) that I wear as a reminder that like Nora, I want my stories to be movies on Lifetime or any TV network that will have them.

4. What were some of the most important lessons you learned about writing in the courses and workshops you took?

The biggest lesson was that I had a lot to learn about the craft of writing.  Next, I could pick what feedback I wanted to use because it was my story, but all feedback is helpful in giving you thick skin.  And lastly, if something is important to you, you make time for it.  In essence, writers write.

5. I’ve never been to the Cayman Islands, but I imagine it’s like paradise.  What do you love most about living there?

I love that my friends and family are there and of course the sunshine.  There’s nothing like going outside and having your face warmed by the sun when you’ve been cooped up inside all day.

6. Who are your favorite authors?

A new favorite is Margaret Mallory.  She writes amazing historical romances (my favorite) and a long standing favorite is Amanda Quick who also writes historical romances.

7. What are you working on now?

I’m very excited about my current projects because they’re all set in Cayman.  The first is a three book series called The Deadly Series (still working on the name).  Book 1, Deadly Bloodlines, is about the daughter of a serial killer.  The other book is a contemporary romance called The Trouble with Soul Mates, with a heroine who meets her soul mate in her dreams.

8. What would you say to aspiring writers who have the same goal you once had to become a published author?

Never give up!  Fulfilling your dreams is not an easy road.  It takes hard work, perseverance, and determination.  This includes ignoring nay sayers.

Great questions, Patricia!  I really enjoyed answering them and being your guest today.

Connect with Elke Feuer at:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

For the Love of Jazz Description

Restoration architect Josie Fagan takes on a project with lawyer and senator’s son, Patrick Pullman. It’s the perfect match. She needs his endorsement to save her business and he wants to restore his ancestral Chicago home. Love wasn’t part of her plan. Neither was being asked to stay at his home, haunted by ghosts, or discovering she has a claim to his home – which she adores. When she finds out his family may be responsible for her aunt’s disappearance fifty years ago, it’s a race to unearth the truth before she loses not only her business and her heart, but her life.

Patrick can’t deny his attraction to Josie and is willing to take a chance on love since his broken engagement a year earlier. Things become complicated when he learns of their family connection and her claim to the home he loves. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, or that his family is involved in her aunt’s disappearance, so insists they work together. But, when he starts seeing his uncle’s ghost, and threats are made on her life, he’s forced to confront the possibility his family could be responsible.

Where to get the book:

http://www.amazon.com/

http://ibookstore.com/

Amazon.co.uk

ebooks.com

Elke Feuer Bio: Elke lives in Grand Cayman with her husband and two kids. Reading, spending time with her family, traveling, and meeting people is her joy. Writing is her passion.

She stumbled into writing suspense, and to her surprise found she enjoyed it, along with writing about serial killers. Elke is fascinated by them, and what motivates them to kill. She writes time travel, historical, and contemporary novels to even out her dark side.