Linda Weaver Clarke–Desert Intrigue

It is my pleasure to interview Linda Weaver Clarke today.

Linda travels throughout the United States, teaching a Family Legacy Workshop, encouraging people to write their family history and autobiography. She is the author of nine novels and two non-fiction e-books. The historical sweet romance series, A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho, includes: Melinda and the Wild West – an awarding winning novel. She also has a mystery/adventure series, The Adventures of John and Julia Evans.

Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born in southern Idaho among the Rocky Mountains and now live in southern Utah among all the red mountains.

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up, what would you say?

Desert Intrigue is the 4th book in a mystery/adventure series staring John and Julia Evans. This series is about a married couple who get themselves into danger while trying to solve a mystery. You laugh at the humor and sigh at the romance. How can I sum up this book? Okay…Mystery…Adventure…Romance…Humor…Intrigue!

Who designed the cover of your book?

My husband designed my book cover. I really love it. In fact, he has designed all my covers. Each cover had to be approved by my publisher’s cover designer, though. Sometimes he has had to send them about 2 or 3 covers before it was approved. The cover is so important because it sells the book.

What was the inspiration behind this mystery series?

This series was inspired by one of my favorite TV shows long ago called Hart to Hart, which featured a married couple investigating and solving crimes staring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers. The couple was madly in love–you laughed at the humor and sighed at the romance. I wanted to create something similar with a little suspense and adventure. In this series Julia is a reporter for a daily newspaper and John is a professional knife maker. Just like Hart to Hart, because of her curiosity, Julia gets herself into a bunch of trouble. Before long, she finds herself and her husband up to their necks in danger and running for their lives. There is one difference. John and Julia Evans have three college age daughters. I feel this makes the couple have more appeal to a larger audience.

Do you have a book trailer?

Yes, book trailers are so important. I believe it creates the mood of the story. One of my favorite book trailers that I made was Mayan Intrigue. I think it became one of my favorites simply because I found the perfect music for it. So mysterious and Mayan sounding! You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCS0i1pg85U. Most of my books were easy to create a mood for because they had one central theme, but my eighth book was totally different. Montezuma Intrigue had a variety of moods because I had a few things going on all at once. I had to make the setting just right. I had the mystery of Montezuma’s treasure, a family secret that had been held back for years, and a sweet love story. How would I create the right mood for this novel with so many different themes? I needed to find just the right pictures and music that would reflect these themes. So I decided to put the pictures together first, then I added a short description of my book with each picture. After I did that, I could feel the mood of my book coming to life, and that inspired me to look for just the right music. Even though pictures are a great part of a book trailer, the music helps to create the mood that you desire. I was so excited after I put it together. I’ve had many people tell me how much they liked it. It’s one of my favorites. You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtUTIaoZpQA.

What is it like to switch from historical romance to mystery?

I loved writing historical “sweet” romances but I wanted a change and it has been so much fun. The writing process between romance and mystery has a completely different mind set. With romance, you plan out the plot around the meeting of a couple. As you write, you develop some sort of charisma between the characters, making the reader feel excited that one day they’re going to hit it off and fall in love. You, as the reader, know the outcome. But with a mystery, the reader is in the dark. The author has to come up with a plot that no one knows about until towards the end of the story and hope they haven’t figured it out. In a mystery, you may or may not allow your reader to know who the bad guys are, according to whether it’s just a mystery or mystery suspense. In a mystery, the reader doesn’t know who the bad guys are until the end of the book. With mystery suspense, the reader knows who they are and it makes for a more suspenseful outcome.

Is your book in Print, ebook or both?

Yes, all my novels are in print and ebook form. Personally, I like holding a book in my hand while I read but my husband loves his Nook!!!

Where can your readers stalk you?

A Family Friendly Blog: http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com

I interview authors and have a book giveaway each week on my blog.

Make Believe: www.lindaweaverclarke.com

The Official Website of Linda Weaver Clarke

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_tc_2_0?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3ALinda+Weaver+Clarke

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lindaweaverclarke

You Tube: You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/lindaweaverclarke

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