One of my favorite authors and cyber-buddies, Jessica Speart, tagged me to participate in this online ‘blog-hop’ or ‘blog-tour’. I’ve never done this before, but I gather I’m supposed to grab the torch, answer ten questions, and pass it off to other authors to carry on the eternal flame.
The Next Big Thing, as this online ‘blog tour’ is called, is designed to be a way to discover new writers and find out what we’re all up to.
Now for the 10 questions…
What is the working title of your book?
I have a lot of books out there, but The Only Witness is the book I’ve chosen to talk about here. It’s on my mind these days because I’m currently working on the sequel, which I call ApeS**t, but only in my head and only because gorillas serve as important characters. Eventually an acceptable title will occur to me for the sequel. (Please, God, let it be so…)
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I am a private investigator (among other things) and I’ve worked on cases in which small children testified in court cases. I am also an animal lover, and I got to thinking that if a gorilla has the intelligence of a small child AND gorillas have been taught sign language, could a gorilla provide evidence to solve a crime? That’s the basis of The Only Witness.
What genre does your book fall under?
The Only Witness is more or less a police procedural because the police detective is the main point of view character, but there’s also a scientist who teaches the gorilla and a teenage mom who have their stories to tell along the way. Oh, and Neema the gorilla does her best to communicate her vision of the world, too.
Which actors would you choose to play you in a movie rendition?
I recently answered this in another interview, so I’m ready–Jodi Foster, please! She’s smart and gutsy and outspoken and better looking than I am. Although…wait a minute! I’m not a character in The Only Witness. But Jodi could play Grace McKenna, the scientist in charge of the gorilla sign language project. And she can play the protagonist in my Summer Westin mystery series, too–that character is actually more ‘me.’
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
It’s actually a one-question synopsis: Can a signing gorilla provide the clue to solve the riddle of a baby’s disappearance?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The Only Witness is self-published under my press name, WildWing Press. My mystery series is with Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin). Yep, I’m a hybrid author, which is probably why some people think I have multiple personality disorder.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It probably only took about nine months to write the first draft. To make it a readable book took quite a bit longer.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Oh gosh, I really can’t think of any other mysteries like The Only Witness, although I’m sure some must exist. (A woman like me can only read a couple hundred books a year, you know.) The only book that comes to my mind right now that is at all similar is Jodi Picoult’s House Rules, where a boy with Aspberger’s holds the clue to a murder but can’t communicate effectively.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to write a book that showed how many traits we humans share with animals, including memory and the desire to communicate with others.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Until “the only witness” is located, there are no clues to how the baby disappeared, so half the community believes the teen mom killed her infant and is trying to cover up the crime. And Neema, the signing gorilla, is in danger of being sold off like a piece of surplus equipment because the university she is owned by is hard up for funds. All eyes are on Detective Finn, the new guy in town, and he can’t believe he’s in this fix of having an ape as his only witness. Everyone has a lot to lose.
That’s it! Now let me introduce to you…
Christine Smith started working on tour and whale watching boats in 2001. It combined her love for nature and her interest in helping others to enjoy it. She is also an avid birder, and has worked as a volunteer interpreter for the Eagle Watchers on the Skagit River from 1997 to 2008, she helps visitors observe the local eagle population. She is also a founding member of the Northwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and served for two years as a board member and Secretary for the North Cascades Audubon Society in Bellingham, Washington. When not watching birds or cooking on the David B, Christine enjoys running, ice skating and downhill skiing.
Several years ago a couple of passengers encouraged Christine to write a book chronicling the David B’s rebuild. That encouragement led to her writing, More Faster Backwards: Rebuilding David B which was published in December of 2011. She also writes a weekly blog for Yachting Magazine.
JL Oakley, historian extraordinaire, who grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, listening to her mother’s stories about life in early 20th century Idaho. Several of them were about the boys from “New Joisey” occupying a side camp up the creek from her uncle’s ranch. Desperate boys from back East, they were members of the Civilian Conservation Corps doing reclamation projects in the rugged area of the Salmon River. From these stories came TREE SOLDIER, set in 1930s in the North Cascades Mountains of Washington State. and winner of the Best Historical Fiction Prize in the 2012 EPIC eBook Awards and the Grand Prize (August 14 2012) at Chanticleer Book Reviews. Oakley’s award-winning essays have appeared in the Cup of Comfort series, and her historical writings have appeared in various magazines, anthologies, and other media including Historylink.org. She presents historical talks and workshops on 19th century folkways and in 2006 was the project coordinator for a History Channel grant. Her interview about the CCCs can be seen on the Author’s Hour on Washington State Public Affairs TV. For the next two years she’ll be a speaker for Washington State Humanities, speaking on the CCCs in that state from 1933 to 1941. She’s hard at work on quite a few more historical stories.
Kate Vale is a fiction writer living and working in the beautiful Fourth Corner of the Pacific Northwest, not far from the Canadian border, within one hour of Mt. Baker (the closest local volcano) and minutes from the shore of the beautiful Puget Sound, northern section. On a clear day, she can see the San Juan Islands, the Canadian Coastal range to the north and the Cascade Range to the east. Her stories reflect the different careers she has had and are set (mostly) in and around where she lives. Her characters experience crises that confront real men and women.
Kate says: Wouldn’t it be great if the real people you and I know could also enjoy similar happily-ever-afters?