Madge's Top Ten (FAQ)
I enjoy visiting with book clubs and interacting with avid readers. Following are a few Madge facts incorporated in the top ten questions and answers from several book clubs.
1. What are the first three book clubs you ever visited?
The Literary Consortium (TLC) Atlanta Book Club, Onyx Book Club, and The Buckhead Couples Book Club all located in metro Atlanta.
2. Why are your novels based in Atlanta?
Atlanta is my hometown. It’s a beautiful, diverse, and multicultural, city that provides a wonderful setting for a good mystery?
3. What is your most memorable moment in publishing?
When I received the first hard cover copy of To Silence Her Memory. Holding my book in my hand and placing it on the bookshelf beside books written by authors I have read for years was a special thrill.
4. Who are your major influences?
There are so many I can’t name them all. I think I have been influenced in some way by every author I have ever read, especially the mystery and thriller writers.
5. What is your writing process?
I always have the story figured out in my head from beginning to end before I begin writing. I do not use an outline because once I start the story and it begins to flow sometimes it goes in a different direction and may or may not have the same ending. I also write bios of each of my main characters, which include detailed descriptions and bullet points of some major things I want them to accomplish in the story. This helps me with the consistency of the characters, and I refer back to the bios frequently as the story progresses.
6. How long does it take you to write a novel?
Usually about two years with the bulk of the time spent re-writing and editing.
7. What do you like most about your books?
They have the flavor of my life, culture, and history growing up in Atlanta. I love the characters in Silence and the subject matter – hypnotism and repressed memories. I also love the characters in Curve and it gave me the opportunity to combine three of my great loves: mystery, Georgia history and government.
8. Your mysteries include a lot of information on several subjects. What is your purpose behind this?
I have a simple writing formula to encourage my readers to “SEE” my mysteries – a mixture of Suspense, Enlightenment, and Entertainment. Hopefully, readers will take with them more than just the story after reading my books. Suspense is a great fuel to run the engine of a story, but I also feel people should gain a little more knowledge on several subjects than they may have had before reading my work. I also use my writing as a vehicle to celebrate some of the positive aspects of inner-city life. My books reflect the city and the people I knew growing up in the inner city. I like to call it in-city living with a suburban feel.
9. Who are your favorite characters to write?
I love writing them all, but villains are by far the most fun to create. They have so many interesting layers. Some of them can be redeemed and some can’t. You never know until the end of the story. I also enjoy writing the characters that just come into the story at first with no special purpose and all of a sudden the story moves in a direction that gives them a pivotal role.
10. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
- Always handle your initial copyright registration of your manuscript.
- Remember that writing is a lot of hard work, 80 percent of which is the editorial process.
- Before committing to a publisher conduct independent research on the company or individual to make sure they have the skills, expertise and resources needed to produce a high-quality project in a timely manner. Make sure they share your work ethic.
- Welcome good advice and constructive criticism while remaining true to your own style and creative integrity.
- Network and share ideas with other writers.
- Look for every opportunity to publicize your book.
You are the only one in the world who can articulate your unique vision and tell the story which is inside of you.
