E.G. Parsons

An interview by Sheila
 

Sheila had the pleasure of interviewing author E.G. Parsons for Wild on Books!  This is our very first interview for our site and we are pleased to have such a talented author, poet, and artist to kick off this section of Wild on Books!

Published Books

E.G. Parson's Sites:

www.egparsons.com
www.elizabethmeltonparsons.wordpress.com
www.romancemysterywriters.blogspot.com

Posted June 10, 2008

Sheila:  Hi and welcome to Wild on Books. Could you tell us about your newest release, Black Rock, A Time For Love?  

E.G. Parsons: Thank you, Sheila, I’m happy to be here. I’d love to tell everyone about my new book. “Black Rock: A Time For Love” is a time travel romance set on a ranch in Texas and begins in the late 1800’s. After receiving news of her father’s death, our heroine, Roxanne Ingram, returns from Boston to take control of the family ranch. She’s always had nightmares of being trapped inside the large black rock sitting prominently on the property and despite warnings of people disappearing when being too close to the rock, Roxanne is irresistibly drawn to it.  

Shortly after her arrival in Texas, she meets two men, roguish Collin O’Neal and gentlemanly Bradford Wellman. Both men want Roxanne and both have their own agenda, one much more sinister than the other. Roxanne has to sort out her emotions for these two men while coming to terms with the truth about her birth and the mysterious black rock. Just when she thinks she has things under control, she must flee forward in time to escape the clutches of a madman who’s determined to have both her and Black Rock Ranch. 

Sheila:  Where do your ideas for your books come from, dreams, the news or just something you imagine? 

E.G. Parsons:  All of those, as well as personal experience. Locations I visit and people I meet are a big inspiration for me too. Certain places are alive with atmosphere and emotion that fuel the imagination. You can’t help but wonder about the people who lived there and their stories. Same with people, I’ve met many individuals who just beg to be written about.  

Sheila:  How long have you been writing?  

E.G. Parsons:  It feels like my entire life. :-) Even as a very young child, I’d scribble poems and hide them in my secret place in the barn loft and then in later years under my bed. With the support of my wonderful husband, I began writing professionally six years ago. 

Sheila:  I see you write in many different genres, from contemporary to historical to suspense.  Do you have a preference?  How often do you overlap the genres? Are any of them much easier or more difficult to write in than the other genres? 

E.G. Parsons:  I almost always overlap genres. In Black Rock for instance, there’s historical, contemporary, paranormal, and suspense, as well as the romance. My preference would have to be historical with elements of suspense or paranormal, especially 1800’s America. Contemporary is easier for me because there isn’t as much research involved, as far as costumes, lingo, mannerisms and so forth, but I enjoy doing the historical research.

Sheila:  Is there anything that helps make your creativity flow, music, the sound of nature or silence?  

E.G. Parsons: If I’m writing a bah blog post or an opinion piece, better known as one of my famous rants, noise of any kind doesn’t bother me at all. When seriously writing on a book, I like to be alone in a quiet place with the sound of birdsong outside my window. The only thing I find seriously distracting though is very loud music or someone trying to have a conversation with me.   

Sheila:  What was the inspiration for your suspense novel, "Captive Fear"? 

E.G. Parsons:  It’s very loosely based on a personal experience of mine, having been kidnapped and assaulted myself when I was eighteen. There are elements of truth buried in the fiction, but mostly it came from my very active imagination.  

Sheila:  You do a number of book signings and other appearances, such as radio spots.  Are they exciting, or are you nervous for each, or both?  What is your favorite part about a book signing, from an author’s perspective? 

E.G. Parsons:  I’m always relaxed and happy during book signings and newspaper interviews. At signings, I adore meeting people who have actually read my book and enjoyed it enough to come in to get it signed. I’ve even had readers drive long distances just so they could meet me and tell me how much they loved my book. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction that kind of compliment gives you. As for radio spots, I do them, but they are definitely nerve wracking for me. I don’t necessarily feel nervous during the interview, but I often come away feeling as though I messed it up somehow and I have at times indeed messed it up. On one radio interview, I gave the wrong date for the setting in my book. I almost flipped when I heard the tape played back, but since it was a live interview, there was nothing I could do about it. I suppose it’s like everything else, the more you do it, the more comfortable you become. 

Sheila:  Do you ever use family members or friends as characters?  

E.G. Parsons:  Yes, I do. In “Captive Fear”, my brother inspired one character and my husband another. Aspects of my husband can often be found in my heroes. What better inspiration than my real life hero? Roxanne’s character in Black Rock is named for a family member, looks like her and has many of her personality traits. I’ve had other authors tell me certain family members were offended when recognizing themselves in one of their characters, but I haven’t had that problem. My family seems flattered that I’d base a character on them, even if the character is less than flattering. 
 

Sheila:  Who are some of your favorite authors?  

E.G. Parsons:  I’m a big fan of many authors and I’m always on the look out for new ones. To name just a few: Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Jude Deveraux, Dean Koontz, Amanda Quick, Debbie Stevens, M. Jean Pike, Robert Frost, Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, LaVyrle Spencer, Karen Rose…and many others. I recently reviewed books by Carolan Ivey and Jane Shoup. I’m looking forward to reading more of their work. 

Sheila:  Can you tell us about “Lizzie and the Boys Club”? 

E.G. Parsons:  Yes, I’d love to. Thank you for asking, Sheila. I never get asked about my Lizzie book. :-) It’s a true story from my childhood and very close to my heart, not to mention it was so much fun to write. I feel so fortunate to have had so many wonderful adventures growing up. “Lizzie And The Boy’s Club” is only one of many I plan to write. The book is written from a child’s point of view, but I’ve had very nice emails from adults who’ve read it. Here’s the blurb and there’s an excerpt on my website. 

Growing up in the Florida Everglades, Lizzie, an undisputed tomboy, doesn't have to look for trouble. It finds her. Determined to prove that a girl is every bit as good as a boy, she tries to join the Everglade Rebels, an all boy's club. Come with Lizzie on her adventures, as she makes a bid for female equality. A story for both children and adults, "Lizzie And The Boy's Club" will take you back to a time of coal oil lanterns and outhouses. A wholesome adventure about friends, family, and one little girl who can't stay out of trouble. 

Sheila:  I see that you are an accomplished poet; can you tell us a little about your poetry?  

E.G. Parsons:  Poetry is like an old, and very dear friend. It’s cried with me over the bad times, laughed along when things were going good and held my hand when it looked as if all hope was gone. It’s dragged me from the depths of despair and loneliness, giggled at my foolishness and rejoiced in my happiness. Poetry was my first and forever love. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it as a constant companion. When it comes to writing poetry I break all the rules. It’s the heart speaking, I only hold the pen. I’m fortunate to have had a modicum of success as a poet, having schools choose it for their syllabuses and having some printed in textbooks. I receive letters all the time from readers who love my poetry, many from outside the USA and it’s always thrilling to hear from them.  

Sheila:  Can you tell us about your works in progress?   

E. G. Parsons:  I have a new novel in the submission process and a publisher is currently reviewing the full manuscript. It’s a paranormal romance set in the 1870’s titled “Shadow Of Rachel”. 

Brutalized by a man she can never love, Megan Connors flees her Virginia home to start a new life as a schoolteacher on a South Carolina ranch. Steeped in the serenity of her new surroundings, Megan feels her dreams of a good life are finally coming true. Indeed, life would be perfect if not for her infuriatingly rude employer, the wealthy ranch owner Charles Donovan. Unable to deny her growing attraction to Charles, Megan soon discovers the chilling secret behind his grim existence. Determined to help Charles free himself from the ghosts of his past, Megan soon finds herself a target for the wrath of another who stakes a claim to Charles' love. Megan must defeat a powerful enemy, and confront the demons of her own past if she and Charles are to find happiness and escape the dark shadow that falls across them both. 

Sheila:  What do you do for fun when you are not writing?  

E.G. Parsons:  I like to fish, but hate putting on the worms, so I use artificial bait. I love riding my bike and feeling the wind blow in my hair. I like going to art museums, gardening, painting, dancing, and tormenting my thirteen year old son by making him talk to me. 

Sheila:  What would your fans be surprised to learn about you?  

E.G. Parsons:  That I love eating dill pickles with milk. I can just hear all you guys saying YUK. :-) 

Sheila:  Is there any special place you use for your writing, office?  

E.G. Parsons: I recently redid a small room in the basement for my office. I have a big antique desk for working and a comfortable chair for thinking. It’s blissfully quiet and free of distractions. I love it down there and yes, I can still here the birdsong and see the trees from the window above my desk. I also spend a lot of time on my laptop sitting at my dining room table. Hey, it gets lonely down there. 
 

Sheila:  What interview question has no one asked but would be interesting to your fans? 

E.G. Parsons:  Hummm…let’s see. How many sexual partners have I had? LOL. Sorry, my husband’s input. Maybe what I did before I began writing professionally, which includes jobs in nursing, police dispatching and real estate. 

Sheila: What are you working on now?   

E.G. Parsons:  I have several works in progress, a sci-fi titled “The Good Mother” and a romantic suspense titled “Night Terror” just to name a couple. I’m one of those crazy writers who work on several books at a time. 
 

Sheila:  Your art is wonderful – very vibrant and each seems to have a small story in the picture.  How is your art different from your writing?  How is it similar? 

E.G. Parsons: Thank you, Sheila. That’s a nice compliment and you’re right, there is a small story in every piece I do. Writing and painting are both an expression of emotion and both artistic endeavors, but my writing, with the exception of poetry, is work—a career, whereas art is all about fun and relaxation. When I want to forget everything and let the world go by, I paint. It’s not about selling or promoting. I have sold a few and given away even more, but only when the house is getting full to the rafters and I no longer have room to move.   

Sheila:  What made you want to start writing? Was it all the moving around you did as a child?  

E.G. Parsons:  I’m not really sure. I think writing picked me. It’s not the easiest career to make it in. If I’d done the choosing, I’d have been a psychiatrist. I’m one of those people that everyone comes to with their troubles, so I’d have probably been wildly successful. I do feel that living in so many interesting places and meeting people from all different walks of life sparked my imagination and it certainly gave me a wealth of material to choose from. 

Sheila:  Thank you for taking the time to be with us today, is there anything else you’d like to add?  

E.G. Parsons:  Thank you, Sheila, for a wonderfully fun interview. I have excerpts of all my books and works in progress on my website at http://egparsons.com for anyone wanting more information.
 

Published books

Coming Soon

Everlasting Love ~ Deceptive Hearts

Love or Dangerous Liaison

Poetry