Today, it is my pleasure to welcome and introduce multi-published author Jerri Ledford. Jerri, welcome to Patti’s Porch.
Tell us about your three book Biloxi suspense series.
This is my first fiction series. Biloxi
Sunrise is the story of two homicide special investigators on the Biloxi
Police Department. They’re investigating a string of vicious murders along the
Gulf Coast while dealing with their own personal demons from their pasts. Both
have secrets, and those secrets could be the thing that gets them both killed.
Biloxi Blue, the
second book in the series, bring Jack and Kate back. This time, Jack has been
promoted to Captain, leaving Kate behind as a special investigator with a brand
new partner. When bodies start turning up again, Kate and her new partner must
find the killer, while she and Jack grow further apart. When the murderer comes
after Kate, Jack and her new partner must race to save her before she winds up
dead.
The third book, Biloxi
Heat, features Jack’s niece, Lisa, more prominently. She’s all grown up
now, going through school and preparing for her own career when her friend’s
husband dies in a house fire. Lisa thinks it could have been arson, so she
calls Jack and Kate in to help her figure out what’s going on before her friend
(and herself) become victims of a murderous arsonist.
I've read the first book. Sounds like the next two will provide the same level of great reading.
The first book, Biloxi
Sunrise, touched on many subjects: exploitation of children, the wounds
abuse inflicts on women, and loyalty among police officers, to name a few. What
research resources did you use to create Biloxi
Sunrise?
I use the internet a lot, but I also spent some time at the
Writer’s Police Academy learning about some aspects of the book. I also learned
a lot during that conference that will apply to both of the other books in this
series.
I also read a lot. I have a shelf dedicated to my resource
books. It includes things like Police Procedure and Investigation, The
Idiots Guide to Criminal Investigations, and Crime Scene Investigation.
In addition, I’ve read lots of books about criminal psychology, abnormal
psychology, and forensics.
People are another resource I rely heavily on. I’ve traveled a lot in my lifetime, and when
people talk, I try to listen. I pick up
bits and pieces here and there. That always gets filed away for future
use. I’ll also interview experts in a
given field when necessary.
I think the fact that you used interviews with people added depth to your story. Great job!
What do you like most about writing suspense stories?
It’s the story. How
do people who are otherwise just like me and you get through the circumstances
that they find themselves in? I find that I’m very drawn to understanding how
other people think. And when you put
someone in a life-threatening situation, you’ll see a side of them that might
not otherwise show up. That’s the part
of suspense that I love…when the characters become more than I ever thought they would.
Television is loaded with cop shows. Did you model your main
character, Jack Roe, after any of them?
I have to laugh at this.
Someone recently said Jack reminded them of Jack Malone of Without a Trace. In fact, Jack was
conceived LONG before the TV show ever hit the airwaves. Jack came to me in the mid-nineties, and he’s
been with me ever since. Driving me up a wall!
Jack has an amalgamation of traits from people that I have
loved and cared about over my lifetime.
The military background comes from my father and another man that was at
one time in my life. His strength and pride from several people, and his
loyalty to family from someone that holds my heart to this day. He’s all of the
good traits of a bunch of people all rolled into one.
The books in this series are available only in electronic
format. What do you see as the pros and cons of this publishing venue?
This is a pretty tough question. I am a huge advocate for electronic
publishing. I think it’s definitely
going to be the major publishing platform in a few years. It offers a lot of plusses. For example, time to market is an
often-quoted benefit. I’m currently
working on Biloxi Blue. I started the
book in November. It should be available for purchase around the end of
April. That’s a 5 month lead time.
Whereas, if I were to go the more traditional
publishing route, the book takes between 12 and 18 months to hit the stands
from the time I finish writing it. By relying on electronic publishing, I’m
increasing my productivity considerably.
But there’s the other side of digital publishing, right now.
Because it is much easier to publish electronically, without the fetters of the
traditional publishing world, a lot of people are doing it. That makes getting noticed much harder than
it’s ever been. Constant marketing is
required. And because I am self-published, I’m held to a much higher standard
than traditionally published books. I’ve
taken lashes for mistakes in the first book yet I’ve seen traditionally
published books with much worse mistakes that are never called out.
Traditional publishing, however, also has some
advantages. As of right now, electronic
publishing only claims about 10 percent of the reading market. By not having the book available in print,
then I’m missing out on all the possible sales that would fit into the 90
percent of books that are still purchased and read in paper format. There is just a much larger marketplace for
paper-based books. Personally, I don’t
think it will remain that way, however, and so I’m taking the time now, while
digital publishing is in its early stages, to try to establish a following of
readers that like the types of stories that I write.
You offer some great insight into this controversial issue, Jerri.
SEO: Search Engine
Optimization is one of your non-fiction books. How important do you feel it
is for a new author to be easily located on the web?
If you’re a self-publishing, or indie author, it’s
essential. You name has to be
everywhere. And if potential readers see
your name and want to know more about your books, they better be able to find
that information quickly and easily. The
internet, you see, has made it so much easier to move on to the next name on
the list.
So, being present means you have to participate in social
media. Have a web presence. And share that with everyone that you know. That alone could be a full-time job. I could hire a person to do nothing but work
my online presence and keep them busy for as many hours a day as I spend
writing. Of course, that’s not feasible,
but I can dream, right?
You have published many different forms of writing, from
articles and news stories to book-length work in both fiction and non-fiction. If
you could choose only one form of writing, what would it be?
Fiction. Hands down. And I didn’t even have to think about
that answer. I’ve always wanted to write fiction. I have so many stories to
tell. The other writing was a way to
build my skill, earn a living, and mature enough to have something to write
about in the fiction world. But if I could only do one kind of writing, it
would always be fiction. I love telling
stories. I love exploring characters. And I love sharing bits and pieces of who
I am and what I believe with the readers that pick up my books.
What is your favorite pastime when you are not writing?
You mean there’s something besides writing? =)
Okay. I’m kidding. I DO spend a lot of time writing. Sometimes up to 16 hours a day. But when I’m not writing, my very next love
is my family. I spend as much time as I
can with my kids. Right now, that means
shuttle service and soccer games. But over
the years it’s meant many different kinds of things, from homeschooling to
playground patrol.
I also usually have a camera slung around my neck. I love
taking pictures. Of people, of places, and things. Whatever happens to strike my fancy. I’ve even had a few pictures published,
though I’ll probably never be the first person that anyone thinks of when they
think of photography. Still, it’s something that I love to do.
Creativity seems to play a big part in my life. I like to cook. I like to make jewelry. I
used to sew a little, too, though I haven’t done that in a while. And I like
gardening. It’s all about making
something.
And when I’m not writing, or I need a break from writing, these
other creative endeavors usually kick in to occupy my time.
I'd say you are a very busy lady!
What advice would you give to new, unpublished writers?
Be persistent. Over
the course of my career I’ve learned one thing. The person that hangs on the
longest usually ends up with the job. I won’t ever claim to be the greatest
writer on the planet. I’m not, and
probably never will be because I’m too hard-headed. But that same trait (being hard-headed) has
landed me more jobs than most writers.
Mostly it’s because I don’t know when to stop. I see something I want to do, and I work at
doing it. It doesn’t matter if I don’t
have the right experience or knowledge.
I can learn how to do anything I want to do. And for some reason, hearing the word “no”
doesn’t faze me. I just keep right after
it until it happens.
I’m not sure what trait you would call that, but I’ve always
said I was just too dumb to fail.
Where can your readers find you on the web?
Oh, I’m all over the place.
Thank you, Jerri, for stopping by!
Thanks for inviting me! I’ve enjoyed sharing a little about
myself. And I invite your readers to email me directly if you have any
questions. (jerrilynn (at) gmail (dot)
com)
Below is my review of Biloxi Sunrise:
It had been a while since I’d read a mystery, and I sure
chose the right one! Biloxi Sunrise hooked me from the first scene and
kept me engaged with the characters right to the end.
As a police officer, Jack Roe has sworn to serve and
protect. Yet, the fact that he didn’t protect his own wife and daughter from
their deaths haunts him every day of his life. Now, he has a second chance with
his sister and niece, but the job gets more difficult with each new threat to
their well-being.
Kate, his partner, hides her shameful past from him. Her
shortcoming leaves him vulnerable to danger as he burrows deeper into a murder
investigation.
Counselor Dana McNally harbors her own secrets as she delves
into the lives of the broken and abused women she strives to heal. Her growing
relationship with Jack puts her on a collision course that thrusts him in
harm’s way.
This novel carries all the elements of a great story: believable characters, a well-constructed
plot, and suspense that keeps you up all night turning the pages.
I’d love to read more books by this author. Thanks for a
great read, Jerri!
