http://www.nswwc.org.au/2014/11/spotlight-on%E2%80%A6-o-n-stefan/
Spotlight On… O.N. Stefan
O.N. Stefan lives in Sydney, Australia and finds inspiration for the characters in her books from everywhere and anywhere. The car chase scenes are from O.N. Stefan’s memory banks because, as a child, she witnessed many car accidents as she lived near a bad T-intersection. Nearly every weekend vehicles miscalculated the sharp corner and either ran into a light post, an oncoming car, flipped over or spun out hitting other cars in the process. Her dad would run over to see if an ambulance needed to be called, as they were the only family in the street to have a phone. He’d take blankets over if anyone was badly injured and she would help him. Interview When did you first conceive the wonderful idea for your book, ‘The Deadly Caress’? The idea came to me while reading a newspaper article about daughters trying to find their birth mothers. I wondered if I could put a twist on that idea and The Deadly Caress was born. How much research did you need to do to make this story come alive, and did you have a system? The Deadly Caress took a fair amount of research into police procedures and the prison system in the US. I emailed a detective in Monterey who was very helpful. Also, for what it was like inside the prison system in the US, I did all my research online by reading blogs from prisoners who aren't reticent about writing about everything from rape to beatings, online diagrams of layouts inside and articles posted online from newspapers. Also, I went to Wollongong, NSW, to find the locations I needed for the beach car chase scene and the places Amanda Blake visits in my story. What is it about crime writing over other forms of writing that appeals to you? I enjoy writing about the challenges my protagonist has to face, although I do get upset when I put her/him into dark situations and have to fight with myself to get past this. You've been writing for ten years now. Does it get any easier with practice? I have been writing for ten years but initially that was on a part-time basis with the odd year that I wasn't writing at all. It’s only in the last year that I've been writing full-time. The thing that gets easier is that you know how to go about the whole process. Although, finding interesting characters and sustaining a plot for the length of a novel gets harder. Your readers trust you to entertain them with your unique style and voice and you can’t let them down. I don’t work on more than one story at a time, as it gets too confusing. That doesn't mean that I don’t think about my next story as I do that constantly. What is the best piece of writing advice you have been given? Sit down and write. Don’t look back just keep going forward until the end. Once you have a story, then you can edit it. If you don’t have your story down and you stop to edit, it’s too easy to choke the flow of ideas. What’s next for O.N. Stefan? Currently I’m editing my next thriller that will be launched mid next year. Excerpt from Chapter Four of The Deadly Caress Amanda zipped up her raspberry-colored dress, and then stepped into her sandals, her thoughts centered on Dorian’s argument with Jean last night. She recalled her mother’s words before Dorian strode away. ‘I’m sorry. I was going to tell you.’ Still wounded by Jean’s confession that she hadn’t been able to tell Murray she’d had twins, Amanda pulled aside the silk drapes, and the weak morning sun streamed in. More than half of last night, she’d mulled over how it must have been for Jean faced with that decision. How could she begin to understand when she’d never had children? That she blamed herself for the loss of her own unborn child at the age of twenty had been more than enough guilt for her to carry. It had been a horrific way to wake up to what she was doing to her body and start eating properly again. From her bedroom, she could see a path curving from the veranda, past a winding narrow garden of mauve irises and white lilies; and at the cliff face, steps that disappeared downwards to the beach. Near the steps grew two Cypress pines that clung precariously to the rocky cliff face and leaned towards the restless, churning, water. Even after last night’s incident, and the conflicting emotions that had brought her here, she was glad she’d come and been given the chance to meet her twin. Being part of a family again made her feel whole. She opened the window and heard the ocean crashing angrily against the rocks and the wind wooing as it skidded past the house. No matter what the weather brought, she was looking forward to spending time with Brian. A glance at the clock told her it was seven-thirty. She picked up her earrings from the French provincial dresser, had pushed one hoop in her lobe when she heard a scream. The woman screamed again. Amanda opened the door and hurried toward the sound, which seemed to be coming from a room at the far end of the hallway. She stopped in the doorway to Jean’s room. Estella stood sobbing beside a writing bureau, her face buried in her hands. A broken cup lay at her feet. She looked up as Amanda entered. ‘She’s….’ Her voice trailed off. Amanda couldn’t understand her, but she noticed the stricken woman staring towards the ensuite bathroom, its door half-open. Heart hammering, she pushed the door open as far as it would go. ‘No,’ she gasped. ‘No.’ Jean was sprawled on the tiled floor, her eyes open, staring at nothing, her mouth agape as if wanting to say one last word. Her blue satin dressing gown had fallen open, revealing her negligee. A sense of unreality gripped Amanda. ‘Is she?’ Amanda couldn’t say the word but she knew the answer to her question. There was no life left in her mother’s body. A toothbrush lay beside Jean’s outstretched fingers. Amanda stared hard at them, wanting them to curl around the handle, to show some small sign of life. Finally, she moved her gaze to the marble vanity. There lay the mundane necessities of the living—a half-drunk glass of water, an open bottle of mouthwash, toothpaste, an open bottle of pills, perfume, lipstick and a compact. The blue dressing gown… Was it still a dream…her dream? She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. The sound of water cascading from the faucet echoed through her thoughts. The scene swam out of focus. Her head felt light, and the room seemed suddenly darker. She could smell the soft scent of wildflowers and sandalwood as she felt herself sink to the floor. |
Meet Author O.N. StefanBY MUDMULE13
IN AUTHOR INTERVIEW Hola lovelies! Welcome back to Interview FoxSeat with guest author O. N. Stefan O.N. has been a novelist for a number years. She writes thrillers and fantasy. She likes going for long walks and lives in Sydney. Enjoys listening to jazz, classic, rock and roll and rap. Enjoy a book sample: Sleep then my Princess. A thriller. This was his night. He killed the engine and waited inside his van as darkness fell. He saw a light come on in an upstairs window of the contemporary clapboard house across the road. Reaching for the bottle on the seat beside him, he gulped a mouthful of water while continuing to watch the house. When the light went off, he gloved up and climbed out of the van onto the quiet residential Santa Barbara Street where the sultry sea breeze caressed his face and set the palm fronds rustling. Their menacing shadows swooped and retreated on the lamp-lit sidewalk. He paused to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead with a tissue and stuffed it in his pocket. Cautiously, he skirted the large oak tree beside the driveway. The soft, flickering glow from a television seeped from under the curtains at the window as he crept across the lawn heading to the garage. Small stones scattered when he stumbled on the uneven pathway. Jesus, he cursed silently as he hesitated. Thankfully, no dog barked. He pulled out a penlight, shone its beam low, until he reached the back entrance of the garage. Once inside, hands trembling with adrenaline, he dropped the penlight. It clattered to the floor and went off. Cursing again to himself, he scrambled around in the dark until his fingers closed around it. Opening the Ford, he leaned under the steering wheel, felt for the hood release and pulled it. Holding the penlight in his mouth, he lifted the hood and found the hydraulic brake fluid line. He pulled his wrench from his pocket, undid the nut holding line and eased it off with urgent fingers. Finally, he gently closed the hood. Back in his van, he tried to still his trembling hands and ignore the nervous sweat soaking his shirt. He itched to rip the garment from his body. About an hour later, the external house lights went on, and a tall, slim man and a boy carrying a stuffed animal appeared. The father opened the garage door and secured the child into the Ford, went around and climbed in. He backed the vehicle onto the street and drove away. He tailed them, keeping several car lengths away so as not to arouse suspicion, his heart thumping with anticipation. The Ford picked up speed down the hill, took the first curve too fast and the next one even faster. It careened on two wheels at the next curve and flew over the embankment, tumbling end over end, tearing bushes and bouncing off boulders. Over and over the Ford pitched with bits of vehicle tearing away until it halted in the valley, wheels spinning. Breathing hard with pent-up pleasure, he stopped to see if the man or his son climbed from the battered vehicle. When the Ford erupted into flames, he punched the air as the feeling of absolute power surged through him. How long does it usually take you to complete a book? Writing a book from first draft to completion can take anywhere from six months to twelve months. What made you decide to sit down and actually start something? I’ve always wanted to write since I was a child. I used to write stories all the time but never thought I could become an author. It wasn’t till my family made less demands on me that I had time to pursue my first love. Do you listen to music or watch TV/movie while you write? Music or the TV can be playing when I’m writing but I don’t hear it as I’m so absorbed in the world of my creation. What have you written? I have written two thrillers and am half way through a third. The first is, The Deadly Cares and the second, Sleep then my Princess. Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just seeing where an idea takes you? For my first and second thriller, I outlined each chapter before I began. With my third thriller, I have a plot and the main characters, but I don’t know how the story will come together in the end. With this thriller, I’ve become a pantser. Any advice for aspiring authors?
Many years later, I saw a news report while holidaying in Scottsdale, Arizona about a woman who was babysitting children in a similar situation. This gave me the impetus to write that story. What is the hardest thing about writing? I guess killing your darlings and realizing that a chapter you sweated over has to go. You mentioned you’re writing a new story. How about a teaser? Guns and Roses (working title), An Amanda Blake Novel, Book 2:Amanda Blake stood on the sandstone cliff somewhere near Cottage Rock in the Blue Mountains and stared at the treetops far below. Nothing could go wrong, could it? Scott McMahon, her boyfriend, came to stand beside her. ‘So worth it,’ he said as he adjusted his pack. Amanda adjusted the lens on her digital camera and took pictures of the intense-blue morning sky, while she waited for her two friends, Anna Dolic, her best friend, and Ian Tegg, Anna’s partner, to catch up. As the two stragglers crossed to the cliff face, Amanda bent down to flick a bull ant from her boot before it got any ideas of crawling further up and tasting her exposed flesh. She retreated from the ledge. As she jumped away to avoid some more of those fierce ants something stung her right temple and seemed to skim her hair. A split second later, she realized that noise was a gun firing. Scott McMahon lunged at Amanda and took her down to the rocky ground. ‘Someone’s shooting at you, us.’ Anna opened her mouth, closed it, and finally said. ‘Funny Face, you’re bleeding.’ A second shot rang out. Ian Tegg doubled over holding his chest and crumpled to the ground. ‘Get down,’ Scott hissed at Anna. Amanda screamed. To be continued. If your book were made into a movie, whom would you cast? That’s a hard one. Sleep then my Princess – for Stephani – Anna Mouglalis, Actress France. For Scott – Scott Disick or Justine Timberlake. If there was one thing you could do to change the world, what would it be? Stop John Lennon from being shot. Where do you come up with your stories? My first thriller was born as I read a newspaper article. The article was about the stolen generation of Aboriginal children that were taken from their biological parents and some didn’t have any idea they’d been adopted until their parents died and they had found their birth certificates. This sparked an idea of a woman who discovers the people who had raised her are not her biological parents. That starts a train wreck of events that is The Deadly Caress. Who is your favorite author and which of their books is your favorite? Lee Child is one of my most read authors. Also, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, Stieg Larsson, Patricia Cornwell and Stephen King. What do you think of traditional publishing vs. self-publishing? The traditional medium that represented the stories an author wrote is now multi-faceted. Traditional paperbacks are not the only medium to enjoy a story. Ebooks elbow for space alongside paperbacks, audio, story games, movies, and virtual role playing. Would you say there is a stigma to being self-published? The stigma that once dogged indie authors is now dead. Few people still think it’s not okay to be an indie author. Some traditionally published authors are ‘crossing over to the other side’, and self-publishing. It’s more difficult than ever to get picked up by an agent or a publishing house as their funds for an unknown author are shrinking. My thought is, why wait two years for my book to reach the public even if I did get picked up by an agent or publisher when I can self-publish my stories on Amazon, Kobo, ITunes, etc. now. What book are you currently reading or just finished? I’ve just finished a Cormran Strike novel by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) What do your fans mean to you? I always listen to my fans. I have pushed forward the schedule of my sequel to The Deadly Caress, because a few of my fans urged me to get that story out as they couldn’t wait to read it. Tell us something unique about you. I enjoy Tai Chi exercise and practicing the Tai Chi sword. I love hiking up mountains. Many thanks! For more about O.N. Stefan and her work, follow the links below: Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Goodreads / Pinterest / Amazon / UniversalLink / Kobo / BookTrailer / Google |
From an earlier interview:
Tell us what we can expect from your book,
The Deadly Caress.
1) What scenes did you enjoy writing the most?
I enjoyed writing the scene where Amanda discovers her mother on the floor in the bathroom and the shoot out with the hit men when Amanda and Scott have to escape from Scott's workshop.
2) Which was the hardest scene to write and why?
The rape scene in the prison was one of the hardest scenes to write for me as I've never been inside a prison.
3) Did this project take a lot of research?
The Deadly Caress took a fair amount of research into police procedures and the prison system. I emailed a detective in Monetery who was very helpful. And for what it was like inside the prison system in the US, I did all my research online by reading blogs from prisoners, to online diagrams of layouts inside and articles posted online from newspapers.
4) Do you take time off when you finish a book or do you get right back at it?
I usually take a few weeks off to clear my mind of the last book before I embark on another story.
5) Plot or characters? Which is more important and why?
To me characters are just as important as plot. I love creating something from the world around me. My characters are from everywhere and nowhere.
6) Is there an author you'd love to be compared to?
I have been compared to Sidney Sheldon.
7) Tell us about your process. Do you start with an outline? Do you start at the beginning and work through till the end? Do you work on more than one project at a time? Do you know how your story will end?
I start with an outline and then move to writing each chapter as it evolves. I can't work on more than one project at a time as it can get too confusing if characters pop into my head from my next story.
Tell us what we can expect from your book,
The Deadly Caress.
1) What scenes did you enjoy writing the most?
I enjoyed writing the scene where Amanda discovers her mother on the floor in the bathroom and the shoot out with the hit men when Amanda and Scott have to escape from Scott's workshop.
2) Which was the hardest scene to write and why?
The rape scene in the prison was one of the hardest scenes to write for me as I've never been inside a prison.
3) Did this project take a lot of research?
The Deadly Caress took a fair amount of research into police procedures and the prison system. I emailed a detective in Monetery who was very helpful. And for what it was like inside the prison system in the US, I did all my research online by reading blogs from prisoners, to online diagrams of layouts inside and articles posted online from newspapers.
4) Do you take time off when you finish a book or do you get right back at it?
I usually take a few weeks off to clear my mind of the last book before I embark on another story.
5) Plot or characters? Which is more important and why?
To me characters are just as important as plot. I love creating something from the world around me. My characters are from everywhere and nowhere.
6) Is there an author you'd love to be compared to?
I have been compared to Sidney Sheldon.
7) Tell us about your process. Do you start with an outline? Do you start at the beginning and work through till the end? Do you work on more than one project at a time? Do you know how your story will end?
I start with an outline and then move to writing each chapter as it evolves. I can't work on more than one project at a time as it can get too confusing if characters pop into my head from my next story.