I'm excited to have my friend and talented writer,
M. Pepper Langlinais here with us today. She recently self-published her novella,
St. Peter in Chains. A subtle thriller and love story. You can read my review of it
here. There's a gift waiting for you at the end of the interview. Sit back and have some tea. Enjoy.
Welcome M. It's great to have you here. Congratulations on your new novella. It was a wonderful read. What is the genesis of your story - what was the inspiration or what prompted you to write it?
I inhabited Peter--or he inhabited me, I'm not quite sure--for a few months before I began actually writing the story. I'm not sure where he came from, though. The story is all his; he's in every scene because everything is seen and felt through him. I remember sitting at my desk and feeling it out, honestly feeling what Peter was feeling as I wrote each scene. It was a singular experience, one I've never actually had when writing before.
Peter is an intriguing character. Why do you like to like to write character studies?
I find character to be key. People are interesting. They way they act and think and feel. I have a background in psychology, and I like to think about people, and what they do or how they act or react in situations.
I feel the same way. What is your writing process like?
I have a regular schedule. I used to be a late-night writer, but now that I have kids, no more late nights for me! I really need my sleep. So I write in the afternoons and sometimes into the evenings. I have to make myself sit down and do it, though. I get distracted easily.
Long before I get to the writing part, I mull my stories over. I have this weird ritual of lying in bed with my stuffed dog and just letting my mind wander. I come up with several scenes in my head and then begin stringing them together into something bigger.
You have three young children. What tips can you offer other parents who are writers?
It's so tough to balance the writing with the kids interrupting you every few minutes. Find a time and place that is kid-free. It's essential. Maybe that does mean writing late at night sometimes. But real writers have to write. To make it as a writer, you have to produce. Set deadlines for yourself and stick to them.
We do have to write. You've taken some writer getaways to England. (I'm still jealous!) Are you an Anglophile? What do you love about England?
I am an Anglophile. Is that bad? It's probably very trendy these days, but I grew up watching British television (thanks to my dad), so my sense of humor and drama have definitely been influenced by a British sensibility. My mom, too, loved British comedies and Jane Austen novels. I'm very comfortable whenever I'm in England. I've been in places here in the U.S. where I feel more foreign than I do when in London.
One day I hope to visit England too. I also know you're a big Sherlock Holmes fan and I can see a little bit of him in Peter. What is the appeal of Sherlock Holmes for you?
He's an interesting character. You know, Watson is the sympathetic character, the one the reader is meant to identify with; you live the stories with him as he recounts them. But I always identified more with Holmes. My dad was a big, big Sherlock Holmes fan, so that influenced my childhood. And my dad is honestly brilliant, so I understood Holmes in the way I understood my dad.
What's your favorite Sherlock Holmes story, and why?
I always liked "The Copper Beeches" but this has more to do with having seen the Jeremy Brett version as a child. It made a big impression on me. I was watching those shows before I was able to wrap my brain around the written stories, which I didn't read until I was a little older, maybe age 11.
You have one of those wonderfully clever minds. What are you working on now?
My first paranormal romance novel! It's called The K-Pro, and I'd say it's a romantic comedy with a magical twist. It's set on a film set and has been a lot of fun to write.
Oooh! I can't wait to read that one. Thank you so much for stopping by, M. Cheers!
M has generously offered her ebook for FREE on Smashwords to all my awesome readers.
Click here and use the code:
TY26F. It expires the first of September.
M. Pepper Langlinais is the author of The World Ends at Five and Other Stories and Letters to Rob, as well as a produced playwright and active screenwriter. She is also the creator of the fictional world of AElit.
M is a full member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
Blurb: Peter Stoller is a consummate professional--as a British intelligence agent, he's at the top of his game and has never had trouble separating his work from his personal life. But when he meets cabbie Charles Toulson, his personal life takes a turn he wasn't expecting.
