Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Interview with Jada Ryker, Kindle Scout Winner





 "TAKE THE BODY AND RUN is a fast-paced ride with a sparkling character and written in a new, original voice. This is a don't-miss debut."
        -Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author of Pluto's Snitch and Sarah Booth Delaney
 

Looking for a “goofy thriller” to read for free on Kindle Unlimited? 2016 Kindle Scout winner Take the Body and Run is a contemporary mystery/romance about a hunted woman hiding under a dead friend’s identity, a handsome lawman, a death doctor with fart machine-will travel, and a cranky cat with a nose for crime.
  Amazon

~*~  2016 Kindle Scout Winner ~*~


 Take the Body and Run
Macey's first day in the college employee relations department ends with a knife at her throat.

Macey is certain things can't get any worse. She's wrong. An angry employee vows to put her on an online hit list. When he turns up dead, she's a suspect--and on the hit list. 

To keep her secrets and her life, Macey partners with two unexpected allies who cause her pulse to race with steamy attraction--and exasperating annoyance. Vince, a handsome, driven lawman, digs up more than just clues to the brutal murder. Brett, a fun-loving pathologist with a deadly sense of humor, drives everyone crazy with his fart machine-will travel. Macey's supersized black cat Wikket, possessing courage, curiosity, and crankiness in equal portions, assists in his own grumpy, feline fashion, golden eyes open and claws extended.

Interview

1. I’ve only read one of your books (so far), but can see that it takes a very organized and analytical mind to keep track of the characters while maintain their distinct identity in the mind of your reader. Not a lot of authors could do that. How do you do it? (I can just imagine assorted pieces of candy representing the characters – spread out on your desk.


For me, the characters live in my brain. It's easy to keep up with them, because it's like they're my imaginary friends. The difficult part is when they don't want to follow the plot I've outlined for them. They insist upon following their own motivations and making their own decisions.

2. Describe your approach to writing. Pantzer vs plotter. Do you complete each page, perfect, before moving to the next or do you write your entire draft then go back and add layers, etc. How many times do you go over your manuscript before submitting it?


I craft an outline, with a summary and outline of chapters. I don't get into too much detail, because the characters will take the action into side roads. I write the story as it takes place in my head. At the next writing session, I'll go back over what I wrote the last time, both to familiarize myself with the past action and to ferret out any typos or errors. Once the manuscript is done, I'll go over it one more time.  

3. What has been your biggest challenge in your writing career?


Finding time to write is difficult. I work around 50 hours per week. My commute each day is about three hours. i normally do my writing on the weekends. 

4. Do you frequently find yourself in the middle of something (albeit in a mall, grocery store, etc.) and find yourself experiencing one of those Aha moments as far as a plot point your current work in progress? How do you translate those thoughts into your current work?


I’ll usually have a thought that takes root in my brain. I had read about the audit of a body bequeathal program. I thought, what if a body donation program had bigger problems than incomplete paperwork or missed deadlines? And with that thought, the plot for Take the Body and Run was born.

When I researched body bequeathal programs, I ran across an interesting reason for donation on the MedCure Body Donation website: “I want to continue to travel to new places after I die.”

5. Give us a glimpse of your current work in progress.


My last book was Take the Body and Run. The book won a contract with Kindle Press through the reader-powered Kindle Scout program. The contemporary mystery/romance/humor is about a hunted woman hiding under a dead friend’s identity, a handsome lawman, a death doctor with fart machine-will travel, and a cranky cat with a nose for crime.

I'm working on a short story for a holiday anthology.  In the short prequel “Two Tickets to Paradise,” Macey Malloy risks her life when she’s embroiled in a brutal murder and meets her feline, crime-solving partner.

6.  Give us an anecdote relating to submitting one of your works.


I submitted Take the Body and Run to the Kindle Scout program on impulse, and I was shocked when I won a contract. I had previously submitted my mystery with a chick-lit twist to a major romance publisher. They rejected it. To be fair, they wanted sexy billionaires and wealthy, powerful ranchers. The only billionaires I’ve personally met were jerks. Granted, the “n” or “total population” of “Billionaires I Have Met” is tiny. I’ve never met a wealthy rancher. I grew up around farmers; they don’t necessarily fit a glamorous view. In my defense, I thought the publisher would read the story, fall in love with it, and say, “Who needs charismatic billionaires and rich ranchers?”

I even had the support of one of their great, established writers. She’d read my work and loved it.

Did all of that result in a contract? Ah, no. Rejection.

7. How can we connect with you?


I love to hear from my readers!



                                      Meet  Jada Ryker


KINDLE SCOUT WINNER Jada Ryker snagged the Kindle Press publishing contract for her new book, Take the Body and Run, through Amazon’s Kindle Scout program. The contemporary mystery/romance is about a hunted woman hiding under a dead friend’s identity, a handsome lawman, a death doctor with fart machine-will travel, and a cranky cat with a nose for crime.

Jada is the author of Dog Days of Karma, the first Carr-Maah Consulting mystery/paranormal novel; A Pink Zombie, with a Mist, a Shaken, Not Stirred, mystery/horror adventure; and Murder Takes a Dare, the first book in the Takes a Dare mystery series. The books combine humor and murder in a total package of entertaining and fun southern adventures. At the same time, Jada sketches in addiction/recovery issues and childhood angst with a deft and compassionate touch.

Jada spent the first twenty-odd years of her life in rural Kentucky, many of those years without electricity or running water. In her writings, Jada draws upon her early years of deprivation.

She now lives in central Kentucky with her wonderful husband and their cat, rescued from the animal shelter. In her day job, Jada works in higher education. She holds a master’s degree in public administration.

Jada's mystery adventures are available on Amazon in electronic and paperback formats.




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