Hi there, guys and dolls!  Well, it’s the last Sunday of the month, time for another edition of Take 5.  I am so happy to say that I found myself in the fine company of an utterly charming and handsome man, Glen Ebisch.  Glen has many novels under his belt, including his Marcie and Amanda series, with THE BLACK DOG being the most recent release with Cozy Cat Press.  So pour yourself a long, tall cool one and sit yourself down for a good chin wag!

1. So tell me a little about your series and main characters.

My main characters are Amanda Vickers and Marcie Ducasse who are editors for
Roaming New England Magazine. Marcie writes the Weird Happenings column for the magazine, which covers apparently paranormal events that have happened in the New England area in the past and present. When the event is a recent one, Marcie, sometimes with Amanda’s help, is called up to do an onsite investigation, and she often finds that what appears supernatural is actually a very natural, if criminal, event. However, there is often a possible paranormal aspect that remains unresolved. In THE BLACK DOG, the most recent book in the series, Jerome Kronberg, a Wall Street investor currently under indictment for fraud, dies when he falls from a mountain after seeing the mythical Black Dog for the third time, and Marcie finds herself investigating to find out whether he was murdered or was actually the victim of a very old curse.

2. What is your writing process? Do you thrive on routine or work spontaneously as the whim takes you?

I often take a couple of months off between books to let thoughts float around and brainstorm for new ideas. But once I am writing, I try to keep to a routine that involves writing almost every morning. If I don’t look at what I am working on daily, I often lose my emotional connection to the story.

3.What exciting moment or moments made you realize you are really an “author?”

I suppose when my first book was published many years ago I felt validated, but actually I think you only feel that you’re an author when you are working on your next book. It is not something you’ve ever finally earned; you are constantly proving it over again to yourself.

4. What do you do to spark your creativity when you find the well of inspiration is running dry?

I sit and think. I let ideas just come to the surface without examining where they have come from or whether they are suitable topics for a book. I write them down and over the course of a few weeks decide what themes may be tying them together. Then I try to fit them together into a coherent scene-by-scene outline of a story.

5. Who are some of your favorite authors?

When it comes to mystery writers, I am most influenced by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. This may seem odd because what I write are basically cozies, but I think this influence gives my stories a bit more of an edge than many others in the genre. Having been a professor of philosophy for much of my adult life, I suspect that some of the questions prominent in that field have also given my stories a thought provoking quality.

Glen, it’s been a pleasure getting to know you better.  I’m a big fan of Chandler and Hammett myself.  And friends, give yourself a little treat and pick up THE BLACK DOG and any (or all) of Glen’s fine work.  You’ll be glad you did!

Toodles,

Barbara Jean