I watched the sixties daytime series “Dark Shadows” daily, curled up on the couch with my mother and sisters for five of the most formative years of my life. I was too young to understand most of it, but I got this:
Vampires are scary.
Ellis Hoff – 5 July 2019
The Back Flap
Melinda McKinney flailed for years through a lackluster career of PR and advertising gigs that never really showcased her artistic abilities. Then she discovered the “graphic novel” circuit, and a star was born.
Melinda’s grisly art-n-yarn offerings, featuring “Victoria the Vampire Negotiator”, take over her life as she fights her way back from a devastating divorce. She’s inspired, productive and…driven in a way even she doesn’t understand. That is, until a man from her past, and one from her future, collide in a storm of buried secrets and unfathomable danger.
When everything she knows, everything she believes about herself, is challenged, she has two choices:
Her old life, or her real life.
One of them just might be her salvation.
About the book
What is the book about?
Although there is a paranormal element, the essence of the story is relatable in mainstream storytelling with the big reveal coming in later to change it up. Completely.
From the safety of her loyal laptop and lonely apartment, Melinda writes her way back from a devastating divorce and mental meltdown with a measured amount of success. The gig—a graphic novel series featuring a vamp “negotiator”—isn’t exactly what she would have imagined for herself. Not even in the ballpark.
But the muse is running like a tap she can’t quite shut off and…her work is selling.
As the “Victory Blood” brand picks up momentum, stones from the wall she’s built around her start to crumble away. She let’s the world back in.
Which might be a mistake.
When did you start writing the book?
Two years ago, and change. I wrote Victory Blood over a Labor Day weekend for a worldwide three-day novel competition. I didn’t win, but got a huge jump on the story, even typing in “The End” for my benefit. It was far from being done, but it was a pretty sweet outline. And, it really ramped up the momentum.
How long did it take you to write it?
I wrote the first draft in three days, but “draft” would be pretty generous for what I had.
What I had was a structurally sound story with a compelling heroine and supporting cast.
What I needed was about forty thousand more words and a damned good edit.
Where did you get the idea from?
I always, way down deep, wanted to write a paranormal. Something that jacked up the “this is WAY out of my control” factor for a protagonist. For some reason, I stuck to the more mortal traveled side of the road. But when this competition came up, I thought, “Three days of something completely new? Well okay, let’s do this.”
Para…you’re on!
But, what kind of paranormal would be the next obvious question. And I didn’t even have to ask it.
I watched the sixties daytime series “Dark Shadows” daily, curled up on the couch with my mother and sisters for five of the most formative years of my life. I was too young to understand most of it, but I got this:
Vampires are scary.
Barnabes—BAD ass—Collins? In a dark forest or dim hallway? No. Not on a bet.
And, vampires are smart, resourceful, manipulative and…kind of hot. Even old Barnie. There’s just a magnetic draw to their secretive, cryptic lifestyle.
So, what if you were just an average woman, facing really shitty circumstances, who got sucked into the vamp vortex by accident?
That was my thought process leading up to the competition.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I wouldn’t say I struggled with the actual writing process—moving the story along with words on the page—but I did not like having to create a backstory that broke a woman’s heart. I mean, to pieces. That girl really loved that boy. I did that.
And that boy…
What came easily?
Dialogue.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
All made up.
Well, except for Jesse. He’s a compilation of every guy I’ve ever witnessed fronting a local band. The one you think about going home with, but know it won’t happen.
Unless it does.
And then what?
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Continue to inspire/influence. OMG, there are so many talented voices out there. Every time I finish a good read, I literally do an “air punch”.
First, where in the hell are they coming up with this stuff?
Secondly, thank you, all. Thank you for putting your stories out there. It’s hard and brave and…brilliant.
The biggest single authorship influence for me was—surprise, surprise—Stephen King. I’m guessin’ I’m not the first writer to cop to this.
For me, a young girl who dreamed of writing, it opened up a very elementary—but very important—door. One that had been elusive. I just couldn’t find the right voice.
Reading King for the first time, I had a light bulb (a hundred-watter) moment.
I could use my voice. The one I already had.
It was a game changer.
Do you have a target reader?
I’d like to throw my net wide and tell you that it’s a story for everyone, but…
Female readers over the age of thirteen who enjoy the character development of contemporary mainstream literature, but would like to dip their toes in the “unexplained element” pond. Hometown, everyday “it could happen to you” horror fans.
Maybe…in the making.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Long, undisturbed hours on the computer whenever I can fit them in. No phone, no email. Just…work. Very boring, very comforting; Full-blown “nerd” style.
I prefer lengthy days with nothing on my schedule but writing, but I’ll pull a late night given the opportunity.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Nope. Not on paper.
I get an idea for the beginning. The open. Then, I get an idea for the end. When the latter comes through, I sit down and write. It’s not much, but it is a map, of sorts. I just have to fill in the stops in-between
That sounds corny, doesn’t it? Okay, skip the map part and put my answer down as “no”. Close enough.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
When finished!
Write, write as fast as you can.
Stopping to evaluate is often avoidance. You can get so mired up in details and second-guessing that you derail work in progress. This serves no one. You can fact-check when you close it up. And, you should, but get the heavy lifting out of the way.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
No. Well, unless someone nearby is playing it a little loudly.
Just like with my sleep—where my other fantasy life resides—I like silence. I’m so easily distracted.
But, in between the two? Prince—always and forever— and a good mix of hard core blues.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I did not.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Gradual. And, interest on the part of the publisher.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The publisher provided the cover art. I wholly approve.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
A little of both. Even planning it a bit in the making, the internet rabbit holes can really suck up time. But, it is kind of fun reaching out like this. I never usually do.
I sent out a Facebook invitation for reviews offering a free downloaded ARC. Some bit, others said they’d buy the book when it came out. I’m glad my friends want to read my book, but I’m not counting on their purchases supporting it. Haven’t they done enough?
So today, I’m sluggin’ it out on the “World Wide Web” just trying to plug.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
There are Cinderella stories out there that showcase Indie books, as well as self-published authors. If you love your work—and Harper Collins isn’t getting back to you—find someone, someplace, that does. You might think of publishing/selling outside of the big houses as being in the minor league. Okay, but you know what?
At least you’re in the league. Someone, beside you, will get to read that story you love.
About You
Where did you grow up?
In a suburb of Minneapolis. I attended Spring Lake Park High moonlighting as a majorette. Oh, those were the days.
Go, Panthers!
Where do you live now?
About twenty miles west, in Medina, Minnesota.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Tell me a story. It’s the one thing I—and the other million, or so, introverts—live for. Please, for the love of God, do not ignore that keyboard.
I have recently (in the last couple of years) fallen in love/obsession with true crime podcasts. Who even knew that was a thing? Apparently, a lot of people. There are a ton of free “talkie” murder and mayhem offerings. I go through them like martinis. And, I still find time for my true love: books. Who wouldn’t?
What are you working on now?
A fictionalized retelling of a sensationalized murder that occurred in St. Paul in the sixties. The book opens with a woman confessing her part in a crime that occurred simultaneously, fifty years after the fact. To tell her story, she has to bring us back. And, she does through four central characters.
One of them is hiding something. Something bad.
Something…really bad.
The “jig” is nearly “up”, but the women won’t have it. The “Head of Household Assistant” title is growing stale in a few. They act. They save.
One of them buys time.
Time’s up.
A lonely woman, with signs of dementia on the near horizon, invites a local litigator into her past. There is a story that needs to be told while she still can.
End of Interview:
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