Author Brenda Whiteside Talks about her Writing -

Fellow Wild Rose author Brenda Whiteside talks about how her travels influence her writing. Her newest release is set in Arizona.

Take it away Brenda…

Is writing something that comes easy to you or not?

There are parts of writing that come easy for me. My writing tends to be character driven, so I often have a cast of characters before I know what the story will be. I might know their personal story, but not how it will be interwoven with the plot of the book. So, character creation comes easily to me. Setting is practically another character in my books. Visualizing the setting comes without effort.

What are some of your favorite things and do you incorporate them in your books?

Until you asked the question, I hadn’t thought about how I sprinkle my stories with my favorite things. I’m a morning coffee drinker year-round and add tea in the winter to my afternoons. I. LOVE. COFFEE. Ha! All of my characters drink coffee or tea and a couple of them make a whole ceremony out of it. In The Art of Love and Murder, my heroine owned a coffee café. I’ve had baristas and an author who did her writing in a coffee café. Mexican food is my favorite cuisine. Many of my characters feel the same. In my latest release, Secrets of the Ravine, a Mexican restaurant is frequented. I love trees. I usually describe the trees in the settings of my stories. I love anything with a moon/sun them. In Secrets of the Ravine, the Mackenzie siblings all wear necklaces with a sun/moon pendant. In book three the pendant will play a part in the mystery.

Do your travels influence your writing?

Most definitely. Not just my travels but where I’ve lived. FDW and I have moved frequently in our married life. Austria is a favorite country which I featured in A Legacy of Love and Murder. Prior to marriage, I went to school in Flagstaff. I’ve set two of the five Love and Murder books there. Two of the other books in the series are set in Chino Valley, Arizona where we lived just outside of for three years. My current series, The MacKenzie Chronicles, is set in the fictional city of Joshua, Arizona, but if you’ve lived in Arizona or been a tourist in our state, you’ll recognize Jerome. Jerome is magical for me. When the series idea came to me, I was more than happy to make several trips there doing research. Jerome hangs on the side of a mountain. Once a booming mining town, it died off in the 50s with under 100 residents. Revived in the 60s by the hippie subculture, it is now a ghost and art town.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

Both. As you can see from my last answer, my settings are real although fictionalized. I use bits and pieces of people I know. My sister and her marriages inspired one book. My Native American heritage has played into some characters. My brother spent a miserable night in a cheap motel that inspired a character while I used that story of his night for The Power of Love and Murder. In my latest release, Secrets of The Ravine, The MacKenzie Chronicles book one, the mystical thread that runs through the story is a result of my dabbling during my wannabe hippie days.

What project are you working on now or what book will be next?

I’m a little crazy right now working on three projects. First and foremost is book two in The MacKenzie Chronicles. My goal is to release Murder on Spirit Mountain in the summer of 2021. My Christmas short stories book is a working project. I hope to have it written by the end of summer and released in late October of 2021. I’m also working on a joint project with another author, Joyce Proell. Together, we are writing a cozy which I’m pretty excited about.

Secrets of the Ravine by Brenda Whiteside

When a ringer for her long-dead love walks into her life the same day skeletal remains are found at the edge of town, Magpie MacKenzie can’t ignore what the universe is telling her…solve the mystery, or become the next victim.

Lawyer Zack Peartree’s life is orderly and entanglement-free until he visits purportedly haunted Joshua, Arizona, and meets free-wheeling shopkeeper Magpie. Despite experiencing troubling visions and odd moments of déjà vu, Zack’s instantly drawn to Magpie and to the unsolved murder which troubles her so.

Using clues from her father’s past and Zack’s déjà vu moments, Magpie and Zack race to solve the mystery, avoid a murderous fate, and to discover their future…together.

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK AMAZON CA

Learn More About Author Brenda Whiteside

Brenda Whiteside is the author of suspenseful, action-adventure stories with a touch of romance. Mostly. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have decided they are gypsies at heart, splitting their time between Central Arizona and the RV life. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW is fishing, Brenda writes.

Visit Brenda at https://www.brendawhiteside.com

Or on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendawhitesid2

She blogs and has guests: https://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003V15WF8

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3972045.Brenda_Whiteside

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/brenda-whiteside

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendawhitesideauthor/