Book Freak: Interview Pooled Blood by H.L. LeRoy

Title: Pooled Blood
Author: H.L. LeRoy
Series: A LT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery (A loosely tied together series. But any of the stories can be read as a standalone.)
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Publisher: Kindle Worlds
Release Date: May 3, 2015
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
After barely surviving the horror of the Parkside Strangler, Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels and her friend, P.I. Jillian Varela, decide to head to Cancun for a little well-deserved R&R.
But instead of a relaxing two weeks at a five star, luxury resort, a grisly death lands at their feet, and a young girl is arrested.
It should be simple, but in Mexico, you are guilty until proven innocent. And if the Policia Federal find out what Jack and Jillian are up to, they'll be spending a long time in less than luxury accommodations.

Interview

Tell us a little about the book and where did you get the idea to write this story.

When bestselling author J. A. Konrath approached me about writing about his character Lt. Jack Daniels in Kindle Worlds, I jumped at the chance. I felt that my character, P.I. Jillian Varela and Jack Daniels were a perfect fit. The three stories, ONE EIGHT SEVEN, REMEMBER THE DEAD, and POOLED BLOOD are loosely tied together but can be read individually.

How and when did you get started writing novels?

I wrote a 250 word piece of flash fiction and decided turn it into a novella. At twenty thousand words I sent it to an editor and she told me to bite the bullet and finish it as a novel. The result is THE FOUNTAIN OF THE EARTH. I'm glad I did.

What’s the best and worst part of being a writer?

Deadlines are the most difficult. Writing lives its own life and doesn't subscribe to a timeline.

What is your writing schedule like?

I try to write 1,000 to 1,500 words a day, usually starting at six AM and by ten AM or so, I’m done. Then I’ll read, do research, or explore my new environment, the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Where do you get your ideas?

A story idea can be triggered by a sentence in a newspaper, or the smallest part of a historic event, or a time period like the 1940's. Once I've written a scene using a character that I find interesting, I start to stitch a story around it.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Just do it. Join a writers group and contribute. You’ll learn a lot about which of your skills are good and which need work. Don’t give up. Edit, edit, edit.

Have any of your titles ever been changed from your original choice?

Every single one. I probably go through at least thirty titles before I settle on one.

If you could turn any of your books into a movie which book or series would it be?

The Fountain of the Earth series. I've written it to be cinematic in style and scope and I'd love to see it on the screen.

Do you have a character in one of your books that continues to haunt you at night or surprised you when you wrote the book?

Darrel Harlan Clavey (in RARE JUSTICE, a short story in STREET CRIMES) and the Parkway Strangler (the serial killer in REMEMBER THE DEAD) are two that you wouldn't want to meet in your dreams or otherwise.

Is there something about you or your life that readers might be surprised about?

Let's see. . . I was an amateur boxer who did pretty well. I was an actor in more than forty plays.

Do you write a novel straight through? Or revise as you go? Plan a whole series in advance? Or does the series evolve?

I don't write it straight through. The first scene or chapter I write might be the beginning or it might be something in the middle or the end. After about thirty thousand words I start to write straight through. Although I do plan a series in advance, the individual books always change as I go along.

Which books were the most fun to write? The hardest to write?

Most fun? Probably the Jack Daniels series of novellas. The hardest have to be the Fountain of the Earth books. In them I'm creating an entire future earth.

What’s next?

It seems I'm in the middle of more work than I can finish. Already this year I've written the three Jack Daniels novellas, a prequel to the Fountain of the Earth series (SUDDEN END), and a 1940's noir detective story.

I'm finishing up with the second in the Fountain of the Earth series. It's called Heralds of Juno and should be completed this fall. After that, I have a third Fountain novel, a political thriller, and a P.I. novel in the works.

H. L. (Holly) LeRoy is an award winning, American short story writer and novelist. Born in San Jose, California, LeRoy currently resides in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his family.

When J. A. Konrath approached me with the opportunity to write in Lieutenant Jack Daniels’ world, I jumped at the chance. Since my other works are in the mystery/thriller/action/adventure genres and tell the stories of strong female protagonists confronting impossible situations, I knew it was a perfect fit.

Amazon Publishing has secured licenses from Warner Bros. Television Group's Alloy Entertainment for Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries; Valiant Entertainment for Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and X-O Manowar; J. A. Konrath's Jack Daniels series, Hugh Howey's Silo Saga; Barry Eisler's John Rain novels; Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines series; and The Foreworld Saga by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Eric Bear, Joseph Brassey, Nicole Galland, and Cooper Moo. Licenses for more Worlds are on the way.

Places to find H.L.

Blog Random Thoughts

Places to find Pooled Blood

Amazon

Other Works by H.L. LeRoy

Kindle Worlds

(A LT. Jack Daniels/Jillian Varela Mystery)

One Eight Seven (1)