Interview with Western writer Mike Torreano

Mike Torreano sits down with me for an interview today. He's such an interesting writer and an interesting person. I was surprised to learn that the genre he'd most like to write that he hasn't written before is romantic comedy. I hadn't expected that from a western writer! But it makes sense because Mike says he always adds romance to his westerns. Thanks for being here today, Mike!

Where did you get the idea for White Sands Gold?

Inspiration for the story came from a conversation with a friend of mine, who said, “I’ve got the idea for your next book.” He then spun a tale of hidden gold, thousands and thousands of bars, underneath a mountain north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He’d been exploring the area for years.

Me: “How’d this gold supposedly get there?”

Him” No one knows for sure, but there are several different theories.”

Me: “When was this supposed to have happened?”

Him: “No one knows that for sure, either, but legend says the gold’s been there for centuries.”

Me: “How come no one’s found it?”

Him: “Folklore says someone did, and brought some of the bars up in the 1930s. But he got shot.”

Me: “Who shot him and why?”

Him: “Good question.”

I went home and did an online search. When page after page about the fabled gold popped up, I created a few twists, crafted some interesting characters, and had my next novel.

Why did you choose this genre?

In fifth grade, back in Ohio, I had a teacher who made us read a book a week and write a report. She’d call on someone to read theirs, so you had to be ready. That first week, I pulled a Zane Grey novel off the little shelf and was hooked on the Old West. I read every ZG story I could get my hands on after that. From then on, I always had the idea of writing westerns, and when I retired, I started!

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

Lots of times I write while sitting in front of the TV, like I am right now!

What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?

Romcom.

When were you first published and how did that happen? Was it a long or short journey?

First published in 2014 in an anthology for my short story, The Trade. Set in the Yukon Gold Rush, 1898, it chronicled three men who had to decide whether to leave a critically-injured fourth or not. Inspired by my grandfather’s time there.

What is the hardest part of being a writer for you?

Won’t come as a surprise when I say marketing and promotion. The more I learn about technology and social media, the more I realize I’m just falling behind at a slower pace than before.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

If you look in the dictionary under ‘pantser’ you’ll see my picture. I’m considering putting a conference session together on the perils of pantsing. But I always enjoy seeing what my characters are up to.

Would you like to have lived the stories you write? 

Yes.

A genie grants you one wish. What is it?

More wishes.

If you could get rid of something in your life that would give you more writing time, what would it be?

I like my life. Busy, but whose isn’t?

What genre is your favorite to read?

History

Share a photo of your writing space.

If money were not an object, where would you most like to live? Why?

An Italian villa. The country has a beauty and peace of its own.

Name two authors we might find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.

Re-reading Zane Grey and Agatha Christie.

What do you like best about your hero in White Sands Gold? 

Twill is not driven by the usual motivations most heroes are. There is one most important thing in his life and that’s not to disappoint the woman who raised him and for whom he took a guardian oath.

What do you like best about your heroine in White Sands Gold? 

I love Lottie (Charlotte). She’s direct, no-nonsense, smart, and yet is vulnerable and uncertain at times.

How do you choose the names and physical characteristics of your characters? Do you base them on real people? 

First question-Names just seem to come from somewhere. I wish I had a more helpful answer to that. Second question-not so much individuals as amalgams of the people who have been in my life and in my reading.

How can readers reach you or find you online?

Facebook author page- https://www.facebook.com/Mike-Torreano-Author-107581914412283/

Facebook personal- https://www.facebook.com/miketorreano

Bookbub- https://www.bookbub.com/profile/mike-torreano

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10187716.Mike_Torreano

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-torreano-0a407929/

Twitter- https://twitter.com/miketorreano

Website- www.miketorreano.com

Tell us a little about your current work in progress.

The Return is the third in my South Park (Co) series. In 1879, Ike and Lorraine must move from their beloved ranch to Denver for medical reasons. There, he’s gradually isolated from everyone in his life and must find out who’s stalking him before he loses his own.

What’s your tagline?

Can you really ever go home? 

Why did you choose it?

In my novel, Ike and Lorraine try to return to their ranch from the city, but find that things aren’t the same and never will be.

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

I’d start with The Reckoning, the first in the South Park series, then The Renewal, and follow those with White Sands Gold and A Score to Settle.

Tell us about your current release.

New Mexico Territory, 1890

In a hidden cavern, a treasure trove of  gold bars sits alongside an ancient relic. 

To find her treasure-hunting brother, Lottie Durham enlists the help of an easygoing lawman she can’t stand—at first. When a mysterious woman known only as Ma asks her to join the relic’s guardians, Lottie’s world spins. Should she take on this solemn obligation?

Twill, leader of the secretive guardians, has sworn a vow to protect the centuries-old religious relic. Regrets bedevil him and his dedication to his oath is repeatedly tested. If he breaks his promise, he’ll fail Ma, the one person he’s never wanted to let down.

Will a looming raid by a band of determined killers be the end of the guardians, the gold, and the relic?

Excerpt:

Lottie lowered to the damp ground, which brought the deputy down as well. She fought the urge to look his way. She was alone in the desert wrapped in a semi-bear hug with a man she met yesterday. She eased a hand to her holster and picked the leather loop off her hammer. Probably didn’t need a gun to protect against someone who’d already saved her life, but…in case he tried something.

The deputy snugged his hat lower and shut his eyes. 

“Hold on, cowboy. We can’t be sittin’ here just sleepin’. I mean…you oughta be talkin’ to me, reassurin’ me. How about it?”

He two-fingered his hat up a touch. “You seem to be able to take care of yourself fair, you should probably be reassurin’ me.” He glanced sideways at her, his face not more than a few inches away. 

That same half-smile that had been so irritating somehow didn’t look so annoying anymore.

Buy Links:

Amazon- https://smile.amazon.com/White-Sands-Gold-Mike-Torreano/dp/150924431X

Barnes and Noble- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/white-sands-gold-mike-torreano/1141622239

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61440836-white-sands-gold

Author Bio:

Mike Torreano has a military background and is a student of American history and the Old West.

His debut western mystery, The Reckoning, set in South Park, Colorado in 1868, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press. The sequel, The Renewal, also in South Park, 1872, was released in 2018. His third western, A Score To Settle, was released October 2020, also from The Wild Rose Press. White Sands Gold is his latest western mystery, and was just released by Wild Rose. He has a coming-of-age novel, Fireflies At Dusk, set during the Civil War, and his short story, The Trade, a tale of the Yukon Gold Rush, was his first published work in 2014. 

Mike’s written for magazines and newspapers for many years. An experienced editor, he’s taught University-level English and Journalism. He’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Western Writers of America and several other writing groups. He brings his readers back in time with him as he recreates life in mid-to-late nineteenth century America. He and his wife, Anne, live in Colorado Springs.

Welcome Frances Evesham and DANGER AT THATCHAM HALL #TWRP

Today I'm happy to welcome Frances Evesham to Journeys With Jana. She's going to talk about her novel DANGER AT THATCHAM HALL. Hello Frances!

Thank you so much, Jana, for welcoming me so kindly to your blog, and asking such interesting questions. I’m really looking forward to reading your latest story, One More Second Chance and I love that we share a publisher, the Wild Rose Press.

I'm very happy to have you here. Where did you get the idea for your new novel? 

Danger at Thatcham Hall is the second in my series of Thatcham Hall Mysteries. It follows on from the first novel, An Independent Woman, although it stands alone as a story.

I’m fascinated by the stories of strong women. Olivia, my heroine, lives at a time when convention dictated poor but “genteel” ladies should confine their activities to the home, or become companions or governesses. What a dreadful prospect! The real lives of women were often much more interesting and adventurous.

Several women dressed as soldiers, and fought in the battle of Waterloo. The Bronte sisters wrote under male pseudonyms in order to find a publisher. Fanny Mendelssohn wrote songs that Queen Victoria loved, even though she had to publish them under her brother’s name.
It’s that resourcefulness and refusal to give in that my heroine Olivia shows. She’s a clever, talented pianist and composer, and won’t submit to spending life as a governess.

Why did you choose this genre?

I’m intrigued by history, crime, mysteries and romance. I love to lose myself in another world, living the upstairs glamour and downstairs intrigue of an English country house.

I also adore the challenge of the twists and turns of a mystery plot. Who has a motive? What’s the secret everyone tries to hide? I live in a state of excitement when I’m writing, desperate to read the next chapter even though I haven’t written it yet!

A writer has to enjoy the process of writing since she spends so much time with her story. If she doesn't think it's exciting, no one else will either! What do you want readers to come away with after they read your book?

I once went on a training session where, in groups of four, we each told a very short story to the others. One told of opening a bag of marbles and drawing out each glass globe. Another spoke of a day in the playground with her child. A third of walking down the road and seeing cracks in the pavement.

Afterwards, the trainer asked which story we liked best. We found it impossible to choose. Every single story told us something, opening our eyes to new ways of looking at the world. To me, that’s the wonder of storytelling: everyone can take something from the experience.

I hope every reader finds something for him or herself in Danger at Thatcham Hall. When you finish the story, I hope you’ll feel moved by their struggles and satisfied that Olivia and Nelson have tried their best to overcome difficulties and discover what truly mattes. I hope you’ll feel a little bit better about the world.

Did you always want to be a writer?

As a child, I read stories about horses, and longed to write my own. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a horse, had only ridden a handful of times and knew less than nothing about them. Those stories are, fortunately, long lost, but I remember sitting on the floor of my bedroom, scribbling in a notebook, losing myself in the joy of another world.

I never thought it possible to write for a living. Writers, I imagined, were special people, not ordinary like me. Instead, I channelled my love of words and language into becoming first a speech and language therapist and then an intermediary. I worked with people with communication problems who have the misfortune to appear in the criminal courts, whether as victims, defendants or witnesses, helping them understand what was going on, and showing the lawyers how to put together clear, simple sentences.

It feels as though all this, plus the blessing of three healthy, happy children and four blossoming grandsons, has led me full circle toward my current career as a writer. I’ve never been happier.

What comes first for you – plot or character?

I have an idea for a plot, first. I know what will happen at the end. Then, I round out the characters of the people it will happen to. What is it about them that leads to unhappiness and mistakes, and what character strengths do they have that enable them to come through their adventures?

Olivia envies her richer, prettier friend, Selena. Haven’t we all had friends who seemed to own all the gifts and advantages of life in one golden package? Oh, how jealous we feel. It’s so good when we look back over our lives and realize how little looks, money and influence really mattered.

Nelson, the soldier-turned-lawyer, grapples with demons, living with dreadful memories of war, injury and rejection by a heartless woman. How it must hurt to have your future torn away like that. No wonder Nelson struggles with his feelings, just as we all battle with feelings of injustice and sorrow.

Once the characters have become real, well-rounded people, I plot out the detail of the story, outlining each chapter, making sure the structure of the book works. Then, I start typing and of course, everything changes. The people in the stories constantly surprise me, just as people do in life, and they write their own story.

I know exactly what you mean, Frances. No matter how well I think I know them, my characters always surprise me, too. Name two authors we might find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.

I’m a huge fan of Agatha Christie, who seems to have thought of every plot in the world, and of Jane Austen. I love to savor Austen’s wonderful, elegant sentences, and the real passion her people hide under their carefully correct manners. I cry every time I read the story of young love allowed to escape in Persuasion, and watch it rekindled as a grown-up, true emotion.

What are two (or more) of your all-time favorite books in any genre?

Just recently, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy: fiction set in the 20th century, taking us through both World Wars to the fall of the Berlin Wall. I’m so impressed by the way he manages to place his characters at important events, while remaining true to historical facts.
I also have a very soft spot for The Grand Sophy, one of Georgette Heyer’s most intelligent, feisty heroines.

But then, I also love a nice, juicy crime or police procedural: Kathy Reichs or Mark Billingham…

Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing?

I’m so lucky to live in Somerset. My husband was in the Royal Air Force, so we travelled around every two years. Then, when he left for a civilian life, we could choose where to go. Not many people have that freedom. We decided to find a place we wanted to live, and worry about finding work afterwards.

I can walk to the sea, eat ice cream sitting on the sand, and take the grandchildren down to make sand castles, or I can walk in the other direction, across the fields of the flat Somerset Levels, meeting nothing but cattle and sheep.

I has such fun writing the first chapter of Danger at Thatcham Hall, where Olivia, a town-dweller, takes a walk in the countryside near the Hall and encounters something she hadn’t expected…

What do you like best about your hero? 

One of the pleasures of writing is the opportunity to draw a hero just as I’d like him. He’s intelligent, maybe a bit too clever for his own good. He’s flawed: at the start of the novel he’s so disillusioned he’s just out for what he can get. As the novel goes on, he has a few of his rough edges knocked off. He’s also tall. I do like a tall hero!

What do you like best about your heroine? 

I love Olivia’s determination not to give up. She’s thoughtful and kind, but she’s also competitive and argumentative: she wants to solve the mystery before Nelson does, and she likes that she’s better at persuading people to tell the truth and part with their secrets than he.

They sound like wonderful characters. How do you choose the names and physical characteristics of your characters? Do you base them on real people?

Finding great names is a challenge. Nelson, a military man before the story begins, is named after Admiral Nelson, the English naval hero. I try to keep the names appropriate to the time of the story, and they have to fit the picture of the person I have in my head.

Epiphanius, a tramp, is named after one of my husband’s ancestors, a sculptor, and Theodore is the name of a late Victorian vagabond who lived near my mother’s family, out in the Cotswold countryside.

I don’t use real people as physical models for the characters, because their personalities are in place before their physical appearance. Their hair color, body shape and features then arrive, fitting their flaws and qualities until I can see them, walking, talking and arguing in my head.

I feel the atmosphere of place in the same way. Thatcham Hall is a real building to me, with an old disused chapel. I imagined the chapel and shivered, then decided what it was that gave me that feeling of disquiet. Was it the old, cold stones, or the draught that whistled through gaps in the windows, or the way a door slammed shut in the distance?

Tell us a little about your current work in progress.

I’m writing the third novel in the Thatcham Hall Mysteries series. I’m still planning it, and getting more and more excited about it. I’m hoping it will be out next summer.

What’s your tagline? Why did you choose it?

I’d love some help from readers on this. In England, we have a brand of cakes called Mr Kipling’s, with the tagline, “Mr Kipling makes Exceedingly Good Cakes.” My mouth waters every time I hear it.

I’m liking the idea of “Frances Evesham writes Extremely English Mysteries.” What do you think? Any better ideas?

I like that tagline! I'm curious to hear what others think. How can readers reach you or find you online?

Oh, how I love to Tweet. It’s my favorite social media. Here are a few contact details.

Website:  http://www.francesevesham.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/francesevesham

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/frances.evesham.writer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33000478-frances-Evesham

Thanks so much for being here today, Frances. I enjoyed meeting you!

Here's the blurb for Danger at Thatcham Hall:

      Ambitious lawyer Nelson Roberts,  jilted by his fiancée and embittered by war, trusts no one. He jumps at the chance to make a name for himself solving the mysterious thefts and violence at Thatcham Hall, a country house in Victorian England.

     Olivia Martin, headstrong and talented, dreams of a career as a musician. She’ll do anything it takes to avoid a looming miserable fate as a governess.

     The pair stumble on a body. Is the farmhand’s death a simple accident, or something more sinister? Who attacked the livestock at the Hall and why are the villagers so reluctant to talk? Can Nelson and Olivia overcome their differences and join forces to unravel the web of evil that imperils the Hall?

Excerpt:

Aghast, Olivia slid to a halt, half-lying in the stream. Water seeped into both boots, chilling skin, bone and muscle. Her woollen skirt mushroomed, the dress absorbing moisture until damp fabric outlined every curve of her body.

     The stranger watched, eyes widening. Oh! He was staring at her—at her—no, Olivia could hardly even think the words. He could see her—her shape. Shame drove out the chill, reddening her chest, and heightening the dreadful humiliation.  Oh, if only the earth would open and swallow her whole! She gulped, strove for words, but none came.

     Wait. The stranger wasn’t watching her at all. His gaze travelled further, coming to rest beyond Olivia. He stared, the knowing smile fading, and Olivia’s insides turned to horrified pulp. What could he see? Something terrible? Slowly, heart hammering inside a tight chest, she twisted, awkward in the flow of water, to peer over one shoulder.

     A brown boot, heavy and cracked with wear, wavered in the stream, barely an inch from Olivia’s fingers. She gasped. A swollen leg bulged from the battered leather, the pale stretch of waxen flesh exposed through torn brown trousers. Olivia snatched back her hand, biting the knuckles to stifle a scream.

     The man’s body lay on its back, head half-submerged, as the current stroked wisps of black hair across a pale cheek.

Author Bio:

Frances Evesham can’t believe her luck, spending her days writing and collecting grandsons, Victorian trivia and stories of ancestors. She’s fascinated by the Victorians, especially the women in England, so complex and human, hiding longings, ambitions and repressed passions under society’s stifling conventions. 

Cooking with a glass of wine in one hand and a bunch of chillies in the other, Frances devours books full of mystery, murder and adventure, pages spattered with olive oil and scented with rosemary and garlic, spines propped up on piles of lemons and oranges in the kitchen. 

Writing the Thatcham Hall Mysteries leaves just enough time to enjoy bad jokes and puns, and wish she’d kept on with those piano lessons.

Buy links for Danger at Thatcham Hall:

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Danger-Thatcham-Hall-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00Z3UTO2M

Amazon US http://www.amazon.com/Danger-Thatcham-Hall-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00Z3UTO2M

Wild Rose Press http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=242_176_138&products_id=6280

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/danger-at-thatcham-hall-frances-evesham/1122154467?ean=2940151336017