Interview: Debbie Gould and LJ Garland

Please welcome the talented authors, L.J. Garland and Debbie Gould as I chat with them about their new book, Sins of the Mind. And I must warn you, this is a seriously fun interview. These ladies will have you laughing. :)

DEBBIE GOULD : Thanks for inviting us, I’m excited.
LJ GARLAND : Yes, thanks so much for having us today!

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
  LJ GARLAND : Though born and raised in the south, I’ve lived on both the east and west coasts. I love traveling, and  the latest adventures I’ve added to my Bucket List: Machu Pichu and Australia’s Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef. Someday, I hope to get to those places! I’ve been married to my best friend for over twenty years, spend my time home schooling three rambunctious boys, editing in the epub industry, and writing stories that I hopes catches readers’ imaginations as much as the characters and plotlines captivate me. In my spare time (what there is of it LOL), I have tons of hobbies, including building archery equipment from scratch and creating stained glass. I have a passion for anything that goes Boom! …from fireworks to high-powered combat rifles…it’s all good. My hubby and I are both rated helicopter pilots and spent our 10th anniversary flying cross-country from east to west coast…an adventure I highly recommend.

DEBBIE GOULD : Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, at the age of two my mother and I moved to New Jersey, spending many happy years on my grandparents' horse farm. You'll sometimes find this setting as a backdrop in my stories. As a teenager, my mother and I found a new home in Vermont, which is where I currently reside. With a daughter in the Air Force (along with my six-year-old grandson), and two sons working for the family Well Drilling business, I now shuffle my time between a full time job as a nurse and my writing career. About seven years ago, while looking at over three hundred treasured books lining the shelves, I realized there was a multitude of stories of my own clamoring for release. Since then, I’ve seriously persevered in keeping the keyboard in constant motion.

2. What genre do you write?
LJ GARLAND : I write paranormal, sci-fi, suspense, and time travel romance.
DEBBIE GOULD : Romantic Suspense and paranormal.
LJ GARLAND : Together, Debbie and I started out with romantic suspense. But lately, we’ve really branched out! I think we’ve hit 4-5 other romance genres. The story we just finished is paranormal romance.

3. Please tell us about your latest release Sins of the Mind and how you came up with the idea?

Our latest release is the first book from the Red River series. It’s a romantic suspense from Decadent Publishing called Sins of the Mind.
BLURB:

Seven years ago, Abby Montgomery survived a brutal attack. Now she is ready to put her pain in the past and move on with her life. The problem is, one by one the men in her life are being viciously murdered.

The detective assigned to the case, Ethan Parker, has demons of his own to hide. As the danger gets closer to Abby, so does Ethan. But can they get past his secrets before the killer gets to them? Sometimes the sins of the mind are more depraved than the sins of the heart. 

LJ GARLAND : Well, as I recall, we were both on the same Internet forum. We’d known each other for…what? Two years, Deb?
DEBBIE GOULD : Yup, about that. We had been brainstorming a plot in one of the books I was writing (still unfinished, lol) and I showed her the first chapter of another story that had been screaming in my brain at me. She liked it, and I asked her if she wanted to co-write it.
LJ GARLAND : That’s right! And I was excited because the story was interesting. Romance and murder, what’s not to like? So, we started brainstorming ideas and things got pretty intense and…what’s the word I’m looking for?
DEBBIE GOULD : Twisted?
LJ GARLAND : Yes. That’s a great descriptor. But we both loved it and voilà, Sins of the Mind!

4. Is it part of a series?
DEBBIE GOULD : Yes it is.
LJ GARLAND : The Red River Series
DEBBIE GOULD : Red River is a small town located in Vermont.
LJ GARLAND : And there’s a river, too.
DEBBIE GOULD : Yeah…the town’s namesake.
LJ GARLAND : Yep. The Red River river.
DEBBIE GOULD : Anyway…the series revolves around the town and surrounding areas.
LJ GARLAND : And people get murdered. People always die.
DEBBIE GOULD : Um, not sure we could call it a romantic suspense if they didn’t.
LJ GARLAND : True.

5. A must have snack while you write.
LJ GARLAND : Coffee and a spoon of peanut butter. Mmm. Coffee and mixed nuts. Coffee and cheesecake. Um, coffee…
DEBBIE GOULD : You see the theme with her, right?
LJ GARLAND : Yep, junk food and caffeine. Aren’t those most authors’ staples?

DEBBIE GOULD : I just have to have some ice-cold water and something to crunch on. Carrots, chips, nuts, grapes, it really doesn’t matter.

6. A fact that someone might not know about you.
LJ GARLAND : I wanted to be President of the United States…but that dream went its merry way when I hit twelve and discovered boys.
DEBBIE GOULD : I’m a closet Words with Friends addict.

7. If you had to choose a favorite book that you’ve written, which would it be?
DEBBIE GOULD : Good gosh, I love them all. But if I had to narrow it down, it would be Infidelity. There was so much raw, dark emotion in that one.
LJ GARLAND : I’ll be honest…whichever book I’m currently working on is my favorite. I love each and every one of them. Sooo, since the last one we just finished is a paranormal romance, that’s my fav. lol

8. Advice to writers who have yet to be published.
LJ GARLAND : Learn the craft. Write the best story…and most important…Never quit.
DEBBIE GOULD : Ditto! Oh, and research what you’re not sure of.
LJ GARLAND : Yeah, research is good, too. And the Internet makes that part so much easier…though, I’d still cross-reference stuff. People put some weird stuff out there and call it the truth! lol

9. Is there a genre you haven’t written yet that you want to?
LJ GARLAND : I would love to write steampunk, but not sure I could pull that off. Right now, I’m leaning toward urban or maybe cyberpunk.
DEBBIE GOULD : Nope, lol. LJ and I are running the gambit with a paranormal series at the moment and I think the only thing not in there is steampunk, which I have no desire to write.
LJ GARLAND : Aw, c’mon. Live on the edge. LOL
DEBBIE GOULD : Nope. Of course, I said that to sci-fi, too.
LJ GARLAND : I know! And we’re already laying the groundwork for one. LOL I’ll wear ya down…eventually.

10. Any quirky habits?
DEBBIE GOULD : Nope, don’t think so. I’m pretty basic.
LJ GARLAND : Maybe not unusual but I do like to listen to music and drink coffee. LOL Usually there’s a cat in my lap, too. They swear they’re helping with my creativity…I swear they’re bringing on carpal tunnel syndrome. But they’re sweet and furry, so how can I say no?

11. Have you written a character that most resembles you?

DEBBIE GOULD : Honestly, the characters I write are mostly a combination of people I know. I think Laura must have met an Elliot along the way though.

LJ GARLAND : LOL Well, I think a lot of women have met an Elliot type somewhere. Those self-absorbed types seem to pop up like mushrooms…and they thrive on their own sh--

DEBBIE GOULD : Laura! PG-13 please, woman!

LJ GARLAND : I was going to say, shining dispositions.

DEBBIE GOULD : Yeah, right. Sure you were.

LJ GARLAND : No. Really, I was.

DEBBIE GOULD : (sigh) Next question, please!

12. What type of hero do you enjoy writing about?
LJ GARLAND : Strong, hot, sexy. Will do whatever’s needed to save the heroine and make things right in the world. But at the same time, he has to have some feelings, sensitive to the heroines needs, and he needs to romance her.
DEBBIE GOULD : Ditto! Strong yet vulnerable to his woman. Can get through anything, live without, but NEEDS the woman he loves. Hmm…that doesn’t sound right. I mean he’s done just fine without her all these years, but man, once he finds her, she’s a craving he can’t ignore. Not like he’s a stalker or anything, he just loves hard…um…never mind. Ditto what Laura said.
LJ GARLAND : Hmm. Yeah, I’m seeing some things between the lines here. Care to elaborate?
DEBBIE GOULD : Nope. Just never mind! LOL

13. What are you currently reading?
DEBBIE GOULD : Christine Feehan’s Spirit Bound
LJ GARLAND : Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins on my Android Pad.

14. What are you currently working on?
DEBBIE GOULD : We are working on the next book in the Red River Series, yup more murder, mayhem, and romance, lol.
LJ GARLAND : Yep, we’ll be torturing the next characters even more than the first. Though, I think Sins of the Mind had several unexpected twists…and the characters got banged up pretty good.

15. Anything that you’d like to share.
- We can be tracked down at http://www.garland-and-gould.blogspot.com/ where we blog, chat about stuff, and interview other authors.
- L.J. can be caught at www.lj-garland.com and emailed at mail@lj-garland.com You can also tweet her at @LJ_Garland1
- Debbie can be found at http://www.authordebbiegould.com/ and emailed at mountecho2006@yahoo.com.
- We love hearing from people who have enjoyed our stories!

And you can find Sins of the Mind here!

LJ GARLAND : Thank you so much for having us here today!
DEBBIE GOULD : Yes, thanks! We had an awesome time!

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