My interview with author, Deborah LeBlanc
Deborah LeBlanc’s latest novel, Grave Intent is in stores!
About the book:
In all their years at the funeral home, Janet and Michael Savoy had never seen anything like the viewing for nineteen-year-old Thalia Stevenson. That's because they had never witnessed a Gypsy funeral before, complete with rituals, incantations, and a very special gold coin placed beneath the dead girl's hands ...
When that coin is stolen, a horror is unleashed. If the Savoys don't find the coin and return it to Thalia's grave before the rising of the second sun, someone in their family--perhaps their little daughter -- will die a merciless death. The ticking away of each hour brings the Savoy family closer to a gruesome, inescapable nightmare. Only one thing is certain -- gypsies always have their revenge … even the dead ones.
About Deborah LeBlanc
Deborah LeBlanc was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, the oldest of three children. She grew up in Scott, a small town west of Lafayette, where she developed her earliest aspiration in life; to read every book in the town library. Her first short story was written in the second grade, a tale about a misfit mermaid who grew legs. Admonished for writing the story instead of doing an assigned arithmetic lesson, Deborah's teacher confiscated the pages, and as recompense for not following instructions, gave her an additional math lesson to complete. At the end of the school day, the teacher pulled Deborah aside. Fearing that she might be forced to do additional math, Deborah listened in amazement as the teacher told her she'd read the mermaid story, thought she was a wonderful storyteller, and encouraged her to continue writing. Though the pages of that story were never returned, Deborah has been writing ever since. And she still hates math.
After her school stints, Deborah married young to her childhood sweetheart. They chose to keep south-central Louisiana their home, wanting to surround their three daughters with the wonderful people and traditions so unique to their Cajun heritage.
Always drawn to a challenge, Deborah's work career revolved around male dominated industries. She served as a sales representative for an oil company, an executive vice-president for a transportation company, and eventually created two corporations of her own. One involving fuel, the other management consultation for funeral service.
Through the years, Deborah maintained an insatiable appetite for reading and writing. She is an active member of several writers groups and has won numerous awards from her colleagues and national writing associations.
Read an excerpt:
http://www.deborahleblanc.com/giexc.html
Reviews:
"A powerful, haunting tale." --Tim Lebbon, author of Desolation
"Grave Intent is a first-rate novel, filled with genuine dread. I defy you to put this down after the first two pages--it can't be done!" --Gary A. Braunbeck, author of In Silent Graves
"Iconic writers like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Peter Straub who have sold millions penning psychological thrillers designed to scare the living daylights out of readers had better beware-they’ve all just met their match and her name is Deborah LeBlanc. An irresistible blend of horror, mystery and dark fantasy, Grave Intent is like a wild roller coaster ride through the seven levels of Hell that doesn’t stop until readers are all suitably slack jawed in shock and delirious with all-consuming fear. In a word: Awesome!" -- Paul Goat Allen- Ransom Notes- B&N.Com
My questions:
1. Have you always wanted to be a novelist? I've always wanted to be a story teller. :)
2. Is this your first book? If not, what else have you written? No, GRAVE INTENT is my second book. My first, FAMILY INHERITANCE, was released Aug. 4th of '04. I'm currently completing the final draft on my fourth (third already completed and due out in '06) and scrambling to finish the final first draft of a new mystery series.
3. What inspired you to write this book? As a management consultant, I happened upon funeral service about ten years ago in a business capacity and wound up falling in love with this unique and fascinating industry. Death of a loved one is certainly one of the most tragic events we experience as human beings. The weight of that loss can be so profound, we’re often blinded to the lengths some funeral professionals go to in order to ease our suffering. True, there are some funeral directors I’ve met who may have better served society as a diesel mechanic or taxidermist, but overall they work with diligence and compassion.
Funeral directors, embalmers, and funeral home hostesses normally have a strong passion, or ‘calling’ if you will, for helping the bereaved. I admire them immensely, for some of the issues many of them have to deal with regarding unruly family members, drunken clergy, and horrid conditions of the deceased, would cause the rest of us to run for cover. What truly goes on behind funeral home doors and the stories funeral directors never tell to outsiders, would keep bookshelves stocked for years. Grave Intent is, in part, one of those stories …
4. What do you do to feel inspired/motivated in order to write? The story I'm mentally linked into at the time is my motivation. I get caught up in the lives of the characters and am anxious to see what happens to them next!
5. What are you reading now? VELOCITY- By Dean Koontz, VANISHING ACT, By Jodi Picoult, MEMORY OF RUNNING, By Ron McLarty.
6. What are some of your favorite books? I don't know that I have a favorite book. If a story is told well, my favorite book is usually the one I'm reading at that time.
7. What else do you do besides writing (i.e. do you have a day job)? I own two companies. One deals with fuel inventories throughout the U.S. and Canada, and the other is a management consulting firm that specializes in the funeral service industry.
8. Where do you live? In the heart of Cajun country! Lafayette, Louisiana.
9. How does where you live impact (help/hurt) your writing? My Cajun culture and heritage have a strong impact on my writing. The people and traditions make for unique story ideas and one-of-a-kind characters.
10. What words of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring novelist? Read, read, read. Write ,write, write. AND NEVER GIVE UP!
11. What is your favorite word? My favorite word is the exact one I need at any given moment that will perfectly convey what I meant to say. :)
12. What is your least favorite word? Suddenly.
13. What turns you on? Antonio Banderas? Hehe. Okay, being serious now...life turns me on.
14. What turns you off? Liars.
15. What sound do you love? The laughter of children.
16. What sound do you hate? A dentist's drill!
17. What is your favorite curse word? LOL, don't know that I have a favorite one, but the one that has a tendency to slip out most often is sonofa****!
18. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Hmm, I was the first female executive vice president of a transportation company in the U.S., started the first liquid logistics company in the U.S., help embalm bodies, am a licensed death scene investigator, ghost hunt for a hobby with professional psychics, do public speaking engagements throughout the U.S, and, of course, write. With all that going on, who has time to think of a new profession?? :)
19. What profession would you not like to participate in? Politics.
20. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Good job, kid." :)
Visit Deborah’s website at http://www.deborahleblanc.com.
Buy the book on Amazon
About the book:
In all their years at the funeral home, Janet and Michael Savoy had never seen anything like the viewing for nineteen-year-old Thalia Stevenson. That's because they had never witnessed a Gypsy funeral before, complete with rituals, incantations, and a very special gold coin placed beneath the dead girl's hands ...
When that coin is stolen, a horror is unleashed. If the Savoys don't find the coin and return it to Thalia's grave before the rising of the second sun, someone in their family--perhaps their little daughter -- will die a merciless death. The ticking away of each hour brings the Savoy family closer to a gruesome, inescapable nightmare. Only one thing is certain -- gypsies always have their revenge … even the dead ones.
About Deborah LeBlanc
Deborah LeBlanc was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, the oldest of three children. She grew up in Scott, a small town west of Lafayette, where she developed her earliest aspiration in life; to read every book in the town library. Her first short story was written in the second grade, a tale about a misfit mermaid who grew legs. Admonished for writing the story instead of doing an assigned arithmetic lesson, Deborah's teacher confiscated the pages, and as recompense for not following instructions, gave her an additional math lesson to complete. At the end of the school day, the teacher pulled Deborah aside. Fearing that she might be forced to do additional math, Deborah listened in amazement as the teacher told her she'd read the mermaid story, thought she was a wonderful storyteller, and encouraged her to continue writing. Though the pages of that story were never returned, Deborah has been writing ever since. And she still hates math.
After her school stints, Deborah married young to her childhood sweetheart. They chose to keep south-central Louisiana their home, wanting to surround their three daughters with the wonderful people and traditions so unique to their Cajun heritage.
Always drawn to a challenge, Deborah's work career revolved around male dominated industries. She served as a sales representative for an oil company, an executive vice-president for a transportation company, and eventually created two corporations of her own. One involving fuel, the other management consultation for funeral service.
Through the years, Deborah maintained an insatiable appetite for reading and writing. She is an active member of several writers groups and has won numerous awards from her colleagues and national writing associations.
Read an excerpt:
http://www.deborahleblanc.com/giexc.html
Reviews:
"A powerful, haunting tale." --Tim Lebbon, author of Desolation
"Grave Intent is a first-rate novel, filled with genuine dread. I defy you to put this down after the first two pages--it can't be done!" --Gary A. Braunbeck, author of In Silent Graves
"Iconic writers like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Peter Straub who have sold millions penning psychological thrillers designed to scare the living daylights out of readers had better beware-they’ve all just met their match and her name is Deborah LeBlanc. An irresistible blend of horror, mystery and dark fantasy, Grave Intent is like a wild roller coaster ride through the seven levels of Hell that doesn’t stop until readers are all suitably slack jawed in shock and delirious with all-consuming fear. In a word: Awesome!" -- Paul Goat Allen- Ransom Notes- B&N.Com
My questions:
1. Have you always wanted to be a novelist? I've always wanted to be a story teller. :)
2. Is this your first book? If not, what else have you written? No, GRAVE INTENT is my second book. My first, FAMILY INHERITANCE, was released Aug. 4th of '04. I'm currently completing the final draft on my fourth (third already completed and due out in '06) and scrambling to finish the final first draft of a new mystery series.
3. What inspired you to write this book? As a management consultant, I happened upon funeral service about ten years ago in a business capacity and wound up falling in love with this unique and fascinating industry. Death of a loved one is certainly one of the most tragic events we experience as human beings. The weight of that loss can be so profound, we’re often blinded to the lengths some funeral professionals go to in order to ease our suffering. True, there are some funeral directors I’ve met who may have better served society as a diesel mechanic or taxidermist, but overall they work with diligence and compassion.
Funeral directors, embalmers, and funeral home hostesses normally have a strong passion, or ‘calling’ if you will, for helping the bereaved. I admire them immensely, for some of the issues many of them have to deal with regarding unruly family members, drunken clergy, and horrid conditions of the deceased, would cause the rest of us to run for cover. What truly goes on behind funeral home doors and the stories funeral directors never tell to outsiders, would keep bookshelves stocked for years. Grave Intent is, in part, one of those stories …
4. What do you do to feel inspired/motivated in order to write? The story I'm mentally linked into at the time is my motivation. I get caught up in the lives of the characters and am anxious to see what happens to them next!
5. What are you reading now? VELOCITY- By Dean Koontz, VANISHING ACT, By Jodi Picoult, MEMORY OF RUNNING, By Ron McLarty.
6. What are some of your favorite books? I don't know that I have a favorite book. If a story is told well, my favorite book is usually the one I'm reading at that time.
7. What else do you do besides writing (i.e. do you have a day job)? I own two companies. One deals with fuel inventories throughout the U.S. and Canada, and the other is a management consulting firm that specializes in the funeral service industry.
8. Where do you live? In the heart of Cajun country! Lafayette, Louisiana.
9. How does where you live impact (help/hurt) your writing? My Cajun culture and heritage have a strong impact on my writing. The people and traditions make for unique story ideas and one-of-a-kind characters.
10. What words of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring novelist? Read, read, read. Write ,write, write. AND NEVER GIVE UP!
11. What is your favorite word? My favorite word is the exact one I need at any given moment that will perfectly convey what I meant to say. :)
12. What is your least favorite word? Suddenly.
13. What turns you on? Antonio Banderas? Hehe. Okay, being serious now...life turns me on.
14. What turns you off? Liars.
15. What sound do you love? The laughter of children.
16. What sound do you hate? A dentist's drill!
17. What is your favorite curse word? LOL, don't know that I have a favorite one, but the one that has a tendency to slip out most often is sonofa****!
18. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Hmm, I was the first female executive vice president of a transportation company in the U.S., started the first liquid logistics company in the U.S., help embalm bodies, am a licensed death scene investigator, ghost hunt for a hobby with professional psychics, do public speaking engagements throughout the U.S, and, of course, write. With all that going on, who has time to think of a new profession?? :)
19. What profession would you not like to participate in? Politics.
20. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Good job, kid." :)
Visit Deborah’s website at http://www.deborahleblanc.com.
Buy the book on Amazon