Friday, May 16, 2014

Author Heather Brainerd: Duck Tape or Duct Tape?



Let's give it up for my guest this week, Heather Brainerd. Heather's written a very fun (and funny) detective series, presumably starring her alter ego.

Stuart, thank you so much for having me over to chat.

*Heather, tell us about the Jose Picada, P.I. series.

Josie P. Cates left the corporate world to strike it out on her own as a private investigator. Of course, nothing is ever easy for Josie. The first little hitch: all her promo material was misprinted as “José Picada, PI,” and the cheapo printing company disappeared. Josie can’t afford to get it redone, so now she’s stuck using all this misprinted junk. And boy, do things get interesting from there!

*I can't even get along with my brothers, let alone write with them. But whatever you're doing, it works. How in the world does the process work?

Dave and I live three hours apart, so we email our various manuscripts back and forth. We each have total editorial power over the other. For the most part, we are of the same mind. The only thing we really can’t agree on is whether it’s “duck tape” or “duct tape.”

*Josie's a fun character. Best of all, she wields the razor-sharp tongue and wit that all good detectives do in noiresque tales. Based on anyone you know? (And no cheating, I happen to know you worked the same job Josie did before she became a detective!).

Thanks, Stuart. I really like Josie, too. She’s quick-witted and doesn’t take crap from anyone. I wish I could be more like her. She’s purely fiction, however, not based on anybody real. My insurance coworkers were, for the most part, pretty normal.

*Along these same lines, Josie's go-to computer geek, Bobby, seems to be based on...um, many people I've met in the past. Truth or fiction?

Total fiction. Except that my brother is a genius with computers and math stuff. I’m horrible at both. Math plays an important role in the third José Picada book, so Dave got to use some nice big words while we were writing that one. It’s just in one scene, though – we didn’t overdo it. Oh, and Josie’s reaction to all the math-speak is pretty funny.

*I was certainly surprised (in a good way!) when you took Deception Al Dente down an unexpected supernatural alley. Can we expect more supernatural twists in the follow-up book, The Sound of Sirens? In future Jose Picada entries? In a way, the series reminds me of the late, great George C. Chesboro's "Mongo" series. (There dang well better be future entries! Don't MAKE me come over there, Heather!).

Hmm, sounds like I should check out the Mongo series! It’s funny, but we had no intention of taking Deception Al Dente in a supernatural direction when we started writing it. But that’s the way it wanted to go, so we followed along. And yes, you will see more situations along those lines in future José Picada installments. In fact, there’s a reason why Josie seems to attract supernatural shenanigans. But we’ll save that for later.

*What's Dream Shade about?

It’s a teen paranormal romance with a touch of mystery. Or maybe a teen paranormal mystery with a dash of romance. Either way, it’s about ghosts, and it was inspired by growing up in a haunted house.

*What's next in the ol' Brainerd and Fraser noggins that you're going to share with everyone?

We’re working on the third and fourth/final books in the José series. Before that, however, we have our first middle grade novel coming out this summer. It’s called Shadows of New York, and it’s a totally new spin on the vampire-werewolf theme. In fact, it kind of turns that subgenre on its head.

*Bonus round question! From oldest female detective to youngest...who would win in a fight, Miss Marple or Veronica Mars?

Miss Marple. She has a lifetime of experience to draw on.

23 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting me, Stuart. Loved your questions!

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    1. My pleasure, Heather! You're a good sport and fun author. Can't wait to read more adventures of Josie and company.

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  2. Aloha Heather and Stuart,

    What a terrific interview. I want to go and read the books now. I love the Jose/Josie muck up. LOL. That's really fun. I remember you talking about how that came about. I love it. I also like the duck and duct tape thing. LOL. In my mind it always used to be duck tape. Not sure why I think that. But duct tape makes sense in terms of 'ducting' and taping the jolly things up. :-)

    Anyway, very fun. I want to go and have a read now. I think it must be quite terrific to work with your brother like that. What a special connection. And such a boost when you're having a flat day. It's like the best writing buddy to have. :-)

    Thanks again, enjoyed that a lot. Aloha Meg :-)

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    1. Aloha to you Meg. I'm gonna' be mighty envious if you reside in Hawaii!

      Maybe it's a guy thing, but it's obviously DUCT tape. Gah!

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    2. Thanks, Meg! It really is special to work with my little bro. He makes me laugh like no one else can!
      And, for the record, I'm Team Duct Tape. Dave is Team Duck Tape.

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  3. Stuart and Heather, a terrific interview! IF I EVER get time enough to sit down and read again, I've got to get Josie! She sounds fascinating. Oh, and by the way, of course it is DUCK tape. How could anyone think otherwise? LOL

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    1. Another vote for "duck tape." Sigh.

      Heather's (and bro's) books are fun. Get to reading and thanks for dropping in.

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    2. Hi Mikki! I hope you find time to sit down and read. Everybody needs a break once in a while. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Gotta get going reading your books. They sound way too fun.

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    1. Would I steer you wrong, Suzanne?

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    2. Thanks, Suzanne! We sure have fun writing them. :)

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  5. Loved your interview, Stuart and Heather, and Josie is a fab character! I'm intrigued that the supernatural element carries on, and looking forward to reading the next in the series. Good luck with your projects, Heather! (And I'm with you on Miss Marple :) )

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    1. Hi Helena. I agree. Josie is a great character. Someday I'm gonna' hit up Heather to see if Josie and my mystery-solving witch, Tex, can combine forces to bring nefarious baddies to their just fates. Or sit in a room discussing duck versus duct tape.

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    2. Thank you, Helena! I love hanging out with Josie. I haven't done that much lately, as Dave and I have been busy with edits on another book, but we're getting back into Josie/José mode now.
      Stuart - great idea! Josie and Tex would get along great. She's kind of an adolescent boy at heart. At least, she's as messy as one.

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  6. Great interview, Heather and Stuart! I love Heather's and David's writing and enjoyed their first Josie Picada novel. I also have their second mystery and look forward to reading it.

    Such talent in these two authors. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks for stopping in, Susan. I, too, look forward to the second Picada book. Can't wait to see what the siblings have next on the slate.

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    2. Aw, thanks, Susan! I'm looking forward to your next book, too.

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  7. Nice interview, Heather and Stuart. I'm impressed how well you and David work together on your books. I enjoyed the first one very much and will be sure to read the others.

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    1. Hey there Leona! Isn't that cray-cray how Heather and David work so seamlessly? Their books are on my SVS list (I had to create a new list title. I've been relegated to TBR lists so often, I thought I'd trend something different: "Soon, Very Soon.").

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    2. Thank you, Leona. So glad you liked it!
      Stuart - I like your new list title. It's perfect.

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  9. Cool interview. Love the detail about the messed up ad printing.

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    1. Thanks, Jeff. The promo misprint idea is actually how this entire series was born.

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