SPOTLIGHT ON BUZZ GUEST RON D. VOIGTS @RonDVoigts Y’ALL! #CHECKOUT Ron’s #NEW #HOWTO write a #MYSTERY SERIES. A #CHAMPAGNEBOOKS #AUTHOR of #THRILLER & #PARANORMAL #MYSTERY. LET’S GENERATE A BUZZ!

Today my BUZZ GUEST is thriller and paranormal mystery author Ron D. Voigts.

After penning eight paranormal mysteries Ron has created an informative how-to series called WRITING THE KILLER MYSTERY.

There will be five books in total for this series. The first two GREAT BEGINNINGS and CAPTIVATING CHARACTERS are available right now! PLOTTING THE MURDER is expected to be released on July 24th, 2018.

The fourth book, PLACES, CLUES, AND GUILT has a tentative target date of October 2018. And the final book GETTING IT RIGHT, GETTING PAID is expected to be available sometime in January 2019.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE WRITING THE KILLER MYSTERY ON AMAZON

If you love a good mystery as I do here are the links to Ron’s paranormal mysteries.
 
First up is Ron’s spine tingling A CAVENDISH BROWN PARANORMAL MYSTERY series.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE A CAVENDISH BROWN PARANORMAL MYSTERY ON AMAZON

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE A CAVENDISH BROWN PARANORMAL MYSTERY AT CHAMPAGNE BOOKS

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE A CAVENDISH BROWN PARANORMAL MYSTERY ON KOBO

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE A CAVENDISH BROWN PARANORMAL MYSTERY ON SMASHWORDS

Second is an adventurous teen mystery detective series called A PENELOPE MYSTERY.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE A PENELOPE MYSTERY ON AMAZON

Third up is an intriguing tale called A PETER REYNOLDS MYSTERY: CLAWS OF THE GRIFFIN!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE A PETER REYNOLDS MYSTERY ON AMAZON

And last up is an imaginative urban fantasy tale called STRIGOI: THE BLOOD BOND.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE STRIGOI: THE BLOOD BOND ON AMAZON

Here we are at the ‘Normal’ and ‘Not so Normal’ Question Spot.
 

‘Normal’ Question Spot

1. What made you decide to share with us your talent and experience in your new HOW TO WRITE A MYSTERY series?

Near the end of 2016, a friend and fellow writer, who was on the advisory board for Central Carolina Community College’s Creative Writing Program suggested they add a workshop on writing a murder mystery, and my name came up. They asked if I’d be interested and I said, “Yes.”

I pulled material from books on mystery writing, but I soon found myself putting more of my own ideas into the lesson plan. Eventually, most of the information was my own.  I did away with the textbooks and did my own thing.

The course got lots of kudos from students. This is great stuff. Wow, I never thought of that.  When the student evaluations came in, the coordinator of the program said my appraisals were incredible. So, we’re going to do it again next Spring.

I pivoted off my original 100-slides PowerPoint presentation, added more material, and developed the book series: Writing the Killer Mystery.
 
2. How many volumes are there in the HOW TO WRITE A MYSTERY series? What do they each involve?

After reviewing other books in the field with similar themes, I decided to do five volumes, each with a targeted aspect of writing a murder mystery. My goal for the series is to take someone from idea to publication, covering everything in between. Following is an outline of the books.
 
Writing the Killer Mystery Series

1. Great Beginnings (Vol. 1, released APR 2018)—Mystery Writers and Their Sleuths, Understanding the Mystery, Types of Mystery, Getting Ideas, and Planning the Mystery, using the “Five Element Mystery Story Model.”
2. Captivating Characters (Vol. 2, released MAY 2018)—the Sleuth, the Victim, the Killer, the Suspects, Special Characters, and the Rest of the Cast with focus on “Character Lists.”
3. Plotting the Murder (Vol. 3, JUL 2018)—the Plot, the Opening, the Middle Game, the Ending, and Scenes, concluding with “Event-driven Plots.”
4. Places, Clues, and Guilt (Vol. 4, OCT 2018)—the Setting, Means, Motive, Opportunity, Clues, Red Herrings, Misdirection, History, and Backstory.
5. Getting it Right, Getting Paid (Vol. 5, JAN 2019)—Writing Advice, Revision, Publishing, and Promotion.

 
3. Do you have other HOW TO WRITE books planned for the future?

Doing a broad series on mystery writing gave me so many ideas.  One of my students pointed out that my theory of “character lists” from Captivating Characters which is geared for mystery stories, can be applied to other fiction. That got me thinking of doing a book on creating characters that can be used in many different story settings.  The beauty of my method using “character lists” is to rapidly develop complex characters.

Here are some other ideas for future books.

• Criminal Profiling for Mystery Writers
• Using Evidence Boards for Plotting a Mystery.
• The Last Word on Dialog.

 
4. Do you have more fiction planned for us that we can look forward to?

I have two irons in the fiction fire.  The first is the third book in the Cavendish Brown Paranormal Mystery series.  The Thief’s Return takes Cavendish, Alex, and Jane on a cold case crime from twenty years earlier, otherwise known as the Marlboro Diamond Heist.  A witch was involved in the theft, and a robber died leaving a ghost behind.

The other book is a blend of fantasy and paranormal. P. I. Branch Blake discovers his client, Lady Selena, a vampire, was murdered.  The police, which is run by werewolves, think he did it. So, he must find the killer while on the lam n a world of trolls, ghosts, witches, and assorted humans.
 
 
‘Not so Normal’ Question Spot

1. You have a pet dragon. What does he/she look like? Do you use a dragon harness or ride bareback?

Not sure if the term pet is appropriate but let me explain. As a young man, I headed out to the Bearraidhean cliffs where the dragons fly.  Around dusk was the best time because the air currents are minimal, and the dragons come in low.  This next part is tricky.  But if you run like crazy and time your jump as a dragon swoops past, landing on one is guaranteed. The hard part is staying on.  Scales are slippery and getting a foothold or grabbing something difficult. Luckily, I caught a fin and hung on for dear life. 

Now, if you can whisper your name in a dragon’s ear, he will be yours for life.  I managed to do it although finding the dragon’s ear was not easy, especially when diving toward earth at death speeds.  Now me and Twigs (I named him that because he likes to fetch sticks and twigs and tree trunks) are best buds.

Bareback or saddled?  Bareback, of course. Would not have it any other way.
 
2. Let’s say you’re a Superhero. What is your superpower?

Freeze time. That would be my superpower. Imagine the possibilities! Stop old ladies from accidentally stepping off curbs and into traffic. Grab a baby about to fall from a 10th-floor balcony. Get people out of the way when a bad guy shoots a gun.  And the benefits! Stop a movie for a potty break after drinking one of those humongous Cokes from the concession stand.  Catch a nap at work while everyone else stands around like statues. Stop time in a restaurant and snack off food from people’s plates.

3. Would you rather have the ability to read minds or see into the future?

Definitely, it would be looking into the future. If what people say is the tip of the what-they think-iceberg, I don’t want to know.  But knowing what happens tomorrow would be great.  And winning a Power Ball lottery would be first on my to-do list.

4. Would you rather encounter an alien or a ghost?

Ghost.  I catch all those ghost hunter shows.  Would love to spend a night in a haunted house.  Woooooo! Ectoplasm. Cold spots.  Creepy voices. Stuff moves when not looking. Things go bump in the dark.  I’m in. Where do I go to sign up?
 
 


Wow! Awesome answers. And thanks for the tip on catching a dragon. If I ever encounter one, I’ll know just what to do. 😊

YOU CAN FIND RON AT:
Website -> http://www.authorrondvoigts.com/
Twitter -> https://twitter.com/RonDVoigts  @RonDVoigts
Facebook -> https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRonDVoigts/
Goodreads -> https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4939421.Ron_D_Voigts

LET'S GENERATE A BUZZ! Authors, artists, and poets if you would like to be a BUZZ GUEST on ‘FAE AND WITCHES AND GHOSTS—OH MY!’ please DM me on Twitter https://twitter.com/kay_latour or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kaylatour/
 
 
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