INTERVIEWS

Interview by ITW's The Big Thrill Magazine on New Release, Targeted

 

Article appearing in the Dec. 1/15 issue.

 

 

Jamie Tremain’s Blog Interview With Gloria, Jan. 27/14

 

Pam: Thanks Gloria for agreeing to be our first victim of 2014. You have been given lots of press time  and featured in a few blogs these past few weeks leading up to the launch of you latest novel “Corpse Flower” published by Dundurn Press. 

 

Liz reports from yesterdays launch of Corpse Flower in the Shakespeare Arms, Guelph.

Despite ongoing nasty Ontario winter weather, the launch of Corpse Flower went ahead and was well attended.  Pam was wise to not to chance the drive from Oakville to Guelph, but I was fortunate to be only 10  minutes away so could safely get there.   Nice to see Melodie Campbell and her husband, along with Alison Bruce.  Gloria was appropriately tricked out with her trademark skull and bones jewellery and an appropriate hat to complement.   Lots of munchies, and of course – CAKE!

 

 

Pam:  What are the steps you took, getting from finished book to the launch of Corpse Flower?

 

Gloria:  In the months and weeks leading up to the release date of Corpse Flower, my publisher,     Dundurn Press, was busy posting ARC files to review sites, arranging press coverage and reviews, filling bookstores with print copies, delivering electronic files to online vendors — and dozens of other tasks.  While all that was happening, I did my best to raise my profile on social media - Facebook and Twitter – and arranged a blog tour for the weeks leading up to, and following, the release date. At author readings and other events, I read excerpts from Corpse Flower before it was even available for sale! In short, I did anything and everything I could think of to promote my book. I’m not a professional marketer, so my strategy is: try everything and hope some of it is effective!  Needless to say, the sequel to Corpse Flower had to be put aside for the time being, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to get back at it soon. Like, any day now …

 

 

See Jamie Tremain's Blog for the complete interview with Gloria Ferris.

 

 

http://jamietremain.blogspot.ca/2014/01/monday-guest-interview-with-author.html

 

 

 

Small Towns

Excerpt from 08 January 2014 Interview by Pat Flewwelling

The interview below is proof that social media and networking really do help.  If it wasn’t for Facebook, recommended news links, feeds from the Crime Writers of Canada, etc., I would never have heard about Gloria Ferris, nor would I have known that her second book, Corpse Flower was set to be released early this year.  As a fellow CWC member with a weather eye out for new releases, I reached out to Gloria to see if she’d be interested in an interview.  Here’s what she had to say.

And, for aspiring and emerging writers:  stay tuned at the end of the interview for some sensible advice from our guest.

 

Question:  Corpse Flower won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished First Crime Novel in 2010, and now it’s available from Dundurn. Before that, your paranormal mystery Cheat the Hangman was a finalist for the same award, and later won a Bony Blithe Award in 2012. Between those two awards, you also won second place in a Bloody Words Conference short story contest. Obviously, there’s something about your writing that resonates with readers. What do you think it is about Corpse Flower, for example, that appeals to readers?

 

GF Response: Seriously, I’m not sure. From feedback I get from reviewers and beta readers, part of it is my characterization. Readers seem to like my protagonists (Lyris in Cheat the Hangman, and Bliss in Corpse Flower). To focus on Bliss, she meets adversity head on and never gives up. You never feel sorry for her because she has a warrior’s soul. The secondary characters are unusual, interesting, but never over the top.The other thing is voice. My first, unpublished manuscript is terrible because I felt readers looking over my shoulder and the resultant writing was self-consciously stilted. With Cheat the Hangman and Corpse Flower, I thought, what the heck, and let my subconscious take over. My natural voice turned out to be quick, irreverent, and humorous, and I go with that. If a reader comes to the end of my story and says, “Darn, it’s over. It was fun!” then I’m happy.

 

To read the entrie interview, click the URL for Nine Day Wonder below.

http://www.ninedaywonder.com/2014/author-spotlight-gloria-ferris-and-murders-in-small-towns