Introducing... Gloria Galloway

It's the start of a brand new week and I'm pleased to throw the spotlight on fellow author, Gloria Galloway. Gloria makes her home in Northern California and has a life-long fascination with the spectral world. Her story, 'Dead By My Side', came together after extensive research of police procedure, crime scene investigation and studies of the criminal mind. She collaborated with experts in the field, including a crime scene investigator and a former deputy coroner of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

Book Blurb

Julia and Tony, homicide detectives for more than twelve years, make quite the pair with her long legs and his rugged good looks. They’re an unstoppable team, both fiercely loyal to friends, family and each other. But when Julia is killed in the line of duty, Tony is left alone to pick up the pieces in Gloria Galloway’s thriller, “Dead By My Side.” While Tony is getting used to work as a solo detective, Julia’s spirit appears to him. He tries to ignore this ghost-like version, but it soon becomes clear that his late partner won’t disappear until he agrees to join forces again. Now, with his spirit sidekick in tow, Tony faces one of the most difficult challenges of his career: a sadistic killer on the loose. Julia and Tony must put a stop to the rising body count and learn to lean on one another, even after death.

Links

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Book

Q&A

How long have you been writing?  What/who inspired you to write?

My first attempt at story telling came at a very young age.  My dolls were the characters in my stories.  Of course, back then I didn’t want to kill them.  No, really.  As a teenager I spent countless hours in libraries and read everything I could get my hands on.  I think my writing stemmed from my love of books and make believe.

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?

It’s funny because you’d be surprised how many friends and co-workers have asked to “die” in my books.  I killed off a former boss in this book.  But she asked for it.  Honest.  The deputy coroner in my book is fierce.  Pit bull fierce.  Her character is loosely based on one of my technical advisers, a former deputy coroner of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.  One friend wants to die in my next book, but she doesn’t want to be strangled.

Do you have plans for any further books?

This is the first book in a series.  I have the next two books in the series completely written.  In my head.  Now I just have to put those words to paper.  One reader told me (on a Monday) that she was leaving for vacation on Friday.  She asked me to write the next book in time for her to read it on the beach.  I actually wrote historical romance for a time.  Although the publishing houses complimented my writing, it was never quite the right fit for me.  My daughters have been trying to convince me to go back and self-publish a couple of them.  I’m thinking about it.

What is your favorite book and why?

Wow, that’s a hard one.  My taste in books is very eclectic, so it’s difficult to choose just one.   I’ll go with a classic —Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind.  I loved the story of a strong woman overcoming adversity.  The vivid portrayal of the South and the Civil War kept me spellbound.  Of course, the handsome and debonair Rhett Butler might have had something to do with it as well.

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?

My advice is—don’t use the excuse that you don’t have time.  Make time.  Don’t procrastinate; your dream won’t come true if your story doesn’t get written.  My first book, a historical romance set in Mexico, took me ten years to write.  No, that’s not a typo.  I attribute that to writer’s block and procrastination.  Thankfully I’ve come a long way since then.  This book took me three years from start to publication date (July 1, 2011).  I work full time and I can often be found in the lunchroom of our building, writing on my laptop, writing on a scratch pad, and even writing on post-it notes when an idea comes to me.  I came up with a simple solution that helps me deal with writer’s block.  Instead of starting at the beginning of my story and writing to the end, I write in “scenes.”  Then I write the chapters around them.   As for procrastination…well, I’m working on it.