Rogue's Angels Present: Life Without Shoes by Emma Cyrus

Please welcome Emma Cyrus author of Life Without Shoes

Emma Cyrus will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Life Without Shoes

by Emma Cyrus

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GENRE: Mystery

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INTERVIEW:

First, I’d like to thank Rogue’s Angels for hosting this stop on my blog tour this week.

I hadn’t written fiction since high school—and I had lots of embarrassing moments around that. From that point onward, I wrote a lot, but only non-fiction: academic papers through college and graduate school, and then business writing for my entire professional career—work products, correspondence, marketing plans, advertising copy, financial analyses—spanning several decades.

A friend suggested I study at Gotham Writers Workshop. A few years earlier, I’d started research for a mystery and then put it on the back burner. By the time I was taking the second level mystery-writing course, I’d begun to feel a commitment rising in me to finish Life Without Shoes. Fellow students and faculty had given me lots of positive feedback. It took another year and a half to get it to publication, and it wasn’t until recently that I started seeing myself as a writer—so the inspiration didn’t happen like a thunderbolt. It has built gradually over time along with input from many directions.

What elements are necessary components for this genre?

Mysteries and/or crime fiction are built around plots that raise a particular kind of question, usually along the lines of ‘whodunnit?’ While character is an important component, especially when a protagonist detective or sleuth is investigating the question, this is usually secondary to the three-part story arc. It starts with the presentation of the mysterious circumstance or crime. The middle part follows clues and discoveries that narrow down the investigation. The resolution reveals the perpetrator or antagonist and wraps up the story with loose ends tied off and the central question answered. Every other element can be, and has been, pulled from science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, or even memoir and non-fiction.

How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

Life Without Shoesis set in a fictional non-denominational spiritual community in Northern California. At the time I was living in a similar situation, so I had a context to refer to. When I began my research (my OneNote notebook for Shoeswas created in February of 2010), I was just at the beginnings of describing the world of the book and its plot elements. I had, however, written the first chapter in 2010, and it came to me like a ‘download’—I just sat down and let it be ‘dictated’ to me. 

What expertise did you bring to your writing?

I guess you could look at my 30+ years in spiritual communities as ‘expertise.’ Certainly, I know a lot about meditation, the routines and leadership of residential communities, the study focus of non-denominational environments. I have sat on the bridge between a cloistered setting and the ‘outside world’ and felt myself straddling those two different worldviews. 

You could also consider my lifelong readership in the mystery genre a form of expertise. It’s the only fiction I ever really care to read, and I have deep exposure to many of the ‘greats.’ Interestingly, as I learn more about the craft of this genre, I see the strengths and weaknesses of many of these ‘greats,’ and find myself incorporating this perspective into my own writing.

Finally, my many years in business management have given me a strong sense of setting goals and meeting deadlines, as well as a good grasp of my own weaknesses in getting distracted or losing track of time.

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

This book is the first in a series starring Father Ambrose. I’m almost finished with the second book, and I’ll be working with BETA readers throughout December, with a goal of publishing toward the end of February. Right now, I’m seeing a total of five books in this series. I’ve been watching the character arc of Ann Cleeves’ Shetlandseries and see how she purposely tied it off after eight. I like what she’s accomplished with that focused discipline. It’s also kind of like how J.K. Rowling saw the Harry Potter stories as a total story spanning seven books.

Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

Life Without Shoesstarts with the discovery of a body on the grounds of a quiet spiritual community called New Life Ecumenical Retreat. Father Ambrose is the Abbot of New Life and he’s confronted with cooperating with law enforcement around this intrusion into their peaceful life. Sheriff Charlie Cormley is his counterpart on the ‘outside.’ Over the course of the book, they collaborate more and more closely, as Ambrose tries to find the truth that will free New Life from suspicion and identify the killer.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

Let’s start with the worst. I was working on the cover for the book, which is technically classified as a ‘cozy.’ One industry insider strongly encouraged me to go with a cartoon-y cover that showed a farmhouse behind rows of apple trees. Even though I completely believed in this person’s expertise, I felt she had mis-perceived the essence of the book. I’m glad I didn’t listen! I love the cover we eventually chose.

The best advice had to do with creating emotional richness in my story—if not in every scene, then at least in every chapter. I understood that to mean giving my characters the opportunity to feel deeply, to wonder, to experience truly meaningful responses to the situations and settings through which they passed. This isn’t always easy for me, because I’m not an emotional person myself. It gives me a good yardstick, however, for examining my work while I’m editing and improving its resonance.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?

A little of both. I put together a rough timeline with content snippets, knowing it will probably change. Then, I just start at the beginning and keep going, finding out what’s going to happen along the way. I work hard to keep the writing internally consistent as I go, so I don’t have to do heavy re-writing later.

How do you maintain your creativity?

I try to organize my writing time for periods during the week when it will be quiet in my apartment and I can just enter the story world. It’s like opening a new book or turning on a movie. I walk inside and then I’m not in my regular self. I’m ‘recording’ the story as I see it unfolding before me. When I go back the next day and re-read, I often don’t remember writing most of it. Perhaps that’s creativity, I don’t know. I just eliminate distractions and open myself up to the story.

Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?
That’s a difficult question. That’s sort of like asking a mother which child her favorite is. Obviously, I have a strong connection with Father Ambrose, because it’s his life that runs like a river through the series. I like Charlie Cormley because he reminds me of Walt Longmire. Mother Francine intrigues me and she’ll probably have more involvement as the series progresses. And Ruth Cormley is a quietly influential woman in the world of Green Butte and San Miguel County. We’ll probably see more of her in the future a

BLURB:

In the great tradition of The Name of the Rose, the Brother Cadfael mysteries and Grantchester, Life Without Shoes confronts a modern-day monastic with a horrifying crime.

Father Ambrose has found a simple life leading a spiritual community in Northern California. He spends his days on guiding the farming and teaching meditation. Then, someone dumps a body in one of their orchards.

Now, the violence of the modern world has come crashing through the gates. He wants Sheriff Charlie Cormley to believe the body has nothing to do with them, but it’s not that easy. He must take on the role of sleuth to protect his community and find the truth. He finds himself moving out into the world in ways he never imagined, and life at New Life will never be the same.

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NOTE: This book is on sale for $0.99.

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EXCERPT:

He looked up to see Brother Jeremy leaning on the doorjamb, pale and shaking. The young monk clutched his sandals in one hand and wiped perspiration from his upper lip with the sleeve of his robe. “Father,” he gasped.

“Good Lord, what is it? Here, sit down.” Ambrose pulled a chair across the small office and urged Jeremy into it. He held up his hand to forestall the young man’s story until he’d poured out a glass of water and seen that the threat of fainting had passed.

Jeremy’s hand shook on the water glass.  He rested his forehead on the other palm. “I...I...” he started, then, closing his eyes, “Oh, God, this is awful.”

Ambrose pulled his desk chair up close and looked intently at the young man’s face. “Just keep it simple, Jeremy, so I can understand what’s happened.”

“You asked me to pick up that trash bag someone dumped in the orchard, so I went out there with the Toyota this morning....” Here, he lowered his gaze, aware that too much time had elapsed between Ambrose’s request and his taking action. Regret and guilt played around his mouth.

“Yes, you should have been out there Saturday afternoon, but let’s forget that right now. What happened?”

“Some dogs had gotten to it, torn it open...” He gulped, then rushed on. “There was an arm sticking out of the bag.” He closed his eyes again and swallowed hard.

“An arm? Are you certain?”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Emma was born in West Virginia and lived there until she was in high school, when her family moved to Pittsburgh. After high school, she went to Boston to go to college. She worked in different small and startup businesses until she moved into a yoga community in Pennsylvania. There, she’s worked on various projects and taught yoga.

She started the Father Ambrose series as a way of pulling together her love of good mystery stories with her deepening appreciation of the real-life magic and mystery of inner work. Father Ambrose has many characteristics in common with the leaders of her community, but his voice is probably hers, or at least what she thinks her voice would be, if she were living inside the parameters of his life. 

She’s discovering the compelling nature of writing fiction and the surprises of working with what other writers have called their ‘muse.’ The creative process seems to have its own timetable and logic. The best results seem to come from stilling her own personal voice and allowing that ‘muse’ to speak.

Links

Amazon Page:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077RM3QN9

Website:

http://www.emmacyrus.com/

Facebook Page:

@emmacyrusbooks

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Emma Cyrus will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2859