Photo: Cathryn Farley Photography

I am honored to have New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling author, Denise Grover Swank, with us today on her tour for her latest Rose Gardner Mystery release, Thirty and a Half Excuses. Denise is hosting a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $50 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice), so hop on over and check it out after you read what she had to tell us about travel, writing, and of course, Rose Gardner, the heroine of the series. Now, let’s get to know Denise a little bit better.

LKG-G: You traveled to some great locations this summer. What was your favorite destination and why?

DGS: It’s been a busy summer for me! I’ve traveled for both work and fun to New York City: Paris; London; the Outer Banks, North Carolina; and Seattle, Washington. I love all of those places (except for London, surprisingly) but my favorite was Paris. I’d always heard how rude the Parisians were, but I can honestly say we never encountered anyone who was rude to us. (Although we did encounter a pick-pocket, which by definition would be rude.) The architecture is gorgeous. The weather in June was wonderful. I fell in love with Paris and can’t wait to go back.

LKG-G: Writers find inspiration for their work everywhere. Did anything in your travels catch you by surprise and spark new ideas? Can you share?

DGS: My trip to the Outer Banks was for research for my soon to be release urban fantasy series, The Curse Keepers. It’s set on Roanoke Island. Manteo is a small town so I wanted to go back and get the local flavor for the town. I LOVE the Outer Banks and came up with so many ideas for the series.

But I also came up with a YA contemporary romance idea from my trip to Paris. Maybe I should go back for more research.

LKG-G: Do you see your main character, Rose, traveling beyond the confines of Henryetta any time in the future?

DGS: Rose has always wanted to go to Italy. I’d really like for her to go there. But first, I think she needs to learn to venture off somewhere closer. I’ve talked end game with this series with my critique partner. Trisha sees Rose moving away from Henryetta. We’ll see. I’ll let Rose tell me what she wants to do when the time comes.

LKG-G: What has been your most defining moment as an author?

DGS: When I hit the New York Times bestseller list. I didn’t realize how much it meant to me until I made it.

LKG-G: For some authors, music is a very important part of the writing process. What are the MUST haves on your Rose Gardner Mystery series playlist and why?

DGS: I listen to a LOT of Paramore when I write Rose. And also Coldplay, but mostly Paramore. Their song Never Let This Go really fits Thirty and a Half Excuses.

LKG-G: During the first book in the Rose Gardner Mystery series, Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes¸Rose has an epiphany and decides she is done being afraid of what people will say, and vows to not let fear hold her back any longer — she will do what she wants to do. How are you like Rose in this regard? Can you define a moment when you came to the same type of determination?

DGS: Wow. Good question. When my husband died seven years ago, I realized I’d spent a good part of my life letting fear hold me back from trying new things. I decided I didn’t want to have regrets when I left this world. So now I look at an opportunity or a decision and ask which choice will present the greatest regret? Scary things are good for us. They help us grow. So if I’m presented with a challenge, and it’s fear that holds me back, I push myself to do it anyway.

LKG-G: Congratulations on your recent Amazon success with Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons. On Twitter you announced you were so glad it was Rose. Tell us about the soft spot you have for Rose Gardner.

DGS: Thank you! First, I think there’s a lot of me in Rose. I think she’s the most relatable character I write and I would love to be friends with someone like her. (Wait. If there’s a lot of me in her, and I want to be her friend, does that make me a narcissist? LOL)

But second, Rose—Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes—is the first book I self-published. I took a huge risk with her because a lot of people still frowned on self-publishing.

And third, I think there’s an audience out there that hasn’t met her yet.

LKG-G: The publishing industry is changing swiftly from what it once was. Doors have opened for authors that even five years ago would have been tightly shut. You are an iconic example of the new breed of author. Tell us a little bit about the new publishing environment and your views on the future.

DGS: I think more and more authors will ditch traditional publishing for self-publishing. Any author who is relatively successful will only consider a traditional deal to get in print. But print’s not what it used to be. Barnes & Noble and is stocking fewer books, if it even survives another few years. Which means a print deal will stop being the pot at the end of the rainbow.

LKG-G: Writers no longer have the luxury of simply writing their novel and sending it off for someone else to do the rest. You are a prolific author, who works in a wide variety of genres. What is a typical day like for Denise Grover Swank?

DGS: I get up and take my kids to school. Then I come home and work on the business part—emails, etc. After lunch at my desk, I try to write or edit, depending on what part of the process I’m at in the manuscript. I pick my kids up from school and we hang out until after dinner. Then when they go to bed, I write or edit for several hours.

LKG-G: What projects are in the works now that you can share?

DGS: I’ve turned in the first draft of the second Curse Keeper and I’m waiting to for my notes to start revision/edit. While I wait, I’ve started writing the third book in the Off the Subject series.

About Thirty and a Half Excuses:

Life in Henryetta, Arkansas is turned upside down with the arrival of a televangelist, but it’s the death of a little old lady on Rose’s street that catches her attention. The Henryetta police deem her death natural causes, but Rose suspects foul play and so does an unlikely supporter–-the president of the Busy Body Club, her eighty-two year old neighbor Mildred.

But Rose is in the middle of opening her nursery with her sister Violet, who’s separated from her husband Mike, as well as stalling her boyfriend Joe’s family, rich socialites who are determined to meet her. Along with her multiple encounters with Fenton County’s new assistant DA, Mason Deveraux III, it’s just another day in the life of Rose Gardner–-chaos.

About Denise Grover Swank:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.

Thanks for stopping by Denise. And if anyone would like to catch up with Denise and keep track of all that she has going on, please check out the below:

Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.

I’m very excited to have the opportunity to talk with a mother and daughter on the topic of bullying and to bring you a real world example of how one girl successfully dealt with a bully. Thank you Gabbie (almost 12) and Brooke (Gabbie’s mom) for your willingness to share your experience, not only with me, but with the world.

1. Gabbie, I understand you had an experience where you were bullied by one of the boys at school. Tell me how it happened.

• He threw a whiteboard eraser at my head and told me and all of my friends that i was stupid and no one liked me. He would come up to me in carpool and tell me that people were asking about me and I would go over and ask what they wanted he would laugh and they would laugh at me for coming up to them. he was always bothering me in band class, taking my things, erasing my work on the white board that the teacher asked me to write.

2. Brooke, how did you feel when Gabbie told you about the bullying?

• Gabbie was very vocal about what was happening with this boy at school. She shared with me in carpool one day that she was being bothered, explained the circumstances and I made a phone call to the school before exiting the parking lot, I wanted them to be aware of a possible issue so they could begin a monitoring process. At first I was a bit consumed with anger but it was quickly replaced with getting Gabbie through this situation in a positive way. I felt like I could inform the school and teach Gabbie strategies to deal with her situation without feeling fear or shame.

3. Gabbie, when you reported it to the school, how did they respond? Did they take care of the situation immediately or did you have to convince them that there was a problem?

• I had to convince them there was a problem, they wanted to keep an eye on him. They only watched him for three days and then called his parents to make them aware of it. They were very nice to me and listened to what I said.

4. Brooke, what is your opinion of how the school handled the situation?

• In the beginning when they met with Gabbie early the next morning, the school admin decided that “teasing” was in fact the label for what was going on. Gabbie did not feel as though “teasing” was the appropriate stereotype and listed why she felt that way, which included a brief quote from the Wake County School Boards Policies and Procedures book, listing examples of bullying. Wound up being a learning experience for the school, my husband and I and Gabbie. In the end, I felt as though we worked together as a team with not one person or role taking part more than another.

5. Gabbie, how do you feel about how your parents handled things when you told them about the bully?

• My mom and dad took care of it but let me talk to the school people. They called the school and listened to me, they helped me figure out what I wanted to say.

6. Brooke, how do you feel about how Gabbie dealt with the bully?

• Exceptionally well. I recognize what an awful situation this could of risen into and am so proud along with my husband and the school of how she handled it and even more important, herself.

7. Brooke, any words of advice for other parents out there on how to protect your kids, but at the same time allow them work it out?

• Education begins at home, not just the academics but social interactions as well. Teach your children to be kind and give them a voice, without holding their hand to respect themselves and others, to approach challenges with the attitude that there IS a solution, to always talk to their parents, guardians and other important figures in their schools to help guide them through questionable situations. Someone will always be there to listen and support them.

Thank you both so much for sharing your experience with me. And if anyone else would like to share an experience with me, please contact me at lkgardner-griffie [ at] griffieworld (dot ) com or leave a comment below. And for those interested in good sites on dealing with bullies, please check out the links on the Resources page.

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The interview posted today on Carol’s Prints and I was extremely pleased with how it turned out. Carol Valdez Miller is working hard on writing her second novel, and has a very encouraging and sparkling personality. I would recommend checking out her blog or following her on Twitter or both. So stop by and read Interview with a Misfit.

The post Interview with Katie McCabe appeared first on Be the Cat.