When mystery turns to romance

Today I get to interview author Aaron Paul Lazar right here on my blog. I first (virtually) met Aaron on the Gather.com website. He was one of those people who wrote real books and had a real publisher--he was who I wanted to be. And he wrote great blogposts too. I'd listen to videos of him reading his books and think "I've really got to read that." And then, by some curious chance, I got the chance to read a book called Mazurka, one of his Gus LeGarde mystery series, and I was hooked. Since then I've read several more in that series, plus books in other series. I've met an amazing bird. I've followed young teens across the Gennessee valley. I've gazed into the heart of a green marble. And now I've read Aaron Lazar's first seriously romantic novel--and I love it! So...

Your other books are not without romance. What do you think makes this one more of a romantic novel than they are? And did you deliberately choose to make it so?


Sheila, every time I wrote a mystery, there was a little voice inside me saying, “Why don’t you try something new? What about a love story?” I’ve been thinking this way for a long time, because I do enjoy the romantic elements within my mysteries, especially the unrequited love themes. I’m a sucker for “Sense and Sensibility” and “Pride and Prejudice” type storylines, so you can see where this comes from. The Seacrest was deliberately started as a love story, with elements of some suspense and mystery combined, but not at the expense of the romance. That’s the primary theme, so to speak. ;o)

I've really enjoyed reading your Gus LeGarde novels, especially seeing young Gus in the YA series after getting to know his older self. You seem to have the knack of creating characters who age believably. Is that something you always knew about your writing, or something you discovered by experiment?


Thank you! I’m not sure how to answer this, LOL. It seems my characters just morphed into who they were supposed to be quite naturally, as I added one book on top of the other. Gus was clear to me at day one, and when I went back in time to make him a child, it just seemed a natural progression.

I loved how Seacrest followed its story in two different times, and the element of mystery as the times grew closer together. Did you always plan to write it that way or was there an original with just a straightforward timeline?

I’ve never experimented before with dual timelines. I’ve used plenty of flashbacks, for sure, and with the green marble series (Moore Mysteries), I’ve enjoyed doing flashbacks through time travel, which allowed me show vignettes from Sam Moore’s past. But this alternating timeline was quite new to me.

I found it extremely difficult to write, because normally I feel as if I’m in a serial movie, going forward from one scene to the other. This was hard. I had to go back two chapters to refresh my memory before I wrote the next scene. I’m glad you liked it – but I don’t know if I’ll write another with this format again. It was too much like work, LOL.

You seem to create great characters with very honest relationships in all your novels. Are they based on real people--others or yourself--or do they come to you fully formed?

 Well, to be honest, Gus LeGarde and Sam Moore are very much like parts of me. One is younger, one is older, but lots of my own personality and interests come through. Now, in The Seacrest, Finn was completely new. He came to me naturally as I wrote the story. I think the young boy Finn shared quite a few traits with my childhood in a way, but not all. All of The Seacrest characters were fresh and new. In my older books, many of the protagonists and love interests came from my own relationship with my wife (who has MS, like Rachel Moore in Moore Mysteries) and there are traits of Dale (my wife) in Elsbeth LeGarde and Camille LeGarde, Gus’s first and second wives.

I always find your locations very evocative. Of course, they're nearly always places I've never been. How well-traveled are you? And where is home? If you were totally free to choose, where would you live?

I’m originally from Mass., not too far from Cape Cod. So it was nice to set The Seacrest back there on the sandy beaches I love so much.

But my last 30 years have been here in upstate New York, in the Genesee Valley, Finger Lakes region. I’ve summered in Maine as a boy (thus Tremolo’s location) and lived and visited Europe a great deal (thus Mazurka’s location!). I travel for work, but mostly to Germany and Thailand, plus some US locations. I still adore Maine and the Cape, but I love where I am now most of all. The Finger Lakes are just gorgeous, the rolling fields are calming, and the woods are invigorating. It’s pure country, with good fresh air and country folk who are decent and caring. It’s where I want to be, forever.

 

When I first "met" you online, I wanted to be like you. Who do you want to be like? 

Seriously? I’m very honored to hear that, Sheila. Wow. You just made my day! I don’t have to think too long to say I’d like to be like Warren Adler, a great American writer and literary figure who sets the stage for all writers. I admire him greatly. I also love Dean Koontz, who writes from his heart and is such a compelling wordsmith. ;o)

 

And finally, I'm guessing Seacrest is the beginning of a series. Without giving too much away, where do you see the series going?

 You know, each time I write a “new” set of characters, I’ve ended up making them into a series, although in the last two I hadn’t planned to do that. I have THREE series I’m already carrying, still writing for all of them.

Frankly, I think this one’s gonna be a standalone. But I do like the genre very much, and have already started another standalone romantic suspense, set on a Morgan horse farm in Vermont! (I never say never, though…) I would rather like to know what happens to Jax’s boy, Cody, and see how he fits into the future family of Finn and Libby. Stay tuned!

Thanks for having me here today, Sheila!

Thank you so much for letting me interview you Aaron, and I wish you all the best with all your series. You do realize, don't you, that the more series you have out there, the more readers you'll have eagerly demanding just one more! 

Follow the rest of the tour at:

10/28 Chapter Review The Book Connection 
10/28 Chapter Review A Little Bit of Spice
10/29  Review  T B R

10/31 Interview

Sheila Deeth

 
11/1 Except My Kindle Fever
11/4 Review Cathy Brockman romances
11/7 Guest Post Sheila Deeth 
11/8 Review Jbarrett5
11/21 Guest Post Mythical Books 
11/25 Interview Curse of the Bibliophile
11/26 Review Pure Jonel 
11/26 Excerpt Sylv Jenkins Author 
11/29 Review Harlie's Books 
11/28 Review The Dark Phantom Review
11/28 Review Life in an Island Paradise
11/29 Review  Lissette E. Manning
Amazon Review LaGina
Amazon Review Grandbub
Amazon Review melanie ramey



Or find out more at:

ONLINE LINKS:

·         Website    http://www.lazarbooks.com

·         Blog1       http://www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com

·         Blog2     http://www.murderby4.blogspot.com

·         Facebook1     https://www.facebook.com/AaronPaulLazarTwitter  (personal page)

·         Facebook2   https://www.facebook.com/aplazar2  (author page)

·         Goodreads    http://bit.ly/17dYYY8

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/106903480874581085678/posts

Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/aaronplazar1

BUY NOW LINK:

·         Amazon http://amzn.to/16pjh4i

·         Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/369357

Giveaway:

FACEBOOK Release Day Event!!!  LOTS OF GIVEAWAYS

https://www.facebook.com/events/183753155143248/