Today I'm proud to be a part of the 'I Can See You Tour', hosted by Dark World Books. To view other stops on this tour just click on the banner.
I Can See You
“Emma stuck her face to the window to
watch the rain. Lightning in the background drew a fiery specter in the
sky while her eyes traced the water droplets running down the pane like
tears.” Emma Willis is ten years old and has a secret. She not only
inherited her grandmother’s power of sight, she can accomplish much
more. Like most children without siblings growing up amongst adults, she
is precocious yet at times lonely. When a murderer is loose in Newark, a
maniac with a thirst for killing little girls, she begins to understand
why her Granny Dottie called her sight a curse. She will need all her
powers to catch a killer and help the people in her life: Detective Hank
Apple, her teacher Christina Tyler, and her little family of three.
Only … the madman knows who she is!
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- 1.
Where did you
come up with the inspiration behind the book?
I guess you can say, Cheree that I hold all children in high
esteem. I remember what it was like to be a child. I can remember my own
childhood as far back as four and five
years old. I was lucky. I had excellent parents with a dad who had a doctorate
in psychology. Yet, I’ve seen so much disrespect of other children. And I
believe that even with all our technological advances, our way of treating
children has not improved. In many cases our handling has worsened. I still see
flagrant examples of this today, in the stores, and at the parks. Perhaps our
levels of stress have increased making us worse parents than ours were.
Whatever the case, I wanted to draw attention to their world with I Can See You.
- 2.
What
inspired you to write your first book?
I’ve been writing for over
ten years now, and my first book has not yet been published. When I do take it
out for a spin, there will be a trilogy and it is one of the books I prefer.
The inspiration came to me unexpectedly while I was walking my dog in Miami
Beach. Characters began to talk out loud and the whole story played itself as
If I’d given it a lot of thought. Perhaps it was just time and my crazy
imagination had spawned this over the years.
- 3.
What
books/authors have influenced your writing?
I have the utmost respect
for John Grisham, Pat Conroy, and PD James. I love literary writing. But there
are so many writers that have influenced my pen … screen writers as well. I
love, love movies. That’s where I learned to perfect the dialogue in my
stories.
- 4.
What
was your favourite scene to write?
So far,
I’ve written approximately ten books and published three. So, I’m working on
the ones I wrote, as I am writing new ones. So each book has a treasured
moment, often one that surprised the hell out of me. In I Can See You the scene happens when Emma propels herself to the
hospital to visit her aunt Franka. This is a powerful, tender moment that shows
us the power we possess in this great big skull of ours.
- 5.
What
was the hardest part of writing your book?
I think the research was
definitely the hardest part of writing this book. For instance, snooping inside
police files of known paedophiles and convicted sex offenders. I made sure I
did this in a bright sunny room, mid-day and while some calming music played in
the background. I am too sensitive sometimes and this can get under my skin and
make me sad for a while.
- 6.
How
do you overcome writer's block?
Please don’t hate me, but I
don’t get writer’s block. I hesitate saying this because I always get the weird
looks when I do. It’s true. When I’m rested and it’s morning, all I need to do
is sit down in front of my story, read what I wrote the day before, and the
story continues … like taking dictation. Hours later when I am tired of typing
and can no longer focus, I’ll get up, do a sport—swim, bike, or go to the gym
(downstairs in my house). The story will continue to go on in my head and I’ll
talk to my characters out loud. Then I’ll sit down again and write some more.
They also make a lot of adjustments on what I’ve just written.
- 7.
What
are your current projects?
I am presently working on
the final edits of a Romantic Mystery you could also call women’s fiction. Long Goodbyes is about four goodbyes and
a mystery. Four women who learn to love again while our heroine, Candice
Newman, also in the throes of a long goodbye, is drawn into a mystery by Simon
Bennett, the handsome professor who seems to be the only one still searching
for a young medical student who disappeared one cold February night in his
shoes and shirtsleeves while going to the library.
- 8.
What
book are you reading now?
Several, actually. I never
just read one book at a time. If I do, I can’t put it down until I finish it.
I’m a compulsive reader.
- 9.
If
you could have dinner with any fictional character who would it be and why?
Pierre Beaupré. He is a metaphysical marvel of eighty some odd years
and I would love to sit down with him and talk shop. I love that science. Oh,
he is a character in this trilogy I’ve been working on for the last ten years.
Soon!
10.Do you have any advice for other writers?
Like the
commercial says on television: POWER THROUGH. Never let go of a story. Whether
you are plagued with writers’ block or out of the blue, don’t seem to find
interest with one of the chapters you wrote … POWER THROUGH. You’ll get there.
About the Author
Joss Landry
With a degree in commerce, Joss has
worked as a consultant for more than twenty years, writing copy for
marketing firms and assisting start-up companies launch their business.
She recently made the switch from composing copy and promos, to writing
fiction and prose. She is developing her style through courses and the
support of other writers. She is a member of the Romance Writers of
America and is presently working on honing three other novels for
publication. Blessed with four children and five grandchildren, she
resides in Montreal with her husband, a staunch supporter, and enjoys
spending time biking, rollerblading, playing tennis, and swimming. She
loves creating stories as she says they fulfill her need to think
outside the box.
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