Today we have Hank Edwards at the cyber bar with a chance to win a FREE copy of his latest book Repossession. Hank is a
curious mix of practical realist and feral dreamer with over a dozen books
published. His body of work covers a host of genres from humor to paranormal to
suspense to time travel romance. Like him on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/hankedwardsbooks or www.facebook.com/venomvalleyseries) and
follow him on Twitter (@hanksbooks) to become a true "Hankie." You
may also visit his website at www.hankedwardsbooks.com or send along an
email to hankedwardsbooks@gmail.com.
What we are Drinking
Really simple: A shot of vodka, then add lemonade. Enjoy!
Deanna: First things first. Where are you, and what are you
wearing?
Hank: I am sitting at my desktop computer in my office, the
walls of which are painted orange, and there’s a framed cover of my first Wilde
City Press release, Cowboys &
Vampires: Venom Valley Book One, a gift from a good friend, on the wall
beside me. I’m wearing a T-shirt and shorts and there’s a nice breeze coming in
the window. My black cat, Emma, is snoozing in her snakeskin round bed beside
me. All is well and good.
Deanna: What’s your poison? Vodka? Gin? Beer?
Hank: Vodka. It’s a sly liquor, with no real taste or smell,
but boy can it pack a punch! I like a simple drink, nothing fancy, and vodka
and lemonade is one of my favorites.
Deanna: (((pours them both a round))) Cheers! And Great hat
BTW!
Hank: (((tips his Detroit Tigers hat))) Thanks! It’s one of
my favorites! I wear it mostly when I do yard work, but sometimes when I’m out
and about.
Deanna: Now that we’re comfy, tell me about your new book?
(((sips on her cocktail)))
Hank: (((sips drink, makes “ah” sound))) My latest book is
titled “Repossession is 9/10ths of the Law,” and it’s a humorous … okay, kind
of wacky, murder mystery. There are no erotic parts, and there’s a small
romance that blooms during the story, but the focus of the story is on the
characters and how they go about trying to solve the mystery and not kill each
other in the process.
Deanna: Where did the idea for this story come from?
Hank: Gosh, you know, I’ve had this story on hard drives for
at least fifteen years now, so not sure I can really remember. Seriously! I think
the title came to me first, and then the idea formed from that. I worked on it off
and on for so many years, and I finally told myself to stop picking at it and
submit it. And lo and behold, it’s published! I think I started the first
chapter (which has been rewritten at least 47 times) at a writing class in an
old Detroit classic building, the Scarab Club, where a lot of readings and
meetings between creative types have taken place. The Scarab Club sits behind
the DIA just off Woodward and its creaky wooden floors and steps are a perfect
underlay to the feeling of all this collected creative energy within its walls.
Deanna: What was the hardest part of writing this story for
you?
Hank: I went back and forth with the tense in this story, if
you can believe it. I started writing it in first person past tense, but it
seemed stiff to me. Then I read a book (can’t recall which one) that was
written in first person present tense and it felt more immediate to me, more
urgent. I went through the entire draft of my story and switched all the tenses
from past to present, so now it’s in first person present tense. Not many
people have mentioned it in reviews or comments, so I think it’s passing muster
with the readers.
Deanna: (((pours them another round))) Boy, these things are
tasty!! Now, what’s the easiest thing about writing it?
Hank: (((sips))) Ah, thanks! The easiest thing was getting
into the heads of my characters. I simply knew them, and I loved spending time
with them. I actually felt bad for tossing all this bad stuff their way, but I
knew deep down they would come together and resolve their issues, and the
mystery!
Deanna: What is your dream story, your opus, if you will?
The one you dream about writing but haven’t done it?
Hank: Oh man. (((chugs rest of drink))) I have a sci fi epic
from five years ago that’s half written that I really need to get back to. I
wrote it during NaNoWriMo and thought I had it almost finished, but then a
friend beta read it for me and said she thought it was the first half of a
truly epic story. And, dammit, she was right! I just need to make time to get
back to it and finish it up. I really like the concept of it, and I have a lot
of interesting characters involved, and I’d like to see them all find their
ending, you know? Hopefully soon.
Deanna: When did you first discover you were a writer? Were
you like sitting on the toilet and just said, “Ya know, I think I’m gonna write
a book.” Or was it more profound? J
Hank: LOL! I started writing at a young age. I wrote sequels
to movies I loved. I would type them up on a typewriter on 8.5x11 paper folded
in half like a book. I was always creative! Then I wrote a couple stories in
high school by hand in notebooks that I then transcribed to typewritten pages
which are in a file cabinet in my basement. I really need to check those
stories out, see if they can be updated somehow. Anyway, I’ve been writing
since a young age, and before I was writing stories, I was creating comic
strips with simple drawings and word balloons.
Deanna: What helps you when you are stumped on a scene in a
manuscript? I usually have a cocktail … or three…LOL But that’s just me.
Hank: Sometimes a cocktail or seven help me, as well. But a
lot of times when I’m stuck on a scene I put it aside and watch some TV or a
movie or go out and cut the lawn or do yard work. In the back of my mind I can
hear the words echoing around as my subconscious works out the knots, and
sooner or later I’ll see a resolution to the block. If I’m not home and near
the computer, I’ll write up a quick note in my phone to so I don’t lose the
inspiration.
Deanna: Most of my stories have a theme song, do you do that
for your characters?? If so what is it?
Hank: You know, I’ve never found a theme song for my
stories. I like that idea though! For Alan Baxter, the main character in
“Repossession is 9/10ths of the Law,” I’d have to say his theme song would need
to be some with a blues feel to it, since he’s really going through a tough
time.
Deanna: Tell us about a scene that you have written then
afterwards, when you read it, you shocked yourself? You know I want a dirty
answer (((hint hint)))
Hank: Hmm, there isn’t a scene like that in this book. But
the scene that made me blush and gasp when I reread it again is in the third
book of my Charlie Heggensford series, “Vancouver Nights,” when Charlie and
Billy are tied up in leather slings and given enemas by the bad guys until
they’re clean, then given champagne enemas which the bad guys drink from their
assholes. LOL! I think I got the idea for that scene from the chapter title: “Champagne
Enemas and Chug-a-lug Dreams.” Wild!
Deanna: (((chokes on drink))) OMG! That scene was CRAZY! But that is why I love you and your books! Now for the rest of you who joined us today, here is an excerpt from Reposession. DOn't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the book!!
Blurb:
Alan Baxter barely scrapes by working as a deejay in
suburban Detroit. To make ends meet, he takes a job as an automobile
repossession agent, and discovers his very first assignment is a car owned by
his drug dealer ex-boyfriend. On top of that, a body is discovered in the
trunk…by a cop. Soon Alan’s life is completely upturned as he is pulled into a
mystery involving more bodies, a highly lethal new street drug, a mysterious
man with a top hat and cane, raging dwarves, a house fire, a cranky police
detective, and his crankier cat!
Excerpt:
“Hi, Jason,” I say as casually as possible, shivering in the
pouring rain.
It takes a minute for him to recognize me, either because I
am drenched and freezing or because he is stoned. Even from where I stand, I am
able to make out the brilliant blue of his eyes as they widen in surprise. A
smile eases across his handsome, unshaven face. “Alan?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Yeah, it’s me.”
“Wow. Well, damn, you look like hell,” Jason says with
typical tactlessness.
“Ah,” I reply, biting back a vicious retort. “Well, you
know, not at my best right now.”
Jason folds his muscular arms over his chest. Dear God he
looks good, and I feel a sudden, and quite unwelcome, physical reaction. The
gun now points out over the shaggy lawn toward his neighbor’s house across the
street.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
“Um, well,” I stammer, distracted by the gun as well as his
physical presence—damn, how could he still be so handsome?—as I try to think up
a good story on the fly.
“Did you track me down?” Jason grins with more
self-assurance than the guerilla leaders of most third-world nations.
“Oh, um, well, not—not quite,” I say, wondering how long Gus
will wait in his car down the block before cruising by to see how I am doing.
“Uh-huh,” Jason says and purses his full, soft lips. My eyes
drop nervously to his hand, and he suddenly remembers the gun. He quickly tucks
it in the back of his jeans, then waves for me to enter the house. “Want to
come in? It’s not much, but the roof only leaks in the kitchen and bathroom.”
“Oh, you know, that sounds lovely, really,” I say, scuffing
some of the mud off my shoes and onto his driveway. “But I really shouldn’t.
It’s late, and I have to get up early and stuff tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay.” Jason crosses his arms and smiles at me. I have
always hated that smile, the one that lets me know he is onto me. I could say
whatever I wanted about not going into his house, but he knows the truth: I
would have loved nothing more than to step foot inside his house and let our
mutual attraction overtake us. Shit, I’d probably reroof the house if he asked
me to.
This time, however, he doesn’t know I'm there to repossess
his car, and that is why I stay centered and refuse his offer.
Buy Links:
Wilde City Press: https://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-mainstream/repossession-is-910ths-of-the-law/#.VAtiLkjPazw
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/repossession-is-9-10ths-of-the-law-hank-edwards/1120185624?ean=9781925180268
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-repossessionis910thsofthelaw-1604121-149.html
Book giveaway! Win a digital copy of Repossession!! Just
comment to be entered for a chance to win.
