Virtual tour stop for mystery author Yvonne Eve Walus

Reviews and Interviews is participating in a whirlwind, multi-stop, one day extravaganza to celebrate the release of Yvonne Eve Walus' newest mystery Murder @ Play, the prequel to the first book in her Christine Chamberlain murder series, Murder @ Work. Yvonne will be visiting several blogs today and giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to a randomly drawn commenter.

Please tell us about your current release.
EVERY MARRIAGE NEEDS A TOUCH OF MYSTERY. OR DOES IT?
In the new free South Africa of 1994, men are still boss, women carry handguns for self-protection, and some mistakes can change your life forever.

When a body is found during their weekend away with friends, Christine Chamberlain must use her brilliant mathematical mind to prove her husband's innocence...

... whether he's innocent or not.

When it comes to your loved ones, is it possible to know too much?

What inspired you to write this book?
Having lived in South Africa for 16 years, I realize it’s not the most popular country in the world. It’s definitely had its fair share of negative publicity - and rightly so, with its apartheid politics and chauvinist attitudes. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful land with beautiful people, people who are not so different from you or me. South Africans of the apartheid era had been brainwashed into not questioning the wisdom of the government, but deep inside, they weren’t evil. That’s what I wanted to show in Murder @ Play.

That, and to have a great time in a huge mansion with a warm swimming pool, sauna, servants, and a weekend among friends away from everyday worries.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’ve just finished the edits on another South African murder mystery, this one set in 1982. Within the structure of a classic whodunit, I explore the question of patriotism and what it means to different people. I firmly believe that most heroes and villains are made by circumstances, not by their genetic makeup. When you read the book, I hope you agree.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Not until I held my first full-length novel in my hands. Everything that came before that - anthologies, photo shoots, award ceremonies and money - meant nothing. Sad and silly, but true.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I wish I could earn enough from my book sales to write full-time! Until such time, though, I have a day job. I also have a young family, which means most of my evening and weekend time is spent with them. Writing happens in the dead of night, when everybody else is asleep. It’s a great atmosphere in which to be writing murder mysteries!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write in bits and pieces. Chapter 1, then a scene that will eventually be part of Chapter 5, then a fragment that doesn’t fit anywhere but I like it so I’ll change my plot to accommodate it. Fellow writers call me crazy… to my face. I wonder what they call me behind my back!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Definitely not a writer! I knew that writers had to come up with original ideas, and I was far too unimaginative for that. Which only goes to show, creativity is something that can be developed.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
If you like in murder mysteries, please check out mine, and if you enjoy them, tell the world about it!

(If you don’t enjoy them, tell the world about it anyway - there is no such thing as bad publicity.)

Speaking of bad publicity. My 6-year old:
“Mom, what are your books basically about?”
“Hmm. Some are about people who fall in love and get married.”
“Oh, yuk!”
“Others are about a baddy who kills somebody, and a detective who tries to find out who’d done it and solves the mystery....”
“Wow, that’s cool, Mom.”

Out of the mouths of babes.... Murder trumps romance any day!

Here's the video book trailer for Murder @ Play.

Folks can learn more about me and my writing through my blog, and can find me on Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne!

Readers, comment below and then follow the tour and comment on other posts today to increase your chance of winning the $10 Amazon gift card. The tour stops can be found here.

Guest blogger Stephen Brayton talks about editing

A Few Editing Notes
by guest blogger Stephen Brayton

Have you ever seen the drawing of a pyramid of triangles in which you're supposed to count the number of triangles there are in the picture? Some people count the obvious smaller individual triangles, but miss the fact that the way the picture is drawn, there are bigger triangles throughout.

I think editing is similar. There are so many areas of editing, you may not be aware of where they show up and what you are doing when you do it. Let's look at a few instances.

You've made the decision to write a story. Boom! You've just done your first edit. You've made a choice in your life. You've edited your life and you will keep doing so every minute you take to develop that story. You edit when you create characters, giving them personalities. You edit when you create an outline (for those who do and those who don't still make decisions to move the story in a certain direction), deciding a timeline and the sequence of events.

Editing is not just done after you've completed the story, or when some publisher's editors splash it with colors highlighting the mistakes and suggested changes. Writers are editors and they have to be.

I love writers' critique groups and have been involved in three throughout the years. Each has had good and bad points in structure and operation but one of the problems I've seen in all of them is in regards to the writers themselves. A person brings Chapter One of a brand new story to the group for reading. The others listen then give their opinion on the strengths and weaknesses in the story. The person takes the story home and does a rewrite, brings it back to the group, hears more critique, then takes it home and does a rewrite…and the cycle continues. After a few rounds, someone will almost certainly suggest the person moves onto Chapter Two. Unfortunately, he/she cannot get past trying to perfect One. The story never gets written and either the person gives up or tries another story, falling into the same pattern.

Writers have to learn to work through each chapter until the story is completed. Sure, listen to the critiques, save the notes, keep in mind the suggestions, but keep writing something new until you've reached the end of the story. Then go back and rewrite.

Writers also have to know the rules. Grammar, punctuation, and of course spelling. Do not rely on spell check. You may not catch all of the mistakes (and believe me, you won't), but you want to present to the publisher/agent the best product you can create.

One of the fun ways to frustrate yourself is something my publisher and editors have agreed upon doing with each story we receive. When you think you've gone as far as you can with your self editing, go through and highlight every 'was', 'were', and 'that'. Then, go back through and eliminate all but the most necessary usages.

I've met authors who re-read scores of times and others who can whip out a decent product after only a few rewrites. There is no rule. You find what works for you. I wrote longhand and my first edit came when I transferred the pages to the computer. Then I'd print out the entire manuscript, grab a pen and a notebook and read through it marking corrections and scribbling changes for specific areas. I think it's where I learned a lot of my editing skills.

In early 2010, while waiting around for my story Night Shadows to run through the editing process, I exchanged emails with the senior editor and, to make a long story short, within about six weeks or so, I was hired as an editor. Now this surprised me, because I've had no official training, didn't take any college courses. I must have done very well on the 'test' story to satisfy the powers that be. Anyway, since that time, I have learned so much and I can pass on my knowledge to other authors.

I loathe working through the edits on my books. I've gone through several rounds of corrections and changes with Night Shadows, each one more excruciating than the last. Long hours until my brain goes fuzzy, but I'm learning. Editing others' material can be a horrendous job especially if the manuscript hasn't been polished by the author. However, it is a learning experience, because once you've read others' mistakes, you catch yourself making similar ones in your own projects.

And that's part of what makes writing so gosh darn fun.


Stephen Brayton has written stories for many years, but started seriously while working at a radio station in Kewanee, Illinois. After he moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa, he started attending a writers' group in Des Moines.

So much knowledge about writing and critique came out of that group and the others he's enjoyed.

He attended his first conference in 2007, Love Is Murder, in Chicago. Mike Manno introduced him to 'pitches' and they discussed writing and history and law while sharing the drive.

In 2009, while attending the Killer Nashville conference, Stephen was fortunate enough to meet Mary Welk of Echelon Press. Subsequent to the conference, Stephen submitted two novels to Echelon and in October, they BOTH were accepted for e-publication in 2011.

He's a reader; a writer; an instructor; a graphic designer; a lover of books, movies, wine, women, music, fine food, good humor, sunny summer days spent hiking or fishing; and he's a catnip drug dealer to his fifteen pound cat, Thomas.

He's the author of Night Shadows