From Paperback to e-book with Maris Soule

The Write Way Café welcomes Maris Soule, who shares her fascinating story-making process.

From Paperback to e-book. Easy, right?

Back in 1992, I was writing for Silhouette Romance, and two things triggered a story idea. (1) I heard about Munchausen by Proxy, a mental illness where a parent, usually a mother, makes up fake symptoms or causes real illnesses so she can keep taking her child to the doctor. Hmm, I wondered, how would that affect the child as an adult? And, (2) I loved reading Gary Larson’s single-panel cartoon The Far Side. The cartoons were funny yet thought provoking. Hmm, again. What if my hero was a cartoonist?

I decided the story would feature Greg Lyons, an artist who published a very popular cartoon featuring a savvy lion, Leo, who gave advice and made people laugh. And, of course, Greg had been raised by a mother who suffered from Munchausen by Proxy. Now, what if the death of his mother turned him against all doctors and his cartoons became so vitriolic, newspapers no longer wanted to publish them, and it was suggested he take a break? And, what if during a walk across the U.S., he broke his ankle and ended up having to stay in the home/office of a physically scarred, but wonderful country doctor, Amy Fraser?

Lyon’s Pride was published in 1993. It came out as a paperback and in large print and did fairly well, even though I didn’t like the cover.

(She’s supposed to have scars on her face. The artist evidently didn’t like scars.)

Years ago I’d gotten the rights back for the book, so in 2016 I decided I wanted to give that story a new life and put it out as an e-book. I’d written the story on a computer, so I should have the file on a disc (or a zip drive). Right?

Wrong. From 1993 to 2016, we’d moved twice. I have no idea what happened to that file. That meant I either had to scan the paperback copy I had or retype the story. Scanning by hand would have taken me forever and even then I would have to go through it to catch scanning errors. Hiring to have it done would have cost money. Why spend money if I could retype it?

Actually, I’m glad I typed it myself. As I went along, I realized how much things have changed since 1993. No cell phones back then. Even how doctors treat broken ankles has changed. I had to decide whether to up-date the story to present time or keep it set in the early ‘90s. I finally decided I would have to make too many changes if I set it in 2016 or later, so I decided to set the date to 1993. Nevertheless, as I retyped the story, I did make a few changes. Just a few.

It took me a lot longer to transcribe the story than I’d expected. Almost a year. And I wasn’t sure what I wanted for a cover.

The cover. I guess I am drawn to men who have long hair. So far I have 3 e-book covers with long-haired men. I wanted Greg’s hair to look like a lion’s mane. I needed Amy to be positioned so her scars wouldn’t show. My cover artist, Florence Price, and I looked at hundreds of images of couples, most only remotely meeting my criteria. Finally we decided to forget the couple angle and concentrate on finding a “Greg.” More looking at images. Hours of staring at long-haired men in various poses. (My husband was starting to get suspicious.) I don’t know how many hours Florence spent trying to find just the right image. I gave up after a week. Meanwhile, Florence had come up with the layout for the rest of the cover. We just needed that head shot. And finally, we thought we had it. I took a print of the mockup to a friend. She said the image looked like Jesus. “Is it a religious book?” she asked. Oops, not the impression I wanted. Back to the drawing board.

This month I finally published Lyon’s Pride as an e-book. I really like this story. Poor Greg can’t tell Amy he’s the cartoonist who’s been drawing and publishing these tirades against doctors, not while he’s confined to her house. And, to make matters worse, he’s starting to like this woman, even if she is a doctor. In fact, he’s starting to think not all doctors are terrible. But what is she going to do when she finds out who he is?

This is the cover we finally decided to use. I kind of like this guy. I just hope no one mistakes him as Jesus.

Lyon’s Pride is available on Amazon and on several other sites.

Amazon       Barnes & Noble

For more information about Maris Soule, visit http://marissoule.com or LIKE me at Facebook/MarisSouleAuthor, or follow me on Twitter (@marisSouthHaven), or Friend me on LinkedIn, or visit my Pinterest Page.

An Interview with Maris Soule

The Write Way Café welcomes Maris Soule. Living in a quiet town on Lake Michigan inspires mystery and intrigue in her writing.


When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book? Was that first thought related to writing romance?
     I was on a flight back from California, I had my husband and two pre-schoolers with me, and I’d just finished reading a book that I liked but didn’t feel the author tied up all the loose ends. The book was a mystery with strong romantic elements. I told my husband, “I think I could write a book like that.” And he said, “Then do it.” So I gave it a try.
     At the time I wasn’t reading romances, but I soon discovered that’s what I liked writing. It took me 3 years and 8 months to learn the craft (many rejections along the way) before I received the call saying Harlequin wanted to buy my book.

What was your path to getting this book written and published? What type of research did you do?
     Eat Crow and Die is the third book in my P.J. Benson Mystery series. I ended the second book in the series, with P.J. at home, fearing she’s pregnant and her boyfriend Wade on Wade’s boat for a final fishing trip with his six-year-old son (before Wade’s ex took the boy out of state). I start Eat Crow and Die with that boat exploding on Lake Michigan. Wade and his son survive, but Wade’s ex and her new husband don’t. Wade is now the prime suspect in their murders.
     It took me a long time to figure out how to plant a bomb on that boat without Wade knowing. I also had to research how Wade, being a sheriff’s deputy would be treated by the investigating sheriff’s deputies from another county, and how an underwater crime scene is handled. In the story I have a scene take place in a casino, so (of course) I had to visit a couple casinos to get the atmosphere right. J And I had to come up with reasons why others might want a bomb to go off on that boat. I can’t tell you all of the research I did without giving away part of the plot.

Where did the idea for your story come from?
     A boat blew up not far from where we keep our boat in the summer. I have pictures from right after the explosion, and I visited the site the next day. Four people were on the boat when it exploded. Two were thrown in the water (a boy and a woman) and two were badly burned. One of those two died as a result of the accident. Although that boat was in a slip at the time and the explosion was due to improperly fueling the boat, it started me thinking about Wade and his boat, and what if it exploded? I really didn’t want his ex taking Wade’s son away from him. And that’s how the story started.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
     The P.J. Benson Mysteries (The Crows, As the Crow Flies, and Eat Crow and Die) all take place in an area where I’ve lived for over forty years. South Haven, Michigan is a beautiful tourist location on the east side of Lake Michigan. Zenith (the village P.J. lives near) is fashioned after Climax, Michigan. It’s fun to use places I know in the story.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
     In some ways P.J. thinks as I do, but both she and Wade are imaginary. They are bits of people I know or have met. The one thing about P.J. that’s very much me is she bought a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy. When I started The Crows, I went out and bought a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy. He grew up with the series. The sad part is my dog is now gone. Thank goodness P.J.’s dog is still alive and well.

Did you face any blocks while writing the book, and if so, how did you handle them? If not, what's your secret?
     My main block with Eat Crow and Die was coming up with a “How did they do it?” I couldn’t write the story until I knew. Otherwise, I rarely have writer’s block. If I find I can’t move forward with a story, it’s usually because I’m asking my characters to do something they wouldn’t do.

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing the book and after?
     I’m very pleased how well Eat Crow and Die has been received. After As the Crow Flies was published, I had a lot of people wanting to know what happened next. Was P.J. pregnant? Did she get together with Wade? I was afraid they would be disappointed, but so far everyone’s been happy.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about boats, sheriffs, and mysteries?
     I learned it’s nice when people want a follow-up book, but it sure puts pressure on you. I learned there is a place in southwest Michigan that trains explosive sniffing dogs, that a lot of old people spend hours and hours at casinos, and that people (law enforcement and coast guard auxiliary) are more than willing to answer questions. As far as writing mysteries, I always try to have a twist at the end. That’s not always easy. And readers of mysteries always try to guess who the villain is, so when they say I surprised them, I’m really happy.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
     Ha. My writing space is a corner of our bedroom. It works because we now live in a condominium and it has to work. The positive is I can look out the window next to me and watch boats going up and down the river. The negative is I can look out the window and watch boats and people instead of writing.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
     I like reading mystery/suspense. I like a fast read and one that has me guessing what’s going to happen next. On the other hand, my favorite books aren’t usually mysteries. The Secret Lives of Bees, Help, Room, To Kill a Mockingbird, and many more. I’m not sure why I like those books above others, but they are stories that I remember weeks, months, and years after I’ve read them. Most of the other books I read I forget in a week.

What are you working on now?
     I just signed a contract for another suspense story that will be published by Five Star/Cengage/Gale. It’s totally different from the P.J. Benson Mysteries. The working title is Echoes of Terror and it should be out sometime in 2016. Right now I’m working on a short story that will feature P.J. and Wade. I’ll probably self-publish it.

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre?  Which one and why?
     Well, I’ve written 25 romances and 5 mysteries so far. I like those two genres. I think I’ll stick with them.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
     My dream job is being a writer. However, I also have a degree in art, and I love to paint, draw, and sculpt. So when I’m not writing, I’d be doing that.

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
     Nowadays my biggest problem is finding uninterrupted time to write.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine?
     Of my books? I think right now my favorite heroine is from A Killer Past. Mary Harrington is an amazing woman. Even at age 74 she’s beautiful and poised. And she’s deadly.

About Maris:  Maris Soule has had 4 mysteries and 25 category romances published. She’s a two time RITA finalist, as well as a winner and finalist in many other contests. Born and raised in California, Soule was working on a master’s degree in art history at U.C. Santa Barbara when she was swept off her feet by a red-head with blue eyes. The Soules now live in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter. She writes a weekly blog on writing (www.marissoule.com/blog/) and is on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. For more information, visit her at www.MarisSoule.com.

Two-Time Rita Finalist Maris Soule

The Write Way Café welcomes two-time Rita finalist Maris Soule, who loves to ask unusual questions, such as what would Lara Croft be like in her seventies?

Thank you for inviting me to talk about my writing and about the two books I have coming out this summer. Although I didn’t seriously start writing until I was 40, it seems as though I’ve been writing forever.

I started out writing romances and had 25 published, 2 being RITA finalists and several winning awards. But I love reading mysteries and suspense, so I guess it’s no surprise that a lot of the plot lines in my later romances started to include a mystery. In 2007 finally gave in and moved over to the dark side…at least a bit darker than a romance. The Crows was my first book where the mystery/suspense was the focus of the story with a bit of romance in the background. That book led to As the Crow Flies, where my protagonist, P.J. Benson, again gets involved in a mystery and the romance continues. That book ended with P.J. wondering if she might be pregnant and with her boyfriend, Sheriff’s Detective Wade Kingsley, out on his boat on Lake Michigan with his ex wife.

Well a lot of my readers started pestering me. Was P.J. pregnant or not and would she marry Wade? So I started working on another P.J. Benson mystery. But while writing that book, a new character suddenly popped into my head and insisted on her story being told. (I’m sure other writers understand what I mean about a character invading my thoughts and insisting on her own story.) Mary Harrington began as a question. What would Lara Croft or Nikita be like in their seventies? And what if no one knew this woman had been an assassin in her youth, not even her family?

I loved writing A Killer Past. My P.J. Benson mysteries were told in first person. A Killer Past is told in third person, using both Mary Harrington’s POV and Jack Rossini’s. Poor Jack is the police sergeant trying to figure out how a woman in her seventies could put two teen-aged gang members in the hospital, and why Mary won’t admit it, especially since doing so has now put her in danger of retaliation from the gang. Even more frustrating and intriguing for Jack is why he can’t find any information about Mary before she moved to the town of Rivershore, Michigan.

Once that book was finished, I started looking for an agent to represent it. I also went back to the P.J. Benson book and wrote Eat Crow and Die, the third in my “crow” series. And yes, it answers if P.J. is pregnant. It also allowed me to use the memory I had of watching a boat explode on a lake. In Eat Crow and Die, Wade’s boat explodes and his ex-wife and her new husband die. How convenient, the investigating sheriff’s deputies decide, that Wade and his son Jason just happened to be at the front of the boat when the explosion occurred so they weren’t injured. Did Wade rig that explosion to eliminate his ex? P.J. decides, if she doesn’t want the father of her unborn child thrown in prison, she’d better figure out who did cause the explosion.

Well, I was thrilled when I received a contract from Robert Hale Ltd. to publish A Killer Past in hardcover* and a contract from Five Star/Gale/Cengage to publish Eat Crow and Die in hardcover and as an e-book. I had no idea at the time that the two books would be released back-to-back. A Killer Past will be available here in the United States and Canada in June. (It was released in the UK in April.) Eat Crow and Die will be released in July. I love both of these books, but wow, it sure would have been nice if they’d come out at least six months apart. Will anyone buy both books? I hope so. It’s like having two of my children in a competition; I want both of them to win.

If you would like more information about me, these two books, or my other books, please visit www.marissoule.com and I would love it if you would “Like” me at www.facebook.com/MarisSouleAuthor

*A Killer Past is supposed to be in e-book form, too, but so far I haven’t seen any info about that.