Genre:  Edgy Inspirational, romantic suspense

Format:  Kindle, Paperback

Buy:  My Mother the Man-Eater by Tracy Krauss 

Description

What’s a girl to do? Joleen Allen is on the hunt. For a man, that is. Unfortunately, every time the mother of five meets a prospect, he falls for one of her daughters instead!

Meanwhile, her ex-husband, Harold, is back in the picture after a stint in prison, and he’s looking for revenge. He’ll do anything to see Joleen’s reputation and her relationship with their children ruined. Harold has devised an elaborate plan to slander Joleen and ruin her financially, and will stop at nothing—even murder—to see it through.

At forty-four, Joleen has seen a thing or two. She became a mother at sixteen, and her five highly independent children are now grown. Jasmine is a successful ad executive, but has a drinking problem. Jill is a tough cop, while middle child, Jennifer, surprises them all with her tenacity. Jinger is a self-centered glamour girl, and the baby of the family, Jade, is utterly spoiled.

All the interesting men they meet get tossed around by this pack of barracudas. Adding to the mix are some drug deals, a kidnapping, insurance fraud, and secrets from the past, making life very complicated, indeed.

With grit, humor, action, intrigue and romance, My Mother the Man-Eater is a redemptive story about a woman whose search for meaning in life sends her straight into…the arms of God.

Interview

Welcome, Tracy.  Thanks for joining me today.

1. What is your favorite part or character in your novel?  Why?

I really love all the characters in MY MOTHER THE MAN-EATER – even the ‘nasties’. I think Joleen, the main character is probably the one that is developed the most, however. She is not your typical heroine. She’s sexy, sassy, and oh-so-troubled, but you’ve got to love her anyway.

2. I see you were one of the finalists for the Indie Excellence Book Awards.  Can you tell us a little about that experience?

I was elated that two of my books were chosen. Both MY MOTHER THE MAN-EATER and AND THE BEAT GOES ON were finalists in the Religious fiction category. It is always wonderful to be ‘validated’ but, of course, one’s self esteem as a writer shouldn’t hinge on these types of accolades. There is also plenty of negative criticism out there, so you have to take everything with a grain of salt and just keep doing what you feel you are supposed to be doing; writing what you feel you are supposed to be writing.

3. When did you first start writing?  When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I started writing over twenty-five years ago shortly after the birth of my first child. I had always made stories up in my head, but started writing some of these ideas down while my daughter was down for her nap. This soon developed into ‘compulsive’ behavior which I have carried on for all these years. I think I felt like a writer on the inside right from the start, but didn’t actually voice it until I started sending out my first tentative queries. (And suffering from the heart wrenching rejections that followed!) Perhaps these early rejections were my true initiation into ‘writerhood’. If you continue to write, even after these kinds of attacks on your self esteem, then you are probably a true writer.

4. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

God’s grace extends to everyone – even the most unlikely. People don’t need to be perfect to be accepted into His kingdom, and even afterward, He doesn’t expect you to change overnight.

5. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

There are a few things I’d like to change about MAN-EATER if I could. Although my editor and I went over the thing multiple times with a fine toothed comb, there are still some errors that I have since noticed. Most of them are minor, and probably nothing that the average reader would notice, but they jump out at me now that I’ve spotted them. Also, I feel that my writing style keeps maturing, so there are a few other changes I would make. Most of these have nothing to do with the storyline, though.

6.  How do you handle criticism?

First, I look to see if there is any truth to it. Most of the time there is, and so I take it as a learning experience. It’s what led me to want to make the changes I talked about in the last question. If the criticism is about the books message (ie: Christian content) then I don’t worry about it. My novels are unapologetically evangelistic and that’s not going to change. Criticism is such a good thing for a writer most of the time. Sometimes you can’t see the flaws in your own work because you are too close to it – you aren’t objective. This is why an honest critique group is such a necessity.

7.  Do you work another job besides writing?  If so, how do you balance the demands of both jobs and family?

I feel quite imbalanced much of the time! I am a high school teacher of Art, Drama, and English. My ‘real’ life is quite demanding since my students put on two major productions per year, so much of my after school time is also spent with them rehearsing etc. I love it, though, so I can’t see giving it up at the moment.

8.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

Besides my involvement with my theater group, I am also an artist, working mostly in acrylic at the moment, but I actually did my fine arts degree in printmaking. I also play the piano and lead worship at my church. I don’t sit around much …

9.  How did you come up with the title?

MY MOTHER THE MAN-EATER came to me in the shower, and that’s no lie! I was actually inspired to write the book itself after creating some interesting characters on the ‘Sims’. (I know –pathetic.) But the title was a dilemma until one day it just came to me. Seriously.

10.  How did you choose what genre to write?  Do you plan to always write in this genre, or are there other genres that pique your interest as a writer?

I actually love to read Sci-fi and spec fiction, but I seem to write best in Romantic suspense. Maybe someday I’ll branch out. I also write plays, mostly for my theater group, but I have had one published by a major play publishing house and one more is under consideration. These tend to be light-hearted comedy, usually based on a familiar story, and do not reference the gospel.

Thank you for hosting me today.

Tracy Krauss is a best selling author, playwright, artist and teacher. She currently has two ‘edgy inspirational’ novels and one play in print and is working on several other books and plays. She is a member of ‘American Christian Fiction Writers’, ‘Inscribe Christian Writers Fellowship’, and ‘Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers’, as well as several writing related social networking groups. Originally from a small prairie town, Tracy received her Bachelors Degree from the university of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Sask. with majors in Art, and minors in History and English. She teaches High School English, Drama and Art. Apart from her many personal creative pursuits, she also directs an amateur theater group and leads worship at her local church. She and her husband, an ordained minister with the PAOC, have lived in many remote and unique places in Canada’s north, including Churchill Manitoba – the ‘polar bear capital of the world’, the Yukon, and the NWT. They raised four children and were active advocates of the homeschooling movement for many years. They currently reside in beautiful Tumbler Ridge, BC, known for its waterfalls.

For more information about Tracy, please visit her website: http://tracykrauss.com, blog: http://tracykraussexpressionexpress.com, or Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/Tracy-Krauss-Author-Fanpage