Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for The Placeholder. I’m sharing my Q&A with the author with thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on the blog tour and to Lynda Wolters for answering my questions!

Have you always wanted to write? 

Secretly, yes. I was always very good at telling stories, and even writing them, but I didn’t have the courage to really put myself out there until much later in life. That being said, my husband tells the story that when we first met he asked me what my dream was and I apparently told him, “To write a book.”

What were your previous jobs? 

Have they helped you with your writing process? I have worked over thirty years in the legal field, as a secretary, an assistant, and a paralegal. Without a doubt I believe that my strong writing skills (grammar and plotting) have a lot to do with the fact that I read and write all day long.

What was your inspiration for The Placeholder?

 The Placeholder, while a work of fiction, drew heavily on my dating life when I was in my 40s. An awkward time to get back out there, I felt it was about time someone told a more realistic version of what being single in a now modernized world looked like. There were no apps and swiping and ghosting and hooking up for me before then, and, well, can you say shocking!  Also, I wanted to tell a story about middle-aged women and the real importance of having a bond with other women. Life is not easy, but it’s a lot more palatable with good relationships.

How do you construct your characters? Do they have traits of people you know? 

One-hundred percent, yes!

What does your writing process look like?

Are you a plotter or a pantser? I can be both. I often plot and then fly by the seat. Is there a term for being a little bit of both, or someone in the middle? Maybe a plotted pantser? Or a plotser? 

How did you research? Did you enjoy it? 

Personally, research is my favourite part of writing. I can get lost for hours talking with people about their stories, or reading books on a specific subject to learn about things as small as a smell, a bug, a tree. I love, love, love research. 

Who are your favourite writers? Are you influenced by them? 

I love how Stephen King writes, but I’m not into his genre, so that’s difficult. I am told my writing is a bit like Jodi Picoult (in that we both can be quite wordy), Colleen Hoover (in that my book is not exactly your typical romance story, but it is a story of love), and Abbi Waxman (as I write a bit quirkish). Perhaps I am influenced by a little of a lot of writers.

If you could invite three people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be and why? 

I really miss my grandmother, she was a teacher back in the day, and she taught me a love for reading. I think she would be happy to see her hours with me on her knee reading paid off. I would also invite my kiddos; I feel like I hardly see them enough now that they are grown 😊. But, I guess that would be four people, but we could squeeze in another seat, right??

Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with and why? 

The character of Joker on Batman – just too much. Too scary, too unpredictable, too loud!

Who would play the main character/s in a film version of The Placeholder?

 I would love to see Rachel McAdams as Sera, her BFF, Carolyn would be Kate Hudson, and the hunky Zac would be played by Joe Manganiello. (great question 😉 ) 

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

Not long ago I became quite ill, and then there was the whole quarantine era, and I have since become quite the Netflix binger. It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but given that I was without a TV for several years, I have a lot to catch up on!

What is next for you? 

I am currently working on a historical fiction middle-grade book inspired on the stories told to me by my in-laws who were children in the Netherlands during WW2. I also have a fictional serial killer manuscript collecting dust on my shelf; I want to resurrect it but the writing needs a lot of help (it was my first attempt at fiction).

Favourites:

Book? My choice in books changes with the season of my life. My current favorites include such titles as: A Man Called Ove, Beneath the Scarlet Sky, The Book Thief, Long Way Down, The Great Alone, Henry’s Sisters, When we believed in Mermaids.

Film? My Dog Skip. I’ve never ugly cried so hard in my life while simultaneously enjoying a movie. 

Band/Singer? I love an old throwback: The Carpenters, Abba, America.

TV show? Monday Night Football!

Colour? Purple. 

Place? My home. I’m a real homebody and I love my own space.

Biscuit? Pepperidge Farms Bordeaux. Yummy!

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The Placeholder is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: