Gloria Ferris features her books Blood Patch and Corpse Flower

 

Welcome to fellow mystery author, Gloria Ferris!

Gloria Ferris is a former procedure writer at a nuclear power plant, an exciting job to be sure, but it afforded little opportunity for plot and character development. So, she turned to fiction writing and is now the award-winning author of the humorous Cornwall & Redfern mysteries and the Blood YA urban fantasy series. She co-authored the Blair & Piermont suspense series, and occasionally will write a short story just for the heck of it. Her latest short story, Respite in Hel, will appear in the 2022 No Ordinary Day anthology.

Gloria loves old cemeteries, and all things “skull”, managing to work one or both of these elements into her books. She once tried to write a serious book but it didn’t go well, so she abandoned that writing style and now lets her snarky humour prevail.

She lives in southwestern Ontario and is a member of the International Alliance of Independent Authors.

 

Website: www.gloriaferris.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gloriaferrisauthor/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/GloriaFerrisAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GloriaFerris

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5295615.Gloria_Ferris 

What would you say are your strengths as an author?

Attention to detail. I enjoy picking up plot holes and detail discrepancies, whether in my own books or when I’m beta-reading for others. Each time I edit my own work, I make a note of any aspect of setting or characterization that doesn’t match a previous reference. I seem to be able to remember how many times a particular (unusual) word was already used, write it down, and do a find and replace to change it.

In character building, I find it easy to visualize each character – what they look like, how they speak and act. I think this helps in dialogue and in keeping individuals unique.

How often do you write, and do you write using a strict routine?

I wish I had a routine but I’m just not that organized. I try and write every chance I get but find myself distracted by webinars & Zooms on writing and on-line conferences. I think this started during the first lockdown in March of 2020. There were no more face-to-face library talks or in-person conferences. Nowadays, I try to limit these “distractions” but am easily tempted. My one claim to discipline: I do my reading only in late evening, whether it be fiction or how-to-write books (which I love; always something more to learn).

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

I hope to have 5 or 6 more books out there. Other than that, I haven’t a clue. The industry is changing so quickly, I plan to go with the flow and see where the current takes me! Once the pandemic is under control, I hope to attend more live writers’ conferences. So far, I’ve travelled to Victoria, Toronto, Kingston, South Carolina, Long Beach, and Ottawa for conferences and look forward to attending many more in new places.

If you could offer one piece of advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Please, please learn the craft of writing before submitting your work to an agent or publisher, or self-publishing. That old adage, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, is so true in the writing game. Make sure only your best work is seen. I don’t mean you shouldn’t practice writing while learning, but acquire the skills of plotting, creating unique characters, and using proper grammar if you aren’t sure. There are so many great books on writing as well as courses, seminars, webinars, etc. All readily available for all of us.

What would you consider to be the best compliment a reader could give your book?

I write books to entertain. If there’s a message in there, bonus but, since I read for entertainment, I figure a lot of other people do as well. If a reader comes to “the end” of one of my books and says to themself, “Damn, that was fun. I wonder if there’s a sequel,” that would be the best compliment I could get.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on three projects (could this explain my distraction?). First, I’m writing the 4^th book in my Cornwall & Redfern mystery series. Secondly, I’m collaborating with two writer friends on a thriller. We started the story as a way to keep in touch when the pandemic hit but has since morphed into a serious project we want to complete. We use Google Docs and take turn writing scenes, then we use Zoom to hash out plot and character details. The third project is a New Adult Urban Fantasy. I’m having fun with that and look forward to spending more time on it. So many ideas, so little time . . .

BLOOD PATCH 

A YA urban fantasy set in Victoria, B.C. where the victims of a mysterious plague display vampire-like symptoms. Sixteen-year-old, fang-afflicted Lenny teams up with a trio of mean girls from school to stop an outlaw biker gang from taking control of the island and spreading the contagion to the mainland.

Universal Buy link: https://books2read.com/blood-patch

 

CORPSE FLOWER, Book 1, A Cornwall & Redfern Mystery

The quick slide from country club to trailer park leaves Bliss Moonbeam Cornwall with one aim — revenge. But revenge requires money and, for a hefty fee, Bliss agrees to help her cousin propagate his giant, jungle plant. She ignores the body in the cemetery and her drug-dealing neighbours, hoping to accomplish her goal before the scheme blows up in her face. It’s harder to ignore the new police chief, Neil Redfern, who is investigating a second suspicious death near Bliss’ trailer. Blackmail, drugs, and murder. It will take small-town cunning and big-city experience to save Bliss’ life and Neil’s job. 

Universal Buy link: https://books2read.com/corpse-flower