E. R. Yatscoff talks about The Rumrunner's Boy and Fire Dream

Welcome to E. R. Yatscoff, a fellow BWL Publishing author!

I had the pleasure of reviewing Edward's novel The Rumrunner's Boy, which was a finalist for Crime Writer's of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award...

The Rumrunner's Boy:

A great coming of age story set during the U.S. prohibition in the 1920s. The reader learns a lot of history while main character Jarrod has to deal with filling the shoes of his sick father while he grows up fast running rum on the waters of Lake Erie around Windsor and the Erie Islands. While there were spots that could have used a minor edit, I found the book to be a realistic view of what life was like for a young man in the 1920s. Lots of twists, turns, and action. I’d highly recommend for pre-teen/early teen readers.

Edward Yatscoff was born in the Niagara Peninsula and now resides Alberta, Canada.  He’s backpacked the world, visited five continents, and lived in Australia. From steelworker to assembly lines to construction work he finally settled down to a 32-year career as a firefighter. A few little gems from his life are playing drums in a Big Band, climbing the Great Wall of China, snorkeling beside a marlin, tried smuggling a Playboy into Communist Russia, egging an Aussie PM, meeting his wife on a freighter in the South China Sea, and survived the Grenada Revolution while on honeymoon.  Presently he manages a writer’s group, reads voraciously, does occasional renos, and reads profusely. He has written 11 novels YA, MG, and adult crime.  Among his notable awards are winner of the John Bilsland Non-Fiction Award and a Crime Writers of Canada Finalist.  Visit his website and read some short stories @  Yatscoffbooks.com  FB page: https://www.facebook.com/ER-Yatscoff-author-109271783903671/?modal=admin_todo_tour

What would you say are your strengths as an author?

My writers group says it’s my dialogue and action scenes.

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

I roll a chapter around in my head for some time before I commit it to the page. I usually try to write, or market, or edit a previous chapter

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

Instead of a Finalist in the annual Crime Writers of Canada competition I’d like to get in the win column. My next crime novel SERVICES RENDERED is looking good so far.  It has action, some pathos, suspense, and plenty of crime.

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

Join or start a writers group for feedback and NEVER submit a 1^st draft anywhere.  That’s two I know, but I couldn’t decide.

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

Telling me how much they enjoyed a character

  

FIRE DREAM

Book links: https://books2read.com/Fire-Dream

Fire Captain Gerry Ormond is launched to national prominence and receives a Medal of Valor. A visit to his hometown after a twenty-year absence unleashes a killer—a vengeful arsonist with ties to an old murder by three fraternity teenagers looking for a treasure. Gerry was one of them. Nick Modano, ex-frat president, now a drug dealer, is the only other participant alive involved in the old crime. Nick never forgets or forgives Gerry for running out on him that fateful night. Karen, his high school sweetheart, ignites a dangerous obsession. Her husband looks good for a recent unsolved arson/murder. Samantha ‘Sam’ Markham, a crack fire investigator, hounds Gerry at every turn. The almost forgotten past has risen from the ooze and taken on a life of its own. It’s a tightrope he walks in a town where old friends are now enemies.

THE RUMRUNNER'S BOY

https://books2read.com/The-Rumrunners-Boy

Jarrod Hooker, 17, steps in for his injured father on a rum running crew in Lake Erie during U.S. Prohibition. It’s a lucrative job they cannot afford to lose. Jarrod is resented by the rumrunners and they set out to undermine him. Carving out respect for himself among rough men might take more than he has. Ill winds begin to blow across the big water when money from a liquor shipment goes missing and the U.S. Coast Guard steps up smuggling patrols. Worse yet, an American gangster, a rogue from the notorious Detroit Purple Gang, tries to seize control of the operation, putting the Canadians in grave danger.

Whatever happens on the next run will change everything for everyone. Amid sabotage and bullets flying, Jarrod must put his trust in the most dangerous man he’s ever met. Although the watery border of Canada and Pelee Island lay only a few miles distant it may as well be a world away.

David Albertyn tells us more about Undercard

Welcome to Escape with a Writer Sunday, David Albertyn!

I had the pleasure of not only reviewing this book, but meeting the author who is a really great guy! I have to say I can easily see this book as a movie…

The choices we make have a ripple effect on others whether we realize it or not. Tyron Shaw's return to Las Vegas after his stint in the military brings the consequences of the choices he and his circle of friends to the surface. Undercard is a riveting novel with well-rounded characters and a story that will keep you guessing until the end. I definitely look forward to reading future novels by this author! (as well as attending future events!)  

David Albertyn (1983) was born in Durban, South Africa, and grew up in Toronto, Canada. He studied at Queen’s University and the Humber School for Writers, and coached tennis until the publication of his first novel, “Undercard” (2019), which was a finalist for the Forest of Reading Evergreen Award, and made 49^th Shelf’s Top Fiction List of 2019 and CrimeReads’ list of “8 Debut Novels You Should Read This June” (2020). Among many sports, he primarily competed in track and field growing up, then in tennis as an adult. When he completes a draft of a novel, he does as much yoga and running in nature as he can, promptly burns out, and as soon as he’s recovered, it’s time to work on a new draft. His goal is to write visceral novels that are both thrilling and meaningful. 

What would you say are your strengths as an author?

I think making a story exciting and entertaining is something I’ve had for a long time. Particularly action scenes I’ve been studying and writing since I was a child. When I came across a great chase, fight, or shootout in a book, I would read it over and over and try to analyze how the author had made that reading experience so thrilling, then I would try my best to emulate their techniques.

     I would also say that cutting between multiple perspectives, and between past and present, like I do in Undercard, is a strength of mine. I believe this might have come from studying Film at university and editing short films.

     Where I’ve worked very hard to develop my writing is stylistically, and particularly in descriptions and detail. It’s been a lot of years of intense effort to shore up that side of my writing.

     But what I would say is my best strength as an author is that I really dig deep in my writing. I dig deep within myself and use a lot of emotion to breathe life and depth into my characters. Writing is by no means an effortless experience for me. It takes a lot from me.

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

I don’t always write. I take breaks between drafts to recover, and when I am promoting a release, like I am with Undercard being recently released in the US now, I try to put all my energy into that. But when I am in a writing phase, I do follow a fairly strict routine. I try to get up early (it used to be 6 am although increasingly it’s 5 am) and write first thing in the morning. I’ll try to have a session of an hour or two to start the day. Then if I have the time and the energy, I’ll try to get in two more sessions of about an hour over the course of the day. Occasionally I can do four sessions in a day, but that is a lot for me. I usually write five to six days a week, leaving a day or two to refresh my mind.

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

That’s a very good question. I try not to think about results too much and just focus on what I can control, but I hope that in five years I have at least one, and ideally two, more books that I’m truly proud of. I’m very proud of Undercard, and if I could create two more books that I feel the same way about, that I’ve poured my heart and soul into and feel like I’ve created something worthwhile, then I’ll feel very happy.

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

I’ve said this in other interviews, and I’d like to say something different but I’m going to say it again because I think it’s the most important thing when it comes to writing, or any skill: keep improving. Improving is more important than any short-term success. Finding ways to continuously improve at your writing is what will make your writing experience richer, will make your work more interesting, and will create opportunities for you over time. Try different things. Push yourself in new ways. Don’t be afraid of setbacks. Don’t be afraid of failure. Know that anything good that was ever written took multiple drafts. Know that anything great that was ever written took near countless drafts. It is in all of us to improve. You can do it, and you will be rewarded for it.

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

These are great questions, Diane. I never really thought about that before. I think the best thing anyone could say to me about my book is that it affected them. It meant something to them. Reading it was a worthwhile experience that they won’t forget. Hearing that would mean a lot to me. But just to be clear, I’m not going to turn down a compliment. Any compliment I’ll take, and I’ll appreciate it.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on a murder mystery dramedy set in the tennis club world. I think it could be very funny. I’m really working hard on making it as funny as possible—a deviation from Undercard, which I tried to make as visceral, gritty, and intense as possible. There is also a lot of sex in it. I feel like it could really be a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to finish it so I can share it with everybody.

Where can you find out more?

instagram.com/davidalbertyn

twitter.com/DavidAlbertyn

facebook.com/DavidAlbertynWriter

linkedin.com/in/david-albertyn

UNDERCARD

Set over the course of twenty-four exhilarating hours, Undercard is the story of four childhood friends, now in their early thirties, unexpectedly reunited by a high-profile prizefight in a Las Vegas casino . . . and an even higher-profile murder.

When Tyron Shaw returns to his hometown of Las Vegas after eleven years in the Marines, he’s surprised to discover that two of his best friends from childhood are all anyone is talking about: Antoine Deco, three years out of prison, hasn’t lost a boxing match since his release, and tonight is fighting in the undercard to the fight of the decade; and Keenan Quinn, a police officer who killed an unarmed teenager and escaped punishment from the courts, is the subject of a protest tomorrow morning.

Tyron has trouble reconciling either story with his memory of these men, and the situation escalates when he runs into the love of his life, Naomi Wilks, a retired WNBA player, basketball coach, and estranged wife of Keenan. As Tyron reconnects with his old community, he will learn over the next twenty-four hours that much has changed since he left Las Vegas . . . and there is much more that he never understood.

The Reef, an aquarium-themed casino and the hottest resort on the Strip, is the backdrop for this bullet-paced narrative, where loyalty to one’s friends, one’s family, and one’s community are ever at odds, and every choice has deadly repercussions. 

https://davidalbertyn.com/undercard/#buy-now-undercard

“A rich, exhilarating story…Albertyn creates a pressure-cooker scenario for his characters, but manages amidst the adrenaline to bring out moments of insight and humanity.”

—Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads Editor-in-Chief

“[Albertyn] successfully generates a gritty, dark atmosphere in the novel that draws on the best elements of noir to keep readers edgy and absorbed. His interiors are dark and gloomy, and his exteriors make us feel agoraphobic and threatened in a vague, undefined way.”

—New York Journal of Books 

“Fast-paced, fearless, and psychologically astute, Undercard is at once a terrific thriller and a sharp commentary on our turbulent times.”

— David Bezmozgis, author of Immigrant City

“Undercard is a dizzying rollercoaster of suspense and action that examines the complexities of brotherhood and the consequences of tragic masculinity. Albertyn’s pitch-perfect understanding of the bonds of friendship gives this novel a powerful emotional center. If The Hangover were a serious suspense novel, it would be Undercard.”

—S. A. Cosby, author of Blacktop Wasteland    

Maggie Petru talks about Love, Obey & Betray and The Widow Lindsay

Escape with a Writer Sunday welcomes Maggie Petru!

Born on an Ontario dairy farm with no siblings or neighbour children for playmates, Maggie Petru discovered story telling (no, NOT fibbing) before she entered public school. By the time she outgrew paper dolls, she had learned to write. Writing became her hobby and preserved her sanity from that time onwards.

She attended Toronto Teachers’ College directly out of Gr. 13 and spent eight years between full time and supply teaching. By the time her own three children had all entered school full time she wanted to go back to work, but definitely not as a teacher. She’d been writing during their afternoon naps and now had a firm grip on how to handle her language. She went off to Sheridan College for the journalism training which led to 30 years of reporting for Ontario daily and weekly newspapers and the Canadian Press wire service, as well as awards for both agricultural writing and investigative reporting.

In her last years at a small weekly, she began dividing her time between reporting and taking notes for deaf students at the University of Toronto. During those same years she began dusting off story ideas and hooked up with Guelph’s Sun Dragon Press to produce three novels.

After a brief attempt at retirement, she discovered Sheridan College was offering degree courses with the U of T. The Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing and Publishing program seemed a perfect fit and offered the potential to expand her knowledge of her chosen third career. One year almost down. Only three more to go.

1. At the moment my life has gone haywire. Last year I discovered Sheridan College was offering an Honours BA in Creative Writing and Publishing and I enrolled. As a retired journalist with three published novels, how hard could it be? Well, let me tell you, it involves topics I never even dreamed of -  such as writing video games and movie scripts, in addition to research essays and dissecting “literary works” word by word. And this is only year one. There’s 3 more to go. It consumes so many hours I have no time for my own writing and all those other hobbies I enjoy - knitting, sewing, crocheting, quilting, smocking, embroidery - have completely fallen by the wayside. I may not even get a sweater done for my youngest great-granddaughter’s second birthday unless I cut back to part time. I love to travel too, but you can bet that’s not happening again any time soon. Even my cats are complaining they’re neglected when I shoo them off my lap to finish a piece of homework. I keep questioning why I’m doing this but I know I’m simply too stubborn to let it beat me. If only everything didn’t have to be done on a computer I’d have assignments finished in half the time.

2. I am actually working - sort of - on three books. One will eventually be a collection of short stories. That’s waaay down the road since I only have half a dozen of them so far.

A second book is half done and stalled. I’ve found my police/security source to help me with how money moves from a Canadian bank to the Caribbean and eventually to China but we haven’t sat down and really talked yet, so that book is also at least three or four years in the future.

The one that’s in revisions is getting hung up with my class work. I never expected working on my degree to entail as many hours of homework as it is turning out to be. Maybe this summer I’ll be able to clear my head enough to sit down and re-do all the sections that don’t suit me at the moment.

3. The only thing I consistently have difficulty with is adding emotion to my work. Anger, sure. Flows like water but other emotions take a lot of work. I now recognize the need for them, but I still struggle to add enough to keep my beta readers content. Never saw myself as a buttoned up person but I guess I must be since it wouldn’t naturally occur to me to cry or scream over things that apparently move others and apparently my heroines too, to such reactions.

4. Since I only write mysteries of some sort, research is usually a matter of coming up with a situation I can twist into a mystery. I expect my stories to be accurate so I have a couple of ex-cops in my circle of family and friends that I can turn to when I need authentic methodology. Since I hate technology, to date I have set my stories in the 1900s in order to avoid it. This is also my era so research is pretty much my own memories or a quick scan on Google to find a precise date, etc. That’s largely what’s holding up my current books. They’re both set since 2000 and that involves a bunch of stuff I’d prefer to avoid. Unfortunately, the thefts couldn’t have happened without the web and the internet so I’m stuck with this. 

5. I love history and mystery. Romance gets an occasional nod but only by virtue of being part of something else, like a mystery. Favourite authors would fill your whole page, Anne Cleeves, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson, Giles Blunt, Baldacci, Vince Flynn, Greg Isles, John Sanford, Jonathan Kellerman, Louise Penny, Michael Connelly, John Lescroat and more.

I have to confess that while I love the work of a lot of mystery writers, I wouldn’t call any of them particularly inspiring. On the other hand, I see a lesson from almost all of them. They have marked out a particular type of story - a setting, an era, a profession, something that is unique to their work and it’s taught me to look for something that will mark my writing as mine and only mine. Not sure I’ve found it yet, but I’m hunting.

6. I think the only person who hinted that I should keep writing was my Gr. 13 English teacher. She used to tease me about good stories - if only I could remember I was writing in English and stay away from French spellings. Unfortunately she also thought I’d be good at teaching so she badly missed the mark. 

My website - Maggiepetru.com

Love, Obey and Betray

Vladymyr Horbatsky emigrated to Canada at the end of WWII in search of safety and security. Over the ensuing 20 years steady work and a Canadian family create his personal paradise. Then an American Defense Department consultant comes to work for his employer and Vlad discovers that the man was his wife’s boss in her days as an Allied spy. Memories of his childhood escape from Communism and enslavement by the Nazis flood back, alerting his Cossack instincts to the fact that paradise has just developed a huge viper.

Buy here at:  Amazon. com

The Widow Lindsay

Newly widowed, her Manitoba home and family wrecked by WWI, Lydia Lindsay envisages a fresh beginning at ShadyBrae, the Ontario family farm she inherits from her soldier husband. One hundred fertile acres, a solid barn, a stone house verging on a mansion. What more could she want?

Until she encounters her brother-in-law, Jacob, who has no scruples about using murder, arson, and his own little daughter to coerce Lydia into a marriage that will get him the farm over which he has obsessed since childhood.

While her neighbour Roddy McCullough will risk both their reputations to protect Lydia, they need ShadyBrae's old ghost, Aunt Agnes, to cope with kidnapping.

Buy here at Amazon. com