Teri Gilbert is Here! Yay!

Teri Gilbert joins me in the house today. She's come to tell us about herself and her new debut, Legacy of Olympus.

Welcome Teri! It's great to have you here today. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I enjoy the outdoors, camping, and I love to travel.

What is the most romantic thing your significant other or anyone has done for you?
My husband of almost 30 years is always planning romantic outings for us, whether it be a weekend at a hotel during the cold winter months, or a weekend of camping during nice weather. Although our unpredictable weather, courtesy of Lake Ontario, has had us camping in the snow a few times.

Do you ever write in your PJ’s?
The more appropriate question might be, have I ever written in my day clothes?

What are your pet peeves?
I’d have to say my biggest pet peeve is a lie. I’m a ‘call a spade is a spade’ type of person. That’s not to say that you can’t be nice. I’m also an, ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all,’ type of person. So you know you’re in trouble if I get very quiet. :)

Me too Teri! The silent treatment gets them every time.

Cats or dogs?
I love both cats and dogs and have had both. Right now I have a cat, Michaela, named for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. She’s part coon cat, so she’s big and feisty. At this moment, she’s at the vet having something removed from her stomach and intestine. I have a feeling it will turn out to be a piece of my rubber-soled shoe. She’s like a dog. She chews on everything. I have to store all my flip-flops and comfortable walking shoes in drawers so she can’t get them.

White wine or red?
Living so close to New York’s Finger Lakes Wine Region, I’ve always enjoyed sweet, grapey wines. However, I do enjoy a glass of a rich red wine every now and then.

Coffee or tea?
Although I mostly drink coffee, I also enjoy tea, especially in the winter months.

Vanilla or chocolate ice cream?
Vanilla soft serve with chocolate sprinkles or Chocolate Almond from Abbott’s.

What are 4 things you never leave home without?
Purell (Winter in Upstate New York), my purse, something to read, and coffee.

Laptop or desktop for writing?
Laptop. I find I’m able to disappear into the story if I’m comfortable.

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
I’m a morning person. I can be up and working at 5 a.m., but don’t ask me to engage in any significant activity after 9 p.m. This comes from teaching students at 7:30 a.m.

If you were deserted on an island, who are 3 famous people you would want with you?
Nora Roberts. With all that time, can you imagine how many stories she’d write? Chef Gorden Ramsey. Yes, he’s an alpha male who’d get on my nerves, but he’d keep everyone in line and would know how to cook amazing dishes from all the exotic fruit and fish. Jeff Probst. He has to know something about surviving, right?

Absolutely! Funny cause I was thinking Rupert :)

An actor you have a crush on?
No-brainer. Hugh Jackman. Not only in he hunky, but from all accounts, he’s a good person, too.

What is a movie or TV show that you watched recently and really enjoyed?
I’m a fan of both True Blood and Mad Men. Both series have great characters and unpredictable plots.

What made you decide to be an author?
I think I’ve always wanted to be one, from making up stories in Girl Scouts to writing them for English class.

How did you choose the genre you write in?
I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal. I’m sure that comes from reading every single Stephen King novel as it came out.

Yup, Stephen King fan here too!

Are you a panster or a plotter and why?
I am a planner at heart, so I’m definitely a plotter.

Is there a particular author who may have influenced you?
I can’t say there is any one particular author who has influenced my writing. However, I enjoy Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, Maggie Shayne, Heather Graham, Roxanne St. Claire, Karen Robards, Elizabeth Lowell, and many, many more.

What is your all time favorite book?
I’m going to be cliché, but it has to be Gone with the Wind. I was in 8th grade when I read Gone with the Wind. I never knew a story could be so rich, so detailed, with heavily flawed, yet likable, characters all set against a fantastic historical backdrop.

What is your favorite sentence or quote in your new release?
Add a slim Amazon, a pit bull of a warrior, and the invisible man into the mix, and they had one helluva team.

How much trouble did your characters give you while writing your new release? Which one?
At times, Alec gave me trouble. He’s not an alpha male at the start, so I consciously had to keep him from appearing too soft.

Where do you get your ideas from?
I like to play, what if? What if there are descendants of the Greek gods living in our society? What is some of those descendants decided to try and take over the world? Who would stop them?

I love the What If? game.

How did you choose your title?
The series is designed to be past-paced and action-oriented like a James Bond, so I gave the series the title In the Gods’ Secret Service. Since Book #1 introduces the main theme, it’s entitled, Legacy of Olympus.

Well, it certainly sounds like a winner to me.

How do you cure writer’s block?
I don’t force my writing. Anytime I force myself to write a scene, even though I’m not in the correct frame of mind, I end up having to do substantial rewrites. Instead, I don’t write. I do something different, allow my brain to wander and relax, and that usually does the trick.

Do you have any advice for an aspiring writer?
Don’t give up. I always thought I had to be published through a New York Publishing House. That’s not the case anymore. It’s a whole new world out there, and there are plenty of avenues available.

What sacred advice have you been giving by another writer?
Read your story out loud.

Where can your readers stalk you?
www.TeriGilbert.com

Tell us about your new release:
Legacy of Olympus is the first book of the series, In The Gods’ Secret Service. This is the story of Eleni and Alec, both descendants of the Greek Gods. They are pitted against a formidable enemy who is determined to destroy the world for financial gain. In order to succeed, Eleni and Alec must accept who they are and learn to trust one another.

Sounds like a great read, Teri! Thank you so much for stopping in and chatting.

You can find Legacy of Olympus over at Soul Mate Publishing. Go get your copy!

Coming November: The Swan Cove Murders Coming December: Secrets of Jenkins Bridge @ Soul Mate Publishing