V. B. Tenery Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A. I’ve been writing seriously for about twelve years. As an avid suspense reader I found that what was available in the secular market was too violent and I decided to give it a try. It looked easy. (Ha). At the time I began to write, I had just retired as a middle management executive and the timing was right. I published a couple of short stories soon after I began writing but didn’t get a break on my full length novels until last year when I sold two. Dead Ringer is the first to be released.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. I’ve always done a little genealogy writing for the family, and I edited the company newspaper in my professional career. While still working, I took a community college course in fiction writing as a lark and got the bug. Early retirement gave me the time to pursue writing for publication in earnest.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A. The highlights are few. LOL But once I decided to take writing seriously, I joined a number of critique groups and immediately discovered how much I didn’t know about the craft. Through writers in these groups I learned of anthologies being published and submitted short stories which were accepted. Dead Ringer was a semi-finalist in the ACFW Genesis in 2012 (Then titles Notorious) which led to a publisher contracting for it and another novel which will release in October of this year.

 Q: Would you tell us about your current book release DEAD RINGER?

A: This novel was a joy to write and seemed to flow seamlessly from the first sentence. Writing isn’t always that easy, but I fell in love with the characters who just took over the story. Bermuda airport facial recognition software identifies Mercy Lawrence as missing runway star, Traci Wallace. Despite Mercy’s protests, Traci’s husband, ex-CIA agent Thomas Wallace, is convinced Mercy is the mother of his ill six-year-old son. With only his son’s welfare in mind, he abducts Mercy and takes her to a private island to care for the boy.

But Mercy soon discovers there are men much more dangerous than a father desperate to save his son. Her doppelganger has made deadly enemies—a relentless team of killers who want her dead.

When Thomas is lured into a covert mission to rescue a CIA asset and uncover a government mole, Mercy is left isolated and alone—and Thomas finds himself stranded on foreign soil with a compromised mission and a wounded agent. Fighting against a rogue nation’s timetable for launching a nuclear strike, he has to escape Saudi Arabia alive and rescue Mercy and his son before assassins finish the job they started.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for DEAD RINGER?

A: Truly, I’m never sure where my story ideas come from. Although I sometimes use real incidents from the news, the main plot and characters just come to me. I have more ideas running around in my brain than I’ll ever be able to write.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: Of course, it is an inspirational action suspense, but there is also a very poignant relationship between Mercy and the courageous little boy, Daniel. His total forgiveness for his mother’s past mistreatment, I feel, adds a touching quality to the story.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: Mercy and Daniel are taken by Traci Wallace’s former lover who believes Mercy/Traci has incriminating evidence against him. He threatens to harm Daniel if Mercy doesn’t turn over the photos, which she doesn’t have. Her struggle to save Daniel at the risk of her own life is every mother’s nightmare.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A. Lost souls. Like most of us, I have family and friends who are unsaved. I try to keep the religious elements revelant to the action in the story so it doesn’t come off as preachy. My main characters are portrayed as honorable people struggling against overwhelming events with courage and faith. But above all, I feel it must be entertaining to keep them involved and turning the pages.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: It’s much more work than I had imagined. Marketing consumes a large part of my time that I feel needs to be devoted to writing. But it’s a necessary evil.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Learn the craft. Don’t rush to publication until you are ready. Join critique groups and develop a thick skin. It will be needed. Have faith in the talent God gave you. Be open to suggestions, but understand other people are not always right. It’s important to stay true to your story.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A. I’m currently editing the second novel in an indie suspense series. I also have the outline and three chapters written on a suspense novel set in WWII England. My first historical attempt. It deals with the trials of solving a murder amid the Battle of Britain while bombs are destroying witnesses and the crime scene, as well as the many day to day challenges faced by those courageous people.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A. I have an empty nest, so I enjoy spending whatever time I can with my grandsons. As you might expect, I’m an avid reader of suspense novels, but I also enjoy walking and put in two miles a day, weather permitting. Otherwise, I go to the health club. I also enjoy tubing in Texas rivers in the summer.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A. Website: www.vbtenery.com

Blog: www.agatharemembered.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/teneryherrin

FB Author Page: www.facebook.com/vbtenery

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A. Only to say thanks for your interesting questions that made me think, and for hosting me on The Suspense Zone.