Rebecca Cantrell

Meet Rebecca Cantrell!

Rebecca Cantrell writes the award-winning Hannah Vogel mystery series set in 1930s Berlin, including “A Trace of Smoke,” “A Night of Long Knives,” and “A Game of Lies.” Her short stories are included in the “First Thrills” anthology. Rebecca also writes the critically-acclaimed YA iMonsters series, including “iDrakula,” as Bekka Black. Currently, she lives in Hawaii with her husband, her son, and too many geckoes to count and online at www.rebeccacantrell.com and www.bekkablack.com.

First question:

Eggnog or Mimosas? Are you old enough to drink?

Eggnog. It’s got fat, sugar, AND alcohol. A mimosa can’t compete. Also, a truffle goes nicely with eggnog.

Old enough to drink? Card me. I’ll show you my ID and smile because I was asked.

We’re also taking pictures with Santa, did you bring a gift for him? (Maybe a new release or a pretty book cover…)

This hasn’t been release anywhere yet, so you guys are the first. Here is the new paperback cover for A Game of Lies.

Blurb:

“Set during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, this chillingly realistic novel (the third in a series) stars the alluring and brave Hannah Vogel. Posing as a reporter named Adelheid Zinsli and as the lover of her co-conspirator, SS officer Lars Lang, Hannah is working as a spy for the British doing what she can to expose the Nazis’ heinous plans. When her mentor Peter Weill, another anti-Nazi, dies in her arms at the Olympic Stadium, Hannah must solve his murder and find the package he wanted her to smuggle into Switzerland. There’s so much to love about this novel: the setting, the characters, the sexual tension between Hannah and Lars, the political and personal betrayals and the Nazis’ dastardly attempts to cover up their true intentions regarding Europe’s Jews.” — USA Today

Please enter. Drinks are served by the elves in the corner.

Thank you, elves!

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Halloween! It’s the most chocolate-oriented holiday, and it’s about scaring small children and then giving them candy. What could be more fun than that?

Did you ask Santa for anything good?

I asked Santa for tickets to a Broadway show if I get to New York next summer. And also a magic wand that takes off ten pounds. We’ll see if he complies with that or if I get coal in my stocking.

What’s your favorite place to spend the holidays?

Home. We live in Hawaii and here the Christmas is green and bright. The sun will shine by day…wait, those are the lyrics from the Christmas song Mele Kalikimaka (Youtube link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEvGKUXW0iI).

But Santa knows I might be spending Christmas someplace much colder next year…

What is your favorite Christmas memory?

My son’s first Christmas. He was only nine months old and absolutely transfixed by the tree lights. I bought plastic balls for the tree and he snagged one to bounce around the room. It ended up being his favorite toy for months. AND he said “Mama” for the first time that Christmas. *sigh*

Do you have personal resolutions for the New Years? Anything interesting?

I want to get a couple of books out next year. One is A CITY OF BROKEN GLASS, the sequel to A GAME OF LIES. It’s set during Kristallnacht, and it’s my favorite book of the series so far. I also have a very exciting top secret project I’m working on that I’m hoping will be out by next Christmas. But that’s all I can say.

Why do you write romance?

I write mysteries, but they do have strong romantic subplots. My main character, Hannah Vogel, goes through so much as she tries to stop the Nazis from doing the worst in Germany in the 1930s that the least I can do is throw an interesting man (or two or three) her way.

How long have you been writing for? And how would you describe your publication journey?

I’ve been writing since the second grade. So, I guess that’s a long journey to publication. J

Are you a plotter or pantser? What is your routine?

I’m a weird combination. I write the first 50 pages blind, then outline, then write, then re-outline. I think it has to be the most inefficient way to write a book, so I don’t recommend it to anyone. After having sat through many classes on “the writing process” I’ve discovered only one truth: Your process is your own. Figure out what your process is and honor it. If you’re interested in details, I wrote my most coherent thoughts on my process over on the very talented Timothy Hallinan’s blog (link: http://www.timothyhallinan.com/blog/?p=1018)

What characteristics do all your heroes/heroines have in all your stories?

I wrote them. J A more serious answer would be that they are all smart, they are all trying to do the right thing (even if it’s in the wrong way), and they all probably hate me because I torture them mercilessly and throw constant obstacles in their way. Also, according to readers, I almost never let them eat anything, which is mean.

What writing resources do you abide by as a writer?

I love Christopher Vogler’s “The Hero’s Journey.” I research random things on google constantly (that may be more of a resource that actually keeps me from writing than something I should abide by). And I read tons of books, diaries, and novels set in my era.

What advice would you give aspiring authors?

Keep reading. Keep writing. Enjoy the journey. And then I’d probably give them a hug.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on that top secret project I mentioned above and I can’t say anything else about it except that I’m very excited, and I think it’s going to be very big. But you didn’t hear that from me. Because I’m not talking about it. At all. Not even a little. Except this paragraph. And that one up there. Otherwise, nothing.

What news would you like to share with your readers?

This was a big year for Hannah Vogel, with great reviews and writeups in both The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. I’ve heard rumors of interest in a movie deal (fingers crossed!). Here’s a link to my dream cast over at My Book, The Movie (link: http://mybookthemovie.blogspot.com/2011/08/rebecca-cantrells-game-of-lies.html)

Whom would YOU pick for the movie roles?

Where can readers find you?

  1. a.     Twitter: rebeccacantrell (or bekka_black)
  2. b.     Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=676308906
  3. c.     Website: www.rebeccacantrell.com or www.bekkablack.com
  4. d.     Others:

List other books you have out:

A TRACE OF SMOKE (Hannah Vogel #1)

A NIGHT OF LONG KNIVES (Hannah Vogel #2)

A GAME OF LIES (Hannah Vogel #3)

iDRAKULA (as Bekka Black)

Thank you so much for joining us at Romance Author Hotspot! 

PRIZE:  Signed first edition hardcover of A GAME OF LIES (Hannah Vogel #3) 

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