Good evening Followers!
I am here tonight because just recently I had done an interview with the author of Permuted Press release "Big Ass Shark!" If you all are wondering on my stance on shark horror, I believe there just isn't enough of it to fulfill my craving and "Deep Blue Sea" can only take care of so much on its own, and you can only watch "Jaws" so many times. Anyone who really wants some great shark horror needs, and I mean NEEDS to check out this book. Here is a brief glimpse into her work:
MISTY WITLOW, an aspiring actress, heads to the beach near
Los Angeles to enjoy the sun and videotape a greeting to send home to her
mother. An enormous shark, pale white in color, surfaces in a deep channel near
her. The massive beast, larger than a schoolbus, glides past and rams the rocky
outcropping she is standing on.
Tossed to the ground, she stares directly into a widening
maw big enough to swallow a car.
Terrorized, she scrambles back, away from the exposed jaws
containing rows and rows of teeth bigger than her hand. Her camera continued to
roll, recording the fish, as its jaws clamped down hard enough on the rocks to
shake the ground under her, and, knock one of its teeth loose.
She is the sole witness to a killing machine thought to have
been extinct for millions of years - the Charcarocles Megalodon. Misty has
proof of the encounter though, in her camera, and a tooth the shark lost when
it hit the rock.
Misty raises the alarm, however, getting people to believe
her is a tough call. The shark has taken to deeper waters again, however,
sticks close enough to the shore that it sinks ships and causes a number of
deaths. So far, she is the only one who has seen it – the only one living that
is.
She finally convinces Park Ranger BARRY FITZSIMMONS who
takes her to his friend, DR. LAWRENCE MC GILL, a marine biologist who nicknames
the shark 'Ghostie' because of her odd pale coloring. He believes her and
decides he must go in search of this amazing, living fossil from the past.
The hunt for Ghostie is on - a race between the
well-meaning, but under equipped scientists, an unscrupulous reporter, and big
game hunters determined to bag the biggest prize of all.
Here is the interview below. I learned so much about her from what I was given and the information she shared about herself. I hope you guys learn just as much, and keep up the good work Briar!
Where are
you from?
St.
Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Tell us a
little about yourself and your background?
My family
and I moved to the US in the 60’s, and, I became an American citizen in 95,
however, I have lived in 4 countries (certainly call the US home). Canada,
United States, Bahamas, Mexico. I have been an artist and writer for 40 years,
and have worked for Warner Bros., Johns Hopkins (I have a Master’s Degree in
Medical and Biological Illustration).
When did
you first consider yourself a writer?
Loved
making up stories when I was a kid. It was not until I was in my 30’s that I
really wanted to explore actually writing novels and screenplays.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I was
in New Zealand, with the Air Force. We were stationed there flying missions
back and forth to McMurdo in Antarctica.
I am a civilian, and, travel with the Air Force to do research for
paintings I create for the National Archives (I embedded a copy of the painting
I did for this trip in the doc). James Cameron was also with us (this was just
a couple of months before he made his dives on the Titanic). He and I were the
only civilians traveling with this crew to McMurdo. We were on a boat in the middle
of Cook Strait sailing from the south to the north island to go horseback
riding for the day. I cornered Jim (LOL!!) and told him I always wanted to
write. He cut me off, told me to write something then, and he would have
someone read it. When we landed on the other side of the Strait, we stayed for
a short time at this really odd looking hotel, high up on a bluff overlooking
the strait. It was creepy/weird/fascinating and had been added on to many times
over the 100 plus years it had been there. Some of the rooms were lower than
others, and connected by these weird little hallways that only one person could
travel through. Anyone with claustrophobia would steer clear of it. Anyway, the
hotel seemed so gothic/weird that I used it as the backdrop for a novel I wrote
called “Apparitions”, about a haunted hotel. Permuted Press recently purchased
that from me, along with the sequel (Graymont), and those will be coming out
later. However, to finish out my story, yes, Jim was true to his word. I wrote
the novel in 3 weeks, sent it to him, and he had one of his producers read it.
She wrote notes all over the pages, and clearly had read the entire book. On
the final page she encouraged me to keep writing. So, I did!
How did
you come up with the title?
The book
I currently have out with Permuted Press is called “Big Ass Shark”. The
original title of the book was “Ghostie” which is the nickname given to the
HUGE shark in the story because she is a very pale color. The publishers at
Permuted thought my title was a bit too paranormal and asked me to send over
some other ideas. I sent a list of 10 new titles, including the Big Ass one.
That one I thought was more of a joke, however, they liked the tongue-in-cheek
quality, especially since they planned to release it 6 weeks before Sharknado 2
and Shark Week come out. Wacky title, however, I like it.
Give us
an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
The main
character is confronted with having seen this HUGE shark, and then, having to
go through some extraordinary steps to convince others she saw it, and, to help
save people from becoming it’s lunch.
Is there
a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
No
message…just a fast paced, fun romp in the ocean with SHARKS!!
What
genre are your books?
Action/adventure/horror
and some have paranormal aspects to them
What
draws you to this genre?
Always
loved to be scared and drawn into stories when I was a kid. I love the
rollercoaster ride.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a
mentor?
Two writers: Stephen
King and Chelsea Cain
What are your current projects?
These have all been acquired by Permuted: The Whistlebrass Mysteries - http://briarle2.wix.com/whistlebrass, Dead
Life - http://briarle2.wix.com/lights, Frozen - http://briarle2.wix.com/frozen,
Spires (and it’s sequels) - http://briarle2.wix.com/spires, Apparitions and
it’s sequel Graymont (both ghost stories).
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything
in your latest book?
Yes. I would have made it longer.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in
your writing?
Just the usual things that plague authors…getting stuck here
and there, and, sometimes getting tired out after going through bursts of
writing.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really
strikes you about their work?
Stephen King – He can write about multiple characters, and,
I can keep track of all of them without needing notes or reminders. He has a
wonderful talent for carving out unique, memorable characters.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Do not pine away, WANTING to write. If you want to write,
then get busy.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to
your readers?
I love
to hear from my readers!!
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
Visit
my site, please! www.briarmitchell.com
Here is my twitter handle:
@pinkyblee
.jpg)
