INTIMACY ISSUES (THE SAMANTHA SERIES) by Claudia Whitsitt
Please welcome Claudia Whitsitt, author of The Samantha Series. Book 2 in the suspenseful series was released April 8th. Claudia and I met at Printers Row in Chicago almost three years ago. She has a knack for page turner mysteries and is a talented writer and friend! Claudia will be chatting about her recent release and The Samantha Series.
Claudia, if you had to describe your book in twenty-five words or less, what would you say?
Heartache, mystery, suspense, and love collide in INTIMACY ISSUES, Book 2, The Samantha Series.
I know that the heroine of your series, Samantha Stitsill, travels to Japan in this book. Did you travel to Japan to research?
As luck would have it, I traveled to Japan with my husband and daughter before I wrote INTIMACY ISSUES. During the time I visited Asia, I had no idea I would one day set a novel there, but I’m grateful that I captured prolific photos during my stay. Also, my husband’s many trips to Japan for business afforded me a personal research assistant. I believe I could have written the story without having visited, but I certainly made it easier for me to step into Samantha’s shoes having that prior knowledge.
If I remember correctly, it was the theft of your husband’s identity that spurred the writing of the series.
That’s right. Don’s passport was stolen twenty years ago. Not long after that, we received a threatening letter from Botswana, followed by disturbing late night phone calls. Ten years later, a strange woman showed up at my school. She thought I was married to her husband! The entire series of events was preposterous, yet I it provided me with such good material, I had to write the book. Thus, The Samantha Series was born.
Are there particular scenes that you have difficulty writing?
I struggle writing sex scenes. (Catholic school upbringing and being an elementary school teacher makes me tap the brakes!) I want to be sure to create the correct balance between enticing the reader and tugging on their heartstrings. For me, sex is about far more than the act; it’s about the emotion that both characters bring to the scene. I’ve always believed that the first brush of shoulders or the mere joining of hands can be incredibly provocative, even more so than a blow by blow description of the actual encounter.
What is your favorite part of writing a series?
Writing is one of the greatest joys of my life! I love stepping into Samantha’s shoes and living her life. She and I share much in common. Like me, she’s a schoolteacher and mother. But while we are similar in those regards, Samantha is spunkier and sassier than I’d ever dream of being. It’s thrilling for me to be so rooted in her life of adventure. I feel privileged that she allows me to accompany her on her life’s journey.
Samantha’s a real woman with real problems. She’s tough, and faces adversity at every juncture of her life with grace and aplomb. It’s for this reason that I think Sam resonates with so many readers.
What’s your favorite reader response to The Samantha Series?
“And I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a book more. The author, without being presumptuous, spins a good tale that had me guessing the entire book. And I usually get bored with trying to solve the mystery, for I usually have it before the middle of the book. Some authors throw a kink into the mix late in the book and think that it adds to the mystery, but I find it deplorable. Ms. Whitsitt, much like the old “Nero Wolf” mysteries, puts it right up front, and she defies you, successfully, to solve the mystery. I find her writing style, her melding of characters, and plot twists, realistic and both terrifying and heartwarming. Not many authors for which I await the next offering, but I’m awaiting the next in this series with great anticipation.”
The reader had no way of knowing that this was what I had hoped to achieve, so this proved an extremely validating review.
Where is your favorite place to write?
I have a quiet study in my home, but I can write anywhere, anytime. If there’s sunlight streaming through the window, I’m that much happier.
Thanks for visiting, Claudia! I love your books and hope to see you soon.
Same here, Jen. I miss your smiles and your warm hugs!
About the author:
Claudia is a special education teacher and mother of five living in Michigan with her husband, Don. Her husband’s identity theft led her to the keyboard to write her first novel, IDENTITY ISSUES. As well as The Samantha Series, Claudia has written a coming of age mystery, The Wrong Guy, loosely based on The Michigan Murders of the late 1960s.
GIVEAWAY:
Two digital sets of Claudia Whitsitt’s thriller series, including Identity Issues and Intimacy Issues.
Enter now!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OGE0MTk3ZjZhNjczYTcwMjMzNjNjOTVjODE5OTkyOjA=/
BUY links:
IDENTITY ISSUES:
Amazon US- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CAB2YU6
INTIMACY ISSUES:
Nook – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/intimacy-issues-claudia-whitsitt/1115125575?ean=2940016693064
