Author Deborah LeBlanc
Rob Holden: Deborah LeBlanc, welcome back to Readersroom.com -- it's a pleasure to have you with us here today!
Deborah LeBlanc: It's great being back here with all of you.
Natalie R. Collins: Thanks for coming, Deb. We wanted to start off talking about your latest book, A HOUSE DIVIDED. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Deborah LeBlanc: AHD is about a mentally challenged young woman with psychic abilities. She can only communicate those abilities, however, through drawings. When she moves into part of a house with her cousin and a friend, something in that house challenges those psychic abilities...nearly destroying her, her family, and even the town they're living in. The story idea came from a true haunted house event, so most people, when they first see the book, think it's about a haunted house... but the story really revolves around issues from our past that tend to haunt us.
Natalie R. Collins: It's a fascinating story, and you manage to weave all the elements together so well. Can you tell us about the haunted house event that inspired this book?
Deborah LeBlanc: A friend of mine told me he'd been raised in a haunted house. Being the curious George that I am, I wanted to visit his old stomping grounds and check it out for myself. His childhood home was a small clapboard that had recently been used as a funeral viewing parlor. I didn't notice or 'feel' anything unusual in the house and was about to chalk it up to another haunting dud, when a general contractor happened by to see what we were doing in the house. It was vacant at the time. It was then that I discovered the house was only half of its original structure. Many years ago, the contractor had moved the house into that particular town but it was too big to fit on the lots he had available. So he cut the house in half, remodeled both, and rented each half. I found out the other half of the house was across town, so I went to check it out. It was there all right, along with a single mom and her two children. When I told her what I was doing there, she was more than willing to set me straight on a few facts. Her half, she claimed, WAS haunted. Her children, who were there at the time, attested to that fact to, all of them claiming the usual door slamming, cabinet doors opening by themselves, lights flickering, etc.I didn't witness any of those events while there, but I thought the story was so unique it couldn't NOT become a book.
Natalie R. Collins: I agree, totally, and the whole concept in the book was fascinating, especially the tie in between the residents of both parts of the house. You did a great job blending "supernatural" and realism. That is becoming your specialty. What is it about this topic that fascinates you? Has it been a life long interest?
Deborah LeBlanc: The supernatural you mean?
Natalie R. Collins: Yes.
Deborah LeBlanc: It has been a life long interest. It started when I was a little girl and I'd listen to my grandmother tell stories about ghostly encounters. To her, they weren't stories, but real events that occurred that no one could explain. (Which isn't unusual in south Louisiana!) As I grew older the interest held, so much so that I began ghost hunting. Although I've never witnessed a full fledged apparition, I've had enough experiences to know SOMETHING exists beyond our realm of reality. To me, it's this gray zone, just beyond a curtain we can't see. It exists right along with us, only we're often oblivious to it. My job, when telling a story, is to show just how closely the two are, and can be, related.
Natalie R. Collins: And we are lucky enough to have you share some of your adventures with us, regularly, in the feature, The Dark Side! Now, Deb, the setting of your books is Louisiana, which is your home state. And your background is Cajun. Can you tell us how that influences your writing?
Deborah LeBlanc: I think it has a significant influence on my writing. The culture, the folklore, the ambience, if you will, are all fertile ground for wonderful stories.
Rob Holden: Deb, let me congratulate you on being elected President of the HWA! Could you tell our readers a bit about the HWA -- and what it does?
Deborah LeBlanc: Thank you very much! I'm extremely honored to be serving the members of the association in that capacity. HWA is the Horror Writers of America. It was conceived back in the '80s by a handful of authors, the two most influential being Dean Koontz and Stephen King. IHWA's purpose is two-fold...to educate the general public about the horror genre, for most people typically view it as blood and gore, which it's not... and the second is to be a networking, educational, and promotional avenue for writers of that particular genre.
Rob Holden: Can you tell our readers a bit about what your duties as President are?
Deborah LeBlanc: The most important part of my duties is to be an active, vocal, creative member of a team who is willing work to make HWA the premier writing organization it's meant to be. Aside from that, I make sure priorities are set and maintained and help strengthen the team by consistent communications. Many people see being a President or head-honcho of anything as
a big deal. In truth, being upfront only means you're more visible if things screw up. It also means you take the bullets before the troops behind you. In essence, you're a servant to the people who voted you into office.
Natalie R. Collins: And how is this going to fit into your busy schedule?
Deborah LeBlanc: Ummm... I just make sure it does.
Natalie R. Collins: So, what book are you working on now? Can you tell us anything about it?
Deborah LeBlanc: My fourth book, MORBID CURIOSITY, comes out in July '07. It's about two fourteen-year-old girls (twins) whose lives are turned upside down after their father dies and their mother is committed to a hospital after she attempts suicide. Without parents the girls are eventually shipped off to Mississippi to live with their paternal grandparents, and it's there they decide to take control of their lives by way of Chaos magic and sigils. The one thing they never counted on conjuring up, however, was their own death sentence. The fifth novel slated for that publisher is WATER WITCH, which should be out the summer of '08.
Natalie R. Collins: Fascinating titles! Now you say, "that" publisher. Is there another publisher? And what type of books?
Deborah LeBlanc: I have a cozy series planned with another publisher, a straight mystery series we're trying to bed down with another publisher, and yet another publisher who will be doing another psychological thriller I have written called, Soul Identity.
Natalie R. Collins: Well, congratulations! You also have my sympathy, as I know how hard it can be to write for more than one publisher. You won't even have time to brush your teeth!
Deborah LeBlanc: You've got that right!
Natalie R. Collins: Well, Deb, we've taken up enough of your busy time, so before we go, is there anything you want to say to your many fans?
Deborah LeBlanc: Yes, I do. To anyone reading this interview that has ever purchased one of my books... I realize you had thousands of books to choose from before you dropped your hard-earned money on that counter or sent it whisking off into cyberspace. Thank you for choosing one of mine.
Natalie R. Collins: And fans can keep up with you and your many appearances on your website, www.deborahleblanc.com.
Deborah LeBlanc: Absolutely.
Natalie R. Collins: Well, thanks again Deb, for visiting us, and best of luck in all your many pursuits. We look forward to catching up with you again!
Deborah LeBlanc: Thanks for having me! I hope we do get a chance to catch up again soon.
Rob Holden: Thanks Deb, and best of luck with all your projects!
Deborah LeBlanc: Thanks, Rob!
Deborah LeBlanc: It's great being back here with all of you.
Natalie R. Collins: Thanks for coming, Deb. We wanted to start off talking about your latest book, A HOUSE DIVIDED. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Deborah LeBlanc: AHD is about a mentally challenged young woman with psychic abilities. She can only communicate those abilities, however, through drawings. When she moves into part of a house with her cousin and a friend, something in that house challenges those psychic abilities...nearly destroying her, her family, and even the town they're living in. The story idea came from a true haunted house event, so most people, when they first see the book, think it's about a haunted house... but the story really revolves around issues from our past that tend to haunt us.
Natalie R. Collins: It's a fascinating story, and you manage to weave all the elements together so well. Can you tell us about the haunted house event that inspired this book?
Deborah LeBlanc: A friend of mine told me he'd been raised in a haunted house. Being the curious George that I am, I wanted to visit his old stomping grounds and check it out for myself. His childhood home was a small clapboard that had recently been used as a funeral viewing parlor. I didn't notice or 'feel' anything unusual in the house and was about to chalk it up to another haunting dud, when a general contractor happened by to see what we were doing in the house. It was vacant at the time. It was then that I discovered the house was only half of its original structure. Many years ago, the contractor had moved the house into that particular town but it was too big to fit on the lots he had available. So he cut the house in half, remodeled both, and rented each half. I found out the other half of the house was across town, so I went to check it out. It was there all right, along with a single mom and her two children. When I told her what I was doing there, she was more than willing to set me straight on a few facts. Her half, she claimed, WAS haunted. Her children, who were there at the time, attested to that fact to, all of them claiming the usual door slamming, cabinet doors opening by themselves, lights flickering, etc.I didn't witness any of those events while there, but I thought the story was so unique it couldn't NOT become a book.
Natalie R. Collins: I agree, totally, and the whole concept in the book was fascinating, especially the tie in between the residents of both parts of the house. You did a great job blending "supernatural" and realism. That is becoming your specialty. What is it about this topic that fascinates you? Has it been a life long interest?
Deborah LeBlanc: The supernatural you mean?
Natalie R. Collins: Yes.
Deborah LeBlanc: It has been a life long interest. It started when I was a little girl and I'd listen to my grandmother tell stories about ghostly encounters. To her, they weren't stories, but real events that occurred that no one could explain. (Which isn't unusual in south Louisiana!) As I grew older the interest held, so much so that I began ghost hunting. Although I've never witnessed a full fledged apparition, I've had enough experiences to know SOMETHING exists beyond our realm of reality. To me, it's this gray zone, just beyond a curtain we can't see. It exists right along with us, only we're often oblivious to it. My job, when telling a story, is to show just how closely the two are, and can be, related.
Natalie R. Collins: And we are lucky enough to have you share some of your adventures with us, regularly, in the feature, The Dark Side! Now, Deb, the setting of your books is Louisiana, which is your home state. And your background is Cajun. Can you tell us how that influences your writing?
Deborah LeBlanc: I think it has a significant influence on my writing. The culture, the folklore, the ambience, if you will, are all fertile ground for wonderful stories.
Rob Holden: Deb, let me congratulate you on being elected President of the HWA! Could you tell our readers a bit about the HWA -- and what it does?
Deborah LeBlanc: Thank you very much! I'm extremely honored to be serving the members of the association in that capacity. HWA is the Horror Writers of America. It was conceived back in the '80s by a handful of authors, the two most influential being Dean Koontz and Stephen King. IHWA's purpose is two-fold...to educate the general public about the horror genre, for most people typically view it as blood and gore, which it's not... and the second is to be a networking, educational, and promotional avenue for writers of that particular genre.
Rob Holden: Can you tell our readers a bit about what your duties as President are?
Deborah LeBlanc: The most important part of my duties is to be an active, vocal, creative member of a team who is willing work to make HWA the premier writing organization it's meant to be. Aside from that, I make sure priorities are set and maintained and help strengthen the team by consistent communications. Many people see being a President or head-honcho of anything as
a big deal. In truth, being upfront only means you're more visible if things screw up. It also means you take the bullets before the troops behind you. In essence, you're a servant to the people who voted you into office.
Natalie R. Collins: And how is this going to fit into your busy schedule?
Deborah LeBlanc: Ummm... I just make sure it does.
Natalie R. Collins: So, what book are you working on now? Can you tell us anything about it?
Deborah LeBlanc: My fourth book, MORBID CURIOSITY, comes out in July '07. It's about two fourteen-year-old girls (twins) whose lives are turned upside down after their father dies and their mother is committed to a hospital after she attempts suicide. Without parents the girls are eventually shipped off to Mississippi to live with their paternal grandparents, and it's there they decide to take control of their lives by way of Chaos magic and sigils. The one thing they never counted on conjuring up, however, was their own death sentence. The fifth novel slated for that publisher is WATER WITCH, which should be out the summer of '08.
Natalie R. Collins: Fascinating titles! Now you say, "that" publisher. Is there another publisher? And what type of books?
Deborah LeBlanc: I have a cozy series planned with another publisher, a straight mystery series we're trying to bed down with another publisher, and yet another publisher who will be doing another psychological thriller I have written called, Soul Identity.
Natalie R. Collins: Well, congratulations! You also have my sympathy, as I know how hard it can be to write for more than one publisher. You won't even have time to brush your teeth!
Deborah LeBlanc: You've got that right!
Natalie R. Collins: Well, Deb, we've taken up enough of your busy time, so before we go, is there anything you want to say to your many fans?
Deborah LeBlanc: Yes, I do. To anyone reading this interview that has ever purchased one of my books... I realize you had thousands of books to choose from before you dropped your hard-earned money on that counter or sent it whisking off into cyberspace. Thank you for choosing one of mine.
Natalie R. Collins: And fans can keep up with you and your many appearances on your website, www.deborahleblanc.com.
Deborah LeBlanc: Absolutely.
Natalie R. Collins: Well, thanks again Deb, for visiting us, and best of luck in all your many pursuits. We look forward to catching up with you again!
Deborah LeBlanc: Thanks for having me! I hope we do get a chance to catch up again soon.
Rob Holden: Thanks Deb, and best of luck with all your projects!
Deborah LeBlanc: Thanks, Rob!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home