It gives me great pleasure to introduce G.W. (George) Meuse, author of the riveting crime/suspense novel, Heaven Forgive Him Too from XOXO Publishing.
I first met George, after a fashion, when I read his book and decided to review it—and for those of you curious, you can read the review HERE.
Now, let's meet the man with our usual 'getting to know you' questions.
Are you married? Do you have children?
I have been married to Lise for 37 years. We have three children, all grown up and working now. One is a psychologist, another is a teacher in Australia, and the third is a social worker.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and lived in a small village of South Belleville here in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia until I was five.
Where do you currently live?
At the age of five, my family then moved to the nearby village of Eel Brook where I make my home to this day.
When did you realize that you wanted to write fiction?
While in university, I was assigned to write a short story for an English course. My professor, James Quinlan, encouraged me when he said I had a novel in me. From that point on, I always wanted to be a writer, but a full time teaching job and raising a family never allowed me the time to do so.
What changed to allow you to write?
Now that I am retired, I have the time and began my first novel, Heaven Forgive Him Too, four years ago.
How long does it take to complete a manuscript, on average?
It took me approximately three years to write this novel.
How many hours per day do you devote to writing? Do you have a strict schedule? Are you a disciplined writer with a set routine?
I would try to write for two to three hours per day, usually in the afternoon once my chores around the house were finished.
Do you have a space where you create your work?
I work at my computer desk in my den.
Do you like music playing when you are writing or is it a distraction? What music do you prefer to listen to?
I usually turn on my itunes on the computer and listen to traditional rock and roll music. The memories the 60’s and 70’s songs evoke tend to inspire ideas for my writing.
Ah, a man after my own heart when it comes to music choices!
People always want to know – where do your ideas come from? Inquiring minds and all that…
Two events converged to give me the impetus for this book: the rising violent crime rate in Halifax and the birth of my first grandchild. I came to realize that Canada’s judicial and parole systems may be inadequate to cope with what seems to be an increase in violent crimes and our all-too-frequent repeat offenders. Concern for my grandchild’s future only served to heighten this realization. Also, I am an avid reader as well as having been a grade 12 English teacher for 33 years. The works of people like Charles Dickens and William Golding, with their social commentaries, have always inspired me. I believe that a novel’s goal can be to make readers want to better their world, as did those of these two authors. Golding’s novel, The Lord Of The Flies, has become a must read for high school kids all over the world. I can only dream that one of my books could do the same...maybe the next one.
Where would you like to see yourself both personally and professionally in 2012?
Personally, I am very content being where I am today. Our grandson is the joy of my life, and our youngest daughter is getting married this summer. It just doesn’t get better than this.
Can you give us a hint as to what we can look forward to – new projects, new ventures, or new directions?
I have been hatching the idea for another novel, this one with a high school as its setting, something I am more familiar with. Like the other novel, it would also make a social statement.
Now: About HEAVEN CAN FORGIVE HIM TOO
One thing that struck me was the very powerful sense of place in this book. Why did you choose Halifax, NS?
I have frequently been in our capitol city as my three kids attended university there. Also, violent crime, often by repeat offenders, is on a rapid increase there and appears almost daily on the front pages of our provincial newspaper, so I figured the city would be the perfect backdrop for my message.
The depiction of the crimes and getting into a criminal’s head must be difficult (or not). Tell us about how you approached crafting those particular scenes.
Simply reading news stories about murders in and around Halifax and in other parts of Canada gave me the basis for the crimes I depicted. From that point on, I guess my own bizarre imagination took over.
Do you have a favorite character in the book? What is it about him/her that resonates so strongly?
Definitely! The serial killer, Graham Sanders, is a tragic hero. I wanted readers to empathize with his cause, if not with his methods.
The plot involves not just action sequences but also the state of the criminal justice system. How much research did you do? How did that influence the course of the story?
As I said before, the all-too-frequent cases of repeat violent offenders, and their nearly-automatic allowances of bail and parole placing the public at unnecessary risk, gave me the basis for my story. Clippings from newspapers of such crimes are, unfortunately, not hard to find.
There are intriguing subplots, one of which strongly flirts with the romance genre. Was this deliberate or just something that rose organically?
It was most definitely done on purpose. I felt that the murder plot alone might not capture enough readers, therefore I added the romantic angle between Scott and his wife, Samantha, and the later tryst with Andrea.
Thanks so much, George. It was a pleasure getting to know you.
You'll want to put HEAVEN FORGIVE HIM TOO on your TBR list.
The Blurb:
Get into the mind of a serial killer on the run with each new victim for his own bizzare "mission". A captivating tale of multiple murders and love rediscovered.
Two Halifax City homicide detectives, are both baffled and frustrated by the lackof method to this murder's machinations until we meet Scott Walden and Tony Barimo.
More personal problems begin to crop up ....his wife of nearly twenty years is becoming increasingly indifferent to her husband's attention. Is Samantha having an affair or is their marriage disintegrating like so many other officers on his unit?
Then she comes back into his life! An old flame, the sister in law of one of the murdered victims...
Buy here: KINDLE US
I first met George, after a fashion, when I read his book and decided to review it—and for those of you curious, you can read the review HERE.
Now, let's meet the man with our usual 'getting to know you' questions.
Are you married? Do you have children?
I have been married to Lise for 37 years. We have three children, all grown up and working now. One is a psychologist, another is a teacher in Australia, and the third is a social worker.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and lived in a small village of South Belleville here in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia until I was five.
Where do you currently live?
At the age of five, my family then moved to the nearby village of Eel Brook where I make my home to this day.
When did you realize that you wanted to write fiction?
While in university, I was assigned to write a short story for an English course. My professor, James Quinlan, encouraged me when he said I had a novel in me. From that point on, I always wanted to be a writer, but a full time teaching job and raising a family never allowed me the time to do so.
What changed to allow you to write?
Now that I am retired, I have the time and began my first novel, Heaven Forgive Him Too, four years ago.
How long does it take to complete a manuscript, on average?
It took me approximately three years to write this novel.
How many hours per day do you devote to writing? Do you have a strict schedule? Are you a disciplined writer with a set routine?
I would try to write for two to three hours per day, usually in the afternoon once my chores around the house were finished.
Do you have a space where you create your work?
I work at my computer desk in my den.
Do you like music playing when you are writing or is it a distraction? What music do you prefer to listen to?
I usually turn on my itunes on the computer and listen to traditional rock and roll music. The memories the 60’s and 70’s songs evoke tend to inspire ideas for my writing.
Ah, a man after my own heart when it comes to music choices!
People always want to know – where do your ideas come from? Inquiring minds and all that…
Two events converged to give me the impetus for this book: the rising violent crime rate in Halifax and the birth of my first grandchild. I came to realize that Canada’s judicial and parole systems may be inadequate to cope with what seems to be an increase in violent crimes and our all-too-frequent repeat offenders. Concern for my grandchild’s future only served to heighten this realization. Also, I am an avid reader as well as having been a grade 12 English teacher for 33 years. The works of people like Charles Dickens and William Golding, with their social commentaries, have always inspired me. I believe that a novel’s goal can be to make readers want to better their world, as did those of these two authors. Golding’s novel, The Lord Of The Flies, has become a must read for high school kids all over the world. I can only dream that one of my books could do the same...maybe the next one.
Where would you like to see yourself both personally and professionally in 2012?
Personally, I am very content being where I am today. Our grandson is the joy of my life, and our youngest daughter is getting married this summer. It just doesn’t get better than this.
Can you give us a hint as to what we can look forward to – new projects, new ventures, or new directions?
I have been hatching the idea for another novel, this one with a high school as its setting, something I am more familiar with. Like the other novel, it would also make a social statement.
Now: About HEAVEN CAN FORGIVE HIM TOO
One thing that struck me was the very powerful sense of place in this book. Why did you choose Halifax, NS?
I have frequently been in our capitol city as my three kids attended university there. Also, violent crime, often by repeat offenders, is on a rapid increase there and appears almost daily on the front pages of our provincial newspaper, so I figured the city would be the perfect backdrop for my message.
The depiction of the crimes and getting into a criminal’s head must be difficult (or not). Tell us about how you approached crafting those particular scenes.
Simply reading news stories about murders in and around Halifax and in other parts of Canada gave me the basis for the crimes I depicted. From that point on, I guess my own bizarre imagination took over.
Do you have a favorite character in the book? What is it about him/her that resonates so strongly?
Definitely! The serial killer, Graham Sanders, is a tragic hero. I wanted readers to empathize with his cause, if not with his methods.
The plot involves not just action sequences but also the state of the criminal justice system. How much research did you do? How did that influence the course of the story?
As I said before, the all-too-frequent cases of repeat violent offenders, and their nearly-automatic allowances of bail and parole placing the public at unnecessary risk, gave me the basis for my story. Clippings from newspapers of such crimes are, unfortunately, not hard to find.
There are intriguing subplots, one of which strongly flirts with the romance genre. Was this deliberate or just something that rose organically?
It was most definitely done on purpose. I felt that the murder plot alone might not capture enough readers, therefore I added the romantic angle between Scott and his wife, Samantha, and the later tryst with Andrea.
Thanks so much, George. It was a pleasure getting to know you.
You'll want to put HEAVEN FORGIVE HIM TOO on your TBR list.
The Blurb:
Get into the mind of a serial killer on the run with each new victim for his own bizzare "mission". A captivating tale of multiple murders and love rediscovered.
Two Halifax City homicide detectives, are both baffled and frustrated by the lackof method to this murder's machinations until we meet Scott Walden and Tony Barimo.
More personal problems begin to crop up ....his wife of nearly twenty years is becoming increasingly indifferent to her husband's attention. Is Samantha having an affair or is their marriage disintegrating like so many other officers on his unit?
Then she comes back into his life! An old flame, the sister in law of one of the murdered victims...
Buy here: KINDLE US
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