Welcome ML Erdahl.
Congrats on the debut release!
Tells us about Winter Takes All.
My writing story for Winter Takes All began with a genre swap suggested by my wife. Her favorite fiction genres are Mysteries and Thrillers, while mine is Fantasy. She gave me Nevada Barr, Janet Evanovich, and Mary Daheim novels to read, and I gave her Robert Jordan. I loved the stories I was given, which were so different from the long epic adventures I was used to. I enjoyed the wit of the genre, as well as the concept of a ordinary person being forced out of their comfort zone to the point where they find themselves investigating a crime
During the long bus rides to-and-fro work, I must have been inspired, because an idea for a cozy mystery percolated in my head, and I began writing it down over the next year. After I’d finished my book, I read it back. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty mediocre, but I could see the elements of a great story. I began to study how to write fiction from books and courses by the likes of Jane Friedman and KM Weiland. Applying what I’d learned, I re-wrote the entire book to its present incarnation.
The moral of this particular story for aspiring writers is to learn how to write, and then begin writing. I still believe that the best learning tool is to practice, but having an idea where you’re going will help you get there faster. Trust me on this.
What a great story for this book’s genesis!
This book is a cozy mystery with an adventurous twist. A murder ruins wilderness guide Crystal Rainey’s first snowshoe hike, endangering her new dream job and budding romance.
I knew it would be a lot of fun to take readers to exciting locations, and what better way to do that than to make my main character’s job literally “going on adventures.” Like all writers, I want to engage my readers to vicariously live the experiences through the story, and who doesn’t want to go on an adventure from time-to-time?
Do you find inspiration in your own life for your writing?
The inspiration for Crystal came from my childhood of hiking, camping, and spending time outdoors with my family. I was also a mediocre boy scout for quite a few years, and by that I mean that while I loved outdoor activities, I had little interest in pursuing badges and ranks like the others around me. To me, the fun was in the experience itself.
As I recounted the various ways that I have hurt myself in the wilderness to my wife the other day, I realized that the chances for mishaps to happen to my characters are infinite. What can go wrong in the middle of the forest? Pretty much anything, believe me. My personal experiences prove that you can hit a rotten stump that is actually a wasp nest, have rock chips fly into your eye, and bruise your sternum falling off a log. I did all of these things before hitting ten years of age and continue to occasionally wound myself in various ways doing ill-advised stunts.
((Jean smiling and laughing…knowing ML would get on well with her own family of outdoor lovers))
BLURB TIME!
Crystal Rainey is aghast when she realizes her new year's resolutions haven't changed one whit from the previous year. Wanting to escape a future as dreary as a Pacific Northwest winter, she walks out on her dead-end office job, despite her tenuous savings account.
Stumbling across a job opening posted by a wilderness guide outfit, an intrigued Crystal bluffs her way into the position. With handsome fellow guide, the stalwart Conner Oakes, she leads a corporate retreat on a snowshoe hike to a majestic alpine chalet.
But when the company's detestable owner turns up dead in the snow, she fears her new life and budding romance slipping away. She finally has something worth fighting for and is determined to solve the murder and grab her chance at happiness before it's too late.
Tell us about your experience with the publishing process.
As a new author, I embraced the challenge of going the traditional route. I wanted the vindication of having someone in the industry look at my work and say, “This is worthy.” I knew if that happened, I could rest easy that my craft was honed to a certain level.
Working with my small press publisher, The Wild Rose Press, has been amazing. They handled the book cover, distribution, and formatting, which has freed up more of my time to write my second book. Just as important is the community of writers within the publishing house. We frequently share information to help untangle the wild jungle of marketing and promotion, as well as offer support on a wide range of topics. Wild Rose Press actively fosters this communication, which to a newer author like myself, has been invaluable. I look forward to paying it forward to new authors who come behind me.
Any new projects on the horizon?
I’m editing the sequel of “Winter Takes All.” The name of this one is titled “Spring Upon a Crime.” Crystal continues her adventures in the rain forest of the Olympic Peninsula. Desperate to vindicate her friend from a crime she didn’t commit, she pursues answers in a close knit community intent on keeping her in the dark.
My series will follow the seasons, as each setting will offer a new type of adventure to experience. Since much of my book takes place outdoors, the seasonal names will let the reader know that they can expect.
from Jean: I love this idea!
Words of advice for fellow writers in the trenches:
Try and do at least a little bit every day. It doesn’t have to be just writing. Read a book on the craft, join a writing organization, and learn about the industry. In the end, if you keep moving, inertia will take you much further than you can imagine. I still feel overwhelmed with everything on a daily basis, but when I look back on where this began, I’m in awe of how far along this journey I am.
Let’s wrap up with an excerpt from Winter Takes All:
Not the most auspicious start to my guiding career, Crystal admitted to herself.
Conner sat back down, took a grateful swig of the coffee and sighed. "This could have gone better," he said stating the obvious.
"What happens next?" Crystal asked.
"We wait until dawn, see if he turns up, and escort everyone out of here. Hopefully, Philip is waiting for us at the lodge, and we can drive this whole miserable lot back to the city a day early. In the meantime, I suggest we follow everyone's lead and try to get a little shuteye."
Conner's radio crackled with Sam's voice, "We've found the missing man from your group, Conner. He's at the bottom of a cliff. I'm sorry to say this search and rescue operation has become a search and recover."
Conner paled at the news.
"What does 'search and recover' mean?" Crystal asked.
"It means he's dead.”
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