{"id":2652,"date":"2013-08-15T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2013-08-15T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/?p=2652"},"modified":"2013-08-06T08:01:33","modified_gmt":"2013-08-06T13:01:33","slug":"book-feature-dont-let-the-wind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/?p=2652","title":{"rendered":"Book Feature: Don’t Let the Wind"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m pleased to share the latest from Aaron Paul Lazar with you, a talented author with a large and growing repertoire of books. Aaron is a fellow Twilight Times author and has become a friend of mine over recent months. I only read my first book by him earlier this summer, but I am excited to know there are many more — both in his backlog and being released TODAY<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\"Don't<\/p>\n

When young Gus LeGarde befriends Tully, a cranky old hermit in the woods who speaks to an Indian spirit, he wonders if the man is nuts. But when the spirit rattles tin cups, draws on dusty mirrors, and flips book pages, pestering him to find evidence to avenge her past, things change fast. What Gus doesn\u2019t understand is why his mother hates Tully and forbids him to see the old man. What could Tully have possibly done to earn this distrust?<\/p>\n


\nFaced with long-buried family secrets and danger, Gus summons courage beyond his years in this poignant and powerful telling of the sultry summer of 1965.<\/em><\/p>\n

Buy Now at Amazon<\/a>\"\"
\n\"Author<\/a><\/p>\n

Interview with Aaron Paul Lazar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Q) How was writing Don\u2019t Let the Wind Catch You different from the other books in the LeGarde Mystery series?<\/p>\n

A) When I write from \u201cyoung Gus\u2019s\u201d POV, I need to let myself go back to that eleven or twelve-year-old inside me. It was an age I remember with great clarity and with intense nostalgia. I simply try to be me (or Gus) at that age and let the story flow. Sometimes I have to look up when certain songs or events took place, because I don\u2019t remember the precise year they came out, etc. And of course I\u2019d already created the characters of young Gus, Siegfried, and Elsbeth in Tremolo: cry of the loon, so it wasn\u2019t hard at all. It can be almost like a magical trip back to childhood for me, which is probably why these types of books are among my favorites.<\/p>\n

Q) Where does the German influence come from? Brigit Marggrander, the twins\u2019 mother, has a real problem dealing with her past life in a Nazi concentration camp. How did this come into your story?<\/p>\n

A) When I worked for Kodak I lived in Germany for months and visited frequently, thus my passion for German culture. And my daughter, Melanie, performed in \u201cThe Diary of Anne Frank\u201d when she was in high school. I\u2019d sit in the back of the auditorium during rehearsals and as time went on my hatred for the Nazis deepened. So I had to include some kind of theme here for my German twins\u2019 mother. Also, I have always been fascinated by stories about asylums, especially in the older days. I realize that in the fifties and sixties mental illness was often considered an embarrassment, and people frequently went years without help like Brigit does in this side-plot of Don\u2019t Let the Wind Catch You.<\/p>\n

Q) Will you ever write a story that shows what happened to Siegfried in 1966? (The boating accident that made him lose his math genius and left him partially mentally impaired)<\/p>\n

A) I do plan to write a sequel to Don\u2019t Let the Wind Catch You, and it would make sense for it to take place the next year, in 1966. So stay tuned!<\/p>\n

Q) How hard is it to take a fully mature adult character and portray him as a child? You did this with Gus LeGarde, Siegfried, Elsbeth, and also made Gus\u2019s parents, The Marggranders, Oscar and Millie Stone, and the LeGarde grandparents thirty years younger in these \u201cyoung Gus\u201d stories.<\/p>\n

A) It was actually a lot of fun to take the \u201cadult\u201d part away from my main characters who started in Double Fort\u00e9 (book 1 in the series) and bring them back to 1964. (Tremolo) I decided to show Siegfried, the gentle giant in Double Fort\u00e9 who lost his mental acuity, before his accident. It was fun to portray him as a bright, math genius who also excelled in orienteering. Bits of Siegfried transcend across time, of course, and can be found in the pre-accident young boy as well as the mature adult who works in Freddie\u2019s veterinary clinic and around the LeGarde homestead.<\/p>\n

Q) Where did you learn so much about horses? It seems like you really know the details. Research? Or first hand experience?<\/p>\n

A) Ah, my horse chapters are among my favorites, mostly because I miss my own Morgan horses my wife Dale and I used to ride every day. We were both horse fanatics\u2014one of the reasons we bonded so well before we were married. We talked horses all day long, cared for, rode, bought, and sold them. But mostly we adored them. When we were married, Dale brought her little Morgan mare out to live with us in Upstate New York, and I purchased my first sixteen hand high Morgan gelding. Oh, the rides we had. It was Heaven. As a child I also rode the woods with my buddies. But we never met up with a hermit or a little Indian ghost!<\/p>\n

Q) You cover a difficult subject in this book with great sensitivity. Were you trying to teach a lesson in anti-bigotry here by \u201cshowing, not telling\u201d how Gus reacts to the discovery that his grandfather loved another man?<\/p>\n

A) I didn\u2019t plan to do this \u2013 it just came about. I wanted to have a scandalous secret that was revealed over time, and it just happened to involve a gay couple who sadly had to give up their love because of the mor\u00e9s of the time. In hindsight, I think Gus\u2019s reaction to this \u201ctaboo\u201d subject was authentic. He hadn\u2019t been tainted by discussion of homosexuality being an \u201cillness\u201d or that it was wrong. People didn\u2019t discuss such things in those days, not openly, and especially not with children. I grew up when Gus did and never even heard about gay people until I was in college. So I\u2019m proud of Gus for his understanding and compassion, and glad that maybe in hindsight he can help folks young or old learn to accept people who don\u2019t fit into a supposedly \u201cnormal\u201d mold. I realize, also in hindsight, that I have included mini-lessons in all my books about accepting those people who aren\u2019t perfect, like Siegfried (mentally damage) or Cindi (Downs Syndrome, from Upstaged), or Penelope (gay lover of Sam Moore\u2019s daughter in For Keeps), or Raoul Rodriguez (transgender in For the Birds) or Slim (Huge black convict in FireSong), etc.
\nAbout the Writing Process
\n(selections from an original interview by Marcia Applegate, journalist)<\/p>\n

Q) Why did you choose mysteries? Was it an easy choice, or did you have to make a conscious decision?<\/p>\n

A) I always read mysteries, since I was a kid. I used to read Hardy Boys, Agatha Christie, and all the \u201canimal\u201d mysteries I could get my parents to buy on the Arrow Book Club in elementary school. I remember reading about Black Diamond (a horse) and lots of dog stories. My folks read and adored John D. MacDonald and I, in turn, fell in love with the Travis McGee mysteries of the master, Mr. MacDonald. They also had Rex Stout, Agatha Christie, PD James, and more mysteries always available in plentiful quantities. I guess it was genetics. I was born to two mystery fanatics. So I really didn\u2019t depart from the genre. When I began writing, it was almost a defacto decision to create a mystery.<\/p>\n

Q) Do you enjoy writing?<\/p>\n

A) I love the process of writing. It\u2019s as if I\u2019m living in the movie in my mind. It\u2019s a fantastic escape mechanism and I crave the process like a drug addict. Lately I\u2019ve had to do more promotional efforts and I must say, I don\u2019t enjoy that as much as the pure process of creating!<\/p>\n

Q) Do you write in a specific place or time of day? Do you keep a notebook to jot down ideas?<\/p>\n

A) I write mostly in the early morning hours or the later, quieter moments of the day. But I can write anytime, anywhere. I have been known to write some great scenes in a hospital, waiting for family to come out of surgery, or in the airport, waiting for a plane to Germany. It seems whenever I have a moment to myself, it is the \u201cperfect\u201d time to write. Although I must say my favorite time to write is the dark, early hours of morning.
\nI don\u2019t keep a notebook, but there is a file I have on my computer with \u201cideas for stories\u201d that I occasionally refer to. Usually I have an idea brewing for one particular story that seems to overpower me. I think about it constantly. I dream about it. And then the new book begins to take shape. That\u2019s my typical process.<\/p>\n

Q) Do you know the end of a novel when you begin? Do you ever change your planned plot in midstream?<\/p>\n

A) I don\u2019t always know the endings in advance. I usually know the beginning and the general themes I will use. I start to write and let my characters take over, then as the themes deepen and become more complex, the ending seems to fall into place. If you\u2019ve read my works, you\u2019ll know I usually like to end my stories in an upbeat, positive fashion. People still die, someone is still hurt, but in the end, the stories resolve to a positive outcome.<\/p>\n

Q) Do you discuss your work with family or friends?<\/p>\n

A) I used to drive my wife crazy, asking her about what Gus LeGarde (my first protagonist in LeGarde Mysteries) would do, or what she thought of one plot twist or another. Lately, however, I\u2019ve been giving her a break. I think I used to drive her mad! These days, I sometimes run my plot ideas by my wonderful mentor, Sonya Bateman, who is a superb writer and a great teacher. She\u2019s shared so much with me over the years and I know my writing has improved dramatically because of her influence.<\/p>\n

Q) The Genesee Valley is almost a character in your novels. Have you always lived there?<\/p>\n

A) I moved to the Genesee Valley in upstate NY (just south of Rochester, NY) in 1981, the same year I married Dale and the year I started working for Kodak. Two years later, we had our first of three daughters, and we have lived here and loved it ever since. I can\u2019t think of another place on earth I\u2019d rather spend my days, it is so beautiful, with the rolling hills and the Finger Lakes.
\nCharacterization<\/p>\n

Q) Does a character change as you build his or her part in the story?<\/p>\n

A) I do believe in achieving what they call \u201ccharacter arcs\u201d in general, although I never start out a book thinking, \u201chow can I make Sam Moore grow and change based on the circumstances?\u201d It just seems to happen naturally as the stories unfold. But I hope my characters grow based on their challenges and traumas. How could they not?<\/p>\n

Q)Are your characters skeletons when you begin writing or they fully fleshed out?<\/p>\n

A) In the very beginning, when I start a series, my characters are pretty well fleshed-out, with back-stories that are intriguing and sad or difficult in some aspects. For example, Sam Moore starts out in Healey\u2019s Cave (book 1 in Moore Mysteries, otherwise known as the Green Marble Mysteries) as a man in torment. He has been missing and mourning the disappearance of his little brother for fifty years. No one knows what happened to Billy, whether he\u2019s dead or alive, and it tortures Sam every day of his life. There\u2019s a long period of distinct history, and he often thinks back to it, including in some flashback scenes. I think when I began each of my three series (LeGarde, Moore, and Tall Pines) I played around a bit with the characters to develop them. Gus LeGarde started out being a testimony to my father, who was much like him. Then as time went on and I edited and refined Double Forte\u2019 (book 1 in LeGarde Mysteries), I ended up dispersing a lot of \u201cme\u201d into the character. Of course, I was writing in the first person and I actually am a great deal like my father was, so it was kind of a natural outcome. In time, Gus LeGarde ended up being an amalgam of my father, me, and his own persona.<\/p>\n

Q) Do you have a favorite in each book (other than the hero or protagonist)?<\/p>\n

A) In Moore Mysteries, I\u2019ve started to fall in love with Sam\u2019s daughter\u2019s lover, Penelope. She is a gay, prescient doctor of Native American descent who really fascinates me. I think I\u2019ll have to feature her in the next book in Moore Mysteries. In other books I would say, yes, I have \u201cspecial\u201d feelings for certain characters who crop up \u2013 sometimes they are featured characters and sometimes they fill the main cast. In LeGarde Mysteries, my favorite has always been Siegfried, my \u201cgentle giant.\u201d In Tall Pines Mysteries, my favorites are Quinn and Callie.<\/p>\n

Q) Have you created characters so attractive that you hate to kill them off and miss them when they’re gone from the book?<\/p>\n

A) Absolutely! First of all, I adore Billy, Sam Moore\u2019s little brother who died at age 11 in Healey\u2019s Cave, and who still comes into play in the rest of the series. Although he\u2019s dead, he still is influential in the series. In LeGarde Mysteries, it was very difficult to kill off Elsbeth, the sweet and fiery wife of Gus LeGarde. I had the chance to bring her \u201cback\u201d so to speak in the prequel to Double Forte\u2019 (where she\u2019s already been dead for four years) in Tremolo: cry of the loon. It was nice to get to \u201csee\u201d her alive and active as an eleven-year-old in this lakeside summer prequel that takes place in 1964 in the Maine lakes region.<\/p>\n

Q) Are there some characters you find yourself disliking, even though you may not have intended that?<\/p>\n

A) There are some characters who frustrate me, like Freddie (Gus LeGarde\u2019s daughter) in Double Fort\u00e9. It takes her a long time to reject her philandering husband, Harold. I hate that she tolerates his abuse for so long. Most of the time, however, I feel deep and strong connections to all my characters, whether they are heroes or villains, straight or gay, powerful or weak. They are all so \u201creal\u201d to me that I probably could be committed tomorrow based on my feelings toward this parallel universe.<\/p>\n

Q) Do you find it difficult to create an attractive, likeable but truly villainous villain?<\/p>\n

A) Maybe it\u2019s time for me to actually do this. So far my villains have been understandable but really nasty. Sort of like operatic characters. I think my next challenge will be to create a likable bad guy. ;o)
\nMy colleague Sonya Bateman does this so well, I always admire the fact that she\u2019ll get me hating and fearing her villain in the beginning, but feeling a camaraderie and sympathy for him in the end of the story.<\/p>\n

Q) How much of real people do you put into characters? Could they recognize themselves or do you mix and match?<\/p>\n

A) If they were still alive, these characters would be quite outraged, or terribly complimented. Most of the people who appear in my books have passed away, like my grandparents or my father. The rest are admittedly often based on my wife and my grandchildren. I love them all and can\u2019t help but include scenes from our lives or aspects that are poignant and meaningful to the stories. Parts of my wife were the inspiration for Camille Cot\u00e9, Elsbeth Marggrander, and Rachel Moore, in various aspects. My grandmother Cot\u00e9 was the inspiration for Maddy Cot\u00e9 in LeGarde Mysteries. My two maternal grandparents were the models for Oscar and Millie Stone, in the same series. The other characters, however, are completely imaginary.
\nPlotting<\/p>\n

Q) What kinds of research have you done regarding paranormal happenings?<\/p>\n

A) I hate to admit it, but most everything I include in my books stems either from my own experience or my mad imaginings. Of course, I can\u2019t help but be influenced subliminally by movies and books. So I\u2019m sure the paranormal aspects (like time travel) are influenced by movies such as Frequency or Lightning. If you read my favorite list of movies, you will see themes that are often prevalent in my books, such as unrequited love, an innocent being accused of something he did not do, or other stories with wonderful twists and turns. I love surprises, and frequently introduce them in my series.<\/p>\n

Q)Have you ever had an experience in your life that you consider paranormal?<\/p>\n

A) When my father died, I am certain he visited me three days after his death to assure me he was okay. I also feel his presence under certain circumstances and have had \u201cconversations\u201d with him while driving to work and in dreams. I know it sounds nuts, but there are very strong experiences which I truly believe are \u201creal.\u201d I have never, however, experienced time travel or met a ghost, per se. Once my daughter, Melanie, and I were in a concert hall listening to a piece that was one of my father\u2019s favorites to play on the piano. It was Debussy. I felt my father\u2019s presence so strongly\u2026it was really amazing. My daughter later told me she felt his presence\u2014before I mentioned it. She didn\u2019t know it was one of his favorite pieces, so I am quite convinced he stopped by for a visit with us while all three of us listened to the Debussy!<\/p>\n

Q) I believe it was P.D. James who said she created her characters, the setting, the murder weapon, and then the victim. What is your personal writing style?<\/p>\n

A) I usually create the setting, the characters, the mystery (victim) and then the weapon, in that order.<\/p>\n

Q) Do you outline a book on paper, make voluminous notes, or do you just have a general direction for the story?<\/p>\n

A) I have never outlined except after I wrote a book to help create the synopsis. I am a detailed planner in \u201creal\u201d life, but for my stories, I just have a vague idea about themes and twists, and such. Then I let my fingers fly and the characters lead me through the story, frequently changing my original plans.<\/p>\n

Q) Like most writers, I imagine there sometimes comes a point when you decide that a particular story just isn’t coming together right. How do you deal with those situations?<\/p>\n

A) I\u2019m currently working on revamping an older book I wrote in the LeGarde Mystery series, called Virtuoso. Although I think the plot is fine, the writing is a little stale and in my \u201colder\u201d style before I hit my current skill level. So I\u2019m rewriting the whole thing. It\u2019s going slowly and I\u2019m not enjoying it. But I keep plugging away at it and it will eventually be done.<\/p>\n

Q) Do you have a drawer full of half-written MS or topic ideas or notes for characters you’d like to write about some day?<\/p>\n

A) I have one file called \u201cideas for books\u201d that has one-liners about potential plots and plot twists \u2013 that\u2019s it. Everything else has come full fruition into a novel. I usually start a book right away when the ideas hit me \u2013 and I can\u2019t stop until the novel is completed.<\/p>\n

Q) Is it easy for you to keep the plot of one series from impinging on your planning for another?<\/p>\n

A) It\u2019s not too hard \u2013 my characters are close to my heart and pretty real to me. So they stay unique and distinctly differentiated in my head.<\/p>\n

Buy Now at Amazon<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m pleased to share the latest from Aaron Paul Lazar with you, a talented author with a large and growing repertoire of books. Aaron is a fellow Twilight Times author and has become a friend of mine over recent months. I only read my first book by him earlier this summer, but I am excited […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[376,357,255,360,364,382,244,366,386,377,402,388,372,387,401,170,89,385,379,361,359,362,394,367,373,358,380,368,396,400,404,365,393,378,363,81,397,371,375,304,374,399,381,389,391,369,390,384,383,395,398,392,239,403,406,240,405,370,27],"class_list":["post-2652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-interviews","tag-1960s","tag-357","tag-adventure","tag-ambuscade","tag-ambush","tag-bigotry","tag-book","tag-boys","tag-bravery","tag-coming-of-age","tag-community","tag-compassion","tag-conesus-lake","tag-courage","tag-family","tag-fiction","tag-fire","tag-forgiveness","tag-gay","tag-general-sullivan","tag-genesee-valley","tag-george-washington","tag-ghosts","tag-girls","tag-groveland","tag-history","tag-homosexual","tag-horses","tag-indian","tag-iroquois","tag-kidnapping","tag-kids","tag-lightning","tag-love","tag-massacre","tag-mystery","tag-native-american","tag-nature","tag-nostalgia","tag-novel","tag-ny","tag-oneida","tag-prejudice","tag-redemption","tag-rescue","tag-riding","tag-sacrifice","tag-scandal","tag-secrets","tag-spirits","tag-spiritual","tag-storms","tag-suspense","tag-terrorists","tag-the-president","tag-thriller","tag-washington-dc","tag-woods","tag-young-adult"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2652"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2706,"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2652\/revisions\/2706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christineamsden.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}