Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a
series? Murder on the Lake of Fire is Book 1 of the Mourning Dove Mysteries. The novel series features Emory Rome’s investigations into bizarre murders in the Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee.
At twenty-three and with a notorious case under his belt, Emory Rome has already garnered fame as a talented special agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. His career is leapfrogging over his colleagues, but the jumping stops when he’s assigned a case he fought to avoid – an eerie murder in the Smoky Mountain hometown he had abandoned.
The mysterious death of a teen
ice-skater once destined for the pros is soon followed by an apparent case of
spontaneous human combustion. In a small town bursting with friends and foes,
Rome’s own secrets lie just beneath the surface. The rush to find the murderer
before he strikes again pits him against artful private investigator Jeff
Woodard. The PI is handsome, smart and seductive, and he just might be the
killer Rome is seeking.
Do you have a favorite character?
I would have to say my favorite character is Emory Rome from Murder on the Lake of Fire (Mourning Dove Mysteries, #1). He’s the one I’ve known the longest and with whom I most closely identify. He was the protagonist of the first book I ever wrote, which was an adventure story of a fifteen-year-old boy fighting for his life in the Smoky Mountains. Three years ago, I began wondering what he would be doing as an adult, and that was the impetus for writing this mystery series. I never published that first book, but I use it as backstory for my Mourning Dove Mysteries series.
I would have to say my favorite character is Emory Rome from Murder on the Lake of Fire (Mourning Dove Mysteries, #1). He’s the one I’ve known the longest and with whom I most closely identify. He was the protagonist of the first book I ever wrote, which was an adventure story of a fifteen-year-old boy fighting for his life in the Smoky Mountains. Three years ago, I began wondering what he would be doing as an adult, and that was the impetus for writing this mystery series. I never published that first book, but I use it as backstory for my Mourning Dove Mysteries series.
What factors influenced your decision to go with a particular agent or
publisher?
I pitched my book to a publisher at a conference in San Diego, and she asked me to send it to her. After she read it, she offered me a contract with great terms. Most importantly to me, I maintain the rights to my books.
I pitched my book to a publisher at a conference in San Diego, and she asked me to send it to her. After she read it, she offered me a contract with great terms. Most importantly to me, I maintain the rights to my books.
Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future
books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing
both?
Murder on the Lake of Fire is contracted with Acorn Publishing, and I plan to stick with them for future books in the Mourning Dove Mysteries series as long as they’ll have me.
Murder on the Lake of Fire is contracted with Acorn Publishing, and I plan to stick with them for future books in the Mourning Dove Mysteries series as long as they’ll have me.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like
silence?
I always create a playlist to match the tone of a new book, and I play it while writing. I write the first draft longhand in a spiral notebook because I find it helps me concentrate on the story without distraction. I typically write in my office, but I sometimes write outside when my creativity needs a spark. My favorite place to find that spark is above the tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma.
I always create a playlist to match the tone of a new book, and I play it while writing. I write the first draft longhand in a spiral notebook because I find it helps me concentrate on the story without distraction. I typically write in my office, but I sometimes write outside when my creativity needs a spark. My favorite place to find that spark is above the tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
I have to outline my mystery novels to keep track of who knows what when and to plot out the movements of the killer.
I have to outline my mystery novels to keep track of who knows what when and to plot out the movements of the killer.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
Having a content and line editor review your manuscript is absolutely vital! I first sent this novel to a content editor, who did a fantastic job pointing out opportunities to strengthen my plot and helping me tighten my story to be the best it could be. I then sent it to a line editor to look for typos and any lingering mistakes, and I couldn’t believe how many he found. Not to be immodest, but I consider myself a great editor. Regardless, I miss mistakes in my own work because I’m reading what should be there instead of what actually is.
Having a content and line editor review your manuscript is absolutely vital! I first sent this novel to a content editor, who did a fantastic job pointing out opportunities to strengthen my plot and helping me tighten my story to be the best it could be. I then sent it to a line editor to look for typos and any lingering mistakes, and I couldn’t believe how many he found. Not to be immodest, but I consider myself a great editor. Regardless, I miss mistakes in my own work because I’m reading what should be there instead of what actually is.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your
current book and writing your next book?
I believe I’m like most authors in that I want to spend every available moment writing, but I know books that aren’t marketed almost never find an audience. Marketing a book requires a huge time commitment, and most of that time, I’m wishing I could just be working on my next novel. Even in days I’ve devoted to marketing, I always set aside at least a couple of hours to write.
I believe I’m like most authors in that I want to spend every available moment writing, but I know books that aren’t marketed almost never find an audience. Marketing a book requires a huge time commitment, and most of that time, I’m wishing I could just be working on my next novel. Even in days I’ve devoted to marketing, I always set aside at least a couple of hours to write.
What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you
involved with for promoting your book(s)?
Besides the blog tour, we’re advertising on Goodreads, Facebook and other websites. We’ve also submitted the book to some magazines for review, and we have a pretty strong presence on social media.
Besides the blog tour, we’re advertising on Goodreads, Facebook and other websites. We’ve also submitted the book to some magazines for review, and we have a pretty strong presence on social media.
What’s next for you?
I’ve finished the second book in the Mourning Dove Mysteries series, and that should be out in summer 2018. I’m now writing the third book.
I’ve finished the second book in the Mourning Dove Mysteries series, and that should be out in summer 2018. I’m now writing the third book.
Murder on the Lake of Fire
Mikel J. Wilson
(Mourning Dove Mysteries, #1)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: December 1st 2017
Genres: LGBTQ+, Mystery, Romance
At twenty-three and with a notorious case under his belt, Emory Rome has already garnered fame as a talented special agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
His career is leapfrogging over his colleagues, but the jumping stops when he’s assigned a case he fought to avoid – to investigate an eerie murder in the Smoky Mountain hometown he had abandoned. This mysterious case of a dead teen ice-skater once destined for the pros is just the beginning.
In a small town bursting with envious friends and foes, Rome’s own secrets lie just below the surface. The rush to find the murderer before he strikes again pits Rome against artful private investigator, Jeff Woodard. The PI is handsome and smart, seducing Rome and forcing him to confront childhood demons, but Woodard has secrets of his own. He might just be the killer Rome is seeking.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo
Author Bio:
Mystery and science fiction author Mikel J. Wilson received widespread critical praise for his debut novel, Sedona: The Lost Vortex, a science fiction book based on the Northern Arizona town’s legends of energy vortexes and dimensional travel. Wilson now draws on his Southern roots for the Mourning Dove Mysteries, a series of novels featuring bizarre murders in the Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee.
Murder on the Lake of Fire, the first novel in the Mourning Dove Mysteries series, will be available December 1, 2017.
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