Interviewing Julie Eberhart Painter

Tami: Hello Julie! Welcome to the blog! How are you doing today?

Julie: Fine, of course, when I can talk about writing.

Tami: Well we are glad to have you here. Let's talk about that great book of yours. That is an interesting title, what inspired the title Mortal Coil?

Julie: My grandmother lived in a nursing home in a 300-year old building in Philadelphia, PA. After she died at age 105, the home was investigated for a series of murders. It made the national news in 1984. The image of the old folks shuffling around from activity to activity inspired me to use Hamlet’s phrase, “When I shuffle off this mortal coil.”

Tami: A play on words, very interesting.

Julie: My weakness. I love a play on words and plan to use more of them for book titles. Champagne is considering another one now.

Tami: Can you tell me or do you plan on leaving me in suspense?

Julie: “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Tangled Web seemed like a short poetic title to describe the serpentine road my heroine travels, especially this one.

Tami: It sounds like you must read a lot of books.

Julie: Almost as many as Stephen King. I always have a magazine going, a novel or autobiography going and an audio book for the car, although if Gershwin or Andrew Lloyd Webber are playing when I turn on my Public Radio station (WMFE), I wait.

Tami: Who are your favorite authors?

Julie: I lean toward mystery romance. Just discovered Harlan Coben. I like Greg Isles, but don’t like too much sick gore. Nora Roberts is just right. I’ve read all of John Grisham’s novels, and I’m a literary lover, such people as Ann Tyler, Margaret Attwood, and Anne Lamott are inspirational. Lamott’s first book on religion and of course Bird by Bird are her best. I cannot help but enjoy humor. Harlen Coben injects humor and irony that is very effective although some might call it author intrusion. He’s too funny to be deleted. We do think of the darndest things when we’re up against the wall—a place he spends a lot of time!

Tami: Oh, I love Nora Roberts! Have you read her In The Garden Tri.... oh never mind....let’s get back to Mortal Coil. You have several amusing scenes in that.

Julie: Courting and romance should start out lightheartedly. I was pleased that Kat Hall mentioned that in her review of Mortal Coil.

Tami: How long have you been with Champagne?

Julie: I just came into the family and love what I'm seeing. The openness, the help from other authors. My website www.books-jepainter.com now carries a picture of Nora Roberts and me because of Champagne author, Rebecca Savage, who has one of her with Nora at the Dallas 2007 convention. I'm learning a lot from the Yahoo groups.

Tami: You live in the US. How did you hear of us?

Julie: Providence. I was on a ship in the middle of the South Pacific when I was approached by Jim Woods, formerly an outdoor and gun expert who writes adventure for Champagne. He asked ‘Are you the writer?’ I said, ‘Yes. Are you the other one?’ The rest we know. I couldn’t wait to get home and write them a proposal.”

Tami: And that was Mortal Coil?

Julie: It was. I finished my final edit and sent it off. Of course the final edit isn’t really done until the publisher puts you out of your misery by bringing the book out. May was my lucky month!

Tami: It definitely sounds like it. Well welcome to the family and I can't wait to read some more from you. Thanks again for stopping by the blog to chat with me. Take care!

Julie: Thank you for having me. Epublishing is on the cutting edge of a new market. With all the competition in e-readers and small laptops, I feel fortunate to have joined Champagne Books when I did. Keep up your good work. A publicist is our outreach into the reading community.

Tami: OK guys, make sure to stop by to visit us when we will have