Sitting Round my Pool: Canadian Author Eileen Schuh

With her home in Canada, top selling author, Eileen Schuh is today sitting round my pool (virtually). I have known Eileen for the last seven years and during those years she has written some amazing books, which I have loved. Today, Eileen is going to talk about her latest baby, Shadow Riders, so please make yourself comfortable and enjoy meeting my lovely author friend.

      

When you have time and feel up to it, please tell me about your latest book.

My latest novel is SHADOW RIDERS, an adult crime thriller that is partially set in South Korea. But before we go any further, I must request you allow me to jump in your pool following this interview. As a girl from northern Canada, this Canary Island heat is unbearable and a dip in the pool, a must.

Of course, feel free to dip in any time, now where was I? Yes, what made you write Shadow Riders?

From the time I set foot in Seoul on a vacation ten years ago, I knew I wanted the great country of South Korea to be the setting for one of my novels. My muses obliged. As I toured the countryside, a cast of intense, devious characters appeared. They trailed me as I visited fishing villages, ancient palaces, class rooms and souvenir shops.

As I ate kimchi and sweated out Dak galbi, members of the Jackals biker gang at the next table were plotting dangerous, illegal, lucrative drug deals.

By the time I returned to Canada, I had a complete novel in my head and heart, just waiting to be typed.

What makes this such a powerful read?

Thank you for appreciating the power of the story. Although originally conceived and written as a simple crime thriller enhanced with the exotic locale of South Korea, it became something much more.

As the story evolved, Allison Montgomery, the victim of a violent kidnapping, became the voice for women everywhere who are trapped in abusive relationships. It is a voice we do not often hear that carries a message we’ve seldom been told. I think that’s what makes the story powerful.

Explain why SHADOW RIDERS was so difficult to write.

Although I have often said SHADOW RIDERS was the most difficult book I’ve ever written, writing it was actually easy. Getting readers, editors, publishers and even friends to like the story was the hard part. It took me ten years to hone the story and characters into a form that readers like.

It seems the voice of an abused woman is not a voice readers enjoy listening to. It was a challenge to incorporate that forbidden voice into the SHADOW RIDERS action in such a way that while enjoying the thrill of the story, readers would also hear and appreciate what Allie had to say.

The cover, is stunning, why did you choose this kind of theme?

Cathy Helms over at Avalon Graphics designed the cover for me. She did an awesome job. My part of the process is throwing words at Cathy...mood words, color words... Such as “SHADOW RIDERS is a dark story.” I tell her a bit about the plot, characters, the emotions involved, the setting. I let her know the genre.

A book cover isn’t there to tell a story, the cover is there to sell a story. We authors too often judge our covers by our books—if they don’t depict our stories the way we wrote them, we are unhappy. However, the best way to sell a book is to focus not on the characters and plot, but on the emotion—the more intense, the better.

And Avalon Graphics was bang on with the SHADOW RIDERS cover.

Tell us something about SHADOW RIDERS that no one else knows.

Cathy incorporated one of my own photos into the cover design. White rocks play an important role in the story and rocks also hold emotional and visual appeal. The rocks behind my name on the cover are from a photo of my landscaping that I sent her to illustrate what I had in mind.

 What more can we expect from you in the future?

Between visiting people with pools and fishing in my own northern Alberta lakes, I am working hard on OPERATION MAXTRACKER, the fourth novel in my BackTracker series. I’m doing final revisions and will soon send it off to the proof reader and start work on the cover.  I hope to have it out this fall.

Now...can I set down my glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and dive into your pool?

Eileen Schuh, Author
SHADOW RIDERS
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

A huge thank you Eileen for travelling all the way from Canada (virtual) to sit round my pool and talk about Shadow Riders, now enjoy a cool dip.

And, thank you my lovely visitors for stopping by and learning about Eileen’s latest book, I hope you will enjoy the read.

I hope the sun is shining on your face and in your heart.

Until next time…

Love

Pauline

xxx