My thanks to Chuck Waldron for stopping by The Character Connection for an author interview during the blog tour for his book, Served Cold. Author Interview
1. Who is your favorite character?Sean is the main character and you might expect my favorite would be him. Instead, it’s Walter Parker, Sean’s father.
2. Why is he/she your favorite?
I think it’s the strength of character I imagined him having as I wrote. Walter’s is the chauffer and bodyguard who survives to tell Sean about his true past. Walter Parker’s history is shrouded in vagueness, but when he’s called to action he uses all his skills and puts his life on the line to save a mother and her new baby. He forgoes everything to create a new identity for the infant and saves his life.
3. How did you come to create him/her?
I was working as a driver at the time and decided to create a chauffeur as a character. I imagined him waiting for his boss and tried to think of what he might think and do while waiting.
4. When did he/she first enter your mind?
I would like to say there was some magical moment when I went “aha.” I thought of Walter’s character first, before I knew where the story would go. I have no idea when his character started to emerge. It’s similar to a headache going away. We don’t know the exact moment it leaves, just that it’s gone. I don’t know the moment Walter arrived, just that he showed up.
5. Where was he/she given life in the creative process?
It all started with Walter Parker. It was his from the very beginning.
6. What do like the most about him/her and what do you dislike the most about him/her?
I like his quiet strength of character best. I disliked his inability to take action to prevent a tragedy he saw coming. Instead of acting, he waited until it was too late before finally taking charge.
About the BookServed Cold
Book Details:
Publisher: Self-published
Published: April 2011
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pages 279
Format: paperback, ebook
Price: $12.99 paperback, $3.99 ebook
Buy Links: Kindle, Amazon
Blurb:
For two families, revenge served cold is not on the menu. Fueled by a long-standing feud between the clan patriarchs, nothing less than hot-blooded vengeance will do… Called to the bedside of his dying father in Atlanta, a young man never expects what is waiting for him. In a hospital room the man who raised him, isn’t his father. Instead, he learns about his true parents and a feud that went horribly wrong. For years an uneasy balance of power between two powerful businessmen remained intact. But when one discovers his daughter is pregnant and the father is the son of his hated enemy, a deadly game tips the balance. In a violent power play, he orders her lover killed, sending a clear signal to his nemesis. In hot-blooded retaliation, his adversary arranges punishment, a hit on the other family, drawing a special target on the head of the most prized possession: the young daughter. A trusted bodyguard and driver – with a few shady connections of his own – escape with the mother-to-be to the presumed safety and anonymity to await a birth, a new beginning. But no place on Earth is safe from all-out revenge.
As assassins close in, Rocky narrowly escapes with newborn baby Sean and goes into hiding, creating a new identity. Disappearing into another world, he is able to raise Sean in peace for many years. Hearing this incredible story, a young man is drawn to the truth about his family roots and a growing need for some act of revenge, to seek atonement for the parents he never knew. What he discovers when he gets there will force him to make a choice: to succumb to a path set before him by the fate of his heritage, or turn away and forego the desire for vengeance pulsing in his veins?
Blurb:
For two families, revenge served cold is not on the menu. Fueled by a long-standing feud between the clan patriarchs, nothing less than hot-blooded vengeance will do… Called to the bedside of his dying father in Atlanta, a young man never expects what is waiting for him. In a hospital room the man who raised him, isn’t his father. Instead, he learns about his true parents and a feud that went horribly wrong. For years an uneasy balance of power between two powerful businessmen remained intact. But when one discovers his daughter is pregnant and the father is the son of his hated enemy, a deadly game tips the balance. In a violent power play, he orders her lover killed, sending a clear signal to his nemesis. In hot-blooded retaliation, his adversary arranges punishment, a hit on the other family, drawing a special target on the head of the most prized possession: the young daughter. A trusted bodyguard and driver – with a few shady connections of his own – escape with the mother-to-be to the presumed safety and anonymity to await a birth, a new beginning. But no place on Earth is safe from all-out revenge.
As assassins close in, Rocky narrowly escapes with newborn baby Sean and goes into hiding, creating a new identity. Disappearing into another world, he is able to raise Sean in peace for many years. Hearing this incredible story, a young man is drawn to the truth about his family roots and a growing need for some act of revenge, to seek atonement for the parents he never knew. What he discovers when he gets there will force him to make a choice: to succumb to a path set before him by the fate of his heritage, or turn away and forego the desire for vengeance pulsing in his veins?
About the AuthorChuck Waldron
U.S. born, Canadian novelist Chuck Waldron is currently working on his fourth novel, a thriller about an investigative blogger who uncovers more than he ever imagines…and has no idea what to do with his discovery.
His first novel, Tears in the Dust, is a mystery set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War in 1937. When Alestair Ferguson volunteers to fight in the International Brigade he doesn’t realize the true price he will have to pay. Chuck’s second novel, Remington and the Mysterious Fedora, is a quirky fantasy, a story about what happens when a young man sits at the keyboard of a manual typewriter and puts on an old fedora. When the fedora and its mysterious power begins to whisper a story to him, the young man has a strange adventure indeed. His third novel, Served Cold, spans decades and stretches from the countryside of rural Ontario to a quiet artists’ studio in Tucson, Arizona. With lots of murder and mayhem in between, the story is what happens when a long-standing feud erupts into hot-blooded vengeance.
Chuck wrote over thirty short stories before setting out to write novels that are affordable and entertaining. He has attended writing workshops in Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Ontario, Canada.
“I grew up,” Chuck said, “listening to my grandfather, an Ozark Mountain story teller, spinning tales of the caves on his farm, describing them as hiding places once used by the Jesse & Frank James’ gang. It didn’t matter if the stories were true or not. Those legends set fire to my imagination, creating images that emerged slowly over the years, finally igniting as my short stories and novels.”
Now, thirty-plus short stories and three novels later, ideas keep coming, with more novels under development. Do they share anything in common? Each has its own unique voice and tale to tell, yet, at their heart, his stories tell about the human condition – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Chuck adds, “stored images that echo in my writing include train whistles in the night, Norman Rockwell childhood scenes, U.S. Army memories, blue collar jobs, university, a professional career, and finally retirement. Many of my images are drawn from this pool of memories: places visited, sights seen, and people met. The rest I filled in with my imagination: dreams of places yet to be visited, sights yet to be seen, and people yet to be met.”
His literary roots were planted in the American Midwest and thrived when transplanted – over thirty-nine years ago – to the rich, cultural soil of Ontario. He and his wife, Suzanne, spend their summers in Kitchener, Ontario and are warmed by a winter sun in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Connect With Chuck:
Web Site
Web Site 2
Blog
Blog 2
His first novel, Tears in the Dust, is a mystery set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War in 1937. When Alestair Ferguson volunteers to fight in the International Brigade he doesn’t realize the true price he will have to pay. Chuck’s second novel, Remington and the Mysterious Fedora, is a quirky fantasy, a story about what happens when a young man sits at the keyboard of a manual typewriter and puts on an old fedora. When the fedora and its mysterious power begins to whisper a story to him, the young man has a strange adventure indeed. His third novel, Served Cold, spans decades and stretches from the countryside of rural Ontario to a quiet artists’ studio in Tucson, Arizona. With lots of murder and mayhem in between, the story is what happens when a long-standing feud erupts into hot-blooded vengeance.
Chuck wrote over thirty short stories before setting out to write novels that are affordable and entertaining. He has attended writing workshops in Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Ontario, Canada.
“I grew up,” Chuck said, “listening to my grandfather, an Ozark Mountain story teller, spinning tales of the caves on his farm, describing them as hiding places once used by the Jesse & Frank James’ gang. It didn’t matter if the stories were true or not. Those legends set fire to my imagination, creating images that emerged slowly over the years, finally igniting as my short stories and novels.”
Now, thirty-plus short stories and three novels later, ideas keep coming, with more novels under development. Do they share anything in common? Each has its own unique voice and tale to tell, yet, at their heart, his stories tell about the human condition – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Chuck adds, “stored images that echo in my writing include train whistles in the night, Norman Rockwell childhood scenes, U.S. Army memories, blue collar jobs, university, a professional career, and finally retirement. Many of my images are drawn from this pool of memories: places visited, sights seen, and people met. The rest I filled in with my imagination: dreams of places yet to be visited, sights yet to be seen, and people yet to be met.”
His literary roots were planted in the American Midwest and thrived when transplanted – over thirty-nine years ago – to the rich, cultural soil of Ontario. He and his wife, Suzanne, spend their summers in Kitchener, Ontario and are warmed by a winter sun in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Connect With Chuck:
Web Site
Web Site 2
Blog
Blog 2
About the TourPump Up Your Book
Giveaways, Contests & Prizes!
In celebration of his new release, Chuck will be attending Pump Up Your Book’s 1st Annual Holiday Extravaganza Facebook Party on December 16. More than 50 books, gifts and cash awards will be given away including a paperback copy of Served Cold! Visit the official party page here!Monday, December 5
Book reviewed at Celtic Lady’s Reviews
Tuesday, December 6
Interviewed at Blogcritics
Wednesday, December 7
Interviewed at The Character Connection
Thursday, December 8
Video interview at The Book Faery Reviews
Friday, December 9
Book spotlighted at Book Marketing Buzz
Monday, December 12
Book reviewed at Mad Moose Mama
Tuesday, December 13
Book reviewed at Sweeping Me
Wednesday, December 14
Guest blogging at Night Owl Reviews
Thursday, December 15
Guest blogging at Literal Exposure
Friday, December 16
Chat with Chuck at Pump Up Your Book December Authors on Tour Facebook Party!
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