A Little Background on El Tiburon

Guatemala

El Tiburon (The Shark) was the second of the McGee spy series. The main characters, Sean and Sport, have a knack for getting in trouble. Quite honestly, they are fun to write about… Especially Sport. She is a feisty, athletic, physician, and she can usually take care of herself. She’s extremely independent, but when she is kidnapped by a drug boss and dragged south to Guatemala she must depend on others to survive.

She escapes the drug lord’s compound and hides in a garbage can. On garbage collection day. The garbage collectors toss her into the dump truck and haul her off to the Guatemala City Garbage Dump. She’s rescued by a group of Guajeros.

This is where the research became intense.

Let me give some background. My husband and I have been to Guatemala several times. In fact we’ve had a seven-month long exchange pastor. What’s that? Periodically churches will send a junior pastor to the states to make connections and to learn new things (and teach us new things). We are known for our spare room. I’ve lost count of how many people have lived at our home in the last thirty years. So Marvin came for seven months followed by his sister Karina for four months. We flew to Guatemala for Marvin’s wedding, in which we were the God-parents (a big deal in Guate). Each time we’ve gone we’ve stayed for a month to go to language school, and to loaf around as only Americans can do. As I write this, Karina—my Guatemalan ‘daughter’, is sitting across from me at my kitchen table. She came for a Christmas visit.

So I know Guatemala fairly well. El Tiburon takes place in Antigua, a town I know. The wine bar, Mexican restaurant (not to be confused with Guatemalan food), the textile shops, the rock-n-roll bar, are all real places. So research was easy for Antigua.

The garbage dump is a different story. This is a tremendously sad story of a people group who’ve lived for generations inside the dump, subsiding off the refuse and money from recyclable garbage. Their homes are made of discarded metal sheets and wood sticks.

Last count there were about eleven thousand people living there… six thousand of whom are children. Now the research had to kick into high gear. The Guatemalan government isn’t proud of this community. Many years ago a magazine did a story on these people and there was a general uproar from human rights activists around the world. The result? The government built a wall through the dump to separate the Guajeros from their dump. Now the government can honestly say, “No people live in the dump!” So they crawl through the fence and resume their work. The community is officially called La Limonada. It is extremely difficult to go there and help these people. To visit you must have a guide, which I couldn’t manage.

My story celebrates the strength of the Guajeros. I chose to make them the heroes and characters with integrity. They rescue and protect Sport. In exchange she provides medical attention and education. The little school, Vidas Plenas, is real, but I’ve never been there so its description is a figment of my imagination. Their struggle is real. The harvesting of their youth for gangs is real. Their medical issues are real. I don’t know that I’ve ever enjoyed writing about a group more in my life. It was incredibly challenging to place my main character there.

Currently there are several groups working with the Guajeros. There is much to be done, but it’s almost impossible to help them. The best way is to provide education and continue the fight against drugs. It makes me sad to think of the reality. The only way I could make the situation known was through my story-telling. Let me know what you think after you read El Tiburon.

Interview With JK Bovi

H. Schussman's Interview with JK Bovi

Heidi:

Tell us about yourself.

JK Bovi:

I live in Savannah Georgia with my wonderful husband. I have two great grown-up sons who live within “hugging distance”. I enjoy fishing and boating. I have a degree in art and I paint with acrylics. I am a professional graphic designer and work from home.

Heidi:

What does JK in JK Bovi stand for? 

JK Bovi:

Joan Kay. My mother had intended for me to be named Joankay, but they misunderstood her and separated my name on my birth certificate. JK Bovi is shorter than my full name and easy for readers to remember.

Heidi:

What genre do you write?

JK Bovi:

I write Young Adult & Teen Paranormal Humor Fiction that take place in Savannah. (boy that’s a mouthful)

Heidi:

When did you start writing?

JK Bovi:

I started writing when I was twelve. It was out of necessity more than anything else. I didn’t have any books to read, so I wrote my own story. (It was the first time I wasn’t writing for a school assignment) I really enjoyed it, and from that point on I had a story scribbled down in a spiral notebook somewhere. This was before computers. I had to write everything by hand which really makes you think more about what you’re saying when your pencil is getting shorter and shorter and your hand is cramping up. I finally got a Brothers Portable Typewriter for Christmas and it was the best gift ever!

Heidi:

Who is your all-time favorite Author?

JK Bovi:

Mark Twain. His wit is timeless.

Heidi:

Where do you write? Describe your workspace.

JK Bovi:

I write by the seat of my pants…I mean that literary. I use my ipod. It slips easily into my back pocket. I take it out and write whenever I want. (It is so much better than dragging that Brothers Typewriter around.) When I think the story is finished I move it to my computer in my work office and then it becomes a work in progress. This is the researching, spelling, double-checking, cutting, moving, editing part that polishes the story.

Half of my office has all the peripherals for a graphic designer: printer, scanner, computer, bag of gumdrops, file cabinets etc… The other half has my painting easel, paints, light box and sketches. My office walls are covered with my artwork and everything I own has a splotch of paint on it that doesn’t belong there.

Heidi:

Who is your favorite character in your story?

JK Bovi:

I don’t have a favorite character. I love all my children the same. Even the crazy mischievous dead ones.

Heidi:

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

JK Bovi:

I would say I am most like Jenny. She is a painting major at the art college and everything she owns has a splotch of paint on it (like me). She is practical and levelheaded, but also a believer that anything is possible.

Heidi:

What are you working on now?

JK Bovi:

I have two books coming with Vinspire. Zombies Y’all! will be released in October 2015. (Southern Fried Zombiefied) Heels & Souls will be out the following year. (It’s a ghostly thing … that Savannah swing.) I am tweaking final edits for both of these. I have two more I am working on, but they are on my ipod in my back butt pocket.

Heidi:

Did you find writing a query letter a challenge, if so, how did you overcome it? Do you think there was a key phrase or idea in your QL?

JK Bovi:

I never found writing a query letter a challenge. The hard part is checking grammar and making sure to use spell-check. I keep my query letters simple and don’t fill it with flowery fluff. I like a bullet format because it is quick and easy for the submission editor to evaluate.

Heidi:

What advice do you have for a writer aspiring to be published?

JK Bovi:

Research publishers of your genre. Follow their submission guidelines. Mostly, don’t take rejection personal. Publishing is a business.

I took a lot of time researching publishing companies for Dead Man’s Fingers. I was looking for a regional (Southeast) company that would appreciate my southern sense of humor. I wanted a smaller publisher that treated their authors with dignity and offered e-books as well as printed books. I found Vinspire in Charleston and it seemed like a perfect fit. They have a diverse readership and offer humor, paranormal and young adult books. (I had a one in three shot of getting in somewhere) I kept returning to their web site to see what genre they were accepting submissions for, and when they opened the door to young adult manuscripts, I was ecstatic and ready to submit.

Be prepared. “Your dreams will come true when you least expect it”, but until then be watchful, persistent, and believe in yourself.

Heidi:

Who would you like to acknowledge?

JK Bovi:

I want to thank my husband, family and friends for their support and encouragement.

I want to thank Dinah at Schiffer Publishing who believed in me and helped get my first book Wicked Haints, published.

I want to thank Dawn and the editors at Vinspire Publishing who published Dead Man’s Fingers and welcomed me so kindly into their group of talented authors.

Heidi:

Would you be willing to share your Facebook page and website with your fans?

JK Bovi:

Of course!

Facebook

Website

Getting Published

I finished my second novel El Tiburon about a year ago and began the laborious process of having it edited. Once that was completed I began looking for which publishing company would be the best fit for me.

Absolute Write is a tremendous resource for any writer. This is where I first stumbled upon the publishing company, Vinspire. Their website drew me in like a moth to a flame … that’s gross, how about a moth to a light bulb? Anyway they have a great tag-line “Your Travel Guide to Adventure”. As most of you know, I travel a lot. I also write a travel blog; A Dashing Bold Adventure.

El Tiburon takes you to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Mexico. I read the Vinspire submission guidelines to see if they were interested in my genre (a must when submitting a query letter). They were, so I spent several days crafting my query letter and sent it off.

I was completely stunned when they asked me to join the Vinspire family! Since then it has been like starting a new job. They needed cool stuff like my acknowledgment page and biography. They also needed not-so-fun stuff like re-formatting my manuscript and tax info.

For me this is a major adventure. I get to read about what the other authors are up to … Jennifer Bryce, Terry Spear, Diane Wylie, and many others. It feels like sacred ground.

My New Author Blog!

Hello Everyone,

I've been a little slow at getting this up and running, but getting a publisher for my second book has given me a kick in the britches.

My first book, Counterpart was published 3 years ago through Smashwords. I think they were a good choice. Smashwords has simple and easy to follow directions and a huge audience. You're on your own regarding quality, layout, and cover, but if you have your work pre-edited it helps. I made my own cover.

I'd done the usual learning curve of sending out queries to any and every agent or publisher. No one showed the slightest interest ... except my readers. Now doesn't that seem odd? My readers were pushing me to get published. They were telling me "This would make a great movie!" From the publishers I heard crickets.

I finally accepted the fact that though I may be able to write a full size novel (105,000 words), clearly I couldn't write a query letter. Am I the only one who has this problem? I even thought of hiring someone to write the query for me.

I don't regret being an indie author. It had to be done. The best part was it allowed me to get my book out there and to receive the much coveted book reviews. Here's some from Smashwords:

Review by: Judy Schussman on Aug. 05, 2012 : 
A riveting adventure. Very well written. One can visualize every scene and action in this beautifully descriptive piece.
An extremely enjoyable experience.

Review by: anna z on March 29, 2012 : 5 star 

GREAT... All the best for your next book. Looking forward to it

Review by: Bob Cashatt on Jan. 01, 2012 : 5 star
Great book. Great plot. I am looking forward to the next book 

(this is an ex Homeland Security agent)

Review by: John Hancock on Sep. 27, 2011 : 5 star
I honestly enjoyed this thriller of a book. Well developed and interesting characters and storyline. Once you get into this rabbit hole you’ll enjoy spending time as the plot twists and turns. It grabbed my attention from the start and held it throughout. I look forward to the next effort by this talented writer.

Review by: Kim Highsmith on Sep. 26, 2011 : (no rating)
A great fast read. Kept my interest the whole time. It had everything from action to romance. If you liked the movie true lies you'll like this book. Can't wait to read her next book!

Review by: Jeanette Lawson on Aug. 19, 2011 : 5 star
I really enjoyed this book. Could not put it down. It was very exciting and I fell in love with the characters. Can't wait until her next book.

Review by: Deanna Dick on Aug. 11, 2011 : 5 star
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was gripping from the beginning, and fast moving without losing you in the plot twists with a tasteful touch of romance. I await the sequel.

Review by: MaryLu Lopez on Aug. 08, 2011 : 5 star
I loved this book. It was a fun read with lots of twists and turns. The characters were fun (or detestable!), but certainly interesting. The scenic descriptions were easy to picture in my mind's eye. The plot had me going from the beginning. I think this would make a great movie! Can't wait until Heidi's next book comes out.

So here I am on this crazy journey. I have very little idea of what to expect, knowing little about the publishing industry. Certainly feel free to ask me questions. Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted!