WISP: A Small Town NightmareThere is a psychotic killer on the loose in Ellerton. Sheriff Stan Murphy and his paranormal journalist nephew Alex Fiedler have their hands full trying to keep the townspeople calm while keeping the city officials satisfied with their progress. And the killer is not stopping. The bodies keep piling up and the physical evidence defies explanation. Something strange is afoot in Ellerton, and Alex isn’t the only one looking at other-worldly answers.
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The Who, What, When, Why & Where of Kevin R. Maze and WISP
Who? Who are you – tell us about yourself:
I’m a husband to a beautiful and talented writer named Ellen C. Maze, and stepfather to a beautiful and talented graphic designer/writer named Elizabeth E. Little. I’m an avid reader and movie fan. I read almost any kind of book except romances (I never really got into the genre, although I did read and love “The Bridges of Madison County”).
What? What did you write – tell us about your book (as well as other writing):
My novel “Wisp” is described on the cover as “a small-town nightmare,” or as I tell people, a paranormal small-town murder-mystery. It basically takes the average peaceful southern hamlet and throws it upside down during the course of about a week.
I also contributed some short stories to “Feckless Tales of Supernatural, Paranormal, and Downright Presumptuous Ilk” that Ellen edited. She and I actually co-wrote one of the stories together (“Comeback”).
When? When did you first realize you wanted to be an author:
I realized I wanted to be an author when I was four or five years old. I cut cartoons and pictures related to space (NASA, Skylab, rockets, planets, stars, etc.), glued them onto sheets of paper and stapled the whole thing in a manila envelope I colored red and entitled “My Space Book.” I, like so many other boys, wanted to be an astronaut and write about my adventures (yes, I was heavily influenced by “Star Trek” at that time). When I had to get glasses as a boy, the astronaut plan was scrapped, but I was still writing stories, and that has been one thing that hasn’t changed throughout my life.
Why? Why should we choose to read your book? What’s in it for us? What are we going to get out of it:
“Wisp” offers something different for fans of murder-mysteries: the killer is not human, and by all scientific and logical reason cannot exist, but does. And this happens in a tiny city with a low crime rate (the last murder was five years ago) so Sheriff Stan Murphy is understaffed and inexperienced to handle this responsibility, but since it’s his job he has to do whatever he can to stop the killings and restore peace to his town. I think of it as “Terror comes to Mayberry.”
It’s also being listed as Christian thriller/suspense, but it’s more “Christian friendly” than many Christian fiction novels or works associated with the word “Christian”. In other words, Christians and secular readers will be able to enjoy it without encroaching too far into theological territory. It deals with spiritual themes as many thrillers do, but it isn’t proselytizing in any way. After all, it is a fiction mystery novel.
Where? Where can someone who is interested get a copy of your book:
“Wisp” is available in paperback format at Amazon.com and TreasureLineBooks.com as well as at my website www.kevinrmaze.com. A Nook version can be downloaded from BarnesandNoble.com and Kindle version from Amazon Kindle, with wider markets coming in the future. Also, feel free to check out my blog at www.kevinrmaze.blogspot.com.
Tell us 5 little known facts about you or your book(s):
1. As much as I credit TV shows like “Twilight Zone” and “The X-Files,” the idea for “Wisp” came from watching an episode of “Law & Order” when the girl’s boyfriend was the prime murder suspect, but he had an airtight alibi; he couldn’t have committed the murder. I wondered to myself, “What if someone who possibly couldn’t have done it actually did it…?”
2. Aside from having my name in print, courtesy of my school newspaper, the first work I had published was a short story called “The Wake.” It was about a funeral wake told from the body’s point of view.
3. I once wrote for the website www.critics.comunder the direct supervision of Writer’s Digest contributing editor/author Don Prues.
4. My friend Marty and I “hung out” for over 10 years, and sometimes her sister would tag along. One night when Marty couldn’t make it, her sister and I went out anyway, the first time the two of us had been alone. That ended up being the first date I had with Ellen. We were married six months later. (That date was also the first time we shared our love of writing with each other).
5. In addition to being a writer, I’ve also worked as a Wal-Mart assistant manager, an accounting clerk, and a quality control lab tech for Coca-Cola.
I’m a husband to a beautiful and talented writer named Ellen C. Maze, and stepfather to a beautiful and talented graphic designer/writer named Elizabeth E. Little. I’m an avid reader and movie fan. I read almost any kind of book except romances (I never really got into the genre, although I did read and love “The Bridges of Madison County”).
What? What did you write – tell us about your book (as well as other writing):
My novel “Wisp” is described on the cover as “a small-town nightmare,” or as I tell people, a paranormal small-town murder-mystery. It basically takes the average peaceful southern hamlet and throws it upside down during the course of about a week.
I also contributed some short stories to “Feckless Tales of Supernatural, Paranormal, and Downright Presumptuous Ilk” that Ellen edited. She and I actually co-wrote one of the stories together (“Comeback”).
When? When did you first realize you wanted to be an author:
I realized I wanted to be an author when I was four or five years old. I cut cartoons and pictures related to space (NASA, Skylab, rockets, planets, stars, etc.), glued them onto sheets of paper and stapled the whole thing in a manila envelope I colored red and entitled “My Space Book.” I, like so many other boys, wanted to be an astronaut and write about my adventures (yes, I was heavily influenced by “Star Trek” at that time). When I had to get glasses as a boy, the astronaut plan was scrapped, but I was still writing stories, and that has been one thing that hasn’t changed throughout my life.
Why? Why should we choose to read your book? What’s in it for us? What are we going to get out of it:
“Wisp” offers something different for fans of murder-mysteries: the killer is not human, and by all scientific and logical reason cannot exist, but does. And this happens in a tiny city with a low crime rate (the last murder was five years ago) so Sheriff Stan Murphy is understaffed and inexperienced to handle this responsibility, but since it’s his job he has to do whatever he can to stop the killings and restore peace to his town. I think of it as “Terror comes to Mayberry.”
It’s also being listed as Christian thriller/suspense, but it’s more “Christian friendly” than many Christian fiction novels or works associated with the word “Christian”. In other words, Christians and secular readers will be able to enjoy it without encroaching too far into theological territory. It deals with spiritual themes as many thrillers do, but it isn’t proselytizing in any way. After all, it is a fiction mystery novel.
Where? Where can someone who is interested get a copy of your book:
“Wisp” is available in paperback format at Amazon.com and TreasureLineBooks.com as well as at my website www.kevinrmaze.com. A Nook version can be downloaded from BarnesandNoble.com and Kindle version from Amazon Kindle, with wider markets coming in the future. Also, feel free to check out my blog at www.kevinrmaze.blogspot.com.
Tell us 5 little known facts about you or your book(s):
1. As much as I credit TV shows like “Twilight Zone” and “The X-Files,” the idea for “Wisp” came from watching an episode of “Law & Order” when the girl’s boyfriend was the prime murder suspect, but he had an airtight alibi; he couldn’t have committed the murder. I wondered to myself, “What if someone who possibly couldn’t have done it actually did it…?”
2. Aside from having my name in print, courtesy of my school newspaper, the first work I had published was a short story called “The Wake.” It was about a funeral wake told from the body’s point of view.
3. I once wrote for the website www.critics.comunder the direct supervision of Writer’s Digest contributing editor/author Don Prues.
4. My friend Marty and I “hung out” for over 10 years, and sometimes her sister would tag along. One night when Marty couldn’t make it, her sister and I went out anyway, the first time the two of us had been alone. That ended up being the first date I had with Ellen. We were married six months later. (That date was also the first time we shared our love of writing with each other).
5. In addition to being a writer, I’ve also worked as a Wal-Mart assistant manager, an accounting clerk, and a quality control lab tech for Coca-Cola.
And the Winner of the morning autographed copy giveaway of WISP is: Kim VanAken!!! Congratulations Kim for answering the following questions correctly:
1. In what Town did the Small Town Nightmare take place? Ellerton, Alabama
2. What show does Kevin give credit for the idea of WISP? Law & Order
3. What other book includes stories written by Kevin? Feckless