Tena StetlerAuthor of Paranormal Romance/Suspense & Cozy Mysteries With Magic Spark!

Give a warm welcome to Deborah Camp, author of  Through Her Eyes, book four in the Mind’s Eye Series. released on July 24, 2017!

Tell me Deborah, who is your favorite character and why?

While it’s true that I have to be in love with every hero I write or it just doesn’t work for me, I admit that I have a special place in my heart for Leviticus Wolfe. Here are four reasons why I’m so “gone” for this guy.

1. He’s my ultimate type. I love bad boys – guys who are badass but have bleeding hearts. Levi is bad in a good way. Growing up in a challenging environment, he developed a hard shell, but somehow he has managed to remain kind and compassionate. He doesn’t go looking for a fight, but he doesn’t back down from them either. His heart is scarred, but still big and beautiful.
2. He leads and never follows. Levi takes charge. When he sees something or someone he wants, he goes after it. His mission in life is to bring about order from chaos. He doesn’t like lies or turbulence in his life because that’s what was around him all the time when he was young. He doesn’t like to feel that he’s not in charge and in control – which is why being with Trudy is both thrilling and aggravating for him. When he’s with her, he’s not sure-footed or certain of the direction he’s moving toward with her.
3. He knows he’s deeply flawed. Although he’s handsome, gifted, and successful, Levi knows he has deep flaws and wounds that haven’t healed. He wants to be a better man, so he’s in therapy and working to exorcise his demons. But his main flaw is that he doesn’t trust others or his own heart. His intellect – knowing he should trust Trudy and allow himself to love her with all his heart – battles his honed instincts – guarding himself from further pain that would wipe out the progress he’s made in shedding his phobias and becoming “normal.”
4. He’s learning to love and be loved. Levi has never known deep, abiding love in his life and Trudy offers that to him. It frightens him because he feels unworthy of it and, yet, he wants it, desperately. Accepting such a gift will mean that he must reveal all of himself to Trudy, and when he does, he’s afraid she will decide he’s too messed up and she’ll leave him.

Do you see yourself in your characters?

My characters have pieces of me in them. For my female protagonists, I usually have to tone them down. I tend to be a little bitchy and bossy, which works out fine in my life, but comes off too strong (rude?) on the pages. Joyce, by bestie and editor, often points out places in scenes where my heroine is catty or mouthy. I like my heroines to be spirited and take up for themselves, but I want readers to like them and want to be them, so I end up revising their dialogue. That’s when an editor comes in handy. What I “hear” in my head as I write, isn’t always how others “hear” it. A good editor can point this out and save a writer from inadvertently giving the wrong impression of a character or a character’s motivation.

My main characters are how I’d like to be. Brave, witty, sexy, gracious, clever, and compassionate. I am all of these things, but not always when I want or should be! My characters usually do the right thing at the right time and say the right thing when it needs to be said. I don’t do that . . . but, oh how I wish I could! And wouldn’t it be nice if the guys in our lives said the perfect thing every time we needed to hear it?

Why do you write what you write?

I enjoy books with a touch (or more) of suspense, so I’ve added that to my novels for many years. This series goes beyond a touch. The books have edge-of-your-seat scenes in them. Then there is the paranormal aspect in the Mind’s Eye series.

When I was in high school, I met a boy who has ESP. He couldn’t play card games with us because he could “read” our minds and know what cards we had in our hands and which ones we needed. He’s a remarkable human being and the reason I became interested in the paranormal. I’ve met a lot of fakes in my time as I’ve researched psychics, but I’ve also run across a handful who are the real deals.

The psychic world is vast and a few psychics take it beyond “entertainment” and use their gifts to help detectives with cold cases or assist people in finding their lost relatives. It’s fascinating stuff and I knew that it would provide plenty of material for a series – or two or three. Readers like how Trudy and Levi have different abilities. Trudy can connect psychically with murderers while Levi can commune with deceased victims. Together, they can glean clues from the living and the dead.

I also enjoy exploring the other side of being psychic. Growing up “different” is difficult and most psychics had challenging childhoods. From being called liars by their parents to being taunted by their school mates. Levi had a horrendous childhood and Trudy is only now coming to grips with her abilities and how to control them. It all makes for complex characters in fascinating situations.

Thank you for that insight into your and  your writing.