Behind the Book: The (Mostly) True Story of the Writing of One Two Punch

One Two Punch actually two novellas, two halves of a whole book. The first part was Core Punch and the second part was Sucker Punch. When both books were finished, I mashed them together into One Two Punch. 

Since I’m featuring One Two Punch and my Lonesome Lawmen Complete Bundle for March, I thought it would be fun to post my original Behind the Book interviews. Only problem? I never did one for One Two Punch or the separate books. I’m not sure why I stopped doing them, but I thought it would be fun to bring them back.

So, we’ll see how I do with this interviewing of myself again.

Me: I thought we’d moved beyond this strangeness?

Myself: We both thought that. Apparently, we were wrong.

Me: Well, being wrong is not new to either of us. So let’s see if we remember how to do this. Where did the idea for One Two Punch come from?

Myself: I launched a new series called The Big Uneasy, set in present-day New Orleans and featuring the Baker family, a dad and thirteen kids—a Baker’s Dozen.

Me: I just never get over the shock of that number.

Myself: Neither did our agent.

Me: True. Please continue.

Myself: It was a lot of fun to write, but most of my readers at the time we’re stopping by for my science fiction romance. I had completed Project Enterprise (or thought I had) and I needed to get a new series going in that genre. I thought it might be a good plan to connect my new science fiction romance series with my romantic suspense series and see if I could get some crossover readers.

Me: How did that work for you?

Myself: LOL Not that well, even though I still think it was a cool idea to launch a science fiction romance/mystery series set in future New Orleans. I had a blast figuring out what a future New Orleans might be like. I created a Baker descendent who is partnered with an alien with secrets.

Me: The story presented some challenges for you, did it not?

Myself: Why yes it did. In my future New Orleans, they’d raised the city so that it couldn’t be affected by hurricanes anymore, so of course, I felt the need to prove them wrong. In the midst of storm prep, my two detectives stumble on a body and find themselves caught in the storm, trying to keep from getting killed by either the storm or the murderer. So I had to envision a raised New Orleans and all the challenges that would present and figure out how to bring my storm in so that it hosed them the most.

Me: You had plans for that hurricane, didn’t you?

Myself: [laughs wryly] Yeah, for years, when we lived in New Orleans, every hurricane that approached, they’d talk about the worse case scenario: a hurricane traveling up the mouth of the Mississippi. So I wanted my hurricane to do it. But while it would mess over the city, that path didn’t sufficiently hose my characters (as my editor pointed out several times very gently), so I had to change the path.

Me: So the first novella, Core Punch, is…

Myself: …the storm. Surviving the storm, almost getting killed by the killer who escapes. Then I pick up the story of finally finding the killer in Sucker Punch. There are Easter eggs in both books for people who like my Big Uneasy series.

Me: You had planned to write more in this series, hadn’t you?

Myself: I haven’t given up on it yet, but have focused on writing books that are more popular with readers. One Two Punch offers a complete and, hopefully, satisfying ending. And since the books are happening in the future, there is time for me to get to them.

Me: Unless we die.

Myself: We already died. Ask Goodreads.

Me: True. So, is there anything you’d like to add before we wrap this madness up?

Myself: I’ll just finish by saying if you like books that are “…action-packed, funny and smart…” you might enjoy One Two Punch. 

Thanks for stopping by for my crazy. Sadly for all of you, I have more of these interviews that I’ll be posting in the months to come. Lol

Perilously yours,

Pauline