BooksChatter: ℚ♫ The Maine Nemesis: Skyler Moore Thriller [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author R. Scott Wallis to talk about The Maine Nemesis (16 January 2019, Bethwick Books, 435 pages), a Suspense, book one in the Skyler Moore Thriller series.

“Skyler Moore is destined to be an iconic hero of the American mythos.”

“A perfect book to take to the beach or curl up with on a cold snowy day by the fire.”

“The characters are lots of fun and you instantly fall in love with Skyler and Brenda.”

“Being from New England myself I love that I could relate to the places, culture and personalities of the book.”

“R. Scott Wallis paints the picture of this coastal village and each of the residents who call it home. I found myself turning the page with anticipation of what would happen next and it grabbed my attention from the first page.” ~ Amazon Reviewers

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || The Series || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to R. Scott Wallis; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

Here at BooksChatter we love music, so R. Scott Wallis has shared with us his music playlist for The Maine Nemesis - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for The Maine Nemesis?

"As a kid, I used to spend a great deal of my summers in Maine where my aunts and uncles live. We primarily visited Kennebunkport—the southern coastal town made so very famous by President George Bush’s family compound there—and I modeled my fictional Wabanaki after the tourist town.

Wabanaki is much sleepier than its neighbour, but it still has the ‘Down East’ essentials like endless lobster rolls, chilly summer evenings, quaint old farm houses, and a cast of odd characters. When I was trying to decide where my main character would be from, southern Maine seemed like the obvious choice because I wanted the setting to be a character all its own and because I know the area so well."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Maine Nemesis - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"This is a fun one—I love my current cover, but I have recently found out that that is not a lobster on the cover. I thought it was a lobster, but it turns out it’s something else. But it’s still menacing, right? And it is red.

Maine is known for its lobsters, so real Mainers are going to know I got it wrong when I designed it and picked the photo from Adobe Stock online.

In any event, it’s going away this fall. Because the second book in the series, THE NEW MEXICO SCOUNDREL, is also out now, and the third, THE NEVADA SABOTEUR, is coming out on September 27, I decided to commission new covers for all three novels that better tie the books together. I am very excited about what the young designer has come up with and can’t wait to debut them in September. And, yes, there will be a lobster on the cover, not an imposter."

Laughing out loud!

Can you tell us something quirky about this book, its story and characters?

"I have a character name spreadsheet on my computer to keep track of all the names I have used as well as the ones I want to use in the series. Many of them are just names I think work for a particular person (or animal), but some of them are borrowed from real life. I pop my friends into my stories a lot; mostly secondary characters that make very brief appearances. My most loyal readers and advocates get a kick out of discovering their names in my books, so it’s a win-win."

Who would you recommend The Maine Nemesis to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"This is something I’ve been giving a lot of thought to lately. Apparently, there are 119 f-words in THE MAINE NEMESIS. I know this because a reviewer on Amazon complained that there were 300-400, which isn’t true; I counted them!

But, I’ve decided that it’s too many. I toned it down for book two, and really took out a lot in book three. And book four, which I’m writing now…it has zero. Well, maybe it’ll have one or two. Even the most gentile character has a fuck to give every now and then."

What is your writing process?

"I write from about 6:00 a.m. until 10-ish every single morning that I’m not traveling. I write as fast as I can to get a first draft done, then I go back and read it and fix it and make corrections and changes.

I work from a set of extensive notes, but I don’t outline. I have an idea where the story is going, who the bad guy is, and where I want to ultimately end up before I start, but I make a lot of it up on the fly.

It takes me about two months to completely finish a novel, then I send it off to my editor and immediately begin work on the next book."

What is in store next?

"There will be three Skyler Moore Thriller series books out this year—Nemesis, Scoundrel, and Saboteur—and I have mapped out three for next year, too.

After Maine, New Mexico, and Nevada in 2019, I’m taking Skyler and friends to Alaska, California, and Virginia in 2020. And then, we’ll tour the rest of the United States, as long as people keep reading my silly stories.

I love to travel the U.S. and excited to bring the best elements of all the places I’ve been to the page. It’s part thriller…part travel book."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"My babies! They are my constant companions and best friends.

Sticks is a six-year-old Lemon Treeing Walker Coonhound that I rescued when I was living in Washington, D.C. and Charlie is a Boxer-Pitbull mix (we think) from the same rescue organization. He’s three. And they are the absolute best of friends.

They are lovable and mischievous, and they love their new desert home here in Las Vegas. We have a huge backyard and they love to chase rabbits more than anything else. Luckily, they haven’t caught one yet."

Hello Sticks and Charlie, you gorgeous boys! Lots of head-scratches and belly-rubs to both of you from all of us at BooksChatter!

Scott, thank you so much for sharing your boys with us! :-D