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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Interview with Mandi Tucker Slack




Mandi Tucker Slack grew up in Orangeville, UT, where her father worked as a coal miner for eighteen years. In 1987 the coal mines shut down for a time and her father joined the U.S. Army. They were stationed in Hanau, Germany, and she had the opportunity to explore Europe. Mandi’s family returned to Utah in 1992, and they settled in Orangeville once again, where she attended and completed High School. She then attended the College of Eastern Utah, where she studied Geology. Eventually Mandi changed her major and moved on to Utah State University while she completed a degree in Special Education. She then married her best friend, Charles Slack. They have three children, with one on the way, 6 chickens, and a lizard (sometimes several lizards).Their family loves to spend time together. They enjoy 4-wheeling, camping, and especially rock hounding. Her house is littered with rocks and fossils. As a child Mandi spent many weekends with her parents and sister exploring abandoned mining towns and searching for relics among the brick ruins. Her adventures with her family are often the inspiration for her stories. Mandi is also the author of romantic/ suspense title, The Alias, available at a bookstore near you.

Mandi, when did you first start writing? What inspired you?
 
I first started writing when I was around the age of 12. I was a very imaginative child, and it just seemed natural to create stories. My inspiration came mostly from my parents. As a child, we traveled a lot. We explored old ghost towns, visited ancient castles in Europe, and spent time together as often as we could. The trips we went on and the places we visited sent my imagination into overdrive.


What is your favorite thing about writing?

I am a story teller. I tend to focus entirely on the "story" as I write. Later, I go back and revise the "writing". I love telling the story.


What genre do you prefer - and why?
 
Suspense is my favorite. I like to feel like I'm in the thick of things. Toss in some romance, and I'm completely enthralled. I also really enjoy a good ghost story. I started reading Mary Downing Hahn when I was younger, and her ghost stories captivated me.



Tell us about your story and what inspired you to write it.
 
Tide Ever Rising is my latest published novel. It is a paranormal romantic/suspense. Kadence, the main character, is a junior high school history teacher who loves to explore old ghost towns. While exploring an old ruin near Eureka, Utah, she stumbles onto an old can. Inside the can she finds an antique pendant, a journal, and a few other personal items. She becomes unnaturally obsessed with this journal and is determined to find the owner. Her quest brings her and her sister, Maysha (Weird name, I know, but their mother was eccentric...lol) to Bremerton, WA, where she finds the still living relatives of the journal's keeper. As the story unravels, the secrets that had been buried with the journal so long ago reveal a dark past and unleashes a presence that Kadie feels certain is haunting her every step.

The inspiration for this story, oddly enough, started as a weird dream. I dreamed the main story line. When I woke up, I wrote it down, then promptly forgot about it. A year or so later, while cleaning under my bed, I found the dusty note I had written. Intrigued with the idea, I sat down and started the first chapter.


How do you juggle your writing time with raising a family?
 
It's not easy. Finding time to write is a challenge. During the summer months, we spend a lot of time at parks or camping. I'm inspired by nature, so my best writing happens outdoors while my kids are playing nearby. I don't usually get a lot of writing in at one time, but I get in what I can, when I can.


What stories do you see in your future?

I have a couple of manuscripts that are currently in the revision process. I hope to have those submitted within the next year or two. I always have new ideas, so I write them down, and when the mood strikes, I start a new story.



Where can readers find you?
I love interacting with my readers, and I'm always happy to have new followers on both FB and Twitter.

 
You can follow me here: https://www.facebook.com/MandiSlack

Or visit my website:

1 comment:

JoAnn Arnold said...

Enjoyed your blog and interview with Mandi. I lived in Orangeville for many years. I know Mandi, and I thoroughly enjoyed her book, Tide Ever Rising.