Nia Virtual Book Tours is honored to be the first stop for Dying on the Edge Blog Tour with Francine Craft.
What caused you to stop writing romance and romantic suspense to do mysteries?
Dying on the Edge is a romantic voodoo mystery I’ve thought about for 20 years. It has haunted me and I was somewhat afraid of voodoo before I bought and read many books about it. It’s a brilliant blend of Catholicism and African paganism. It began when the brutal Haitian French masters forbade their black Haitian slaves to worship their gods. These slaves named their gods’ Catholic saints’ names and continued to worship as before. This and the incredible African drums are what is credited with enriching the Haitian slaves to throw off their yokes, rebel and win. Since these people were black, their story is not often told, but there is no excuse for us living in this day and age. Of course, this is only a small part of Edge. There is only so much room in a mystery.
I’ve read that Edge is a bit gritty. What is your take on this?
Many terms are carelessly used to describe all books. To me, gritty is when you tell a sexy, violent story for titillation and entertainment. I think Edge is an orange and lemon slice of life. You’ll find nothing there you haven’t experienced or heard of in your life. Some live a life of denial, but that changes nothing. Above all, I seek to treat everything I write about with respect. I love my characters and I treat them accordingly, the bad as well as the good; we’re all blended.
What do you feel is the most important thing you learned in writing Dying on the Edge?
I'm glad you asked that one because it's so important. I learned to go with writing about our passions and our deepest feelings. We live in a time of sensationalism and the big guys are often the most sensational ones. So one of the most pleasant surprises I got was when I posted six excerpts from Edge on my website and a houngan (voodoo high priest) talks with a woman who wants a spell to kill her hated rival whose husband she wants. He tells her, "Evil is without power to create, it can only destroy." She sharply tells him surely he knows that destruction is sometimes necessary to create. And he gives her a warning we should all heed. The thrust of Edge turns on that warning.
Dying on the Edge is a romantic voodoo mystery I’ve thought about for 20 years. It has haunted me and I was somewhat afraid of voodoo before I bought and read many books about it. It’s a brilliant blend of Catholicism and African paganism. It began when the brutal Haitian French masters forbade their black Haitian slaves to worship their gods. These slaves named their gods’ Catholic saints’ names and continued to worship as before. This and the incredible African drums are what is credited with enriching the Haitian slaves to throw off their yokes, rebel and win. Since these people were black, their story is not often told, but there is no excuse for us living in this day and age. Of course, this is only a small part of Edge. There is only so much room in a mystery.
I’ve read that Edge is a bit gritty. What is your take on this?
Many terms are carelessly used to describe all books. To me, gritty is when you tell a sexy, violent story for titillation and entertainment. I think Edge is an orange and lemon slice of life. You’ll find nothing there you haven’t experienced or heard of in your life. Some live a life of denial, but that changes nothing. Above all, I seek to treat everything I write about with respect. I love my characters and I treat them accordingly, the bad as well as the good; we’re all blended.
What do you feel is the most important thing you learned in writing Dying on the Edge?
I'm glad you asked that one because it's so important. I learned to go with writing about our passions and our deepest feelings. We live in a time of sensationalism and the big guys are often the most sensational ones. So one of the most pleasant surprises I got was when I posted six excerpts from Edge on my website and a houngan (voodoo high priest) talks with a woman who wants a spell to kill her hated rival whose husband she wants. He tells her, "Evil is without power to create, it can only destroy." She sharply tells him surely he knows that destruction is sometimes necessary to create. And he gives her a warning we should all heed. The thrust of Edge turns on that warning.
About Dying on the Edge
A Multicultural, Multilayered Romantic Voodoo Mystery
SHE WAS LOOKING FOR A WAY BACK INTO HIS HEART
Film star Maggi French is on top of her game, and she wants billionaire real estate mogul Kurt Wilder for herself, even though he's married and has a child. He owns Wilder Film Studios, and Maggi's drive for power demands she have him as her husband. She'll go to any lengths to get him, including voodoo. Maggi lives on the edge of an emotional precipice. Will her hunger for Kurt provide the thrust that pushes her over?
WAS HE LOOKING FOR A DEADLY WAY OUT?
Kurt Wilder has romanced many women and his wife knows all about them. Once he thought he'd divorce his wife and marry Maggi. Now he's drifting and she's clinging. Has he figured out a way to be free of her forever?
SHE WAS LOOKING FOR A WAY BACK INTO HIS HEART
Film star Maggi French is on top of her game, and she wants billionaire real estate mogul Kurt Wilder for herself, even though he's married and has a child. He owns Wilder Film Studios, and Maggi's drive for power demands she have him as her husband. She'll go to any lengths to get him, including voodoo. Maggi lives on the edge of an emotional precipice. Will her hunger for Kurt provide the thrust that pushes her over?
WAS HE LOOKING FOR A DEADLY WAY OUT?
Kurt Wilder has romanced many women and his wife knows all about them. Once he thought he'd divorce his wife and marry Maggi. Now he's drifting and she's clinging. Has he figured out a way to be free of her forever?
About Francine Craft
Francine is a long-time, prolific, bestselling multicultural romance and romantic suspense writer for publishers such as Harlequin, BET and Kensington. Her slogan is: Books that Warm the Heart the and Enrich the Soul. She is also popular on the international front, especially in the UK, and gets treasured fan mail from readers in the United States and worldwide. Several of her books have been translated and Harlequin distributed five as Introductory Books. She feels that nobody values their fellow humans more than she does, but adds that they can be trying sometimes which doesn't keep her from loving them.
With DYING ON THE EDGE, Francine has written and self-published a romantic voodoo mystery with Wheatmark Publishing and her own imprint of Craft's New America Press. Edge is well researched, written, edited and proofed. A lot of people who've read advance copies have loved it and she hopes you will too.
With DYING ON THE EDGE, Francine has written and self-published a romantic voodoo mystery with Wheatmark Publishing and her own imprint of Craft's New America Press. Edge is well researched, written, edited and proofed. A lot of people who've read advance copies have loved it and she hopes you will too.
POST A COMMENT
Leave a comment and be entered to win a wonderful Harry & David tower of treats courtesy of Francine! Winner will be randomly chosen by the author and announced on the last day of the tour.
