BFAD: Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles

Irony is having a big ol' fiesta and Violet Parker is the piñata. Little girls are vanishing from Deadwood, South Dakota, and Violet's daughter could be next. Short on time and long on worry, she's desperate to find the monster behind the abductions.
But with her jerkoff co-worker trying to get her fired, a secret admirer sending creepy love poems, and a sexy-as-hell stranger hiding skeletons in his closet, Violet just might end up as one of Deadwood's dearly departed.






Q: What made you decide to set your novels in Deadwood?

A: I had spent my summers in Deadwood during my teen years, after my mom moved there from Ohio. My family and I explored back roads, ghost towns, old abandoned mines, and stream-lined gulches every chance we could. The history of the place entranced us, and there was always a road we hadn’t traveled that needed to be checked out.
A few years ago, while pregnant with our second (and last!) child, my husband and I were in Deadwood visiting my mom and stepdad. On the way into town, a story idea hit me about a single mom with two kids—twins—who was trying to make ends meet while trying out a new career in a new town. That’s when Violet was born.
From the start, I had a gut feeling that this story was meant to be. Nearly Departed in Deadwood just poured out of me. The years of exploring the town and surrounding hills paid off, I was able to slip in and out of the setting by just closing my eyes. I could feel the summer sun, smell the pine trees, hear the sounds of Main Street. It was a match made in fictional heaven.

Q: Your cover art is really distinctive. Can you tell us more about it?

A: The cover artist is C.S. Kunkle, who happens to be my older brother. He also drew the graphics that are inside of the printed version of the book—I think 7 in all. He’s been drawing since we were kids, and he’s also one of the main sources for my wild imagination. His art is a little twisted and wild, and his love of monsters has kept me afraid of the dark since we were kids growing up on the farm in Ohio. He’d often tell me stories of vampires or werewolves living out behind the barn—the same barn that I had to go out to on dark winter nights and feed the cows. I grew up watching scary movies with him, and I’m pretty sure he’s warped a part of my brain.
We had wanted to work on a joint project for years, and when I couldn’t hook a New York publisher with this book, I turned to him and asked if he would be willing to work with me on this project and represent the books in the art form. He didn’t even hesitate.
If you check out my Deadwood website (www.anncharles.com/deadwood), as well as my main Ann Charles website (www.anncharles.com), you will see his art all over the webpages. I’m extremely fortunate that my parents put my crib in his room when he was four, because we’ve stuck together through thick and thin ever since. Having such a talented artist so willing to work with me has been an incredible boost to my career.

Q: What is your ideal romantic hero like?

A: He loves to cook and he’s great at it. He also is willing to clean the toilet and shower/tub, do the laundry, and go grocery shopping. Oh, and he likes his women short, curvy, and full of spunk. Handsome with sexy forearms is a definite plus! He’s nice to kids and pets, he’s intelligent but doesn’t show off, and he is willing to give a woman the space she needs to grow and thrive.

Q: What one thing is vital to your survival (or sanity!) when writing?

A: Caffeine. Lots of it. Injected intravenously.


Q: What is your favorite way to relax?

A: Sitting on my couch with a good action/adventure movie with a touch of romance on the television, a plate of Chicken Tikka Masala in front of me (with plenty of warm Naan, too), and a Coke Slurpee within reach. Ahhh, paradise!

Q: What advice would you give a brand-new writer?

A: If writing to get published and sell books is what you really want to do, realize that winning contests, finding a publisher (or agent), and becoming a bestseller doesn’t happen
overnight. It takes years, sometimes even a decade or more, like it has for me. I have been
working to be published for about fourteen years now. Many authors take less time than I have, some take more. Patience is necessary, as is continually learning, persevering, and practicing. And most important—this is an entrepreneurial business. Entrepreneurs are known for living, breathing, and sleeping their businesses. Writing is the same. If your family doesn’t periodically consider staging an intervention to break you from your writing-related addiction, you aren’t working hard enough at it to succeed.

Q: What is your favorite bad-for-you treat?

A: A Coke Slurpee. Someday, I’m going to purchase a Slurpee machine of my own and drink it straight from the tap.


Q: If you had an entire day to yourself with no responsibilities of any kind and unlimited resources, what would it look like?

A: Easy—I’d be sitting on a Mexican beach under a big umbrella with a huge blended Margarita on the little table next to me along with a huge plate of chips and guacamole in my lap. In one hand, I’d have my Kindle loaded with a sexy read, and in the other I’d have my husband’s IPod that I’d be listening to while he took a dip in the crystal clear pool of the resort behind us. Later, our kids would join us for a yummy, fun-filled dinner, and then the nanny would give my husband and me a few more hours of “adult swim” time beforereturning the kids for the night.

Q: What is something that readers would be surprised to know about you?

A: I have an irrational fear of cows, which formed when I was a little kid and have not been able to shake. When I was fifteen, I got lost in the Black Hills of South Dakota one summer day because I’d come across a bull standing in the road while I was out on a walk. I was too chicken to try to skirt around it. For five hours, I wandered the forest, lost, trying not to panic as dusk neared. Finally, I came across a cute little cottage filled with a kind, older couple who took me in, fed me some cookies, and then drove me home.

Q: What is one of your most embarrassing moments?

A: Recently, I stepped off a Ferris Wheel at an amusement park, twisted my ankle, and proceeded to fall down the three steps to the ground in a very ungraceful like manner. Think “train crash” here. My shins took a beating, but my wrists were saved because I fell on top of my 4-year-old daughter. What a great mother, right? Cushion my fall with my kid in front of a crowd of about twenty-five people. Ha! Luckily, my daughter took the brunt of my weight pretty well and ended up with only a bruised knee, where as I had to go to the first aid station and get wrapped with ace bandages and patched up with Band-Aids. Just call me, “Grace.”

Prais for Nearly Departed in Deadwood

"Nearly Departed In Deadwood was a contemporary mystery romance with a touch of paranormal that kept me enthralled with goosebump-creepiness and belly aching laughter." ***** FIVE STARS! -Escape Between the Pages Book Reviews

"It's no wonder Ann won an award for this story. Her storytelling capabilities are tremendous." ***** FIVE STARS! 

-ParaYourNormal Book Reviews

"Ann Charles weaves a fun romp of humor, romance, mystery, and the occult. The pages are brimming with eccentric small town characters." 

-Angela Spencer, Reviewer for Rise Reviews

"I loved the sexual tension that Charles portrayed and built along with a phenomenal plot." 

-Immortality and Beyond Book Reviews

"With colorful characters and witty dialogue, this is a book sure to please all fans of mystery, romance and the paranormal." 

-The Pen & Muse Book Review