Audrey J. Snyder
What television sitcom is most like your family? Why? I can’t really relate to a sitcom but my friends over the years have said my family is like the “Family Circus” cartoon. So many crazy stories from my husband burning down our shed while chasing a groundhog, to me yelling out my bedroom window to stop the person who was trying to steal my car by backing it slowly down the street. Stories of my husband digging seven holes in my backyard to bury our dog so I wouldn’t know which hole they put her in. They were so tired when he and my son finally finished that they didn’t dig the last one deep enough and when I looked out the kitchen window, her legs were showing. Stories that my friends and family have witnessed over the years say should wind up in a book. Maybe one day they will.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax? My magazine time is my relaxation. I close myself off from my family, get a few magazines, lay on the sofa with my earbuds and drift away to Motown sounds.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself? Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t capable of accomplishing great things.
For what are you grateful? The list is too long, but on the top of the list is being able to retire healthy and the ability to fulfill my dream of being a published author. I am grateful for my family and circle of wonderful friends
At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy? I remember is as if it were yesterday. Age 41. It seemed as if my life was finally going in the right direction. I finally figured out what my family and career goals should be. I went back and finished college which opened up a plethora of opportunities for me. Yes 41 was a memorable year.
Me as an Author:
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? I’ve always liked mystery and suspense. I followed Mary Higgins Clark as a young girl and a little of Agatha Christie. As an adult my interests varied and I read Maya Angelou, BeBe More Campbell and everything Terry McMillan wrote. Lately, I’ve been readying Eleanor Taylor Bland.
What is your favorite aspect of writing? Your least favorite? My favorite aspect is outlining the scenes of a new novel and coming up with names for my characters. I like to see how a story comes together scene by scene. I decide on character names during the beginning stages of the story. My least favorite is editing. It seems there is no end to editing. There is always one more word to change or one more comma to insert or remove. Ugh !!!
What aspect of writing would you most like to improve on? Scene development is an area that I would like to improve. I don’t have trouble coming up with ideas but developing all the details is an area where I need help.
Do you have “must haves” with you while you’re writing? Coffee and quiet are my “must haves” along with some munchies. Lately, I’ve been trying to limit the munchies to fruits and cheese.
What have you learned from being in the writing business? I’ve learned that writing is fun and is a way to use my creative energy. It thoroughly encompasses my life. There isn’t a time when I’m not thinking of a theme or character, especially if I’m watching television, at a movie theater. Marketing and promotion are a necessary skill that I need to take time and patience to learn more about.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax? My magazine time is my relaxation. I close myself off from my family, get a few magazines, lay on the sofa with my earbuds and drift away to Motown sounds.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself? Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t capable of accomplishing great things.
For what are you grateful? The list is too long, but on the top of the list is being able to retire healthy and the ability to fulfill my dream of being a published author. I am grateful for my family and circle of wonderful friends
At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy? I remember is as if it were yesterday. Age 41. It seemed as if my life was finally going in the right direction. I finally figured out what my family and career goals should be. I went back and finished college which opened up a plethora of opportunities for me. Yes 41 was a memorable year.
Me as an Author:
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? I’ve always liked mystery and suspense. I followed Mary Higgins Clark as a young girl and a little of Agatha Christie. As an adult my interests varied and I read Maya Angelou, BeBe More Campbell and everything Terry McMillan wrote. Lately, I’ve been readying Eleanor Taylor Bland.
What is your favorite aspect of writing? Your least favorite? My favorite aspect is outlining the scenes of a new novel and coming up with names for my characters. I like to see how a story comes together scene by scene. I decide on character names during the beginning stages of the story. My least favorite is editing. It seems there is no end to editing. There is always one more word to change or one more comma to insert or remove. Ugh !!!
What aspect of writing would you most like to improve on? Scene development is an area that I would like to improve. I don’t have trouble coming up with ideas but developing all the details is an area where I need help.
Do you have “must haves” with you while you’re writing? Coffee and quiet are my “must haves” along with some munchies. Lately, I’ve been trying to limit the munchies to fruits and cheese.
What have you learned from being in the writing business? I’ve learned that writing is fun and is a way to use my creative energy. It thoroughly encompasses my life. There isn’t a time when I’m not thinking of a theme or character, especially if I’m watching television, at a movie theater. Marketing and promotion are a necessary skill that I need to take time and patience to learn more about.
My Latest Release
As a reporter for a local newspaper, Angela Hollingsworth has traveled all over the world collecting information, artifacts and samples, always bringing back a package for her boss from an associate in whatever country she visited. What she didn’t know was that the package contained drugs, stolen art or both.
Desperate to stay out of jail, Angela can only rely on one man, Glen Spencer, an agent for the FBI. Together they devise a plan to take down one of the biggest drug cartels in New Jersey. Trusting her old college friend, Angela doesn’t anticipate the danger coming for her.
Now Angela is fighting for her life and her feelings for Glen…but time is running out. Will she be able to escape The Organization or will all her dreams end up in a body bag?
How did you decide on your story plot? My television viewing the books I choose to read generally relate to a similar story plot. I watch detective shows and read romantic suspense novels. That’s always been my interest.
How did you choose your characters names and location for your story? My characters and location came during the development of the plot. I wanted my story to reflect what is happening in today’s world.
EXCERPT:
Angie heard footsteps behind her as she walked down the long narrow hallway. She turned around to see if it was anyone she knew, but she didn’t know the man behind her. There was no one else in the hallway. She walked faster and he walked faster to keep up.
Angie entered the hotel elevator. As the elevator door closed, a man stopped it with his hand, then boarded. There was another couple inside and they got off before Angie. The man stood in the back of the elevator. Angie moved to the front of the small space after the couple got off. She wanted to get out of there as fast as she could. The bell dinged for her floor. She got off and so did the man. He turned to walk down the hall in the opposite direction, then quickly turned to follow Angie.
“Ms. Hollingsworth, I was told to give this to you for Mr. Santucci.” He shoved the package at Angie. It was a small, square box, the size of a cake pan, wrapped in brown paper. Angie looked at it and at the man who’d given it to her. She couldn’t get a good look at his face, with the dark glasses and baseball cap pulled down almost over his eyes. She didn’t want to stare. She wanted to get away.
As a reporter for a local newspaper, Angela Hollingsworth has traveled all over the world collecting information, artifacts and samples, always bringing back a package for her boss from an associate in whatever country she visited. What she didn’t know was that the package contained drugs, stolen art or both.
Desperate to stay out of jail, Angela can only rely on one man, Glen Spencer, an agent for the FBI. Together they devise a plan to take down one of the biggest drug cartels in New Jersey. Trusting her old college friend, Angela doesn’t anticipate the danger coming for her.
Now Angela is fighting for her life and her feelings for Glen…but time is running out. Will she be able to escape The Organization or will all her dreams end up in a body bag?
How did you decide on your story plot? My television viewing the books I choose to read generally relate to a similar story plot. I watch detective shows and read romantic suspense novels. That’s always been my interest.
How did you choose your characters names and location for your story? My characters and location came during the development of the plot. I wanted my story to reflect what is happening in today’s world.
EXCERPT:
Angie heard footsteps behind her as she walked down the long narrow hallway. She turned around to see if it was anyone she knew, but she didn’t know the man behind her. There was no one else in the hallway. She walked faster and he walked faster to keep up.
Angie entered the hotel elevator. As the elevator door closed, a man stopped it with his hand, then boarded. There was another couple inside and they got off before Angie. The man stood in the back of the elevator. Angie moved to the front of the small space after the couple got off. She wanted to get out of there as fast as she could. The bell dinged for her floor. She got off and so did the man. He turned to walk down the hall in the opposite direction, then quickly turned to follow Angie.
“Ms. Hollingsworth, I was told to give this to you for Mr. Santucci.” He shoved the package at Angie. It was a small, square box, the size of a cake pan, wrapped in brown paper. Angie looked at it and at the man who’d given it to her. She couldn’t get a good look at his face, with the dark glasses and baseball cap pulled down almost over his eyes. She didn’t want to stare. She wanted to get away.
