"My Mother the Man-eater" by Tracy Krauss

Clash of the Titles, Where Authors Compete and Readers Judge

 

From medieval prince to 21st century man-eater, Clash of the Titles (www.clashofthetitles.com) saw a gamut of interesting characters pass through its arena in January. The first half of the month we celebrated new life in Christ. In the second half, we grieved with our characters in their moments of loss. No matter the genre or theme, there’s always something exciting going on at COTT.

Tracy Krauss (http://www.tracykraussexpressionexpress.com/) joined us with her book My Mother the Man-eater, (http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Man-Eater-Tracy-Krauss/dp/1609765850/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297021598&sr=8-1) where “hunting never looked so good.”

With a title like that, my first question was—What kind of fascinating character would be given such a label? So I asked the author. Apparently, heroine Joleen Allen is on the hunt. For a man, that is. Unfortunately, every time the mother of five meets a prospect, he falls for one of her daughters instead!

“Joleen’s life has not been an easy one,” Tracy says about the book’s heroine, “but she is a fighter. The fact that Joleen is so tenacious, despite almost insurmountable hardship, makes her somebody to root for, I think. Also, she portrays the kind of confidence and penache that makes her stand out, although most of it is a coping mechanism.”

Since the Clash’s theme was Conversion Scenes, I asked Tracy what Joleen’s hold-up was for trusting Christ.

Tracy: Deep down she doesn’t feel like she deserves it. She can’t accept the fact that God could forgive her for the multi-layered sins of the past, nor can she believe God could change her penchant for ‘sin’ in the present.

Here a tiny peek at Tracy’s excerpt:

“If he loves me so much, why did he let so many bad things happen in my life?” Joleen asked.

“I can’t answer that for sure,” William replied. “All I know is, what Satan meant for harm, God can use for good. Will you let him? Take the pieces of your life and turn it into something good?”

For the full excerpt, click HERE. (http://www.clashofthetitles.com/2011/01/conversion-scenes-excerpts.html)

It was an amazing Clash as authors and readers shared their favorite scriptures and rejoiced in God’s mercy and grace. Join us this month as we turn the focus from God’s love toward man to that between hero and heroine during back-to-back Most Romantic Moment clashes.

April W Gardner (http://www.aprilgardner.com) is the senior editor of Clash of the Titles and best-selling author of Wounded Spirits. (http://www.amazon.com/Wounded-Spirits-April-W-Gardner/dp/0981989616/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297021817&sr=1-1)

Tracy Krauss' "And the Beat Goes On"

We're happy to have Tracy Krauss with us today talking about her book, And the Beat Goes On. To learn more about Tracy and her book, read on!

1) How did this story come to you?
This book is actually the sequel to another novel called Play It Again. In this first book, Mark Graham is an eleven year old child who is interested in fossils and arrowheads and is the son of the main characters, one of whom is involved in the music industry. (In case you’re wondering, this first book is still under consideration with Steeple Hill and is not yet in print!) When I began writing And The Beat Goes On – which is essentially an archeological suspense – Mark seemed like the perfect character to use, only all grown up. It seemed logical to continue with the ‘musical theme’ for the title, since it is a continuation from the first story to some degree, although it definitely stands alone as well. Also, there are subtle references to tribal drumming, the rhythmic continuity of life as it connects to the past, etc. etc. which made the title make sense. (And, no, it has nothing to do with Sonny and Cher!)

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
Wow. Actually, I have been writing for about twenty five years, now. About six or seven years ago I decided it was time I submitted something for publication, but having little time, few resources, no contacts, and absolutely no knowledge of the publishing industry, I pretty much blundered along for the first several years. (I naively thought it would be easy since my writing was so fabulous and my ideas so unique!) What a wake up call! Two years ago, after many gut wrenching critiques, revisions, research and plain hard work, I sent out a blitz of submissions. In October of 2008 I finally landed a contract. Little did I know that the real work of publicity was still ahead!

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
Hm. I’ve moved more than thirty times in my life, so I’m an expert packer! (I’ve been less than an inch from a real live polar bear with only the window in my car separating us – this was in the wild, not in a zoo!)
I have more than one piercing (not talking about ears here!), like to hang out with artsy theater types, and still manage to maintain my integrity as a Pastor’s wife and Christian. (It’s time we threw away our stereotypes, folks!)
I was an original Trekkie back in the day and was in love with Leonard Nimoy.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
My next novel called My Mother The Man Eater is currently in production and will hopefully be ready for release before Christmas. I’ve got two others under review with various publishers/agents. I am also in the process of seeking publication for the many plays I’ve written and directed over the years as a Drama teacher and director. I’m also working on an illustrated children’s book. (I’m a visual artist as well and also teach Secondary School Art) Finally, I’ve got three other manuscripts in various stages. That enough?

5) Parting comments?
Thanks for this opportunity. I’m glad to be a part of such a vibrant community of writers who support one another.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I currently maintain two blogs:
http://www.tracykraussexpressionexpress.blogspot.com/
http://www.krauss.aegauthorblogs.com/
I also frequent lots of social networking sites and authors groups, so hopefully we’ll connect somewhere along the way!