Leti Del Mar Interview with Darmie Orem

The Inadvertent Thief Blog Tour / Giveaway / Interview  

Interview Highlight

With me here today is the author of The Inadvertent Thief, Leti to be interviewed. Hi Leti. Welcome to I Am Darmie Orem's blog and as well Authors' Curtilage with Darmie Orem.

It is good to have you here.

Before we begin this interview, Leti the readers would like to hear about you - your full name, native place, specific special things you cherish about this native place, short description about yourself, education, family background, experiences, strength, your interest outside writing, so that they can get to know you better.

"My name is Leti Del Mar and I have lived in sunny Southern California my whole life.  I live in a suburb outside of Los Angeles and absolutely love it because I am about an hour drive away from the beach, the desert, the mountains, and the city.  There is so much to do and enjoy here.  When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time with my husband, daughter and cat.  We love to travel and are always planning our next trip.  I also love art history and spend as much time in museums as I can."

Anything else you want to tell your readers about yourself?

"Although I teach Biology and Algebra to teenagers, I have had a lifelong love for literature and am always reading a novel.  I especially enjoy detective tales, mysteries and Sci-Fi.  Currently I have discovered the world of Young Adult Fiction and am enjoying that as well."


Do you recall how your writing flare began? Was it a gift or something you have always loved to do and you went to school to study it?

"Although I have always loved reading, writing is a new passion for me.  I had a story in my mind and started writing and then could not stop.  My first novel was such an incredible learning experience and now that I have published it, I can’t foresee a time when I will stop."

It is believed that most gifted people with powerful free flowing minds, have convetional characters growing up as a child. One that I'm quite familiar with is talking to one-self. Which one did you have as a child and still keep till date?

"I talk to myself all the time.  It helps me remember things."

*Smiles* That's funny. I do the same. It makes me understand things better and remember them. There are four invented creative paradigm which had fitted well into the writing styles of different authors. I can remember three vividly.

"Seat of the pant" (often called an SOTP) you write by the seat, when you don't know how the story is going to end. You absolutely don't even know what's going to happen on the next page of your plain excercise book. You sit down and start writing or typing.

The likes of Stephen King writes by this method and has done very well. So also Jerry Jenkin, author of the LEFT BEHIND series of apocalypytical novels.

"Edit as you go creative paradigm" It is similar to writing by the seat of your pants except that you don't go very far before you stop and edit what you just wrote.

"The snowflake creative paradigm" With this method you start with small single story concept and then flesh out the idea in a succession of steps, each time adding more detail. You alternately work on your plot and chracters until you have gotten a strategic plan to guide you in writing your first draft.

Leti Del Mar, your readers would like to know your writing style.

"I use the Snowflake Creative Paradigm.  I start with a basic outline and then flesh it out.  I use charts and checklists to construct my scenes and develop my characters and then I start on my first draft.  Once I start my first draft, I just let it flow and don’t edit or revise until that draft is complete."

Is the Inadvertent Thief your first book?

"Yes!"

What's the inspiration behind this romance suspense novel that you would like to share with us?

"While visiting one of my favorite museums, I started noticing the security the museum had in place and then wondered what it would take to steal one of the paintings.  Then I started to wonder what would motivate a law abiding citizen like me to want to steal a painting.  That gave birth to the idea and once I started writing, I just couldn’t stop."

Hmm. That's fascinating inspiration. What inspired the title The Inadvertent Thief?

"The heroine of my story had no intention of becoming a thief but when her world gets turned upside down, she realizes that she will need to become a thief in order to get back what was her responsibility to protect, thus she is an inadvertent thief."

How much of this book is based on true events and the work of your imagination?

"The characters are composites of people I know and the places are very real but what happens to them is all a work of my imagination.  I do however intersperse some real life anecdotes from my travels throughout the novel."

Can you share a little of this book with us?

"As a security specialist, Vivien Flowers is a perfectionist. So when two very important paintings she had been hired to protect are stolen, her highly structured world is turned upside down and she must get them back. It’s too bad art theft is not very high on the Los Angeles Police Department’s list of priorities. So when Vivien is joined by a handsome insurance agent eager to prevent the multi-million dollar claim from being paid, they use any means necessary to track down the location of the stolen paintings. But is Vivien willing to become a thief herself to get the paintings back? The answer leads her on a journey of intrigue, deceit, crime and even love as she travels from Los Angeles to Paris and discovers the true brilliance she is capable of."

Was there any plot or character you found challenging when developing the drafts for this novel?

"I had a hard time creating my villain.  Maybe I don’t know enough mean people but developing my villain took some considerable effort for me."

Maybe you should turn to me when next you want to create one. *Smiles.* Who designed your book cover?

"Me!  I used a great photograph taken by El Caballo and then used Photoshop to create the cover."

Wow! You did quite fantastic!

"Thank you Darmie."

You are welcome. What were the difficulties you encountered - research, literary, psychological, and logical in bringing this book to life?

"Revising was the hardest part because somewhere along the way I started to hate everything I wrote.  It got to the point where nothing seemed right.  So I took a couple of months off and them revised and edited and then made myself stop.  Honestly, I could go back now and keep editing."

If you had to rewrite this book, what would you change, what character would you kill off and why?

"I might kill off her ex-boyfriend, mostly because he is based loosely on one of my ex-boyfriends and that would be oh-so-fun!"

*Smiles* O.K. What's the moral message behind this book that you want people to grasp?

"Never stop believing in yourself."

Did you learn anything from writing your own book?

"Yes!  Everything!  Since this was my first novel I learned about the entire process including writing, revising, self-publishing and marketing.  Now I am applying that knowledge to my next novel that I am currently working on."

I hope you will tell me about the book it's out?

"No problem, I will let you know to create some spotlight on it." 

What books or authors has influenced you most in life?

"Let me tell you who I love because what I love, I read and what I read inspires me.  I love Edith Wharton, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and I am currently discovering and loving many indie authors who have trail blazed the path without a traditional publisher." 

If you have to pick a mentor, which author would that be?

"I am always inspired by Jane Austen as an author because she did it all on her own, in a man’s world and without the help of the wonderful blogging community."


Are there any new authors whose work has captured your interest lately?

"I am loving the world of dystopian young adult so authors like AlyCondie and Ann Aguirre have really captured my interest."

Any project coming up after Inadvertent Thief soon?

"Yes a novel called TheUnAltered"

Can you tell us a little about it?

"It is a Sci-Fi Young Adult that takes place in a world where human genetic alteration is so common it is a part of fashion and it follows two young people who don’t accept that reality because they learn that there is something terribly wrong with the world they live in."

Do you see writing as a career or some sort of hobby?

"I would love to make a career of it.  Who knows, maybe I will!"

If you have to come to life again, would you chose writing as a profession?

"I’m not sure.  I think I needed to live the life I already have lived to bring to the place that I am now."

What message do you have for your readers and upcoming authors?

"Never give up.  This is a journey and not a destination."

Where can your readers purchase The Inadvertent Thief?

"They can find it as an ebook on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords"

On what social networks can your readers reach you?

"I am on Twitter as leti_delmar and Facebook as Leti Del Mar.  Please friend and follow me!"

Thanks Leti Del Mar for granting me the audience to conduct this interview. It's an honor to have you.

"Thank you Darmie. I'm most grateful for your time. Merry Xmas and a Prosperous New Year to all my readers!"