Name of Author: Denise Murdoch

Title of Book: The Crying Garden

Favorite Authors: JK Rowling, Susanna Kearsley, Jane Austen, Tony Hillerman, Dick Francis and various mystery writers.

Bio: I've lived in the Western United States all my life, Utah, Nevada, California (a brief nine months in Florida) and finally Washington State where my husband and I raised our children. Long ago I majored in art but while earning my degree I worked on a novel in my spare time. I was always writing and submitting but finally put writing on the shelf, devoting myself completely to my family, my horses and my art. Recently, my daughter, Holly Campbell encouraged me to start writing again and publish on Wattpad.  I've enjoyed that so much that I am having a difficult time pulling myself away to paint.

link to story: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/21834798/write/66485507

What is your book about?

My book, The Crying Garden is about a sixteen year old girl named Stacy Williams who is uprooted from her happy, sandy life in California and planted in a crumbling little house in the mountains of Washington with her newly divorced mother.  Stacy finds that she is not alone in the house and has flashes and visions of the past. Something sinister lurks in the shed out back. She begins to hear and see ghosts and realizes the weeping from the little fenced in garden beside the house is connected to a hidden grave and headstone that Melissa from next door shows her. Melissa also introduces Stacy to her older brother, Matt. He is handsome and fun and kind enough to go along with Stacy's obsession. Matt introduces Stacy to the spirited fun of searching for answers and to her first serious kiss.

Who is your target audience and why?

My target audience is Young Adult but since I involve characters of all ages and although The Crying Garden is told from the point of view of a sixteen year old girl, I think it is well rounded enough for readers of all ages to enjoy.

Tell us about your writing process. From Story idea to published WP tale.

Writing for me is like reading or daydreaming. I might have an idea about what is going to happen next, but knowing too much takes the fun and discovery out of it. At first, with The Crying Garden, I just wanted to write a scary story, but I fell in love with the characters and ghosts and found out that a bunch of spooky scenes does not a novel make. I needed strong characters, drama and obstacles for them to overcome. The reader absolutely needs to care about the characters or there is no story. The most important relationship in my book, I feel is the relationship between Stacy and her mother. I also found that rewriting is constant. Every time I read a chapter even now, I find something to fix.

What is paranormal about your story?

This is a ghost story. And I try to keep it realistic and just a little creepy. I am disappointed in stories where the ghost blows up the house with everyone inside at the end. I like subtle ghost stories, the kind that give you chills. I think of the movies, The Others and The Sixth Sense with their subtle goosebump terror. I want my books to be quietly eerie with a feeling that the haunting could really take place --suspense with a sense of humor thrown in and most of all, a satisfying outcome.

Does it contain other genre elements? Why?

Romance. To me, there should always be a romance in a story. And there should always be some humor. After the scares come the laughs. That's just the way it should be.

Did you encounter any challenges when writing? How did you overcome them?

I think my biggest challenge is that I want everyone in the world to get along and be happy and sometimes when something horrible and disturbing might be going on in my writing, I lose sleep over it. I feel like I can't go on with the story if someone is hurt or if it involves a child or something. I sometimes decide to quit.  Then in the light of morning, I figure out how I am going to change the plot or the scene to my standards to make it not so horrifying. I'll lose sleep. I can't be too mean. Of course, the characters have to face terrible things and might get beat up a bit, but I feel an obligation to show goodness and kindness too. That's most important. And I want to be true to the ghosts. I want to be authentic in the creepiness. I think "can a ghost really do this?"

What does "writing well" mean to you?

Writing well means rewriting and rewriting and rewriting. And reading reading reading other authors.