Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Wendy Sand Eckel

Wendy Sand Eckel is a psychotherapist who lives in Annapolis, Maryland, where she enjoys her family, multiple pets, and life on the water.

Her new novel is Murder at Barclay Meadow.

Recently I asked Eckel about what she was reading. Her reply:
I recently delivered the first draft of Death at the Day Lily CafĂ© to my editor, the second in the Rosalie Hart mystery series. Writing up to ten hours a day for months on end cut into my reading time. But to keep the gears turning I kept a well worn copy of East of Eden nearby. I have dog-eared more pages in that book than any other. Steinbeck’s themes are timeless and universal, his descriptions like poetry. He has the unique ability to tap into the feeling of, ‘yeah, me too!’ when describing a character’s reaction or emotion. He writes on a grand scale, setting the story in the backdrop of a distinctive historical era, and placing the characters in a landscape of diverse climate, privilege, and luck. Reading passages from this book expands my mind and prompts me to enlarge my own writing by adding light and texture and pushing my characters to tap into their motivations, inhibitions, and dreams.
Visit Wendy Sand Eckel's website and Facebook page.

The Page 69 Test: Murder at Barclay Meadow.

--Marshal Zeringue