Interview with Gail Ramsey Reader Views is happy to have the chance to talk with novelist, Gail Ramsey. Her recent book is a courtroom drama, “Tick Tock.” Gail is being interviewed by Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor for Reader Views. Juanita: Thanks for talking with us today Gail. Would you please give us an idea of the storyline in your new novel, “Tick Tock”?
Juanita: I understand you have a professional experience with the legal system. Would you tell us about your history and how that influenced “Tick Tock”? Gail: My characters are aspects of my own personality, experiences and passions, although their stories are different from my own. Yet, for me, writing makes everything I’ve experienced in my life relevant. I graduated college with degrees in justice and communications and have worked for many years assisting lawyers with trial presentations. Juanita: What inspired you to write “Tick Tock”? Gail: I love to read especially the legal suspenseful novels. A few years ago, I was caught-up in a legal drama of my own when my sister was tragically killed. After experiencing that type of grief, I sought a higher meaning of life and felt most alive and vibrant as a novelist. Juanita: How did you develop your lead character, Spiegel Cullen? Gail: Spiegel Cullen, with all of the professionalism that she embodied, was at times weak when it came to guys until she found her toughness. In writing the novel, I interviewed and read about many women with some similarities. I often note that writing is like peeking into the personal lives of people where we see true vulnerabilities and strengthens. The face we often show to the outside world is not often a true reflection of our inner most private urgings. If characters are to resonate with readers, emotional muses have to be penned to the page. Juanita: Can you give us an idea of who Spiegel Cullen is – what motivates her, where is she in her life? Gail: Spiegel Cullen, like many working women, stood at a crossroads of career or family. While soaring to professional heights, she desired one of the most basic essentials of life – to be loved. But more than that for many thirty-something young girls – loved, married, and pregnant. As life goes though, seldom are the handsome husband, fertility, and the house with the white picket fence at your fingertips when you’re ready to turn that page and the challenges that go along with looking for love in all the wrong places speak volumes. Yet, in spite of it all, Spiegel Cullen, for instance, keeps her mind sharp and her body fit and when or if marriage and kids come her way, she’ll embrace it. In the meantime, running through the park at the break of dawn, helping people in trouble, and, of course, wondering what makes Dr. Tyler ticks give her joy. Juanita: You have developed a very interesting cast of characters in “Tick Tock.” It gives the reader the impression that you are actually writing about people you know. Can you give us a little background into your thoughts on character development, and in particular the mix of characters in “Tick Tock”? Gail: Thank you. At times, I felt as if I was actually easy dropping on the characters in Tick Tock myself. I knew them, however, before they hit the page in terms of the plot as I typically spend lots of time creating backgrounds – their interests, their schoolings, jobs, favorite colors, favorite foods, what they wanted to be in life versus where they are now and how they got there -- that sort of thing. With any legal drama, there’s a cast of characters that must be present. I had a good sense of how a case would play out because of my own background, but the characters of Tick Tock took me on journeys even I had not considered. I most loved those moments when I was totally lost in their worlds and just wrote it as it came to me. Juanita: What attracts you to the idea of big, sensational, courtroom dramas? Gail: After eighteen years of assisting lawyers in the courtroom, I began to wonder about verdicts and the people behind them. What if the outcome had been different? What are the lives like of defendants and victims outside of the courtroom? What about the lawyers, the judges – are they happy in their personal lives? With more cameras in the courtroom now than ever before, I’m often pulled into the prime time and court TV courage of trials too. Juanita: This is a very high profile case portrayed in “Tick Tock.” With your significant background, can you tell us some of the hardships of these cases, and how they typically are exploited in the media? Gail: As I may have mentioned, ironically, I am involved in a high-profile case in my state involving the sudden tragic death of my youngest sister. In my experience, I felt robbed of my own personal grief. All of a sudden the focus of media reached into the deepest part of my soul and exposed the tears that would forever lay right beneath the surface only to have it become part of a blip on the evening news. To those gatekeepers of the press, its part of a script, but that script is part of my soul, raw. I think others may share that feeling too and am writing a new book about being caught between tragedy and justice in a high-profile case. Juanita: What is the significance of the title “Tick Tock”? What is the meaning behind this suggestion of timing running out? Gail: In Tick Tock, there are a few significant references to running out of time – Breanna Jordan, the captivating defendant, on trial for her life unless evidence to the contrary is uncovered, the notion of Spiegel Cullen’s wanting to meet and marry and start a family, and then the concept of just stopping to be present in the moment before that moment is gone. I think the latter is the most significant theme of the book. Juanita: Your book takes readers on a trip to many different destinations. What are some of the significant places that you include in “Tick Tock”? Gail: If you’ve ever visited my hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, many of the stops in Tick Tock will be familiar to you – the tranquil muddy waters of West River Drive, the libraries, the tree-line cobble stone streets of Chestnut Hill, the restaurants and coffee shops. Readers are then transported though to the pink sandy shores of Horseshoe Bay Beach in Bermuda, the place of the murder, allowing readers to experience the warmth of Bermuda – its tropical climate, its warm people and its tourist attractions. Juanita: How does the island of Bermuda and its island life influence your story? Gail: In an effort to “show” and not “tell,” I took the trial out of the familiar and placed the setting in a jurisdiction unfamiliar to me as well in terms maneuvering the law. Readers learned the law as the characters discovered what could happen when Americans get into trouble on foreign soil. Why Bermuda? It is one of my favorite places. In reaching the novel, I got to visit several times, sit in on a court case, visit police municipalities and go fishing with the locals. Juanita: What are some of the themes your weave into your story “Tick Tock”? Gail: The primary theme is to live in the moment as opposed to worrying about what you’ll be doing five ten years from today or whether or you’ll meet your soul mate. Other themes might be to recognize when “he’s just not that in to you” and when someone else is. What I discovered is that my characters on both sides of the law – the lawyer and the accused were really not that very different, both had real life emotional angles to juggle. Juanita: Is “Tick Tock” a suspense novel? A mystery? Romance? Gail: Boy, the courtroom drama became more suspenseful than anything else. Yet, readers love the mystery and the romantic undercurrent throughout the story. Juanita: Who is your reading audience? Who would enjoy reading “Tick Tock”? Gail: Anyone who enjoys a spicy legal drama with a romantic twist would find Tick Tock a compelling debut. Juanita: Do you have plans for other books in the near future? Gail: Sure! My next novel is the story of a widowed book club member whose life is coincidentally being played out in a best-selling murder mystery. I am also working on a book inspired by a true event where sisters are forced to juggle murder, grief and court TV in a high-profile legal drama. Juanita: How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors? Gail: Please visit my website at www.gailramsey.com. Juanita: Thanks for talking with us today Gail. We wish you much success with your debut novel, “Tick Tock,” and future works as you pursue your dreams of being a novelist. Do you have any last thoughts for your readers? Gail: In a marketplace as competitive as ours, well wishes and good deeds are appreciated. Thank you for your support. I love hearing from readers and would invite your readers to e-mail me directly, if anything else comes to mind. |
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