Write to the Point with H.L. Wegley

Today we get write to the point with author H.L. Wegley. I interviewed H.L. a while back, you can read his first interview here.  Read through to the end, he has a giveaway for you.

Tell us about your newest book.
My newest release is On the Pineapple Express, a thriller, with a little romance, about a beautiful, young NSA research scientist who accidentally intercepts a cell call on her research equipment. The call gives her clues about a group of girls who are soon to be sold to international human traffickers and smuggled out of the country. With time running out before the sale of the girls, insufficient information to engage the authorities, and a 100-year storm bearing down on them, my heroine, Jennifer, and her fiancé, Lee, attempt to find the traffickers’ holding location. This soon raises a question in Jennifer’s mind, will she survive to see her wedding day or what the traffickers have planned for her … its antithesis?
The sequel, Moon over Maalaea Bay, set entirely in Maui, releases June 13.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
My wife and I have led a weekly, small-group Bible study for more than 20 years. We both love hiking the rugged Olympic Peninsula beaches, when it’s not raining. We also love snorkeling Maui and are currently saving our pennies for another trip to the Islands. I read a lot and listen to music. I used to participate in several competitive sports, but after breaking a wrist, hyperextending an elbow, and having rotator-cuff surgery, all on my right arm, I’ve retired, content to have a rehabbed arm that has full motion and doesn’t hurt anymore.
Where do you get your ideas?
My ideas have come from a combination of my work experience and the news. I subscribe to several newsletters on the internet that provide information you won’t see much about in the network news, but it’s great fodder for thrillers.
Do you outline or are you a seat-of-the-pants writer?
My preference is to have a little structure to what I do, but not too much. Consequently, I construct my plot minimally, just enough to make sure I have the proper plot points, and then I capture that plot in a very simple outline. The outline serves as my roadmap as I write, but I’m not averse to taking alternate routes along the way. Sometimes I write out my outline as a sequence of scene cards. In the past I’ve used 5X7” cards, but will probably use Scrivener in the future.
Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?
Yes. I have a complete, professionally edited manuscript that has had 3 rejections. It’s a good story, borrowed from the life of someone I knew. I’m thinking about self-publishing it before it gets technologically dated.

Are you like any of the characters in your book?
My first novel turned into a 4-book series. This was my first foray into fiction, and I was worried about creating realistic characters. Since the hero would be around for 3 or 4 books, the solution to my concern was to give him a shortened version of my resume, my childhood experiences, and most of my interests. This worked pretty well until my wife recognized me in the story and read about my hero kissing the heroine, a beautiful, young, Japanese-Hawaiian lady. That raised her eyebrows and a few questions. It still does. Now I get in trouble for everything my heroes do, even the ones who aren’t so much like me. 
Are you working on a new project now?
Currently I’m polishing a high-action, romantic suspense story, The Janus Journals, and writing book proposals for it that 4 agents have requested. This is my best writing yet, and I have high hopes for it. Of course, we all think that with each new story … until the rejections start coming in 😦

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Anything you would like to add?
I would like to emphasize a couple of things about On the Pineapple Express. First, the subject matter could lead to R-rated scenes. I avoided them, making this a book your teenage daughters can read. Secondly, there are a couple of takeaways for the reader. If we trust God and are willing to follow Him, even in the face of fear and danger, He will provide the courage and power to accomplish His purposes through us. Then, for readers who do not know our Savior, there is another message that is presented simply and without preaching, the message of redemption.

Thanks so much for sharing with my readers again. It is great to hear what you are up to and how God is working in your life.

Readers, leave a comment for H.L. by May 13th at 5:00 pm to be entered to win his book.