Hi all!
Today I am talking to Tammy Merkison who is a native Floridian and the Authoress of Miami Reign and the sequel, Unfinished Business. She is also a skilled professional in the aviation industry.
A former model and actress, she has appeared in numerous hair and fashion shows in and around the Central Florida area in addition to television and radio commercials, promoting health and wellness.
She currently lives in Atlanta and enjoys traveling and live jazz in addition to writing fiction.
Q: Do you remember the first story you wrote?
Tammy Merkison: The first story I wrote was in elementary school. The title was The Adventures of Super Cat. We had a creative writing exercise where the writer gets an idea or inspiration from a picture in a magazine. I remember the picture was a man and a young child walking through a wooded area. From there I just let my imagination flow. It was so out of the box that it impressed my teacher, entertained my classmates, and sparked my love for writing.
Q: Were you inspired by someone or something?
Tammy Merkison: I was inspired by the anticipation of my peers for the next story I would create. I found early on that I loved to entertain and writing was another way I could do that.
Q: What attracts you to thrillers?
Tammy Merkison: The unpredictability of the story is what attracts me in thrillers. There is nothing like a storyline that you can’t predict. That makes the work extremely exciting.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your book “Unfinished Business” which I Understand is a sequel to your book Miami Reign?
Tammy Merkison: Unfinished Business takes place twenty years after Miami Reign and gives my fans closure to their beloved characters. From Miami to Mexico the fast-paced roller coaster of life I write leaves you breathless.
Q: How did you come up with the story for the book?
Tammy Merkison: I had an intense interest in the era of the mid-eighties and specifically the underworld of illegal drug activity. I researched archived newspaper articles from the Miami Herald for approximately five years and interviewed residents that lived during this time period. The results were absolutely astounding.
Q: Can you tell us something about the main characters James “Blue” Jackson and Fran?
Tammy Merkison: Blue is multi-racial having been born of Cuban and African American descent. He is fluent in both Spanish and English and is Ivy League-educated. The beauty of his character is his success at making it out of an inner-city despite his upbringing.
Fran is African American and is a product of street life. Her education is limited. However, through the help of others, she is cultivated into a lady of class and skill as an assassin.
Q: Is he based on someone you know?
Tammy Merkison: Blue’s character is a culmination of my research. He is not one person or anyone that I know.
Q: Are you working on something new at the moment?
Tammy Merkison: I’m currently working on a flight series, detailing life’s experiences for airline flight crews. In addition to being an author, I am also a Flight Attendant. The marriage of the two careers and my wild imagination should be entertaining as well as enlightening.
Q: Where do you see yourself in a couple of years in relation to writing?
Tammy Merkison: I see myself as having grown. As a writer, I not only want to grow I want my audience to grow with me.
Q: Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
Tammy Merkison: My tips are simple… every day read, research, or write something.
Q: Which author inspires you?
Tammy Merkison: Harper Lee…her book To Kill a Mockingbird is classic.
Q: What is the last book you read?
Tammy Merkison: Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer.
Q: Where can people go and read your work?
Tammy Merkison: You can read the preface for Miami Reign on my website at www.tammymerkison.com, excerpts from the book at www.amazon.com, or follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TMerkison for sneak tweets of my newest release Unfinished Business.
Q: Where can people find you on the internet?
Tammy Merkison: www.tammymerkison.com, www.facebook.com/TMerkison, Twitter @TMerkison
Q: Is there anything else you want to share with the readers?
Tammy Merkison: I would like to thank the readers for taking the time to get to know me through this article and for their consideration of my books. My goal is to entertain as well as educate through all of my works.
Below is an excerpt from the book “Unfinished Business”!
“Don’t do it, don’t do it, please don’t do it!” shrieked this woman that looked to be a carbon copy of Pam Grier ala Jackie Brown. It was Fran all right, sexy as ever, just older. Her hair was straight now with a little bit of gray around the temples and her body was tanned and shapely. Her breasts were round like two grapefruits and full and her hips curvier than I remembered.
I aimed my weapon straight for the heart of the young man that had his piece pointed at me. I didn’t know who in the hell this young blood was, but he was standing in the way of justice and me and didn’t even know it.
“Move, motherfucker, or you will just be another unnecessary casualty!” I said with firmness in my voice.
“Fuck you, old man! You got to go through me to get to my mama!”
The next sounds heard were of gunfire and crackling glass. Smoke filled the room and screams and commands were shouted. The sound of a police radio was transmitting codes to unseen law enforcement officers.
“Hold your fire, hold your fire! Drop your weapons and put your hands up!”
The unidentified voices grew louder and clearer, signaling that they were closing in on me, Fran and this lil dude she was with. I was not going back into custody, at least not before I had my revenge. If I was caught with a weapon, it would be back to the federal penitentiary for me and I’d never see the light of day again.
I pulled my shirt up out of the front of my jeans and over my face to shield it from the gas emitted from a canister and ran out of the building and into the night, but not before I yelled, “Next time, bitch, next time!”
Tammy Merkison