Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A Dead Guy Talks To You - Guest Peg Herring


First, thanks to Maryann for hosting me on It’s Not All Gravy!

Schedule: Peg Herring’s Blog Tour for May (and one post in June) consists of a mix of interviews with Seamus, the Dead Detective, and posts on writing. Yesterday’s stop was at http://terryodell.blogspot.com. The next stop will be on May 21 at http://criminalmindsatwork.blogspot.com/
A full schedule is posted at my blog http://itsamysterytomepegherring.blogspot.com/
When the tour is over (June 11th), the complete Seamus interview will be posted on there as well.

Prizes: People who comment on any blog post on the tour will be entered in drawings for several prizes: Dead Detective T-shirts, copies of The Dead Detective Agency and Dead For the Money (paperback or e-books available), and the chance to be a character in the third of the series Dead For the Show. Multiple winners will be drawn.

 A Dead Guy Talks about You -Part 6

Interviewer: It’s been very informative to talk with you, Seamus. I just have a few more questions for you to complete our interview.

Seamus: Sure.

Interviewer: I’d like to know why you do what you do. Why do you keep coming back to earth?
Seamus: I like helping the clients out. You know, giving them answers that make things easier for them.

Interviewer: But what do you get out of it? You said it’s painful, and you’ve said it isn’t easy to operate here. Yet you’ve been at it for a long time.

Seamus: (after some thought) I guess I like it here better than there.

Interviewer: (incredulous) But Seamus, you died and went to heaven!

Seamus: Technically It isn’t heaven. I can’t talk about that. Let’s just say I like it here.

Interviewer: But you’ve told us how heavy the human body is, how hard it is to read a person’s mind, how different your hosts’ perceptions are from what yours were.

Seamus: Yeah, yeah. All that’s true. I can’t explain it, but I want to be here, even if it’s tough.

Interviewer: Tough to know you don’t belong here anymore?

Seamus: Yeah. It’s hard to see what you left undone. Hard to think you might have done lots of things better. Hard to admit that you aren’t going to get any more chances. (A pause) You know, all your life you tell yourself “Tomorrow I’m going to—whatever.”

Interviewer: Lose weight? Take a chance? Be nicer to others?

Seamus: Exactly. Then one day there isn’t any tomorrow. You didn’t do it, and now you can’t. Ever.

Interviewer: I see.

Seamus: That’s what’s bad about dying, knowing you can’t do those things you said you’d do tomorrow. You had a chance, just one chance, to be who you are—who you were. When it’s over, you can’t fix any of it.

Interviewer: “The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,/Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor 
Wit/Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,/Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

Seamus: What?

Interviewer: It’s from Gibran’s The Prophet. It sums up what you were saying. (Tiny laugh) 
Sorry, that’s my degree in world literature talking.

Seamus: Oh. Sure. I guess he said what I said, only better.

Interviewer: I’d like to thank you for being our guest over the course of these interviews.

Seamus: I guess it wasn’t too bad. You didn’t ask anything too embarrassing.

Interviewer: Oh, that reminds me. Would you please tell us about hosting with a rat?

Seamus: You said the interview was over. If they want to know about that, Peg covered it in The Dead Detective Agency. Now, I have to get back to work. See you around.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Peg Herring lives in Michigan and writes two series, the critically acclaimed Simon & Elizabeth (Tudor) Mysteries (Five Star Publishing) and the award-winning Dead Detective Mysteries (LL-Publications). When not writing, Peg enjoys directing musical groups, gardening, and talking about writing.

Dead For the Money  (e-book) 

15 comments:

LD Masterson said...

I wasn't familiar with the Dead Detective Mysteries. Sounds like something I'd love.

Misha Gerrick said...

Seamus sounds like a great character.

It's so true what he said about everything he regretted because he didn't do them.

Maryannwrites said...

I think you would like these books, LD.

Thanks for stopping by, Misha. One thing I learned in hospital chaplaincy is that passing from this life to the next is easier if we are not harboring regrets. Seamus is a wise man.

Anonymous said...

Fun interview. I especially liked how you turned it back on yourself.

Morgan Mandel said...

Thanks for the warnings about procrastination! I really need to heed them!

Morgan Mandel
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Helen Ginger said...

I think I like Seamus. I can see how he'd make a great protagonist.

Maryannwrites said...

Pat, glad you liked the interview. I thought it was quite fun when I read the post when Peg sent it.

Morgan, I think we all could use the warning about procrastination.

Helen,I'm not surprised that you like Seamus. He is a great character, and I think you would enjoy these books.

Leslea said...

Fun interview! I have a son named Seamus. ;)

Author Peg Herring said...

Sorry to be late chiming in, everyone! Thanks for the kind comments, and I'll add you all to the prize drawings.
It seems like the more I work on the Dead Detective Mysteries, the more I think. Probably not a good thing!!

Dani said...

I have read about these elsewhere (Straight From Hel or maybe Julia Buckley's blog?) and they've been on my reading list forever! Thanks for the reminder.

Patricia Stoltey said...

Peg, I love the idea of the dead detective. I'm adding it to my TBR List.

Thanks, Maryann. This is a fun "interview".

Author Peg Herring said...

Thanks again for letting me visit, Maryann. I love getting encouragement from readers!

Janet Kerr said...

The interview with Seamus is fun and he sounds like an interesting character.
I would very much like to read your series!
Jan

janet_kerr(at)msn.com

Maryannwrites said...

Leslea, thanks for stopping by for a visit. Interesting that your son is names Seamus. That is not a real popular name for boys, at least not as reported recently. I think Jacob was number one and Mason number two. Don't recall Seamus making the top ten.

Dani, I know what you mean about having books on hand forever before you can get to them. It does help to host the author. Moves them up on your TBR pile. LOL

Patricia and Janet, I think you will like these books. Fun reads both.

bn100 said...

Very fun and enjoyable interview.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com