BOOK TOUR INTERVIEW: Locked by S.V. Richard

Posted by Carrie

Locked

by S.V. Richard

YA Horror Short Story

Book Description

Tristan’s old home old home is not what it appears, and her friends have no idea what this visit will turn into. When the room Tristan’s mother always kept locked is opened, chaos breaks loose. One by one, they are locked away.
Will anyone survive?

An Interview with S.V. Richard

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Somehow I wound up in Jackson, MS, but I am originally from New Orleans, LA. My four year old German Shepherd is more trouble than my ten year old twins. My master’s degree is in special education, but I work in health care.

2. What made you want to become a writer?

Since I was a very small child, I was always a writer. Anyone who knows me has gotten a hand written letter at some point. I wrote my first song at age 8 and always have a story in the works.

3. Who or what gives you inspiration?

An over active imagination…, but the people in my life inspire the humor whether it’s someone I live with or a random stranger I pass for two seconds.

4. Tell us about Locked.

It was originally written as a low budget screenplay. I wanted to create a story in one location with a miminimum amount of characters, so I locked four people in a house to see what unfolded…

5. What’s the hardest part of being a writer?

MARKETING — AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

6. What do you need around you to write (special drink, lucky items, etc)?

Nothing – it comes natural…almost like a curse – where the stories have to come out somehow, someway.

7. What are some of your favorite books?

The Lottery. Ordinary People.

8. Are your characters based on anyone you know?

No, but what happens to the characters reflect my mood.

9. What, if anything, are you working on right now?

LOCKED II, The Vision, and When Fate‘s Written… Locked II picks up where Locked left off.

10. Why do you love writing?

Stories make people feel something – humor, suspense, lust, passion…

An Excerpt from Locked

“It doesn’t matter where we are. This house is just like any other house, right? Mice and all. So, there’s really nothing to worry about. Not the house and definitely not the little rodents.”
“Like that mouse?” Todd asked and looked at the floor.
Jen screamed. “Mouse!” She jumped again to the other side of the sofa. “Where? Oh, I can’t even stand the thought of them.”
Wes said, “There’s nothing to be paranoid about!”
“I suppose,” Jen said, staring at Wes. “Well, after thinking about it, I can’t imagine mice would stay away from this house now–since Todd is the biggest cheese.”
Something brushed against her leg. Clutching her bag, she jumped off the sofa and screamed again. Todd laughed. He tossed a pillow toward her. She, in turn, hurled the pillow back at him. Todd ducked as the pillow passed over him and hit the wall right under the clock.
Jen pointed her finger at Todd. “You’re always one to play a practical joke, and it’s not funny by the way.”
“You’re right,” Todd said. “It’s hilarious.”
***
Tiptoeing down the hall, Todd walked back to the locked room.
Jen followed. “What are you doing?”
“You know something good has to be in there if the door is locked, Jen.”
Turning to the locked room, Jen said, “Maybe.”
“I’m sure it’s just a typical kid’s room.” Todd paused and smiled. “With a big secret treasure. Maybe some stowed away cash.”
“I never really knew anyone who died except my grandpa when I was six. He didn’t leave us any cash, though.”
Jen touched the lock. Todd stood behind her.
Looking toward the back room, Jen didn’t see Tristan.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious to see what’s in here?”
“To go through all this trouble to lock the door, I bet there’s more than just a typical kid’s room.” Tapping the lock, Jen said, “For all we know, I guess the deed could be locked away in here.”
They glanced back at the master bedroom. Tristan was nowhere in sight. Todd looked down at the wire hanger in his hand. “Right, then there’s only one thing left to do.” Inserting the edge of the hanger into the lock, he held his hand steady. Pushing the hanger in as far as it would go, he moved it and wiggled it around.
He wiped the sweat accumulating on his forehead. He continued moving the wire around in the lock until it popped open.

About the Author

After studying special education in graduate school, S. V. Richard became interested in writing for children and adults. She has published over 27 ebooks for children and teachers. LOCKED is her first young adult ebook. LOCKED was originally written as a low budget screenplay with four characters and one location, but it found a home as a short story through Wild Child Publishing. LOCKED II is coming soon and will pick up where LOCKED left off.

PURCHASE LOCKED