FEATURED AUTHOR: LAUREN CARR

ABOUT THE BOOK

Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.

Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.

The case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.

In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?

INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN CARR

Lauren, welcome back to A Blue Million Books! Kill and Run is your 16th book. What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Oh, it’s the creative process — coming up with the plotline and figuring out how the murder is committed, who done it, how they are caught — all of that! For me, it is as close to being an amateur detective as you can get. They have the committed crime and work backward toward the beginning. I am at the beginning and working forward, through the crime, and right up to where the culprit is caught.

How long have you been a writer?
Let’s just say my whole life. I believe writers are born. If you’re a writer, even if you aren’t writing books, you’re a writer. You’re thinking up storylines in the shower instead of singing. If you’re late for work, you can’t just say traffic was terrible, you have to tell a whole story about it being a dark and stormy morning . . .

I remember rewriting The Bobbsey Twins when I was in grade school to make it more suspenseful. That’s what writers do.

For what would you like to be remembered?
For making everyone around me smile.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert. Most writers are introverts — that’s what makes personal appearances hard for many writers. That’s why I love virtual book tours. I can do the whole tour naked!

TMI, Lauren! What is the most daring thing you've done?
Skydiving. I was nineteen years old and dating a great guy who had scheduled parachuting lessons for him and his buddy. Well, his friend backed out, so I asked to go. Thing is — I had never even been up in a plane before! When I told my mother, she said it was okay, but not to tell her what day I was doing it — instead, tell her that I was going on a picnic. So, a couple of days before the jump I asked her for eighty dollars for my picnic on Saturday.

On the day of the lessons, we had six hours of instruction before going up in the plane. Two hours was on how to jump and how to land. The next four hours were on what to do if something went wrong. One of the things they stressed was that when you hit the ground to stand up quickly so that they could see you were okay. If you don’t stand up, they’ll send out the ambulance.

So then, we went up in the plane for our jump. We were suited up with our parachutes and our reserve chutes and all of this equipment. Back then, I weighed about a hundred and ten pounds and I was wearing close to sixty pounds of chutes.

Then, we went up. Remember, I have never been in a plane before. I was more excited about that than the jump. Jon, my boyfriend, jumped out first. Then I jumped.

It was fabulous! I loved it. I could see Jon down on the ground waving and jumping up and down, and I was waving back.

Then, I hit the ground beautifully and rolled just like they told us to do. And then . . . I couldn’t stand up because I was wearing sixty pounds of chutes and equipment. I remembered them saying that I needed to stand up. So, I’m rolling on the ground in the field like a giant turtle on her back trying to get to my feet. In the distance, I hear the ambulance racing across the field and Jon yelling.

By the time I stood up I saw about a dozen people and an ambulance racing across the field toward me.

Jon told me that the whole time he was running across the field he was trying to think of how to tell my mother that I did great . . . until I hit the ground.

It was five years later before I went up in a plane and actually landed in it.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Recently or over the course of my life? Recently, I tried to install a new faucet in my kitchen sink by myself. I ended up breaking the garbage disposal and flooding the kitchen.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Confessing to the plumber about how I broke the garbage disposal and flooded the kitchen.

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
Deciding between calling a plumber or tackling that kitchen faucet on my own.

What would your main characters say about you?
There are two main characters in Kill and Run: Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton. An heiress, Jessica is Mac Faraday’s daughter. She would say that I was obsessive about my writing to the point of being a workaholic. The solution would be to spend a weekend at a spa without any Internet or technology.

On the other hand, Murphy Thornton would say that I had a brilliant mind — after all, I am the creator of three mystery series. However, it would do me some good to work on becoming more disciplined — especially when it comes to health and fitness. Cut out the chocolatey desserts and go to the gym more.

I'm liking Jessica much more! How long is your to-do list?
I don’t know. You need to ask my husband. He’s the one who makes it up and keeps track of it.


What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on the eleventh Mac Faraday Mystery, Cancelled Vows. In this mystery, David O’Callaghan and Chelsea Adams’ wedding plans collide with one tiny little obstacle. David is already married . . . and didn’t know it! Now, with less than a week before his wedding day, David rushes off to get his wife to sign divorce papers. When she ends up murdered, it is up to David’s best man, Mac Faraday, and Gnarly, K9-in-waiting, to sort through the clue to get David to the church on time!


Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Frosting!
Laptop or desktop? Laptop, because I’ll write anywhere. Desktops are just too awkward to carry in a case with a shoulder strap.
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill Murray. Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movies.
Emailing or texting? Emails. I tend to send long wordy messages (the writer in me) and the keys for texting are just too tiny.
Indoors or outdoors? Indoors with central air conditioning. I have seasonal allergies with every change of season.
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Sweet, of course!
Plane, train, or automobile? Automobile — with me driving. My husband and son claim I’m a backseat driver.

OTHER BOOKS BY LAUREN CARR

Joshua Thornton Mysteries:

A Small Case of Murder

A Reunion to Die For


Fans of the Lovers in Crime Mysteries may wish to read these two books which feature Joshua Thornton years before meeting Detective Cameron Gates. Also in these mysteries, readers will meet Joshua Thornton's five children before they have flown the nest.


Mac Faraday Mysteries:

It's Murder, My Son

Old Loves Die Hard

Shades of Murder (introduces the Lovers in Crime: Joshua Thornton & Cameron Gates)

Blast from the Past

The Murders at Astaire Castle
The Lady Who Cried Murder (The Lovers in Crime make a guest appearance in this Mac Faraday Mystery)

Twelve to Murder

A Wedding and a Killing 

Three Days to Forever 

Open Season for Murder
Cancelled Vows (Coming January 2016)


Lovers in Crime Mysteries
:
Dead on Ice

Real Murder

The Thorny Rose Mysteries:
Kill and Run

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday and Lovers in Crime Mysteries. Her upcoming new series, The Thorny Rose Mysteries was released September 4, 2015.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genre, written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services website for more information.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learnt in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.

She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Connect with Lauren:

Website  |  Blog  | Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

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FEATURED AUTHOR: LOIS WINSTON

ABOUT THE BOOK

The adventures of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack continue in A Stitch to Die For, the 5th book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Lois Winston.

Ever since her husband died and left her in debt equal to the gross national product of Uzbekistan, magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack has stumbled across one dead body after another — but always in work-related settings. When a killer targets the elderly nasty neighbor who lives across the street from her, murder strikes too close to home. Couple that with a series of unsettling events days before Halloween, and Anastasia begins to wonder if someone is sending her a deadly message.

OTHER BOOKS BY LOIS WINSTON

Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun
Death by Killer Mop Doll
Revenge of the Crafty Corpse
Decoupage Can Be Deadly
Crewel Intentions
Mosaic Mayhem
Patchwork Peril
Definitely Dead
Talk Gertie to Me
Elementary, My Dear Gertie
Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception
Hooking Mr. Right
Four Uncles and a Wedding
Finding Hope
Lost in Manhattan
Someone to Watch Over Me
Once Upon a Romance
The Magic Paintbrush
Top Ten Reasons Your Novel is Rejected
Bake, Love, Write
House Unauthorized
Romance Super Bundle
Romance Super Bundle II: Second Chances
Romance Super Bundle III: Always & Forever
Love Valentine Style
Finding Mr. Right

INTERVIEW WITH LOIS WINSTON

Lois, what would your main character say about you?
Without a doubt she’d complain vehemently about me. After all, I gave her debt out the yin-yang and saddled her with the communist mother-in-law from hell. And if that weren’t bad enough, I keep having her stumble over dead bodies.

How long is your to-be-read list?
You know the saying, “so many books, too little time?” Let’s just say I’d need several clones to stand any chance of ever making a dent in that list.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I have a real problem with Facebook and have vowed to be the last person on the planet not on it. Many people have told me I’m crazy, but I see too many downsides to FB — the arbitrary way the site plays around with your privacy settings (notifying you after the fact,) the perverts and child molesters who troll for victims on it, the bullying that occurs (some of which has led to children committing suicide), and the ease of hacking into it.

Do I sell fewer books because I’m not on FB? Maybe, but there are other ways to interact with readers. I’m always happy to chat with readers via email. I answer every piece of fan mail I receive. I also send out a newsletter several times a year and offer special contests and freebies to my subscribers. Want to subscribe? Click here.

For what would you like to be remembered?
For being a wonderful parent, an awesome grandparent (didn’t think I was that old, did you?) and a true friend.

What five things would you never want to live without?
My husband, my cell phone, my computer, wi-fi, and coffee.

Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
James Earl Jones. That deep baritone would lend such gravitas to my story.

3D movies are . . . incredibly frustrating. The special effects are awesome, but I become so focused on them that I’m pulled from what’s going on in the story. When I go to a 3-D movie, I need to go back and watch it again in 2-D to see what I’ve missed.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
I’m a Jersey girl. What do you think?

Do you spend more on clothes or food?
Definitely food at this point. I’m not buying any new clothes until I get rid of the 15-pound muffin top that suddenly appeared one day and refuses to leave no matter how much I exercise or how little I eat.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
I backpacked across Europe.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
I put the Mississippi River on the wrong side of Iowa. No one caught the error in the book before publication — not my three critique partners, not my agent, not my editor, not the copy editor. A week after the book came out a reader from Iowa emailed me about it.

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
I’d like to go back and major in something other than art in college. No one ever told us back then how hard it would be to support ourselves as artists or that few ever do. If I knew then what I know now, I would have chosen a more practical major.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
One that would have to go into the swear jar, so I’d better keep it to myself.

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be? 

Supergirl. I’d love to have all those superpowers, especially the flying part.

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? 
I was told I had no talent and I’d never get published. Success is definitely the best revenge.

Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
Neil deGrasse Tyson. The man is not only a genius, he’s incredibly funny, and he explains the universe in a way that’s easy to understand, even for us art majors.


How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Nowhere near enough. I have this habit of writing scenes in my mind and can’t get my brain to shut down. Add to that my husband’s snoring, and if I’m lucky, I get four or five hours a night.


What is your favorite movie?
Shakespeare in Love

Great movie. How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie? Did the movie stink?

Reading the Stephanie Plum books is my guilty pleasure. I love books that make me laugh, and Janet Evanovich never fails to do that for me. I was really looking forward to the movie version of One for the Money. What a disappointment! Terrible casting. Awful script. What could have been a fabulous franchise will probably never see another movie made from the series.

Do you sweat the small stuff?

I try not to. I don’t always succeed.

If you had to choose a cliche about life, what would it be?

Stuff happens; deal with it.

How long is your to-do list?

Long enough that it has it’s own to-do list.

I hear you. What are you working on now?
I have a second amateur sleuth series, The Empty Nest Mystery series. Definitely Dead was the first book in the series. I’m about to begin writing the next one — as soon as I can come up with a plot. Guess I won’t be getting much sleep for a while . . .

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Cake
Laptop or desktop? Laptop
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill Murray
Emailing or texting? Emailing
Indoors or outdoors? Indoors
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Unsweet
Plane, train, or automobile? Plane but only if I can go first-class (which I’ll probably never be able to afford!) Otherwise, train.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Visit Lois/Emma and Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog. Follow everyone on Tsu, on Pinterest, and on Twitter.

Connect with Lois:
Website  |  
Blog  | 
 Twitter  |  
Goodreads  



FEATURED AUTHOR: ALICE LOWEECEY

ABOUT THE BOOK  

The Other Side has hired Driscoll Investigations. The owner of Stone’s Throw Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast insists that a tarot reading told her to hire Giulia to evict the family ghost. Since the ghost is cutting gas lines and flooding cellars, Giulia and her husband Frank head to the B&B to discover the real perpetrator.

The client also has a family legend: A highwayman who stole a pile of gold. Giulia has a pile of suspects, including a psychic the client hired to conduct weekly séances. So much for romance with Frank at this getaway.

Instead, Giulia’s juggling arson, creepy clown dolls, and the psychic going all Exorcist on her. Then the ghost tries to push the client off the lighthouse and throw Giulia down three flights of stairs. It should’ve known better than to mess with an ex-nun. Giulia has connections and she’s about to use them.

INTERVIEW WITH ALICE LOWEECEY

Alice, what books do you currently have published?
I have 5 mysteries out there, all in the Giulia Driscoll series. Force of Habit, Back in the Habit, Veiled Threat, Nun too Soon, and Second to Nun. I also have my first horror novel out as of this past August: The Redeemers. It is not for the faint of heart! Giulia herself would think twice before reading it. Sidney, Giulia’s perky assistant, wouldn’t let it near her house. Muahahahaha.

How long is your to-be-read list?
Hip-deep. It’s been deeper, but I’ve learned to snatch reading time when it presents itself. It’s all over the map, too: horror, non-fiction, mystery, lots of manga.

You have a day job . . . how do you find time to write?
I’ve learned to make time, even in short sprints. When my kids were younger, I spent a lot of time at soccer and band practices. I would bring my WIP with me and write or edit while I waited. That practice works while dinner is cooking and while the laundry is drying too.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
It would have to be The CW, to see how Supernatural ends. Dear God, I hope they finally end it this season. It should’ve ended at Season 5, but noooo . . .  *cough* *ahem* Sorry. Rant truncated before my head explodes.

YouTube is…
The enabler for my Asian horror addiction. Now that FearNet is gone *sob* I get all my Asian horror from YouTube.

What five things would you never want to live without?
PG Tips tea, Gaelic Storm, the complete works of Dickens, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, and my huge collection of MST3K DVDs.

Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
Idris Elba. Oh, that voice.

3D movies are . . .
Headache-inducing. I can watch ones that are only partly 3D: Robot Monster (1953) and The Mask (1961). Classic bad horror.

At least you didn’t ask about shakycam movies. That rant cannot be contained.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
Hah! Overflowing.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Gummies. Dots or Sunkist Fruit Gems. Nom.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
Left the convent.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Entered the convent.

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
You might think “Enter the convent,” but actually, no. The convent taught me two essential skills: How to speak in front of a crowd and how to lead. When we got the habit and had 6 weeks of Methods classes under our veils, we got thrown into a classroom with “You’re a leader now; go lead.” So I became a leader. Teaching Middle School gave me the fortitude to speak in front of any size crowd. Both are quite useful skills.

Also, frankly, if horrible things happen to you, they make great fiction fodder.

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
Hmm. My fiction choices are not generally nice to the characters. I guess it would be Genjyo Sanzo from Kazuya Minekura’s Saiyuki manga series. He has a boatload of issues, but he is seriously cool and kickass.

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
Oh, this was epic. I used to belong to an online critique group whose focus was Christian fiction. I wrote an early draft of my horror novel while in that group. We put our first 3 chapters on the loop for everyone to critique.

I got an 8-1/2 by 11 single-spaced diatribe from one member. It spewed hate at me from the screen. Parts were in red and underlined. He said my plot was bad, my MC was wrong, my book was evil. He told me that the book would “harm new Christians.” Apparently in his world new Christians can’t handle fiction and no longer possess analytical skills. Who knew?

He ended by saying he prayed I would never get published and signed it “With love from your brother in Christ.”

I blew him into the group moderator, who blocked him from my crits. Only then did I learn he was a strict evangelical with issues about women.

Getting published is the best revenge.


Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
Jamie Oliver, to cook. Then everyone living and dead who’s ever played Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. What a discussion about writing and acting and interpretation that would be.


What is your favorite movie?
I can’t pick just one. How about one each from a few genres:
Horror: Event Horizon
Comedy: Young Frankenstein
Historical: The Prisoner of Zenda—the Ronald Colman version, of course. *sigh*
Mystery: Sleuth, the original with Olivier and Caine
Romance: The 5-hour A&E version of Pride and Prejudice or the 5-hour A&E version of Jane Eyre. *sigh* again for Timothy Dalton
Fantasy: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Do you have a favorite book?
Again, no way can I pick just one.
Horror: Everything by HP Lovecraft
Fantasy: The Riddle-Master of Hed trilogy by Patricia McKillip
Mystery: Nothing Venture by Patricia Wentworth. This book is what inspired the kind of mysteries I like to write.
Historical: Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend
Manga: Saiyuki

How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie? Did the movie stink?
Rant! It’s not my favorite book, but the Astaire/Gardner/Peck movie of Nevil Shute’s On the Beach. It was a trainwreck. A trainwreck of a trainwreck. Horribly miscast. Changes to essential plot elements. They messed up the eeriness of the big plot point (the Coke bottle in Seattle). They messed up just about everything. Gah!

Do you sweat the small stuff?
Nope. Life is too short. Unless you’re talking about the Oxford comma.

Agreed! How long is your to-do list?
Hahahahaha! *weeps*

What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up the next Giulia Driscoll mystery, Nun but the Brave, out July 2016.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting?  Cake!
Laptop or desktop?  Laptop (portability)
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray?  Ugh; neither. I pick Robin Williams.
Emailing or texting? Email. Easier to type.
Indoors or outdoors? Out. Winter lasts much too long up here.
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Strong and straight, period.
Plane, train, or automobile? Car. Used to be plane before flying became such a giant pain in the kiester.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Baker of brownies and tormenter of characters, Alice Loweecey recently celebrated her thirtieth year outside the convent. She grew up watching Hammer horror films and Scooby-Doo mysteries, which explains a whole lot. When she’s not creating trouble for Giulia Driscoll, she can be found growing her own vegetables (in summer) and cooking with them (the rest of the year).

Connect with Alice:
Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads    

FEATURED AUTHOR: SUSAN RUSSO ANDERSON

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the middle of a wintry night, private investigator Fina Fitzgibbons finds Lorraine’s friend, Phyllida Oxley, slumped over her dining room table, the victim of memory-impairing date rape drugs. When her condition goes from poor to comatose, her distraught fifteen-year-old granddaughter, Kat Oxley disappears. Meanwhile, Fina’s agency is busy surveilling a massage parlor in Bensonhurst suspected of human trafficking, and Fina’s father reappears to throw a wrench into her relationship with NYPD Patrol Officer Denny McDuffy. As Fina frantically searches for the missing teen, she uncovers the truth behind the traffickers, but they have a surprise waiting for her in the not-so-friendly skies.

INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN RUSSO ANDERSON

Susan, welcome back to A Blue Million Books. How did you get started writing and when did you become an “author?”
First of all, thank you so much for having me on your blog, Amy. And now for the answer: I can’t remember when I didn’t write. I’ve always loved words and was one of the few people I know who actually looked forward to writing papers. Crazy, huh? It is a way for me to focus, a way for me to be in my own world. I became an author when I published my first short story.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I love creating characters and having readers tell me they love them, and I also love creating new worlds and being in my own place.

How long is your to-be-read list?
HUGE.

I can't read that word without hearing it in Donald Trump's voice! What books do you currently have published?
I write two mystery series. One’s a contemporary mystery series, and it takes place in Brooklyn; the other is an historical mystery series and takes place in nineteenth-century Sicily.

Can you share some of your marketing strategies with us?
Sure, for what they’re worth.

The most important marketing tip someone told me? Write the best stories you can and readers will find you. As for the rest, I’m no expert by any stretch. Mine has painfully slowly evolved, and it’s for everyone, but it seems to be working for me. Keep in mind that I write in a series, so here goes: Every month I make a book free for two or three days and advertise their availability on several sites. And when I publish a new book, I try to do a tour. I just published my eighth book, and I am just beginning to make a profit. But since I started making a book free each month, my income has gone from nil to respectable.

How long have you been a writer?
For a very long time, but I just started publishing three years ago.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
I love the PBS stations.

How often do you tweet?
Almost every day, unless I’m on vacation or have another kind of family function, although even then I’ll probably whip out my phone and do some tweeting on the side.

For what would you like to be remembered?
I guess that I’m a woman who loved and loved to write.

What scares you the most?
Wow, that’s an interesting question! Losing my ability to think and to remember.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
Not really, but I’d have to empty it every other day.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
It depends. I’m trying to learn how to navigate in crowded rooms and at parties where I don’t know anyone else. I just attended the Writers Police Academy. (Great, BTW), and I walked in to the reception not knowing anyone. It was wall to wall unknowns. So I walked right out and up to my room and had a good talk with myself and came back down and started conversations and had fun. So I’d say I was an introvert trying to breathe.


What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Everything that rises must converge.” -Teilhard de Chardin


What would your main character say about you?
Once in a while she gets it right.


Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
I love the reading room at the New York Public Library, and I like talking to the lions in front.


You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
Golly. Can I come back to that one? (Thinks) I’d like to be Liz, the wife of Thomas Cromwell, the fictional version, please, before she dies of the plague. Maybe when she’s still a young wife waiting for her husband to come back from some trip or other. She understood lots, Hilary Mantel’s Liz Cromwell did, and I’d like to have her understanding.

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
Someone told me that my work was irrelevant, that my perpetrators were too ordinary. That hurt the worst, even worse than one star reviews. I didn’t know what to say. In the old days, I’d probably mutter a thank you. But at least I said nothing. On some level, I think of that remark every day.

Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
Gandhi, and I know he’s dead and all, but I still talk to the dead.


What's your relationship with your cell phone?
Best buddies. I have a big cell phone and wear it in one of those Waterfield sleeves on my belt. Invariably I’m asked if I’m wearing a gun but I tell them not even my characters shoot guns.


How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Usually I’m in bed by 10 except when I’m not, and always up by 5:30 because that’s the time I love to write.

What is your favorite movie?
When Harry Met Sally.

Do you have a favorite book?
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie? Did the movie stink?
Wolf Hall was turned into a PBS series, and it was pretty good. Mark Rylance was great.

Do you sweat the small stuff?
Yes, but not enough.

How long is your to-do list?
Beyond the horizon.


What are you working on now?
I’m working on another mystery, but it’s a new series. The working title is Death of a Brooklyn Landlord, and I’m almost finished with the first draft. One of the characters in my last series is the protagonist of this one, and some of the characters from the last series appear in this one, but wearing different hats or at least coming at life from different places, so it’s the same neighborhood, but still it’s new because the character’s voice is different, and her needs are different. She’s older and she’s a widow and in the book, she has an affair. It’s not front and center, because I don’t write romances, just stories about characters who solve mysteries or at least who ponder mysteries — the mystery of themselves as well as who commits the crimes.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Cake
Laptop or desktop? Laptop
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill Murray
Emailing or texting? Texting
Indoors or outdoors? Outdoors
Tea: sweet or unsweet? A little cream, please.
Plane, train, or automobile? Car

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Russo Anderson is a writer, a mother, a member of Sisters in Crime, a graduate of Marquette University, and a life member of The Art Students League of New York. She has taught language arts and creative writing, worked for a publisher, an airline, an opera company. Like Faulkner’s Dilsey, she’s seen the best and the worst, the first and the last. Through it all, and to understand it somewhat, she writes.

Too Quiet in Brooklyn, the first in the Fina Fitzgibbons Brooklyn mystery series published December 2013. The second book in the series, Missing Brandy, published September 2014, and Whiskey's Gone published in January 2015 and completes a trilogy. The fourth book in Fina's series, The Brooklyn Drop, published August 15.

Death of a Serpent, the first in the Serafina Florio series, published January 2012. It began as a painting of the Lower East Side, the landmark immigrant neighborhood in Manhattan, and wound up as a mystery story set in nineteenth-century Sicily. No More Brothers, a novella, published May 2012, the second in the series. The third book, Death in Bagheria, published in December, followed by Murder on the Rue Cassette in January 2014.



Connect with Susan:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  

FEATURED AUTHOR: KARIN GILLESPIE

ABOUT THE BOOK

The unspooling of Toni Lee Wells’ Tiffany and Wild Turkey lifestyle begins with a trip to the Luckett County Jail drunk tank. An earlier wrist injury sidelined her pro tennis career, and now she’s trading her tennis whites for wild nights roaming the streets of Rose Hill, Georgia.  

Her wealthy family finally gets fed up with her shenanigans. They cut off her monthly allowance but also make her a sweetheart deal: Get a job, keep it for a year, and you’ll receive an early inheritance. Act the fool or get fired, and you’ll lose it for good.

Toni Lee signs up for a fast-track Teacher Corps program. She hopes for an easy teaching gig, but what she gets is an assignment to Harriet Hall, a high school that churns out more thugs than scholars.

What’s a spoiled Southern belle to do when confronted with a bunch of street smart students who are determined to make her life as difficult as possible? Luckily, Carl, a handsome colleague, is willing to help her negotiate the rough teaching waters and keep her bed warm at night. But when Toni Lee gets involved with some dark dealings in the school system, she fears she might lose her new beau as well as her inheritance.

     

INTERVIEW WITH KARIN GILLESPIE

What five things would you never want to live without?
Red wine, dark chocolate, Chapstick (I’m an addict), reading classes or cheaters as we call them in the South (I’m older than most giant tortoises), and red wine. Did I already mention wine? Well, who cares? It deserves more than one mention. 

What would your main character, Toni Lee Wells, say about you?
She would say, “We aren’t the same people,” but in a way we are. I based Girl Meets Class on my experiences teaching at an inner city high school, where a good day was when someone didn’t throw a chair at me. But Toni Lee used to be a semi-pro tennis player, and when my tennis racket isn’t collecting cob webs in the closet, I use it to kill flies. Also she likes horror movies, whereas as I hide under the bed when the Wicked Witch of the West comes on in The Wizard of Oz. We both like wine. Her favorite is Marilyn Merlot; I’ll drink most anything as long as it doesn’t come in a jug. 

What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?

Heavens! What haven’t they said? Someone claimed that my first novel, Bet Your Bottom Dollar, wasn’t worth a dollar. A reviewer called my novel set in heaven “hellish.” I could go on but I won’t because my skin’s gotten so tough you could make it into a set of Samsonite luggage. I did boo-hoo over the first bad one, but now it’s like what the dentist says when he comes at you with the needle. “This will sting a bit.” And it does, but it’s over in a flash. Now if I got a whole slew of reviews all saying the same thing, I would pay attention. 

What is your favorite movie?
The Matrix, because it’s structured beautifully and I think it’s a metaphor for life. (Aren’t we all blind to some of life’s most important truths?) Also, who can resist Keanu Reeves in black leather and dark shades? 

Do you have a favorite book?
I think the Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler is the most perfect novel in the world. It’s beautifully written and well-plotted with unforgettable characters, but it’s also funny. I don’t think there are enough funny novels in the world.

Do you sweat the small stuff?
No. Because it’s all small stuff. Except when I’m out of wine.

If you had to choose a cliche about life, what would it be?
Don’t worry, be happy. I honestly do believe that joy is our natural state and the universe is most supportive of our endeavors when we are content and appreciate of what we already have. Every time I get into a snit, I try to meander on back to a more positive mental state.

How long is your to-do list?
It can wrap around the circumference of the globe three times with a few hundred feet left over. Authors are one of the hardest working people I know, but at least we can do most of it in our footie PJs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karin Gillespie has lived in the South for over forty years and is still trying to get the hang of it. She’s the author of six novels including her latest, Girl Meets Class, which is based on experiences teaching at an inner-city school. She’s written for the New York Times, Washington Post and Writer magazine. She has book column in the Augusta Chronicle and a humor column in Augusta Magazine.  

Connect with Karin:
Website  |  
Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  
Goodreads  



FEATURED AUTHOR: E.C. AYRES

ABOUT THE BOOK

In Red Tide, a small research vessel masquerading as a shrimping boat has been found adrift off the Florida coast. None of the crew are on board . . . only what appears to be blood left on the deck. Private Investigator Tony Lowell is brought in by powerful maritime attorney Arthur Emerson to investigate. Soon the bodies of the crew are recovered on a nearby island but the mystery only deepens as Tony tries to discern why they were killed, the meaning of some deformed sea creatures found on board, and what are the strange chemical samples found in the region? And just why are various Federal authorities trying to stonewall the investigation? Is this simply a drug deal gone bad like the FBI claims? Or could it have much more serious, and sinister, repercussions all throughout the Gulf of Mexico?

Red Tide is the fifth of the Tony Lowell Mystery series.



INTERVIEW WITH E.C. AYRES

How did you get started writing and when did you become an “author?”
I first began writing as a screenwriter in Hollywood, working for Hanna Barbera Productions as an animation writer, then at Universal Studios. I wrote a screenplay called Old Money that I later decided to develop into a mystery novel. That became my first book, Hour of the Manatee.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
The sense of creating something entirely my own.

How long is your to-be-read list?
I like to go to the library and get recommendations.

What books do you currently have published?
The Shakespeare Chronicles, R.I.P., Hour of the Manatee, Eye of the Gator, Night of the Panther, and Lair of the Lizard.

Can you share some of your marketing strategies with us?
I have always left marketing to my publishers in the past. Marketing is new to me. But I am learning to use Twitter and social media.

How long have you been a writer?
30 years.

You have a day job . . . how do you find time to write?
I make time.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
PBS.

How often do you tweet?
Every day or so.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I like it.

For what would you like to be remembered?
As a writer who cared about the issues of his time and always worked them into his books.

What scares you the most?
Being alone.

YouTube is . . .
Something I don't use.

What five things would you never want to live without?
Companionship, intellectual stimulation, travel, a variety of cuisine, physical activity.

Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
Tom Hanks

3D movies are . . .An interesting gimmick.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
It would be half empty.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Somewhat of both.

What's your relationship with your TV remote?
Ambivalent. I keep hoping it will find something worth watching and am usually let down.

Do you spend more on clothes or food?
Food.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Nachos.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
Go to China to teach for three years.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Turned down an offer on a book.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Wearing a vest to a concert that was buttoned crooked (my wife didn't notice).

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
My choice to be a mediocre student.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest. -Mark Twain


What would your main character say about you?
I need to do less talking and take more action.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
My second book, Eye of the Gator. It was under a deadline, and had to struggle to meet it.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
I am a fan of all libraries. My favorite is whatever one nearest to me.


You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?


Travis McGee

.



What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?


One critic wrote that I used too much common language in my first book, even though it was a prize winner. I became very careful about being more original in my metaphors and so on after that.



Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?


Barack Obama.



What's your relationship with your cell phone?


Ambivalent. Call it a co-dependency.



How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Five.



What is your favorite movie?


Charade, with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.



Do you have a favorite book?


The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.



How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie? Did the movie stink?
The Great Gatsby. The movie stank.



Do you sweat the small stuff?


Yes.



If you had to choose a cliche about life, what would it be?


"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." -Mark Twain



How long is your to-do list?


I try to keep it short.



What are you working on now?


Finding balance between home and work life.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting?  Neither.


Laptop or desktop?

  Desktop.


Chevy Chase or Bill Murray?  Bill Murray.


Emailing or texting?  Email.


Indoors or outdoors?  Alternate


Tea: sweet or unsweet?  Unsweet.


Plane, train, or automobile?

  Automobile, out of necessity. (Although I like trains, I seldom have the chance to take one.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An award winning novelist, journalist, columnist, critic, and film and television writer/producer, Gene (E. C.) Ayres is a graduate (B.A.) of Syracuse University, worked in New York for seven years producing short films for Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street,) ABC, and Time Life Television, then went on to write and produce for various other PBS television series at stations in Maryland, Arizona, and California. Moving to Los Angeles in the late '70s, Ayres began writing for commercial television, primarily in animation, fought unsuccessfully to reduce violence in children's entertainment, worked as a feature development writer for Jack Arnold at Universal Pictures, and was recipient of a Warner Brothers Writers Fellowship in 1982. Since leaving Hollywood in 1989 he has published seven mystery novels including winner of the St. Martin's Press/Private Eye Writers of America Best First Novel competition in 1992. He was a single parent for more than a decade prior to his nearly three years living and working in China between 2004-2007. There he served as a freelance editor, writer, and university lecturer in English at Harbin University of Commerce in northern Manchuria, where he wrote his nonfiction memoir Inside in the New China (2011). He is married to a Chinese national, and now lives in Seattle with his wife and step-daughter.

Connect with E.C. Ayres:

Website  |  
Blog  |  Facebook  |  
Twitter   |  
Goodreads

FEATURED AUTHOR: KIM BOYKIN

ABOUT THE BOOK

March 1953. Nettie Gilbert has cherished her time studying to be a music teacher at Columbia College in South Carolina, but as graduation approaches, she can't wait to return to her family – and her childhood sweetheart, Brooks – in Alabama. But just days before her senior recital, she gets a letter from her mama telling her that Brooks is getting married . . . to her own sister.

Devastated, Nettie drops out of school and takes a job as live-in help for two old-maid sisters, Emily and Lurleen Eldridge. Emily is fiercely protective of the ailing Lurleen, but their sisterhood has weathered many storms. And as Nettie learns more about their lives on a trip to see a faith healer halfway across the country, she'll discover that love and forgiveness will one day lead her home.

INTERVIEW WITH KIM BOYKIN

Kim, how did you get started writing and when did you become an “author?”
From as early as I can remember, I listened to my grandfather, who was a wonderful oral storyteller. From him I learned mechanics of story: sensory detail and pacing. Although at the time, I don’t thing I realized it.

But I fell in love with story as an extremely ADHD kid when the librarian in our tiny one-stoplight town took me to the stacks after I swore I hated to read and picked the one book that unlocked a love of reading that's lasted a lifetime. I wrote because I had to. I was good at it, and like many ADHD kids, I overcompensated for my poor math skills with writing.

About fifteen years ago, I finally finished a novel, not that I hadn’t finished others before, but I thought it was good enough to publish. I was so proud, I put writer in the “occupation” box on my tax return and our accountant told me to stick with “homemaker” because I hadn’t made any money as a writer. Ouch.

But I kept plugging away until I got frustrated enough to figure out I was never going to wow an agent who gets 4 or 500 queries a week. So I asked myself, who buys books? The answer is editors; there’s never been an agent in the history of agenting that I know of who has bought a book. So I went to the NY Pitch Conference, pitched directly to 4 editors. Three of them wanted to see the whole script, and that became the fist paragraph of my query. I sent out 167 e queries, had 60 agents reading the script, 20 reading the whole script, and I ended up with three offers of representation. I got to send out rejection letters, and let me tell you, some of those agents don’t take rejection very well.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I'm what's called a "pantser;" I fly by the seat of my pants. My process is much like when readers listen to audio books. I hear a voice in my head; she tells me her name, where she is, what year it is and the story takes off.

How long is your to-be-read list?
I read A LOT, so it's not that long, but I am always reading.

What books do you currently have published?
A Peach of a Pair, Palmetto Moon, and The Wisdom of Hair are all women's fiction novels. And I have 6 contemporary romance eBooks through the Tule Publishing group: Steal Me, Cowboy. Flirting with Forever, She's the One, Sweet Home Carolina, Just in Time for Christmas, and Caught Up in You.

Can you share some of your marketing strategies with us?
First and foremost, I try to get my face in front of as many readers as possible through speaking engagements, book festivals, and sometimes bookstore appearances if they are an event and I'm not just sitting there with a plate full of cookies while the customers avoid my gaze like they would a homeless person's. Facebook comes next. It is the best place for me to reach the readers I can't or don't meet at events. It's helped me grow my audience. When I see a bump on Facebook, most of the time that translates into a bump in sales.

How long have you been a writer?
Almost all 57 of my years. I became a published author at 53. I'm persistent like that.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
It's not a station, but I would watch Showtime. They have the smartest, best written original series. It's really the only thing I watch other than football.

How often do you tweet?
Not very often. Maybe a couple times a week.

How do you feel about Facebook?
Too much. Every day, many times a day.

For what would you like to be remembered?
For making people laugh.

What scares you the most?
It shouldn't bother me so much but between aging parent responsibilities, a new book and a new grandson, I'm so afraid I'm going to forget some event and there'll be a luncheon with 80 people, a bunch of copies of A Peach of a Pair, and I'm passed out somewhere from exhaustion.

YouTube is . . . SO handy if you EVER want to learn how to do something or need to remember how to do something important, like swaddle a baby.

What five things would you never want to live without?
Coffee. Desserts. A computer. Cute shoes. An electric toothbrush.

Who would you want to narrate a film about your life?
Susan Sarandon.

3D movies are . . . a sure way to make me nauseous.

If you had a swear jar, would it be full?
Overflowing.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
A hybrid, but definitely more extrovert.

What's your relationship with your TV remote?
I can live without it.

Do you spend more on clothes or food?
It's a tie.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Milk Duds.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
Go to the NY Pitch Conference to sell my book.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Schedule 15 dates in August, travel 2500 miles (so far,) when I had a grandson on the way. It has just about killed me.

What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
Knowing what I know now, I probably would have self-published early on. The stigma I thought existed was almost nonexistent. It would have been more lucrative, and since I put every dime I make back into my books, I think I would have built my audience faster because a huge portion of this business on the consumer end is price driven.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
Audrey Hepburn--"I love people in life who make me laugh. I honestly thing it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person."

I agree! What would your main character say about you?
Nettie would say I treated her like I would my own children. As long as she didn't hurt herself or kill anyone, she could do whatever she pleased.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
A Peach of a Pair.

Why?
I write full-time at home alone, with the exception of the dogs I let in and out all day. Last year, my husband was home from March-August because of a dispute with his employer. It was good because his mother was in hospice and he got to spend a lot of time with her. It was terrible because he was noisy, constantly interrupting my work.

On the day we buried his mother, my dad fell. Five falls and two brain procedures later he’s in a memory care unit. He and my mom have been married for 64 years, so she was lost. By this time it was December and I had about 50 pages written and a January 5 deadline looming.

I know I could have asked for an extension, but I didn’t want to. Thankfully, in mid-December, the floodgates opened and I wrote the book in about 3 weeks. I’m a pretty fast writer, but that was ridiculous. And scary. Glad it all worked out.


Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
Wow. That's like asking me to choose between my children. I'd have to say the Richland Library in Columbia South Carolina. It is a thing of beauty on the inside and out and thrives with active patrons.


You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
I would be Nick in Gone Girl, and believe me there WOULD be a happy ending when I got done with Amy. Talk about throwing a book across the room because you hated the ending!


Have you ever been to a fortune teller?
Yes.

What did she tell you?
She told me I would live to be very old. I would have 2 children. I would move to the west coast. I would be successful. All of that has happened so far, except I'd like to think 57 isn't "very old." I had a daughter and a son; we moved to the west coast of Florida a few months after the reading. I'm working on the successful part.


What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing?
They gave me 1 star and said Palmetto Moon was "depraved" because I had a gay character they didn't like. Then they got three or four of their friends to do the same, folks who'd never reviewed a single book on Amazon, only gardening tools or electronics, same verbiage. 

How did you deal with it?
My son is gay, and it hurt, but I did what all my author friends said to do, I did nothing. But I did write a million responses, I just never sent them.


Who would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone in the world?
No contest. Meryl Streep. I love her outlook on life. Her take on story. She just seems really wise.

What's your relationship with your cell phone?
We are extremely close, but it loves to play hide and seek.


How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
On an average, six.


What is your favorite movie?
The Silver Lining Playbook.

Do you have a favorite book?
A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano.


Do you sweat the small stuff?
Try really hard not to.


If you had to choose a cliche about life, what would it be?
No matter how you feel. Get dressed. Show up. And never give up.


How long is your to-do list?
Nobody's created a word yet to describe its depth.


What are you working on now?
The Bridal Party, a series based on the Charleston wedding industry. It's a Sex in the City ensemble of five women. Steel Magnolias meets The Wedding Planner, but nobody dies. Due out 2017.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Cake
Laptop or desktop? Both
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Bill Murray
Emailing or texting? Email (showing my age here)
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Gah! Neither
Plane, train, or automobile? Plane

A TASTE OF A PEACH 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kim Boykin was raised in her South Carolina home with two girly sisters and great parents. She had a happy, boring childhood, which sucks if you’re a writer because you have to create your own crazy. PLUS after you’re published and you’re being interviewed, it’s very appealing when the author actually lived in Crazy Town or somewhere in the general vicinity.

Almost everything she learned about writing, she learned from her grandpa, an oral storyteller, who was a master teacher of pacing and sensory detail. He held court under an old mimosa tree on the family farm, and people used to come from all around to hear him tell stories about growing up in rural Georgia and share his unique take on the world.

As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since.

Thanks to the lessons she learned under that mimosa tree, her books are well reviewed and, according to RT Book Reviews, feel like they’re being told across a kitchen table. She is the author of A Peach of a Pair, Palmetto Moon and The Wisdom of Hair from Berkley/NAL/Penguin; Flirting with Forever, She’s the One, Just in Time for Christmas, Steal Me, Cowboy and Sweet Home Carolina from Tule. While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte and has a heart for hairstylist, librarians, and book junkies like herself.

Connect with Kim:

Website  |  
Blog  | 
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  Goodreads  

FEATURED AUTHOR: LOUIS ALAN SWARTZ

ABOUT THE BOOK

What would life be like if you knew you were an immortal spiritual being? "It is my viewpoint that each man has his own unique magnificence regardless of race, religion, nation, tribe, station in life, customs and beliefs...," so writes poet, Louis Alan Swartz. Constructed of Magic and Other Poems on the Immortality of the Human Spirit is a refreshing collection of poems that explore the beauty of who we are as spiritual beings. Our ability to love, dream, create futures, even die with dignity are all part of who we are and why we are here. These poems don't pretend to give final answers to any of the big questions about life, but they do help us to look and come to our own understanding.

GUEST POST BY LOUIS ALAN SWARTZ

Thoughts on Writing Poetry

I was asked to write something on the art of writing poetry. At first, I thought - that would be quite presumptuous. I am just a guy who wrote some poems. Who am I to put forth on the art of writing poetry? But looking at it more fully, I realized that I did have some things to say which could potentially be of value and help.

What I have written here is very personal. These are things that have helped me on the subject of writing (and living for that matter) that I feel are worth passing on. I hope some benefit is derived from these thoughts and viewpoints. These are the points I have found important on the subject of writing:

* Write a terrifically large amount. Discipline yourself to write every day if at all possible. This should build up to tens of thousands of words and then to hundreds of thousands. While you are doing this you will develop and refine your way of writing. In my experience there is no better way to hone writing skill than to write in volume. Don't worry if it is good or bad, just continue to write in volume.
   
* Believe in yourself! Believe in the value of your own ideas, thoughts, perceptions. Believe in your own imagination. Believe in your own personal aesthetic. Have pride in yourself. Never believe it has all been done and said before. There is always more beauty that can and should be created and purveyed. Man suffers from an absence of aesthetics, not an excess. Each individual possesses a unique personal beauty.

When you write you are communicating that singular beauty. It is available nowhere else but  with you.

* Writing is communication! Above all remember that wring is communication.  You are writing down ideas, perceptions, emotions, imaginings, color, form, drama, character and as well hopes and dreams. It must be understandable by the reader. He must be able to "get" the communication in the context of his own world. No matter what lovely combinations of words you produce, they mean nothing if they are not grasped by the reader. The reader has his own human and spiritual experience. What you write must be real within that experience. The esoteric and cryptic have no place in writing or poetry. Poetry should be illuminating and enlightening. It should be able to communicate to all people, not just a select few. It must reach the reader where he lives. Trust your reader and believe in him. Trust in his perception and his intelligence. Always endeavor to communicate to and to reach the best there is in them, their personal aesthetic and their capacity for astonishment. Respect your reader and speak to him at his highest level of awareness. Think of him as full of wonder because he is. Don't try to entertain or interest him, rather be interested in him, care about him, his dreams, his passions, his magnificences. Endeavor in your writing to draw out these beautifulness in him. You are there to remind him of the angelic creature he actually is.

*Listen! Above all, listen closely. A major source of your inspiration will come from listening. If you listen closely and attentively people will tell you their dreams. They will tell you wondrous things. Listen as you read or see film. Listen to what your wife is saying, your children, your elders, your friends.

If you listen closely and attentively, you will hear the most remarkable things. Things that will knock your block off! Be intensely interested in what people are trying to tell you in any way, strain to understand them. They are a never ending source of wonder. Listen with your eyes. Go out into the world and see what is there. Listen and see on the bus, the train, the street corner, the restaurant. See and hear what's out there and who is out there. Listen to the voices you don't want to hear that are saying uncomfortable things. Listen to them even when it's tough. Listen to the anguish and the beauty beneath it. If you really listen you will never want for inspiration.


Below is a poem from Constructed of Magic on the subject of aesthetics:

Verges*
Violin resting on credenza
Utterly silent and ready,
Fresh cut roses in crystal vase,
Dawn light dusting the room
From the clearstory* high above.
Morning filled with anticipation.
Unwritten score on the piano.

Through the stained glass doors
Into early morning garden
Beyond the bearded Irises,
Past the Chinese Poppies,
Purple and red beyond comprehension.

We are always and ever
Reaching verges in ourselves.
What magnitude could be imagined
And brought into this world?
What aesthetic could be opened?

The very next turn in the trail.
Gentle music persisting
On the outer edges of my mind
Demanding to be heard and expressed,
Melody from beyond the seeable.
Another verge, another world.

Step you here dearest friend,
Depth of aesthetic beyond memory.
Beyond the trellis of roses,
Beyond the garden wall,
Beyond the hills above.

*Verge — point beyond which something occurs or begins
(Macmillan Dictionary for Students)

*Credenza — a low cabinet
(Webster’s New World College Dictionary)

*Clearstory — also clerestory — an upper portion of a wall containing windows
for applying natural light to a building.
(American Heritage Dictionary)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Louis Alan Swartz has dedicated his life to helping others find their ability as immortal spiritual beings. He has traveled extensively in Africa, India, Europe, and the Middle East. He lives in Los Angeles with Connie, his wife of twenty-eight years.

Connect with the author:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter   

FEATURED AUTHOR: NANCY J. COHEN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hoping for a romantic honeymoon at an Arizona dude ranch, hairstylist Marla Vail and her husband Dalton arrive to find a series of mishaps plaguing the resort. A nearby ghost town is suffering similar problems. Is it mere coincidence that Dalton’s Uncle Raymond owns both properties? When Raymond asks for their help in finding the culprit, Marla and Dalton eagerly accept. Then news of a local forest ranger’s death raises the stakes.

With sleuthing more natural to Marla than horseback riding, she delves into the investigation. But as she digs deeper, she discovers skeletons in the family closet. Someone means to drive Raymond out of business, and the reason may be linked to his past misdeeds. Raymond isn’t the only one with secrets. The trail leads Marla from an environmental activist group to saguaro poachers to water rights proponents to an abandoned copper mine beneath the ghost town. She’d better saddle up, rein in the clues, and find the killer before she becomes the next spirit inhabiting the haunted hillside.

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/T2Vao7yDIVY

INTERVIEW WITH NANCY J. COHEN

Nancy, how did you get started writing and when did you become an “author?”
My first career was in nursing. Cherry Ames books inspired me to become a nurse and also got me interested in mysteries, along with Nancy Drew and Judy Bolton. Besides reading, I liked to write stories, poems, and travel journals. But it wasn’t until I went to grad school to earn my Master’s Degree in nursing that I wrote my first novel.

I wrote six books before selling the seventh one, so persistence pays. I met my first agent at a conference sponsored by Florida Romance Writers, and my writing improved once I joined a critique group. Networking with other writers made all the difference to my career as an author.

My initial published works were scifi romances that I wrote for Dorchester. After doing several books in this genre, I switched to mysteries and began the Bad Hair Day series for Kensington. Along the way, I decided to return to my romance roots and wrote three books in the Drift Lords series for Wild Rose Press. These stories are paranormal romances with scifi/fantasy elements based on Norse mythology. But the mysteries feel like home. I enjoy writing about Marla the hairdresser and her escapades in crime solving. I’ve learned about all sorts of things in the course of research and visited many interesting sites.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Writing “The End.” Seriously, I enjoy plotting the story, especially when all the elements begin to come together. Once I have my synopsis done, I put myself on a writing schedule of five pages a day. This part is both a joy and a torment. I face that blank page every morning, but somehow those five pages get filled in. What I like best is writing the second half of the book, when the story elements are in place, the characters have been introduced, and the story flows on its own.

How long is your to-be-read list?
Enough for a lifetime.

What books do you currently have published?
My book list includes 20 novels, a nonfiction title, and a novella.

Can you share some of your marketing strategies with us?
When I have a new release, I plan my promotional campaign ahead of time. These activities include social media, ads in trade journals and online sites, signings and appearances, blog tours, FB launch parties, giveaways, and more. I maintain a blog on a regular basis and team up with other authors at Booklovers Bench to reach more readers.

How long have you been a writer?
I’ve been professionally published since 1994. The first book that I sold was the seventh one I’d written.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
The Hallmark Channel. I’m a sap for their romantic comedies and amateur sleuth mysteries.

How often do you tweet?
Several times a day.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I like the direct connection with readers. It’s a great way to get feedback on my work and to engage with friends. I like to read about what other people are doing, ask fans for input if I have a question about my work, and alert people to my book news. I share travel photos, pictures of recipes I make at home, interesting things I see along my morning walks. I’ve always kept a journal one way or another. This is merely another means of expression.

For what would you like to be remembered?
Generosity of spirit, encouragement of others, optimism, enthusiasm, and dedication. 

YouTube is . . . not something I watch often but useful for exploring sites when I can’t go there.

What five things would you never want to live without?
My family, air-conditioning, coffee, books, and good health.

3D movies are . . . Fun, we have a few in our collection to watch at home.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
An extrovert at conferences; an introvert at home.

Do you spend more on clothes or food?
Food comes first.

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Pistachio nuts, grapes, and a glass of wine.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Never surrender, never give up.”

What would your main character say about you?
“She needs to get out more.” Same thing my mother told me when I wanted to stay indoors and read.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
I like the Helen B. Hoffman Plantation Library because it belongs to the city, not the county, and it’s like an old-fashioned homey library used to be. I belong to the Friends and attend meetings there.


You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
Sarina in Circle of Light, my first published book. She became the legendary Great Healer. If I had the choice of any superpower, I would like to heal the sick.

What's your relationship with your cell phone?
It entertains me when I’m in waiting rooms or have an idle moment away from home. The slogan, “Don’t leave home without it” applies to your cell phone.

How true! 
How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Six to eight.

What is your favorite movie?
Galaxy Quest.

Do you have a favorite book?
Not any one in particular.

How about a favorite book that was turned into a movie?
Harry Potter. I liked the films because they stayed mostly true to the books.

Do you sweat the small stuff?
Yes.

If you had to choose a cliche about life, what would it be?
“Life is short.” Remember that each moment is precious and cannot be repeated. Don’t waste your time. Make each minute count.

How long is your to-do list?
Endless.


What are you working on now?
Hair Brained, #14 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries. It’s a direct sequel to Facials Can Be Fatal which is coming next.

Lightning round:
Cake or frosting? Cake
Laptop or desktop? Desktop
Chevy Chase or Bill Murray? Either
Emailing or texting? Email
Indoors or outdoors? Indoors
Tea: sweet or unsweet? Unsweet
Plane, train, or automobile? Auto

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nancy J. Cohen writes the humorous Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring hairdresser Marla Vail, who solves crimes with wit and style under the sultry Florida sun. Nancy is also the author of Writing the Cozy Mystery, a valuable instructional guide on how to write a winning whodunit. Her imaginative romances, including the Drift Lords series, have proven popular with fans as well. A featured speaker at libraries, conferences, and community events, Nancy is listed in Contemporary Authors, Poets & Writers, and Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, & Poets. When not busy writing, she enjoys fine dining, theme parks, cruising, and outlet shopping.

Connect with Nancy:

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