ABOUT THE BOOK
Professor Molly Barda investigates a mysterious paddling accident and realizes it isn’t just business majors who cheat to get what they want. Whether it’s moving up in the college rankings, getting a seat in the big canoe race, or just looking out for themselves, some people will do whatever it takes-including murder.
INTERVIEW WITH FRANKIE BOW
Frankie, do you write every day?
I should, but I don’t. My ideal routine would be this: Get up and while my brain is at its freshest, set the Pomodoro timer and bang out a thousand or more words on my work-in-progress. Then go exercise, come back, and write some more. My actual routine goes something like this: Check email (my first mistake). Find blog post opportunity. As I am acting on blog post opportunity, notice that the headlines on my website sidebar are misaligned. Spend the rest of the day trying out different WordPress themes.
I hear you! What do you think is more important—characters or plot?
Characters. The characters will drive the plot. Let me give you a maddeningly vague example (to avoid spoilers): In The Black Thumb, Molly goes back and forth on an important decision in her personal life. If you know her and the other characters involved, you realize that neither option is a realistic possibility for her. Then there’s a turn of events, which puts the choices in a different light for the characters. At that point they follow a course of action that makes sense. If you populate a story with different characters, you’ll end up with a different story.
Very true. What books do you currently have published?
In addition to the Professor Molly Mysteries, I’ve been writing fanfic for Kindle Worlds in Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune world (Sinful Science, Once Upon a Murder, and Tabasco Fiasco).
Ken Brown’s Let’s Chat guy.
Do you have any secret talents?
More of an “enthusiasm” than a “talent,” but I really enjoy partner dancing, especially swing, blues, and tango. I don’t know if dancing actually makes you smarter, but dancers seem to hang on to their cognitive function better than non-dancers. It’s the only sport that involves embracing someone for an extended period of time, so maybe there’s something about extended hugging that’s good for your brain.
Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
This is a hard question to answer, because as soon as something looks like it’s working for someone, the rest of us come stampeding in and then whatever it is doesn’t seem to work so well anymore. I still like Goodreads giveaways. They don’t seem to translate directly into sales, but they do get you added to a lot of to-read lists.
How do you feel about Facebook?
I really like Facebook. It’s exactly the right intensity of social interaction for me: low.
Who is your favorite fictional character?
Hilary Tamar, from Sarah Caudwell’s Oxford mysteries. They were written in the 80s, but they have a very Golden Age feel to them.
What are you working on now?
I’ve started doing coloring books for grownups. A lot of people I knew personally use coloring books to relax and de-stress, and I thought I could add a little more variety to what’s out there.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Connect with Frankie:
Website and Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy the book:
Amazon | Powells | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble
BOOKS BY FRANKIE BOW
