FEATURED AUTHOR: ZANNA MACKENZIE

ABOUT THE BOOK

After Lizzie's new boss, celebrity chef Armand, is stabbed in his own kitchen, Lizzie finds herself at the top of the suspect list. 

Determined to clear her name she’s forced to enlist the services of her new neighbor, Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency (CCIA) special agent Jack Mathis, who’s been suspended from his duties for reasons unknown. 

Can Lizzie save herself from getting arrested and manage to resist her special agent sidekick’s considerable charms and gorgeous smile? Will they solve the culinary murder mystery or will she end up in a prison cell?




INTERVIEW WITH ZANNA MACKENZIE 

Zanna, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
I adore the bit where I get to create the fun characters for the book! I get my star signs book out and check the personalities for different zodiac signs and decide which traits will suit the various characters I have in mind for each book. I love to layer up each one – star sign, personality, quirks, likes and dislikes, favorite foods, where they live etc. For the appearance side of things I keep a folder of pictures of famous people who I think could be the visual inspirations for the character creation phase of a book. I’ll select an image I think feels right and use that to build up the looks, style and clothing preferences for the character. I love it!

What do you think is the hardest aspect of writing a book?
Being patient! Creating a novel is a long process, and I confess I’m not the most patient person in the world.

What books do you currently have published?
I have the Amber Reed Mysteries which are fun romantic mysteries involving the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency – there are 5 books in that series so far.

Then there’s the Celebrity Mystery series which has three books so far and follows wannabe baker and amateur sleuth Lizzie and her yummy neighbor Jack.

I also have a paranormal romantic comedy and a contemporary romantic comedy. There will be a new paranormal romantic comedy mystery series out later this year, I am working on it the moment.


What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
Built a platform to connect with readers and other authors. Before I was offered contracts with two publishers in the same month, I had never used social media at all. My publishers both ran closed information groups for their authors on Facebook so I had to create an account and get to grips with how the systems work. They encouraged me to set up a Twitter account and join Goodreads. It’s been a steep learning curve.

What five things would you never want to live without? 
Water. Food. A book/my Kindle. My lip balm. A hat (for warmth if it’s cold or shade from the sun if it is hot!)


What drives you crazy?
People being inconsiderate to others, animals or the environment.


What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Garden, walk the dogs with my husband, or read. I love watching romantic comedy movies too.
How often do you read?
Every day. I’ve always loved to read. I was rather late getting a Kindle, but now I have discovered ebooks as well as paperbacks and read both. I probably get new books far too often as I have a To Be Read backlog, but I simply can’t resist them!

What is your writing style?
I’d describe it as light, fun, fast-paced, layered with intrigue and romance.


What do you think makes a good story?
An intriguing plot that has you hooked from the beginning and great characters you really care about and feel drawn into their world.

What’s one of your favorite quotes? That would be the one from Albert Einstein: “Logic will get you from A to B but imagination will take you anywhere.” So true!

What’s your favorite/most visited Internet site? Probably imdb (Internet Movie Database). I love movies and like to check out reviews and trailers for them before watching them on TV or buying the DVD. It’s probably a close-run thing between IMDB and the BBC Weather website – I’ve always been fascinated by meteorology and like to keep up to date with the weather forecasts.


If you had a talk show who would your dream guest be? Probably the English TV presenter Kate Humble. She seems bubbly and great fun, and I admire all the work she does for the environment. Plus, she has a smallholding in the middle of nowhere with her husband and dogs – something I’d love to achieve one day – with my husband  though of course, not hers! LOL.

Where is your favorite place to visit? 
A deserted beach on the Lincolnshire coast in the UK. There’s nothing there but miles of sand, sea and dunes. Bliss. The wind is usually blowing a gale and it’s inevitably freezing cold, but it’s the most wonderful place to walk the dogs with my husband. Sadly, it’s a long way from where we live so we don’t get to go there very often.


What’s one thing that very few people know about you?
I have a fascination with the weather. As a child my dad made me a wooden Stevenson Screen for in the garden where I kept my weather recording instruments so that they gave a true reading and were not affected by direct sunlight or wind chill. I used to have a big notebook, and every day I noted down temperature and humidity and rainfall amounts. I did it for many years. I guess I’m a bit of a geek!


What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?

A photo of mountains in the English Lake District – one of my favorite places in the world.

What are you working on now?
A fun paranormal romantic comedy mystery series set in the highlands of Scotland.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zanna lives in the UK (Derbyshire/ Leicestershire border) with her husband, 4 dogs, a vegetable patch that's home to far too many weeds, and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read.

She loves it when the characters in her novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot.

Zanna's hobbies include gardening, walking the dogs, weather watching and reading.


Connect with Zanna:

Website  |  Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  Goodreads 

Buy the book:
Amazon 

FEATURED AUTHOR: GINO BARDI

ABOUT THE BOOK


Cornell University, Ithaca New York, 1968: The barking megaphones of the antiwar protests never seem to shut up. The cafeteria food is awful and the coffee even worse. Tony Vitelli doesn't feel properly dressed without a STRIKE! T-shirt and an Iron Butterfly album under his arm. He can't see the top of his desk for all the books and papers. And his new roommate won't acknowledge his existence. Tony's first year at college is a complicated and bumpy ride. And very, very funny.

INTERVIEW WITH GINO BARDI

Gino, how did you get started writing?    
When I was in elementary school I discovered I could do magical things with writing which other kids couldn’t or wouldn’t do. I could make adults laugh!

What's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Not knowing the ending. Like climbing a long hill in a car, you can’t see the other side. But when you get to the top, and you’re exhausted, almost out of gas, then the valley on the other side is revealed, and there, in the middle, is the perfect ending. Or not. It doesn’t always work this way, but when it does, that’s my favorite part.

Do you have a writing routine?
I get up early, exercise, then sit down and stare at a blank screen until my fingers get bored and decide they want something to do. Eventually, something worth keeping, even if only temporarily, finds its way to the page.

Do you write every day?
Almost. But it’s not always fiction. I send a lot of letters, write reviews for stories, everything I have to write is another ‘opportunity.’

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
I wish I started it earlier . . . like before I wrote the book.

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
Bringing something new and worthwhile—and worth reading—to the subject. A billion books have been written, many of them were wonderful and can’t be improved upon. What/how can I say that is different, how can I bring value?

What’s more important – characters or plot?
Plot. A great story will survive weak characters. Maybe someone will rewrite it with better characters! Great characters can’t make a weak story great—though they can sustain a plot which is ABOUT their characters  . . . Yes, it takes both, but I’m not supposed to say that, am I?

You cheated! That's okay. What books do you currently have published? 
My first novel, The Cow in the Doorway, is it for right now, till I finish the other projects in progress!


What do you know now that you wish you knew then? 
The process of writing the novel took just under two years, during which time my writing style evolved and got tighter and leaner. When I was done I had to go back to the beginning and rewrite. Early critics kept telling me, "This could be cut by 30% or 50%" or "You don’t need this chapter," and eventually I started to listen to them. Good thing, too.

What’s the oldest thing you own and still use? 
My father gave me his Boy Scout knife when I was about thirteen. It has a broken blade. I keep it on my workbench and use it for everything you need a Boy Scout knife with a broken blade for.

I have my dad's too! Do you have any secret talents? 
Boy, I wish. I wouldn’t tell you anyway, I know how to keep secrets. Just in case you want to tell me one.

Is writing your dream job?
No, my dream job would be a food or a travel writer/critic. Anthony Bourdain has my dream job.

True. What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
I worked as a bus boy at a beach pavilion. When we were slow I had to walk around on a huge beach, covered with beautiful girls in bikinis, dressed in a chef’s uniform, and sweep popcorn off the sand.

What did that job teach you?
1. Get a college education, and 2. Don’t try this in a high wind.

Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors? 
Drive all interested parties to your book description page then have a KILLER log line and mini-synopsis on that page.

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

How often do you tweet?
Just started. It’s hard to adjust to the idea that there is a world of people out there interested in what I have to say. My experience with my own family would contra-indicate that.

How do you feel about Facebook?
Mixed feelings. It’s a wonderful and powerful way to connect to others. It’s also a gigantic, potential black hole of productivity. You have to learn to walk away.

Very true. What scares you the most?
Looking in the mirror. I never thought I was much to look at when I was in my teens and twenties. Boy, I was GORGEOUS, compared to now. Yikes!

LOL. Would you make a good character in a book? 
Oh, absolutely. Especially if you like your characters flawed, vulnerable, and believe that bad decisions make good stories!

What five things would you never want to live without?
Good friends. Hot water. A great omelet pan. A reliable car. Air conditioning. Oh, one more: antacids, like Maalox or whatever.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without (besides your phone).
I leave the house without my phone all the time, espccially when I can’t find it. But I always take my wallet . . . you never know what you’ll find at a yard sale!

What do you love about where you live?
We live on a canal, in a bird sanctuary (others call it a swamp, what do they know?) Everyday we have dolphins and jumping fish in the canal, parrots and storks and herons come to visit.

Awesome! What's your favorite treat for movie night? 
Chocolate almond bark, the kind that costs like $17 a pound.

What's the biggest lie you ever told?
I got my first job working for Billboard Magazine with a college degree in English and a year’s experience working for a magazine, which was my first successful piece of fiction (also called ‘a lie’). . .

What’s your favorite fast food?
Anything from the dollar menu at McDonalds. I only eat fast food when I am very hungry and in a hurry. 


What’s your favorite beverage?
I almost said beer, but my absolute favorite beverage will always be a chocolate malted milkshake.

What drives you crazy?
I hate to wait in line. For anything. I hate heavy traffic. I will drive miles out of my way to avoid a line of cars. That counts as crazy, right?

Absolutely. What is your superpower?
Answering essay questions on college exams. I got through school, praying for essay questions. It didn’t matter if I knew the subject.


Name one thing you’re really good at and one thing you’re really bad at.
Good: I can cook a great meal with whatever I find in the refrigerator. Bad: I cannot keep track of my wallet, sunglasses, and car keys to save my frigging life.


What do you wish you could do (besides keep track of your wallet, sunglasses, and car keys)?
I wish I could play a mean electric guitar. Or bass. I’d even be happy playing bass!

What is one of your happiest moments?
The first time I went to Florida (I live there now) when I was 12 years old, we drove through the orange groves on our way to the hotel and it was orange blossom season and the air smelled like oranges, and there were oranges everywhere. When we got to the hotel, there was a bowl of oranges in the room. I lived outside of Chicago and oranges were ‘special.’ I’ve never forgotten that.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
I like to watch Road Runner cartoons.

Where is your favorite place to visit?
I love to travel and will happily visit almost anyplace I haven’t been to before.

What would you name your autobiography?
Who Wrote This Crap?

What’s your least favorite chore?
Cleaning the refrigerator. I hate to throw away food, I wind up eating stuff the dog wouldn’t touch, if I had a dog.


Would you rather be a movie star, sports star, or rock star?
A movie star. I know both movie stars and rock stars. The movie stars all outlive the rockstars. The sports guys all get brain damage.


If you could be any movie star who would you want to be?
I have always felt slighted by not being born George Clooney.


Do you give your characters any of your bad traits?
Every one of them. And then some.

Have you ever killed off a character fictionally, as revenge for something someone did in real life?
I have yet to kill a character fictionally, or in real life. But I’m working my way to that.

What’s your favorite/most visited Internet site?
Ebay. Did you know you can buy a genuine Cold War Russian diesel submarine on ebay for about $100k? It doesn’t work, of course, and you have to go get it, but seriously? A cold war submarine? For a 100 grand?!

Good to know. What’s in your refrigerator right now?
My refrigerator has so much stuff in it, you couldn’t get a stick of gum in there, if for some reason you wound up with chewing gum that had to be kept cold.

What is the most daring thing you've done?
I went scuba diving on the first Nazi submarine sunk in WWII. It had a big hole in the conning tower, and I swam into the hole and immediately got stuck in the broken wires and pipes. Bad decisions, as they say, make good stories.

What is the stupidest thing you've ever done? 
I just answered that question.

I take your point. What is your most embarrassing moment?
I can’t go there right now and expect to finish this.

Understand. What choices in life would you like to have a redo on? 
Seriously: After getting married and having our first kid, I decided to put aside my ambitions to be an artist (writer, musician, etc) and focus on supporting my family (real job). When I recently retired I was shocked (SHOCKED!) to see how much I didn’t know/needed to learn to resume my pursuit of art and writing, and think I might have been way ahead if I had stuck with it. Of course I might have wound up divorced and homeless, but that’s the chances we all take. 

What would your main character say about you?
“Don’t believe him. He is the original unreliable narrator!”

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
My mom’s eulogy. She was always my best audience and biggest booster; she wouldn’t be there to hear it.


Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
The Andrew Dickson White Library at Cornell University. There are places in there where you CANNOT remain awake for more than a few minutes.


Who is your favorite fictional character?
Huck Finn, of course.

Of course. 
If you had a talk show who would your dream guest be? 
Mark Twain.


What’s one thing that very few people know about you?
I lie a lot.


Hmmm, you could be lying now. You have a personal chef for the night. What would you ask him to prepare?
Veal Oscar or chateaubriand.


How do you like your pizza?
Thin crust, lots of cheese, spicy sauce, mushrooms, sausage, and served in Little Italy, NYC. Oh, yeah, and this is important: in 1966.



Do you have any hidden talents?
I’m good at ‘five lines’-  someone draws five random lines on a piece of paper and then tells me to draw something specific. It never looks like what they wanted. But I’m good at it. Ask anyone.


What’s your favorite song?
"Sultans of Swing." Check out the guitar solo. You’ll see what I mean.


What’s your favorite smell?
Frying doughnuts.


What’s your favorite color?
Yellow. I’m not very big. I could get run over.


What are your favorite foods?
Let’s see: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. And ice cream. Don’t forget ice cream.


What do others say about your driving?
“Would you like me to drive?”


What’s your biggest pet peeve about writing?
I think of great ideas all the time, never write them down because the idea is so awesome I know I’ll remember it, and then I CAN NEVER REMEMBER.


Been there, done that. What would you do for a Klondike bar?
I’d buy one for maybe 50 cents or so. Or maybe that’s what they cost back in the 70’s.  Not much, actually. But, now, for a TULIP SUNDAE, made at the soda fountain at Woolworths, back before they all closed, for THAT I’d bark and balance a ball on my nose.


What is your favorite movie?
Princess Bride.

Good choice. 
Do you have a favorite book? 
No, but I’m partial to anything by Twain.


If you had to choose a cliché about life, what would it be? 
“Without coincidences there would be no stories.” I think that’s true. Without coincidences, everything that happens would be expected to happen. Who wants that?


What are you working on now? 
Finishing a few projects—a collection of short stories (almost finished), and a  YA novel about kids who build a powerful radio station out of junk and break every law that gets in the way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Gino B. Bardi was born in New York City in 1950, and lived on the South Shore of Long Island until he attended Cornell University in 1968, during the tumultuous era of Vietnam War protests. Armed with a degree in English/Creative Writing, he diligently sought work in his field and soon wound up doing everything but. For the next forty-four years he cranked out advertising copy, magazine articles, loan pitches and short stories while running a commercial printing company in Upstate New York. Along the way, he married his college girlfriend, became father to three lovely daughters, and decided that winter was an unnecessary evil. In 2008 he sold the printing business, retired, and now writes humorous fiction in his home on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Two signs hang above his desk: "Bad decisions make good stories," and Mel Brooks' advice that "You only need to exaggerate a LITTLE BIT."



The Cow in the Doorway is his first full-length novel and won the statewide Royal Palm Literary Award for best unpublished New Adult novel for 2015.

Connect with Gino:
Twitter  |   LinkedIn 

Buy the book:
Amazon  

FEATURED AUTHOR: DELSHEREE GLADDEN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Eliza Carlisle has the unwanted talent of attracting trouble, in all its forms. That couldn’t be truer than when she moves into the most bizarre apartment building on the planet. Weekly required dinners with the landlord and assigned chores are bad enough, but the rules don’t end there. Top most on the list of requirements is NO physical violence against the others residents.

There have been issues.

In the past.

The young manager, Sonya, claims that hasn’t been a problem recently, but Eliza comes home from her first day of culinary school to find a dead resident, her next door neighbor looking good for the crime, and a cop that seems more interested in harassing her than solving the case.

All Eliza wanted was to escape her past and start over, completely anonymous in a big city. That’s not going to be so easy when the killer thinks she’s made off with a valuable piece of evidence everyone is trying to get their hands on. The ultimatum that she turn it over to save her own life creates a small problem. Eliza has no idea what the killer wants, or where the mysterious object might be.

If she can’t uncover a decades old mystery in time, surviving culinary school will be the least of her problems.




INTERVIEW WITH DELSHEREE GLADDEN

DelSheree, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
Starting a new project and getting to know the characters. Even when I have a plan and concept for the characters, they almost always surprise me in one way or another.

What do you think is hardest aspect of writing a book?
Answering all the questions. Ending a series is particularly hard for me, but as I’ve ventured into writing mysteries, I’ve been learning to keep better track of all the hints and questions I weave into the story, so I don’t leave anything unanswered in the end.

What’s the oldest thing you own and still use?
I have a blue plaid skirt I bought when I was fifteen and still wear! I also have my grandfather’s old steamer trunk in my bedroom filled with some of their treasures that I inherited when my grandparents passed. One of them is a yellow swimming cap from the 30’s my dad couldn’t figure out why I wanted to keep.

I completely understand that. Do you have any marketing tips you could pass on to indie authors?
Be active consistently and don’t overwhelm yourself. You don’t have to be on every social media outlet. Pick one or two you actually enjoy using, and make them your main method of connecting with fans.

What scares you the most?
Not being good enough, whether in writing, being a mom and wife, or in my job. I struggled with confidence a lot as a child, and have come a long way, but that is still tough for me.

Would you make a good character in a book?
I seriously doubt it! While our house is often busy, we love quiet movie nights at home and spending a day hiking through the mountains or pueblo ruins.

What five things would you never want to live without?
My computer, a camera, good running shoes, Mumford and Sons, and my cell phone.

What do you love about where you live?
The variety. From our deck you can see Choke Cherry canyon on one side and the San Juan Mountains on the other. Go a little south and we have three rivers meeting up to create a little oasis of green in the desert. It’s a beautiful area with lots to do.

What do you wish you could do?
Something musical. My husband sings and plays the guitar, is learning violin, and plays the piano a little. I can read music and, if you give me enough time, I can play the piano slower than the song is meant to be played, but I am lost when it comes to theory, finding “the beat,” or composing anything. I love the effect music can have on people, but I’ll leave that to others.

What is one of your happiest moments?
Reading with my kids, especially sharing my old books with my daughter. Reading Anne of Green Gables together is something I’ll always cherish, especially seeing her connect to Anne and see herself in different aspects of the character.

What’s your least favorite chore?
Cleaning bathrooms, because . . . gross.


True! What’s one thing that drives you crazy?
Lousy drivers. Pay attention to the road and look for other cars, please!

Who is your favorite fictional character?
Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files. He’s rough, a survivor, and unapologetic, but one of the best people ever, one his friends always know they can count on.


What’s your favorite song?
"Believe" by Mumford and Sons.


What’s your favorite smell?
Lilacs. They only last a short time when they bloom, but I love how they smell.

I love them too! 
What’s your biggest pet peeve about writing?
Using “that” constantly. I’ll admit, early in my writing, I did it too. Now that I’ve worked at nixing it from my own writing as much as possible, I see it more easily when I read and it drives me nuts.


What are you working on now?
I’m trying to finish up the last book in my dark paranormal series, Wicked Revenge, and then I’ll be working on the next Ghost Host book, a sweet romance called The Oblivious Girl’s Handbook, and eventually I’ll get to the second full book in the Eliza Carlisle Series. I have a plan for that one, but no title yet.

Good luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. Literally. She didn't speak a single word for the first three months of preschool, but she had already taught herself to read. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old but spent ten years rewriting and perfecting it before having it published.

Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her husband spent several years in Colorado for college and work before moving back home to be near family again. Their two children love having their cousins close by. When not writing, you can find DelSheree reading, painting, sewing and trying not to get bitten by small children in her work as a dental hygienist. DelSheree has several bestselling young adult series, including Invisible which was part of the USA Today Bestselling box set, Pandora. The Date Shark Series is her first contemporary romance series, now joined by her first romantic comedy, The Crazy Girl’s Handbook, and the comedic Eliza Carlisle Mystery Series.

Connect with DelSheree:
Website  |  
Blog  |  
Facebook  |  
Twitter  |  
Goodreads  |  Amazon 

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  iTunes  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Smashword  |  Kobo

FEATURED AUTHOR: FRANKIE BOW

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).



What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
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

Like Molly Barda, Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike her protagonist, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn't fair, at least it can be entertaining. In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.

Connect with Frankie:

Website and Blog  |  
Facebook  | 
 Twitter   |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon |  Powells   |  IndieBound  |  Barnes & Noble

BOOKS BY FRANKIE BOW

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FEATURED AUTHOR: J.R. LINDERMUTH

ABOUT THE BOOK

A young girl is murdered and a feeble-minded youth obsessed with her is the prime suspect. Evidence against the youth is circumstantial and there are other suspects. Influenced by the boy's stepsister and a woman he is beginning to love, the detective puts his job and reputation on the line to assure the boy a fair trial.

INTERVIEW WITH J.R. LINDERMUTH

John, how did you get started writing?
I showed a talent for drawing early on and by age 10 was taking lessons from a local cartoonist until he decided there wasn't anything more he could teach me. At some point thereafter I started writing stories to go with my drawings. That's when I discovered I enjoyed writing as much as drawing and as I began high school started thinking about a dual career. In fact, I'd just enrolled in art school when I got my draft notice in 1961. I had some small success with articles and short stories while in the Army and later, but didn't publish my first novel until after I retired from the newspaper business in 2000.

Do you write every day?
Absolutely. I don't set a word goal, but I believe the persistence is important.

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
I wish I'd known about all the wonderful small publishers out there looking for interesting manuscripts. Since I was ignorant of the fact, I published my first two novels with iUniverse, an expensive mistake.

What’s more important—characters or plot?
Characters, definitely. If you don't have characters your readers can relate to, then the best plot in the world isn't going to hold their attention.

What books do you currently have published?
Schlussel's Woman (historical fiction), St. Hubert's Stag (a novella), Something in Common, Cruel Cuts, Corruption's Child, Being Someone Else, Practice to Deceive and A Burning Desire (Sticks Hetrick mystery series; Shares The Darkness, 7th in the series is now in the editing process), The Accidental Spy (historical fiction), Watch The Hour (historical fiction), The Limping Dog (standalone mystery), Fallen From Grace and Sooner Than Gold (Sheriff Tilghman historical mystery series; (The Bartered Body, 3rd in the series, is in the editing queue). The Tithing Herd (Western), Something So Divine (historical mystery), Digging Dusky Diamonds (a regional history about the lives of coal miners) and a story in the mystery anthology, Four of a Kind.


Do you have any secret talents?
It's not exactly a secret, but I serve (temporarily on leave because of health) as librarian of my county historical society, assisting people with genealogy and research. I also write a weekly history column for my local paper. I mentioned my art above. I don't promote it much anymore but my work is in private collections in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky.

Awesome! Is writing your dream job?
Absolutely.


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
When I was building a house and ran short of funds I took a part-time job at a chicken processing plant. It taught me how tough a life some other people lead and, if I ever needed money so badly again, to look for an easier job.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
The local PBS station. Where else would I find those great British mystery and comedy shows along with some wonderful documentaries? Other than the occasional movie discovery, most of television is a wasteland to me. I'd rather read.

Agreed! How often do you tweet?
At least once daily.

How do you feel about Facebook?
I prefer it to Twitter. It's great for making contact with fans and potential fans and for keeping up with out-of-the-area family.

What scares you the most?
Spiders and going into a new environment. I have no fear of snakes, large beasts, etc., but spiders scare the bejasus out of me (bit by one as a kid). Despite my years in the military and newspapers, I'm still very much an introvert.

What five things would you never want to live without?
Books, my vision, untrammeled nature, warm sunny weather, Italian food.

What’s one thing you never leave the house without (besides your phone).
A notepad and pen. (I know, that's two things. But one is useless without the other and no writer should ever be without them.

What do you love about where you live?
Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region can appear bleak to outsiders. I'm fascinating by the history. The people (a great ethnic assortment) are generally among the friendliest who'd ever want to meet and have interesting stories to tell. And, there's beauty if you know where to look for it.

What is one of your happiest moments?
Aside from the birth of my children? Publication of a new book.

What do you like to do when there’s nothing to do?
Read.

Of course! Stupid question, right? What’s your least favorite chore?
Mowing the lawn. Because it's boring and you're just done when it needs doing it again. I've often said, if I ever got rich (fat chance), the first thing I'd do is hire a gardener and a driver (I'm not fond of driving myself either; I tend to be distracted by my thoughts, scenery or other more interesting things).


What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
As a reporter, writing the obit of some kid killed in Vietnam or one of the later wars. War is such a waste of young lives and seldom accomplishes the goals set for it. In recent years we've participated in too many unnecessary conflicts and have misused or ignored diplomacy which was once one of our greatest talents.

Where is your favorite library, and what do you love about it?
My hometown library. It didn't exist until I was in high school, but has been a home away from home since then. The librarians have been very generous in their support, stocking my books and hosting events. Can't say enough good things about them. And, sadly, libraries are generally so under-supported these days.

Very true. Who is your favorite fictional character?
Don Quixote. 



What do others say about your driving?
My kids say I should stay off the roads and leave the driving to someone else.


Yikes! What is your favorite movie?
There are a lot of great films out there. Still, my all-time favorite is The Gods Must Be Crazy. I know some of it is just plain silly, but it's one of the most original and thought-provoking films of all time. Jamie Uys is a genius.

Do you have a favorite book?
Don Quixote.

What are you working on now?
Chemotherapy has slowed down my production in recent months to mostly short stories and articles. I am, however, working on an eighth novel in the Sticks Hetrick series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native of Pennsylvania, J. R. Lindermuth is a retired newspaper editor. He is the author of 14 novels and a regional history. His articles and short stories have appeared in a variety of magazines. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and is currently vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.


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

Buy the book:
Amazon  |  Sunbury Press  |  Barnes & Noble

CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH LORI STACY'S MANDY HEMPHILL

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mandy Hemphill is living her dream, running the successful Rose Cottage Cafe in Orchardville, Texas, from the ground floor of a converted, old—and possibly haunted—downtown home. She even had plans to grow her business with a new outdoor patio . . . if only the mayor wouldn’t have turned her down.

So when the beloved mayor is found murdered, Mandy finds herself among the suspects. And now business at the cafe is dropping faster than a fallen soufflé. How can she prove her innocence and save the Rose Cottage Cafe?

Thankfully Ben, the new owner of The Orchardville Gazette, doesn’t believe she’s guilty. As the two of them set out to find the real killer, they uncover one small-town lie after the next. But the closer they get to learning the truth about who killed the mayor, the more in danger they find themselves.

ABOUT MANDY HEMPHILL

In her late twenties, Mandy Hemphill owns and operates the Rose Cottage Cafe, one of Orchardville, Texas’ most popular spots. She is a talented baker who loves making classic Southern desserts and treats, such as the cafe’s popular peach pecan muffins and buttermilk pie. She believes the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, and that baking and cooking for others is an expression of love. She is currently single, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Kelly, although the hot new owner of the town’s local paper, who has just moved in upstairs from the cafe, has certainly piqued her interest.

INTERVIEW WITH MANDY HEMPHILL

Mandy, how did you first meet Lori?
A few years ago, Lori was, as she tends to do, fantasizing about what it would be like to run a bakery as she was baking up some delectable dessert for her three children. But she is writer at heart, which she tends to forget when she is baking and dreaming of being a baker, so instead of abandoning her true passion, she started thinking about me, and what would happen to me if suddenly I found myself embroiled in a murder mystery.

Want to dish about her?
I have to say that she talks a lot to her dog. I don’t have any pets (though I’d love to get a cat), but I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who talks to her dog so much.

Why do you think your life has ended up being in a book?
I think right now, thanks to cooking and baking shows, that people who bake and run restaurants are interesting to readers. The fact that I run a fairly successful cafe, and spend a good deal of time making delectable desserts, is one reason I found myself in the pages of a book; the other, of course, is that I found myself smack dab in the middle of a small-town murder mystery.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
My favorite scene in the book is when Ben, the hot looking guy who runs the town newspaper—and happens to have an office above the cafe—and I decide we need to get our hands on the hairdresser’s appointment book and devise a way to do just that without arousing suspicion. Ben basically takes one for the team and comes out looking . . .  well, let’s just say you’ll understand why the title of the book is Big Hair & Buttermilk Pie.

Did you have a hard time convincing Lori to write any particular scenes for you?
There’s one scene in which I am at my apartment by myself one morning, sipping my coffee of course, and I begin to lament on my shortcomings, like the fact that everything I own, down to my pajamas and even my coffee mug, is too cutesy. I know she’d like me to be strong and confident all the time, but sometimes a girl’s just gotta feel a wee bit sorry for herself.

What do you like to do when you are not being read about in a book?
I love to bake. As I say in the book, it’s my therapy. There’s nothing flour, butter and sugar can’t remedy!

I wholeheartedly concur. If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?
I would write Ben’s girlfriend write out of the pages. Buh-bye, Hannah!

Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
Well, as you might have guessed I have the slightest crush on Ben, but that girlfriend thing makes it difficult. I adore my assistant manager Zoe; she’s hard working and cool as a cucumber. My roommate Kelly is my best friend, and I wish I had half the amount of shoes she has.

Do have any secret aspirations that Lori doesn’t know about?
I dream big. Right now Lori is getting to know me and know all my quirks, dislikes, and likes. I am in my twenties, and I operate one successful cafe, but I secretly harbor dreams of turning my business into something big.

What would you do if you had a free day with no responsibilities?

Lake Orchardville is beautiful, and a day on the lake is something special. I would get up early and get a run in, then go home and pack a picnic of homemade chicken salad, a baguette, sweet tea and assorted homemade cookies. Then I would meet a friend at the Orchardville Marina, rent a boat and spend the day on the lake. In the evening, I’d go out for a nice dinner date (!!) and perhaps go see a movie.


What impression do you make on people when they first meet you? How about after they've known you for a while?
I think people think of me as capable and hard working when they first meet me, because chances are they will first meet me at the cafe. Then, after they get to know me they will realize their first impressions were spot on.

What's the worst thing that's happened in your life? What did you learn from it?
I became a suspect in the murder of our town’s mayor. The worst part was knowing that people in the community whom I really liked and respected started to have doubts about my character. But I learned to persevere and to never, ever give up.



Tell us about your best friend.
My best friend is my roommate Kelly. She is the assistant city manager of Orchardville and has to put up with angry citizens all day, bless her heart. She loves shopping, especially shoe shopping, and going out for Mexican food with me once a week. (Okay, she also loves a good margarita.)

What are you most afraid of?
I learned recently that I am most afraid of losing my business. I have worked hard to get the Rose Cottage Cafe to where it is today and I would never want to lose it, or to have to let any of my amazing employees go. 



What’s the best trait Lori has given you? What’s the worst?
The best trait is my mind. It’s helped me to get where I am today and to get out of sticky situations. The worst? Well, I guess I am a bit of a workaholic. I mean, running a cafe takes a lot of hard work and a lot of long hours, so it’s sort of to be expected. But I might have a little better social life if I didn’t put in so many hours at the cafe.

What do you like best about Ben? Least?
I love that he has this devilish sense of humor and that nothing seems to ruffle his feathers. The least? Well, her name is Hannah and I think she needs to go.

What’s Lori’s worst habit?
She procrastinates! I should have been in print long ago . . .

How do you feel about your life right now? Is there anything you would like to change?
I love my life and my cafe. I guess if I had to change one thing it might be my wardrobe, silly as that sounds. I realized recently that my style is a little cutesy, and I thought it might be the right time in my life to be a little more sophisticated.

What aspect of Lori’s writing style do you like best?
I like when she gets conversational, when she lets the characters speak. We tend to tell our sides of the story very well.

If your story were a movie, who would play you?
Kristin Bell. She seems warm and down-to-earth, like me.

Describe your town Orchardville, Texas.
Orchardville is a small town in Texas with an old-fashioned Main Street that’s lined with stores and cafes. A lot of its appeal comes from the fact that it is set on a large lake. The people who live in Orchardville are real, small-town Texans, the kind of folks who would give a stranger in a grocery store a hug if they sensed she was having a bad day.

What would an average day in your life look like?
I get up early—that’s the nature of running a cafe that’s open for breakfast—and go to the cafe. We bake and prep in the morning, then handle customers for breakfast and lunch. Any downtime is spent doing paperwork in my small office there—you know, bills, payroll, marketing, setting up catering jobs . . . In the afternoon I love to get a run in at one of Orchardville’s parks. Then, in the evening I enjoy either hanging out with my roommate at home and watching reality TV and dining on leftovers from the cafe, or going out to dinner, preferably for Mexican food.

What makes you stand out from any other characters in your genre?
I would say the fact that I am not at all the classic “hard boiled” amateur detective. Even though I get involved solving mysteries, I am still just me—a little quirky, a little doubtful of myself at times and sometimes even a bit shy.

If you could be “adopted” by another writer, who would you choose?
Joanne Fluke. I mean, they made a TV movie about her character Hannah Swensen. How cool would that be?!

Very cool. Will you encourage Lori to write a sequel?
Oh, yes. We had another shall-we-say “incident” at the cafe which she is writing about now. (Note to author: stop procrastinating and get back to work!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After her twenty-year career in magazine publishing came to a screeching halt faster than you can say "print is dead," Lori Stacy decided it was time to finally turn the many stories she had been crafting in her head over the years into books.

Lori has authored a number of fiction and nonfiction books for young adults, has written articles for both print and online publications, and has written about hotels for one of the world's leading search engines.

She lives in Texas with her husband and three children. When she is not writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen baking treats (which she says are for her children) or trying to train their hundred-pound golden retriever, an obedience school dropout.

Connect with Lori:
Website  |  Amazon  

Buy the book:
Amazon

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FEATURED AUTHOR: MEG MULDOON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ace reporter Freddie Wolf is in the dog house.

After she turns down the crime beat at her small town Oregon newspaper because of a conflict of interest, Freddie’s editor at The Dog Mountain Chronicle demotes her back down to the dog beat. Which means covering more boring pooch parades, pet profiles, and canine puff pieces than any serious reporter could handle without losing her doggone mind.
But when Freddie’s friend Mindy Monahan goes missing just hours before the local school teacher was due to expose a ring of law-breaking dog owners, the journalist decides she won’t heel and stay within the lines of her beat. 
With the help of her police lieutenant boyfriend and her puppy, Mugs, Freddie launches her own investigation into Mindy’s mysterious disappearance. But little does Freddie know that by trying to sniff out the mystery, she’s walking right into a deadly trap. 
Because it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. And Freddie Wolf is about to learn that lesson the hard way . . .  


Bulldogs & Bullets is the second book in the Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery series and is preceded by Mutts & Murder.



INTERVIEW WITH MEG MULDOON

Meg, what's your favorite thing about the writing process?
When it seems like there’s no way to get from point A to point B in the story, and you start doubting yourself and what you’re doing, and everything seems very dark and impossible. But you keep working and trying and struggling to get the two points to meet somehow. And then suddenly, out of the blue, the solution hits you like a bolt of lightning. You have no idea where it came from. All you know is that it wouldn’t have happened if you had stopped and given up. That’s my favorite part of writing—the rewards you get for keeping at the process and being persistent despite the doubts and fears that try to stop you along the way.

What do you wish you’d done differently when you first started the publishing process?
I wish I had given it 100 percent from the very beginning. I worked as a reporter for four years while I was writing cozy mysteries – afraid to quit my day job with its steady (though meager) paycheck and pursue my dream of writing fiction. In my heart, I knew that I could make writing fiction work if I committed to it full-time, but I didn’t have the courage to do it. I finally quit my day job a year and a half ago with the thought that I was going to teach English abroad in Asia. My writing career took off at that precise moment, however, and I decided to pursue the dream of writing fiction full-time instead. I’m happy to say that so far, it’s been working out better than I even dreamed. In addition to making more than I did as a reporter, I’m so much happier now, and I absolutely love what I do. I just wish I’d gone for it sooner!  

What do you think is the hardest aspect of writing a book?
Keeping focused and avoiding distractions!

What books do you currently have published?
I have 13 books right now. Eight books and one novella in the Christmas River Cozy Mystery series, two books in the Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery series, and two books in the Cozy Matchmaker Mystery series.


What is the worst job you’ve ever had? What did it teach you?
I worked in the home department of Macy’s during the Christmas season one year after college. On paper, it wasn’t such a bad job—especially compared to some. But I was lost at the time – unsure about what I wanted to do with my life. The job was difficult because it was somehow both boring, yet very stressful at the same time. I was a terrible salesperson. I never liked pushing things on anybody, especially department store credit cards the way the company wanted us to.

But at the same time, so much good came out of that job, that I can’t regret working there. During my breaks, I used to walk over to the nearby donut shop and watch the snow fall outside and try to come up with a future that didn’t involve a hard sell or customer service or pretending to be somebody I’m not. I didn’t immediately come up with writing mysteries, but that experience got me thinking about ways that I could independently support myself without having to work for a company or in a structured 9 to 5 environment.

If you could only watch one television station for a year, what would it be?
Turner Classic Movies, no question about it. I love old movies so much, especially film noir, mysteries, and Westerns.

What do you love about where you live?
After living most of my life in Central Oregon, I moved this past fall to Santa Fe, New Mexico to try something new. Central Oregon is a stunning place of profound beauty and will always be my home, but I feel like I’m growing into Santa Fe. I love my Casita just off the plaza. I love the stray cats that cross the courtyard every day (and yes – I’ve given them all the names of old movie stars. Lon Chaney is the most frequent visitor.) I love the smell of chilies roasting in the fall, and I love the towering cottonwoods rustling in the breezes that come down off the Sangre de Cristo’s. It’s a magical place, and I feel lucky to be able to live here for a little while. 

What's your favorite treat for movie night?
Tillamook’s Marionberry Pie ice cream. It’s my favorite treat for movie night or anytime. I’m crazy for pie! (And just plain crazy )

What's the biggest lie you ever told?
I guess that I do this writing thing all by myself. As a writer you might be alone for a big chunk of your day while you work, but nobody does this work alone. It takes support from a lot of people. Your family, friends, and readers all play a huge role in getting a book completed. Luckily, I’ve been blessed to have so many wonderful people supporting me in my life. 


Where is your favorite place to visit?
The Gifford Homestead pie shop in the heart of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. To me, getting to enjoy delicious, fresh, juicy pie smack-dab in some of the most beautiful red rock land and orchard valleys in the world equals pure happiness. The setting partially inspired my Christmas River series, which is about a small-town pie shop owner who lives in a beautiful and rural setting. (Did I mention that I like pie???)

Have you ever killed off a character fictionally, as revenge for something someone did in real life?
Um . . . I plead the fifth!

What would your main character say about you?
Cinnamon Peters, the pie baker from the Christmas River series, would say that I was a quiet but friendly gal with a fondness for hazelnut coffee and marionberry pie. Freddie Wolf, the reporter in the Dog Town USA series, would say I might have promise as a reporter, but that I’ll never get far if I don’t commit to really memorizing AP style and learn proper comma usage. And barmaid Loretta Loveless of the Cozy Matchmaker series would probably tell you that I’m a pain as a customer because I’m always asking for obscure craft beers that her small saloon doesn’t stock.


Who is your favorite fictional character?
I have to break the rule of this question here and give you two. My favorites are Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call from Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove series. I’m a sucker for Westerns, and I think these two are among the very best characters ever written. The old Texas Rangers play off each other masterfully, and both are such well-developed, multi-dimensional, and enjoyable characters. They’re imperfect and flawed and human, and written to perfection. They hold a special place in my heart.


What is the wallpaper on your computer’s desktop?
I have a still shot of Orson Welles as Harry Lime from the movie, The Third Man. Of course it’s a little hard to see these days because I have so many random files saved to the desktop that they block the photo! But like I said earlier, I love old movies—and The Third Man is probably my all-time favorite mystery ever. I guess I keep that photo there to remind me to do my best to write compelling characters, to not be afraid to be unconventional, and to stay the course in my writing.


What are you working on now?
I just published Bulldogs & Bullets, the second book in the Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery series. I’m working on the next Christmas River book right now, and this summer I’ll be coming out with Missing in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery (Book 9).

Thank you so much for having me on A Blue Million, Amy! It’s been a pleasure!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meg Muldoon is the author of The Christmas River Cozy Mysteries, The Dog Town USA Cozy Mysteries, and The Cozy Matchmaker Mysteries. A former small town news reporter, Meg has always had a special place in her heart for lost dogs, homeless cats, and feisty old locals. She loves writing cozy mysteries that are full of humor and heart.

Originally from Central Oregon, Meg lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with a cattle dog named Huckleberry.

Connect with Meg:
Blog  |  
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads
Buy the book:
Amazon