 Good Morning, Booklovers! I'm extending my Labor Day vacation and turning today's blog over to mystery author Edith Maxwell, who will be talking with you about...well, it's kind of like a selfie Q & A. Enjoy the blog! Take it away, Edith! “I’m Curious” or “Edith/Maddie’s FAQs”Thanks so much for inviting me over, Ally, to talk about my new book and the writing life! Fans, at in-person (sniff, remember those?) and virtual events, are often curious about the same things over and over. I thought I’d address the top ten here. (Note: Some of these questions were inspired by my interview with Lynn Slaughter for her blog a couple of weeks ago.)  1.Tell me about the Country Store Mystery series and its inspiration. I love writing this series, which was inspired by the five years I lived in lovely, hilly southern Indiana. I made up the town of South Lick as well as Pans ’N Pancakes, protagonist Robbie Jordan’s country store breakfast and lunch restaurant, which becomes the hub of the community. Robbie is a transplanted Californian – like I also am – and a puzzle master. She discovers she has a facility for solving murders, especially when her dear ones or her livelihood are threatened. No Grater Crime ends with a special treat – Robbie’s marriage to her long-time boyfriend Abe! 2. What books/authors inspired you as a child? As an adult? I loved reading series, digging my teeth into the Borrowers, the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, and of course, Nancy Drew. I also read biographies of strong women like Jane Addams and Clara Barton, so it’s no surprise I write strong female main characters in my own stories. As an adult, I still love reading that kind of book. I read Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, Sheila Connolly, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Hallie Ephron, Lucy Burdette, any of my Wicked Authors blogmates. I want a book about a heroine who is smart, strong, and brave. 3. Have you always written fiction? How did you get to where you are now? I wrote lots of stories as a child, and at the age of nine, I won a short story contest and was paid two dollars by the Pasadena Star News. Then I spent decades as a technical writer and free-lance journalist and also did academic writing. But I’ve always read mysteries, and when my younger son went off to kindergarten, I tried my hand at writing a cozy set on a small organic farm like the one I had for a few years. It turned out to be A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die, my second mystery which was published almost twenty years later and the first Local Foods mystery. I just kept going, writing short stories and studying the craft until I got an agent and the first of many contracts. 4. In addition to the Country Store Mysteries and the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, also written as Maddie Day, you’re the author of three other series and award-winning short crime fiction. How do you do it? I treat my writing as my day job. I am working by seven every morning except Sunday, and sometimes on Sundays, too. I write or revise for four or five hours, go for my walk, eat lunch, and do other authorly things in the afternoons. The mornings are my sacred writing time. When I find myself dithering, I ask myself in a stern voice, “Are you a professional writer or not?” 5. Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in-between? I’m pretty much in between. By nature I write organically – by the seat of my pants, as they say - but I usually plot out three or four scenes ahead of myself. My editor wants a prose synopsis for a book before I start writing it, which just about kills me. Still, he’s the guy who offers me contracts, so I do it. And then, as I’m writing, if I get a bit lost, I check the synopsis, which usually offers me a brilliant idea of which way to head. 6. How do you approach research for your novels? My historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries need research about buildings, transportation, clothes, how people talked, how they cooked their food, attitudes, what was in the news, health care methods, police procedure, news events. I love it, but it’s extensive. For contemporary books, I still need to research particular topics. In this book I needed to know about poison mushrooms, and I went on a medicinal mushroom walk with an expert in the woods north of me. Google can help, but I like to have actual people to ask questions of, plus reference books. 7. Most of your books are part of a series. Is that by design? I love writing series, because I get to hang out in a setting I invented and with a core group of characters I – and my fans – have grown to love. I have a standalone I’ve written half of, but I have no idea if it will sell. 8. When you’re not writing, what do you like doing? I grow organic vegetables during the warm half of the year here in New England, and I love cooking with local produce in the summer and with anything in the winter, including baking bread and sweets. For my books with recipes, I need to test all of them, which greatly pleases my tall, skinny beau. I read a lot, of course, and occasionally sew a baby quilt. My beau and I do crossword puzzles constantly and enjoy watching art films. I rarely watch television except for the occasional PBS series or Netflix crime drama. 9. Chocolate or pizza? Mountains or beach? Wine, whiskey, or hot cocoa? Chocolate, the darker the better! I love both mountains and beach, but if I have to choose, beach it is – as long as I have an umbrella. Wine, and whiskey in my hot chocolate. 10. What’s next? I’m working on a new historical project I don’t have a contract for. It’s set in 1926 Boston and features a youngish lady PI (based on my grandmother Dorothy) solving crimes with Amelia Earhart. Fingers crossed! I also have a Country Store Christmas novella to polish and the eleventh in the series to write. After No Grater Crime, Murder at the Lobstah Shack will be out at the end of November. It’s my third Cozy Capers Book Group mystery, and the fourth, Murder in a Cape Cottage, releases a year later. If you’d like an autographed copy of any of my books, please order it from Jabberwocky Books and I’ll run over and sign a copy for you. The new book is also available wherever else books are sold, including here.  About the Author: Maddie Day pens the bestselling Country Store Mysteries and Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries. As Edith Maxwell, she writes the Agatha Award-winning Quaker Midwife Mysteries and short crime fiction. She’s a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime and a member of Mystery Writers of America, and lives north of Boston with her beau and crazy teenage cat, Ganesh. Find her (and Maddie) at her web site, at Wicked Authors, at Mystery Lovers Kitchen on the second and fourth Fridays, and on social media under both names. Facebook: Edith M. Maxwell and Maddie Day Author Instagram: Edith Maxwell and Maddie Day Author Twitter: Edith Maxwell and Maddie Day Author
 Good Morning, Booklovers! We’ve had topsy turvy weather of late. Drought, then rain. Tropical heat, then cool. It’s been a bit cooler since the big storms Monday night - nothing compared to what New Orleans suffered - but thunder and lightning, rain, hail, and little sleep. We[re still under the umbrellas this morning...just in case. And joining us on the deck is mystery writer Elia Seely, bringing us her featured book, A Fractured Peace. Welcome, Elia! How do you take your coffee? ES: I love coffee and have a French press, aero press, moka pot, and pour-over all in my arsenal. I prefer French press at the moment—but mostly because my ancient coffee grinder can’t produce a truly fine grind for the other methods. Cream, no sugar, or cappuccino style (yes, I confess I have a fancy milk frother). Ally chuckles: Never fear, my magic pot can meet any request. While I get our coffee mugs filled, please tell readers a little about you.  BIO: I live and write from Colorado and Florida. Against all best practices, I’m at work on three series at once. I love the mystery genre and also appreciate the great characters found in literary fiction and the classics. I’m also a textile artist, gardener, sailor, and cook. Tell me something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio. “I am a professional astrologer and intuitive; find me at the Grounded Mystic.” Author Contacts: BookBub | Amazon | eliaseely.com | thegroundedmystic.com | Facebook INTERVIEW: Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision? ES: I’m self-published because I like the freedom of being able to make all my own decisions and work on my own timeline. There’s a steep learning curve that I’m still navigating, but I feel that much of the ‘publishing’ activity we indie authors have to engage in is also increasingly required of traditionally published authors as well—so why not be one’s own boss? I feel grateful that as authors we have a choice of how to publish, and that we may also decide to try both. I haven’t yet been drawn to traditional publishing—the astrologer in me would say that is the North Node in Aries in my 9th house :)—but I like that I can pivot if that’s what feels right for a particular book or series. Ally: If you switched careers with the main character of the last book you read, what would it be? ES: I just finished re-reading Hilary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall.’ I love this book, and I have to say I really admire her portrayal of Thomas Cromwell. He’s so capable, knowledgeable, and ingenious. My new career, circa the 1530s, would be Master Secretary, Master of Rolls, and I believe, Chancellor of Cambridge University! I have a feeling that in his role of mystery writer he’d add a dollop of international intrigue and a soupçon of stake-burning and beheading to my plots. Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job? ES: I’ve always been a storyteller and writer … from the time I was making up dramas for my Barbies and Hot Wheels cars to pecking out stories about animals that could talk on my mom’s old green and gray Smith Corona. I have always—and still do—tell stories as part of my day jobs too. My current work-for-hire includes copywriting and marketing, as well as astrological and Akashic Record readings. I write because I love stories, and I love to make things. The actual writing is incredibly fun. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? ES: I’m in the final polishing stages of a mystery set in Florida. This is yet another new series, set in present time, with a female police detective. Blurb: Detective Libby Jamison isn’t sure she’s ready to handle a homicide. Her most recent case, a horrible string of serial murders, and her subsequent breakdown, has left her professional and personal life in a shambles. But this new victim, a young woman found in an abandoned boat, is not much older than Libby’s own daughter, and Libby feels she must show her boss that she’s fit to work the case. Libby has been living with her sister, Etta, after her breakdown blew her marriage apart, and Etta is the first to identify the dead girl as a member of the local metaphysical community. Etta convinces her sister to let her cast a ‘murder chart’—an astrological snapshot of the crime—to help her solve the the murder. Although skeptical of the paranormal, the victim’s life was steeped in esoteric occult study, and so Libby must learn to suspend her disbelief and navigate the archetypes of the Tarot and Astrology in order to bring the killer to justice. Ally: Which of the trivia questions caught you eye? ES:
 A Fractured Peace (Gold Creek Series Book 1) Genre: traditional mystery with a touch of the supernatural A dismembered body, a Buddhist monastery, a young girl’s second sight. A relaxing trail run turns into a gruesome nightmare when deputy Shannon O’Connor finds a dismembered body in the forest outside her rural community of Gold Creek, CO. The small town sheriff’s department has never seen such a bizarre crime, and Shannon is placed in the role of lead investigator on her first murder case. When she discovers the victim had been studying at the secluded Buddhist monastery nearby, she is catapulted into a world of mysticism that is foreign to her and fraught with secrets. The threads of the case unspool, revealing a chilling race for supernatural power and control that, terrifyingly, involves the emerging abilities of her young daughter’s second sight. Will Shannon find the killer before he strikes again, or worse, permanently damages her daughter’s fragile spirit? A Fractured Peace will appeal to readers who enjoy a multi-dimensional protagonist working in rural, Western settings, such as found in the novels of Tony/Anne Hillerman, C.J. Box, or Craig Johnson. It will also appeal to readers who enjoy a touch of the supernatural, handled in a believable way, with elements of Eastern spirituality and metaphysics. "A Fractured Peace is well-structured, good pacing, cliffhanger questions at each chapter, and layered but not so dense that I felt bogged down - the book is a fast read with a satisfying ending. I can't wait to see what happens for Shannon (and her kids!) next." "Beautifully written, with suspense, longing, and surprise expertly woven throughout." Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Elia-Seely/e/B00J36KOTO/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1 Good Morning, Booklovers! We had a taste of autumn this week, then right back to sweltering August! We’re gathering a little early today before the heat turns unbearable. Please join me in thanking this week’s guest Liz Boeger for braving the rather tropical Iowa weather. Welcome, Liz. How do you take your coffee? LB: Even in the heat, hot, half & half, no sugar. Life’s too short for cold coffee and skim milk. Ally: My sentiments exactly, except I drink it black. Cold coffee just doesn’t seem right. Anyway, while I fill our mugs, please tell readers about yourself.  BIO: Liz Boeger’s stint as a swimsuit model peaked in kindergarten. Her fallback career as a mystery author didn’t surface until she hit the mid-century mark. In between, she wrangled children, adults, and the occasional Florida panther as a teacher and school administrator. And that encounter with the U.S. Secret Service may show up in a plot someday. Her multi-award nominated mystery series is inspired by her childhood nearby Rattlesnake, Florida. If you love your mysteries with a cozy edge, some Southern snark, and quirky characters you’d love to hang out with, this series is for you. Member of Sisters in Crime, SinC Guppies, and Florida Writers Association. She’s a graduate of Tampa’s Robinson High School, The University of Tampa, and Saint Leo University. Her hobbies, other than plotting murder, include gardening, quilting, and cheering all things great about her hometown, Tampa! Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “Well, my bio covers most of the unusual stuff, but I’ll add that I have bilateral hearing loss. This means both ears don’t do their job very well, and I rely on hearing aids for daily living.” Author Contact links: Moccasin Cove Mysteries blog INTERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book? LB: My work in education has always been about the students. But in the three decades of my career as a teacher and administrator, I’ve been touched by families, peers, and oftentimes heartbreaking moments that make it all too real. Plus, there are the friendships and lots of laughter! Gotta laugh. I’ve added the themes, emotions, and education elements from these experiences into my series, but with a spot of humor, a load of hope, and a whole new storyline. Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision? LB: I had tried the traditional route for nine years before deciding to self-publish. I’d earned some award nominations along the way and met great folks in the writing community, both of which helped me stay encouraged. But I wasn’t getting any younger and I loved my characters too much to give up. Everything changed this past May. I am now a member of an Author Cooperative. Essentially, it is a group of established and prolific authors of mysteries and thrillers who invited me, a new and unproven writer, to join their ranks. Their guidance and motivation helped me get off the fence and put this book out into the world. You can find their great books at misterio press. Ally: What book/author had the biggest influence on your writing? LB: Earlene Fowler and the late Sue Grafton earn equal credit for my love of mystery series. Fowler for her cozy world-building and strong character relationships, plus the quilts. Grafton because she taught me how to write a story with a little more grit to it than the typical cozy mystery. Oh, and I love Kinsey’s little loft/studio apartment. Ally: You’re thrown into a different time period—either past or future—what book hero would you want with you? Why? LB: Send me to the future with Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter series. She’s smart, resourceful, knows magic, and is much bossier than I am. And I’m pretty bossy, so it’ll be a little break for me. As to the future, I am a big Star Trek fan, so any of those time periods work well. Heck, let’s just make Hermione a Vulcan and I’ll be a Ferengi of DS9 fame. I’m packed, beam me up. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? LB: AppleJacked-BOOK 2 in the Moccasin Cove Mystery series will be released in early 2022, if all goes well! Ana and the folks of Moccasin Cove face difficult choices when the evil corporation that crippled the town financially is back to offer economic salvation. But are they willing to overlook a murder to help the school and regain their financial security? Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you selecct? LB:
 ChainLinked (A Moccasin Cove Mystery, book 1) Genre: Cozy/Traditional mystery Principal Ana Callahan is renowned for turning around troubled schools, but she can’t fix the grief constricting her own heart. Now she must do both…while solving a murder. Ana Callahan’s life fell apart, so she went out to save the world, one failing school at a time. Fifteen years later she’s back home in Florida, working her magic on the floundering elementary school of her childhood. But Moccasin Cove is not the sunny, middle-class beach town she left behind. With one eye on her school rescue plan and the other on her exit plan, Ana gets to work and chalks up a few small victories. Her confidence falters when a school contractor is killed, and a friend is implicated in the murder. An ambitious journalist tries to link Ana’s tragic past to the crime, and a powerful charter school corporation seizes on the political chaos by threatening a takeover of Ana’s school. Adding “investigate murder” to her lengthy to-do list, Ana finds herself paired with the school district’s handsome new security chief. The disturbing secrets they uncover about her friend and the killer’s twisted motives, force Ana to admit she has a lot to learn about murder. Buy Links: Amazon Buy Link Universal Buy Link to other Retailers Good Morning, Booklovers! Can you believe it is August already! The Iowa State Fair will soon be over, and kids will be going back to school. We’ll be putting away the beach reads and getting out something to cozy up to before a warm fire. But I’m getting waay ahead of myself. It’s 88 degrees today, and we’re on the deck ready to meet mystery/PI author Tracy Clark. Welcome, Tracy! What may I get you to drink? TC: I drink tea. Earl Grey, specifically, or any other strong black tea. I never acquired the taste for coffee. Ally: No problem. Earl Grey coming right up. While I prepare our drinks, please introduce yourself to readers.  Bio: Tracy Clark, a native Chicagoan, is the author of the award-winning Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series, featuring ex-cop turned PI Cassandra Raines. A multi-nominated Anthony, Lefty and Shamus Award finalist, she is also the 2020 winner of the G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award. Tracy is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and currently serves on the boards of her local MWA and SinC chapters, as well as the Bouchercon national board. Her fourth Cass Raines novel, RUNNER, released in June 2021. Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I’m an avid Broadway musical fan. I love everything from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Lin-Manuel Miranda, with a few exceptions. My favorite shower tune? “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma.” Author Contacts: Twitter: @Tracypc6161 Instagram: Tpclark2000 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tclarkbooks Website: www.tracyclarkbooks.com INTERVIEW: Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision? TC: I am traditionally published. I have great respect for those authors who self-publish and are successful at it. Self-published writers really have to cover a lot of bases and wear several hats at once. They’re writing, promoting their work, marketing it, designing book covers, reaching out to media, etc. I knew early on I didn’t have the know-how or the energy to get all of that done on my own. Ally: If you switched careers with the main character of the last book you read, what would it be? TC: I would be a PI. I love PI fiction. I write PI fiction. The last PI novel I read was Cheryl Head’s Warn Me When It’s Time, the latest installment in her Charlie Mack series. It’s so good. Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job? TC: I think writing chose me. I actually can’t remember a time when I didn’t write anything. As a kid, I read all the time and wrote little stories in my head and on paper. I think I was born to write, though it took me many, many years before I learned how to do it well … and I’m still learning how to tell a successful story. Writing is not my only career. I’m an editor by day. I tackle words all day long. LOL. Ally: Do you write from an outline? TC: I am required to submit to my publisher a short outline for my books. This gives all the promo and marketing people an idea what the story is about so they can work up promo copy, come up with a book cover, etc. I, however, am a pantser by nature, so once that outline’s handed in, I’m done with it. I write by the seat of my pants, slowly, with just the vaguest idea about what comes next. You’d think I’d follow that outline I handed in, but I never look at it again. It’s just the spine of the story for me. The good stuff, the flesh of the novel, I always build day by day, writing session by writing session, in the moment. Ally: If you could rewrite the ending of any book ever written, what would it be and why? TC: I’d change the ending to “The Wizard of Oz.” If I were Frank L. Baum, I would have made Oz real, and not just a dream, and I’d have had Dorothy choose to stay there. She would be Oz Queen. Kansas wasn’t so great, really. It was all gray and she had to feed those mean, ugly pigs all the time, and Elvira Gulch was still there on that rickety old bike. Oz was nice and both evil sister witches were dead, right? One got beaned by the house falling on her, the other got melted by a bucket of water. Dorothy could have hung out with her new pals—the Tin Man, the Lion, the Scarecrow. Life could have been sweet, especially with that horse of a different color trotting her all around town. There’s no place like home? Hmmm. I beg to differ. Ally: What three books in your genre would you recommend to readers? TC: Indemnity Only, Sara Paretsky A is for Alibi, Sue Grafton Any Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker Ally: What book character would you like to be? Why? TC: Hercule Poirot. He’s brilliant, but also deliciously persnickety. I’d like to be Poirot just to go through his meticulous moustache routine just once. It might be fun. Ally: Do you read reviews of your books? Do you respond to them? Are you affected by them? TC: I was told early on by veteran writers who knew the ropes that it was the kiss of death to read your reviews. If they’re good, you’re lulled into a false sense of security; if they’re bad, it’s almost impossible not to internalize some of that negativity. Writing’s difficult, and your books are personal to you. Do your best, write the book you want to write, and leave the criticism to those who feel the need to give it. Ally: How many drafts (revision passes) do you do on a typical book before submission to your editor/publisher? TC: Impossible to say. I revise until the book moves the way I need it to move and sounds the way I need it to sound. If I can get all the gears moving in the right direction after three drafts, great. If it takes six, then it takes six. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? TC: My first standalone novel entitled Hide releases in December of 2022. I have high hopes for it. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you select to answer? TC:
 Runner (A Chicago Mystery)
Genre: PI/mystery Chicago in the dead of winter can be brutal, especially when you’re scouring the frigid streets for a missing girl. Fifteen-year-old Ramona Titus has run away from her foster home. Her biological mother, Leesa Evans, is a recovering addict who admits she failed Ramona often in the past. But now she’s clean. And she’s determined to make up for her mistakes—if Cass can only help her find her daughter. Cass visits Ramona’s foster mother, Deloris Poole, who is also desperate to bring the girl home. Ramona came to Deloris six months ago, angry and distrustful, but was slowly opening up. The police are on the search, but Cass has sources closer to the streets, and a network of savvy allies. Yet it seems Ramona doesn’t want to be found. And Cass soon begins to understand why. Ramona is holding secrets dark enough to kill for, and anyone who helps her may be fair game. And if Ramona can’t run fast enough and hide well enough to keep the truth safe, she and Cass may both be out of time. Tracy Clark’s “lapel-grabbing and provocative new novel.” — The New York Times “Clark has a unique voice in the P.I. genre, one that is articulate, daring and ultimately hopeful.” — S.A. Cosby, Anthony-awarding winning writer, for The Washington Post Buy links: https://www.bookcellarinc.com/book/9781496732019 Runner (A Chicago Mystery #4) (Hardcover) | Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore (centuriesandsleuths.com) https://www.amazon.com/Runner-Chicago-Mystery-Book-4-ebook/dp/B08KKLXRL7/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=RUNNER+TRACY+CLARK&qid=1627424049&sr=8-1 GOOD MORNING, BOOKLOVERS! It’s hot, hot, hot in the Midwest! So we need to catch those early morning breezes before it gets too warm to enjoy the deck. Joining us today is mystery author Penny Pence Smith and her featured mystery book, Sunset West—Guns, Grit and Gossip! Welcome, Penny! What may I get you to drink? PPS: My morning beverage is Bengal Spice herbal tea (makes great iced tea, too) because I learned, as a very young woman, morning caffeine energized me TOO much, and burned me out early in the day. A frosty iced decaf Americano hits the spot mid-day on any afternoon. Ally: Since we’re meeting early to beat the heat, Bengal Spice herbal tea it is. While I pour our drinks, please tell readers something about yourself.  Bio: Penny Pence Smith began writing professionally during high school for the Indio Daily News, in Southern California. She went on to receive a Communication and journalism B.A. at the University of Washington, an MA from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California, and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. From the beginning, she was engaged in the entertainment industry: Warner Communication movie magazine editor, “legwoman” to an internationally known Hollywood columnist, correspondent/LA Bureau Manager for New York Times Special Features Syndicate covering entertainment, Hawaii Correspondent for The Hollywood Reporter, and later, author of best-selling tourism books, Under a Maui Sun and Reflections of Kauai (Island Heritage). Along the way, she managed advertising, public relations agencies and marketing consulting firms then became a professor at UNC Chapel Hill and Hawaii Pacific University before retirement. Her current work appears in various regional magazines. Penny lives near Honolulu, Hawaii with her husband, Dixon, and cat, Bob. Something personal/unique that isn’t in your regular bio: “I’m a life-long dancer, from age 3, never missing a year in motion. At some point I taught everything from tap to ballet to jazz to hip hop (my favorite). Today, at 78, I have taught and still dance Zumba, but my heart and feet move to the rhythms of hula.” Contact me: Website: https://pennystories.wixsite.com/penny-smith-books Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Pence-Smith/e/B085FQLB2F BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/penny-pence-smith INTERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book? PPS: As a very young woman I was fortunate to become the “legwoman” or assistant to the most widely distributed Hollywood columnist of the time. For a dozen years I interviewed celebrities and movie, TV and music moguls, had my own bylined features, traveled the world covering glamorous stories. My writing “boss”/associate commanded a huge presence in the entertainment industry and we all shone and thrived in her wake. I often wondered what would happen to a dedicated legwoman if the columnist died or somehow disappeared. Many years later, the question resurfaced and I decided to project that story, inspired by so many of my own amazing experiences, in The Last Legwoman—A Novel of Hollywood, Murder…and Gossip! My protagonist, the Gossip Columnist’s successor, former legwoman Meredith Ogden’s character was born, then took on a life of her own. The sequel, Sunset West—Guns, Grit and Gossip, continues the saga of the enduring “legwoman” now columnist as she grows up in the dynamic waters of show business. Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision? PPS: I am self-published as a matter of expedience. While I’ve been a “writer” in many different aspects of a communication career, journalism and creative writing are my passion. Retiring in my 70’s, I felt it too late to knock on doors and wait for responses. Simply writing, telling stories and having readers enjoy them was the only objective. Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? PPS: I think writing chose me. I’m told I wrote tiny booklets about friends when I was barely old enough to scrawl sentences. My first professional writing job was at 14 and although I’ve meandered through various avenues of the communications discipline (journalism, PR, advertising, marketing, teaching), every job had a writing component. Upon retirement I returned to article writing for regional magazines, and then embarked upon my first dedicated fiction/mystery novel. I now think of it as my day job. Ally. What's the best writing/marketing advice you’ve been given? PPS: “You’d better write. It’s in your blood”— managing editor of my local newspaper when I was 14. “A well written ‘done’ paper is preferable to a possibly ‘better’ paper still sitting on the hard drive – my doctoral dissertation committee chair. “Write about what you love”—my father. Ally: What’s the best thing a reader has said about your book? PPS: “…really good story…writing was beautiful….” “The most striking feature of this book is the beauty of the language… a joy to read…” Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? PPS: As soon as the launch and follow-on marketing of Sunset West—Guns, Grit and Gossip is complete, the next Meredith Ogden adventure in Hollywood journalism will take shape, possibly for release about May of 2022. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose? PPS:
 Sunset West—Guns, Grit and Gossip! (Book 2 of the Legwoman mysteries) Genre: Cozy Mystery Rating: PG-13 Hollywood columnist Meredith Ogden finds herself reluctantly aboard a private plane en route to a New Mexico movie location where the son of the film’s star has died of an overdose. The film’s director, Meredith’s old friend and former lover, has convinced her to travel to the location, write a “fair and truthful” story ahead of rumor and innuendo. Her unfolding journey of drugs, danger and drama makes for juicy news stories but threatens day-to-day life of everyone around her including “high profile” detective T.K. Raymond with whom she lives. Pulled into the gossip columnist’s web of international drugs and deceit, he deals with his own shadowed journey in the world of crime. Meanwhile, traditional Hollywood gossip sparkles along—and evolves as Meredith and her colleagues strive to stay alive and find their role in a “new” Hollywood. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Penny+Pence+Smith&ref=nb_sb_noss_2) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Pence-Smith/e/B085FQLB2F  Good Morning, Booklovers! Beautiful day in the Midwest! Blues skies, temperature in the upper 70s! Perfect weather for meeting on the deck for book talk with Addison Brae, this week’s guest author, who brought along her featured romantic suspense novel, Dark Energy. Welcome, Addison! How do you take your coffee? AB: Thanks for letting me join you for the Coffee Chat today, Ally. I start most days with a rich flavored coffee topped off with half & half. Ally: We’re glad to have you. While I get our coffees, please tell readers something about yourself.  BIIO: Addison Brae lives in Dallas, Texas on the edge of downtown. She has been writing since childhood and continues today with articles, video scripts, and other content as an independent marketing consultant. Addison enjoys traveling, collecting interesting cocktail recipes, reading, jogging in her neighborhood park, sipping red wine, binge-watching TV series, vintage clothing, and hanging out with her artistic other half and their neurotic cat Lucy. Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio. “Dark Energy and Becker Circle take place in the bar scene. When I was writing these books, I had no idea restaurant and bar employees and owners – and musicians too – would struggle so much (during the pandemic). If you’re missing your favorite restaurant or bar hangout, these books pay tribute to both and are a nice virtual outing for readers. And please support your local restaurants and bars as much as you can. They need you!’ Connect with Addison: Connect with Addison on her website, Tirgearr Publishing, Amazon, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Text “AddisonBrae” to 888.431.1137 or visit addisonbrae.com/contact and be the first to receive a text message (no more than 1 per month) on book launches, appearances, and book sales. INTERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book? AB: After getting out of a really bad marriage, I moved into an apartment community where lots of us were in various stages of fresh starts for many different reasons. Meeting so many smart, successful, flawed people made me realize that no matter the situation, fresh starts are all very similar. We experiment. Screw up. Each mistake takes us to where we’re supposed to be. This is exactly what happens with Gillian when she moves to Becker Circle. Readers convinced me to create more adventures for Gillian in the sequel called Dark Energy, Return to Becker Circle. Gillian and her friends get sucked into even more romance, bar antics, and dangerous cybercrime. While the heroine is fresh out of college, both novels are very much about starting over on your own terms and at any age. Ally: What is the hardest part of writing? AB: My natural instinct is to write in first person, present tense because I very much like to live in the moment. That means the page only shows what the main character knows. In a thriller, mystery or suspense, keeping track of who knows what is constant. I challenge myself to write this way because many readers like to see, hear, smell with the main character and experience the suspense right along with her. They feel the joy, pleasure, fear, and pain at the same time, which can make it even more rewarding to escape into a fictional world. Ally: Are people you know models for your book characters? In what way? AB: Everyone in the book is purely fiction. Characters are mashups of people I know. Some are based on stories I’ve heard. Some, like Whistle Bitch, are inspired by real people She was a real bartender we met at an all-night bar/diner in Seattle near the Space Needle. She whistled while she worked and earned the nickname from her coworkers. Gillian, the heroine, has a mix of traits I admire in women I know, a little of me, and lots of imagination. She’s a badass that many readers find inspiring and her flaws make her real. Gillian’s best quality—if she makes a promise, she’ll do whatever it takes to keep it. Ally: Do you read reviews of your books? Do you respond to them? Are you affected by them? AB: Yes, I read and appreciate each and every review. I take them as guidance and learn from them without being overly sensitive. It’s empowering to get your first not-so-great review out of the way so you can move on. When you are moved by a book, please take a moment and write a review on the site where you purchased the book or on Goodreads. Ally: What is your most frequently used source of information? Why? What are its benefits? AB: I dive into the story’s setting. I wrote a good bit of Dark Energy and Becker Circle sitting at bars around the United States. Talking to bartenders and patrons was truly inspiring since much of the story takes place around the bar scene. For both books, I did deep research on the web and talking with experts about the drug Molly/MDMA, cybercrime, cryptocurrency and cryptojacking, and the FBI cyber unit. On a lighter note, while creating Gillian’s character, I researched middle-America towns near metropolitan areas that fit Gillian’s roots and found Sugar Creek, Missouri and also visited it. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? AB: There are many projects in progress. The next one will be a young adult contemporary fiction that I hope my publisher will release in late 2021 or early 2022. Stripped of her Olympic gold, figure skating career, and even her identity, Docia must disprove the vicious adoption scandal threatening to end far more than her dreams. The speculative romantic thriller I’m writing now explores how mainstream use of artificial intelligence will affect relationships. It’s terrifying to write. You’ll never look at your Alexa or Siri the same again. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer? AB:
 Dark Energy Genre: Romantic Suspense Rating: R Cybercrime doesn’t talk. It creeps in and destroys lives right under Gillian’s nose when a cryptojacking scheme lands her boss, Pinkie, in jail. Gillian had just started over with a new career, boyfriend, and confidence after escaping a vicious murder investigation that shattered her ability to trust. Then Pinkie’s arrest leaves her struggling to run his two bars while also unraveling the conspiracy. Gillian will not let her mentor and friend go down for something he didn’t do. Neither will Jon, the most talented musician on the bar’s stage and the perfect boyfriend...until his good fortune sends her reeling. Gillian forces herself to trust the cops, people who hurt her, and known criminals. Will it be enough to free Pinkie and save her life? Watch the book trailer https://youtu.be/tK0s7Y6FP2Y. Where to buy Dark Energy: Publisher: https://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Brae_Addison/dark-energy.htm?fbclid=IwAR3JxFrd2hK60VSCx47QlVSh3hy-jNzQCWgxQIfeF9hPjs5zXxHSBaXppEs Amazon https://amzn.to/2YSkP6H Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-energy-addison-brae/1137002173 iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9780463686379 Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=9780463686379 Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1021319 Author proceeds go to Hope’s Door New Beginning Center to help fight domestic abuse.  Good Morning, Booklovers! It is scorching hot in the Midwest, so I’ve retreated to the shade on the deck. Won’t you join me in welcoming guest mystery author William Ade with his featured book, Do It For Daisy. Nice to meet you, William. How do you take your coffee? WA: An iced latte with one pump of vanilla would be nice. Ally: Coming right up! Meanwhile, please tell readers something about your background.  Bio; William Ade was born and raised in a small town in Indiana during the fifties and sixties. He earned college degrees in early childhood education and special education, working in both fields until 1980. That August, he and his wife of one year moved to the Washington DC area. They had freshly minted graduate degrees, a VW Super Beetle, and no jobs. Ade's career shifted from education to telecommunications, and he was eventually employed by MCI and then Verizon until his retirement in 2014. During that same time, he and his wife, Cynthia, raised two beautiful children into adulthood. At his retirement, Ade announced to his wife that he wanted to try his hand at writing. She said that if he was going to do that, he had to pursue it vigorously. Ade's work has appeared in the Mysteries Unimagined, the Rind Literary Magazine, The Broken Plate, Black Fox Literary, Mindscapes Unimagined, and 2018 and 2019 Best New England Crime Stories. He writes both literary, humor, and crime stories. His collection of short stories, No Time for His Nonsense, was released in early 2020. His first novel, Art of Absolution, came out in July 2020. Level Best Book released Do It for Daisy in February 2021. Something Most People Don't Know About Me: “Back in the '80s, I tried and failed to syndicate a comic strip about the dead.” Visit his website at billade.com Send him at message at WmAdeAuthor@billade.com INTERVIEW: Ally: What is the hardest part of writing? WA: I love writing and revising. Finding that perfect phrasing delights me, and I've never suffered from writer's block. I have more story ideas than time. So what's the most challenging part of the process for me? I find it a challenge dealing with the sense my writing isn't eloquent or stylishly elevated. Ally: Do you write from an outline? WA: I start feverishly writing dialog and characters’ features and clips of interactions as they form in my mind. I might generate several thousand words of bits and pieces of scenes. Some will be detailed, others only crucial points. After I’ve exhausted this flood of unrestricted creativity, I’ll create an outline. Ally: What’s the best thing a reader has said about your book? WA: I love this question because it made me think. I had one reader tell me how impressed he was with my dialog, which felt great because writing good dialogue is an art, and I've worked hard at it for years. Another reader, a highly educated and accomplished woman, gushed about my plot and how I weaved a compelling story. Ally: Have you co-authored a story or novel? wa: No, I haven't. I don't know how I'd approach such a project. Maybe we'd agree on the outline, and I'd take certain characters and co-author the others. I’d think my collaborator and I would have to be highly compatible in temperament and in complete agreement on what we expected from each other. Yikes, I don’t know if I’d be up for it. Great question. Ally: What is your next writing project? WA: My current Work in Progress (WIP) is a novel about a man who believes he can fix anything and anyone. It's far different from my current book, Do It for Daisy, a crime/suspense story. I wouldn’t say my WIP is autobiographical fiction, but the characters and locations, and emotions are drawn from my life. I've also worked on a true-crime parody, incorporating a private eye named Nic Knuckles. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose? WA:
 Do It For Daisy Genre: traditional mystery Tommy Lyle was desperate for love. Orphaned when police killed his criminal parents during a shoot-out, and twice divorced before he was forty, the only person left in his life who cared about him was his big sister, Daisy. And Daisy just pushed her wealthy husband to his death in the middle of Tommy's dinner party. Tommy's desperate effort to keep his sister's affection tests his already slippery hold on morality. She demands his help covering up her crime and navigating a revengeful mother-in-law, a crooked medical examiner, a cheating undertaker, and a steely-eyed trustee. If that wasn't enough trouble, Tommy has to keep Detective Nick Bongiovanni from turning a simple follow-up visit to the husband's apparent accidental fall into the crime of the century. Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Do-Daisy-William-Ade/dp/1953789560 Good Morning, Booklovers! Welcome to this week's interview with guest author Judi Phillips, featuring her book Tales from Around the Campfire Circle, a collection of five sweet romances. Nice to meet you, Judi. How do you take your coffee? JP: Ah, coffee, the elixir of life. Probably at least 10 years ago, I was visiting Son #1 and he had a Nespresso espresso machine. Easiest thing in the world to use. So for my birthday that year, I e-mailed my kids and told them that's what I wanted for a present. Wonderful children that they were, after many hilarious e-mail replies, I received one and use it ever day--more than once. I also frequent Starbucks, especially when I want to do some editing or plotting or figuring out where to go next in my book. Ally: Fortunately, my magic pot can fulfil any request. While I pour, please introduce yourself to readers.  Bio: Judi has had stories in her head as far back as she can remember. However, being lazy (her friends like to point out that she’s efficient), and being a legal assistant, she knew she could never complete a manuscript if she had to write it on a typewriter. Then, along came word processors, and those magic cut and paste and delete icons. There was no stopping her after that. Within a few weeks of her first job with a computer, she started her first story, a house-beautiful, vogue thing about lawyers. Needless to say, it will never be published — but she honed her description skills on that project, so nothing is ever wasted. That first story (originally named as A Case for Love) now entitled Opposite Sides, has been significantly rewritten and is a novella in the Campfire Circle stories. Six years ago, Judi relocated to New Mexico and is living in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains at the southern end of the Rockies. No more Februarys in Maine for her. She lives a block away from Son #2 and his family, and her Yorkie, Mishka. Despite his small size, he rules the house. Unknown factoid left out of Judi's bio: “Over the years, I have visited North Africa a number of times. First to Cairo, Egypt, then Tunisia twice (the inspiration for my book, Night of Turmoil, set during the Arab Spring Revolution, and many visits to Morocco where No. 1 son lived with his family. Last year, they moved to Ivory Coast in West Africa and I'm looking forward to a trip there this fall.” Contact the Author: Judi hangs out on the web at: http://judiphillips.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judi.phillips.50 Posts random blogs at: http://sugarspice-judi.blogspot.com/ Twitter: @judiphil Sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/cJIJWD E-mail her at: judi.phillips.writes@gmail.com You can watch trailers for her books at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTUJo-C1MCZhbjIEsC_8vHg Drop in anytime. INTERVIEW: Ally: What inspired you to write your featured book? JP: The actual inspiration for the Campfire Circle stories was a call for submission from a friend of mine who was an editor at a small newspaper in Maine. She was looking for authors to submit stories that were serialized, approximately 1,000 words per episode. I answered the call, the stories were published in the Windham Eagle and a year later I got the rights back. Hence the bundled books and the addition of a novella. Ally: Are you traditionally published or self-published? How did you make your choice? JP: I am self-published after working with small presses for several years. That was a very helpful experience because I learned what is involved in producing a book. When one of my publishers went out of business, all my rights and rights to the covers were returned to me, and I decided that was the time to self-publish. I love having control of the editor I work with, my cover artist, and choosing my own publishing date. Ally: Do people from your real life show up in your books? JP: My great great grandfather, Charles Frazier, inspired the book, Wishes and Dreams. He was a sea captain sailing the Maritime Silk Road between China and the US East Coast. I thought it would be fun to write a humorous ghost story with him as a grumpy old ghost, haunting the house he built for his daughter and where his great granddaughter is operating a B&B. Ally: How many drafts or passes do you do before submitting a book to your editor? JP: Because I have awesome critique partners, I only make 1 pass through the book before submitting it to my editor. And she usually doesn't have major suggestions, just things that need tweaking. However, I'm a slow writer, and that first draft is pretty clean. Ally: What’s next on your writing agenda? JP: My current writing project is a time travel that starts in 2020 with the heroine traveling back in time to 1931. I chose that time because the events are not so very different from 2020 (10 years after the Spanish Flu pandemic, the Great Depression and Prohibition are still going on). A nice juxtaposition, without the characters having to wear masks. Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer? JP:
 Tales from Around Campfire Circle Genre: Short Story Romance Rating: Sweet Follow the adventures of the residents of Campfire Circle, cul de sac as they face disasters and fall in love in these 5 short stories. Taylor & Brad are Blown Together during a tropical storm. Karrie and Jack discover their own Winter Fireworks on New Year's Eve. Brenda and David battle a flooding brook brought on by April Showers. Melissa and Jason face obstacles to celebrate Midsummer's Eve. Taylor and Brad overcome multiple disasters Just in Time on the day of their wedding. In the novella, Opposite Sides, attorneys Janelle Whitney and Scott MacGregor are on opposite sides of a divorce case and have cabins on opposite sides of Campfire Circle. Can love prevail or will they remain on opposite sides? Buy Link for Tales from Around the Campfire Circle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YSP7C1T  Good Morning, Booklovers! On this hot July morning, I hope you’ll take time to grab your favorite drink and sit with us in the shade while we welcome guest author C.T. Collier to the Coffee Chat. And she’s bringing a copy of her featured mystery, Vamoosed. Thank you for coming, Kate. How do you take your coffee? CTC: Whether hot or iced, I drink it strong and black. Ally: Considering the weather, perhaps you’d prefer iced this morning? While I pour our drinks, I’ll leave you to tell readers something about yourself.  Author Bio: C. T. Collier grew up in Seneca Falls, NY, the Birthplace of Women’s Rights. When she left the Finger Lakes area for college and jobs, she always planned to return. Her careers in cutting-edge high tech and backstabbing higher education afforded endless opportunities to study intrigue. With a lifelong love of traditional mysteries, writing whodunit’s is a natural for her. Her fictitious setting, Tompkins Falls, is a blend of Seneca Falls and other Finger Lakes towns. Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “Since the main action of The Penningtons Investigate takes place in Ontario County in Upstate New York, while writing the series I completed the Citizens Police Academy given by the Ontario County Sheriff’s Department. At lesson six, I gulped: I’d never held a pistol let alone fired one. With a lot of coaching from an unflappable deputy, I’m happy to say my paper target took all five bullets.” Contact Links: Website: http://drkatecollier.wordpress.com Facebook: kate.collier.315 Twitter: @TompkinsFalls Goodreads: C.T. COLLIER INTERVIEW: Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book? CTC: Vamoosed has the Penningtons, Kyle and Lyssa, chasing leads in the spectacular fjord country of Norway. A trip up the coast of Norway in 2017 convinced me it was the right setting for the couple to make a life-changing decision. And, of course, it was a photographer’s dream come true for me! Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision? CTC: Although my first four books were traditionally published with a small press, I took the leap to self-publish The Penningtons Investigate. Thanks to an outstanding editor, a talented book artist, and my critique partners, I’m very happy with the decision and the results. Ally: Is writing your only career, or do you have a “day” job? CTC: When I began writing for publication in 2012 I had a fulltime day job in higher education and two adjunct teaching gigs. I told myself I could find one hour each day to satisfy my passion for writing; two books later, I quit all my jobs, finished my first series, and turned my attention to mysteries. Ally: Have you co-authored a story or novel? CTC: LOL! When my good friend Janet and I were about 15, we decided to write a mystery together. We may have killed our science teacher, I’m not clear about that. That book never saw The End, but Jan and I both went on to be huge mystery fans. She’s a voracious reader of hard-boiled and thriller. I read and write cozy and traditional mysteries. Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? CTC: The Penningtons Investigate books are set in a fictitious college town, Tompkins Falls, in the beautiful Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. Before the Penningtons, however, I wrote four romances which were traditionally published and established the history of the town and the college. These early books are the backstory for The Penningtons Investigate; in 2020, the rights for them reverted to me. As soon as I completed book four of The Penningtons Investigate, Vamoosed, I got busy revising the four romances; that is, making countless improvements and updates, and giving them fresh titles and covers. Readers of Lyssa and Kyle Pennington’s investigations will especially enjoy the fourth romance in that quad, Lyssa Gets a Clue, which is both the Penningtons’ love story and their very first investigation together. The expected release date is 2022. Ally: Which of the short trivia questions did your choose to answer? CTC:
 Vamoosed (The Penningtons Investigate) Genre: Cozy/Traditional Mystery PG-13 Professor Rand Cunningham is shot and left for dead on the Penningtons' front lawn, and Lyssa Pennington could be next. Who's behind the drive-by hit? While Detective Shaughnessy hunts for the badass truck seen speeding away from the scene, Lyssa and Kyle follow a lead to Norway, where villains, trolls, and other bombshells will change their lives forever. Buy Links: Amazon: Paperback Kindle: Kindle ebook Barnes and Noble: B&N Paperback Nook: Nook ebook |
Subscribe to Blog by RSS feed
(https://allyshields.com/7/feed)
Or click on button below to follow by email.
Click on image above for buy link
Available now. Click on image.
Check out my JL Buck profile on AllAuthor. Here you can read my books' sample chapters, get updates on my books and latest deals, ask me questions, discuss my books and much more. Follow me on AllAuthor.
https://allauthor.com/author/jlbuck/ 
Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed