Welcome to the Coffee Chat!
This week’s guest author for our book chat is Lida Sideris, bringing us her featured mystery, Murder Double or Nothing.
Good morning, Lida. May I get you something to drink?
LS: I’m a tea drinker - passion flower being my current favorite for when I like to relax. I like it hot!
Ally: Especially on a cold, winter morning! While I pour coffee and tea, please introduce yourself to readers.
BIO:
Lida Sideris' first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer's dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio...kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke, except without the homicides. Lida is the author of a Southern California Mystery series, and the picture book, The Cookie Eating Fire Dog. She was one of two national winners of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship Award for her first book. Lida lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens.
Something unique/unusual about you that isn’t in your regular bio: I’m currently big on watching Hallmark movies, something I thought I’d never do. I like the feel-good tones where everyone is kind, thoughtful and good-natured. Also, the background scenery is beautiful and reminds me of the small town where I live.
CONTACT INFO:
www.LidaSideris.com
Lida@LidaSideris.com
https://www.facebook.com/lidasideris
Twitter: @lidasideris
Instagram
Lida Sideris' first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer's dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio...kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke, except without the homicides. Lida is the author of a Southern California Mystery series, and the picture book, The Cookie Eating Fire Dog. She was one of two national winners of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship Award for her first book. Lida lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens.
Something unique/unusual about you that isn’t in your regular bio: I’m currently big on watching Hallmark movies, something I thought I’d never do. I like the feel-good tones where everyone is kind, thoughtful and good-natured. Also, the background scenery is beautiful and reminds me of the small town where I live.
CONTACT INFO:
www.LidaSideris.com
Lida@LidaSideris.com
https://www.facebook.com/lidasideris
Twitter: @lidasideris
INTERVIEW:
Ally: How did you get that first book or story published?
LS: I thought writing a mystery was an impossible task…until I won a scholarship to the San Francisco Writers’ Conference. I’d submitted the first chapter of a historical fiction novel (a work in progress) and won. When I got to the Conference, I was surprised to find that people thought I could actually write. That gave me the boost I needed to write #1 of my Southern California Mysteries. I got rejections along the way, but then I won another award! I was one of two national winners of the McCloy/Mystery Writers of America scholarship. After that, I completed my manuscript and sent it out. I got a bite from a small press in New York, and I happily accepted.
Ally: What do you find most rewarding about a writing career? Most negative or frustrating?
LS: Most rewarding are the wonderful people I get to meet – other readers, writers, librarians, bookstore owners and staff, bloggers and so on. Best people ever! And the incredible satisfaction of completing a novel is unparalleled. Most frustrating is writing the next book. I write by the seat of my pants, which is like finding your way out of a maze…blindfolded. I tried outlining first, but it wasn’t nearly as fun. I guess I’m a fan of surprises (and driving myself crazy)!
Ally: Do the people in your real life show up in your writing? In what way?
LS: Only people with whom I’ve had very limited contact. For instance, I was once on the golf course with my junior golfer/younger son and we happened to run into a basketball superstar. He seemed so pleasant and courteous, I inserted him into my first book. I pegged him as a cat lover, too, which played a part in Book #1.
Ally: What's the best writing/marketing advice you can pass on to other writers?
LS: Be persistent. Never ever give up! I wrote a children’s picture book twenty years ago. I got a bite right off the bat from a big publisher, but they ultimately declined and did their own similar book (about a fire dog). Fast forward to 2018 and The Cookie Eating Fire Dog was published! The difference was I didn’t give up after a few tries the second time around.
Ally: Do you read reviews of your books? Do you respond to them? Good reviews are wonderful, but are you affected by the bad ones?
LS: I am so grateful for anyone who takes the time to leave a review, and I’m beside myself when the review is a stellar one. I write to have fun and try my best to pass along that fun to my readers. When they enjoy reading one of my books, I know I’ve hit bulls-eye. As to bad reviews, I’ve only had a few that made me feel bad. But I tell myself that there’s no way to please everyone, as much as I’d like to. I don’t respond unless they are good reviews.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
LS: I am currently writing #4 in my SoCal Mystery series: Slightly Murderous Intent.
It should be out late summer.
Ally: Which of the quick answer questions did you select to answer?
LS:
Ally: How did you get that first book or story published?
LS: I thought writing a mystery was an impossible task…until I won a scholarship to the San Francisco Writers’ Conference. I’d submitted the first chapter of a historical fiction novel (a work in progress) and won. When I got to the Conference, I was surprised to find that people thought I could actually write. That gave me the boost I needed to write #1 of my Southern California Mysteries. I got rejections along the way, but then I won another award! I was one of two national winners of the McCloy/Mystery Writers of America scholarship. After that, I completed my manuscript and sent it out. I got a bite from a small press in New York, and I happily accepted.
Ally: What do you find most rewarding about a writing career? Most negative or frustrating?
LS: Most rewarding are the wonderful people I get to meet – other readers, writers, librarians, bookstore owners and staff, bloggers and so on. Best people ever! And the incredible satisfaction of completing a novel is unparalleled. Most frustrating is writing the next book. I write by the seat of my pants, which is like finding your way out of a maze…blindfolded. I tried outlining first, but it wasn’t nearly as fun. I guess I’m a fan of surprises (and driving myself crazy)!
Ally: Do the people in your real life show up in your writing? In what way?
LS: Only people with whom I’ve had very limited contact. For instance, I was once on the golf course with my junior golfer/younger son and we happened to run into a basketball superstar. He seemed so pleasant and courteous, I inserted him into my first book. I pegged him as a cat lover, too, which played a part in Book #1.
Ally: What's the best writing/marketing advice you can pass on to other writers?
LS: Be persistent. Never ever give up! I wrote a children’s picture book twenty years ago. I got a bite right off the bat from a big publisher, but they ultimately declined and did their own similar book (about a fire dog). Fast forward to 2018 and The Cookie Eating Fire Dog was published! The difference was I didn’t give up after a few tries the second time around.
Ally: Do you read reviews of your books? Do you respond to them? Good reviews are wonderful, but are you affected by the bad ones?
LS: I am so grateful for anyone who takes the time to leave a review, and I’m beside myself when the review is a stellar one. I write to have fun and try my best to pass along that fun to my readers. When they enjoy reading one of my books, I know I’ve hit bulls-eye. As to bad reviews, I’ve only had a few that made me feel bad. But I tell myself that there’s no way to please everyone, as much as I’d like to. I don’t respond unless they are good reviews.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
LS: I am currently writing #4 in my SoCal Mystery series: Slightly Murderous Intent.
It should be out late summer.
Ally: Which of the quick answer questions did you select to answer?
LS:
- a. memorable book you’ve read – I really enjoyed The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired A Nation
- b. book you're currently reading – Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
- c. ebook or print? Print – I love the feel and smell of books, but truthfully, most of the books I read these days are audio. I commute to my day job and it’s the best way to spend my time.
- d. color of nail polish you have on - I’m a big fan of nail polish. Currently wearing a darker berry, kind of a deep pink-red.
- e. the best thing a book fan has ever said to you – I love your books!
- f. pie or cake? – Pie, almost any kind, but especially lemon meringue
- g. Your pets - Two old sheps, Barbie and Duncan and an assortment of hens. I’m big on rescue dogs. They are the best!
Murder Double or Nothing
(Southern California Mystery Series )
Genre: traditional mystery
Rating: G/PG
Corrie Locke, newbie lawyer and daughter of a late, great PI, is learning the ropes at the Hollywood movie studio where she works--and where things are never what they seem. Life imitates art when a fictional murder attempt turns real--right before her very eyes.
With more than a little help from friends and a crazy movie legend, Corrie trips down a trail littered with wisecracks, mysterious messages, and marginally legal maneuvers to track down the killer. Meanwhile, clues keep disappearing and Corrie makes an enemy whose deadly tactics keep escalating. Will her impromptu sleuthing skills be enough to catch the mysterious assailant before he takes her down?
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