Good Morning, Booklovers! Welcome to the Coffee Chat!
This week’s guest is Lesley A. Diehl, an author of cozy mysteries, the perfect genre to help us de-stressed in today's world environment.
Thanks for visiting on this hot summer day, Lesley. How do you take your coffee?
LD: I drink only decaf and only two cups each day, one in the morning and one at night.
Ally: In that case, maybe you’ll join me in a tall, cold glass of lemonade. While I pour, please introduce yourself to readers.
Good Morning, Booklovers! Welcome to the Coffee Chat!
This week’s guest is Lesley A. Diehl, an author of cozy mysteries, the perfect genre to help us de-stressed in today's world environment.
Thanks for visiting on this hot summer day, Lesley. How do you take your coffee?
LD: I drink only decaf and only two cups each day, one in the morning and one at night.
Ally: In that case, maybe you’ll join me in a tall, cold glass of lemonade. While I pour, please introduce yourself to readers.
Bio:
Cows, Lesley learned as a child growing up on a farm, have a twisted sense of humor. They chased her when she went to the field to herd them in for milking, and one ate the lovely red mitten her grandmother knitted for her. Determining that agriculture wasn’t her career path, she took a job as a stripper, book cover stripper for a publishing company, that is.
Now after many years as a college professor and university administrator, she has returned to the world of books and uses her country roots and her training to concoct stories designed to make people laugh in the face of murder. “A good chuckle,” says Lesley,” keeps us emotionally well-oiled long into our old age.” She is the author of several cozy mystery series and short stories.
Something unusual/unique that isn’t in your regular bio: “Years ago, my next-door neighbor taught me to crochet. I wasn’t very good at it, but I did well enough that I made my mother a shawl for Christmas. I worked on it in watching TV with my neighbor. After I finished it, she begged me to never again crochet anything because she said watching me was like watching someone in severe pain. I guess I contorted my face and mouth and groaned a lot.”
Author Contacts:
@lesleydiehl
www.lesleyadiehl.com
www.lesleyadiehl.com/blog
www.facebook.com/lesley.diehl.1
www.amazon.com/author/lesleydiehl
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3414925.Lesley_A_Diehl
https://www.facebook.com/Lesley-A-Diehl-522270901254754
Cows, Lesley learned as a child growing up on a farm, have a twisted sense of humor. They chased her when she went to the field to herd them in for milking, and one ate the lovely red mitten her grandmother knitted for her. Determining that agriculture wasn’t her career path, she took a job as a stripper, book cover stripper for a publishing company, that is.
Now after many years as a college professor and university administrator, she has returned to the world of books and uses her country roots and her training to concoct stories designed to make people laugh in the face of murder. “A good chuckle,” says Lesley,” keeps us emotionally well-oiled long into our old age.” She is the author of several cozy mystery series and short stories.
Something unusual/unique that isn’t in your regular bio: “Years ago, my next-door neighbor taught me to crochet. I wasn’t very good at it, but I did well enough that I made my mother a shawl for Christmas. I worked on it in watching TV with my neighbor. After I finished it, she begged me to never again crochet anything because she said watching me was like watching someone in severe pain. I guess I contorted my face and mouth and groaned a lot.”
Author Contacts:
@lesleydiehl
www.lesleyadiehl.com
www.lesleyadiehl.com/blog
www.facebook.com/lesley.diehl.1
www.amazon.com/author/lesleydiehl
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3414925.Lesley_A_Diehl
https://www.facebook.com/Lesley-A-Diehl-522270901254754
INTERVIEW:
Ally: Do you write with a theme or message in mind?
LD: I always write about family issues, particularly about keeping secrets and what that can do to relationships
Ally: Do the people in your real life show up in your writing? In what way?
LD: People I know do not show up in my books per se except as characteristics or traits I lift from real people and impose on the characters I create. So, for example, if there is a person from my past that I do not like, I think about what trait is it I find offensive. I can incorporate that trait into the character of the villain or someone at odds with my protagonist. It’s my sneaky way of putting real people who have annoyed me into print without their knowing.
Ally: Do you prefer to read standalones or series books? Is it the same for writing?
LD: I write both short stories and novels, so most of my short stories are standalones, but all my novels except for one are series works. Much as I enjoy writing short stories, I rarely read them, and I think that’s odd. I prefer reading series work, so if I find an author and a protagonist I like, I look forward to reading the series.
Ally: Describe what you would consider the perfect get-away weekend.
LD: In the past I’ve enjoyed spending the weekends hiking with my husband, but since I am not physically able to do that as much, I find weekends at the beach where I can read a good book and enjoy the sound of the water is restorative for me. My husband also enjoys the ocean. A perfect day for us is taking a picnic lunch to the shore, doing a little walking and reading for an afternoon.
Ally: What is your current writing project?
LD: I’ve been working on this WIP for some time. I have a set of characters I’ve used in several short stories and in one novella. These characters are loosely based upon family members. I have a quirky family, so it’s been fun to embellish the characters to create a novel length story filled with mayhem, murder and a lot of laughs. I think it should be ready for publication this early fall.
Ally: Which of the “shortie” questions did you answer?
LD:
Ally: Do you write with a theme or message in mind?
LD: I always write about family issues, particularly about keeping secrets and what that can do to relationships
Ally: Do the people in your real life show up in your writing? In what way?
LD: People I know do not show up in my books per se except as characteristics or traits I lift from real people and impose on the characters I create. So, for example, if there is a person from my past that I do not like, I think about what trait is it I find offensive. I can incorporate that trait into the character of the villain or someone at odds with my protagonist. It’s my sneaky way of putting real people who have annoyed me into print without their knowing.
Ally: Do you prefer to read standalones or series books? Is it the same for writing?
LD: I write both short stories and novels, so most of my short stories are standalones, but all my novels except for one are series works. Much as I enjoy writing short stories, I rarely read them, and I think that’s odd. I prefer reading series work, so if I find an author and a protagonist I like, I look forward to reading the series.
Ally: Describe what you would consider the perfect get-away weekend.
LD: In the past I’ve enjoyed spending the weekends hiking with my husband, but since I am not physically able to do that as much, I find weekends at the beach where I can read a good book and enjoy the sound of the water is restorative for me. My husband also enjoys the ocean. A perfect day for us is taking a picnic lunch to the shore, doing a little walking and reading for an afternoon.
Ally: What is your current writing project?
LD: I’ve been working on this WIP for some time. I have a set of characters I’ve used in several short stories and in one novella. These characters are loosely based upon family members. I have a quirky family, so it’s been fun to embellish the characters to create a novel length story filled with mayhem, murder and a lot of laughs. I think it should be ready for publication this early fall.
Ally: Which of the “shortie” questions did you answer?
LD:
- a. Ebooks or print: I read ebooks.
- b. Most watched tv show: Most any British mystery on Acorn or Brit Box. (Ally note: I binge-watch them too!)
- c. Favorite comfort food: mashed potatoes
- d. Your pets - type and names Domestic short hair, grey striped cat named Marley who after 14 years of being a pain has now turned into a truly lovable cat. Wonderful, but why did it take so long?
- e. A supernatural ability you’d love to have: Invisibility so I could easily eavesdrop on conversations
Nearly Departed (An Eve Appel Mystery)
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Tired of sitting surveillance on insurance fraud, apprentice PI Eve Apple Egret gets her first big case, one where the outcome is important and personal.
Eve’s best friend Madeleine has few relatives, so her Uncle Shamus is special, but someone is determined to kill him and has tried several times. Eve is certain she can identify who is after him, but this time she may have taken on more than even our self-confident Eve can handle.
Coping with a growing toddler and a teenager, devoting time to the consignment shop and finding someone who can go undercover in a sexual harassment case all vie for Eve’s attention. Eve knows she cannot fail Madeleine. This is more than her favorite uncle’s life. His death would mean devastating loss for Madeleine and call into question Eve’s commitment as a friend and her ability as a PI.
Buy links for Nearly Departed:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nearly-Departed-Appel-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B083G9GDJY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1591724760&sr=8-7
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nearly-departed-lesley-diehl/1132249676?ean=9781603818230
Nearly Departed (An Eve Appel Mystery)
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Tired of sitting surveillance on insurance fraud, apprentice PI Eve Apple Egret gets her first big case, one where the outcome is important and personal.
Eve’s best friend Madeleine has few relatives, so her Uncle Shamus is special, but someone is determined to kill him and has tried several times. Eve is certain she can identify who is after him, but this time she may have taken on more than even our self-confident Eve can handle.
Coping with a growing toddler and a teenager, devoting time to the consignment shop and finding someone who can go undercover in a sexual harassment case all vie for Eve’s attention. Eve knows she cannot fail Madeleine. This is more than her favorite uncle’s life. His death would mean devastating loss for Madeleine and call into question Eve’s commitment as a friend and her ability as a PI.
Buy links for Nearly Departed:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nearly-Departed-Appel-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B083G9GDJY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1591724760&sr=8-7
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nearly-departed-lesley-diehl/1132249676?ean=9781603818230
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