#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Ellen Byron

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I’d like to welcome one of my favorite mystery authors, Ellen Bryon, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Books, my needlepoint projects, my doggy.

Things you need to throw out: So much I can’t even list it all! Our house could be on an episode of Hoarders.

Things you need for your writing sessions: my computer – desk or laptop; a printout of my notes; a Papermate Sharpwriter pencil.

Things that hamper your writing: the internet.

Things you love about writing: coming up with a great plot twist, a wonderful image, or a clever joke. Things you hate about writing: those moments or hours when none of the things mentioned above are coming to me.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Just doing it.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Pretending that “research” counts as writing!

Things you never want to run out of: Ideas.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Any item of clothing that didn’t fit when I bought it, but I bought anyway because it would fit when I “lost weight.”

Words that describe you: driven, generous, creative, funny.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: stubborn, obsessive, impatient, competitive.

Favorite foods: Pizza, spaghetti, sushi, cake, See’s chocolate.

Things that make you want to gag: Cilantro and anything coffee-flavored. Even See’s. If I bite into a piece of chocolate and it’s coffee-flavored, I not only spit it out, I rinse my mouth. I even hate coffee ice cream, which even non-coffee lovers seem to like.

Favorite music or song: “Get Down Tonight,” by KC and the Sunshine Band. I think it’s the best pop song ever written and no one will ever convince me otherwise. I live for all songs KC! My favorite band EVER. Music that drives you crazy: Slide guitar. It’s like nails on a chalk board to me.

Favorite beverage: Tea.

Something that gives you a sour face: Root beer. Blecch. And have I mentioned I hate coffee?

Favorite smell: roses.

Something that makes you hold your nose: garlic.

Something you wish you could do: go en pointe in ballet. Not having achieved this is one of my biggest regrets.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Needlepoint. It’s a very pricey hobby. But I do love it and it relaxes me.

Things you always put in your books: recipes, even though I’m not much of a cook.

Things you never put in your books: dead children or animals.

Favorite things to do: Write, dance, read, and needlepoint.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Clean. Some people clean to procrastinate from writing. I write to procrastinate from cleaning!

Most embarrassing moment: In high school, I played Duke Vincentio in an all-female production of Measure for Measure. The kid doing a costume change for me forgot to put out the pants for my costume, so I had to go onstage in just my tights. Thank God I at least had those on!

Proudest moment: Winning the Agatha Award for Mardi Gras Murder.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Have our daughter. Although there are days when both of us might not agree about this!

Biggest mistake: Turning down an overall deal from a studio that would have forced my then-TV writing partner and I to work on a show we didn’t like. In the end, we should have sucked it up and worked on the show because the deal would have had better long-term effects on our career.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Martha Stewart, who I worked for as a cater-waiter when she was just starting out. You’ll find me standing next to Martha in a photo on page 29 of early editions of her first book, Entertaining.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: I’ve either written for or interviewed a ton of celebrities and honestly, they all looked like their photos. Sometimes they even look better, as in the case of a certain actress with the initials LL who was caught up in the college admissions scandal. I met with her on a possible project years ago and she was even prettier in person.

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About Ellen:

Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Her new Catering Hall Mystery series, written as Maria DiRico, launched with Here Comes the Body, and was inspired by her real life. Her pen name was the maiden name of her late nonna, Maria DiVirgilio, a long-time Astoria resident. Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

 Let’s be Social:

Newsletter:

Facebook - Ellen Byron:

Facebook - Catering Hall Mysteries

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico/

Bookbub - Ellen Byron

Bookbub - Maria DiRico

Goodreads - Ellen Byron

Goodreads - Maria DiRico

Buy links  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647531/murder-in-the-bayou-boneyard-by-ellen-byron/

 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=murder+in+the+bayou+boneyard+a+cajun+country+mystery&crid=JGK2M6U6FKH&sprefix=murder+in+the+bayou%2Caps%2C202&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_8_19

#TBRTuesday - Ellen Byron's PLANTATION SHUDDERS

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What I’ve Been Reading…

I told you I read series out of order, but I’m finally caught up on Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mysteries, and I’m ready for the new one that comes out later this year. You have to check out Ellen Bryon/Maria DiRico. She is one of the funniest, entertaining cozy mystery writers. Her stories have so many good twists and turns, and they’re full of great characters.

My favorites are of course, Maggie, her amateur sleuth/artist who has returned home after a string of bad luck to help her family run a B&B in a restored plantation in Pelican, LA. I love the southern charm, the quirky characters, and the way Bryon juxtaposes the history of the area with problems and concerns of the modern era. I love Gran and Gopher (the Basset Hound).

Add this (and the rest of her series) to your beach bag and summer reading list.

What’s up Next

I’m reading WARSAW PROTOCOL by Steve Berry. It’s the latest in his Cotton Malone series.

For more book ideas, follow me on Goodreads and BookBub.

What are you reading on #TBRTuesday?

#TBRTuesday - Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch

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I love history almost as much as I love mysteries. I enjoyed Brad Meltzer’s show “Decoded,” and I have been a fan of his books for years. He always has interesting tales and twists on things we think we know.

What I’ve Been Reading…

I enjoyed Meltzer/Mensch’s THE LINCOLN CONSPIRACY: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President - And Why It Failed. He has a knack for making stories and history interesting. I love the detail in this about Kate Warne, America’s first female detective and the Pinkerton Agency. He and Mensch researched a lot of Baltimore history ahead of Lincoln’s first inauguration. It’s a fast read, and even though we know most of the players and the story, it’s a page turner to see how a small group prevented Lincoln’s assassination in 1861.

What’s up Next

I’m reading PLANTATION SHUDDERS by Ellen Bryon. Now I’ll be caught up on her Cajun Country Mysteries and ready for her next one.

For more book ideas, follow me on Goodreads and BookBub.

What are you reading on #TBRTuesday?

#TBR Tuesday - What I've Been Reading - Ellen Bryon and Harlan Coben

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The pandemic and the stay-at-home orders have helped me get a jump on my Goodreads Challenge 2020. I have a TBR (To Be Read) shelf in my office, and there’s a stack of library books on my night stand. I’m going to try to be better about sharing what I’m reading and enjoying.

My mystery/thriller bookcase has turned into two in my new office, and the books are spilling over into the cubby shelves of my craft area. I have a feeling it won’t be long until it’s all books.

I like lots of genres, but I always gravitate to mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. I don’t always start at the beginning of a series, especially if I found a new author at the library, but if I like it, I try to go back and catch up on what I missed.

My TBR Shelf at the Moment…

My TBR Shelf at the Moment…

Here’s What I’ve Been Reading Lately

I love Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico. Her mysteries are funny, and the characters are quirky. I’m finishing her Cajun Country Mystery series. They are well worth it. These are great summer reads. I love the Louisiana flare and all of the bayou traditions. Her characters are fun, and the mysteries have lots of twists. I read Body on the Bayou, Mardi Gras Murders, and Fatal Cajun Festival recently.

Check out her new series as Maria DiRico. The Catering Hall Mystery series is set in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, NY. I look forward to reading more. (I love her grandmother and the cat.)

Recently we watched The Five on Netflix, and I hadn’t read much by Harlan Coben. This spring, I started his Myron Bolitar series. I’ve read Deal Breaker and Drop Shot. I like his edgy characters and the thrillers set in the world of a sports agent. The stories are action-packed, and I like the twists and turns that snake through every chapter. I’m watching The Stranger on Netflix and still trying to piece together all the different storylines.

What’s up Next

Right now, I’m reading Lori Rader-Day’s The Lucky One.

For more book ideas, follow me on Goodreads and BookBub.

What are you reading on #TBRTuesday?