#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Maggie King

I’d like to welcome Maggie King back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Sit on the porch and get lost in a mystery.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Cleaning out closets, drawers, and cabinets, especially if installing shelf paper is involved.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Pen, paper, computer, good light, cat (but not on the keyboard!), and QUIET.

Things that distract you from writing: Lawn mowers, leaf blowers, noise, and my own need to find excuses for not writing.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Developing creative ideas into a story worth telling.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with creative ideas in the first place.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: iPads. I’m absolutely tethered to mine. Glen still prefers his laptop and phone.

The thing you wished you’d never bought: A set of long and skinny measuring spoons that, per the ad, can slide right into spice jars. They do slide into spice jars, but not all the sizes fit into the square spice tins. As I typically purchase store brands, most of my spices are in the tins. So the spoons are semi-useful, but not worth the $15 price.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: An actor, then a nurse, then an English teacher. I did none of those things. I was a retail sales manager, a customer service supervisor, a programmer analyst, and a non-profit administrator.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Public speaking.

Something you wish you could do: Be a rock star.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Clean toilets.

Last best thing you ate: Linguine with marinara sauce.

Last thing you regret eating: An omelette with liver. I was traveling in Europe and recklessly ordered from a non-English menu. Traveling is all about adventure, right?

Things to say to an author: “When’s your next book coming out? I can hardly wait!”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

New acquaintance: “So what do you do?”

Me: “I’m a mystery writer.”

NA: “Really? Do you know so-and-so? I just love him.” Hand over heart, swoons.

Me: “No, I haven’t had the pleasure.”

NA: stabs at her phone several times before thrusting it at me. “You really have to read him.” Takes back phone. “Well, nice meeting you. Gotta run.”

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Sara Paretsky, Louise Penny, Reese Witherspoon.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Dictators and dictator-wannabes (wouldn’t even have accepted their invites).

Best thing you’ve ever done: Marrying my True Love.

Biggest mistake: Turning down the permanent IT job at UVA (not that big a mistake).

The funniest thing to happen to you: One day I arrived at work wearing different colored shoes. I had two pairs of the same shoe style, one black, the other tan. I had to get to work very early and was always in a rush.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: It was the end of junior year of high school. My friend Marianne and I went to Howard Johnson’s, a popular hangout at the time. Brian Vitale stood in line waiting for a booth. Marianne and I went to the ladies’ room, where I went on and on about how cute Brian Vitale was, how I wanted to go out with him, yada, yada. A girl came out of a stall, washed her hands, and left. Marianne said, “I’m not sure, but I think she’s Brian Vitale’s girlfriend.” “Let’s hope not,” I said with a feeling of dread.

A glance at the line told us all we needed to know: Brian and the girl holding hands. We ducked into a booth that had just been vacated, hoping no one would notice. No such luck. The host shooed us away, and I slunk by BV and his lady love.

Thankfully, he had just graduated and I never saw him, or her, again.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: A woman at church approached me, a copy of Murder at the Moonshine Inn in hand. She opened the book to her favorite character description: “Her eyes looked like she’d wrung the blue color out of them.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: I published my first short story in January of 2014 and my first full-length mystery in December, 2014 (a “book-ended” year). Most of my friends read the short story and looked forward to the novel. But one informed me that she would wait for the novel, as she didn’t read short stories. She was quite adamant about it.

About Maggie:

Maggie King is the author of the Hazel Rose Book Group mysteries, including the recently-released Laughing Can Kill You. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, Death by Cupcake, and Murder by the Glass. Her story “The Last Laugh” appears in Virginia is for Mysteries III.

Maggie is a member of James River Writers, International Thriller Writers, Short Mystery Fiction Society, and is a founding member of Sisters in Crime Central Virginia, where she manages the chapter’s Instagram account. In addition, she serves Sisters in Crime on the national level as a member of the Social Media team. Maggie graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a B.S. degree in Business Administration, and has worked as a software developer, customer service supervisor, and retail sales manager. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Glen, and cats, Morris and Olive.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://www.maggieking.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaggieKingAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormaggieking/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaggieKingAuthr

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4758759.Maggie_King

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggie-king

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Maggie King

I’d like to welcome mystery author, Maggie King, to the blog for this week’s #ThisorThatThursday interview.

A few of your favorite things: my cats, Olive and Morris; writing and reading mysteries; movies; concerts; travel; walking on the beach;

Things you need to throw out: I’m looking for a good home for the greeting cards I’ve received over the years. They’re too lovely to throw out and I’m sure that someone, somewhere, can use them in a craft project.

Things you need for your writing sessions: laptop, pen, paper … and QUIET!

Things that hamper your writing: noise, social media, email, and my own need to find excuses for not writing

Things you love about writing: coming up with an idea and seeing it come alive on paper/screen; meeting readers and other writers

Things you hate about writing: coming up with an idea that doesn’t quite work!

Things you never want to run out of: coffee and TIME

Things you wish you’d never bought: those recliners with the nubby fabric that draws cats and their claws like a magnet. What were we thinking?

Favorite foods: anything Italian, pistachio gelato, Greek yogurt, lobster, cheese, fruit. And, it goes without saying, chocolate!

Things that make you want to gag: pickled herring, tough meat that’s hard to chew.

Favorite music or song: 60s-80s pop/rock; classical; Big Band - And I love the songs my talented husband writes.

Music that drives you crazy: Rap. I’ve heard some that’s somewhat melodic, but most sounds strident and unintelligible. To quote Frankie Valli: “How can you make love to rap?”

 Favorite beverage: coffee, sparkling water, and hot cider with cinnamon (this I drink year round, regardless of the temperature)
Something that gives you a sour face: buttermilk

 Something you’re really good at: Computers. I worked as a software developer for many years. Later I designed websites and taught people how to use the Internet and Microsoft products.

Something you’re really bad at: swimming---just never quite got it.

Things you always put in your books: puzzles, surprises, references to other books.
Things you never put in your books: Pedophiles, random killings, animal killings. I probably wouldn’t have a psychopath, but the right one could be interesting.

Things to say to an author: I just loved your books! They keep me up all night!Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: 

New acquaintance: It’s nice to meet you, Maggie. What do you do?

Me: I’m a mystery writer.

NA: Really? I just love Elizabeth George.

Me: Yes, she’s brilliant.

NA: Gotta go. Nice meeting you.

Maggie and Glen in Croatia

Favorite places you’ve been: Costa Rica, Croatia, Spain, Greece, New Orleans, Santa Fe, and Yosemite are just a few.

Places you never want to go to again: In Istanbul (a very interesting city), Glen and I got lost and ended up in a not-so-wonderful section with a menacing atmosphere. Shades of Hitchcock. But prices were much lower than in the tourist areas.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Jimmy Carter, Mary Higgins Clark, John Kasich, Sharon Lawrence, and Oprah. It would have to be an interesting conversation.
People you’d cancel dinner on: Hmm. I’ll pass on this one

 About Maggie:

Maggie King is the author of the Hazel Rose Book Group mysteries, including Murder at the Book Group and Murder at the Moonshine Inn. Her short stories appear in Deadly Southern Charm, Virginia is for Mysteries (Vols. 1&2), and 50 Shades of Cabernet.

 Maggie is a member of Sisters in Crime, James River Writers, and the American Association of University Women. She has worked as a software developer, retail sales manager, and customer service supervisor. Maggie graduated from Elizabeth Seton College and earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. She has called New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California home. These days she lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Glen, and cats, Morris and Olive.

Website: http://www.maggieking.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaggieKingAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaggieKingAuthr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormaggieking

Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2Bj4uIL

Writing Advice from the DEADLY SOUTHERN CHARM Authors

I’m very excited to be a part of DEADLY SOUTHERN CHARM anthology, and I’m thrilled to have my writer friends as guests on the blog to share their advice on writing and book marketing.

What is the one thing about the writing life that you didn’t know until you were published?

 Mollie: I didn’t realize that you don’t make much money. Of course, I didn’t start writing to make money. I absolutely LOVE what I do. And the further I get into my career, the more I see that loving it the ONLY reason to do it. If you don’t love the thrill of a perfect sentence, or the way a story moves you, you won’t find the business gratifying.

 Heather: I didn’t realize how much marketing was involved with the book business. It takes a great deal of time to promote your work. You need to balance your writing tasks with your promotional ones.

 Lynn:  I didn’t realize that the moment I turned it into my publisher it wasn’t MY book anymore. It was OUR book. People kept messing with my book. Now, they were all good things and comments, but I didn’t know how collaborative book publishing really is. Even for my self- published books. Best advice? Make sure you agree with and trust the people working with you.

 Kristin: Authors write their first draft for themselves, but revise-revise-revise for their readers.

 Maggie: There’s a lot to do in the way of marketing, promotion, etc. My advice is to know your personal goals for your work: is it money (good luck!), love of writing, posterity? Perhaps publishing a book is a bucket list item, and multi-publishing isn’t your goal. It’s great to share inspiration and support with fellow authors, but avoid the keeping up the Joneses syndrome.

 Genilee: How important it is to force yourself to set aside time every day to write and how hard marketing a book can be in today’s complicated world of publishing.

 J.A.: How much work is involved that doesn’t involve writing. Marketing is a big part of the job and can be very time consuming.

 How long did it take you to get your first work published (from creation to actual book)? What was your first published work?

 Mollie: For fiction, it was probably 6 months. I had already been a published nonfiction author for years and agent said if I wanted to write fiction, they’d love to see it. I’d been write fiction for years  and had an idea brewing, so I wrote the first draft of “Scrapbook of Secrets” during National Novel Writing Month and after several drafts, sent it on to my agent.

 Heather:  My first mystery was a short story, “Washed up” in Virginia is for Mysteries, a Sister in Crime anthology. It took about six months to write and polish. The book process probably took another eight months or so. My first mystery novel, Secret Lives and Private Eyes took me about five years to write and rewrite (and rewrite). When it was finally accepted for publication, it took another seven months to become a book.

 Lynn:  My first published work was a couple of essays I wrote and got published during the year of cancer (2007). A few years after that I wrote for the Trues market – short emotional stories with a twist. (I fell in Love with a Carney was my first credit with them.) Then in 2012, I got back a book that had been rejected by a large romance publisher after two years of back and forth consideration. I sent it to a soon to open digital first imprint. It sold in a week. In total, the process took from creation to sale, about three years. My first mystery sold the next year in a three-book deal to Kensington.

 Kristin: I’d been writing fiction for about 6 years before I had anything published.  My first published work was a short historical mystery, “The Sevens” which was selected from a blind pool of submissions to be included in Bouchercon’s anthology, MURDER UNDER THE OAKS.  From the first moment I typed a word to the release date was ten months.

 Maggie: “A Not So Genteel Murder,” a short story featured in the Virginia is for Mysteries anthology, was my first published work (2014). Writing and polishing the story took about six months, and the publishing process another six to eight months. Later in 2014, I published my first novel, Murder at the Book Group. That took me forever to write—ten years!—and another 18 months from contract signing to release day.    

 Genilee: It took my mother four months to write the first book (Twist of Fate) in our five-book The Fate Series. It then took me six months to rewrite, edit and find a publisher. It took the publisher about four months to get it in print and formatted as an ebook.

 J.A.: My first published story was, Bikes, Books and Berries. It was part of the Virginia is for Mysteries Vol II mystery anthology. It took about six months to write and rewrite before submission.

 Plotter (one who plans or plots out every detail of the writing process) or Pantser (one who writes by the seat of his/her pants)?

 Mollie: Definitely a pantser—which I why the synopsis is so hard for me. I like the idea of a story unfolding organically and, in truth, it’s made some of the best stories in my career.

 Heather: I’m a combination of the two. I start out as a detailed plotter. I even bought a huge whiteboard for my writing room. And then I write. The story and the characters always go where they want to do.

 Lynn:  I’m definitely a pantser. I do an outline chart with all the chapters listed to keep my timelines straight. It also helps me keep my chapters about even. And I break out the story structure on that. Red Herring #1, Red Herring #2, Big Black Moment, Happy Ever After... It gives me something to write toward, but the story and character take over.

 Kristin: I’m a relaxed plotter.  I can’t start writing a story (novel or short) until I know the final scene or the twist.  I’ve stopped creating outlines, though.  Now I just jot down the major scene points and let my characters take the scenic route from stop to stop. I love when they surprise me!

 Maggie: Like Heather, I’m a plotser (combo of plotter and pantser). I have a general outline, but I “listen” to the characters as I write. They have their own ideas.

 Genilee: I think we’ve created a new term: plotser! I sit down to write with no particular direction in mind, but I’m outlining and redoing everything as I go to make it all make sense and flow.

 J.A.: Short stories I usually panster. Novels I’m a plotter. I like outlines, and I need them to make sure I don’t skip any necessary details.

 What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?

 Mollie: Coming with ideas is very easy. Making them work, not so easy.

 Heather: I love to write. I just tend to get bogged down in the editing and rewrites.

 Lynn:  There’s supposed to be an easy part? I worry that I’m taking too long to write. I worry that I’m too fast. I worry I didn’t do enough to launch the book... it goes on and on. The best part for me is the planning or scheduling. What am I writing this month, promotions, edits, releasing or travel, it all goes in a word document as well as on my on-line calendar. I love planning and can get lost in the process without writing if I’m not careful.

 Kristin: I love drafting.  I don’t let myself edit as I write my way through the first draft, so I feel like I’m merely transcribing a movie that’s scrolling in my mind. That said, all the magic happens in the revising stage.

 Maggie: Idea generation. I love the ideas I come up with on my daily walks. Developing them on the page? Not so easy.

 Genilee: Putting words together the right way. I do it for a living through different channels (magazines, newsletters and articles).

 J.A.:  I enjoy writing dialogue. If a scene is working the dialogue comes easy. When the dialogue is off, I know I need to rewrite.

 What advice do you have for a new writer?

 Mollie: Be patient with yourself. Learn the craft. Practice. Take classes. Write and rewrite. I don’t care how good your agent is or how much money you have to promote something—it’s your writing that will ultimately set you apart.

 Heather: Be persistent. If you want to be published, keep at it. Keep writing. Keep learning. Writing is a business.

 Lynn:  Writing is a business is a big one for me. Since I started with smaller publishers, I was around a lot of writers who were dabbling in the business without committing. You have to commit. You don’t have to write. It’s like giving yourself homework every night. But don’t tell me you WANT to be an author. Write or don’t, there is no try to paraphrase Yoda. And don’t get lost in the internet talk about the latest scandal (because there’s always a new one.) If it doesn’t affect your career, don’t let it steal your writing time.

 Kristin: There’s only one rule for writers: Keep your butt in the chair. Progress, even just a few paragraphs at a time, is still progress. 

 Maggie: Carve out time for writing every day (or most days), even if it’s just fifteen minutes. Use a notebook or recording method to keep track of ideas, to-do items, etc. Find systems that work for you. Read the best writers in your genre. Bottom line: write.

 Genilee: Don’t go into this field thinking you’ll be rich and famous. Do it because you love writing. It’s extremely rewarding to get published, but getting to point of making money is a constant process that takes many years (unless you are lucky of course!).

 J.A.: Social media is a time killer. You need an online presence if you want to be a commercial writer, but it’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole. A few minutes turns into several wasted hours that could have been spent writing. The same for research. Use both with restraint.

Many thanks to Mollie Cox Bryan, Lynn Cahoon, Kristin Kisska, Maggie King, Genilee Swope Parente, and JA Chalkley for the interview!

AUTHORS

Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of cookbooks, articles, essays, poetry, and fiction.  An Agatha Award nominee, she lives in Central Virginia.  www.molliecoxbryan.com

 Lynn Cahoon is the NYT and USA Today author of the best-selling Tourist Trap, Cat Latimer and Farm-to-Fork mystery series. www.lynncahoon.com

 J. A. Chalkley is a native Virginian. She is a writer, retired public safety communications officer, and a member of Sisters in Crime.

 Maggie King penned the Hazel Rose Book Group mysteries. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries and 50 Shades of Cabernet anthologies. www.maggieking.com

 Kristin Kisska is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime, and programs chair of the Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia chapter. www.kristinkisska.com

 Genilee Swope Parente has written the romantic mystery The Fate Series with her mother F. Sharon Swope. The two also have several collections of short stories. www.swopeparente.com

 Heather Weidner is the author of the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries.  She has short stories in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 SHADES OF CABERNET and TO FETCH A THIEF.  She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and Jack Russell terriers.  www.heatherweidner.com

BOOK LINKS

Wildside

Wildside eBook

Amazon

Maggie King's MURDER AT THE BOOK GROUP

Maggie King's Murder at the Book Group isn't your sweet, cozy. Her debut novel, set in and around Richmond, Virginia is made up of a quirky group of book lovers. When one of the organizers dies at a meeting at her home, members of the group start looking at each other and pointing fingers. And that's when the gloves come off and the secrets come out. What appears to be a middle-aged tea-and-book-loving group turns into political rifts and sexcapades. No one's tawdry secrets are safe.

Her protagonist, romance writer, Hazel Rose, works with her cousin Lucy and a former police detective to put all of the pieces together and uncover the murderer.

I love the tagline on the cover, "Someone's about to turn the last page."

Check out Maggie's new novel. I look forward to seeing where her characters go in the next novel.

l-r: Maggie King, Fiona Quinn, Rosemary Shomaker, Jayne Omereod, and Heather Weidner at the MURDER AT THE BOOK GROUP launch party.

More Book Events. . .

I had the pleasure of being a part of the Virginia is for Mysteries panel at the Poe Birthday Bash and the Poe Museum on January 17. It's located in the Old Stone House in Richmond, Virginia. We enjoyed talking with mystery and Poe fans. And the Embalmers were on stage after us. We enjoyed signing books to their retro 60s surf sounds.

I also had fun signing Virginia is for Mysteries at Barnes and Noble Short Pump with the Lethal Ladies of Sisters in Crime Central Virginia. Maggie King signed her debut novel, Murder at the Book Group. Mary Miley signed The Impersonator and Silent Murders from her 1920s series set in Hollywood. And Ellery Adams signed books from her Book Retreat Mysteries and her Books by the Bay series.

Maggie King - MURDER AT THE BOOK GROUP

I had the pleasure recently of attending Maggie King's book launch for MURDER AT THE BOOK GROUP. I'm about half through with her novel, and I look forward to finding out what happens in that interesting group of women. Stop by and see Maggie's blog.

L to R: Maggie King, Fiona Quinn, Rosemary Shomaker, Jayne Ormerod, and Heather Weidner - VIRGINIA IS FOR MYSTERIES authors

What I've Been Reading

I'm on vacation, so it's okay to stay up past my bedtime reading. Here's what I've finished recently...

Check out Brad Meltzer's The Tenth Justice. This is one of his earlier thrillers. In this one, a young, ambitious Supreme Court clerk gets himself mixed up in an extortion plot. He learns quickly that you can't trust anyone in Washington, DC.

I also finished Bill Crider's Too Late to Die. This was the first in his Sheriff Dan Rhodes series. I've read quite of few later ones, but I'd never read the beginning of the story. I love his small-town Texas characters.

I enjoyed Nancy J. Cohen's Permed to Die. This was a fun, fast read. Her amateur sleuth is a hair stylist. This is also the first in this series.

Right now, I'm reading Maggie King's debut novel, Murder at the Book Group.

Happy reading!