#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 Mark Levenson

I’d like to welcome author, Mark Levenson, to the blog for #ThisorThatThusday!

A few of your favorite things: My family, my books (that I own, not that I’ve written), my dog, family mementos including my grandfather’s racoon coat (circa 1925).

Things you need to throw out: Nothing. That gives me and my wife something to discuss passionately.

Things you need for your writing sessions: An endless supply of coffee, music

Things that hamper your writing: Anything that’s not coffee or music.

Things you love about writing: When I’m in the moment, it’s a great rush. When readers get what you’re trying to say.

Things you hate about writing: When they don’t, when something that’s important to me doesn’t engage the reader.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Motivation to keep going when the writing isn’t going well, or when life intrudes.

Easiest thing about being a writer: The freedom to write about absolutely anything.

Favorite foods: cholent (go ahead, ask), pecan pie, Brussels sprouts

Things that make you want to gag: starbucks frapo-crapo drinks

Favorite music or song: klezmer, ragtime (especially a tune called Solace), American songbook, classic rock

Music that drives you crazy: that stuff the kids are listening to

Something you’re really good at: puppet theatre, magic

Something you’re really bad at: drawing, team sports

Something you like to do: taking the dog for a long walk on Long Island Sound

Something you wish you’d never done: Wasted all that time not writing

Things to say to an author: What insight you have into the human condition!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: That last one wasn’t quite your best, was it?

Favorite places you’ve been: Positano, Italy

Places you never want to go to again: Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Favorite books (or genre): Mystery (esp Trent’s Last Case), scifi/fantasy (esp Neil Gaiman), Yiddish (Sholem Aleichem)

Books you wouldn’t buy: self-help

Favorite things to do: Walking with the dog (per above), reading a great mystery story

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: helping my wife with home improvement projects

Things that make you happy: my wife and kids, friends, theatre, the morning paper (a real paper, not a website),

Things that drive you crazy: stupidity

About Mark:

His Jewish-themed fantasy writing has won honors from The National Foundation for Jewish Culture and the American Jewish University, as well as a Union Internationale de la Marionnette-USA Citation of Excellence, an award founded by Jim Henson.

Levenson’s novel, The Hidden Saint (Level Best Books, February 2022), is the culmination of his more than 20 years of engagement with Jewish folklore. Levenson wrote The Return of the Golem and The Wise Men of Chelm for the stage, and adapted S. Ansky’s The Dybbuk for actors and puppets. His Jewish-themed short fiction credits include Mystery Weekly Magazine, Kindle Kzine, and Ami Magazine. He also blogs about Jewish fantasy for The Times of Israel.

Levenson began his career as a reporter for The Miami Herald and Dun’s Review. He has written for New York Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Forward, The Jewish Week, the Associated Press, Puppetry International, Stevens Magic, The American Kennel Club Gazette, The Oregonian, and others. He heads the marketing and PR firm The Levenson Company, whose clients have included Amazon, Microsoft, Intel, and Cigna. Levenson served as director of press relations for The Wharton School at Penn, and director of public relations for the Oregon Art Institute. He also served on the boards of the Jim Henson Foundation and the American Jewish Committee.

Perhaps Levenson’s interests in fantasy and folklore are in his blood; his paternal grandmother was a magician, “Lightfingers Ida,” whose tutelage sparked his lifelong interest in magic. His great-great-uncle (on his mother’s side) was a strongman in a Russian circus who could hold back galloping horses and survive sledgehammer blows by peasants who smashed rocks on his chest, except for the last time.

Although Levenson’s physique gives no hint of this lineage, it was a circus sideshow that sparked another lifelong interest, that of puppetry. Levenson writes for and about puppet theatre, was guest curator and catalog author for the exhibition “Winners’ Circle” at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, and a contributor to the World Encyclopedia of Puppetry. He was the featured Punch & Judy performer at the Philadelphia festival marking the 250th anniversary of the first performance of that classic puppet play in America.

Levenson was graduated from Cornell University. He and his family (including their adorable pup Roee) live in Westchester County, New York.

Let’s Be Social:

www.marklevensonbooks.com

www.facebook.com/marklevensonbooks

www.twitter.com/mlevensonbooks

www.instagram.com/marklevensonbooks/

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Kristin Kisska

I am so excited to welcome the amazing Kristin Kisska to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave:

I always have some sort of beverage near me in my writing cave, usually coffee, tea, or water. Sometimes I have more than one at hand!

Things that distract you from writing:

Noise, such as voices and music, keeps me from entering my writing zone. Oh, and social media is a huge temptation for me, but one that I have a hard time managing.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Staring at a blank page with no idea what to write next, especially if you are writing on a deadline. Writer’s block is very real, and I dread the experience. I’m grateful it doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, my blood pressure escalates.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Those rare, blissful moments when your characters hijack the story take over. Then, you are no longer creating the story but recording it as best as you can while it unfolds in new directions you hadn’t planned. The best part is that these writerly waves usually require the least amount of revising later on.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight:

Coffee grounds, especially if I don’t have enough to make a pot the next morning!

Things you never put on your shopping list:

Soda.

Favorite snacks:

Cheese, cheese, and cheese. My favorite type is brie, which I enjoy on pretzel chips, sandwiches, omelets, and even straight up by itself. Oh, did I mention cheese?

Things that make you want to gag:

I can’t stomach olives or liver. Yuck!

Something you’re really good at:

Parallel parking. I lived in Chicago for five years and learned how to street park the hard way.

Something you’re really bad at:

I can’t pronounce *epidemiologist* on the first try. EVER. And it’s been a fairly common word these past couple of years, for obvious reasons.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

As a kid, I always wanted to be a veterinarian. In high school, I was able to volunteer at a local (human) hospital and changed my career aspirations to be a doctor. All it took was one chemistry lecture in college to reject medicine in general.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

A writer! I ended up majoring in business and even got my MBA. I worked on Wall Street and have owned a marketing firm for almost twenty years. So, about fifteen years ago, discovering that I had a story (actually many stories) to tell was a shock to my system, but here we are…I’m very grateful for my writerly muse!

Something you wish you could do:

I’d love to be able to whistle through my fingers—the really loud whistle. I’ve been attempting for years but still can’t get the hang of it, even by accident.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:

Sewing buttons. I somehow became the button-sewer-oner in my family & I quit!

Things to say to an author:

I can’t wait to buy/read your (upcoming) book. Can you talk to my book club? I just loved your (insert story title).

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

“You write fiction? What do you do for real?” Or, “Anyone can write a novel.”

Best thing you’ve ever done:

After college, I bought a one-way flight ticket to Prague. I ended up finding a job and lived there for three years. The best part was I got to travel all over Europe while I stayed there. My family and friends all thought I was crazy for doing it, but they all ended up visiting me and touring Prague anyway. I guess I got the last laugh.

Biggest mistake:

I turned down an offer to spend six months in Australia with my cousins while my uncle was on sabbatical. It meant I would’ve had to delay starting college by a year. Back then, a gap year wasn’t as common as now. Years later, I had the opportunity to visit Down Under and learned exactly what I’d missed by not saying “yes.”

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

“I wish I’d written your story.” This was from an author I idolized, so the compliment was especially meaningful.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

A critique partner once read the first third of my draft novel and commented that nothing was happening in the story. The comment made more sense once I realized he was expecting the story to be a high-stakes thriller, not a slow burn suspense novel, but still…a lot was going on in the story. Ouch!

The most exciting thing about your writing life:

I absolutely adore book signing events. They make me feel like Cinderella at the ball.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life:

After writing and polishing my first novel, I focused my time on researching and querying literary agents. In retrospect, I wish I’d continued writing during those months as it would’ve offered me both a distraction from what is a deflating process and a new manuscript to shop around sooner. At the end of the day, though, I found my writerly home with The Stringer Literary Agency, so everything worked out for the best.

About Kristin:

Kristin Kisska used to be a finance geek, complete with MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed fictionista. Kristin contributed short suspense stories to nine anthologies, including Malice Domestic’s Agatha Award-winning anthology, MYSTERY MOST EDIBLE (2018). She’ll be releasing her tenth short story, “Vendetta by the Sea” in VIRGINIA IS FOR MYSTERIES: VOL III in February 2022.

Kristin is a member of International Thriller Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, James River Writers, and is the Vice President of the Central Virginia chapter of Sisters in Crime. When not penning suspense novels, she can be found reading murdery books while cuddling with her kitty. Kristin lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family.

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook – KristinKisskaAuthor

Twitter - @KKMHOO

Instagram - @KristinKisskaAuthor

Website - www.KristinKisska.com

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Paul Bahou

I’d like to welcome author, Paul Bahou, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions:

I write and edit my books on my computer, but I write my short stories on my phone. All I need is one or the other and some quiet so I can focus.

Things that hamper your writing:

TV, other people, anything that takes me out of the zone.

Things you love about writing:

Writing clears the cobwebs of the mind. You get so much mental clutter and junk over the course of the day, especially for someone like me who has a short attention span. It’s almost like meditation in a way; forcing my brain to hone in on a single train of thought for an extended period of time.

There’s also this creative itch that I have to scratch, or I go batty. I used to satisfy it by playing and writing music. Since I’ve had kids that’s been pretty difficult, so writing stories has been a very satisfying way of engaging with that call to create.

Things you hate about writing:

That I don’t get to do more of it. I have a list of story summaries on my phone that I work on when I get the time. I’m currently working on a series of short stories to release as a collection. I’m usually working on two different stories at any given time, one that’s being written on my phone and one that’s being edited on my computer.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Writing the first sentence.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Writing everything that comes after that.

Favorite music or song:

My favorite band in the world is Tool. Their music just hits me in a way that nobody else’s does. It’s heavy, it’s melodic, it’s lyrically dense and damn if they don’t sound absolutely flawless live. Their album Lateralus changed the way I look at music.

My second favorite is Carly Rae Jepson. She writes the musical equivalent of warm hugs you can dance to. I love her music. I know it’s the furthest thing from progressive metal, but aren’t we all full of contradictions in some way?

Music that drives you crazy:

100 Gecs is the group that made me realize I was old. And I’m not even old. I just can’t do whatever that is. My brain just isn’t wired for it.

Favorite beverage:

Coffee.

Something that gives you a sour face:

Anything with too much sugar in it.

Favorite smell:

Your kid when they’re a newborn and you smell their head. No greater high my friend. Fellow parents, you know what I’m talking about.

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Meat. I don’t think I’ve eaten a cheeseburger since George W. Bush was president.

Last best thing you ate:

The tacos my wife made for dinner last night. The woman is Mozart in the kitchen.

Last thing you regret eating:

That fourth taco. Oof.

Favorite places you’ve been:

I love Coachella. There’s magic in those polo fields. I really love music festivals in general. I’ve got a pretty wide palate when it comes to music, so I appreciate being to check out different types of artists in a fun, vibrant setting.

Places you never want to go to again:

I’ll go anywhere as long as I’ve got my wife with me. It’s less about the place and more about the company. I think that’s the trick to living a good life in general.

Favorite books (or genre):

I love authors like Kurt Vonnegut or Chuck Palahniuk. People who tell stories out of left field that defy typical plot line conventions.

Books you wouldn’t buy:

Anything written by someone with an opinion show on a cable news channel.

Favorite things to do:

Write music. Write stories. Talk about music. Talk about stories. Watch music. Watch stories. My novel Sunset Distortion is a story that heavily involves music. I’d say I found a way to mix my two favorite things.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing:

I’d say running through a fire and eating bugs are two things I’d like to avoid if possible.

Things that make you happy:

My children

Things that drive you crazy:

My children

The coolest person you’ve ever met:

My wife.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video:

I once saw Justin Timberlake when I was coming out of the bathroom at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood. My friends and I were in college and seeing Dane Cook. We were all hammered. And not just hammered, but like, irresponsible college level wasted. Justin was in line waiting for me to come out. He was taller than I imagined. Though then again, I was pretty inebriated, it’s very possible I was slouching like some sort of confused hunchback who stumbled into the light after years in the belfry. I wanted to say hi, but I think I just grumbled incoherently at the poor guy.

About Paul:

Paul Bahou is the author of Sunset Distortion: The Pyramid at the End of the World. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Cal State University Long Beach with a minor in Music. He began his career writing grants while playing in his rock band, eventually moving out of music and into the sustainability sector. He lives in Southern California with his wife Melissa, daughter Sophie and son Harrison. He writes fiction and the occasional dad joke in his spare time.

Let’s Be Social:

Website

facebook.com/paulbahouwrites

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Robert P. French

I’d like to welcome author, Robert P. French to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: My laptop of course but more importantly the tools I use on it. I use SimpleMind to keep track of all the story ideas and the general flow of the book. I also have developed a spreadsheet that tracks each chapter and scene. It shows the date, time and location for each scene and all the characters who appear or are referenced in the scene and who is the point-of-view character. Other essentials are a thermos of good coffee and my writing playlist which is seven and a half hours of classical music.

Things that hamper your writing: Getting started. But once I start writing, I’m in the zone and nothing gets to me until I run out of steam.

Things you love about writing: The feeling I get as a new book starts to take shape and ideas pop into my head. I don’t plan my books in detail and let the writing and the characters take the book where it needs to go. This approach brings some wonderful surprises and plot twists. In my first book, Junkie, I didn’t know who the killer was until I was about seventy percent into the book. I also love the joy of expressing something in a really interesting way; sometimes, I will chew over a single sentence until I get it just right. But by far the best things are the emails and reviews I get from my readers after the release of a new book.

Things you hate about writing: Three things: getting stuck, getting stuck and getting stuck.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The constant worry that the book you are currently writing is not going to be as good as the previous ones.

Easiest thing about being a writer: People often ask me, ‘Where do you get your plot ideas?’ Getting plot ideas is the easiest part of writing. They pop into my head all the time. The trick is to spot that some random thought which has appeared, unbidden, in your consciousness is a potential plot line. Just make sure you write it down because it can pop out of your head just as easily as it popped in.

Words that describe you: Friendly, cheerful, humorous, logical, fair and not quite as intelligent as I like to think I am.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Stubborn and sometimes dogmatic.

Favourite beverage: I love craft beer. When I first emigrated to Canada, I really missed the beer of my native England. When the craft beer revolution started I was an instant fan. I am lucky enough to now live within a seven-minute walk of seven excellent craft breweries.

Something that gives you a sour face: Any drink with a cherry flavour. I love to eat cherries, they are one of my favourite fruits, but somehow, the taste of the fruit in a drink gets morphed into something I gag on.

Things you always put in your books: Unexpected twists and turns in the plot and in the lives of the characters.

Things you never put in your books: Long descriptions of a character’s physical characteristics. As a reader, I like to create the characters in my mind the way I want to see them, so I give my readers the same choice.

Things to say to an author: “Why do you write?” “How can I become a writer?” Where do you get your inspiration for plots and characters?” and of course, “Where can I buy your books?”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I’ve never read any of your books because I only read literary fiction.”

Favourite places you’ve been: New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Hong Kong, London as it was in my youth.

Places you never want to go to again: Prison… just joking. Hong Kong as it descends into becoming an oppressed city.

Favourite books (or genre): I enjoy crime fiction (I am a huge Michael Connelly fan) and sci-fi (my favourite sci-fi book is still Asimov’s Foundation trilogy). My favourite author of all time is John Steinbeck. Although I am not a huge fan of fantasy, I have read Lord of the Rings twelve times over the years.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Books where the protagonist is perfect. Paranormal fiction.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Philosopher and neuroscientist Sam Harris, physicist Bryan Cox, astrophysicist, Neil Degrasse Tyson, actors Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman, author Michael Connelly.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Anyone who is famous for being famous, for example a Kardashian or a Jenner or any reality TV personality.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Getting lost in your book gave me a wonderful respite from the worries of being a caregiver for my sick father.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Confusing me with my protagonist, Cal Rogan, one reader asked. “Have you stopped using the heroin now?”

About Robert:

Robert French is a software developer, turned actor, turned author. He is the writer of the seven (so far) Cal Rogan Mysteries crime-thrillers about a drug-addicted ex-cop who fights his way from living rough on the streets to being a much-sought-after PI. The series, set in Vancouver, Canada, reflects the best and worst of the city. He is passionate about having the right words on the page and with every new book, his goal is to make it better than the previous one. His loves are his family, science, language, certain elements of philosophy and craft beer.

Let’s Be Social:

Website

Facebook

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with VK Tritschler

I’d like to welcome author, VK Tritschler, to the blog for this edition of #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things:

I have an old moose-hide jacket from my Uncle which is one of my favorite things. He gave it to me many years ago, and I have traipsed it with me around the world. I love the delicate beading work, and the softness of the leather. But also, I love that this is a jacket that had stories. It’s so old I can almost feel them woven into the fabric. The other thing I have that I love is my little shelf of old books I have collected. These are mostly well-known collectables like Dickens and Austen, but I do have a couple random poetry collections. I got a special shelf just for them.

Things you need to throw out:

Most of my clothes! I am not a person who invests a lot of time on appearance, because I don’t see value in the exterior of anything outside of my book covers, but I do like comfortable easy to wear things which I then use to the point of no return.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

I don’t have anything specific that I need for a writing session except for my laptop. I have written in cafes, on beaches, in the car and at home. I don’t have any must-have requirements as I am fortunate to have a brain that can expel thoughts without prompting.

Things that hamper your writing:

A busy environment can be both a blessing and a hamper. On one side a busy coffee shop gives me amazing ideas and thoughts for characters and personality traits, but on the other side it can be distracting and drag away from the plotline taking the story on a whole new tangent. But the worst hamper for me is time! Ah, for that blessed moment that I can grab from an otherwise hectic schedule. That is what I dream of.

Things you love about writing:

Writing is for me what watching movies or listening to music is for others. It allows my mind to wander to places outside of the daily grind and gives me a chance to explore the potential that the world around me presents. I am never bored when I am writing, which is a wonderful feeling.

Things you hate about writing:

I hate that it can feel competitive and that it makes me doubt my own abilities. I can read or hear another author’s story and think to myself, gosh, that was wonderful I wish I could write like that. But I think all authors feel that way. In all of us there is an expectation of being better or doing better. I think that in itself is what drives us forward and makes us work at our craft.

Things you never want to run out of:

Coffee and imagination. I cannot imagine a world without either, and I hope I never have to experience that.

Things you wish you’d never bought:

I wish I had never brought a Smart watch because a) it constantly reminds me of things that I put into my diary but was deliberately trying to forget was coming up (i.e. major deadlines) and b) it’s always telling me to breath or move, both of which I think I do plenty of since I am actually still alive. Still, despite being the most item I have ever worn, it does keep me on track. Ugh.

Something you wish you could do:

Travel. I mean I know technically you can now, but who has the extra energy or time for all the subsidiary nonsense? I yearn for a day when you can buy a ticket that morning, jump on a plane that afternoon, and wake up in a foreign country without a single quarantine rule. Ah, the blissful memories.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:

Be good at everything I do at my full-time job. Sometimes I wish I was a little less good, and a little more hopeless, because I feel like then I would get designated less and have more time to write!

Something you like to do:

I like to escape. Life, the world, my family occasionally. I love my own company and I have a craving for adventures. Together me, myself and I, get into all kinds of mischief. So, if I can’t do that in the real world, I will do it via my books.

Something you wish you’d never done:

Gotten older. The best part about being young is that you don’t understand what life is yet. You have all that potential to make mistakes, do things wrong, and generally be a mess, and you have no idea of what that means long-term. You live in the now! God, I miss that.

Things you always put in your books:

Romance, relationships, discovery, and renewed understanding. These are the things I find more relevant to life and living, and these are the things therefore that each of my books have. Regardless of the genre.

Things you never put in your books:

I was going to say violence, but that’s not entirely true. I do have some fight scenes which are quite dramatic. I guess rape, would be one I refuse to write. A person’s body in my humble opinion is their own temple and is sacred, and there is no storyline in which I can justify the violation of that.

Things to say to an author:

Hi, my name is…let’s just start with that. Authors are people, and like all people we like to get to know you. Don’t be shy, and if you have a question, ask! Chances are if we don’t know the answer, we will make one up, so you might be the only person in the world that finds that out.

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

Don’t introduce yourself. Troll them on social media about how rubbish their books are. And tell them that you will only like their work if they (insert random storyline you desire). There is nothing that will kill imagination faster than parameters.

Things that make you happy:

Driving in my car with music blaring and the sun shining. The start of a new book (either reading it or writing it). When I have time to be myself.

Things that drive you crazy:

People doing dumb stuff. Hatred for hatred’s sake. Having an amazing story idea and nothing to write it down on. Dreams – refer to the last!

About VK:

VK Tritschler is the definition of very busy. Having both a fulltime job, a growing family and a career as an author she has a lot going on both around her and in her imagination. She lives on the amazing Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, having moved there from her hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. Her family consists of a very patient husband, two rampant boys, and too many pets to mention.

She has a wonderful set of amazing writers who support her in the form of Eyre Writers, and in return, she offers crowd control services for the Youth section who are the future best-selling Australian authors.

Her first book “The Secret Life of Sarah Meads” was released in 2018 and since then she has participated in the NYC Writing Challenge, the Clunes Booktown, and helped organize and run the Eyre Writers Festival.

Let’s Be Social:

www.vktritschler.com

www.facebook.com/vktritschler

www.twitter.com/vktritschler

www.goodreads.com/vktritschler

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with George Cramer

Please help me welcome author George Cramer to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: My handwriting, and yes, I still write in cursive, is so bad, I need a laptop. Add a flat service and comfortable straight-back chair, and I’m set. I can be at my desk, kitchen table, library, or even a coffee shop. Conversations don’t bother me.

Things that hamper your writing: Artificial sounds, music, radio, or television.

Things you love about writing: The ability, or in my case, the hope of using written words to paint a picture another person can experience in such a way as to place themselves in the setting and scene.

Things you hate about writing: Searching for the right colors (words) to paint that perfect scene.

The hardest thing about being a writer: Sitting down and writing that first word.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Being able to take on any project that allows me to avoid sitting down and writing that first word. My biggest escape from creating new material is to self-critique and edit my already written work.

Words that describe you: Easy to work with and open to new ideas and thoughts.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: According to my wife (and kids), I am the most hardheaded, stubborn human.

Favorite foods: Liver and Onions with bacon. Next favorite is an In-and-Out protein burger with cheese and onions only.

Things that make you want to gag: Mayonnaise.

Things you always put in your books: A variation of something I experienced in life.

Things you never put in your books: Incidents that would embarrass me or others.

Things to say to an author: I enjoyed your latest book and wrote a review.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I didn’t like your book, and I wrote several reviews.

Favorite places you’ve been: Glacier National Park and riding my Harley-Davidson up Going-To-The-Sun-Road. This side trip is often connected to the rides to and from Sturgis, South Dakota. I’ve made several detours through Ouray, Colorado, to ride the Million-Dollar-Highway on U.S. 550, a spur of U.S. 50.

Places you never want to go to again: Jamacia—Nuff said.

Favorite books (or genre): My favorite book is challenging. I like Bernard Cornwell’s immensely. But that is strictly for fun. Among my favorites for content and impact, I would have to include Hard Times: For These Times by Charles Dickens in 1854; and The Stranger the 1942 novella by Albert Camus. I was not a fan of his until I read a few of his works while studying for an MFA at the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Books you wouldn’t buy Horror stories by authors like Stephen King. Fantastic craftsmanship, but no scary horror for this reader.

The most daring thing you’ve ever done: I suffer from fear of heights (acrophobia). I even suffer anxiety and fear while watching movies. The daring thing I’ve done is Zip Lining. I shake, going up the tower and on the platform. However, the second I clamp on, the fear evaporates, and I jump. I love it.

Something you chickened out from doing: My oldest son is a commercial diver. I wanted to share the experience with him, even though I don’t know how to swim. I signed up for scuba lessons and faked it until I got on a dive boat. When it came time for the first open water dive, I got in the water and froze. Getting back in the boat, I cursed myself for being such a ^^%$^ coward. When the other divers started their second dive, I went in and found it exhilarating.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Joel McRae. Mr. McRae was an American Actor who most of your readers have never heard of.

The celebrity who didn’t look like they did in pictures/video: Eve Arden. Ms. Arden was an actress who passed away in 1990. She was even more beautiful in real life than on the screen.

About George:

An enrolled descendant of the Karuk Tribe of California, George Cramer brings forty years of investigative experience to crime and historical fiction. He earned an MFA-Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

George conducted and managed thousands of successful investigations throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. An expert in Interviewing, he kept his skills honed by volunteering as a Missing Person’s investigator at the San Leandro, California, Police Department.

George’s debut novel, The Mona Lisa Sisters, was published in 2020. He contributes to several anthologies and the Veteran’s Writing Project.

He is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, California Writers Club, and the Public Safety Writers Association.

Besides writing, his love is a long-distance motorcycle riding on his 2001 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic.

Let’s Be Social:

Email: gdcramer@msn.com

Website: https://gdcramer.com

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/george.cramer.56211/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gdcramerpi/

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Diane Zinna

I’d like to welcome author Diane Zinna to #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things: Fresh notebooks, speckled paper clips, soft flannel pillowcases, the Schmigadoon! soundtrack, and hygge time at night reading with my daughter.

Things you need to throw out: Boxes I tend to save because they’re so sturdy and could be good for something, someday.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My laptop, ice water, quiet time in my car. (I mostly write in the front seat of my car.)

Things that hamper your writing: Wi-Fi.

Things you love about writing: How it feels like the core of me.

Things you hate about writing: How sometimes I need reading glasses on top of reading glasses.

Things you never want to run out of: Seltzer, sharpened pencils, side doors into my hardest stories.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Those Tik-Tok leggings.

Something you’re really good at: Duolingo Korean lessons
Something you’re really bad at: Speaking in Korean

Something you wish you could do: Sing in something more than a lullaby voice.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Reject help from others and do everything myself.

Something you like to do: Ice skate. Why don’t I ice skate anymore?
Something you wish you’d never done: As a teenager, I threw away stacks of diaries from childhood. I can still remember the day I stupidly tossed them all in a dumpster and shouted, “I don’t need these! I’m a different person now!”

Best thing you’ve ever done: Left my last job.
Biggest mistake: Believing that a company was like a family.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Bungee jumped at Action Park (see harrowing documentary, “Class Action Park”).
Something you chickened out from doing: Speaking before the UN.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: The writer Grace Paley. We browsed the aisles of a Florida Walgreens together, picked out cheap earrings and lawn chairs, and drove around town.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: The lovely Catherine Keener, who I saw browsing a wood furniture store in the Smoky Mountains.

Things you always put in your books: Grief, travel, new love, sweet dogs, my soul.
Things you never put in your books: Sarcasm, cynicism, the word “anal” (until recently).

The craziest thing a reader said to you: After reading a fictional passage about sickly tigers that skulk away alone into the jungle forever, my mother-in-law said she finally understood me.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That my acknowledgements felt like a letter in a bottle from one writer to another.

About Diane:

Diane Zinna received her MFA from the University of Florida and has taught creative writing for more than a decade. She leads her popular "Grief Writing Sundays" every week for writers of all levels of experience. The All-Night Sun, her first novel, was longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the Cabell First Novelist Award. Originally from Long Island, Diane lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and doodle. 

Let’s Be Social:

Website: dianezinna.com

Twitter and Instagram: @dianezinna  

Book Title: The All-Night Sun (Random House, 2020)