#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Martha Reed

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I’d like to welcome my friend and fellow Writers Who Kill author, Martha Reed, to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Starting a new story. Even after completing five mystery novels in two different series, I still open the new blank page and wonder: What am I going to pull together to cover 85,000 words?

Easiest thing about being a writer: The rush I feel when editing the second draft, when the plot points and story arcs are solidly knitting together, and I know I’ve got a grip on something special.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I work best in a quiet space like my office or a library conference room. Virginia Woolf said we need a room of our own (with a door). She was right.

Things that hamper your writing: YouTube videos are lethal rabbit holes. I can disappear down them for hours. I have only myself to blame.

A few of your favorite things: Blisteringly hot dark roast coffee first thing in the morning while watching the mist rise off the Allegheny River and travelling to new and exotic places.

Things you need to throw out: Honestly, my workout gym clothes need to go.

Favorite foods: Almost anything, well prepared, with one exception (*see below).

Things that make you gag: *Lobster. One bad lobster experience scarred me for life. Which is ironic, seeing that I’m the author of the John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mysteries and every time I visit New England friends try to feed me a mud bug as a special treat.

Something you’re really good at: Travel plans. I love creating itineraries, finding hotel deals and exciting sightseeing destinations.

Something you’re really bad at: Grammar rules. Call the grammar police. I’ve never grasped the intricacies of grammar rules. Guilty as charged, your Honor.

Favorite music or song: I love disco music because it’s so upbeat. I listen to an hour of disco music during my hour walk each morning. It sets an optimistic tone for the rest of my day.

Music that drives you crazy: Jazz fusion is too squeaky and mathematical. I know the musicians are communicating with each other through the notes, but it sounds like something is wrong with the microwave oven.

Things you always put in your books: One consistent theme is finding a new sense of home and family.

Things you never put in your books: Torture porn. I think some writers use torture porn because they’re bored with writing the story and it spurs their flagging interest. It’s a cheap and brittle storytelling tool that cheats an intelligent reader.

Things to say to an author: I loved reading your new book. I told my book club we should read it next, and I’ve already posted an Amazon/Goodreads review.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I gave your new book a one star rating on Amazon because I don’t like your Facebook posts.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: How about this fabulous foursome: Stanley Tucci, Felicity Blunt, Emily Blunt, and John Krasinski. How much fun would this dinner be!

People you’d cancel dinner on: He Who Shall Not Be Named, who is fouler than lobster.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I was in a really dark place. Your book helped me climb out of it.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: I want to write a book someday, but I don’t have the spare time like you do.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I’ve painted wall murals.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: I’ve tried painting a heron standing in shallow water. The reflection was supposed to be mirrored like silver, but it turned out bright orange. I still haven’t gotten that painting exactly right.

About Martha:

Martha Reed is a multi-award-winning crime fiction author. Her short story, “The Honor Thief,” was included in This Time For Sure, the Anthony Award-winning Bouchercon 2021 anthology. Her first Crescent City NOLA Mystery, Love Power won a 2021 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award and features Gigi Pascoe, a transgender sleuth. Martha is also the author of the Independent Publisher IPPY Book Award-winning John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mystery series. Visit her website www.reedmenow.com for more.

Let’s Be Social:

website: www.reedmenow.com

Facebook: Martha Reed

Twitter/X: @ReedMartha

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Paula Charles

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I’d like to welcome the fabulous Paula Charles to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions:

A big glass of water and a tube of hand lotion

Things that hamper your writing:

I can’t listen to music when I’m writing. My little brain gets distracted too easily.

Favorite music or song:

I was raised on country music and even though I listen to a wide variety of music, older country is still my favorite.

Music that drives you crazy:

“Bro country.” You can keep it and give me some Alabama and George Strait any day.

Favorite smell:

Baking bread. Yum!

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Cinnamon! Don’t get me wrong, it smells wonderful but I’m super allergic. It makes it hard to go shopping during the holiday season because the scent of cinnamon is everywhere!

Last best thing you ate:

I made a cherry cranberry pie last weekend, and it was delicious!

Last thing you regret eating:

A bag of microwave popcorn. It was good in the moment but is haunting me today.

Things you’d walk a mile for:

A good cup of coffee. (Has anybody else noticed a bunch of my answers revolve around food?)

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:

Spiders and yellow jackets!

Things you always put in your books:

Easter eggs such as family names and funny moments that my family will recognize.

Things you never put in your books:

Open door, bodice ripping romance.

Things to say to an author:

I preordered your book! Can’t wait to read it!

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

Still got your head in that book? (Usually said when person doesn’t believe you’re really writing a book.)

Favorite places you’ve been:

Ireland! It was pure magic and felt like going home to a place I’d never been before.

Places you never want to go to again:

Las Vegas. It’s not like I hated it, just don’t necessarily need to go again.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

Probably knitting. I’ve done a lot of crafty type things, but knitting is probably the one I’m best at.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it:

Well, except for a blanket I knit for my son. I knit and knit and knit and the darn thing ended up long and narrow. It was about six feet long and two feet wide.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books:

The basics of my main character, Dawna, in Hammers and Homicide are based off of my grandmother. She ran a hardware store in my hometown and lived in the house I used as inspiration in the book. Dawna quickly became her own person, though, and shares very little traits with my grandmother.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not:

Probably the fact that Dawna is a terrible cook. I actually enjoy cooking and am pretty darn good at it, if I do say so myself!

About Paula:

When Paula Charles isn’t writing under the towering trees of the Pacific Northwest, she can be found in the garden with her hands in the dirt or sitting on her front porch with a good book and a glass of iced tea. She has a love for small towns, ghost stories, and pie. During her childhood, she grew up in a town suspiciously resembling the fictional Pine Bluff, Oregon where she trailed behind her grandmother in the family’s hardware store until her grandmother would get fed up and put her to work counting nails. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, and also writes cozy mysteries under the pen name of Janna Rollins. Paula lives on a small farm in Southwestern Washington with her husband and an entire menagerie of furry and feathered creatures. 

 When Paula Charles isn’t writing under the towering trees of the Pacific Northwest, she can be found in the garden with her hands in the dirt or sitting on her front porch with a good book and a glass of iced tea. She has a love for small towns, ghost stories, and pie. During her childhood, she grew up in a town suspiciously resembling the fictional Pine Bluff, Oregon where she trailed behind her grandmother in the family’s hardware store until her grandmother would get fed up and put her to work counting nails. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, and also writes cozy mysteries under the pen name of Janna Rollins. Paula lives on a small farm in Southwestern Washington with her husband and an entire menagerie of furry and feathered creatures. 

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: Cozy Mystery Writer | Paula Charles Cozy Mystery Author

Facebook: Paula Charles & Janna Rollins, Author

Instagram:  paulacharles_jannarollins

Website: Cozy Mystery Writer | Paula Charles Cozy Mystery Author

Facebook: Paula Charles & Janna Rollins, Author

Instagram:  paulacharles_jannarollins


#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Cindy Goyette

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I’d like to welcome Cindy Goyette to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!


Things you need for your writing sessions: I need the TV on. Doesn’t matter what’s on, but I can’t write in silence and music doesn’t cut it for me. But if I’m on a plane, the background noise is good enough. I also need water, maybe a candle burning.

Things that hamper your writing: I can’t write late in the day. My mind just goes blank.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Now that I’m about to be published, I have to say marketing. I hate putting myself out there and don’t feel comfortable talking in large groups. But it’s essential, so I’m working on getting over it.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Second drafts. I love cleaning up a first draft. First drafts are the second hardest thing about being a writer by the way.

Things you always put in your books: Dogs. My debut doesn’t have many, but everything else I’ve written does.

Things you never put in your books: cruelty to animals. I can’t stand to even think about it.

Things to say to an author: I loved your book, I can’t wait to read your book, you’re so talented. I could go on, but you get the drift. Stroke our ego!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: You should write a book about…, I could write a book if only…

Favorite places you’ve been: My absolute favorite place is The San Juan Islands. It’s so peaceful and if you’re lucky, you can see orcas from land.

Places you never want to go to again: Laughlin, Nevada. Sounds crazy since my book takes place in Phoenix, but I’m not a huge fan of the desert.

Favorite books (or genre): I like a lot of things, but my favorites are mystery, suspense, and thrillers. I do read some literary fiction and some non-fiction.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Books about sports. But I’m open to almost anything if it holds my interest.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Oh, so many. Bono, Alice Hoffman, Rachel Maddow… I could go on.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Not to get political, but most politicians.

Favorite things to do: Write, of course. I like working out at Orange Theory Fitness, hiking, spending time with my family and dogs, reading, watching a good series on TV with my husband.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: I used to teach behind the wheel driving. I’d eat bugs to never do it again!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Probably completing the police academy and being a cop.

Something you chickened out from doing: I’ve turned around on hikes due to my fear of heights.

The funniest thing to happen to you: This struck me funny, although my daughter will say otherwise. I was grocery shopping, and this kid was swinging his foot. He had heavy sandals on. His shoe flew off his foot and nailed me in the throat. I fell into the frozen fish and couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to die, and it kind of struck me funny that I would go out that way. My daughter was with me and did not see the humor in the situation.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: See above.

About Cindy:

Armed with a handgun and a word processor, Immigration Officer Cindy Goyette spent her nights creating fictional friends to help pass the lonely hours between border crossers. A portable black-and-white TV cancelled the unexplained noises coming from the ancient jail cells in the creepy basement. The resulting book will stay in the closet where it belongs, but the seed was planted and she’s been writing ever since.

Cindy spent the ensuing years as a probation officer, dealing with hardened criminals with hard-luck stories that sometimes kept her up at night. Every day was an adventure. She survived by seeing humor in situations where she could find it. She joked about writing a book and then she did just that.

OBEY ALL LAWS incorporates the wild and crazy life of a probation officer with an issue currently in the news. Cindy’s history with flirtatious felons who thought they were charmers and addicts who denied the drugs in their pockets, claiming they’re wearing their friend’s pants have given her ample material for the books she now writes.

Born in New Jersey, Cindy lived in Phoenix for twenty years. She now makes her home in Washington state with her husband and two cocker spaniels.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://ccgoyette.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077005287995

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with William Ade (And Nic Knuckles)

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I’d like to welcome William Ade to the blog today. His sleuth, Nic Knuckles, filled in for the author and provided the responses to my This or That Thursday questions.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: “Not much to say. Nic Knuckles is a big city private eye with a boatload of heartbreak, traversing the universe in pursuit of justice for the little guy.”

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: “Death scene investigations involving cat ladies who cared for more than a dozen felines.”

Favorite snacks: “Maybe the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel helped humans evolve from hunter-gathers to on-line shoppers, but Nic Knuckles believes we only truly became the apex mammal with the innovation of multiple varieties of cheese.”

Things that make you want to gag: “Nic Knuckles suffers an upset stomach if someone hovers over me while I eat. It probably started when I was a newborn, and my mother gave the wet nurse only five minutes to feed me. ‘I ain’t payin’ for no fat baby,’ she’d yell, if the woman went into overtime.”

Something you’re really good at: “Nic Knuckles is built to locate slippery people, the neutrinos of human misery, men and women, boys and girls, cats and dogs living in the shadows.”

Something you’re really bad at: “Nic Knuckles is bad at making my mother happy. Even though she’s promised to dance on my grave more than once, I know she'd be sad if something fatal happened to me. Her grief would be even greater after learning I'd removed her as my life insurance beneficiary.”

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: “When Nic Knuckles was a second grader, my dream was to be a third grader. Crazy huh?”

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: “Nic Knuckles has had more than a few destitute clients over the years, like the man who lived in a chicken coop. He couldn’t pay me in cash, so I took eggs, lots and lots of eggs.”

Last best thing you ate: “Nic Knuckles is munching a nice gorgonzola as he types in these answers. I’ll probably switch to a sharp cheddar after I ship these answers off to Heather. Can’t get anymore last than that.”

Last thing you regret eating: “Nic Knuckles avoids drinking alcohol, although a beer or two was consumed during a recent case. Drinking was necessary to blend in with an unsavory crowd at a college sorority kegger. I think it was Gamma Ramma Mamma, or something like that. Some girl was pledging and her parents hired me to investigate if it was a safe environment. I went undercover and survived to the last day of Rush Week before getting tipsy and kicked out.”

Things to say to an author: “Where can I back up my truck full of money and exchange it for a truck full of your book?”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I won a free copy of your book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway and it’s now three hundred and twentieth on my bedside table. I’ll get to your review in 2044.”

Favorite places you’ve been: “Kleinstadt, Indiana. The town had a Main Street, that once hosted fine family restaurants, a movie theater, and two department stores, now gave up the space to taverns, tattoo emporiums, and consignment shops. Some said Kleinstadt was a busted, rundown little burg full of broken, rundown people, and it was, but I solved a fifteen-year-old murder case while working for a mysterious client who paid really well. Best of all, it’s the location of my first novel, Big Scream in a Small Town, available now, and probably in your favorite book store’s remanded bin by July.”

Places you never want to go to again: “I'd never forget that night in Hoboken, New Jersey, when I stumbled upon a one-eyed drug dealer with a Mexican Chihuahua named Needles. Sorry, Heather, I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Favorite things to do: “Nic Knuckles, is dedicated to that lady in the nightgown. The one with the bandana tied over her eyes, holding the scales high above her head. Pursuing justice is my favorite thing to do, followed closely by the Art of Cheese Festival held each September in Madison, Wisconsin.”

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: “Actually, Nic Knuckles likes snacking on roasted bugs.”

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: “There's a thin purple scar riding across Nic Knuckles’ chest that I acquired years ago while doing something daring. I was undercover at the Little Pee Wee Preschool at 73rd Avenue and 188th in Queens. Her name was Penny, and she had an outsized temper at four years of age. Yeah, she came at me with scissors when I interrupted her naptime. She had to have been eating paste or something to act so crazy.”

Something you chickened out from doing: “Hiking in the woods. You see, being a big city guy, walking in a forest always made Nic Knuckles nervous. Pigeons, rats and squirrels, I understood, but those trolls and fairies creeping about the forest, ready to do something unnatural to you, were terrifying. The sooner we paved over Mother Nature, the safer I'd feel.”

The funniest thing that happened to you on vacation: “Nic Knuckles is a hard-boiled private eye. Hard boiled private eyes don’t go on vacations. They experience extended periods of having no clients. I once vacationed four months without any compensated sleuthing.”

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a vacation: “She was a blind date I took on a cruise up the Hudson River. Her name was Shelia and she must've stood five foot ten, and then, throwing in those four-inch heels, she towered over me. But she didn't seem to care, so Nic Knuckles didn't either. That good night kiss, however, ruined it. She closed her eyes and puckered, so I did the same and went in for the smooch. Dang, I reached up but still planted my lips on her throat.”

The most exciting thing about your writing life: “Being interviewed by Heather Weidner. When it comes to clever plots, engaging characters, vivid settings, and tight fluid writing, Heather is the complete package. To be a guest on her blog has Nic Knuckles kvelling.”

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: “Secured all the rights to the name, Harry Potter.”

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “You’re so much taller in person than how I envisioned while reading about you.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Wouldn’t it make more sense to get a suspect talking like a parrot, rather than singing like a canary?”

About Nic Knuckles:

Nic Knuckles was born and raised in the New York City borough of Queens. His mother single-handily raised Nic and his three incorrigible sisters, as their father preferred fast women and slow ponies. Nic achieved perfect attendance while in elementary school and was a proud graduate of Bernie Madoff Secondary.

While never marrying, Nic has had a long string of failed romances, including Olga the Pole Dancer; Magee and her pet chimpanzee, Chopper; Tilly the Language Impaired City Bus Driver; Lucy Long Legs; Wobbly Peg; Sheila, Rosie, Lulu the Human Hermit Crab; Weepy Wilma; Mabel; Tina the Tease; Madam Vue Due; Eldora; Hannah the Sociopathic Phone Solicitor; and Bubbles.

Nic opened his detective agency, Knuckles Investigation, in 2008.

The novel, Big Scream in a Small Town was published by Level Best Books in early 2024. Nic’s follow up novel, Big Scream in a Wee Village, should be out early 2025.

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook: nicknucklesprivateye@gmail.com

Tiktok,com/@nic.knuckles

YouTube: https://www.youtube@nicknucklesPrivateEye

Instagram: NicKnucklesPI


#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Daphne Silver

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I’d like to welcome Daphne Silver to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you never want to run out of: Ideas or energy. Unfortunately, I have seemed to run out of the energy part already.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Shoes that hurt and don’t have support, even if they are cute

Things you need for your writing sessions: A laptop and being left alone, even in a busy cafe or place

Things that hamper your writing: People talking to me, which is slightly ironic because I’m a big extravert.

A few of your favorite things: So many books, especially the first edition Edgar Allan Poe I gave my husband.

Things you need to throw out: my maternity clothes. My kiddo is 7 years old already.

Words that describe you: Creative, enthusiastic, generous of spirit

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Bombastic, talkative, speaks before thinking.

Favorite foods: Pizza, dark chocolate, paneer makhani

Things that make you want to gag: Mint, coffee, red meat

Favorite smell: Vanilla, gardenia, tea rose

Something that makes you hold your nose: canned tuna

The last thing you ordered online: Winter gloves

The last thing you regret buying: Pillow covers instead of pillows

Things you’d walk a mile for: My family

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: My family

Things you always put in your books: Unexpected history factoids

Things you never put in your books: Graphic gory violence

Things to say to an author: I can’t wait to read your book!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Why do you waste your time writing?

Favorite places you’ve been: Italy and Ireland

Places you never want to go to again: Middle school

Favorite books (or genre): Cozy mysteries

Books you wouldn’t buy: Horror, unless they’re for my husband

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Painting. I was a painting major in college.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Learning a new language. I don’t have any linguistic abilities.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: The missing bejeweled covers to the ancient Book of Kells

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: I’m not as daring or smart as my heroine Juniper Blume

About Daphne:

Daphne Silver is the author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery series. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel.

Let’s Be Social:

http://daphnesilver.com

http://facebook.com/daphnesilverbooks

http://instagram.com/daphnesilverbooks


#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Charles Breakfield and Rox Burkey

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I would like to welcome Charles Breakfield and Rox Burkey to the blog this week for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you never want to run out of:

Breakfield - Chardonnay wine and stories

Burkey - time and family

Things you wish you’d never bought:

Breakfield – That trampoline in the backyard next to the cliff.

Burkey – A new car with the first book published and those 4” heels

A few of your favorite things:

Breakfield – Harley Road King motorcycle, my dogs, WWII book collection

Burkey – Families with crazy schedules, puppies, and travel

Things you need to throw out:

Breakfield – Nothing, I might need everything.

Burkey – Those 4” heels, everything else I donate

Things you need for your writing sessions:

Breakfield – Coffee.

Burkey – quiet and morning are best

Things that hamper your writing:

Breakfield – bathroom breaks.

Burkey – phone calls, text, and puppies wanting outside

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Breakfield – finding just the right word.

Burkey – Finding the problems before the editor and not enough time

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Breakfield – Lots of words to use.

Burkey – Lot of ideas

Words that describe you:

Breakfield – Handsome and svelte.

Burkey – Tenacious, determined, and sometimes too nice

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t:

Breakfield – Too generous with praise.

Burkey – Stubborn

Favorite foods:

Breakfield – Pizza

Burkey – broccoli, mushrooms, and chicken.

Things that make you want to gag:

Breakfield – Eggplant pizza.

Burkey – Lima beans

Favorite music or song:

Breakfield – Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd.

Burkey Til You Can’t by Cody Johnson

Music that drives you crazy:

Breakfield – Country.

Burkey – Opera (I simply can’t hit those notes)

Favorite smell:

Breakfield – Smell of a pretty lady all dolled up for a night out.

Burkey – Baking bread

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Breakfield – That same lady after a really hard workout.

Burkey – Sour milk

Something you’re really good at:

Breakfield – Lying.

Burkey – Working hard when I believe in the goal

Something you’re really bad at:

Breakfield – Telling the truth.

Burkey – Putting up with nonsense and liars

Last best thing you ate:

Breakfield – Elk bratwurst sausage.

Burkey – Scrambled eggs with onions and mushrooms

Last thing you regret eating:

Breakfield – Jimmy’s Chinese #31 with shrimp.

Burkey – Peppermint bark ice cream – but I couldn’t find the plain.

About Breakfield and Burkey:

Breakfield, is a 25+ year technology expert in security, networking, voice, and anything digital. He enjoys writing, studying World War II history, travel, and cultural exchanges. He also enjoys wine tastings, wine-making, Harley riding, cooking extravaganzas, and woodworking.

Burkey, a 25+ year applied technology professional who excels at optimizing technology and business investments for customers worldwide with a focus on optimized customer experiences. She writes white papers and documents with a marked preference for fiction.

Together they create award-winning stories that resonate with males and females, young and experienced adults, and bring a fresh new view to technology possibilities today https://www.EnigmaSeries.com.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Kalee Boisvert

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I’d like to welcome Kalee Boisvert to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: My kids, Starbucks, McDonald’s or just French fries in general, books, watching Real Housewives, and yummy smelling candles.

Things you need to throw out: Items that have accumulated in the dreaded “junk drawer,” also probably some expired food in the cupboards and fridge.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My chai tea latte with coconut milk, a creativity meditation, and my bed (where I do my writing).

Things that hamper your writing: Having my phone nearby, having my email open on my computer, and sleep deprivation (I have two little ones).

Hardest thing about being a writer: Sitting down and just getting started.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing down the random ideas as they come to you (making sense of how they will fit into what you are writing is the hard part).

Words that describe you: Empathetic, Introvert, Kind, Funny, Disciplined, and Driven

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Perfectionist

Favorite music or song: Empowering female artists – Taylor Swift and Beyonce, and “Under the Sea” sung by Sebastian the Crab in the Little Mermaid.

Music that drives you crazy: Country

Last best thing you ate: Sushi from a new spot.

Last thing you regret eating: Pizza (probably because I ate a slice too many)

The last thing you ordered online: Baby diapers and wipes (love that Amazon)

The last thing you regret buying: Another black hoodie (I probably should have opted for another color.)

Favorite places you’ve been: Tokyo, Paris, London, Disneyland

Places you never want to go to again: Disneyworld (sorry but Disneyland is definitely better)

Favorite books (or genre): Thrillers, and romance. And for Non-fiction – spiritual, business, and personal growth.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Cookbooks (I have accepted my inability to cook).

Best thing you’ve ever done: Become a mom

Biggest mistake: Dating before doing inner work on myself

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That my book felt like they were having an uplifting conversation with a friend.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: That there were too many dating references in my money book (I’m single so what can I say!)

About Kalee:

Kalee Boisvert has been in the financial industry for over 15 years, but her love of money started very young. Growing up in a single parent household, she watched her mom struggle with finances and wished there was something she could do to help. She also realized that she needed to find her own way to save and earn if she wasn’t going to allow her circumstances to define her. And so, her own journey into financial literacy and wealth management began.

To further her efforts supporting financial literacy, Kalee had two books released in 2023 – a children’s picture book called MoneyWise Mabel’s Bursting Bank, and a non-fiction book called Make Money Your Thing! Which aims to build confidence and empower people in their financial lives.

Let’s Be Social:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/boisvertkalee

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaleeboisvert

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

Book Make Money Your Thing! https://www.amazon.ca/Make-Money-Your-Thing-Design/dp/1738670287

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Freddy Cruz

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I’m excited to welcome back author and podcaster, Freddy Cruz, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee, toilet paper

Things you wish you’d never bought: Dessert after a big dinner (makes my clothes shrink)

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing

Things you need for your writing sessions: Sanity

Things that hamper your writing: Lack of sanity

Something you’re really good at: Negative self-talk

Something you’re really bad at: Positive self-talk

Favorite smell: Lavender

Something that makes you hold your nose: Fish

The last thing you ordered online: Handheld camcorder

The last thing you regret buying: Candy

Things you’d walk a mile for: Coffee

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Reality TV

Things to say to an author: Anything beginning with the words “you should have”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: See answer above and realize it’s THE AUTHOR’S STORY. Not yours.

Favorite places you’ve been: Santa Rosa Beach

Places you never want to go to again: New Orleans

Favorite books (or genre): Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, You by Caroline Kepnes, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Chuck Palahniuk, Alex Hormozi

People you’d cancel dinner on: American commies

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Helped a client with producing thirty-one straight podcast episodes for breast cancer awareness month.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: A shelved novel I thought would be the most amazing thing I ever wrote.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: My wife’s obsession with Hallmark Christmas movies and General Hospital made it into Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: AC’s story arc from They Canceled the DJ and/or Lex’s story arc from Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas

About Freddy:

Freddy Cruz is a podcast host, author, and founder of Speke Podcasting, a podcast agency in the Greater Houston area. In his spare time, you can find him nose deep in a book, snuggling with his dog Sparrow, or jogging on the trail (trying hard to not sound like a horror movie villain).

Let’s Be Social:

FB/IG: @thefreddycruz