#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Debra Goldstein

I’d like to welcome back mystery author, Debra H. Goldstein, to #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Reading, watching TV, spending time with friends

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Cooking – any meal.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: My computer and easy access to the kitchen for snacks.

Things that distract you from writing: My husband, Joel – he always wants to be entertained.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Making myself sit down and write. I’m not a person who schedules times and word counts.

Easiest thing about being a writer: The pure joy when words are flowing

Favorite snacks: Almond Toastees, sushi

Things that make you want to gag: lobster

Favorite smell: The powdered sweet smell of a newly bathed baby

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Doctor

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Exercise (but I try not to glisten)

Something you wish you could do: Be with family and friends without social distancing

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Cook even minimally

Things you always put in your books: Fun – humor

Things you never put in your books: Lies that manipulate the reader

Things to say to an author: “I love your book.” “I love your writing style.” “I gave all my friends and family a copy of your book for Christmas.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “You look older than I thought you were.”

Favorite things to do: Go to a Broadway musical. Ever since I was taken to my first show at the age of four, when the lights go down and the first notes of music begin, I feel a tingle of excited electricity go through me.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Camping. The outdoors and I are not best buds…. Those bugs would probably eat me if given half a chance.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Walking away from my lifetime judicial appointment to follow my passion to write.

Biggest mistake: When a friend and I invited a guy I thought was cute for dinner in an hour. My friend and I then went up to our apartment to defrost the chicken we planned to serve. Needless to say, I never saw him again after we served him a wing we’d hacked off the still frozen bird, despite our best efforts to cook it, and he remarked, “My, this is a bit rare.”

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Thank you. You helped me forget what was really going on in my life for a little while.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “That couldn’t possibly happen.” --- It was at a university book club and before I could answer, another woman whipped out two pieces of paper and said, “I knew someone would say that so I googled how many times it has happened in the last five years.” (the irony was it had happened on the original woman’s own campus six months earlier).

About Debra and Her New Book:

When a romantic rival opens a competing restaurant in small-town Wheaton, Alabama, Sarah Blair discovers murder is the specialty of the house . . . 
 
For someone whose greatest culinary skill is ordering takeout, Sarah never expected to be co-owner of a restaurant. Even her Siamese cat, RahRah, seems to be looking at her differently. But while Sarah and her twin sister, Chef Emily, are tangled up in red tape waiting for the building inspector to get around to them, an attention-stealing new establishment—run by none other than Sarah's late ex-husband's mistress, Jane—is having its grand opening across the street. 
 
Jane's new sous chef, Riley Miller, is the talk of Wheaton with her delicious vegan specialties. When Riley is found dead outside the restaurant with Sarah's friend, Jacob, kneeling over her, the former line cook—whose infatuation with Riley was no secret—becomes the prime suspect. Now Sarah must turn up the heat on the real culprit, who has no reservations about committing cold-blooded murder . . .
 
 Includes quick and easy recipes!

Judge Debra H. Goldstein writes Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series (Three Treats Too Many, Two Bites Too Many, One Taste Too Many). She also authored Should Have Played Poker and IPPY Award winning Maze in Blue. Her short stories, which have been named Agatha, Anthony, Derringer finalists, have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and Mystery Weekly. Debra serves on the national boards of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and is president of SEMWA and past president of SinC’s Guppy Chapter. Find out more about Debra at www.DebraHGoldstein.com

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Buy Links:

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Three-Treats-Sarah-Blair-Mystery/dp/1496719492

Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/three-treats-too-many-debra-h-goldstein/1135275342?ean=9781496719492

#WriterWednesday Interview with J. R. Sanders

I’d like to welcome author, J. R. Sanders, to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

Things that hamper your writing: Interruptions. My two dogs are the worst offenders; they think whichever side of the back door they’re on is the wrong one.

Things you love about writing: Being in the zone. Research. Getting a project to the finish line.

Things you hate about writing: Outlining. Writing synopses. Any of the mundane grunt work that takes away from the actual writing of a project.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing requires more self-discipline than I have naturally. It’s never been my strong suit, particularly avoiding the tendency to procrastinate. (I answered this question last.)

Easiest thing about being a writer: The solitude. I’m sort of a lone wolf by nature, so spending so much time working solo is a breeze for me. Not that I’m unsociable - just not overly social. I’m the kind of guy who’ll go to a party and spend the whole evening in the corner, playing with the dog.

Words that describe you: Tall. Freakishly long arms. Irreverent.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn't: Pessimistic. I’m usually a glass-is-half-empty sort, unless things are going exceptionally well. Then I’m suspicious.

Favorite foods: Hard to narrow down to a manageable list. Tacos, pizza, avocados, fresh-baked bread. Never met a tiramisu I didn’t like.

Things that make you want to gag: Mushrooms, and most seafood.

Favorite beverage: Perrier with lime is my go-to. An ice-cold beer when I’m in the mood.

Something that gives you a sour face: Buttermilk – gack! Fine pancake ingredient, nauseating beverage. Might date back to childhood trauma when I poured some on my Cap’n Crunch by mistake.

Something you're really good at: Word games, particularly Boggle. Always been a word nerd.

Something you're really bad at: Finding things I’m good at.

Something you wish you could do: Play guitar. I have no measurable musical talent.

Something you wish you'd never learned to do: Algebra. Tortured myself for three years trying to master it, have never once used it since.

Last best thing you ate: Grilled tri-tip. About half an hour ago.

Last thing you regret eating: Gave tofu a try. Never again.

Things you always put in your books: I like to work in a favorite weird word here and there. Things like “gongoozler” and “hooptedoodle.” Just to see if I can get them past the editor.

Things you never put in your books: Deep symbolism. Because readers who aren’t into symbolism likely won’t spot it, and those who are into symbolism will find it whether it’s there or not.

Things to say to an author: “I pre-ordered your new book.” (but only if it’s true). Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I’d write, too, if I only had the time.” Runner-up: “Oh, I never read.” (generally spoken with an inexplicable air of pride).

Favorite places you've been: Vienna, top of the list. Budapest. Canada (Alberta and British Columbia). The San Juan Islands. Colonial Williamsburg, watching my wife seeing her first fireflies.

Places you never want to go to again: High school. Wouldn’t be 18 again for all the gold in Fort Knox (although it would be nice to be young enough to still know everything).

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I liked your book (article, etc.) a lot.” May not sound like much, but to a writer it’s sweet music. Never gets old.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “I only read Louis L’Amour.”

About J. R.:

J.R. Sanders is a native of Newton, Kansas – one of the original “wild and woolly” cowtowns - whose deep interest in Old West history dates back to childhood visits with his family to the Dalton Gang hideout, Abilene, and Dodge City.

 J.R. regularly writes nonfiction articles for a variety of periodicals, among them Law & Order and Wild West magazines. He has authored books on topics as diverse as Southern California apple farms and Old West lawmen killed in the line of duty. His most recent book, published in March 2020 by Level Best/Historia Books, is Stardust Trail, a detective novel set among the B-movie cowboy productions of 1930s Hollywood.

 J.R. is an active member of the Western Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers.

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My Great Big Spreadsheet of Ideas - Tips for Writers

I get ideas everywhere. A funny story, a cool name, an interesting place to hide a body, a movie to watch, or a book to read…I had little pieces of paper and Post-it notes everywhere, and it was difficult to keep all the information in one place. I finally consolidated them into a spreadsheet. One column defines what it is (e.g. story idea, cool name, fun location, etc.) Then I have a short description or a link to remind me of what it was or who told me about it. If I see an interesting news article, I save it. Who knows, it may be good material later. By tagging each entry, I can sort it in multiple ways to see what I’m looking for.

When I get ready to start a story or novel, I cruise through my spreadsheet. I also mark the entry if I’ve used it before. What started out as twenty notes is now a spreadsheet with hundreds of lines. I have interesting poisons, funny quotes, descriptions of interesting people, or whatever catches my attention that I want to remember. My desk is much neater now, too. There aren’t twenty Post-its stuck to it and my monitor.

I have a big, giant promotional spreadsheet, too. It has a tab for every kind of promotion or marketing effort that I’ve done in the past. I collect contacts and recommendations and add them to the tab. Then, when I’m ready to start planning a book launch, I have a starting point. I have tabs for everything from blogs and podcasts to Facebook parties and reviewers.

I had to get organized. My writing time is limited, and I couldn’t spend it searching for things I wrote somewhere.

How do you organize your ideas or bits of information?

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Melissa Face

I’d like to welcome Melissa Face to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday. Melissa’s new book, I Love You More Than Coffee is coming out soon.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Laptop, coffee, paper, and pen. Even if I am typing a draft, I still handwrite from time to time as ideas pop in my head.

Things that hamper your writing: Knowing that there are other chores that I need to be doing in order to focus. But sometimes I create other projects even though I’m “supposed” to be writing.

Things you love about writing: I love deadlines because they keep me focused and motivated.

Things you hate about writing: I also hate deadlines because they cause stress and anxiety!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Not having as much time to write as I need.

Easiest thing about being a writer: I have material everywhere, and I keep an ongoing list of ideas. Sometimes ideas come to me in the middle of the night, and I wake up and type them into my notes on my phone. And then I can’t fall asleep for a while. So maybe that’s also the worst thing?? A lot of my writing life can be classified as great and terrible.

Things you never want to run out of: I never want to run out of coffee, chocolate, ideas, or time.

Things you wish you’d never bought: I wish I’d never bought a pair of jeans that were a size too small with the plan of fitting into them. They’re still in my closet. I need to let them go.

Words that describe you: Fun, witty, strong, confident, blunt, opinionated, motivated

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

Favorite foods: Salad, pizza, eggplant parmesan, Brussels sprouts, chocolate. Have I mentioned chocolate?

Things that make you want to gag: Meat that isn’t well done

Favorite music or song: Look at Miss Ohio, by Gillian Welch

Music that drives you crazy: Current country music (I like older country artists)

Favorite beverage: Coffee

Something that gives you a sour face: Root Beer

The last thing you ordered online: a Pusheen coffee mug. My daughter is obsessed with Pusheen the cat. As it turns out, he’s pretty great, and this is now my favorite mug.

The last thing you regret buying: A dress that fits me like a tent. It was so cute on the model.

Things you always put in your books: Funny things my children have said or done

Things you never put in your books: Things that I know will embarrass them when they are older or stories that are simply too personal

Things to say to an author: I’m enjoying your book, I related to the part when…

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: How many copies have you sold?

The funniest thing to happen to you: A seagull crapped on my shoulder when I was walking to a waterfront restaurant in Charleston, SC.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: Not confirming the spelling of someone’s name when I was working as a reporter for the Myrtle Beach Herald. The wrong name was published, and the gentleman was livid.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Jakob Dylan (Bob Dylan’s son)

The nicest thing a reader said to you: The nicest thing was a recent question from someone who bought my book. She asked me to please tell her when my next one is out.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Since I have been contributing to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series for years, my bio has been published in editions all over the world. As a result, I have received many interesting requests from readers who want me to help them with various aspects of their lives. Not always writing related! Still, the strangest most recent thing I have been asked recently is how I plan to compete with websites that are free. She was an attendee at one of my events!

About Melissa:

Melissa Face is the author of I Love You More Than Coffee, an essay collection for parents who love coffee a lot and their kids...a little more. Her essays and articles have appeared in Richmond Family Magazine, Tidewater Family Magazine, Scary Mommy, and twenty-one volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Read more at melissaface.com.

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#WriterWednesday Interview with Kristina Rienzi

I’d like to welcome Kristina Rienzi to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Silence, privacy, and coffee.

Things that hamper your writing: Distractions, exhaustion, hunger.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Making decisions about everything from story details, to marketing and promotion. Also, dealing with rejection and staying motivated is huge.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing in the zone, when everything flows and creativity is abundant.

Words that describe you: Introvert, empath, driven, passionate, resilient, encouraging, positive.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Busy, cautious, people-pleaser, anxious, rule-follower.

Something you’re really good at: Focusing on the big picture, connecting with people, communication, coaching,

Something you’re really bad at: Boredom, being overwhelmed, spontaneity, large crowds, small spaces, stress.

Things you’d walk a mile for: The people I love, wine, live music.

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

Things you always put in your books: The Jersey Shore, strong female protagonists, wine, twists, and opportunities to embrace the unknown.

Things you never put in your books: Sex, other than implied.

Things to say to an author: I loved your story, you’re such a great writer…anything honest and positive, so long as it’s not cruel or a personal attack.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I’m going to write a novel in my spare time this summer.

Things that make you happy: All the people I love, especially my baby girl. Also, silence, wine, manicures, the beach, a great story (book or movie), music, delicious meal, being in nature – especially by the water.

Things that drive you crazy: Clutter, a long to-do list, unfinished projects, a fully-booked planner, boredom.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Become a parent, something I never thought I’d be, but it’s the best thing in my life.

Biggest mistake: Putting work above all, not finding time to relax and be present in the moment with those I love.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Zip-lining in Haiti.

Something you chickened out from doing: Almost from zip-lining! But, I chose to bail on a sky-diving experience on a cruise ship.

About Kristina

Kristina Rienzi is a Jersey Shore-based new adult thriller author, certified professional coach, and the former president of Sisters in Crime-Central Jersey. An INFJ who dreams beyond big, Kristina encourages readers to embrace the unknown through her stories. When she's not writing or drinking wine, Kristina is spoiling her baby girl, watching Lifetime, singing (and dancing) to Yacht Rock Radio, or rooting for the WVU Mountaineers. She believes in all things paranormal, a closet full of designer bags, the Law of Attraction, aliens, angels, and the value of a graduate degree in psychology. Her debut audiobook, Among Us was featured on Audible’s ACX University and is an Audible Editors Select pick. 

 Visit her online at https://KristinaRienzi.com.

Get Rid of the Mundane - Revision Tips for Authors

Too much mundane or routine bogs down your story. It slows the pacing, and it gives your reader a good place to stop. You don’t want that. You want them to read past their bedtimes.

Here are a few hints that I’ve learned from some great editors through the years.

Back Story - Avoid too much back story or history. People get confused about the timeframe. It it’s important, weave it into to your story.

Data Dump - Get rid of data dumps of descriptions when you introduce characters. Pick one or two interesting things to share. Sprinkle the rest in later. You don’t need to tell their entire life story when they first appear.

Chitchat - Cut the chitchat. Make sure your dialogue gives your readers insight to your characters and moves the story along. All of the “Hi, how are you? It’s nice to meet you. I am fine. Thank you for asking. How are you? It’s a lovely day. Yes, I love the weather. Would you like to sit down” needs to go.

Telling Parts - Get rid of the “telling” parts. Show your reader how the character feels. Use dialogue and action. Don’t have long sections of play-by-play commentary like a sports announcer.

Unnecessary Dialogue Tags - Remove any unnecessary dialog tags. The reader needs to know who is talking, but you don’t need to put “she said” after every part that is spoken.

Dump the Mundane - Cut the mundane, every day tasks. We all know how to tie our shoes or make a sandwich. Only include these when it’s key to the story. We don’t need to see your character’s entire trip for groceries or all his morning grooming habits.

Take an Umbrella - Please get rid of the lengthy weather reports. You can show us that it’s raining without long paragraphs that make you sound like the guy on the six o’clock news.

Watch Your Endings - Don’t wrap up all your chapters neatly with the character going to bed. That gives the reader an excuse to stop there, too. Add some suspense. You want them to keep turning pages.

Captain Obvious - Don’t tell the reader about the character’s feelings. Show it in her action, reaction, or dialogue.

The Uncle Bob Syndrome - When two characters are talking about someone else, make sure their references match the situation and how they would refer to the person. For example, if two sisters are talking about their Uncle Bob, they would probably call him that. They wouldn’t say, “Susie, remember Bob Jones, our rich uncle who left us that huge inheritance?”

What else would you add to my list?

Showing Not Telling - Tips for Writers

We’ve all heard, “Show; don’t tell” as a writing tip. It is so easy to slip into the telling part. I’ve been working on some edits for critique group and others, and here are some things you can look for in your next round of revisions.

• Did you do a huge data dump to describe a new character? Did you include too much backstory in your introduction or description? Some of this information is important, but you need to sprinkle it in. A character introduction shouldn’t look like a police report.

• Look at your paragraphs. Are they chock full of “be” verbs (is, was, were)? This is often an indicator that you have a lot of sentences that are telling the reader facts.

• Do you have a lot of references in your paragraphs to she/he or the character’s name. This is another indicator that there is telling going on.

• Don’t be Captain Obvious. Your reader can pick up on feelings by actions and reactions that your characters have. You don’t have to tell the reader that your character is happy, mad, sad, or angry. Demonstrate feelings through action or dialogue.

• Avoid being a sports commentator by giving your reader a play-by-play description of events.

• Leave out the mundane stuff. You do not need to tell the reader about every bite or every step that it takes to do something. And please leave out the weather reports. Readers get bogged down and bored with the routine stuff.

What else would you add to my list?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Kat Jorgensen

I’d like to welcome author Kat Jorgensen to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Absolute quiet! My laptop. And my mystery wheel for plotting and keeping me on track.

Things that hamper your writing: Noise. My sweet cats tussling and running through the house chasing one another. My mind when it’s working overtime and too busy. Hunger or thirst.

Things you love about writing: The satisfaction of creating. Getting to know my characters. And typing “the end.”

Things you hate about writing: Writer’s block. The blank page – especially when starting a new project. When your characters don’t follow the plot and go rogue on you.

Words that describe you: Kind, loyal, trustworthy, responsible, smart, good sense of humor.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Somewhat disorganized. Overweight (yuck), and out of shape.

Favorite music or song: Classic rock and alternative music.

Music that drives you crazy: I like just about all music, but rap and opera are my least favorites.

Something you’re really good at: Knitting. I’d say I was an advanced knitter.

Something you’re really bad at: Staying on budget sometimes and resisting a really good sale.

Things you’d walk a mile for: Family or friends if they needed me.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Arguments or loud voices. I love a peaceful and tranquil environment.

Things you always put in your books: Cats, especially a black or tuxedo cat. And some levity or humor. Things you never put in your books: Gratuitous violence or abuse of any sort.

Favorite books (or genre): Mysteries, Thrillers. General fiction.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Book about vampires or anything where animals are abused or killed off

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Friends and family – they make the best guests.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Politicians!

Things that make you happy: Spending time with the people I love. Sunny days and blue skies. The beach. Things that drive you crazy: Taxes.

Most embarrassing moment: I have so many to choose from. But one sticks out in a long line of embarrassing moments. The afternoon I closed on a house. I was downtown. It was raining. Hard. I slipped and fell crossing 9th and Main Streets wearing a white dress and carrying a congratulatory bottle of wine. Landed in the gutter with yucky water all over my dress and legs. Didn’t break the bottle of wine. But I couldn’t get up because I was laughing so hard due to a bad case of nervous laughter. A kind gentleman helped me to my feet. That memory is etched in my memory banks.

Proudest moment: Seeing my children succeed in life.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Fall in love and marry my second husband. He was a great guy and I’m so lucky to have had the years together with him. Sadly, he passed away in 2012 after a very brief illness. Biggest mistake: Marrying the first husband. It was a disastrous marriage, and we were both better off when we divorced.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: It doesn’t sound like a daring adventure, but it was. Going up in the St. Louis Arch. I’m very claustrophobic. My husband didn’t enjoy heights. He knew how much I wanted to go to the top of the Arch. While I was in the Ladies’ Room, he got our tickets and answered the questions about claustrophobia and heights. Without my knowledge. He told them we were fine with both! No, not so much. Those little pods to the top are tight, confined spaces. But I did it, and so did he. And we had a good time. But had I known ahead of time, how we’d have to travel to the top, I wouldn’t have done it.

Something you chickened out from doing: Skydiving.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That I made then laugh and smile while reading my book.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Why not write romances instead of killing off people in books? I enjoy my murder mysteries and they do have some romantic moments. But I am just not cut out to write straight romance. I’ll stick to mysteries.

About Kat:

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Kat still lives in River City.  Her handsome black cats, Sam and Milo, amuse her and keep her company.  You can reach Kat through her website at https://katjorgensenauthor.com.

Your Eight O’clock is Dead

Becca Reynolds is having a bad day. Her grandfather’s lecture (#405: Eat a Healthy Diet or Die Not Trying) makes her late for her job at Daley & Palmer, the psychiatric group where she works as office manager – her title not theirs. But she knows her day has taken a really bad turn when she finds the firm’s eight o’clock patient dead with Dr. Daley’s letter opener opening the patient instead of the mail.

With the fledgling firm in danger of an early demise, Becca appoints herself the unofficial investigator since the police seem to be looking in all the wrong places.

The case takes Becca from the sordid depths of the Russian mafia to the upscale West End of Richmond, Virginia (known locally as River City), and even to her own back yard. In the course of the investigation, she finds herself in hot water, hot danger, and with dreams of hot men.

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