#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Tammy Euliano

I’d like to welcome mystery author, Tammy Euliano, to the blog this week for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My dogs underfoot – they keep me company and entertained Things that hamper your writing: My dogs underfoot – they want to be entertained (“the ball’s not going to throw itself ya know”)

Things you love about writing: When I get in the flow and the characters seem to know where they’re going and it all makes sense and the words rush onto the page…wait, that wasn’t me, just kidding.

Things you hate about writing: That the above doesn’t happen more often. Also, unlike my day-job, there’s no metric to know whether I’m doing it “right.” In fact, there is no “right.” It’s so non-quantitative and therefore different from my day job and therefore also something I love about writing.

Favorite beverage: Diet Mountain Dew Something that gives you a sour face:

Coffee or tea…or alcohol unfortunately. My mom always said I’d be a better mother if I’d learn to drink wine in the evenings.

Something you’re really good at: staying dedicated to an exercise plan – every morning at 6am. Something you’re really bad at: staying dedicated to an eating plan – every morning at 7am, and 8am, and 9:30am, and…hey wait, I’m hungry.

Something you wish you could do: play tennis with a decent forehand

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: play racquetball because now I stand too close to the tennis ball, expecting the shorter racket…or maybe, just possibly, having played racquetball briefly 40 years ago is only an excuse…naaahhh

Last best thing you ate: Captain Jack’s ice cream dessert at Ale House

Last thing you regret eating: Any ice cream that wasn’t part of Captain Jack’s

Things you always put in your books: a wonderful dog

Things you never put in your books: sex, at least so far, but my husband says I need to…but I don’t think he knows what he’s suggesting…ugh

Things to say to an author: I loved your book, loved your characters, loved everything about it.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I liked your book, but you should have …

Favorite places you’ve been: Banff, Canada; Swiss alps; Galapagos; Costa Rica; most anywhere hiking or skiing with friends or family

Places you never want to go to again: Haiti, anywhere with A-- wait, did you say people might read this? Just Haiti

Favorite books (or genre): Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache series!!! And of course Harry Potter which I read aloud to my whole family on the sectional couch.

Books you wouldn’t buy: anything meant to spur hatred and dissension without presenting a balanced opinion. Yeah, rules out most of the non-fiction section.

Things that make you happy: Time spent with family, friends, dogs, outdoors, mountains, beaches, playing sports, games, sunrises and sunsets, Gator sports

Things that drive you crazy: traffic; other people “sharing” their music at volume on the road (mine of course is universally loved); people, especially medical trainees, who don’t recognize the responsibility that goes with opportunity.

About Tammy

Tammy Euliano writes medical thrillers inspired by her day job as a physician, researcher and medical educator.  She is a tenured professor at the University of Florida, where she's been honored with numerous teaching awards, nearly 100,000 views of her YouTube teaching videos, and was featured in a calendar of women inventors (copies available wherever you buy your out-of-date calendars). At home, she plays games or sports with her family, cuddles her dogs, reads, and writes medical thrillers. Her debut novel, “Fatal Intent,” will be published by Oceanview in March, 2021. 

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Say Cheese - Headshot Tips for Authors

Authors need a professional headshot. Selfies or photos taken with a cell phone are great for social media candids, but they shouldn’t be your primary image. Here are some tips that I’ve learned through the years.

• Invest in a professional photograph. Your writing is your business.

• Lighting and location are key.

• Make sure you’ve done your hair and makeup.

• Choose clothing that has a solid color and not busy or patterned prints.

• Choose jewelry you want to appear in the photos. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and others will show.

• Take several outfits with you if you are having a studio session.

• Outside shots are great, but be mindful of the wind and background photobombers.

• Choose a photographer who can touch up your photo digitally.

• Avoid using a photo where you’ve cropped out others. You can tell that you’re standing beside someone.

• Update your author photo regularly. I have been to author events where we were looking for the person in the photo, and it turned out to be from 20 years ago.

• You need quality photos that can be used on the web and in print. You should have copies of your photos in different sizes and pixel quality. (You don’t want to send an 8x10 or a 11x14 to a blogger or a reviewer.)

• Make sure that you have the rights to the photos and that you can use them in your promotion.

In a past life, my husband was a photographer, and he does great photos for me. But I do go to a studio for my headshots. The one that I use does hair and makeup before the session, and it’s always a fun afternoon.

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Ellen Byron

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

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

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

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

Things that hamper your writing: the internet.

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

Hardest thing about being a writer: Just doing it.

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

Things you never want to run out of: Ideas.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Favorite beverage: Tea.

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

Favorite smell: roses.

Something that makes you hold your nose: garlic.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Ellen:

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

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Getting Focused - Staying Focused

I’m not sure about you, but since the pandemic started, I’ve had days where I had trouble focusing on writing. I call it COVID brain. I get distracted by life, Zoom meetings, social media, horrible news, you name it. Here are some tips that have helped me focus, refocus, and stay focused.

• Take a break from the news and news sites. It’ll still be there when you go back to check it. Constant bombardment of bad and depressing news takes its toll on you, your attitude, and motivation.

• Try to schedule your writing time as work time and have tasks that need to be completed (e.g. writing, editing, revising, etc.). I stay on task when I know there’s a deadline.

• If you’re writing, set goals for daily word counts. This helps me stay on track and to see progress.

• Find your team. The writing life is often lonely. Make sure you have writer friends to share celebrations and bumps in the road with.

• My critique groups keep me motivated. I’m in two groups, and we meet once a month. I know I have a deadline to provide pages to them. I also like hanging out with my writer friends to see what they’ve been up to lately.

• Turn off the streaming, TV, internet, or other distractions when you’re working. I’ll check my social media sites, but I close the browser after a set time. It’s too easy to get lost in puppy or kitten videos.

• Limit your research time. It’s important when you’re plotting, but if you stop writing to research something, you often don’t get back to your rhythm. Make a note in the margin and save your research tasks for another time.

• Don’t edit or revise while you write. Get your first draft down. Then go back to do your polishing.

• When you can’t get motivated or the words don’t flow, take a break. Exercise, do something creative, take a walk, or take a nap. Use the time to refocus your thoughts. Sometimes, when you relax your mind, you’re able to solve the plot holes and get around the roadblocks.

• If you get off track, don’t beat yourself up. Assess where you are and start your writing process again.

I hope you’re doing well and being productive during this crazy time. Watch out for the distractions! Be safe!

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Marilyn Levinson (Allison Brook)

I’d like to welcome Marilyn Levinson/Allison Brook to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday. I am having so much fun reading her Haunted Library series.

A few of your favorite things: my books—read and unread, chocolate bark, mystery series in any format, dining out, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, visiting other countries

Things you need to throw out: Clothing I haven't worn in three years, linens I no longer use, kitchen utensils I no longer use

Things you need for your writing sessions: My computer, of course; my movable bumpy footrest, good lighting, silence

Things that hamper your writing: The zing of an incoming email, noise.

Things you love about writing: Typing away when it flows; finishing the book; getting emails and messages that someone's just read one of my books and loved it, communicating with my fellow writers and with readers.

Things you hate about writing: When the words don't flow

Hardest thing about being a writer: Your work is never done—there's always another book, more promotion to work on

Easiest thing about being a writer: Your workplace is in your home. Your world involving your Work In Progress; communicating with readers and other writers; your agent and publisher; and information and research are all at your fingertips.

Things you never want to run out of: ideas, books, British mystery shows, book contracts

Things you wish you’d never bought: a George Foreman rotisserie, a very large and complicated Cuisinart Food Processor

Favorite foods: pasta, Indian food, ice cream, honeyed nuts, cheese

Things that make you want to gag: drinking milk

Favorite beverage: white wine

Something that gives you a sour face: lemonade without sugar

Something you’re really good at: knitting, Sudoku, teaching

Something you’re really bad at: using crutches, adding things to my website

Things you always put in your books: relationships, secrets

Things you never put in your books: erotica, death of a child

Favorite places you’ve been: South of France, Machu Picchu, Paris, England

Places you never want to go to again: some small islands in the Caribbean

Favorite books (or genre): mysteries, good literature

Books you wouldn’t buy: erotica,

Things that make you happy: Seeing my grandchildren, getting good reviews, watching a good movie

Things that drive you crazy: parents who let their children run wild in public; unnecessary horn blowing

About Marilyn:

"I was a bookworm from the moment I learned how to read. I devoured Nancy Drews, Judy Boltons, and Trixie Beldons – sometimes two books in one day. Was it any wonder I ended up writing mysteries?

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I dreamed of becoming a ballerina or a writer. I practiced my pirouettes and penned short stories. My family moved to Long Island, where I continued to write stories until I was discouraged by a high school English teacher. Turned off to writing, I continued to read voraciously in college and concentrated on my major, Spanish. I studied in Mexico and Spain, intent on becoming fluent in the language. I taught high school Spanish, married my dentist husband, and we started a family. When our two sons were small, I found myself drawn back to writing fiction.

A writer is a writer forever. We may have more than our share of disappointments, but the rewards are many – knowing you bring joy to readers; sharing the camaraderie and support of your fellow scribes. Writing is a way of life, one I wouldn’t relinquish for anything."

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Help Marilyn celebrate her new book at her Facebook Party on September 10 from 7-10 PM EDT.

Counteracting Disappointments - Tips for Writers

Disappointment often dots the landscape of your writing journey. Rejections, unfavorable reviews, and long periods of waiting are just a few bumps that writers encounter. Here are some ideas to help you navigate and turn disappointments into something more productive.

A Harsh Critique - It takes a lot of courage to share your work with others. If you have a good critique group or partner, they will give you honest feedback. Take a day or two to get past the angry or hurt emotions, and then look at the comments. What can you improve? The goal is to make your book the best it can be. When you query it with agents or publishers or release it to the world for sale, you’ll be competing for attention with all the other books.

Rejection - The writing life is full of rejection. Look at all the stories from famous authors who have received hundreds of rejections. Prepare before you start querying. You often only have one shot. Make sure your manuscript is as polished as it can be. Work on your query. Make sure that you target agents or publishers who are open to submissions and who represent your genre. Do your homework. Also make sure that you follow all the submission instructions.

Unfavorable Reviews - I’ve heard stories from authors about receiving one-star reviews because Amazon shipped a damaged package. It’s going to happen. Not everyone is going to like your work, or the review may have nothing to do with you. We received a one-star review one time for a MYSTERY anthology because the reader didn’t think there was enough horror in it. Holler, eat chocolate, or whatever you do to cope. Then take a deep breath and see if there is anything to learn from the reviews. Are there patterns or trends that you need to think about? If not, move on.

The Never-ending Wait - Authors spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting on responses to queries, submissions, and contests. Like your elementary school teacher said, “Use your time wisely.” Make sure you’re working on your next project.

Find Your Group - My writing friends are my support. They know the trials and joys. They celebrate my victories with me and provide a shoulder to cry on when it feels hopeless. Writing is a solitary effort. Make sure you have a peer group. They can share ideas and provide advice.

Writing is a business, and it’s work. Agents, editors, and publishers are looking for books that they can sell. Yours needs to be the best it can be. Learn from the hard times and keep at it. Edits and revisions take time and energy, but they’re worth it in the end.

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Jodi Rath

I’d like to welcome mystery author, Jodi Rath, back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things: My husband, cats, books, my murder board, all my screens (phone, tablet, monitor, and surface pro), kickboxing bag, yoga mat, cast iron skillets, my business.

Things you need to throw out: hmmm….some would say books BUT NO WAY! LOL Probably shoes and clothes—I have too much!

Things you need for your writing sessions: murder board (which is really a whiteboard), yarn to map out the plot on murder board, pictures—visuals of places in my fictional village Leavensport, OH, my style sheet or chart of characters, plot points, and settings to keep everything in order, computer, paper, pen, pencil, books for research, my cats, cup of hot or cold tea and dumdum suckers while I work.

Things that hamper your writing: social media—HA!

Things you love about writing: Everything!

Things you hate about writing: Nothing!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Probably the second and third drafts before finalizing for publishing Easiest thing about being a writer: Planning, plotting, first draft.

Words that describe you: feisty, sassy, determined, motivated, grit

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: a bit obsessive-compulsive, perfectionist, control-freak

Favorite foods: most anything in cast iron skillet

Things that make you want to gag: oysters

Favorite music or song: 60’s and 80’s music mainly—but I love most music

Music that drives you crazy: country

Favorite smell: pumpkin/cinnamon spice

Something that makes you hold your nose: skunk smell Things you’d walk a mile for: chocolate or really good New York style pizza

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

Things you always put in your books: cats and characters that are similar to my family and friends and my frenemies over the ages

Things you never put in your books: abuse of animals

Things to say to an author: “I’m a fan.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Write faster or Can I get it for free?”

Favorite places you’ve been: Home

Places you never want to go to again: Most anywhere other than home!

Favorite books (or genre): Mystery

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’m not into fantasy.

Things that make you happy: My husband, my cats, my business which is a lot of research, writing, and art.

Things that drive you crazy: Hypocrite, liars, manipulators

Best thing you’ve ever done: marrying my husband and our cat family

Biggest mistake: don’t believe in them. I’ve done a lot wrong, but I learn from it—so therefore, how much of a mistake can it be. That’s the educator in me talking.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: race car driving in CA at Laguna Seca

Something you chickened out from doing: I got my brown belt in kickboxing—one away from black and never got the black belt.

About Jodi:

Moving into her second decade working in education, Jodi Rath has decided to begin a life of crime in her The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series. Her passion for both mysteries and education led her to combine the two to create her business MYS ED, where she splits her time between working as an adjunct for Ohio teachers and creating mischief in her fictional writing. She currently resides in a small, cozy village in Ohio with her husband and her nine cats.

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#WriterWednesday Interview with William Ade

I’d like to welcome author, William Ade, to the blog this week for #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite things: At my age, I'm trying to declutter to the essential favorite things. My mom's dance trophy from 1936 reminds me of her energy and over-the-top personality. My dad's WWII dog tags reflect his steadfastness and old fashion values. My box of race medals might tell me of my slowly ebbing vitality, but their real value is the memories of running with my sisters, nephew, and brother-in-law.

Things you need to throw out: Old letters and personal memorabilia that would make zero sense to my kids. Why should I pass on boxes of my junk when I have boxes of their stuff they'll need to clear out of the house? I should consult with Marie Kondo, I guess.

Things you need for your writing sessions: An early start. If I can be at the keyboard within thirty minutes of waking up, my writing flows and edits come effortlessly. It seems after being awake a few hours, life gets in my head and slows me down.

Things that hamper your writing: A rejection email knocks me back a few hours, but less so than in the early days. Sometimes, I’ll reread something I’d written a few weeks ago and thought was brilliant, only to realize it stinks. I’m too discouraged to write after that and will go off to do something requiring minimal skills to be successful, like pulling weeds.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The rejection and self-doubt make it hard at times. Even when friends tell me they love my story, I wonder, “Are they only being nice?” I don’t know what came first, the paranoia or the writing?

Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with new ideas. Everything and everyone has a story I could tell. I won’t live long enough to build out all the stories I have in my head.

Something you like to do: I want to drop my inhibitions, cut loose and belt out a song.

Something you wish you’d never done: Loudly singing when someone walked into the room.

Last best thing you ate: A perfectly ripe mango.

Last thing you regret eating: That third, perfectly ripe mango.

The last thing you ordered online: Three books on the craft of writing that I then distilled down to six, two-sided pages of notes.

The last thing you regret buying: I bought three types of hummingbird feeders that attracted no birds but caught the attention of an army of ants.

Things you always put in your books: References that only close friends or family would recognize.

Things you never put in your books: I avoid writing about politics or religion. I don't want my readers to be distracted. I avoid discussing those topics with people in general, so why risk setting off a reader.

Things to say to an author: “I found the characters believable.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I found a typo.”

Favorite places you’ve been: New Zealand, most of Italy, and Iceland.

Places you never want to go to again: Jamaica – I couldn’t ignore the poverty.

Most embarrassing moment: Oh sure, like I’m going to share my most humiliating behavior in a public forum. Ha! Nice try, Heather. How about this one? Years ago, my family was on vacation in Scotland, and I needed clean socks. I sink-washed some big white tube socks, but by morning, they were still wet. My wife was irritated. I said, "Not to worry. I'll lay them out in the rear window of the hatchback. The sun will dry them." My wife feared public embarrassment. I replied, "We're in a foreign country. No one knows us." Of course, you know what's coming. Two days later, we're lunching a hundred miles away and started a conversation with two Americans. We shared experiences when the woman said, "We saw a car in Sterling, with socks drying in the rear window." I think they were more embarrassed when we admitted that the car belonged to us.

Proudest moment: My son was a five-year-old performing in a children's theatre production. As the show continued, I noticed him bouncing from foot-to-foot. Oh, no, he had to use a toilet. The play went on and on and finally, the dam burst and the front of his pants darkened. When the performance ended, I whisked him to the bathroom to clean up. I told him how proud I was of him, that he stayed on stage and didn’t let down his fellow actors. He never mentioned wetting his pants.

About William:

Bill Ade took up writing in earnest upon his retirement from the telecommunications industry in 2015. He grew up in small-town Indiana in the fifties and sixties, and those influences show up in many of his stories and characters. He lives with his wife of forty-one years (and counting) outside of Washington, DC, in Burke, Virginia. His son is a filmmaker in LA, and his daughter works in the non-profit field in Baltimore. Both children continue to be an inspiration for his stories. Of course, he has the mandatory writer’s cat inconveniently walking across his keyboard most days.

His monthly blog is at Eclectic Stories for the Humans

 Ade’s current novel, Art of Absolution, is a story where sins of the past refuse to stay buried, and a child's curiosity risks destroying two families. It's been called a great book club read, as good people are put in difficult moral and ethical positions to protect their loved ones.