#WriterWednesday Author Interview with DonnaRae Menard

I’d like to welcome DonnaRae Menard as my guest today.

A few of your favorite things: I like real coffee, black, no hybrid flavors, fall weather, and old movies

Things you need to throw out: all the skinny clothes I will never fit into again, fabric scraps from old projects, all the plastic take-out containers

Hardest thing about being a writer: I hate the selling, the feeling I am begging somebody to like me.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Letting the words flow and telling my story out loud to people.

Words that describe you: I think I’m half as old as I am, I have a hard shell that’s fake, and I love to travel even virtually.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: I speak without thinking, can be hurtful, am not all that smart.

Favorite music or song: I love music from the 60s and 70s. The Last Kiss, a lot of classical, oh, and Christmas music.

Music that drives you crazy: Loud, banging stuff where I can’t understand the words, Christmas music that’s been redone to something modern and without depth.

Favorite smell: Fresh baked bread

Something that makes you hold your nose: Unwashed hair.

Something you’re really good at: I’m a great talker. My grandmother told me when I was six that

I didn’t have to talk to everyone on the city bus.

Something you’re really bad at: Remembering I took notes and to use them.

Something you wish you could do: I’d like to be able to sing. I know all the words but can’t carry a tune in a bucket.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Not tell the truth to save someone else’s feelings.

There always seems to be sorrow later when you try to save someone from reality.

Something you like to do: Have a conversation with my mother.

Something you wish you’d never done: Not had a conversation with my mother.

Things you’d walk a mile for: A friend, the joy of walking, peace of mind

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: People who have the same two conversations on replaying tapes.

Things you always put in your books: Hm, I always try for the human element; confusion, self-doubt, then awareness.

Things you never put in your books: Animal cruelty, self-mutilation, maybe suicide.

Things to say to an author: Tell me what you’re working on.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Wow, that sucked.

Favorite places you’ve been: Albuquerque, New Mexico, Boston, Mass., Ausable Chasm, NY.

Places you never want to go to again: Seaside, CA, Quebec City, Quebec, Columbus City, Ohio (I got a ticket because I was lost and crying in frustration in a no parking zone.)

Favorite books (or genre): Romance mysteries where the story isn’t necessarily all about the romance.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Self-help, it’s like doctor heal thyself.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): George Lucas, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama

People you’d cancel dinner on: The head of the local selectmens board, Donald Trump, Sarah Palin

Favorite things to do: Write, visit my kids, write, travel, write, eat cheeseburgers.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Oh, gotta be housework; dusting and cleaning bathroom and fridge.

Most embarrassing moment: Doing an intro and forgetting the headliner’s name. I was so nervous I couldn’t read the crib notes.

Proudest moment: Seeing my website for the first time. I felt as though I was really going to be able to sell a book.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Once when I was a teenager, I jumped out of a second story window on a dare.

Something you chickened out from doing: Bought the ticket, could not get in that hot air balloon basket to save my life.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: You made me cry, at a place where I cried when I wrote it.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: This character is me, isn’t it? And I’d never met the person until that day.

About DonnaRae

My writing career began in the seventh grade, where I was a country kid in a city school. I took to writing disparaging descriptions of other students in self-defense. Unfortunately, when I got caught writing during class, I had to stand up and read my notes aloud. That was also the start of my training for the one hundred yard dash in track and field.

As time went on, I had diaries, journals, two tiny columns in small-town newspapers, and wrote competition pieces for Toastmaster's International. I also had boxes under my bed filled with novels finished and not.

On April 28, 2008, I was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous carcinoma. My prognosis was bleak. I fought back and won. In 2010, I decided I was going to write and be published. Not just self-published, but by a real publishing house. I kept writing, took classes, went to seminars, book signings, readings, and conventions. Anywhere I might meet someone with experience.

At Crimebake 2019, I met Harriette Sackler and Bruce Coffin. One offered me professional advice, the other the promise to meet me at the top. I went back to work, this time treating writing like employment, not a hobby.

I live just outside of town in the type of place where people feel free to drop off cats, kittens, cages of gerbils or white rats, and even the occasional farm animal. I have a swinging door for those that need. We talk, eat, laugh, and all the while, I type.

 Let’s Be Social

Website

Blog

Facebook – DonnaRae Menard Author

Twitter - @DonnaRaeMenard

DonnaRae’s Books

Murder in the Meadows

Willa the Wisp

The Fairy Mothers, The Clarion Call Anthology, Vol 4, Fairytale Riot

Murder in the Meadows

After 10 years gone, Katelyn Took returns home in 1974 to find the grandmother who raised her has been killed in the farm meadow. Grams will leaves Katelyn ownership of the now dilapidated farm, but includes a stipulation regarding seventeen cats. Then there's the confused old woman still living in the farmhouse. Katelyn doesn't want to stay, but the longer she does, the more drawn into finding Gram's killer she becomes.

Keep the End Goal in Mind - Tips for Writers

The best advice I received early in my writing career was to write your next book. Marketing, research, learning, training, editing, querying, appearances, conferences, social media, and life in general all vie for your attention and limited resources. All of these things are important, and you have to decide where you’re going to spend your time.

Your Craft - Make sure you are learning and growing as a writer. Find a writing partner, critique group, or developmental editor to help you hone your skills. You need to learn and improve as you progress on your journey. But don’t get bogged down in the self-help and training that you don’t have time to write and practice.

When I first thought about being a writer, I bought every “how to” book I could find. I ended up spending a lot of time (and money), and some of them weren’t that helpful. I was reading help books rather than writing. I finally decided to go through my collection. I kept four or five of the best and donated the rest to the Friends of the Library. It’s the same with training. You need to do workshops and classes from time to time, but not to the detriment of your writing.

Your Brand - These days all publishers expect authors to have an established platform , interact with readers, and find ways to market their books online. This is key to selling books and keeping contracts. Again, authors need to balance the work. I try to guard my writing time and reserve other time for marketing, business, and social media tasks. Look at your situation. What can you afford to hire help to do? My rule is to figure out my budget. Determine what I can do and pay professionals to do what they do best. And don’t always look at your writing tasks. You can farm out daily tasks, too that may free up some of your time, especially if you still have a day gig (e.g. yardwork, cleaning, dog-walking, etc.).

Balance - You do need to balance all the parts in your life. I looked at my spare time. I like social media and web design, so I decided to do those myself. I check my social media sites several times a day. I also try to multitask and do some while watching TV or movies. I did look at my TV time, and I was watching a lot of bad TV. I record what I really want to watch and speed through the commercials.

Your current book will help you sell your previous books. Meaning you should see additional sales from readers who want to know what else you’ve written. Multiple books also help you if you want to do larger ad campaigns.

There is a lot that goes into the writing life. (More than I ever thought of when I dreamed about being a writer.) I am constantly learning new things and trying different marketing ideas. But just remember to protect your writing time. Writers do a lot of things, but their primary goal is to finish their work in progress.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Michele Drier

I’d like to welcome author, Michele Drier to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Read, read, read.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Cleaning house, primarily vacuuming.

Favorite snacks: Popcorn, nuts, raw veggies, M&Ms

Things that make you want to gag: Organ meats (liver, sweetbreads), kale, escargots (but oh, the garlic butter!)

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Either a Grand Prix driver or an archeologist.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Type for a living (writing!). I’m of an age when mostly girls took typing so they could be secretaries. I started college as a chemistry major…no typing there! I took one typing class in college so I didn’t have to pay to have my papers typed. Got a D.

I’ve ended up making a living at typing (reporter, editor, writing grant proposals, annual reports and now, novels…working on the 18th so far). I still type about 45 wpm with errors.

Last best thing you ate: Greek salad
Last thing you regret eating: Ohhhh…brownie with ice cream! Same meal.

Favorite places you’ve been: Europe, almost anywhere but primarily Paris. Based my Kandesky Vampire Chronicles on Hungary because I loved it there.
Places you never want to go to again: North Dakota

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living):Louise Penny, Elizabeth George, Barak Obama
People you’d cancel dinner on: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul

Favorite things to do: Travel, learn new things.
Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Household chores, going to meetings (sigh).

Best thing you’ve ever done: Had my daughters.
Biggest mistake: Getting married, getting married, getting married (yes, three times, the last one ended more than 30 years ago).

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Driven through Greece and Hungary in a rented car. Couldn’t even read the street signs.
Something you chickened out from doing: Climbing to the top of the Duomo in Florence (I chickened out almost at the top and had to fight my way down through all the other tourists coming up the one-sway staircase)

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Vice President Kamela Harris. When I was running a Legal Services organization in Oakland, she was the newly-elected DA in San Francisco and we worked together (mostly I called and left messages) on legal conferences we presented about recognizing and halting Elder Abuse.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: This goes way back, but I saw Shirley Temple shopping several times at Sak’s in a Palo Alto mall. This was when she was Shirley Black and an ambassador and Chief of Protocol for the U.S.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Telling wonderful stories about women I want to be like.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Start earlier and try harder to find an agent.

Tapestry of Tears

History had always been a strong magnet for Rosalind Duke. She took up the medieval craft of making stained glass and was building a solid international reputation, taking on larger and larger commissions. Her idyllic life with her husband, Winston Duke, an art historian at UCLA, was cut short when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting. After moving to a small town on the Oregon coast, she’s offered a commission to translate the medieval embroidery, The Bayeux Tapestry, into stained glass for a museum at a small Wisconsin university. Roz jumps at the chance. Not only to try to transfer the Tapestry into a new medium, but to spend time in Southern England and Northern France, tracing the path taken by the invading Normans under William the Conqueror. But the 21st century drags her back when she finds a body crumpled against a wall in an ancient stone church in the small town of Lympne, on the southern coast of England. Has she walked into a contemporary murder?

About Michele

Michele Drier is a fifth generation Californian. During her career in journalism at daily newspapers in California, she won awards for investigative series. She is the past president of Capitol Crimes, a Sisters in Crime chapter; the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime, current vice president of NorCal Sisters in Crime, and co-chaired  Bouchercon 2020.

Her Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries are Edited for Death, (called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review), Labeled for Death and Delta for Death. A stand-alone, Ashes of Memories was published May 2017.

Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, named the best paranormal vampire series of 2014 by PRG. Currently writing Book Eleven, SNAP: Pandemic Games.

Her new series is the Stained Glass Mysteries, Stain on the Soul and Tapestry of Tears, and she’s working on the third, Resurrection of the Roses.

She lives in Sacramento with her cat, Malley.

Let’s Be Social

Visit her webpage www.MicheleDrier.me

Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrier

Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e/B005D2YC8G/

#WriterWednesday Interview with the Moonlight and Misadventure Authors

I’d like to welcome Joseph S. Walker, Sharon Hart Addy, M. H. Callway, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, Jeanne Dubois, Robert Weibezahl, K. L. Abrahamson, and Susan Jane Wright to the blog today to celebrate their latest anthology, Moonlight and Misadventure, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk.

JOSEPH S. WALKER, ‘Crown Jewel’

The most exciting thing about your writing life:  I’d say there are two genuinely exciting things about writing. The first is the feeling of getting into a groove where a story is just clicking along, seemingly without any conscious guidance from me. At least in my experience, starting a story is sheer agony; actually writing, once you’re in that place, is simply fun. The second exciting thing has been the contacts I’ve made because of writing. Because of my writing, I’m now in regular touch with many other writers, including a number I’ve admired for many years. There’s also the pleasure of hearing from people who enjoyed your work, and just being part of the mystery community in general. Especially over the past couple of years, that’s been a godsend. I suppose it’s a paradox that the fundamentally solitary activity of writing has greatly increased my social circle.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life:  Start sooner!  I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but I was paralyzed by self-doubt. I started dozens of stories and never finished them. I was forty before I started submitting fiction, and it’s really only been in the last few years that I’ve really dedicated most of my (non-work) time to it. Maybe I needed those years to fully develop, but my sense is that I just cost myself a lot of productive writing years for no reason.

 SHARON HART ADDY, ‘The Library Clue’

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Your book Lucky Jake is my son’s favorite.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: My son Jake thinks you wrote Lucky Jake for him.

 M.H. CALLWAY, ‘The Moon God of Broadmoor’

Something you wish you could do: I’d love to be a mountain climber. I run, ski and hike, but I’ve never tried rock climbing. Tales of “exposure” or dangling over a fall of thousands of feet are too scary. I’m happy to remain an armchair adventurer and to read about climbing feats.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: To write and read bureaucratese after spending a working career in government. Mind you, it’s given me great comedy material to use in my writing.

JUDY PENZ SHELUK, ‘Strawberry Moon’

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Golf.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Clean the house (especially dusting, I mean, it’s just dusty again the next day, right?)

TRACY FALENWOLFE, ‘Cereus Thinking’

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: A panda bear. No kidding. When we were kids, my brother and I rode our bikes around on adventures and called each other Bebs One and Bebs Two. Bebs was a panda bear. I was even making stuff up back then.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: I spend a lot of time yelling at people to take shorter showers, to stop holding the refrigerator door open for so long, and to keep their hands off the thermostat.

 KATE FELLOWES, ‘The Currency of Wishes’

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: A child detective, like Trixie Belden.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Punch a clock.

JEANNE DUBOIS, ‘Moonset’

Favorite places you’ve been: St. Augustine Beach in September, northern California in June, anywhere in spring, Ireland anytime.

Places you never want to go again: Boston in winter. Too many layers. For one visit in February of 2013, I purchased a clearance puffer coat online. I soon discovered why it was so cheap. The coat was white. I “disappeared” in the blizzard that weekend.

 ROBERT WEIBEZAHL, ‘Just Like Peg Entwhistle

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Tried out for Jeopardy! It took a few online tests and a couple of auditions but I was finally selected to be on the show … and I won!
Something you chickened out from doing: Going to graduate school. Had even sent in the deposit and was making plans but changed my mind the summer before. 30+ years later I finally went back to school and got that elusive masters.

 K.L. ABRAHAMSON, ‘Chicken Coops and Bread Pudding’

The funniest thing that happened to you on vacation: My 'vacations' may not be like most people's. I like to grab a backpack and go off on my own to strange places in the world. This story happened travelling in Northern India along the Indo-Chinese border. Now you have to understand that I am six feet + tall and I wear my hair short. When I travel in placed like India this can be an advantage because I am rarely harassed by men. I also wear baggy clothing and a photographer's vest so people can't see my shape. Along the border the local bus I was on had to frequently stop for armed security checkpoints. Foreigners had to disembark and present their passports. There were only a few foreigners on this bus so we all lined up with passports at the ready. When my turn came they opened the passport and took down most of my information. Then the guards (who spoke no English) stopped and looked at me, then down at their ledger and back at me. Then they laughed nervously. That was when it hit me. They didn't know whether I was a man or a woman because of my 'disguise'. In response I opened my vest and showed them that I had breasts (through my t-shirt of course). Much laughter ensued, but they gave me back my passport and my travels continued…

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a vacation: Picture the ruins of Angkor Wat. Picture monsoon rains and two tourists and their guide huddled in a hut waiting for the rain to lessen. Unfortunately, the Cambodian cooking took a bad turn in my stomach and I urgently needed to relieve myself. Finally, the guide allowed me to go out to find a private place in the brush. I did.

I thought. I pulled down my trousers and squatted among the ferns and vines in the pouring rain just in time for line of villagers peddling bikes through the underbrush. I was three feet from a trail that I hadn't seen through the downpour! Again, much laughter, but I still color-up at that memory.

 SUSAN JANE WRIGHT, ‘Madeleine in the Moonlight’

Something you're really good at: I can count large groups of things very fast. I discovered this as a summer student working for biologist. I could count the number of butterfly eggs on the back of a leaf in a flash. I was accurate too. It's an interesting skill but not highly valued in the real world.

Something you're really bad at: Watching scary movies. My daughters refuse to take me with them to the cinema because I scream at the slightest provocation and scare the audience.

 About the book

Whether it’s vintage Hollywood, the Florida everglades, the Atlantic City boardwalk, or a farmhouse in Western Canada, the twenty authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “moonlight and misadventure” in their own inimitable style where only one thing is assured: Waxing, waning, gibbous, or full, the moon is always there, illuminating things better left in the dark.

Featuring stories by K.L. Abrahamson, Sharon Hart Addy, C.W. Blackwell, Clark Boyd, M.H. Callway, Michael A. Clark, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Jeanne DuBois, Elizabeth Elwood, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, John M. Floyd, Billy Houston, Bethany Maines, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Joseph S. Walker, Robert Weibezahl, and Susan Jane Wright.

About our Editor, Judy Penz Sheluk

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans, Heartbreaks & Half-truths, and Moonlight & Misadventure, which she also edited.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime National, Toronto, and Guppy Chapters, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she serves as Chair on the Board of Directors.

 Find the Book:

Moonlight and Misadventure

Online Interview Tips for Authors

You want to look and sound your best on an interview. No matter if it’s for print, an audio podcast, or a video, here are some tips that can help you look like a pro.

Backgrounds

I can’t tell you how many Zoom meetings, workshops, or interviews I’ve viewed where the subject was sitting in his/her bedroom with a clear shot of the bathroom in the background.

• Set up your camera and look at your background. If another room (especially the bathroom) is behind you or you think you may be interrupted by others walking by, close the door.

• Look at what’s behind you. Make sure it conveys the image you want to project. If it’s a bookshelf, people like me will spend some of the time trying to see what books are behind you. Make sure your shelves or the room behind you is neat and professional looking.

• Many podcasts (which are typically audio only) also post a video of the recorded session. Make sure you ask before you think it’s audio only.

• If you use a green screen, make sure it stretches across the entire area behind you. There’s nothing more distracting than for viewers to see parts of your desk or room peeking around the green screen.

• If you choose to use the blurred or preset backgrounds, make sure you don’t fidget. When you move or there’s movement behind you, the background adjusts as if it’s part of you. It’s funny to watch people (and body parts) appear and disappear. Also, doors that open behind you look like a portal into another dimension when your stock background starts to move. This may not be the look that you’re going for.

Lighting

Lighting (as much as you can get in your interview spot) is important. If you do a lot of online presentations, you may want to invest in a good light. The prices vary, but you can get a good one that’s reasonably priced.

• Natural light is the best, but it’s not always available.

• If you wear glasses, be careful with ring lights. We can see doughnuts in your lenses.

• Test your lighting. You want to be well lit, but not washed out.

Sound

The interviewer or panel need to be able to hear you. A practice session or a mic check is always good practice.

• Test your camera/microphone and know when you are (and aren’t) on mute.

• Invest in a microphone or headset that minimizes background noise. I can bet money that my neighbor is going to decide to blow leaves or cut grass the minute I log on to do a presentation.

• Find a quiet place in your home that’s away from distractions. It’s good if you have a door to close.

• If you’re outside, remember your microphone will pick up traffic noises and wind.

• At my house, the dogs are pretty well behaved, but if someone rings the doorbell, all bets are off. I’ve put notes on the doorbell when important recording sessions were in progress.

• If you’re having internet or sound issues, find out if you can call in to the session. (Old school landlines are the best if you still have one.) Make sure you have the call-in information before you get started.

• If you’re having connectivity issues, make sure no one else in your house is streaming (movies, TV, music, or video conferencing) or gaming. Turn off video to improve the connection.

Your Look

Zoom has made it necessary to look ready for anything at a moment’s notice.

• Wear solid colors.

• Choose dark colors. They show up better. Busy patterns look squiggly, especially if your audience is using low resolution for viewing.

• Take time to do your makeup and hair. Make up does help with your look on video.

• Make sure that you’re looking into the camera. It looks odd when you’re looking off screen, down, or side-eyed.

• If you’re going to read something, make sure that you’re still facing the camera.

• Smile. You want them to see the real you.

• Take a deep breath and calm the jitters. You’ll do great! You know your material.

Always be prepared. Have any props or books within reach (so you don’t have to get up). And do a practice run if possible to make sure all links and equipment are working. And it’s always a good idea to have an emergency contact for the host in case you can’t get the link to work.

Best wishes for your next interview and book promotion!

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Mark Leichliter

I’d like to welcome author, Mark Leichliter, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: I’m a terrible creature of habit, in large part because I’m always looking for the quickest path to writing productivity. As a result, I have several clear needs. I write in the same two locations of my house. I write only on yellow legal pads. I have a favorite pen and others know not to touch it. Mostly I need quiet. I’m like most writers, I suspect, in that I write best from a strange point of nearly altered consciousness because writing is so immersive. I’m living in the world I’m writing about as I write, so I don’t stand up very well to distractions. I can edit and revise in nearly any environment, but for first draft, I want to get lost in the work.

Things that hamper your writing: If I start to think too directly about the reader or the marketplace early on, that kills a story before it ever has a chance to develop. There is a time and place to consider the reader’s needs—particularly in terms of what they need to know or what might be unfamiliar—but that comes later. The larger intrusion of worrying what someone might think is also a story-killer. This comes at the most obvious level of wanting people to like the work but it also can be much deeper, where I can fall into the larger trap we’re far too conditioned by in this country, the trap of comparison. We can only write the books we can write; we should want to make them the best books we capable of writing, but to string out false comparisons to other people’s work or worse, other people’s experiences or visions, can be crushing. I’m convinced that every book has its own needs and its own rhythms. It’s the writer’s job to find those. To look anywhere but within the text I am writing and the world that has given rise to it is only hampering to the process.

Things you love about writing: Ultimately as a writer you have no one to answer to but yourself. I care greatly about readers. I need to satisfy editors. But each day when I sit down at my writing desk, I really can write anything I desire.

Things you hate about writing: Ultimately as a writer you have no one to answer to but yourself. Sound familiar? If you want to write, you had better learn to live with your decisions. 

Things you never want to run out of: Have I mentioned that I trend towards Type A? My wife loves to give me a hard time about some of my obsessions. Some are obvious, like having lots of toilet paper on hand. That just makes good sense, right? I’ve shared already that I write longhand on yellow legal tablets. There’s a lot of lawyers in the world, right, so why are these tablets so hard to find? Or at least that’s the reasoning behind having a few dozen on hand at any time. And rum. One certainly should have a reserve bottle for when the primary runs out. I was a boy scout. An Eagle scout in fact. I took the “Be prepared” motto of scouting fully to heart.

Things you wish you’d never bought: So I suspect we all have our embarrassments for this question, those items that you’re a bit afraid to hand over to the attendant when you make the drop-off at Goodwill or The Salvation Army. Wow, my list is probably long. There was a certain light blue, big-shouldered, “Miami Vice” style blazer that hung around the closet unworn for several decades. More than a few pieces of trendy exercise equipment likely advertised on late-night infomercials; remember the “Ab-buster?” A certain POS Mercury station wagon with a rear-facing back seat that inevitably made the child sitting in it nauseous, the car that dropped its transmission and suffered broken engine mounts. The manual push-lawn mower (“Come on, the yard’s small; I’ll get additional exercise …”) That last donut … I could go on.

Favorite music or song: I’m entirely eclectic in my musical taste, and I absolutely love music. If I could carry a tune in a bucket, I’d drop this writing gig and sing everywhere I went. Kind of like a musical. (And wouldn’t the world be a kinder place if we lived inside a musical?) My tastes are so eclectic that I can drive my wife crazy—jumping from Kenyon Benga one minute to a Disney tune the next. Heavy on my play list will always be bands like The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, The Head and the Heart, Of Monsters and Men. But of course I reveal my age with still loving 70s and 80s rock. I’m a Crash Test Dummies superfan.

Music that drives you crazy: I better whisper this because I live in Montana and grew up in Wyoming, but let’s just say that, despite eclectic taste, I’ve been slow to embrace country music and when I do, I prefer to keep it old school.

The last thing you ordered online: a very specific round glass food container with a screw-on lid (have I mentioned the whole Type-A thing?)

The last thing you regret buying: a very specific round glass food container with a screw-on lid; okay, this is the problem with online shopping; until you hold the thing in your hand and test the lid, well, it’s just so disappointing.

Things you always put in your books: Private jokes. This is stupid, I know, because it’s usually for an audience of one, but I regularly leave in at least one thing only I find funny or a reference that only a tiny handful of people can recognize. I’d give an example, but then that would kind of defeat the point, right?
Things you never put in your books: Anything gratuitous. My books are not really violent per se anyway, but I feel that all actions, including violence and sex, if present, must be a natural and productive outgrowth of plot or character. I take this a step beyond many writers, for while I place heavy emphasis on realism, I think crime fiction owes it to real victims and real investigators to present the world in a way that is accurate to the actual world. The act of solving a crime is compelling itself, and doing so is an outgrowth of applying hard work and good investigative thinking to what can seem disturbing or irrational actions by people who are either troubled, depraved, or out of their right minds. Because we are dealing with complex psychology, we’ll venture into difficult terrain, but I think writers need to with a sense of purpose and authenticity.

Favorite places you’ve been: Our oldest daughter is currently living in Mainz, Germany working on post-doctoral research, which offered my wife and I a good excuse to—finally—get to Europe. We last travelled, as it turns out, the summer before the world went into science fiction mode and international travel was shut down. There are any number of places that might be worthy of highlighting as an answer to this question, but because I’m a writer who likes detail, I’ll narrow it down to one tiny, locals-favorite restaurant in Paris’s Latin Quarter. We’d come to know the Left Bank after staying there for about a week in a remarkable little apartment tucked down a gated, curving stone alley all of about 3 feet wide. So we had learned the immediate neighborhood fairly well. On our final night in Europe, we’d come back through Paris for our departure the next day. This was restaurant was classic Paris: down a cobblestone side street, an unimposing street front you’d miss if you weren’t looking for the tiny circular sign hanging above the door; diners in a multi-paned window; a dining room that held all of five tables; an elegant but simply dressed hostess/waitress/owner; and an absolutely unforgettable meal; the special was roasted bone marrow, and WOW!

Places you never want to go to again: When I was seventeen, I interned at the Wyoming State Board of Charities and Reform, which, among other responsibilities, is the state-level agency that oversees the Department of Corrections. At the time, Wyoming was building a new state prison, and the old prison—which looked like something off a movie set even in good weather—was still very much in operation, as crowded and decrepit as it was. One of the officials in our office invited me to go along for meetings he had at the prison, so we made the two-hour drive from Cheyenne to Rawlins. It was an unusually rainy late-spring day, and pulling through the car entrance tunnel of the old stone building felt like entering a castle. Seventeen, naïve, a good kid who was bookish and interested in the law, was I ever a misfit and ripe for the shocks of being inside a state penitentiary. In a truly surreal moment, among the catcalls from prisoners as we passed along a cell block, someone called me by name, and I turned to an inmate with his head up against the bars of his first-floor cell, a guy from my neighborhood who was in for grand larceny. He was two years older than me. His dad was a lawyer, which helped in shortening his sentence but hadn’t kept him from a conviction. I didn’t know him well, but seeing him on the other side of prison bars, while not a great surprise given his personality and his regular defiance of authority, still was shocking. Perhaps the only greater shock that day came from being allowed to enter the gas chamber, long unused but still the method of death for capital cases should it be called back into action in those days. The chamber looked like something out of a submarine, with windows for witnesses to watch the man strapped to the chair at its center die. I was never exactly the sort of kid destined for prison, but had I needed to be scared straight, that trip would have done it.

 Favorite books (or genre): In mystery, I’ll read virtually anything written by Tana French, Laura Lippmann, and Laura McHugh. I’m a huge fan of early Dennis Lehane. As I broaden out from mystery, my tastes are nearly as eclectic as those in music, though I trend literary. In the books I want with me on a deserted island category, I have to have these: All the Light We Cannot See, The English Patient, A Visit from the Goon Squad, Beloved, They Things They Carried, and The Times Are Never So Bad.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I can’t stand the stuff that simply preys on readers, things like a lot of self-help and diet books. I’m sure some are valuable, but those that clearly just want to make a buck are offensive. There are strange books coming out now from the so-called “influencers”; let’s make our own decisions, people!

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): (I always love versions of this question; I probably spend too much time thinking about it, although the “living” requirement adds another twist.) Anthony Doer, Claire Vaye Watkins, President Obama, Norah Jones, David Letterman, Jhumpa Lahiri, Mike Krzyzewski, Carli Lloyd.
People you’d cancel dinner on: Mark Zuckerberg, President Trump, Mike Lindell (the My Pillow guy), Richard Spencer.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Tim O’Brien

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: I don’t have a lot of experience in this realm, but I once had dinner next to Richard Dreyfuss, and while he was recognizable, man was he old. I guess that makes me pretty old too!

About Mark:

 The Other Side, a contemporary mystery novel, is the crime fiction debut from Mark Leichliter. Writing as Mark Hummel, he is the author of the contemporary literary novel In the Chameleon’s Shadow and the short story collection Lost & Found. His fiction, poetry, and essays have regularly appeared in a variety of literary journals including such publications as The Bloomsbury Review, Dogwood, Fugue, Talking River Review, Weber: The Contemporary West, and Zone 3. A former college professor and writing program director, he has also served as a teacher in an independent high school, directed a writers’ conference, worked as a librarian, and taught on the faculty of several writers’ conferences. He is the founding editor of the nonfiction magazine bioStories. A native of Wyoming, Mark lives in Montana’s Flathead Valley.

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Behind the Scenes - The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

When we launched the Virginia is for Mysteries anthology, one of the requirements was that the stories needed to have a Virginia landmark. This was my first published short story, and I chose the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel that runs from Chic’s Beach (Virginia Beach) to Cape Henry on the Eastern Shore.

I grew up there, and it was always Chic’s Beach, though over the years, I’ve seen the spelling vary from Chick’s to Chix. As locals, this is where we went to avoid the hoards of tourists that descended on our city every summer. It’s a quiet neighborhood on the bay near the bridge. I was always fascinated with the bridge and what was on the other side of the bay. The bridge is really a series of bridges and tunnels that cross the Chesapeake Bay and spans about 23 miles. My parents’ first apartment when they were newlyweds was nearby, and my dad patrolled the bridge’s construction site as a young police recruit.

And it was the perfect setting for “Washed up.” The title takes on several meanings in this mystery, but the obvious is when a suitcase with a shriveled hand and a rusty gun wash up on the beach outside a struggling bar. The notoriety from the media exposure does wonders for the bar’s bottom line. But like in real life, not everything is as it first seems.

We live in Central Virginia now near a lake. It’s beautiful, but it’s not the beach that always holds a special place in my life. The restaurants and neighborhoods have changed through the years, but bridge tunnel is a constant. And I try to sneak in a visit every few months.

Check out “Washed up” in Virginia is for Mysteries.

Dealing with Goodbyes in Your Writing Life

Writers encounter a lot of rejections and goodbyes along their writing journey. It is a part of the process, but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. As you grow as a writer, there are things you’re going to have (or want) to give up or do less of because your time is finite, and you have to be able to juggle all the demands in your life.

Make Sure Your Events Match Your Audience - Early on, we tried just about every event and conference that would let us speak and sell books. I learned after a few events which ones drew my readers. I am now more selective about events I attend and where I spend my time and money. I don’t have to do every event.

You Can Say No - I like to help and to be a part of things, but there are only 1,440 minutes in a day. I was taking on too much and not guarding my writing time. I had to decide what time I was going to devote to writing and book marketing, and then I had to not do some other activities.

Changes - Life is full of changes. People retire, move, and change jobs. It is difficult when you miss people or your life was upended by something you can’t control. Agents and editors retire or switch jobs. Our friends are no longer here with us. Publishing houses are purchased, and sometimes contracts are not extended. Give yourself time to grieve.

Moving on - I started out with a group of writers, and many of us were at the beginning of our journeys. We did book signings, critique groups, and blogging/marketing efforts together. Things don’t always stay the same. There are times when you need to evaluate your goals and decide if you want to continue doing things or if it’s time to jettison some activities in order to improve your craft. This doesn’t mean to give up friends or stop supporting them. It just means that you may have outgrown the activity or that it may not bring you the same joy or value that it did in the past.

Whatever the goodbye is, you need to give yourself some time to react and grieve. Then it’s time to assess your writing situation Are you ready to make a change? Decide where you want to be and work toward that goal. The writing life is a tough one sometimes. But I still believe the benefits and joys outweigh the obstacles along the way.