#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Adele Gardner

I’d like to welcome author Adele Gardner to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Some of my recent favorite Christmas gifts: a glow-in-the-dark, light-up moon; an album by and magazine about William Shatner/Star Trek; a Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) doll and mug; and Julia Child cookbooks.

Things you need to throw out: Broken things I’m always intending to fix but never have the time.

Things you need for your writing sessions: An open mind, a willing heart, and often, a deadline! Cats. Sitting on me. Purring. A glowing moon (real or the one on my desk). Jazz.

Things that hamper your writing: The fear that my work will never be good enough. Cats. Sitting on my page/computer, playing with the “mouse,” or running off with my pen.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The fact that all the time I’m spending on writing is taking time away from other things, like spending more time with my relatives, archiving family memories and getting all of Dad’s writing published, building a family of my own, organizing my house. Another problem: the “boring parts” like reviewing my voice dictation files versus the typed transcript, or typing my handwritten drafts.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing itself! I love the mental challenge and, at the best of times, that soaring, creative flight of the heart! Also the way that diving deep for a detail brings memories vividly to mind, including things I hadn’t realized I remembered at all.

Favorite music or song: I love so many songs and styles. Two favorite genres are 1930s-1950s jazz and 1970s-1990s rock (especially alternative). For a while I had “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. as my wake-up song; also loved hearing Dad sing Bing Crosby’s “Meet the Sun Half-Way” in the mornings! “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush. Fats Waller, Jack Maheu, Cyndi Lauper, the B-52s, Phil Collins, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ian and Sylvia, and so much more.

Music that drives you crazy: My neighbor’s country music blasted over the neighborhood so that I can’t sit in my back yard and write in peace.

Favorite beverage: Coca-Cola Classic and Vanilla Coke

Something that gives you a sour face: Alcoholism runs in my family, so I am perturbed by the casual and obsessively frequent use of alcoholic drinks promoted in popular culture at every turn as the answer to all ills.

Last best thing you ate: My mom’s hamburgers. Her homemade burgers are so good they are one of the top reasons I gave up being a vegetarian. (Another is pepperoni pizza.)

Last thing you regret eating: A diabolical combination of a Hawaiian pizza (which I normally love) plus anchovies. Never again!

The last thing you ordered online: Birthday presents for my niece, including a Hero Cats graphic novel and Plusheen unicorn. (Our family loves cats!)

The last thing you regret buying: A chain saw. I invested in it as a much cheaper alternative to a tree service, due to the increased hurricane damage to my trees every year. While it would be really handy in theory, with my back issues and the known safety hazards, I’ve been too scared to use it.

Things you’d walk a mile for: Walking or jogging a mile is a great thing to do in and of itself! Especially if there’s interesting scenery/architecture/trails/trees/flowers, or I’m on the fitness center treadmill watching a show I like. I love taking walks with loved ones, or jogging with great music or an audiobook.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: TV shows that emotionally manipulate viewers in an evil way. This includes the emotional torture of characters one cares about, just to get people to binge watch.

Favorite things to do: Snuggle with my cats and spend time with human loved ones.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Losing a loved one. I would run through fire to save them!!!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Traveling to Pennsylvania alone to meet World War II veterans at a large convention. I am very shy and find crowds stressful on a good day. This was a very tense situation for me, but also very important. My father was a World War II veteran, and I wanted to take every chance I could to speak to other vets, to thank them for all they went through and hear their stories. Yes, I hope these experiences will help to inform my mystery novels featuring a WWII vet detective, but it meant so much more to me than that. Almost like a chance to visit my father.

Something you chickened out from doing: Running a 10k at NASA with my brother at the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. I’d trained for it for most of a year, but when I found out my brother and I would have to drive separately and find each other, I couldn’t face the horde of people.

About Adele:

Adele Gardner (www.gardnercastle.com) is a professional member of Sisters in Crime, SFWA, and HWA. With mystery stories in Mystery Weekly Magazine (cover), Seascape: The Best New England Crime Stories 2019, and A Study in Lavender: Queering Sherlock Holmes, Adele has over 450 stories, poems, art, and articles published all told (under bylines including C. A. Gardner, Lyn C. A. Gardner, Adele Gardner, and Max Jason Peterson, among others). A former editor for The Mariners' Museum, this genderfluid night owl can be found reading comics with cats--or drawing them. Adele serves as literary executor for father, namesake, and mentor Dr. Delbert R. Gardner, who also has a cover story in Mystery Weekly Magazine.  

Let’s Be Social:

www.gardnercastle.com 

https://twitter.com/AdeleGardnerDRG

https://www.facebook.com/thegardnercastle

#WriterWednesday Interview with Linda Lovely

I’d like to welcome author Linda Lovely to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things: Sweets, mystery/thriller novels, classic movies.

Things you need to throw out: Worn-out socks and undies. Out-of-date cosmetics and pills.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Quiet and a comfortable chair.

Things that hamper your writing: Noise & @#$#@ software updates.

Things you love about writing: Killing off characters who get away with bullying in real life.

Things you hate about writing: When the right word escapes me. Drives me nuts.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The need to constantly promote your books.
Easiest thing about being a writer: When you’re in your characters’ heads and the scenes practically write themselves.

Things you never want to run out of: Toilet paper! Never would have answered it this way before the pandemic shortages.

Things you wish you’d never bought: A battery-pack edge trimmer. Too heavy!

Words that describe you: Stubborn. Determined. Optimistic.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Overweight. Over the hill—not saying which hill.

Favorite foods: Blueberry pie (my fave at the moment because I’m picking blueberries in our backyard). Wintertime I’d say vegetable soup or chili & any dessert with chocolate.

Things that make you want to gag:  Vegetables cooked into mush with a side of grease. Raw oysters.

The last thing you ordered online: an ebook. Okay, multiple ebooks. (I buy my paperbacks from indie bookstores.)

The last thing you regret buying: Spoiled ground turkey. Thought the smell was off, but invested the time to make meatloaf, then one taste and I threw it all away.

Things you’d walk a mile for: Exercise. My husband and I have a six-mile route we walk together four days a week.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Pontificating, condescending zealots (of any stripe).

Things you always put in your books: sides of humor and romance
Things you never put in your books: gore and torture

Things to say to an author: I couldn’t put your book down. When’s the next one coming out?
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I don’t read women authors. Men write better mysteries, suspense, thrillers.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Married my husband 45 years ago.
Biggest mistake: A business venture that I won’t name. But the experience encouraged me to learn new skills that I use to this day.

About Linda:

A journalism major in college, Linda Lovely has spent most of her career working in PR and advertising—an early introduction to penning fiction. With Neighbors Like These is Lovely’s ninth mystery/suspense novel. Whether she’s writing cozy mysteries, historical suspense or contemporary thrillers, her novels share one common element—smart, independent heroines. Humor and romance also sneak into every manuscript. Her work has earned nominations for a number of prestigious awards, ranging from RWA’s Golden Heart for Romantic Suspense to Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion for Best Cozy Mystery.

Let’s Be Social

Website: https://www.lindalovely.com/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-lovely

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LovelyAuthor

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindalovelyauthor:

Make it Easy to Share Your Book News - Tips for Authors

Book promotion is a necessary part of the writing life. Here are some ideas of ways that you can make it easier for others to share your information.

Facebook - Use your author page as your hub for your Facebook book news. If you do share announcements on your personal page, make sure to check the security settings so that they are sharable. You want to get the word out, and you want folks to post the information on their pages. Security and privacy settings are good protections, but if you’re trying to promote something, it doesn’t work if it’s locked down.

Email Signature - Put a few of your key links (e.g. website, blog, social media) in your email signature. This helps identify you, and it’s an easy way to share your author website with all of your email connections.

Links - If you’re promoting links to an event, make sure that you add comments to the original post or you post multiple times to keep it at the top of your feed. If it’s not an event that people subscribe to, it’s often difficult to find the link again. Some Facebook parties are held on pages, while others are events with their own location. Make it easy for people to find you and attend your event.

Graphics - Posts with graphics, videos, or movement tend to get more attention. Take a minute to create a graphic for your announcement. Posts that are all text are often overlooked.

Be Succinct - Do not include lots of text in your announcement posts. Remember, people are scrolling through a newsfeed of lots of stuff. It needs to be like a newspaper headline. Catch their attention and give them the important information up front. Facebook will also truncate longer posts, and you never can predict where they’ll add the “read more” link.

People Need Reminders - While, we don’t need hourly updates, a gentle reminder of an event is often helpful. You could post a reminder the day before. Then the morning of, you could do another type of post where you talk about how you’re looking forward to attending the event, and you can tag people you know are going. Then afterwards, post pictures. Don’t forget to tag people. People like to feel connected and involved.

Don’t Forget to Comment - Likes are nice on social media sites, but shares and comments are better. Each site has its own algorithm, and posts with more activity get shown to more people. So, when you get comments, respond to them. Conversations lead to more comments. You can also tag people in your comments, and that often is a way to continue the conversation.

Always Celebrate - If you have contest or give-away winners, create a graphic and a post to celebrate. If you’re donating a gift basket or a prize to something else, make sure to add a picture and let people know if they can contribute to the cause or participate.

It’s like Staples’s old advertising campaigns with the “Easy” button. People are more apt to share your information when it’s crisp, clean, interesting, and easy.

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Kristin Kisska

I’d like to welcome my friend and very talented author, Kristin Kisska, back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Something crazy you did on vacation:

Years ago, I visited the Cayman Islands for a long weekend getaway with a friend.  She convinced me to go on a snorkeling trip to Stingray City, which is a sandbar area between the islands frequented by stingrays. For about two hours, I swam among dozens of wild stingrays. Very cool experience, but probably not one I’d ever repeat, especially since Steve Irwin died from a sting.

Something you’d never do again on vacation:

I decided to “brighten up” my home office. Famous last words.  Over one stay-cation, I selected a paint color I thought would be tan with rose undertones.  After all the walls had been painted, it looked more like Pepto Bismol. Ugh. I spent the rest of my vacation repainting my office gray. I will never do that again, nor will I undertake a DIY project as a “vacation.”

Your favorite thing to get from the ice cream truck:

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream bars.  I loved them as a kid and stumbled across one recently—they still sell them! Of course, I had to test and still see if it is my favorite. Yup!

Some dessert that you wish you’d never bought:

Shhhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone, but I’m really not a fan of chocolate ice cream and chocolate cake.

 Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer:

As much as I dream and fantasize about escaping to the beach for a DIY writing retreat, I know in my heart of hearts that I wouldn’t get any work done there.  Still, my go-to place to write is my writer’s cave (a.k.a. my home office).  My favorite summer place to *read* however, is absolutely at the beach.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions:

Any place I visit with my family over the summer qualifies as the worst place to write. Too many people juggling in too little space makes me a grumpy and frustrated writer.  I need quiet and routine to hit my creative zone.

 Favorite thing to do on a summer evening:

I love going for walks outside on a summer evening, especially in Virginia. With the sun out later, we usually get a break from the intense daytime heat, and the balmy evening is so calming. The crickets and cicadas offer a pure summer soundtrack. If I’m lucky, I’ll even get a peek at firefly or two.

Least favorite thing about summer:

Mosquitos.  They love nibbling on me for their breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Favorite place to visit in Virginia:

The beach is my happy place, so my favorite Virginia haunt is Sandbridge Beach.  It’s one of Virginia’s best-kept secrets and the setting of my upcoming short story, “Vendetta by the Sea,” which will be published in the mystery anthology VIRGINIA IS FOR MYSTERIES III this autumn.

Somewhere you’ve visited way too much. Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt:

Tysons Corners mall in Vienna, Virginia. Honestly, I’m not a shopping person, to begin with, so malls hold little appeal.  Add massive crowds, gridlock traffic, and terrible parking, and you’ve created my perfect storm.

The thing you like most about being a writer:

My absolute favorite moment of being a writer is when my characters hijack my story and take over.  When this happens, I’m no longer the driver but a passenger along for the ride, and I try to capture the events unfolding as best I can.  I’m guessing it’s a lot like the thrill of surfing a wave.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

Writer's block. Nuff said.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life:

I can’t pick just one because I’ve enjoyed a few personally epic milestones thus far in my writerly journey. My top three moments are: writing “The End” on my first novel, signing my first ever published short story, “The Sevens,” and getting a call from my literary agent to offer me representation.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over:

I wish I’d started attending writer conferences sooner. Much of writing is such a solitary adventure. Meeting and networking with other authors and those in the publishing industry would’ve helped me create a stronger support group over time. Book people are fantastic!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

In my twenties, I decided to move to Prague, so I bought a one-way ticket to give it a shot and see if I could find a job. Three years later, I moved back to the States to go to grad school. Those were (and always will be) the best and most adventurous years of my life.

Something you chickened out from doing:

As I was starting college, my professor uncle embarked on a year's sabbatical in Australia. He was taking his entire family to Sydney, and they extended an invitation for me to join them. I decided against going and started college on time, but I always will wonder about the fun adventures Down Under I might have had if I’d taken that gap year.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

The comment came from another author who’d read one of my short stories, “A Colonial Grave.” She told me it was so good; she was jealous she hadn’t written it.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

Someone wrote a review about one of my short stories: “To the Moon and Back” was the perfect mix of terror and pity.” While I appreciated that they honed in on the pity elements, I hadn’t been gunning for a tone of terror as much as motherly love.

The funniest thing that happened to you in an airport:

I lived in NYC in my twenties. At the time, Delta had hourly flights to Washington, D.C. called the Shuttle. Since my family was living in Virginia, I flew back for weekends fairly regularly.  One Friday evening, I rushed to LaGuardia airport after a long day at work to catch the Shuttle. After handing in my flight pass, I was allowed access to the passenger waiting lounge, where I promptly fell asleep and missed my flight. No one bothered to wake me up, so I woke up in a completely empty lounge. At least there was one more flight scheduled for later that night.

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you in an airport:

While going through TSA at O’Hare, my teen daughter’s bag was flagged for inspection because they found powder (her eye shadow case had broken). The guards determined that one of us had to be patted down, so I volunteered as tribute. With hundreds of passengers passing through the security zone witnessed my embarrassment as a female guard patted my body, swept under my bra line, and otherwise made me blush. One of the guards then asked for a Q-tip, and I was so grateful it was meant to swab my hands and not some other body cavity! We finally got the all-clear and made it to our gate on time, but my daughter will NEVER be allowed to carry makeup in her carry-on luggage again.

The best summer job you ever had:

While in college, I was considering a career in law. Since my home was right outside of Washington, D.C., I wrote to the United States Supreme Court to see if they offered any summer internships. They did, and I was ultimately offered one. For three months, I worked among the Supreme Court Justices as a courier and even met Thurgood Marshall and Sandra Day O’Connor. Though the internship was unpaid, it was an amazing experience!

The worst summer job you ever had:

In college, I worked nights and weekends as a seating hostess at a local restaurant and got a first-hand experience of how much attitude people can throw around if they have to wait for a table. Hostesses don’t earn tips, so it’s really a thankless job.

About Kristin:

Kristin Kisska used to be a finance geek, complete with MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed fictionista. Kristin contributed short stories of mystery and suspense to nine anthologies, including Malice Domestic’s Agatha Award-winning anthology, MYSTERY MOST EDIBLE (2018). She’s looking forward to releasing her short stories of suspense “Swiping Right” in MURDER BY THE GLASS in autumn 2021.

Kristin is a member of International Thriller Writers, James River Writers, the Vice President of the Central Virginia chapter of Sisters in Crime, and has been a contributing blogger at SleuthSayers.org. When not writing, she can be found on her website~ KristinKisska.com, on Facebook at KristinKisskaAuthor, Tweeting @KKMHOO, and on Instagram @KristinKisskaAuthor. Kristin lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website - KristinKisska.com

Instagram -  @kristinkisskaauthor 

Twitter - @KKMHOO

Facebook - KristinKisskaMehigan

Writerly Lessons Learned - Tips for Authors

I have done hundreds of events, workshops, and classes over the years, and I have learned a lot along the way. Here are some that I can laugh about now…

Know Where You’re Going to Be - We did a museum event one time in January. When I booked it for our anthology authors, it never occurred to me to ask where we would be sitting. It was outside in the dead of winter. Thankfully, one of the gals lived nearby, and her husband dropped by with portable space heaters.

Always Confirm - Get the details before an event and confirm everything. I attended a friend’s book launch at a chain bookstore. When her guests arrived, the book seller told her that the book order didn’t arrive on time. She didn’t have any extra copies with her.

Lips Don’t Lie - We did a panel event at a library with a packed house over 250 people. During the signing, a woman approached the table, and she told me she had to tell me something. She wanted to tell me that “my lips disappeared in the back of the room.” At first, I thought she was trying to sell me cosmetics. I was a little baffled at the comment. It seems my lipstick had disappeared somewhere along the way, and she wanted me to know, so I could wear a darker color next time.

Some Assembly Required - We did a signing at a beautiful winery once, and my partner in crime brought her tent and table. I’m sure it looked like two women doing some kind of weird dance. We had to wrestle the tent. (We are both under 5’ 3”, so it was quite an adventure to raise the canopy over our heads.) I hope no one was filming it. Thankfully, a tall person assisted.

Thanks, Mom - At my very FIRST book signing at the Library of Virginia, I pocketed my keys, phone, and a pen. I didn’t want to have to keep up with a purse during the talk and signing. When I went to sign the first book, I realized my pen had dried up. Thankfully, my mom came to the rescue with the stash of pens from her purse.

Censored - We did a Facebook take over one time on a site owned by a blog tour company. The company did book promotions for mystery and romance writers. Somehow, its erotica promotions caused it to have an adult rating with some of the web monitoring tools. We found out later that a lot of our readers’ computers blocked the site as pornographic.

What Time is it? - Make sure you clarify the time zone. I’ve done interviews and panels based in Europe and the West Coast, and I had to check the time conversions several times. I was up once at o’dark thirty many a time for a live, morning interview in England.

A Rose by Any Other Name - When we formed a group of writers for a joint blogging venture, we Googled the name and hashtags that we wanted to use. We ended up with Lethal Ladies Write because “Lethal Ladies” belonged to a group of wrestlers. When I was looking at pennames, I thought I’d use my first and middle name, Heather Leigh. When I Googled it, it belonged to an exotic dancer and adult film star in California. Her following was slightly different than mine.

The writing life is an adventure. These are some of mine that were also learning experiences.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Daniel Willcocks

I’d like to welcome author, Daniel Willcocks, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

My wireless headphones, a pair of compression gloves for my fingers, my glasses (only worn for writing sessions), and a killer playlist of instrumental horror tracks on Spotify. I’m all about putting myself into that ‘zone.’

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Self-discipline is a muscle, and it requires work every day. The words don’t write themselves, and on the days where you’ve got no energy and all you want to do is relax, you still have to drag yourself to the keyboard to get the work in. It’s how the books are made. Blood, sweat, and copious amounts of coffee.

Something you’re really good at:

I’m pretty good at asking people the questions that make them think. I use Becca Syme’s “Question the Premise” method, and look for alternatives to typically accepted situations. It’s all about thinking outside of the box.

Something you’re really bad at:

Resting. I put workhorses to shame. I barely take days off, and I work until I burnout. It’s an endless cycle I’m working on, and hopefully I’ll be able to make it some day.

Something you wish you could do:

I’d love to play the drums. I’ve never had proper go to actually try. On the small opportunity I had, I sucked. I know I’d get there with practice, but who has a drum set just lying around these days?

The last thing you ordered online:

A tool to help increase the strength in your fingers. I want to look after my typing digits, and I’m also looking ahead to rock climbing in the future.

Things you always put in your books:

I will always put in ridiculously tough moral dilemmas. As a horror writer, I strip characters down to their core, and have them face the questions that are fundamentally human. No one cares how many followers you have when you’re standing on the brink of death.

Things to say to an author:

 “I could not put your book down.” That phrase is like crack to an author.

Favorite places you’ve been:

Out of all the places I’ve been that stick with me, I have to say that climbing St Michael’s Mount in Edinburgh and overlooking the city at 6am, a sunrise and a cloth of fog over the city… That really hit the spot.

Favorite books (or genre):

Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King, Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon, The Troop by Nick Cutter, and The Ritual by Adam Nevill are always on my recommend pile.

Biggest mistake:

Waiting until I thought I was “ready” to start doing the things that scared me.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

I’ve jumped out of a plane at 15,000 feet. I mean, it was either that or attempt a three hour road trip without making the four-year-old do a “safety wee” first…

About Daniel:

 Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author, award-nominated podcaster, book coach, and speaker.

He writes dark fiction, spanning the genres of horror, post-apocalyptic, and sci-fi, and helps authors tell the stories they’re dying to tell.

Let’s Be Social:

 www.danielwillcocks.com

www.facebook.com/willcocksauthor

www.instagram.com/willcocksauthor

www.twitter.com/willcocksauthor.

Do Your Homework - Tips for Writers

My parents and teachers instilled an “always be prepared” work ethic from early on. When I try to cut corners and wing something, it often doesn’t turn out like I imagined. Here are some tips for writers where they should do their homework and make sure they’re prepared.

Querying Agents and Publisher - You often only get one shot with an agent or publisher. Don’t blow it by sending out a generic or half-baked query. Target the person/company that you want to be apart of. Make sure your work fits and provide all the criteria they ask for. Follow the directions. Make it easy for them to navigate your submissions. Then keep track of where you’ve sent queries.

Hiring Talent - If you’re in the market for an editor, proofreader, publicist, cover designer, formatter, personal assistant, or any other talent, do your research. Seek references and ask people you know for recommendations. Make sure that your agreement is a business transaction. You do need a signed contract or statement of work. Also, make sure you’re aware of the costs and how you will be billed.

Presentations - No matter how good a public speaker you are, make sure you are prepared. If you’re not sure about the technology, do a practice session to ensure everything works and everyone knows the expectations. Make sure you have an emergency contact number in case there is a problem.

Events - Even if you’re working with a book seller to handle the sales, it’s a good idea to have a box of books in the trunk of your car. I can’t tell you how many times the book order didn’t arrive or they didn’t order enough.

Confirm all of the details with the organizer ahead of the event. Know what you’re responsible for bringing. Make sure you have emergency contact information. Be early and bring the things you think you’ll need.

Sometimes a little bit of prep work prevents a lot of heartbreak and frustration.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Stephanie LaVigne

I’d like to welcome author, Stephanie LaVigne to the blog this week for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: A “special beverage” in a mug or cup that is visually sizable enough to remind me that I don’t have to get up for a refill anytime soon. Usually filled with coffee, hot chocolate, or some weird concoction like chai w/ lion’s mane.

Things that hamper your writing: People. Especially people who live in my house and are very loud and like to visit me. (*Strangers in coffeeshops are not a problem. However, I never get to write in coffee shops any more, soooo….)

Favorite beverage: (I’ll go adult beverage on this one, even though I hardly drink.) White Russian or anything with cream, Kahlua, Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.

Something that gives you a sour face: Only time I ever throw up is when drinking something with a sour base, like Whiskey Sour, Margherita, etc. (I’d have to drink quite a bit to get sick, but for some reason I can’t stomach this type of drink.)

Favorite smell: Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Satsuma oranges. Not together though.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Pepper. Like, sniffing a pepper grinder is really off-putting to me. Why I have done this enough times to know that is its own question.

Something you’re really good at: Dealing with emergency situations, finding silver linings in any situation, and coming up with out-of-the-box ideas.

Something you’re really bad at: Time management. Regular maintenance of normal, reasonable things. Thinking inside the box.

Something you like to do: Trying new things, learning new things, giving advice, and laughing. (Ex: for my bff’s bachelorette party we did a treetops ropes course, rented mini-boats, took aerial silk and pole dancing classes, played board and trivia games, went to see comedy shows, and went dancing. I planned the week and it was basically my dream vacation…hers too, don’t worry.)

Something you wish you’d never done: One of the only things I ever feel regret over are times where I was unnecessarily mean or dismissive of someone. I haven’t done it a lot in my life, but the times I’ve acted too cool for school or maybe made someone feel bad, those memories haunt me. Even when I was in my first two years of college and didn’t call my parents back a lot or did dangerous things that I now realize really scared or worried them make me feel awful.

Things you always put in your books: I think I always add personality traits of people I know or have met to characters, and/or use name inspiration from people I’ve known.

Things you never put in your books: I try to avoid adding things that are graphically traumatic. I don’t want to propagate, normalize or glamorize violence, so I try to curb it. I’m also fairly empathetic and tend to not be able to get awful things out of my head once I’ve visualized them, so I try to not let those things spend too much dancing around in there.

Favorite places you’ve been: I don’t tend to have favorites, in general, but I really want to return to Iceland, Canada, and the Azores for starters.

Places you never want to go to again: I always seem to have bad luck in Savannah, Georgia (though I’m sure I’ll visit again at some point.)

Favorite books (or genre): I like a good Private Eye-type series, especially if it has some laughs (ex: I loved Edna Buchanan’s Britt Montero series even though she was technically a journalist.) I also love weird Florida authors like Carl Hiaasen. I also buy a LOT of reference and non-fiction books.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Generally I’m not into space/war/historical/future/dystopia stuff. I can get into anything if I give it a chance, but I won’t purposefully choose those styles. They give off a very drab, grey-brown feeling to me, and I feel like it’s just going to be heavy and depressing.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Lily Tomlin, Sally Fields, Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Carol Burnett, Goldie Hawn, Dolly Parton

People you’d cancel dinner on: Certain politicians that shall remain nameless. (Not being political. These are some of the only people that I can think of off the top of my head that may be too boring or untrustworthy to have a meaningful conversation with. To be clear, I have some amazing, interesting, pure-hearted friends who are in politics, so I’m not saying the above as a generalization or a slur or anything. There are just some politicians that I would cancel a dinner on, if I had to choose someone.)

Favorite things to do: Going on adventures. Planning cool travel itineraries and then doing them. I love wandering around a new place, trying food from there, exploring, trying a new activity.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Skydiving. I do not enjoy the feeling of free falling. And adding a couple thousand feet to that equation makes me want to cry.

Things that make you happy: Unique lodging: yurts, treehouses, houseboats, earthhouses, cool hotels, sprawling estates, etc. Researching things. And trying new things in new places.

Things that drive you crazy: Feeling like I’m stuck in a life of never-ending obligations and status-quoness. When I can’t see that I am moving forward, and instead life seems to be a perpetual recycling of days and activities, I get really freaked out that life is passing me by and I’m not living it in the way I want. It makes me feel crazy.

About Stephanie:

Stephanie LaVigne comes from a long line of mystery lovers. In an effort to keep them in her good-graces, her books combine intrigue, quirkiness, and adventure with a healthy dose of humor and wit.

She has published over fifty popular, often bestselling, novels under her name, as well as pen names, in both romance and mystery.

From hopping trains across the US to crewing a sailboat on a trans-Atlantic crossing, from mushing dogs on a Canadian dogsled to unwittingly hiking Mount Washington, she’s been lucky enough to have incredible adventures alongside all kinds of real-life characters. One of her missions is to introduce readers to the kind of colorful personalities that have shaped her life.

She currently lives in her favorite South Florida neighborhood surrounded by palm trees, peacocks, a few wild kids, one wild husband, and a handful of incredible family members and friends. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Novelists, Inc.

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