#WriterWednesday Interview with Author Liz Boeger

I’d like to welcome Liz Boeger to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things:

My new all-in-one mom cave houses my teach-from-home office, writing nook, and quilting corner.

Things you need to throw out:

Nothing. No, don’t look in the garage or my office closet. What do you mean, “What am I going to do with all of that fabric?”

Things you need for your writing sessions:

My computer and sticky note paper for scritch-scratched thoughts. A window, preferably looking into my garden. Quiet, I prefer morning sunshine, coffee-hot, half & half, no sugar. Life’s too short for cold coffee and skim milk. After lunch I swap out to Diet Mountain Dew.

Things that hamper your writing:

Social Media distractions and television. I’m still trying to rein in the web-surfing. I have a TV wall mount in my new office, but I covered it up with a shelf-no time for TV. Besides, you can watch reruns of the Gilmore Girls only so many times, right?

Things you love about writing:

Those moments when I’m pounding out a scene, only to find that my characters have a plot point or two to insert that I was not expecting. Oh, and I love my characters like family.

Things you hate about writing:

Scavenging for my many typos. It’s a little embarrassing to have red-pen-worthy grammar and punctuations issues in a book written by a teacher.

Words that describe you:

Skeptical Optimist

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

Bossy—sorry, it’s an occupational hazard.

Favorite smell:

Citrus-lemons-oranges-grapefruit-kumquats—all of it!

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Fish cooking in the oven or on the stove. I don’t mind it on the grill (outside.)

Something you’re really good at:

I have a talent for making lists and crossing things off my lists. Sometimes I add things I already did to the list, just so I have one more thing to cross off. It is a trait I’ve forced on my main character.

Something you’re really bad at:

Ugh, this whole tooting your own horn and book promotion business. That’s why I’m so grateful to the writing community for taking some of the sting out of it by being so supportive.

Last best thing you ate:

My sister’s secret recipe ginger snaps are the purest form of deliciousness I’ve ever tasted.

Last thing you regret eating:

Way too many of my sister’s secret recipe ginger snaps…No, wait. No regrets there. Keep ‘em coming, Sis!

Things you always put in your books:

My pets and my favorite Florida scenery.

Things you never put in your books:

Real people I know or events that are too disturbing.  I’ve seen a lot as an educator that is just too heartbreaking to put into a cozy or traditional mystery. Yes, I write about murder, but I keep the violence mostly off page and try to balance it with kind and quirky people you care about and want to root for.

Things to say to an author:

“You’ve got some writing chops! I’ve read all your books.” 

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

“You’ve got some writing cops, babe!” (or darlin’, or sweet cheeks, or a similarly endearing and wholly inappropriate moniker.)

Favorite places you’ve been:

The beach (any beach), my grandparents’ farm, Crystal Springs Preserve.

Places you never want to go to again:

Jammed in the crowd under the stadium at the Strawberry Festival waiting for the gates to open when the crowd behind you thinks they already have. Yeah, no way.

Things that make you happy:

Riding my recumbent tadpole trike on a sunny morning—gardening—quilting—talking with people who loved reading my books and who want to know more about the education world and the Florida setting described in the series.

Things that drive you crazy:

My poor organizational skills and my personal battle against holding onto “stuff” longer than necessary. See #1 above.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

They thought my main character was a hoot and someone they’d want to hang out with.

 The craziest thing a reader said to you:

Since my book is being released on August 30th, it’s too soon to answer this one. I’ll have to get back to you. 😊

About Liz:

Liz Boeger’s stint as a swimsuit model peaked in kindergarten. Her fallback career as a mystery author didn’t surface until she hit the mid-century mark. In between, she wrangled children, adults, and the occasional Florida panther as a teacher and school administrator. And that encounter with the U.S. Secret Service may show up in a plot someday.

Her multi-award nominated mystery series is inspired by her childhood nearby Rattlesnake, Florida. If you love your mysteries with a cozy edge, some Southern snark, and quirky characters you’d love to hang out with, this series is for you. Member of Sisters in Crime, SinC Guppies, and Florida Writers Association.

She’s a graduate of Tampa’s Robinson High School, The University of Tampa, and Saint Leo University. Her hobbies, other than plotting murder, include gardening, quilting, and cheering all things great about her hometown, Tampa!

 Let’s Be Social:

 Moccasin Cove Mysteries blog

 Twitter

 Facebook

 Amazon Buy Link

 Universal Buy Link to other Retailers

Adding Followers - Tips for Authors

Building your social media following, a key part of your author platform, is a lot of work. It takes time and a presence on these sites.

An author asked me recently how I find readers and book bloggers since he’s getting ready for a book launch. My advice is to start WAY before you have a book coming out. “Social” is the important part of social media. You will have more success building a following if you take part in conversations, share information (not just buy my book), and celebrate with others. Here are some of the things I’ve learned through the years.

• Figure out how much time you can spend on your sites. You should have a daily presence on the key ones (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). I still have a day gig, so I get up early in the morning, I check on sites at lunch, and I spend some time in the evening. I visit Pinterest, BookBub, Goodreads, and LinkedIn about once a week. Remember, you still need to write your next book and do the hundreds of other things you do each day.

• You need regular, interesting content on your sites. One day a week, I schedule the next week’s worth of Instagram and Twitter posts. I use Creator Suite (in Facebook) to schedule Instagram, and I use TweetDeck for Twitter. For whatever reason (Facebook’s algorithm gods), I’ve found that scheduled Facebook posts on my author page don’t work as well as daily posts, so I do those manually. You need to find what works for you. I typically schedule two posts a day. For Twitter, I schedule a third in the wee hours of the morning when I’m sleeping. From my analytics, I learned that I picked up different followers in other time zones.

• People want to learn things. Every post shouldn’t be buy my book or here’s where you can buy my book. Share news, pictures, adventures, and funny stories. Figure out topics that interest you (e.g. cooking, boating, traveling, etc.) and share those types of items. Pets are popular, too.

• You need to interact on these sites. That means liking, commenting, and sharing content. You also boost the exposure of a post when you respond to the comments. Tag people in posts and comments. People like to be a part of things and to be recognized.

• Don’t make someone else’s celebration about you. Be genuine. I can’t tell you how many book launch or other posts that I’ve seen authors try to hijack by posting comments like, “If you like his book, you’ll like mine, and here’s the link.”

• You don’t have to follow everyone who follows you. There are a lot of bots and lonely hearts out there. It’s tempting to accept every invitation, but be careful. While it may look like you have large numbers with all the bots and fake accounts, these aren’t real people or readers who you want to interact with.

• Make sure that you view your analytics on these sites to see what is working. The analytics page has a lot of good information. You can see what posts and what times work the best for the most interaction. For all of my sites, week day mornings and week day afternoons seem to be when the majority of my followers are online. Twitter is a little different, I see a lot of activity in the morning, early evening (my time), and after midnight. I schedule my posts for these times.

• For Facebook, you can invite your friends to follow your page. You can also click on the icon that shows who liked/reacted to your post, and a pop-up appears for you to invite these people to like your page.

• Look at writers who are similar to you. Click on who they follow and who follows them. Go down the list and add people who look interesting.

• Search hashtags of topics you’re interested in. (e.g. #books, #reading, #dogs #cooking, #blogger, #podcast, etc.) See who also follows these topics and add the interesting ones.

• About every month or so, I use tools to clean up my Twitter (Twitonomy) and Instagram (Analyzer Plus) followers. There are a lot of accounts out there that follow you and drop you when you follow them back. I go through the list and unfollow ones with no activity or that don’t follow me back.

Building a following takes time. You can’t do “hit and runs” where you post and disappear, and all your posts can’t be a sell. I spent almost a year ahead of my next series launch doing things each day to build my mailing list, blog following, and social media spread. It’s worth it. You will see steady growth. When I started, I had three Twitter followers.

#WriterWednesday Interview with Laraine Stephens

I’d like to welcome author Laraine Stephens to the blog for #WriterWedneday.

A few of your favorite things: my granddaughter, Ellie; champagne; chocolate; the Melbourne Football Club (Aussie Rules); my maladjusted red toy poodle who thinks she’s a Rottweiler.

Things you need to throw out: my golf handicap; my maladjusted red toy poodle who thinks she’s a Rottweiler; COVID lockdowns.

Things you love about writing: researching the setting and time period of my historical crime novels.

Things you hate about writing: coming up with a plot line for my next book and how to start it.

Things you never want to run out of: Epicure cheese; champagne; chocolate; re-runs of Frazier and House Hunters International.

Things you wish you’d never bought: that pair of electric blue bell-bottoms that I wore in 1966.

Favorite music or song: The Rolling Stones’ “Start me up”. I want it played at my funeral.

Music that drives you crazy: the Police’s “Canary in a coal mine”. Grrr.

Favorite beverage: champagne and tea, but not mixed together.

Something that gives you a sour face: wasabi and chilli.

Something you’re really good at: putting things in alphabetical order (former teacher-librarian). This is a talent that isn’t called on much.

Something you’re really bad at: being patient; going to the dentist (appalling gag reflex).

Things you always put in your books: authentic settings; fabulous cars.

Things you never put in your books: sex, blood and guts.

Things to say to an author: “I didn’t want it to end.”  

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Here’s $1000 for me to be fictionally killed off in your next book.” No problem.

Favorite places you’ve been: Egypt; the Galapagos; Iceland; Machu Picchu.

Places you never want to go to again: anywhere with mosquitoes.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Adrian McKinty (author); Mick Jagger (singer) and Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand Prime Minister).

People you’d cancel dinner on: Scott Morrison (Australian Prime Minister); Donald Trump; Prince Harry and Meghan.

Things that make you happy: Melbourne Football Club winning; playing golf; travel; restaurants; writing (of course!).

Things that drive you crazy: dust on the furniture; things not symmetrical.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I’m buying three copies of your book: one for myself, and two as birthday presents.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Did you base your psychopath on anyone I know?” he said, looking over his shoulder.

 About Laraine:

After nearly forty years of working as a teacher-librarian and Head of Library, Laraine Stephens decided to experience life on the other side of the bookshelves and became a writer of historical crime fiction. Her debut novel, The Death Mask Murders, the first in the Reggie da Costa Mysteries, was published in June 2021. The second in the series, A Dose of Death, is due out in May 2022. When she isn’t writing, travelling or playing golf, Laraine finds inspiration from her work as a volunteer guide at the Old Melbourne Gaol. Laraine lives in Beaumaris, a bayside suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, Bob, and her maladjusted red toy poodle, Zoe.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: larainestephens.com
Like me on Facebook

Secrets for Finishing Your Book - Tips for Authors

It took me over five years to write my first novel and probably another two years of editing and revising (and revising) before it was finally published. (I do write faster these days, but it took a while to find my groove.) Here are the two things that authors need for their writing journey:

• Willingness to do the Hard Work - You need to put in the work/time if you’re going to be a writer. That means sticking to a schedule, writing regularly, honing your craft, and being open to feedback.

• Persistence - If you want to be a published author, you need to set your goal and work toward it. There are going to be roadblocks, setbacks, and disappointments. Writing is a tough business.

There is no magic pill or solution. Here are some things that have worked for me. Give them a try. If something doesn’t work for you, modify it or try something else.

• Set your writing schedule and your goals. Make sure you don’t set yourself up for failure. Be realistic. If you have a busy schedule, you may only be able to commit an hour every few days. Add in a few skip days because life is going to get in the way or you may not feel like writing one day. Try your best to stick to your schedule. I am much more prolific when I write or edit every day. I am an early bird, so I get up before the sun and write before work. I also get up at 5:00 on my days off to write.

• Keep yourself motivated. There are so many distractions and other things to do. Plus, life gets in the way. Figure out what works for you.

• Just do it. My friend, Alan Orloff, calls this BICFOK - Butt in Chair - Fingers on Keyboard. It’s work.

• Try not to get Distracted. Author Brad Parks had a great suggestion for when you need to research something. He said don’t stop and research it in the moment. Type XXX in the space and make a note. Keep writing. Then when he’s in editing mode, he goes searching for “his X’s.” It cuts down on the distractions.

• Find your crew. Writing is often a one-person sport. Find your support team to celebrate with you and to cheer you up when you hit a road block. These special people are a gift.

• When you’re writing your first draft, just write. Don’t correct, edit, proofread, or revise. Finish your first draft before you go back and edit.

• Get rid of the distractions. Turn off the TV, shut your door, and get off the internet.

• Writing/publishing is a business. You need books to sell. Seven years may be too long between books. Before the pandemic, I wanted to see if I could write more than one mystery in a year. I committed to a schedule for a year, and I produced two novels, a novella, and two short stories. Since I was working from home during the pandemic, I committed my daily commute time and lunch (3 hours on week days) to writing. I finished three novels, a novella, and two short stories.

Best wishes for your writing projects!

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with W. L. Hawkin

I’d like to welcome author, W. L. Hawkin to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: cobalt blue anything but especially glass bottles; waterfalls, fountains, really anything watery; cuddly dogs; deep red wine & dark chocolate

Things you need to throw out: the horrible old pens, paper clips, pencils, erasers, and other dried out paraphernalia I collected while teaching high school!

Things you love about writing: being magically transported through time and space along with my characters as a kind of shadowy voyeur

Things you hate about writing: the physical aches and pains I feel when sitting at the computer too long. Right now I’m dealing with bicep tendinitis!

Things you never want to run out of: lip gloss & Righteous Dairy Free chocolate peanut butter vegan ice cream ... Oh my! My newest addiction!

Things you wish you’d never bought: most clothing I order online as it never really works for one reason or another

Favorite music or song: Peter Gabriel’s 1994 Secret World Tour (check it out on Youtube;)

Music that drives you crazy: heavy headbanging metal

Favorite beverage: black tea with almond milk and maple syrup

Something that gives you a sour face: tempeh (yuk, I hate it!)

Something you’re really good at: savasana (lying in corpse position at the end of a yoga session and meditating)

Something you’re really bad at: the rest of the yoga session especially if it involves gymnastic poses!

Things you always put in your books: animals, especially dogs, wolves, and horses

Things you never put in your books: secret agents

Things to say to an author: “I stayed up all night reading your book! I love ... because ...” Insert a specific comment re characters, plot, or something that reveals you engaged with the writer’s work and got it.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I don’t want to read your book. I don’t read genres.” *shrug or eye roll (subtext: “I judge your book (which I refuse to try) to be beneath my intellectual, literary level.”

Favorite places you’ve been: the west coasts of Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the USA (from Alaska to Mexico; the Canadian Maritimes; Cozumel & Merida, Mexico; and Santa Fe, New Mexico

Places you never want to go to again: big cities like Chicago or Detroit (even Toronto’s a stretch and that’s where I was born)

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Peter Gabriel—I’d just like to soak up his energy. He doesn’t even have to talk. But I do have a piano and if he were to sing “Here Comes the Flood” I would literally melt. Peter Gabriel is one of my muses and inspired the Druid bard in my latest book. Conall Ceol has Peter’s incredible voice.

People you’d cancel dinner on: any extraverted, arrogant politician. You pick. The list is endless.

Things that make you happy: hiking in the rainforest; cowboy sunsets preferably with horse and cowboy; snuggling with my dog; family meals

Things that drive you crazy: leaf blowers. I saw a guy blowing dust from the sidewalk one day. Seriously?

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I'd love to spend a day in the mind of W.L Hawkin, just to see what it's like in there.” *I took this for the compliment it was.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Your book’s risqué! And you, a teacher,” he said, tsking and wagging his finger.

About W. L.:

W. L. Hawkin writes “fantastical romantic adventure” from her loft near Vancouver, B.C. Her novels—To Charm a Killer, To Sleep with Stones, To Render a Raven, and To Kill a King each stand alone but form the Hollystone Mysteries series. This coven of West Coast witches and their eccentric friends, solve murders using ritual magic and a little help from the gods. Although Wendy is an introvert, in each book her characters go on a journey where she’s travelled herself.

A seeker and mystic fascinated by language, archaeology, and mythology, Wendy graduated from Trent University, Ontario, and has post-bac diplomas from SFU in British Columbia. Her background in Indigenous Studies and Humanities informs her work. Wendy is a blogger, book reviewer, and Indie author/publisher at Blue Haven Press.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://bluehavenpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/wlhawkin

https://twitter.com/ladyhawke1003

https://www.instagram.com/w.l.hawkin/

https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B01N69N3DW

https://www.pinterest.ca/wlhawkin/

Little Things Matter - Tips for Giving and Sharing

Random acts of kindness can mean the world to someone, and sometimes, the giver never knows the extent of his/her/their actions. There are so many ways as writers that we can give back or encourage someone else. Here are some ideas…

Volunteer - There are so many organizations (including writers groups) that need volunteers to help with a variety of tasks. A few hours could make a difference.

Mentor/Coach - Volunteer to mentor or coach a new writer. Providing feedback and life experience is invaluable. I am so grateful for all the authors who have helped me along my writing journey.

Join a Critique Group - By partnering with others, you’re honing your craft while helping others. It means a lot to those at the beginning of their journey.

Practice Random Acts of Kindness - Every day, do something nice for someone else. You’ll never know how something small can mean so much. I was overjoyed once when the car in front of me paid for my lunch at the drive-thru. It was so unexpected. I reciprocated for the car behind me, and the clerk at the window said that it had been going on with over 25 cars paying for the one behind them.

Donate - Find organizations to take your unwanted items and books. I get so many books at conferences. I make sure to pass on the ones I don’t keep to little free libraries, Friends of the Libraries, and schools. Your local foodbank or food pantry is always in need of donations. Crafters, don’t throw out scraps and left-over supplies. Teachers and day care workers often want these types of supplies for their students. Our children’s museum has an art studio, and they are always looking for donations.

Box Tops for Education - I don’t have kids in school, but I downloaded the app and scan my weekly grocery receipt. The donation goes to my elementary school in Virginia Beach.

Keep in Touch - Find ways to keep in touch with others. We all need a team, and sometimes, we need a cheerleader. Use technology to stay connected. Celebrate other’s successes. Find ways to encourage when things aren’t going as planned.

#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: