#WriterWednesday Interview with Lorie Lewis Ham & Give-away

I’d like to welcome author, editor, publisher, and podcaster, Lorie Lewis Ham to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite things: Pepsi, animals, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Things you need to throw out: I need to giveaway some of the books I know I won’t ever read again but it’s so hard!

Things you love about writing: I love creating a story and characters.

Things you hate about writing: Editing!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting the word out to readers.
Easiest thing about being a writer: The first draft!

Things you never want to run out of: Pepsi

Things you wish you’d never bought: A house! I would much rather rent and have all the repairs be someone else’s problem lol.

Favorite music or song: Frank Sinatra

Music that drives you crazy: The loud hip hop and rap that our neighbor plays in the middle of the day (mostly because it’s so loud and I can’t enjoy sitting outside to read)

Favorite beverage: Tie between Pepsi and coffee
Something that gives you a sour face: Strong lemonade

Favorite smell: Coffee
Something that makes you hold your nose: Flowers because they make me sneeze

Something you wish you could do: Write for TV

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: That one is tough. There are moments I wish I didn’t know how to drive  car and that we had public transportation where we live instead.

Things you always put in your books: animals
Things you never put in your books: torture or death of an animal

Favorite places you’ve been: Santa Cruz, CA and London
Places you never want to go to again: Needles, CA

Favorite books (or genre): mystery and urban fantasy
Books you wouldn’t buy: Romance (I am fine with it being in the other genres just doesn’t interest me by itself)

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Patrick Stewart.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Sir Ian McKellen-he was wearing skinny jeans and seemed so tiny in person.

Merlin

About Lorie:

Lorie Lewis Ham lives in Reedley, California and has been writing ever since she was a child. Her first song and poem were published when she was 13, and she has gone on to publish many articles, short stories, and poems throughout the years, as well as write for a local newspaper, and publish 6 mystery novels. For the past 11 years, Lorie has been the editor-in-chief and publisher of Kings River Life Magazine, and she produces Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast where you can now hear an excerpt of her new book One of Us. You can learn more about Lorie and the new book on her website mysteryrat.com and find her on Twitter @mysteryrat and Facebook. Another way to keep up with Lorie’s writing is to subscribe to her newsletter, which you can do on her website. 

Lorie has been married to Larry for 30 years and they have 2 grown children—Jayce and Joseph Ham. She currently has 5 cats (Merlin, Sam, Dean, Sidney, and Willow), 4 dogs (Lestat, Huey, Xander, and Phoebe), a pet dwarf rabbit (Sherlock), and pet rat named Yuki. For many years, she worked in pet rat rescue, and has had many pet rats of her own over the years.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.mysteryrat.com/

Twitter: @mysteryrat https://twitter.com/mysteryrat

Facebook: I mostly use the Kings River Life Mystery Facebook Group to share about my books https://www.facebook.com/groups/krlmysterygroup

Instagram I share with KRL @krlmagazine https://www.instagram.com/krlmagazine/

 Lorie Lewis Ham is giving away an ebook of her latest, One of Us. If you’d like to enter for a chance to win, please leave a comment, and Lori will choose a winner on May 25.  

15 Things about My Sleuth - Jules Keene

Jules Keene is the owner of the Fern Valley Camping Resort, home to vintage trailers and tiny houses. She first appears in Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers. Here are 15 things that you may not know about my amateur sleuth.

1. Redhead

2. Drives a Silver Jeep Wrangler

3. Born in 1983

4. From Fern Valley, Virginia

5. Graduated from James Madison University in 2004

6. Degree in Interior Design

7. Likes hiking and camping

8. Named after Demi Moore’s Character in St. Elmo’s Fire

9. Named her dog after the classic Bijou movie theater in town

10. Divorced the Idiot in 2010

11. Her parents bought the Fern Valley Camping Resort in the 1970s

12. Her boyfriend Jake is named after the character in 16 Candles

13. Crafts in her spare time

14. Savvy with social media

15. Appears next in Film Crews and Rendezvous (October 2022)

Book Links

Apple Books: ‎Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers on Apple Books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Trailers-Blackmailers-Heather-Weidner/dp/1685120369

Barnes and Noble: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

BookBub: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner - BookBub

BookShop: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers a book by Heather Weidner (bookshop.org)

Booktopia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers eBook by Heather Weidner | 9781685120375 | Booktopia

Goodreads: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner | Goodreads

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vintage-trailers-and-blackmailers

Target: Vintage Trailers And Blackmailers - By Heather Weidner (paperback) : Target

Thalia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers von Heather Weidner - eBook | Thalia

 Summary

There is nothing like finding a dead body, clad only in a red satin thong, on your property to jolt you from a quiet routine. Jules Keene, owner of the posh Fern Valley Camping Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is thrust into the world of the Dark Web when one of her guests, Ira Perkins, is found murdered in the woods near her vintage trailers. Jules quickly discovers that the man who claimed to be on a writing retreat was not what he seemed, and someone will go to any length to find what he left at her resort. Jules, along with her Jack Russell Terrier sidekick Bijou, has to put the rest of the missing pieces of a blackmailing scheme together before her glamping business is ruined.

Jules’s resort, set in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville in the quaint town of Fern Valley, offers guests a unique vacation in refurbished and upcycled vintage trailers. Hoping to expand her offerings, she partners with her maintenance/security guy to create a village of tiny houses, the latest home DIY craze, but a second murder of a reporter interrupts Jules’s expansion plans. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she steps up her sleuthing to find out what Ira Perkins was really up to and what he was really hiding at her resort.

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Lane Stone

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Lane Stone back to the blog. She has an amazing new series that has just launched.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time:

When I’m in Lewes, I like to take Cordy to the dog park. In Alexandria, VA, I have season tickets to opera and symphony at the Kennedy Center.  

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Ironing. Cleaning the frig.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Starbucks Trenta Black Iced Tea.

Things that distract you from writing: Can I say my husband?

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: I’ve made nighttime runs to the drug store for sick friends.

Things you never put on your shopping list: Red meat.  And we don’t eat much junk food.

Favorite snacks: Popcorn – if that’s considered junk food, please don’t tell me.

Things that make you want to gag:  Licorice. Larry loves mint ice cream. I think it’s nasty.

Something you’re really good at: I think I’m a good aunt.  When my nieces were young I would teach them a cuss word if they did what I said.

Something you’re really bad at: Singing.  The universe isn’t fair. I should be able to sing.

Last best thing you ate: Egg white bites at Starbucks this morning after my swim.
Last thing you regret eating: Last night I went wild and had a diet coke with dinner, and was awake most of the night. 

Things to say to an author:  I laughed a lot reading your book.
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I thought I might just write a book.” 

Favorite places you’ve been: We went to Antarctica in February. It was just amazing.
Places you never want to go to again: 2020

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Why, you, Heather!

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Meg Ryan. She was short and sat in the back of the room where my husband was giving a speech.  Someone told me who she was – I wouldn’t have recognized her though I’m a huge fan. She was so unassuming. Not at all a diva.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: I’m over the moon every launch day. 

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Not let anything get in the way of writing. It took 10 years to write my first book, I’m embarrassed to say.

 About Lane:

Lane Stone lives in Alexandria, Virginia and Lewes, Delaware with her husband, Larry Korb, and their Standard Schnauzer, Cordy. She’s the author of THE COLLECTOR, an art thriller, which is the first book in The Big Picture trilogy. The first book in the Old Town Antiques Mystery series, DEAD MEN DON’T DECORATE, will be published in November 2022, and will be written as Cordy Abbott. She is the author of the Pet Palace Mysteries and the Tiara Investigation Mystery series.

When not writing she enjoys characteristic baby boomer pursuits:  being a dog Mom, traveling and volunteering for good causes, like AAUW and the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation. She serves on several boards.

She has a post-graduate certificate in Antiquities Theft and Art Crime.

Visit her at www.LaneStoneBooks.com and https://twitter.com/themenopausedog. 

She is represented by Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary Agency.

#WriterWednesdayInterview with Darrell Newton

I’d like to welcome author Darrell Newton to the blog this week for #WriterWednesday!

Things you love about writing:

I can share the voices in my head with other people. Yes, these characters take on a life of their own.

Things you never want to run out of:

Time, but I know that day is coming. Time makes the best things in life precious. Oh, and caffeine. I never want to run out of caffeine, but that day too may come. :)

Something you’re really good at:

Analyzing problems and finding solutions. I’m an engineer by trade and nature.

Something you’re really bad at:

Underwater judo. I’m incredibly slow underwater. Is that true for you too?

The last thing you regret buying:

A heavy duty one-hundred-foot hose. It only lasted one use. I pulled on it after screwing it onto the faucet and it snapped off. It happened again after I bought the replacement.

Things you always put in your books:

A conflict that matches the character’s personality or history, a conflict with no easy answer.

Things you never put in your books:

Erotica. Sorry, that’s for my wife.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living):

Dr. Jordan Peterson. With his clinical and teaching experience, the conversation could easily go past my bedtime.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Bought a house at an auction. The closer we got to the final bid, the more it felt like an out-of-the-body experience.

The funniest thing to happen to you:

This is one of those you’ll-look-back-at-it-and-laugh moments. We raise chickens, and one year we had a problem with predators. No matter how many traps we put out, we couldn’t catch the predator. Late one night, we heard frantic squawking from one of the chicken pens. Man, I was going to get this thing. Everyone in our house got up to catch it. I ran full tilt down the stairs and out through the big garage door. The next thing I knew, I was flat on my back with a welt across my forehead. In the darkness, I didn’t see the garage door was not rolled up all the way.

The coolest person you’ve ever met:

He may not be the coolest person, but this may be the best person-I-met story. I applied for a job while going to college in California. After a phone interview, I was asked to come to this residence in the Hollywood hills. After I was let through a security gate, the guy who hired me told me I was working for Marlon Brando … at his house. So, now I can say I got through college working for the Godfather.

About Darrell:

Born in Simi Valley, California, Darrell Newton attended twelve different schools until he finally got it right and graduated from a high school on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The Cypriots soon realized it was in their national interest to ship Darrell back to the United States. He meandered through college until the administration bribed him to leave with two apparently contradictory degrees: Theology and Electrical Engineering. He is currently working as an electrical engineer, robotics programmer, landlord, part-time farmer, and father of seven. Sometimes he even writes a thing or two.

Darrell is the author of historical science fiction short stories and novels based on questions like:              

What would you do with a stone that heals anything?    
If you could look like anyone, who would it be?
What happens when time travelers lose their tools?

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Darrell-Newtons-Author-Page-159769627457243

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5102847.Darrell_Newton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newtonscifi

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NewtonSciFi

Author ABCs - Names to Add to Your TBR List

Here’s a list of authors to add to your spring reading list. I challenged myself to find at least one interesting author per letter.

A: Amy Reade, Alice Adler, Annette Dashofy

B: Bree Baker, Bethany Blake

C: Colleen Shogun, Cathy Maxwell, John Copenhaver

D: Diane Kelly, Donna Andrews

E: Ellen Bryon, Edith Maxwell

F: Joanne Fluke

G: Garbriel Valjan, Debra H. Goldstein

H: Hank Phillippi Ryan

I: Michael Innes, Karen Irving

J: Joanna Campbell Slan, Julie Hyzy, Jackie Layton, J. C. Kenney, Jennifer Chow

K: K. L. Murphy, Kellye Garrett, Krista Davis

L: Libbie Klein, Lane Stone

M: Marilyn Levinson, Mary Feliz, Mary Lee Ashford, Misty Simon

N: Nancy Cole Silverman, Nancy Coco

O: Kelly Oliver, Alan Orloff

P: P. M. Terrell

Q: Ellery Queen

R: Ruth J. Hartman

S: Sherry Harris, S. A. Cosby, Sue Grafton

T: Tina Debellegarde, Tina Kashian

U: Robert Upton, Nicola Upson

V: Vicki Delany

W: LynDee Walker, Tina Whittle

X: Xiao Bai

Y: Joyce Yarrow, Sheila York, Kate Young

Z: M. J. Zellnik, Jean Zimmerman

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with V. S. Holmes

I’d like to welcome author. V. S. Holmes to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Mood music, whether that’s a character playlist (which you can find on my website!) or background instrumental pieces.

Things that hamper your writing: Interruptions! People talking, or anything that keeps me to staying in the groove.

Things you love about writing: The ability to create new worlds, and weave the perfect character interactions.

Things you hate about writing: the fact that I can just plug my brain in and upload what I’m picturing!

Words that describe you: Loyal, kind, insightful

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: short-tempered, impatient, awkward.

Favorite smell: The smell of a rainstorm in spring.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Anything acrid and chemical! Also, French vanilla scented things.

 Something you’re really good at: I’ve got something of a green thumb.

Something you’re really bad at: Small talk.

Last best thing you ate: I had an amazing salmon with brussel sprouts dinner the other night, and my partner’s friend chicken is to-die-for!

Last thing you regret eating: Had a giant slice of pizza after a hike back out from a remote job site at the end of the week recently and that was a terrible life choice!

Things you always put in your books: Emotionally fraught reunion scenes!

Things you never put in your books: Needless bigotry.

 People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Ivan Coyote (they’re storytelling is so awesome!)

People you’d cancel dinner on: J. K. Rowling.

 Favorite things to do: I love exploring a new patch of wilderness, and taking the time to look at all the weird little signs of life.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Well, I actually like eating bugs, but that aside, I would do almost anything to avoid making a phone call!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Ha, coming out, honestly. But beyond that, I took off on my own to travel across Greece and hike Mount Olympus (mostly barefoot!) without knowing much of the language or having any real plan.

Something you chickened out from doing: Confronting a few specifically toxic people in my life. It’s a lot easier to stand up for things in fiction than it is when cruel people are right in front of you.

 The nicest thing a reader said to you: I was told my book got someone through their quarantine, which was pretty incredible. I’ve also been likened to Tony Hillerman, which is awesome!

The craziest thing a reader said to you: That my books were too gay (we all know there’s no such thing!)

About V. S.:

V. S. Holmes is an international bestselling author. They created the BLOOD OF TITANS series and the NEL BENTLY BOOKS. Smoke and Rain, the first book in their fantasy quartet, won New Apple Literary's Excellence in Independent Publishing Award in 2015 and a Literary Titan Gold in 2020. Travelers is also included in the Peregrine Moon Lander mission as part of the Writers on the Moon Time Capsule. In addition, they have published short fiction in several anthologies.

 As a disabled and non-binary human, they work as an advocate and educator for representation in SFF worlds. When not writing, they work as a contract archaeologist throughout the northeastern U.S. They live with their spouse, a fellow archaeologist, their dog Rory, and own too many books.

Let’s Be Social:

Site: http://.vsholmes.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VS_Holmes

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vs_holmes/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/vs-holmes

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/v-s-holmes

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/V-S-Holmes/e/B014B55FJ0

#WriterWednesday Interview with David M. Kelly

I’d like to welcome author David M. Kelly to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things: my Corvette, my collection of tatty but loved sci-fi paperbacks.

Things you need to throw out: cables, old computers and assorted other electronic devices.

Things you love about writing: The creative freedom. If I have a pen and paper, I can work.

Things you hate about writing: I'm not keen on editing, and terrible at marketing

Favorite foods: Fish and chips, bacon, British bangers

Things that make you want to gag: Bananas, cabbage, cauliflower

Favorite music or song: Sixties soul – Sam Cooke, Otis Redding.

Music that drives you crazy: Country!

Favorite beverage: Coffee or Sleeman’s Original beer

Something that gives you a sour face: Gin

Something you’re really good at: Expert level sarcasm

Something you’re really bad at: Remembering people’s names

Things you always put in your books: Some humor – generally of the cynical variety, and mostly plausible science

Things you never put in your books: Long, rambling descriptions that go on for pages.

Things to say to an author: I loved your book. By the way, I'm a Hollywood producer and want to turn it into a movie!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Writing's not a proper job though, is it?

Favorite places you’ve been: Lake Superior Provincial Park

Places you never want to go to again: Istanbul

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Neil deGrasse Tyson, Robert Downey Jr, Dr. Mae Jemison, Avery Brooks

People you’d cancel dinner on: Elon Musk, George Lucas, and a long list of others!

Best thing you’ve ever done: Move to Canada

Biggest mistake: Not starting to write sooner

The funniest thing to happen to you: Ending up at the wrong wedding in Istanbul.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: Ending up at the wrong wedding in Istanbul.

About David:

David M. Kelly writes fast-paced, near-future sci-fi thrillers with engaging characters, cynical humor, and (usually!) plausible science. He is the author of the Joe Ballen series, Logan’s World series, and the Hyperia Jones series. Originally from Yorkshire, England, David emigrated to Canada in 2005 and settled in Northern Ontario where he was able to transition from the world of IT into life as a full-time writer. David is a rabid science news follower and especially passionate about astronomy and physics.  Never short of an opinion, he writes about science and technology on his blog. You can find him at davidmkelly.com.

Let’s Be Social:

AMAZON PAGE

https://www.amazon.com/David-M-Kelly/e/B00PQXCCHU/

FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/DavidMKellySF

GOODREADS

www.goodreads.com/DavidMKelly

INSTAGRAM

https://www.instagram.com/david_kelly_sf/

LINKED IN

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/davidkelly2008

REDDIT

https://www.reddit.com/u/David_M_Kelly

TWITTER

http://twitter.com/David_Kelly_SF

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPAYerclATlzkCphAbAF79g

Book Signing Basics - Tips for Authors

I am so excited that we’re getting back to prepandemic things like book signings and in-person events. Here are some reminders of things you may need to make your event successful.

Pens, Pens, and More Pens - Always have a stash of your favorite writing instruments. Look for ones with quick-drying ink to keep your line moving.

Office Supplies - Pack a small box of office essentials. You never know when you’ll need tape, paperclips, scissors, or rubber bands. Mine also has sunscreen, lotion, and hand sanitizer in it.

Give-aways - Make sure to have plenty of your give-away items like pens, bookmarks, and postcards.

Tablecloth - I keep a clean (and pressed) tablecloth in my bag. Sometimes, there is no table covering. And I always use it to hide my boxes and bags under the table.

Business Cards - Keep your business cards nearby for those looking to contact you.

Passwords - I don’t use my credit card reader very often. So I always make sure I remember the password and that the device is working before I leave the house.

Change - If you’re selling your own books, make sure you have enough change. If you have multiple books, it’s nice to have a sign with all the available titles and prices.

Drinks/Snacks - I have been at all-day events where there is no break for meals. I usually pack a small cooler with snacks and drinks.

Dress for All Kinds of Weather - Make sure you layer. You never know when it’s going to be too hot or too cold in a room.

Invest in a Cart - If you’re hauling supplies and books, invest in a durable cart. Books are heavy.

Extra Books - Always have a box or two of books in your car even if there is a book seller. Orders have been delayed and events sell out. It’s good to be prepared.

Best wishes for your book signing!