#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Judy L. Murray

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Judy L. Murray to the blog for #WriterWednesday. I had the privilege of reading an early version of her latest mystery.

A few of your favorite things: My books, all of them. Antiques and prints I’ve collected over the years. I remember where I found each one of them. It’s fun to reminisce about the hunt for treasures.

Things you need to throw out: Clothes I never wear. I always think – maybe next year I’ll wear this. I’m usually delusional, either because it will never be back in style, or I’ll never fit into it again.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Quiet, and my cats, Agatha and Dr. Watson.

Things that hamper your writing: Getting distracted by social media and the news. That’s a rabbit hole I still haven’t mastered.

Things you love about writing: Hearing from readers who love my people and all the twists and turns. That they relate to my characters. When someone asks me, “what will happen between Helen and Joe?” I smile. It means that they’re real people to my readers. Readers seem to love my Detection Club of famous sleuths in my series.

Things you hate about writing: Outlining. Hate it! Trying to improve my attitude but not being very successful.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Did I mention outlining?

Easiest thing about being a writer: Feeling good about giving yourself time alone with your thoughts. The excitement when I know my story is on a roll.

Things you never want to run out of: New ideas…and paper. Maybe pretzels. Chocolate to eat with the pretzels is nice too.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Any silly device for neck pain from working on my laptop. I think I’ve tried most everything. Heaven forbid, I force myself to exercise every day.

Words that describe you: People person, micromanager, persistent. I talk to anyone anywhere, especially in the grocery store. Yes, I’m one of THOSE.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Not enjoying the moment when I should. A worrier about things that may not ever happen, especially involving my children. I’ve improved over the years, but not enough.

Favorite foods: Cake, ice cream, twice-baked potatoes, red wine in the winter.

Things that make you want to gag: Beets and other odd vegetables. Give me the basics.

Something you’re really good at: Being creative. I’m usually a problem-solver. I’m also very good at seeing the potential in neglected houses. My husband and I have been rehabbing all our lives. It truly is an addiction.

Something you’re really bad at: Holding back on giving my advice to my grown children. I’m not sure about yours, but mine usually don’t want it!

Something you wish you could do: Speak a foreign language. I just can’t roll my r’s. I’m terrible at it. This is from someone whose maiden name is Casanova. I admire people who speak other languages.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Clean house.

Something you like to do: Jump in and help.

Something you wish you’d never done: Shovel plaster off old walls into dumpsters. You have to be young!

Things you’d walk a mile for: My family when they need me. I’d go through fire. Or, run through the woods in the dark, like my protagonist Helen in her first mystery.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: A house with more visiting dogs than people after a long weekend. My cats will come with me. But please don’t tell my children.

Things you always put in your books: A little romance and a happy ending. Life should feel good at the end of a story.

Things you never put in your books: Sex. I’m too self-conscious and inhibited.

Things to say to an author: Keep writing, welcome feedback from your editors. Revise, revise, revise.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I can’t believe you wrote that!”

Favorite places you’ve been: The Adirondacks, the Chesapeake Bay, and Bath, England.

Places you never want to go to again: Las Vegas. It’s just not my scene.

Favorite books (or genre): Books by other mystery writers. Jane Austen’s books – I own multiple sets. I re-read Rosamunde Pilcher’s whenever I need to sooth my mind.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Books about serial killers and explicit thrillers. They’d keep me up at night and I’m already a poor sleeper.

Favorite things to do: Sailing and sleeping overnight on our boat, Persuasion which was named after Jane Austen’s book and my forty years in marketing. Spending time with my family. If I can do those together, even better.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Moving. Which is pretty funny coming from a Realtor of forty years. I get very attached to my surroundings. And doing taxes. I hate anything to do with accounting.

Things that make you happy: Meeting friendly people.

Things that drive you crazy: People who don’t smile. Smiling costs you nothing except the lines around your eyes. I have many.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Actually, a couple things: Teaching my children the importance of family. Also, I’m not sure if it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, but getting my first book, Murder in the Master, published.

Biggest mistake: Waiting so long to find time outside of work to write.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I love your mysteries. Brillant!” Ahhh.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Are you Helen?” “No. I’m not nearly so Nancy Drew brave!”

About Judy

An IPPY Silver Medalist, a Silver Falchion Award Winner, and Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Mystery. Judy L Murray’s debut novel, Murder in the Master – A Chesapeake Bay Mystery, came out in 2021. Her second in the series, Killer in the Kitchen, was released late September 2022.

The Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series Book One, Murder in the Master, introduced Helen Morrisey, a quick-tongued, gutsy, and mature woman long on loyalty and short on romance. A mystery story addict, Helen’s approach to solving problems was to call on the talents of her favorite, strong-minded female detectives within her own Detection Club, much like Agatha Christie formed in 1930. 

A real estate broker in the Philadelphia area and restoration addict, Judy has worked with enough delusional sellers, jittery buyers, testy contractors, and diva agents to fill her head with back-office insight and truth versus gossip. She lives atop a cliff on the Chesapeake Bay with her husband where she writes long after sunset. They're buffeted by winds in winter and invaded by family and dogs in summer.  Judy holds a newspaper journalism degree from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and an MBA concentrating on marketing with Penn State University. She began her writing career as a newspaper reporter and magazine columnist. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Judy is represented by the Blue Ridge Literary Agency and Level Best Books Publishers. Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Follow her at www.judylmurraymysteries.com with her newsletter and Judy L Murray Author on social media. She welcomes your conversations. You can also reach her directly at judylmurray@gmail.com She’d love to hear from you!

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Stay Focused and Write Your First Draft

I hear from writers all the time that it takes years and years, and they still haven’t finished their manuscript. The first Delanie novel took me about five years to write and revise (and revise and revise). Then it took about another two years to get published. Here are some things that I’ve learned along the way that work for me.

• Plot your book. I write mysteries, and I need to know “who done it” and where to put the clues. I’ve “pantsed” a couple of manuscripts, and I found that without an outline or at least a summary for each chapter, I got stuck in the middle.

• When you get stuck, figure out what you need to do to get unstuck. The longer you leave a manuscript, the longer it’s going to take you to catch up and get back in the rhythm. Exercise, do something creative, read, or work on a totally different kind of project. Sometimes the activity is enough to spark your creativity and get you moving again.

• Sometimes, you’re stuck because you have a plot hole or you’ve written yourself into a corner. This is where the outline/chapter summary comes in handy. If you stick to the plan, you know what happens next.

• If you absolutely don’t feel like writing or don’t have the time one day, try to do edits, revisions, blog posts, or other book marketing tasks instead.

• Life does get in the way sometimes or you just need a break. When that happens, don’t beat yourself up. Figure out how to get on track. Sometimes, if I know I have an obligation or event, I’ll try to write more on other days, so I don’t lose momentum, and I still hit my word count for the week.

• When I start to write (after I have a high-level outline or chapter summaries), I keep track of my daily word count to show my progress. On days that I work at my other job, I try for 1,000 words, and on weekends/holidays, I aim for 3,000. If I can stick to this, I can usually finish a first draft in 2-3 months.

• Finish your first draft. Keep writing. Don’t keep going back to try to perfect one chapter or a paragraph. If you do, you will never finish. If there is something you want to remember, make a note and keep going.

• Try not to stop every time you need to research something. Make notes and do your research later. It’s too easy to get distracted when you hop on the internet to check something every ten minutes.

• When you’ve completed your first draft, print it out and do a full read through. Fix plot holes, inconsistencies, grammar problems, and typos. I probably do three or four full revisions like this before I’m ready for the manuscript to go to a critique group or beta readers.

I am definitely much faster when I plan out my story and write every day. If you’re having trouble finishing a manuscript, try some of these ideas and see if they work for you.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Rose Kerr

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Rose Kerr to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things:

Books, my wireless headphones, and handprints made by my kids and grandkids.

Things you need to throw out:

Blurry photos (who are those people?).

Things you need for your writing sessions:

An outline, my computer, a notebook and pen, instrumental music playing, and my wireless headphones.

Things that hamper your writing:

Not knowing what’s going to happen. I need to outline my work before I write, otherwise it doesn’t happen.

Things you love about writing:

Making up characters and putting them in challenging situations.

I love to research all kinds of different things.

Things you hate about writing:

Fiddling with grammar and punctuation. Thank goodness there are software programs to help and excellent editors.

Favorite foods:

Pizza, my lasagna, and Rappie Pie (a traditional Acadian dish). I’m Acadian and when I go back to visit my family in Nova Scotia, Rappie Pie is one of the meals we have at least once or twice.

Things that make you want to gag:

Liver and onions.

Favorite smell:

Wild roses and the smell of the ocean. In the summer, in Nova Scotia, wild roses grow in abundance and the ocean smells amazing. Combine the two and I’d buy all the candles!

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Wet hockey gear that’s been left in the bag. Yuck!

Last best thing you ate:

My lasagna.

Last thing you regret eating:

That bag of sour cream and onion chips.

The last thing you ordered online:

Pens and office supplies.

The last thing you regret buying:

Organizing bins that don’t fit the space. I’ve since used them elsewhere, but the original space still needs bins.

Favorite places you’ve been:

Boston, Australia, South Korea, Mexico. In Boston, my husband and I toured Fenway (twice!) and took in two ball games. In Australia, we visited with my brother and his family, South Korea was where my son and daughter-in-law were married, and Mexico was a fabulous place to relax and unwind.

Places you never want to go to again:

The mall on Christmas Eve! I’ve done that a few times and have vowed to never do it again.

Favorite books (or genre):

I love cozy mysteries but read other mysteries and thrillers. And I enjoy a good biography.

Books you wouldn’t buy:

I can’t read horror.

Favorite things to do:

Spending time with family, reading, walking, spending time in nature.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing:

Going to the opera, just not my thing.

Best thing you’ve ever done:

Married my husband. He’s my best friend and biggest supporter.

Biggest mistake:

Finding the “perfect” time to start writing. Just start, there isn’t a perfect time.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

I loved your book! I couldn’t put it down!

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

I’ve always wanted to write a book. It must be so easy.

About Rose

Rose Kerr lived most of her adult life in small towns. She and her husband raised their family in a small town in Northern Ontario, on the shores of Lake Superior. Currently, they live in Southern Ontario with their dog, Jake. Rose is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Guppy Online Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and Crime Writers of Canada. For more info visit: www.rosekerr.com

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#ThisorThatAuthorInterview with Belinda Betker

I’d like to welcome Belinda Betker to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: poetry books, original artworks, and almost all genres of music

Things you need to throw out: I recycle, repurpose, reuse as much as possible, but I do need to reduce the amount of paper I keep, and random other things I keep ‘just in case’ they might be useful some day

Things you need for your writing sessions: my favorite refillable blue ink pens; journals, preferably with ruled lines and built-in ribbon page marker; and really great music (especially CBC’s “After Dark” programming hosted by Odario Williams)

Things that hamper your writing: getting in my own way by getting caught up in distractions rather than just getting straight to my office and journals and PC

Things you love about writing: the constant surprise of starting off with a specific poem idea in mind to write about, but having something else emerge that I like 

Things you hate about writing: nothing! I love writing, and everything about it, including exploring topics, getting details right, revising, editing, etc.

Hardest thing about being a writer: dedicating the amount of time to writing that I want to

Easiest thing about being a writer: just sitting down to do it

Favorite foods: potatoes in any form – baked, fried, mashed, roasted, etc.; popcorn; rye toast; home-made soups; all kinds of cheese

Things that make you want to gag: raw bananas (baked is fine), hot chilies, hot peppers

Favorite smell: star-gazer lilies

Something that makes you hold your nose: any burnt food

Something you like to do: read; write; word puzzles; listen to good music; attend concerts, live theatre, musicals, and dance performances; explore art galleries and museums

Something you wish you’d never done: wasted time by procrastinating

Last best thing you ate: home-made tomato soup from my own garden-fresh tomatoes

Last thing you regret eating: that too-sweet icing on a friend’s birthday cake

Things you’d walk a mile for: a visit with a good friend; a bento box lunch at my favourite Japanese restaurant; a trip to an outdoor pool in warm weather

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: meaningless or inane conversations; racist, homophobic, and other discriminatory behaviours and language

Things you always put in your books: poems about lived experiences; connections to inner and outer worlds 

Things you never put in your books: gratuitous violence; hatred

Things to say to an author: I loved your poem(s)/book because …(be specific)

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: what do/does your poem(s) mean?

Favorite places you’ve been: boreal forest in autumn northern Saskatchewan; shoreline of any ocean; anywhere in Australia

Places you never want to go to again: any place where I got lost and felt afraid

#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Edward Willett

I’d like to welcome author, Edward Willett to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

The thing you like most about being a writer:

Readers telling me they enjoy my work!

The thing you like least about being a writer:

The extremely irregular and sometimes entirely lacking income.

Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night:

Coffee cream.

Things you never put on your shopping list:

Heart of palm.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online:

Antique champagne glasses with hollow stems that show the bubbles rising—found on eBay for my wife for an anniversary present.

The thing you wished you’d never bought.

Two wireless mics for my iPhone for livestreaming, when a cheap wired one works better.

Something you’re really good at:

Singing. I’ve sung in very good, national-level choirs, and have performed professionally in musical theatre and opera.

Something you never learned how to do:

Fly. Always kind of wanted to but it’s never happened.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

Astronaut.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

Own a publishing company, and publish and edit internationally bestselling authors (in the Shapers of Worlds anthologies).

Things you always put in your books:

Almost always, there’s a little nod to Saskatchewan—it might be the landscape, or a place name, or a character name.

Things you never put in your books:

Explicit references to modern-day politics.

Things to say to an author:

I love your books!

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

When are you going to get a real job?

Favorite things to do:

Perform in a musical, preferably one where I’m onstage all the time and have all the best songs.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing:

Attend the political convention of any party.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Skydive.

Something you chickened out from doing:

Skydive a second time.

The coolest person you’ve ever met:

Alan Doyle (former lead singer of Great Big Sea)

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video:

Pierre Eliot Trudeau (way shorter than I thought).

The best job you ever had:

Musical theatre performer.

The worst job you ever had:

Manual laborer at the Weyburn Inland Grain Terminal.

The one thing you cook/bake that is better than a restaurant dish:

Enchilada casserole, a recipe my mother picked up when we lived in New Mexico that remains my favorite food ever.

The one thing you cooked/baked that turned out to be an epic disaster:

A chocolate cake that fell so badly I took it to work and passed it off as brownies.

About Edward
Edward Willett is the award-winning author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction for readers of all ages. His twelfth novel for DAW Books, THE TANGLED STARS, comes out October 18. In 2018, he founded Shadowpaw Press (www.shadowpawpress.com) which publishes new work by emerging and established authors and new editions of notable, previously published work. Among its releases are the SHAPERS OF WORLDS anthologies, featuring authors, many of them international bestsellers and award-winners, who were guests of The Worldshapers podcast (www.theworldshapers.com), which Ed hosts and which won an Aurora Award for best fan-related work in 2019. SHAPERS OF WORLDS VOLUME III also comes out in October. In addition to writing, editing, and publishing, Ed is a professional actor and singer who has performed in numerous plays, operas, and musicals. Ed lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his wife, Margaret Anne Hodges, P.Eng., a past-president of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan.

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Ways to Plan Your Book Marketing

Your book launch and overall marketing efforts need some planning to be effective. Scattershot marketing often doesn’t work, and you end up spending more money than you want. Here are some tips that can help you get started or get organized.

• Determine your budget before you start. Spend your money where it will be most effective. Make sure you include your time in your cost calculations. Guard your writing time.

• Get a calendar or make a spreadsheet to track your efforts. It’s often hard to tell what makes a difference to your sales sometimes, but if you record dates and events, you can see if they tie into spikes in sales.

• Make sure that you are always collecting names for your newsletter/email list. Put a sign-up form on your website. Collect names at every event you attend. Your website and newsletter are things that you truly own. If a social media site folds or bans you, you lose access to your followers there.

• Spend some time each week building your key social media followings. While the number of followers doesn’t always translate to book sales, it is a way to become known and to share with others, and if you’re querying agents or publishers, they often look at your social media following and posts to see how active you are.

• As you plan your launch, reach out to friends and other authors to do guest interviews or posts. They only cost you your time, and it’s a way to reach new readers. Make sure you return the favor and help other authors.

• Build your author group or street team ahead of your big launch. This is usually a small group (usually a private Facebook group) that helps you with early beta reads or ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) reviews. I reveal news and book covers to my All-star team ahead of public announcements. They also help me spread the news when I have a new book. Many leave reviews and request my book at their library.

• Build your team of author friends who will share and celebrate your news. By sharing their news, you form a strong, supportive group.

• Look for events that promote your book. Reach out to book sellers, libraries, and other stores that will be willing to host a signing. Sometimes you have to be creative, and you have to make some cold calls. Look for events that you can include other authors. It’s more fun, and you expand your audience with multiple authors.

• Start early. I track the three months before launch and the three months after to give me a baseline of the activities. I also spot-check my analytics weekly to see what’s working and what isn’t.

Early on in my writing life, I signed up for everything that came along. I’ve learned to be a bit more selective these days as I focus my time and money or events or activities that tie into my marketing plan. In the early years, we did multiple author events (several often on the same day). While they were fun, it got to be too much, and I found that I was doing more events than writing.

Keep track of your activities, and then do a quick lessons learned to determine what worked for you, Keep what worked and jettison the ones that didn’t.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with D. C. Gomez

I’d like to welcome author, D. C. Gomez, back to the blog.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: When I have free time, my favorite thing to do is read. Getting lost in a book for a couple of hours is truly a luxury to me.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: The thing I would move to the bottom of my list is probably a tied between running the vacuum and cutting the grass. While they are both equally necessary in many of our homes, neither is something that I remotely enjoy.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: During my writing process, I usually make brief notes to myself. A necessary for me is a post-it note. On any giving period, I would have the small square or the 5 by 7 ones scattered all over my house.

Things that distract you from writing: Because I write in my living room, having the TV on is very distracting to me. Instead of writing, I would get lost in what is going on the screen. It’s also a reason I don’t have white noise in the house while I write.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The hardest thing about being a write is managing my time. With so many things that we handled, it's overwhelming to get everything done on time. Being very aware of our commitments and learning when to ask for help are crucial for any author.

The easiest thing about being a writer: For me, the easiest thing about being a writer is starting a new project. Working on developing the situation and experimenting with the voices of the characters is the most exciting thing for me.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: I’m addicted to the online store Uncommon Goods. They have unique gifts for every occasion. I recently bought my best friend a kit for making flaming drinks. Super exciting.

The thing you wished you’d never bought: As an Amazon love, I buy tons of things online. One out of ten is usually a failed purchased. I recently bought a pair of “business” dress pants that turned out to be a little see-though. I was not happy with that purchased at all.

Favorite snacks: Fresh tropical fruits are my favorite snacks. If that means slices of mango or other kind is amazing. I also have seasonal fruits easily available in my kitchen.

Things that make you want to gag: To this day, I cannot stand eggplants or okra. I can almost tolerate fried okra, since it’s covered in batter and deep friend, but not all the time.

Favorite places you’ve been:: I love traveling. Discovering new locations and things to do is one of my passions. To this day, New York City is one of my favorite places to be. I love the energy of the city and how accessible everything is.

Places you never want to go to again: After several experiences in the desert, I’m crossing them out of my locations to explore. After a long exposure to the sun, I break out. So anytime I can avoid it, I do.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Six years ago, I coordinated a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for my youth group and a few adults. To this day, people are talking about that trip and all the fun they had and how much it moved them.

Biggest mistake: Biggest mistake was probably signing up for the military airborne school. In my twenties, I thought the idea of jumping out of planes was amazing. Unfortunately, I found out quickly that I’m seriously terrified of heights. That was a very short dream of mine.

The coolest person you’ve ever met. The coolest person I have met is Deepak Chopra. He is currently the founder of the Chopra Center. Reading Deepak’s books is a transforming experience but being able to listen to him speak live is just mind blowing. I highly recommend it to everyone.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Back when I was in college, I had the opportunity to meet Mark Anthony, the Latin Salsa singer. As a huge fan of his music, it thrilled me to meet him. They did not prepare me to see that I was taller than he was. That was very shocking.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: The nicest thing a reader said to me recently is that they read my devotionals every day. As a multi-genre author, is fun that my readership is connecting to my non-fiction books and my fictions.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: During my first convention, I was promoting Death’s Intern. This is the story of Isis, who is an army veteran, and at the beginning of the book, she knows nothing about magic. As the story progress they introduced her to all sorts of magical elements and beings. A reader came up to me after reading the book and asked me if I was following him around taking notes, because the book was truly his life.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: To this day, being able to connect with readers during live events is still one of the most exciting things in my writing life. Being able to answer questions or just heard how they feel about the characters is still mind blowing.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: The one thing I wish I could do over is learn about ads and promotion sooner. I allowed my fears to get in the way and waited too long to market my books.

About D. C.

D. C. Gomez is an award winner, USA Today Best-selling Author, public speaker, mentor and podcaster. She writes in multiple genres from Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Lit, YA, Children’s Books, and Devotionals. She has a quirky and at times dark sense of humor that comes across her different books.

When D.C. is not creating her stories, she works with Authors and Aspiring Authors to create their own books. Her passion is to help others achieved their dreams in their writing journey.

D.C. has an undergraduate degree in Film and Television from NYU.  After college, she joined the US Army, where she proudly served for four years. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New England, she now calls Texas her new adoptive home.

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#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Roger Leslie

I’d like to welcome Roger Leslie to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things: I love dachshunds, classic movies, and compelling books.

Things you need to throw out: I have multiple copies of several drafts of books published years ago. Either I need to save them for The Roger Leslie Museum, or it’s time to trash them.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I’m at my creative best when I open a clear channel to my subconscious and I exercise the courage to bare my soul in my writing. Oh, a computer and a comfortable chair help, too.

Things that hamper your writing: The misguided thought that I can’t do something. Of course, we can do whatever we’re inspired to do. We wouldn’t get the inspiration if we weren’t already equipped to fulfill it.

Things you love about writing: It’s an adventure into the subconscious. I not only learn about my own psyche when I write, but every time I also rediscover my connection to the realm of creativity.

Things you hate about writing: Nothing. My goal is to love everything about any endeavor I’m committed to.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Real-world time suggests I couldn’t possibly write all the books my creative mind wants to write. My goal is to use time so effectively I write every book stirring inside me.

Easiest thing about being a writer: The creative process is solely dependent on me. To generate new books, I must only be true to my own vision and maintain the discipline to write every day.

Words that describe you: I’m exuberant, creative, organized, and disciplined.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: A nurse friend told me I’m obsessive-compulsive, stuck in the anal stage. (I thought I was just conscientious and neat.)

Something you’re really good at: I am an expert at assembling jigsaw puzzles. Sometimes I’ll put together six or seven 1,000-piece puzzles in a single day.

Something you’re really bad at: I didn’t know until my mother-in-law told me, but apparently I’m a terrible singer. (I don’t care. I sing anyway—just not around people with nice voices.)

Something you wish you could do: I’d love to play the piano beautifully.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Every time I learned to fix anything in my house or car, I became more convinced I’d rather work more hours and pay somebody else to do it.

Last best thing you ate: A friend brought me a box of Dutch chocolates from Europe. Each bite warranted a celebration.

Last thing you regret eating: I ate leftovers that had been in my fridge for five days only because I refuse to waste food. After I finished eating, I spent the next hour worrying I’d have food poisoning.

The last thing you ordered online: A ring light, green screen, and microphone for a virtual interview on a national television show.

The last thing you regret buying: I bought a less expensive name brand dish soap that comes out thinner than the water from my faucet. Who knew?!

Things you’d walk a mile for: I’d walk that far for a great double-dip ice cream cone, the opportunity to watch my dog walking through a park he loves, or a reunion with a loved one.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: I’m thrilled to stay away from incessant complainers and political discussions. Complainers want me to agree with them. I won’t. Political enthusiasts want me to argue with them. I don’t.

Things you always put in your books: Hope and positivity, and usually a subtle reference to a friend or family member who will be the only one to recognize it.

Things you never put in your books: One-dimensional antagonists who are mean for no reason. I don’t believe people are ever mean for no reason. Mean people get that way to protect themselves from hurt.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Your book changed my life.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: A parent picked up a copy of my book, Success Express for Teens and asked, “Would this book be good for my teenagers?”

About Roger

Award-winning author, publisher, editor, and writing coach Dr. Roger Leslie is a scholar in the fields of education and success. His bestselling works cover multiple genres of nonfiction and fiction. A lifelong teacher, Leslie leads courses (RogerLeslie.com) on writing and on living the life you dream. 

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