#WriterWednesday Interview with Annie McEwen

This week, I’m excited to feature the fabulous Annie McEwen for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Caffeine in any way, shape, or form and a comfy chair

Things that hamper your writing: Getting distracted by my phone and my three dogs. They think they’re my editors, especially Chappy. Since he’s in my books, he always wants to sit on my lap and watch me type. I guess he’s making sure I make him look good.

A few of your favorite things: Photos of my kids when they were little, my late grandmother’s wedding ring (which was part of her mother’s wedding ring), and my piano I taught myself to play on as a kid. It was my mom’s when she was a little girl.

Things you need to throw out: Those jeans I keep telling myself I’ll get back into, the load of scrapbooking supplies I swear I’m going to make beautiful albums with, and my high heels. Plantar fasciitis is a jerk.

Words that describe you: Friendly, compassionate, loving, funny (or so I’ve been told!)

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Clumsy, self-conscious, scatter-brained (I’m blaming being in my fifties on that one!)

Favorite foods: Seafood, pasta, cheese, any pastries my daughter makes (she has a side bakery business)

Things that make you want to gag: Onions, avocados, and jalapenos

Something you’re really good at: Being a Gigi – this grandma thing is fabulous!

Something you’re really bad at: sports…I try, but I need to be honest with myself, I stink.

Favorite music or song: Hard to pick! I love country, pop, southern gospel (I wanted to be a southern gospel piano player when I was younger).

Music that drives you crazy: hip-hop and rap

Things you’d walk a mile for: My family and friends… and a sweet tea from Puckett’s in Franklin, Tennessee.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: a mouse…I will kill any bug for you, but a mouse will put me in complete panic mode.

Things you always put in your books: Good friends, red herrings, a dash of humor, and, of course, a mystery!

Things you never put in your books: Crimes against a child or animal, sexual assault

Things to say to an author: “I loved your book!” “I got all the cozy feels!” “I can’t wait for your next book!”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “So, you just type it up and send it to a publisher, and they print it, right?” “Why can’t you give me a book? You get them for free, don’t you?”

Favorite books (or genre): Cozy mysteries, historical fiction, sweet romance

Books you wouldn’t buy: Anything with crimes against children or dark stories. Between my husband’s job as a police lieutenant and my job in radiology, I see and hear so much real-life sadness that I don’t want to read about it. The mysteries we write have a totally different vibe.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: She said my book felt like being wrapped in a warm hug. (cue the tears!)

The craziest thing a reader said to you: One reader/reviewer said my main character, Emmy, was cliched. She listed all the reasons why. I texted my writing bestie, Paula Charles, aka Janna Rollins, and told her, “Well, I guess I’m a cliché because everything she didn’t like about Emmy is all me!” We shared a laugh since Paula knows me so well and also knows that Emmy is mostly based on my personality. Oh well, you can’t please everyone. (sigh)

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: There’s a story about a tetherball in Resort to Murder. It is exactly what happened to me when I was about thirteen. My dad still has the now-deflated tetherball. LOL.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Many people think that Dean, Emmy’s crush, is based on how my husband Brian and I met. It’s not. We actually met through his mom! I worked with her and she set us up.

About Annie:

Annie McEwen, author of the Northwoods Mysteries Series, finds inspiration in the tall pines and sparkling lakes of northern Wisconsin, where she spent her childhood vacations. Nowadays, she visits her family, who resides in the area she writes about.

A former farm kid, Annie, along with her husband, are empty nesters enjoying the country life in rural Indiana. With their children and two young grandsons living nearby, they cherish frequent family time. Annie believes being a grandparent is the best role ever! Their household is completed by four fur babies, one of whom is a significant character in her books.

When Annie isn’t immersed in writing, she loves taking on trash-to-treasure projects, tending to her garden, and working as a radiological technologist. She's a member of Sisters in Crime and enjoys attending mystery conventions, as well as connecting with readers and fellow authors in person and on social media.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.anniemcewenauthor.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064688271296

What Are You Reading This Summer?

What are you reading this summer? Here are some of the books I’ve read recently.

You can’t go wrong with anything by Diane Kelly, Maria DiRico (Ellen Byron), and Tara Lush. Read all their series. They are fabulous, and I always read their latest.

Korina Moss and Linda Reilly are my favorite cheese-themed cozy writers. What is not to love? You can never have enough cheese, and when it’s mixed with a mystery, it’s perfect. You need to check out all the books in both of their series.

Daphne Silver, Annie McEwen, T.C. Herren, and Jennie Marts were all new-to-me cozy authors. Their books are terrific, and you need to check them out.

Paula Charles’s Hammers and Homicide is a fun cozy and a great start to a new series. I also had the pleasure of reading an early version of her second in her goat yoga series as Janna Rollins. It’s a hoot.

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC for Janna Rollins for the second in her Zen Goat Mysteries. It’s a hoot. This is a must-read series.

Annie McEwen’s Resort to Murder is another great start to a new series. What a sweet, fun mystery. She has a new one out in this series, too.

I read the first two of The Turner and Mosely Files by LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin. What a fun series of mysteries full of adventure, missing treasures, and all kinds of cool technology. Escape on a book vacation with this series!

What books or authors should I add to my summer reading list?

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Kristin Kisska

I’d like to welcome my friend, the fabulous Kristin Kisska, to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: I can’t work without coffee and absolute silence.

Things that distract you from writing: Pretty much all things on the internet. I need to put parental controls on my office computer.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: A 9-volt battery to replace the dying one in my chirping smoke alarm. That’s usually the time it goes off as well.

Things you never put on your shopping list: Lumber. I’m not handy, so I have no business working with a hammer, nails, or wood.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: This is tough, because I buy just about everything online these days. But, one of my very first online purchases ever was my wedding dress back in 1999!

The thing you wished you’d never bought: I bought a monthly subscription plan for a streaming “commercial free” radio service for my car, that took months to finally terminate our subscription, and now I’m on their marketing mailing list.

Favorite snacks: Ice cream, especially Gelato. I just returned from visiting my daughter in Rome, so I’m trying to break my daily afternoon Gelato habit.

Things that make you want to gag: Olives. I can’t even pick them off a Greek salad, because they make all the rest of the ingredients taste like olives.

Something you’re really good at: Making lists and spreadsheets.

Something you’re really bad at: Remembering to bring along my shopping list with me to the grocery store.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: I never in a million years predicted I’d be a novelist, let alone publish one!

Things to say to an author: I couldn’t stop thinking about your book after it

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I have a great idea for a book. If you write it, we can split the profits.

Favorite places you’ve been: I adore Prague, Czech Republic where I lived for three years, the Amalfi Coast, Italy, and the Exuma, Bahamas. In the USA, I love visiting Destin, Florida, Savannah, and Charleston.

Places you never want to go to again: Ohhhhh, that’s tough, because I think most places have something charming to them. But if pressed, it would be tough to convince me to visit Las Vegas.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: In my twenties, I bought a one-way ticket to Prague and lived there for three years. My parents thought I was nuts, but it was the adventure of a lifetime.

Something you chickened out from doing: Skydiving. I don’t do heights. Ever.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: I love going to in person book events like festivals, conferences, and book clubs. While most writers are introverts—myself included—I get a rush chatting with book people.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: I wish I could learn how to write in quick bursts. I started out writing when my kiddos were napping or in preschool, and now I need a stretch of absolute quiet time or I can’t write.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “If I could, I would give your novel [The Hint of Light] six stars!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Did you hire a ghost writer?”

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: My go-to writer’s block cure is going for a walk. If that doesn’t work, I ask myself, “How can I make the situation worse for my main character?” And if all else fails, I enjoy an adult beverage. That usually helps ease through the pain.

Things you do to avoid writing: I can tell if I’m procrastinating if I start cleaning my home. That is my S.O.S. call!

About Kristin:

KRISTIN KISSKA used to be a finance geek, complete with MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed #SuspenseGirl. Kristin has contributed short suspense stories to a dozen anthologies, including her first locked room mystery, “Cruise to Nowhere” in the revenge fiction anthology, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder.  Her debut novel, The Hint of Light, was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Mystery Novel. Kristin is a member of International Thriller Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Sisters in Crime. Kristin lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family and their moody tabby cat, Boom. She loves hearing from friends, readers, and book clubs at www.KristinKisska.com

Let’s Be Social:

Instagram - @kristinkisskaauthor 

Twitter/X - @KKMHOO

Facebook - @KristinKisskaAuthor 

YouTube -  @KristinKisskaAuthor

Website - www.KristinKisska.com

Kristin’s short story, “Cruise to Nowhere” appears in the anthology, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder.

#WriterWednesday with Jackie Layton

I’d like to welcome my friend, the fabulous Jackie Layton, to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

Things you never want to run out of: I never want to run out of story ideas and time to write.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Years ago, before the birth of my second son, we traded in our sports car for a bigger car. It was a true lemon. It broke down before my son was born, and we weren’t even able to drive home with him in the new-to-us vehicle. We ended up trading it. Then another time we bought a used car. We were told it’d never been smoked in. I have allergies and that’s one of the many things I’m allergic to. We took it home, and the smoky smell soon broke through. That was our last time to buy a used car, because it just doesn’t seem to work for us. But, I’m still driving my 2007 Highlander, and I love it.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Distractions. Instead of just yearly goals, I have quarterly and weekly goals. Also, at night before I go to bed, I make a list of writing goals for the next day. If I’m scheduled to work my other job, I’ll make a simple list like check social media. But I try to always have a list.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Watching people and coming up with ideas. I may not use all the ideas, but it’s fun to consider.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Laptop, pens, notecards, Scrivener, and coffee.

Things that hamper your writing: If I’m writing in my home office, I like it to be quiet except for soft music playing in the background. When neighbors start mowing their yards, it really distracts me. I’m not sure why.

A few of your favorite things: I have two of my Grandmother Lutz’s small looms. She had some so big that they were taller than some people. She wove many things, and I learned to weave little things like placemats and scarves.

I have a pie safe that belonged to my parents. It was in the kitchen where we grew up, and instead of pies, she kept dishes in it.

Things you need to throw out: I’ve just gone through old magazines and put most of them into the recycling box. Some magazines are for research, and others are for fun, but it was time to get rid of a lot of them.

Words that describe you: A lot of people refer to me as being tall. I’m 5’10”, so they’re right, but the people in my family are tall and I tend to forget about it.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Shy. I really have to push myself to be outgoing.

Something you’re really good at: I’m good at listening. If people want to confide in me, I will listen. I can be trusted with secrets both good and bad.

Something you’re really bad at: I’m not very coordinated, so I’m not very good at sports. Luckily, my sons didn’t inherit that from me, and I got to watch and cheer for them when they played sports.

Favorite music or song: I enjoy all kinds of music, but country music is my favorite.

Music that drives you crazy: I don’t like music with negative messages.

Favorite smell: The smell of the beach and sunscreen makes me happy.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Skunks.

Last best thing you ate: Key lime pie.

Last thing you regret eating: Fried food makes me feel sluggish, and I usually regret eating fried fish or chicken.

The last thing you ordered online: A skinny black shelf for my husband’s office.

The last thing you regret buying: A book about the psychology of murder. It may be great, but the print is so tiny. I can’t read it.

Things you’d walk a mile for: I’d walk a mile for a good cup of coffee. If my family needs something, I’d even run a mile.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: If I am about to walk into a room and people are already arguing, I try to wait before entering. If I’m in a meeting and a fight breaks out, that will make me run screaming from the room.

Things you always put in your books: Dogs. I also like to add a romantic thread. At a recent conference they referred to this as Rom-cozy.

Things you never put in your books: Suicide or death of a pet.

Favorite places you’ve been: Some of my favorite vacation spots are Paris, Maine, and Rhode Island. I also love Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas.

Places you never want to go to again: I’d be happy never to drive on The Capital Beltway or drive in Boston. I’d like to visit both places again, but I don’t want to drive.

Favorite books (or genre): Cozy mysteries and romances.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Horror.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: I would love to invite my author friends to dinner. It would be fun to laugh and share stories.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Without being specific, we all have people in our lives who say things to make us feel bad. I try to avoid those people.

Favorite things to do: Spend time with family and friends, especially if we can be outside at a park or beach.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Sing in front of people. I can’t carry a tune.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Marrying my husband.

Biggest mistake: Trusting a man to build a house for us, then he disappeared with a large chunk of our money.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Vince Gill. He was so nice.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Paula Deen. She was so tiny, but her smile and voice were just like on TV. She was also very nice.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Your characters feel like my friends.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: People in South Carolina only drink Pepsi.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Photography. Other people are better, but I still enjoy taking pictures.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Creating a book of photos. Each time I try, something goes wrong.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: My husband teases me that many of my stories have an element related to things that happened to us. Kate Sloan, the amateur in Clutter Free, has lost hearing in one ear because of an acoustic neuroma. My husband also had an acoustic neuroma. After the tumor was removed, he lost hearing in his right ear.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Some people think I’m organized, but it’s not a strength of mine. I work very hard to be organized.

About Jackie:

Jackie Layton is the author of cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths. Her stories are set in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. She lives on the coast of South Carolina where she enjoys walks on the beach and golf cart rides around the marsh. Reading, gardening, and traveling are some of her favorite hobbies. She always keeps a notebook handy to write down ideas for future stories.

Let’s Be Social:

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jackielaytonauthor/ 

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/joyfuljel

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/37slujv

Bookbub: https://bit.ly/37RqGQ8

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jackielaytoncozyauthor.com

Newsletter https://bit.ly/2WOPe42

Website: https://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com/

Back cover blurb: Emma Justice never imagines working at the farmers market on a normal Saturday morning will lead to her second murder investigation. When two friends become suspects in the latest small-town murder, she’ll help prove they are innocent by tracking down the real killer.

Houston Turner, the successful owner of Texas BBQ Hut, is a hard man and has made many enemies in his life. Revenge, greed, and hatred are some of the motives Emma must sift through to catch the killer. Seeds of suspicion from family, friends, and employees leaves Emma digging for real clues instead of stumbling through the rocky soil of deceit and lies.

I'm a New Author - What Should I Work on First?

New authors often ask what part of their platform they should work on and when? Here’s what has worked for me.

Website: Purchase your domain name for your site and start creating the pages. This is the hub of all of your marketing efforts. I would create it first. If you don’t have a book to highlight yet, start with a blog and build a following. Blog about things in your book, your research, your hobbies, what you read/watch, or anything that catches your fancy. Try to have a regular schedule if possible.

Link to your social media accounts to your webpage and have a place where visitors can sign up for your newsletter. You can add pages and update the look as you add new books.

Email/Newsletter List: Start collecting names as soon as you start doing events or appearances. Have a sign-up sheet where people can register. Decide how often you want your newsletter to go out and what kind of content you want to include. I do mine quarterly with some kind of contest. I include announcements, events, photos, and interviews of other authors.

There are all kinds of free and paid email services that you can use to build your newsletter from templates and to house/maintain your list of followers. Remember, you can be banned from social media platforms, or the site can shut down. When this happens, you have no way of contacting those followers. You own your email list, and that’s why it’s important to have and cultivate.

Social Media Sites: I would also start to build a following on these as soon as you can. Agents, editors, and publishers often look at your website and social media sites to see your content and what kind of following you have. I started out years ago with three Twitter followers. It takes time to build an audience. Choose the one or two sites that you want to focus on and follow at least 10 people a day.

I write cozy mysteries. Most of my readers are on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, so that’s where I focus most of my time, but I do have a presence on a variety of other sites. Make sure your readers can easily find you. Make the look and feel of each site (photograph and banners) similar. To build (and keep) an audience, you need to be social. You need to interact with those who comment, post interesting content (that’s not all “buy my book”), and share other’s celebrations.

A business page on Facebook and Instagram gives you access to metrics and insights about your page and activity and access to the business tools. I can see when my followers are most active, and I can schedule posts during those times. Some authors use their personal Facebook accounts. There is a limit to the number of friends you can have on a personal account, and once you hit that number, you can’t expand your reach. The business page isn’t limited.

I would focus on these three key parts of your author platform as soon as you decide to start your writing journey. There is a lot of waiting when you query agents or publishers or while you wait for publication. I would use this time to work on your website, newsletter, and social media sites.

What else would you add to my list?

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Molly MacRae

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Molly MacRae to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: My laptop or a writing implement (pen, pencil, crayon, paintbrush, stick, gouging tool, pudding, spaghetti sauce, melted chocolate, etc., though preferably not blood) and one of my notebooks or any scrap of paper or surface.

Things that hamper your writing: Life – it’s a constant tussle between the two, but the tussle will continue because I don’t plan to give up on either one anytime soon.

A few of your favorite things: Books, my husband’s paintings, pictures of my family, office supplies, craft and art supplies, Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate chips,

Things you need to throw out: Old shoes at the bottom of the closet, cardboard boxes stacked in the basement (some of them for years) because they look so useful, some junk in the basement and the garage (and I’ve found a junk hauler – hooray!)

Favorite foods: Dishes with basil (including basil ice cream), ginger, chickpeas, cilantro, cheese, mango, avocado, and chocolate.

Things that make you want to gag: Rice Krispies treats, oatmeal raisin cookies, any kind of drink like Kool Aid, Hawaiian Punch, of Gatorade.

Something you’re really good at: Cat whispering

Something you’re really bad at: Dusting and weeding

Things you always put in your books: Places I’ve lived and don’t get to visit as often as I’d like.

Things you never put in your books: Characters I wouldn’t want to know (although I’m suspicious of the villains).

Things you’d walk a mile for: Almost anything (we live within a mile of the library, grocery stores, drugstore, ice cream shop, hair cutter, park, hardware store, bakery)

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: fun house mirrors (they give me vertigo)

Favorite places you’ve been: Ocracoke Island, Washington Island, Iona (another island), Scotland, upper east Tennessee.

Places you never want to go to again: That one lane track that petered out on the edge of Buffalo Mountain in Tennessee, with the sheer drop on the driver’s side and the solid rock of the mountain on the passenger side, in the stick shift with 4 kids in the back and no place – no place – to turn around. I’ll be happy to walk up the mountain, though. Nice place.

Favorite things to do: Read, read to the grandchildren, write, cook, work crossword puzzles, walk, relax in the screen tent in the backyard.

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

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Thank you for the honor of being part of your writing world. You are amazing!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Do you mention any antique dental equipment in your books?”

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: When I managed a small independent bookstore an extremely frustrated parent came in looking for a book on their high school student’s summer reading list. They’d tried the library and the other bookstore and no one, NO ONE, had even heard of the author Evan Fromen. I went to a shelf and brought back a copy of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton and they went away happy. That made it into Lawn Order, a mystery with Margaret Welch, who’s a bookseller, and her sister Bitsy, who’s annoying.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Knitting skill. My skill lies only in knitting flat rectangular things.

About Molly:

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” In addition to the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, Molly writes the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch she writes books for Annie’s Fiction and Guideposts. Molly’s short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction.

Let’s Be Social: 

Website http://www.mollymacrae.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/molly.macrae.9/

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

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/MollyMacRae/

X https://x.com/MysteryMacRae

Where Do Your Sleuths Live?

I write where I know. I’m a Virginia girl, and all of my stories and books are set in the Commonwealth. We have mountains, beaches, lakes, and urban and rural areas.

My sassy private eye, Delanie Fitzgerald, lives in a Yates Model of a Sears Catalog House. Back in the day, folks would order the home from the catalog, and it would arrive by rail to be assembled on your lot. Many of the boards and parts had the model numbers stamped on it. There are quite a few that have been restored across the country. The Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries are set in Chesterfield and Richmond, Virgina, and she sleuths in the nearby towns and counties.

In the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, I made up the small town of Fern Valley which is located near Charlottesville, Virginia. Jules restores vintage trailers to create glamping (glamorous camping) experiences for her guests. She owns a campground full of vintage trailers and tiny houses. Jules lives in one of the restored cabins on the back of the property.

In the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries, Jade Hicks lives in a small beach cottage that she inherited from her grandmother. Her shop and house are in the fictional town of Mermaid Bay. It’s located near the Historical Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. ‘Tis the Season, her shop, is in a converted beach cottage with a large front porch. The town prides itself on preserving the traditions of the quaint beach towns of the past without McMansions and big box stores.

In the Pearly Girls Mysteries (March 2025), Cassidy Jamison is an event planner who lives on her property. Her apartment is the top floor of the converted farmhouse which is also her office. The event site boasts a refurbished barn, a serenity garden, an amphitheater, and a cave. Cassidy lives in Ivy Springs, Virginia, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the I-81 corridor.

In my cozy mysteries, I created fictional towns near real places in Virginia. Each amateur sleuth has the type of job that brings her into contact with a lot of people (many of whom turn out to be suspects).

It’s fun to create worlds for the characters and places for them to live and work and solve crimes.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Sandra Murphy

I’d like to welcome Sandra Murphy to the blot for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting started. I’m easily distracted by memes and odd facts when researching.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with ideas. See the comment about being easily distracted and odd facts—ideas come fast but the next one is apt to bump the current one and then…

Things you need for your writing sessions: My dog next to my desk. He’s my editor.

Things that hamper your writing: My dog. He’s a very particular editor and rewrites are his favorite edits. He also likes frequent breaks.  

A few of your favorite things: Being surrounded by bright colors, chocolate milk always available, a nice breeze, late night hours when it’s quiet.

Things you need to throw out: During Covid’s worst, cardboard boxes amassed. They need to move to another location. Recycled.

Favorite foods: Chocolate milk is an essential component of life, sweets of all kinds, blackberries, black cherries, chocolate anything.

Things that make you want to gag: oysters, escargot, peppers of all kinds, and anything that cooked, resembles how it looked in life.

Something you’re really good at: Staying up all night, starting to write at about midnight.
Something you’re really bad at: Going anywhere before one p.m. and that’s pushing it.

Things you always put in your books: Dogs, cats, strong women, clues and red herrings that start on page one and are explained in the twist at the end.
Things you never put in your books: Dogs and cats can be in jeopardy but are never killed or tortured.

Things to say to an author: That line you wrote? It’s going to be in my mind forever, such beautiful language.
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: That’s a nice hobby. What do you do for a real job?

Favorite places you’ve been: Greece and Crete, I felt at home the instant I was on Crete. Greece has the friendliest people.
Places you never want to go to again: Through four airports to get there.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Get out of my ‘real’ job but still receive all the benefits that were promised and start writing instead.
Biggest mistake: Trusting a friend who betrayed me.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Traveled to Italy and Greece, alone, no itinerary.
Something you chickened out from doing: At a stage play, the actors came into the audience and wanted to dance with people in the audience at the end of the show. I didn’t dance. I wish I did.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: What happens next?

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Write more. How hard can it be?

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Make jewelry for drag queens.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: A pair of pillowcases. No one told me not to use the full width of the fabric folded over. I had about 18” of more fabric than pillow.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: A pet sitter finds the homeowner hasn’t left for her trip yet. In the story, the owner was dead. In real life, she was running late.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: My character went to a coffee shop with a cool theme. Someone asked where it was, they wanted to go too. Sorry, it’s only in my imagination.

About Sandra:

Sandra Murphy lives in St. Louis, Missouri, south of the Gateway Arch and Anheuser-Busch, near the mighty Mississippi River. On a hot summer day, the smell of hops awakens her imaginary friends. They spin tall tales and she submits them as her own. Her short story, ‘Lucy’s Tree’, won a Derringer award in 2020.  Her latest efforts include ‘Room Service’ for Monkey Business: Crime Stories Inspired by the Films of the Marx Brothers, and editing Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the 60s and Happiness Is Listening to Your Dog Snore, a collection of quotes about dogs.