An Interview with Cross Stitcher Crystal Toller

An Interview with Crystal Toller
by Pamela James


MM2: Crystal can you remember the first cross stitch project that you ever completed? How long ago was it and how did you discover cross stitch?

I do not know what I stitched although I am sure it was religious because I was a teenager and it was at vacation bible school one summer.

MM2: Do you have a favorite cross stitch piece?

I had one piece I did with Christmas lights all tangled up and it said all strung up at Christmas.  I really loved that piece but do not know where it is now.

MM2: What has cross stitch taught you about life? What has life taught you about cross stitch? 

Cross stitch has taught me to not take things so seriously, just relax.  Life has taught me that cross stitch is a vital part of my life and who i am.

MM2: Give us a ballpark figure on how many projects you have completed?

Probably about 20-25 overall.

MM2: Do you always have a project with you to cross stitch? 

Not always. Sometimes I take a book and sometimes I take cross stitch but it is definitely one or the other.

MM2: What are your future cross stitch plans?

Basically stitch some of the patterns in magazines I have and stitch some things for my son since he supports my stitching hobby and loves what i stitch.

MM2: Now take a look at some cross stitch sites and tell us some of the patterns you would love to add to your wishlist?  

I really want to add some Heaven and Earth Designs.  I have just recently learned that they are usually only cross stitches and so want to do some of those.  Would love to also get the Leisure Arts Mini Christmas Book 1 and 2 that I saw on a website.

MM2: Is there a gift of cross stitch that someone stitched for you that you just love?

Eryn Raymond recently stitched  me a Fourth of July pillow and I just love it. 

MM2: I know you work a lot and your days off rotate but you always seem to be able to cross stitch. So when do you get the most cross stitch done?

Usually in the evenings when watching sports.

MM2: Being a single mother has it's challenges and rewards. You seem to be able to share your life and love of stitching with your son. So does he have a favorite project you have stitch or are stitching for him?

He  loves trains.  I have stitched 1 train design for him.  I would love to find a book of train designs to stitch for him.

MM2: In closing tell us about some of your favorite designers?  

I am not really familiar with specific designers I don't think but do like a lot of the little lace patterns that are put out by Designs for the Needle.

An Interview with LynDee Walker

Interview With LYNDEE WALKER:

By Pamela James

MM2:LynDee, tell me the backstory on how and when you became an author?

LW: Oh, goodness—such a long story! Here’s the short

version: I was a stay-at-home mom with two young children when I started writing fiction, and three young children when I got my first book deal. Before the littles came along, I was a reporter, and I think the books grew from missing writing

and missing the newsroom, but not wanting to go back to the long hours away from my family. I wrote the rough draft of Front Page Fatality for fun, just for myself. The handful of people who read it encouraged me to try to get it published. Six years later, the fifth book in the series is due out in a few months.

MM2: Tell us about your books?

LW: My heroine is a crime reporter with a weakness for great shoes who gets herself in trouble poking around sticky stories. Nichelle is a little nosy (a hallmark of all good journalists), and she’s ambitious, but it’s her sense of justice and desire to help people that drives her to dig for the truth when the story doesn’t quite add up. She has a handful of close friends, a couple of sexy guys, and a cute dog to keep her busy outside the office. My books often get shelved as cozies because of the humor, but they have a more serious, more realistic tone than some cozies. 

MM2: Take me thru your writing day?

LW: I have three young children (my youngest is still in preschool), so it’s generally every word for itself. During the school year, I like to write in the morning after all the littles are at school, but in the summer, my favorite place to work is by the pool. When I’m working on a new draft, I aim for at least 1,000 words a day, and I often go back and tinker with earlier parts of the story before the rough is finished.

MM2: Growing up did you have a favorite teacher or someone who encouraged you to read, write stories or gave you the self confidence to know you could do it?

LW: I was lucky to have several. I’d always loved to read, and I had ambitions of being Lois Lane when I grew up, but I never thought much about writing outside that “someday” context until the winter of fifth grade, when Carol Mendez urged me to enter a citywide essay contest. I won first place and they gave me a trophy, which was cool, but more than that, it hooked me on writing. 

In junior high, Cynthia Scott said wonderful sweet things about “talent” as she encouraged me to try different types of writing, but journalism was still my first love. Then in high school, Sue Voegele took a paper I wrote for her health class to the journalism teacher, who invited me to join the newspaper staff. The following year, Lynnda Roselle took over as adviser, and she spent the next two years encouraging me to pursue a journalism degree. I did, and was blessed with some wonderful college professors (Richard Wells, Keith Shelton, and Jacque Lambiase) who pushed me to dig deeper and write stronger. Amazing teachers are a wonderful gift—and I’m thankful for every one of mine.

MM2: What would your characters tell us about you?

LW: Nichelle would say her dog bears a striking resemblance to mine, and she’d giggle if she saw me try to walk in stilettos. Parker would say I worry too much, Eunice would tell you she wants my salsa recipe, and Bob would say I should go back to the newsroom.

MM2: I love your first name. Is there a family story or connection that comes with it?

LW: Thank you! And of course! It has two parts: the first is that it was a thing in my family for generations to do split names with capital letters in the middle and funky spellings (my grandmother’s name was DaLoryse, for instance). My mom spent her whole pregnancy determined to buck this trend: I was supposed to be named Tiffany. Until she went into labor, and the movie she was watching on TV had a heroine named Lindy. She wrote a list of all the different ways you could possibly spell it, and loved to tell me that if she hadn’t been in labor for 36 hours, she wouldn’t have had time to get to the one she chose. When I was a kid, I got annoyed that no one ever had anything with my name pre-printed on it. Now, I love it. 

MM2: What comes first the plot, characters or setting?

LW: For me, they all kind of came at once. The very first time Nichelle popped into my head, she was locked in a car trunk in Shockoe Bottom. I never questioned the setting or the trouble she was in—I just went with it. That scene actually survived all the revisions, and can still be found in Front Page Fatality.

MM2: Tell us about your latest book?

LW: Devil in the Deadline was built around a question: How do you catch a murderer when you can’t identify the victim? It was a lot of fun to see how that played out in the story while I was writing—Nichelle manages to help a lot of people, and we get to explore the darker side of religion-as-business.

MM2: What are you future writing plans and goals?

LW: My goal is always to write a better book each time. Getting better, digging deeper, pushing harder to give the readers a better product is always what I set out to do when I open a blank file.

MM2: What would you like to say to your readers?

LW: I love and appreciate each one of you, and getting to meet you is my favorite thing about being an author. I have a pretty full events calendar, so come out to the next conference, festival, or signing and say hello! 

MM2: What advice do you have for writers and authors who want to make a career of writing mysteries and other genres?

LW: Oh gosh—I feel like I’m still learning. But I’ll pass on the best advice I’ve gotten, which came from one of my favorite authors (who is a SUPER nice guy): Write a better book next time. Don’t worry about the numbers or sales or reviews: just write, and improve, and everything else will take care of itself.

MM2: Let's talk about writing groups, bloggers and website. Do you belong to any writing groups? Do you belong to a blog and do you read other author's blogs?

LW: I’m a member of Mystery Writers of America James River Writers, and Sisters in Crime: being around other writers is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your writing. Put ten creative people in a room, and you’ll leave with 100 ideas. 

I do read other authors’ blogs, and I’ve been fortunate to be asked to guest on many wonderful blogs, but I don’t think I have anything interesting enough to say on a regular basis to do one of my own. 

MM2: Now for some fun and easy questions: What is your favorite meal, movie, television show, song and place to vacation?

LW: Fun! 

Meal: Enchiladas and empanadas. I love good Mexican food!

Movie: Hmmmm. It really depends on the season and my mood. But a few I never get tired of watching are The Sandlot, The Rookie, and Mrs. Winterbourne. 

TV Show: I don’t have time to watch much TV, but currently, I love Bones and Under the Dome. Of all time? Tie between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls.

MM2: Lastly, what life lesson has writing taught you? 

LW: I bet this sounds super cliche, but: perseverance always wins. This business is definitely not for folks who give up easily. 

MM2: Is there an author or book that inspired you?

LW: Too many to count. I’m going to stop after I name the first four who come to mind, but it’s by no means the whole list. Book people are wonderful people. 

My favorite reporters-turned-crime-fiction-writers, Hank Phillipi Ryan and Edna Buchanan. 

The ever-brilliant Julia Spencer-Fleming (read the first line of In the Bleak Midwinter and tell me it’s not immediately among your favorites ever. Amazing).

The hilarious and wonderful Laura Levine.

MM2: In closing tell us why you like living where you live?

LW: Richmond is an amazing city, with pretty much everything you could possibly want to do, plus easy access to DC, the beach, and the mountains. And my littles go to some of the best public schools in the country. We adore central Virginia.

LynDee, thank you for the interview. 

Thank you so much for having me! It’s been fun! 

Bryant and May and the Bleeding Heart Review

Title: Bryant and May and the Bleeding Heart
Author: Christopher Fowler

Kindle Edition: British Series

Author Bryant and John May have earned a reputation with the met an their superiors. Bryant doesn't like to stick to the rules. May doesn't mind running interference but it is all very daunting. Now they have a chance to prove themselves because...well they have solved more than a few cases.
They find a place to start up their branch of the Unusual cases, form a team while they have someone who is supposed to oversee everything and everyone. She is mostly left out of the loop.
One of their first cases is to find the ravens. These ravens are special they stand for many things at the metropolitan museum. They are missing all ten of them. Not acceptable on any term. Also there seem to be murders at every turn.
The strangest case is this...
A couple of young adults are in the cemetery. They are going to make out and have smoked a little weed the problem is that up from the grave rises a man and while he looks dead he is trying to climb out of the grave. Scares the two young adults. Then it turns stranger and stranger from there.
Talk about symbols, magic, stigma, superstitions, vampires (but not really), murder with things such as a bow and arrow.
This is such a unique series anyway but Christopher Fowler has outdone himself.

A note here: Terri, you will love this book in the series. I mean the ravens alone will grab your attention but there is so much more that makes me think of you!
Okay so anyway I give this book a ten out of ten.
Pamela James

An Interview with Emily Brightwell

INTERVIEW WITH EMILY BRIGHTWELL:

By Pamela James

MM2: Emily how many book have you written? In how many genres?

  Emily:  I’ve written a total of forty four books in three different genres: romance under the name of Sarah Temple, young adult novels under the name Cheryl Lanham and of course my mysteries as Emily Brightwell - to date I’ve done  thirty four books in the “Mrs. Jeffries” series and I’m looking forward to doing more!

MM2: I love Mrs. Jefferies and her cohorts. The Victorian period is one of my favorite periods in history. How much research went into this series? Is there a part of the research that is particularly difficult?

  Emily:  I’m so glad you’re enjoying the series.  The Victorians are a fascinating bunch and I’m always finding something interesting about them.  I do a lot of research and I generally use primary sources like newspapers and journals.  However, there are   occasionally details that are almost impossible to track down - and in that case, I  just keep digging…for instance, in the book I’m currently writing, I’m trying to find out how long evidence of a crime was preserved at the local police station.  Nowhere in the literature can I find out how long a local precinct hangs onto crime scene evidence when there hasn’t been an arrest.  

MM2: Tell us about your latest book? 

  Emily: “Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize” will be published in March of 2016.  This one was a true pleasure to write as it involved characters from India during the Raj, a Ladies Orchid and Exotic Plant Society and of course, a host of back-biting suspects!

MM2: Where is your favorite place to write?

  Emily:  I have an office where I do my writing on a desktop computer, but I’m considering buying another laptop so I can be portable.  I had a notebook for many years and I liked that - being able to take my work anywhere was very liberating and I miss it.

MM2: Give us some backstory on your career and your life?

  Emily: I came to California as a child and grew up in Pasadena.  After I graduated from college, I went abroad where I met my husband.   We eventually made our way back to California and settled in Long Beach.  After our children were born, I decided to get   serious about my dream of being a writer.  I was in International Shipping so I worked during the day and did my writing early in the morning.  After getting published in romance, I tried my hand at my mysteries and found that I loved working in that genre, but don’t get me wrong, I genuinely enjoyed writing romances as well.  Apparently, though, my personality is much better suited to killing people rather than making them fall in love!

MM2: What would Mrs. Jefferies tell us about you?

  Emily:  Mrs. Jeffries would say that the reason I love what I do is because I’m obsessed with justice.  She’d be right too.

MM2: What advice do you have for writers who want to write historical mysteries?

  Emily: Writing historical mysteries is wonderful, but whether it’s Victorian England, medieval France, the Joseon dynasty of Korea or the Incas of Peru, people are always people.  As a species, we are and always have been a mixture of good and bad; kind, cruel, loving, hateful, jealous, or self-sacrificing - it’s precisely because of our human characteristics that writers can create stories that readers love.  Good stories are always about people, the setting and time period is just frosting on the cake.

MM2: Your titles are great so my question is do you get to stay with the working titles or does the editor have you change some of them?

   Emily:  I usually come up with the title, but not always…I must admit, when my editor has given me a suggestion for a title change, it’s always better than the one I’d come up with.

MM2: Now for some fun questions: What is your favorite meal, movie, dessert, place to vacation and do you have a favorite television series?

   Emily:  A favorite meal is tough - I’m a foodie so I’ve rarely met a meal I didn’t like.  I love a great carnitas though, especially when washed down with a margarita or two.  My favorite movie is a romantic mystery, an Argentinian film called “The   Secret in Their Eyes”  As for dessert, I adore cream brûlée and a good bread pudding.  England is a wonderful vacation spot as is the coast of Northern California.  As for a TV series, goodness, there are so many great ones - I loved ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, also, ‘The Good Wife’, ‘Mad Men’ and Masterpiece Mystery (especially Inspector Lewis and the new Sherlock series with Benedict Cumberbatch).

MM2: What would you like to say to your readers?

   Emily:  I’m so grateful my readers continue to like the series and I sincerely hope I never disappoint them.

MM2: What are your future writing and traveling plans?

  Emily:  Future writing plans include more “Mrs. Jeffries” and hopefully, if I have time, a three book mini-series set in WW1..but we’ll have to see about that.  For travel, my husband and I are going to try to get to Hawaii this fall.

MM2: Take us thru a typical writing day?

  Emily:  I get to my desk by 8:30 and then put in four to five hours of writing…I don’t edit as I write, but do a whole draft of the book before I start the editing process.

MM2: Today if there were two of you. What would you have the other you do and what would you be working on?

  Emily:  The other me would be working on the WW1 mini-series while I worked on the next “Mrs. Jeffries”- which, by the way, has a working title of “Mrs. Jeffries Saves the Season”.

MM2: You have great characters so what would Inspector Witherspoon like to add to this interview?

  Emily:  Inspector Witherspoon would like to tell you that though he is one of nature’s gentlemen, he can also be a pretty tough guy when the chips are down.  Plus, one of these days, he is going to kiss Lady Cannonberry!

MM2: Lastly leave us with your favorite writing quote?

  Emily:  It’s a quote from the wonderful writer, Octavia Butler, who is sadly no longer with us.  “You don’t start out writing good stuff.  You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually, you get better at it.  That’s why I say one of the most

valuable traits is persistence.”
 

An Interview with Angela Pepper

An Interview with Angela Pepper

by Pamela James

MM: Give us some backstory on why, when and how you became an author?

I've always been a bookworm, but in 2010 I took a creative writing workshop and got hooked on writing. I wrote some short stories, then novels, and started publishing them myself in 2011. I've written everything from young adult fantasy to steamy romance, under various pen names.

MM: Where is your favorite place to write?

Once I start writing, I'm in a different world, so it doesn't matter where I am, as long as I'm comfortable.

MM: Do you re-read some of your favorite books?

I do love to re-read favorite books once a few years have passed. I tend to focus more on new things, though.

MM: What are you currently writing?

I'm working on Stormy Day Mystery book 4.

MM: Do you belong to a writing group?

I'm not in a formal group, but I'm friends with several writers, and we spend hours talking about craft, sharing ideas, working on our skills, supporting each other through the difficult parts, and celebrating through the good.

MM: Are there some people you would like to thank that have helped you along the path to being published?

I always thank the readers first, because without them it would be way less fun. After them, my husband has always been my #1 fan, my supporter, and my rock.

MM: Okay for some fun questions: What is your favorite movie, song, meal, dessert, place to vacation and way to de-stress at the end of a writing day?

My current routine (summer 2015) is that after work, I go for a brisk walk in the forest for about an hour. I walk with my husband, and we listen to an audiobook on headphones if we aren't feeling talkative. We return home and eat a nice healthy meal from the local delivery service that we love. We've been getting our dinners delivered for about a year now, and it's helped us to eat better while avoiding dinner-time crazies, since neither of us is wild about cooking.

Our city (Vancouver, Canada) is so beautiful that I don't feel the desire to travel much. We have both mountains and ocean right here, so we are very blessed.

MM: What would your characters tell us about you?

I hope my characters would say that I'm kind and seem happy. If they knew what havoc I'm causing in their lives, they might not like me so much.

MM: What comes first plot, character or setting?

If the plot is done well, all the reader will remember is the characters and setting.

MM: Tell us about where you live? Give us the tour and see it through your eyes?

I've mentioned the mountains, ocean, and forests. What you'll see depends on what you look for. On a grumpy day, I'll notice the heavy traffic, endless construction, and crowds of people. On a good day, I'll notice happy grandparents stopping with the young ones to watch big machines scoop dirt for an underground parkade, or a monarch butterfly fluttering over a busy intersection.

When I first moved to Vancouver, I was struck by the disparity between the wealthy and the working class. I was amazed by people who looked to be my age at the time (early 20s) and driving shiny new BMWs. I'm from a small town in Northern B.C., and there were social stratas there, but nothing like this.

I've grown accustomed to city life and city conveniences, twenty years later, but I will always be a nature girl. The sound of birds is the sweetest music to my ears.

MM: Take us thru your typical writing day?

Today was typical. I woke at 7:00am and turn on the room's lights, then snuggled in bed until 7:09am. My husband and I quietly made tea and breakfast shakes, checked email, then went to the beach at 9:00am. He took his kayak out for a paddle while I sat in the cafe overlooking the ocean, with my coffee and notepad. I wrote part of a chapter for about an hour, with pen on paper. We returned home, and I worked on my laptop for a few more hours.

Once my writing is done, the rest of the day disappears in two or three blinks!

MM: Leave us with a quote that you love?

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde

 Check out Angela's website!

Review: Serial Killers True Crime Anthology 2015

• Series: Annual True Crime Anthology
• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: RJ Parker Publishing; First edition (December 15, 2014)
• ISBN-10: 1500505161
• ISBN-13: 978-1500505165
• 
  

A very good compilation by various true crime authors with a wide range of crimes.  Some very well known such as Rosemary and Fred West, Lonnie "The Grim Sleeper" Franklin, Jr. and Harold Shipman, some less known such as Adam Leroy Lane, Michael Wayne McCray, Douglas/Donna Perry, Donald Harvey and others.

What I liked most besides the range of topics is that they have virtually unknown murderers from history as well such as Enriqueta Marti and Felipe Espinoza.  Many think serial killers are a relatively new phenomenon, but we are finding it is not.

Additionally, though I knew a bit about the 'Angel of Death' Donald Harvey, I was horrified by how much he got away with and how much hospitals ignored reports of suspicions of the crimes.

Writing true crime is a challenge to find the balance between reporting and sensationalism and I think these authors:  Peter Vronksy, RJ Parker, Katherine Ramsland, Michael Newton, Sylvia Perrini and Kelly Banaski do a good job with that balance.

Terri

An Interview with Connie Shelton

INTERVIEW WITH CONNIE SHELTON:

By Pamela James

MM2: Connie, let's start with why and how you became an author?

Firstly, I was a reader from a very young age. Devoured everything I could (thanks to my mother taking me to the library every week). Favorite classes in school always revolved around literature and writing assignments. From there, it was probably inevitable that I would eventually want to give writing a try. Once I'd made up my mind to write a book, I truly didn't have a clue how to get started so I began loading up on writing how-to books and taking workshops until I started to read like a writer. I have to admit it took a long time for me to reach the point where I could really see what techniques it took to make an exciting story. After I had nine or ten published books, I was contacted by Long Ridge Writer's Group and went to work for them teaching writing classes, and from there I developed a novel writing course of my own to help writers with the stuff that had given me fits in the beginning.

MM2: Let's talk about your series?

I'm now writing two series'. The first one features Charlotte "Charlie" Parker, a 30-something partner in an Albuquerque private investigation firm with her brother. She's supposed to be the firm's accountant while he's the PI, but she keeps managing to get herself pulled into cases because she's such a sucker for the underdog. 
   My second series came to me when one of my writing students commented that he broke into houses for a living (legally, of course). I immediately saw how much trouble a fictional character could get into with that career, so I came up with Samantha Sweet, a woman in her fifties who had struggled to raise her daughter alone and since her talent for baking wonderful pastries wasn't quite paying the bills, she needed extra money. How and why she does this...well, you'll have to start reading the series. It gets complicated by a handsome deputy sheriff and a magical artifact.

MM2: Where is your favorite place to write?

I love to curl up in a comfy chair when I'm plotting or editing. Otherwise, I'm always at my desk.

MM2: Take us thru a typical writing day?

My day starts with a half hour or so of pure quiet just for myself, having a cup of tea and watching the sunrise, followed by a walk with dogs and hubby. Then after breakfast I'm at my computer. My fairly-strict goal is ten pages a day when I'm writing a first draft. On great days, I might reach that by noon. Other days it can be late afternoon. On truly fabulous days I might get on such a roll that I'll reach 20 pages or more and still have a little energy to spare.

MM2: What comes first the plot, setting or characters?

When starting a new series, the characters and their personal situation comes first. Setting follows closely behind, and then I work out what plot I will entangle them in. With my two existing series' I already know the main characters so well, that I'm just on the lookout for a plot that will get them into trouble.

MM2: If you can sit down with any author, living or one that has passed on who would it be? What would you like to know?

The business side of me would love to chat with James Patterson. The man is a veritable idea-machine and I'd love to know how he does it, not to mention his organizational skills. The creative side of me wishes to know Charles Dickens. I once stayed in the hotel (see photo attached) where he wrote The Pickwick Papers and I got to see the room where he wrote. It was a cozy space and I could really see myself writing there. I'd love to know his thoughts as he worked in that little room.

MM2: What is the best writing advice given to you?

Park yourself in the chair and just write! Whenever I don't feel my daily ten pages happening, I remind myself that they'll never get done if I make excuses. Someone once said, you can fix a bad page but you can't fix a blank page. You've got to get that first draft done. No matter how shaky it is, at least you've got something to work with.

MM2: When you think of strong fictional women characters. What characters come to mind?

My first female hero was Nancy Drew. Look how ahead of her time she was and what an inspiration to girls of my generation.

MM2: Let's talk about your latest book and future writing plans?

My newest book is the tenth in my Samantha Sweet series and it's coming out in August. Readers who have been with Sam from the start know that she sometimes breaks into houses, sometimes bakes fabulous cakes and pastries, and occasionally calls upon the powers from a mysterious wooden box that came into her possession in the first book in the series. In this new one, called Sweets Forgotten, a woman wanders into Sam's pastry shop claiming she can't remember who she is or how she got there.
   As far as future plans, I have many! I've already done plot outlines for a series of five books involving a group of women who operate a little outside the law--a sort of caper mystery/chick lit/suspense concept. I'm hoping to find the time to get them underway in the coming year. I'm also currently working with an illustrator on a set of children's books for early readers, ages 3-7. I truly believe that kids who love to read from a young age have so many advantages throughout life. I would love to see every child develop the same craving for books that I had. If I can help even a few of them by writing my stories, I will be super grateful.

MM2: What was the most fun you have had doing research?

Ah--travel! I got to go to Alaska twice for the setting I used in Legends Can Be Murder, which is my most recent Charlie

Parker mystery. Competition Can Be Murder took me (and Charlie) to Scotland, and Phantoms Can Be Murder gave me two trips to Bury St. Edmunds in England (home of the above-mentioned hotel where Charles Dickens stayed). Charlie and her husband are helicopter pilots, so they can take jobs nearly anywhere in the world. Samantha doesn't travel nearly as much--most of her stories take place closer to her home in Taos, New Mexico--but I did send Sam to Ireland when she learned of an inheritance from an uncle. Of course, the actual trip for me is the tip of the research iceberg. I do a lot of reading, videos and online fact-checking once I get home.

MM2: Now for some fun questions: What is your favorite movie/s? What television series do you like to keep up with? What is your favorite song, meal, dessert and place to vacation?

Movies--Harry Potter (of course, the books came first!), and I love all the old Hitchcock films, especially those with Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight--ooh!!).  TV--I'm a Downton Abbey junkie--could watch it over and over. Song--Maria Elena, played by my husband Dan on guitar. Meal/Dessert--Can't beat a good steak with a nice red wine and anything dark chocolate after.  Place to vacation--England, Scotland, Germany, Alaska.... everywhere I go seems to turn into a book.

MM2: Do you have a favorite day? Time of day and what is the best way to relax after a long writing day?

I love quiet Sundays, which is usually the only day of the week I take off work. Sunrise and sunset are favorite times of day--we have fabulous ones here in the Southwest. Relaxing? What's that?? When I'm not writing, I am usually editing, updating my website, answering fan letters, corresponding with other writers, or getting my next newsletter ready to go out. For fun, I love to paint, play with the dogs, tinker at the piano (although I'm not very good), and get together with friends.

MM2: They say it take a village to write and publish a book. Who is in your village?

Dan and our dogs are my immediate village--with me all the time. Extended family, my parents are both very supportive of my writing, as are my grown children. Of course when it comes to the practicalities of publishing, I have three editors who work closely with me to fine tune and hone each book.

MM2: Is there an up and coming author you would like to give kudos to and make sure we read their book?

I don't know about up-and-coming...she actually has several published books...but I really recommend the Dan Mahoney mystery series by Susan Slater. They are fresh and engrossing. She has a real talent for finding a little known fact about something and building a complete mystery around it.

MM2: Lastly, what would you like to say to your readers?

Mainly, to everyone who follows my work, I want to say a huge and heartfelt Thank You!! You keep me enthused and energetic. I love my readers!!
   I already mentioned my newest Samantha Sweet book, Sweets Forgotten, coming out in August. I've also been invited to include a book in a bundled set of pet-themed mysteries with bestselling authors Carole Nelson Douglas, Joanne Pence, Denise Dietz, Carolyn Haines, Leighann Dobbs, Pamela Dumond and Harper Lin. Charlie and her helpful pooch, Rusty, are on the case together in Killer Tails: 8 Pawsome Cozy Cat and Dog Mysteries. It was lots of fun to get together with this group and work out the details for the set, publication date is August 18.

   Anyone who wants to keep up with what's new in my series and my writing life is welcome to come to my website at connieshelton.com. I have a newsletter, free books, contests for Kindle giveaways, recipes and all sorts of stuff you might want to check out. Again, thank you so much!

NEW! Watch the video trailer for my newest book, The Woodcarver's Secret, available now!
For all Samantha Sweet fans, it answers the question--where did that
magic box come from?

Amazon #1 and Kobo Top 10 international bestselling mystery author. Get my free
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