When I read Darlene Dziomba’s description of her work, “Writing Mysteries. A dog is my muse. Humor is my guide,” I knew I wanted to interview her. I’ve never been able to resist a dog, humor, or a good mystery, and Darlene’s work combines all three! Below are her responses to my interview questions, followed…
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During the years I studied sociology, I encountered a variety of theories about aging. The one that always made the most sense to me was called continuity theory which posits that as people age, they maintain ties with their past interests and passions. In essence, they remain who they always were. So, for example, it’s…
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What a delight to interview Suzanne Baginskie who has created an exciting series of standalone novels, all featuring FBI characters. Below are her responses to my interview questions, followed by her bio and contact/buy links: First off, congratulations on your FBI Affairs series of novels! I don’t know too many writers whose publishers offer them…
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This past month, my essay on “The Importance of Backstory” appeared on Hasty Book List. I discuss why I’ve found it so helpful to dig deeply into my characters’ backstories (everything that happened to them prior to the beginning of the novel) before I work on plotting. But what about my own backstory? Interestingly, my…
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In her Agatha-Nominated debut novel, The Gallery of Beauties, Nina Wachsman does such a wonderful job of bringing seventeenth century Venice to life that the city itself becomes a character. In her guest essay, Nina discusses her fascination with Venice, her personal connection to the city, and the inspiration behind her work. VENICE, CITY OF…
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When fate intervened to prematurely end her distinguished career as a violinist with the Metropolitan Opera, Erica Miner successfully reinvented herself as an award-winning author, screenwriter, arts journalist, and lecturer. As a former dancer-turned-writer, I feel a special kinship with Erica and am so delighted to welcome her to my blog today as she celebrates…
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The two most common questions fiction writers get asked are: “Where do you get your ideas?” and “What’s your story about?” With each new release, I make a point of doing my best to respond, explaining what gave me the idea for the novel, as well as describing the plot. For DEADLY SETUP, for example,…
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Tammy Euliano has worked just as hard at finetuning her skills as a professional writer as she has at developing her expertise as a physician, educator, and researcher. Below are her responses to my interview questions, followed by her bio and contact/buy links: First off, congratulations on the release of Misfire, the second novel in…
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Monday didn’t start out well. Sitting in my email box was a rejection from the SOKY Book Festival. I’ve received plenty of rejections as a writer, but this one stung, probably because it was unexpected. DEADLY SETUP, my recent release, had already been awarded a silver medal by the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, and LEISHA’S…
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As I write this, it’s Christmas Eve, and I’m so aware of all the people and things in my life I’m grateful for—my husband, my children and grandchildren, my amazing sisters, dear friends, the choral group I sing with, and of course, my writing work. Snow is on the ground, our holiday lights twinkle, and…
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