Our guest today....Gretchen Archer!

Meow, today my guest is best selling author Gretchen Archer!

Gretchen Archer is a Tennessee housewife who began writing when her daughters, seeking higher educations, left her. She lives on Lookout Mountain with her husband, son, and a Yorkie named Bently! (But we love her anyway, Meow!)

Now…here’s Gretchen!

R:  Meow, Welcome Gretchen! Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in writing.

Thank you for having me, Rocco.

When my oldest left for college the same week my youngest started Kindergarten—I have only one child between those two, don’t want to make it sound like I have fourteen children—I was afraid my husband would want me to go back to work. As in work-work. I applied for, and hired myself, to write.

R: What writers in your genre would you say have made the greatest influence on your writing?

Caroline Keene, Lawrence Sanders, Janet Evanovich.

R: Tell us about the latest release in your Davis Way series.  How did you get the idea to set a mystery in a casino? Are you a gambler at heart?

I chose the casino setting for my series because it had so much potential, and because I don’t knit or decorate cupcakes. I bake cupcakes, but not well enough to sustain a series. Yes, I’m a gambler at heart, plus mind, body, and soul. I absolutely love casinos.

The latest in my series released in January ‘14, DOUBLE DIP. It’s Davis Way’s first slot-tournament season and it may very well be her last.

R: Which of (your character)  adventures was the most fun for you to write? Were any of them the least amount of fun?

It’s always fun when Davis travels from Biloxi, where the Davis Way Crime Capers are set, to her hometown of Pine Apple, Alabama. She has frequent run-ins with her ex-ex-mother-in-law Bea, and I can’t type for laughing when I write those scenes. Least amount of fun? I tackle unpopular and taboo subjects, and they’re not always fun—senior citizen abuse, discrimination, miscarriage. The hardest character for me to write is Davis’s love interest, Bradley Cole, because he’s so picture perfect I’m intimidated by him.

R:  Do you have an “how I got my agent” story you’d like to share?  How did you feel when you got the call your first novel had sold?

I didn’t realize it until just this second, but I was standing in my kitchen for both calls. My agent, my perfect-fit agent, the captain of the SS Davis Way, was my fifth query. It was meant to be. When she called about the Henery Press offer on DOUBLE WHAMMY, I told her Henery Press’s website was the cutest thing I’d ever seen, sign me up.

R: What’s a must have for you when you are writing? What aids the creative process?

Pajamas. I’ve written seven books in my pajamas. I get up and hit the keyboard at 3:30 every morning. When the sun comes up and it’s time to put people clothes on, I stop writing. I still revise, edit, and take care of the business of being a published writer during the day, but after the sun comes up, I don’t write.

R: If you had access to a time machine, which historical moment would you travel to and why?

I think I’d be there the day my little dog Bently was born, October 24, 2003, so we would have those first six weeks together too. He says he doesn’t remember when we weren’t us.

R:  If a movie were to be made of one of your books, which one would you want it to be and who would you pick for the lead roles?

Since it’s a series, DOUBLE WHAMMY would be my choice to film—start at the beginning. I think I’d cast Drew Barrymore as Davis and Bianca Sanders, Morgan Freeman as George, Sandra Bullock as Natalie, and Halle Berry as Fantasy. George Clooney as Richard Sanders. Channing Tatum as Baylor, and Mr. Clean as No Hair. We’re going to have to launch someone’s career with Bradley Cole because I just can’t come up with the right actor for him. Again, he’s too perfect.

R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?

I have a tattoo. I can’t say where. I can say, but I won’t.

R: What is the craziest thing you've ever done?

Get a tattoo.

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?

You can’t have something for nothing.

R: What are you working on at the moment / next?

DOUBLE STRIKE releases on 10.21.14

 R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a planster. I know what scam I’ll be writing about and I know what will happen in Davis’s personal life, but I get from A to Z on the fly.

Just for Fun:

Night or Day? Morning.

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully) The one that’s furry and four-legged. 

Beach or Pool?  Beach.

Steak or salad?  Pizza.

Favorite Drink?  Chardonnay.

Favorite Book?  In the past year, WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE?

Favorite TV Series?  Castle.

Favorite Movie?  In the past year, Identity Theft

Favorite Actor: Adam Sandler  

Favorite Actress: Sandra Bullock

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Yuck

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii. I love #Hawaii5O. Chin Ho Kelly and Steve McGarrett

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Barry Manilow

If I had just one wish, it would be for my children to be happy and healthy

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be Barry Manilow

Hey Folks, here’s where you can find out more about Gretchen! www.gretchenarcher.com

@Gretchen_Archer

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gretchen-Archer/477471242273441

Gretchen will give away signed copies of Double Whammy and Double Dip, plus swag, to two lucky commenters! To enter, leave a comment on this blog post with your name and email address (entries without email will be disqualified). For extra entries, you can do any or all of the below:

* Follow my blog (+ 1 point)
* Follow me on Twitter (+ 1 point) (Link: https://twitter.com/RoccoBlogger)
* Tweet about the contest (+ 1 point)
* Friend me on Facebook (+ 1 point) (Link: https://www.facebook.com/ToniLotempio)#!/

* Mention the contest on Facebook (+ 1 point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  Don’t forget to mention all you’ve done in your comment. Contest ends midnight, June 20! Good luck!