ending June...Rocco interviews Maggie Sefton!

Meow!  My guest this week is author Maggie Sefton!

Maggie was born in Richmond, VA, and grew up in Northern Virginia in Arlington, close to Washington, D.C. She attended university and received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature & Journalism, married, and started her family there. She now resides in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with two very demanding dogs.

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

M:  I’ve had characters “walk onstage” in my head ever since I was about 8 or 9 years old.  I figure some of us are just born as Storytellers. 

R: Tell us about the Kelly Flynn mystery series and  how that came about. Do you knit in real life?

M:   I was doing a non-fiction article for a magazine which focused on how people used knitting to help themselves recover from illnesses or heal relationships.  I didn’t knit at all, so I interviewed my friends who did, and they told me to make sure I went to this “cool and trendy” knitting shop in Fort Collins, Colorado (where I lived).  I walked into the Lambspun shop and promptly “fell down the rabbit hole” into a Wonderland of color and texture.  I met all these great people around the knitting table to interview and had such a great time that I came back every week.  Learned out to knit and simply enjoyed myself and their company.  Kelly Flynn walked onstage four months later.  J

  

R: Tell us about your latest release.

M:   The 13^th in the Kelly Flynn Knitting Mysteries just came out on June 2^nd.  PURL UP AND DIE involves the son of one of Kelly’s friends who is a promising young doctor who is accused of assaulting a young woman in his office.  When the young woman is later found murdered, the young doctor becomes the prime suspect.  Kelly’s friend asks her to help search for the “real” killer.    

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?

M:   Well, the first novel that I sold was way back in 1994.  It was the fourth completed novel that I’d written.    It was a historical romance set in Abilene, Kansas in 1871.  There was a Confederate widow heroine, a former Union officer hero, a pretty younger sister, a handsome young Texan who was bringing in the herd to Abilene, a cowardly deputy sheriff and lots more.  A good, old fashioned Western with villains to hiss and heroes to cheer.  A lot of fun to write. 

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

M:   I just need my laptop and someplace to sit.  I can and have written on airplanes, in airports, on trains, sitting on park benches, in bed, in lawn chairs sitting beside a rushing river, on balconies overlooking the ocean, on cruise ships in the middle of the Atlantic, and on decks looking into woods with deer peeking through.  J   

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

M:   I could never narrow it down to one time period.  I wrote over a million words of historical fiction before the mystery characters showed up.  I wrote Medievals, turn-of-the-century struggling Irish, corrupt politicians, and Robber Barons, dashing Musketeers, and others. 

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

M:   I’m drawing a blank.

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

M:   I’m a free spirit, so that’s a long list.  And I’ll keep it to myself.  <g>

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

M:   I just hope they enjoy the stories. 

R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

M:   I’m a plotter, but it’s just a “road map.”  The characters are in the driver’s seat.  It’s their story, not mine.

R: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks? :)

M:   No time for “hobbies” when you have characters waiting in line for their turn to get onstage.  But I do enjoy traveling---in the U.S. and other parts of the world. 

R: Where can we find out more about you and your work?

M:   Check out my website which is being updated with Kelly Flynn #13 info as I write this.  www.maggiesefton.com

R: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

M:   Apprentice yourself to your craft and LEARN.  Write, write, then write some more.  And join a serious writing organization like Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers in Denver, CO or Pikes Peak Writers in Colorado Springs, CO.  Both organizations have experienced Critique groups which will help you take your fiction to the next level.

R: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?

M:   I can’t imagine not being a writer, so I’m clueless. J

List all the places readers canfind you

Facebook---MaggieSeftonAuthor, www.cozychicksblog.com, www.maggiesefton.com 

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