ROCCO welcomes Chris Wenger!

Meow, today my guest is author Chris Wenger!

 


ABOUT CHRIS:              

I have worked in the criminal justice field for more years than I care to remember! It seems like I was forever going to school while I was working full time, but in the end, I received a dual master's degree in Probation and Parole Studies and Sociology from Fordham University. 

               Unfortunately, the knowledge gained from way too many years in night school, didn’t prepare me for what I love to do the most – writing romances for Harlequin and cozy mysteries for Penguin books.

LOVE THOSE COZY MYSTERIES!!

               The year 2013 began my series of “comfort food” cozies  that are set in a small-town 1950’s diner: the Silver Bullet (open 24 hours, air conditioned).  The Silver Bullet sits on the shore of Lake Ontario and many colorful characters, including the owner of the diner, Trixie Matkowski, live in Sandy Harbor or are just visiting.

               The first book, DO OR DINER, from Penguin/Obsidian books was released in August, 2013.  A SECOND HELPING OF MURDER came out in April, 2014.  My third cozy mystery DINERS, DRIVE-INS AND DEATH came out in January, 2015 followed by MACARONI AND FREEZE (July, 2015). Watch for IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE in February of 2016). 

I’d like to continue with this series for as long as readers keep reading about sleuthing Trixie Matkowski’s way. 

JUST FOR FUN

               I enjoy watching professional bull riding and rodeo with my favorite cowboy, my husband Jim. We put on our cowboy regalia (I look horrible in a cowboy hat!) and have traveled to events in Las Vegas, Florida, Connecticut, and other states. 

               Of course I have to do research for my comfort food diner series.  That takes me to diners all over the U.S. and Canada.  It’s a tough job, but I just have to do it!

               Best wishes to you, and I hope you smile when you read my books!

                                                                            CHRIS WENGER

                                                                          

And now, I interview Chris!!!!

• Welcome Chris! Tell us a little about your background

I have worked in the criminal justice field forever and love writing mysteries and romances.  Currently I write for Penguin (Obsidian) and Harlequin.

• Tell us a bit about your latest book

MACARONI AND FREEZE takes place in small town Sandy Harbor in the middle of a fundraiser  for a new library roof.  Trixie Matkowski, the owner of the Silver Bullet Diner, is elected as the chairperson and decides to hold a macaroni and cheese cookoff.  Unfortunately, the celebrity judge turns up frozen in a snowbank.

• How do you “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

MACARONI AND FREEZE is the fourth book of my “comfort food” series.  I got to know my characters before I wrote the first book (DO OR DINER).

• How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

I work from a synopsis for the basic plot, but then I fly.

• Which do you consider more important, plot or character?

Character.  If readers don’t care about the characters and what happens to them, then why read the book?

• What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

The biggest challenge is sitting down to write.  I’d rather be playing with my dog or working around the house or shopping!  What keeps me motivated is my readers-they keep asking for the next book!

• Do you have an “How I got my agent” story you want to share?

I “stalked” my agent at a conference, and asked to submit to her.  We got along wonderfully, and had a great time.  Eventually, after more stalking, she signed me! 

·       What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

I would love to do more “comfort food” cozy mysteries for Penguin Obsidian and continue to write romances for Special Edition (Harlequin).  I love doing both!

• What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

I’d love to say that I work on a regular schedule, but  just  like homework, I procrastinate and then race to the finish!

·       What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Keep writing!  And keep honing your craft!  It took me TWELVE LOOONG YEARS to get published (THE COW BOY WAY, Harlequin), and I gave up 3.4 million times.  But soon after those 3.4 million times, I kept writing and kept trying and kept going to conferences, etc.  Never, ever, ever give up.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Probably going on home visits alone, without backup, and without the adequate tools to do my job.  It’s lucky that I have a big mouth. 

• What’s one thing your readers would be surprised to find out about you?

That I was a probation officer and a supervisor for the county probation department for many years and that I have a dual Masters Degree in sociology and probation and parole studies from Fordham University.

• What question do you wish interviewers would ask? (And what’s the answer?)

QUESTION:  “So, Chris Wenger, what would you like to happen next for your wonderful comfort food series?”

ANSWER:  “Oh, excellent question!  I would love for my wonderful comfort food series to be made into movies for the Hallmark Channel’s Movies and Mysteries TV show.  My cozy mystery series would be just perfect for what Hallmark is doing.”  (pause for effect)  “And if any readers here have a connection to Hallmark, please contact me!”

•  Where can we learn more about you and your books?

They say that writers should write what they know, and I know about food and diners and small town life! 

Little tidbits of my life are frequently scattered throughout my books.  Beware!

 

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  .Night

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  I’ love cats!  I go to the SPCA to the cat rooms and snuggle them, but I have a golden retriever, age 4, by the name of Blondie (she’s on all of my covers!)

Beach or Pool?   Both!  And a lake, too.                                                       

Steak or salad?   Steak.  I am a carnivore!

Favorite Drink?   Lime green Kool-Aid or ice tea (sweetened)

Favorite Book?    A historical western romance      

Favorite TV Series?   Castle      

Favorite Movie?  Romancing the Stone        

Favorite Actor:   Nathan Fillion

Favorite Actress:   Melissa McCarthy

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada?  Pina Colada (with an umbrella)

Hawaii or Alaska?  Hawaii (because I’ve never visited there)

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

If I had just one wish, it would be:   to make the NY Times Top Ten List!

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be Nora Roberts because she’s such a   prolific writer and very generous.

 

 

Thank you for a wonderful interview, Chris! You can find her at:

Regular mail:  PO Box 1823, Cicero, NY 13039-1823

Website:  www.christinewenger.com

Email: chris@christinewenger.com

 

Chris will give away an autographed book of any of her books (you pick it!) to not one, not two but THREE lucky commenters!  Just tell Chris what your favorite diner experience has been.  Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you. Contest closes midnight, October 31.  Good luck!

 

IN MEMORIAM - JOYCE LAVENE

REPOSTED IN MEMORIAM

ORIGINALLY POSTED JANUARY 2015

JOYCE LAVENE

REST IN PEACE

 

 

 

 

Today my guest is author JJCook AKA the writing team of Joyce and Jim Lavene!

Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, best-selling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Penguin, Amazon, and Simon and Schuster along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family. 

Visit them at www.joyceandjimlavene.com

www.facebook.com/joyceandjimlavene 

http://amazon.com/author/jlavene 

https://twitter.com/AuthorJLavene

joyceandjimlavenenewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 

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

We became interested in writing the old fashioned way – we were readers who wanted to create our own stuff. We both love reading anything, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery are our favorites.

 R: What drew you to the cozy mystery genre?

We liked the personality of it – giving characters quirky names and jobs. It’s fun to write and to read. Plus we aren’t great with too much blood and guts.

R: Tell us about your series, the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade. What  made you decide on firefighting as a career for your sleuth?  And a ghost who cooks???????

Jim was a volunteer firefighter for a while. Joyce has three generations of firefighters in her family. The ghost is just a fun bonus! We wanted to write a firefighter mystery series because we liked the concept. Stella is from Chicago, a professional firefighter. She comes to Sweet Pepper to set up their volunteer squad, and stays because she loves the place. She and Eric, the ghost of the former fire chief, get in scrapes together.

  R: Tell us about your latest release, IN HOT WATER.

In Hot Water is the third book in the Fire Brigade Mysteries. Stella is trying to keep an overzealous councilman from tearing down Eric’s old cabin and investigating a fire that killed a local representative. There is always Sweet Pepper Festival action too as the town celebrates their hot pepper roots.

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

Stella and Eric are always fun to write. The volunteer firefighters have issues too. In this book, they deliver a baby after a wreck. We probably don’t write any characters that aren’t fun to write.

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?

We were very excited when Harlequin called because we’d sold our first book. That’s right. We started as romance writers! It was years after that before we got our first agent. We got our agent because she was just getting started and wanted to represent us. It seemed like a good idea.

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

Plenty of coffee! That’s the only must have besides each other and the computers.

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

Probably the age of castles and knights. We’d like to meet Merlin.

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

That we are Doctor Who fanatics?

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

Driving down to the beach (about 4 hours) to watch the sun rise and driving right back.

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

That all people are interesting and special.

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

Our next Taxi for the Dead Paranormal Mystery, Dead Girl Blues, and the next Retired Witches book, Looking for Mr. Good Witch.

 R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Both. There is no absolute for us. You do what you need to do with each book.

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

We read. Drive. We like to take pictures and go to weird little places most people don’t want to go. Jim likes to take apart computers and put them back together. I’m trying to get back into watercolors.

 R: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Write. Write. Write. That’s the most important thing.

 Thanks for a great interview!

 

Say hello to....Nancy Haddock!

Meow! My guest this week is author Nancy Haddock!

Nancy Haddock is an award-winning and national bestselling author of mystery romance who now writes cozy mystery. Basket Case, the first book in the Silver Six Crafting mysteries, will be released in Sept. 2015 with Berkley Prime Crime. Her earlier books, also with Berkley, are La Vida Vampire, Last Vampire Standing, and Always The Vampire, feature Cesca, aka “Gidget with fangs,” and are set in Haddock’s current hometown, St. Augustine, FL. Nancy draws on historic wealth, southern culture, and the plain old quirkiness of places for her books. She lives with her husband and rescue dog Baron, and hopes that a cat finds her soon.

 

 

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

 

First and foremost, thank you so much for inviting me to spend time with you, Rocco! You are one slick cat!

 

To answer the question, according to my late mother, I dictated stories for her to write when I was three. I don’t specifically remember that, but I do recall stories consistently running in my head. I’ve loved reading and storytelling since I can remember, so I suppose writing is simply part of who I am. 

 

R: What drew you to the cozy genre?

 

I love mysteries, the puzzle of them. Growing up on a diet of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and the Hardy Boys helped, and I still read cozies by the handful. Can I stomach the more hard boiled mystery? Yes! But I don’t read them as steadily as I do cozies. 

 

R: You’ve also written about vampires.  Tell us a bit about those books.

 

La Vida Vampire, Last Vampire Standing, and Always The Vampire were actually mystery-romances with Cesca, a “Gidget with fangs” being an amateur sleuth! Cesca was buried for over 200 years, discovered during a home restoration, and now must learn to adjust to 21^st century life with the help of her mentor/ girlfriend. She gets a job as a ghost tour guide, and when one oddball tourist is killed, Cesca is a suspect. I had a blast with Cesca, and her friends, including her mysterious guy, Saber! 

 

R: Tell us about your new cozy series and first release, BASKET CASE.

 

When “Nixy” Nix visits her aunt in Lilyvale, Arkansas, she fears Sherry Mae may have dementia. Instead, Sherry and her five housemates are perfectly competent, and battling a real estate developer who wants Sherry Mae’s ancestral home and land. When the developer is found dead in the family cemetery, Nixy must prove Sherry Mae is innocent of murder before the killer strikes again.

 

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?

 

My agent story is odd. My agent first rejected me, very nicely. I got that e-mail on a Monday. On Wednesday I got THE CALL. After consulting with several trusted writer friends, I phoned the agent who had rejected me to ask if she would look over the contract. Instead, she offered representation on the first contract, and we’ve stayed together since! Love the woman!

 

As to THE CALL, well, I’d been writing a very loooong time. When the editor phoned, I was so surprised, I had trouble taking in that I had finally sold. Fortunately, my RWA training kicked in, and I was able to behave professionally (save the loud gasps of OMG every now and then). Then, yes, I screamed a little and danced around my office.

 

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

 

I used to have small rituals, but those went out the door. Now, it’s pretty much sitting down and getting to it. If there is distracting noise in the house—aka hubby—then I pop on the earphones and listen to new age/ spa/ nature sounds. Most music has me humming along, singing along, or chair dancing, so I don’t have a writing sound track.

 

As for creative aids, well, the occasional handful of frozen M&Ms doesn’t hurt. Or a handful of Mike and Ike Red Rageous candies.

 

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

 

I don’t know about a single moment, but I love the British Regency period, and would love to visit that time period!

 

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

 

I’ve done a Vision Quest on a Lakota reservation.

 

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

 

Probably taking the Vision Quest trip. I went with people I didn’t know at all or know well, which was stepping out of my comfort zone. I slept in a tent when my idea of camping is a hotel without a restaurant. I prepared for the Quest for months, including taking Lakota language lessons. And, no, I didn’t understand everyone, but I understood some.      

 

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

I hope readers leave my books feeling good, feeling that they had fun with the characters and the story, and feeling that they want to read the next book.

 

R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I have a general outline with plot points, but for the most part, I’m a pantser.

 

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

I used to have one craft after another going, and now that I’m writing about folk art and crafts, I want to get into those again. But, alas, I don’t have nearly the time right now!

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

My website is www.nancyhaddock.com, and you’ll find about anything you want to know there. And things you didn’t want to know!

R: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

 

No matter what, keep writing! Whether you want and choose to be traditionally published, or you elect to e-publish, keep writing. And keep reading! Polish your skills, find a good critique group, let the stories pour out of you. If you want to be a published writer, WRITE!

 

 

 

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  I’m a night owl, but I also need to see and be out in the sun for a while each day.  

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  I love dogs and cats. We have a recuse dog now, but I’m yearning for a cat. We haven’t had one since 2002 … which is waaaay too long!(R: I can understand that, Nancy! Cats are WAAAY COOL!)  Perhaps about Christmas time?

Beach or Pool?   I live a 2-minute walk from the beach, so it’s the beach for me!

Steak or salad? Love salad, but I need meat!

Favorite Drink?  Sweet tea

Favorite Book?  Argh! I don’t have a single favorite; I have dozens and dozens!

Favorite TV Series?  Again, multiple favs, but NCIS is high on the list.

Favorite Movie?  I’m going with Father Goose.

Favorite Actor:  Cary Grant is my all-time fav!

Favorite Actress: Hmm. Katharine Hepburn.

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Pina Colada though I’m allergic to the alcohol in both.

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Jane Austen.

If I had just one wish, it would be … is world peace too Miss Congeniality? I would truly love to live in a world without conflict and constant threats.

 

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be no one. We all have our unique talents and skills, life victories and life challenges. I’d rather deal with my own challenges than someone else’s.

 

Thanks, Nancy! Folks here’s where you can find out more about her:

 

Contact:   nancy@nancyhaddock.com

Website:  www.nancyhaddock.com

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

Twitter: @tikinancy or @nancyhaddock

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1284339.Nancy_Haddock

 

 

Nancy will give away a copy of Basket Case, paperback or e-book, winner’s choice, to one lucky commenter! (US entries only, please)

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. Good luck! Contest ends midnight Thursday October 22.

 

Rocco welcomes NYT Bestselling author Margaret Coel to the blog!

Rocco welcomes NYT Bestselling author Margaret Coel!

Margaret Coel is the author of nineteen award-winning mystery novels set among the Arapahos on Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation, including THE MAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY, the most recent entry in what Booklist calls “the consistently strong Wind River series.”  The novels feature Jesuit priest Father John O’Malley and Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden. She is also the author of two suspense novels set in Denver.

Margaret’s novels have been on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News.  She is a six-time winner of the Colorado Book Award  and a winner of the Willa (Cather) Award for Best Novel  of the West.  She has received the Frank Waters Award for “exemplary literary achievement,” the High Plains Emeritus Literary Award for “a lifetime of outstanding work, ” and the Colorado Arts and Humanities Lifetime Achievement Award. THE SPIDER’S WEB received the 2010 Hillerman Sky Award for the most evocative descriptions of the Southwest. 

She is also the author of the short story collection Watching Eagles Soar as well as many articles for publications such as American Heritage and The New York Times.  She has published four non-fiction books, including CHIEF LEFT HAND, a history of the Arapahos, published by the University of Oklahoma Press and winner of the Best Non-Fiction Book Award from the National Association of Press Women.  The Colorado Historical Society lists both Chief Left Hand and GOIN’ RAILROADING, the book Margaret wrote with her father, among the best 100 books on Colorado history.   

Margaret is a fourth-generation Coloradan. She resides in Boulder where she writes from a study that looks out over the Rocky Mountains.  A herd of deer graze on the hill outside her window and from time to time, a mountain lion will wander past.  “Everyday,” she says, “I drink in the West.” 

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

Thanks Rocco. I think I was born a writer.  It is the only thing I ever wanted to do and, as it turns out, the only thing I’ve done.  I got a degree in journalism and French literature, went to work as a newspaper reporter, graduated to writing magazine articles and non-fiction books. And finally landed where I had always wanted to be: writing novels.

R: Tell us about your Wind River Mystery series. What inspired that? 

My first non-fiction book was a history of the Arapahos when they lived on the plains of Colorado, as well as a biography of one of their great chiefs.  It is titled Chief Left Hand and is still in print after thirty-some years.  The five years I spent researching and writing that book took me into the Arapaho world.  I have never left.

R: Tell us about your other series, Catherine McLeod. 

I’m a native of Denver, and I think of my McLeod series as love letters to the city.  I wanted to write about an urban Arapaho, caught up in the day-to-day madness of city life.  Since I had veen a reporter in Denver, I thought my urban Arapaho character would be a reporter.  So Catherine McLeod was born. 

R:  Your series feature the Arapahos prominently.  How did you become interested in them?

They were the people of the plains in Colorado. Half of Colorado once belonged to them and the Cheyennes.  I’m a 4^th generation Coloradan, and I was always interested in the people who had been here before my people and everybody else came and changed everything.  I started reading about these tribes.  You never know where you’ll go when you read a book, and pretty soon, I was researching and planning my own book on the Arapahos.

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?

When I had finished my first novel (you cannot sell what you don’t have!) I went to writers conferences and met with editors and agents.  I had perfected my elevator pitch:  I have written a novel like Tony Hillerman’s novels.  At least that got their attention.  Several editors asked to see the manuscript.  I did not send it.  Instead, I contacted agents I had liked and told them editors were waiting to see the manuscrpt.  It worked.  I had several agents offer to represent me, and I chose the one I thought I could work best with.

How did I feel when the call came that the novel was sold? Ecstatic and scared, because Berkley Publishing, which had  bought the novel, also wanted two more.  So I had to get right to work.  No time to celebrate.

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

Quiet.  My own office. I’m not a writer who can write at Starbucks or on airplanes.  I need a cup of tea nearby. 

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

 Gettysburg when Lincoln spoke.  That must have been awesome.

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

I am a seriously addicted movie fan, especially old movies.  I love them all and spend wayyyyy too  much time watching them, over and over again sometimes.  Godfather, anybody?  Any movie with Cary Grant and Doris Day?  Count me in.

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

   Went to visit a very dangerous site on the Wind River Reservation against the advice of my  Arapaho friends.  But I was writing about the place and wanted to see it.  When I got there, I interrupted a drug deal and got shot at!  As a result I was shot at.  Now that was crazy.

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

Maybe an appreciation of the American West and our rich and riveting history.  Maybe a little insight into Arapaho culture and history.  Most of all I hope they feel they had a good time reading.

R: Are you a plotter or a pantser? 

Definitely a plotter, but not a detailed plotter.  I start with what I call my roadmap.  That is, vague idea of where I’m going and how to get there.  Very vague, because wonderful things happen in the writing process—characters start speaking up for themselves—and I don’t want to have the plot so well defined that I can’t let that happen.

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

I played competitive tennis for years, but have recently cut back.  I like to walk and hike.  Any outdoor activity suits me fine.

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

My website:  margaretcoel.com.  And my Facebook page. 

R: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Write.  Write.  Write.  You have to keep at it, no matter what.  My guess is no writer gets published without a lot of determination and perseverance.

Thank you, Margaret.

Margaret will give away a copy of her new book, THE MAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY, to one lucky commenter!

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. Good luck! Contest ends midnight, October 17.