Rocco's guest...author Mike Befeler!

Meow! My guest this weekend is Mike Befeler, author of the Geezer-Lit mysteries.

Mike Befeler’s geezer-lit mysteries include Nursing Homes Are Murder, Care Homes Are Murder; Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder, a finalist for The Lefty Award for best humorous mystery of 2012; Senior Moments Are Murder; Living with Your Kids Is Murder; and Retirement Homes Are Murder. His other published mysteries are Court Trouble, The V V Agency, The Back Wing, Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse and Murder on the Switzerland Trail. He grew up in Hawaii and lives in Lakewood, CA, with his wife Wendy. http://www.mikebefeler.com

• Welcome Mike! Tell us a little about your background

Thanks, ROCCO! layed competitive tennis as a kid and in college. After graduate school I followed a business career for 39 years until I retired into writing—I didn’t begin writing until 2001 when I was 56.

• Tell us a bit about your Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series

There are six books in the series: Retirement Homes Are Murder, Living with Your Kids Is Murder, Senior Moments Are Murder, Cruising in Your Eighties Is Murder, Care Homes Are Murder and Nursing Homes Are Murder. Paul is in his mid-eighties and has short term memory loss. Even though he can’t remember the day before, he becomes an amateur sleuth and even has a romance with a young chick in her seventies. The first book in the series was inspired by active older people with good senses of humor I met when my mom and stepdad moved into a retirement community.

• What is your latest release?

Released in July, 2016: Court Trouble, A Platform Tennis Mystery. Having played platform tennis for the last 20 years I set a mystery in a sport I love.

In Court Trouble Mark Yeager is retired from his stressful career as an entrepreneur and now gets his adrenaline fix from games of platform tennis with a motley crew of equally middle-aged buddies. But when one of his good friends is bludgeoned to death in the dark on one of the platform tennis courts, Mark takes it personally: Manny Grimes had likely saved Mark’s life by

insisting he see a doctor for what turned out to be prostate cancer. Mark decides he must identify the killer, even if it means another close encounter of the Grim Reaper kind.

“This solid series launch from Befeler introduces an unlikely amateur sleuth, platform tennis buff Mark Yeager. . . . Readers will look forward to seeing more of this determined tennis enthusiast and cancer survivor.” —Publishers Weekly

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

My characters may have snippets of people I know but always have their own characteristics that seem right for them. I do some character sheet listing of qualities but then it always evolves from there as I write

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

I have tried various amounts of outlining but have never been a complete seat of the pants writer. I typically write a basic outline and then see how the plot develops, and it always surprises me by going in a direction I didn’t expect. This is one of the joys of writing—I can’t wait to see what happens. Often when writing mystery novels, I don’t know who the murderer is when I start. I have a number of suspects, set up clues and red herrings and then eventually I discover who the murderer is. Then during revision I go back and tune the clues and red herrings.

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

Character although plot is a close second. Modern mystery readers consistently say they fall in love with the characters not the plot.

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

The biggest challenge is overcoming the rejections and lack of response from editors and agents. I sold my first short story on my 112^th submission. Perseverance is a must in this industry. I have my emotional ups and downs but don’t wallow in self pity. After a downer, I get up and tell myself to keep going.

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

Right now I’m in editing mode. I have a number of completed manuscripts that I am tuning and considering whether to pursue traditional publishing or self-publishing.

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

I’m a morning person and do my best work early in the day. Before we moved from Colorado to California a year ago, I wrote every morning for several hours. We moved to Southern California because our daughter was having a baby, so now more of my morning time is enjoyably consumed with my grandson, now 11 months old.

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

Keep writing, no matter what. When you finish a manuscript, edit it and also start on the next one. It’s important to build a portfolio of manuscripts. Realize that you need to stick to it. Writing and publishing are not easy, so you have to suck it up and keep going.

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

When in college I spent 6 months in Europe. At the Alhambra in Spain we raised an American flag on the flagpole at the top of the Alhambra. Then we skedaddled before Franco’s police caught us

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

Until my most recent book came out, that I had a background in tennis. I had some measure of success—I was ranked number 30 in the country as a boy, played collegiate tennis at Stanford and at the age of 19 was the second ranked men’s tennis player in the state of Hawaii. I peaked at 19 and never made it to the next level.

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

What’s your biggest peeve with the publishing establishment?

Answer: I’ve listened to many panels of agents and editors at writers and mystery conferences, and they often say that they’d like to see authors be more responsive. My experience is that most writers are responsive and follow through on their commitments but that the agent and editor world could show improvement.

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

All the usual places such as Amazon and barnesandnoble.com as well as my website http://www.mikebefeler.com

Just for Fun:

Favorite Book?

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. I love the quirky characters. This inspired me to write my own quirky characters

Favorite TV Series?

America’s Funniest Home Videos

Favorite Movie?

First released Star Wars movie

Favorite Actor:

Tom Hanks

Favorite Actress:

Sandra Bullock

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Athanasius Kirker (I have a completed manuscript in which he becomes an amateur sleuth; he was known as the last man to know everything)

If I had just one wish, it would be a cure for cancer

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

Thanks, Mike! You can find out more about Mike at:

http://www.mikebefeler.com

https://www.facebook.com/mike.befeler

https://twitter.com/mikebefeler 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1105937.Mike_Befeler

Send Mike an email at mikebef@aol.com if you want to enter a drawing for a character name in his next book!

ROCCO's guest...Melanie Travis author .Laurien Berenson!

Meow! My guest this week is author Laurien Berenson!

Laurien Berenson is the author of thirty novels that have sold more than two million copies worldwide. Her cozy mystery series revolves around the world of dog shows, a milieu she knows well as her family has been involved in the sport of dogs for three generations. There are currently nineteen Melanie Travis canine mysteries including the newest book, LIVE AND LET GROWL.

Berenson is a four time winner of the Maxwell Award for Fiction from the Dog Writers Assoc. of America and a winner of the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. She is also an Agatha and Macavity nominee. Her work has  appeared in The New York Times as well as numerous magazines. She is a graduate of Vassar College, and she and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky, surrounded by horses and dogs.

• Hello, and welcome Laurien! Tell us a little about your background

Thanks ROCCO! I grew up in a family that always had animals: everything from dogs and cats to guinea pigs, parakeets, and ponies. My love for animals has continued to this day and I was thrilled when I sold my first Melanie Travis mystery, A PEDIGREE TO DIE FOR, as it combines two of my favorite things, dogs and humorous cozy mystery.

• Tell us a bit about your latest book, LIVE AND LET GROWL

LIVE AND LET GROWL is the 19^th book in the Melanie Travis series. Melanie is a mother, a teacher, and a breeder and exhibitor of Standard Poodles. In this book she and her Aunt Peg (a dog show judge) travel to Kentucky for a cluster of dog shows. While there, they become involved in suspicious activities that center around the Thoroughbred horseracing industry.

• You are, obviously, a dog person…your lead character is the owner of a Standard Poodle.  Is this your favorite breed of dog?  Do you own any poodles (something in common with the HUMAN – she owned a miniature poodle growing up)

(Lucky HUMAN!) I had Poodles, both Standards and Minis, for more than 30 years. For most of that time I was a breeder and dog show exhibitor. I adore Poodles but I also think that there are many great breeds of dogs. Right now, I am taking a break from grooming and I have 2 smooth Collies.

• You also write about dog shows – have you ever participated in one?  Any stories about that you can share?

I have participated in hundreds of dog shows as a dedicated owner-handler (something I have in common with my characters Melanie Travis and Aunt Peg.) Dog shows make a wonderful backdrop for a mystery series as there is always something interesting going on.

• Do you have a favorite among the books you’ve written?  If so, which one and why?

I have several favorites in the series and I always hope that the next book I write will be my new favorite. Among the books that are already available I like UNLEASHED, WATCHDOG, GONE WITH THE WOOF and LIVE AND LET GROWL.

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

I don’t usually try too hard to get to know my characters ahead of time as I find that they are apt to tell me the things about themselves that they want me to know. One of the joys of introducing new characters to the series is having them take me to new and unexpected places.

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

In the beginning, I used to outline my books religiously. But now I’ve become a much more free form writer. I have a basic plot in my head when I start but then I just sort of wing it and see where the story takes me.

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

For me, as both a reader and a writer, character has always been more important. Even the best plot can’t make me enjoy a book with characters I don’t like.

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

With 19 books in the series so far, my biggest challenge is keeping things fresh and interesting. As for motivation, I have always been very disciplined. Plus, deadlines scare me. It’s much easier for me to write each day than to have to worry about the fact that I am not writing.

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

Thirty years ago, I went to the first RWA convention in New York City. I sat down in the front row of the first presentation and introduced myself to the person seated beside me. She, like me, was an aspiring writer. The woman next to her was an aspiring agent. The agent took both of us on as clients and within the next year we had both made our first sales. Thirty years later, I am still represented by the same agency.

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

I am currently working on Melanie Travis Mystery #20 (MURDER AT THE PUPPY FEST) which will come out in 2017. Reader support for this series has been wonderful  and I hope to be able to continue to write about Melanie and her adventures for years to come.

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

That depends on what stage of the book I’m working on (first draft, editing, etc.) but generally I start working first thing in the morning and I work about 4-5 hours a day, six days a week.

• If you could take only three books with your for a year-long writing retreat in a gorgeous setting with no library, which three would you take?

Yikes, they would have to be long ones! Truthfully I don’t think I could last a year with only three books.

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

Write the story that you want to tell. Even if everyone else tries to fit you into a different mold, stay strong in your own voice. Also, rejection is a fact of life for aspiring authors, even really good ones. So keep writing and be determined! Your turn will come.

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

Left college to go on a three month camping trip to Alaska with a boy I had known for four weeks. (We’ve now been married 40 years.)

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

That I breed and race Thoroughbred horses.

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

I have no idea! I am always asked great questions.

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

On my website at www.laurienberenson.com  or they can friend me on Facebook (I love talking to readers there). Or they can “like” my FB Author Page.

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  day

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  dog (sorry!...no, not really. ;)

Beach or Pool?   pool

Steak or salad?  steak

Favorite Drink?  tea

Favorite Book?  too many to name

Favorite TV Series?  The Big Bang Theory

Favorite Movie?  Dangerous Liaisons

Favorite Actor: Chris Hemsworth

Favorite Actress: Meryl Streep

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Pina Colada

Hawaii or Alaska? Alaska

Finish this sentence: 

If I had just one wish, it would be  for world peace

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be: Nobody! I am happy being myself

Thanks Laurien!

Giveaway time!

Laurien will give away a signed copy of Live and Let Growl to one lucky reader!

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 closes midnight, July 19^th!

ROCCO's guest blogger...TERRIE FARLEY MORAN

Merow!  Welcome my guest blogger this week: Terrie Farley Moran!

Terrie Farley Moran is the best-selling author of the Read 'Em and Eat cozy mysteries series. Well Read, Then Dead, winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel 2014, was followed by Caught Read-Handed in 2015 and Read to Death in July 2016.

Terrie’s short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies. Her short story, “A Killing at the Beausoleil” prequel to the Read ’Em and Eat novels, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Short Story. 

She also co-writes Laura Childs’ Scrapbooking Mystery series. Together they have written Parchment and Old Lace (October 2015) and Crepe Factor (October 2016).

Website: www.terriefarleymoran.com

Hey Rocco, it is terrific to be visiting again.

Bow languidly raises her paw as a howdy to you. You remember Bow, don’t you? She is the adorable black Maine Coon who allows Miguel, chef in the Read ’Em and Eat, to fawn and fuss over her while he provides tantalizing food and a cozy spot to nap on his patio.

Hooray! Summer is here! Lazy days filled with sunshine, umbrellas anchored in the sand and waves rolling up to the shore. Read to Death, the third book in the Read ’Em and Eat cozy mystery series, is finally available for a relaxing beach read. I’m sure you all remember that the Read ’Em and Eat Café and Bookstore is located on Estero Island with seven miles of white sugar sand beach stretching along the Gulf of Mexico, so if you can’t get to the beach, kick back and pour a glass of sweet tea, while Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield, owners of the Read ’Em and Eat take you on another adventure. Sea shell collecting and walks on a pier that reaches into the Gulf of Mexico are definitely included.

When the Cool Reads/Warm Climate Book Club began their end-of-season outing at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, where Thomas Edison and Henry Ford spent their winters a century ago, no one could foresee that before day’s end Bridgy would find the van driver sprawled across the front seat with a pair of scissors stuck in his throat.

Being the first witness on the scene could easily lead to Bridgy being the prime suspect unless the killer is caught quickly, and Sassy intends to make that happen. Her snooping leads her to sneak aboard fishing boats and to visit a wharfie tavern, but information is hard to come by.

In the meantime, what does a girl in crisis need? She needs her mom. Bridgy’s Aunt Ophie steps in to fill the roll temporarily but when Bridgy’s mom arrives, trouble comes with her. First of all, Bridgy’s mom, Emelia, doesn’t get along well with her older sister, Ophie, so at the exact time there should be nothing but family harmony with a focus on helping Bridgy, the sisters can barely be civil.

Not enough family drama for you? Well, Emelia brought a surprise guest with her. Get ready to meet Sassy’s mom who will read your aura and teach you to meditate all while trying to match S assy up with any and every available man. Sassy’s mom’s name? Well, that depends on her mood.

Along with the rest of the Read ’Em and Eat crowd, Sassy, Aunt Ophie and the moms do their best to keep Bridgy surrounded by love and humor until the killer is caught and their normal life of sweet tea, Drunken Raisin Scones and book club meetings can resume uninterrupted.

Merow! Thank you, Terrie!

Folks, Terrie will give away a t-shirt with the cover of Read to Death on it!

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, July 16!

ROCCO Interviews Gerry Schmitt on LITTLE GIRL GONE

Ma-row! My guest today is author Gerry Schmitt who is probably better known to you as Laura Childs! Today I am interviewing her on her new series!

Gerry Schmitt is the author of Little Girl Gone, an Afton Tangler Thriller to be released July 5, 2016. Writing under her pen name Laura Childs, she is

the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-six mysteries, including the Scrapbooking Mysteries, Tea Shop Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Gerry is the former CEO of her own marketing firm, has won dozens of TV and radio awards, and produced two reality TV shows. She and her professor husband enjoy travel and their two Shar-Pei dogs.

Welcome, Gerry! As Laura Childs, you write three fabulous cozy series. What made you make the leap into thrillers?

Thanks for having me, ROCCO!  It’s not such a huge leap. I’ve been writing what I call a “thrillzy” for years. This is my own brand of hybrid book that dances between a thriller and a cozy. Instead of sweet little ladies with cats, I incorporate smart, daring female entrepreneurs, double murders, international jewel thieves, arson, ponzi schemes, car crashes, smash and grab robberies, hangings, drownings, maniacal cult leaders, haunted houses, horse thieves, etc. If it’s crazy, evil, or exciting, I’ll stick it in one of my books.

Tell us what inspired this new series, the Afton Tangler Thrillers. Where did the idea for LITTLE GIRL GONE come from?

The first time I saw a “reborn” doll, a doll that had been stripped of factory paint and then reworked to look like a real infant, I thought to myself, “This is amazingly creepy.” I mean, this doll had hand-inserted hair and eyelashes, a perfect airbrushed paint job, and even a tiny motor to imitate a heartbeat. People who bought these dolls actually signed adoptions papers! From that sort of jumping off point it was easy to build a twisty, off-kilter plot.

Which do you prefer writing, thrillers or cozies?

I’m a commercial writer who’s written screenplays, TV commercials, reality shows, etc.  So I pretty much love writing everything. Writing thrillers is a little more difficult, however, because they demand a longer format and slightly more intricate plot.

Are you a fan of thrillers? Who is your favorite thriller author?

I read every thriller I can get my hands on, but my favorite thriller author is John Sandford. He’s the master of casual dialogue and intricate, gritty plots.

With four series on your plate, you are one busy lady! How do you keep your characters/plots straight and how do you schedule your writing so the series don’t overlap?

It’s fairly easy to keep my characters and plots straight because I work from a very tight outline. I always sketch out characters and key plot ideas before I start writing, and then I forge ahead with a ninety-page outline. That outline gives me a very tight parameter that’s easy to work from. As far as my series overlapping, they do! I’m usually working on two books at once. I’m a binge writer, so the minute I run out of ideas or energy for one book, I switch over to the second book. For some reason I can always find my mojo again!

Big question for your cozy fans: Do you intend to keep on writing your other three series and if so, can you tell us any future plans for them?

Actually, much of the future’s already written. CREPE FACTOR, the next Scrapbooking Mystery comes out in October and I’m already writing GLITTER BOMB, which will be the next book with a Mardi Gras theme. EGG DROP DEAD, my next Cackleberry Club Mystery, will be out in December, and I’ve already started writing EGGS OVER UNEASY. PEKOE MOST POISON, the next Tea Shop Mystery, will be out in March 2017 and that’s already written and sent off to my publisher. Now I’m working on the plot for PLUM TEA CRAZY. And I’m also working on an Afton Tangler Thriller for July 2017 publication. No title yet, but it involves a helicopter crash, international smugglers, a home shopping network, and a deranged widow out for revenge!

Describe your workspace.

It’s a mess. Press kits, ARCs, and boxes of books everywhere. My husband says I need an office and a mailroom. I agree.  (And I can’t forget my dogs, two Chinese Shar-Pei who sprawl everywhere.)

Do you have a favorite quote?

“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake” – Napoleon Bonaparte. (Harsh but very true when you’re in the middle of a business deal.)

What’s the best and worst part of being an author?

The best part is working for myself, which I do as an author and did for almost twenty years as CEO of my own marketing firm. The worst part (really the hardest part) is not having my former team around me anymore. (Although my designers have been brought in as freelancers.)

Gerry will be giving away a hardcover copy of Little Girl Gone

to one lucky winner.

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 Sunday, July 10!