Hello folks!
Today I’m interviewing author Annelise Ryan!
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Photo courtesy H. Claire Photography
USA Today bestselling author Annelise
Ryan returns with the follow-up to her fascinating mystery, A
Death in Door County (2022): DEATH IN THE DARK WOODS (Berkley
Hardcover; on sale December 12, 2023).
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In A Death in Door County (2022), Ryan introduced
readers to our dedicated, but always skeptical sleuth: Morgan Carter, owner of
the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin. When she’s not tending
the store, she’s hunting cryptids. And although this hobby cost her parents
their lives, it’s one she’ll never give up on.
In DEATH IN THE DARK WOODS, Ryan tackles another
familiar mythical creature: Bigfoot! Business has been booming since
cryptozoologist Morgan Carter solved the case of the monster in Lake Michigan.
The Odds and Ends bookstore is thriving, of course, but Morgan is most excited
by the doors that were opened for her as a cryptid hunter.
Recently, in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest area of
Bayfield County, Wisconsin, there have been numerous sightings of a
Bigfoot-type creature. Now, Morgan isn’t one to believe anything without
conclusive proof, but after a man is found dead from a vicious throat injury in
the forest, the conservation warden asks Morgan to investigate. So, is the
proof out there?
When Morgan and her dog, Newt, venture into the forest to
investigate they find a lot more than large footprints and large fuzzy shadows:
they uncover a trail of lies, deception…and murder. It seems a mysterious
creature is indeed living in the forest, and Morgan might be its next target.
Welcome Annelise! Tell us a little about your background.
I’m a retired registered nurse who has
worked everything from birth (obstetrics) to death (hospice) with the majority
of my years spent in an ER setting. I’ve always been a voracious reader and
wanted to be a writer beginning as far back as I can remember. My family moved
a lot when I was in grade and middle school and I was always the new kid in
class, a tough row to hoe. I quickly discovered that by making up stories about
my life or people I’d known, things I’d seen, and places I’d been, stories that
made my life sound far more interesting than it really was, I attracted new
friends faster. My mother called it lying. I called it survival through
storytelling and I managed to turn it into a career! I’m also lying about who I
am because Annelise Ryan is a pseudonym. I have another pseudonym, too: Allyson
K. Abbott. My real name is Beth Amos. As a mystery writer and ER nurse, I
figured it was best to hide my writing identity because my ER patients might
not have been comfortable knowing their nurse spent her spare time thinking up
fun ways to kill people.
Tell us a bit about your latest book.
My most recent novel, DEATH IN THE DARK
WOODS, is the second book in my Monster Hunter Mystery series featuring
cryptozoologist, Morgan Carter. She likes to hunt for cryptids in her spare
time, creatures like the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot. In this book, she
investigates reports of a homicidal Bigfoot on the loose in the north woods of
Wisconsin near the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior when a hunter and then a
fisherman turn up dead. The first book in the series, A DEATH IN DOOR COUNTY,
had her hunting for a Loch Ness-type monster in Lake Michigan. Are the deaths
caused by cryptids or is it humans who are the monsters?
And now for ROCCO’s in-depth questions:
- How
do you “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the
books?
I like to think of
myself as a Dr. Frankenstein, piecing characters together with bits I’ve taken
from real people I’ve met or observed over the years. I’m sure this will sound
a bit crazy but they introduce themselves to me and reveal bits and pieces of
themselves over time through their actions and the conversations I have with
them in my head. (Then again, given my many identities via pseudonyms, maybe
it’s understandable that my characters talk to me.) Sometimes this little Igor
that resides in my brain tosses in a random piece I don’t know about, and I’m
then surprised by something a character wants, does, says, or needs. Those make
for fun, exciting moments in my writing.
- How
do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat
of your pants”?
Both. I turn in a 3 –
4-page synopsis to my publisher ahead of writing the book but it’s a fairly
generic outline I don’t feel locked into. The end result often bears only a
passing resemblance to the synopsis.
- Which
do you consider more important, plot or character?
Character. Hands
down.
- What
is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you
and keeps you motivated?
The biggest challenge
is getting noticed. It’s become even harder now that everyone and their uncle
can self-publish, and each book out there is but one drop of water in a vast
ocean. I no longer doubt my ability to write or tell a good story, but I used
to. My primary motivation, aside from deadlines, is this endless desire I have
to tell stories, to play God with a bunch of imaginary characters and toss
whatever I want at them to see how they survive…or don’t. It’s loads of fun!.
- What
are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?
I’m currently writing
the third book in my Monster Hunter Mysteries featuring cryptozoologist, Morgan
Carter. I hope to continue this series as long as the publisher will have me.
I’m also working on a Christmas novella (for next year) featuring the
characters from my Mattie Winston Mystery series.
- What
is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you
devote to writing?
It varies from one
day to the next but most of my writing is done in the early afternoons,
typically 3-4 hours at a time. I write in some way every day, though some days
it consists of thought processes and mental exercises rather than time at the
keyboard.
- If
you could take only three books with you for a year-long writing retreat
in a gorgeous setting with no library, which three would you take?
A dictionary. That’s
all. My imagination can do the rest.
8.
What advice do you have to offer to an
aspiring author?
If someone is writing
with the goal of getting published, they need to learn the business side of
writing as well as the craft. Read, read, read, both the genre you want to
write in and books related to the craft and business of writing. Persevere, and
don’t take yourself (or your writing) too seriously. Be willing to learn and
take criticism.
- Where
can we learn more about you and your books?
www.anneliseryan.com or www.bethamos.com
Ad now....ROCCO’s Fast Five:
- What did
you do when you found out your first book was published?
When I first learned
it had sold to a publisher, I cried. Then whooped. When I found out it was
actually published and in stores it was late evening, and I was in my jammies.
I quickly dressed and ran out to the nearest bookstore (in a mall) and stood in
the store and cried once I saw it on the shelf. When I got home I realized I’d
forgotten to put on a bra before I headed out and was wearing my shirt inside
out. I never went into that particular bookstore again.
- What’s your
favorite part of the day?
Early morning when I
first get up and the whole day is waiting for me full of potential.
- What is
your favorite movie quote?
“As … you … wish!”
- What food
do you wish was calorie free?
Pasta. Well, all foods,
really. Except maybe liver. It can be as fattening as it wants because I’ll never eat it.
- What is
something you are really bad at?
Dieting.
Folks you can find out more
about Annaelise here:
My books can be found in any physical
or online bookstore. The full list of titles can be found here: www.anneliseryan.com and also here: www.bethamos.com
As for me personally, I can be found
at several upcoming events. Check out this page, which is regularly updated: www.anneliseryan.com/events
GIVEAWAY TIME!
Berkley has contributed one hardcover copy of DEATH IN A DARK WOODS FOR ONE LUCKY COMMENTER!
To enter, leave your name and email address in our comments section below. Maxx and Random.org will pick the lucky winner! US entrie only please!
Contest ends midnight, December 15
