Our guest today....author Laura Morrigan!

Meow! My guest today is author Laura Morrigan!

Spending the first years of her life on a Costa Rican coffee farm blessed Laura Morrigan with a fertile imagination and a love for all things wild.

Later she became a volunteer at a local zoo, helping out with everything from “waste management” to teaching an elephant how to paint. Drawing from her years of experience with both wild and domestic animals and her passion for detective novels, Laura created the Call of the Wilde series. She lives in Florida with her husband and far too many cats, loves the Blue Angels, wearing flip flops in November, and thunderstorms.

R: Welcome Laura! Tell us a little about your background

. Thanks ROCCO! Before I lost my mind and decided to become a writer, I worked as a massage therapist, at an animal hospital, antique store, and a zoo. I also do cover artwork for my fellow authors.

R: How did the idea for the Grace Wilde series come about.  Do you yourself have any psychic ingight when it comes to animals?

I wish! But sadly, no. Grace's stories were inspired by my time working at the zoo and the vet clinic where I really wanted to have the ability to communicate with animals.

R: Tell us a bit about your latest book , HORSE OF A DIFFERENT KILLER

 It’s the third book in the series. Grace winds up trying to solve the murder of her abusive ex brother-in-law when her sister is suspected of the crime. There are a lot of fun animals, too!

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

 For me, characters tend to reveal themselves like real people. The longer I hang out with them and ask questions, the more I learn. Which is crazy when you think about it – as they are all in my head!

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

 I have a large white board I work on to brainstorm an outline.

R: Which do you consider more important, plot or character?

? Plot is really important but (in my humble opinion) character will always win. If we didn't care about what happens to the protagonist or their friends why care about the plot

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

 I'm my own worst enemy. There are days I think "I have no idea what I'm doing- I'm a terrible writer." then I'll get a Facebook message or email from a reader telling me how much they loved the book and how much they are looking forward to the next one and I suck it up and keep going.(So, keep those messages coming! )

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

 My advice- Query, query and query some more- that's it.

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

 Right now I'm working on the fourth book in the Call of the Wilde series, which takes Grace to New Orleans! But I have a lot of ideas for different series and future books- of course!

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

How about we do a fantasy day? I get up, go for a walk and do yoga. Then I sit down at my computer or with a notepad and let the muse do all the work! (I said fantasy, right?)

R: You also do cover art – which do you prefer, drawing or writing?

 Writing- hands down.

R: What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

 Write every day. Never give up!

R: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

 What!? No comment!

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

 I'm really terrified of animals – just kidding! Honestly, people are surprised at the oddest things so I don't know.

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

What's your favorite animal? Answer: unicorn!

R: Where can we learn more about you and your books?

I’m on Facebook www.facebook.com/CallOfTheWildeMysteries my website,lauramorrigan.com I also have a cool Pinterest board www.pinterest.com/lauramorrigan/grace-wilde-call-of-the-wilde-mystery-series-inspi/ with ideas for the series and great photos of some the animals in the books!

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  .Yes J

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  Ach! No comment!

Beach or Pool?   Beach

Steak or salad?  Salad

Favorite Drink?  Watermelon juice (really)

Favorite Book?  At the moment, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

Favorite TV Series?  I’m liking Game of Thrones a lot…

Favorite Movie?  Hmmmm The Princess Bride(?)

Favorite Actor: Johnny Depp

Favorite Actress: Jennifer Lawrence

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? “If you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain…”

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be  Dumbledoor!!___________________

If I had just one wish, it would be__World Peace (not kidding)_________________________

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be _ My cat! (spoiled- really, really spoiled)

ROCCO: I like that last answer!

Thanks to the good folks at Berkley, we have a copy of HORSE OF A DIFFERENT KILLER to give 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:

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Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  Don’t forget to mention all you’ve done in your comment. Contest ends midnight, April 30. Good luck!