Meow! Welcome Julie Chase!

Merow!  I’m pleased to welcome the author of the “Kitty Couture” mysteries , Julie Chase, to be my guest today!

Julie Chase is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three small children. Julie is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC). As Julie Anne Lindsey, she also writes the Geek Girl mystery series and the Patience Price mystery series. Visit her at juliechasebooks.com.

• Welcome Julie! Tell us a little about your background Hello! Thank you so much for having me over to your blog, Rocco! I’m Julie Chase. I’m a Midwestern mother of three. I started writing about seven years ago when I read a book that gave me a much needed escape. When I put that book down, I opened a search engine and typed “How to write a book” because I wanted to give someone else the kind of gift my book had just given me.
  
• Tell us a bit about your Kitty Couture mysteries for Crooked Lane. How did that idea come about? The idea emerged just over a year ago while I was in New Orleans researching for another project. I rode a streetcar to the Garden District and immediately fell in love with the neighborhood. The shops along Magazine Street were so eclectic and inviting. The homes were breathtaking. I had to write about them, and my heroine had to make pet clothing because there’s nothing cuter on this planet than a cat in a hat. 
• How do you “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books? I spend several weeks pondering new concepts and playing with possibilities before I begin writing my stories. It gives me time to understand the personalities I’m dealing with and what to expect from them when I put them in various situations.
• How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”? I’m a dedicated outliner. I always leave room for flexibility, but I have three kids and no time, so outlining keeps me on track and more importantly on deadline.
• Which do you consider more important, plot or character? Oh, Rocco, you sly kitty. This is a tricky one. I think both are important, of course, but I must admit that I’m a plot girl! I come up with my twisted and mischievous schemes first, then build characters into them and not the other way around.
• What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated? The biggest challenge I face as a writer is dealing with self-doubt. I spend far more time questioning myself, my lack of talent and whether or not I’m wasting everyone’s time than I care to admit.
• Do you have a “How I got my agent” story you want to share? My agent story is fabulous, but unusual. I’m represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Jill was and is my “dream agent.” About a year ago, I had a big glass of wine and sent her a query for Cat Got Your Diamonds. It was late on a Friday night, and I woke Saturday morning to a lovely note from Jill. She’d read the query and loved it. She wanted to read the whole manuscript! I spent the day rereading the pages, then sent it to her Sunday night. She called Monday morning to offer me representation, and she had multiple publisher offers by the week’s end. And now, she is my Yoda.
• What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans? I’ve just finished writing a third exciting Kitty Couture adventure, and I’ve begun working on a Christmas themed cozy for next fall. I also have frameworks for another cozy series and a traditional mystery concept filling notebooks that I can’t get to until early spring, but I hope they will both find themselves in the hands of readers one day, too.
• What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing? I get up at five every morning. On Monday through Friday I wake three children at half hour intervals between 6 and 7. Make breakfasts. Pack lunches. Run the vacuum, clean house, and do laundry between walking to the bus stop and back three times. When the last bus leaves, I sit down and begin writing. I write until the children start coming home at three, three-thirty and four. I help with homework. Mend hearts. Make dinners. And run the kids to various sports and other activities until their bedtimes. I spend time with my husband from nine thirty until he goes to bed at eleven or twelve, and I repeat the process five days a week. I also write late at night and on most weekends. I easily spend forty hours a week writing.
• 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? I’d love to be stuck on an island for a year. I guess I’d take my Bible, and two giant notebooks. I could probably write a hundred stories with that kind of time and solitude!
• What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author? Don’t give up. This industry can be tough, and the rejections can wear you down, but you can make it through. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. You can do this. You will do this. And you’re probably already much closer than you realize.
• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? I once walked the plank on the Jolly Roger in Barbados. (I was much braver when I was in college).
• What’s one thing your readers would be surprised to find out about you? I’m extremely introverted and struggle with social anxiety. You probably wouldn’t guess it if we met online or at an event, but behind the smile and faux confidence, I’m probably overanalyzing everything I say and feeling like it’s all ridiculous and wishing I was hiding behind the nearest curtain. 
• Where can we learn more about you and your books? You can find me online day or night on Facebook and Twitter as Julie Anne Lindsey. I also keep a website with all the latest Julie Chase updates at juliechasebooks.com

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  . Day

Dog or Cat?  Cat!!!

Beach or Pool?   Beach

Steak or salad?  Salad

Favorite Drink?  Coffee by day. Pinot by night.

Favorite Book?  Wuthering Heights

Favorite TV Series?  Castle

Favorite Movie?  You’ve Got Mail

Favorite Actor: Ryan Reynolds

Favorite Actress: Katherine Heigl

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Pina Colada

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Janet Evanovich. Her Stephanie Plum books inspired me to try my hand at mystery writing.

If I had just one wish, it would be to live long enough to see my children graduate college, choose professions, marry their best friends, and have brilliant, happy, healthy kids and grandkids of their own. I don’t want to miss a moment of their amazing lives.

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be … Honestly, I love my life. Profoundly. It’s a Cinderella story filled with unfathomable blessings, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Ever.

Thanks Julie! Folks, you can find out more about Julie at:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliechasebooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julieannelindsey/?hl=en

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14957369.Julie_Chase

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliechasebooks/

Website: http://juliechasebooks.com/

Crooked Lane will give away a copy of CAT GOT YOUR DIAMONDS to one lucky commenter! (US and Canada 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, Nov 20!

ROCCO WELCOMES AUTHOR LYNN CAHOON!

ROCCO WELCOMES AUTHOR LYNN CAHOON!

• Welcome Lynn! Tell us a little about your background:

Thanks ROCCO! I’m an Idaho native that now lives in the Midwest. I’m a 9 year breast cancer survivor who started writing because someday isn’t promised. I love talking to my imaginary friends and hope you enjoy their stories as well.

• You write not one, but two cozy mystery series. Can you tell us about them?

 Tourist Trap is set in central coastal California in South Cove, a tourist trappy town. Jill Gardner is my amateur sleuth and she owns the coffee shop/bookstore and is dating the town police detective. My new series, The Cat Latimer mysteries, is set in Aspen Hills, a small college town near the mountains of Colorado. Cat is a young adult author and has opened a writer’s retreat in the house she inherited when her ex-husband died without changing the will.

• Can you tell us about your latest release?
  

 A Story to Kill is Cat’s first book.  Former English professor Cat Latimer is back in Colorado, hosting writers’ retreats in the big blue Victorian she’s inherited, much to her surprise, from none other than her carousing ex-husband! Now it’s an authors’ getaway—but Cat won’t let anyone get away with murder…

The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and bestselling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn’t know why he came all the way from New York, but she’s glad to have him among the quirkier—and far less famous—attendees.

Cat’s high school sweetheart Seth, who’s fixing up the weathered home, brings on mixed emotions for Cat…some of them a little overpowering. But it’s her uncle, the local police chief, whom she’ll call for help when there’s a surprise ending for Tom Cook in his cozy guest room. Will a killer have the last word on the new life Cat has barely begun?

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

By writing them into the story. For the book I just finished, I had the opening scene in my head for months before I started actually writing. Then I started naming the new characters and why they are there. I learn as much about my town as I’m writing, more than I know in the beginning.

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

I do both. I have a chapter by chapter outline, and I know where the turning points in the story should be. I typically know what I want to happen, but my characters know what actually happens, so I listen to them.

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

 Character. Plot drives your story, but if you don’t care what happens to the people, you aren’t going to keep reading.

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

 I love it when I work through a book, then read it and LOVE it. I enjoy being my first reader. And if the story makes me smile, or cry, it’s on track.  I think sometimes I skim emotion and I’ve been working hard on adding that in without sounding too emotional. Fine line here.  I’m okay with rejections because I figure someone is going to love the story. And there always is someone.

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

 I got my agent on the story that no one wanted – in a way. I’d sent the first book in the Tourist Trap series to everyone I WANTED for an agent (including my current one.) They all turned me down. I submitted it on my own to Kensington and got a contract, actually, four contracts, unagented. Then I got an email expressing interest in the film/movie rights for TT. I knew I needed an agent for that. And one of the five I approached was perfect for me. So now I have an agent. (but sadly, no movie deal)

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

I’m writing the last contracted book in the Cat Latimer mystery series. We’ll see where that goes once I turn that book in. And next year, I start writing a new Farm to Fork mystery series – with Who Stole my Goat Cheese as book one.

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

Since I’m still at the day job, I work first thing in the morning, some lunch hours, and at night when I need more words. I goal 10K a week, which gives me a book in two months. IF I follow my schedule. Add in the marketing, social media, and in person visits, and I’m working all the time.

• 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?

 Great question – The Stand – and probably, The Talisman by Stephen King (and Peter Straub for the second one.) And probably the latest in the Thunder Point series by Robin Carr. That way I could think about all the other stories as I’m re-reading the newest. Or I would cheat and say for my third book, the complete works of William Shakespeare. That way I get a classic in there and with a year to read, I should get it done.  J

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

 Finish the book. Then another one. Then a third. Then look for publication. You need to know what you like to write and what is your voice.

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

I went out shooting with a couple guys in the Idaho desert. I had met them the day before and since I was writing mystery, I thought it was a great idea.  Not sure, looking back, I’d do that.

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

I throw pretty good darts for a girl. J  And my husband and I count trail riding in our Side by Side as date night.

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

What do you think of reviews?  Actually, no, I don’t want to be asked that. Why write?  Because I have to.

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

 My website – www.lynncahoon.com

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  .Day.  Morning.

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  Thor would want me to say Cat, but I’m kind of bilingual here. But Cat, I’ll say Cat.

Beach or Pool?   Both. Beach is for walking, pool is for swimming.

Steak or salad?  Salad.

Favorite Drink?  Flavored sparkling water.  Dasani Black Cherry if available.

Favorite Book?  Illusions by Richard Bach I have it mostly memorized.

Favorite TV Series?  Besides Project Runway or Top Chef? Right now it’s Lucifer.

Favorite Movie?  Sleepless in Seattle. Always. Or a Harry Potter Marathon.

Favorite Actor: Matthew Mcconeheh… Although I can never spell his name.  Matthew McConaughey – that’s it.

Favorite Actress: I’m a big Sandra Bullock fan. Mostly because she’s so relatable. Or Kate Hudson. Because she’s Goldie Hawn’s daughter.

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Pina Colada

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii

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

If I had just one wish, it would be to travel wherever I wanted to go.

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be maybe Nora Roberts?  I don’t know, I kind of like my life. J 

Thanks for having me over!

Thanks for a great interview. You can find out more about Lynn at:

Goodreads -http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5857424.Lynn_Cahoon

Twitter - https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor

website - http://lynncahoon.com/

Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Lynn will give away an E-copy of Tea Cups and Carnage or Murder on Wheels (Winner’s choice)  to enter, just leave a comment with your email address and the title of the book you’d like to win.  Contest closes midnight,November 15!

Welcome Guest Poster Ali Brandon (aka Diane Stuckart!!!!!!!)

From Wikipedia regarding the television series, Murder, She Wrote:

[Jessica Fletcher] always manages to trap the real murderer. Murder occurred with such regularity in her vicinity that the term "Cabot Cove syndrome" was coined to describe the constant appearance of dead bodies in remote locations. Indeed, if Cabot Cove existed in real life, it would top the FBI's national crime statistics in numerous categories, with some analysis suggesting that the homicide rate in Cabot Cove exceeds even that of the real-life murder capital of the world.

          The Cabot Cove Syndrome. Dum dum dum DUM! If you’ve been a reader of mysteries for any length of time – or a fan of Angela Lansbury – you’re doubtless aware of this label that stalks the mystery genre, particularly cozies. It’s a milder counterpart of the derisive term, bodice ripper, that was applied to historical romances of the 1980s. Fans fondly chuckle about the CCS, and some authors even give a tongue-in-cheek nod to it in their novels.

Oops, Janie Sleuth is involved in yet another murder. What, is she related to Jessica Fletcher?

But, amusing as it is to laugh about the CCS, it’s not funny dealing with it when you’re plotting yet another entry in your (hopefully long-lived) cozy mystery series. Plotting a crime story is hard enough work without having the specter of Angela Lansbury’s iconic character hanging over your amateur sleuth. I mean, how many dead bodies can your protagonist logically stumble over before mystery devolves into farce?

          Pausing here to confess that I’ve been listening to a catchy little techno instrumental EP (extend play single, for us old folks) I discovered called Cabot Cove Syndrome. Well, it started out catchy. After the first minute or so, I realized it was the same few bars repeated over and over and over again for what turned out to be a full 5:17. At that point, the song title made sense. I just wasn’t certain if the piece was a cheeky homage to the television series, or a snide commentary on same. You can find the song on YouTube if you feel inclined to listen and judge for yourself.

          But I did decide that particular EP is a great example of how not to kill off your requisite murder victim when you write a cozy series. You can’t play the same few notes for minutes on end without beginning to bore your listener. In the same vein, you shouldn’t repeat the same murder you used in Book One for every succeeding book you write about your amateur sleuth. Alternate the murder weapon – this time, a gun; next time, a knife, the time after that, poison—and so on. And don’t always have the murder occur on the first page. Maybe in Book Two, Joey Murder Victim doesn’t get his until the end of Chapter Three.

But that still doesn’t solve the problem of how to logically explain -- to yourself, to your readers, even to your characters -- why so many folks are murdered on your protag’s watch.

Now that I’ve reached Book 6 in my Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series, I’ve settled on at least a partial solution. First off, I do alternate the manner of death. I’ve used anything from a hit-and-run driver to a deadly Botox injection. I’m not quite as versatile, it seems, on timing the murder. For me, it usually happens about page 60, the reasons for which are grist for another blog post. The bigger problem is that the Black Cat Bookshop mysteries are set—surprise—in a bookshop. And though the larger setting is Brooklyn, the neighborhood surrounding the bookstore is my protagonist’s stomping grounds….not a lot of territory.

That’s why in Book 4 I decided to expand my characters’ horizons. By that point in the series, I was feeling Ms. Lansbury leaning in a bit too closely; thus, I sent my amateur sleuth, Darla, on vacation to Fort Lauderdale. Of course, Hamlet the cat accompanied her. The excuse for that vacay was that Hamlet had starred in a viral YouTube video and so was asked to be feline guest of honor at a major cat show in Florida. Darla’s BFF, Jacqueline “Jake” Martelli, accompanied the pair as unofficial body guard for the fuzzy celebrity. And Darla did keep in touch with her bookstore staff via phone and text, so we didn’t stray far from the usual cast. Unfortunately for Darla, she couldn’t avoid encountering yet another corpse in her travels, but at least this time it wasn’t in her own backyard.

Books 5 and 6 took place back in the bookstore again. By this point, I had Darla angsting about the whole dead body situation. While Jessica Fletcher’s name is never brought up, a distraught Darla can’t help but notice that she seems to have an uncanny knack for attracting murder ever since she inherited her great-aunt’s bookstore. Has the shop turned her into some sort of awful homicide jinx? Her elderly neighbor, Mary Ann, doesn’t exactly quote this line from Wikipedia -- From a statistical perspective, coincidences are inevitable and often less remarkable than they may appear intuitively – but she says much the same thing. Bottom line, she tells Darla, it’s just one of those things you can’t explain.

And that’s my response these days when the subject comes up with a cynical reader who’s not a cozy mystery fan. True cozy aficionados accept the premise and let themselves simply enjoy the ride, and the heck with Mrs. Fletcher.

Now, excuse me while I hit replay on Cabot Cove Syndrome.

BIO:

ALI BRANDON is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime. This popular cozy series features Hamlet the cat and his transplanted-Texan caretaker, Darla Pettistone. Together, the pair work and sleuth out of Darla’s Brooklyn-based independent bookstore. Whenever a murderer is on the prowl, Hamlet and Darla are ready to pounce—and they always manage to collar the killer! The sixth and final book in the series, TWICE TOLD TAIL, hit the shelves on November 1. But Ali promises that more cat fiction from her is on the horizon.

A native Texan with a degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, Ali now lives in South Florida with her hubby, four dogs, and four very spoiled cats. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, a member of the MWA Florida Chapter, and a member of the Cat Writers’ Association. You can find her and Hamlet at:

www.facebook.com/blackcatbookshopmysteries

www.dianestuckart.com

www.alibrandon.com  

Welcome ROCCO’s guest blogger: KATE COLLINS!

Merow!  today I'm happy to have as my guest blogger Kate Collins, who writes the popular Flower shop mysteries! Kate tells us a bit about what it's like to have your book transferred to screen!

Welcome Kate!

Cut and Print: Surprises from the movie set of MUM’S THE WORD

Imagine yourself standing behind the cashier’s counter of a cozy flower shop you invented, owned by a florist/part-time sleuth named Abby Knight. Imagine a police car pulling up in front, lights blazing, siren blaring, the name of your fictional town plastered on the side. Imagine that same officer walking through the door with an arrest warrant in hand, demanding to speak to the owner of the shop. Your heart pounds. Your palms sweat. Is Abby in trouble? Again?

Then imagine Brooke Shields stepping forward to say, “I’m Abby Knight. What seems to be the problem, Officer?”

Someone pinch me now.

I’d never dreamed that one day I’d see the plots I wrote come to life, my lines drawing laughter or gasps of fear, the death defying final scene actually happening right in front of my eyes. What an incredible experience. But what I hadn’t imagined was how much work was involved. From the cameramen and director to the actors and the hundreds of other people it takes to make one movie, I’ve gained an enormous amount of respect for their hard work.

The crew was on the set early in the morning, as were the actors, who had to be in wardrobe and make-up before my alarm even went off -- and they didn’t leave the set until late in the evening, sometimes staying until after ten p.m.

Another surprise was how many times they’d have to shoot the same scene. I knew it was multiple times but what I didn’t know was that it was multiple times from three different angles –two from alternate close up views and one from a distance -- and the actors would have to say the same lines and make them seem fresh each time.

And you know those people you see strolling past the window of a shop or driving down the street? They, too, have to do those scenes over and over again, sometimes standing out in the cold or heat all day long. Can you imagine?

Here’s another surprise. One extra might play two or three different roles in the same scene, such as one young woman who wore a black jacket and coat and purple scarf around her neck for one stroll-by, then quickly put on a striped sweater and knit cap and came back from the opposite direction. If you watch any movie closely, you’ll spot them.

My final surprise was how much my own heart pounded in fear during the scenes when my heroine, Abby/Brooke was in jeopardy. And the puzzling thing was that it happened during every take -- – even though I knew the outcome.

Since then two more movies have been filmed from The Flower Shop Mystery series, SNIPPED IN THE BUD and DEARLY DEPOTTED, and a fourth is in the works. I hope to get back to the set again soon, but in the meantime, I just finished YEWS WITH CAUTION, the 19^th book in the series, a real nail-biter with a plot twist you’ll never see coming. It’ll be in bookstores May 30, 2017. 

Kate Collins is the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mystery series, now a series on the Hallmark Mystery Movie channel. Book #19 in the series, YEWS WITH CAUTION, will be a May, 2017 release. All of Kate’s mysteries are available in print, digital, and large-print editions. The first three books are available on audio. Kate’s historical romances and children’s anthologies are also available in digital format through her website: www.katecollinsbooks.com. Facebook page: www.facebook.com/katecollinsmysteryauthor. Author assistant Jason Eberhardt: www.authorswriteinc.com

ROCCO interviews Rebecca Adler/Gina Lee Nelson!!!

Rocco welcomes author Rebecca Adler/Gina Nelson!

Rebecca grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Drawn to the Big Apple by the sweet smell of wishful thinking, she studied acting on Broadway until a dark-eyed cowboy flung her over his saddle and hightailed it to the Southwest.

Prior to writing, she always found a way to add a touch of the dramatic to her life from dinner theatre in Mississippi to playing a giant Furskin in the New York Toy Fair, plus plays and musicals.

She's currently content to pour her melodramatic tendencies into writing the Taste of Texas cozy culinary mystery series set in far West Texas filled with sweet, Southern-fried flavor, delicious suspense, and scrumptious Tex-Mex recipes. Rebecca's alter ego, Gina Lee Nelson writes sweet contemporary romance.

• Welcome Rebecca! Tell us a little about your background

Thanks ROCCO! Prior to writing, I always found a way to add a touch of the dramatic to my life:  dinner theatre in Mississippi, can-can club in Florida, flower shop in Germany, acting school on Broadway, video series in Jersey, and playing a giant Furskin at the New York Toy Fair, plus the occasional play and musical. I grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast, studied acting in New York, and raised three boys in Texas. I started writing as a creative outlet before I found theatre education.

• As Rebecca Adler, you write the “Taste of Texas” series. Can you tell us the inspiration for that?    

I absolutely love the high desert of Texas' Big Bend Country located in far West Texas. The mountains, the vast desert, the big sky. Add to that the fact I eat Tex Mex at least twice a week; and this series was a perfect fit for me.

• Tell us about your latest release:  
  
      

Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan is about to serve up some Lone Star justice in this spicy Taste of Texas Mystery.

Tourists are pouring into the town of Broken Boot for the annual Homestead Days Music Festival. Opening the celebration at Two Boots dance hall is smooth-talking country singer Jeff Clark, the ex-boyfriend of Josie’s best friend, Patti Perez. When the charming Clark woos Patti onstage in an attempt to rekindle some sparks with his old flame, Josie fears her friend will end up as just one more notch on the singer’s guitar strap.

 To impress her editor at the Broken Boot Bugle, Josie and her Chihuahua, Lenny, pursue the singer to Patti’s house, hoping for an interview. Instead, they discover Clark face down in a bowl of guacamole with a bloodied guitar at his side. With Patti suddenly a murder suspect, Josie must use her reporter skills to find out who had a chip on their shoulder—before the killer double dips....

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

Getting to know my characters is a process. I have a general idea of the main character, her inner struggles, and outer conflicts before the story begins. I surround her with a few supporting characters and then begin to write. It's not until I write those first few chapters that I begin to discover more about those characters. As I'm not a seat of the pants writer, I'll usually stop at that point and figure out the personality traits of the characters and their strengths and weaknesses.

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

I do both! I'll come up with three turning points, a black moment, and a resolution and then start to write. If I get stuck, I'll outline. In my second draft, I'll add and cut scenes as needed to hone subplots and relationships.

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

That's a tricky question because both are so important! If I had to pick one, I'd say character. Readers, myself included, fall in love with characters.

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

I work long hours at my day job as a theatre teacher, which makes time management my biggest challenge. I'm inspired to keep writing because I enjoy the challenge of bringing characters to life in my own style and voice.

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

My agent is the fabulous Kim Lionetti with Bookends. My agent story is dear to my heart. I had just decided to take a break from writing romance and was even considering taking an extended break from writing and submitting, when an author friend represented by Bookends told me Kim was looking for a certain kind of mystery. I sent her a proposal and the rest, as they say, is history.

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

I'm currently working on the final draft of my third book in the Taste of Texas series, Cinco de Murder. My future writing plans are creating more books set in Broken Boot, Texas--a place that's starting to feel a lot like home.

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

I write long hours over school vacations, holidays and weekends. When I'm on deadline I write a couple of hours a night on two or three weeknights, plus the weekend.

• 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?

Uh, that's tough! That means I'd have to be willing to read them over and over. Let's see. I recently reread the Arthurian Trilogy by Mary Stewart, so lovely and heart-wrenching; The Bible, spirituality, history, romance, and prophecy rolled into one; and To the Hilt by Dick Francis, painter and bagpipe player Alexander Kinloch is my all-time favorite Francis sleuth.

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

Don't write in a vacuum. Join writers groups like Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, or your local writers group. Find someone to hold you accountable for writing, finishing, and submitting. It truly has made all the difference in my writing career.

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

Hmm. In my early twenties I attended acting school in NYC and worked late hours at a dive restaurant/bar. Looking back, riding the subway home at 2:30 in the morning from the Lower Eastside to Queens was probably taking my life in my hands.

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

I write my books while listening to Zydeco and Bluegrass. The driving rhythms and the twang of the guitars keeps me focused on Broken Boot, Texas.

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

Who's your favorite mystery writer? Dick Francis was the king. I long to write with his wit and efficiency. During his lifetime, he had two very different but successful careers. I figure if he can do it, why not me?

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

Facebook: @Author Rebecca Adler

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3162024.Rebecca_Adler

Twitter: @CozyTxMysteries

www.berkleysignetmysteries.com

• Just for Fun:
• Night or Day?  Day
• Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  In spite of my cover…both!
• Beach or Pool?   Beach -- born and raised in Florida
• Steak or salad?  Both--just saying.
• Favorite Drink?  Sangria
• Favorite Book?  The Crystal Cave
• Favorite TV Series?  Sherlock
• Favorite Movie?  Last of the Mohicans
• Favorite Actor: Matt Damon
• Favorite Actress: Ann Hathaway
• Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Sangria
• Hawaii or Alaska? Alaska
• Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be:

 ___Jane Austin________________

• If I had just one wish, it would be:

To have one more conversation with my father who died this year.

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

__Emma Thompson_____

• List all the places readers can find you

Facebook: @AuthorGinaLeeNelson/RebeccaAdler

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3162024.Rebecca_Adler

www.AuthorRebeccaAdler.com

Rebecca will give one lucky commenter a copy of The Good, The Bad and the Guacamole!

 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 Nov. 4.  US/Canada residents only please

ROCCO celebrates National Cat Day!

Everyone who knows me knows all about my cat, ROCCO, who is really the driving force behind this blog! Not only is ROCCO a premier interviewer of authors, but he's also the inspiration for the character of NICK in my Nick and Nora mystery series!

Many people have asked how I came to adopt ROCCO. Well, actually he wasn't my first choice LOL. I had rescued an orange and white tabby that I named Maxx from South Jersey, and at the time I also had my two "Old Ladies"  Trixie and Gata (since deceased).  Maxx used to chase them around the house, and I figured I'd better get him a playmate, so I looked on Pet Finder and I saw ROCCO's photo.

He looked to be such a feisty kitten, that I immediately bundled Maxx into his carrier and went down to the Clifton Animal Shelter to check him out!  (I wanted to be sure the two males got along). Well Maxx spent most of the time hiding underneath the table in the playroom, but ROCCO seemed so cute I figured what the heck, and  made plans to pick him up the following Saturday. Needless to say, when I brought him home on August 2, 2008 he was just two months old (and a lot tinier than he is now)  He waltzed out of the box, raised his paw to the other three cats - and immediately became the BOSS of our house (Or at least he thinks he is, LOL)

Now a hefty twenty plus pounds (mainly muscle - did I tell you he pulled my DVR out of the wall once?)  ROCCO is definitely a force in our family to be reckoned with!

CAT-ch ROCCO's author interviews here on his blog each  month! We have lots of prizes and giveaways!
and if you have a cat - please celebrate National Cat Day with them today. (ROCCO thinks I should have a brass band playing LOL)

MEOW!

PS: in honor of National Cat Day, please tell us about your rescue cat (or dog!)  we'll select two winners to win an autographed copy OF CLAWS FOR ALARM!

Cotopaxi is an adventure-wear company whose mission is to give back and do social good. For every sale made, a portion is donated to world poverty initiatives, and their travel backpacks help provide the most relief. This National Cat Day, they carried out their mission by raising awareness for local humane societies.

ROCCO interviews author RJ Koreto

R.J. Koreto has been fascinated by the Edwardian era ever since viewing the original “Upstairs, Downstairs” series.

In his day job, he works as a business and financial journalist. Over the years, he’s been a magazine writer and editor, website manager, PR consultant, book author, and seaman in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Like his protagonist, Lady Frances Ffolkes, he’s a graduate of Vassar College.

“Death on the Sapphire” and "Death Among Rubies" were his first novels. His short story, “The Missing Motive,” was published in the December 2015 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.

With his wife and daughters, he divides his time between Rockland County, N.Y., and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. 

• Tell us a little about your background

I was born and raised in New York City and was educated at Vassar College—just like my protagonist, Lady Frances Ffolkes. I've worked as a journalist specializing in business and finance. My wife, a middle school teacher, and I live in Rockland County, N.Y., and Martha's Vineyard, Mass. We have two grown daughters, three cats, and a Yellow Labrador Retriever.

• Tell us a bit about your Lady Frances mysteries. How did that idea come about?

I had written several mysteries that weren't picked up, but one editor said, "Your female characters are so well done. Did you ever consider writing a mystery with a female protagonist?" And then my wife suggested that Downton Abbey (like the earlier Upstairs/Downstairs) made the Edwardian Era "hot." I had always been interested in that time period anyway—a fascinating bridge between the Victorian age and the modern one. And so Lady Frances was born, both reflecting and challenging the social and political issues of this fascinating period.

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

I'm constantly running scenes through my mind, how would Lady Frances behave here? How would she respond to this? Would she be accepting, amused, or angry? One scenario after another, in my mind, help me flesh out these characters. Later, I think how these characters came to be the way they are: I construct their childhoods, scenes and events that never make it into the book, but help me understand my own creations. In my mind, I have a dozen scenes of what happened to Lady Frances in college that shaped who she is. Maybe someday they'll appear in a future Lady Frances adventure, but right now, they help me understand Lady Frances better.

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

Nothing is harder than plotting! My first books were seat-of-my-pants, and I wasted a lot of time taking my characters into subplots that went nowhere and into scenes where nothing happened. With my first book, my editors pointed out where I had made mistakes, where I had let tension dissipate, where I had introduced characters who did nothing to move the story along. So now I'm outlining rigorously before I start writing. I force myself to ask about each scene I set up: what does it do to move the plot along? Does something happen to keep the reader interested? Yes, that character is fun, but is he essential?

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

Victoria Thompson, a mystery writer I much admire, once said that "readers come for the plot but they stay for the characters." You have to have a good plot, especially in the first book of a series, to bring readers in. But the real key is having characters whom readers believe and enjoy and, most of all, care about. I love Rex Stout's mysteries: I don’t recall the plots, but I remember every crackling line of dialog as Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin work together. The plot has to be coherent, of course, but people remember the characters long after they’ve forgotten plot detail.

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

I write historical mysteries, and the greatest challenge is trying to imagine how these people reacted to issues we still have today. In "Death Among Rubies," I introduce a lesbian couple in an Edwardian England setting. Research on a topic like this can take you only so far. I had to think how a couple like that would behave, how others would treat them, when people knew at some level these two were a "partners" but couldn't discuss it. Crafting a series of scenes with those characters, and being happy with the result, is what keeps me going. Seeing others pleased with the book is even better. One blogger said she found Lady Frances was a "role model." Comments like that are the best reason to keep writing.

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

Yes! As I noted, I'm a business journalist and wrote a book on managing a financial advisory practice. It was greenlit by the head of Dearborn Publishing, Cynthia Zigmund. The book came out to good reviews, and then I moved on to other things and so did Cynthia. A decade went by and I was looking for an agent for my first novel, and Cynthia's name up—she now was working as an agent, handling mysteries among other topics. She took me on, gave me wise advice, and eventually placed my Lady Frances book. It's a great working relationship, but after all these years, we only met face to face for the first time a few months ago.

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

Lots of things going on. I have two Lady Frances books out, and I took a break to start a new series about Alice Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt's oldest daughter. She was a lively, colorful woman her whole life, and I imagine her as a teenaged detective running around turn of the century New York. The book is narrated by her long-suffering Secret Service bodyguard, a veteran of the Rough Riders. "Alice and the Assassin" comes out in April. And now I'm back to Lady Frances for her third adventure, "Death at the Emerald," set in London's theater world.

I have a short story coming out in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine featuring Captain Edmund Winter, a Regency-era detective. I have a Captain Winter novel as well, and I'd love to see that published someday. Captain Winter might best be described as an adrenaline junkie with anger management issues.

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

I write evenings. I try to get 500-1000 words an evening, with more on the weekends. I like to do at least a couple hundred words every day. My "day job" lets me work out of a home office, so there's no commuting. I'm at my desk working by 7:30 so I can quit early to write fiction.

• 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?

Dan Weiss of Crooked Lane told me to buy Albert Zuckerman's book on how to write a blockbuster. It was a revelation. And I also love Steven King's book on writing—it's half memoir, half about writing. And finally, my one-volume illustrated Lord of the Rings.

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

Write. I know so many people who say they have ideas, or they wrote a chapter and never got further. I can give all the advice in the world about helpful books to buy or guidelines to read, but if you don't make a plan to write regularly, nothing else matters. Sit down and write. Think you don’t have time? John Creasey found the time to write some 600 novels and he didn't even live to be 70. You can find the time to write one.

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

When I was in high school I took the subway to the offices of Saturday Night Live to see if I could sell them some comedy sketches. I didn't sell anything. I didn't even get past the reception area.

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

That although I've been reading mysteries since I was young enough for Hardy Boys, in college I was a Latin major and studied ancient Roman poetry. I wrote my senior essay on the pastoral poems of Vergil and their influence on English poets through the years.

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

Which mystery writers do I admire?

Agatha Christie for plotting; Rex Stout for character and dialog; Georges Simenon for setting a scene.

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

www.ladyfrancesffolkes.com , https://www.facebook.com/ladyfrancesffolkes/

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?

Night--definitely

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)

We have three black-and-white rescue cats, all named after characters in "A Midsummer Night's Dream": Oberon, Titania, Peaseblossom.

Beach or Pool?  

Pool. I don’t like sand.

Steak or salad? 

Steak. Medium rare porterhouse.

Favorite Drink? 

Apple cider

Favorite Book? 

Smiley's People, by John LeCarre

Favorite TV Series? 

Original Star Trek

Favorite Movie? 

Adventures of Robin Hood

Favorite Actor:

William Powell – in the Thin Man, a perfect balance between being tough and being dapper

Favorite Actress:

Greer Garson. She'd have been perfect for a character in my regency novel.

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada?

Pina colada. Never got into any kind of martinis.

Hawaii or Alaska?

Hawaii. It's more than beaches.

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

If I had just one wish, it would be: assuming this wish is to be used for selfish purposes, I'd like to be able to write fiction fulltime.

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be someone who writes fiction fulltime.

www.ladyfrancesffolkes.com

https://www.facebook.com/ladyfrancesffolkes/

https://twitter.com/RJKoreto