Interviewing a group like this had to have its own post. 

I am so happy they could stop by for a visit! 

The short stories in Deadly Southern Charm were written by Sisters in Crime-Central Virginia members. All of the stories had to have a female sleuth and be set somewhere in the southern United States. You can read my review here.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

 

Frances Aylor, CFA combines her investing experience and love of travel in her financial thrillers. MONEY GRAB is the first in the series.  www.francesaylor.com

Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of cookbooks, articles, essays, poetry, and fiction.  An Agatha Award nominee, she lives in Central Virginia.  www.molliecoxbryan.com

Lynn Cahoon is the NYT and USA Today author of the best-selling Tourist Trap, Cat Latimer and Farm-to-Fork mystery series. www.lynncahoon.com

A. Chalkley is a native Virginian. She is a writer, retired public safety communications officer, and a member of Sisters in Crime.

 

Stacie Giles lived many places before settling in Virginia where she is returning to ancestral Southern roots, including a grandfather who was a Memphis policeman.

Barb Goffman has won the Agatha, Macavity, and Silver Falchion awards for her short stories, and is a two-time finalist for US crime-writing awards.www.Barbgoffman.com

Libby Hall is a communication analyst with a consulting firm in Richmond, Virginia.  She is also a blogger, freelance writer, wife, and mother of two.

Bradley Harper is a retired Army pathologist.  Library Journal named his debut novel, A KNIFE IN THE FOG, Debut of the Month for October 2018.  www.bharperauthor.com

Sherry Harris is the Agatha Award-nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery series and is the president of Sisters in Crime.www.sherryharrisauthor.com

Maggie King penned the Hazel Rose Book Group mysteries. Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries and 50 Shades of Cabernet anthologies. www.maggieking.com

Kristin Kisska is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime, and programs chair of the Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia chapter. www.kristinkisska.com

Samantha McGraw has a love of mysteries and afternoon tea. She lives in Richmond with her husband and blogs at Tea Cottage Mysteries.www.samanthamcgraw.com

K.L. Murphy is a freelance writer and the author of the Detective Cancini Mysteries.  She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, four children, and two dogs.www.Kellielarsenmurphy.com

Genilee Swope Parente has written the romantic mystery The Fate Series with her mother F. Sharon Swope. The two also have several collections of short stories. www.swopeparente.com

Deb Rolfe primarily writes mystery novels. This is her first published short story. She and her husband enjoy life in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

 

Ronald Sterling is the author of six books and draws upon his colorful and varied life experience as a U.S. Airman, saloonkeeper, private detective, realtor, and New Jersey mayor.

S.A. Warwick, in the last century earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. Ever since, she has been trying to decipher the American enigma.

Heather Weidner is the author of the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries.  She has short stories in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 SHADES OF CABERNET and TO FETCH A THIEF.  She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and Jack Russell terriers.  www.heatherweidner.com

EDITORS

Mary Burton is a New York Times, USA Today and Kindle best-selling author.  She is currently working on her latest suspense. www.maryburton.com

Mary Miley is a historian and writer with 14 nonfiction books and 5 mystery novels to her credit. www.marymileytheobald.com

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS – Facebook: Twitter: Website:

What are three things most people don’t know about you?

Frances: I love to travel and have visited over 30 countries. I’ve climbed inside the Egyptian pyramids and paraglided in the Swiss Alps. I’m married to my high school sweetheart.

Heather: I am a cop’s kid. My dad, retired after 46 years on the force, is my best source for murder questions that I don’t want to Google. I love any kind of chocolate, and I share my office with two crazy Jack Russell Terriers.

Bradley: I was once arrested for goat-napping after a very long bachelor’s party. I was skinny-dipping beneath a waterfall in Scotland when a bus load of little old ladies suddenly appeared on the cliff above me. I broke my personal best swimming back to my clothes. I had twelve jumps as an airborne qualified Infantry officer. Jump twelve landed me in a tree. It was my last jump.

Genilee: I’m about to become an official Texan. Moving this spring to be close to family. I have been writing creatively since I was 12 and have many miscellaneous ways to make a living from the written word. I got married late in life and had my child at age 41.

Maggie: I wrote very bad poetry in high school as an outlet for my considerable adolescent angst.  I lived in Los Angeles for many, and what I miss the most is the Hollywood Bowl with its classical and jazz concerts.  I relocated from Los Angeles to Charlottesville, Virginia sight unseen! I lived there for six years before moving down the road to Richmond (which I did visit first).

Lynn: I competed in national and international soft tip dart tournaments.  I took second in doubles in Las Vegas. According to one woman whose husband I had just beat in singles – I’m pretty good for a girl.

Barb: I love the idea of sailing but would never get on any boat, including a cruise. I get terrible seasickness. I love the sound of wind chimes, and I love rainy summer nights. Hey, isn’t there a song about that?…

Kristin: In my twenties, I bought a one-way ticket to Prague and ended up living there for three years. For the past decade, I’ve tap danced as a *Rockette* for our local theater’s live-Christmas holiday spectacular every December. I love to travel, and at one point my passport was so full of stamps, I had to go to the U.S. Embassy to get pages added so I could keep using it.

J.A.: I’ve visited the Chichen Itza ruins in Mexico. In the mid 90’s I competed in an international martial arts tournament in Atlanta. I placed second in weapons with a nunchucks form. Bugs Bunny was, and still is, my hero.

Samantha: I used to be an event planner in the D.C. political world, planning events for some well-known politicians and influencers and working closely with the U.S. Secret Service. I once talked my way backstage at a Robert Plant concert with my husband and got to hang out with him for a bit. I’m a big tea drinker and drink several cups a day, but when I make hot chocolate it’s never from a mix – always a very indulgent chocolate custard type drink that takes some time to make, but so worth it!

Libby:  I married a Bermudian, lived there for 5 years and had our two girls there. I frequently mispronounce words because I read them phonetically and forget to edit them in my head before I say them.  I met Michael Stipe form the band REM at the MTV Awards and didn’t know who I’d been talking to until, immediately after our chat, he got up on stage and started singing.

Stacie: I was a graduate student in the Soviet Union when the only billboards in Moscow were big, red, Communist slogans.  I love to sing, play piano and conduct music and have performed frequently since I was 5 years old.  Although I can only claim to be fluent in one other foreign language, Russian, I can speak 4 others enough that I have used all of them professionally or in volunteer work: French, Spanish, Chinese and Kazakh.

What is the first book you remember reading?

Frances: Uncle Wiggily and His Friends by Howard R. Garis. I still have my childhood copy, which is now missing its spine and is a bit worse for wear but is a treasured favorite.

Heather: My earliest favorites were Green Eggs and Ham, The Monster at the End of the Book, and The Wind in the Willows.

Bradley: My uncle’s Batman comic books.

Genilee: Fun with Dick and Jan. I’m dating myself!

Maggie: That’s a tough one. Maybe something by Anne Emery, or maybe it was The Hidden Staircase, the start of my Nancy Drew craze.

Kristin: Magic Jim was my all-time favorite childhood book. It’s out of print now, but I still have my girlhood copy.

J.A.: I’m sure there were others before it, but the one that sticks with me is The Hobbit.

Samantha: Like Heather, I loved everything Dr. Seuss ever wrote, but one of my favorite childhood reads was Mandy by Julie Andrews (a.k.a. Mary Poppins).

Libby: The Little Golden Book I Am A Bunny

Stacie: The very first book I recall is Are You My Mother? about a poor lost bird who asks this question of the most incredible objects while searching for his mother.  The absurdity of it must have skewed my sense of humor for life.  But my parents kept a full bookshelf, and I freely pulled from it.  At a young age, I read Plato’s Apology, and that sparked my interest in the way humans make rules for themselves as a society.

What are you reading now?

Frances: A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny and The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths. I just finished Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben. I often read several books at the same time, keeping one book upstairs, one downstairs, and the third in my car.

Heather: A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

Bradley: Island of the Mad, by Laurie R King.

Genilee: In Farleigh field, by Rhys Bowen.

Maggie: After Anna by Lisa Scottoline, for the All Henrico Reads program

Sherry: Darker Than Any Shadow by Tina Whittle

Lynn:  Wrinkle in Time by Madelein L’Engle

Barb:  Elevation by Stephen King and Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

J.A.: The Midnight Front by David Mack

Kristin: Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman

Samantha: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Libby:  The Winter Sea by Susannaj Kearsley

Stacie: Rereading Patricia Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles; also Russo and Dezenhall’s Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War.

What books have most inspired you?

Frances: Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier, which inspired me to become a writer. In the Woods by Tana French, a psychological thriller with beautiful and gripping prose.

Heather: I started reading the Nancy Drew mysteries in elementary school, and I was hooked on mysteries. I moved on to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock stories. I like lots of different genres, but mysteries and thrillers are my favorite.

Bradley: The Sherlock Holmes canon, and the Lord of the Rings. I read a lot of Sci-Fi growing up as well but have drifted away.

Genilee: Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke because it made too much sense during a period of my life (college) when I was trying to figure out, “the meaning behind it all.” And maybe the Hunger Games series because I stumbled upon the author and was completely floored by how good the books were.

Maggie: If Morning Ever Comes, by Anne Tyler; Of Human Bondage, by W. Somerset Maugham; Gillian Roberts’s Amanda Pepper series; and Joan Smith’s Loretta Lawson series. And many more.

Lynn: Recently? American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I thought a lot about that book and the concepts long after I closed the book. When I was growing up? The Lord of the Rings held that spot for me. As a young, married mother – it was The Stand.

J.A.: Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is the first mystery I remember reading, and it is my favorite of her work. I’ve always been a fan of mysteries, trying to unravel the puzzle. Mysteries, horror and sci-fi make up much of my personal library.

Kristin: The book that inspired me to start writing my first novel was Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol.  Having grown up in the Washington, D.C. area, I could envision most of the settings in his novel. Before I finished the book, I had developed a rough outline of my first (as yet, unpublished) novel.

Samantha: I’ve always been a mystery lover and, like many others, frequently read Nancy Drew, but books by Agatha Christie and Sue Grafton were the most inspirational in giving me a desire to write.

Libby:  The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley; any book by Charles DeLint

Stacie: ­Orwell’s 1984 revealed to me as a teenager the power of the word.  I love Agatha Christie.  I have been captivated by the calm, clever way that the heroine of Alexander McCall Smith’s series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency solves both mysteries and thorny knots in peoples’ lives.

What made you decide you wanted to write mysteries?

Frances: As a child I loved reading mysteries. My favorites are fast-paced, action-packed thrillers, which I could never find enough of, so I decided to write my own.

Heather: I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. I always known that I wanted to write them. My first published mystery was in 2014, a short story in a Sisters in Crime anthology.

Bradley: I had a story stuck in my head involving Conan Doyle in the hunt for Jack the Ripper. It wouldn’t leave me alone, so I wrote it. I sorta backed into mysteries, however, as I’d like to write a pure thriller based upon my time with US Special Forces in Colombia. One day.

Genilee: I love being fooled by a good mystery writer (not many can succeed in doing it) and I love puzzles.

Maggie: Like many mystery writers, I have a strong need to see justice done and set the world right. Mysteries are the perfect vehicle for that. Mysteries are about relationships—relationships that have gone awry. I’m fascinated by family dynamics and how memories of my own family experiences have popped up throughout my life, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in disconcerting ways. Love and obsession intrigue me to no end, as does sin and how we’re impacted by it.

Sherry: I’ve always loved reading mysteries and thrillers. So when I started writing it was natural to write them.

Lynn:  When I went through breast cancer treatment, I had a lot of time to think. Reading cozy mysteries allowed me to travel, find community, and figure out a puzzle, even when I was tied to a chemo chair. They really helped me pass the time.

Kristin: I’ve always enjoyed solving mind puzzles, reading thrillers, and watching detective shows on T.V., so when it came to writing fiction, mystery was a natural fit.

J.A.: I’ve always enjoyed reading mysteries, so I thought it would be fun to write mysteries.

Samantha: I can’t remember a day when I didn’t love mysteries and I didn’t want to write. I love trying to figure out “who did it” and I’m hooked on any kind of mystery/detective T.V. Show.

Libby:  I love mysteries that take place in the South – there is just something murky and mysterious about the humidity and atmosphere.  I grew up in that humidity with a lot of strong, Southern women and quirky people.  Being able to write a Southern mystery and create my own quirky characters was so rewarding!

Stacie: I love mysteries because they are entertaining and engage my mind.  Even more, mystery fiction often shows keen insight into human character; describes places, lifestyles, and historical eras that I myself have never experienced; and often, thrills me with beautiful language.  I have loved mystery fiction for years, and now I want to see if I can contribute something worthwhile to the genre.

Do you have a special place you like to write?

Frances: I write on my laptop at the desk in my home office. When I get tired of sitting in my desk chair, I move my laptop to the living room sofa.

Heather: At home, I usually write in my office or on the back deck. But my ultimate favorite place to write is on the beach.

Bradley: My wife calls it the “Writer’s lair.” It is a den/study in our house, where I have my reference books, and I can play my music as loud as I want.

Genilee: My leather/wood recliner on a small lap top with a cat sitting next to me.

Maggie: If I’m in the throes of creativity, I’ll be in my recliner with pen and paper, a cat curled up in my lap. Otherwise, I’ll be working on my laptop, in my den.

Lynn:  I write best at my computer facing my 32-inch monitor. I can write on my laptop (Surface) but I love the desk.

J.A.: At home, I have a woman cave. It’s my hide away for writing.

Kristin: Yes.  99% of my writing happens in my writer’s cave at home.  I also have to have absolute quiet, so if my family is at home, I’m usually writing at 5am while they are all sleeping.

Samantha: Usually in my office or at the dining room table because both are near windows. If it’s a nice day, I’ll take my laptop out to the deck.

Libby:  I write in the car (putting ideas into y phone while being a passenger or dictating texts to myself), in the shower and as I’m waking up. Putting pen to paper usually happens at the kitchen table.

Stacie: In a very comfortable, overstuffed white swivel rocking chair that is just the right height from the ground for my short legs.  It’s surrounded by plants in a window alcove near my desk and is very cozy!

Where do the ideas for your books come from?

Frances: Money Grab, my first financial thriller, was loosely based on my experiences in the investment industry. I’m getting ideas for future books in the series from newspapers, magazines, and internet sites. Plus, I like to incorporate places I’ve traveled into my books.

Heather: The ideas come from all kinds of places. I keep a notebook with me. I am always jotting down names, snippets of conversation, and notes.

Bradley: History. Go to Wikipedia and type in a year and see what the major events of that year were. My idea for my fourth book involves the theft of the Irish crown jewels which I learned of in this fashion.

Genilee: A good question that many writers can’t answer. My ideas for the series I wrote started with my co-author, who is my mom. But ideas pop into my head all the time.

Maggie: Ideas come from everywhere: the headlines, eavesdropping, especially the headlines. I don’t even need to know the whole story—headlines by themselves are great writing prompts.

Social media is a gold mine of inspiration, a modern day gathering around the water cooler. It seems like everyone has something to say (some way too much). And, as I’m a fiction writer, I don’t have to worry about “fake news.”

Advice columns give me wonderful ideas. Consider the letter from the woman whose boyfriend was spying on her social media accounts; and the distraught man whose wife had an “emotional” affair with his best friend.

Lynn: I have come to realize that my story ideas come from settings. I knew as soon as I walked down Royal Street in New Orleans for the first time that I’d set a story there. The buildings, the sidewalks, the stores, they all scream for a story to be told.

J.A.: Everywhere. Places I’ve been or seen in media. History is a wonderful place to mind ideas. Music often inspires me.

Kristin: Like Lynn, most of my ideas are driven by unique settings. I’m also inspired by interesting news articles, snippets of conversation I overhear, and by pondering, “What if [insert weird situation] …?

Samantha: Ideas are everywhere if you look for them. I’ve picked up ideas from overheard conversations, news stories, T.V. shows, or by just watching people and trying to figure out what they’re talking about based on their body language.

Libby: My ideas come from all kinds of places – social media, the news, relatives, even conversations in the checkout line at Target.

Stacie: For me it all starts with character.  As I develop a story’s main and supportive characters, I begin to know them.  Then the setting helps flesh out aspects of the characters I hadn’t considered, and somehow actions appear!

Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

Frances: I write slowly and am envious of writers who can churn out two or more books a year. Even though I outline in advance and write up summaries of my characters, it still takes me longer than it should to finish a book. I’m trying to stick to a structured writing schedule to improve my productivity.

Heather: I love the plotting and writing parts. The editing and revising feel more like work to me, but they’re necessary if you want a quality product.

Bradley: Creating a character with a unique voice that stands out. If I do it well enough, I don’t have to give a tag as to who said the line. The reader knows.

Genilee: Finding time and not letting the rest of life, including my full-time job, get in the way.

Maggie: Keeping focused on my actual writing. Besides personal distractions, I’m challenged by the myriad of writing-related tasks facing writers these days (promotion, marketing, social media, to name a few).

Lynn:  Not comparing my process or career with someone else. It’s so easy to become discouraged when your book isn’t selling like XXXX’s is (add in the name of the top author in your genre.) But you don’t know what they went through to get there. We all have our own process. Writing in bits and pieces every day keeps me in the story. That might not work for other authors.

J.A.: Getting started. Once I’m in the chair, I enjoy writing, but sometimes it’s hard to make myself sit down and focus.

Kristin: I’ve been writing for eleven years, but I’m always worried I won’t be able to dream-up the next good story idea. Even after seven published short stories and three novels, the fear of writer’s block haunts me.  The struggle is real!

Samantha: Like Maggie, I sometimes find it hard to focus on the writing itself and not all the little details around it.

Libby: Finding time.  Working full-time as a marketing/communications person leaves little energy at the end of the day for creativity.

Stacie: I still find all aspects challenging – but my worst problem is becoming impatient.  Writing takes rewriting! Also checking and rechecking: of facts, of typos, of so many things!  It can be overwhelming.

What do you think makes a good story?

Frances: Believable characters with both good traits and flaws, a fast-paced plot, and a surprise ending.

Heather: I love stories with characters that I can relate to. I like the sleuth to have an interesting career or hobby that I can learn about. And I love a well written mystery with lots of twists and turns.

Bradley: A relatable character with a meaningful struggle for an important goal with an uncertain outcome.

Genilee: Believable characters that interact as part of an unusual event.

Maggie: You know a story is good when you want to race through it, but you never want it to end.

Lynn:  The story that you, the author, need to tell. I’m my first reader. I want to be excited by the story just as much as I want future readers to love it.

Barb:  A good story is one that captivates and entertains the reader.

J.A.: I like stories with characters who are faced with difficult choices and have to face the consequences of their choices and actions. I think setting is very important to a story, you don’t have to tell me every little detail in the scene but make me believe I’ve been there.

Kristin: Every story needs conflict. Without it, you don’t have much of a plot. As far as I’m concerned, the more tension, the better.  A little humor along the way helps too.

Samantha: I love interesting, sometimes eccentric, characters with a puzzle or secret to uncover. I enjoy a story that teases me with just enough information to make me curious about something but leaves it to my imagination to figure out the rest of the pieces.

Libby:  Characters that are likeable but flawed; strong voices; character-driven stories (the best Fantasy and Sci-Fi stories all have characters that you can identify with on some level, and that are flawed).  Good pacing.

Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?

Frances: Robbie Bradford, my female financial advisor, has an investment job similar to mine. We are both loyal to friends and family, hard-working and curious.

Heather: My private investigator, Delanie Fitzgerald, and I share some traits. We’re both redheads who love Mustangs. She just gets into way more trouble than I do.

Bradley: Hopefully, Professor Joseph Bell, the real-life inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. He was a kind man and had the ability to see beyond what was in front of him. Perhaps I am more like him on some days, than on others.

Genilee: Probably my most recent character, who is a small-town gal who is independent but loves people.

Maggie: Like me, Hazel Rose is a seeker of justice. We both lived on the west coast and worked in IT. We both moved from Los Angeles to Charlottesville, Virginia, with calico cats in tow. But she’s been to the altar four times to my one. And she’s much braver!

Lynn:  A lot of my main characters share one trait that I also have -trying new things. New hometowns. New careers. New lives. New restaurants. All of the main characters are in a place where they’re starting over from something. I’ve been known to get in my car and drive just to try to figure out what I’m going to do to solve a problem.

Barb: I had to give this some thought. To my surprise, I think it’s my character Bev from my story “The Case of the Missing Pot Roast,” which appeared in last year’s Bouchercon anthology, Florida Happens. Bev enjoys reading and playing cards and other games with friends. She’ll put herself on the line for those she loves, but she also will put up with things she probably shouldn’t if it makes life easier. And she’s funny.

Kristin: My character Lauryn from “A Colonial Grave” in the anthology, Virginia is For Mysteries: Volume II, is most like me. Though she’s a college student, her reactions to discovering the bones of a cold case murder were exactly as mine would’ve been, especially her wee bit o’ snark.

Samantha: My character Tess in my short story “Deadly Devonshire” is my favorite. I’m writing a series based on the characters in this story and she’s the one I love spending time with the most. Good thing since she’s my main character!

Libby:  My character Mags from my unpublished novel ‘Sanctuary.”  She struggles with finding her place when her world is turned upside down.

What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?

Frances: The goal of my financial thrillers is not only to entertain, but also to give some investment tips that readers can use when they manage their own money.

Heather: My sleuth tends to get herself in and out of trouble as she investigates crimes. She also has no fear, so she’s willing to try just about anything like larping and roller derby.

Bradley: Since I have to date only one book, I can only say that I took as much interest in the society of the time the Ripper killings took place, as the murders themselves. I wanted the time and place to be as much a character as any of the named ones.

Genilee: As far as the Fate Series mysteries, Detective Sam Osbourne, who has inherited money so that he takes only the cases he wants.

Maggie: My Hazel Rose Book Group series made the cozy category by a nose. It’s definitely edgy.

Sherry: Part of the action takes place on a military base because my protagonist, Sarah Winston, used to be married to a man in the Air Force. I love incorporating that part of my life into the books.

Lynn: I’ve been told it’s because they’re filled with amazing sounding food.  But I think it’s because they all have strong female protagonists who want to do the right thing.

Barb: I’m known for writing humor. Sure, some other people write funny stories too, but not everyone.

Kristin: Most of my stories stress the limits of some family dysfunction, which is a natural source of conflict most readers can empathize, whether we like it or not.  The more awkward, the better.

Libby:  My stories tend to be comedic, rather than intense.  The comic relief makes them easier to read and they can be more character-focused instead of just plot-focused.

Stacie: I’d like to think I have the cleverness and compassion of Vera.  But I suspect I’ve also got the worry and limited viewpoint of Burnell!

What’s next on the horizon for you?

Frances: The second book in my series has Robbie Bradford traveling to Switzerland to help a client deal with a family crisis. The third book may be set in Egypt, which I just visited. I also give talks on financial management to colleges and other groups.

Heather: I’m working on the third book in the Delanie Fitzgerald series. I’m also working on a cozy mystery set near Charlottesville, Virginia.

Bradley: I just turned in my second book, featuring my female protagonist from book one as the major character. That completes my two-book contract. I’ve submitted two more synopses for additional in the series. Fingers crossed.

Genilee: To date, most of my books have been co-authored by my now-91-year-old mom. I am now working on my first solo mystery based on some of the same characters as those that appear in my short story for the Sister in Crime anthology.

Maggie: I’m working on a short story that I plan to submit to a mystery magazine, and I’m starting edits/rewrites for Die Laughing, #3 in my Hazel Rose Book Group series.

Sherry: My next Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery is Let’s Fake a Deal. It comes out in July.

Lynn: I’m writing the next two books in the Farm-to-Fork series and two more full length Tourist Traps this year. Along with a couple other projects that aren’t public knowledge yet. My fifth Cat Latimer book is releasing in June – SCONED TO DEATH.

Barb: I’m editing an anthology to be called Crime Travel. As you can probably guess, all the stories involving crime/mystery and time travel. The book is scheduled to be released by Wildside Press on December 8th, which is Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day. (It’s a real holiday!) The book will have fifteen stories, including one of mine called “Alex’s Choice.”

J.A.: I’m working on a short story for submission to a sci-fi magazine.

Kristin: In addition to “Unbridled”, I have another short story being released this spring, “Snowbirding” in Malice Domestic’s anthology, Mystery Most Edible. I’m currently writing my third novel.

Samantha: I’m working on the first book in the series with the characters from my short story.

Libby: I am finalizing two Southern fiction novels and looking for an agent and working to self-publish pieces from my Subourbonmom” blog.

Stacie: Right now, I’m working on a nonfiction academic project, but I have also begun working on a series of short stories following Vera’s life as an unofficial detective over the years.  Other ideas in the works are contemporary stories set in Los Angeles and Oahu (both places I’ve lived) and possibly a historical series set in Kazakhstan (which I’ve visited and studied).

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS – Facebook     Twitter     Website

 
Purchase Links – Amazon – Paperback – Kindle should be available soon, 

Wildside  Wildside eBook

TOUR PARTICIPANTS
April 21 – Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my! – SPOTLIGHT
April 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, GUEST POST
April 23 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
April 24 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 25 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
April 26 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
April 27 – I’m All About Books – GUEST POST
April 28 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW, RECIPE   
April 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
April 30 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
May 1 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 1 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
May 2 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
May 2 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
May 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
May 4 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
May 5 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!