This week, I’m excited to feature the fabulous Annie McEwen for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Caffeine in any way, shape, or form and a comfy chair

Things that hamper your writing: Getting distracted by my phone and my three dogs. They think they’re my editors, especially Chappy. Since he’s in my books, he always wants to sit on my lap and watch me type. I guess he’s making sure I make him look good.

A few of your favorite things: Photos of my kids when they were little, my late grandmother’s wedding ring (which was part of her mother’s wedding ring), and my piano I taught myself to play on as a kid. It was my mom’s when she was a little girl.

Things you need to throw out: Those jeans I keep telling myself I’ll get back into, the load of scrapbooking supplies I swear I’m going to make beautiful albums with, and my high heels. Plantar fasciitis is a jerk.

Words that describe you: Friendly, compassionate, loving, funny (or so I’ve been told!)

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Clumsy, self-conscious, scatter-brained (I’m blaming being in my fifties on that one!)

Favorite foods: Seafood, pasta, cheese, any pastries my daughter makes (she has a side bakery business)

Things that make you want to gag: Onions, avocados, and jalapenos

Something you’re really good at: Being a Gigi – this grandma thing is fabulous!

Something you’re really bad at: sports…I try, but I need to be honest with myself, I stink.

Favorite music or song: Hard to pick! I love country, pop, southern gospel (I wanted to be a southern gospel piano player when I was younger).

Music that drives you crazy: hip-hop and rap

Things you’d walk a mile for: My family and friends… and a sweet tea from Puckett’s in Franklin, Tennessee.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: a mouse…I will kill any bug for you, but a mouse will put me in complete panic mode.

Things you always put in your books: Good friends, red herrings, a dash of humor, and, of course, a mystery!

Things you never put in your books: Crimes against a child or animal, sexual assault

Things to say to an author: “I loved your book!” “I got all the cozy feels!” “I can’t wait for your next book!”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “So, you just type it up and send it to a publisher, and they print it, right?” “Why can’t you give me a book? You get them for free, don’t you?”

Favorite books (or genre): Cozy mysteries, historical fiction, sweet romance

Books you wouldn’t buy: Anything with crimes against children or dark stories. Between my husband’s job as a police lieutenant and my job in radiology, I see and hear so much real-life sadness that I don’t want to read about it. The mysteries we write have a totally different vibe.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: She said my book felt like being wrapped in a warm hug. (cue the tears!)

The craziest thing a reader said to you: One reader/reviewer said my main character, Emmy, was cliched. She listed all the reasons why. I texted my writing bestie, Paula Charles, aka Janna Rollins, and told her, “Well, I guess I’m a cliché because everything she didn’t like about Emmy is all me!” We shared a laugh since Paula knows me so well and also knows that Emmy is mostly based on my personality. Oh well, you can’t please everyone. (sigh)

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: There’s a story about a tetherball in Resort to Murder. It is exactly what happened to me when I was about thirteen. My dad still has the now-deflated tetherball. LOL.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Many people think that Dean, Emmy’s crush, is based on how my husband Brian and I met. It’s not. We actually met through his mom! I worked with her and she set us up.

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About Annie:

Annie McEwen, author of the Northwoods Mysteries Series, finds inspiration in the tall pines and sparkling lakes of northern Wisconsin, where she spent her childhood vacations. Nowadays, she visits her family, who resides in the area she writes about.

A former farm kid, Annie, along with her husband, are empty nesters enjoying the country life in rural Indiana. With their children and two young grandsons living nearby, they cherish frequent family time. Annie believes being a grandparent is the best role ever! Their household is completed by four fur babies, one of whom is a significant character in her books.

When Annie isn’t immersed in writing, she loves taking on trash-to-treasure projects, tending to her garden, and working as a radiological technologist. She's a member of Sisters in Crime and enjoys attending mystery conventions, as well as connecting with readers and fellow authors in person and on social media.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.anniemcewenauthor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniemcewen_author/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064688271296