#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Zaida Alfaro

I’d like to welcome Zaida Alfaro back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time:

I love relaxing in my living room with a glass of red wine, strumming my guitar, and learning new songs—especially on nights when I don’t have crank out 5,000 words!

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list:

Without a doubt, laundry.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave:

A cozy chair, a cup of coffee or tea, my favorite playlist, a notebook to capture ideas, and my laptop to start putting it down on paper. Bonus: a scented candle to set the mood.

Things that distract you from writing:

Social media, random chores I suddenly remember, the temptation to play guitar, and tackling my TBR list.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Staying disciplined and focused, especially when self-doubt or writer's block creeps in.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Letting my imagination run wild and bringing my ideas to life—it’s so natural when inspiration strikes!

Something you’re really good at:

Connecting with people through music and storytelling—I love creating things that resonate.

Something you’re really bad at:

Keeping my plants alive. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to get it right!

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

A famous singer performing on big stages around the world.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

Write an entire book series and share my stories with readers—it still feels surreal!

Something you wish you could do:

Play the piano effortlessly—I’ve always admired pianists and the emotion they bring to their music.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:

Overthink things! It’s a skill I perfected way too well, and it’s not always helpful.

Things to say to an author:

• "Your book kept me up all night—I couldn’t put it down!"

• "I felt so connected to the characters; they felt real to me."

• "I can’t wait to see what you write next!"

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

• "Writing seems so easy. Anyone could do it, right?"

• "Why don’t you get a real job?"

• "I skimmed through your book—reading every word seemed unnecessary."

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Zipline

Something you chickened out from doing:

Skydiving

Best piece of advice you received from another writer:

"Write the story only you can tell—don’t worry about trends or trying to please everyone."

Something you would tell a younger you about your writing:

Trust your voice and don’t be afraid to take risks. The stories in your heart are worth telling, even if they scare you at first.

Recommendations for curing writer’s block:

• Step away and do something creative, like playing music.

• Take a walk or get outside to clear your mind.

• Try freewriting—just jot down anything, no matter how random, to get the words flowing.

• Revisit your favorite book or movie for inspiration.

Things you do to avoid writing:

• Organize my workspace (or re-organize it for the tenth time).

• Scroll through social media or watch random videos.

• Convince myself I need a snack or another cup of coffee.

• Start doing laundry (even though it’s usually at the bottom of my list!).

About Zaida:

The vibrant city of Miami, Florida, serves as the heartbeat of the Miami Music Mystery series—a city I deeply cherish, having been born and raised there. Like the series’ protagonist, Vy, I am a singer-songwriter and Grammy-considered independent artist, with a profound passion for music and literature. 

Years ago, I discovered cozy mysteries and was immediately captivated by their engaging, intriguing, and often humorous storylines. Inspired by these works, I decided to merge my love of music with my newfound passion for storytelling. This led to the creation of my debut novel, The Last Note: A Miami Music Mystery. 

Following its success, I continued Vy’s story In the Key of Dead: A Miami Music Mystery. Drawing from my own life experiences, I wove elements like phobias, dream sequences, and quirky personalities into the narrative—all grounded in truth. Through these novels, I aimed to share my love for Miami, its rich Cuban culture, my family, and the world of music. 

Now, with the release of The Hidden Track, the final book in the Miami Music Mystery series, I’ve brought Vy’s journey to a thrilling conclusion. This latest installment delves deeper into the city’s vibrant backdrop and Vy’s evolving story, tying together the mysteries, challenges, and triumphs that have defined her journey. 

I hope readers feel the same passion for Miami, music, and storytelling that I’ve poured into these novels. It’s been a joy to bring this series to life and share a piece of my world with you. 

Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://Zaidamusic.com

Instagram/Twitter: zaidamusic

Facebook: zaidaauthor and zaidamusic

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Myron Edwards

I’d like to welcome Myron Edwards for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Concentration is by far the most difficult thing because in life there are too many distractions, and the number one principle of writing is that you need to be focussed.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Enthusiasm, because once you have the idea in your head you are keen to get it down on paper. That should come naturally if the idea is good, and it shows in your enthusiastic approach to the subject.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

Every writer is different, some like music, I do not, some like background noise, like the TV on. I prefer silence, as I am concentrating on the job at hand and do not like distractions. Sometimes it is unavoidable but in general in my writing I lock myself away and write.

Things that hamper your writing:

Any distractions, noise, music as mentioned. To me writing is a solitary experience, it is also very personal and insular especially if you are crafting a story. The less interference in the process the better. Some people like the hullabaloo not me.

Words that describe you: Creative, imaginative, persistent, stubborn, for starters.

Words that describe you, but you wish they did not: Conceited, stubborn (Again) selfish,

Something you are good at: I suppose my skill set would be in creating ideas that can be turned into a viable product in one way or another.

Something you are bad at: Absolutely no doubt about this DIY totally useless.

Favorite music or song: Well, I played in a band as a drummer when I was younger so the music, I like is the music we used to play. The music is available on the bands Facebook page under Froffy Coffee/Equatol there is also the history of the band on there.

Music that drives you crazy: I cannot stand rap, or the hip hop stuff. Music with out lyrics to me is not music. But then I am old man.

Things you always put in your books: I always try to put a twist in the story, so that the reader is surprised.

Things you never put in your books: This depends on the story and the genre that it applies to. I do not have inhibitions about what I write, some subjects can be taboo, but that depends on what the story entails.

Favorite places you have been: I was in the travel business for thirty years; I have been a travel agent. tour operator, airline manager, conference, and incentive manager. I have travelled extensively, to Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, USA, Europe so picking one country is difficult, but I have an affinity for Hong Kong.

Places you never want to go to again: Turkey, India

Favorite books (or genre): I like the books by George Macdonald Fraser the whole Flashman series and the classics like Charles Dickens.

Books you would not buy: Mein Kampf.

The coolest person you have ever met: I have met a lot of people in my life from when I was a comedy writer for the BBC, it gave me the chance to work with people like Tracey Ullman, Marti Caine, John Llloyd MBE, Rowan Atkinson, Roy Hudd, the late Douglas Adams, David Jason and the Two Ronnies, and Valerie Singleton who was a client of mine.

The celebrity who did not look like he/she did in pictures/video: I have never thought about that because all of them I met or worked with looked like their pictures, no one stands out that did not, some were taller or shorter than I imagined but they all looked like they should.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

Probably when you get a good review, and they say what a fantastic story and how much they liked the books. That is very satisfying.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: My books are based on legend and what is surprising is how many people do not know about it, so when they say, “I didn’t know that.” I wonder where they have been all their lives and what they were taught at school.

Besides writing, what is the most creative thing you have done: I have done many creative things in my life, apart from my comedy writing, I was a copywriter for JWT at the time the biggest ad agency in the world, I passed the copy test which no one had done in 3 years and was offered a job at the agency. I wrote my first TV commercial in 10 days. I also have been a creative director in Cyprus where I live and produced ads for TV Radio and posters. I have created games for internet and an arcade machine.

A project that did not turn out the way you planned it: I suppose I have had a few disappointments; the arcade machine prototype was made but due to licencing conditions never got produced, but I think the big disappointment was my first book being made into a film, which could have happened had it not been for the financial crisis.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: My whole premise of the first book Mistress of the Rock is based on my epiphany moment when I saw the image of the goddess in the sea. This was the catalyst for me to start writing the story and the legend of the goddess Aphrodite together with the other Greek myths that appear through the series.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it is not: My central character is Corporal Richard Cole a British soldier, people who have read the book think the character is based on me, as they see some traits of my personality in him. But it is not.

My favorite book as a child: I won a book in school as I came top of my class in the infant’s school, it got me on the road to reading and writing called a Little Magic for the Browns.

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult): Only one and it is still difficult to watch even today, The Exorcist, I kept the curtains closed for months after watching it.

About Myron:

Myron was born in 1952 in Orsett, Essex, England, the youngest son of Welsh parents.

Upon leaving school, he went into the travel industry globetrotting as a tour operator and representing airlines for some 30 years. In 1976, Myron began freelance writing for the BBC, in Radio and Television. His credits include The Two Ronnies, Week Endings, The News Huddlines and A Kick up the 80’s.

In 1980, he joined JWT Advertising as a copywriter, writing his first TV commercial within 10 days.

Always artistic and inventive, he created Tubewalking in 1987, a new map concept, that made getting around London easier on foot and which still operates today.

He married Niki, whose family is Greek Cypriot, in 1990 and on a family trip to Cyprus and while visiting Aphrodite’s Rock for the first time the beginnings of his passion to write the story of Mistress of the Rock came to fruition.

Moving permanently to Cyprus in 2005, gave him the opportunity to write, as during this time he worked on campaigns for TV and Radio in an advertising agency in Limassol. The first manuscript of this book was completed in 2007 and released by a local publisher but it had a limited audience yet was well received by those who read it. In 2017 he teamed up with RockHill Publishing that is based in the US, to release a new version of Mistress of the Rock. He has now completed the sequel Scylla, The Revenge and the third part of the story Alpha and Omega completes the trilogy.

Myron has three adult children, two sons and a daughter.

Being an adept creator of short stories, Myron has recently started writing for 5-7 year olds in a very distinctive style.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.myronedwardsbooks.com

#ThisorThatThursday with Cindy Martin

I’d like to welcome fellow Sisters in Crime sib, Cindy Martin, to the blog today.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Finishing the first draft is the hardest part. I’ll get about ten chapters in and then come up with a new character, a new angle, something that makes want to start all over again. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel now for my first novel.

The easiest thing about being a writer: I love words and I enjoy using my creativity. Inventing characters is really a lot of fun and when they come alive on the page it’s magic. It’s a ton of work but also something that makes me happy.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I am all about a laptop on a desk. I like my solitude and dedicating a couple of hours to being in the zone. A cup of coffee and a snack, like an apple or bowl of healthy nuts helps too!

Things that hamper your writing: Too much noise, a rough night’s sleep.

Words that describe you: Creative, impulsive, relentless, social

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Impatient!

Something you’re really good at: Exercise and anything to do with fitness is in my DNA. As a part time fitness instructor, I enjoy helping others maintain a healthy lifestyle and learn to make working out a regular part of their day. I have a positive outlook, and I consider myself as friendly and wanting to make a difference whether its in the gym or on the page.

Something you’re really bad at: Video games. I could really care less. I prefer to watch my daughters and friends play and sit back.

Last best thing you ate: Toasted Coconut ice cream at our homemade local store. It’s why I work out!

Last thing you regret eating: Onion rings at the county fair. But, come on, they were good!

Favorite music or song: I like a mix of pop, rock and country. There’s nothing like a good Elton John song or Zac Brown Band to get me motivated.

Music that drives you crazy: Not a fan of rap music at all.

The last thing you ordered online: I just moved from the east coast of Florida to a newly constructed home on the west coast of Florida near North Fort Myers. So I’ve been ordering all kinds of furniture and necessities. This morning, my office chair arrived. It’s plush velvet and light gray to match my home library where I write from.

The last thing you regret buying: A quilt online for the spare bedroom. The colors looked nothing like the website. Back to shopping in stores so I can see and touch and feel.

Things you’d walk a mile for. Anything. I love to walk and run and bike. But the thing that would inspire me is a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc at the end of that mile on the beach.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: I worked at the TV show, “America’s Most Wanted” for twenty years. One would thing I could look at anything. I’m pretty tough when it comes to viewing crime scenes and homicide photos. But, put a spider in the room, and I’m gone.

Things you always put in your books: Again, going back to my career at “America’s Most Wanted,” one of the things I’m passionate about is missing children. I typically have something to do with a crime involving a missing child and/or a murder of an adult. I like to incorporate scary locations like basements and old Victorian homes.

Things you never put in your books: I don’t like feeling cringy from sex crimes especially on children. Won’t do that.

Favorite places you’ve been: I’ve travelled all around the world. I like small towns and beach towns like the Outer Banks, the west coast of Florida (that’s why I moved here). I recently travelled to Sedona, Arizona and hiked the Grand Canyon, that’s a new favorite. I can never visit Sonoma in the wine country of northern California enough. For international, I’m a fan of Florence and Venice, Italy.

Places you never want to go to again: Kalamazoo, Michigan. Didn’t have a good experience on a work trip there.

Favorite books (or genre): I’m a thriller snob. I love a great thriller novel with a good twist: Lisa Unger, Ruth Ware, Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell, Tara Laskowski, and Lisa Black are among my favorites.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’m not a big fan of fantasy however I did enjoy the Harry Potter series. Other than that, I like crime fiction, biographies, and fiction.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I was exposed to some scary situations working at “America’s Most Wanted” and previously as a PBS documentary Producer. I interviewed members of the Ku Klux Klan and skin heads in a secret location. My tv crew and I were taken blindfolded. Obviously, everything turned out fine, and I got insight into what makes them tick. I’ve also interviewed two death row inmates face to face. I’m a curious person and I like to ask questions–even when I have to venture outside my comfort zone.

Something you chickened out from doing: Driving a jet ski on open waters in an extreme tour. I did it once and flipped with my daughter on the back. I’ll sit it out unless someone else is driving.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I quilt for fun. I’ve made plenty of baby quilts for my daughters, my grandchildren, and friends. I enjoy the creative aspect of putting different colored fabrics together to creative a beautiful keepsake.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: I mentioned I like quilting. It’s very different from sewing clothing. I tried to make matching Easter dresses for my oldest daughter and I when she was three years old. Thank goodness for my aunt, the seamstress. She saved that Easter wardrobe.

About Cindy:

For 20 years, Cindy Martin was a “America’s Most Wanted” TV Producer traveling worldwide to interview law enforcement, crime experts, victims and their families, and criminals. She wrote hundreds of scripts for the highly rated FOX TV show.

Cindy’s short stories are published in a variety of collections:

• “Key to the Past,” in the “Crimes in the Old Dominion Anthology” (Sisters in Crime Central Virginia 2025 publication).

• “Salt, Sand, Slay,” in the “Gone Fishin: Crime Takes a Holiday Anthology” (Sisters in Crime Guppies 2025 publication).

• “Grave News,” in the “Notorious in North Texas Anthology” (Sisters in Crime North Dallas 2024 publication).

• “Malice Challenge,” in the “Paradise is Deadly Anthology” (Sisters in Crime FL Gulf Coast 2023 publication).

• Cindy was a finalist in the 2022 Six-Word Thriller Contest (Rocky Mountain Chapter Mystery Writers of America).

Let’s Be Social:

Website: Cindy Martin Author – Crime Writer

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Trevor Harrison

I’d like to welcome Trevor Harrison to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Thinking. Thinking is the hardest work anyone can ever do, which is why a lot of people ignore it.

Easiest thing about being a writer: The fact that ideas – some good, some bad – come to you when you least expect them.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Time to allow my mind to travel from one storyline to another

Things that hamper your writing: Mundane tasks that distract me from thinking

Words that describe you: humorous, rational, nostalgic

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: impatient (but I’m working on it). Also, as my beard whitens, I look increasingly like Colonel Saunders

Something you’re really good at: Cribbage and most other board games; racquetball at one time.

Something you’re really bad at: losing (but I’m also working on this), woodworking, and baseball all the time

Favorite music or song: blues, rock, and jazz

Music that drives you crazy: rap

Things to say to an author: What is your process? Who are your major influences?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I have a really good idea for your next novel/short story!

Favorite places you’ve been: Greece

Places you never want to go to again: No good answer as I have loved everywhere I have ever been.

Favorite books (or genre): economic and political history, poetry, and biographies

Books you wouldn’t buy: Guinness Book of Records or any other books of lists

Best thing you’ve ever done: travel

Biggest mistake: not traveling enough

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I designed our current house on draft paper before it went to a professional draftsman for final work. The final product is about 95 per cent of my original conception.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: I bought all the disassembled parts for a 1919 Studebaker with the idea of putting it together but finally had to sell all of it for lack of time and ability.

About Trevor:

Trevor W. Harrison is a retired professor of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge. He was formerly Director of Parkland Institute (2011-2021) and a member of both the Canadian political science and sociology associations. He is best known for his studies in political sociology, political economy, and public policy. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of twelve books, including Tales This Side of the Elysian Fields. A thirteenth book, Safarnameh: A Traveler’s Journey Along the Hippie Trail is scheduled for publication by Athabasca University Press in spring 2025. He is a frequent and well-known contributor to public media, including radio and television.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Matthew Hughes

Liza Groen Trombi, Locus Magazine,

I’d like to welcome author Matthew Hughes to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time:

Play the piano, when I have a piano.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list:

Shave.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave:

A laptop and a wireless keyboard. I started out in a daily newspaper newsroom, full of reporters clattering away on manual typewriters, talking on the phone, and shouting for copy boys to come and collect their takes. After that I can write anywhere.

Things that distract you from writing:

Not much. Sometimes, I get bored with what I’m doing and spend some time watching YouTube shorts. Then I put myself back to work. Habit of a lifetime spent writing to feed my family.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Self-promotion. It doesn’t come naturally to me.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Writing. I’ve done it for a living for more than fifty years and have written (and be paid for) just about everything except cookbooks and poetry.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

A paleontologist. I was dino-crazy from about the age of seven to eleven.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

Travel the world as an itinerant housesitter. I always thought in conventional terms of settling down somewhere, probably because I was constantly being uprooted when I was a kid. I went to fifteen schools between kindergarten and Grade Twelve, and I skipped Grade Four.

Last best thing you ate:

Cabbage in a Dijon cream sauce. Part of the national dish of Ireland. I learned how to make it from a chef in a restaurant in Tipperary.

Last thing you regret eating:

Korean ramen noodles. Even though the package said “mild,” I spent a night devoted to belching and Tums

Favorite places you’ve been:

Wangerai, in the North Island of New Zealand. Beautiful setting, lovely people. Vieste in Italy. The food, the scenery, the sense of ancientness.

Places you never want to go to again:

Sequim, on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. Another beautiful setting, but too much culture-shock for a Canadian.

Best thing you’ve ever done:

My award-winning historical novel What the Wind Brings, that I waited forty years to write.

Biggest mistake: signing with a novice indie movie producer to handle a deal with a pay-tv network that had picked my story idea out of more than a hundred submissions. He couldn’t raise the budget in time, and the project died. It could have been my entry into the world of screenplay writing.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

An autistic person said that my description of the way the world looks to an autistic person was the first time he’d seen it accurately described.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

“Too many big words.”

The most exciting thing about your writing life:

All the first times: first front-page headline, first short story sale, first novel advance, first award nomination, first award win, first recognition from authors I’d read and admired.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life:

The failed movie deal mentioned above. I would have liked a career, or at least a sideline, in screenwriting.

About Matthew:

Matthew Hughes writes fantasy, space opera, and crime fiction. He has sold 24 novels to publishers large and small in the UK, US, and Canada, as well as more than 100 works of short fiction to professional markets. His latest novels are:  Margolyam and A God in Hiding, both set in his ongoing extrapolation of Jack Vance's Dying Earth, and his 2023 Dying Earth novel, The Ghost-Wrangler, recently won the Global Book Award in the dark fantasy category.

He has also won the Endeavour and Arthur Ellis Awards, and has been shortlisted for the Aurora, Nebula, Philip K. Dick, Endeavour (twice), A.E. Van Vogt, Neffy, Derringer, and High Plains Book Awards. In 2020 he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association’s Hall of Fame. 

Let’s Be Social:

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

 Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Hughes_(writer)

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Paula Charles

I’d like to welcome my friend, Paula Charles, back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Reading. I devour books like their sustenance!

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Dusting. When I was growing up, my sisters and I had to dust the house every weekend. Now I do it so rarely it’s embarrassing.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: Coffee, cottage cheese, and ice cream!

Things you never put on your shopping list: Mangos! I know that’s strange, but I can’t stand the taste of them!

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: Probably my personal neck fan. It’s literally cooling and perfect for me since I don’t tolerate heat well.

The thing you wished you’d never bought: I once ordered a pair of shoes online that we’re supposed to be Earth brand shoes. They took MONTHS to come and when I finally got them, they were definitely not Earth brand, and smelled like chemicals so badly that I took them right out to the garbage.

Something you’re really good at: Really good might be a stretch, but I’m a decent baker. Being gluten-free with a ton of food allergies makes it a bit more challenging, but most people are shocked my stuff is gluten-free when they try it.

Something you’re really bad at: Singing. Believe me, you don’t want me joining your local choir.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: I loved books about horses when I was a kid—fiction, nonfiction. It didn’t matter. I always dreamed that I was going to have a ranch in Kentucky raising racehorses. All the fields would be surrounded in white fencing.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Write books! I’ve always been a voracious reader, but never thought I would actually be someone writing the books!

Last best thing you ate: Those yummy twice baked potatoes my husband made on New Year’s Eve.

Last thing you regret eating: That delicious prime rib he made, as well. It was really good but my stomach is still rebelling at the red meat!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: We used to white water raft all the time. Had our own rafts and floated rivers in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Idaho. Super fun and what makes it daring for me is that I can’t swim!

Something you chickened out from doing: Jumping off the cliff into the river when everyone else was doing it.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: There’s a whole lot of exciting about this writing gig, but one of the best things is seeing and hearing readers talking and posting about how much they enjoyed my books. It just seems so crazy to me that people willing spend some of their precious time reading my books!

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Just get started sooner and not spend so many years thinking about it but not doing it.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I loved your book so much that I bought a copy for my sister for Christmas!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “I really enjoyed your books, and I usually don’t like women writers.” (I think I said this the last time I visited, but it still remains the craziest thing a reader has said to me – and it was my father-in-law! LOL)

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: Get up from your desk and go for a walk. Just get outside or go somewhere you can people watch and get a new perspective. Once I put the book out of my mind, the solution to whatever is blocking the flow of words usually presents itself.

Things you do to avoid writing: House chores – sweep, vacuum, laundry, dishes, etc. And of course, get distracted scrolling through social media!

About Paula:

When Paula Charles isn’t writing, you can find her reading and contemplating murder under the towering trees of the Pacific Northwest. She is the author of the Hometown Hardware Mysteries, as well as the Zen Goat Mysteries written as Janna Rollins. Paula is a member of Sisters in Crime, the national chapter, the Guppies, and the Columbia River chapter. Her debut novel, Hammers and Homicide, was featured in Woman’s World. She lives in Washington state with her extremely patient husband and a gaggle of furry and feathered creatures.

Let’s Be Social:

Website – www.paulacharles.com

Facebook - Facebook

Instagram - Instagram

BookBub - Paula Charles Books - BookBub

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Diane Kelly

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Diane Kelly to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Having to live a real life when all I want to do is disappear into my stories 24/7.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with story ideas. I have more than I’ll ever be able to write! I seem to find inspiration everywhere.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Cats to keep me company.

Things that hamper your writing: Cats keeping me company.

Words that describe you: Creative. Open-minded. Animal lover. Caring/compassionate. Organized (even if it doesn’t look like it). Hardworking.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Impatient. Overextended. Easily distracted.

Favorite music or song: My all-time favorite song is “Drift Away” by Dobie Gray. I love 70’s and 80’s music – the songs of my formative years.

Music that drives you crazy: Jazz. To me, it’s too random and nerve-wracking.

Things you’d walk a mile for: A stray animal that needs help.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: The sound of someone chewing, especially crunchy foods.

Things you always put in your books: Pets.

Things you never put in your books: Sexual violence.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: In a review for Death, Taxes, and Sweet Potato Fries, which involves human smuggling/illegal immigration and young women escaping a desperate and violent situation, a reader said I handled the sensitive subject well. I appreciated that a lot.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: When I still had a day job, a coworker read my first book and later came into my office, closed the door, and told me she didn’t like it. She didn’t have a sense of humor and was definitely not my target audience. I was surprised she was so blunt, especially since she knew I’d been working hard for years to get published, but I know no book will be everyone’s cup of tea and I appreciate her keeping me humble.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Being a mother. Parenthood puts a person in all kinds of situations where they have to think on their feet and come up with creative solutions to problems they never could have anticipated.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: My children. Ha-ha! They are definitely their own people which, truthfully, is exactly who I want them to be.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: When my son was a baby, I fed him too many orange baby foods and his skin turned orange. I used this in Death, Taxes, and Sweet Potato Fries, where I had my main character eat too many sweet potato fries and turn orange.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: The sex scenes in my Death and Taxes series. My sister told me she pictured me and my husband when she read the scenes. I was horrified! My main characters might share some of my traits or values (or not), but they are NOT me.

Your favorite movie as a child: Tie between Pippi Longstocking and Charlotte’s Web. The first because the thought of being independent and self-sufficient seemed fun, and the latter because it was about compassion for animals.

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult): “The Blair Witch Project.” That movie scared me to death! It felt so realistic.

About Diane:

Diane Kelly writes funny mysteries featuring feisty female lead characters and their furry, four-footed sidekicks. Diane is the author of over three dozen novels and novellas, including the Death and Taxes white-collar crime series, the Paw Enforcement K-9 series, the House Flipper mystery series, the Busted female motorcycle cop series, the Southern Homebrew moonshine series, and the Mountain Lodge Mysteries series. When not writing, Diane enjoys volunteering at her local animal shelter, playing with her cats, or hiking with her dog in the beautiful woods of her home state of North Carolina. Learn more about Diane and her books at DianeKelly.com.

Let’s Be Social:

website: https://www.dianekelly.com/

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

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

Twitter/X: https://x.com/DianeKellyBooks

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DianeKellyBooks

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dianekellybooks

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Sarah Ickes

I’d like the welcome the multi-talented Sarah Ickes to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting people to take a chance on your books.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Finding enjoyment in writing the story. (Now editing is another matter)

Things you need for your writing sessions: A clear mind and a small snack certainly helps.

Things that hamper your writing: Too many to count I’m afraid.

Something you’re really good at: Memorizing movie lines/quotes from numerous films.

Something you’re really bad at: Remembering road names is not my forte.

Last best thing you ate: A classic that doesn’t go out of style; a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

Last thing you regret eating: That final pound of candy corn when I was much younger, which is still the reason why I haven’t touched another piece since.

Favorite music or song: Uplifting music is more my speed.

Music that drives you crazy: Songs that are solely rap are not in my playlist.

Things you’d walk a mile for: My dog, family and friends…and in that order

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: When someone touches my stuff!

Favorite books (or genre): Even though I write mysteries, I actually read more fantasy/adventure.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Romance isn’t my thing.

Favorite things to do: Draw, write, watch movies with my dog, explore the outdoors, and reading, of course!

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: The laundry…most definitely.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Where’s the next one?”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: I haven’t had much experience with this side yet.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: In Angled for Revenge, I used my past experience from riding on a few steam engine trains to help bring more realism to the scene where they disembark in Nebraska. (This is just one example, as many of my books include a variety of researched materials and actual historical references.)

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Some think I’m Vectra Tillerman, the main character in my fantasy series, but the idea for her actually started from the concept of creating a character I would love to dress up as at a renaissance faire.

About Sarah:

Sarah Ickes has a devoted passion to art, a love for reading and writing, and has an old soul when it comes to television and films. Though she has a degree in Fine Arts, her life is not as simple as a piece of paper. She has worked in retail management, web designing, and marketing to name a few of the realms of her experiences. The pets in her life take precedence, as anyone with animals knows. Her interest in historical America comes vividly to life in her Murial Robertson mysteries, following the adventures of a woman in the 1880s. Currently, she has three books in the series, as well as one in her Vectra Tillerman Adventures (Action/Adventure/Greek Myth/Steampunk), and the first installment in her Cybil Lawson Mysteries (Cozy/Light-hearted Traditional Mystery).  

Let’s Be Social:

My Website

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest