#WriterWednesday with Patricia Marcantonio

I’d like to welcome Patricia Marcantonio to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you never want to run out of: Blackberry-sage iced tea, printer cartridges, pens, notebooks, and patience.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Gluten-free brownie mix because I ate all of them.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Making myself sit down to write when I’m not inspired, and then take a needed break from the computer when I’m in the writing zone.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Loving what I do.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Focus, focus, focus.

Things that hamper your writing: Surfing the Internet.

A few of your favorite things: My DVD collection of old movies and my comfy sweatpants.

Things you need to throw out: My comfy sweatpants.

Favorite foods: Tostadas, salt and vinegar chips, burgers with bacon and cheese, and my husband’s smoked brisket.

Things that make you want to gag: Oatmeal.

Favorite smell: My yard after a rain shower.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Too flowery perfume.

The last thing you ordered online: A book, of course.

The last thing you regret buying: Cool shoes that were torture on my feet.

Things to say to an author: “I really related to your story and characters.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “What did you say you did?”

Favorite places you’ve been: The Oregon coast, New Orleans, Puerto Vallarta, Universal Studios, and my hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, to visit my family.

Places you never want to go to again: A Los Angeles freeway during a rush hour.

Favorite things to do: Hanging with family, writing, sewing and going to the movies.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Cleaning the bathroom and pulling weeds in our yard.

About Patricia:

Patricia Marcantonio is the author of the Felicity Carrol mystery series; Verdict in the Desert (Arte Público Press); Under the Blood Moon (Dark Ink); Best Amigas (Fitzroy Books) and Misbehaving at Cactus Lanes (One More Chapter). She received Alexa Rose Foundation Grants to direct her play, Tears for Llorona, and workshop her play Starring Jane Eyre. Pioneer Drama Service has published new play, Roja Ridin’ in the Hood, which is based on her award-winning children’s book Red Ridin’ in the Hood and Other Cuentos (FSG). She is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and has won awards for her screenplays and journalism. For several years, she covered crime and courts as a reporter.

Let’s Be Social:

http://Patriciamarcantonio.com

https://www.facebook.com/MarcantonioStories

https://www.goodreads.com/wwwgoodreadscommarcantonio

https://linkedin.com/in/patricia-marcantonio-01487615/

https://www.amazon.com/Patricia-Santos-Marcantonio/e/B001IXO71G?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1659303998&sr=8-1

https://www.instagram.com/santos_stories/

Murders -- Only on Paper

Someone asked me recently how many people I’ve killed off in books. I went back and checked my short stories, novellas, and novels, and I’m up to thirty-four. (Wow! Sounds like a serial killer.)

I write traditional mysteries and cozy mysteries where everyday people are the sleuths and the killers, so my characters use what’s nearby. Hardly any of the characters have military, medical, or law enforcement training. And I don’t write serial killer or predator books. So, I’m always on the lookout for new ways to stop an attacker or take out the victim. One of my sleuths (Jules in the Glamping series) detained the killer by hitting him on the head with an iron skillet.

Here are some of the ways, I’ve offed people in books besides poisoning, gunshot, and stabbing:

• Strangulation with a tie and a scarf

• Pushed off a cliff (two different stories)

• Insulin injection

• Snake bite

• Strangled with a strand of Christmas lights

• Crushed by a heavy piece of furniture

I have also had a couple of books where a caper was the featured crime, and there was no murder.

In another recent interview, someone asked if I had ever modeled the victim on a real person. I don’t usually do that. My characters have traits from several different people, and they’re not really based on a person. One time, in “Spring Cleaning,” I did kill an office worker who may or may not have been modeled on a real person who may or may not have gotten on my last nerve. The guy in the story was strangled and put in a rolling bin for documents that were sent off-site for storage. I enjoy it when friends try to convince me that they know who certain characters are based on.

I always tease with my team at work that they need to be careful, or someone will find them in a dumpster in the next book. I’ve had several people ask if I would kill off an annoying person in a book. Maybe I should run a contest and pick the best story for a character in an upcoming work. Hmmm.

What Have You Been Reading This Summer?

What were your favorite summer reads? I love all kinds of books, but I always gravitate to mysteries and thrillers. Lee Goldberg is one of my new favorites.

This summer, I went back and read all of the Michael Connelly books I had missed. I am such a fan of Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer. And I like how his Renee Ballard character is evolving. Now, I am all caught up and can’t wait for the next one.

I am such a fan girl of S. A. Cosby. I love his stories, and I get so excited every time a new one comes out. He is a must read if you like southern suspense.

Some of my favorite cozy mysteries this summer were by Maddie Day, Vicki Delany, Barbara Ross, Mindy Quigley, and Maria DiRico.

What’s your next read?

Christmas-Themed Mysteries for Your #TBR List

In January, my Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries launches with Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones. While it’s not a Christmas story, it is a mystery series set in and around a Christmas store in the fictional little beach down of Mermaid Bay.

Here’s a sampling of Christmas-themed mysteries (in no particular order) that you may want to add to your holiday TBR list.

• Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

• The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

• The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P. D. James

• The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers

• The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

• The 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

• Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson

• The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

• Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen

• Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia Manansala

• Candy Cane Murder Joanna Fluke

• Lark! The Herald Angels Sing by Donna Andrews

• Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews

• Twisted Tea Christmas by Laura Childs

• A Gift of Bones by Carolyn Haines

• He Sees You When You’re Sleeping by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

• “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” by Arthur Conan Doyle

• Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

• Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt

• Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt

• Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle

• The Diva Cooks a Goose by Krista Davis

• A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

• Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany

• Dying in a Winter Wonderland by Vicki Delany

• Six Cats a Slaying by Miranda James

• A Merry Murder by Kate Kingsbury

• A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

• An Eggnog to Die for by Amy Pershing

• Christmas Cocoa Murder by Carlene O’Connor

• A Puzzle in a Pear Tree by Parnell Hall

• Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman

• Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem by Diane Kelly

What would you add to the list?

15 Things about My Sleuth - Jules Keene

Jules Keene is the owner of the Fern Valley Camping Resort, home to vintage trailers and tiny houses. She first appears in Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers. Here are 15 things that you may not know about my amateur sleuth.

1. Redhead

2. Drives a Silver Jeep Wrangler

3. Born in 1983

4. From Fern Valley, Virginia

5. Graduated from James Madison University in 2004

6. Degree in Interior Design

7. Likes hiking and camping

8. Named after Demi Moore’s Character in St. Elmo’s Fire

9. Named her dog after the classic Bijou movie theater in town

10. Divorced the Idiot in 2010

11. Her parents bought the Fern Valley Camping Resort in the 1970s

12. Her boyfriend Jake is named after the character in 16 Candles

13. Crafts in her spare time

14. Savvy with social media

15. Appears next in Film Crews and Rendezvous (October 2022)

Book Links

Apple Books: ‎Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers on Apple Books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Trailers-Blackmailers-Heather-Weidner/dp/1685120369

Barnes and Noble: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

BookBub: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner - BookBub

BookShop: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers a book by Heather Weidner (bookshop.org)

Booktopia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers eBook by Heather Weidner | 9781685120375 | Booktopia

Goodreads: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner | Goodreads

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vintage-trailers-and-blackmailers

Target: Vintage Trailers And Blackmailers - By Heather Weidner (paperback) : Target

Thalia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers von Heather Weidner - eBook | Thalia

 Summary

There is nothing like finding a dead body, clad only in a red satin thong, on your property to jolt you from a quiet routine. Jules Keene, owner of the posh Fern Valley Camping Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is thrust into the world of the Dark Web when one of her guests, Ira Perkins, is found murdered in the woods near her vintage trailers. Jules quickly discovers that the man who claimed to be on a writing retreat was not what he seemed, and someone will go to any length to find what he left at her resort. Jules, along with her Jack Russell Terrier sidekick Bijou, has to put the rest of the missing pieces of a blackmailing scheme together before her glamping business is ruined.

Jules’s resort, set in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville in the quaint town of Fern Valley, offers guests a unique vacation in refurbished and upcycled vintage trailers. Hoping to expand her offerings, she partners with her maintenance/security guy to create a village of tiny houses, the latest home DIY craze, but a second murder of a reporter interrupts Jules’s expansion plans. Curiosity gets the best of her, and she steps up her sleuthing to find out what Ira Perkins was really up to and what he was really hiding at her resort.

In Honor of World Book Day - 50 Authors to Add to Your Book Shopping List

World Book Day is the week! Here is my list of 50 Mystery and Thriller Authors to add to your book shopping list. They are in no particular order.

• Libby Klein

• Mary Lee Woods

• Raquel Reyes

• Sherry Harris

• Diane Kelly

• Kellye Garrett

• Gabriel Valjan

• Hank Phillippi Ryan

• Ellen Bryon/Maria DiRico

• Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day

• Marilyn Levinson/Allison Brook

• Annette Dashofy

• K. L. Murphy

• J. D. Griffo

• Debra Sennefelder

• Tina Kashian

• Misty Simon

• Debra H. Goldstein

• Sparkle Abbey

• J. C. Kenney

• Lane Stone

• Bree Baker

• Bethany Blake

• Kate Young

• Maya Corrigan

• Liz Milliron

• Kelly Oliver

• Lena Gregory

• Ruth Hartman

• Jackie Layton

• Dane McCaslin

• Sarah Burr

• Grace Topping

• Susan Van Kirk

• Lida Sideris

• Lori Duffy Foster

• Nancy Cole Silverman

• Mary Burton/Mary Ellen Taylor

• Mary Miley

• James L’Etoile

• Jeanne Adams

• Frankie Bailey

• Lynn Cahoon

• Judy Penz Sheluk

• Katherine Bruns

• Rosalie Spielman

• Deborah Coonts

• Jennifer Chow

• Grace Topping

• Vicki Batman

Humorous Mystery Series for Your Reading List

I am always on the lookout for funny mysteries. Here are ten (in no particular order) that you need to add to your reading list.

• Misty Simon - The Tallie Graver Mysteries

• Larissa Reinhart - Maizie Albright Star Detective Mysteries

• Spencer Quinn - The Chet and Bernie Mysteries

• Janet Evanovich - The Stephanie Plum Novels and the Fox and O’Hare Novels

• Libby Klein - The Poppy McAllister Mysteries

• Elle Cosimano - The Finlay Donovan Mysteries

• V. M. Burns - The Mystery Bookshop Mysteries

• Kellye Garrett - Detective by Day Mysteries

• Becky Clark - The Mystery Writer’s Mysteries

• Diane Kelly - House-flipper Mysteries

• Ellen Bryon - The Cajun Country Mysteries

Who else would you add to my list?

Secrets from VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS

I had so much fun researching and writing VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS, and here’s where some of my ideas came from for this book…

Vintage Trailers and Tiny Houses

My husband does a lot of home renovation projects. He also restores classic cars, campers, and boats from time to time, so we watch a lot of videos and shows on YouTube and Discovery+. A while back, I ran across shows on restoring vintage trailers, and I decided that would be a perfect job for Jules. She uses her interior design experience to restore and decorate the trailers they saved from scrap heap. Jules themes each of the campers with special décor like the 1947 Robin Hood Trailer that is decked out in honor of its namesake, the 1959 Sunliner Caravan that sported a posh pink Barbie fashion design in honor of the year that the camper and the doll debuted, and the 1953 Redman New Moon, decorated in honor of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball’s movie from the same year, The Long, Long Trailer. The tiny houses all have a book or author themes and fun amenities like a revolving bookcase or a reading nook for the guests to enjoy.

I am fascinated with the tiny house craze. People are so creative, and they maximize space and storage in buildings that range from 400 to about 1,400 sq. ft. If the houses are built to be transported, then they need to fit within a car lane on a standard road. I would love to have one of these for a writing retreat.

Campgrounds

My aunt and uncle owned a traditional campground in Nelson County, Virginia near Crabtree Falls in the 1970s. We had so much fun visiting there in the summer, even if the mountain stream was freezing in June. She had a game room, and that’s how I learned to play pinball. Jules’s resort is based on some fond memories of Crabtree Falls.

My Love of All Things 80s

Jules is named for Demi Moore’s character in ST. ELMO’S FIRE. Her last name is a tribute to all the women who wrote the Nancy Drew mysteries under the pseudonym of Carolyn Keene.

Jake is named for Jake Ryan from SIXTEEN CANDLES.

Bijou the Dog

Bijou, the energetic Jack Russell Terrier, is based on the sister-half of the dynamic duo that live at our house. Disney, even though she just turned eleven, is still spunky and keeps her brother Riley on his toes. They love snuggles on the couch in front of the fireplace, any kind of snack, and chasing the squirrels and chipmunks in the woods near our house.

Book Links

Apple Books: ‎Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers on Apple Books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GGBFWT5

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Trailers-Blackmailers-Heather-Weidner/dp/1685120369

Barnes and Noble: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

BookBub: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner - BookBub

BookShop: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers a book by Heather Weidner (bookshop.org)

Booktopia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers eBook by Heather Weidner | 9781685120375 | Booktopia

FNAC: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers - Dernier livre de Heather Weidner - Précommande & date de sortie | fnac

Goodreads: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers by Heather Weidner | Goodreads

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vintage-trailers-and-blackmailers

Target: Vintage Trailers And Blackmailers - By Heather Weidner (paperback) : Target

Thalia: Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers von Heather Weidner - eBook | Thalia

The second book in the series, FILM CREWS AND RENDEZVOUS will be out in October 2022.