#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Charlotte Stuart

I’d like to welcome author, Charlottes Stuart, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things: I collect small boxes made of a variety of materials, but especially wood. I particularly value ones given to me by friends and family. And I love my orange Subaru Crosstrek, mainly because it’s orange.

Things you need to throw out: We downsized a few years ago, but I still have too many clothes, especially jackets. And shoes that I never wear. And old family pictures of relatives I’ve never met and couldn’t name if my life depended on it.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Marketing!
Easiest thing about being a writer: Getting enthused about an idea and having fun exploring ways to bring it to life. I love doing research.

Words that describe you: Friendly. Opinionated. Stubborn. Sense of humor.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Short. Opinionated. Stubborn.

Favorite foods: Blackberry pie. Tomatoes. Almost any cheese. Prawns and scallops.

 Things that make you want to gag: Oysters. Sushi. Undercooked steak. People eating undercooked steak.

 Favorite smell: A saltwater beach.
Something that makes you hold your nose: Vomit. Not only does it make me hold my nose – I run away! It’s either that or throw up alongside the person throwing up.

Something you wish you could do: Play the piano.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Work with fiberglass. My husband and I built a fiberglass boat, and I was, unfortunately, good at fiberglassing. I always wore a mask, but that didn’t keep the resin stink from penetrating my psyche.

Things you’d walk a mile for: To go swimming in a freshwater lake.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Frequently of late, the nightly news. And, still another update for my computer or cell phone.

Things to say to an author: I read your book and really enjoyed it. I’m planning on reading your book soon. I like the cover of your book. Congratulations.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I knew who did it in the first 10 pages. I found 3 typos. Comment: I just don’t read mysteries. What the mystery writer hears: I only read REAL literature.

Favorite places you’ve been: Greece. Italy. Vashon Island.
Places you never want to go to again: The O’Hare Airport. Minneapolis in the winter. D.C. in the summer.

Favorite things to do: Swim. Walk in the woods. Read.
Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Not sure about eating bugs…but I hate cleaning the house, especially dusting, doing the floors, scrubbing the tub/toilet/sink…just about anything that involves using cleaning products.

 Things that make you happy: Being with people I enjoy. Swimming. Reading.
Things that drive you crazy: Snooty people. People who give you the stink-eye over things such as a dirty car, Velcro sneakers, or an overgrown yard. TV mysteries where someone discovers a body and kneels down to look without considering that there may be someone behind them.

The funniest thing to happen to you: Giving a finger to a slow driver on the way to an interview only to discover he was a board member at the college where I was interviewing. When introduced, he said, “We’ve already met.”

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: Falling down on stage at my high school graduation after playing a saxophone solo. I fell like a tree with my arms wrapped around my instrument to protect it. And I didn’t get up right away; I just lay there laughing but with tears rolling down my face. When I returned to my seat, I had to walk all the way to the back of the graduating class because we were seated alphabetically, and my last name began with ZY. So many murmured “Poor Charlotte’s….” And a few snickers.

About Charlotte:

In a world filled with uncertainty and too little chocolate, Charlotte Stuart, PhD, has taught college courses in communication, gone commercial fishing in Alaska, and survived being the VP of HR and Training for a large credit union. Her current passion is for writing lighthearted mysteries with a pinch of adventure and a dollop of humor. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys watching herons, eagles, seals and other sea life from her Vashon Island home office.

Let’s Be Social:

 cs.charlottestuart@gmail.com

Website: www.charlottestuart.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/quirkymysteries

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlotte.stuart.mysterywriter

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Thomas Burns

I’d like to welcome author, Thomas Burns, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: I love my wife and kids, cats, dogs, my garden, and Tai chi.

Things you need to throw out: Nothing. You always need it after you throw it out!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Scrivener, the Internet, my PC

Things that hamper your writing: People, phone calls, errands

Things you love about writing: I create people and worlds, and I learn something new every day.

Things you hate about writing: Nothing.

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee, ammo, or enthusiasm.

Things you wish you’d never bought: The Samsung refrigerator in my kitchen.

Favorite foods: Eggplant, chili peppers, sushi.

Things that make you want to gag: Not much. I haven’t tried Icelandic rotten shark, though.

Favorite music or song: Classical music. Wagner is my favorite composer, and the violin is my favorite instrument.

Music that drives you crazy: A few popular songs that you hear on tapes played in public places. I don’t know their names, but I know them when I hear them.

Something you’re really good at: Writing, science, cooking.

Something you’re really bad at: Dancing, fixing things, suffering fools gladly.

Something you wish you could do: Fly a plane.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Nothing. Any skill can be useful at some time.

Things you always put in your books: Love, honor, family,

Things you never put in your books: I’ll put anything necessary to the story, even if it’s distasteful. I even killed the cat once.

Favorite places you’ve been: France, Ireland, New York City.

Places you never want to go to again: Catholic school.

Favorite books (or genre): Atlas Shrugged, Moby Dick, Sherlock Holmes

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’ll read just about anything.

Favorite things to do: Read, write, eat.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Talking to people in the morning before I’ve had my coffee, meetings, arguing with an idiot

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Readers talk to you?

The craziest thing a reader said to you: See above.

About Thomas:

Thomas A. Burns, Jr. is the author of the Natalie McMasters Mysteries. He was born and grew up in New Jersey, attended Xavier High School in Manhattan, earned B.S degrees in Zoology and Microbiology at Michigan State University and a M.S. in Microbiology at North Carolina State University. He currently resides in Wendell, North Carolina. As a kid, Tom started reading mysteries with the Hardy Boys, Ken Holt and Rick Brant, and graduated to the classic stories by authors such as A. Conan Doyle, Dorothy Sayers, John Dickson Carr, Erle Stanley Gardner and Rex Stout, to name a few. Tom has written fiction as a hobby all of his life, starting with Man from U.N.C.L.E. stories in marble-backed copybooks in grade school. He built a career as technical, science and medical writer and editor for nearly thirty years in industry and government. Now that he's truly on his own as a novelist, he's excited to publish his own mystery series, as well as to contribute stories about his second most favorite detective to the MX Books of New Sherlock Holmes Stories.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.3mdetectiveagency.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/541595279667727/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/3Mdetective

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3mdetective/?hl=en

Tumblr: https://nataliemcmasters.tumblr.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17956517.Thomas_A_Burns_Jr_

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/thomas-a-burns-jr

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Debra H. Goldstein

I would like to welcome author, Debra H. Goldstein, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things: I like dark chocolate, quiet time to read, and hanging with family and friends.

Things you need to throw out: Three dressy dresses I bought six years and twenty less pounds ago.

Things you need for your writing sessions: A comfortable chair and show music blaring.

Things that hamper your writing: My husband, who recently retired, being home during my writing time – he keeps the TV louder than my show music.

Things you love about writing: I love the creative process.

Things you hate about writing: I hate the creative process.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The hardest thing is not letting distractions keep me from sitting and writing.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with ideas.

Favorite foods: I love pizza, ice cream, and dark chocolate.

Things that make you want to gag: Cottage cheese and tuna fish.

Favorite music or song: Show tunes – I love Broadway shows.

Music that drives you crazy: Heavy metal music drives me crazy.

Favorite beverage: Coca-cola
Something that gives you a sour face: Water

 Favorite smell: The fragrance of roses (especially yellow ones simply because I like the look of them)
Something that makes you hold your nose: My husband’s gym clothing after he’s exercised.

The last thing you ordered online: A copy of Damned if you Do Damned if you Don’t by Marjorie K. Osterman

The last thing you regret buying: a hand scale from Magellan’s to weigh luggage

Things you always put in your books: Humor
Things you never put in your books: My family

Favorite places you’ve been: Barcelona, San Francisco, and New York
Places you never want to go to again: Underground in a coal mine where the seam is only three feet high.

Favorite things to do: Spending time with family and friends; going out to eat; reading; and writing.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Cooking --- my Sarah Blair character comes by her fear of cooking from scratch naturally

About Debra:

Judge Debra H. Goldstein writes Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series (One Taste Too Many, Two Bites Too Many). She also wrote Should Have Played Poker and IPPY Award winning Maze in Blue. Her short stories, including Anthony and Agatha nominated “The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place,” have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and Mystery Weekly. Debra serves on the national boards of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and is president of the Southeast Chapter of MWA and past president of SinC’s Guppy Chapter. Find out more about Debra at www.DebraHGoldstein.com .

 Let’s Be Social:

https://www.amazon.com/Bites-Many-Sarah-Blair-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07MB4779P

 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/two-bites-too-many-debra-h-goldstein/1130055243

 Website – www.DebraHGoldstein.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/DebraHGoldsteinAuthor/

Twitter - @DebraHGoldstein

Instagram – debra.h.goldstein

Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/debra-h-goldstein.   Debra

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Lois Winston

I’d like to welcome author, Lois Winston, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Complete silence.

Things that hamper your writing: Noise from leaf blowers, snow throwers, lawn mowers, and the incessant barking of the three dogs that live next door.

Things you love about writing: Getting lost in a world of my own creation.

Things you hate about writing: When the words and ideas just don’t come.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Planting my butt in a chair for hours and hours each day.

Easiest thing about being a writer:  You have an excuse for listening to the voices in your head.

Favorite foods: Crème brûlée, chocolate anything, macarons (I once dragged my husband all over Nice, France in search of a patisserie that sold them.

Things that make you want to gag: Peanut butter (I used to have to hold my breath when I made PB&J sandwiches for my kids when they were little.

Favorite music or song: Most Broadway musicals. Right now I’m obsessed with the music from Hamilton.

Music that drives you crazy: If I told you, I’d probably alienate a portion of my readership, which I’d never want to do. Can I lie and say I love all musical genres?

Favorite beverage: Coffee.

Something that gives you a sour face: Beer. I’ve never been able to develop a taste for the stuff.

Favorite smell: Vanilla.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Cigarette and cigar smoke (and peanut butter.)

Something you’re really good at: Getting my protagonist into trouble.

Something you’re really bad at: Speaking French.

Something you like to do: Go to the theater.

Something you wish you’d never done: Gone skiing.

Things you always put in your books: Humor.

Things you never put in your books: Anything of a political nature (I don’t want to alienate readers on either side of the aisle.)

Things that make you happy: Certain members of my family.

Things that drive you crazy: Certain other members of my family.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I’ve had several readers write to tell me they were going through a very difficult time in their lives, and my books made them laugh when they really needed a good laugh.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: She didn’t like my book because it was nothing like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series. Huh? Why would she think it would be? I write humorous amateur sleuth mysteries, not hardcore thrillers!

About Lois’s Latest…

Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 8

Two and a half weeks ago magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack arrived home to find Ira Pollack, her half-brother-in-law, had blinged out her home with enough Christmas lights to rival Rockefeller Center. Now he’s crammed her small yard with enormous cavorting inflatable characters. She and photojournalist boyfriend and possible spy Zack Barnes pack up the unwanted lawn decorations to return to Ira. They arrive to find his yard the scene of an over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. His neighbors are not happy with the animatronics, laser light show, and blaring music creating traffic jams on their normally quiet street. One of them expresses his displeasure with his fists before running off.

 In the excitement, the deflated lawn ornaments are never returned to Ira. The next morning Anastasia once again heads to his house before work to drop them off. When she arrives, she discovers Ira’s attacker dead in Santa’s sleigh. Ira becomes the prime suspect in the man’s murder and begs Anastasia to help clear his name. But Anastasia has promised her sons she’ll keep her nose out of police business. What’s a reluctant amateur sleuth to do?

Buy Links

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VG2QZXV/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=Handmade+Ho-Ho+Homicide&qid=1563673299&s=gateway&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=loiswins-20&linkId=cbd92af3c45b1134cb5408cc8450e3b4&language=en_US

 Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/handmade-ho-ho-homicide

 Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/handmade-ho-ho-homicide-lois-winston/1132607263?ean=2940163093748

 iTunes https://books.apple.com/us/book/handmade-ho-ho-homicide/id1473711082

About Lois:

USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.loiswinston.com

Newsletter sign-up: https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z1z1u5

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/anasleuth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/722763.Lois_Winston

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lois-winston

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Frances Aylor

I would like to welcome author, Frances Aylor to the blog this week for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Pictures of my family & friends, my travels, fun things I’ve done. These connect me with past and present and inspire me to plan interesting experiences for the future.

Things you need to throw out: Old textbooks. I keep thinking I’ll reread them some day to keep my mind sharp, but the odds of revisiting Latin or intermediate accounting or my Spanish-language version of Don Quixote are pretty slim.

Things you love about writing: Talking to book clubs, having them discuss my characters as real people and not just something I molded together from imagination and memories.

Things you hate about writing: Struggling to get my ideas on paper, working much too long to get a sentence, a paragraph or an image just right.

Favorite music or song: Anything by Jason Mraz. He’s from my hometown and sings upbeat songs about happiness and love. I especially like “Have It All.”

Music that drives you crazy: When rock song I’ve loved get turned into the background for TV commercials. They’re messing up good memories!

Something you’re really good at:  Music. I play the piano and organ and was even a church organist many years ago.

Something you’re really bad at: Singing. I can’t hit high notes anymore. I’m always singing an octave below everyone else.

Last best thing you ate: Salted caramel ice cream. Terrific mix of sweet and salty.

Last thing you regret eating: Escargot in a restaurant in a Mexican airport. I was trying to be adventurous. My stomach rebelled.

The last thing you ordered online: Dryer sheets. I now have enough to last ten years.

The last thing you regret buying: An online rug. It looked bright and crisp on the website, but was a muddy burgundy when I rolled it out in my den. Really heavy and awkward to roll back up and return.

Things you always put in your books: I like happy endings: for the good guys to win and the bad guys to receive justice.

Things you never put in your books: Excessive violence.

Favorite books (or genre): I love mysteries, suspense and thrillers. In the Woods by Tana French is a favorite. Books you wouldn’t buy:  Books that are too scary, violent or gory.

Things that make you happy: Being with my family, traveling to new places, meeting fun people.

Things that drive you crazy: People who are so focused on their own opinions that they won’t listen to other points of view.

Best thing you’ve ever done:  Marry my high-school sweetheart. He’s kind, supportive of all the crazy things I do, and even after all these years still tells me how much he loves me.

Biggest mistake: Investing in rental property. It seemed so easy when we read the book. We bought 3 houses and sold them within a year when collecting from tenants became too much of a hassle.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:  Jumping off a 4,000 foot mountain in Switzerland to go paragliding.

Something you chickened out from doing: Scuba diving. The thought of being hundreds of feet underwater and getting nudged by a shark terrifies me.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website and blog: https://francesaylor.com/

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

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Frances-Aylor

About Frances:

Frances Aylor, CFA combines her investing experience and love of travel (she has visited over 30 countries) in her financial thrillers. Money Grab is her first novel. She has also written several short stories, including "The Girl in the Airport" in the Deadly Southern Charm anthology. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and is currently the president of Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with K. L. Murphy

I’d like to welcome author, K. L. Murphy to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Summer, the beach, reading (I know that’s every author), tea, and wine!

Things you need to throw out: Clutter! Clutter! Clutter!

Things you need for your writing sessions: All I really need is my computer and time.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Making it the priority I would like to.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Doing something I love.

Things you never want to run out of: peanut butter, English muffins, tea, wine, BOOKS!

Things you wish you’d never bought: Fashion faux pas I will never wear.

Favorite smell: I love the smell of fresh herbs.
Something that makes you hold your nose: Too much perfume (any kind)

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

The last thing you regret buying: A staple gun that wasn’t electric.

Things that make you happy: Being with family and friends. And an all-time favorite is reading a book on the beach with a cold glass of wine.
Most embarrassing moment: My first attempt at an Instastory had my children rolling on the floor laughing. Worse, they saved it so that it can be replayed for laughs on a regular basis. (It was really bad!)
Proudest moment: After my children, writing and publishing my Detective Cancini Mystery series. I’m also really proud of the my current work which is historical suspense.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I love Cancini! Also, I can’t wait to read your next book (always a winner!).

The craziest thing a reader said to you: For your next book, you should write the story of my life…um, I write fiction????

 About K. L:

K.L. Murphy is a freelance writer and the author of the Detective Cancini Mystery Series: A GUILTY MIND, STAY OF EXECUTION, and THE LAST SIN. Her short story, BURN, is featured in the anthology DEADLY SOUTHERN CHARM. A member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, James River Writers, and Historical Writers of America, she lives in Richmond, VA, with her husband, children, and two amazing dogs.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Colleen Mooney

I’d like to welcome Colleen Mooney to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things:

I love the beach, diving and Schnauzers, in particular, the four rescues I have. 

Things you need to throw out:

Paper, paper and more paper and clothes I no longer wear, like or fit me.  I’d like to throw out some bad habits or the plethora of holiday decorations that seem to multiply exponentially each year.

Favorite music:

I’ve got a rock ‘n roll heart but love music from the 80’s.  My favorite song is anyone you can dance to.

Least favorite or music I can’t stand:

Music that drives you crazy: Electronic sounds.

 Favorite foods:

Cheese, cheese and more cheese.  I love cheese. In restaurants and every place I travel, I will order the cheese tray if there is one on the menu.  Of course, I’m from New Orleans so I am surrounded by great food and choices all the time and seafood is also a big favorite. We have shrimp and crawfish boils where we get together with our friends and family to share! 

Things that make you want to gag: 

Mayonnaise and someone else vomiting.  I am a sympathetic hurler. 

 Something you wish you could do:                                                                                  

There are many things I would love to be able to do and playing the piano is one.  Also, I wish I could speak fluent French and German.  

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:  There are things I don’t like to do, like balancing my checkbook, but there is nothing I wish I had never learned to do.  There are so many things I still would love to learn

Favorite smell:

I love the smell of my dogs right after they are groomed.  The groomer uses a spray and they have a wonderful, happy and pretty smell!

Something that makes you hold your nose:

The foulest smell I ever encountered was the smell in New Orleans after Katrina.  We wore masks and still had to put wintergreen petroleum jelly under our noses, under the masks. 

Things you need for your writing sessions:

I need peace and quiet, something in short supply at my home with four schnauzers (barkers) and my retired husband. For concentration I will go to the library or a coffee shop and sometimes stay there the entire day!

Things that hamper your writing:

The biggest thing that hampers my writing are time constraints.  With life still rolling along, there are many other things I am responsible for that need to get done so the interruptions to take care of business, home, and social requirements is the biggest thing that slows me down, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. 

Favorite beverage: Coffee with Chicory
Something that gives you a sour face: Decaf.

Things you love about writing:

I love seeing where my story goes and what the characters do.  They often surprise me. I have an outline when I begin of where the story starts, and where it ends and a general idea of what has to happen along the way.   How it gets there is the part I enjoy most. 

Things you hate about writing: I hate that I can’t type faster. 

Favorite places you’ve been:

I am an avid Scuba Diver so the places I like the most all involved diving. Cozumel was a big favorite because it was so easy to get to from New Orleans, so I’ve been there many times.  I love islands, including Manhattan (I lived there for a year!).  A favorite place in I attended a Creativity Workshop and fell in love with, enough to retire there, was Arles France.  It was a small town and you could walk everywhere. Another big favorite I try to make annually are Christmas Markets in Germany. My favorite is Maintz.  My husband and I try to go there every year since it puts me in a wonderful holiday mood, hence the surplus of decorations.  New Orleans is usually hot year-round except for a few days in January and February so going to the markets during December is magical! (See No. 1)

Places you never want to go to again:

Morocco. This was a bucket list trip and the worst vacation I’ve ever had. Everything was an abysmal disappointment. Since I was travelling with all women friends (something I would not recommend) we were often ignored in restaurants or taken advantage of when purchasing items. 

Something you like to do: I love anything on the water, sailing, diving, or just floating on a raft!
Something you wish you’d never done: Gone on that trip to Morocco.

Things that make you happy:

What makes me happy is seeing one of my rescues matched with the perfect home.  I’ve been directing Schnauzer Rescue of Louisiana for over fifteen years and placed over 350 Schnauzers. I am exuberant every time I find a Schnauzer the perfect person to love and who will love them back.  
Things that drive you crazy:

The biggest thing that drives me crazy are people who get pets and don’t learn how to care for them or take the time to teach the pet how to be a good companion.  There are no bad dogs, only irresponsible pet owners. 

Best thing you’ve ever done:

My biggest accomplishment was volunteering for Schnauzer Rescue of Louisiana and taking it over when that person could no longer manage it. 

Biggest mistake: Going on that Morocco trip!

Let’s Be Social:

Colleen Mooney, Mystery Author

Twitter:  Twitter.com@Mooney_colleen

Facebook:  colleen.mooney.716@facebook.com

Website:  www.colleenmooney.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/colleen.mooney

Email:  colleen@colleenmooney.com

About Colleen:

Colleen Mooney was born and lived much of her life in New Orleans before a job moved her to other cities.  She writes a cozy mystery series set in New Orleans. It’s called The New Orleans Go Cup Chronicles and the 7th book, Fireworks, Forensics and Felonies. It was released in the box set, Summer Snoops Unleashed and all proceeds go to help three animal rescues or shelters who aid senior pets. Colleen has earned Best Seller status in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon.

 In January 2017 Colleen organized a Sisters In Crime chapter in New Orleans, was elected President and has a planned a Mystery Writers’ Conference for November 2019.  She is currently working on her 8th book in the New Orleans Go Cup Chronicles  series.

 Colleen was born and raised in New Orleans and lived in the Irish Channel along with just about everybody else in her family.  She says, “New Orleanians are a lot like boomerangs or homing pigeons.  If we move away, we always move back.”

 Colleen worked in corporate America for twenty-one years before retiring and has lived in Birmingham, Atlanta, New Jersey and New York. She moved back to New Orleans every time before another corporate reorganization would transfer her to another city.

 “My vacation and work related travels opened my eyes as to how different we are in New Orleans.  We are very different from the rest of the state, let alone the rest of the country. We have different laws, different food and the way we cook it, different weather, different things we celebrate and how we celebrate them. We even have a different language in some cases.  Everyone thinks New Orleans is all about a good time in the French Quarter or on Bourbon Street, but those of us from here know that’s only the tip of the iceberg, well, if we had icebergs.” 

 Colleen loves to travel and do new things.  She is an avid Scuba diver and Underwater photographer, owned and raced sailboats in the Gulf of Mexico, Key West and the BVI. She has owned and drove a motorcycle, and has skied Colorado, Idaho, California, New York State as well as the German and Austrian Alps.

 In New Orleans, she’s been active in many Mardi Gras Krewes, Super Krewes, and organizations and has belonged to the Krewe of Cork, Orpheus, Iris, Tucks, Joan of Arc and the Halloween Krewe of Boo. Colleen says she has never met a parade she didn’t like. 

 She’s an ardent animal lover and the Director for a breed rescue, Schnauzer Rescue of Louisiana for the last fifteen years.  She has rescued and placed over 350 abandoned or surrendered Schnauzers.  She loves to write, and writes about what she loves. Colleen says, “New Orleans is where it all happens for me.

There’s no place like New Orleans to have a good crime!”

Check out Colleen’s Sisters in Crime New Orleans Chapter’s “A Journey into the Mystery of the Criminal Mind.”

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Mary Dutta

I’d like to welcome author, Mary Dutta, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Dark chocolate, Victorian novels, New York City

Things you need to throw out: All the organizers, bullet journals, color-coded pens, and calendars that I keep thinking will change my writing process and don’t.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Yellow legal pads

Things that hamper your writing: Internet access

Things you love about writing: Endless possibilities

Things you hate about writing: Plots that resist revealing themselves

Hardest thing about being a writer: Rejections
Easiest thing about being a writer: Jumping into a new story

Favorite foods: Anything pork, anything chocolate

Things that make you want to gag:  Stinky tofu

Favorite beverage:  Gin & tonic
Something that gives you a sour face: Kombucha

Something you’re really good at: Baking
Something you’re really bad at: Skiing

Last best thing you ate: Pepper & egg grinder
Last thing you regret eating: Octopus. I keep trying it and never like it.

Things you always put in your books: Humor
Things you never put in your books: Graphic violence

Things to say to an author: I loved your book!
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I could write a great book if I just took the time.

Favorite places you’ve been: Petra, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, the Bronte parsonage
Places you never want to go to again: Any gas station in New Jersey, where you’re not allowed to pump your own gas.

Favorite books (or genre): Wuthering Heights, Mysteries
Books you wouldn’t buy: Sci Fi

About Mary:

Mary Dutta traded New England and a career as an English professor for a new life as a college admissions reader in the South. Her short story "Festival Finale” appears in The Best Laid Plans: 21 Stories of Mystery & Suspense.