#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Debbie DeLouise

I’d like to welcome author and librarian, Debbie DeLouise, to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Read, exercise (walk/run), play with my cats

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

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

Things that distract you from writing: Social Media and emails

Hardest thing about being a writer: Rejections

Easiest thing about being a writer: Ideas

Favorite snacks: Popcorn cakes,

Things that make you want to gag: Injured or abused animals.

Favorite smell: lilacs

Something that makes you hold your nose: the litter box

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: A writer

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Be able to jog and run

Last best thing you ate: A brownie

Last thing you regret eating: A brownie

Things you always put in your books: pets

Things you never put in your books: explicit sex

Things to say to an author: I loved your book and am writing a review of it.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I don’t buy books, but I’d love to read yours. When are you putting it up for free?

Favorite places you’ve been: Chicago, St. Louis, Cape May.

Places you never want to go to again: Disney World’s Outdoor Camp Barbecue (got stomach poisoning after)

About Debbie:

Debbie De Louise is a reference librarian at a public library and the author of cozy and traditional mysteries. Her latest release, No Gravestone Unturned, is the 5th book of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and three cats.  

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Deblibrarian

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2bIHdaQ
All Author: https://allauthor.com/author/debbiedelouise/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiedelouise/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/debbie-de-louise

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/debbiedelouise

Debbie’s Character’s Chat Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/748912598599469/

Website/Blog/Newsletter Sign-Up: https://debbiedelouise.com

Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog: https://Sneakylibrarycat.wordpress.com

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Mary Helen Sheriff

I’d like to welcome author, Mary Helen Sheriff to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday! (We found out after we met that we went to the same high school in Virginia Beach.)

Favorite foods: Popcorn and wine

Things that make you want to gag:  scented hand sanitizer and candles

Something you wish you could do: Sing. 

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Rehab a sprained ankle.

Last best thing you ate: The La Parisienne sandwich at Greenbriar Café and Coffeehouse (ham, brie, raspberry jam, aioli, arugula). It’s normally on a baguette, but I had on a croissant--yummy!

Last thing you regret eating:  Chick-Fil-A sandwich and fries

The last thing you ordered online: Mailing labels to make book plates that I can mail to people who can’t come to book signings.

The last thing you regret buying: I bought a custom coffee table and side table from a furniture maker on Etsy. They cost several hundred dollars, and my family told me the tables looked like they’d been built by raccoons.  

Favorite places you’ve been: Greece and Hawaii
Places you never want to go to again: Burlington Coat Factory bathroom (I’ll spare you the details.)

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Skydiving.
Something you chickened out from doing: A bubble run with my husband.

About Mary Helen:

Mary Helen Sheriff spent fourteen years in classrooms teaching elementary school, middle school, college, and professionals. During that time, she also had the pleasure of dabbling in writing for children, teenagers, and adults in a variety of forms including fiction, poetry, blogs, and nonfiction. She spent several summers immersed in an MFA program in children's literature at Hollins University. Currently, she lives and writes in Richmond, Virginia, with her two kids, two cats, and husband.

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#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Barbara Monajem

I’d like to welcome author, Barbara Monajem, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Books, books, books.

Things you need to throw out: Ditto. I got rid of some but so far can’t bring myself to cull any more.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My computer. It doesn’t matter where I am. I used to be able to write on paper, too, but my handwriting has deteriorated steadily and is now almost illegible.

Things that hamper your writing: Not having any idea what will happen in the next scene. Having a great idea about the next scene but not having time to write it.

Things you love about writing: I’m a pantser, so I just start writing and see what happens. It’s a thrill when the story comes together despite my complete lack of planning.

Things you hate about writing: Hate is too strong a word, but I don’t like promotion much. This is partly because I’m introverted and partly because I haven’t figured out how to do it without losing writing time, which is already hard to find.

Things you never want to run out of: Food and water.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Yarn that I will never use, especially if the moths have gotten to it.

Words that describe you: Introverted.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Ditto. Being introverted is inconvenient. I have learned to introduce myself to people at meetings and conferences, but I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable doing so.

Favorite foods: Cheese, almost any kind. Raw oysters. Most kinds of fruit. Arugula. Chocolate. And many more…

Things that make you want to gag: Baked beans. They don’t make me gag anymore, but I found them disgusting when I was a kid. I remember eating at a friend’s house, and dinner proved to be a big plate of…baked beans! Aaaagh! I was way too shy to complain, so I mastered the urge to gag and swallowed every mouthful.

Favorite beverage: Tea, especially with a bit of rose or cardamom flavor.

Something that gives you a sour face: Lemon juice, but it’s a good kind of sour.

Something you wish you could do: Speak several languages fluently.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I don’t regret learning anything!

The last thing you ordered online: One of my own books. By accident – I clicked the wrong button.

The last thing you regret buying: See above.

Things you always put in your books: Romance, although in mysteries it’s either secondary or a slowly building relationship over several stories.

Things you never put in your books: Graphic violence

Favorite things to do: Writing. Cooking. Walking.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Well, I hate making phone calls. I would eat bugs if they were prepared properly. However, I’ll take a pass on running through a fire. Phone calls are much easier, when in put in perspective.

Most embarrassing moment: We ate at Olive Garden, and I was so full that I undid the button on the waistband of my skirt. I forgot to button it up again, so when I stood up to go, my skirt fell down! But it was actually pretty funny rather than embarrassing.

Proudest moment: I don’t think much in terms of pride. Maybe when my first paperback was published, eons ago?? It was a children’s fantasy, and I was thrilled, although I didn’t write anything else for ages after that.

About Barbara:

USA Today bestselling author Barbara Monajem wrote her first story at eight years old about apple tree gnomes. She published a middle-grade fantasy when her children were young, then moved on to mystery, fantasy, and Regency romance for adults. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia with an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline strays.

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Lady Rosamund and the Poison Pen:

Lady Rosamund Phipps, daughter of an earl, has a secret. Well, more than one. Such as the fact that she purposely married a man who promised to leave her alone and stick to his mistress. And a secret only her family knows—the mortifying compulsion to check things over and over. Society condemns people like her to asylums. But when she discovers the dead body of a footman on the stairs, everything she’s tried to hide for years may be spilled out in broad daylight.

First the anonymous caricaturist, Corvus, implicates Lady Rosamund in a series of scandalous prints. Worse, though, are the poison pen letters that indicate someone knows the shameful secret of her compulsions. She cannot do detective work on her own without seeming odder than she already is, but she has no choice if she is to unmask both Corvus and the poison pen. Her sanity—and her life—are at stake.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087BBLLNL/

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087BBLLNL/

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B087BBLLNL/

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B087BBLLNL/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lady-rosamund-and-the-poison-pen-barbara-monajem/1136829963

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lady-rosamund-and-the-poison-pen

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/lady-rosamund-and-the-poison-pen/id1507264864

Lord Bellweather’s Lady:

How does a lady escape a fate worse than death? She runs away to the fairies...

When Augusta Furlough flees her vile brother to plead with the fairies to take her in, she’s rescued by a handsome stranger on a huge, dark charger, and whisked away to his home. Grateful but suspicious of his motives, she’s determined to leave and try the fairies once again.

Lord Bellweather, the half-human liaison with the fairies, spent most of his youth in their realm. Now he’s taking his place in the human world and must adapt to its peculiar customs. What better prospect for marriage than a delightful lady who understands human society and also believes in fairies?

But it’s not that simple, for Augusta is branded a madwoman, and Bellweather is also part hellhound, a ferocious otherworldly beast with which not even a desperate madwoman could fall in love.

Buy links:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Bellweathers-Lady-Magical-Regency-ebook/dp/B08HSHKYBM

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lord-Bellweathers-Lady-Magical-Regency-ebook/dp/B08HSHKYBM

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Lord-Bellweathers-Lady-Magical-Regency-ebook/dp/B08HSHKYBM

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Lord-Bellweathers-Lady-Magical-Regency-ebook/dp/B08HSHKYBM

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lord-bellweather-s-lady

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-bellweathers-lady-barbara-monajem/1137618360

#WriterWednesday Interview with Tina deBellegarde

I’d like to welcome author, Tina deBellegarde, to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Self-promotion. It’s so hard to say to a world full of great writing, Look at me, I’m an author, read me!

Easiest thing about being a writer: When the story and the characters take over. It fascinates me every time and it’s my favorite part of writing. I feel like I’m channeling.

Words that describe you: energetic, optimistic, compulsive problem-solver

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Short, worrier, insomniac, chatterbox (while also being an introvert)

Favorite foods: Croissants, lemon ice-cream, gnocchi, pizza on the grill, fresh fruit of any kind

Things that make you want to gag: Peach fuzz. It’s making me pucker just writing it.

Favorite music or song: Bossa Nova – It relaxes me under any conditions. I cook to it, I write to it, I clean to it.

Music that drives you crazy: Harpsichord

Favorite beverage: Daytime: Coffee, coffee, coffee. Evening: Bourbon

Something that gives you a sour face: Kiwi, love them and yet…

Something you wish you could do: Sing. My sister has a beautiful voice. Me, not so much. I grew up in a household where my dad sang or whistled all the time. My parents often played music at dinner and my dad would stop his meal to take me, my mom or my sister for a twirl around the kitchen. I could dance, but I couldn’t sing.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: File taxes and decipher legal documents.

Things you’d walk a mile for: Lemon ice-cream. A ride in a hot air balloon.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Snakes

Things you always put in your books: Music always seems to make it into my stories.

Things you never put in your books: Sex

Things to say to an author: Stick with it.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Do it my way.

Favorite things to do: Writing, cooking, baking, binging old films, sitting in front of a fireplace reading, sitting by the ocean reading, sitting under a tree reading…talking to my husband and son about books and films.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Public Speaking

Most embarrassing moment: Playing Betsy Ross in the school play next to my second grade crush Patrick Henry.

Proudest moment: Seeing my son Alessandro off to live in Japan the day after he graduated. I thought he was so courageous and adventurous to just pick up and do that. I was so sad, but I never shed a tear until the plane took off. Sad or not, I was so proud of him. Ten years later he is still there.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Take hot air balloon piloting lessons

Something you chickened out from doing: Karaoke. Did I mention I can’t sing?

The coolest person you’ve ever met: A serenading monk at the Daisen-In Zen Temple in Kyoto. When he learned I was from New York, he sang My Way for me.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: I once passed Mary Tyler Moore on the street walking her dog. She was so completely covered with a scarf, hat and huge dark glasses that I never noticed her. My friend, who was MTM’s neighbor, told me after the fact.

About Tina:

Tina deBellegarde lives in Catskill, New York with her husband Denis and their cat Shelby. Winter Witness is the first book in the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery Series. Tina also writes short stories and flash fiction. When she isn’t writing, Tina is helping Denis tend their beehives, harvest shiitake mushrooms, and cultivate their vegetable garden. She travels to Japan regularly to visit her son Alessandro. Tina did her graduate studies in history. She is a former exporter, paralegal, teacher, and library clerk. Visit her website for more information and purchase links: www.tinadebellegarde.com

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#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Tammy Euliano

I’d like to welcome mystery author, Tammy Euliano, to the blog this week for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My dogs underfoot – they keep me company and entertained Things that hamper your writing: My dogs underfoot – they want to be entertained (“the ball’s not going to throw itself ya know”)

Things you love about writing: When I get in the flow and the characters seem to know where they’re going and it all makes sense and the words rush onto the page…wait, that wasn’t me, just kidding.

Things you hate about writing: That the above doesn’t happen more often. Also, unlike my day-job, there’s no metric to know whether I’m doing it “right.” In fact, there is no “right.” It’s so non-quantitative and therefore different from my day job and therefore also something I love about writing.

Favorite beverage: Diet Mountain Dew Something that gives you a sour face:

Coffee or tea…or alcohol unfortunately. My mom always said I’d be a better mother if I’d learn to drink wine in the evenings.

Something you’re really good at: staying dedicated to an exercise plan – every morning at 6am. Something you’re really bad at: staying dedicated to an eating plan – every morning at 7am, and 8am, and 9:30am, and…hey wait, I’m hungry.

Something you wish you could do: play tennis with a decent forehand

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: play racquetball because now I stand too close to the tennis ball, expecting the shorter racket…or maybe, just possibly, having played racquetball briefly 40 years ago is only an excuse…naaahhh

Last best thing you ate: Captain Jack’s ice cream dessert at Ale House

Last thing you regret eating: Any ice cream that wasn’t part of Captain Jack’s

Things you always put in your books: a wonderful dog

Things you never put in your books: sex, at least so far, but my husband says I need to…but I don’t think he knows what he’s suggesting…ugh

Things to say to an author: I loved your book, loved your characters, loved everything about it.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I liked your book, but you should have …

Favorite places you’ve been: Banff, Canada; Swiss alps; Galapagos; Costa Rica; most anywhere hiking or skiing with friends or family

Places you never want to go to again: Haiti, anywhere with A-- wait, did you say people might read this? Just Haiti

Favorite books (or genre): Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache series!!! And of course Harry Potter which I read aloud to my whole family on the sectional couch.

Books you wouldn’t buy: anything meant to spur hatred and dissension without presenting a balanced opinion. Yeah, rules out most of the non-fiction section.

Things that make you happy: Time spent with family, friends, dogs, outdoors, mountains, beaches, playing sports, games, sunrises and sunsets, Gator sports

Things that drive you crazy: traffic; other people “sharing” their music at volume on the road (mine of course is universally loved); people, especially medical trainees, who don’t recognize the responsibility that goes with opportunity.

About Tammy

Tammy Euliano writes medical thrillers inspired by her day job as a physician, researcher and medical educator.  She is a tenured professor at the University of Florida, where she's been honored with numerous teaching awards, nearly 100,000 views of her YouTube teaching videos, and was featured in a calendar of women inventors (copies available wherever you buy your out-of-date calendars). At home, she plays games or sports with her family, cuddles her dogs, reads, and writes medical thrillers. Her debut novel, “Fatal Intent,” will be published by Oceanview in March, 2021. 

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#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Ellen Byron

I’d like to welcome one of my favorite mystery authors, Ellen Bryon, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Books, my needlepoint projects, my doggy.

Things you need to throw out: So much I can’t even list it all! Our house could be on an episode of Hoarders.

Things you need for your writing sessions: my computer – desk or laptop; a printout of my notes; a Papermate Sharpwriter pencil.

Things that hamper your writing: the internet.

Things you love about writing: coming up with a great plot twist, a wonderful image, or a clever joke. Things you hate about writing: those moments or hours when none of the things mentioned above are coming to me.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Just doing it.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Pretending that “research” counts as writing!

Things you never want to run out of: Ideas.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Any item of clothing that didn’t fit when I bought it, but I bought anyway because it would fit when I “lost weight.”

Words that describe you: driven, generous, creative, funny.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: stubborn, obsessive, impatient, competitive.

Favorite foods: Pizza, spaghetti, sushi, cake, See’s chocolate.

Things that make you want to gag: Cilantro and anything coffee-flavored. Even See’s. If I bite into a piece of chocolate and it’s coffee-flavored, I not only spit it out, I rinse my mouth. I even hate coffee ice cream, which even non-coffee lovers seem to like.

Favorite music or song: “Get Down Tonight,” by KC and the Sunshine Band. I think it’s the best pop song ever written and no one will ever convince me otherwise. I live for all songs KC! My favorite band EVER. Music that drives you crazy: Slide guitar. It’s like nails on a chalk board to me.

Favorite beverage: Tea.

Something that gives you a sour face: Root beer. Blecch. And have I mentioned I hate coffee?

Favorite smell: roses.

Something that makes you hold your nose: garlic.

Something you wish you could do: go en pointe in ballet. Not having achieved this is one of my biggest regrets.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Needlepoint. It’s a very pricey hobby. But I do love it and it relaxes me.

Things you always put in your books: recipes, even though I’m not much of a cook.

Things you never put in your books: dead children or animals.

Favorite things to do: Write, dance, read, and needlepoint.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Clean. Some people clean to procrastinate from writing. I write to procrastinate from cleaning!

Most embarrassing moment: In high school, I played Duke Vincentio in an all-female production of Measure for Measure. The kid doing a costume change for me forgot to put out the pants for my costume, so I had to go onstage in just my tights. Thank God I at least had those on!

Proudest moment: Winning the Agatha Award for Mardi Gras Murder.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Have our daughter. Although there are days when both of us might not agree about this!

Biggest mistake: Turning down an overall deal from a studio that would have forced my then-TV writing partner and I to work on a show we didn’t like. In the end, we should have sucked it up and worked on the show because the deal would have had better long-term effects on our career.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Martha Stewart, who I worked for as a cater-waiter when she was just starting out. You’ll find me standing next to Martha in a photo on page 29 of early editions of her first book, Entertaining.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: I’ve either written for or interviewed a ton of celebrities and honestly, they all looked like their photos. Sometimes they even look better, as in the case of a certain actress with the initials LL who was caught up in the college admissions scandal. I met with her on a possible project years ago and she was even prettier in person.

About Ellen:

Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Her new Catering Hall Mystery series, written as Maria DiRico, launched with Here Comes the Body, and was inspired by her real life. Her pen name was the maiden name of her late nonna, Maria DiVirgilio, a long-time Astoria resident. Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

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Buy links  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647531/murder-in-the-bayou-boneyard-by-ellen-byron/

 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=murder+in+the+bayou+boneyard+a+cajun+country+mystery&crid=JGK2M6U6FKH&sprefix=murder+in+the+bayou%2Caps%2C202&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_8_19

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Marilyn Levinson (Allison Brook)

I’d like to welcome Marilyn Levinson/Allison Brook to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday. I am having so much fun reading her Haunted Library series.

A few of your favorite things: my books—read and unread, chocolate bark, mystery series in any format, dining out, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, visiting other countries

Things you need to throw out: Clothing I haven't worn in three years, linens I no longer use, kitchen utensils I no longer use

Things you need for your writing sessions: My computer, of course; my movable bumpy footrest, good lighting, silence

Things that hamper your writing: The zing of an incoming email, noise.

Things you love about writing: Typing away when it flows; finishing the book; getting emails and messages that someone's just read one of my books and loved it, communicating with my fellow writers and with readers.

Things you hate about writing: When the words don't flow

Hardest thing about being a writer: Your work is never done—there's always another book, more promotion to work on

Easiest thing about being a writer: Your workplace is in your home. Your world involving your Work In Progress; communicating with readers and other writers; your agent and publisher; and information and research are all at your fingertips.

Things you never want to run out of: ideas, books, British mystery shows, book contracts

Things you wish you’d never bought: a George Foreman rotisserie, a very large and complicated Cuisinart Food Processor

Favorite foods: pasta, Indian food, ice cream, honeyed nuts, cheese

Things that make you want to gag: drinking milk

Favorite beverage: white wine

Something that gives you a sour face: lemonade without sugar

Something you’re really good at: knitting, Sudoku, teaching

Something you’re really bad at: using crutches, adding things to my website

Things you always put in your books: relationships, secrets

Things you never put in your books: erotica, death of a child

Favorite places you’ve been: South of France, Machu Picchu, Paris, England

Places you never want to go to again: some small islands in the Caribbean

Favorite books (or genre): mysteries, good literature

Books you wouldn’t buy: erotica,

Things that make you happy: Seeing my grandchildren, getting good reviews, watching a good movie

Things that drive you crazy: parents who let their children run wild in public; unnecessary horn blowing

About Marilyn:

"I was a bookworm from the moment I learned how to read. I devoured Nancy Drews, Judy Boltons, and Trixie Beldons – sometimes two books in one day. Was it any wonder I ended up writing mysteries?

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I dreamed of becoming a ballerina or a writer. I practiced my pirouettes and penned short stories. My family moved to Long Island, where I continued to write stories until I was discouraged by a high school English teacher. Turned off to writing, I continued to read voraciously in college and concentrated on my major, Spanish. I studied in Mexico and Spain, intent on becoming fluent in the language. I taught high school Spanish, married my dentist husband, and we started a family. When our two sons were small, I found myself drawn back to writing fiction.

A writer is a writer forever. We may have more than our share of disappointments, but the rewards are many – knowing you bring joy to readers; sharing the camaraderie and support of your fellow scribes. Writing is a way of life, one I wouldn’t relinquish for anything."

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Help Marilyn celebrate her new book at her Facebook Party on September 10 from 7-10 PM EDT.

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Jodi Rath

I’d like to welcome mystery author, Jodi Rath, back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite things: My husband, cats, books, my murder board, all my screens (phone, tablet, monitor, and surface pro), kickboxing bag, yoga mat, cast iron skillets, my business.

Things you need to throw out: hmmm….some would say books BUT NO WAY! LOL Probably shoes and clothes—I have too much!

Things you need for your writing sessions: murder board (which is really a whiteboard), yarn to map out the plot on murder board, pictures—visuals of places in my fictional village Leavensport, OH, my style sheet or chart of characters, plot points, and settings to keep everything in order, computer, paper, pen, pencil, books for research, my cats, cup of hot or cold tea and dumdum suckers while I work.

Things that hamper your writing: social media—HA!

Things you love about writing: Everything!

Things you hate about writing: Nothing!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Probably the second and third drafts before finalizing for publishing Easiest thing about being a writer: Planning, plotting, first draft.

Words that describe you: feisty, sassy, determined, motivated, grit

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: a bit obsessive-compulsive, perfectionist, control-freak

Favorite foods: most anything in cast iron skillet

Things that make you want to gag: oysters

Favorite music or song: 60’s and 80’s music mainly—but I love most music

Music that drives you crazy: country

Favorite smell: pumpkin/cinnamon spice

Something that makes you hold your nose: skunk smell Things you’d walk a mile for: chocolate or really good New York style pizza

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Snakes or alligators

Things you always put in your books: cats and characters that are similar to my family and friends and my frenemies over the ages

Things you never put in your books: abuse of animals

Things to say to an author: “I’m a fan.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Write faster or Can I get it for free?”

Favorite places you’ve been: Home

Places you never want to go to again: Most anywhere other than home!

Favorite books (or genre): Mystery

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’m not into fantasy.

Things that make you happy: My husband, my cats, my business which is a lot of research, writing, and art.

Things that drive you crazy: Hypocrite, liars, manipulators

Best thing you’ve ever done: marrying my husband and our cat family

Biggest mistake: don’t believe in them. I’ve done a lot wrong, but I learn from it—so therefore, how much of a mistake can it be. That’s the educator in me talking.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: race car driving in CA at Laguna Seca

Something you chickened out from doing: I got my brown belt in kickboxing—one away from black and never got the black belt.

About Jodi:

Moving into her second decade working in education, Jodi Rath has decided to begin a life of crime in her The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series. Her passion for both mysteries and education led her to combine the two to create her business MYS ED, where she splits her time between working as an adjunct for Ohio teachers and creating mischief in her fictional writing. She currently resides in a small, cozy village in Ohio with her husband and her nine cats.

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