#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with J. P. McLean

I’d like to welcome author J. P. McLean back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing on beautiful days. Those days are temptresses that lure me outside to play in the garden or stroll on the beach instead of writing.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Not having to commute to an office!

Words that describe you: perfectionist and ultra-organized.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: perfectionist and stubborn. Both traits get in the way of life in general, and often my writing, which will never be perfect and is often better with flaws.

Favorite music or song: When I’m not writing, I enjoy pop/rock music, but when I’m writing, lyrics distract me. I’ve recently discovered a few French café music stations, which are perfect! I love the jazzy sound and because I don’t speak French; the lyrics don’t distract me from my writing.

Music that drives you crazy: heavy metal. I know many people love it, but I find it jarring.

Favorite beverage: Red wine—preferably Cabernet Sauvignon, Amarone, or Zinfandel.
Something that gives you a sour face: grapefruit juice.

Favorite smell: Ooh, so many! Fresh laundry is right up there at the top of my list.
Something that makes you hold your nose: Low tide on a sweltering hot day.

The last thing you ordered online: A USBC to headphone jack converter for my smartphone. When I’m selling books at conferences and markets, I sometimes use Square’s credit card swiper to take payment. The Square swiper uses a headphone jack, and the new phones have phased out this feature.

The last thing you regret buying: An expensive pair of Italian leather sandals. They were beautiful, but they didn’t survive an unexpected run through the rain. 

Things you’d walk a mile for: A hug from my dad, and my mom’s pea soup.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Negative people and their never-ending stream of complaints, perceived mistreatments, and poor-me attitudes.

Favorite books (or genre): My favourite genres are supernatural thrillers or urban fantasies. The thing I like most about those genres is the unexpected, whether it’s a superpower, or a magical talisman, or a new world. I love inhabiting those worlds and imagining the possibilities of superpowers and magic. Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series is one I recently enjoyed.
Books you wouldn’t buy: Political memoirs don’t appeal to me.

 Favorite things to do: I love sitting down to a leisurely meal with friends and family, sharing laughs and anecdotes and just catching up. The pandemic restrictions have severely curtailed that for us, but it’s opening up now and we’re slowly getting out again.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Grouting tile or sanding drywall, both of which I’ve done during various home renovations. If I ever renovate again, I’ll move into a hotel or travel and leave the grouting and sanding to the professionals.

The funniest thing to happen to you: When I was in my first year of high school (we were called nifty niners), I met a boy a year ahead of me in grade ten at my first high school dance. He invited me to the school football game the following day. I’d never had an interest in football, but he was cute, and I wanted to see him again, so I agreed to meet him there.

The football field didn’t have seating, so spectators were camped out on the lawn or milling about outside the school building. I walked up and down the field, scanning the crowd for him. After a half hour of fruitless searching, I gave up and left, disappointed about being stood up on my first high school date.

But the following Monday at school, he sought me out to ask why I hadn’t attended the game. Imagine my surprise when I learned he wasn’t a spectator in the crowd, but a football player on the field.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: When I was in grade eight, I was a centre on the school basketball team. Our team made it through to the runoffs, and on the day of the final tournament, we were bussed to the hosting stadium. It was an impressive facility, with several courts and half a dozen of the best school teams. They even had volunteers on the sidelines with trays of sliced oranges for the players. We thought we’d made it to the big leagues.

I’ve never been a strong scorer, but I had a knack for getting the ball to my teammate, who was a forward and could dead drop the ball into the net from anywhere on the side of the key. We played hard during the first half, and I was exhausted. At halftime, after I’d gobbled down a few orange slices, the teams changed ends.

We headed back out on the court and I got hold of the ball and made a breakaway for the net. I heard the crowd cheering and I couldn’t believe my good luck that no one challenged me along my way to glory. I tossed the ball at the net—missed but caught it on the rebound and tried again.

It’s a good thing I was such a bad shot, because the crowd hadn’t been cheering me on, they were shouting at me to stop. I’d forgotten about the end change and was at the wrong net. If I’d scored, it would have been for the other team.

Not surprisingly, the coach pulled me out of play, and I sat out the rest of the game on the bench. I would have preferred to crawl into a hole.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: After Lethal Waters came out, one reviewer wrote, “I would read this author’s shopping list if she’d let me. Excellent, fascinating, exciting . . . I can’t get enough!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “You should write my memoir. I’ve had a very interesting life.”

About J. P.:

JP (Jo-Anne) McLean writes urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers. Her work has won honourable mentions from the Whistler Independent Book Awards and the Victoria Writers’ Society. Reviewers call her work addictive, smart, and fun. JP is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business and makes her home on Denman Island, which is nestled between Vancouver Island and British Columbia on Canada’s west coast. You can reach her through her website at jpmcleanauthor.com.

Let’s Be Social:

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

Twitter ID: @jpmcleanauthor https://twitter.com/jpmcleanauthor

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jpmclean

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-p-mclean-cd5829f0-6e0d-4189-b561-44651ad67b9e

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Lauri Schoenfeld

I’d like to welcome author Lauri Schoenfeld to the blog this week!

Things you need for your writing sessions: a lit candle, peppermints, headphones, notebooks, a charged computer, colorful pens, and my phone turned off.

Things that hamper your writing: Snacks, noise, and phone.

Hardest thing about being a writer: For me, the hardest part is cutting scenes and going through multiple edits to get it to the sweet spot of the story.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Typing all my thoughts and ideas! There’s so many amazing characters, concepts, and theme’s that play in my mind constantly and I love investigating and putting those ideas into story form.

Favorite foods: I love chicken nuggets, French fries, and Nacho’s. I also really like a good salad bar with ranch and lots of toppings.

Things that make you want to gag: Oysters, French dip sandwiches, overcooked steak.

Favorite beverage: I love Chai Tea or Cream Soda.

Something that gives you a sour face: Sour Patch Kids

Favorite smell: Pumpkin Spice

Something that makes you hold your nose: Stinky socks. That’s the worst smell . . . EVER.

Something you like to do: I’d love to sing at a Jazz bar and a be wearing a dazzling red dress.

Something you wish you’d never done: I wish I had never let go of singing.

Things you’d walk a mile for: To see a sunset, waterfall, or meadow.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: clowns and snakes.

Things to say to an author: Keep writing. What you have to say matters.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Writing a book looks easy. I’m sure it’s not that hard to do.

Favorite things to do: I love to write, sing, create mystery boxes, play piano, binge my favorite shows, read, and talk.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: I’d run throw a fire instead of cleaning up throw-up, teaching math, or getting a spinal tap.

Most embarrassing moment: My embarrassing moment was when I hit a community pole into oncoming traffic after trying to save the Valentines meal that I made for my then boyfriend, now husband. There was ham sliding down my windows when the cop pulled up to the scene.

Proudest moment: My proudest moment was writing Little Owl and showing my younger self that dreams do come true with lots of grit, determination, hard work and resilience.

Let’s Be Social:

www.laurischoenfeld.com

www.instagram.com/laurischoenfeld

www.facebook.com/lauri.schoenfeld

www.twitter.com/LauriSchoenfeld

Amazon.com: Little Owl: 9781735233116: Schoenfeld, Lauri: Books

About Lauri:

Lauri Schoenfeld currently resides in Utah with her hubby, three kids, and dog Jack Wyatt Wolverine. She’s an advocate for scoliosis and child abuse awareness, a Nancy Drew enthusiast, and a cyborg. Teaching creative writing classes and workshops is one of her favorite things to do. When she's not having long conversations with her characters and creating stories, Lauri's hosting The Enlightenment Podcast, reading, playing the piano, or solving a mystery.

She’s the owner of Inner Enlightenment, a business built around connecting to your inner child within through stillness, play, and self-expression. Her goal and focus are to turn a negative experience into something positive by changing the toxic cycles and creating a new chapter with unconditional love and healing for generations to come. 

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Nzondi

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

A few of your favorite things: TikTok videos featuring grandparents doing a dance challenge, collecting Spider-Man comic books, playing Madden Football.

Things you need to throw out: Pizza that’s been in my refrigerator for five weeks.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Irish Creme Whiskey & coffee.

Things that hamper your writing: Irish Creme Whiskey.

Things you love about writing: I can write on Hooters napkins, on a grocery line or even when in a long session in the bathroom. 

Things you hate about writing: When people ask me to write their story based on an idea they have in their head.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting the same respect as music recording artists and actors.

Easiest thing about being a writer: There’s nothing easy about being a writer.

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee or caffeine pills.

Things you wish you’d never bought: My grandparents’s idea of who they think I should be.

Words that describe you: Underestimated.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Misunderstood.

Favorite foods: comfort food, Indian food, Italian, most sweet pies, Cheesecakes and Bundt cakes.

Things that make you want to gag: Honey. 

Favorite music or song: Instrumental house music.

Music that drives you crazy: Bad karaoke.  

Favorite beverage: Irish Creme Whiskey.

Something that gives you a sour face: Listening to a great guitar solo—so good you get that ugly face!

Favorite smell: A woman who understands the power of fragrant seduction. 

Something that makes you hold your nose: A great funk band playing live.

Something you’re really good at: Being an underdog.

Something you’re really bad at: Quitting.

Something you wish you could do: Sing a duet with Ariana Grande or have a forward written in my novels by an author that influenced me.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Complain.

Something you like to do: Play video games.

Something you wish you’d never done: taken edibles in my fiftieth birthday.

Last best thing you ate: A steak sandwich with Béarnaise sauce from Ruth’s Chris.

Last thing you regret eating: The sidewalk when I went skating.

The last thing you ordered online: Spider-Man comic books.

The last thing you regret buying: $400 tickets to the Cowboys/Rams playoff game.

Things you always put in your books: Self-empowered female characters with a ton of angst and baggage.

Things you never put in your books: Trolls, I hate trolls.

Favorite places you’ve been: My imagination.

Places you never want to go to again: The darkest places of my mind.

Favorite books (or genre): Comic books.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Books with troll pictures in them.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Oprah, the Dalai Lama, the Obamas, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Wendy Williams.

Things that make you happy: Nothing. 

Things that drive you crazy: Everything.

Most embarrassing moment: Diarrhea during a six-mile run.

Proudest moment:  Seeing my sons graduate college.

Best thing you’ve ever done: I haven’t done it yet.

Biggest mistake: Taking opportunities given to me on a gold platter for granted.

The coolest people you’ve met: Madonna, Prince, Viola Davis, Debbie Allen, LL Cool J, Ashley Graham, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Robert Sawyer.

About Nzondi:

Nzondi (born July 4th, 1966) is an American urban fantasy and horror writer. His novel Oware Mosaic won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Young Adult fiction.

Among his many short stories that were published in anthologies and print magazines, Nzondi’s short story, “Raising Mary: Frankenstein”, was nominated for 2016 horror story of the year for the 19th Annual Editors and Preditors Readers Poll. Additionally, three of his short stories were on the Horror Writers Association Reading list for the 2017 Bram Stoker Awards.

A former Director of Education for NYC schools and the Sylvan Learning Center, the award-winning educator earned a BFA from Long Island University. Nzondi currently lives bi-coastal in New York and Los Angeles. Follow Nzondi on his social media platforms @Nzondi3 on Twitter or as Ace Antonio Hall Instagram and Facebook for news, books, updates and appearances for keynote speaking events at writing conferences.

Let’s Be Social

Website: https://www.aantoniohall.com/

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nzondi3

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ace.antoniohall.1

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Nzondi/e/B0829F7667/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Melissa Yi

I’d like to welcome Melissa Yi to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you always put in your books: humor, intelligence, strong women, and friendship/connection. I also love food, so that's fairly mandatory.

Things you never put in your books: So far I've avoided the abuse and murder of indigenous people because it makes me so sad, even though it's an important topic

Favorite music or song: I've always been a pop music girl—some of my recent downloads include Flo Rida, the Barenaked Ladies, Abba, MC Hammer, Kanye West, and Cardi B. I'm crazy about 1 Million Dance Studio on YouTube. I also like a capella music (Pentatonix) and musical theatre.

Music that drives you crazy: terrible autotune, screeching, chanting, and monotonous music

Things that hamper your writing: To be honest, one of the biggest problems is me procrastinating on the Internet! I also have trouble if my son is loudly playing video games in the background. And forget it if I have to police my kids' virtual school, get my 12,000 steps in, and somehow that fridge is always calling to me …

Things you love about writing: cool characters that surprise me, plots that twist seemingly out of nowhere, the joy of meeting readers who "get" me

Hardest thing about being a writer: butt glue, which means writing consistently and in a great amount every day. I want to play hooky sometimes. Also marketing. It would be so amazing if you could write a book and magically connect with the right readers instead of advertising and social media.

Easiest thing about being a writer: I love clearly communicating with people. It's great to cut through the B.S. and say exactly what's happening. And so fun to invent, although that's not always easy!

Things you need for your writing sessions: energy and imagination. I usually write on my computer or iPad, but I can make do with a felt tip pen and paper in a pinch. I also write in my email or in my Notes app if I'm on the go. To motivate myself, I'll do writing sprints where I can see other writers writing away in real time, especially during NaNoWriMo (writing a novel during the month of November). I've also experimented with dictating while I walk.

Things you need to throw out: pretty much everything. I'm an environmentalist and a sentimentalist, so I have trouble shedding possessions, and I don't have time to Marie Kondo everything. Just looking at my desk, I see broken headphones. My kids are always breaking headphones. My engineering husband tries to save them.

A few of your favorite things: my family, including our beloved dog Roxy, writing "The End" and knowing I've done my absolute best, delicious food, curling up with my books, saving lives when I work as an emergency physician, yoga, walking with my friends, a good show (theatre or streaming), energy in the morning and quiet at night, sunshine, and snow.

About Melissa:

Melissa Yi is an emergency physician who writes her critically-acclaimed Hope Sze medical crime series. The latest thriller, Scorpion Scheme, is a finalist for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Thriller. Melissa’s stories have been longlisted for the Staunch Prize (best international feminist thriller) and finalists for the CWC/Arthur Ellis Award (best crime story in Canada) and the Derringer Award (best crime story in the English language). Under the name Melissa Yuan-Innes, she writes speculative fiction, romance, poetry, and non-fiction.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://www.melissayuaninnes.com/ Please sign up for my newsletter, and you’ll win a free novella

Twitter: http://twitter.com/dr_sassy

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

Bookbub:https://www.bookbub.com/authors/melissa-yi

Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/4600856.Melissa_Yuan_Innes

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MelissaYuanInnes

Instagram: https://instagram.com/melissa.yuaninnes

Author central: amazon.com/author/myi

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/melissayi_

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Marie Powell

I’d like to welcome author, Marie Powell to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: I like chocolate, blackberries, and reading. Reading anything, but fantasy novels in particular. I try to read about 50 novels a year, over and above the research books I use. Favourite authors: Edgar Allan Poe, T.H. White, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Cassandra Clare, Leigh Bardugo, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, and oh, so many more.

Things you need to throw out (or recycle?): Shoes I’ll never wear again, old magazines, and cords and adapters that go with—something from the 1990s, maybe?

Things you need for your writing sessions: Time! I always need more time.

Things that hamper your writing: Lack of timeT

Things you love about writing: I love those moments when I feel like I’m “in the zone.” When I’m out walking and my mind starts ticking with the rhythm of my feet, or the wind whispers in my ear, or I hear a scrap of conversation, and it floats in and around my brain until it comes out through my fingers on the keyboard as a story.

Things you hate about writing: Never having enough time to write all the stories I want to write. Okay, I know, I already mentioned that. (But seriously, couldn’t somebody invent a time-stretcher?)

Favorite foods: Ooh, lots! Lately I’m into cooking with medieval spices - cubebs, grains of paradise, long-peppers, ginger, cloves, and sage, mint, and parsley from my herb planter. I took an online class called “Eat Medieval” from Durham University and Blackfriar’s Restaurant last Christmas during the Covid lockdown, and it was so much fun that I signed up for two more. Going for another as soon as it’s advertised. There are combinations of sweet and savory spices you’d never have thought to combine, called Poudre Fort and Poudre Douce. Love it! These spices go great on anything you can bar-be-que in foil too, like chicken, white fish or salmon, root veggies, zucchini, mushrooms, root veggies, you name it.

Things that make you want to gag: Greasy bacon and over-easy eggs. (Give me poached any day!)

Things you never want to run out of: Books! Herbs and spices. Cat food (for my cat, of course).

Things you wish you’d never bought: Rabbit meat. I ordered it without realizing it was a whole, entire rabbit, flattened on a Styrofoam platter. It’s haunting me from the freezer. Tastes like chicken, right? (Maybe I can find someone to give it to.)

Favorite beverage: Coffee in the morning; tea in the afternoon

Something that gives you a sour face: Sour candy. (Sorry, kids)

Favorite smell: The ocean, when you just catch a scent of it on the Chinook wind, coming over the Prairie from the Pacific. It reaches all the way here, and takes me back to west-coast holidays when I was a kid.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Oh, gag me! Let’s not even go there.

The last thing you ordered online: I should say books, but actually it was spices. Cubebs from Salt’Sup in Estonia, elderflower leaves and some very nice pepper grinders from Amazon, of all places, and Grains of Paradise and Long-peppers from the Silk Road in Calgary. I have enough of each to last for the rest of my life now, I’m sure, and it wasn’t even expensive, which really surprised me. Gotta love the Internet!

The last thing you regret buying: Remember that rabbit I mentioned earlier?

Things you always put in your books: Ghosts, or something from the past that haunts the present. And siblings. It seems I always have a brother-sister team or at least the mention of siblings in my novels and my short stories.

Things you never put in your books: Ummm… Can’t really think of anything.

Favorite places you’ve been: Wales, Ireland, Cuba, New York, Cabo San Lucas, the Mexican Riviera, the Yale University library, Minneapolis, Northfield (Minnesota), Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Tofino, Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Drumheller, Eastend, Saskatchewan Landing, Cypress Hills, Hecla (Manitoba), Toronto, Montreal, Fredericton, St. John’s, riding on ferries across large and small bodies of water, riding on trains like the old TransCanada or even the Amtrack red-eye watching the countryside zip by in the dark, sitting in darkened theatres watching actors rehearse new plays -- wait, maybe everywhere I’ve ever been! I really love travel. It’s always an adventure, even if it’s just driving a few km down the highway to have supper in a small town restaurant.

Places you never want to go to again: Never? Like, never go again? I mean… what if I got it wrong or missed something the first time? I think every time I’ve said “never” in my life, I’ve proven myself wrong. So, better not to say that word.

Favorite books (or genre): Fantasy, historical fantasy, paranormal thriller

Books you wouldn’t buy: Steamy erotica and books with naked torsos (male or female) on the covers. Sorry. I worked as a dramaturg and assistant stage manager for a while when I was young, and I can’t help but think of all the out-of-work actors who have to make ends meet in various ways. Those images just feel exploitive to me.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “It was like I was there. I mean, I could really visualize it. And when I read that final paragraph of Spirit Sight, it gave me shivers!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “You know, you should write a story about my life. It’ll make you famous. No, really. You write it, and we’ll split the profits.”

About Marie:

Marie Powell’s adventures in castle-hopping across North Wales resulted in her award-winning medieval fantasy series Last of the Gifted: Spirit Sight and Water Sight (thanks to Creative Saskatchewan Book Production and Market/Export grant programs). Marie is the author of more than 40 children’s books, along with award-winning short stories and poetry. Find her at mariepowell.ca

Let’s Be Social:

Website:  https://mariepowell.ca

Mailing List:  https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/a8p8d2 

Twitter: @mepowell   https://twitter.com/mepowell

Facebook: @MariePowellAuthor  https://www.facebook.com/mariepowellauthor

Instagram: @MariePowellAuthor https://www.instagram.com/mariepowellauthor/

YouTube: Last of the Gifted: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiJ3JY8YIleqD6W-cJHgSwWKlz3JV_sL3

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mariepowell

Book Links:

Spirit Sight: https://books2read.com/u/3n8A95 

Water Sight: https://books2read.com/u/4A701d

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with W. L. Hawkin

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

A few of your favorite things: cobalt blue anything but especially glass bottles; waterfalls, fountains, really anything watery; cuddly dogs; deep red wine & dark chocolate

Things you need to throw out: the horrible old pens, paper clips, pencils, erasers, and other dried out paraphernalia I collected while teaching high school!

Things you love about writing: being magically transported through time and space along with my characters as a kind of shadowy voyeur

Things you hate about writing: the physical aches and pains I feel when sitting at the computer too long. Right now I’m dealing with bicep tendinitis!

Things you never want to run out of: lip gloss & Righteous Dairy Free chocolate peanut butter vegan ice cream ... Oh my! My newest addiction!

Things you wish you’d never bought: most clothing I order online as it never really works for one reason or another

Favorite music or song: Peter Gabriel’s 1994 Secret World Tour (check it out on Youtube;)

Music that drives you crazy: heavy headbanging metal

Favorite beverage: black tea with almond milk and maple syrup

Something that gives you a sour face: tempeh (yuk, I hate it!)

Something you’re really good at: savasana (lying in corpse position at the end of a yoga session and meditating)

Something you’re really bad at: the rest of the yoga session especially if it involves gymnastic poses!

Things you always put in your books: animals, especially dogs, wolves, and horses

Things you never put in your books: secret agents

Things to say to an author: “I stayed up all night reading your book! I love ... because ...” Insert a specific comment re characters, plot, or something that reveals you engaged with the writer’s work and got it.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I don’t want to read your book. I don’t read genres.” *shrug or eye roll (subtext: “I judge your book (which I refuse to try) to be beneath my intellectual, literary level.”

Favorite places you’ve been: the west coasts of Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the USA (from Alaska to Mexico; the Canadian Maritimes; Cozumel & Merida, Mexico; and Santa Fe, New Mexico

Places you never want to go to again: big cities like Chicago or Detroit (even Toronto’s a stretch and that’s where I was born)

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Peter Gabriel—I’d just like to soak up his energy. He doesn’t even have to talk. But I do have a piano and if he were to sing “Here Comes the Flood” I would literally melt. Peter Gabriel is one of my muses and inspired the Druid bard in my latest book. Conall Ceol has Peter’s incredible voice.

People you’d cancel dinner on: any extraverted, arrogant politician. You pick. The list is endless.

Things that make you happy: hiking in the rainforest; cowboy sunsets preferably with horse and cowboy; snuggling with my dog; family meals

Things that drive you crazy: leaf blowers. I saw a guy blowing dust from the sidewalk one day. Seriously?

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I'd love to spend a day in the mind of W.L Hawkin, just to see what it's like in there.” *I took this for the compliment it was.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Your book’s risqué! And you, a teacher,” he said, tsking and wagging his finger.

About W. L.:

W. L. Hawkin writes “fantastical romantic adventure” from her loft near Vancouver, B.C. Her novels—To Charm a Killer, To Sleep with Stones, To Render a Raven, and To Kill a King each stand alone but form the Hollystone Mysteries series. This coven of West Coast witches and their eccentric friends, solve murders using ritual magic and a little help from the gods. Although Wendy is an introvert, in each book her characters go on a journey where she’s travelled herself.

A seeker and mystic fascinated by language, archaeology, and mythology, Wendy graduated from Trent University, Ontario, and has post-bac diplomas from SFU in British Columbia. Her background in Indigenous Studies and Humanities informs her work. Wendy is a blogger, book reviewer, and Indie author/publisher at Blue Haven Press.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://bluehavenpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/wlhawkin

https://twitter.com/ladyhawke1003

https://www.instagram.com/w.l.hawkin/

https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B01N69N3DW

https://www.pinterest.ca/wlhawkin/

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Adele Gardner

I’d like to welcome author Adele Gardner to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Some of my recent favorite Christmas gifts: a glow-in-the-dark, light-up moon; an album by and magazine about William Shatner/Star Trek; a Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) doll and mug; and Julia Child cookbooks.

Things you need to throw out: Broken things I’m always intending to fix but never have the time.

Things you need for your writing sessions: An open mind, a willing heart, and often, a deadline! Cats. Sitting on me. Purring. A glowing moon (real or the one on my desk). Jazz.

Things that hamper your writing: The fear that my work will never be good enough. Cats. Sitting on my page/computer, playing with the “mouse,” or running off with my pen.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The fact that all the time I’m spending on writing is taking time away from other things, like spending more time with my relatives, archiving family memories and getting all of Dad’s writing published, building a family of my own, organizing my house. Another problem: the “boring parts” like reviewing my voice dictation files versus the typed transcript, or typing my handwritten drafts.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing itself! I love the mental challenge and, at the best of times, that soaring, creative flight of the heart! Also the way that diving deep for a detail brings memories vividly to mind, including things I hadn’t realized I remembered at all.

Favorite music or song: I love so many songs and styles. Two favorite genres are 1930s-1950s jazz and 1970s-1990s rock (especially alternative). For a while I had “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. as my wake-up song; also loved hearing Dad sing Bing Crosby’s “Meet the Sun Half-Way” in the mornings! “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush. Fats Waller, Jack Maheu, Cyndi Lauper, the B-52s, Phil Collins, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ian and Sylvia, and so much more.

Music that drives you crazy: My neighbor’s country music blasted over the neighborhood so that I can’t sit in my back yard and write in peace.

Favorite beverage: Coca-Cola Classic and Vanilla Coke

Something that gives you a sour face: Alcoholism runs in my family, so I am perturbed by the casual and obsessively frequent use of alcoholic drinks promoted in popular culture at every turn as the answer to all ills.

Last best thing you ate: My mom’s hamburgers. Her homemade burgers are so good they are one of the top reasons I gave up being a vegetarian. (Another is pepperoni pizza.)

Last thing you regret eating: A diabolical combination of a Hawaiian pizza (which I normally love) plus anchovies. Never again!

The last thing you ordered online: Birthday presents for my niece, including a Hero Cats graphic novel and Plusheen unicorn. (Our family loves cats!)

The last thing you regret buying: A chain saw. I invested in it as a much cheaper alternative to a tree service, due to the increased hurricane damage to my trees every year. While it would be really handy in theory, with my back issues and the known safety hazards, I’ve been too scared to use it.

Things you’d walk a mile for: Walking or jogging a mile is a great thing to do in and of itself! Especially if there’s interesting scenery/architecture/trails/trees/flowers, or I’m on the fitness center treadmill watching a show I like. I love taking walks with loved ones, or jogging with great music or an audiobook.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: TV shows that emotionally manipulate viewers in an evil way. This includes the emotional torture of characters one cares about, just to get people to binge watch.

Favorite things to do: Snuggle with my cats and spend time with human loved ones.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Losing a loved one. I would run through fire to save them!!!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Traveling to Pennsylvania alone to meet World War II veterans at a large convention. I am very shy and find crowds stressful on a good day. This was a very tense situation for me, but also very important. My father was a World War II veteran, and I wanted to take every chance I could to speak to other vets, to thank them for all they went through and hear their stories. Yes, I hope these experiences will help to inform my mystery novels featuring a WWII vet detective, but it meant so much more to me than that. Almost like a chance to visit my father.

Something you chickened out from doing: Running a 10k at NASA with my brother at the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. I’d trained for it for most of a year, but when I found out my brother and I would have to drive separately and find each other, I couldn’t face the horde of people.

About Adele:

Adele Gardner (www.gardnercastle.com) is a professional member of Sisters in Crime, SFWA, and HWA. With mystery stories in Mystery Weekly Magazine (cover), Seascape: The Best New England Crime Stories 2019, and A Study in Lavender: Queering Sherlock Holmes, Adele has over 450 stories, poems, art, and articles published all told (under bylines including C. A. Gardner, Lyn C. A. Gardner, Adele Gardner, and Max Jason Peterson, among others). A former editor for The Mariners' Museum, this genderfluid night owl can be found reading comics with cats--or drawing them. Adele serves as literary executor for father, namesake, and mentor Dr. Delbert R. Gardner, who also has a cover story in Mystery Weekly Magazine.  

Let’s Be Social:

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#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Kristin Kisska

I’d like to welcome my friend and very talented author, Kristin Kisska, back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Something crazy you did on vacation:

Years ago, I visited the Cayman Islands for a long weekend getaway with a friend.  She convinced me to go on a snorkeling trip to Stingray City, which is a sandbar area between the islands frequented by stingrays. For about two hours, I swam among dozens of wild stingrays. Very cool experience, but probably not one I’d ever repeat, especially since Steve Irwin died from a sting.

Something you’d never do again on vacation:

I decided to “brighten up” my home office. Famous last words.  Over one stay-cation, I selected a paint color I thought would be tan with rose undertones.  After all the walls had been painted, it looked more like Pepto Bismol. Ugh. I spent the rest of my vacation repainting my office gray. I will never do that again, nor will I undertake a DIY project as a “vacation.”

Your favorite thing to get from the ice cream truck:

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream bars.  I loved them as a kid and stumbled across one recently—they still sell them! Of course, I had to test and still see if it is my favorite. Yup!

Some dessert that you wish you’d never bought:

Shhhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone, but I’m really not a fan of chocolate ice cream and chocolate cake.

 Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer:

As much as I dream and fantasize about escaping to the beach for a DIY writing retreat, I know in my heart of hearts that I wouldn’t get any work done there.  Still, my go-to place to write is my writer’s cave (a.k.a. my home office).  My favorite summer place to *read* however, is absolutely at the beach.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions:

Any place I visit with my family over the summer qualifies as the worst place to write. Too many people juggling in too little space makes me a grumpy and frustrated writer.  I need quiet and routine to hit my creative zone.

 Favorite thing to do on a summer evening:

I love going for walks outside on a summer evening, especially in Virginia. With the sun out later, we usually get a break from the intense daytime heat, and the balmy evening is so calming. The crickets and cicadas offer a pure summer soundtrack. If I’m lucky, I’ll even get a peek at firefly or two.

Least favorite thing about summer:

Mosquitos.  They love nibbling on me for their breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Favorite place to visit in Virginia:

The beach is my happy place, so my favorite Virginia haunt is Sandbridge Beach.  It’s one of Virginia’s best-kept secrets and the setting of my upcoming short story, “Vendetta by the Sea,” which will be published in the mystery anthology VIRGINIA IS FOR MYSTERIES III this autumn.

Somewhere you’ve visited way too much. Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt:

Tysons Corners mall in Vienna, Virginia. Honestly, I’m not a shopping person, to begin with, so malls hold little appeal.  Add massive crowds, gridlock traffic, and terrible parking, and you’ve created my perfect storm.

The thing you like most about being a writer:

My absolute favorite moment of being a writer is when my characters hijack my story and take over.  When this happens, I’m no longer the driver but a passenger along for the ride, and I try to capture the events unfolding as best I can.  I’m guessing it’s a lot like the thrill of surfing a wave.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

Writer's block. Nuff said.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life:

I can’t pick just one because I’ve enjoyed a few personally epic milestones thus far in my writerly journey. My top three moments are: writing “The End” on my first novel, signing my first ever published short story, “The Sevens,” and getting a call from my literary agent to offer me representation.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over:

I wish I’d started attending writer conferences sooner. Much of writing is such a solitary adventure. Meeting and networking with other authors and those in the publishing industry would’ve helped me create a stronger support group over time. Book people are fantastic!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

In my twenties, I decided to move to Prague, so I bought a one-way ticket to give it a shot and see if I could find a job. Three years later, I moved back to the States to go to grad school. Those were (and always will be) the best and most adventurous years of my life.

Something you chickened out from doing:

As I was starting college, my professor uncle embarked on a year's sabbatical in Australia. He was taking his entire family to Sydney, and they extended an invitation for me to join them. I decided against going and started college on time, but I always will wonder about the fun adventures Down Under I might have had if I’d taken that gap year.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

The comment came from another author who’d read one of my short stories, “A Colonial Grave.” She told me it was so good; she was jealous she hadn’t written it.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

Someone wrote a review about one of my short stories: “To the Moon and Back” was the perfect mix of terror and pity.” While I appreciated that they honed in on the pity elements, I hadn’t been gunning for a tone of terror as much as motherly love.

The funniest thing that happened to you in an airport:

I lived in NYC in my twenties. At the time, Delta had hourly flights to Washington, D.C. called the Shuttle. Since my family was living in Virginia, I flew back for weekends fairly regularly.  One Friday evening, I rushed to LaGuardia airport after a long day at work to catch the Shuttle. After handing in my flight pass, I was allowed access to the passenger waiting lounge, where I promptly fell asleep and missed my flight. No one bothered to wake me up, so I woke up in a completely empty lounge. At least there was one more flight scheduled for later that night.

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you in an airport:

While going through TSA at O’Hare, my teen daughter’s bag was flagged for inspection because they found powder (her eye shadow case had broken). The guards determined that one of us had to be patted down, so I volunteered as tribute. With hundreds of passengers passing through the security zone witnessed my embarrassment as a female guard patted my body, swept under my bra line, and otherwise made me blush. One of the guards then asked for a Q-tip, and I was so grateful it was meant to swab my hands and not some other body cavity! We finally got the all-clear and made it to our gate on time, but my daughter will NEVER be allowed to carry makeup in her carry-on luggage again.

The best summer job you ever had:

While in college, I was considering a career in law. Since my home was right outside of Washington, D.C., I wrote to the United States Supreme Court to see if they offered any summer internships. They did, and I was ultimately offered one. For three months, I worked among the Supreme Court Justices as a courier and even met Thurgood Marshall and Sandra Day O’Connor. Though the internship was unpaid, it was an amazing experience!

The worst summer job you ever had:

In college, I worked nights and weekends as a seating hostess at a local restaurant and got a first-hand experience of how much attitude people can throw around if they have to wait for a table. Hostesses don’t earn tips, so it’s really a thankless job.

About Kristin:

Kristin Kisska used to be a finance geek, complete with MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed fictionista. Kristin contributed short stories of mystery and suspense to nine anthologies, including Malice Domestic’s Agatha Award-winning anthology, MYSTERY MOST EDIBLE (2018). She’s looking forward to releasing her short stories of suspense “Swiping Right” in MURDER BY THE GLASS in autumn 2021.

Kristin is a member of International Thriller Writers, James River Writers, the Vice President of the Central Virginia chapter of Sisters in Crime, and has been a contributing blogger at SleuthSayers.org. When not writing, she can be found on her website~ KristinKisska.com, on Facebook at KristinKisskaAuthor, Tweeting @KKMHOO, and on Instagram @KristinKisskaAuthor. Kristin lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website - KristinKisska.com

Instagram -  @kristinkisskaauthor 

Twitter - @KKMHOO

Facebook - KristinKisskaMehigan