#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Deborah Doland Hunt

I’d like to welcome author Deborah Doland Hunt to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: I love puppies, dinosaurs, hiking, and the beach.

Things you need to throw out: Tablecloths and dishes. I have tons but hardly ever use them.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need my laptop, notebook, pen, and coffee or herbal tea blend.

Things that hamper your writing: I am easily distracted so it could be anything but social media and texting.

Things you love about writing: I love sharing my books and passion for writing.

Things you hate about writing: I am somewhat impatient, so the waiting is the hardest part; waiting for an acceptance or rejection and then the time it takes for your book to be published.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Not being able to find a publisher who loves your story as much as you do.

Easiest thing about being a writer: I have tons of ideas so never really experience writer's block.

Things you never want to run out of: I never want to run out of ideas for new stories.

Things you wish you’d never bought: My porcelain collector dolls.

Favorite foods: I love shrimp and scallops and oranges.

Things that make you want to gag: I would have to say cottage cheese

Favorite music or song: I am very eclectic and like most types of music.

Music that drives you crazy: Although there are a few songs that I like in these genres I am not a big fan of the Blues or Heavy Metal.

Favorite beverage: I love my own blend of herbal teas.

Something that gives you a sour face: I would have to say lemon juice but I love the aroma and lemon that has been added to teas and other food.

Favorite smell: I love the smell of lavender and lilacs.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Fertilizer

Last best thing you ate: Swordfish

Last thing you regret eating: Way too many starburst fruit chews during a stressful time.

Favorite books (or genre): I love children’s books and mysteries.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I wouldn’t buy historical romance

Favorite things to do: Walking along the surf on Montauk.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Although I would love to go up in a hot air balloon, I know I would be petrified to actually do it.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Having children is the best thing I have ever done.

Biggest mistake: One of my biggest mistakes was signing book contracts without legal advice.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Henry Winkler

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Kelly Ripa is actually much smaller in person than she looks on television.

About Deborah:

 Bio Deborah Hunt is a writer and nursing professor and dean who lives in New York. She considers herself an eclectic writer as she writes in multiple genres. She has published several nursing books, award winning children’s books, and a self-care book. She writes every day and loves attending book events to share her books, journey as a writer, and passion for writing. She loves the beach, puppies, dinosaurs, mysteries, and books. She enjoys painting, gardening, hiking, and cooking and hopes to own a farm one day filled with rescue dogs, chickens, and baby goats. Her personal quote is

"May you always have a book to read and a story to hold in your heart." ~D. D. Hunt

 Let’s Be Social:

https://www.amazon.com/No-Dinosaurs-Allowed-Deborah-Hunt/dp/1956851518/ref=monarch_sideshee

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-dinosaurs-allowed-deborah-dolan-hunt/1139908708

https://twitter.com/debdoll25

https://www.facebook.com/deborah.ann.37

Instagram: Deborah Hunt Author

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Teresa Trent

I’d like to welcome author Teresa Trent to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Teresa Trent to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need a quiet room. I might put on music, but when I’m really into it, it’s just me and all those people in my head.

Things that hamper your writing: If I’m stressed out over something new in my life, I have a hard time writing. For example, my son being in the hospital. I couldn’t write at all until we knew he was going to be okay, then I couldn’t stop writing. I guess I had bottled up on my writing urges.

Things you love about writing: I love to create characters, situations, ideal worlds. I love to write an outline and work my way through it.

Things you hate about writing: Hands down—editing. One of the methods I use for writing is dictation, especially when I’m on a roll. Unfortunately, dictation stinks when it comes to punctuation and using the right word.

Hardest thing about being a writer: For me it’s going through draft after draft after draft. By the end of the process, you really don’t want to read that book again.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Getting to play with storylines and of course, I love the flexibility of my work hours.

Things you never want to run out of: I’m weird. Chocolate, licorice, cottage cheese, coffee/tea.

Things you wish you’d never bought: The latest diet program I fell for on Facebook.

Favorite foods: Pizza, Lasagna, Tiger Roll, Chicken Lo Mein

Things that make you want to gag: Brussel Sprouts, Okra

Favorite music or song: I love New Age piano music. Think George Winston or Kevin Kern. It gives me a calm base to go about my day.

Music that drives you crazy: Heavy metal and rap. I gave birth with rap music playing in the birthing suite once. I don’t know put it on the tv but I distinctly remember someone saying to me “Push” and my reply was “Turn it off!”

Favorite smell: Roast beef cooking in the oven.

Something that makes you hold your nose: I went to college in Greeley, Colorado. The school was upwind of the stockyards. Nothing like rushing to class holding your nose.

Things you always put in your books: A moment between characters that makes me cry.

Things you never put in your books: The “F” word.

Things to say to an author: Where can I leave a review?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: You know, I have a great idea for a book. You can write it for me and then I’ll collect the royalties! Okay?

Things that make you happy: Time with my family, reading, singing with my daughter, watching streaming tv with my husband.

Things that drive you crazy: People on the phone in traffic who don’t go when the light turns green. I’m in Houston and boy, howdy. It happens daily.

About Teresa:

Teresa Trent is the author of over 15 books. She started writing cozy mysteries with the Pecan Bayou and Piney Woods Mystery Series. She sets her stories in different geographical areas of Texas and The Swinging Sixties historical series is set just north of Dallas, starting in 1962. You might think with so many books set in the Lone Star state, she was born there, but no. She has lived all over the world, thanks to her father's career in the army. After living in Texas for twenty-five years, she's finally put down roots.

Teresa is a hybrid author, self-publishing early in her career, which led her to traditional publishing with Level Best Books and Camel Press. She is the author of several short stories that have appeared in a host of anthologies. Teresa publishes the blog and podcast, Books to the Ceiling at https://teresatrent.blog where she loves to read the book excerpts of other writers and share in the writing community.

Teresa is a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and son.

Let’s Be Social:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/teresatrentmysterywriter

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ttrent_cozymys

BLOG: https://teresatrent.blog/

WEBSITE: http://teresatrent.com

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5219581.Teresa_Trent

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/teresatrent_cozymys/

BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/teresa-trent

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Christina Romeril

I’m so excited to welcome the fabulous Christina Romeril to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things:

I like chocolate, mysteries in books and on TV, hiking in the mountains, hot, sunny climates, pretty notebooks, colorful highlighters and pens.

Things you need to throw out:

I have so many shoes, some of them hurt my feet, but I just can’t bear to part with them. I have lots of T-shirts I don’t wear, but I tell myself I will someday. My husband could probably add lots to this list, but you never know when you might need something again.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

My writing sessions always include something cold to drink when it’s hot and something hot when it’s cold. My top picks are an ice cold Coke and hot chocolate. My other essentials are my computer, a notebook, pens, legal pad, chocolate, and quiet.

Things that hamper your writing:

I always feel like I should get everything off my to do list before I settle down to write. I’m easily distracted by social media scrolling, answering messages that come in, and too much noise (I never have music playing while I write).

Things you love about writing:

I love making up stories. I love to dream up characters, their quirks, backstories, motivations, and then build a plot around them. I also love revising once the first draft is finished.

Things you hate about writing:

Writing the first draft is my least favorite part of writing. Getting all the ideas onto paper is just hard. The thing I hate MOST is writing a synopsis.

Things you never want to run out of:

Chocolate, Coke, Non-alcoholic beer.

Things you wish you’d never bought:

Scrapbooking supplies. It makes me feel guilty when I see them, because I haven’t done it in years.

Words that describe you: Determined, kind, creative, happy.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Stubborn, impatient, critical, impulsive.

Favorite foods:

I love food. It would be much easier to list what I don’t like. Depending on my mood, I love pizza, steak, fried chicken, pasta, hamburgers, poke bowls, sushi, hot dogs, soups, salads, tacos…you see what I mean.

Things that make you want to gag:

Blood pudding, seriously, my family is European, and it was always in our fridge when I was growing up.

Something you’re really good at: Cooking, but I don’t enjoy doing it all the time. Decorating, I’m pretty sure I’ve spent about a thousand hours watching decorating shows and studying décor magazines and books.

Something you’re really bad at:

Making pie crust. I have been shown by experts, and yet I still can’t make a decent pie crust. I also struggle with basic cookies such as sugar cookies, chocolate chip etc.

The last thing you ordered online:

Highlighter set, specifically the Zebra 5 count Mildliner Creative Marker Double Ended Fluorescent set.

The last thing you regret buying:

White shorts. I’m always afraid to wear them because I’ll get them dirty. Case in point, I had them with me for a month in Mexico and didn’t wear them once.

Favorite books (or genre):

Mysteries and thrillers are my happy place, but I used to read a lot of romance, but only occasionally, now.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Fantasy. The exception is Harry Potter, and maybe the Divergent series. I’m also not a huge fan of books that are labelled as women’s fiction. I’m all about solving a murder or saving the world when I read.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Top of my list is Melissa McCarthy, I think she would be a riot. I’m an introvert, so the list is short.

People you’d cancel dinner on: This would be a long list, but I’ll limit it to Vince Vaughn, he kind of annoys me, and Brad Pitt, there’s just something about him that turns me off. I’m sure both men are perfectly nice, but I’m not going to dinner with them.

Favorite things to do:

Hiking, exercising, eating.

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

Play team sports, really.

Things that make you happy:

Spending time with my family. Being in the mountains.

Things that drive you crazy:

Spending time with my family. People who don’t put the grocery cart in the cart return in a parking lot.

About Christina:

Christina Romeril is the author of A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING, her debut novel and the first in the Killer Chocolate Mysteries. The series is set in Montana at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, one of her favorite places to visit. She and her husband live a few hours away in a small village in Southern Alberta. When Christina isn't writing, she loves to hike in Waterton Lakes National Park, or just hang out there eating gourmet hot dogs and ice cream. When the former banker isn't out enjoying nature, she loves to create and consume chocolate confections. Not necessarily in that order.

Let’s Be Social:

You can find me on Facebook and Instagram @ChristinaRomerilWriter as well as at www.christinaromeril.com.  

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Anna St. John

I’d like to welcome Anna St. John to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

I like books, turtles, Madeline dolls and the beach.

Things I need to throw out:

Anything that’s been hanging in my closet more than five years, and half of my cookbooks.

Things I love about writing: When the characters take control of the scene and dictate their own dialogue. When the plot falls into place. When the first printed samples arrive at my door.

Things I hate about writing: When I write myself into a box and must figure a way out.

Favorite foods: My mother’s potato soup, ice cream, and anything chocolate.

Things that make me want to gag: I’m not a fan of turnips.

Favorite music or song: Jim Brickman piano music for writing. Sixties music for dancing. Country music for fun.

Music that drives me crazy: Anything with lyrics that are too fast to understand, or too rude to repeat in front of my grandchildren.

Favorite smell: Fresh-cut grass or blooming lilacs. Both take me back to my childhood.

Something that makes me hold my nose: The pungent odor of skunk spray on a wet dog. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)

Things you’d walk a mile for: My Old English Sheepdog, Oliver. (We do this almost every day.) I’d also walk a mile for a hug from either of my grandchildren.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Waiting “on hold” for customer support people.

Things you always put in your books: Strong, smart women. Small town charm. A few names of real people. Recipes.

Things you never put in your books: Profanity. Explicit sex scenes. Violence (Except for the murder.)

Things to say to an author: I love your writing and always write a five-star review. I can’t wait for your next book. Will you autograph this for me?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I hate to read. It must be nice to get paid for doing something that easy. Are you rich?

Favorite places you’ve been:

This is a hard one, but my top five cities would include: Amsterdam, Budapest, Oxford, Prague and Venice. Top five countries: Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Thailand.

Places you never want to go to again: A cave we visited near the floating villages In Phang Nga Bay, not far from Phuket, Thailand. I had an anxiety attack when I learned we had to wade through knee-high water and duck under the low-ceilinged cave to get through a narrow passageway. I hyperventilated and chickened out.

Favorite things to do: Write, travel, spend time with my grandchildren.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Serve on a committee where the meetings drone on for hours.

Things that make you happy: I love to drive my little red convertible. It’s a Triumph Herald that my dad bought new in 1965. When I sit behind the wheel, I feel like I’m sixteen again.

Things that drive you crazy: Rude customer service. People who are intentionally unkind to others.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Signed with my agent Cindy Bullard, at Birch Literary. She is amazing.

Biggest mistake: Waiting too long to get started as an author.

The funniest thing to happen to you: I emceed a prayer breakfast with 600 in attendance. When it was time for the closing song, I introduced former Dixie Chick singer Robin Macy. As I handed her the microphone to walk off-stage, she wrapped her arm around me and pulled me closer. “Sing with me,” she said. (Note: I am not a singer.) I tried to escape, but she kept a strong grasp on my arm, and I gave up the struggle. Fortunately, the song was a familiar one. The entire audience rose to their feet and raised their voices “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” From that moment on, I claimed that I’d sung a duet on stage with a Dixie Chick—to a standing ovation.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: After I completed chemo treatments, a friend took me to lunch to celebrate. A mutual business associate approached our table. Although he and I had worked together on several projects, the man ignored me and spoke only to my friend. I smiled and said, “It’s good to see you again.” He did a double-take and stammered. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t recognize you without your hair.”

The coolest person you’ve ever met: My sorority friend, Magi Watson. She lived to be 102, and never worried about anything. She said worry was a waste of time. “Either fix what’s bothering you, or let it go.” It was great advice.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Susan Dey, most known for her roles on The Partridge Family and LA Law. She looked reserved and glamorous in pictures. Working with our ad agency on a nonprofit video, Susan was warm and funny, with a huge heart for kids.

Josie Posey, a mature yet ever-feisty big city crime reporter turned crime solver, has officially retired to a small, touristy town in middle America where she and her posse of friends “unofficially” have their noses in everything.

Josie loves her new life, but a weekly game of mahjong isn’t enough: she itches to get back into the action. She gets more than she bargained for when The Village Gazette asks her to interview their local celebrity, a former NYC prima ballerina.

Then, the ballerina’s husband is discovered dead -- face down in the couple’s beloved field of flowers. Now, Josie has the inside track on solving the murder, with her quirky Mahjong Mavens as useful sidekicks.

And if a killer in their midst wasn’t enough distraction, Josie’s matchmaking friends are pushing her to date again—particularly, to pursue an attraction toward a certain local blacksmith, with whom sparks fly.

About Anna:

Anna St. John is a former newspaper journalist, award-winning advertising copywriter, and ad agency owner. She lives in a small Kansas town with a working blacksmith shop, much like the one in this story.

Anna is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the Kansas Authors Club and the National Mah Jongg League.

Let’s Be Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cozyauthor/

Website: https://www.anna-stjohn.com/

Twitter: @AuthorStJohn

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Michelle Hillen Klump

I’m so excited to welcome Michelle Hillen Klump to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: I love chai tea, old books, fat cats, wildflowers, chocolate, my family, newspapers and my Kitchen-Aid mixer.

Things you need to throw out: I need to throw out the five pairs of old running shoes collecting dust at the back of my closet.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need a comfy couch, my laptop computer and my cat for company.

Things that hamper your writing: I can’t listen to music, television or any other sounds while I’m trying to write.

Things you love about writing: I love coming up with an inventive solution to a plot problem, and playing around with language to make a piece more lyrical or descriptive.

Things you hate about writing: I hate the process of trying to start writing when I am feeling particularly stuck. I try to write at least 500 words a day, and if I’m stuck on something, that can feel like torture.

Favorite foods: Anything Tex-Mex, fruits of all kinds, pasta and chocolate.

Things that make you want to gag: Olives and hardboiled eggs.

Favorite smell: The combination of mint and rosemary.

Something that makes you hold your nose: fish fertilizer – my garden loves it, but the smell is so awful!

Something you’re really good at: I am pretty great at Scrabble and Upwards. My family groans when I ask to play!

Something you’re really bad at: I am so bad at decorating baked goods. I’m pretty sure I would fit right in on the Netflix show Nailed It.

Favorite things to do: I love reading, swimming, biking, baking, writing, traveling, hanging out with my kid and husband.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: While I generally enjoy cooking, I hate the weekly task of planning out dinner menus with the fire of a thousand suns! I get so tired of trying to figure out new recipes to make, and how to throw in healthier options among all the family favorites.

Things to say to an author: I loved your book! I left a review for you on Amazon! I requested your book at the library!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Would I have ever heard of you or your book? Anyone can write and publish a book these days.

Words that describe you: Kind, smart, driven, creative.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Stubborn, shy, tired, impatient.

Things you always put in your books: I always include strong, capable women who aren’t afraid to ask for help, but who also aren’t afraid to find their own way when necessary.

Things you never put in your books: While it is hard to avoid any violence in a murder mystery, I don’t like gratuitous violence or graphic depictions of violence, and don’t put those in my books.

Things you’d walk a mile for: I try to walk at least a couple of miles a day, so I’m pretty willing to walk a mile for just about anything. But I would walk an extra mile for an interesting ice cream shop or a really cool craft cocktail bar or speakeasy.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Roaches and the Baby Shark song.

About Michelle:

Michelle Hillen Klump is a former newspaper reporter who covered government, courts and crime throughout Arkansas and Central Texas. Now living in Houston with her husband and daughter, she is still a working journalist and is also a member of Sisters in Crime. Her short fiction has appeared in Crimson Streets and Tales of Texas, Volume II, a Houston short story anthology. MURDER SERVED NEAT is her second novel.

Let’s Be Social:

My webpage: https://michelleklump.com/

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMichelleKlump 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mh_klump

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelle.h.klump/?hl=en

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21600853.Michelle_Hillen_Klump

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jacob Sahms

I’d like to welcome the very inspiring author and speaker (and fellow UR Spider fan) Rev. Jacob Sahms to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you love about writing: self-expression, ability to touch someone else’s heart

Things you hate about writing: deadlines, editing myself

Hardest thing about being a writer: criticism

Easiest thing about being a writer: content

Favorite music or song: Christian rap

Music that drives you crazy: techno

Something you’re really good at: coaching sports

Something you’re really bad at: assembling furniture

Something you wish you could do: play the guitar

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: drive a church bus

Something you like to do: go to the beach

Something you wish you’d never done: climb on a roof

Things you’d walk a mile for: family, a sporting event, ice cream

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: politics, extreme opinions, cruelty

Favorite places you’ve been: Boston, MA; the beach (anywhere); home

Places you never want to go to again: Kentucky; St. Louis, MO

Favorite books (or genre): thrillers

Books you wouldn’t buy: diet guides

Favorite things to do: play sports or board games, watch sports live or on TV, read a book

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

Things that make you happy: time with my family, reading, building LEGO sets, playing sports

Things that drive you crazy: bullying, lack of respect, judgmental attitudes, my own mistakes

Most embarrassing moment: Playing the piano in church without practicing

Proudest moment: Watching my children succeed

About Jacob:

Rev. Jacob Sahms (or just Jacob to everyone he meets) is a son, husband, dad, coach, pastor, and film critic. Originally from Rhode Island, he and his wife Joanne met at the University of Richmond, where he later served as a campus minister and then associate chaplain, before being appointed to local churches in central Virginia through the United Methodist Church. He helped found ScreenFish.net, a site that looks at media from a Christian perspective, and has written for HollywoodJesus.com, Dove.org, and others, interviewing creators of popular media for film and television, including David Oyelowo, Kurt Russell, and Dude Perfect. While that all sounds reasonably similar, he has also flipped burgers at McDonalds, offered advice as a fantasy football guru for an app, made drinks and desserts as a barista, saved lives as a lifeguard, taught English at a junior college, and provided various unmentionable services for local water and sewer. Now, outside of pastoring a church, he coaches his sons in soccer for the Richmond Kickers, where he received the distinction of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association’s Boys Recreational Coach of the Year for 2021-22. When time allows, he’s rooting avidly for the Duke Blue Devils, Boston Red Sox, and Richmond Spiders.

Let’s Be Social:
https://www.facebook.com/jacob.sahms

https://twitter.com/Spider_Raven

https://www.instagram.com/jacobsahms/

#ThisorThatThursday - Throwback to Summer Edition with Melanie P. Smith

We’re in the throes of winter here in the northern hemisphere, so my guest today, Melanie P. Smith, is going to give us a little taste of summer with her #ThisorThatThursday interview.

A few of your favorite summer traditions:

Camping in the wilderness, playing softball, horseback riding, motorcycle trips.

Something summer-related that you’ll never do again:

Visit Zion National Park in July — the temps reached 112°F that summer and I’m pretty sure we suffered heat exhaustion.

Favorite summer treat:

Orange Julius and cold lemonade

A summer treat that makes you gag:

Hot dogs

Funniest summer story:

My grandmother owned a small mountain lot in a nearby canyon. She insisted the entire family had to get together at the lot to have a picnic every 4th of July. One year we experienced a summer downpour, but she wouldn’t cancel. We were gathered around the firepit with my grandmother insisting the fire would start if we just tried harder, lightning flashed all around us, and rain poured down in buckets. We were all completely soaked by the time we talked her into leaving.

Something embarrassing that happened during the summer:

I went to a local fun park with friends and agreed to race the Go-Karts. The attendant handed me a helmet, but I didn’t try it on. It was about three sizes too big. I was racing down the far end of the track when the helmet turned sideways, and I was completely blinded. Before I could stop, I left the paved track, darted across the lawn, and collided with a stack of hay bales. The car died and they had to push it back to the garage. I got to do the walk of shame back to the starting line.

Best thing you ever grilled in spring:

The first burger of the season after a long winter.

Your worst kitchen or grilling disaster:

I was making potato casserole for a large family gathering and one of my glass dishes exploded destroying that dish and launching shards of glass into the second dish. I ended up with a gooey mess in the oven and nothing to take to the family gathering.

Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer:

I love to write outside at night on my back patio with a fire burning in the fire pit.

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

On vacation.

Favorite thing to do on a summer evening:

Relax in front of a campfire – preferably in the mountains.

Least favorite thing about summer:

Heat — here in Utah, the highs can get over 100°F.

The thing you like most about being a writer:

Creating a story that entertains my readers and provides a means of escape for a little while.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

All the non-writing stuff that comes with being an author. It’s hard to balance what I want to do (write) with the things I know I need to do.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Skydiving, rappelling from the Snowbird Ski Tram, or cliff diving at Lake Powell — I can’t decide which was the most daring.

Something you chickened out from doing:

Rappelling off the Red Rock Cliff in St. George, Utah at night. I didn’t trust the guys rigging the line.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

A reader told me she loved my Thin Blue Line series so much she read it several times and was still reading it again.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

I was told that because I grew up in a loving Christian home, I shouldn’t write criminal suspense because the subject is too dark and violent.

The funniest thing that happened to you in an airport:

I went skydiving the first time I ever flew in a plane and the instructor thought I was crazy.

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

My flight was changed and rerouted to a different airport in Italy from France. The staff didn’t realize I was rerouted and didn’t stamp my passport. I got stuck wandering around trying to find someone that could speak English because they wouldn’t let me leave and couldn’t understand what I was trying to tell them.

The best summer job you ever had:

Working as a job coach for special needs young adults

The worst summer job you ever had:

Working on an assembly line scraping the excess rubber from door stoppers

About Melanie:

Melanie P. Smith is a multi-genre author of criminal suspense; police procedurals; and paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and has always loved adventure. Melanie spent her childhood playing sports, water-skiing, horseback riding, and tending to the many animals on her family farm. She’s been skydiving, rappelling, and loves to explore backroads on her Harley, venture into the wilderness on her ATV, and capture that next amazing photo.

Melanie has an Associates of Science degree in Marketing, a bachelor’s in Business Management, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Mediation. She’s on the editorial staff of two bestselling, international eMagazines, coordinates an annual writing competition, and works as an administrator / mentor for multiple writing groups.

Long before she delved into the world of fantasy and suspense, Melanie served nearly three decades in the Special Operations Division at her local sheriff’s office supporting SWAT, Search & Rescue, K9, the Motor Unit, Investigations, and the Child Abduction Response Team.  She now uses that training and knowledge to create stories that are action-packed, gripping, and realistic.  You can find more about Melanie and her books on her website and social media platforms.

 Let’s Be Social:

Visit Melanie on her website at www.melaniepsmith.com

Find her on Facebook at https://geni.us/MPSFacebook

Instagram https://geni.us/MPSInstagram

YouTube https://geni.us/MPSmithYouTube

Locals Community https://geni.us/MPSLocals

BoobBub https://geni.us/MPSBookBub

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#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with D. C. Gomez

I’d like to welcome back D. C. Gomez to the blog for more on her latest work.

Favorite thing that you always make time for:

One of my favorite things that I always make time for is reading. With my crazy schedule sometimes reading is more like a reward, but still makes everything better.

The thing you’ll always do just about anything to avoid:

I still hate vacuuming. It’s seriously one of those necessary evils since I suffer from allergies. But I procrastinate as much as possible before doing it.

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

When I’m writing, I need my space to be as comfy as possible. I normally have candles on, a blanket over my legs, and lots of water easily available. On the practical side, since I write Urban Fantasy, Goggle Earth is the one app I allowed myself to have on all the time.

Things that distract you from writing:

My biggest distraction is social media. I honestly have to set a timer when I’m working on a book to make sure I don’t fall down the social media hole and get nothing done.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online:

I have an obsession with kitchen appliances. This is something all my family makes fun of me for. The coolest thing I bought online was a panini press. It’s truly so much fun, if you like sandwiches of courses.

The thing you wished you’d never bought.

One crazy thing I recently purchased was a case of stuffed olives. The packaging said they were delicious stuffed with salmon. Not the best purchased I made, especially since I had 24 cans of these things. Now I’m working on paying more attention to item descriptions.

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

The one thing I will most remember in my writing journey, is being able to meet and connect with readers at live events. This has been the most unexpected and fun part of this journey. It has been a true blessing to meet as many people as I have throughout the years.

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

If I could do something over, it would be to invest in ads from the beginning. I feel like I wasted a lot of time and money trying to learn how to market my books without ads.

Something you’re really good at:

I’m actually great at cooking. It’s also one of my favorite things to do to relax. Lately I don’t have as much time to cook as I would like, so I cherish the time that I do.

Something you never learned how to do:

This is probably the most shocking thing for most people to learn since I grew up in an island. I never learned to swim. It’s on my bucket list now.

Your best recipe:

I have an awesome recipe for a Flan. The Latin desert is something I grew up making since I was little. I have a crazy sweet tooth, so I enjoy how easy it is to make.

Something that didn’t turn out like you planned when you made it:

I tried once to make tiramisu and failed miserably. There was a terrible mess in my kitchen and the poor thing tasted nasty.

Things you always put in your books:

I didn’t realize how much food is in my books. I have reader mentioned that my books make them hungry, because I’m always describing what my characters are eating all the time.

Things you never put in your books:

This one is hard. Since I write in multiple genres I get to play with my different things. Probably the one thing you wouldn’t see in many of my books is a graphic sex scene. The books that might sex in them usually fade to black.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

To this day, joining the military was the most daring thing I ever done. Nobody in my family had ever been in the armed forces, so this was a leap of faith with very little information.

Something you chickened out from doing:

I learned later in life that I’m terrified of heights. Things that I chickened out is rock climbing. While it sounds very exciting, that is something I can absolutely live without.

The coolest person you’ve ever met:

To this day, Elizabeth Gilbert is the coolest person I have ever met. She is absolutely charming and personable. Officially the kind person you just want to chill with.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video:

I had the opportunity to meet Mark Anthony at a previous job. He is truly a sweetheart, but I was not aware how small he is.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

One of the nicest things a reader has told me, is that they read my devotionals every morning. The fact they made those books part of their daily routine just made my day.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

I had a reader who truly loves my Urban Fantasy books. One of the funniest and wildest things he told me was that the books were like a documentary on his life.

About D. C.:

D. C. Gomez is an award-winning USA Today Bestselling Author, Podcaster, motivational speaker, and coach. Born in the Dominican Republic, she grew up in Salem, Massachusetts. D. C. studied film and television at New York University. After college, she joined the US Army, and proudly served for four years.

D. C. has a master’s degree in Science Administration from the Central Michigan University, as well as a Master in Adult Education from Texas A&M- Texarkana University. She is a certified John Maxwell Team speaker and coach, and a certified meditation instructor from the Chopra Center.

One of D. C. passions is helping those around her overcome their self-limiting beliefs. She writes both non-fiction as well as fiction books, ranging from Urban Fantasy to Children’s Books. To learn more about her books and her passion, you can find her at www.dcgomez-author.com.

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