#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jackie Layton

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I’m so excited to have the fabulous Jackie Layton back on the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing that you always make time for: Walking on the beach.

The thing you’ll always do just about anything to avoid: For some reason, I hate to go grocery shopping. I put it off as long as possible, but eventually I’ll go.

The thing you like most about being a writer: Creating characters, communities, and the relationships between the characters.

The thing you like least about being a writer: Marketing.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: A handheld massager. It’s great for my shoulders after sitting at my desk for a long time.

The thing you wished you’d never bought. A fondue pot. For some reason I thought it would be a lot of fun, but I’ve never taken it out of the box.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Music, coffee, and pretzels or sesame sticks. I also have my series notebook with maps and house plans.

Things that distract you from writing: If I’m in the writing zone, not much distracts me. Other times the TV, nice weather, or even the sound of a lawn mower can distract me.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life: I’ve made a lot of great friends through writing.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over: I wish I had started sooner.

Things you always put in your books: I always have pets in my books.

Things you never put in your books: Alcoholism runs in my family, and I’ve never been a drinker. It’s a personal choice. Some of my friends drink, and some don’t. I really don’t pay attention to what they order though. I have been questioned why my characters don’t drink, and it’s because I just don’t think about it. I can be authentic about drinking coffee, eating pizza, or eating ice cream.

Things to say to an author: I enjoyed your book, and I’ll leave you a review.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I didn’t think your book was authentic.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Vince Gill. He was so nice, and he was taller than I expected.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Paula Deen. She was so tiny when I met her last year, but she went out of her way to be kind when we crossed paths with her.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Recently a reader told me he laughed out loud at a scene in a book. After my husband read the book, he said the same thing. That really made me feel good.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: After I agreed to a speaking engagement, the reader told me I needed to speak for an hour. I thought that was crazy, but I had already agreed. So, I asked a few friends and family members what they’d like to hear authors talk about. When the day came, I talked for an hour. The audience was engaged. They laughed at the right time and oohed at other times. It was a great experience.

The funniest thing that happened to you in an airport: My flight was late arriving in Atlanta, and I RAN, and I rarely run, down to catch the train, also know as the APM (Automated People Mover). I made it to my concourse and crowded onto the escalator up, then I ran again. I made it to my gate, sweating and out of breath, just in time to hear the announcement that my connecting flight had been delayed. Once I could breathe, I laughed. At least I didn’t miss my flight.

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you in an airport: After a writing conference, I placed my suitcase on the scales when I checked in. I joked to the man about hoping I hadn’t gone over the weight limit. The scales tipped up to seventy-five pounds, and my heart dropped. Then he pointed to his foot. He’d stepped on the scale as a joke. We laughed, and thankfully my suitcase was under the limit.

The best job you ever had: Being an author is the best job ever.

The worst job you ever had: I was a candy striper at the local hospital when I was a teen. I worked in the physical therapy department, and my job was to clean out the tubs after burn patients soaked in them. I felt terrible for the patients, and it broke my heart to see how much pain they were in.

The one thing you cook/bake that is better than a restaurant dish: My baked beans are better than most restaurants. My husband always says nobody can make baked beans as good as I do.

The one thing you cooked/baked that turned out to be an epic disaster: Kale chips. Epic disaster. Not only did they taste terrible, but the house stunk too.

The craziest thing you’ve ever researched for a story: I tried to figure out how to jump off a balcony and survive. I needed to decide where to place my feet and hands and how to move and turn to make it possible without injuring my character.

Something you never include in your books: I’d never include the death of a pet or a child.

About Jackie:

Jackie Layton is the author of cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths. Her stories are set in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. She lives on the coast of South Carolina where she enjoys walks on the beach and golf cart rides around the marsh. Reading, gardening, and traveling are some of her favorite hobbies. She always keeps a notebook handy to write down ideas for future stories. Be careful what you say around her, because it might end up in a book.

Let’s Be Social:

Clutter Free

Returning to Fox Island where she grew up, Kate Sloan begins her career as a professional organizer. When a woman accuses Kate’s police chief brother of having an affair, Kate’s priority shifts from organizing to proving her brother’s innocence. Kate visits the woman, hoping for a confession. The woman won’t admit she lied, and to make the situation worse, the accuser is found dead the next day by Kate and her business partner.

Kate has an eye for seeing what’s out of place, and she knows how to fix problems. Can she utilize her organizational skills to toss red herrings and focus on legitimate clues? Emma’s business is at risk as well as her brother’s career. The clock is ticking, and this could be the deadliest deadline of Kate’s life. She must discover the truth behind the victim’s vicious lies, but most of all, she needs to solve the murder before she becomes the next victim.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Cynthia Tolbert

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I’d like to welcome author, Cynthia Tolbert, back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things I need when I am in my writing cave:

My husband and I recently moved across country to Austin, Texas, which required that I acclimate myself to entirely different surroundings, including my writing ‘cave.’ The house we chose is on a triangulated cul-de-sac lot, filled with mature trees which block out nearly all evidence of neighbors. A solid bank of windows runs along the length of the back of the house, creating the illusion that you’re sitting in an air-conditioned section of a forest instead of your home. I loved it immediately, and knew I’d enjoy writing there. It’s quiet and tranquil, both of which I need when trying to think or write. I also need my laptop, pen and paper, in the event I need to map out a change in the plot, a desk or table, and some water or chai tea. But mostly, I need silence, and a little tree-filled inspiration.  

Things that distract me from writing:

Noise is a distraction. I used to write in coffee shops, until I became overwhelmed by noisy coffee klatches discussing everything from their love life to health concerns. Loud music is another distraction, especially music with lyrics or percussive instruments. Soothing instrumentals are fine. But anything with a strong beat, or screaming lyrics stops the flow of thought and word. I’m not sure what that says about my brain. I’ve read that males and females react differently to music while working or writing. Men seem to enjoy it. Women often do not.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Writing is a passion, something you can lose yourself in, and pour your heart, mind, and soul into. But marketing the book you’ve written, which is just as important as the writing of it, is the hardest thing about being a writer, and is a chore I dread. It requires energy, fortitude, a thick skin, and far more money than anyone would guess. I do not enjoy planning book tours, finagling reviews, or traveling to book conferences. It’s not that I can’t sell things. I know I can - for someone else. Not for me. I feel obnoxious pushing my book on others, which is exactly what we need to do if we are to be successful authors. The fourth book in my Thornton Mystery Series will be released shortly, and it’s clear that my marketing skills are no better today than they were four years ago.

Easiest thing about being a writer

The easiest and best part of writing is story-telling, using bits and pieces of stories or characters you know to create something entirely new. I am inspired by the stories of my life, and the characters that have filled them. Story telling allows the writer to give a daunted young man – overwhelmed by his family’s abuse - the redemption he deserves. It can also turn an old man, bent from years of farmwork, into the hero he always wanted to be, teaching others by example and love.  Inspiration is everywhere.

Something you wanted to be as a kid:

I always wanted to be an author and write books.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

I never dreamed I’d write a mystery series.

Last best thing you ate:

dulce de leche ice cream

Last thing you regret eating:

dulce de leche ice cream

Things to say to an author:

Telling an author that their work is inspirational, thoughtful, brilliant, dangerous, edgy, or well-written is always welcome. Authors live for such praise. I like it when I’m told my books are “page turners.” But sometimes my critique partners point out weaknesses, which is the point of having a critique partner. Constructive criticism is essential.   

Things to say to an author if you want to be killed off in their next book:

If you’d like to be killed off in my next book, just tell me that people with southern accents are stupid. I’m one of four authors who conduct the Guns, Knives, and Lipstick podcast, where, on a monthly basis we interview writers about their most recently published books. Several months ago, we interviewed an author who stated that anyone who speaks with a southern accent is considered ‘stupid’ by the majority of people who live in the United States. I am from the south, and, as was painfully obvious to anyone listening to the podcast, I have a southern accent.

Now all I need is to decide on my weapon of choice. Don’t they say impalement is the most painful method of murder?

Favorite places I’ve been:

I’ve visited Paris five times. It’s my favorite city in the world, and by now, I’m quite familiar with the outlay and how to find my favorite places. I’m happy there even if I’m doing no more than walking through the streets. I’ve been to Italy three times, and London twice, and loved each of those visits. I would happily live in Paris, London, or Florence, or in any of the towns in Tuscany.

Eight years ago, I spent several weeks in Scotland. I’d love to go back, especially for the Edinburgh Arts Festival in August. I’ve been to Istanbul twice, and could explore that beautiful city for years and still find things to delight and surprise me. Surrounded by the Marmara Sea, the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait, it glistens like so many diamonds in the sun. I also spent about a week in Barcelona. Loved strolling along the La Rambla!

Places I never want to go again: Several years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to the island of Bermuda for work. I had also planned to squeeze in a couple days of ‘fun and sun,’ but unfortunately, there was none of either. The weather was cold and rainy the entirety of my stay.  

With several re-insurance companies using Bermuda as their headquarters, it is a business-oriented island, swarming with (mostly) men and women, all dressed in suits, carrying brief cases. This wouldn’t be so disorienting if sandy beaches and turquoise waters weren’t omnipresent, swaying seductively in the background.

The dress ‘uniform’ for the men of the island is a light-colored shirt, starched, a navy-blue jacket, and tie, and Bermuda shorts. Long socks complete the look.

Even though the shorts were cute, I have no desire to return. 

The most daring thing I’ve ever done:

Once on a trip to Cancun with friends, I donned scuba diving equipment with the others, all of whom had their scuba diving licenses, and jumped off the boat into forty feet of water. I told the people manning the boat that I’d forgotten my license at home. Truth was, I’d never had one. I’d never even had diving lessons. Someone told me to make certain that I breathed out during the ascent, or I could die. I had no problem remembering the technique.

Something I chickened out from doing:

I can no longer be shamed into boarding a roller coaster, not by a child, a grandchild, or anyone else. I have climbed one-hundred-foot towers at water parks and have been catapulted from plastic tubes into a few inches of water. I’ve twirled on little rafts down raucously angled watery projectiles, but I draw the line at roller coasters.  Call me ‘chicken’ if you must. That’s okay.

The funniest thing that happened to me on vacation:

Two friends and I traveled to Paris for the millennial, planning to travel down the Loire Valley after New Years to stay a couple of days at an old chateau. As usual, we left Paris later than we should have, and by the time we were in the vicinity of the chateau, it was dark. We made a wrong turn into a little village, and once we realized that, we made another wrong left turn, right onto the rail road tracks. The tiny Renault we were driving sank into the steel bars of the tracks by at least a foot.

Always quick to abandon a car in trouble, I jumped out of the backseat to get an appraisal of the situation. It seemed impossible. The Renault would have to clear a nine-inch tall rail road tie to get out of the tracks. The tires of the vehicle were only a couple of inches taller than the ties. To make it worse, we heard the horn of an approaching train. The railroad crossing lights began flashing, it’s bells clanged, and it seemed that we were toast.

By this time, the entire village, it seemed, had gathered along the other side of the tracks to watch the spectacle.  My friend Carolyn, who was driving the car, looked at me frantically, and asked what to do.  I said the only thing I could think of at the time. “Put in it reverse and FLOOR IT!”

The odds weren’t with us, especially since the car hadn’t been willing to slide into reverse for the entire trip. Carolyn had even had to figure out strategies for leaving parking lots without putting the car into reverse. But, somehow, the Renault knew it was in trouble.  Its back wheels spun furiously, and the little car zoomed over the railroad ties just in time. I turned to wave to the gathering crowd as my friends screamed, “GET IN THE CAR! This is not a Miss America moment, Cindy!!”

The remainder of the trip was uneventful.  

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you on vacation:

See above.      

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

When we were closing on our new house, my mortgage broker told me that I was one of her favorite authors.  I was stunned. I asked her which of my books she’d read, and sure enough, she’d read both Out From Silence, as well as The Redemption. I was touched and very pleasantly surprised. I’d never heard of the small Alabama town where she lived and worked, and asked her how she’d heard of me. She replied “Amazon!” I was thrilled to send her a copy of Sanctuary, the third book in the series.

The craziest thing a reader ever said to you:

After reading The Redemption, the second book in the Thornton Mystery series, one reader wrote a glowing review, stating that the book was “…one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read…” Then she proceeded to give me a three-star rating on Amazon.

Recommendations for curing writer’s block:

The only cure I know for writer’s block is to keep on writing. If you come to a spot where you know the tension and conflict should increase, but you can’t figure out how, you will find the path to your story if you keep writing. It works for me every time.

Things I do to avoid writing:

I clean my house to avoid writing. I wash dishes, do laundry, clean counters and bathrooms. You can tell if I’m working against a deadline by the number of dishes in my sink.  

 About Cynthia:

C.L. (Cynthia) Tolbert fell in love with the cryptic clues and twisted plots of Agatha Christie’s stories and novels when she was a child. Her Thornton Mystery Series reflects this passion, as well as the vast richness of the places and people she’s encountered throughout her life. Retiring after practicing law for more than thirty years, C.L. began writing full time. Her experiences as an attorney, especially during the years she taught at Loyola Law School where she also directed a homeless clinic, have inspired her stories. 

Licensed in Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, her roots are in the deep south, but her stories are universal, with characters that range from a young deaf man accused of murdering his girlfriend in rural Georgia, to a young homeless woman charged with killing the leader of a suspicious cult in New Orleans.

In 2010 C.L. won the Georgia State Bar Association’s fiction writing contest, and, in 2020, following her retirement, developed the winning short story into the first novel of the Thornton Mystery Series, Out From Silence, featuring the Emma Thornton. In 2021 C.L. published a follow up novel, The Redemption, a mystery set in New Orleans, which Kirkus Reviews called an “engaging and unpredictable whodunit.” In 2022, the third book in the series, Sanctuary, was published. Kirkus Reviews featured Sanctuary in the April, 2023 edition of Kirkus Reviews Magazine, calling it, “A well-plotted nail biter with believable and sympathetic characters.” C.L.’s love of New Orleans and murder mysteries continues in The Legacy, the fourth book in the Thornton Mystery series.

C.L. is a recent transplant to Austin, Texas, where she lives with her husband and schnauzer, Yoda. She has two children and three grandchildren.

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: C.L. Tolbert Mystery Author | Thornton Mystery (cltolbert.com)

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Lori Robbins

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I’d like to welcome the fabulous Lori Robbins to the blog for #ThisorThatThusday.

Things you never want to run out of:

I never want to run out of coffee! Everything else is negotiable.

Things you wish you’d never bought:

I regret every box of addictive Fudgestick cookies I’ve ever bought. After I’ve eaten them.

A few of your favorite things:

I cherish a set of 1867 Dickens books I rescued from the garbage.

Things you need to throw out:

I need to toss most of my clothes. Someone should Kondo those relics.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

I can’t write so much as an email without coffee, a stack of Post-it notes, and a dozen colored pens.

Things that hamper your writing:

Staring at my calendar is no help when deadlines loom.

Something you’re really good at:

As the mother of six, I’ve got a black belt in worrying and nagging.

Something you’re really bad at:

I’m terrible at organizing photos, although I have enough of them to create a feature-length, stop-action movie.

Last best thing you ate:

The last best thing I ate was a loaf of [my own] home-baked challah bread.

Last thing you regret eating:

I regret eating half a loaf of that same challah.

Things to say to an author:

Your books just keep getting better.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

What do you do all day, besides write?

Favorite places you’ve been:

My favorite place is Cassis, a tiny town in the south of France, whose inhabitants embraced my American family despite our execrable French.

Places you never want to go to again:

I will never return to an Airbnb where the hosts gave us the wrong keys and we got locked out for hours. And then they yelled at us for not realizing they’d made a mistake.

Favorite things to do:

I love going to the ballet.

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

I hate talking to mechanics about expensive and baffling repairs to my car.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

When I was young and foolish I quit a job without having another job.

Something you chickened out from doing:

In a supreme act of party-pooping, I didn’t go to an axe-throwing event at a wedding.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

I spent many years as a professional dancer.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it:

I stenciled random food-related items to the walls in the kitchen. It didn’t look like the picture in the magazine. It looked like a crazed toddler was let loose.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books:

In Lesson Plan for Murder, the protagonist recalls a bar mitzvah where her family was seated behind the swinging doors to the kitchen. This episode marked the beginning of a real-life intergenerational 100 Years’ War.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not:

Although I was a professional dancer and an English teacher, my characters are not me!

About Lori:

Lori Robbins is the author of the On Pointe and Master Class mystery series and a contributor to The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers Cookbook. She won the Indie Award for Best Mystery and two Silver Falchions for Best Cozy Mystery. Short stories include “Leading Ladies” which won Honorable Mention in the 2022 Best American Mystery and Suspense anthology. After ten lean years as a professional dancer, Lori became an English teacher and now writes full-time. She is co-president of the New York/ Tristate Sisters in Crime and an active member of Mystery Writers of America and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.lorirobbins.com/

 LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/lorirobbinsmysteries

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

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

 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lorirobbins99

 BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lori-robbins

 GoodReads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16007362.Lori_Robbins

 

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Rosalie Spielman

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I’d like to welcome the fabulous Rosalie Spielman to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday — Fall Edition!

A few of your favorite fall traditions: My husband and I are happy when we are able to go on our long walks on the weekends again. It’s too hot in the summer, especially for our dog, so it’s a relief—and a joy—to feel those first few days of crisp air!

Something autumn-related that you’ll never do again: Go to a “Back to School Night” at a school! Yay for college-aged kids!

Favorite fall treat: Homemade pumpkin-pecan scones. Yum!

A fall treat that makes you gag: Anything with licorice or anise.

Something you only do in the fall: Rake leaves.

Something you’d never do in the fall season: Rake leaves that are “mine.” We have no trees, so all our leaves are leaves that abandon the the neighbors. LOL! We have no trees, and yet I am constantly raking…

Favorite autumn beverage: London Fog Latte.

A drink that gives you a sour face: Pumpkin Spice latte. I do like Chai, but “PSL” is too much spice.

Favorite fall smell: Freshly fallen leaves.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Not-so-fresh, rotting leaves.

Best fall memory: I love going to fall festivals, and the Kurbis festival in Germany was particularly wonderful. (Kurbis = pumpkin)

Something you’d rather forget: Also in Germany, the time a woman pointed me out, in my witch hat, and exclaimed that I looked so much like a witch since I even had “the witch nose!” Um. That’s my actual nose, but thanks?

A tradition you share with others: Boo bags!

A tradition that can be retired: Boo bags!

Best thing you ever cooked/baked in autumn: One year, I made an herbed and garlicy, super buttery dinner roll wreath from scratch for Thanksgiving. So good.

Your worst kitchen disaster: Same recipe, different year…the bundt pan leaked butter, making smoke fill the kitchen and the fire alarm go off. AND to top it off, they ended up dry. Lol!

Favorite place you spent a fall day: Sitting on my porch with a Chai and one of my pumpkin-pecan scones! I even like to take my laptop and do some writing out there, or some reading.

The worst place to spend a fall day: Inside.

Favorite pumpkin spice item: Pancakes! Having said that, I’m not a huge fan. I like pumpkin, not so much the spices without the pumpkin. (I’m looking at you, Starbucks.)

Something that should never be pumpkin-spiced flavored: Pretty much everything?

Best Halloween costume ever: It’s not mine, but one of the costumes for my kids. One year, he wanted to be a certain Star Wars character. My sister had given the kids goatherder cloaks from Tunisia, which had been George Lucas’ inspiration for the Jedi capes. My son’s cape was pretty large on him, then we got a scary black fabric mask with glowing round eyes and put up the hood… Voila, a Jawa!

Worst Halloween costume disaster: The same year my son was a Jawa, my little Kindergartener wanted to be Princess Jasmine. I found one somewhere and she was an adorable little Jasmine. But, walking along with her brother, all the other parents knew exactly what my son’s costume was, but couldn’t guess my daughter’s, despite the little broach with the character’s face... Poor little thing was so bummed out.

About Rosalie:

Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world. She writes for the multi-author Aloha Lagoon mystery series and her own Hometown Mystery series.

She currently lives in Maryland with her husband in a rapidly emptying nest. For more information on her books or to subscribe to her newsletter, go to www.rosalie-spielman-author.com, follow her Facebook page (Rosalie Spielman author), Instagram (Rosalie.Spielman), or join her Facebook readers’ group, You Know The Spiel. Rosalie strives to provide you a cozy escape...one page at a time.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.rosalie-spielman-author.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063501963689

 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/760076150762688

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with J. M. Donellan

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I’d like to welcome J. M. Donellan to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing.

Favorite foods: The tears of my enemies.

Things that make you want to gag: Dagwood dogs. They are satan’s snackfood.

Favorite music or song: My all-time favourite song is Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack. I still remember the moment when I first heard it on the radio and everything just froze. I couldn’t believe music like that existed, it sounded like it was from the past and the future at the same time. It was soul, electronic, hip-hop, orchestral. There’s entire worlds in that song. Speaking of music, I made a playlist for Rumors of Her Death because I’m a huge music nerd, you can check that out here.

Music that drives you crazy: If you play Nu-Metal anywhere in my immediate vicinity we are going to have a serious problem.

Something you’re really good at: Being wrong.

Something you’re really bad at: Admitting when I’m wrong.

Things you always put in your books: Dark humour and Nina Simone references.

Things you never put in your books: I’m very aware that this could offend a lot of people in the crime and mystery writing community, but I personally have no interest in writing about hero cops. In TV writing they sometimes call it ‘copaganda’, I think that if you’re going to talk about police you need to be addressing the systemic problems of police violence and corruption. I’d like to see more stories about activists and outsiders trying to redress the wrongs of an unjust system rather than celebrating the people who enforce it.

Things to say to an author: “I bought ten copies of your book, wrote reviews about how much I loved it, had the title tattooed on my arm as a conversation starter, requested it at my local library, and I named by firstborn after your central protagonist.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I only read books written by reality TV stars.”

Favorite places you’ve been: I’ve been fortunate enough to travel extensively, and Ladakh, Havana, Luang Prabang, Quito are all up there for me. However, I lived in Lisbon for a short time while I was working on Killing Adonis and I fell completely in love with it. I shared a little apartment with a cat named Pinga and drank too much wine and sat on the rooftop reading and watching the sun set over the city. I had a recently broken heart and my first major publishing contract and it was a very strange and liminal time. My wife and I went back there for a wedding a few years back and the city felt like an old friend.

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

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I went on a New Year’s eve white water rafting trip in northern Laos that the guide assured my friend and I was ‘beginner level.’ We both had some experience with rafting, were nevertheless knocked out of the boat and into the freezing rapids about half a dozen times. Nothing like scrambling for your raft while your legs are going numb and a cascade of water is trying to smash you into a rock. Good times. We very carefully packed a bottle of champagne that miraculously survived and drank it in our little jungle hut that night. Still the best champagne I’ve ever had, I think the adrenaline really lifted the flavour.

Something you chickened out from doing: Answering this question.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: I generally think that our societal obsession with celebrity is borderline pathological. I don’t really care about fame, but I do admire talent. That said, I once interviewed the Coathangers, a punk band from Atlanta, and they just oozed cool. It emanated from them like ectoplasm.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: I did a supernova Comic con event with Jack Gleeson aka Joffrey once and I was like “did someone bring their kid to this event or did he just sneak backstage?” Then I realised he probably made more money that month than I’ll make my entire life. Cool. Cool cool cool cool I’m fine with it.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: This is cheating because it’s (partially) still writing, but I collaborated with a choreographer, sound designer and dancers to create a series of dance/poetry collaborations that we performed as part of the World Science Festival and other events. Had my poetry fact checked by scientists, that was a novel experience.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: During the worst of the pandemic I worked on a story-based video game I was really proud of. Taught myself some basic coding, worked with some cool people. We were getting ready for the beta release when the company crashed. That’s the tech world for you, I guess.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Allison Brook/Marilyn Levinson

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I’d like the welcome the fabulous Allison Brook/Marilyn Levinson back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time:

Shop online; read; do a Sudoku puzzle

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

Straightening up the area around my computer; going through my closet to remove clothes I haven't worn in a very long time.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Sitting down to write each day

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Getting up from writing for the day. Doing an author takeover and chatting with readers

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: ice cream

Things you never put on your shopping list: soda, fake whipped cream

Favorite snacks: Chocolate bark, pistachio nuts

Things that make you want to gag: marshmallows, oreo cookies

Something you’re really good at: knitting, cooking, writing, speaking to a group

Something you’re really bad at: using a sewing machine; drawing

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: a ballerina or an author

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: being a somewhat successful author

Last best thing you ate: dark chocolate

Last thing you regret eating: too much dark chocolate

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

Places you never want to go to again: Caribbean

Favorite things to do: reading, yoga, dining out, watching films and British shows

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: being an officer of an organization, cleaning, straightening up my papers and things

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: Go back a few pages before writer's block set in and see where you strayed from your story; take a break from writing.

Things you do to avoid writing: read emails, shop online, make phone calls.

About Allison:

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for young readers.

As Allison Brook, Marilyn writes the Haunted Library mystery series, which has received many accolades. Death Overdue, the first book in ther series,was an Agatha nomination for Best Contemporary Novel, a Library Journal "Pick of the Month" and on Goodreads' list of the 200 "Most Popular Books Published in October 2017.

The Devil's Pawn, is a horror-suspense YA that will give you chills but leave you smiling when you've read the last page. Her Golden Age of Mystery Book Club mysteries have received many wonderful reviews. Murder a la Christie, the first in the series, was a King Rivers Life Magazine's "Best of 2014" and on Book Town's 2014 Summer Mystery Reading List. Professor Lexie Driscoll leads discussions about Christie novels as she solves the murders of various members of her book club. In the sequel, Murder the Tey Way, Lexie and the book club talk about Josephine Tey's mysteries as she investigates murders and unravels secrets.

Untreed Reads has brought out new e-editions of Marilyn's Twin Lakes mysteries: A Murderer Among Us, awarded a Suspense Magazine Best Indie and on Book Town's Summer Reading List. The sequel, Murder in the Air, was on Book Town's Fall Reading List. Both books will soon be available as audiobooks. Uncial Press e-publishes her ghost mystery, Giving Up the Ghost, and her romantic suspense, Dangerous Relations. Most of Marilyn's mysteries take place on Long Island, where she lives.

Her books for young readers include No Boys Allowed, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, which was awarded a "Children's Choice." Getting Back to Normal & And Don't Bring Jeremy.

Marilyn loves traveling, reading, knitting, doing Sudoku, and visiting with her grandchildren, Olivia and Jack, on FaceTime. She is co-founder and past president of the Long Island chapter of Sisters in Crime.

Let’s Be Social:

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#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Michelle Bennington

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Things you never want to run out of: toilet paper, coffee

Things you wish you’d never bought: the vitamins and supplements I always forget to take

A few of your favorite things: Christmas with my mom, chocolate, coffee, my husband, and my dog

Things you need to throw out: old clothes I’ve had since college, old plastic containers that no longer have matching lids, expired food in the fridge

Things you need for your writing sessions: laptop, TV show (Monk, Dateline, or Great British Baking show, or music to fit the mood)

Things that hamper your writing: people talking (I know it doesn’t make sense. I can ignore voices on TV, but not actual people), noisy neighbors

Hardest thing about being a writer: balancing the rest of my life around a writing schedule, revision

Easiest thing about being a writer: coming up with ideas

Favorite foods: bacon, cheeseburgers, BBQ chicken pizza, fruit

Things that make you want to gag: raw fish, sea urchin, hominy

Favorite music or song:

Music that drives you crazy:

Favorite beverage: coffee, Ale-8-1, apple crisp oat milk macchiato at Starbucks

Something that gives you a sour face: many herbal teas—they sometimes taste like licorice or dirt

Favorite smell: cooking bacon, perking coffee, honeysuckle, lilac

Something that makes you hold your nose: gasoline, car exhaust, cigarettes

Something you’re really good at: making scones

Something you’re really bad at: sticking to a diet / exercise plan

Last best thing you ate: BBQ sandwhich, and chicken BBQ pizza

Last thing you regret eating: The communal chocolate at work. It apparently had been sitting in someone’s car for the whole summer.

Things you’d walk a mile for: A historical site I want to see (I’ve actually walked a mile a few times to do that in England and Scotland, but didn’t really have a choice)

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: vocal fry, ending statements with a question, people scraping their teeth on their silverware as they eat

Favorite places you’ve been: Scotland, England

Places you never want to go to again: DMV, any store on Black Friday

Favorite books (or genre): historical fiction, classic fiction, general fiction, biographies, true history, true crime, mystery, some romance, some poetry, psych thriller (if not too violent or gory)—there’s really so many books I love and so many authors. I can’t possibly name them all!

Books you wouldn’t buy: typcially not a fan of Sci-Fi, most fantasy, most horror, most westerns, most paranormal, most YA, occult, all sports.

About Michelle:

Born and raised in the beautiful Bluegrass state of Kentucky, Michelle Bennington developed a passion for books early on that has since progressed into a mild hoarding situation and an ever-growing to-read pile. She delights in transporting readers into worlds of mystery, both contemporary and historical.

 In rare moments of spare time, she can be found engaging in a wide array of arts and crafts, reading, traveling, and attending tours involving ghosts, historical sites, or distilleries.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Donna Conrad

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

Things you need for your writing sessions:

A strong cup of Earl Grey tea, my playlist for whatever book I’m writing, inspiration and a good thesaurus.

Things that hamper your writing:

Cleaning the entire kitchen after making tea. Email alerts. [I try to ignore them, but it’s tough.] Neighbors and friends who drop by because they have some time off and want to just hang out and chat.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

That the world at large does not realize the effort that goes into writing novels—the times we stay home instead of going to a party, the times we can’t spend with friends because we are writers who write. That writing is at its heart a solitary endeavor.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Endless story ideas. I write historical novels about women who have been marginalized throughout history. So, I have a new subject at my fingertips any time I need to write a new book.

Favorite foods: Triple cream Brie, from France, on a piece of a fresh baked baguette. If wine counts as a food, a nicely aged Côtes du Rhône, to go with the brie.

Things that make you want to gag: Cheap wine and okra. Yuck to both.

Favorite music or song:

Two songs tie for my favorites – Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, and Jeff Buckley’s cover of Lenard Cohen’s Hallelujah. I’m a Sixties child so most any Rock n’ Roll will do me just fine most of the time.

Music that drives you crazy: Overly orchestrated vocals, and gangster rap.

Something you’re really good at:

Engaging with people of all persuasions. I call it my chameleon nature. And just like a chameleon, I don’t change, I am able to adapt to the situation and the person(s) I’m speaking with, then go back to my natural way of expressing myself.

Something you’re really bad at:

I’m really bad at remembering where I left my mobile phone. It’s usually somewhere in the house or car, but I’ve had folks call my husband’s phone to let him know they found my phone in a restaurant, park, movie theater, once even in my front yard. I studied Jungian psychology in college, so I should be able to figure this one out and stop it!

Things you always put in your books: Powerful women who struggle with stereotypes and stigmas. They don’t always win, but they always keep trying.

Things you never put in your books: Gratuitous sex and violence. There are sexual and violent scenes in most of my books, but they’re not gratuitous.

Favorite places you’ve been

France – most anywhere from Paris to the Languedoc, to Provence. If it’s in France, I’m so there!

Places you never want to go to again: Florida and Texas.

Favorite things to do: Write; cuddle with my cats; go for long rides along back roads in my Miata MX5; be with my husband doing something or nothing; teaching at writers’ conferences and being with my writer-tribe.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Pilling my cats and writing a synopsis – especially the synopsis.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Do I have to pick only one? I’ve done some pretty daring things in my life, such as having my breast autographed by Jim Morrison in his hotel room.

Facing down a cougar that was looking pretty hungry, in order to save my cat from becoming lunch. [That might count more as stupid, than daring.]

Writing honestly about my teen years was the most daring, and most rewarding.

Something you chickened out from doing:

Bungie jumping and parachuting. Something about flinging myself off great heights makes me run for the (low) hills.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Jimi Hendrix. He was one of the kindest, sweetest, most caring people I met during the Sixties. And very cool in all ways.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Janis Joplin, I only recognized her because of how she was dressed, which was unique.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:That writing so honestly about the dark aspects of my teen years in House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties, gave her the strength to face her own demons and change her life for the better.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:“You can still talk to Jim Morrison even if he’s dead. I know you can. Do it now, I have a question for him.”

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books:

In House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties, I tell the story of my first acid trip. I was babysitting for a woman who was dating my sister’s drug-dealing boyfriend (unbeknownst to my sister). When they came home, they gave me some LSD and we tripped together. I was only fourteen years old.

In my upcoming historical novel, The Last Magdalene, I include my first encounter with ghosts and finding my way to my mother’s bed in the small hours of the night.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not:

In The Last Magdalene, Miriam is awakened to her sexual nature during a sensual initiation scene. At the close of the chapter, she says: “I wish it were so for every woman. That each maiden was brought to know the joys of her body by equally skillful hands.”

I feel most readers, especially if they have met me, will think this is based on my first love-making experience. Sadly it is not. To know the real “first time” read “Tryst Without Consent,” from House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

A strong cup of Earl Grey tea, my playlist for whatever book I’m writing, inspiration and a good thesaurus.

Things that hamper your writing:

Cleaning the entire kitchen after making tea. Email alerts. [I try to ignore them, but it’s tough.] Neighbors and friends who drop by because they have some time off and want to just hang out and chat.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

That the world at large does not realize the effort that goes into writing novels—the times we stay home instead of going to a party, the times we can’t spend with friends because we are writers who write. That writing is at its heart a solitary endeavor.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Endless story ideas. I write historical novels about women who have been marginalized throughout history. So, I have a new subject at my fingertips any time I need to write a new book.

Favorite foods: Triple cream Brie, from France, on a piece of a fresh baked baguette. If wine counts as a food, a nicely aged Côtes du Rhône, to go with the brie.

Things that make you want to gag: Cheap wine and okra. Yuck to both.

Favorite music or song:

Two songs tie for my favorites – Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, and Jeff Buckley’s cover of Lenard Cohen’s Hallelujah. I’m a Sixties child so most any Rock n’ Roll will do me just fine most of the time.

Music that drives you crazy: Overly orchestrated vocals, and gangster rap.

Something you’re really good at:

Engaging with people of all persuasions. I call it my chameleon nature. And just like a chameleon, I don’t change, I am able to adapt to the situation and the person(s) I’m speaking with, then go back to my natural way of expressing myself.

Something you’re really bad at:

I’m really bad at remembering where I left my mobile phone. It’s usually somewhere in the house or car, but I’ve had folks call my husband’s phone to let him know they found my phone in a restaurant, park, movie theater, once even in my front yard. I studied Jungian psychology in college, so I should be able to figure this one out and stop it!

Things you always put in your books: Powerful women who struggle with stereotypes and stigmas. They don’t always win, but they always keep trying.

Things you never put in your books: Gratuitous sex and violence. There are sexual and violent scenes in most of my books, but they’re not gratuitous.

Favorite places you’ve been: France – most anywhere from Paris to the Languedoc, to Provence. If it’s in France, I’m so there!

Places you never want to go to again: Florida and Texas.

Favorite things to do: Write; cuddle with my cats; go for long rides along back roads in my Miata MX5; be with my husband doing something or nothing; teaching at writers’ conferences and being with my writer-tribe.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Pilling my cats and writing a synopsis – especially the synopsis.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Do I have to pick only one? I’ve done some pretty daring things in my life, such as having my breast autographed by Jim Morrison in his hotel room.

Facing down a cougar that was looking pretty hungry, in order to save my cat from becoming lunch. [That might count more as stupid, than daring.]

Writing honestly about my teen years was the most daring, and most rewarding.

Something you chickened out from doing:

Bungie jumping and parachuting. Something about flinging myself off great heights makes me run for the (low) hills.

The coolest person you’ve ever met:Jimi Hendrix. He was one of the kindest, sweetest, most caring people I met during the Sixties. And very cool in all ways.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Janis Joplin, I only recognized her because of how she was dressed, which was unique.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:That writing so honestly about the dark aspects of my teen years in House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties, gave her the strength to face her own demons and change her life for the better.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:“You can still talk to Jim Morrison even if he’s dead. I know you can. Do it now, I have a question for him.”

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books:

In House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties, I tell the story of my first acid trip. I was babysitting for a woman who was dating my sister’s drug-dealing boyfriend (unbeknownst to my sister). When they came home, they gave me some LSD and we tripped together. I was only fourteen years old.

In my upcoming historical novel, The Last Magdalene, I include my first encounter with ghosts and finding my way to my mother’s bed in the small hours of the night.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not:

In The Last Magdalene, Miriam is awakened to her sexual nature during a sensual initiation scene. At the close of the chapter, she says: “I wish it were so for every woman. That each maiden was brought to know the joys of her body by equally skillful hands.”

I feel most readers, especially if they have met me, will think this is based on my first love-making experience. Sadly it is not. To know the real “first time” read “Tryst Without Consent,” from House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties.

About Donna:

Donna Conrad is an award-winning author, journalist, activist, and teacher. Her core values revolve around the concept of individual empowerment, a sustaining ideal running through the books she writes. Her writing interests are varied and include articles for fine-art periodicals, memoir/narrative non-fiction, as well as historical, flash, and paranormal fiction. She is a regular presenter at writers' conferences.

Her first published book, "House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties," has received rave reviews.

Donna's life is as varied as her writing. She embraces change as an exciting adventure. She has studied writing with the likes of Alan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Jack Whyte. Her upcoming four-book historical fiction series, The Magdalene Chronicles" has been acquired by Cold Creek Press. Book One, "The Last Magdalene," will be released April 2024. She is represented by Abundantly Social.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their three cats. When she's not writing, you can find Donna cruising the back roads in her black-on-black Miata MX-5, Maya - named for one of her favorite poets, Maya Angelou.