#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jenna Harte

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I’d like to welcome my friend, Jenna Harte, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you never want to run out of: Chocolate, books, coffee, wine

Things you wish you’d never bought: I have a lot of doodads I bought thinking they’d make my life easier (e.g. wet-dry vac, kitchen appliances), but I don’t use. What I really want is someone else to clean and cook.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Being stuck, not knowing what to write next in the story. This happens a lot to me in Act 2a through the second pinch point. I can write act one and three no problem, it’s the middle that I struggle with.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Getting paid to make up stories. The flexible schedule is nice too.

A few of your favorite things: I love books, notebooks, and planners, even though I’m drowning in them.

Things you need to throw out: So much stuff. Some of it I wonder where it came from and why it’s in my house.

Favorite foods: Chocolate and Mexican food.

Things that make you want to gag: Pears. Just the smell of them makes me nauseous. I suspect I was sick as a child and given a pear leading to a Pavlovian response. I’m not a fan of eggplant either.

Favorite music or song: I love “Ode to Joy” and “A Little Jazz Mass.” I think they’re amazingly beautiful. I also love old R&B and electric swing music. I’m actually quite eclectic in my musical interests (pop, jazz, classical, etc).

Music that drives you crazy: I’m not a fan of music that sounds like noise and screaming (hard, hard rock?).

The last thing you ordered online: Naughty Words for Nice Writers by Cara Bristol (it’s a romance writing thesaurus) and Save the Cat Writes for TV by Jamie Nash (I bought that to help me write serial fiction).

The last thing you regret buying: Surface steam cleaner…another doodad I thought would make my life easier. I haven’t used it once.

Favorite books (or genre): I love Persuasion by Jane Austen. I also love The House at the Cerulean Sea. My go-to genre is usually mystery/thriller/suspense and romance (rom com and romantic suspense).

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’m not a big literature reader as I don’t like that they don’t end well or have a nebulous ending.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I ate haggis and black pudding on a recent trip to the UK. The haggis wasn’t bad as long as I didn’t think about what was in it. The black pudding was like a hockey puck.

Something you chickened out from doing: I won’t do anything that requires me to “white knuckle” through it. So while I did zip line, I didn’t white water raft on my last trip to the New River Gorge.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: I’ve been lucky to meet some cool authors such as Charlaine Harris and Heather Graham. I sat next to Mark Greaney at a book signing at Thrillerfest, and he was really nice. I’ve met and chatted with Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers on several occasions (if anyone remembers them). Wagner sent me a handwritten thank you note after donating to a charity he supported. I got a note from Stefanie after donating to her wildlife fund and giving her a bottle of moonshine for her birthday.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Sissy Spacek used to live in the area, but I didn’t recognize her when I saw her.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I luvvvvvv your books.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “You’re some kind of crazy.” It was said to me after a panel I was on at the Suffolk Mystery Festival. I don’t know why he thought that, but it was said good-naturedly, so I took it as a compliment.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I used make all my kids’ birthday cakes (fire engines, Neverland island, etc) and Halloween costumes. I like to do art/crafty things but I’m not very good. I have made some of my own merch, like tumblers with my book covers on them.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Nearly everything I try to create looks better in my head than the result. The worst has probably been the times I tried to use decorative painting in my bathroom.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: My husband told me about a man who sells homemade moonshine from the trunk of his car at their work (which is illegal)…they work at a prison. I put that in Meant to Be, a romantic suspense I wrote in the Southern Heat series.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: I have a character in the Valentine Mysteries that likes to wear couture French lingerie. I don’t but mostly because I can’t afford it.

About Jenna:

Jenna Harte is a die-hard romantic writing about characters who are passionate about and committed to each other, and frequently getting into trouble. She is the author of the Valentine Mysteries, the first of which, Deadly Valentine, reached the quarter-finals in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award in 2013. She also penned the Southern Heat contemporary romance series and the Sophie Parker Coupon Mystery series.

When she's not telling stories, she works by day as a ghostwriter and runs the online community for romance writers, Write with Harte. She lives the empty nest life with her soulmate and a nutty cat.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://jennaharte.com

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

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

Ream Stories: https://reamstories.com/jennaharte/public

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Lorie Lewis Ham

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I would like to welcome the fabulous Lorie Lewis Ham back to the blog for #ThisorThat Thursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Watch TV with my kids or go to a coffee shop and read.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Anything involving calling people. I do not like talking on the phone.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Notebooks and pens for jotting down thoughts that come to me as I write and good coffee!

Things that distract you from writing: Noise, phone calls, and pets wanting to be fed lol.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Waiting for those first reviews hoping readers like your book!

Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with the basic ideas for a book usually come pretty easily for me.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: Pepsi!

Things you never put on your shopping list: Fresh fish. I love eating it but can’t get myself to make it.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: A replica of Excalibur.

The thing you wished you’d never bought. The second car we bought after we were married. I can’t even remember what it was but it was in the shop all the time!

Favorite snacks: I love Snickerdoodles, Bugles, and pretzels.

Things that make you want to gag: Ketchup on eggs and sweet pickle relish.

Something you’re really good at: Interviewing people.

Something you’re really bad at: Drawing.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: I have always wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Publish my own magazine.

Something you wish you could do: Write for TV.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: This is really tough—maybe prepare my own taxes? It is a nightmare doing it every year but it’s too expensive to pay someone.

Last best thing you ate: Parmesan/Garlic wings at Wingstop.

Last thing you regret eating: A really spicy chicken wing lol.

Things to say to an author: I really loved your last book and can’t wait for the next one.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: You really should have done this in your book (insert some sort of criticism that shows you do not have a clue about this type of book)

Favorite places you’ve been: Santa Cruz, CA—I love the ocean.

Places you never want to go to again: Needles, CA—I hate the desert.

Favorite things to do: Read, travel, watch TV, and hang out in coffee shops.

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

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: When I was newly married, I had never driven any farther than about an hour away and was kind of nervous about driving. Back then I was traveling and singing (I used to sing gospel music) and at the last minute my ride bailed, and I had to go this city on the coast that required driving over some mountains (I am terrified of heights), and I had no choice but to drive myself. Scared me to death! I still hate driving in the mountains, but I have pretty much driven all over the state now many times.

Something you chickened out from doing: I had the chance to do a phone interview with Rob Bell, who is one of my favorite non-fiction authors and speakers and the combination of hating talking on the phone and being afraid I would just blank since I’m such a fan, I asked if I could do an email interview instead.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Opening the first box of a brand new book that I have written!

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Sign a contract with my first publisher—they ended up being a nightmare! I wish I would have kept looking until I found a good one.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I couldn’t put your book down!

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Your characters eat too much.

Best piece of advice you received from another writer: Never give up.

Something you would tell a younger you about your writing: Write what you want to write, don’t worry about trends or rules because they are always changing.

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: Just sit down and write even if you throw it all out it can help you get going again.

Things you do to avoid writing: I never do anything to avoid writing mysteries, but I am really bad about putting off my non-fiction writing until the last minute lol. Clean, run errands, watch TV.

About Lorie and Her Socials:

Lorie Lewis Ham lives in Reedley, California and has been writing ever since she was a child. Her first song and poem were published when she was 13, and she has gone on to publish many articles, short stories, and poems throughout the years, as well as write for a local newspaper, and publish 7 mystery novels. For the past 14 years, Lorie has been the editor-in-chief and publisher of Kings River Life Magazine, and she produces Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, where you can hear an excerpt of her book One of Us, the first in a new series called The Tower District Mysteries. Book 2, One of You, was released in June of 2024. You can learn more about Lorie and her writing on her website mysteryrat.com and find her on Facebook, BookBub, Goodreads, and Instagram @krlmagazine & @lorielewishamauthor.


#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Frances Aylor

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I’d like to welcome Frances Aylor back to the blog for this week’s #ThisorThatThursday interview!

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee, clean underwear, gas for my car

Things you wish you’d never bought: The 4 boxes of instant mashed potatoes that are still in my pantry 2 years later – I couldn’t resist a sale, but I don’t really like instant mashed potatoes.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Staying focused and not getting distracted by things on the internet

Easiest thing about being a writer: Talking with book clubs

Favorite foods: Fried chicken, pepperoni pizza, cookie dough ice cream

Things that make you want to gag: Really spicy foods, jalapeno peppers, raw oysters

Favorite music or song: Motown and beach music

Music that drives you crazy: Twangy country music

Things you’d walk a mile for: A medieval village, a beautiful sunset, a college football game

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

Favorite places you’ve been: Greek Isles, Frasassi Caves in Italy, the Amazon

Places you never want to go to again: overcrowded airports; grocery stores with long lines and surly cashiers

Favorite books (or genre): mysteries and biographies

Books you wouldn’t buy: Horror stories or anything with too much violence, blood, and gore

Favorite things to do: Travel with friends, try out new restaurants, attend plays and concerts

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Cleaning poison ivy from my shrubbery. If only I had remembered the line “Leaves of 3, let it be.”

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: White water rafting in Costa Rica

Something you chickened out from doing: Riding the Dominator roller coaster at Kings Dominion

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: My paragliding experience in the Swiss Alps inspired the opening scene of my novel Choosing Guilt.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Scuba diving in the Caribbean for my story “Death in the Deep.” I interviewed several divers for this story, but I have never been scuba diving myself.

About Frances:

Frances Aylor is an avid traveler who has paraglided in Switzerland, climbed the Great Wall of China, gone white-water rafting in Costa Rica, and fished for piranha in the Amazon. Her most recent adventures include cruising the Greek Isles and exploring the amazing Frasassi Caves in Italy. Formerly an investment analyst, she now focuses on volunteering in her community, spending time with family and friends, and writing. A member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers, she won the Ingram Spark “Rising Star” award for her thriller Money Grab and was first runner up for the 2021 Claymore Award for Choosing Guilt. Her most recent short story, “Death in the Deep,” was published in June 2024 in the anthology First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder.

Let’s Be Social:

Website:    https://francesaylor.com/

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

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

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Grace Topping

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I’d like to welcome my friend, the wonderful Grace Topping, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you never want to run out of: My husband is from England, so he panics if we get low on milk for his tea. So I never want to run out of milk and have him going out in bad weather for milk.

Things you wish you’d never bought: I’m notorious for buying clothes on sale and then not liking them after I get home. I am frequently persuaded by the price and not the fit and appearance. They hang in my closet with the tags on them until I finally donate them.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Talk to most writers and they will tell you that the hardest thing about being a writer is not the writing—it’s promoting what they’ve written.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Is there anything easy about being a writer? I haven’t found it yet.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I’m not always successful at it, but I like to be in a position where I’m not stressed about other things that need to be done. I don’t have any rituals like having special treats around, music, etc. Occasionally, I’ll clear off my very paper-covered desk, which always helps me make progress in my writing.

Things that hamper your writing: Music playing. I need quiet to focus on what I’m writing.

Words that describe you: Committed. It took me ten years before my first book was published. I refused to give up.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Chunky. The problem with writing is that I do a lot of sitting, which doesn’t help me stay in the shape I’d like to be.

Favorite foods: Anything that I can sprinkle Pecorino-Romano cheese on. Love it.

Things that make you want to gag: The idea of eating octopus. It is such an intelligent creature that I can’t bear to see it on a menu.

Favorite music or song: I’m a fan of both rock music from the 60s and 70s and classical music. Play “Proud Mary” by Credence Clearwater Revival and I could hop out of a sick bed and dance.

Music that drives you crazy: I’m not a fan of country or rap.

Favorite smell: Natural fragrances like lavender and sandalwood.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Heavy perfumes.

Last best thing you ate: Leftovers from an Indian restaurant. I love Indian food but only if it isn’t too spicy.

Last thing you regret eating: A bowl of chocolate ice cream. I loved it, but I regret that it added to my waistline.

The last thing you ordered online: Doll baby furniture for my two-year-old granddaughter’s birthday.

The last thing you regret buying: The carton of chocolate ice cream mentioned above.

Things to say to an author: I loved your book.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I’d like to write a book. How hard can it be?

Favorite places you’ve been: My husband and I have had the good fortune to travel around a good portion of the world. Among my favorites are remote places that I never thought I would get to in a million years, such as Easter Island, Petra, Cape Horn, and Pitcairn.

Places you never want to go to again: I’m just not a beach person, so I can safely say that if I never went to the beach again, I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Favorite books (or genre): I write cozy mysteries, and I read a lot of them. But my favorite genre is historical mysteries. I like being taken into a different time period, especially ones that modern technology doesn’t interfere with the plot. For example, in a contemporary mystery, it is difficult to get a character into a situation without readers thinking, why doesn’t she pull out her cell phone and call for help.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’m not a fan of sci-fi, so I probably wouldn’t buy books in that genre. I definitely wouldn’t buy erotica.

About Grace:

USA Today bestselling author and Agatha Award finalist, Grace Topping is the author of the Laura Bishop Mystery Series. She is the former vice president of the Chesapeake Chapter of SINC, a steering committee member of the SINC Guppies, and member of MWA. She lives with her husband in Northern Virginia.

Grace Topping, a USA Today bestselling author and Agatha Award Finalist, is the author of the Laura Bishop Mystery Series. A recovering technical writer, she is now creating murder mysteries and killing off characters who remind her of some of the people she dealt with during her career. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Chessie Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the SINC Guppies, where she serves on the steering committee.

Let’s Be Social:

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

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Leah St. James

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I’d like to welcome my friend, the fabulous Leah St. James, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you never want to run out of: Black tea. I’m a tea-aholic, but don’t give me any of that sissy, fruit-flavored herbal stuff.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Our living room couch/loveseat set.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Quiet or white-noise type of background sounds.

Things that hamper your writing: Music I love—it’s too distracting; I end up dancing in my seat and forgetting I’m supposed to be writing.

Favorite foods: Anything with sugar and fat, especially if it’s fried.

Things that make you want to gag: Raw oysters. (I’m gagging now just thinking about them.)

Something you’re really good at: Writing scathing letters to the editor.

Something you’re really bad at: Public speaking.

Favorite music or song: Country rock or contemporary Christian.

Music that drives you crazy: Opera because it’s performed in other languages I don’t know.

Favorite smell: The ocean.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Gasoline or combustion engine exhaust.

The last thing you ordered online: Replacement seat cushions for the aforementioned couch/loveseat set.

The last thing you regret buying: Tuxedo cake for Father’s Day dessert…It was too good.

Things you always put in your books: Cats and food.

Things you never put in your books: Anything mechanical; I’m clueless.

Things to say to an author: “I loved your story. Where can I post a review?”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I wrote a book and it was easier than I thought!”

Favorite books (or genre): Romantic suspense and action thrillers.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Horror and fantasy.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: The heartbreak of infertility in Christmas Dance. While I had a happy ending, not everyone does.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: The BDSM lifestyle in Surrender to Sanctuary. I keep telling people, “This is not an autobiography!”

About Leah:

Leah St. James writes stories of good and evil, the mysteries of life, and the enduring power of love. Her published works span the genres from romantic suspense, mystery, and police procedurals to women’s fiction and even a children’s book.

A member of Sisters in Crime, Central Virginia Chapter, and the Alliance of Independent Authors, Leah is a native of the Central Jersey Shore but now lives in the Richmond area with her husband. Together they have two grown sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law and several grand-critters.

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Kristin Kisska

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I’d like to welcome my friend, the fabulous Kristin Kisska, to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: I can’t work without coffee and absolute silence.

Things that distract you from writing: Pretty much all things on the internet. I need to put parental controls on my office computer.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: A 9-volt battery to replace the dying one in my chirping smoke alarm. That’s usually the time it goes off as well.

Things you never put on your shopping list: Lumber. I’m not handy, so I have no business working with a hammer, nails, or wood.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: This is tough, because I buy just about everything online these days. But, one of my very first online purchases ever was my wedding dress back in 1999!

The thing you wished you’d never bought: I bought a monthly subscription plan for a streaming “commercial free” radio service for my car, that took months to finally terminate our subscription, and now I’m on their marketing mailing list.

Favorite snacks: Ice cream, especially Gelato. I just returned from visiting my daughter in Rome, so I’m trying to break my daily afternoon Gelato habit.

Things that make you want to gag: Olives. I can’t even pick them off a Greek salad, because they make all the rest of the ingredients taste like olives.

Something you’re really good at: Making lists and spreadsheets.

Something you’re really bad at: Remembering to bring along my shopping list with me to the grocery store.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: I never in a million years predicted I’d be a novelist, let alone publish one!

Things to say to an author: I couldn’t stop thinking about your book after it

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I have a great idea for a book. If you write it, we can split the profits.

Favorite places you’ve been: I adore Prague, Czech Republic where I lived for three years, the Amalfi Coast, Italy, and the Exuma, Bahamas. In the USA, I love visiting Destin, Florida, Savannah, and Charleston.

Places you never want to go to again: Ohhhhh, that’s tough, because I think most places have something charming to them. But if pressed, it would be tough to convince me to visit Las Vegas.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: In my twenties, I bought a one-way ticket to Prague and lived there for three years. My parents thought I was nuts, but it was the adventure of a lifetime.

Something you chickened out from doing: Skydiving. I don’t do heights. Ever.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: I love going to in person book events like festivals, conferences, and book clubs. While most writers are introverts—myself included—I get a rush chatting with book people.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: I wish I could learn how to write in quick bursts. I started out writing when my kiddos were napping or in preschool, and now I need a stretch of absolute quiet time or I can’t write.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “If I could, I would give your novel [The Hint of Light] six stars!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Did you hire a ghost writer?”

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: My go-to writer’s block cure is going for a walk. If that doesn’t work, I ask myself, “How can I make the situation worse for my main character?” And if all else fails, I enjoy an adult beverage. That usually helps ease through the pain.

Things you do to avoid writing: I can tell if I’m procrastinating if I start cleaning my home. That is my S.O.S. call!

About Kristin:

KRISTIN KISSKA used to be a finance geek, complete with MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed #SuspenseGirl. Kristin has contributed short suspense stories to a dozen anthologies, including her first locked room mystery, “Cruise to Nowhere” in the revenge fiction anthology, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder.  Her debut novel, The Hint of Light, was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Mystery Novel. Kristin is a member of International Thriller Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Sisters in Crime. Kristin lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family and their moody tabby cat, Boom. She loves hearing from friends, readers, and book clubs at www.KristinKisska.com

Let’s Be Social:

Instagram - @kristinkisskaauthor 

Twitter/X - @KKMHOO

Facebook - @KristinKisskaAuthor 

YouTube -  @KristinKisskaAuthor

Website - www.KristinKisska.com

Kristin’s short story, “Cruise to Nowhere” appears in the anthology, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder.

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Molly MacRae

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I’d like to welcome the fabulous Molly MacRae to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: My laptop or a writing implement (pen, pencil, crayon, paintbrush, stick, gouging tool, pudding, spaghetti sauce, melted chocolate, etc., though preferably not blood) and one of my notebooks or any scrap of paper or surface.

Things that hamper your writing: Life – it’s a constant tussle between the two, but the tussle will continue because I don’t plan to give up on either one anytime soon.

A few of your favorite things: Books, my husband’s paintings, pictures of my family, office supplies, craft and art supplies, Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate chips,

Things you need to throw out: Old shoes at the bottom of the closet, cardboard boxes stacked in the basement (some of them for years) because they look so useful, some junk in the basement and the garage (and I’ve found a junk hauler – hooray!)

Favorite foods: Dishes with basil (including basil ice cream), ginger, chickpeas, cilantro, cheese, mango, avocado, and chocolate.

Things that make you want to gag: Rice Krispies treats, oatmeal raisin cookies, any kind of drink like Kool Aid, Hawaiian Punch, of Gatorade.

Something you’re really good at: Cat whispering

Something you’re really bad at: Dusting and weeding

Things you always put in your books: Places I’ve lived and don’t get to visit as often as I’d like.

Things you never put in your books: Characters I wouldn’t want to know (although I’m suspicious of the villains).

Things you’d walk a mile for: Almost anything (we live within a mile of the library, grocery stores, drugstore, ice cream shop, hair cutter, park, hardware store, bakery)

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: fun house mirrors (they give me vertigo)

Favorite places you’ve been: Ocracoke Island, Washington Island, Iona (another island), Scotland, upper east Tennessee.

Places you never want to go to again: That one lane track that petered out on the edge of Buffalo Mountain in Tennessee, with the sheer drop on the driver’s side and the solid rock of the mountain on the passenger side, in the stick shift with 4 kids in the back and no place – no place – to turn around. I’ll be happy to walk up the mountain, though. Nice place.

Favorite things to do: Read, read to the grandchildren, write, cook, work crossword puzzles, walk, relax in the screen tent in the backyard.

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

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Thank you for the honor of being part of your writing world. You are amazing!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Do you mention any antique dental equipment in your books?”

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: When I managed a small independent bookstore an extremely frustrated parent came in looking for a book on their high school student’s summer reading list. They’d tried the library and the other bookstore and no one, NO ONE, had even heard of the author Evan Fromen. I went to a shelf and brought back a copy of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton and they went away happy. That made it into Lawn Order, a mystery with Margaret Welch, who’s a bookseller, and her sister Bitsy, who’s annoying.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Knitting skill. My skill lies only in knitting flat rectangular things.

About Molly:

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” In addition to the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, Molly writes the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch she writes books for Annie’s Fiction and Guideposts. Molly’s short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction.

Let’s Be Social: 

Website http://www.mollymacrae.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/molly.macrae.9/

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

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

X https://x.com/MysteryMacRae

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Sandra Murphy

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I’d like to welcome Sandra Murphy to the blot for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting started. I’m easily distracted by memes and odd facts when researching.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with ideas. See the comment about being easily distracted and odd facts—ideas come fast but the next one is apt to bump the current one and then…

Things you need for your writing sessions: My dog next to my desk. He’s my editor.

Things that hamper your writing: My dog. He’s a very particular editor and rewrites are his favorite edits. He also likes frequent breaks.  

A few of your favorite things: Being surrounded by bright colors, chocolate milk always available, a nice breeze, late night hours when it’s quiet.

Things you need to throw out: During Covid’s worst, cardboard boxes amassed. They need to move to another location. Recycled.

Favorite foods: Chocolate milk is an essential component of life, sweets of all kinds, blackberries, black cherries, chocolate anything.

Things that make you want to gag: oysters, escargot, peppers of all kinds, and anything that cooked, resembles how it looked in life.

Something you’re really good at: Staying up all night, starting to write at about midnight.
Something you’re really bad at: Going anywhere before one p.m. and that’s pushing it.

Things you always put in your books: Dogs, cats, strong women, clues and red herrings that start on page one and are explained in the twist at the end.
Things you never put in your books: Dogs and cats can be in jeopardy but are never killed or tortured.

Things to say to an author: That line you wrote? It’s going to be in my mind forever, such beautiful language.
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: That’s a nice hobby. What do you do for a real job?

Favorite places you’ve been: Greece and Crete, I felt at home the instant I was on Crete. Greece has the friendliest people.
Places you never want to go to again: Through four airports to get there.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Get out of my ‘real’ job but still receive all the benefits that were promised and start writing instead.
Biggest mistake: Trusting a friend who betrayed me.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Traveled to Italy and Greece, alone, no itinerary.
Something you chickened out from doing: At a stage play, the actors came into the audience and wanted to dance with people in the audience at the end of the show. I didn’t dance. I wish I did.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: What happens next?

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Write more. How hard can it be?

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Make jewelry for drag queens.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: A pair of pillowcases. No one told me not to use the full width of the fabric folded over. I had about 18” of more fabric than pillow.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: A pet sitter finds the homeowner hasn’t left for her trip yet. In the story, the owner was dead. In real life, she was running late.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: My character went to a coffee shop with a cool theme. Someone asked where it was, they wanted to go too. Sorry, it’s only in my imagination.

About Sandra:

Sandra Murphy lives in St. Louis, Missouri, south of the Gateway Arch and Anheuser-Busch, near the mighty Mississippi River. On a hot summer day, the smell of hops awakens her imaginary friends. They spin tall tales and she submits them as her own. Her short story, ‘Lucy’s Tree’, won a Derringer award in 2020.  Her latest efforts include ‘Room Service’ for Monkey Business: Crime Stories Inspired by the Films of the Marx Brothers, and editing Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the 60s and Happiness Is Listening to Your Dog Snore, a collection of quotes about dogs.