#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Emil Rem

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

Things I never want to run out of: Books and a radio.

Things I wish I’d never bought: Clay Greek urns that almost melted and discoloured when used as a vase.

A few of my favourite things: A type-written letter from my father- the only one I have.

A beige headband with black lettered message : Love from Baguio.

Things I need to throw away: All my accounting records.

Things I need for writing sessions: Peace and quiet.

Things that hamper my writing sessions: Too many ideas.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Believing in myself and believing I have something worthwhile to communicate.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing as a drug I cannot do without.

Words that describe me: Genius, funny, entertaining.

Words that describe me, but wish they didn’t: (as an accountant) Can’t add up. Talks too much. Maverick.

Something I’m good at: Captivating and charming people.

Something I’m really bad at: Accounting.

Things I always put in my books: Personal anecdotes and reflections.

Things I never put in my books: Boring stuff.

Favourite places I’ve been to: Cyprus, Zanzibar, Bahamas. (Notice, all islands in the sun.)

Places you never want to go again: New York in winter; Dar-es-Salaam,Tanzania.

Favourite books: The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie;

The Honourable Schoolboy - John Le Carre; Thank You Jeeves-P.G> Wodehouse.

Books I wouldn’t buy: Self-help books.

Best things I’ve ever done: Write. Travel.

Biggest mistake: Becoming an accountant.

The nicest thing a reader said to me: I like your book so much, I’m going to buy a 100 copies to give to my family and friends for Christmas (how I wish).

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Panning my book, telling me to retire before I published it. THEN, spending 30 minutes discussing a character in my book he didn’t like…SHEESH.

About Emil:

Emil Rem—an eccentric accountant, has become a writer of eccentric characters in exotic locales—using his stories to take us on a trip into his fascinating twisted world. Born to a close-knit, Muslim, East Indian family in Dar-es-Salam in the 50’s, he then moved to Maidenhead, England at the age of five. The next twenty years were spent shuttling between England and East Africa—attending Christian church wearing a St. Christopher’s Cross one minute, to wearing a green armband at Muslim religious classes in Africa the next. These days, Emil and his wife (originally from the Philippines) live in Calgary, Canada. They have two sons.

More information can be found at:  Meet Emil Rem | Author

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Steffanie Costigan

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

Hardest thing about being a writer: For myself the hardest thing about being a writer is my struggle with my learning disability having dyslexia makes me take longer than the normal writer luckily, I have tools to help me work with my dyslexia.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with stories; I am really an outside of the box thinker and it helps me develop unique ideas and takes on stories.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My phone and other devices that help me write despite my dyslexia. Music is another thing I find helpful and for my own comfort a nice warm drink next to me.

Things that hamper your writing: Hehe well I am a mother of four kids ages ranging from eight to three months; so, as you can imagine at times it’s not easy.

Things you always put in your books: I enjoy writing mainly in first person perspective. You will notice that style in a lot of my books.

Things you never put in your books: Steamy romance hehe, not my style.

Things to say to an author: Tell me about your book, or how did you come up with such and such for your book?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I have never heard of your book, just joking hehe. “There is not enough steamy romance in your book.” Not all books are steamy romance just a heads up to the steamy romance lovers. Just because characters fall in love doesn’t mean there has to be steamy romance.

Favorite places you’ve been: Australia Adelaide! Met my husband there.

Places you never want to go to again: Hehe Alberta Canada during a blizzard.

Favorite books (or genre): I like fantasy reads, history, murder mystery, utopian. But some books that I have read as a kid have still stayed close to my heart such as Where the Red Fern Grows, The Whipping Boy, Last Unicorn, Tuck Everlasting. I really liked the Phantom of the Opera as a teenager.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Mommy porn books hehe; not my jam.

Favorite things to do: Write Hehe, I enjoy painting, spending time with my family.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Hehe nothing, I would not run through a fire or eat bugs to avoid doing anything. I just simply wouldn’t do it. But somethings I don’t enjoy doing is the never ending dishes they are despicable.

Best thing you’ve ever done: I have accomplished a lot but for me the best thing I feel I did was marry my husband.

Biggest mistake: Not finishing high school. After high school education cost a lot of money, so I invested a lot for up grading in post-secondary. Wish I was able to finish in high school but unfortunately my circumstances made it difficult for me.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: When I was a young girl, I was such a risk taker. Being around 18 at the time I free climbed up this mountain with no climbing gear and one of the rocks I stepped off of collapsed just as I stepped off of it near the top. Definitely not recommended.

Something you chickened out from doing: It’s funny cause I was a crazy risk taker as a teen to young adult. After having my first child something just clicked in me, and I don’t know why but I became so scared and cautious. So going to this place full of rides I chickened out of going on this roller coaster with my husband, and I would not let him go on it either for fear the roller coaster would crash and everyone die. But in my defense that roller coaster does have a reputation, and it was shut down for years due to the roller coaster going off the track and everyone on it dying. I believe it happened in the 1970s or 80s and it was at West Edmonton Mall in Galaxy Land.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Something that really touch me was a reader that was recovering from surgery in the hospital shared with me despite the pain they were in they found hope from reading my book Land of the Dragon. It really touched my heart.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Oh gosh, I can’t go into details fully because of how messed up the email was but basically a gross man making sexual comments towards me. He got blocked really fast.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I am an artist, so I really enjoy painting and drawing. I also am involved in theater mainly directing and play writing.

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

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: Well, this is a bit graphic but it’s from a true story. In my book Land of the Dragon there is a scene that my main protagonist female character Eleanor being in the setting of Nazi Germany 1940s comes across some children throwing pebbles into the open mouth of a corpse. This is a true story growing up my next-door neighbors were immigrant from Germany and lived in their youth during World War II in Germany and they told me how desensitized the kids were and how normal it was to see kids poking or throwing rocks into the open mouth of a dead corpse. So that was something I added into my book to really pain the scene of how awful that time was.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: I don’t think I have had someone think a story was related to myself yet.

About Steffanie:

Steffanie Costigan holds a strong passion for writing despite her severe disability with dyslexia. She has previously released a historic fantasy Land of the Dragon an award-winning novel, and children’s book “A Stony Gaze,” and her new children’s book coming out in December Crazy Potatoes. She hopes to release many more books in the future.

She resides in Canada, where she was born and raised with her husband and four children. Steffanie is a journalist and hopes to continue her passion for writing books and her dream of continuing as a journalist. Steffanie studied creative writing and took her program in digital communications and media at Lethbridge Polytechnic.

She hopes her writing will resonate with people and inspire those that read her writings. Her passion for writing started at the young age of three years old; She has written a couple of plays. Steffanie also wrote “A Stony Gaze” in a play format and had the opportunity to direct it in 2021.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Mary Dutta

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I’d like to welcome the amazing Mary Dutta to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you never want to run out of: coffee and half-and-half

Things you wish you’d never bought: The air fryer collecting dust in the closet

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting plot twists right

Easiest thing about being a writer: Brainstorming the start of a new story

A few of your favorite things: Mechanical pencils, yellow legal pads

Things you need to throw out: All the annual planners I never used

Favorite foods: Any variation on pork and potatoes

Things that make you want to gag: oysters

Something you’re really good at: Teaching

Something you’re really bad at: Directions

Favorite music or song: Anything I can sing along to

Music that drives you crazy: Anything electronic

Favorite smell: Lilacs

Something that makes you hold your nose: Roses

Things you always put in your books: Humor

Things you never put in your books: intense violence

Favorite books (or genre): Nowadays, mysteries. Back in the day, Victorian novels

Books you wouldn’t buy: Horror or anything graphically violent

Favorite things to do: Reading, cooking, hanging out with the people I love

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Camping (which I imagine includes running through a fire and eating bugs)

Best thing you’ve ever done: Having my kids

Biggest mistake: Waiting too long to start writing fiction

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Designed classes so I get to teach on cool things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: The novel that lives in a drawer

About Mary:

Mary Dutta is the winner of the New England Crime Bake Al Blanchard Award for her short story “The Wonderworker,” which appears in Masthead: Best New England Crime Stories. Her work can also be found in numerous anthologies including the Anthony-nominated Land of 10,000 Thrills: Bouchercon Anthology 2022. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives outside of Birmingham, Alabama (the Magic City) and teaches at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Visit her at marydutta.com and enjoy her blog at Writers Who Kill.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Allison Brook/Marilyn Levinson

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I would like to welcome my friend and author, Allison Brook/Marilyn Levinson back to the blog.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Sudoku puzzles

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: clear off the desk next to my computer.

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

Things that distract you from writing: one of the kitties nudging me because he wants food

Hardest thing about being a writer: sitting down to write each day

Easiest thing about being a writer: chatting with readers on Facebook

Favorite snacks: dark chocolate; chocolate gelato, honeyed walnuts (I make them)

Things that make you want to gag: cooked cereal

Something you’re really good at: knitting

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

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: ride a horse

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Have four publishers.

Last best thing you ate: steak

Last thing you regret eating: too much chocolate

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

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I don't like your protagonist.

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

Places you never want to go to again: An amusement park with wild rides. Those days are over.

Favorite things to do: dine out; go to the ballet; read a good book; take a river cruise

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: go camping --I'm not talking about your glamping, but I remember it raining and water coming into the tent.

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: Reread the last ten pages of your Work in Progress and see where you veered off the track.

Things you do to avoid writing: Where shall I begin? Check my e-mails; take care of all non-essential writer-ly chores; visit Facebook; see how my books are doing on Amazon; on Barnes & Noble; feed the cats.

About Allison:

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

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I dreamed of becoming a ballerina or a writer. I practiced my pirouettes and penned short stories. My family moved to Long Island, where I continued to write stories until I was discouraged by a high school English teacher.

Turned off to writing, I continued to read voraciously in college and concentrated on my major, Spanish. I studied in Mexico and Spain, intent on becoming fluent in the language. I taught high school Spanish, married my dentist husband, and we started a family. When our two sons were small, I found myself drawn back to writing fiction.

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

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.marilynlevinson.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10

Twitter/X: https://x.com/marilynlevinson

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Sheryl Jordan

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I’d like to welcome my friend, Sheryl Jordan, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you never want to run out of: I never want to run out of Toilet paper, coffee, and wine.

Things you wish you had never bought: In 1991, I wish I had never bought a 1975 Jeep Wagoner.

The hardest part about being a writer is the many rounds of editing required to create the “perfect story.”

Easiest thing about being a writer: The easiest thing about being a writer is creating characters.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need my laptop, coffee or wine (depending on the time of day), and the internet.

Things that hamper your writing: Procrastination, distractions from family.

A few of your favorite things: I love fresh ground French Roast coffee with hazelnut creamer in the mornings, a glass (or two or three) of chilled Chardonnay in the evenings, and spending time with family and friends anytime.

Things you need to throw out: I need to throw out shoes and clothes I’ve had for over ten years, which I will never wear again.

Words that describe you: Loving, caring, considerate, fun to be around. creative

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Procrastinator, dramatic (according to my daughter 😊).

Favorite foods: My favorite food is grilled medium well ribeye steaks with a garden salad topped with olive oil and fresh ground pepper.

Things that make you want to gag: Things that make me want to gag are liver and salmon

Favorite smell: My favorite smells are green peppers, onions, and celery being sauteed, the smell of rain before it actually rains, and most flowers.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Spoiled milk.

Things you always put in your books: I always put a murder in my books.

Things you never put in your books: Mystical creatures.

Things to say to an author: I loved your story and characters.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I hate your story.

People you’d like to invite to dinner: President Barrack and First Lady Michelle Obama.

People you’d cancel dinner on: People who are arrogant, egotistical, or self-centered people.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I just read your story, and all I have to say is keep on writing. It was a great story, and I loved your characters.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Your book was really good and should be made into a movie, but I don’t like the ending. You should have changed the ending.” Me: My novel was inspired by actual events.”, Reader: “I guess that wouldn’t have worked then.”

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Designed our family room remodel at our prior home. It was beautiful. We sold our house two months later.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: When I was a teenager, I liked to sew. My father asked me to make one of his long-sleeved dress shirts short-sleeved. I cut the sleeves off too much, and it looked like a dressy muscle shirt.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: My story, “Stalked By Her Past”, in the First Come Love, Then Comes Murder anthology, a character is stalked by a man for months. He keeps watching her house and following her. I experienced an incident just as creepy when a man I didn’t know was watching me while working at home during the Covid shutdown. I scared him off when I looked up and screamed. I went to the front door to ensure it was locked, and he ran off. He returned three more times that we know about, and I’m sure he approached me at Walgreens a few blocks from my home a couple of weeks later.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Some think I drive a Mercedes Benz because it is my car of choice for most of my main characters. I don’t and never have…yet. 😊

About Sheryl:

Sheryl Jordan is a fictional mystery author. She wrote Manipulation, Money, and Murder, a fictional novel based on true crimes. She has stories in Virginia for Mysteries III, Coastal Crimes, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, and several stories in anthologies coming soon. Sheryl is currently working on a female truck driver mystery series. By day, she is a mutual funds accountant and corporate reporter. In her “spare time,” she enjoys traveling, watching professional football and basketball, and spending time with family. She resides in a small town in Virginia with her family.

Let’s Be Social:

Author website: https://sheryl-jordan.com/

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

Twitter/X: https://x.com/SherylJ79644

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

#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.

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