#WriterWednesday Interview with Millicent Eidson

I’d like to welcome my fellow Guppy, Millicent Eidson, to the blog today for #WriterWednesday!

Favorite things to do when you have free time: Workshop with my fellow authors and take writing classes. Go for walks, take photos, and work out on gym weight machines.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Nothing. I’m a fanatic about getting everything done early so it’s not weighing on me.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Music (usually classical without words to avoid interrupting the writing) and diluted cranberry juice.

Things that distract you from writing: Not much, I’m fairly focused.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Marketing.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Editing my drafts. It’s fun to polish the diamonds and see them shine.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: Dark chocolate in volume—I’m addicted.

Something you’re really good at: Writing the first draft, but the third novel about coronavirus has been tough, recreating what the scientists knew when.

Something you’re really bad at: Taking the plunge to spend money on advertising.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: A dancer or an actor.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Being a Mom, achieved through adoption of an abandoned infant in China, and creating a fictional heroine in her honor.

Something you wish you could do: I’m counting the days until local COVID rates are low enough to restart volunteer teaching with little kids.

Last best thing you ate: Any cake from Mirabelle’s, a miracle bakery in Vermont.

Things to say to an author: Can we talk about your book?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: You spent a huge amount of time on the writing workshop edits I requested, but I’m not going to use them—my publisher won’t care about minor things like head-hopping.

Favorite places you’ve been: Growing up in the Southwest was the best—that’s why it dominates the initial novels in my mystery series. But my main character heads off to other locations I’ve enjoyed, including London, Norway, Portugal, Morocco, and China.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Tess Gerritsen, medical thriller and romantic suspense author.

Most embarrassing moment: A panic attack during a guest talk and I lost my voice.

The funniest thing that happened to you on vacation: In an Australian national park, a cockatoo landed on my husband’s shoulder and tried to bite off his mustache.

Proudest moment: Being chosen by my peers for the 2013 American Veterinary Medical Association Public Service Award.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Bringing public health and mysterious microbes to life through compelling characters.

About Millicent:

Millicent Eidson is the author of the alphabetical Maya Maguire microbial mystery series. The MayaVerse at https://drmayamaguire.com includes prequels, “El Chinche” in Danse Macabre and “What’s Within” in Fiction on the Web, and a side story, “Pérdida” in El Portal Literary Journal. Author awards include Best Play in Synkroniciti and Honorable Mention from the Arizona Mystery Writers.

Dr. Eidson’s work as a public health veterinarian and epidemiologist began with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and continued at the New Mexico and New York state health departments. She is a public health faculty member at the University at Albany and the University of Vermont, and secretary for the Burlington Writers Workshop https://burlingtonwritersworkshop.com/ .

Let’s Be Social:

Amazon.com: Millicent Eidson: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

 Millicent Eidson (Author of Anthracis) | Goodreads

 (1) Millicent Eidson (@EidsonMillicent) / Twitter

 Millie Eidson (@drmayamaguire) • Instagram photos and videos

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/eidsonmillicent/

Book Links:

Millicent Eidson (books2read.com)

Anthracis: A Microbial Mystery a book by Millicent Eidson (bookshop.org)

Anthracis: A Microbial Mystery (MayaVerse Book 1) - Kindle edition by Eidson, Millicent. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Anthracis: A Microbial Mystery eBook by Millicent Eidson - 9781955481014 | Rakuten Kobo United States

Anthracis: A Microbial Mystery by Millicent Eidson, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Monuments: A Ten-Minute Play by Millicent Eidson | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

About the Book:

Anthracis is the debut novel in an alphabetical series featuring Maya Maguire, medical detective, in her journey as an Asian American veterinarian solving microbial mysteries.

The spectacular southwestern desert is alive with Bacillus anthracis spores, and the summer is the hottest on record. As a new veterinary epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Maya Maguire confronts the largest, most complex anthrax outbreak in U.S. history.

Infections in persons of color and immigration activists resonate with Maya’s search, as a Chinese American adoptee, for a place in her American home. Younger than her fellow trainees and battling panic disorder from a horrific childhood accident, she struggles to solve an epidemic mystery in a physician-dominated public health world. From her home base in New Mexico, CDC sends her to join a federal team in Arizona, including provocative physician Dr. Manolo Miranda and tightlipped veterinarian Dr. Dave Schwartz.

The epidemic is linked to climate change—that’s the party line. But Homeland Security agents and the FBI are suspicious. Dave’s an anthrax expert and spores match his home Texas Triangle of Death.

An invisible enemy, team secrets, and romantic missteps may derail Maya’s confidence. If she can’t find the source, thousands could perish from anthrax-laced heroin and tainted milk. Anthracis takes us to the front lines with scientists betting their lives and relationships on the investigation outcome.

Praise for the Books of Millicent Eidson

“Dr. Eidson's medical thriller serves up unique and carefully drawn characters, fascinating and chillingly realistic threats, and enough Happily For Now resolutions to satisfy any women's fiction or romantic suspense fan. You won't want to miss this new entrant into the genre. I hope the author is busy writing the next book in this engaging series.” – Barbara Hinskey, USA Today Bestselling Author of Paws & Pastries

“Anthracis is one of those books that come out of left field and grab your attention so fast you've read chapters before reality interrupts. Don't let the scientific title put you off, this is a top-rate thriller with endless twists and even more captivating surprises!” – Ingrid Foster, author of My Father’s Magic: An Esme Bohlin Novel

“This medical thriller takes the stakes to new heights because of the NUMBER of lives affected.” – Donna Van Braswell, author of Daughter of the Ancients

“Synkroniciti is thrilled to award our first ever short play award to Dr. Millicent Eidson for her delightfully quirky and thought-provoking play Monuments . . . By turns funny, poignant and eye-opening, Monuments presents us with nuanced and three-dimensional characters rather than stereotypes.” – Synkroniciti.

#WriterWednesday Interview with Kerry Cox

I ‘d like to welcome back author, Kerry Cox, to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Gipsy Kings on shuffle. Two uninterrupted hours (almost never happens). Beer helps.

Things that hamper your writing: Too many cats. Really good weather. Household chores.

Things you love about writing: The rewrite phase where I’m going sentence by sentence, trimming, tweaking, finding the right verb, making dialog real.

Things you hate about writing: I wish it didn’t involve so much sitting.

Hardest thing about being a writer: By far, the fact that we have to be responsible for so much of our own marketing,

Easiest thing about being a writer: The actual writing. That part comes easy.

Something you’re really good at: Landscaping, especially stone work. I love working with stone.

Something you’re really bad at: Astrophysics. Never got the hang of it.

Something you wish you could do: Speak multiple languages.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I never regret learning anything.

Something you like to do: I’m physically active, and play a variety of sports. I’ll play damn near anything if there’s a ball and a score involved.

Something you wish you’d never done: Ice skate. That was a humiliating experience I could easily have lived without.

Last best thing you ate: My own recipe for sweet/hot chicken wings, done in an air fryer, crispy and delicious.

Last thing you regret eating: Panda Express. That didn’t end well.

Things you always put in your books: Sharply drawn, realistic characters. That’s the goal, anyway.

Things you never put in your books: Dream sequences. I hate reading them, so I don’t write them.

Things to say to an author: “I couldn’t put it down.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I don’t buy books, I just get them at the library.”

Favorite places you’ve been: Too many to mention, all here in the U.S. Other than Mexico and Costa Rica, I’ve never been out of the country.

Places you never want to go to again: Florida. ‘Nuff said.

Favorite books (or genre): Favorite genre is crime fiction, but my favorite book of all time is “A Confederacy of Dunces,” by John Kennedy Toole.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Fantasy. Romance. And there is a handful of very successful crime fiction/thriller writers who, in my opinion, are unreadable. But what do I know, they’re the ones in the airport bookstore racks, not me.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: I’ve worked with a number of celebrities in the course of my career as a TV advertising scriptwriter. The nicest, most down-to-earth was Alex Trebek. Marie Osmond would come in a close second. Just a sweetheart of a guy.

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

Let’s Be Social:

https://kerrykcox.com

Kerry Cox | Facebook

(3) Walkingbird Creative (@WalkingbirdKC) / Twitter

#WriterWednesday Interview with Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell

I’m so excited to welcome one of my favorite authors, Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell back to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

First, thanks so much for inviting me over to This or That Thursday, Heather! I’m delighted to be here, and I hope readers keep going to the end (hint – there’s a giveaway!).

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Read a mystery while sipping wine.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Going through boxes of mementos from the past so my sons won’t have to do it later. I linger, I can’t make decisions, and I wind up paralyzed. So I close the box and put it back on its shelf.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: That’s easy – I will never run to the store at midnight unless a baby is sick!

Things you never put on your shopping list: Rice-a-Roni, Bisquik, Hamburger Helper – anything that’s a shortcut to real food.

Favorite snacks: Dove Dark Minis, Cape Cod reduced-fat potato chips, and freshly popped popcorn with salt.

Things that make you want to gag: Raw squid on sushi, raw oysters, and raw onions. I guess it’s a raw thing!

Something you’re really good at: Making a perfect pie crust and growing sweet gold cherry tomatoes.

Something you’re really bad at: Anagrams. I love crossword puzzles and Scrabble, but I can’t anagram on the fly.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: A teenager. Is that the weirdest aspiration you’ve ever heard of, or what?

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: I never dreamed I would have a career writing stories that people love to read – and make decent money doing it, too.

Something you wish you could do: Sing beautifully or play a musical instrument –

beyond the kazoo.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Um…oops. I can’t think of anything I’ve learned to do that I regretted.

Last best thing you ate: My own chocolate-chip banana bread – yum!

Last thing you regret eating: That handful of crackers that were a bit stale but I was so hungry, I ate them anyway.

Things to say to an author: “Your book got my through my mom’s surgery/my weeklong stay in the hospital/the latest quarantine after a COVID exposure/a tough time in my life.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I have this great idea for a book – why don’t you write it for us?”

Favorite places you’ve been: Rural Japan, Sequoia National Park, western Puerto Rico (where my younger son lives).

Places you never want to go to again: Las Vegas! It’s American culture at its worst.

Favorite things to do: Gaze at my sons’ faces, walk on a quiet trail in nature, and cross-country ski on a fresh snow.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Argue politics with my neighbors – or anyone, really.

Best thing you’ve ever done: I raised two fine sons, who are now happy, healthy, productive adults. It’s the best and hardest job I’ve ever had.

Biggest mistake: Not joining Sisters in Crime earlier than I did.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: When I was young and brave and living on a shoestring, I hitchhiked from San Francisco to Orange County with a friend and my sister, from Michigan to California with a woman I met on a ride board, and in northern Japan alone. And I survived!

Something you chickened out from doing: Visiting Italy without much notice (and therefore, not much planning) for a relative’s wedding. I still regret that.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Being nominated for an Agatha award, being recognized for it, and winning it. I’ve had the honor to have books nominated eight times, but Charity’s Burden winning Best Historical Novel two years ago was such a thrill.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: I’d like to have started earlier. I have SO many stories to tell, and I’m not getting any younger.

Readers: What’s the most exciting thing about your job – or your life? Include your email address, because I’ll send one lucky commenter a signed copy of Batter Off Dead, my newest mystery, which released yesterday!

In South Lick, Indiana, fine foods and classic cookware can be found at Robbie Jordan’s Pans ’N Pancakes. Unfortunately, her country store also seems to stock up on murder . . .

Robbie and her new husband Abe O’Neill are enjoying a summer evening in the park with fellow townsfolk excited for some Friday night fireworks. In attendance are senior residents from Jupiter Springs Assisted Living including Roy Bird, father to South Lick’s very own Police Lieutenant Buck Bird. Despite his blindness, Roy is a member of his group home’s knitting circle, spending quality time with some lovely ladies.

But when the lightshow ends, one of the knitters who sat with Roy is found dead, a puncture wound in her neck. The poor woman’s death echoes that of Buck’s mother and Roy’s wife—an unsolved homicide. To help find the killer, Robbie’s going to have to untangle the knotty relationships deep in the victim’s past . . .

About Maddie:

Maddie Day pens the Country Store Mysteries and Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries. As Agatha Award-winning author Edith Maxwell, she writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries, the Local Foods Mysteries, and short crime fiction. Day/Maxwell lives with her beau north of Boston, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

Find her at EdithMaxwell.com, wickedauthors.com, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, and on social media:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

#WriterWednesday Interview with Jackie Layton

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Jackie Layton to the blog for #WriterWednesday. I love this series!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: I love to hang out at the beach, and we now live withing five minutes of the beach. I enjoy walking, looking for shells, watching for dolphins, and just sitting and reading a good book.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: In my job as a pharmacist, I’ve spent hours on the phone. At home, I’ll put off making a phone call as long as possible (except to my family).

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: I write better if I’m showered and dressed for the day. I must have coffee or tea beside me.

Things that distract you from writing: Heinz, my Westie, likes to distract me. Social media is also distracting, especially if I’m stuck on a plot point.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Not getting your feelings hurt. You’ve got to be able to deal with rejection and criticism.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Brainstorming is the easiest and most fun thing about writing.

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

Things you never put on your shopping list: Jerky. I don’t even like the smell of it.

Favorite snacks: Pretzels or pecans.

Things that make you want to gag: It’s one of my husband’s favorite snacks, but Nacho Cheese Doritos make me want to gag.

Something you’re really good at: I feel like I’m a good encourager. I love to encourage people to follow their dreams, and I’ll cheer them on to victory.

Something you’re really bad at: Confrontation.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: My dad was a pharmacist, and he inspired me.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: I always dreamed of being an author but didn’t believe I could write. Finally, I decided I’d regret not trying. It took years, but it has been a thrill to get published.

Last best thing you ate: A chocolate Parlor donut. It’s a layered croissant with chocolate glaze.

Last thing you regret eating: Beef stew. Don’t ask for details. Haha

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a vacation: I was in the ocean on another beach vacation and got a hooked stuck in my toe. It was a big hook with lots of weights hanging off it. The tide was coming in, and the weights got buried under the sand, and I couldn’t life my foot. Finally, another wave came and I could life my foot, but all the weights were dangling and pulling against my skin. Two people helped me get to the beach. Everyone walking by had a suggestion for how to get it out, and they all sounded painful. A beach cop came on his golf cart and drove me to the nearest exit from the beach. My husband drove me to the emergency room wearing my swimsuit and a coverup.

The funniest thing that happened to you on vacation: We ate at our favorite restaurant on vacation. You walk in, order, leave your name, and pay on the way out. Our young son said we should be creative and not leave our boring name. So, we said Superman. The lady taking our order laughed and wrote down Superman. Hours later, we were sitting on the beach, and my husband asked if I’d paid for lunch. We both forgot and had to drive back to the restaurant and pay for Superman’s lunch.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Signing with my wonderful agent Dawn Dowdle was the most exciting thing. She’s nice and down to earth, and she’s great at her job.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Before meeting Dawn, I had another agent string me along for over two years. She had me change multiple stories and kept saying I needed to write more like one of her authors. I wasted a lot of time believing that agent would sign me.

About the Book:

When a scavenger hunt turns up a dead body, dog walker Andi Grace Scott will have to make a dogged effort to collar the culprit . . .

Setting out for a day of fun on her town’s first-ever scavenger hunt, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott is dismayed to find an unattended dog wandering the streets—but that’s nothing compared to the shock she gets when she finds a dead man floating in the swimming pool of the dog’s owner. What’s more, she’d seen the very same man having a very public altercation with his wife just the night before. Despite being warned off the case by the local sheriff, Andi Grace can’t help nosing around to find out who’s behind the foul deed.

It turns out the victim was a well-known radio personality who focused on cold-case investigations and was rumored to be breaking a huge story on his next show. As Andi Grace digs deeper to learn who may have wanted him dead, she’s faced with a suspect list that includes a cold-hearted widow who stands to inherit a bundle, a local country star with family demons to hide, and any number of unknown criminals who may have been the focus of the victim’s big reveal. Whether the motive was love gone bad, a career under duress, or a killer’s deadly secret, Andi Grace knows she’ll have to act fast before she becomes the next cold case herself . . .

Praise for the Books of Jackie Layton

“Andi Grace is adorable, resilient, and has a doggedly curious need to solve a murder. A pleasure to read.” —C. Hope Clark, award-winning author of Edisto Tidings

“Completely charming—and exactly what a cozy mystery should be. Amateur sleuth (and dog whisperer) Andi Grace Scott is wonderfully endearing, and her devotion to her pooches—and to justice—will have you rooting for her from the absolutely irresistible page one.  Bow wow—What a terrific debut!”  —Hank Phillippi Ryan, nationally best-selling and award-winning author of  The Murder List

“I promptly fell head over heels for this cast of characters, and the dogs burrowed quickly into my heart. The plot of Bite the Dust was intriguing and complex, with plenty of surprising twists and turns. What impressed me the most, though, was the warm tone of the author’s writing voice . . . you just want to snuggle in and keep reading.” —MeezCarrie

About Jackie:

Former Kentuckian Jackie Layton loves her new life in the Low Country. She enjoys time on the beach, despite one vacation that ended with cracked ribs from riding her boogie board with the kids and another trip that ended with a fish hook in her foot and a trip to the emergency room. There’s nothing like time at the beach, although she tends to be a bit more cautious these days. Jackie is the author of four Low Country Dog Walker Mysteries, including Bite the Dust, Dog-Gone Dead, Bag of Bones, and Caught and Collared.

 Let’s Be Social:

Former Kentuckian Jackie Layton loves her new life in the Low Country. She enjoys time on the beach, despite one vacation that ended with cracked ribs from riding her boogie board with the kids and another trip that ended with a fish hook in her foot and a trip to the emergency room. There’s nothing like time at the beach, although she tends to be a bit more cautious these days. Jackie is the author of four Low Country Dog Walker Mysteries, including Bite the Dust, Dog-Gone Dead, Bag of Bones, and Caught and Collared.

 Let’s Be Social:

Jackie Layton Caught and Collared available Feb 15 (@Joyfuljel) / Twitter

https://www.facebook.com/JackieLaytonAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/Joyfuljel

https://www.instagram.com/jackielaytonauthor

https://amzn.to/2Z8VsMp

https://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com/ 

Book links:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q97LD5M?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-and-collared-jackie-layton/1140871860?ean=2940161056226

Google Play:  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jackie_Layton_Caught_and_Collared?id=IdJYEAAAQBAJ&hl=en

Apple iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/caught-and-collared/id1604628619 

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/caught-and-collared-1

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1126350

#WriterWednesday Interview with Jennifer Bee

I’d like to welcome author, Jennifer Bee, to the blog for a holiday edition of #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite traditions: On Christmas Eve, after dinner, everyone gathers in the living room and starts singing Christmas carols. Santa bursts through the front door, carrying a bag full of presents. Every kid gets a gift—old and young alike.

Something holiday-related that you’ll never do again: Agree to be Grandma in the school Christmas pageant no matter how desperate the music teacher is to fill the spot.

Favorite holiday song: “Mary Did You Know”

Holiday song that always gets stuck in your head for the wrong reason: “The Twelve Days Of Christmas.” My novel The Killing Carol is about a widow who has received a note, “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, the reason your husband had to die.” Each day of Christmas brings a new stanza with a new clue. Now the song is always playing in my head. Always.

Favorite holiday treat: My mom’s wreath-shaped, Cornflake cookies.

A holiday treat that makes you gag: Pickled herring.

Favorite holiday show or movie: Christmas With The Kranks

A holiday show or movie that you’ve seen too much: A Christmas Story

Favorite holiday beverage: Hot cocoa with whip cream and marshmallows.

A drink that gives you a sour face: Eggnog

Favorite holiday smell: Cinnamon

Something that makes you hold your nose: Potato soup

Favorite holiday candy: Anything chocolate

A holiday candy that gives you a pickle face: Mint-flavored gummies

Best holiday memory: When the kids made a giant slingshot out of Grandma’s bras and shot wrapping paper balls at everyone.

Something you’d rather forget: When my brother-in-law had a few too many spirits, curled up, and fell asleep in the manger outside Midnight Mass.

Best holiday gift ever: Teddy Ruxpin

Something you wished for but never received: A Cabbage Patch Kid with a pacifier.

Best holiday gift you gave to someone: I gave my kids a puppy. Nacho – because that is Not-cho chihuahua.

A gift that needs regifting: Nacho. 😊

Best thing you ever cooked/baked for the holidays: Grandma Daisy’s Lazy Man Pierogi

Your worst holiday kitchen disaster: When my daughter was making cookies and the handheld mixer started on fire.

Favorite place you spent the holidays: Walt Disney World with the family.

The worst place to spend the holidays: Home- Christmas 2020- due to COVID restrictions. I cannot wait to see everyone this year!! Merry Christmas!

About Jennifer:

Jennifer Bee resides near the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband, two children, and house full of pets. Prior to becoming a full-time author, she worked in marketing and owned an advertising agency. Jennifer is the author of the Anna Greenan Mystery Series published by Level Best Books. She is represented by The Blue Ridge Literary Agency. 

To learn more and stay in touch, please follow Jennifer on social media: Facebook - @AuthorJenniferBee, Instagram - @AuthorJenniferBee, Twitter - @AuthorJenniferB. 

Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.AuthorJenniferBee.com

Facebook: Jennifer Bee | Facebook  

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/AuthorJenniferB 

#WriterWednesday Interview with Meredith Stoddard

I’d like to welcome author, Meredith Stoddard to the blog for the holiday edition of #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite traditions: Until the last couple of years we have always spent Christmas at my grandmother’s house in North Carolina. We have a lot of traditions associated with it; church on Christmas Eve, followed by visiting with extended family, walking around the block to the neighbor’s light show.

Something holiday-related that you’ll never do again: Santa hats. For the last few years we have taken a picture of the extended family in front of the family home wearing ridiculous Santa hats. I think we would all like to give up that tradition, but Granny loves them.

Favorite holiday song: “Angels We Have Heard on High”. I just love singing it.

Holiday song that always gets stuck in your head for the wrong reason: “Mary Did You Know?” It gets stuck because it’s so repetitive. But for years the minister and my family’s church in North Carolina used to grace us with his comically bad solo rendition of it EVERY Christmas Eve. I have terrible memories of that.

Favorite holiday treat: Coconut pie. It’s not exactly a holiday treat, but we always had one at the holidays, so it's a holiday treat for us.

A holiday treat that makes you gag: Does anyone really consider fruit cake a treat?

Favorite holiday show or movie: Any Hallmark Christmas romance. I’m a sucker for them. I watch them while wrapping presents, and endure constant teasing from my family but I don’t care. I’ll never give them up.

A holiday show or movie that you’ve seen too much: A Christmas Story. It’s great. It’s a classic. I’m just over it.

Favorite holiday beverage: Hot Chocolate, spiced cider, mulled wine...Bonus if the hot chocolate and cider have whiskey in them.

A drink that gives you a sour face: Egg Nog, not even whiskey can save that holiday sludge.

Favorite holiday smell: All the earthy ones like evergreens, spices, poinsettias, and wood smoke.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Collard greens. I love eating them, but can’t stand the smell of cooking them.

Favorite holiday candy: Anything chocolate

A holiday candy that gives you a pickle face: Nougat, not a fan.

Best holiday gift you gave to someone: A few years ago, I gathered up old family photos from my grandmother’s house. I organized them by decade going back to a baby picture of my grandmother from 1918. I also scanned them so we would have them electronically. Then I decorated a wooden chest and filled it with the newly organized photos and gave it back to my grandmother for Christmas. It took a lot of time to sort and identify everyone in the photos, but it was well worth it.

A gift that needs regifting: Sweaters, Not just the ugly Christmas ones. I’m just not a sweater person.

Best thing you ever cooked/baked for the holidays: Peppermint meringues. I love making meringues in all flavors, but the peppermint ones just say holidays.

Your worst holiday kitchen disaster: Not sure if it counts as a kitchen disaster so much as a dinner table disaster. One Thanksgiving, just as we were putting the last of the meal on the table, the globe from their light fixture fell and shattered, spraying glass all over the food.

Favorite place you spent the holidays: Until last year, I have only ever spent Christmas at my grandmother’s house. That was an understanding when I married my husband that we would not miss Christmas at Granny’s.

The worst place to spend the holidays: Christmas 2020 was spent at home. And while it was a much more relaxing than trying to coordinate schedules with all the extended family, I missed hugging them and spending time with them.

About Meredith:

I have known since I was a little girl sitting at my Granny's kitchen table listening to her recount the stories of our family, that I wanted to be a story teller. Those family stories sparked a lifelong fascination with folklore. After a career of telling product stories in the corporate world, I have turned my attention back to the stories of people and culture.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://www.meredithstoddard.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063837990684&show_switched_toast=true

Twitter: https://twitter.com/M_R_Stoddard

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/meredith-stoddard

#WriterWednesday Interview with Author Liz Boeger

I’d like to welcome Liz Boeger to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things:

My new all-in-one mom cave houses my teach-from-home office, writing nook, and quilting corner.

Things you need to throw out:

Nothing. No, don’t look in the garage or my office closet. What do you mean, “What am I going to do with all of that fabric?”

Things you need for your writing sessions:

My computer and sticky note paper for scritch-scratched thoughts. A window, preferably looking into my garden. Quiet, I prefer morning sunshine, coffee-hot, half & half, no sugar. Life’s too short for cold coffee and skim milk. After lunch I swap out to Diet Mountain Dew.

Things that hamper your writing:

Social Media distractions and television. I’m still trying to rein in the web-surfing. I have a TV wall mount in my new office, but I covered it up with a shelf-no time for TV. Besides, you can watch reruns of the Gilmore Girls only so many times, right?

Things you love about writing:

Those moments when I’m pounding out a scene, only to find that my characters have a plot point or two to insert that I was not expecting. Oh, and I love my characters like family.

Things you hate about writing:

Scavenging for my many typos. It’s a little embarrassing to have red-pen-worthy grammar and punctuations issues in a book written by a teacher.

Words that describe you:

Skeptical Optimist

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

Bossy—sorry, it’s an occupational hazard.

Favorite smell:

Citrus-lemons-oranges-grapefruit-kumquats—all of it!

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Fish cooking in the oven or on the stove. I don’t mind it on the grill (outside.)

Something you’re really good at:

I have a talent for making lists and crossing things off my lists. Sometimes I add things I already did to the list, just so I have one more thing to cross off. It is a trait I’ve forced on my main character.

Something you’re really bad at:

Ugh, this whole tooting your own horn and book promotion business. That’s why I’m so grateful to the writing community for taking some of the sting out of it by being so supportive.

Last best thing you ate:

My sister’s secret recipe ginger snaps are the purest form of deliciousness I’ve ever tasted.

Last thing you regret eating:

Way too many of my sister’s secret recipe ginger snaps…No, wait. No regrets there. Keep ‘em coming, Sis!

Things you always put in your books:

My pets and my favorite Florida scenery.

Things you never put in your books:

Real people I know or events that are too disturbing.  I’ve seen a lot as an educator that is just too heartbreaking to put into a cozy or traditional mystery. Yes, I write about murder, but I keep the violence mostly off page and try to balance it with kind and quirky people you care about and want to root for.

Things to say to an author:

“You’ve got some writing chops! I’ve read all your books.” 

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

“You’ve got some writing cops, babe!” (or darlin’, or sweet cheeks, or a similarly endearing and wholly inappropriate moniker.)

Favorite places you’ve been:

The beach (any beach), my grandparents’ farm, Crystal Springs Preserve.

Places you never want to go to again:

Jammed in the crowd under the stadium at the Strawberry Festival waiting for the gates to open when the crowd behind you thinks they already have. Yeah, no way.

Things that make you happy:

Riding my recumbent tadpole trike on a sunny morning—gardening—quilting—talking with people who loved reading my books and who want to know more about the education world and the Florida setting described in the series.

Things that drive you crazy:

My poor organizational skills and my personal battle against holding onto “stuff” longer than necessary. See #1 above.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

They thought my main character was a hoot and someone they’d want to hang out with.

 The craziest thing a reader said to you:

Since my book is being released on August 30th, it’s too soon to answer this one. I’ll have to get back to you. 😊

About Liz:

Liz Boeger’s stint as a swimsuit model peaked in kindergarten. Her fallback career as a mystery author didn’t surface until she hit the mid-century mark. In between, she wrangled children, adults, and the occasional Florida panther as a teacher and school administrator. And that encounter with the U.S. Secret Service may show up in a plot someday.

Her multi-award nominated mystery series is inspired by her childhood nearby Rattlesnake, Florida. If you love your mysteries with a cozy edge, some Southern snark, and quirky characters you’d love to hang out with, this series is for you. Member of Sisters in Crime, SinC Guppies, and Florida Writers Association.

She’s a graduate of Tampa’s Robinson High School, The University of Tampa, and Saint Leo University. Her hobbies, other than plotting murder, include gardening, quilting, and cheering all things great about her hometown, Tampa!

 Let’s Be Social:

 Moccasin Cove Mysteries blog

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 Amazon Buy Link

 Universal Buy Link to other Retailers

#WriterWednesday Interview with Laraine Stephens

I’d like to welcome author Laraine Stephens to the blog for #WriterWedneday.

A few of your favorite things: my granddaughter, Ellie; champagne; chocolate; the Melbourne Football Club (Aussie Rules); my maladjusted red toy poodle who thinks she’s a Rottweiler.

Things you need to throw out: my golf handicap; my maladjusted red toy poodle who thinks she’s a Rottweiler; COVID lockdowns.

Things you love about writing: researching the setting and time period of my historical crime novels.

Things you hate about writing: coming up with a plot line for my next book and how to start it.

Things you never want to run out of: Epicure cheese; champagne; chocolate; re-runs of Frazier and House Hunters International.

Things you wish you’d never bought: that pair of electric blue bell-bottoms that I wore in 1966.

Favorite music or song: The Rolling Stones’ “Start me up”. I want it played at my funeral.

Music that drives you crazy: the Police’s “Canary in a coal mine”. Grrr.

Favorite beverage: champagne and tea, but not mixed together.

Something that gives you a sour face: wasabi and chilli.

Something you’re really good at: putting things in alphabetical order (former teacher-librarian). This is a talent that isn’t called on much.

Something you’re really bad at: being patient; going to the dentist (appalling gag reflex).

Things you always put in your books: authentic settings; fabulous cars.

Things you never put in your books: sex, blood and guts.

Things to say to an author: “I didn’t want it to end.”  

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Here’s $1000 for me to be fictionally killed off in your next book.” No problem.

Favorite places you’ve been: Egypt; the Galapagos; Iceland; Machu Picchu.

Places you never want to go to again: anywhere with mosquitoes.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Adrian McKinty (author); Mick Jagger (singer) and Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand Prime Minister).

People you’d cancel dinner on: Scott Morrison (Australian Prime Minister); Donald Trump; Prince Harry and Meghan.

Things that make you happy: Melbourne Football Club winning; playing golf; travel; restaurants; writing (of course!).

Things that drive you crazy: dust on the furniture; things not symmetrical.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I’m buying three copies of your book: one for myself, and two as birthday presents.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Did you base your psychopath on anyone I know?” he said, looking over his shoulder.

 About Laraine:

After nearly forty years of working as a teacher-librarian and Head of Library, Laraine Stephens decided to experience life on the other side of the bookshelves and became a writer of historical crime fiction. Her debut novel, The Death Mask Murders, the first in the Reggie da Costa Mysteries, was published in June 2021. The second in the series, A Dose of Death, is due out in May 2022. When she isn’t writing, travelling or playing golf, Laraine finds inspiration from her work as a volunteer guide at the Old Melbourne Gaol. Laraine lives in Beaumaris, a bayside suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, Bob, and her maladjusted red toy poodle, Zoe.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: larainestephens.com
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