#WriterWednesday Interview with Sarah E. Burr

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Sarah E. Burr to the blog today for #WriterWednesday, spring edition. Make sure to check out her wonderful series.

Favorite spring treat: You can't keep me away from a Cadbury Milk Chocolate Egg with a Caramel Center. It's got to be one of the best chocolate/caramel combos out there.

A spring treat that makes you gag: Peeps. I know they are an Easter candy staple, but I was not a fan even as a kid. I think I pretended to like them for the longest time before turning my sweet tooth elsewhere.

Something you only do in the spring: Spring cleaning. After a long winter, I throw open the windows and deep clean my home within an inch of its life. I must do it during the spring when it's still cool outside because I always work up a sweat by the end.

Something you'd never do in the spring season: Go swimming in the ocean. When I lived in Florida, I used to, but as much as I love swimming, the New York Atlantic usually doesn't get to a swimmable temperature (for me) until July.

Favorite spring beverage: I am obsessed with the Peach Passionfruit Refresher from Dunkin'. It's my go-to "It's warm out" drink. Honestly, if I could hold the cold cup in the winter, I'd drink it all year round, but it's definitely a sign of spring when I order my first one.

A drink that gives you a sour face: Energy drinks. Red Bull, Monster…I tried a sip of Red Bull once, and that was enough.

Favorite spring smell: Honeysuckle. I love the simple, light sweetness. It's one of my favorite scents.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Fresh mulch. It's everywhere this time of year where I live, and the smell always leaves me coughing with watery eyes.

Best spring memory: When I was a kid, my family traveled to Bermuda a few times during spring. When April/May comes around, Bermuda's weather is at the perfect spot where it's warm but not too warm. I loved the adventures we had while visiting. It's such a beautiful island.

Something you'd rather forget: I grew up in Maine, where spring meant mud season. One time, I slipped on the playground during recess and landed in a massive pile of mud. My jeans were completely soaked through with slimy dirt. I looked disgusting. Luckily, my mom was able to drop off a set of clean leggings at school so I could continue the day without looking like I'd just walked out of a sewer.

Best spring break story: I guess this might not be considered "spring break" since it technically was a class, but I left to spend a trimester abroad in Egypt and Greece during a college spring break. It was the first time I'd traveled internationally beyond tropical vacation spots, and the history of both countries was astounding. I recently watched the new Death on the Nile movie and was amazed to see the places I visited featured on screen. It brought back a lot of fond memories.

A spring break story you want to forget: In seventh grade, for our spring break, a friend and I went down to one of the only malls in Maine with our moms for a "girls' weekend." What started as a super fun time ended with me being so, so sick. We were shopping, and all of the sudden, I just collapsed. It turns out I had an insanely high fever. My mom got me back home, only to fall ill herself. So, we spent the rest of our spring break recovering.

About Sarah:

Sarah lives near New York City, where she writes the Trending Topic Mysteries, Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, and the Court of Mystery series. Sarah is a New York Tri-State Sisters in Crime board member, serving as the chapter's social media guru. She also enjoys creating digital content for authors with her graphic design service, BookstaBundles. When she's not writing or reading, Sarah is singing Broadway show tunes, video gaming, or taking walks with her dog, Eevee.

 Let’s Be Social:

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/saraheburrsignup

Website: www.saraheburr.com

Facebook: https://bit.ly/saraheburrfacebook

Instagram: https://bit.ly/saraheburrinstagram

Twitter: https://bit.ly/saraheburrtwitter

Sarah’s Social Media Hub: https://bit.ly/sarahsocialmediahub

Book Links:

 #FollowMe for Murder: https://bit.ly/followmeformurder

You Can’t Candle the Truth: https://bit.ly/glenmyrewhimmysteriesbook1

Court of Mystery: https://bit.ly/courtofmystery

#WriterWednesday Interview with Lida Sideris

I’m so excited to have the fabulous Lida Sideris on the blog today for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite spring traditions: Celebrating the first day of spring with a family party. It’s also my younger son’s birthday.

Something spring-related that you’ll never do again: Weed whacking my yard; I managed to eradicate all weeds in a square foot strip, ripping only one pant leg in the process and avoiding a narrow miss with my knee. It was a good day, but not to be repeated.

Favorite spring treat: Strawberry rhubarb cobbler

A spring treat that makes you gag: Ambrosia salad. I’m not a marshmallow fan unless they’re incorporated in Rice Krispy treats.

Something you only do in the spring: Plant tulips.

Something you’d never do in the spring season: Spring cleaning. I prefer to enjoy the spring with minimal labor, especially after the weed whacking incident.

Favorite spring beverage: Iced tea in raspberry peach flavor

A drink that gives you a sour face: Soda

Favorite spring smell: Freesias

Something that makes you hold your nose: Skunk

Best spring memory: Our first Easter egg hunt after we’d moved to the countryside. Kids hunting in tall grass surrounded by hens and goats. It was a treat!

Something you’d rather forget: Goats jumping the fence and feasting on our roses.

Best thing you ever cooked/baked in spring: Lemon meringue pie with lemons from my tree.

Your worst kitchen disaster: Boiling water for tea and forgetting about it for hours!

Favorite place you spent a spring day: Outside in a garden with beautiful flowers.

The worst place to spend a spring day: Outside in a garden with lovely flowers on a very windy day. Pollen everywhere!

Funniest egg-dyeing story: I don’t have to dye eggs because my chickens lay green, pink and dark chocolate colored eggs. Growing up in Los Angeles, our L.A. guests were amazed that the hens laid eggs in different colors.

Your worst egg-dyeing story: Trying to dye eggs using a kit. Never quite comes out the way I hope. A big thank you to my colorful layers!

Your favorite spring/Easter candy: Anything with chocolate (almost anything).

Something you would throw away if it appeared in your Easter basket: Candy canes. Not a fan even at Christmas.

About Lida:

Lida Sideris' first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer's dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio...kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke, except without the homicides. Lida was one of two national winners of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship Award and a Killer Nashville, Silver Falchion Award Finalist (humor). She also writes short stories and is the author of THE COOKIE EATING FIRE DOG, a picture book for ages 4-8. Lida lives in the Santa Barbara area with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens.

 Let’s Be Social

Amazon 

www.lidasideris.com             

https://www.facebook.com/lidasideris      

Twitter: Lida (@LidaSideris) / Twitter

Instagram: Lida Sideris (@lida_sideris) • Instagram photos and videos
Book Bub

#WriterWednesday Interview with Carol Preflatish

I’d like to welcome fellow Guppie, Carol Preflatish, to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things: coffee, Reese’s Cups, my cat.

Things you need to throw out: the recliner in my living room, an old artificial Christmas tree.

Things you need for your writing sessions: sweet tea or ice coffee.

Things that hamper your writing: people that interrupt me.

Things you never want to run out of: Diet Pepsi, chocolate, and coffee.

Things you wish you’d never bought: I have a few shirts I wish I hadn’t bought.

Favorite foods: anything Italian

Things that make you want to gag: avocados.

Favorite music or song: I love classic rock from the 70’s.

Music that drives you crazy: polka.

Favorite beverage: Margarita

Something that gives you a sour face: coffee without sugar.

Last best thing you ate: pepperoni pizza

Last thing you regret eating: a lot of birthday cake

The last thing you ordered online: books

The last thing you regret buying: I bought a toy for my cat that she will not play with.

Favorite places you’ve been: Great Smoky Mountains

Places you never want to go to again: Garden of the Gods in Illinois

Favorite books (or genre): My favorite book is Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I usually don’t buy sci-fi books.

Things that make you happy: reading a good book and spending time with my grandsons.

Things that drive you crazy: not being able to find something to watch on television when I have so many streaming services.

About Carol:

Carol Preflatish, from southern Indiana, is the author of the Nathan Perry Mystery Series, as well as several romantic suspense novels, and two non-fiction books. When she’s not writing, she loves to read, watch Indianapolis Colts football, and do just about anything outdoors. 

 An avid photographer, Carol has had many photos published in her local newspaper, as well as in “Golf Journal,” the official publication of the United States Golf Association. A few little-known facts about Carol are that she’s a licensed amateur radio operator, and is a collector of celebrity autographs, stamps, and coins.

Carol is a member of Sisters in Crime, SinC's Guppies chapter, and the Louisville, Kentucky SinC chapter.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://www.carolpre.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolPreflatish

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CarolPreflatish

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/carolpre

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4957220.Carol_Preflatish

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

Linked-In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolpreflatish/

Book Links:

Amazon - https://amzn.to/3H6oArD

B&N - https://bit.ly/3p6fK77

Kobo - https://bit.ly/3sj6E9b

iTunes - https://apple.co/3s8bSEh

#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