#WriterWednesday Interview with David M. Kelly

I’d like to welcome author David M. Kelly to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things: my Corvette, my collection of tatty but loved sci-fi paperbacks.

Things you need to throw out: cables, old computers and assorted other electronic devices.

Things you love about writing: The creative freedom. If I have a pen and paper, I can work.

Things you hate about writing: I'm not keen on editing, and terrible at marketing

Favorite foods: Fish and chips, bacon, British bangers

Things that make you want to gag: Bananas, cabbage, cauliflower

Favorite music or song: Sixties soul – Sam Cooke, Otis Redding.

Music that drives you crazy: Country!

Favorite beverage: Coffee or Sleeman’s Original beer

Something that gives you a sour face: Gin

Something you’re really good at: Expert level sarcasm

Something you’re really bad at: Remembering people’s names

Things you always put in your books: Some humor – generally of the cynical variety, and mostly plausible science

Things you never put in your books: Long, rambling descriptions that go on for pages.

Things to say to an author: I loved your book. By the way, I'm a Hollywood producer and want to turn it into a movie!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Writing's not a proper job though, is it?

Favorite places you’ve been: Lake Superior Provincial Park

Places you never want to go to again: Istanbul

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Neil deGrasse Tyson, Robert Downey Jr, Dr. Mae Jemison, Avery Brooks

People you’d cancel dinner on: Elon Musk, George Lucas, and a long list of others!

Best thing you’ve ever done: Move to Canada

Biggest mistake: Not starting to write sooner

The funniest thing to happen to you: Ending up at the wrong wedding in Istanbul.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: Ending up at the wrong wedding in Istanbul.

About David:

David M. Kelly writes fast-paced, near-future sci-fi thrillers with engaging characters, cynical humor, and (usually!) plausible science. He is the author of the Joe Ballen series, Logan’s World series, and the Hyperia Jones series. Originally from Yorkshire, England, David emigrated to Canada in 2005 and settled in Northern Ontario where he was able to transition from the world of IT into life as a full-time writer. David is a rabid science news follower and especially passionate about astronomy and physics.  Never short of an opinion, he writes about science and technology on his blog. You can find him at davidmkelly.com.

Let’s Be Social:

AMAZON PAGE

https://www.amazon.com/David-M-Kelly/e/B00PQXCCHU/

FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/DavidMKellySF

GOODREADS

www.goodreads.com/DavidMKelly

INSTAGRAM

https://www.instagram.com/david_kelly_sf/

LINKED IN

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/davidkelly2008

REDDIT

https://www.reddit.com/u/David_M_Kelly

TWITTER

http://twitter.com/David_Kelly_SF

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPAYerclATlzkCphAbAF79g

#WriterWednesday Interview with Meg Hafdahl

I’d like to welcome Meg Hafdahl to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things: I love horror movies, pugs, and mimosas.

Things you need to throw out: I probably should get rid of some books I’ll never read, and some clothes I’ll never wear!

Things you need for your writing sessions: As a mom I really value peace and quiet when I write. Not that it happens very often! I also need some sort of coffee, tea, something to sip on.

Things that hamper your writing: Anxiety about other life stuff can get in the way of my creativity, so I try to get myself in a good headspace first. Also, as I mentioned, kids can ruin it too!

Things you love about writing: I mean I get to create worlds and characters while expressing myself. It’s the best job in the world.

Things you hate about writing: Editing. Let’s be honest, after a few times going over the same novel with a fine toothed comb I want to gouge my eyes out!!

Hardest thing about being a writer: No matter how much success I’ve had, I meet with rejection. It’s just the nature of the beast. Still sucks though!

Easiest thing about being a writer: When the flow is there and you are fully invested. Time stands still. Words that describe you: Funny, assertive, thoughtful.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Ha! I am definitely anxious, hot-headed, and can be a little selfish…yikes that all sounds bad!

Favorite foods: I want anything bread: garlic bread, popovers, croissants, dinner rolls. Oh, and the ultimate is a warm biscuit with butter.

Things that make you want to gag: I’ve never liked mushrooms. And the older I get I’m less interested in fast food. Also, I like pizza but not as much as everyone else seems to.

Favorite books (or genre): I can’t so no to horror, thriller, mystery books. I also have a soft spot for some historical fiction.

Books you wouldn’t buy: You won’t see me reading a political thriller, anything about espionage or the drug cartel. Snooze.

Favorite things to do: I love spending time with my friends and family of course, whether eating drinking, playing board games. Travel is a big part of my life and I read as much as I can.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: You’re not going to convince me to ride in a helicopter, sit in one of those closed areas where birds or butterflies crawl on your head, or skydive.

Things that make you happy: Well there are so many things; laughing with my best friend Kelly, date night with my husband Luke, writing a sentence that is just *chef’s kiss* perfection.

Things that drive you crazy: Complainers and negativity. We all have bad days, we all have tough situations, and its okay to wallow in that sadness or grief for a time. But some people operate on a constant negative vibe and I can sense them a mile away!

Best thing you’ve ever done: Being a mom of course. I have two unique, clever, and loving boys.

Biggest mistake: Probably not believing in myself early on in my career. I squandered several amazing opportunities in college because I didn’t believe in my writing abilities. There were people telling me I had the talent and I wouldn’t listen.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Any time I get praise or just earnest excitement from readers it warms my heart. I’ve had honest connections made where a character resonated and I think that’s the best sort of compliment you can get.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Probably the craziest is being compared to authors. I’ve had the wonderful luck of being compared to Stephen King, Blake Crouch, Bentley Little, and that’s just nuts. It usually leaves me speechless!!

About Meg:

Bram Stoker nominated author Meg Hafdahl is the creator of numerous stories and books. Her fiction has appeared in anthologies such as Eve’s Requiem: Tales of Women, Mystery and Horror and Eclectically Criminal. Her work has been produced for audio by The Wicked Library and The Lift, and she is the author of three popular short story collections including Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre. Meg is also the author of the three novels; The Darkest Hunger, Daughters of Darkness and Her Dark Inheritance called “an intricate tale of betrayal, murder, and small town intrigue” by Horror Addicts and “every bit as page turning as any King novel” by RW Magazine. Meg, also the co-host of the podcast Horror Rewind and co-author of The Science of Monsters, The Science of Women in Horror, The Science of Stephen King, and The Science of Serial Killers, lives in the snowy bluffs of Minnesota. 

Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://Meghafdahl.com  

Website: http://Horrorrewind.com  

@MegHafdahl on Instagram and Twitter 

Meg Hafdahl; Horror Author on Facebook 

#WriterWednesday Interview with Ramon Del Villar

I’d like to welcome Ramon Del Villar to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite things: Fast cars, no, I will be specific, Porsches. Cigars, not the expensive ones, but the tasty long Cusano M1. My four grand-puppies, Coco, Misty, Arya and Merlin.

Things you need to throw out: Fax machines, wait, no, I need them in my law office. All non-Keurig coffee makers.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My computer, my computer, my computer and my computer.

Things that hamper your writing: Having to work as an attorney.

Things you love about writing: The freedom to create as much as I want or as am able to.

Things you hate about writing: Because I insist on being positive that anything that my character does as an attorney is possible and legitimate, having to research to find out if it is really possible and legitimate.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting people to read my novels.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing my novels when I’m inspired.

Things you never want to run out of: My Cusano cigars. Money. Food for my grand-puppies. Paper for my printer.

Things you wish you’d never bought: I cannot think of anything, but I regret leasing my BMW M-Roadster, because I had to return it when BMW refused to finance the purchase after the three-year lease.

Words that describe you: Persevering. Obstinate. Insecure. Hard-Working.

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

Something you’re really good at: Driving a car. Interpreting from and to English/Spanish. Translating from and to English/Spanish. Litigating a case I am really interested in.

Something you’re really bad at: Almost everything else.

Things you’d walk a mile for: My daily exercise routine. For anything else, I rather drive.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: When my family has the air-conditioning full blast.

Things to say to an author: Write whatever you enjoy doing even if you suspect you might not be able to do as well as you wish.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Nobody is going to read your crap.

Favorite places you’ve been: Paris. London. Rome. Nurburgring. Brussels.

Places you never want to go to again: I cannot think of any.

Most embarrassing moment: Forgetting how to say “kidney” in English at my very first deposition as an interpreter.

Proudest moment: Being asked by my favorite Federal Judge to be his interpreter in all his cases.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Marry my wife.

Biggest mistake: Not marrying her sooner.

#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