#WriterWednesday Interview with Liz Boeger

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

A few of your favorite fall traditions: Wearing long sleeves for a day or two when a Florida cold front swings through. We don’t put on the closed-toed shoes until winter.

Something autumn-related that you’ll never do again: Make sand angels on the beach. Not because its not fun, but the shells can be a little sharp.

Favorite fall treat: Humongous chocolate and peanut covered caramel apples-no sharing.

A fall treat that makes you gag: Circus Peanuts candy—those orange marshmallow things.

Favorite autumn beverage: Mulled wine by the fake fire on the big screen television.

A drink that gives you a sour face: Pour quality orange juice with pits.

Favorite fall smell: Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and all related baking spices

Something that makes you hold your nose: That sweaty odor from wearing a plastic face mask on Halloween when you were a kid.

A tradition you share with others: I always bring my fall crafts to show with my students and to decorate the classroom. They love the tabletop quilts (Halloween and Thanksgiving), fabric pumpkins and decorated basket. I used them this year in science to teach the concept of “transformation" when we studied energy.

A tradition that can be retired: Cooking the BIG Thanksgiving dinner. Too much work and too many calories. We can still get together and enjoy family and friends without the sweat and mound of dirty dishes.

Best thing you ever cooked/baked in autumn: I hacked store bought sugar cookies into Ginger Snaps by adding fall spices and minced up crystallized ginger. Yum! They are a quick stand in for my sister’s famous Ginger Snap cookies, which is a rare treat.

Your worst kitchen disaster: Probably the chocolate chip cookies with too many chips that turned into brick-like discs.

Favorite place you spent a fall day: Outside with clear blue skies a slight breeze and coolish 60-70 degrees at a pumpkin patch and farm when my sone was a toddler.

The worst place to spend a fall day: Stuck inside grading papers, which I really need to do today.

Your best Halloween costume: An octopus I made for a young friend. She was the star of her school show.

A Halloween costume that wasn’t quite what you imagined: The Star Wars inspired alien get up I wore to my high school job at a local department store. I looked more like a space janitor with a unibrow.

Favorite pumpkin spice item: Hands down--old school Pumpkin Pie

Something that should never be pumpkin-spiced flavored: Key Lime Pie

Elementary principal Ana Callahan knows a thing or two about flipping failing schools, but she’s discovered the learning curve on solving murders is steep.

Now in the second year of her school rescue, in Moccasin Cove on Florida’s Gulf coast, Ana is on the verge of winning a pivotal grant award. But her grand plan hits a snag after a teacher is murdered and the crime is pinned on a runaway teenager Ana mentored. The story goes viral. Ana’s campus is besieged by the media, angry parents, and complex questions about the dead teacher’s past. Worse, the myopic rookie detective assigned to the case has her sights set on all the wrong suspects.

While grieving the teacher’s death, Ana starts her own investigation, but her discovery of a body on the beach pins a bullseye on Ana’s back. In her quest to solve two murders, locate the missing teen, and salvage the grant win, Ana unwittingly unleashes a riptide of childhood secrets that force her to learn a hard lesson...

It takes a village to raise a child, but it may also take your life.

2021 Finalist: Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense

2015 Finalist: Royal Palm Literary Award, Florida Writers Association

About Liz:

Tampa native, Liz Boeger, writes the award-winning Moccasin Cove Mystery Series about an elementary school principal who has a lot to learn about murder. If you like your traditional mysteries with a cozy edge, a hint of Southern snark, a beachy vibe, and always a happy ending, this series is for you. Don’t worry, she promises the suspicious search history on her laptop, the crime scene tape on her bookshelf, and her real-life run-in with the US Secret Service all have perfectly reasonable explanations.

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#WriterWednesdayInterview with Lori Robbins

I’d like to welcome Lori Robbins to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite fall traditions: I never miss an opportunity to go apple and pumpkin picking.

Something autumn-related that you’ll never do again: Overestimate how many apples and pumpkins I need, which results in two weeks of making vats of applesauce and watching the pumpkins wither as I debate how many pumpkin seeds one can reasonably be expected to roast and eat.

Favorite fall treat: I love roasted chestnuts and candy apples.

A fall treat that makes you gag: Pumpkin spice malted milk balls. How can such a thing exist?

Something you only do in the fall: I hide candy from the rest of the family and then eat it myself.

Something you’d never do in the fall season: Go outdoors when the temperature dips below 50 degrees. Maybe 60. As a resident of northern New Jersey, this does pose a few problems.

Favorite autumn beverage: My favorite autumn drink is an apple brandy cocktail that’s topped with champagne. After drinking a few you still have a half bottle of opened champagne, which I think of as a win.

A drink that gives you a sour face: I know this is heresy to many, but I don’t drink tea. Ever.

Favorite fall smell: Wood smoke is my favorite and has the added advantage of not triggering any allergies.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Every brand of tea [see above] with the possible exception of chamomile.

Best fall memory: My first Halloween in suburban New Jersey. We had just moved from NYC, and it was a great way to meet the neighbors!

Something you’d rather forget: The year I dressed as a black cat and got my tail stuck in an elevator door. Twice.

Funniest autumn story: Finding an empty bag of hidden Halloween candy with a note from my kids that said We always enjoy the hunt, heh, heh, heh

Something embarrassing that happened during the fall: Showing up at a Halloween party and finding out no one else was wearing a costume.

Best thing you ever cooked/baked in autumn: Apple pie, for sure!

Your worst kitchen disaster: Making pumpkin pie from an actual pumpkin. There’s a reason the canned stuff is so popular.

Favorite place you spent a fall day: My daughter’s September wedding at the Jersey shore was magical. She got married on the beach, and a crowd of late-season beach goers joined in.

The worst place to spend a fall day: My backyard is the worst place to be in October and November. I’m fairly certain my allergy to leaf mold was born out a disinclination to wield a rake.

Funniest pumpkin-carving story: Carving a pumpkin and having people think the kids must have done it.

Your worst pumpkin-carving story: Trying to carve a pumpkin with one of those flexible knives that come in pumpkin carving kits, deciding a kitchen knife would work better, and then slicing three fingers instead of said pumpkin. On the other hand, blood from the wound was definitely on brand for Halloween.

Best Halloween memory: Playing Scrabble with friends while answering the door to trick-or-treaters.

Worst Halloween experience: Losing every single Scrabble game because it was my house, and I was the one doling out candy. As a matter of record, I’d like to make a case for including the word “rebeaner” in the Scrabble dictionary. What other word would you use to describe someone who repeatedly beans another person on the head with a bag of candy? Had my fellow Scrabble players agreed, I would have won.

About Lori:

Lori Robbins began dancing at age 16 and launched her professional career three years later. She performed with a number of modern dance and classical ballet companies, including Ballet Hispanico and the St. Louis Ballet, and her commercial work included featured spots for Pavlova Perfume. After ten very lean years onstage she became an English teacher and now writes full time.

Lori is the author of the On Pointe mysteries; the third book in that series, Murder in Third Position, is due out in November and is set in a fictional New York City ballet company. The first book in her Master Class series, Lesson Plan for Murder, features a crimefighting English teacher and will release in early 2023. She won the Indie Award for Best Mystery, the Silver Falchion for Best Cozy Mystery, and was a finalist for both a Readers’ Choice and Mystery and Mayhem Book Award.

Short stories include “Accidents Happen” in Murder Most Diabolical and “Leading Ladies” in Justice for All. She’s also a contributor to The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers Cookbook.

As a dancer, writer, English teacher, and mother of six, Lori is an expert in the homicidal impulses everyday life inspires.

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http://lorirobbinsauthor@gmail.com

#WriterWednesday Interview with Glenda Benevides

I’d like to welcome author and musician, Glenda Benevides, to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Words that describe you: Compassionate, thoughtful and understanding - Global Badass Goddess - BADASS B= Beautiful A= Accessible D=Daring A=Abundant S=Savvy S=Sassy

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Sometimes too trusting and I give people the benefit of the doubt too many times and still get taken advantage of.

Favorite places you’ve been: Edinburgh Scotland - the most beautiful and charming city in the world.

Places you never want to go to again: I can always find something I like no matter where I go but I would say most likely, very hot humid places on the planet also places like Oklahoma and TX.

Favorite music or song: Music to me is personal and it is mood driven. Sometimes ya wanna hear romantic or sexy or maybe even chill - just depends. It’s more like “my favorite artist” and that would be Rochelle Ferrell. She’s an extraordinary r&b/jazz soulful singer, songwriter who has it all.

Music that drives you crazy: Most likely makes me Sad, not so Crazy, because music is an art form not just a product to be used only. Music invites you to feel the depths of your own soul, to bring on joy, to dive into thoughts that need to be investigated! Music that has no soul, emotion and is prefabricated is sad and the market is flooded with unfortunate, superficial nonsense.

Things that make you happy: Excellent pizza, great conversation and all animals!

Things that drive you crazy: unorganized lives, messy junked up rooms and people who are always late and have no consideration for others.

Most embarrassing moment: When I was performing in Lake Tahoe on stage, all eyes were on me. I was dancing and missed stepped and landed on my ass with a loud echoing boom through the whole club. I had to get back up and keep going and finish singing my song - I felt embarrassed and wanted to go hide backstage.

Proudest moment: Was accepting an award for my song “Change” and performing it at AOF film festival in LA. https://www.actiononfilmfest.com/

Best thing you’ve ever done: Support a friend going through a dire ruff time and I plant trees every time someone buys my song or a book - One Tree Planted https://onetreeplanted.org/

Buy a Book or a Song = https://glendabenevides.com/courage-handbook-goddess-album

Biggest mistake: I don’t really believe in mistakes but more like, wrong choices from not listening that brings on grief with lessons. I have been con’d many times but I always learn something new about myself and why I chose to not listen to my inner guidance.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Date the wrong person! Just joking… I bungie jumped 250 feet straight down! I was scared to death but I made myself!

Something you chickened out from doing: Not asking Carl Anderson to sing a song I wrote for him and by the time I did, he had passed away. Carl was a singer of film and theater. He was an actor best known for his portrayal of Judas Iscariot in the Broadway and film versions of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

The funniest thing to happen to you: When I stopped looking so hard for a manager and someone to believe in me, and it happened on its own, and they found me.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: Over all is not being prepared for my own podcast interviews! I try not to embarrass myself by being prepared.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Rachelle Ferrell amazing human being! High vibrational spiritual being, musician and more!

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Most people don’t look like their pictures!

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That I touched their heart and moved them so much they had to go home and think about what I said.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: That they felt they couldn’t do what it takes to have Courage.

Something you’re really good at: Being with people, giving them the freedom and acceptance for who they are, no judgement in the space. I find people, places and ontology fascinating. Also, singing and telling impactful stories that help people dive into who they are and want to be.

Ontology: branch of philosophy, is the science of what is

Something you’re really bad at: Math

About Glenda:

Glenda Benevides is an Award-winning, RECORDING ACADEMY {#IAmTheAcademy}, Voting Member, and GRAMMY® considered artist and author, is tireless when it comes to inspiring others to embrace their strength, listen to their heart, chart their course, feel inspired and dive into a musical, emotional and thrilling ride. Like a wild tent revival preacher, Glenda’s sermon is empowerment, enlightenment and builds bridges of understanding all wrapped together in powerful vocal expression that sways you from the tip of your head to the toes of your feet!

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Website: glendabenevides.com

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YOUTUBE: YouTube.com/c/glendabenevides  (interviews and music videos)

To buy music plant a tree: https://bandcamp.com/glendabenevides

#WriterWednesday Interview with Daniele Cybulskie

I’d like to welcome Daniele Cybulskie to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: A cup of tea, a glass of water, a clean desk, and a good notebook and pen to hand for catching stray ideas as I type.

Things that hamper your writing: Noise and clutter. Interruptions! I need a block of quiet time to deep think, whether I’m planning, editing, or crafting sentences.

Things you love about writing: I love that it’s a way of reaching out to people and connecting. For me, the flow state comes when I’m writing about something really interesting that I can’t wait to share. As a non-fiction writer, it’s all about showing people things and saying, “Look! Isn’t this cool?”

Things you hate about writing: It’s hard! It takes a lot of revision, and reading from different perspectives, and rethinking – but not overthinking. It also takes a thick skin, learning to accept feedback from editors, copyeditors, and then readers. But the benefits outweigh the pain.

Things you never want to run out of: Tea! Good pens, notebooks with the right line spacing, and Post-It Notes. Also time, but I frequently find myself running out of that….

Things you wish you’d never bought: Sometimes I impulse-buy lipstick, but I always regret the seriously pink ones.

Things you always put in your books: Jokes, and a sprinkling of sarcasm. History doesn’t need to be serious all the time. Some of the best-researched history books I’ve read have also made me laugh out loud at a well-timed joke.

Things you never put in your books: Insults. I want my books to be uplifting overall, so I avoid putting people (living or dead) down as much as possible.

Favorite places you’ve been: Scotland. Edinburgh is my favourite city. I’ve been to Scotland several times (lived there for a while), and every time I leave it’s heartrending. It’s just an absolutely beautiful, friendly, and historically rich country.

Places you never want to go to again: My old apartment. I honestly had a nightmare about it the other day.

Favorite books (or genre): I read a lot of books on positive psychology, so I was thrilled to be able to connect this scientific work to history in How to Live Like a Monk. These books give me a mood boost, and I’m really interested in the different ways we can test and challenge ourselves. I find human nature endlessly fascinating.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I don’t buy true crime. I would much rather investigate lives from long ago.

Things that make you happy: I’m a really simple person at heart. I live for sunshine, a cup of tea, and a good book. Time with family and friends. I love the physical challenge of Krav Maga, and the mental release of meditation. A quiet existence!

Things that drive you crazy: Unkindness. Casual rudeness – usually on the road! Injustice. Selfishness. Everyone is stressed these days, so it’s worth it to take two seconds to smile, wave, thank someone, or stand up for someone. Small gestures of kindness can change the world.

About Daniele:

As a writer, TEDx speaker, former college professor, and podcaster, Danièle has made medieval history fun, entertaining, and accessible for millions of people around the world. As well as introducing a general audience to the fascinating world of the Middle Ages, her books, articles, videos, and weekly podcast have been used as resources in schools and universities across North America. Danièle’s mission is to share the joy of history by highlighting our common humanity across time and space. When she’s not reading, writing, or recording, Danièle can be found drinking tea, doing Krav Maga, or sometimes building a backyard trebuchet.

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Author/Podcaster/Historian

Website: www.danielecybulskie.com

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TedTalk:  History in Three Dimensions

#WriterWednesday Interview with Judith Copek

I’d like to welcome author Judith Copek to the blog today for #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite things: Paintings, books, mid-century modern furniture

Things you need to throw out: Old memorabilia, junk, research for published novels

Things you need for your writing sessions: computer, thesaurus, list of characters, ideas, or plot points

Things that hamper your writing: interruptions, too many other tasks to do, reluctance to plant butt in chair

Things you love about writing: when the words are flowing

Things you hate about writing: when the words don’t come

Favorite foods: chicken, strawberries, home-grown tomatoes

Things that make you want to gag: runny eggs, low-fat anything, margarine

Favorite smell: lilacs, roses, meat roasting, bacon frying

Something that makes you hold your nose: cat barf, wet wool, rotting vegetables

Something you’re really good at: cooking, writing, gardening

Something you’re really bad at: ice skating, calculus, networking

Something you like to do: watch mystery programs on television

Something you wish you’d never done: sassed my mom so often

Last best thing you ate: cranberry-apple crisp

last thing you regret eating: second bowl of spicy chili

The last thing you ordered online: bread baskets

The last thing you regret buying: the wrong cat food

Things you always put in your books: food and romance

Things you never put in your books: graphic violence and graphic sex

Favorite places you’ve been: Yellowstone Park, San Francisco, Paris

Places you never want to go to again: Tijuana, Hospital, Aldi in Taunton, MA

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Attended Burning Man (3 times)

Something you chickened out from doing: downhill skiing

About Judith:

Such Stuff As Dreams is a leap into another genre for Judith, a historical novel set in the twenties. She discovered that bad guys and scary situations are not limited to mystery fiction. Judith belongs to The Historical Novel Society, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. In addition to five crime-fiction novels, she’s published memoir, poetry, and short stories.

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Amazon link to author page. https://www.amazon.com/author/judithcopek

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

Blog: http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/judyinboston

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#WriterWednesday Interview with Joanna Vander Vlugt

I’d like to welcome Joanna Vander Vlugt to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite summer traditions: A gin and tonic is my summer drink. That I enjoy drinking on a hot summer evening.

Something summer-related that you’ll never do again: I’m afraid I live a sheltered life. I enjoy so much spending my time in the back yard reading a good book. I do more activities during the Fall and winter.

Favorite summer beverage: A gin and tonic.

A drink that gives you a pickle face: Beer. I’m one of few people who doesn’t like traditional beer. In BC, craft breweries are huge. I like the craft fruit flavored beers and ales, and having a flight of ales.

Best thing you ever grilled in spring: I don’t grill. My spouse does all the cooking, seriously. For the last 34 years of our marriage, he’s done all the cooking and grilling. I love when he grills corn, peppers, mushrooms, and of course, steak on the barbeque.

Your worst kitchen or grilling disaster: Well, the worst kitchen disaster would be not having an oven. We’ve just moved into a new home, and because of supply chain issues, we have been waiting since July 2021 to receive our oven. It’s brutal because although I don’t cook, I love baking.

Your favorite thing to get from the ice cream truck: I love Magnum ice cream bars.

Some dessert that you wish you’d never bought: I also love fruit pies, but I find the fruit pies in grocery stories are a bit of a disappointment. I want more fruit and less sugar.

Best summer vacation ever: Going to Niagara Falls as a teenager.

Somewhere where you don’t ever want to return: We’ve been to Las Vegas. I sound like a prude but we’re really not gamblers. We prefer to see natural landscapes. I do love cities though.

Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer: I am such a creature of habit. Whether its summer or winter, I love writing in the office at the front of the house. I’m not a real “summer” person. Writing early in the morning when it’s dark is a magic time.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions: In a park. There are just too many distractions, and I would want to enjoy the park, instead of writing.

The thing you like most about being a writer: When a revelation on how to fix a plot problem, hits me when I’m walking the dogs. Those moments of inspiration are golden.

The thing you like least about being a writer: My time is split between, writing, creating illustrations and podcasting, and I wish I had more time to write.

Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night: Nothing. I value my sleep far too much to leave the house.

Things you never put on your shopping list: Cereal. I never grew up eating cereal so I’ve never bought cereal or had cereal for breakfast.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life: My mother’s support. She is no longer with us anymore, but I remember when I told her I wanted to be a writer (she remembered me writing as a teenager), that afternoon she went to a book store and brought back for me numerous Harlequin romances to help me become a better writer.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over: I always wrote as a child and teenager. When I took up writing again in my late twenties, I wish I hadn’t stopped writing after ten years. I wish I had kept going. Writing and becoming an author was my destiny, and as it happened when my mother passed, it was 4 months after her death, that I began writing again.

The funniest thing to happen to you: I once fell into a computer box.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: I was waiting for an elevator in a Vancouver hotel, and the elevator doors opened and there was Jared Padalecki from Supernatural. One side of my brain stopped working, and the other side of my brain kept telling me to not act like an idiot. I must have asked him four times if the elevator was going up. In the end I was so embarrassed by my behavior, that I didn’t get on the elevator, and I told him I’d get the next one. When I told my teenage daughters what had happened, they both told me, “Mom, you get on the elevator, even if it’s going to the moon.”

The nicest thing a reader said to you: As authors, we’re supposed to get book reviews, right, well it was when a reader messaged me on FB and said, “geez, Joanna, I can’t put this book down.” I then asked her if I could use her comment as promotional material, she then responded, “yes, of course, now I want to read.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: A reader who really enjoyed my novel, asked me if my heroine, Jade, was ever going to eat. I never had scenes of her eating. So, in book 2, Jade is eating and stealing fries from a mysterious professor who has given her information about a drug dealer.

About Joanna

Joanna Vander Vlugt is an author and illustrator. As a teenager, she drew charcoal portraits and wrote mysteries. Her short mysteries Egyptian  Queen and The Parrot and Wild Mushroom Stuffing were published in Crime Writers of Canada mystery anthologies. Her essay, No Beatles Reunion was published in the Dropped Threads 3: Beyond the Small Circle anthology.  Her thriller series features the sister duo, Jade and Sage. The Unravelling was a Canadian Book Club Awards finalists. Joanna is proud of her podcast JCVArtStudio and the many artists and authors she’s interviewed. Her motorcycle illustrations have been purchased world-wide.

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#Writer Wednesday Interview with Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl

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

The thing you like most about being a writer:

The thing we like most about being a writer is setting own schedules! When we feel inspired, we can write! If we’re not in the mood (and there’s no deadline approaching) we don’t have to write. Having a writing partner has been great because we can help each other with accountability and motivation.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

Sometimes being your own boss and setting your own schedule can be a curse!

Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night:

We’ve been known to order some take-out food late at night! When you’re hungry, you’re hungry!

Things you never put on your shopping list:

Both of us are vegetarian so you won’t find any meat on our shopping lists and Meg hates mushrooms!

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

We always appreciate hearing from readers, and we just got a message telling us someone woke up with bags under their eyes because they stayed up late reading our latest book! Another reader told us this book is our best yet and that made us feel great.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

Someone told us we don’t look like horror writers because we don’t dress gothic enough while another person told us we’re too gothic looking! We’re going to keep being ourselves.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time:

Our favorite thing to do when we have free time is spend it with our families, reading, watching TV or movies, or attending the theatre.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list:

Neither of us enjoy cleaning very much but we get it done! Folding laundry on a weekly basis would gladly be put off if it could.

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

Coffee! We like to have a space that’s as free from distractions as possible and is comfortable. We don’t need proper desks or chairs, just a comfy spot to plop and be inspired.

Things that distract you from writing:

Children and pets!

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

Meg always dreamed of being a writer and used to pretend to be interviewed about her horror novels. And Kelly wanted was obsessed with “Thriller” and wanted to be a special FX artist!

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

We never dreamed we’d be in front of crowds (in person and virtual) speaking on topics that are important to us!

Things to say to an author:

Hey! Thanks for all the work and effort you put into your book! I think it’s priced fairly, and I will share all about it on my social media!

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

Did you REALLY write this book? Can I get it for free somewhere?

Favorite places you’ve been:

We love historical places like Salem, MA, London and Paris!

Places you never want to go to again:

Tent camping…with Minnesota mosquitos and unpredictable weather.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living):

Writers like Stephen King, Tananarive Due, Joe Hill. Hollywood icons like Clive Barker, Mike Flanagan, Mindy Kaling, Phoebe Waller Bridge.

People you’d cancel dinner on:

People who hate horror and intend on a giving us a long lecture on its unworthiness…

Best thing you’ve ever done:

The best thing we’ve ever done is to do the work, stay committed, and share our work with the world! We’ve been given opportunities and met so many great people because we reached out and believed in ourselves.

Biggest mistake:

The biggest mistake we’ve made are the times we had self-doubt and held back. We’re learning to trust our instincts and our talent to not be afraid to pursue our dreams!

The funniest thing that happened to you on vacation:

We were staying at a hotel where a movie was filming so all the elevators got shut down! We took a back stairwell to try to exit the hotel but got caught in a labyrinth of “staff only” tunnels and doors. Finally, we found an exit and the alarm thankfully didn’t go off!

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a vacation:

On that same trip, we were dropped off over two miles from our intended destination by our Uber driver. We figured we could walk it but soon discovered the route was not walking friendly! We ended up calling a second ride and headed back to our hotel without ever making it to the shop!

The thing you like most about being a writer:

The thing we like most about being a writer is setting own schedules! When we feel inspired, we can write! If we’re not in the mood (and there’s no deadline approaching) we don’t have to write. Having a writing partner has been great because we can help each other with accountability and motivation.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

Sometimes being your own boss and setting your own schedule can be a curse!

Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night:

We’ve been known to order some take-out food late at night! When you’re hungry, you’re hungry!

Things you never put on your shopping list:

Both of us are vegetarian so you won’t find any meat on our shopping lists and Meg hates mushrooms!

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

We always appreciate hearing from readers, and we just got a message telling us someone woke up with bags under their eyes because they stayed up late reading our latest book! Another reader told us this book is our best yet and that made us feel great.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

Someone told us we don’t look like horror writers because we don’t dress gothic enough while another person told us we’re too gothic looking! We’re going to keep being ourselves.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time:

Our favorite thing to do when we have free time is spend it with our families, reading, watching TV or movies, or attending the theatre.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list:

Neither of us enjoy cleaning very much but we get it done! Folding laundry on a weekly basis would gladly be put off if it could.

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

Coffee! We like to have a space that’s as free from distractions as possible and is comfortable. We don’t need proper desks or chairs, just a comfy spot to plop and be inspired.

Things that distract you from writing:

Children and pets!

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

Meg always dreamed of being a writer and used to pretend to be interviewed about her horror novels. And Kelly wanted was obsessed with “Thriller” and wanted to be a special FX artist!

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do:

We never dreamed we’d be in front of crowds (in person and virtual) speaking on topics that are important to us!

Things to say to an author:

Hey! Thanks for all the work and effort you put into your book! I think it’s priced fairly, and I will share all about it on my social media!

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

Did you REALLY write this book? Can I get it for free somewhere?

Favorite places you’ve been:

We love historical places like Salem, MA, London and Paris!

Places you never want to go to again:

Tent camping…with Minnesota mosquitos and unpredictable weather.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living):

Writers like Stephen King, Tananarive Due, Joe Hill. Hollywood icons like Clive Barker, Mike Flanagan, Mindy Kaling, Phoebe Waller Bridge.

People you’d cancel dinner on:

People who hate horror and intend on a giving us a long lecture on its unworthiness…

Best thing you’ve ever done:

The best thing we’ve ever done is to do the work, stay committed, and share our work with the world! We’ve been given opportunities and met so many great people because we reached out and believed in ourselves.

Biggest mistake:

The biggest mistake we’ve made are the times we had self-doubt and held back. We’re learning to trust our instincts and our talent to not be afraid to pursue our dreams!

The funniest thing that happened to you on vacation:

We were staying at a hotel where a movie was filming so all the elevators got shut down! We took a back stairwell to try to exit the hotel but got caught in a labyrinth of “staff only” tunnels and doors. Finally, we found an exit and the alarm thankfully didn’t go off!

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a vacation:

On that same trip, we were dropped off over two miles from our intended destination by our Uber driver. We figured we could walk it but soon discovered the route was not walking friendly! We ended up calling a second ride and headed back to our hotel without ever making it to the shop!

About Kelly and Meg:

Kelly Florence is a communication instructor at Lake Superior College in Duluth, Minnesota and is the creator and co-host of the Horror Rewind podcast as well as the producer and host of the podcast Be A Better Communicator.  She received her B.A. in theatre at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and got her M.A. in communicating arts at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. 

 Horror and suspense 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 two popular short story collections including Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre. Meg is also the author of the two novels; 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. 

Let’s Be Social:

http://www.horrorrewind.com

http://www.meghafdahl.com

http://www.kellyflorence.com

#WriterWednesday Interview with Mally Becker

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Mally Becker to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite fall traditions: Baking fruit cobblers and bread once the weather cools off. Dressing up and decorating for Halloween. Rooting for the New York Mets to make the postseason.

Something autumn-related that you’ll never do again: This is the first time in years that we won’t be buying Costco’s 10-pound bag of candy for Halloween. The purchase was just our excuse to have eight pounds of leftover chocolate candy in the house. Time (for us) to grow up!

Favorite fall treat: Warm apple pie a la mode.

A fall treat that makes you gag: Pumpkin spice anything.

Favorite autumn beverage: Apple cider mimosas.

A drink that gives you a sour face: Pumpkin spice coffee.

Best fall memory: Taking our son to college football games when he was young.

Something you’d rather forget: The 10-day power outage following a freak October snow storm here in New Jersey.

A tradition you share with others: We place a scratch-off lottery ticket beneath everyone’s plate at Thanksgiving, then wait ‘til dessert for everyone to try their luck.

A tradition that can be retired: Aiming for perfection at holiday meals! It took me a long time to notice that everyone’s just grateful to be together with or without the “perfect” meal.

Best thing you ever cooked/baked in autumn: Chocolate chip apple cake.

Your worst kitchen disaster: I pulled the Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven and realized that I’d never removed the bag of giblets it came with.

Favorite place you spent a fall day: Paris.

The worst place to spend a fall day: At a football stadium during an icy late-November rainstorm.

Your best Halloween costume: I cut giant sheets of upholstery foam and used spray paint to create a human-sized ham-and-cheese sandwich costume. (Can you tell that Halloween’s my favorite holiday of the year?)

A Halloween costume that wasn’t quite what you imagined: A neighbor walked into a Halloween party wearing a hospital gown to which small cereal boxes had been stapled. A plastic knife stuck out of each small box. I was baffled and asked him about his costume. “I’m a cereal killer,” he said.

Best Halloween costume ever: A neighborhood friend purchased a full-sized gorilla costume for a costume party. He also wore it round the neighborhood that year on his usual morning walk, giving kids waiting for the school bus that day quite a start.

Worst Halloween costume disaster: Nope. We won’t be discussing the year I created a tutu that wouldn’t stay tied around my waist.

Best Halloween memory: My friend’s annual Halloween costume party was scheduled for the night of the October snowstorm I mentioned above. It was snowing, power was out, and trees were down all over the neighborhood. She held the party in the dark for the few of us crazy enough to walk to her house in the storm.

Worst Halloween experience: Traveling for business one year and missing Halloween entirely.

About Mally:

Mally Becker combines her love of history and crime fiction in mysteries that feature strong, independent heroines. Her debut novel, The Turncoat's Widow, was nominated for an Agatha Award in 2022. Kirkus Reviews called it, "A compelling tale ... with charming main characters.” The Turncoat's Widow was also named a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion finalist and a CIBA Mystery & Mayhem finalist.

The Counterfeit Wife, will be published on September 20, 2022 by Level Best Books, and she is at work on the third installment in her Revolutionary War mystery series.

A member of the board of MWA-NY, Mally was an attorney until becoming a full-time writer. She's also an instructor at The Writers Circle Workshops. She and her husband live in New Jersey, where they raised their wonderful son.

She thought she'd be clearing trails when she volunteered at the Morristown National Historical Park but found herself instead assigned to work with the Park's archival collection of letters. That's where she found a copy of an indictment for the Revolutionary War-era crime of traveling from New Jersey to New York City "without permission or passport." That document became the spark for The Turncoat's Widow and her Revolutionary War mystery series.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: The Turncoat's Widow | Mally Becker