#WriterWednesday Interview with Ann Charles

I’d like to welcome Ann Charles back to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Favorite thing that you always make time for: My family. They make my heart happy.

The thing you’ll always do just about anything to avoid: Bookkeeping—ugh! Every month it takes hours to gather everything the tax man might want to see.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Something to drink—coffee, tea, water, or a frozen Coke.

Things that distract you from writing: My cats, especially when they demand attention and walk on my keyboard.

The thing you like most about being a writer: Making readers smile, laugh, even cringe—basically, just giving them an escape from everyday life when they need it.

The thing you like least about being a writer: The doubt demons that creep in when you’re struggling with the unfolding story.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: Our house. We didn’t visit it until after we had the keys in hand because we lived about 1200 miles away and our kids were in the thick of school when we had to make the purchase. So, we looked at pictures online and relied on our real estate agent and a persnickety home inspector. Almost ten years later, we still love it here.

The thing you wished you’d never bought: A pair of pants from a scam sight where they used other company’s photos to sell knockoff clothing. The pant are all cockeyed, but I have kept them for years because they cost me $40 and I’m going to figure out something to do with them eventually. Maybe I’ll make a scarecrow with them.

Something you’re really good at: Finding lost items in our house for my family.

Something you never learned how to do: Hotwire a car. It seems like a skill that could be useful in an emergency.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Camel jockey

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

Things you always put in your books: Humor and a little romance

Things you never put in your books: Love triangles and politics

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Have children. There is so much responsibility and so many worries that come with them. (But they are worth every gray hair!)

Something you chickened out from doing: Jumping out of an airplane. Nope nope nope. Unless not jumping means dying, then maybe I might be open to being pushed out of the plane.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That I’m their all-time favorite author. That’s a huge honor!

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Twice my books have been compared to Coca-Cola, and both with a negative intention. I love Coca-Cola, so the insults backfired.

The best job you ever had: Writing stories for a living.

The worst job you ever had: Cleaning the Women’s restroom at a large fast-food restaurant on the Ohio Turnpike during the busiest travel day of the year—Thanksgiving. The things I saw … yuck!

About Ann:

Ann Charles is a USA Today Best-Selling author who writes spicy, award-winning mysteries full of mayhem, adventure, comedy, and suspense. She writes the Deadwood Mystery Series, Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series, Dig Site Mystery Series, Deadwood Undertaker Series (with her husband, Sam Lucky), and AC Silly Circus Mystery Series. Her Deadwood Mystery Series has won multiple national awards, including the Daphne du Maurier for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Ann has a B.A. in English with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Washington and is a member of Sisters in Crime and Western Writers of America. She is currently toiling away on her next book, wishing she was on a Mexican beach with an ice-cold Corona in one hand and a book in the other. When she is not dabbling in fiction, she is arm wrestling with her two kids, attempting to seduce her husband, and arguing with her sassy cats. 

Let’s Be Social:

Website
Facebook

#WriterWednesday Interview with Diann Floyd

I’d like to welcome author Diann Floyd to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

Favorite thing that you always make time for:

I will always have time for a movie.

The thing you’ll always do just about anything to avoid:

I always put off reorganizing my closets.

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

Seriously, I don’t have a special place to write. Anywhere quiet works for me as long as I can plug in my laptop.

I think they were being cute and using the term cave to mean wherever you write. Notice “your” writing cave. I love the initial response, but perhaps you should add something like the following: Seriously, I don’t have a special place to write. Anywhere quiet works for me as long as I can plug in my laptop.

Things that distract you from writing:

If a good movie is on, I have to leave the room, or else I lose my concentration, and I cannot finish the story.

The thing you like most about being a writer:

I love hearing from my readers. It warms my heart.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

Editing. Thank goodness there are professional editors.

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

Things you never put on your shopping list:

You will never see artichokes, olives or Brussel sprouts on my grocery list.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life:

I remember a publisher telling me they wanted to publish my story. It was so exciting!

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over:

If I had to do something over, I would never have mailed in some of my first stories.

Something you’re really good at:

I am good at hand beading. I just finished beading a new Christmas Stocking for a family member.

Something you never learned how to do:

I never learned how to do tatting and embroidery.

My Great-Grandma Terrill was so good at tatting and quilting. My mom was great at embroidery, along with 2 of my great-grandmas My mom did beautiful embroidery; you could look at the back, which was as beautiful as the front.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid:

I always wanted to be able to skateboard and ice skate like my brother Danny.

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

Art, I never dreamed I could paint, especially using different media..

Favorite things to do:

I love to sing, act, and bake.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing:

Vacuuming the car.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Rappelling in Costa Rica.

Something you chickened out from doing:

Bungee jumping

The coolest person you’ve ever met:

It was an honor to meet Senator John McCain in Austin, where his documentary on his time in Vietnam was shown at the State Theater.

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

Robert Redford

The funniest thing that happened to you in an airport.

I was in the Athens airport, and I was locked in the bathroom. I could hear it was time for boarding. I started beating on the door and yelling for help until my thumb started bleeding. The people could open the door, and I made it to the plane. It was only funny after I was safely on the plane.

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you in an airport.

I was not watching the gate messages or listening to announcements to hear my gate change till I realized we should be boarding. I had to have the attendant tell the gate I was running to get to the correct gate, so I could still make the plane.

About Diann: Diann Floyd Boehm is an award-winning international author. Diann writes children's books and young historical fiction adult books. In addition, Diann writes books to inspire kids to be kind, like themselves, peace, and to "Embrace Imagination”.  You can find all her books on Amazon.

Diann does speaking engagements, book signings as well as author visitations. Her creative flair encompasses the performing arts and performing in musical theatre productions in Dubai produced by Popular Productions out of the UK. In addition, Diann enjoys making guest appearances on various live streaming shows. Diann is the cohost  for three shows on USA Global TV ™ and Radio

She has traveled extensively to many parts of the world and lived in Dubai for 14 years, where her husband worked for the American Law Firm Norton Rose Fulbright for 14 years. She has a Bachelor of Education from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, and her kindergarten certification from The University of Texas @ Austin. Diann has taught in the classroom overseas as well as stateside. more about Diann at https://www.diannfloydboehm.com

Diann is a wife, mother, grandmother, and a former classroom educator. Throughout her life, Diann continues to be involved in various humanitarian projects.

#WriterWednesday Interview with Mary Keliikoa

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Mary Keliikoa to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee. I’m not sure how I’d function!

Things you wish you’d never bought: Most of my exercise equipment—except for my treadmill. I always have grand plans of lifting weights, and working on my core with those exercise balls, and now they sit there and taunt me.

A few of your favorite things: Golden retrievers, traveling to warm places, and British mysteries.

Things you need to throw out: Half my wardrobe. I swear I still have clothes from twenty years ago—they’ll eventually come back into fashion…right?

Things you need for your writing sessions: Did I mention I love coffee? It fuels my writing time, so an absolute must have, along with my computer!

Things that hamper your writing: social media. If I could have it unavailable to me from 7am to noon, I’d get more done!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Wondering if the book will come together early on. Even with a good idea, I’m never quite sure until I’ve passed a certain point.

Easiest thing about being a writer: showing up at the keyboard. I look forward to it every day. I may not always get much done, but even if I spend an hour editing, I feel like I’ve accomplished something that day.

Words that describe you: tenacious, loyal, kind

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: impatient and easily distracted

Favorite music or song: I’m a country girl all the way.

Music that drives you crazy: Rap – I’ve never understood the appeal.

Favorite beverage: Besides coffee…. I love Ginger Beer.

Something that gives you a sour face: Anything green that identifies itself as a healthy smoothy.

Favorite smell: Cinnamon. I really love walking into my house in the autumn because I have all the spicy scents going!

Something that makes you hold your nose: Hominy. My grandmother used to cook it and I remember just hating that smell.

Things you always put in your books: The beginnings or hint of some kind of romantic relationship. I just feel like it adds a layer of real life.

Things you never put in your books: Graphic violence.

Favorite places you’ve been: Hawaii, New Zealand, Great Barrier Reef

Places you never want to go to again: Does the emergency room of the hospital count? Because I could live my whole life and not go there again!

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Zip Lining

Something you chickened out from doing: Bungee jumping – I just couldn’t see myself free falling…rope attached or not!

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: In Hidden Pieces, the cold case in that book was based on the event that happened in my small town when I was 14. Two girls went out walking and one of the girls was abducted, never making it home.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: In my PI Kelly Pruett series, Kelly has an obsession with peanut butter and most think that’s from something I enjoy. Truth is, I liked it okay as a kid, but not so much as an adult.

About Mary:

Eighteen years in the legal field, and an over-active imagination, led Pacific NW native Mary Keliikoa to start writing mystery and suspense. She is the author of the award-winning HIDDEN PIECES and DEADLY TIDES in the Misty Pines mystery series, the PI Kelly Pruett mystery series including the multi-award nominated DERAILED for Best Debut, and the upcoming stand-alone DON’T ASK, DON’T FOLLOW out June of 2024. Her short stories have been included in Woman’s World and the anthology, Peace, Love, and Crime.

When not in Washington, you can find Mary with toes in the sand on a Hawaiian beach. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mary.Keliikoa.Author

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mary_keliikoa

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary.keliikoa.author/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-keliikoa

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20038534.Mary_Keliikoa

Website: www.marykeliikoa.com 

#WriterWednesday Interview with Linda Lovely

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Linday Lovely to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee to wake me up each morning, and toilet paper (TP wasn’t on my essentials list until we ran out during the pandemic).

Things you wish you’d never bought: Uncomfortable shoes and all the specialty facial washes, moisturizers, and cosmetics collecting dust under the bathroom sink.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Quiet. No radio, TV noise. My husband and I quickly learned we couldn’t share an office.

Things that hamper your writing: Phone interruptions and the urge to get up and do something constructive (like making cookies or cleaning the bathroom) when I’m having a bad day.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Social media promotion to sell books, though I really enjoy in-person meetings at book clubs, libraries, etc.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Finding ways to “disappear” or humiliate the type of characters who annoy you in real life.

Words that describe you: Determined, optimistic, easily amused.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Old, wrinkled, overweight.

Favorite foods: Chocolate, Eggs Benedict, almost any Italian dish.

Things that make you want to gag: Vegetables overcooked until they’re slimy.

Favorite smell: Cookies or cakes baking in the oven. My answers to these questions seem to explain why one of the words I use to describe myself is overweight.

Something that makes you hold your nose: People who douse themselves in perfume.

Something you’re really good at: Cooking.

Something you’re really bad at: Holding my tongue. I tend to say what I think and offer my opinion even when the wiser course is to keep my mouth shut.

Things you always put in your books: Smart women.

Things you never put in your books: I’m tempted to say smart men—but that’s not true! My real answer is I don’t like excessive gore or torture scenes and avoid those.

Favorite books (or genre): Mysteries, thrillers, suspense.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Most celebrity-written bios.

Favorite things to do: Read, go on long walks, play tennis, swim.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Attend an opera or a rave. Hate huge crowds and loud noise.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Married my husband, my best friend. Approaching our 50th.

Biggest mistake: Years ago, my husband and I bought a franchise that we quickly discovered was a huge mistake. But we gained skills that we’ve been very thankful for—so the mistake eventually yielded a happy ending.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Oil painting, playing with food recipes.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Some of those “let’s see what happens if I add this” recipes.

About Linda:

Linda Lovely’s A Killer App is her eleventh published novel. A journalism major in college, Lovely spent decades handling corporate PR, including penning hundreds of feature articles for business, trade and travel magazines. Today, her focus is fiction. Her mysteries, historical suspense and contemporary thrillers share one common element—smart, independent heroines. A member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime, she also serves as secretary for Mystery Writers of America’s Southeast regional chapter. For many years, Lovely helped organize the Writers’ Police Academy.

#WriterWednesday Interview with Joe Golemo

I’d like to welcome author Joe Golemo to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite things: technology items (phone, laptop)

Things you need to throw out: old stuff (furniture, clothing, etc.) that we’ve replaced with new versions but that is still in the basement

Things you need for your writing sessions: I used to write in coffee shops exclusively until it got too expensive and time consuming to get there and back. Now I take the laptop on the deck in the summer and stick to the home office in the winter.

Things that hamper your writing: Discovering a plot hole in the synopsis that I thought I’d already finished.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Putting yourself and your ideas about the world in writing and hoping no one will think you are (too) crazy.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Is anything easy? Cashing a royalty check maybe?

Favorite foods: chocolate, wine, steak, burgers, Chicago dogs, seafood

Things that make you want to gag: eggplant and okra

Favorite beverage: it has to be red wine followed by coffee

Something that gives you a sour face: really sour beer flavors

Things you always put in your books: quirky minor characters that I hope are amusing to the reader

Things you never put in your books: gratuitous violence or really any violence if it can be avoided

Things to say to an author: I loved your last book and can’t wait to get a copy of your new one!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I noticed a type-o/plot hole/minor inconsistency on page 147 of your book.

Favorite books (or genre): murder mysteries, of course; thrillers; science fiction; books on how to improve your writing; business book; anything on the banned books list

Books you wouldn’t buy: the latest fads in self-help books; cookbooks (my spouse has enough of them)

Favorite things to do: write, read, work on home projects like building cabinets or rebuilding a deck

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: editing your book for the umpteenth time

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I really liked your book. You are a really good writer!”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: This is about an animated video I created for the book using AI tools: “The video is creepy AF!”

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

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

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: I have no sense of direction and get lost anytime I’m in a new area so of course, my main character does, too

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: My brother and I were both adopted but our parents told us when we were very young – we didn’t find accidently when we were older

About Joe:

When he’s not working on his next murder mystery, Joe is a Partner with a Management and IT Consulting firm. He is originally from Chicago and holds a Chemical Engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He moved to Rochester, Minnesota, to work for IBM and fell in love with the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Joe has a lovely wife of over 30 years, two adult children, and a crazy dog named Marco.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.facebook.com/JoeGolemo/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joegolemo/

Author Website: www.joegolemo.com

#WriterWednesday Interview with K. T. Anglehart

I’d like to welcome K. T. Anglehart to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Treating it like a business, including marketing and putting yourself out there on social media.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Knowing there is nothing else you’d rather be doing.

Words that describe you: Strong-willed; organized; creative

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Anxious; self-deprecating; sensitive

Favorite music or song: Punk Rock

Music that drives you crazy: EDM. I don’t get it, and I never will.

Something you’re really good at: Eclectic décor! Tying a room together using unique pieces.

Something you’re really bad at: Directions. Spin me around once, and I won’t know which way I came from.

Things you’d walk a mile for: My grandmother’s lasagna; a thrift shop; my friends

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: A centipede; reality dating shows; florescent lighting

Things you always put in your books: gorgeous landscapes; historically poignant events; life lessons

Things you never put in your books: one-dimensional villains; melodramatic dialogue; smut

Things to say to an author: “When is the TV adaptation coming out?!”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I could write a book too…if I had the time.”

Favorite places you’ve been: Loch Lomond, Scotland and Connemara, Ireland

Places you never want to go to again: Paris

Favorite things to do: Antiquing; dreaming up original TV show ideas; hanging out at home, doing nothing in particular with my husband and pets

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Working in an office; going for a jog; laundry

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “You transported me back home to Ireland.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “You should be more sensitive about exploiting the idea of Twin Flames.” (I still have no words.)

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I love creative projects! I’ve had a podcast, I’ve refurbished furniture, and I’ve done some painting.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: When I first moved into my new home in Toronto, I was inspired by green and gold bathroom décor…suffice to say, the green I selected did not give off the chic vibe I was going for. My bathroom now looks like it belongs in a Thai Express.

About K. T.:

K.T. Anglehart is an award-winning author hailing from Montreal, known for her enchanting teen urban fantasy, The Wise One, book I of The Scottish Scrolls, inspired by the landscapes and folklore of Ireland and Scotland. The second installment, The Twin Flame, will be released this November. With a background in journalism, scriptwriting, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, she brings a unique blend of literary skill to her works. Outside of writing, Katrina is a passionate advocate for bunnies and enjoys hiking, antiquing, and Netflix binges with her husband in Toronto, where they share their home with three beloved pets.

Let’s Be Social:

https://www.ktanglehart.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kt_anglehart/

https://www.facebook.com/ktanglehart

https://twitter.com/kt_anglehart



#WriterWednesday Interview with H. M. Gooden

I’d like to welcome H. M. Gooden to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite things: I’m going through a little bit of a sticker and planner phase. I’m pretty sure it’s a procrastination technique, but it’s so pretty I can’t stop!

Things you need to throw out: I need to get rid of the things I keep saying “oh, but it’s too good to throw away, but not good enough to donate”. Clearly, if I don’t think it’s good enough to donate, it should go in the garbage, but…

Hardest thing about being a writer: The hardest thing about being a writer is finding the time to write. Between work, kids, health, life, etc., I feel I could get so much more done if I was able to be sequestered in a monastery away from all distractions.

Easiest thing about being a writer: The ideas. I have way more ideas than time, and I find opportunities everywhere.

Something you’re good at: Does procrastination count as a skill set? I amaze myself sometimes how could I am at procrastination. Then there are other times I’m remarkably good getting a multitude of things done all at once. This is a skill I call “procrastitasking”. In fact, there’s a high probability I’m doing it right now!

Something you’re bad at: Extremely bad at realistically estimating time a project will take, and/or the time available to complete it in. Most of the time I have found as an adult I build in extra time buffers as a result, but even then, it can be tight!

The last thing you ordered online: I think I ordered another pair of leggings from Amazon. The Satina brand ones are seriously comfortable, and less than 20$ Canadian, which is huge. I wear them pretty much anytime I’m not in scrubs or trying to make sure my jeans still fit.

The last thing you regret buying: I don’t regret the product, but I hate when I buy something online and I think I’ve paid for shipping already, then I get dinged with a second shipping charge before they’ll deliver it. The product I bought was a gorgeous writing box, but the shipping ended up being the same as the cost of the box itself, which was disappointing. Still love the box though, so that is good.

Things you’d walk a mile for: I’m from rural Manitoba, so you must walk at least a mile to go anywhere unless you have a car or are riding your bike, and then it’s way over a mile.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: About 75% of the noises that my children emit. I know nature wants me to let them do things themselves, but why must they make so much noise? If I had a mute button my homelife would be perfect!

Things you always put in your books: All my books, both fiction and non-fiction, have elements of magic. I can’t help it—the world is so amazing and mysterious; I still haven’t found another way to explain most of what happens without falling back on the elements of fantasy.

Things you never put in your books: That is so tough! I don’t know the answer to this. I wouldn’t deliberately create a hero/heroine that was a terrible human, but otherwise I think anything is on the table.

Favorite places you’ve been: I love travelling, but haven’t had a chance to go anywhere since having children. The places I’ve really loved were Scotland and Wales, but I have a very, very long travel list.

Places you never want to go to again: Oh, another toughie! I’m not keen on going back to terrible places in my past but wouldn’t want to make someone who loved a place upset when I call their favorite corner of the world terrible. I don’t really have anywhere I hate, but I’m not big on anywhere crowded in general.

Favorite books (or genre): I love anything and everything with magic. Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Sci-fi- any genre with characters I can get behind.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’m really not into military books of any kind- fictional or non-fiction. I did read many throughout my education, but they were always too painful to read. That much death and destruction is not my idea of entertainment, and I see plenty of death every day, so I’m looking for more love and light in my relaxing material.

Favorite things to do: I love to read, write, spend time in nature and snuggle my 4 cats and dog. And of course, spend time with family.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Do Brussel sprouts count? I have and would eat grasshoppers over those.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I have to go with trying out being a trapeze artist- I nearly died! (I mean I didn’t, but nearly had a heart attack trying to jump.)

Something you chickened out from doing: scuba diving. Still not sure if I couldn’t do it because of my ears, or because the feeling of claustrophobia I experienced in the bottom of the cage was very unexpected.

#WriterWednesday Interview with Gretchen McCullough

I’d like to welcome Gretchen McCullough to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you never want to run out of: During Ramadan, we are afraid we will run of booze! It is not sold during the entire month in Cairo.

Things you wish you’d never bought: I bought a used car in Tuscaloosa, Alabama because it was cheap. I should have spent more money because I almost replaced all the parts in one year! I sold it for five hundred bucks before I left Tuscaloosa.

A few of your favorite things: I love my mother’s paintings, my bathing suit and my tennis racquet.

Things you need to throw out: I have too many suitcases! Every time I go to Texas, I bring back another suitcase. I have suitcases under my bed, in my wardrobes and stacked against the wall. I even have the trunks I bought to Cairo in 2000!

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need big stretches of time when I am working on a novel. My desk faces the trees outside. This sense of openness helps me create.

Things that hamper your writing: Our cat Pepe who starts howling! He is hungry, wants to be petted or wants his litter box cleaned.

Hardest thing about being a writer: It’s tough having a manuscript rejected.

Easiest thing about being a writer: It’s great to have the freedom to create a world.

Words that describe you: I can be funny, clumsy, but also well-organized.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: I am a worrier. Sometimes, I call it too straight and could be described as tactless.

Favorite foods: I love raw oysters with cumin, olive oil and lemon. Nothing like it if they are fresh.

Things that make you want to gag: I can even eat liver, but I draw the line at brains.

Favorite beverage: I enjoy a Heineken beer on a hot day.

Something that gives you a sour face: I will never drink Gin or Tequila again after a few bad experiences in my twenties.

Favorite smell: I love the smell of jasmine blossoms.

Something that makes you hold your nose: When the drain is blocked and water backs up in our small bathroom, it smells like a sewer.

The last thing you ordered online: An E-book on Amazon by James McBride, Good Lord Bird. A wonderful novel!

The last thing you regret buying: I regret not trying on a swimsuit at Target before I bought it.

Favorite places you’ve been: I love Izmir, Turkey. There is nothing more glorious than sitting all afternoon by the sea eating fried calamari.

Places you never want to go to again: I didn’t enjoy living in Tokyo. I felt closed in.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I went to a isolated part of Syria on a Fulbright without knowing much Arabic.

Something you chickened out from doing: I never want to scuba-dive. I don’t want a mask over my face.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: There was a murder next to my parents’ second home in Ingram, Texas.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: I wasn’t dragged off to a mental asylum in Cairo.

About Gretchen:

Gretchen McCullough was raised in Harlingen Texas. After graduating from Brown University in 1984, she taught in Egypt, Turkey and Japan. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and was awarded a teaching Fulbright to Syria from 1997-1999.

Her stories, essays and reviews have appeared in The Barcelona Review, Archipelago, National Public Radio, Story South, Guernica, The Common, The Millions, and the LA Review of Books. Translations in English and Arabic have been published in: Nizwa, Banipal, Brooklyn Rail in Translation, World Literature Today and Washington Square Review with Mohamed Metwalli. Her bi-lingual book of short stories in English and Arabic, Three Stories from Cairo, translated with Mohamed Metwalli was published in July 2011 by AFAQ Publishing House, Cairo. A collection of short stories about expatriate life in Cairo, Shahrazad’s Tooth, was also published by AFAQ in 2013. Most recently, her translation with Mohamed Metwalli of his poetry collection, A Song by the Aegean Sea was published by Laertes Press, 2022.

Currently, she is on the faculty at the American University in Cairo.

Let’s Be Social:

Website

Facebook