#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jenna Greene

I’d like to welcome author Jenna Greene to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Tea, mugs for my tea, books to read while drinking tea

Things you need to throw out: All the half-finished craft projects of my child and the hoarding materials of my husband.

Things you need for your writing sessions: A cup of tea (surprise!) a comfy chair or couch, my laptop, and inspiration.

Things that hamper your writing: Being hungry.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing. (Imagining events, places, conflicts, settings).

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing. (Communicating events, places, conflicts, settings).

Words that describe you: Quirky, creative, chatty, curious, loyal

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Loud, quirky, emotional, abrasive, sloppy

Favorite music or song: Anything Broadway! Yay Newsies, Hairspray, Billy Elliot!

Music that drives you crazy: Country music and rap.

Favorite beverage: Tea!

Something that gives you a sour face: Coffee (the smell… ugh!)

Something you’re really good at: Being creative, whether that be through writing, inventing games, drama, or dance.

Something you’re really bad at: Dancing without falling over or crashing into things – but I do it anyway because I LOVE it.

Things you’d walk a mile for: My child. If she needed me, I’d RUN 10,000 miles.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Spiders. (Is there one around?!)

Things you always put in your books: A character discovering something about themselves – learning to do something they couldn’t do before, or discovering a strength they didn’t know they had.

Things you never put in your books: Excessive smut. I’d giggle too much while writing it.

Favorite things to do: Paddle a dragonboat, kayak, or canoe.

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

The funniest thing to happen to you: Okay, there’s too many to list. I’ve accidentally got into someone else’s car, peed on my own foot, got my hair caught in a door jamb, ate a bee, went to work with two different shoes…

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: See above.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Wrote, directed, and choreographed plays and Christmas concerts.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Anything with junior high students involved.

About Jenna:

Jenna Greene is a YA/ Children’s author from Alberta, Canada. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys dancing, dragonboating, and napping.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.jennagreene.ca

Twitter/X: @jgreenewrites

#WriterWednesday Interview with Mo Moshaty

I’d like to welcome Mo Moshaty to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite things: Making travel plans, writing when it’s rainy ( I get best horror ideas when it’s gloomy)

Things you need to throw out: The half-written in notebooks and journals I know I’m not going to use.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need to be better at giving myself time to think. G2 Pens, orange highlighter, a hot tea, a wine or martini

Things that hamper your writing: my cellphone ☹

Hardest thing about being a writer: having far too many ideas to get down, I’m big on world-building so its difficult to make that concise

Easiest thing about being a writer: having far too many ideas to get down – it’s a blessing and a curse

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: helped create a film challenge via Zoom and post pandemic that has been featured on Shudder with three of my colleagues, that recently won a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for 2022

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: created a dark science fiction horror podcast that was pitched to major studios that deflated in production

Something you’re really good at: Napping 😊

Something you’re really bad at: Getting distracted, and then berating myself for procrastination

Words that describe you: Charming, Inquisitive, Passionate

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Self-deprecating, overly sensitive

Favorite places you’ve been: London, England

Places you never want to go to again: The ER in Virginia Beach

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Performed my own original music in London acapella

Something you chickened out from doing: bungee jumping…..a second time!

The funniest thing to happen to you: at my fourth birthday party, I wanted Wonder Woman underoos so badly, and I received them! In my zeal to get them, I tore into my room and put them on, but I stuck myself in one of the leg holes instead of the waistband, I was cutting off my circulation and blacked out.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That my writing made them cry from it’s beautiful construction

The craziest thing a reader said to you: usually only men write brutal stories like this

Favorite music or song: 80’s and 90s hip hop and dance music

Music that drives you crazy: modern country

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: Scenes of a past relationship and the disposition of an ex made it into my book, Love the Sinner. Of course, I killed the character. 😊

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Such a tough one. I’ve had someone recently equate me with a character from a short story I had written titled, The Marriage. As Much as I want it to be it isn’t, lol.

About Mo:

Mo Moshaty is a horror writer, lecturer and producer. Flexing her horror acumen, coupled with her additional vocation as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, Mo has lectured with Prairie View A&M in Texas as a keynote speaker for Nightmares of Monkeypaw: A Jordan Peele Symposium, with Horror Studies BAFSS Sig for No Return: A Yellowjackets Symposium, with Centre for the History of the Gothic at the University of Sheffield and the University of California for The Whole Damn Swarm: Celebrating 30 Years of Candyman and Final Girls Berlin Film Festival's Brain Binge on Women's Trauma Within Horror Cinema. 

Let’s Be Social: Mo Moshaty

Another Writing Secret - What I Learned about Advice

When I decided that I wanted to write a novel, I bought every book on writing that I could get my hands on. I had quite the collection, and the advice varied greatly. I spent months reading and researching the perfect technique. Then one day, I had an ah-ha moment. I was doing a lot of reading and research, but I wasn’t writing. I was spending all my free time trying to find out the best way to write without developing my own skills. So, I went through all my shelves and weeded through my collection. I kept a few that spoke to me, and the rest went to the Friends of the Library.

Try new things. Learn new techniques, but if they don’t improve your writing process, ditch them and try something else. You have to find what works with your style and your life. When I was reading all the advice books, I was bombarded with outline, don’t outline, write every day, write when you feel like it, make a schedule, set a word count, don’t pressure yourself with daily word counts, use this style, and don’t use that style.

This is what worked for me. Again, if it doesn’t work for you, try another technique. Everyone is different and has his/her own preferences.

Writing is a business, and I needed to treat my work that way. It took me five years to finish my first novel and another two to get it published. I needed to be more productive, and I needed a schedule. I knew that I wanted to be serious about my writing and to have a series. I definitely needed to speed up my process. I outline each book now. I also set daily word count goals when I’m working on the first draft. If I stick with my plan, I can usually finish a complete first draft in 2-3 months. I also don’t edit as I write. I finish the first draft and then move to the editing stage.

Your first draft is not your final draft. It takes a lot of rework and reviews to get it to a publishable state. There are very few writers who can create an almost-perfect manuscript on the first try.

I think it’s important to have a network of writer friends to bounce ideas and questions off of. They are an amazing support group to help you with the disappointments and to celebrate the wins.

Again, writing is a business. Authors are required to maintain social media presences, host events, and promote their books. You need to make sure that one part of the writing life (e.g. writing, researching, revising, marketing, promoting) doesn’t take over and dominate all of your time. It’s a balance.

Remember, your job is to write your next book.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jen Collins Moore

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Jen Collins Moore to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Reading your book made me feel just like I was back in Italy.” I hear it all the time, and it never fails to make my day, because that’s what my books are about: transporting and entertaining readers with a great puzzle.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “I hate reading, but I loved your book.” Who hates reading? Either way, I’m so glad that I could bring some fiction joy to someone who didn’t realize it was out there.

Favorite places you’ve been: Rome, of course. It’s where I set my series, A Roman Holiday Mystery. But really, I’m a sucker for European coastlines: the Côte d'Azur, Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Crete, and the Costa del Sol are all favorites of mine. My greatest recent discovery is the Azores, a chain of islands smack in the middle of the Atlantic. I waxed rhapsodic about the place in my September 2022 newsletter and a reader planned a trip there and reported back that it was her family’s favorite trip yet. Seriously, it’s amazing.

Places you never want to go to again: I truly believe a good traveler can have fun anywhere. My problem is there are so many places in the world I want to see, it’s hard to decide whether to return to a favorite or explore someplace new.

Favorite foods: Anything Italian! I’ve always been a foodie, and I worked for several years at Barilla, the Italian food company, in marketing. Spending hours debating the right ingredients for a new pasta sauce and tasting different tortellini options were regular parts of my daily routine. Needless to say, I was in heaven.

Things that make you want to gag: I resent overcooked pasta. Always, always check it two minutes less than the recommended time.

Things you always put in your books: Food! Characters need to be doing something when they are in a scene, and there’s nothing I like better than having them bite into a flaky sfogliatella, catch a wiff of delicious pizza as they pass a Pizza al Taglio window, or lick a cone of gelato.

Things you never put in your books: Sex and violence. I write about murder because I’m interested in the solution to the puzzle, but I don’t want to linger on the act itself. And sex, well, my kids will read my books someday.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The blank page. There are so many stories to tell, and I struggle to stay focused. I do much better when I’ve figured out a story and have a specific idea of what needs to happen in a specific scene. Once I have that, I can roll along.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Twiddling with words all day. I used to drive my coworkers crazy editing their work for corporate presentations and meetings. In writing, word choice matters, and I get to play with a sentence or a paragraph until I think it’s perfect.

Things you need for your writing sessions: A plan. If I sit at my desk without knowing what I want to write, I don’t accomplish much of anything. I need to start each session with my own personal marching orders.

Things that hamper your writing: Distraction! Writing is hard, and if there’s even a single chirp from my inbox or web page available to pop over to, I lose my focus. I need to turn off my internet for my writing sessions.

Favorite beverage: I’m one of those always-cold people, and I always have a cup of tea, hot chocolate, chai latte, or even plain old hot water, at my side.

Something that gives you a sour face: Coffee. I love the smell, hate the taste. I don’t even like coffee ice cream.

Something you’re really good at: Making plans. I love researching trips and planning out the hotels and activities. For me, the planning is almost as fun as the trip itself. I’ve made some great discoveries, and I write about travel in my newsletter. I hope you’ll subscribe.

Something you’re really bad at: Spontaneity. It’s the flip side of being a planner. It’s hard for me to sit back and just dive into a situation without looking at all the angles.

Favorite books (or genre): I’m a mystery fan through and through, but I read widely. There are just so many great books out there, but my all-time favorite childhood book is Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game. I’ve yet to meet a single person who didn’t love it. If you haven’t read it yet, run out right now and get a copy.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’ll read dark, but I’m not a sex and violence person.

Favorite things to do: Travel. There’s nothing I love more than researching a trip, packing up the family, and discovering a new part of the world.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: An all-inclusive resort vacation. Okay, maybe I wouldn’t run through a fire to avoid it, but it’s not the type of trip I seek out. There are all kinds of people in the world, and I’m more of a “I’ll rest when I get back home” traveler than a “I can’t wait to read by the pool” traveler.

About Jen:

Jen Collins Moore transports readers to Rome in the Roman Holiday Mysteries, most recently Murder in Trastevere. Her short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly and Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories. She is president of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. A transplanted New Englander, she lives in Chicago with her husband and two boys.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.jennifercollinsmoore.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jencollinsmoore/
Threads @jennifercollinsmoore

#WriterWednesday Interview with Luna Rey Hall

I’d like to welcome Luna Rey Hall to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite things: my dogs, my dogs, my dogs

Things you need to throw out: not my dogs.

Things you need for your writing sessions: either my phone or computer— i don’t write on paper anymore.

Things that hamper your writing: any type of talking, so i go someplace quiet or try to put on music without lyrics.

Favorite music or song: i lean towards indie rock/pop, hip-hop, hyperpop.

Music that drives you crazy: generic stadium country music… like really corporate brewed type stuff.

Favorite beverage: water is the best and always will be.

Something that gives you a sour face: cream soda

Something you’re really good at: writing

Something you’re really bad at: also writing

The last thing you ordered online: probably books... unless food from an app counts

The last thing you regret buying: merchandise from a since cancelled musician

Things you always put in your books: queerness

Things you never put in your books: a happy ending

Favorite places you’ve been: Seaside, Oregon— specifically with all of my friends

Places you never want to go to again: NYC during a busy time of the year

Favorite books (or genre): my all-time favorite books is Black Aperture by Matt Rasmussen and Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith

Books you wouldn’t buy: not a big fan of historical non-fiction? books by bad people. Harry Potter.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: there’s been an endless amount of very generous and pleasant, kind, warm things that readers have said to me over the years but i think the biggest one would be hearing my book is someone’s favorite or that they are grateful i’m in the world.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “the main character is annoying” — well yeah they are going through a very traumatic experience, and nobody is perfect so accurate.

About Luna:

luna rey hall is a trans non-binary writer. they are the author of four books including "the patient routine". their poems have appeared in The Florida Review, The Rumpus, and Raleigh Review, among others.

Let’s Be Social:

lunareyhall.com

Don't Go it Alone - Tips for Writers

Writing is a solitary sport, and it can be a lonely journey sometimes. I encourage writers to find their crew and to cherish those amazing people who help you celebrate your victories and cheer you up when you need it. Your writing friends should be treasured. Here are some ideas for ways you can expand your writing network.

Find a writers’ group. There are many local, international, and virtual ones out there. I am in several, and the advice and camaraderie have been invaluable. I owe so much to Sisters in Crime. I received my first traditionally published writing credit as part of a chapter anthology. There have been so many writers who are so generous with their time and advice that have helped me along my own writing journey.

Use your crew. When you schedule book signings or events, look for writer friends who want to join you. This gives all of you an opportunity to expand your reach at events. Make sure you work with the bookseller/event coordinator to ensure there is space for everyone, and the writers meet all the criteria. Sometimes, booksellers will ask for writers to have a recent novel or for books that are returnable. I love that my writer friends always want to partner. It makes all of the book signings a party, and I get to meet their friends and fans.

Build your network. I am so fortunate to have so many writer friends. We share in-person and virtual marketing opportunities, advice, and ideas. I also reach out to these folks when I have a question that I know that collective hive can help solve. They have been a great source of information and ideas. If you’re not sure how to get started, attend the meetings and volunteer to help.

Gems are everywhere. Don’t overlook the people who share your agent and your publisher. I am so fortunate that both of mine have regular meetings to share information. I’ve found many friends in both of these groups and have partnered with them for in-person and virtual book events.

When I’m asked for writing advice from readers, I always say to find a writers’ group. I am so thankful for all my friends in Sisters in Crime National, Central Virginia, Chessie, and the Guppy chapters; James River Writers; and International Thriller Writers.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with W. L. Hawkin

I’d like to welcome W. L. Hawkin to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: my rock collection, cobalt blue glass, old photographs and journals

Things you need to throw out: most of my old journals and half of the old photographs

Things you need for your writing sessions: my laptop and my couch or bed

Things that hamper your writing: background noise so, no, I don’t write in coffee shops

Hardest thing about being a writer: having to market my books.

Easiest thing about being a writer: writing my books

Favorite foods: sushi or Thai

Things that make you want to gag: overripe banana

Favorite music or song: acoustic guitar

Music that drives you crazy: opera

The last thing you ordered online: wide-legged black pants with rainbow bottoms for PRIDE. They’re so cool!

The last thing you regret buying: a vinyl canopy that was impossible to return because unbeknownst to me it shipped from India. I sold it on marketplace after many heated emails back and forth with the original seller.

Things you always put in your books: a kiss that takes your breath away

Things you never put in your books: rape

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I don’t want to read your book. I don’t read fiction or watch television.” *shrug or eye roll (subtext: “I judge your book (which I refuse to try) beneath my intellectual, literary level.”

Favorite places you’ve been: the west coasts of Ireland, Scotland, Canada; Nova Scotia; The Yucatan; Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Places you never want to go to again: big cities like New York, Chicago, or Detroit

Favorite books (or genre): I honestly love the Harry Potter series

Books you wouldn’t buy: anything I can borrow from the library

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

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: I always wanted to do mixed media on canvas until I did

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: I heard a story about a man who disappeared from a small town in Scotland and returned as a woman. That made me wonder what it would be like to grow up gay there, and that changed my story completely.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: There are several good sex scenes in my Hollystone Books. They are not about me. Just sayin’

About W. L.:

I live, work, and play on the unceded territory of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, now called Campbell River. This bountiful land is the soul of the People who have lived here since Time Immemorial. I'm a grateful guest and steward of this beautiful space. 

Let’s Be Social:
Social Links

#WriterWednesday Interview with Kate B. Jackson

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Kate B. Jackson (K. B. Jackson) to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

Words that describe you: Optimistic, tenacious, reconciliatory

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Resting B* Face

Favorite foods: Anything Mexican, Shawarma, sticky toffee pudding

Things that make you want to gag: mushrooms and lima beans

Favorite music or song: I love oldies, but I’ve found there’s a Kelly Clarkson song for any occasion.

Music that drives you crazy: Morrissey and the Smiths. I’m sorry, I just can’t. I almost couldn’t date my husband because he enjoys it.

Favorite beverage: Coke Zero with fresh lime or an extra dirty vodka martini

Something that gives you a sour face: I have no poker face, so anything I don’t like!

Something you’re really good at: solving ancestry mysteries

Something you’re really bad at: sitting in the passenger seat while my kid learns to drive

Last best thing you ate: Diablo tenderloin bites in a spicy Argentinian cream sauce from El Gaucho Steakhouse. I have to restrain myself from licking the plate.

Last thing you regret eating: An entire box of mini Nilla Wafers

Things you’d walk a mile for: Tacos, my family, to fit into a dress. Not necessarily in that order.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: rodents, snakes, disrespectful bickering between spouses

Things you always put in your books: Easter eggs. There are specific methods I won’t disclose, but they’re always there.

Things you never put in your books: evil. I want to understand what would drive an average person to kill, so no serial killers or sociopaths.

Things to say to an author: Where do you prefer I leave my review?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I know you’re on deadline but what are you making for dinner?

Favorite places you’ve been: England (York, Bath, and London)

Places you never want to go to again: The emergency room in Willows, CA where I spent several hours after rolling my suburban filled with my 4 kids and all my photo albums across I5 while moving from Socal to Washington State.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: An encounter with a raccoon

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: I hope my mother doesn’t think Audrey’s mom is based on her, because she absolutely is not!

About Kate:

Kate B Jackson (KB Jackson) is an author of mystery novels for grownups and mystery/adventure novels for kids. She lives in the Pacific NW with her husband and has four mostly grown children. Her debut middle grade release is “The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary” (Reycraft Books) about a twelve-year-old boy hired by the most popular girl at his new school to investigate what she saw in the nearby woods. Book one in the Chattertowne Mysteries series, “Secrets Don’t Sink,” (Level Best Books July 2023) introduces Audrey O’Connell, a small town feature reporter who, when her former boyfriend’s body is found floating in the local marina, uncovers the depths to which some will go to keep secrets submerged.

Her debut novel in the Cruising Sisters mystery series, Until Depths Do Us Part (Tule Publishing) will be released Spring 2024.

Let’s Be Social:

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/kbjackson