A lovely review from a lovely reader!

Leola, who writes the "I Love to Read" book review blog, recently read my To Hell in a Handbasket mystery, the second in the Claire Hanover gift basket designer series. She decided that its winter sports focus, with skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling scenes set in Breckenridge, CO, was a good fit with the ongoing winter Olympics. Apparently she really enjoyed the book, because she wrote a lovely, glowing review which you can read Here. Thanks so much, Leola!

My mystery author guest: G. M. Malliet

G. M. Malliet's most recent release is Death at the Alma Mater, the third book in the DCI St. Just mystery series. St. Michael's College, Cambridge, is prestigious, stately, and in frightful disrepair. To replenish the college's dwindling coffers, the Master holds a fundraising weekend for wealthy alums. But all goes awry when the glamorous Lexy Laurant is found viciously strangled to death. Gorgeous and successful, Lexy inspired jealousy, envy, and spite in everyone. There's a lengthy list of likely suspects: Lexy's debt-ridden Latino lover, her novelist ex-husband who jilted her, and a hot-tempered Texan once rejected by the victim, among others. As Detective Chief Inspector St. Just weighs clashing egos, he discovers unsavory secrets...and a most shocking twist.

Doesn't this description sound like an absolutely yummy puzzle to solve! Now, here's my interview with G. M. Malliet:

1. What tools and process do you use to “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

The characters emerge as I write—all the business that attaches doesn’t arrive all at once. It is one thing to have in mind a character who is “sexy” or “self-absorbed,” for example. The fun is in describing exactly what that means, beyond the obvious. The mannerisms, the attitude, the habits of speech, the hairstyle. Sometimes I can’t believe they pay me to do this job—it’s so much fun.

2. How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

I plot but very loosely. If I know too much of what lies ahead, I might get bored with the whole thing myself. A novel is such a long slog you have to keep yourself entertained however you can. But if I have no plot at all, no idea where I’m headed after, say, Chapter 5, that spells trouble—I think that’s where most writers hit a wall.

3. In the age-old question of character versus plot, which one do you think is most important in a murder mystery and which one do you emphasize in your writing?

I’m going to cheat and say that the ideal is both combined. Agatha Christie is often chastised over her characters. I say that she delineated her characters beautifully without a lot of wasted breath and meandering from the story. Then, of course, her ability to plot was second to none. Perfection.

4. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

This is a hard one to answer. Praise keeps me motivated, I suppose, but that only goes so far. The fact is I don’t know what I’d do all day if I couldn’t write. Can’t imagine it and won’t even try. As to the biggest challenge? I think each writer faces that one down every day—the challenge of sitting down and writing something, anything, for that day.

5. What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?

I try to keep the same hours I’d have at a 9-5 job, five days a week. So I basically try to be at my desk doing something for about eight hours a day with a short break for lunch. Some days are good days—almost pure, in the zone, nothing but writing: I could be on the moon for all I know. Some days involve too much email or messing about on the Internet.

6. What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Try to minimize the looking-for-an-agent/editor stuff. Keep that to an hour a day, at most. Writing is your job and if you’re ready to come out fighting when they ring the bell, you’ve spent your “waiting” time well.

7. Now here’s a zinger. Tell us something about yourself that you have not revealed in another interview yet. Something as simple as your favorite TV show or food will do.

Favorite TV or DVD shows are Dexter, Inspector Louis, Inspector Morse, Inspector Lynley, Midsomer Murders, Poirot, Agatha. Have you spotted the trend here? You would think I’d be tired of mysteries, wouldn’t you, but that’s really my favorite form of entertainment. I did take a break from crime to watch as much of the Winter Olympics as I could. I also love going to the movies, where I branch out from mysteries to current favorites, even though any more it’s an expensive habit.

8. What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

I’m writing two as-yet untitled books for Thomas Dunne/Minotaur. They feature Max Tudor, who is the Vicar in a small village in Southern England. He also happens to be a former MI5 agent who entered the Church to escape the violence that constantly surrounded him. But when one of his more bellicose parishioners is murdered, shattering the calm of his idyllic adopted village, the police turn to him for help in sorting it all out.

9. Is there anything else you would like to tell my blog readers?

I welcome visitors to my website, where there is a page for contacting me. I don’t have a personal blog like yours, Beth, or at least not one I maintain regularly, but I participate as do you in our group blog Inkspot. I’m also on Twitter and on Facebook. Thanks for hosting me today!


Okay, readers, fire away! What do you want to know about G. M. Malliet that I didn't cover? Do you think she's willing to tell us what G. M. stands for? :) Got anything else to say or ask?

Tomorrow's Guest Blogger: G. M. Maillet

Tomorrow, fellow Midnight Ink mystery author G. M. Malliet will be a guest on my blog. G. M. is the author of the Agatha Award-winning Death of a Cozy Writer, the first book in the DCI St. Just mystery series, chosen by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Books of 2008. The second book in the series is Death and the Lit Chick and third is Death at the Alma Mater. I've read the first book and loved it, and the second is on my TBR pile!

G. M. is currently working on a new mystery series starring Max Tudor (former MI5 agent, now vicar of a small English village) for Thomas Dunne/Minotaur Books. G.M. is a former journalist and copywriter. She attended Oxford University and holds a graduate degree from the University of Cambridge, the setting for the St. Just mysteries.

G. M. has agreed to be interviewed by me, and her responses to my questions are fascinating. If you have additional questions, or if the interview makes you want to know more about something, she will be available to answer questions that you pose in comments. I hope my blog readers will give her a very warm welcome!

My Inkspot Post about Book Events that Go Bust

Today I take my turn on the Midnight Ink authors' blog, Inkspot. I talk about Book Events Gone Bust, using an example of a "perfect storm" of circumstances that devastated an event I participated in last week. Every author has one or more of these sad stories to tell, and I'm hoping that my post draws out some of those stories of other book events gone bust. I've heard many in the past and they can be quite funny--after the fact. :)

My January Caribbean Cruise -- Week Two

This post is a continuation of the summary of my husband Neil's and my two-week Caribbean cruise. On the ninth day we stopped at Kingstown on the island of St. Vincent and took our best shore excursion--sea kayaking and snorkeling. The first photo shows me in my green solo kayak paddling away from the shore. The second shows some me and others waiting our turn to paddle through the "Bat Cave" enroute to Byahaut Bay, where we beached our kayaks and snorkeled. The third photo shows coral and black spiny sea urchins, which we were told to avoid.
























On the tenth day we stopped at Bassettere on the island of St. Kitts, where we hopped aboard a local van bus to ride to the bottom of the hill on which perched Brimstone Fortress, the "Gibraltar of the Caribbean" built by the British in the 1700s. We hiked to the top and toured it then caught a ride back to the ship and lunched there. In the afternoon, we boarded the St. Kitts Scenic Railway for a tour of the island on an old sugar cane train, complete with rum punches. The fourth and fifth photos show the fortress and the sixth photo shows the train.
























The eleventh day was another At Sea day, when we signed up for the fabulous and exclusive "Chef's Table" experience. The evening included a tour of the kitchen during dinner hour with champagne & appetizers there, personal service and discussion with the Executive Chef, Maitre 'D, Head Pastry Chef, and Director of Food & Beverage Service (who gave us his card to give to our pastry-chef-in-training son), two photos with these folks, wonderful food prepared tableside and paired with upscale wines, and a Princess cruise lines cookbook. The seventh photo shows me in my white coat in the kitchen with my glass of champagne and the eighth photo shows the dinner cooks in action. The ninth photo shows our risotto course, the tenth shows the main course (veal shanks), and the eleventh shows us with our desserts (on plates made of sugar), the chefs and the maitre 'd. What a night!













































On the twelfth day, we stopped at St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and took a ferry ride the the National Park on St. John, where we relaxed on the lovely Cinnamon Bay beach. The twelfth photo shows the beach and the thirteenth shows yachts in the harbor at St. Thomas. On the thirteenth day, we stopped at picturesque Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. In the morning we walked to the Cathedral of San Juan where Ponce de Leon is buried (see the fourteenth photo). From there we walked to Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, built by the Spanish in the 1500s (see the fifteenth and sixteenth photos), and to the Castillo de San Cristobal, built in the 1700s (see the seventeenth and eighteenth photos). In the afternoon, we caught a ferry to the Bacardi Rum Factory and took their tour (nineteenth photo).














































































On the fourteenth day, we stopped at Grand Turk island of the Turks and Caicos, where we had the fascinating experience of swimming with stingrays. The twentieth photo shows me "kissing" a stingray and the twenty-first shows one swimming with a pilot fish. Our cruise ended the morning of the fifteenth day with disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale and a return to the real world of snow and cold in Colorado Springs by that evening.

My January Caribbean Cruise -- Week One

My husband Neil and I really enjoyed our two-week Caribbean cruise, even though we were some of the youngsters on board the ship. The majority of folks who can get away for a 14 day cruise in January are in their 70s and 80s. Many of our "Anytime Dining" dinner companions (different ones every evening) were seasoned cruisers, having gone on 25, 40, 78, or more cruises. We got a lot of information about different companies and itineraries. We also learned that instead of asking, "What do you do?" most asked, "What do your children/grandchildren do?", so we had plenty of opportunities to brag about our own kids. Often Neil made a comment about me being a mystery author, and many of the women were interested, so I handed out a few bookmarks that I learned to carry with me in my purse.





The first photo shows me leaning on the railing of the top deck of our ship, the Grand Princess, as we left Fort Lauderdale, FL our first afternoon. The second day was an At Sea day, and our first formal evening, complete with champagne waterfall. The second photo shows Neil and me pouring champagne with Bruno, the Maitre 'D. The third day was also an At Sea day, since we were traveling all the way south to Aruba, our first port call. The third photo shows me relaxing in one of the hot tubs on the pool deck late that afternoon.









When we arrived in Aruba the fourth day, my college roommate Ashley, who works for the Valero refinery on the island, met us at the port and took us snorkeling, sight-seeing, to lunch at her favorite dive shop, and to see her home (what I most wanted to see). The fourth photo shows us outside Ashley's front door. Notice she's wearing a T-shirt from our alma mater, the College of William and Mary. The fifth photo was taken by Ashley, of Neil and me in front of the cruise ship shortly before we departed the island. Our next stop was the nearby island of Curacao, where we toured Hato Cave, took a walking tour of town and explored the Mariner's Museum. The sixth photo shows the famous Queen Emma floating pontoon walking bridge that connects the two sides of the city of Willemstad, Punda and Otrabanda. Notice the brightly painted Dutch architecture!






The sixth day was another At Sea day, and our second formal night. That evening, we enjoyed dining in Sabatini's, one of the two upscale restaurants onboard--7 courses over 2.5 hours. We're seated in front of our main courses (mine was twin lobster tails) in the seventh photo. Doesn't Neil look dashing in his tux? On the seventh day, we stopped at Port of Spain in Trinidad and hiked through the rainforest to the Maracas Waterfall in the morning. The eighth photo shows the top of the waterfall, and the ninth shows the two of us getting soaked underneath it. In the afternoon, we took a taxi to the Botanical Gardens and walked back to the ship through the city and past the "Magnificent Seven" old colonial mansions. On the eighth day, we took a photography tour of Barbados then toured the Mount Gay Rum factory (and bought a bottle). The tenth photo shows the famous undercut rock on the beach at Bathsheba.

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth

When I posted my response to the "Creative Writer" blog award on Friday, I promised that I would post the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth here on Monday, which is today. So, here's the reveal:

1. I have snorkeled with sea turtles, barracudas, and stingrays, but not sharks or dolphins.

This is FALSE. I have snorkeled with ALL of these creatures. The sharks were small lemon or nurse sharks, not great whites or anything truly scary. My long-term blog readers should have known this was false because last January I posted a photo of me swimming with dolphins in Mexico.

2. I love to ski the green (beginner), blue (intermediate), and single black diamond (advanced) ski slopes of my home state of Colorado, but I stay off the double-black diamond (expert) slopes.

This is FALSE. I do NOT enjoy the easy green slopes, which I find boring, and I DO go on the double-black diamond slopes, especially when I'm skiing with my husband or son. Tricky, tricky!

3. I broke my arm on the playground when I was young, then danced the Virginia Reel with it afterward because I didn't want to miss the dance.

This is FALSE. This actually happened to my brother in elementary school, but not to me.

4. I wore a walking cast for six weeks after dancing on a bar at a college fraternity party and slipping on a beer puddle and falling.

This is TRUE. Yep, I loved to party in college. :-) The ankle wasn't actually broken. The doctor told me I pulled a ligament away from the bone, which was worse than a break. After the walking cast came off, it took months of swimming with my leg trailing behind me, then kicking more & more vigorously, to get that ankle back in shape.

5. I've hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.

This is FALSE. This adventure is on my "bucket list," but I haven't done it yet. Check back in a few years!

6. I used to have a car vanity license plate that read FAKE IQ.

This is TRUE. When I was a software engineer, I used to do work in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Under the license plate, I placed a bumper sticker that read, "Artificial Intelligence, it's for real!" Other drivers still snickered and pointed at the blonde in the driver's seat, though. ;-)

7. I've spent a night in jail.

This is FALSE. I did go through the El Paso County Sheriff's Citizen's Academy, which included a full-shift ride-along with a police officer and a tour of the county jail, but it did not include spending the night there.

So, how did you do? Did you have me pegged or did I fool you?

"Creative Writer" Blog Award

Some of my fellow bloggers have decided to nominate me for this award. This fun award was created by Lesa Holstein at Lesa's Book Critiques. Are authors natural born liars? That seems to be the point of this blogosphere game.


The rules for this award are fairly simple.

Recipients must -
1. Thank the person who gave this to you. (Thanks Sue Ann Jaffarian, Maryann Miller, and Keith Raffel)
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person(s) who nominated you. (See #1)
4. Tell us up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth (or the other way around). (See below.)
5. Allow your readers to guess which one or more are true.
6. Nominate seven "Creative Writers" who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies (or as many as you would like).

I nominate the following:
Patricia Stoltey
Bill Crider
Terry ODell
Donna Lea Simpson
Joanna Campbell Slan
Camille Minichino/Margaret Grace
Terri Thayer

7. Post links to the blogs you nominate. (See #6)
8. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them. (Done!)

So, below are some things you might not know about me. Truth or fiction? You be the judge and let me know what you think in a comment. At least one is false and at least one is true. Here's a hint: read them carefully! I will post the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth here on Monday.

1. I have snorkeled with sea turtles, barracudas, and stingrays, but not sharks or dolphins.
2. I love to ski the green (beginner), blue (intermediate), and single black diamond (advanced) ski slopes of my home state of Colorado, but I stay off the double-black diamond (expert) slopes.
3. I broke my arm on the playground when I was young, then danced the Virginia Reel with it afterward because I didn't want to miss the dance.
4. I wore a walking cast for six weeks after dancing on a bar at a college fraternity party and slipping on a beer puddle and falling.
5. I've hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.
6. I used to have a car vanity license plate that read FAKE IQ.
7. I've spent a night in jail.

My mystery author guest: Sandra Parshall

Sandra Parshall's recent release is Broken Places, the third book in the veterinarian Rachel Goddard series (and isn't that one of the most beautiful and spooky covers you've ever seen?).

Summer is deadly in the mountain community of Mason County, Virginia. Deputy Sheriff Tom Bridger and veterinarian Rachel Goddard are caught in a maelstrom of lies that stretch far into the past and suspicions that threaten the future. Cam and Meredith Taylor are murdered within hours of one another, and Rachel is dragged into the case because she heard – but didn't see – Cam’s murder. The Taylors arrived in Mason County as volunteers in the 1960s War on Poverty, and they stayed on, making loyal friends and bitter enemies. The victims’ daughter is Tom’s former girlfriend, Lindsay. She returns home to see justice done – and to win Tom back from Rachel. The prime suspect is newcomer Ben Hern, Rachel’s childhood friend, and she is desperate to prove him innocent. Lindsay pushes for Hern's arrest and launches a campaign of intimidation against Rachel. With the killer targeting Rachel and the community clamoring for an arrest, Tom and Rachel must decide who they can trust. And we readers have the pleasure of deciding whodunnit!

Now, here's my interview with Sandra Parshall:

1. Who or what inspired you to start writing and when did you start?

I’ve been creating stories as long as I can remember, and putting them on paper since I learned to write. As a child, I lived in a fantasy world. I have no idea where this tendency came from, and I’ve sometimes considered it more of a curse than a blessing. Occasionally I read about an author who had no interest in writing until adulthood, but I think the majority of us have harbored the desire – the compulsion – to write since childhood. It’s a strange characteristic that only humans have. I don’t think chimpanzees or dogs sit around dreaming of writing a great novel!

2. What tools and process do you use to “get to know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?

Mostly I just spend a lot of time thinking about them and the way they interact. I keep a notebook for each novel, and I make notes as different aspects of the characters become clear. But if the characters are new to me, I don’t get to know them well until I’ve written a first draft – a getting-acquainted draft. They often surprise me in the way they develop. For example, when I started writing Disturbing the Dead, I envisioned Mrs. Barker, the housekeeper, as an ordinary older woman, short and plump with gray hair. Somehow, during the writing, she turned into a tall, angular black woman with a regal bearing and what mountain people call “the sight” – psychic abilities. Altogether more entertaining!

3. How do you construct your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?

A combination of both. I start with a sketchy outline, but it always changes as I write. I need to know what kind of ending I’m working toward, but how I get there is always uncertain until I actually write it. For me, it’s a mistake to adhere to a rigid outline. That leaves little room for those lightbulb-over-the-head moments when I see a better direction for the story. But other people write great books from detailed outlines. We all have to do what works for us.

4. In the age-old question of character versus plot, which one do you think is most important in a murder mystery and which one do you emphasize in your writing? Why?
The characters create the plot, so I can’t consider them separately. Most mysteries are about the clash of two or more characters’ conflicting needs. Those needs may be purely emotional, such as the need for love or revenge, or practical, such as the need to hide a past deed in order to preserve a good life in the present. Put two characters with conflicting goals together and you have a plot. The best mystery plots are character-driven.

5. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you motivated?

I wrote books for literally decades before I sold one. Many times, I was terribly discouraged and depressed, but being a published writer was a dream I couldn’t give up. Since I became actively involved in writers’ groups, I’ve found great inspiration and encouragement in the experiences of other writers, as well as constant support. Reading a beautiful book by a favorite writer always inspires me and motivates me to make my own writing better.

6. What is a typical workday for you and how many hours a day (or week) do you devote to writing?
When I’m in control of my time, I can write four or five solid hours a day. Too often, I let other things distract me. Having a new book to promote is a huge distraction, but an awfully nice one.

7. What advice do you have to offer to an aspiring author?

Be realistic. Don’t expect quick success. You might get lucky – some people do – but it’s more likely that you’ll struggle for a while and write one, two, or more books before you get one published. Be absolutely certain that this is the way you want to spend your life. Then join a writers’ group that will offer you support, practical advice, and critique partners. You’ll benefit from the camaraderie and you’ll learn what you need to know much faster than you would on your own. The Guppies, an online chapter of Sisters in Crime, is the best group I’ve found. Join national SinC first (men can join too!), then join the Guppies Chapter. You won’t regret it.

8. Now here’s a zinger. Tell us something about yourself that you have not revealed in another interview yet. Something as simple as your favorite TV show or food will do.
I’m a coward. A wuss through-and-through. I have almost as many phobias as Adrian Monk. The only time I was ever on a ferris wheel, I screamed in terror until it stopped and I stumbled off, trembling and whimpering. If someone pointed a gun at me, I would faint dead away. I have none of the courage my protagonists, Rachel and Tom, display. I admire both of them tremendously. If I ever grow up, I hope I am like them.

9. What are you working on now and what are your future writing plans?

I’m writing another Rachel and Tom book set in Mason County, my fictional setting in the mountains of Virginia. I have a fifth book in mind with the same characters, but I would also like to write stand-alone suspense novels.

10. Is there anything else you would like to tell my blog readers?

Readers can visit my website and my blog, Poe’s Deadly Daughters (where I’m the Wednesday Daughter). Anyone who would like me to speak in person to a book club in the Washington, DC, area or by telephone to a group elsewhere can e-mail me through my website. I’m also happy to send autographed bookplates to readers.


Okay, readers, fire away! What do you want to know about Sandra that I didn't cover? What do you think of a coward writing murder mysteries? :) Got anything else to say or ask?

Tomorrow's Guest Blogger: Sandra Parshall!

Tomorrow, fellow mystery author and friend, Sandra Parshall, will be a guest on my blog. Sandra Parshall is the author of The Heat of the Moon, which introduced veterinarian Rachel Goddard and won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, Disturbing the Dead, and the just-released Broken Places. Her publisher is Poisoned Pen Press. Her new book has received starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, as well as favorable reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. I can't wait to read it! Sandra serves on the national board of directors of Sisters in Crime. She lives in the Washington, DC, area with her husband Jerry, a longtime Washington journalist, and their two cats.

Sandra has agreed to be interviewed by me, and her responses to my questions are fascinating. If you have additional questions, or if the interview makes you want to know more about something, Sandra will be available to answer questions that you pose in comments. I hope my blog readers will give her a very warm welcome!

My mystery author guest: Sue Ann Jaffarian

Sue Ann Jaffarian's February release is Corpse on the Cob, the fifth book in the Odelia Gray mystery series published by Midnight Ink. Isn't that the cutest cover you've ever seen? I can't wait to read the book myself. Here's how Sue Ann describes the book:

What do you have to lose when you go searching for the mother who walked out of your life thirty-four years ago? I mean, besides your pride, your nerves, and your sanity? Odelia finds herself up to her ears in trouble when she reunites with her mom in a corn maze. For starters, there’s finding the dead body in the cornfield—and seeing her long-lost mom crouched beside the corpse with blood on her hands.

Now, here's Sue Ann's guest blog post:

I see dead people. When Haley Joel Osment uttered those now iconic words a decade ago in The Sixth Sense, little did I realize I was hearing what was to become my life and passion.

I see regular dead people. I see the ghosts of dead people. I see vampires, which are undead dead people. What I’m trying to explain is that I write three very specific amateur sleuth mystery series. The Odelia Grey series features a middle-age plus size paralegal stumbling over bodies much to the chagrin of her friends and family. The Ghost of Granny Apples series joins a 100-year-old ghost with her great-great-great granddaughter to solve the murders of ghosts. And my most recent entry, the Fang-in-Cheek mysteries, teams up a young edgy woman with a community of vampires to solve murders that threaten to expose the vampires’ existence. The first book in the vampire series, Murder In Vein, will be released September 1st.

One of the most asked questions I get these days is how do I keep these three different series straight in my head. Truth is, I’m not sure, but so far it hasn’t been an issue. But part of that success is that although all three feature amateur sleuths, they are very different from each other in tone. For starters, the Odelia Grey mysteries are written in first person, the other two in third. If I were measuring them with the cozy vs. hard boil measuring stick for sex and violence, the Ghost of Granny Apples mysteries would be considered cozy or PG-rated, while Odelia Grey books would be soft-boiled or PG-R rated. The vampire mysteries would be labeled medium boiled or given a soft R-rating. The body count and violence is definitely ramped up in the vampire books. What they all have in common, besides the author, is that all take place in Southern California and all use humor to leaven the horror of murder.

The next question I get asked a lot is why did I sign on to write three different series, which boils down to writing three books a year. That question has several answers. The consensus is that I’m insane. Maybe. But maybe I’m also crazy like a fox. In today’s unstable publishing world, it’s difficult to get published and just as difficult to stay published. Having three solid series helps build my reader base throughout the year, instead of a once a year book release hopeful stab. Having three very different types of mysteries also exposes my work to readers with different tastes – readers who may discover my other series after enjoying the one they are drawn to initially. Writing is about words. Publishing is about numbers. Writing more than one series can help build a writing career faster and keep your publisher happier longer.

Another reason I write three series, is that I simply want to do it. I love writing each of the series and they force me to discover and hone very different skills. While the Odelia Grey series is based on a more normal lifestyle, the vampires allow me to explore fantasy. It’s a kick as a writer to flex my different make-believe muscles.

As for juggling the three series time-wise, together with my personal life and my full-time career as a paralegal, it does take a lot of discipline and sacrifice to meet the various deadlines thrown at me with regularity. It seems if I’m not writing or editing, I’m promoting or plotting. There is seldom any down time from the writing world. But I love what I’m doing, and that is what makes the long hours at the computer or attending conferences and book events fun and satisfying.

Whenever I feel I can’t write another word, let alone another book, I hear Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame whisper in my ear: “make it work.”


Everyone should be sure to check out Sue Ann Jaffarian's website to get more information about her books. Okay, readers, fire away! What do you want to know about Sue Ann? Want more information on her paranormal visitors? :) Got anything else to say or ask?

Tomorrow's Guest Blogger: Sue Ann Jaffarian!

Tomorrow, a fellow Midnight Ink author, Sue Ann Jaffarian, will be a guest on my blog and talk about seeing dead people. Brrr!

Sue Ann is the best-selling author of the award-winning Odelia Grey mystery series,the most recent of which is Corpse on the Cob, to be released in February, 2010, as well as the Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series. Coming in September 2010 is Murder In Vein, the first book in Sue Ann’s new vampire mystery series. In addition to writing, Sue Ann is a full-time paralegal for a Los Angeles law firm, and is sought after as a motivational speaker. And I can tell you that the cover art for Murder In Vein is an absolute killer!

Sue Ann guest post is guaranteed to be fascinating, and I should know because I've already read it. :) If you have additional questions for her, or if her post makes you want to know more about something, Sue Ann will be available to answer questions that you pose in comments. I hope my blog readers will give her a very warm welcome!

Talking about a Launch Meeting over at Inkspot

Today is my day to blog at the Midnight Ink authors blog titled Inkspot. I talk about what went on during the "Launch Meeting" for the first book (Deadly Currents) in my new series with them (the Rocky Mountain Adventures mystery series) that is due out in early 2011. If you're interested in taking a peek at what goes on behind the scenes in the book publishing business, please read my post and let me know what you think of it. There's also an "action shot" of yours truly in the post. ;-)