Dru Ann Pays a Visit

I thought it would be fun to interview another mystery blogger, one who is extraordinarily knowlegeable and well known. Please welcome Dru Ann, of Dru's Book Musings, to the blog today.

Kathy: I come from a family of readers and cannot remember a time when I wasn't reading (once I learned how-of course, I was read to during that time). Were you a reader as a child?

Dru: Yes, I read all the time. I even read my mother’s romance books.


Kathy: What books were some of your favorites as a child?

Dru: I loved Encyclopedia Brown as a child and any book that I took out of the children’s section in the public library.


Kathy: You are arguably the best known mystery blogger. How did you get your start?

Dru: At one point, I was reading over 50 author + personal blogs and commenting on most of them. I have a unique name so every time I commented, I became more known with each blog stop I made. I also had my own personal blog, like an online journal, and I had a small following. When blogs became less popular, I re-connected with my blog readers on Facebook.


Kathy: I've seen you write guest posts and you even have a regular feature on author run blogs. I've seen your quotes on books and you've even been "in" a book. How did you achieve being in the "in crowd"?

Dru: I can’t remember how it all started, but it is an honor that so many authors named a character after me. My named character has been mentioned in at least two books in Clare O'Donohue's Someday Quilts series.


Kathy: Cozy mysteries have many subgenres-culinary, animal, paranormal, and so on. Do you have a particular favorite?

Dru: I like the cozy genre as a whole.


Kathy: I know you read more than just cozies, indeed, more than just mysteries. What is your favorite genre? Are there any genres you don't read?

Dru: I love mysteries, thrillers, suspense and some romantic suspense. I don’t read vampire, shapeshifters, historicals, heavy paranormals, urban fantasy, steampunk or books. I like my books in the present and the only book that I read that takes place in the future is J.D. Robb.


Kathy: You participate in conventions. Do you have a favorite? Do you recommend attending, even if you're "just" a fan?

Dru: I love the Malice Domestic Convention (held in Bethesda) followed by Bouchercon (it’s a great way to visit other cities that you didn’t think you’ve ever get to visit). I’ve been to ThrillerFest (New York City) which is geared towards writers, Deadly Ink (New Jersey) and BookCon (connected with the BEA convention in NYC).

If a fan reads mysteries, I would recommend they attend Malice Domestic Convention; if they read suspense and thrillers novels as well, I would recommend Bouchercon.


Kathy: Do you have any advice for book bloggers or reviewers?

Dru: I’ve learned this the hard way, you can’t read and/or review every book you receive or buy yourself, especially if you hold down a job and/or have a family to take care of. Just read and/or review books at your pace, but don’t forget to enjoy what you read.


Kathy: How do you deal with the ever increasing amount of books you own. Are you organized?

Dru: I mostly buy e-books and I keep a record of the books I buy and the books I read in an Excel spreadsheet. I also keep a copy of my e-books in Calibre which is an e-book organization database.


Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

Dru: I can’t decide. Too many to narrow down to just 4. I’ll invite everyone.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

Dru: Right now I’m reading One Potion in the Grave by Heather Blake.


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

Dru: I’m a TV addict, although this season I’m a bit disappointed in the offerings. I also quilt, I like to travel, I love new e-toys (electronic geek) and I write poetry.


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

Dru: You’ll always find Poland Springs bottled water, Hellman’s mayonnaise, Chipotle hot sauce and Hershey chocolate syrup in my fridge.


Kathy: What's your favorite part about being a blogger?

Dru: Getting to know the authors better; helping get their work out via my blog and meeting other bloggers/reviews who enjoy reading.

Be sure to visit Dru's wonderful blog, Dru's Book Musings as well as her corresponding Facebook page!

Introducing Word Posse

Take a talented group of writers working together with the goal of publishing their work and you have Word Posse. This band of seven authors is a critique group that just entered the world of self publishing. Word Posse consists of members Thomas Drennan, Laurell K. Hamilton, Marella Sands, Sharon Shinn, Mark Sumner, Rett MacPherson, and Deborah Millitello, authors who write in a variety of styles and genres.

I asked them how they came up with name "Word Posse". Marella said, "I was making a list of possible names, and thought, well, we work with words, and we’re friends, but of course Words With Friends is already taken. So I looked in the thesaurus under the “friends” entry and found posse. Then I checked to see if wordposse.com and @WordPosse and facebook.com/WordPosse were available and they were. Everyone liked the name, so we grabbed the domain, the Twitter handle, and the Facebook page and that was that."

Members of  Word Posse have worked together as a critique group for some time. It started when Laurell K. Hamilton and Debbie Millitello met at the NameThatCon writers workshop in 1988. Mark Sumner then ran into Laurell at Archon, but accidentally handed her another person's business card that he had just received instead of his own. Somehow they managed to make contact and Mark joined the group. Marella Sands got into the group after sending a story to Mark, who was editing the magazine Fresh Ink, while Sharon Shinn was a published author with Ace and had the same editor as Laurell. Laurell and Mark were doing a book signing at Walden Books where Rett MacPherson was working. Laurell, who frequented the store, knew that Rett wanted to be a writer and told her there was an opening in the group. In order to join, potential members had to submit two pieces of work, not to find out how good they were, but, "mostly to see if they could finish something...and see how they reacted when people commented on their stuff." No one was quite sure how Tom Drennan became a member. "I think I met some of you folks at Archon one year." (Archon is a Science Fiction convention in St. Louis.)

Just recently, the group decided to form their own self publishing venture. Mark had been thinking of it for some time; wanting to do something with a backlist of out of print books and also get new books out there. Debbie had also been thinking about it for over two years. Rett was wondering how to get her books up on Amazon and asked the group if they knew how. After seeing article after article about self publishing, the group decided it was something they could do together. As Marella said, "Print on demand has changed lots of things because you don’t have to be sitting on thousands of copies in your basement." "And digital too, has changed everything," Sharon added, "because it can be in print forever." Doing it together is less daunting as members can pool their knowledge and figure things out together. As Sharon said, "Whatever you need to know, somebody will know."

I asked the group if they will solely self publish or continue to seek out contracts with traditional publishers. Rett replied that she will continue to seek out traditional publishers. Sharon, in her readings, has found that writers today actually need to have several fronts-traditional, self publishing, and online. "Because the more places you are, the more people you'll pick up." Members of  Word Posse have a distinct advantage. They have all been published and have books and short stories out there. Some even have a fan base already.

As for whose novels they'll publish...according to Sharon, for the most part they'll be the books they love best that didn't sell. "The ones that we really believe deserved a shot and didn't get it."

Word Posse is publishing three books this month. The Naturalist by Mark Sumner is science fiction. It takes place in the 19th century and follow the exploits of explorers in Central America who find some interesting insects that they weren’t quite counting on. Mark has a lot of details on the botany and the animals of Central America. Mark did a lot of research on people like Darwin who were out exploring in the 19th century. Sleeping the Churchyard Sleep by Rett MacPherson is a historical mystery that takes place in 1950s West Virginia. Pandora’s Mirror is a paranormal by Marella Sands. She did copious amounts of research and is apparently scaring her cover model who is reading a proof of the book!
 
Word Posse has plans for the future. According to Marella, "Next year, we’re hoping to put out four or five books. They’ll come out in February, May, August, and November. Sometimes we’ll have one book, but maybe sometimes two at one launch. That’s our goal. We’ll have one – or possibly two – from Tom next year, with his protagonist Thor McGraw." According to Tom, Thor McGraw is "a new private investigator, a guy who suddenly finds himself in a situation where he has to solve a mystery. A lot of it is Thor McGraw and his relationship with his daughter, a six-year-old child. And there will always be something a little magical in the books, with some twists and changes along the way."


For more information on Word Posse be sure to check out the following links:

Word Posse Website: http://www.wordposse.com/ 
Word Posse Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/wordposse
Word Posse on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wordposse

You can find information and links for the specific members on their individual page on the Word Posse website.

Street Teams

Gone are the days of publishers taking care of the marketing needs of authors. For years writers have had to promote themselves, which can be difficult as there is only so much one person can do, especially as that one person may also have a full time job and still needs to write! Now, however, an author doesn't have to do it all on her own-enter the street team.

I'm not sure who coined the phrase, but a street team is a group of fans who work to promote a certain author. Before there were official street teams fans were already talking about their favorite books and authors, recommending the ones they loved. The advent of social media made spreading the word easier and authors decided to let their fans get even more involved. Members of the team are given promotional items to give out and are asked to talk up the books which are being released. In this way people all over the country are spreading the word and getting people involved. After all, word of mouth is the best form of advertising out there!

As a cozy mystery blogger I look to promote as many authors as I am able. I joined a blog tour group to bring a larger selection of writers to the attention of my readers. I've also reached out to favorite authors and some have even reached out to me-that's always exciting! Facebook has also opened up ways to promote and help authors. This blog has its own Facebook page, as do many other mystery blogs. Many street teams have their own pages. In addition to their own Facebook page, some authors join forces and have group pages. Members of these groups (most of which are closed, secret groups) perform the same duties as street team members, basically celebrating and promoting the work of these authors. I belong to a few of these groups. I am also an official member of 3 street teams, one of which was just formed this past week!

I'm curious-how many of you are street team or secret group members? Do you belong to just one, a few, or many? How did you get involved? Were you invited? Do you blog as well? I'll leave you with a little icon that shows my membership in one of my street teams-one that is not a cozy mystery team. I love this little icon and am proud to be a Grimlet.

2013-A Blog Year in Review

Can you believe there are just 3 more days left in 2013? I always like to take some time to reflect on the past year. What have I done, seen, and learned? What accomplishments have I achieved? I thought I’d review this blog as well. What was the year like for Cozy Up With Kathy?

One major milestone was August 12. That was my 1 year anniversary for the blog. Should it be birthday? Whatever the case, the blog is going strong, in fact even stronger, one year later!

I’ve also increased the number of posts. At first my intention was only to post on Sundays and Wednesdays. However, being involved with so many book tours I now also occasionally post on Tuesdays and Fridays. It’s nice to be popular!

Did you know that Cozy Up With Kathy has a corresponding Facebook page? I started that page on January 19th to share even more information about cozy mysteries. If you haven’t already done so, please, stop by and give me a like! https://www.facebook.com/CozyUpWithKathy

The most exciting thing for me is welcoming so many authors to my blog. I love doing interviews and have done over 30 this year. So, which authors paid Cozy Up With Kathy a visit in 2013? Starting back in January and continuing through December I had Linda O. Johnston, Cindy Blackburn, Tonya Kappes, Jennifer Oko, Susanna Calkins, Mitzi Kelly, Lucy Burdette, Madison Johns, Kate Carlisle, Peg Cochran, Erika Chase, Sam Cheever, Daryl Wood Gerber, Cathy Ace, Dawn Eastman, Teresa Trent, Christine Wenger, Cate Price, Joyce and Jim Lavene, Jesse Giles Christiansen, Wendy Delaney, Amanda Flower, Isabella Alan, Joanna Campbell Slan, Jessie Crocket, Rosie Genova, M. Louisa Locke, Barbara Jean Coast, Pamela Rose, June Shaw, Victoria Hamilton, Julie Seedorf, Krista Davis, Sharon Pape, Terri L. Austin, Larissa Reinhart, and LynDee Walker. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and enlightening me and my readers.

I’ve read 56 books over the past year, sharing some with you on my Wednesday Currently Reading post. The first book I finished in 2013 was Fox Tracks by Rita Mae Brown and the last was Teacup Turbulence by Linda O. Johnston. (I’m fairly certain I shan’t finish the book I’m currently reading by the end of the year.) I’ve been introduced to several new cozy mystery series that have quickly become favorites (Victoria Hamilton’s Merry Muffin series, J.J. Cook’s Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade series, Rosie Genova’s Italian Kitchen series, and Jenn McKinlay’s London Hat Shop Mysteries to name a few!) And of course, I’ve tried to catch up with many of the wonderful series I already follow (Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats series, Krista Davis’ Domestic Diva series, Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft series and Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile mysteries, for example).

This year had been a great one for my mystery blog. Thank you for visiting me in 2013. I hope you’ll continue to join Cozy Up With Kathy in 2014 for lots more mysterious adventures!

So You Write for Children Too? Guest Post by Amanda Flower/Isabella Alan

So You Write for Children Too?

By Amanda Flower

When I tell people that I have a children’s mystery releasing this month, many are excited, but some are also surprised. “You write for children too?” is a common question. What many don’t know is I have been trying to be published in children’s fiction for years. I wrote the very first draft of Andi Unexpected in 2005. That’s right, eight years ago. I had this novel completed five years before my debut novel, Maid of Murder, was published. I tried over and over again to have Andi published, but it was rejected so many times, I stopped counting. Eventually, I set it aside and concentrated on my other fiction love, cozy mysteries. Maid of Murder was bought, finaled for an Agatha, and the rest is history. All-the-while there was this children’s book I loved so dearly waiting on my hard drive, and I kept working on it even as my writing career began to take off and knowing that I was being branded as a cozy author. Part of me couldn’t let Andi go.

Adult fiction is a tough market to break into. Children’s fiction is twice as hard. There are a few reasons for that, but the biggest is the story has to engage the child from the get-go. Because children have less patience than most adults, if a children’s book doesn’t grab the child, he or she won’t give it fifty pages or a chapter or two. The child will move onto something new and more interesting. And why shouldn’t they? That’s what’s so refreshing about children; they don’t pretend to like something. They don’t like it, they tell you. My niece certainly lets me know when she’s not into something.

However, it is no easy task to write for such a discerning group, and I think that’s the biggest reason Andi didn’t sell right away is I needed to be a better writer. The only way I could get better was through the experience of writing other novels, being critiqued, going through the editorial process with those books, and the passage of time.

The other pieces that had to fall into place for Andi were my agent and editor. They are the ones who fell in love with Andi too and could see her on bookshelves. I will always be grateful to them for making this happen. To have written a novel that was eight years in the making, now to be read by children across the country is a dream come true.

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It’s SUPER SEPTEMBER! Amanda Flower (also writing as Isabella Alan) has three novels releasing in September 2013. To celebrate, she is giving away an authentic Amish Quilt hand-stitched by Amish in Holmes County, Ohio.

Enter to Win an Authentic Amish Quilt from author Amanda Flower! Click here to Enter!

Follow Amanda on Social Media at: Facebook Twitter Goodreads Pinterest

Follow Amanda’s alter ego Isabella on Facebook

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In addition, I wrote a guest post on Amanda's blog and am having a giveaway of Pink Zebra products. Check out how I combine scent and mysteries!
Contest ends Tuesday, September 24 at 4pm EDT. Winner will be announced in the comments to this post on Wednesday, September 25.

Head Case Interview

I'd like to welcome author, Jennifer Oko to Cozy Up With Kathy. Jennifer joins us as part of the Head Case Book Tour. Head Case is her current release!

 

Kathy: What first drew you to the cozy mystery?

JO: This may sound silly, but with both my previous mystery GLOSS and with HEAD CASE, I didn’t fully realize I was writing a mystery, much less a cozy one, until after the fact! Even though some of my favorite authors (like Carl Hiaasen and Lisa Lutz) write books that are marketed as mysteries, I had a rather limited idea of what the definition of a mystery novel was supposed to be (i.e. it was either an Agatha Christie-type whodunit or a Harlan Coben-type thriller). I’ve since learned better, and was thrilled to learn about the cozy genre as it is evolving. I am so happy to be part of the club. I’ve also discovered some great new authors in the process.

Kathy: Do you write any other genres?

JO: My first book was LYING TOGETHER: MY RUSSIAN AFFAIR, a memoir centered around a year I spent working as a television news producer in Russia, navigating the collapse of a country and the collapse of my engagement at the same time. Next came GLOSS, a comic mystery about a morning television news producer caught up in a conflict of interest scandal. I definitely had more fun writing GLOSS and HEAD CASE than I did writing Lying Together. Fiction is very liberating!

Kathy: Tell us about your series. 

 

JO:  Alas, HEAD CASE isn’t part of a series. At least not right now. I would love to bring back the narrator, but I haven’t figured out how to do that quite yet. Per next question ;-)

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

JO: Definitely! I love, love, love Olivia, the narrator (who happens to be a ghost investigating her own murder). She is quite flawed, but she is smart and sassy and funnier than she knows. I really miss her.

Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for HEAD CASE?

JO: When I was in journalism school a gazillion years ago, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn was my “beat” for a reporting class. It’s an area with a lot of Russian immigrants (I used to speak Russian). The first day I went down there, I stumbled upon some elderly women selling prescription medication right on the street. The signs advertising their wares were written in Cyrillic, so the English-speaking beat cops were oblivious. Or at least they pretended to be.

A few years later, I wrote an article about it for New York Magazine. It was one of the first pieces of writing I was ever paid for. Now, it’s right here on the bookshelf next to my desk, nicely framed.

Around the same time, a dear friend was visiting, and in the morning she realized she had forgotten some medication she was taking. I happened to be on the same medication, so I gave her some of mine. That’s when we hatched an idea to write a screenplay about friends trading prescription drugs. We never wrote the movie, but I did start writing the book, combining some of these ideas. The story changed tremendously over the years, but there are still a few sentences from the original version.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

JO: HEAD CASE was originally set to go to press in early 2009, the second of a two-book deal that started with my novel GLOSS. The cover was created, pages proofed and all—when suddenly the publisher canceled about half of its titles because the economy was tanking and the market for fiction was going down with it. HEAD CASE was one of those titles. They reverted the rights to me, and I spent the next year revising the manuscript some more. After a few more attempts to sell it to another publisher ("Endearing!" they said. "Flawlessly written!" and then passed, for want of famous authors and guaranteed hits), I stuffed this labor of love into a virtual desk drawer. But then... the world started to change!
 

After reading story after story about once conventionally published authors having lots of fun (and occasionally great success) in the brave new world of digital self-publishing, I realized that an eBook format would be the perfect publishing platform for this somewhat unconventional book.

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

JO: Fun! These aren’t necessarily my all time favorites, but I do love them and it might make for a good “girls’ night out” as it were:
Jennifer Weiner, because I love that she is a positive force for getting female authors the attention they deserve.
Agatha Christie, because she is the Queen.
Joanne Fluke, especially if she will bring the dessert.
Dorothy Parker to spice it up.

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

JO: Here are the top five on my Kindle, in order of when last opened:
Front Page Fatality, by LynDee Walker — Just started, looking forward to picking it up again this evening.
The Museum of Innocence, by Orhan Pamuk — Reading now. The protagonist is a bit of a creep, but I like it.
The Queen of Spades, by Aleksandr Pushkin — Inspiration for the new novel I am working on.
How to Make a Killing on Kindle, by Michael Alvear — Ha!
The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker — Loved.

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

JO: Does drinking coffee count as a hobby? Hmmm. I like making up stories with my kids (ages 5 and 7). They want to publish a book with me, so I recently typed up one of the stories and they are working on the art. It will probably have a very small but dedicated fan base.

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

JO: Oh, this assumes I always have four items! I am a terrible cook. That said, there is always enough stuff to scrap together a half decent school lunch. And there’s always ice cream. It’s the glue to my marriage. After the kids go to bed, my husband and I curl up on the couch and eat ice cream (usually Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip) almost every night.

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books?

JO: The novel I am working on right now isn’t part of a series, but it could be the start of one. It’s about a writer whose books aren’t selling too well, so she has to return to work full-time. She is trying to balance writing, work and family life—but her creative mojo has been sapped. To get inspiration, she starts to re-read some of her favorite murder scenes from literary history, and those fictional events start to influence the what is happening on the pages she is writing—as well as events in real life around her. Got any recommendations for crazy crimes in classic literature?

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

JO: On a good day, the words just come pouring out and it’s like I’ve gone to visit another world. It’s amazing. On a bad day... well, I remind myself of this thing that happened when my last novel (GLOSS) was about to come out.

I was on an airplane and had the good fortune to sit next to an amazing, inspiring woman. She was a nurse in her late 50s with a long career behind her, as well as a doting grandmother to a couple of toddlers she loved madly, and she was leaving her family to help set up a military hospital in Afghanistan. I wanted to thank her for her work, her bravery, her trailblazing, but all I had was the galley copy of GLOSS. I gave it to her to keep her entertained on her long flight.

Many months later, I was getting ready for a reading at a small bookstore when my agent called to say that said that while the reviews were great, sales weren’t moving. It was crushing news, and I was so upset I wanted to cancel the reading. Then, like something out of a Nora Ephron movie, minus the romance, my inbox chirped. It was an email from the nurse, telling me how much she had enjoyed the book and thanking me on behalf of all her troops out there in the war zone for giving them a few hours of a fun, entertaining read that took their minds away from where they actually were.

I replied immediately, but never heard back. But when I’m having a bad day and start asking myself what the heck I’m writing for, why should I keep at it, I remember her and I get my answer. 

 

Thank you Jennifer, for the interview. If you want to learn more about Jennifer Oko you can find her via these links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Champagne and Cue Balls

Welcome Cindy Blackburn, author of the Cue Ball Mysteries.

Kathy: I knew I liked  Jessie Hewitt once I saw that champagne was her drink of choice. I love champagne and drink it a lot. In fact my Facebook friends laugh at all my champagne statuses, "Cracking open a bottle of champagne", "Drinking champagne and eating snacks" etc. Do you like to drink the bubbly?

CB: Okay, yes. I do drink my share of bubbly. My favorite Friday night dinner is pepperoni pizza and champagne. But champagne goes with chocolate, too. And it’s nice with a cheese and crackers. Or with soup. Or with… Okay, yes. I do drink my share of bubbly.

Kathy: The Stone Fountain is Jessie's neighborhood bar. Is there a local watering hole you like to frequent?

CB: Nope. The only bar I frequent is at the back of my favorite Italian restaurant. Hubby and I have sipped many a bottle of bubbly waiting for a table and deciding between the eggplant parmesan or spaghetti and meatballs. Which brings us back to question one. Bubbly goes with spaghetti, too.

Kathy: Jessie Hewitt writes romance novels. Have you ever written in that genre? Are you a romance fan? 
 

CB: I don’t write romances per se, but there is a continuing romance going on in my series. I have a lot of good friends who are romance authors. Conversations with romance novelists can be…educational.

Kathy: Jessie happens to be a pool shark-are you? If so, where did you learn to play the game?

CB: I wish I could play pool—wouldn’t that be cool? But alas, I have no talent whatsoever. I didn’t know Jessie was a pool shark until I was writing that first scene at The Stone Fountain. And poof! Out came her cue stick!

Kathy: What first drew you to the cozy mystery?

CB: Stress drew me to cozies. Life is too stressful to read or write anything else. If I want intense realism, I can watch the news, right?

Kathy: Do you write any other genres?

CB: Please see above! Although I do enjoy writing silly poetry. Every Sunday I post an exceedingly awful and altogether embarrassing poem on my blog. No stress allowed. But guests are always welcome if anyone wants to take a stab at silliness.

Kathy: Tell us about your series.

CB: Murder meets menopause. Take a guess which wins. The Cue Ball Mysteries have a lot of humor, a little romance, and far too much champagne. Oh, but I think we’ve already covered the champagne thing.

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

CB: I love them all! But Jessie is threatening to go on strike if I don’t say her. Jessie Hewitt’s about my age. But she’s a little wiser, a lot braver, and owns way fancier lingerie.

Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

CB: The first sentence of Playing With Poison came to me in a fit of inspiration. I wrote that down and kept going. I had no idea about anything other than that first sentence.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

CB: I like to make people laugh. I thought my books could do that, but not if they remained trapped inside my computer.

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

CB: Well, I like mysteries and humor. So how about Joan Hess and Spencer Quinn since they do both so well. And let’s add Barbara Pym for her sly, quiet humor, and Truman Capote for sheer style. I’d serve champagne.

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

CB: I confess I do no read nearly enough. Writing takes time! But right now I’m beginning “A Spirited Gift” by Joyce and Jim Lavene. How they write together and stay happily married is beyond me!

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

CB: I teach Ancient and European history, so I love travelling to Europe whenever I can. I like walking and biking and kayaking. I spend an inordinate amount of time admiring my cat. I collect gargoyles.

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

CB: Gee, Kathy, have you noticed how we keep ending up back at that first question? Champagne, Haagen Dazs chocolate ice cream, milk for my coffee, and garlic for just about everything else.

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

CB: Yes! I’m currently working on “Four Play,” the fourth book in the Cue Ball Mysteries series. Jessie’s in a slump and can’t shoot a decent game of pool anymore. Jessie’s in a slump and can’t write a decent sex scene anymore. Sorry, but you’ll have to read the book to find out how she solves her slumps, and solves the murder. And yes, of course there’s a murder!

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

CB: I get to make it all up.

This has been fun. Kathy! Thanks for the interview, which for some reason has left me extremely hungry and thirsty.

Want more Cindy Blackburn? You can find her at her website: http://cueballmysteries.com/ 
Follow her on Twitter:  @cbmysteries
Friend her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindyBlackburnAuthor

This post is the final stop on the Cue Ball Mystery Book Tour sponsored by Cozy Mystery Book Reviews. Have you been reading and commenting at the other blogs on the tour? If you have, you just might win a Kindle copy of Playing With Poison. Be sure to leave a comment here for a chance to win!