Interview with a Blogger

I'm pleased to welcome Shelley Giusti to the blog today. Shelley is a fellow blogger and writes at Shelley's Book Case. She also has a corresponding Facebook page!

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

SG: Surprisingly I wasn't a big reader as a child, I didn't start getting into reading until in my 30's. I read some in school, and as I look by on it now, I often wonder why I never did.


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

SG: As a child I didn't have a favorite but now I think Agatha Christie , Maggie Sefton and Cleo Coyle are my top favorites..


Kathy: How did you get your start as a blogger?

SG: I had wanted to start blogging so I could tell about the wonderful books I have been reading and started off blogging once a week, then a friend of mine told me all about the blogging world and how much of a difference it would make to go and post something every day and now almost four years later it has been an amazing journey.


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

SG: Knitting and crocheting for starters and I love the coffee shop mystery series and a new found one is the brew master series that is coming out soon. There are so many that it is hard to pick one, but these are the ones that no matter what I am reading when they come out I drop everything to read them.


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

SG: My favorite are cozies, then mainstream mysteries. I am not a fan of Horror and won't read any of that. I tend to have crazy nightmares when I do so I just don't subject my mind to that.


Kathy: When reading a book is there anything that's a big turn off for you?

SG: Just one and that is when the author goes on for pages sometimes chapters describing a particular thing. I once read a book that was four pages of telling me about one thing, (can't even remember what it was).


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

SG: Be true to yourself and whatever you write , a review or blog post, remember that it is your opinion and not someone else. What I mean by that is, when you read a book, your review is what you experience, so you write about that. And I have always found it to be intimidating when I write reviews, mine are never long but they get my point across. So just be who you are, don't try to make your reviews like someone else.


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

SG: I have OCD so I tend to be very organized, however I don't keep all of my books. I have a book club that I host and the ones I part with go to the ladies of the club and also the little free library.


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

SG: Just four? Let's see, Agatha Christie , Edgar Allan Poe, Cleo Coyle and Jane Austen


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

SG: I'm reading Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron. It's the start of my Christmas reading.


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

SG: I knit and crochet, and love to cross stitch.


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

SG: coffee creamer ( holiday flavors this time of year) , orange juice, eggs and yogurt


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

SG: My favorite thing about blogging is getting to know the authors that are out there and I have been blessed to meet most of them. And spreading the word to my readers about books and new to them authors, I always feel that if I reach one person than I have done something important.

Dead Girl Interview Plus a Review and Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Joyce and Jim Lavene back to the blog. Today we're talking about Dead Girl Blues, the second in their Taxi for the Dead series.

Kathy: In the Taxi for the Dead series we see a wide variety of paranormal characters. In addition to zombies, we also have a ghost and sorcerers. Why the variety?

J&JL: We really wanted to have the idea in the story that if zombies are possible, anything is. We chose Skye as a police officer to be one of the least likely people to believe this could happen and gave her an ‘I’ve seen everything’ attitude for this reason. We’re all so sure about the world we think we live it. But what if that world is turned upside down?


Kathy: Zombies seem to be quite popular nowadays. Why do you think that is?

J&JL: Probably the out of control fear many people feel today with world crisis after world crisis. I think many people really believe the end of the world is coming – why not zombies?


Kathy If you were on your deathbed and approached by Abe (or someone similar) would you take his deal and work with him in order to live another 25 years?

J&JL: I honestly don’t know. Skye has a powerful motivation. My kids are grown. That being said, most people would cheat death if they could, I think.


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

J&JL: When we were kids, we read all kinds of crazy stories about zombies, ghouls, and ghosts. But they weren’t brain eating zombies. They were people who crossed the wrong person or took the wrong turn. We wanted to get away from the brain-eating and back to the idea that people could be granted extended lives with magic.


Kathy: This series is a little darker and a little grittier than your other series. Was there a reason to write a not so cozy cozy?

J&JL: The characters come to you and you find a vehicle for them. I can’t imagine Skye being different than she is – gritty and a little sad. But she has a story to tell and we’ve enjoyed telling it. We never set out to write cozy mysteries, they kind of came to us. Sometimes other stories come too.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Skye?

J&JL: Skye meets her father in Dead Girl Blues. She believed she was an orphan so this is a new shock for her. In the next book, she’ll meet her mother and learn the secrets to why they abandoned her and who she is.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

J&JL: Gladly! We have a new Peggy Lee Garden Mystery, Killing Weeds, coming out in May. It’s the tenth anniversary of that series. We also have a new Missing Pieces book out in June, A Watery Death – and book 8 in the Ren Faire Mysteries in July – Fatal Fairies! Thanks for asking.


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Review

Dead Girl Blues by Joyce and Jim Lavene
The Second Taxi for the Dead Mystery

Three years in to her contract with Abe, the Zombie Master, things aren't going well for Skye Mertz in this second Taxi for the Dead Mystery. Abe's sorcerer has been killed and someone is somehow turning zombies into ghosts and making them disappear. In addition, Debbie's husband's "condition" is getting worse and Skye discovers other "accidents" are occurring just as the one that killed her husband and almost killed her. Lucas has been helping her, but could he really be an evil sorcerer instead of a helpful housemate? Remaining alive for her daughter's sake is much more difficult that she thought!

Dead Girl Blues is a book of discoveries. When the body of Harold the Great, Abe's sorcerer, is discovered Skye is called in to investigate his murder. That task leads Skye to Harold's replacement, Artemis. What she discovers then is death changing. The discovery of not only what Artemis is doing, but who he really is, leads to a revelation about who she really is. Skye also discovers more about the death of her husband and the truth of her feelings towards Lucas.

While the Taxi for the Dead series fits the definition of a cozy mystery (amateur sleuth, no graphic sex or violence) I don't consider it a true cozy. I called the first in the series a "not so cozy cozy" and that remains true in Dead Girl Blues. A cozy mystery has a cozy vibe; its location and atmosphere make it a comforting place where you want to spend time, despite the abundance of murders. While I'd like to visit this part of Tennessee via the books, it certainly isn't warm and inviting. That's not to say Dead Girl Blues and the Taxi for the Dead series is all dark, dangerous, and gritty. There's plenty of humour too. I still giggle as I picture Lucas running from the hedge clippers!

While I don't consider Dead Girl Blues a cozy, I believe that cozy readers will appreciate its family values and the universal truths found within. It's a unique series with unconventional characters that tells a great story. I read and enjoy all types of books and I certainly enjoyed this one. I look forward to discovering more about the characters along with what happens next.


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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!