​Welcome to A Matter of Inquiry!
 
This week’s guest writer is Mary Seifert, author of the Katie & Maverick Cozy Mysteries. Before we begin the interview questions, Mary, please tell readers a little about yourself.

Bio:

I’ve never been able to leave a brain teaser or puzzle go unchallenged. As former math teacher, I tie numbers and logic to my Katie and Maverick Cozy Mysteries. My best ideas come when least expected—when I’m making incredible memories with family and friends, walking my dog whose only speed is faster, carefully deleting references to murder from my web-browser, and pretending to cook.
You can find me nibbling chocolate and sipping wine, both of which sometimes occur WHILE writing and reading. In rural Minnesota smiles are real, the skies are blue, the weather can turn on a dime, and I can write about it all and not make up a word.
 
Something unusual that’s not in your regular bio: Sir William Wallace is one of my husband’s heroes and I discovered if I purchased a souvenir plot of land contributing to the preservation of woodlands in Scotland, landowners may choose to be referred to as “Lairds”, the Scottish term for “Lord.” That makes me Lady Mary!

Author Contacts
Webpage: http://www.maryseifertauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarySeifertAuthor
TikTok: @maryseifertauthor
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22479915.Mary_Seifert
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-seifert

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB:  Do you include real people in your novels?
MS:  Often, characters I run into end up in my stories—perhaps a name, a face, an occupation, or words I’ve overheard. Be wary and be nice. You never know if you’ll end up in my mystery.
  
JLB:  What inspired your featured book?
MS: I taught high school and college mathematics and was a voracious reader. In my off time, I wrote the beginnings of multiple stories, but while out walking my own Maverick, I found an abandoned car at the edge of the slough in our local wildlife protection area and imagined a body in the truck. Nothing is stranger than real life. That inspired “Maverick, Movies & Murder,” the first of five in the continuing series.
 
JLB:  Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
MS:   I am a traditionally published author and have found a home with Columbine Publishing Group. They are so knowledgeable and helpful and understand the genre expectations. Having that wisdom has given me greater freedom to explore my writing. 
 
JLB:  What is the hardest part of writing for you?
MS:  I find the most difficult part of writing to be the third or fourth (or twentieth) edit. When I begin a story, I have the bones and a trajectory, the whodunit, the who might have done it, and why, but more often than not, my characters say something or do something unexpected (I get a, innovative idea) and I have to make certain all the new threads are tied up in the end. I may deviate quite a distance from my original outline. And often, I have a piece of the puzzle in my head I have to make sure I share with my reader.
 
JLB:  What’s next on your writing agenda?
MS:  Book six in my Katie and Maverick Cozies is getting its finally buffing and should be available at the end of the summer.
 
JLB:  Which of the trivia questions did you pick to answer?
 
MS:

• Ebook or print? I love the feel of paper, so I adore print, but because I have so many books to be read, when I travel, I carry an e-reader.
•  Do you have favorite books you reread? My favorite genre is mystery and because I know who’s done it by the end, I do not reread the stories, but they are read again when I recommend them to my friends. If I want something non-mystery, I tap the vast reservoir of knowledge and titles read by my fabulous family and wonderful group of friends in my book clubs and positive recommendations of readers. 
• Are you a beach lover or a snow skier? I literally freeze up when cold, so although I’d have to travel to get there, I am a beach bum all the way—sand, waves, sails, gulls, sun, the scent of coconut, and heat.
•  An author (living or dead) you'd love to chat with: Isaac Asimov parlayed a doctoral degree in biochemistry into becoming one of the greatest science fiction writers, but he didn’t limit his writing to fiction nor his life to words. He was named the humanist of the year in 1984. A conversation with him would be unparalleled. 
• Favorite quotes: My favorite quotes change with the seasons – there are so many wise people out there – but today they are: Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read - Groucho Marx and Life is a math equation. In order to gain the most, you have to know how to convert negatives into positives. –Anonymous

 
​​JLB: Thank you for visiting the blog, Mary. Before we finish for today, please show us your featured book.

Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!
 
This week’s guest author  interview features PJ MacLayne and her suspense/action novel, The Rise of Jake Hennessey, a Harmony Duprie Story.
 
Why don’t we begin, PJ, by telling readers something about you?

Bio:
 
Less than a year ago, I retired from my day job and moved halfway across the US, and am back in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, which has given me the background for most of my books. I am the author of  the six The Harmony Duprie Mysteries, as well as the companion stories, The Fall of Jake Hennessey and The Rise of Jake Hennessey. I have also written The Free Wolves urban fantasy books.

Tell us something that isn't in your regular bio: “I don’t wear makeup. Currently, I don’t even own any. I used to occasionally wear eyeshadow, mascara and blush, but that’s it. I’ve never owned foundation. The closest thing I have to makeup is clear lip gloss for my chapped lips. Makes my morning routine simple!”
  
You can find PJ on various social media sites.
 
Website: https://pjmaclayne.com
Facebook https://facebook.com/pjmaclayne 
Twitter https://twitter.com/pjmaclayne
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/P.J.-MacLayne/e/B00HVE8WZI    
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/p-j-maclayne
 Newsletter http://eepurl.com/cL73Cz
 Instagram: https://instagram.com/p.j.maclayne

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
PJ: I didn’t choose writing as a career-it chose me. I wrote essays back in the dark ages when I was in high school, as well as poetry. I’ve never attempted to support myself from my writing and have had a variety of other jobs. Now that I’ve retired, I still don’t write full-time.
  
JLB:  What inspired your featured book?
PJ: Jake Hennessey started as a background character in the Harmony Duprie stories. In fact, he was barely mentioned in the first book. Once he made an appearance in the second book, Her Ladyship’s ring,, he wouldn’t let me write him out of the series. (And I tried!)
Still, he never revealed his whole story, no matter how hard I tried to figure him out. But once I was done with the mystery series and was ready to start something new, he butted in and said it was his turn.  That resulted in The Fall of Jake Hennessey, a prequel to the Harmony Duprie stories, and The Rise of Jake Hennessey, a sequel.
I have to give credit to a former co-worker, Jenny. She was always a fan of Jake, and I wrote the books partly to give her the story she wanted.
 
JLB:  Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable?
PJ: I use an on-line critique group, Critique Circle, and I find it to be a great resource. Getting feedback from a variety of other authors helps me find plot holes and weak spots in my stories, as well as pointing out what works well for readers. The downfall is that you don’t always get the same people following the story the whole way through.
 
JLB:  Do you write from an outline?
PJ: I am totally a pantser- I start with a beginning and end in mind, and discover the middle. My stories are driven by the characters and I make changes at their insistence. I’ve made major changes in my stories based on arguments I’ve  had with my characters.
 
JLB:  How many drafts (revision passes) do you do on a typical book before submission to your editor/publisher?
PJ:  I usually do at least three drafts before sending it to my editor, and two after. (Including the changes my editor suggests.) My last revision is having the draft read to me by my computer in a monotone computer voice.
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
PJ: I’m working on a female PI story set in Pittsburgh, PA in the early 1980’s. That was the beginning of the digital age and the end of the steel mills in the area. It’s a much grittier tale than my previous mysteries and I am trying to make the background as realistic as possible. I don’t have a release date set yet, but I’m going to give it as much time as it needs.
 
JLB: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer?
PJ: 

• Ebook or print? Both! I love the feel of a book in my hands, but I also appreciate the ease of carrying a lot of books around on a tablet when I travel. 
• Favorite comfort food: chocolate, of course. As an alternative, I make a mean chicken and dumplings which is perfect for supper in the winter. 
• Have you written a book during NaNo? Several of them. That’s what got me hooked on fiction writing in the first place. 
• A supernatural ability you’d love to have: Healing. I’d like to be able to help people feel better without them knowing how it happened. 
• How long does it take you to write a book? I’ve written a book in less than nine months and had another take fourteen months. (But I moved in the midst of that one.) 

JLB: Thank you for visiting with us PJ. Before you go, please tell readers about The Rise of Jake Hennessey.

The Rise of Jake Hennessey
Genre: suspense/action

For 22 years, semi-retired jewel thief Jake Hennessey honored his promise to stay away from Harmony Duprie. He has no plans to change that... until Special Agent Doan Houck saunters into Jake's bar, claiming Harmony's life is in danger.
 
She's not the only one in jeopardy. Jake is run over by a motorcycle and is the target of a drive-by shooting. He doesn't know who to trust. Not the feds Not the local cops.
 
Not even Harmony.
 
But Jake will do anything to protect his ex-lover. Even if it means matching wits with an FBI agent, revealing old secrets, or ending up in prison. Again.
 
If it comes down to saving his life or Harmony's, there is no choice at all.
 
Buy Links
 
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C59KDNNW
 Nook (B&N):  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143484076?ean=2940161154397
 Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-rise-of-jake-hennessey
 Apple:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6449169609
 Books2Read:  https://books2read.com/u/mdX7jE