​Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!
​
My guest author today is mystery writer Joyce Woollcott, featuring Blood Relations, her latest DS Ryan McBride novel.
Before we get to the interview, Joyce, why don’t you tell readers something about yourself?

About the Author:
                       
J. Woollcott is a Canadian author, born in Belfast, N. Ireland. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers and BCAD, University of Ulster. Her first book, A Nice Place to Die won the RWA Daphne du Maurier Award, was short-listed in the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in 2021 and a Silver Falchion Award finalist at Killer Nashville 2023.
 
Website: https://www.jwoollcott.com
Twitter: @JoyceWoollcott

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB: What inspired your featured book?
JW:  It’s part two of my Belfast Murder Series. Number one, A Nice Place to Die had some interesting issues and characters I wanted to explore further.
 
JLB:  Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
JW:  I’m traditionally published. My editor read a grant submission I made and liked my writing. She asked if she could read the whole manuscript. Turned out she was a principle at Level Best Books and eventually I was offered a contract with them.
 
JLB:  Do you write from an outline?
JW:  No not really, but honestly, I wish I could.
 
JLB:   What three books in your genre (other than your own) would you recommend to readers?
JW:  The Ruin; Dervla McTiernan, The Mountains Wild; Sarah Stewart Taylor. The Cold, Cold Ground. Adrian McKinty
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
JW:  I’m working on a standalone about a tough police inspector who is forced to retire when his wife is killed by a bullet meant for him. He moves to a small island of the Northern Irish coast looking for a quiet life. He doesn’t find it. Instead, he begins a new relationship and a new case. I’m thinking of calling it A Desolate Grave.
So far, I don’t have a release date, I’m taking my time and enjoying the process.
 
JLB:  Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer?
JW: 

• Book you're currently reading:  Charlie Donlea: The Girl Who Was Taken
• Most watched tv show:  Sorry, have to name a few all new. Silo, The Lincoln Lawyer, The End Of Us, Dalgliesh, The Magpie Murders, and Slow Horses.
• Movie you’ll always remember:  Ryan’s Daughter, Dir. David Lean
• Best place you’ve ever visited:  Paris, (obviously). :)
• Do you re-read books?  November Road, Lou Berney. Big Sky, Kate Atkinson.
• How long does it take you to write a book?  Anywhere between one to two years.
• A beer at the bar or a book on the deck?  Can’t I have a beer on the deck with a book?
• Where would you be found on a typical Saturday evening at 8pm? Doing what?  Watching tv, (obviously). :) I know, boring.

 JLB:  It was a pleasure having you on the blog, Joyce. As we wind up the interview, tell us about your featured book.

BLOOD RELATIONS
Genre: Mystery
 
Belfast, Northern Ireland: early spring 2017. Retired Chief Inspector Patrick Mullan is found brutally murdered in his bed. Detective Sergeant Ryan McBride and his partner Detective Sergeant Billy Lamont are called to his desolate country home to investigate. In their inquiry, they discover a man whose career with the Police Service of Northern Ireland was overshadowed by violence and corruption.

Is the killer someone from Mullan’s past, or his present? And who hated the man enough to kill him twice? Is it one of Patrick Mullan’s own family, all of them hiding a history of abuse and lies? Or a vengeful crime boss and his psychopathic new employee? Or could it be a recently released prisoner desperate to protect his family and flee the country?

​Ryan and Billy once again face a complex investigation with wit and intelligence, all set in Belfast and the richly atmospheric countryside around it.
 
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Relations-Ryan-McBride-Novel-ebook/dp/B0CFJWF69D

EXCERPT:

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017
RYAN
 
Detective Sergeant Ryan McBride stared into Mullan’s bedroom, the metallic smell of old blood stronger here. Prisha Hill, the supervising crime scene investigator, laid her hand on his arm.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Prisha said. “Have you?”

“No,” Ryan said. “No, I haven’t.”
 
Fifteen minutes earlier, arriving at the scene, Ryan roared past several patrol cars cluttering up the grass verge in front of Hungry Hall, a decaying country house outside Antrim. A few constables stood talking by their vehicles. He jammed on the breaks, pulled into the driveway then backed up. Saw them glance over, a bit edgy now. A stocky woman officer with short dark hair curling under her cap leaned against a car beside two male constables, both tall and pale. Ryan lowered his window, getting a whiff of country air, manure, cut grass, and peat.

“Word to the wise.” He flashed his warrant card. “I’m Detective Sergeant McBride, Senior Investigating Officer.” He nodded towards the house. “That’s a crime scene. You’re supposed to be protecting it, not standing around chatting like a bunch of schoolgirls. Next time anyone tries to enter this driveway, ask for ID, unless you fully know who it is.”

Their faces closed up with anger and embarrassment.

Ryan held up his hand. “That’s one of ours lying dead up there, a retired senior officer. If you let Chief Inspector Girvan drive past you like I did, it won’t just be a bollocking you get; it’ll be school-safety visits. Understand me?”
The woman broke from the group and walked over.

“Sorry, we just assumed, you know, by the way, you hammered in. But you’re right; we should have stopped you.” She nodded over to one of the constables, shuffling his feet by the car door. “Frank there knows the son, Andrew Mullan. Went to primary school with him. He’s right and upset. We didn’t see the victim, but one of the other fellas up there did and was sick.”
 
At the house, Ryan’s partner, DS Billy Lamont, was talking to a crime-scene tech while struggling into a white Tyvek suit and trying to tuck his messy brown curls under a hood. Billy stood a little shorter than Ryan at just under six feet. He had light grey eyes in a pale, freckled face. He lifted his hand in greeting.

One of the crime-scene guys threw Ryan a suit and booties. He had his own gloves, and he hopped along, trying to tug on the booties as they headed for the front of the house.

“Grim sort of a place, eh?” Billy said as they approached the door.

Hungry Hall stood four square and solid enough on an acre of land; Ryan noticed the stonework, originally painted white, now had a grey, mossy tinge. A feeling of disuse, almost abandonment, lingered. The day didn’t help, either; overcast and sullen with low clouds.

“Who found him?”

“The cleaning lady. She’s waiting in the kitchen.”

They stopped at the door and looked in. The main hall was large, gloomy, and cold. Crime-scene officers bustled about. Even so, the place felt desolate. Ryan couldn’t put his finger on it. He shivered.

“Jesus, it’s freezing in here.”

“That’s a desperate smell.” Billy unzipped his suit a bit and pulled his hanky out, holding it to his nose.

Ryan picked up the scent of blood, along with rubbish, rotting food, and dust in the air.

“How often did this cleaning lady come?” he asked Billy. Billy, his partner of over three years, was quick to pick up all kinds of information at scenes.

“Not blooming often enough, you ask me.”

“Hello.” A slim woman in her fifties approached them. A CSI in a blue suit, she carried a metal case and had shoved a pair of plastic glasses on top of her hood. She had dark, almost black eyes and sallow skin. In need of a bit of sun, Ryan thought. Like me.
​
“I’m Prisha Hill,” she said, nodding behind her as she spoke. “I oversee this bunch. I was just on the phone to my boss, and he said you two were a couple of comedians. Well, I’ll tell you this for nothing. You won’t be laughing when you get upstairs.” She hesitated. “DS Calvert, the local detective sergeant here, has been called away, but he got things started before he left.”

​Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!
 
Our guest author this week is Kelly Brakenhoff, featuring her cozy mystery Death 101: Extra Credit, the fourth book in her Cassandra Sato series.  Before we get into the questions, Kelly, please tell readers something about yourself.

About the Author:
 
Kelly Brakenhoff is an author of ten books and an ASL interpreter. She divides her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and picture books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
Parents, kids, and teachers love the children's books and activity books because they teach American Sign Language using fun stories. And if you like a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, you'll enjoy the Cassandra Sato Mystery series.
The mother of four young adults and a hunting dog, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.
 
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio. “I just started learning how to play pickleball. I’m not good at tennis or ping pong, so we’ll see how this goes.”
 
Author Contacts:
Email: kelly@kellybrakenhoff.com
Website: https://kellybrakenhoff.com/ 
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kellybrakenhoffauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/inBrakenVille
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_inbrakenville/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@kellybrakenhoff
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kellybrakauthor

​INTERVIEW:
 
JLB:  What inspired your featured book or series? 
KB:  Hmm, let's see...Does being stabbed in the chest with a foil count as inspiration? Just kidding...yet, it totally does! I actually took a fencing lesson from a champion fencer who also happened to be an actor in a local Three Musketeers production. We had such a great time, and to no one’s surprise, fencing is way harder than it looks! Which is why I included it in the book - but not before experiencing it firsthand! Another inspirational experience for my book was interpreting a college course called 'Death and Dying'. It was quite interesting; undergraduates learned everything there is to know about death and dying, visited mortuaries, even planned out their own funerals! It was an enlightening experience rather than morbid, and it certainly gave me interesting ideas to include in my book!
 
JLB:  Do people you know sneak into your books as characters?
KB:  Absolutely! Well, not in any way they'd recognize. With every character I create, I'm definitely pulling inspiration from people I know. Of course, there's still that list (don't worry it's not written down anywhere!) of people who've ticked me off and have to pay the ultimate price, and those lucky few become villains and victims in my stories!
 
JLB:  Have you killed off a recurring character? If not, would you do so? 
KB:  Sure did! In Dead of Winter Break and my upcoming novella, Halloween Hustle, there were two characters who had to bite the dust. It wasn't easy goodbye-ing those characters the first time, but once I got over it, it became kind of fun to decide which poor soul had to go next. Thankfully though, neither of them were particularly nice people in the first place, so I guess that made things a bit easier on me!
 
JLB:  What book or movie character would you like to be? Why? 
KB:  I'd have to choose Claire Fraser from Outlander. She got to do so many amazing and daring things, and she also got to travel through time - which is pretty sweet. Plus, Jamie Fraser is for sure one of the greatest book/tv loves ever - swoon!
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? 
KB:  I'm excited to unleash my novella Halloween Hustle into the world on September 28th, and afterwards I'll be throwing myself into the next Cassandra Sato mystery which will involve her taking a group of students away on a Study Abroad style vacation - Hawaii, here we come!
 
JLB:  Which of the trivia questions did you select to answer?
 KB:

• Book you’re currently reading: Lessons in Chemistry
• An item on your bucket list: Hike the Camino de Santiago trail through France and Spain
• Do you have upcoming travel plans? Going to Hawaii this winter
• Where is your happy place? Sitting on my peaceful covered patio listening to the birds
• A supernatural ability you’d love to have: I wish I could speak and understand a bunch of different languages. I looked it up and there’s a word for it: Omnilingualism

JLB: Thanks for being on the blog this week, Kelly. Before we finish, please show us your featured book.

Death 101: Extra Credit (A Cassandra Sato Mystery Book4)
Genre: Cozy Mystery
 
Failure is not an option.

At Morton College, learning comes with a hefty price. The search committee tasked with hiring a new president is on the brink of chaos. A student production of The Three Musketeers devolves into a bloody sword fight. Join Cassandra Sato and the students in a Death 101 course as they put their detective skills to the test. Unraveling the tangled web of secrets and lies, they must act quickly as the college's very future hangs in the balance.
 
Buy links:
Goodreads:​ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194943755-death-101
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/death-101-extra-credit-a-cassandra-sato-mystery-book-4-by-kelly-brakenhoff
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBNDYGVH

​Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!
 
Our author interview  this week is with thriller writer, Nannette Potter, featuring her book, PIERCE THE DARKNESS.
 
Before we get into the questions, Nannette, please tell readers about yourself. 

Bio:
 
An adventuress at heart, Nannette Potter lives vicariously through her fearless and impetuous characters, inventing lives balanced on a knife’s edge. PIERCE THE DARKNESS, her debut international thriller, inspired by her Christian faith, was a 2022 Claymore Award finalist. An active member of Sisters in Crime, she lives with her soulmate and husband, Mark, in California’s Central Valley.
 
Something unique or unusual that is not in my bio:  “I’ve always wanted to play the cello. Perhaps I’ll write a book or short story with a cellist protagonist and live through her adventures.”
 
Author Contact Links:
Nannette Potter website: https://nannettepotter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095714192374
Instagram: https:instagram.com/authornannettepotter

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB: What book/author/ or other person has influenced your writing the most? In what way?
NP:  I would have to say thriller author James Rollins has influenced my writing. Since discovering his Sigma Force series, I’ve been hooked. He combined all the elements I love in a novel—action, romance, compelling characters, and exotic locations. He blazed the trail for my own book, which I hope readers will find just as compelling.
 
JLB:  Do people you know sneak into your books as characters?
NP:  No. But I do have a funny story about how I created my villain, The Spaniard. I’m a people watcher (I take after my dad). Years ago, while my husband and I were on vacation in Cancun, we saw a man in the swimming pool. He was tall, tanned, in reasonable shape for a fifty-something with long gray hair tied into a ponytail. And he wore speedos. At this particular resort, there were many Europeans speaking various languages. With my imagination in full-tilt, I began to call this man The Spaniard. He reminded me of a Spanish tycoon, out for a little fun, holding court in the swimming pool. A few days later, while in the pool, I heard him say he was from Minnesota! My hubby and I still laugh about the creation of The Spaniard.
 
JLB:  Do you write from an outline?
NP:  Yes! I use a storyboard using a four-act structure (Act Two is broken into two acts). After years of stumbling in the dark and reading books on how to write a novel without learning the how, I finally discovered two books I highly recommend: Screenwriting Tricks for Authors by Alexandra Sokoloff and Write Your Novel From The Middle by James Scott Bell.
 
JLB:  How many books do you read in a month? Which genre(s)? Favorite authors?
NP:  I admit I’m a slow reader. Usually I’m working on my manuscript during the day, so I read in the evening before going to bed. That equates to about one book per month. For nighttime reading, my favorite mystery author is Ann Cleeves—hands-down. For growth in my genre, I read thriller author James Rollins and fiction author Michael Koryta. All are master storytellers, in my humble opinion.
 
JLB: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
NP: My work in progress is Book Two of my Blade Broussard trilogy. It took six years (from initial keystroke to print) to hold PIERCE THE DARKNESS in my hands. I’m hoping to release Book Two in June 2024.
 
JLB: Which five trivia questions did you choose to answer?
NP:  See below.

• A movie you’ll always remember: The Exorcist. I was fourteen years old when I first watched this film, and I had to sleep with a nightlight on for decades. Admittedly, I still sleep with a nightlight.
•  Where is your happy place? Anywhere near the ocean. I love the sound of waves crashing on the shore. 
• Favorite book character: Seichan from James Rollins’s Sigma Force series.
•  Favorite holiday song: Hallelujah by Carrie Underwood and John Legend. 
• If you had to evacuate your house (your family and pets are already out safe), what one thing would you try to take with you? Definitely my laptop. I have all our family photos scanned into a folder ,and I consider them priceless.

 JLB: Thanks for visiting the blog today, Nannette. Please show us your featured thriller.
 

PIERCE THE DARKNESS
Genre: thriller
​
Disgraced impalement artist Genevieve "Blade" Broussard accepts a lucrative job offer from Spanish billionaire René Martel to perform at his villa on Mallorca. After narrowly escaping a kidnapping attempt upon landing on the island, Blade's plight worsens when she discovers the job offer is a ruse to lure her unknown biological mother out into the open. After Blade overhears Martel's scheme to assassinate world leaders at the United Nations in Geneva, she must risk an escape...or die trying.
 
Buy Links
 
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookshop
Google Play
Kobo
Apple Books
 
Trailer Link
https://www.nannettepotter.com

Welcome to Matter of Inquiry
 
Mystery author Judy Penz Sheluk is with us today, but she won’t be featuring her mysteries (although we hope you’ll hunt them down and read them – try her website!). We’ll be taking a look at her non-fiction writing/publishing reference book and alerting you to a new one coming out late this year.
 
I’m pleased to have you on the blog, Judy. Before we jump into the interview, please tell readers something about yourself.

About the Author:
 
A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of Finding Your Path to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide, as well as two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and Marketville Mysteries, both of which have been published in multiple languages. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited.
Judy is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served on the Board of Directors for five years, the final two as Chair. She lives in Northern Ontario.
 
Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I’m an avid golfer and try to get out 3 times a week during our all-too-short season here in Northern Ontario. Despite my best efforts, I have yet to get a hole in one, but hope springs eternal!”
 
Find her Website at www.judypenzsheluk.com.
Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/JudyPenzSheluk/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/wwwjudypenzshelukcom
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyPenzSheluk
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/judypenzsheluk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judypenzsheluk/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/judy-penz-sheluk
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Penz-Sheluk/e/B00O74NX04

​INTERVIEW:
 
JLB: Do you write full-time, or do you have a “day” job?
JPS:  My day job from 2003 to 2018 was that of a freelance journalist and magazine editor, so I’ve been writing fulltime for several years. I’ve been writing novels (and more recently, reference books on publishing platforms) since 2018 on a fulltime basis.
 
JLB:  What inspired your featured book?
JPS:  My local library had invited me to talk to their NaNoWriMo group about succeeding or failing at NaNoWriMo in 2019. For those who don’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it takes place every November. The idea is to write 55,000 (1,666 words/day). As it turned out, no one there really cared or succeeded or failed. All they wanted to know was “What’s next? How do I get published?” That led to a second workshop, which I called Finding Your Path to Publication. There was record attendance, and a couple of months later, the Independent Book Publishers Association was looking for new ideas. I mentioned the presentation and they commissioned an article (in May/June 2022 issue). I realized, then, there was a book that needed writing. So I wrote it.
 
JLB: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
JPS:  I’ve been published by two small presses (one, a Mystery Writer of America approved publisher, now out of business, the other released all authors from their contracts due to health issues). I’m also published by WWL Mystery, a division of Harlequin, which is a division of HarperCollins – they acquired the North American mass market paperback rights to my Marketville and Glass Dolphin mystery series. I’ve also been traditionally published by Sharp Point Press for the Chinese language version of Skeletons in the Attic (book 1 Marketville). And I have a few short stories published in various journals and anthologies.
I’m also the owner/publisher of Superior Shores Press, and now publish my novels (as well as three, soon to be four, multi-author anthologies) under that imprint, which I set up in 2018 after being “orphaned” by the small presses. I figured I could do as well or better on my own—I have a business background, I’d already developed a loyal following, and I’m a complete control freak (totally necessary if you want to self-publish). It’s worked out well for me and I’m fortunate to work with the same editor I had with one of the trad publishers, and I found a great graphic artist for my covers.
 
JLB:  Do you read reviews of your own books? Do you respond to them? Are you affected by them?
JPS:  Read them: Always. If someone has taken the time to read my book AND taken the time to write a review, however brief, I owe it to that individual to read what they had to say.
Respond to them: Almost never, though I recall one reader’s review, it was ages ago on Goodreads, and she wrote something along the lines of “don’t worry if you thought there was incest, there’s no incest in this book.” And I thought, “WHAT? It’s a cozy mystery, why would anyone think it included incest?” So I posed the question, but never heard back.
Do they affect me: I’m human. I love positive reviews and negative reviews always sting a little. But reading is subjective and I also understand that. For example, one day I received a glowing 5-star review (again, on Goodreads) and a 1-star review of the same book. The 1-star said something like “I thought a grade schooler had written this.” It made me laugh out loud. I’ll probably use that line in a novel someday.
 
JLB:  What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
JPS:  My next book on self-publishing (titled Self-Publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie) is tentatively scheduled for November 1.
 
JLB:  Which of the trivia questions did you pick to answer?
JPS:  See below.

• Book you're currently reading: Everything She Feared by Rick Mofina (paperback) and The Godfather by Mario Puzo (audiobook)
• Movie you’ll always remember: The First Wives Club. It never fails to make me laugh, though when it comes to suspense, Primal Fear is brilliant.
• Favorite comfort food: cheese pizza (no other toppings)
• Your pet: Gibbs, 7-year-old Golden Retriever, named after the NCIS character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs played by Mark Harmon.
• Favorite childhood book: Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery

 
JLB: It was a pleasure talking with you, Judy. Let’s finish with a look at your featured book and a sneak peek at the cover of your next release.

Finding Your Path to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide
Genre:  Writing / Publishing Reference
 
The road to publishing is paved with good intentions…and horror stories of authors who had to learn the hard way.
For the emerging author, the publishing world can be overwhelming. You’ve written the book, and you’re ready to share it with the world, but don’t know where to start. Traditional, independent press, hybrid, self-publishing, and online social platforms—all are valid publishing paths. The question is, which one is right for you?
Finding Your Path to Publication is an introduction to an industry that remains a mystery to those on the outside. Learn how each publishing option works, what to expect from the process start to finish, how to identify red flags, and avoid common pitfalls. With statistics, examples, and helpful resources compiled by an industry insider who’s been down a few of these paths, this is your roadmap to decide which path you’d like to explore, and where to begin your author journey.
Purchase here:  https://books2read.com/FindingYourPathtoPublication

Welcome to Matter of Inquiry!


Author Lynn Slaughter is visiting the blog this week with her debut mystery, MISSED CUE. Before we get into the interview questions, Lynn, please tell readers something about yourself.

Author Bio:
Lynn Slaughter is addicted to the arts, chocolate, and her husband’s cooking. After a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, Lynn earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Her first mystery for adults, MISSED CUE, recently came out from Melange Books. She is also the author of four award-winning young adult romantic mysteries: DEADLY SETUP, LEISHA’S SONG, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, AND WHILE I DANCED. Lynn lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where she’s at work on her next novel, serves on the board of Louisville Literary Arts, and is an active member and former president of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime.
Something unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “My husband and I met in a dance company. Although our dancing days are behind us, we still love working together. We create and perform our own original music (I sing, and he plays the guitar).”

Contact Links:
https://lynnslaughter.com
Twitter: @lslaughter2

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB:  Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
LS: I’ve always enjoyed writing, but despite being a voracious fiction reader, I honestly didn’t think I possessed the fiction gene! But I loved feature writing, and while I was still dancing, I began moonlighting as a freelancer, mostly writing for regional parenting magazines.
 
When age and injury led to my retirement from dance, I got this idea for a story about an aspiring ballet dancer intent upon unraveling secrets her friends and parents were keeping. In retrospect, I was grieving the loss of dance in my life and writing about a dancer was a way to cope.
 
At any rate, that story turned into my first novel, WHILE I DANCED. Working on it hooked me on writing fiction, and I ended up returning to school to earn my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. I’ve just kept going since then and currently write full-time.
 
JLB:  What book/author/or other person has influenced your writing the most? In what way?
LS:  I’ve always been drawn to young adult literature and been inspired by luminaries in the field such as Judy Blume, Richard Peck, Gayle Forman, Chris Crutcher, Angie Thomas, and others. But I’d have to say that my mentors at Seton Hill, authors Barb Miller, the late Anne Harris, and Lee Tobin McClain were instrumental in helping me develop and grow as a writer. Not only did they offer lots of critical feedback, but they provided me with so much encouragement and support. I am so grateful to all three of them!
 
JLB:  What inspired your featured book?
LS:  Since I had a background in the performing arts, a dear writing friend challenged me to work on a short story for Malice Domestic’s anthology, MURDER MOST THEATRICAL. When the story came out, I didn’t really feel I was done. The confines of short fiction didn’t allow me to fully develop the character of the homicide detective and the challenges of her personal life, so I decided to expand my story into a novel. By the time I finished, even the identity of the killer had changed!
 
JLB:  What is the easiest—or the hardest—part of writing for you? Explain.
LS:  For me, the hardest part of writing is the anxiety I experience when starting a new project—or even starting a new day at my keyboard. Once I get going, I’m usually okay and get immersed in the world of my characters.
 
JLB:  What project is next on your list?
LS:  I’m currently working on another young adult romantic mystery, tentatively called MISSING MOM, which was recently named a Claymore Finalist for unpublished manuscripts. It’s about Noelle, a seventeen-year-old whose mother suddenly disappears. The authorities rule it a probable suicide, but Noelle doesn’t believe her mother would ever have checked out on her and her little sister, so she launches her own investigation. Woven throughout the novel is also the story of a young woman two decades earlier whose escape from an abusive marriage turns out to be connected to the disappearance of Noelle’s mom.
 
I hope to finish the novel by the end of the year (I’m a slow writer!) and will then seek a publishing home for it.
 
JLB:  Which of the trivia questions did you select to answer?
LS:  See below.

• Ebook or print?  I’m old school. I love the texture (and even the smell!) of print books and far prefer them to ebooks.
• Favorite comfort food:  Anything pasta.
• What type of music do you prefer? I’m a huge fan of the American Songbook. I love the work of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, and others. I also love classical music, especially Chopin.
• Pie or cake? Cake, especially chocolate, with a ton of cream cheese frosting!
• Are you a beach lover or a snow skier?  Definitely a beach lover. I grew up in coastal areas of New York and Connecticut, so whenever I’m near the ocean, I’m home.

 
​JLB: It was a pleasure to have you on the blog, Lynn. Before we finish, let’s take a look at your featured book.

MISSED CUE
Genre: mystery
Rating: PG-13
 
When ballerina Lydia Miseau dies onstage in the final dress rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet, homicide detective Caitlin O’Connor is faced with the most complicated case of her career. She strongly suspects that someone murdered the ballerina, and her investigation uncovers several people close to the star who had reasons to kill her. But the autopsy reveals no apparent cause of death. If Lydia Miseau was murdered, who did it, and how?

Meantime, there’s Caitlin’s hot mess of a personal life. She has a bad habit of getting involved with married men. She knows it’s wrong, so why does she keep entangling herself in unhealthy relationships? She’s finally decided to go into therapy to find out.
 
​
Buy links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iBooks
Google Play
​Kobo
Smashwords

I am pleased to be part of N. N. Light's 4th annual Mystery and Suspense Bookish Event. Each day five or six  mystery/suspense/thriller books will be featured and readers will have a chance to enter a giveaway. The full event schedule is listed below by author.   Note that my book, The Dead Betray None (Viscount Ware Mystery #1) will be  featured on August 10, but don't miss any of these terrific books.

       Schedule     

 ​Tuesday 8/8
2 am – Thomas Reilly
4 am – Kathy Otten
6 am – M.L. Ortega
8 am – Judy Ann Davis
9 am – Judy L. Murray (Master)
 
Wednesday 8/9
2 am – Pauline Baird Jones (Last)
4 am – Gini Rifkin
6 am – Beth Henderson
8 am – Sharon Shipley
9 am – C.J. Shane
10 am – Natalie Cross (Blitz)
 
Thursday 8/10
2 am – Chrysteen Braun (Man)
4 am – DK Coutant
6 am – JL Buck
8 am – Mark Love
9 am – Judy L. Murray (Kitchen)
 
Friday 8/11
2 am – Pauline Baird Jones (Byte)
4 am – Jane Drager
6 am – Mary Keliikoa (Hidden)
8 am – Natalie Cross (Blind Date)
9 am – C.B. Wilson
 
Monday 8/14
2 am – Pauline Baird Jones (Missing)
4 am – Susie Black
6 am – Russell Govan
8 am – Carolyn Haley
9 am – Nannette Potter
 
Tuesday 8/15
2 am – TJ Logan
4 am – Charlotte Stuart
6 am – Sharon Buchbinder
8 am – Mary Keliikoa (Derailed)
9 am – Judy L. Murray (Master audio)
 
Wednesday 8/16
2 am – Chrysteen Braun (Girls)
4 am – Pauline Baird Jones (Mama)
6 am – Sasscer Hill
8 am – Carol Light
9 am – C.A. Rowland

All spotlights will be grouped together at this link:
 
https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/mystery-and-suspense-bookish-event
                                                                                                               

Event GIVEAWAY:  Open Internationally. Runs August 8 – August 21, 2023. Winner will be drawn on August 22, 2023.

Rafflecopter can also be accessed here:  
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750228
​

​Welcome to A Matter of Inquiry!
 
This week’s guest author is cozy mystery writer Jill Piscitello, author of A SOUR NOTE (A Music Box Mystery).
 
Good morning, Jill! Before we get to the interview questions, please tell readers a bit about your background.

About the Author:
 
Jill Piscitello is a teacher, author, and an avid fan of multiple literary genres. Although she divides her reading hours among several books at a time, a lighthearted story offering an escape from the real world can always be found on her nightstand.
 
A native of New England, Jill lives with her family and three well-loved cats. When not planning lessons or reading and writing, she can be found spending time with her family, trying out new restaurants, traveling, and going on light hikes.
 
 Something unique/unusual that isn't in your regular bio: “I’m not a fan of learning new technology, but somehow managed to create my website (https://jillpiscitello.com/ ) and another I share with fellow mystery authors (https://readingbetweenthecrimes.wordpress.com/). Anyone who knows me would find this fact impossible to believe. The oddest part is the enjoyment I find in learning new features.”
 
Author Contacts:
 
Website ~ Twitter  ~ Facebook ~  Instagram  ~ Amazon ~ GoodReads ~ BookBub

INTERVIEW:
 
JLB: What book/author/ or other person has influenced your writing the most? In what way?
JP: My mother and daughter have influenced my writing career the most. My mother loved to write and dreamed of publishing a novel. I wrote compulsively as a child, and she was always willing to read and critique regardless of how busy she was. Before learning to spell, my daughter was dictating stories for me to write on her behalf. By elementary school, her books were worthy of sitting on a store shelf. In my spare time, I wrote but firmly believed getting published was a most impractical goal. At some point, I realized the importance of ensuring my daughter didn’t share that same idea. I’m still learning the ropes, but I took a risk and had the pleasure of working with two excellent publishers. Today, I have the pleasure of reading my daughter’s published articles.
 
JLB: How important do you think writing and reading are in today’s world?
JP: Reading and writing are of utmost importance. Regardless of one’s preferred genre, we could all use a little escape from the daily news.
 
JLB: Where do you go to find a new book to read? A friend, google search, browsing a brick-and-mortar bookstore?
JP: I usually choose my next book according to friend and family recommendations. But if I come across a used bookstore during my travels, I’ll get lost for hours and leave with stacks of books. Proprietors of such bookstores are often invaluable resources for excellent reads.
 
JLB: What book setting/location have you never forgotten?
JP: Manderley, the country house in Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, took on a life of its own and almost became a character.
 
JLB: Are you a speed reader or do you settle in and savor a book?
JP: Speed reading only appeals to me if the material is required. When reading for pleasure, I prefer not to rush.
 
JLB: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
JP: I’m currently working on the sequel to A Sour Note.
 
JLB: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer?
JP:  See below.

• Ebook or print? Both. I love the feel of a book in my hands—especially at the beach or by a pool. But when sharing space with family members who prefer to watch television in a dimly lit room at night, ebooks are far more practical.
• Most watched tv show: If we’re talking about my most watched show of all time, The Brady Bunch wins the top spot.
• Favorite accessory: Handbags. There’s nothing quite like finding that perfect bag, emptying an old one, and filling all of the new compartments.
• Something unique in your closet: I keep a vision board in my closet. Little by little, goals are attained, and new ones are added.
• Are you a beach lover or a snow skier? Beach, beach, beach! I loathe the cold and have no desire to step foot on a ski slope in this lifetime. But sitting with my toes dipped in the ocean on a scorcher of a day for hours on end is one of my favorite things to do.

 
JLB: A pleasure to chat with you, Jill. Before we wind this up, please show us your featured book

A SOUR NOTE (A Music Box Mystery)
Genre: cozy mystery
Rating: PG
 
On the heels of a public, broken engagement, Maeve Cleary returns to her childhood home in Hampton Beach, NH. When a dead body turns up behind her mother’s music school, three old friends land on the suspect list. Licking her wounds soon takes a back seat to outrunning the paparazzi who spin into a frenzy, casting her in a cloud of suspicion. Maeve juggles her high school sweetheart, a cousin with a touch of clairvoyance, a no-nonsense detective, and an apologetic, two-timing ex-fiancé. Will the negative publicity impact business at the Music Box— the very place she’d hoped to make a fresh start?
 
Purchase Links:
Amazon ~ Kobo ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Google Books ~ Walmart ~ BooksAMillion ~ Indie Bound

Full Blurb:

October 1812. Lucien Grey, Viscount Ware, returns to London from his family’s country estate to discover his friend and fellow spy Andrew Sherbourne is a fugitive from a charge of murder.
      And Sherry is hiding in Lucien's townhouse with Fanny, a small child of two or three. The mother--and murder victim--abandoned the child on Sherry’s doorstep, claiming Fanny was his daughter and needed protection from a Frenchman chasing them.
      An over-zealous Bow Street Runner is convinced Sherry is guilty of the murder, and no one is looking for the real killer—no one except Lucien—but evidence and potential suspects are sparse.
      Lady Anne Ashburn was called home from London to her invalid mother’s bedside two months ago. She is resigned to never seeing Lord Ware again, at least not in the near future, and her monotonous days are relieved by her childhood sweetheart Daniel, the man everyone has always assumed she would marry.
      Then the letter comes from Lord Ware, asking for her help in investigating a local family. She sets out with determination and in defiance of society’s expectations to find the evidence Lord Ware needs to expose the truth and set his friend free.

Buy Links:
AMZ: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Came-Calling-Viscount-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BVX79QMF
Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-dead-came-calling-1
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dead-came-calling-j-l-buck/1143111006?ean=9781684920907
 BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-dead-came-calling-viscount-ware-mystery-book-3-by-j-l-buck

​Excerpt from Chapter Two: (Andrew Sherbourne, friend and fellow agent of Lord Ware is visited by a woman who betrayed them as English spies in France and brings a young girl with her. She claims they are being chased by a Frenchman who is seeking revenge for a death during the war.)
 
“What? Our child?” Sherry rose to his feet, his heart racing. He had almost expected it. His thoughts had nearly ferreted out her purpose, but not quite. “Why should I believe you? Why wait three years to tell me?”
 
“I didn’t know I was carrying a child when I returned home, and how was I to tell you? I didn’t know where you were, and the only name I had was Andrew Rayburn.”
 
“You managed to find me now.”
 
“Yes, well, it did not matter back then. I desired nothing from you until I recently realized Fanny and I were in danger. In truth, it was not hard to discover Mr. Simon Grey was Lucien Simon Grey, Lord Ware, and that led me to his close friend, Andrew Sherbourne.”
 
“It was never intended to be a deep cover,” he murmured. “What is it you expect of me? Money? You have no proof this child is mine.” Sherry paced the room shaking his head. What a lot of poppycock.
 
“I told you—protection is all. Would you truly deny your child?” Maria cried. “If you don’t believe me. Go look at her again. She has your eyes, your chin.”
 
Needing time to think this out, he latched onto her suggestion. “A fine proposal. Stay and have more tea. I shall see her and return post haste. This conversation is not over.” Sherry strode from the room and rapidly descended the back stairs, his thoughts swirling. Good lord. Could it be true? Was the child his?
 
He opened the kitchen door to the delectable smell of venison stew rising from a pot on the massive iron stove. Fanny sat on the floor at the cook’s feet playing with one of the kitchen cats. Her mouth was smeared with red jam. “How is our young guest doing?” he asked with a smile, his gaze already assessing Fanny’s looks. A pretty child, dark hair, dark eyes. Frankly, she looked more like her mother than anyone else. Was there a faint resemblance to the Sherbourne family around the eyes? Maybe. Nothing as definitive as Maria had implied.
 
“We’ve been doing just fine, sir,” Mrs. Cooper said, giving Fanny a warmhearted look. “I s’pose her mother is missing her already. We better wipe that face before you go.” She put down the long spoon she’d been using to stir the pot and reached for a kitchen rag.
 
Fanny obediently stood and presented her up-turned face for washing. Sherry chuckled. She was a charming waif. He frowned at the sudden thump, thump of hurrying feet descending the servant stairs.
 
“Sir? Sir, where are you?” Archibald called. A moment later, he stuck his head in the kitchen door and grew wide-eyed at sight of the child. “Sir, may I speak with you in private?”
 
“Of course.” Archibald’s red face and heavy breathing filled Sherry with alarm, and he stepped into the hallway. “What is it, Archie?”
 
“The woman…she left, sir.” Archie held up a heavy bag. “I found this in the front entry and went to ask if it was hers, but she was not in the library. I have looked everywhere. She is gone.”
 
 “That cannot be.” Mindful of Fanny and other listeners on the other side of the door, Sherry kept his voice down. “She would not have left without her daughter.”
 
“I am sorry, sir, but it appears that is precisely what she has done.”

​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.