What genre do you write and why?
Bones To Pick is the first book in my
new humorous cozy mystery series. I’m having lots of fun writing a series that
takes a light-hearted look at friendships, family, and romantic relationships—plus the heroine Brie Hooker’s interactions with assorted
animals. Brie’s new home, Udderly Kidding Dairy, is populated by 400 goats,
almost a dozen guardian and herding dogs, a mule, a horse, a pot-bellied pig,
and chickens. I love how the cozy mystery framework lets me put people and
animals in amusing situations while still fulfilling a mystery’s main
mission—keeping readers guessing and rooting for good to overcome evil. I want
to make sure my cozies still deliver an adrenalin rush. Profanity and gore
aren’t needed to get hearts hammering.
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| http://amzn.to/2ywWtSs |
Brie
Hooker, an aspiring vegan chef, leaves her Asheville , NC
What's the best thing about being a
writer?
Where
to start? There’s great satisfaction in killing off (on paper) all the
personality types that have most annoyed you over the years. I love writing
villains and conjuring up heinous plans for my smart heroine to unravel. I like
not having to get dressed for work. Okay, I’m usually out of PJs, but sometimes
my PJs are better looking than my ratty shorts and t-shirts. Low clothing
budget.
Who is you favorite character in
your book and why?
Definitely
Aunt Eva, the cantankerous carnivore, who clearly loves her niece Brie but
likes to rib her about her vegan diet and nonexistent love life. Eva’s my
favorite because she shares a lot of my mother’s and my Aunt Mary’s personality
traits. She’s stubborn, smart, has a wicked sense of humor, says what she
thinks, and doesn’t care about what other people think about her.
Why do you think readers are going
to enjoy your book?
I
have my fingers crossed there are other readers like me who like strong, smart
women heroines. I think the family and friendship aspects will also appeal. In
addition to her aunt, Brie is very close to her mother, an attorney, and her
father, a horticultural professor. Mollye, Brie’s best friend since childhood,
also has an entertaining personality. And then there are the two men vying for
Brie’s affections. I’d have a hard time choosing between them.
Did you learn anything from writing
your book that was unexpected?
I
learned a lot I didn’t know about animals and legal moonshine. I had no idea
there were so many breeds of goats. Didn’t realize they were sometimes rented
out to clear areas of kudzu. I was ignorant about how differently horses and
mules respond to danger. (Instead of fleeing, mules may attack!) I had no idea
what a big business legal moonshine has become.
Where can a reader purchase your
book?
Henery Press has published the book in all
e-book formats, trade paperback, and hard cover. It’s available direct from
Henery Press as well as from all major online booksellers. If you encounter a
bookstore or library that doesn’t have a paperback or hard cover copy of Bones To Pick on its shelves, ask them
to order one through Ingram ipage, Baker & Taylor, or Henery Press.
Like
everyone else, I use Google and YouTube. But I never stop there. I love to do
in-person interviews with experts. I made several visits to a local goat dairy
and even took a goat yoga class. I visited a legal moonshine establishment,
too. Of course, I had to sample the goat cheese, goat fudge and the various
moonshine flavors. I picked the brain of my critique partner who owns a mule
and a horse. A lot of my criminal investigation information was gained during
five years of attendance at the annual Writers’ Police Academy
What is your work in progress? Tell
us about it.
I
just turned in the manuscript for the second book in the Brie Hooker Mystery
series to my editor at Henery Press. The main Bones To Pick “family”
remains—Brie, her Aunt Eva, her mom and dad, her best friend Mollye, and her
would-be love interests, Paint and Andy. But there are also new cast members.
Eva’s friend Carol is running for governor of South Carolina
When you’re not writing, how do you
spend your time?
I live on a lake in Upstate South Carolina and I
love to swim and kayak. Three times a week my husband and I have a date to go
walking together, usually about five miles. That gives us lots of time to talk.
I like to garden. I also love to READ. While I devour mysteries, thrillers, and
romantic suspense, my book club pushes me to read outside these genres. I can’t imagine turning out the lights at night before
reading for at least half an hour and hopefully more. Fortunately, my husband
shares my reading passion.
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