Interview with Lori Rader-Day

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?

My fourth novel is Under a Dark Sky, the story of Eden Wallace, a young widow who finds in her husband’s effects a reservation to stay at the guest house at a dark sky park, where people go to stargaze. Despite the fear of the dark she’s developed since he died, she keeps that reservation, only to find six strangers also staying at the guest house. Before she can leave, one of them is killed, and so she’s a suspect, drawn into the investigation. Someone called it And Then There Were None crossed with The Big Chill, and that’s pretty close, if The Big Chill was mostly Millennials.

(Editor's note: Lori won the Anthony for the Best Paperback Original at Bouchercon for The Day I Died.)

How did you develop your character and choose your location?
For Under a Dark Sky, the location came first. I heard about dark sky parks and had to find out more. This location seemed so fraught with potential—a place set up to be dark? Perfect location for a murder mystery. The character came second for this book. I wanted to write about something that scares me, so I chose to write about a young widow. I couldn’t get a handle on the character until one day when I realized her name was Eden. I started researching the Headlands International Dark Sky Park in Michigan, which I used as the model for my park, and discovered their guest house’s reservations were a little hard to figure out. Once I imagined Eden going to the park to be alone and being stuck with a group of friends with their own agenda and in-fighting, I began to write. Eden developed as I wrote. I never know everything about a character when I start. If I did, I don’t know if I’d want to write about them.

What is a day in the life of an author like? Do you write a certain number of words, do you write in the morning or evening? 

I write about 2000 words a day more days than not. Sometimes I don’t write at all, especially when I’m launching a book (like right now, as I’m typing this in a hotel room in Indianapolis). I’d rather be writing, but the job isn’t just writing. There’s a lot of extra work involved, and it’s easy to get that work done and never get to the blank page. But if I’m there doing 1000-2000 words more days than not, that’s not a bad way to get a book written. I used to have to be much more strict with myself because the only time of day I could write was during my lunch hours. I have more flexibility at the moment. I usually do email and promotions stuff in the morning and then write after lunch, sometimes after dinner if that’s the only time I have left. Right now, I’m touring for the book, so a day in my life is primarily spent in my car.

Do you belong to a writers group or are you in touch with other writers? How does that help your writing?
I’m not in a writers group at the moment, but I am in touch with many other writers through Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. Chicago is also a great place to meet writers of all kinds. Writing is a lone pursuit up to a point, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. Having friends who are also writers is great for when you need to commiserate or celebrate. Other writers get what you’re going through better than anyone else.

Do you model your character after yourself or any one you know?
Eden isn’t based on myself or anyone I know. That’s not to say that I never sneak in autobiographical touches here and there (especially in my earlier books) but Under a Dark Sky is probably the novel that is least based on my life, the most purely fictional character and situation.

If your books were made into a movie, who would you want to play the lead character?
I think Reese Witherspoon should option all my books and sort out the roles she wants. She could rock Eden Wallace. Or Charlize Theron. Or Kristen Bell, just because I love her.

Who is your favorite author?
If I only had to pick one, it would be Agatha Christie. But I’m also a fan of Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, and other classic mystery authors. I also read widely and am always up for a new novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, TC Boyle, Michael Chabon, Tana French, Megan Abbott, Susan Orlean, Lou Berney, Kelly Link, Laura Lippman, and Annie Proulx.

How do you keep track of character details from book to book so they are consistent?
I don’t write a series, so I get to start over each book with whatever character I need, whatever traits they develop as I write. I keep track of details I need to note or use later in a separate word document. Ideas, reminders, specific character details I need to work into the whole novel...it all goes in the notes document. I also keep a notebook with me for each novel, and notes can go there if I’m away from the laptop.

If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?

I make a pretty good communications officer for not-for-profits...that’s what I did for twenty years while I launched my fiction-writing career.

Mardi Gras Murder

It's nearly Mardi Gras time in Pelican, Louisiana, but one thing not on the list of festivities is a dead body. In Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron, Maggie Crozat is in the thick of an investigation. After a flood plants the body of a man behind her grandmother's house, Maggie tries to discover who is was. When it is learned the body found after the flood was murdered, not a drowning victim, the police get involved. (Mardi Gras Murder will be released on October 9).

The flooding has delayed the opening of the controversial opening of the Louisiana Orphan Train, a little-known piece of history. Battle lines are drawn between those who do not want the exhibit to open and those who feel is is necessary to tell the story of the past.


One of the opposed is Gerard Damboise, head judge of the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen contest and self-proclaimed president of the St. Pierre Parish Historical Society. A fussy man who believes his heritage entitles him to be in charge.

When Gran backs out of being a judge for the contest, Maggie is coerced into taking her place. Gerard is vehemently oppose to the Orphan Train exhibit and tries to delay its opening. He is opposed to telling people about the grimy undergarments of the poor immigrant children who came from the Lower East Side tenements of New York on the Orphan Train. This offends his gentile southern sensitivities.

Not everyone agrees and someone decides to kill Gerard. As Maggie is driving home, she discovers him driving erratically and when they both stop, he tumbles out of the car. With Pelican residents in full Mardi Gras preparation, and Maggie's dad in overdrive, this is a difficult time to be investigating.

As usual, Ellie Bryon adds just the right amount of spice to her gumbo and makes Mardi Gras Murder an enticing mystery. Laissez les bon temps rouler.

For a review of the previous Maggie Crozat book, A Cajun Christmas Killing, click here.

Purchase link 

Past and Present: A Marketville Mystery

Opening Past & Present Investigations seems to be the right path for Callie Barnstable after her last investigation. But the new case puts her in the line of fire with her estranged grandparents. In Past & Present by Judy Penz Sheluk, her new client wants Callie to find out all she can about her grandmother who emigrated from Germany in the 1950s and how she died. (Past & Present will be released on September 21 by Superior Shores Press.)

Louisa Frankow had her grandmother's immigration card from 1952, her passport, photographs and letters, but did not have enough information to learn the full story. That's how she landed at Past & Present Investigations. Her own mother was raised in foster care from age three and she died before she was willing to tell Louisa much about her grandmother.

A train case in her mother's closet held some documents and now
she wanted Callie to use this material to find out more about how her grandmother died. Her grandmother, Anneliese Prei, came to Canada on an ocean liner and married a man in Canada and had

Louisa's mother.

Through careful research, Callie discovers Anneliese was killed when Louisa's mother Sophie was three. Her husband Horst Frankow was accused of killing her even though young Sophie said it was "a bad man" that killed her mother, not her father. Horst was convicted and died in a prison fight a few months later.

Callie uses her research skills only to find herself pointing at her own family in a not positive way. Another excellent mystery for Callie.

Purchase link

The Dinner List

If you could invite any five people - living or dead - to a dinner party, who would they be? For her birthday, Sabrina Nielsen invites her close friend Jessica, her on again-off again boyfriend Tobias, her estranged father, a favorite college professor and Audrey Hepburn. In The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle, we soon learn why these five people were brought together.

Through flashbacks of her life, we learn Sabrina's story.  Her father Robert left her mother when she was five and failed to make any contact with them. Pushed out of the marriage by her mother, he was an alcoholic and wouldn't get help. Sabrina can't wrap her head around that fact that he had another family - two daughters with his new wife.  

Troubling Sabrina is the distance that has developed between herself and her close friend Jessica since Jessica married and had a baby. Even at the dinner, Jessica has to run to the ladies room to pump breast milk and Sabrina is annoyed by the disruption of their dinner. 

Her almost ten year relationship with Tobias has so many starts and stops, she can't keep up with the

changing directions and the total lack of communication. Tobias is always willing to let silence speak for him and that drives Jessica crazy.

The sweet spot in the group is Professor Conrad, Sabrina's favorite college professor at USC. He taught philosophy and is thrilled to learn Sabrina is a book editor for a New York publishing house. Although there might be some changes with an upcoming merger between two publishing houses. 

And, of course, Audrey Hepburn, everyone's favorite. She is as charming as everyone believed, but with an iron will that did not bend under World War II circumstances. 

Before long, it becomes apparent why this group of people has been assembled. It is a charming, sweet story - sometimes sad, sometimes funny, but most times an enjoyable read.

My five would be Alexander Hamilton, Agatha Christie, Michelle Obama, Cary Grant and my mother Rena. They know why they were chosen. Who are your five?

Purchase link 

Under a Mulberry Moon

Psychologist Ben Pecos transfers to St. Augustine, Florida from his home in New Mexico to work at an Indian Health Service facility. He is hardly unpacked when he encounters a crisis in one of the schools.

An eight-year brought a gun to school, pointed it at the forehead of his teacher, and pulled the trigger. Fortunately there was no bullet in the chamber and teacher Maureen Beltzer was unharmed, physically. Ben works with both the boy and Mo to help them through this traumatic event.

The boy insists a clown gave him the gun and told him to shoot Ms. Beltzer, but he cannot identify the person except to say it sounded like a woman. The school suspends her for injuring the student because no one actually witnessed his actions and a teacher's aide claims Mo overreacted. Mo is traumatized and refuses to leave her house for weeks.

When her sister finagles a job for Mo at the prestigious Whitney Labs in the botanical gardens, she

slowly comes out of hiding. Surrounded by exotic orchids, Mo is in her element and begins to relax from the stress. When the boy who threatened her is kidnapped, her fears grow. Why and who would kidnap Toby?

Quietly working with the orchids, the handsome director of the Labs seems to have some interest in Mo. She knows this is not a good idea and tries to discourage his attentions.

When Mo witnesses some priceless orchids being stolen and is shot at by the perpetrators, Mo worries that some of the staff might be involved. With the police investigating, they discover the security at the lab isn't very thorough and there are no security cameras working. Hundreds of thousands of orchids were stolen.

Planning for an huge fundraising event, Mo and Dr. Mitchell load the van with thousands of dollars of orchids to take to the event. At the end of the evening an explosion takes place in the van and Dr, Geoffrey Mitchell and two others die in the explosion.

The plot thickens as they say.  An excellent mystery which leaves the reader guessing until the end.

Interview with Marilyn Levinson/Allison Brooks

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?

Read and Gone  is the title of my book that's being released September 11. It's the second in the Haunted Library mystery series that I'm writing as Allison Brook. This is my eight published mystery. I've published 7 YAs/books for young readers.

How did you develop your character and choose your location?

Carrie Singleton is my sleuth in the Haunted Library mystery series. I knew that Carrie was about to turn thirty, had grown up in a dysfunctional family, and was about to take an important position in the Clover Ridge Library in the town of her father's family. Carrie matures and changes through her work, her relationships, and her sleuthing. It's fun watching her develop into a responsible young woman.

Most of my mysteries take place on Long Island, where I live, but the Haunted Library series is set in Connecticut. That could be because my family had a summer home in CT, and I've a great fondness for the state. While Clover Ridge is a town I made up, I initially had a real town in mind. Of course now Clover Ridge is nothing like the "real" town.

What is a day in the life of an author like? Do you write a certain number of words, do you write in the morning or evening. 

People often think that a writer leads a very exciting life, but the truth is we spend a lot of time alone in a room writing our Work In Progress. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings I go to aerobics, perhaps run an errand or two, and spend the rest of the day in front of my computer. That is not to say I'm working on my book all that time. First off, I check my email, which might require work such as agreeing to write a guest blog or agreeing to read a friend's new book in order to give her a blurb. I check my Facebook page and that of my agent and author friends. I might post something about a new review I've received or mention my up-and-coming Facebook party. I admit that I also do some "window shopping" or shall I say "monitor shopping" for clothes.

Then it's time to get to the book I'm writing. I do my best writing in the afternoon. I try to write between 2 and 4 pages a day, or more if a deadline is upon me. Often, I have to work on edits of a previously published book. Edits come when you least expect them and need to be returned within a very short period of time. I'm also in constant communication with people from my publishing house about various issues such as a book's cover. Reviews. And now I write a newsletter almost every month. Just setting that up takes time.

And did I mention the virtual blog tour I'll be on in September? That meant writing blogs and answering interview questions that various bloggers post. This is so more readers can become familiar with my work.  

Do you belong to a writers group or are you in touch with other writers? How does that help your writing?

I co-founded a local chapter of Sisters in Crime some years ago, but that did not survive. I still belong to Sisters in Crime, the Guppies, and to a small group of writers. We've been together over 16 years now, and while the purpose of forming this group was to help each other with plotting problems, we chat about every kind of problem you can imagine. Over the years we've supported each other through losses and illnesses and other calamities. I'm also in touch with many other writers. Some I've gotten to meet at the few conferences I attend. Others, I probably will never meet in person. All of these friendships are valuable. They help my writing in concrete ways like giving advice when needed, as well as offering care and support when they are needed.

Do you model your character after yourself or any one you know?

I don't consciously model my sleuth after myself or anyone I know. I've written mysteries with sleuths of all ages. Carrie isn't me. After college she moved from place to place and dressed very Goth—purple hair, long earrings, clunky boots. I never went through a faze like that when I was her age. But I'm sure that Carrie, like every one of my characters, has aspects of me in her personality.

If your books were made into a movie, who would you want to play the lead character?

I'd like a young, spunky, pretty actress to play Carrie. Someone like Emma Stone.

Who is your favorite author?

Two of my favorite books are Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy, and Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth—two very different books. I read so many mysteries, I find it difficult to say who is my favorite author. Recently, I read a mystery that I thought was outstanding called The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey. (Editor's note: An excellent book for a review click here.)

How do you keep track of character details from book to book so they are consistent?

Because I've been writing my new series over a relatively short period of time, I can remember many details. When I'm not certain, I check out the previous book or manuscript. Believe it or not, remembering names can be a problem. My agent had me write a list of characters in my first book. I find myself often referring to that, especially where a character's age is concerned. Of course I add to this list with each new book that I write.

If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?

If I were not an author, I'd be retired! My non-author friends don't work any longer.

For a review of Read and Gone, click here. 

The Pint of No Return

I wish there really was such a place as Leavenworth, Washington. The German-themed village with its local breweries would be so fun to visit. In The Pint of No Return by Ellie Alexander, it's Oktoberfest in town. Having grown over the years, the festival stretches over multiple weekends. (The Pint of No Return will be released on October 2 by Minotaur Books.)

Even though Nitro microbrewery doesn't fit the German theme, Sloan and Garrett want to tempt visitors with some of their interesting brews. Sloan has been developing food treats as companions to the brews Garrett has created.

A documentary crew stumbles into Nitro and decides to feature them in the film about German brewing techniques, much to the dismay of "town ambassador" April Ablin and director Payton Smith. The host Mitchell Morgan has an outsized ego and thinks he should be the center of the documentary. Most of his TV credits include games shows.

Also causing his usual amount of trouble is Sloan's ex-husband

Mac. Although she still adores her former in-laws, Ursula and Hans Krause, Mac is troublesome and still thinks she is in love with him, no matter how much she tries to dissuade him of that. He has grand ideas about how he can be a co-star in the documentary, but his schemes usually cause trouble.

When the obnoxious host turns up dead, no one is really surprised, although there are plenty of suspects, including Mac. In the hopes of clearing Mac, Sloan's investigation leads her to the documentary crew.

Pull a a pint of Cherry Weizen and enjoy this latest excellent mystery by Ellie Alexander.

Purchase link

Murder in the Lincoln White House

It's March 1861 and Abraham Lincoln has been inaugurated as president in a turbulent time in American history. Six southern states have already seceded from the Union and there is war in the air and a murder inside the Inaugural Party. In Murder in the Lincoln White House by C.M. (Colleen) Gleason, President Lincoln hires a young friend, Adam Quinn, to solve the murder.

Adam, a frontiersman from Kansas, is used to turbulence as he lost his left arm in pro-slavery violence back home, but the complexities of Washington have him spinning. He has to rely on a free man of color and a female reporter to help him navigate the diverse points of view in the capital.

The descriptions of 19th century Washington are amazing. Who would believe that the capital of the United States would have mud streets and no sidewalks, the White House would be threadbare and there is absolutely no security surrounding the President. Lines of people are waiting outside the White House to have a chance to speak with President Lincoln to try to find jobs or assist in some way.

The lack of security concerns Quinn especially after the body of Custer Billings is found a few short steps away from the Inaugural party. Quinn must weave his way through the treacherous plots to kill the President and the hostile pro-slavery Southerners.

A gripping mystery with an historical perspective that will make you cringe at life in the 1860s.

C.M. Gleason's next book in the series Murder in the Oval Library will be released on August 28.

Purchase link - White House

Purchase link - Oval Library

Kensington Cozy Convention

Aanda Flower and Ginger Bolton
with Deputy Donut hat

Spent Saturday afternoon at the Kensington Cozy Convention at Forest Park Library. Look who I ran into.  Amanda Flower and Ginger Bolton (with her Deputy Donut hat), MapYourMystery and Cheryl Hollon and some other Sisters-in-Crime friends Lori Rader-Day Books and Victoria Thompson. 

MapYourMystery, Lori-Rader Day and Victoria Thompspn

MapYourMystery and Cheryl Hollon

Map Your Mystery in Top 50 Mystery Blogs

Wow, we're excited to be named to the Top 50 Mystery Book Blogs.

Congrats to cohorts Dru's Book Musings and Cozy Experience for making the list.

Here's the link

https://blog.feedspot.com/mystery_book_blogs/