Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was raised in Northern California, and lived for many years in the seaside town of Santa Cruz, which was the inspiration for the fictional town of Cypress Bay in my new Cypress Bay mystery series. For the past thirty years I’ve made my home in New York City. I’m married to TV personality Sandy Kenyon, entertainment reporter and film critic for WABC-TV in NYC.
Bones and Roses, the first book in my Cypress Bay mystery series, is the 16th book I’ve written. I’m the New York Times bestselling author of 15 women’s fiction titles, numerous YA titles and one cookbook, “Something Warm from the Oven.”Baking is how I keep my sanity and keep my husband happy. Whenever I get stuck writing a book or I’m in a funk, I get out my apron and mixing bowl. How bad can anything be with the aroma of a cake in the oven wafting throughout the house?
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Bones and Roses is my latest book and the first in my Cypress Bay mystery series. I’m really excited about it because it’s my first adult mystery, and also because it’s set in a fictional town closely resembling the one I lived in, which means I get to “visit” whenever I like. I have a sand dollar on my desk that I picked up at the beach near where I stay whenever I’m out there. It’s my touchstone.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I get up in the mornings when it’s still dark out. I light a candle on my desk, make myself a pot of tea, and get to work. I call it my “Jane Austen” time. Though she didn’t write on a computer, and I won’t go so far as to revert to pen and ink. Early mornings, when my head is clear, is my productive writing time.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I decided I wanted to become a novelist after reading “Jane Eyre,” in fourth grade. I recently re-read the book and loved it just as much all these years later. I believe I subconsciously modeled myself after Charlotte Bronte, striving to write novels that would stand the test of time. I don’t know that I achieved that goal, but why not aim for the stars? You just might make it to the moon.
What are you working on now?
Book 2 of my Cypress Bay mystery series, Swimsuit Body, starring my intrepid sleuth, Tish Ballard. I’m having a lot of fun with it! Look for it in the spring of 2015.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I see a lot of ads online for paid promotions that guarantee thousands of new Twitter followers. But I think the personal approach is best even online, just like when I used to make the rounds of bookstores in the old days, getting to know booksellers and readers. I do a lot of social media and enjoy connecting with fellow authors and readers. I comment on other people’s blogs, and this leads to lively interaction. My motto: If it’s not fun, don’t do it! Simple as that. Awesomegang is a great site for that reason – it’s a fun way for authors to connect with readers and vice versa.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write something every day, even if it’s only a paragraph. Practice may not make you perfect, but it’s the only way to learn.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Years ago, an established writer advised, “You can court many Muses but marry only one.” I took that advice to heart. I gave away my piano and packed up my paint brushes. From then on, I devoted myself to my first love: writing. I never regretted that decision.
What are you reading now?
Just finished gobbling up Stephen King’s ‘Mr. Mercedes.” Eagerly awaiting the next Raine Stockton mystery from Donna Ball.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m staying with the mystery genre for now. Down the line, who knows? I go where my Muse takes me.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I should probably say the Bible, but I’m not gonna lie. I’m a lover of fiction. I’d take “Jane Eyre”, “The Stand,” by Stephen King, and maybe one of my own titles and a red pencil, because then I could endlessly revise.
Author Websites and Profiles
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