Morgan St James

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have 14 books in publication and 2 more getting ready to publish. I co-host the Writers Tricks of the Trade show on Blog Talk Radio and also publish the Writers Tricks of the Trade bi-monthly eZine. I call myself an accidental writer because I didn’t start out to be one. The story about my first published article is a fun story. I have written 600 articles for two Examiner.com sites, am a frequent speaker and give workshops. Most recently I taped an episode for Discovery ID Channel “A Crime to Remember” to be broadcast in 2017. I write in multi-generes: funny mysteries, memoir, true crime memoir and have authored a book about writing.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Incest, Murder and a Miracle: The true story behind the Cheryl Pierson murder-for-hire headlines.” I worked with Cheryl Pierson Cuccio and Rob Cuccio to develop their chilling and also inspiring memoir. They contacted me because of other books I co-authored and I found their story fascinating. They just taped an episode for a new series on Discovery ID Channel to be aired in 2017.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Often I write in the middle of the night. I don’t have a set number of pages, words or hours that I write. As long as the spark is there, I keep going, even if it is many hours on end. On the other hand, if I hit a day where it isn’t happening, I don’t force it.

What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the writing of Robert Crais, Michael Connelly and most of Janet Evanovich’s books. It’s fun to work with humor in mysteries, and I also love when authors get things right.

What are you working on now?
The 4th Silver Sisters Mystery, Diamonds in the Dumpster, and the true crime memoir of Jenn Carson, the daughter of the San Francisco Witch Killer.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.morganstjames-author.com, my main website, and I also create websites for various books I’ve written. I am on Facebook, Pintrest and Twitter daily.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have faith in yourself. If you haven’t written before, attend workshops and conferences and join a good writer’s group. There are things you really need to know to produce a professional manuscript. Don’t publish or query before it is the best it can be, and up to a New York publisher’s standards.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Believe in yourself.

What are you reading now?
The Last Testament of Bill Bonanno. I might be working with his granddaughter. Bonnano was head of the Bonnano Crime Family.

What’s next for you as a writer?
If I knew, I would tell you. I never know what inspiration will hit or when someone very interesting will ask me to work with them.

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?
Since there are still books to be read, and I don’t foresee being stranded any time soon, I’m going to generalize. I would have two good mysteries, something inspirational and something that would put me to sleep while reading.

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