For the last few years, I've set my Goodreads yearly reading challenge at 125 books. And passed it. For like three or four years in a row. Of course, those were years I wasn't releasing FOUR books of my own. And working four jobs. And probably a few other things.
Needless to say, this year, I probably won't make it to 125 books marked on Goodreads. Part of that is I read a few collections that had multiple stories in them, but Goodreads only marks them as one. Other factors are that some of the books I read this year haven't released yet. ;) (Benefit of being an editor.) And of course, I read my books several times too, but didn't count them on my tally. That would give me four more.

I like to write stories all at once. Not in one day or one sitting, obviously, but with continuity. Maybe that's why Nanowrimo works so well for me. After all, writing a book all in one month is a short enough time, right?
The problem I have faced this year is that I haven't been able to do that like I wanted. Instead, I've written a chapter or two here. And another there. And then it sits for a while as I work on something else. And then, when I go back to work on it again, I can't remember everything I actually wrote before so I have to read it all again before I can actually do any writing.
While this probably helps me polish things up as I go, it's not conducive to quickly getting words on the page. And it frustrates me to write in bites.

It's that time of year. The time when we wrap things up for 2023 and start looking ahead to what 2024 holds.
I'm going to be honest. 2023 just about wore me out. When I first agreed to four different book releases this year, I wasn't thinking straight. Or wasn't remembering how much time that took on top of everything else I was doing in my life outside of being an author. Needless to say, I'm not ready to do that again for a while.
​That being said, I'm still going to be releasing books next year. Yay!

When Heather Greer, Regina Merrick, Erin Howard, and I started this idea of a multi-author book series all those years ago, we honestly had no idea what we were getting into. It sounded like a fun idea, but that's all it was. That being said, once we decided to actually do it, it took on a life of its own in some ways.
We each had our own story to tell, but they're all entwined. Not always easy to do when we communicate mostly through a group message we always have going. But we live in three different states and four different towns, so we made it work.
And next week, the final book of our series will release. And our quadrilogy will be complete.

A lot of you know I started content editing in the fall of 2022. What is a content editor? I basically get to read stories before you and help the author polish up the overall story itself, little inconsistencies, sentences that don't sound quite right, or other little nitpicky things that keep the story from reaching its full potential. I don't have to worry about the grammar part, though I do tend to fix those mistakes if I notice them. 
When I first started, I really wasn't sure how it was going to go. After all, I still need someone else to do content edits for me. How was I going to be good enough to do this for someone else?
The thing is, I notice things while I'm reading, even if I'm not in editor mode. I've just been trained now to where all the little mistakes stick out to me. Especially if it's a story I didn't write.
Also, it's amazing to be able to reach into someone else's story and help them polish it up where it shines even brighter. Because these stories were already good. We're just helping them be better. And I've loved being able to work with other authors to do that. And now their books feel a little like my "other" book babies. :)
So, what have I helped edit?

Okay, ya'll, I don't read many mysteries, but I do love me some mystery authors. Especially this one. Deborah (or Debbie, as I call her) Sprinkle is on of my Scrivenings Press family, and she's so fun to hang out with. I think you're going to love getting to know her more today too.

What made you choose to write mysteries? Do you have a specific type of mystery you prefer over another?

I grew up reading English mysteries. My mom loved them and so that’s what I read too. Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh who were collectively called the Queens of Crime. As I got older, I branched out to other authors, but I still gravitate to British mysteries. 
I don’t care much for what’s called hard boiled or noir. They contain too many graphic details and bad language for me. I like the ones that take some brain power—that aren’t so easy to figure out. 

Are any of your characters based off of real people in your life? 

There are a few who I have written with a certain person in mind, but I don’t make the character exactly like he or she. I take characteristics from this one or that one and mix them together to make an interesting character. 
I have one character I based off one of my favorite TV detectives. You’ll have to read my books to see if you can guess which one it is.