I am going to be hosting a number of cozy mystery authors on my blog for the next two months. If you have not had the pleasure of enjoying a cozy mystery I encourage you to do so. The cozy mystery industry as a whole is in danger of being lost as the publishers are ending a number of series. Please note that not all series I will be sharing are in danger. There are many that will be continuting on as normal. I just wanted to do my part to make everyone aware of this genre as a whole.
Today I will be showcasing Paige Shelton
Scottish Bookshop Series
About the author:
Paige Shelton is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Farmers' Market, Country Cooking School, Dangerous Type, and Scottish Bookshop mysteries. She's lived lots of places but currently resides in Arizona.
Farmer's Market Series:
Where to follow the author:
Country School Cooking Mystery
Interview:
When did your love of writing begin?- I wrote a three line poem when I was seven, and I was hooked! Since that moment I’ve never truly wanted to be anything else.
What made you chose this genre?
- I tried to write romance, but I struggled. Finally, a literary agent asked me if I’d ever even read a romance book. I said that I’d read a few but that I spent most of my reading time with mysteries. She advised me to try writing a mystery. It still took some time to get published, but things came together much more smoothly after that.
Do you have a scheduled writing time, place and/or routine?
- Every time I think I have a solid routine I change something or circumstances change. However, I work best at my desk in my home office. I used to work on a laptop, but I now work on a desktop with a really big touch screen. The touch screen helps make edits easier.
What do you do to get over writer's block?
- Just start writing. Not knowing what direction to move a story is a real thing, but sometimes you just have to start getting words on the screen until something good happens. Edit and revise later.
What was it like to get y our first publishing contract?
- Stunning. My husband, son, and I were on our way to the airport from Disneyland when my agent called to tell me she’d sold the first three farmers’ market books to Berkley. Quite a magical moment.
How has the publishing/writing world changed since you first started writing?
- Lots more self-published books than when I first started. Social networking has exploded. I enjoy the contact with readers and other writers. It’s often said that writing is a solitary, lonely business (and some people like it that way), but it doesn’t seem so solitary when you can hop over to Facebook and chat with friends.
You write about strong female characters. Are they modeled after anyone?
- Not really. They come to the page (screen) with their own quirks and personalities. They fight hard if I try to turn them into something or someone they aren’t. But, I’m glad they come across as strong – thanks!
When you are not writing what do you like to do?
- Read, but there are times when I feel like I can’t read because I’m at a point in writing a book that it needs my full word-immersion, and I don’t want to get thrown off track even when I’m not at the computer. I watch lots of television, too much probably, and my whole family enjoys going to movies.
Do you have any advice for beginning authors?
- As cliché as it is, it’s also true: never give up. If it’s something you truly want, you won’t be able to give up though.
Do you have a favorite author or book you would like to recommend to your readers?
- Though I skimmed over much of the science stuff in it, I recently read and loved The Martian. The movie is currently playing on HBO - frequently. Though I don’t love the movie as much as I do the book, if it’s on I always switch to it for at least a few minutes. I find the people-story part of it utterly compelling.
Please tell us five random things about yourself
1. I love Diet Pepsi.
2. My husband and I get up every morning at 5:00 to ride bikes.
3. My writing partner is my little nine pound dog. I talk to her and run plot ideas by her all day. She’s very helpful.
4. I have a true love/hate relationship with horror movies.
5. I have tinnitus – a ringing in my ears – all the time, but I can block it out most of the time.
Dangerous Type Series
What I learned about this author:
I learned that Paige started off writing romance but realized it was not her thing and switched to mysteries. Like most of us she spends her pastime reading and watching tv. She gets up early every morning to ride bikes with her husband. Like me she has tinnitus which I can tell you is sometimes hard to deal with. What did you learn or find interesting?
Stay tuned for the next author to be spotlighted.
I love that Paige's dog is her sounding board.
ReplyDeleteVery nice interview. Thanks for sharing.
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