Tag: Cozy Cat Press

Cozy Cat Press, Interview with the Author

Interview with the Author: Swinging by a Silk with Barbara Jean Coast

the outside lane

I want you to read everything that follows with a mental martini in hand, your most fabulous frock or dinner jacket, and some Dean Martin playing in the background.  This post is to introduce you to Barbara Jean Coast, author of the Poppy Cove Mysteries, rather, to introduce you to Andrea Taylor & Heather Shkuratoff, the best-friends-since-childhood writing team behind Barbara Jean Coast and Poppy Cove’s silky style.

I was hoping to have STRANGLED BY SILK finished in time to add a review to this post, but (as usual) I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, so pleasure reading is taking a backseat to freelance writing work.  What I can tell you is that from the start of STRANGLED, I was smiling over the style.  I am really looking forward to being able to sit down and sink into the atmosphere.  Until then, I am enjoying Barbara Jean’s Facebook page, where she posts witticisms and wisdom daily.  Things like, “I was tickled when he told me I was the apple of his eye until I saw how many trees he was harvesting!” and “If ‘happy’ only lasts one hour, you’re going about it all wrong” and “Fancy soaps and clean towels make guests feel welcome. Now you know what to do when you want them to leave!”

You get the idea.  The Poppy Cove stories are set in the fictional town of Santa Lucia, loosely based on Santa Barbara in the late 50′s, early 60′s and revolve around the glamorous comings and goings of the social set of the town, with a little murder and mayhem thrown in for good measure.

Definitely check out Barbara Jean Coast and Poppy Cove!  They are my fellow Cozy Cat friends, and have already shot up to the most recommended for Kindle in the cozy mystery ranks.

The Outside Lane:  How did you get started writing?

Andrea Taylor:  Since childhood, my imagination was working overtime.  As soon as I could hold a pencil, I was putting my ideas on paper.  There was a great joy in making up stories, games and play-acting.

Heather Shkuratoff:  I have always been an avid reader of every genre, but I’m especially fond of cozies.  I like the way they create worlds and characters in a bucolic fashion that make a person want to know the people and visit the places.  The idea for the Poppy Cove Mystery Series felt like that kind of story of place and time that wanted to be told.

TOL:  Where do your ideas come from?(Or, more specifically, where did your series’ main character come from?)

HS:  I have a background as professional dressmaker and seamstress, even ran my own shop years ago.  Shortly after I decided to close up shop, I approached Andrea about the idea of a cozy mystery based on a design atelier and the people who frequented it.  She liked it and within a few hours we were brainstorming.  She really caught on to the basic concept and had some great descriptions of the main characters and plot lines, while I focused more on clothing details and place descriptions.  The more we talked, the more we felt we were on to something.

AT:  My ideas about our main characters for STRANGLED BY SILK (the first in our series) came from what I imagined two, young independent women of that time period to ideally be.  I also knew that the characters needed to be distinctive from one another.  Margot’s the cool, calm and creative intellectual.  Daphne’s the sporty, fun-loving quick thinker.  As the series goes on, we’ll all learn more about what makes these two girls tick and click.

TOL:  What’s been the biggest learning experience of your first release?

AT:  For me, the biggest learning experience I have had with the release of our first book is juggling and balancing between writing, promoting and living.

HS:  I agree.  Before when we were just writing the first book, that’s all we were doing in the course of the series.  Now, we’re working on the second, keeping track of notes for series consistency, marketing and promoting the first book and still looking (and occasionally finding!) time to have a life.  All in all, we’re pretty lucky and happy.  There are certainly worse problems to have!

TOL:  What are your plans for your next novel?

AT:  For our next book in the Poppy Cove Mystery Series we are bumping off a beauty queen!  Also, we’re introducing some new characters to the Santa Lucia canvas as well as bringing back the cast from STRANGLED BY SILK who are still alive to add in all the delightful background story lines and details.

HS:  It starts a few weeks after the first novel with the fall fashion show at the Santa Lucia Charity Ball, held at the Yacht Club where Nora Burbank, Miss Santa Lucia, is the darling of the show.  Things go terribly, terribly wrong for her shortly after that.

TOL:  Any advice for writers?

AT:  My advice for writers is to love the story your are telling, be patient, have perseverance and just keep writing.

HS:  Yes, keep writing!  Do your research and craft your words.  Above all, enjoy the process and get lost in your own world.

TOL:  How did you come to Cozy Cat Press?

AT:  We found Cozy Cat Press online, read an interview with Patricia Rockwell and were comfortable with the idea of this being the right home for our series.  We sent off a query and manuscript as we were doing with various presses, and when an invitation for a contract arrived, not only was it exciting, it felt like it was the right fit.

HS:  We were very grateful for the opportunity and really glad that we signed on.  There was a quiet knowing under the excitement, that sense of something that’s meant to be.  We’ve had great support and met such talented, interestingly diverse fellow authors that have been very helpful and nice people to boot!

Links
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Strangled-Silk-Poppy-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00B8YKKBG/
Blog:  http://welcometopoppycove.wordpress.com/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BarbaraJCoast
Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/bjcoast/
Facebook:  “Friend” Barbara Jean Coast & “Like” Poppy Cove Mysteries
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/BJCoast 

Andrea and Heather, thank you so much for being with us on The Outside Lane!

books, Cozy Cat Press

Interview with the Author: Everybody Wants to be a Cat

the outside lane

So it’s not an interview today, but a whole slew of authors to get to know.  My new friend and fellow author under the Cozy Cat Press umbrella, Blanche Day Manos, did all us kittens a solid by putting together a listing of our blogs and book links on her own truly delightful blog.  Since she did all the heavy lifting, I am simply stealing her work and pasting it below for you.   Check out these cats.  Cats are cool.

First, there is the editor and publisher of Cozy Cat Press, Patricia Rockwell. Patricia authors the Essie Cobb senior sleuth series and Pamela Barnes acoustic mysteries. Her website ispatriciarockwellauthor.com.

If you go to Lee Stansfield’s Facebook page, you will be met with a dazzling array of teacups, illustrating her Mr. T and The Traveling Teacup books. Her Facebook handle is Leslie Matthews Stansfield.

Writer Dreama Reed has a brand new website called djreedwrites.com. Check this out and meet Dreama.

And then there are the Poppy Cove mysteries of Barbara Jean Coast. This is actually a writing duo of two friends, Andrea Taylor and Heather Shkuratoff. Their book is Strangled By Silk. Barbara Jean also interviewed me a while back and was this writer thrilled!! Their blog site is: welcometopoppycove.wordpress.com.

Julie Seedorf  has a beautiful website and blog and is author of Granny Hooks a Crook and Whachamacallit Thingamajig. Go to julieseedorf.com and you’ll see what I mean.

Nanci Rathbun’s latest book is Truth Kills.  This talented writer’s interesting website is: nancirathbun.com. The eye-catching backdrop is a cityscape.

It would be hard to beat B. J. Gilbertson’s title or picture for his book, Deathbed and Breakfast.  His website has atmosphere and to spare.

Another fellow Cozy Catter is Joyce Oroz. I have been privileged to be included in one of her interviews. Her website lists her latest book, Cuckoo Clock Caper.

Steve Kaminski writes the Dabbling Detective series, It Takes Two to Strangle and Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk. Visit his website at damonlassard.com.

Amy Beth Arkawy is radio host, author, and creativity coach. Imagine my excitement when she interviewed me on live radio! What a thrill. Amy authors the Eliza Gordon books, Dead Silent and Killing Time. You will find more fascinating facts on her website.

Lane Stone brings us mysteries set in the beautiful state of Georgia. Two of her books are Domestic Affairs and Current Affairs.  For more about this talented author, go to herwebsite.

Timya Owen’s author page is on Facebook: Timya Owen. She is writing the Fernbridge Mysteries.

Marlo Hollinger has an eye-catching blog. Really neat and entertaining thoughts.

And then, of course, there’s the Darcy Campbell/Flora Tucker mother/daughter sleuth series written by co-authors Barbara Burgess and Blanche Day Manos (that would be me). Our latest is Grave Shift. My website and daily blog can be found at blanchedaymanos.com.  (Oh! You’re on it!) The latch string is always out and I invite you to come back and visit tomorrow and the next day and the next… In fact, all of us Cozy Catters invite you to visit amazon.com and look up our books. We think you’ll be glad you did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGzjvzy65Nc

books, Counting Blessings, Cozy Cat Press, Destinee Faith Miller Mystery

The Boston Book Festival and Me. Mostly Me.

the outside lane

Meet me at the Boston Book Festival on October 19, 2013. Look for her and TIARA TROUBLE at the Cozy Cat Press booth.
Meet me at the Boston Book Festival on October 19, 2013. Look for her and TIARA TROUBLE at the Cozy Cat Press booth.

 

I am very excited to announce that TIARA TROUBLE and I will be at the Boston Book Festival at Copley Square in Boston, Massachusetts on October 19, 2013.

I’ve never been to Boston, so I am doubly excited to visit.  And triple-y excited to get to see Boston in October!  Trees!  Colors!  Harbors that taste like tea!

Most, I am excited to start promoting TIARA TROUBLE.  I can’t wait for you to get your hands on a copy, and let me know what you think of Destinee and her Dolls, Tishelle and her Divas, and the mystery murderer and his/her motives.

For information on attending the festival, visit the website at www.bostonbookfest.org.

books, Cozy Cat Press, Interview with the Author

Interview with the Author: Drema J. Reed

the outside lane

Up next in our collection from Cozy Cat Press is Drema Reed, author of the Art Gallery Mystery Series.

The Outside Lane:  Tell us about yourself, Drema.

Drema J. Reed:  I was a nurse for 45 years working in ERs and disaster relief. Retired and was at loose ends so I sat down and wrote my first book KILLER IMAGE. I am attending Portland State University right now in my senior year working for a degree in Anthro/Archaeology and I love it. I live in Portland, Oregon near kids, grandkids and lots of friends.

Drema J. Reed–Killer books!

TOL:  Where do you find your characters for your books?

DJR:  My books contain characters of people I went to school with some 50+ years ago. Me and three of my best friends retired (in the book) and decided to open an art gallery. In the first book, we find a dead body in our back room and head off into an adventure that pits us against a jaded police detective and a bunch of terrorists who were responsible for the bombing of the Al-Khobar Towars in Saudi Arabia.

The second book KILLER GENES centers on the kidnapping of a young man who is working for a gene research company and is kidnapped by people in the Pharmaceutical Company who are trying to stop a discovery that would cut into their profits big time.

The main characters are myself (D.J. Kelley, my three friends Nita Marie Bates, Jo Murphy, and Bobbie Sichel with appearances of other characters based on members of our high school class.

 

TOL:  I love that you’ve created an alternate reality, where you get to live out your fantasies at a safe distance from any real danger!  What got you started?

DJR:  I started writing out of boredom and decided I would create a comedic piece, just for myself and a few close friends, with no intent to be published. I really love a good laugh.

My ideas are taken from actual situations that have occurred and embossed with comedy and characterizations of my friends. The main character in the book I have based on myself and my “little voice” which is me to a T.

 

TOL:  What’s been your biggest learning experience as you’ve published your books?

DJR:  My biggest learning experience was to realize other people think what I write is funny–which it is intended to be–and not to let your ego get involved in your books. Some people like them, some don’t. So What??

 

TOL:  What’s next for you?

DJR:  I have completed the first two books of the series, the second being KILLER GENES, and am almost finished with #3, the title of which has yet to be determined.

 

TOL:  Do you have any advice for up and coming authors?

DJR:  As for advice, I would just say “do it” because you never know what might happen. My first book languished in my computer for over four years before another writer friend of mine read it and encouraged me to have it published. My daughter-in-law who has written 25 published books, explained to me that I was a writer rof “Cozy Mysteries” and to go on line and see what came up. Cozy Cat Press was the first in line so I sent my book as Pat requested and she liked it. Before I knew it, I was a published author. Will wonders never cease!!

 

TOL:  Drema, thank you so much for joining us at The Outside Lane.

Find out more about Drema on her Amazon Author page, follow her on Facebook, and buy Killer Genes and Killer Image at the links included.

A Day in the Life, Beauty, Inside Lane, The Book, Tiara Trouble

Destinee’s Destiny–Never Was Mine

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I’ve had two parents enjoying (ha!) brief hospital stays this week, but am happy to report that all parties are home and accounted for, neither needing any radical surgeries or treatments.  Still kicking–as they should be.  I got an email of clear health from the one who was leaving the hospital (in another state), while sitting in the emergency room with the other.  My mother said to me, the next day, “I felt so sorry for you, sitting up here with me.”  I said, “I’d have felt a lot sorrier for me if I didn’t have you to sit with.”  She considered and nodded, then said, “You win that one.”

Working to help my mom get some things in order, I’ve come across some old pictures.  Notably, I came across a stack of photos from my Little Miss Phenix City days.  They run the gamut from hilariously confused to hilariously stoic.  It appears that I was not the smilingest of little pageant queens.

To wit:

lmpc

This is the night after I had been crowned.  I walked the runway at some point before the crowning of Miss Phenix City.  I had been completely confused and bewildered by winning, and was even more confused and bewildered by having something else to do the next night.  In my mind, I won, I was finished, and that was that.  Sweet tiara!  Now, let’s go dance to the music coming out of the transistor radio shaped like a can of RC Cola that I won.  (It didn’t work well, btw.  Mostly static.)

Given that I had really not understood the whole process, I certainly didn’t understand why people were cheering for me.  I knew why my family was happy, but I didn’t know any of those other people, and couldn’t figure out why they would care.  Also, it took a really long time to get my hair to do that, and it was not done without tears.  I did not think anything in the world could be worth all that time getting my hair done.

My family, especially my mother, had been very clear with me that winning the pageant wasn’t a big deal.  If I won, that would be a fantastic honor, but if I didn’t, that was fine.  I was still Lane, and no tiara could make me any better than I already was.

I’ve written before that my school entered me in the pageant.  I had no idea I was up for consideration until the school called my mother and told her to get me ready to compete.  I think she had a week?  So, we ran down to the Kiddie Shoppe in Columbus, GA and she bought me two dresses that were on the sale rack.  My favorite was the one pictured above–it was a chick yellow, dotted Swiss, with a crisp white pinafore.  I wore a floor length, white cotton sundress, with horizontal seams for the pageant.  It had pockets.  I loved the pockets.

I love how confused I am. Like I'm wondering what in the world I am doing holding a bouquet.

I love how confused I am. Like I’m wondering what in the world I am doing holding a bouquet.

What I did not love was having to have my hair styled on a daily basis.  I did not love having to stay clean.  I did not love being kept out of the yard for a week.  I was a play-in-the-dirt, rip my tights rolling on the ground, black-edged fingernails kind of girl.

I do remember being excited and happy about my win, but I also remember being quickly disenchanted.  I didn’t see that I had done anything special to win, so I wasn’t sure what the fuss was.  All I did was walk up and down, and answer a few questions.  Nobody had asked me to sing, or to tell stories, or show them stuff I could do…what was the big deal about me just walking around?  (I didn’t understand that 90% of the competition had to do with what the judges saw when they took the little contestants out to lunch, out to a playground, and what they saw when they did little group interviews with us.)

Nothing about me had changed, but suddenly I was getting attention from people who hadn’t bothered with me before, and even at 6 years old I recognized it had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the tiara.  My parents had done a good job making me believe the tiara didn’t make a bit of difference, so I was suspect of people who seemed to think it did.  And there was that one rotten boy, who threatened to break into my house and steal it.

When I started writing Destinee, I was trying to imagine what it would be like for a little girl whose world was founded on pageants.  I was wondering what that little girl would grow up to be–that little girl whose mother had made her looks what mattered.  That little girl whose family put value on her face, her hair, her fingernails, and not her heart, her mind, and her behavior.

But I wanted Destinee to have a happy family.  They might not share my values and they might not have expected much from their daughter, but they love each other, and they stick together.

Tell you what, Destinee wouldn’t be looking like a deer in headlights on a runway. She’d look like she belonged there.