Authorsday: Maggie Bishop

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

While working in the corporate world, I asked a secretary if I could borrow a book to read on vacation. That one contemporary romance paperback changed the course of my life. I devoured four hundred novels in one year. My husband couldn’t understand the addiction. My nose was in a book all the time, even while in the car at stop lights. At home, he would have to call me several times to break my concentration and get my attention.”

One evening while driving home from work at Danskin in York, PA,I decided that I could write a romance. I’d been absorbing the rhythms of the stories, the variety in plot lines, the depth of characters. The decision to write was easy – the execution was the hard part. I joined the Romance Writers of America and had a crash course in the craft of writing by attending their national conferences.

How did you pick the genre you write in?

Appalachian Adventures started with romance, then turned to murder. The original concept was 4 books, 4 male cousins, 4 seasons and 4 different sports. I had to get the romance out of my system. “Appalachian Paradise” is romance and backpacking. “Emeralds in the Snow” is romance, downhill skiing and a cold case mystery. “Murder at Blue Falls,” my third novel (3rd male cousin, 3rd season and 3rd sport – horseback riding) changed everything. My publisher, Ingalls Publishing Group, fell in love with the two main characters and the following books are based on the fictional Blue Falls Guest Ranch in the real Triplett Valley outside the real cozy mountain town of Boone, NC.

Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

Once, I outlined a book and became bored with it because I already knew the ending. Lesson learned – my writing has to entertain me during the process so I’m 90% panster. Most of the time, I don’t know who did it until the last third of the book, which means more revisions.

If you could ask your readers one question, what would it be?

Since I write cozy mysteries, did you figure out who did it before it is revealed in the story?

Describe your latest book, “One Shot too Many.”

This time Detective Tucker is the main character and we find out more about his past. Yesterday's regret; today's deadly fix.

Impulsive acts during emotional upheavals from the past return to haunt, ending in the death of a photo-journalist near the cozy mountain town of Boone, NC. Detective Tucker must deal with his past while investigating the secrets of suspects determined to keep from facing their own histories. Jemma Chase, trail-ride leader and CSI wannabe, follows clues, even though her interference may cost Tucker his job. “One Shot Too Many” ... suspects a-plenty for Detective Tucker when someone kills the newspaper photographer who took one too many photos. Everyone has something to hide. The nurse – too many injections. The judge -- too many attempts. The retired army man – too many guns. And then there’s the dental hygienist with too many ejac – lovers, the grandmother who loves too much, the sports medicine professor who drinks too much. When Tucker’s own past comes back to haunt, Jemma Chase, his CSI wannabe girlfriend, has to make a choice.

What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?

My strengths are dialogue and action. Readers comment often on the setting.

What is your favorite word?

“Umbrella” because of the way it trips the tongue around the mouth. My favorite 2 word combo is “Ball hootin” which is what a pickup truck does down a slick mountain road.

Why do you use real people as minor characters?

I live in the South where uniqueness is more than tolerated, it’s encouraged. It helps avoid using stereotypes. Plus it’s fun for them and me. You read about them and see them in movies but I live near them, know them, enjoy them. Including myself, so I’m in my books like Alfred Hitchcock is in his movies.

Tell us about your background.

My family are all readers. My dad was Air Force and I grew up with 4 brothers. When Dad would come home and say that he was transferred, Mom would get excited and pack up all us kids and make the move with little trouble. We would explore the culture and land where ever we lived – England, Germany, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Japan. My parents started ski patrol when they were 65 and retired at 87. We are an adventurous bunch. That’s why I had to have adventure in my novels.

Where can we find out more about you? Visit my Website maggiebishop1.tripod.com and Blog Dames of Dialogue and Friend me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/maggiebishop and Twitter https://twitter.com/maggiebishop Amazon listing for all my books http://dld.bz/maggiebishopamazon

Author Bio
Maggie Bishop hikes, skis, swims, explores and writes in the mountains of North Carolina where she settled in 1993 with her husband and cat. Every time they travel, they seek out other mountains but none are as exciting as the ancient Appalachians. When asked, "What do you do?" her answer is, "Entertain with word pictures."

She was awarded the honor of being one of "One Hundred Incredible East Carolina University Women" for literature and leadership. She's an Air Force brat who put herself through East Carolina University and received a MBA degree, a former manufacturing executive, founder and past president of High Country Writers, and is a member of Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

Book Blurb:
The Start: In MURDER AT BLUE FALLS, when her horse finds a body, CSI wannabe Jemma starts to investigate, Detective Tucker comes in and it twists and turns from there.

And Then: Since pay is low in the mountains, Jemma has more than one job and is also a carpenter. In PERFECT FOR FRAMING, trouble’s a-brewing in the Property Owners Association where greed and a lust for power lead to murder in a clash of personal versus public needs.

Now: The photography group meets at Blue Falls Guest Ranch and soon there is ONE SHOT TOO MANY which features Detective Tucker with yesterday’s regret haunts.

Authorsday: Carrie Daws

1. If you have a day job, what is it?

As much as I love to write, very little of my day-to-day activities are spent on it. I homeschool our three children, work part-time in our church’s administrative office and volunteer within two different military ministries.

2. Where do you write?

We have converted our dining room into an office for me. Around my desk, the walls are lined with bookshelves and we hung tension rods with curtains in the two doorways. The family knows that when the curtains are closed I am writing and a bone better be pushing through the skin before they interrupt me.

3. What was the best writing advice someone gave you?

Keep writing. I didn’t believe in my writing, didn’t see the value of it. Friends continued to push me, some gently and some not so gently, to continue writing my stories. Most of the time I’m still amazed that the first book is in print and the second one is working its way through to publication.

4. What drew you to the subject of Crossing Values?

Like many first novels, Crossing Values is somewhat biographical. The heroine’s main problem is fear. Although the reasons behind my fear are very different from hers, the end result was the same: we were paralyzed by our lack of trust in others. One day I decided to kick fear to the curb. Although I still struggle with insecurity, it is nothing like what I once endured. I wanted to encourage others to this same freedom.

5. Did you encounter any obstacles in researching it?

My biggest obstacle continues to be perfectionism. In fact, I put off many projects around my home because I want it to be absolutely perfect and know what I achieve will fall short. Because I chose to place the main family of the book in a logging community, my choices for location were somewhat limited. Because of other details, I finally picked Oregon, a state I’ve never visited. I wanted the book to be realistic and authentic, yet I was making guesses based on what I could find on the internet and in books.

6. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

When I start a book, I know the big picture in very general terms. For Crossing Values, I knew I wanted a girl who was running from something in her past to run into a family who simply wanted to love her where she was. Since I write romantic fiction, I wanted a happy ending. Other than that, I create my stories one paragraph at a time, letting the characters lead the way.

7. What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?

My personality tends toward being a woman of few words who simply wants to know the bottom line. I don’t need a lot of fluff, just tell me what I need to know. This helps to keep my writing tight and word count low.

8. What do you consider your weakness and what strategies do you use to overcome it?

Because of this bottom line thinking, I also tend to write too little. I can leave too many details out or fail to have my characters interact with their environment. I faithfully send each chapter as it’s completed to three friends who read for flow, grammar and content. Any question they may have about the script either gets written down to address later in the book or becomes something I immediately rewrite into the chapter I just finished.

9. Why did you pick the publisher that ultimately published your book?

   When I started researching publishers, I was looking for a short list of things beginning with the fact that I wanted to publish traditionally. I recognized my very limited knowledge on the whole process and knew I would need a team on my side to walk me through it. After that, my priority was that the publisher be Christian-based. I write from a biblical worldview and am not willing to compromise that. Next, I decided I didn’t want to deal with finding an agent and I wanted a shorter turn-around time. These choices condensed the list of publishers immensely.

   Then I began a secondary list of preferences, things like I could use the New International Version of the Bible or a new-author percentage rate above 30%. As I write novellas, this was also an important consideration. The publisher I chose and ultimately signed a contract with, seemed the best fit.

10. What would you like to learn to do that you haven’t?

I am a curious person and love to learn new things. Something that I’ve wanted to do for years, though, and have already told my husband that I really want to do once the kids are grown, is learn to fly a helicopter. I want to spend time soaring with the birds.

Author Bio:

   Over the years, Carrie’s dreams changed to include being a stay-at-home mom and a writer. Originally writing weekly devotions as a way to share what she learned with women from various military bases, Carrie decided to enroll in the Christian Writer’s Guild.

   After almost ten years in the military, Carrie’s husband medically retired and they now live in central North Carolina with their three children. Besides writing fiction novels, she stays busy with homeschooling, working part time, and volunteering within two military ministries. Find out more at CarrieDaws.com.

Book Blurb:

      For years, Amber traipsed around the northwest avoiding people and the skeletons in her closet. As winter plants itself across the Rockies, she decides to take a chance on a job at a logging company with a family different from any she’s ever known.

   Watching the family interact creates more questions than answers for Amber. Feeling like she’s entered the happily-ever-after written at the end of fairytales, she watches for cracks in the façade. Surely the play-acting will cease and the real family will emerge.

   Or could they be genuine? Could this family hold the key to what she’s seeking?