Interview and Giveaway with S. Dionne Moore

CONTRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER:
                      SANDRA!

 

Interview Questions/Sleuths and Suspects Blog

1.      Tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I’m a city girl who transferred to the country. It was a big shock going from the suburbs of D.C. To PA but I absolutely love my mountain view and not living, literally, 20 feet from my neighbor! But I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that, do you? You probably would rather know about my publishing journey. It all started years ago. I was always formulating stories in my head and decided to start writing them down. After a devastating time in my life, I poured out my emotions on paper and posted it on my Geocities Website (remember them?). An editor approached me and wanted to use the piece in her book. From there I did another small piece that was published in Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul. My real break came when I decided to learn how to write fiction and I joined ACFW, which was ACRW at that time. Through the writer’s online I learned about the writing rules and attended conferences. After a few years, I heard Barbour was looking for cozy mysteries and I decided to submit the proposal I had just entered into ACFW’s writers’ contest. I found out I had finaled in the contest and within two weeks I had my first contract!

Guess you’ll never ask me to tell you “a little” about myself again! *wink*

2.      Tell us about your most recent book/or the book we are focusing on.

Your Goose is Cooked is the final book in the LaTisha Barnhart Mystery series. LaTisha’s cook overhears a hitman being hired to take out the mayor. Then said hitman turns up dead and the plot thickens like a pan of stale gravy.

Who would want to kill the mayor? And who would want to kill the killer? When LaTisha is nearly run down in broad daylight, she realizes the stakes are high. Is her goose cooked

 

Why did you choose this particular genre? Actually I didn’t choose this genre, it chose me. I’ve always enjoyed reading a good mystery and I love humor, but the idea of combining the two didn’t occur to me until the news of Barbour Publishing opening a cozy mystery reached my ears. If you’ve ever written a mystery, you know that it is hard work trying to keep the reader guessing while laying all those clues out and keeping the red herrings straight. Truly, writing mystery is a labor of love. Sometimes forced love. The most satisfying and fun part of writing the LaTisha series was the dialogue between Hardy and LaTisha--balancing their snipes at each other with the love they show behind the words.

 

3.      What is a couple of your favorite books and what are you reading now?

Some of my favorite books were always Mary Higgins Clark’s earliest works. I guess that was my mature version of loving Nancy Drew as a preteen. Of course *ahem* I still play the Nancy Drew adventure games by Her Interactive. As far as what I’m reading now. . .nothing. I’m gearing up for another research session for my historical romances, which means collecting nonfiction books and sites for a particular setting.

4.      What are you working on now and can you give us a little peek inside it?

No peeks! It wouldn’t be much fun anyhow. I’m working on proposals--you know synopses and *ugh* marketing analyses.

5.      What advice would you give authors who are on their own journey to publication?

Writer’s write. Join a writing group of experienced authors and absorb everything they teach and tell you.

6.      Do you have any books or websites that have helped you with your writing that you could share with us?

ACFW is a highly recommended organization. They are nationwide and have several regional chapters. There are also benefits in simply doing a web search for writers groups that might be in  your area. Critique groups are a great way to get your feet wet, but don’t go into a group wearing your feelings on your sleeve!

7.      Please let us know where to find you on the Web:

I write for The Borrowed Book: http://www.theborrowedbook.blogspot.com, Cozy Mystery Mag: http://www.cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com. You can also follow my tweets on my Twylah page: http://www.twylah.com/sdionnemoore, my pins on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sdionnemoore and, of course, my personal page: http://www.sdionnemoore.com.

 BIO:
S. Dionne Moore started writing in 2006. Her first book, Murder on the Ol’ Bunions, was contracted for publication by Barbour Publishing in 2008. In 2009 she moved on to writing historical romances as an outlet for her passion for history. In 2010 her second cozy mystery, Polly Dent Loses Grip, was a 2010 Carol Award finalist and she was also named a Barbour Publishing 2010 Favorite New Author. In 2011 her first historical romance, Promise of Tomorrow, was nominated a 2011 Carol Award finalist.

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