Praise for MURDER IS BINDING:
"The mix of books, cooking and an engaging whodunit will leave cozy fans eager for the next installment." -Publisher's Weekly
"Lorna Barrett has conjured up a dream of a cozy locale and populated it with great characters to give readers a fun-to-read story that will have them begging for more 'Booktown Mysteries.'" -MyShelf
"Lorna Barrett's Murder Is Binding is a must read for mystery buffs. Full of first edition classics and tributes to many of the great mystery classics, readers will not only feel the nostalgia of a small town mystery but of their personal reading histories." -Merrimon Book Reviews
I can't say enough good things about MURDER IS BINDING. Please tell us when, where and how you came up with the idea for such a clever series?
Actually, I auditioned for it. (Sounds like I had to tap dance or sing, doesn’t it?) My agent was looking for an author to write
the series. She offered it to another
well-known cozy author who was too busy.
That author suggested me. I sent
in samples of my work which was forwarded to the editor. He liked my samples and I was asked to do a
proposal based on what Berkley was looking for. They liked my sample and I had a contract.
Basically, they gave me the name of the store, the name of the town, Bob Kelly and the name of the protagonist: Pat Miles. But Pat didn’t work for me. It wasn’t until I changed it to Tricia that the character came to life.
How long did it take you to write MURDER IS BINDING?
Too long! Actually,
another published author friend of mine advised me NOT to start the book until
the paperwork was signed. I lost four months
waiting for that to happen. That gave
me about six months to write the book.
It was a trying time, as my Dad had a stroke and couldn’t drive. It was up to me to take him to his
appointments, etc. I wrote big chunks
of the book by longhand in doctors’ waiting rooms and in hospitals.
Tell us about your writing schedule.
Right now, I have none!
In addition to promoting Murder Is Binding, I’m about to start promoting
the second book in my Jeff Resnick psychological suspense series. (It’s called DEAD IN RED, and will be
available in late June/early July.
Publication dates are a bit liquid when you’re with a small press.)
When things run smooth, I do the bulk of my work in the
morning, between 8 and noon. I like to
write 1200 words a day. Some days I
make it, some days I don’t. Some days I
exceed it. (Those days are the best.)
Let's talk about your blog The Writer's Plot.
I’m sure my blog mates would be distressed to hear it called
“my” blog, since it’s a group effort.
(Right Sheila, Leann and Doranna?)
There are six of us. Me, Sheila
Connolly, Leann Sweeney, Kate Flora, Jeanne Munn Bracken and Doranna
Durgin. (Currently Doranna is on an
open-ended sabbatical as she’s had some health problems to deal with.) We blog five days a week and often have a
guest on Saturdays. We’d love for ALL
OF YOU to join us daily and see what makes us tick! (www.WritersPlot.typepad.com)
I hear you are writing the next book in the booksellers
series. Give us a clue as to what we can expect when the second book is
released. When can we look forward to reading it?
Tricia hosts a booksigning at Haven’t Got a Clue as part of
her Tuesday Night Bookclub. All the
regulars are there, along with a few new characters, as historical mystery
author Zoe Carter signs books and spars with her snarky niece. Later, Zoe is found strangled (with a bungee
cord!) in Tricia’s brand new bathroom.
Several people at the signing had good reasons for wanting Zoe
dead. Sheriff Adams shuts down Tricia’s
store and tells her it can’t be reopened until the killer is found. It’s obvious she’s in no hurry to
investigate, so it’s up to Tricia to find out who did the deed so she can
reopen Haven’t Got a Clue.
It’s called “Bookmarked For Murder” and will be available in
February 2009.
Do you have other book projects in the works?
Later this summer I hope to squeeze in a rewrite of the
third book in the Jeff Resnick series.
(It’s called Cheated By Death.)
And my agent wants me to work up a proposal for another series. Oy--just thinking about all that work makes
my head spin!
Will you be attending Malice this month?
I sure will, and I hope to meet a lot of people from here at
Cozy Armchair!
Tell us about Lorraine, the woman, the author, and the
friend.
Actually, I’m a pretty boring person. In fact, I’m a geek. I like Star Trek. I listen to new age music.
I collect 1950s Made In Japan Christmas figurines (among a LOT of other
things). I used to be a dealer in an
antiques co-op (gave that up after 11 years just this past March). I have two pairs of cats. (Two boys, two girls.) And I spend way too much time surfing the
Internet. I’ve been writing since I was
a teenager--and in fact started writing Star Trek fan stories. My first published short story was a romance
called “Valentine’s Day.” I sold a
bunch of stories to confession magazines and wrote four Jeff Resnick novels
while I was waiting for fame and fortune.
Eventually, my third agent sold the first Jeff book, Murder On The Mind
in 2005, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Is there something you would like to say to your readers?
If you like my work, please tell others about it.
Since it's national Library Week, will you be doing some
book signings at any local libraries this week?
Alas, no. I was
invited to speak to a writers group at my local library in March, but they
canceled when everyone decided to go to Florida instead. Go figure!
I mean, winter in Western New York?
I can see why they’d prefer to take off for sunnier climates, but
really--did they have to go en masse?
I’m waiting for them to reschedule.
Are there any authors whose books you like to read or
even reread?
Well, of course, I read Sheila Connolly’s work (Through A
Glass, Deadly -- and her first apple orchard book, One Bad Apple will be out in
August), Leann Sweeney, Kate Flora, and Doranna Durgin’s work (you can pay me
by check, guys), but I’m also fond of Deb Baker, Sandra Parshall (there’s a
reason she won the Agatha last year), Mary Kay Andrews, Jeanne Ray, and loads
of others.
That said, I also reread “The Egg and I” by Betty MacDonald
(a favorite among some readers on this list), and several Barbara Michaels’
books: “House of Many Shadows,”
“Witch,” and “The Dancing Floor.”
Leave us with some 'mysterious words of wisdom' and
anything else you would like us to know about your books.
Me? Words of
wisdom? Uh… “Always tip your bartender.”
Something else about my books… Uh, check Amazon?
Lorraine, thank you for being our author of the month.
I’m very pleased to have been asked!
Please visit Lorna's homepage!